2Daves Irish Red Ale
This is a collaboration recipe that is perfect for St. Patrick's Day. Or anytime! Smooth and tasty, it'll add to the festivities. This recipe makes 5 gallons.
Fermentables
- 8 lb. Two Row
- 2 lb. Munich malt
- 1 lb. Crystal 20L
- 0.5 lb. smoked malt
- 0.5 lb. Crystal 60L
- 0.125 lb. Chocolate malt
Hops
- 1 oz. Northern Brewer @ 60 minutes
- 1 oz. Tettnang @ 7 minutes
Yeast
White Labs Irish Ale Yeast - WLP004
Finings
1 Whirlfloc Tablet @ 7 minutes
Groomsman's Pride IPA
A new beer created by adding specialty grains to an existing IPA. With more body and malt flavor than the 100 Years War IPA, this is a good, hoppy beer for autumn and winter refreshment. This recipe is for a 3 gallon batch.
Fermentables
- 3 lb. Light DME
- 1 lb. Amber DME
Steeping Grains - Steep for 30 minutes at approx. 170ºF
- 0.25 lb. Carapils
- 0.12 lb. Roasted Barley
- 0.12 lb. Crystal 120L
Hops
- 0.25 oz. Centennial @ 60 minutes
- 0.25 oz. Warrior @ 60 minutes
- 0.25 oz. Centennial @ 20 minutes
- 0.25 oz. Warrior @ 20 minutes
- 0.25 oz. Centennial @ 7 minutes
- 0.25 oz. Warrior @ 7 minutes
- 0.25 oz. Centennial Dry Hop 3 days before bottling/kegging
- 0.25 oz. Warrior Dry Hop 3 days before bottling/kegging
Yeast
White Labs California Ale Yeast - WLP001
Finings
1 Whirlfloc tablet @ 7 minutes
Trilby Brown Ale
Winter is a great time for a nice, malty brown ale. This one took me a while to develop, but the result is worth it. Rich and sweet, with notes of caramel and coffee, Trilby Brown Ale is the perfect beer to serve with a stew or some Shepherd's Pie. This recipe makes 5 gallons.
Fermentables
- 9 lb. UK Maris Otter
- 1 lb. Chocolate malt
- 0.5 lb. 40L
Hops
- 1 oz. UK Fuggle @ 45 minutes
- 1 oz. UK Fuggle @ 20 minutes
- 1 oz. UK Fuggle @ 7 minutes
Yeast
White Labs British Ale Yeast - WLP005
Finings
- 1 tsp. Calcium Chloride - add to initial strike water
- 1 Whirlfloc tablet @ 7 minutes
Notes
Mash at 158º - 160º F
Use approx. 1 gallon of first runnings (or wort if using BIAB) for kettle caramelization. Boil until reduced and thickened, then add to brew kettle.
Natural 20 Pale Ale
If you're someone who enjoys Role Playing Games, you know what a natural 20 is. If you're unfamiliar with RPG, it's rolling a 20 on a 20-sided die, and it means ultimate success in whatever you attempt on that turn.
I hadn't been interested in RPG, but my daughter roped me in. Building characters is fun, and learning the rules is an endless endeavor, but it did inspire me to create a couple of new recipes. Here's one that I'm drinking right now. This is a five-gallon all-grain recipe.
Fermentables
- 8.5 pounds two row
- 0.12 pounds 20L
- 0.12 pounds Biscuit malt
- 0.12 pounds Chocolate malt
Hops
- 0.25 Oz. Chinook @ 60 minutes
- 0.25 Oz. Northern Brewer @ 60 minutes
- 0.25 Oz. Chinook @ 20 minutes
- 0.25 Oz. Northern Brewer @ 20 minutes
- 0.25 Oz. Chinook @ 7 minutes
- 0.25 Oz. Northern Brewer @ 7 minutes
- 0.25 Oz. Chinook Dry Hop 3 days before bottling/kegging
- 0.25 Oz. Northern Brewer 3 days before bottling/kegging
Finings
1 Whirlfloc tablet @ 7 minutes
Yeast
White Labs Pacific Ale Yeast - WLP041
White Panama Blonde Ale - Five gallons
A good blonde ale is always welcome. It's clean and flavorful, not too filling, pairs well with nearly any type of meal, and is good all by itself. I chose the simple, clean elegance of the classic Panama hat for this beer's moniker.
Fermentables
6 pounds American two-row
3 pounds Vienna
0.5 pounds Crystal 20L
Hops
0.5 oz. Perle @ 60 minutes
0.25 oz. Northern Brewer @ 20 minutes
0.25 oz. Perle @ 7 minutes
0.25 oz. Northern Brewer @ 7 minutes
Finings
1 Whirlfloc tablet @ 7 minutes
Yeast
White Labs Burton Ale yeast - WLP023
Scramblin’ Amber Ale - Three gallons
This is one of the first extract recipes I created after going All-Grain. I was extremely busy at work, but I still wanted to brew, and a short, easy brew day was the only way I could manage it. I came up with two recipes, this one and Rushin’ Pale Ale, both of them named for the way I felt rushed and was scrambling around at work.
Easy to brew, and easy to drink, this mellow amber ale is a good excuse to stop scramblin’ around.
Fermentables
3 lb. Amber DME
Adjunct Grains - steeped at 150º - 165º F for 30 minutes
0.25 lb. Chocolate malt
0.25 lb. Crystal 60L
Hops
0.50 oz. Hallertau @ 60 minutes
0.75 oz. Hallertau @ 20 minutes
0.50 oz. Hallertau @ 7 minutes
0.25 oz. Hallertau Dry hop 3 days before kegging/bottling
Finings
1 Whirlfloc tablet @ 7 minutes
Yeast
White Labs British Ale Yeast - WLP005
King Duncan's Holiday Porter - Three gallons
This is a small-batch recipe that I like to make for the winter holidays. But my problem had always been this:
Every bottle was a gusher, and I couldn’t figure out why. I decided to change the additions as well as utilizing them in the boil, rather than after primary fermentation. I’m also going to keg, rather than bottle. Always err on the side of caution.
The new recipe is quite pleasing. A rich, malty beer with an initial hint of the various spices, having them come to the fore in the finish. A good winter after-dinner beer.
Fermentables
5 lb. Maris Otter
0.25 lb. 60L
0.25 lb. Chocolate malt
0.125 lb. Blackprinz
0.5 lb. Biscuit
Hops
0.33 oz. Magnum @ 45 minutes
0.5 oz. Willamette @ 30 minutes
0.25 oz. Willamette @ 7 minutes
Other ingredients
0.5 tbsp. Nutmeg @ 10 minutes
0.25 tsp. Cloves @ 10 minutes
0.25 tbsp. Ground cinnamon @ 10 minutes
0.5 tbsp. Ground ginger @ 10 minutes
0.5 tsp. Allspice @ 10 minutes
1 Whirlfloc tablet @ 7 minutes
Yeast
White Labs Burton Ale Yeast WLP023
It’s worth noting that I also add 0.5 tsp. Calcium Chloride to the mash water. This levels off the pH of the mash and brings out the sweetness of the malt. Mashing between 158º F and 160º F will also make for a sweeter beer.
Happy Holidays!
100 Years War IPA
Some of my recipes are for smaller batches. I like having 2.5 gallon batches in the stable because they provide more rotation and variety within the pipeline. I also like extract recipes now and then. Sometimes I need a shorter brew day, and knowing I can get a batch done in just a couple of hours really fits the bill.
I call this session IPA 100 Years War because of the hops used. Equal amounts of Centennial and Warrior throughout. This one named itself.
Fermentables
3 lb. Dry Malt Extract - Light
1 lb. Dry Malt Extract - Amber
Adjunct grains - Steeped at 135º for ten minutes
0.5 lb. Flaked Rye
0.5 lb. Carapils
Hops
0.25 Oz. Warrior @ 60 minutes
0.25 Oz. Centennial @ 60 minutes
0.25 Oz. Warrior @ 20 minutes
0.25 Oz. Centennial @ 20 minutes
0.25 Oz. Warrior @ 7 minutes
0.25 Oz. Centennial @ 7 minutes
0.25 Oz. Warrior - Dry Hop 3 days prior to bottling/kegging
0.25 Oz. Centennial - Dry Hop 3 days prior to bottling/kegging
Yeast
White Labs California Ale Yeast WLP001
Finings
1 Whirlfloc tablet @ 7 minutes
This recipe is designed to be easily scaled up to a 5 gallon batch without any waste or excess product.
FedoraDave's American Ale
This recipe is special to me. It should be, since I named it after myself. But it’s also the first recipe I formulated when I made the leap to all-grain brewing.
Initially, since I was new to all-grain (and justifiably terrified) I thought to make it a SMaSH recipe -- Single Malt and Single Hops. Just two-row barley and Simcoe hops. And I was delighted that it made a pretty darn good American Pale Ale. I had made an all-grain recipe! I felt as though I’d finally hit the big time!
But after a couple of years, and many other recipes formulated and brewed, I felt something was lacking in this beer. I made some minor additions to the grain bill to give it more depth of flavor and a heartier mouthfeel. This tweak made it better, but it still seemed a little two-dimensional. I did some research on hops, and decided that Amarillo might make for a good partnership with the Simcoe.
Well, like Astaire and Rogers, Mulder and Scully, and chocolate and peanut butter, this pairing was made in heaven. Suddenly, the beer’s aroma rose up to meet you, the bitterness and flavor was full in both the hops and the malt backbone, and the finish left a lingering combination of pine, citrus, and spice. This is now a full-bodied beer, welcome at a Thanksgiving feast, a backyard barbecue, or a porch swing at twilight.
Fermentables
9 lb. Two-row
2 lb. 20L
1 lb. Rye malt
2 oz. Melanoidin
Hops
0.75 oz. Simcoe @ 45 minutes
0.25 oz. Simcoe @ 20 minutes
0.25 oz. Amarillo @ 20 minutes
0.25 oz. Simcoe @ 7 minutes
0.50 oz. Amarillo @ 7 minutes
0.75 oz. Simcoe Dry hop 3 days prior to bottling/kegging
0.25 oz. Amarillo Dry hop 3 days prior to bottling/kegging
Yeast
White Labs California Ale Yeast WLP001
Finings/additions
1 Whirlfloc tablet @ 7 minutes