Towards the end of December, I was gearing up to start the big brew year. Naturally, I had to figure out what I was going to make my first batch of 2014. As it turned out, this was decided for me. I was offered a large bag of Poha berries with the express purpose of making them into beer. Poha berries are about a 1″, sweet, mildly tart berry with smooth, waxy orange skin. Being closely related to the tomatillo, you can imagine,...
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Originally, I was going to make a repeat of my Light American Ale. As I tweaked the recipe and utilized ingredients I already had, it morphed into an Ordinary Bitter. It turned out to be quite a beautiful beer. Both in taste and appearence. McIntosh Bitter 1 lb. Flaked Corn 8 oz. Maris Otter 2.5 oz. Crystal 10 3.5 oz. Peated Malt (a few month old and lost most of it’s peaty-ness) 5 lb. Pale Liquid Malt Extract 15 IBU...
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There’s nothing quite like a dark stout on a cold evening. As much as I love dark beers, I don’t often brew them. Not many of my surrounding peoples are dark beer drinkers. But I can’t last too long like that. So I put together a rich, creamy, nutty, chocolaty, on-the-verge-of-being-a-porter, stout. It really hit the spot and is very satisfying to drink. Dark Stout: OG: 1.052 FG: 1.018 ABV: 4.5% IBU: 22 5 lbs...
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One of my favorite beers ever is a Märzen (pronounced mehr/tsin). They are smooth, full-bodied, and malty with a slightly dry finish. The color is a beautiful amber color that screams “October” and emphasizes it’s bready, biscuity, and lightly toasted malt flavors. So naturally, I wanted to create my own. Having been scared to in the past, that mine might not live up to the Märzen I love so much, I put it off. Until...
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Theres nothing like a classic Hefeweizen. I’ve worked my way down to a really light beer, and this is the finale. It came out quite wonderful. It tastes just as good as it looks. Feast your eyes on this… OG: 1.048 FG: 1.013 ABV: 4.6% IBU: 12 Calories: 160 / 12 oz. 7 lbs. Wheat malt 1.1 lbs. Pilsen 2.4vlbs. Two-row .25 oz. Hallertau (6.4% a @ 30 min) .6 oz. Cascade (5.4% a @ 30 min) WLP300 Hefeweizen Ale Yeast Steep grains in 3.9...
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