Spazzy Man Wheat Recipe

Posted on September 9, 2012 by Nick Ladd

A good friend of mine originally exposed me to an amazing beer from New Glarus Brewing called Dancing Man Wheat. This beer, while outside of the OG specification for a traditional hefeweizen is an amazing example of the style. New Glarus’ weizen yeast strain and their processes restrain the over-the-top banana and bubblegum character that dominate most homebrew versions of the style. Instead, it has a great spice character of cinnamon and clove which complement its smooth and creamy mouth feel. In addition, I pick up an almost tropical fruit note, likely a yeast derived flavor.

For this recipe I started with a few things I knew about the beer (like the percentage of oats I took from Brewing with Wheat by Stan Hieronymus) as well as other theories about the way New Glarus brews. I then critically tasted the beer, researched hefeweizen brewing techniques, and brewed my initial batch. After the initial batch, I made a few recipe tweaks, lowered the OG to better fit the style guideline, and then rebrewed using a yeast culture I grew from the bottle dregs of Dancing Man. While not a spot on clone, this beer is very much in the same family as New Glarus’ beer, and is absolutely delicious.

Specifications

Volume: 5.74 Gallons
Original Gravity: 1.054
Terminal Gravity: 1.007
Color: 8.97 SRM
Alcohol: 6.11%
Bitterness: 14.1
Efficiency: 68% (tweak recipe to match efficiency of your brew house)
Boil Length: 90 Minutes

Ingredients

6.5 lb (56.5%) Pale Wheat Malt; Weyermann
14 oz (7.6%) Unmalted Wheat
3 lb (26.1%) Bavarian Pilsner; Weyermann
12 oz (6.5%) Oats (Pregelatinized Flakes); Briess
2 oz (1.1%) Caramel Malt 40L; Briess
4 oz (2.2%) Honey Malt
Rice Hulls as Required
30 g (100.0%) East Kent Goldings (4.7%) – added during boil, boiled 60 m
1 ea Whirlfloc Tablets (Irish moss) – added during boil, boiled 15 m
.75 tsp Wyeast Nutrient – added during boil, boiled 10 m
1800ml starter of New Glarus Weizen Yeast – User Wyeast 3068 as a replacement

Water

Carbon-filtered Seattle water which is very soft. All salts added to grist before mashing in.
2.0 g Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate)
6.0 g Calcium Chloride (Calcium Chloride)
2.0 g Epsom Salts (Magnesium Sulfate)

Mash

15 Minute Ferulic Acid Rest at 110° F
Pull Decoction to Raise to Saccharification Rest
40 Minute Saccharification Rest at 156° F
Pull Decoction to Raise to Mashout Rest
10 Minute Mashout Rest at 170° F
Sparge at 170° F and collect sufficient runnings to hit pre-boil volumes.

Fermentation

Chill wort to 58° F and pitch yeast slurry.
Set temp controller to 60° F and allow to rise to this temp.
Ferment at 60-62° F until beer is 2-6 points from terminal gravity then raise temp to 68° F. Hold at 68° F for 2 days.
Chill fermenter to 34° F and package. Bottle conditioning adds an authentic feel to this beer.

Awards

The beer brewed from this recipe has won as a BJCP Category 15a. Weizen/Weissbier:

2012 NHC First Round – 1st Place

Düsseldorf Altbier Recipe

Posted on September 9, 2012 by Nick Ladd

Alt (‘old’ in German) survives in Dusseldorf, holding on to a lonely buoy within a sea of lagers that is modern-day Germany. Much like its cousin from Cologne Kolsch, this beer is fermented with an ale yeast at cooler than normal temperatures to induce a clean, malty, and firmly bitter beer. This beer features a deep amber color with crystal clarity and garnet highlights. Truly a great beer to both drink and behold. My version is less-sweet than a lot of the homebrew examples that are out there, featuring only 6.5% crystal malt. Instead, this beer receives a toasty (think rich bread crust) melanoidin induced malt flavor from a large percentage of Munich malt as well as a dash of aromatic malt. This is a perfect sessionable beer with enough complexity and flavor to keep you interested, and a low enough ABV to keep your senses.

Specifications

Volume: 6.22 Gallons
Original Gravity: 1.050
Terminal Gravity: 1.013
Color: 15.04 SRM
Alcohol: 4.85%
Bitterness: 43.4
Efficiency: 79% (tweak recipe to match efficiency of your brew house)
Boil Length: 90 Minutes

Ingredients

7.5 lb (64.5%) Pilsner Malt; Weyermann
3 lb (25.8%) Munich TYPE II; Weyermann
.75 lb (6.5%) German CaraMunich III
.25 lb (2.2%) Aromatic Malt; Best Malz
2 oz (1.1%) German Carafa II
34 g (54.5%) Magnum (12.5%) – added during boil, boiled 60 m
.5 oz (22.7%) Czech Saaz (3.1%) – added during boil, boiled 20 m
1 ea Whirlfloc Tablets (Irish moss) – added during boil, boiled 15 m
.5 oz (22.7%) Hallertauer Mittelfrüher (3.4%) – added during boil, boiled 10 m
.5 tsp Wyeast Nutrient – added during boil, boiled 10 m
1 ea White Labs WLP036 Dusseldorf Alt

Water

Carbon-filtered Seattle water which is very soft. All salts added to grist before mashing in.
2 g Calcium Chloride (Calcium Chloride)
2.0 g Epsom Salts (Magnesium Sulfate)
4.0 g Chalk (Calcium Carbonate)

Mash

60 Minute Saccharification Rest at 151° F
10 Minute Mashout Rest at 170° F (I pulled a decoction to hit mashout temp)
Sparge at 170° F and collect sufficient runnings to hit pre-boil volumes.

Fermentation

Chill wort to 58° F and pitch yeast slurry.
Set temp controller to 60° F and allow to rise to this temp.
Ferment at 60-62° F until beer is 2-6 points from terminal gravity then raise temp to 68° F. Hold at 68° F for 2 days.
Chill fermenter to 34° F. Rack beer off yeast and lager near freezing the 4-6 weeks.

Awards

The beer brewed from this recipe has won as a BJCP Category 7c. Dusseldorf Altbier:

2012 NHC First Round – 1st Place

Kolsch Recipe

Posted on September 8, 2012 by Nick Ladd

Kolsch is a great, easy-drinking beer that straddles the boundary between ale and lager. Clean pilsner malt, lager-like fermentation characteristics, subtle noble hopping, and hint of sulfur make this a beer than can be drank by the liter (although it tastes better 0.2 liters at a time in an authentic Stange). Fermented cool using a specialized Kolsch ale yeast strain sets this apart from traditional blond ales you might find at your local brewpub.

Specifications

Volume: 6.12 Gallons
Original Gravity: 1.048
Terminal Gravity: 1.009
Color: 3.95 SRM
Alcohol: 5.05%
Bitterness: 24.8
Efficiency: 75% (tweak recipe to match efficiency of your brew house)
Boil Length: 90 Minutes

Ingredients

10.16 lb (89.0%) Pilsner Malt; Weyermann
8 oz (4.4%) Pale Wheat Malt; Weyermann
8 oz (4.4%) Vienna Malt; Weyermann
2 oz (1.1%) German CaraFoam
2 oz (1.1%) Acidulated Malt; Weyermann
19 g (57.3%) Magnum (12.5%) – added during boil, boiled 60 m
.25 oz (21.4%) Czech Saaz (3.1%) – added during boil, boiled 30 m
1 ea Whirlfloc Tablets (Irish moss) – added during boil, boiled 15 m
.25 oz (21.4%) Hallertauer Mittelfrüher (3.4%) – added during boil, boiled 10 m
.5 tsp Wyeast Nutrient – added during boil, boiled 10 m
1 ea WYeast 2565 Kolsch – 1800ml 1.040 starter on stir plate

Water

Carbon-filtered Seattle water which is very soft. All salts added to grist before mashing in.
2.0 g Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate)
6.0 g Calcium Chloride (Calcium Chloride)

Mash

60 Minute Saccharification Rest at 149° F
10 Minute Mashout Rest at 170° F (I do a second hot water infusion to mashout)
Sparge at 170° F and collect sufficient runnings to hit pre-boil volumes.

Fermentation

Chill wort to 58° F and pitch yeast slurry.
Set temp controller to 60° F and allow to rise to this temp.
Ferment at 60-62° F until beer is 2-6 points from terminal gravity then raise temp to 68° F. Hold at 68° F for 2 days.
Chill fermenter to 34° F. Rack beer off yeast and lager near freezing the 4-6 weeks.

Keys to Brewing

This is a very clean beer with little room to hide. Good sanitation, pitching a healthy culture of yeast in the correct quantity, and solid temperature control will help ensure a quality end product.
The Wyeast Kolsch strain of yeast doesn’t like to drop bright. I tend to use gelatin to get a beer of brilliant clarity.

Awards

The beer brewed from this recipe has won several awards as a BJCP Category 6c. Kolsch:

2012 NHC First Round – 1st Place
2012 Best of the Bay – 3rd Place
2012 Evergreen State Fair – 2nd Place

Imperial Vanilla Milk Stout Recipe

Posted on September 8, 2012 by Nick Ladd

Big stouts and vanilla is a natural pair. Add a touch of creamy sweetness, and you’ve got a winner. This recipe has a luscious mouth feel from the flaked barley and crystal malts, smooth roast flavors of coffee and chocolate, subtle dark fruit notes, and a slight sweetness from the lactose. This is a slightly sweet beer, but not nearly as sweet as many commercial sweet stouts.

Specifications

Volume: 5.57 Gallons
Original Gravity: 1.077
Terminal Gravity: 1.028
Color: 34.63 SRM
Alcohol: 6.52%
Bitterness: 39.2
Efficiency: 64% (tweak recipe to match efficiency of your brew house)
Boil Length: 60 Minutes

Ingredients

12 lb (63.6%) Maris Otter; Crisp
3 lb (15.9%) Barley Flaked
6 oz (2.0%) Crystal 60; Crisp
8 oz (2.6%) Crystal 120; Crisp
8 oz (2.6%) Special B – Caramel malt; Dingemans
12 oz (4.0%) Chocolate Malt; Crisp
12 oz (4.0%) Pale Chocolate Malt; Crisp
8 oz (2.6%) Roasted Barley; Crisp
.75 oz (42.9%) Magnum (12.5%) – added during boil, boiled 60 m
1 ea Whirlfloc Tablets (Irish moss) – added during boil, boiled 15 m
8 oz (2.6%) Lactose
.75 tsp Wyeast Nutrient – added during boil, boiled 10 m
1 oz (57.1%) Cascade Leaf (5.7%) – added during boil, boiled 10 m
1 ea WYeast 1968 London ESB Ale – 2400ml 1.040 starter on stir plate
3 ea Madagascar Vanilla Beans – split and soaked in 6oz high quality bourbon – added dry to secondary fermenter

Water

Carbon-filtered Seattle water which is very soft. All salts added to grist before mashing in.
2 g Epsom Salts (Magnesium Sulfate)
2.0 g Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate)
4.0 g Calcium Chloride (Calcium Chloride)
4.0 g Baking Soda ()

Mash

60 Minute Saccharification Rest at 152° F
10 Minute Mashout Rest at 170° F (I do a second hot water infusion to mashout)
Sparge at 170° F and collect sufficient runnings to hit pre-boil volumes.

Fermentation

Chill wort to 64° F and pitch yeast slurry.
Set temp controller to 66° F and allow to rise to this temp.
Ferment at 66-68° F until beer is 2-6 points from terminal gravity then raise temp to 72° F. Hold at 72° F for 2 days.
Chill fermenter to 34° F. Rack beer off yeast into clean container with bourbon soaked vanilla beans (include the bourbon as well).
Age 1 month on vanilla beans before packaging.

Keys to Brewing

Controlling fermentation temperatures and pitching a clean healthy yeast slurry is important in preventing hot alcohols in this beer that would distract from its rich, smooth qualities.
Use fresh high-quality vanilla beans. If they look dried out, they are probably old and shouldn’t be used. Beans should be sticky, almost tacky to the touch. I’d recommend sourcing these online from specific vanilla retailers who move a lot of beans (as opposed to the ones that may languish for months in the homebrew shop).

Awards

The beer brewed from this recipe has won several awards as a BJCP Category 21a Spice / Herb / Vegetable Beer:

2012 NHC First Round – 1st Place
2012 Novembeerfest – 2nd Place

Belgian Saison Recipe

Posted on September 8, 2012 by Nick Ladd

Saison can be a difficult beer to brew, especially when using the yeast attributed to Brasserie Dupont (Wyeast 3724 or White Labs WLP565) which can be notoriously fickle. In my experience with using solely Wyeast 3724 the beer tends to attenuate about 10-25% in a day or two, and then floc out and take an additional 4-6 weeks of heavy heat to complete fermentation. To overcome this, I’ve designed this recipe to first use the Dupont strain to impart its beautiful ester profile and then the French saison strain (Wyeast 3711) to get the beer dried out in a reasonable amount of time. Additionally this recipe contains a fair amount of acidulated malt to accentuate the beers quenching nature as well as a fair amount of Munich malt to compliment the austere pilsner base. The touch of special roast provides additional character to the malt flavor. I don’t like coriander or other spices in my saisons as I think the yeast gives plenty of spice character on its own.

Specifications

Volume: 6.12 Gallons
Original Gravity: 1.055
Terminal Gravity: 1.004
Color: 8.37 SRM
Alcohol: 6.65%
Bitterness: 24.3
Efficiency: 78% (tweak recipe to match efficiency of your brew house)
Boil Length: 90 Minutes

Ingredients

7 lb (57.7%) Belgian Pils
2 lb (16.5%) Munich TYPE II; Weyermann
2 lb (16.5%) Pale Wheat Malt; Weyermann
6 oz (3.1%) Acidulated Malt; Weyermann
4 oz (2.1%) Special Roast Malt; Briess
.5 lb (4.1%) White Table Sugar (Sucrose)
.5 oz (18.2%) Magnum (12.5%) – added during boil, boiled 60 m
.5 oz (18.2%) Hallertau Mittelfruh (3.4%) – added during boil, boiled 60 m
.5 oz (18.2%) Styrian Goldings (3.8%) – added during boil, boiled 20 m
1 ea Whirlfloc Tablets (Irish moss) – added during boil, boiled 15 m
.75 tsp Wyeast Nutrient – added during boil, boiled 10 m
.75 oz (27.3%) Hallertau Mittelfruh (3.4%) – added during boil, boiled 0.0 m
.5 oz (18.2%) Styrian Goldings (3.8%) – added during boil, boiled 0.0 m
1 ea WYeast 3724 Belgian Saison™ – 1000ml Starter on Stirplate
1 ea WYeast 3711 French Saison Yeast

Water

Carbon-filtered Seattle water which is very soft. All salts added to grist before mashing in.
4.0 g Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate)
6.0 g Calcium Chloride (Calcium Chloride)
2.0 g Epsom Salts (Magnesium Sulfate)

Mash

90 Minute Saccharification Rest at 146° F
10 Minute Mashout Rest at 170° F (I do a second hot water infusion to mashout)
Sparge at 170° F and collect sufficient runnings to hit pre-boil volumes.

Fermentation

Chill wort to 74° F and pitch yeast slurry of Wyeast 3724.
Ferment 74-82° F until yeast flocculates and activity drops off.
Pitch smack pack of Wyeast 3711 and keep temperature in the low 80’s. Ferment until beer is attenuated to 92% or so. It may take weeks… be patient.

Keys to Brewing

High attenuation is the heart of Saison’s very nature. Because of this, it is important to push the fermentation with high temperatures and design the grain bill and mash profile to encourage maximum fermentation. Low 90’s percentage-wise is a starting point for a good attenuation rate.
Don’t use crystal malt in your saisons (including carapils). It tastes odd to me and really clashes with the overall nature of the beer. If you want more malt character that is not sweet or caramel like, try malts like Munich, Victory, Biscuit, Special Roast, etc. that add interesting notes without adding lots of unfermentable sugars. If you’re worried about head retention, add some wheat.

Awards

The beer brewed from this recipe has won several awards as a BJCP Category 16c. Saison:

2012 NHC First Round – 1st Place
2012 Best of the Bay – 2nd Place