Colossal Cookbook/ColossalCookbook.cdr/beer/2879/summer.txt

Text File | 1991-08-27 | 7KB | 129 lines

This is a Re-Hashing of a few good recipes that I have come across in
my home brewing adventures. All of them are easy to follow, and you
should have no problems locating the materials to make them. Many of
them, especially the Honey Ginger Beer, are fantastic for the dog days
of summer. I make no claims to inventing these recipes, but friends and
I have had tremendous results using them! Enjoy!

Honey Ginger Beer
-----------------

1 Can (3.3 - 3.5) of Plain Light Malt Extract (I use John Bull)
1 Oz. Hallertaur Hops (leaf or plugs)
3 lbs. Honey (Sue Bee, Country Clover, Whatever..)
3 Oz. Fresh Ginger Root (Sliced and diced)
5 Tbsp. Liquid Finings (Irish Moss'll do instead if added to the boil)
1 Pkg. Fermenting Yeast (Glenbrew is good for a special dry taste)
1 Cup of Priming sugar (Come bottling time)
2 Mueslin Boiling bags (for the hops and ginger)

   Pour 1 or 2 gallons of water in your boiling pot and add the malt
extract to it. Stir it and get it to a slow rolling boil.
  Stick your hop plugs into a boiling bag and boil them in the malt for
roughly a half hour at a low simmer. After 15 minutes, add your ginger
to the other boiling bag and stick that in the boil. After the half
hour, remove the hops and ginger. In your primary fermenter, add the 3
lbs. of honey and pour the hot liquid over it. Fill with cool water to
the Five gallon mark and stir it up well.
   Allow it to cool until the temperature is between 70 and 80 degrees
(usually about 2-3 hours, unless you have space in the fridge). When
fully cooled, add the yeast to a few ounces of lukewarm water, stir,
and add it to the fermenter. Incorperate the yeast by stirring slowly.
(If you have a hydrometer, your Beginning specific gravity should be
around the 1040 mark.)
   Close your fermenter and let it ferment for 5-7 days (if you prefer
a secondary fermenter, transfer the wort to your secondary fermenter
after 2 days). Fermenting will be finished when your airlock hardly
bubbles at all, or not at all (for you hydrometer users, it'll be ready
to bottle after it hits and stays at or below SG 1004).
   24 hours before bottling, add your liquid fining agent to the wort
to help settle out the extra protien. Prime the wort in your favorite
way (either bottle by bottle or mixing all of the sugar into the
wort) with the sugar, bottle, and cap.
   I find that letting the beer sit in a warmer room for a day or two
(70-75 deg) aids in the initial carbonation. After that, store it in a
cooler location (55-65 deg) and allow it to age for a month. It should
be ready to taste after two weeks, but waiting the extra time greatly
improves the quality. But I don't need to tell you that.
   This is a delightful dry summer beer, with a nice aroma, slight
ginger taste and a fantastic mellow ginger aftertaste. Chilled, this is
one of my all time "Hot Weather" favorites.


Light Summer Beer
-----------------

1 Can (3.0-3.3 lbs) of Light Malt Extract (John Bull, yet again)
3 Cups of Priming sugar (2 cups go in the fermenter, one for bottling)
2/3 Oz. Hallertauer hops (leaf or plugs)
2 Tsp. Burton water salts (super fermentation time!)
1 Pkg. of Lager Beer Yeast (Bottom fermenting yeast)
2 Mueslin boiling bags (for the hops, yet again!)

   Fill your Boiling pot with the can of malt extract and a gallon or
two of water. Stir it well, and get it going on a slow rolling boil.
Stick half of your hops in each bag, and add the first bag to the boil.
Let it boil for about 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, add the second bag
to the boil and let both bags boil for an additional 10 minutes. Remove
your hop bags from the boil when finished, and stick the Burton water
salts and Priming sugar into your primary fermenter. Pour the boil into
the fermenter and mix in the salts and sugar well with some slow spoon
action. Next, add a few more gallons of water to fill your primary
fermenter to the 5 gallon mark.
   Close your primary fermenter, attach your airlock, and let the
wort cool to 70-80 degrees. Use a fridge if you have the means.
Next, add your yeast to a couple ounces of warm water, stir the yeast
water up, and add it to your primary fermenter. Mix the yeast in well,
re-cover the fermenter, fill the airlock chaimber with water and let
fermentation rip for 5-7 days (you secondary fermenter users, transfer
the wort to your secondary fermenter after 2 days).
   Bottling will be ready after the specific gravity of the brew is
below 1.004, or there is hardly any bubbling going on in your airlock.
Fill each bottle with about a Teaspoon of the remaining Priming sugar
and fill your bottles with the beer. Cap them, rock them back and forth
to mix the sugar into the brew, and let them age for a month or so
in a cool dry place (60-65 deg).
   This recipe makes a really nice light summer beer. It has excellent
hop flavor with little aftertaste. I have enjoyed this one time and
again on those 95 degree days.


Champagne Celebration Beer
--------------------------

1 Can of light liquid malt extract (Munton & Fison used on this one)
4 cups (32 Oz.) of White Grape Juice (Welches 100%)
1/3 Oz. Hallertauer Hops
1 Pkg. of Lager Beer Yeast (Bottom Fermenting)
1 & 1/4 cups corn sugar (for priming)
1 Mueslin boiling bag (for the hops)

Mix the malt extract and about 2 gallons of water in your boiling pot
and bring to a rolling boil. Place the hops in the boiling bag and
stick it in the boil for about 25 minutes. After boiling 25 minutes,
remove the hops and pour the white grape juice into the primary
fermenter. Pour in the boil on top of the grape juice, and stir it with
a spoon to mix well. Add enough water to raise the wort to the 5 gallon
level. Cover the primary fermenter, and allow it to cool to 70-80
degrees.
   Take your lager yeast and add it to a few ounces of warm water. Stir
it up to dissolve it, and pour the yeast water into the wort when it
has cooled. Stir in the yeast with that spoon, cover the primary
fermenter, attach and fill your airlock, and let the batch ferment for
about 5-7 days (secondary fermenter users, siphon into your secondary
fermenter after 2 days). Fermentation is finished when there is little
to no bubbling in your airlock, or when the SG is below 1.004.
   Add 1 & 1/4 teaspoons of corn sugar to each 12 Oz. bottle, and add
the beer to each bottle. Cap all of the bottles, and shake them a
little to dissolve the sugar into the solution. Allow the beer to sit
in a warmer room for two days (70-75 deg) to incourage hearty
carbonation, then move them to a cooler room (60-65 deg) to age for
about a month. It's ready to sample in about two weeks, but will
greatly improve over time.
   This beer is very light, and great for the summer season. It has a
light Hops taste, and light hops aroma, with a fantastic taste and
little aftertaste. It has quite a bit of fizz, hence its name, but it
is a favorite brew among many, especially women (my Girlfriend loves
it!)