Father Stimulo’s Slightly Mad Monk – Abbey Single Ale

Inspired by my Saison Noire and Christmas labels, I coaxed my Father-in-Law into posing as a Trappist Monk for this unusual Abbey Single Ale.  He’s wearing one of the nephew’s Halloween costumes.  My Sister-in-Law shot the picture.  He kind of reminds me of the copy of a copy of a copy clone in Harold Ramis’ film Multiplicity – Michael Keaton’s character duplicates himself until the last copy can only utter words about pizza.

The beer is a clone of Witkap Pater’s Abbey Single, known in Belgium as “Stimulo”.  As far as I know, Witkap Pater is the only Belgian Single available in the U.S.  I liked the simple, golden, spicy and low alcohol characteristics of this style, so I thought I’d give it a try.  Here’s the recipe:

• 6 oz. pale DME (starter)
• 6.6 lbs. Pilsner LME
• 8 oz. sucrose
• 2 oz. Styrian Goldings 2.9% AAU (bittering)
• 1/4 oz. Saaz, 1/2 oz. bitter orange peel, 1/2 oz. coriander, 1/2 of a medium lemon (zest only) (flavoring)
• 1/4 oz. Saaz, 1/2 oz. fresh orange peel, 1/2 medium lemon (aroma phase)
• Wyeast 1762 Belgian Abbey II yeast (Rochefort Abbey)

Fermented at 65° for a week, then added 1 lb. sucrose and additional pack of 1762 and bumped the vessel up to 72° to try to get more ‘funk’.  Next time I would just start the ferment at 68 and let it rise naturally.  Let it lager at 32° for a month to clear and because I wanted a clean, lager-like finish.  Still too sweet at bottling, but hoping it will dry out during the conditioning process (the Belgians usually do for me).  Bottled with 5 oz. corn sugar and 2 oz. sucrose in attempt to achieve Belgian-like high carbonation levels.  Bottled May 2009.

Black Dog Jaggery Ale

Throughout his life, Winston Churchill would lie in bed for days, crippled by deep depression.  He described these periods as his “Black Dog” days.  What an incredible man who could still manage to work fiendishly during these bouts, commanding naval maneuvers or orchestrating The Battle of Britain while the “Black Dog came to visit, and lay on my chest”, as Churchill would say.  I guess naming his angst was his way of controlling and isolating it – it wasn’t who he was -- he wouldn’t let it define him.  It was this “other thing” that came to visit periodically, but could be tricked into eventually leaving, like a stray dog.

This English ale is exactly the kind of drink you might offer a man during those dark days, and our current ones – dark, strong, with a peppery mix of ginger, anise, cardamom and allspice – a tonic to warm the soul.  This one is for the strong of heart, as strong as the Lion of Winter himself.  My homage:

Fo’ when the black dog crush your vest,                                                Take a nip,                                                            Mister,                                                                                                                       You’ll earn the rest                                                                                           Fo’ kith, ‘n kin, and hearth, and valor                                               Blood, sweat, tears, toil, guts and pallor                                              Take a nip, and tuck it in                                                                                   and face the belt, like Gunga Din                                                                So’s brace yourself,                                                                                          with all your might                                                                                           With one good drink,                                                                                            For ONE more fight.

Bully for you Mr. Churchill.  Here’s the recipe:

• 3 lbs dark dry malt extract
• 3.3 lbs liquid dark malt extract
• ½ lb. chocolate malt
• ¾ lb. crystal 40L
• 2 oz. Cascade (bittering)
• 1 oz. Willamette (aroma)
• 6 gals. spring water
• 3 lbs. ginger (40 oz. after skin is peeled) – 30 oz. at 45 mins., 10 oz. at 5 mins.
• 1 lb. Piloncillo sugar (Jaggery)
• 1 lb. lactose
• Wyeast 1968 (English So., because it ferments-out with residual sweetness)
• Dry-hopped with black Indian cardammom, sasparilla, star anise, and allspice
• ¾ cup corn sugar (priming)

Brewed May 2008.  With the 3 pounds of ginger I was aiming for a huge peppery-heat flavor, but didn’t realize how astringent ginger can be – waited 8 months for the ginger to drop out, then dosed it with the other spices to develop more complexity and balance in the spice profile.  It worked.  Bottled April 2009.

La Saison Noire

Uh, no, I don’t smoke, those are joke photos.

This is my interpretation of a French Flanders black saison, using Wyeast’s private collection #3711 French Saison Yeast.  The ingredients are very simple, but develop complex flavors during fermentation as a result of the unique yeast – phenolic, citrusy, peppery, dry with a sweet aftertaste.

• 1 lb. Belgian Caramunich
• 0.5 lbs. Belgian Carafa III
• 6 lbs. Pilsen Malt Syrup
• 1 lb. Pilsen Dry Malt Extract
• 2 oz. Argentina Cascade (bittering)
• Wyeast #3711 French Saison Yeast - Fermented at 68°F.

The label is inspired by an African independent film, “Une Saison Noire”, literally One Black Season.  The lobby poster features black revolutionaries and machine guns, so I had my daughters snap some mock “Che” revolutionary leader photos.  The middle photo is licensed from a stock photo company, but the other two are me.  The cigarette is not real – I don’t smoke – but every picture of French Resistance Fighters you ever see has one guy with a cig, so I thought it would be funny.  My 8-yr-old snapped the left panel pic – I think she shows some real promise. 

Brewed November 2008, bottled March 2009 in 22 oz. Bombers.

Sachsen Alt

If you’ve ever had an Alaskan Amber from Alaskan Brewing Co., then you’ve had a variation of a North German Alt. It’s a clean, dry and malty beer with yeast-bread overtones and a firm hop bitterness. This one is a “sticke” (secret) version, which is served unannounced by pubs a few times year. It’s a bit darker, bigger, and has a larger hop aroma than the regular Alt. With good yeast control, I’ve avoided the sweet, heavy character which is a common flaw in homebrew versions of this style.

• .5 lbs. Weyermann CaraAmber
• .125 lbs. Weyermann Carafa I
• 6.3 lbs. Gold Amber Malt Syrup
• 1 lb. Briess Amber DME
• 1 lb. Briess Wheat DME
• 2 ozs. German Tradition pellet hops 5.7% AAU (bittering)
• 1 oz. Spalt pellet hops 4.0% AAU (aroma)
• 1 oz. Hallertau Select (dry hopping)
• WLP036 White Labs Platinum Series Dusseldorf Alt Yeast
  

I was looking for iconography for this label when I came upon this symbol, the Niedersachsenross, (a white horse on a red field).  I thought it an appropriate image for my interpretation of a Düsseldorf Alt.

Düsseldorf Domination!

I just brewed a strong Dusseldorf Alt, commonly known as a Sticke Alt, pitching a June 2008 tube of White Labs WLP 036, their Premier Series strain of Dusseldorf Alt.  The age of the yeast was a concern, so I built up a 2000ml starter over a week – uhh, not to worry, it’s churning like crazy, and the blowoff jug is now dark with expended wort.

That high-tech gadget on the carboy is a digital temperature probe with a styrofoam insulator and copious amounts of tape – the insulation is a method to obtain the temp of the wort, rather than the frig.  The controller is plugged into a low-heat dehydrator bottom, which supplies enough heat to maintain the wort temp at 60° for primary fermentation of this yeast (if you wanted to cool the wort, you just plug the controller into the frig).  Once I finish primary, I will crash both the Alt and the Pils in the background down to 36° for a month-long lager.

Peoples' Pilsner

A year before I had been denied a visa to Moscow, so I knew it was a long shot as I sat in the Czechoslovakian Embassy in Vienna, waiting for a sweaty, rotund and greasy-faced clerk to review my papers.  Just the day before I had been given a stern-faced no from the Yugoslavian Embassy.  I had managed travel to East Berlin twice because of the strange “Allied” status we enjoyed there, and didn’t want to leave the rest of Eastern Europe completely unexplored, so it was worth a try.  The Czech bureaucrat looked positively disappointed when he said that he was sorry, but no, I couldn’t hop the next train to Coffeehouse/Urquell-Land.  His look conveyed the helpless manner of a jovial but otherwise resigned Communist functionary, as if to say, “I know you’re no Yanqee Imperial Dog Spy,” but “Thems the rules, sorry mate.”  Was it the Jewish surname?  My status as an ambitious young Captain?  Leadership of the College Republicans?  That unfortunate incident with my soldiers showing their butts to the Czech border patrol when we visited the 11^th ACR garrison?  I wasn’t in search of State Secrets, just a beer – I’ve always wondered why they considered me a threat – I knew of many other American officers that had traveled to the Bloc.  Seemed ridiculous at the time, even more so today.  I consoled myself with a delicious golden Pils from the gasthaus, and booked the next train to Seville via Barcelona (which led to a serendipitous side jaunt to Tangier and southern Morocco).  In retrospect, I should probably thank those Godless Commies for the trip of a lifetime.  In tribute, I brew this very simple and pleasantly bitter rendition of what I might have enjoyed during my own Prague Spring.

I highlight the absurdity with my own absurd phrase on the label:  “In Demokratic Czech Republic, Pilsner drinks you!”  Hats off to you Mr. Sweaty Bureaucrat, and hope you enjoyed the crushing defeat of the Soviet Empire by My People.  Cheers! 

• 1 lb. Caramel Pils
• 6.3 lbs. gold liquid malt extract
• 1 oz. Galena (bittering)
• 1 oz. Saaz (at 15 mins.)
• Wyeast 2278 Czech Pils (fermented 2 weeks at 50°, then at 60° for diacetyl rest, lagering at 36° for a month until clear)

Brewed December 2008.

Crush Dubbel-Wit

This was supposed to be a classic Belgian Wit with a spicy undertone and easy drinkability, but plussed-up in the style of Avery's White Rascal.  I had consulted Jamil Zainasheff's Brewing Classic Styles podcast, which is usually an authorative source, but this one was hosted by a fill-in who suggested that the brewer use a softball-sized addition of citrus zest, and said that "you can never get too much citrus in this beer."  Well, I should've known.  By the time this one fermented out, the orange flavor was overwhelming, so I decided to make this a bigger beer to try to balance it out by adding more sugar in the manner of Abbey Triples.  That helped, but the acid balance was still off, so I dosed it with lactic acid to taste.  It wasn't the phenolic Avery I aimed for, but it did have a nice big citrus quench, reminiscent of my favorite orange soda, Orange Crush.

-6 lbs. wheat malt extract

-1 lb. oat flakes (for smooth mouth feel)

-2 lbs. table sugar (1/2 in the boil, and 1/2 during secondary)

-2 oz. Crystal pellet hops (bittering)

-1/2 oz. fresh Chamomile Tea from Market Spice

-2 oz. crushed Indian Coriander Seed (1/2 in last 10 min. of boil and 1/2 dry-hopped in the secondary)

-a whopping softball-sized ball of citrus zest from tangerines, navel & blood oranges, grapefruit & lemon, plus orange marmalade (to mimic the Curacao peel)

-fermented with White Labs WLP410 at 64 degrees

-carbonated with 5 oz. dextrose plus an extra 3 oz. sucrose (to obtain that "Belgian" fizz)

The label is a variation on both the new and old Orange Crush Soda cans.  I added Ethiopian Emperor Haille Salassie's image, not because it has anything to do with Belgian beers, but because the colors matched the Crush signature colors so perfectly, and Selassie's larger-than-life reign was so over-the-top extreme that it seemed to fit with this extreme, citrusy, huge Belgian wit.

Brewed September 2008 with additions in October, November and December.  My first "Extreme Beer".

January 2009 Update.  The carbonation and bottle conditioning made a huge difference.  It's shocking, but the beer is much closer to the Avery than I expected based upon how it tasted in the Carboy.  When my Father-In-Law brewed his Celis White clone he initially hated it, waited a few months, then loved it.  What is it about Wits that bottle conditioning seems to make all the difference?  I'm even getting a nice Belgian funk as well.  Wow, I love it.  Caution:  Truly "Imperial" on the alcohol side.

A Winter's T'Ale

This is a winter-warmer, done in the style of Pyramid's Snowcap or Redhook's Winterhook.  It's a big beer, with 3/4 lb. crystal malt, 1/4 lb. chocolate malt, 9 1/2 lbs. golden liquid malt extract, 3 oz. Willamette, and fermented with the same Wyeast 1728 Scottish ale yeast used for the Christmas beer. The label is inspired by the stark, snowy days of November, and the bare Winter-time deciduous forests of Nebraska.  I saw Jeremy Irons play the lead in Shakespeare's "The Winter's Tale", and I've never forgotten the cool blue lighting used in the Stratford-Upon-Avon set.

I paired the the winter imagery with an equally stark poem.  My Uncle Bob is the "knarled tree" in the story.  At age 14, my parents were both dead, and I felt overwhelmed and lost.  Bob was a rough, harsh character, with lots of crazy ideas in his head, but he was literally the only one among my aunts and uncles who reached out to me.  His tales of my parents were like those Greek myths of fierce strength and tenacity, and kept me clear about who I could be.  I didn't have my father and mother, but I had their stories, and that kept me whole.    Thank you Uncle Bob for providing the windbreak this sprout needed to survive.

Brewed October 2008.

Uncle Buck's Christmas Ale

Calvin helped me tap my "inner dork" with this pic set next to our barn (that's a goat in the window).  Yes, those are Army RPGs (rape prevention glasses).  My wife said that she "didn't know this person", and my family got a big kick out of the label.  This is the other half of the spiced Scottish-80, and it went well with our Thanksgiving meal.  The spice is well-balanced, not overpowering.  Serving this set off a round of taste-testing homemade blackberry brandy, french-style cider, merlot, shiraz, and other freeze-method liquors brought over by wife's cousin.  I'll quote my friend Gil Meyer and say, "A good time was had by all."  Brewed October 2008.  

Update December 2008:  had this one again with Christmas dinner, which we did Provence-style this year.  Went really well with the roast lamb, onion tart, spinach dumplings and Christmas bread.  The beer has rounded-out nicely.

Happy Holidays!

Jeff and Brittany are a lovely couple, and I felt bad that I wasn't able to attend their wedding, so I decided to brew a Commemorative Ale to help them celebrate their first Thanksgiving and Christmas together. You can't just make an ordinary pale ale or a stout for such an occasion, so for the longest time I was stymied on style choices -- that is, until I saw the candids shot by my friend and officemate Patrick. I got this bright, hopeful feeling from the pics, and knew I had to do a Holiday Brew. Click on the label above and you'll see what I mean.

This Holiday Spiced Ale is a Scottish-80 style ale spiced with Ceylon cloves, cracked cinnamon, allspice, cardamom and mace. Made with 1 lb. dark crystal malt, 6 ½ lbs. golden liquid malt extract, 1 oz. Argentina Cascade hops, 14 ozs. Malto-dextrin, spices, and Wyeast 1728 Scottish Ale Yeast. Fermented at 68 °, and bottle-conditioned with 5 oz. corn sugar for carbonation.

Brewed October 2008. First tasting: a nice champagne-like dryness on the front end, with a sweet finish accented by the mélange of spices. A very suitable Holiday Ale.

Hella-Güt Hefe

Here we go again, will we obtain that wonderful clove-like and bananna flavor so characteristic of Southern Germany, or will it be Goat Gluwein?

-5 oz. Munich Malt
-3 oz. Caramunich Malt (56.0 SRM)
-1 oz. Carafa II (412.0 SRM)
-1/2 lb. wheat DME (in the starter)
-6.5 lbs. wheat LME
-1oz Hersbruker Hallertau
- White Labs Liquid Hefeweizen Ale Yeast (WLP380)

Bottle-conditioned. Brewed July 2008. Goat approved.

Three Mädchens Oktoberfest

It was the Munich Oktoberfest 1987, and I was there with my regular crew of officers from my Battalion. We drank and sang, and drank and sang, and . . . well, you get the picture. I was never so happy in my life to be with my friends -- the Germans have a word for it -- gemuchlicheit -- it means that warm happy feeling you get when you're with family and friends. We didn't know it then, but our Red nemesis would soon die a welcome death, and in a small way my friends and I helped make it happen. When the wall fell, I cried with tears of joy and remembered those warm happy days in the Bavarian sun with my friends. Gott mit uns.

- 1 lb. Weyermann Caramunich II
-2 lbs. Pilsener DME
-6 lbs. Munich LME
-1 oz. Sterling (bittering)
-Wyeast 2206 Bavarian Lager Yeast

This one was brewed and lagered alongside the Helles, but didn't finish as dry as the Helles. Still enjoyable, but will give it more time to condition in the bottle and perhaps dry out. Dark, sweet, and very flavorful. Brewed June 2008.

Update September 18th:  Bottle conditioning did the trick -- additional carbonation balanced the sweet malt character.  This one's going to be great with age.  Interesting that modern German Oktoberfest's are not this big, and have more in common with my Helles than this brew.