30 January 2009

Dave's Unmentionables Mango Pale Ale

2 gal water, heated
1/2 gal Munsens Extra Light Malt (liquid)
1/2 lb crystal malt, in grain bag

Boil

After 7 minutes, added 1 oz amarillo hops

Added 0.5 ozamarillo hops at 16 minutes

At 45 minutes, turn off boil

At 50 minutes, add 1 oz amarillo hops

Added water to make 5 gallons in carboy.

Day 2
Added 1 package American Ale yeast

After 1 week
Added 1 48-oz can of mango puree, from Vietnam

Notes
This batch developed a significant pellicle after about two weeks. Eventually, after racking from underneath the pellicle several times, the brew calmed down a bit.

Present at the brew: TM, EM, JG, BB, ZA, PH, DH, JF

26 February 2008

Siddhartha Cyser 3

"Brewed with love, not precision"

Ingredients:

4 gal Lucky Leaf Apple Juice
1 gal honey
5 small cinnamon sticks
3 tbsp chopped ginger
1 tsp whole cloves
3/4 tsp nutmeg
2 tbsp coriander
1 tsp cardamom

Champagne yeast

This batch had a layer of undissolved honey on the bottom for a few
days; 16% potential alcohol.

Boozy, sweet, overtones of curry and mulled wine. Beautiful brew, served from a large cooler into paper cups. 2008 Apple Fest Brew.

Present at the brew: AH, EM, JD, JG, JV, MWD, SH, TM

27 January 2008

"Hegemony" American Imperialist Stout

Ingredients:

1/2 lb chocolate malt
1/2 lb roasted barley
1 lb crystal malt
8.8lb liquid amber malt extract
1 lb light dry malt (Munton's extra light)
Centennial hops (bittering)
Simcoe hops (aromatic)
American Ale yeast

Boil 2.5 gallons water; place grains in grain bag and steep (don't boil) 20-30 minutes.

Remove grain bag; add malt extract, stir to dissolve (5 minutes).

Bring to boil; add 1/3 centennial hops. 5 minutes later, add 1/3 centennial hops. 10 minutes later, add 1/3 centennial hops.

Turn off heat. 15 minutes later, add Simcoe hops. Pour into carboy, add clean water to make 6 gallons.

Starting potential alcohol: 10.2%. Ending potential alcohol: 0%

Bram Tucker wedding brew. Dark, smoky flavor reminiscent of barbecue, watermelon, and fresh cut grass. Extremely hoppy nose; bitter but completely drinkable. Contender for favorite brew. Bottle carbonated.

11 June 2007

Ye Olde Cocke Ale

The Clamberskull Brewing Collective Presents:
Ye Olde Cocke Ale

A modern adaptation of a recipe from the 1500s

Read this page with a cockney accent.


A few years ago I heard a legend about an old recipe, dating from the 1500s, for "cock ale," made with a whole chicken in the brew. I had heard of coffee beer, chocolate beer, and fruit flavored beer, but chicken beer? I mean, I like chicken, and I like beer... could this be possible?

After looking around on the web I found a recipe for cock ale. I upscaled and got the support of the collective. There was no stopping us now. At the local brew shop, the owner had heard of cock ale. Our conversation went something like this:

me: "I'm going to be making a cock ale and I wondered what kind of hops you recommend."
him: "cock ale?"
me: "yes, with a chicken in it. You may have seen the recipe."
him: "yes, I have. You are actually making that?"
me: "I can bring you a bottle if you want."
him (quickly): "I'm a vegan."

The brew begins

Here is the recipe:

1 cup raisins
2 cups dry white wine
5 cloves
pinch of mace
1 roasting chicken (1.5 lb)
1 tsp fresh rosemary
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
6 lb light malt
2 oz Amethyst hops (8.5%)
2.5 gallons water

Soak the raisins, cloves, and mace in the white wine for at least 2 hours.
Coat the chicken with olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper, and roast in a 400 degree oven for 45 minutes or until done.
Boil the water; if you don't have a big enough pot, boil part of the water and make up the difference with bottled water, which should be sterile. As all brewers know, sanitation is key. Add the malt, boil until thoroughly dissolved, add 1 ounce hops, remove from heat, let cool slightly and add the other ounce of hops. Transfer to a sterile carboy, add the raisin mixture, chop the chicken and add the entire chicken--bones and all.

Ferment as usual. Racking will be very important.

Roasted Chicken
The roasted chicken looks great: one for brewing, one for eating. The one for eating is stuffed with spinach risotto.

Ingredients
Hops, malt, and yeast are ready to go.

Big pot
The big pot is set.

Clamberskull
...so is the collective.

Chicken brew
All the ingredients are in, and it looks disturbing.


12:13am, June 9

A few hours have passed, and I notice a distinct fat layer collecting at the top of our 3-gallon carboy. Not sure if this is normal.

11:41 am, June 11
The beer is bubbling away, which means (in theory) that the yeast in the mix are the dominant microorganism and that things are going as they should. The mix smells like beer or bread--another good sign. Sometime yesterday the raisins all floated to the surface, which likely means that they have yeast inside them pumping them full of carbon dioxide. It is still disturbing to look at, but I think we are out of the woods as far as chances of the brew spoiling. We'll see.

8pm, June 20
Tonight T. of the collective came by and we racked the Olde Cocke Ale. Racking is the process of siphoning off the good liquid, leaving behind sediment (yeast) and additives (chicken, raisins, and spices.)

And, yes, we did taste the ale. It is a strange brew; I like all the flavors in it individually, but I'm not sure I've ever had them all together. Not bad, but mind expanding. It truly does taste like chicken. We also took a couple of bites of the chicken that had been soaking in the ale; I'm writing this note several days after the fact, and I'm still alive and apparently unharmed. The chicken itself was very dry, but not bad otherwise, aside from a very hoppy flavor.