Basic Stout

This is the fourth in a series of recipes taken from The Homebrewer's Recipe Guide.

"Dry stout is one of the most popular styles of beer (thank you Mr. Guinness.) It is also one of the most rewarding homebrews. A bottle of this thick, rich brew is a wonderful sight in your refrigerator on a cold winter evening"

Ingredients

6 2/3 pounds dark malt extract

1 pound crystal malt (40L)

1 pound roasted barley

1/2 pound chocolate malt

1/2 malto-dextrin powder

1 1/2 ounces Bullion hops (bittering)

1 ounce Irish ale yeast

1 1/4 cup dry malt extract for priming


Procedure

Place crushed crystal malt, roasted barley and chocolate malt in water and steep at 155 degrees for 30 minutes.

Remove spent grains and add malt extract, malto-dextrin and Bullion hops.

Boil for 1 hour.

Cool wort and pitch yeast.

Ferment for 10 to 14 days.

Bottle using dry malt extract.

Age for 7 to 10 days

Read more...

Basic Porter

This is the third in a series of recipes taken from The Homebrewer's Recipe Guide.

"This easy recipe is typical of the traditional sharp-flavored British porters. While the process is quite simple, the flavors are anything but. This is a very good recipe for the beginning brewer, with results that are sure to impress"

Ingredients

6 2/3 pounds amber malt extract

1 1/2 pounds Alexander's amber malt extract

1/2 pound black patent malt

1/2 pound crystal malt (60L)

1 teaspoon gypsum

1 1/2 ounces Kent Goldings hops (bittering)

1/2 ounce Liberty hops (aroma)

1 package English ale yeast

3/4 cup corn sugar for priming


Procedure

Place crushed black patent and crystal malt in water and steep at 155 degrees for 30 minutes.

Remove spent grains and add malt extract, gypsum and Kent Goldings hops.

Boil for 1 hour.

Add Liberty hops for the last 5 minutes of the boil.

Cool wort and pitch yeast.

Ferment for 10 to 14 days.

Bottle using corn sugar.

Age for 10 days

Technorati Tags: Beer, Hombrew, Basic Porter

Read more...

Apricot Wine

Second in the series

"The apricot's intense flavor becomes mellow and full-bodied in wine. The lovely golden color is a plus."

3 pounds fresh apricots
1 1/2 pounds sugar
1 pound honey
1 pound high quality dried apricots chopped
Juice of 2 lemons
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon grape tannin
1 teaspoon yeast nutrient
1 teaspoon pectic enzyme
1 Campden tablet
1 package wine yeast

Cut fresh apricots in half, remove pits and cut the fruit into quarters. Put the fruit in the fermenter and cover with sugar. Mix 1/2 gallon of water with the honey in a suacepan and bring to a boil. Skim off the foam. When no more foam rises to the top, add the chopped apricots to the honey mixture and pour over the fresh apricots. Add the lemon juice, lemon tannin, yeast nutrient, pectic enzyme and Campden tablet to the mixture. Let stand for 24 hours.

Add the yeast and let the mixture ferment for one week, stirring daily. Remove the solids and pour the liquid into an airlocked fermentation vessel. Let ferment for one month. Rack again and let ferment for two months. Rack again then bottle, cork and cellar the wine.

Wait at least six months before sampling.

Makes 1 gallon

My Note - Dried apricots usually are treated with sulfites. Try to purchase untreated apricots.

Technorati Tags: Wine, Winemaking, Apricots, Recipe

Read more...

Basic British Brown Ale

This is the second in a series of recipes taken from The Homebrewer's Recipe Guide.

"This is a basic brown in the tradtional style of northern England. It relies on a blend of malts to achieve its characteristic toasty flavor. Low hop bitterness and fruity yeast are also essential."

Ingredients

3 1/3 pounds amber malt extract

3 1/3 pounds dark malt extract

1 pound cara-pils malt

1 pound crystal malt (80L)

2 ounces chocolate malt

1 1/2 ounces Kent Golding hops (bittering)

1 cup light brown sugar

1/2 ounce Fuggle hops (flavoring)

1/2 ounce Kent Golding hops (aroma)

1 teaspoon gypsum

1 package British ale yeast

1 cup light or dark brown sugar for priming

Procedure

Place crystal malt, cara-pils malt, amber malt and chocolate malt in water and step at 155 degrees for 1/2 hour.

Add gypsum and bring water to a boil and remove spent grains.

Add malt extracts, 1 1/2 ounces Kent Golding hops, and brown sugar.

Boil for 1 hour adding the Fuggles hops after 30 minutes and 1/2 ounce Kent Goldings for the last 5 minutes.

Cool Wort and pitch the yeast

Ferment for 7 to 10 days.

Bottle using 1 cup brown sugar.

Age in bottle for 7 days.

Other Recipes in Series

Any Pub in London Bitter

Technorati Tags: Beer, Homebrew, British, Brown Ale

Read more...