3 lb boneless, skinless, dead birds (any kind, any cut) – chopped into bite-size chunks
1 cup sweetened coconut milk –or– ½ cup shredded sweetened coconut in ¾ cup water
3 stalks lemon grass, grated –or– a one inch by one inch piece of ginger root, grated
3 cloves garlic, crushed –or– 1 tbsp minced garlic
1 small onion, grated directly into mixture to make use of onion juice
1 tbsp crushed hot pepper (flakes, dried or fresh – not hot sauce)
1 tbsp powdered coriander (or any type of a curry that you prefer, such as panang)
1 tbsp cornstarch
to taste salt, pepper, anchovy paste, cumin, cardamom, nuoc cham, sugar, or what-have-you
1 tbsp limejuice
½ cup crushed dry-roasted peanuts
1 cup julienned bell peppers and carrots with basil leaves cut into thin strips
Stir-fry the dead bird chunks in a greased pan or wok
until slightly browned. Add the next group
of eight ingredients then simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally,
for twenty minutes or until the dead bird chunks are cooked-through and
tender. (Add water or white wine if it
gets too dry.) When the mixture forms a
heavy glaze, sprinkle in the limejuice and peanuts. Spoon onto a serving platter and top with julienned
vegetables.
2 lbs pork loin (…or 2 cleaned 1 ½ lb octopus – see variation, below)
½ cup orange juice (not needed with octopus variation)
4 cloves garlic – minced (not needed with octopus variation)
1 cup cornmeal
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
½ cup corn (frozen is okay, but not canned)
4 tbsp butter (half stick)
½ tsp saffron
6 chorizo sausages
1 small red bell pepper
½ cup virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic – chopped
½ tsp lemon juice (…or 1 tsp lime juice)
to taste salt and pepper
¼ cup liquid reserved from cooking the chorizos (above)
1 lb fresh asparagus spears, peel the bottom three inches of each spear
Marinate the pork loin in the orange juice and garlic 12 to 36 hours in a tightly wrapped plastic bag in the refrigerator. Three hours before dinner put the pork loin into a 300F oven in an uncovered glass pan.
Add cornmeal, salt, and sugar to 2 ½ cups boiling water. Simmer, stirring frequently, until the mixture is very thick – about 30 minutes. Mix in the corn, butter, and saffron then continue cooking and stirring until it becomes nearly solid – another 30 minutes. Scoop the mixture into mounds on four serving plates.
Remove the skins from the chorizo links, spread them out on a plate, and microwave them on high for three minutes. Reserve the reddish liquid from them for an upcoming step. Crumble the chorizos next to the cornmeal mounds on the four plates.
While other ingredients are cooking, steam the asparagus spears until tender but not mushy. Lay five spears against each cornmeal mound.
Meanwhile, cool the roast then slice it ¼ inch thick pieces. Sauté the slices in a small amount of oil just long enough to brown slightly. Scatter them beside the cornmeal mounds.
Cut the red pepper into one-inch squares, discarding the seeds and white inner parts. Place them skin-side up on a cooking sheet and broil eight-inches from heat until fifty-percent blackened – about six minutes. Coarsely puree the roasted bell pepper with the oil, garlic, juice, salt, and pepper in a food processor. Stir the liquid from the cooked chorizos into this pimiento sauce. Drizzle the sauce over everything. Serve.
Alternative – Pulpo Pimiento con Maiz:
Instead of pork loin, rinse the octopus thoroughly under very hot water then put it in a very large pot with 8 quarts of already-boiling water and a dash of salt over high heat, returning it to a boil in two minutes, then continue to boil for exactly 35 minutes. Slice it very diagonally into ½ inch thick pieces. Sauté the octopus slices in a small amount of oil just long enough to brown slightly. Scatter them beside the cornmeal mounds.
Although these take a lot of patience, they are a hit whenever they are served.
2 cups flour
1 cup plain yogurt –or– sour cream
2 med potatoes, diced and boiled 15 minutes
1 med carrot, diced and boiled 10 minutes
¼ cup peas, boiled 5 minutes
4 tbsp ghee –or– melted butter
1 large sweet onion, diced and caramelized in the ghee or butter
½ lb ground lamb or beef, crumbled and browned in a frying pan
3 cloves garlic, crushed or 1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp roasted garam masala*
3 lbs deep-fry grease
Boil, caramelize, and brown the appropriate ingredients as listed above.
Thoroughly mix the flour and yogurt, adding small amounts of water as needed, to make a medium-bodied dough. Divide into 18 equal-size balls. Roll each one out on a floured surface until very thin. Slice each in half. Stack semicircles between sheets of waxed paper until ready to use. (If you would rather, you can use frozen phyllo/filo dough to make the wrappers. Halve each sheet lengthwise, brush with melted butter, and fold lengthwise before use.)
Mix together the potatoes, carrots, peas, ghee, onion, and lamb with the garlic and garam masala. Put a spoonful onto a dough semicircle, then moisten the exposed parts of the dough with water and fold over, wrapping the mixture and making sure there are no leaks. You may dress it up by using the end of a fork to press markings all around the edge. Place samosas on floured waxed paper.
Deep-fry samosas about four at a time until golden brown, draining them as they are done. Serve with mango chutney (next) for dipping.
* You can make the garam masala by roasting black peppercorns with cumin seeds, a few coriander seeds, cayenne pepper, and a small amount of cinnamon in a dry frying pan, stirring over medium heat until browned, about fifteen minutes. Then pulverize the spices.
1 tbsp ghee –or– butter
1 med sweet onion, diced
2 large ripe mangoes, pitted, skinned, and diced
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup white or cider vinegar
½ cup light corn syrup
1 tsp crushed dried chili peppers
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp dried powdered ginger, galangal, or lemon grass
to taste salt, pepper, coriander, cumin, star or regular anise, and/or a little bit of cardamom
Brown onions in ghee in a saucepan, add remaining ingredients, and then simmer over low-to-medium heat, stirring occasionally, until thick – about 45 minutes.
4 lb boneless, skinless, very thick and large chicken breast halves
4 slices cheese, such as provolone, Muenster, or a mild Swiss
4 slices ham – thick sliced (do not use stacked thin slices) each smaller than a chicken breast half
1 egg beaten and mixed with 2 tbsp of water
½ cup flour
½ cup breadcrumbs
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp pepper
1 cup chicken broth, or water with 1 tsp of chicken bullion
2 cloves garlic - minced
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp finely chopped mushrooms
¼ cup marsala wine
Preheat the oven to 325F.
Slice a pocket almost, but not quite, through each chicken breast – making each into a “pocket sandwich.” Brush the inside of the pocket with the egg mixture, then brush both sides of a ham slice with the egg mixture. Wrap a slice of cheese around the ham slice and put it inside the chicken breast pocket. Do this to all four.
Brush the outside of each breast with the egg mixture. Mix the flour, breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, and pepper in a large bowl. Shake each chicken breast in the mix, patting it in, until each breast in completely covered. Do not discard the remaining breadcrumb mixture, as you will need some of it later.
Bake the chicken breasts for about 35 minutes in a lightly greased baking dish.
Boil the broth in a covered saucepan until it reduces by half or more. Add the garlic, butter, mushrooms, wine, and 2 tbsp of the breadcrumb mixture. Simmer until the liquid thickens slightly.
Pour the glaze over both sides of each chicken breast and serve.
This is a quick and easy-to-make main course. Yet, it offers a unique combination of flavors that even picky eaters enjoy.
6 chicken breast halves
¼ cup brandy
to taste salt and pepper
1 large orange, peeled and seeded
1 tsp small-pearl tapioca
1 tsp garam masala or curry powder
1 clove garlic, crushed –or– 1 tsp minced garlic
¼ cup shredded coconut (I prefer unsweetened, but you may use the sweetened kind if you like.)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Brush each chicken breast with the brandy on both sides, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and place them in a lightly greased baking dish. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until golden-brown.
Meanwhile puree the orange, tapioca, spices, and garlic in a food processor or blender. Pour into a small pan and bring to a boil for five minutes. Cool slightly to thicken. Spoon the mixture over the chicken breasts, sprinkle with coconut shreds, and bake them another ten minutes.
Do not smell the fish sauce! You will probably find its odor objectionable. Just as anchovy paste is the key flavor in Caesar salad dressing, the fish sauce in this dressing gives it a wonderful taste. Almost every grocery store stocks this in the ethnic foods section, although it is often labeled as Vietnamese Nuoc Mam or Thai Seasoning Fish Sauce. (This is not the same as oyster sauce or Chinese fish sauce.) Rice vermicelli is often sold as rice thread noodles. (These are not the same as bean thread noodles.)
4 radishes, cut into matchstick-size pieces
2 carrots, cut into matchstick-size pieces
1 red bell pepper, cut into matchstick-size pieces
½ cup vinegar
¼ cup sugar
1 cup teriyaki sauce (wine, ginger, garlic, and soy sauce)
4 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp salt
2 shallots, minced; or 1 tsp onion powder
1 lb fatty pork roast, cut into thick-bacon-size slices, then halved (about 40 pieces altogether)
½ lb rice vermicelli – dumped into boiling water, then after 45 seconds rinsed under cold water
2 cups lettuce or other fresh greens – rinsed, then torn or chopped
1 cup fresh bean sprouts
2 ripe tomatoes, coarsely cubed (not authentic, but I like tomatoes.)
1 cucumber, quartered and thick-sliced
1 bunch basil, mint, cilantro, green onions, or a mix of fresh herbs with stems removed – rinsed
¾ cup water
¼ cup fish sauce (see text at top)
¼ cup sugar
1 tbsp limejuice
2 cloves garlic, crushed; or 1 tsp minced garlic
1 small chili pepper, ground into a paste; or 1 tbsp Crystal sauce; or 1 tsp Tabasco sauce
¼ cup broken peanuts
Shake together the first five ingredients in a sealable plastic container and let them pickle for at least two hours.
Put the next four ingredients in a saucepan and simmer over medium heat for fifteen minutes, until it darkens and starts to thicken. Add the pork and put it all into a zipped up plastic bag with all the air squeezed out, letting it marinate in the refrigerator. Now have a beer and relax for an hour or so. Lay the pork slices on a lightly greased cookie sheet, slightly overlapping, but generally forming a single layer. Bake at 325 degrees F for 45 minutes, turning them once when halfway done, and occasionally basting them with the marinade.
Distribute the next six ingredients into four serving bowls. Top them off with the pork slices and the freshly pickled vegetables.
Mix two tbsp of the pickling juice from the vegetables with the next six ingredients as a dressing to pour over the salads. Sprinkle the peanuts over the top.
This is an easily customizable recipe for various cheeses. You’ll need cheesecloth, which you can get at most grocery stores or hardware stores.
1 gal milk
2 tbsp buttermilk or 1 tsp lime juice
1 rennet tablet, crushed (Junket, available at most grocery stores beside the pectin and Knox gelatin)
¼ cup salt (or more, if you prefer)
Mix the coagulators into the milk and put the cap loosely back onto the milk bottle or carton. Let it sit at room temperature for about 12 to 18 hours.
If you want yellow cheese, add annatto or carotene coloring at this time. Do not use regular food coloring because that nifty yellow changes to a disgusting purple when added to cheese.
Pour the milk mixture into a non-aluminum pot over very low heat. Slowly bring it up to 106 degrees while stirring. If you don’t have a thermometer, think of it as somebody’s forehead when they have a high fever. Do not get it too hot (over 109 degrees) or you will destroy the cheese. Remove it from the heat and let it sit for twenty minutes. If it gets solid, run a long knife through it several times to break it up gently.
Lay a large double-layer of cheesecloth in a colander. Pour the curds and whey through it, retaining the whey (liquid) for later use, if desired. Sprinkle the salt over the cheese and stir slightly. If you like (I do) then you may want to grind some black pepper into at this time as well. Pull the cheesecloth into a bag shape, squeezing and twisting, and wringing all of the liquid from it for a few minutes.
Now decide what kind of cheese you want:
I just started making my own beer several months ago. I haven’t yet done my own mash or anything – just simple, cheap stuff with a three-gallon brew keg. So this document is not written from experience, mostly just research. Maybe it will be useful to other people that are trying to get started in this hobby.
I found a wealth of information on the web about brewing, but most of it assumed that I already knew the terminology and the reason for doing things a certain way. For example, many pages warned about contaminated beer – bacteria-infested crud that’s unsafe to drink. This got me worried about making my friends ill if they drank my beer. I searched high and low before I found out that contaminated beer tastes bad too! This seems like an important point to mention. I guess many people that get into this hobby have friends that are already initiated and they can tap their knowledge. If you’re trying to learn zymurgy on your own, it can be a challenge. So I have collected a couple of pages of notes and a few recipes here.
I’m a bit of a geek, so I take notes on everything I do. These are just my notes, for what they’re worth, if you need a place to start. I make no guarantees about the accuracy of this information and no claims of originality about the recipes. In fact if you find errors or omissions, please fix them.
This is not copyrighted or anything, so feel free to use it as you please: elaborate, embellish, or use it as toilet paper. But please, if you add useful content to it, I’d like to get it back so I can learn from it. (...unless you used it as toilet paper.) I’d appreciate it if you would send me your updated document at:
I’m not going to list a bunch of websites, because there are already web pages that do that and that are maintained so the links don’t become obsolete by the time you get to try them. So I suggest that you begin at either of these sites:
A very incomplete list – as it only has items of current
interest to me.
|
|
Kind |
Purpose |
Flavor |
|
Hops |
Columbus |
Bittering |
Pleasant |
|
Willamete |
Aroma/Finishing |
Spicy, Wild |
|
|
Cascade |
Aroma and Bittering |
Citrus |
|
|
Fuggles |
Aroma/Finishing |
Spicy, Woody |
|
|
Kent Goldings |
Aroma/Finishing |
Gentle, Fragrant |
|
|
Perle |
Bittering |
Minty, Green |
|
|
Crystal |
Aroma/Finishing |
Mild |
|
|
Tettnang |
Aroma/Finishing |
Spicy, Floral |
|
|
|
Kind |
Purpose |
Flavor |
|
Adjuncts |
Table Sugar |
OH & Sweetness Enhancer |
Cidery |
|
Honey or Corn Syrup |
OH & Sweetness Enhancer |
Varies |
|
|
Demerara Sugar |
OH & Flavor Enhancer |
Rich, Smooth |
|
|
|
Kind |
Usage |
Flavor |
|
Grains |
Cara Pils |
Tea-Bagging |
Body |
|
Roasted Barley |
Tea-Bagging |
Toasty |
|
|
Crystal |
Tea-Bagging |
Richness |
|
|
|
Kind |
Action |
Flavor |
|
Yeast |
Munton & Fison |
Strong Head |
Mild |
|
Wyeast Scottish Ale #1728 |
Strong Head |
Medium |
|
|
Coopers |
Good Head |
Very Mild |
|
|
Teffords |
Very Fast |
Mild |
|
|
Nottingham |
Forgiving |
Mild |
|
|
Wyeast London Ale #1028 |
Forgiving |
Mild |
|
|
|
Kind |
Proportion |
Flavor |
|
Malt |
Pale American (Klages 2-row) |
Up to 100% |
General Purpose |
|
Belgian Pils |
Up to 100% |
General Purpose |
|
|
Amber |
Add-in 50% |
Very Rich |
|
|
Pale Crystal |
Add-in 20% |
Good Balance |
|
|
Medium Crystal |
Add-in 10% |
Caramel, Sweet |
|
|
English Pale |
Add-in 10% |
Full Flavored |
|
|
Special Roast |
Add-in 5% |
Toasty |
|
|
Chocolate |
Add-in 5% |
Nutty, Ruby-Red |
|
|
|
Kind |
Purpose |
Active Ingredient |
|
Misc |
Irish Moss |
Fining/Clearing |
Carrageenan |
|
Gypsum |
Water Hardener/Taste |
Calcium |
|
|
Dead Frogs |
Ruins the Flavor |
Guts |
|
|
|
Kind |
Usage |
Flavor |
|
Priming |
Corn Sugar/Dextrose |
Head |
Clean |
|
Maltose |
Head / Flavor |
Malty |
|
|
Table Sugar |
Head / Flavor |
Cidery |
Beer-Making
Tips
Some things I’ve learned or read about zymurgy that seem like useful tidbits of information.
|
Topic |
Tips |
|
Cooling the Wort |
The wort must cool somewhat before pitching the yeast. Temperatures of 109°F or higher will kill the yeast. Do not use unsanitized ice to cool the wort. |
|
Refrigeration |
Always keep hops (even palletized/dry) frozen and the yeast refrigerated for best results. Malt and other ingredients should be kept refrigerated and well sealed once they have been opened. |
|
Beer Age |
Even unpasteurized beer will keep for several months if it is kept cool in the refrigerator and protected from light – assuming thorough sanitation. |
|
Ale versus Lager |
Ale is beer that is fermented at room temperature, whereas lager is fermented between 40 and 50°F. Yeasts that work at lower temperatures also sink to the bottom, and therefore, lager is also referred to as “bottom-fermented beer.” |
|
Sanitation |
Poor sanitation invites bacteria, which ruin the taste of the beer and can make the drinker ill. Sanitize spoons, funnel, and anything else that comes into contact with the beer. Soak them in dilute chlorine bleach, then rinse them thoroughly with water, but do not wipe with anything. |
|
Testing Yeast |
If the yeast is old, you can test it for activity just prior to pitching it. Mix it with some warm water and some of the sugar or malt. Within 15 minutes it should show signs of activity, such as bubbling. (…use immediately.) |
|
Priming |
Too much priming sugar will make the bottle caps pop, whereas too little will make the beer taste flat. |
|
About Sugars |
The sugars (maltose from the malt, as well as dextrose and others) are turned into alcohol during fermentation. Non-fermenting sugars add sweetness. Except for the maltose, sugar chould never be boiled – they caramelize and taste burnt. |
|
Sparging |
The process of preparing the malt is referred to as sparging. Barley is soaked and dried, then milled (grist), then cooked in water (the mash) and rinsed (lautered) into malt – which is mostly sugar - maltose. I can give you no advice on this, as I have not yet tried to do it myself. |
|
Airlock |
The fermentation tank must have an airlock to allow air to escape, yet it must be sealed to prevent anything (such as bacteria) from getting in. |
|
The Water |
If you like the taste of spring water better than tap water, then use it for brewing. In blind taste tests where both are cooled to the same temperature, however, it has been shown that people usually prefer the taste of tap water. The harder the better. (Hence the addition of gypsum.) |
|
Tea-Bagging |
For brewers that do not do their own mash/sparge, their choices of processed malts are limited. So, in order to better customize the flavor of the mash, the brewer may steep grains in the wort. This is called tea-bagging. (Do not boil the water while tea-bagging.) |
|
Clarification |
The addition of Irish moss to the wort helps clarify the final beer. For more thorough clarification, the finished beer may be cooled to just above freezing in order to retain the head, then poured off, leaving the sediment behind. |
|
Bottle Sediment |
The sediment has a laxative effect for some people. Luckily it gets fairly well solidified on the bottom and is not generally a problem. |
|
Hops Boil-Time |
The hops can contribute both bite (bitterness) and aroma (flavor) based on the type of hops used and how long they are boiled. During the boil, the acids are isomerized, providing fuel for bitterness, which also acts as a beer preservative. Unboiled hops provide various aromatics. |
|
Hop Sock |
You can make your own hopsock with two layers of cheesecloth. Tie the cloth to contain the contents, but do not use a rubber band or twist-tie. |
|
Fermentation Tank |
Buy a commercial tun or a bucket conversion kit. It is unwise to use household containers that cannot be properly tapped nor provide a proper airlock – and which may not shelter the wort from light. |
|
Grains and Malt |
Grains may be raw, preprocessed into grist, or can be purchased in the form of processed malt as a syrup or in dry powder form. |
|
2 lbs |
Pale or Light Processed Malt |
Specs: Time: 5 weeks Flavor: Toasty, Full Color: Brown Alcohol: 5% Yield: 8 quart bottles, or… almost 4 two-liter bottles, or… 16 pint bottles, or… 21 longnecks Supplies: Stainless kettle & stirrer spoon Hopsock or cheesecloth Brew tank with airlock & tap Bottles and caps |
|
|
¼ c |
Honey |
||
|
10 qts |
Water (3 + 7) |
||
|
½ c |
Cara Pils |
Grains |
|
|
½ c |
Crystal 90 |
||
|
1 tbsp |
Roasted Barley |
||
|
½ oz |
Columbus A |
Hops |
|
|
½ oz |
Tettnang |
||
|
½ oz |
Cascade |
||
|
1 tsp |
Irish Moss |
||
|
¼ tsp |
Gypsum |
||
|
¼ c |
Priming Sugar |
||
|
1 pkg |
Wyeast London Ale #1028 |
||
1. Sterilize everything thoroughly with Clorox, rinse, then with B-brite.
2. Put grains in hopsock in 3 quarts of water over low heat, without boiling, for 1 hour.
3. Just before it boils, remove the grains and discard them.
4. Add Columbus hops and gypsum and bring to a low boil for 45 minutes.
5. Stirring, add the malt, honey, Tettnang hops and Irish moss, then low-boil for another hour.
6. Remove from heat, stir, cool two minutes, then add the Cascade hops.
7. Put 7 quarts of cold water into a 3 gallon brew tank.
8. Pour the wort (6) into the tank (7) and stir.
9. Cool until temperature is about 90 degrees Fahrenheit. (lukewarm)
10. Add yeast according to packet – stir vigorously for with a sterilized spoon for a few minutes.
11. Seal the tank with an airlock and let it sit at room temperature, away from bright light, for 14 days.
12. Distribute the sugar evenly among the sterilized bottles.
13. Tap the tank above the sediment and pour it into the bottles.
14. Seal bottles with sterilized caps, shake, and store at room temperature, away from light, for 21 days.
15. Drink up.
This was my first attempt at creating my own recipe and it came out quite good. I have made it once since then and it was not quite as good, but was still decent.
|
1¼ lb |
Pale or Light Processed Malt |
Specs: Time: 4½ weeks Flavor: Malty, Rich Color: Amber Alcohol: 6% Yield: 8 quart bottles, or… almost 4 two-liter bottles, or… 16 pint bottles, or… 21 longnecks Supplies: Stainless kettle & stirrer spoon Two hopsocks Brew tank with airlock & tap Bottles and caps |
|
|
1 lb |
Dry Amber Malt |
||
|
3 oz |
Demerara Sugar (Crystal Molasses Sugar) |
||
|
10 qts |
Water (3 + 7) |
||
|
¼ c |
Cara Pils |
Grains |
|
|
¼ c |
Crystal 90 |
||
|
2 tbsp |
Roasted Barley |
||
|
½ oz |
Cascade Hops |
Hops |
|
|
¼ oz |
Tettnang Hops |
||
|
½ oz |
East Kent Goldings Hops |
||
|
1 tsp |
Irish Moss |
||
|
¼ tsp |
Gypsum |
||
|
¼ c |
Priming Sugar (Corn Sugar) |
||
|
1 pkg |
Wyeast Scottish Ale #1728 |
||
1. Sterilize everything thoroughly with Clorox, rinse, then with B-brite.
2. Put grains in a hopsock in 3 quarts of water over low heat, without boiling, for 1 hour.
3. Just before it boils, remove the hopsock with grains and discard.
4. Add the malts and gypsum. (mix the dry malt with some cool water first)
5. Put the Cascade hops into a hopsock, adding it to the wort, and bring to a low boil for 45 minutes.
6. Stirring, add ¼ oz hops and the Irish moss, then low-boil for another hour.
7. Take out the hopsock with ½ oz. of hops and discard it.
8. Remove from heat, stir, and add the remaining hops.
9. Put 7 quarts of cold water into a 3 gallon brew tank.
10. Pour the wort (8) into the tank (9) and stir.
11. Add the demerara sugar. (Never boil demerara sugar – it will burn!)
12. Cool until temperature is about 80 degrees Fahrenheit. (room temperature)
13. Add yeast according to packet – stir vigorously for with a sterilized spoon for a few minutes.
14. Seal the tank with an airlock and let it sit at room temperature, away from bright light, for 10 days.
15. Distribute the sugar evenly among the sterilized bottles.
16. Tap the tank above the sediment and pour it into the bottles.
17. Seal bottles with sterilized caps, shake, and store at room temperature, away from light, for 21 days.
18. Drink up.
This one surprised me, as it turned out to be very smooth and really rich. I’ve made about twenty batches of this stuff and it’s always good.
|
2¼ lb |
Pale or Light Processed Malt |
Specs: Time: 4½ weeks Flavor: Smooth, Aromatic Color: Red Alcohol: 5% Yield: 8 quart bottles, or… almost 4 two-liter bottles, or… 16 pint bottles, or… 21 longnecks Supplies: Stainless kettle & stirrer spoon Two hopsocks Brew tank with airlock & tap Bottles and caps |
|
|
1 oz |
Molasses |
||
|
10 qts |
Water (3 + 7) |
||
|
½ c |
Cara Pils |
Grains |
|
|
¼ c |
Crystal 90 |
||
|
1 tbsp |
Roasted Barley |
||
|
½ oz |
Cascade |
Hops |
|
|
¼ oz |
Cascade |
||
|
½ oz |
East Kent Goldings |
||
|
1 tsp |
Irish moss |
||
|
¼ tsp |
Gypsum |
||
|
¼ c |
Priming Sugar |
||
|
1 pkg |
Wyeast London Ale #1028 |
||
1. Sterilize everything thoroughly with Clorox, rinse, then with B-brite.
2. Put grains in a hopsock in 3 quarts of water over low heat, without boiling, for 1 hour.
3. Just before it boils, remove the hopsock with grains and discard.
4. Add the malts, molasses, and gypsum.
5. Put the ½ oz of hops into a hopsock, adding it to the wort, and bring to a low boil for 45 minutes.
6. Stirring, add ¼ oz hops and the Irish moss, then low-boil for another hour.
7. Take out the hopsock with ½ oz. of hops and discard it.
8. Remove from heat, stir, and add the remaining hops.
9. Put 7 quarts of cold water into a 3 gallon brew tank.
10. Pour the wort (8) into the tank (9) and stir. (Try a sip – it’s good even now.)
11. Cool until temperature is below 90 degrees Fahrenheit. (lukewarm)
12. Add yeast according to packet – stir vigorously for with a sterilized spoon for a few minutes.
13. Seal the tank with an airlock and let it sit at room temperature, away from bright light, for 12 days.
14. Distribute the sugar evenly among the sterilized bottles.
15. Tap the tank above the sediment and pour it into the bottles.
16. Seal bottles with sterilized caps, shake, and store at room temperature, away from light, for 21 days.
17. Drink up.
This turned out great. I’ve made it over a dozen times, adjusting the ingredients, and it gets better each time.
|
1 lb |
Wheat Malt |
Specs: Time: 5 weeks Flavor: Fragrant, Nasty Color: Very light Alcohol: 5% Yield: 8 quart bottles, or… almost 4 two-liter bottles, or… 16 pint bottles, or… 21 longnecks Supplies: Stainless kettle & stirrer spoon Hopsock or cheesecloth Brew tank with airlock & tap Bottles and caps |
|
|
1 lb |
Extra Light Malt |
||
|
10 qts |
Water (3 + 7) |
||
|
1 c |
Dried Oats |
Grains |
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1 c |
Dried Wheat |
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½ oz |
Fuggles |
Hops |
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1 tbsp |
Coriander Seeds – Crushed Coarse |
Spices |
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1 tsp |
Cumin Seeds – Crushed Coarse |
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1 tsp |
Red Pepper Flakes |
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½ tsp |
Black Peppercorns – Crushed Coarse |
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¼ tsp |
Whole Cardamom – Crushed Coarse |
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1 tsp |
Irish Moss |
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¼ tsp |
Gypsum |
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1 c |
Malto-Dextrin |
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2 tbsp |
Grated Orange Zest (Outer Skin of Orange Peel) |
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¼ c |
Priming Sugar (Dextrose) |
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1 pkg |
Wyeast London Ale #1028 |
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1. Sterilize everything thoroughly with Clorox, rinse, then with B-brite.
2. Put grains in hopsock in 3 quarts of water over low heat, without boiling, for ½ hour.
3. Just before it boils, remove the grains, wring out thoroughly into pot, and discard them.
4. Add hops and gypsum and bring to a low boil for ½ hour more.
5. Stirring, add the malts and the malto-dextrin then low-boil for another hour.
6. Add the Irish moss and low-boil another hour.
7. Remove from heat, stir, cool two minutes, then add the orange zest and crushed spices.
8. Put 7 quarts of cold water into a 3 gallon brew tank.
9. Pour the wort (7) into the tank (8) and stir.
10. Cool until temperature is about 80 degrees Fahrenheit. (room temperature)
11. Add yeast according to packet – stir vigorously for with a sterilized spoon for a few minutes.
12. Seal the tank with an airlock and let it sit at room temperature, away from bright light, for 10 days.
13. Distribute the priming sugar evenly among the sterilized bottles.
14. Tap the tank above the sediment and pour it into the bottles.
15. Seal bottles with sterilized caps, shake, and store at room temperature, away from light, for 21 days.
16. Dump it all down the toilet.
This was a failed experiment. Although it sounds good, too much orange overwhelms the brew and clashes with the malt. (Although I’ve made a few others that taste even worse – just think cranberries, horseradish, and salsa – yum.)