Beer & Brewer 43 Summer 2017 teaser

PART 2 BREWING EQUIPMENT – CHANGE YOUR THINKING

see page 46

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Get some cans in your hands this summer

Awards BEER & BREWER

A shout out to the very best in Australian brewing

CHARLIE BAMFORTH WWW.BEERANDBREWER.COM

THE POPE OF BREWING COMES TO TOWN

PLUS! SESSION ALES | A PINT WITH... TAJ BURROW | LAGER – IT AIN’T ALL BAD

CONTENTS

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64

Summer 2017

FEATURES 18 Lager – It Ain’t All Bad Luke Robertson discovers that drinkers are slowly coming back to lager and brewers are responding with some new and unique variations on the classic style

26 The Beer & Brewer Awards With the help of an esteemed panel of judges we are proud to present the best of the best of Aussie brewing

38 BBQ & Canned Beer Once viewed as the ugly duckling of the beer world, the humble beer can is finally being embraced by the craft brewing industry

46 Brewing Equipment Part Two Whether big or small every brewery needs quality equipment, so in part two of his series, Luke Robertson takes a look at all the gear that breweries use to craft that sweet amber ale

72 Session Ales Craft beer and lower alcohol percentages haven’t traditionally been a natural pairing – but with the rise of the session ale, there’s more options than ever for the discerning beer drinker

76 A Beer Lover’s Guide to New Zealand New Zealand’s beer scene has undergone a dramatic transformation in recent years, as John Oszajca reports

4 www.beerandbrewer.com

HOMEBREWER 54 Welcome 55 Letters 56 Q&A Homebrew legend John Palmer responds to our reader queries.

Here, he takes a look at hop aroma and provides his recipe for a New England IPA

58 New World Saison Sure we did saison last issue but it’s such an interesting style that we thought we’d better have another quick look and hit you up with some less than traditional recipes

60 Recipes A fruit-inspired homebrew recipe for a sunny summer afternoon and a Hazy German IPA

62 No Rulz

No Rulz does lager!

64 Professor Charlie Bamforth

“It’s just an honest beer from the west that’s been inspired by the wild ones, like us, who live between the desert and the sea” – Taj Burrow

We catch up with the Pope of Foam

66 HopsAboard The winners of the HopsAboard brewing competition

68 Milling Your Grain Homebrewer technical editor Jake Brandish takes a look at cracking grain and its impact on the brewing process

70 Backyard Brewery Taking backyard brewing to the next level while sticking to a budget

98

26

REGULARS 3 6

Editor’s Letter The Brew

What’s happening and things to do

8

News

The latest in Aus/NZ beer industry

12 World News What’s been brewing around the world?

14 Bits & Bobs 16 New Venues 80 Entertaining – Food The legendary Merv Hughes, beers and barbecued meats

84 Tasting Notes Wheat beers, ciders and new releases

94 Directory 98 A Pint With…

We chat with Taj Burrow about his new collaborative brew

Check out the winners of the 2018 Beer & Brewer Awards!

24

38

SUMMER 2017/18 5

WORLD NEWS

World News WHAT’S MAKING HEADLINES IN THE WORLD OF BEER?

12 www.beerandbrewer.com

Malaysia

United States

Germany

BEER FESTIVAL TERROR PLOT

FREE BEERS TO BOYCOTT NAZI

MAN CARRIES STEINS INTO HISTORY

Three people, including a teenager, were arrested in Kuala Lumpur in mid-October suspected of planning to detonate a bomb at an annual beer festival.

The ‘Better Beer Festival’ had been canceled a month earlier following objections from an Islamist party, who claimed that the event could lead to rape and other crime. Around 6000 people had been expected to attend the festival before it was cancelled.

Two of the three are suspected to have links to militant groups.

In response to white nationalist and leading ‘alt-right’ figure Richard Spencer’s plans to speak at the University of Florida, a local brewing company offered a free drink for those who boycotted his appearance. Taking to their Instagram, Alligator Brewing said in a statement: “Here at Alligator we believe free speech is a cornerstone of our great nation. That said, speech that condones, let alone promotes racial supremacy has no home in America”.

Oliver Struempfel beat his own world record by carrying 29 beer steins over 40 metres, setting them down without spilling more than 10 per cent of the beer. The total weight of Struempfel’s load topped more than 69 kilograms of beer and glass; initially he attempted 31, but two fell at the last minute. Struempfel described his feat as “amazing” and also told news outlets that he had been training at the gym three to four times a week since February in preparation for his attempt.

India

China

Czech Republic

FEARS EXCISE WILL TURN DRINKERS TO HARD LIQUOR

FACIAL RECOGNITION CATCHES BEER FESTIVAL CROOKS

CZECH’S KNOCK BACK 300 PINTS PER PERSON ANNUALLY

Industry experts in the Indian state of Maharashtra are concerned that a new excise duty hike on beer will lead more drinkers to turn to hard liquor, seeking a bigger bang for their buck. The state government’s price hike means that the pure alcohol content in a litre of beer now costs RS 114 per litre against RS 53 per litre of spirits. In the US, Europe, China and Southeast Asia, beer taxes are kept low so that people are discouraged from drinking hard liquor.

Chinese police used facial recognition technology to catch and arrest 24 wanted criminals at a beer festival in Qingdao.

Eighteen cameras were installed at four entrances to the festival.

According to Qingdao police, the system has an accuracy rate of 98.1 per cent and works by sounding an alarm if the subject’s face is found in the police database. One man who was caught by the cameras and arrested had been on the run for 10 years.

Drinkers in the Czech Republic knocked back 146.3 litres of beer per person in 2016 – equivalent to nearly 300 pints per individual – according to statistics from Euromonitor.

The central European country beat neighbouring Germany and Poland in second and third place respectively, reflecting a broad divide between central and eastern European countries (who consume more beer) and western European and Scandinavian countries (who consume less).

UK

UK BREWERY BOOM The number of breweries in the UK now numbers more than 2000, with 300 new breweries launched in the country in 2016. According to a report by accountancy firm UHY Hacker Young, the number of new breweries rose by 18 per cent in 2016 to reach 1994; the trend has continued this year too, taking the number of breweries over 2000 for the first time since the 1930s. A spokesperson from the firm said that smaller breweries have benefited from a tax break introduced in 2002.

Italy

BREWERY SLAMMED FOR OFFENSIVE LABEL Italian brewery Deep Beer was slammed on social media in late October for marketing its ‘Deep Throat’ beer using a sexually suggestive image of a woman eating a corncob on the bottle. A British beer group called ‘Ladies That Beer’ drew attention to the offensive image on Twitter, tweeting that the label was one of the “worst they had ever seen”.

Deep Beer responded: “The story about the label of this beer you do not know, and the meaning is far from offensive. Do you know what satire means?”

SUMMER 2017/18 13

STYLE NOTES

18  www.beerandbrewer.com

STYLE NOTES

Lager – It Ain’t All Bad

SOMEWHERE ALONG THE LINE LAGER DEVELOPED A BIT OF A BAD RAP, BUT AS LUKE ROBERTSON DISCOVERS, DRINKERS ARE SLOWLY COMING BACK AND BREWERS ARE RESPONDING WITH SOME NEW AND UNIQUE VARIATIONS ON THE CLASSIC STYLE

T

he word lager conjures all

He has one lager in his three beer range. He

sorts of negative images

says his outer-Sydney location makes lager

for many drinkers. Green

a perfect style for a crowd that may not be

bottles, big marketing

ready for bigger flavours, a comment echoed

campaigns, and lifeless

by Viren Goundrie from Stone & Wood. He

pours out of dirty lines in

has just completed a series of lager education

your local pub. The glory and the romance of

sessions around Australia, to coincide with

a well-crafted lager has had much of the life

the relaunch of their Big Scrub Lager. They

sucked out and it’s synonymous with all the

wanted to change perceptions of lager by

things that represent the negatives of beer.

showcasing not only their own take, but other

Slowly, it seems, drinkers are coming back

beers using lager yeast and techniques. He

to lagers and brewers are trying their own

says when they visit smaller towns they find

unique variations on the classic pale lager or

their Green Coast Lager is a good way to get

pilsner led styles. One such brewer is Renn

beer into peoples’ hands.

Blackman at Blackman’s Brewery in Torquay.

“We see that very much when we do our

He’s one of Australia’s biggest champions of

local events, Pacific Ale might be too weird

the style. While he agrees it does have a bad

and wacky for the people who have just drunk

reputation he’s finding the pointy end of the

regular lager all the time.”

market still appreciate them.

“I think the real proper beer geeks, the ones who are really into it, actually get lager.

A recent trip to Germany helped Goundrie improve his own perception of lagers.

“Once you’re open to it, it’s about

So beer nerd-wise 80 per cent of people shun

perceiving the subtle difference, rather than

lager a bit, but that’s because they don’t

a big bold IPA with out there hops in it, and

really understand how cool it can be.”

the differences can be really obvious.”

Renn has an unfiltered lager as a staple

Another Sydney-based brewery finding a

in his range and has started a project called

place for lager is Australian Brewery. They have

the Lager Collective, showcasing three

a New World Pilsner, which is a hoppy take on

different versions of lager. At Hairyman

the classic Pilsner style, and a Mexcian style

Brewery in Sydney’s southern suburbs,

lager called Seis Hermanos Lager. Marketing

brewer Andy Orrell agrees that lager is a bit

Manager David Ward says he was initially

misunderstood.

tentative to have two core range lagers, but

“A lot of people have a bad rap on lagers,

says they have found a place for both of them.

because of the way commercial breweries

Likewise for fellow Sydneysiders Willie the

have treated them and branded them over

Boatman. They have a straightforward pilsner-

the years.”

style, called Marrickville Lager, and a corn

SUMMER 2017/18 19

BBQ & CANNED BEER

38  www.beerandbrewer.com

BBQ & CANNED BEER

ONCE VIEWED AS THE UGLY DUCKLING OF THE BEER WORLD, THE HUMBLE BEER CAN IS FINALLY BEING EMBRACED BY THE CRAFT BREWING INDUSTRY. JEREMY SAMBROOKS INVESTIGATES AND MEETS SOME BREWERS WITH A CAN-DO ATTITUDE ‘I never buy beer in cans.’

their own canning lines, while others make

‘Beer tastes better out of a bottle.’

use of mobile canning facilities such as

‘Canned beers taste metallic.’

East Coast Canning or Craft Punks.

If you agree with any of these statements, beer has had a poor reputation, shackled

HISTORY OF THE HUMBLE BEER CAN

to the image of frat boys ‘shot-gunning’

While humans have been brewing beer for

tins of cheap American lager. Not helping

millennia, it wasn’t until the 20th century

this was the fact that almost every canned

that we thought of putting it in a can. The

beer available was a cheap, fairly tasteless,

American Can Company realised that cans

mainstream lager. For many, the mere

would offer breweries advantages over

mention of canned beer brings up bad

bottles – cutting shipping costs due to their

memories of that last, warm mouthful of

lower weight and providing the marketing

cheap, metallic-tasting beer.

departments with a much larger surface

you’re not alone. For a long time, canned

Recent market trends indicate there has

area for labelling. However, early in its

been a fundamental mind shift in drinkers’

development the beer can came across a

attitudes towards canned beer. In the 2017

major road block – prohibition. Suggesting

survey conducted by Beer Cartel, only 29

that breweries invest in the new type of

per cent of drinkers opined that bottles are

packaging was a big ask, considering most

a better vessel for storing beer, down from

of their business had been made illegal.

37 per cent in 2016. Cans are now nearly

The first brewery to take the risk was the

as popular, with 24 per cent of drinkers

Gottfried Krueger Brewing Company, who

preferring them and 46 per cent holding a

in a 1933 experiment, filled 2000 cans

neutral position on the issue.

with a beer of just 3.2 per cent alcohol (the

In the last two years we have seen an

maximum allowed at the time) and gave

explosion of canned craft beers hitting

them away for a taste test experiment. In

the market. Several breweries have added

1935, after the end of prohibition, Krueger

canned products to their existing range,

sold the first ever can of beer, when cans of

some have switched from bottles to cans,

Krueger’s Finest Beer and Krueger’s Cream

and some new brewers have entered the

Ale went on sale in cans.

market packaging their beer solely in kegs and cans. Some breweries have installed

The first American craft brewery to put their beer in cans was Oskar Blues in 2002 –

SUMMER 2017/18 39

RECIPES

Vintner’s Lager THE TEAM AT COOPERS HAVE DELIVERED THE PERFECT FRUIT-INSPIRED HOMEBREW RECIPE FOR A SUNNY SUMMER AFTERNOON

Y

ou know the dilemma… it’s a beautiful sunny afternoon and you just can’t work out if it’s a beer day or a wine day? Well hey, why can’t it be both? And no, we don’t mean mixing your bevvies – we mean a drop of cheeky, fruit-inspired Vintner’s Lager. Highly sought after Nelson Sauvin hops give this brew a

Expected Brew Figures OG: 1.057 FG: 1.012 IBU: 12 ABV: 5.9% Volume: 22 Litres

quirky wine character reminiscent of a crisp Sauvignon Blanc. But this

Ingredients

ain’t no wine – it’s still very much a bold malty beer that uncorks a

1.7kg Thomas Coopers 86 Days Pilsner

slightly sweet biscuity backdrop for the hops to show off their white

1.5kg Light Dry Malt Extract (LDME)

wine, rockmelon, and tropical fruits traits.

250g Caramel Hell Grains (cracked) 25g Nelson Sauvin Hop Pellets 25g Enigma Hop Pellets Saflager S-23 Dry Yeast

Method 1. The day before brew day, soak the cracked grain in a small mesh bag in a pot with about 3 litres of cold water. Fit the lid and sit it in the fridge overnight. If the grains have not already been cracked, place them in a plastic zip-lock sandwich bag and crack them using a rolling pin 2. On brew day lift the mesh bag with grains out of the pot and allow the liquid to drain out before discarding the grains 3. Place the strained liquid onto the stovetop, bring to the boil then add 12.5g of each of the Nelson Sauvin and Enigma Hops and boil for 5 minutes 4. Take off flame and cool the liquid by placing the pot in a bath of cold water for about 15mins with the lid on 5. Add all the fermentable ingredients and the cooled liquid to your fermenter then stir to dissolve. Don’t worry if lumps of Light Dry Malt Extract remain as they will dissolve over the course of several hours 6. Top up with cold water to 20 litres and stir thoroughly with your sanitised brewing spoon 7. Check the temperature and top up to 22 litres with warm or cool water (refrigerated if necessary) to start the brew at 18°C 8. Sprinkle both the Safale S-23 and brew can yeast then fit the lid 9. Place your fermenter in a location out of direct sunlight and ferment at 15°C. Fermentation should take around 10-14 days 10. At day 7, add the remaining hop pellets to the brew by wrapping them in a hop bag (or a mesh cleaning cloth pulled straight from the pack if you don’t have one) and place directly on top of the brew then re-fit the lid 11. On day 10 check the specific gravity. The brew is ready once the specific gravity has stabilised over a couple of days and is between 1.006-1.010 12. Allow your beer to bottle conditions for at least 2 weeks, but it will benefit from at least 8 weeks

60 Home Brewer

RECIPES

Hoptoberfest Hazy German IPA – All Grain Recipe

Hoptoberfest Hazy German IPA WE HAVE BEEN FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO HAVE ANDREW CHILDS CONTRIBUTING RECIPES FROM HIS BEHEMOTH /CHUR BREWING RANGE FOR SOME TIME. THIS HAZY GERMAN IPA IS ANOTHER MOUTH-WATERING RECIPE TO FIT ANY SEASON. ENJOY!

W

e have brewed a few Hazy IPA’s this year. We love brewing them and I love drinking them. This one is a lot different from the others as it uses a couple of new German hop varieties.

Expected Brew Figures OG: 1.067 FG: 1.019 ABV: 6.3% IBU: 33 Volume: 23 litres

Ingredients 4.65kg Weyermann Pale Malt 650g Weyermann Pale Wheat 600g Rolled Oats 150g Weyermann Munich 2 200g Hallertau Blanc 125g Mandarina Bavaria Wyeast 1318 London Ale III

METHOD 1. Break the smack pack and allow it to expand 2. Mash all malts at 69°C 3. Sparge and bring to a boil

They are fruity and herbal. If this sounds a bit out there, go

4. Boil for 90 minutes

ahead and substitute a couple of US, Aussie or NZ varieties to

5. At the end of the boil add 100g Hallertau Blanc and 75g Mandarina Bavaria and whirlpool for 15 minutes

this recipe (you can then make up your own name).

Now there is a bit of science to this haze craze but the main thing is using wheat and

oats, not fining or filtering, playing with water chemistry (go light on the gypsum), only use hops in the whirlpool and dry hop once during ferment and once after. It uses a lot of hops but only gets a little bit of bitterness. Which makes them juicy AF! This beer is nothing like a usual Oktoberfest beer but bugger it, I liked the name.

Hopfen und malz, gott erhalt’s (Hops and malts God bless them).

6. Cool to 20°C and add yeast 7. Ferment at 18°C 8. 80% through fermentation add 50g Hallertau Blanc and 25g Mandarina Bavaria 9. Do a diacetyl rest at 22°C towards end of fermentation 10. After Fermentation add 50g Hallertau Blanc and 25g Mandarina Bavaria 11. Bottle or keg as usual then enjoy with mates!

SUMMER 2017/18 61

TRAVEL

A Craft Beer L ver’s Guide to New Zealand

NEW ZEALAND’S BEER SCENE HAS UNDERGONE A DRAMATIC TRANSFORMATION IN RECENT YEARS, AS JOHN OSZAJCA REPORTS

N

ew Zealand’s first beer

that has been bestowed upon the country for

Red, and, despite its ale-centric nomenclature,

was brewed in 1773 by

it’s unique – and much sought after – hop

Speights Gold Medal Ale. While these (and

none other than Captain

varieties, such as Nelson Sauvin, Riwaka and

other) mainstream lagers do represent the

James Cook, when he

Motueka, among others.

vast majority of what is being consumed in

arrived in the South Island’s ‘Dusky Sound’.

For a nation with a reputation as being

New Zealand, it is New Zealand’s craft beer

tiny, planning a Beercation in New Zealand

that is making headlines and earning it a

Always concerned about the risk of scurvy,

represents a few more challenges than one

reputation as a world class beer destination.

one of his first orders of business was to brew

might expect. To begin with, the country just

up a batch of ‘spruce beer’. Short on spruce,

isn’t that small. New Zealand is long and

of some of the more in-demand hops in

it is believed that they relied mostly on Rimu

narrow. It is separated into two main islands

the world, it should be no surprise that New

and a few other species of Dacryds to lend

and hundreds of smaller ones, with many

Zealand breweries tend to excel at brewing

bitterness and antiscorbutic properties to

remote and meandering roads and ferries

IPAs. While many brewers embrace the unique

the beer. They then infused this makeshift

stringing the country together. None of this

(often tropical) qualities of New Zealand hops,

‘spruce tea’ with molasses, pitched some

is to say that there is not much to see, do, and

others find them to be too intense on their

yeast they had on board their ship, and soon

sample, but it is simply to point out that to

own, and instead choose to use them as accent

they had produced a beer that was by all

experience all that New Zealand has to offer

hops. Still others prefer to emulate classic

accounts, well… palatable.

is not as straight forward as it might seem.

American West Coast (and more recently

It’s safe to say that New Zealand beer has

With Nelson being the sole growing area

East Coast) IPAs and omit them altogether.

come a long way since Captain Cook’s first

THE BEER

While there are many delicious IPAs to

experimental brew on those distant South

Before discussing a potential itinerary, it’s

choose from, a few must-try examples would

Island shores. While New Zealand’s beer

worth mentioning the styles of beer that

be Liberty Brewing Company’s The Kush

landscape has historically been dominated

New Zealand is best known for, as well as a

(Winner of the 2017 West Coast Challenge), 8

by a uniquely Kiwi (though arguably

few styles on the rise. Prior to New Zealand’s

Wired’s Hopwired (one of the first IPAs made

unexciting) style of amber lager, known as

recent craft beer renaissance, the country was

exclusively with NZ hops), and Epic Brewing

New Zealand Draught, recent years have

(and still is to a large extent) dominated by

Company’s Armageddon IPA (New Zealand’s

seen New Zealand’s beer scene undergo a

the aforementioned New Zealand Draught, a

most awarded beer).

dramatic transformation. This is not only

malty amber lager that was largely the result

due to the overwhelming number of craft

of a uniquely Kiwi brewing process known as

simply as New Zealand Pilsner that seems

beer companies that have emerged over the

‘continuous fermentation’. Examples of this

to be gaining recognition as New Zealand’s

last few years, but also due to the reputation

classic New Zealand style are DB Draught, Lion

contribution to the global pantheon of

76 www.beerandbrewer.com

However, it is the emerging style known

TRAVEL

unique beer styles. The New

NORTHLAND

AUCKLAND

Zealand Pilsner is similar to a

New Zealand’s first brewery

Not long before you hit Auckland it’s

German Pilsner, though it tends to

was founded by Joel Polack in

worth veering off course to explore

be softer, maltier, and it showcases

Kororareka (Now Russell). The

the Warkworth and Matakana area.

the tropical, citrusy, often white

brewery was destroyed in 1845

Warkworth’s 8 Wired Brewing

wine-like character of New

when the town was attacked by

Company is New Zealand’s highest

Zealand hop varieties. The style

Hōne Heke, but one can still visit

was largely defined by Emerson’s

the nearby Duke of Marlborough

review site Ratebeer.com, and they

NZ Pilsner in the mid-1990s, but

Hotel (New Zealand’s first licensed

boast the largest barrel program

has since expanded in character

bar and restaurant). While there,

in the Southern Hemisphere. They

as many new breweries now brew

you can order a pint of New Zealand

are not open to the public for tours

their own versions of the style,

Pilsner from Kainui Brew Co, a

or tastings, but you never know

using the ever expanding varieties

small farmhouse brewery located in

where a friendly phone call might

of New Zealand hops.

the nearby town of Kerikeri.

lead. Be sure to try their iStout (New

As you make your way south,

rated brewery on the popular beer

Zealand’s highest rated beer on

BEER DESTINATIONS

a stop in Waipu to visit Mcleod’s

Ratebeer.com), or any of their highly

With somewhere in the

Brewery and Pizza Barn is a must.

regarded sour beers. If nothing

neighbourhood of 160 brewing

This surf-happy historical Scottish

else, take a quick trip around the

companies currently operating

settlement is the proud home of

corner to the craft beer bar Tahi Bar

in New Zealand – a few with

what is currently Northland’s only

where you are almost certain to find

more than a century’s worth of

brewpub. Mcleod’s recently took

several of 8 Wired’s beers on tap.

history behind them – there are

home the trophy for New Zealand’s

no shortage of breweries to visit

‘Best International Lager’ with

midst of Matakana wine country,

and tasty beers to sample when

their ‘Longboard Lager’, as well

where you’ll find the beautiful (and

traveling throughout the country.

as a number of other medals for

award winning) Sawmill Brewery,

However, there are a few standout

their wide range of beer styles,

restaurant, and tasting room. At

beer destinations worth adding to

ranging from Hoppy IPAs to funky

any given time it’s likely you’ll find

any beer-centric itinerary. Here

sour beers coming out of their

more than a dozen beers on tap,

they are from North to South…

burgeoning barrel program.

including beers from their core

Head a few minutes east, into the

New Zealand’s Best In Class for 2017 International Lager: Longboarder Lager from McLeod’s Brewery New Zealand Lager: Dry Hopped Pilsner, from Eagle Brewing British Ale: Speight’s 5 Malt Old Dark, from Lion Beverage Company European Ale: Tripel Barrel, from Tuatara Brewing Co US Ale: Clifford, from Brave Brewing Co Pale Ale: Aotearoa Pale Ale, Tuatara Brewing Co Strong Pale Ale: ApeHanger IPA, from Bootleg Brewery Stout & Porter: Baltic Porter, from Sawmill Brewery Wheat & Other Grain: Sawmill\Good George Weizenbock, from Sawmill Brewery Flavoured: Cabbages & Kings, from Garage Project Brewery Specialty, Experimental, Aged, Barrel & Wood-Aged: Prohibition, from Liberty Brewing Company Cider or Perry: Isaac’s Cider Original, from Lion Brewing Company Fruit or Flavoured Cider or Perry: Apple Crumble Cider, from Zeffer Cider Co

Pete Gillespie and Jos Ruffell from Garage Project, which was recently named New Zealand’s Champion Brewery

SUMMER 2017/18 77

RECIPES

RECIPES

Vintner’s Lager

Hoptoberfest Hazy German IPA – All Grain Recipe

THE TEAM AT COOPERS HAVE DELIVERED THE PERFECT FRUIT-INSPIRED HOMEBREW RECIPE FOR A SUNNY SUMMER AFTERNOON

Y

ou know the dilemma… it’s a beautiful sunny afternoon and you just can’t work out if it’s a beer day or a wine day? Well hey, why can’t it be both? And no, we don’t mean mixing your bevvies – we mean a drop of cheeky, fruit-inspired Vintner’s Lager. Highly sought after Nelson Sauvin hops give this brew a

Expected Brew Figures OG: 1.057 FG: 1.012 IBU: 12 ABV: 5.9% Volume: 22 Litres

quirky wine character reminiscent of a crisp Sauvignon Blanc. But this

Ingredients

ain’t no wine – it’s still very much a bold malty beer that uncorks a

1.7kg Thomas Coopers 86 Days Pilsner

slightly sweet biscuity backdrop for the hops to show off their white

1.5kg Light Dry Malt Extract (LDME)

wine, rockmelon, and tropical fruits traits.

250g Caramel Hell Grains (cracked) 25g Nelson Sauvin Hop Pellets 25g Enigma Hop Pellets Saflager S-23 Dry Yeast

Method 1. The day before brew day, soak the cracked grain in a small mesh bag in a pot with about 3 litres of cold water. Fit the lid and sit it in the fridge overnight. If the grains have not already been cracked, place them in a plastic zip-lock sandwich bag and crack them using a rolling pin 2. On brew day lift the mesh bag with grains out of the pot and allow the liquid to drain out before discarding the grains 3. Place the strained liquid onto the stovetop, bring to the boil then add 12.5g of each of the Nelson Sauvin and Enigma Hops and boil for 5 minutes 4. Take off flame and cool the liquid by placing the pot in a bath of cold water for about 15mins with the lid on 5. Add all the fermentable ingredients and the cooled liquid to your fermenter then stir to dissolve. Don’t worry if lumps of Light Dry Malt Extract remain as they will dissolve over the course of several hours 6. Top up with cold water to 20 litres and stir thoroughly with your sanitised brewing spoon 7. Check the temperature and top up to 22 litres with warm or cool water (refrigerated if necessary) to start the brew at 18°C 8. Sprinkle both the Safale S-23 and brew can yeast then fit the lid 9. Place your fermenter in a location out of direct sunlight and ferment at 15°C. Fermentation should take around 10-14 days 10. At day 7, add the remaining hop pellets to the brew by wrapping them in a hop bag (or a mesh cleaning cloth pulled straight from the pack if you don’t have one) and place directly on top of the brew then re-fit the lid

PART 2 BREWING EQUIPMENT – CHANGE YOUR THINKING

see page 46

INCLUDING

11. On day 10 check the specific gravity. The brew is ready once the specific gravity has stabilised over a couple of days and is between 1.006-1.010 12. Allow your beer to bottle conditions for at least 2 weeks, but it will benefit from at least 8 weeks

Hoptoberfest Hazy German IPA WE HAVE BEEN FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO HAVE ANDREW CHILDS CONTRIBUTING RECIPES FROM HIS BEHEMOTH /CHUR BREWING RANGE FOR SOME TIME. THIS HAZY GERMAN IPA IS ANOTHER MOUTH-WATERING RECIPE TO FIT ANY SEASON. ENJOY!

W

e have brewed a few Hazy IPA’s this year. We love brewing them and I love drinking them. This one is a lot different from the others as it uses a couple of new German hop varieties.

Expected Brew Figures OG: 1.067 FG: 1.019 ABV: 6.3% IBU: 33 Volume: 23 litres

Ingredients 4.65kg Weyermann Pale Malt 650g Weyermann Pale Wheat 600g Rolled Oats 150g Weyermann Munich 2 200g Hallertau Blanc 125g Mandarina Bavaria Wyeast 1318 London Ale III

METHOD 1. Break the smack pack and allow it to expand 2. Mash all malts at 69°C 3. Sparge and bring to a boil

PART 2 BREWING EQUIPMENT – CHANGE YOUR THINKING

They are fruity and herbal. If this sounds a bit out there, go

4. Boil for 90 minutes

ahead and substitute a couple of US, Aussie or NZ varieties to

5. At the end of the boil add 100g Hallertau Blanc and 75g Mandarina Bavaria and whirlpool for 15 minutes

this recipe (you can then make up your own name).

Now there is a bit of science to this haze craze but the main thing is using wheat and

oats, not fining or filtering, playing with water chemistry (go light on the gypsum), only use hops in the whirlpool and dry hop once during ferment and once after. It uses a lot of hops but only gets a little bit of bitterness. Which makes them juicy AF! This beer is nothing like a usual Oktoberfest beer but bugger it, I liked the name.

Hopfen und malz, gott erhalt’s (Hops and malts God bless them).

6. Cool to 20°C and add yeast 7. Ferment at 18°C 8. 80% through fermentation add 50g Hallertau Blanc and 25g Mandarina Bavaria 9. Do a diacetyl rest at 22°C towards end of fermentation

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10. After Fermentation add 50g Hallertau Blanc and 25g Mandarina Bavaria

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11. Bottle or keg as usual then enjoy with mates!

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see page 46

INCLUDING

CHARLIE BAMFORTH

THE POPE OF BREWING COMES TO TOWN

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