Bizarre Brews 101: For the Adventurous Home Brewer

CONTENTS

Introduction

Chapter 1 Tips, Tricks, and Advice.

Chapter 2 High Gravity All Grain Brews

Chapter 3 High Gravity Extract Brews

Chapter 4 Average Gravity All Grain Brews

Chapter 5 Average Gravity Extract Brews

Chapter 6 Low Gravity or Session All Grain Brews

Chapter 7 Low Gravity or Session Extract Brews

Chapter 8 Partial Mash Brews

Appendix

INTRODUCTION

What is bizarre you might ask? Bizarre is defined as conspicuously or grossly unconventional or unusual. What is bizarre brewing you might ask? Bizarre brewing is the art of crafting a tasty home brewed beer using ingredients, methods, yeasts or additives that do not fit the BJCP Style guidelines for the type of beer you are brewing. In my personal experience you can make wonderful beers following the BJCP Style guidelines, but you can also make wonderful beer by going total against the standard wisdom and brewing in ways that do not fit the style. After all, if you follow the guidelines to the letter, yes you will make a wonderful beer, but you will also make a beer that can be purchased commercially most of the time, and has been made by hundreds of brewers before you, and is, well, normal.

There is nothing wrong with this, this is a great way to learn the hobby and develop the skills needed to brew stellar bizarre brews! My personal goal and philosophy when I set out to brew is to make a brew that you cannot find on a store shelf, A home brew that may never have been attempted before in the history of brewing, a brew that is truly my own unique creation. Bizarre brewing, much like anything new or untried, does have its risks, you may find a brew doesn’t suit your personal tastes, this happens, I have had it happen to me on more than one occasion, don’t let it dissuade you from trying other bizarre type brews.

My approach to recipe formulation is a lot different than most people. I look at the style guidelines for the style I want to brew. I look at the numbers such as starting gravity, ending gravity, SRM color rating, and IBU rating. I then use grains and hops that would not normally be used for the style I have selected to reach these numbers. For example, most all home brewers have heard of, tried and possibly brewed an oatmeal stout, using an addition of flaked oats. When I set out to brew an oatmeal stout, I use oat malt, not flaked oats and I use it as the base grain for the recipe instead of pale malt, then I normally add a small amount of 6-row just to ensure conversion. This approach has worked wonderfully for me and I have made some brews that were very tasty to my palate. Many of which are included in this book.

Some of the brews contained in this book call for advanced methods that require patience and practice to master, if you are not familiar with a method in this book, I encourage you to ask your local home brew shop, brew forum, or homebrew club for advice before brewing. This is a recipe book after all, not a how to brew book, there are already many wonderful how to books on the market, written by many very talented brewers and authors.

Feel Free to customize the recipes contained in this book to your own taste buds, for example, if you would like to try a recipe in this book, but know that you do not care for the hops I personally selected, feel free to replace it with a hop that you know you like, after all you are the one who will be drinking your home brew, this applies to yeast choices as well. This book is all about breaking down the style barrier and getting really creative with your brews, so make them your own! If you have any questions or comments about this book feel free to email me at bizarrebrews101@hotmail.com, I ask only that you e-mail in English as that is the only language that I can read and write. Thank you for purchasing .You will notice that some recipes do not include a yeast choice; this is intentional so that you the brewer can use your favorite yeast and be part of the creative process, and I suggest you try these with more than one yeast strain so that you can find the one perfect for the recipe.

A little more about me, I have been making fermented beverages of some kind for the last 18 years, I started out making Prison Style Hooch when I was 17 just because I couldn’t buy beer and I fell in love with the fermentation process. I then moved on to making wines, which was fun but just seem to take too long for my tastes. I made beers off and on the whole time but it wasn’t until moving to Seattle that I rediscovered home brewing beer and started to seriously getting into to doing it. I started reading every book on brewing I could find, and started brewing about once a week. From the first batch I brewed I tried to brew beer I couldn’t find in any store, and I realized that there were many recipe books on the market but all of them seem geared toward the competing brewer and there was very little information about brewing against the style guidelines. So through much trial and I can honestly say, at least by my taste buds, very little error I set out to write this book.

CHAPTER 1 Tips, Tricks, and Advice.

Note’s On High Gravity Brews, Starters, Yeast cakes, Yeast nutrients, yeast energizers, oxygenating or aerating And Sanitation.

High gravity brews present a unique challenge for the average home brewer. They require either pitching multiple packages of yeast, a starter or pitching on to a yeast cake from a previous lower gravity brew, of the three a starter or yeast cake are favored due to the cost of pitching multiple packages of yeast. Starters are a simple step that when done correctly and in a sanitary fashion, can greatly improve both the quality of nearly all beers and improve your odds of finishing a high gravity beer with a proper ending gravity. Session beers are the exception to the starter rule, you can of course make a starter for them but in my personal experience it isn’t necessary as one package of a quality yeast will finish them just fine, and you can always pitch a higher gravity brew right on to your yeast cake from your session beer and this allows you to skip making a starter.

A starter is simple enough for any home brewer to make, all you need is a 1 gallon jug (sold at most all homebrew supply stores) With a Bung stopper and airlock. Boil 1lb of Extra Light Malt Extract in 1 gallon of water until fully dissolved. Cool to yeast pitching temperature which should be no higher than 80 degrees with an ideal pitching temperature of between 68-74.Add your yeast, attach your airlock and let it set for about 1 week. Then put it into the refrigerator and cold crash it over night, this will cause more of your yeast to drop to the bottom. Remove from the refrigerator, and very gently pour off all about 1 inch of the liquid (you can drink this it is after all an extremely simple beer) Allow the yeast to come up to room temp slowly, boil and cool about 1 quart of water, add to your yeast starter, shake well to mix the yeast into the water and when your batch of beer is cooled to pitching temperature, simply shake your starter well and pour it in. What this does is ensure that you have plenty of yeast to do the job, and insures that you have viable yeast to start with.

Next I would like to cover yeast nutrients and yeast energizers. These are added typically to beers, wines and meads that lack the proper amount of nutrition for your yeast. Some will tell you that they are only needed in wines, some will say they are only needed in meads My personal opinion is that I use both in every batch of beer I make, I buy equal amounts of both and mix them together, then I add the number of teaspoons called for on the yeast nutrient package, this to me is just one simple step to ensure that the yeast have everything they need to work the hardest for me, and I have personally never noticed any bad or off flavors from using these. Call it an insurance policy.

The process of aerating or oxygenating your beer is conducted after the beer is cooled, this is to ensure that your yeast have plenty of oxygen which is crucial at the start of fermentation. On lower gravity ales and lagers this can be achieved simply by dumping the Wort back and forth between two sanitized fermentors. High gravity ales and lagers are a bit more of a challenge, and in my personal opinion should be oxygenated with pure oxygen, you can buy an attachment with hose and stainless steel air stone on many homebrew supply websites, this fit on to oxygen tanks that you can buy at local hardware stores and they include a medical grade filter in line, this can be used on all brews but is of the utmost importance on high gravity brews as less oxygen is absorbed in high gravity wort, so it is typical to use pure oxygen and to run it four times longer than you would for a standard gravity brew. This step really helps the yeast at the start of a hard fermentation.

Note that many recipes in this book call for more than one yeast strain, if you’re using multiple strains, it is best to make a starter for each yeast strain instead of one starter with all the strains, this ensures you get an ample amount of each yeast strain, instead of one strain dominating the starter. If the recipe calls for multiple packages of the same yeast, you can either pitch more than one package or make a starter with one package which is even more effective and saves money at the same time.

Cleaning and sanitation are the keys in both starters and in brewing in general. If you keep your brewing equipment well cleaned and sanitized, you greatly increase your chances to make a great quality brew. I personally prefer Star San brand sanitizer for all my brewing equipment for a few reasons, one it is very cost effective, two it is no rinse which saves time and eliminates the risk of contamination by rinsing, and three in my personal opinion it is the easiest sanitizer on the market to use. For cleaning I personally prefer PBW(powdered brewery wash) it is a very simple to use, and powerful cleaning agent, use it hot to remove dried on brew gunk, rinse well and then add your sanitizer and you’re on the way to making a great brew!

If you happen to notice off flavors in your beer, the first place to always look to correct the problem is your sanitation procedure. Many off flavors or ruined batches happen when we are not 1000% rigid in our sanitation procedure. This means anything that is going to touch your beer should be soaked in a solution of sanitizer before your beer touches it, I go overboard on this and I even sanitize my pre-boil equipment as well, up to and including my mash tun. It is more important post-boil, I simply do it as a piece of mind step, which has been well worth it in the improved quality of my brews. Anything, and I do mean anything that is going to touch your brew after the boil needs to be soaked in a sanitizer, hoses, spoons, stir paddles, fermentor, rubber stopper, and air lock just to name a few. Also, if you for example stir your brew with a spoon, lay the spoon down while you transfer your beer to the primary fermenter, and then use your spoon to stir in your yeast you risk contamination. The spoon must soak in sanitizer every time if comes out and goes into the brew after the boil is done. I cannot stress enough that sanitation is the single easiest and most important step you can take to improve and ensure better quality brews.

Common Abbreviations Used in Home brewing and on Home Brew Forums

The following is list of some of the common abbreviations used by home brewers and on home brew forums; this is in no way a complete list.

ABV = Alcohol by Volume

Al = Aluminum

APA = American Pale Ale

AAU = Alpha acid unit (the potential bitterness of hops)

B = Brix or Balling (a measure of sugar)

B3 = Beer, Beer, and More Beer (homebrew supplier)

BMC = Bud Miller Coors Or Basic Market Consumer

BW = Barley wine

BYO = Brew Your Own magazine

CAMRA = Campaign for Real Ale (Britain’s grassroots organization for the preservation of cask-conditioned ales)

CFC = Counter flow Chiller

CPBF = Counter pressure bottle filler

CPF = Counter-Pressure filler

DME = Dry Malt Extract

DMS = Dimethyl Sulphide (produces cooked corn aroma in wort that isn’t cooled quickly enough)

EKG = East Kent Golding hops

FG = Final Gravity

FWH = First Wort Hopping

GU = Gravity unit (the specific gravity’s last two digits)

HBU = Homebrew bittering unit

HD = Home Depot

HERMS = Heat Exchange Recirculation Mash System

HLT = Hot liquor tank

IBU = International Bittering Units

IMHO = In my humble/honest opinion

IPA = India Pale Ale

L = Lovibond (a measure of color)

LHBS = Local Home Brew Store

LME = Liquid Malt Extract

LT = Lauter tun

MB = Beer, Beer, and More Beer (homebrew supplier)

MLT = Mash/lauter tun

MO = Maris Otter

NB = Northern Brewer

OG = Original Gravity

P = Plato (a measure of sugar)

PBW = Powdered Brewery Wash (a cleaner)

BJCP= Brew Judge Certification Program

pH = An expression on a negative log scale of 0 to 14 of the extent of acidity or alkalinity of a substance. Materials with pH 7 are neutral. Those below pH 7 are acidic and those above are caustic. Every pH unit of 1 increases or decreases the acidity by a factor of 10.

PPM = Parts per million

QD = Quick Disconnect

RDWHAHB = Relax, don’t worry, have a home brew.

RHEMS = Recirculating Heat Exchange Mash System (same as HERMS)

RIMS = Recirculating Infusion Mash System

RO = Reverse Osmosis

ROFL = Rolling on the Floor Laughing

SG = Specific Gravity

SRM = Standard Reference Method (a measure of color)

SS = Stainless Steel

SWMBO = She Who Must Be Obeyed be it your Girlfriend or wife.

HWMBO = He Who Must Be Obeyed be it your Boyfriend or Husband.

TG = Terminal Gravity (same as Final Gravity)

WLP = White Labs yeast

BJCP=Beer Judge Certification Program

BK=boil kettle

AG or AGB= All Grain or All Grain Brewing, the process of brewing from scratch using only grains.

EB=Extract Brewing, the process of brewing using a pre made malt extract.

WY or WYE=Wyeast Yeast

MW=Midwest Brewing

Must Have Equipment list.

Sanitizer (Five Star Brand Star San Is my personal choice)

6.5 Gallon Fermenter and Lid

6.5 Gallon Bottling Bucket with Spigot

Airlock (Keeps air out of the fermenter)

Hydrometer (Determines alcohol content)

Bottle Capper

Bottle Caps

Empty Bottles (54 for a 5 gallon batch of beer)

Long Handle Spoon

Large Brew Pot (3-4 gallons)

Thermometer

Highly recommended but not must have Equipment list.

Bottle Filler

Racking Tube with Bucket Clip

Siphon Tubing

Auto Siphon

Digital Scale

Wort Chiller

Oxygen Injection System

Propane Burner

7-10 Gallon Brew Pot (for full wort Boils)

Kegging set up with spare corny kegs.

There are many other gadgets on the market for brewing the above lists are the basics and the stuff you will wish you had if you don’t have them.

Very Basic How to Brew Instructions

This is a very quick how to brew with extract overview; it is overly simplified to make your first batch super easy.

1) Sanitize anything that will touch your beer after its boiled with Five Star Brand Star San, this is your most important step, so best to start now.

2) Put your can of extract in very hot water to soak as you start to boil water on the stove, this makes it pour so much easier.

3) Once your pot of water has started to boil remove it from heat and pour in your malt extract syrup, stir very well making sure none is left setting on the bottom of the pan.

4) Return pan to heat and bring to a boil, this is where you will wait on the hot break your wort will foam up, when the foam collapses in on itself then it is time to add your first hop addition and start your timer.

5) Boil for 60 minutes uncovered, adding your hop additions if there are any more to add along the way.

6) Remove from stove, and cool as quickly as possible, this can be done easily with a wort chiller if you purchased one, if not, put a lid on the pan and set it in a sink of ice water, replacing ice as it melts.

7) Once your wort is chilled to between 60 and 70 degrees pour it into your primary fermenter, if you did not boil your full 5 gallon volume, this is when you add enough cold water to bring it up to 5 gallons.

8) Add your yeast and affix an air lock(you can fill air lock with water, vodka, or pre mixed star san)

9) Now for the hardest part of extract brewing, wait 1 month before you bottle.

Tips, tricks and advice from myself and fellow Home brewers.

Vance H

Bryan, Ohio

Always re-hydrate dry Yeast, do this by boiling 2 cups of water, then cool it to around 80 degrees, sprinkle your dry yeast on top, and let it set. When it has all sunk to the bottom gently stir and your yeast is re-hydrated and ready to pitch.

If you’re a gardener as well, remember add your spent grains to your mulch pile.

You can never spend too much effort on sanitation!

Patience is one of the most important things you can do next to sanitation to improve your beers, give all beers 1 month in primary; this will allow time for the yeast to clean up the byproducts of fermentation and will greatly improve the taste of your beer.

Don’t limit yourself to the style guidelines unless you’re brewing a beer for a contest. Be open and Willing to experiment with different sugar sources, grain choices, yeast choices, and hop editions don’t let anyone tell you it has to be made this way or it isn’t right.

Know exactly what is in your water profile before you add things to it.

Buy and read any and all brewing related books that you can get your hands on, knowledge is power after all and in this case, it’s the power to brew better beer.

Don’t fear aluminum pots if you’re on a tight budget.

If possible, always make a starter for any brew over 1.050.

To save money stack your brews, start with a Low gravity ale say around 1.035, when you are ready to bottle it, brew another ale at say 1.050 and pitch it on your yeast cake, when that one is done, before you bottle pitch another brew say around 1.070 on that yeast cake then when that one is done finish out with a nice big beer say between 1.090 and 1.125. This will give you four brews on one package of liquid yeast and make it well worth buying high quality yeast.

If you’re ever worried about conversion on an all grain recipe using the odd grain choices in this book, feel free to add a pound or two of six row malt to ensure conversion.

Always steep specialty grains for extract brews at 155 degrees; this ensures you don’t extract bitter husk tannins.

Never fill your brew pot to the top unless you want a very hard to clean and sticky mess on the stove, leave about 4-6 inches from the top, this helps to prevent boil over.

Buy the biggest brew pot you can to start with, this way you can do full wort boils, which will greatly improve your beer.

If possible always buy a wort chiller with your initial equipment, the time and effort it saves not to mention the improvement to your beer is well worth it.

Use a couple sanitized marbles or stainless steel ball bearings in a muslin bag for dry hopping with whole leaf hops, this will make the bag sink and ensure better contact with your beer.

Most of all have fun, this is a hobby and should not be something that you constantly stress about and worry over it should be something you enjoy doing and should be relaxing.

Anonymous

Avoid boil over. Keep a spray bottle of water next to your brew kettle on brew day. If the wort starts to foam up, give it a few sprays from the bottle to prevent a boil over… then turn down the heat a bit!

Brad L.

Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee

When you buy your first homebrew equipment kit, buy a wort chiller. Not only will it significantly cut time off your brew day, the clarity benefits of a good cold break are undeniable.

Join a homebrew club. The advice of others and the opportunity to brew with experienced brewers are worth the membership dues.

Enter your beers in a BJCP sanctioned competition. I was talked into entering four beers (the first four I’d ever brewed) into a large local competition. My American Brown won gold in the style! That’s one hell of a motivator. The other three didn’t do so well, but I received impartial notes from BJCP certified judges that have improved my beers since.

Nicholas H.

Yuba city, CA

Always keep a watchful eye on your fermenter If you don’t, the lid or air lock could blow off and she who must be obeyed will make you mop your ceiling and shampoo the carpets.

Chris F

Sarasota, FL

If you can’t control your fermentation temp and you are unable to keep it under 70F then brew Saisons, Hefeweizen and wits.

Randy C

Fayetteville, AR

When doughing in on an all-grain brew, heat your strike water 10 degrees over your strike temp, add it to the mash tun, and then stir it until it reaches your strike temp. Then add the grain. This pre-heats the tun and eliminates the issue of loss of strike water temp during the transfer from kettle to tun.

Josh M

Taunton, MA

Make sure you have a sufficient pitch of yeast for higher gravity brews!

Elliot K.

Peoria, Illinois

Sanitizing can be the most intimidating part of brewing at the start but it shouldn’t keep you from enjoying your first brew day. Many brewers start by using bleach to try and save some money because it’s cheap and usually already on hand. However, bleach requires 20 minutes of wet contact time and rinsing which adds a step to the process and rinsing should be done with boiled and cooled water - what a pain. Further, if the bleach doesn’t get rinsed completely, the yeast in your beer will process the chlorine and it will result in some funky off flavors (think band aid plastic). Do yourself a favor and buy Star San from Five Star Chemicals which is a no rinse sanitizer, eliminating the rinsing step. It is costly in comparison to bleach but will last a very long time if you buy a gallon of distilled water and mix the appropriate solution in a spray bottle to get even coverage and contact on your small stuff. You can also purchase an extra 5 gallon bucket with a lid that seals completely and some PH test strips. You can use the bucket to sanitize on brew day and then seal it up and store your Star San mixture for the next brew session. You can continue to use the stored sanitizer s as long as the PH of the mixture remains below three and the mixture is not cloudy. This extends the useful life of the sanitizer and will reduce the cost per use to pennies.

Jon T.

La Crosse, WI

When bottling, use a plastic soda to gauge carbonation. Just squeeze the bottle to know when the carbonation is right, it’ll save a few beers down the road.

Adam H.

Allerton, IA

A great way to save on yeast is to simultaneously brew two beers that require the same yeast stain and make a split starter. I do this by making my starter wort as usual. I fill half of my 2 liter flask and then add the packet/vial of yeast. I shake vigorously to get the yeast mixed in well. I then pour half of that mixture into another flask, giving me two flasks with about 50 billion yeast cells each. I add wort to bring the