I have two goals with these “beer projects”. The first is to learn more about a specific style of beer. The second is to take what I’ve learned and turn it into a homebrew recipe that includes everything I’ve discovered that I enjoy and avoids everything that I don’t. Now that I have been through twenty five Old Ales, I think I am sufficiently prepared to come up with a reasonable effort.
Old Ales are not excessively complicated beers, so I’ll start off by listing all the things I don’t like and would like to avoid in my recipe. First and foremost is a high ABV. The Bruery’s Coton is great, but I don’t need five gallons of 14.5% beer in my house. I also appreciate the role that wood plays in this style, but the oak flavor has got to be on a leash. An example of wood-gone-wild is Widmer and Cigar City’s Gentlemen’s Club, which was an oaky disaster. Additionally, I am not a fan of the overuse of hops in this style. Eel River’s Triple Exultation clocks in at 80 IBUs, which in my eyes turns it into an American Barleywine. Finally, I just can’t get into an Old Ale that is thin and/or hot. Ola Dubh 30 is an example of the former, and Hanger 24’s Vinaceous is definitely the latter.
Ok… so here’s what I like. Ultimately I want a traditional Old Ale. One that fits within the BJCP style parameters. I want flavors like prunes, raisins, port, vanilla, and tobacco. I like the burned sugar flavors of brown sugar, caramel, and molasses. I’m looking for dark or toasted bread flavors. I like a little oak flavor that comes from barrel aging (I just don’t want to be beaten over the head with it). And I really like the musty characteristics that come from aging (whether in a barrel or a bottle). Oh, and I want a beer that clocks in on the lower end of the expected ABV scale. The BJCP style guidelines suggest that an Old Ale should fall between 6% and 9%, so I am going to target the low end of that.
My recipe is going to include as many UK-origin ingredients as possible; Maris Otter, EKG, Fuggle, and White Lab’s London Ale yeast. And to give it the molasses flavor I like I’m going to add a half pound of Lyle’s Black Treacle. To push the caramel and raisin flavors I am going to use 75L Crystal Malt, and for the burned sugar and prunes I’m also going with some 120L. And in hopes of balancing all this sweetness, I am going with a bit of Black Patent as well. For the body I’m going to include some flaked barley.
But my most favorite thing about Old Ales is the fact that traditionally they were often intentionally staled and blended back with a younger beer. So I am going to revel in freedom that brewing five gallons at a time affords me and sit on this beer for a full year. Then, in twelve months, I am going to brew exactly the same recipe and then put them both on draft at the same time to see how they compare to and compliment each other. Because the hop flavors will likely drop off fastest, I am going to target the higher end of the IBU scale. And I’m going to drop a bit of oak in the aged version to give it a barrel aged flavor.
Here’s the recipe. See you in a year…
Good Night, Sweet Prince
Ingredients
11 lbs. Maris Otter Pale Malt
1 lb. 75L Crystal Malt
1 lb. Flaked Barley
4 oz. 120L Crystal Malt
4 oz. Black Patent
2 oz. East Kent Golding (60 minute)
2 oz. Fuggles (30 minute)
0.5 lb. Lyle’s Black Treacle (added after initial fermentation has settled)
WLP013 London Ale
A pinch of Irish Moss
1 oz. American Oak Infusion Spirals (in aged beer)
Specifications
OG: 1.065
IBU: 49
SRM: 19
Directions
Mash at 157°F for 20 minutes. Batch sparge with balance of required water. Boil for 90 minutes and pitch at 70°F. Ferment in primary for ten days holding temperature at 65F, then transfer to aging vessel (a keg in this case) and store it cold for a year. Brew the same recipe twelve months later, and blend the young and old beers to taste.
-Matt
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