Birthday Stout

Last winter, I made a Dry Stout that turned out pretty well. For my recipe, I followed the conventional wisdom of what a dry stout should be with a couple tweaks. I shared this with a lot of people and got lots of positive feedback. The best feedback was from my mother, who generally doesn't like beer much. Her birthday is coming up soon and the only thing that she asked for was more of that stout. So, what's son to do? Make 10 gallons, of course—5 for mom and 5 for me.

Problem: I only have a 5-gallon system.

Solution: A double-brew day.

I got all the ingredients measured out and crushed the grain the night before. Brew day was an early start, with work underway by 8:30 a.m. As the first batch was boiling, the second was mashed in. And with parenting duties included and helping carry drywall into the neighbours house, there were two carboys full and the mess cleaned by 4:30 p.m. All and all, not bad time.

The Recipe:

With my system I get about 65% efficiency.

OG - 1.040

FG - 1.010 (expected), about 4% ABV

37 IBU

32 SRM

3.15 Kg (6lbs, 15oz) - Marris Otter

900g (2lbs) - Flaked Barley

450g (8oz) - Roasted Barley

100g (3.5oz) - Black (Paten) Malt

46g (1.6oz) - East Kent Goldings, 5% AA (60 mins)

0.5 tsp - yeast nutrient (10 mins)

Whirlfloc tablet (10 mins)

Wyeast 1084 - Irish Ale yeast

(Made a yeast starter big enough for both batches a few days before and had it on the stir-plate)

Mash with 12.5L (3.3gal) of water at 66.5 degrees C (152 F) for an hour.

Mash water treatment (I have super soft water):

1.5 tsp - Chalk

0.75 tsp - Baking Soda

0.5 tsp -Gypsum 

0.25 tsp - Calcium Chloride

Fermenting with an ambient temperature of 17.5 degrees C (64 F) in a temperature controlled fridge (even the basement is too warm this time of year). Probably 2 weeks in the primary and another 2 weeks in a secondary. Will keg to force carbonate and bottle off with the Beer Gun for mom, I'll keep mine on tap.

Mort Subite Framboise

As an avid home brewer I'm always looking for that next beer. Lately, I have been inspired by Belgian beers, including those fermented with wild "bugs". I made the mistake, however, of showing what a lambic fermentation looked like to my wife - she put her foot down and said there was no way that was coming into her house. What was I to do? I had to show her what beer possibly could be (even if it wasn't the same as my intentions) with a bit of a different fermentation. Then it hit me, framboise! I told her it was like raspberry champaign. She loved it. 

Mort Subite is a lambic, spontaneously fermented in Belgian tradition, that has been matured in oak with raspberry juice added.

Pours a reddish, pink with a light pink foamy head. The head is short lasting, not the heavy lacing that you see in other Belgian styles. Brilliantly clear from years of aging. The aroma is strong, sweet raspberries - I guess that is what you might expect, but it's almost over the top. Not a lot of malt in aroma.

The taste is of raspberries, not surprising, but lacking a lot else. There is a slight tang from the long aged lambic base beer giving balance to the sweet raspberry. The high carbonation, and light body give a thin mouthfeel.

Overall, I liked it for what it was. It was very fruity, very raspberry-y, very light, but also, very refreshing. I was expecting something sweeter then it was from what I had read, so being a bit more tart then expected was a nice surprise, though a bit more tang from the lambic would be nice.

3.5/5

Wells Banana Bread Beer

Ok. To be honest I was given this beer and was a bit afraid. It sat in the fridge longer than most beer and I kept looking and wondering. Well, I manage up the courage (which wasn't actually much and I was looking for something different) and poured it - very surprised, and in a good way.

The aroma is dominated by banana with spicy notes. Some sweetness and maltiness.

The flavor is malty, with the banana becoming subdued. It has a firm bitterness and is fairly balanced with some hops and spice. The finish is crisp and dry.

A fairly thin mouthfeel but with the dryness it is still refreshing.

Overall I was impressed. Maybe it was the fact it wasn't terrible, but more likely it was because it actually was well made. Granted, this is not the type of beer for everyone, but those who are looking for something different, give it a try.

3.5/5

Duchy Originals from Waitrose - Old Ruby Ale 1905

Duchy Originals was set up in 1990 by Charles, Prince of Wales and is a brand of organic foods sold mainly in the UK. Fortunately for me they do export some products and a kind friend picked my up the fine bottle of Organic Ruby Ale.

Pours clear copper/ruby red. Light carbonation, in tradition with British ales, only gives a slight, off white head. The aroma is slight with notes of malt and caramel and hints of fruit and orange.

The flavor is rather mild and clean with a good balance of malt and bitterness. Some fruity esters and slight yeast tang. Notes of pear and cherries and an earthy hop flavor.

Mouthfeel is medium to med-light. Light British style carbonation creates a silkiness on the palette.

Overall impressions is a quality ale. Well made and clean ale with balance of flavors and esters making it very drinkable. This is a good introductory ale for those North Americans looking to experience British ale.

4/5

I Like The Drink in East Coast Living

Check out the latest copy of East Coast Living, there is a great article in there where I was interviewed by Trevor Adams - it's all about coffee drinks and there is great stuff to learn. There are tips and tricks and some recipes too!

Also, ECL is full of other great recipes and cool stuff. Check it out!

Grant's Apple Crumble with Whisky Cream

Here's a little holiday treat from Grant's - - This is a good one!!

Enjoy!

Grant’s Apple Crumble with Whisky Cream

Serves: 8

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs (1 Kg) Granny Smith apples

• 1⁄4 cup (50 mL) Grant’s Scotch Whisky

• 1⁄2 tsp (2 mL) cinnamon

• 1⁄3 cup (75 mL) dark brown sugar

• 1⁄4 cup (50 mL) all-purpose flour

• 1 tsp (5 mL) finely grated lemon rind

Crumble Topping:

• 1⁄2 cup (125 mL) butter, room temperature

• 1⁄2 cup (125 mL) dark brown sugar

• 1⁄2 cup (125 mL) all-purpose flour

• 1 cup (250 mL) quick-cook oatmeal, not instant

Whisky Cream:

• 1 cup (250 mL) cold whipping cream

• 1⁄4 cup (50 mL) Grant’s Scotch Whisky

• 2 tbsp (25 mL) granulated sugar

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 3500F (1800C).

2. Butter a 9 ̋X 13 ̋ (3 L) baking dish.

3. Peel and core apples. Cut apples into eight wedges. In a large bowl, toss apples

with Grant’s Scotch Whisky.

4. Combine cinnamon, brown sugar, flour and lemon rind. Add mixture to apples and

toss to coat.

5. Place mixture in prepared baking dish.

(more)Crumble Topping:

1. In bowl of electric mixer, cream together butter and brown sugar. Add flour and oatmeal. Mix until crumbly in texture.

2. Sprinkle mixture evenly over apples.

3. Place baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 1–1 1⁄2 hours, until crumble is

golden and fruit is tender.

Whisky Cream:

1. Add whipping cream and Grant’s Whisky to bowl of electric mixer. Beat cream with whisk attachment. Gradually add sugar. Continue to beat until cream holds soft peaks.

To Serve:

1. Spoon warm apple crumble into a dish and top with Grant’s Whisky cream.

Quidi Vidi - 1892 Traditional Ale

Once again life has taken me to what now seems like my second home, Newfoundland. This is not a bad thing as there is an abundance of brewers that I would not otherwise get exposed to. One such brewer is Quidi Vidi. Offering a variety of ales, the Quidi Vidi Brewery is a local success.

For the first time I tried the 1892 Traditional Ale. This is a very easy drinking ale with crystal clear, amber colour, medium carbonation, and creamy head with a slightly yellow tone. The aroma is mild but sweet, and the body is full but not filling. The flavor is of toffee and roasted almond with a lemon peel finish.

I would recommend this to anyone. This is a great middle range ale that will offer itself well to light and darker ale drinkers. It goes well with a meal as it is not filling. It pairs well with food such as fish & chips.

Overall rating: 4/5