makes good beer. The most prized water contains happy balances of minerals, particularly calcium, and plays a vital part in brewing beer. At one time, Burton-upon-Trent was home to more than 200 breweries largely because the water supply made it ideal for the production of English ales. Breweries today can adjust almost any water supply to produce just the right balance of minerals.
You’ll also need some basic equipment: 25-litre plastic bucket with lid (the mash tun); bottles and caps; hydrometer (for checking sugars and alcohol strength); thermometer; measuring jugs which can hold more than 20 litres; siphoning tube; fermentation bucket; sanitisers.
Here’s our first brew recipe. And guess what, we thought it was fucking marvellous.
Morrissey and Foxy’s Blonde Ale
MAKES ABOUT 40 PINTS
| Ingredients: | |
| 4,080g | Golden Promise malt |
| 260g | Light crystal malt |
| 39g | Styrian Golding hops |
| 32g | Fuggles hops |
| 10g | Irish moss |
| 15g | Cascade hops |
| 1 | packet fast acting yeast |
Method:
Add 23 litres of water heated to 77°C to the mash tun. Allow the temperature to drop to 72°C and add both malts. Stir to form a thick porridge. Maintain temperature between 62°C and 69°C for 1½ hours. Strain wort (the liquid) into a large pan very slowly. If the liquid is not clear, return to the mash tun and repeat until a clear wort is produced. Using a watering can, spray the leftover malt with water heated to 77°C. Continue to do this until a reading of 1005 is reached on the hydrometer. Top up the boiler to the desired level and heat to a rolling boil. Add the Styrian Golding and Fuggles hops and the Irish Moss. Boil vigorously for 1 hour. Add the Cascade hops and boil for a further 15 minutes. Cool very quickly and transfer the liquid only to the fermenting vessel. Add the dissolved yeast, cover and place in a cool (22°C degree) room for two days. Carefully siphon off the clear liquid into another fermenting vessel, leaving behind any flotsam and jetsam. Ferment for a further three or four days with an airtight lid. Siphon off the clear BEER and enjoy!
Like everything in life, there are rules and shortcuts that can make it all so much easier. Here come Morrissey and Foxy’s Top Tips for brilliant brewing.
1. Use High-Quality, Fresh Ingredients.
Like everything else, you get what you pay for. Fresh ingredients make better home-brew. Simple. If you started with dry yeast, move up to liquid yeast. Store the ingredients properly. Most will go off over time so use them up quickly. You know what that means? More Beer!
2. Do your Homework.
Making a decent home-brew is a craft, and the more experienced you become, the better the beer. Browse the internet for advice on techniques, find a local artisan brewer (there will be one) and pester them until they take out a restraining order. Whether their beer is good, bad or ugly, they’ll know some mistakes to avoid, and possibly have gems of advice to scatter your way. Check out some of the top beer books which are easy to find these days. Basically turn into a beer bore.
3. Keep it Clean.
Proper cleaning is essential if you want to make really good beer. Anything that is going to come into contact with your beer needs to be spotless, so keep your kit sterilised. If you don’t, bacteria and other infections will get a grip and spoil your brew. Don’t end up with a pint of ‘Olde Thrushe’. The period just before fermentation is when beer is at its most vulnerable. See the Directory page 145 for specialist cleaners.
4. Cool the Wort Quickly.
Cooling your wort quickly will reduce the chance of bacterial infection – placing its container in a sink filled with cold water and ice cubes will do the job. Though contamination isn’t harmful, it can make the beer taste and smell like road kill.
5. Amounts and temperatures.
In addition to doing your homework, there’ll be a certain amount of trial and error with ingredients and processes. To start with, try to follow the recipe guidelines closely. At least you can blame someone else if it doesn’t work. After a few batches, however, you’ll find out what works best and what’s total bollocks.
6. Buy long-term Kit.
If you are new to brewing, you’ll probably buy an off-the-shelf kit to get started. Nothing wrong with that. If you like brewing (and you will), make the next stage up count. Get some decent kit that will last you in the long-term, rather than something you’re going to have to trade up from next year. Speak to the experts (see page 145) or your brewing Yoda. They’ll point you in the right direction.
Adjuncts Beer-making term for starch other than from malted barley or wheat, such as corn starch, rice or sugar. A source of fermentable sugars in cheaper beers.
Barrel A unit of measurement. In Britain, a barrel holds 36 gallons. In the USA, a barrel holds 31.5 US gallons (considerably less).
Brew Kettle Vessel used in the brewing process, to heat the wort.
Bright Tasting term used to describe a beer's brilliance and clarity.
Filtration Beer is normally filtered to remove dead yeast cells and other insoluble particles to achieve a brilliantly clear finished beer. Many ales are ‘live’ and unfiltered.
Finish Beer-tasting term describing how long the flavour of a beer lingers on the palate after swallowing. Longer is generally better.
Grain One of the four ingredients of beer along with water, yeast and hops. Grain is a generic term for barley, wheat and other cereal crops used in beer making.
Grist Beer-making term for the milled grain to be used in fermentation.
Hogshead
