A relative latecomer to brewing, hops have come to define beer to many. To some, they are an obsession; to others, the perfect counterpunch or complement. Seldom, though, are they an afterthought. For homebrewers, hops are one of the more perplexing and vexing facets to master, with carefully selected and implemented hop schedules as critical to exquisite pilsner as to an über-hopped double IPA.
The distinction between top- and bottom-fermented beers is familiar to all homebrewers, but the term “hybrid” is often met with curiosity. And while many of our styles were forged by the clash of ingredients, technology, and local and outside influences, there are a few that are defined by their own duality. California common and cream ale are two that Americans can claim as true hybrids.
Friends often ask me to review their brewing recipes and strategies. With all-grain brewers, this usually amounts to minor tweaking of ingredients and proportions. For extract-steep and partial-mash brewers, though, I encounter common issues with regard to grain utilization, tricky concerns that are often glossed over in brewing instructions.
I have always had a particular fondness for the emphatic malt character, smoothness and underlying elegance of noble hops in ordinary German biers. I was especially enamored with bocks and that pure expression of malt. Bocks are beers of extraordinary finesse in spite of their fortitude. Brewing them at home can be something of a challenge, and it is critical to follow the bullet points for successful lager brewing outlined in another recent column of mine; short lag time, steady fermentation, diacetyl rest and proper lagering. German beer styles are generally considered fairly rigid in their composition, but bocks offer some room within the styles if you are interested in classic recreations, and are excellent for experimentation.
Those first few months of craft beer epiphany are heady indeed, filled with moment after moment of wide-eyed revelation. These palate-popping new brews had little in common with the mainstream stuff that you seemingly couldn’t live without. Craft beer had flavor, dark beer was actually delicious, hops in excess were heavenly, and most importantly, it was proudly all-malt. Then you discovered that some of the most respected breweries in the world used sugar and adjuncts to actually enhance their beer. Read More…
With homebrewing comes the epiphany that nearly anything can be included in a beer recipe, and the familiarity with fruit beers over the past 20 years has made those a favorite among us. But, blending malt, hops and fruit is best negotiated with care and forethought. Even so, the possibilities are numerous, since fresh fruit is often seasonal, cheap or even free, and frozen fruit and purees are always available. Read More…
