OG 1.050, 36 IBU, 5 gallons
10# German Vienna (Wiener) malt
Mash at 150F for one hour
Select a German noble hop and add 8 Alpha Acid Units (36 IBU) to the kettle, boil for 60 minutes and add one ounce of the same hop variety at knockout. Dry hop with 1 oz. the same hop if desired.
I brew this as a top-fermenter with Wyeast 1007 or 1010, or White Labs WLP036 or WLP003 for a unique summer beer that comes out somewhere between kölsch and altbier.

English Barley Wine

OG 1.090, 60 IBU, 5 gallons
20# English pale ale malt (such as Maris Otter)
Mash at 153F for one hour
Collect 2 gallons of wort and begin to boil vigorously while collecting the rest of the sweet wort, or alternatively, collect 8 gallons of wort and boil down to 5.5 gallons. Duration of boil should be at least 2 hours
Add 24 AAU (60 IBU) of high alpha acid UK hops such as Target, Northdown, Phoenix or Pioneer to the kettle 60 minutes before the end of the boil. Add 2 oz. East Kent Goldings hops 5 minutes before the end of the boil.
Ferment with your favorite English ale yeast such as Wyeast 1028 or 1098, or White Labs WLP007 or WLP013

Saison

OG 1.060, 36 IBU, 5 gallons
12# German or Belgian Pilsner malt (Vienna malt is an excellent alternative)
Mash at 151F for one hour
8 AAU (32 IBU) East Kent or Styrian Goldings hops (or both), 60 min
1 oz. East Kent or Styrian Goldings hops, 15 min
1 oz. Czech Saaz hops, 0 min
Dry hop with an ounce of Saaz if desired
Ferment with a Belgian or French Saison yeast such as Wyeast 3724 or 3711 or White Labs WLP565 or WLP566

American Ale, Belgian Pale, English Pale Ale and Mild Ale Malt (2.0 to 3.5°L):
American or English Bitters, Milds, Scottish Ale, Wee Heavy, Pale Ale, IPA, Double IPA, Barleywine.

American 2-row (1.5 to 2.0°L):
Golden Ale, Pale Ale, Light Lagers.

Rauch Malt (1.5 to 2.5°L):
Rauchbier, Rauch Maibock

Vienna Malt (3.0 to 4.0°L):
Vienna Lager, Oktoberfest/Marzen, American Pale Ale, American IPA and Double IPA, Maibock, Doppelbock, Eisbock, Belgian IPA.

Munich Malt (5.0 to 10.0°L):
American Amber Ale, Munich Dunkel, Bock, Doppelbock, Altbier.

Why Single Malt?

Single malt brewing is not only a challenging and enlightening way to brew, but also has a direct connection to anachronistic ancient brewing practices. Professionals more often than not make historical beer styles as they present a safe perspective and tangible reference point, but most of the brews are based on styles that emerged after the advent of the specialty malts. Single malts capitalize on the properties of a particular malted barley, but also harken to a time when many brews were made from one type of malt. Those from Continental Europe were even given the name of the city in which they were developed, but also came to represent the signature style or characteristics of that city’s beer.

Pilsner, Vienna and Munich malts are examples, all of which are synonymous with the 19th century brews that were developed in each city, each beer bearing a distinctive color. Porters of the 18th and 19th centuries were often made from a single kilning, bringing their dark brown color and rough-hewn character to the brew. The rauchbiers of Bamberg are made with various measures of smoked malt, but some are single malt brews, made to the specifications of the brewery, often in-house.

English pale ale, American pale and mild ale malts are designed to provide a firm backbone in traditional ale recipes, but have plenty of delicate malty flavor to use without augmentation. Of course, from a pure technical point of view, brewing single malts allows the brewer a chance to examine the unique characteristics of the selected base malt while learning to shift the expression of that malt through further manipulation of mash and kettle.

The Mash

Anyone who does all-grain brewing knows the effect that mash temperature has on the mouthfeel and fermentability of the wort and, ultimately, the balance and texture of the beer. This is especially important with single malts because there are no bodybuilding specialty grains to fall back on. The ratio and interplay of alpha (dextrin) and beta (maltose and other fermentables) amylase is dependent upon the temperature of the mash, and is, next to the malt type, the most crucial brewing decision. Single malt kölsch versus single malt Munich helles may have mash temperature as its only prefermentation variable, with a difference of 4 or 5 degrees Fahrenheit between the two.

Imperial Roots

The mighty British beer exporters of the 18th century are famous for “inventing” the global India pale ale. Truth be known, porter was also shipped to the tropics. These visions of ships boldly navigating treacherous maritime conditions to exotic ports over several months with cargo eagerly anticipated by thirsty legions of expatriates craving casks of perfectly matured ale are romantic indeed. Many of those brewers also shipped their wares closer to home, with one coveted market to the east in Scandinavia, Russia and Eastern Europe. People of these cool regions preferred the darker, sweeter beers of London and Burton to the dry and hoppy IPA, favored in the subcontinent. Strong renditions of porter and stout were a natural for these northern markets. The relatively short, tempered trip left the product much like that which left port in England. The cold waters provided optimal conditions below deck, a smoothing, lagering period of sorts. And, unlike India, the climate afforded relatively long storage times once delivered. Bottom-fermentation and cold-conditioning were the norm here, influenced by brewing pioneers in Bohemia, Austria, Germany and Denmark. Logically, these imported beers were eventually made locally, which in turn changed the style from London/Burton beer to lager-inspired Baltic porter. Naturally, local hops and malt were used, defining the Baltic style, and further separating it from its English ancestors.

Extract Recipe

8# Dried Malt Extract (combination of Munich or amber, and light)

Steep: 1# crystal 80 malt, 5 oz Carafa I, 5 oz chocolate malt

Mini-mash Recipe

5# Munich or amber, and light DME

Mash: 5# Munich malt, 12 oz Caramunich III, 5 oz Carafa I, 5 oz Special B

Mash at 153° F

All-Grain Recipe

7# pilsner or Vienna malt

5# Munich malt

12 oz Aromatic malt

5 oz Special B

5 oz Carafa I

12 oz Caramunich III

Mash at 153° F

Hops

9 alpha acid units (2 oz at 4.5% alpha acid for example) for the full boil of 60 minutes

½ oz aromatic hops (optional) for 5 minutes

Yeast

Ferment with bottom-fermenting yeast at 50 to 55° F, or top-fermenting yeast at 55 to 65° F

Steep 0.5 lb Caramunich III and 0.25 lb Aromatic malt for 20 minutes, then add 6 lb dried wheat malt extract and 3 lb Munich or amber malt extract.

6 AAU Tettnanger or Halletauer hops, 60 minute boil

Ferment with your choice of dry or liquid Bavarian wheat yeast.

For all grain, mash 9 lbs wheat malt, 3 lbs pilsner malt, 2 lbs Munich malt and 1lb Caramunich III at 153° F for one hour, use the same hop schedule.

Steep 0.5 lb Caramunich III or Crystal 60 L malt for 20 minutes, and then add 4 lbs wheat malt extract and 2 lbs Munich or amber malt extract

4 AAU Tettnanger or Halletauer hops, 60 minute boil

Ferment with your choice of dry or liquid Bavarian wheat yeast

For all grain, mash 6 lbs wheat malt, 2 lbs pilsner malt, 2 lbs Munich malt and 0.5 lb Aromatic malt at 152° F for one hour, use the same hop schedule.

6 lbs wheat malt extract, 50% to 65% wheat
4 AAU Tettnanger or Halletauer hops, 60 minute boil

Ferment with your choice of dry or liquid Bavarian wheat yeast

For all grain, mash 6 lbs wheat malt and 4 lbs pilsner malt at 150° F for one hour, use the same hop schedule as for extract brews.

As a style writer, I am fascinated by the historical perspective of brewing, particularly the evolution of beer styles. They materialized from a distinctly regional cocktail of necessity, agriculture, climate, geology, available technology and knowledge. As a homebrewer, I am often interested in reproducing these classics, not only for the challenge, but also because they are deliciously diverse and surprisingly simple. Some have been stylistically finalized in fairly recent times, but others are remnants of centuries-old brewing, so interwoven into their culture and beloved in their region that it would be ludicrous to imagine their demise. The wheat beers of Bavaria are perfect examples of those: a venerable family of beers that has gallantly taken on all comers and persevered, remained relatively true to their roots, and are righteously as popular as ever.

The three most common styles, hefeweizen/weissbier/weisse (blonde to deep gold), dunkelweizen (copper to amber) and weizenbock (amber to brown), serve up a spectrum of personality, straightforward recipe formulation, low-maintenance brewing and just enough wiggle room to personalize. Extract brewers have just as much sway over their recipes as their all-grain brethren with the availability of high quality, wheat-heavy extracts.

Hefeweizen and dunkelweizen can be brewed and consumed rather quickly for a natural and refreshing year-round quaff, while the stronger weizenbock can withstand some aging, to be enjoyed during the cool months. These wheat beers are purely ingredient-driven and somewhat forgiving, with essential yeasty contributions and rustic, hazy charm.

In Central Europe, there was a time when wheat beer was as common as barley beer. In fact, beer was often distinguished by color and referred to as either white beer (wheat) or red/brown beer (barley). The wheat was raw in many cases, eliminating harsh flavors and acrid darkening imparted by open fires used for the kilning of barley malt. The Reinheitsgebot Purity Law mandated the use of malted wheat, with a measure of at least 50 percent of the grist. This separated the Bavarian wheat beers from the others, shaping the styles we know today. In Germany, wheat beer was reserved for royalty in the south (modern weizen), and preferred by Germany’s best brewers in Einbeck to the north (ancestral doppelbock).

Specs for 5 gallons, OG 1050, 30 IBU, Amber

All-grain recipe:

7.5# American two-row or English pale ale malt
2.0# German Munich malt
0.5# 40 L crystal malt

Extract and steeped grain recipe:

4# Light DME
2# Amber or Munich malt extract
0.75# Caramunich II or crystal 40 malt (steeping)

Mash at 150 degrees F

Hop Schedule:

Use 7 AAU for bittering (60 minutes) and 1 ounce for aroma (5 minutes)

Hop and Yeast Recommendations:

WY = Wyeast, WLP = White Labs

American Pale Ale
Chinook (bittering), Cascade (aroma); WLP001, WLP008, WY1056, WY1272

English Pale Ale
Fuggles (bittering), East Kent Goldings (aroma); WLP005, WLP023, WY1028, WY1275

German Ale
Perle (bittering), Halltertau (aroma); WLP011, WLP029, WY1007, WY1338

German Lager
Hallertau (bittering), Tettnang (aroma); WLP810, WLP830, WY2124, WY2308

Belgian Pale Ale
Styrian Golding (bittering), Saaz (aroma); WLP530, WLP565, WY1762, WY3711