March Brew of the Month: Mark's Weizenbock

By Mark Iacopelli

Raise your steins to spring! For this month’s brew I decided to do a Weizenbock. I must confess that I was hesitant to brew this beer as I am not a personal fan of many wheat beers or the banana esters found in many german ales. For this reason, this was only my second brew in my years of brewing that is German in origin (the first was a failed Berliner Weisse). That being said the point of homebrewing oftentimes is the ability to brew to one's personal tastes, and this was an opportunity to create a German wheat beer that conforms to what I enjoy.

The recipe design started with my selection of yeast. Yeast character often is the defining feature of German ales, but as I previously stated I try to avoid the banana esters. After reading the descriptions on a number of yeast strains I chose WLP351. This strain is more dominated by its spicy clove character and has little banana. I also fermented cooler in order to restrain the yeast’s ester production for a cleaner-tasting beer. The malt bill was fairly straight forward with some dark wheat at the center, munich for added maltiness, and pilsner malt to aid in starch conversion. I also splashed in a little Carafa I to darken things up and give final product a slight reddish hue. Lastly, traditional Northern Brewer hops were used late in the boil to accentuate the spiciness I expected from the yeast I choose.

The appearance on this beer is a medium brown with ruby highlights, clarity has a slight haze, and the head is pillowy cream colored with medium retention. The nose is bready and slightly sweet from the munich malt and spicy clove from the yeast. With the first sip you get bread and clove flavors that fade away to more subtle notes of vanilla, nougat and banana. The finish is medium dry with a lingering clove. Despite its alcohol strength it is not hot or boozy. This recipe was designed to try to bridge the rich maltiness of winter brews and more bright flavors of spring and summer. I feel this beer does meet those expectations.

The final result is a german wheat beer that fits my current taste, and I am very happy with it. I hope that this article will serve as a reminder that as a homebrewer we don’t have to accept beer the way it is served to us commercially, and we have the ability to create beers uniquely designed for us personally. This beer would pair well with steak and mushrooms or a spicy German sausage on a pretzel bun. It is strong enough to keep the last bit of winter chill away and bright in flavor for your next grill out. Cheers!

Vital Statistics OG: 1.072, FG: 1.015, IBUs: 19.6, SRM: 16.6, ABV: 7.5

All Grain Brewing ($30.61)

• 6 lbs Weyermann Dark Wheat
• 5 lbs Avangard Pilsner Malt
• 2.25 lbs Pilot Munich
• .25 lbs Carafa I
• 1.5 lbs Rice Hulls
• 1oz Northern Brewer 8.50%AA (30 mins)
• 1oz Northern Brewer 8.50%AA (0 Mins)
• WLP 351 Bavarian Weizen Yeast or Lallemand Munuch

Extract Brewing ($39.66)

• 9.75 lbs Wheat Liquid Malt
• 1.5 lbs Amber Liquid Malt
• .25 lbs Carafa I
• 1oz Northern Brewer 8.50%AA (30 mins)
• 1oz Northern Brewer 8.50%AA (0 Mins)
• WLP 351 Bavarian Weizen Yeast or Lallemand Munuch

The staff at Siciliano's is always eager to answer your homebrewing questions. Stop by for help developing custom-made recipes like this one!

Product Spotlight: The Anvil Brewing Kettle

By Mark Iacopelli

The holiday season is a great time for homebrewers. The seasonal brews are wonderful and Saint Nick is here to bring you those much needed upgrades to your brewing system.

If you have been thinking of making the leap to all-grain brewing and need a bigger pot, want to expand your existing system or would like to transition into electric brewing, the new Anvil Brewing kettle is perfect.

Anvil Brewing Equipment is a sister company to Blichmann Engineering. Their goal is to bring Blichmann quality and durability into a price range that is more accessible. Despite the lower price point almost nothing was taken away, and a couple features added. Stainless steel ball valve, thermometer, laser etched volume markings and dip tube all come standard with this kettle.

This kettle is also clad with induction capable stainless steel allowing you to do electric brewing more safely and inexpensively. The typical route for electric brewing is to drill a number of holes into your pot and install electric heating coils which get in the way of stirring and are difficult to clean. For about $80 on Amazon you can get an 1800w portable induction top and you’re immediately set up for up to 7-gallon boils for 5-gallon batches.

Another unique feature with this kettle is that it doubles as a fermentor. A hole in the lid allows for a grommet and airlock to be used, and the rim can be covered with a silicone seal. This means all you need to do is cool the beer down and pitch your yeast — no transfer necessary.

At Siciliano’s we currently carry the 10-gallon model for $249.99. We can also order in 5.5-gallon through 20-gallon versions by request.

October Brew of the Month: Mark's American Brown

Mark Iacopelli

Now that Octoberfest is over — yes, it actually is celebrated in September — and fall is in full swing, it's time for the dark, malty ales of the season. It is an exciting time in the beer world with countless seasonal beers on the shelves. For this month’s brew I decided to do an American Brown ale to kick off the fall, and to pay tribute to the browning leaves.

To make this one different I decided to go with a Munich malt base and omitted any type of caramel malt. Caramel malt is in almost every brown ale recipe I have seen and/or written for myself and for our customers. My reason for opting against Munich is to challenge my recipe design skills and to explore new malts. I believe that putting limitations on yourself in this way can better familiarize you with the different flavors you are picking up from each malt. To fill the void that the caramel malt left I decided to boil for two hours to pick up some maillard (browning) reactions. This is where I hoped to get the caramel sweetness found in many browns.

The finished product pours a deep brown with dark ruby highlights when held up to the light. The head is a light tan with medium retention. On the nose the beer is predominately biscuity and bready with very slight chocolate, but mostly clean. In the flavor the beer is considerably toasty up front. In the middle it has a balanced savory sweetness before finishing a nutty dry. The carbonation is medium with a soft round body, yet finishes dry.

Overall, I found it to be a pretty comforting beer that is satisfying on its own, but light enough to have two or three in a sitting. I think the only change I would consider in a rebrew is to add a little rye in order to give the beer slight fruitiness. If you choose to pair this beer it would go well with honey ham and a side of mashed potatoes with apple pie for dessert.

All Grain Recipe

• 8lb Briess Munich Malt
• 1lb Pilot 6 Row
• 1lb Biscuit Malt
• 1lb Crisp Pale Chocolate
• .5lb Aromatic Malt
• .5oz Centennial (60mins)
• 1oz Northern Brewer (15mins)
• .5oz East Kent Goldings (5mins)
• US-05 yeast

Extract with Specialty Grains

• 6.6lb Liquid Munich Extract
• 1lb Liquid Pilsner Light Extract (bring a mason jar)
• .75lb Biscuit Malt
• .75lb Crisp Pale Chocolate
• .5lb Aromatic Malt
• .5oz Centennial (90mins)
• 1oz Northern Brewer (15mins)
• 1oz East Kent Goldings (5mins)
• US-05 yeast

The staff at Siciliano's is always eager to answer your homebrewing questions. Stop by for help developing custom-made recipes like this one!

Tuesday Review: AleSmith Speedway Stout

By Mark Iacopelli

AleSmith Brewing Company was established in 1995 in San Diego. Their history is deeply rooted in homebrewing and, more to the point, brewing beers at home that expanded style boundaries. Today the brewery has decorated its walls with nine World Beer Cup medals (five gold) and sixteen GABF medals. They also won Small Brewing Company and Small Brewing Company Brewer of the Year Awards in 2008. The current owner, Peter Zien, is a Grand Master beer judge. The most noteworthy beer they brew is Speedway Stout.

Some see stouts as a style of beer reserved for the cold winter months. AleSmith Speedway Stout has recently made its way to the local market and will prove that a good imperial stout can be enjoyed at any time. This 12% behemoth is imbued with coffee and has numerous variants (including a barrel-aged version) but always has a coffee influence.

When first poured the appearance is pitch black with a small tan head that does not persist. The aroma is initially very chocolate forward with a subtle coffee and bread note in the background. As the beer warms up the coffee comes through and takes the focus. The first sip slapped me in the face with intense roast. It had a big chewy mouthfeel and dryness from the roasted malts. As the beer ran across the palate, rich dark chocolate and coffee came through and continued into the finish. The alcohol was apparent at first but not overly boozy or hot. As the beer warmed, the alcohol, coffee, chocolate and roast melded together and each play a more equal role in the beer’s character. Added to that was a burnt note with sweetness and stone-fruit character that was difficult to detect initially. The finish still had a touch of sweetness despite the roast and coffee creating so much dryness.

Speedway Stout is known nationwide and for good reason. Any beer fan in love with big stouts and KBS especially will find a year-round substitute in this bottle. This beer will pair well with grilled red meats, chocolate desserts and vanilla ice-cream with red berries. Find it at Siciliano’s Market in 750ml foil-wrapped bottles for $13.99. We also carry a handful of other mainstays crafted by AleSmith.

June Brew of the Month: Mark’s Sleeping Bee Honey Smoked Pale Ale

Recipe by Mark Iacopelli

I love laying in my hammock or sitting in around a bonfire on a warm summer day.  This homebrew recipe was inspired by my desire for an ale that is both complex and quaffable while lounging around in the summer. My thought was for something that was reminiscent of a lightly peated scotch. Creating flavors of spice, honey and a touch of smoke was my objective with this beer.

The two distinct variations on this beer as opposed to traditional pale ales are honey and smoke. The honey flavor in this brew was achieved through a combination of honey malt and actually honey. Honey is so highly fermentable that it can be difficult to use in brewing and get much flavor. I used honey malt to give the beer perceived honey sweetness. I also waited until three days into primary fermentation to add the non-pasteurized honey. This is an excellent way to promote a great fermentation and complete attenuation. It also helps retain a little bit of that real honey flavor. In order to introduce the honey affectively and not have it just sink straight to the bottom of the fermenter I pulled off some of my wort during the boil and added it to the jar of honey to thin it out. As for the smoke I have never used the Weyermann beechwood smoked malt before. I was informed by my co-workers that this malt is subtle which lead to me doubling my original plan of using one pound.

The results: From brew day to kegged and carbed this beer took about seventeen days to make. I found that it really needed an additional week of conditioning to allow for acetaldehyde (green apple/cider flavor common in young beers) to clear up. My efficiency was low at 61% (1.050 OG) but it fully attenuated down to almost 1.000. It has near perfect clarity, golden color and a white head (head retention is somewhat lacking). On the nose a light graininess and smoke is present with a small touch of hops. The initial smoke flavor and a crisp bitterness quickly give way to a nice balance of grain and malt sweetness. Despite the sweetness it still finishes bone dry and just begs for another sip. Everything is very well balanced and makes this a great beer to sip on or to drink in more of a session style. Either way this keg of beer will likely not stick around for long.

All Grain Recipe ($29.55)

• 7lb Breiss Brewer’s 2 Row
• 2lb Weyermann beechwood smoked malt
• 1lb Pilot Munich
• 1lb Gambrinus Honey Malt
• .5lb Non-Pasteurized Honey

Extract with Specialty Grains ($36.16)

• 7.5lb pilsner light liquid extract
• 2lb Weyermann beechwood smoked malt
• .5lb Pilot Munich
• .5lb Gambrinus Honey Malt
• .5lb Non-Pasteurized Honey

Boil Hops

• .5 oz Centennial (60 mins)
• .5 oz Horizon (30 mins)
• 1 oz Liberty (30 mins)
• OPTIONAL: yeast nutrient & whirfloc tablet (15 Mins)
• RECOMMENDED: Place Immersion Chiller in kettle to sterilize (15 Mins)    
• .5 oz Horizon (10 mins)
• 1 oz Liberty (10 mins)

Process

• Mash @ 150F for 75 Mins
• Sparge @ 168F
• Ferment with 1 package of Safale US-05 @ 68F
• 3 days into primary fermentation add .5lb Non-Pasteurized Honey dissolved in wort from the boil that was stored in the refrigerator for this addition.
• Leave in primary of 2 weeks then bottle or keg according to your own process.

Optional Water Additions

• 1 campten tablet
• 10g gypsum
• 3g calcium chloride
• 5ml 88% lactic acid (all grain only)

The staff at Siciliano's is always eager to answer your homebrewing questions. Stop by for help developing custom-made recipes like this one!

Right Brain Brewing Company Concrete Dinosaur

Review by Mark Iacopelli

In a seemingly endless sea of IPAs it is difficult to find one that stands out and really impresses me. Concrete Dinosaur by Right Brain Brewing is one such IPA. It is a brown rye IPA clocking in at 7.2% ABV. Although Right Brain is most often associated with their CEO Stout, I'm not the only one this IPA impressed — the Traverse City brewery brought home a silver medal in the category of Rye Beer from The Great American Beer Festival 2015.

I poured Concrete Dinosaur into a chalice-style glass at around 43F. It poured a very deep brown almost black color. In the light you can see very good clarity and deep ruby highlights. The head is tan and pillow soft with fine bubbles lingering. On the nose I picked up grassy resinous hop aroma with pine in the background. I detected little to no malt or rye initially, but as the beer warmed more of the rye and caramel-chocolate came through. As for the flavor, wow! Initial caramel sweetness gives way to a burst of peppery rye that is both aided by hop bitterness and also makes for a near seamless transition into the hops. Hop flavor reflects the resin and pine found in the aroma. It is assertively bitter without being a tongue scrapper. The finish is immediately dry and lingers with a pleasant balance of bitter hops and nutty malt tones. As it warms nutty chocolate malt takes center stage with hops as the chorus. The mouthfeel is medium in body, medium carbonation and very smooth. It is prickly on the tongue, but has no alcohol warming or burn. Overall I thought this was a fantastic beer! It was both satisfying if you were to have just one glass, but I could see myself easily drinking a couple.

I have always been a fan of blended styles. In many cases, blending styles have a way of bringing the best out of both worlds. This beer is a wonderful marriage between the nutty chocolate of a brown ale and the crisp refreshing character of an IPA, with rye being the key to the harmonious union.

Right Brain Concrete Dinosaur is available at Siciliano's Market for $6.49/750ml while supplies last.