Inside This Issue:
pg.2	Recipe of the Month – Brown Porter
pg.2	Celtic Corner
pg.3	Beer Styles - NEW
pg.4	Porter
pg.7	REAL PUBS-REAL ALE-REAL NEAT!
pg.8	Beer Trivia is Cool ! and more...

 The Knights of the Brown Bottle Homebrew Club is a group of people interested in brewing and enjoying quality beer. The regular club meetings are held monthly at 7:30 p.m. on the second Wednesday of each month at:

Dr. Jeckyll’s Home Brew Supply 2304 W. Park Row #18 Pantego, Tx. 817-274-7405

Visit the Knight’s Webpage at:  http://hbd.org/kobb/

President : Steve Wesstrom
VicePresident: Larry Jarvis
Secretary: J.B. Flowers
Treasurer: Jim Case
Newsletter Editor: Byron Eastwood
Competition Chairman: "just Dave" Girard
 
 

Brown Porter

This is a standard Brown Porter recipe that will live up to all of your expectations! It is smooth and well balanced with a fruity finish made prevalent by the Swedish YEAST. Bottle this baby up and let it sit for a few months to get the real impact of the classic porter character.
 
 
 
 

Specifics

Recipe type: All Grain
Batch Size: 5 gal
Starting Gravity: 1.053
Finishing Gravity: 1.014
Time in Boil: 75 min
Primary Fermentation: 5-7 days
Secondary Fermentation: 2 weeks
Additional Fermentation: 2 weeks in bottles/keg
 

Ingredients:

8 lb. British 2-row - preferably Marris Otter
0.5 lb British Chocolate Malt
0.5 lb Belgian Caramunich
0.5 lb British Brown Malt
1. oz Perle hops (aa 6.0 %) 60 min before end of boil
1. oz Hallertauer (aa 4.0%) 20 min before end of boil
1. oz Hallertauer (aa 4.0%) 1 min before end of boil

Wyeast 1742 Swedish Ale (at least a pint starter)
 

Procedure:

 Mash in with 11 qt of 162 F water. Single infusion mash at 153 F. Mash out at 170 F, sparge with 170 F water. Collect 7 gal of wort.

Boil 90 minutes, adding hops at 60, 20 and 1 min 'til end of boil according to above schedule. Primary, secondary and conditioning at approx. 65 F.

CELTIC CORNER

By J.B. Flowers

If you can get your hands on the ingredients, here’s a recipe for Pictish Heather Ale that looks very interesting.

Wild Heather Ale (makes 30 pints)

Ingredients:

2.5 kg milled pale malted barley
250 g milled crystal malt
cold water
small pieces of fat (animal or vegetable)
8 large handfuls heather flowers
2 handful bog myrtle leaves
2 pkgs. Of Edme Ale yeast
1 level teaspoon sugar or honey per 750 ml bottle
 

Method:

Put the milled pale malted barley and crystal malt into a 3 gallon jam or jelly pan. Mix with cold water, then add more water to cover grain and stir into a slack, sloppy mixture.

Heat very slowly, over 3 hours, until warm. Do not allow the temperature to go above 70 degrees centigrade - the use of a small piece of fat (animal or vegetable) will indicate the temperature: solid = cold, runny = warm, small beads = too hot.

If it gets too hot remove from heat and mix until cooler. Mix every half hour, removing the fat with a spoon each time whilst mixing.

Peg a coarse dishcloth over a second pan or bucket and strain out liquor, rinse the grains with several kettles of hot water and leave to drain. Boil this liquid for one hour with 5 handfuls of heather flowers and 1 handful of bog myrtle leaves.

Rinse the dishcloth and peg over the fermentation bucket, place 3 handfuls of heather and 1 of bog myrtle in the cloth and then pour the hot liquor over this into the bucket, make up the bucket to 30 pints with cold water and leave to cool to body temperature.

Add 2 sachet of beer yeast and leave for 6-8 days to ferment. (Adding more wild heather flowers will ferment the ale but the flavour will be more sour and wine-like.)

Once the ale has stopped fizzing pour it into returnable strong screw top lemonade or beer bottles (750ml). Add one level teaspoon of sugar or honey to each bottle, replace top and store in a cool place until clear.

Strange recipe from a Scottish chat group on the world wide web.

Until next month... "Craigellachie!"

Lines on Ale

by Edgar Allen Poe

Fill with mingled cream and amber,
I will drain that glass again.
Such hilarious visions clamber
Through the chamber of my brain -
Quaintest thoughts - queerist fancies
Come to life and fade away;
What care I how time advances?
I am drinking ale today.
 

Show some STYLE?

by Byron Eastwood

About three years ago I showed up at a friend’s house to be witness to an "all-grain" brew on his cool new mash system. Not being very experienced in "all-grain" brewing, I couldn’t offer much to the conversation that took place between the obviously more experienced brewers who were there. I tasted the beer being served from a previous batch and asked what style is it? (it tasted like an American Amber) IT’S BEER, I was told emphatically. Some time went by and the brewer was discussing hop rates and what type of hops to use in the current batch with one of the other guys. "What kind of beer are you brewing?" I asked.

IT’S JUST BEER!, I was told again, with extra emphasis and the addition, "we don’t get into that fancy stuff of trying to make an exact style".

That’s fine, I thought, but I really did want to learn to brew beer to styles and where would I learn?

Brewing that first batch from some extract and specialty grains was a lot of fun the first few times and the beer tasted great but what about brewing a beer style that is one of your favorites? What about

Brewing five or ten gallons of Sierra Nevada style American Pale Ale instead of paying $7.00 a six pack every time that you wanted some?

Well, I’ve been brewing to style for three years now and I believe it’s been beneficial in several ways.

1. Attempting to brew to a certain style has increased my appreciation of beer styles the world over. I’m much quicker to try a new beer style than I used to be.
2. My Beer has improved immensely!!! I’ve never entered a beer that was brewed to an intended style in a competition that didn’t win a ribbon! I’m not pointing this out to blow my own horn, rather to show the difference between attention to detail and that of using an "off the shelf" recipe or, "just making beer".
3. Brewing to style has forced me to learn and consider new brewing techniques that I never would have bothered with before. It has heightened my awareness of fermentation and conditioning techniques, the power of the right yeast for the right beer (as just Dave will tell you), and countless other details of brewing the one special beer that will make a tear come to your eye when you poor up the last bottle.

In light of all of the above, and in my dutiful and unending search to bring you, the KOBB member something to read in the newsletter, I will be featuring this article on a monthly basis over the coming year. It will cover details on specific beer styles with information that will be plagiarized or otherwise blatantly stolen from the very finest sources available. The goal is to heighten awareness of certain styles of beer, note special procedures for achieving a likeable knock-off of the intended style, and mainly learn more about the vast types of beer styles around the world.

The following is my first submission.

Enjoy.

Byron

 


The Legend and Lore of Porter
by Richard B. Webb

The origins of the beer style known as Porter are lost in the pre-history of brewing. Not only were modern brewing techniques unknown, but there were no standardized brewing instruments for measuring such things as specific gravity or temperature. Record keeping was spotty at best, and each brewer was loathe to give up precious secrets to a potential competitor. Thus most of what we know about Porter is conjecture and guesswork at best, and possibly flat out wrong at worst.

Traditionally, Porter is thought to have been created from three distinct mashings. The first mash was held at 150 degrees for one hour.

The grains were then drained, and a second mash was then held at 160 degrees for 1/2 hour. The grains were then drained, and a third mash was then held at 180 degrees for 1.5 hours. These three run offs were then combined and boiled for perhaps three to four hours.

The hopping rate of the ancient Porters is also not well known. The hops that are used now were unknown then and beers were spiced or flavored with herbs. The oldest of the hop types now used is the Goldings, first cultivated in the 1780's. This could have been used to make Porter, but probably wasn't! Goldings are considered to be the classic pale ale hop, and the makers of Porter were conscientiously trying to make something that was NOT a pale ale! One can assume that the hop acid content of the hops used in Porter were perhaps the equivalent of the Golding, at around four to five percent alpha acid.

Scant records exist as to the amount of hops to be used, but Terry Foster, from whose book most of this treatise is distilled (some would say stolen), imagines that the hopping rate as expressed in these old records indicates a level in excess of 60 IBU, a healthy hopping rate indeed.

Who knows what kind of yeast was used in this old, original Porter? In fact, the style of Porter had been around for 150 years before yeast was even discovered as the driving ingredient of fermentation. Most likely, the yeast was the same top fermenting yeast as was used in the brewing of Pale ales.

Porter was also known as a beer that required long storage. This storage could last perhaps an entire year, and when the technology had evolved sufficiently, large quantities of Porter could be stored in large wooden vats for a long period of time.

Economics also was a driving force behind the style that was Porter. The price of beer was not determined by the price of ingredients, or the price of doing business. Instead, the price was dictated by English law, allowing the ingenious brewer to make the maximum profit from the cheapest of ingredients. The brown malt used was considered ideal, not because of maximum extract, or from any character imparted to the brew, but instead because it was the cheapest malt to be found.

To summarize, the original style of Porter has the following characteristics:

Made from a highly dried but not roasted brown malt.

Original gravity from 1.060 to 1.070

Three separate mashes, all runnings collected together.

Color a deep red-brown, perhaps with a color of around 25-35 degrees L

High hop rates, with perhaps 4 ounces of four to five percent acid hops added the beginning of the boil, with no later hop additions

Fermentations at ambient temperature

Top fermenting yeast with a 75% attenuation, resulting in high alcohol and residual sugar

Low carbonation levels, as the open kegs in the publicans house would release any buildup of CO2.

Long storage in wooden vats, possibly contaminated with acid producing bacteria

The pinnacle of Porter brewing probably occurred in the early 1830s. After that, the amount of Porter actually brewed in London began a long, slow decline. However, the making of Porter spread to all points of the globe, following the soldiers and bureaucrats of Britain all across the Empire. Today there are distinctive Porters being made in such unlikely spots as Jamaica and Thailand, but these far flung breweries would be making a Porter as much unlike the original as can be imagined. Porter has been brewed for so long, by so many brewers, that the modern interpretations probably bear little resemblance to the original dark knock off beer of some grimy back street brewery using contaminated well water from the East side of London. Modern Porters tend to have the following characteristics:

Original gravity of 1.045 to 1.060

Final gravity of 1.010 to 1.015

Color from 35 to 70 degrees L

25 to 45 IBU

Alcohol around 3.6 to 4.8 % by weight

This modern definition of Porter leaves a lot of leeway for characteristics such as gravity and color. In fact, this list sounds similar to an equivalent list such as one might make for pale ale. Thus we can imagine that it is the color adding darker, roasted malts which transforms pale ale into Porter in the modern interpretations.

Modern Porter should be full bodied, having a strong malty flavor from the roasted and dark caramel malts used in its manufacture. A higher than expected alcohol level is required for the warmth and alcohol balance required of beers that are meant to be stored for long periods. The high attenuation leads to dry, not sweet tasting beer. Porter should have a estery character, and a burnt, coffee-like taste from roasted malt, topped off by a definite hop bitterness, with a lot of body. And all of these flavors should be in "balance." (If you want to get into a fight with a brewer, ask them how they feel about "balance.") Perhaps for our case, balance can be described as all flavors in harmony, without any one taste overpowering any other taste. However, if one can achieve a pronounced hop bitterness, as well as a strong roast malt flavor, then you have made a Dry Stout, and not a Porter at all! In fact, AHA Porter definitions now contain distinct Porter styles, with "Robust" Porter, having an accent on black malt flavor with no roast barley, and "Brown" Porter, having no roast barley OR strong burnt malt character.

See the Recipe of the month

on page two!!
 
 









Beer Trivia is Cool!

by: Byron Eastwood 

Who woulda thunk it? I ‘ve been pumping out beer triva for almost two years now and there is no end to this stuff in sight! Every time I think, "That’s it. I’ve exhausted my supply of beer facts and oddities.", BAM! A whole new load falls in my lap.

So let’s start off 1999 with a trip through some of Beer’s stranger moments.

1.The First Elephant to set foot in America came off the Derby owned ship, America in 1796. Instead of water, which was in short supply, the elephant was fed, and learned to enjoy, dark beer. The enterprising Captain Jacob Crowninshield charged spectators 25 cents to watch the elephant uncork and drink bottles of beer.

2.Approximately a million Americans brew their own beer at home.

3.Estimated amount of homebrew produced in 1929, during the prohibition: 700,000,000 gallons.

4. In England, beer is equated with quality of life...

Cakes and Ale: A British phrase referring to the good things in life.

Beer and Skittles: Another British phrase meaning amusement, fun- with or without beer.

Small Beer: A person or thing of little importance.

5. George Washington's favorite beer style was porter. In support of the revolutionary effort, he declared he would only drink porter made in America and urged others to do the same. This was motivating to many breweries, including one in Philadelphia owned by an immigrant named Robert Hare. Hare became the first brewer to make porter in the colonies. If you are in the Philly area, check out Manayunk Brewing Co. where they make Robert Hare Oatmeal Porter in celebration of this brewer and great beer style.

6. Woodruff is a herb akin to a parsnip with a sweet scent. It is used in perfumes and traditionally was a spice in mulled wines. Today it's association with beer is related to Berliner Wiess. This sour elixir is often enhanced by the imbiber with the edition of a syrup flavored with woodruff. The practice is mostly in Gemany. True Berliner's are hard to find in the states and the wheat beers we have are often served with a slice of lemon. Some beer snobs frown at this practice, but a Berliner lover enjoys the additional sourness.

REAL PUBS

REAL ALES

REAL NEAT!

PART II of III

Pub food is probably one of the best bargains you will find in the UK. Restaurant meals are normally quite expensive compared to what we pay in Texas. Bar meals, on the other hand, are served at very reasonable prices. The food is basic and hearty, if somewhat bland. (It seams the Brits have yet to discover the wonders of Louisiana hot sauce.) A recent trend has started and many pubs are serving gourmet meals now with correspondingly higher prices. Meal times are normally from 12 - 2 PM and 7 - 9 PM Monday through Saturday (food service often stops earlier on Sunday). The pubs serve mostly traditional English Style meals like Bangers and Mash (sausages and mashed potatoes), Yorkshire Pudding (roast beef), Steak and Kidney Pie (stew), Gammon (ham) Steak, and Fish and Chips. Most come with generous portions of potatoes and vegetables. You best like peas, carrots, and cauliflower as these are the most common side items. Do not let the names or vegetables turn you off. My wife and I both found the traditional pub meals quite good, especially when complemented with a pint of cask conditioned bitter.

In the United Kingdom pubs are either "Tied" or a "Free House." A tied pub is one that is owned or indebted to a brewery (Note -- illegal in the US) and usually serves only beers promoted by that brewery. A free house, as the name implies, is an independent pub whose owner is "free" to choose which beers are sold. Until 1988, beers and breweries were very regionalized and a majority of the pubs in a geographical area were normally tied to the regional brewery. Since then, the brewing industry in the UK has been somewhat deregulated. The result of the changing beer laws has given the beer consumer a wider choice of beer, increased competition and somewhat stabilized or even decreased prices. Now even most tied houses offer a "guest" beer or two on tap and free houses are also more common. In the free houses you may even see a handle or two reserved for a local microbrewery ale -- something almost unheard of prior to 1988.

In all honesty, I must report that there are two somewhat negative aspects to pubing in Britain. One is the cigarette smoke and the other is the drinking and driving laws. In Britain, as in most of Europe, smoking is much more common than here and only a few pubs have non-smoking areas. Since pub ventilation usually involves opening and closing of the front door, the smoke can get quite dense at times. I have noticed in the pub guides that more pubs are starting to offer smoke free environments.

While not really a negative, the driving under the influence laws can inhibit one from fully enjoying the full range of beers unless there is a designated driver. Drinking and driving in the UK after consuming a couple of pints is not the sensible thing to do. The local constabularies take a dim view of driving under the influence -- especially if it is a foreign tourist. The blood-alcohol limit is only .035, so anything more than a pint will probably put you over the legal limit. Moreover, the fine for first time offenders are very steep and may even include jail time! I recommend following the example of the locals and take a taxi or walk from the pub to your B&B or hotel. A little forethought and common sense could save a great trip from turning into a disaster.

Watch for part three of "Real Pubs" in the February newsletter.
 
 

The mission of the Knights of the Brown Bottle (formerly the Arlington Homebrew Club) and this newsletter is to serve as a forum to promote public awareness and appreciation of the quality and variety of homebrewed beer through the collection and dissemination of information regarding the art and science of homebrewing, and to promote the responsible use of beer as an alcohol - containing beverage.

The club newsletter is published monthly and highlights the events and meetings of the club, local beer events and technical information that will help everyone brew better beer. Items for publication are welcomed and encouraged. They should be directed to Byron Eastwood.

Byron’s e-mail: eastwood@intrinsix.com
 
 

 Shropshire Lad #62

If it's dancing you would be

there's brisker pipes than poetry

Say, for what were hop yards meant?

And why was Burton built on Trent?

Malt does more than Milton can

to justify God's ways to man.

Ale, man, ale's the stuff to drink

for fellows whom it hurts to think.

Look into the pewter pot

to see the world as the world's not

-A.E. Houseman

 "It only takes one drink to get me drunk. The problem is I can never remember if it is the 12th or 13th."

- George Burns

 "Englishmen are like their own beer: Frothy on top, dregs on the bottom, the middle excellent."

- Voltaire

 "All other nations are drinking Ray Charles beer and we are drinking Barry Manilow."

--Dave Barry

 The 1999 Bluebonnet Brew-Off is just around the corner…