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Orcish Smoked Porter

03 Dec
Orcish Smoked Porter

The Orcish Smoked Porter is something that I expect to really enjoy for myself, as it is based on successful beers I have brewed in the past and one of my favorite peoples; the Orc.  I love the porters.  They are dark, packed with flavor, not overly hoppy, and are a perfect bed to lay other flavors on – in this case, smoky goodness.

 

 

Orcish Smoked Porter

OG: 1.062, IBUs: 37.8, SRM: 73, ABV: 6.2

.25 oz black patented malt
.5 lbs Caramel/Crystel 60
.5 lbs Chocolate
.5 lbs Pale 2 row
2 lbs Smoked Malt
5 lbs DME
Safale S-04

1 tsp Irish Moss
1 oz Chinook hops [12%] (bittering)
1 oz Willamette [5%] (aroma)

I picture in my mind a tribal scene where orcs are laying about or playing games and watching a giant caldron over a blazing fire boiling delicious wort for a coming celebration.  The hot fire deepens the color and caramelizes the sugars in the wort, a concoction of water and grains crudely roasted by open flame.

To reflect the resourceful nature of the orc, I would encourage you to use local wood flavors to smoke your grain if you are so able and inclined.  As that might be a bit much for the average homebrewer, some peat smoked malt should do nicely.  I want to experiment with some different flavors of smoke.  Some are harsh and can impart too much flavor, so backing off on the smoked component would not be a bad idea.  While most orcs will find this satisfying, we might want to keep an eye on it for human consumption.

The malts were chosen for color, flavor, and familiarity as they are typical of a modern great porter.  The bittering hops may impart a piney character to represent the mountainous environment of the orc home.  The finishing hops will be mild but hopefully add some earthy component and may even enhance the spicy flavor of the previous hop edition.  The goal here is balance with a good solid smoky flavor that will go great with meaty dishes.

 
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Posted by on December 3, 2012 in Recipes

 

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Arkham Pale Ale (American Amber Ale)

11 Oct

The Arkham Pale Ale was designed to be a gateway beer into the world of home brewing.  I set out to design a first beer to be simple, but with a theme worthy of attention.  While this is actually more of an American Amber Ale, it pales in comparison to the dark nature of Cthulhu, for whom we hope to summon with all of our friends with this beer.

Status: Beta.  My first pass got some pretty good reviews.  An experienced home brewing friend of mine suggested swapping the hop editions, so next time, I think I will try this. Everything else will remain the same.

Arkham Pale Ale (American Amber Ale)

OG: 1.052, IBUs: 33.4, SRM: 13.3, ABV: 5.2%

.5 lbs. American 2-row
.5 lbs Crystal 10
.5 lbs CaraPils (Dextrine)
3 oz. Black Patent Malt
5 lbs Light DME
2 oz Willamette [4.7%] (bittering hops)
1 oz Cascade [6.4%] (aroma hops)
1 tsp Gypsum
1 tsp Irish Moss
Safale American  US-05, Dry Yeast Addition
5 oz Corn Sugar (for bottle conditioning)

When designing a beer for first-time brewers, I wanted to go with something that was pretty widely accepted.   I chose the American Pale Ale at first because it is a pretty widely accepted beer.  It was clean and simple.   I also just liked the sound of the name.  Arkham is American, and you need something refreshing to drink when you’re not chasing around the city closing extra dimensional rifts.

As I started researching ingredients, I couldn’t help but to add something dark.  I expect the black patent malt to add just enough character to represent the dark ones.  With as little as I added, I don’t expect to notice a lot more than just the color, but we will see.  The rest of it is just good American beer.  I may experiment someday by increasing the Black Patent Malt to how its roasted darkness impacts the beer.

The real characteristic of the American ale is the American hops.  Cascade hops should add a citrus character to the beer that you would expect of this style.  An addition of brewing salt (the gypsum) should add crispness to the bittering hops.  American yeast tends to ferment cleanly.  The malts were chosen to give the beer a little body, some head, and just a bit of sweet in an otherwise dry beer.  It should also have enough kick to it to help you unwind very quickly.

 
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Posted by on October 11, 2012 in Recipes

 

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