Our Jar of Destiny series wraps up the second beer of the fifth pick, which is American Amber Ale – BJCP 19A beer style. Mike’s plan was to brew a malt-forward beer that is not too over the top in its flavor. He was seeking to add a modern finish to the beer, making it drier and more drinkable. With plenty of experience drinking commercial versions of this style, Mike put together this recipe. See our tasting video for more details.
Recapturing the glory of American Amber Ale
American Amber Ale Recipe
WATER Spring water with magnesium sulfate and Gypsum added Final profile:
63 PPM of calcium 7 PPM of magnesium 5 PPM of chloride 166 PPM of sulfate
GRAINS 78.8% Pale Ale Malt 15% Dark Munich Malt 1.4% Crystal 80 Malt 1.4% Crystal 120 Malt 2.4% Black Patent Malt
HOPS 20 grams of Nugget Hops added at 60 minutes to go in the boil 28 grams of Willamette Hops added at flameout
YEAST Wyeast 1056 American Ale Yeast
INSTRUCTIONS Mash the grains at 143 degrees Fahrenheit (62° C) for 75 minutes. Step mash at 168 degrees Fahrenheit (76° C) for 15 minutes.
Boil the wort for 60 minutes, adding the hops times noted above. Cool the wort to 65-70 degrees Fahrenheit and pitch the yeast.
Our Tasting Notes
I think Mike hit the spot with this beer. It has a nice malty backbone with just a touch of sweetness. There wasn’t much hop aroma from Mike’s choice of Willamette. Mike felt the hops are well-balanced with the malts and they provide a nice bitterness. The color the Black Patent malt brings matches the vision we had for the beer. That brown/orange look shines through. Mike feels like there is a note of tobacco on nose, which is a bit of a surprise. It could be coming from the combo of malts.
Overall, we feel this beer is a good example of an American Amber Ale!
We are in the second year of the Jar of Destiny. The fifth picks were made at the beginning of 2023 and the beers are now ready. First up, a beer style known for its sneaky high alcohol content. It’s also known for its pale color, effervescent carbonation, fruit and spice flavor notes, and crisp, dry finish. Behold, it’s our take on the Belgian Golden Strong Ale (BJCP 25C)!
The Jar of Destiny challenges and inspires us to brew a Belgian Golden Strong Ale
Belgian Golden Strong Ale Recipe
JAR of DESTINY – BJCP Style 25C – Belgian Golden Strong Ale
Recipe for 5 US Gallons
WATER 9 gallons Spring water
GRAINS 11 pounds of Dingemans Pilsner Malt (5 kg – 100% of the bill)
HOPS 2.5 ounces (71 g) of Saaz Hops at 4.5% AA boiled for 75 minutes
ADJUNCTS 3 pounds of table sugar (1.4 Kg) added for the last 15 minutes of the boil
YEAST 2 packets of Wyeast 1388 Belgian Strong Ale
PROCEDURES
Mashed at 150 °F (66 °C) for 90 minutes
Boiled for 75 minutes
Fermented for 2 weeks – started at 62°F (17° C)
— Then, slowly raised the temperature to finish out at 82°F (28° C)
Cold Conditioned for 2 weeks at 34°F (1° C)
Added 1 tsp of gelatin to ¾ cups (180 ml) to clear
Bottled with 7 ounces (200 g) of corn sugar with LalBrew CBC-1 yeast.
Stored bottles at 75°F (24° C) for 2 weeks
RESULTS
Original Gravity: 1.074
Final Gravity: 1.009
ABV: 8.53%
Our JoD Tasting Notes
So, on the appearance, I got it crystal clear with the help of gelatin and cold conditioning. The yeast is pretty stubborn and did not want to fall out so some finings are needed.
The aroma has fruity notes alongside some spicy notes from the yeast and hops. In the flavor, all of these components shine with a really dry finish. With all table sugar, the body is very light.
It’s deceivingly easy to drink. All pear and apple notes make you want to drink more and more.
Mike really liked this one. You should give it a try.
Pressure fermentation is a brewing technique that has gained popularity among professional brewers in recent years. The idea is to create hydrostatic pressure on the yeast during the fermentation process, which can lead to a number of benefits, such as suppressing yeast esters and slowing fermentation.
This technique is particularly effective for lagers, but can also be used for certain ales, such as hoppy beers. In this video, we will explore the benefits of this type of fermentation, the equipment needed, and the techniques involved in using this method.
Benefits of Pressure Fermentation
The primary benefit is the suppression of yeast esters. Pressure tends to reduce the formation of esters, which can lead to a cleaner and crisper taste in the final product. This is particularly important for lagers, where the goal of cold fermentation is to suppress esters. Additionally, pressure fermentation can slow down the fermentation process, which can help ensure that the yeast has enough time to fully consume all of the available sugars in the wort.
Another benefit is the allowance for slightly higher fermentation temperatures. Most pro-breweries can ferment at higher temperatures than the average home brewer, thanks to the ester suppression power of hydrostatic pressure. You can compensate for the slowness of the fermentation process by fermenting at warmer temperatures.
It’s important not to go higher than 5-10°F over your normal fermentation temperature. This will help ensure that the yeast doesn’t become stressed and that the fermentation process doesn’t become too fast.
Equipment Needed
To perform pressure fermentation, you will need a pressure-ready fermentor, such as a unitank or corny keg. These can be relatively inexpensive and easy to obtain. You will also need a spending valve, which can be added to a keg for ease of use.
Techniques for Pressure Fermentation
The main technique to follow involves applying 5-15 PSI of pressure at the start or towards the end of the fermentation process. Lagers are the best candidates for early pressure fermentation, as they tend to benefit from ester suppression. Additionally, most lager yeasts seem more resistant to the negative impacts of pressure fermentation than most ale yeasts.
For the most part, ales should have a good amount of ester production so they may not make sense for this type of fermentation. However, there are a few areas where using a late pressure ferment can be useful for ales. In hoppy beers, a bit of pressure may help retain some of the volatile aroma compounds in the beer.
Using late pressure retention can also be used to speed up carbonation. Applying pressure after the first 48 hours and holding it allows some ester formation to happen early during the yeast growth phase, but you can retain some of that pressure to carbonate the beer as it finishes.
Lastly, Fermenting under pressure also lends itself to being a closed system, especially if you are fermenting in a corny keg. Through the use of a jumper, you can transfer your beer from ferment keg to serving keg with little to no e oxygen ingression. is a positive
Final Thoughts
It’s important to note that pressure fermentation is not a universal solution and may not work for all styles or yeasts. Experimentation is necessary to determine the ideal pressure setting, which is likely strain dependent. With Kveik strains available and super clean W34/70, in some ways, this seems like a solution in search of a problem. However, for those looking to experiment with their brewing techniques, pressure fermentation can be an interesting and effective method to explore.
Brewing simple beers help us understand hops better. In this SMaSH review, we brew a beer with only one malt and one hop variety. This time around, we brew with a hop that has a couple of names and is used primarily for bittering. You may know it as Pahto Hops. You may know it as HBC 682 hops. Whichever name you see at your local store or online, use this video to get a sense of how this hop can be used in your next beer. Watch this video to see our tasting!
How We Approached This Beer
These beers are brewed to be as simple as possible. We use just one base malt for the fermentation. This malt is Rahr 2-row, which is a North American malt that is readily available to us and affordable. The batch size is small too, just one US gallon. Lastly, the yeast is US-05 that is a clean fermenting strain.
Since we are using this beer brewing method to examine hop varieties, it’s important to know the amounts and the schedule. For all of our 1 gallon SMaSH beers, we use 1 ounce or 28 grams of hops. Since this hop variety is a bittering hop, we changed up the hop schedule a bit. The Patho or HBC 682 hops are added at 60 minutes (7 grams) and 15 minutes in the boil (7 grams), and then again at flame out (14 grams). There is no dry hopping addition in this beer. After fermenting for 10 days and carbonating in a keg for 3, it is ready to be tasted and reviewed.
Our Pahto SMaSH Review
So, Pahto hops are a bittering hop and there is a reason why. There is no strong aroma component to this beer. Mike found some hints of woody aromatics on the nose. There are some cream notes too. Since we are evaluating the bittering properties of this hop, the flavor is our top focus. There is are earthy notes along with a pithy aftertaste. Brew with these hops in combination with Chinook, Simcoe, and/or Centennial hops. They will be an interesting change to your next West Coast IPA.
Hope you enjoyed our latest SMaSH review – BREW ON!
We were asked by one of our followers to put together a post to discuss ways one could brew better beer. They liked the information that we were putting out there, but they wanted something specific. Since they were just starting their homebrewing hobby, they were hoping to get some advice on how to brew better. We gave it some thought and put together this list of five ways you can level up your beer brewing process. Check out our video where we talk about it in detail:
How to Improve your Homebrew
Here’s a run down of the tips we talked about in our video.
Cleaning and Sanitation
It is important to know that cleaning and sanitizing are two different things. Remember it is a two step process. Make sure you clean your equipment good as you can’t sanitize dirt. When in doubt, throw it out (especially tubing or plastic parts on the cold side)
Water
Learn about the water you are using to brew. Almost all tap water needs to be treated for chlorine so learn how to add a Campden tablet before brewing. Classical city profiles are garbage. The brewers of Burton on Trent are not using their tap water. Get to know your tap water from an analysis from Ward Labs and season with brewing salts to taste. Brew at least one recipe you know with RO, distilled or soft spring water. it might reveal a lot.
Yeast Management
You’ll make better beer with great yeast in mediocre wort than you will with mediocre yeast in great wort. Pay attention to what you are pitching – how much yeast and how health the yeast is will make a big difference. Recipe design takes a back seat to better beer if your yeast is no good.
Fermentation Plan
Make a yeast starter in advance, or buy it fresh. Time your yeast purchase with your brew day. Figure out where you are going to ferment and learn what the ambient temperatures are going to be. Tune the recipe/process towards that information (cooler styles, warmer styles). Invest in active temperature control when you are able. Be sure your schedule is clear when you anticipate the fermentation being done. Don’t let the beer sit too long on yeast cake.
Take Notes
We have said it before but it is important to take fastidious notes. Write down all the the items you want to know about your brewing process. Look at your notes when you finally drink the beer. We actually have a post that has homebrewing notetaking tips for you. Review your findings to continue the process to level up your beer.
Some Things That Not As Important
As a bonus, we included these things that you don’t have to worry about as much.
Recipes
Everyone wants that “killer recipe” but process trumps recipes. Most of the world’s best beer styles get their greatness from the process rather than a complex recipe. Pilsners, wheat beers, and sour beers are examples of beers with simple recipes but are excellent because of careful brewing practices.
Expensive Equipment
Buying lots of “fancy toys” is a fun part of the hobby but if you don’t pay attention to the 5 tips above, it’s not going to help you.
Following Others
Find your own process in the “brew house”. Create your own muscle memory. Your consistency will result in better beer.
So there you go – 5 tips to level up your beer and some things you don’t have to worry as much about. We hope they serve you well.
