Braggot

5 gallons, honey, extract, and grains; OG = 1.086; FG = 1.026; 20 IBUs

Ingredients:

• 0.5 lb. toasted carapils malt (toast 15 min. at 350° F on a cookie sheet)
• 2 lbs. two-row pale malt
• 0.5 lb. crystal malt, 20° Lovibond
• 4 lbs. unhopped light malt extract syrup
• 6 lbs. wildflower honey
• 1 oz. Willamette hops (4% alpha acid) for 60 min.
• 1 oz. Kent Goldings hops (5% alpha acid) for steeping
• 1/4 tsp. yeast nutrient
• 1 tsp. Irish moss
• 10 to 14 g. dry ale yeast
• 6 to 10 g. dry champagne yeast
• 1 cup unhopped light dry malt extract for priming

Step by Step:

Let toasted carapils malt cool before crushing it.

Heat 3 gal. water to 150° F, place cracked grains in a mesh grain bag, place in water, and cover. Steep at 150° F for 30 min., then remove grains. Add malt extract and honey, and bring to a boil. Total boil is 60 min. Add Willamette hops and boil 50 min. Add Irish moss and boil 10 min. more. Remove from heat and add the Goldings hops, steep 30 min., and strain out the hops if you can. Add yeast nutrient, cool, and add to fermenter along with enough chilled, pre-boiled water to make 5.25 gal. When wort cools to 70° F, pitch both yeast strains.

Ferment warm (68° to 72° F) for four weeks, then rack to secondary. Age in a cool (50° to 55° F) and dark corner for six to eight weeks until clarified. Prime with dry malt, bottle, and put it away where no one can find it. Give it at least a year. Trust me.

Notes:

Yeast:

I use dry yeasts on this brew because I don’t want to emphasize any particular yeast character. The ale yeast gets it going and allows the malty sweetness to establish itself, and the wine yeast completes the fermentation of this high-alcohol brew after the ale yeast gives up.

Gravity:

Play with the recipe to make it weaker or stronger. Honey is about the same as malt extract in terms of sugar density; figure a pound of either adds about seven points to your gravity. If you make a bigger version, be prepared to be that much more patient, especially if you increase the amount of honey. You should also increase the yeast nutrient slightly if you use more honey.

Hops:

Be careful not to overhop this brew. The emphasis here should be on rich, malty, and sweet flavor; the hops are merely to balance and contrast a little.

Toasted malt:

Even in this small a quantity, toasted malt adds a very pleasant biscuity/bready aroma to the brew (toast on which to spread the honey, right?).