If you just want to see the recipe, scroll to the bottom!
This started because I wanted to brew something with cinnamon. Don't ask why, it was just an idea I had. Even more odd was that I wasn't looking to brew an IPA, but something like a pilsner or lager.
So, I looked up some lager recipes, read the reviews on them, and settled on what I was going to try. I went to Maryland Homebrew with my scribbled notes in hand, made my purchase and started the brew.
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| My "lab notebook" from that day |
So, a week after I started the fermentation, I transferred it to the secondary, which is just a glass carboy. You really don't need to do secondary fermentation if you don't care about the clarity of the beer you are brewing, but it helps reduce the "floaters" of hop residue and other stuff that can get sucked up in the siphon if you aren't careful. It's also good for if you want to mimic barrel aging and stuff like that.
Just over two weeks later, I bottled the beer so that it would end up being ready while I was on a nearly three-week road trip with my mom. Not really the best timing, but I took two bottles with me so that I could try it out the "day" it would be "ready".
And it turned out that I liked it, a lot. So did my husband, and my friends. One of my friends said it was "the perfect fire pit beer." I ended up rebrewing it right away so that I could enter a batch in the yearly Baltimore area "Chilibrew" homebrew contest. It didn't win, but I did get a callout as an "honorable mention" by the professional brewers who were judging it.
Since then, I've brewed some variants that really just add different flavors in the secondary. My Smoldering Yule Log adds some cloves and nutmeg to make a "holiday version."
So, for those who just want the recipe, here you go :
Smoldering Fire Recipe
Ingredients List
- 1.5lbs Carapils/Dextrine, crushed
- 1lb CBW Pilsen Light dry malt extract
- 3.3lb CBW Pilsen Light liquid malt extract (2)
- cinnamon sticks (7-8)
- 1oz. Cascade hops (1)
- 1oz. Czech Saaz hops (2)
- White Labs San Francisco Lager yeast (WLP810)
- 5oz. of priming sugar (corn sugar)
Bring ~2.5 gallons of water to between 145-150F. Using a cheesecloth bag, steep the grains for 40 minutes. Squeeze the grain bag as it is removed.
Bring the wort to a boil. While stirring, add the dry malt extract and the liquid malt extract. If necessary, return to boil.
Set a timer for 60 minutes. Quickly add the Cascade hops and 3-4 cinnamon sticks (about 0.5oz total) and start the timer. After 30 minutes, add 1oz. of Czech Saaz hops. After 15 more minutes (total of 45 minutes elapsed), add 1oz. of Czech Saaz hops. After 15 more minutes (at the end of the 60 minutes), remove the wort from heat and start cooling in sink by surrounding the brewpot with ice.
While the wort is cooling, sanitize the primary fermentation bucket, siphon, thermometer and any other utensils that will be used. Add about 1.5 gallons of cool water to the fermentation bucket. Once the wort is about 80-90F, use a siphon to transfer it to the fermenting bucket. Avoid adding the dregs (hops) from the bottom of the pot. Add cool water to bring the total volume to about 5 gallons, then stir with sanitized paddle or spoon to make sure wort and water are mixed. Check the specific gravity; it should be about 1.065-1.075.
Once the wort is below 80F (check with a sanitized thermometer), pitch the yeast, then close the fermenting bucket.
After ~7 days at 68-72F, use a sanitized siphon to transfer the beer to a sanitized secondary fermenting vessel. Take a sample to check the specific gravity. Avoid transferring the dregs from the bottom of the bucket. Add in 3-4 sticks of cinnamon that have been put in ~1/2cup of water and microwaved on high for 30 seconds. Seal the secondary vessel (cover with a blanket if necessary). Specific gravity should be about 1.012-1.018.
After ~5-7 days at 68-72F, transfer the beer to a bottling bucket. Boil 5oz. of priming sugar in 2.5cups of water; cool and then add to the beer. Mix with a sanitized spoon or paddle. Sanitize and dry all bottles to be used, as well as the caps if not using swing-top bottles. Fill each bottle just to where the neck of the bottle begins, then cap. You can check the specific gravity one more time; it should still be in the 1.012-1.018 range.
Let the bottles stay in a cool (68-72F) and dark area for at least a week and a half for carbonation. It's better to wait at least two weeks before refrigerating any of the beer and enjoying it.
Let me know if you try the recipe! And check out my previous post that includes information about basic equipment if you need it!
If you find that Maryland Homebrew doesn't ship to your address for some reason, and you don't have a homebrew shop local to you so you want to order materials via Amazon, here's a shopping list for you to get started. Please try to shop local, though; you can't be guaranteed that things you buy via Amazon will be fresh!
If you find that Maryland Homebrew doesn't ship to your address for some reason, and you don't have a homebrew shop local to you so you want to order materials via Amazon, here's a shopping list for you to get started. Please try to shop local, though; you can't be guaranteed that things you buy via Amazon will be fresh!
- Basic Equipment (mostly reusable with rewashing/sanitizing)
- Flip-top bottles
- 5 gallon stainless steel pot
- Brewer's Best Deluxe Kit (includes fermenting bucket, glass carboy for secondary fermenting, bottling bucket, auto-siphon, hydrometer, thermometer, airlock, paddle, bottle capper, and more)
- Hop Socks
- Star San sanitizer
- Ingredients
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