Mutt Beer

Mutt Beer

 Mutt beer. Refrigerator Beer. Whatever you want to call it, this is the beer you make when you have a bunch of spare specialty grains in random quantities and you want to clear out the cupboard. We've all done it to some degree of success or another. 

These beers take any number of forms. We've made them where they turn into rich reds, roasty browns, and even unintentionally smoky porters. Because these beers are normally one-offs, you can really experiment with your grain bill to get rid of some older malts before they can get stale. 

Older malts can go stale when air gets to them. If a seal on a bag or bin isn't the best, then oxygen can invade the container and your grains will become stale. One way to check is the simple bite test. Eat a grain or two and if they are still nice and crunchy, then they are good to go. If they are soft and bland, then they are shot and should be discarded. 

Building your recipe around a specific ingredient highlights that ingredient more times than not. In the case of hops, you can make a plethora of beers depending on the variety of hops you have left over. Did you get a bunch of Citra and want to go through it? Cool! Make a NEIPA and dry hop the bejesus out of it with that Citra. Maybe a higher Alpha Acid hop like CTZ or Simcoe? Make a West Coast IPA and give it a punch of bitterness at the very front and live like it's 2010!

Mutt beers are always an adventure. Sometimes they don't work out, but that is why you have to be a little careful with the recipe you decide on. It is tempting to just dump all your extra parts into a mash with some base grain, but more often than not, those beers are undrinkable swill. However, a beer created via controlled chaos can be a pleasant surprise. 

These Mutt Beers are also a great way to experiment with new adjuncts or additions. Ever wanted to add something weird to your beer? An undefined brew that you don't know about might be a good time. Of course, you would want to be careful, because if the beer can't handle the adjunct, you might be in for a bad time. Pils with chamomile? Yes please! Mint Porter? Probably not. 

The beer we are brewing this week was one of those. We found it so interesting that we kept the recipe (we write everything down or we'll forget) and decided to make it again. We made it because we had some very random malts and a few oak cubes left over from who knows what previous brew. 

OUR RECIPE

8 lb 2-Row Pale Ale Malt
1 lb Maris Otter Malt
1/2 lb Aromatic Malt
1/4 lb 120L Caramel Malt
1/4 lb CaraFoam

1 oz Liberty Hops
1 oz Crystal Hops

S-04 Dry Yeast

1 tsp Irish Moss
3 oz Hungarian Oak Cubes

Malts We Use

2-Row Pale Ale Malt: A traditional American base malt, this won’t impart too much color or flavor. It is a clean, crisp malt that works well with specialty grains and most beer styles. American varieties are generally less starchy and lighter in color than their English counterparts and less flavorful as Munich or Pilsen base malts.

Maris Otter: Mostly used as a base malt, Maris Otter is a English version of Standard 2-row barley. It is slightly darker and starchier than the American base malt and lends itself well to heavier Stouts and British Ales.

Aromatic Malt: Living up to its name, Aromatic Malt adds malt aroma and some deep colors as well. It should be used sparingly, however as it is very effective at its job.

120L Caramel Malt: Caramel malts are the most commonly used specialty malts. Rated on a Lovibond Scale for color (L) the 120L is the darkest. It gives rich coloration and earthy sweetness to the beer along with some malty aromatics.

CaraFoam: Also called Dextrine Malt or CaraPils, this highly specialized malt is generally used explicitly for head retention in bottled beer. 1/4 lb is all that is required for batches under 10 gallons.

Hops we Use

Liberty: Liberty is an American hybrid between Hallertau Mittlefruh and Mt. Hood. It isn't used very much, as the vines have a low yield rate, and when it is included in a recipe it is often for its aromatic properties. 

Crystal: Another low Alpha Acid hop used for it's grassy aroma, Crystal comes from a blend of noble German hops and American Cascade. It has grassy and woody aromas as well as the noble spice from its German heritage. 

Yeast We Use

SafAle S-04: A basic English dry yeast strain that works well across all styles but really thrives in malty and dark ales. Top fermenting and reliable, S-04 dry yeast can handle most low to medium ABV beers, it ferments quickly and creates a tight sediment base, increasing the clarity of lighter English ales while still retaining the hearty characteristics of pub beer.

Adjuncts We Use

Irish Moss: We use Irish Moss as a clarifying agent. These negatively charged seaweed particles attract proteins and other free radicals in your boil kettle and drag them to the bottom once cooled, thereby removing haze from your final product. Whirlfloc tablets are another option for this process. Regardless of your preferred methods of clarity, it is important that beers of this style are clear. Lagering can do this as well, but most home brewers don't have that capability, so adding Irish Moss (or something similar) can work wonders for cleaning up the beer.

Oak Chips: Oak Chips in secondary fermentation mimic the barrel aged qualities desired in many black beers. They can be soaked for up to a week in whiskey to get a bourbon barrel flavor, or added without soaking for a more woody quality.