Summer Ale

SUMMER ALE

 It's that time of year again, the time of year where the beer you drink has a direct effect on the rest of your day. When the weather warms up, you want something cold and refreshing, something that you can feel okay about pounding down at the beach, or at a picnic.

This probably isn't that beer. This Summer Ale isn't quite as crisp and crushable as many others, but it has elements that most beers these days don't. This Summer Ale is more of a night time beer than a mid-afternoon pick-me-up. It is slightly heavier and far more aromatic than most others, and that is due to the inclusion of chamomile during secondary fermentation. 

Chamomile is renowned for its floral qualities and pleasant flavor. Used as a tea, the aroma of chamomile has a soothing property to some and it is often used by herbalists as a sleep aid. It should be noted that there has not been sufficient evidence for any medicinal uses for chamomile, however preliminary research is being done to see how the flower can be used for anti-anxiety purposes. 

When we see chamomile tea on the shelves, usually the flowers are all that are included in the bags. In early brewing cultures, the whole visible plant was incorporated into the beer. So along with the warm aromatics, some bitter flavors from the stems and leaves were present in the final ales. We are going to use dried flowers here, as you would find in a tea bag.

As for the beer itself, we decided to go in a very light direction. The resulting beer is pretty much a European Pale Ale, with very light flavor and bittering notes. We wanted to focus on the chamomile, so the lighter beer, especially for something to be enjoyed during the summer months was deemed appropriate. Combining elements of traditional Czech Pilsners with German hops and a German ale yeast creates a beer that is light on the palate and to the eye, while at the same time adding a slight backbone to the floral qualities that are dominant. 

OUR RECIPE

10Lbs Pilsner Malt

2oz Tradition Hops

K-97 Dry German Ale Yeast

1 tsp Irish Moss

1oz Dried Chamomile Flowers

Malts We Use

Pilsner Malt: Pilsner Malt is a classic base malt. Extremely light in color, it is a perfect tableau for beers with a lot of specialty malts. Pilsner Malt has a delicate flavor and is very clean, making it a perfect malt for crisp clear beers. Originally used in most lager styles, it takes its name from the Pilsen beers of Bohemia, where it was developed. 

Hops We Use

Tradition: A noble German hop with a higher percentage of Alpha Acids than many of it's relatives, Tradition hops are uniquely suited as a first hop addition to Marzen beers. They will bitter without overpowering the malt aspects of the beer and leave a clean finish.

Yeast We Use

K-97: Safale K-97 is a German Ale yeast strain developed so that anyone can make a traditional tasting beer without having to lager. Lagering is the cold fermentation process that can take many months to complete, however with this yeast strain that is no longer an obstacle for home brewers. K-97 will create the classic German beers without having to purchase expensive new equipment of take over your own refrigerator for 6 months.

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.

Chamomile: Floral and warm, the Chamomile flower adds depth of flavor and aroma to lighter ales. Once common in ancient brewing, the flower is seldom used in modern times, with chamomile tea being the preferred use.