Read Online Modern Homebrew Recipes by Gordon Strong - Free Book Online
Authors: Gordon Strong
Tags: Cooking, Technology & Engineering, Beverages, Food Science, Beer, CKB007000 Cooking / Beverages / Beer
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that there is at least one rest in the saccharification range of the diastatic enzymes (generally 144°F/62°C to 162°F/72°C). On the homebrew scale, a total mash rest time of at least an hour is typical.
• Special ingredients or processes not described – Sometimes in a recipe for an unusual or unconventional batch, a brewer will leave out abnormal steps. When I discuss my pumpkin ale recipe, I take extra time to explain how I prepare and use the pumpkin, since I know that most people mash it (while I put it in the boil). Some people like to keep their special methods secret, but many simply don’t take the time to explain something they take for granted. All I can suggest is that you look through the recipe process carefully to see if it mentions how exactly special ingredients are used. Sometimes this information can be in several places, including part of the ingredient description.
• Errata – People are human and mistakes happen. Even in printed publications, errors can slip by editors and reviewers. You should review a recipe not only for completeness, but also for accuracy. Common errors that I see in recipes include transposing (swapping) digits, using the wrong units, incorrect metric conversions, dropped characters, off-by-one typing (hands shifted on a keyboard giving a different character or number), and cut-and-paste or reuse errors (using a template or previously written snippet, but not fully changing it). I can’t describe every possible error, so use your judgment in questioning something odd.
Depending on your experience level (and sometimes your personality type), you might be able to accept a reasonable amount of uncertainty or ambiguity in a recipe. It helps if you already know how you are goingto adjust it to your methods and system, unless you want to follow the recipe to the exact detail. Knowing the gaps that may exist gives you room to fix them, as discussed in the next section.
Fixing a recipe – If a recipe is missing a few pieces of necessary information, there are a few ways to go about fixing the problem. First, see if you can calculate the missing information given the information you have. I’ve discussed those methods in the previous chapter , but some additional formulas can be found in Appendix A: Basic Beer Math .
Next, see if you can resolve any unclear parts of the recipe. Maybe the original source of the recipe has more to say. If it comes from a book or magazine article, those sources may include information relevant to the recipe. If the recipe is from a person you know, see if you can contact them directly to ask your questions. I get a few emails a week from people asking me about my recipes; most authors are happy to help, as long as the requests are polite and to the point.
Finally, you may be able to make educated guesses about the recipe, or simply apply your own default processes. If you do add your own guesses or processes, be sure to re-read the entire recipe to see if there are any new inconsistencies. Regardless of the way you go about filling in the missing details, you should not brew until you have a final, executable recipe in hand. The recipe you actually brew may be a bit different than the original, but at least you’re starting the brewing process with a plan.
RECIPE FORMULATION FUNDAMENTALS
You can develop solid skills working with other people’s recipes. Adapting recipes to your system, scaling them, validating calculations, learning flavor profiles, and similar tasks all make you think about the structure and format of the recipe. However, when you reach the point when you want to create your own new recipes, or create a substantially different variation of an existing recipe, then you’ll need to start applying some additional skills. This is true learning-by-doing, and cannot be forced or learned solely by reading. In this section, I explore how to approach this skill development and provide some recommendations based on what I do (and how
• Special ingredients or processes not described – Sometimes in a recipe for an unusual or unconventional batch, a brewer will leave out abnormal steps. When I discuss my pumpkin ale recipe, I take extra time to explain how I prepare and use the pumpkin, since I know that most people mash it (while I put it in the boil). Some people like to keep their special methods secret, but many simply don’t take the time to explain something they take for granted. All I can suggest is that you look through the recipe process carefully to see if it mentions how exactly special ingredients are used. Sometimes this information can be in several places, including part of the ingredient description.
• Errata – People are human and mistakes happen. Even in printed publications, errors can slip by editors and reviewers. You should review a recipe not only for completeness, but also for accuracy. Common errors that I see in recipes include transposing (swapping) digits, using the wrong units, incorrect metric conversions, dropped characters, off-by-one typing (hands shifted on a keyboard giving a different character or number), and cut-and-paste or reuse errors (using a template or previously written snippet, but not fully changing it). I can’t describe every possible error, so use your judgment in questioning something odd.
Depending on your experience level (and sometimes your personality type), you might be able to accept a reasonable amount of uncertainty or ambiguity in a recipe. It helps if you already know how you are goingto adjust it to your methods and system, unless you want to follow the recipe to the exact detail. Knowing the gaps that may exist gives you room to fix them, as discussed in the next section.
Fixing a recipe – If a recipe is missing a few pieces of necessary information, there are a few ways to go about fixing the problem. First, see if you can calculate the missing information given the information you have. I’ve discussed those methods in the previous chapter , but some additional formulas can be found in Appendix A: Basic Beer Math .
Next, see if you can resolve any unclear parts of the recipe. Maybe the original source of the recipe has more to say. If it comes from a book or magazine article, those sources may include information relevant to the recipe. If the recipe is from a person you know, see if you can contact them directly to ask your questions. I get a few emails a week from people asking me about my recipes; most authors are happy to help, as long as the requests are polite and to the point.
Finally, you may be able to make educated guesses about the recipe, or simply apply your own default processes. If you do add your own guesses or processes, be sure to re-read the entire recipe to see if there are any new inconsistencies. Regardless of the way you go about filling in the missing details, you should not brew until you have a final, executable recipe in hand. The recipe you actually brew may be a bit different than the original, but at least you’re starting the brewing process with a plan.
RECIPE FORMULATION FUNDAMENTALS
You can develop solid skills working with other people’s recipes. Adapting recipes to your system, scaling them, validating calculations, learning flavor profiles, and similar tasks all make you think about the structure and format of the recipe. However, when you reach the point when you want to create your own new recipes, or create a substantially different variation of an existing recipe, then you’ll need to start applying some additional skills. This is true learning-by-doing, and cannot be forced or learned solely by reading. In this section, I explore how to approach this skill development and provide some recommendations based on what I do (and how
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