Ze Germans

jmcnamara

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So, i've been noodling this one over for a bit, but I'd really like to do a recipe that totally sticks it to the Reinheitsgebot. I've never really liked someone telling me I couldn't do something, especially if i didn't see a good enough reason for it :D
right off the bat, i think i'm going to use at least some sort of sugar in the boil.
but, this could turn into an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink beer really quickly, so i wanted to open it up to you guys and gals for any particularly good ingredient(s) that work well (or ones that i should avoid)
Thanks!
 
you talking about a Kölsch beer - Ze German Ale by Galveston Island Brewing Company, weren't very specific
 
sorry, the thread title is half a line from the movie Snatch, Jason Statham says it quite a bit. i didn't mean a particular commercial beer or even style for that matter.
about 10 minutes after i posted this, a quick google search showed i was definitely not the first one to think of this idea.
basically, i want something that would get their lederhosen all in a bunch ;)
 
Sticking to the Reinheitsgebot means malt, water and hops - they didn't know about yeast back then but now even the Germans allow it. Adding sugar violates it, as does adding minerals or mineral acids to your water. Even using corn sugar to carbonate is a violation - you're stuck with krauesening. So that doesn't leave a lot of room for unusual ingredients but they have to conform to the Classic Four - even spices are "verboten."
 
Nosybear said:
Sticking to the Reinheitsgebot means malt, water and hops - they didn't know about yeast back then but now even the Germans allow it. Adding sugar violates it, as does adding minerals or mineral acids to your water. Even using corn sugar to carbonate is a violation - you're stuck with krauesening. So that doesn't leave a lot of room for unusual ingredients but they have to conform to the Classic Four - even spices are "verboten."

Nothing is verboten, everything is true ;)
I meant that i don't want to stick to it, so using sugar, non-malted ingredients / adjuncts, other herbal additions, etc. is what i want. ideally, i'd have at least part of every aspect of the beer be against that antiquated rule
 
Ah, sticks it TO the Reinheitsgebot.... Got ya now. Just use anything other than the Big Four and you'll have the German brewers piddling in their Lederhosen.... Some ideas:

Any exotic grain in the mash. That includes maize (corn). Other starches such as taro root or sweet potatoes. Fruits. Even pumpkin is Verboten.
Gruit or any other spices instead of or in addition to hops.
Hard to do anything about the water but you can treat it with mineral acid.
Wild fermentation.
Eye of newt, toe of dog....

In summary, Belgian and American craft beer. Even Germans are starting to brew it!
 
Nosybear said:
Any exotic grain in the mash. That includes maize (corn). Other starches such as taro root or sweet potatoes. Fruits. Even pumpkin is Verboten.
Gruit or any other spices instead of or in addition to hops.
Hard to do anything about the water but you can treat it with mineral acid.
Wild fermentation.
Eye of newt, toe of dog....

interesting on those other starches. any experience with what taro root does to the taste / body? for that matter, how about just regular white potatoes?
maybe i can finally try my hand at a pumpkin beer. as much as i haven't cared for any commercial ones i've had so far, i feel as though i need to have a good recipe in my repertoire. plus swmbo likes them too
i've done a sour mash before, but the wort was definitely boiled afterwards. for now, that's about as far as i trust any kind of wild bugs getting into my beer.
thanks for the ideas!
 
I've never tried most of that stuff but that doesn't mean it can't make good beer! Just sticking it to meiner deutschen Freunden und ihre Reinheitsgebot....

By the way, pumpkin does little for beer in terms of flavor.
 
Thanks for the headsup. Any experience with putting oatmeal in a pumpkin beer? Or even making it a milk stout of sorts. Im thinking like a slice of pumpkin pie with a dollop of cool whip. Maybe some biscuity background notes for the crust.
Aside from that, any advice on the spices? I know cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg in some sort of combination. I dont think i want it to be too strong though

Edit: forgot to add that i have about 8lbs of indian corainder leftover from a previous brew. Not sure if that helps or hinders
 
lots of pumpkin recipes out there either here or home brew talk
 
Pumpkin doesn't add much besides color to the beer. The flavor of a pumpkin beer comes primarily from the spices. You could leave the pumpkin out and no one would know. Key is get good pumpkin pie spice - go to your local spice shop or an online one to get fresh spice, the stuff in a jar in Walmart is who knows how old and generally mid-grade. As to the cool whip, a touch of vanilla should simulate that flavor. You can get fancy with extracting the beans or just buy some high-quality extract, again from the spice store. Add spice tinctures and extracts at packaging to make sure you get the amounts right.

Oatmeal should work fine - it contributes mostly to mouthfeel. Coriander doesn't sound right for a pumpkin ale but it's your choice. For biscuit flavor, what else other than biscuit malt! Sounds like you need to stay away from German malts - they tend toward caramel rather than toast or biscuit. Stick with British or Belgian malts for this one!
 
thanks again nosybear, that'll definitely get me going in the right direction
i figured the coriander would be out of place, it's just that i have sooo much of it. any other ideas / uses? besides a wit or similar
 
Not really other than just about anything Belgian, particularly Saisons.
 

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