SoLo 'Dark n' Stanky' India Brown Ale vs. Spicy Korean Beef Burger

Blending styles and bending rules can be endlessly entertaining.  The 'India Brown Ale' is a product of such entertainment.  The color and malt profile of an American Brown Ale with ABV and hopping in alignment with that of an IPA.  I brewed one up a few months ago and got the chance to enjoy it alongside another product of funky fusion, my spicy Korean beef burger.

I really wanted to maximize the amount of hops I could cram into this beer, without driving the alcohol up into the Double/Imperial IPA range.  To compensate I used Maris Otter instead of 2-Row to provide some very stable backbone.  The rest of the recipe rounds out with Victory for additional biscuit/bread notes, Caramel 60L for sweetness and color, torrified wheat for mouthfeel and haze (for some reason in the planning phase I decided I didn't want this beer to pour clear, not sure why, but the murkiness appealed to me), CaraPils for head retention and Carafa I Special for color.  I also made a last minute addition of half a pound of brown sugar for dryness and a bump in alcohol, after becoming worried that OG was too low to support the hops.  Glad I did.

As far as hopping goes I really wanted to get a mix of dank, piney, resinous notes, akin to waxy herbs, a note often described by others as 'good bud'.  Colombus is the king of such character, so I used it to bitter and for dry hop.  A blend of Chinook, Nugget and Simcoe were used as support cast flavoring.  Bittered to the point where I estimated it may be uncomfortable (turns out I was wrong again); a real hop heads dream.

A healthy dose of Wyeast 1217-PC West Coast IPA (reportedly sourced from Green Flash or Stone) made for a very clean, active, four day fermentation that seemed to drop out well.  The yeast left some sugar behind as I hoped.

'Dark n' Stanky' India Brown Ale

OG: 1.069
FG: 1.014
ABV: 6.9%
IBU: 85
SRM: 17
VOL CO2: 2.8

Grain Bill:
10 lbs maris otter
1 lb victory
1 lb torrified wheat
¾ lb caramel 60L
½ lb carapils
¼ lb carafa I special

Hop Bill:
1/2 oz Colombus (15.2%AA) @ FWH
½ oz Columbus (15.2%AA) @ 20 minutes
1/3 oz Nugget (12.2%AA) @ 15 minutes
1/3 oz Simcoe (13.2%AA) @ 15 minutes
1/3 oz Chinook (11.8%AA) @ 15 minutes
1/3 oz Nugget (12.2%AA) @ 5 minutes
1/3 oz Simcoe (13.2%AA) @ 5 minutes
1/3 oz Chinook (11.8%AA) @ 5 minutes
1/3 oz Nugget (12.2%AA) @ 0 minutes
1/3 oz Simcoe (13.2%AA) @ 0 minutes
1/3 oz Chinook (11.8%AA) @ 0 minutes

Yeast:
1 pkg Wyeast 1217 PC West Coast IPA Yeast
Built to a cell count of ~330 billion

Other:
1 tsp wyeast yeast nutrient @ 10 minutes
½ lb brown sugar added during fermentation
2 oz Columbus dry hop for 7 days

Brew Notes:
mashed @ 156F for 60 minutes

Fermentation Notes:
Fermented @ 63F

Tasting Notes:
Pours murky brown with a slight green tinge and a thin, easily forgotten head of khaki.  Hop forward on the nose; dank herbal tones, wax, pine and Simcoe style fruit notes of peach and berry.  Bitter, backed with a touch of bready sweetness and perhaps the tiniest hint of cocoa. Moderate bodied with above average carbonation.

Overall I would say this came out quite well.  Despite being a hop bomb, it's very well balanced in my opinion.  Next time I might be prompted to clear it up by using less wheat and adding Irish moss.  I would definitely cut the Simcoe in lieu of more Colombus, as it seems to have taken over the beer (good thing I like Simcoe).  Keg hopping would also provide more hop character without adding any more bitterness.  Even after three weeks in keg, with no oxygen exposure, I can taste the difference in hop aroma.  

Here's the recipe for the Korean beef burger if you want to give it a shot.  They were damn tasty in my opinion.  The spice played well with the bitterness of the beer, and the smokey soy notes contrasted the fruity, herbal hops.  You're not likely to find my beer at the LCBO any time soon, so replace it with a pint of one of Canada's great full bodied IPA choices, like Boneshaker from Amsterdam, Red Racer from Central City or Lone Pine from Sawdust City.

Korean Style Beef Burger

2 lbs MEDIUM ground beef (fat is important here folks!)

5 tbsp good quality soy sauce

1 tbsp fish sauce

2 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp Sambal Oelek chili paste (or the more common Sriracha)

1 tbsp katsuobushi (dried smoked bonito flakes, common in Japanese cooking)

1/3 oz salt

2 shallots, grated

Combine in a mixer for no more than a minute and a half, only to incorporate the ingredients and agitate the proteins ever so slightly.  This will make three 8oz patties.

Grill or pan fry to desired doneness and serve up on a quality bun with delicious toppings like lettuce, kimchi, and Kewpie mayo.

Beereviews

A bit of a mixed bag!  Oddly enough the stars of the show are variations of stouts or porters.  Flying Monkey's Chocolate Manifesto is lengths better and more complex than their previous chocolate beer BNL. Outstanding examples of a Sweet Stout and a Porter from Beau's and Founders respectably, and a delicious Black IPA from DDC (they have a hard time making bad beer there...).

Rochefort Trappistes 10
330 mL bottle. Pours a dark prune colour with an endless beige head of champagne like bubbles. Aromas of over ripe stone fruit, plum, date, dark brown sugar, bubble gum and spicy yeast phenols. Dry and boozy, with a spicy alcohol kick and a hint of hop bitterness and yeast tartness. Full bodied but light on the palate. Seems mildly disjointed; enjoyed the 8 a lot more. Grabbed another bottle to age.

Flying Monkey's The Chocolate Manifesto
750 mL bottle. Pours thick and black with a thick head of beige foam. Big chocolate on the nose; truffles and hot cocoa with bittersweet notes of tobacco and bourbon like alcohol. Balanced sweetness and a slightly roasted finish. Big chewy mouthfeel with moderate carbonation and a hint of boozy bite. Much better than expected, well done.

Great Lakes Brewing Pompous Ass
Cask. Light brown with a thin white cap. Earthy hop, bread, caramel and floral tea notes on the nose. Moderate body and carbonation. Light sweetness balanced by fair hopping. Sessionable.

Wellington Brewery Chocolate Milk Stout
Cask. Black with a thin tan head. Cocoa, bourbon, licorice and a touch of smoke. Light carbonation and moderate body. Sweetness just in check. Full mouth feel. Enjoy in moderation. One of Welly’s better brews.

Beau's Tom Green Beer
600 mL bottle. Pours black with a nice beige head. Nice aromas of chocolate, anise, coffee, lactose and a hint of herbal hop. Moderate sweetness kept in check with a touch of roast and hop. Moderate carbonation, full body, sits heavy on the palate. Enjoyed.

Founders Porter
355 mL bottle. Pours opaque black with a thick beige cap. Aromas of chocolate, breakfast blend coffee, vanilla, raw sugar and brown spice. Lightly sweet and mildly bitter. Coating mouth feel and lasting finish of cocoa. Moderate carbonation and above average body. Delicious.

Dieu du Ciel Penombre
341 mL bottle. Pours black with a hint of brown around the edges, a nice beige head of foam. Aromas of roasted malt, coffee, dried herbs and spicy hop. Very dry with a strong bitter finish. Lingers on the palate: sticky. A surprising amount of hop bitterness but little flavor or aroma. High carbonation. An interesting beer, not quite what I was expecting; more like an aggressively hopped porter than an IPA with dark malt character.

Founders Dirty Bastard
355 mL bottle. Pours dark mahogany with little to no head. Deep malt notes of amber caramel, raisin and dark honey. Smoky phenolics and heather herb like hop notes. Moderate sweetness offset by a bitter hop bite with a touch of roast. Full bodied with below average carbonation. Very much a love it or leave it style of beer for me.

Founders Backwoods Bastard
355 mL bottle. Pours dark mahogany with a khaki cap of head. Massive nose of bourbon, oak, vanilla, char, and deep caramel malt. Smoke and cherry cough drop like phenolics. Moderate sweetness offset by the heavy oak and a nice hop bite. Full bodied with average carbonation; warming alcohol. An absolute monster of a brew. Prefer this many times over the original.

Muskoka Detour
355 mL bottle. Pours golden straw with a white foam. Citra hop forward; notes of guava, mango and pinapple, caramel malt. Slightly sweet and fruity, only subtly bitter. Light bodied, average carbonation. Tasty and sessionable, no doubt, but feels a bit of a one trick pony.

http://www.ratebeer.com/user/169526/ratings/

Biere de Garde Ambree

Originating from the farmhouses in the North of France (at the Belgian border), Biere de Garde is one of the very few authentic French styles of beer.  It was brewed in the cool winter or spring for the summer ahead.  It comes in a few different profiles; Blonde, Ambre and Brune (Blonde, Amber and Brown respectively).  The name originates from the brewing process: Biere de Garde translates to 'beer for keeping', a reference to the fact that the beer was cellared cold during and after the fermentation process.

There's no hiding the fact that I love Belgian style beers.  Despite it's origins, Biere de Garde shares a lot in common with its cross border cousins, the Belgian Saison and Belgian Pale Ales.  The cold storage process involved in brewing a true BdG seemed like a good step towards brewing a lager style beer as well.

I wanted to keep the beer authentic so I chose a mildly complex grain bill that would offer layered, bready, caramel notes and a touch of dry fruit.  I chose French hops and a yeast strain that purportedly was taken from popular producer Duyck (who produces several tasty variants of BdG under the name Jenlain).  I kept true to the process as well, fermenting at the bottom end of the yeasts comfort zone, and then lowering the temperature for a month of lagering before bottling.

'Farmium' Biere de Garde

OG: 1.064

FG: 1.013

ABV: 6.8%

IBU: 27

SRM: 12

VOL CO2: 3

Grain Bill:

7 lbs pilsner malt

3 lbs Vienna malt

1 lb biscuit malt

½ lb carapils malt

½ lb special b malt

Hop Bill:

2 oz strisselspalt (2.3% AA) @ FWH

2 oz strisselspalt (2.3% AA) @ 30 minutes

Yeast:

1 pkg white labs WLP072 French Ale

built to a cell count of ~314 billion

Other:

1 tsp wyeast yeast nutrient @ 10 minutes

1 tsp irish moss @ 10 minutes

Brew Notes:

mashed @ 148F for 90 minutes

Fermentation Notes:

Fermented @ 64F

10/10/13: SG of 1.013, allowed to warm to 68F

13/10/13: SG of 1.013, started gradually lowering temperature for lagering

17/10/13: reached lager temperature of 35F

Tasting Notes:

Pours a lightly hazed, medium amber color with a frothy head of eggshell colored foam.  Aromas of dark bread, medium caramel, raisin, earthy yeast funk and a hint of roast.  Mildly sweet, offset by woodsy hop bitterness.  Thick, coating mouth feel with moderate to high carbonation.

Really want to see how it progresses over the next six months or so.  If I ever get to rebrewing this I would probably cut down the special B to a few ounces, the roast character that it gives just feels out of place here.  More yeast character would be nice, perhaps a slight under pitch or the addition of brett would do this some justice.  Slightly higher carbonation and a drier finish couldn't hurt either.