Annie Johnson is an experienced R&D brewer, IT specialist, and national beer judge. Her awards include 2013 American Homebrewer of the Year honors.
Inspired by Rogue Shakespeare Oatmeal Stout, the base here is English-style yet robust, with a taste of the Pacific Northwest. Use fresh oyster shells, when in season, with an eye toward adjusting the type and quantity of shells in future batches.
While not for vegetarians, oyster stout has the power to raise eyebrows with its sheer oddity and unlikely compatibility of flavors. The stout base is ideal for brewers with any level of experience—but are you ready to play the shell game?
Old-school malt layers, New World hop flavors, and that beautiful red-amber color... Love live the red IPA.
In this throwback IPA style that recalls the beauty of malt—both visually and in the flavor—you can go with a complex, layered all-grain grist. Or, you can get there quicker (and just as beautifully red) with an intentional approach to extract brewing.
Here’s an elegant homebrew recipe for a super-lean and dry rice lager, ideal for warm summer nights or enjoying with virtually any meal.
You don’t need an industrial Japanese brewery—nor even an all-grain homebrew system—to make a clean, light-bodied, refreshing rice lager ideal for sushi and summertime.
For those who like it dark, strong, and contemplative, here’s a partial-mash extract recipe for a Trappist-inspired ale that can be cellared for many months, with a drinkability belies its strength and complexity.
Belgium’s dark, strong ales are among the most complex and impressive beers in the canon—yet extract brewers can tackle them as well as anyone, as long as we pay attention to a few key points.
So, you put the lime in the coconut—or, better yet, add them both to secondary. Then you drink it all up.
Extract brewing provides a more-than-capable canvas for getting creative with the unusual fruits that arrive this time of year. Annie Johnson breaks it down.