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Recipe: Barrique Fritz Steam Beer
From Barrique Brewing & Blending in Nashville, Tennessee, head brewer Spencer Longhurst shares this recipe from an Anchor Steam–inspired collab brewed with their friends at Von Trapp in Stowe, Vermont.
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Longhurst says the brewers named this beer after Von Trapp brewing operations director Tom Everett’s dog—but also “with an obvious ode to Mr. Maytag.”
ALL-GRAIN
Batch size: 5 gallons (19 liters)
Brewhouse efficiency: 72%
OG: 1.052 (12.9°P)
FG: 1.012 (3°P)
IBUs: 36
ABV: 5.2%
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Longhurst says the brewers named this beer after Von Trapp brewing operations director Tom Everett’s dog—but also “with an obvious ode to Mr. Maytag.”
ALL-GRAIN
Batch size: 5 gallons (19 liters)
Brewhouse efficiency: 72%
OG: 1.052 (12.9°P)
FG: 1.012 (3°P)
IBUs: 36
ABV: 5.2%
[PAYWALL]
MALT/GRAIN BILL
7 lb (3.2 kg) Weyermann Pilsner
1.2 lb (544 g) Weyermann Munich I
12.5 oz (354 g) Weyermann CaraMunich I
6 oz (170 g) Weyermann Rye Malt
4 oz (113 g) Weyermann Acidulated
1.5 oz (43 g) Weyermann Carafa Special III (added at sparge)
HOPS SCHEDULE
0.33 oz (9 g) Hallertauer Magnum at first wort [18 IBUs]
0.33 oz (9 g) Northern Brewer (U.S.) at 30 minutes [8 IBUs]
0.33 oz (9 g) Northern Brewer (U.S.) at 15 minutes [6 IBUs]
0.33 oz (9 g) Northern Brewer (U.S.) at whirlpool [4 IBUs]
YEAST
Fermentis SafLager W-34/70 or other 34/70 strain
DIRECTIONS
Mill all the grains, but keep the Carafa separate. Aiming for a 4:1 liquor-to-grist ratio, mash at 131°F (55°C) for 10 minutes; then raise to 144°F (62°C) and rest 45 minutes; then raise to 158°F (70°C) and rest 15 minutes. Prepare for a decoction: Transfer about one-third of the mash volume to a separate kettle, bring it to a boil, and boil for 18 minutes. Return that portion to the main mash, which should raise the temperature to about 169°F (76°C); rest 15 minutes then mash out. Recirculate until the runnings are clear, then run off into the kettle. Add the Carafa atop the grain bed before sparging, then sparge and top up as needed to get about 6 gallons (23 liters) of wort, depending on your evaporation rate. Boil for 90 minutes, adding hops according to the schedule. After the boil, do a whirlpool step: Stir or recirculate for about 5 minutes to create a vortex, add the whirlpool hops and continue to spin for 15 minutes, then allow 15 more minutes to steep and settle. Chill to 50°F (10°C), aerate the wort, and pitch the yeast. Ferment at 58°F (14°C) until complete and gravity has stabilized. Once the beer has passed a forced VDK test, gradually drop the temperature by 2°F (~1°C) per day until it reaches 30°F (–1°C), then lager 5 weeks. Package and carbonate to about 2.9 volumes of CO2.
BREWER’S NOTES
We have a 20-barrel, steam-heated brewhouse with a cereal cooker, making step mashes and decoctions relatively easy and part of our standard procedure. This recipe also calls for a typical modern lager fermentation. For one that might be closer to traditional steam beer, you could use a Cal common yeast strain (such as White Labs WLP810 San Francisco Lager) and allow fermentation at near-ambient temperatures (58–68°F/14–20°C), then condition in the keg but skip the cold temperatures—the lack of refrigeration was how this style came to be. We also lagered this beer in former wine barrels—not quite traditional, but perhaps an echo of the old ways of conditioning in casks before tapping them on the bar.
Spencer Longhurst is head brewer at Barrique Brewing & Blending in Nashville, Tennessee.