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Recipe: Moor Old Freddy Walker
Courtesy of Moor Beer owner Justin Hawke, here is a homebrew-scale recipe based on their dark, rich, highly acclaimed old ale—“Christmas in a glass, all year long.”
Photo: Courtesy Moor Beer
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ALL GRAIN
Batch size: 5 gallons (19 liters)
Brewhouse efficiency: 72%
OG: 1.073
FG: 1.020
IBUs: 40
ABV: 7.3%
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ALL GRAIN
Batch size: 5 gallons (19 liters)
Brewhouse efficiency: 72%
OG: 1.073
FG: 1.020
IBUs: 40
ABV: 7.3%
[PAYWALL]
MALT/GRAIN BILL
10 lb (4.5 kg) British pale
1.4 lb (635 g) wheat malt
1.4 lb (635 g) crystal 60°L
1.4 lb (635 g) black malt
HOPS SCHEDULE
1.9 oz (54 g) Bramling Cross at 60 minutes [33 IBUs]
1.9 oz (54 g) Bramling Cross at 5 minutes [7 IBUs]
YEAST
Fermentis SafAle S-04, or preferred British ale yeast
DIRECTIONS
Mill the grains and mash at 149°F (65°C) for 60 minutes. Recirculate until the runnings are clear, then run off into the kettle. Sparge and top up as necessary to get about 6 gallons (23 liters) of wort. Boil for 60 minutes, adding hops according to the schedule. Chill the wort to about 70°F (21°C), aerate well, and pitch the yeast. Ferment at about 72°F (22°C) for a couple of days, then allow the temperature to free rise. Once fermentation is complete and gravity has stabilized, crash, package, and carbonate. This beer is ideal for bottle- or cask-conditioning (see “Brewing and Conditioning Cask Ale at Home, Simplified,” on beerandbrewing.com). Condition and cellar for at least a month before tasting and set a good amount of stock aside to mature and enjoy for years to come.
BREWER’S NOTES
One note on fermentation: This is a very vigorous and messy fermentation. Be prepared to lose some volume and create a huge, foamy mess. Our original brewhouse and fermentors were made of former dairy tanks that were rectangular with removable steel lids. Freddy would ferment so aggressively that it would literally lift the steel lids off and dump them on the floor, along with gallons of sticky foam. (Always a joy to come in and clean the morning after.) Now that we’ve moved to cylindroconicals, we can control the mess a lot easier. You could arguably use antifoam, but it just wouldn’t feel right.
We hope to see you one day at our tap rooms in London and Bristol and hear your stories. Let us know how you get on with your own old ales by reaching out to us on social media @drinkmoorbeer.
