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Recipe: Pora Roku Grodziskie
Oak-smoked wheat malt drives the character of this Polish-style quaffer, which—when brewed well—is as refreshing on a warm day as it is appropriate next to an autumn bonfire.
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ALL-GRAIN
Batch size: 5 gallons (19 liters)
Brewhouse efficiency: 72%
OG: 1.040 (10°P)
FG: 1.010 (2.6°P)
IBUs: 27
ABV: 3.9%
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ALL-GRAIN
Batch size: 5 gallons (19 liters)
Brewhouse efficiency: 72%
OG: 1.040 (10°P)
FG: 1.010 (2.6°P)
IBUs: 27
ABV: 3.9%
[PAYWALL]
MALT/GRAIN BILL
7.5 lb (3.4 kg) oak-smoked wheat malt
11 oz (312 g) rice hulls
HOPS SCHEDULE
3 oz (85 g) Hallertauer Mittelfrüh at 20 minutes [27 IBUs]
YEAST
Wyeast 1007 German Ale
DIRECTIONS
Mill the grains, mix with the rice hulls, and mash at 152°F (67°C) for 75 minutes. Recirculate until the runnings are clear, then run off into the kettle. Sparge and top up as needed to get about 6 gallons (23 liters) of wort, depending on your evaporation rate. Boil for 60 minutes, adding hops according to the schedule. After the boil, chill to about 67°F (19°C), aerate the wort, and pitch the yeast. Ferment at 67°F (19°C) for 7 days, then allow a free-rise to ambient temperature until fermentation is complete and gravity has stabilized. Then crash, package, and carbonate to about 2.6 volumes of CO2—or higher, depending on your comfort level. (Known as “Polish champagne,” grodziskie traditionally was bottle-conditioned; with sturdy bottles, you could take the carbonation north of 3 volumes.)
BREWER’S NOTES
Finings: Grodziskie is known for its clarity. Kettle finings (such as Irish moss or Whirlfloc) or tank finings (such as Biofine) are worth considering.
Variations: This recipe is delicious, highly drinkable, and highly adaptable for any smoked-beer fans who want to tinker. Toy around with the grist by exchanging a pound (454 grams) of the oak-smoked wheat with something else you like or seasonally appropriate. I recommend sticking with low-Lovibond malts such as light Munich, Vienna, or various smoked malts. It may be blasphemy, but I’ve even swapped in rye malt with interesting results. The key is to keep the emphasis on smoke in a session-strength beer with noticeable Noble-hop aromatics and a nice, clean fermentation.
