Forest City Brewers - Barley News -

The Barley Whispers

The Official Newsletter of the Forest City Brewers
Febrewary 2004 edition

Next meeting will be Wednesday, February 18th, at 7:00pm
in the basement of L.T.’s, 1011 S. Alpine Rd.

President’s Notes:

Column space reserved ,-)

Secretary’s Notes:

The club website has a new address:

Trip Meister Notes:

Just a reminder about the Bus Trip to Milwaukee on Saturday, the *24* of April (more info later) and First Hockey Night on Feb 25 (we meet at Metrocentre at 6:30 pm.

May 3A Blond Ale

Style Guidelines are from the BJCP Website:
http://bjcp.org/style-index.html

January’s Head-to-Head:

Style: 6A American Pale Ale
Presentation: Charlie Mongan

First Place went to Ken Schulz
Second honors to Chuck Nolan
Topping out the Big Three – A Tie

Alan Novak & Ryan Cooper

Others in the running: Mark Ruprecht, Steve Hall and Bill Liscomb

1. Stout - Chuck Nolan
2. American Ale – Eric Stromberg
3. Porter - Charlie
3. Bock – Fred Hinz
3. Dry Mead - Anita/Steven

The other brews Receiving Votes: Oat Stout – Ryan Cooper, Amber Ale – Bill Liscomb, Amber Ale – Rick Norman

This Month’s Style:

10B. Northern English Brown Ale

Aroma: restrained fruitiness; little to no hop aroma. May have a caramel aspect to the malt character.

Appearance: Dark golden to light brown color.

Flavor: Gentle to moderate sweetness, with a nutty character. Balance is nearly even, with hop flavor low to none. Some fruity esters should be present; low diacetyl is acceptable.

Mouthfeel: medium-light to medium body, with a dry finish.

Overall Impression: Drier and more hop-oriented that southern English brown ale, with a nutty character rather than caramel.

History/Comments: English brown ales are generally split into sub-styles along geographic lines.

Ingredients: English mild ale or pale ale malt base with caramel malts. May also have scant amounts darker malts. English hop varieties are most authentic. Moderate carbonate water.

OG: 1.040-1.050
FG: 1.010-1.013
IBUs: 15-30
SRM: 12-30
ABV: 4-5.0%

Commercial Examples:

Newcastle Brown Ale, Samuel Smith’s Nut Brown Ale, Adams' Nut Brown Ale.

Beer Recipe:

Tipsy Friar - A Brown Ale

This beer is brown, malty, and slightly bitter.

Ingredients: 5# Amber DME (plus ¾ c for conditioning), 1# Light DME, ½# crystal malt (40L), ¾# chocolate malt, ½# light brown sugar, ¾ oz Kent Golding pellets (5.8% - 60 min), ¾ oz Kent Golding pellets (5.8% - 30 min), ½ oz Willamette pellets (finishing; 3.8% - 15 min), ½ oz Willamette pellets (dry), Nottingham dry English ale yeast

Yield: 18 sandwiches

These are a yeast dough bread pocket with a filling of beef, cabbage (or mild sauerkraut, onions, and seasonings. They are baked in various shapes like half-moon, rectangle, round, square, triangle, etc. The Official Nebraska Runza is always baked in a rectangular shape, and the Bierocks of Kansas are baked in the shape of a bun.

History: Both the Bierock and the Runza sandwich have German-Russian roots going back to the 18th century. This unique recipe was passed down from one generation to the next; eventually finding it’s way to the Midwest of America and particularly to the states of Kansas and Nebraska (but with different names). Originally the Bierocks were served to the field workers for lunch. Today Bierocks are enjoyed any time and can be found at just about every church fund-raiser in the Kansas area.

Ingredients: 1 ½# Ground beef, 1 med Head cabbage – shredded, 4 Onions - thinly sliced, 2 pkg Yeast, 1/4 c Water, 2 c Warm water, 6 T Oil, 5 T Sugar, 1 T Salt, 5 1/2 c Flour (more if needed)

Method: (After dough is prepared) Brown beef and remove from pan; sauté onions in hamburger grease until transparent. Add cabbage and cooked beef to onions and cook until tender, adding a little water if it gets too dry if necessary). Season to taste with salt and pepper.

For dough: In a large mixing bowl soften 2-pkgs yeast in 1/4 c water. Add 2 cups warm water, the oil, sugar, and salt. Add flour until the dough consistency is no longer sticky (but not too stiff). Let rise until double; punch down and let re-rise (about another hour).

These can truly be made in about any size or shape (appetizer vs. sandwich; round vs. rectangular), so use your own judgment. Take a piece of dough and roll into a rectangular or round shape, about 1/4" thick. Add filling, and pinch the edges firmly to seal making sure the filling is totally enclosed. Flatten slightly, and place on greased cookie sheet or pan, seam-side down. Let rise again until about double (about 1/2 hour or so). Bake at 375 or 30 minutes. If desired, brush with 1 beaten egg mixed with a little water about 15minutes into baking for a nice golden color.

Nuff fer now…

Submissions for the Barley Whispers?
Send to: amgunn@inwave.com