When I fell in love with beer, I knew it was only a matter of time until I wanted to make my own. Little did I know that an excellent homebrew supply store was only three minutes away from campus, and when my family chipped in to buy the homebrew supplies as a birthday present I knew I was on my way! The first beer I brewed was based off of Anne Whyte’s recipe for an American amber ale, which we lovingly dubbed “Pillar of Autumn.” It was well-received, but it had a few characteristics I knew I wanted to breed out of it if I made it again. After brewing a batch of the “Rocky Raccoon Honey Lager” from Charlie Papazian’s book, I decided to reach for the stars, put a British twist on the American amber, and see what develops.

Of course, I decided to blog about it, too.

Stock pot, malt extract, yeast, and hops!

“Pillar of Autumn 2.0″

Grain Bill:

  • 8oz Carahell
  • 8oz Caramel Wheat
  • 8oz CaraRed
  • 4oz Belgian Special-B

Hopping Schedule:

  • Styrian Goldings (60 mins)
  • Bramling Cross (30 mins)
  • Styrian Goldings (5 mins)

Styrian Goldings are famous for their use as a finishing hop, and for their flavorings in English pale ales. Bramling Cross is a cross between Bramling, a traditional English Golding variety, and a wild Manatoban hop. The Styrian Goldings are mellow and sweet-smelling, whereas the BramlingX are much fruiter and more floral. They also have a more pronounced presence.

Straining the specialty grains.

Meanwhile, the CaraRed malts give a predictably well-saturated red color. Caramel is the base of the malt’s aroma, with the Belgian Special-B adding a ripe raisin smell. To be honest, I really liked the color of the original “Pillar of Autumn,” and I’m glad to bring it back.

Brewed with 6 pounds of amber malt extract, I’m hoping this will produce a refreshing amber ale, but with a British twist. In fact, the sharp, astringent citrus smell from the Bramling Cross made me think of blackcurrants. Of course, the proof will be in the pudding, but we’re going to see how this puppy turns out.

I’m going to be optimistic and assume that it’s going to turn out well. In fact, I’m going to post the details here in advance, just to display my faith.

Mr. Spoon approves.

Warm 2 gallons of cool, clean water and steep the specialty grains for 3o minutes (aim for water temperature ~150-160 °F, or so I’m told). For maximum efficiency, rinse the grains with water. Add the malt extract. Try to boil 3 gallons if you have a 5 gallon pot.

When the time comes, add Windsor Ale yeast. Anne Whyte suggested this strain for its neutrality. The manufacturer optimistically promises pleasant esters and a fresh yeasty flavor. I’m hoping this yeast will compliment the BramlingX by bringing out esters to base the fruit aroma on.

As of press time, the wort has been fermenting for about 48 hours, and the airlock is bubbling away quite happily. I’ll be sure to update the blog with the timetable I followed and, of course, the final tasting results. I’m hoping to have a complete fermentation and be ready to bottle and rack by the end of the week. More pictures then, too. I’ll be blogging it all with the “Pillar of Autumn” tag.

The amazing part of this whole recipe is how it was Anne Whyte, proprietor of Vermont Homebrew, was able to piece together different pieces of this based on an informal conversation with my roommates. One of my roommates, Joe, just returned from studying abroad in Scotland. He pointed to one of the beer coasters lining the walls of Vermont Homebrew, and instantly Whyte sparked a conversation about beer and Scotch. With just a few gentle questions, her American Amber recipe morphed and changed into something that sounds more and more like a British pale ale. Perhaps I’ll try to clone something from Wytchwood next . . .

Windsor ale yeast

Checking the specific gravity

Had to cook Grandma Darsch's sausages for dinner at the same time.

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