SEYMOUR ROSEMARY GOLDEN ALE

[seymour]

SEYMOUR ROSEMARY GOLDEN ALE

6 US gallons = 5 Imperial gallons = 22.7 Liters

GRAINBILL
95% = 9.31 lbs = 4223 g, UK Lager Malt
5% = .49 lb = 222 g, Molasses (added to boil)

MASH at 149°F/65°C for 60 min

HOPS
66% = 1.9 oz = 54 g, Hallertau, 60 min
33% = .95 oz = 27 g, Hallertau, 15 min
+ large handful of freshly picked rosemary twigs at flame-out, steep until chilled

YEAST
Ringwood Brewery dual-strain, or the high-attenuating English ale yeast of your choice

APPROXIMATE STATS
OG: 1049
FG: 1010
ABV: 5.0%
IBU: 30
COLOUR: clear golden with sudsy white foam

[wally]

Seymour, this appears to be an interesting recipe.

I'm considering something with rosemary myself to celebrate our upcoming ANZAC Day.

How much of the rosemary comes through in the finished product? Is it subtle or more in your face?

Do you leave the rosemary on the twigs and steep the woody part also?

Cheers,

Wally

[seymour]

Seymour, this appears to be an interesting recipe...

Thanks, it is tasty and refreshing.

I'm considering something with rosemary myself to celebrate our upcoming ANZAC Day...

That's cool. I had to look up what ANZAC Day is, interesting stuff. Are you personally involved in the military, or is this just for a big national Memorial Day party kinda thing?

How much of the rosemary comes through in the finished product? Is it subtle or more in your face?

Do you leave the rosemary on the twigs and steep the woody part also?

In my batch, there wasn't an overwhelming amount of rosemary essence, just some added herbal/woodsy/earthy/perfumey complexity which played nicely with the noble hops and woodsy/spicy Ringwood yeast. I then bottle-conditioned with somewhat heavy-handed priming sugar, so the spritzy carbonation splashed it all around the palate more than usual. People I shared it with knew it had a little something extra, but couldn't specifically identify rosemary, which I take as a compliment. It's like that Belgian brewing credo: if you can tell exactly which spices were used, then they used too much.

Oh, and I left the little leaves/needles on the twigs, but I used all soft green branch tips (new season growth, each section at most only 3" or so long) so there wasn't too much hardened woody matter. I've brewed similar beers with juniper twigs that had more wood, though, and haven't ever gotten any bad side effects.

[wally]

That's cool. I had to look up what ANZAC Day is, interesting stuff. Are you personally involved in the military, or is this just for a big national Memorial Day party kinda thing?

I've not been involved in the military, however my Grandfather and Parents were.

I used to work at Repatriation General Hospital, Daw Park. It was part of the Department of Veterans' Affairs - the US equivalent being Veterans' Administration. I've been exposed to ANZAC Day and the celebration of it all my life.

The interesting thing about it, is that it is a celebration of an unmitigated disaster. For a start, the men were landed in the wrong place and they had to dig in, basically not achieving any significant advance in the eight months or so they were there. The casualties on both sides were high, with the Turks losses larger than the ANZACS. they miraculously managed to retreat without a life being lost.

This year is the 100th anniversary of the landing at Gallipoli, so it's a much bigger celebration. There are many people traveling to Gallipoli this year to witness the dawn service.

I'm thinking of using the ingredients in ANZAC biscuits for the basis of my recipe, rolled oats, coconut, brown sugar, golden syrup plus ale, brown and wheat malt. Not sure what hops to use yet, and I am considering using the rosemary which grew at the Repat. Hospital, as it is rumored that one of the Gallipoli "Diggers" brought some back from the campaign and planted it at the hospital when it was built during the Second World War.

See here :-http://www.awm.gov.au/encyclopedia/anza ... it/recipe/ for what an ANZAC biscuit is.

Your experience with rosemary gives me some hope that my brew may be OK with rosemary in it.

Thanks,

Wally

[colgilbec]

Seymour,
Knew i should have waited or asked for clarification first.
Just been to garden centre and bought an established rosemary plant with loads of twigs, then just saw the answered reply about only using the new growth and leaves,dohh.
Still looking forward to trying this though as i,m a great fan of the williams bros brewery in scotland, their beers are fantastic , who use traditional plants like bog myrtle, heather,pine needles, seaweed and various fruits giving excellent character beers.
The grain bill for this Roemary ale seems so simple though? head retention etc?.

[seymour]

Seymour,
Knew i should have waited or asked for clarification first.
Just been to garden centre and bought an established rosemary plant with loads of twigs, then just saw the answered reply about only using the new growth and leaves,dohh.
Still looking forward to trying this though as i,m a great fan of the williams bros brewery in scotland, their beers are fantastic , who use traditional plants like bog myrtle, heather,pine needles, seaweed and various fruits giving excellent character beers.
The grain bill for this Roemary ale seems so simple though? head retention etc?.

No worries, I am sure that'll work just fine, plus you'll have a source of fresh rosemary for years to come. I've also successfully brewed with diced, dried rosemary leaves from the baking section of the supermarket, so it's not an exact science.

Yes, the grainbill is simple by design. It lacks the unmalted oats/torrified wheat/flaked barley, etc, which I usually call for, but I was going for a light and spritzy, super easy-drinking golden ale, almost approaching lager territory. I love heavy malt complexity too, but that's not the kind of beer this is.

Even so, you'd be surprised how much flavour and mouthfeel complexity a little molasses/treacle contributes, and as you can see from the photo, there was still nice foam and lace.

Happy experimenting, guys!

[seymour]

Wally, I LOVE how you think. Please keep us posted on your final recipe concept. Can't wait to hear how that goes for you.

[colgilbec]

Thanks seymour,
Gonna give this a go at the weekend, just one last question if i may,
hallertau hops , i have both hallertau northern brewer 9% ebu and hallertau mittlefruh 4.1% ebu
Which would you go for thanks

[seymour]

Thanks seymour,
Gonna give this a go at the weekend, just one last question if i may,
hallertau hops , i have both hallertau northern brewer 9% ebu and hallertau mittlefruh 4.1% ebu
Which would you go for thanks

Good point: Hallertau is a hops growing region more so than a specific cultivar. I used the classic Hallertau mittlefruh (leftover Anheuser Busch giveaways, to be honest), selected for their predictable beer-flavoured-beer noble characteristics. That said, I bet your Hallertau-grown Northern Brewer would contribute some extra earthy and minty notes which would blend nicely with rosemary. If you go that route, make sure to use less of them since they're so much higher alpha acid percentage...

Cheers!

[colgilbec]

Cheers Seymour ,
Your knowledge is second to none and very much appreciated,ta.