This being my first book review, I feel it is necessary to start out by admitting that I am not a book guy. I’d like to think I just don’t have the time for pleasure reading, but the reality is I just don’t have the attention span for it. After spending all day producing and consuming all manner of technical material (software lifecycle change documents and I have a special relationship), I have a hard time spending an evening mucking through long-winded descriptions and abstract imagery.
This has created a peculiar situation where my favorite and most frequent forms of reading are cook books, homebrew books and beer guides. I love that I can pick up one of these books, read a single page and put it back down, having learned something new. I like to say that I am reading extremely short stories. My wife is quick to point out that neither a recipe for vegetarian curry nor the description of Rodenbach Grand Cru contains the necessary elements of a story, such as characters or a plot, but they seem to to provide the needed fix when I get a jones for the written word.
So, knowing this, you can imagine why I was a little hesitant when Ten Speed Press offered me an advance copy of The Craft of Stone Brewing Co. Sporting the subtitle “Liquid Lore, Epic Recipes, and Unabashed Arrogance,” I was fearing a several-hundred page, Calagione-esq, look-at-what-I-did-man-am-I-so-great, rant of a book. A daunting proposition for a guy who failed to finish the introduction to Don Quixote.
Luckily for me, what arrived in the mail was everything I like about books. Within the pages of The Craft of Stone Brewing Co. live a cookbook, a homebrew book and a beer guide. In fact, these three elements comprise a full two-thirds of the book. The rest of the print splits time between the history and science of beer and the story of Stone Brewing.
And for the volume with which the word “arrogant” is thrown around, the book is anything but. While Greg (Koch) frequently attributes Stone’s success to he and Steve’s (Wagner) uncompromising dedication to doing things their way, he is also fast to explain that “their way” should be taken to mean “the way”, but used as an example of how you can succeed by doing things “your way.” And he pulls it off with much greater elegance than that last butchered sentence of mine displays. Maybe I do need to read more…
The best thing about The Craft of Stone Brewing Co. is that it passed my single-page-test with flying colors. For more than a month, the book occupied a prominent spot on my coffee table. Whenever I found myself with a couple free minutes, I would open it up and read a page. The first time around, I got a quick guide to beer and food pairing, which oddly-enough, did not pimp Stone beer once. The second time around, I got the story of Arrogant Bastard Onion Rings and the logistical nightmare that led to their removal from the Stone World Bistro menu. On my third stab, it was a homebrew recipe for for an unfamiliar beer named Lee’s Mild. This led me to the index which in turn pointed me to the beer guide section, where I learned that Lee’s Mild was a limited run bottle release based on a pilot batch by then-head brewer Lee Chase, which had won the Brewer’s Choice award at a local Real Ale Festival. Back to the index again and I was directed to a passage about former head brewer Lee Chase, written by now-owner of Blind Lady Ale House, Lee Chase. Mmm…non-linear chewiness.
Being a home brewer and, as I mentioned above, having a penchant for cook books, the recipe section was easily my favorite part of the book. With Ten Speed’s permission, I am posting three recipes from The Craft of Stone Brewing Co.: Old Guardian Barley Wine, Stone Smoked Porter and Arrogant Bastard Onion Rings. Enjoy.
Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine
5 gallons (about fifty-four 12-ounce bottles or thirty 22-ounce bottles)
21 pounds, 9.6 ounces crushed North American two-row pale malt
14.4 ounces crushed 60L crystal malt
About 10 gallons plus 8 cups water
1.69 ounces Warrior hops (15.0% alpha acid)
1/2 teaspoon Irish moss
1.94 ounces Crystal hops (3.5% alpha acid)
1 (35 ml) package White Labs WLP007 Dry
English Ale Yeast or WLP002 English Ale Yeast
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons light dried malt extract
I can’t stress it enough: clean and sanitize everything.
Mashing
In a 10-gallon brew kettle, combine the crushed malts with 7 gallons plus 1 cup of 161°F water. The water should cool slightly when mixed with the grain. Cover and hold the mash at 148°F for 90 minutes.
For safety’s sake, set up your propane burner outside. Set the brew kettle of mash on top and heat to 160°F, stirring frequently to avoid scorching. Turn off the heat. The mash will continue to increase in temperature to about 165°F.
Lautering and Sparging
Lauter the mash according to the instructions on page 159. Once the liquid is lower than the level of the grain, begin to slowly sprinkle 3 gallons plus 7 cups of 168°F water over the grains to start the sparge. Continue sparging as instructed on page 159.
The Boil
Set the brew kettle of wort on your outdoor propane burner and add water to bring the wort level up to 7 gallons, if needed. Bring the wort to a rapid, rolling boil. As it begins to come to a boil, a layer of foam and scum may develop at the surface. Skim it off and discard. Once the wort is at a full boil, put a hops bag containing the Warrior hops in the kettle and set a timer for 1 hour and 45 minutes. Stir the wort frequently during the boil, and be watchful to avoid boilovers.
At 15 minutes before the end of the boil, stir in the Irish moss. When the boiling time is over, turn off the heat and put a hops bag containing the Crystal hops in the kettle. Cover the kettle and immediately begin cooling the wort quickly (see page 160).
Pitching the Yeast and Fermentation
Once the wort has cooled to 72°F, discard the spent hops and check the specific gravity of the wort with a hydro-meter. The target starting gravity is 1.103 (24.5 Plato).
Transfer the wort to the primary fermentation bucket according to the instructions on page 160. Pitch the yeast (or prepare a yeast starter) according to the instructions on page 160.
Allow the wort to ferment through primary and secondary fermentation (see page 160) at 72°F until it reaches a specific gravity of 1.016 (4 Plato).
Bottling
When you’re ready to bottle, clean and sanitize the bottles, caps, and bottling equipment. Put the dried malt extract in a medium saucepan and stir in just enough water to dissolve it. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Remove from the heat, cover, and let cool slightly. Proceed with bottling according to the instructions on page 161.
Starting gravity 1.103 (24.5 Plato)
Final gravity 1.016 (4 Plato)
Ferment at 72°F
Stone Smoked Porter
5 gallons (about fifty-four 12-ounce bottles or thirty 22-ounce bottles)
10 pounds, 0.8 ounce crushed North American two-row pale malt
1 pound, 2.5 ounces crushed 75L crystal malt
10.7 ounces crushed chocolate malt
4.9 ounces crushed peat-smoked malt
About 9 gallons plus 4 cups water
0.71 ounce Columbus hops (12.9% alpha acid)
1/2 teaspoon Irish moss
0.60 ounce Mt. Hood hops (6.0% alpha acid)
1 (35 ml) package White Labs WLP007 Dry
English Ale Yeast or WLP002 English Ale Yeast
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons light dried malt extract
Clean and sanitize everything. Did I mention that already? Good, because I can’t stress it enough: clean and sanitize everything.
Mashing
In a 10-gallon insulated cooler, combine the crushed malts with 3 gallons plus 13 cups of 173°F water. The water should cool slightly when mixed with the grain. Hold the mash at 157°F for 10 minutes.
Add 2 gallons plus 2 cups of 182°F water. The mixture should come up to 165°F.
Lautering and Sparging
Lauter the mash according to the instructions on page 159. Once the liquid is lower than the level of the grain, begin to slowly sprinkle 3 gallons plus 2 cups of 168°F water over the grains to start the sparge. Continue sparging as instructed on page 159.
The Boil
For safety’s sake, set up your propane burner outside. Set the brew kettle of wort on top and add water to bring the wort level up to about 6 gallons plus 12 cups, if needed. Bring the wort to a rapid, rolling boil. As it begins to come to a boil, a layer of foam and scum may develop at the surface. Skim it off and discard. Once the wort is at a full boil, put a hops bag containing the Columbus hops in the kettle and set a timer for 90 minutes. Stir the wort frequently during the boil, and be watchful to avoid boilovers.
At 15 minutes before the end of the boil, stir in the Irish moss. When the boiling time is over, turn off the heat and put a hops bag containing the Mt. Hood hops in the kettle. Cover the kettle and immediately begin cooling the wort quickly (see page 160).
Pitching the Yeast and Fermentation
Once the wort has cooled to 72°F, discard the spent hops and check the specific gravity of the wort with a hydro-meter. The target starting gravity is 1.065 (16 Plato).
Transfer the wort to the primary fermentation bucket according to the instructions on page 160. Pitch the yeast (or prepare a yeast starter) according to the instructions on page 160.
Allow the wort to ferment through primary and secondary fermentation (see page 160) at 72°F until it reaches a specific gravity of 1.018 (4.5 Plato).
Bottling
When you’re ready to bottle, clean and sanitize the bottles, caps, and bottling equipment. Put the dried malt extract in a medium saucepan and stir in just enough water to dissolve it. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Remove from the heat, cover, and let cool slightly. Proceed with bottling according to the instructions on page 161.
Variations on a Theme
We’ve come up with a few slight changes to the Stone Smoked Porter that we like to make from time to time, just to keep things interesting.
Stone Smoked Porter with Chipotle: Put 0.42 ounce of chopped dried chipotle peppers in a hops bag, add it during secondary fermentation, and allow it to steep for 3 days (or more or less, depending on how spicy you’d like your brew to be).
Stone Smoked Porter with Vanilla Beans: Place 0.42 ounce of split, scraped, and chopped Madagascar vanilla beans in a hops bag, add it during secondary fermentation, and allow it to steep for 3 days (or more or less, as you wish).
Starting gravity 1.065 (16 Plato)
Final gravity 1.018 (4.5 Plato)
Ferment at 72°F
Arrogant Bastard Ale Onion Rings
Serves 6 to 8
4 very large yellow onions
1 recipe Arrogant Bastard Ale Batter (recipe
follows)
Vegetable oil, for frying
Kosher salt
Stone Smoked Porter BBQ Sauce, for dipping
Cut off the ends of each onion, cut in half crosswise (around the equator), and remove the papery skin and thin outer membrane. Soak in a bowl of ice water for 10 minutes.
Drain the onions, separate the concentric rings, and spread them on a kitchen towel to dry.
Preheat the oven to 200°F. Prepare a deep fryer, filling it with oil to the manufacturer’s suggested fill level. Alternately, use a wide cast-iron or other heavy-duty pan that’s at least 4 inches deep, pouring in oil to a depth of
2 to 3 inches, and no more than halfway up the side of the pan. Heat the oil to 360°F.
Dunk the onion rings in the batter and fry in batches until crispy and deep reddish brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan, as this will lower the temperature of the oil significantly and result in soggy onion rings. Transfer cooked onion rings to a wire rack set over a baking sheet (or directly on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet). Season with a sprinkling of salt and keep them in the oven until the entire batch has been fried.
Serve hot, with a side of Stone Smoked Porter BBQ Sauce for dipping. (NO ketchup!)
Arrogant Bastard Ale Batter
Makes 2 cups, enough for 1 batch of controversial onion rings
Publicans the world round know what great affinity fried food and beer have for each other. And while we stay away from the standard jalapeño popper, buffalo wing, and mozzarella stick sampler platter of caloric/culinary doom, we do have a deep fryer in our kitchen and we do make some tasty stuff in it, like our Spud Buds (page 135). It certainly helps to have an awesome beer batter to dunk stuff in, and we really have the best around. You could probably fry an old shoe in this stuff and it would taste delicious. Don’t—but take solace in knowing that you probably could.
2 cups (16 fluid ounces) cold Arrogant Bastard Ale
Heaping 3/4 teaspoon Cajun spice blend
Heaping 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground dried chipotle chiles
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
About 1 cup (4 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pour the Arrogant Bastard Ale into a high-sided narrow container. Stir in the Cajun spice blend, salt, chipotle, smoked paprika, and garlic. Sift the flour and baking powder together, then add them to the beer mixture slowly, whisking well until they’re evenly and thoroughly incorporated. You may need a bit more or less flour to reach the ideal consistency for a tempura-style batter. It should be just thick enough to coat whatever you’re frying.
“Reprinted with permission from The Craft of Stone Brewing Co.: Liquid Lore, Epic Recipes, and Unabashed Arrogance. Copyright © 2011 by Stone Brewing Co. and Randy Clemens, Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, Berkeley, CA. Photo credit: John Schulz Photography.”
Arrogant Bastard Ale Onion Rings
Serves 6 to 8
4 very large yellow onions
1 recipe Arrogant Bastard Ale Batter (recipe follows)
Vegetable oil, for frying
Kosher salt
Stone Smoked Porter BBQ Sauce, for dipping
Cut off the ends of each onion, cut in half crosswise (around the equator), and remove the papery skin and thin outer membrane. Soak in a bowl of ice water for 10 minutes.
Drain the onions, separate the concentric rings, and spread them on a kitchen towel to dry.
Preheat the oven to 200°F. Prepare a deep fryer, filling it with oil to the manufacturer’s suggested fill level. Alternately, use a wide cast-iron or other heavy-duty pan that’s at least 4 inches deep, pouring in oil to a depth of 2 to 3 inches, and no more than halfway up the side of the pan. Heat the oil to 360°F.
Dunk the onion rings in the batter and fry in batches until crispy and deep reddish brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan, as this will lower the temperature of the oil significantly and result in soggy onion rings. Transfer cooked onion rings to a wire rack set over a baking sheet (or directly on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet). Season with a sprinkling of salt and keep them in the oven until the entire batch has been fried.
Serve hot, with a side of Stone Smoked Porter BBQ Sauce for dipping. (NO ketchup!)
Arrogant Bastard Ale Batter
Makes 2 cups, enough for 1 batch of controversial onion rings
Publicans the world round know what great affinity fried food and beer have for each other. And while we stay away from the standard jalapeño popper, buffalo wing, and mozzarella stick sampler platter of caloric/culinary doom, we do have a deep fryer in our kitchen and we do make some tasty stuff in it, like our Spud Buds (page 135). It certainly helps to have an awesome beer batter to dunk stuff in, and we really have the best around. You could probably fry an old shoe in this stuff and it would taste delicious. Don’t—but take solace in knowing that you probably could.
2 cups (16 fluid ounces) cold Arrogant Bastard Ale
Heaping 3/4 teaspoon Cajun spice blend
Heaping 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground dried chipotle chiles
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
About 1 cup (4 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pour the Arrogant Bastard Ale into a high-sided narrow container. Stir in the Cajun spice blend, salt, chipotle, smoked paprika, and garlic. Sift the flour and baking powder together, then add them to the beer mixture slowly, whisking well until they’re evenly and thoroughly incorporated. You may need a bit more or less flour to reach the ideal consistency for a tempura-style batter. It should be just thick enough to coat whatever you’re frying.
The
Craft of Stone Brewing Co. is a quick, but highly-engaging read and packed full of information to come back to. This is a book for Stone fans first and foremost, but also something many home brewers and craft beer enthusiasts would enjoy. The book is out now and available through all major outlets, including
Amazon and
Barnes and Noble.
Cheers!
Kevin
