OnTap Magazine

Malty Richness Darker beers seem to be more satisfying in colder months because, in part, they contain more complex malts, especially of the more stewed, kilned, and roasted varieties. But to brew a truly warming beer, you have to look beyond just the Lovibond of the malt you use. For instance, it is quite possible to brew a super opaque stout that finishes crisp and dry, but does not necessarily satisfy the "warming" criterion. For that to take place, we need malt complexity and richness, or put another way, the malty flavours need to be expressed more aggressively. Think of it as the difference between biting into a piece of toast (undoubtedly a bready taste, but somewhat bland), and biting into a decadent, syrupy waffle (bready, but also rich and delicious). To achieve malt richness, homebrewers need to look at two processes: for all-grain brewers, it lies in the mash. And for extract brewers, it comes down to the speciality grains they co-opt into their recipes. First, let's look at all-grain methods. The key to unlocking malt richness is to prefer higher mashing temperatures, around 68-70°C, and to include a mashing out step, where the mash temperature is raised to around 75°C at the end of the mash. Higher mash temperatures encourage the activation of enzymes that create longer chain sugars, which are perceived as sweeter, more robust in body, and having a richer mouthfeel. Mashing out not only halts the conversion process, but more importantly for our winter warmer objective, it allows for more sugars to be sparged from the grain bed, irrespective of the mashing method you prefer (e.g. fly sparging or BIAB). Extract brewers have a slightly steeper hill to climb. While there is no mashing going on, extract brewers can steep more complex grains, such as crystal malts and chocolate malts in a grain bag (at around 60-70 for 30 minutes) to create a malty tea that forms the liquid medium for their malt extract. Try to layer the malts you use by combining different Lovibond varieties of the same malt type (e.g. different Lovibond Crystal Malts in the same brew). Alcohol Warmth Apart from a rich malty backbone, the other ingredient of beer that makes it such a fantastic, warming beverage is alcohol. Winter warmer beers should have a slightly elevated alcohol percentage, but not one that tastes boozy or heavy, just somewhat more warming than average. To accomplish this, homebrewers can add a touch of brewing sugar to their recipes, either dextrin for a neutral flavour, or something a bit more interesting, like brown sugar, invert sugar syrups, molasses, or even honey. Be careful though! We don't want to lose the body we added during the mash or steeping by masking it with alcohol. The alcohol and malts are dance partners, no one predominating over the other. To ensure that your brew doesn't become bone dry (and lose richness), avoid highly attenuating yeasts and rather select those with a slightly lazier fermentation profile, like English Ale yeasts. Keep your fermentation at room temperature or just below (between 16-18°C) and give the yeast a good amount of time to create the alcohol you need and help with flavour integration and stability. I'd recommend a fermentation no shorter than three weeks, but adding a week or two will often yield more satisfying results. Spice it Up Many winter warmer beers brewed commercially will have a spice or two added, so why not experiment with these yourself? The classic Festive Season spices are of course a natural fit, so cinnamon, cardamon, and black pepper should be considered. Use these like you would hops in the boil, with earlier additions yielding more bitterness and flavour extraction. Quantity-wise, start small, 28 grams at a time, preferring later additions in the boil or in the whirlpool. Don't forget that chilli is also a spice, and can add some additional warmth to your beer. Just be cautious. Small quantities are best lest you want an undrinkable mess (for chilli peppers, aim for around 2-3 grams per litre of wort and add it in the boil)! Always consider the flavour profile of your base beer and how that might marry (or clash) with the spices you have in mind. For instance, our example recipe below is a brown ale, which tends to have raisin, fruitcake, and malty flavours. If we want to add a spice like chilli, it may be wise to use dried or smoked chilis to avoid vegetable flavours that would mesh poorly with a brown ale's core flavours. 1 2 3 ontapmag.co.za | Winter 2024 | 45