Homebrew: Tavern Tan Rye Extra Pale Ale

My friend Dave plays drums for the local band Tavern Tan and recently asked me to brew up something tasty and sessionable for an upcoming show. I came up with what I call a rye extra pale ale. Not only does the rye taste great, but these guys are also no stranger to rye whiskey.

The "extra pale ale" part comes from the lowered bitterness. And, I wouldn't want to call this beer a blond ale, because frankly, American blond ales usually suck. But I also kept the pale ale name because this should have a great hoppy character from the late hop additions despite the low IBUs.

For 5 gallons:

7# Maris Otter
2# Malted Rye
1# Victory Malt

1.33 oz. Mt. Hood @ First Wort Hop
1 oz. Mt. Hood @ 5 min
.67 oz. Mt Hood @ 0 min

Wyeast 1056 American Ale

IBU: 26
SRM: 7
SG: 1.051 (after I poured a quart of water in)
FG: 1.008
ABV: 5.6%

Tasting notes after a week in the fermentor: Big bready flavor with rye and toast followed by mild citrus spice and respectable bitterness (on par for a pale ale). A bit yeasty though.

Someone at the FDA needs a reality check

Nine students at Central Washington University were recently hospitalized and Four Loko is to blame. For anyone unfamiliar with Four Loko, it's a 12% fruit-flavored malt beverage with an undisclosed amount of caffeine (it's more than enough). It's about $2 for a 24-ounce can and widely available and convenience stores like 7-Eleven. It's basically like combining a 6-pack of light beer with a couple cups of coffee in one convenient can. Sounds like an awful idea right?

Frankly I think it's a bad enough idea that if adults want to imbibe, that's their choice/problem. Four Loko isn't the only drink like this. If the Blue Raspberry flavor isn't to your liking, you can pick up a can of Watermelon-flavored Joose (only 10% ABV), or make a vodka-tonic with some 3 A.M. Vodka.

My only problem is that the FDA has included a craft-brewed coffee stout on their list of caffeinated alcoholic beverages. I don't know who thought singling this beer out was a good idea, or would even warn of the potential pitfalls of a delicious stout, but I'm disappointed that nobody can recognize the difference between a "$2 blackout in a can" and a spendy, well-made beer. I'd hate to see legit coffee beers with negligible amounts of caffeine getting dragged into this mess.

One of these things is not like the other:

List of Manufacturers of Caffeinated Alcoholic Beverages

Charge Beverages Corporation
Products: Liquid Charge, Liquid Core, High Gravity Core

United Brands Company, Inc
Products: Joose, Max Vibe, Max Fury, Max Live, 3Sum

Phusion Projects LLC
Products: Four, Four Loko, Four Maxed

Point Blank Beverages Co.
Products: Torque

Hard Wired Brewing Company, LLC
Products: Hard Wired

Mix Master Beverage Co
Products: 24/7

Catalyst Beverage Company
Products: Catalyst

New Century Brewing Company
Products: Moonshot

Melanie Brewing Co
Products: Evil Eye

Thomas Creek Brewery, LLC
Products: Mobius Lager

Diageo North America, Inc
Products: Smirnoff Raw Tea Malt Beverage

Constellation Brands
Products: Wide Eye

The P.I.N.K. Spirits Company/Prohibition Beverage Inc
Products: P.I.N.K. Vodka, P.I.N.K. Tequila, P.I.N.K. Rum, P.I.N.K. Gin, P.I.N.K. White Whiskey, P.I.N.K. Sake

Delicious Brands Inc.
Products: Lotus Vodka

Sovereign Brands
Products: 3AM Vodka

Moet Hennessey/Millennium Import LLC
Products: Belevedere IX

Shotpak Vodka
Products: Gravity Vodka

Wingard USA (Importer)
Products: V2 Vodka with Caffeine, Everglo Vodka

LeVecke Corporation
Products: Vicious Vodka with Caffeine

Rocktail Drinks/Liquid Manufacturing LLC
Products: Slingshot Party Gel

Cold Spring Brewing Company/Atomic Brands
Products: A:M Carpe Noctern

808 Spirits Co.
Products: 808 Mango Beat

Gaamm Imports Inc.
Products: Booya Espresso Silver Tequila with Caffeine

Ithaca Beer Co.
Products: Ithaca Eleven Malt Beverage with Coffee

Gluek Brewing Company
Products: Gruv Malt Beverage with Guarana

MHW, Ltd and Niche Import Company
Products: Agwa De Bolivia

Rizer Spirits Inc
Products: XZO Vodka with Caffeine, Taurine, and Guarana

ELF Gardens Pumpkin Ale

I spent Sunday afternoon at a friend's place that we like to call ELF Gardens brewing up a pumpkin ale for Halloween. While sparge was slow and I was shooting to mash a few degrees hotter, all went well. Here's the recipe, it's based off an ESB, a favorite style of mine. I figure I'll add a tsp pumpkin pie spice at bottling and pull off a plain growler for myself.

10# Marris Otter Pale Malt
1.5# CaraMunich 10L
.5# 120L
7 lb pumpkin, cubed and baked at 375F for 60 min, added to mash
4 lb acorn squash, cubed and baked at 375F for 60 min, added to mash

Mash for 60 min at 151F
Efficiency 80% (not including converted starch from the pumpkin/squash)

1 oz. Liberty Hops at 60 min
1 oz. Liberty Hops at 30 min
1 oz. Liberty Hops at 1 min

Wyeast London Ale Yeast

SRM Color: 12 (medium amber)
IBU: 29
OG: 1.066
FG: 1.008
ABV: 7.6