Westerosi Ale

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Bosh

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Since there's people making Harry Popper butterbeer and a bit long thread about Middle Earth-inspired brews, I thought I'd try to brew up something inpsired by George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series and crack open the first bottle when the fifth book of the series comes out.

Specific information about beer in the books:

sweet beer (offered to Pycelle by Ned)
Strong beer (The beer was black and thick, so strong it stung the eyes. and Tyrion's mouth was full of bread and fish. He took a swallow of strong black beer to wash it all down)
pepper beer (Drogo drinks it)
Thin yellow beer (Craster drinks it)

The sweet beer is probably something unhopped and medicinal with herbs in it, black, thick strong beer sounds like a good thing to try, pepper beer either with cayanne pepper or black pepper corns (or both!) and then the thin yellow beer is probably a small ale and that's right out :)

I'm leaning towards doing either:
-a big stout with piles of maltodextrine to make it thick (don't have access to lactose and don't want to too sweet) but not hopped as much as a RIS (Westerosi Strong Beer).
-a pale ale with just a bit of black pepper corns and cayanne pepper added in some how (secondary? late in the boil?) to give it some zing but not enough to dominate it. Enough hop flavor to keep the pepper from taking over but not enough to drown out the flavor (Dothraki Pepper Ale).

Throw in some oak chips for both.

How does this sound?
 
This is why I love the internet. Another GRRM fan!

Personally, I wouldn't want to drink anything associated with Craster, and I'm not a fan of too-sweet beer.

Therefore, in my arbitrary, subjective, and fickel opinion, i'd recommend either the pepper beer or the Strong Beer. If I were brewing it (and I'm jealous of the idea), I'd go the stout or maybe strong Dunkel route. "Winter is Coming" ale sounds like something nice to keep in the cellar.
 
jds said:
This is why I love the internet. Another GRRM fan!

Personally, I wouldn't want to drink anything associated with Craster, and while Drogo's pepper beer sounds interesting, I have had jalapeno beers before, and didn't really like them (and I grew up on New Mexico green chiles).

Therefore, i'd recommend either the pepper beer or the Strong Beer. If I were brewing it (and I'm jealous of the idea), I'd go the stout or maybe strong Dunkel route. "Winter is Coming" ale sounds like something nice to keep in the cellar.

Winter is coming would definately be a great name for an ale :)

For a Winter is Coming Sout, thinking something along these lines:

-About 8% ABV, maybe throw some brown sugar dissolved in water into the primary after the malt has finished fermenting to up the alcohol up to 9 or so
-Safale 04 yeast
-Moderate IBUs with just bittering hops, got some Nugget on hand to use.
-enough maltodextrine to make it thick and well carbed to up the mouthfeel.
-some combination of carafa, chocolate malt, black patent malt and roast barley. I really liked the flavor that putting in a big pile of carafa malt gave to my dunkel, you get some good flavor if you lots and lots of it and it's not at all bitter. Might put in a pound or so of carafa and just little bits of the other three.
-about a quarter of a pound of so of caramunich (love the stuff).
-an ounce and a half or so of toasted oak chips, will either steam them or soak them in whiskey, haven't decided yet.
-a pound of so of oats maybe for the mouthfeel?

Basically looking for "The beer was black and thick, so strong it stung the eyes" :)

Edit: hmmm made up a recipe on brewtools and it seems that what I'm thinking of is smack within the GABF specifications for a British-style RIS, which sounds good :)
 
If anybody brewed beer for the release of the book, it's likely going to be dust by the time it finally hits the shelves.

I'm so tired of waiting I could puke. I feel like I need to go back and read all the earlier books again or I won't have any idea what the hell I'm reading, especially since this next one parallels the previous on the time line.

Hurry it the hell up and stop with the stupid figurines or whatever. I think GRRM hates this series.
 
sorry I don't have any opinions on the GRRM books (although i do want to start reading him as soon as the local library gets the first book in) but could you point me to the threads about butterbeer and middle earth brews?
 
Well, as long as I'm on the subject, is GRRM worth reading? A buddy of mine told me to avoid him because he likes to kill off main characters. I'm working my way through the genre right now and have read Robert Jordan (got very longwinded before he died and left the last book unfinished), raymond feist (descent but spans too many generations), terr goodkind (interesting in the beginning but becomes too political), terry brooks (good but all his stuff is exactly the same) and a few others I can't remember. I'm actually reading "Faerie Tale" by Raymond Feist now but since it's a single book I need to find something else to read soon.
 
GRRM is a great read, and I think in part it is because he does kill off main and likeable characters. He's characters are complex and can be very savage, and his plot is very interesting. Pick up the first book, and you'll see what I mean. The problem is, we are all itching for the fifth book, and it's been about 3 years since the last was published.

While I wait, I find Bernard Cornwell's The Saxon Chronicles series to be great. It's historical fiction, but reminds me a bit of GRRM. And Mr. Cornwell has been consistent at publishing 1 per year...

As for the beer, brew the strong black beer, because it will probably age a while. I think you have to load it up with hops and roasted barley along with a high ABV. I imagine some real bite in that beer.
 
I'll have to agree and give the strongest recommendation to the GRRM books. They are the very best books I've ever read - of any genre. You don't have to like fantasy at all to get really into these as they are not typical teenage D&D fantasy stuff. They are probably more medieval themed than fantasy. And, they are very NC17. All you perverts will appreciate them.:D

As to your friend's point, one of the things that makes GRRM's books so great is that they are very different in that you don't just follow a main character or group of characters around for four volumes. He writes from all points of view, so there are many main characters.

The story is very complex and there are many backstories and countless characters to keep track of. How this guy keeps it all straight so he can tie it all together is beyond me. I think he has to be off his nut just a bit.

You'll know within the first couple of chapters whether it's for you or not. It doesn't take long to get hooked to the point you can't put the book down. If it doesn't grab you right away, I'd guess it won't be worth the time investment. I'd bet almost anybody on this board would love them though.

Oh, and this is a beer forum. Go with the black one or something.
 
I just wish GRRM would stop with the cons and anthologies and finish already. I'm afraid he's going to have a coronary or something before finishing, and we'll be stuck with half-finished ideas published in book form, like was done by the heirs of Frank Herbert and JRR Tolkein.

KingBrianI: Definitely worth reading, but be prepared for a long wait for the next book. Personally, I think it's best to read the books back-to-back, because there's so much plot and politics to keep track of.

And while you're waiting for the next book, you can look into these authors:

Robin Hobb
CS Friedman
China Mievelle
SM Stirling
 
I like GRRM a lot, but I think that SoIaF is one of my favorite SF series, but it is starting to get bogged down with way too many point of view characters. Epically the most recent book. While there is a great deal of action occurring, having to see it from so many perspectives makes is go more slowly.

If you like this style of SF i would strongly recommend the Shadow March series by Tad Williams. Epic!

I think I might try making the pepper beer. I think black pepper, Sichuan pepper, and good quality paprika for the capsicum type pepper flavor with out so much heat, and the pretty color.
 
sorry I don't have any opinions on the GRRM books (although i do want to start reading him as soon as the local library gets the first book in) but could you point me to the threads about butterbeer and middle earth brews?

Prof. Tolkien is the master. Accept no substitutes. ;)

I've been reading S M Sterling meself; just finished Peshawar Lancers. Highly recommended.

This is the Hobbit Brew thread.

Ta!
 
I've been reading S M Sterling meself; just finished Peshawar Lancers. Highly recommended.

I'll keep that in mind. I just finished the Dies the Fire trilogy, and Island in the Sea of Time. All of them are well done alternative history tales. Stirling knows his stuff.
 
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