White house beer

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This whole "buy a kit cause it came from the white house" crap is.....kind of stupid.

It's just like how people buy things because of the name regardless of the quality. I give two ****'s that the white house is getting into beer to be perfectly honest, nothing can make me buy that kit......

The recipe is actually quite tasty. I only have a few batches under my belt and I can say this is by far the best beer I've made. Oh, I made the porter recipe.
 
you don't have to buy a kit. the white house published the recipe, you can buy the individual ingredients.

That's exactly what I did. I printed out the recipe and picked up the ingredients at my LHBS. I thought it would be fun to brew the same recipe that's brewed in the White House kitchen, especially since so many other people were brewing it at the same time.

Not everyone thinks that's worth doing. That's OK. We're not all going to agree on everything, and we don't all like the same things. I don't like barleywines or most IPAs, and have zero interest in brewing them. But I don't see much point in trying to pick fights with people who do like them.
 
They will regurgitate the nectar into a cell that contains regurgitated nectar from those same flowers. The beekeepers, when harvesting the honey, will pretty much blend everything they take. If the hive is in the middle of a white clover field, or a gigantic orange grove, you can be almost certain that it is 100% of that flower. The beekeepers that rent out their hives do that for a reason. Orange, Almond and Clover honeys are consistently bringing the highest prices.
 
i just brewed a batch of honey porter on Wednesday, i did a gallon batch because i wasn't sure how it would turn out. so i'll keep everyone updated.
 
philshelter said:
i just brewed a batch of honey porter on Wednesday, i did a gallon batch because i wasn't sure how it would turn out. so i'll keep everyone updated.

Can you post your recipe? There are probably other brewers who would like a 1 gallon version.
 
I modified the white house honey ale, here is my all grain recipe. It turned out pretty good I must say!

5g batch
----------------------------------
American Pale Ale 2 Row : 8.8lb
Munich malt : 1.1lb
Crystal 20L : .77 lb
Biscuit malt : .484

Fuggles (45min) : 1.75 oz
Spalt (5min) : 1.75 oz
Sorachi Ace (dry hop) : 1.5 oz

Yeast : Safale Us-04

1.1 kg of honey

--------------------------

I switched the hops from the original recipe since my home brew shop didn't have everything. U must say, the Sorachi Ace does a fantastic job
 
well i was going to brew the version of it that was this:
8.5 lbs Pale Malt
1 lbs Munich Malt
1 lb. Wheat Malt
0.75 lb. Caramel Malt 20L

so you're saying keep the 0.75 caramel as grain and convert the rest to dry extract? thats very little grain, i usually do my PMs will around 4-5 lbs of grain
 
dahray02 said:
well i was going to brew the version of it that was this:
8.5 lbs Pale Malt
1 lbs Munich Malt
1 lb. Wheat Malt
0.75 lb. Caramel Malt 20L

so you're saying keep the 0.75 caramel as grain and convert the rest to dry extract? thats very little grain, i usually do my PMs will around 4-5 lbs of grain

I would replace 5# 2-row with 3.1# Pilsen DME (or 3.7# LME). Then you could mash 3.5# 2-row, 1# wheat, and 1# Munich.

Note: I assumed the recipe you cite had 70% efficiency.
 
alestateyall said:
I am planning to brew this for the 2nd this weekend also. Three changes:

1. Moving to caramel 40 from 60.
2. Moving the 45 min. EKG addition to first wort hops.
3. Changed to all grain. Replaced extracts w/ 10# 2-row.

I am brewing this for a Knights of Columbus social. These guys are old so I am hoping for a slightly lighter colored less bitter beer.

The change to all grain is just to save money.

My second batch of White House Honey Ale has turned out to be a fuggles bomb. Not bad but not what I remember. I think moving the 45 min EKG addition to first wort hops may have screwed it up. That or maybe I fermented it too cold (about 62F). At 5 weeks in the keg it has none of the jasmine or other flavors attributedto the honey. Also it seems slightly cloying or at least it seems to need a more bitter finish.
 
My second batch of White House Honey Ale has turned out to be a fuggles bomb. Not bad but not what I remember. I think moving the 45 min EKG addition to first wort hops may have screwed it up. That or maybe I fermented it too cold (about 62F). At 5 weeks in the keg it has none of the jasmine or other flavors attributedto the honey. Also it seems slightly cloying or at least it seems to need a more bitter finish.

Did you add all the Fuggles right at the end? That seems like a big addition. There was an earlier (incorrect?) version of the recipe that had a smaller addition of Fuggles at the end, which seemed a little more balanced.

Would it make sense to split the second addition into a 30 minute and flameout? Or 30 and flameout, or 15 and flameout? Might add some bitterness? Just thinking out loud.
 
I added 1.5oz of fuggles at 1 min remaining in the boil. It is a lot but I did the same on my first batch.

There were lots of changes between the 2 batches so I am not sure what caused what.

Changes:
Extract to All grain
4 pts lower OG (efficiency miss)
UK fuggles to US fuggles
EKG to US Goldings
Biscuit to Victory
Moved Golding to First Wort Hops from 45 min addition
C60 to C40

This is probably the definition of changing too many things at once. But mostly this is what the LHBS had in stock.
 
alestateyall said:
My second batch of White House Honey Ale has turned out to be a fuggles bomb. Not bad but not what I remember. I think moving the 45 min EKG addition to first wort hops may have screwed it up.

That or maybe I fermented it too cold (about 62F).

....Also it seems slightly cloying or at least it seems to need a more bitter finish.


There is a lot of debate about FWH and what you get isomerized out of it. That would be the most significant flavor change you made of the changes you mentioned.
I still don't understand how it can be a " Fuggles bomb" AND not be bitter enough though...
 
Oh; ok. Yeah, Aroma is a good thing but can be overdone. FWH is a black box for me - I never know what I'm gonna get. I suppose I just haven't used it enough. I used it in a dopple bock once and, as I recall, it too was not bitter enough.
I think I accounted for it as a 40 min addition in BeerSmith to try and get a calculated IBU. I think that is what the consensus was at the time.
 
Just got back scoresheets for my version of White House Honey Ale.

BJCP National judge gave 38 pts in specialty category. He had very nice things to say. I entered as a ESB with honey. His major complaint was that the beer was not bitter enough for an ESB. That is true especially since I moved the 45min EKG addition to FWH. He also said the beer needs more hop aroma for an ESB. I thought it was quite pungent with Fuggles aroma but maybe I am confused. I am not the best at describing flavors and aromas. The judge suggested entering as a specialty based on ordinary bitter or increasing hop aroma and bitterness. On the bottom under intangibles he checked wonderful.

The other judge (not BJCP) had very similar comments but gave a lower score.

Bottom line, I am pleased.
 
Just got back scoresheets for my version of White House Honey Ale.

BJCP National judge gave 38 pts in specialty category. He had very nice things to say. I entered as a ESB with honey. His major complaint was that the beer was not bitter enough for an ESB. That is true especially since I moved the 45min EKG addition to FWH. He also said the beer needs more hop aroma for an ESB. I thought it was quite pungent with Fuggles aroma but maybe I am confused. I am not the best at describing flavors and aromas. The judge suggested entering as a specialty based on ordinary bitter or increasing hop aroma and bitterness. On the bottom under intangibles he checked wonderful.

The other judge (not BJCP) had very similar comments but gave a lower score.

Bottom line, I am pleased.

Congrats, sounds great. I entered this beer as a specialty beer, because the honey aroma/flavor was pronounced, and took a silver medal in that cateogory in the 2013 Chicago Cup.
 
Pappers_ said:
Congrats, sounds great. I entered this beer as a specialty beer, because the honey aroma/flavor was pronounced, and took a silver medal in that cateogory in the 2013 Chicago Cup.

Pappers, did you list a base style on your entry form? If so, what was it? Thanks.
 
I brewed this beer as my 3rd or 4th batch last year and enjoyed it. I upgraded my equipment lately and decided to plan to brew an all-grain version of it. I know, others have posted their own all-grain version but I watched the original White House video and based on that and my own taste, designed my own version.

It's a 6 Gallon Batch, not a 5 Gallon Batch.
If you look at the video, when they rack it to secondary they top it with water over the 6 gallon mark. Then when they transfer it to the bucket, you can clearly see that they have just over 5 gallon of finished beer in the bucket. So it's not a 7%-plus ABV but rather something close to 5.8%-6.0%. They don't talk about it in the instructions but the instructions they give are sketchy. I'll brew this from the start as a 6 Gallon Batch, then top it with water at secondary just like they do in the video.

No more Biscuit Malt
Let's face it, it's an ESB-style beer brewed with Light Extracts. The Biscuit Malt is just there to mimic the biscuity flavour of a Maris Otter. If you use Maris Otter or any other floor-malted english grain, you don't need Biscuit Malt.

More Crystal, more complexity
I used a 80 L Crystal when I brewed this with extract. I wanted to get a similar "speciality grains" grain bill while getting the same color. I swapped the 12 oz 80 L Crystal for 12 oz 40 L Crystal. This will bring back the caramelly flavor you find in the extracts. I also replaced the now useless 8 oz Biscuit Malt by a 9 oz 120 L Crystal addition. Not only It bring back the same colour I had with the extract version, but it will bring some dry fruit notes and a dryer mouthfeel.

Bitterness
Here is where things will change the most. First, I think we all agree that this beer is somewhat not bitter enough by any standards. We're miles from any American Craft Ale bitterness and even quite far from the low-spectrum of the bitterness for an English ESB, which this beer is inspired from. Second, I hate to have to deal with half-ounces additions. I prefer adjusting the hopping schedule than being left with half or third-ounces. Plus my home-brew shop only sell flat-ounces, so I worked with that. Third, the hop schedule and the hop quantities they gave via e-mail and in the instructions don't match. I want it to be closer to a bitter hoppiness and flavor, without being harsh or getting over the honey/caramelly flavor. So I keep the same hops, adjust slightly the quantities and schedule and dry-hop a bit with a half-ounce.

Water and Yeast
I use de-mineralized water to brew. So I will add 1/2 tsp of Chalk to the 2 tsp of Gypsum. I will use the same Yeast, although
I'd be tempted to use Wyeast 1968 (Fuller's ESB) Yeast.

I hit pretty much all the same numbers in Beersmith for this recipe compared to when I enter the Extract version (ABV, Color) except for the adjusted bitterness.

Here's the recipe:

WATER
2.00 tbsp Gypsum
0.50 tbsp Chalk

MASH
10 lbs Maris Otter
12.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L
9.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt -120L

HOPS
1.50 oz EKG 60 min.
0.50 oz Fuggles 30 min.
1.50 oz Fuggles 0 min.
0.50 oz EKG Dry Hop 7 days

ADDITIONS
1.00 tsp Irish Moss 10 min.
1 lb Honey 0 min.

YEAST
1.0 pkg Windsor Yeast

Mash at 152. Primary for 5 days. Secondary for 14 days. Dry Hop the last 7 days. Prime with 0.75 cup of sugar


What do you think? Should this make a good brew?
 
I brewed this beer as my 3rd or 4th batch last year and enjoyed it. I upgraded my equipment lately and decided to plan to brew an all-grain version of it. I know, others have posted their own all-grain version but I watched the original White House video and based on that and my own taste, designed my own version.

It's a 6 Gallon Batch, not a 5 Gallon Batch.
If you look at the video, when they rack it to secondary they top it with water over the 6 gallon mark. Then when they transfer it to the bucket, you can clearly see that they have just over 5 gallon of finished beer in the bucket. So it's not a 7%-plus ABV but rather something close to 5.8%-6.0%. They don't talk about it in the instructions but the instructions they give are sketchy. I'll brew this from the start as a 6 Gallon Batch, then top it with water at secondary just like they do in the video.

No more Biscuit Malt
Let's face it, it's an ESB-style beer brewed with Light Extracts. The Biscuit Malt is just there to mimic the biscuity flavour of a Maris Otter. If you use Maris Otter or any other floor-malted english grain, you don't need Biscuit Malt.

More Crystal, more complexity
I used a 80 L Crystal when I brewed this with extract. I wanted to get a similar "speciality grains" grain bill while getting the same color. I swapped the 12 oz 80 L Crystal for 12 oz 40 L Crystal. This will bring back the caramelly flavor you find in the extracts. I also replaced the now useless 8 oz Biscuit Malt by a 9 oz 120 L Crystal addition. Not only It bring back the same colour I had with the extract version, but it will bring some dry fruit notes and a dryer mouthfeel.

Bitterness
Here is where things will change the most. First, I think we all agree that this beer is somewhat not bitter enough by any standards. We're miles from any American Craft Ale bitterness and even quite far from the low-spectrum of the bitterness for an English ESB, which this beer is inspired from. Second, I hate to have to deal with half-ounces additions. I prefer adjusting the hopping schedule than being left with half or third-ounces. Plus my home-brew shop only sell flat-ounces, so I worked with that. Third, the hop schedule and the hop quantities they gave via e-mail and in the instructions don't match. I want it to be closer to a bitter hoppiness and flavor, without being harsh or getting over the honey/caramelly flavor. So I keep the same hops, adjust slightly the quantities and schedule and dry-hop a bit with a half-ounce.

Water and Yeast
I use de-mineralized water to brew. So I will add 1/2 tsp of Chalk to the 2 tsp of Gypsum. I will use the same Yeast, although
I'd be tempted to use Wyeast 1968 (Fuller's ESB) Yeast.

I hit pretty much all the same numbers in Beersmith for this recipe compared to when I enter the Extract version (ABV, Color) except for the adjusted bitterness.

Here's the recipe:

WATER
2.00 tbsp Gypsum
0.50 tbsp Chalk

MASH
10 lbs Maris Otter
12.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L
9.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt -120L

HOPS
1.50 oz EKG 60 min.
0.50 oz Fuggles 30 min.
1.50 oz Fuggles 0 min.
0.50 oz EKG Dry Hop 7 days

ADDITIONS
1.00 tsp Irish Moss 10 min.
1 lb Honey 0 min.

YEAST
1.0 pkg Windsor Yeast

Mash at 152. Primary for 5 days. Secondary for 14 days. Dry Hop the last 7 days. Prime with 0.75 cup of sugar


What do you think? Should this make a good brew?

Everything except the dry hopping, but that's just me.

I was surprised how different MO is. It definitely gives a beer a stronger malt flavor, which is perfect for this kind of beer. You think adding biscuit takes it over the top?

I did this with US-05, which I think changes it some, too. Probably a higher ABV. I think using a British ESB yeast would be a better choice than that.

I thought this was good but not great. Friends thought it was great. If I make it again, I'll probably follow the extract again, but leave out the DME. I think it would be better if it were a little less potent and more like an ESB or regular bitter.
 
Everything except the dry hopping, but that's just me.

I was surprised how different MO is. It definitely gives a beer a stronger malt flavor, which is perfect for this kind of beer. You think adding biscuit takes it over the top?

I did this with US-05, which I think changes it some, too. Probably a higher ABV. I think using a British ESB yeast would be a better choice than that.

I thought this was good but not great. Friends thought it was great. If I make it again, I'll probably follow the extract again, but leave out the DME. I think it would be better if it were a little less potent and more like an ESB or regular bitter.

Well, I made an ESB recipe recently that called for biscuit malt and LME where I replaced the standard LME in the recipe for Maris Otter LME and felt the biscuity flavour was too upfront for my taste. But maybe it could still fit well with the sweet honey feel of this brew.

I wanted to dry hop just not to be left with a half-ounce or something. Anyway, most to that aroma would disappear after a couple of months.

I'm probably brewing next week the grain recipe I just posted but I'd also like to rebrew it again with extracts using Wyeast West Yorkshire. It would give a true ESB feel to it and this strain produces a super-creamy foam that feels almost like draft beer. I didn't like the flavors I got when the beer was just carbed but after a month it's just great!
 
Sorry to resurrect this thread, but I thought it would fun to brew this to commemorate the inauguration and I thought other people might like the idea too. My feelings about the president are not part of this decision to make the beer. It is all about the celebration of our democracy. Whether I toast the incoming or outgoing or whether it will be a conciliatory brew or otherwise is inconsequential to this beer.

I converted the recipe to all grain, because that's what I am interested in doing right now. After researching the ingredients in the original recipe, I could see what the creator was going for and I tried to keep my conversion true to the original. https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/09/01/ale-chief-white-house-beer-recipe

I used honey I got from a farmers market and it must have had way more sugar than regular honey because it brought my OG a whole .019 more than I expected from the Brewersfriend calculator.

Also, I'm very excited about this Windsor yeast. Apparently it should finish quite high and leave some body and sweetness, which I believe will bring out the honey flavor.

I'll let everyone know how it turns out. My OG was 1.080 so I think it should be 7-8% ABV. I believe the raw White House honey may have acted similarly to mine, so hopefully mine will be true to form.

:mug:
 
I think it's good to brew it once more for commemoration. I did it twice and just don't care for it.
 
Bottled my White House Ale tonight. Surprised a little by the low gravity, 1.017. I had expected at least 1.020 with the Windsor yeast. Think that this was due to the strong farmers market honey drying it out. 8.5%ABV, but very pleased with the big honey taste. Didn't get the late addition Fuggles flavor that I got with another beer I put late addition Fuggles in, but then I got that after carb and lagering so we'll see. I think the gypsum addition did actually increase my IBUs, but again, we'll see after the beer is finished. Excited about my American flag bottle caps and more excited than I would have thought about this beer itself. Strangely after the farmers market honey, this brew is the most expensive I have made and also the one I have the least expectation, so hopefully it surprises me. Ironic?
 
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