To Each His Own Black Ale

When I set out to design this recipe, it was going to be a stout. It ended up being its own thing. Think Schwarzbier meets ESB, with wheat and rye and some oak. Starts with a malty aroma of cocoa and toffee, then transitions to the earthy, spicy rye and wheat supported by a smooth roasted background and barely detectable hops. London Ale yeast helps it sail into a finish of vanilla, coconut, and campfire from the oak. Just enought bitterness to keep it from being cloying.

I can't decide if it's one of my best yet or if I need to tweak it. Try it out, tell me your thoughts, suggestions, etc.

6 lbs Northern Brewer Rye LME
0.75 lbs Briess Midnight Wheat
1 lb Weyerman CaraAroma
1 lb Weyerman Carawheat

0.75 oz Northdown @60min
0.25 oz Northdown @10min
1 oz Kent Goldings @10min

1 tsp Irish Moss

2 oz medium-plus toast American oak cubes (added to secondary--check every week to see when oak is "right")

Lightly carbonated--3.5oz corn sugar added at bottling

View attachment toeachhisown.xml

Thanks for sharing - looks like a nice, interesting beer.

I've moved this from the Recipe database, which is for tried and true recipes (recipes that you've repeated and consider a 'go to' recipe), to the Recipes/Ingredients forum, where more people will see it and perhaps respond.

Probably wise. Thanks!

After sitting in bottle for a few weeks, it's definitely a good one. Maybe could use something to fill out the start, such as cacao nibs or some dark candi sugar, but the effect of building to a finish is pretty nice as it is.

DifferentDrummer said:

Probably wise. Thanks!

After sitting in bottle for a few weeks, it's definitely a good one. Maybe could use something to fill out the start, such as cacao nibs or some dark candi sugar, but the effect of building to a finish is pretty nice as it is.

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Great! Its always satisfying to have a glass of a beer you made and think "hey, this is pretty good!"