Gunslinger's Graff

[Clifton]

The tartness mentioned may be due to the Apple Juice containing Vitamin C (ascorbic acid). All of the apfelweins I've made with vitamin c infused juice were crazy tart.

 

[tim87tr]

I bottled this at 3 weeks and it has been bottled 2 weeks. I am very pleased with the results. The taste is rich, smooth, not bitter, with a dry finish (which I like). Only thing I think it needs is a little more malt flavor, which I intend to add and modify on the next batch. I like the original Graff, but this dark stuff is much much better for my tastes.

Next batch I'm going to use 1 lb of choc malt, 1 lb of crystal malt, 1 lb amber dme, 1 lb dark dme, columbus bittering hops and saaz or liberty aroma to finish. The fresh unpasteurized cider really made a difference too.

I have a graff dunkel batch bottled 10 weeks that's very good. I steeped 1 lb crystal 120 and added 3 lb DME, half oz columbus 30 min and half oz liberty for 10 min. Added to 4 gal fresh unpast cider, notty yeast.

Another batch in bottle 3 weeks with 1 lb crystal 120 and 1 lb choc, 1 lb amber DME, 1 lb dark DME, half oz brewers gold 30 min and half oz liberty 10 min.

These are good base recipes to experiment with if you think you'd like a dark apple beer. Sorry no SG or FG but usually leave in primary 3 or 4 weeks and test first at 4 weeks in bottle.

 

[camgolfer]

We made a batch of this graff with some modifications and I am very happy with it. It came out a bit like a sour brown. A little sour, a little malty with some nice hop character, but it has very good flavor and has nice dark color.

 

[onipar]

Greencoat, just wanted to let you know I did a recent blog post about the Graf I brewed, and I sourced your picture from this thread for it. I gave you credit and linked to the thread. You can find it on my website's blog.

Cheers!

 

[thelema420]

i'm making a modified version of this, 5 gallons beer + 3 gallons AJ

9# 2-row
1# special B
.5# black patent
.5# roasted barley
11 cans frozen apple concentrate + water to make 3 gallons

mash 1/2oz each Yarrow & Marsh Rosemary
60min 1/2oz each Yarrow & Marsh Rosemary
30min 1/4oz Northern Brewer & Centennial (it was kicking around)

US-05
we'll see how it goes!

 

[MrOrange]

They described it to me as an 'dark apple beer.' The Gunslinger's crew were served a meal with a 'good strong graff' before heading out on their final journey.

I have read all 7 books and they never really explain what graff is. They do mention drinking it on more than one occasion but it is never really refered to as an apple beer.

 

[greencoat]

I have read all 7 books and they never really explain what graff is. They do mention drinking it on more than one occasion but it is never really refered to as an apple beer.

From The Waste Lands:

Roland leaned over to Jake, who was sitting tailor-fashion near an oval bed of bright green flowers with Oy at his side. He Hurmured: "Drink only enough to be polite, Jake, or we'll be carrying you out of town - this is graf - strong apple-beer."

So, I may have botched the spelling (one "f", not two) but it certainly is referred to as an apple beer. Also - in the paragraph before the one I quoted, it's referred to as a "dark golden liquid," so for complete accuracy, you might wanna cut out a fair amount of the dark grains.

 

[JollyIsTheRoger]

I did a quick search of some copies of the books i found online (a lot faster than flipping through the pages of the books on my shelf haha) and here is the references they make to it (I left out the simple ones that didn't make a difference such as "they were offered graf")

By the way, I should be brewing this in a week or two. Hopefully.

WARNING: THERE ARE NAMES AND EVENTS MENTIONED IN THESE QUOTES. I DON'T BELIEVE THIS WILL RUIN THE BOOKS FOR ANYONE BUT IF YOU ARE WORRIED ABOUT THAT YOU MAY NOT WANT TO READ THIS SECTION

3 - The Wastelands
-- Roland leaned over to Jake, who was sitting tailor-fashion near an oval bed of bright green flowers with Oy at his side. He murmured: "Drink only enough to be polite, Jake, or we'll be carrying you out of town—this is graf—strong apple-beer."

4 - Wizard and Glass
--Her mood was not improved when she found that her graf barrel was almost empty; she blistered the air with her curses.

--Sheemie took first one barrel from Capi's back, then the other. Grunt-ing, he carried them to the huge oak tank by the back door. He opened the tank's lid, bent over it, and then backed away from the eye-wateringly strong smell of elderly graf.
"Whew!" he said, hoisting the first barrel. "Ye could get drunk just on
the smell o' that lot!"
He emptied in the fresh graf, careful not to spill. When he was fin-ished, the tank was pretty well topped up. That was good, for on Reaping Night, apple-beer would flow out of the kitchen taps like water.

--They lifted the barrels from Capi's back. Susan took a broken horse-bit from the pocket of her wrapper and used the sharp end to pry off one of the tops. She tossed the bit to Sheemie, who pried off the other. The apple-tart smell of graf filled the shed.

05 - Wolves of the Calla
--"May she always do fine!" the rancher cried, and tossed off his cup of graf in one long swallow. Eddie admired the man's throat, if nothing else; Calla Bryn Sturgis graf was so hard that just smelling it made his eyes water.

 

[JollyIsTheRoger]

I got this brewed and done with a few malt changes and it turned out amazing. I made a label for it on BEER LABELIZER and sent it off to a buddy to critique it for me and he took this picture.

And then I posted this to BrewingTV's facebook since they were talking about ciders and graffs and one thing led to another and I just sent them two bottles that they might be using in a cider/graff episode.

So thanks for the recipe greencoat.

 

[Clifton]

Thanks for the link to beerlabelizer. That's pretty sweet.

 

[greencoat]

I got this brewed and done with a few malt changes and it turned out amazing. I made a label for it on BEER LABELIZER and sent it off to a buddy to critique it for me and he took this picture.

And then I posted this to BrewingTV's facebook since they were talking about ciders and graffs and one thing led to another and I just sent them two bottles that they might be using in a cider/graff episode.

So thanks for the recipe greencoat.

Awesome!

 

[Kampo]

so what would you guys think of replacing the apple juice with say 7 cans of old orchard Cherry Pom concentrate then topped up to the correct amount of volum with water. kinda a cherry stout graff. prolly play with the hop profile a bit oo.

 

[JollyIsTheRoger]

so what would you guys think of replacing the apple juice with say 7 cans of old orchard Cherry Pom concentrate then topped up to the correct amount of volum with water. kinda a cherry stout graff. prolly play with the hop profile a bit oo.

Go for it, I just got done with my second batch of this. Made 11 gal, 5 straight up, 50/50 mix wort and juice, 3 with cranberry juice cocktail instead of apple juice, and 1 gal each of the straight aged on blackberries, raspberries, and plums.

Plums were kind of a flop, but the rest are awesome.

 

[jstrong]

where can i get the lme and hops for this recipe? preferably online.

 

[JollyIsTheRoger]

where can i get the lme and hops for this recipe? preferably online.

Here is what I did the first batch. https://www.brewmasterswarehouse.com/account/edit-recipe/8f70589d

 

[TheNorthernBrewer]

And then I posted this to BrewingTV's facebook since they were talking about ciders and graffs and one thing led to another and I just sent them two bottles that they might be using in a cider/graff episode.

So thanks for the recipe greencoat.

We're including this in an upcoming episode of Brewing TV (finally!) in fall 2012! Whoop whoop! Jolly, please contact Chip Walton at [email protected] ASAP! (posted 9/12/12) Cheers!

 

[generic_aminal]

I brewed this up a couple of days ago. Cant wait to see what it tastes like... Im planning on dry hopping it, but havent decided which hops i will use... Im wondering if all of the flavors will cover up the apple. The wort tasted amazing, though.

Grandma Wrinkles Dark Hopped Cider



FERMENTABLES:
4 lb - Liquid Malt Extract - Dark (50.8%)
1 lb - Dry Malt Extract - Dark (12.7%)

STEEPING GRAINS:
0.5 lb - Caramel / Crystal 60L (6.3%)
0.5 lb - Chocolate (6.3%)
1 lb - Carapils (Dextrine Malt) (12.7%)
0.125 lb - Torrified Wheat (1.6%)
0.25 lb - Black Barley (3.2%)
0.25 lb - Roasted Barley (3.2%)
0.25 lb - Special B (3.2%)

HOPS:
0.75 oz - Centennial (AA 11.4) for 30 min, Type: Pellet, Use: Boil
0.5 oz - Zythos (AA 10.9) for 30 min, Type: Pellet, Use: Boil
1 oz - Simcoe (AA 14.1) for 15 min, Type: Leaf/Whole, Use: Boil
1 oz - Columbus (AA 15.2) for 15 min, Type: Pellet, Use: Boil
0.5 oz - Zythos (AA 10.9) for 0 min, Type: Pellet, Use: Boil
1 oz - Cascade (AA 6.4) for 0 days, Type: Pellet, Use: Dry Hop
0.25 oz - Centennial (AA 11.4) for 0 min, Type: Pellet, Use: Boil


NOTES:
Boil volume 2.5 gallons. Added 4.5 gallons of apple juice to chilled wort. OG of 1.072.

Generated by Brewer's Friend - http://www.brewersfriend.com/
Date: 2012-10-10 07:25 UTC
Recipe Last Updated: 2012-10-08 03:51 UTC

 

[Rowdy]

Very interested in the grandma wrinkles how did it come out?

 

[generic_aminal]

Very interested in the grandma wrinkles how did it come out?

Just threw the dry hops in on tuesday, plan on bottling it next week sometime. The beer tasted amazing before i dry hopped it. roasty, raisiny, tart, with a hop kick. i added an ounce of cascade, an ounce of amarillo, and half an ounce of simcoe to dry hop it. It smells great. ill post an update once it gets carbed up.

 

[JollyIsTheRoger]

Just threw the dry hops in on tuesday, plan on bottling it next week sometime. The beer tasted amazing before i dry hopped it. roasty, raisiny, tart, with a hop kick. i added an ounce of cascade, an ounce of amarillo, and half an ounce of simcoe to dry hop it. It smells great. ill post an update once it gets carbed up.

I just had my cranberry version again tonight, just keeps getting tastier

 

[theshoe82]

My version of this recipe with some tweaks.

1LB Crystal 120
1/2 LB Black Patent
1/2 LB Beech Smoked
1/2 LB Honey Malt
1/4 LB Torrified Wheat
1/2 LB Chocolate Malt
1/2 LB Roasted Barley
3 LBs XL DME

Mash 2.0 Gallons water @ 155 degrees for 60 mins. Batch Sparge 2.0 Gallons of water @ 170 degrees.

Follow rest of recipe with boil times and hop additions as listed. Top off with 3 gallons apple juice, for a total of 6 gallons after the boil.

I ended up doing a split batch with 3 gallons of Graff using Safale S05 and the other 3 gallons using Danstar's new BRY-97 dry yeast.

It will be interesting to compare and contrast the two.

 

[JollyIsTheRoger]

My version of this recipe with some tweaks.

1LB Crystal 120
1/2 LB Black Patent
1/2 LB Beech Smoked
1/2 LB Honey Malt
1/4 LB Torrified Wheat
1/2 LB Chocolate Malt
1/2 LB Roasted Barley
3 LBs XL DME

Mash 2.0 Gallons water @ 155 degrees for 60 mins. Batch Sparge 2.0 Gallons of water @ 170 degrees.

Follow rest of recipe with boil times and hop additions as listed. Top off with 3 gallons apple juice, for a total of 6 gallons after the boil.

I ended up doing a split batch with 3 gallons of Graff using Safale S05 and the other 3 gallons using Danstar's new BRY-97 dry yeast.

It will be interesting to compare and contrast the two.

The grains you mashed dont have any diastatic power so you didn't get any sugars from them, just a bit of flavor and color, like steeping grains. But you had DME so it shouldn't be an issue, just thought I would point that out.

 

[boqa]

Seems to me that a characteristic of graf is its "eye-watering" properties. Lol, I doubt many of the grafs brewed on this forum will do that for you (possibly except those with infections gone wild).

 

[Marmike600]

Malt & Fermentables
8Lb Apple Cider
3Lb Briess Dark DME
2Lb Briess Amber DME
1Lb American Crystal 120L
.5Lb Belgian Special B
.5Lb Chocolate Malt (US)

Hops
30 min ½ Chinook ~ pellet 13.0 » 15.8
20 min 1 Saaz ~ pellet 3.5 » 6.7
Bitterness = 22.5 IBU

Yeast
Belgian Strong Ale = 7.3% ABV

Havent brewed this yet. Was thinking this weekend. Any thoughts? Thank you.

 

[Jash]

Made a Graf of my own, turned out pretty unique and tasty.

My 2 cents would be that the cider/juice should be added a few days into primary so that the yeast can develop the right enzymes to ferment all the malt, rather than just going right for all the simple sugars from the cider/juice.

I base this on what I've heard from Jamil on Brew Strong when talking about brewing any beer with a significant percentage of simple sugars.

When I made my Graf I brewed 2.5 gal of 1.060 wort then added 3 gal of cider on day 3 of primary. Not sure how significant a difference this made, but it made more sense to me to do it that way.

 

[Marmike600]

Made a Graf of my own, turned out pretty unique and tasty.

My 2 cents would be that the cider/juice should be added a few days into primary so that the yeast can develop the right enzymes to ferment all the malt, rather than just going right for all the simple sugars from the cider/juice.

I base this on what I've heard from Jamil on Brew Strong when talking about brewing any beer with a significant percentage of simple sugars.

When I made my Graf I brewed 2.5 gal of 1.060 wort then added 3 gal of cider on day 3 of primary. Not sure how significant a difference this made, but it made more sense to me to do it that way.

Funny you should say that. I made the above ^ recipe and also 5 gallons of the basic light version. The light version has been fermenting for almost a week and just last night decided to swamp the airlock. I think what happened was like you said. the yeast ate up all the simple sugar and that is what I saw the airlock doing initially and now it is plowing thru the malt and that is causing the need for the blow off tube that I installed this morning.

Yeasties are crazy animals.

 

[Marmike600]

Two weeks in and my Stout Graff is still bubbling away.

 

[hunter_le five]

subscribed. I loved the DT series, I'll have to try this as soon as I have fermenter space.

 

[grhsgomer]

mostley because im still fairly new at this and want to try this recepie this weekend but the @60 and @60 and @ 20 for the hops does that mean after i boil for 60 to add the 2 sets of hops then add the 20 after 20 min of boiling or add hops to boil for 60 min the the last 20 before im done?

This is my literal interpretation Graff (not to be confused with Brandon O's creation,) based off Stephen King's The Dark Tower series. Nerdy, yes, but equally delicious. I used Mott's apple juice for mine, I'm sure if you could find something a little more pure it would be better.

4 Gallon, 60 min boil.

3.3 lbs Amber LME
1 lb. Crystal 120
3/4 lb. Black Patent
1/2 lb. Roasted Barley
1/2 lb. Smoke Malt
2 oz. Tortified Wheat

1oz Centennial (9.7%) @ 60
.5 Cascade (7.5%) @ 60
1.5 Cascade (7.5%) @ 20

After the boil, top off with 2.75 gallons Apple Juice

Pitch US-05

Ferment for 21 days @ ~68 degrees.

Serve a little warmer than usual and this thing shines.

(Yes, I realize the ABV listed on the label is incorrect. I made them before the beer was finished. I get excited, ok?!?)

 

[hunter_le five]

mostley because im still fairly new at this and want to try this recepie this weekend but the @60 and @60 and @ 20 for the hops does that mean after i boil for 60 to add the 2 sets of hops then add the 20 after 20 min of boiling or add hops to boil for 60 min the the last 20 before im done?

The recipe calls for a total of 60 minutes of boiling time. Therefore, once you bring the wort to a boil, you would add both @60 hop additions, and set your timer for one hour. Then when there are 20 minutes remaining, add the @20 hops.

 

[grhsgomer]

The recipe calls for a total of 60 minutes of boiling time. Therefore, once you bring the wort to a boil, you would add both @60 hop additions, and set your timer for one hour. Then when there are 20 minutes remaining, add the @20 hops.

great thank you going to start this this weekend can't wait

 

[grhsgomer]

just tried my first few bottle of this and I think I found my new favorite beer.

 

[greencoat]

just tried my first few bottle of this and I think I found my new favorite beer.

<3

I need to revisit this sucker!

 

[d_san06]

Does anybody know why I can't use apple cider and I have to use apple juice? Or is this just a myth?

 

[Marmike600]

Does anybody know why I can't use apple cider and I have to use apple juice? Or is this just a myth?

That sir, is a myth. I used cider to great effect. Some say that cider will make it cloudy forever. Meh. Mine is pitch black. You couldnt see thru it if you had a spotlight. If you are in fact worried about cloudy, just treat it with some irish moss or something similar.

 

[collycreekbrewer]

Hey guys I brewed this a week ago. The apple juice I used had ascorbic acid in it. It bubbled a few days then stopped. Most of my other beers bubbled for at least 7 days. 2 or 3 days of rapid fermentation and bubbling then very slow and steady but it appears my graff has just stopped all the way. Should I pitch more yeast or just be patient and see what happens

 

[hunter_le five]

Did you take a gravity reading? Kinda hard to answer your question without knowing the OG and current SG.

As always, bubbling is not generally considered to be a reliable way of judging fermentation. The best way to tell is gravity readings.

 

[yesferro]

I got around to bottling it today and had a half-pint extra so I tossed it in the fridge and enjoyed it flat, but cold. Got to say its a little on the sour side right now, but still very tasty. I imagine with at least a few days in the bottles its going to be good. I cannot wait for the long weekend!

So glad the sourness gets mentioned by several people here, I enjoy a sour, I really enjoyed the flat graff I bottled last Friday but I did wonder if something went wrong.

I added some Welches Raspberry Apple concentrate going into secondary, stuck with the rest of the original recipe. Forgot to do a reading on it though.

 

[howamidriving]

Brewed this back in October and finally got around to bottling it last night (I really tend to put of bottling for way longer than I should). Gotta say i'm really excited about this one. This was the first beer that I actually sat and drank the leftover glass instead of just taking a couple sips and dumping it.

I used apple cider instead of juice and the apple flavor isn't as forward as I was hoping, but it's still very good. I'll probably do this one again at some point but I may cut down on the smoked malt a little.

I was also thinking that setting aside a gallon of this to sour could be an interesting experiment. I was in Wisconsin over the holiday and had some New Glaurus Serendipity which had a nice apple flavor and thought something like this could be pretty similar.

 

[Rowdy50]

n00b question alert! Would like to brew this up this weekend.

Do you steep the grains first, then sparge, then add LME, then boil for 60min? If so, what volumes and temperatures and times? Or do you just throw the whole thing in the boil?