The alcohols of Elder Scrolls

[underdogadam]

ok, so we've made moves. we put some deep thought into this one. I was almost going to go off and try to do that bunglers bane barley wine, but i would have had to substitute bunglers bane for a real life shelf mushroom, and then dilute it a bit becuase i only have 5 months to let it sit.

so my fellow skyrim friends sat down with me last night and we talked it out. Where is skyrim? it has all types of lands, but there are huge, mountainous peaks. who inhabits skyrim? it is highly dense with dwarves and nords. (so i read).

Dwarven Ale. of course. the dwarves are a dying society, in the grand scheme of things, but they have also reached genius levels of mechanical engineering, understanding the land, and brewing a great beer.

In thier frosty, dark climate, they were surviving on root vegetables. clearly. like the russians do. I'm sure there is some potato in Dwarven Ale, to add sugars, but it wouldn't just be a plain potato. it would be a purple potato. A group of people who drink beer instead of water, because it's cleaner at the time, were also smart enough to use root veggies that not only added sugars, but nutrients to their day. This is why i also believe they made and used Beet sugar. And who knows, something about this tells me they took that even further, purchance even mashed with purple carrots. i don't know. maybe that's a step too far. somebody stop me...

oh and they clearly imported a bunch of 2-row barley from England.

But damn, they did not have hops! what did they do to preserve!!!
we put our heads together and though...ok...preservatives... lets go:

-juniper berries
-milk thistle
-heather
-spruce

There is definitely going to be milk thistle, heather, and spruce in skyrim. they all fit the land. though spruce probably won't be an actual item you can pick. juniper berries might be to strong of a flavor. milk thistle or heather. then i googled, and found this forum post in a different forum...

"I was just playing Morrowind and in one of the earlier Mage's Guild quests you get to read up about flowers. Apparently it isn't known where Heather comes from but it is rumored to be in Skyrim. I just hope the lore is accurate, it'd be neat considering all the hints."

i don't know why someone thought that was worthy of starting a thread on a gaming website, but damn i'm glad they did. because thats the final ingredient. Dwarven Ale is a heather ale!

so any suggestions on a yeast?

 

[RIT_Warrior]

so any suggestions on a yeast?

Wyeast 1968?

 

[bierhaus15]

Dwarven Ale is a heather ale! so any suggestions on a yeast?

Without a doubt, the yeast you want is wy1275 thames valley. This yeast leaves a noticeable mineral character to the beer which is perfect for a "dwarven ale." It would also go well with heather tips.

Haven't played any of the elder scrolls games in years, though I sure enjoyed them when I did.

 

[gclay]

Question: what is 11.11.11? Love the train of thought.

 

[deflagratio]

Release date. It's also the day many of us will catch the flu.

 

[gclay]

I haven't played the elder scrolls but I'm going to have to check it out, let's hope the "flu"
is just a short term "illness"

 

[RIT_Warrior]

Release date. It's also the day many of us will catch the flu.

Gosh boss I just can't make it into work today...yeah, terrible sore throat and a cough and...yeah sore throat and a cough. Yeah, totally. I'll be out all week I think.

 

[Ghostly]

This thread is making me happy.

 

[drathbone]

Question: what is 11.11.11? Love the train of thought.

It's my birthday. Bethesda knew this and is releasing Skyrim as a gift.

 

[HexKrak]

Any updates on this beer?

 

[BrewN00b]

Make sure it's a high gravity brew. Dwarves, being stout, hearty peoples with legendary constitutions would require copious amounts of alcohol to get and stay drunk.

How about an herbal mead?

 

[Bradinator]

I have three beers planned for this release date (yes, I am going to take the day off, drink beer and play Skyrim until my wife screams at me). I am actually planning three ales for this release, but I doubt I will be able to make them in time. I already have the recipes planned, but I don't think I will post them until the week I will be brewing (as recipes will change and ingredients may not be available).

Come, gather round. Let me tell you a tale of Cyrodill and how we made it drunk. I give you, the first of the Dragon Ales.


Leyawin Golden Dragon Ale (Honey Gruit) -
Est Original Gravity: 1.040 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.008 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 4.2 %
Bitterness: 29.2 IBU
Est Color: 3.3 SRM

3.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US
3.00 lb Pale Malt, Maris Otter
1.00 lb Honey (Boil 0.0 min)
0.50 oz Columbus (Tomahawk) [14.00%] (60 min)
0.30 oz Wormwood (Boil 60.0 min)
1.00oz Mugwort (Boil 60.0 min)
5.00 gm Juniper Berry (Boil 10.0 min)
1.00 tsp Yeast Nutrient (Primary 3.0 days)
1 Pkgs Nottingham (Might swap with Pacman I am harvesting)

I have made several gruits before and think I have got a handle on the use of the herbs. Wormwood needs to be used very prudently as it is very, very bitter (apparently the second most bitter herb on earth). Keeping them in a hop bag is a very good idea as they do not settle to the bottom like hops and need to be removed.

I am planning to brew this Gruit Ale on the weekend. I will post the results and the following recipes (a Red and Black dragon ales of course!) as the brew day draws closer.

 

[doc_rob]

Hi all, I'm a developer on Skyrim. I also thought about doing a brew for release date but I won't have the time. I don't think I should divulge any specific info, but oh hey what is this link http://www.freewebs.com/lordhlaalu/liquorsofmorrowind.htm it might mention something about Nords. After the game is out and you guys can see what's in it, I'd love to collaborate on a recipe - I might even do a label design. . .

I just wanted to post and say it's great to see everyone this excited about the game!

 

[jfrank85]

Hi all, I'm a developer on Skyrim. I also thought about doing a brew for release date but I won't have the time. I don't think I should divulge any specific info, but oh hey what is this link http://www.freewebs.com/lordhlaalu/liquorsofmorrowind.htm it might mention something about Nords. After the game is out and you guys can see what's in it, I'd love to collaborate on a recipe - I might even do a label design. . .

I just wanted to post and say it's great to see everyone this excited about the game!

Elderscrolls series ftw! I think a beer blended with the soul of a dragon is in order! Now just to find me some souls.

 

[bovineblitz]

Hm... what's the closest real world thing to saltrice?

 

[Bradinator]

http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Morrowind:Saltrice

Thats what it looks like... Kind of like actual rice. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:US_long_grain_rice.jpg

An all rice gruit? I would be down to try an experimental brew (I will still make the above this weekend) but to be honest I don't know how it would turn out. I think it you would mash like your making a sake, use the appropriate herbs to flavour it and ferment it with an ale yeast.

 

[bovineblitz]

http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Morrowind:Saltrice

Thats what it looks like... Kind of like actual rice. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:US_long_grain_rice.jpg

An all rice gruit? I would be down to try an experimental brew (I will still make the above this weekend) but to be honest I don't know how it would turn out. I think it you would mash like your making a sake, use the appropriate herbs to flavour it and ferment it with an ale yeast.

Hm... there's bamboo-like shoots in there too. I'd imagine it's some sort of grass... perhaps wild rice?

It also looks like bamboo in general:

---

Check it out, bamboo beer exists

Eschewing traditional grains like barley and hops, beer made with bamboo offers a unique flavor suitable for your bamboo-derived repast! Making bamboo beer requires a process of fermenting the rich natural sugars of the plant’s sap. This beverage is naturally enjoyed in Asia where bamboo is plentiful, but is also found extensively in Africa, though only during rainy seasons. With a little ingenuity and some handy Google skills, one could conceivably find a way to have a cold, frosty case of bamboo beer imported to their front door.

 

[mrgstiffler]

Awesome thread! I was actually thinking about brewing something up for Mass Effect 3 next year.

 

[bovineblitz]

As far as using bamboo, you can purchase dried bamboo leaves and steep them for tea.

I'm thinking... perhaps mash with cooked fresh bamboo shoots and steep dried leaves in the cooling wort?

 

[Bradinator]

Consider it brewed.

The recipe is a bit different from what I posted above; I used Northern Brewer hops instead, added Yarrow to the boil and only added a pinch of honey, right at the beginning. I had every intention of using honey but... Forgot to pick some up.

 

[Bradinator]

Depending on my how early I get up on this Saturday, I think I am going to brew another nerd-inspired beer.

The Black Wyrm (Molasses Gruit Porter) -
Est Original Gravity: 1.050 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.012 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 5.0 %
Bitterness: 35.5 IBU
Est Color: 40 SRM

• 3.0 lbs Pale Ale Malt
• 2.0 lbs Pale Malt 2-Row
• 0.5lbs Black Patent
• 0.5lbs Chocolate Malt
• 0.5lbs Molasses @ 15 min
• 1.0lbs Brown Sugar

• 1.0oz Fuggle @ 60min
• 0.3oz Wormwood @ 60min
• 2oz Elderberry in Mash
• 2oz Elderberry @ 10 min
• 1 tsp Yeast Nutrient
• 1 package Nottingham Yeast or Pacman Yeast starter

Feel free to recommend tweaks and whatnot. I am not sure if the Elderberry is best used in the mash or boil, so I am doing equal amounts in both. I don't want it overwhelming, but I do want it detectable.

 

[bierhaus15]

I'd be careful with the wormwood, as just a little can make a beer undrinkable if you don't get it right. I don't think the mashing the elderberry is going to give much flavor. You'd get the best flavor/aroma from the berries by adding them (crushed) in secondary - just make sure they are sanitized.

Lastly, you have a lot of sugars in this recipe. I hate molasses in beer, though 0.5lbs isn't too much. I would drop the brown sugar, as with all the dark malts it won't add flavor and will dry the beer out way too much. You will want some residual sweetness to balance the bitterness from the wormwood and hops. Eh, also as recipe looks, you have more of a porter than a stout. If you are intent on keep the black patent over roasted barley, i'd drop it to 0.25lb and up the chocolate to 0.75.

 

[Bradinator]

Thanks Bierhaus. I have used Wormwood in several brews before successfully so I am pretty confident that the amounts used won't over-bitter this beer. I was planning to mash a bit higher (maybe 156) to keep the beer with more body and wanted to use the sugar to simply add some ABV to the end product.

I love molasses in beer I have dabbled before and found that 1/2lbs in a 5g batch is enough to give the beer flavour without drowning it (I did a 1lbs before and found that even after a year the beer never lost its strong molasses flavour)

I have all the ingredients listed above on hand, but there is still plenty of time to make changes. Whats the logic behind using more chocolate vs. black patent?

 

[bierhaus15]

Whats the logic behind using more chocolate vs. black patent?

Depending on your taste, black patent has a pretty distinct burnt or ashy flavor that is pretty strong over 5% and can overpower most other malts. Most porters use black p around 3-4% of the grist. A higher chocolate to black p is just to balance the roast character out a bit and let some of those coffee/nutty/chocolate flavors come through. However, considering everything you have going on in this recipe, you might be better off with a large amount of black patent... let us know how it comes out regardless. Cheers.

 

[Bradinator]

I brewed up the Black Dragon this weekend, but it ended up being a stout. Seems that I need to start reading before buying ingredients. My black patent was actually roasted barely! I am pretty happy with the final recipe, but I won't be able to pass judgement until I can sample it in a few weeks, but it sure smelled good! The adjusted recipe is here.

I also took a bit of time this afternoon to bottle the Gold Dragon Gruit Ale and make use of some beer labels I have had kicking around for a couple years.

 

[thodson2010]

That looks great Bradinator! I'm guessing the thread has been a little dead since we have all been delving into the relm of the Dragon Born. How did that end up tasting?

 

[Bradinator]

The Gold Dragon did not really turn out how I was hoping. I made a gruit before but used yarrow instead of mugwort and I ended up liking it a lot. The Gold Dragon ended up being too medicinal and herbal for my tastes. If I were to brew it again I would dump the Mugwort entirely and use an ounce of yarrow or even a standard hop. Its not bad, just not what I was shooting for.

The Black Dragon on the other hand turned out to be a very good dry stout. The elderberry ended up being undetectable in such small amounts (0.5oz in the boil) so when I make this one again I will use the amounts I originally intended (2oz in the mash, 2oz in the boil). I also made a nerdtastic label for this one too.

Last weekend I made the final Dragon brew, the Red Dragon based off this thread here.

Now if you don't mind, SWMBO is still asleep so I can get a couple hours exploring the lands of Skyrim...

 

[doc_rob]

Hi all, I hope everybody is enjoying the game.

A few folks here made some Honningbrew and Black Briar Mead from the game. We had a tasting and it turned out really nice:

Golden Mead for a Golden Game | Bethesda Blog

The Black Briar was my fav, drier with a coriander/orange peel addition.

I might still work on a Nord Ale recipe, possibly with some juniper since that's an alchemy ingredient.

 

[Brewratt]

I've always thought skooma would be like Absinthe or Ouzo

 

[Bradinator]

Hi all, I hope everybody is enjoying the game.

A few folks here made some Honningbrew and Black Briar Mead from the game. We had a tasting and it turned out really nice:

Golden Mead for a Golden Game | Bethesda Blog

The Black Briar was my fav, drier with a coriander/orange peel addition.

I might still work on a Nord Ale recipe, possibly with some juniper since that's an alchemy ingredient.

Looks fantastic! Any chance we can get the recipe for this?