Tag Archives: brewing

Brewing Update

Game of Thrones brewing

So after a good deal of deliberation, and a lot of input from you all (thanks!), I’ve come to a decision about how to deal with the brewing recipes on the blog.

As of this week, I’ll be moving the actual recipes over to

www.GameofBrews.com

But fear not! All previous posts will stay up here, and I’ll continue to do a monthly update on this site about what’s going on over in the brewhaus. In that way, those of you who are moderately interested in my brewing exploits (but are predominantly here for the food and don’t want to be overwhelmed by the brews) can follow the links to full articles at your whim.

I have decided to move the brewing for several reasons. While I agree with many of you who feel that food and booze go together, moving the brewing posts to their own blog will give me more room to grow over there. There is such a wealth of information about brewing history, styles, techniques and so on that it seems a shame to try and squelch it into too small a space.

The new site will feature both brewing recipes and food recipes that are directly tied to the brewing process, using spent grain, brewed beer, yeast, etc. Because I’m far from an experienced brewer, I invite you all to come along with me on the adventure-wagon that is my kitchen, and learn as I learn. I hope that this new site can be a community of new and experienced brewers to learn from one another, share ideas and enthusiasm, and explore the extant and possible brews of Westeros.

And hey, with now three blogs to manage and update, I’m bound to be well fed pretty much all the time. :)

Bread with Spent Grains

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Spent Grain Bread

Thoughts:

I played around a bit and came up with this great, simple recipe for bread with spent grain. As with most recipes, it’s a starting point. Feel free to innovate and add other seeds, grains, flours, oats, sugars, etc. to make it your own. Just be sure to share your results! I certainly plan to keep trying new variations on it.

The resulting bread from this recipe is hearty in the extreme. The spent grains give each bite a little crunch, which is wonderful. It makes for a great toast, and even small sandwiches. I was partial to the very un-Westerosi PB&J, myself. :)

For the recipe, head on over to the brew blog, Game of Brews!

Apricot Wine

“Before you came Meereen was dying. Our rulers … sat atop their pyramids sipping apricot wine and talking of the glories of the Old Empire whilst the centuries slipped by and the very bricks of the city crumbled all around them. Custom and caution had an iron grip upon us till you awakened us with fire and blood. A new time has come, and new things are possible.” -A Dance with Dragons

 Thoughts:

It’s good! 

 For this recipe, I started with the oldest and simplest recipe I could find, from the 1690 Lucayos Cookbook. This recipe seems to rely on natural fermentation, so I was inclined to try it, and if it didn’t start on its own, to pitch yeast. I prepped the fruit, added everything else, and put it all in the primary fermenter. And then unexpectedly had to leave for the weekend.

When I got back a few days later, it was happily bubbling away, nature having run its course. I decided to let it go, and see what happened. When it was done working, I bottled it and let mine sit for two months. , and tried it at the end of that period. The wine is light and distinctly apricot flavored, with a bit of tartness provided by the lemongrass. 

Keep in mind that natural fermentation can go all sorts of ways, since there’s no way to predict what sort of yeast you’ll get. The ABV is somewhere just under 3%, so it’s probably best kept for a few months, as the original recipe states. I’ve got a couple of smaller bottles, which I’ll periodically test out and report back on. I plan to make another batch, perhaps using dried apricots to increase the time of year in which it can be made. 

The wine is best served chilled, and although it’s not especially dry, you may wish to add a bit of honey to sweeten it up. 

Get this recipe, and the future version, on the brew blog, Game of Brews.

Fictional Brewing!

 

Brew-mania!

In honor of a successful move to a new apartment, and the unpacking of the kitchen, I’m set to brew again!

In addition to brewing something from Game of Thrones, I’d love to explore more boozy goodness from other fictional worlds. I’m giving this poll a full month, at the end of which I’ll make the top two reader picks, then post the recipes.  Have a favorite fictional alcohol that’s not on the list? Add it!

The Great Ginger Beer Adventure

Since I’m just crazy about making my own ginger beer after trying the basic recipe I posted a few weeks ago, I’ve got a scheme.

It goes like this:

I make some ginger beer. YOU all make some ginger beer. Then we add a bunch of different varietals to see what wonderful new brews we can come up with. Take a photo of your brews-in-progress, and I’ll post them here. If it turns out to be a winner, I’ll add it to the list so others can enjoy it, too. And even if you’re not able to make your own Ginger Beer, help us brainstorm some new varieties!

Tried and True Delicious Add-ins:

  • Blueberries – crush 1/2 cup per gallon, simmer with ginger, strain before bottling. Beautiful color is an added bonus!
  • Mint – just a few leaves per gallon add wonderful subtle flavor!
  • Rhubarb – 4 cups chopped, boil along with the ginger.

*UPDATE!*

In true tournament style, Chelsea is making this challenge into a giveaway. For each varietal entry you submit (photo and recipe!), you’ll get one entry for a drawing for a signed, personalized copy of the cookbook!

Just submit your photos on the Facebook page to enter. Deadline is November 1!

Chelsea’s lemongrass and blueberry versions
Duncan’s Rhubarb Ginger Beer
Chelsea’s lemongrass and blueberry versions
Duncan’s Rhubarb Ginger Beer

Emptins / Ale Barm

Emptins, from “emptyings”, are the colonial American equivalent to the older Ale Barm. Both are made from the leftover yeasty dregs of the brewing process, and used in either baking or to start fermentation in new brewing projects.

Ingredients: Original Batch                                   More Manageable Batch

  • handful hops                                   ~1/4 oz. loose leaf hops
  • 3 quarts water                                6 cups water
  • Flour                                                  ~3 cups flour
  • emptins                                             1 Tbs. Emptins / sourdough starter

 Boil the hops in the water for 15 minutes. Strain out the hops, and put the liquid in a large bowl. Whisk in flour until the mixture resembles a sort of slurry, similar to the texture of pancake batter. When this goop is no longer hot, add the emptins or starter, and allow to sit overnight.

Provided your yeast mixture is warm and happy, it will go crazy in the hoppy-flour mixture. Mine doubled overnight, overflowing the large mason jar I had it in. Lesson learned. The final mixture will be thick and bubbly.  

Cover the mixture with a loose lid, and place in the fridge, as you would a normal sourdough starter. The yeast solution will begin to look like an eldritch creature, putting down tendrils in the jar until the whole thing separates into the heavier starter on the bottom, and the hops water on top. 

When you want to use the starter, simply stir up the solution, adding a hearty dash of new flour into the mix. This will feed the starter and help perk it back up. For best results, feed the starter the day before you wish to use it. Otherwise, feed your starter a handful of flour every week or so.