Michaewa

Squeezed it in yesterday, here is the recipe for 10 gallons:

• 10 # 2 row
• 4 # wheat malt
• 12 oz 40L crystal
• 1 oz roast barley (english)
• 2 oz hallertau 60 min
• WLP575 Belgian Ale Blend

Mashed at 156 for 1 hr, 60 minute boil, chill, and pitch.

I’ll let it go for 10 days or so and then rack 4 gallons into each of 2 carboys with 1 gallon of Knudsen’s cherry juice.

The english roast barley and the yeast were an audible due to the lack of selection at the homebrew shop. I think it will turn out just fine.

Now I just need to come up with a name. Since the cherries traditionally come from Door County I was thinking of something that would pay homage to the lizard king. Roadhouse Red perhaps?

It has become clear to me that Scott Adams works somewhere in my office as a mole. He clearly gleans up to 75% of all strip ideas and themes from conversations and initiatives dreamed up and put into place at my place of employment.

I’ll find you…

 
If I can ever get more than 25 minutes between urgent emails with long crazy rants in the subject line, I’m going to try to brew a clone of Belgian Red.

I had it for the first time at the GABF last year. When we got into the venue, about 85% of the total crowd was standing in a long, snaking line in front of the New Glarus booth, and as soon as they finished their first sample, they cycled back to wait again. Definitely a good sign.

I am lucky enough to come into a bottle here and again but with no real regularity. Zymurgy published a recipe using Knudsen’s tart cherry juice rather than real cherries, and I’m going to follow that as much as some local ingredient limitations will allow.

10 gallons, coming up…