I used to have an Armenian friend, who always said to have the super beer recipe ever. He was a second generation in America, so his name was John, and in his behalf, taken from the Papazian book, here it goes:
One look at this recipe and you may think I’ve gone bonkers. Well I haven’t, but you may after putting your ever-loving lips to this most royal of stouts. A nearly 8 percent alcohol, very bittersweet and hoppy stout with a full-bodied, creamy-headed sensation that is a definite treasure among stout lovers. This brew will age nicely for years, but believe it: This brew is velvet in glass within 4-6 weeks of bottling.
Lots of hops are called for in this recipe in addition to the hop-flavored malt extract kit used. High-alpha hops are used in the boil to minimize the amount of sparging that’s done at the end of the boil.
Ingredients for 5 gallons:
- 6.6 lbs. Munton & Fison’s Old Ale Kit (hopped malt extract syrup)
- 3.3 lbs. plain light malt extract syrup
- 1/2 lb. black patent malt
- 1/2 lb. roasted barley
- 3 tsp. gypsum
- 2 oz. Eroica, Galena, Nugget or Olympic hops (boiling): 22-25 HBU
- 1 oz. Cascade hops (aroma)
- 1-2 pkgs. ale yeast
- 3/4 c. corn sugar of 1 1/4 dried malt extract (for bottling)
O.G.: 1070-1075 (17.5-19)
F.G.: 1018-1025 (4.5-6)
Add the crushed black malt and roasted barley to 1 1/2 gallons of water and bring to a boil. When boiling begins, remove grains. Add gypsum, malt extract and boiling hops and return to a boil. Boil for 60 minutes. During the final 1-2 minutes add the aroma hops and the sparge into your fermenter and cold water. Add yeast when cool. Bottle when fermentation is complete and then wait until it’s ready and continues to improve.
Tip: Try it with a spicy lahmejune (Armenian sort of pizza).
Abrees