This is very much like a malt based Real Ale type bitter. Just
slightly fruity/sweet - it reminds me of Everards Tiger.
Lt. Commander Worf's favourite drink was Prune Juice - 'A warriors
drink', Try a session on this if you think you're hard enough!
Ingredients for 5 Gallons
Abbreviations: Dsp Desert Spoon (level)
Tsp Teaspoon (level)
Redbush (Rooibos) tea bags 30
Liquorice tea bags 10
Muscovado Sugar (Dark) 0.2 Kg
Lyles Black Treacle 4 Dsp
Bovril(beef) 4 Tsp
Goldings Hops 25g
Irish Moss 0.5 Tsp
Tesco Red Grape Juice 1 Litre
Prune Juice 2 Litre
Palm Sugar (Jaggery) 0.5 Kg
Agave Nectar(Dark) 250 ml
Yeast Nutrient (as recommended by manufacturer)
Billingtons Golden Granulated Sugar 0.45 Kg
Maltodextrin (Body Bru) 0.5 Kg
Isomerised Hop Extract As recommended for 6 gallons
Dried Ale Yeast 1Pkt
Gelatine for fining 10-12g
Sugar for priming 40 Tsp
Notes on Ingredients
Redbush Tea Bags - I have used 'TicToc', Twinings, Clipper and
'Redbush Tea Company' tea bags successfully. All are available at
large Tesco Stores.
Liquorice Tea Bags - Clipper brand - available in Tesco. I guess you
could alternatively use the liquorice some home brew suppliers
sell. Haven't tried that yet but will do some day. (As of Jan 2008, I
can't find an online home brew shop that sells liquorice - what a bunch
of girls)
Golden Sugar - some brands seem to make the beer cloudy and difficult
to clear. Billingtons dissolves completely and gives a clear solution.
If you really are a warrior, you could try making the strong version
of this beer - Dilithium MindWIPE - add an extra 500-1000g of sugar.
(Don't take your armour off before starting a session. That way you
might get upstairs to bed without hurting yourself)
Palm Sugar - Well! My local Tesco are pissing me off at the
moment. They stock an interesting and useful ingredient for several
months, then it disappears. eg date syrup, Jaggery, puffed rice. I've
managed to find both Date syrup and Jaggery in local 'ethnic' shops
but they may not always be available locally. I've managed to find
date syrup online at goodnessdirect.co.uk.
Maltodextrin (Body Bru, Brew Body) - available from Home Brew Stores
makes a big difference to the feel of the beer on the palate. Its
usually made from corn starch and should therefore be gluten free.
I'm not coeliac so am not too sensitive to gluten, but half a slice of
toast contains enough to upset my system. The Maltodextrin from Youngs
doesn't upset me so if it does contain gluten there's not much. If you
are really sensitive you could leave this out...it doesn't affect the
taste much.
Irish Moss - available from Home Brew Stores. This is supposed to help
the beer to clear after bottling. I haven't tried making a batch
without it so it may be an unneccessary precaution.
Goldings Hops - dried and vacuum packed from Home Brew Stores. These
add a very pleasant beery aroma. You may prefer a different hop.
Yeast - from Home Brew Stores. I am currently using Youngs Beer Yeast
which comes in a foil packet and can be sprinkled directly onto the
wort.
Yeast nutrient - Some yeast nutrients contain albumen (beware
egg-intolerant folks ie me ). I use Yeast Vit Nutrient by Brupaks
purchased online from http://www.the-home-brew-shop.co.uk/
Gelatine - just the ordinary type found in the baking section of a
supermarket. It generally comes in sachets containing sufficient
gelatine to make a pint of Jelly. This is the amount I use for 5
gallons of beer.
Isomerised Hop Extract - This is a time saver. If you use real hops to
add bitterness they need to be boiled for at least an hour. I use the
liquid extract produced by Ritchie Products Ltd.
Prune Juice - Don't panic! its less than 10% of the wort and most of
the fibre drops out as bottom break (unfortunate term)
during thebrewing and conditioning. I've had 4 pints of this beer with no ill
effects.
Bovril - Good range of nutrients for the yeast and bags of protein to
help head formation and retention.
see recipe Gluten Free Extract Recipe for details of method.
