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My last post on the issue of Vestmanna stone ale
will cover a few practical points in making it at home.
<p><b>Equipment</b>
<p> In terms of equipment i would say that one should
have a huge cooler style mash tun. I used such a device loaned to
me by a state side brewer to make stone ale last year. When last
in the states i saw 120 quart coolers, they sold for about 40 dollars,
converted into mash/lauter tuns. All that extra room should make
for plenty of places to place the requisite wood, grist and stones needed
for a five gallon batch.
<br> As for the oven i noted that in several parks found
across the states one could use grills of heavy stone construction
for the purpose. I have been told that these have served the task
at hand quite well.
<br> Also, i see no need for a cool ship/boil vessel
as was used out here. Instead, i would suggest that one use a wort
chiller, you'll get a better hot break any way, and a standard brew pot.
<br> As for the rocks to use, well that is a tougher
question. I reckon that one should talk to a geologist regarding
what local stone would be suitable. Certainly rocks that are porous or
that contain carbonates would be unsuitable. It would seem
that a two thirds reduction in the amount of stones used during the
various steps would be called for in a five gallon recipe.
<p><b>Safety Issues</b>
<p> If you attempt to make this style of ale i would
strongly suggest that you wear very heavy gloves, industrial goggles, a
rubber apron and as much protective clothing as possible while handling
heated rocks. I would suggest that one use well soaked wooden buckets,
with no standing water, when moving the rocks. I would think that an iron
pot with wooden holds would also be all right for transport. Finally,
one must have two or more sets of high quality fire place tongs.
<p><b>Changes to the recipe</b>
<p><b> </b>For a five gallon, u.s., batch i would suggest
that one reduce the grain bill from the last post by two thirds. If you
want to make things simpler just use malted oats. If you do use unmalted
oats be sure to follow PBLoomis's recommendations and use a pound of
malt per two pounds of unmalted oats when preparing the oats for latter
mash stages.
<br> In so far as spices are concerned i would use same
ones mentioned in the first post. In terms of elder berries i have
found that 12 ounces, dried, per five gallons is fine and that twice
that amount is better is one uses fresh. In so far as century
extract is concerned it simply is a mater making sure that the ale is not
to sweet for one's taste. Balm and woodruff should be used in a dried
form with an once for the first and two for the latter being recommended.
However, some folks prefer less of the last two herbs so if your
not used unhopped ales i would think that you should use a little less.
<br> If you don't have a cask i think you could use an
open fermenter for your primary and introduce the sugar covered stones
into the green ale once the foam drops after a couple of days. I
would suggest that final conditioning prior to bottling be done in carboys
or kegs.
<br> Apparently this ale was consumed flat. While
some of the SCA'ers in the readership may be willing to drink flat, live
ale for the sake of historical accuracy i for one prefer carbonated ale.
I would suggest that one prime the ale with gyle or honey and wait two
months after bottling for best results.
<br> My next recipe is a simple Cornish recipe along
with some variants. Hopefully no one has been put off thinking that unhopped
ales are as difficult to make as stone based ones.</html>