Founders Curmudgeon Ale

This old ale is brewed with molasses and an insane focus on the malt bill, then oak-aged. The result is a rich malty delight that’s deceptively smooth and drinkable. Founders Head Brewer Jeremy Kosmicki calls it a “nighttime sipper” and a respite from the hops-forward styles.

ALL-GRAIN

Batch size: 5 gallons (19 liters)

Brewhouse efficiency: 72% OG: 1.092

FG: 1.019

IBUS: 50

ABV: 9.8%

MALT/GRAIN BILL

13 lb (5.9 kg) standard 2-row base malt 2 lb (907 g) Carapils

2 lb (907 g) Munich

8 oz (227 g) Crystal Dark

HOPS AND ADDITIONS SCHEDULE

0.8 oz (23 g) Nugget [14% AA] at 60 minutes 0.5 oz (14 g) Perle [6% AA] at 30 minutes 8 oz (227 g) molasses at 5 minutes

2.5 oz (71 g) American oak chips in secondary

YEAST

American Ale Yeast (e.g., Wyeast 1056 or White Labs WLP060)

DIRECTIONS

Mash the grains at 156°F (69°C) for 60 minutes. Vorlauf until your runnings are clear, then run off into the kettle. Sparge the grains and top up as necessary to obtain 6 gallons (23 l) of wort. Boil for 90 minutes, following the hops and additions schedule. After the boil, chill the wort to slightly below fermentation temperature, about 70°F (21°C). Aerate the wort and pitch the yeast.

Ferment at 70°F (21°C) until the completion of primary fermentation (about 9 days, depending on the temperature). Rack the beer into secondary and add the oak chips. Let the beer age with the wood. Use your palate to decide how long. Oak chips are pretty quick; a week or so can be plenty.