Bacon Brown Ale

A nut brown ale brewed with bacon-cured pork.

ALL-GRAIN

Batch size: 5 gallon (19 liters) Brewhouse efficiency: 72% OG: 1.068 FG: 1.010 IBUS: 21 ABV: 6.8%

MALT/GRAIN BILL

9.3 lb (4.2 kg) pale malt 1.5 lb (680 g) Munich I 11.2 oz (318 g) Beech-smoked malt 5.6 oz (159 g) Carafoam 5.6 oz (159 g) Carafa I

HOPS AND ADDITIONS SCHEDULE

1 lb (454 g) bacon-cured lean pork or back

bacon at boil start (see Brewer’s Notes) 1.17 oz (33 g) Saphir pellet [5% AA] at 60

minutes 0.78 oz (22 g) Hallertau Hersbrucker

pellet [5.6% AA] at 10 minutes A sprinkle of Hershbrucker pellet at the

end of the boil

YEAST

Wyeast 1728 Scottish Ale

DIRECTIONS

Mash grains at 148°F (64°C) for 50 minutes. Raise the temperature to 158°F (70°C) and hold for 15 minutes. Raise the temperature to 165°F (74°C) for the sparge and sparge with 172°F (78°C) water. Boil for 60 minutes, following the hops and additions schedule.

After the boil, chill the wort to 68°F (20°C). Aerate the wort and pitch the yeast. Ferment at 68°F (20°C).

BREWER’S NOTES

I recommend using a lean cut of pork for this beer, if possible. The flavor comes from the meat, not the fat. For ours, we use an entire bacon-cured leg. If you use bacon, instead of belly, try using back bacon. Before you add the bacon to the boil, put it into a 350°F (177°C) oven until it’s crispy and most of the fat has rendered out. It will be a delicious snack after the end of boil.