Munkle 5 Branches Bière de Garde

Courtesy of Joe Bowden, head brewer at Munkle Brewing in Charleston, South Carolina, here is a homebrew-scale recipe for the beer that won GABF gold in 2018 in the category Belgian-style and French-style Ales.

ALL-GRAIN

Batch size: 5 gallons (19 liters)

Brewhouse efficiency: 72%

OG: 1.062

FG: 1.004

IBUS: 20

ABV: 7.7%

MALT/GRAIN BILL

4.4 lb (2 kg) pale ale 4.4 lb (2 kg) German pilsner 14.2 oz (403 g) aromatic malt 5.3 oz (150 g) flaked oats 0.8 oz (23 g) Château (Castle) Cara Ruby 0.8 oz (23 g) chocolate malt

HOPS & ADDITIONS SCHEDULE

14.2 oz (403 g) cane sugar at first wort

0.5 oz (14 g) Magnum at 70 minutes [20 IBUS]

YEAST

White Labs WLP565 Belgian Saison I, Wyeast 3724 Belgian Saison, or similar

DIRECTIONS

Mill the grains and mash at 147°F (64°C) for 45 minutes. Vorlauf for about 15 minutes, until the runnings are clear, and run off into the kettle; add sugar, stirring to dissolve. Sparge and top up as necessary to get about 6 gallons (23 liters) of wort—or more, depending on your evaporation rate. Boil for 75 minutes, adding hops according to the schedule. After the boil, chill to 66°F (19°C), aerate well, and pitch plenty of healthy yeast. Over the first 7 days, allow the temperature to rise gradually up to 76°F (24°C). Hold at 76°F (24°C) for about 2 more weeks, until fermentation is complete. Crash, rack to a secondary fermentor, and lager for 30 days, then keg and carbonate to about 2.8 volumes; if bottle-conditioning, aim for 3 volumes.