Homebrew Recipe
Scratch Brewing™ Basil Ale
- Method:
- All Grain
- Style:
- Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer
- Boil Time:
- 60 min.
- Batch Size:
- 5 gal.
- Boil Size:
- 6.5 gal.
- Efficiency:
- 0
- Rating:
- Source:
- Craft Beer and Brewing
- Source Notes:
- The Homebrewer™s Almanac: A Seasonal Guide to Making Your Own Beer from Scratch offers a month-by-month primer on making your own beer from the ingredients all around you, and the beer recipes are perfect for those brewers interested in creative ways to use these culinary ingredients in their brewing. Many brewers have put basil into beer, probably because of basil™ kinship with hops. Not only is basil extremely aromatic, it lends both a spicy edge and a sweet finish—hops-like without the extra bitterness. This recipe was featured in an excerpt from The Homebrewer's Almanac: A Seasonal Guide To Making Your Own Beer From Scratch, by Marika Josephson, Aaron Kleindon, and Ryan Tockstein, published by The Countryman Press, and reprinted in our Cooking with Beer 2016 special issue with permission from the publisher. Buy your copy of The Homebrewer's Almanac at better bookstores, homebrew shops, craft-beer stores, or your favorite online retailer.
- Notes:
- Mash in with 4 gallons (15 l) water to hit 150°F (65°C). Sparge with 6½ gallons (24.6 l) water at 168°F (75°C). 60 minutes with 15-minute whirlpool at flameout. Fresh plant basil schedule can be substituted with 1/4 C dried basil at 30 minutes and again at flameout/whirlpool. Start at 67°F (19°C) until fermentation is almost complete, then raise to 70°F (21°C) until complete.
Brew Numbers
| OG | FG | ABV | SRM | IBU |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.053 | 1.01 | 5.7 | 0 | 25 |
Fermentables
| Name | Amount | % Grain Bill |
|---|---|---|
| Pale Ale Malt | 8 lbs. | 77.11 |
| Notes: Recipe calls for Maris Otter | ||
| Rye Malt | 1 lbs. | 9.64 |
| Flaked Wheat | 1 lbs. | 9.64 |
| Crystal Malt 60 | 0.375 lbs. | 3.61 |
| Notes: 6 oz. | ||
| Total: | 10.38 lbs. | |
Hops
| Name | Amount | Boil Time | Use | AA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nugget | 0.5 oz. | 60 | Boil | 0 |
| East Kent Golding | 1 oz. | 10 | Boil | 0 |
| East Kent Golding | 1 oz. | 0 | Steep | 0 |
| Notes: At flameout | ||||
| Name | Amount |
|---|---|
| East Kent Golding | 2 oz. |
| Nugget | 0.5 oz. |
Yeast
| Name | Lab | Product |
|---|---|---|
| American Ale |
Other Ingredients
| Name | Amount | Time | Use | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genovese Basil Plant | 1 12" fresh plant | 60 min. | Boil | Flavor |
| Genovese Basil Plant | 1 12" fresh plant | 30 min. | Boil | Flavor |
| Genovese Basil Plant | 1 12" fresh plant | 10 min. | Boil | Flavor |
| Genovese Basil Plant | 1 12" fresh plant | 0 min. | Boil | Flavor |
| Notes: At flameout. | ||||
Mash Steps
| Step | Name | Temp | Time | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Single Infusion Mash | 150 | 60 | All Grain |
| Notes: Mash in with 4 gallons water to hit 150 F. Sparge with 6.5 gallons water at 168 F. | ||||