Saag

First batch of Root Beer

Recently I got a new refrigerator to use as a kegerator. Once the kegs of homebrew were in the house, we started to think about what else could be dispensed and decided to make root beer. I had some Bucksnort root beer and thought it would be good to imitate that if I could. So here is attempt 1:

• 1.5 oz Sassafras root bark
• 3 Tbsp (~0.6 oz) Licorice root
• 1/2 tsp Wintergreen extract
• 10 cups sugar

Put the sugar, sassafras and licorice into the brew kettle with 3 gallons water and boiled for 25 minutes. Drained into sterilized keg and top off with cold tap water. Then added wintergreen extract, cooled keg and force carbonated.

Impressions: Tasted the next day and it was ok. Definitely not Bucksnort, but drinkable. A little on the light side, it was more red than dark brown I would expect for root beer. Also, a little heavy on the wintergreen. A good first batch with room for improvement.

Gluten-free beer

I've been brewing beer for a few years now. I'm usually looking for new twists to try brewing. The last beer I brewed was my first lager. It came out ok, but had a few slight off flavors. This weekend, I started my first gluten-free beer. The fermentables were:

• 6 lbs Sorghum liquid extract
• 1 lb Honey (from bees in my yard, so cool)
• 6 oz Belgium Candi (dark)

I boiled it for 60 minutes with hops thrown in at:

• 0.5 oz Chinook (11.9%) @ 45 minutes
• 1 oz Cascade (3.5%) @ 15 minutes

Also, a bit of Irish Moss thrown in near the end. I pitched last night and the yeast are starting to go, but it's still a little slow. It should be ready by the end of the month. Looking forward to tasting it then.

English Muffins (part 2)

The first batch of English Muffins were made with a batter that I poured into rings on the griddle. This worked ok but didn't seem to give the right texture or consistency. I've tried a couple of other recipes since then and this one has come the closest to the English Muffins that I'm used to.

Ingredients

* 1 cup soy milk
* 2 tsp active dry yeast
* 1 cup warm water
* 1/4 cup melted shortening
* 6 cups bread flour
* 1 teaspoon salt

I mixed all the ingredients together, then let it slowly rise for a day in the refrigerator. It nearly doubled in size. I pulled it out and rolled it into a sheet between 1/4" and 3/8" thick. Using a glass (I don't have a round cookie cutter) I cut out muffins then placed them on a cornmeal-sprinkled cookie sheet to warm and rise for an hour. They had risen to about double their height. I misted them with water before placing them on a hot griddle. They cooked for about 5-7 minutes per side.



The dough was stiffer than I would like and they didn't have quite as much flavor as I wanted, but are the closest I've made so far. For the next batch, I plan to replace the active dry yeast with sour dough starter and give it longer rise time. I think will help with both problems I had this time.

Breakfast "Snausage"

My friend Aimee sent me this recipe for vegan sausage. It took me too long to get around to making it, but we had people over for brunch this morning and I decided now was the time to try it out. None of our brunch guests were vegan, but they all enjoyed this. Once you have all the spices out, it's pretty easy to throw this together.

1/2 cup quinoa
1 cup water
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp crushed sage
2 tsp rosemary
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp celery seeds
1 tsp black peppercorns
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
2 pinches cayenne
1 Tbsp milled flaxseed
1/2 cup chickpea flour
1/4 cup oat or wheat bran
1/4 cup water
2 Tbsp Bragg's liquid aminos


In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the quinoa and water, let
boil for 10 minutes. Grind nutritional yeast through flaxseed in a spice
grinder. Combine spice mix with flour and oats, add to quinoa and stir.
Combine water and liquid aminos. Add liquid mixture to quinoa mixture
and mix well. Form mixture into 2" balls and flatten slightly into
patties. Fry with a little oil until brown, about 3 minutes per side.