Spring is here, and warm weather is becoming normal now despite the occasional cold wet day. My last brew, an IPA based on Bell’s Two Hearted, is a good style for warm weather. But I also love wheat beers and strong effervescent ales in warm weather.
One of my favorite strong bubbly ales is the American farmhouse style Tank 7 from Boulevard. It’s certainly Belgian in inspiration, similar to a saison or strong golden, but the hop choices are more American. It has great drinkability and high alcohol content, which is a wonderful combination on a warm summer evening.
This style of beer is my next brew, which I’ll be doing tomorrow, April 6.
Unlike the Two Hearted, I am not trying to clone Tank 7. I wouldn’t mind coming close, but I’m trying more to brew something of my own based on the style than match the actual beer’s profile.
I certainly researched people’s recipes for the beer, including a third-hand statement on the mash and hops Boulevard uses, supposedly relayed by head brewer Steven Pauwels himself.
I don’t trust any of this specifically, but in aggregate I think I have a recipe that will be style appropriate.
The tricky parts are my inexperience with using corn as an adjunct, and the weird farmhouse ale yeast I plan to use, White Labs 670. It’s weird because it has a mix of normal Saccharomyces yeast with Brettanomyces, and I am finding mixed things on how long a beer needs to condition before some of the Brett funkiness appears in the beer.
So I’m going to guess at a schedule, and assume this beer will be ready in mid June.
The recipe:
This recipe is tuned for my simple brewing system where I can get a 75% mash efficiency consistently. I can’t easily do multiple temperature rests, so I’m going with a single infusion mash at 149F (compared to my more usual 152F). The lower temperature and addition of corn should get a more fermentable sugar mix that will allow for a lower gravity, dryer finish.
Malt
- 10.0 lbs Belgian two-row pale malt
- 3.0 lbs Flaked corn
- 1.5 lbs White wheat malt
Hops
- 0.4 oz Magnum 14.0%, 60 min
- 0.4 oz Simcoe 13.0%, 25 min
- 1.0 oz Amarillo 8.5%, 5 min
- 2.0 oz Amarillo 8.5%, 1 min
Yeast
- White Labs WLP670 in a starter.
Mash (Single infusion, 149F)
- Infusion: 21.75 quarts at 168F
- Sparge: 17.0 quarts at 170F
Expected characteristics
| Style | American Farmhouse |
|---|---|
| Calories (12 oz) | 240 |
| IBUs (bitterness) | 38 |
| Color (SRM) | 5.9 (golden) |
| ABV | 8.4% |
| OG | 1.074 |
| FG | 1.010 |
— Steve