Gzombie Gnome Gapocalypse
Brewed: Kegged: 6/9/2015
There are a ton. There are even more if you simply search for "Zombie". Apparently beer guys love zombies. Given how many craft beers have "Zombie" in the name, it is amazing that we've never heard of any trademark violations around that name. In the Spring of 2015, a new brewing gnome joined the SheppyBrew staff. Like the other two brewing gnomes, Gzombie Gnome is a Chicago sports fan. Unlike the other two, he is also a zombie.
"A zombie gnome?", you ask. Yes, a zombie gnome.
I had given the other two gnomes the opportunity to help me design beers (see Gnasty the Gnome ESB and Gnaughty Gnome English Coffee Stout). As an equal-opportunity gnome employer (as long as you are not a Red Wings or Packers fan), of course I gave Gzombie the chance to design one with me as well.
The main design question became ... what sort of beer would we brew during the Zombie Apocalypse?
Well, ideally it would be from ingredients that I had (or would likely have) on hand. I have various "left over" hops in my freezer, so it was easy to say we would use those. I don't keep grains at the brewery, but if I were to choose one base grain that I would stock, it would be Maris Otter, so I decided to make that my base malt.
There are probably a bunch of adjuncts that I might have available to me in an apocalypse, but we didn't want to over-do simple-sugar adjuncts (we still want a beer to be enjoyed). I decided to add flaked oats (oatmeal), but no honey or other simple sugars.We want our wits about us in case of zombie attacks, so we decided to go low in alcohol.
We also decided to pick a dry yeast as it can last longer without refrigeration.
We decided to go with no temperature control for similar reasons. Plus, we would want fermentation to go as quickly as possible.
We added rye malt to the grain bill ... just because zombies like rye.
We added midnight wheat because I just thought the beer needed some color.
You can see the resulting beer recipe below.
It should be a flavorful, drinkable, low alcohol, balanced beer. Pleasant to drink without being overpowering in any way. Drink it by the pint. Perfect for a day of avoiding zombies.
For more information on Gzombie, see
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| Gzombie Gnome Gapocalypse --- Batch 1 |
| Style | Special/Best/Premium Bitter | Batch Size | 5.50 gal | |||
| Type | All Grain | Boil Size | 7.76 gal | |||
| Brewhouse Efficiency | 70.00 | Boil Time | 90 minutes |
Recipe Characteristics
| Recipe Gravity | 1.042 SG | Estimated FG | 1.012 SG | ||||
| Recipe Bitterness | 27.2 IBUs (Rager) | Alcohol by Volume | 4.0 % | ||||
| BU : GU | 0.647 | ||||||
| Recipe Color | 14.4 SRM |
|
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| Measured OG: | 1.042 | Measured FG: | 1.012 | ||||
| ADF: | 71 | Measured ABV: | 3.9 |
Ingredients
| Amt | Name | Type | # | %/IBU |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.00 g | Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Mash 60.0 mins) | Water Agent | 1 | - |
| 6 lbs | Maris Otter (Crisp) (4.0 SRM) | Grain | 2 | 64.9 % |
| 2 lbs | Rye Malt (4.7 SRM) | Grain | 3 | 21.6 % |
| 1 lbs | Oats, Flaked (1.0 SRM) | Grain | 4 | 10.8 % |
| 4.0 oz | Midnight Wheat Malt (550.0 SRM) | Grain | 5 | 2.7 % |
| 0.250 oz | Magnum [14.00 %] - First Wort 90.0 min | Hop | 6 | 15.0 IBUs |
| 0.375 oz | Magnum [14.00 %] - Boil 30.0 min | Hop | 7 | 10.5 IBUs |
| 0.250 oz | Fuggles [4.40 %] - Boil 10.0 min | Hop | 8 | 0.9 IBUs |
| 0.250 oz | Goldings, East Kent [4.30 %] - Boil 10.0 min | Hop | 9 | 0.8 IBUs |
| 1.0 pkg | Nottingham (Danstar #-) [23.66 ml] | Yeast | 10 | - |
Mash Profile
| Name | Description | Step Temperature | Step Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mash In | Add 11.56 qt of water at 168.2 F | 156.0 F | 45 min |
Batch sparge with 2 steps
(2.10gal, 3.88gal) of 168.0 F water
Not really designed to fit in a category. Just wanted a sessionable beer using up hops I had lying around.
4g gypsum in the mash water. This should bring Denver water profile (as defined by BeerSmith) to
Ca=59,Mg=8,Na=21,SO4=116,Cl=23,HCO3=104
Mash and boil as instructed.
Cool to around 60 degrees F.
Pitch yeast. Don't actively control the fermentation temperature.
Ferment 2 weeks. Keg Carb to 2 - 2.5 volumes.
Brewing Record
| Brew Date: | 5/24/2015 | Strike Temp: | ||||
| Mash Temps: | 160 -- 148 -- 156 | |||||
| Pre-boil OG | (1.034 SG) | Pre-boil Vol | (7.76 gal) | |||
| Actual Mash Efficiency | Pitch Temp | 66 | ||||
| Fermentation | ||||||
| Day 1: kraussen starting 64 | ||||||
| Day 2: fading 74 | ||||||
| Day 3: pretty much done 74 | ||||||
Brewing Notes
5/20/2015 Bought ingredients.
5/21/2015 Put together the recipe based on the ingredients I bought. Backwards, I know, but in a Zombie Apocalypse, sometimes you don't have time to plan. Sometimes you just have to do!
5/24/2015 Brew day today. Up at 3:30 or so. Mash going by 4, but lots of work to get temp right. Pre-boil of was real high. Diluted with water throughout. Refractometer says 1.042, which is where the design called for it to be. Chilling now. Will let it sit over church.
5/24/2015 Hydrometer also at 1.042. Went into carboy pretty clear. Pitched at about 66. Didn't hydrate.
5/25/2015 Kraussen going. 64.
5/26/2015 Bubbling away. Kraussen is already beginning to fade. Temperature up to 74 this morning.
5/27/2015 Bubbling has stopped. I'll check the gravity soon. Don't have a keg for this to go into yet so it might be awhile before it gets transferred.
5/31/2015 Took a gravity sample today. Gravity is at 1.013, which makes it a 3.8% ABV beer. It is very tasty. Stylistically, I don't have any idea what to call it. Probably closer to a mild than a bitter, but it does have some hop flavor. The rye adds just a bit of spiciness. It has a bit of a roast flavor. It isn't real visibly attractive being a hazy brown, but it will probably clarify some in the keg. And it tastes good enough that it's appearance doesn't really bother me.
6/9/2015 Kegged today. Gravity at 1.012. 3.9% ABV. I do really enjoy the taste of this beer even if I don't know what style to call it. Put into beer fridge. I'll probably put in keggerator in a day or two for proper carbonation.
6/14/2015 Carbonation still low. Blended about half and half with Summer Lovin last night during hockey game. Actually a really good combo.
6/14/2015 It isn't a visually attractive beer, but it is very tasty. When we make this again, I think some whirlflock will be called for.
6/25/2015 Great beer to drink while grilling. Tasty and low on alcohol. Don't think this beer will end up lasting very long.
7/6/2015 Keg blew last night. That is good. I'll need it for my saison soon.
5/20/2015 Bought ingredients.
5/21/2015 Put together the recipe based on the ingredients I bought. Backwards, I know, but in a Zombie Apocalypse, sometimes you don't have time to plan. Sometimes you just have to do!
5/24/2015 Brew day today. Up at 3:30 or so. Mash going by 4, but lots of work to get temp right. Pre-boil of was real high. Diluted with water throughout. Refractometer says 1.042, which is where the design called for it to be. Chilling now. Will let it sit over church.
5/24/2015 Hydrometer also at 1.042. Went into carboy pretty clear. Pitched at about 66. Didn't hydrate.
5/25/2015 Kraussen going. 64.
5/26/2015 Bubbling away. Kraussen is already beginning to fade. Temperature up to 74 this morning.
5/27/2015 Bubbling has stopped. I'll check the gravity soon. Don't have a keg for this to go into yet so it might be awhile before it gets transferred.
5/31/2015 Took a gravity sample today. Gravity is at 1.013, which makes it a 3.8% ABV beer. It is very tasty. Stylistically, I don't have any idea what to call it. Probably closer to a mild than a bitter, but it does have some hop flavor. The rye adds just a bit of spiciness. It has a bit of a roast flavor. It isn't real visibly attractive being a hazy brown, but it will probably clarify some in the keg. And it tastes good enough that it's appearance doesn't really bother me.
6/9/2015 Kegged today. Gravity at 1.012. 3.9% ABV. I do really enjoy the taste of this beer even if I don't know what style to call it. Put into beer fridge. I'll probably put in keggerator in a day or two for proper carbonation.
6/14/2015 Carbonation still low. Blended about half and half with Summer Lovin last night during hockey game. Actually a really good combo.
6/14/2015 It isn't a visually attractive beer, but it is very tasty. When we make this again, I think some whirlflock will be called for.
6/25/2015 Great beer to drink while grilling. Tasty and low on alcohol. Don't think this beer will end up lasting very long.
7/6/2015 Keg blew last night. That is good. I'll need it for my saison soon.