In Wisconsin, the food of Summer is beer brats. They’re easy to make, amazingly delicious, they’re portable, and they only take one hand to hold. Which means that there’s a free hand for your beer.
There is a huge number of great and interesting beer brat recipes out there but one that never fails the standard beer brat recipe. Here is my standard recipe… no frills, no exotic beers, no snobby mustards. Just the basic ingredients that make for a great, simple beer brat.
Beer Brats
Ingredients
6 Bratwurst (fresh, not frozen)
1 Medium White Onion
2 Mild-flavored American Lagers or Ales
6 Brat buns
Sauerkraut
Ketchup
Yellow or Spicy Brown Mustard
Method
1) Slice onion into half rings.
2) Combine beer, brats, and onion in a pot and bring to a light boil for 15 to 20 minutes. When done, the brats should have no pink color. Get your grill going once the boil starts.
3) Remove the brats from the pot o’ beer. Also, save the onions for serving with the brats. If desired, you may grill or fry the onions for more flavor.
4) Put the brats on the grill. At this point you should open a 3rd beer for yourself to drink.
5) Brown the brats on the grill until they look tasty.
6) Serve on bun with ketchup, mustard, kraut, and onions.
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Notes
About the Beer: The standard beer that I use is Miller High Life. I like the mild flavor it has and it doesn’t make the brats bitter. You may use any beer that you enjoy but I suggest not using a beer that has a lot of strong flavors or a lot of bitterness. Keep in mind that boiling beer will reduce it and thus concentrate its flavors. If you choose to use a strong flavored beer it may be a good idea to add some water to the pot.
About Boiling: Many people think that a violent boil will adversely effect the sausages. With that in mind I usually try to keep the pot to a very mild boil.
About Poking Brats: There is a big debate in the world of brat cookin’ about whether or not to poke holes in the brats. Some people say that you never poke holes in the brats because then you lose the precious brat juices. The other half says that if you poke holes in the brats it helps let in the delicious beer juices. It all boils down to personal preference; which juices do you like the most? I typically do not poke holes in my brats.
About Brats: DO NOT buy brats that are called ‘beer brats’. These brats do not taste good and give a bad name to beer brats. Just buy plain, fresh, non-marinated, non-flavored bratwurst.
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Have any additions or want to publish your own recipe? Send us a message!
Most beers get all their flavor, color, and aroma from only 4 ingredients.
Below is a list of these basic ingredients as well as the affect that they have on the taste, aroma, and color of beer.
Water
This delicious combination of hydrogen and oxygen makes up 90% of beer.
The Effect: The specific minerals in water give distinct flavors to the beer it is used in. Many breweries use water from natural springs that contains unique mineral content depending on the environment it is taken from. This gives many brews unique characteristics. Other breweries chemically adjust their water to give it the desired mineral content for the beer they’re brewing.
Malted Barley
Barley is grain that looks similar to wheat. In order for it to be used in brewing, barley must be malted, the first step in the brewing process. Barley types are distinguished by the number of seeds growing at the top of the stalk. Traditionally, European brewers prefer 2-Row barley because it malts the best and American brewers prefer 6-Row barley because it has a higher concentration of enzymes and it is more economical to grow. Barley can be replaced by other ingredients for the malting process. Wheat, corn, and rice are commonly used for flavor, body, and cost reasons.
Adapted from chandrikamasla.com
The Effect: Sweetness in beer comes from the malted barley. The color of beer is determined by the degree of drying and roasting the malted barley gets; temperature and duration.
The flavor imparted by the malt is also determined by the degree of roasting. Kilned and lightly roasted barley leaves sweet, caramel, candy-like, and raisiny flavor notes. With higher temperatures and lengths, roasting can give nutty, smokey, toasted, and coffee flavors.
Hops
Hops are the flowers that grow on the vines of the hop plant. There are many varieties of hops. Brewers choose their hops based on the desired amounts of bitterness and the aromas associated with different varieties of hops.
Adapted from vancouverseedbank.ca
The Effect: Hops balance the sweetness of the malt with their bitterness, stabilize and preserve beer, and contribute greatly to a beer’s aroma. The effect the hops have on the final product depends on when they were added during the brewing process.
Hops that are added during the boiling of the wort are known as ‘bittering hops’ and contribute to the bitterness of the beer. The earlier hops are added to the boil, the more bitterness that can be extracted from them. Hops added during the final minutes of the boil contribute to the aroma of the beer. A smaller degree of flavor comes from the hops when they’re added at this stage of the boil. Hops can also be added after the wort has cooled down and has been fermented. These hops don’t add bitterness but only contribute aroma to the beer.
Flavor comments such as flowery, spicey, earthy, piney, and citrusy can be attributed to hops.
Yeast
Usually in liquid form, yeast is the living fungus that makes it all happen. Yeast converts the most of the sugars of the wort into alcohol and carbon dioxide. It comes in three main types: Top Fermenting Ale Yeast, Bottom Fermenting Lager Yeast, and Wheat yeast.
The Effect: Besides the main byproduct of fermentation, alcohol, there are other byproducts that add to flavor and aroma of beer. Top Fermenting Ale Yeast has byproducts that generally produce fruity and flower tastes and aromas. Bottom Fermenting Lager Yeast produces less fruity notes and let the aroma from the hops come through. Wheats Yeasts are known to produce clove and banana notes. Butterscotch and woody tastes are also attributed to yeast depending on the type of beer brewed.
Others
Apart from the four basic beer ingredients above, many breweries stray away from theReinheitsgebot and add fruit, spices, honey, and much more for new and interestingly flavored beers.
I love the smell of beer however I can not stomach the stuff. I have tried countless beers but nothing seems to have a taste that I enjoy. Do you have suggestions of brands to try to learn to like beer or suggestions on types of beer to start with? Lager, Pilsners??? Thanks.
-Lukas
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That is a fantastic question. The only thing that we like more than beer is people that want to learn to love it.
It would be hard for me to recommend a specific beer style for you to start with. This is because there are so many different flavors and styles of beers. It really comes down to personal flavor preference.
Instead, what I’ve created for you is a Beer Flavor Chart/Wheel that is setup to showcase 7 distinct beer flavor compositions. While there are some more/less extreme beer styles in the beer world, I feel that this chart should give you a great starting point for investigating the beer world.
A brief explanation of the pieces of the Beer Flavor Chart is below:
Each of the 7 main divisions of the chart represents a distinct flavor grouping of beer styles.
Each level within the division represents a different beer style. Within each level, there are a number of beers that are representative of both that beer styles and that flavor division.
In general, the outside ring of the chart represents the most extreme of that flavor composition.
Each of the beers have been specifically chosen. 1st, beers were chosen to match the beer style that they are. 2nd, beers were chosen that I felt represent the proper flavor composition and extremeness under which they are listed. Lastly, preference was given to local beers that I like.
Here is an explanation of the 7 sections of the Beer Flavor Chart:
The Light Side – These are beers that appeal to people trying to minimize the ‘beer’ taste of their beer. The style on the outer ring is the lightest and least alcoholic of the three.
Fruity - If you prefer very sweet, fruity flavors, this may be the way to jump into the beer world. The beers on the outer ring are very, very fruity and probably won’t taste like your typical beer. The fruitiness diminishes as you move inward.
Clean and Malty - Bocks are clean, malty lagers without much hop flavor. This may be where you should start if bitterness scares you away from beer . The outermost style is the darkest and heaviest of the Bocks.
Light and Sweet -Almost every beer drinker likes wheat beers. If you want a light tasting beer with noticeable sweetness and hints of fruits, this might be for you. The outermost style is the cloudiest of the three; however the sweetness doesn’t really diminish as you move inward.
Roasty -Start here if any of these strike a chord with you: nutty, coffee, toasty, toffee. Stouts are the most coffee like and they are shown on the outside ring. If the outer ring is too much for you, head in to the smoother and softer beers.
The Bitter Way -The standard IPA is a very popular beer style. Start at this flavor group if bitterness gets you going. Be warned though, the Imperial IPA’s are very, very bitter.
Complex and Heavy - If you like flavors that develop over time and change with every sip, start with this group. Many people that like to sip fine liquors like to drink Belgian beers.The outermost beer is the least alcoholic (at 6-7.5%) but is generally the darkest. The inner most beers can approach 11%
-Hopefully that helps ease your passage into the beer world.
This humble new beer from Capital Brewery has now made its way into the bottles. Soon enough it should end up on the shelves… and hopefully, on tap at your local Supper Club.
Lagers always seem to be out of reach for the beginning homebrewer. Unless you have a cave in a mountain or an extra refrigerator laying around, it is pretty difficult to find a place that stays a cool constant temperature for lagering.
The following lager method is cheap, simple to setup, and it can fit in nearly any room of your house/apartment. This is a great method if you don’t have the space or money for a refrigerator. It is also much simpler than the other do-it-yourself lagering methods and it costs $0. It can be setup with materials that you probably have at your house in a matter of minutes.
Ingredients
Plastic tub/container (large enough to fit the fermenter)
3 or 4 two liter soda bottles
2 heavy blankets or comforters
Thermometer
Method
1) Prior to brewing, fill all of the 2-liter bottles with water and allow them to freeze completely.
2) After brewing, place your primary fermenter into the tub. Put two or more of the 2-liter bottles into the tub as well as the thermometer.
3) Wrap one of the heavy blankets completely around the tub and tuck the top of it over the sides of the tub to create a seal between the top of the tub and the side of the fermenter.
4) Wrap the second heavy blanket around the tub and completely cover the fermenter, except the air lock.
5) At this point, all that you need to do to is replace old, melted bottles for the new, frozen bottles. This should be done at an interval that achieves and maintains your desired fermentation temperature. (See Example Below)
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Replacement Example:
Initially, two bottles were placed into the tub. The primary fermenter was 70 degrees and the ambient temperature of the basement was 62 degrees. After the first 24 hours, both of the bottles were removed and one frozen bottle was put into the tub.
Every 24 hours the bottle was replaced with a new, frozen bottle. By this replacement frequency, the fermenter was held to a temperature between 50 and 55 degrees. This was done for 3 days.
Next, one additional frozen bottle was placed into the fermenter (for a total of two). After 24 hours, the older of the two bottles was replaced with a frozen bottle. After 24 more hours, the older of the two bottles was replaced with a frozen bottle. By this replacement frequency, the fermenter was held at a temperature between 46 and 48 degrees. This process was carried out for 3 weeks; until fermentation was completed
Notes:
1) In this specific case, the container was stored in a basement where the ambient temperature was 62 degrees Fahrenheit. If your basement is warmer than this, you may need to use additional ice bottles to achieve your lagering temperature.
2) We believed that we would have been able to achieve and hold temperatures in the high 30′s had we been replacing both bottles each day instead of just one.
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Do you have your own refrigerator-less lager method? Let us know!
Brewing your own beer is an easy and exciting hobby. It doesn’t take much effort and the rewards are fantastic.
Homebrewing also gives you a better understanding of what beer is and what goes into making the beers that you love.
There are 5 major reasons that we think you should brew your own craft beers.
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1) It is very, very easy to make great beer. For beginning homebrewers, the brewing process is literally as simple as this: [1] Boil water, [2] Add ingredients.
2) It is fun. Homebrewing gives you a chance to create something; and the product is beer. There is also an endless variety of beers that you can create through creativity, research, and cloning. And there are clone recipes out there for nearly every commercial beer on the shelves.
3) Your beer will impress yourself and others. After only a few batches of beer you will be able to produce beer equal to or better than what you can buy. It is very gratifying to hear people say “I would pay for this.”
4) Know what you drink. Homebrewing gives you a chance to understand what it takes to create the beer you enjoy. When you brew, you know you’re getting real, natural beer.
5)Ingredients for Homebrew are cheaper than buying craft beer. The last 12-pack I bought cost me $14.19, which would have been $56.76 for 48 bottles. Ingredients to make 48 bottles of homebrew have been $30. 00 to $44.00 for all of my batches thus far. Of course you also need to figure in time and equipment
-Do you want to know what you’re drinking? The best way is to make your own.
A friend of mine gave me a 24 pack of Bud Select in the aluminum long necks. I realized that the born on date was 2 years ago. The taste was actually good and still had plenty of carbonation so I finished a six pack. Can you get ill from beer that is this old but not green or flat?
- Rob
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Great question Rob. This is one that many people are eager to ask but nobody is eager to test.
As long as it was sealed and kept moderately cool it should be relatively safe to drink. Since you said it was adequately carbonated, it was obviously sealed. Since you said it tasted good, it was probably kept at a reasonable temperature even if it wasn’t in the fridge the entire time.
Most mass-produced, commercial beers, are either pasteurized or filtered to remove the remaining yeast. So once these beers are packaged they should be free from harmful bacteria. Furthermore, the alcohol should do a good job of keeping the beer in a consumable condition, even if some of the flavor has been lost or altered over time.
Lastly, did you notice any side effects from drinking the six pack? It seems you may be living proof that 2 year old, non-green, non-flat beer, may be enjoyed. Even though we don’t recommend drinking old beer, you took up the challenge and you won.
As we here at TheBeerLife have been saying for ages, beer is a wonderful thing. Some simply maintain a casual relationship with the drink; others are swept away into a full-fledged love affair. Some stay true to their high school sweethearts; others prefer strings of sultry, meaningless short-term matinees.
But the days of order and homogeneity have given way to innovation and creativity. These are modern times and we are living in an enlightened age. If you’re going to imbibe, it’s essential to be aware of your choices. In order to provide you with the knowledge and tools to make the most of your time spent in the company of the world’s oldest inebriant, TheBeerLife presents ‘Know Your Beer Styles: Lagers.” Maybe we can talk you into a one-night stand.
First off, all the 100+ kinds of beer can be broken down into two elemental categories: Lager and Ale. Why? Well, beer is made in one of two ways. The yeast does its job either at the top of the tank or the bottom of the tank. Until someone creates middle-fermenting yeast, ales and lagers are all you have to worry about. Hey, we can dream, right?
So what makes a beer a Lager? The only important difference between Ale and Lager is the yeast used to begin fermentation. Unlike warmer top-fermenting Ales, Lagers bottom-ferment around 50F, nearly 20F colder than Ales. These colder temperatures prevent the yeast from producing any fruity ester aromas that are characteristically Ale-like. However, as a trade off for its ability to survive in cold temperatures, Lager yeast is infamous for sulfur production. Lagers are stored for months at near-freezing temperatures to subdue the harsh sulfur compounds into more pleasant ‘crisp’ or ‘clean’ flavors. Sure, brew kettle to pint glass takes at least twice as long as Ales, but the payoff is a crisp, clean and almost painfully palatable beer.
Still interested in Lagers? Read on for a rundown on various Lager offspring.
Pilsner: We all know a Pilsner when we see one. Dad always had a Pilsner in the fridge. It may be beer on training wheels but it upholds a noble and storied heritage. Pilsners are patterned after an original recipe brewed in 1842 in the town of Pilsen, Czech Republic. They are characterized by their pale golden color, crisp, ‘clean’ taste, low to mild hop bitterness and creamy white head. Although some debate the street cred of Pilsner beer, there are some breweries out there making great handcrafted Pilsners. Pilsners range from 3-5%ABV.
Bock: Thank god for the Germans. They love beer so much they add words to their language just to name them. Bocks are a type of strong lager beer first brewed in the 1300’s and consumed by monks for sustenance during periods of Lent. Modern bocks can be dark, amber or brown and are somewhat of a winter hobby for brewers. Bocks are known for their complex, malty flavors, low hop bitterness and creamy off-white head. Bocks range from 5-8% ABV.
Doppelbock: Translates to ‘Double Bock.’ Doppelbocks, like their less potent brethren, were originally brewed by Bavarian monks as a replacement for food. Monks considered Doppelbocks liquid bread. Doppelbocks are characterized by their dark color, large creamy head, strong toasty/malty aroma, and little to no hop flavor. Some versions feature chocolate or fruit aromas. Doppelbocks range from 8-12% ABV. Be careful with these and never challenge a monk to a drinking contest.
Eisbock: Eisbocks are not for the faint of heart. Basically, you take a Doppelbock, freeze it, and remove the ice. This eliminates the water and leaves alcohol. This is known as freeze distilling and can produce ABV’s of 10-40%. Eisbocks are typically a deep copper or dark brown with a rich, malty flavor. Like most lagers, you won’t find much hop flavor and will probably be wishing you hadn’t had too many of these.
Maibock: A fairly recent development, the Maibockis a pale, springtime version of a traditional bock that is usually associated with the month of May. Maibocks are drier, hoppier and less malty than traditional bocks. A Maibock is highly carbonated with a creamy white head and is deep gold to amber in color. Maibocks range from 6-8% ABV.
Marzen: German for March beer and considered the opposite of a Bock. Marzens originated in the 1500’s after a brewing ordinance decreed beer be brewed only between the days of St. Michael (9/29) and St. George (4/23). Brewers would take the first grains of the harvest, brew them up and store the beer through the summer into autumn. Marzens are full bodied beers that range in color, have above average hop flavor and have clean, dry finishes. Also known as Oktoberfest beers to some.
Schwarzbier: Translates to ‘Black Beer.’ And they are. Originating in the Middle Ages, Schwarzbiers are opaque, full bodied beers with chocolate or coffee flavors and little to no hop influence. Sound familiar? A Schwarzbier is the Lager version of a Stout. Schwarzbiers aren’t very alcoholic but they are basically a meal in a glass. If you’re counting calories you better use a calculator. Also called Black Lagers.
Helles: This is a Bavarian beer that looks like a Pilsner, but is crammed full of hops. Helles are almost like the Lager version of an IPA. This pale Lager can range from 5-7% ABV.
Dunkel: German for ‘dark.’ Dunkel is your basic German dark beer. Take some Helles, add a bunch of heavily roasted malt, and away you go. They are slightly more bitter than Helles, but have a smooth, malty flavor derived from a special brewing technique. Dunkels range in color from amber to a dark, reddish brown. Dunkelweizens are dark wheat beers that are fruity and sweet.
Vienna: A Vienna Lager is not a specific type of beer so much as it is a sub-family of beers in the Lager family. In this case, Vienna Lager is sort of like upgraded version of a Pilsner. Vienna lager is a reddish brown or copper colored beer with medium body and slight malt sweetness with low to medium hop bitterness.
Amber/Red Lagers: This is sort of a catch-all category. These lagers boast a bit more malt backbone and overall character than their lighter sister styles. Bitterness is generally low. They are based loosely on the classic Vienna lagers above but souped up with additional hops. Think Killian’s Irish Red.
Dortmunder: Dortmunder is a pale lager with moderate bitterness. It is brewed with water high in sulfate and calcium carbonate (chalk). This gives the beer a sharp hop flavor. Dortmunder and Pilsner are very similar and it wasn’t until recent that Dortmunders were considered their own style.
Kellerbier: Kellerbier is an unfiltered Lager. It is often served naturally cloudy directly from the barrel. The name Kellerbier is German for ‘Cellar Beer.’ Kellerbier originated after brewers sampled beer directly from the barrels and enjoyed the taste of beer containing the original yeast. Kellerbier is deep amber in color as a result of slightly caramelized malt and has little to no head due to the cask conditioned nature. This is the original beer garden beer. Only served locally.
If you made it to the end of this article, consider yourself enlightened. Look forward to Lesson 2: Ales.
We’ve searched through all of the beer sites that we know and we couldn’t find a free homebrew recipe log that fit the needs of BeerLifers. So we made one. With the collaboration of a team of brewers, we’ve put together a homebrew log that should fit the recipes of all beginner and intermediate brewers. Download one today and let us know how your next brew turns out.
Happy Homebrewing!
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We’ve posted a few examples below but feel free to fill out the log however you want.
