Juellinge’s Prize: An Iron Age Ale – Josh Driscoll

This recipe is based on the archaeobotanical work of B. Gram (1911). He investigated material found inside a situla from the burial of a wealthy female dating to 200 BC in Denmark. The residue had a similar composition to a number of other “Nordic Grogs” recently investigated by P. McGovern (2014) using archaeometric techniques to determine chemical signature.

Recipe Type: All Grain
Yeast: Wyeast Ardennes
Yeast Starter: Wyeast Smack pack
Batch Size (Gallons): 3
Original Gravity: 1.072
Final Gravity: 1.019 (both batches)
ABV estimate: 7%
Mash Time: 90 minutes at 148F
Boiling Time: 30 minutes
Color: dark with red tones
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 2 weeks between 68F-74F
Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): in bottle at least 2 weeks

Ingredients:

Malt
7 lbs Rahr Pale Malt
1.5 lbs Special B
1.5 lbs Aromatic
.5 lb 30 Crystal

Other
½oz fresh Myrica gale leaves
2½ cups Cranberry juice
2½ tbsp. Lingonberry powder

Procedure:

Mash at 148F for 90min. Then boil for 30 min. Add ¼ oz fresh Myrica gale leaves at beginning of boil. After cooling wort to below 80F, add 2 cups of pure cranberry juice (unsweetened) and 2 tbsp. of Lingonberry powder to 1 ½ gallons of wort and pitch ½ yeast packet. Then add ½ cup pure cranberry juice and ½ tbsp. Lingonberry powder to the remaining 1 ½ gallon of wort and pitch remaining ½ yeast package.

After 1 week of fermentation between 68F-74F add 1/8 oz freshly picked and finely chopped Myrica gale leaves to each fermenter.

After 1 more week of fermentation, add 1oz of priming sugar per gallon and bottle.