Hopper weather between red canyon walls
A 5.6% harvest ale for the South Fork Boise, toasty and malty, poured at the end of a long autumn float.
Brewed to order
South Fork Boise Harvest Ale carries a striped label with a grasshopper and an ant drawn at its foot. The bands run rust red, salmon, sandstone and juniper green beneath black serif letters.
- ABV
- 5.6%
- IBU
- 32
- Colour
- 14SRM
- OG to FG
- 1.0561.013
- Harvest ale, 5.6% ABV, 32 IBU
- Maris Otter, Munich and biscuit malt
- London ESB yeast, dry nutty finish
- Rust, sandstone and juniper green stripes
- Grasshopper and ant at the label foot
In the glass
Toasted bread, caramel, a nutty middle and a soft earthy bitterness
- Serve
- 50°F in a nonic pint
- Alongside
- Smoked trout, sharp cheddar, roast squash
Stripes stacked like canyon rock. Rust red, sandstone, juniper green, with old serif letters across each band. At the bottom, a grasshopper and an ant, the two bugs you tie on when the light goes low in autumn. Behind it, moss on grey stone and pines on the rim.
It drinks like toast with a thin coat of caramel. Nutty through the middle, earthy at the end, dry enough for a second. Open one when the waders are hanging and the rods are broken down.
Mash temperature carries this one. Hold 154°F for the full hour and the Maris Otter and biscuit keep their weight. Drift low and the body thins out like a nymph rig with too little tungsten.
The numbers
5.6%Alcohol by volume
(1.056 − 1.013) × 131.25
32Bitterness, IBU
Bitterness only means anything against the style. This one is a Harvest ale.
14Colour, SRM
The swatch above is this number on the standard reference ramp, not an impression of it.
Gravity1.056 down to 1.013 — 77% apparent attenuation.
Details
Details
- River
- South Fork Boise River
- Style
- harvest ale
- ABV
- 5.6%
- Tasting notes
- toasted bread, caramel, nutty, earthy hops, dry finish
- Colors
- rust red, salmon, sandstone, juniper green, black
Make it yourself
At a glance
- Style
- Harvest ale
- Gravity, OG → FG
- 1.056 → 1.013
- ABV
- 5.6%Derived from OG and FG
- Bitterness
- 32 IBU
- Colour
- 14SRMdeep amber
- Difficulty
- Second batchthe grain bill is simple, but the mash temperature and the late fermentation rise need attention.
- First pint
- 35 daysFrom brew day, including conditioning
- Brew day
- 2 h 10 minKettle on to kitchen clean. The rest is the yeast.
- You supply
- mash tun, boil kettle, wort chiller, fermenter with airlock, thermometer, hydrometer, sanitiser, bottling bucket or keg system
- Written for
- 5 gal (18.9 L)
- Efficiency assumed
- 72%Brew-in-a-bag, full-volume. House guidance
Grain bill
5 malts · 11.88 lb for 5 gal
Milled grain, weighed for each batch size. The percentage is each malt's share of the grist and stays the same at every size.
| Malt | % of grist | 12-pack batch · 1.25 gal | Classic · 5 gal | 12×12 batch · 15 gal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maris Otter | 75.8% | 2.25 lb (1.02 kg) | 9 lb (4.08 kg) | 27 lb (12.25 kg) |
| Munich | 12.6% | 6 oz (170 g) | 1.5 lb (0.68 kg) | 4.5 lb (2.04 kg) |
| Crystal 60L | 6.3% | 3 oz (85 g) | 12 oz (340 g) | 2.25 lb (1.02 kg) |
| Biscuit | 4.2% | 2 oz (57 g) | 8 oz (227 g) | 1.5 lb (0.68 kg) |
| Pale chocolate | 1.1% | 0.5 oz (14 g) | 2 oz (57 g) | 6 oz (170 g) |
| Total grain | 100% | 2.97 lb (1.35 kg) | 11.88 lb (5.39 kg) | 35.63 lb (16.16 kg) |
Hop schedule
3 additions · 60 min boil
Pellet hops, weighed in grams. Boil times count down to the end of the boil, so 60 minutes means the first thing in the kettle.
| Hop | Use | Time | 12-pack batch · 1.25 gal | Classic · 5 gal | 12×12 batch · 15 gal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Kent Goldings | Boil | 60 min | 7.1 g (0.25 oz) | 28 g (1 oz) | 85 g (3 oz) |
| Fuggle | Boil | 15 min | 7.1 g (0.25 oz) | 28 g (1 oz) | 85 g (3 oz) |
| Cascade | Boil | Flameout | 7.1 g (0.25 oz) | 28 g (1 oz) | 85 g (3 oz) |
Yeast and pitch
London ESB English ale yeast · 1 dry pack for 5 gal
London ESB English ale yeast. Pitch at 64°F.
| Yeast | 12-pack batch · 1.25 gal | Classic · 5 gal | 12×12 batch · 15 gal |
|---|---|---|---|
| London ESB English ale yeast | 1 dry pack | 1 dry pack | 3 dry packs |
One pack per 5 gal, and one more above 1.060 OG in a batch over 3 gal. Never fewer than one. House guidance
Water
8.2 gal into the mash for 5 gal
Full-volume brew-in-a-bag: all the water goes in at the start and there is no sparge. Volumes are the total to heat, so the kettle has to hold the mash and still leave room to boil: the 12-pack kit sells a 5 gal stockpot and the 12×12 kit a 30 gal kettle for that.
| Water | 12-pack batch · 1.25 gal | Classic · 5 gal | 12×12 batch · 15 gal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Into the mash | 2.14 gal (8.1 L) | 8.2 gal (31 L) | 20.1 gal (76.1 L) |
| Boiled off | 0.5 gal (1.9 L) | 1.25 gal (4.7 L) | 1.25 gal (4.7 L) |
| Held by the grain | 0.24 gal (0.9 L) | 0.95 gal (3.6 L) | 2.85 gal (10.8 L) |
| Left as trub | 0.15 gal (0.6 L) | 1 gal (3.8 L) | 1 gal (3.8 L) |
| Into the fermenter | 1.25 gal (4.7 L) | 5 gal (18.9 L) | 15 gal (56.8 L) |
Boil-off, grain absorption and trub are typical figures for a stovetop pot and a propane kettle, not measurements of your own gear. Brew once, note what you end up with, and adjust. House guidance
Water profile Moderate carbonate with a little more chloride than sulfate rounds the malt and keeps the finish soft.
Mash
154°F · 60 min
The mash turns starch into sugar. Hold the temperature steady and the beer finishes the way the recipe intends.
- Rest154°F for 60 minutes
- Strike waterHeat to 164°F; the grain cools it to the rest temperature. House guidance
- Mash-outRaise to 168°F and hold 10 minutes, then lift and drain the bag. House guidance
- Mash ina warmer rest leaves body for the toasted malt to sit on
Boil
60 min · 3 hop additions
Hops go in on a countdown from the end of the boil. Early additions give bitterness; late ones give aroma.
- Length60 minutes
- 60 minEast Kent Goldings
- 15 minFuggle
- FlameoutCascade
- 15 minA kettle fining (whirlfloc or Irish moss) clears the beer if you have one. House guidance
- Chillto 64°Fpitch cool so the yeast stays clean
Fermentation
3 steps · first pint in 35 days
The recipe's own schedule, in order. Temperature control matters more than almost anything else on this page.
- 7 days at 66°F
- 3 days at 69°F
- 2 days cold crash at 36°F
First pint 35 days from brew day.
Packaging and carbonation
2.3 volumes CO₂ · bottle or keg
Target 2.3 volumes of CO₂.
| Bottling | 12-pack batch · 1.25 gal | Classic · 5 gal | 12×12 batch · 15 gal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corn sugar to prime | 0.97 oz (28 g) | 3.89 oz (110 g) | 11.68 oz (331 g) |
| 12 oz bottles it fills | 12 | 50 | 144 |
Dissolve the sugar in a little boiled water, stir it gently into the beer, then bottle. The amount is worked out for 69°F, the warmest the beer got while it fermented.
Kegging Set the regulator to 9.1 psi at 38°F.
Kegging instead Skip the bottles with 3 × 5 gal ball-lock kegs, 1 × 5 lb CO₂ tank, 1 × dual-gauge regulator, 1 × gas and beer lines with picnic taps: the kegging upgrade for the 15 gal home brewery, $594.
Brewer's notes
3 tips
- Weigh the pale chocolate twice; a little extra turns autumn amber into brown.From the recipe
- Let the temperature rise on day seven so the yeast finishes dry.From the recipe
- Keep the Cascade at flameout modest; it should hint, not lead.From the recipe
Every kit size
Ingredients only
Ingredient kit · 12-pack batch
$22.18
$1.85 a bottle
Grain milled, hops bagged per addition, yeast, priming sugar and 12 caps, for 1.25 gal.
Includes Maris Otter · Munich · Crystal 60L · Biscuit · and 9 more
Every item in this kit · 13 items
Ingredients
- Maris Otter$5.83
- Munich$0.97
- Crystal 60L$0.54
- Biscuit$0.36
- Pale chocolate$0.09
- East Kent Goldings (60 min)$1.50
- Fuggle (15 min)$1.50
- Cascade (flameout)$1.50
- London ESB English ale yeast$6.49
- Milling and kitting$3
Packaging
- Corn sugar for priming$0.40
- Crown capsIncluded
Guide
- Printed brew guideIncluded
Ingredient kit · 12×12 batch
$167.57
$1.16 a bottle
Grain milled, hops bagged per addition, yeast, priming sugar and 144 caps, for 15 gal.
Includes Maris Otter · Munich · Crystal 60L · Biscuit · and 9 more
Every item in this kit · 13 items
Ingredients
- Maris Otter$69.93
- Munich$11.66
- Crystal 60L$6.50
- Biscuit$4.34
- Pale chocolate$1.08
- East Kent Goldings (60 min)$11.97
- Fuggle (15 min)$11.97
- Cascade (flameout)$11.97
- London ESB English ale yeast$19.47
- Milling and kitting$8
Packaging
- Corn sugar for priming$4.68
- Crown caps$6
Guide
- Printed brew guideIncluded
Complete home brewery
Complete home brewery · 12-pack batch
$216
$18 a bottle
Bought separately $237.54 · you save $21.54
All the equipment, then the ingredient kit, for 1.25 gal. Works on a kitchen stove.
Includes 5 gal stainless stockpot · Fine-mesh brew bag · 1.5 gal glass fermenter with drilled bung · 3-piece airlock · and 23 more
Every item in this kit · 27 items
Equipment
- 5 gal stainless stockpot$49.99
- Fine-mesh brew bag$9.99
- 1.5 gal glass fermenter with drilled bung$17.99
- 3-piece airlock$2.49
- No-rinse sanitizer, 4 oz$12.99
- Hydrometer and test jar$15.99
- Digital probe thermometer$14.99
- Mini auto-siphon with tubing$13.99
- Spring-tip bottle filler$5.99
- 12 oz amber bottles$16.99
- Wing capper$19.99
- Brewery wash, 1 lb$9.99
- 0.1 g kitchen scale$14.99
- Long stainless spoon$8.99
Ingredients
- Maris Otter$5.83
- Munich$0.97
- Crystal 60L$0.54
- Biscuit$0.36
- Pale chocolate$0.09
- East Kent Goldings (60 min)$1.50
- Fuggle (15 min)$1.50
- Cascade (flameout)$1.50
- London ESB English ale yeast$6.49
- Milling and kitting$3
Packaging
- Corn sugar for priming$0.40
- Crown capsIncluded
Guide
- Printed brew guideIncluded
Complete home brewery · 12×12 batch
$1,263.57
$8.77 a bottle
Bought separately $1,385.35 · you save $121.78
All the equipment, then the ingredient kit, for 15 gal. You supply a propane tank and water.
Includes 30 gal stainless kettle with ball valve and thermometer · 72 · 30 gal brew bag · 50 ft copper immersion chiller · and 26 more
Every item in this kit · 30 items
Equipment
- 30 gal stainless kettle with ball valve and thermometer$399
- 72,000 BTU propane burner and stand$99
- 30 gal brew bag$44.99
- 50 ft copper immersion chiller$129
- 7.9 gal fermenting buckets with lids and airlocks$89.97
- No-rinse sanitizer, 32 oz$32.99
- Brewery wash, 4 lb$34.99
- Hydrometer and test jar$15.99
- Refractometer$29.99
- Digital thermometer$24.99
- ½" auto-siphon with tubing$24.99
- Bottling buckets with spigots$55.98
- Bottle filler$5.99
- 12 oz amber bottles (6 cases)$119.94
- Bench capper$59.99
- Mash paddle$24.99
- Digital scale$24.99
Ingredients
- Maris Otter$69.93
- Munich$11.66
- Crystal 60L$6.50
- Biscuit$4.34
- Pale chocolate$1.08
- East Kent Goldings (60 min)$11.97
- Fuggle (15 min)$11.97
- Cascade (flameout)$11.97
- London ESB English ale yeast$19.47
- Milling and kitting$8
Packaging
- Corn sugar for priming$4.68
- Crown caps$6
Guide
- Printed brew guideIncluded
The creator
How it was made
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Remixes
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Where this came from
“a beer brewed for South Fork Boise River, Idaho”
river beer · made
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- harvest ale
- south fork boise
- idaho
- autumn
- grasshopper
- ant
- hopper
- maris otter
- english ale
- homebrew recipe
- rust red
- juniper green