Fonthill Farmhouse – Apple Brandy Barrel (All Grain)
This recipe was developed specifically for the annual brewfest at the beautiful Fonthill Castle in Doylestown. The delightful brew was such a huge hit on that warm summer evening that we decided to make it available in our stores, and now we’re brewing it on Saturday, May 4 for our spring barrel brew. While maintaining the spicy characteristics of a Belgian Saison, it is generously hopped with New Zealand’s finest, lending a robust and juicy fruit profile.
Ingredients Statistics
9 lb. Weyermann Pilsner Original Gravity 1.063
1.5 lb. Weyermann Wheat Final Gravity 1.010
1 lb. Dingemans Caravienne 20° L Alcohol Content 6.9%
1 lb. Clear Belgian “Simplicity” Candi Syrup
3/4 oz. New Zealand Pacifica Hop Pellets (Bittering) with 60 minutes left in the boil.
1/2 oz. New Zealand Nelson Sauvin Hop Pellets (Flavoring) with 10 minutes left in the boil.
1/2 oz. New Zealand Pacific Jade Hop Pellets (Flavoring 2) with 5 minutes left in the boil.
1/2 oz. New Zealand Nelson Sauvin Hop Pellets (Finishing 1) with 1 minute left in the boil.
1/4 oz. New Zealand Pacifica Hop Pellets (Finishing 2) with 1 minute left in the boil.
1/2 oz. New Zealand Pacific Jade Hop Pellets (Finishing 3) with 1 minute left in the boil.
White Labs WLP566 Belgian Saison II
6 Muslin Bags
5 oz Priming Sugar (for bottling)
Procedure
A few hours before you begin to brew, prepare your liquid yeast according to the package instructions. We assume that you are familiar with all-grain homebrewing techniques, so these procedures are abbreviated.
- Follow standard all-grain practices and mash the grains at 152F for 1 hour. Grain quantities were calculated assuming 70% efficiency, please see a Keystone employee if your efficiency is different.
- Boil for an hour, adding hops along the schedule detailed above. Keep an eye on the pot to avoid boil-overs.
- With 15 minutes left in the boil, add ½ teaspoon of Irish Moss, or 1 Whirlfloc tablet, to help clarify your beer (optional). Also, add the Candi Syrup (not optional).
- At the end of the boil, chill the wort as quickly as possible. A copper or stainless steel immersion chiller is a great way to accomplish this.
- Make sure the wort is below 80°F before you have your wort transferred into a barrel, but do not perform the transfer yourself. Instead, let a Keystone Homebrew employee know that you are ready.
- Be prepared to drop off your sanitized and volume-calibrated fermentors at our Montgomeryville store by Saturday, May 25. If using a keg, you may bring a pre-sanitized keg to our store on the day of the event, or you may purchase a Sanikeg from us at any time.
- This beer will ferment in the barrel for approximately one month. We will then transfer it to your fermentor and contact you so you can pick it up.
- Using a hydrometer, confirm completion of fermentation prior to bottling. When ready to bottle, siphon beer into your sanitized bottling bucket, leaving sediment behind. Boil priming sugar in 1-2 cups of water for a few minutes, gently stir into the beer, and bottle as usual.