Recipe – Bière de Garde

Bière de Garde
Northern Homebrewer, St. Paul, MN

Malt 1: 7 lbs. Pilsen DME

Grain 1: .5 lbs Dingeman’s Aromatic
Grain 2: .5 lbs Gambrinus Honey Malt

Hop 1: 1 oz Styrian Goldings

Yeast: Used – Saflager S-23 (65-75)
Also available – Wyeast 2112 California Lager Yeast (58-68)
Biere de Garde should be brew at warmer ale temps and cold stored at colder temps.

Boiling Schedule:
After the water reaches 155°F add the bag full of grain to the water in the kettle and steep like a tea bag as the water continues to heat. Remove water from heat and mix 3 lbs. of DME until dissolved @ 90 minutes. Bring water back to a boil and add Hop 1 @ 90 minutes. With 15 minutes left mix 4 lbs of remaining DME until dissolved @ 15 minutes left in the boil.

Notes:
Transfer to secondary fermenter after 14 days or begin taking daily hydrometer readings – when hydrometer readings are the same on consecutive days, primary fermentation is complete. Proceed to bottling or secondary fermentation. Bottle with 1.25 cups of wheat DME or .75 cups of corn sugar. Bottle condition and store for up to 3 months.

From Northern Brewer:
O.G: 1063 / Ready: 3 months

Bière de Garde is a beer that has its origins in the northern region of France known as Nord-Pas de Calais. This style is intended to be cellared for many months, and is brewed relatively strong. Bronze in color, this beer has clean fermentation properties and a caramelly profile from a longer-than-usual boil. Our Bière de Garde kit is intended to be fermented ‘steam style’, by a lager yeast fermented at warmer ale temperatures. To enhance the cleanliness, this beer should be cold-conditioned in the bottle for two months before serving.