Brewing experimental new beers have always been a part of our journey, and this one's no exception. Now, check it for yourself, before you start to step with a home-brew version of this summer palate-pleaser. Just don’t forget your wallet.

This recipe is kickin’ it old school, with a complex sour-sweet-smoky cocktail twist. Tart like a Gose, this Lichtenhainer brings a fire all its own in the form of smoke. It’s a wild combination of pineapple and oak smoke that’s reminiscent of grilled tropical fruit. Think of it as a funky flavour quest for your taste buds.

Enough chit-chit-chatter, you gotta brew it, you got-got ta brew it.

LEFT MY WALLET In El Segundo

Lichtenhainer with Pineapple

- All GRAIN -

This recipe is a nontraditional take on Lichtenhainer, a light, oak-smoked wheat beer. Pineapple melds with the smoke to create a grilled-pineapple impression. The key ingredient is the oak-smoked wheat—other smoked malts will not have the same effect.

- Batch Size: 19 litres
- Brewhouse Efficiency: 73%
- Original Gravity (OG): 1.047
- Final Gravity (FG): 1.010
- International Bitterness Units (IBUs): 6
- Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 4.7%

Malt/Grain Bill:

• 2.1 kg German pilsner

• 2.1 kg Weyermann Oak Smoked Wheat Malt

• 454 g rice hulls

Hops & Additions Schedule:

• Food-grade lactic acid (see below)

• 20 g Hallertauer Mittlefrüh at 20 minutes, second boil [6 IBUs]

• 2 kg pineapple puree, pasteurized, in primary

Yeast:

• Lactobacillus plantarum; Escarpment Kölsch (or other clean German ale/Kölsch strain)

DIRECTIONS

Mill the grains, mix with the rice hulls and mash at 67°C for 60 minutes. Recirculate until the runnings are relatively clear, then run off into the kettle. Sparge and top up as necessary to get about 23 litres, depending on your evaporation rate. Boil for 60 minutes without a lid. At flameout, add food-grade lactic acid to adjust pH to 4.5. Cool wort to 36°C, paying close attention to sanitation during this stage. Pitch Lacto and stir with a sanitized spoon. Cover with sanitized lid and keep warm (close to 36°C) until the wort acidifies to 3.6 pH—about 24–36 hours.

Bring the wort to a boil and boil for 30 minutes, adding hops according to the schedule. Chill to about 16°C, aerate well and pitch the yeast. Ferment at about 16°C. Once gravity has dropped to about 1.020, add the pineapple puree and allow the temperature to rise to about 18–20°C until fermentation is complete and beer passes a forced diacetyl test (see “Hunting for Diacetyl,” beer and brewing.com). Rack beer off the yeast and fruit into a corny keg purged with CO2. Crash and carbonate to at least 2.9 volumes.

BREWER’S NOTE

Bacteria: You can replace the L. Plantarum with your own favourite Lacto strain—a half-cup of probiotic yogurt works, too!

Fruit: You can make your puree from canned pineapple or, ideally, freshly ripe pineapples. Remember that pineapple has an enzyme (bromelain) that deteriorates head-forming proteins. If using fresh pineapple, consider heating the puree to pasteurization temperatures to denature the enzyme—either boil or hold at 80°C for at least 8 minutes—then cool before adding to the fermentor.