Who is this guy? And what is he brewing?
by Brian Smyth
APRIL 29, 2000: Charlotte, NC --
Al Clayson is having himself a very good year. A long-time homebrewer and professional printer of 10 years, he became the new brewmaster for the Johnson Beer Company of Charlotte last month.
Last December, he was elected among his homebrewing peers as the new President of the Carolina Brewmasters, the homebrew club of Charlotte.
And to top it off, one of his homebrews took Best of Show at the 2000 U.S. Open homebrew competition on April 15th in Charlotte.
All of which seems to amaze him. Looking around at his new digs at Johnsons' brewery on a recent afternoon, he could only wonder aloud, "I can't believe they gave me the keys to this place!" He has fulfilled every hardcore homebrewer's secret wish: going pro.
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Originally from western Massachusetts, Al and his wife Laura moved to Charlotte 10 years ago seeking a better economy and chasing a few job leads in the printer business. He found what he was looking for, and settled down nicely, like so many other transplanted Yankees in the South.
His passion for homebrewing led him to join the local club, the Carolina Brewmasters.
Apart from brewing, his other passions include the films of Stanley Kubrick and the writings of Hunter S. Thompson.
Al brews about four to six batches a year. His brewing style could best be described as varied.
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His award-winning batch, an Imperial Stout named Public Enemy, was brewed in October 1997. It was the first time he brewed it. He has entered this batch in several homebrew competitions since, winning a handful of ribbons with it. His last bottles were entered in the U.S. Open last week, scored an average 43 (out of 50) with the judges, and took Best of Show (out of a total of 150 entries).
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Explaining his motivation for coming up with this batch of Imperial Stout: "I didn't want the (homebrew competition) judges to taste it and think, Hmm, this is complex. I wanted them to taste it and say, I'm sooo confused!"
Why call it Public Enemy Imperial Stout? Al's a big fan of the rap group, Public Enemy. He read an interview with the band a few years ago. The interviewer asked one of the rappers why his music was not on the radio. The rapper replied, "Because we're too strong and we're too black." Al liked that comment so much he decided to commemorate his Imperial Stout recipe with their name.
As you can see below, this is a very strong beer. When he gave me a copy of this recipe, Al laughed and added, "I've had counseling since."
Public Enemy Imperial Stout
10-gallon batch
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Malt Bill:
English Pale 10 pounds
Klages 10 pounds
Oats 3 pounds
Roasted Barley 1 pound
Chocolate 1 pound
Black Patent 8 ounces
Belgian Special B 1 pound
Crystal 120 1 pound
Peated Malt 8 ounces
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Hop Bill:
Saaz 0.5 ounces 240 min
Hersbrucker 1.0 ounces 240 min
Styrian Goldings 1.0 ounces 240 min
Chinook 2.0 ounces 60 min
Chinook 1.0 ounces 30 min
Styrian Goldings 1.0 ounces 15 min
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Extracts/Adjuncts:
Candi Sugar dark 3.0 pounds
Honey 2.75 pounds
Maple Syrup 1.0 pounds
Molasses 1.0 pounds
Licorice 0.7 stick
Coffee 0.06 liter
Irish Moss 1.0 tsp (30 min)
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Yeast: Wyeast 1056 American Ale
Stepped up twice for good slurry
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Mashed in at 128*F and held for 25 min, then raised to 154*F and held for 90 min. Adjusted mash pH to 5.3 with sodium bicarbonate (pH fell to about 5.1) and sparge water pH to 6.2 with lactic acid during rest. Added first wort hops at beginning of sparge. Wort boiled for 4 hours. Added all adjuncts at 10 minutes before knockout. O.G. was at 1.094 on Oct 11, 1997. Racked on Oct 26, 1997 at S.G. of 1.027. Dry-hopped on Oct 30, 1997 with 1.0 oz. plugs of Kent Goldings, Cascade, and Styrian Goldings. Bottled on Nov 23, 1997.
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Look for more from Al Clayson at Johnson Beer
Companyís website http://www.johnsonbeer.com or at the Carolina Brewmasters website at http://hbd.org/cbm.
If you live in the Charlotte area, you can find Al's work at selected supermarkets behind the Johnson label. Johnsons' currently offers a Pilsner, an Amber Ale, a Stout and a Brown Ale. The company also sells a few seasonal beers throughout the year: a Summer Ale, an Oktoberfest, and a Winter Bock.
Do you have an unusual recipe? An award-winning recipe? Share it with us! Email us at homebrew@homebrew.com.
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Catherine the Great Imperial Stout: Dark black example of a beer originally made specifically for export. Essentially a black barley wine it has high hop bitterness, flavor and aroma. The high hop flavor and aroma, though unusual for the stout style, are required for an Imperial stout.
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High Sierra Stout: Patterned after Sierra Nevada's line. Black and robust with a rich creamy head. American hops give this beer a distinct character when compared to the English version.
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White Labs Pitchable British Ale Yeast: "Pitchable" yeast does not typically require the use of a starter, so it saves you time and effort. However, a starter is recommended for for batches larger than 5 gallons or for high-gravity beers. This yeast is a little more attenuative than WLP002. Like most English strains, this yeast produces malty beers. Excellent for all English style ales including bitter, pale ale, porter, and brown ale. Attenuation: 67-74%, Flocculation: High, Optimum fermentation temperature: 65-70°F.
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