Often I am accused of being just a little mad when I introduce a beer like Meister Potato Brau. Comments like "what possessed you to ruin good beer by making it with potatoes" are reliable when I talk to the uninitiated. However, these detractors are typically silenced with one (sometimes two) quaffs of this 'nectar of Idaho.'
I know, I know, comedian Chevy Chase once extolled the virtues of beer made from this unglamorous tuber by proclaiming "I drink Spud and I pour it on my suit." Remember though, the drink 'for people who can't taste the difference' only lived in the imaginations of drug addled comedy writers for that particularly novel late-night TV program.
Charlie Papazian writes in "The Complete Joy of Home Brewing" that 'Fermentables produced from potato starch do not contribute significantly to the character or flavor of beer, other than providing fermentables to be converted to alcohol.' He further writes that '[the] use [of potatoes as an adjunct] is discouraged by beer drinkers justifiably or unjustifiably against "potato beer".'
Well, it's just this kind of negative thinking which gets me started. All I need is for one person to say 'Yuck! What a disgusting idea!" and there I go, getting out the ol' brewing pot and grating up some potatoes.
As you may have guessed, if you are still with me, is that potato beer is not for novices or the weak of heart. It does required that you prepare a mash. On the lighter side, though, the starch in potatoes is easily gelatinized, so working with this unusual adjunct is less hassle than you might imagine.
When I prepare a 5 gallon batch of potato beer, I usually only use between 2 and 3 pounds of potatoes. These I prepare by slicing thinly like potato chips, or grating, using either a food processor or a cheese grater. I have not peeled the potatoes in practice only because I am terminally lazy. You may want to try peeling your potatoes and see if there is any noticeable difference in taste.
The grains I prepare by submitting them to a protein rest at about 122 F for 45 minutes. During this time I boil the shredded potatoes in a second pot. This boiling serves to gelatinize the starches in the potatoes, maaking them easily converted to sugars by the active enzymes in the barley grains. As I noted above, potato starch is easily gelatinized; it is not necessary to boil the potatoes prior to adding them to the mash. However, by adding the boiling potato soup (this is what your kitchen will smell like at first) to the mash, you can conviently raise the temperature of your mash up to 155 F, an ideal temperature for converting the starches to sugars.
Maintain the temperature of the mash using whatever methods you currently use until all of the starches have been converted to sugars. Lately this has taken me between 30 and 45 minutes. Use an iodine test to determine when this conversion is complete. Sparge as you would do with any other all grain beer, discarding the spent potatoes, no matter how strong an urge for cooked, shredded potato you develop during the mashing procedure.
Maintain the temperature of the mash using whatever methods you currently use until all of the starches have been converted to sugars. Lately this has taken me between 30 and 45 minutes. Use an iodine test to determine when this conversion is complete. Sparge as you would do with any other all grain beer, discarding the spent potatoes, no matter how strong an urge for cooked, shredded potato you develop during the mashing procedure.
The recipe I have included below, for those who are ready to take the plunge, requires the use of malt extract in addition to grains. If you wish to make 'Spud' from scratch, replace the 3 pounds of extract with 4-5 pounds of additional malted grains.
Meister Potato Brau (for 5 gallons)
5 pounds 6-row domestic barley malt, crushed
2.5 pound grade A Idaho potatoes (washed and grated)
3 pounds M&F pale unhopped malt extract
1/3 oz Burton salts
1 tsp. Irish Moss
1.25 oz Hallertauer leaf hops
1 oz Cascade leaf hops
ale yeast
sugar (or whatever) for priming
Mash the grains and potatoes as described above, adding the Burton salts to the grains in the first step of the two-step mash. When conversion is complete, sparge with 170 F water. Bring the collected liquor (and additional water to give ~6 gallons volume) to a boil and remove from the heat. Add the extract (if used) then return to the stove. Once boiling resumes, add the Hallertauer hops. Boil for a half hour, then add half the Cascade hops and the Irish Moss. Boil for an additional half hour, add the remaining Cascade hops and remove from the heat. Let the wort sit for a couple of minutes to let the finishing hops steep. If you have the means, achieve a quick cold break with your favorite method. This is fairly important for a clear potato beer since a good deal of proteins are present in the wort.
I suggest a two-stage fermentation since the aforementioned proteins will produce a sizable amount of sediment at the bottom of your primary fermenter. Rack into a secondary fermenter when active fermentation subsides. Bottle after another 4 to 12 days, adding your priming material at this time. Wait a couple of weeks, then enjoy!
One or two caveats are in order here. First, contrary to Charlie Papazian's description, beer made from potatoes does have a unique character. Although this may derive from the fact that I do not peel the little spuds before I shred them, I seriously doubt it. After having made 3 batches of the stuff over a several year period, I have come to notice a distinctly 'potato' aroma and taste. I'm not implying that this sensation is unpleasant, just that it exists.
Secondly, when serving your end result to the unsuspecting do not, I repeat, DO NOT, tell them what is in it until they say 'Gosh, this is great!!'. Only then is it safe to reveal your dark secret.
If they say 'Blechhh, what is this sh__', tell them that you found the recipe in Uncle Bubba's old work jeans after he passed away and that you promise never to make it again. Tell them anything but the truth. Average people tend to fly into a violent rage if they think that you have given them 'spoiled' potato beer.
In fact, though, I think that you will be pleasantly surprised by your beers made with potatoes. I have, and so have others. My first potato beer, Meister Potato Brau, was awarded a bronze certificate in the AHA Nationals in the Pilsner category in 1985 and a 3rd place in the Dixie Cup in the Novelty Beer Category (even though it was, gulp, 18 months old). My most recent attempt, Spud, took second place in the Specialty Beer category of the Foam Rangers 1987 Club Competition.
So try it, you'll like it. In fact, take it one step further and make a Potato Stout or a Sweet Potato Stout for that matter. Try a Green Potato Beer for St. Patrick's Day (use green food coloring, not green potatoes!). Why not try adding dried potato flakes to your already steeping mash? (I have indeed considered this interesting twist. Obviously, though, you would not add 2 pounds of flakes since that would be enough to make mashed potatoes for the entire Houston Astros Baseball team - including seconds. Try a couple of cups and see where that gets you. Be aware, however, that some consider this suggestion blasphemy; you are already walking on thin ice using fresh potatoes)?
But most of all, remember: potato beer is good for whatever ales you!