Gob Stopper Grape Ale
If you follow SheppyBrew at all, you probably have read that I want to concentrate more on my BJCP Goal in 2025.
As of the time I'm developing this recipe, if I'm counting correctly, I've brewed 84 of the 108 styles in the 2021 BJCP Style Guidelines. Since the beginning of the 2025, I've already brewed 6 new BJCP styles (7 if you include Tasman Pilsner).
I have my Roll-a-Style list, which helps me keep track of styles that I still need to brew.
The idea is that I use a 20-sided online die to decide which style to brew next.
I did my Big Brew Day ... Halfway to Helles (Batch 375) at the beginning of May, checking off my 84th style. I think it is time to pick another beer to brew.
I rolled my 20-sided online die, and rolled a 12 ...
... which corresponds to 29D. Grape Ale.
"Combines the profile of a sparkling wine and a relatively neutral base beer allowing the aromatic qualities of the grape to blend pleasantly with hop and yeast aromatics. Can be in a range from refreshing to complex."
This is actually a style that I know very little about and didn't really have on my original list, and I had to do a little research for the recipe.
I ended up basically using a pretty basic French Saison recipe to which I added fruit juice concentrate. Originally I thought I'd get actual wine must, but my local homebrew shop doesn't sell it in quantities small enough for my purposes. I thought the juice would work ok.
I guess we'll see how it turns out.
For more about this beer, see Sheppy's Blog: Gob Stopper.
| Gob Stopper Grape Ale --- Batch 1 (377) |
| Style | Grape Ale | Batch Size | 5.50 gal | |||
| Type | All Grain | Boil Size | 6.45 gal | |||
| Brewhouse Efficiency | 65.00 | Boil Time | 35 minutes |
Recipe Characteristics
| Recipe Gravity | 1.059 SG | Estimated FG | 1.008 SG | ||||
| Recipe Bitterness | 16.2 IBUs (Rager) | Alcohol by Volume | 6.8 % | ||||
| BU : GU | 0.275 | ||||||
| Recipe Color | 7.8 SRM |
|
|||||
| Measured OG: | 1.057 | Measured FG: | |||||
| ADF: | Measured ABV: |
Ingredients
| Amt | Name | Type | # | %/IBU | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.69 gal | Denver, Colorado | Water | 1 | - | - |
| 3.00 g | Calcium Chloride (Mash) | Water Agent | 2 | - | - |
| 1.00 g | Epsom Salt (MgSO4) (Mash) | Water Agent | 3 | - | - |
| 1.00 g | Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Mash) | Water Agent | 4 | - | - |
| 1.00 tsp | Lactic Acid (Mash) | Water Agent | 5 | - | - |
| 8 lbs | Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) | Grain | 6 | 54.8 % | 0.63 gal |
| 2 lbs | White Wheat Malt (2.4 SRM) | Grain | 7 | 13.7 % | 0.16 gal |
| 0.500 oz | Hallertau Magnum [12.60 %] - Boil 35.0 min | Hop | 8 | 16.2 IBUs | - |
| 0.470 gal | Juice Concentrate [Primary] | Juice | 9 | 31.6 % | 0.47 gal |
| 1.0 pkg | French Saison Ale (White Labs #WLP590) | Yeast | 10 | - | - |
Mash Profile
| Name | Description | Step Temperature | Step Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saccharification | Add 30.75 qt of water at 155.9 F | 150.0 F | 240 min |
If steeping, remove grains, and prepare to boil wort
Recipe Notes
Make 6 cup starter a few days before brew day.
From Denver water, gypsum puts my water profile at
Ca=68,Mg=12,Na=21,SO4=83,Cl=73,HCO3=104
Lactic acid to get mash pH around 5.5
Overnight mash if desired.
Boil as directed.
Chill water to as close to 70F as possible.
5 12oz cans of Frozen Fruit Juice Concentrate. Cranberry Blend / Apple Cherry / Grape Added to fermenter.
Ferment 2 weeks between 68 and 75 degrees.
Brewing Record
| Brew Date: | Strike Temp: | |||||
| Mash Temps: | ||||||
| Pre-boil OG | (1.041 SG) | Pre-boil Vol | (6.45 gal) | |||
| Actual Mash Efficiency | Pitch Temp | |||||
| Fermentation | ||||||
| Day 1: | ||||||
| Day ... | ||||||
| Day ... | ||||||
6/2/2025 Bought grains yesterday. Still need grape fruit juice. Not sure when I'll brew.
6/29/2025 Finally brewing today. Didn't get started until around 7. Mash going 7:20. Around 8, decided this would be a Short and Shoddy brew. Already had short boil built in just sort of shortened up the mash on the fly. Started draining at 8:05. Actually did a .5 gallon "sparge" today while waiting for temp to rise from mash to boil. 1.037 preboil, but I think my volume was a little high. Decided to just roll with it.
6/29/2025 Boil started right around 9. Added yeast nutrients with 10 minutes left. Was chilling by 9:35. Only chilled to just under 80 since we're using saison yeast and I figured the frozen concentrate would cool the wort some. 1.042 wort OG. 15 points from juice. 1.067 OG total. A little low for style, but whatever. By the time I got yeast pitched it was around 10. 3 hour brew day.
6/30/2025 Bubbling away. Not sure when it started. I saw signs late afternoon yesterday. Tilt says 1.045 at 69 degrees, which is lower than I think it should be. I wonder if I mis-calculated the sugar content of the juice concentrate.