Gzombie Gnome Gapocalypse

There are a ton. There are even more if you simply search for "Zombie". Apparently beer guys love zombies. Given how many craft beers have "Zombie" in the name, it is amazing that we've never heard of any trademark violations around that name. 

In the Spring of 2015, a new brewing gnome joined the SheppyBrew staff. Like the other two brewing gnomes, Gzombie Gnome is a Chicago sports fan. Unlike the other two, he is also a zombie.

"A zombie gnome?", you ask. Yes, a zombie gnome.

I had given the other two gnomes the opportunity to help me design beers (see Gnasty the Gnome ESB and Gnaughty Gnome English Coffee Stout). As an equal-opportunity gnome employer (as long as you are not a Red Wings or Packers fan), of course I gave Gzombie the chance to design one with me as well. 

The main design question became ... what sort of beer would we brew during the Zombie Apocalypse? 

Well, ideally it would be from ingredients that I had (or would likely have) on hand. I have various "left over" hops in my freezer, so it was easy to say we would use those. I don't keep grains at the brewery, but if I were to choose one base grain that I would stock, it would be Maris Otter, so I decided to make that my base malt. 

There are probably a bunch of adjuncts that I might have available to me in an apocalypse, but we didn't want to over-do simple-sugar adjuncts (we still want a beer to be enjoyed). I decided to add flaked oats (oatmeal), but no honey or other simple sugars.

We want our wits about us in case of zombie attacks, so we decided to go low in alcohol. 

We also decided to pick a dry yeast as it can last longer without refrigeration. 

We decided to go with no temperature control for similar reasons. Plus, we would want fermentation to go as quickly as possible.

We added rye malt to the grain bill ... just because zombies like rye.

We added midnight wheat because I just thought the beer needed some color.

You can see the resulting beer recipe below. 

It should be a flavorful, drinkable, low alcohol, balanced beer. Pleasant to drink without being overpowering in any way. Drink it by the pint. Perfect for a day of avoiding zombies.

For more information on Gzombie, see 

or

Gzombie Gnome Gapocalypse --- Batch 1

Style		Special/Best/Premium Bitter		Batch Size		5.50 gal
Type		All Grain		Boil Size		7.76 gal
Brewhouse Efficiency		70.00		Boil Time		90 minutes

Recipe Characteristics

Recipe Gravity		1.042 SG		Estimated FG		1.012 SG
Recipe Bitterness		27.2 IBUs (Rager)		Alcohol by Volume		4.0 %
BU : GU		0.647
Recipe Color		14.4 SRM		Color
Measured OG:		1.042		Measured FG:		1.012
ADF:		71		Measured ABV:		3.9

Ingredients

Ingredients

Amt	Name	Type	#	%/IBU
4.00 g	Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Mash 60.0 mins)	Water Agent	1	-
6 lbs	Maris Otter (Crisp) (4.0 SRM)	Grain	2	64.9 %
2 lbs	Rye Malt (4.7 SRM)	Grain	3	21.6 %
1 lbs	Oats, Flaked (1.0 SRM)	Grain	4	10.8 %
4.0 oz	Midnight Wheat Malt (550.0 SRM)	Grain	5	2.7 %
0.250 oz	Magnum [14.00 %] - First Wort 90.0 min	Hop	6	15.0 IBUs
0.375 oz	Magnum [14.00 %] - Boil 30.0 min	Hop	7	10.5 IBUs
0.250 oz	Fuggles [4.40 %] - Boil 10.0 min	Hop	8	0.9 IBUs
0.250 oz	Goldings, East Kent [4.30 %] - Boil 10.0 min	Hop	9	0.8 IBUs
1.0 pkg	Nottingham (Danstar #-) [23.66 ml]	Yeast	10	-

Mash Profile

Mash Steps

Name	Description	Step Temperature	Step Time
Mash In	Add 11.56 qt of water at 168.2 F	156.0 F	45 min

Batch sparge with 2 steps (2.10gal, 3.88gal) of 168.0 F water

Recipe Notes
Not really designed to fit in a category. Just wanted a sessionable beer using up hops I had lying around.
4g gypsum in the mash water. This should bring Denver water profile (as defined by BeerSmith) to
Ca=59,Mg=8,Na=21,SO4=116,Cl=23,HCO3=104
Mash and boil as instructed.
Cool to around 60 degrees F.
Pitch yeast. Don't actively control the fermentation temperature.
Ferment 2 weeks. Keg Carb to 2 - 2.5 volumes.

Brewing Record

Brew Date:		5/24/2015		Strike Temp:
Mash Temps:		160 -- 148 -- 156
Pre-boil OG		(1.034 SG)		Pre-boil Vol		(7.76 gal)
Actual Mash Efficiency				Pitch Temp		66
Fermentation
Day 1: kraussen starting 64
Day 2: fading 74
Day 3: pretty much done 74