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me, pondering the Egyptian mummies and fantastic architecture of the hall. Then, as the ancient spirits swirled around the room, I had an impulse to create and go beyond what everyone in the room was tasting. Before I knew what I had done I was staring at a creation of half Celis White and half imperial stout. I sipped, smiled and shared it with the homebrewers sitting next to me. I think they agreed, but whether or not they did was irrelevant—I thought it had GREAT potential as a new beer. It was a new idea and, as I realize now, its basis was simply special ingredients, with the combination of Belgian traditions. The notion immediately became part of my inventive brewing plans.

Later, in May 1995, I traveled and tasted my way through Belgium. I fortified the knowledge I already had about Belgian ales and specialty beers. I brought the spirit of Belgian beer back to my homebrewery, and in June of 1995, Felicitous Belgian Stout was born. It was a beer I had never tasted before, except in my mind. There was no such style in Belgium.

Why do I call it Belgian stout? I brewed it with my new appreciation and knowledge of Belgian brewing traditions. If there were ever to be Belgian stout, what would it be? I considered the question seriously. It would be strong. Goldings-type hops would be used. A warm ferment would comfort the yeast. And the flavor and aroma of noble Saaz and Hallertauer would subtly finesse an already complex beer.

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FELICITOUS STOUT

So what is it like? Felicitous Belgian Stout is a 6½ to 7 percent (I’ll be pushing the higher end next time I brew this) alcohol by volume, very dark stout without the sharpness of roasted malt. The roasted malts and barley are mellowed and lightened by the overriding symphonic combination of coriander and orange peel. The floral and earthy character of Saaz and Hersbucker Hallertauer hops lay a foundation of beer quality upon which the sparkle of spice rides. The Vienna and crystal malt help produce an overall malty character without being excessively full bodied. Fully fermentable honey boosts the alcohol while contributing unique fermented character to the beer, much as candi sugar would had it been used. This recipe can be found in About the Recipes.

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If I’d had candi sugar on the day I had chosen to impulsively brew Felicitous Belgian Stout, I would have used it, as the Belgians so often do. Instead, honey would have to do on this inaugural occasion. Many Belgian types of ale possess the flavor and aromatic character of crushed coriander seed and Curação orange peel.

Banana aroma and flavor are also part of the character of many Belgian ales, especially the stronger types. The banana is a byproduct of certain strains of yeast usually fermented at 70 to 80 degrees F. While I can appreciate these banana esters in certain ales, I chose not to design the stout with this in mind, but you may do so with your choice of yeast. Wheat could have been used in the formulation, really authenticating the original half-and-half mixture of imperial stout and Celis White I had conceived in Philadelphia, but then again I took homebrewed liberty in deciding not to formulate with wheat (but then again, you may, if you wish).

CHAPTER 2

Brewery in a Goat Shed and The King Wants a Beer

THE 1980S were a busy time for me and for microbreweries. I put all my energies toward building up the American Homebrewers Association, the Association of Brewers (now called the Brewers Association) and the Great American Beer Festival. At the same time, many landmark breweries were getting their start. These were adventurous times when doctors, airline pilots, computer programmers, lawyers, teachers, social workers, salespeople and many other professionals were giving up their jobs, risking it all to pursue their passion for beer. Theirs was a belief that Americans deserved the opportunity for choice, flavor and diversity. The idea of great full-flavored lager and ale had captured a grassroots following. All of the microbrewed beer brewed in the 1980s didn’t amount to even a drop