Theakston's Old Peculier

This recipe is for a beer that will taste very much like Theakston's Old Peculier. The secret ingredient is black treacle. The original recipe appeared in Dave Line's book "Brewing Beers Like Those You Buy" and was modified a bit by Mike Williams and yours truly.

About two hours before you plan on making the beer, make a yeast starter. In a small pot, bring 2-3 cups of water to a boil. Dissolve in about one tablespoon of malt extract and boil for a minute or two. Put on the lid, remove it from the heat, and let it cool. When room temparature, put in a mason jar and add the yeast. By the time you're done making the beer, your yeast should be very bubbly and active. When recipe calls for you to pitch the yeast, pour the contents of the jar into the fermenter. This gives the yeast a head start, which reduces the probability of any undesireable organisms contaminating your beer.

Boil crystal malt and roasted barley for 4 minutes in about two quarts of water. Sparge into cooking pot. Discard husks.

Add malt extract and water crystals to boiling pot. Bring to a boil. Add boiling hops. Boil for 30 minutes.

Add the Irish Moss, and then boil for another 13 minutes.

Add flavor hops. Boil two more minutes.

Remove from heat and cool in sink full of ice water until you can touch the pot for ten seconds without screaming.

While waiting for pot to cool, dissolve the brown sugar in about two gallons of hot water. Put into fermenter. Add the cooled wort, and top up to 5 gallons.

When about 80 degrees, pitch the yeast. After primary fermentation abates, rack into another container, add aromatic hops, and allow to go for another seven days or thereabouts.

When ready to bottle, bulk prime with 3-4 oz of Black Treacle and heading agent, if you wish. Add 2-3 cups of water to small pot, bring to boil, add the treacle and heading agent, remove from heat, let cool to room temperature, then add to the secondary fermenter. Gently stir to mix it well. Bottle it.