Author: Matt Del Fiacco

Brewers have been experimenting with various types and proportions of ingredients they use to make beer for eons, which has ultimately resulted in the still growing number of distinct styles we know today. It’s fair to say that a good portion of this experimentation starts in the mind of a brewer looking to accentuate specific characteristics in a pre-existing style.

This isn’t the case for a curious concoction that’s noted to have originated in, of all things, modern literature. It’s almost certain drinkers of yore had toyed around with blending various types of beverages, but it was Stephen King’s The Dark Tower Series that introduced the fictional beer-cider hybrid known as Graf to the masses. While the books provide little detail as to what exactly Graf is, it’s described as an apple-based beer-like beverage ranging in strength that’s regularly consumed by residents of Mid-World.

As homebrewers are wont to do, they jumped at the opportunity to try something new and began crafting their own versions of Graf, fermenting varying ratios of wort and apple juice or cider. Lo and behold, the results weren’t disastrous, in fact many took a strong liking to this unique new style. As a beer, cider, and Stephen King nerd, I was excited to brew it myself!

| Making Graf |

For this batch of Graf, I wanted to favor the hard cider characteristics while still providing some flavor and enough nutrients from the wort. As such, I went with a ratio of 3 gallons of apple juice to 2 gallons of moderately hopped wort and fermented it with a yeast I’d previously used for both beer and cider.

Graf

Recipe Details Batch Size Boil Time IBU SRM Est. OG Est. FG ABV 5 gal 30 min 22.4 IBUs 14.9 SRM 1.048 1.003 6.0 % Actuals 1.048 1.012 4.7 % Fermentables Name Amount % Pale Ale Malt (Muntons) 3.812 lbs 12.67 Apple Juice 26.289 lbs 87.33 Hops Name Amount Time Use Form Alpha % Magnum 9 g 30 min Boil Pellet 12 Cascade 10 g 15 min Boil Pellet 5.5 Citra 28 g 1 min Boil Pellet 12 Yeast Name Lab Attenuation Temperature Nottingham (-) Danstar 75% 57°F - 70°F Notes Note: Mash water volume is ~2.75 gallons Download Download this recipe's BeerXML file

PROCESS

I kicked things off by collecting the water for the mash, which given the smaller volume, I did using an old aluminum kettle on my stove top. Brings ya back!

While the water was heating up, I weighed out and milled the grain directly into the fabric filter.

Once the water was properly heated, I added the grain to the kettle, gave it a stir, and made sure it was sitting at my target mash temperature.

I then weighed out the hop additions.

During the mash rest, I sanitized my fermentation vessel and prepared the juice.

When the mash was complete, I removed the grains and brought the wort to a boil.

I used a stainless filter for the kettle hops in order to reduce trub making its way to the fermentor, as my small kettle has no bottom valve.

During the boil, I took a hydrometer measurement of the juice to get an idea of what impact it would have when combined with the wort.

As the boil was nearing completion, I poured the juice into the fermentor.

Once the boil was finished, I removed the hop filter and poured the wort directly into the fermentor, relying on the cool juice to assist in chilling.

I placed the filled fermentor in my chamber where it was left to finish chilling to my desired fermentation temperature of 64°F/18°C.

A hydromter measurement of the blended liquid showed it was right at my target of 1.048 OG.

I returned the following morning and pitched a packet of Danstar Nottingham yeast into the juicy wort.

After 2 weeks of fermentation, with all signs of activity absent, I took a hydrometer measurement confirming FG had been reached.

The Graf was kegged and placed in my kegerator where it was burst carbonated overnight. After a week of conditioning at serving pressure, it was ready to serve.

| IMPRESSIONS |

Considering Graf’s origin, there was something deeply satisfying to me about taking what was in essence an idea from the mind of the great Stephen King and turning it into a drinkable reality. Having never made one before, I was forced to rely on my own interpretation of what was written in The Dark Tower series and reports from those who have made it before, and I really wasn’t sure what to expect.

The aroma of the finished Graf was definitely more cider-like than beer-like, though the hops added a familiar beery character, resulting in a restrained apple and citrus nose that supported a predominantly white wine profile. As for the flavor, my immediate impression was that it ended up more tart than expected, to the point it sort of forced the Citra hop and toasty malt characteristics to the background, becoming more prominent at the end of the sip. I’m compelled to think the carbonation likely contributed to assertive acidity I perceived, though I felt it was a positive attribute. While I thought the Graf was closer to a cider than beer, I was surprised at how light the apple character was, similar to a dry cider with no backsweetening.

While I enjoyed this Graf, my plan for future iterations is to lean more into the beer character by going with a higher ratio of wort to juice. That’s not to say the malt character was absent, I definitely perceived some bready Pale Ale malt flavors, I just think a more substantial malt presence might help to reduce the perceived tartness and bring the Graf into balance. A dose of Vienna or Munich malt seems ideal for this purpose. In the end, I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome of my first Graf and look forward to experimenting with it more in the future!

If you have thoughts about this recipe or experience making Graf yourself, please feel free to share in the comments section below!

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