Yeast Roll Recipe

“When the Roll is Called Up Yonder, I’ll be There”  -James M. Black, 1893

*Boil a gallon of water (don’t add salt).  At sea level, this occurs at about 212 degrees Fahrenheit.  If you don’t have a thermometer, watch for the little bubbles.  Bring it to a rolling boil (called the boil roll).

*Mix in about three and a half pounds of (barley) malt syrup.  Use a ladle–do not try to stir it with your hands, unless you’re absolutely sure they are clean–check under your fingernails for possible contaminants.  If using your hands, make sure you roll up your sleeves.

*Add a cup or so of crystal barley, and another cup of toasted barley.  If you’re not sure which cup to use, use a big one.  An old pair of panty hose will make a good straining bag for the barley (make sure the nylons are clean before using).  Always take the panty hose off before putting them into the boiling water.

*Add bitter hops early, and finishing hops later.  There is a reason for this, but I don’t know what it is.  Panty hose can also be used for the hops as well as the barley just like a tea bag, or you can buy a commercial hop sacks.  Use the part of the hose normally worn on the feet and calves instead  of the hip and waist sections, unless you intend to use a lot of hops.  If your spouse see’s you doing this, expect them to roll their eyes.

*Other adjunct fermentables such as brown sugar and honey if you desire, or you can use extra malt kicker.  The use of rice or wheat is allowable although it is an offense to strict German standards.  Oatmeal is not recommended at all, whether flakes or steel rolled, due to the tendency to turn your yeast roll into a paste.

*Bring the wort to a boil stirring constantly so it doesn’t burn. I like a yeast roll with full body and flavor, so I recommend at least a pound of fermentables per gallon of finished product.

*After the wort has boiled, pour it into a fermenting vat that is resting nearby with three to three and a half gallons of room temperature water.  The combined mixture should be about five gallons.  Let it cool.

*Once cooled (so as not to kill or offend the yeast), it will be time to roll in the yeast.  Before rolling it into the wort, roll it around a bit in the bag so it will be a loose powder instead of a glump.  Open the bag or envelope of yeast, And with your fingers, roll the contents out so it spreads over the top of the liquid in the vat.  I call this procedure the “yeast roll”, and it should be done gently.  Try not to splash it on any clothing that requires dry cleaning.  Some say “pour”, but I like to say “roll”.  Otherwise, this would be a recipe for “yeast pour“.

*Expect a lot of carbon dioxide to be given off as a byproduct.  Make sure you have a vent for this, otherwise your vat is liable to explode splattering your yeast rolls all over the wall.  The vent should be a kind of water valve so contaminants from the air don’t get back into the vat.  There are wild yeasts and other fungal spores in the air that could render your yeast rolls a bit funky.

*A sample of the finished product may also be called a “yeast roll“, or “barley pop“, and a friend of mine calls them “chicken sodas” to confuse the children, and keep them from wanting any before dinner.

*In less than a week, siphon the liquid off the sediment of dead yeast that has settled to the bottom of the vat, and bottle it (the liquid–NOT the yeast sediment), and roll with it.

*Allow at least two or three weeks for conditioning after bottling.  As soon as you finish the siphon, you can roll the yeast sediment into either a compost heap, or a commode.  Don’t feed it to the cat.

* I’m enjoying a yeast roll right now.  It’s good for whatever ale‘s you.