Cleopatra's Asp Recipe

Apr 26, 2017

Cleopatra's Asp (8.5 Litres)

Ancient Egyptians were known for their brewing, even immortalising it in their hieroglyphics. Barley and wheat spiced with mandrake root (as an aphrodisiac), dates and honey were some of the ingredients known to be used. Our amped-up take on appeasing your inner sphinx has amber malt and a little wheat forming the core, with a touch of sugar and spice to bring it all together for a tasty trip down memory lane in the Valley of the Kings. A dash of cayenne provides at the bite that sealed the queen’s fate, but here it is pleasure, not pain, that carries you away.

Ingredients

1 x 1.3 kg Mr Beer Bewitched Amber Ale
1 x 250g Golden Malt Extract
120g Palm Sugar
180g Honey
1 tbsp Ginger (Freshly Grated)
1 tspn Cardamom (Ground)
1 tspn Cayenne Pepper (Ground)
Dextrose Corn Sugar

Features:

Colour: Amber
Body: Heavy
Bitterness: Medium
Approx. Alcohol Level: 7.5% ABV
Naturally Carbonated: Natural

Instructions:

Step 1 : Mix

Clean and sanitise all equipment that will come in contact with the brew. In a 2 litre pan, mix the Mr Beer Golden Malt Extract and Honey with 500ml of water and bring to the boil. Add the Palm Sugar, Ginger, Cardamom, and Cayenne Pepper and boil for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool the pan in a sink of oced water. Strain the cooled malt/spice mix into the Fermenting Vessel (FV) Add the Mr Beer Bewitched Amber Ale to the FV Fill the FV with cold water to the 8.5 litre mark. Sprinkle the yeast and fit the lid.

Step 2: Brew

Place the FV in a location out of direct sunlight and try to ferment between 20C-24C Fermentation should take 7 to 14 days. At around day 7 check the specific gravity. (SG) Check the SG again the following day and so on.

Step 3: Bottle

Place the FV in a location out of direct sunlight and try to ferment between 20C-24C The brew is ready once the SG has stabilised over a couple of days. Gently fill clean PET bottles to about 3cm from the top. Add 2 carbonation drops per bottle and secure the caps. Store the bottles upright in a location out of direct sunlight at or above 18C.

Step 4: Enjoy

After at least 2 weeks, check for sufficiant carbonation by squeezing the bottles. Bottles kept unrefrigerated should improve with age. When ready to drink, chill the bottles upright. The chilled beer may be poured into clean glassware, leaving the sediment behind. Expect the alcohol content to be approximately 7.5% ABV