Figs, Perilla Cordial, Red Ginseng, Rice Syrup, Club Soda

Fig Folly

Yuzu Fizz Yuzu, Seedlip Garden, Rose Water, Club Soda

Cocktail

Brewed with Strata, Citra, and Mosaic hops

India Pale Ale

Collective Arts, Guava Gose, Ontario, Canada Kettle Sour Brewed with blueberry, boysenberry, and blackberry.

Gose

Hardywood Park, Speculoos Cookie Butter Beer, Richmond, Virginia Brewed with toasted coconut and vanilla beans

Imperial Strong Ale

Golden Ale

Farmhouse Ale

Oxbow Brewing, Surf Melon, Newcastle, Maine Brewed with watermelon, lime, and sea salt

Grisette

Hanabi Lager Co., Hourani Pilsner, Napa, California

IWA Sake, IWA 5, Assemblage 2

Brewed with Persian Blue Salt and Saaz hops

Lager

IWA Sake, IWA 5, Reserves

Solsongju Damsoul Pine

Sulseam Mir

Jinmaek

Hwanggeum Bori Golden Barley

Yangchon Chungju

Jung One Gin, Makgeolli, Rice, Cinnamon, Toasted Almond

Rice Milk Punch

Empirical Spirits The Plum I Suppose, Won Mae, Abricot du Roussillon, Preserved Meyer Lemon

The Maesil, I Suppose

Lee Gang Ju 25 Soju, Chareau, Elderflower, Chartreuse Elixir Végétal, Tonic

Modern Cure

Second Sip Gin, White Lotus Makgeolli, Cocchi Americano, Fino Sherry, Elderflower, Brown Rice Vinegar, Hojicha, Macadamia

Second Date

Tate l 05.2019

Vodka, Jangsu Omijaju, Dolin Blanc, Kjolle Flowers, Pink Peppercorn, Cranberry, Lime

Improved Cosmopolitan

Grey Goose Vodka, Sulseam Mir Soju, Fino Sherry, Falernum, Vanilla, Clarified Passion Fruit Cordial, Sparkling Wine

Pop Star Highball

Rinse figs and perilla leaves. Trim stems from figs and quarter 4 of the figs; reserve the remaining 4 whole for optional muddling or garnish. Roughly chiffonade or tear the perilla leaves to release oils.

Prepare figs and perilla

In a small saucepan combine 1 cup water and the quartered figs. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat and cook 6 minutes until figs soften. Remove from heat, add the torn perilla leaves, and let steep 20 minutes, covered, to extract flavor without overcooking the perilla.

Cook and infuse

Strain the fig-perilla infusion through a fine mesh sieve, pressing solids to extract liquid. Return the strained liquid to the saucepan, add 1/2 cup rice syrup and 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and warm gently just until the syrup is fully incorporated (do not boil). Remove from heat and stir in 1 teaspoon red ginseng extract. Taste and adjust: if too intense, add up to 1–2 tablespoons water; if too tart, add up to 1 tablespoon more rice syrup. Cool to room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator at least 1 hour. This yields about 6–8 ounces (enough for several servings).

Sweeten and finish cordial

If you prefer a thicker, pulpy cordial for a more textured drink, reserve 2 of the cooked figs before straining and puree them with 1 ounce of the strained liquid in a blender, then recombine with the remaining cordial. Adjust texture with additional strained liquid as needed.

Optional blended cordial (richer texture)

Fill a highball or Collins glass with 1 cup of ice (or enough to chill).

Glassware and ice

Pour 2 oz of the chilled perilla-fig cordial over the ice. If making a spirited version, add 1.5 oz gin or vodka now. Top gently with 3 oz chilled club soda and stir once gently to combine without flattening the soda.

Assemble the drink

Garnish with a quartered fresh fig placed on the rim or floated, and a fresh perilla leaf tucked against the glass. Serve immediately with a straw or long spoon.

Garnish and serve

This recipe serves 2 (when using 2 oz cordial per drink) or 1 generous serve if using the optional spirit measure. Cordial will keep refrigerated for up to 5 days; shake or stir before using as separation may occur. Adjust cordial quantity to taste for sweeter or more pronounced fig-perilla flavor; the red ginseng gives an earthy, slightly bitter root note—start with 1 tsp total for the batch and add sparingly.

Serving notes

fresh ripe figs

fresh perilla leaves (shiso)

water

rice syrup (or light agave/honey if unavailable)

fresh lemon juice

red ginseng extract (concentrated)

Perilla-fig cordial (prepared)

club soda (chilled)

fresh fig (for garnish, quartered)

perilla leaf (for garnish)

optional: gin or vodka

Place a highball or Collins glass in the freezer or fill it with ice water to chill while you prepare the cocktail (about 3–5 minutes).

Chill glass

In a cocktail shaker, add yuzu juice (1 oz), Seedlip Garden (1.5 oz), simple syrup (0.5 oz) and egg white (0.5 each, optional). Seal the shaker and shake vigorously without ice for 10–15 seconds to build a frothy emulsion.

Dry shake (if using egg white)

Open the shaker, add 6 ice cubes, reseal and shake hard for 12–15 seconds until the shaker is cold to the touch and the mixture is well chilled and slightly aerated.

Wet shake

Discard the chilling ice or remove the glass from the freezer and add fresh serving ice (about 6 cubes). Double-strain the shaken mixture into the chilled highball or Collins glass using a fine mesh strainer over a Hawthorne or julep strainer to capture ice shards and egg white solids.

Top with club soda (about 3 oz). Pour gently to preserve foam.

Add 2 drops of rose water directly on top of the foam. Be conservative: rose water is potent. If you prefer a stronger floral note, stir the rose water into the cocktail before topping with soda instead of placing on foam.

Garnish with a yuzu or thin lemon wheel on the rim and a small sprig of micro mint or an edible flower laid atop the foam.

Serve immediately with a straw or stirred once briefly by the guest to integrate soda. Enjoy.

yuzu juice (fresh or bottled)

Seedlip Garden (non-alcoholic spirit)

simple syrup (1:1 sugar to water)

egg white (optional for foam)

rose water

club soda

ice (for shaking)

ice (for serving)

yuzu wheel or thin lemon wheel (garnish)

micro mint or edible flower (optional garnish)

Heat approximately 4.5–5.5 gallons of strike water to reach a mash-in temperature target of 152°F (67°C) when combined with grains. Account for kettle losses to hit target mash temp.

Heat strike water

Add crushed grains to your mash tun and pour strike water while stirring to avoid dough balls. Target mash temperature 152°F (67°C). Mash rest for 60 minutes to convert starches to fermentable sugars. Maintain temperature within ±2°F (±1°C).

Mash in

Raise mash temperature to 168°F (76°C) for 10 minutes to stop enzymatic activity and improve lautering (optional).

Mash out

Recirculate until wort runs clear, then sparge with ~3 gallons of water at 170°F (77°C) to collect approximately 6.5–7.0 gallons of pre-boil wort (target pre-boil volume ~6.5 gal to account for boil-off).

Sparge

Bring wort to a vigorous rolling boil and boil for 60 minutes. Add 1.5 oz Strata at 60 minutes if you prefer a small bittering charge. Add 1 tsp Irish moss or Whirlfloc with 10 minutes remaining to help clarity.

Boil

With 10 minutes left or at flameout (recommended for aroma), add 1 oz Citra and 1 oz Mosaic. For additional late hop character, add 1.5 oz Strata at flameout and steep/whirlpool for 20–30 minutes while wort temperature cools to ~180°F (82°C). This gives intense hop flavor without excessive bitterness.

Late hop/whirlpool additions

Rapidly chill the wort to yeast-pitching temperature (65–68°F / 18–20°C) using an immersion, counterflow, or plate chiller. Transfer chilled wort to your sanitized fermenter, minimizing oxygen pickup after chill.

Chill wort

Aerate or oxygenate the chilled wort to ~8–10 ppm dissolved oxygen (if available) and pitch the yeast (rehydrated or a direct-pitch hydrated/room-temp pack). Target fermentation temperature 66–68°F (19–20°C). If using a lager yeast or different strain, follow its temp schedule.

Pitch yeast

Allow fermentation for 5–7 days or until vigorous activity slows. Maintain temperature within target range. After activity slows (~3–5 days) you can let it continue until final gravity is reached (expected OG ~1.064, FG ~1.012 depending on efficiency — adjust recipe and volumes accordingly).

Primary fermentation

At 3–5 days into fermentation or after primary activity slows (commonly at high krausen or just after), add dry hop additions: 1 oz Strata, 1 oz Citra, 1 oz Mosaic. Leave hops on for 3–5 days for maximum aroma. If you prefer fresher, greener hop character, add dry hops closer to active fermentation (biotransformation).

Dry hopping

After fermentation and dry hopping are complete and gravity is stable for 2–3 days, cold crash the fermenter to ~35–40°F (2–4°C) for 24–48 hours to help hop and yeast sedimentation and improve clarity.

Cold crash and clear

If bottling, dissolve 3.5 oz (approx) corn sugar in 12 oz boiling water, cool, then add to bottling bucket. Rack beer onto priming solution gently to avoid aeration, bottle, cap, and condition at room temperature for 10–14 days until carbonated.

Priming and bottling (if bottling)

If kegging, transfer to a keg, carbonate to 2.4–2.6 volumes CO2 (force carbonate or use natural CO2). Chill and serve. Let beer condition for 3–7 days after packaging before serving for best hop integration.

Kegging

Pale Ale malt (2-row)

Victory malt

Carapils / Dextrine malt

Light crystal malt (10–20L)

Corn sugar (priming — optional if bottling)

Strata hops (14% AA) — bittering/late/whirlpool/CRYO or pellet

Citra hops (12% AA)

Mosaic hops (12% AA)

Strata hops — dry hop

Citra hops — dry hop

Mosaic hops — dry hop

American ale yeast (e.g., Wyeast 1056 / Safale US-05 / White Labs WLP001)

Yeast nutrient (optional)

Irish moss or Whirlfloc (optional, kettle fining)

Brew water (treated to moderate chloride to sulfate ratio ~1:2 for hop emphasis)

Sparge water

Heat 18–20 L of brewing water to ~74°C. Add crushed Pilsner malt, wheat malt, and acidulated malt to reach a mash temperature of 64°C. Hold at 64°C for 60 minutes, stirring occasionally to maintain even temperature and ensure conversion.

Heat and Mash

Raise temperature to 76°C for a 10-minute mash out. Lauter and sparge with enough water to collect about 25 L of wort in the kettle (target pre-boil volume accounting for losses).

Mash Out and Lauter

Bring wort to a brief boil (5 minutes) with hops addition (15 g at start for minimal bitterness) and whirlfloc if using, then cool quickly to 40°C. The short boil sanitizes but leaves lots of wort sugars for lactobacillus.

Boil Off and Cool

If using a lacto culture that requires oxygen-free conditions, you may pasteurize by holding at 72°C for 15 minutes, then cool to 40°C. If you prefer a pure kettle sour, skip the pasteurization step and rely on cleanliness.

Pasteurize Alternative (optional)

Transfer cooled wort to a sanitized vessel suitable for souring (the brew kettle may be used). Oxygen is minimal: optionally purge headspace with CO2. Pitch Lactobacillus per manufacturer instructions and maintain temperature of 38–42°C until desired sourness (pH ~3.3–3.4 or taste) — typically 18–36 hours depending on culture and temperature.

Pitch Lactobacillus

When desired sourness is reached, heat the wort to a full rolling boil for 15 min to kill lacto and drive off volatile compounds. If you want a gentler approach, add a small dose of campden tablet to inhibit bacteria (follow package directions) and proceed to boil. This step also allows for final hop and spice additions.

Terminate Souring

Boil wort for 15 minutes total (after sour termination). Add crushed coriander seeds in the last 5 minutes of boil and the sea salt in the final 2 minutes to dissolve. This short boil preserves bright fruit character later.

After the boil, chill wort rapidly to fermentation temperature (18–20°C) using an immersion or counterflow chiller. Transfer chilled wort to the fermenter, leaving behind trub.

Chill

Aerate the chilled wort gently for 60–90 seconds (or oxygenate per yeast manufacturer) and pitch the ale yeast. Ferment at 18–20°C. Expect fermentation to begin within 12–36 hours and last 5–10 days until activity slows and gravity stabilizes (target FG ~1.006–1.010).

Pitch Yeast

Once primary vigorous fermentation is mostly complete (usually 3–5 days after pitch or when krausen has dropped), add fruit purees: 1 kg guava, 0.5 kg blueberry, 0.5 kg boysenberry, and 0.5 kg blackberry. Sanitize puree containers and gently mix purees into the fermenter; avoid excessive oxygen pickup. Let the beer condition on fruit for 4–7 days at fermentation temperature to extract aroma, flavor and color.

Add Fruit Puree

After fruit conditioning, cold crash to ~2–4°C for 48–72 hours to help settle fruit particulates and yeast. Rack beer off the sediment into a bottling bucket or keg.

Cold Crash and Clarify

If bottling, add 110 g priming sugar (dissolved in small amount of boiling water and cooled) to the bottling bucket, gently mix, and bottle. Expect 2.2–2.8 volumes of CO2 typical for a gose (adjust priming amount to reach desired volumes). If kegging, force carbonate to ~2.4–2.6 volumes CO2.

Prime or Force Carbonate

Condition bottles at 18–22°C for 10–14 days to carbonate, then chill and serve. Best consumed fresh (within 2–3 months) to enjoy bright fruit character. Serve cold (~4–7°C) in a tulip or lager glass. Expect a light body, tart-salty profile with prominent guava and mixed berry notes and a final ABV around 4.0–4.5%.

Age and Serve

Pilsner malt (2-row or German Pilsner)

Wheat malt (preferably flaked or malted wheat)

Acidulated malt (or lactic acid additions as noted)

Dextrose (corn sugar) for fermentability / light body

Hallertauer or similar noble hops (low bitterness)

Lactobacillus culture (kettle souring starter)

Sea salt (to create classic gose salinity)

Coriander seeds, crushed

Guava puree (sweet-tart, strained)

Blueberry puree

Boysenberry puree

Blackberry puree

Ale yeast (clean strain, e.g., US-05 or WY1056) or German Kölsch/Weihenstephan strain

Priming sugar (for bottling) or CO2 for kegging

Campden tablet (optional, to stop lacto if needed)

Brew water (adjusted for soft, slightly mineral profile)

Whirlfloc or Irish moss (optional for clarity at boil)

Heat 5 gallons (19 L) of strike water to 168°F (76°C). Dough in with crushed grains to reach a mash temperature of 152°F (67°C). Stir well to eliminate dry pockets. Rest 60 minutes, holding 152°F, to produce a balanced body and residual sweetness suitable for an imperial strong ale.

Mash In

After the 60-minute saccharification rest, raise mash to 168°F (76°C) for 10 minutes to stop enzymatic activity and improve lautering.

Mash Out

Vorlauf until wort runs clear, then sparge with ~4 gallons (15 L) of 170°F (77°C) water to collect approximately 6.5–7.0 gallons (24.5–26.5 L) pre-boil wort. Target pre-boil gravity around 1.080–1.090 (depends on system).

Bring collected wort to a vigorous boil. At the start of the 90-minute boil add 1.25 oz Centennial (bittering). A longer boil (90 minutes) helps concentrate wort and develops Maillard character for cookie-like notes.

Boil and Bittering Hop Addition

With 15 minutes remaining in the boil add 0.75 oz Target (or Simcoe) hops, 1 tsp Irish moss and 1 tsp yeast nutrient. If using lactose, add the 0.5 lb dissolved in a small amount of wort at 10 minutes left so it fully dissolves (lactose is non-fermentable and adds sweetness/body).

Late Hop & Clarifiers

Boiled additions of delicate adjuncts can produce cooked flavors; for best result add toasted coconut and cookie butter post-fermentation (see conditioning). However, you may add a portion of coconut during the last 5 minutes (1–2 oz) to integrate a subtle toasted note. Do NOT add cookie butter to the boil (fat will cause issues and lose aromatic character).

Adjuncts: Toasted Coconut & Speculoos Cookie Butter

At flameout, chill wort quickly to ~68°F (20°C) using an immersion or plate chiller. Transfer to sanitized fermenter and top up with sterile water to reach 5.5 gallons (if needed). Measure OG — target 1.095–1.105 for an imperial strong ale with the included dark sugar. Aerate vigorously (oxygenate) the wort prior to pitching yeast; for high-gravity beers consider pure oxygen for 30–60 seconds.

Cool Wort

Rehydrate or prepare two packs/vials of chosen ale yeast or make a 2–3 L starter if using a single pack and aiming for high cell counts. Pitch yeast into wort at 66–68°F (19–20°C).

Allow fermentation to proceed in primary fermenter at 68°F (20°C). Expect vigorous fermentation for 3–5 days, then taper. Maintain at 66–70°F (19–21°C) for a clean profile; if using a Belgian strong yeast blend, you may allow temp to rise to 72–74°F (22–23°C) later to encourage esters. Fermentation for high gravity beer can take 10–14 days to reach terminal gravity around 1.018–1.028 depending on yeast and mash.

Primary Fermentation

While primary fermentation nears completion (typically 5–10 days in), toast coconut: spread 10 oz unsweetened flaked coconut on a rimmed baking sheet and toast in a 325°F (163°C) oven, stirring every 4–6 minutes until deep golden and aromatic (10–15 minutes). Cool completely. Split the toasted coconut into two portions: ~6–7 oz for primary/secondary addition and 3–4 oz reserved for dry-add and packaging aroma.

Preparing Adjuncts for Conditioning

Cookie butter contains fats and can introduce contamination. To safely add its flavor, gently warm 1 cup cookie butter to ~120°F (49°C) to become pourable, then mix with ~200 ml sterile water and 4 oz of reserved toasted coconut in a sanitized jar. Heat pasteurize this slurry to 160°F (71°C) for 10 minutes while stirring (monitor continuously to avoid scorching). Cool to room temperature quickly in an ice bath and transfer to sanitized container for addition to secondary/conditioning.

Sanitize and Prepare Speculoos Cookie Butter

When primary fermentation slows and gravity is dropping steadily (but before final FG), rack beer off primary yeast bed to a sanitized secondary / bright tank (optional) to reduce trub and create headspace for adjunct additions. Add the majority of the toasted coconut (6–7 oz) directly to the secondary. Also add the pasteurized speculoos/coconut slurry. Seal and maintain at 65–68°F (18–20°C) for 7–14 days to allow flavor integration. Monitor for any oil slicks — gentle swirling once or twice can help incorporate but avoid vigorous agitation.

Transfer to Secondary and Add Adjuncts

Split 3 whole vanilla beans lengthwise and scrape seeds. Add the scraped seeds and beans to the secondary at the same time as the cookie butter slurry. If you prefer a more subtle vanilla, add half initially and the rest after 5–7 days of conditioning. Keep vanilla pods sanitized by wiping with a little vodka — you can also split and soak them in 2 oz neutral spirit for 24 hours and add the extract (reserve spirit if concerned about sanitation).

Vanilla Addition

Allow beer to condition on adjuncts 7–14 days. Taste every 3–4 days; if cookie/vanilla/coconut character is not strong enough, leave longer but be mindful of fat oxidation. If beer has a thin mouthfeel, consider adding small amount of sterile lactose solution (dissolve additional up to 2 oz lactose in hot water and add) to sweeten and boost body — note this will increase FG.

Aging and Final Adjustments

When final gravity is stable (two readings 3 days apart), rack beer off adjunct solids into a sanitized bottling bucket or keg. If kegging, transfer and carbonate to ~2.4–2.6 volumes CO2. If bottling, dissolve 4 oz (113 g) priming sugar in 2 cups (475 ml) boiling water, cool, and gently mix into beer in bottling bucket.

Prepare for Bottling or Kegging

Fill bottles, cap, and store at 68–72°F (20–22°C) for 2–3 weeks to carbonate. Because this is an imperial strong ale with residual sugars, carbonate slowly; check carbonation and allow additional conditioning time if needed.

Bottle Conditioning

After conditioning, cold crash bottles or keg to 35–40°F (2–4°C) for 24–48 hours to help clarity. Serve slightly warmer than standard pale ales — 50–55°F (10–13°C) — in tulip or snifter glass to showcase aroma. Pour carefully to leave most adjunct solids behind if present in bottle. Expected finished beer will show cookie butter, toasted coconut, vanilla, and dark sugar notes with a full, creamy mouthfeel.