Tony Ammendolia of Original Gravity & Final Gravity Brewing Co. began brewing at home in 1993. He opened Original Gravity, his home-brew supply store in 2011. It quickly outgrew the space and moved to 6118 Lakeside Ave. last fall.

Part of that expansion included room to commercially brew beer, and Ammendolia began serving Final Gravity beer at the end of the summer.

“In the future,” he says, “we look to offer kits of some of our beers so you can make them at home, as well as classes for those looking to get into brewing.”

Until then, Ammendolia graciously shares this recipe Growler’s for home-brewing readers.

Sweet Potato Brown
Yield: 5 gallons

Ingredients

3.5 pounds sweet potatoes (peeled and cubed)
5.5 pound Maris Otter malt
1 pound 6-row brewer’s malt
0.7 pound Crystal 40L malt
0.35 pound flaked barley
0.35 pound Crystal 120L malt
0.35 pound Victory malt
0.06 pound Carafa III malt
0.06 pound chocolate malt
0.5 pound lactose (add last 15 minutes of the boil)
1 ounce East Kent Goldings hops (60 minutes)
1 vanilla bean (5 minutes)
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (5 minutes)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (5 minutes)
1 vial RVA101 Chico ale yeast
4-5 ounces priming sugar

Directions

Mash the grains and sweet potatoes together and cook at 153 degrees for 60 minutes. Follow the directions for each ingredient. Allow the wort to cool. Take a hydrometer reading — original gravity should be 1.056. Add the yeast, cover and ferment until two consecutive hydrometer readings are the same. Add the priming sugar and bottle. The beer will be ready to drink in about two weeks.