I completely forgot to post about some brewing I did, oh, 11 days ago now. I made a Gose for the first time, which is a Leipzig wheat beer which includes salt and coriander.
The Recipe:
4 lb wheat malt
3 lb 2-row pale malt
8 oz acidulated malt
4 AAU (10g @ 11% AA) Galena @ 60
1 oz freshly ground coriander @ 5
4 level tablespoons kosher salt @ 5
Wyeast 3056 - Bavarian Wheat Blend
Dough-in with 10 quarts of water and mashed for an hour at 150°. Batch sparged at 170-175° to get 26 quarts for the boil.
O.G.: 1.043
Est. IBU: 17.3
Completely uneventful brewing. Hit 82% mash efficiency, so I know my malt mill is still set up properly.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Monday, December 19, 2011
Kegged Up
I just kegged Blackacre Pilsner, CitrAmarillo IPA and Drain Clog Dubbel. First impressions are that CitrAmarillo is totally awesome, Blackacre Pilsner will be supremely drinkable when it is lagered for a little bit, and that Drain Clog is a pretty successful dubbel -- although, since it is not my favorite style ever, it's not really my favorite batch.
Kegging the Dubbel was a real pain in the ass. I went through 3 keg lids and was still not able to get a sufficient air-tight seal. I eventually ended up having to double-up on the lid gasket to get things to work. This seems to be functioning, but I will not be at all surprised if I wake up to an empty CO2 tank tomorrow.
Kegging the Dubbel was a real pain in the ass. I went through 3 keg lids and was still not able to get a sufficient air-tight seal. I eventually ended up having to double-up on the lid gasket to get things to work. This seems to be functioning, but I will not be at all surprised if I wake up to an empty CO2 tank tomorrow.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Blackacre Pilsner
So, today I decided to brew up a Pilsner for the first time. I've done Kölsches and California commons before, but this is my first real honest-to-God lager. I've got my temperature control planned out and hope it comes together.
The Recipe:
9 lb 2-row pale malt
4 oz crystal 60
4 oz Cara-Pils
5 AAU (13g @ 11% AA) Galena @ 60
3.2 AAU (28g @ 3.2% AA) Tettnanger @ 20
3.2 AAU (28g @ 3.2% AA) Tettnanger @ 5
Whirlfloc tablet @ 15
Wyeast 2278 - Czech Pils
Dough-in with 12 quarts of water and mashed for an hour at 149°. Batch sparged at 180° to get 26 quarts for the boil.
O.G.: 1.054
Est. IBU: 29.4
Since I already had sanitizer out and everything, I also took the opportunity to add a couple ounces of dry hops to CitrAmarillo. I'm feeling pretty good about these last 3 batches.
The Recipe:
9 lb 2-row pale malt
4 oz crystal 60
4 oz Cara-Pils
5 AAU (13g @ 11% AA) Galena @ 60
3.2 AAU (28g @ 3.2% AA) Tettnanger @ 20
3.2 AAU (28g @ 3.2% AA) Tettnanger @ 5
Whirlfloc tablet @ 15
Wyeast 2278 - Czech Pils
Dough-in with 12 quarts of water and mashed for an hour at 149°. Batch sparged at 180° to get 26 quarts for the boil.
O.G.: 1.054
Est. IBU: 29.4
Since I already had sanitizer out and everything, I also took the opportunity to add a couple ounces of dry hops to CitrAmarillo. I'm feeling pretty good about these last 3 batches.
Friday, November 25, 2011
CitrAmarillo IPA
Today I decided to keep up my brewing schedule now that I have a working sink. In an effort to finish up my Amarillos and use up some of my copious Citra, I'm making an IPA with those two.
The Recipe:
10 lb 2-row pale malt
8 oz Victory malt
3 oz Cara-Pils
20 AAU (39g @ 14.2% AA) Citra @ 60
10 AAU (26g @ 10.7% AA) Amarillo @ 20
10 AAU (20g @ 14.2% AA) Citra @ 20
10 AAU (26g @ 10.7% AA) Amarillo @ 5
10 AAU (20g @ 14.2% AA) Citra @ 5
Added the following hops on 30 November 2011:
10.7 AAU (28g @ 10.7% AA) Amarillo
14.2 AAU (28g @ 14.2% AA) Citra
1 Whirlfloc tablet @ 15 min
Wyeast 1332 - Northwest Ale
Dough-in with 14 quarts of water and mashed for an hour at 148°. Batch sparged at 170° to get 26 quarts for the boil.
O.G.: 1.056
Est. IBU: 109.7
I adjusted my malt mill today so I got my efficiency up to 76%. I think my batch sparging is affecting my efficiency negatively, so I will be sure to make sure my rollers are adjusted each time I mill grain.
The Recipe:
10 lb 2-row pale malt
8 oz Victory malt
3 oz Cara-Pils
20 AAU (39g @ 14.2% AA) Citra @ 60
10 AAU (26g @ 10.7% AA) Amarillo @ 20
10 AAU (20g @ 14.2% AA) Citra @ 20
10 AAU (26g @ 10.7% AA) Amarillo @ 5
10 AAU (20g @ 14.2% AA) Citra @ 5
Added the following hops on 30 November 2011:
10.7 AAU (28g @ 10.7% AA) Amarillo
14.2 AAU (28g @ 14.2% AA) Citra
1 Whirlfloc tablet @ 15 min
Wyeast 1332 - Northwest Ale
Dough-in with 14 quarts of water and mashed for an hour at 148°. Batch sparged at 170° to get 26 quarts for the boil.
O.G.: 1.056
Est. IBU: 109.7
I adjusted my malt mill today so I got my efficiency up to 76%. I think my batch sparging is affecting my efficiency negatively, so I will be sure to make sure my rollers are adjusted each time I mill grain.
Drain Clog Dubbel
Last Friday (one week ago), I brewed up my first batch in almost 3 months. The reason? I finally fixed my sink/garbage disposal after accidentally putting the remnants of Chernobyl Stout (oak chips and all) down the drain. That being fixed, I chose to brew again.
The Recipe:
12.5 lb 2-row pale malt
8 oz crystal 60°
4 oz chocolate malt
4 oz roasted barley
3 oz cara-pils
5 AAU (26g @ 5.4% AA) Cascade @ 60 min
5 AAU (26g @ 5.4% AA) Cascade @ 20 min
6.6 AAU (34g @ 5.4% AA) Cascade @ 5 min
14.2 AAU (28g @ 14.2% AA) Citra @ 5 min
3.2 AAU (28g @ 3.2% AA) Tettnanger @ 5 min
Wyeast 1214 - Belgian Abbey
Dough-in with 17 quarts of water and mashed for an hour at 151°. Did a pretty basic batch sparge at 170° to get 26 quarts for the boil.
O.G.: 1.058
Est. IBU: 46.1
The smack pack of 1214 that I pitched was way past its due date, which was evinced by the fact that after 72 hours no fermentation had begun. At that point, I pitched a brand-new smack pack of 1214 and fermentation began quickly and continued apace for the next 3.5 days. Lesson: use fresh yeast.
The Recipe:
12.5 lb 2-row pale malt
8 oz crystal 60°
4 oz chocolate malt
4 oz roasted barley
3 oz cara-pils
5 AAU (26g @ 5.4% AA) Cascade @ 60 min
5 AAU (26g @ 5.4% AA) Cascade @ 20 min
6.6 AAU (34g @ 5.4% AA) Cascade @ 5 min
14.2 AAU (28g @ 14.2% AA) Citra @ 5 min
3.2 AAU (28g @ 3.2% AA) Tettnanger @ 5 min
Wyeast 1214 - Belgian Abbey
Dough-in with 17 quarts of water and mashed for an hour at 151°. Did a pretty basic batch sparge at 170° to get 26 quarts for the boil.
O.G.: 1.058
Est. IBU: 46.1
The smack pack of 1214 that I pitched was way past its due date, which was evinced by the fact that after 72 hours no fermentation had begun. At that point, I pitched a brand-new smack pack of 1214 and fermentation began quickly and continued apace for the next 3.5 days. Lesson: use fresh yeast.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
September Updates
Today I did some spring keg cleaning. I had four empties, a record for me! I then kegged up Chernobyl Stout and Big Nose Blonde. Here are my thoughts:
Chernobyl: this beer finished at 1.040, locking in a good 11.3% ABV. Lower than the 12% for which I was shooting, but not surprising considering the below-average attenuation my big beers tend to achieve. The oak is a nice touch and I think 16 days was a pretty good amount of time. I think 3 weeks might have been the max, based on what I'm tasting now. I am told the oak fades over time, though, so I'll reevaluate in a few months.
Big Nose: the nose is, as expected, big. Dry hopping lasted only about 6 days, but I needed to get this guy into the keg for tailgating on Saturday. My hop bag also had a tendency to float in the secondary, so my dry-hopping usage efficiency was probably low, but the 3 ounces I added probably makes up for this. The nose is awesome, though the flavor leaves a little to be desired. There was no traditional flavor addition in this brew; only a bittering addition and lots of aroma hops at 5 plus dry hops. Should be an interesting experiment.
Both of these beers used re-pitched yeast from batch #47, the Irish Red. All three of these beers lack any kind of distinct yeast character (although they also lack off-flavors). I think I am done with 1084 Irish Ale for now, unless I really want to brew something with little to no yeast character and just a smooth texture to serve as a palate for some kind of flavorant, be it hops or fruit or whatever.
On a last note, I've switched from Iodophor to Star-San. It's more expensive, but it also seems a little less toxic (and, my LHBS was out of Iodophor in the Io-Star squeeze-measure bottles). Foam is an issue. Don't fear the foam.
Chernobyl: this beer finished at 1.040, locking in a good 11.3% ABV. Lower than the 12% for which I was shooting, but not surprising considering the below-average attenuation my big beers tend to achieve. The oak is a nice touch and I think 16 days was a pretty good amount of time. I think 3 weeks might have been the max, based on what I'm tasting now. I am told the oak fades over time, though, so I'll reevaluate in a few months.
Big Nose: the nose is, as expected, big. Dry hopping lasted only about 6 days, but I needed to get this guy into the keg for tailgating on Saturday. My hop bag also had a tendency to float in the secondary, so my dry-hopping usage efficiency was probably low, but the 3 ounces I added probably makes up for this. The nose is awesome, though the flavor leaves a little to be desired. There was no traditional flavor addition in this brew; only a bittering addition and lots of aroma hops at 5 plus dry hops. Should be an interesting experiment.
Both of these beers used re-pitched yeast from batch #47, the Irish Red. All three of these beers lack any kind of distinct yeast character (although they also lack off-flavors). I think I am done with 1084 Irish Ale for now, unless I really want to brew something with little to no yeast character and just a smooth texture to serve as a palate for some kind of flavorant, be it hops or fruit or whatever.
On a last note, I've switched from Iodophor to Star-San. It's more expensive, but it also seems a little less toxic (and, my LHBS was out of Iodophor in the Io-Star squeeze-measure bottles). Foam is an issue. Don't fear the foam.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Big Nose Blonde
So, I brewed up an aroma-forward blonde ale last Monday and completely forgot to post about it. The idea for this brew is not that it is particularly bitter, but that it will be particularly hop-flavored and strongly aromatic.
The Recipe:
8 lb 2-row pale malt
2 oz Cara-Pils
5 AAU (26g @ 5.4% AA) Cascade @ 60
10.7 AAU (28g @ 10.7% AA) Amarillo @ 5
14.2 AAU (28g @ 14.2% AA) Citra @ 5
Added the following hops on 31 August 2011:
5.4 AAU (28g @ 5.4% AA) Cascade
10.7 AAU (28g @ 10.7% AA) Amarillo
14.2 AAU (28g @ 14.2% AA) Citra
Whirlfloc tablet @ 15 min
Wyeast 1084 - Irish Ale
Dough-in with 10 quarts of water and mashed for an hour at 150°. Did a pretty basic batch sparge to get 26 quarts for the boil.
O.G.: 1.040
Est. IBU: 38.4
Sometime in the next few days I am going to commence dry-hopping, but I haven't figured out exactly what hops I am going to use. Probably more Amarillo and Citra, but I might throw some other stuff in there as well.
The Recipe:
8 lb 2-row pale malt
2 oz Cara-Pils
5 AAU (26g @ 5.4% AA) Cascade @ 60
10.7 AAU (28g @ 10.7% AA) Amarillo @ 5
14.2 AAU (28g @ 14.2% AA) Citra @ 5
Added the following hops on 31 August 2011:
5.4 AAU (28g @ 5.4% AA) Cascade
10.7 AAU (28g @ 10.7% AA) Amarillo
14.2 AAU (28g @ 14.2% AA) Citra
Whirlfloc tablet @ 15 min
Wyeast 1084 - Irish Ale
Dough-in with 10 quarts of water and mashed for an hour at 150°. Did a pretty basic batch sparge to get 26 quarts for the boil.
O.G.: 1.040
Est. IBU: 38.4
Sometime in the next few days I am going to commence dry-hopping, but I haven't figured out exactly what hops I am going to use. Probably more Amarillo and Citra, but I might throw some other stuff in there as well.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
The Trees
So, today I'm pitching some oak chips into Chernobyl Stout. After much consideration, I decided not to soak my oak in bourbon before adding them. Instead, for sanitation, I'm cooking 'em at 350° for 30 minutes in the oven. I'm using 2.5 oz of medium-toast American oak chips, and I think I'll leave 'em in there for 2-3 weeks. I may sample it after 2 weeks and then decide if I want a third.
In related news, I took a sample of Chernobyl to measure its gravity. It is currently sitting at approximately 1.038, which is high, but that means it is about 70% attenuated. This is the figure I had for Backbreaker Wee Heavy (1.101 OG) and close to the 72% I got for Pyatiletka Stout (1.086 OG). So, attenuation is right where it ought to be. The brew is quite sweet and the 11.5% ABV is masked extremely well. The flavor on this one is quite good, although it could use a hair more complexity. I'm hoping the oak will help that a bit.
My brew buddy Lance provided me with a packet of Nottingham dry yeast in case this guy did not ferment as well as expected, but I think I'm going to hold off on adding it. I am not convinced this beer would benefit at all from drying out; the sweetness is working for it.
In related news, I took a sample of Chernobyl to measure its gravity. It is currently sitting at approximately 1.038, which is high, but that means it is about 70% attenuated. This is the figure I had for Backbreaker Wee Heavy (1.101 OG) and close to the 72% I got for Pyatiletka Stout (1.086 OG). So, attenuation is right where it ought to be. The brew is quite sweet and the 11.5% ABV is masked extremely well. The flavor on this one is quite good, although it could use a hair more complexity. I'm hoping the oak will help that a bit.
My brew buddy Lance provided me with a packet of Nottingham dry yeast in case this guy did not ferment as well as expected, but I think I'm going to hold off on adding it. I am not convinced this beer would benefit at all from drying out; the sweetness is working for it.
Friday, July 29, 2011
Chernobyl Stout
Today I kegged Tyo's Fourth of JulIrish Red, White and Brew, and since that meant I had a ton of yeast ready to go I decided to brew up a massive Russian Imperial Stout. My goal is to hit the elusive 12% ABV mark on this one, which Wyeast says that 1084 can do.
The Recipe:
20 lb 2-row pale malt
2.5 lb chocolate malt
1 lb crystal 60°
12 oz Cara-Pils
12 oz roasted barley
290g light dry malt extract
225g corn sugar
22 AAU (43g @ 14.2% AA) Citra @ 60
Wyeast 1084 - Irish Ale
Mashed for an hour at 157° on a dough-in of about 30 quarts. Collected 12 quarts of first runnings and boiled that down to about 4 or 5 quarts to caramelize some of the sugars. Maintained the mash at about 150° for the two-plus hours that process took. Once that was done, continued taking runnings, sparging with a few quarts of ~170° water when necessary.
O.G.: 1.126
Est. IBU: 52.9
As I was preparing to do the main boil, I decided that perhaps the gravity could be kicked up a notch so that I can hit my goal of 12% ABV. I went ahead and added the ~10 oz of light dry malt extract that I had laying around (it was getting old and needed to be used anyway), then added a half-pound of corn sugar left over from my bottling days. This beer is going to have absolute truckloads of body anyway, so I felt like it wouldn't hurt to add a little sugar to boost the gravity and provide a little bit of counter to the eventual sweetness that it will have.
One thing I forgot about was the lower utilization of whole hops vs. pellet hops. If I had remembered that, I would have made it maybe 28 or 30 AAU of Citra rather than the 22 that I used.
Lastly, I think I am going to oak this beer once primary fermentation is done. My current thoughts are to use two or three ounces of toasted oak chips, soaked in bourbon (for sanitation purposes, naturally). Should add a little character to this massive beast, no?
The Recipe:
20 lb 2-row pale malt
2.5 lb chocolate malt
1 lb crystal 60°
12 oz Cara-Pils
12 oz roasted barley
290g light dry malt extract
225g corn sugar
22 AAU (43g @ 14.2% AA) Citra @ 60
Wyeast 1084 - Irish Ale
Mashed for an hour at 157° on a dough-in of about 30 quarts. Collected 12 quarts of first runnings and boiled that down to about 4 or 5 quarts to caramelize some of the sugars. Maintained the mash at about 150° for the two-plus hours that process took. Once that was done, continued taking runnings, sparging with a few quarts of ~170° water when necessary.
O.G.: 1.126
Est. IBU: 52.9
As I was preparing to do the main boil, I decided that perhaps the gravity could be kicked up a notch so that I can hit my goal of 12% ABV. I went ahead and added the ~10 oz of light dry malt extract that I had laying around (it was getting old and needed to be used anyway), then added a half-pound of corn sugar left over from my bottling days. This beer is going to have absolute truckloads of body anyway, so I felt like it wouldn't hurt to add a little sugar to boost the gravity and provide a little bit of counter to the eventual sweetness that it will have.
One thing I forgot about was the lower utilization of whole hops vs. pellet hops. If I had remembered that, I would have made it maybe 28 or 30 AAU of Citra rather than the 22 that I used.
Lastly, I think I am going to oak this beer once primary fermentation is done. My current thoughts are to use two or three ounces of toasted oak chips, soaked in bourbon (for sanitation purposes, naturally). Should add a little character to this massive beast, no?
Monday, July 4, 2011
Tyo's Fourth of JulIrish Red, White & Brew
Today I brewed up my first Irish Red and decided to give it a preposterous name. Brewing was completely uneventful, which is just the way I like it.
The Recipe:
10 lb 2-row pale malt
8 oz Crystal 60°
3 oz Cara-Pils
2 oz chocolate malt
5 AAU (27g @ 5.1% AA) Fuggles @ 60
2 AAU (11g @ 5.1% AA) Fuggles @ 20
Whirlfloc tablet @ 15
Wyeast 1084 - Irish Ale
Mashed for an hour at 151°, which was right about my target. Doughed in with 14.25 qts to get to 151°. Performed an 8 qt mash-out with 175° water, followed by a small (~6 qt) batch sparge, followed by fly sparging until I had the requisite 26 quarts. It was a bizarre sparge, but it yielded 75% efficiency for me. So, yay!
O.G.: 1.054
Est. IBU: 24.6
I am feeling optimistic about this brew. If all goes well, I think I am going to use the yeast cake from this batch to make another Russian Imperial Stout. Should be fun!
The Recipe:
10 lb 2-row pale malt
8 oz Crystal 60°
3 oz Cara-Pils
2 oz chocolate malt
5 AAU (27g @ 5.1% AA) Fuggles @ 60
2 AAU (11g @ 5.1% AA) Fuggles @ 20
Whirlfloc tablet @ 15
Wyeast 1084 - Irish Ale
Mashed for an hour at 151°, which was right about my target. Doughed in with 14.25 qts to get to 151°. Performed an 8 qt mash-out with 175° water, followed by a small (~6 qt) batch sparge, followed by fly sparging until I had the requisite 26 quarts. It was a bizarre sparge, but it yielded 75% efficiency for me. So, yay!
O.G.: 1.054
Est. IBU: 24.6
I am feeling optimistic about this brew. If all goes well, I think I am going to use the yeast cake from this batch to make another Russian Imperial Stout. Should be fun!
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Big Keggin' Night
Tonight I kegged batches 44, 45 and 46. A synopsis:
44 is my Saison which attenuated rather dramatically: a final gravity of 1.000! The 3711 French Saison is evidently a beast of a yeast. 7.2% ABV, and it is quite light and smooth.
45 is my almost-imperial IPA made with truckloads of hops. Dry hopping helped this guy out, I think, even though I only used about an ounce of hops. This keg is going with me to Rush at the Gorge next weekend, so I'm trying to carb it up quick.
46 is the Vienna Hefeweizen from the week before last. 9 days is a pretty short time to ferment, but it was a relatively small beer and fermentation was over pretty much in two or three days. Tasting it now it is not too sweet nor too dry, but it, at least now, doesn't seem like my best Hefe.
44 is my Saison which attenuated rather dramatically: a final gravity of 1.000! The 3711 French Saison is evidently a beast of a yeast. 7.2% ABV, and it is quite light and smooth.
45 is my almost-imperial IPA made with truckloads of hops. Dry hopping helped this guy out, I think, even though I only used about an ounce of hops. This keg is going with me to Rush at the Gorge next weekend, so I'm trying to carb it up quick.
46 is the Vienna Hefeweizen from the week before last. 9 days is a pretty short time to ferment, but it was a relatively small beer and fermentation was over pretty much in two or three days. Tasting it now it is not too sweet nor too dry, but it, at least now, doesn't seem like my best Hefe.
Vienna Hefeweizen
The Sunday before last, I brewed up an ad-hoc Hefeweizen out of two-thirds wheat malt and the rest Vienna. I'm a bit late getting a post up about it, though.
The Recipe:
6 lb wheat malt
3 lb Vienna malt
4.5 AAU (39g @ 3.2% AA) Tettnanger @ 60
4.5 AAU (39g @ 3.2% AA) Tettnanger @ 20
4.5 AAU (39g @ 3.2% AA) Tettnanger @ 5
Wyeast 3068 - Weihenstephan Weizen
Mashed at a rather low 146° for an hour using about 12 quarts of water, a bit looser than I normally do. Once again I mashed out with about 8 quarts at about 170°, then performed a single-batch sparge at about 165°.
O.G.: 1.040
Est. IBU: 33.4
Got a rather low 68% mash efficiency this time around, so I don't know how much I like this mash-out business. It speeds up my brew day about 15 minutes, though, so it will be a hard process to give up.
This brew session I also monkeyed with my grain mill to try to get it to grind a little bit finer, but evidently I didn't actually accomplish this. I will have to get some calipers or something to allow me to measure the effective gap and actually improve upon it.
The Recipe:
6 lb wheat malt
3 lb Vienna malt
4.5 AAU (39g @ 3.2% AA) Tettnanger @ 60
4.5 AAU (39g @ 3.2% AA) Tettnanger @ 20
4.5 AAU (39g @ 3.2% AA) Tettnanger @ 5
Wyeast 3068 - Weihenstephan Weizen
Mashed at a rather low 146° for an hour using about 12 quarts of water, a bit looser than I normally do. Once again I mashed out with about 8 quarts at about 170°, then performed a single-batch sparge at about 165°.
O.G.: 1.040
Est. IBU: 33.4
Got a rather low 68% mash efficiency this time around, so I don't know how much I like this mash-out business. It speeds up my brew day about 15 minutes, though, so it will be a hard process to give up.
This brew session I also monkeyed with my grain mill to try to get it to grind a little bit finer, but evidently I didn't actually accomplish this. I will have to get some calipers or something to allow me to measure the effective gap and actually improve upon it.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Dry Hoppage
So I've been away from brewing for about a month and I'm jonesing to get back into it. Today I decided to dry-hop Five Seas IPA so I threw in a half-ounce each of Cascade and Columbus to see what that'll do. I'm going to Rush in July so I think I'll be taking Five Seas to that event -- should be a good time.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Five Seas IPA
Yesterday I brewed up a sort of "theme" IPA using every variety of hops in my inventory beginning with the letter "C". Each hop has two additions at different points in the spectrum. It should be interesting to see how this one turns out.
The Recipe:
13 lb 2-row pale malt
1.25 lb Victory malt
1 lb Cara-Pils
22 AAU (42g @ 14.5% AA) Columbus @ 90
4 AAU (21g @ 5.4% AA) Cascade @ 20
4 AAU (8g @ 14.2% AA) Citra @ 20
4 AAU (10g @ 11% AA) Centennial @ 20
4 AAU (20g @ 5.6% AA) Challenger @ 10
4 AAU (8g @ 14.5% AA) Columbus @ 10
4 AAU (21g @ 5.4% AA) Cascade @ 5
4 AAU (8g @ 14.2% AA) Citra @ 5
4 AAU (10g @ 11% AA) Centennial @ 0 (flame-out)
4 AAU (20g @ 5.6% AA) Challenger @ 0 (flame-out)
Added the following hops on 15 June 2011:
7.25 AAU (14g @ 14.5% AA) Columbus @ 0 (dry-hop)
2.7 AAU (14g @ 5.4% AA) Cascade @ 0 (dry-hop)
1 Irish Moss tablet @ 15 min
Wyeast 1272 - American Ale II
Mashed at 148° for an hour using about 20 quarts of water. Did kind of a mini mash-out with 8 quarts at about 185°, then a further single-batch sparge at about 165°.
O.G.: 1.064
Est. IBU: 122.3
I am also considering fortifying the hop aroma with a little dry-hopping in the primary a week or two before kegging, once the main fermentation is done. I'm thinking it won't be necessary to rack to a secondary for this.
Brewing was uneventful, though when adding water for my sparge I feel like I added a bit too much, thus potentially diluting my final wort. To compensate for this I collected 2 extra quarts and then did a 90-minute boil (a first for me). The color change due to this is quite noticeable.
This was also the first time I did a mash-out, which is nice because it reduces overall sparging time (I have limited pots for heating water). I'm not sure if it was this or the aforementioned over-watering which caused my not-so-great 69% efficiency; in any case, I think I am going to adjust the rollers on my mill to give a little bit of a finer grind. I think this might help quite a lot.
The Recipe:
13 lb 2-row pale malt
1.25 lb Victory malt
1 lb Cara-Pils
22 AAU (42g @ 14.5% AA) Columbus @ 90
4 AAU (21g @ 5.4% AA) Cascade @ 20
4 AAU (8g @ 14.2% AA) Citra @ 20
4 AAU (10g @ 11% AA) Centennial @ 20
4 AAU (20g @ 5.6% AA) Challenger @ 10
4 AAU (8g @ 14.5% AA) Columbus @ 10
4 AAU (21g @ 5.4% AA) Cascade @ 5
4 AAU (8g @ 14.2% AA) Citra @ 5
4 AAU (10g @ 11% AA) Centennial @ 0 (flame-out)
4 AAU (20g @ 5.6% AA) Challenger @ 0 (flame-out)
Added the following hops on 15 June 2011:
7.25 AAU (14g @ 14.5% AA) Columbus @ 0 (dry-hop)
2.7 AAU (14g @ 5.4% AA) Cascade @ 0 (dry-hop)
1 Irish Moss tablet @ 15 min
Wyeast 1272 - American Ale II
Mashed at 148° for an hour using about 20 quarts of water. Did kind of a mini mash-out with 8 quarts at about 185°, then a further single-batch sparge at about 165°.
O.G.: 1.064
Est. IBU: 122.3
I am also considering fortifying the hop aroma with a little dry-hopping in the primary a week or two before kegging, once the main fermentation is done. I'm thinking it won't be necessary to rack to a secondary for this.
Brewing was uneventful, though when adding water for my sparge I feel like I added a bit too much, thus potentially diluting my final wort. To compensate for this I collected 2 extra quarts and then did a 90-minute boil (a first for me). The color change due to this is quite noticeable.
This was also the first time I did a mash-out, which is nice because it reduces overall sparging time (I have limited pots for heating water). I'm not sure if it was this or the aforementioned over-watering which caused my not-so-great 69% efficiency; in any case, I think I am going to adjust the rollers on my mill to give a little bit of a finer grind. I think this might help quite a lot.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Saturday Kegging
I kegged up Blackacre Butte #3 and Hail to the Spring today. The third iteration of Blackacre Butte tastes basically exactly the same as I remembered the second one tasting, despite some minor differences in gravity. Frankly, I think I need to move on to some other porter recipes; I'm glad I did this one again, but it has got some flaws that I would love to try to correct.
Hail to the Spring is a pretty bright little pale ale which I think will be a lot better once it is carbonated up. It's not bad, but it has got some interesting flavors in it and I'm looking forward to see how it develops.
I checked on Château Saison, which has been fermenting out of sight in a closet (to prevent too much ill effect from sunlight). It has a really bizarre pattern of floating material covering the surface, which I'm assuming is some fungal thing. It looks weird, but I'm sure the underlying beer is fine.
Hail to the Spring is a pretty bright little pale ale which I think will be a lot better once it is carbonated up. It's not bad, but it has got some interesting flavors in it and I'm looking forward to see how it develops.
I checked on Château Saison, which has been fermenting out of sight in a closet (to prevent too much ill effect from sunlight). It has a really bizarre pattern of floating material covering the surface, which I'm assuming is some fungal thing. It looks weird, but I'm sure the underlying beer is fine.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Pro-Am Results
Well, the bulk of the results for the 2011 Puget Sound Pro-Am are out, and there's good news: Two Bails Cream Ale won 1st place in the Light Hybrid Beers category! Woo!
Eleven of the sixteen participating breweries have made their selections for the "Pro" part of the Pro-Am, but Two Bails was not among them. Most will have made their selections by Wednesday, though, so I still have a little hope.
Eleven of the sixteen participating breweries have made their selections for the "Pro" part of the Pro-Am, but Two Bails was not among them. Most will have made their selections by Wednesday, though, so I still have a little hope.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Château Saison
Last night I brewed up my first attempt at a saison. I mixed things up a little by throwing in about an ounce and a half of freshly grated ginger at the five-minute mark, so we'll see how that comes out. Also, this was the first time I'd ever brewed after work, and it seems doable for the future (4:45 start time; 5:15 dough-in; pitched at 9:00).
The Recipe:
11 lb European Pilsner malt
12 oz Vienna malt
4 oz acidulated malt
6 AAU (33g @ 5.1% AA) Fuggles @ 60
3 AAU (16g @ 5.1% AA) Fuggles @ 20
3 AAU (26g @ 3.2% AA) Tettnanger @ 20
5 AAU (44g @ 3.2% AA) Tettnanger @ 5
1.5 oz (42g) grated fresh ginger root @ 5
Wyeast 3711 - French Saison
Mashed at 147° for an hour using about 15 quarts of water. Batch-sparged using ~165° water and collected 26 quarts for the boil.
O.G.: 1.055
Est. IBU: 40.6
Brewing was uneventful and pretty quick. Mash efficiency was 74%, which is right in the ballpark I'm trying to hit. I tasted the wort after cooling and it definitely had a noticeable ginger flavor, so I'm hoping that comes through in the finished product.
One thing I'm trying with this brew is that it is fermenting in the hall closet rather than under a desk in the kitchen. I'm hoping that keeping it away from the light will help prevent the development of off flavors. I'm going to be doing this for all my beers going forward, so hopefully I'll reap some dividends from that.
The Recipe:
11 lb European Pilsner malt
12 oz Vienna malt
4 oz acidulated malt
6 AAU (33g @ 5.1% AA) Fuggles @ 60
3 AAU (16g @ 5.1% AA) Fuggles @ 20
3 AAU (26g @ 3.2% AA) Tettnanger @ 20
5 AAU (44g @ 3.2% AA) Tettnanger @ 5
1.5 oz (42g) grated fresh ginger root @ 5
Wyeast 3711 - French Saison
Mashed at 147° for an hour using about 15 quarts of water. Batch-sparged using ~165° water and collected 26 quarts for the boil.
O.G.: 1.055
Est. IBU: 40.6
Brewing was uneventful and pretty quick. Mash efficiency was 74%, which is right in the ballpark I'm trying to hit. I tasted the wort after cooling and it definitely had a noticeable ginger flavor, so I'm hoping that comes through in the finished product.
One thing I'm trying with this brew is that it is fermenting in the hall closet rather than under a desk in the kitchen. I'm hoping that keeping it away from the light will help prevent the development of off flavors. I'm going to be doing this for all my beers going forward, so hopefully I'll reap some dividends from that.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Puget Sound Pro-Am
So, this weekend I dropped off my entries for the Puget Sound Pro-Am. I submitted Blackacre Special Bitter, Bulldog Brown and Two Bails Cream Ale.
This competition is a little different than the last one I entered, in that the winning recipes of this competition get brewed by one of about 16 local breweries. Wish me luck!
This competition is a little different than the last one I entered, in that the winning recipes of this competition get brewed by one of about 16 local breweries. Wish me luck!
Monday, April 18, 2011
Hail to the Spring
Yesterday I brewed a batch of pale ale with a nice, springy hop schedule. I haven't made a successful basic pale ale yet, so hopefully this comes out OK.
The Recipe:
9 lb 2-row pale malt
6 oz Crystal 60°
6 oz Cara-Pils
7 AAU (14g @ 14.5% AA) Columbus @ 60
5 AAU (26g @ 5.4% AA) Cascade @ 20
5 AAU (26g @ 5.4% AA) Cascade @ 5
5 AAU (25g @ 5.6% AA) Challenger @ 0 (flame-out)
Whirlfloc tablet @ 15
Wyeast 1056 - American Ale
Mashed at 152° for an hour using about 12.5 quarts of water. Batch-sparged using 165-190° water and collected 6.75 gallons for the boil.
O.G.: 1.048
Est. IBU: 42.2
I went and bought a drill yesterday morning to obviate the need for hand-cranking my new grain mill and used it for this batch. It was easy-peasy, and I even managed to get 77% mash efficiency -- even without adjusting the gap on the mill itself. I also tried to be a little less wasteful when draining the mash tun, so perhaps that contributed to my improved efficiency. That 76-80% efficiency range is what I'd really love to inhabit in the long run.
I pitched ~200mL of yeast cake I harvested from batch #39, Two Bails Cream Ale. It was only harvested 15 days prior to pitching, yet fermentation has been pretty slow to occur. I've got a very thin 1/4" layer of kräusen going on right now, a little over 24 hours after pitching. Hopefully it all comes out OK in the end.
I also kegged up batches 40 and 41, both IPAs, yesterday. Both of them finished pretty clean and taste pretty good. They should serve as solid spring beers as well. I harvested their yeast cakes as well for future use.
The Recipe:
9 lb 2-row pale malt
6 oz Crystal 60°
6 oz Cara-Pils
7 AAU (14g @ 14.5% AA) Columbus @ 60
5 AAU (26g @ 5.4% AA) Cascade @ 20
5 AAU (26g @ 5.4% AA) Cascade @ 5
5 AAU (25g @ 5.6% AA) Challenger @ 0 (flame-out)
Whirlfloc tablet @ 15
Wyeast 1056 - American Ale
Mashed at 152° for an hour using about 12.5 quarts of water. Batch-sparged using 165-190° water and collected 6.75 gallons for the boil.
O.G.: 1.048
Est. IBU: 42.2
I went and bought a drill yesterday morning to obviate the need for hand-cranking my new grain mill and used it for this batch. It was easy-peasy, and I even managed to get 77% mash efficiency -- even without adjusting the gap on the mill itself. I also tried to be a little less wasteful when draining the mash tun, so perhaps that contributed to my improved efficiency. That 76-80% efficiency range is what I'd really love to inhabit in the long run.
I pitched ~200mL of yeast cake I harvested from batch #39, Two Bails Cream Ale. It was only harvested 15 days prior to pitching, yet fermentation has been pretty slow to occur. I've got a very thin 1/4" layer of kräusen going on right now, a little over 24 hours after pitching. Hopefully it all comes out OK in the end.
I also kegged up batches 40 and 41, both IPAs, yesterday. Both of them finished pretty clean and taste pretty good. They should serve as solid spring beers as well. I harvested their yeast cakes as well for future use.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Blackacre Butte #3
Saturday I brewed up another batch of Blackacre Butte. This is the recipe I used for my first two batches of homebrew almost two years ago; it should be interesting to see whether the improvements to my processes and equipment have actually improved the beer.
The Recipe:
10 lb 2-row pale malt
9 oz chocolate malt
10 oz crystal 60°
8 oz roasted barley
4 AAU (10g @ 11% AA) Galena @ 60 min
4.25 AAU (22g @ 5.4% AA) Cascade @ 30 min
4.5 AAU (39g @ 3.2% AA) Tettnanger @ 5 min
Whirlfloc tablet @ 15 min
Wyeast 1318 - London Ale III
Mashed at 152° for an hour using about 14 quarts of water. Batch-sparged using 165-185° water and collected 6.5 gallons for the boil.
O.G.: 1.049
Est. IBU: 32.3
Brewing was uneventful. My mash efficiency was pretty damn low -- 65%. I think I could have been a little smarter with my sparging and got a little bit more extract that way, but I'm thinking that, per usual, this poor performance is down to the crush. I will need to adjust my mill for a finer crush and get a drill or something to operate it, because this milling by hand is for the birds.
The Recipe:
10 lb 2-row pale malt
9 oz chocolate malt
10 oz crystal 60°
8 oz roasted barley
4 AAU (10g @ 11% AA) Galena @ 60 min
4.25 AAU (22g @ 5.4% AA) Cascade @ 30 min
4.5 AAU (39g @ 3.2% AA) Tettnanger @ 5 min
Whirlfloc tablet @ 15 min
Wyeast 1318 - London Ale III
Mashed at 152° for an hour using about 14 quarts of water. Batch-sparged using 165-185° water and collected 6.5 gallons for the boil.
O.G.: 1.049
Est. IBU: 32.3
Brewing was uneventful. My mash efficiency was pretty damn low -- 65%. I think I could have been a little smarter with my sparging and got a little bit more extract that way, but I'm thinking that, per usual, this poor performance is down to the crush. I will need to adjust my mill for a finer crush and get a drill or something to operate it, because this milling by hand is for the birds.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Amarillo IPA
Well, after a week off I brewed another single-hop IPA on Saturday, this time using whole Amarillo hops.
The Recipe:
9 lb 2-row pale malt
12 oz Victory malt
8 oz Cara-Pils
18 AAU (47g @ 10.7% AA) Amarillo @ 60
6 AAU (16g @ 10.7% AA) Amarillo @ 20
6 AAU (16g @ 10.7% AA) Amarillo @ 10
6 AAU (16g @ 10.7% AA) Amarillo @ 5
6 AAU (16g @ 10.7% AA) Amarillo @ 0 (flame-out)
Whirlfloc tablet @ 15
Wyeast 1272 - American Ale II
Mashed at 149° for an hour using about 12.5 quarts of water. Batch-sparged using 175-185° water and collected 6.5 gallons for the boil.
O.G.: 1.051
Est. IBU: 79.3
Brewing was mostly uneventful, except that I forgot to smack my Wyeast Activator pack the typical 3 or so hours before pitching. Instead, I smacked it about 5 minutes before pitching. Still, fermentation seemed to begin relatively quickly and is humming along nicely now.
I also kegged #39, Two Bails Cream Ale, and saved its yeast cake for future use. It appears to be the palest-colored beer I've made yet, and actually tastes pretty good (if a little grainy). It might make an interesting base for a hoppier pale-ale type brew in the future.
The Recipe:
9 lb 2-row pale malt
12 oz Victory malt
8 oz Cara-Pils
18 AAU (47g @ 10.7% AA) Amarillo @ 60
6 AAU (16g @ 10.7% AA) Amarillo @ 20
6 AAU (16g @ 10.7% AA) Amarillo @ 10
6 AAU (16g @ 10.7% AA) Amarillo @ 5
6 AAU (16g @ 10.7% AA) Amarillo @ 0 (flame-out)
Whirlfloc tablet @ 15
Wyeast 1272 - American Ale II
Mashed at 149° for an hour using about 12.5 quarts of water. Batch-sparged using 175-185° water and collected 6.5 gallons for the boil.
O.G.: 1.051
Est. IBU: 79.3
Brewing was mostly uneventful, except that I forgot to smack my Wyeast Activator pack the typical 3 or so hours before pitching. Instead, I smacked it about 5 minutes before pitching. Still, fermentation seemed to begin relatively quickly and is humming along nicely now.
I also kegged #39, Two Bails Cream Ale, and saved its yeast cake for future use. It appears to be the palest-colored beer I've made yet, and actually tastes pretty good (if a little grainy). It might make an interesting base for a hoppier pale-ale type brew in the future.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Hallertauer IPA
Saturday morning I brewed up a single-hop IPA to use up some Hallertauers that I opened quite a long time ago. Overall, I'm quite happy with how well hops keep in my deep freeze, but those were opened more than a year ago and I wanted to make sure to use them before they were past their prime.
The Recipe:
9 lb 2-row pale malt
12 oz Victory malt
8 oz Cara-Pils
9 AAU (84g @ 3% AA) Hallertauer @ 60
4 AAU (37g @ 3% AA) Hallertauer @ 20
4 AAU (37g @ 3% AA) Hallertauer @ 10
3 AAU (28g @ 3% AA) Hallertauer @ 5
3.75 AAU (35g @ 3% AA) Hallertauer @ 0 (flame-out)
Whirlfloc tablet @ 15
Wyeast 1099 - Whitbread Ale
Mashed at 155° for an hour using about 12.5 quarts of water. The mash was a little higher than I originally intended, but I thought I'd experiment with it rather than bringing it down to a more-typical 152°. Batch-sparged using 165-185° water and collected 6.5 gallons for the boil.
O.G.: 1.052
Est. IBU: 52.8
This was the first batch where I have had a chance to use my new grain mill. I got 74% efficiency, which is OK as long as I can maintain some kind of consistency. I could probably narrow the default gap on the mill to increase efficiency, but I want to establish a few batches' worth of baseline before I go futzing with it. I just used the hand-crank on the mill, but I think going forward I'm going to have to start using a drill or something to turn it -- it's a pretty serious workout.
On Friday I picked up a 50lb sack of 2-row pale malt plus 5 lbs each of Cara-Pils and Victory. I also grabbed four Wyeast smack packs, so now I have all the ingredients I need to brew without having to go to the homebrew shop. Of course, I'm pretty limited with my current grain selection, but I am going to build up a library of grains over the next few weeks so that I can brew pretty much whatever I want, whenever I want. So excited!
The Recipe:
9 lb 2-row pale malt
12 oz Victory malt
8 oz Cara-Pils
9 AAU (84g @ 3% AA) Hallertauer @ 60
4 AAU (37g @ 3% AA) Hallertauer @ 20
4 AAU (37g @ 3% AA) Hallertauer @ 10
3 AAU (28g @ 3% AA) Hallertauer @ 5
3.75 AAU (35g @ 3% AA) Hallertauer @ 0 (flame-out)
Whirlfloc tablet @ 15
Wyeast 1099 - Whitbread Ale
Mashed at 155° for an hour using about 12.5 quarts of water. The mash was a little higher than I originally intended, but I thought I'd experiment with it rather than bringing it down to a more-typical 152°. Batch-sparged using 165-185° water and collected 6.5 gallons for the boil.
O.G.: 1.052
Est. IBU: 52.8
This was the first batch where I have had a chance to use my new grain mill. I got 74% efficiency, which is OK as long as I can maintain some kind of consistency. I could probably narrow the default gap on the mill to increase efficiency, but I want to establish a few batches' worth of baseline before I go futzing with it. I just used the hand-crank on the mill, but I think going forward I'm going to have to start using a drill or something to turn it -- it's a pretty serious workout.
On Friday I picked up a 50lb sack of 2-row pale malt plus 5 lbs each of Cara-Pils and Victory. I also grabbed four Wyeast smack packs, so now I have all the ingredients I need to brew without having to go to the homebrew shop. Of course, I'm pretty limited with my current grain selection, but I am going to build up a library of grains over the next few weeks so that I can brew pretty much whatever I want, whenever I want. So excited!
Monday, March 14, 2011
Kegging
So, in the last two days I've finished off Hoppy Hefeweizen and the award-winning Noble Mild. Both of these beers were lucky enough to have had every drop dispensed through the new kegerator, which I'm glad to report is still working quite well.
Tonight I kegged Bulldog Brown and Blackacre Special Bitter. Bulldog is really quite good even at this stage; perhaps I will enter it in the Puget Sound Pro-Am next month. Special Bitter is alright, if a little on the malty/sweet side, although it is drier than my last attempt at an ESB. Its malt bill is like 18% crystal-type malts, which really might have been a bit much. It's got a great color, though!
Tonight I kegged Bulldog Brown and Blackacre Special Bitter. Bulldog is really quite good even at this stage; perhaps I will enter it in the Puget Sound Pro-Am next month. Special Bitter is alright, if a little on the malty/sweet side, although it is drier than my last attempt at an ESB. Its malt bill is like 18% crystal-type malts, which really might have been a bit much. It's got a great color, though!
Honorable Mention
So, the Cascade Brewers Cup judging was on Saturday, and the results were released today. I ended up getting Honorable Mention (4th place) for Noble Mild, which isn't too bad. It was in a category with only 13 entries, but the beer which won 1st in my category went on to win Best in Show, so with that kind of competition I can't be too sore.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
It's Milling Time!
Today I took another equipment-related plunge and bought a grain mill. This should help me out in at least three areas: one, I will hopefully be able to attain better and more consistent mash efficiency when I am in control of my own crushing; two, I will be able to buy grain in bulk, which will hopefully save me a little cash; and three, I will be able to do things like toast or smoke my own grain prior to crushing.
Efficiency and convenience are what I'm really after, but it will be cool to have home-crushing ability so that I can brew styles like Grätzer (made from 100% smoked wheat -- definitely not available at my LHBS). I also dream for the day that I have enough ingredients at home so that if I decide to brew, I don't necessarily have to make a special trip to the store. I already have a huge stock of hops at home, so if I buy myself a couple bags of base malt and try to keep a couple varieties of yeast around, I should be golden!
Efficiency and convenience are what I'm really after, but it will be cool to have home-crushing ability so that I can brew styles like Grätzer (made from 100% smoked wheat -- definitely not available at my LHBS). I also dream for the day that I have enough ingredients at home so that if I decide to brew, I don't necessarily have to make a special trip to the store. I already have a huge stock of hops at home, so if I buy myself a couple bags of base malt and try to keep a couple varieties of yeast around, I should be golden!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Two Bails Cream Ale
On Sunday, while recovering from wisdom tooth removal, I mustered the energy to brew up a batch of cream ale. It is named in honor of the 2011 Cricket World Cup, which is going on right now.
The Recipe:
7 lb 6-row malt
1 lb flaked maize
3 AAU (6g @ 14.5% AA) Columbus @ 60
3 AAU (15g @ 5.6% AA) Challenger @ 20
3 AAU (8g @ 10.7% AA) Amarillo @ 5
Whirlfloc tablet @ 15
Wyeast 1056 - American Ale
Mashed at 148° for an hour using 10 quarts of water. Batch-sparged using 160-170° water and collected 6.5 gallons for the boil.
O.G.: 1.036
Est. IBU: 22.2
The idea was for this to be a pretty low-ABV cream ale, so I think I will end up using it as a starter and using its yeast in a couple of IPAs or something. One interesting thing with this brew is that, other than yeast and Irish moss, it is my first time using each of these ingredients. 6-row barley, flaked corn and each of the varieties of hops used are new to me, so hopefully it turns out OK.
In other news, batch #35, Noble Mild, took 4th place in the Cascade Brewers Cup. There is no prize for 4th, but I do get an honorable mention. So, that's something!
The Recipe:
7 lb 6-row malt
1 lb flaked maize
3 AAU (6g @ 14.5% AA) Columbus @ 60
3 AAU (15g @ 5.6% AA) Challenger @ 20
3 AAU (8g @ 10.7% AA) Amarillo @ 5
Whirlfloc tablet @ 15
Wyeast 1056 - American Ale
Mashed at 148° for an hour using 10 quarts of water. Batch-sparged using 160-170° water and collected 6.5 gallons for the boil.
O.G.: 1.036
Est. IBU: 22.2
The idea was for this to be a pretty low-ABV cream ale, so I think I will end up using it as a starter and using its yeast in a couple of IPAs or something. One interesting thing with this brew is that, other than yeast and Irish moss, it is my first time using each of these ingredients. 6-row barley, flaked corn and each of the varieties of hops used are new to me, so hopefully it turns out OK.
In other news, batch #35, Noble Mild, took 4th place in the Cascade Brewers Cup. There is no prize for 4th, but I do get an honorable mention. So, that's something!
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Bulldog Brown Ale
Yesterday my friend Ben came over and we brewed up a brown ale based on a slightly charged-up version of my mild ale. He's thinking of going into brewing, so he wanted to see the process; luckily it was an uneventful (read: successful) brewday.
The Recipe:
8 lb 2-row pale malt
8 oz Cara-Munich
6 oz chocolate malt
6 AAU (37g @ 4.5% AA) Willamette @ 60
1.1 AAU (7g @ 4.5% AA) Willamette @ 15
1 Whirlfloc tablet @ 15 min
Wyeast 1968 - London ESB
Mashed at 148° for an hour using 11.25 quarts of water. Batch-sparged using 160-170° water and collected 6.5 gallons for the boil.
O.G.: 1.043
Est. IBU: 27.8
I only hit 70% efficiency, so it was a little under my desired gravity, but I think it should work out OK in the end. I also intended to have a little bit more hops at 15, but those 7 grams represented the very last of my opened Willamettes.
Once more I pitched yeast from batch #35. This was the first time I'd saved a harvested yeast cake for use in more than one batch. Keeping those yeast for a few weeks doesn't seem to have been a problem: I only pitched 13 hours ago and fermentation is already visibly underway!
The Recipe:
8 lb 2-row pale malt
8 oz Cara-Munich
6 oz chocolate malt
6 AAU (37g @ 4.5% AA) Willamette @ 60
1.1 AAU (7g @ 4.5% AA) Willamette @ 15
1 Whirlfloc tablet @ 15 min
Wyeast 1968 - London ESB
Mashed at 148° for an hour using 11.25 quarts of water. Batch-sparged using 160-170° water and collected 6.5 gallons for the boil.
O.G.: 1.043
Est. IBU: 27.8
I only hit 70% efficiency, so it was a little under my desired gravity, but I think it should work out OK in the end. I also intended to have a little bit more hops at 15, but those 7 grams represented the very last of my opened Willamettes.
Once more I pitched yeast from batch #35. This was the first time I'd saved a harvested yeast cake for use in more than one batch. Keeping those yeast for a few weeks doesn't seem to have been a problem: I only pitched 13 hours ago and fermentation is already visibly underway!
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Cascade Brewers Cup
So, today I submitted a few brews to the annual Cascade Brewers Cup, each in a different BJCP category:
Noble Mild (11A)
Pyatiletka Stout (13F)
Thanksgiving Tripel (18C)
I don't think it's very likely that I'll get any medals. However, one neat thing is that they send you the judging sheets even if your brews don't take any prizes, so at least I will get some feedback from pro judges.
Wish me luck!
Noble Mild (11A)
Pyatiletka Stout (13F)
Thanksgiving Tripel (18C)
I don't think it's very likely that I'll get any medals. However, one neat thing is that they send you the judging sheets even if your brews don't take any prizes, so at least I will get some feedback from pro judges.
Wish me luck!
Sour Sorghum
Yesterday I kegged the Post-Gluten Prometheus, and unfortunately this beer does not appear to be much of a success. It's got a very bright, tart, citrusy flavor, and doesn't taste a heck of a lot like beer. I'll give it a few weeks to mature in the keg, however, and taste it again to see if a little time improves it any.
I was going to brew a brown ale last Sunday, but laziness overtook me. I plan on brewing it this Saturday instead, provided, again, I'm not too lazy.
I was going to brew a brown ale last Sunday, but laziness overtook me. I plan on brewing it this Saturday instead, provided, again, I'm not too lazy.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Blackacre Special Bitter
Today I brewed up my second attempt at an ESB. My first was the ill-fated Mulligan ESB, batch no. 5. This time I used a blend of crystal malts rather than just crystal 120°, plus I altered the recipe to use an earthier English-inspired hop variety and put a lot less emphasis on aroma hop additions. On top of that, there are the myriad small improvements in my system since way back in August '09.
The Recipe:
9 lb 2-row pale malt
1 lb Cara-Munich
1 lb Crystal 60°
10 AAU (62g @ 4.5% AA) Willamette @ 60
4 AAU (25g @ 4.5% AA) Willamette @ 15
Whirlfloc tablet @ 15 min
Wyeast 1968 - London ESB
Mashed at 154° for an hour using 13.5 quarts of water. Batch-sparged using 160-185° water and collected 6.5 gallons for the boil.
O.G.: 1.053
Est. IBU: 47.7
Brewing was entirely uneventful, which was nice. Today I brewed in the afternoon, starting at about 2 PM, rather than my more typical 7 or 8 AM start time. All in all, I think I still prefer brewing in the morning.
For this brew, I repitched the yeast collected from batch #35 a week ago. The slurry was pretty thick, so after accounting for the globs of yeast stuck to the funnel, I probably got about 180mL of cake in there. I still have a bunch of yeast left, so I think I'm going to hold onto it for another week and do something else with 1968 next.
And in other news, yesterday I built a wooden caddy to carry 3 growlers at a time. Its main purpose is to prevent the growlers from slamming around and tipping over in my car when I take beer places; the caddy also allows me to transport beer in the trunk rather than the cabin of the car. All the wood and stuff was leftover from the kegerator project (I had some 1x6 pine boards I never ended up using), and although the woodwork looks like it was done by a spastic 9-year-old, it is pleasingly functional.
The Recipe:
9 lb 2-row pale malt
1 lb Cara-Munich
1 lb Crystal 60°
10 AAU (62g @ 4.5% AA) Willamette @ 60
4 AAU (25g @ 4.5% AA) Willamette @ 15
Whirlfloc tablet @ 15 min
Wyeast 1968 - London ESB
Mashed at 154° for an hour using 13.5 quarts of water. Batch-sparged using 160-185° water and collected 6.5 gallons for the boil.
O.G.: 1.053
Est. IBU: 47.7
Brewing was entirely uneventful, which was nice. Today I brewed in the afternoon, starting at about 2 PM, rather than my more typical 7 or 8 AM start time. All in all, I think I still prefer brewing in the morning.
For this brew, I repitched the yeast collected from batch #35 a week ago. The slurry was pretty thick, so after accounting for the globs of yeast stuck to the funnel, I probably got about 180mL of cake in there. I still have a bunch of yeast left, so I think I'm going to hold onto it for another week and do something else with 1968 next.
And in other news, yesterday I built a wooden caddy to carry 3 growlers at a time. Its main purpose is to prevent the growlers from slamming around and tipping over in my car when I take beer places; the caddy also allows me to transport beer in the trunk rather than the cabin of the car. All the wood and stuff was leftover from the kegerator project (I had some 1x6 pine boards I never ended up using), and although the woodwork looks like it was done by a spastic 9-year-old, it is pleasingly functional.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
The Kegerator Overfloweth
On Sunday I kegged up the three January brews: Noble Mild, Hoppy Hefeweizen and Kölsch II, which means my kegerator now has six varieties of beer on tap. Yesterday I also finished off the last of batch #5, Mulligan ESB: a landmark, since it was my last bottled beer. Now, my oldest available beer was kegged in September; it's nice to keep things fresh.
I also harvested the cake of 1968 London ESB from the Noble Mild, and so my next beer really ought to be an ESB so that I can prove to myself I can make a successful one. This one will use less Crystal malt and will use something like Fuggles or Willamette instead of Cascade hops. Hope it all turns out!
I also harvested the cake of 1968 London ESB from the Noble Mild, and so my next beer really ought to be an ESB so that I can prove to myself I can make a successful one. This one will use less Crystal malt and will use something like Fuggles or Willamette instead of Cascade hops. Hope it all turns out!
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Post-Gluten Prometheus
Yesterday I brewed up a gluten-free beer for the first time. A friend of mine is gluten intolerant and likes the occasional brewski, but the selection of gluten-free brews out there is mostly pretty awful. So, with her input and some of my own ideas, I came up with an interesting recipe which I hope turns out OK.
The Recipe:
6 lbs white sorghum extract
2 lbs toasted buckwheat groats
3 AAU (19g @ 4.5% AA) Willamette @ 60
3 AAU (19g @ 4.5% AA) Willamette @ 15
3 AAU (16g @ 5.4% AA) Cascade @ 15
3 AAU (16g @ 5.4% AA) Cascade @ 0 (flame-out)
Safbrew WB-06 - Wheat Beer
O.G.: 1.047
Est. IBU: 23.1
There were a number of firsts for me with this batch. Most obviously, this was my first extract-based batch. Malted sorghum, millet, quinoa or other such grains just aren't readily available, but I was able to find sorghum extract syrup online. This is an extract from the sorghum grains rather than from the stalks, so it should have a little grainy character to it.
The buckwheat groats were a bit of a disappointment, but I do think they contributed a little to the final product (if not as much as I'd hoped). I toasted them at around 250° for 2 hours, which turned them a little orange. I then took them for a spin in the Cuisinart to crush 'em a little, then steeped them for 45 minutes in ~160° water. The water looked to gain nothing in color or cloudiness, though it was slightly redolent of buckwheat. Next time I'm going to have to toast them more and probably crush them better.
Another first for me was the use of dry yeast. As it turns out, Wyeast's liquid yeasts are not gluten-free; I'm guessing they use some kind of barley extract based substrate. I bloomed the dry yeast for about an hour in about a cup of 80° water and pitched at about 71°. Unfortunately the new carboy I bought for this brew (to ensure no residual gluten) does not have a thermometer strip on it yet, so I won't be able to track the temperature on this brew. It should stick in the low-to-mid 70s, though, I should think.
I used the wheat beer yeast on this in order to see what kind of interesting flavors I can get. I used a hopping schedule loosely based on some Mac & Jack's African Amber clone recipes. In any case, this should be an interesting brew.
The Recipe:
6 lbs white sorghum extract
2 lbs toasted buckwheat groats
3 AAU (19g @ 4.5% AA) Willamette @ 60
3 AAU (19g @ 4.5% AA) Willamette @ 15
3 AAU (16g @ 5.4% AA) Cascade @ 15
3 AAU (16g @ 5.4% AA) Cascade @ 0 (flame-out)
Safbrew WB-06 - Wheat Beer
O.G.: 1.047
Est. IBU: 23.1
There were a number of firsts for me with this batch. Most obviously, this was my first extract-based batch. Malted sorghum, millet, quinoa or other such grains just aren't readily available, but I was able to find sorghum extract syrup online. This is an extract from the sorghum grains rather than from the stalks, so it should have a little grainy character to it.
The buckwheat groats were a bit of a disappointment, but I do think they contributed a little to the final product (if not as much as I'd hoped). I toasted them at around 250° for 2 hours, which turned them a little orange. I then took them for a spin in the Cuisinart to crush 'em a little, then steeped them for 45 minutes in ~160° water. The water looked to gain nothing in color or cloudiness, though it was slightly redolent of buckwheat. Next time I'm going to have to toast them more and probably crush them better.
Another first for me was the use of dry yeast. As it turns out, Wyeast's liquid yeasts are not gluten-free; I'm guessing they use some kind of barley extract based substrate. I bloomed the dry yeast for about an hour in about a cup of 80° water and pitched at about 71°. Unfortunately the new carboy I bought for this brew (to ensure no residual gluten) does not have a thermometer strip on it yet, so I won't be able to track the temperature on this brew. It should stick in the low-to-mid 70s, though, I should think.
I used the wheat beer yeast on this in order to see what kind of interesting flavors I can get. I used a hopping schedule loosely based on some Mac & Jack's African Amber clone recipes. In any case, this should be an interesting brew.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Noble Mild
Sunday I brewed up another Mild Ale, which I haven't done since last spring's 24 Hour Challenge. Today, the recipe is essentially the same but with the addition of 4 oz of Cara-Munich malt and a switch-up from EKGs to Hallertauers (hence the Noble moniker), though maintaining the same hopping schedule.
The Recipe:
5 lb 2-row pale malt
4 oz Cara-Munich
4 oz Crystal 60°
4 oz chocolate malt
3 AAU (28g @ 3% AA) Hallertauer @ 60
1 AAU (9g @ 3% AA) Hallertauer @ 15
Whirlfloc tablet @ 15 min
Wyeast 1968 - London ESB
Mashed at 150° for an hour using 7.25 quarts of water. Batch-sparged using 170-190° water and collected 6.5 gallons for the boil.
O.G.: 1.030
Est. IBU: 15.8
Brewing was mostly uneventful, which is the way I like it. I hit 73% mash efficiency here, and this is acceptable. I've pretty much given up trying to get a predictable consistency in my mash efficiencies.
The only potential issue with this beer is that I cooled the wort a bit too much (January tap water is really cold, apparently) and so ended up pitching at about 57°. Wyeast recommends fermenting 1968 in the 64°-70° range, so I may have mucked that up a bit. If it hasn't gotten rolling by tonight, I may put a heating pad around the carboy to kick-start it a little (note that, for obvious reasons, I'm not bothering with the cooling tub on this one).
On top of brewing up Noble Mild, I racked Hoppy Hefeweizen onto about 235g of homegrown hops in a secondary fermenter. I'm a little concerned that I racked it a bit early (only 7 days), as the kräusen hadn't fully subsided yet. Ah well, we'll see!
The Recipe:
5 lb 2-row pale malt
4 oz Cara-Munich
4 oz Crystal 60°
4 oz chocolate malt
3 AAU (28g @ 3% AA) Hallertauer @ 60
1 AAU (9g @ 3% AA) Hallertauer @ 15
Whirlfloc tablet @ 15 min
Wyeast 1968 - London ESB
Mashed at 150° for an hour using 7.25 quarts of water. Batch-sparged using 170-190° water and collected 6.5 gallons for the boil.
O.G.: 1.030
Est. IBU: 15.8
Brewing was mostly uneventful, which is the way I like it. I hit 73% mash efficiency here, and this is acceptable. I've pretty much given up trying to get a predictable consistency in my mash efficiencies.
The only potential issue with this beer is that I cooled the wort a bit too much (January tap water is really cold, apparently) and so ended up pitching at about 57°. Wyeast recommends fermenting 1968 in the 64°-70° range, so I may have mucked that up a bit. If it hasn't gotten rolling by tonight, I may put a heating pad around the carboy to kick-start it a little (note that, for obvious reasons, I'm not bothering with the cooling tub on this one).
On top of brewing up Noble Mild, I racked Hoppy Hefeweizen onto about 235g of homegrown hops in a secondary fermenter. I'm a little concerned that I racked it a bit early (only 7 days), as the kräusen hadn't fully subsided yet. Ah well, we'll see!
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Kegerator is Done! (Mostly...)
Well, 9.5 hours and 5 trips out of the house later, and my kegerator is all but done. This morning I aquired the requisite lumber, nails and drill bits, and with the help of a borrowed drill from my mom I was able to finish the construction portion of the project.
I also bought 5 tap/shank assemblies from my LHBS (though had to return later because the hose barbs I initially got were 1/4" rather than 3/16"). The only thing they were short on were the plastic screw-on tap handles; they only had one, so only 2 of my 6 taps actually have presentable handles. Still, that's a minor, minor thing.
This is definitely the hardest I've worked on a Saturday outside of doing a film project. I feel accomplished, but supremely exhausted. A toast to homebrewing!
I also bought 5 tap/shank assemblies from my LHBS (though had to return later because the hose barbs I initially got were 1/4" rather than 3/16"). The only thing they were short on were the plastic screw-on tap handles; they only had one, so only 2 of my 6 taps actually have presentable handles. Still, that's a minor, minor thing.
This is definitely the hardest I've worked on a Saturday outside of doing a film project. I feel accomplished, but supremely exhausted. A toast to homebrewing!
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Toys!
So, last night my shipment of goodies arrived. I hooked up the manifold and all my CO2 tubing so that all my chilled kegs are now under pressure. The fact that my CO2 tank still had gas in it this morning is testament to the air-tightness of the setup; it's exciting!
One drawback to the new setup is that, in my excitement to put it together, I neglected to create a provision for disconnecting the tank from the manifold. This would be pretty much necessary for performing my normal kegging tasks (pumping sanitizer through kegs, purging O2, etc.), and would also be extremely useful if I wanted to take a keg with me somewhere. I need to figure out an assembly which will let me do this.
I also tested my new beer tap, which was less successful than my gas-in setup. Apparently the seals need to be *really* tight or beer will go everywhere. I plan on testing again this weekend.
One drawback to the new setup is that, in my excitement to put it together, I neglected to create a provision for disconnecting the tank from the manifold. This would be pretty much necessary for performing my normal kegging tasks (pumping sanitizer through kegs, purging O2, etc.), and would also be extremely useful if I wanted to take a keg with me somewhere. I need to figure out an assembly which will let me do this.
I also tested my new beer tap, which was less successful than my gas-in setup. Apparently the seals need to be *really* tight or beer will go everywhere. I plan on testing again this weekend.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Hoppy Hefeweizen
Last weekend I brewed two batches, but in order to maintain a 1-batch 1-post policy I'm giving this brew its own post separate from the Kölsch. This beer is a hefeweizen which I brewed with about twice as many IBUs as my last hefe (#25, Heat Wave Hefeweizen).
The Recipe:
4.5 lb 2-row pale malt
4.5 lb wheat malt
6 AAU (48g @ 3.5% AA) Czech Saaz @ 60
6 AAU (48g @ 3.5% AA) Czech Saaz @ 20
6 AAU (48g @ 3.5% AA) Czech Saaz @ 5
Wyeast 3068 - Weihenstephan Weizen
Mashed at 153° for an hour using 12 quarts of water. Batch-sparged using 170-190° water and collected 6.5 gallons for the boil.
O.G.: 1.050
Est. IBU: 42.4
I mashed this one a little bit higher than normal to try to get a little more body out of it. I am also considering racking this thing onto some fresh hops in the secondary to see how that works out; it would give me a good excuse to use the fresh hops I have in my freezer.
Since the Kölsch is using the temperature control tub, I've decided to let Hoppy just ferment at room temperature in our kitchen. Since it is January, that is still pretty cool; plus, fermenting the Hefe at a slightly elevated temperature should give it some good aromatic complexity (this morning it was at high kräusen at about 67°).
This batch also used up the last of the Czech Saaz I opened back in October 2009. They were still bright green and fresh-smelling, so I'm thinking keeping them in the subzero deep freeze keeps them pretty darn fresh. Interestingly, the first use of those Saazers was for batch #9, which used fresh homegrown hops from the same plants I'm considering using for this batch (albeit the previous year's crop).
The Recipe:
4.5 lb 2-row pale malt
4.5 lb wheat malt
6 AAU (48g @ 3.5% AA) Czech Saaz @ 60
6 AAU (48g @ 3.5% AA) Czech Saaz @ 20
6 AAU (48g @ 3.5% AA) Czech Saaz @ 5
Wyeast 3068 - Weihenstephan Weizen
Mashed at 153° for an hour using 12 quarts of water. Batch-sparged using 170-190° water and collected 6.5 gallons for the boil.
O.G.: 1.050
Est. IBU: 42.4
I mashed this one a little bit higher than normal to try to get a little more body out of it. I am also considering racking this thing onto some fresh hops in the secondary to see how that works out; it would give me a good excuse to use the fresh hops I have in my freezer.
Since the Kölsch is using the temperature control tub, I've decided to let Hoppy just ferment at room temperature in our kitchen. Since it is January, that is still pretty cool; plus, fermenting the Hefe at a slightly elevated temperature should give it some good aromatic complexity (this morning it was at high kräusen at about 67°).
This batch also used up the last of the Czech Saaz I opened back in October 2009. They were still bright green and fresh-smelling, so I'm thinking keeping them in the subzero deep freeze keeps them pretty darn fresh. Interestingly, the first use of those Saazers was for batch #9, which used fresh homegrown hops from the same plants I'm considering using for this batch (albeit the previous year's crop).
Kölsch II: the Kölschening
So, over the weekend I brewed up two batches -- the first time I've ever brewed two days in a row. My first batch is a Kölsch which attempts to improve upon my last, chiefly through different hopping, improved mash efficiency and improved fermentation temperature control.
The Recipe:
9 lb 2-row pale malt
8 oz Munich malt
6 AAU (48g @ 3.5% AA) Czech Saaz @ 60
3 AAU (24g @ 3.5% AA) Czech Saaz @ 30
4 AAU (32g @ 3.5% AA) Czech Saaz @ 5
1 Irish Moss tablet @ 15 min
Wyeast 2565 - Kölsch
Mashed at 150° for an hour using 13 quarts of water. Batch-sparged using 170-190° water and collected 6.5 gallons for the boil.
O.G.: 1.052
Est. IBU: 36.2
I had upped the total grain bill by a pound since my last Kölsch had such poor efficiency and was so light (OG of 1.035!), but I ended up getting 80% mash efficiency so the gravity is a hair higher than what I wanted. Still, it's within operational parameters.
For the most part, I'm trying to keep my fermentation temperature below 60° on this one, although it did drift up to about 62-63° yesterday before I refreshed the ice in the cooling tub. I think I should end up with a pretty crisp brew this time, though!
The Recipe:
9 lb 2-row pale malt
8 oz Munich malt
6 AAU (48g @ 3.5% AA) Czech Saaz @ 60
3 AAU (24g @ 3.5% AA) Czech Saaz @ 30
4 AAU (32g @ 3.5% AA) Czech Saaz @ 5
1 Irish Moss tablet @ 15 min
Wyeast 2565 - Kölsch
Mashed at 150° for an hour using 13 quarts of water. Batch-sparged using 170-190° water and collected 6.5 gallons for the boil.
O.G.: 1.052
Est. IBU: 36.2
I had upped the total grain bill by a pound since my last Kölsch had such poor efficiency and was so light (OG of 1.035!), but I ended up getting 80% mash efficiency so the gravity is a hair higher than what I wanted. Still, it's within operational parameters.
For the most part, I'm trying to keep my fermentation temperature below 60° on this one, although it did drift up to about 62-63° yesterday before I refreshed the ice in the cooling tub. I think I should end up with a pretty crisp brew this time, though!
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Chores
Today I finally got around to kegging batches 31 and 32. Things were uneventful, and despite my reservations about having left them in the primary for 77 and 51 days, respectively, they both appear to have turned out OK. Mediterranean Baltic finished up at 1.014 for 7.6% ABV and Mulligan IPA finished at 1.007 for 5.1%, my lowest-ABV IPA but completely within parameters.
Early tastings indicate Mediterranean Baltic will be an incredibly smooth and nicely chocolatey brew when it is conditioned. It's a got a bit of a bitter bite at the end but I think it's pretty successful. Mulligan IPA is nicely citrusy with plenty of back-end bitterness, and it seems like my cara-pils experiment to add a little body has paid off.
So, for Christmas, Emily got me a refractometer which I tried out tonight in addition to taking hydrometer readings. The 1.014 porter shows 9 Brix, and the 1.007 IPA showed 5.5 Brix. This is because the index of refraction is affected by both sugars and alcohol in a different way than is the density; it turns out there are a bunch of cool formulae dealing with this, and I look forward to learning them all!
Early tastings indicate Mediterranean Baltic will be an incredibly smooth and nicely chocolatey brew when it is conditioned. It's a got a bit of a bitter bite at the end but I think it's pretty successful. Mulligan IPA is nicely citrusy with plenty of back-end bitterness, and it seems like my cara-pils experiment to add a little body has paid off.
So, for Christmas, Emily got me a refractometer which I tried out tonight in addition to taking hydrometer readings. The 1.014 porter shows 9 Brix, and the 1.007 IPA showed 5.5 Brix. This is because the index of refraction is affected by both sugars and alcohol in a different way than is the density; it turns out there are a bunch of cool formulae dealing with this, and I look forward to learning them all!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Holiday Lull
So, it would seem that I've demonstrated a tendency to fall back on brewing activity during the winter holiday period. I plan to get back on track, though, and have jump-started my brewing mojo by purchasing some more parts to move my home kegerator project towards completion:
Lastly, I desperately need to keg the two batches I've got sitting in fermenters still. Once that's done, I can feel good about embarking on another batch.
- 6-way CO2 distribution manifold
- 6 ball-lock corny keg gas inlets
- 6 ball-lock corny keg beer outlets
- 24 feet each of 1/4" beer line and CO2 line
- 1 beer tap and barb assembly
Lastly, I desperately need to keg the two batches I've got sitting in fermenters still. Once that's done, I can feel good about embarking on another batch.
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