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.
Monday, August 29, 2011
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.
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