Keg Aeration & Hops

What a great combination...air & hops!

I ran into a predicament while transferring kegged beer to another keg. I had empty a 5 gallon corny, and proceeded to siphon the remaining 2 gallons into a 3 gallon corny. After trying many times without success (I think it was because of all the CO2 in solution), I ended up pouring it as gently as possible. That went as well as could be expected, but I'm sure oxygen got mixed in pretty good. Before sealing it shut, ¼ ounce of whole Yakima Golding hops were tossed in. I really like these hops for late additions and dry hopping. After bleeding out the oxygen in the large head space, I cranked it with 30 lbs of pressure.

Six hours later, I brought it to an ensemble rehearsal, and everyone really liked it. It already had a light/young & fresh/green hop aroma and taste. A couple days later, the taste is really remarkable. Much smoother and balanced. It is a wonderful cask conditioned ale.

There is quite a bit of foam coming through the line, and I assume that is because of the CO2 release emitted from the large surface area on the hops. Also, with what oxygen has been introduced (pouring & hops), the feel of carbonation is so much smoother with much finer bubbles. Since it also has lower carbonation it really feels like it has Nitrogen. I think the combination of air and hops put this beer in a much better place. It is sitting at cellar temperature and is becoming a great tasting cask conditioned ale.

What a wonderful surprise. Since this is my first experience keg hopping, and after it has already been carbonated, I look forward to seeing any differences adding them at various times. The beer transfered and keg hopped here was the Round 2: ESB Amber Ale.

Mint Stout

Here goes another 1 gallon stout yeast starter. Still one more stout idea that may spark something unusual for my brother's wedding in the Fall.

This an improvised version from Randy Mosher's Radical Brewing. Here I used some starter wort from some previous batches, adding a touch of crystal into it. Then I took the put in chocolate for half the dark malt proportion and split the half into Roasted Barley and Black Patent. The boiling wort smelled quite good.

The hopping is pushed a little to the aromatic side by 5 minutes. The mints were added as close to the level as Randy's recipe, and smelled quite nice at knockout. This batch filled the gallon jug to the very top, and was poured over sediment from an initial pint starter.

Mint Stout

Grains & Fermentables
1.00 lb. Briess Light DME
44.0 oz. Amber All-grain wort (from previous batches)
0.20 lb. Belgian Biscuit
0.10 lb. Rst. Barley/Black Patent
0.10 lb. Chocolate Malt
0.10 lb. CaraPils

Hops
.10 oz. Centennial, 9.5%, pellet, 90+min
.20 oz. Centennial, 9.5%, pellet, 15min
.20 oz. Spearmint, fresh, sliced, KO
.02 oz. Peppermint, dried, KO

Yeast
Wyeast 1056: American Ale (decanted, 1 pint starter)

Brew Day Stats

Brewed: 4/25/08
Bottled:

OG: 1.054
IBU: approx. 46
Color/SRM: Black/38
Ferment Temp: 72-80°F

FG:
ABW:
ABV:

Tasting Notes & Photo

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Click here to see a full list of one gallon batches.
And here to see the Raisin Toast Stout.

Worms Can't Get Enough

Thousand and thousands of hungry worms chow down on every last spent grain. Apparently, they can't get enough, so Mikey says. He's built up a hefty supply of red wigglers, and would love to sell you a pound if you like.

They are a thinner cousin of the basic sidewalkin-after-a-big-rainfall earthworm, but possess a much larger appetite. Vermicomosting is what he does. I'm happy to have someone willing to haul my weekly sac of spent grains far away, especially because it will be turned into something as great as the beer it originally made...black gold. Worm castings/compost is a nitrogen rich soil enhancer (at about 20-30%), and perfect in potting soils or for rejuvenating old garden earth.

It's Earth Day today. I figured this was an important subject to bring up. Brewing is hard physical and mental work. It takes hours of concentration, lifting, pouring, stirring, crushing, cleaning, etc. At the end of the day, lets face it, its difficult to imagine doing anything more besides downing a few brews during the whole process. But in fact, there is more work to be done to minimize the resulting environmental stress. There is a lot of waste when brewing beer like combustion-fuel/gas, water, spent grains & hops, yeast, CO2, sanitizing & sterilizing agents, bottle caps and old plastic hoses, plastic bags, and more. There are ways to reduce, and/or eliminate, most of these, but it takes thoughtfulness and action.

The Bearded Brewer in Minnesota has been writing about some of these issues, and has helped increase sustainable awareness in brewing. After reading about his efforts with water conservation, I decided to take action in some areas too. It's very important to take care of our small and fragile planet, and if I can't reduce and/or eliminate most of my brewing waste, then I'll have to find some other hobby that isn't so wasteful. The beer is tasting so darn good, so I'm pretty sure I will.

Take a look at other green ambitions
in a post earlier this year...

Sustainability 2008

Ordinary Bitter

I'm still finding beer styles I've never brewed before. English Bitters...these are styles that aren't too common at bars in Chicago. Even when they are found in six-packs, they are usually American versions. But, after trying two traditional English imports on tap at the Map Room, I instantly loved the taste. So unique and purely quaffable, there is nothing quite like it brewed in America. Right away, I knew I had to try brewing one for myself.

The Ordinary Bitter is undeniably one of the most drinkable beers. The balance of malts and overall hop bitterness in this style is very subtle yet precise. There also seems to be a mineral-like quality to it. I instantly fell in love with it, especially because I'm drawn to making beers that are more subtle, lower in alcohol and balanced. After looking around for recipes, I noticed many similarities. Jamil's Ordinary Bitter is really the most basic. I still have not gotten my hands on Special Roast (see side-bar link Grains 101), so I hope the combination of character malts will play the role to a degree. The following recipe is similar and what I'll try out first.

It will be poured over a third generation ESB yeast cake, and at an OG of about 1.035, it will probably be finished in under three days. Not sure if that is entirely good, but one thing is for sure, we will be tapping this beer sooner than later.

I feel very good about the stats on this brew. The day unfolded without a hitch. A great vigorous boil starting in two pots and then consolidated to one for the final 25 and 1 minute hop additions. The OG came out 1 point high at 1.038 with an overall efficiency of 80% and a final volume just shy of 6 gallons. The final gravity of this brew should be well near 1.007-9, so I'm hoping there is enough residual sweetness and body.

Ordinary Bitter

Grains
6.5 lbs. Marris Otter Pale Malt
.50 lbs. British Crystal 60L
.20 lbs. Belgian Aromatic
.20 lbs. Belgian Biscuit
.10 lbs. British Roasted Barley

Hops
1.00 oz. US Kent Goldings, 4.8%aa, pellet, 90min
.65 oz. US Kent Goldings, 4.8%aa, pellet, 25min
.60 oz. UK Kent Goldings, 6.3%aa, whole, 1min
.25-.5 oz. UK Kent Goldings, 6.3%aa, whole, keg hops

Yeast
Wyeast 1968: London ESB 3rd Generation yeast cake

Brew Day Stats

Brewed: 4/20/08
Racked: just primary
Bottled: 4/29/08

Water Adjustment:
2 tsp. Gypsum & .75 tsp Acid Blend to strike water
2.25 tsp Gypsum to 2nd sparge water

H2O/Grain Ratio: 1.25qt/lb
Mash Ph: 5.4-5.5
Sacch. Rest Temp/Time: 153°F/90min
Mash Out Temp/Time: 165°F/20min w/vorlauf
1st Batch SG: 1.052

2nd Batch Sparge Vol/H2OTemp/MashTemp: 4.5gal/176°F/168°F
2nd Batch SG: 1.018

Pre-Boil Vol: 7.5gal
Pre-Boil SG: 1.034
Boil Time: 100min
Post-Boil Vol: shy of 6gal
Mash Efficiency: 80%

OG: 1.038
IBU: 28
Color/SRM: Golden-Copper/11
Ferment Temp: 68-74°F

FG: 1.014
ABW: 2.5%
ABV: 3.2%

Cost:

Tasting Notes & Photo

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Battle of the IPA's - North vs. South

A few weeks ago, Travis (CNYBrew.com) sent me a few bottles of his home brewed ales and lagers. At that time, I was very busy, and didn’t have any time to sit, drink, and give them the attention they deserved. Recently, I got an email from him asking if I had drunk the Lagunitas IPA clone. I didn’t. And that was a good thing, because he informed me that Jonathan over at (MNB - mondaynightbrewery.com) was sending me their Swashchuckler IPA. They both wanted me to be a judge to determine who made the better India Pale Ale. I’m not really all that much of a beer critic, but I was quite flattered to say the least.

So, I finally got to sat down with both beers with my good friend Erik. We were both eager to taste what the east coast home brewers had made. It was fun and tasty, and below are the tasting notes for each beer. I also would like to thank my wife Sarah for taking such great photos.

India Pale Ales are generally viewed as the most bitter and hoppy of ales. They are generally pale in color, assertively hopped, and have a malt backbone that supports its aggressive hop profile. There are definite differences among English and American styles. In this tasting, I feel like each beer sort-of represented each country.

Swashchuckler IPA by Monday Night Brewery

Appearance: Pours a deep golden color with amber hues and an even/light cloudiness. A ¾ inch white head fades quickly down to a ring of bubbles around the edge with slight lacing.

Aroma: Upfront there are sweet aromatics. Apricot, vanilla sweetness and fresh malts dominate. Then a mild hop after-presence comes through with some citrus notes and mostly reminiscent of English varietals.

Taste & Mouthfeel: Fairly balanced flavors favoring sweet/darker malts. Bitterness is present and soft verses sharp and cutting. Hop flavors come through much like in aroma and again suggest English in styling. Medium bodied with lower carbonation gives this ale a good mouthfeel.

Aftertaste: Pleasant malt finish without lasting bitterness on tongue. There does seem to be a lingering, yet clean, mineral taste perhaps from Georgian waters.

Overall Impression & Drinkability: An overall impression takes me to England. This version is darker and takes on a much sweeter flavor profile from what I guess is residual sugars from darker crystal malts. I also wonder if the yeast count was sufficient for this batch. Hopping levels are smooth and understated. The hop bitterness and bouquet is just short of assertive or clean & accurate enough for my taste. A pretty drinkable beer, and it's softer carbonation makes it feel more session-like.

Lagunitas IPA Clone by Travis

Appearance: Pours a nice pale golden color much like the real Lagunitas, with lots of carbonation creating a dense thick and frothy white head with strong staying power, and good lacing. There is a clarity to it, but has a more particulate cloudiness.

Aroma: Clean, strong citrus and subtle soft fruit hop scents, hint of sweetness.

Taste & Mouthfeel: Sharp citrus hop taste upfront lending to a nice simple malt secondary flavor. The bitterness is strong and dominates the overall experience. There is a clean and attenuated sweetness coupled with higher carbonation that makes this beer finish on the dry side. The mouthfeel is medium in body.

Aftertaste: Mostly bitter and quite assertive/almost harsh. I get a hint of sour quality coming from the citrus/lemon-like hop flavor, and combined with higher carbonation is reminiscent of a German Wiess (Hacker-Pschorr).

Drinkability & Overall Experience: Overall I think it is like a fusion of American pale ale and German Wiess. It is a bright and refreshing IPA, but fuller carbonation makes it a little difficult to put down, and may accentuate some of the sharp edges. An unrefined & edgy bitterness commands the palate, but does allow just a little malt to slide through.

Conclusion:

The Lagunitas IPA clone has a more unrefined “home-brewed” quality, it’s brighter and more bold in hopping, but is also a bit edgy. The Swashchuckler IPA is quite sweet, and has a mysterious finishing quality that tastes more balanced or “micro-brewed.” It was a little challenging to compare two beers that tasted so different, and I had to base my decision on the overall taste. Even though both could use definite adjustments in balance and refinement, and don’t come close to my Hop Blend IPA from 2007 (but that is a different story all together...ha ha ha!), I definitely favor the Lagunitas IPA clone by Travis.