Sterling Pale Ale

Everyone was really impressed with the late hopped Sterling Pearl. It tasted so fresh and vibrant! With no additions longer than 20 minutes, it had a smooth and mild bittering with loads of hop flavor and aroma. I liked it so much that I'll make some minor alterations and give it another go. This kegged version will probably be consumed in record time, after all my fellow crew members have at it. An outdoor, Spring-time shindig with pot-luck, good friends, and fresh beer is just what we all need! Mmmmm...Good!

The biggest difference in this version will be the yeast and a small bittering hop addition. The vigorous late hopping in the Sterling Pearl was big and fresh, but it didn't have quite the bite that I'd like. I will also try out a sort-of continuous hopping by adding all the late hops in 5 minute intervals...see the schedule below.

American 1056 will ferment this pale ale, and hopefully I can keep the temperature below 70°F. I like how the Northwest Ale strain, fermented at around 62°F, gave the Sterling Pearl a refreshing lager-like taste.

Originally it was going to be a normal 6 gallon batch. Since its being brewed for a large group of beer thirsty co-workers and friends, there's no reason not to brew more. I've got the hops, so why not use them? This time I'll go for a volume record of 9 gallons. This should take my system very close to its maximum output. I think it will be well worth it, and ensure that absolutely everyone will get to have some.

I must send out a big thanks to Isaac for helping out the whole day, and to Kyle, Nathan & Fischer for assistance in the beginning. After adding the mash-out water, there was only about ½ - ¾ gallon of space left in the mash-tun. Should be able to take the system to 10-12 gallons, with the batch sparge method. I suppose fly sparging would result in much larger batches. I guess thats one good reason to fly.

Sterling Pale Ale

Grains
14.0 lbs. Organic 2-Row Pale Malt
1.15 lbs. Crystal 20L
0.75 lbs. Organic Crystal 60L
1.00 lbs. Flaked Barley
0.50 lbs. Belgian Biscuit
0.25 lbs. Belgian Aromatic

Hops
1.00 oz. Sterling, 5.3%, pellet, 60min
1.25 oz. Sterling, 5.3%, pellet, 25min
1.00 oz. Sterling, 5.3%, pellet, 20min
1.25 oz. Sterling, 5.3%, pellet, 15min
1.00 oz. Cluster, 7.9%, pellet, 10min
1.25 oz. Sterling, 5.3%, pellet, 5min
1.00 oz. Perle, 7.9%, pellet, KO
1.50 oz. Sterling, 5.3%, pellet, KO

Yeast
Wyeast 1056: American Ale (decanted from a 2 quart starter, then made into 1 cup krausen)

Brew Day Stats

Brewed: 5/12/08
Racked: just primary
Bottled:

Water Adjustment:
Strike: 1.6 tsp Gypsum, 1.4 tsp CaCl, 1 tsp Epsom, 1.5 tsp Acid Blend
2nd Sparge: 1.6 tsp Gypsum, 1.4 tsp CaCl, 1 tsp Epsom

H2O/Grain Ratio: 1.25qt/lb
Mash Ph: 5.4
Sacch. Rest Temp/Time: 153°F/1hr
Mash Out Vol: 2.5 gal
Mash Out Temp/Time: 173°F/20min
1st Batch SG: 1.061

2nd Batch Sparge Vol/H2OTemp/MashTemp: 5 gal/175°F/169°F
2nd Batch SG: n/a

Pre-Boil Vol: 11 gal
Pre-Boil SG: 1.049
Boil Time: 90min
Post-Boil Vol: approx. 8.5 gal
Mash Efficiency: n/a

OG: n/a...approx. 1/057-1.064
IBU: approx. 45
Color/SRM: Golden/8
Ferment Temp: 65-70°F

FG:
ABW:
ABV:

Tasting Notes & Photo
coming in 4-6 weeks

Appearance:
Aroma:
Taste:
Mouthfeel:
Aftertaste:
Drinkability:

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

Appearance:
Aroma:
Taste:
Mouthfeel:
Aftertaste:
Drinkability:

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

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:

Progress

1. A very short blow-off hose was used without changing to an airlock. As the temperature decreased in the porch, the water from the blow-off tub was sucked into the carboy and into the finished beer.
2. Added a little dry yeast from an open package in the frig to about 9 bottles.
3. The bottles clearly show signs of infection with a growing ring of white stuff around the neck and surface of the beer. Though it tastes ok, I question the condition of the 5 gallons in the keg.
4. Added dry hops with a large tea infuser ball. The taste of the beer was getting good, until a metallic flavor began to show itself. I suspect the infuser ball.
5. Its a fairly mild metallic flavor in the mid-after taste, and I plan to throw in as much left over hops as I have to help hide it.
6. Its a mild beer with subtle flavors all around (malt, toasty, bitterness and hops) But with these two problems, it has unfortunately turned into an off tasting beer. Oh well.
7. 5/13 - Added .80 ounce of whole Cascade hops directly into the keg. Already started to foam up a bit.

Tasting Notes & Photo

Appearance:
Aroma:
Taste:
Mouthfeel:
Aftertaste:
Drinkability:

Round 3 - ESB vs. American 2

Here is the third and final round of split batch amber ales fermented with competing yeast strains. In round 1, the beers remained somewhat understated to see how the yeast strains effect the malts. In round 2, the hops were kicked up a full ounce and the 60 minute bittering units increased about 10 points. In round 3, the beers will resemble round 2, but present a more American hop feel.

This recipe has the largest percentage of base organic 2-row pale malt at 86%. Though the base is larger, the color will be slightly darker from a very small addition of black malt. I'm hoping for a more pure malt taste with an almost sharp quality. I love using the word "accurate" to describe simple and direct flavors (mostly for hops). The way to get accuracy, is to really simplify and focus in on what makes that flavor more pronounced. I suppose many things can contribute to "sharpness" of the simple malt profile, but in this recipe, the accent malts are scaled back, the base percentage is boosted, and the black malt may provide a slight astringency (maybe like crushed black pepper on the top of tomato soup...or something like that) that further accentuates the base malt. Water conditions may also play a role in this equation.

Until now, the hops I've been playing with were blends using German, Czech and English varieties. Here I look forward to smelling and tasting some good old American hoppiness. After tasting the first round, I think the bittering units can be scaled back to a place between Round 1 & 2. Also, the hopping schedules for these are the most similar, compared to the first two rounds. Chinook is the bitter base, and Nugget Cluster is the 1 ounce foundation of aroma. Cascades are more fresh with good citrus notes going into the American 2. For the ESB, Challenger will provide a good herbal fragrance and flavor.

Pretty soon we shall see the outcome of all of this. I will be posting all the results in the Final post. Stay tuned.

Grains
13. lb. Organic 2-row Pale
1.0 lb. Crystal 80L
0.4 lb. Crystal 120L
.25 lb. Victory Malt
.25 lb. CaraPils
.20 lb. Black Patent


London ESB

Hops
.50 oz. Chinook, 12.9%, pellet, 75min+
.80 oz. Challenger, 6.3%, pellet, 15min
1.0 oz. Cluster, 7.9%, pellet, KO
.20 oz. Challenger, 6.3%, pellet, KO


American 2

Hops
.50 oz. Chinook, 12.9%, pellet, 75min
.80 oz. Cascade, 6.9%, pellet, 15min
1.0 oz. Cluster, 7.9%, pellet, KO
.20 oz. Cascade, 6.9%, pellet, KO


Brew Day Stats

Brewed: 4/11/08
Racked: just primary
Bottled: 4/20/08

Water Adjustment:
.5 tsp acid blend, .5 tsp gypsum, .5 tsp CaCl in strike water
1 tsp gypsum in 2nd sparge water

H2O/Grain Ratio: 1.3 qt/lb
Mash Ph: 5.4-5.5
Sacch. Rest Temp/Time: 154-2°F/1hr
Mash Out Temp/Time: 171°F/15min

2nd Batch Sparge Vol/Temp: 5 gal @ 182°F/173°F

Pre-Boil Vol: 5.75 gal each
Boil Time: 90+min
Post-Boil Vol: approx. 4 gallons each

Color/SRM: amber/16+
Ferment Temp: 68-72°F

ESB
OG: 1.061
IBU: 47
FG: 1.014
ABW: 4.9%
ABV: 6.1%

Amer. 2
OG: 1.061
IBU: 47
FG: 1.014
ABW: 4.9%
ABV: 6.1%

Navigate to
the other posts
in this series...

Intro
Round 1
Round 2
Finals

Round 2 - ESB vs. American 2

Entering the second round after only 10 days of first round action. And some action it was. Both strains gave a great performance, and showed off their distinctive personalities. London ESB gave off larger bubbles, and though the krausen foam was just as large, it didn't seem to exhale as many air-locked bubbles. It also tried to finish earlier, so it got a couple spins to loosen its clumpy yeast cake. In the end it really settled out good and clear.

The American 2 strain performed with much more vigor. Wildly swirling around, it looked like it was boiling in carboy. Finer sized bubbles succumbed to strong currants on there way to the foamy surface. Simply amazing! Exhalations slowed but never really seemed to stop. Also, a 2 inch thick and creamy foam head never wanted to settle back into the beer, and it remained pretty cloudy at ten days.

Each batch was packaged into ten 12oz. bottles (with Cooper drops) and the rest kegged (3gal each). Please look back to Round 1 for their ending stats.

Round 2 already showed signs of fermentation within 1 hour on their yeast cakes. After five hours they were both fermenting wildly with considerable krausen foam. Eventually the ESB started to settle down, while the American 2 built up even more milky/top-cropping yeast, and decided to blow out of the airlock late the next day. It continued to blow off slowly through the night. photo coming soon

This round is very similar with malts and color. The gravity is a couple points higher, and it was mashed similarly to the first round. The hops however, were increase at both bittering and aroma with one additional ounce. The separation of additions was also increased, with only two aroma addition at 15min & knock out. The hop presence is definitely more pronounced with the ESB getting Phoenix/Saaz and American 2 getting Glacier/Saaz blends. The Saaz has a soft aroma with only 2.3 alpha acids which should provide a good balancing effect with the stronger English aroma hops.

Grains

12. lb. Organic 2-row Pale
1.0 lb. Crystal 120L
0.5 lb. Crystal 80L
.75 lb. Victory Malt
.75 lb. CaraPils


London ESB

Hops
.50 Columbus, 12.2%, pellet, 60min
.10 oz. Phoenix, 10%, pellet, 60min
.40 oz. Saaz, 2.3%, pellet, 15min
.40 oz. Phoenix, 10%, pellet, 15min
.60 oz. Saaz, 2.3%, pellet, KO
.60 oz. Phoenix, 10%, pellet, KO


American 2

Hops
.50 Columbus, 12.2%, pellet, 60min
.10 oz. Phoenix, 10%, pellet, 60min
.40 oz. Saaz, 2.3%, pellet, 15min
.40 oz. Glacier, 6%, pellet, 15min
.60 oz. Saaz, 2.3%, pellet, KO
.60 oz. Glacier, 6%, pellet, KO


Brew Day Stats

Brewed: 3/30/08
Racked: just primary
Bottled: 4/11/08

Water Adjustment:
.75 tsp acid blend & 2.5 tsp gypsum in strike water
2.5 tsp gypsum in 2nd sparge water

H2O/Grain Ratio: 1.3 qt/lb
Mash Ph: 5.5-5.6
Sacch. Rest Temp/Time: 154°F/1hr
Mash Out Temp/Time: 171°F/10min

2nd Batch Sparge Vol/Temp: 5 gal @ 180°F/172°F

Pre-Boil Vol: 5 gal each
Boil Time: 60min
Post-Boil Vol: approx. 4 gallons each

Color/SRM: pale-amber/14-16
Ferment Temp: 68-72°F

ESB
OG: 1.055
IBU: coming soon
FG: 1.015
ABW: 4.2%
ABV: 5.25%

Amer. 2
OG: closer to 1.053
IBU: 47
FG: 1.013
ABW: 4.2%
ABV: 5.25%

Navigate to
the other posts
in this series...

Intro
Round 1
Round 3
Finals

Round 1 - ESB vs. American 2

This is the first round of a number of split brew sessions. London ESB is going head-to-head with American Ale 2 to win my preference as a good pale ale yeast strain. It will be a lot of fun finding out how they perform over a few rounds. Read about the break down of this experiment here.

For the first round, the beer style and hopping is a session-like English style bitter/amber. It may be a little light on the bittering hops, but should allow the yeast's fermentation characteristics to be more noticeable. The next rounds will either be higher OG's and/or higher IBU's. Below there is a list of grains for the main mash, then separate listings of hop schedules, followed by brewday stats. Check back in about 1-1.5 months for the final results, or there may be a special post highlighting the results of all these brews.

A couple challenges added almost 2 hours to the day. The lid was on tight during the first sparge. This caused a strange vacuum, that compacted the grains and stopped the flow. We added about a gallon of the second sparge water to mix the grains, vorlaufed, and we were on track again. Then, while adding the first hop addition to the 2nd batch...American 2 ale, Matt mistakenly added the 2nd addition at the beginning. So I made an adjustment, and added only half the original 1/2 ounce of Pheonix bittering hops. Other than that, it was a good brew day, and the OG's were just a couple points above target.

Grains
11. lb. Organic 2-row Pale
1.0 lb. Victory Malt
0.8 lb. Crystal 80L
0.6 lb. Crystal 120L
0.6 lb. CaraPils


London ESB

Hops (IBU 39)
.50 oz. Pheonix, 10%, pellet, 60min
.40 oz. Kent Goldings, 6.3%, whole, 25min
.40 oz. Kent Goldings, 6.3%, whole, 12min
.20 oz. Kent Goldings, 6.3%, whole, KO


American 2

Hops (IBU 40)
.25 oz. Pheonix, 10%, pellet, 60min
.35 oz. Glacier, 6%, pellet, 60min
.10 oz. Saaz, 2.3%, pellet, 60min
.35 oz. Glacier, 6%, pellet, 25min
.10 oz. Saaz, 2.3%, pellet, 25min
.40 oz. Glacier, 6%, pellet, 12min
.10 oz. Saaz, 2.3%, pellet, 12min
.25 oz. Glacier, 6%, pellet, KO


Brew Day Stats

Brewed: 3/20/08
Racked: just primary
Bottled: 3/30/08

Water Adjustment:
.5 tsp acid blend & 2.25 tsp gypsum in strike water
2.25 tsp gypsum in 2nd sparge water

H2O/Grain Ratio: 1.3 qt/lb
Mash Ph: 5.5-5.6
Sacch. Rest Temp/Time: 154°F/1hr
Mash Out Temp/Time: 172°F/10min

2nd Batch Sparge Vol/Temp: 4-4.5gal/172°F

Pre-Boil Vol: 5 gal each
Boil Time: 60min
Post-Boil Vol: 4 gallons each
Mash Efficiency: approx. 80%

Color/SRM: pale-amber/13
Ferment Temp: 68-72°F

ESB
OG: 1.052
IBU: 39
FG: 1.015
ABW: 3.9%
ABV: 4.86%

Amer. 2
OG: 1.052
IBU: 40
FG: 1.013
ABW: 4.1%
ABV: 5.1%

Navigate to
the other posts
in this series...

Intro
Round 2
Round 3
Finals

Fresh Old Ale

Enough is enough! Something has got to be done about that Ancient Old Ale hiding in the corner, behind a dark wooden chair collecting layers of dust in our tiny foyer. It's been sitting around for over 14 months! The Lambic blend of yeasts and bacteria have finally had their fill and are completely exhausted. I'm glad there is a nice thin & slimy pellicle protecting this precious brew, because time and again, I forget to refill an evaporated airlock.

Truth is, I really didn't know how to go about bottling a beer that's aged so long, especially under a more acidic & alcoholic environment. Until very recently, I've come to meet a new visitor to my blog who was dealing with a very similar old ale. I simply wanted to bottle this beer, but he suggested brewing a new batch of old ale to blend with the old batch of old ale. I thought, this is the more historical thing to do. Without hesitation, this beer fresh batch of old ale budged its way into my busy brewing schedule.

I must express my complete appreciation for Mikey's help today. I really couldn't have done it without you. I ran into technical difficulties with a borrowed carboy that seemed to be scratched on the inside, and decided not to use it. We had to keg and bottle the Copper Lager 2 in order to use it's carboy for this ale's primary fermenter. Then we bottled the Raisin Toast Stout for the yeast sediment resting at the bottom. Overall, the brewday went over very well, and wrapped up by 1:30pm. The mash temp started pretty high, so I got it down, and combined with a fairly thick mash, the efficiency suffered a little bit.

After this ferments and is ready for blending, I'll write about the bottling procedure and plans for extended aging of a blended portion. Take a look at the Ancient Ale for it's original post and recipe. The photo to the right shows the Ancient Ale's thin pellicle. If you like pellicles, click here for more photos.

Fresh Old Ale

Grains
7.00 lbs. Organic 2-Row Pale
2.00 lbs. Vienna Malt
1.00 lbs. British Crystal 60L
0.75 lbs. Crisp Amber Malt
o.75 lbs. Flaked Barley
0.46 lbs. Torrified Wheat
0.35 lbs. Special B

Hops
.60 oz. Pheonix, 10%, pellet, 90min
.60 oz. Progress, 6%, pellet, 90min
.40 oz. Pheonix, 10%, pellet, 10min
.40 oz. Progress, 6%, pellet, 5min

Yeast
Wyeast 1099: Whitbread Ale (slurry from 1gal starter)

Brew Day Stats

Brewed: 2/28/08
Racked blend w/Ancient Ale: 3/11/08
Bottled straight: 3/11/08
Bottled blend w/Ancient Ale: 3/11/08

Water Adjustment: added to only strike water...
.375 tsp. CaCl, .625 tsp. Gypsum, .25 tsp. acid blend

H2O/Grain Ratio: 1.20qt/lb
Mash Ph: 5.4
Sacch. Rest Temp/Time: 160-158-156-153°F/1 hour
Mash Out Temp/Time: 166°F/15min
1st Batch SG: 1.066

2nd Batch Sparge Vol/Temp: 2.75 gal/180°F water & hit 170°F
2nd Batch SG: n/a

Pre-Boil Vol: 6 gal
Pre-Boil SG: 1.055
Boil Time: 2 hours
Post-Boil Vol: 4.55 gal
Mash Efficiency: 79.6%

OG: 1.070
IBU: 48
Color/SRM: Amber Brown/15-19
Ferment Temp: 67-70°F

FG: 1.022
ABW: 5.78%
ABV: 7.2%

Quinoa Lager

Quinoa is a wonderful little seed. It's flavor is very unique, being earthy, nutty and slightly sweet. I thought it would make an interesting addition in a pale lager. Its presence may act like other adjuncts and lighten this beer to a purely dangerous level of drinkability.

For this unique beer, the majority of the grist will consist of pale lager malts. Pilsner, Munich, and Carapils. Then at almost 20%, a blend of organic golden and red quinoa. Ancient Harvest Red Quinoa is by far the best I've ever had, and it is certified organic. Visit there site for cool photos and more info, especially on its interesting nutrition facts. The high protein content doesn't concern me, and its moderately high fat content might offer a silky effect much like oats do. Other than lightening the flavor of this lager, I'm hoping the grain taste will be and clean, nutty, with a mild grainy sweetness.

The quinoa is precooked in a rice cooker as the strike water is heaed. The barley mash will begin while the temperature of the quinoa is adjusted (with hot water/microwave) to match the mash temperature. Then it gets stirred into the main mash.

The hopping will be kept to a minimum. The overall style is somewhere between a Helles and a Vienna lager. Hop bitterness will come in at about 21. Because the malts are super light, I didn't want a lot of bitterness, nor any imposing late aromatic additions.

Quinoa Lager

Grains
5.50 lbs. German Pilsner
1.75 lbs. Golden & Red Quinoa
1.00 lbs. Munich Dark
0.37 lbs. CaraPils
0.25 lbs. Acid Malt

Hops
.75 oz. Vanguard, 4.8%, pellets, 60min
.40 oz. Vanguard, 4.8%, pellets, 40min
.30 oz. Vanguard, 4.8%, pellets, 20min

Yeast
Wyeast Bavarian Lager
Wort poured over a 2nd generation yeast cake

Brew Day Stats

Brewed: 2/15/08
Racked: lowered temp in primary, and bottles/keg
Bottled: 3/13/08

Water Adjustment:
1 gram Gypsum/gallon, 2 gal Distilled (Mashout & 2nd sparge),
¼tsp. acid blend in mash & 2nd sparge

H2O/Grain Ratio: 1.5qt/lb
Mash Ph: 5.7 (5.5 w/ acid blend)
Sacch. Rest Temp/Time: 153°F/75min
Mash Out Temp/Time: 164°F/10min
1st Batch SG: 1.049

2nd Batch Sparge Vol/Temp: 3.5gal/170°F
2nd Batch SG: 1.020

Pre-Boil Vol: 7 gallons perfect
Pre-Boil SG: 1.037
Boil Time: 90min
Post-Boil Vol: 5.5 gallons
Mash Efficiency: 83.4% (input "rice" for quinoa)

OG: 1.050 1 point above target
IBU: approx. 21
Color/SRM: Straw-yellow/4-5
Ferment Temp: 46-48°F

FG: 1.014
ABW: 3.78%
ABV: 4.7%

Cost: $18.77, .35¢/12oz, $2.09/6-pack

Notes
1. Brewday wrapped up by 12noon.
2. Planned for .75 lb Carapils, but didn't find it until later. OG would have been higher if it was in the grain bill.
3. Lautering went smooth and vorlaufed slightly hazy.
4. Fermenting within 2 hours.
5. Fermentation doesn't seem to be as vigorous, with less foam, and much more particulate, but the temp is a couple degrees lower.
6. Just dropped the temp while in primary for a about a week.
7. No extended secondary lagering, but will drop temp after bottle/keg carbonation.

Tasting Notes & Photo
coming in 2 months

Appearance:
Aroma:
Taste:
Mouthfeel:
Aftertaste:
Drinkability:

Rauch Bock

Now for a beer style I've been longing one year to make. As you may already know, I love a deep smoke flavor in certain beers. Originally this was going to be a pale smoked lager with almost 50% rauchmalt. Then I massaged the recipe several times, and it became much bigger, and much darker. I had a good recipe going, and it was dipping into the bock category. While re-assuring myself with some recipes in Smoked Beers, I noticed it wasn't far from one listed in the book. So for this one, I've decided to simplify, and stay close to their recipe.

The all-grain mash will be a stepped infusion, with a protein rest to break up some proteins in the dark wheat. This rest, and the CaraFoam addition should provide the beer with a striking dense foam head. The saccharification rest will be held at 153°F. Unfortunately, we used the sacch-water (1.825 gal) at the beginning for the first protein rest infusion, and ended up with a thick dough-like ball. So we added hot liquor to finally end up with a thinner consistency at the high end of the protein rest range. In the end, we attained adequate temps for both rests. As you can see, in the picture we're raising our glasses (last bottle of 1 year Munich Dunkel) to celebrate the mash's end, and progression to a full wort boil. Thank you Matt for all your help.

With just one a ounce, 90min addition, the hop bitterness in the Smoked Scottish Ale 2 is just about perfect. It balanced the malts and higher FG, but it doesn't linger anywhere in the aftertaste. So for this smoky bock, I'll stick with a similar IBU level, and just give it a kiss of hop flavor in the finish. Vanguard is a US cross breed similar to Hallertau Mittlefruh.

Rauch Bock

Grains
6.50 lbs. German Pilsner Malt
3.75 lbs. German Dark Wheat 7.5L
3.00 lbs. German Rauchmalt
1.50 lbs. German CaraFoam
0.75 lbs. German CaraMunich 57L
0.31 lbs. German Roasted Wheat 413L

Hops
1.8 oz. Vanguard, 4.8%aa, pellet, 90min
.20 oz. Vanguard, 4.8%aa, pellet, 15min

Yeast
Wyeast 2206 Bavarian Lager: Yeast cake

Brew Day Stats

Brewed: 1/27/08
Racked: 2/15/08
Bottled: 3/6/08

Water Adjustment: 1 tsp CaCl to mash waters

Protein Rest Temp/Time: 130°F/20min

H2O/Grain Ratio: approx. 1.27
Mash Ph: 5.6
Sacch. Rest Temp/Time: 151°F/1hr
Mash Out Temp/Time: 160°F/10min
1st Batch SG: 1.074

2nd Batch Sparge Vol/Temp: 3.75gal/198°F
2nd Batch Temp/Time: 171°F/15min
2nd Batch SG: n/a

Pre-Boil Vol: 7.5 gallons
Pre-Boil SG: 1.066
Boil Time: 1.5 hours
Post-Boil Vol: 5.85
Mash Efficiency: approx. 77%

OG: approx. 1.077
IBU: 28
Color/SRM: Rich Brown & Orange/21-25
Ferment Temp: 150°F

FG: 1.021
ABW: 5.9%
ABV: 7.35%

Cost: $34, .64¢/12oz., $3.84/6-pack

Tasting Notes & Photo
check back 2-3 months from post date

Appearance:
Aroma:
Taste:
Mouthfeel:
Aftertaste:
Drinkability:

Copper Lager 2

Lets kick start the new year with a batch of beer...shall we? Not just any beer, but the first lager this winter season. Not just any old lager, it's Copper Lager 2. Last year's was a throw-it-together beer that turned out to be one of my all time bests. This time I'm brewing a full batch, and keeping it copper and true, without any secondary flavor additions.

I think it will become an annual tradition, where I use up old ingredients to make my special "Copper Lager." The main goal is to keep it a deep golden color with orange highlights that make it look copper or slightly amber. Along side color, the other goal is to make it totally balanced with malt sweetness and a perfect hop bitterness. I really like 2-row pale malt as the base, and wheat to increase texture and head retention. Other than that, I think any sweet/color malts can easily be altered, given what is left over at year's end.

Hops are chosen by what is left over. The hops used in last year's batch was literally remnant pellets from various batches (Tettnanger, Challenger, Willamette, Hallertau). This year a blend of Yakima Goldings and Sterling may give it a brighter taste.

Copper Lager 2

Grains
8.0 lbs. Organic 2-Row Pale Malt
2.0 lbs. Munich 10L
.65 lbs. Torrified Wheat
.45 lbs. Crystal 60L
.20 lbs. Melanoidin Malt

Hops
.90 oz. Sterling, 5.3%aa, pellet, 60+min
.20 oz. Sterling, 5.3%aa, pellet, 30min
.15 oz. Yakima Goldings, 4.6%aa, whole, 30min
.25 oz. Sterling, 5.3%aa, pellet, 15min
.15 oz. Yakima Goldings, 4.6%aa, whole, 15min

Yeast
Wyeast 2208: Bavarian Lager (decanted, 2 step, 1.5qt starter)

Brew Day Stats

Brewed: 1/9/08
Racked: 1/27/08
Bottled:

Water Adjustment: 1 tsp CaCl & ¾ tsp Gypsum in strike water

H2O/Grain Ratio: 1.25qt/lb
Mash Ph: 5.6
Sacch. Rest Temp/Time: 152-153°F/50min
Mash Out Water Vol/Temp: 1.53gal/212°F
Mash Out Temp/Time: 165°F/10min
1st Batch SG: 1.064

2nd Batch Sparge Vol/Temp: 3.625gal/182°F
2nd Batch Mash Temp: 170°F
2nd Batch SG: 1.034

Pre-Boil Vol: 7.25 gallons
Pre-Boil SG: 1.046
Boil Time: Kettle-A 90min & Kettle-B 120min.
Post-Boil Vol: 5.8 gallons
Mash Efficiency: 78%

OG: 1.056 on target
IBU: approx. 27
Color/SRM: Deep gold/Orange/8-10
Ferment Temp: 50°F

FG:
ABW:
ABV:

Cost: $25.25, .43¢/12oz., $2.58/6-pack

Tasting Notes & Photo
coming in 2 months
Appearance:
Aroma:
Taste:
Mouthfeel:
Aftertaste:
Drinkability:

Smoked Scottish 2

Though my experience with them is fairly limited, still I absolutely love smoked beers. Doesn't matter if there's only a hint, or its completely dominated by smoke. As I sit bundled up on the porch in the crisp Autumn wind, with closed eyes and clear senses, I take a deep sniff and a sip. Then, the distinctive whiff and woodsy flavor transports my mind, to a far off place in medieval European history. I love when culinary delights have the power do this. It's probably the closest I'll ever come to time travel.

I first brewed a peat smoked Scottish ale in the Spring of 2006. The Scottish yeast enjoyed a long consistent ferment in the low 60's. It came out a little lighter than expected, but at the same time, it tasted very clean and was extremely drinkable.

In my second attempt, I'm going for a bigger version. The list of grains may appear complicated for a traditional Scottish Ale, but I wanted to balance a larger percentage of smoked malt with some dark sweet malts and unfermentables. At the same time, it doesn't stray too far from recommendations in Designing Great Beers. Also, this is a perfect malty opportunity for using up some left-over ingredients (CaraMunich, Special B and Org. Crystal 60).

Smoked Scottish 2

Grains
8.75 lb. Golden Promise 2-Row Pale
1.00 lb. Torrified Wheat
0.60 lb. Peated Malt
0.50 lb. Org. Crystal 60L
0.35 lb. Amber Malt
0.26 lb. CaraMunich & Special B (split 50/50)
0.25 lb. UK Chocolate Malt
0.13 lb. UK Black Patent

Hops
1.00 oz. Target, 8%, whole, 90min.

Yeast
Wyeast 1728: Scottish Ale (.5-.75 cup slurry)

Brew Day Stats

Brewed: 11/26/07
Racked: 12/11/07
Bottled: 1/4/08

Water Adjustment:
.49 tsp B.Soda, .86 tsp CaCl & 1.2 tsp Gypsum

H2O/1lb. Grain Ratio: 1.3qt/lb
Mash Ph: ---
Sacch. Rest Temp/Time: +/-159°F/1 hour
Mash Out Temp/Time: 170°F/15min w/vorlauf

2nd Batch Sparge Rest Temp/Vol: 170°F/4 gal

Pre-Boil Vol: 7.25gal
Pre-Boil SG: 1.048
Boil Time: 2 hours
Caramelized Reduction: 30 oz down-to 8 oz.
Post-Boil Vol: 5.75 gal

OG: 1.064
IBU: 29
Color/SRM: Deep Brown/16-20
Mash Efficiency: approx. 83.9%
FG: 1.020
ABW: 4.62%
ABV: 5.78%

Fermentation Temp: 58°F
Cost: $28.40, .53¢/12oz., 3.20/6-pack

Tasting Notes
check back in 2-3 months

Appearance:
Aroma:
Taste:
Mouthfeel:
Aftertaste:
Drinkability:

Sterling Pearl

For Teach a Friend to Homebrew Day, I decided to invite a handful of friends and some new folks I've met recently. I had a great time sharing this experience with them. Everyone had great questions, perused the brewing literature, and had a small hand in the process.

Sterling Pearl is intended to be an easy drinking session style beer, with a pleasant burst of hop flavors and aroma. It'll be nice to chug down a couple of these in-between sips of heftier brews made for the cold season.

Malts are kept light yet medium sweet in flavor. Though mild, its medium body should help support brisk hopping. Hop presence will come from an aggressive "late-hopping" strategy. Hop flavor and aroma should be intense, and the bittering, smooth and mild. I became aware of late-hopping through Mr. Malty, and it appeals to me for a few reasons. 1. Minimal oxidation by an absence of dry hops. 2. No need for secondary fermenting or extended aging with dry hops. 3. Also, I'm very interested in better ways of gaining much more "floral/spicy" aroma.

I've had a late hopped beer before, and the body was way too thin. So I'm hoping to get enough body into this lighter style. A higher temp for the saccharification rest will provide more unfermentables. Suspended proteins from flaked barley should help too.

Originally, the sharp/minty qualities of Perle hops were in my mind for this ale. But after getting some Sterling in the mail, I prefer their fresher/brighter aroma. In addition, I've only read good things about Sterling, so they will provide the largest contribution to the hop presence. Kept a little Perle for its herbal accents.

Sterling Pearl

Grains
7.0 lb. Organic 2-Row
.60 lb. Amer. Crystal 20L
.30 lb. Organic Crystal 60L
.25 lb. Belgian Biscuit
.30 lb. Flaked Barley

Hops
0.75 oz. Sterling pellets, 5.3%, 20min
0.25 oz. Perle pellets, 7.7%, 20min
1.50 oz. Sterling pellets, 5.3%, 10min
0.30 oz. Perle pellets, 7.7%, 10min
1.75 oz. Sterling pellets, 5.3%, KO
0.35 oz. Perle pellets, 7.7%, KO

Yeast
Wyeast 1332: Northwest Ale (Sediment from 2 step 1.5qt yeast starter)

Brew Day Stats

Brewed: 11/11/07
Racked: 11/23/07
Bottled: 12/4/07

Water Adjustment: ¼tsp Gypsum & ¼tsp CaCl in strike & sparge

H2O/Grain Ratio: 1.4 qt/gal
Mash Ph: ---
Sacch. Rest Temp/Time: 154°F/1 hour
Mash Out Temp/Vol: 211°F/1.3 gal
Mash Out Temp/Time: 166°F/10min w/vorlauf

2nd Batch Sparge Temp/Vol: 176°F/3.25gal

Pre-Boil Vol: 6.25 gal
Pre-Boil SG: 1.041
Boil Time: 1.5-2 hours
Post-Boil Vol: 4.75 gal

OG: 1.055
Plato: 13.63°
IBU: 37
Color/SRM: Pale-Golden/5-7
Mash Efficiency: approx. 85% (same value from tastybrew & promash)
FG: 1.014
ABW: 4.3%
ABV: 5.38%

Fermentation Temp: 12 days @ 62°F;5 days @ 70°F;7 days @ 55°F
Cost: $25.50, .50¢/12oz., $3.00/6-pack

Tasting Notes

Appearance: Bright & pale golden color with a touch of copper/orange, hazy, a strong white head forms and hangs around a while till it falls into good lacing patterns
Aroma: Fresh, vibrant, citrus blend, floral, sweetness like soft honey
Taste: Bright, very hoppy upfront, soft bittering allows sweet and light malts to balance the fuller fresh hop flavors
Mouthfeel: Sweet residuals and full carbonation give this beer a moderately full and rich mouthfeel
Aftertaste: Balanced beer with a clean aftertaste, perhaps some citrus
Drinkability: Very drinkable and nearly everyone at my New Years chili party wanted much more than one, its just too bad there was only a very limited supply.

Cocoa Porter

My black ales in the past have turned out quite strong in roasted flavor. Though I do enjoy a stout/porter with a deep rich flavor and solid bittering, I tend to also like a black beer that isn't totally opaque. So with this beer, I'm going for a dark beer that should be very smooth and full of dry cocoa flavor.

It's taken me a long time to settle on a recipe, and it's been influenced by a handful of other recipes and sources of info. There is a lot going into it, but I think everything will blend together for a full flavored seasonal brew. British Mild malt will lend a sweeter backbone, and a hint of nuttiness. The Cara-Munich & Melanoidin malts will add caramel sweetness. Two types of Oats will aid in building a smooth body and fine head retention. Chocolate & Black malts will add cocoa, roast and bitterness. Brown Sugar should balance the malts and add an overall sweetness. In the very end, roasted Cacao Nibs and Bourbon Vanilla Beans will steep in the clearing tank to add a final kiss of sweetness.

The alcohol content will be high so that there are enough residual sugars lending to a sweeter and fuller mouth-feel. The hopping rate will be kept low to allow the malts to come through and give the roast malts and cocoa nibs room to do their bittering.

Cocoa Porter

Grains
8.25 lb. British Mild Malt
1.65 lb. Belgian CaraMunich
0.85 lb. German Melanoidin
0.85 lb. "Naked" Oats
0.50 lb. Oat Malt
0.45 lb. British Chocolate Malt
0.15 lb. British Black Patent
0.85 lb. Brown Sugar

Hops and Spice
.95 oz. East Kent Goldings, 6.9%, whole, 50min
1.0 oz. Yakima Goldings, 4.6%, whole, 15min
6 oz. Roasted Cacao Nibs, secondary 2 weeks
2 oz. Roasted Cacao Nibs, Secondary 1 week
2 whole Bourbon Vanilla Beans, 1st in vodka, then secondary, 1 week

Yeast
Wyeast 1088 - British Ale (yeast cake)

Brewday Stats

Brewed: 10/15/07
Racked: 10/30/07
Bottled: 11/16/07

Water Adjustment: .75 tsp CaCl, .25 tsp sea salt in boil

H2O/Grain Ratio: 1.35 qt/lb
Mash Temp: 153*F
Mash Ph: inaccurate
Mash Out Temp: 166*F
2nd Batch Water: 2.85 gal/176*F
2nd Batch Temp: 165*F
Pre-Boil Volume: 7.25 gal
Pre-Boil SG: 1.050 (w/o brown sugar)
Boil Time: 1.4 hrs
Post Boil Volume: 6.1 gal

OG: 1.064 (on target)
IBU's: approx. 23
SRM/Color: 21-26
FG: 1.016
ABW: 5.04%
ABV: 6.3%

Calculated Mash Efficiency: approx. 78%
Cost: $48.64, .83¢, $4.97/6-pack

Progress

1. The house never smelled so malty! Absolutely wonderful!
2. This time I'm not taking the carboy out of the chilled water bath inside the mashtun. I want the temp to stay low.
3. Blow-off foam next morning before 10am.
4. The taste at racking is fairly rich with sweetness and chocolate.
5. The taste after 1 week with Nibs is more like a chocolate amaretto.
6. Adding 2 more ounces of nibs and the vodka steeped vanilla beans for 1 week.
7. At bottling, it has a very full chocolate aroma, and rich taste, and clear.

Tasting Notes

Appearance: Pours clear & very dark but super deep ruby red in front of light, 1 inch rocky head fades quickly to a ring of foam around the edge till the end.
Aroma: Sweet, clean, chocolaty, light scents of malt and roast.
Taste: Very smooth and clean malt sweetness, a rich chocolate flavor with support from well-rounded malty sweetness and roast bitterness, fairly complex.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, velvety smooth, with good moderate carbonation.
Aftertaste: Bitterness towards the back of the tongue coming from several sources (mild hops, roast malts and cacao nibs) is not too much at all, because there is also a lingering sweetness (much like dark dopplebocks or wee heavys).
Overall: Easy drinking for its very rich flavor profile, alcohol isn't noticeable until later when its effect is full and pleasant, great with a piece of pecan pie or a chunk of fair trade organic chocolate, and though I could have more, it makes for a great "one beer after dinner" beverage.

T&C Nut Brown Ale

Why does it have to be an absolutely beautiful day outside when we're stuck inside brewing another batch of beer? Just why couldn't it have been nasty weather like today...drizzly, chilly and damp. But with an open door, we invited the good weather in and got a good breeze pushing through the kitchen.

The planning of this beer goes back a good couple months. I asked my next door neighbor, Chad, what kind of beer he liked, and what beer he'd like to brew. He used to brew extract batches many years ago, and was interested in seeing the all-grain process. He talked about some styles that were fairly simple, balanced and easy to put down. So we came up with tentative plans to brew a batch of Nut Brown Ale.

The most difficult part about this beer was setting a date. Finally we chose the 30th of September. As for the brew day, it couldn't have went smoother. It only took 5 hours from dough-in to pitching the yeast.

The yeast showed signs of digestion within a couple hours, and was happy chowing down on all that maltose only a few hours after that. They're having a ball in there, swirling all around at about 72+ degrees. Its on the high side of the temp spectrum, and I've read that this style comes out better from a lower fermentation temp. But it smells very malty, toasty and chocolaty, so I'm not worried. Actually the scent pluming from it's carbonic exhalations actually remind me of one of those very first beers I made. I'm sure this one will taste so much better.

I looked all around for tips on Nut Browns, and there isn't a whole lot out there. In this recipe, I'm using two new malts. Victory, which is very close to Biscuit malt. One pound should lend a toasted character that, when mixed with the chocolate malt, will hopefully result in a "nutty" aroma and taste. Then I picked up a new Organic 2-Row base malt that's offered at the Brew & Grow. It crushes very well with minimal dust, and has a light aroma with a very mild taste...now we can call this beer 79.6% ORGANIC!

T&C Nut Brown Ale
5.9 Gallons

Grains
8.00 lb. Organic 2-row
1.00 lb. Victory
0.50 lb. UK Crystal 60L
0.25 lb. Crystal 80L
0.30 lb. UK Chocolate

Hops
.60 oz. East Kent Goldings, 6.9%, whole, 60min
.60 oz. Fuggle, 4.0%, whole, 60min
.25 oz. East Kent Goldings, 6.5%, whole, 10min
.25 oz. Fuggle, 4.0%, whole, 10min

Yeast
Wyeast 1088 British Ale (1.5 qt. Starter)

Brew Day Stats

Brew Day: 9/30/07
Racked: just primary
Bottled: 10/15/07

Water Adjustment: none...just filtered Chicago water

H2O/Grain Ratio: 1.4 qt/lb
Mash Ph: Ph strips may be worn out/stale
Sacch. Rest Time: 1 hour
Sacch. Rest Temp: 154°F
Mash Out Time: 10 min
Mash Out Temp: 166°F

2nd Batch Sparge: 3.75 gallons of 180°F rose mash to 168°F

Pre-Boil Vol: 7.5 gallons
Pre-Boil SG: 1.0417
Boil Time: 1.5 hrs
Post-Boil Vol: 5.9 gallons

OG: 1.0488
IBU: 23
Color/SRM: 15-18 - reddish brown
Mash Efficiency: Approx. 78.7%
FG: 1.013
ABW: 3.76%
ABV: 4.7%

Fermentation Temp: 70 on up to about 78*F
Cost: $26.58, .45¢/12oz., $2.72/6-pack

Tasting Notes & Photo

Appearance: Clear, rich brown w/ shade of amber, medium-low carbonation w/ lingering ring of bubbles
Aroma: Clean, soft malts, nuts, toast, sweet
Taste: Smooth, crystal malt sweentess with good toasted/nut flavor, light cocoa, clean & light hop bitterness
Mouthfeel: Medium-light body
Aftertaste: Light hop bitterness lingers, slightly sweet, cocoa
Drinkability: Balanced, very drinkable, session style

Barley Wine

I will confess, this was an impulsive batch of beer...my first barley wine. I blame it on two brewers who have sparked my interest...or I guess I would say thanks to Brian and Travis. With all your recent talk and brewing of wine-like barley beer, I've decided to follow along. It would be really great to have a tasting of these in 6 months or so. But, what an adventure it was.

On Friday, I was planning on racking the Simcoe 100 to its secondary/dry-hop tank, but instead found myself having lunch with my brother, Becki & Cadence over at Goose Island. I noticed they had a barley wine at over 10% ABV. So I tried my first sip of barley wine. Pretty good. So at that moment, I asked David if he would like to brew one. I told him I already had a huge yeast cake of Wyeast London Ale.

Next thing I know, we're over at the Brew & Grow picking up ingredients for a 3 gallon batch. I formulated the recipe right then and there. We tried to keep with as much British ingredients as possible. After getting home and plugging the ingredients into a calculator, I found out I had just bought enough malts and hops. A close call.

I told David to get here at 8am cause it was going to be a long day. We started the mash at about 8:30am and finished at around 4pm. The boil lasted 4 hours! After 2 hours of boiling, we poured one pot into the larger. At the point where we knew we only had about an hour left, in went the bittering hops.

I was surprised to see that the yeast was having difficulty getting going. Probably because I cooled the wort down in a cool water bath to about 65°F. So later in the day on Monday I took it out, and it started to show signs of digestion. But then the wort rose up to the high side...74-78°F. Bummer. But it will probably turn out just fine. Since fermentation slowed down fairly dramatically by mid day Wednesday, I started a tipping regiment. A couple times a day I angled the 6-gal carboy and turned it to get most of the yeast into solution. Bubbling picks up nicely after tipping.

Barley Wine

Grains
10.5 lb. Maris Otter Pale Malt
1.0 lb. Munich Malt 10L
1.0 lb. UK Crystal 60L
.75 lb. Flaked Barley
.25 lb. Belgian Biscuit
.125 lb. Crystal 80L
.125 lb. Special B

Hops
3.00 oz. Kent Goldings, 5%, pellets, 75min
0.25 oz. Chinook, 12%, pellets, 60min
1.00 oz. Kent Godlings, 6.5%, whole, 20min
1.00 oz. Kent Goldings, 6.5%, whole, 10min
1.00 oz. Kent Goldings, 5%, pellets, 5min

Yeast
Wyeast 1028 London Ale, yeast cake from previous batch

Brewday Stats

Brewed: 8/26/07
Racked: around 9/20/07
Bottled: around 10/18/07

Strike Water: 4.83 gal/163.4°F
Mash Temp: 152°F
Mash Ph: Acidic
Mash Out: No
2nd Batch Water: 3gal/192°F
2nd Batch Temp: 168-169°F Perfect!

Pre-Boil Volume: 6 gallons
Pre-Boil SG: 1.061
Total Boil Time: 4:17 hours
Post-Boil Volume: 3.5 gallons

OG: 1.107 (2 points below target)
IBU's: Approx. 123
SRM/Color: 13-18/Amber
FG: 1.027
ABW: 8.4%
ABV: 10.5%

Estimated Mash Efficiency: 73.5%
Cost: $31.50, $0.85/12oz. bottle, $5.10/6-pack

Progress

1. Lag time for fermentation was long because I cooled the wort and kept the carboy in a cool water bath at about 64*F
2. Took carboy out of batch, and yeast showed signs of digestion
3. Tuesday it is fermenting well, but on the high side of temperature range. Only about 1-1.5 inch of kraeusen foam
4. Kraeusen fell away by mid-day Wednesday. Since it didn't appear to be as active, and ended sooner than later, I'm a little weary of the gravity at this point. I've been "tipping" the carboy (3.5 gallons wort in a 6 gallon carboy) to break up the whole yeast cake into suspension, and it definitely gets the airlock bubbling again. Did this a couple times a day for a few days.
5. 9/10/07 - After 15 days in primary, and totally quiet, racked to a new 3 gallon secondary fermenter. Specific Gravity (SG) = 1.0267 & ABV = 10.54%. Overall it tastes quite good. Malt sweetness, sweet cherries among other medium-dark fruits. Solid hop bittering & flavor balance which will both age/mellow nicely and benefit from an addition of dry hops during the last month of bulk aging. It has a moderate-strong body and lends to a full mouth-feel. Though I like its texture, I wonder if this will lessen a little with age and after its chilled and carbonated. So far...so good!
6. After hearing Basic Brewing's podcast about blending beers, I am making plans to blend portions of the Old Ale with other beers. I'll definitely blend it with a portion of this Barleywine.
7. At bottling, and after stirring in the priming solution to the carboy, I noticed a layer/pad that was resting on the bottom, broke up and was suspended in the beer. It look very much like a layer of mold. Not knowing what it was, I proceeded to bottle after it settled to the bottom.
8. Didn't add any yeast at bottling and it didn't carbonate. Will add yeast and see if that works. Otherwise, I'm impressed, it smells and tastes great, and is crystal clear.
9. After about 5 weeks, added yeast to all the bottles and they've been sitting in the furnace room above 70°F

Simcoe 100

I've heard good things about Simcoe hops. Its a varietal I've never used before. Thanks to a exceedingly successful IPA (Hop Blend IPA), and a good APA (Matrimony Ale), I'm going through a hop kick this summer. I figure now is as good as any to become familiar with a handful of hops that can be used heavily in beer styles that showcase them.

"Simcoe 100" will be a deep colored, BIG amber ale in the realm of 8%. Exclusively hopped with Simcoe, it will reach a level of 100 IBU's. That's a BU-GU ratio of about 1.22, and with a high Alpha Acid percentage, the flavor and aroma should come out bold and beautiful.

In comparison to the Hop Blend IPA, I expect this beer to bigger in all areas. Bigger malt sweetness, bigger body, more residual sugars, strong head retention, fuller hop bitterness, huge hop flavor and aroma, and a deeper amber color.

The OG came out 10 points higher than expected. This also happened with the yeast starter brewed for this batch. I'm not really experienced with how malt extract effects the gravity of a wort. I suppose there is a rating for various malt extracts. Strange how all-grain brewing is much easier in this department.

Its out of the ordinary for me to get creative and design labels for my beers. Something about this one mysteriously propelled me to do so. Now I have to figure out a way to get it from...don't laugh...a word document, onto the web. David...can you help me? Well, Sarah was able to do it. Thank you dear. The ABV in on the label isn't correct, cause I didn't know it at the time of designing it. Just mentally input 8.6% in that little white oval.

Simcoe 100

Malts
4 lbs. Alexander's Pale Liquid Malt Extract
5 lbs. 2-Row Pale Malt
.25 lb. Crystal 40L
.5 lb. Crystal 60L
.25 lb. Special B
.25 lb. CaraPils

Hops
1.4 oz. Simcoe, 11.9%, pellet, 105min
.90 oz. Simcoe, 11.9%, pellet, 20min
.90 oz. Simcoe, 11.9%, pellet, 5min
.90 oz. Simcoe, 11.9%, pellet, KO
2.0 oz. Simcoe, 11.9%, pellet, DRY

Yeast
Wyeast 1028: London Ale, slurry from 1 gallon batch

Brew Day Stats

Brew Day: 8/14/07
Secondary: 8/26/07
Bottled: 9/18/07

Water Adjustment: 1 gallon distilled, .75 tsp Gypsum, .25 tsp CaCl, pinch of salt

H2O/Grain Ratio: 1.45 qts/lb
Mash Ph: acidic (ph papers didn't change color)
Sacch Rest Time: 1 hour
Sacch Rest Temp: 153°F
Mash Out Temp: 162°F - low again

2nd Batch Sparge: 2.5 gallons at 182°F
2nd Batch Temp: 166°F- low again

Pre-Boil Vol: 5 gallons
Pre-Boil SG w/o extract: 1.038
Boil Time: 1:30 hours
Post Boil Vol: 4.25 gallons

OG: 1.084
IBU: 100
Color/SRM: 15-18
Mash Efficiency: Approx. 94.2% (Gravity from extract may influence)
FG: 1.0184
ABW: 6.88%
ABV: 8.61%

Fermentation Temp: 74°F
Cost: $31.61, $.71/12oz., $4.26/6-pack

Progress

1. Showed activity, and layer of early foam by night fall
2. Progressed activity next morning
3. Great activity with very thick foam later in the day Wednesday
4. Scent from airlock is a wonderful myriad of fruits, flowers, pine
5. One week later, fermentation has slowed way down. There are still bubbles rising, so I'll let it go some more.
6. 8/26/07 - Transfered to secondary over 2 ounces of Simcoe pellets with an SG of around 1.023 (approx.8%)
7. Tasting at racking revealed a a sweet fruity taste. Sort-of an unbalanced flavor.
8. Bottled 9/18/07 and was delayed a few days because the carboy still look a tad bit active
9. 2 Bottles got a small dose of Cascade cones
10. On 10/4/07 the CO2 level is still a little low, so I'm continuing to turn the bottles.
11. At 2 weeks this beer is FULL of flavor, quite complex, very fruity, good mouthfeel, aromatic, and with a masked alcoholic strength. The deep amber/red color is simply beautiful.

Blueberry 2

This past weekend I got the place to myself. It would have been totally awesome to be with my wife and baby at the Pitchfork Festival. But, I did have lots of brewing things to do. At least I got to see Sonic Youth have a rockin good time playing their Daydream Nation set on Friday night.

Saturday after work I had to bottle the Hop Blend IPA in order to make room for the Matrimony Ale on Sunday. I took advantage of a still and quiet house and bottled the Belgian Strong Dark Ale as well. Since that one was in 3 separate secondary jugs, I decided to use a piece of equipment little used for bottling. The bottling bucket...a bucket I only use for mixing grains, sterilizing hoses and bottles and stuff, and sometimes as a hot liquor sparge water tank. Bottling went well, and these beers taste pretty darn good.

Sunday was the day to rack the Matrimony Ale to secondary. So I decided to brew a beer to pour right over the yeast cake in the primary carboy. I knew I wanted to do a fruit beer. Blueberries like last year? Raspberries? Passion fruit? I did some research and shopping round. Since Trader Joe's was selling 2 lb boxes of big plump and ripe blueberries for a very reasonable price, I had to go with them.

Last year's experimental Blueberry Ale had a very light malt base with very little crystal and no wheat. This time, for some reason, my confidence is up and I brewed a large batch. I wanted to go with a solid wheat percentage with enough sweetening support from a few crystal malts. I also thought some citrusy hops would pair well, and since Amarillo also has a fruity character, I used it for the aroma addition.

Brewing went very well, and I got good stats. Check out the recipe and stats below. I got only two photos of the rinsed and dried blueberries laid out right before freezing on Wednesday.

Blueberry 2
4.25 gallons (w/ blueberries...could be more in the end!)

Grains
4.00 lbs. 2-Row Pale Malt
1.75 lb. Wheat Malt
1.00 lb. Flaked Wheat
1.00 lb. 6-Row Pale Malt
6.00 oz. Crystal 40L
2.30 oz. Crystal 60L
1.75 oz. Special B

Hops
.50 oz. Amarillo, 8.7%, whole, bittering
.25 oz. Cascade, 7.6%, whole, bittering
.30 oz. Amarillo, 8.7%, whole, 5min-aroma

Fruit
4.00 lbs. Fresh Blueberries, hand squeezed, in wort at 140*F
4.00 lbs. Fresh Blueberries, hand squeezed, in 2nd half of primary

Yeast
Wyeast American Ale, large yeast cake from previous batch

Brewday Stats

Salts added to boil: 1/2 tsp Gypsum, 1/8 tsp Calcium Chloride

Mash Temp: 155*F
Mash Time: 1 hour
Mash-out Temp: 162 (always comes out low?)

1st Batch Gravity: 1.060
2nd Batch Gravity: 1.025
Preboil Gravity: 1.043

Original Gravity w/o blueberries: 1.054 (1 point over target)
Approx. IBU: 29
Color/SRM: 15-20 (with fruit)

Brewhouse efficiency: Approx. 75%
Cost: $35.76, $4.74/6-pack, $0.79/12oz bottle

Progress

1. I went out to catch a movie right after brewing, and when I got home there were bubbles coming out of the blow-off hose. I then retired for the night at around 10PM. In the morning there was a steady, but fairly slow bubbling. And now as I post this entry, the bubbling seems to be slowing way down. Not sure what's happening here. Either there was enough yeast to chew through everything throughout the night, or it got stuck for some reason. I suppose a gravity check will answer this.
2. A gravity check on Tuesday evening did informed me that the wort finished fermenting, and was settling down. This marks the shortest fermentation of all my brewings. Done overnight! WOW that's fast. And it tastes ok.
3. I added the second round of blueberries on Tuesday night. 4 more pounds of plump blueberries squeezed into a thick pulp. This second addition started to ferment within an hour, and continued for about a day.
4. Periodically, as I walk past the boiler room, I give the carboy a light swirl because the blueberries have a strong propensity to float above the surface. Because the boiler room is halfway down the hallway, its easy to remember.
5. Racked to secondary on July 27th. The color is simply amazing. Looks more like wine than beer. The color of the base beer was probably around 9, but now with all the crushed blueberries its more like 15-20. So far so good. Looking forward to tasting it when its done.

6. I think the photos below totally rock. I love the colors and the way the blueberries look all funky. The whole blueberries that managed to slip through my fingers while hand crushing rested on top of the layer of pulp. Thank you my dear for taking these.
7. Bottled on July 31st. It's color is amazing. It tastes very good. Clean, light, with great blueberry taste and aroma. There was a sort of awkward lager/6-row malt flavor that has since vanished. There is a very nice soft acidity too. I wanted enough carbonation to hold a head for a little while (which should turn out reddish-purple) so the 4oz. of priming sugar should bring the CO2 volume to about 2.65.

Hop Blend IPA

I'm not very good at making decisions. As some of you may know, when I'm caught up in indecision, it can take me quite a long time to make a choice. Well for this beer I decided to not make a choice. Instead of picking one or two flavor and aroma hops, I'm going with three. And gosh-darn-it, to save me from deciding which goes in first and last...they're gonna be blended together...equally!

The malt base, I think, may be on the sweeter side because of the medium Crystal malts. Since the conversion temperature will be on the low side, some dryness may come through to help out. I also threw in some Biscuit malt for balancing the Crystal. I don't have a favorite IPA (in terms of dryness, fruitiness, citrus or sharp piney hops...etc.), and enjoy any IPA that has a fairly bold presence. So as long as there is a good hop nose and flavor, with some malt character, I'll be very happy.

Not sure what to expect with this hop blend. I've never used any of these hops to any great proportion. In fact, I can't remember using any of them because most of my beers have been Scottish, English and German in origin. Its been such a long time brewing an "American" hopped style. Last year's competition entry..."Swamp Rat Super IPA," was all too strange. Not undrinkable, but not all that great. It was unanimous what the judges wanted to taste more of...those "citrus"/3C hops (Chinook, Centennial, and Cascade). So this IPA is designed to go with their recommendations. I also threw in some Amarillo for the heck of it, and cause I've never used'em before.

Chinook (12%AA, pellets) will serve as the bittering addition at 60 minutes. Then 4 more additions of the "hop blend" will go in at 15, 5, KO and Dry. The blend consists of one part each of Centennial (9.5%AA, pellets), Cascade (7.6%AA, leaf) and Amarillo (8.9%AA, leaf).

Brew day was

Hop Blend IPA...aka..."Hop Blood IPA"

Grains:
7 lbs. American 2-Row Pale
.5 lb. American Crystal 40L
.3 lb. British Crystal 60L
.25 lb. Belgian Biscuit
.25 lb. Wheat Malt
.03 lb. British Roasted Barley