Sunday, September 13, 2009

Day 30: Imperial Pale Ale

The last day of my 30 day brewing run ends in odd fashion. A lot of home brewers out there got started because somebody bought them a 'Mr. Beer' kit, or something similar. These come with a ready made beer, that really just needs water and yeast added to it. These cans of pre hopped malt are also sold in home brew shops. I personally bought a case of 6 cans when I first opened of Ironmaster's Imperial Pale Ale. I really just wanted one no boil kit around for people who maybe wanted more malt for their Mr. Beer, or just brewed in this way. I sold 5 cans over 8 months, leaving me with 1 can. Let's just say I havent ordered more of these ''ready to go' malts, and probably won't. They don't require a boil, as there is nothing to boil together. Just a fermentation. Having never done one of these, I thought I'd give it a try. I do get people asking about them now and again..and never know what to tell them about the quality. I assume it's ok, but guess I should find out for myself!

On to the beer...


Beer #28 - Practical Pale Ale

Style: Imperial IPA (14C)

Recipe: For 2.5 Gallon (Extract)

4lb Ironmaster Imperial Pale Ale Kit
Ale Yeast

Beer notes: A no boil kit that came with a non descript package of yeast. I'm guessing it's Muntons ale yeast. OG was 1.042. Seems a bit low...who knows. This kit is no longer manufactured. It looks like these no-boil kits aren't being made in England by Muntons anymore. Coopers, out of Australia, is still making them. This kit reccomended adding 2.2lb dry malt extract for an amber, or 2.2lbs corn sugar for a lighter beer. I just want to see how the malt in the can turns out, so keeping this as a 2.5 gallon kit. I'll let you know who this turns out!

Cheers!
Aaron

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Day 29: Raspberry Honey Mead

Second to last day of the 30 day ride. I've definitely decided to end this current brewing streak at 30 days. And I knew, I definitely wanted to get a mead in. I haven't brewed a honey wine in a while, and am remembering how nice the last one I did was. I've had a lot of people coming in to the store doing meads. Seem popular with the lady brewers, and have heard of a good amount of people keeping bees in the city, or who have friends keeping bees somewhere. Which is good, cause honey is awesome.

On to the mead...


Mead #1 - Snazzy Razzy Mead

Style: Dry Mead (24A)

Recipe: For 1 Gallon

3 lb Raspberry Honey
2 Tbsp Fermax Yeast Nutrient
2 Tsp Acid Blend
1 Tsp Tannin
1 Campden Tablet
Lalvin EC-1118 Yeast

Mead notes: Stirred everything together minus the yeast. This is based on a lot of basic recipes I read, and follows none exactly. I think you could do this mead a variety of ways. I don't think I've ever used tannin in mead before. I found a few recipes that recommended it for dry meads. Meads aren't my forte, most of my meads have been based on basic recipes I've found online. We'll see what happens with this one!

Cheers!
Aaron

Friday, September 11, 2009

Day 28: Specialty Beer

This may end up being a 30 day trial run of this brewing experiment. This battle of will. Man vs Beer.

I'm stumbling a bit to find time and space (which is my biggest concern) for this project. I'm confined to a tiny store for brewing, and I have much more important things needing my attention at this moment in time. A new website for the store... Finding more space for inventory... Bookkeeping...(shudder.)... A vacation coming up next week...

So maybe this is a false start. I'm not happy with the limited amount of space I had for this project. It's hard to stay organized when things have to be in random spots. The store is small enough as it is, and there's no room in my apartment to tackle this project.

Now I know. I'm trying to run a marathon in sandals.

On to the beer...

Beer #27 - Add Junk, Get Junk? Lager

Style: Specialty Beer (23A)

Recipe: For 2 Gallon (Extract)

1 lb Wheat Dry Malt Extract
1 lb Rice Syrup Solids
.5 lbs Corn Sugar
.25 oz Sterling Hops (4.5%) (30 minutes, full boil)
Fermentis Saflager S-23

Beer notes: I've be wondering about the flavor of a beer that uses a large amount of rice syrup solids. Decided since I was using an adjunct, I'd use more, and threw in some corn sugar. Used a dry wheat malt, which is 55% wheat, 45% barley. So, four different sugar sources. Not sure what I'm gonna get. Maybe something light and flavorless...maybe something light and amazing? Probably not, but who knows:) OG was 1.048.

Cheers!
Aaron

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Day 27: Weizen/Weissbier

I really like hefeweizens. A lot of people do. I'm always stunned by how different the style can be, just based on how basic the ingredients are. Usually wheat and pilsner malt with a noble hop, and a Hefeweizen yeast strain. Usually no caramel or crystal malts, or a lot of hop flavor, but somehow with just a change in yeast and water these beers become quite different beasts. Alright, time to brew one.

On to the beer...

Beer #26 - Cloudy Wheat

Style: Weizen/Weissbier (15A)

Recipe: For 2 Gallon (Partial-Mash)

1 lb Wheat Dry Malt Extract
1 lb Pale Wheat Malt (steeped at 152F for 60 minutes)
1 lb Pilsner Malt (steeped at 152F for 60 minutes)
.45 oz Tettnanger Hops (5%) (20 minutes, full boil)
Wyeast 3068 Weihenstephan Weizen Yeast

Beer notes: This is being brewed in the 'hefe' style, and not the clear, filtered style. It's a hefeweizen. This style seems to continue to gain in popularity. Mini-mash on the stove today. It definitely helps to keep the color down in this style. I need to really watch my gravity on these mini mashes, but it was late and I didn't have my refractometer handy. Smellin' good, lookin' good.

Cheers!
Aaron

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Day 26: Belgian Dark Strong Ale

Oh beer...how you come in so many different colors and flavors... I'm currently enjoying something from the Kiuchi Brewery in Japan, and was surprised at the amount fo ginger flavor that hit me immediately. It makes me want to totally avoid all this 'to style' brewing I do daily. I guess it's sort of a Picasso thing- most great artists change history through their creation of something completely new on the basis of their strong understanding of their art form. Picasso painted classically first, and studied art, and then did his own thing. I meet a lot of brewers who have created their own recipes without a basic grasp of what they're looking for, and don't get what they're looking for, and may be good or bad. I feel a study of the different brewing styles, even those you don't like, is a good thing. It gives you a strong base to create from.

On to the beer...

Beer #25 - Westneworleean 12

Style: Belgian Dark Strong Ale (18E)

Recipe: For 1 Gallon (Extract)

2.5 lb Light Liquid Malt Extract
2 oz Amber Belgian Candi Sugar
2 oz Aromatic Malt (135L) (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)
2 oz CaraAroma Malt (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)
.25 oz Styrian Goldings Hops (3.4%) (30 minutes, full boil)
Wyeast 3522 Belgian Ardennes

Beer notes: I tried to simplify this style, but wanted the flavor to remain complex. I've seen recipes upwards of 12 different grains. I'm planning on a warm fermentation, which can bring out a lot of unique phenolic flavor in Belgian yeast. After using this yeast a few times now, I'm a big fan. The Ardennes seems like a very versatile Belgian Yeast. Any sort of Abbey ales- Dubbel, Tripel or just Belgian Strongs, it has a great spicy and fruity aromatic flavor to it. OG rang in high, I may need to add a little water. It makes a big difference in these small batches. Reading was 1.113.

Cheers!
Aaron

UPDATE 9/10/2009 (12 Hours) : I added more water, and may have went a bit too far! I'm down to 1.070 for a gravity now. A bit low...

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Day 25: Scottish Export 80/-

A quick note about kettle caramelization since the style I'm brewing today has historically relied on it- The whole point of caramelization is to add some color and toffee and possibly burnt caramel flavors. Most of the time we rely on the caramelization done by the maltster, which this recipe does somewhat, with the addition of dark crystal. Traditionally in Scottish ales, much of the color and malt flavor was derived from kettle caramelization, or the darkening of the malt in the pot. I'm relying on a 2 hour boil today to recreate this style and add some caramelization. Another good method is to take 1/2 gallon to a gallon of wort and boil it down about 50-80%. Commonly people will boil a gallon of wort down to three cups and throw it in their fermenter or boil pot with the rest of their beer. I'm just going to boil an hour longer, and hope for a bit more of that toffee flavor to prevail.

On to the beer...

Beer #24 - McAaron's Scottish 80/-

Style: Scottish Export 80/- (9C)

Recipe: For 2 Gallon (Extract)

2 lb Extra Light Dry Malt Extract
1 oz English Dark Crystal Malt (135L) (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)
1 oz Roasted Barley (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)
.5 oz Peated Malt (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)
.25 oz Brambling Cross Hops (7%) (Last 60 minutes of 2 hour boil)
.25 oz Brambling Cross Hops (7%) (Last 20 minutes of 2 hour boil)
Wyeast 1098 British Ale

Beer notes: My little electric burner doesn't get a ferocious rolling boil like some gas and propane burners do, but for the purpose of my caramelization experiment, I think it'll work fine. It really gets kind of confusing if most or all breweries in Scotland use peated malt, or any sort of malt that has been roasted over peat. I don't know, I wish I did. Here's what is said of the style on the BJCP website, "The optional peaty, earthy and/or smoky character comes from the traditional yeast and from the local malt and water rather than using smoked malts." Could someone point me in the direction of a peaty yeast? Or peaty water for that matter? They then write, "Use of peat-smoked malt to replicate the peaty character should be restrained." They are definitely making it tough on home brewers, or anyone else, to replicate this style in my opinion. From what I've read a strain of Dry English or Irish Ale yeast is often used, and I don't recall these being peaty. I don't think the water tastes to peaty in Scotland, nor do I think I could create a peaty/earthy flavored water to easily either. So guess what, I'm using a restrained amount of peat malt to get the flavor I'm hoping for. OG finished at 1.048.

Cheers!
Aaron

Monday, September 7, 2009

Day 24: Russian Imperial Stout

The wine I started a couple days ago is slowly chugging along...and tomorrow I may try to get a 'state of the beers' session in. Check gravities on everything, move beers in to secondary fermenters, repitch yeast in some if needed, move some in to bottles, etc...I'm getting to the point of no return on some of these- meaning I need to keep stuff moving or it's going to get ugly. I've got tomorrow off, and not too much to do, so it should work out.

On to the beer...

Beer #23 - Boris & Natasha's Stout

Style: Russian Imperial Stout (13F)

Recipe: For 1 Gallon (Extract)

3 lb Dark Liquid Malt Extract
2 oz Chocolate Rye Malt (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)
2 oz Roasted Barley (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)
1 oz British Black Patent (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)
.5 oz Chinook Hops (4.5%) (30 minutes, full boil)
Wyeast 1028 London Ale

Beer notes: Pretty straight forward beer, just more malt than most. Again, this is a style that allows for a lot of give and take. Make sure it's dark and malty, and alcoholic. Though they do say it can have 'variable' amount of fruitiness and hop flavor, which is sort of nice. You don't realize how many styles call for no hop flavor until you start going through them. Chose the London Ale yeast, and hope it can get me to about 11% alcohol. OG was 1.106.

Cheers!
Aaron

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Day 23: Traditional Bock

Back to beer today. I splurged and opened up one of the refractometers on the shelf today. I had one that broke somehow after about 3 months of light use. I loved using it. It's really nice and easy to take a quick gravity read with. I need to start moving a few things in to secondary and a few things in to bottles...soon. Beer everywhere. Definitely need to organize and get my system in place, now that I have some understanding of size of fermenters, the space they'll take up, and the different times beers will be finishing at. Which is one tough thing about the process. A lager is going to take longer than an ale in most cases. I'm thinking of starting a spreadsheet, I was hoping to just use this blog as my tracking system, but it'll be easier with everything laid out in front of me in a spreadsheet-transfers, gravity readings, etc.

On to the beer...

Beer #22 - Rock the Bock

Style: Traditional Bock (5B)

Recipe: For 3 Gallon (Partial-Mash)

3 lb Briess Amber Dry Malt Extract
1.5 lbs Vienna Malt (steeped at 152F for 60 minutes)
1.5 lbs Munich Type 1 Malt (steeped at 152F for 60 minutes)
.5 lbs CaraMunich III Malt (steeped at 152F for 60 minutes)
.75 oz Hallertau Hops (4.5%) (40 minutes, full boil)
.5 oz Spalt Select Hops (2%) (40 minutes, full boil)


Beer notes: Boiled this batch 40 minutes, just long enough to get the minimum bitterness needed for the style. Used hops I had around. I mashed a couple pounds, got about a 57% efficiency. Was hoping for somewhere between 60-70%. Maybe could have sparged a bit better, a bit longer, than the gallon of water I poured over it and gently squeezed out of the sack. Pot looks like it's going to end with about 3 gallons. OG finished around 1.062, a little low.

Cheers!
Aaron

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Day 22: Sauvignon Blanc

Wine! I figured today would be the day to get a wine in! I was busy and beer brewing sounded like a lot of work.

On to the wine...

Wine #1 - Sauvignon Blanc

Style: Sauvignon Blanc

Recipe: For 6 Gallons

It's a 10 liter Grand Cru Sauvignon Blanc kit that starts as 10 liters, and makes 23 liters, 6 gallons. Filled a 6 gallon glass carboy to 6 gallons and threw the bentonite in. Hydrometer reading was 1.084. Sprinkled yeast on top as instructed, not stirring it in. It says to give it two weeks in the primary. I'm interested to see how active it'll be these first couple of weeks. I may play by my own rules and move it when it settles down- no air bubbles coming through the airlock. I'm planning on a longer secondary fermentation than their 2 week suggestion. I may tweak and play around some with the chemicals, or I may play by the rules:)

Cheers!
Aaron

Friday, September 4, 2009

Day 21: Berliner Weisse

I posted yesterday that I'm looking to get a wine going. Instead, today I'm brewing up the true Champagne of beers: The Berliner Weisse.

On to the beer...

Beer #21 - Berntnylin Weisse

Style: Berliner Weisse (17A)

Recipe: For 3 Gallon (Partial-Mash)

1 lb Briess Pilsen Light Dry Malt Extract
1.75 lbs Pale Wheat Malt (steeped at 152F for 60 minutes)
4 oz Bohemian Pisener Malt (steeped at 152F for 60 minutes)
.5 oz Spalt Select Hops (2%) (15 minutes, full boil)
Wyeast 4335 Lactobacillus
Wyeast 2565 Kolsch Ale Yeast

Beer notes: Was looking for something interesting to brew today. This one looked fun, but ended up needing a restart. As I was steeping my grains, I got inattentive and left the burner on high for a few minutes...burned/melted a hole in my nylon grain bag....ugh. So, boiled some PBW in the bottom, and started over- new grains, new grain bag, new water. Thus the name of this beer, "Berntnylin Weisse." I think I got a pretty good mash and sparge this time. Going to throw the bacteria and yeast in at the same time. I'd thought about putting the Lacto in for about 2 weeks first, and then the yeast. I hear you can add a nice sourness to the beer. On second thought, I really want to see the results of throwing the lacto and yeast in together at the same time. Probably looking to age this one for a while (2-3 months) in the secondary. May have pitched a bit on the hot side. Hopefully it kicks off!

Cheers!
Aaron

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Day 20: Sweet Stout

This will mark the 20th different style of beer I've brewed in 20 days. Captain Obvious here, I know. As I taste some of the first batches, I'm already looking forward to tweaking recipes slightly, and playing around. First I'd like to get through most, if not all, of the BJCP listed beer styles. Also, I'm jonesin' to get a wine going again. You may see one of those pop up soon. Oh, and some sake...I may have to change the name to 'A Year in Brewing.'

On to the beer...

Beer #20 - London Calling Stout

Style: Sweet Stout (13B)

Recipe: For 2 Gallon (Extract)

3 lbs Muntons Dark Liquid Malt Extract
3 oz Malto-Dextrin
2 oz Chocolate Malt (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)
2 oz Special B Malt (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)
2 oz Cara-Pils Malt (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)
2 oz Chocolate Wheat Malt (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)
1 oz British Black Patent (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)
.25 oz Columbus Hops (14.2%) (30 minutes, full boil)
Wyeast 1318 London Ale III Yeast

Beer notes: Was shooting for an old fashioned stout that you'd serve with low carbonation and at cellar temperature. I guess I was shooting for a cask stout recipe. Didn't go with Lactose, which would have made this a 'milk' stout, but decided to go with maltodextrin instead. Both are non-fermentable sugars that will add some sweetness to the beer. I really like the Wyeast London Ale III yeast. I'm not alone- there's been a lot of discussion on the boards at probrewer.com about this yeast as an all-around craft brewery yeast. Seems to be a favorite of some. Used Columbus as my bittering hop again today. I find it's a good bittering hop, especially for beers where you want the malt showcased some.

Cheers!
Aaron

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Day 19: Dark American Lager

Good news to all you home brewers out there- hop prices are coming down. Just got an email from my distributor yesterday saying they've started adjusting prices based on current inventory and future inventory. Yay! So if you haven't seen price decreases at your local home brew shop yet (mine will be coming down soon), you should this month.

On to the beer...

Beer #19 - Born On The Bayou Black Lager

Style: Dark American Lager (4A)

Recipe: For 2 Gallon (Extract)

1 lb Muntons Extra Light Dry Malt Extract
1 lb Rice Syrup Solids
6 oz Corn Sugar
2 oz Chocolate Malt
1 oz Muntons Dark Crystal Malt (135L)
.15 oz Columbus Hops (14.2%) (30 minutes, full boil)
Wyeast 2042 Danish Lager Yeast

Beer notes: I have a hard time taking any beer style serious when coloring agents are appropriate. This is pretty much Pabst in a black t-shirt. The style should remain light, and should have very few roasted, toasted, toffee, coffee or any other flavor you might find in a dark malt...but it should be dark. If I had debittered black patent, it probably would've went in this one instead of the chocolate. Gravity, if I did my temperature adjustment right, is 1.046.

Cheers!
Aaron

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Day 18: Roggenbier

I definitely feel like I'm learning a good amount beer styles doing this. Today I'm brewing one I've never brewed before, and looking forward to it. Also had a nice milestone today- bottled the first batch! 6 500ml bottles.

On to the beer...

Beer #18 - Pitcher in the Rye

Style: Roggenbier (German Rye Beer) (15D)

Recipe: For 2 Gallon (All-Grain)

2 lbs Rye Malt
1 lb Munich Type 1 Malt
6 oz German Dark Munich Malt
6 oz German Dark Wheat Malt
2 oz Caramel Wheat Malt
2 oz Chocolate Wheat Mal
.5 oz Tettnanger Hops (4.5%) (Last 30 minutes of 60 minute boil)
Wyeast 3333 German Wheat Yeast

Beer notes: I was pretty excited to brew today. I like rye beers, but don't think I've ever made a roggenbier 'true to style.' I've added rye to a good amount of beers in the past, but don't think I've ever tackled it as the major malt in my grain bill. This beer ended up with exactly 50% rye grist. Was higher, then I realized I had caramel wheat, and not caramel rye. Didn't do the best job weighing the grains, this one might finish a bit dark, as I was high on caramel and chocolate wheat malts. Temperature didn't hold well the second half of the 60 minutes. Not sure my pseudo sparge went well either. Think I left some sugars behind. I am writing this mid boil so we'll see how the gravity looks when it cools down. An hour later- Missed gravity by a lot...which I figured might happen...was at a paltry 1.034. I'll need to fix this.

Monday, August 31, 2009

Day 17: Chocolate Cherry Porter

It looks like the hardest days for me to brew are Mondays and Tuesdays. These are my days off, and the farthest thing from my mind was brewing today. So started brewing today around 10pm. Did some exploring today, and grabbed a couple six-packs mix-packs of 12 different great beers. After some nice Belgian beer today, I'm definitely looking forward to brewing a tasty Tripel up soon.

On to the beer...

Beer #17 - Chocolate Cherry Porter

Style: Fruit Beer (20A)

Recipe: For 1 Gallon (Extract)

1 lb Dark Dry Malt Extract
3 lbs Cherries (Secondary Fermenter)
4 oz Chocolate Malt (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)
.5 oz Sterling Hops (5%) (Full boil, 30 minutes)
Danstar Windsor Ale Yeast

Beer notes: I had some fresh cherries I wasn't eating fast enough and froze recently. I'm planning on sanitizing them and throwing them directly in to the secondary for about 2 weeks. I'll make notes if this recipe changes some. Had first thought about making a cherry hefeweizen, but settled on a cherry porter. I think it should balance the cherry flavor nicely. Didn't make this beer too alcoholic, but feel it's probably more of a winter beer. Adjusted my hops Alpha Acids down some. They were marked at 7.2%, but they were a bit old, so gave'em a 5%. OG sat right at 1.050.

Cheers!
Aaron

Cheers!
Aaron

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Day 16: Belgian Specialty Ale

It's been a lazy Sunday, which is why we're moving directly...

On to the beer...

Beer #16 - Lazy Sunday Specialty Ale

Style: Belgian Specialty Ale (16E)

Recipe: For 2 Gallon (Extract)

1.5 lb Wheat Dry Malt Extract
.75 lb Dark Liquid Malt Extract
8 oz Caramel/Crystal 80L Malt (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)
.6 oz Saaz Hops (3.2%) (Full boil, 30 minutes)
.5 oz Crushed Coriander Seed (Last 15 minutes)
.75 oz Bitter Orange Peel (Last 2 minutes)
Wyeast 3522 Belgian Ardennes & 1187 Ringwood Ale Yeast

Beer notes: The Belgian Specialty Ale is actually a 'catch all' category for Belgian beers that are hard to classify. It's sort of an up in the air, do what you want (to a certain extent) kind of category. I was staring at some of the ingredients I had sitting around before I brewed and was trying to figure out what sort of 'dark wheat' beer I could brew. After struggling to categorize the beer I wanted to brew, I found this category. It's sort of like a 'get out of jail free' card when you have a ton of ingredients that would lend themselves to Belgians laying around. I guess some people would call this an Artisanal Brown Ale. Lots of coriander and orange peel in this recipe. Enough for a 5 gallon batch. I don't think I'd raise the coriander and orange peel amount too much for a bigger batch. Just hoping for some orange aromatics there at the end. First batch using all Kentwood Springs water instead of tap water. Both yeasts were saved from my first two batches in jars. Just going to pitch them both in. Was thinking about propagating both, and keeping them going, but just don't have time at the moment. Gravity is 1.064.

Cheers!
Aaron

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Day 15: American Amber Ale

It's fun brewing with other people. Even if they're just there to watch you brew. Got to brew for a class at the Southern Food Museum here in New Orleans! I had 18 attendees I'm proud to say. They probably found it boring, watching a guy stir a pot, but I had a good time:)

We brewed 5 gallons, much more than my daily routine of small batch brewing. To everyone who attended- remember to come try the beer out in a month, I'm sure it'll be great! Thanks again for coming!

On to the beer...

Beer #15 - A Night At The Museum Amber

Style: American Amber Ale (10B)

Recipe: For 5 Gallon (Extract)

6 lb Liquid Amber Malt
1 lb Light Dry Malt Extract
8 oz Caramel/Crystal 80L Malt (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)
8 oz CaraPils Malt (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)
1 oz Amarillo Hops (8.5%) (Full boil, 60 minutes)
1 oz Cascade Hops (5%) (Last 5 minutes)
Fermentis US-05 Safale Ale Yeast

Beer notes: I was on a little burner, and was trying to fit a lesson on brewing your first batch in to a 2 hour time frame while making this beer. The grains steeped between 140-156 for around 15 minutes. The boil itself probably went about an hour, with the Cascade in the end of the boil for about 7-10 minutes. Only achieved a nice rolling boil the last 20-30 minutes of the batch. I think it'll be just fine. The hops should come through a bit. I'm a bigger fan of Ambers that have a bit of hop aroma and flavor, but not much, just a hint. I think we'll be pretty close with this batch.

Cheers!
Aaron

Friday, August 28, 2009

Day 14: Blonde Ale

This blog has sparked some interest with some of the people I've discussed small batch home brewing with. From the sounds of it, a lot of people think about doing 'test' size batches, but rarely do them. I think a lot of people think it's a waste of energy for a 8 - 10 beers. I love the idea of having a lot of different brews around. Yeah, it's a lot more work. About 5 times more work if you think about it.

The easiest way to start experimenting with small batch brewing would be to divide up a basic 5 gallon pale ale or amber recipe in to 1 gallon jugs and throw stuff in. More hops, fruit, vanilla beans, chocolate, honey, vegetables, etc... Give it a shot some time.

On to the beer...

Beer #14 - Blonde on Blonde

Style: Blonde Ale (6B)

Recipe: For 1 Gallon (All-Grain)

1.5 lb American Pale 2-Row Malt
2 oz Carahell Malt
2 oz CaraFoam Malt
2 oz Flaked Barley
.25 oz Cascade Hops (3.2%) (Last 30 minutes of 45 minute boil)
.25 oz Saaz Hops (4.5%) (Last 10 minutes)
Wyeast 1098 British Ale Yeast

Beer notes: I've had a lot of blonde ales, and I've found it's a style I've come to enjoy. But, based on the last 3-4 different blonde ales I've had, I think it's a hard style to get a great session beer out of. It's not something I can just sit and drink over and over. Which seems odd to me- the style is extremely loose in terms of what can be used to make it, and what actually falls in to the style of Blonde ale. Adjuncts allowed, any type of hop you want, some hop flavor, no hop flavor..heck, they'll even let you use lager yeast. Anyhow, this is not a style I recommend tackling if you're an extract brewer. It's gonna be tough to keep it light in color. Even with a partial mash the color would be tough to keep in style. I'm usually not a stickler for color (or clarity for that matter), but this is a style where you don't want to be staring at a dark beer. Mashed in with 1.5 gallons of water at 152. Held it as best I could between 148 and 154 for 60 minutes. Went longer, about 90 minutes, as I figured it wouldn't hurt and I was in the middle of helping some customers. Poured a quarter gallon of water over the grain bag to "sparge" it some. Wish I would have marked 1 gallon on my pot, as I'm pretty much looking to boil down to that point. Was planning on a 30 minute boil, but went with 45, hoping that'd bring me close to a gallon. Used 1.5 or 1.75 lbs of 2-Row, can't remember. OG finished at 1.044.

Cheers!
Aaron

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Day 13: American Stout

Overall, the lagers are progressing slowly as far as I can tell. I'm actually leaving the Vienna Lager out of the cooler for a few days, as I heard sometimes this lager yeast (Bohemian Lager 2124) can yield good and interesting results at ale temps. Planning to lager it after 48 hours at ale temps.

Well beer 13! For some pretty die hard brewers 12 batches is a full year of brewing. For others maybe it's 52...but I get a lot of guys who do the once a month, or once every two months thing in the store. 12 different beers in 12 days...

On to the beer...

Beer #13 - Mixmaster Malt Stout

Style: American Stout (13E)

Recipe: For 2 Gallon (Extract)

1 lb Dark Dry Malt Extract
1 lb Amber Dry Malt Extract
.5 lbs Briess Bavarian Wheat Dry Malt Extract
6 oz Roasted Barley Malt (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)
4 oz Chocolate Malt (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)
2 oz Black Patent Malt (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)
2 oz English Dark Crystal Malt (135L) (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)
2 oz CaraAmber Malt (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)
.5 oz Nugget Hops (3.2%) (30 minutes, full boil)
.2 oz Nugget Hops (4.5%) (Last 10 minutes)
Wyeast 1332 Northwest Ale Yeast

Beer notes: One goal of this stout was to provide a rich, complex malt flavor. I used three different types of extracts and five different grains. I also tried to find a yeast that would let the grains shine through. The grain bag accidentally opened up during the steep...oops. Strained it out with a funnel strainer...should have dumped it through the strainer and back in instead of dipping for it. I thought there was less than there was and it ended up taking some time to get it out. OG reading was high, 1.072.

Cheers!
Aaron

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Day 12: Weizenbock

Was all psyched up to get brewing right away this morning, and walked out in to wet cement...which can slow ya down. Had to close the shop down today while they poured a new sidewalk. Although I live behind the store, I need to walk up front to get in the store- there's no door between the apartment in back and the store. This made it tough to go get brewing supplies, as I would have had to figure out a way to get over the sidewalk, so this batch is coming a bit later than I had hoped today.

Anyhow, I'm kinda hoping to get a good Weizenbock. it's one of those underrated styles in my book. Rarely discussed or brewed, except for maybe Aventinus. Though there are some great commerical examples..I've had the Flying Dog, Victory and Capital, but from what I read, I need to try an AleSmith Weizenbock.

On to the beer...

Beer #12 - Wise Old Bock

Style: Weizenbock (15C)

Recipe: For 2 Gallon (Extract)

3.5 lbs Briess Bavarian Wheat Dry Malt Extract
2 oz Dark Munich Malt (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)
2 oz Melanoidin Malt (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)
1 oz Chocolate Malt (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)
.75 oz Saaz Hops (3.2%) (30 minutes, full boil)
.3 oz Hallertau Hops (4.5%) (Last 5 minutes)
Wyeast 3638 Bavarian Wheat Yeast

Beer notes: Super frothy boil. It had a fine foam that shrank and grew with the boiling temperature. The 1 gallon boil was pretty thick. OG was measured at 1.072.

Cheers!
Aaron

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Day 11: Vienna Lager

The Brown Porter kicked off quick last night. I pitched the dry yeast right on top, and it was going an hour later. I need to get a few beers in to secondary fermenters tomorrow, and take some good gravity readings. I think the first beer is ready to go earlier than expected. Anyway, it's been a busy day, and I need to get brewing!

On to the beer...

Beer #11 - Madtown Maroon Lager


Style: Vienna Lager (3A)

Recipe: For 2 Gallon (Extract)

2 lbs Muntons Light Dry Malt Extract
4 oz Melanoidin Malt (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)
2 oz Vienna Malt (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)
2 oz Carared Malt (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)
2 oz Caramunich II Malt (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)
1 oz Chocolate Malt (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)
.8 oz Mt. Hood Hops (5%) (30 minutes, full boil)
Wyeast 2124 Bohemian Lager Yeast

Beer notes: I was shooting for something similar to the Capital Amber beer put out by Capital Brewing in Madison, WI. I threw in a touch of chocolate, may give it a bit of a darker Negra Modelo color. The 2124 Bohemian Lager yeast strain is supposedly one of the most widely used Lager strains. I think it's also known as the Carlsberg strain. I need to keep a 14" test cylinder jar around or I won't take my original gravity. It's something I've gotten lazy on. My fermenters just don't have the space for me to drop my hydrometer in, and my kettle isn't full enough to take a reading out of. I'm guessing my OG is a bit low, maybe in the 1.042 range.

Cheers!
Aaron

Monday, August 24, 2009

Day 10: Brown Porter

Yesterday the air conditioning in the store stopped working for no apparent reason. This sent the half dozen or so ales in to 80 degree range. The pale ale from day 2 kicked off again, after showing signs of being done in the primary. The Belgian Pale from the first day seems to be ready. Checked the flavor last night and it seems quite nice.

Today, I also looked in to ways to start serving this without bottling everything. I may end up experimenting some with the Party Pig, Tap-A-Draft and Party Keg systems a bit. It'd be good for me as a shop owner to know all the advantages and disadvantages of these systems. Of the three, I've only used the party kegs before. Interested in the Party Pigs, as they've become popular with a lot of microbreweries and brewpubs. I've heard a lot about the Tap-A-Draft system being a great way to go for homebrew. I'll keep you posted.

On to the beer...

Beer #10 - Sweet Baber Brown Porter


Style: Brown Porter (12A)

Recipe: For 2 Gallon (Extract)

1 lb Muntons Light Dry Malt Extract
1 lb Briess Amber Dry Malt Extract
3 oz Brown Malt (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)
3 oz Chocolate Malt (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)
2 oz Special B Malt (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)
2 oz Muntons Dark Crystal (135L) Malt (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)
.5 oz Northern Brewer Hops (4.5%) (30 minutes, full boil)
Danstar Nottingham Dry Ale Yeast

Beer notes: I've been brewing quicker and quicker each day. I know what to do, and what to expect, and am intentionally trying to keep the process fast. Maybe not the best way to brew, but we'll see. The only thing out of the ordinary in this recipe may be the Special B. I wanted a bit extra sweet caramel flavor, and think it will accomplish this nicely. OG was 1.048.

Cheers!
Aaron

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Day 9: Dunkelweizen

When I came in to open the store this morning the American IPA was rockin'. I moved it to the back of the store, but when I came back up front and looked where it had been sitting, everything above it and around it had been covered in beer. Oops. Got a bit active and exploded. Airlock and stopper were still in place, must have just been spraying out of the top of the airlock. It's hard for me to imagine a 1 gallon carboy shooting beer 12 feet in the air with some force, but it definitely happened. I've got a bit of clean up ahead of me...(note from Lucia: fiance took pity on the beer explosion and wiped everything down...next beer will be named after her).

On to the beer...

Beer #9 - Midnight Weizen

Style: Dunkelweizen (15B)

Recipe: For 1 Gallon (Extract)

1.2 lb Muntons Wheat Dry Malt Extract
2 oz Munich Malt (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)
1 oz CaraAroma Malt (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)
1 oz Chocolate Malt (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)
.25 oz Hallertau Hops (4.5%) (30 minutes, full boil)
Danstar Munich Dry Ale Yeast

Beer notes: Grains ended up being steeped between 152-170 for about 40 minutes. Boil went for about 40 minutes as well. Shouldn't effect the beer too much. Nothing out of the ordinary with this beer except that I decided to use some Weyermann CaraAroma barley, which some people might not be familiar with. It's a very malty caramel flavored grain, that adds a touch of dark amber color and some mouth feel. I like it, and feel it could be used in numerous beers; porters and dark weiss beers especially. Didn't get a good specific gravity reading again, but this should be around 1.058.

Cheers!
Aaron

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Day 8: American IPA

Ahh...an American IPA. Yum. At some point I want to start doing some statistical research in to what homebrewers, at least in New Orleans, brew most often. American IPA would be up there. Saison and Belgian Wit would be fairly high as well...but I think Ambers and standard Pale Ales take the cake.

On to the beer...

Beer #8 - Creedence Dark Water Revive-ale

Style: American IPA (14B)

Recipe: For 1 Gallon (Extract)

.75 lb Light Dry Malt Extract
1 lb Amber Dry Malt Extract
1 oz Special B Malt (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)
3 oz Crystal 60L (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)
.25 oz Chinook Hops (11.4% AAU) (30 minutes, full boil)
.5 oz Simcoe Hops (12.7%) (last 5 minutes)
Fementis US-05 Ale Yeast

Beer notes: Probably a bit dark for the style, but I like a nice dark malty base for my IPAs. I'm not a purist when it comes to a lot of American styles. They're just ripe for experimentation. For those of you unaware, the Fermentis US-05 dry ale yeast is the EXACT same as the White Labs WLP001 California Ale Yeast and the Wyeast 1056 American Ale Yeast. Those can all be used interchangeably. Who knew an IPA could be brewed with less than an ounce of hops? It didn't smell too hoppy when I moved it to the primary. May add a dry hop of simcoe or cascade to this. OG estimated to be around 1.074. Tried to take a reading from the gallon jug, but it was quite foamy, and I didn't feel like waiting around for the foam to go down, or taking a sample off of a gallon batch.

Cheers!
Aaron

Friday, August 21, 2009

Day 7: Schwarzbier

Here we are a week in to it. One of the fun things for me is coming up with these recipes. All of these recipes are in some way new. I've been a terrible note taker throughout my brewing career, so most of it is just whatever my brain can recall using or doing in previous batches. None of these recipes are coming from a book, or from previous batch notes (which, as stated, have been nonexistent), but are being designed every day before I brew.

I'm on a little electric burner in the shop today. Sending my Electric Brew Heater in for an exchange. Sounds like a few of the early ones had some bugs.

On to the beer...

Beer #7 - The Jason Schwartzman

Style: Schwarzbier (Black Beer) (4C)

Recipe: For 2 Gallon (Extract)

2.25 lb Light Dry Malt Extract
2 oz Caramunich III (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)
2 oz Chocolate Malt (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)
2 oz Carafa II (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)
1 oz Hersbrucker Hops (2.8% AAU) (30 minutes, full boil)
Wyeast 2007 Pilsen Lager Yeast


Brewing notes: I'm excited for this beer. I really like drinking this style (The Sprecher Black Bavarian is a favorite), but I can't remember actually making a Schwarzbier. According to the BJCP, Carafa is an acceptable (if not preferred) grain to use to get the black in this dark lager. I'm glad I got to use some, it's not a grain I use often, but it seems perfect for this style. The Hersbrucker hops were a little lower in acid than I would have liked, but they should come through OK. I used Munton's Dry Malt, but next time I'll probably use Briess Pilsen Light or a Bierkeller malt. The gravity reading was 1.050.

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Day 6: Northern English Brown Ale

Currently the American Premium Lager is the only one not showing any signs of fermentation. I'm going to pull it out of the cooler and see if I get any sort of change. If not, I'm just going to repitch. I was a bit nervous about the Belgian Wit yeast I used yesterday, as it was a Wyeast Propagator pack that had accidentally been smacked on the way to the store. This happened back in June, but I decided to just put the completely expanded pack in the fridge with the rest. Almost two months from it's activation and expansion it still worked! So note to all slap pack users...if you accidentally get an expanded pack, or break your pack open...just throw it in the fridge. You can probably still use it. I get a lot of people calling or emailing who give up on yeast much too soon..sometimes it's still good (even if it's past expiration, like all of he yeast I've used so far, minus the the Belgian Wit.) Sometimes it just takes a few days for the yeast to multiply enough for you to see bubbles in an airlock. Doesn't mean it's not working.

Here's one of the malt containers I'm using as a fermenter. It's about a 3.5 gallon container. I get Munton's liquid malt shipped in them, it's their 33lb jerry pack. Have a few beers going in these...


On to the beer...

Beer #6 - Northcastle

Style: Northern English Brown Ale (11C)

Recipe: For 2 Gallon (Extract)

2.75 lb Muntons Amber Liquid Extract
2 oz Chocolate Malt
2 oz Crystal 20L
.3 oz Northern Brewer (8% AAU) (30 minutes, full boil)
.3 oz Kent Golding Hops (5% AAU) (last 20 minutes)
Wyeast 1028 London Ale Yeast

Brewing notes: I have an "Electric Brew Heater" I use in the store to brew batches while I work. Unfortunately, it seemed to keep tripping the GFCI outlet today. In other words, no brewing while working today...had to do it late tonight. Not a true Newcastle clone, just in the same vein. Nice chocolate smell coming from the pot just from the couple ounces used. A nice basic recipe I've used before in a 5 gallon batch size. Original gravity finished at 1.048.

Cheers!
Aaron

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Day 5: Witbier



Here we are at day 5. The lagers from the last two previous days have yet to take off. A good reason why you should always make a starter. Lagers can lag. Dude, it's a drag. Make it in a flask..not in a bag. Nice?



On to the beer...

Beer #5 - Not Quite Clear Witbier

Style: Witbier (16A)

Recipe: For 2 Gallon (Partial-Mash)

1.75 lb Briess Bavarian Wheat Liquid Malt
8 oz Vienna Malt
8 oz Flaked Wheat
6 oz Torrified Wheat
.25 oz Saaz Hops (3.2% AAU) (30 minutes, full boil)
.25 oz Cascade Hops (5% AAU) (last 20 minutes)
.15 oz Coriander (last 15 minutes)
.15 oz Orange Peel (last 15 minutes)
Wyeast 3944 Belgian Wit Yeast

Brewing Notes: May have used a bit more coriander and dried orange peel than I wanted to I think. Didn't measure to well and was thinking .25 ounces when I was pouring. So probably poured a bit heavy. The partial mash system works great with small batches. Found it easy to control and hold temp for a full 60 minutes at 150F. I think the beer will benefit from the mini-mash as well, as it's hard to keep color down when using an extract recipe. Looking at the BJCP guidelines, they want something in the 2-4 SRM color range. Light. Really light. I used some extract so that pretty much excluded me from hitting the color mark. I think the mini-mash has flavor benefits as well. O.G. was around 1.050. Slightly higher, thought I'd finish in the 40's...this is becoming a trend. Hmm..maybe I just like a bit more kick?

Cheers!
Aaron

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Day 4: Oktoberfest/Marzen


Thanks to everyone who's taken an early visit to the blog! I apologize it won't be as fancy as some you see...I'm just too busy to be constantly updating, taking pictures every day, and answering every single question....but I'll do my best! I have a hard enough time remembering everything I want to type in by the time I get to the computer.

Someone had asked about doing small batch all-grain beers in an older post. It is definitely possible, and cheaper and easier than doing large batches, since it's a single pot. I won't be doing it all the time during the year, just because it is a bit of extra time. And when you're brewing daily, you're spending enough time over a pot during the week:)

I'm getting to my Oktoberfest batch a bit late this year. This is based on an extract recipe I used to brew back in college called "Oshtoberfest." Which really only makes sense if you're celebrating Oktoberfest in Oshkosh, WI.

On to the beer...

Beer #4 - Oshtoberfest

Style: Oktoberfest/Marzen (3B)

Recipe: For 2 Gallon (All-Grain)

3.25 lb Munich Type 1 Malt
4 oz Vienna Malt
4 oz Melanoidin Malt
4 oz CaraMunich Type 1 Malt
4 oz Aromatic Malt
.5 oz Saaz Hops (3.2% AAU) (60 minutes, full boil)
.5 oz Hallertau Hops (4.5% AAU) (last 15 minutes)
Wyeast 2308 Munich Lager Yeast


Brewing notes: I used a 12"x19" Fine Straining Bag for my grains and it seemed to work out ok. The nylon bag was stitched so it had a flat bottom, not just a seam running across the bottom, so it took on a tube like shape. Which meant the grain didn't settle down low in the pot, but rather to the shape of the straining bag, which was skinnier than the pot. This means the water level needed to be slightly higher than I thought, as there was unused pot space in the bottom due to the straing bag. I think I ended up using almost 2 gallons of water to reach the top of the grain. In the first 20 minutes of mashing my pot went from 158 to 142. After this, I turned on the smallest flame I could on my gas stove and adjusted it as needed throughout the mash. I didn't want to melt the nylon to the bottom, which can happen easily, so I kept the flame low and never let touch the pot. I stirred right in the bag- seemed to work fine. I let it go a few minutes over 60, I wanted to make sure I spent enough time in the 'good zone' where starches convert to sugars. If you can't hold a good temp, at least make sure your grains see 60 minutes between 146-158F. That goes for mini-mashing and all-grain. I sparged out just by poring about a gallon of water over the grain. Held the sack of spent grain over the water a few minutes and let it drain. Got a gravity of around 1.052. This is a bit of a guesstimate, as I took it quick and didn't pull a sample.



And after all this just remember- you're not brewing the Mona Lisa, you're brewing beer.

Cheers!
Aaron

Monday, August 17, 2009

Day 3: Premium American Lager


Well I've made it to day 3! It feels like a bigger accomplishment than it really is. I'm trying to think if there was ever a time when I actually brewed 3 days in a row. I know I've done two in a row...but 3? Doesn't sound like a lot, but when you think about it, it doesn't make much sense to home brew three days in a row. All the cleaning and prepping, and blah blah blah.

The first two batches both took off last night. Note: Using a blow off tube the first couple days is usually a good idea...for now, I'm just wiping down the airlocks now and again...not ideal.



On to the beer-

Beer #3 - Float Your Boat Lager

Style: Premium American Lager (1C)

Recipe: For 2 Gallon (Extract)

2.75 lb Munton's Light Liquid Malt Extract
4 oz Flaked Maize (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)
4 oz Bohemian Pilsner Malt (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)
.5 oz Cascade Hops (5% AAU) (30 minutes, full boil)
.25 oz Hallertau Hops (4.5% AAU) (last 15 minutes)
Wyeast 2007 Pilsen Lager Yeast

Brewing notes: I named this one after the Full Sail Session Lager, as I'm hoping for something similar. Can't say I'm a huge fan of the style, but on a hot day, they go down nice and easy. Wasn't a huge fan of the steeping grains...this style tends to be better off as partial-mash or all-grain recipe, lighter color, and pilsner grain, though I could have used Briess' Pilsen Light, which is a great malt. I had some Munton's to use up, which will add a bit more color. Gonna try and Lager around 52F. Original Gravity looks to be at 1.054. I might be a bit high for the style on my final gravity reading.

Cheers!
Aaron

UPDATE 9/11/2009 (24 days) : Bottled directly from the primary. Not recommended unles you're in a hurry, and don't mind a lot of settling on the bottoms of your bottles. The lager tastes great, but definitely, if I was doing a larger batch, I'd probably filter and force carbonate it. FG finished at 1.014.

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Day 2: American Pale Ale

I'm planning on brewing every style listed in the Beer Judges Certificate Program by the end of this experiment. I'm sure you'll see some ingredients popping up over and over again, probably consecutively. It's what I've got to use, and what I want to use up. Some of the ingredients might not be super fresh, some of the hops have been in my fridge a long while. Same with some of the yeast. Luckily, when I get through some of this old stuff, I have the privilege of diving in to some of the store stock. Though, again, I'll probably try and use up some of the older stock. I try and be as picky as possible about freshness for my customers, which is why I never bulk order yeast, hops or malt. I like to order once a week, and keep my inventory rotated.

Enough about that, on to the beer...


Beer #2 - "Pale Male Pale Ale"

Style: American Pale Ale (10A)

Recipe: For 2 Gallon (Extract)

2 lbs Munton's Light Dry Malt Extract
1 lb Munton's Light Liquid Malt Extract
2 oz Victory Malt (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)
4 oz Briess Crystal 60L Malt (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)
.5 oz Cascade Hops (5% AAU) (60 minutes, full boil)
.25 oz Cascade Hops (5% AAU) (last 30 minutes)
.5 oz Cascade Hops (5% AAU) (last 10 minutes)
Wyeast 1056 American Ale Yeast

Brewing notes: Ended up with roughly a 30 minute steep between 152-158F. Started with 2.5 gallons of water, and by the time an hour was up, was almost exactly 2 gallons. Decided to just go with Cascade, cause that's the hops I had on hand. Was gonna throw some Centennial or Willamette in for bittering, but went with the Cascade instead. O.G. was 1.064, a bit higher than I thought it'd be.

Cheers!
Aaron

UPDATE 8/27/2009 (11 days) : Transferred to a secondary fermenter. Gravity was at 1.018. Had a nice amber red hue, and smelled and tasted like a fairly moderate APA (American Pale Ale.) Actually somewhat similar in flavor to the Restoration Pale Ale put out by Abita Brewing here locally.

UPDATE 9/11/2009 (25 days) : Put in to bottles and one small party keg. FG finished at 1.020.

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Day 1: Welcome To 'A Year in Beer', Belgian Pale Ale

Welcome to my blog!

I'll cut to the chase- I just got dragged to the movie 'Julie & Julia' and it semi-inspired me. I want to brew at least a gallon of beer a day. This might not happen, but I want to come close. I'll probably enter a few in competitions.

I've been home brewing for 12 years and have never entered my beer in a home brewing competition. I have a pretty good grasp on the hobby, and I want to see what others think of my beer...sort of.

Since college, I haven't been in a single house or apartment for more than 10 months over the last 5 years. It's made brewing tough. Small apartments, temporary sublets, it seems I dragged my equipment across the country, just to stare at it. Now, I want to brew, I need to brew.

Things are changing, though the apartment is still small. I'm running a small homebrew shop, and although my time is more limited than ever before, people expect me to brew. I expect me to brew. It's a job requirement, a good one, and it's part of the reason I'm writing this blog.

So let's get to it.

Beer #1 - "The Other Pale Ale"

Style: Belgian Pale Ale (16B)

Recipe: For 1 Gallon (Extract)

1 lb Munton's Light Dry Malt Extract
.15 lbs Clear Candi Sugar (last 2 minutes)
.25 lbs CaraMunich Type II (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)
.3 oz Sterling Hops (6% AAU) (30 minutes, full boil)
.25 oz Bitter Orange Peel (last 10 minutes)
Wyeast 3522 Belgian Ardennes Yeast

Brewing notes: I love CaraMunich. 1, 2 or 3, they all taste great. I use it primarily in an Oktoberfest recipe I have, but for some reason, I really thought it'd work well in this beer. My steeping temp climbed from 152 to 180 over the course of the steep because I wasn't watching. Not a big deal. Threw the candi sugar in at the end...almost forgot about it. Got an original gravity of 1.054. After a 30 minute boil my 1 gallon became a half gallon. Added water to cool it down and pitched the yeast. Not sure how long I'll let it go in the primary. Oh, when iw as working on this recipe I decided to leave out coriander, no idea why. If you make this little recipe, you may want to throw a bit of coriander in at the end. Also, I've been recommending Sterling as a substitute for Saaz, but was unsure how close they really were, except that I've seen it used a lot as a substitute for Saaz. So, I gave Sterling the go ahead.

Off to watch the first Packer's preseason game!

Cheers!
Aaron


UPDATE 8/23/2009 (8 Days) : Transferred to a secondary fermenter. Ended up being a bit of a rushed process, as I was transferring in store and had customers coming in and out. Smelled and tasted right on. Phenolic, with clove and hop characteristics. Didn't taste much spice flavor, but am hoping some develops.

UPDATE 9/1/2009 (17 Days) : Bottled today! The flavor mellowed out some. Not phenolic and a bit spicy. Nice and smooth. Final gravity was a bit high 1.020-1.022. It looked nice and tasted nice, so I'm expecting a nice beer after carbonation.

Bottled: 6 - 500ml Flip-Top Bottles. Probably could have gotten one more 12 oz bottle had I been on my A game during bottling.