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.