Mrs. C. has been rather forcefully noting that of late we have no beers pouring that are on the black end of the color spectrum, and further, that she expects SOMEONE to do something about it. Ahem.
'Tis a simple beer, pale malt with 12ish% each of flaked barley and roasted barley, and one kettle addition of hops to 40ish BUs. Target gravity is low 40s, and fermentation today will be carried out by the Essex ale yeast that we make most of our beers with at Grizz. I do love me a pint of fresh Irish stout, and we should be enjoying this in about 3 weeks, just in time for 'the wearin' o' the green.'
Showing posts with label brewing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label brewing. Show all posts
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Brew Day, Batch 383: Cream Ale
Well, here it is, my day off from work at the brewery. What to do, what to do...
I guess we all know the answer to that one. Today's brew will not be an exactly "by the book" cream ale as dictated by the Keepers of the Style Guidelines, but as brewer, I can call it what I wish. A classic cream ale is a hybrid beer, fermented warm like an ale, but then lagered, giving a beer with some fruity esters like an ale, but the clarity and crispness of a lager. Traditionally it is made from pale malt, supplemented with some adjunct, usually corn, in the manner of a standard American lager, but today's beer is made with just Pils malt. I'm also going a bit high on bitterness, a whopping 24ish, and a bit high but not too much so with late hop additions, as well. The late hops are the very distinctive Sorachi Ace, which has interesting notes of lemongrass and dill. This beer would actually fall solidly in the American Blonde Ale category, according to the KotSG, but I like the idea of calling it Lemon Cream Ale, so there!
The recipe for 10 gallons, such as it is:
13 lb. Weyermann Pils malt
1.4 oz. Saaz 4.5% AA for 60 min.
3/4 oz. Sorachi Ace 15.1% AA for 15 min.
3/4 oz. Sorachi Ace 15.1% AA at end of boil.
Mashed with 1 quart/lb. at 150F for 45 minutes.
Yield was 10-1/2 gallons of wort at SG 1.040, chilled to 69F and pitched with a starter of Wyeast 1007. Truth be told, one of the main reasons for this brew was to serve to grow lots more of the 1007 to pitch into an upcoming batch of altbier. Mmmm, alllltbeeeeerrr....
I guess we all know the answer to that one. Today's brew will not be an exactly "by the book" cream ale as dictated by the Keepers of the Style Guidelines, but as brewer, I can call it what I wish. A classic cream ale is a hybrid beer, fermented warm like an ale, but then lagered, giving a beer with some fruity esters like an ale, but the clarity and crispness of a lager. Traditionally it is made from pale malt, supplemented with some adjunct, usually corn, in the manner of a standard American lager, but today's beer is made with just Pils malt. I'm also going a bit high on bitterness, a whopping 24ish, and a bit high but not too much so with late hop additions, as well. The late hops are the very distinctive Sorachi Ace, which has interesting notes of lemongrass and dill. This beer would actually fall solidly in the American Blonde Ale category, according to the KotSG, but I like the idea of calling it Lemon Cream Ale, so there!
The recipe for 10 gallons, such as it is:
13 lb. Weyermann Pils malt
1.4 oz. Saaz 4.5% AA for 60 min.
3/4 oz. Sorachi Ace 15.1% AA for 15 min.
3/4 oz. Sorachi Ace 15.1% AA at end of boil.
Mashed with 1 quart/lb. at 150F for 45 minutes.
Yield was 10-1/2 gallons of wort at SG 1.040, chilled to 69F and pitched with a starter of Wyeast 1007. Truth be told, one of the main reasons for this brew was to serve to grow lots more of the 1007 to pitch into an upcoming batch of altbier. Mmmm, alllltbeeeeerrr....
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Brew Day, Batch 381: Buster 2012 (Delayed Post)
Today, I am racking 2012's Buster, which was brewed 2 weeks ago. I skinned out a typical "Brew Day" post, but with all of the brewing, noshing, and drinking I and co-conspirator Skip were doing, it kinda fell by the wayside. This year's Buster took a while to gel as a concept; I started with the idea of something on a line between English-y barleywines such as Thos. Hardy's, and Scottish wee heavy, and then thought maybe some non-traditional or archaic seasonings might be in order. Earthy herbs like sage and thyme were considered but ultimately left behind. As well, we thought that some heat-bearing spices like various kinds of peppers such as cayenne and Sichuan peppercorn might be interesting. After a bunch of tasting, smelling, and cogitating, we settled on these things:
Mashed 55# Hugh Baird Pale Ale malt at 153-155F for 90 minutes, with 1 quart/lb. of liquor, collected about 13-1/2 gallons of sweet wort in the kettle, boiling well as the kettle filled. When the kettle volume reached 12 gallons, we started timing; after 30 minutes, the kettle hops were added. We used 2.4 oz. of Northern Brewer at 10% alpha, selected for its notes of wood, mint, and tea. With 20 minutes left, we added 2 oz. of Fuggle, and 1t of dried ground ginger; Fuggle for its simple woody, earthy spice, and ginger for some earthiness and heat/zing. With 5 minutes left, we added 3 oz. of crushed Sichuan peppercorn for its subtle zing, and its exotic, sweet aroma. Our target BU level was 50, compensating for the high gravity wort.
Everything went fine until we chilled down and tried to drain the kettle into the fermenters. It seems that despite using low protein British malt and thus having a quite moderate kettle break, and using plenty of whole hops in the boil, the kettle simply would not drain faster than a trickle unless someone dredged a spoon across the drain strainer the whole time. Tiring, to say the least. Our leading hypothesis is that the cracked peppercorns were just the right size to evade the hop filter bed and lodge in the drain. Eventually, all the wort was in the fermenters at an impressive 1.113 density, and given over to a hefty slurry of Grizzly Peak's house ale yeast. After two weeks, it is still at 1.044, but steadily bubbling away; if it hasn't attenuated significantly more in a week I'm bringing in a 'relief pitcher.'
Having not yet had enough, I added 1-1/2 lbs. of British 60L crystal malt to the top of the mash, and sparged to collect another 12 gallons of sweet wort. This was bittered to an estimated 35BU with US Goldings in the kettle, plus 2 more oz. at 20 minutes. This yielded 11 gallons of wort at 1.042. At racking today, it is clear and clean at 1.011; we will be drinking this as soon as it is carbonated.
Mashed 55# Hugh Baird Pale Ale malt at 153-155F for 90 minutes, with 1 quart/lb. of liquor, collected about 13-1/2 gallons of sweet wort in the kettle, boiling well as the kettle filled. When the kettle volume reached 12 gallons, we started timing; after 30 minutes, the kettle hops were added. We used 2.4 oz. of Northern Brewer at 10% alpha, selected for its notes of wood, mint, and tea. With 20 minutes left, we added 2 oz. of Fuggle, and 1t of dried ground ginger; Fuggle for its simple woody, earthy spice, and ginger for some earthiness and heat/zing. With 5 minutes left, we added 3 oz. of crushed Sichuan peppercorn for its subtle zing, and its exotic, sweet aroma. Our target BU level was 50, compensating for the high gravity wort.
Everything went fine until we chilled down and tried to drain the kettle into the fermenters. It seems that despite using low protein British malt and thus having a quite moderate kettle break, and using plenty of whole hops in the boil, the kettle simply would not drain faster than a trickle unless someone dredged a spoon across the drain strainer the whole time. Tiring, to say the least. Our leading hypothesis is that the cracked peppercorns were just the right size to evade the hop filter bed and lodge in the drain. Eventually, all the wort was in the fermenters at an impressive 1.113 density, and given over to a hefty slurry of Grizzly Peak's house ale yeast. After two weeks, it is still at 1.044, but steadily bubbling away; if it hasn't attenuated significantly more in a week I'm bringing in a 'relief pitcher.'
Having not yet had enough, I added 1-1/2 lbs. of British 60L crystal malt to the top of the mash, and sparged to collect another 12 gallons of sweet wort. This was bittered to an estimated 35BU with US Goldings in the kettle, plus 2 more oz. at 20 minutes. This yielded 11 gallons of wort at 1.042. At racking today, it is clear and clean at 1.011; we will be drinking this as soon as it is carbonated.
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Brew Day, Batch 380: Rye Peppercorn Pale Ale
I have a day off from the brewery... what to do, what to do...
Awww, yeah. Fermenters are filling as I write this; not much to add except my standard 'can't wait to drink this....'
Awww, yeah. Fermenters are filling as I write this; not much to add except my standard 'can't wait to drink this....'
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Brew Day, Batch 379: Nugget Pale Ale
Quite possibly my 'desert island beer,' this American style pale ale features all fresh Nugget hops. Nugget was bred from a Brewers Gold parent, and developed as a high alpha variety. As a kettle hop, it contributes a clean, bittersweet character much in the way Centennial does. As a bonus, it turns out that it (in my opinion,) contributes superior flavor and aroma character; in this beer it puts me in mind of marmalade. All of the base malt is German, and the resulting beer has some nice bready, toasty malt flavors which fit nicely with the hops. Toast and marmalade, mmm!
Sketchy recipe for 10 gallons:
13 lbs. Weyermann Pils
2 lbs. Weyermann Munich 2
1 lb. Briess Crystal 40L
Mashed 1qt./lb. at 152F.
90 minutes total boil
3/4 oz. Nugget 14% alpha for 60 minutes
1-1/2 oz. Nugget 14% alpha for 20 minutes
1-1/2 oz. Nugget 14% alpha for 5 minutes
Fermentation is being carried out by Wyeast 1084 Irish Ale. Can't wait to drink this one....
Sketchy recipe for 10 gallons:
13 lbs. Weyermann Pils
2 lbs. Weyermann Munich 2
1 lb. Briess Crystal 40L
Mashed 1qt./lb. at 152F.
90 minutes total boil
3/4 oz. Nugget 14% alpha for 60 minutes
1-1/2 oz. Nugget 14% alpha for 20 minutes
1-1/2 oz. Nugget 14% alpha for 5 minutes
Fermentation is being carried out by Wyeast 1084 Irish Ale. Can't wait to drink this one....
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Brew Day, Batch 378: Mild Ale
Mrs. C noted that granddaughter Mia's 1st birthday celebration is coming up next month, and that there would be time to come up with a nice firkin-able beer to wash down that cake with. The assembled guests will be of all stripes, and I have found that pretty much everybody likes a nice dark mild. The beer is malty but not sweet, with crystal malt and chocolate malt flavors, balanced as much by a dry roast edge from some black patent as by the minimal hop bitterness. It's visually appealing, as well, with a clear deep brown color with a ruby cast to it. Here's what went in to it:
Mild Ale - 11 gallons
11 lbs. Muntons Maris Otter Pale Ale malt
3/4 lbs. Muntons Crystal 60L
1/4 lbs. Briess Crystal 80L
1/4 lbs. Fawcett Pale Chocolate
1/4 lbs. Black Patent malt
Single infusion mash, 1 qt./lb., mid 150s F. I used 1 tsp. chalk in the mash. At completion, I lautered and sparged until runoff gravity dropped below 1.010, then topped up the kettle to 12 gallons.
Total boil time was 90 minutes; one kettle addition 2.2 oz. Fuggle at 4% alpha for 60 minutes, for a target 18 BUs. Yield was approx. 11 gallons of wort at 1.036, perfect. Wyeast 1084, a decent flocculator, is doing the honors. Looking forward to a few pints of this in a few weeks....
Mild Ale - 11 gallons
11 lbs. Muntons Maris Otter Pale Ale malt
3/4 lbs. Muntons Crystal 60L
1/4 lbs. Briess Crystal 80L
1/4 lbs. Fawcett Pale Chocolate
1/4 lbs. Black Patent malt
Single infusion mash, 1 qt./lb., mid 150s F. I used 1 tsp. chalk in the mash. At completion, I lautered and sparged until runoff gravity dropped below 1.010, then topped up the kettle to 12 gallons.
Total boil time was 90 minutes; one kettle addition 2.2 oz. Fuggle at 4% alpha for 60 minutes, for a target 18 BUs. Yield was approx. 11 gallons of wort at 1.036, perfect. Wyeast 1084, a decent flocculator, is doing the honors. Looking forward to a few pints of this in a few weeks....
Sunday, October 21, 2012
On Recipes
I've written about this before, but since I've been posting a lot of (half-arse) recipes, (you're welcome, Kenny!) I wanted to give a few words of general explanation about what makes it into the posted recipe, and what gets left out. I think it's clear to most moderately experienced brewers that these are not complete paint-by-numbers type procedures. I don't have the time or patience for that, and more importantly, every brewer and brewery has their own way of accomplishing certain things. There are, for example, three or four popular ways of chilling wort in a home brewery. Different ways of mashing, i.e. brew-in-a-bag, no-sparge, etc; different ways of sparging, i. e. fly vs. batch. I don't address water, which is a local source issue that each brewer must sort out. Fortunately for me living here in metro Detroit, I have a great water source that requires only carbon filtration to remove chlorine, and basic mineral tweaking as the grist might dictate. More about that one anon.
Some things that I do pretty much every time, that may not be noted:
...Full post
Some things that I do pretty much every time, that may not be noted:
...Full post
Friday, October 19, 2012
Coming Out of the Closet
 |
| Photo credit: Big Gay Uncle Dave |
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Brew Day, Batch 377: Pumpkin Ale
It's been a few years since I've gone to the trouble to make pumpkin ale for Thanksgiving, and Mrs. C. has decreed that we shall have some this year. My idea of pumpkin ale is an amber to brown malty ale, (with a distinct orange tint from said pumpkins,) with just enough spice to round out the flavors a bit. This year I decided to roast the pumpkins whole in my barbecue, which is a) easy, and b) might add a subtle smoky nuance to further round out the pumpkin and spice flavors. Here's how it went down:
...Full post
...Full post
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Brew Day, Batch 376: Session IPA V2
The keg gridlock here at Chez Cicerone is breaking up, and we're anticipating a bit of loosening of refrigeration gridlock soon, so I can resume brewing. This is fortunate, as I was getting awfully tetchy; I've been casting about for something to kill for the last few weeks. Today will be a second tilt at this windmill, wherein I lighten the color and toastiness on the malt side, while leaving the very pleasant hop bill substantially intact. Here's the poop:
...Full post
...Full post
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
I Must Have Your Recipe!
Note: I originally wrote this 15 years or so ago for my homebrew club's newsletter. I thought I'd freshen it up a bit and post it here, as it's still pretty relevant for both brewing and cooking. Also, in the interest of full disclosure, the authors of the recommended books are friends of mine. Yes, I have friends that can write....
Remember this plot from cartoons and movies?
I’ve always wondered: how would someone like Simon bar Sinister, assisted by his henchman, Cad, fare if let alone with the magical piece of paper? Wouldn’t his laboratory be somewhat different than that of the inventor? Would all his available ingredients be exactly the same? Same shape flasks? Same size Bunsen burners? Same diameter hoses? And how would bar Sinister know which of these mattered to the outcome, lacking the years of specialized experiences of the originator of the formula?
...Full post
Remember this plot from cartoons and movies?
- Kindly, pure-hearted explorer/scientist, working doggedly in isolation for many years, discovers amazing secret formula for world peace / cold fusion / lead-to-gold conversion, etc. Said formula is typically recorded on tattered piece of paper and kept in a briefcase.
- Evil, avaricious, criminal mastermind or hostile foreign country attempts to steal the secret formula. This usually involves kidnapping an attractive female relative or associate of the kindly savant.
- A hero, possibly wearing a garish costume, prevents the valuable tatter from falling into / remaining in the hands of the dastardly criminals.
I’ve always wondered: how would someone like Simon bar Sinister, assisted by his henchman, Cad, fare if let alone with the magical piece of paper? Wouldn’t his laboratory be somewhat different than that of the inventor? Would all his available ingredients be exactly the same? Same shape flasks? Same size Bunsen burners? Same diameter hoses? And how would bar Sinister know which of these mattered to the outcome, lacking the years of specialized experiences of the originator of the formula?
...Full post
Monday, July 16, 2012
Brew Day, Batch 375: Kolsch
Kolsch, the ale version of Pilsner. That's the way a German-educated brewer of my acquaintance explains what he learned in brewing school. In Koln, they'd probably get their hackles up at such a simplification, but you know what? It works for me. Golden like Pils? Yep. Pils malt flavor up front, dry finish? Check. Fine noble-type hop character? Yep. Fruity esters from ale yeast? Also yep. Makes for a great summer refreshment.
Here's how I do:
(10 gallons)
15 lbs. Weyermann Pils
Dough in with 1 quart/lb for a first rest at around 125F.
After 30 minutes, pull 7 quarts thick mash for the first decoction. Heat to 155F, hold 10 minutes, then heat to boiling and boil 10 minutes.
Return decoction to main mash for saccharification rest at 146 -148F.
When starch conversion is complete, pull 8-1/2 quarts thinnest mash, and heat to boil. Boil 5 minutes, then return to main mash for mashout at ~165F.
Vorlauf/lauter/sparge until runoff gravity drops to 1.008 - 1.010. Make up kettle volume to 12 gallons if necessary.
Total boil time is 90 minutes. After 30 minutes, add 3 oz. Saaz, 4.5% AA. At 70 minutes, add 1 oz. Hersbrucker, 3.1% AA.
At the end of the boil, chill to ale pitching temps and pitch an appropriate yeast. I use Wyeast 1007, which is reputed to be the Zum Uerige altbierbraueri yeast. At around 65-67F fermentation temps, it produces some nice soft esters. It is a very boisterous top-fermenting yeast, and frequently escapes the bondage of the fermenters to the relative freedom of the surrounding floor, so be advised.
Target OG is 1.046 - 1.050, BUs 30. I really like to use the Hersbrucker for this one; the earthy, herbal flavor comes through nicely.
Here's how I do:
(10 gallons)
15 lbs. Weyermann Pils
Dough in with 1 quart/lb for a first rest at around 125F.
After 30 minutes, pull 7 quarts thick mash for the first decoction. Heat to 155F, hold 10 minutes, then heat to boiling and boil 10 minutes.
Return decoction to main mash for saccharification rest at 146 -148F.
When starch conversion is complete, pull 8-1/2 quarts thinnest mash, and heat to boil. Boil 5 minutes, then return to main mash for mashout at ~165F.
Vorlauf/lauter/sparge until runoff gravity drops to 1.008 - 1.010. Make up kettle volume to 12 gallons if necessary.
Total boil time is 90 minutes. After 30 minutes, add 3 oz. Saaz, 4.5% AA. At 70 minutes, add 1 oz. Hersbrucker, 3.1% AA.
At the end of the boil, chill to ale pitching temps and pitch an appropriate yeast. I use Wyeast 1007, which is reputed to be the Zum Uerige altbierbraueri yeast. At around 65-67F fermentation temps, it produces some nice soft esters. It is a very boisterous top-fermenting yeast, and frequently escapes the bondage of the fermenters to the relative freedom of the surrounding floor, so be advised.
Target OG is 1.046 - 1.050, BUs 30. I really like to use the Hersbrucker for this one; the earthy, herbal flavor comes through nicely.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Batch 368: Tropical Blonde Ale
Recently, Uncle Dave's best buddy Greg turned 40, and Greg's bride Colleen asked Dave and me if we would brew a beer for the occasion. Time was short when we got serious about it; I told Dave, "OK, it'll have to be a quick maturing low gravity beer." "How about a nice bitter, or a mild, or an Irish stout?" Well, the party theme was sort of a Hawaiian/Polynesian thing, and at the 11th hour we hit on this: A simple blonde ale with the distinctive tropical fruit flavors and aromas of Citra hops! Here's what we did:
(10 gallons)
12 lbs. Great Western 2 row malt
Mash with 1 qt./lb. at 150F. Vorlauf/lauter/sparge to kettle until runoff gravity falls to 1.008. Make up kettle to 12 gallons with brewing liquor. Boil 90 minutes.
Hops:
1.1 oz. Willamette 5.2% for 60 minutes
1 oz. Citra 13.7% for 15 minutes
1 oz. Citra 13. 7% for 5 minutes
Calculated BUs: 24
OG: 1.038
FG: 1.008
Chilled wort and pitched with Danstar Nottingham. Fermented at 70F.
This beer was really nice; 4% alc/vol, lots of interesting fruit flavor and aroma from the Citra, and undoubtedly from the Nottingham yeast as well, and definitely suited to the party theme.
(10 gallons)
12 lbs. Great Western 2 row malt
Mash with 1 qt./lb. at 150F. Vorlauf/lauter/sparge to kettle until runoff gravity falls to 1.008. Make up kettle to 12 gallons with brewing liquor. Boil 90 minutes.
Hops:
1.1 oz. Willamette 5.2% for 60 minutes
1 oz. Citra 13.7% for 15 minutes
1 oz. Citra 13. 7% for 5 minutes
Calculated BUs: 24
OG: 1.038
FG: 1.008
Chilled wort and pitched with Danstar Nottingham. Fermented at 70F.
This beer was really nice; 4% alc/vol, lots of interesting fruit flavor and aroma from the Citra, and undoubtedly from the Nottingham yeast as well, and definitely suited to the party theme.
Brew Day, Batch 373: Saison Sorachi
I scored some Sorachi Ace hops recently, and had a couple of ideas about how best to use their unique lemongrass-like aroma and flavor. One idea was a saison, where the peppery phenols and fruity esters might harmonize nicely with lemony flavors. We will see. Here's what I did:
(10 gallons)
I did a very thick initial dough in for a protein rest at about 125F for 30 minutes, then infused boiling liquor to boost to a saccharification rest of 147F. I collected 11.5 gallons of sweet wort, and topped the kettle up to 12 gallons. For a total 90 minute boil, here's the hop schedule:
I chilled down to 67F, with the help of some ice, and pitched a hefty slurry of Wyeast 3711 French Saison saved from the last batch of Atmospherium. Thanks to the Granny Thermostat, everybody is happily fermenting along at 70F. Stay tuned...
Ps. I still have an ounce and a half of the Sorachi, and plan to use them in a batch of blonde ale, which should be a great vehicle for their unique aroma and flavor....
(10 gallons)
11 lbs. Weyermann Pils malt
2 lbs. Weyermann Munich Type 1
1/2 lb. Weyermann Cara Munich
1/2 lb. Simpsons "Golden Naked Oats" crystal oat malt
I did a very thick initial dough in for a protein rest at about 125F for 30 minutes, then infused boiling liquor to boost to a saccharification rest of 147F. I collected 11.5 gallons of sweet wort, and topped the kettle up to 12 gallons. For a total 90 minute boil, here's the hop schedule:
1 oz. Perle 9.3% for 60 minutes
3/4 oz. Sorachi Ace 15.1% for 15 minutes
3/4 oz. Sorachi Ace 15.1% at end of boil
Calculated BUs: 30
OG: 1.045
Calculated BUs: 30
OG: 1.045
I chilled down to 67F, with the help of some ice, and pitched a hefty slurry of Wyeast 3711 French Saison saved from the last batch of Atmospherium. Thanks to the Granny Thermostat, everybody is happily fermenting along at 70F. Stay tuned...
Ps. I still have an ounce and a half of the Sorachi, and plan to use them in a batch of blonde ale, which should be a great vehicle for their unique aroma and flavor....
Of Interest To Homebrewers Only
It's been freakin' hot hereabouts since, like March, and I've been ineffectively trying to manage fermentation temps in the basement while simultaneously not running the A/C all the damn time. Also, I just want it to be consistently cool in the basement, and not see my breath upstairs. Finally, it occurred to my thick self that maybe I should control the thing I am concerned about directly, and not worry about the rest unless I need to. So I put a thermostat in the granny cell, and let that run the A/C.
Wuht?
This is a granny cell:
That's the whole room. It's in the corner of our basement, and was built so Mrs. C's mum would have someplace to sleep when she stayed with us for a month at a time. (She likes purple.) Since that time, the little Cicerones have grown up and gone on their ways, and we have a spare bedroom above ground for mothers-in-law and other travelers to use.
So, anyways, it has a door, and one of the three HVAC diffusers in the basement within its bounds. So, if I put a "granny thermostat" in there and put my fermenters in there, I could control their ambient temp, and thus fermentation temp. Thermostats are really simple gizmos, and you can just parallel them as long as you only turn one on at a time. Right now, the only diffuser register that is open is the one in the "cell," because temps outside are fairly livable. The rest of the house will track along, depending on whether the registers are open. When the temps inevitably approach 100F again, I will close windows and open registers again. The important thing is that while Mrs. C. and I can easily tolerate some extreme temperature swings, the yeast doesn't have to. After all, brewers make wort, but yeast makes beer! Current granny cell conditions:
Wuht?
This is a granny cell:
That's the whole room. It's in the corner of our basement, and was built so Mrs. C's mum would have someplace to sleep when she stayed with us for a month at a time. (She likes purple.) Since that time, the little Cicerones have grown up and gone on their ways, and we have a spare bedroom above ground for mothers-in-law and other travelers to use.
So, anyways, it has a door, and one of the three HVAC diffusers in the basement within its bounds. So, if I put a "granny thermostat" in there and put my fermenters in there, I could control their ambient temp, and thus fermentation temp. Thermostats are really simple gizmos, and you can just parallel them as long as you only turn one on at a time. Right now, the only diffuser register that is open is the one in the "cell," because temps outside are fairly livable. The rest of the house will track along, depending on whether the registers are open. When the temps inevitably approach 100F again, I will close windows and open registers again. The important thing is that while Mrs. C. and I can easily tolerate some extreme temperature swings, the yeast doesn't have to. After all, brewers make wort, but yeast makes beer! Current granny cell conditions:
 |
| Room for plenty more... especially once the bed goes! |
Friday, June 22, 2012
Brew Day, Batch 371: Return of Atmospherium
My original attempt at Atmospherium missed the target a bit; instead of 6 to 6-1/2% alcohol I ended up with 8.1%. Tasty as it was, it really was too much for a hot summer's tipple. Today, I am attempting to learn from my previous errors, and make something more 6ish. The key elements are intact: a portion of malted rye to accentuate the spicy, peppery phenols from the French Saison yeast; a wort designed to attain very high attenuation through a multi-step, low temperature mash and the use of 6% table sugar AKA Atmospherium; and lots of spicy Saaz hops throughout.
Here's today's take:
(10 gallons yield)
90 minute kettle boil
Calculated BUs ~30
Wort was chilled to 65F, yielding 10 and a skosh gallons at 1.050, which was pitched with Wyeast 3711 slurry. This should hit the ABV target nicely....
Here's today's take:
(10 gallons yield)
10 lbs. Weyermann Pilsener malt
2 lbs. Briess rye malt
2 lbs. Weyermann Munich Type 2
1/2 lb. Weyermann Cara Munich
1 lb. table sugar (cane)
- Doughed in with 13-1/2 quarts of 134F liquor for 124F protein rest; rested 30 min.
- Infused with boiling liquor to 147F, rested 75 min.
- Vorlaufed, lautered, sparged to collect 12 gallons of wort. Terminal runoff gravity 1.011.
90 minute kettle boil
-Sugar added at 30 min.
-1.3 oz. Perle 9.3% alpha acid at 30 minutes
-1 oz Saaz 5.1% alpha acid at 75 minutes
-1 oz Saaz 5.1% alpha acid at ~90 minutes
Calculated BUs ~30
Wort was chilled to 65F, yielding 10 and a skosh gallons at 1.050, which was pitched with Wyeast 3711 slurry. This should hit the ABV target nicely....
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Brew Day, Batch 369: Munich Dunkel
Dark Munich-style lager beer; it is possibly the very epitome of maltoliciousness, and one of the first classic beers that I strove to make for myself when I began homebrewing almost 25 years ago. The first recipes were based mostly on the contents of my hinder parts, using domestic ingredients, and the wrong ones, mostly. We still got beer out of it, just not real Munich beer; it didn't have the intensity of malty, bready, toasty, caramelly flavors the real thing has. Over the years, increased access to quality information and German malt led me to the promised land. And unlike say, pale ale, hereabouts there is a dearth of these hearty lagers, so it still really pays to make your own. This is a recipe that I've frozen, and won't change unless I can't get the Weyermann malts someday.
(10 gallons)
Target OG, 1.054, 24 BUs
Scaled-down decoction mash:
Doughed in 1 qt./lb. at 132F for 125F strike. Rested 10 min.
Pulled 9 qt. thickest mash for 1st decoction. Heated to 155F, rested 15. Heated to boil, held 15.
Returned to main mash for 154F (needed to infuse 2 qt. boiling liquor,) rested 40 min. After a negative starch test, pulled 7-1/2 qt. thin mash and boiled 5 min. Returned for 165F mashout.
Vorlauf/lauter/sparge until runoff drops to 1.010; collect 12 gallons sweet wort.
Boil/hop as noted above. Total boil time is 90 minutes. Chill to 70F (best we can do this time of year,) and pitch yeast. Place fermenters in 45F cooler to finish attemperating. Rack and lager like the dickens when fermentation subsides. (Note: with this yeast, a diacetyl rest is necessary; allow temp to rise to mid-60s for the last few days of primary fermentation.)
Looking forward to drinking big mugfulls of this while eating barbecue....
(10 gallons)
Target OG, 1.054, 24 BUs
15 lbs. Weyermann Munich Type1
2 lbs. Weyermann Munich Type 2
1/4 lb. Weyermann Carafa 1
1.2 oz. Perle 9.3% alpha acid -60 minutes
1/2 oz. Saaz 5.1% alpha acid -20 minutes
Wyeast 2308 Munich lager yeast starter Scaled-down decoction mash:
Doughed in 1 qt./lb. at 132F for 125F strike. Rested 10 min.
Pulled 9 qt. thickest mash for 1st decoction. Heated to 155F, rested 15. Heated to boil, held 15.
Returned to main mash for 154F (needed to infuse 2 qt. boiling liquor,) rested 40 min. After a negative starch test, pulled 7-1/2 qt. thin mash and boiled 5 min. Returned for 165F mashout.
Vorlauf/lauter/sparge until runoff drops to 1.010; collect 12 gallons sweet wort.
Boil/hop as noted above. Total boil time is 90 minutes. Chill to 70F (best we can do this time of year,) and pitch yeast. Place fermenters in 45F cooler to finish attemperating. Rack and lager like the dickens when fermentation subsides. (Note: with this yeast, a diacetyl rest is necessary; allow temp to rise to mid-60s for the last few days of primary fermentation.)
Looking forward to drinking big mugfulls of this while eating barbecue....
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Brew Day, Batch 367: "Session IPA"
Today's beer is a command performance: Mrs. C commanded me to make a "session IPA," that is, a low-gravity pale ale with very high bitterness and hop character. She did not have to command too stridently, though, as I think it's a capital idea. We are currently enjoying a very citrusy 5.9% v/v IPA, but a pint of that stuff before dinner makes Mrs. C's head spin. Thus, I'm looking to produce an amber beer of around 3.5-4.0% with around 55 BUs. Here's what I'm going with, straight from the back of the envelope:
(10 gallons final volume)
As you can see from the hop bill, this will not be a citrusy one. Seemed like a good idea to change it up a bit- the previously mentioned IPA, plus the Dynamomium uber-IPA which is citrusy and fruity as well, have that covered. I'm hoping for a wee bit of piney-ness to carry through from the Columbus, add a bit of wood, mint, and tea from the Northern Brewer, some nice clean spiciness from the Willamette, and a nose full of currant from the Bramling Cross. Wyeast 1098 British Ale yeast will be doing the real work on this one, which we hope to be drinking within 3-4 weeks.
(10 gallons final volume)
11 lbs. Great Western 2 row malt
1 lb. Weyermann Melanoidin malt
1/2 lb. Briess Victory malt
1/2 lb. Dingemans Special B malt
Single infusion mash, 1 qt./lb., at 154F
90 minute boil
1 oz. Columbus 13.0% 60 minutes
2 oz. Northern Brewer 10.0% 30 minutes
1-1/2 oz. Willamette 5.2% 10 minutes
1 oz. Bramling Cross 4.7% 5 minutes
As you can see from the hop bill, this will not be a citrusy one. Seemed like a good idea to change it up a bit- the previously mentioned IPA, plus the Dynamomium uber-IPA which is citrusy and fruity as well, have that covered. I'm hoping for a wee bit of piney-ness to carry through from the Columbus, add a bit of wood, mint, and tea from the Northern Brewer, some nice clean spiciness from the Willamette, and a nose full of currant from the Bramling Cross. Wyeast 1098 British Ale yeast will be doing the real work on this one, which we hope to be drinking within 3-4 weeks.
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Brew Day, Batch 366: Ginger Wheat Ale
Summer weather is here, and I'm a bit behind- this is one of our favorite summer beers, and it'll be weeks until we have any to drink. I guess we'll have to make do with two varieties of Pils, and some IPA. Nothing new about today's beer; it's the same as detailed here. I'm using one kettle addtion of Crystal, with 4 oz. of chopped ginger in the boil for 60 minutes and 10 oz. for 10 minutes. Top-fermenting Wyeast 1007 will do the honors. Stay tuned....
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
