First All-Grain Brewday a Success!

I got the two all-grain experiments brewed today.  They both turned out to be pretty easy to do, other than the fact that they each took over an hour to cool enough to pitch the yeast.  I'm going to have to figure out  a better way to cool the brew before next time.

I went with a base of Briess Pale Malt (2lbs), and added 0.2lbs of specialty.  I decided that, in order to keep things simple, it is best to start with the Crystal malts, since there are so many of them to get through.  Today I used 40L and 60L.  Next time (2 weeks) I'm doing 80L and 120 (not sure why 100 is skipped, but I've never seen it in stock at my local store).  After that, I'm moving to Special-B (a very dark Crystal), Vienna, Victory and Munich.  These are all used in pale ales on  a regular basis (not so much Vienna), and relatively easy to find.  All of them will be added at a ratio of 10:1 against the base Pale malt.

Not sure how to proceed after that...Mix a few together?  That might be the smartest way to go.  I should probably save at least one of each to mix at the end of this cycle of experiments so I can mix a few and see if I can come up with a good grain bill.  Then again, it may be more "scientific" to choose one of the 8, and then start adding to that recipe...hmmm.

Anyway, enough rambling.  Here's how these next few experiments will go:

• 26 cups of water heated to 155 degrees F
• Nylon grain bag filled with 2lbs Briess 2-Row Pale malt, and 0.2lbs specialty grain and lowered into water
• Bag "massaged" with large spoon to ensure equal wetting of grains
• Sheet of foil draped over pot. (Temperature is checked regularly to make sure it stays between 150 and 152 degrees F while starches from grain are converted to sugars
• After 60 mins, bag is removed and placed in strainer over pot
• 4 Cups 170 degree water poured slowly over bags to rinse or "sparge" the grains
• When grains have drained, wort brought to boil; Boil is 60 mins in duration
• .2oz Centennial hops added at 60 mins left in boil
• .2oz Cascade hops added at 15 mins left in boil
• .2oz Columbus hops added at 5 mins left in boil
• At end of boil, pot is removed from heat, cooled to 80 degrees F and transferred to fermenter
• 5.75g Safale US-05 dry yeast added, fermenter closed, left for a few moments to allow yeast to rehydrate some, and shaken for one minute

That's the formula for the next 8 batches.  I'm going to check the specific gravity in 10 days to see where we're at. and bottle if its ready.

Beerfest!

The Philadelphia Winter Beerfest was yesterday.  It had been postponed from a few weeks ago due to a run-in with the PA Liquor Control Board and the very odd laws they enforce.  It was a great time, and showcased some amazing beers from craft breweries all over the country.

The Standout, for me, was Williamsburg Brewery's Washington Porter.  Great taste, great mouthfeel, and a good, solid kick...pretty much perfect.  I think I might try a porter in the next experiment, since those seem to be what I've been enjoying the most lately, but I'm getting way ahead of myself.  I was excited to try Stone Brewery's Oak Aged Arrogant Bastard, but ended up being a little disappointed.  The hoppy punch of the original AB was gone, which happens as hop-forward beers age, and the oak flavor was huge, like drinking a campfire.

There is another event in March that I'm looking forward to, but I may not be able to go...that would suck.

On another note, I have come up with the recipe and procedure for phase II.  Basically I am going to switch to an all-grain system, using a technique called brew-in-a-bag.  this way, I can really control the flavor.  I'm going to do a few batches with only pale malts first, so I can develop the base, then throw in specialty grains in the next few batches.  I have a bunch I need to go through, as there are several types of crystal malts, chocolate malts, light malts, dark malts, and all of them have different flavors.  I am going to start with crystal first, specifically crystal 40 and 60 (the numbers refer to the depth of color, as well as the level of caramel flavors), and then move on to 80 and 120.  I'll probably move on to Munich, Vienna, chocolate, and a few others as well.

Heading to the brew shop this Wednesday, and brewing next weekend...Yay!

Should Have Listened to Cinderella

It's true, You don't know what you got 'til it's gone.

I tried the second and third combo experiments, and could not have been more disappointed.  After tasting my 3 week old, first combo experiment, then tasting the other two, I've decided that I was right the first time.  All I had to do was wait a week, and the Combo #1 (Centennial at 60, Cascade at 15, and Columbus at 5) was dead on PERFECT.  The aroma had come through, the "stickiness" of the cascade had dissipated, an all was right with the world.  I will still save a few of the other two for another week or two and taste them again, but I think I've found the one...and I only have one left.

I'm still seeking suggestions on how to proceed with the grain bill construction.  I wish I was better at this.