Bottling Sucks!!!

So I brewed on Sunday, and bottled...attempted to bottle...my Cascade experiment.  Due to a faulty siphoning apparatus, we had some terrible trouble getting the beer into the bottles, and lost a full beer.  She hung in there with me though, and we got 5 cloudy, probably contaminated 100% Cascade-hopped beers.

The Centennial experiment is in the fermenter and bubbling away.  Here's what it looked like:

• 20 c Pocono Springs bottled water brought to rolling boil.
• 1 lb Muntons Extra Light DME (This will remain constant throughout the rest of the hops testing) stirred into pot.
• Wort brought back to boil, and .20 oz ( 1.8 AAU) Centennial hop pellets added.  60 minute timer started.
• At 45 minute mark (15 min left in boil) .20 oz (1.8 AAU) Centennial hop pellets added to boil.
• At 55 minute mark (5 min left in boil) .20 oz (1.8 AAU) Centennial hop pellets added to boil
• At 60 minute mark, brew pot is removed, covered, and placed in freezer to cool.
• When wort reads 70 degrees F, wort transferred to fermenter, and 11.5 g Fermentis brand Safale us-05 (This will remain constant throughout the rest of the hops testing) also added to fermenter.
• Fermenter closed and shaken for 1 min.

I will chill the Cascade Experiment one week from Sunday and give it a try while bottling the Centennial Experiment and brewing the Columbus Experiment...CAN'T F'N WAIT!!!! (I seem to be saying that a lot)

Small Change

So Sunday is bottle and brew day.  I will be bottling the Cascade brew, and brewing a nearly identical batch with Centennial hops.  The estimated bitterness for this one is almost twenty points higher than the Cascade, which is ok, but I am not even up to the most bitter of the American hop varieties.  The next experiment, Columbus, will be reeeeeeeeealy bitter.

The owner of the homebrew shop gave me a 3 pound bag of a lighter DME, which really wont make any difference at this hop level, and he suggested I use the full packet of yeast, since once you open the packet, the unused portion is very prone to infection.  Ahh the things you learn...

I'll check in again Sunday with the recipe.

Just A Quick Update

Yup! We've got bubbles!  The airlock is throwing out a bubble every 3-5 seconds, which tells me that some type of fermentation is taking place.  It is not as vigorous as I would like, but I assume that is because there is only a gallon in the bucket.

I should probably mention a few things in the interest of clarity.  First, I am brewing other batches with a friend at the same time this experiment is taking place.  We do 5 gallon batches about once per month.  Our third batch (a German spice ale) is currently in the fermenter.  I am doing this myself only because he is more inclined to try different malts and yeasts, as beers with those flavors at the forefront (as opposed to hops) are his favorite.  I'm a hop guy.  I mention this because I may refer to the brews we make or the ingredients we use from time to time.

Also, in my last post, I included alpha acid units (AAUs) in the recipe description.  I know these numbers apply differently when brewing a 5 gallon batch (as far as I know), but I wanted to have some record of the alpha acid content of the hops I'm using so I could continue this experiment over several harvests and not have this variable effect the experiment.

Later.

Brew Day 1: Cascading Deliciousness.

Batch #1 is in the fermenter!  I made a few little procedural mistakes, mostly in timing things properly so everything flowed smoothly, but nothing that will effect the experiment.  The Malt extract caused an almost immediate near boil-over.  I was able to stop it before it went over the edge, but it was close.  Next time I'll need to turn the heat down a little.  Using high heat to bring the water to a boil and then turning down the heat to medium or medium-high to maintain the boil might work pretty well.  I've actually heard of home brewers who take the pot off the heat while adding the extract.  I might try that too.

 

Here is what the brew looked like:

 

• 20 c Pocono Springs bottled water brought to rolling boil. 2 c then removed to measuring cup for  yeast starter and miscellaneous purposes.  The additional extra 2 c were to make up for boil-off.
• 1 lb LD Carlson brand Briess DME (This will remain constant throughout the hops testing) stirred into pot.
• Wort brought back to boil, and .20 oz (1.46 AAU) Cascade hop pellets added.  60 minute timer started.
• At 45 minute mark (15 min left in boil) .20 oz (1.46 AAU) Cascade hop pellets added to boil.
• At 55 minute mark (5 min left in boil) .20 oz (1.46 AAU) Cascade hop pellets added to boil
• At 60 minute mark, brew pot is removed, covered, and placed in freezer to cool.
• When wort reads 70 degrees F, wort transferred to fermenter, and 5.75 g Fermentis brand Safale us-05 (This will remain constant throughout the hops testing) in 1/2 c starter with 1 sugar cube also added to fermenter.
• Fermenter closed and shaken for 1 min.

So that's it.  I will check it tomorrow night to see if there's activity in the airlock.  If I can figure it out, I may post a video.  Can't wait to bottle this...can't wait to sample it either.

And So It Begins...

Welcome to my version of science.  Over the next several months, even years, I will be formulating and brewing small batches of beer, making minor tweaks along the way, in the interest of creating a beer that I would deem "My Favorite Ever" (MFE).  First, however, a few disclaimers and clarifications.

I am no scientist, but I understand the concept of controls and variables, and will be applying this throughout the experiment.  For example, when testing hops, I will use every other ingredient exactly the same as in every other hop-test batch.  In other words, when testing one ingredient, all other ingredients will freeze in place to give me a better understanding of the differences the variables create.

I should also point out that this was not entirely my idea. I learned of the small batch concept while listening to old episodes of a great podcast I found when first starting this hobby called Basic Brewing Radio.  The hosts made a six pack of IPA, and it looked like a lot of fun.  I then heard, on the same podcast, of a guy who had done several single-hop batches in order to taste the different varieties of American hops.  My mind began to churn, and this idea was born.  I created this experiment in my head and did a little bit of research, and now I'm set to go.

So here's how I will start this thing off.  My favorite commercially available beers are all IPA's, and I tend to lean towards the American varieties.  Avery's IPA, and Dark Horse's Crooked Tree are two of my favorites, and they are both relatively mild in terms of malt and yeast flavors, and heavier on the hop side.  This is where I will start.  My first few batches will focus on hop bitterness, aroma and flavor, and include a light American dry malt extract, as well as an American yeast (I will use the same brands throughout) in order to keep the non-hop flavor profiles mild.  I plan to add the hops in equal amounts (.20oz) at 0:00 (60 min left in the boil), 0:45 (15 min left in the boil), and 0:55 (5 min left in the boil).  I will then ferment for 2 weeks, bottle, and allow the beer to condition for a further two weeks before chilling and tasting the brew, and recording as much as possible regarding the body, flavor, color, bitterness, and aroma among other aspects which I will rate for all batches.

Starting with American hop varieties (Cascade is the first), I will then move to hops from other areas of the world.  I will probably stay with the more common varieties for now, because I probably wont live long enough to get through every single hop out there.  Once I find a good hop mix, I will move on to trying different malts, then yeasts, then maybe go to adjuncts, specialty grains, fresh water from the Pocono mountains...who knows?  What I do know is that this is going to be a hell of a lot of fun.  Brew Day number one is tomorrow!!!