Miss Me?

Didn't think so.

I haven't posted because I haven't been brewing much, let alone experimenting.  I have had a busy summer, and only did like 3 batches of some basic beers.

I did, however come up with an experiment.  I went for a porter, my second-favorite beer style.  This time, however, instead of messing with the one gallon, extract stuff, I started with a five gallon batch of a basic porter (the "robust" variety), and split the batch for secondary fermentation on top of some common flavorings for the style.

In hindsight, I should have kept a gallon unchanged as a control batch, but I'll do that next time.  Here is the recipe:

- 12 lbs American 2-row
- 1.5 lbs Crystal 40L
- 0.5 lbs Black Patent
- 0.5 Chocolate
- 1 lb Organic Brown Sugar (added with 15 mins left in the boil)
- 1 oz. Fuggles hops ( added with 60 mins left in the boil)
- 1 oz. fuggles hops (added with 20 mins left in the boil)

I used White Labs WLP013 in a 2.5 Liter starter, which is just a basic, hop-less beer used to grow the yeast and ensure its health.  Based on the original gravity (1.079), it should have been a 3 liter starter, but it seems to have worked fine.

I racked the beer to three secondary fermentation vessels.  One, three gallon batch on top of frozen, thawed, then pasteurized (sort of: I baked them at 170F for 30 mins) sweet cherries; one, one-gallon batch with 1/2 tablespoon pure vanilla extract; and another one-gallon batch on top of cacao nibs which had been roasted at 250F for 20 mins.

I tasted the sample I took for gravity readings, and I'm pretty sure I would have been letting it sit for a while, as the alcohol flavor (also called "heat") was VERY strong.  It's a 7.5% ABV beer, so I'm not surprised, but it was definitely too much for my liking.  Great body and deep, rich flavor though.

I actually will start posting pics and stuff, since I just learned how to do it from my phone.

I'm Back!

Another delay, I know.  I can't really blame anything other than laziness this time.  I finally made a five-gallon batch of the beer, and it's awesome.

It doesn't have the head or clarity that I was hoping for, but the body and flavors are perfect.  Here is the final recipe:

10lbs Briess 2-row
1lb Crystal 40L
.5lb Carapils
-Mashed for 60 mins at 152 degrees F
1oz Centennial hops added with 60 mins left in the boil
1oz Cascade hops added with 15 mins left in the boil
1oz Columbus hops added with 5 mins left in the boil
Safale US-05 added after cooling

I'm going to be adding some more priming sugar to the bottling bucket this time to boost the carbonation.  I may also do a secondary fermentation to allow the beer to clear some.  From there I may try a few things such as dry hopping, adding spices, different yeasts, different water sources, etc.  But I need some ideas.

In the meantime, I am trying to think up another experiment to try and develop another beer.

Uhh...late, but I think I did it.

So I know its been like a month since I last posted, but there has been a lot of non-beer stuff going on.

The good news is that I REALLY like one of the beers I brewed last time.  The one brewed with .2 lbs of 40L Crystal malt is awesome, and I can't imagine the taste getting any better.  The aroma is great, the body is great, and it has just the right amount of bitterness with the malt backbone to balance it out.  The 60L doesn't really impress me as much, having kind of a "tangy" flavor.  There was not much difference in color if any at all.

Don't get me wrong, I'm still going to try the other malts (Crystal 120L and 80L, Victory, and Munich), and I am also going to try and improve some other aspects such as the amount and retention of the foam.

Some other things I may try include secondary fermentation over various ingredients, using different bottle conditioning sugars (like brown sugar, candies, raisins, etc.), and using different yeasts.

The next two batches happen this weekend.

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.

Yup, They Were Ready

I tested the gravity of the beers, and they were all set to bottle.

I also taste a sample of each, and, from those, I think the Simcoe one may be kind of harsh.  Obviously I'll have to wait another week or two while they condition and carbonate, but It looks like the Centennial at 60 minutes, Cascade at 10, and Columbus at flameout will be the best of the two.  Then I'll compare them to the Cascade at 15 minute beer, and decide on the best one.

From there, I have to start trying malts.  This won't happen until I've decided on the definite hop schedule, but it's coming soon!

I'm currently doing a little research on the different malt recipes for some of my current favorite beers.  Looks like I'll start with a base of American 2 Row Brewers Malt, and some type of Crystal Malt.  Usually these are used in a 90/10 or so ratio.  I'll give that a try first.