On a recent trip to a homebrew shop, I picked up a vial of WhiteLabs East Coast Ale Yeast. Well I didnt get to use it as soon as I would have liked, and It was closing in on it good by date, so I needed to use it up.
I had some Liwuid extract and some hops in the cupboard, so I said what the hell, Ill see what I can come up with. This is the recipe I made up.
3.3 lbs Briess Bavarian Wheat LME
3.3 lbs Briess Pilsen Light LME
8 oz Crystal 60L
2 oz Chocolate Malt
4 oz Malto-Dextrine
1 oz Hallertau hops at 60 minutes
1 oz East Kent Goldings at 15 minutes
Irish moss added at 15 minutes.
48 hours before brewing I created a 1.5 liter starter with the East Coast Ale Yeast.
The rest of my brewing went the same as before, brew outside on Gas Burner, cool wort, pitch yeast, take down to basement.
It is currently 66-68 degrees downstairs.
The airlock was happily bubbling away after 8 hours.
This beer was in the primary for a month, the first time I have left anything that long. I am hoping I get my kegging setup for christmas, so Im holding this one in secondary for a month or more and it will be my first one in the keg. If I dont get the kegging system then Ill just bottle it during the christmas break.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Brewers Best - American Cream Ale - Oct 10, 2010
This was my third brewers best kit, and I have been fairly impressed so far. So far the other 2 I made were darker beers and I think friends and family where a little put off by the darkness. I want to brew something a little more like what they were use to, so I brew an american cream ale which is a light colored ale.
This one was straight extracts, sugar and hops, no specailty grains, so the brew time was a little less.
I once again brewed outside with the propane burner, with no really issues. I did have one scare, where a flock of geese came flying over my open pot. No geese bombs made it into the pot.
This beer once again uses nottingham yeast, but I now have a chest freezer with a temperature controller on it so I decide to ferment it colder at 58 degrees. Hopefully it will give me a really clean tasting beer.
Starting Gravity: 1.042- Once again I came in lower that the predicted Starting gravity
Primary: 3 weeks planned
Secondary: 2 Weeks planned, which includes 1 week with gelatin.
Bottled On: November 5, 2010
How was it? Dont know its still in primary.
Update: Its was bottled on November 5th, and shold be ready to drink by thanksgiving.
Update: Tried a few of these the first after 2 weeks and it was still flat. Brought some of this upstairs to warm up and it is pretty well carbed, and is fantastic. I think the low fermenting temp really helped it is really clean tasting and really quite drinkable. When I get my tapping system this will be one of the first beers on tap.
This one was straight extracts, sugar and hops, no specailty grains, so the brew time was a little less.
I once again brewed outside with the propane burner, with no really issues. I did have one scare, where a flock of geese came flying over my open pot. No geese bombs made it into the pot.
This beer once again uses nottingham yeast, but I now have a chest freezer with a temperature controller on it so I decide to ferment it colder at 58 degrees. Hopefully it will give me a really clean tasting beer.
Starting Gravity: 1.042- Once again I came in lower that the predicted Starting gravity
Primary: 3 weeks planned
Secondary: 2 Weeks planned, which includes 1 week with gelatin.
Bottled On: November 5, 2010
How was it? Dont know its still in primary.
Update: Its was bottled on November 5th, and shold be ready to drink by thanksgiving.
Update: Tried a few of these the first after 2 weeks and it was still flat. Brought some of this upstairs to warm up and it is pretty well carbed, and is fantastic. I think the low fermenting temp really helped it is really clean tasting and really quite drinkable. When I get my tapping system this will be one of the first beers on tap.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Brewers Best - German AltBier - August 16, 2010
This was my second atempt at brewing a beer. The kit was a birthday present from my wife.
I learn from my last brew day that the electric stove wasnt going to cut it, so I bought a propane burner, it was worth every penny, no more 3 hours trying to get water to boil.
I started the day by sanitizing everything, and I mean everything. I was brewing outside so I sanitized a small table that I kept all my tools on.
The recipe contains some steeping grains, which have to be steeped at 160 degrees. I put 2.5 gallons of water in my pot and turned the burner on, it was boiling in about 20 minutes. 160 degrees, in go the grains for about 30 minutes.
Once the steeping is done you need to bring the wort to a boil before adding extract and the bittering hops.
Added the extract and both hop additions accordin to schedule.
I remembered to add my irish moss this time. Not sure that it does anything, but its cheap, so I do it.
I cooled it in an ice bath in the kitchen sink, in about 20 minutes and added cold distiled water to bring the temp down the rest of the way. I had put the distilled water in the freezer at the begining of the boil so it was really cold, but not freezing yet.
I put in the packet of nottingham yeast that came with the kit and closed the bucket up, and put it in the basement. We were leaving on vacation the next afternoon, and I was a little worried that I might have had bad yeast. But by the next morning it was bubling away.
Starting Gravity: 1.042- Once again I came in lower that the predicted Starting gravity
Primary: 2 Weeks
Secondary: 9 days - with gelatin
Bottled On: 9-6-2010
How was it? Dont know yet...its still bottle conditioning. I plan on 3 weeks minimum so Ill crack one open the end of the month.
I popped one open after two weeks in the bottle. No carbonation at all. It has a really mild taste. Im going to let it carb up for a couple more weeks before trying another one.
UPDATE: Ive had about another six or so of these and Im really liking them. After a couple of more weeks in the bottle the flavor really started coming out. I was getting a kind of dry, bitter aftertaste when dringing them right out of the fridge, but if you drink them at the correct 50 degree temp that goes away, and it is a really good beer.
I learn from my last brew day that the electric stove wasnt going to cut it, so I bought a propane burner, it was worth every penny, no more 3 hours trying to get water to boil.
I started the day by sanitizing everything, and I mean everything. I was brewing outside so I sanitized a small table that I kept all my tools on.
The recipe contains some steeping grains, which have to be steeped at 160 degrees. I put 2.5 gallons of water in my pot and turned the burner on, it was boiling in about 20 minutes. 160 degrees, in go the grains for about 30 minutes.
Once the steeping is done you need to bring the wort to a boil before adding extract and the bittering hops.
Added the extract and both hop additions accordin to schedule.
I remembered to add my irish moss this time. Not sure that it does anything, but its cheap, so I do it.
I cooled it in an ice bath in the kitchen sink, in about 20 minutes and added cold distiled water to bring the temp down the rest of the way. I had put the distilled water in the freezer at the begining of the boil so it was really cold, but not freezing yet.
I put in the packet of nottingham yeast that came with the kit and closed the bucket up, and put it in the basement. We were leaving on vacation the next afternoon, and I was a little worried that I might have had bad yeast. But by the next morning it was bubling away.
Starting Gravity: 1.042- Once again I came in lower that the predicted Starting gravity
Primary: 2 Weeks
Secondary: 9 days - with gelatin
Bottled On: 9-6-2010
How was it? Dont know yet...its still bottle conditioning. I plan on 3 weeks minimum so Ill crack one open the end of the month.
I popped one open after two weeks in the bottle. No carbonation at all. It has a really mild taste. Im going to let it carb up for a couple more weeks before trying another one.
UPDATE: Ive had about another six or so of these and Im really liking them. After a couple of more weeks in the bottle the flavor really started coming out. I was getting a kind of dry, bitter aftertaste when dringing them right out of the fridge, but if you drink them at the correct 50 degree temp that goes away, and it is a really good beer.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Brewers Best Red Ale - June 26, 2010
This was an exciting day for me, making my first beer. Things went fairly well, could have beer better, could have been worse.
I started the day by sanitizing everything, and I mean everything, buckets spoons, counter tops, plus I banished the kids from the kitchen.
The recipe contains some steeping grains, which have to be steeped at 160 degrees. I put 2.5 gallons of water in my pot and turned the stove on, and waited, and waited. Finally 160 degrees, in go the grains. I should have noticed at this point that a stove wasnt going to cut it, but I didnt.
Once the steeping is done you need to bring the wort to a boil before adding the hops. It was taking forever, I finally got out another pot and poured half the wort into each one, I was finally able to get both to boil and returned all the wort to my bigger pot. I added the hops on schedule, and was able to keep a small boil going.
I was going to add irish moss to this at the 15 min to go mark, but forgot to until about 8 minutes left.
I cooled it in an ice bath in the kitchen sink, in about 20 minutes and added cold distiled water to bring the temp down the rest of the way.
I the packet of nottingham yeast that came with the kit and closed the bucket up, put the airlock in, put it down in the basement for a couple of weeks.
Starting Gravity: 1.042- It was supposed to be higher, but I think I added to much water.
Primary: 12 days
Secondary: 7 days - with gelatin
Bottled On: 7-18-2010
How was it? Considering the problems I had in the process and not knowing what I was doing, it turned out really well. Ive been really enjoying it, and its just a good as any red ales I currently buy.
I started the day by sanitizing everything, and I mean everything, buckets spoons, counter tops, plus I banished the kids from the kitchen.
The recipe contains some steeping grains, which have to be steeped at 160 degrees. I put 2.5 gallons of water in my pot and turned the stove on, and waited, and waited. Finally 160 degrees, in go the grains. I should have noticed at this point that a stove wasnt going to cut it, but I didnt.
Once the steeping is done you need to bring the wort to a boil before adding the hops. It was taking forever, I finally got out another pot and poured half the wort into each one, I was finally able to get both to boil and returned all the wort to my bigger pot. I added the hops on schedule, and was able to keep a small boil going.
I was going to add irish moss to this at the 15 min to go mark, but forgot to until about 8 minutes left.
I cooled it in an ice bath in the kitchen sink, in about 20 minutes and added cold distiled water to bring the temp down the rest of the way.
I the packet of nottingham yeast that came with the kit and closed the bucket up, put the airlock in, put it down in the basement for a couple of weeks.
Starting Gravity: 1.042- It was supposed to be higher, but I think I added to much water.
Primary: 12 days
Secondary: 7 days - with gelatin
Bottled On: 7-18-2010
How was it? Considering the problems I had in the process and not knowing what I was doing, it turned out really well. Ive been really enjoying it, and its just a good as any red ales I currently buy.
First Brew - Apfelwein - June 25, 2010
I wanted to have a beer be my first brew, but this sounded so good and was really easy, so I snuck it in the day before my first beer brewing.
I copied this from a thread on Homebrewtalk.com
Award Winning Apfelwein Recipe (German Hard Cider) Apple Wine Recipe
Placed 1st in the Cider & Apple Wine category at the BJCP sanctioned Alamo Cerveza fest (out of 11 entries) and took 2nd place for Best of Show for the main category of Meads & Ciders (out of 50 entries).
Ingredients
5 Gallons 100% Apple Juice (No preservatives or additives) I use Tree Top Apple Juice
2 pounds of dextrose (corn sugar) in one pound bags
1 five gram packet of Montrachet Wine Yeast
Equipment
5 Gallon Carboy (I use a Better Bottle)
Carboy Cap or Stopper with Airlock
Funnel
First sanitize the carboy, airlock, funnel, stopper or carboy cap.
Open one gallon bottle of apple juice and pour half of it into the carboy using the funnel.
Open one bag of Dextrose and carefully add it to the now half full bottle of apple juice. Shake well.
Repeat Steps 2 and 3, then go to step 5.
Pour in the mixture of Apple Juice and Dextrose from both bottles into the carboy.
Add all but 1 quart of remaining 3 gallons of apple juice to the carboy.
Open the packet of Montrachet Yeast and pour it into the neck of the funnel.
Use the remaining quart of juice to wash down any yeast that sticks. I am able to fit all but 3 ounces of apple juice into a 5 gallon Better Bottle. You may need to be patient to let the foam die down from all shaking and pouring.
Put your stopper or carboy cap on with an airlock and fill the airlock with cheap vodka. No bacteria will live in vodka and if you get suckback, you just boosted the abv.
There’s no need to worry about filling up a carboy so full when you use Montrachet wine yeast. There is no Kreuzen, just a thin layer of bubbles (). I'm able to fit all but 4 oz. of my five gallons in the bottle. Ferment at room temperature.
It will become cloudy in a couple of days and remain so for a few weeks. In the 4th week, the yeast will begin to drop out and it will become clear. After at least 4 weeks, you can keg or bottle, but it is ok to leave it in the carboy for another month or so. Racking to a secondary is not necessary. It ferments out very dry (less than 0.999, see here)
Apfelwein really improves with age, so if you can please let it sit in a carboy for up to 3 months before bottling or kegging, then let it sit even longer. Here's what some folks think.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Saccharomyces
Six months and it hits its stride. Eight months and it'll blow your mind.
If you want to bottle and carbonate, ¾ cup of corn sugar will work fine. Use as you would carbonate a batch of beer.
Bottled On: 8-8-10
How was it?
Still bottle conditioning til late august.
I copied this from a thread on Homebrewtalk.com
Award Winning Apfelwein Recipe (German Hard Cider) Apple Wine Recipe
Placed 1st in the Cider & Apple Wine category at the BJCP sanctioned Alamo Cerveza fest (out of 11 entries) and took 2nd place for Best of Show for the main category of Meads & Ciders (out of 50 entries).
Ingredients
5 Gallons 100% Apple Juice (No preservatives or additives) I use Tree Top Apple Juice
2 pounds of dextrose (corn sugar) in one pound bags
1 five gram packet of Montrachet Wine Yeast
Equipment
5 Gallon Carboy (I use a Better Bottle)
Carboy Cap or Stopper with Airlock
Funnel
First sanitize the carboy, airlock, funnel, stopper or carboy cap.
Open one gallon bottle of apple juice and pour half of it into the carboy using the funnel.
Open one bag of Dextrose and carefully add it to the now half full bottle of apple juice. Shake well.
Repeat Steps 2 and 3, then go to step 5.
Pour in the mixture of Apple Juice and Dextrose from both bottles into the carboy.
Add all but 1 quart of remaining 3 gallons of apple juice to the carboy.
Open the packet of Montrachet Yeast and pour it into the neck of the funnel.
Use the remaining quart of juice to wash down any yeast that sticks. I am able to fit all but 3 ounces of apple juice into a 5 gallon Better Bottle. You may need to be patient to let the foam die down from all shaking and pouring.
Put your stopper or carboy cap on with an airlock and fill the airlock with cheap vodka. No bacteria will live in vodka and if you get suckback, you just boosted the abv.
There’s no need to worry about filling up a carboy so full when you use Montrachet wine yeast. There is no Kreuzen, just a thin layer of bubbles (). I'm able to fit all but 4 oz. of my five gallons in the bottle. Ferment at room temperature.
It will become cloudy in a couple of days and remain so for a few weeks. In the 4th week, the yeast will begin to drop out and it will become clear. After at least 4 weeks, you can keg or bottle, but it is ok to leave it in the carboy for another month or so. Racking to a secondary is not necessary. It ferments out very dry (less than 0.999, see here)
Apfelwein really improves with age, so if you can please let it sit in a carboy for up to 3 months before bottling or kegging, then let it sit even longer. Here's what some folks think.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Saccharomyces
Six months and it hits its stride. Eight months and it'll blow your mind.
If you want to bottle and carbonate, ¾ cup of corn sugar will work fine. Use as you would carbonate a batch of beer.
Bottled On: 8-8-10
How was it?
Still bottle conditioning til late august.
Welcome to Aquadog Brewing Company
Are we a real company? No. Do we sell our brews? No.
Do friend and family enjoy them for free. Yes!
Im starting this blog to track my brewing progress, and to pass on my reviews of the kits or recipies im brewing.
The brewery name comes from us having a dog that is crazy about going in our pool. We started calling her aquadog and the name seem like a good brewery name.
Do friend and family enjoy them for free. Yes!
Im starting this blog to track my brewing progress, and to pass on my reviews of the kits or recipies im brewing.
The brewery name comes from us having a dog that is crazy about going in our pool. We started calling her aquadog and the name seem like a good brewery name.
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