Monday, November 12, 2012

Im back.

Well Life seemed to get in the way and I forgot to update this blog with a few brews that I did. I did a Hazed and Infused all grain clone that turned out really good, and a all late addition hop ale that turned out really mediocre. Then for about the last 6 months I was just to busy to brew. I had bought grains to make an oktoberfest in april and those are still in my fridge. I did make a extract pale ale batch this weekend. Im going to be ordering some grains to make another all grain batch of something to be ready for new years.

Monday, February 27, 2012

Forlough Pale Ale - Mid November 2011

Well Ive been thinking about doing a pale ale or an IPA for a while now. Its not my favorite sytle, but I decide to come oup with somehting and just brew it. This is called Furlough Pale ale because I was furloghed at work around the holidays for a few weeks, which gave me time to brew this.


Briess 2-Row Brewer's Malt 8 lbs, 0 oz
Briess White Wheat 1 lbs, 0 oz
Crisp Crystal Malt 45L 1 lbs, 0 oz

Amarillo leaf 1 oz @ FWH

Cascade Pellets .5 oz @ 15 mins

Wyeast Labs American Ale

This turned out awesome. I keged most of it, and bottled 10 bottles. I was hoping to send this to a competition. I opened a few before I was going to send them, and there was no carbonation at all, so I didnt send them in.

A buddy and I finished most of the rest of this on new years eve. I will brew this again.

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Vienna Lager - All Grain - October 2011

Well I finally got all my equipment together for doing all grain. I made a mash tun from a 5 gallon beverage cooler.

I decided to do a vienna lager after having a few of them recently at some resturants in the area. This probably wasnt the best choice for my first all grain, in that it takes a while to be ready, and Im not really very patient.

The recipe I decided to do was from the winner of the national homebrew competition for european lagers.


Weyermann Vienna - 4 lbs, 6.4 oz
Briess Pilsner - 3 lbs, 0 oz
Briess Organic Munich 10 - 2 lbs, 11.2 oz
Caramel Munich - 0 lbs, 4 oz
Weyermann De-Husked Carafa II - 0 lbs, 1.75 oz

Hallertau Pellets, German 1.25 oz @ 60 mins
Hallertau Pellets, German .5 oz @ 10 mins

Wyeast Labs Munich Lager

Mash at 152 for 90 minutes. Boil for 90 minutes. Cool and pitch at 45 degrees . Let the temp rise and ferment at 50 degrees.

Friday, August 19, 2011

Raspberry Wheat - June 30, 2011

I needed another beer in my pipeline, but didnt have a whole lot of time to brew this summer. So I decided to make one of the no-boil brews and add some raspberry to it.

I ended up brewing up a muntons wheat beer, using Safale-05. I didnt want the banana-clove flavors so I didnt use a wheat yeast or hefe yeast. I wanted a nice clean ale which would show off the raspberry flavor.

Due to vacations getting in the way this sat in the primary for about 6 weeks, which is probably a good thing.

I racked it to a carboy on 8/12/2011 and added the raspberries. I plan on two weeks on the raspberries and then onto the keg.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Cream Ale - May 15, 2011

Well this is the first time I am remaking one of the beers I have made before. Last time I made this it turned out great and disappeared fast. I wanted another batch of this clean and crisp beer for the summer months. I 7% bock just doesnt cut it when its 90 degrees out. I did modify the original recipe slightly, mostly because of the stuff my homebrew store had on hand. The original had a 3.3 lb can of light LME and 2 lbs Pilsen DME. This one I went with a 3.3lb can of pilsen LME and 2 lbs of light DME. Both had a pound of corn sugar in it, and both had two additions of williamette hops. I have promised some people a few of these, so this one probably will be bottled for portability.

I am planning on doing my first all grain batch sometime this summer and it will probably be a red beer similar to this recipe, but with a few ounce of roasted barley.

I plan a one month primary on this one, then 3 weeks in the bottles. Should be ready by the 4th of july.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Oktoberfest - April 9, 2011

Im sticking with the lager thing a little while longer. The munich madness bock it almost ready. I want to do a true oktoberfest this year, brew in march and drink in october, but life got in the way and it didnt happen until april.

This oktoberfest recipe is an extract with steeping grains.

SPECIALTY GRAINS:
-- 1 lbs Cara malt 45
FERMENTABLES
-- 2 lbs Pilsen dry malt extract (60 min)
-- 6 lbs Amber malt syrup late addition (15 min)
BOIL ADDITIONS
-- 1 oz German Hallertau (60 min)

I picked up a vial of the White Labs Oktoberfest yeast (WLP 820), and did a large starter for it. This was the first time I had used a stirplate, and wow did that make a difference in the amount of yeast.

Its now fermenting in the chest freezer at about 51 degrees, it took about 20 hours before the airlock started bubbling, in a couple of more days, ill take a reading and a taste to see if I need a diacytl rest. From what I have read this yeast takes a little longer to do its thing.

Hopefully when its done it will be at about 5.5% ABV.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Munich Madness Bock - Feb 12, 2011

Well last year I bought a chest freezer and a temp controler so that I could do a lager and I am finally getting around to do it. I had some breiss munich extract I was looking to use up and so I check around the internet and found this recipe, which is actually on the briess website.

Munich Madness Bock

Recipe for 5 US gallons (19L)
Description: Steeping caramel and chocolate malts adds just the right touch of deep flavor to this rich and malty
traditional German lager.

Quantity Ingredients Comment
6.6 lbs Briess CBW® Munich LME
1.5 lbs Briess CBW® Pilsen DME
1 lb Briess Caramel Malt 90L
2 oz Briess Dark Chocolate Malt
1 oz Hallertau Pelletized Hops 45 min boil time
1 tsp Irish Moss
1 vial WLP833 German Bock

Brewing Procedures:
1. Steep grain in 5 gallons 150-180®F water for 30 minutes.
2. Remove from heat.
3. Add CBW® Munich LME and Briess CBW Pilsen DME.
4. Bring to a boil.
5. Add hops and boil for 30 minutes.
6. Add Irish Moss & boil for 15 minutes.
7. Remove from heat.
8. Cool, oxygenate wort and pitch yeast.

Fermentation:
Primary: 3 weeks at 55ºF
Secondary: 4 weeks at 35ºF
Original Gravity: 1.068
Final Gravity: 1.018
Alcohol by vol: 6.6%
IBU: 24
Color: 41º L


I Actually used the White labs Southern german lager yeast which is WLP838 instead, but it still should fit the style well.

This is the biggest beer I have done to date, and should come in at around 6.5 percent abv. Being that it was a big beer and a cold ferment I knew I was going to need alot of yeast. Starting about 6 days before brew day, I steped up a starter every couple of days until brew day. I still wasnt totally convinced I had enough, so I tossed one extra vial in.

Well something had to have gone right with the yeast because it was bubbling away before I went to bed that night.

Im watching the ferment and plan to do a diacetyl rest when I see the fermentation start to slow down. Then its into the fridge at 35 degrees for the next 6 months as I dont plan on cracking one until my birthday in july.

The timing on this one was good, because I am planing on brewing an oktoberfest this year and I will be able to use the cake on this one for that brew, so no starter needed.