“House Hunter" Imperial IPA [dry hop]

Date: June 11, 2013

Racked the double IPA to secondary to dry hop on a bed of cascade and simcoe.

Ingredients:

• 0.5 oz Cascade (7.7%) (leaf)
• 0.5 oz Simcoe (14.1%) (leaf)

Observations:

Gravity: 1.018

Appearance: Opaque, marigold color

Aroma: Light citrus, some breadiness, slightly sweet nose

Taste: Some piney hop at beginning, slightly sweet, not overly bitter, medium body, fairly dry, citrus hop end

I think this beer will experience a bit more fermentation over the next two weeks, maybe two or three more points. The basement has warmed with the summer weather and now is sitting firmly at 64 'F. The racking also kicked up a little more of the yeast cake at the bottom. All in all, I'll probably come out a little better than my target gravity of 1.018.

The beer already has a very nice mouth feel and body, and the dry hopping should flesh out the piney, citrus flavors and aromas nicely.

Lot of excitement for this beer. Can't wait to bottle and share!

“House Hunter" Imperial IPA

Brew date: June 2, 2013
#18 - 4.5 BIAB

With the wife and I still anxiously searching for our first home, sometimes it feels like brewing and beer is the only thing keeping me sane. As the weather continues to warm, I find I have a taste for hoppy beers once again. Here, then, is my first crack at an Imperial IPA.

The recipe takes inspiration from the "Hopfather Double IPA" by Russian River Brewing found in Extreme Brewing by Sam Calagione. I wanted something with big flavor, lots of citrus and piney hoppiness, but with a bitterness balanced by the malt bill. I hope the first wort and dry hopping accomplish this feat -- but without blowing out my taste buds.

I added some caramel 40L malt for a little more color and residual sweetness. The flaked wheat is there for body and head retention (hopefully without giving it a heavy mouth-feel), while the added protein and enzymes from the 6-row malt will hopefully help with the extraction, conversion, and fermentability of the wort.

Thus far, fermentation has taken place in my basement at roughly 63 'F. This is a little cooler than I was originally intending -- closer to 65 'F. But, all appears to be going strong and steady, and I won't rack to secondary and dry hop for a few more days.

Ingredients:

• 11.5 lb 2-row Pale Malt (Briess)
• 1 lb Caramel Malt 40L (Briess)
• 0.5 lb 6-row (Briess)
• 0.5 lb Flaked Red Wheat

• 0.75 oz Chinook (FWH) (13%) (leaf)
• 0.5 oz Cascade (FWH) (6.2%) 
• 0.5 oz Magnum (60 min) (14.7%)
• 0.5 oz Columbus (60 min) (13%) (leaf)
• 0.25 oz Columbus (5 min) (13%) (leaf)
• 0.5 oz Willamette (knockout) (5.7%) (leaf)
• 0.25 oz Columbus (knockout) (13%) (leaf)

• 0.5 oz Cascade (dry hop) (7.7%) (leaf)
• 0.5 oz Simcoe (dry hop) (14.1%) (leaf)

• 0.5 t Irish Moss (20 min)
• Wyeast 1056 American Ale (3rd gen.)*

*1000 mL yeast starter on 5/31. Pitched from washed yeast.

Instructions:

• Mash with 6 gal water
• Dough in @ 109 'F
• Rest @ 104 'F for 30 min (hydration)
• Heat to 155 'F and rest 60 min
• Mash out @ 168 'F for 10 min
• Boil 60 min
• Add 0.5 gal water to fermenter
• Chill to 65 'F and pitch decanted yeast
• Ferment at 63-65 'F for 10 days
• Rack to secondary and dry hop for two weeks

Observations:

OG: 1.072
Pre-boil gravity: 1.070
Post boil gravity: 1.085
Target gravity: 1.075
Target ABV: 7.12%
Target IBU: 112
Target FG: 1.018

Grain absorption was roughly 0.1 gal per 1 lb grain.

“Sharpe's Rifles" Biere de Garde [bottled]

Bottle date: May 27, 2013

Ingredients:

• 94 g corn sugar
• 1.5 c water

Desired CO2: 3.0 vol

Appearance: Bright orange, very clear

Aroma: Alcohol, apple, fruit

Taste: Grain, bready, slightly fruity, slight fenol alcohol burn at end

“Sharpe's Rifles" Biere de Garde [secondary]

Racking date: April 28, 2013

After a week of fermenting at roughly 66 'F (with a high temp reaching near 73 'F the first 24-hrs and 68 'F the next day), I racked the beer to secondary and removed it to our basement to condition at ~57 'F for at least two weeks.

Observations:

Gravity: 1.016-1.018

Appearance: Marigold to straw-like color, opaque

Aroma: Faintly spicy, fruity

Taste: Effervescent, spicy, some apple fruit, some fusel alcohol that cuts through, fairly clean finish, some residual sweetness.

“Sharpe's Rifles" Biere de Garde

Brew date: April 21, 2013
#17 - 4 gal BIAB

It's been a busy few weeks. My wife and I are preparing to buy our first house, and so everything else has taken a backseat -- even brewing. I'm only now catching up on my blog. Sorry to keep y'all hanging!

With plans to move by the end of July, I made the decision to brew one last beer before packing. Something that could take advantage of the cool spring we are having and sit for awhile before bottling. A Biere de Garde seemed the natural choice. I love a good Belgian saison, and this is a similar style I've been meaning to try. Plus, I just finished watching the Sharpe's Rifles series, and so was inspired to brew something French. (Note: I realize it would have made more sense to brew an English bitter to salute Sean Bean's characterization of Richard Sharpe (badass) and his compatriots in the South Essex regiment, but I wanted something more "continental" with that cellar-y flavor. Sharpe's Bitter will have to wait.)

The recipe comes from the AHA's Beer Recipe of the Week: Grain d'Orge.

2nd gen yeast. Still active upon opening, carbonation.

Ingredients:

• 6.25 lb 6-Row Brewers Malt
• 0.33 lb Vienna Malt
• 0.33 lb Caramel 20
• 0.33 lb Caramel 40
• 3.25 lb Flaked Corn
• 0.5 lb Candi Sugar (white) (60 min)

• 0.25 oz Hallertau (leaf) (4.1%) (60 min)
• 0.25 oz Brewers Gold (10.5%) (60 min)
• 0.25 oz Brewers Gold (10.5%) (20 min)
• 0.25 oz Styrian Goldings (3.8%) 10 min)

• 0.5 t Irish Moss (20 min)
• Wyeast 1728 Scottish Ale (2nd gen)*

*1600 mL starter made on 4/19 from washed yeast.

Instructions:

Grist before mashing.

• 5 gal water
• Dough in @ 128 'F
• Rest @ 122 'F for 30 min
• Heat to 155 'F, rest for 60 min
• Mash out @ 168 'F for 10 min
• Boil 60 min
• Add 0.5 gal cold water to bring to ~4 gal
• Chill to 66 'F and pitch decanted yeast.
• Ferment 68-72 'F for 4-6 days
• Chill to 60 'F for 2-3 weeks

Observations:

OG: 1.075
Gravity readings: 1.060 after 60 min rest, 1.068 after mash out, 1.085 after boil.
Taste: Sweet, bready
Aroma: Malt, biscuit, some spicy hop
Appearance: Bright gold, yellow

Lessons:

• Leave mash water out overnight to evaporate chlorine, bring to room temperature.
• Keep carboy in cooler environment when fermenting a higher gravity wort. The fermentation temp was up around 73 'F when I checked it the next morning. Leave carboy unwrapped during the first day or two. Not sure how the high temps for the first day or so will affect the finished beer. The fermentor cooled quickly by leaving it uncovered.

Stout Homebrewing Competition

Competition date: March 23, 2013

My first homebrewing competition. Exciting, nerve-wrecking, delicious. Although I didn't come away with a win (or placing for that matter) in the Dry Stout sub-category, it was a great overall experience.

Accompanied by my buddy Jeff (a fellow beer-lover and sometime homebrewer), we sampled 36 examples of dry, sweet, imperial, and other types of stout, chatted with the other homebrewers at our table, and did our best to score the competition - mostly "this one is better than the last one, but not as good as the first one." Very scientific.

The mood of the event was less a competition, more a general fun sampling. You could tell when people liked a beer ("I'll take seconds") and when they didn't (sour faces). You could also see it coming as those ahead of you tried each offering.

The other gentlemen at our table turned out to be relative newcomers to homebrewing. Two had been at it for eight or nine months, while for another, the competition was his first beer. Comically, that made me the old hat. And while everyone was friendly enough and I got some great tips about joining a local homebrewing club, I was a bit disappointed that I missed out on some "shop talk" from a "veteran." Next time, I guess.

In many ways the experience was both gratifying and challenging. Of the beers there, I never felt that I was tasting anything I couldn't make myself. And yet, after trying a number of the imperial offerings (those which blew away the competition in my humble opinion) I was moved and inspired to work harder and learn more in order to brew beer on that level. I swear, one was a dead ringer for Great Divide's Yeti Imperial Stout. That's damn good!

There were also two or three beers that sucked. Glad they weren't mine.

Of the comments I received, the most helpful follow:

• Chocolate malt predominates. Lacks roast barely for style. No hop aroma. Perhaps some diacetyl, buttery. Good color, very clean, okay head. Nice malty stout, good middle and nice hop balance, but then astringency comes in and dominates finish - Were your dark malts crushed too fine or left in to a high temp? Remove before 170 'F if using steeping bag. This starts great but grain astringency is too much in finish. Watch temps and crush. Total points: 31 (of 50 possible).
• Some chocolate. Clean. Lingering astringency. Nice roast. Total points: 27 (of 50 possible).
• Smells a little astringent, almost solvent-y. Head disapates quickly. Astringent, solvent-y, plastic. Dry and astringent. Total points: 26 (of 50 possible).

I didn't take any pictures of the event, but here are a few from the Wine and Hop Shops Facebook page.

“Fat Mac" Scotch Ale [bottled]

Bottle date: Mar. 27, 2013

Ingredients:

3 gal scotch ale

• 59 g corn sugar
• 8 oz water

1.5 gal scotch ale

• 30 g brown sugar
• 6 oz water

Desired CO2: 2.2 vol

Appearance: Very clean, bright orange color

Aroma: Not much, faint maltiness

Taste: Malty, medium-bodied