Brew 'n' Smoke 2 Rye IPA

Brew date: Aug. 6, 2016

#52 - 6.75 gal

Our second annual Brew 'n' Smoke! A day filled with beers, meat, and more meat the gents. Brewed up a rye IPA this year. While it turned out to be a solid beer in the end, I'd cut the caramel rye in half and maybe drop the sac rest mash temperature 1-2F.

Ingredients:

13.5 lb 2-row (Briess)

1.5 lb Rye malt

1 lb Flaked rye

12 oz Caramel rye

8 oz Caramel 20L

4 oz Acidulated

1 oz Chinook (Kraemer Brew 13% leaf) (FWH)

0.5 oz Simcoe (12.9%) (FWH)

0.25 oz Zythos (10.9%) (FWH)

0.5 oz Columbus (13%) (60)

0.5 oz Mandarina Bavaria (6.8%) (60)

1 t Irish moss (15)

1/2 t Yeast nutrient (10)

1.8L Wyeast West Coast IPA

Post boil:

0.25 oz Zythos

0.25 oz Chinook

0.25 oz Simcoe

Dry hop:

0.5 oz Zythos

0.25 oz Simcoe

0.5 oz Mandarina Bavaria

Schedule:

Mash in 6 gal at 129F

Protein rest at 122F (15)

Sac rest at 150F (60)

Mash out at 168F

Batch sparge 4 gal

Boil (60)

Chill to 68F

Water:

50/50 RO & Filtered

9 g Gypsum

1 g Calcium chloride

pH 5.55

Target:

OG 1.067

FG 1.017

SRM 12.2

ABV 6.59%

IBU 89

Efficiency 75%

Observation:

1st run 1.089 at 3.5 gal

2nd run 1.048 at 4.25 gal

OG 1.076 at 7 gal

Ferment:

68F for 1 week

71F for 2-3 days

8/16 - Chill to 60F, FG 1.014

8/18 - Chill to 53F, dry hop

8/20 - Dry hop 0.25 oz Chinook pellet

8/23 - Keg FG 1.016

Raising Arizona Grapefruit IPA

Brew date: June 24, 2016
#51 - 6.5 gal

Father's Day brew day. Been wanting to brew a citrus-forward IPA for quite sometime, at least since first trying Ballast Point's Grapefruit Sculpin. Here's my crack at my own adaptation.

Ingredients:
14.5 lb 2-row malt (Briess)
12 oz Carapils
12 oz Cara 20
8 oz Cara 45
4 oz Acidulated malt

0.75 oz Centennial (7.6% YHC pellet) (First Wort Hop)
0.5 oz Mosaic (11.3% YHC pellet) (FWH)
1 oz Chinook (13% Kraemer Brew leaf) (60)
0.5 oz Simcoe (12.9% YHC pellet) (Post boil 170-180F) (15)
0.5 oz Mosaic (PB) (15)

1.5 L 1056 Wyeast American Ale slurry

Water:
5.5 gal filtered water, 5 gal RO water
9 g Gypsum
1 g Calcium chloride
Mash pH 5.57

Schedule:
Mash in 6.5 gal @ 163F
Sac rest @ 152 (60)
Mash out (10)
Boil (60)
Chill to 66F

Observation:
1st running: 4 gal @ 1.071
2nd running: 4 gal @ 1.038
Preboil: 8 gal @ 1.056
OG: 5.75 gal @ 1.069

Fermentation:
6/25 - 68/70F while cooling (24 hr)
6/26 - 72/74F add ice jugs (12 hr)
6/27 - 64/66F

6/28 - Secondary:
~200 g peeled grapefruit zest

7/5 - Dry hop:
2 oz Mosaic (DH)
1.25 oz Centennial (DH)
0.5 oz Simcoe (DH)

Lil Pout American Stout | Tasting Notes

Appearance: Lovely light toffee-colored head that hangs around until the last sip. Foam lacing gently sweeps all the way down the glass. The beer itself is a deep brown-black color fading to sherry brown-red at edges. Looks clear.

Aroma: Sweet brownie with a medium Colombian coffee roast backbone. Maybe just a hint of that sweetness comes from the flaked barley which shows up at the very end. Smells just like an American stout should. Boom!

Taste: Really great dry roastiness comes through. Just a hint of toast. Nice mouthfeel, full but not heavy, not too thick not too thin. Just right.

Final Thoughts: What a great beer! Definitely the best stout I've done. Possibly the best beer I've brewed. Period. Also my first on draft.

"Czechmas" Pilsner

Brew date: Nov. 7, 2016
#54 - 6.25 gal

Pilsner Urquell has long been my favorite pilsner, and I have long wanted to brew one. It serves as the inspiration for my first crack at a Czech pilsner.

The perfect beer to tap for a little holiday cheer.

Appearance: Slightly hazy straw gold color. Nice foamy white head that sticks around.

Aroma: Spicy hop aroma, some leafy hop cone character, very slightly floral.

Taste: Spicy hop flavor, grainy-ness, finishes dry. Really nice even bitterness, not too much or little. Has some of that leafy hop flavor.

Final Thoughts: Perhaps a little over-hoppy, but a really good first effort at a Pilsner.

Next Time: Reduce water salts. Reduce IBUs.

Ingredients:
12,75 lb Pilsner - Avangard
12 oz Carapils - Briess
6 oz Light munich - Avangard
4 oz Acidulated - Meussdoerffer

0.5 oz Saaz (0.2%) (FWH)
1 oz Magnum (12.4%) (60)
1 t Irish moss (15)
1.5 oz Saaz (10)
1.8 L Wyeast 2001 Urquell Lager

Water:
10 gal - 75% RO & 25% filtered
2 g Gypsum
2 g Calcium Chloride

Schedule:
Mash in 6 gal @ 128F
Protein rest @ 122F (20)
Sac rest @ 145F (40)
Sac rest @ 155F (20)
B. sparge 4 gal
Boil (60)
Chill to 50F

Target:
OG: 1.059
FG: 1.015
ABV: 5.77%
IBU: 46

Results:
1st run: 3.5 gal @ 1.075
OG: 1.066

Fermentation:
48F for two weeks
50F for one week
Diacetly rest to 65F for 48 hours
Lager @ 34

Notes:
- Overshot mash temperature, heated to 136F. Mashed in and stirred continuously to cool to protein rest.
- Didn't use insulation.
- Rack to keg on 12/4/16, FG: 1.014

Schaby Rhubarb Saison

Brew date: May 14, 2016
#50 - 6.5 gal

A fun, but cool (weather-wise) brew day with my good friend Schappe. He brought over a few pounds of home-grown rhubarb that we decided to add in secondary.

I split the finished beer into two 3-gallon batches, one as a control and one with the rhubarb.

Ingredients:
9.5 lb Pilsner malt (Dingemans)
4 lb 2-row (Briess)
14 oz White wheat malt (Briess)
8 oz Vienna malt (Avangard)
3 oz Caravienne (Dingemans)
*4 oz Acidulated malt (Meussdoerffer)

0.75 oz Styrian Goldings (3.7% YCH pellet) (60)
0.75 oz Crystal (4.8 % YCH pellet) (60)
0.5 oz East Kent Goldings (5.7% YCH pellet) (60)
1.5 t Irish moss (15)
0.5 t Nutrient (10)
**0.5 oz Styrian Goldings (5)
**0.25 oz Crystal (5)

1.5 L Door County Brewing Saison yeast from slurry

2 lb Rhubarb added to 3 gal split batch

*Forgot to add to the mash. Decided to make a mini-mash with 4 cups filtered water, mashed at 151F for 15 min, strained, then boiled for 20 min. Added to roughly 1.5 gal leftover wort. Pitched with Gigayeast 007 Belgian mix slurry.

**Spilled crystal hops at 5 minute addition. Only 0.18 oz remaining. Decided to make up the difference with styrian goldings. Also, forgot to start the pump to whirlpool until end of boil. Decided to add approx. 7-10 min to boil to whirlpool. Account for additional IBUs. Likely around 31 total IBUs.

Water:
Profile
5 gal RO, 5.5 gal filtered tap
10 g Gypsum
2 g Calcium chloride

Schedule:
Mash in 6.5 gal @ 129F
Protein rest @ 122F (20)
Sac rest @ 148F (60)
Heat to 166-168 (10)
Boil (60)
Chill to 66F

Target:
OG: 1.062
FG: 1.015
ABV: 6.1%
IBU: 28
SRM: 4.78
Efficiency: 75%

Observations:
1st running: 4.5 gal @ 1.072
Pre-boil: 8 gal @ 1.054
OG: 7 gal @ 1.061

5/23 - Add 1 lb frozen rhubarb to 3 cups filtered water. Heat to simmer, ~180F, then cool and add to ~3.25 gal beer. FG: 1.010

5/28 - Add 1 lb frozen rhubarb to 1 cup filtered water. Heat to simmer, ~180F. Poor off most water. Cool and add to carboy. Only able to add 2/3 of rhubarb to carboy (ran out of room).

6/5 - Keg rhubarb saison. FG: 1.005

Lil Pout American Stout

Brew date: March 13, 2016

#49 - 6.25 gal

Without a doubt my best beer to date. Tasting notes to follow, but suffice it to say I nailed this American-style stout. This brew also had the honor of being my first on the new draft system. More on that later too.

I made a last minute decision to switch out the London ale yeast and instead use the American ale. A hugely good call, since the 2 gallons or so of London ale tasted awful. I mean really bad. I believe the yeast was stressed from the batch prior, an imperial stout. But it's an important lesson: Don't reuse a yeast from any big beer. Not worth the risk.

I fermented this at room temperature, roughly 64F.

Ingredients:

7 lb Maris Otter (Muntons) 

5 lb 2-row (Briess) 

12 oz Flaked barley (Briess)

8 oz Caramel 60L (Briess) 

9 oz Debittered black malt (Dingemans) 

3 oz Acidulated malt (Meussdoerffer) 

10 oz Roasted barley (Briess) (cold steep) 

6 oz Chocolate malt (Briess) (cold steep) 

3 oz Black malt (Briess) (cold steep) 

1.25 oz Cascade (6% homegrown leaf) (60) 

0.5 oz Columbus (13.4% p) (60) 

1.5 t Irish moss (15)

Yeast nutrient (10) 

1 pk + slurry American Ale 1056 

1.5 L London ale 1028 

Water:

Profile calculator 

10 gal (50/50 filtered tap and RO) 

7 g Gypsum 

3 g Calcium chloride 

1 g Epsom 

Schedule:

Mash in 6 gal @ 161F

Sac rest @ 151F (60)

Batch sparge 4 gal

Boil (60)

Chill to 66F 

Target:

OG 1.063

FG 1.016

ABV 6.2%

IBU 42

Efficiency 75%

Observations:

Heated mash to 165F, stirring continuously for an abbreviated mash out.

Cold steep 2 qt @ 1.056

1st running 4 gal @ 1.071 

2nd running 3 gal @ 1.036

Preboil 7 gal @ 1.054

OG 1.068

Belgian Tripel Tasting Notes

Finally sitting down, nearly three months after first brewing this Belgian Tripel, to capture my impressions. On the whole, I like this beer. It is quaffable, verging on refreshing. While the tartness from the acidulated malt is too prominent for a traditional tripel, it's light fruity character is spot on.

If I brew this recipe again, I'd cut the acid malt by half and consider using a different strain of yeast. Perhaps the more traditional Wyeast 3787 or subtle White Labs 510 Bastogne Belgian Ale.

Appearance: Nice frothy white foam head, pale straw color, slightly opaque, good thick lacing, beautiful carbonation bubbles give it the appearance of champagne.

Aroma: Tart with a slight fruitiness but not much, perhaps granny smith apple. Reminds me of the aromas of some pinot grigio, a subtle grapefruit or tangerine. A bit of bready graininess sneaks through after repeated inhalation.

Taste: Bready that quickly turns lightly fruity and then to a dry tartness. Finishes fairly clean with a lingering tartness on the tongue. Very quaffable. The gentle carbonation really lends itself nicely to picking up the tart fruitiness. Some white wine characteristics reminiscent of a sauvignon blanc.

Final thoughts: I like this beer, but it's very unlike what I planned. Not nearly enough of the soft fruity or floral character of a traditional tripel. Cut back on the acidulated malt and use a different Belgian or Trappist strain of yeast to brew something more traditional. Try the White Labs 510 next time.