Jan 21, 2012

Kellerbier

American Golden Ale 1.057 -- 1.007 33 IBU -- 6.5% ABV
Cask Conditioned Kellerbier 1.046 -- 1.004 25 IBU -- 5.5% ABV
Ugly American 1.046* - 1.006 37 IBU -- 5.2% ABV 
 (2nd Place - Light Hybrid Beers - Summer Suds in Savannah 2012)



Main Mash:

The Malts:
16 pilsner
3 munich
1 carapils

Hops: (main mash)
2oz Spalt (5.6%AA) -- 60 min
2oz Hallertauer (3% AA) -- 30 min
1oz Hallertauer (3.8% AA) 15 min
2oz Saaz (3.1% AA) 15 min
1 oz Sterling (5.7% AA) 1 min

The Mash:
20lbs of grain (arrpox 67 degrees)
First infusion (protein rest) 5 gallons (133 degrees) -- 30 minutes (122 degrees)
Second infusion (sacc rest) 2.25 gallons (boiling) -- 60 minutes (146 degrees)
Third infusion (mash out)  4.3 gallons (boiling) -- 10 minutes (168 degrees)

Total infusion volume: 11.55 gallons
Absorption: 2.5 gallons
4.95 gallons sparge water necessary for pre-boil volume of 14 gallons

Mini-Mash:

The Malts (and adjuncts)

2.5 lbs 6 Row
2.5 lbs Flaked Maize

Hops:
.75 oz Cluster (8%AA) -- 60 minutes
1oz Sterling (7.5%AA) -- 1 min

The Mini - Mash:
5 pounds grain (approx 67 degrees)
First infusion (protein rest) -- 1.62 gallons (130 degrees) -- 30 minutes (122 degrees)
Second infusion (sacc rest) -- 0.7 gallons (boiling) -- 60 minutes (146 degrees)
Third infusion (mash out) -- 1.35 gallons (boiling) -- 10 minutes (168 degrees)

Total infusion volume: 3.67 gallons
Absorption: .63 gallons
1 gallon sparge water necessary

Mash Process:
  1. First infusion main mash
  2. Second infusion main mash
  3. First infusion mini mash
  4. Second infusion mini mash
  5. Third infusion main mash
  6. Run off main mash
  7. Sparge main mash / vorlauf / run off
  8. Third infusion mini mash
  9. Run off mini mash
  10. Sparge mini mash / vorlauf / run off

I will run off fourteen gallons pre-boil instead of the usual thirteen since this wort will get split three ways, and I want to ensure there is enough wort to go around.


10 gallons post-boil
-----------
5 in fermenter #1: kellerbier (1.050) to be kegged;
4 in fermenter #2 + 1 gallon  water: (1.050 + 1 gal = 1.040) kellerbier for cask

-----------
Fermenter #3:
2  gal from main mash, (1.050)
3 gal from mini-mash (maize and six-row) (1.050)


Reflections on Brewday: Everything went great with the exception of a couple rouge hop flowers that clogged the kettle bulk head. Once those were cleared out, things went smoothly and the chiller worked the way it should. I am seriously considering buying a hop taco or a false bottom for the kettle so to avoid this issue, which has been my biggest pain lately.

Wort collection was not what I expected. I ended up with around thirteen gallons instead of the fifteen I had planned for. I think I boiled off too much of the corn / 6 row mash, and might have had the same thing happen with the main wort, so I do not know what percent of this beer is corn / 6 row. I added a gallon of water to what was later named Ugly American, and the resulting gravity was 1.037. I had to check it the next day because I broke my hydrometer. I used Promash's dilution calculator and then boiled up a 1.080 gallon of wort using light golden DME to add to the rest which should result in a wort that is 1.046. I pitched the yeast before adding the extra wort because it had not cooled enough. I figure that is for the best anyhow because the yeast should be more active 24 hours from now when I can add the wort.

Notes:
1.23.12 -- Chinese New Year (Year of the Dragon) -- Pitched yeast into all beers.

American Golden Ale Notes:
2.13.12 -- Gravity at 1.007 . Sample tastes sweet and then balanced. This will improve with dry-hopping, and I will do this 2-3 weeks before I keg it.
3.13.12 -- Dry hopped with 1oz Sterling

Cask-Conditioned Kellerbier Notes:
2.4.12 -- Gravity reads 1.004 which seems very low. This makes me think the original gravity was a bit lower than I calculated. Otherwise, this beer is around 91% attenuated -- very unlikely. The good news is that it tastes very good (has good bitterness and flavor/aroma from the hops).
2.16.12 -- Dry hopped with 1oz Saaz.
3.2.12 -- Put Kellerbier in cask along with 4.25 oz dextrose (condition to 2.5 volumes), gelatin finings, and champagne yeast.

Ugly American Notes:
2.4.12 -- Gravity reads 1.006, and the flavor is considerably different than the to-be cask conditioned beer. Both the malt character (it has corn and two row and golden extract in addition to the other grain bill) as well as the hop profile are quite different (it has cluster, and was also finished with sterling (the mini-mash)). I do not even know where to begin calculating IBUs for this beer, though I feel it is in the same neighborhood as the others .