The Merkinpatch

Kellerbier

2012-01-21T15:54:00.000-05:00

American Keller Beer 1.057 -- 1.0?? 33 IBU

Cask Conditioned Kellerbier 1.046 -- 1.0?? 25 IBU

Ugly American 1.046* - 1.0?? 37 IBU

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:

First infusion main mash
Second infusion main mash
First infusion mini mash
Second infusion mini mash
Third infusion main mash
Run off main mash
Sparge main mash / vorlauf / run off
Third infusion mini mash
Run off mini mash
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 Keller Beer Notes:

Cask-Conditioned Kellerbier Notes:

Ugly American Notes:

1911 Boston Rustler

2011-12-26T21:01:00.003-05:00

1911 Boston Rustler

1.051 -- 1.012 -- 5.1% ABV

38 IBU

My go at Classic American Pilsner using American Ale yeast at a low temperature. This will also be a bit of a diversion since I am only brewing five gallons, and I am doing it inside. If this method works well, I may do this a little more often in between cranking up the big brewery. I would like for this to become a way to make smaller, perhaps historical batches.

I chose the name based on the Braves namesake of that particular year, as well as to commemorate the centennial of such. 2011 also marks what I believe to be the centennial of our home. I was conflicted with the option of naming the beer "Red CAP" since the Red Caps were the original name of the Braves, and CAP for obvious reasons, but I did not want one to expect a red beer. I may end up using that name later, as I do like it very much, and it lends itself to telling the story of how the Red Sox stole the eventual Braves name.

Recipe here:

https://sites.google.com/site/themerkinfiles/Home/cap

Everything about the recipe is accurate with the exception of the IBUs. I will collect about 4.6 gallons pre-boil, and then will dillute with purified water post-boil. The gravity of the actual boil will diminish the hop utilization level by a few points.

Reflections on Brewday:
Brewing inside was a nice change, but it still took almost as long. I need to remember what a pain in the ass whole hops can be, even when I am not using a plate chiller. Next time I do this, I will use hop bags or the spider-type strainer I made. This would have helped make wort collection easier. Chilling was the highpoint -- much faster than normal, which I attribute to chilling a much smaller volume (4 gallons) and then diluting it with bottled water.

1911 Boston Rustler Notes:
12.30.11 -- pitched yeast
1.15.12 -- Gravity reads 1.012 (76% attenuated -- calling it done)

Rudy Lycanthrope / Lunar Eclipse Wheat

2011-12-10T09:03:00.001-05:00

Lunar Eclipse Wheat -- 1.050 -- 1.012 -- 5% ABV

Rudy Lycanthrope -- 1.050

19 IBU

The idea here is to make something of which half can be soured, and the other half can be ready relatively soon. What we get is a Flanders-ish sour sort-of red beer and a reddish wheat beer. I am not comfortable calling this beer red anything until I see it in a glass, as red is a hard color to nail down.

The Malts:

12 lbs Wheat Malt
3 lbs Munich Malt
3 lbs Caravienne Malt
3 lbs Aromatic Malt

Hops:

3oz Hallertauer (3.8% AA)-- 60 minutes

Yeast:
Lunar Eclipse -- Wyeast 3068
Rudy Lycanthrope -- S-04 then buggs

Water:
10.5 gallons strike water
2.6 absorbed
5 gallons sparge water + additions for decoction boil-off

The Mash:
Here's the plan: Initial protein rest will be at 122 degrees. After twenty minutes, I will pull a large (about a third of the mash) decoction and heat it to 155. I will hold it there with a lid and a sleeping bag for about fifteen minutes before bringing to a boil. At that point I will add the decoction to the main mash until the saccrification temperature of 146. This rest will be held for one hour, and then another smaller decoction will be pulled and boiled to bring the mash to mash-out temperature (around 170).

Brew Day Reflections:
Everything went great great until it was time to use the chiller. I had become pretty careless to use the pot I used for decoctions to add either the sparge water or some of the first runnings into the kettle. Shit got clogged. Bad. I abandoned the chiller and went old-school with the immersion chiller, that I am glad that I still have to use as my pre-chiller. Also, this batch will prove whether or not Star-San is harmful since I forgot that I had packed the chiller with it after my last brew about a month ago, so when I turned it on to sanitize (it wasn't clogged at this point), and about a pint became integrated with the wort in the kettle -- and I was sober too.

12.11.11 -- Pitched yeast into both beers

Lunar Eclipse Notes:

12.29.11 -- Gravity reads 1.012. Kegged.

Rudy Lycanthrope Notes:

12.21.11 -- racked into a secondary and dosed with bugs from Dirty Blonde, Gueuze Tilquin and Wiezen Bam, as well as the dregs from one bottle of Orval. Gravity was 1.014.

Rauch-N-Wiener

2011-11-05T17:56:00.001-04:00

Rauch-N-Weiner

1.050 --1.013 -- 4.8% ABV

30 IBU

13 lbs Vienna

3.50 lbs Rauchmalt

1.5 lbs 40L Crystal

.5 lbs Carapils

3.5 oz Hallertauer (3.8% AA) -- 60 min

Safale 34/70 Dry Lager Yeast

Mash -- The Plan:

The initial protein rest will be at 122, where I will hold it for twenty minutes. Pull first decoction (1/2 - 1/3), heat to 155, let sit for fifteen minutes in sleeping bag, then boil for about ten minutes. Add this in until temp is around 146. Hold for one hour. Pull another decoction to raise the temp to mash out -- 170.

Strike Water (2qt/lb) -- 9.25 gallons
Absorption -- 2.3 gallons
Sparge Water needed -- 6.3 gallons ( a litte added to replace decoction boil-offs)

Brewday Notes:
Mash:
122 for 20 min before pulling decoction. Added back around 20 minutes later to hit 146. Down to 143 after 30 minutes, so I pulled another decoction in hopes of getting it to around 155 before mashing out.

It got it to 150. Holding for fifteen minutes before adding boiling water to get to mash out temp.

Brewday Reflections:

Things went pretty well with the exception of the chilling taking longer than I thought it should. I figured to shave time off with the addition of a ball-cock valve to slow the flow of wort.

The mash was also a little different than I planned, as evidenced in the notes above. It was more like:

20 min -- 122
pulled decoction
heated decoction to around 155
let sit for 15 minutes
boilded decoction
added it to main mash, which raised the temp to 144-45 -- 30 minutes
pulled another decoction and boiled
added it back to bring mash to 150 -- fifteen minutes
added boiling water (from sparge supply) to raise it to around 160 -- ten minutes

Notes:

11.8.11 -- Pitched Yeast
11.11.11 -- Noticeable Activity (ambient temperature has been 53-55) (Fermenting all ten gallons in two corny kegs -- a first for a whole batch.)
11.23.11 -- 1.013 -- Diacetyl rest begun
11.27.11 -- still around 1.013 -- racked into clean kegs to begin lagering

Over - Under Burton Ale / Burton Jr.

2011-10-01T21:58:00.002-04:00

Over - Under Burton Ale -- 100 IBU --1.083 -- 1.018 -- 8.5% ABV
Old Over - Under Burton Ale 100 IBU -- 1.083 --
Burton Jr. -- 30 IBU -- 1.072 -- 1.019 -- 7% ABV

Brewed this with David Little, another member of ALEZ as part of a competition. The winner will recreate the beer to be aged in a barrel that the club plans to buy.

I learned a lot about adding gravity points, refractionometer calibration, as well as diluting today. I think we did it all to prevent others from replicating our beer by wrapping our secrets in mystery that may seem like errors or confusion to the untrained eye.

Over - Under:

Malts:
29 Lbs Marris Otter
2 lbs Brown Malt
7.5 lbs Dry Malt Extract

Hops:
12 oz EKG (5% AA) -- 60 minutes

Yeast:
2 packages Windsor
2 packages Nottingham

Little Burton-ish : http://dl.dropbox.com/u/32890299/small-beer.pdf

Burton Jr. Notes:

10.8.11 -- Gravity down to 1.023 in six days. Still has a way to go, but I just wanted to see.
10.23.11 -- Gravity at 1.019 (74% attenuation), but still may not be finished since it has been cool (started in low to mid 60s, then allowed to naturally rise after a week, but the weather has been cool, so it has stayed in the low to mid 60s with the exception of a day or two when it got closer to 70). Beer is pretty balanced and straightforward without the yeasty presence many British ales have -- the flavor contribution from the Citra addition is interesting as well.
11.5.11 -- Bottled at around 2 volumes.

Old Over - Under Burton Ale Notes:

11.26.11 -- Picked up half the batch of Over - Under Burton Ale from David. Now I am waking up a culture of Brett B to add to the beer. Once that does its thing for a few months, I will add oak cubes and then the dry hops. I look to bottle this in the summer.
11.30.11 -- Added about a pint brett B starter after it showed life.

Irish Curse Ale

2011-07-27T22:18:00.016-04:00

O.G. 1.053 -- F.G. 1.014 -- 5.1% ABV

23 IBU

The Malts:
15 golden promise
2 munich II
1.5 40L crystal
.5 roasted barley
.5 carapils

The Hops:
2 oz EKG 5% -- 60 min
1 oz EKG 5% 30

Efficiency -- 84%
7.29.11 -- Pitching SA-04 today. Ambient temperatures around 63, which is as high as I would like it to get. This will be a challenge.
8.3.11 -- Gravity at 1.023. I have done well at keeping the ambient temperature between 59-63 for the most part (hall box spiked to 68 today). Hydrometer sample tasted very clean, and I feel I am out of the danger zone, but I will still keep it cool.

8.11.11 -- 1.017

8.20.11 -- 1.014 kegged (green keg for storage) laundry room cool box. Sample tasted damn good (roasty, smooth, malty)
9.10.11 -- The bucket of Irish Curse from the hall is on tap and very good. The cool fermentation worked very well to make a beer that is very clean tasting with a hint of roastiness. The color is a bit dark, but we shall see if that lightens up a little as the keg settles out more.

Don Juan Saison 2011

2011-07-04T12:32:00.009-04:00

Don Juan Saison '11

1.063 -- 1.009 -- 7% ABV
1.063 --

27 IBU

I've tweaked this recipe a little since the last time, which should not even matter since it seems that so much went awry last time I made Saison that it is not good baseline data -- though the beer was very good.

This go-round

10# Pils
3# Wheat Malt
3# Rye Malt
3# Munich
3# piloncillo (in boil)

2.75 Styrian Goldings (5.4%) -- 60 minutes
1 EKG (4.5%) -- 15 min (with whirlfloc)
1 Saaz (3.1%) -- 1 min

I used the following mash schedule, and things worked well:

30 min @ 122

60 min @ 140

20 min @ 158

5 min @ 168

Notes:

7.5.11 -- Pitched yeast in both beers. Hall fermenter a tad warmer. Both temps in mid 60s.
7.13.11 -- Fermenters spent three days at 62-65 ambient (bucket in laundry room / sleeping bag cool box -- carboy in hall cool box). The laundry room one did spike to 72 ambient on one of the first nights. They then spent three more days at 75-80 ambient, and then were placed upstairs where ambient is 90+. Gravity down to 1.010 (bucket /started in laundry room). I later checked the carboy, and it was exactly the same.

7.18.11 -- Gravity at 1.009. I am glad it is still moving a little since the temperatures have been much lower than normal for this time of year. Upstairs has hovered around 80 ambient instead of the 90+ which is normal.

Funky Don Juan Notes:

7.22.11 -- still at 1.009. The chosen half (actually closer to 4 gal) is getting funked with the dregs of a bottle of Goose Island Matilda 2010, and then dry hopped with an ounce of Saaz.
8.28.11 -- Racked to secondary -- 1.005.
12.20.11 -- Gravity at 1.004. Not as funky as last year's (at this point). I may need to add more sugars so the brett can have something to eat.
12.24.11 -- added .5 pound malto-dextrine. I did not recalculate the gravity, but I suppose this added about two extra points. I will wait until the gravity re stabilizes before bottling (no hurry).
1.29.12 -- Gravity reads 1.002, which means the brett chewed through the malto-detrine pretty well. Funk us still subdued, which means I am already seeing the difference between adding the brett post terminal and along with the original yeast. I am still going to wait for this to stabilize, and to also to see if the funk increases before I bottle. I am also thinking of culturing up some more brett to add at bottling.

Tasting Paterweizen

2011-06-12T11:17:00.007-04:00

Appearance: Somewhere between dark gold and copper. Head is good, but could be a little more. It helps to give a little foam squirt on top of these for good measure.

Smell: Very faint esters from the yeast (banana and clove), and the faintess is due to the lower fermentation temps in the cool box (no warmer than 72, but usually below 69).

Taste: Yeast notes start and then are followed by a malty finish that was not in my last hefewizen. I attribute this note to the use of Weyermans Abbey Malt in the place of Pilsner since Blockader was out (the truck with the Pilsner malt rolled up as I was picking up my grain bag to leave). I like the finish on this beer since the last hefe I brewed with Pilsner malt since that one seemed very empty in the finish, and that was the one knock on it. Both are low-gravity beers (1.045-6) and having the help of the Abbey Malt improved that. In short, I will do this again.

Mouthfeel -- Carbontated well and light - bodied.

Overall -- I was originally disappointed at the o.g. of this beer, but I have come to be glad of it. I need to make more session beers, especially for the summer.

Meg Wit

2011-05-29T11:28:00.019-04:00

Meg Wit

1.058 -- 1.014 -- 5.76% ABV

Fermentables:
8.5 lbs flaked wheat (pregelatinized)
8 lbs Pilsener
2.5 lbs six row
1 lb flaked oats
1.25 lbs acidulated malt

Hops:
2.5 oz Hallertaur (4.8%) 60 min

Spices:
1 oz Bitter Orange Peel (5 min)
2 oz crushed Indian Coriander seeds (5 min)
1 oz Bitter Orange Peel (Flameout)
2 Chamomile Tea Bags (Flameout)

The Mash:

4 Gallons Strike water (Protein Rest Infusion) -- 122 degrees -- 30 min
2.88 Gallon infusion (sacc rest) -- 154 degrees -- 60 min
2.64 gallon infusion (mash out) -- 168 degrees -- 10 min

Total Mash Water -- 9.52 gallons
2.65 gallons absorbed
5.63 gallons of sparge water to make a total of 12.5 preboil
(slightly less than normal due to slower boil for witbier)

Brewday Notes:

6.6.11

Things went very well until I forgot to sanitize the pump. This probably happened since I forgot to use my hop screen earlier. having to go old school with the immersion chiller
first round of oranges and all the coriander boiled for five minutes and then removed and put aside.
Pump boiled for ten extra minutes.
Second round of oranges and the tea added along with the previously steeped at flame out.
1.054 at 90 degrees

The Yeast

Each will get about a half gallon starter of Wyeast 1214 collected from Belgian Summer Ale.

Notes:

6.7.11 -- Pitched yeast
6.13.11 -- Gravity reads 1.018 (sleeping bag cool box) I stopped switching the ice out last night to allow the fermentation to warm a little.

6.24.11 -- Gravity 1.014 -- 76% attenuated. I expected a little more by now. I am going to let it go more since it has not been two weeks yet. Sample tastes nice.

6.30.11 -- Gravity stable at 1.014 (laundry room fermenter; I have not checked the hall one. It will be interesting to see if there are any differences). Will keg soon. Edit: hall version exactly the same.
7.14.11 -- TASTING MEG WIT:

Appearance: Very appropriate for a Wit -- a hazy straw yellow that shows off the whiteness of its namesake. Head starts fluffy and then settles down to a lace.
Smell: First scents are of yeasty esters and phenols, but grain and orange/coriander are also perceptible.
Taste: A nice blend of yeast, sourness, and spice. This is not as clean tasting as other wits, nor is it as spicy. I was going for a more historic example, and I think this fits. The yeast flavor goes well with the spices and makes for a peppery sensation while the chamomile works well with the unmalted grains to lay down a nice bass note. A slight hop bitterness in the beginning, but then it yields to the orange, coriander, and chamomile. Others in A.L.E.Z. detected a rubbery flavor, but I honestly cannot find it. I have entered this beer in a competition in Jacksonville, FL, and I am interested to see if the judges have the same thing to say.
Mouthfeel: The unmalted grain lends to the mouthfeel well here. The beer is not heavy, but there is a velvety quality to it. Carbonation adds well to this, and also helps showcase the spicy flavors.
Overall: I think I have done well here. As I alluded to earlier, I am a fan of the rustic nature of this beer, and the concerns about the amount of acidulated malt I used have been all but assuaged. Like I also said earlier, if I were to make another witbier, I would not make changes. I am happy with this one, and I am anxious to see if the certified judges have similar sentiments.

Patersweizen / Belgian Summer Ale

2011-05-06T21:21:00.010-04:00

Paterweizen -- 1.044 - 1.013 -- 4.1% ABV
Summer Abbey Ale -- 1.047 - 1.006 -- 5.4% ABV
66% efficiency

This was originally going to be another batch of El Jefe, but Blockader was out of Pilsener malt. I substituted something new, Abbey malt in its place:

The Malts:

10 lbs Wheat malt

5 lbs Vienna malt

4 lbs Pilsener Malt

Belgian Summer Ale: add 1lb sugar

The Hops:

2 oz Hallertauer (3.9%AA -- 60 minutes)

Abbey Ale: add 1oz Styrian Goldings (5.4%) -- 15 minutes

The Yeast:

Paterweizen -- Weinhenstephaner Hefeweizen

Belgian Summer Ale -- Wyeast 1214

Reflections on Brewday: My efficiency sucks 66%. I don't know if it is the fact that I am using wheat (I remembered the rice hulls this time even), or something else I am doing. Everything else went great. The scrubby was really slowing me down; I think I saved at least 90 minutes taking it off.

Paterweizen Notes:

5.29.11 -- Gravity at 1.013 -- kegged

Belgian Summer Ale Notes:

5.29.11 -- Gravity at 1.011 -- Racked into secondary with culture of Brett B and 1 oz medium toast French oak chips

7.7.11 -- Gravity down to 1.009. Seems to have a little way to go, though the Brett flavor as well as the wood is starting to show through.

9.26.11 - 1.005 wood and Brett are tasting good. Will check again I. A few weeks to see if it is stable.

10.18.11 -- reading 1.006 - 1.007. I can't imagine it going up, so I am calling this stable and ready to bottle. Brett aroma is really there. The beer is really dried out, and maybe a bit thin. Wood flavor is nice, but one-dementional (I am going to start using cubes.). Overall this is going to be a good summer beer.

10.25.11 -- Bottled at around 4 volumes CO2

Amber Beaver / Winona's Big Brown Beaver

2011-04-09T12:22:00.012-04:00

Amber Beaver -- 19 IBU 1.058 -- 1.015 -- 5.6% ABV
Wynona's Big Brown Beaver -- 39 IBU 1.060 -- 1.013 -- 6.2% ABV
84% efficiency

The Malts:

11 lbs Pilsner

10 lbs Munich II

The Hops:

2 oz Hallertauer (3.8% AA) 60 minutes

2oz Hallertauer (3.8 % AA) 15 minutes

Mini Mash for Wynona's Big Brown Beaver:

1.5 lbs Marris Otter

1.5 lbs 60L Crystal

1oz Simcoe (14.1% AA) 15 minutes

21 pound grain / 2quarts a pound = 10.5 gallons strike water

2.6 gallons absorption 5 gallons sparge water

1. Main mash

2. Mini mash. (one gallon) (1.5 lbs Maris Otter, 1.5 lbs 60L Crystal)

3. Main mash-out decoction

4. Heat sparge water (main mash)

5. Sparge main .

6. Heat sparge water for mini-mash (half gallon)

7. Put mesh bag in sparge water mini-mash or pour over bag

---------------

Main boil: 2oz Halertaur 60 2oz Halertaur 15 + whirlflocx2

-------------

Mini boil: 1oz Simcoe (14% AA) 15 minutes

Reflections: Things went pretty well with the exception of a clog in the chiller -- I think it is the scrubby, and I will eschew it next time. had to syphon the last four gallons or so out, and it was only down around 100. Letting it chill in chest freezer and cool box overnight. It was still too warm to pitch in the morning (about 75 on the ale, and about 65 on the lager), so it is still sitting, which worries me about DMS (Palmer suggests it should not be a worry lower than 80 degrees). I think the wort was around 90 when I brought it in. I imagine everything should be fine, but if this one has "that homebrew taste" I'll know why.

Notes: 4.9.11 -- Pitched yeast into both beers

Amber Beaver Notes:

4.18.11: 1.019 beginning diacetyl rest.
4.23.11: 1.015 lagering begun

8.20.11 -- kegged (blue keg for storage). Back into the chest freezer. Sample has a nice malty scent with a little bit of a bock-bite, 'er kick.

Wynona's Big Brown Beaver Notes:

4.17.11 Gravity down to 1.016; dry hopped with 1oz Simcoe (14% AA)

5.5.11 -- Gravity down to 1.013; kegged.

El Jeffe Weizen / Dirty Blonde

2011-03-13T22:57:00.014-04:00

Dirty Blonde: O.G. 1.045 -- F.G. 1.009 -- 4.7% ABV

Half of this batch will be the traditional Hefeweizen with the substitution of some Vienna in place of the Pilsner I would normally use. The other half will be fermented with Wyeast 1214 (Chimay) and then dosed with dregs from several sour/bretty beers. I may decide to add the dregs along with the primary strain, but that will all depend on how my bug bitch colony smells on brew day. The first whiff I got after adding my first dregs (Jolly Pumpkin Weizen Bam) was a bit vinegary. If that continues to be the case, I will dump it and start over.

The Malts:

10 lbs Wheat malt

5 lbs Vienna malt

4 lbs Pilsener Malt

The Hops:

2 oz Hallertauer (3.9%AA -- 60 minutes)

The Yeast:

El Jeffe Weizen -- Weinhenstephaner Hefeweizen

Blonde to be Named Later -- Wyeast 1214 plus other bugs and brett (and wood later)

The Mash: Here's the plan: Initial protein rest will be at 122 degrees. After twenty minutes, I will pull a large (nearly half of the mash) decoction and heat it to 155. I will hold it there with a lid and a sleeping bag for about fifteen minutes before bringing to a boil. At that point I will add the decoction to the main mash until the saccrification temperature of 146. This rest will be held for one hour, and then another smaller decoction will be pulled and boiled to bring the mash to mash-out temperature (around 170). Strike water (2qt per pound) = 9.5 gallons + a little less than a half gallon added to the first decoction to account for additional boil-off Absorbtion = 2.37 gallons Sparge water = 5.87 gallons

Brewday Notes: First decoction got too hot (around 164) but I managed to cool it down to around 155 with water and stirring. Resting in sleeping bG for ten minutes I returned enough to the tun to get the temp up to 146, but had a remainder of about two gallons which did not cool quick enough to add back until there was only about three minutes left in the hour rest

Reflections on Brewday: With an O.G. of 1.045, I am going to say efficiency sucked again (69%). I imagine I did not boil as hard as I did last time, and it is hard to see if the double decoction did anything for efficiency. If I get 75% attenuation out of the hefeweizen yeast, I am looking at a 4.5% ABV beer (not terrible). (later-- the morning after): I have come to decide that the issue was with lautering. I forgot to add rice hulls to the grist, which I did not think would be an issue since I was going to use the double decoction, but I could tell that the lauter did not work completely when I opened the tun and saw some wort still floating on the top of the bed. Efficiency was not terrible, but I think I know were the other five points went -- into the compost heap.

3.20.11 -- Pitched yeast into both beers

El Jefe Weizen Notes:

3.29.11 -- down to 1.011 4.45% ABV 76% attenuated. Kegged

4.2.11 -- Drinking (initial reviews are good).

Sour / Funky Blonde Notes:

3.26.11 -- dirty blonde down to 1.011. Racking into secondary to add bugs. Bugs propagated from bottles of Jolly Pumpkin Weizen Bam and Oro de Calabaza, and Oud Beersel Oud Kriek
3.27.11 added dregs from one bottle Orval
5.29.11 -- Added 1 oz medium toast French oak chips.
7.20.11 -- Gravity 1.009. Sourness is very pleasant and much more complex than when I used a quick souring method (Pigpen). I am still going to leave this alone for a while since I believe the oak, which I added late, still needs time to make its contribution. Overall I am very encouraged by this sample.
9.30.11 -- Gravity stable at 1.009. Bottled at 4 volumes.

Schwarzbier Nasferatu / Black Hearted Ale

2011-02-25T19:44:00.012-05:00

Nasferatu -- 24 IBU -- 1.055 Black Hearted -- 69 IBU -- 1.062

It has been a long while since I brewed last, and half of that batch got dumped because of an infection. The lager chest is completely empty, and I see a homebrew shortage in the future. This is the first batch I am making with my new plate chiller, hop bag filter, fermcap, and dip tube assembly I attached to the kettle.

The Malts: 10 lbs Munich II 9 lbs Pilsener 1 lb Carafa III (an additional pound in sparge) 1 lb Carapils

The Hops (main boil) 2 oz Hallertauer (3.9% AA) -- 90 minutes 2 oz Hallertauer (3.9% AA) -- 15 minutes + Whirlfloc tabs

Black Hearted Additions (added to about a gallon of wort): 2 lbs 80L Crystal 2 lbs 120L Crystal Black Hearted Hops 2 oz Centennial ( 8.8% AA) -- 20 minutes 1 oz Centennial (8.8% AA) -- 10 minutes 2 oz Centennial (8.8% AA) -- Dry

Brewday Notes: 10.( gallons strike water 5.25 gallons sparge water plus 1.5 quarts deadspace = 5.63 gallons Temp just right at 150 after fifteen minutes, and then again at 70 minutes. Temp after first decoction ( about three gallons ): 170 Dip tube a scruby clogging. 1.055 at 70 degrees. BH: 1.061 at 69 degrees.

Reflections on Brewday: Things went very smoothly considering the upgrades until I had a nasty clog when it came time to clean the pump/chiller. That added two hours to the experience. It would have been my fastest brewday otherwise. I only ended up with about nine gallons of beer, and that may be due to dividing them unequally. There is plenty to be encouraged by for the next time. I need to be sure to tighten up the hop bag since it fell off.

2.27.11 -- Pitched yeast into both beers.

Nasferatu Notes:

3.11.11: 1.021 diacetyl rest begun

3.15.11: still around 1.020. I am going to let it stay at room temperature until I return from our camping trip

3.19.11 -- The beer appears to be stuck at 1.020. I shook the keg up pretty good this time thinking there should not be any oxygen in there. If it still does not move, I am going to add it to the Nottingham cake the Black Hearted Ale is currently on.

4.3.11 -- Racked on to the 1214 cake previously being used by Black Hearted.

4.23.11 -- Down to 1.018 lagering begins

Black Hearted Notes:

3.4.11 : dry hopped with 2oz centennial (8.8%AA) keeping in mind that this is closer to four gallons of beer than five. Fermentation has been around 60 degrees

3.7.11 : 63 degrees 1.023. Temps have been low, so I expect this one to be working slowly (7 days). Sample already tastes very good.

3.13.11 -- 65 degrees 1.021 -- still moving, albeit slowly.

3.26.11 Still stuck around 1.020. Racking onto cake from dirty blonde (1214)

4.3.11 -- After sitting on the 1214 cake for a week, it did not move a speck. Kegged and gassed. I am starting to believe the wort may not have been as fermentable as I thought (carfa?)

Milk and Bread

2011-01-15T16:45:00.004-05:00

Milk and Bread: 1.044 -- 1.011 -- 4.7% ABV

During snomageaddon 2011, I did not leave the house for six days. I brewed this beer using snow and the ingredients I had at the house. This is also my first time fermenting in a keg.

Bread and Milk
Style: Cream Ale
OG: 1.044
ABV: 4.7
Calories: 144
IBU's: 24.56
Boil Size: 3.50
Color: 3.2 SRM \
\Batch Size: 3.00 Gal
Boil Time: 60 minutes

HopsAmountIBU'sNameTimeAA %
0.50 ozs 16.41 Styrian Goldings 60 mins 5.400
.50 ozs 8.15 Styrian Goldings 15 mins 5.400
.30 ozs0.00 Styrian Goldings 0 mins 5.40
YeastsAmountNameLaboratory / ID1.0 pkgS-05fermentis 0000

1.30.11 -- racked the beer from the fermenter keg into the serving keg using my new jumper for the first time. I think things went very smoothly, and I look forward to fermenting a full batch of beer in a keg. I purchased some fermcap so I could do so. The beer tasted very dry and crisp. I think it will drink well in a month or two when there is room in the fridge. In the mean time, it will condition at 40 degrees until I brew the next batch of lager -- then it will sit at the fermentation temp of that beer.

2011

2010-12-29T13:39:00.011-05:00

Milk and Bread (~4 gal)-- January13, 2011
Schwarzbier Nasferatu -- February 26, 2011
Black Hearted Ale -- February 26, 2011
El Jeffe Weizen -- March 19, 2011
Funky Sour Blonde -- March 19, 2011
Winona's Big Brown Beaver -- April 8, 2011
Amber Beaver -- April 8, 2011
Paterweizen -- May 6, 2011
Belgian Summer Ale -- May 6, 2011
Meg Wit -- June 6, 2011
Don Juan Saison -- July 5, 2011
Irish Curse Ale -- July 28, 2011
Over - Under Burton Ale -- October 1, 2011
Burton Junior -- October 1, 2011
Rauch-N-Wiener -- November 7, 2011
Lunar Eclipse Wheat -- December 10, 2011
Rudy Lycanthrope -- December 10, 2011
1911 Boston Rustler (5 gal) -- December 29, 2011

Year in Review:

Gallons = 105Firsts: Winning a Medal, brewing with someone else, using acidulated malt, making sour beer with bugs from commercial beers
Highlights: Both wheat beers I made in the summer were very good, as well as the sour version of the first (Dirty Blonde). Irish Curse also proved to be a good beer -- one that should be repeated.
Lowlights: The Schwarzbier was not great, but not bad either. This is the only one that stands out as being sub-standard at this point. (It should be noted that I have not tried Rauch-N-Wiener, Lunar Eclipse, Rudy, or Rustler at this point (12.30.11))

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Padunk-a-Dunkel / Brown Trout

2010-12-21T13:41:00.016-05:00

Padunk-a-Dunkel -- 1.058 -- 1.0?? -- infected and dumped
Brown Trout -- 1.058 -- 1.015 -- 5.6% ABV

Brown Trout
	Style: Munich Dunkel	OG: 1.053
	Type: All Grain	FG: 1.016
	Rating: 0.0	ABV: 4.85 %
	Calories: 175	IBU's: 22.25 (promash says27)
	Efficiency: 70 %	Boil Size: 13.00 Gal
	Color: 15.9 SRM	Batch Size: 11.00 Gal
		Boil Time: 90 minutes


Fermentation Steps
Name	Days / Temp
(none)


Grains & Adjuncts
Amount	Percentage	Name	Gravity	Color
21.00 lbs	93.33 %	Munich Malt	1.037	8.0
1.00 lbs	4.44 %	Cara-Pils/Dextrine	1.033	2.0
0.50 lbs	2.22 %	Chocolate Malt	1.034	350.0


Hops
Amount	IBU's	Name	Time	AA %
1.50 ozs	6.26	Saaz	15 mins	5.50
1.50 ozs	12.76	Styrian Goldings	90 mins	5.20
0.50 ozs	3.23	Saaz	30 mins	5.50

Target Mash Temp: 152
10 gallons strike water
2.81 gallons absorbed
7.19 gallons collected
5.81 gallons sparge water needed
for 13 gallons pre-boil wort

Padunk-a-Dunkel -- Safale 34/70 (washed from previous batch, 2qt starter)
Brown Trout -- Safale s-05

12.22.10 -- Padunk brewday notes
Mashed in at 161 -- target is 152.After fifteen minutes,temp is right on target.Pulled approximate two gallon decoction - bringing to boil. Temp was 148-9 after 90 minutes. Decoction raised temp to 160. Doing another -- close to 2.5 gallons. Temp closer to 170 when done.
Efforts to improve efficiency: mashing 90 min, checking temperatures after decoctions, boiling 90 min, boiling harder, playing voodoo music for first fifteen minutes of mash.
53 degrees1.059 -- corrected to 1.058 -- 76% efficeincy
12.22.10 -- pitched yeast into Brown Trout
12.23.10 -- pitched yeast into Padunk-a-Dunkel
12.28.10 -- dry hopped Brown Trout with one oz Saaz

Padunk-a-Dunkel Notes:
1.7.11 -- As I was testing the gravity, noticed the beer smelled awful. Continued discussion here and here. End Result:

it was only the second time I have had to dump an entire batch. Here is the first:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=&feature=player_embedded

Brown Trout Notes:
1.7.11 -- 70 degrees, 1.015. Tastes very clean and malty.
1.12.11 -- racked into keg and hooked to the gas. I think I may taste a faint sourness, but then again, I could be imagining it. Final gravity -- 1.015.

Pigpen / Mordecai Brown

2010-10-22T20:59:00.030-04:00

Pigpen - 1.051 - 1.007 - 5.8% ABV

Mordecai Brown - 1.059 -- 1.014 --5.9% ABV

Sour Brown Ale
Mordecai Brown

Target Gravities @ 75% efficiency:
Sour 1.059
Mordecai 1.066

Grain Bill:
16 lbs Marris Otter
7 lbs biscuit malt
2 lbs Flaked Maize

Hops:
2.5 oz Styrian Goldings (5.4% AA) -- 60 minutes

Before boiling, 2.5 gallons of wort will be separated, brought to boil and then cooled. I will then add the lacto starter I have prepared using this method. The lacto will be allowed to sour this portion of the beer for 2-3 days. Then it will be boiled to denature the lacto and then added to another 2.5 gallons from the boil that would have already received the dregs of two bottles of Orval as well as approximately one quart of White Labs 080 Cream Ale yeast starter.

Pellicle on lacto starter

After boiling a small portion of wort will be collected to steep the following and to make the following hop additions:

Steeped:
1 lb Caramber
.5 lb Cararoma

Additional Hops:

2.00 ozs	38.10 %	Styrian Goldings	20 mins	5.40
1.00 ozs	19.05 %	Simcoe	15 mins	12.00
1.00 ozs	19.05 %	Amarillo Gold	0 mins	8.50
1.00 ozs	0.00 %	Cascade	21 days	5.50

Mash:
1.75 quarts per pound = 11 gallons strike water (target temperature = 154)
5.125 gallons sparge water

Reflections on brewday (10.29.10):
Things seemed to go very smoothly until I read the gravity, and I saw that I am still suffering from low efficiency (around 63%). This would not be a big deal if I could nail 63% all the time, but sometimes I hit the 70s and even the 80s. I also forgot the whirlfloc tablet, so I may need to look into fining with gelatin for this batch. I pitched all the yeast the morning after, and both batches saw activity within 18 hours.

The half of Pigpen that got the lacto starter has not shown any signs of activity after 24 hours. I suspect the aquarium heater in that tub is not working well enough, so I turned it all the way up. I used my second lacto starter for this one since I had to throw away the original because I was not able to brew the day on which I had planned since dad had to go to the hospital. The second time I used Malta for a starter rather than DME -- the Malta is hopped, so I think that may have accounted for the lack of a pellicle in the second starter (it still stunk pretty good, so I thought it would be fine). If I do not get any lacto activity in the next 24 hours (pellicle activity or smell), I will begin to worry a little more.

Pigpen Notes:
10.31 - moved the lacto wort to cooler with heating pad which kept it around ninety degrees. the aquarium heater in the tub i had it seems to be done.
11.3 -- boiled the lacto wort for thirty minutes, cooled and added to rest of the beer in th eother carboy. The lacto wort was sour and kind of musty. It is hard to tell what the sourness will eventually be in the finished beer since this wort is still so sweet. a pellicle never developed any further than a very rhino transparent skin on top -- nothing fluffy.
11.14.10 -- pigpen: 70 degrees 1.020. The sourness in the sample is not quite what I expected -- a tad garbage-y. I also know the oak I will later and the continuing Brett activity will change the flavors of the overall beer.

11.20.10 -- 70 degrees 1.017. sourness seems to smell better -- less sharp, less garbage. the taste seems better, more so from continued fermentation, but it still not what I expected. it has only been three weeks, and there seems to be more fermentation to go ( especiAlly sice there is Brett involved), there will be oak aging, carbonation, and serving cooler which will change things. this tasting has me less concerned that I will want to dump this batch some time in the future.

11.29.10 -- transferred pigpen to secondary along with one oz medium toast French oak chips and the dregs of another dose of orval. I do not think I got an accurate hydrometer reading since it showed that the gravity increased - I was being hasty and did not let it sit. I will read it again soon to see if the Brett activity continues. the sourness seemed a little more pleasing than last time even, so we will see. I do not plan to do much with this one until March at the earliest.

12.20.10 -- Since the gravity has hardly moved, I added about a pint of starter made from a pure Brett B culture. I made a 2qt starter, and will let the remainder ferment out to wash for future use. Gravity was around 1.019, and the ph was around 5.5.

12.23.10 -- Noticed activty in Pigpen. I am going to try to ignore this one for a couple months.

12.30.10 -- TEMP -- 73; Gravity -- 1.013 -- brett is working. still not quite sure of the taste on this one.

1.7.11 -- TEMP: 71; Gravity -- 1.011 -- This is beginning to taste much better. The sourness is getting much better as the Brett is drying out the beer. I am beginning to taste the wood a little too, which has me more encouraged than I have been to date about Pigpen.

3.5.11: 74 degrees 1.007. Sourness is even more pleasing without the garbage notes. Brett did a good job drying this out, and may have more to go. Wood flavor is starting to show as well. i may not bottle this next week like I planned.

4.9.11 -- Gravity at 1.007, which is a little lower than last month once temperature corrections are made. I think this is ready to bottle.

4.17.11 -- Bottled at 4 volumes CO2

Mordecai Brown Notes:
11.14.10 -- mordecai -- 70 degrees 1.019. I hope it is just this yeast blend that is slow. Hop flavor is very nice, but like pigpen, the beer seems a little thin tasting at this point.
11.26.10 -- Gravity reads 1.014 -- 76% attenuated. I am calling this terminal gravity. Washed and am sanitizing keg now. Will keg in the next day or two.

11.28.10 -- kegged Mordecai brown and am cold aging at 40 degrees until a space in the fridge is available. Also, this is the first time I am fi ing with gelatin.

12.24.10 -- Mordecai Brown is a hit. The cream ale blend from White Labs is excellent, and I cannot wait to use it in a golden / cream ale. The yeast profile is extremely clean, and if I did not know any different, I would think I was drinking a lager. I am also very happy with the hop additions, especially the Simcoe that stands out nicely. Dry hopping with Cascade was a good idea too -- I feel that something stronger may have been overwhelming. The beer is young and I am impatient, so it is still not quite as clear as I would like it to be (I carbonated using the shake-it method)

1.9.11 -- I picked Mordecai up, and he has gotten very light. I would be surprised if I get another glass or two out of Ol' Three Fanger.

1.10.11 -- Drinking the last glass of Mordecai Brown.

Oily Bohunk / False Prophet Ale

2010-09-01T21:34:00.015-04:00

Bohunk O.G. -- 1.060 -- 1.015 -- 5.9% ABV -- 43 IBU

False Prophet O.G. -- 1.075 -- 1.015 -- 7.86% ABV

Target Gravities:
Amber - 1.066
Bohunk - 1.051
70% efficiency / 13 gallons of preboil wort

Malt Bill:
22# Pilsener Malt
2# Munich I
1# Carapils

Hops:
90 minute boil
3oz Saaz (5.5%) 60 Minutes
30z Saaz 15 Minutes+ Wirlfloc
2oz Saaz 0 Minutes

To be steeped in wort made from above to make Amber:
1.5 Caramunich
1.5 Aromatic
1 Piloncillo

Yeast:
Bohunk: Weihenstephaner Dry
Amber: washed 1388 (Duvel) Starter

9.37 gallons strike water (1.5 q per pound)
3.13 gallons absorbed
Instead of adding the gallon of boiling water, I am going to pull a 1/3 decoction to bring the mash up to mash-out temperature. I will boil this decoction for about ten minutes.
6.75 gallons sparge

9.4.10 -- Brewday reflections: things went very well and smoothly. Efficiency went up ( overshot target gravity by .09 points). I am still very unpredictable with my efficiency with the batch sparging. Next time I may figure for 73% instead of the 70% I figured for this time. The decoction also went very well; we will see if it affects flavor. This may have also contributed to the jump in efficiency. Both beers are cooling now (lager in the chest freezer, and the ale in the new cooler box I constructed). I will pitch yeasts tomorrow morning once the wort has had a chance to cool down a little. I think it was in the 85 range when they were done chilling, and they both spent about 40 minutes in an ice bath.
9.5.10 -- Pitched yeast into both beers.

False Prophet Notes:
9.19.10 -- false prophet reads 1.015 - 80% attenuated.

9.29.10 - kegged false prophet.

12.24.10 -- The false prophet has been somewhat of the stepchild of the fridge, first behind Don Juan Saison, and now Mordecai Brown. That is not to suggest this is not a fine beer. It may not be my best work, but it is a very respectable Belgian style amber. The Duvel yeast is very expressive, which is the dominant flavor here. I believe I will, when steeping grain for a second beer, I will increase the ammounts since the steeping is not provinding as much character as I originally wanted. This beer could benefit from a deeper caramel flavor from the crystal malt -- Duvel yeast is a lot to compete with, which is what makes it idea for SGA. All that being said, it is still a good beer, and I have lifted more than one glass on a few occasions.

Oily Bohunk Notes:

9.25.10- 1.017 (72%). Diacetyl rest begun (removed from freezer).

9.26.10 - bohunk racked beginning to drop temp over next few days.

12.22.10 -- moved to keg in chest freezer to make room for Padunk-a-Dunkel. I still need to get a final gravity on the bohunk.

1.11.11 -- Bohunk is hooked up, and should be ready to go today. I may have to shake it a little to get it a little more carbed. It is the second snow day in a row, so we are going to need some tasty Pilsener. Wooo. Final gravity around 1.015.

Don Juan Sasion / The Funky Don Juan

2010-07-16T21:42:00.032-04:00

Don Juan Saison - 1.060 - 1.009 - 6.7% ABV
Funky Don Juan - 1.060 - 1.005 -7.2% ABV

35 IBU

Target Gravity - 1.066
64% efficiency -- I have no idea why it is so low. I seemed to have more wort than I thought I would.

Ten gallons of saison -- half of which to be funked with the dregs of two bottles of Orval. This is my first attempt using yeast strains outside the world of sacchromyces.

View the recipe page here, and ignore the fact that I did not enter many of the more technical information.

After much research I have decided to add the dregs along with the Belgian Saison strain that will be the base yeast. I had considered adding it in a secondary, but have decided after much reading and question asking to add it at the beginning since the Saison yeast is likely to finish with a very low final gravity, leaving little for the Brett in the dregs to much on.

Each beer is getting a 3qt starter.

Brewday Notes / Reflections:
7.17.10 -- Things went rather well except for low efficiency, which I think has something to do with the amount of wort I collected. I figured for 13 gallons instead of the usual 12 since my last batch seemed short a gallon at the end; this one had at least a gallon extra. Maybe I should go back to twelve. There is also a chance I made an error measuring the water. I probably lost a few points due to the fact that my boil was not as hard as normal. I thought I was wasting gas keeping it turned up so much, but now think I should turn it up a little more. Regardless, a 1.060 saison is going to work just fine.
7.18.10 -- about ten hours after pitching, both beers show vigorous activity. Ambient temperature is around 76, and beers are in water baths that I am going to add ice to now to keep the temp as low as I can using this strategy.
7.21.10 -- fermentation has slowed to a crawl, so I moved the carboys from downstairs where they have been between 72 and 76 degrees to upstairs where it is already above 80 before 9:00 a.m.

Don Juan Notes:

7.27.10 -- Transferred into secondary so I could wash the yeast. Gravity is at 1.027 which makes it slower than the funky version. The tastes of the samples are much different, with this one being much cleaner without the yeasty notes that I am sure will develop more as the beer finishes. I will leave this one alone for a while, and then check the gravity again.

8.8.10 -- gravity reads 1.023 -- going much slower than last time I brewed saison, and it is much hotter. We have been having 100+ heat indexes for the last week and a half at least. The yeast character is beginning to show through much more, but the finish is really sweet. I am going to wait much longer than a week and a half to test this one again.

8.28.10 -- gravity reads 1.017, which is 72% attenuated. Still has a while to go, and we are at week six. I may have to pitch more yeast to finish this off before it is too late. Sample tastes good, but still a little sweet.

9.14.10 -- Gravity 1.014 - 77% attenuated and still moving. pitched about 8oz starter made with washed yeast at time of last reading agitated regularly after repitch. Still hoping for attenuation in the 80s.

10.25.10 -- Kegged. Final Gravity = 1.009 - 85% attenuated. Sample is nice and dry, but I am not able to taste the yeast characteristics to the extent that I expected. Perhaps carbonation will help. This is going to be a good one nonetheless.

2.18.11 -- Don Juan Saison gets a collective score of 36 at the Big Beers Belgians and Barleywines Festival in Vail, Colorado. It was even moved to the second round, the "mini B.O.S." round. Click to enlarge thumbnails:

Funky Don Juan Notes:

7.23.10 -- 87 degrees ( ambient temp is 80 at time of taking sample). Gravity = 1.024 -- adjusted to 1.027. The sample tastes very yeasty and I am surprised that I can already taste a little dry wooly funk. I thought this needed more time to even be noticeable. I will check in a few days before taking it back downstairs at around 1.020 so it can cool down a bit and give the brett more sugars to eat.

7.25.10 -- Gravity down to 1.024. I will move it back downstairs tomorrow or the next day. It shed three points in two days.

8.8.10 --Gravity Reads 1.008 -- the brett must have really done some work since I brought it down stairs, though the temp has been in the 80s in the laundry room where it is. The funk is really shining through nicely with a sweaty type taste that goes well with the hops. It may be time to secondary this one soon.

8.15.10 -racked into secondary. Gravity= 1.006 at 80 degrees. Adjusted to 1.008, the same as a week ago. Sample seems like it is drying out a bit. bottled about 36 oz with .75tsp table sugar.

9.23.10 -- Drinking the big bottle I primed early: the beer is very dry and without any high alcohols with a lovely funk that I know will increase, which is good since it is a little fainter than i expect it to be. This is a very enjoyable beer, and I cannot wait to enjoy the rest once the time comes.

11.15.10 -- Gravity reads 1.005. Bottling at 4 volumes.

12.19.10 -- Tried one of these and the taste was very buttery and the mouthfeel was rather slick. Discussion on Homebrewtalk . . .

GOld Scratch / Jahrfunfzehn Helles

2010-06-11T20:36:00.016-04:00

GOld Scratch -- O.G. = 1.087 -- 1.006 -- 10.6% ABV Jahrfunfzehn Helles -- O.G. = 1.056 -- 1.015 -- 5.4% ABV

Target Gravities: Lager -- 1.057 Strong Golden -- 1.077

Malt Bill 25 lbs Pilsner Malt Other Fermentables: 2.5 lb Cane Sugar

Hops: 2oz Styrian Goldings (5.2) -- 60 min 1.5oz Saaz (5.5) -- 30 min

8 gallons strike water (1.44 q/pound).

3 gallons absorbed add 1 gallon boiling water Collect six gallons Six gallons sparge water for a total of 12

Pale lager Strong golden Dough--356 421 - mashing too hot. I've added ice cubes and now I am trying to relax. 507 - running off first wort. Mash was much closer to 159 than the 149 I was shooting for 623 - boil begins (few interruptions) 803 - chilling almost done. Wort seems short. May figure for thirteen gallons next time. Strong golden og - 69degrees / 1.086 Lager og - 79 degrees / 1.054

strong Golden Ale Notes:

6.19.10 -- Fermentation went well for the first six days. It started cool ( around 62), then up to around 75. i moved the bucket into the hall yesterday so it could warm up some (into the low 80s).

7.7.10 -- Gravity reads 1.004 at 78 degrees (1.006). Cold conditioning begun.

7.14.10 -- reyeasted, primed, and bottled at 4 volumes of carbon Dioxide

3.12.11 -- Scored a 35 at the Peach State Brew Off in Atlanta, winning the silver medal in its flight: scoresheet

Extra Pale Lager Notes: 6.29.10 -- Diacetyl rest begun. Much later than normal. Closer to twenty days than the normal ten. 7.6.10 -- It has taken a while for the chest freezer to warm up to 70, but it has been that high for a good three or four days. I beers are getting racked tomorrow. 7.7.10 -- Lagering begun. Gravity at 1.013 at 78 degrees (1.015).

Bavarian Amber Lager / Dubbel / Special Cherry Belgian Ale

2010-03-29T21:50:00.036-04:00

amber 1.047 - 1.010 -- 4.8%ABV
dubbel 1.059 - 1.007 -- 6.8%ABV
special 1.062 -- 1.006 -- 7.3%ABV

This brewday is going to be an ambitious one. First, I am using my newly modified system with a pump; I will be batch sparging for the first time in a while, and will be spiking my wort post mash to make three different beers: five gallons of Bavarian Amber Lager, five gallons of Belgian Dubbel, and three gallons of Belgian Spiced Specialty Ale. On top of that, I am trying to use up all the hops I bought in October figuring the alpha acid loss after almost six months.

Malt Bill:

15 lbs Pilsener Malt
15 lbs Munich Malt

Hops
2oz Cascade 60 min
3oz Tettnang 40 min
1oz Tettnang 20 min
if these hops were fresh the IBUs would be around 34, but with age, it should be closer to 20.

Dubbel:
Started with 2 gallons of water in which I steeped:
12 oz Special B
1 lb Honey Malt
Then I boiled:
2 lb Table Sugar
1.5 lb Dark Candi Sugar Syrup
I then added wort to make five gallons

Spiced Special Ale:
I started with one gallon of water in which I boiled:
2 lbs Piloncillo
1 Star Anise
1/2 tsp ground clove
I then added wort to make four gallons

Amber *Whitelabs 833 slurry / dubbel *Wyeast 3787 3 quart starter / special *T58 dry Belgian yeast

1012 dough
1027 145 degrees
1113 vorlauf
1202 sparge almost done
1226 Belgianizing wort chilling
136 chilling commences I thnk with the new pump recirculating the wort, it will go quickly
205 110 degrees
226 80 degrees
246 chilling ends
Lager 44 of at 82 degrees
Dubbel 58 at 70 degrees
317 dubbel pitch
Special 61 at 69 degrees
341 done start cleaning

Corrected gravities:
amber 1.047
dubbel 1.059
spiced 1.062

Calculating efficiency at 60%. I knew it would take a hit batch sparging, but this much? Shit.

Reflections on Brewday:
Efficiency sucked, but after some reading and discussion, I think I have a short list of remedies for next time. 1) Mash out. I have become accustomed to not doing this when fly sparging. I am going to add a gallon of boiling water to mash at end to raise the temp. 2) If after the mash out, I still have a large amount of sparge water to add, I will cut it in half. www.dennybrew.com was recommended to me, so I will read more about his technique before next brew day. I believe he heats his sparge water up to 185, which is something I heard was a no-no, in the past, but I have to realize that I am changing my technique, and that the things I held as gospel in the past may have to be unlearned.

Aside from the efficiency issue, everything went great. The brewday was certainly quicker, and the pump worked like a charm. I recirculated the wort for the last fifteen minutes of the boil, and throughout the chilling procees (which I think sped up this step).

4.5.10 -- Fermentation on the two Belgians seems to be going very well. We have had unusually warm weather the past few days, and ambient temperatures have peaked at 80 in the hall where the buckets are. At night and in the morning, they are closer to 68. I pitched the yeast at 70, and it started pretty quickly (3 quart starter), so I am not overly concerned about the dreaded ethyl acetate, that is not to say I am not concerned. The amber also started bubbling today.
4.11.10 --

Amber gravity reads 1.012 diacetyl rest begun. The sample was dry and already having a little crispness. This is going to be a very good session lager.
Special Spiced gravity reads 1.010, but it does not taste very spiced. I am soaking one more star anise in vodka to add at bottling. I had added more clove to the vodka, but dumped it when the mixture smelled like NyQuill to me.
Dubbel gravity reads 1.018, which is only about 70% attenuated. Hopefully turning the heat up to 78 will help with that. I have also seen that Wyeast 3787 is very slow and tenacious.

4.15.10 -- Amber gravity down to 1.010. Lagering begun. Bought 2 quarts of organic tart cherry juice for three gallons of the Special wort. Remainder will go on oak in a gallon jug -- four beers from same wort.
4.18.10 -- Racked the special into the three gallon carboy with two quarts of organic tart cherry juice. Gravity measured 1.009 before the addition, and 1.013 after.
4.19.10 -- Dubbel gravity reads 1.007. 81% attenuated.
4.27.10 -- Bottled Honey Dub-Bell at three volumes. Final gravity was 1.007. Tasted from Belgian Barrel, and the oak flavor was there, but I think I will taste again in a couple days.
5.30.10 -- Tasted the Belgian Barrel last night, and tasted the oak notes I wanted. Bottled today. The 12oz bottles got .75 teaspoon table sugar; the 22oz got 1.25.
6.9.10 -- Bottled special at four volumes. Gravity read 1.006.
6.11.10 -- Kegged amber. Gravity was still 1.010
6.18.10 -- Amber lager makes a great black and tan with Too Many Adjective Stout

6.22.10

Tasting Bavarian Amber Lager

Appearance: Clear amber with many bubbles rising to the head, which is thick and fluffy. This beer is a real looker. See:
Smell: Mild hoppy and yeasty aromas. Very clean.
Taste: This beer is very balanced, without leaving a malt or hop character to take charge. The finish highlights the easy-going hop profile well. The overall impression is balanced and clean.
Mouthfeel: Very light and crisp. Carbonation is probably a little high for the experts, but for me, it is where I like it.
Overall: Though it was not the intention to make a beer this light and refreshing, I am glad I did. In fact the lager I am fermenting right now will be just a tad bigger than this one. I should make beers like this more, and they would lend themselves well to making a partigyle with this being the smaller of the two beers. Overall, this is much better than my last lager, and encourages me more to use the Ayinger strain of yeast (though I think the Weihanstephaner is a little better).
7.15.10 -- Honey Dub-Bell Pictures:

7.20.10 -- Tasting Honey Dub-Bell:
Appearance: opaque brown with just a faint head after pouring - hopefully this will improve, but i am unsure if it will being this long after bottling. smell: very clean smelling with just hints of the Belgian yeast character. A toasty malt aroma is in there too.
Taste: very nice, starting with faint dark fruit notes and malty accents, and finishing dry with Belgian yeast spiciness and a bit of hop flavor ( from the saaz addition, I figure). as the beer warms the fruit characteristic becomes a little bit bigger, but it is still not dominant. This beer is quite dry it does not have much of the caramel character most dubbels have. I suppose this is because of the lack of the special b I intended to use. The honey note that is there in its place is very nice, and comes in more when the beer warms.
Mouthfeel: this beer is light bodied and easy to drink. It is more refreshing than many dubbels, knowing that refreshment is often not the point with the style.
Overall: I think this came out very well, but it may be unfair to call it a dubbel. I think the name Honey Dub-Bell is very appropriate because it addresses the deviations as well as the base style. This example is very encouraging to use the method of making a small amount of candi, sugar, or other wort on brew day to add to a base beer. The displacement caused by this extra wort opening the door for yet a third ( or fourth) beer is also very encouraging. I am sure I will do it again.
7.23.10 -- Tasting Belgian Barrel:

Appearance: hazy dark gold in color with a thin head. I need to do more to get better head retention. I used to be in the habit of always using a little carapils, but not as much lately. I need to get back into that habit. Overall. Good looking beer, but the head bothers me some.

Smell: bready with a mild yeast scent. The oak is not very aromatic at first whiff. The peppery nature of t-58 is mildly apparent.

Taste: the oak flavor is very weak at first sip, but this is a very nice and peppery belgian blonde as it is right now. I certainly would use this yeast again, and can now see why so many say it would be good for a wit. The pilsner and Munich malts in this one work very well together, and it seems as though i can taste them both individually. this is strange in that I do not perceive the flavors as individually in the lager. I would expect he clean nature of he lager to allow each of the malts to come through, but the belgian yeast seems to do a better job in this respect. I am going to get a little glass of lager now to compare. The oak nature comes through more when the beer is allows to warm just a little - out of the 40 degree fridge for about ten minutes. ( tasting lager - I do get the same sensation( pilsener taste up front followed by the Munich breadyness), but not to the extent. With the Belgian barrel)

Mouthfeel: though the head is a little weak the effervescence of this beer is not. I cannot remember to what volume i primed these, but i know it did involve guesswork.

Overall: overall, I am very pleased with all the beers this somewhat experimental session has produced, and though i said it earlier, I would do it again. Though the oak nature in this bee is not very pronounced, it does add a nice complexity to the finish that does not domineer at all. This is a solid Belgian ale, and i would consider making more than once gallon of next time.

Thank you Andy

2010-03-09T07:34:00.003-05:00

I hope you enjoy the beers. Some more about them:

DSB ESB -- Extra Special Bitter is the superlative of English Ales after Bitter and Special Bitter. This style has elevated levels of hops and malt. Read more here.

Yippy APA -- American Pale ale is somewhat of a cousin of ESB, but the American varieties of hops give this style a much bigger hop presence. This bottle is marked with a "Y". Read more here.

Both beers are bottle conditioned, so they should be stored upright and then poured in one slow continuous motion, leaving about a half inch of sediment in the bottom. With bottles this size, you will need a pitcher or a clean coffee pot to decant all of the beer.

Feel encouraged to leave comments on these beers' individual pages.

Double Toasted Oatmeal Chocolate Too Many Adjective Stout

2010-02-22T21:29:00.015-05:00

Target Gravity -- 1.083

Original Gravity = 1.084
55 IBU
Oak Aged 1028 1.084 - 1.015
Chocolate Draft 1968 1.084 - 1.025

Malt Bill

27 lbs Marris Otter
1.5 110 - 150L Crysta
1.5 135 - 165L Crystal
3 Roasted Barley
1 Chocolate Malt
2.25 lbs Toasted Quick Oats

Hop Schedule -- 55 IBUs

6oz Willamette (4.8) -- 60
2oz Willamette (4.8) -- 30

10 gallons strike water (all jugged drinking water)
8 gallons sparge water (Crawford)

Yeasts:
Half will be fermented with 1028 slurry
Half will be fermented with 1968 slurry

326 - tun closed and mash begins after stirring for a long time.
345. - mashing around 150 more stirring. This is close to the grain limit for this tun.
455 - runoff begins
617 - weigh a normal sip of beer: 1.5oz
725 - back from short shutdown for oliver's bedtime.
756 - boil begins.
856. - boiling ends / chilling begins.
1013 - gravity reads 1.084
1111 - all ice baths over, cleanup finished.

Reflections: second time in a row the water machine screwed me. Things went pretty smoothly otherwise.

3.19.10 -- Earlier this week I was treated to one of the worst stenches I have ever experienced. While the 1968 half of this beer was fermenting, it was getting a little vigorous, so I popped the top a little off the fermenter to allow the gas to escape more quickly. A good bit of foamy wort and yeast oozed out into the water in which the bucket is sitting to maintain temperature. After a couple days of this, I thought "well enough", snapped the lid back on, and left town for a week. It did not occur to me that the spilled wort would be kept at a balmy 70 degrees by the aquarium heater in the water, which is a great niche for something really stinky. I promptly racked the beer into a secondary and cleaned up the mess. I hope none of the bacteria found its way inside the beer -- possible, but probably not. The gravity read about 1.027, which is a bit under-attenuated, so I hope it moves a little bit more in the secondary.

In other news, the rules for the next club contest have been made public, and it calls for a single addition of something not extract after fermentation is complete. The chocolate extract I had would have not fit the bill, so I put it in the 1968 carboy today, and will probably add oak chips to the 1028 so I can enter it in the contest.

3.27.10 -- racked the 1028 version into the secondary. Gravity was 1.015, which is much lower than the other one was. I hope the 1968 has been dropping more in the past week so it won't be terribly sweet. The sample from the hydrometer tube tasted great, and I having mild doubts about messing with this one any more by adding the oak. We'll see.
4.7.10 -- Tasting after being oaked for one week (2.5 oz medium toast French chips): The oak flavor is there, but in more of a woody way than a vanilla way. It is hard for me to tell what is exactly going on when the beer is warm and flat.
4.8.10 -- Racked beer off the chips (8 days), then bottled
4.14.10 -- measured the gravity if the draft chocolate 1968 version. It was 1.026, just at 70% attenuated. I wonder why it was so low. The sample tasted very good, and the chocolate flavor was at a good level too.

Crawford Vulture Blonde Ale / Jahrfunfzehn Lager

2010-01-02T13:56:00.011-05:00

Crawford Vulture Blonde
O.G. 1.060
F.G. 1.011
6.4% ABV

Jahrfunfzehn Lagerbier
O.G. 1.060
F.G. 1.011
6.4% ABV

At dusk on brewday, I was visited by more than thirty turkey vultures who roosted in the tree just above my shed. They were close enough to hear their wings flapping when they were startled. This is not a very odd occurrence here in Crawford -- especially in the winter.O.G. = 1.060

Malts:
19 lbs pils
5 lbs Munich 1
1.5 lbs carapils

This has almost 6% carapils which is a little much. We'll see if it makes the beer too chewy. I don't think it will be a big issue since most recommend ip to 5%. I think I have 5.8%

1.060 at 75% eff

Hops:

3oz tettnanger 3.2% - 60
2oz tettnanger 3.2%- 30
1oz cascade 5.4% - 15

28 ibu
Brewday, January 1, 2010

7 gal strike
9.2 gal sparge

430 - dough in
445 - near 150
557 - run off begins
805 - boil begins
909 - boil ends
1013 - gravity reads 1.060
1111 - done

Reflections on brewday:

Things went pretty smoothly aside from the water machine sterling my money and having to go to Bell's to get seven gallons of water. Temperatures were in the twenties, especially later in the evening, this made the chilling go quickly. I also could not find my flashlight, so that was a little bit of a challenge.

Jahrfunfzehn Notes:
1.11.10 -- Check the gravity and it was already down to around 1.015. I started a diacetyl rest in hopes of getting a couple more points out of it. The gravity was a little lower than I expected it to be -- perhaps WL833 works a little faster than the lager yeasts I have used in the past. The sample tasted wonderful.
1.14.10 -- Racked into a secondary and measured the gravity again. It did not seem to move. (1.015) I am going to wait another day before beginning to drop the temperature in hopes of shedding a point or two.
3.29.10 -- Kegged and placed in the the fridge. Final gravity about 1.011, so I see it shed more than a point or two. ABV = 6.4%

Crawford Vulture Blonde Notes:

1.23.10 -- Primed with around 4.88oz table sugar. This is the first time I have primed a whole batch with sucrose. Final Gravity = 1.011.

Yippy Three

2009-12-05T10:09:00.009-05:00

Malts
23 lbs Maris Otter
2 lbs 60L Crystal
1 lb Carapils
1lb 150L Crystal

Hops
3oz Cascade 60
2oz Cascade 45
1oz Centennial 30
1oz Centennial 20
1oz Simcoe 10 (12%AA)
2oz Cascade 5
2oz Cascade (Dry) (In each Secondary)

Brewday Notes:
6.75 strike
9.7 sparge

641 - begin runoff
705 - trying to pace it right. Last time I was too slow. O think I am doing it well this time.
811-or shortly afterwards, runoff ends
924- 20 minute addition becomes .5oz centennial and 1oz cascade
942- correctly zeroed scale. Figure for 1pz centennial plus a half oz of cascade
950-chilling begins. It may not take long since it is 32 degrees out here.
1127-all done

I shorted the 1028 batch by almost a half gallon. Take into consideration that the 1968 batch is bigger.

Sent from my iPod

Notes:

12.26.09 -- Transferred both to secondaries and dry hopped with 2oz Cascade. I also collected two pints of the 1968 that would not have fit. Primed each with 3/4 teaspoon table sugar. Forgot to measure final gravity of 1028, but the 1968 was 1.019, which was similar to the ESB. I think I may have also forgotten to record the original gravity. Regardless, I am positive it was somewhere between 1.060 and 1.066.
12.28.09 -- I was concerned about the amount of headspace in the 1028 carboy, so I went ahead and bottled it. I noticed a little activity in the airlock, so I checked the gravity first: 1.017.
3.6.10 -- The 1028 is certainly different than the 1968 version that sat on the dry hops for so long (a little more than two months). The aroma is obviously not as present, and the mineral nature of 1028 is more perceptable in this beer than in the ESB. Both are fine beers, with the 1968 edging out the 1028. So far there was not a big difference between the ESBs, and a small difference in the Yippys, and we will see about the stout.

DSB ESB

2009-10-28T22:13:00.017-04:00

Target Gravity -- 1.060
Original Gravity -- 1.066
52 IBU

Malt Bill:
22# Maris Otter
2# 60l Crystal
1# CaraAroma
.5# Carapils
Hop Schedule:
60 -- 4oz Willamette (4.8%AA)
30 -- 2oz Willamette (4.8%AA)
15 -- 2oz Willamette (4.8%AA)

Brewday Notes:
Mashing thicker than normal 1.3 quarts per pound to produce more dextrines and body. Mash and sparge water was approximately 1:3 reverse osmosis water:Crawford, thinking it may be closer to the harder English water.

8:24 -- Dough-in
8:41 -- 152 degrees
9:36 -- Run-off begins
11:29 -- Run-off ends
11:57 -- Boil Begins
1:00 -- Boil Ends
1:07 -- Chilling Begins
2:10 -- Chilling Done
2:15 -- Beer #1 (1968) Ice Bath Begins
2:47 -- Beer #2 (1028) Ice Bath Begins
3:15 -- END

Mashing thicker went well, and I will likely abandon the 1.3 quart per pound as my norm. Mash / Lauter tun overflowed during sparge, so I will just keep my eye on it next time I use that much sparge water. I also had to bottle a little bit of wort so to check the gravity later because I broke my hydrometer today.

Looking at the times above, I think I will shoot for an 1.5 hour run-off rather than the 2 hour. I have been trying deliberately to lengthen my run-off since I had a bad efficiency day not long ago when I ran off very quickly. This beer came in .006 points higher than I planned for, so a more normal run-off should help that. I am impressed that chilling only took an hour, and that I had the presence of mind (relative sobriety) to let each beer sit in the ice bath for a half hour.

DSB ESB Notes

11.03.09 -- Read gravity from bottled wort (1.066)

1968:
11.22.09 -- Racked into secondary Final Gravity = 1.019 (6.1% ABV)
12.19.09 -- Kegged.

1028:
11.22.09 -- Bottled. Final gravity = 1.017 (6.4% ABV)
2.27.10 -- Tasting the 1028 version:

Appearance: This beer has been cloudy since I first tapped the keg however long ago. It is now beginning to clear a bit, and is a very nice copper hue when held to the light. The head is ample and stays around for a while.
Smell: Not a very aromatic beer. The biggest smell I notice is a bit of earthiness from the Willamette. I expected to smell more of the yeast character, but I do not.
Taste: Hop character seems to be the lead with a good malty sweetness to back it up some. The hop flavors linger more than the malt, and the English yeast helps tie it together, adding a tiny bit of fruitiness the American strains do not have.
Mouthfeel: This beer has a nice medium body that is perhaps accented by a higher level of carbonation than what is recommended for this style.
Overall: I think this came out quite well, and cannot think of many things I would change. If pressed, I would say I would get back into the habit of using clarifying agents since this one took so long to clear. I might experiment more with biscuit malt in a beer like this as well. It will be fun to see how the 1028 version compares.

3.29.10 -- 1028 version scores a 32 in the Peach State Brew Off (VG). I expected better.
4.5.10 -- Here is the score sheet from said competition. Maybe I should not have been so down on my 32

Precipitator / Downpour Ale

2009-10-05T22:11:00.010-04:00

Precipitator (6.2% ABV)
Downpour Ale (6.8% ABV)
Target Gravity -- 1.064 (nailed it)
Estimated IBUs -- 24.9

Grain Bill:
24 lbs Munich II -- 85.7%
1.5 lbs Carapils -- 5.4%
1 lb CaraAroma --3.5 %
1lb CaraMunich --3.5%
.5 lb Chocolate Malt -- 1.8%

Hop Schedule
2 oz Tetnanger 3.2%AA -- 60 min
2 0z Tetnanger 3.2%AA -- 45 min
1 0z Tetnanger 3.2%AA -- 15 min

Bock -- Bavarian Lager Yeast
Ale Bock -- American Ale Yeast

9 gallons strike water (half reverse osmosis / half Crawford
7.5 gallons sparge water (3.5 of which was rain water)

Brewday Notes / Reflections:

9:45 -- Mash-in at 165 / 10:03 143 in middle, 154 on side stir stir stir / 10:18 around 154 had targeted around 151 with thermal mass set to .1 / 11:11 begin run-off / 1:25 boil starts / 2:09 switched propane tanks and added about 20 minutes to the boil since the last few were not very vigorous.

An extremely rainy day , but with a tarp, the shed roof made a nice tent for everything important. I had to take my rain coat on an off several times for other activities outside the shed. I was also graced by Meat Snacks' presence for some of the run-off, the whole boil, and chilling.

I made sure this time to run-off a little slower because last time my efficiency sucked. I also stirred more than I had in the past, which was a good idea since at dough-in, I was pulling up dry pockets of grain for several minutes. Efficiency ended up at 75%, and I nailed my target gravity.

Changed propane tanks halfway through the boil; I need to keep track of how long these are lasting so not to run out again. Now I have two tanks. The only other negative thing aside from the propane misshap that happened was that I may not have chilled the beer enough before pitching yeast. The ale was no warmer than 75, as was the lager. Each spent at least fifteen minutes in an ice bath, so they were probably a good ten degrees cooler than that. I think the level of intoxication influenced patience at the end.

Downpour Ale Notes:

10.21.09 -- Gravity measuring 1.013, which should be close to terminal gravity. I am going to let it sit for at least another week.
10.30.09 -- Kegged. Final Gravity was 1.012. (6.8% ABV)
11.07.09 -- Drinking about my third Downpour from my new .5L Spaten Oktoberfest glass, and I am quite pleased. The cara malts shine through nicely with a light dark caramel sweetness that is accented nicely by the bready toastyness of the Munich malt. The fresh Tettnager hops balance all this sweetness out with a very clean (I know this is oxymoronic) earthy bitterness. This is one of the better beers of late, and a good reminder why the cooler months are the best for brewing.
12.02.09 -- I bottled six of these this week as entries into our homebrew club's contest. What follows is a review on a day nearly as rainy as the day this beer was brewed. I heard a story recently on public radio saying that this year is Georgia'a wettest, as far as climatologists could reckon, in over five hundred years -- I digress:

Downpour Ale Review (during actual downpour ... see map below)

Appearance: Downpour ale is very dark brown, and may be percieved as black from a short distance. When held to the light, very little makes it though, but one can see that it is indeed a mahogany brown. Head is thick, and retains well.
Smell: The first thing one notices is the absence of a yeasty scent, which is expected when using a yeast as neutral as S-05. A faint bready smell and a just as noticeable caramel character are in there too. Hops also provide a little to the overall aroma, but Downpour Ale is for the most part subdued in the smell category.
Taste: This beer is subtle, but with a mild complexity that could be missed by one drinking this as more of a session beer (which I have done, and do not ascribe any fault to that manner of consumption). Bready nature of the Munich malt provides a strong backbone for the dark caramel / coffee sweetness from the dark crystal as well as for the earthy sharpness of the Tettnanger hops. An alcohol note arrives late, but it is not at all overbearing, even though the ABV approaches 7%.
Mouthfeel: This is a medium-bodied beer on par with porters and some lighter bodied stouts.
Overall: I am excited about this beer, and like its chances in the contest. I may be surprised, depending on the number of entries, if this does not make it to the second round. This beer is flavorful, and the drinkability does not suffer as it does in other beers with these kinds of characteristics.

Precipitator Notes:

10.30.09 -- Racked to secondary. Final Gravity was 1.o19. (6.2% ABV)

"22" Strong Lager Tasting

2009-08-28T14:59:00.003-04:00

"22" Strong Lager
Brewed November 2007
Bottled 3.18.08
Tasted 9.28.09

Appearance -- Dark bronze and a little cloudy. Head settles down to about .25 and inch.

Smell -- At first may be too cold to smell much, but the notes are toasty and bready (like crusts -- the hallmark scent of Munich malt) I am surprised I am not noticing any alcohol aroma yet (9.4 ABV)

Taste -- Very bready. The hop presence is there, but not pronounced, much like a super-Munich Dunkel might be. Again, alcohol presence is lower than I would have expected. Perhaps the year and five months in the bottle has toned it down some. Caramel flavors emerge after beer warms up a few degrees. The alcohol note also emerges a little in the finish. As I drink this and look at the hop bill, I reminded that no real deciphering was done as to projected IBUs. If I were making this beer today, I would certainly add more hops, because it is obvious to me that my utilization was blunted by the thick wort. I have come quite a way in the area of mathematics as it contributes to brewing since the day I brewed this one.

Mouthfeel -- Thick and chewy without much carbonated effervescence. Though this beer was dosed with fresh yeast at bottling, it is not terribly carbonated. I probably could have primed it better than the usual however many cups to gallon rule. I have since begun using carbonation calculators when bottling. Once beer warms a little, the finish thins out like a lager normally does. My one real issue with this one at this point is the carbonation level. It just kind of slides down your throat at this point instead of sparking in your mouth for a minute. I think many of the flavors could be better perceived if there was more gas present.

Overall -- Still a wonderful beer, especially with some age on it. Certainly has its shortcomings, but serves as a wonderful illustration of the specifics I have added to my craft in the past couple of years. The IBU level of this beer is a bit of conundrum for me at this point. I would like it to be a little higher, as I have mentioned above, but if it were, it would not really be what it was intended -- a strong Munich style lager.

Belgian Ale(s)

2009-07-28T20:19:00.014-04:00

Belgian Ales
o.g. 1.060
27 ibu

DSB6 Ardennes
F.G. = 1.010
6.55% ABV

DSB6 Belgian Strong:
F.G = 1.007
6.9% ABV

Fermentables:

18 lbs Pilsener Malt
2 lbs Malted Wheat
1.5 lbs Caramunich
1.5 lbs Biscuit Malt
3 lbs Piloncillo (in boil)

Hops:

2 oz East Kent Goldings (5.6% AA) -- 60 minutes
1.5 0z Sterling (7% AA) -- 20 minutes

27 IBU

Half will be fermented with Wyeast Ardennes, and the other half with Wyeast Belgian Strong Ale Yeast.

Brewday notes:

Doughed-in at around 6:30 a.m. / 15 minutes in - about 150 / set temp loss to .2, but still too warm / started run-off around 7:30 / ended at 8:12 / boil begins at 9:31 / ends at 10:30 / chilling begins in earnest around 11:00 after some system issues / chilling ends at 12:30/ ice bath begins / gravity 1.060 after temp adjustment / (1.058 @ 80 degrees) / loss of efficiency due to fast run-off? / less than 45 minutes / about 1/2 gal left in boiler too; maybe that is it (too watered down) /80 degrees when bath started /glass (ardennes) bath lasted 35 minutes / bucket (Belgian) 1:05 - 1:25

Reflections on Brewday:
Horrible efficiency, probably due to such a quick run-off. Last time when I accedentally only mashed for 60 minutes, I made sure I ran-off very slowly, but I do not know why I did not do it this time. Efficiency was around 67%. Gravity is still right at 1.060 when I cooled the sample down to 60 degrees. If I get the attenuation I got from these yeasts last time, everything should be fine.

This was the first time using my old chiller as a pre-chiller and my new one in the wort. Aside from some technical troubles (hoses blowing off and squirting me), it worked very well. I was able to chill the wort down to 80 degrees in about 1.5 hours. I was able to get it down farther with an ice bath. I am unsure of the pitching temp, but I would guess somewhere around 70, or maybe a little lower.

DSB6 Ardennes Notes:
8.07.09 -- Gravity down to 1.010 at 60 degrees (83% attenuated) tastes much cleaner than the Belgian Blonde, probably due to chilling the wort better.
8.11.09 -- Gravity still 1.010 at 60 degrees. I am going to cold crash this starting tomorrow or the next days so I can bottle it this weekend. The sample tasted very good. There was a good toastyness as well as a rummy note. This one is going to be nice.
8.13.09 -- Racked into a keg and put into chest freezer at 34 degrees.
8.22.09 -- Bottled at 3 volumes using around 6oz corn sugar. Realized that the temperature to enter into the carbonation calculator is the fermentation temperature, not the secondary chilling temperature. This means my strong golden ale from another batch is not really four volumes.
1.16.10 -- As I am finishing a glass of this beer now, I think back on its life thus far. Initially thought of in lofty esteem, and then regarded in mediocrity, some age has done this chap quite well. His more piercing and uncomfortable qualities have tempered substantially allowing true personality to show. I do not think we are all the way there yet, but I am encouraged by how phenolic off-flavors can fade. This one only had a hint of it, but now it is almost undetectable. I hope the same is true for the BS version, which I initially liked better. I am not sure if this is still the case.

DSB6 Belgian Strong Notes:
8.07.09 -- Down to 1.012 at 60 degrees (80% attenuated). I think this one is going to have to wait a little longer to get the terminal gravity lower. It is still bubbling, and I got close to 90% last time I used this yeast.
8.11.09 -- Down to 1.009 (85% attenuated). Going to let this one go a little more to see if I can get a few more points out of it.
8.20.09 -- Racked into a keg and put into the refrigerator at around 40 degrees. Final gravity was at 1.007.
8.22.09 -- Moved from refrigerator to chest freezer (34 degrees)
8.29.09 -- Bottled at 2.75 volumes instead of three since I am a little concerned about bombs. This required 5.4 oz of corn sugar.

Belgain Blonde / Bavarian Amber

2009-07-12T20:13:00.020-04:00

Belgian Amber:
O.G. = 1.061
7% ABV

Amber Lager:
O.G. = 1.052
5% ABV

I have not thought of cute names for these two yet. Brewday went quite well -- it was the first time I used my new keggle, so it was also the first time I was able to brew a full ten gallons.

Malt and other Fermentables:

12 lbs Pilsener Malt
10 lbs Munich Malt
1 lb CaraPils Dextrine Malt
1 lb Piloncillo (in Blonde)

Hops:

2 oz Sterling (7%AA) -- 60 minutes
1 oz Mount Hood (6%AA) -- 20 minutes
1 oz Mount Hood (6%AA) -- 15 minutes (with two Whirlfloc tabs)

Bavarian Amber -- Wyeast Bavarian Lager Yeast
Belgian Blonde -- Wyeast Ardennes Yeast

What follows is what I wrote while I was brewing:

13 gallons to get 12 with 1 boiling off.
5.5 in each carboy = 11
--------------
152 degrees after 15min -- (set tun loss lower than .3 next time)
added a few ice cubes and that brought the temp down a few degrees. Left lid open for a little while and got it close to 147.
---------------
Only mashed for 60 minutes oops! Thought about shutting run-off down for a few minutes, but then reconsidered because the sparge water was cooling.
--------------
Added two whirlfloc.
--------------
Will there be a pronounced caramel flavor? I boiled that piloncillo pretty good (in wort)

Reflections on Brewday
Things went rather well for having a pretty new set-up. I got a little retarded for a minute, and only mashed for 60 minutes. We will see if that caused any issues. More wort boiled off than I planned, but there was still the right amount for the two carboys. My biggest challenge was chilling that much wort, and i only got it down around 100 degrees before bringing it in the house. I figured the chest freezer will chill the lager wort down quicker, and I will be able to pitch the Belgian yeast around 85 degrees if I need to. Next time I will have a new lager chiller and my current one will be a pre-chiller. I will measure gravities once the wort cools down to pitching temperature.
___________________

Belgian Blond Notes:

7.13.09 -- Pitched yeast after wort cooled close to room temperature (80 degrees, and holding pretty steady)
7.20.09 -- Gravity has gone from 1.061 to 1.010 -- 83% attenuated. It was hard to tell how this may taste from the sample. I did taste something like the phenolic / fusel character of the Black Belgian, then again, maybe it is paranoia.
7.22.09 -- I read yesterday how the solvent character can be produced by initially high temperatures instead of letting it climb. I was then reminded that the Belgian beers I have made in cold weather, and then placed in the water with the aquarium heater (Dubbel Dubbel, Farmhouse Ale) did not have this characteristic since the temperature rose as fermentation progressed. Here we have one that started higher than or right at the fermentation temperature, so I am a bit worried. My fears are a bit assuaged with the taste of my Strong Golden Ale, but I will not know for sure until I take another gravity reading in a couple of days.
7.24.09 -- Gravity down to 1.007. I still detect a hint of ethyl acetate (solvent character), but it is not as pronounced as in the Black Belgian. It may not be so much of a distraction that I won't want to drink it, and it may become less detectable with carbonation and a cooler serving temperature.
7.25.09 -- Kegged. I will try to hold off on this for a week or so for conditioning purposes. Smelling the beer as it racked made me less worried about the ethyl acetate. I think what I am smelling is the spicyness of the yeast. Keep your fingers crossed.
8.2.09 -- This beer has a sour / spicy note that is what I thought was the ethyl acetate. It is of a higher alcohol nature, so I am pretty sure it is there because of the way I fermented this beer. It is a fine ale, and I will drink it all and derive much pleasure from doing so. I am even more anxious to try the batch that is fermenting now because I got that one down in the 60s before pitching.
10.05.09 -- from above: "and I will be able to pitch the Belgian yeast around 85 degrees if I need to". This is the greatest lesson from this batch of beer as well as the rest of the Belgian lot I brewed this summer -- that Belgian yeast can take the heat, but they need to start cool. The good news is that after a while of being ignored, the acetate flavors seem to have mellowed to hardly noticeable at all. I hope this is not wishful thinking. By Ardenes abbey ale has a little of it too from fermenting at 80 degrees, but that seems to be mellowing too.

Bavarian Amber Notes:
7.13.09 -- Pitched yeast after wort sat in the chest cooler for about 24 hours.
7.20.09 -- Gravity has gone from 1.052 to 1.031. This needs to get around 1.024 before I start my diacetyl rest.
7.24.09 -- Gravity down to 1.020 -- started rest at around 65 degrees.
7.28.09 -- Racked into secondary and began lagering. Final gravity - 1.014.
10.18.09 -- Kegged and gassed this beer about two weeks ago to make room for the Precipitator in the chest freezer. This beer lagered for much longer than the typical DSB lager, and it seems to show. The beer is very easy drinking and crisp with a nice contribution from the Mount Hood. This is one of the best beers I have made in a while, which is something I needed.

Rustic Farmhouse Ale 2009

2009-06-21T12:39:00.005-04:00

this recipe is for 7 gallons since this will be the first time I am using my keggle. There may be more evaporation, and I want to be sure I have at least 5.5 gallons to put in the fermenter.

Malt and Adjuncts:

10.5 lbs Pilsneer Malt

1.5lb Munich I

1.5lb Rye Malt

2lbs Wheat Malt

1lb Piloncillo in Boil

Hops:

1.5oz Sterling (7%AA) -- 60 minutes

1oz Mt. Hood (6%AA) -- 20 minutes

1oz East Kent Goldings (5.6%AA) -- ten minutes

IBUS should be around 42

Pre-brewday notes:

-Use the strike water calculator on Promash so you do not have to prime the tun with boiling water. This should save at least an hour.

-Same recipe as last one with minor hop adjustments (Sterling instead of Saaz / Boil 60 minutes instead of 90).

7.2.09 -- Decided to go a different direction. Thinking of a split batch Amber Lager / Belgian Amber.

Bavarian Lager + Belgian Strong Golden Ale

2009-05-13T14:20:00.020-04:00

Bavarian Lager = O.G. = 1.059
18 IBU

(this is the only known photo of the Bavarian Lager)

Strong Golden Ale = O.G. = 1.077
33.2 IBU*
The chest cooler is empty, so I have to get on that. I thought I would do the same thing I did when I brewed the Bohunk + Extra Challenger, which was to run off ten gallons of wort and then boil them separately. I am also going for a lower gravity beer for the lager this time (around 1.o54) instead of the typical 1.066 I have made of late. This should make it more sessionable, but also make it easier to add cane sugar to the smaller batch to make Strong Golden Ale. If the first gravity would have been too high, adding two pounds of cane sugar (around 20%) would have been a little much.

Fermentables:

19.5 Lbs Pilsener Malt
2lbs Cane Sugar (SGA in boil)

Hops:
Bavarian:
.5 oz Sterlinf (7%AA) -- 60 min
.5 oz Mt Hood (6%AA) -- 15 min

Bavarian Lager Yeast (Wyeast)

Belgian Strong Golden Ale:
1 oz Willamette (4%AA) -- 60 minutes
.5 oz Sterling (7%AA) -- 15 minutes

Belgian Strong Yeast (Wyeast)

Brewday went off pretty well with the exception of the SGA coming in at 1.103 to start. After adding an additional gallon of water, it was back to 1.077, which is close to what I wanted. It seems as though I just added back a gallon of water that got boiled off. I calculated the recipe at 4 gallons, so everything may be as planned, just in an unconventional way. *IBUs may be a little off for this reason, but then again, maybe not.

I suppose it should also be noted that my mash temp was a little higher than I intended. This batch mashed between 150-154, and I was shooting for around 145. This may make the beer a little sweeter, and may result in the Strong Golden Ale to be called a Tripel.

Bavarian Lager Notes:
5.26.09 -- Gravity measured 1.032 which is not low enough to start a diacetyl rest. We are leaving to go to the beach for a week on Saturday. Had the following discussion on Beer Advocate. Since I pitched well over three quarts of fresh starter, I am not going to worry much about diacetyl. I will do a rest when I get home -- just in case, and then lager as normal.
6.6.09 -- Gravity measures 1.019. I turned up the temperature to around 60, and I hope I can get a few more points out of it. I am sure I can since it is only 68% attenuated at this point.
6.9.09 -- Racked into secondary and placed in the chest freezer. Gravity was down to 1.015, which is 75% attenuated and gives the beer an ABV of 5.8%
6.30.09 -- Kegged
7.5.09 -- This beer is light and refreshing. Bavarian yeast is interesting compared to the Urquell that I have used so much in the past. I know I say it all the time, but I know this one will not last long at all. I know I will do something like this again, but I may play with the hop profile a little. I may be getting a little tired of Sterling and Mt. Hood.

Strong Golden Ale Notes:
6.6.09 -- Gravity reads 1.007, which is surprising. This will make the ABV a little above 9.
6.9.09 -- Racked into three gallon carboy and put in chest freezer. Dropping the temp over the course of the next couple days on the way to 34 degrees.
6.30.09 -- Primed to carbonate at 4 volumes and bottled. I am glad I saved so many thick bottles.
7.21.09 -- I got nervous about the possibility of solvent-like flavors, so I opened one of these up to try. While I think they could use a little more time to get the CO2 dissolved in the beer, the beer is most excellent. It is very light bodied, the spicyness of the yeast comes through well, the color is bright, and the finish is as dry as I wanted it. I am very pleased, and dare I say it is very similar to Duvel? I will have to try them side by side.

Black Belgian Ale

2009-03-29T15:51:00.012-04:00

Target Gravity = 1.066

Original Gravity = 1.072

36 IBU

Final Gravity = 1.014

81% Attenuated

7.6% ABV

This is going to be my entry in the Copper Creek Creative Libation Contest, and the intent is to make a black trippel with a tad of sweetness coming from a pound of medium crystal. The contest calls for a "bent beer" that does not fit easily in a traditional category. I think the unorthadoxy here will mostly be visual -- I am trying to keep it subtle since I think many of the other competitors will go over the top with their entries which could lead to less drinkable beers. We'll see.

View Promash Page Here

4.6.09 -- Gravity measured 1.014, which was around 80% attenuated. I racked the beer into a keg so that I could condition it in the chest freezer at 34 degrees. The beer is not as black as I wanted it to be, and I am afraid that I have done nothing more than make a sort of Dubbel with the crystal malt addition taking the place of the candi sugar that would normally be there.

4.24.09 -- I took the keg out of the cooler and hooked it up to the gas. I turned the pressure way up (around 23psi) to get major carbonation going. A couple days later, this beer was about ready. The first few glasses had me worried since it tasted a little like rotten garbage, but after the yeast was cleared from the bottom of the keg, the Chimay yeast gave off its signature dark cherry notes. I am still unsure if this recipe is "bent" enough for the contest since it tastes an awful lot like a typical dubbel. I cannot complain though. This beer is light bodied, strong, and flavorful.
5.20.09 -- I turned in one of the five bottles of Black Belgian Ale I filled on 5.15.09 for submission into the contest.

5.24.09 -- Found out a couple days ago that my beer did not make it to the second round. Oh, well. I still like it.
5.29.09 -- got the notes back from whoever judged my beer. It seems as though they did not even taste it. They said it was "phenolic" and stopped there. I am very dissapointed that they did not give it any more time than that. This beer with this yeast is meant to be phenolic, though I would admit the phenols in this beer are a little more pronounced than they should be. I do not think it was anything to prevent someone from going further than just smelling it.

Good Head Red 2009

2009-03-03T08:44:00.011-05:00

Target Gravity = 1.063

O.G. = 1.060
37 IBUs
View the Recipe Here

Good Head Red was going to be the house beer for a while, but then I gave it a rest. That is until I unearthed a bottle of "ass" the other day and it was just lovely. Ass, you might ask. Well, that is the last bits from the bottling bucket that I would squeeze out even though it was full of spent hops and other crud. These bottles usually disappear for years. This particular one was from my first all grain batch. The recipe was a little different than the one here, but the idea is the same.

This one is made mostly from ingredients I have already: Sterling, Mt. Hood, and Willamette hops, and I will be pouring the wort on top of the yeast cake from Extra Challenger Extra Pale.

3.10.09 -- First outdoor brew day. Everything went fine with a few minor instances of trying to do too many things at once. The temperature got close to 80 upstairs yesterday, so I brought the carboy down. This will be the last non-Belgian beer to ferment upstairs until the weather cools off in the fall.
3.20.09 -- Measured gravity = 1.023.

3.29.09 -- Still measuring 1.023, which is confusing me. The temp of this beer should not have dipped too low since I had it mostly submerged in water with the aquarium heater. I will have to add some dry yeast to see if it will start back up. Maybe the yeast was wore out? This would be the third generation.

4.6.09 -- Gravity was down to 1.018. This was without adding dry yeast. All I did was raise the temperature a few degrees and made sure there was as much water surrounding the carboy as possible. The sample tasted very nice already, so I think I am going to skip the dry hop addition. It may be a while before this one gets drunk since it is behind three other beers already.

4.25.09 -- Kegged the beer to get it out of the attic since it is getting hot. Right now I am working to keep this keg pressurized, but am not carbonating it yet. I will probably charge this up more once the other two beers are nice and gassed (Black Belgian Ale and Oily Bohunk)
5.13.09 -- Perhaps not my best work, but still a fine beer. I think Ringwood Ale yeast needs a bit more aggressive hop profile to even out the fruity character it adds. Also, I am thinking the flavor addition of Willamette should be reserved for darker beers, or those with a more caramel flavor. Don't get me wrong, this beer is nice and drinkable, even though I have criticisms. I would give it a solid "B". The malt profile, I like -- and it is very similar to the one I used for my last version of Yippie I.P.A. I think this profile will show up more later. The next time I make this, I will likely use American Ale yeast, or something else a little more modest. I will also use a more continental hop for the flavor addition.

Bohunk + Extra Challenger Extra Pale

2009-02-15T11:16:00.023-05:00

This was originally going to be a parti-gyle batch, but I decided running ten gallons off into a big tub, and then separating them. They will be the same gravity that way. The Bohunk batch will be six gallons (pre-boil), and the Extra Challenger Extra Pale will be four -- for a total of ten.

I wanted to make the second beer to use the Challenger hops I have wasting away in my freezer. Since I will be using all of the four ounces I still have, the Extra Challenger Extra Pale is going to be quite the hopster.

Target Gravity for both beers:
1.066
O.G = 1.064

The Malts:
20 lbs Pilsner
2.5 lbs Munich I
1.25 lbs Carahel
1.25 lbs Carapils

Bohunk Hops:
54.6 IBU
1 oz Sterling (7% AA) -- 90 minutes
1 oz Sterling (7% AA) -- 45 minutes
1 oz Sterling (7% AA)-- fifteen minutes (with a whirlfloc)
Bohunk Yeast:
Wyeast Urquell

Extra Challenger Extra Pale Hops:
57 IBU
(1/2 teaspoon gypsum in boil)
1 oz Challenger (7% AA) -- 60 minutes
1 oz Challenger (7% AA) -- 15 minutes
1 oz Challenger (7% AA) -- 5 minutes
1 oz Challenger (7% AA) -- Dry
Extra Challenger Extra Pale Yeast:
Wyeast Ringwood Ale

2.28.09 -- Gravity on Bohunk measuring 1.036, so I need to wait a little longer before starting diacetyl rest. This batch seems to be taking a little longer, and that could be due the age and generation of the yeast.
3.01.09 -- Gravity measured 1.028. Started dyacetyl rest.

3.10.09 -- Extra Pale racked into secondary. I was not paying as close attention as I should have, and it overflowed a little -- losing about 25% of the dry hop addition. Bohunk also racked into secondary and put in the cooler at 34 degrees.

4.6.09 -- Kegged Extra Pale, but did not check gravity. If it fermented all the way, it should be 1.019. which would make the ABV around 5.8%
4.15.09 -- I have had several glasses of the extra pale, yet I still do not know what to think of it. I do not think I can recommend using Challenger hops in this quantity. The bitterness is harsh, and the hop flavor, what may be called 'floral' tastes like rotten roses and earth in this amount. The beer is clean and dry, but the bitterness is just weird and challenging to say the least.

4.25.09 -- Dumped the remainder of the Extra Challenger out. Not a complete loss since I learned something valuable. Kegged the Oily Bohunk and hooked it up to the gas. I took a little sample and can already tell that this beer is going to be the shit.

5.1.09 -- Sampling Bohunk and it is as good as ever. I seem to have had to sample it three times today already.
5.13.09 -- Maybe not "as good as ever". The hop profile is not a spicy as it has been in the past. I think if I check my records, I used mosty Sterling for my last Bohunk with a little Saaz added at the end. That may be the difference. Also, the Urquell yeast I used for this batch was on its third or fourth generation, so that could have also resulted in mild quality issues. Still a solid beer, but I feel I could have done a little better here.

Yippie I.P.A.

2009-01-17T22:35:00.010-05:00

Yippie I.P.A.
O.G. 1.071
72 IBU

6.9% ABV

This is the third incarnation of the recipe which was the first of my brews that I very proud of. Don't get me wrong, up to that point in 2003 I had made plenty of good beer, but this one was a little better. This recipe is a little different than the first two times, but how different, I do not know. I lost the index card on which the original recipe was written, but I know it had European hops rather than the American varieties in this one (Simcoe, Centennial, and Amarillo).

A Promash page for this recipe can be viewed here.

Notes:
1.18.09 -- (Brewday) I intentionally neglected to add all kinds of blogging notes while I was brewing. Promash is helping with that, especially since its settings provide the same deciphering as the equations I have been using. I pitched 2.25 gallons of yeast once the wort cooled to around 70 degrees. That is about all there is to report other than the fact that I am now using my new 50 watt aquarium heater which seems to be keeping up much better.
1.31.09 -- Measured gravity, and it measured 1.018. I added the dry hops and racked to secondary. Since there was extra beer in the primary, I also filled two 16 oz and two 12 oz bottles and added priming sugar. I added .5 teaspoon of cane sugar to the 12 oz bottles, and .75 to the 16 oz bottles.
2.20.09 -- Drinking the first of the bottle conditioned samples, and it is excellent. The hop profile is both citrusy (but not overly so (cat piss)) and earthy. It will be fun to compare these to the beer that is still in the secondary with the dry hop addition. Table sugar also primes beer very nicely.

3.10.09 -- Kegged.

4.22.09 -- The comparison between the dry hopped and the not dry hopped occured this past weekend, and in my opinion the beer without the late addition was a bit better. The beer with the 2 oz dry hops has a more aggresive (naturally) hop profile, and can be metallic tasting at times. I am pretty sure this is because of the Amarillo addition. Overall, the beer is quite good; the color is nice; the malt stands up to the hops, and it is most drinkable.

Rotkapchen Lager

2008-12-30T13:05:00.021-05:00

Rotkapchen Lager
O.G. = 1.066
45 IBU

6.7% ABV
Current hop shortages have made recipe planning a little difficult. I was intending on brewing up a batch of Bohemian Pilsener today, but was unable to procure the appropriate hops to do so. My chest freezer is empty now, so that means I have to make some sort of lager to take advantage of the space. I have quite a bit of Mt. Hood hops, so this recipe was made to use those hops in a lager of some sort. The red, which will result from the dash of Carafa, was an afterthought, but makes for a good name.

A Promash page of this recipe can be viewed here.

Malt Bill:

10 lbs Pilsener Malt
2 lbs Munich
.5 lb Carahell
.5 lb Carapils
2 oz Carafa III

Hops:

1 oz US Northern Brewer (7.4% AA) 90 minutes
1 oz Mt. Hood (6% AA) 15 minutes
1 0z Mt. Hood (6% AA) 5 minuites
1 oz Mt. Hood (6% AA) Dry into secondary

Wyeast Urquell 2001 Yeast

I am using a two step mash with a 30 minute rest at 144 degrees and then an hour at 156. Sparging at 170 degrees should take about 55 minutes:

Brewday notes:
Infusion strike went well, and I ended up right at 144 after fifteen minutes / Mash was a little longer +5 minutes or so because I had to wait for sparge water to heat up / After sparging, I am coming up about a half gallon short. I am heating some more water up to 170 to sparge a little more. I need to learn to make more sparge water than I need -- either that or make my original infusion the same 1.3 quarts per gallon that I use with single step mashes /O.G. read at 1.066, up from the expected 1.062 -- could be because it boiled down to about five gallons instead of the 5.5 that are on my sheet.

1.4.09 -- checked gravity and it was down near 1.017. Started diacetyl rest.
1.10.09 -- Racked into secondary yesterday and added one ounce of Mt Hood. Turned the temperature down around 43, and then down to around 37 today. I will eventually get it as low as 34. I heard to turn the temp down slowly. I tasted my sample (which measured 1.015), and the hop flavor is very nice. Also, I had an enormous amount of trub in this one, so I was only able to collect about 4.5 gallons, if that.
2.20.09-- Transferred into the keg and turned on the gas.
3.2.09 -- This one is a hit. It is very crisp, and the Mt. Hood additions make for some nice flavor and aroma. The alcohol content is quite sneaky, though. This will not last long, but I am sure I will make this one again.
2.28.09 -- Thing is that this is my normal Pilsener recipe with just a small color addition and different hops. This is a good way to become familiar with the Mt. Hood hops.

Greymalkin's Juicy Dubbel Dubbel

2008-12-15T17:39:00.018-05:00

O.G. = 1.098

81% Attenuated
10.5% ABV

27.85 IBU

Actually it should be a Quadrupel or a Belgian Dark Strong ale -- a "dubbel dubbel"; 2x2=4. It will be the second beer in a row with an ass name, but how can one resist referencing Shakespeare and Sir Mix-a-Lot at the same time? Yeah, me either. There was a day when I steered clear of any Belgian style beer. I think I had too many that were not well made, and were mainly high-gravity alcohol vehicles that gave me screaming ass headaches. That all changed the day I first tried St. Bernardus' ABT 12 and found myself lost in all that raisiny, pruny, sherry flavored dark fruit goodness. Now I love about anything from St. Bernardus (even though monks don't brew it).

The dark fruit flavors are what I am going for here, so I am choosing to go with the Candi Syrup rather than the nuggets as per the recommendations in this discussion thread. Here is the recipe I have come up with: make it) as well as other Belgian breweries. See a Promash page with all the specifics here.

The Fermentables: weight x potentail x efficiency = extract

15 lbs Pilsner Malt 15 x 36 x .80 = 432
2 lbs Munich Malt 2 x 35 x .80 = 56
.5 lb Caramunich .5 x 34 x .8 = 13.6
.5 lb Special B .5 x 30 x .8 = 12
1.5 lb Dark Candi Syrup 1 x 30 x .8 = 24
.5 lb Cane sugar 1 x 46 x .8 = 36.8
Total extract = 574.4 / 6 gallons (preboil) = Target Gravity (1.o96)

The Hops:
1 oz of EKG (5.6% AA) @ 90 minutes will yield 19.32 IBUs
.5 oz Challenger (7% AA) @ 30 minutes will yield 8.53 IBUs
Total IBUs = 27.85

White Labs Trappist Yeast (WL500)

Mash Notes:
30 minutes in -- This is the first batch I am making using Promash. I added 5.85 gallons of strike water at close to 170 degrees using Promash tto figure strike temperature. It is a little too warm at 30 minutes in (160 instead of the inteded 154). I threw in a couple of ice cubes. I will check again in fifteen minutes or so. I figure the Promash can help me dial in my system a little better in regards to temperatures and what not. I seem to only be losing ten degrees, but usually it is fifteen. The tun did prime with boiling water for quite a bit longer than usual today.

12.31.08 -- Fermentation has been very active in a tub of water with an aquarium heater and a water pump to maintain temperatures. The 25 watt heater seems to be struggling a little. It is set at around 73, but only can maintain about 69. I have a 50 watt heater on the way.
1.2.09 -- White Labs Trappist yeast (WL 500) is a complete animal. It ripped through this 1.098 wort in seven days, leaving it at 1.019. I am sure adding a 2 liter starter had something to do with this. It is still bubbling a little, but that is likely to be the suspended CO2 escaping. I will check the gravity agian in a couple days to see if I should put it into a secondary to settle out. The 50 watt heater came today, and I may not even need it until later. The temps have been pretty consistently between 68 and 7, with one morning after a very cold night that was at 66.
1.09.09 -- Racked into secondary today.
1.18.09 -- Bottled

2.14.09 -- Opened one and it is barely carbonated. I looked at my notes for "22", and found that was the same issue a month after bottling that beer. I will wait another month before trying another. Tastewise, it is pretty close to what I wanted from what I can tell. The dark fruit flavors are certainly there, and there is a very pronounced dry phenolic character. We will see how some dense Beligian carbonation will affect the flavor. I just pray it comes. See you in a month.

2.23.09 -- I got wise and moved all the bottles out of the laundry room to the kitchen and living room where it is five to ten degrees warmer.

3.3.09 -- A "square root day" that only happens a few times every century. . . Had the first Greymalkin that was adequately carbonated, but still has a little way to go in that department. This is going to be a most wonderful beer in a couple more weeks. The dark fruit notes seem to be mostly cherry at this point. I need to see what I hand to say about Chimay since this is their yeast. That review is very remeniscent of this beer.

4.30.09 -- Regardless of what I had to say about "decent carbonation" in the above entry, it turned out not to be entirely true. The next couple of bottles I opened were flat as hell. Dejected, I resolved to wait until it began getting warmer in the house before I tried another. That happened this past weekend, and the results were very encouraging. Though I do not think this beer will ever have a fluffy full head like those that enjoyed an addition of fresh yeast at bottling, there is now ample head and effervescecnce that lifts the flavors onto the pallate. In short, it drinks like a beer rather than a wine now, and the dark fruit and malt falvors are so much more pronounced and enjoyable than before.

11.08.09 -- I had about 20 bottles (12 and 24 oz) of this beer left, and the carbonation never got much better than an initial fizzle. I decided today to open each one, sprinkle in a bit of dry yeast, and then recap them. We'll see. I cannot think I have done anything that would have made the carbonation less. Several of the bottles showed some immediate reaction to the yeast, so I took that as a good sign.

1.1.10 -- Drank one while brewing. The carbonation is greatly improved, but the head still fades pretty fast. At least now when it fades there is still head until the bottom of the glass.

6.15.10 --

Tasting Greymalkin's Juicy Dubbel-Dubbel

Appearance -- Carbonation has always been an issue, and that does not bode well for appearance, especially for style. No carbonation - no head. As I look back at the recipe, I wonder why I did not add any wheat in there. The color is pretty ruby/brown, and the beer is not very clear.

Smell -- A clean, plum scent is the most prevalent. The yeast character does not come through aromatically, but I think it should. I think this is also an issue attributed to the poor carbonation.

Taste -- This is a great tasting beer with the dark fruit flavors I wanted with a ginger-like spicyness from the yeast. The alcohol notes are muted well by the sweetness, and then come through in the finish in a fashion that is not at all harsh. After agitating the beer in the glass, and then drinking while it was still active, a cotton candy hint rides along with the finish.

Mouthfeel -- This beer is a great example of how much carbonation affects the other aspects of beer. The mouthfeel is flat and almost watery at times. This is improved by agitation in the glass, or by swishing in the mouth. The sheer volume of the malt bill compensates a bit for the otherwise absence of mouthfeel (unless artificially produced).

Overall -- In light of everything above, I still consider this one of my better works. The flavors are exactly what I wanted, and this beer, in my opinion, has only one flaw, albeit one that has such an overall effect on the drinking experience. I have not failed to re-yeast strong beers or beers that conditioned for a long time. That is something I can take away from this -- that, and beer. I look forward to tasting this one at the five-year mark, and perhaps past then. I think this beer will have more a port or sherry character if allowed to age for a while, especially since this is a beer that could handle it.

Padunk-a-Dunkel

2008-11-14T16:45:00.003-05:00

Munich Dunkel
O.G. = 1.050
24 IBU
4.9% ABV

Grain Bill:

11 lbs Munich II
.5 lb Carapils

Hop Schedule:

1 oz Spalt (3.4% AA) -- 60 minutes
1 oz Saaz (3.5% AA) -- 30 minutes

Wyeast Urquell Yeast

Mashing:
I want to use a three step mash with a 20 minute rest at 144, a 60 minute rest at 156, and then a 10 minute mash out at 170. The method I am using can be found here in John Palmer's How to Brew , or in some of my other brewing posts.

Initial Infusion Equation:
Strike Water Temperature Tw = (.2/r)(T2 - T1) + T2

(.2 / .75) (144 - 85 ) + 144 = 159.7 degrees (two gallons)

Mash Infusion Equation:
Wa = (T2 - T1)(.2G + Wm)/(Tw - T2)

(156-144) (2.3+8.6) / (210-156) = amount of boiling water needed to get to 156

(12)(10.9)/54 = 2.4 quarts

(170-156) (2.3+18) / (210-170) = amount of boiling water needed to get to 170

(14) (20.3) /40 = 7.17 quarts / 1.8 quarts

Brewday Reflections: Perhaps starting out with .75 quarts per pound is not quite enough. The run-off got stuck, and thankfully I still had my trusty drilled out five gallon bucket along with my old bottling bucket. It was time to go old school. I just hope I reaped the gravity I was hoping for and the beer will be as clear as if it were run through the manifold in my normal tun. Thankfully I had plenty of homebrew to help me relax and not worry. One should also notice that I did not check the temperature all the way through like I may have in the past. I have found the formula above to be reliable, so I just trusted it.

11.23.08 -- Checked gravity, and it was down around 1.014, which 72% attenuated. I did not expect it to be this far. I am raising the temperature as much as I can in hopes I can get a few more points out of it, eating up diacetyl in the process.

11.28.08 -- Gravity was down to 1.012. Racked into secondary and turned temperature down to 34 degrees.

12.26.08 -- Racked into keg

1.3.09 -- First impressions: Very drinkable! This beer is light bodied and certainly smooth. The bread crust flavors of the Munich malt come through very nicely, though next time I may add a little crystal to make it a tad more complex. I am not complaining though. A great beer that probably wont last long. I will have to be sure to take a picture before it runs out.

Before the Blog 2006 - 2007

2008-10-21T22:49:00.018-04:00

Superstition Coffee Porter -- October 1, 2006
Good Head Red -- October 20, 2006
Good Head Red II -- December 30, 2006
Yippie IPA II -- March 10, 2007
Rauchbier -- April 2007
Good Head Red III (first all-grain batch) -- August 2007
Schwartzbier -- Fall 2007
Stout -- October 2007
Good Head Red IV -- November 3, 2002 (R.I.P. -- November 24, 2007)

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2009

2008-10-21T22:49:00.016-04:00

Yippie I.P.A. -- January 18, 2009
Bohunk -- February 20, 2009

Extra Pale Ale -- February 20, 2009
Good Head Red 2009 -- March 10, 2009
Black Belgian Ale -- March 27, 2009
Bavarian Lager -- May 15, 2009
Belgian Strong Golden Ale -- May 15, 2009
Bavarian Amber Lager -- July 12, 2009
Belgian Blonde -- July 12, 2009
Belgian Ale (ardennes) -- July 28, 2009
Belgian Ale (Strong Ale) -- July 28, 2009
Precipitator -- October 12, 2009
Downpour Ale -- October 12, 2009
DSB ESB -- November 1, 2009
Yippy Three -- December 5, 2009

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The Early Days 1995 - 2004

2008-10-21T22:49:00.014-04:00

Porter -- Summer 1995
Dry-Hopped Ale -- Fall 1995
Chocolate Stout -- Winter 1995
Ginger Honey Experiment -- Early 1996
Black Ale -- Early 1997
Kolsch -- Early 2002
Alt -- Spring 2002
Dunkelweizen -- Summer 2002
Das Riddlor -- July 2002
Yippie IPA -- July 2003
Orange Cru -- March 24, 2004
Wheat -- Spring 2004

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"37"

2008-10-21T22:49:00.013-04:00

37 / 37 Jr. Big American Brown / Brown

37 Target Gravity = 1.095
37 O.G. = 1.090 (see below)
8.1% ABV

37 Jr. Target Gravity = at least 1.042 (before addition of Piloncillo)
37 Jr. O.G. = 1.056
4.7% ABV

It is that time of year again, the time to brew a double batch -- one being a strong beer to ferment and age in the cold weather, and then be bottled in the spring. The second runnings of this batch, "37 Jr." will be an expirement with wet hops. Both beers will be best classified as American Browns, though the Jr. may not be as hoppy, depending on how the wet hops (which are first year hops) work out.

I was fortunate enough to receive my Beer Advocate Magazine (II, IX) the same day I was to design this one since it had an article about Parti Gyle, which is the process of running off two beers from the same grain. The equasions in the article were most helpful in the predictions of gravities of both beers, something I thought was guesswork. The recipe below is for 10 gallons: four preboil gallons of "37", and six preboil gallons of "37 Jr.".

"37 Jr." is also an experiment with wet hops, which also happen to be a first year crop. If "jr." ends up being very sweet without much hop balance, we will know the rest of the wet hops in my freezer are shit. I do not think this is going to happen, though. The wet nugget hops smelled oily, earthy, and kinda funky.

Malt Bill (both beers):

16 lbs Marris Otter
3.6 lbs Biscuit Malt
3.6 lbs Crystal Malt (50L)
1.6 lbs Chocolate Malt

Hops (37):

1 oz Millenium (15% AA) 60 minutes
2 oz Mt Hood (6% AA) 15 minutes
1 oz Mt Hood (6% AA) End

Hops (37 Jr.):

1 oz Mt Hood (6% AA) 90 minutes
6.5 oz wet Nugget (?% AA) 15 minutes

Adjuncts (37 Jr.)

1 lb Piloncillo in boil

8 gallons strike water at 168 degrees hoping for a 154 degree mash. I used the equation from last time.
6.13 gallons sparge water

Brewday Notes:

32 Minutes into the mash: temp was around 150 with variations depending on where in the mash I stuck the thermometer. I stirred it a good one and closed the lid.
Later: I realize that opening the lid and checking temperatures every thirty minutes or so is just a source of unneeded stress.

Reflections on Brewday:

Mathematics were never my first love -- more a necessary evil. I imagine it was my faulty math that let to the first beer to measure at a gravity of 1.120. I suppose this was not a bad problem to have, but I think the yeast would not have been able to tolerate alcohol above 10%. It was a good thing I had about three quarts of purified water left over to add to the wort. After that addition, the gravity was down to 1.090. I suppose I will check my math to see if that is where I went wrong. Maybe I will even post it if I get bored enough. I may have also ran off a little more slowly than what would fit my 75% efficiency calculation. All in all I cannot complain. The pari-gyle equation allowed me to get a second beer with a gravity of 1.056, which is much better than the "jr." I got last time I did this.

Notes:
10.28.08 -- Issues, issues, issues. Issue #1: when using a blow-off tube, do not stick the free end into another empty carboy. The gas has to go somewhere. Fired off like a cannon and the counter presser squirted about 3/4 a gallon of wort all over the orange room. (Wives are generally supportive of the brewing arts until wort gets on the curtains). Issue #2: temps in the house are dipping below 60, and with the American Ale Yeast's (Wyeast 1272) optimum temperature being 60-72, I am experiencing very slow activity in the big beer.
11.7.08 -- Measured gravities: 37 = 1.030; Jr. = 1.022. I think 37 could be ready to rack into secondaries if I know it will continue to ferment since it has only attenuated 66% with an expected attenuation of 72 - 76%. I think I will leave Jr. in the primary until I am ready to keg, but that will be at least a few days more since it has only attenuated 61%.
11.14.08 -- Jr. reading at 1.020, which is still too high to keg. I am surprised it has not dropped more than this. 37 is reading at 1.034, which is high too. Both are around 63% attenuated, so I will wait and hope they both continue to drop.
11.21.08 --Falling temperatures coupled with a poor placement of the carboys (away from curtains) seem to have contributed to a stuck fermentation. After adding a starter made with dry American Ale yeast and placing it in a water bath heated with an aquarium heater and circulated with a water pump, big 37 is up and bubbling again. This is a relief since most of the resources are sunk into the bigger of the beers. Jr. does not seem to be doing much of anything, even with the addition of Champagne yeast. He will likely be kegged this weekend, if not today. I will keep my fingers crossed that the shaking I did to rouse the yeast does not result in oxidation issues. (later) Kegged Jr. Will update later.
11.23.08 -- 37 is reading at 1.031 right now, so it is still fermenting, albeit slowly. If it can get down to around 1.025, I will be very pleased since that will be nearly 72% attenuated. I tasted the sample and it already has a nice flavor, but still very sweet.
11.28.08 -- Down to 1.030. I am going to raise the temperature a little in hopes to have this done by next week so I can start on a new batch.
12.2.02 -- 1.029. Seems to be falling a point every five days. If I can get it down to 1.027, it will be 70% attenuated and 8.25% ABV. I will be happy with that. The hard thing will be the decision to bottle it or keg it.
12.17.08 -- "37 Jr." has been kegged for a couple weeks now, and the oxidized flavor was certainly present. It was not overwhelming, but I knew it was there. Today I said screw it, and dumped 2 oz of Challenger hop pellets into the keg along with the four or so ounces of cherrywood chips I have been soaking in 100 proof Southern Comfort. The keg will stay at room temperature for a while, and then we will see. "37" is reading at 1.028 right now, so it is getting kegged. The ABV will be close to 8.1%, which is an estimation since I added extra yeast / starters which could have changed the gravity.

"37"

1.3.09 -- Some good, some bad. "37" is a very respectable beer. It is a deep dark brown (black) with caramel nutty aromas. The taste has notes of oak and vanilla, though neither were used in the recipe. Certainly a sipper at a little more than 8% ABV. When I bottle my Quad, I will also bottle a couple of these to store away for a while. "37 Jr." is just fucked. I never got to know how the dry hopping / chip addition worked since the chips seemed to have clogged the keg. I cannot get anything out of it. I did smell the tell-tale oxidized scent, so I think I will dump it. My first keg dump ever.

1.06.09 -- Jr. got dumped out.
3.2.09 -- Bottled two "37"s from the keg and hid them somewhere I may not find them again for a couple of years.

3.10.09 -- Put the rest of the 37 in bottles.

2010

2008-10-21T22:48:00.014-04:00

Jahrfunfzehn Lager -- January 1, 2010
Turkey Vulture Blonde -- January 1, 2010
Double Toasted Oatmeal Chocolate Too Many Adjective American Stout -- February 26, 2010
Bavarian Amber Lager -- April 2, 2010
Belgian Dubbel -- April 2, 2010
Spiced Special Ale -- April 2, 2010
Jahrfunfzehn Helles -- June 12, 2010
GOld Scratch -- June 12 2010
Don Juan Saison -- July 17, 2010
Funky Don Juan -- July 17, 2010
Oily Bohunk -- September 4, 2010
Belgian Amber Ale -- September 4, 2010
Sour Brown Ale -- October 23, 2010
Mordecai Brown -- October 23, 2010
Padunk-a-Dunkel -- December 22,2010
Brown Trout -- December 22, 2010

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2007 - 2008

2008-10-21T22:48:00.008-04:00

"22" -- November 2007
"22" Junior -- November 2007 (first draft beer)
Oily Bohunk Bohemian Pilsner -- January 18, 2008
Orange Cru II -- February 1, 2008 (extract)
Good Head Red V -- February 1, 2008
Wannabe Special Bitter -- February 15, 2008
Gold Glove Leapday Ale -- February 29, 2008
Noc-a-homa I.P.A. -- March 15, 2008
Schwarzbier -- April 5, 2008
For Real ESB -- May 3, 2008
Noc-homa I.P.A. II -- July 13, 2008
Peasant Beer -- July 13, 2008
Rustic Farmhouse Ale -- August 9, 2008
El Jeffe Weizen -- August 29, 2008
Slightly Olier Bohunk -- October 3, 2008
"37" -- October 25, 2008
"37 Jr." -- October 25, 2008
Padunk-a-Dunkel -- November 14, 2008
Greymalkin's Juicy Dubbel Dubbel -- December 26, 2008
Rotkapchen Lager -- December 30, 2008

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From a Breweriana Book . . .

2008-10-21T22:48:00.001-04:00

Slightly Oilier Bohunk

2008-07-19T22:43:00.008-04:00

My brewery witnessed a major improvement this week with the addition of a chest freezer to control fermentation temperatures. Originally I was planning on brewing a Bavarian Lager similar to Bittburger or Ayinger's Jahrhundert, but the hops I need are unavailable. Fortunately Saaz are, so I will be making some Bohemian Pilsner. (later) As you will see, the gravity ended up being well higher than the mark, so this does not qualify as a Bohemian Pilsner.

Target Gravity = 1.055
O.G. = 1.068
F.G. = 1.016
ABV = 6.8%

Target IBU = 40
IBU=58.53

Malt Bill:

80% Pilsner Malt -- 10.5 lbs
10% Munich I -- 1.3 lbs
5% Carapils -- .7 lb
5% Carahel -- .7 lb

Hop Schedule:

1 oz Sterling (7% AA) -- 75 minutes
1 oz Sterling (7% AA) -- 45 minutes
1 oz Saaz (3.4 % AA) -- 15 minutes

I am going to try another multi-step mash like the one I used with the Gold Glove Leapday Ale. There will be two steps: a protein rest for 30 minutes @ 144 degrees, and then an hour @ 156. Here is the equation I will use:

Initial Infusion Equation:
Strike Water Temperature Tw = (.2/r)(T2 - T1) + T2

Mash Infusion Equation:
Wa = (T2 - T1)(.2G + Wm)/(Tw - T2)

where:
r = The ratio of water to grain in quarts per pound.
Wa = The amount of boiling water added (in quarts).
Wm = The total amount of water in the mash (in quarts).
T1 = The initial temperature (¡F) of the mash.
T2 = The target temperature (¡F) of the mash.
Tw = The actual temperature (¡F) of the infusion water.
G = The amount of grain in the mash (in pounds).
Initial Infusion:

(.2/.75)(144-75)+144 =
(.2666)(69)+144=162 degrees

13.2 lbs of grain x .75 quarts = 9.9 quarts / 2.5 gallons of 162 degree water

Mash Infusion:

(156-144)(26.4+9.9) / (210-156)
(12)(36.3) /54
435.6 / 54 = 8 quarts / 2 gallons boiling water

30 minutes in: The temperature was reading a little under 130, so I have no idea about what happened. I went ahead and added the 2 gallons of boiling water, and set the timer for another 30 minutes. I will then check out what is going on and see if another step infusion is needed. I probably should have used more than .75 quarts per pound of grain.
59 minutes in: I get three different temperature readings with three different thermometers. One says 138; one says 152; one says 158. AHHHHH!
61 minutes in: I just compared three thermometers in a pot of water that was already on its way to boiling, and they read the same. I then checked my mash with one of the thermometers other than the one I leave in there, and I got a reading of 158 -- two degrees hotter than I wanted. I am going to go with this. Maybe leaving the thermometer in the mash is a bad idea.

Reflections of the Brewday: I learned a thing or two today. First, I think leaving the thermometer in the mash is the source of much unnecessary stress. The other two thermometers (which measured the same as the one in the mash when placed in 100 degree water) showed that the one left in the mash was inaccurate since it read differently than the other two when they were placed in the mash. Secondly, running off my wort too quickly was certainly the reason for my shitty efficiency -- so much that this beer will turn out much stronger since I calculated for 70% efficiency, a lower figure to compensate for my poor performance of late, and I ended up being 79% efficient. I am not complaining at all about that. It is better to figure out what what causing poor efficiency than hit a target gravity on the nose. I will next time. The original gravity of this batch ended up being 1.068, when I was planning for 1.055. This also means I will need to recalculate the IBUs for this one since the wort was denser than I figured for.

Notes:
10.6.08 -- Figured that if I want to start my diacetyl rest 75% of the way through fermentation, I should turn the temp up once the gravity reads 1.031. (68 GU x .74 attenuation = 18) -- (31 is 25% of the way from 18 to 68, thus a gravity reading of 1.031 would denote 75% fermented.)
10.10.08 -- Used new "thief" to check gravity. 1.041.
10.13.08 -- Refigured IBUs (58.53) while sanitizing my "thief" and found that I was way off on my math originally (left out an important zero), so this beer will be way hoppier than expected. Since the beer will be stonger too, the GU:BU ratio still fits a Bohemian Pilsner (.86). Later: gravity measures 1.032 right now. I turned the temp up to around 68. Will probably rack to primary in a couple days.
10.17.08 -- Racked into secondary and placed in freezer at 34 degrees. I will leave it here as long as I can, knowing that if I need the room in the freezer, I can keg it and put it in the fridge which is at 40 degrees.
11.14.08 -- Measured final gravity at around 1.016 and then kegged. May be a bit early, but I had to make room in the chest freezer for Munich Dunkel
11.21.08 -- Debuted this beer a night or two ago, and I am very impressed. The head retention is wonderful, yet the beer still needs to clear a little -- probably due to a little collection of yeast that has settled to the bottom of the keg. The beer has wonderful body, perhaps more than a Bohemian Pilsner should, but with the O.G. I ended up with, seems appropriate. Hop level seems to be where I want it too.
12.26.08 -- Blew out before I could get a good picture.

Your Favorite Band Sucks Episode 7

2008-07-19T22:43:00.007-04:00

Here ya go. I even took out most of the dumb ass talking. I will add the track listings as soon as someone gives enough of a shit to listen to it and perhaps ask me, "what was that bangin' ass song after that other kick ass shit?". I'm holding my breath, chin nuts.

Download Episode 7

El Jeffe Weizen

2008-07-19T22:43:00.003-04:00

I figured Hefeweizen would be the next wise choice to ferment while the weather is still warm. Knowing that a target fermentation temperature of 70 degrees is preferred, mine will probably do its thing around 75. I did not do major calculations on this one. Instead, I used books at the brewshop to come up with a very simple Hefeweizen recipe:

The Malt Bill:

7.25 lbs Wheat
5 lbs Pilsner

The Hops:

1 oz Spalt (3.5%AA) -- 60 minutes
.5 oz Spalt (3.5%AA) -- 15 minutes

IBU = 15.97

Weihanstephaner Yeast

4 gallons strike water at 165 degrees hoping for a 150 degree mash. This is the first time I am calculating my heat loss at 15 instead of ten degrees. This would have gotten me right on the money this time.50 Minutes into the mash: temperature was about 142, which is crazy. I am heating up one quart of water to add.
63 Minutes into the mash: I added a quart of 200 degree water, and I am not doing anything else until I sparge.

This ended up with an O.G. of 1.045, which is a little sad = around 60%, which I cannot believe since I primed the tun and wrapped it in a sleeping bag. After a little research, I suspect my sparging techniques are to blame. I let it run out too fast when I should let the sparge water sit in the grains for a few minutes. I boiled about a half pound of DME to add to the fermenter which is not yet active. I do not see the harm in this, and it should boost the O.G. to somewhere in the 1.048 neighborhood. I will not know the exact figure, but at least this is a learning experience.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

8.31.08 -- We had an explosion this morning. When am I going to learn and use a blow-off tube? Temperature hung in there around 70 yesterday, but was 73-74 this morning. I moved it to where I can blow the fan on it.
9.3.08 -- Putting ice jugs in the water in which the carboy sits has been helping, but this crude method of temperature control provides results that are anything but precise. I have read the temperature as low as 68 degrees and as high as 74. Things could be worse.
9.26.08 -- Debuted this one last night with my good pal Meat Snacks. My first impressions are that this is a good, very normal heffeweisen. While it lacks some of the character found in other examples that have been brewed for centuries, it is still very pleasing. The crude temperature control methods seemed to have worked okay since the banana flavors are not present.

11.12.08 -- All done.

2012

2008-07-19T22:43:00.001-04:00

2012

American Keller Beer -- January 22, 2012
Cask-Conditioned Kellerbier -- January 22, 2012
Ugly American -- January 22, 2012

Rustic Farmhouse Ale

2008-07-19T22:42:00.000-04:00

I am unsure if you are supposed to pronounce it (Says-on) (Say-sun)or (Sas-son), so I am avoiding the term "Saison" in favor of a description of what it is: a French / Belgian beer made with available ingredients with a strength so to fortify but not get the farm hands who drank it completely sloshed so they could continue doing their work. Okay, I do know how to pronounce Saison, but saying I did not lent itself well to that lovely first sentence, huh?

Many recipes warn drinkers to the surprising strength of Saison. Mine should clock in at around 1.070. Since this beer seems to have a history of including what you have on hand without overcalculating, I am rounding the weights. For example 1.6 becomes 1.5 and 1.93 becomes 2. This will also be my first time using Rye (which should add spiciness) and Piloncillo (a partially refined sugar from my favorite supermercado).

Another thing that got me all excited was the fact that this style loves hot weather. Some people ferment this one at temperatures upward of 90 degrees. Hot Damn. I wish I knew this years ago.

Rustic Farmhouse Ale:
Target Gravity: 1.070
Original Gravity: 1.066

Malt Bill:

9.33 lbs (60%) Pilsner Malt
1.5 lbs (10%) Munich I
2 lbs (10%) Rye
1.5 lbs (10%) Wheat

Adjunts:
1 lb Piloncillo (in boil)

Hops:
2 oz Saaz (3.8%AA) -- 90 minutes

1 oz Mount Hood (3.7%AA) -- 60 minutes

1 oz East Kent Goldings (5.6%AA) -- 30 minutes

.5 oz Saaz (3.8%AA) -- 15 minutes

35 IBU

Big Belgian Saison Yeast Starter -- about two quarts, maybe unnecessary . . . (the starter part that is).

Recipe Cost = $39 (which includes ice and water)

4.65 gallons of strike water

3.14 gallons sparge water needed
.

Brewday Notes:

My last beer, Noc-a-homa II suffered from temperature losses almost all the way through the mash. I suppose this was because I thought that since it was the summer time, I did not need to prime the tun with boiling water or cover it with blankets. This time I primed it, and got down my zero-degree sleeping bag to wrap it up. I will be surprised if I loose much heat at all.

16 minutes into mash: temperature was around 152-153, so I am pleased. I also know the thermometer needs a little time to get it all the way up sometimes, so I am good. I am not going to check again for a while.
64 minutes into the mash: temperature was right around 150. It surprises me that I am losing any heat at all, but I am not going to worry. I need to stop worrying so much about temperatures (not that they are not important); a fluxuation of a few degrees should not get me all riled up. This is a rustic beer anyhow.

Since the O.G. (1.060) came out a little bit lower like last time, I am going to have to recalculate my efficiency. It is not at the 75% I have been using anymore.

Efficiency:

9.33 lbs Pilsner Malt x 36 = 335.88
1.5 lbs Munich I x 35 = 52.5
2 lbs Rye x 29 = 58
1.5 lbs Wheat x 38 = 57
1 lb Piloncillo x 46 = 46

335.88 + 52.5 + 58 + 57 + 46 = 553.8 (total potential gravity)
6 gallons x 66 (1.066) = 396

396 / 553.8 =
72% Efficiency (not bad)

Fermenting:
8.15.08 -- Just like I heard Saison yeast was supposed to do, this beer bubbled away for about two days, which included a small but messy explosion, and then pooped out. I took it and a thermometer upstairs, and proceeded to wait a couple days for it to actually warm up. Once the rain and nice cool weather abated, it is bubbling again in the mid - to - high 80s upstairs.
8.23.08 -- We have had rainy / cloudy weather (which is such a rare blessing for us), and I think that has caused fermentation to come to a halt. It was in the mid 70s this morning, and I know that is not enough to keep this going. It did spend quite a few days in the 80s. I am going to wait until the weather heats up, and see if that causes it to wake up. If it does not, I will assume it should be racked in to the secondary. My wet hops arrived in the mail today.
8.25.08 -- I figured racking the beer into the secondary carboy would be best done upstairs so not to lug the beer up and down. I was largely correct except for a small spill (approximately one half-gallon) that got through the floor and rained down through the ceiling downstairs. It was minor, but it did not appear to be to my wife who had a minor conniption about the whole thing. She still loves me, and the gravity measured 1.013, so much fermentation has already happened.
8.29.08 -- After no additional activity, I kegged it, and it still had a gravity of 1.013. I turned the gas up more on this one to give it the carbonation character it needs. ABV should be 6.9%.
9.3.08 -- After getting gassed for five days, this beer is ready, and my first impressions are very positive. The beer is a bright gold color, and has nice spicy complexities. More later. . .
10.9.08 -- There is absolutely no reason I won't brew this up every summer. This beer is so pretty and complex. The Rye gives it a bit of a sour apple essence, and the Belgian yeast provides a spicey edge. Perhaps I will continue exploring the possibilities of Saison and other Belgian styles.

PODCASTS AND PLAYLISTS

2008-07-19T15:07:00.000-04:00

Your Favorite Band Sucks Podcasts:

Episode One

Episode Two: blues

Episode Three: mouth a little to close to the mic, but the music is good.

Episode Four: from the vault . . .

Episode Five: a little dirty, dead, and wilco

Episode Six: thought to be at the time my finest work

Episode Seven: the latest and greatest

I Used to Make Playlists While Brewing Beer:

Oily Bohunk Pilsner Playlist

Peasant Beer

2008-07-13T18:26:00.000-04:00

Peasant Beer
O.G. 1.026

F.G. 1.012

1.83% ABV

I read somewhere how brewers of old would brew three batches of beer each brewing session. One would be strong, one would be pretty regular, and the last would be super weak beer for the peasants. Peasants were encouraged to drink it since they knew it was sanitary. I am getting about three gallons of water up to sparge temperature and adding it to the grains from Noc-a-Homa I.P.A. II.

I added a 1/2 oz. of Challenger (7%AA) at around 60 min, and then the other half with about 15 min to go.

I collected about 2.5 - 2.75 gallons of wort.

7.21.08 -- Bottled two gallons of peasant beer, and primed with about 4.5 oz of dextrose.8.31.08 -- See the Red Stripe bottles? I am drinking one of them now (see picture). It only filled the big liter glass half way, but when you are a peasant with beer, the glass is always . . . forget it. This beer is not bad at all. This, that I poured just to take a picure of, is something I think I will actually finish. The smell of this beer is not very inviting since there is no real malt or hop aroma to cover up the stinky, which is mild. The taste is very neutral, kind of like an NA beer or maybe even "premium light". Mouthfeel is very sparkley and watery, which would be refreshing for a peasant who just lugged a big cart of ox shit up a hill. I am deciding now not to dump these. I may dump a growler if I need it.
10.25.08 -- Drank nearly a whole growler of this while brewing "37 / 37 Jr." . . . pissed a lot and hardly caught a buzz.

Noc-a-homa I.P.A. (II)

2008-07-13T16:06:00.000-04:00

Noc-a-Homa I.P.A.
O.G. 1.053

52.6 IBUs

This is the second batch of this recipe.

You can read how the loss of heat I was experiencing cost me some gravity. This recipe should have been 1.060. I am sure it will still be good.

Efficiency = 66% -- lowest since beginning to record

Mashing:

26 Minutes In: Temperature is under 150 degrees (we want 155), so I am boiling 2 cups of water to add.

33 Minutes In: Added the water. I will check again in ten minutes.

44 Minutes In: Added another 2 cups of boiling water because the temp was still under 150.

50 Minutes In: Added yet another two cups of boiling water. The temp did not move much at all (it was only six minutes). I will wait a full ten minutes to see what is going on. This issue seems very familiar. Maybe my thermometer has an issue?

65: Again.

83: Temp was 146, a full nine degrees less than what I need with only seven minutes to go. I added 4 cups of boiling water, and will add more time to the mash. So far I have added an extra twelve cups (1.5 quarts of water).

Other Notes:

7.21.08 -- Racked into secondary after a week of fermenting between 74-77 degrees. A little warm, I know. This will be a good opportunity to see how the higher temperature affects the beer since I can remember well what the last batch, which fermented closer to 70-73, tasted like. I also chose to dry hop this one with 1.5 oz of EKG instead of the 1 oz in the last one. Gravity read 1.020 at transfer time.

7.27.08 -- Kegged the beer. The gravity still read 1.020, which means this beer will be a little weak (4.3% ABV)9.26.08 -- This beer blew last Sunday when I was watching the Falcons' game. This was by far not my best work, but a good beer nonetheless. In other words, if I would have picked up a six-pack of this without knowing what I was getting, I would not have been too disappointed. The beer certainly lacked the body I was going for, but it still matured into something nice.

Sign Me Up for Some Mr. Spriggs Y'all

2008-06-04T21:28:00.000-04:00

For Real ESB

2008-04-29T10:55:00.000-04:00

Target Gravity = 1.055
Target IBU = 44
Original Gravity = 1.055
IBU = 42.65

Wannabe Special Bitter was a very nice beer, but it certainly was not a real bitter since I used Cry Havoc yeast, which was originally collected by Charlie Papazian from a keg of Budweiser, which makes it a lager yeast. Supposedly, Budweiser uses a different strain of yeast today. The yeast was advertised as a lager / ale hybrid, but I think they meant that it was more resistant to high temperatures than other lager yeasts.

This time I am going to use London ale yeast, and I have also tweaked the recipe a little to try to get a more complex malt taste as well as achieving the color I want without adding Carafa at the end. I am hoping the Crystal, Chocolate, and Roast malts will get me what I want.

The Malt:
8 lbs Pearl Pale Malt (66%)
2.66 lbs Crystal 60L (20%)
1.63 lbs Munich II (13%)
2.5 oz Roasted Malt (1%)

The Hops:
.5oz Challenger (7% AA) -- First Wort Runnings
.5oz Challenger (7% AA) -- 60 minutes
1 oz East Kent Goldings (5.5% AA) -- 45 Minutes
.5oz Challenger (7% AA) -- 15 minutes
.5oz East Kent Goldings (5.5% AA) -- End

The Mash:
12.45 pounds of grain x 1.3 quarts = 4.05 gallons of strike water. Strike water will be 165 degrees hoping for a 155 degree mash. I seem to be losing around ten degrees when I treat the tun with boiling water and then cover it up with blankets -- at least for the first while before I have to make adjustments later.

20 Minutes In -- The temp was not much more than 145, but I do not think the mash is really that cool. I am going to wait ten more minutes and see if the thermometer catches up a little.

30 Minutes In -- The temp was around 146, which makes little sense to me. It is warmer than the last few times I brewed, I primed the tun with boiling water, and I have blankets over it. The last couple of times, I was only losing around ten degrees. I am nuking some water to throw in there now.

37 Minutes In -- Added one pint of boiling water. I will wait five minutes to check temp.

45 Minutes In -- The temperature is still the same; I don't get it. I am nuking more water.

50 Minutes In -- Added another pint of boiling water, and noticed that the valve on the empty hot liquor tank I have connected to the tun was open. This may be the reason for the heat loss.

57 Minutes In -- Temperature has climbed to around 150. Meanwhile, I am nuking more water. This is getting ridiculous.

64 Minutes In -- The temperature is STILL FUCKING LOW after adding a quart and a half of extra boiling water. Nuking more water.

70 Minutes In -- Temperature was up near 154. I added about a half pint more of boiling water (I really do not know why). I also added thirty minutes to the clock since the temp has not been up to 150 yet. I am not going to fuck around with this any more until it is time to run off.

Sparging:

12.45 pounds of grain x .125 absorption = 1.56 gallons. 4 gallons - 1.56 = 2.44. 6 gallons - 2.44 = 3.56 gallons of 170 degree sparge water needed.

Notes:

5.11.08 -- Transferred to the secondary. Fermentation stayed around 73 degrees all week. London III yeast is a lot more active than I thought it would be. Maybe I just got a really fresh batch.

5.23.08 -- It is getting hot outside, so I put the carboy in the fridge. It will stay there until one of the two kegs in there (IPA and Schwartz) is empty.

6.15.08 -- I kegged this beer and put it back into the fridge. The final gravity is 1.019. ABV will be around 4.7%.

6.23.08 -- First Impressions: The yeast really does it to this beer. The difference between this and the Wannabe is large. In short, this is a great fuckin beer, and since I have so many EKG and Challenger hops, I will make more soon.

7.25.08 -- This is a most solid ESB. The color is on, and it is very drinkable. I am not sure of changes I would make to this beer, but I may still compare it to examples like Samuel Smith's Old Brewery Pale Ale or Bombardier. Like this says above, this beer will be made again, but I am concerned about the temperature I have been losing lately. I think next time I am going to wrap the tun with a 0 degree rated sleeping bag.

8.15.08 -- A session beer par exelance . . . Nice and clean now; could drink them all night. Might be my next brew. . . oh, and the sleeping bag turned out to be a good idea.

8.28.08 -- This blew tonight. I got about a 4oz farewell.

Schwarzbier

2008-04-02T11:15:00.000-04:00

Target Gravity = 1.050 (6 gallons x 50 = 300)
Original Gravity = 1.051

50% Munich II x 300 = 150
42% Pilsner Malt x 300 = 126
4% Carahel x 300 = 12
4% Carafa x 300 = 12

(Potential Gravity / 75% efficiency)
150 / (36 / .75) = 5.55 Lbs Munich II
126 / (36 / .75) = 4.66 Lbs Pilsner
12 / (36 / .75) = .44 lbs Carahel
12 / (35 / .75) = .46 lbs Carafa

*Additional .5 lb carafa in sparge*

Hops:
1 oz Tettnanger (4% AA) 90 minutes = 16.16 IBU
1 oz Tettnanger (4% AA) 30 minutes = 11.41 IBU
1 0z Tettnanger (4% AA) End = 2.85 IBU

Total IBU = 30.42

The Mash:

11.11 Pounds of grain x 1.3 quarts = 3.61 gallons strike water.
Strike Water will be 160 degrees aiming for a 150 degree mash. Like the last time I brewed, I am priming the tun with boiling water, and will be covering it with blankets through the mash.

Calculating Absorption and the needed amount of sparge water:
I have been debating on the necessity of this step, thinking I may just fill the hot liquor tank with sparge water, and then use all I need to collect six gallons. I am resisting the temptation to do this now, but think there must be some reason for doing this. So, here it goes:

11.11 pounds of grain (x .125) = 1.38 gallons of water absorbed.
3.61 gallons strike water - 1.38 = 2.25 gallons
6 - 2.25 gallons = 3.75 gallons of sparge water needed.

40 minutes in: Temperature reads 148 degrees. I will check again in about 20 minutes to see if it drops.
60 minutes in: Temperature was down near 140 degrees. I added 2 cups boiling water, and started another two cups. I will check again in about ten minutes.
About five minutes later: Temperature was back up to 150.

4.20.08 -- Transferred to secondary.
4.27.08 -- Since it is getting warmer outside, I kegged this beer and stuck it in the back of the fridge. I am not force carbonating it yet; just pressurized it up to around 20 lbs and put it out of the way so it can stay cold. I will hook it up to more gas when one of the other kegs are empty.
5.10.08 -- I should have checked the keg sooner. When I checked, it had no pressure left, so I hope it had not been that way for a while. I imagine the pressure inside and outside the keg were equal, so I should not worry about oxygen getting in. Anyhow, I plugged it up to the gas, and it should be ready to serve in less than a week.
6.15.08 -- This schwartz has prooved to be a very solid beer. It is very black, but light with a smokey aroma and taste. This is a nice black beer for the summer time, and this example shows exactly what the original brewers of this style had in mind (if I do say so myself). Picture soon.
6.23.08 -- There is the picture. Doncha just love my cock?

Noc-a-homa I.P.A.

2008-03-11T20:10:00.000-04:00

Target O.G. = 1.060 O.G. = 1.060!
Target IBU = 50 IBU = 52.6

This is the first beer I am making with the help of Designing Great Beers by Ray Daniels. Never before have I set a target original gravity and IBU. We will see how close I get. I am also making this with on East Kent Goldings for hops since I bought a pound of them on ebay. I expect this beer to be gold / amber; a step or two darker than the Gold Glove Leapday Ale. I am still reading the chapter on color.

Malt Bill:
85% (11.5 lbs) Marris Otter Two Row (x 36 Potential Gravity) = 414
11% (1.5 lbs) Crystal Malt 10L or 20L (x 34 Potential Gravity) = 51
4% (8 oz) CaraPils (x 34 Potential Gravity) = 17

I have been averaging efficiency at 72% ( GHR, Bitter, and Golden). I am going to shoot for 75%.

Target total potential gravity = 482 of which 360 (6 gallons x 60) is 74.68%.

The Hops:
Bittering Hops = 1 oz East Kent Goldings (5.6% AA) -- 90 minutes
Flavoring = 1 oz East Kent Goldings (5.6% AA) -- 30 minutes
Aroma = 1 0z East Kent Goldings (5.6% AA) -- 15 minutes
Aroma = 1 0z East Kent Goldings (5.6% AA) -- end
---
Dry Hop = 1 oz East Kent Goldings (5.6% AA) -- dry hop in secondary

The above additions equal an estimated IBU of 52.6, which is higher than the 50 I targeted, but the hops I am using are a little old, so this may even out.

Mashing:

13.5 pounds of grain x 1.3 quarts = 4.39 gallons. I am going to heat it to 165 hoping for a mash around 155. I have boiling water in the tun now hoping to minimize heat loss.

By my calculations, I will need about 3.3 gallons of sparge water to run off 6 gallons. This will be 170 degrees.

Fifteen minutes in: Temperature is at 156 degrees, so heating the tun up and covering it with blankets seemed to help. I am going to let this do its thing and not fuck with it to read temps for a while.

One Hour, Fifteen minutes in: I checked the temp and read it as 150.

One Hour, Twenty-two minutes in: I added about one pint of boiling water and shut the lid.

Running Off -- Wort looks paler than I expected.

Boiling -- Was boiling . . . 90 minutes.

As you might have seen above, I hit my target gravity on the nose -- 1.060. I did not expect that to happen. What can I say?

Notes:

3.23.08 -- Transfered to secondary and dry hopped with 1 oz EKG (5.5% AA).

4.20.08 -- Kegged. Final Gravity = 1.021. ABV = 5.1%. Sample in the hydrometer tube did not taste overly hoppy. We'll see.

5.11.08 -- I am very pleased with the Noc-a-homa. I intended this to be a milder IPA, not something more typical of an American Pale Ale. The English hops and the target IBU makes this beer mild, yet hoppy. It is, however a bit overcarbonated since I jacked the gas up and then forgot.

6.0.08 -- Noc-a-homa has cleared up very nicely, though it still is a bit overcarbonated. I have found this to happen in beers I have dry-hopped. With the abundance of EKG in my freezer, I will certainly make this again, though I may increase the IBUs just a tad. I do not want to make this taste like an APA (which would be hard without any C hops), I just would like to make the EKG a little more pronounced.

"22" / "22" Jr.

2008-03-09T13:07:00.001-04:00

"22" was born from my desire to brew something strong. When this is done in an all-grain way, it would be silly to throw away perfectly good grains that have perfectly good sugar in them, so that is how "22 Jr." came along. He was a nice German lager while he lasted. Now it is "22"'s turn to shine (or at least get bottled) after mellowing patiently for nearly three months.

"22"'s malt bill was simple:

10 lbs Munich II
10 lbs Vienna

I considered calling this one a Salzberg beer since that is directly between Munich and Vienna, but I opted with "22" since this was the 22nd beer I ever brewed.

I mashed the 20 lbs of grain in 6.5 gallons of 170 degree strike water. The mash maintained a nice 155 degree temp.

I then ran off 4 gallons of wort for "22", then ran off the remaining water plus 170 degree sparge water until my 6 gallon pot was full.

I hopped "22" this way:

.75 oz Pearle (1st wort runnings)
.75 oz Pearle (60 Minutes)
1oz Hallertaur (15 minutes) (added Irish Moss)
1oz Hallertaur (End)

I hopped "22" Jr. this way:

.5 oz Pearle (first wort runnings)
.5 oz Pearle (90 minutes)
1 oz Hallertaur (15 minutes)
1 oz Hallertaur (End)

Gravities:

"22":
O.G. = 1.094 (yeah!)
F.G. = 1.022
9.4% Alcohol by Volume

1 week in Primary
3 months in Secondary

"22" Jr.:
O.G. = 1.040
F.G. = 1.012
3.6% Alcohol by Volume

1 week in primary
7 weeks in secondary
It took about two weeks to drink all the Jr. It was my first draft beer.

3.9.08 -- Bottled "22" after it spent nearly three months in the secondary. I could already tell it is going to be strong. I can't wait to see what it is like once it conditions. I am going to try to keep my hands off this one for a while, though I am sure I will have my first try in a couple of weeks.

3.23.08 -- Tasting notes from first bottle of "22": Hardy Carbonated: what a waste. It does have a lovely color, and a sweet malty taste that covers the alcohol content nicely. I think I will go shake the rest of these a little to make sure they carbonate.

4.28.08 -- Tried another tonight -- much, much better. This beer is going to age very well. It already has a very deep malt character, and the hops balance it nicely. The alcohol warmth comes through nicely. This will encourage me to brew a strong ass beer every winter.
3.1.09 -- It was snowing, so that made me want some strong lager.

Gold Glove Leapday Ale

2008-02-29T10:12:00.001-05:00

The goal here is to make something easy to drink, similar to Oily Bohunk Bohemian Pilsner, but an ale that can be made easily in the summertime. I kept the same grain bill as the Bohunk, but changed the yeast and hops. I also opted for the Munich I instead of II to make it a little lighter. Beertools.com says this recipe is closest to a Maibock, but I am not so sure since I am using American hops. I am calling this American Golden Ale since it did not fit the parameters for a Blonde Ale or Kolsch since the predicted O.G. is too high.

Grain Bill:

9 lbs Pilsner Malt
2 lbs Munich I
.5 lb Carapils
.5 lb Carahel

Hop Schedule:

.5 oz Northern Brewer (7.4% AAU) -- First Wort Runnings
.5 oz Northern Brewer (7.4% AAU) -- 90 Minutes
1 oz Mount Hood (3.7% AAU) -- 15 minutes (along with one wirlfloc tablet)
1 oz Mount Hood (3.7% AAU) -- End

American Ale Yeast

The Mash:
I am going to try a multi-rest mash on this one to try to add a little extra clarity (or efficiency?). I am going to make this attempt with the formula found here. It is two pages, so you can see the formula I am using on the second page.

Initial Infusion Equation:
Strike Water Temperature Tw = (.2/r)(T2 - T1) + T2

Mash Infusion Equation:
Wa = (T2 - T1)(.2G + Wm)/(Tw - T2)

Strike Water Temperature TW = (.2/.75)(122-62)+122
(.267)(60)+122= 138 degrees (9 quarts)

Ammount of Boiling Water to Add WA = (155-122) (.2G + 9) / (210 - 155)
(33) (11.4) / 55
376.2 / 55 = 6.84 quarts

9 quarts + 6.84 quarts = 15.84 quarts.
If I had been mashing my old way of adding 1.3 quarts per pound in a single step mash, this would have equaled 15.6 quarts, so I am on par.

15 minutes in: Temp is right around 125 degrees -- a little high, but I am happy to be this close.

45 minutes in: I added the boiling water fifteen minutes ago, and now the temp is right at 150 degrees. It should be 155, but I am going to wait another ten to fifteen minutes before I add more water.

63 minutes in: I added 1.5 cups of boiling water to try to get the temp up to 155 from 150.

I just found this tool that I will use to get more accurate hydrometer readings. I always start racking at 75 degrees, so this will be easy.

O.G. = 1.054 (and I did not make the correction which would have been 1.062 since I took the reading well after I was racking at 75 degrees.)

F.G. = 1.020
ABV = 4.45%

Notes:

3.2.08 -- Yesterday I saw a couple of clumps that looked like meatballs rising to the top, and by the end of the day there was quite a collection, and fermentation had begun.

3.9.08 -- Racked into secondary. I skipped this step with the last couple, and I am unsure if I will continue this practice. Good Head Red V was way too cloudy. I don't want that to be the case with this pretty gold ale.

3.11.08 -- Calculating Efficiency:

9 lbs Pilsner Malt X 36 = 324
2 lbs Munich I x 34 = 68
.5 lb Carapils x 33 = 16.5
.5 lb Carahel X 34 = 17
Total Potential Extract = 324 + 68 + 16.5 + 17 = 425.5

Original Gravity 6 gallons X 54 (1.054 O.G.) = 324

425.5 / 324 = 74% Efficiency

3.23.08 -- Kegged and measured final gravity.

4.02.08 -- This beer is nice and mellow -- just begging for a hot day. It could very well go by the name of Cream Ale. It is not too hoppy, and smells a little like Budweiser (but not in a bad way). Still could use time time to clear up, so no picture yet. I am wondering if I remembered to add a whirlfloc tablet. I know I forgot to on this one or the IPA.

5.02.08 -- Picture Day! I have to take a picture of this quick because I know it will be gone soon. This beer is so very clear, it makes me wonder if that is a result of the protein rest. It is such a nice beer for the spring: very comparable to Terrapin Golden Ale, but sweeter with a bit more body and yeast-fruitiness.
This guy gets no gold glove:

Complete Homebrew List

2008-02-15T20:41:00.030-05:00

Porter -- Summer 1995Dry-Hopped Ale -- Fall 1995Chocolate Stout -- Winter 1995Ginger Honey Experiment -- Early 1996Black Ale -- Early 1997Kolsch -- Early 2002Alt -- Spring 2002Dunkelweizen -- Summer 2002Das Riddlor -- July 2002Yippie IPA -- July 2003Orange Cru -- March 24, 2004Wheat -- Spring 2004Superstition Coffee Porter -- October 1, 2006Good Head Red -- October 20, 2006Good Head Red II -- December 30, 2006Yippie IPA II -- March 10, 2007Rauchbier -- April 2007Good Head Red III (first all-grain batch) -- August 2007Schwartzbier -- Fall 2007Stout -- October 2007Good Head Red IV -- November 3, 2002 (R.I.P. -- November 24, 2007)"22" -- November 2007"22" Junior -- November 2007 (first draft beer)Oily Bohunk Bohemian Pilsner -- January 18, 2008Orange Cru II -- February 1, 2008 (extract)Good Head Red V -- February 1, 2008Wannabe Special Bitter -- February 15, 2008Gold Glove Leapday Ale -- February 29, 2008Noc-a-homa I.P.A. -- March 15, 2008Schwarzbier -- April 5, 2008For Real ESB -- May 3, 2008Noc-homa I.P.A. II -- July 13, 2008Peasant Beer -- July 13, 2008Rustic Farmhouse Ale -- August 9, 2008El Jeffe Weizen -- August 29, 2008Slightly Olier Bohunk -- October 3, 2008"37" -- October 25, 2008"37 Jr." -- October 25, 2008Padunk-a-Dunkel -- November 14, 2008Greymalkin's Juicy Dubbel Dubbel -- December 26, 2008Rotkapchen Lager -- December 30, 2008Yippie I.P.A. -- January 18, 2009Bohunk -- February 20, 2009
Extra Pale Ale -- February 20, 2009Good Head Red 2009 -- March 10, 2009Black Belgian Ale -- March 27, 2009
Bavarian Lager -- May 15, 2009
Belgian Strong Golden Ale -- May 15, 2009
Bavarian Amber Lager -- July 12, 2009
Belgian Blonde -- July 12, 2009
Belgian Ale (ardennes) -- July 28, 2009
Belgian Ale (Strong Ale) -- July 28, 2009
Precipitator -- October 12, 2009
Downpour Ale -- October 12, 2009
DSB ESB -- November 1, 2009
Yippy Three -- December 5, 2009
Jahrfunfzehn Lager -- January 1, 2010Turkey Vulture Blonde -- January 1, 2010
Double Toasted Oatmeal Chocolate Too Many Adjective American Stout -- February 26, 2010
Bavarian Amber Lager -- April 2, 2010
Belgian Dubbel -- April 2, 2010
Spiced Special Ale -- April 2, 2010

Wannabe Special Bitter

2008-02-15T18:01:00.001-05:00

O.G = 1.050 IBU = 36.8

This is an attempt to create something close to something between Samuel Smith's Old Brewery Pale Ale and Wells Bombardier. Many recipes recommend adding flaked maize and not making cultural references to the Spice Girls, but that is where I am different. I am calling this Special Bitter since regular bitter, or "mild", the 3% or so session beer designed to allow you to chill at the pub for a couple of hours is not very available, nor is that very desirable for me right now. I am aiming for somewhere around 5.5%. Let's hope I remember to take a hydrometer reading.

Wannabe Special Bitter
The Grain:

8 lbs Marris Otter (66.6%)
2 lbs British Crystal Malt (50-60L) (16.7%)
2 oz Carafa III (16.7%)

The Hops:

.5 oz Challenger (8% AAU) First Wort Runnings
.5 oz Challenger (8% AAU) -60 minutes
.5 oz Kent Goldings (5% AAU) -15 minutes (along with one clearfloc tab)
.5 oz Kent Goldings (5% AAU) End

Cry Havoc Yeast

The Mash:

10 lbs grain x 1.3 quarts water = 3.25 gallons strike water (165 degrees hoping for a 155 degree mash)
Absorption = 10 lbs x .125 = 1.25 gallons / 3.25 - 1.25 = 2 gallons
Add four gallons sparge water to equal a six gallon boil.

Fifteen minutes in: Temperature low (around 140something). I do not know why this is happening since I treated the tun with hot water before mashing since it is in the winter. I added about a quart of 200 degree water, and now I am waiting a few minutes . . .
Twenty-five minutes in: The temperature was around 160, so I threw in one ice cube, and that dropped it down to around 155.
Seventy minutes in: The temp was back down to 150, which is acceptable, but not exactly what I want. I added another 8oz or so of hot ass water. I am beginning to be concerned that this mash is going to be way thin because of all the extra water I have added. From the quick research I just did, it looks like I may want to look into learning how to calculate brewing efficiency and putting a thick blanket over the tun next time.

O.G. = 1.050
F.G. = 1.016
4.4% Alcohol by Volume

Oh, and then there is this, which has become obligatory. . .

Notes:

2.17.08 -- Fermentation has begun. The temperature seems to be hanging in there at 65 or so.

2.28.08 -- Using Ray Daniels' Designing Great Beers as a guide, I calculated the brewing efficiency of this batch with the following formula. The factors are pounds, simplified gravity readings (1.050 becomes 50, etc.), and the potential gravity of different grains according to a chart in his book:

8lbs Marris Otter x 38 = 304
2lbs British Crystal x 34 = 68
.125 lbs carafa III x 30 = 3.75
304+68+3.75 = 375.75 (Potential Gravity of Grains)

Original Gravity: 1.050 x 6 Gallons:
50 x 6 = 300 (Actual Gravity of Wort)

300 /375.75= .80
80% Efficiency
Can this be true?

2.29.08 -- Kegged. Seems to taste right -- the hops are not overpowering at all, yet they are there. The color could be just a pinch darker. It is red / brown, but not the ruby color I was shooting for.

3.14.08 -- First impression: this is a beer made for drinking. It has less body than Wells Bombardier and Samuel Smith's Pale Ale, and that is probably because of the choice in yeasts. Kegging it and letting it condition in the fridge for so long seems to have been a good idea.

4.06.08 -- Picture day!! I am also realizing that this beer is exactly what it was named as it was being brewed. With the lager yeast, it really is a Wannabe Special Bitter.

From Fuller's -- London

2008-02-08T22:00:00.000-05:00

Check out this diagram of the brewing process . . .
and then . . .
check this shit out.

O.C. II

2008-02-01T18:03:00.001-05:00

The first O.C. (Orange Cru) was all fucked up, but when I found a four-year-old bottle of it it tasted like Grand Marnier. This four-year-old bottle was the ass (what I bottle after the bottling tube gets all clogged with yeast and hops). I figured I could do a nice little extract brew while I mash and cook an all grain recipe. This version is not at all meant to resemble a bright white Belgian Grand Cru. I am going for something thicker and spicer -- like Grand Marnier.

O.C. II :

Extract and Other Sweets:
Approximately 2.75 lbs -- Extra Light DME (It has to be used -- getting old.)
3 lbs -- Wheat DME
22oz -- wildflower honey from Lakemont, GA
1.5 -- Ground Coriander
.5 oz -- Dried Grated Orange Peel (grind it at least three days previous. dry in a paper bag -- about three oranges' worth)

Hops:
1 0z Target start
.5 oz Willamete end (which I forgot until after I pitched the yeast -- put it in then (?))

Belgian Wit Yeast

There really is not much to say here since I am not mashing, and I do not have to worry about temperatures, etc. I could mention that I fucked up and added the boiling hops that were meant for Good Head Red V.

O.G. = 1.050
F.G. = 1.015
ABV = 4.59%
Potential Alcohol = 6.8%
Final Alcohol = 2%
ABV = 4.8%

. . . I am going to make sure I have my head on straight next time I attempt to brew two beers at once. I switched the hops, forgot the aroma hops for this beer, and also forgot the 12oz of malto dextrin I bought to make this beer thicker.

Tunes I think I could chill to in the bath with a glass of O.C. and a fat Jay:

Big Poppa -- The Notorious B.I.G.
Florida Hurricane -- Saint Louis Jimmy
So Cruel -- U2
Dirty Mothe -- Roosevelt Sykes

Or you can get all of the above in a .zip file:

O.C. II Playlist .zip

Notes:

2.3.08 -- Bubbling away. From what I understand, Belgian Wit yeast has no problems in this area. My last batch of O.C. was way carbonated, and this may be the reason. I think I am going to have to move the Good Head Red to another place in the house because it may be too cold where I have these carboys. O.C. doesn't seem to mind though.

2.8.08 -- Still bubbling slowly. I am in no hurry with this one. It may speed up if I put it in the warmer room, but it seems to be doing fine where it is. It has a stack of krausen like a foamy urinal cake still after five days.

2.15.2008 -- Racked into secondary, which may be unnecessary at this point, but the last batch of beer I made with Belgian Wit yeast was way over carbonated. That is why I am taking this extra step. I will bottle this when I feel like bottling beer. I do not think there will be much harm in letting this one chill out longer as long as it is cold by the back door.

2.17.08 -- Now I understand why the last version of this beer was so over carbonated -- Belgian Wit Yeast is a wild animal! The beer I racked into the secondary is bubbling again. There would have been a major mess if I had not heard it hissing and squirting through the airlock. Seventeen days later, and it is still going. Patience with this one . . .

2.24.08 -- Bottled today. I just hope I do not have the carbonation issues I had with this kind of beer last time. I think I am in the clear since I waited longer for all the sugar to ferment out; I do not think this was the case last time.

3.9.08 -- I am so pleasantly surprised at the outcome of this beer. It is obvious to me that I bottled my last batch of O.C. waaaaaay too early, and that is why they turned out to be beer bombs. This one is so complex with the orange, coriander, honey, wheat, and yeast all showing up for their part in the show. The color is beautiful and the head is great. I can't wait to see what this will be like in a couple more months.

7.25.08 -- I wish I would have saved all of these this long. This beer improves so much with age. The flavors are so much smoother and unified at this point.

Good Head Red V

2008-02-01T17:56:00.001-05:00

This will be the fifth batch of the beer I decided would be the house brew after I tasted the first. This one is a wee bit different than the others with a substitution of Biscuit Malt and Carapils for the Munich II I used in the past. This will certainly be different than the Good Head Red IV that escaped from a broken carboy and spilled all over the floor. You will see the differences compound further with each time I fuck up. Maybe brewing two beers, making two blog posts, and two playlists is a little ambitious.

GOOD HEAD RED V:

The Grain:
10 lbs Maris Otter
1 lb 60L Crystal Malt
1 lb Biscuit Malt
.5 lb Carapils
2 oz Roasted Barley

The Hops:
These are also a little different from other versions with the world wide hop shortage going on. The Kent Goldings I used in the past are substituted with Target.

.75 oz Willamete -- first wort runnings
1.75 oz Willamete -- -60 minutes (after foam breaks)
1 0z Willamete -- -15 minutes (along with a Whirlfloc Tablet)
1 oz Willamete -- end ( which I forgot until the wort was chilling. I added it then.)

(Notice that these are all Willamete. That was not the intention. Maybe this is why you should not brew two beers at once. You may become confused and put the wrong hops in the wrong beer. O.C. II got the Target hops, which may be too strong. I think it will all come out since the acid count would be similar if you added them all up.)

I am heating (right now) four gallons of strike water to 170 in hopes for a 155 degree mash. I am expecting the 12.5 pounds of grain to absorb 1.56 gallons (12.5 x .125 = 1.56). That means I will have to add 3.56 gallons of sparge water to get a 6 gallon boil (4 - 1.56 = 2.44) (6 - 2.44 = 3.56)

15 minutes into mash -- 156 degrees
45 minutes into mash -- below 140! -- I added about 2.5 cups of 200 degree water.
10 minutes later -- still low. I added three more cups of 200 degree water.
Last 30 minutes of mash -- I just checked it and it was up to 150. I added a few more cups of boiling water to get it up a little more. I am not going to fuck with it any more. The worst that can happen at this point is the beer coming out a little dry (let's hope).

O.G. = 1.048
F.G. = 1.020
3.66% by gravity reading (1.048 - 1.020 = .028 .028 x 131 = 3.66%)

Potential Alcohol = 7% / Final Alcohol Reading = 2.5%
4.5% by this reading, which is clearly different than the other. Maybe this is Alcohol by Weight? Fuck it. I know this beer is between 3.66% and 4.5%. The true test will be the "how do you feel after 2? 3? 4? test.

Estimated IBU = 58

Good Head Red V Playlist
The Criteria for this playlist are the songs that made me air guitar or bounce a little while brewing up this batch of beer (all via Mediafire):

Shake Your Money Maker -- John Little John
Good Bye Babylon -- The Black Keys
Some Dispute Over T-Shirt Sales -- Butthole Surfers
Juicy -- Better Than Ezra
Sonic Reducer -- Pearl Jam with Joey Ramone

Or you can dig all these in this zip file:

Good Head Red V Playlist .zip

Notes:

2.3.08 -- No real activity yet. The yeast seem to have reproduced themselves well. This is evident by the large layer of yeast at the bottom of the carboy. I think it is too cold where I have the carboy now (60s). I will move it today.

2.6.08 -- Fermenting well. It may be getting close to being done. I would like to keg this batch along with Oily Bohunk this weekend so I can have two beers on tap.

2.8.08 -- Kegged and put in the fridge. Should be ready to drink in 4-6 days.

2.15.2008 -- This beer drinks nice already, which is great considering I brewed it up two weeks ago. It will get better with a little more time, so I should slow down a little. I am wondering how much different this beer will be from the Wannabe Special Bitter I am making now. It may not be much.

2.28.08 -- If I am calculating efficiency the right way, this mash was 64%, which kinda sucks. This beer seems a little weak, but it is still good.

2.29.08 -- Picture day. This beer is not going to win any beauty contests, but it is still good with a nice bready aroma, and just a little hoppyness -- all with pretty good body. It makes me wonder if this would have been any different if I had used the Target hops as I had originally intended. The red does not show very well, and it is a bit cloudy (no secondary on this one).

3.11.08 -- Calculating Efficiency (while drinking GHR):

10 lbs Marris Otter x 37 = 370
1 lb Crystal Malt x 34 = 34
1 lb Biscuit Malt x 34 = 34
.5 Carapils x 33 = 16.5
.125 oz Roasted Barley x 27 = 3.37

Potential Extract = 370 + 34 + 34 + 16.5 + 3.37 = 457.87

6 gallons X 48 (1.048 O.G.) = 288

288 / 457.87 = 63% Efficiency -- this does not surprise me when I look at the notes of how the temperature dropped so much. I need to remember to wrap the tun in blankets or something -- this, or add boiling water to it before I start.

3.13.08 -- This beer started looking more an more clear, so I thought it was about to blow. Well, I was right. I drank the last glass today as I sat in the yard with my shoes off.

What has been getting my nads all pumped lately:

2008-01-27T22:07:00.000-05:00

1. VooDoo Funk -- Frank scours West Africa for records so you don't have to. If you have not had the pleasure of listening to West African pop, rock, and psychedelic music, this would be a great place to start. Frank has single songs and podcasts. The podcasts are particularly kick ass.

2. FuFu Stew -- All kinds of goodness here. The other night I was listening to FuFu Stew #9, and I heard a song by the Trogs that was not "Wild Thing". Podcasts go anywhere from Motown, Pop, Bubblegum, Soul, Funk, and points in between.

3. Hammond Eggs -- Hammond Eggs is the early Saturday morning show on an alternative station in San Antonio which is sharp since too many people live without jazz. There are many shows at the link which is to archive.org , which is loaded with everything.

Oily Bohunk

2008-01-18T17:38:00.001-05:00

First thing's first: this is a beer blog now too. If you don't love beer, lick my coin purse. With that out of the way, I can get to typing the recipe for the Bohemian Pilsner I am brewing right now:

Oily Bohunk Bohemian Pilsner:

Grain:
9 lbs: Pilsner Malt
2 lbs: Munich I
.5 lbs: Carapils
.5lbs: Carahel

Hopz:
.75 oz Sterling -- First Wort Runnings
.75oz Sterling -- When the foam breaks (-60 minutes)
1 oz Sterling -- (-15 Minutes) (add 1 tspn Irish Moss) (I am out of Moss. We will see if it makes a difference
1 oz Sterling -- (-5 minutes)
1 oz Sterling -- (-0 minutes)
.5 oz Sterling -- (Dry Hop when transfer to secondary is made)

Pilsner Urquell Yeast

Mash 12lbs grain x 1.3 quarts = 4 gallons strike water (Strike at 160 to Mash at 145 for a nice dry pilsner).

4 gallons Sparge water @ 170 (maybe should have been 3.5 gallons now that I look at my notes).

Boil 60 minutes after foam breaks -- Hop schedule above:

Here are the songs I particularly dug while brewing this up (all via Mediafire):

Agua Ardente -- Santo Samba
I Can't Feel My Face -- Lil Wayne
Reefer Man -- Cab Calloway
Jigsaw Falling into Pieces -- Radiohead
Purple -- Shuggie Otis
We're Gonna Boogie -- Lefty Dizz
Dust Devil -- Butthole Surfers

Or you can enjoy the whole thing as a playlist! (via Mediafire)

It went down like this:

Notes:

1.20.08 -- still no fermentation activity. This worries me a tad. It is probably because I put the fermenter in a very cold spot (46 degrees). I moved it to a little warmer spot in hopes that this will wake it up. The only real fear I have is of oxidation, so if the beer tastes like a wet paper bag, we will know the reason. Keep your fingers crossed.

1.24.08 -- FERMENTATION!! Hell yay-ya. The beer finally woke up yesterday; by the time I got home from work yesterday evening, the Oily Bohunk was alive with sugar-eating activity. Apparently, I had shocked the yeast into going dormant when it was too cold (carboy was next to the back door on one of the coldest nights of the year). I will likely transfer to the secondary and dry hop next Wednesday (1.30.08)

2.1.08 -- Transfer to secondary and dry hop with .5 oz Sterling

2.8.08 -- Kegged and put in the fridge. Will be ready to go in 4-6 days. Final Gravity was 1.014. I forgot to take an original gravity reading, so this does not mean much. Maybe I will figure some way to make calculations later. I tasted the gravity sample, and it tasted pretty good for being warm and flat. The color was looking nice and gold as it came through the hose. I am afraid this beer will not last long once it is ready.

2.15.08 -- I have been drinking small amounts of this beer so not to go through it before it is at its best. Right now, seven full days getting gas, it is carbonated right, but still a bit cloudy. I will photograph it when it gets clearer -- when the residual hops and yeast are all sucked off the bottom of the keg leaving just beer. This is not an exact replica of Urquell, but it is not that far either. I bet it would be much closer were Saaz available.

2.19.08 -- Looks as clear as it will get as I remember that I ran out of moss.

2.29.08 -- Finally added the picture. I am liking this beer more and more, which probably means it is almost gone. The crispy hop character is really starting to shine. This is becoming closer and closer to what I intended.

Grinderman

2008-01-07T21:23:00.000-05:00

You don't give a fuck what I think, and you shouldn't. This is not a record review because you do not give a fuck what I think, and I would not be a cheeky bastard to think that you would. The extroverted world of blogging, however, gives me a platform to tell you something about this record that I liked, like I am someone who has some sort of authority to tell you something about how you might appreciate a piece of art. I am not doing that, so get off my nuts. This is the reason I do not do album reviews, not that this is one, because I have to go through all this shit before I even get to the music. Fuck.

At the end of the year 2007 I reviewed other blogs for best-of lists before procuring a handful of albums. The above-pictured Grinderman was perhaps my favorite. Grinderman is the new band featuring Nick Cave, whom I am pretty unfamiliar musically. I saw a Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds performance at Lollapolooza in 1994, and I thought it sucked ass. I was twenty, so I probably did not know any better. Oh, you fuckin' care.

Of the three selections below, "No Pussy Blues" reminded me of Bob Dylan's "Gates of Eden" for no immediately apparent reasons; "Honey Bee" has notes of The Butthole Surfers' Independent Worm Saloon, and I put "Man in the Moon" in there because it was a little different than the others.

Two other things that make this album rad: they have an electric bouzouki player, and there is a monkey grabbing his nuts on the cover.

Download "No Pussy Blues" via Mediafire
Download "Honey Bee (Let's Fly to Mars) via Mediafire
Download "Man in the Moon" via Mediafire

In Rainbows. . .

2008-01-03T15:34:00.000-05:00

(Download In Rainbows .ace -- Via Mediafire)

Here it is in case you have not gotten it yet:

All tracks written by Radiohead.

"15 Step" – 3:57
"Bodysnatchers" – 4:02
"Nude" – 4:15
"Weird Fishes/Arpeggi" – 5:18
"All I Need" – 3:48
"Faust Arp" – 2:09
"Reckoner" – 4:50
"House of Cards" – 5:28
"Jigsaw Falling into Place" – 4:09
"Videotape" – 4:39

The discbox release of the album includes a second disc, which contains eight additional tracks, along with digital photographs and artwork. It is 26:53 in duration.

"MK 1" – 1:04
"Down Is the New Up" – 4:59
"Go Slowly" – 3:48
"MK 2" – 0:53
"Last Flowers" – 4:27
"Up on the Ladder" – 4:17
"Bangers + Mash" – 3:20
"4 Minute Warning" – 4:06

Episode Six Six Six

2007-12-09T08:28:00.000-05:00

After a long hiatus the Merkin Man is back with another offering of musical candy for the very very exclusive group of people who actually come here.
Here it is!

1. Four Kicks -- Kings of Leon
2. Packin' a Rod -- L7
3. Sick of Myself -- Matthew Sweet
4. Time Fades Away -- Niel Young
5. Jimmy -- M.I.A.
6. Ye Ye De Smell -- Fela Kuti and the Africa 70
7. Hello -- Lionel Richie
8. These Eyes -- The Guess Who
9. Aht Uh Mi Hed -- Shuggie Otis
10. Poon-tang! -- The Treniers
11. In Your Room -- The Bangles
12. Reckoner (live) (the version I thought would be on In Rainbows) -- Radiohead
13. Judy Mach 7 -- Smersh
14. Screwdriver (live) -- The White Stripes

I actually said "please" in this podcast. That is not very Merkin Man. I will try to do better next time, fuckers.

Shit Tons of Smooth Ass Brazilian Shit

2007-11-01T21:58:00.000-04:00

100 best album list from Rolling Stone Brazil. . .
From Musica Social

They all seem available.

Listen to the music that will show you that Brazilians are so damn smooth they are the only citizens worth of having a hairstyle specifically for pussies named for them.

Enjoy.

Episode Five

2007-07-27T16:19:00.000-04:00

I've done some new shit here. There are probably still some problems with volume levels and shit like that, but I think I am getting better.

Episode Five

Download it Now

1. U.R.A.Q.T. -- M.I.A
2. You Fucked Up -- Ween
3. Dirty Song -- Cars can be Blue
4. Exchange -- Massive Attack (with the Merkin Man)
5. She's Not There -- The Zombies
6. Armageddon -- the ROOK
7. Shocker -- The Breeders
8. Pain in my Heart -- Dirty Dozen Brass Band (with Nora Jones)
9. Ici la Femme (XXX mix) -- Louise Vertigo
10. Dupree's Diamond Blues -- The Grateful Dead
11. Poor Places -- WILCO
12. Wharf Rat -- The Grateful Dead
13. I'm a Wheel -- WILCO
14. Big Railroad Blues -- The Grateful Dead
15. In a Sentimental Mood -- John Coltrane and Duke Ellington
16. Machine Gun -- Band of Gypsies