Bullfrog Brown

Bullfrog Brown

1.040 -- 1.014

19 IBU

3.4% ABV 

The Malts:

6 lbs Marris Otter
3 lbs Munich (9L)
3 lbs Toasted Malt
2 lbs Flaked Wheat
1 lb 80L Crystal
.5 lb Chocolate Malt

Hops: Hops: Hops:

1.50 oz East Kent Goldings (5.6% AA)

Water Needed:

7 gallons strike water
1.9 gallons absorbed
--------
5.1
+1 gallon boiling water (mash out)
--------
6.1

at least 8 gallons sparge water needed.

Brewday Notes and Reflections:

Mashed in at 7:55 AM. Meeting to add a little more boiling water because mash temp is too low.

I managed to get it up to about 157° with about 45 minutes to go.

First runnings: 1.061.
Pre-boil gravity 1.033.
Final gravity: 1.040.

All done at 2:20 PM.

Bullfrog Brown Notes:

11.4.13 - pitched yeast (S-04)

1.20.14 -- Tasting Bullfrog Brown:

Before tasting, it should be noted that this beer fermented in the low 60s. 

Appearance: Dark copper with excellent clarity. Light tan head that is very thick and persistent.

Aroma: Caramel and bready (toasty) notes are most noticeable. There is also a very faint hop aroma that is best described as earthy. Very fait fruity esters as well - peachy. No diacetyl; no DMS.

Flavor: Very light bready and toasty flavors, but the dominant and initial flavor is grainy and a bit sharp. Finish is bitter and lingers for quite a while. Finish is also a little watery. Caramel flavors do not come through past the grainy and sharp nature of the beer. The flavor is not bad, but just not what it could be. Sharpness fades as beer warms, as the malty flavors become a bit more prominent. Very low to no hop flavor.

Mouthfeel: A little thin and sharp. Slightly astringent. Low carbonation and medium bodied.

Overall: Not a bad start, but this beer is missing a lot of the character I hoped would be there. The mash temperature being lower than I wanted could have been a contributing factor. I may also want to add a bit more crystal malt, and perhaps forego the chocolate malt, which I have found to have a bit of a sharp flavor in the past. Though a lot of the negative aspects fade as the beer warms, there is still improvement to be made. One might be to increase the gravity a tad. Much of this could be that there is just not enough malt to contribute to the flavor profile I am looking for. The take-away: serve this beer warmer, and make the adjustments named above, and the end results should be much better. The potential is here, just work on the execution.

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Temptation Toad

Half of this batch will be fermented with a yeast and bacteria cultured from a bottle of Russian River Supplication and a bottle of Temptation from the same brewery. I built the culture up starting with about a half liter of 1.030 wort, then ramping it up to a full liter once the fermentation subsided. Then I sent the following inquiry to Russian River Brewing Company:

"Supplication and Temptation Dregs -- What do I have?

Hello. I have been building up a culture from the dregs of the two beers I mentioned above. I would like to use this to ferment one of my next batches. I know there has to be some Pedio and Brett in there, but I wonder if you know more specifically what else may be living in there. Is there any Saccromyces, or is it all Brett and bugs? EIther way, I still plan to use this culture to ferment a brown ale I will brew soon.

THank you for any insight you may be able to provide."

...and got the following response from Vinnie Cilurzo, their head brewer:

"Thanks for the email, you have a mix of Sacc, Brett, and bacteria.  The Sacc is a wine yeast we use to bottle condition with.  The Temptation would contribute some pretty fresh Brett as we use some in the bottle and the bacteria we used in the barrel also has a bunch of wild yeast but the bacteria component is probably on the light side in quantity as it was added early on.  In general though you should be able to grow it up in low gravity low or un-hopped wort along with some apple juice (unfiltered) at a ratio of 80% wort and 20% apple juice."
Good luck!

Vinnie Cilurzo

Owner/Brewer

Russian River Brewing Company

For the next step, I ramped it up to about three quarts, adding unfiltered apple juice to account for about 20% of the total of the final culture volume.

Temptation Toad Notes:

11.4.13 -- pitched culture (70 degrees)
12.20.13 - 1.008 (mildly sour. very thin)
7.9.14 - 1.003 (more pronounced lingering fruity sourness -- beer is extremely dry) -- added 1oz Medium Toast French oak cubes
1.19.15 -- Bottled using 8.1oz corn sugar for 4.25 volumes CO2. I am a little concerned about my process though. I added the priming sugar and bottling yeast after racking the beer to the bottling bucket, which is not how I usually proceed. I stirred the beer gently after the addition and 1-2 more times during the course of bottling to be sure the sugar and yeast were integrated evenly. Also a couple of bottles broke in the oven, so that is also a concern. I had the heat up to 260 for 2.5 hours.

Pegasus

 
Pegasus
Second Place: English Pale Ales
Peach State Brew-Off 2014

1.044 -- 1.010

41 IBU

4.5% ABV

Malts:

13 lbs Marris Otter

4 lbs Flaked Wheat

Hops:

. 50 oz Pacific Jade (14.2% AA) -- 60 min

1oz Nelson Sauvin (11.4% AA) -- 15 min

1oz Simcoe (13%AA) -- 10 min

1oz Simcoe (13%AA) -- 0 min

1oz Nelson Sauvin (11.4%AA) -- 0 min

.50 0z Pacific Jade (14.2%AA) -- 0 min

Water:

8 gallons of strike water

2.125 gallons absorbed

at least 8.125 gallons of sparge water needed.

Notes:

Dough in 6:03 am 155 degrees.

First runnings 1.051
Almost 6 gallons

Pre-boil gravity 1.026. 14 gallons. Coming in a little low me to recalculate hops.

I made the following adjustment Pacific JD is now half an ounce at 60 minutes an half an ounce at zero minutes

New IBU I BU 41.40

Final gravity 1.043. I don't know how this happened I think it is a little higher than I expected because I boiled it really hard to try to get as many points as possible. I think I got more than I planned.

9.21.13: Half racked to keg, half racked to cask (primed to 2.3 volumes)
12.28.13 - a later note: the keyhole bung failed when i was filling the cask, and the beer intended for the cask was rushed into growlers to prime. Beer was overcarbonated, but otherwise very good. The keg version has not been tapped yet -- it is next.

Lajoie

Lajoie Beliner Weisse

1.0?? -- 1.0??

?.?% ABV

(five gallons)

Malts:

3.5 lbs American Two-row

3.5 lbs Flaked Wheat

Hops:

.5 oz Hallertaur (4.6% AA) - Mash Hops - added to decoction

Yeast:

US-05

Notes:

7lbs grain:
2 gal Strike water

30 min @ 125
Decoction - approx 3 quarts
.5 oz Hallertaur in decoction (mash hops)
60 min @ 152

 

Added another 2-3 quarts of cold water to bring temperature down to around 115. Temperature held around 90-100 for 48 hours.

Pellicle on Sour Mash

Mrs. Gorilla

Mrs. Gorilla

1.037 - 1.010

36 IBU

3.5% ABV

Serve Cool with a Piston Engine

The Malts:

8 lbs Marris Otter
3 lbs Victory
2 lbs Flaked Wheat
1 lb 60L Crystal
1 lb 80L Crystal
.5 lb 120L Crystal

The Hops:

1 oz Bramling Cross (7.4%AA) - 60 min
1 oz Bramling Cross (7.4%AA) - 30 min
1 oz Bramling Cross (7.4%AA) - 15 min
1 oz Styrian Goldings (3.8% AA) - 15 min
1 oz Bramling Cross (7.4%AA) - 5 min
1 oz Styrian Goldings (3.8% AA) - 15 min

7 gal strike water
Dough-in 7:39
Mash temp 156
First runnings 1.056
Pre-boil -- 1.031 (14gal)
Final gravity 1.037- should have boiled harder.

Notes:

Tomahawk!!

Tommahawk!

American Pale Ale

1.050 - 1.013

39 IBU

4.8% ABV

The Malts:

12 lbs American 2-row
5 lbs Unmalted Wheat 

3 lbs Victory Malt

The Hops:

.75 oz Columbus / Tomahawk (16.4% AA) -- 60 minutes

1.25 oz Columbus / Tomahawk (16.4% AA) -- 10 minutes 

.25 oz Columbus / Tomahawk (16.4% AA) -- 5 minutes
1 oz Simcoe (13.2% AA) -- 5 minues

Yeasts:

Dry S-04

Water:

8 gallons strike water

2.5 gallons absorbed

5.5 gallons first runnings

at least 8.5 gallons sparge water needed  

Not a clone of this.

Brewday Reflections:

Tomahawk!!

Dough-in: 6:50 a.m.
Mash temp 153

New Orleans Music / Mardi Gras / Tomnahawk!! / Indians

First runnings 1.082
Second Runnings 1.042

EDIT 5 min addition: .25 oz Columbus + 1oz Simcoe (13.2%aa)
New IBU = 39

Original Gravity = 1.050

Chiller: next time put valve on in side not out side.

Shopping list:
Fermcap
Disconnect o-rings 

Notes:

2.11.13 - Yeast pitched

2.15.13 -- Fermentation temps between 66-70. Gravity down around 1.020 (laundry room) already. Though it was still sweet (of course) the toastiness from the Victory malt and the flavors from the late hops (dankness from Columbus and Orange peel (light) from Simcoe) are already showing to be very nice.

2.22.13 -- Hall batch down to 1.015 (70% attenuation) - close if not finished already. The mash temp (153) seems to be keeping the FG higher (intended). Balance between malty/toasty - bitterness - hop flavor are all what I wanted. This will be very drinkable.

4.4.13 -- Tasting Tomahawk!!

Appearance: Dark gold / light copper with a fluffy white and persistent head. Clear, but not quite brilliant.

Aroma: A spicy and citrus-like hop aroma up front followed by toasty and bready from the malt. Light fruity (peach, honey, etc) esters. A small  bit of rustic graininess from the wheat. Dominant aroma is like citrus peels.

Flavor: Not a rowdy beer flavor-wise. Toasted malts are the first wave, then followed by medium-high bitterness. Bitterness is clean and not at all harsh. Aftertaste features citrus hop flavors (lemon, orange peels) as well as bready and toasty flavors. Hop bitterness lasts long into the finish. Finish is medium-dry with a small touch of sweetness. 

Mouthfeel: Medium-light bodied with medium-low carbonation. Some creamy texture and no alcohol warmth or astringency. Bitternes leaves a light biting sensation on the tongue.

Overall: I am pleased with the drinkability of this beer as well as the flavor controbutions from such a sessionable recipe. I am liking Columbus hops the more I use them. I entered this beer as an ESB in a competition in St. Louis, and I think with the gravity, English character, hop and malt flavor levels, it fits that category well.

Ornery Old Bock

 Ornery Old Bock

1.066 - 1.012

18 IBU

6.5% ABV 

Malts: 

13 lbs Munich I
10 lbs Vienna
3 lbs CaraMunich
2 lbs Melanoiden

The Hops:

1oz Tettnang (4.7%AA) -75 min
1oz Hallertaur (4.3%AA) - 75 min

Water:

28 pounds of grain (1.75 qts / lb) -- thinner for decoctions:
12.25 gallons strike water
3.5 gallons absorbed
6.25 gallons of sparge water needed (includes an additional gallon for decoction boil-off, etc.)

Brewday Notes:

Mashed @ 122 for 30 min

Heated decoction too much - closer to 165 let cool without sleeping bag

First decoction only raised to around 132 - pulled another.

Mash temp ended way too high after second decoction. I've got it down to 150 with ice. There it will stay for an hour. 148 by the end of the hour.

Not doing further decoctions. Mashing out with boiling water -- one gallon.

Only about half fit in mash tun. Negligible effect on temperature.

First runnings: 1.072

Kettle Carmelized the first gallon or so of runnings. It was not as dramatic as I thought it would be. After heating Sparge water, I will continue to boil these runninings down to half the original volume.

Second runnings: 1.034

Ran off a little more than 14 gal (before adding back reduced wort. Reducing wort more, and will now do the longer boil as planned.

Reduced wort 1.114
Preboil 1.049 closer to 15 gallons

Boiled 135 minutes to get down to 11 gal.

O.G. 1.066


Notes:

1.1.13 - Pitched yeast arounf 40 degrees. Letting it climb to around 53
1.20.13 - Diacetyl rest begun
1.26.13 - Transferred to serving kegs and placed in chest freezer to lager
1.20.14 - Tasting Ornery Old Bock:

Appearance: Light copper and very clear. Fluffy off-white head that is sticking around a little more than usual. One of the faults of this beer has been its head retention. This example's head is dying, but at a rate slower than what has been typical. Head is nearly gone after about 2 minutes.

Aroma: Not as aromatic as I would like. Aromas are more bread than toast. Overall, very neutral in aroma. No diacetyl or DMS. No hop aroma.

Flavor: Toasty flavors with good melanoiden presence, but still not as rich in this department as I would like. No hop flavors. Bitterness is in balance with the malt sweetness -- some bitterness lingers in the finish along with a hint of toasty flavors. Well-attenuated with not much residual sweetness. There is a slight alcohol warmth in the aftertaste as well.

Mouthfeel: Moderately carbonated with a medium-light body. Very slightly astringent and not very creamy. Slight alcohol warmth as mentioned previously.

Overall: This is a decent first go at a traditional bock. I am not sure of the effort involved with carmelizing the first runnings really paid off in the end, because the caramel flavors are not as rich as I would have expected. The flavors are there, but they may be more of a result of the grain bill than the procedure. The head is also an issue -- while I did do a protein rest, the long lagering period may have had an effect on its sustainability. If I were to make this recipe again, I may include some carapils just to insure some decent head.

Black and Mild

Black and Mild

1.043 - 1.013

3.9% ABV

28 IBU

Sine Yo Piddy on the Runny Kine

Gold Medal -- Olde Hickory Pro-Am, Hickory, NC

The Malts:
7 lbs Marris Otter
5 lbs British 2-row
1.25 lbs Chocolate Wheat
1 lb 60L Crystal
1 lb Flaked Maize
1lb 6-row

The Hops:

1oz Fuggles (5%AA) -- 60 minutes
1oz Challenger (7.7%AA) -- 30 minutes
1oz Fuggles (5%AA) -- 20 minutes

Water:

7 gallons Strike Water
at least 9 gallons Sparge Water

Brewday Notes:
Mashed at 156 for an hour

Sparge was too cool: grain temp 153

First runnings 1.079

Second runnings 1.060

Original Gravity: 1.043

Brewday Reflections:
Everything went very well with the exception of the sparge being a bit too cool, which may have turned out to be a good thing since the O.G. turned out to be 1.043. It may have been a little too high if my sparge temp had been normal. The low temp was due to using a different thermometer -- the one I intended to use got dumped into the mash with the grain. The thermometer I then had to use registered about 15 degrees higher than the one installed on my tun. Apparently that was not correct because my sparge water was cooler (apparently) than I thought it would be.

Yeast:

Safale s-04
Pitched 12.16.12 (62 ambient)

Notes:

12.24.12 -- Gravity reads around 1.014. May be done (3.8 ABV if it is). Flavor and aroma is very bready / toasty. Some UK (earthy) hops in the aroma. Bitterness seems good, but overshadowed by the toastiness. Carbonation can change this.

12.27.12 -- five gallons racked into cask and primed for 2.3 volumes.

1.13.13 -- The other half kegged and pressurized.

2.15.13 -- Cask to be served on 2.17.13.

4.15.13 -- Tasting Black and Mild. I completed this BJCP scoresheet since the judges at the Old Hickory Pro-Am used the simpler first round scoresheets that are intended for weeding out entries in very large competitions, or for BOS rounds. They gave this beer a 45; I gave it a 41.

Cyrus Wheat I.P.A.

Cyrus

Wheat IPA

1.061-1.005

7.3% ABV

70 IBU

I had a lot of flaked wheat and a lot of American hops. What was I to do?

The Malts:

17 lbs Marris Otter
9 lbs Flaked Wheat
4 lbs Blockader House Toasted Malt

The Hops: 

1.25 Magnum (13.5%) - 60 Minutes
1 Centennial (8.8%) - 20 Minutes
2 Zythos (10.9%) - 10 Minutes
1 Centennial (8.8%) - 10 Minutes
1 Simcoe (14.4%) - 2 Minutes
1 Centennial (8.8%) - 2 Minutes
1 Zythos (10.9%) - 2 Minutes

1oz Columbus -- dry 9-10 days
1oz Zythos -- dry 9-10 days


Mash: Single Infusion 150 degrees

First Runnings: 1.090
Second Runnings 1.050
Preboil: 1.052
Original Gravity: 1.061

Yeast: Pitched 9.30.12
5 gallons - US-05 - laundry room
5 gallons - US-04 - hall

Notes:
11.3.12 - Tasting sample from the hall (s-04) hop aroma and flavor are both fruity and dank both at a moderate level. Finish is very dry and very bitter. Next time I am going to dial back the bittering addition. As this tastes, it may be close to too much. I am pleased overall, and will see what's up once this beer is carbonated.

2.15.13 - 

Tasting Cyrus:

Appearance: Dark gold / light copper with a thick white head that is very persistent and marks the glass all the way to the end.

Aroma: Hop aroma (duh) up front which is piney and resinous, and then gives way to more fruity hop characteristics like mango and orange. Some grainy sweet malt aroma as well as some faint esters (this is the US-05 version), which are hidden behind the hop aroma. No diacetyl

Flavor: Medium toasty with a touch of caramel malt sweetness followed by a very long hoppy finish that starts out with tropical fruit flavors (mostly mango, but also orange and other exotic fruits (passion?)) but then gives way to more piney and resinous hop flavors that linger much longer into the finish. Hop balanced, but malt characteristics are not completely overwhelmed. The beginning of the taste has a nice showing from the malts (bread, grainy, toasty) before hops take over. Slight fruity esters, but these tend to comingle with the hop characteristics which are also fruity. No diacetyl.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with medium carbonation. Creamy texture with no hot alcohol sensations. Hoppy bitterness is a little prickly on the tongue, but not unpleasant. No astringency.

Overall: I am very pleased. This turned out the way I wanted: an IPA but not a blow your brains out version of the style. Zythos hops (which were free) (mango) make for an interesting combination with the Centennial (piney) and the Simcoe (orange / citrus). The unmalted wheat also adds the grainy characteristic to go along with all those hops.  I cannot immediately think of improvements I would make at this point.

Grisette

 Grisette

1.049 - 1.005

5.7% ABV

26 IBU

Grisette is a type of Saison that was specifically marketed to miners in the Hainaut region of Belgium in the late 1800s (they did not want to be associated with a farm hand's beer). The name comes from the word for an independent working-class women (in some contexts it means "prostitute") who usually wore undyed (inexpensive) fabric (gris=grey). It is said that one of these ladies would usually be the server who had the tray of beers for the miners as they exited the mine. The server and the style of beer she had became synonymous. At one point during the height of the Belgian mining industry, there were 30 commercial examples of Grisette. My recipe is faithful to my research - with a couple DSB tweaks.

The Malts:

15 lbs Belgian Pilsner

6 lbs Flaked Wheat

1 lb Piloncillo

Hops:

1oz Centennial (8.8%) - 60min - 17.27 IBU

1oz Saaz (4%) - 30min - 5.35 IBU

1oz Hallertaur (4.8%) - 5min - 1.76 IBU

1oz Saaz (4%) - 5min - 1.47 IBU

Yeast:

Wyeast Beire de Garde

Brewday:

8.5 gal strike
2.6 absorbed
8.5 gal sparge (more than enough. Run until 14 gal)

30 @ 122
60 @ 140 - ph 4.7
20 @ 158 - ph 4.7 - 1.070
5 @ 168

First runnings : 1.075 only about 4g when I was expecting 6.5 or so. Added more sparge water.

Second runnings : 1.029
Preboil: 1.040

O.G. 1.049

Notes:

7.31.12 -- Pitched 1.75qt starter into each fermenter
8.5.12 -- (Laundry room cool box) gravity down to around 1.024. Still tastes pretty sweet, as I would imagine. I am going to stop adding ice and let the temperature rise in both boxes to help finish this off. This tastes like it will be a good beer with complementary hop flavor, but the finish (too sweet now) is what should improve with further fermentation.
8.11.12 -- Gravity down to 1.005. This yeast has really restrained esters as far as I can tell, which goes well with the aroma and flavor hops. Nice dry finish. Imagining what this will taste like once it is cold and carbonated has me encouraged. Kegged and put in the chest freezer for cold conditioning.
12.31.12 -- Removed from freezer (conditioned 4.5 months (around 40 degrees))
 2.3.13 --

Tasting Grisette:

Appearance: Dark yellow with a little bit of haze. Many bubbles rising through the beer. Head is fluffy stiff an white. Head retains quite well.
Aroma: Grainy pils malt aroma up front with some lemon-citrus aromas as well. Malt aroma is a bit rustic: grainier than other beers (unmalted wheat).  Light spicy hop aromas. All aromas are pretty delicate -- nothing jumps out and smacks you around. No diacetyl -- slight DMS.
Flavor: Medium-light grainy malt flavors followed by lemony esters and some spicy phenols. Yeast characteristics are lighter than other Belgian beers, but their delicate nature goes well with the malt profile. Hop bitterness balances the malt profile well, and some of the spicy hop flavors linger into the aftertaste with the phenols to provide a complex spicy finish. Finish is moderately dry with a small hint of sweetness. Very slight sulfur flavors that are not a distraction.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with medium-high carbonation. No alcohol warmth with slight creamy texture. Spicyness leaves a little bite on the tongue. Not astringent.
Overall: A very delicate and refreshing beer. I am very pleased with this, but pause at the notion of entering it into a competition because it would qualify as a Saison, and I know most other Saison entries would be much different. I really do not have the faith in judges to enter something so unlike the other entries or something so delicate. I really like the contribution from the unmalted wheat, which is becoming one of my favorite ingredients.

Sour Grisette Notes:

8.18.12 -- Second five gallons racked into a carboy with the dregs from one bottle of Russian River Consecration and then the dregs from a large bottle of Dirty Blonde
8.25.12 -- Added dregs from a bottle of Boon Geuze Mariage Parfait.
11.21.13 -- Added one ounce medium toast oak cubes
3.10.14 -- Bottled at 4 volumes carbonation. Renamed Bie´re de Lorette.

Captured Wild Yeast Test Beer

4 Gal

1.053 - 1.0??

Malts: (Extract)
3 lbs Dry Pilsner
3 lbs Dry Wheat

Hops:
.4 oz Centennial (8.8% AA) -- 60 min

Yeast:
3qt Starter of yeast captured on June 7-8, chilled and decanted

7.16.12 -- Pitched yeast -- as I was decanting the starter there was a Belgain-esque aroma, albeit with some band-aid-like phenols as well. I tried a small sip of the starter beer and it also has a little bit of a cidery presence. Of course this wort did stay outdoors and uncovered for 18 hours, so that could have something to do with that.
7.19.12 -- After about 30 hours (60-65F), visible yeast activity. Big fluffy krausen.
7.22.12 -- Yesterday the fluffy krausen gave way to chunkier cheese curd looking chunks which are beginning to drop out today. The fermentation is kicking off some foul odors, but the beer inside the carboy still smells okay, but by no means "clean"
7.22.12 (later) -- The cheese curd looking krausen has completely dropped, and it has been replaced by a seemingly newer billowy krausen.
8.25.12 -- Gravity down to 1.003. Sample starts off with some nice Belgian-esque phenols, followed by some cidery flavors, then ultimately finishes with a funkyness that is still a little bit harsh, but not terribly unpleasant. I think with a little more maturity, especially when the Brettanomyces becomes active, this could still develop a little more.

Mordecai Brown 2012 / Mordecai Bruin

Mordecai Brown:
1.051 -- 1.010 -- 5.4% ABV
55 IBU

Mordecai Bruin:
1.056 -- 1.006 -- 6.5% ABV
55 IBU

Malts:
12 lbs Golden Promise
5 lbs Abbey Malt
2 lbs Brown Malt
1 lb 60L Crystal
1 lb Carafoam
.5 lb 40L Crystal
.5 lb 80L Crystal
.5 lb 120L Crystal

Hops:
1 oz Magnum (13.1%AA) -- 60 min (clock 30)
1 oz Centennial (8.8% AA) -- 30 min (clock 10)
1 oz Simcoe (14.4%) -- 20 min (clock 5)
1 oz Centennial ( 8.8%) -- 15 min (clock 5) (Whirfloc)
1 oz Zythos (11%) -- 10 min (clock 10)
1 oz Simcoe (14.4%) -- 10 min

Yeast:
Mordecai Brown -- California Lager Slurry
Mordecai Brun -- Wyeast Bierre de Garde (2qt starter)

Mash:
Single Infusion (154 degrees)
22.5 lbs grain

10 gallons strike water
2.8 gallons absorbed
6.8 gallons sparge water needed

Brewday Notes:
Everything went very smoothly -- nothing to report
25 min into mash -- 9%Brix 1.043 -- Ph around 6

45 min into mash -- 13%brix 1.050 -- ph around 6

60 minutes into mash -- 17%brix 1.065 ph just below 6

75 minutes into mash 19%brix 1.074

Pre boil -- 1.043
O.G 1.051 -- Brown
O.G. 1.056 -- Bruin after 1lb sugar

6.8.12 -- Pitched yeast into both beers

Brown Notes:
6.12.12 -- I have not been as vigilant as I should changing out the ice in the cool box. I have had the temperature spike to 68 and then got it back down to 62, and then again to 66, but back down again. Temperature sensor is taped to the side of the bucket, so perhaps the temperature inside the fermenter is not as different as the ambient temp as I may think. We'll see. I'm okay with this beer being more ale-like, and it will be nice if that is the only effect the temp swings have. I will probably cold condition it to get rid of any green apple flavors I may have produced.
6.13.12 -- I was a little nervous about the possibility of hot fusels so I pulled at test today (around 1.030), and I do not think I can detect any.But then again, there is a small tingle in the back of my throat in the aftertaste that could be just that. At any rate, if it is there, it is small. The caramel aroma and flavor that I wanted seem to be there, and should get better as the fermentation continues to dry the beer out. The hop aroma is nice -- I can detect the Simcoe easily and perhaps the Centennial, but really cannot taste the complexity yet since the beer is still very sweet.
6.19.12 -- Gravity 1.017. Still has 1-2 points to go before I am considering it done.
6.25.12 -- Final gravity 1.010. I allowed the beer to warm up and finish while I was away at NHC in Seattle. Kegged and put in the chest freezer for conditioning / clarifying / storage.

Bruin Notes:
6.12.12. -- Fermenting well. Ambient temps around 65 for the first few days, then I allowed it to creap up closer to 75.
6.14.12 -- 1.023 on day seven. Nice hoppy aroma on this one too. Hops and caramel flavors last through the finish. May be a bit buttery at this point. I put another jug of ice in the box this morning, but that may be the last one.
6.25.12 -- temp has been between 80-85 for the last week or so. Gravity reading soon.
6.27.12 -- Gravity 1.006, kegged and put in chest freezer to condition

Kellerbier

American Golden Ale 1.057 -- 1.007 33 IBU -- 6.5% ABV

Cask Conditioned Kellerbier 1.046 -- 1.004 25 IBU -- 5.5% ABV

Ugly American 1.046* - 1.006 37 IBU -- 5.2% ABV 
 (2nd Place - Light Hybrid Beers - Summer Suds in Savannah 2012)

Main Mash:

The Malts:
16 pilsner
3 munich
1 carapils

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

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

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

Mini-Mash:

The Malts (and adjuncts)

2.5 lbs 6 Row
2.5 lbs Flaked Maize

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

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

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

Mash Process:

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

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


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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

1911 Boston Rustler

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)

4.19.12 -- The 1911 Rustler turned out quite good, though the only measurement I can use is the BJCP style guide, which supports this claim. This beer features both a corn sweetness and high level of bitterness that are not seen in modern American lagers. Fermenting this with US-05 at low temperatures (and then lagering for 2+ months) really helped as well. This is something I will make again. Very drinkable.

Rudy Lycanthrope / Lunar Eclipse Wheat

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.
12.11.12 -- 1.5oz Medium Toast Hungarian oak cubes
1.20.13 - Tasted for wood flavors. They were noticeable, but still faint. I will try again in about two weeks.
2.18.13 - Tasted again, and wood flavors are still a little faint. Since cubes work slower, I am going to let this sit a while longer. Sourness is good, and seems to have reached a terminal level. I should consider a turbid or other specific mash to let bugs get to more sugar (next time around).

Rauch-N-Wiener

Rauch-N-Weiner

1.050 --1.013 -- 4.8% ABV

30 IBU
GOLD MEDAL -- ATHENS CRAFT BEER FESTIVAL 2012

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
3.26.12 -- Rauch-N-Wiener got the lowest score I have ever received in a competition -- 22.5 (Peach State Brew-Off). It was tasted 7th in a flight of seven other smoked beers. I can't have much confidence in judges that taste a delicate lager after what was likely to be six smoked porters. Here are the score sheets:

Rauch-N-Wiener -- PSBO 2012

I would be vindicated later in the day to find out Rauch-N-Wiener took first in its category at the Athens Craft Beer Festival (score sheets later).

Over - Under Burton Ale / Burton Jr.

Over - Under Burton Ale -- 100 IBU --1.083 -- 1.018 -- 8.5% ABV
Old Over - Under Burton Ale 100 IBU -- 1.083 -- 1.003 -- 10.5% ABV
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.
7.23.12 -- Gravity at 1.003. Brett character is prevalent, but hard to describe. The funk seems to ride the wave of bitterness into the aftertaste and lingers for a long time. Stale, funky, kinda barnyardy like stinky cheese, but not bad per se. I'm expecting this character to round out in a year or two into something more pleasant.It already has a bit of a cognac quality. Added 1.5 oz medium toast French oak cubes.
9.16.12 -- Tasting small sample: Bitter, alcoholic and wine-like / some vanilla notes from wood (soft) / Oak flavor is noticeable / plan to pull this soon.
10.6.12 -- Bottled at 2 volumes carbon dioxide. Added one packet of Champagne yeast. Marked bottles: O O/U.

Irish Curse Ale

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

Don Juan Saison '11

1.063 -- 1.009 -- 7% ABV
1.063 -- 1.000

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.
3.4.12 -- Gravity 1.001. Brett more noticeable, but still more subdued than last year's example. Looking to bottle this next week.
5.7.12 -- Bottled at 4 volumes CO2 -- Final Gravity - 1.000

Tasting Paterweizen

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

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.