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.

Patersweizen / Belgian Summer Ale

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

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

Dirty Blonde: O.G. 1.045 -- F.G. 1.009 -- 4.7% ABV
Silver Medal - Sour Ales - 2013 Peach State Brew-Off

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

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

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

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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