Beer Name: Smokin' Great Times Rauchbier (slightly bigger version of first Rauchbier).
Grains: 14 lbs Weyermann smoked malt 2L
1.75 lbs Durst Pils 1.6L
.25 lbs Weyermann Carafa III 470L
6 oz Maple, Apple, and Cherry smoked malt (blend) from Adam Stern
1 lb 12 oz Beech wood smoked malt from Adam Stern
= just over 18 lbs
Hops: 1 oz U.S. Halltertau 4.2% AA 60 min
.5 oz Yakima Magnum 15% AA 10 min
Yeast: Wyeast 2206 Bavarian lager - yeast cake from preceding Oktoberfest
Brew Date: Rack to Secondary:
Keg Date:
Date: 01/21/08 02/04/08
Gravity: 1.080 1.024
% Alcohol: 10.8 3.5
% Sugar: 20 7.5
Temp of
reading: 60
Notes:
* My mash tun could not take too many more lbs of grain than 18. It was pretty full. :) I suspect I could do 20 lbs but maybe not any more.
* Unlike first Rauchbier, this one is a lager as they are supposed to be.
- 21 qts 170 -> 160. added ice -> 154. held for 60 min. Stirred once at 20 min.
- after 60 min -> 152
- added 1 gallon boiling -> 156.
- collected 3.6 gallons, so about 2.4 gallons left in mash tun (out of 6 total). First runnings: 19.5 brix (about 1.080 before boiling. Good to know if I ever want to make like 3 gallons of a really strong beer (barley wine?) and then a few more gallons of a lower gravity beer.
- added 3 gallons of 192 beer ->172. Few ice cubes -> 169.
- gravity 2nd runnings: 12 brix
- 6.6 gallons in brew pot. Pre boil gravity: 16 brix. (about 1.064 so I knew I would at least get into the 1.070's).
- boiled for 65 mins. Pretty cold today, about 0, and it was cooler in the tuck under than usual.
- ended with 5 gallons at about 52 degrees split into 2 carboys so I don't lose any volume to blow off.
- split yeast cake (was not able to have it settle out so I could wash it) between two carboys.
- put carboys in my cold room which is currently 40 degrees. I might have to open up the door to let some heat in to raise it a few degrees.
02/04/08 Had it at warmer temps (mid 50s) for about a week, then at mid 60's for a few days. A little surprised that it did not ferment a little lower. Not very clear yet and there is a lot of yeast still suspended. Dark brown color, but not black. Good smoke aroma. Wow, complex, strong, but drinkable smoke flavor. Very nice and after it mellows it should be even better.
02/06/08 Added 3 drops of Beano to see if it can drop a little lower. Sitting at about 60 deg.
02/29/08 Added 2 more Beano drops. 62 deg. 1.023, 3, 6.1. Clear, dark red and brown color. Rather smoky aroma, maple ham. Wow. What to say. Smoky and complex with hint of alcohol warmth at end. Smokiness diminishes with subsequent sips as my palate gets acclimated. Pretty good so far. Will check gravity in another few weeks. I am thinking about saving this one until late summer or Fall instead of trying to get it on tap sooner.
03/30/08 at 70 deg it is down to: 1.018. (~1.017 if calibrated). 2.5, 5. Tastes nice. Complex smoke flavor. Should turn out well.
Beer Name: Helles - Jamil's (from Brewing Classic Styles)
Click on any pic for larger version.
Liter of Helles on Father's Day June 2008.
Glass of Helles in grandpa's Pilsner glass.
Clarity of Helles in front of Sam Calagione and Jim Koch.
Grains: 9.5 lbs Durst Pils 1.6L
.75 lbs Durst Munich 8.3L
.25 lbs Weyermann Melanoidin 33L (Thomas Eibner advised against this but I've never used it and Jamil's recipe calls for it so I thought I would try it.)
Hops: 1 oz Hersbrucker 3.3% AA 60 min
1 oz German Tradition 6.6% AA 60 min (goal is 4 AAU for 60 min. I got 4.95).
Yeast: Wyeast 2308 Munich Lager. *first time using stir plate. Used 2.75 pints water and about 7/8 cup DME. Ended up with just under 1000 ml @ 1.040. Topped it off to about 1200 ml as that is the volume I need for the stir plate to work well. Then it was only 1.028. Next time I will use a full cup of DME. It stirred for 39 hours before putting in fridge overnight. Decanted most of the wort off and pitched yeast.
Misc:
Brew Date: Rack to Secondary:
Keg Date:
Date: 2/22/08 03/08/08 03/23/08
Gravity: 1.055 1.015 1.015
% Alcohol: 7.3 2 2
% Sugar: 14 4 4
Temp of
reading:
Notes:
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon in mash water
- 13 qts 166 -> ice -> 150. stir at 20 min.
- after 70 min -> 147.
- add 7 qts boil -> 165.
- first runnings - 15 brix
- collected 3.4 gallons
- add 3.1 gallon 180 -> 173 -> ice -> 168.
- 2nd runnings - 7 brix.
- preboil of 6.6 gallons - 10 brix
- 5.1 gallons in fermenter. Hit my gravity nicely and even perhaps got slightly over what I expected.
- spent first week fermenting right about 50 degrees. Now it is perhaps more like 52.
03/08/08 When calibrated to 60 deg it would be about 1.014 and I'm happy with that. Fairly clear, nice golden yellow color. Similar aroma to my other Helles's, somewhat sweet. Taste is clean, sweet, but maybe slightly less than usual. Very light grainy finish (or is that just the hop bitterness?) Wonder if the melanoidan created that, if it is intended to take down the sweetness a touch. Very tasty so far. Very quaffable even now.
03/23/08 Fairly clear. Straw color with hint of orange. Tastes a little better than last time. Not very hoppy. Clean flavor with just enough bitterness. Light on tongue. Quaffable. "Liter mug!" How is it different from past recipes? Slightly less straight sweet, maybe. Melanoidan did not make it bad, at least, but I am not positive what effect it had.
06/15/08 Drank a liter of it yesterday. It is very nice. Well made, no off flavors, but I will say this. I think I was getting more effect from the melanoidan when taking big gulps of it, and I think I prefer the recipe without it. That is, there is a very slight harshness from that malt (I tasted it in the store and it was fairly harsh) that I think can be left out.
Beer Name: Maibock -Jamil's (from Brewing Classic Styles)
Click on pic for larger version.
Grains: 10 lbs Durst Pils 1.6L
4 lbs Durst Munich 8.3L
Hops: .5 oz Magnum (German) 13% AA (recipe says 7 AAU, I had 6.5) 60 min
Yeast: I used yeast cake from above Helles, Wyeast 2308 Munich Lager
Misc:
Brew Date: Rack to Secondary:
Keg Date:
Date: 03/09/08 03/21/08 04/27/08
Gravity: 1.066 1.020 1.019
% Alcohol: 9 2.6 2.6
% Sugar: 17 5.5 5.5
Temp of
reading: 60
Notes:
- my first night-time AG batch I think.
- 16 qts 171 doughed in. -> 156 -> ice -> 153. stirred at 20 min. Held for 60 min.
- added 8 qts boiling -> 166. held 5 min.
- collected 3.6 gallons. first runnings = 17 brix.
- added 3 gallons of 180 -> 172 -> ice -> 168.
- second runnings 8 brix.
- collected 6.9 (?) total. not sure how that happened. pre boil = 13.5 brix
- boiled for 20 min before adding hops to reduce the volume.
- ended with 5 gallons even in fermenter, then added 1/4 gallon yeast slurry. 16.5 brix
- fermenting the next morning in the upper 50's, hopefully it will cool down a bit more.
03/21/08 Dark orange color, not very clear, much yeast still suspended. Some yeast aroma. Taste is some sweetness, some hop bitterness, light alcohol warmth. Not as sweet as you would think for 1.019. Only ok at this point. Kind of young I think. Not bad but not as good as some beers at this early stage.
04/27/08 1.019 so no real change. Pretty clear. Lager aroma with hint of alcohol. Malty clean flavor with some bitterness just enough to balance. Nice.
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03/29/08 Got propane tank filled. Took 3.3 gallons.
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Beer Name: Hop to It Pale Ale (made up recipe)
Jonathan joined me. Here are some pics from brew day. Click to the "right."
Grains: 10 lbs Rahr two row pale 1.4-2.0L
2 lbs Weyermann Pale Wheat 1.5L
.25 lbs Simpson Med Crystal 55L
.25 lbs Gambrinus honey malt 25L
Hops: 1 oz homegrown Cascade first wort hop
1 oz homegrown Centennial 60 min
1 oz homegrown Centennial 45 min
1 oz homegrown Cascade 15 min
1 oz homegrown Cascade 02 min
1 oz homegrown Cascade dry hop
Yeast: US-05 Safale pitched directly into wort w/o rehydrating
Brew Date: Rack to Secondary:
Keg Date:
Date: 04/01/08 04/13/08 04/27/08
Gravity: 1.058 1.016 1.014
% Alcohol: 7.9 2.1 2
% Sugar: 15 4 4
Temp of reading: 70 60 60
Notes:
- 14 qts 167 -> 154 -> ice -> 152. held 60 min.
- down to 151 after 1 hour.
- added 8 qts boiling ->164
- first runnings = 15 brix. collected 3.7 gallons
- added 3 gallons 180 deg -> 170 -> ice -> 168.
- second runnings = 8.5 brix. 7 gallons total. Little too much but worked out all right.
- preboil = 11.5 brix
- ended with 5.2 gallons on boil. Filtered out whole flower hops and squeezed wort out of them (bad idea? I've done it in the past).
- fermenting ~ 63 deg the next morning.
04/13/08 It fermented in the lower 60's for the duration and that is why I left it a little longer. There might still be some fermenting to take place in the secondary. I put 1/2 gallon into a growler because I had a bit over 5 gallons and I knew that 1 oz of hop cones would take up some headspace. Murky hazy orange copper color. Not getting a ton of aroma. Good taste, sweet and hoppy but not just bitter. It is that full complex hop flavor that comes from first wort hopping and multiple kettle additions. Yeast needs to drop out yet. Should be decent. Any flavor from the wheat? Maybe a little but too early to tell with so much yeast in suspension. (note, after put into secondary it did bubble quite a bit for a few days).
04/27/08 Clearer, but still could stand to clear more in keg. Some citrus hop aroma. Bitter taste with enough malt balance. Kind of like other Ten Buck ales but with more bitterness.
Beer Name: Big Brew Brown (brewed on 40 gallon system as part of AHA Big Brew 2008)
Grains: 75% two row pale
8% Victory
8% Special
8% Crystal 60L
1% Chocolate
Hops: Total IBU's ~ 29
some Northern Brewer 6.6% AAU 60 min
some Northern Brewer 6.6% AAU 15 min
some Northern Brewer 6.6% AAU 5 min
Yeast: US-05 dry. sprinkled on cool wort after collected in fermenter. Fermenting at 63 degrees next day.
Brew Date: Rack to Secondary:
Keg Date:
Date: 05/03/08 05/13/08 06/03/08
Gravity: 1.063 1.016 1.012
% Alcohol: 8.25 2 1.8
% Sugar: 15.5 4 2
Temp of
reading: 60
Notes:
05/03/08 Great time at Rick and Dawn's place once again. This year I helped clean out the mash tun, scoop water into it, add the hops, and cool down the wort. We collected 35 gallons of wort from this batch. Seven people got 5 gallons each. Hope it turns out well.
05/13/08 Medium brown color with orange hue. Grainy aroma with some sweetness. Smells like an ESB but I did not use English yeast. Tastes like an ESB with some bitterness and tangy citrus flavor. Some alc in finish too.
06/03/08 Nice brown color. Clearer now. Some hop aroma and sweetness. Tastes clean, like an ESB. Very nice balance and drinkability.
Wine Name: Dandelion Wine #2 (similar to last year but some differences)
Here is the ~ 1.5 gallons racked out of the primary and into a couple small carboys.
Recipe for 1.5 gallons (didn't want to do a full 2 gallons but wanted more than one)
- 4 qts dandelion flowers (heads only, remove as much green as possible)
- 3.75 lbs granulated sugar (4 lb bag minus 1/2 cup)
- 1 lemon (zest and juice)
- 3 oranges (zest and juice)
- ~1 gallon water
- 1.5 tsp yeast nutrient
- 1 lb golden raisins (to be added near end of fermentation)
- yeast (I used 71B Narbonne, proofed for 15 minutes)
Brew Date: Rack to Secondary:
Bottle Date:
Date: 5/20/08
Gravity: 1.119
% Alcohol: 15.9
% Sugar: 28.5
Temp of
reading: 70
Notes:
- Put flowers into brewpot and covered with just enough water. Brought to a boil and boiled for 20 minutes total.
- Let them sit for over 48 hours, stirring a couple times each day. Wanted to see if I get more dandelion character this way doing a longer steep than just a 5 hour steep like last year.
- Strained off liquid into brew kettle. Added lemon and orange zest and boiled those for about 15 min. Added juice for last 5 minutes of boil. Cooled down with ice bath.
- Strained out zest into fermenter. Added sugar when it was still warm. Topped off with water up to 1.5 gallons and took reading.
- Pitched the yeast around 70 degrees.
- forgot yeast nutrient! I will add some on 5/22.
- I will add the raisins after some fermentation is done.
- would be 27.8 brix if I had taken a reading (taken from this chart).
05/24/08 The brix reading was 22.5. I used a calculator (or this) to convert the brix reading after fermentation has begun and it said it might be down to 1.078. If so, that would be great. That is over 40 gravity points fermented in 4 days(?) But there has not been much activity in the airlock, although the pressure is full in the bucket. When I press the lid the water level will move. I guess maybe in a week I will take a gravity reading and see what it says. I have yet to add the raisins, too.
05/25/08 Pitched another packet of 71B yeast right onto top of wine. Wanted to make sure it has plenty of yeast to ferment as low as it can for now.
05/29/08 Brix reading today: 12.8. Using the calc, it says the gravity is 1.010 (!?) I will take a hydrometer reading to confirm/deny and add raisins.
hydrometer: 70 deg 1.012, 1.6, 3.2. Cool, it actually is done fermenting. It has maxed out the yeast alc tolerance. I cut up and added 1 lb golden raisins.
Beer Name: Joie de Vie Saison (somewhat original recipe that incorporates Jamil's as well as a May/June 2008 Zymurgy article)
At left is 2 lbs of sweet cherries, frozen, thawed, then smashed up a bit. Then at right I racked ~ 1 gallon of the Saison onto them.
Grains: 8.5 lbs Dingemans Pils 1.6L
1 lb Weyermann Pale wheat malt 1.5L
1 lb Durst Munich 8.3L
2 oz Weyermann CaraMunich III 57L
Hops: 2 oz Hersbrucker 3.3 % AA (60 min)
Yeast: Wyeast 3724 Belgian Saison. Made 1 liter starter and had on stir plate for 48 hours.
Misc: 1 lb (2 cups) white can sugar, added with 20 min left in boil
1/2 tsp crushed black peppercorns 5 min
1/2 tsp crushed coriander seeds 5 min
1 orange zest (peel only) 5 min
Brew Date: Rack to Secondary:
Keg Date:
Date: 05/26/08 06/08/08
Gravity: 1.062 1.012
% Alcohol: 8.1 1.8
% Sugar: 15.5 3.5
Temp of
reading: 68
Notes:
- 13 qts 160 water -> doughed in -> 150 -> ice -> 148 mash for 65 min.
- 147 deg after one hour.
- add 8 qts boiling -> 164
- collected 3.6 gallons. first runnings = 14 brix
- add 3 gallons 180 deg -> 170 -> ice -> 168.
- second runnings 6 brix. collected 7 gallons total [ note - I have seen this happening more recently, collecting more volume in the 2nd runnings than the actual amount of sparge water added. Not sure what is going on but it has lead to some over collecting].
- pre boil = 10.2 brix
- boiled 20 min before adding first hop addition to boil off some volume.
- 5 gallons even in fermenter. 14.8 brix at 68 deg.
- topped off with 1/4 gallon of yeast starter and yeast so 5.25 gallons in fermenter. fermenting next morning at 66 degrees.
06/08/08 Down to 1.011 if calibrated to 60 so not bad. More of a straw color than what I had hoped for. Murky. I suppose in a larger glass it would be darker. Aroma is slight tang, from orange peel, or yeast? Tastes is sweet, yeasty, spicy, slight pepper character. Should be nice. I'm quite happy so far. There is more sludge in the bottom of the carboy than usual.
06/27/08 Added 1 gallon to two lbs of cherries. A day or so later, much re-fermentation has begun.
Beer Name: Eleanor Rye Ale (based on Jamil's but tweaked a bit)
Grains: 5.5 lbs Weyermann Rye malt 3.5 L
3 lbs Durst Munich 8.3L
2.5 lbs Durst Pils 1.6L
1 lb Weyermann Caramunich 57L
2 oz Carafa III 470L (recipe says II 430L but I grabbed the wrong stuff)
Hops: 1 oz German Tettnang 4.4% AA 60 min
Yeast: Safale US05 dried yeast
Misc: .5 lb Rice Hulls
.5 lb (1 cup) white sugar (knew I was coming in a little low on my TG)
Brew Date: Rack to Secondary:
Keg Date:
Date: 07/10/08
Gravity: 1.053
% Alcohol: 7
% Sugar: 13.5
Temp of
reading:
Notes:
- 15 qts to 168. mashed in. 154. was at 153 after 1 hour.
- added 7 qts boiling -> 164.
- first runnings = 13 brix. collected 3.25 gallons.
- added 3 gallons of 185 -> 174 -> ice -> 168.
- 2nd runnings = 8 brix. 6.25 gallons in brewpot.
- due to not having excessive volume and this not being a hoppy beer, I did a low rolling boil instead of a typical vigorous boil.
- 5 gallons in brewpot.
- pitched yeast. did not proof. did not use pure O2 (no need with dried yeast, I think).
- fermenting at 70 degrees.
- I missed the gravity by a bit. I think that it is because not all of the rye got cracked and apparently you don't get the sugar from it w/o this. Or maybe it does not yield quite as much sugar. This much barley (12 lbs) would have been close to 1.060. Without the sugar it would have been about 1.049 so it didn't get there. I don't have any concerns about this though as I am mostly attempting to really see what a beer with about 50% rye will taste like. It is a Roggenbier but w/o the wheat beer yeast.
Beer Name:
Grains:
Hops:
Yeast:
Misc:
Brew Date: Rack to Secondary:
Keg Date:
Date:
Gravity:
% Alcohol:
% Sugar:
Temp of
reading:
Notes:
© 2008 Don Osborn