Beer Name: Helles Belles (Hell's Bells!)
Click on pic for larger version. This is a little clearer than it looks, but still has not gotten brilliantly clear.
Grains: 8.5 lbs Durst Pils 1.6L
1 lb Durst Munich 8L
.5 lbs Criess Caraml 10L (did not have light crystal)
.25 lbs Dingemans Aromatic 19L
Hops: 1 oz Perle 7.8% AA 60 min
Yeast: Wyeast 2001 Pilsner Urquell. 1.2 l starter on stir plate for 48 hours, then decanted.
Brew Date:
Rack to Secondary:
Keg Date:
Date: 01/23/10 02/04/10 05/09/10
Gravity: 1.052 1.012 1.012
% Alcohol: 6.9 1.7 1.7
% Sugar: 13 3 3
Temp of
reading: 60
Notes:
Peter Karman came to watch.
- 13 qts 165 -> dough in -> 154 -> ice -> 150 for 65 min.
- 149 after mash. Add 7 qts boil -> 162.
- collect 3.25 gallons of 15.2 brix.
- add 3.25 gallons of 178 -> 168.
- collect 3.5 gallons of 6.5 brix
- 6.75 gallons of 11 brix in kettle
- little over 5 gallons in fermenter. Chilled to 60 degrees
- fermenting at 50-52 now.
01/31/10 Fermented 1 week at 50-52. 1.016. Time to move to warmer room for couple days. Yeasty taste but I think it will turn out ok. Too early.
02/04/10 Dropped 4 more points. Not super light in color. One sip and I thought oh boy is that good. This is going to be wonderful.
05/09/10 Very clear at the moment. Malty, bready sweet aroma and taste. Clean, just enough bitterness for balance. Very nice. slightly richer golden hue than my Pils. This should be another great drinking beer.
07/18/10 Took above pic. Somewhat clear, but must have developed chill haze. Maybe I should try Polyclar one of these years. Tastes just right though. Really nice.
Beer Name: Pilsner 2010 (first time with Rahr Pilsner malt instead of Durst)
Click on pic for larger version.
Grains: 10 lbs Rahr Premium Pilsner 1.5-2L
.25 lbs Briess Carapils 1.4L
.25 lbs Durst Vienna 3.8L
Hops: 3 oz Saaz 3.9% AA 60 min
1 oz Saaz 3.9% AA 15 min
1 oz Saaz 3.9% AA 2 min
Yeast: Yeast cake from above Helles (Wyeast Pilsner Urquell - harvest vid)
Brew Date:
Rack to Secondary:
Keg Date:
Date: 02/05/10 02/14/10 03/27/10
Gravity: 1.057 1.013 1.013
% Alcohol: 7.5 1.9 1.9
% Sugar: 14 3.5 3.5
Temp of
reading: 60
Notes:
- 12 qts 165 -> 152 -> stirring -> 150. Stirred once at 45 min in. After 60 min -> 149.
- added 8 qts boiling -> 166.
- first runnings 16.3 brix. Collected 3.25 gallons.
- added 3 gallons of 175 degree -> 167 deg.
- 2nd runnings 6 brix.
- 6.7 gallons of 12 brix in brew pot.
- boiled 10 min before adding hops.
- only about 4.7 gallons in fermenter. I added two pints of water to bring volume up a touch and made an approximate gravity adjustment (lowered it 1 pt).
- gravity was a little higher than I expected. I don't know if this was due to a very thorough crush, but I suspect that maybe the malt itself yielded a higher extract. I also stirred it once more and maybe that helped. Or possibly a very slightly slower-than-normal wort collection. I guess I will have to continue to experiment. If this malt tastes good, I could see using it in a Pale Ale and see how it does with that.
- fermenting at 50-52. Started right away due to yeast cake.
02/14/10 Not much aroma. Taste is pretty bitter, but it also has yeast still suspended. Not clear yet. Hard to tell any different from Rahr malt at this point. Wow, quite bitter. I think it will be ok with more time (and this one won't be kegged for probably 2-3 months).
03/27/10 Pretty clear. (Rahr Pils = clearer?) Little Saaz in aroma, and malt. Taste is good! Bitter but good balance. Lingering bitterness. Not noticeablly different than with Durst Pils. Not worse. Maybe better? Should be just fine.
04/22/10 This beer has a really great flavor, just what I want in a homebrewed Pils. Not super clear yet. Has chill haze it seems.
05/31/10 This beer has cleared. Man it is tasty. I would love to have a beer like this on tap all the time. I really should make an ale version of it with the same grain/hop bill sometime. It is nicely bitter but not like those made with high AA% American hops.
Beer Name: Wheat IPA (made up recipe with all homegrown hops)
Click on pic for larger version.
Grains: 10 lbs Rahr Premium Pilsner 1.5-2L
4 lbs Rahr White Wheat 3L
1 lb Simpsons Med Crystal 55L
Hops: 1 oz Cascade (homegrown) first wort hop
1 oz Cascade (homegrown) 60 min
1 oz Centennial (homegrown) 60 min
1 oz Centennial (homegrown) 45 min
1 oz Centennial (homegrown) 30 min
1 oz Cascade (homegrown) 15 min
.5 oz Cascade (homegrown) 2 min
1 oz Centennial (homegrown) 2 min
Yeast: Wyeast PacMan (1.2 L starter made 1.5 days prior and on stir plate)
Brew Date:
Rack to Secondary:
Keg Date:
Date: 04/23/10 05/06/10 05/24/10
Gravity: 1.074 1.017 1.017
% Alcohol: 9.8 2.2 2.2
% Sugar: 18.5 5 5
Temp of
reading: 65
Notes:
- 19 qts 168 -> 155 -> ice -> 152. after 60 min still 152.
- added 1 gallon boil -> 156.
- collected 3.8 gallons of 19.5 brix
- added 3.2 gallons of 180 -> 167.
- collected 3.4 gallons of 8 brix.
- 7.2 gallons of 16 brix before boil. Boiled about a gallon on kitchen stove for 45 min to reduce volume. Added to main brewpot with about 15 min left in boil.
- used pizza screen and grain bag trick to get whole cone hops 'down' in kettle while I scooped off the wort. Also had a strainer over the funnel going into the fermenter so most of the hops should not have gone into the fermenter. Overall this is quite a bit of extra work. Even had to get a very small cup to get as much wort as I could, near the end. Got 4.7 gallons and just pitched the entire yeast starter to get a total of 6 gallons in fermenter.
- Fermenting at 60-62 degrees.
05/06/10 Somewhat hazy, orange light brown color. Not much aroma just now. wow, taste is much improved. Hint of alcohol. Wheat flavor? Not sure. Decent hop bitterness with nice malt flavor.
05/24/10 Nice color. Fairly clear, orangish red. Some alc in the aroma. Taste is very clean. It's a strong, balanced pale ale with a little alc warmth. Not super hoppy but nice flavor. Should be fine. Still not really getting the wheat flavor I thought.
07/18/10 Took above pic. this beer is perfectly quaffable, but not the bitter hop bomb I was sort of trying for. I guess I will give up trying to make a really hoppy beer with only homegrown hops as it does not seem to be very possible. I would have to throw in at least some commercial hops for good bitterness.
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05/09/10 Pulled Imperial Stout off tap and put the keg in the closet until the Fall/Winter.
Hopefully it will hold pressure and taste good when the weather cools.
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Beer Name: Brett Experiment (beer with Brett strains as the only yeast. Loosely based on Charlie P's Orval Clone).
Grains: 11.5 bls Rahr Pils 1.5 - 2 L
.5 lbs Briess Caramel 20L
Hops: 1 oz German Tradition 6.9%AA (60 min)
Yeast: Wyeast 5151-PC Brettanomyces claussenii (into 3 gallons)
Wyeast 5526 Brettanomyces lambicus (into 3 gallons)
Misc: 1 lb (2 cups) white sugar
Brew Date:
Rack to Secondary:
Bottle Date:
Date: 05/31/10 06/13/10
Gravity: 1.057 1.011 (C) 1.012 (L)
% Alcohol: 7.5 1.5 1.6
% Sugar: 14.5 3 3.1
Temp of
reading:
Notes:
- 15 qts 164 -> 152 for 60 min. Down to 151 after 1 hour.
- Add 2 gallons of boiling -> 165 deg.
- first runnings 4.1 gallons of 14.8 brix.
- added 3.5 gallons 170 deg -> 168.
- second runnings another 3.5 gallons of 5 brix.
- total of about 7.5 gallons, so held off one gallon and added it as boil progressed.
- it was VERY heavy lifting the pot, about 6.5 gallons of wort, and the wort chiller up into the laundry tub sink. I might have to scoop out some wort if I ever want to end with that much again. I barely made it! But, everything else went well and I aerated each carboy for 60 seconds and pitched the respective packs. They are both 70 degrees for the first 24 hours. I brought the Lambicus upstairs to around 75 after a few days so it could ferment at a warmer temp.
06/13/10 Claussenii took about 48+ hours to get going, and the Lambicus more like 72+ hours, so much slower than normal brewers yeast. Claussenii was done in about 4 days, but the Lambicus took more like 12 days or so. Both got to about the same gravity when I racked to secondary. I will see if they drop further in a month or so.
Claussenii - Clearer than Lambicus, sort of a light brown in carboy (pale golden in glass). Musty aroma. Barnyard taste. :) Nt as powerfully Brett as you would think. Sort of like Orval, actually. Not getting the fruit I read about (pineapple, apple). Fairly dry. Pepper note? Fairly drinkable beer at this point.
Lambicus - Hard to get a good idea of aroma and taste due to all the suspended yeast. Color is milky yellow still. Needs to clear, but it seems to have a bit of a tart note in the taste. Question is why? The suspended yeast? Or the result of the yeast strain? I will know more after it clears. This one also is pretty drinkable, if a little more potent than the other one.
Click on pic for larger version.
Grains: 5.5 lbs Rahr Pils
5 lbs Weyermann Pale Wheat malt
Hops: 1 oz German Hallertau 3.8% AA 60 min
Yeast: White Labs WLP300 Hefeweizen (liter starter on stir plate for 24 hours)
Misc: 1/2 lb rice hulls
Brew Date:
Rack to Secondary:
Keg Date:
Date: 07/01/10 ** skipped ** 07/10/10
Gravity: 1.050 1.012
% Alcohol: 6.8 1.8
% Sugar: 12.8 3.5
Temp of
reading:
Notes:
- 14 qts 165 > 154. mash 60 min. after 1 hour, 153 (higher FG dude to higher mash temp?)
- add 7 qts boil > 162.
- collect 3.3 gallons of 12 brix
- add 3 gallons 177 > 170 > ice > 168.
- collect 3.2 gallons of 5 brix. 6.5 gallons of 8.5 brix pre boil (boiled down to about 4.6 after 1 hour, plus having some on stove top to boil down further).
- added starter to 4.6 gallon for about 4.8 gallons in fermenter. Aerated for 60 sec with pure O2. Fermented at 70-72. Will probably leave for about 10 days and go straight to keg.
07/10/10 Aroma - hint of banana but cloves too. Taste cloves/phenols with hint of sweetness. Could be even sweeter. What would it have fermented to if I had used a lower mash temp, geesh? Should be ok. A lot of yeast still in suspension and most of that will drop out after being in the fridge a few days.
07/31/10 This has come around nicely. The banana IS more pronounced than it once was. It is a lot closer to what I was trying to do so maybe this yeast is a good one to use. I still am not sure if I should ferment it lower or warmer than I did to get maximum banana.
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07/02/10 Got propane tank filled. Took 4.4 gallons (it ran out so I used the grill tank).
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Beer Name: Patersbier (Northern Brewer recipe that I very slightly increased the gravity)
Grains: 10 lbs Belgian Pils
Hops: 1 oz German Tradition 6.9% AA 60 min
1 oz Czech Saaz 4% AA 10 min
Yeast: Wyeast 3787 Trappist High Gravity - liter starter on stir plate for 36 hours.
Brew Date:
Rack to Secondary:
Keg Date:
Date: 07/18/10 07/25/10 08/07/10
Gravity: 1.051 1.013 1.013
% Alcohol: 6.8 1.9 1.9
% Sugar: 12.8 3.5 3.5
Temp of
reading:
Notes:
- 12.5 quarts 165 > 152. held for 60 min. was 152 after one hour.
- added 7 qts boiling > 166.
- first runnings: 3.25 gallons of 15 brix.
- add 3.25 gallons of 170 > 166.
- second runnings: 5.5 brix.
- before boil had 6.8 gallons of 11 brix
- heated to 190 at night and was 160 in the am.
*** First time doing a whirlpool after beer was cooled. Let things settle for 15 min. Siphoned out of the side with sanitized tubing and ran that through my sanitized grain bag. Much less sediment went into the fermenter. It was not too much more work, but maybe added a half hour to the brew day. If it results in a clearer beer it might be something to do for lighter colored beers.***
- collected 4.8 gallons in the fermenter and added whole yeast starter to get around 5 gallons. Aerated fro 60 seconds with pure O2. Fermenting around 74 degrees.
07/25/10 Not very clear. Lots of yeast suspended. Light in color. Hopefully it will clear. Use something to help? Polyclar? Rich fruit aroma, blood orange. Taste is very nice. Lightly sweet, hint of bitterness. Good balance. Some zesty tang from yeast that should lessen. Good start.
08/07/10 Fairly clear but trying a first for me - I put it in the keg and in the fridge for 24 hours. Then I added gelatin and then put on CO2. I used 1 tsp in 1 cup cool water and let sit for 30 min. Then heated until clear, around 140 deg (in microwave). Pouring into keg and pressurized to 30 psi and tipped over a couple times. Left at 30 psi for a day. So far it is a nice light beer, little sweet, hint of bitterness and Belgian yeast. Very drinkable.
Beer Name: Pliny the Elder clone (based on the Zymurgy circa July 2010, recipe provided by Vinnie himself!)
Grains: 14 lbs Rahr two row pale malt
.6 lbs Simpson Medium Crystal
.6 lbs Carapils
Hops: 3.5 oz Columbus 14.4% AA 90 min
.5 oz Columbus 14.4% AA 45 min
1 oz Simcoe 12.2 % AA 30 min
2 oz Simcoe 12.2% 0 min
1 oz Centennial 9.2% AA 0 min
1 oz Columbus 14.4% dry hop 12-14 days
1 oz Centennial 9.2% AA dry hop 12-14 days
1 oz Simcoe 12.2% AA dry hop 12-14 days
Yeast: Wyeast 1056 - 1.5 liter starter made 1.5 days prior
Misc: 1.5 cups white cane sugar (calls for .75 lbs dextrose)
Brew Date:
Rack to Secondary:
Keg Date:
Date: 07/27/10 08/04/10 08/22/10
Gravity: 1.076 1.013 1.011
% Alcohol: 10 1.6 1.3
% Sugar: 19 3 2.5
Temp of
reading:
Notes:
- 18 qts 164 > 153 > ice > 150.
- after 60 min, was 149 deg.
- add 10 qts boiling > 174 > ice > 166.
- first runnings 4.6 gallons of 18 brix
- add 3.5 gallons of 172 > 167.
- second runnings = 8.5 brix.
- in brew pot #1 I had 6.4 gallons of 17 brix
- in brew pot #2 I had 1.9 gallons of 10 brix (boiled this down to about 1 gallon on stove and added into brewpot)
- 4.7 gallons in fermenter. Filtered out hop trub as best I could. Did whirlpool and siphoned in through hop bags. Did lose some volume.
- topped off to 5 gallons with the yeast starter.
- have been keeping it fermenting 66-68 for most of the time.
- wort sample after brewing was a really nice color, and tasted both very sweet and very bitter.
08/04/10 OK color, but murky. Citrus aroma is nice already and 3 more oz to go in dry hop. Very bitter! Whew. Not totally unbalanced though. Doesn't need to go any lower. 8.4% alc, higher than RR Pliny. Get hint of alc. Leave in secondary a bit before adding dry hops?
~ 08/08/10 Added dry hops.
08/22/10 Fermented more!? Put bag over racking cane and that worked for a while but then the siphon stopped working well. Pain in the butt! Put both hop bags over the end of the tubing (that was in the keg) to catch any hop particles going through. Quite a bit of trub in the secondary, more than usual. Definitely more work and cost to make a beer like this.
Night light orange color. Clear? We'll see. Strong hop aroma with little alc (8.7% now) Fairly assertive bitterness. Columbus hops pack a punch. Some malt balance. Get a little too low though? Sort of a catch 22. Time would mellow the beer out, but then I would lose the the hop brightness. Hop burst is good now, but kind of a little harsh. This is a strong beer to drink so young. Hopefully carbonation and cooling will make it decent and maybe a couple weeks will mellow it out a bit. At least it does not suck at this point.
Beer Name:
Grains:
Hops:
Yeast:
Misc:
Brew Date:
Rack to Secondary:
Keg Date:
Date:
Gravity:
% Alcohol:
% Sugar:
Temp of
reading:
Notes:
© 2010 Don Osborn