Batch 110, Panama Red

Yet another batch of my favorite beer. I put Linda's laptop in my garage so I can have access to my music and internet access.

10 gallon batch

OG: 1.061, 1.062 actual
FG: 1.015
IBU: 64
SRM: 13
ABV: 5.9%

20.25 lbs 2-row
1.5 lbs wheat
1.5 lbs crystal 60
.25 lbs chocolate

Mash at 154F for 45 min, then iodine test says it's done, used heat exchanger to raise temp to 168F for mash out. Sparge at 170F. Hit the numbers just right.

Math error, collected 14 gallons instead of 13 gallons, boiling hard to get the volume down to where it needs to be. Had a boil-over even. Darn.

2 oz Mt. Hood, FWH
2 oz Centennial, 60 min
2 oz Cascade, 30 min
1 tsp Irish Moss, 15 min
2 oz Mt. Hood, 5 min
2 oz Cascade, 5 min

90 minute boil

Wyeast 1272

I may dry hop with 2 oz Centennial.

I've been reading Gordon Strong's "Brewing Better Beer" and used a tip -- instead of running the wort through my CFC directly into the fermenters, run it back into the boil kettle until it is cool. This leaves the cold break in the boil kettle rather than in the fermenter. It takes a little longer this way, but not much.

Notes:

23.5 lbs grain
Mash with 1.25 qts/lb
30 qts mash water = 7.5 gal

23.5 lbs grain
0.125 gal/lb absorption in MT
3 gal lost to absorption
leaves 4.5 gal wort to transfer to BK

Want 12.5 gal in BK
4.5 after mash
need 8.0 gal sparge
Mash out with 2 gal
Sparge with 6 gal

Batch 109, Hefeweizen

Looking back, I haven't made a hefeweizen in a couple of years. It's always a nice summer-time drink, so it seemed like a good idea to brew now so it'll be ready when the heat hits.

10 gallon batch

OG 1.047, 1.052 actual
FG 1.012, 1.015 actual
IBU 16
SRM 7
ABV 4.6%

4.5 lbs Munich
5.0 lbs 2-row
9.0 lbs wheat

Step mash, dough in at 113F for 10 min for ferulic acid rest, this enhances the clove flavor.
Step to 145F, hold 1 hour.
Step to 168F, mash out.
Collect 12 gallons, 1 hour boil

2 oz Hallertau @ 60 min

Chill to 56F, then pitch and let temperature raise to 64-66F.

Wyeast 3333, German Wheat, 3 qt starter. First time using this yeast, I guess when the homebrew store is out of the first choice, it causes new experiences.


I screwed this up right from the start. For some reason, I divided by 2 instead of by 4 to convert quarts to gallons, so I had a very thin mash. That blew my step mash plan of adding hot water to raise the temps. I used direct heat, and even with using my pump to recirculate and stirring constantly, I still scorched the mash. Fortunately, I can't taste any scorch flavor in the wort. Then when I did the first runnings, I forgot to vorlauf and got quite a bit of sludge into the boil kettle.

It took overnight in my freezer with Johnson controller to get the wort to 56F. I pitched the yeast Monday after work. For a change, I'm using the big fermenter that I usually use in the garage in the winter. I put it in the basement where the temp stays right at 64-66F all year long. I like using that fermenter as it makes both kegs more alike.

Update June 5: racked to kegs. Added 1 pound of table sugar before racking for natural carbonation.