Saturday, March 9, 2013

Batch 138, Brigid's Lament IPA

A variation on St. Brigid's IPA. I'm out of Cascade and Chinook (holy crap, I never expected that!) Well, I had some, but they were leaf hops from my garden from 2010. They smelled like the plastic bag they were stored in, so I threw them out. This batch uses Belma and Galena (I have a lot of Galena from the hop tour last fall, so they are 2012 crop) instead. Belma is a new variety that I haven't used before.

10 gallon batch

OG: 1.063
FG: 1.016
IBU: 89
SRM: 11

23 lbs 2-row
1 lb wheat
0.25 lb chocolate malt

60 minute mash at 152F.

90 minute boil

1/4 oz each Belma, Centennial, and Galena at FWH, 90, 80, 70, 60, 50, 40, 30, 20, 10, 5, flameout.

I found the baggie with the flameout hops on the garage floor the next day. I think I'll use them to dry hop with.

Wyeast 1272, pitched yeast cake from batch 136.

10/1153

Batch 137, Magnum Opus Stout

I've been meaning to do a stout for my nitro tap. It's too late for St. Paddy day, but that's okay, it'll still be beer. "Magnum Opus" because the hops are all Magnum. Hurr.

10 gallon batch.

OG: 1.059
FG: 1.015
IBU: 38
SRM: 31

18 lbs 2-row
1.5 lbs chocolate malt
1.0 lbs crystal 120
1. 0 lbs flaked oats (Quaker)
1.0 lbs roasted barley
1.0 lbs wheat

Had a heck of a time getting the mash to the right temp. The thermometer said 160F, and I was aiming for 150, so I added a couple of quarts of cold water. Still at 160. Add more cold water, stirred, now at 140. Crap. Pulled some wort off into another pot (I knew I kept that old blue with white speckled emamel canning pot for something) and brought it to boil, added back, repeat, took about 45 minutes to get the temperature right. I think the thermometer got stuck, and stirring giggled (hahahaha! *jiggled*) it enough to get it to move.

60 minute boil

2 oz Magnum, 60 minutes

Wyeast London Ale III, pitched using my new 3 bucket method. I got busy with doing a second batch (back to back, good fun!) and forgot to pitch the yeast today. Remembered it by seeing the yeast packet sitting on the kitchen counter. Pitched it on March 10 in the small bucket, pitched the small bucket into the large buckets on March 12.

Saturday, March 2, 2013

Batch 136, Panama Red

Another batch of my all-time favorite.

10 gallon batch.

OG: 1.063 (1.065 actual)
FG: 1.016
IBU: 65
SRM: 13
ABV: 6%


22.25 lbs 2-row (Gambrinus)
1.5 lbs Crystal 60
1.5 lbs wheat
4 oz Chocolate

Mashed at 152F for 60 minutes.

2 oz Mt. Hood, FWH
2 oz Centennial, 60 min (pellet)
2 oz Cascade, 30 min
2 oz Cascade, 5 min
2 oz Mt. Hood, 5 min

90 minute boil.

1 packet Wyeast 1272 American Ale II yeast.


I'm doing an experiment with yeast, just 1 pack for 10 gallons. I'm using 3 buckets, run off 2.5 gallons into one bucket, then split the rest into 2 other buckets. Oxygenate the 2.5 gallon bucket, then pitch the yeast into it so it's essentially a big starter. Wait a day or 2 for the yeast to propagate, then oxygenate the other 2 buckets and split the first bucket into the other 2 buckets.


I did this with the SNPA clone (last batch) and it seemed to work really well.





Ferment at 65F for 12 days, rack to keg.