Sunday, December 13, 2015

Batch 182, Oktoberfest

This was a really popular beer this fall, so by popular demand, I'm making another. This is slightly different than last time, but should be pretty close. I'd used most of the pilsner malt that I had yesterday and didn't realize I was completely out of Munich, so I substituted 2-row.

10 gallon batch

2.75 lb pilsner
10 lb Vienna
1.5 lb wheat
1 lb Crystal 60
12.25 lb 2-row

Single infusion mash at 152F. The mash actually started at about 140F and I discovered the thermometer I'd been using for the mash water was off by 10 degrees. It's in the trash now and I've ordered a couple of new ones. I got some more water heated up and added about 25 minutes later to get the temp to 152F.

90 minute boil:
1.25 Magnum at 60 min
2 tsp Irish Moss at 15 min
3.5 oz Mt Hood at 5 min

I need to check on the yeast, I'll update this tomorrow. I have a can of a new kind of yeast from Portland, I think it's the Oktoberfest yeast from Imperial Yeast, but I don't see that on the website and it's raining and cold outside and I have on flip flops, so I don't want to go back out to the beer shed to check. I'm planning to pitch it tomorrow when the temp of the wort is right.







April 29, this beer came out fine, so I put it on tap today. I left it on the yeast for 4 months total. It wasn't done when we left for warmer climates, so I turned the temp on the freezer down to 45F and hoped for the best. This turned out fine, the Leeser from batch 182 didn't.


Saturday, December 12, 2015

Batch 181, Leeser

I'm doing a couple of lagers now so they can sit and do the lagering thing while we're off to warmer places this winter.

10 gallon batch

20.5 lb Pilsner
1.25 lb wheat
1 lb Crystal 10

Single infusion mash at 152F for 60 minutes.

1.5 oz Magnum, FWH
2 tsp Irish Moss, 15 min
3 oz Saaz, 5 min

I used a mix of a new package of Wyeast 2206 Bavarian lager yeast and about a pint of Wyeast 2124 Bohemian lager yeast from Batch 171.

April 29, 2016. crap. I let this sit on the yeast the entire time (4 months!) we were traveling south for the winter and it tastes like shit. I haven't dumped a batch in quite a while, but this one went down the drain. Oddly enough, the Oktoberfest that I did at the same time and also sat on its yeast for 4 months is great and on tap now.

Friday, December 4, 2015

Batch 180, Guava IPA

Another iteration of the guava IPA I've been working on. This one is the same as the one I did at the Edge, just cut in half.

10 gallon batch.

14 lb 2-row
6 lb munich
1 kg guava paste
2.5 lb wheat

Mashed at 155F. I added the guava with the 5 minute hops. To prepare the guava, I chopped it into 1" cubes, put them in a pot, added water to cover, then heated on medium until it was all dissolved.

1.75 oz Citra, FWH
3 oz Magnum, 60 min
3 oz Citra, 5 min

Wyeast 1272, American Ale II, 1 quart starter from a new pitch.

OG: 1.060

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Batch 179, Panama Red

Just like all the others...

10 gallon batch

20.25 lb 2-row
1.5 lb crystal 60
1.5 lb wheat
0.25 lb chocolate malt

Mash at 156F, although it was very cold today, and I only hit about 152F, then the temp dropped to about 142F by the time the mash was done.

2 oz Mt Hood, FWH
2 oz Centennial, 60 min
2 oz Cascade, 30 min
2 oz Cascade, 5 min
2 oz Mt Hood, 5 min

Wyeast 1272, American Ale II, 1 quart starter from a new pitch.

That is all, it's bubbling away nicely.

Thursday, October 22, 2015

Batch 178, Pale Ale

Another 'kitchen sink' style beer, I had a little of this grain and that grain that I really didn't have a specific use for, so I made up this pale ale recipe on the spot.

10 gallon batch

12 lbs 2-row
5 lb Munich
2.5 lbs Biscuit
2 lbs Crystal 10
2 lb Wheat
1.5 lb Aromatic

Mash in with 8 gallons to get 156F, adjusted pH to 5.19. Temperature dropped to 152F by the end of the mash, not too bad. It sure smelled good. Single batch sparge to collect 13 gallons in the boil kettle.

2 oz Mt Hood, 6.4% AA, FWH
2 oz Galena, 14.1% AA, 60 minutes
4 oz Cascade, 7.1% AA, 5 minutes
1 tsp Irish Moss, 15 minutes

Wyeast 1272 from batch 175, made a nice starter, probably had a quart to pitch.

Actual OG: 1.062 -- I probably need to adjust the efficiency in my brew software, just playing with the numbers shows I probably hit around 84% efficiency rather than the 70% I have set in the software.

The rest of the numbers from BrewTarget, adjusted to 84%, are
ABV: 6.0
SRM: 10.2
IBU: 55.8

This has nothing to do with brewing, but it's late October and our petunia pots are still looking pretty good.


Friday, September 25, 2015

Batch 177, Prickly Pear beer

We happened to be driving by my old neighborhood the other day and noticed that the prickly pear patch was ready for harvest. We picked 13 pounds of pears.

10 gallon batch

16 lbs 2-row
13 lbs prickly pears, washed and pureed in a food processor
2 oz Mt Hood @ 60 minutes
Wyeast 1272

That's it, a really simple and easy recipe. I added the prickly pears at flameout, then recirculated through the chiller until the temp in the boil kettle was below 120F, then filled the fermenter at 68F. This should take about a week to ferment, then I'll keg it and put it under the house until next summer. This beer tastes like crap until it has aged a while.

OG was 1.042, that is after adding the pears, a little lower than I'd expected, I thought I'd get somewhere around 1.050. It'll be a nice easy to drink session beer next year.

Update 3 Oct 2015: Looks like this is about ready to keg. The color is really pink!


Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Batches 175 and 176, a double batch day

Batches 174 and 175

Lisa is gone traveling, so I'm home alone. Thought I'd knock out a batch of Panama Red early since it is going to get hot today. Things went really well, so I went ahead and did a second batch of Guava IPA. I should have skipped the second batch, the guava clogged up the screen in the boil kettle, so I ended up emptying it by hand with the temperature hitting around 110F in the beer shed. Not particularly pleasant.

Batch 175: Panama Red, 10 gallons

It's the usual recipe --

20.25 lb 2 row
1.5 lb crystal 60
1.5 lb wheat
0.25 lb chocolate

2 oz Mt Hood, FWH (90 minute boil)
2 oz Centennial, 60 min
2 oz Cascade, 30 min
2 oz Mt Hood, 5 min
2 oz Cascade, 5 min

Wyeast 1272 American Ale II

OG: 10.61
FG: 1.015
IBU: 64
SRM: 13
ABV: 5.9%

Batch 176, Guava IPA, 10 gallons

17 lb 2 row
7 lb Munich
4.4 lb guava paste (2 kg), added at flame out
1.5 lb wheat

2 oz Citra, FWH (90 minute boil)
2 oz Magnum 60 min
3 oz Citra 5 min

Wyeast 1318 London Ale III

OG: 1.071
FG: 1.019
IBU: 87
SRM: 9
ABV: 6.8%

Blended the guava paste with some Leeser to make a smooth, thick, liquid. This worked well last time, but this time, there was enough guava particles that it clogged the screen.

Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Batch 174, Guava IPA at the Edge

Brewed the Guava IPA recipe I've been working on at the Edge.

Batch Size17.340 galBoil Size19.340 gal
Boil Time60.000 minEfficiency85%
OG1.074FG1.020
ABV7.0%Bitterness93.8 IBU (Tinseth)
Color7.9 srm (Morey)Calories (per 12 oz.)245

Fermentables

Total grain: 47.000 lb
NameTypeAmountMashedLateYieldColor
Pale Malt (2 Row) USGrain28.000 lbYesNo79%2.0 srm
Munich Malt - 10LGrain12.000 lbYesNo77%10.0 srm
Guava pasteSugar4.500 lbNoYes82%10.0 srm
White Wheat MaltGrain2.500 lbYesNo86%2.0 srm

Hops

NameAlphaAmountUseTimeFormIBU
Citra13.8%3.500 ozFirst Wort90.000 minLeaf33.1
Magnum13.5%6.000 ozBoil60.000 minLeaf50.4
Citra13.8%6.000 ozBoil5.000 minLeaf10.3

Misc

NameTypeUseAmountTime
Irish MossFiningBoil1.212 tbsp15.000 min

Yeast

NameTypeFormAmountStage
Wyeast - London Ale IIIAleLiquid0.528 cupPrimary

Mash

NameTypeAmountTempTarget TempTime
Conversion Step, 68CInfusion13.281 gal173.658 F158.000 F60.000 min
Final Batch SpargeInfusion11.244 gal186.766 F165.200 F15.000 min

Notes

Like before, I blended the guava paste so it was smooth and thick and added it at flame out. No problem with clogging. Dry hopped with 4 oz Citra on Aug 12.

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Batch 173, Rumcake

There is only one bottle of the 2009 Rumcake still stored away, I'm saving it for Christmas. It must be time for a new batch. This recipe is slightly different than last time, a little more grain and different hops.

Like last time, I did this as a partigyle batch, so I made 10 gallons of beer, 5 of Rumcake and 5 of a smaller beer yet to be named (Son of Rum?)

Rumcake:

26 lb 2-row
2 lb oats, toasted 15 min at 350F on a cookie sheet
1.5 lb chocolate malt
1 lb crystal 120
2 lb white wheat
1 lb dark brown sugar, added at flameout

The math:
This grain bill gives a base OG of 1.080 for 10 gallons. The first runnings should be 1.109, the second runnings should be 1.055.

33.5 lb x 0.125 gal/lb = 4.2 gal lost to absorption

Mash in with

4.2 + 7 gal = 11.2 gal

This gets 7 gallons into the boil kettle for the first runnings.

Mash at 158F for 60 minutes. I got 160F, adjusted mash pH to 5.2 with phosphoric acid.

Hops are 3 oz Magnum 12.0%AA at 60 minutes. I did a 60 minute boil.

Yeast is Wyeast London Ale III.

OG:1.109 (1.100 actual, not bad)

Add 1 cup dark rum at kegging.


Small beer:

Same grain bill as Rumcake, just add 7 gallons for the second running. No brown sugar in this part.

2 oz Galena at 60 minutes. I did about a 75 minute boil just to make sure there was time to get the Rumcake chilled and in the fermenter before this one was done boiling.

Yeast is also Wyeast London Ale III.

OG: 1.046 actual, lower than I expected, but I actually ended up with almost 6 gallons into the fermenter. I probably should have done a full 90 minute boil.

It was a hot day in the beer shed.

Update 5 Oct 2015: Looks like my notes suck. I transferred the small part to a serving keg today, and I can't really tell if there are any spices. I'm certain there were spices in both halves. I distinctly remember putting in vanilla beans, and I can smell those. I don't think I added any rum to the small part, so I went ahead and added a cup. A cup bumps up the ABV by about 1%, so even if I added it before, it won't be that much different. The spices in the strong part should be:

1/2 tsp ginger
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp allspice

I think I did that, adding them at flameout, but I'll have to taste the strong part to confirm. I should get around to bottling it in a couple of weeks.

Actually, thinking about it a little more, I think I added a cup of Captain Morgan's spiced rum when I kegged the small part. I'm certain I added a cup of Bacardi special dark rum to the strong part at the same time. So 2 cups of rum in the small part should put the ABV somewhere around 6% or so.

November 14, 2015: primed, bottled, and labeled a case of the Rumcake. The other half will go on the nitro tap as soon as it's available. That small beer is all gone, and it was excellent. It would be worth figuring out how to make just that one.

A case of Rumcake to set aside for drinking in the next few years.


Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Batch 172, Panama Red at the Edge

I brewed a batch of Panama Red at the Edge Brewery today. It took a while to figure out how to get the main boil kettle burner lit, but after that, it was a smooth brew day.

20 gallon batch

The Edge has one of those Morebeer Tippy-Dump brewing "sculptures", it's a pretty nice system and gets about 85% efficiency, so it's not just a matter of doubling my regular Panama Red recipe.

35 lb 2-row
2.5 lb Crystal 60
2 lb wheat
9 oz Chocolate malt

I missed the mash temp and hit 150F instead of the 154F I was aiming for. I couldn't find the recirculating heater part (found it later, too late to help), so I left it as is. Not a big deal, I think.

Hops are exactly double:

4 oz Mt. Hood, FWH
4 oz Centennial, 60 min
4 oz Cascade, 30 min
4 oz Mt. Hood, 5 min
4 oz Cascade, 5 min

Added a whirlfloc tablet. Kerry didn't have any of her usual San Diego Super Yeast ready, so I got 4 packs of Safeale US-05. Again, that should be okay.

Thursday, May 28, 2015

Batch 171 - Leeser

Another batch of Leeser, This should be done right at the end of July, just in time for the summer heat.

10 gallon batch

18.5 lb Pilsner
2 lb Vienna
1.25 lb Wheat
1 lb Crystal 10

Mash at 153F for 60 minutes, single infusion batch sparge.

1 oz Polaris pellets, 21.3% AA, 60 min
2 tsp Irish Moss, 15 min
3 oz Saaz pellets, 3.8% AA, 5 min

90 minute boil.

Wyeast Bohemian Lager, 1 quart starter

Another very smooth brew day.

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Batch 170 - Oktoberfest

Pretty similar to last year's recipe.

10 gallon batch

10 lb Pilsner malt
8 lb Munich
7 lb Vienna
1.5 lb Wheat
1 lb Crystal 60

Mashed at 151F for 60 minutes, single infusion batch sparge.

1.25 oz Magnum 60 min
2 tsp Irish Moss 15 min
3.5 oz Mt. Hood, 5 min

90 minute boil

Wyeast Oktoberfest blend, 1 quart starter

Smooth and easy brew day.

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Batch 169, St. Brigid IPA

I made a minor change to the grain bill this time, I left out the chocolate since I want this to be a lighter colored beer. I bumped up the 2-row by a pound and the wheat by half a pound.

10 gallon batch

OG: 1.058 (using 70% efficiency, hit this exactly)
FG: 1.015
IBU: 89.9
SRM: 4.3 (old recipe was 11.9)

24 lbs 2-row
1.5 lb wheat

60 minute mash at 147F. I mashed at 154F last time, I'm going for this to be a little drier.

90 minute boil

1/4 oz each Chinook, Centennial, and Cascade at FWH, 90, 80, 70, 60, 50, 40, 30, 20, 10, 5, flameout. All hops are whole leaf, makes for a lot of soggy hops to clean up.

Wyeast 1272 from batch 167.

Real smooth brew day, no troubles or problems at all.

Hops all lined up and ready to go.

May 14, 2015: Nice shot of active fermentation:

Wyeast 1272

This is a great controller, keeps temp within 1 degree.

Monday, April 27, 2015

Batch 168, Guava IPA

Second attempt at this Guava IPA recipe. I made all the changes I thought about from last time:

  • Increased the Munich to 5 lbs
  • Increased the guava to 1.5 lbs
  • Used Magnum instead of Citra for bittering
  • Eliminated the crystal
  • Used London Ale III yeast

Batch Size5.576 galBoil Size8.076 gal
Boil Time90.000 minEfficiency70%
OG1.070FG1.019
ABV6.6%Bitterness93.3 IBU (Tinseth)
Color8.8 srm (Morey)Calories (per 12 oz.)233

Fermentables

Total grain: 18.000 lb
NameTypeAmountMashedLateYieldColor
Pale Malt (2 Row) USGrain10.00 lbYesNo79%2.0 srm
Munich Malt - 10LGrain5.00 lbYesNo77%10.0 srm
Guava pasteSugar1.500 lbNoYes82%10.0 srm
White Wheat MaltGrain1.000 lbYesNo86%2.0 srm

Hops

NameAlphaAmountUseTimeFormIBU
Citra13.8%1.000 ozFirst Wort90.000 minLeaf32.1
Magnum13.7%1.750 ozBoil60.000 minLeaf27.3
Citra13.8%2.000 ozBoil5.000 minLeaf5.4

Misc

NameTypeUseAmountTime
Irish MossFiningBoil1.000 tsp15.000 min

Yeast

NameTypeFormAmountStage
Wyeast - London Ale IIIAleLiquid0.528 cupPrimary

Mash

NameTypeAmountTempTarget TempTime
Conversion Step, 68CInfusion5.313 gal177.268 F158.000 F60.000 min
Final Batch SpargeInfusion4.897 gal186.363 F165.200 F15.000 min

Notes

Guava paste didn't dissolve in hot wort, so put it in the blender with some hot wort until it was smooth. Poured it back into the boil kettle through a strainer, only caught some hops and a couple of pea sized pieces of guava paste.


May 11, 2015: I kept waiting for the FG to drop to around 1.015, then I realized the recipe says it should be 1.019, which is where it was last Friday. Transferred to another bucket for secondary, added 1 oz Citra for dry hopping.


Monday, April 20, 2015

Batch 167, Panama Red

We had a small party over the weekend, and the keg of Panama Red blew. Should have brewed a replacement batch some time ago.

This batch has a slight adjustment since I am out of Crystal 60, so I used a little Crystal 120 and a little extra 2-row to substitute.

10 gallon batch

Batch Size9.578 galBoil Size12.078 gal
Boil Time90.000 minEfficiency75%
OG1.063FG1.016
ABV6.1%Bitterness56.6 IBU (Tinseth)
Color11.8 srm (Morey)Calories (per 12 oz.)210

Fermentables

Total grain: 25.500 lb
NameTypeAmountMashedLateYieldColor
Pale Malt (2 Row) USGrain23.000 lbYesNo79%2.0 srm
Caramel/Crystal Malt - 12LGrain12 ozYesNo74%60.0 srm
White Wheat MaltGrain1.500 lbYesNo86%2.0 srm
Chocolate Malt (US)Grain4.000 ozYesNo60%350.0 srm

Hops

NameAlphaAmountUseTimeFormIBU
Centennial10.5%2.000 ozBoil60.000 minPellet28.7
Cascade6.0%2.000 ozBoil30.000 minPellet12.6
Mount Hood5.5%2.000 ozBoil20.000 minPellet9.1
Cascade6.0%2.000 ozBoil5.000 minPellet3.3
Mount Hood5.5%2.000 ozBoil5.000 minPellet3.0

Misc

NameTypeUseAmountTime
Irish MossFiningBoil1.000 tsp15.000 min

Yeast

NameTypeFormAmountStage
Wyeast - American Ale IIAleLiquid0.528 cupPrimary




Primary

Mash

NameTypeAmountTempTarget TempTime
Conversion Step, 68CInfusion8.344 gal164.983 F154.400 F60.000 min
Final Batch SpargeInfusion7.049 gal181.376 F165.200 F15.000 min


Some brew day pictures:

The bin holding my 2-row slipped, that's about 20 lbs of grain on the floor.



Hit 154F with no adjustments, nice!



First wort hops, almost at boil



The hops smell delicious



Fermenting in a bag:


Took this one the next day, fermentation is going well.


Thursday, April 9, 2015

Batch 166, Guava IPA

This is a new recipe that I've been wanting to work on. I had a guava IPA in Chicago a few years ago, $18 for a 22 ounce bottle. I had two, they were that good. For this first attempt, I wanted to make sure there was enough malt backbone for the fruity flavors of the Citra hops and the guava, so I used some Munich malt. I also added a little Crystal malt to make sure there was some residual sweetness, which should help promote the guava. Wheat for head retention, of course.

The guava is actually a guava paste I found on Amazon. It's from Brazil, and comes in 1 kg blocks. The Brazilian name is "goiabada", and is actually a popular dessert there. In English speaking countries, it's also known as "guava cheese". The ingredients are just guava and sugar. It's pretty tasty as is. I thought it would be like honey, something to add at the end of the boil, but it didn't actually melt in a couple of quarts of hot wort. I put it in a blender with some hot wort and blended until smooth. I poured it back into the boil kettle through a strainer, but all I got was a few hops and a couple of pea-sized pieces of guava. Having never used guava paste before, this batch is really an experiment to see how it works. Pure guava nectar is almost impossible to find.



This is a 5 gallon batch.

Other notes --

I had meant to use Crystal 60, but I was out, so I used Crystal 10 instead.

Only Citra hops in this. As far as I can tell, that's all that the brewery in Chicago used in theirs. It's a real fruity smelling hop, so it should compliment the guava nicely.

The 158F mash temp is again to retain some residual sweetness. Hopefully, not too sweet.

Actual OG was 1.070.

Batch Size5.576 galBoil Size8.076 gal
Boil Time90.000 minEfficiency70%
OG1.071FG1.019
ABV6.9%Bitterness74.8 IBU (Tinseth)
Color8.3 srm (Morey)Calories (per 12 oz.)237

Fermentables

Total grain: 18.000 lb
NameTypeAmountMashedLateYieldColor
Pale Malt (2 Row) USGrain11.500 lbYesNo79%2.0 srm
Munich Malt - 10LGrain3.500 lbYesNo77%10.0 srm
Caramel/Crystal Malt - 10LGrain1.000 lbYesNo75%10.0 srm
Guava pasteSugar1.000 lbNoYes82%10.0 srm
White Wheat MaltGrain1.000 lbYesNo86%2.0 srm

Hops

NameAlphaAmountUseTimeFormIBU
Citra13.8%1.000 ozFirst Wort90.000 minLeaf32.1
Citra13.8%1.000 ozBoil60.000 minLeaf27.3
Citra13.8%1.000 ozBoil10.000 minLeaf9.9
Citra13.8%1.000 ozBoil5.000 minLeaf5.4

Misc

NameTypeUseAmountTime
Irish MossFiningBoil1.000 tsp15.000 min

Yeast

NameTypeFormAmountStage
Wyeast - American Ale IIAleLiquid0.528 cupPrimary

Mash

NameTypeAmountTempTarget TempTime
Conversion Step, 68CInfusion5.313 gal177.268 F158.000 F60.000 min
Final Batch SpargeInfusion4.897 gal186.363 F165.200 F15.000 min

Notes

Guava paste didn't dissolve in hot wort, so put it in the blender with some hot wort until it was smooth. Poured it back into the boil kettle through a strainer, only caught some hops and a couple of pea sized pieces of guava paste.

Dry hop with 1 oz Citra in secondary.

Updates:
April 10, really violent fermentation! It's not often that I get a blow off with a 6.5 gallon fermenter.

April 11, fermentation has slowed, but is still quite active. I tasted a small sample, it's still somewhat sweet, but the guava and the hops seem to be in a nice balance.

April 20, finally down to 1.016, so kegged it. I think some adjustments are in order:

  • Bump up the Munich. There isn't enough malt backbone. 
  • Bump up the guava. There is some guava flavor, but not quite enough.
  • Replace the 60 minute Citra with Magnum, and increase the amount. It's not quite bitter enough to offset the sweetness.
  • Drop the crystal. I don't think it needs the added sweetness.
  • Maybe go with London Ale III instead of American Ale II? I don't think the fruitiness from the American Ale II is needed, the London Ale yeast is more neutral flavored.


Monday, March 23, 2015

Batch 165, Vienna Altbier

Vienna Altbier - American Amber Ale (10B)

Batch Size 10.594 gal Boil Size 13.094 gal
Boil Time 90.000 min Efficiency 70%
OG 1.052 - 1.056 actual  FG 1.014
ABV 4.9% Bitterness 33.8 IBU (Tinseth)
Color 10.4 srm (Morey) Calories (per 12 oz.) 171

Fermentables

Total grain: 23.125 lb
Name Type Amount Mashed Late Yield Color
Munich Malt - 10L Grain 10.000 lb Yes No 77% 10.0 srm
Vienna Malt Grain 10.000 lb Yes No 78% 4.0 srm
Sugar, Table (Sucrose) Sugar 1.250 lb No No 100% 1.0 srm
White Wheat Malt Grain 1.000 lb Yes No 86% 2.0 srm
Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L Grain 14.000 oz No No 74% 60.0 srm

Hops

Name Alpha Amount Use Time Form IBU
Mount Hood 5.5% 1.500 oz Boil 60.000 min Leaf 10.8
Super Styrian 14.0% 1.000 oz Boil 60.000 min Pellet 20.3
Saaz (USA) 3.8% 1.000 oz Boil 15.000 min Pellet 2.7

Misc

Name Type Use Amount Time
Irish Moss Fining Boil 2.000 tsp 0.000 s

Yeast

Name Type Form Amount Stage
Wyeast - London Ale III Ale Liquid 0.528 cup Primary

Mash

Name Type Amount Temp Target Temp Time
Protein rest Infusion 7.875 gal 131.908 F 122.000 F 25.000 min
Conversion Infusion 4.622 gal 212.000 F 152.000 F 90.000 min
Final Batch Sparge Infusion 3.233 gal 203.995 F 165.200 F 15.000 min

Instructions

  1. Add 10.000 lb Munich Malt - 10L, 10.000 lb Vienna Malt, 1.000 lb White Wheat Malt, to the mash tun.
  2. Bring 7.875 gal water to 131.908 F, 4.622 gal water to 212.000 F, 3.233 gal water to 203.995 F for upcoming infusions.
  3. Add 7.875 gal water at 131.908 F to mash to bring it to 122.000 F. Hold for 25.000 min.
  4. Add 4.622 gal water at 212.000 F to mash to bring it to 152.000 F. Hold for 90.000 min.
  5. Add 3.233 gal water at 203.995 F to mash to bring it to 165.200 F. Hold for 15.000 min.
  6. Bring the wort to a boil and hold for 90.000 min.
  7. Boil or steep 1.250 lb Sugar, Table (Sucrose), 14.000 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L, .
  8. Put 1.500 oz Mount Hood into boil for 60.000 min.
  9. Put 1.000 oz Super Styrian into boil for 60.000 min.
  10. Put 1.000 oz Saaz (USA) into boil for 15.000 min.
  11. Put 2.000 tsp Irish Moss into boil for 0.000 s.
  12. Stop boiling the wort.
  13. You should have 11.500 gal wort post-boil. You anticipate losing 1.000 gal to trub and chiller loss. The final volume in the primary is 10.500 gal.
  14. Cool wort and pitch Wyeast - London Ale III Ale yeast, to the primary.
  15. Let ferment until FG is 1.014.
  16. Transfer beer to secondary.

Friday, March 20, 2015

How to make a starter

I always have to look this up, is it half a quart of water and half a cup of DME? A quart and a half cup? It seems there is conflicting info, Palmer says the later, Wyeast says the former. I'm going with Wyeast on this one, I've copied their starter recipe here:

Starter Recipe:
The optimal media for cell growth and health require using a malt based media (DME) fortified with nutrients. Gravity should be kept near 1.040 and cultures should be grown at 70°F.
Recipe
0.5 cup DME (100g, 3.5oz)
½ tsp Wyeast Nutrient
1qt.(1L) H2O
Mix DME, nutrient, and water.
Boil 20 minutes to sterilize.
Pour into a sanitized flask or jar with loose lid or foil.
Allow to cool to 70°F.
Shake well and add yeast culture.
Timing of Starter:
Because starters are inoculated at high cell densities, growth is usually maximized within 24-36 hours. The gravity of the starter should always be checked prior to inoculation into wort to assure proper cell growth . Cultures should be used immediately, or refrigerated for up to 1 week before using. Cell viability will decrease rapidly if culture are left at ambient temperatures for extended time.