Sunday, August 22, 2021

Batch 254, Basil IPA

 Another batch of this seasonal ale. Our basil plants in our garden are full and ready, so Basil IPA is on for today. It's like a glass of pizza and beer all in one!

 

This is an odd recipe, I didn't make this one up. A guy in my beer club made it, I've found the same recipe elsewhere on the internet, so I'm not sure who really came up with it in the first place. Both the biscuit and Special B seem out of place in an IPA, but it does give a bready flavor, in keeping with the pizza theme of this recipe. Although, I usually think of Special B giving raisin flavors, but it does work in this recipe. The hops schedule is also a little strange in using Magnum as first wort hops. Magnum is known for a clean bitterness, where first wort hopping is intended to increase the flavors of finishing hops. Odd. Regardless, this is a great beer!

 

10 gallon batch

 

22 lb 2-row -- 18.5 lb actual, I'm out of 2 row now

2 lb biscuit

1 lb special B

1.5 lb white wheat -- 2 lb actual, compensating slightly for the lack of 2-row


Mashed in with 7 gallons of 170F water, hit 151F. Adjusted pH to 5.2. 60 minute mash, vorlauf 15 minutes both batches.


1 oz Magnum, FWH

2 oz Chinook, 60 min

2 oz Cascade, 30 min

2 oz Cascade, 15 min

1 cup basil leaves, 15 min

2 tsp Irish Moss, 15 min

1/2 cup basil leaves, 8 min

2 oz Citra, 5 min

1 cup basil leaves, 5 min


90 minute boil. For measuring the basil leaves, I just used a measuring cup and packed them fairly tight. 


Oxygenated, then pitched 2 quarts Wyeast 1272, American Ale II.


OG:1.060, hit that on the nose!

FG: 1.015

IBU: 78

SRM: 8.4

ABV: 6.1


Basil in my garden


Thursday, August 5, 2021

Batch 253, Panama Red


 

This is the second batch of a two-batch day. I did discover that there is no reason not to heat the mash water directly in the mash tun, then add the grain. For some reason, I've always heated it in a separate kettle, then mixed the grain and water in the mash tun, but this saves some time and some work. 

The only thing I noticed that wasn't right on this batch is it seems the wort flows slowly through the pump and plate chiller. Further investigation shows that it's the chiller that is the problem, I could see crud inside even though I've been meticulous about cleaning it after each brew. I used a lot of high pressure water, got a lot of stuff out, then put a big scoop of oxyclean/TSP in a bucket of water and let it recirculate overnight. It was a dark brown color in the morning, so I dumped the bucket and am doing it again. And again. And again. And again. I ran it for almost a week, changing the water daily.


10 gallon batch


22.25 lb 2-row

1.5 lb Crystal 60

1.5 lb White Wheat

4 oz Chocolate malt

Heated mash water to 168F, hit 154F in the mash tun. Adjusted pH to 5.2. 60 minute mash, 10 - 15 minute vorlauf each batch.


2 oz Mt Hood, FWH

2 oz Centennial, 60 min

2 oz Cascade, 30 min

2 tsp Irish Moss, 15 min

2 oz Cascade, 5 min

2 oz Mt Hood, 5 min


90 minute boil. Pitched 2 quarts Wyeast 1272 from batch 250, the Guava IPA. It was kind of pink in the jars, I could see bits of guava paste, I hope that doesn't cause a flavor issue.


OG: 1.063, 1.064 actual

FG: 1.015

ABV: 6.4%

IBU: 66.6

SRM: 11.8


Batch 252, Leeser

 Continuing to make this as an ale rather than a lager, which means I can do two batches today. I did this one plus 10 gallons of Panama Red. It was a pretty easy brew day in spite of doing two batches and it being fairly hot outside.


10 gallon batch


19 lb Pilsner

1.5 lb White Wheat

Heated mash water to 164F, hit 150F in the mash. Adjusted pH to 5.1. Vorlauf 10 - 15 minutes each batch, collected 12.5 gallons in the boil kettle.


1.5 oz Magnum, whole cone, 60 minutes

2 tsp Irish Moss, 15 minutes

3 oz Saaz pellets, 5 minutes

90 minute boil. 


Used a combination of  Wyeast 1318 and 1272 from batch 251.


OG: 1.049, 1.050 actual

FG: 1.012

ABV: 4.9%

IBU: 35

SRM: 3.7