Bottling, Tasting, and Brewing (oh, my!)

It was a long weekend but a busy one for the Brewhus. First off, we bottled the Broc Irish Stout and, frankly, this one is going to be a great one. Awesome dry stout taste with a clean finish... and that was on bottling day. A few weeks of conditioning and we will have a winner. End count: fifty-three 12oz. bottles.

Second, we uncapped Tomten's Jul Öl on Thanksgiving and it was fantastic. The aroma was full of holiday spice and the flavor was clean and magnificent. Even though we used 22oz. bombers, I expect they won't last very long. Better get 'em while they're hot (er, cold)!

Third, Friday was a brew day: Canada Goose Cream Ale. This is the second generation of this beer - that is, I previously brewed a cream ale under this label and, although it is not the exact same recipe, it should come out similar enough. Note: Brewing on day two of a four day weekend was really nice - plenty of time and no pressure. I need to find a similar weekend to do so again.

Starting gravity: 1.036

Ingredients:

6 lb. Gold LME
8 oz. Carapils specialty grains
2 oz. Cascade hops

Finally, after a solid win against our cross-town rivals, the pale ale is officially labeled Trojan Celebration Ale.

Moving the Pale Ale

Last night we moved the Pale Ale from the primary fermentation vessel to the secondary aging vessel. There was a heck of a lot of yeast/hops/etc. in the bottom of the initial carboy; however, the brew was very clear after moving and straining it. Finishing gravity is around 1.006, resulting in about 3.7% ABV.

Note: This beer is tentatively named Trojan Celebration Ale but, if Southern Cal doesn't win against UCLA this weekend, it will be re-named Trojan Condolence Ale.

Brew Day - Pale Ale

Today I brewed my second partial mash recipe. Partial mash, as the name implies, is a middle step between extract and all-grain brewing. Basically, it involves heating the grains to around 150-155 degrees F and maintaining that temperature to release the sugars within the grains. Then, you sparge (wash) the sugars off the grains and into the brew kettle. It takes more time but (supposedly) you have more control of the wort quality and a "cleaner" tasting beer. This definitely stands true with all-grain but I am on the fence as to partial mash (since some processed malt extract is used to supplement the wort.)

My last experience with a partial mash recipe was so-so; I think this one will end up better. Still, I am not sure that the extra time will significantly improve the final product. We shall see.

Starting Gravity: 1.034

Ingredients:

3.3lbs Light LME
4lbs. American 2-Row Malt
8oz. Carapils speciality grains
8oz. Caramel 10*L speciality grains
3oz. Cascade hops (bittering, flavoring, and aroma)

Bottling - El Hefe

We bottled the El Hefe last night after a short secondary period of just under two weeks (just long enough to allow any bigger particles to settle out.) Very nice hazy orange-gold color. As for mouthfeel, it seemed a little heavy but I am sure that will lessen after four to six weeks of bottle conditioning. Taste? Great. If only I had made this beer before summer.

Fifty-four 12oz. bottles (23 of them are Grolsch-style flip top bottles - seemed fitting for a hefeweizen). Also, we went ahead and labeled the bottles as well. A finishing gravity of 1.010 results in an ABV of around 4.7%. El Hefe!

Another Loss and a Tasting Update

One more bottle went boom this week - this time it was a spruce ale. Both the licorice and spruce ales were primed "manually" (my term for adding sugar to each bottle instead of a full bucket.) While it is possible that too much corn sugar caused them to explode, it also seems likely that the warmth upstairs was the main culprit (it is now around 70 degrees instead of the usual 60-65 degrees.) As such, I moved all of the experimental beers down to the basement storage, which is much cooler.

We tasted a bottle of the Questionable Stout last night and I have mixed feelings. That is, we definitely have drinkable beer but it is far from style. Basically, a dry stout should have prominent coffee/roasted flavors with slight chocolate notes. The Questionable Stout has a stronger chocolate flavor with a much more limited roasted presence. Also, the beer is missing the creamy mouthfeel that dry stouts should offer. In short, with a little more aging this beer will be fit for consumption but not for competition.