Bottling the Holiday Ale

Twenty-six 22 oz. bottles and three 12 oz. bottles - that is the final result of today's bottling of Tomten's Jul Ol, the holiday ale that has been aging since the middle of the summer.  Luckily I had a half of a bottle too much and was "forced" to taste it.  This is the second time I have brewed this beer and it is just as good now as the first time.  A few weeks of carbonation and it will be ready to pop.  'Tis the season to be jolly!

One adverse note: this bottling session leaves the Brewhus with all vessels empty.  It's time to brew again.

Bottling the Pumpkin Ale and Pale Ale

Yesterday was a busy bottling day.  Boo-Ya (pumpkin ale) smelled and looked great.  The extra 30oz. of pumpkin definitely paid off.  The end result was forty-two 12oz. bottles and one 2-liter growler.

The pale ale was broken into two bottling sessions: one for the original and one for the dry hopped version.  Obviously, the dry hopped was second, so not to taint the other with fantastic Nugget flavor.  Each of these produced twenty-three 12oz. bottles.

In a few weeks we will discover if Boo-Ya is (yet again) a crowd favorite and whether all-grain brewing lives up to the hype.

Moving the Pale Ale

While moving the pale ale today, I decided to try dry-hopping for the first time.  Recently, a friend gave be some home-grown Nugget hops.  For experimental value, I used two 2.5 gallon carboys - one for the original pale ale and the other for the pale ale with the Nugget hops.  I added half an ounce of the hop flowers for the two week secondary period.  Here's to a little more hoppiness.

Finishing gravity: 1.010 (4.3% ABV)

Brew Day - Pale Ale (All-Grain)

Yesterday was my first all-grain brew day.  I have been putting off moving to all-grain until I felt settled in a place and had the space to store the additional equipment.  I chose a pale ale recipe because it seemed like a good "standard" beer to attempt and compare quality results.  We shall see.

For those who are not aware of the difference between all-grain and extract brewing, here is a very brief (and elementary) explanation.  In all-grain brewing, we take malted grains and "mash" them to release the sugars needed for beer brewing.  Essentially, mashing is soaking them in water around 152 degrees F and sparging (i.e. rinsing) the grains to pull the sugars out.  After this is done, you take the sugar liquid and begin brewing.  With extract brewing, this process is done commercially and arrives in a syrup (liquid malt extract) or powdered (dried malt extract) form.  The claim is that the extract produces a more noticeable flavor (often referred to as a "twang") that identifies it as homebrewed (versus commercially-brewed).  I don't know how much truth exists in this claim nowadays, with maltsters and extract manufactures producing some very high quality products that result in very good beer.  One other difference is that extract brewers often steep a bag of speciality grains prior to boiling to add body, flavor, and color that are not produced in the malt extracts.  These speciality grains are mixed with the other grains during the mash with all-grain brewing.

So..., brewing went generally well for a first attempt.  The mashing process was generally fine.  I probably should have got the water a little hotter to start so that it would have stayed above 150 degrees F until the end.  But it only ended around 145 degrees F so it wasn't that detrimental to the final product.  I did a quick iodine test and the sugars had definitely converted.  (You can drop iodine on a sample of the liquid and, if it's not ready, it will turn purple.  You can also taste it and see if it is sweet.)

Sparging was okay.  The water was a little too hot and it flowed a bit faster than it should have.  But, considering I had no reference point to base an estimated flow rate, it seems fine.  It should have taken 30-60 minutes to sparge with the best efficiency.  I finished in about 17 minutes.  Also, I misjudged the necessary volume for a five-gallon batch.  I thought I had too much liquid but I only ended up with four-and-a-half gallons of wort in the end.  Obviously there was some boil off; however, I clearly underestimated.

With the exception of one boil-over, the boil went fine.  A few close calls though (a lot of foaming).  Also, a "duh" moment.  I had been having trouble with the propane burner going out often.  I restricted the air intake and everything is perfect now.  Stupid is as stupid does.

O.G. - 1.042

Ingredients:

10.5 lbs. Domestic 2-Row Barley
8 oz. Carapils and 8 oz. Caramel 40L speciality grains
1 oz. Williamette hops (bittering)
1 oz. U.S. Fuggles hops (aroma)

Moving the Pumpkin Ale

We moved the pumpkin ale to the secondary vessel and added another 30 oz. of canned organic pumpkin. Additionally, I added 1/2 tsp. of pectic enzyme, hopefully, to help break down the pumpkin and add more flavor to the finished beer. Adding the pumpkin was no easy task. Unlike fruit puree that just slides in through a funnel, the pumpkin was thick and needed to be prodded into the glass carboy. Messy and time-consuming.

Finishing gravity: 1.012 (about 4.3% ABV)

Brew Day - Pumpkin Ale

Forethought is the key to good seasonal beer brewing. Seasonals often contain spices, fruit, or other unique flavors. Without the benefits of aging, these flavors don't get the chance to mature. As such, time is the brewer's friend in these beers.

Today we brewed our Boo-ya Pumpkin Ale. Our last version two years ago was not as "pumpkin-y" as I would have liked. This time I added 30 oz. of canned organic pumpkin to the boil and I intend to add another 30 oz. to the secondary. Hopefully, I will achieve my flavor goal this time.

O.G. - 1.045

Ingredients:

6 lbs. Gold LME
8 oz. Carapils and 8 oz. Caramel 10L speciality grains
1 oz. Mt. Hood hops (bittering)
1 oz. Cascade hops (aroma)
30 oz. canned organic pumpkin
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg

Holiday Beer Update

The addition of the new yeast definitely re-started fermentation. The finishing gravity was 1.020 - not a phenomenal end result but reasonable. Essentially, this leaves us with an ABV of about 5%. The flavors (or potential off-flavors) won't be evident until later though, once the aging period is over. We'll see.

Kilju - The Good and the Bad

Following tradition, let's start with the bad: We moved the kilju this weekend and the final gravity was 1.040. Basically, it means that the ABV is about 4.2%. Not exactly what we were expecting.

The good news: it tastes good. It's sweet with a slight citrus aroma and flavor.

What's next: Well, we will let this batch sit another week to settle out any remaining yeast (we already filtered out most of the yeast and whatnot through coffee filters) and then bottle it.

I think it was one of those and/or situations. First, I used older dry yeast. Second, since it was basic beer yeast, it may not have been able to handle the high sugar content. As such, this weekend I will pick up some champagne yeast and try again. Champagne yeast has a much higher tolerance for sugar and alcohol.

Kilju (or is it Kill You?)

A random "brew" experiment: I came across a recipe for Finnish "sugar wine" (Kilju). Basically, this is a cheap, highly alcoholic (around 10-20%) beverage that some people (read: not the classy crowd) make to get buzzed. I figured I would give it a shot but I am not expecting anything spectacular (more likely the opposite). Essentially, it is just water and white sugar with some beer yeast.

Based on the negatives that were listed for this drink, I took some minor precautions: For example, the recipe says to use two washed milk cartons. I am using sanitized glass jugs, since I assume the milk residue may have leeched into the plastic and bacteria would remained. Also, lemons were suggested as flavoring. I chose to use a clementine, since orange flavoring is a bit less harsh. My thoughts: if Kilju has a natural bitter taste, I assume the lemons would only increase that. Finally, I plan to double filter it during transfers (using coffee filters) to remove as much of the yeast as possible - drinking Kilju with yeast remaining supposedly results in serious hangovers and upset stomachs.

I can't say I have a lot of hope for this but, hey, experimenting is the key to finding new styles and flavors. Starting gravity is 1.066 so watch out. Kippis!

Bottling the Saison and Holiday Beer Troubles

Yesterday we bottled the Saison du Grassklippare (Lawnmower Saison). Forty-one 12-oz bottles and one mini-keg (since I plan on uncapping this at our end of the summer BBQ). A quick taste expressed positive results - nice, medium hops and light-body will mean a very refreshing beer. A little time for carbonation and we likely have a winner.

Final gravity: 1.010
Estimated ABV: 4.5%

And now for the dissapointing news: The yeast did not fully attenuate the holiday beer. I moved it from the primary fermenter into another vessel and added some dry yeast. We now have renewed fermentation but not with the same yeast strain. Hopefully, this doesn't result in off flavors. Only time will tell.

Brew Day - Holiday Brew

It's time again to plan for the winter seasonal beer here at Snyderson Brew Hus! I know it seems ridiculous to start thinking about ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg just as summer is beginning but, holiday beers need plenty of time to age into perfection. This weekend we brewed the 2011 batch of Tomten's Jul Ol and most things went smoothly. (We did run out of propane right before the boil began, requiring us to run out and grab a refill.)

Frankly, this is one of my favorite beers. The aromas and flavors are so reminiscent of Christmas and it is perfect out of a wide mouth goblet. It also stores well (even though the bulk of the stock is gone by New Years.)

O.G. - 1.058

Ingredients:

6 lbs. Dark LME
3.3 lbs Amber LME
8 oz. Caramel 60L and 8 oz. Special B speciality grains
1 oz. Vanguard hops (bittering)
1 oz. Cascade hops (aroma)
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. nutmeg

Moving the Saison

This weekend we moved the saison into a secondary vessel for a brief aging period (actually, more of a settling period). A very healthy fermentation period left us with a finishing gravity of 1.010 (around 4.5% alcohol). In a few weeks we will bottle this refreshing thirst quencher to help us get through the hot August and September months. Until then....

Brew Day - Saison

Memorial Day Weekend - long, hot, and perfect for brewing. Late Sunday morning we cranked the propane on the new burner and started a batch of Saison du Grasslippare. Saisons were originally brewed to quench the thirsts of French and Belgian field workers on hot days (not unlike this weekend). They are full of flavor but very refreshing. A few interesting ingredients - Belgian candy sugar, grains of paradise, coriander, and bitter orange peel.

A lower starting gravity then I had hoped (1.044) but I didn't have to add any top off water to the fermenter. Essentially, a solid full boil.

Ingredients:

3.3 lbs of Pilsen LME
3.3 lbs of Wheat LME
1 lb. clear candi sugar
8 oz. Cara-20 and 8 oz. unmalted wheat speciality grains
2 oz. US Goldings hops (flavor and bittering)
1 oz. US Saaz hops (aroma)
1/4 tsp. grains of paradise
1 oz. bitter orange peel
1/2 oz. whole coriander

Welcome Back

The brewing has finally restarted in our new town of Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. Yes, with Troegs, Stoudt, and Lancaster Brewing in such close proximity one might ask, "What can you bring to the table?" The simple answer, "More Beer!"

Although we've been here for several months, the brewery has been generally inactive. But now brewing is ready to commence. The brewery has moved to a larger and more efficient space (the "Bat Cave"): shelving separates cases of empty bottles from conditioning beer, equipment is more easily accessible, and I actually have a workspace that doesn't double as a tool bench. Additionally, we've stepped up to a (much) more powerful propane burner (150,000+ BTU), which should improve boils.

In celebration of the new brewery, Forbidden Ale will be officially uncapped this weekend. This beer was brewed in the beginning of the year, followed up by the maibock (the first beer to be bottled in PA.) So, cheers and welcome back!