Brew Day - Canada Goose Cream Ale (AG)

Another brew day was upon us on Saturday.  A group of family and friends was on site to brew an all-grain version of a fan favorite, the Canada Goose Cream Ale.  Good times were had by all and we hopefully will have a solid beer as a final reward.
O.G.: 1.040
Ingredients:
7 lbs. Domestic 2-Row Barley
2 lbs. Flaked Corn
8 oz. Carapils speciality grains
2 oz. Cascade hops (bittering and aroma)

Brew Day - Red Lager

After such a successful all-grain pale ale product (Furious Cat), I decided on a lark to brew this weekend.  Basically, the last extract brew left me thirsty for another all-grain beer.  So we ran to the local home brew store (LHBS), bought some ingredients, and lit the burner.
The brew went pretty well.  I got a bit impatient during the sparge but it still turned out fine.  The starting gravity is a bit low but as long as we achieve at least 75% attenuation, this should turn out to be a good session beer.
O.G. - 1.032
Ingredients:
9 lbs. Domestic Pilsner
8 oz. Carapils, 12 oz. Caramel 40L, and 2 oz. Debittered Black speciality grains
2 oz. Hallertau hops (bittering and aroma)
Also, I used White Labs yeast this time (the LHBS doesn't carry Wyeast). 

Brew Day - Honey Nut Brown

This weekend a few of the guys got together for a brew lesson.  The subject: brewing the award-winning Crazy Bear Honey Nut Brown.  Award-winning you say with questioning raised eyebrows?  Yes, this recipe took 1st place in the English Brown Ales category at the Montgomery County (MD) Fair a few years back.  Hopefully we nailed it again, not just for its prize value, but because this happens to be one of my top favorite beers of all time.

O.G. - 1.055

Ingredients:

6 lbs. Amber LME
2 lbs. Minnesota Clover Honey
8 oz. Crystal 10L Malt and 4 oz. Chocolate Malt speciality grains
1.5 oz. German Northern Brewer hops (bittering)
1 oz. Williamette hops (aroma)

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)

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

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

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

Experimental Beer(s) - Amber, et al.

On Sunday I brewed the first part of a batch of experimental beers. Basically, I am using an amber ale as the base beer for a few modifications. Five gallons of brew will be split into the following:

2.5 gal. of Old Tjikko #2 (since the spruce ale had decent support at the recent tasting, I figured I would keep the style but try a different approach - the prior used molasses and pale DME)

5 gal. of cherry beer (this will be split further into two versions: while all of it will be aged on 3lbs. of sweet cherry puree, I will add up to 2oz. of cherry extract at bottling to 2.5 gal.)

2.5 gal. of amber ale (the remainder will remain as is - a control)

Ingredients (for the amber ale base beer):

5.5lbs Amber LME
1lb Crystal 50-60L* speciality grains
1/2lb. Golden Naked Oats [hopefully for some extra body]
2oz. UK Kent Goldings hops (1oz. for bittering; 1oz. for flavoring)
Wyeast American Activator liquid yeast

OG: 1.038

Experimental Beer - Elderflower Ale #2

On Sunday I brewed another attempt at an Elderflower Ale. I swapped Extra Light DME (dried malt extract) in place of the regular sugar and added some oranges. Hopefully, the DME will lessen the cidery taste of the last batch; the oranges were just for my amusement. After comparing some similar concepts I researched, I went ahead and boiled the fruit (lemons and oranges). I am sure some of the pectin will result in haze but I think the flavors will work out better this way. If not, I will try to just steep them next time.

Fermentation seemed to take a long time to start - two or three days before I noticed real action in the airlock. And as fast as it begun, it stopped. While a three day fermentation isn't impossible, I do fear low attenuation. This weekend I will take a hydrometer reading and see where we are.

Ingredients:

2oz. Dried Elderflowers (steeped after boil)
1.25 gallons of water
3 oranges
3 lemons
1lb. Plain Extra Light DME

OG: 1.026

Brew Day - AltBier

Yesterday I brewed the first batch of 2010! An extensive and largely successful 2009 brewing year has only encouraged me to work harder this year. Expect to see more experimental beers, modified "standards", and, most importantly, better versions of prior brews.

This Brew Day produced an AltBier - the lager/ale hybrid from Dusseldorf. Essentially, this ale is fermented "cool" (not cold though) and then aged at near freezing for several weeks (or months). Think of it as a lagered ale.

Generally, it was a successful Brew Day. As a reminder to watch the boil carefully, regardless of brewing experience, I had one boil over. Thank you brew kettle for that refresher lesson. With 2oz. of bittering hops and 1oz. of aroma hops, this Alt should have a crisp flavor. We shall see in March.

Starting Gravity: 1.040

Ingredients:

6lbs. Amber LME
12oz. Caramel 10*L
4oz. Chocolate Malt speciality grains
2oz. Crystal bittering hops
1oz. Hallertau aroma hops

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.

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)

Brew Day - Hefeweizen

Sunday was Brew Day and, despite the cold, dreary weather, Hefeweizen brewing went well. A brief boil over occurred directly after the malt addition but nothing excessive. An interesting difference/change in this brew was the dried malt extract (DME). I usually stick to liquid malt extract (LME) only but this recipe called for one pound of DME and six pounds of LME. The added DME should really boost the alcohol and substance of the beer. It should turn out nice and "hefe-ty". Starting gravity was 1.046.

This is my second wheat beer - the first being the Cherry Wheatseeker. That beer took second in its class (Fruit Beer) this summer at the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair. The main (sort of) negative comments about it centered around the cherry flavor. Hopefully, the Hefeweizen will maintain the positive aspects.

The ingredients:

6 lbs. Wheat LME
1 lb. Light DME
8 oz. Carapils specialty grains
1 oz. Tettnang hops (bittering)
No aroma hops

Brew Day - Irish Stout

Yesterday was Brew Day – Broc Irish Stout. I have been looking for a beer to name after a badger (for no particular reason other than it struck my fancy one day) and this seemed appropriate. Brock is the name for a European badger and in Gaelic it is spelled Broc. Hence, the name of this beer.

It was a nice day for brewing. The sun was out but it was cool enough to stand next to five gallons of boiling wort. I was a bit nervous using the propane burner again, as the last time I did flames shot out of places they shouldn’t. In fact this is the second attempt at this particular beer, as the aforementioned brew day resulted in Questionable Stout (currently in secondary fermentation). Things turned out fine this time though. Added a teaspoon of gypsum to the water to increase the calcium and make the Maryland water a bit crisper. Starting gravity is 1.040.

If you are interested, here’s the breakdown of ingredients:

6 lbs. Dark LME
4 oz. Chocolate Malt
4 oz. Caramel 10°L
4 oz. Roasted Barley
4 oz. Flaked Barley
½ oz. Nugget hops (bittering)
1 oz. Williamette hops (aroma)

Mmmm… simple but tasty.