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.