SBDC Brown Ale

I've been looking forward to brewing this beer for awhile. The inspiration for this beer was a cask-conditioned brown ale served by hand pump at one of the Goose Island brewpubs. It had an incredibly creamy mouth feel, nutty flavor, and a really nice fresh-cut tobacco aroma.

I'm hoping to capture some of that tobacco character by using a small amount of black cardamom at the end of the boil. Even at .25 g, I'm worried that it may be overpowering. Though, I'm looking forward to finding out.

SBDC Brown Ale

TGT OG 1.045 TGT FG 1.013 TGT ABV 4.3% TGT AA 71.0% TGT IBU 24.4 TGT SRM 13.5

Total Grain: 10.3 lbs
Wort Volume: 5.96 gal
TGT Pre-boil Volume: 8.00 gal
TGT Pre-boil Gravity: 1.034
Anticipated Efficiency: 70%
Boil Time: 90 Minutes
Evaporation: ~17% hourly

75.0% - 7.75 lbs. Maris Otter
10.0% - 1.03 lbs. Victory Malt
05.0% - 0.52 lbs. Carapils
04.0% - 0.41 lbs. Medium Crystal (50-60L)
03.0% - 0.31 lbs. Golden Naked Oats
03.0& - 0.31 lbs. Pale Chocolate Malt

0.7 oz. Northern Brewer (Pellet, 9.4% AA) @ 60 min.

1.00 tablet Whirlfloc @ 15 min.
2.64 g Wyeast Yeast Nutrient @ 10 min.
.25 oz Black Cardamom @ 5 min.

WY1469 – West Yorkshire Ale

Carbon filtered Waco

Rest 60 min @ 154 F

Notes:
25 October 2011 – Made 1.0 l starter of WY1469 (production date 05 October 2011) w/ Wyeast Yeast Nutrient and 2 drops Foam-Control on a stir plate.

26 October 2011 – Moved starter to refrigerator.

27 October 2011 - Brewed by myself. Doughed in with 4 gal (1.5 qt/lb) water at 166 degrees. Adjusted with 1/4 tsp phosphoric acid. Mash pH ~5.2. Rested at 154 for 60 minutes. Batch sparged with 5.25 gal of water at 180 degrees for 30 minutes at 168 degrees.

Yielded 7.8 gal of 1.041 wort (calculated efficiency 83.4%).

Boiled for 90 minutes. Added 6 drops of Foam Control and .2 gal water. Finished with 6.44 gal of 1.050 wort. Too lazy to adjust with distilled water, will leave at higher gravity.

Chilled to 64 degrees. Oxygenated for 30 seconds with O2. Added 4 more drops of Foam Control. Decanted and pitched starter. Shook for 20 seconds, topped with sanitized aluminum foil, and set in freezer with controller set to 65 degrees F.

29 October 2011 - Minor blow-off through airlock. Second time using this yeast and it is very active. next time use blow-off tube or more head space. It also might be time to toss my Foam Control and get a new one, this bottle doesn't seem to be doing its job anymore.

30 October 2011 - Raised temperature to 70 degrees F for diacetyl rest.

01 November 2011 - Gravity 1.016 (AA 67.1%). Still very cloudy with yeast, should finish up in a few days.

09 November 2011 - Moved to freezer to cold condition at 35 degrees for a few days before kegging.

17 November 2011 - Kegged ~4.75 gal. Final gravity 1.014 (71.1% AA, 4.8% ABV). Target carbonation 2.1 vol CO2, 45 degrees F @ 10 psi.

27 November 2011 - Raised pressure to 30 psi to speed carbonation up.

Pumpkin Porter

Though I'm not usually a fan of pumpkin beers, I tried a pumpkin porter while I was in Denver for GABF that really impressed me. I really like the pumpkin spices when set against the roasty back drop. Since Michelle and I are throwing a Halloween party, having a pumpkin beer on tap seemed necessary. I was aiming for a porter with some pumpkin character, rather than a pumpkin beer with a little splash of porter. I may have been a little bit too light on the spices, but I can always adjust that with a spice tea extract in the keg.

Pumpkin Porter

TGT OG 1.060 TGT FG 1.016 TGT ABV 5.9% TGT AA 72.3% TGT IBU 28 TGT SRM 32.5

Total Grain: 13.8 lbs
Wort Volume: 5.95 gal
Pre-boil Volume: 8.00 gal
Pre-boil Gravity: 1.045
Anticipated Efficiency: 70%
Boil Time: 90 Minutes
Anticipated Evaporation: 15% hourly

62.0% - 8.51 lbs. Golden Promise
21.0% - 2.88 lbs. Munich Malt
08.0% - 1.10 lbs. Medium Crystal
04.0% - 0.55 lbs. Chocolate Malt
04.0% - 0.55 lbs. Pale Chocolate Malt
01.0% - 0.14 lbs Black Malt

1.4 oz. East Kent Goldings (Pellet, 5.9% AA) @ 60 min.

1.00 tablet Whirlfloc @ 15 min.
2.64 g Wyeast Yeast Nutrient @ 10 min.
2.0 g Ground Cinnamon @ 5 min.
2.0 g Ground Nutmeg @ 5 min.
2.0 g Ground Allspice @ 5 min.

WLP005 – British Ale

Carbon filtered Waco

Rest 60 min @ 154 F

Notes:
05 October 2011 – Made 1.1 l starter of WLP005 (Production Date 07 September 2011) w/ Wyeast Yeast Nutrient on a stir plate.

07 October 2011 – Brewed by myself. Doughed in base and crystal malts with 5.15 gal (1.5 qt/lb) at 164 degrees. Added ½ tsp phosphoric acid. Mash pH ~5.2. Rested at 154 for 60 minutes. Added roasted grains and batch sparged with 5.35 gal at 175 degrees for 10 minutes at 168 degrees.

Yielded 8.75 gal of 1.045 wort (calculated efficiency 77.3%)

Removed .625 gal (10 cups) of wort to adjust volume. Boiled for 90 minutes. Added 6 drops of Foam Control. Yielded 6.07 gal 1.060 wort (evaporation rate 17% or 1.35 gal/hr)

Chilled to 66 degrees. Racked 5.0 gal to Better Bottle. Aerated for 30 with O2.

Pitched starter and covered with sanitized aluminum foil. Temperature controller set to 68 degrees.

10 October 2011 – Replaced foil with sanitized airlock.

11 October 2011 – Gravity 1.024 (58.8% AA)

15 October 2011 – Gravity 1.020 (65.5% AA). Moved to fireplace. Shook to rouse yeast.

19 October 2011 – Moved to freezer to cold condition at 40 degrees.

26 October 2011 – Kegged ~4.6 gal. Didn't take final gravity, may have dropped a few more points, but nothing significant. Controller set to 45 degrees. Regulator set to 30 psi. Need to carb quickly for Halloween party.

7 November 2011 - First tasting.

The Dark One.2

TGT OG 1.066 TGT FG 1.020 TGT ABV 6.0% TGT AA 68.0% TGT IBU 26 TGT SRM 32.5

Total Grain: 15.41 lbs
Wort Volume: 5.96 gal
TGT Pre-boil Volume: 8.00 gal
TGT Pre-boil Gravity: 1.049
Anticipated Efficiency: 70%
Boil Time: 90 Minutes
Evaporation: ~17% hourly

60.0% - 9.21 lbs. Maris Otter
15.0% - 2.30 lbs. Naked Golden Oats
10.0% - 1.54 lbs. Light Munich Malt
05.0% - 0.77 lbs. Roasted Barley
05.0% - 0.77 lbs. Chocolate Malt
02.5% - 0.38 lbs. Crystal 60
02.5% - 0.38 lbs. Dark Crystal

1.6 oz. East Kent Goldings (Pellet, 5.0% AA) @ 60 min.

1.00 tablet Whirlfloc @ 15 min.
2.64 g Wyeast Yeast Nutrient @ 10 min.

WY1469 – West Yorkshire Ale

Carbon filtered Waco
2 g Calcium Chloride (Boil)

Rest 60 min @ 154 F

Notes:
15 October 2011 – Made 1.07 l starter of WY1469 (production date 05 October 2011) w/ Wyeast Yeast Nutrient and 2 drops Foam-Control on a stir plate.

16 October 2011 - Brewed by myself (and Michelle helped, too). Doughed in with 5.75 gal (1.5 qt/lb) at 166 degrees. Came in 1-2 degrees low. Adjusted temperature with .25 gal of boiling water. Rested at 154 for 60 minutes. Adjusted with ¾ tsp phosphoric acid. Mash pH ~5.2. Batch sparged with 3.75 gal at 175 degrees for 10 minutes at 165 degrees.

Yielded 7.75 gal of 1.048 wort (calculated efficiency 66.3%). Added .25 gal water and .5 lb DME. Low efficiency due to slightly acidic sparge?

Boiled for 90 minutes yielding 5.96 gal of 1.066 wort (evaporation rate 17% or 1.35 gal/hr). Added 6 drops Foam-Control and 2 grams Calcium Chloride.

Chilled to 66 degrees F in 20 minutes. Racked 5.0 gal to Better Bottle.

Pitched entire starter and oxygenated with O2 for 60 seconds. Temperature controller set to 66 degrees.

17 October 2011 - Blow off like crazy. Should have taken a picture. Lost about .25 gal. Added 4 drops Foam-Control. Replaced aluminum foil and cleaned up carboy.

19 October 2011 - Moved near fireplace for diacetyl rest. Ambient temperature 70 degrees F.

23 October 2011 - Gravity 1.020 (68.5% AA). Flavors are developing nicely. A little on the fruity side, hopefully during maturation that gets rounded out a little bit.

25 October 2011 - Moved to freezer with controller set to 40 degrees to cold condition prior to kegging.

26 October 2011 – Kegged ~4.6 gal. Didn't take final gravity, may have dropped a point or two, but nothing too significant. Temperature controller set to 40 degrees. Regulator set to 30 psi. Need to carbonate quickly before Halloween party.

American Farmhouse

TGT OG 1.060 TGT FG 1.005 TGT ABV 7.3% TGT AA 91.3% TGT IBU 29.5 TGT SRM 5.1

Total Grain: 13.54 lbs
Wort Volume: 5.98 gal
Pre-boil Volume: 7.5 gal
Pre-boil Gravity: 1.048
Anticipated Efficiency: 70%
Boil Time: 90 Minutes
Evaporation: ~13% hourly

70.0% - 9.53 lbs. Castle Pilsner Malt
15.0% - 2.04 lbs. Rye Malt
12.5% - 1.70 lbs. Weyermann Pale Wheat Malt
02.5% - 0.34 lbs. Melanoidin Malt

3.5 oz. Styrian Goldings (Pellet, 2.6% AA) @ 60 min.

1.00 tablet Whirlfloc @ 15 min.
2.64 g Wyeast Yeast Nutrient @ 10 min.

WLP565 – Belgian Saison I
WLP645 – Brettanomyces clausenii

Carbon filtered Waco, 50% distilled

Rest 60 min @ 154 F

Notes:
25 September 2011 – Made 1.7 l starter of WLP565 (production date 28 July 2011) w/ Wyeast Yeast Nutrient on a stir plate.

26 September 2011 - Brewed by myself. Doughed in with 5.1 gal (1.5 qt/lb) at 164 degrees. Adjusted with .5 gal boiling water. Rested at 154 for 60 minutes. Adjusted with 1 tsp phosphoric acid for mash pH ~5.2. Batch sparged with 4.5 gal at 180 degrees for 10 minutes at 165 degrees (added sparge water a little slow, undershot target 170 degrees). Adjusted sparge water with 1 tsp phosphoric acid for water pH of 5.0 (overshot sparge water pH, next time use ½-¾ tsp)

Yielded 8.15 gal of 1.044 wort (mash efficiency 70.4%).

Removed .5 gal wort.

Boiled for 90 minutes yielding 5.85 gal 1.058 wort (evaporation rate 15%/hr or 1.2 gal/hr).

Chilled to 67 degrees F in 26 minutes. Racked 4.8 gal to Better Bottle (~1 gal lost to trub and hop sediment).

Aerated with pure O2 for 35 seconds then pitched entire starter of WLP565 and vial of WLP645. Temperature control ceiling set to 80 degrees F.

27 September 2011 - Highly active fermentation within eight hours. Krausen blowing through airlock. Removed airlock, replaced with sanitized aluminum foil, and added 7 drops of Fermcap-S.

20 November 2011 - Moved into freezer to cold condition before kegging.

29 November 2011 - Kegged ~4.75 gal. Final gravity 1.005 (91.1% AA, 7.0% ABV). Set regulator to 30 psi at 45 degrees F to carbonate quickly. Targeting about 2.5 vol CO2.

DIY Sous-Vide

I assembled my own sous-vide apparatus with pieces I already had lying around my kitchen and a dented crock pot my sister was about to throw away. I really love the versatility and convenience. I can vacuum seal a steak in the morning, pop it in the water bath when I get home from school, and take it out and sear it whenever I feel like eating. Once the commercial versions come down in price a bit (they hover around $450 now) and the general public gets wind of it, it's sure to change home cooking. I won't get into the particulars of sous-vide cooking, others have covered it much better. There are tons of resources on building your own and cooking with it.

So far I've only cooked one rib eye steak and a couple pieces of chicken, but I was pretty impressed. The steak was closer to medium than I intended (was aiming for medium-rare), but after fine tuning with my precision thermometer I think I got the temperatures dialed in a little better. I'm looking forward to experimenting with this little contraption. If I continue to get good results I may have to invest in a vacuum sealer. Right now I'm just using Ziploc bags and a straw to make the vacuum.

Bastogne Single

Bastogne Single

TGT OG 1.050 TGT FG 1.012 ABV 4.7% IBU 25.6 SRM 5.5

Assumed Efficiency: 73%
Target Volume: 5.94 gal
Target PBG: 1.041
Target OG: 1.050
Total Grain: 10.95 lbs.

90.0% - 9.85 lbs. Belgian Pale Malt
04.0% - 0.44 lbs. Vienna Malt
03.0% - 0.33 lbs. Weyermann White Wheat Malt
03.0% - 0.33 lbs. Acidulated Malt

1.77 oz. Czech Saaz (4.0% AA) @ 60 min.
0.50 oz. Styrian Goldings (2.6% AA) @ 5 min.
0.50 oz. Styrian Goldings (2.6% AA) @ 1 min.

1 Whirlfloc Tablet @ 15 min.
0.25 tsp Wyeast Yeast Nutrient @ 10 min.

White Labs WLP510 - Bastogne Ale

50% Carbon Filtered Waco, 50% Distilled
6.0 g Calcium Sulphate
9.0 g Calcium Chloride

Mash at 154

Notes:
14 August 2011 (1700) - Made 2 l starter of WLP510 (prod. date 04 May 2011) w/ Wyeast Nutrient on stir plate.

16 August 2011 - Moved starter off of stir plate and into cellar.

18 August 2011 (1200) - Moved starter into refrigerator to floc more yeast out.

(2200) - Decanted starter wort, poured yeast slurry into sanitized mason jar covered with aluminum foil. Made 1.6 l starter on stir plate.

(2330) - Krausen already forming in starter(!). Added 2 drops of Foam Control to keep from blowing out of starter flask.

19 August 2011 (1830) - Removed starter from stir plate and moved into cellar.

(1950) - Moved starter into refrigerator.

20 August 2011 (1700) - Removed starter from refrigerator.

20 August 2011 - Brewed by myself. Doughed in with 4 gal water at 165. Mashed at 154 for 60 minutes. Sparged with 4.56 gal. Collected 7.5 gal 1.030 wort. Efficiency was way off. Added 1.33 lbs DME to compensate. Boiled for 90 minutes. Yielded 6 gal 1.050 wort.

Yeast pitched at 66 degrees. Set controller to 68. Visible activity in 8 hours.

22 August 2011 (1400) - Removed aluminum foil and replaced with airlock. Sucked a bunch of Star San into carboy when installing airlock. Should be fine. Very active airlock activity.

24 August 2011 - Turned off temperature controller. Rose to 72 degrees.

26 August 2011 - Moved out of freezer to fireplace. Ambient ~75 degrees.

29 August 2011 - Gravity 1.015 (69.1% AA).

08 September 2011 - Gravity 1.014 (71.0% AA). Kegged ~4.75 gal, set to 9.0 PSI for 2.00 vol CO2 at 45 degrees F.

Rood Hout Flemish Red

It took way longer than it should have to do the write up for this beer. I brewed this back in mid-May with Michelle. I thought that I lifted the grain bill from the NHC 2010 Category 17: Sour Ale winner "Zed's Dead Red" by Remi Bonnart, but I must have read it wrong and changed a few things or used what I had on hand (that's what happens when I put off doing the write up for 3 months).

Rood Hout Flemish Red

OG 1.056 FG ???? ABV ???? IBU ~13.5 SRM 3.0

Assumed Efficiency: ??%
Target Volume: 6.25 gal
Target PBG: 1.046
Target OG: 1.055
Total Grain: 12.56 lbs.

27.8% - 3.5 lbs. Castle Pilsener
27.8% - 3.5 lbs. US Vienna Malt
27.8% - 3.5 lbs. ?????
04.6% - 0.56 lbs. CaraMunich I
04.6% - 0.56 lbs. White Wheat Malt
04.6% - 0.45 lbs. Special B
04.6& - 0.45 lbs. Aromatic Malt

0.70 oz. East Kent Goldings (6.1% AA) @ 60 min.

0.25 tsp Wyeast Yeast Nutrient @ 10 min.
1.00 oz Medium Toast French Oak Cubes

East Coast Yeast ECY02 - Flemish Ale
Jolly Pumpkin "La Roja" Dregs
Wyeast 3711 - French Saison

Carbon Filtered Waco Water

Mash at 154

Notes:
15 May 2011 - Brewed with Michelle. Missed mash temp by a few degrees. Mashed at 152 for 20 minutes. Sparged and collected 6.75 gal of 1.051 wort (Efficiency 75.3%. Boiled for 90 minutes at evaporation rate of 12% and yielded 6.15 gal of 1.056 wort. Chilled to 69 degrees and pitched ECY02 and JP dregs.

30 May 2011 - Gravity 1.040. Should add an attenuative yeast to help finish it out.

31 May 2011 - Pitched smack pack of Wyeast 3711 to help finish primary fermentation. I probably shouldn't have used something so attenuative, but that's all I had on hand.

04 August 2011 - First look at beer in a few months. Healthy looking pellicle has formed.

29 August 2011 - Gravity 1.003.