St Patty's is just 60 days away...

...which means we've started brewing for that. We also now have our draft tower and tap handles are on the way.

The dunkelweizen is very tasty, if a little too hoppy and in need of another few weeks aging.

First up, the red. This is the version of Dana's Smilin' Irish Eyes Red Ale that I found at beerrecipes.org, with hop substitutions and a little extra bitterness. I've seen this recipe calling for 1/2# and for 1# of Special B.

Batch #6
"Dana's Smilin' Irish Eyes" Red Ale
Irish Ale Yeast (White Labs P004)
--6 lbs Ultralight Malt Extract (liquid)
--1 lb Belgian Special B
--1 lb Orange Blossom Honey (with 15min hop addition)
--1 oz Palisade 9.7%AA (60min)
--1 oz Amarillo 8.9%AA (15min)
--1 oz Amarillo 8.9%AA (0min)
--1 Whirlfloc tablet (15min)
OG:
FG: 1.01
ABV: ~5.2%
Calc. IBUs: 60

Specialty grains steeped from cold up to 170F (giving ~20 minutes between 150 and 170). Extract added all at once. First hop after hot break. Yielded 5 gallons in the fermenter for me. My hydrometer is currently hanging out with the Malty Brown, so no numbers there yet (should be ~1.05).