I think I've spent enough money at MoreBeer to warrant them giving me a 401(k) plan that matches my investment in their products. They had their annual 15% off sale yesterday, and, so help me, I may have upgraded my mash tun. You see, the homemade 5 gallon water-cooler mash tun works great for low to normal gravity beers in a 5 gallon batch. Sounds great, you say? It is!
...
But?
...
Yes, but, not so great for high to very high gravity beers. I ran into the problem with brew 17, the Ruination clone. Anything above an original gravity of say, 1.06 becomes difficult due to the thick mash required to fit all the grain in the cooler. My water ratio was about 1:1 quarts water to pounds of grain, and temperature maintenance was trouble because the top of the cooler didn't fit on all the way. I think I managed to semi-rescue this delightful double-IPA with the extract and sugar additions, but I wasn't happy about it. So, I resolved to improve my arsenal. After a couple weeks of looking, I discovered that I would save a whopping $5 by building my own 10 gallon tun ($50 cooler, $34 false bottom, $30 in fittings, etc., +tax) compared to buying one new at a 15% discount ($128 after tax). Not worth the time and gas. And, why the hell not, another keg. As a result, I am trying to sell my old mash tun and avoid the store for a few weeks to save some dollars. Also, the guy recognized my voice on the phone. Definitely time for a break.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Ruin(ed?)ation
Updated 7/31/08 - Well, it's not Ruination. But it's pretty good anyway.
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Five gallon mash tuns are a funny thing. They work great. They really do. So long as you're mashing less than about 14 pounds of grain. But when you want to mash 15.6 pounds for an OG of 1.075, your water to grain ratio quickly falls to almost one quart to a pound. The first lauter had a great SG of about 1.08, but I had to batch sparge twice to get the seven gallons needed for a 90 minute boil. My initial boil gravity came out to about 1.052. I added some corn sugar and DME to boost it a little bit and wound up with an OG of 1.065 after the boil. Even with the target FG of 1.010, this is going to be a little weaker in alcohol than we were shooting for. Between all of that mess and some hop substitutions, well, we'll see...
Batch #17
Stone Ruination Clone - "Rumination" (so Brad can say it right). Recipe from BYO's 150 Clones special issue.
--14.6 lbs 2-row
--1 lb Crystal 15L
*--8 oz Corn Sugar
*--1 cup Light DME
--36 AAU Magnum (60min); *I used 4 oz of 9.3% Newport
--15.7 AAU Centennial (Steep 5min at flame out); *2oz 6% Cascade pellets + 1oz 7.4% Cascade whole
--2 oz Centennial (Secondary 3-5 days); *2 oz Cascade
--Whirlfloc (20min)
OG: 1.065 [1.075 target]
FG: 1.008 [1.010 target]
ABV: 7.1% [7.7% target]
IBU: ~120 [100+ target]
*My subs and fixes
Mash grains at 149°F for 60 minutes, 90 minute boil. My mash was funky because of the capacity of my mash tun. I extracted 1 gallon after an hour, and pulled out 6 more over the next hour. I had lots of temperature fluxuation due to heat loss out the top (no tight seal when it's that full) and hot water additions combined with difficulty stirring such a thick mash. Moral of the story: 10 gallon mash tun for OGs over about 1.065. Racked to secondary after 8 days. Cascade added. Kegged after 5 days.
--
Five gallon mash tuns are a funny thing. They work great. They really do. So long as you're mashing less than about 14 pounds of grain. But when you want to mash 15.6 pounds for an OG of 1.075, your water to grain ratio quickly falls to almost one quart to a pound. The first lauter had a great SG of about 1.08, but I had to batch sparge twice to get the seven gallons needed for a 90 minute boil. My initial boil gravity came out to about 1.052. I added some corn sugar and DME to boost it a little bit and wound up with an OG of 1.065 after the boil. Even with the target FG of 1.010, this is going to be a little weaker in alcohol than we were shooting for. Between all of that mess and some hop substitutions, well, we'll see...
Batch #17
Stone Ruination Clone - "Rumination" (so Brad can say it right). Recipe from BYO's 150 Clones special issue.
--14.6 lbs 2-row
--1 lb Crystal 15L
*--8 oz Corn Sugar
*--1 cup Light DME
--36 AAU Magnum (60min); *I used 4 oz of 9.3% Newport
--15.7 AAU Centennial (Steep 5min at flame out); *2oz 6% Cascade pellets + 1oz 7.4% Cascade whole
--2 oz Centennial (Secondary 3-5 days); *2 oz Cascade
--Whirlfloc (20min)
OG: 1.065 [1.075 target]
FG: 1.008 [1.010 target]
ABV: 7.1% [7.7% target]
IBU: ~120 [100+ target]
*My subs and fixes
Mash grains at 149°F for 60 minutes, 90 minute boil. My mash was funky because of the capacity of my mash tun. I extracted 1 gallon after an hour, and pulled out 6 more over the next hour. I had lots of temperature fluxuation due to heat loss out the top (no tight seal when it's that full) and hot water additions combined with difficulty stirring such a thick mash. Moral of the story: 10 gallon mash tun for OGs over about 1.065. Racked to secondary after 8 days. Cascade added. Kegged after 5 days.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Sweet 16th
I do admit I was intrigued by a recipe for DuClaw Vanilla Bean Oatmeal Stout. I like oatmeal stouts, and I like vanilla. It seems like this should be an easy gap to bridge. When talking about it with some friends, someone said "put chocolate in it - vanilla and chocolate are always separate". Not always, but it sounded like a good idea, so I borrowed some tips from a clone recipe of Young's Double Chocolate Stout and threw in a little lactose and cocoa powder. In the end, this might be more like drinking a milk shake, mouthfeelwise, anyway. The cocoa is of course unsweetened, and the vanilla should just add aroma.
Batch #16
Chocolate DuClaw Vanilla Bean Oatmeal Stout
--9 lbs 2-Row American Pale Ale Malt
--17 oz Black Roasted Malt
--1.25 lbs Flaked Oats
--6 oz German Chocolate Wheat
--6 oz Crystal 60L
--8 oz Lactose
--4 oz Cocoa Powder (15min)
--3 vanilla beans (secondary)
--2 oz Kent Goldings 4.5% AA (60min)
--Whirlfloc (20min)
--White Labs WLP007 Dry English Ale Yeast
OG: 1.052
FG: 1.013
ABV: 5.1%
Calc. IBU: 24
Mash all the grains for one hour at 152°F. I added 1 tsp gypsum to the mash water. Collect 6.5 gallons of wort. My efficiency was around 72%, giving me a gravity of 1.048. Add the lactose and boil. Add the hops. At 20 minutes remaining, add the clarifier and dissolve the cocoa in hot water. Add the cocoa to the boil with 15 minutes left. Flame out, hops out, start chillin'. I pitched the yeast slurry from a 1 pint starter. Dry English wasn't my first choice, but it'll do. Spent 1 week in primary. Three beans added at secondary, kegged after 5 days (a little rushed on everything because I was juggling with brew 17).
Batch #16
Chocolate DuClaw Vanilla Bean Oatmeal Stout
--9 lbs 2-Row American Pale Ale Malt
--17 oz Black Roasted Malt
--1.25 lbs Flaked Oats
--6 oz German Chocolate Wheat
--6 oz Crystal 60L
--8 oz Lactose
--4 oz Cocoa Powder (15min)
--3 vanilla beans (secondary)
--2 oz Kent Goldings 4.5% AA (60min)
--Whirlfloc (20min)
--White Labs WLP007 Dry English Ale Yeast
OG: 1.052
FG: 1.013
ABV: 5.1%
Calc. IBU: 24
Mash all the grains for one hour at 152°F. I added 1 tsp gypsum to the mash water. Collect 6.5 gallons of wort. My efficiency was around 72%, giving me a gravity of 1.048. Add the lactose and boil. Add the hops. At 20 minutes remaining, add the clarifier and dissolve the cocoa in hot water. Add the cocoa to the boil with 15 minutes left. Flame out, hops out, start chillin'. I pitched the yeast slurry from a 1 pint starter. Dry English wasn't my first choice, but it'll do. Spent 1 week in primary. Three beans added at secondary, kegged after 5 days (a little rushed on everything because I was juggling with brew 17).
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Do the mash.
Well, I've now brewed my first all-grain recipe. I built a mash/lauter tun out of a 5 gallon cylindrical water cooler, a stainless steel false bottom, and the following (inside to out):
3/8" hose barb to 1/2" MIP
1/2" FIP to 3/4" male hose
3/4" female hose to 3/4" MIP
(Cooler wall)
#17 rubber O-ring (#15 would have been better)
3/4" ID washer (2" OD, milled to 1.75" to fit the cooler)
3/4" FIP to 1/2" FIP reducer
1/2" x 1.5" MIP nipple
1/2" ball valve (threaded 1/2" FIP both sides)
3/8" hose barb to 1/2" MIP
Toss in some vinyl hose, teflon tape, and a trio of clamps, you've got yourself an all-grain setup. It's fun to build, but not really worth the time. I spent about $75 ($20 for a new cooler, $25 for the false bottom, $30 for other parts), which is only about $10 less than a new complete assembly from MoreBeer.
For my first recipe, I borrowed Jim Rossi's Honey Pale Ale from MoreBeer's library.
Batch #15
Jim Rossi's Honey Pale Ale
--7 lbs 2-Row American Pale Ale Malt
--8 oz Honey Malt (Crystal 25L)
--3 lbs Honey (15min)
--0.5 oz Cascade 7.4% AA (60min)
--0.5 oz Cascade 7.4% AA (1min)
--Whirlfloc (20min)
--White Labs WLP001 Calif. Ale Yeast
OG: 1.054
FG: 1.004!!!
ABV: 6.5%
Calc. IBU: 15ish
Mashed 1 hour at 152°F with 2 quarts per pound. Batch sparged to 6 gallons. Mash gravity was 1.035. My calculations bring that to about 74% efficiency. I used whole hop leaves for this one.
3/8" hose barb to 1/2" MIP
1/2" FIP to 3/4" male hose
3/4" female hose to 3/4" MIP
(Cooler wall)
#17 rubber O-ring (#15 would have been better)
3/4" ID washer (2" OD, milled to 1.75" to fit the cooler)
3/4" FIP to 1/2" FIP reducer
1/2" x 1.5" MIP nipple
1/2" ball valve (threaded 1/2" FIP both sides)
3/8" hose barb to 1/2" MIP
Toss in some vinyl hose, teflon tape, and a trio of clamps, you've got yourself an all-grain setup. It's fun to build, but not really worth the time. I spent about $75 ($20 for a new cooler, $25 for the false bottom, $30 for other parts), which is only about $10 less than a new complete assembly from MoreBeer.
For my first recipe, I borrowed Jim Rossi's Honey Pale Ale from MoreBeer's library.
Batch #15
Jim Rossi's Honey Pale Ale
--7 lbs 2-Row American Pale Ale Malt
--8 oz Honey Malt (Crystal 25L)
--3 lbs Honey (15min)
--0.5 oz Cascade 7.4% AA (60min)
--0.5 oz Cascade 7.4% AA (1min)
--Whirlfloc (20min)
--White Labs WLP001 Calif. Ale Yeast
OG: 1.054
FG: 1.004!!!
ABV: 6.5%
Calc. IBU: 15ish
Mashed 1 hour at 152°F with 2 quarts per pound. Batch sparged to 6 gallons. Mash gravity was 1.035. My calculations bring that to about 74% efficiency. I used whole hop leaves for this one.
Monday, May 26, 2008
For the Rogue in all of us.
I bought a cooler. My next batch will be all-grain. In the meantime...
Apparently, John Maier of Rogue is in cahoots with MoreBeer. He gave them the recipe for the I²PA. They claim he uses one of their brew sculptures (must resist...) for playing around with his own stuff, including this variant on one of Rogue's best, the Brutal Bitter.
Batch #14
Blackened Brutal Bitter (extract)
White Labs California Ale Yeast
--7 lbs Ultralight (LME)
--4 oz Maltodextrin
--2.5lbs Munich
--1.25lbs Crystal 60L
--11 oz Carafa Special II
--1.5 oz Newport 9.3%AA (90min)
--1 oz Newport 9.3%AA (60min)
--2 oz Amarillo 8.9%AA (1min)
--2 oz Amarillo 8.9%AA (1min at flame out)
--1 oz Amarillo (dry-hop in secondary)
--1 Whirlfloc tab (20min)
OG: 1.057
FG: 1.015
ABV: 5.5%
Calc. IBUs: ~90
Grains steeped for 30 minutes at 160F. My OG came out low for the recipe, so the alcohol will probably be around 5.5-6% instead of 7-8%. The low IBU rating is a result of weak bittering hops (tastybrew.com gives a typical Newport as 15.5%AA for 140IBU in this recipe).
Apparently, John Maier of Rogue is in cahoots with MoreBeer. He gave them the recipe for the I²PA. They claim he uses one of their brew sculptures (must resist...) for playing around with his own stuff, including this variant on one of Rogue's best, the Brutal Bitter.
Batch #14
Blackened Brutal Bitter (extract)
White Labs California Ale Yeast
--7 lbs Ultralight (LME)
--4 oz Maltodextrin
--2.5lbs Munich
--1.25lbs Crystal 60L
--11 oz Carafa Special II
--1.5 oz Newport 9.3%AA (90min)
--1 oz Newport 9.3%AA (60min)
--2 oz Amarillo 8.9%AA (1min)
--2 oz Amarillo 8.9%AA (1min at flame out)
--1 oz Amarillo (dry-hop in secondary)
--1 Whirlfloc tab (20min)
OG: 1.057
FG: 1.015
ABV: 5.5%
Calc. IBUs: ~90
Grains steeped for 30 minutes at 160F. My OG came out low for the recipe, so the alcohol will probably be around 5.5-6% instead of 7-8%. The low IBU rating is a result of weak bittering hops (tastybrew.com gives a typical Newport as 15.5%AA for 140IBU in this recipe).
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Kölsch Ale
Update 7/31 - After about 2 months of waiting I hit this with the CO2 and it's very nice. Light in body and alcohol. Has that German lager aroma.
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I think the first Kölsch I had was the Pyramid Curveball. It was light, refreshing, grassy, and delicious. Gordon-Biersch also makes a decent Kölsch, which I found a little odd since it's technically an ale, and they tend to stick to lagers. Cool fermentation and a lagering period makes the style a really clean session beer perfect for slow summer days. This one I picked up as a kit from MoreBeer. It should be pretty decent with mild bittering from the Glacier and a noble aroma from the Vanguard. I tweaked the boil time on the second hop addition for a little more bitterness to more closely match the style's profile.
Batch #13
Kölsch Ale (extract)
White Labs German Ale/Kölsch Yeast
--4 lbs German Pils (LME)
--2 lbs Light Malt (DME)
--4 oz Maltodextrin
--8 oz Crystal 15L
--0.5 oz Glacier 6.0%AA (60min)
--1 oz Vanguard 4.4%AA (5min)
--1 Whirlfloc tab (20min)
OG: 1.043
FG: 1.012
ABV: 4%
Calc. IBUs: 16
Grains steeped for 30min at 160±5F in ~4 gallons of water. Dry malt and dextrin added after steeping, along with additional 2 gallons water. LME added at boil. First hops after hot break. Cooled with wort chiller, yeast pitched at 65F.
--
I think the first Kölsch I had was the Pyramid Curveball. It was light, refreshing, grassy, and delicious. Gordon-Biersch also makes a decent Kölsch, which I found a little odd since it's technically an ale, and they tend to stick to lagers. Cool fermentation and a lagering period makes the style a really clean session beer perfect for slow summer days. This one I picked up as a kit from MoreBeer. It should be pretty decent with mild bittering from the Glacier and a noble aroma from the Vanguard. I tweaked the boil time on the second hop addition for a little more bitterness to more closely match the style's profile.
Batch #13
Kölsch Ale (extract)
White Labs German Ale/Kölsch Yeast
--4 lbs German Pils (LME)
--2 lbs Light Malt (DME)
--4 oz Maltodextrin
--8 oz Crystal 15L
--0.5 oz Glacier 6.0%AA (60min)
--1 oz Vanguard 4.4%AA (5min)
--1 Whirlfloc tab (20min)
OG: 1.043
FG: 1.012
ABV: 4%
Calc. IBUs: 16
Grains steeped for 30min at 160±5F in ~4 gallons of water. Dry malt and dextrin added after steeping, along with additional 2 gallons water. LME added at boil. First hops after hot break. Cooled with wort chiller, yeast pitched at 65F.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Hop to it.
Update, June 16th - This was a big hit with the hophead friends. Unfortunately, just a few days (seriously, 4 of 'em) after tapping the keg, it turned. We drank our way through most of it, so it might just be the dregs that I'm tasting, but I'll be doing a leak check on my lines just to play it safe. I don't think I'll make this one again soon just because I have too many other great IPAs to crank out (Hello, Ruination clone...thanks, BYO!)
--
It's IPA time!
Batch #12
Columbus IPA (extract)
White Labs California Ale V Yeast
--9 lbs Ultralight (LME)
--1.5 lbs Crystal 15L
--2 oz Magnum 13.1%AA (60min)
--2 oz Columbus 12.2%AA (5min)
--2 oz Columbus 12.2%AA (2min)
--2 oz Columbus (dry-hopped)
--1 Whirlfloc tab (20min)
OG: 1.062
FG: 1.017
ABV: 6%
Calc. IBUs: ~95
Steep the grains for 30 minutes in ~4 gallons water, bring to 6 and boil. Wort chiller knocked it down to ~65 in 45 minutes. Dry-hopped more Columbus in secondary after 10 days primary (slow fermentation around 60F). Vanguard whole hops?
I lost a lot of volume on this one. In the fermenter it's maybe only 4 gallons. Off to a slow start - the heater was off because it's been nice out. One should know California better...nights in the high 40s to low 50s. The heater is back on to keep the fermentarium nice and warm at 65ish through the night.
--
It's IPA time!
Batch #12
Columbus IPA (extract)
White Labs California Ale V Yeast
--9 lbs Ultralight (LME)
--1.5 lbs Crystal 15L
--2 oz Magnum 13.1%AA (60min)
--2 oz Columbus 12.2%AA (5min)
--2 oz Columbus 12.2%AA (2min)
--2 oz Columbus (dry-hopped)
--1 Whirlfloc tab (20min)
OG: 1.062
FG: 1.017
ABV: 6%
Calc. IBUs: ~95
Steep the grains for 30 minutes in ~4 gallons water, bring to 6 and boil. Wort chiller knocked it down to ~65 in 45 minutes. Dry-hopped more Columbus in secondary after 10 days primary (slow fermentation around 60F). Vanguard whole hops?
I lost a lot of volume on this one. In the fermenter it's maybe only 4 gallons. Off to a slow start - the heater was off because it's been nice out. One should know California better...nights in the high 40s to low 50s. The heater is back on to keep the fermentarium nice and warm at 65ish through the night.
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