Unreproducible

Because moving is super-fun, all of my scales, spoons, and cups were in a box 100 miles away from brew day. This beer will be delicious, but will not make an encore performance.

Batch #87 doesn't need a name.

10 lbs or so California 2-row malt
1 lb CaraRed malt
1 lb Rye malt
1 ounce-sized fistful of El Dorado 15%aa (45 min)
1 ounce-sized fistful of El Dorado 15%aa (30 min)
2 ounce-sized fistfuls of El Dorado 15%aa (5 min)
2 ounce-sized fistfuls of El Dorado 15%aa (1 min)
White Labs San Diego Super Yeast (WLP090), 1.5L starter
Water: RO with ~1/4tsp each gypsum and epsom; pinch of calcium chloride and sodium chloride.
OG: 1.060
FG:
ABV: 4.7%
IBU: several.

Mashed in to 150F, held 60 min. Batch sparged to extract 6.5 gallons. Boiled 45min, chilled, pitched yeast starter and walked away.

Merced brews!

Kegged 7/12. Tart, spicy, perfect for central valley summers.

Back after a six month long brewing hiatus! Aiming for a light, faintly tart, summer refresher. A few hiccups solved by a trip to the hardware store, but otherwise great to be back at it.

Batch #86
Something light and quaffable for the valley heat.

7 lbs California 2-row malt
1 lb Acidulated malt
1 lb Flaked wheat
1oz Cascade, 5.8%aa (30 min)
1oz Cascade, 5.8%aa (5 min)
White Labs Belgian Saison Blend (WLP568), 1.5L starter
OG: 1.044
FG: 1.008
ABV: 4.7%
IBU: ~20

Mashed in with 3 gallons water to 150F, held 60 min. Batch sparged with 4 gallons water at 170F. Extracted 6 gallons at 10.5P. Added 1/2 gallon filtered water. Boiled 1 hour, chilled, started fterment at in fridge set to 64F, pulled out a couple days later, let rise to 90-95F during the mid-week heat.

Black

I originally was planning this as a coffee stout. Then I looked at how much roast malt is in here - this recipe maxes out the color calculators, since anything beyond about 40 SRM is just slightly darker black.

Batch #85
Extra stout

10 lbs Maris Otter
~1 lb Golden Promise (end of the sack)
1.5 lbs British black roasted barley
1 lb Flaked barley
1 lb Flaked oats
12 oz British chocolate malt
10 oz British crystal 70/80
4 oz British pale chocolate malt
1 oz Magnum/Apollo mix @ 15.1%AA, 60min
1 oz El Dorado @ 15.3%AA, 5min
4 oz Lactose, 5min
1 tab whirlfloc
11.5g dry yeast, US-05
OG: 1.075
FG:
ABV:
IBU: ~55


Mash in with 5 gallons water to 148~150F, hold for 75 min. Fly sparge with 4 gallons water at 170F. Extracted 7 gallons at 16P (~1.064). Boil 1 hour, chill, ferment at 68F.

Episode II

Trying again. Expecting this one to turn out a little sweeter... and carbonated at the end.

Batch #84
Helldorado Clone Second Attempt, for 3 gallons

8lbs Golden Promise
1lb German Pilsner
4 oz American Crystal 15L
2 oz American Victory
1.5lbs Buckwheat Honey (sourced locally in CA Central Valley)
0.25 oz El Dorado, 15.3%AA (60m)
0.25 oz El Dorado, 15.3%AA (15m)
0.5 oz El Dorado, 15.3%AA (1m)
Whirlfloc, 10m
1/4 tsp CaCl2, in mash
WLP090 - San Diego Super Yeast, 1.5L starter
OG: 1.085

Mashed in with 11qts spring water at 150F for 60min. Initial mash pH ~5.7 (thanks, Jay!). Batch sparge with 9qts to collect 4 gallons at ~14P. Boiled 90min, chill to 66F, oxygenate using compressed O2 for ~1min. Pitch yeast and ferment between 66 and 70F.

Mead again

Update 6/27/14 - Spiked with metabisulfite, backsweetened with 3 oz of buckwheat honey (what I had,...wish it were orange here), added a tannin tincture (over-steeped Peet's Osmanthus Fancy), and bottled. Who wants some?
--

Made some more mead. Yaaaaay. I'm still kind of just playing when making mead. One of these days I'll have more time to plan it out and take it more seriously. There was talk of making a pyment (Sauv blanc juice and orange blossom honey? yum) today, but that was more thought than I wanted to put in just now.

Mead Batch #05
Pluot Melomel
-5lbs Orange Blossom honey
-10lbs Macerated Pluots
-Water to 3 gallons
-1tsp pectic enzyme
~3g BA-11 dry yeast, rehydrated with GoFerm
OG: 1.090ish (calculated from honey and estimated sugar content of pluots)
FG: 1.008
ABV: 10.7%

Macerated/pitted pluots, stuck them in the freezer for a month or two. Thawed yesterday. Mixed honey and water, poured pluots into mesh bag, stirred in with must and pectic enzyme. Mixed in rehydrated yeast.

Seasonal brewing

Bottled 10/12 - pretty tasty...

Saisons in summer, pumpkin in fall. Lagers in winter, we love them all.
~~
This one is adapted from a pumpkin ale recipe in the Sept/Oct 2013 issue of Zymurgy. Pumpkin beers are pretty hit-or-miss, so when someone prints one they've used successfully for a decade or so, I'm willing to give it a try. I changed the adjunct sugar from a maple/honey mix to all maple, and upped the pumpkin a bit.

Batch #83
Autumnal Equinox

10 lbs Golden Promise
0.5 lb Victory
0.5 lb Crystal 60L (US)
10 oz Melanoidin
~3.75 lbs pumpkin (mix between canned and cooked fresh)

7 AAU, 60m, I used 1.2 oz 5.8% Cascade pellets

Whirlfloc, 1 tab, 10m


2 qts maple syrup (~1 3/4 lb sugars) at flame-out
1/2 Tbsp pie spice at flame-out

Safale US-05, 11.5g

OG: 1.065
FG: 1.012
ABV: 7%
IBU: ~30

Dough-in with 20qts water at room temp, direct heat with constant stirring to bring to 154F, about 1 hour ramp time. Hold there for about an hour. I batch sparged 14qts to save some time today.

What will I do with all of these hops?

Bottled 10/5
Update 9/22 - Dry hopped with ~1oz each Cascade and El Dorado.
--
I have a relatively large amount of hops in the freezer. Better use 'em.

Batch #82
IPA

12 lbs Golden Promise
0.5 lb Victory
0.5 lb White Wheat malt

2oz Cascade, 5.8%AA (60m)
2oz Cascade, 5.8%AA (20m)
1oz El Dorado, 15.3%AA (5m)
1oz Cascade, 5.8%AA (5m)
1oz El Dorado, 15.3%AA (1m)
1oz Cascade, 5.8%AA (1m)

Whirlfloc, 1 tab, 10m
WLP090, San Diego Super Yeast, 1.5L starter

OG: 1.068
FG: 1.014
ABV: 7%
IBU: ~75


Single-infusion mash at 152F, 17 qts, hold for an hour. Added 1/4 tsp gypsum in mash to boost bring up calcium and sulfate levels. Fly sparge to collect 7 gallons, no mash-out. Boil for one hour, chill, pitch yeast, and ferment at 68F.