Metabolic Waste Products:

The brewery is still a brewin' (sort of)

2011-02-10T13:01:00.000-06:00

Thought I could get by w/o using a blow-off tube for an Oatmeal Stout.

I was wrong...

Homegrown Hops: More information

2010-10-16T13:48:00.000-05:00

After I dried the hops in the oven (pilot light over night) I had 3.8 oz.

I still don't know what Sterling Hops taste like. Now I just need to think of a beer to put them in.

Hop Harvest - Sterling

2010-08-23T23:29:00.000-05:00

Sterling Hop Harvest

This beats the one cone from last year, the first year.

Sour Cherry Flanders Red

2010-07-30T12:03:00.000-05:00

1.) February 14, 2009 - I brewed my first batch of Flanders Red
2.) March 10, 2009 - I racked it to secondary
3.) April 15th, 2009 - I think I witnessed some funk
4.) May 5th, 2009 - I added some oak chips
5.) May 2nd, 2010 - I split the batch in two and added cherries to half
6.) May 16th, 2010 - I thought I observed a new pellicle / pelicle, but really I think it was just floaters from the Cherry
7.) July 29th, 2010 - I bottled the Cherry'ed Flanders Red (26 bottles)
- FG: 1.008 > primed w/ 2 oz of table sugar for 2.2 volumes of CO2

The aroma immediataly struck me as Flanders Red. I'll update when I taste it and hopefully will be able to report the same.

Through the looking glass: Left behind after bottling Cherry'ed FRed

Old News New to Me: Patent for Bland Beer

2010-07-14T21:47:00.000-05:00

U.S. Patent # 4,180,589
December 25th, 1979

Claims:
1.) A method of preparing a lager beer having a mild, bland, less aromatic character which comprises placing beer wort in a fermentation vessel and fermenting the wort in said vessel ...

Activated Wyeast Yeast 'Smack Pack'

2010-07-12T20:50:00.003-05:00

My first Flanders red ale was the first time I used a Wyeast 'smack pack' or any liquid yeast for that matter. It made me nervous that the 'smack pack' didn't inflate very much. I had purchased the yeast sooner than I should have and this may have been the reason for lack of inflation, also I might not have waited long enough for it to do its thing. I made web searches using phrases like "smack pack inflation", "wyeast activator swelling", etc but I couldn't find any images. I found text descriptions of the inflation disappointingly vague, e.g. "you'll know." While "you'll know" is a very factual statement it didn't help me much when I "didn't know." Below is an image of activated / swelled / inflated Wyeast activator 'smack pack' versus one that hasn't undergone the change. I would have found this useful.


It's coming out of its shell.

Note: the yeast on the left (Wyeast Lambic Blend 3278) is the same one I had trouble with before. It had been smacked at the same time (~ 4hours) as the one on the right (Wyeast Roeselare Ale Blend 3763). I didn't wait to see if inflation would occur and ended up mixing the two together. Unfortunately I have been too anxious to see if it is 'good' either time I have used it.

Update: So, um, maybe there is a video on the Wyeast site. I hope it wasn't there forerver.

I drank this...

2010-05-16T22:54:00.005-05:00

More like I will drink this. This post's title is in reference to Infinite Jest a novel by David Foster Wallace. There is a scene where a child eats some vile-looking mold and goes up to his mother and says something akin to "I ate this" whilst his face and mouth are covered in green. Its funny to me, but I am not sure if its supposed to be funny.

So why I am talking about this novel? Well, when I see this stuff alive in my beer I think that it looks fantastic. This is what I imagine the child in the book was thinking too. How can I not consume this? I can only imagine that the lay person (or adult) would think that this looks like trouble. I like to think of the "trouble" as flavor crystals adding awesomeness to the beer. Now I just have to wait, again.

Some pictures:


Camera One, Camera Two: I think that's a pellicle (white) forming on the left- I hope the other gunk is from the cherry concentrate On the right there is no visible activity

A little closer

Updates: Homebrew log

2010-05-16T00:17:00.002-05:00

Update:
5/9/2010: Floaters in the Cherry'ed Flanders Red

Update:

5/14/2010 - added additional 14.5 oz cherry to brown ale
5/14/2010 - added additional 10 oz cherry to Flanders Red

Update:
5/15/2010 - Pellicle forming in Flanders Red with cherry?

Floaters in the Flanders Red

2010-05-16T00:11:00.001-05:00


Flanders Red with Cherry and Floaters

After I added the cherry to the one half of the Valentine's Day 2009 Flanders Red these appeared:

It appears now, one day after adding more cherry that a pellicle is forming pictures to come...

There's actually one more bucket going now ...

2010-05-06T17:37:00.001-05:00

L -R: Cherry Brown, Cherry Flanders Red 09, Flanders Red 09, Flanders Red x2 10

Latest Happenings in the Brewery

2010-05-03T21:00:00.001-05:00

4/8/2010 - Flanders Red A
4/8/2010 - Flanders Red B

4/16/2010 - Cherry Brown Ale
4/16/2010 - Witbier

4/29/2010 - Bottled Witbier

05/02/2010 - Racked Cherry Brown to secondary; added cherry (31 oz by weight)
05/02/2010 - Racked Flanders Red (brewed 2/14/2009) into two PET water bottles; half with cherry (15 oz by weight)

05/03/2010 - Racked Flanders Red A & B to secondary

More details to come . . .

Kentucky Common Revealed

2010-05-03T20:49:00.002-05:00

I bottled the Kentucky Common on about March 15th, 2010. The FG was 1.008 ~ 5.08% ABV

I think it tastes great, it is sour and crisp. A great summer brew. It doesn't pack the lactic punch of a berliner weisee, but the sourness within provides that 'sumtin' that makes it quite enjoyable. Here's to brewing an extirpated piece of America.

The recipe which I neglected to include before, see souring procedure here:

.75 oz Glacier Hops 7.4 AA @ 60 min
Wyeast American Ale

22%	2	4	American Six-row Pale
19%	2	0	Flaked Corn (Maize)
18%	1	14	American Two-row Pale
13%	1	6	American Two-row Pale
5%	0	8	Sugar, Table (Sucrose)
5%	0	8	American Crystal 90L
5%	0	8	Belgian Aromatic
5%	0	8	Crystal 10L
4%	0	6	Caramunich Malt 20
2%	0	4	Special B Malt
2%	0	3	Carafa II

Vienna Lager Revealed:

2010-04-05T14:23:00.000-05:00

I brewed a Vienna Lager on 1/31/10.

OG = 1.050
FG = 1.005
~ 6% ABV

It fermented in the low 50's for about 3 weeks. I then brought it up to the mid 60's for about 3 days. I bottled and left in the mid 60's for 4 days. Its been lagering for about 5 weeks. Did some of the bottles become straight-up frozen? Yes. Whoops.

The color might be a little light. The flavor is pretty darn-good. I like the beer. I think its smooth and lager-y. The whole being frozen and unfrozen does not seem to have harmed the beer.

Cream Ale - Revealed

2010-03-28T14:32:00.000-05:00

I brewed a Cream Ale on 1/24/10. It was my first all-grain batch. There was problems. OG ~ 1.028 + .015 (in after-brew additions) = 1.043. I bottled with 4.25 oz of cane sugar on 02/15/10. The FG = 1.002 for an estimated ABV 5.37%. I then cellared it for about a month. Despite the hiccupps the beer is really smooth. It goes good with food etc. This is how I will probably drink it.

Cheers.

Bottle Prep is Quite a Chore

2010-03-09T12:37:00.000-06:00

Soon I hope to be done with delabeling bottles forever. I should be able to rotate beer in and out of the ones I have. First I'll need to make sure to drink the beer at a pace that ensures optimal bottle rotation before brewing more.

Stuck Sprarges Begone: Improved Homemade Mash Tun

2010-02-19T15:02:00.001-06:00

I previously posted about the construction of my homemade mash tun. However, I got stuck sparges with my first two uses (one and two). The culprit, seemingly, was the the piece of PEX I was using to filter the wort from the grain. It just wasn't porous enough to keep things running smoothly. Rather than drilling a bunch more tiny holes, I decided to take the route praised by many and I used a stainless steel braid from a sink hook-up. All that needs to be done is the removal of the end fittings (angle grinder) and then the removal of the inner hose. I found the hose removal to be difficult and finally got it to work while using a vice clamp to hold the hose and a milking technique to remove the braid. I used plastic T and stainless hose clamps to finish the loop. I joined the loop to a nub of PEX (via brute force), as the PEX fits perfectly in bulk head. I have used it twice now with great success. Woo hoo.

Freaking the Funk: My First Homebrew Sour Mash - Kentucky Common Beer

2010-02-13T17:34:00.001-06:00

My favorite beers are those that are described as wild / sour. Recently, I was reading about about an American style of beer, the Kentucky Common, which is a sour brown ale. Once I read that it was sour and old-timey (popular pre-prohibition) I knew I needed to brew it. This need to brew the KY Common was amplified recently when I sampled some (unsour) American browns, a style I never appreciated before. To elicit the sourness for this beer I decided to employ a sour mash. Basically lactobacillus and other micro-critters are just chilling on the grain. and the usual mash and boil technique does not favor their survival. However, given the right conditions you too can grow your own pot of mold.

Sour Mash:
I made some wort from 1.5 lbs of grain. I let the mash sit covered over night, sparged in the morning and then threw in 3 oz of uncrushed malt. Since then I've been keeping it at about 90F. These photos (w and w/o flash) are of about 50 hours into the souring. I think this whitish mat sitting atop of the wort is Lactobacillus culture/colony?. At about only 8 hours in it didn't smell so good. Now, while stronger, it also smells better (familiar) and more like a Berliner Weisse I brewed with a pure lactobacillus culture.

I haven't quite decided how long to freak the funk. I am also unsure if I should throw out the whitish mat, or throw it in with the rest of the unsoured mash on brew day.

2nd All Grain Homebrew: Vienna Lager

2010-02-10T22:49:00.001-06:00

Second All Grain Brew.

After some of the *ahem* hiccups with my first all grain brew (cream ale 1/24/10) I went it at a week later 1/31/2010 and brewed my first lager (vienna lager). I upgraded from the seemingly ineffectual pex filter in my mash tun.
This time I used the often lauded stainless steel braid, and after struggling with the pliers and the finger-cuff-like action I switched to a vice clamp with a milking action.

Given my 20 point miss the first time around, I used a grain bill with a slightly higher than style estimated OG. The estimated OG was 1.058. I had no problems with the lautering. I also collected the correct amount of wort this time. Previously I has messed up the volumes somehow. I realize now, that I should really do an actual job of determining the volumes in my kettle and bucket. I am still educated guessing it. So knowing the volumes for real would be smart. I'll get out the measuring stick soon.

For the single infusion mash I aimed for 60 minutes @ 152F. I think it might have ended up starting closer to 150F and then falling during the rest. The pre-boil OG was 1.060. The post boil after I added the water to get to my estimated 5.25 gallons was 1.050. I was 8 points off, but now within the style guidelines. I was quite happy with this improvement.

I aerated via aquarium pump for about an hour and pitched a 1 liter stepped to 3 liter starter of Wyeast Octoberfest 2633. I pitched at 52 degrees.

My recipe:

5.00 lb Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM) Grain 44.76 %
3.04 lb Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM) Grain 27.22 %
3.00 lb Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 26.86 %
0.13 lb Carafa II (412.0 SRM) Grain 1.16 %
1.00 oz Liberty [4.30 %] (60 min) Hops 12.3 IBU
0.30 oz Sterling [6.00 %] (30 min) Hops 4.0 IBU
0.50 oz Hallertau Select [1.50%] Hops 0.8 IBU
octoberfest (Wyeast) Yeast-Lager

My first all grain experiece - I missed the OG by 20 gravity points and had a stuck sparge

2010-02-01T21:20:00.001-06:00

I brewed a cream ale on 1/24/2009

I recently brewed my first all grain batch. It was also the first time I used my barley crusher. It was the second time I made a starter and the second time I used my mash tun. It’s a cream ale. I crushed the grain (default gap). I placed the grain in the mash tun, ( modified 48 qt igloo xtreme cooler). I did a 90 min single-infusion mash at 149˚ for 90 minutes. I sparged (sort of). I collected about 4 gallons of wort. I added water to 4.65 gallons in my 5.25 gallon kettle. I boiled for 90 minutes. I used and immersion chiller and an ice bath to get temperature to 60˚. I then poured the wort through a strainer into the fermenting bucket. I aerated with an aquarium pump with an inline filter for 40 minutes. I pitched all of an 800 ml starter (1056) that was about 16 hours past full krausen. That’s about as positive as I can be about this brew.

Some issues arose. Firstly, I had to clean all the metal filings off the barley crusher, which I hadn’t anticipated. I wasn’t quite sure how to do this and I used compressed air and ‘pre-crush’ of a few ounces of grain that I then tossed. Then, my temperature may have been messed up in the mash. Thermometer issues (now resolved). But I for sure added 11 quarts of 161 degree water to 8.25 pounds of 67-68 degree grain. Then I added more water at 185˚ to mash out. I began to drain and then my mash was stuck, (again 2 for 2 uses, first time was a faulty plug which caused grain to get lodged in the ball valve) I got like 8 oz out before that happened. Though I might have sparged wrong. The idea as I now understand it is slow and steady until clear and then continue, then add sparge water and let sit for 10-15 minutes and then repeat. I guess I was little too excited and forgetful of previous research on the matter. I probably added more than warranted ‘mash out’ water, mixed the grains up and didn’t wait long enough before becoming all willy nilly on the valve. So the sparge was stuck. I picked up the tun and poured it through a strainer into the kettle. I poured the sparge water over the grain in the strainer. My gravity reading was 1.028. Yup, 21 points below expected. I then maybe boiled a pound of DME and 12 more ounce of sugar and added it to the bucket after it cooled, maybe. The (visible) fermentation started after this addition ~ 48 hours in.

Um. So this is perhaps, maybe, sorta kinda disheartening. But, I am going to brew again this weekend and I want to make it a better experience.

The recipe:

Recipe Specifications

--------------------------

Batch Size: 5.25 gal

Boil Size: 4.65 gal

Estimated OG: 1.049 SG

Estimated Color: 3.0 SRM

Estimated IBU: 16.5 IBU

Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Ingredients:

------------

Amount Item Type % or IBU

3.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 33.33 %

2.00 lb Pilsner (2 Row) UK (1.0 SRM) Grain 22.22 %

1.00 lb Barley, Flaked (1.7 SRM) Grain 11.11 %

1.00 lb Corn, Flaked (1.3 SRM) Grain 11.11 %

1.00 lb Pale Malt (6 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 11.11 %

0.25 lb Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM) Grain 2.78 %

0.85 oz Sterling [6.00 %] (60 min) Hops 15.5 IBU

0.60 oz Hallertauer [1.50 %] (10 min) Hops 1.0 IBU

0.75 lb Sugar, Table (Sucrose) (1.0 SRM) Sugar 8.33 %

1 Pkgs American Ale (Wyeast Labs #1056) [800 ml stater]

Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Full Body, Batch Sparge

Total Grain Weight: 8.25 lb

----------------------------

Single Infusion, Full Body, Batch Sparge

Step Time Name Description Step Temp

90 min Mash In Add 10.31 qt of water at 160.2 F 149.0 F

Sweet Stout: Revealed

2010-02-01T21:06:00.000-06:00

I've been drinking this for while now. All in all its pretty good. Closest to my pre-brew wants for a homebrew. It might be slightly under carbonated.

2010-01-27T00:02:00.001-06:00

The whole setting fires and being in Europe thing makes me think about Frankenstein.

2010-01-21T14:21:00.001-06:00

The Europeans are drinking less and then theres the financial crisis and then all this other stuff, etc ...

Running Dry: Belgium's Looming Beer Crisis

DIY Stir Plate

2010-01-07T17:40:00.000-06:00

Short story: I made a stir plate.

Longer story:

Of course I needed a stir plate if I wanted to be an excellent homebrewer, or maybe it was just because someone gave me a 110v Hofmann Engr. fan. Of course I was going to make it myself, in the spirit of homebrewing, DIY all the way, or something. First, it was great I could just plug it into the wall. I needed an enclosure, I could have just bought one from RadioShack, but that would have been too easy. I started by trying to use some scrap polycarbonate to make a box. After a while of cutting, with much effort, I tried to drill some pilot holes. Wow, that was incredibly difficult and to be honest the box was wonky. The scrap was still scrap and I lost a few hours of time. Then I bought a project box. Then I returned the box project. Happenstance! is awesome. It was perfect. I found a near empty First Aid kit. I then ordered some rare earth magnets from Hong Kong. Then after a few trips to all the hardware stores near my house and buying and returning different fan controls I was set to go. I should mention that I found the bolts, washers, adhesive and the only rotary fan control (not just three speeds and the least expensive) at my local Do-It Best.

I then set everything into place and soldered it in and used some silicon on the nuts so they wouldn't move from all the vibrations. I plugged it in. I set it up wrong. Short Circuit. Working in old house, wire inside wall actually breaks. etc etc. Needless to say I fixed it and it now works.

Homemade Mash Tun from Igloo Cube Cooler

2009-10-26T16:22:00.001-05:00

I picked up this cooler for about $20.00 at Target. It had no drain hole, which turned about to be a good thing. I used the following parts:

- Cooler
- 1/2" Threaded Copper Ball Valve
- 1/2" Close - Threaded Brass Pipe Nipple
- 3/8" ID Barb to 1/2" MIP
- 1/2" Gasket (x2)
- 1/2" Brass Locking Nut
- 3/4" Stainless Washer (x2)
- ~Foot Length of 1/2" Pex
- Food Grade Silicon

I drilled a 3/4" hole in the cooler and then I 'screwed' the 1/2" nipple into the cooler. It was a tight fight and I was happy about this. I then put a small dab of the silicone around the nipple and then slipped on the o-ring and a washer. I then tightened the ball valve on the nipple. On the inside I again used the silicone, o-ring, and washer and tightened it down with a brass lock nut. For the grain filter I drilled a bunch of tiny holes into the pex, plugged the end and then entered the pex into the nipple. Pex is slightly smaller than whats its labeled as and it fit great in the nipple.

I used it with the sweet stout and it held heat really well, I think I lost two degrees over the hour of the mash.

I used these two websites for guidance:
http://brewtech.blogspot.com/2007/01/igloo-cube-cooler-mash-tun.html
http://brewing.lustreking.com/gear/mashtun.html

Sweet Stout

2009-10-12T21:27:00.000-05:00

Brew Day: 10/10/09

4# Amber DME
2# Two-row
1# Pilsner
1/2# Carafa I
1/2# Crystal 90
1/2# Crystal 10
1/2# Oats
1/2# Black Patent (de-bittered)
3/16# Special B

1 oz Tradition @ 45, 1 oz Fuggles @ 15

1# lactose @ flame out

White Labs Irish Ale

OG 1.071

OG is a little high for style as are the IBUs a little low.

Cider again

2009-09-10T01:33:00.000-05:00

Started ~~brewing~~ making another plain apple cider on August 23rd, 2009. I used D47 yeast (I think) and some yeast nutrient. Original was a 'hit' and more is needed. Milk Stout up next.

BERLINER WEISSE - The Beer that Didn't Want to Get Made

2009-07-01T01:13:00.000-05:00

First, I used a newly crafted, unwashed immersion chiller in the brew. Fears of copper factory germs arise. Quelled by online brewing community who say go ahead, but your beer ~~will~~ might taste like copper. I forge ahead.

2.) The case of no fermentation. Sun Jun 07, 2009 11:46 am

I was trying to make a an all extract Berliner Weisse. 3.3 lbs light LME and 3.3 lbs wheat LME. After cooling to 85°F I pitched 90 ml of Wyeast lactobacillus and gave it a ~ 12 hour head start and then I pitched some K-97. After 24 hours I saw no airlock activity and then proceeded to the check the gravity, no change. So then I thought, well since there has been no activity why not aerate again? I did. 3 days later, no activity, no gravity change figuring all is already lost (a second time with this batch) I pitched some S-04. Here I am, no fermentation. However, I tasted no pennies in the the samples I pulled for checking the gravity.

3. Wed Jun 10, 2009 11:20 pm

Timeline:
5/31/09 - Beer Brewed. 90ML Lactobacillus pitched.
6/1/09 - K97 pitched. Didn't check gravity until now (1.036)
6/3/09 - no airlock activity, no change in gravity. Aerate with aquarium pump.
6/4/09 - Still no activity, freak out, pitched S-04
6/5/09 - no activity, add some yeast nutrient
6/7/09 - Airlock activity.
6/9/09 - No airlock activity, gravity 1.012, after taking sample - more airlock activity.

Did not taste like pennies.

4. I bottled this 6/25/09. OG was 1.036 and final was ... well I added the priming sugar before I could get the sample, but since it was 1.012 a while back I was comfortable with that. I also added a pint starter of more lactobacillus and a sachet of Lalvin #EC-1118 Champagne Wine Yeast for good measure. After it carbs up I'll let you all know if its coppery, good, bad, etc.

Come Wit it Now!

2009-06-21T22:13:00.000-05:00

Wit

9 oz oats
15 oz wheat
1 lb 2 row
15 min @ 122
15 min @ 152
15 min boil

Added to:
1 lb pilsner
2 lb white wheat
resting at 122

Brought temp to 155, rest for 45 min

3 lbs Wheat DME

1 oz German Tettnang Pellet Hops 4.4% AA @ 60 min
0.3 oz hallertau 3.9% AA @ 30 min
0.5 oz crushed coriander @ 15 min
0.5 oz orange peel @ 15 min
pinch of cumin seeds
1 oz hallertau select @ 2 min
0.5 oz orange peel
0.25 oz chamomile

O.G. 1.039
F.G. 1.009
ABV 3.86

This would mean only about 60% attenuation. Maybe this is right? I used safbrew wb-06, which is a dry wheat bear yeast, but not a true wit beer yeast, but the sample I took before bottling, tasted delicious. So ... a small beer great for summer. (I hope.) It also left a nice ring of crud around the fermenter, orange peel I think and I used red caps and they look sweet.

14 months to freedom, or Apple Cider Revealed.

2009-06-18T14:49:00.000-05:00

My first 5 gallon yeast experiment has come to fruition.
Recap:
- 5 gallons of Tipton grove natural juice (not from concentrate)
- Pitched yeast: Lalvin 71B - 1122 (x2) on 04/10/08
- Added yeast nutrient (2.5 tsp) on 04/12/08
- Racked the cider into secondary on 4/29/08 (~62F)
- Bottled 5/29/09 with one can AJ concentrate and one packet of Red Star Cote des Blancs
- Bottled Conditioned for about 3 weeks
- Taste: crisp and quite dry.

Images below, L to R, 4/15/2008, 6/26/2008, 5/29/2009

On Deck: Berliner Weisse and Wit - Beers of summer

2009-05-27T17:38:00.000-05:00

Berliner Weisse:
The beer Napoleon called the champagne of the north. Wheat beer with a modest gravity and sour punch (thank to lactobacillus)

Wit:
One of my favorite beers - Hazy, Wheaty, Citrusy.

Lets see if I can actually get them done before summer is over.

Brew like a monk.

2009-05-12T14:56:00.000-05:00

I read this book Brew Like a Monk. It is a good beer history type book and as such doesn't have complete recipes. May or may not be interesting to those who don't brew beer. I liked it. I have never drank a Trappist ale, but I bought one the other day and will have had one in the future.

Added the oak, hope it ain't broke

2009-05-12T14:50:00.000-05:00

I went to go see how the pellicle was doing and found my stopper and airlock had popped out of the carboy (5/7/09). That was lame. I am not all that worried because this beer style needs some oxygen during the long secondary fermentation, but still it was lame. Since I had not added any oak, I decided this was the time to do so. I took 0.7 ounces of oak chips, boiled them in 3 changes of water to reduce there oakiness (i.e. tannins) and added them to the carboy and sealed it back up. Pretty sweet huh?

Marketshares of Beers in the USA

2009-04-17T16:22:00.000-05:00

Bud Light 20.2
Budweiser 11.3
Miller Lite 8.4
Coors Light (Molson 8.3
Natural Light 4.3
Corona Extra 4.1
Busch Light 3.1
Busch 2.9
Heineken (Heineken 2.4
Miller High Life 2.3
Keystone Light 1.6
Miller Genuine Draft 1.5
Michelob Ultra 1.5
Natural Ice 1.3
Budweiser Select 0.9
Milwaukee's Best Light 0.9
Milwaukee's Best 0.8
Steel Reserve 0.8
Yuengling Lager 0.8
Modelo Especial 0.8

Others 21.9

2007 brand shares from Euromonitor market research

Pellicle or pelicle?

2009-04-15T14:39:00.000-05:00

The pellicle has arrived. While not a mat yet, There are little gobs of white floating atop my Flanders Red. Oh, the excitement.

Here, for example, the pellicle is bad. Also here a pellicle would be bad.

But in my carboy it is oh so good.

From homebrewtalk:
"Pellicles are characteristics of Brettanomyces [a yeast whose flavor is described as horsey], which are considered oxidative yeast, which is why they are feared in brewing and winemaking. They use oxygen to grow and metabolize sugar and starch. Since no oxygen remains in the beer when they are ready for duty they have to come to the surface and look for air, forming a pellicle. The pellicle also, as you pointed out, protects the beer from any foreign bacteria like acetobacteria and mold. The brett uses the small amount of oxygen that is diffused into the wort via the dowel to reproduce and consume the remaining sugars."

Flanders Red: Secondary 3/9/9

2009-03-10T13:12:00.000-05:00

The color was Flanders red-ish. That was good. Did I mention that I used about a 9 month old Wyeast Belgian Blend Propagator and that I got freaked out it wouldn't work and rather than waiting and using a hydrometer that I instead drove 20 miles one way to buy some White Labs Belgian Sour Mix which I pitched two days later? Well I did. Huge yeast cake. Great beer smell. FG 1.014 ~ 5.46 A.B.V. Now the wait begins.

In a year from now...

2009-02-16T23:04:00.000-06:00

I'll be drinking a Flemish sour / red ale.

1 lb white wheat malt
1 lb Munich 10
0.5 lb Vienna
0.5 lb Caramunich III
5.10 oz special B

1 hour @ 155
10 min @ 162
Sparge 172

2 hour boil

6lbs Amber LME
.75oz hallertau 3.9% AA 60 min

Belgian lambic blend
Pitched on 2/15/2009 at 3:00 am

Flip Flopping on Root Beer

2009-02-08T16:20:00.000-06:00

Okay,
Root beer is good. I also did not get any of the "cat"-iness that some claim to get from Cluster hops. Which, imho, is good. So yeah, brew it up.

Radical Brewing: Lazy Book Review

2009-02-06T19:28:00.000-06:00

There is a lot of information on the World Wide Web about homebrewing. Sometimes the need for a handy real life, in your hand reference is needed. I bought Radical Brewing and I think its a good buy.

1. Its informative
2. Its written in a non-dry way
3. Um, its good and has better layout than similar books.

It has cool title.

ADULT ROOT BEER - Revealed

2009-02-04T00:27:00.000-06:00

Bottled the root beer 1/18/09. This beer was not as odoriferous and smelling of root beer as when I put it into the secondary. It carbed nicely and pours nice, but its not root beer. It has some wintergreen to the nose, but other than that is a slightly bitter porter. Not bad, but not root beer. If I try again I'll use spices in the secondary and then make a tincture to add at bottling.

Root beer: bottled

2009-01-18T23:01:00.000-06:00

Hmmmm, didn't seem so root beer-y today. Taste good, root beer flavor level low.

FG 1.018

~ 4.66% ABV

Real Root Beer

2008-12-15T01:58:00.000-06:00

Root beer was put to secondary on 11/16/2008.

Malted Ginger Cider: Revealed

2008-12-15T01:50:00.000-06:00

Malted Ginger Cider (pitched: 05/09/2008 racked: 05/22/08) OG 1.056

I bottled it on 11/16/08 (~ 6 months in secondary) and added 7/8 cup table sugar and 8 oz lactose. Tasted much better after bottle conditioning.

FG 1.017 (not including added AJ, minimal) ~5.06% ABV

Root Beer

2008-11-11T15:32:00.000-06:00

Brew #3 - Multi-Fruit Wheat

2008-08-15T16:34:00.000-05:00

wheat lme, pilsner malt, caramel wheat malt, cracked wheat, oats, tettnang, Safale US-05

June 28th (bubbling once a minute) added 2 pounds pureed mangoes

Bottled July 10: Used 3/4 C plus 1 tablespoon cane sugar

Its pretty delicious. Maybe a little flat carbonation wise

Cider Pics in Secondaries on 6/26/08

2008-06-29T13:34:00.000-05:00

Left: Cider (racked 4/29/2008) - Right: Malted Ginger Cider (racked 05/22/08)

Wheat

2008-06-29T13:27:00.000-05:00

3.3# wheat lme
2# pilsner malt
1# caramel wheat malt
.5# cracked wheat
.5# oatmeal
1 oz tettnang pellet hops alpha acid 4.3% @ 60 min
11.5 g Safale US-05
2 cans Oregon Blackberries

pitched at 71F at 530PM on June 21st 2008
og 1.037 (not including berries)

added one quart cherry juice on 6/26/08, fermentation 3 bubbles every 30 seconds, after an hour of the juice being added 3 bubbles every 10 seconds

2nd Secondary

2008-05-28T01:30:00.001-05:00

I put the malted ginger cider in the secondary on 22 May 2008. I added some apple juice with more ginger on 25 May 2008.

April 29, 2008

2008-05-13T16:46:00.000-05:00

I racked the cider into the secondary on 4/29/08. The temperature has been between 61 - 63F. Very cloudy.

Malted Ginger Cider

2008-05-09T21:23:00.000-05:00

9 cans AJ concentrate
3.3 lbs Light LME
1 lb C10 Crystal Malt (Steep 160F 45 min)
3 oz sliced fresh ginger & juice and rind of 3 limes (boiled 45 min)
1 tsp yeast nutrient
6 grams Muttons dry ale yeast
7 grams Coopers dry ale yeast

OG 1.056

Pitched today (830 PM - 5/9/08 - ~74F)

Its Alive

2008-04-22T13:25:00.000-05:00

A picture from 7 days in:

#1

2008-04-12T23:05:00.000-05:00

Used 5 gallons of Tipton grove natural juice (not from concentrate)

1. Pitched the yeast Lalvin 71B - 1122 (x2) on 04/10/08 about 7:30 PM.
2. Added yeast nutrient (2.5 tsp) on 04/12/08 at 3:00 PM