Winter Ale 2009

Hi again,

It’s time to make some beer for Christmas...I will call this my, ah...Winter Ale! I can't believe it is already the holidays. Man time flies when you're having fun. Boil will be slated for Nov 15th with bottling slated for Nov 27th. Three weeks cool bottle lagering will bring this beer into it’s greatness.

This batch will incorporate a new secondary fermentation process after 4 days of primary. I am trying to accomplish a more brilliant beer in clarity and color with a crisp finish. It will also have a higher ABV than the Summer Ale.

Here is the recipe and Step-by-Step process 15 gallans (3 x 5gal batches):

Winter Ale

Secondary Fermentation method

(15 gallons extract with grains)

OG 1.062; FG 1.012;

Ingredients

3 x 7lb Tubs light malt extract syrup

3 x 1 lbs Victory (40L) malt

3 x 1 lbs.Special (50L) Roast malt

3 x 1 lbs.Crystal malt (40L)

3 tsp Burton Water Salts

4.5 oz - 6.2 AAU Cascade hops (bittering hop) 60 min

1.5 oz - 6.2 AAU Cascade hops (bittering hop) 30 min

1.5 oz - 1.2 AAU Fuggle hops (flavor hop) 15 min

2.5 oz - 1.2 AAU Fuggle hops (aroma hop) 2 min

Irish moss (Whirifloc tablets – 1 tablet for 5gal)

3 - White Labs WLP001 (California Ale) or Wyeast 1056 (American Ale) yeast

Optional: 0.5 cup of corn sugar for priming per 5 gal

Step by step

Steep crushed malts in 2-2.5 gallons of water at 154º F for 30 min.

Remove grains from wort, sparge grains with 1 gal 170º water.

Add Water salts and bring to a boil.

Add 1/2 malt extract (3.5 lb) and bring to a boil.

Add Cascade (bittering) hops for 60 min of boil.

Add Irish Moss 15 min into boil.

Add Cascade (bittering) hops at 30 min into boil.

Add 1/2 malt extract, stirring at 50 min into boil to sanitize.

Return to boil, add Fuggle (flavor) hops for last 10 min of boil.

Add Fuggle (aroma) hops for the last 2 min of the boil.

When finished boiling, strain out hops, rapid cool the wart to 100º F and add wort to 6gal sanitized carboys with 2.5 gallons cool water in a fermenter. Top off with cool water to 5.2 gallons. Take temperature reading – should be at 75º F, aerate the wart and allow the wart to cool over the next few hours to 68-70º F, and pitch the yeast. Ferment for 4 days. After 4 days of primary fermentation, rack into 5 gal secondary fermenters and allow beer to finish for 7 days. On 8^th day, add 1/2 cup priming sugar to bottling carboys and rack beer into bottling carboys. Bottle beer and lager for three weeks.

Happy brewing!!!

-dave

Summer Ale #2

Well, I can't believe it has been over a year since I posted on this blog, sorry for the long drought

Anyway, I have made several batches since the last post and I am currently settling on what I call my Summer Ale. It has evolved from several other recipes and I am yet making one more change. I am doubling the amount of grain to see if I can get a little more ABV in the finished product.

So far this Summer Ale has received some nice reviews. A friend of mine gave a bottle to what he said was a beer connoisseur (yeah right, I bet he was a lush like my friend is..hehe) and here was his comment:

"Tasty Foamy Delightful. As I am not a big Ale fan this brew suits my taste buds just fine. It holds a Malty front with a spice running through the middle to end with a clean finish. Nicely done!"

Well, i'll take any comments like this any day. But he was right about "Foamy", it was to foamy. The problem came about by early bottling and not letting fermentation to complete. HENCE...Ta Ta Ta Taaaaaa Summer Ale #2!!!

In this batch I am going to introduce 2 changes:1) double the grain bill, as mentioned before and 2) introducing a secondary fermentation after about 3-4 days of primary. The goal is to raise the ABV and keep the head down a little. So..here is the recipe for the partial mash batch.

Ingredients:

7 lbs Light Malt extract

2 lbs Vicroty Malt

2 lbs Special Roast Malt

2 lbx Crystal 80L

1.5oz 8.3% Alpha Cascade hops (bittering 60 min)

0.5oz 8.3% Alpha Cascade hops (bittering 30 min)

0.5oz 4.7% Alpha Fuggle hops (flavor 15 min)

0.5oz 4.7% Alpha Fuggle hops (aroma 2 min)

1 tbl Water Salts

Irish Moss (30 min)

Wyeast 1056 American Ale yeast

.33 cup corn sugar for priming

Process:

Steep crushed malt in 3 gallons water at 150F for 30 min

Remove grains from wart, add 1 pint (3.5lb) malt extract

Add water salts and bring to boil

Add Cascade Hops (bittering) for 60 min

Add Cascade Hops (bittering) and Irish Moss at 30 min

Add Fuggle Hops (flavoring) at 15 min

Add remainder of malt extract at 10 min

Add Fuggle (aroma) at 2 min

When finished boiling (at 60 min) strain hops, rapid cool wart to 100F and add wart to 2-2.5 gal cool water in sanitized fermenter. Top off with cool water to 5.2gal. Agitate wart and pitch yeast when wart temperature is 70F - 75F. Allow wart to cool and rest for a few hours before moving fermenter to permanent location. Ferment 3-4 days primary then rack into secondary sanitized fermenter for next 7 days. Prime with .33 cups corn sugar, bottle and age 2 weeks.

-dave

Second Batch - Jurassic Amber Ale

Ok...Like I had promised before, I am posting the recipe for the second batch. Jurassic Amber Ale will be the new name (why I picked that name, I'll never know). Anyway, I am looking for a lighter color, a little more hoppy taste but maintain that full malt flavor. We shall see.

Schedule boil is set for the weekend of August 2-3, 2008.

Here it is:

Jurassic Amber Ale
(Extract/Roasted Grain) 5 US gal

Brewing Method: Extract/Roasted Grain
Yeast: WYEAST 1092 English Ale Yeast
Yeast Starter: None
Batch Size: 5 US gal
Original Gravity: 1.062
Final Gravity: 1.020
Alcohol Content: ~ 7%
Total Grains: 1
Color: Amber
Extract Efficiency: %
Hop IBU's: 40
Boiling Time: 60 Minutes Total
Primary Fermentation (blow-by): 3 days @ 68 deg
Secondary Fermentation (to 1.020): 1-2 days @ 68 deg
Bottle Fermentation: 2/3 cup sugar for bottle fermentation

Grain Bill:
7# (1 Bucket) Light Amber Liquid Malt Extract (LME)
2# Roasted and Crushed Light Crystal Malt

Hop Bill:
1 oz. Cascade Hops (bittering)
1 oz. Willamette Hops (flavor)
1 oz. Willamette Hops (aroma)
1 Whrlfloc Tablet (Irish Moss)

Mash Schedule:
Crush grains, place in the muslin grain bag, place the bag into the brew pot to 170F.
Add the LME at beginning of boil.
Add Bittering hops at beginning of re-boil
At 30 min, add flavoring hops
At 45 min, add Whrlfloc Tablet
At 60 min, remove from heat, add aroma hops, cover, set 10 min.
Fast cool down to 100 degrees

Brewers Notes:
Procedure:
Begin by soaking the LME in a bowl or pot of warm water to make it easier to pour.

Fill your brew pot (preferably a 20-32qt. stainless stock pot) with two gallons of cold water.

Place the crushed grains in the muslin grain bag and secure with a knot at the top. Place the bag into the brew pot and begin heating the water. When the water reaches a temperature of 170F remove the bag and discard. Continue heating the water until it reaches a boil. When the water is boiling, remove the pot from the heat and slowly add the LME stirring constantly to avoid scorching. When thoroughly mixed return the brew pot to the heat and return to a boil. BEWARE OF THE BOILOVER! When the mixture first boils it may produce a heavy foam. Watch for the foam to rise, and when it does, turn off the flame until the foam subsides (if using an electric stove, it may be necessary to lift the brew pot off of the burner). After the foam has risen once, it will generally lessen, and it’s safe to return to a steady boil without foaming over. However, sometimes foaming may occur again. If so, simply repeat this procedure until foaming finally stops. After you have achieved a steady boil, add the bittering hops and continue boiling. At the 30 minutes boiling point, add the flavor hops. At the 45 minute boiling point, add the Whirfloc Tablet (Irish Moss). At the 60 minute boiling point, remove the brew pot from the heat, add the aroma hops, and cover for 10 min.

While the wort is cooling, fill your sanitized fermenter with 3 gallons of cold water.

When the wort has cooled to under 100F, add it to the cold water in the fermenter (splashing is ok and even recommended to aerate the wort at this stage). Try to leave as much of the sediment on the bottom of the brew pot as you can (siphon if possible). Take the temperature of the wort in your fermenter. It should be below 75F. Remove a sample to measure the Original Gravity with your hydrometer (do not return the sample to the fermenter when finished). Then add the yeast and seal your fermenter with an airlock (bucket) or blow-off hose (carboy) and place in a spot where the temperature stays between 65F and 70F. Within the next 24 hours fermentation should start.

After 3 days the fermentation should subside. Take another hydrometer reading. At the hydrometer reading of 1.020, it is time to bottle and finish the fermentation in the bottle. Make sure your bottles and caps are sanitized before adding the beer. Let beer set for the next 2 - 3 weeks at room temperature before refrigerating. Beer should be good to go 2 weeks after refrigeration.

Introduction - Lets make some beer

Hi there.

I am new at this blog business but I thought I would try it and share some of our/my experience at our latest ale attempt. Let me start by giving a little history of how this all came about.

About a month ago, 3 of my co-workers started talking about making some beer. I had a little experience in the past with a couple of successful ales so we decided to talk about a recipe. I suggested a very nice brown ale I had made a while back that I named Blackie's Brown Ale. It is interesting how that ale got its name so I proceeded to explain to my pals the story.

Our family once had a cat which my daughter named Blackie. On day, while my wife was taking our other cat, Raoul, to the clinic for a check-up and some shots, she saw this straggly little kitten hovering around the clinic half dead. It looked like it had been abandoned there by someone and was meowing and meowing. Well, my wife noticed how straggly and weak it was and decided she needed to be saved. My wife took the cat to the clinic and had the doctor check it out and administer the proper shots and treatment and my wife brought the cat home. Upon my arrival from work that evening, my wife and daughter gracefully persuaded me to allow them to keep it. Hence, "Blackie" became part of our family that night. Ok...so you are probably thinking, "What the heck does this have to do with beer?". Patience my young Padawans, and I will get to that.

As I has started to say earlier until I rudely interrupted myself with by "Kitty" talk. I was in the process of brewing a nice brown ale with no name. I just wanted to try out a new recipe a friend had told me about to see how good it would turn out. Well...as you might guess, Blackie was all over the counter, sniffing here and sniffing there, curious as a cat (oops, she was a cat..hehe). Anyway, when it was time to add the bittering hops, I had carefully weight out the proper amount and turned to check on the wart to make sure it was at a nice steady boil. Upon my return to get the hops Blackie was EATING it. Thats right, eating the hop leaves...she loved them!!!

Well, the rest is history and I named the ale "Blackie's Brown Ale'. This batch is a derivative of that recipe, which I will post the ingredients and process later.

So, enough of me rambling on. This batch will start on Saturday, May 10, 2008. I will post pictures and momentous events along the way.

Ta Ta for now.

-dave