The good recipes are ones you come back to time and again. Anchor Steam again after 3 brews.
Brewed 7-19-2000
1st rack: 8-13-2000
2nd rack: 9-25-2000
OG = 1.048@75F
No track of keg date nor of FG.
Monday, April 16, 2007
Brew #16: IPA - British
Brewed 6-1-2000
1st Rack 6-13-2000
I have the OG at 1.050@85F. It was less than the expected 1.060.
I didn't write down the kegging time nor the final gravity. I don't remember this beer, so it must not have been remarkably good or bad. I do have a note that my AC went out 6-11 to 6-14 and that I bought ice to save the beer.
1st Rack 6-13-2000
I have the OG at 1.050@85F. It was less than the expected 1.060.
I didn't write down the kegging time nor the final gravity. I don't remember this beer, so it must not have been remarkably good or bad. I do have a note that my AC went out 6-11 to 6-14 and that I bought ice to save the beer.
Brew #15: Barley Wine American
Barleywine. Now here is a big beer. Anchor makes Old Foghorn, the inspiration for this recipe.
Brewed 5-18-2000
1st Rack 5-23-2000
2nd Rack 8-18-2000
3rd Rack 12-12-2000
Kegged 8-6-2001
Before I got into brewing beer, people at the company I worked for would gather on Wednesday nights at the Gingerman in downtown Austin. This is one of those places that has an amazing selection of beers - like 110 on draft and another 50 in bottles. I tried to get something new every time I attended. One beer afficianado recommended mixing Foghorn with Sierra Nevada. The drink is called a "Foggy night in the Sierras". It blends the sweet of the barleywine with the extra hoppy goodness of a Sierra Nevada and makes a pleasant quaff. That is at least one of the inspirations for attempting this recipe.
I told my mentor that I brewed a barleywine. Pug said, "One year" and described that the higher alcohol beers must age a bit before they are smooth and drinkable. Surely, I wouldn't have to wait that long, thought I. After 3 months, I tried some. I know that it was three distinct flavors that happened at different times. First the sweet hit the tongue, then some alcohol went up the nose, followed by a bitter finish going down the throat. The aftertaste was pleasant enough. I tried another sip with the same result. After 6 months, these had blended into one flavor, but were a bit rough. I finally kegged after 15 months.
As for the brew, I call it so-so. In retrospect, I think I had it sitting on yeast too long and it has some off flavors from that. 3-4 bottles of this still exist, but I may dump them. The beer is too sweet for my tastes. I need a hoppy pale ale to mix it to drinkable for me.
Brewed 5-18-2000
1st Rack 5-23-2000
2nd Rack 8-18-2000
3rd Rack 12-12-2000
Kegged 8-6-2001
Before I got into brewing beer, people at the company I worked for would gather on Wednesday nights at the Gingerman in downtown Austin. This is one of those places that has an amazing selection of beers - like 110 on draft and another 50 in bottles. I tried to get something new every time I attended. One beer afficianado recommended mixing Foghorn with Sierra Nevada. The drink is called a "Foggy night in the Sierras". It blends the sweet of the barleywine with the extra hoppy goodness of a Sierra Nevada and makes a pleasant quaff. That is at least one of the inspirations for attempting this recipe.
I told my mentor that I brewed a barleywine. Pug said, "One year" and described that the higher alcohol beers must age a bit before they are smooth and drinkable. Surely, I wouldn't have to wait that long, thought I. After 3 months, I tried some. I know that it was three distinct flavors that happened at different times. First the sweet hit the tongue, then some alcohol went up the nose, followed by a bitter finish going down the throat. The aftertaste was pleasant enough. I tried another sip with the same result. After 6 months, these had blended into one flavor, but were a bit rough. I finally kegged after 15 months.
As for the brew, I call it so-so. In retrospect, I think I had it sitting on yeast too long and it has some off flavors from that. 3-4 bottles of this still exist, but I may dump them. The beer is too sweet for my tastes. I need a hoppy pale ale to mix it to drinkable for me.
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Brew #14: California Common Beer
Brewed on 3-14-2000, this recipe mimics Anchor Steam Beer. It is a beer that will appeal to most drinkers. The people who only drink Bud or Coors or other commercial beers will taste this and think it is close enough to what they are used to. Beer snobs will be able to drink it and taste the depth.
Racked into secondary 3-25-2000.
Kegged 5-12-2000.
OG = 1.048@72F
FG = 1.003@78F
approximately 5.9% ABV.
Racked into secondary 3-25-2000.
Kegged 5-12-2000.
OG = 1.048@72F
FG = 1.003@78F
approximately 5.9% ABV.
Brew #13: Heller Bock
Brewed this one on 12-30-1999.
OG = 1.064@80F
FG = 1.008@75F
7.3% ABV
I kegged this one 9-25-2000. I have a note that the beer may have hit 100 degrees F. Mid-September I came back from a vacation to find that my AC went out and Austin had record temperatures. One day hit 112. Whee!
Meanwhile, this was in the closet nine months. I remember that the airlock still kept on bubbling once every 6-8 seconds that whole time.
OG = 1.064@80F
FG = 1.008@75F
7.3% ABV
I kegged this one 9-25-2000. I have a note that the beer may have hit 100 degrees F. Mid-September I came back from a vacation to find that my AC went out and Austin had record temperatures. One day hit 112. Whee!
Meanwhile, this was in the closet nine months. I remember that the airlock still kept on bubbling once every 6-8 seconds that whole time.
Brew #12: Czech Pilsner
I did say I liked this beer, right? Liked it enough to brew it a third time. Yum!
Brew #11: California Pale Ale
This recipe gets close to Sierra Nevada. All Cascades. Very good recipe. I've come back to it a number of times over the years. I labeled mine "Neirra Sevada Pale Ale".
Brew #10: White Beer
While looking through the book of recipes at Austin Homebrew (www.austinhomebrew.com), I happened across this recipe with orange peel and coriander. Interesting. I had to see what it tasted like.
Brewed 9-28-1999. Dumped everything from the boil into the primary. Nice vigorous yeast on this one. Vigorous enough to blow the lid and spray the inside of my beer closet.
I bought some bottles of some Belgian white beer to see what it was supposed to taste like. Came out well. The interesting thing about a White Beer is that the flavor hits the front of the tongue rather than in the back of the mouth. Must be the citrus flavors.
Brewed 9-28-1999. Dumped everything from the boil into the primary. Nice vigorous yeast on this one. Vigorous enough to blow the lid and spray the inside of my beer closet.
I bought some bottles of some Belgian white beer to see what it was supposed to taste like. Came out well. The interesting thing about a White Beer is that the flavor hits the front of the tongue rather than in the back of the mouth. Must be the citrus flavors.
Brew #9: Czech Pilsner
Here comes another try at the Pilsner Urquell clone. Can I recreate greatness?
Brewed on 9-5-1999, racked 9-13-1999.
Result wasn't quite as good as the first batch, but I did love it.
Brewed on 9-5-1999, racked 9-13-1999.
Result wasn't quite as good as the first batch, but I did love it.
Brew #8: Red Ale
I liked this one. I remember that I took it to a company picnic. Co-workers got to try it and many complimented me on it.
Brew #7: German Pilsner
This batch was brewed on 5-2-1999 using the Austin Homebrew German Pilsner extract recipe. I revisited brew #3 to see if I could get it better. Yup. paid better attention to something. Made a better beer.
As this one was in the keg, I bought a counter pressure bottle filler. This is so I can drink a keg down to the last gallon or gallon and a half, bottle up the last of it and get the next batch in to condition it. While I'm getting the carbonation right, I have the bottles to keep me sated.
Looking back, I think my brewing made decent beers, but only Batch #5 was a GREAT.
As this one was in the keg, I bought a counter pressure bottle filler. This is so I can drink a keg down to the last gallon or gallon and a half, bottle up the last of it and get the next batch in to condition it. While I'm getting the carbonation right, I have the bottles to keep me sated.
Looking back, I think my brewing made decent beers, but only Batch #5 was a GREAT.
Brew #6: Peach Ale
As far as fruity beers go, this one had a good balance. Just a sniff of the peach as you bring it up for a sip. You taste an ale when you drink and then the peach shows up in the after taste. Nice recipe.
Brew #5: Czech Pilsner
This recipe is modeled after Pilsner Urquell, arguably my favorite beer of all time. This is also the beer that I got into a kegging system. Instead of cleaning 56+ 12 oz bottles, I only cleaned one keg. Simple. Also, force carbonation, well, this was new. It took awhile to get that keg set to 7lbs pressure for the 45degrees Fahrenheit that the beer fridge could manage in the garage in Texas heat.
This brew was worth any previous ones and worth getting any number wrong. This brew was the stuff of legend. I drew a glass and would down it before I realized I had done so, leaving a craving that I wanted more. This is what the art of brewing - even homebrewing - is striving for. A beer so fresh, so tasty, so good, so absolutely amazing that you find you can't have enough. I drank most of this beer.
I saved one bottle. One bottle in my pantry. One bottle of a non-filtered homebrew being stored at room temperature with live yeast. 6 months later, I heard the sounds of glass breaking. I checked the windows in the house. None broken. Strange. My kitchen really smells like beer. Strange.
Four days later, I finally opened my pantry to find the exploded bottle of my Czech Pilsner. What a mess!
Lesson: Homebrewed beer must be enjoyed or stored cold!
This brew was worth any previous ones and worth getting any number wrong. This brew was the stuff of legend. I drew a glass and would down it before I realized I had done so, leaving a craving that I wanted more. This is what the art of brewing - even homebrewing - is striving for. A beer so fresh, so tasty, so good, so absolutely amazing that you find you can't have enough. I drank most of this beer.
I saved one bottle. One bottle in my pantry. One bottle of a non-filtered homebrew being stored at room temperature with live yeast. 6 months later, I heard the sounds of glass breaking. I checked the windows in the house. None broken. Strange. My kitchen really smells like beer. Strange.
Four days later, I finally opened my pantry to find the exploded bottle of my Czech Pilsner. What a mess!
Lesson: Homebrewed beer must be enjoyed or stored cold!
Brew #4: Scotch Ale
I got interested in a Scotch Ale. So it cost a bit more getting the extract recipe here. Neat. Brew it, stick it in the primary fermenter and...... nothing. Hmm. Stuck fermentation. Pug, my brewing mentor says, no problem, buy more yeast and stick it in there and swish it about. You can get the fermentation going. It did, eventually, but not well enough. This turned into what I named "Super Sweet Scotch Ale". I think I dumped most of this batch. That's the inspiration to do better.
One bottle of this mistake still exists - ready for inclusion into the ED beer hall of infamy.
One bottle of this mistake still exists - ready for inclusion into the ED beer hall of infamy.
Brew #3: German Pilsner
Well, what can I say. I like Warsteiner. I want to brew something like it. The Austin Homebrew recipe that comes close is the German Pilsner.
Result: so-so beer. At least I don't subject too many other people to it. I least I think I didn't.
I still have one of these bottles in my pantry. Good bit of sediment at the bottom.
Result: so-so beer. At least I don't subject too many other people to it. I least I think I didn't.
I still have one of these bottles in my pantry. Good bit of sediment at the bottom.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Brew #2: Hefe-Weizen
Here I try my hand at a Hefe-Weizen. I had half Grolsch-type bottles and I bought a capper for normal bottles. When I bottled, I forgot to wash and sanitize the caps. So, Grolsch-type bottles equates to drinkable and capped bottles equate to sour bad shitty beer. Ugh! That crap isn't worth drinking and I end up dumping all those capped bottles of beer.
Lesson learned: Clean the caps too!!!!
Lesson learned: Clean the caps too!!!!
First Brew: English Pale Ale
Way back when in 1998, I had a roommate that started making homemade wine. I helped. Most of the equipment is the same that you can use for beer. In fact, most of the process can be applied to handling beer once it is brewed. Add that to the fact that I had been pumping an associate at work for beer knowledge (PUG is a mead GOD!!! and not bad on beer brewing either).
In July of 1998, I finally took the plunge. I became a homebrewer. First up to bat: an English Pale Ale modeled after Bass Ale. Brewed in July, racked in a week, bottled the following week, tapped the first bottle within 3 weeks of brew date. Every bottle was flat, but every bottle was enjoyed. All but one. One bottle of that first batch remains.
What a start.
In July of 1998, I finally took the plunge. I became a homebrewer. First up to bat: an English Pale Ale modeled after Bass Ale. Brewed in July, racked in a week, bottled the following week, tapped the first bottle within 3 weeks of brew date. Every bottle was flat, but every bottle was enjoyed. All but one. One bottle of that first batch remains.
What a start.
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