Extra Dive NanoBrewery

Brew #113: Double Chocolate Stout

2009-08-19T22:57:00.001-07:00

As I brewed this one, I was able to enjoy a couple pints of my current double chocolate raspberry stout on beergas. Mmmmm, cascading nitrogen bubbles... I'm getting this one going so that I might have an entry for the Dixie Cup but also to be able to bring the keg. I've been thinking that I might try some orange extract and see how that one tastes. I also want some Marzipan stout. TO get that I might just split the batch in half and have both flavors.

Normally I don't use dish soap on any beer equipment but after brewing with the chocolate - I used a 62% Cacao ScharffenBerger bar this time - every thing gets a bit oily. The cocoa butter comes out first in the primary fermentation and floats like butter on the top. I scoop as much as I can off the top when racking and try to leave most behind. By the time it gets to the keg, most of the oils are gone. In previous kegs, it seems that oils stick to the sides and as you drink it down, the beer gets better head retention.

I did a quick starter on it. That is where the starter is made just before brewing and only has about 4-5 hours to bud and start eating some maltose. By the time I pitched, I didn't see any activity. Still, the airlock was moving nicely on the next day.

Brewed: 08-17-2009
Racked: 0?-??-2009
Kegged: 0?-??-2009

OG=1.057@71F
FG=1.0XX@YYF

ABV=%

Brew #112: Flander's Brown Ale

2009-08-19T22:35:00.000-07:00

My dive buddy Dave brought over a Flander's Brown for us to brew and sadly his batch got something wild that I had in my Turbodog or we just took it off of the yeast too soon. We had acetaldehyde (green apples) in the aroma and taste. Overwhelmingly so. That batch had another yeast starter pitched into it to see if more yeast would be able to finish the beer out a bit and convert the acetaldehyde into ethanol and get rid of the green apple-y flavor. It has done quite a bit, but it was still a sour beer. Too sour. Next path to save that one is to brew it again and get it clean this time. Then I can blend with the original batch to taste. Reading up on Flander's Browns has them at a touch sour but not as much as a Flander's Red.

I even played with my refractometer on this batch and showed the touch over 16% brix.

Brewed: 08-11-2009
Racked: 0?-??-2009
Kegged: 0?-??-2009

OG=1.070@70F
FG=1.0XX@YYF

ABV=%

Brew #111: Eleventy-One Pale (or Nierra Sevada Pale)

2009-08-04T15:57:00.001-07:00

This is a West Coast Pale (like Sierra Nevada) in which I used up some hops that weren't totally sealed and I woke up some WLP001 yeast that I harvested in January. We'll have to see what 6 months in the refrigerator do to it. Tasted pretty good at racking. Did a three day primary then dumped in an extra 3/4 ounces of Cascades for another 3-4 days dry hop then racked into secondary.

Brewed: 07-23-2009
Hopped: 07-27-2009 (0.75 oz. Cascade added to primary after most primary fermentation done.)
Racked: 07-30-2009
Kegged: 0?-??-2009

OG=1.051@72F
FG=1.0XX@YYF

ABV=%

Brew #110: Spiced Holiday Ale

2009-08-04T15:56:00.002-07:00

It's time to get this one going so that the spices can tone down a bit and smooth out by the time the holidays are upon us. I think most of the times before I dumped all spices and trub into the primary to let the flavor really get into the beer. This time, I ran it all through the strainer. I'm sure that the strainer will catch the ginger and cloves and maybe the nutmeg and cinnamon would get through. Fine by me as I don't really like the clove flavor that much.

Brewed: 07-22-2009
Racked: 07-30-2009
Kegged: 0?-??-2009

OG=1.050@72F
FG=1.0XX@YYF

ABV=%

Brew #109: Czech Pilsner #2

2009-08-04T15:56:00.001-07:00

Batch #106 was modeled after a recipe that I made over ten years ago. It used Galena hops for bittering weighing in at 13% Alpha Acid. I may actually get better hop utilization these days because I do late additions for lighter colored brews like this one. Only after I tasted that one from the keg did I get the way too bitter flavor and went to my Beer Tools Pro program to work out the recipe. A Bohemian Pilsner should run in the 35-45 IBUs and mine hit 54. This batch is intentionally under-bittered to be able to blend that batch into something drinkable. I am targetting 22-24 IBUs. When I blend, I can make one batch a touch more bitter and the other will be a touch more sweet.

I made a quick starter of a Kolsch Ale yeast (because I don't lager and that yeast is rather clean finishing) - that is, the starter was made just before I started to get the water going for the brew. This starter only gets 4-5 hours to get going before it will be dumped into the wort.

I'm also toying with water chemistry a touch. 15 ltrs R/O water mixed with 9 ltrs filtered Austin water treated with 1/4 campden tablet to remove chloramines. Take 12 ltrs to steep and add 1/2 tsp Calcium Chloride and 1/2 tsp Phosphoric Acid to this steeping water only.

Recipe:

4.5 lb Bohemian Pilsner Malt
0.25 lb Cara-Pils Malt
0.25 lb Caramunich Malt
5.0 lb Extra Pale Extract

1.1 oz Saaz @ 60 mins
0.5 oz Saaz @ 15 mins
0.8 oz Saaz @ 5 mins

White Labs WLP029 German Ale/Kolsch yeast

The packet of hops were US Saaz reporting 5.8% AA.

I've blended the two batches at 60/40 and 40/60 and have trouble deciding which I like better. The more bitter one has more of the "bite" that I like from Pilsner Urquell. The other is a bit more malty and seems clearer too.

Brewed: 06-08-2009
Racked: 06-15-2009
Kegged: 07-16-2009

OG=1.054@70F
FG=1.014@72F

ABV=5.24%

Brew #108: Hoppy Red Ale

2009-08-04T15:55:00.000-07:00

The Austin Zealots Inquisition is coming up and this year's special category is the "Nectar of the Beast" where you have to have three items with 6's in them. This one has 6 malts, and OG of 1.067, and uses White Labs WLP862 yeast (Papazian's Cry Havoc Strain). Amarillo, Nugget, and Challenger hops with Nugget and Challenger dry hop.

Brewed: 05-27-2009
Racked: 06-08-2009
Kegged: 07-08-2009

OG=1.067@71F
FG=1.018@72F

ABV=6.419%

20090804 - Time to catch up

2009-08-04T08:19:00.001-07:00

I've not posted anything lately. It just means I've been having fun brewing and drinking the beer instead of writing about it. I did get to attend the National Homebrewer's Conference in Oakland. Many good beers, lots of things learned. I think the most worthwhile one for me was a session on cleaning and sanitizing. It's a subject that I needed to learn more about.

I've had a run of three batches that didn't turn out as expected. First, an Abita TurboDog clone came out with a touch of green-apple-y flavor. I've decided to try to save it by taking that sourness and boosting it to lambic-ness. I've dumped in tart cherries and we'll see what that does. Next, I had a Kolsch that got phenolics in it - the antiseptic or plastic flavor. I *know* it can't be from chloramines or chlorine. I took a mix of R/O and filtered water and treated it with potassium metabisulphate. My phenolics must have been produced by the fermentation. Instead of the normal fermentation in the 72-74F closet, I tried controlling the temp by sticking the fermenter in a water bath and throwing in ice every so often. I did achieve lower temps but the variance went from 65F to 70F. Last, my friend Dave brought over a Flander's Brown recipe for us to brew together. This one got green-apple-y again and I suspect that I used the same secondary as the TurboDog. Well, green apple indicates acetaldehyde which is a precursor to ethanol - the yeast didn't finish before I racked away. This one got a new starter of yeast back into it to see if they could fix the problem.

I have had some successes though. I've mixed a too-bitter Czech Pilsner with a too-sweet one to come up with my 6040 and 4060 Czech Pilsners. One is a touch more bitter and the other is a touch more sweet/malty. I go back and forth on which I like better.

I've brewed my Holiday Spiced ale in prep for the Halloween/holiday season. The house smells like gingerbread for a few days. I really have to say that PBW works wonders. I soaked the primary for a bit and it come out spotless with no other scrubbing. (Yes, you shouldn't scrub your plastic buckets, but I've been scrubbing them long before I knew better. I'll just keep scrubbing until I replace the buckets.)

On the cleaning side, I've been working through the entire list of equipment with a PBW soak, a rinse-rinse-rinse, and a sanitize. I should be able to kill off anything wild and get down to producing the clean beers like normal.

Austin Zealot Inquisition picnic is coming up on Saturday Aug. 8. Woohoo!!!

Brew #107: Bohemian Kolsch

2009-06-03T14:01:00.002-07:00

I won Bohemian Pilsner grain in the raffle at the Bluebonnet. Why not replace any German Pilsner malt with Bohemian Pilsner malt in a Kolsch recipe and see what happens. I also get to use the yeastcake from the previous brew.

Brewed: 05-07-2009
Racked: 05-19-2009
Kegged: 0?-??-2009

OG=1.040@67F
FG=1.0XX@YYF

ABV=%

Brew #106: Czech Pilsner

2009-06-03T14:01:00.001-07:00

My batch #5 was one of the brews I remember as the best. I rather enjoy Pilsner Urquell and that brew did rather well. Since that time, AHS has been modifying the recipe to make the mini-mash version and keep up with the extracts that they get. I went back to that original recipe for the hops and specialty grains though. I also added 1 tsp. of Calcium Chloride to accentuate the malt and used the Kolsch Ale yeast like I had way back in 1998. I'm still fermenting in the same closet.

Brewed: 04-26-2009
Racked: 05-07-2009
Kegged: 0?-??-2009

OG=1.049@71F
FG=1.0XX@YYF

ABV=%

Brew #105: Centurion Blonde #2

2009-06-03T13:52:00.001-07:00

I wanted more honey malt to show through in the first attempt and less of the bitter. Here's the recipe for this attempt:

1.5 lb Honey Malt
0.5 lb Flaked Wheat
1.5 lb Pilsener Lager Malt
.25 lb 2-row CaraPils Malt
3.0 lb Extra Light DME (to keep the color as light as possible)
0.5 oz Amarillo - 30 min.
0.5 oz Amarillo - 15 min. + 1 Whirlfloc tablet + 5 tsps Yeast Nutrient
0.5 oz Sorachi Ace - at flameout (0 mins.)
0.5 oz Sorachi Ace - Dry Hopped

Got low on the O.G. and the maltiness and sweetness is coming through. The balance is off however. I liked Centurion Blonde #1 better. It's still a good drinkable beer. Still need to work out what is unbalanced.

Now that it's been a while, the beer is growing on me. It's got more mouthfeel, the color is more at pale ale, nice and quaffable. The first version had a lighter feel, but more bitterness. Mouthfeel may be specifically linked to the Carapils. So I've got to figure out if I like the base as a Blonde or let the beer go more at Pale Ale. So maybe do the same thing again but drop the CaraPils from the recipe.

Brewed: 04-16-2009
Hopped: 04-21-2009 (hop addition into primary after initial fermentation was complete)
Racked: 04-24-2009
Kegged: 05-12-2009

OG=1.040@69F
FG=1.013@72F

ABV=3.537%

Brew #104: Summer Saison Belgian Ale

2009-06-03T13:51:00.000-07:00

I've made this a few times. The lemon zest hits first and then you get the bready/yeasty Belgian type flavor to finish. It is a good summer beer as the lemon makes it refreshing. Here's the first beer I make with water conditioned with a campden tablet to rid the water of any chloramines. Kegged straight from primary.

Brewed: 03-18-2009
Kegged: 05-08-2009

OG=1.063@67F
FG=1.014@69F

ABV=6.419%

Brew #103: Vroom-Vroom TurboKitty Renamed TLA #4

2009-06-03T12:38:00.000-07:00

Abita Turbo Dog. Nice brew to mimic. Only I have no dogs and twin turbos in my car so I have my own name for the clone. :) Sadly, I've gotten something wild in this one. Has a green apple taste that is mellow and not too bad, but the beer rates "OK if desparate". I get to drink this and think about what went wrong. Or, I get to drink this and think about what might make it drinkable. First thought is to try to get fruit and sour going and turn it into a lambic. It may be that I left it in the primary three weeks and racked straight into a keg. Or it may be that some gunk on my filter lines got a hold here. (I've gotten to the filter line since then)

Brewed: 03-17-2009
Kegged: 04-09-2009

OG=1.045@67F
FG=1.014@69F

ABV=4.061%

Brew #102: Illegitimate Pride

2009-06-03T12:37:00.000-07:00

My second go at an Arrogant Bastard clone. The first one got me my first ribbon. Yay! And it was dead on with the hop profile. My version was sweeter than the one in bottles, so I still had sugars where the professionals get theirs down further. The other fun thing is that it uses the same yeast as the Vanguard Red (brew #101) and so I threw this on that same yeast cake. BOOM! Within 8 hours, it blew the top on the fermenter and "painted" my beer closet. What fun to go and wipe down the walls, door, ceiling of the closet and then wipe down all the other equipment in the closet too.

I've had a taste of this, and it's still sweet so I'm letting it sit in the keg for a while more before I put it in the kegerator. Let it finish out more.

Brewed: 02-02-2009
Racked: 02-20-2009
Kegged: 05-12-2009

OG=1.075@66F
FG=1.0??@??F

ABV=%

Brew #101: Vanguard Red

2009-01-28T21:36:00.000-08:00

Revisit a nice brew with nothing over the top. Let's see if mixing Reverse Osmosis water with the filtered makes a difference. This batch also marks my first try at a starter. It's been cool lately where my kitchen may be at 66-68F. The airlock is showing activity by the next morning even at this cool of a temp.

This brew got a score of 32.5/50 at the Bluebonnet Brewoff. BJCP Amber Ale style. I think it is a good one for those people not into huge flavor. It is rather mellow as homebrews go, but that makes it a good drinkable beer.

At the beginning of June 2009, I've only got 7 bottles left. Might be enough to enter in the Lubbock contest and maybe Cerveza Fest in San Antonio.

Brewed: 01-27-2009
Racked: 02-02-2009
Kegged: 02-20-2009

OG=1.050@67F
FG=1.012@68F

ABV=4.978%

Brew #100: Honey Lemon Blonde

2009-01-18T22:54:00.000-08:00

For batch number 100, I'm using Beer Tools Pro to formulate my own recipe. The hope is to get honey-type flavors from Honey Malt and some lemony tartness from Sorachi Ace hops and blend them into a pleasantly quaffable brew. I based the recipe on a blonde ale and tweaked it from there. I've added 1/2 oz. Sorachi Ace at the last 5 minutes and will dry hop with the other 1/2 oz. Bittering and flavoring used 1/2 oz. of Amarillo for each. I'm anxious to see how this will turn out. It could be real good or could be off the mark.

The taste was pleasant at racking but no lemony tones yet.

At kegging, the lemon took over. It's tart almost at sour only from the half ounce dry hop. But this is still the taste warm and flat. If it continues, I'd want a bit more sweetness to shine through to balance the tang of the lemon.

This was a brew that didn't match my design, but was quite pleasant. It was hoppy like a pale ale, but .... different. The Sorachi Ace dry hop tended to give lemony, tangerine, but also a slight grassy flavor. So lemongrass. It worked. I do intend to do this again.

Actual Recipe:

1.0 lb Honey Malt
0.5 lb Flaked Wheat
2.0 lb Pilsener Lager Malt
5.0 lb Extra Light LME
0.5 oz Amarillo - 60 min.
0.5 oz Amarillo - 15 min. + 1 Whirlfloc tablet + 5 tsps Yeast Nutrient
0.5 oz Sorachi Ace - 5 mins.
0.5 oz Sorachi Ace - Dry Hopped

Took 1/2 RO water and 1/2 filtered Austin water and added 1/4 tsp Epsom Salt (just to see), 1-2 drops phosphoric acid to adjust pH. Added one drop olive oil as I pitched yeast. I do a late addition for the LME where I take the pot off the burner with 15 mins left of the boil, stop the timer, add in the LME, bring it back up to boiling, add the flavoring hops, and continue the timer for the last 15 mins. Supposed to keep scorching or caramelizing down. I am still doing partial boils on my stove.

This brew ranked a 36/50 in the Bluebonnet Brewoff and made it to the second round as a Specialty Beer, since it is an overhopped Blonde.

Brewed: 01-14-2009
Racked: 01-22-2009 (w/ 0.5 oz. Sorachi Ace dry hop)
Kegged: 01-27-2009

OG=1.052@65F
FG=1.014@66F

ABV=4.978%

Brew #99: Ahtanum Pale Ale

2009-01-18T22:53:00.000-08:00

My last hoppy beer is finished so I must have a replacement...

Normally, I would rack off of the hops into another carboy. THis time I used a patch of a green scrubbie to act as a filter and keep hop matter from going through the racking cane and tube. Mighty tasty!!!

Will this be ready for a Superbowl party?

Brewed: 01-09-2009
Racked: 01-17-2009 (w/ 1 oz. Ahtanum)
Kegged: 01-27-2009

OG=1.046@69F
FG=1.012@66F

ABV=4.454%

20090115: Root Beer!

2009-01-18T22:47:00.000-08:00

I have my sepcial keg for holding my homemade root beer. I call it home made, but is really easy when you take some extract that is already made and add it to 4 gals water with 8 cups sugar. My tweak is that I buy the Root Beer Extract and the Birch Root Beer extract and mix them half and half. For this round I took 17.5 quarts RO water, 2 cups light brown sugar, 6 cups white sugar, and the extract. All the water was boiled at least 15 minutes to try to drive any oxygen out and to make sure that the sugars got dissolved properly. Slap that into the kegerator and force carbonate to about 2.5 volumes.

When it was boiled, you could really smell the birch extract. That stuff is the "ZING!" flavor that Barq's has. It mellowed nicely in the keg though - YUMMY!

Brew #98: Whiskey Oaked Porter

2009-01-18T22:46:00.000-08:00

I'm revisiting a porter with oak chips again and this time I'm adding a bit of whiskey to the mix. I've soaked the oak chips in Maker's Mark for 2 1/2 weeks before adding it into the primary after the yeast had already settled down. Only the chips were added but I'm saving the whiskey to possibly add at kegging to flavor to taste.

34.5/50 at Bluebonnet Brewoff.

Somewhere in there I thought the whiskey flavor had tailed off. I added 300ml at kegging originally, so I doubled that and added 600ml. Shortly after, I saw the condensation line at about halfway down the keg. It meant I added double the whiskey to half the batch - 4 times the original addition. It took a bit for the whiskey to come down, but it was very well received at a band practice night in March.

Brewed: 01-03-2009 (Whiskey soaked oak chips added 01-10-2009)
Racked: 01-17-2009
Kegged: 01-22-2009

OG=1.063@68F
FG=1.014@67F

ABV=6.419%

Brew #97: Double Chocolate Stout w/Raspberry

2009-01-18T22:32:00.001-08:00

My award winning Double Chocolate Stout w/Raspberry (named Midnight Chocolate Bar Stout) is down to less than a gallon left and here is the replacement. It should be ready for entry to the Bluebonnet, and I'll take the remainder and charge it on the beergas to serve at the contest's Club night.

Recipe (5 gals):

3/4 lb. Chocolate Wheat
1/8 lb. Roasted Barley
1/4 lb. Crystal 40L
1/8 lb. Black Patent
2 1/2 lb. Maris Otter Pale Malt
1/2 lb. Maltodextrin
5 lb. Liquid Dark Extract

1 oz. Galena (bittering hops for full 60 minute boil)

3.5 oz. Lindt 70% cacao chocolate bar (added in last 5 minutes of boil).

4 oz. Raspberry extract (added at kegging)

When doing primary fermentation, the oils in the chocolate will get bubbled by the krausen and make a "butter" on the top. When you go to rack, take a sanitized slotted spoon and try to scoop out this "butter" as best you can. You will likely get some at the top of your secondary, but you will try to leave it behind by the time you get it into the keg. Those oils could kill the head retention. Add 4 oz. raspberry extract at kegging for the raspberry version or 400 ml Amaretto for my Marzipan Stout.

Brewed: 12-17-2008
Racked: 01-03-2009
Kegged: 01-27-2008

OG=1.055@69F
FG=1.020@66F (I bet the chocolate is throwing this measurement off)

ABV=4.585%

Time to get caught up.

2009-01-18T22:04:00.000-08:00

My last post stated my shock at not having brewed for almost 6 months. The nice thing about the rate of my brews previous to that are that I am only now drinking down those brews. I had room for some root beer again and room for the partial keg of Black Star Coop's Moontower that I sponsored. Imperial Stout - very nice!!

Now it's time to catch up my blog to the last four brews.

20081114: Egads!

2008-11-14T12:31:00.000-08:00

I haven't brewed since the end of July. EGADS! I've already got my next two recipes that are sitting around waiting for me to get busy again.

Since the last brew, I've gotten the feedback from the Austin Zealot's Inquisition, the Alamo City Cerveza Fest, and the Dixie Cup in Houston. I entered various beers in each contest. I'm at least hitting a consistent "good" rating. But good doesn't win me ribbons. There are a few of the comments on the judged beers that keep coming back: fermentation temperature control and water quality. Some beers may have sanitation issues in bottling. I'm about ready to tackle those two items. First, I need to get rid of my second vehicle, a '72 Ford Bronco. I could just kick it out of the garage and put a cover on it. Then I can get a few more chest freezers with temperature controllers and go to town. I'd want one for fermentation, another for lagering, and maybe a third for storing bottled beers and kegs that are waiting for room in the kegerator.

It's about time to get my kegerator worked up with a collar and put the taps for the kegs on the outside. First things first though.

Since my double chocolate beers are pretty damn good the way they are, I should brew that one next. It will be brew #97. I'm just wanting brew #100 to be special somehow. Closing in on it soon.

Enough meanderings...

20080811: Finally caught up

2008-08-11T08:32:00.000-07:00

I've finally caught up my brewing notes for the batches in the pipeline. I'm quickly coming up on batch number 100. I want to do something special but I'm not sure what. I may venture out into making my own recipe from scratch. I need only read up on the malts, pick the ones that sound interesting and try to balance them out enough to make a beer. It may mean I have a batch that isn't worth drinking. I don't like that thought. Instead, I'll likely pick a favorite batch or something with a very high gravity.

A weekend ago (on the 2nd), I went on Lee Nichol's #3 Bus Pub Crawl. Go to his blog for his take on it ( http://i-love-beer.blogspot.com/ ). My video link of the crawl is on the right. Fun stuff!

This past weekend, the Austin Zealots had the yearly picnic out at Emma Long Park. Consensus was that we had 29-30 corny kegs. Two of them floated the night before with all the campers. I know a number floated on the day of the picnic. I was trying to get to all the flavors, but only got to about 18 or 19. A few that I went to try later on were just spewing gas. I've also heard that whatever beer stayed with the campers on Saturday night didn't make it until morning. I took a few pictures and shot a little video. I'll have to see if it is worth cutting to one that I'd post to YouTube. One thing I noted: we had a table full of food, and the kegs at/around another table. There were two people getting food but 14 getting beer. Yup, I'll have to agree that Austin is one of the hardest drinking cities in the USA.

Time to toot my own horn. I had 9 entries in the Zealot's Inquisition and I won a first place for my Raspberry Double Chocolate Stout. Woohoo! While I'd like to win a few more ribbons or medals, the immediate goal is to try to get feedback on all the brews and see if there is a consistent item or two. It will point to some flaw in the process. If I can fix the flaw(s), I'll start nailing the beers and getting the accolades to stroke my ego, etc. Instead, I'll just drink my mistakes. They are still good beers.

Some fun from the Inquisition though, there are a bunch of beers that weren't needed by the judging and so I'll be able to get these three cases of unopened beers and serve them in the HomeBrewer's Corner at the Black Star Social this coming Saturday. It means that we'll have more beer to serve and we will likely last past 8:45pm this time and we don't waste any of the entries.

Brew #96: Spiced Holiday Ale

2008-08-11T08:31:00.002-07:00

Now is the time to get this underway so that by the end of October it has aged enough to be less of a spice-bomb. Aging mellows the spices and makes it smoother.

Brewed: 07-28-2008
Racked: 08-08-2008
Kegged: 10-05-2008

OG=1.052@77F
FG=1.012@74F

ABV=5.24%

Brew #95: Pilsner EDquell

2008-08-11T08:31:00.001-07:00

Pilsner Urquell is one of my favorite brews. I may have to work out something different though. This recipe calls for five and a half ounces of hops. At today's prices, this brew is $50 for a 5 gallon batch. Still, if it comes out right, it will be worth it.

Brewed: 07-20-2008
Racked: 07-29-2008
Kegged: 0?-??-2008

OG=1.045@74F
FG=1.009@74F

ABV=4.716%

Brew #94: Belgian White

2008-08-11T08:30:00.001-07:00

Belgian White Ales are strange how they hit the front of your mouth instead of the back. The orange gives it a tangy citrus flavor.
This beer was strange in how long the krausen stayed on the beer. I racked it straight to keg after three weeks when the krausen finally went down. Since this style has a bit of flaked wheat, there may be excess proteins that kept the krausen around longer.
Kegged and waiting room in the kegerator.

Brewed: 07-15-2008
Kegged: 08-05-2008

OG=1.050@75F
FG=1.010@74F

ABV=5.24%

Brew #93: Extra Simcoe Bitter

2008-08-11T08:29:00.000-07:00

The original Simcoe bitter that I made rested in secondary for a week before I added the Simcoe to dry hop. I got some really Fruit Loopy aroma off of that one and I want it again. I'll have to see if that makes a difference at all.

Brewed: 07-07-2008
Racked: 07-11-2008
Hops added on 07-19-2008
Racked: 07-29-2008
Kegged: 08-05-2008

OG=1.054@68F
FG=1.012@76F

ABV=5.502%

Brew #92: Hoppy Red Ale

2008-08-11T08:28:00.000-07:00

Austin Homebrew had a list of featured recipes. This one caught my eye. It's got Amarillo for bittering and aroma. Challenger and Nugget hops for flavoring and dry-hopping.
I had a taste when I transferred it off of the dry hops. Pretty tasty. It's in a keg now awaiting room in the kegerator.

Brewed: 06-26-2008
Racked: 07-08-2008 (w/ 1/2 oz. Challenger & 1/2 oz. Nugget)
Racked: 07-29-2008
Kegged: 08-05-2008

OG=1.070@74F
FG=1.014@74F

ABV=7.336%

Brew #91: Kolsch

2008-07-27T10:11:00.000-07:00

It's hot in Austin, TX in the summertime. Time for some easy drinking beers to help refresh. A Kolsch should be a nice mellow session beer.

Brewed: 06-18-2008
Racked: 06-29-2008
Kegged: 07-24-2008

OG=1.049@72F
FG=1.012@73F

ABV=4.847%

Brew #90: Ayinger Maibock

2008-07-27T10:10:00.000-07:00

I've been on a malt kick recently. Bocks, Doppelbocks, Oktoberfests - anything a bit more malty. I really liked the Hofbrau Maibock, but I also like Ayinger's beers. Time for and Ayinger Maibock clone. The original recipe called for Hersbrucker and I had to substitute Mt. Hood. I went straight to keg out of the primary and thought it was still too sweet. I let it sit in the keg in the beer closet for an extra month to dry out a bit more.

Brewed: 06-13-2008
Kegged: 06-26-2008
Kegeratered: 07-21-2008

OG=1.069@77F
FG=1.018@75F

ABV=6.681%

20080524: Rack it, Baby!!!

2008-05-24T14:40:00.001-07:00

It started late at night or early in the morning, whichever you prefer. I racked a Chocolate Stout into a keg, then the next Chocolate Stout from primary to secondary. Next, I racked a Porter into a freshly reconditioned keg. I found out that the gas fitting was leaking but luckily I had a spare one. Then I moved onto getting my Prince of Orange racked off of the Summit hops and ended with racking a Cream Ale from primary to secondary. Five racks in one night.

The two kegs are still sitting in the closet because there isn't any room in the kegerator at the moment. I haven't even checked the final gravities on them because all my picnic taps are in use. The Prince of Orange Pale and the Cream Ale are really ready to keg as well. I know that up to three of my kegs in the kegerator are getting down to where I only need to bottle a few and the keg is empty.

Meanwhile, I've still got bottles stacked in the kitchen for a cleaning and then switching to Star-San as the sanitizer. I should run the Star-San through my counter-pressure filler pretty soon. I'm thinking I have less than 6 bottles of my TurboKitty, 1.5 gals of my Red, 2 gals of my Extra Simcoe Bitter.

I moved my Psychedelic Monk in the kegerator but haven't started the force carbonation yet. At least its cold already.

I'm going to have to brew something this weekend. Just don't know what yet. I'm on a Bock kick lately, so I'm leaning towards a Maibock this time.

Brew #88: Cream Ale

2008-05-06T07:48:00.000-07:00

I'm just making this one to have another type of beer to push with my beergas. Cream ales aren't the ones that I drink all that often. Still, summertime gets hot and a cream ale might be a nice change from the Chocolate Stout.

Egads! This one sat in the primary for a month. This is the problem when the pipeline gets full.

Nice and creamy - and this is before I put it on the beergas. I bought the 30' of beer line and another restrictor faucet but haven't yet put those together. At this rate, I may be done with the beer before it gets the nitrogen treatment.

Brewed: 04-25-2008
Racked: 05-24-2008
Kegged: 06-29-2008

OG=1.051@74F
And another one without the final reading.

Brew #87: White Oak Porter

2008-05-06T07:44:00.000-07:00

This is batch #3 of the White Oak Porter. Batch #1 was a very good drinking beer. Batch #2 was a lesson that you don't get lazy and leave it sitting on the wood for 6 weeks. It tastes like wood! On this one I'll target two to two and a half weeks. Using French Oak because I've been told it gives a stronger vanilla profile and tastes a bit smoother.

I stole a taste at the two week mark and didn't have enough of the flavors that I wanted, so I let it go longer. It went 3 1/2 weeks. I was getting a nice promising aroma. My production line is a bit behind though. I need to get some kegs empty and swap the picnic taps so I can taste and measure final gravity too.

I have my one older tap with a short hose. I got to taste this one. Yummy! Very smooth. I'm thinking the French Oak is the way to go. I'm surprised how high the FG is. It would normally finish lower. Perhaps the oak adds to the density.

Brewed: 04-21-2008
Racked: 04-29-2008 (w/ 2.5 oz. French Oak cubes)
Kegged: 05-24-2008

OG=1.051@72F
FG=1.018@74F

ABV=5.109%

Brew #86: Prince of Orange Pale

2008-05-06T07:42:00.000-07:00

Here I get an APA or IPA out of an English Pale Ale. I dry hop it with 1/2 ounce of Summit. Any of the orange profile is from those hops. This is my second batch to use up the other 1/2 ounce of Summit and because the first batch tasted so good.

I had to substitute Glacier for the Fuggle that the recipe calls for. Yay for the Bluebonnet Brew-Off and winning lots of Glacier in the raffle!

As I racked this off of the dry-hops, I took a taste. I'm not getting as potent an orange flavor. It's still a nice bitter though. Perhaps the aromas and flavors will pronounce more when cold and carbonated.

This one was kegged two days before a party and quick carbonated. It was a very refreshing in the 98+ degree heat and we went through 3 gals. I've been able to draw a few bottles off for entry into the ZEALOTS Inquisition, the Cerveza Fest in San Antonio and perhaps the last three will make it to the Dixie Cup in October.

Brewed: 04-08-2008
Racked: 04-25-2008 (w/0.5 oz. Summit)
Racked: 05-24-2008
Kegged: 06-29-2008

OG=1.051@72F
FG=1.0??@??F Doh! Didn't take a final gravity reading.

ABV=%

Brew #85: Extra Simcoe Bitter

2008-05-06T07:40:00.000-07:00

Take an ESB, dry hop it with Simcoe for a week. The first time I made it I got an aroma that was Fruit Loops. Trying for that again.

I took a taste just a couple days ago and the aroma wasn't quite the Fruit Loops but it was pleasant and the taste was great. Can't wait to get some room and get it in the kegerator!

I've been reminded of pineapple in the aroma. Other people have said Tooty-Fruity gum. It's a fun one to smell and taste.

Brewed: 03-18-2008
Racked: 04-04-2008 (w/1 oz. Simcoe)
Racked: 04-10-2008
Kegged: 05-09-2008

OG=1.051@72F
FG=1.010@72F

ABV=5.731%

Brew #84: Double Chocolate Stout

2008-05-06T07:39:00.000-07:00

Start with AHS's Double Chocolate Stout mini-mash extract kit, add 3/4 bar of Scharffenberger 82% and 3/4 bar of the 41% at the last 5 minutes of the boil. Scoop off the "butter" at the end of primary fermentation. Add 4 oz. Raspberry Extract at kegging. Carbonate just a little, then put it on the beergas. Great stuff. Here, I took the Chocolate Wheat malt. It gives just a bit extra body.

I will be bottling a bit of this on CO2 before I switch over to beergas. I need a few bottles that I can use to enter into the Zealot's Inquisition.

Brewed: 03-25-2008
Racked: 04-04-2008
Kegged: 05-24-2008

OG=1.061@70F
FG=1.010@74F

ABV=6.681%

20080501: May Day

2008-05-01T23:28:00.001-07:00

Just a time to note I haven't kept up all the beer events in a while. I've attended the Bluebonnet and come away with no ribbons and no stein. But I think I got famous for my chocolate raspberry chocolate stout served on beergas. It is the fun stuff that keeps me stoked about homebrewing and beer in general. Since then, I've brewed five more batches, attended a couple more Black Star socials, and attended a Dogfish Head thing at the Alamo Drafthouse. 12 Dogfish Head beers paired with cheese. Yum! I especially liked a peppercorn cheese.

Today, Debbie and I tasted her Grapefruit Hefeweizen. Not enough grapefruit yet. I also took a taste of my next batch of Extra Simcoe Bitter. It's an ESB that had 1 ounce of Simcoe as a dry hop. If I do it right, the nose will be Fruit Loops. Great taste to it no matter what the nose turns out like.

I racked a Belgian Summer Saison to keg over the week. I've substituted hops on the recipe and there seems to be a bit of zing where it was normally smooth. I also put my Psychedelic Monk into a keg. I started at 1.098 and was at 1.018. The target was to finish out at 1.014. It's a bit sweet, but at 10.48% ABV already, I don't know if the yeast will do much. I'll wait another month or two. Time will only help smooth this one out.

Now is when I'm getting ready to bring beer to a few events. I have a co-worker going to Denver and he's got a bye bye party. I think I'll bring 10-15 gallons to that. He's expecting 50 people and that would hold a good chance of drinking everything I bring.

Meanwhile, I caught a screening of Ironman tonight. Kick-ass. Enjoyed a Saison Dupont while watching. I love the Alamo Drafthouse.

BTW - Cookies!

20080319: Double Rack Night

2008-03-19T22:37:00.000-07:00

TurboKitty and Double Chocolate into kegs. Only room for one keg in the fridge, but I moved the keg with the Vanguard Red and that thing is so light I doubt that there is a growler left. I'm going to go try to get a growler worth out and drink the rest once I get done typing. It will make room for the Midnight Chocolate Bar Stout. I should be able to get both carbonated for the Black Star social this weekend. I'll bring 4-5 growlers of beer to it and man the Homebrewer's Corner again. I'll have to pick another keg of beer to bring to the Bluebonnet in a week and a couple days. I promised to bring the Red, but it's done and its replacement was just brewed last night.

Chocolate Stout is tasting nice! Raspberries are a bit zingy right now, but that will smooth out in a week or two. This should be nicely charged on beergas for the Bluebonnet too.

Cookies!

Brew #83: Vanguard Red Ale

2008-03-19T09:06:00.001-07:00

This is AHS's American Red Ale recipe with Vanguard hops instead of the original Cascade. On this last attempt, they've substituted Amarillo on the recipe, but I'm trying to recreate my earlier Red. This is one that is very popular with folks that aren't hop-heads.

Brewed: 03-18-2008
Racked: 03-26-2008
Kegged: 04-11-2008

OG=1.051@72F
FG=1.014@73F

ABV=4.847%

Brew #82: Belgian Summer Saison

2008-03-19T09:05:00.000-07:00

It's March in Texas. It's very nearly summertime. Time to get a nice recipe for drinking. The lemon zest grabs your taste buds first, giving a nice refreshing flavor. Then you get the body and ale yeast finish. The recipe calls for 2 ounces of Hallertau and I normally like Hersbrucker instead. Yes, Hersbrucker is a Hallertau cousin. Both of those hops weren't around so I'm trying Vanguard. I added one ounce at the beginning of the boil and the second ounce 15 minutes into the boil. I grind the seeds of paradise rather than crushing them.

I think the Vanguard hops give this one a touch of a zing. I really like the Hersbrucker with this recipe. They just seem smoother.

Brewed: 03-05-2008
Racked: 03-12-2008
Kegged: 04-25-2008

OG=1.067@69F
FG=1.008@75F

ABV=7.729%

Root Beer!

2008-03-19T08:37:00.000-07:00

I make my own root beer too! It's the easiest thing. AHS has two types of root beer extracts, one is normal root beer extract and one is a birch root beer extract. That birch one has that ZING!, that bite you taste in Barq's. I mix the two extracts half and half.

Recipe:
one bottle of extract (half root beer, half birch root beer)
3 cups turbinado cane sugar
3 1/2 cups sugar
15 qts water

bring 5 qts to boil, add sugars to ensure that they dissolve well. Cool it down. Add extract, sugar water, and the rest of the water into a keg. Purge the airspace with CO2. Refridgerate and force carbonate. Bingo! Root beer.

My usual sugar recipe was 2 cups brown sugar, and 5 1/2 cups sugar. It had a creamy quality. This is my first try with the turbinado sugar. Still pretty good.

Brew #81: Vroom Vroom TurboKitty

2008-02-28T07:52:00.000-08:00

My Turbodog clone was a hit. Enough so that it is all gone. I don't have a dog, but I do have a kittycat and so I came up with my name. Here's a second batch to make a few of my friends happy. This time, I'm going to have to buy a bottle or two of the real Turbodog, just to see how close this comes.

Whee! More TurboKitty!

Brewed: 02-24-2008
Racked: 03-12-2008
Kegged: 03-19-2008

OG=1.046@72F
FG=1.014@??F

ABV=4.192%

Brew #80: Double Chocolate Stout

2008-02-28T07:51:00.000-08:00

In previous brews of this Double Chocolate Stout, I would melt chocolate and add it only at the time I would keg the beer. I always had to deal with a bit of oils that killed the head real quick. After drinking a gallon or two and perhaps sitting for a bit in the kegerator, the pours start coming out with better head.

This batch has the chocolate added 5 minutes before flameout. Since I expect some loss due to the chocolate settling out, I put in 3/4 bar of 82% Scharfenberger and 3/4 bar of 41% Scharfenberger. With the chocolate in the wort already, it meant that all the equipment got an extra good cleaning to clear all the oils that stuck to everything. I skimmed the top of the wort before putting the beer into the primary, hoping to rid myself of more oils. This is still in primary almost two weeks later. There seems to be a foam at the top. It may be that more oils have gone to the top. I'll rack it by two weeks and a day regardless.

There was a thick "butter" at the top. Normally, when a beer still has foam at the top, I leave it sitting in the fermenter a bit more. This one threw me off. I am thinking that the stuff at the top was cocoa butter or the fat content of the chocolate bars that I melt into the brew. I spooned that stuff off then racked the beer. The trub at the bottom of the bucket makes me think that the chocolate is all settled out of the beer. I'll have to see how it tastes when I get it on beer gas.

The next version of this stout may use the actual roasted cacao beans. This is what Rob over at Independence was doing with a porter. Go straight for the source of the chocolate flavor. Someday, I'm also going to use real raspberries instead of the extract.

Kegged on 3-19 and the F.G. is a bit higher than normal. I am wondering if the ABV is actually higher and the extra specific gravity comes from chocolate in the beer. Tastes rather nice whatever the case.

Brewed: 02-17-2008
Racked: 03-12-2008
Kegged: 03-19-2008

OG=1.057@70F
FG=1.020@66F

ABV=4.847%

Black Star: I finally attended a Social

2008-02-17T09:20:00.000-08:00

I joined the Black Star Co-op months ago, but online. I knew I was going to join for about a year but I just never made any of the socials. I was perusing their website and they had Pay with PayPal. Well, I had a PayPal account so a few minutes later I was done.

I heard that they had a homebrewer's corner starting on this social. I'm all about getting rid of some of my beer. I brought four growlers but only served three. I served Vroom-Vroom TurboKitty (an Abita Turbodog clone), my Spiced Holiday Ale, and my Bavarian Doppelbock. I had a growler of my Bohemian Red along, but this beer is a rarity. I might not be able to make it for a year or so. I want to savor it properly. I think that the Saaz Sladek was still in supply. I may try to use it all through and see how it comes out.

I had some of the Black Star Vulcan. It's made with rye. Nice flavor.

Brew #79: Psychedelic Monk

2008-02-17T09:17:00.000-08:00

This is my name for the Delirium Tremens clone AHS recipe. I had one that hit, one that missed and I'm trying to recreate the greatness of the one that hit. Things are changing a bit though. The hop shortage meant that I substituted Fuggle for the Styrian Goldings and I used Saaz Sladek rather than the Trschitz type. That may add a touch more bitterness. AHS was also out of extra pale extract. Instead of the 8 lbs. of liquid malt extract, I took 7 lbs. of dry malt extract (DME). I have been using late addition for any of the lighter colored brews and I tried with this one too. I put 2 lbs. of the DME in with the 1 1/2 lbs. clear candi at the start and added the last 5 lbs. of DME after the boil. The DME is interesting to get stirred in correctly. I had lumps to work down. In the end I had a wort with an O.G. of 1.098 - much more than the 1.085 the recipe expects. I did leave this a bit more concentrated in the primary to give more head space. The previous two versions blew the lid a couple times. I set up my blow off tube expecting that the foam would spill through the tube into the bucket. Not so. It did give good bits of bubbles for a couple days, but then settled down. I don't have temp. control in my brew closet, but it has been a bit on the colder side these days. I might expect that the average temp is 67F or 68F. Still reminds me that my next beer project is to get another freezer for temp control on fermentation. Still, checking the beer through the airlock hole, I can see that the foam still completely covers the top. I think the yeasties are still happy and working. I'll have to wait a week, maybe two, until I rack it off to a carboy. I fully expect this one to sit for 3-4 months. I'm wondering if I have to wait longer. This beer has the potential of 13%.

Racked into secondary on the 24th. I measured the S.G. at 1.020. At least I know that the yeast was doing its work. It's already at 10% ABV. The taste had me thinking I've got a good batch. There is an initial sweetness followed by the bread/cheese Belgian Abbey yeast flavor and a clean finish. I like it already!

At kegging after two months in a carboy, the beer was such a beautiful ruby color. The clarity was unbelievable it had to be finished. It only dropped another 2 points in that time. I think the yeast is done. The taste that I had from the gravity sample was a touch too sweet. Since then I've had a taste and I think this may be OK. I may have to blend it into Monkenstein again, but maybe not. I'm leaving this one in a keg but in the closet. Let's see if the yeast might push this a touch more. As high in ABV as this one is, a bit more aging won't hurt.

Brewed: 02-07-2008
Racked: 02-24-2008
Kegged: 04-29-2008

OG=1.098@68F
FG=1.018@70F

ABV=10.48%

20080216 - Musings

2008-02-16T11:44:00.000-08:00

Thursday night, Dave came over and we racked his "Wilson's Winter Warmer" into a keg. That was tasting very nice even warm and flat. It's been in the kegerator a couple days and now its cold. I did one force carbonation shake session, but with a small air space, I know I'm going to have to do it one or two more times. If I take some off for tasting a sample, I'll have that much more air space for the CO2 to go in. :) I told Dave he has to give me 6 bottles worth. I'll take three and enter them in the Bluebonnet Brew-Off. The other three I'll share with the ZEALOTS at the March meeting.

I also got my Ahtanum Pale Ale into a keg that night. Great aroma, great taste. I love this recipe. Thanks JB at Austin Homebrew. I'm resting up a bit before I give this one a shake session today.

Last night, I had enough time to rack my British Pale that I dry-hopped with Summit into another carboy. I stole a taste of this one. I'm hoping for that taste of tangerine or orange that the Summits are supposed to have. It was dry-hopped with ony 1/2 ounce. The flavor reminds me more of Cascades right now. Perhaps it is just that I can make out the citrus flavors but not distinguish them as yet. I may have to wait until it's cold and carbonated before the flavor really comes out.

I also took my Vanguard Red and racked it into a keg. It is a little quicker than my normal process of one week in primary, one month in secondary, and then into keg. The FG is a bit higher than I expected. Many times I come in lower than what the recipe expects. I'm going to leave this out of the fridge for another week or two. Perhaps the yeasties can finish it out a bit more.

I've got even one more keg open because I got impatient. My last version of White Oak Porter was overpoweringly wood flavored. I know that I could blend it or wait on it until that flavor smoothed out or diminished, but I'd rather not wait or work on it. Chalk it up to experience. Dumping a 5 gal batch sears in the lesson: Don't leave a beer on oak for too long (without really planning on it). A Porter doesn't have strong enough flavors to compete with strong oak flavors.

My Psychedelic Monk surprised me when it didn't blow the top off the primary. It didn't even foam up into the blow-off tube that I had set up. I was thinking this might be a stuck fermentation, but I can peek inside through the airlock's hole and see that foam still covers the entire top of the beer. This one I may have to let sit up three to four weeks before transferring to carboy. Even there, I expect to wait 3-4 months before kegging. This has the potential to get to 13%.

I'm rested now, off to shake up my Ahtanum Pale Ale.

20080208 - The tally from last year

2008-02-08T13:17:00.000-08:00

2007 was a pretty gung-ho brewing year for me. I've been brewing quite a bit and also purchasing some new equipment. I was wondering just how much I spent on brewing and brewing equipment. So here's the tally:

01/29/2007 65.53
02/12/2007 36.01
02/20/2007 43.63
03/12/2007 40.69
04/02/2007 73.63
04/16/2007 47.90
04/24/2007 60.97
05/07/2007 251.94
05/11/2007 44.64
06/18/2007 120.06
07/06/2007 94.34
07/13/2007 36.51
07/16/2007 15.64
07/23/2007 66.87
08/03/2007 38.46
08/13/2007 37.53
08/20/2007 43.30
09/04/2007 54.69
09/08/2007 43.31
10/09/2007 33.69
10/12/2007 453.45
10/15/2007 -108.24
10/15/2007 66.80
10/19/2007 205.30 *Praxair
10/27/2007 76.29
11/05/2007 33.43
11/19/2007 42.69
11/24/2007 9.73
11/30/2007 31.19
12/17/2007 274.00
12/24/2007 38.89
=======
TOTAL $2372.87

With that total I made 150 gallons of beer. I think I had one or two gift certificates that saved just a touch and I know that one batch was commissioned by a friend (he paid for the recipe). About $1000 was for equipment that I can use the rest of my life - I got another CO2 tank and a beergas system.

Simple math of 8 pints per gallon gives 1200 pints and $1372.87 in recipe costs so my beer is costing $1.14 per pint? Hmm. Premier beer - it's worth it!

Ed

Brew #78: American Red Ale

2008-02-05T07:52:00.000-08:00

THe AHS recipe calls for Cascades but we know that those are in short supply. Vanguard hops are one that can be in supply and it is said that they can be used as a replacement for Cascades. So here's a red with all Vanguard.
When I was steeping grains, I let the temp go to 180F. Oops. Opinions are that the grains may have converted quickly enough that I got most of the sugars out. The OG wasn't too bad, I'm historically low and an adjusted 1.051 instead of 1.053 isn't too far off. Tastes pretty good at the rack into secondary.

I racked into keg on 2-16 and the SG at the time was 1.018 at 70F. The recipe expects an FG of 1.014 (so 1.013 @ 70F). I'm leaving the keg out of the kegerator to allow the yeast to finish up a bit more. I'll measure the SG next week, and maybe wait one more week. I may just push it up to be able to draw off some bottles to enter the Bluebonnet.

It's now in the kegerator and carbonated. Bottles have been drawn off for the Bluebonnet. This one has a mellow flavor that I think is more popular to folks that aren't hop heads like most brewers. It still has a zing to it.

Brewed: 01-27-2008
Racked: 02-05-2008
Kegged: 02-16-2008

OG=1.050@70F
FG=1.015@70F

ABV=5.895%

Brew #77: British Pale Ale

2008-02-05T07:51:00.000-08:00

The AHS British Pale Ale is near a Bass Ale. I've brewed this using the late addition for the extract to keep the stuff from carmelizing on the bottom of the brew pot. It works well - there was hardly anything there at cleanup. I'm also going to dry hop with 1/2 ounce of Summit. I'm trying to pull the orange/tangerine flavors out of those hops.

This has a flavor like an IPA. The Summits give it a nice hoppy flavor, but it still hasn't dinged "tangerine" on my palate. It is pleasant whatever the case. Still, that was warm and flat. It is in the fridge now and ready for force carbonation. I have dubbed this one "Prince of Orange Pale".

Brewed: 01-21-2008
Racked: 02-05-2008 (dry-hopped w/ .5 oz. Summit)
Racked: 02-16-2008
Kegged: 02-26-2008

OG=1.047@70F
FG=1.010@68F

ABV=4.847%

Brew #76: Abita TurboDog clone

2007-12-18T20:42:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine took a trip to New Orleans and had some of the TurboDog.
He came back with a taste for it and I was looking for something new to
brew. I've had it in the primary long enough that I think it has already
clarified as well. I think I'll make room and get it in a keg right away.

This went straight from primary fermenter (plastic bucket) into the keg. It sat five weeks and I hope that is short enough that any off flavors from the yeast aren't detracting from the beer.

Brewed: 12-02-2007
Kegged: 01-10-2008

OG=1.044@67F
FG=1.006@70F

ABV=4.978%

Brew #75: Bavarian Doppelbock

2007-12-18T20:40:00.001-08:00

I had an Andechs Dunkel Doppelbock when I was in Munich in September. Yummy! Nice and malty. I had to make some of my own. The taste when I racked it has me anticipating when I can clear some space and get this in a keg.

Now it's in a keg. Warm and flat, it has a nice malty character, good flavor. It's a bit boozy though, you can tell it's got a bit of alcohol in it. Off to the fridge to see how the taste changes when it gets cold and carbonated.

It's nice and sweet with a touch of bitter from the darker malts. I can still taste that it has a good bit of alcohol. I still think it might get better with a bit mroe age, but I happen to like it enough that it may not get the chance to age.

Brewed: 11-17-2007
Racked: 11-30-2007
Kegged: 01-27-2008

OG=1.082@70F
FG=1.016@70F

ABV=8.646%

Brew #74: Double Chocolate Stout

2007-12-18T20:36:00.000-08:00

They didn't have the Chocolate Malt so I substituted Chocolate Wheat Malt. It is supposed to give the finished beer a touch extra body. This will get the full bar of chocolate again and the 4 oz. of raspberry extract. When melting the chocolate, I plan on refrigerating it. Hopefully the oils will go to the top and harden so I can scrape them off. Then I may have better head retention. Still, I like the flavor. The head retention is only a small item compared to that. What's interesting is that the recipe now calls for the cocoa powder to be added for the last 15 minutes of the boil. A previous one added it only at kegging time.

I tried my plan of melting the chocolate and refrigerating it. Oils didn't separate like I wanted. Maybe I didn't put enough liquid in. Oh well, I liked the last one, so I went ahead with kegging it. I took some to the ZEALOTS meeting on the 10th and the raspberry was still potent. I drew off the one growler and then switched it over to beergas.

At a party on the 15th, the pour was giving a nice thick head, but it would dissipate quickly. Those darned oils. After drinking it, your glass would be lined with chocolate residue. It's still a fun beer.

Brewed: 11-06-2007
Racked: 11-30-2007
Kegged: 02-08-2008

OG=1.056@66F
FG=1.012@70F

ABV=5.76%

Brew #73: Ahtanum Pale Ale

2007-12-18T20:35:00.000-08:00

I made this recipe twice at the beginning of the year. Here I'll make it again and maybe have it ready for serving at Super Bowl Party time. I liked the batch made with only 1 oz. better. 2 ounces go just a touch over the top.

Brewed: 10-26-2007
Racked: 11-06-2007 (dry-hopped w/1 oz. Ahtanum)
Kegged: 02-14-2008

OG=1.046@70F
FG=1.006@70F

ABV=5.24%

Brew #72: White Oak Porter #2

2007-12-18T20:34:00.000-08:00

I liked the first one so much I had to brew another. I am using oak spirals this time.

Instead of the 3 week soak with the oak chips, I've gone 6 1/2 weeks. BIG DIFFERENCE. This batch tastes like wood. Pure wood. No porter flavor is coming through, it's just wood. I mentioned it to one of the ZEALOTS, they had the opinion that the wood flavor will lessen over time and suggested that I wait a year. I may try to see if I can blend this with another beer and find someway of making it taste worthwhile.

Brewed: 10-14-2007
Racked: 10-26-2007
Kegged: 12-11-2007

OG=1.052@75F
FG=1.0??@75F

ABV=

Brew #71: AHS Our Special Holiday Ale

2007-10-10T20:44:00.000-07:00

The first batch that I did turned out to taste too good. I know I'd better get another batch going to have some for Christmas or New Year's.

The first batch was better when it was warm and flat. This one tasted just a bit more bitter right off. Maybe a bit more age will round that out. This one will be served at a holiday party on Dec. 15.

Brewed: 10-07-2007
Racked: 10-24-2007
Kegged: 11-17-2007

OG=1.047@70F
FG=1.005@70F

ABV=~5.502%

VACATION! Sept 14-29, 2007

2007-10-10T20:31:00.000-07:00

Whee! I get to go on vacation! First I jet over to D.C. and visit family. My aunt is having a party for her 80th. After a couple of days, I head over to Germany with my sister. The plan: land in Munich, get to the BMW factory and pick up my brand new car. I get to drive it until the 28th. BMW - Beer Maker Wagon.

Picked it up with 3 miles on the odometer. I went from Munich up to Copenhagen, then down to Stuttgart, over to Nurnberg, dropped off the car near Munich with 2012 miles on it then hit Oktoberfest and flew home. Not bad for 9 days.

I didn't have much for beer adventures on the trip. I had a very nice Andechs Dunkel Doppelbock in Munich, a "Potsdamer" by Rendsberg on the northern border (it's the local Pils with some raspberry flavoring added), then pretty much just local Pils or Dunkels. I got a liter of the Augustiner at Oktoberfest. Fun times!

Now I wait for my car to get shipped. I have to wait 6 weeks since I dropped it off and all I have is the souvenir front plate and one of the keys to show that I own a car.

Happily, all of my beer pulled through my two week absence. I've carbonated the Holiday Spiced Ale and taken it to a small party. One woman said it was the best beer she ever had. I happen to think that it has aged well enough to mellow out some of the spices and it is very drinkable. Good enough that I'd better make another batch if I want to have some through Christmas.

Brew #70: Summit IPA

2007-10-10T20:29:00.000-07:00

I read about the Summit hops and how they give off orange and tangerine flavors. It had me intrigued. At least I'll get a taste of them in this brew.

Brewed: 08-14-2007
Racked: 09-13-2007
Kegged: 11-17-2007

OG=1.068@70F
FG=1.002@70F

ABV=~8.646%

Brew #69: Double Chocolate Stout

2007-10-10T20:22:00.000-07:00

My last batch was split in twain for experiments. One half became a Midnight Chocolate Bar Stout that had two type of Scharfenberger chocolates and raspberry extract. Once it got carbonated I was instantly sad with the knowledge that I only had 2.5 gallons of this ambrosia. Before that was gone, I knew I wanted a full batch by Thanksgiving/Christmas. This one I plan on pushing with Nitrogen. I like nice things and I've got the deluxe regulator on order, $110 for the reg, another $100 for the tank, and some extra to get a three way manifold so that I can have a few stouts if needed.
I did buy an 80 cubic foot tank for the beergas. It requires a high pressure (25-30 psi) and a restrictor faucet. Still working on getting the pressure right. Lately, I get pure foam. You get to watch the cascade for a while before you drink.

Brewed: 09-04-2007
Racked: 09-11-2007
Kegged: 10-18-2007

OG=1.056@68F
FG=1.012@73F

ABV=~5.764%

Brew #68: Ayinger EDtoberfest

2007-10-10T20:00:00.000-07:00

This is the AHS Ayinger Oktoberfest clone recipe. I'd been drinking a few of these for "inspiration" when I brewed the Scotch Ale. I loved the taste so much, I have to see if I can come close. Then I'll have 5 gallons of this oh-so-yummy beverage.
Update: It's got that malty taste, just not quite as much as the original. The flavor may still come out better with a bit more carbonation.

Brewed: 08-22-2007
Racked: 08-30-2007
Kegged: 10-08-2007

OG=1.053@70F
FFG=1.012@72F

ABV=5.37%

20070818

2007-08-18T11:31:00.000-07:00

Just racked my Red off of the dry hops to clean most of the hops out. I just racked a Pale straight into keg last week and had too many hops get into the keg with the beer. The hops sank to the bottom and clumped up on the liquid intake. Every glass that I drew was pure foam. I had to blow gas down the liquid line to get the clump blown out. I'm still getting quite a few of the Cascades with every glass. So the Red was racked to a second secondary and I got rid of most of the hops from the dry hop. There will still be some left when I go to keg, but it will be much less than the Pale.

I also racked the Scotch Ale. I've drawn some off to share a taste with Ronnie and friends. It is still higher gravity than what the recipe calls for. I'm hoping that the yeasties will still do some work. Very sweet and the peat flavor is coming through big time.

My friend Bryan and I have plans to keg up a Chocolate Stout on Tuesday. We'll split the batch in half and do interesting things to them. I'd like to see if I can make a Marzipan Stout, one that reminds me of Ritter Sport Marzipan. Instead of a double chocolate, we were thinking of a triple or quadruple chocolate. Time will tell.

Plans: Next batch has to be an Ayinger Oktoberfest-Marzen clone. I don't lager, and I wonder how it will do as an ale. I have to move things through the pipeline though. An ESB is in one of my primaries, I've got my Red, the Scotch Ale, a Holiday Spiced Ale, Dave's Porter, and the Chocolate Stout taking up my secondaries. My fridge has a Peach Ale, Belgian Summer Saison, White Oak Porter, Psychedelic Monk, Super Puppy Pale, and Root Beer filling it up, and I have two empty kegs. The Peach Ale felt rather light, the root beer too. I'd bet the Porter and Saison are only half full. It will be time to bottle soon to clear out some space.

Brew #67: Extra Crystal Bitter

2007-08-15T21:18:00.000-07:00

This is the AHS ESB recipe and I'm planning on putting leaf hops into the keg with it. I had done it before with Kent Goldings and I loved the finish. The first taste pounded your taste buds with piney notes, but the finish made it all worthwhile. When getting the recipe, there were no Kent Golding leaf hops, so I'm going to try Crystal. I've never tasted them as a dry-hop. Should be interesting. This brew I did late addition on the extract, but at 15 minutes left of the boil, not an extra bit of time at the end. I used Irish Moss to clear it up a bit more. Sadly, I fell asleep while it was cooling. 5 hours later, I awoke and turned off the wort chiller and got the yeast pitched. It hasn't taken off like some of the past ESB's. Maybe tomorrow.
Update: Got this one in the keg with Crystal Leaf hops in a muslin bag weighted with marbles. It is carbonated and the Crystal Hops are mellow enough that the balance is still good. I can still get a taste of the malt. It's a flavor that doesn't stand out. Instead it goes down mellow.

Brewed: 08-14-2007
Racked: 08-21-2007
Kegged: 09-09-2007 (kegged with 1/2 oz. Crystal Leaf hops.)

OG=1.053@70F
FG=1.004@77F

ABV=6.288%

Brew #66: Scotch Ale

2007-08-11T09:01:00.000-07:00

I've been commissioned to make a Scotch Ale. My friend Ronnie read about it and would like to try it. He bought the ingredients for the AHS Scotch Ale mini mash recipe including a 1% alcohol boost and two vials of Edinburgh Ale yeast. The final beer should get up to 9%. Brewed it last night and had no boilover. Yay for keeping the stovetop clean! I've taped some of my steps. I'll have to edit it down and post it on youtube. I'm expecting this to blow the top, but it will take a day or two.
Update: I was expecting BIG things from this, like a fermentation that would blow the top. I rigged up a blow-off tube into a quart bucket half full of water and everything. The fermentation was a constant bloop-bloop-bloop for a couple days and then settled down. Nothing huge though. It is looking rackable only 4 days later. I'll still wait out the week. I'll draw a bit off and let Ronnie try a taste over the weekend.

Brewed: 08-10-2007
Racked: 08-17-2007
Kegged: TBD

OG=1.089@76F
FG=TBD

ABV=TBD

Brew #65: Spiced Holiday Ale

2007-08-06T06:22:00.000-07:00

My friend's wife always wants unique flavors. This one may fit the bill. It had a spice pack with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and ginger. I've been told that it will be a spice bomb at first. After two months in the keg, the flavors will mellow and really be good.
Update: Took a look on the 10th, there was still foam on the beer. Not ready for racking yet. I'll wait another few days.

Brewed: 08-03-2007
Racked: 08-12-2007
Kegged: TBD

OG=1.050@72F
FG=TBD

ABV=TBD

20070727: Thoughts

2007-07-27T21:41:00.000-07:00

I collaborate on a few brews with my dive buddy Dave. Since he buys the ingredients, I don't count his brews on my list. Still, we estimate that we've done nine or ten together. Tonight's brew is a Vanilla Porter - extract recipe (not mini-mash). All told, we finished this one in a touch over three hours - three and a half including clean up.

While the boil was going, I was able to rack my second Red #4 to make room in a primary. I always siphon a taste off. Dave said that it was very hoppy. I enjoyed it because the Saaz hops are exactly the flavor I'm going for. The Red gets dry hopped with Saaz Auscha hops for a couple/three weeks. I may rack again to try to filter off the hops and then finally to keg.

We also took the time to keg my third batch of a Belgian Summer Saison in 5 months. I was smiling. The flavor seems as good as my last batch. This one was racked after spending only two weeks in secondary. It seems to have clarified enough, though hard to tell, since it is meant to be still a bit cloudy. The flavor is all there and that is what really counts.

While we were at it, I was curious to see how my White Oak Porter was coming around. I siphoned off a taste for Dave and myself. Definite vanilla oaky aromas and I could taste them as a more subtle flavor in the beer. Makes me proud to think that my goal when I made it will turn out as planned.

This 8 keg beer geek only has 4 empty kegs now with 5 brews in the pipeline. Sweet!

Brew #64: Ed's Red #4 again.

2007-07-26T01:07:00.001-07:00

The last batch of Ed's Red #4 didn't stick around long enough for me to enjoy it.

Brewed: 07-23-2007
Racked: 07-27-2007 (w/ 1 oz. Saaz Auscha)
Racked: 08-17-2007
Kegged: TBD

OG=1.050@72F
FG=TBD

ABV=TBD

Brew #63: Flying Dog Pale Ale clone

2007-07-26T01:06:00.000-07:00

All the time I've been enjoying my own Ahtanum Pale, or the ESB, or the Simcoe Pale, I've had a few good times down at the Elephant Room listening to the Monster Big Band quaffing a few Flying Dog Pales. At least I get a small bit of a variation on my Pales.
Update: Kegged it straight from the dry-hopped secondary. There are going to be a few Cascades floating around in this beer. Maybe I can get them to settle out in the first few weeks. It's got the right balance that I can enjoy drinking a glass while it is warm and flat. I may have it ready to drink by the weekend.

Brewed: 07-22-2007
Racked: 08-01-2007 (dry hopped w/ 1 oz. Cascades)
Kegged: 08-15-2007

OG=1.050@72F
FG=1.004@78F

ABV=5.633%

Brew #62: Double Chocolate Stout

2007-07-26T01:03:00.000-07:00

The double chocolate stout is a crowd pleaser.... or a friend pleaser since my friend Bryan really likes it. Our plan is to split this up and flavor each part a bit differently. We may go with three different kinds of chocolate or do chocolate raspberry. More here as we get some idea of what we'll do.

Brewed: 07-13-2007
Racked: 07-23-2007
Kegged: TBD

OG=1.052@68F
FG=TBD

ABV=TBD

Brew #61: Belgian Summer Saison

2007-07-26T01:02:00.001-07:00

I just can't keep this one around. This is batch #3 in 4 months. I happen to think if I kegged it soon, I could bring it to a couple parties and I'd likely have to brew it yet again.

Update on 20070727: This brew just kegged and the taste that I got from the stuff used to measure final gravity has all the flavor of my last batch. I might as well get the next batch going. This one may not last through August. This will be carbonated and ready for prime time in a week, and that is still under a month. Funny to think that 10 gals. of beer in my refrigerators doesn't seem like enough.

Brewed: 07-08-2007
Racked: 07-13-2007
Kegged: 07-27-2007

OG=1.056@73F
FG=1.016@75F

ABV=5.24%

Brew #60: ED's White Oak Porter

2007-07-26T01:00:00.000-07:00

Here's a Fuller's London Porter clone recipe that I'm flavoring with oak chips. Usually things steeped in oak pull out hints of vanilla and thats what I'm going for here. I am using medium roast American white oak chips. When I described this to the owner of Austin Homebrew, he stated that French oak will give better vanilla flavor and be smoother too. Where was he when I was buying the recipe? The plan is to let it sit with the oak chips a month. If it looks clean, I'll rack into a keg. If not, then off to a carboy for another month.
Update: The airlock was still pretty busy. Secondary fermentation was in full swing. I'm getting impatient to have new flavors of beer, so I stuck this in the fridge to crash the yeast and make it go dormant. 08-05-2007.
Update: Nice and cold and racked into a keg. The wood chips are coarse enough that they won't transfer. The beer gave more vanilla type aromas when it was room temperature. Cold and flat, the roasted oak flavor is coming through. Not as much of the vanilla notes as I had hoped, but I'll wait until full carbonation until I give a final verdict. Still, the flavor is interesting. I call it a winner. 08-06-2007.

Brewed: 07-07-2007
Racked: 07-13-2007 (w/ oak chips)
Kegged: 08-06-2007

OG=1.056@73F
FG=1.012@54F

ABV=5.895%

Brew #59: Simcoe Pale Ale

2007-07-26T00:59:00.000-07:00

I'm working my way through the Pale Ales at Austin Homebrew and I like Simcoes. This Pale Ale brings out the piney notes from the Simcoes. At dry hop, you get the fruity aromas. Very nice one. Keg number two of three floated at Bob's B-day party.

Brewed: 06-17-2007
Racked: 06-27-2007
Kegged: 07-10-2007

OG=1.048@70F
FG=1.008@74F

ABV=5.24%

Brew #58: Peach Ale

2007-07-26T00:58:00.000-07:00

I had done one a looooonnng time ago and liked it. The Peach essence gives a hint at the nose and then a bit at the finish. Nice drinking beer too.

Brewed: 05-03-2007
Racked: 05-20-2007
Kegged: 06-17-2007

OG=1.050@72F
FG=1.010@78F

ABV=5.24%

Brew #57: Summer Saison Belgian Ale

2007-07-26T00:57:00.001-07:00

I missed having that first one around for longer. A good brew that doesn't last a night needs to be remade. AHS didn't have the Hallertau that the recipe calls for. I substituted Hersbrucker. The recipe also called for the lemon zest of two lemons. I used three. All of the extract was added as a late addition. This keg went to a July 3rd party and never came home. *whimper* This one had exceptional flavor and may be the best beer I've brewed yet.

Brewed: 05-10-2007
Racked: 05-14-2007
Kegged: 06-17-2007

OG=1.062@70F
FG=1.007@78F

ABV=7.205%

Brew #56: Fuller's ESB clone + Simcoe

2007-07-26T00:56:00.000-07:00

My first ESB + Simcoe was so good, I had to try it again. This time I took the Fuller's ESB clone recipe and dry hopped a bit longer. It still had the flavor of the first. A third of three kegs floated at Bob's B-day party.

Brewed: 05-07-2007
Racked: 05-14-2007 (w/ 1 ounce Simcoe)
Racked: 05-27-2007
Kegged: 06-27-2007

OG=1.055@72F
FG=1.005@72F

ABV=6.55%

Brew #55: Delirium Tremens clone

2007-07-26T00:55:00.000-07:00

I did so well the first time around, I had to try this recipe again but make sure that I got the syrup and the Paradise Seeds. Once again, the primary fermentation lasted about 10-11 days. I got the final gravity down nice and low, but this batch was sweet, sweet, sweet. Too sweet for me. I mix this with my Arrogant Bastard clone and call it "Monkenstein".

Brewed: 04-23-2007
Racked: 05-07-2007
Kegged: 05-19-2007

OG=1.086@70F
FG=1.002@74F

ABV=10.873%

Brew #54: Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale clone

2007-07-26T00:54:00.002-07:00

This beer turned out to have a very smooth mouthfeel, so it got named "ED's Velvet Nut Brown".

Brewed: 04-15-2007
Racked: 04-23-2007
Kegged: 05-07-2007

OG=1.055@74F
FG=1.008@75F

ABV=6.157%

Brew #53: Summer Saison Belgian Ale

2007-07-26T00:54:00.001-07:00

I saw that this recipe called for lemon zest and was intrigued. I had to go out and by a zester to brew it. I also don't have a mortar and pestle for crushing the Paradise Seeds but I did have an empty pepper grinder. This made a debut at a patio christening party and didn't survive the night.

Brewed: 04-06-2007
Racked: 04-13-2007
Kegged: 05-02-2007

OG=1.052@68F
FG=1.014@75F

ABV=4.978%

Brew #52: Ed's Red #4

2007-07-26T00:53:00.000-07:00

Back to all Saaz hops: 1 ounce Premiant, 1 ounce Sladek for bittering, Trschitz for flavor and aromatic, 2 ounces Auscha at dry hop. Added 8 ounces of Malto-dextrin to get a touch more sweet and a creamier mouthfeel. This one drinks like a Bohemian Pilsner except with a touch more caramel. This was the first of three kegs to go dry at Bob's birthday bash on Lake Travis July 21, 2007.

Brewed: 03-31-2007
Racked: 04-06-2007 (w/ 2 oz. Auscha Saaz)
Racked: 04-23-2007
Kegged: 07-07-2007

OG=1.058@72F
FG=1.002@75F

ABV=7.336%

Brew #51: Arrogant Bastard clone

2007-07-26T00:51:00.000-07:00

I named this one "ED's Illegitimate Pride". Total of 4 ounces of Chinook in this bad boy. I went to a party seeing a friend off to future endeavors and another friend let me try some Arrogant Bastard. I taste a new beer and I start thinking about making my own. It was funny when I tasted it right after I kegged it. Warm and flat, this reminded me of Soy Sauce. Once cold and carbonated, it turned out nicely. I had taste test of this next to a bottle of the real thing. Arrogant Bastard was a bit crisper in the flavor, mine had a mellower, rounder flavor. The level of the hops was right on.

Brewed: 03-11-2007
Racked: 03-24-2007
Kegged: 05-02-2007

OG=1.070@72F
FG=1.010@75F

ABV=7.86%

Brew #50: Pilsner Urquell clone

2007-07-26T00:50:00.000-07:00

Pilsner Edquell as I call it. Still not a lager, but previous attempts used Kolsch Ale yeast. Here I just took the Czech Budejovice Lager yeast and let it ferment at beer closet temperature which I think is 75F-80F degrees. The boil calls for 5 ounces of Czech Saaz hops with only a half ounce at dry hop. I dry hopped with 2 ounces. Half of extract put it as late addition.

Brewed: 02-20-2007
Racked: 02-24-2007
Kegged: 03-21-2007

OG=1.042@??F
FG=1.004@70F

ABV=4.978%

Brew #49: ED's Extra Simcoe Bitter

2007-07-25T00:54:00.000-07:00

So I was trying another whack at getting kudos from Lance, but I happened to go taste a cask conditioned Pale Ale and North by Northwest. It was dry hopped with Simcoe hops and grabbed your taste bud and slapped them silly. It inspired me to mess with a beer I just put into secondary. This ESB had already finished and clarified. I dumped in an ounce of Simcoes and fermentation started up again. I let the Simcoes steep one week before racking the beer off to got most of the hops out of there and let the beer settle down again. The taste of this thing is amazing. I stumbled on greatness. With the Simcoes, this goes into American Pale Ale style, yet the ESB gives it a complexity. Here's a keeper. This is also the first brew that I used late addition for the extract.

Brewed: 02-12-2007
Racked: 02-19-2007
Hopped: 02-24-2007 (Inspired to hop 1 ounce Simcoe)
Racked: 03-03-2007
Kegged: 04-10-2007

OG=1.050@72F
FG=1.003@70F

ABV=6.157%

Brew #48: Ahtanum Pale Ale

2007-07-25T00:53:00.001-07:00

This was brewed the Monday before I served up a keg of it at a Super Bowl party. I call it super yummy. It is. This time I'm giving in to a hop urge and I dry hopped it with 2 ounces of Ahtanum. I think it goes just a touch over the top.

Brewed: 01-29-2007
Racked: 02-06-2007
Kegged: 03-21-2007

OG=1.052@65F
FG=1.004@70F

ABV=6.157%

Brew #47: Delirium Tremens clone

2007-07-25T00:51:00.000-07:00

The recipe called for some Golden Syrup and Paradise Seeds. I didn't get either and had a bit extra extract to make up for the missing syrup. I doubled the amount of Saaz hops from the recipe, just so I didn't waste any hops. I put the yeast in a starter while I was brewing. The fermentation went bonkers and blew the top off the bucket twice. The foam stayed on this beer for a long time, that is the reason for the 19 days in the primary fermenter. Nice and smooth with a touch of sweet and a characteristic Belgian Abbey yeast finish. It can kick your butt! My version got named "Psychedelic Monk".

Brewed: 01-07-2007
Racked: 01-26-2007
Kegged: 02-13-2007

OG=1.086@66F
FG=1.011@70F

ABV=9.694%

Brew #46: Double Chocolate Stout

2007-07-25T00:50:00.000-07:00

My dive buddy Dave brews with me every so often. He buys a recipe and we team up to brew it. His tastes are different than mine and runs to the darker brews. He picked out this Double Chocolate Stout in October 2006 or so and my taste buds loved it. I had to brew a batch myself. The recipe uses a cocoa powder and will settle out of the beer when it sits a while. Gotta remember to stir it up occasionally.

Brewed: 12-17-2006
Racked: 12-22-2006
Kegged: 02-06-2007

OG=1.052@72F
FG=1.012@68F

ABV=5.24%

Brew #45: Ed's Red #3

2007-07-25T00:37:00.000-07:00

Third combination of Red ale, Saaz hops, and Steam beer fermentation.This one uses 1 ounce Magnum for bittering, 1 ounce Hallertau for flavoring, 1 ounce Saaz Trschitz for aromatic, 1 ounce Czech Saaz dry hop, and 1 ounceSaaz leaf in the keg. It took four weeks for the hops in the keg to mellow out to a point where they gave a good flavor without being too sharp.

Brewed: 12-13-2006
Racked: 12-22-2006
Kegged: 01-26-2007

OG=1.050@72F
FG=1.011@70F

ABV=5.24%

Brew #44: Ahtanum Pale Ale

2007-07-24T00:40:00.001-07:00

JB of Austin Homebrew Supplies made this recipe that picks up your tastebuds and slaps them silly. I went in to AHS in August or September, bought a recipe and stayed in the store a bit to wait out a sudden rainstorm. JB offered a pint of his Ahtanum Pale Ale with hops in the keg! They were pellet hops and they came right through the muslin bag. That didn't deter me from enjoying this Pale Ale. I vowed to make one once my Warrior Pale Ale was far enough gone. I dry-hopped mine with 1 ounce Ahtanum and didn't have any in the keg, but the flavor was all there. This one didn't last past the third quarter at a Super-Bowl party. I knew before I brought it that it would be gone.

Brewed: 11-03-2006
Racked: 11-17-2006
Kegged: 01-13-2007

OG=1.050@72F
FG=1.003@70F

ABV=6.157%

Brew #43: Frambozen Raspberry Brown

2007-07-24T00:39:00.000-07:00

Hints of chocolate and raspberry. Yum! So I brought this to an Austin Zealots meeting and got compliments by Charles. He asked how I did the recipe. I said straight AHS recipe. The Dewberrys looked at him and said he was the one that came up with that recipe. OK, it was later in the evening and we'd already hada few, but I take it as the compliment that I can brew a recipe rather well.

Brewed: 10-22-2006
Racked: 11-02-2006
Kegged: 11-29-2006

OG=1.068@78F
FG=1.016@??F

ABV=6.812%

Brew #42: Extra Special Bitter

2007-07-24T00:38:00.001-07:00

ESB again but hopped with 2 ounces of Kent Goldings in the keg. For the first 2-3 weeks, I thought I ruined the beer, but then the Goldings started to mellow out a little. The finish was amazing. I was drinking little sips to experience the finish.

Brewed: 09-24-2006
Racked: 09-29-2006
Kegged: 10-24-2006 (w/ 2 oz. Kent Golding Leaf)

OG=?
FG=1.016@40F

ABV= let's approximate 5.7%

Brew #41: Ed's Red #2

2007-07-24T00:37:00.001-07:00

Here is where I took the recipe for Ed's Red #1 and boosted the bitterness. Warrior hops replaced the Premiant (16 AAUs vs 10 AAUs). I dry hopped with an ounce of Saaz Trschitz again and even stuck 2 ounces of Saaz leaf hops into the keg. This one drank like a Pale Ale. I may be into a particularly hoppy phase at this point. I loved this one so much, I didn't have enough to bottle.

Brewed: 09-16-2006
Racked: 09-21-2006 (dry-hopped w/ 1oz. Trschitz)
Kegged: 11-03-2006 (w/ 2 oz. Saaz leaf)

OG=1.052@76F
FG=1.011@??F

ABV=5.371%

Brew #40: Warrior Pale Ale

2007-07-24T00:36:00.000-07:00

Warrior hops have 16% AAUs but have a clean bitter flavor. Here is a brew that I put into a keg after it held root beer for 2 years. I cleaned it pretty well. When the beer sat in the keg a while, I got a strong taste of root beer when I drew off a pint. Even when I bottled it, it gives a little aroma and a root beer after taste. Call it a root beer infused Pale Ale. Overall, the Pale Ale was a bit non-descript.

Brewed: 09-09-2006
Racked: 09-21-2006
Kegged: 10-01-2006

OG=1.048@74F
FG=1.005@78F

ABV=5.633%

Brew #39: Ed's Red #1

2007-07-24T00:35:00.004-07:00

After making beers only from recipes, I have finally stepped off into uncharted territory. I like red ales, Pilsner Urquell (Saaz hops), and Steam beer styles. So this one has the grain bill from an American Red, Saaz Premiant for bittering, Hallertau for flavoring, Saaz Trschitz for aromatic and dry hop. The Saaz hops have a very mellow flavor. This reminded me of a Belgian. It had some fruity notes to it. Easily drinkable as a session beer.

Brewed: 07-22-2006
Racked: 07-30-2006 (w/ 1 oz. Trschitz Saaz dry-hopped)
Racked: 08-25-2006
Kegged: 09-14-2006

OG=1.050@78F
FG=1.004@78F

ABV=5.521%

Brew #38: Extra Special Bitter

2007-07-24T00:35:00.003-07:00

This brew was inspired by a friend whose favorite beer is the Fuller's ESB. While I didn't reach the pinnacle of his favorite, it was a good one. This ESB finishes primary and clarifies surprisingly quickly. It also retains a head more than most. This one foamed quite a bit at the Bill and Bret 40 party, but luckily someone got a pitcher and pre-poured to let the foam go down. None came home of this brew from that party either.

Brewed: 07-09-2001
Racked: ?
Kegged: ?

OG=1.052@80F
FG=1.009@78F

ABV=5.633%

Brew #37: Belgian White Beer

2007-07-24T00:35:00.001-07:00

Refreshing Belgian wheat beer style flavored with orange peel and coriander seed. So the recipe had the coriander seed, whole. I threw it in just like that. I let this settle and it clarified. The white beer style is supposed to be cloudy, likely from when you crush the coriander seed and with the flaked wheat in the grain bill. Still rather tasty. Premiered at Bill and Bret's 40th B-day party and none came home.

Brewed: 07-01-2006
Racked: 07-09-2006
Kegged: 07-30-2006

OG=1.034@75F
FG=1.004@78F

ABV=3.93%

Brew #36: Anchor Steam Beer clone

2007-07-24T00:34:00.001-07:00

Ankh or Steam Beer. Very drinkable.

Brewed: 06-30-2006
Racked: 07-09-2006
Kegged: 08-25-2006

OG=1.048@74F
FG=1.014@78F

ABV=4.454%

Brew #35: Full Sail Amber Ale clone

2007-07-24T00:33:00.002-07:00

I like the Full Sail version. Mine turned out tasty too.

Brewed: 12-09-2005
Racked: ?
Kegged: ?

OG=1.047@67F
FG=?

ABV=?

Brew #34: Oktoberfest/Marzen - Mini Mash

2007-07-24T00:33:00.001-07:00

Creamy, roasted Oktoberfest. Somewhere in this timeframe I bought more kegs. This one went into a keg and sat for about a year until I bottled it. I think I have one bottle of it left. When I kegged it, I actually thought I was kegging my Pale Ale. I named it "Knotsoe Pale Ale" and wondered how I burned that recipe and roasted the hop flavor away. When I got an empty keg I found the real Pale Ale. I've been labeling the beer in the carboys ever since. My production line includes two buckets for primary fermentation and 5 carboys. I also want to mention that this is the first of the Mini Mash recipes that I've done and it makes a BIG difference over the regular extract recipes. Much better flavor. Ever since, I've tried to stick with Mini Mash. Someday, I'll get to full grain.

Brewed: 09-14-2005
Racked: 09-21-2005
Kegged: 10-12-2005

OG=1.054@76F
FG=1.012@78F

ABV=5.502%

Brew #33: West Coast Pale Ale

2007-07-24T00:32:00.001-07:00

My Neirra Sevada again.

Brewed: 01-27-2005
Racked: 02-14-2005
Kegged: ?

OG=1.050@70F
FG=1.010@78F

ABV=5.24%

Brew #32: California Common Beer

2007-07-24T00:31:00.000-07:00

I named it Ankh or Steam Beer. Sounds familiar somehow.

Brewed: 07-04-2003
Racked: ?
Kegged: ?

OG=?
FG=?

ABV=?

Brew #31: Irish Red Ale

2007-07-24T00:30:00.000-07:00

I must have been backed up on production. Look at the times. I took almost a year to keg it.

Brewed: 07-30-2002
Racked: 08-07-2002
Kegged: 07-04-2003

OG=1.050
FG=1.002

ABV=6.288%

Brew #30: Bigfoot Barley Wine

2007-07-23T13:57:00.000-07:00

Here's one brew that sat in the closet a long time. Almost 3 years until I kegged it. I've since decided that I don't like the sweetness that barleywines have. Although, this one was dry-hopped with Styrian Golding and Hersbrucker. Not as good as the real stuff and I started dumping bottles. If I can't be proud to serve it, I either drink it myself or dump it. My version is named"Wookiefoot".

Brewed: 11-10-2001
Racked: 07-04-2003
Kegged: 10-13-2004

OG=1.063@72F
FG=1.000@82F

ABV=8.122%

Brew #29: Pale Rye

2007-07-23T13:56:00.002-07:00

Not a particularly good batch.

Brewed: 10-17-2001
Racked: 11-10-2001
Kegged: ?

OG=1.054@79F
FG=?

ABV=?

Brew #28: Czech Pilsner

2007-07-23T13:56:00.001-07:00

This makes #5 of this recipe. Good stuff! Used German Ale/Kolsch yeast since I don't lager.

Brewed: 07-28-2001
Racked: 08-06-2001
Kegged: 10-15-2001

OG=1.048@78F
http://us.f321.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=FG=1.003@77F

ABV=5.895%