20070727: Thoughts

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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%