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!
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Brew #83: Vanguard Red Ale
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%
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
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%
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!
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.
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.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Brew #81: Vroom Vroom TurboKitty
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%
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
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%
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%
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Black Star: I finally attended a Social
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.
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.
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