Imperial Stout

Okay, I'm officially hooked on home brewing! I just can't seem to stop myself ... I made a batch of Imperial Stout over the weekend. Recipe is:

12 lbs Light LME
12oz Crystal Malt 120L
16oz Chocolate Malt
8 oz Black Patent
8oz Roasted Barley
2oz Galena (60 min.)
1.5 oz Willamette (60 min.)
.05 oz East Kent Goldings (5 min.)
WLP013 London Ale Yeast

O.G. - 1.083

First off, I made a nice starter with 2 pints of water and 3/4 LME. Brought them to a boil, held for 15 minutes, cooled and transferred to a beaker. Pitched the yeast and let it sit, and within 12 hours has a very nice, VERY active starter going. This was Thursday night.

Friday night I made up the wort ... I put the malts in a muslin bag, and put that into 2 gallons of cold water in my pot. Brought that up to 160 degrees and held it there for 30 minutes so the grains could steep. My oh my, but it was dark! Wonderful smell from the chocolate and Black Patent, and the wort was darker than night!

After that, I brought the water to a boil, added the LME and brought back to a boil, then added the Galena and Willamette hops. Added in the E.K. Goldings at 55 minutes into the boil, kept it going for another 5 minutes and turned off the heat.

I had a hard time getting this wort to cool, for some reason. I put the boil pot into a sink full of ice and water, and what normally takes about 15 minutes just didn't happen. After about 30 minutes, I strained the cooling wort into 3 gallons of cool water, thinking that would finish the job, then topped off with a little more cool water to get to just over the 5 gallon mark.

Still over 80 degrees.

Hmmm ... put the carboy in a sink full of cool water and stepped away for a bit. I couldn't tell if the little thermometer stuck to the glass was reading the wort temp or the external water temp (or a combination off the two), but I'd been colling this sucker for over 4 hours and the thermometer said 78 degrees, so I decided to pitch the yeast and let the carboy sit in the sink full of water over night. Did that, woke up in the more to not much activity in the tank.

Left for a couple of hours and returned home to a potential mess! Oh my, the beer was going crazy! Even in the 6.5 gallon carboy, the foam and kraeusen were about to come out of the fermentation lock. I quickly changed the lock to a blow off tube, and that's how it's sitting right now. Once things slow down, I'll put the normal lock back on and let it sit for a week or so before racking to secondary.

I'm going to really take my time on this batch. It's going to be a really big beer, so I'm in no hurry to drink it during the summer months. I figure I'll get it bottled by mid to late July, and let it sit until november or so. Yes, I'll probably have one or two along the way, but I don't anticipate this being more than a "now and then" kind of beer. I love Imperial Stout, just not in huge quantities. Going to be a wonderful winter with this on hand!

Updates - IPA & Tripel

Let's start with the Tripel ... racked to secondary fermentation on Saturday and I'm just letting it sit. Definitely clearing up a ton, and you can see the level at which the sediment has drifted down to the bottom. Maybe another few days and it will be ready to bottle ... no hurry, though.

IPA - Not much happening. Still a few bubbles coming out of the lock, but nothing earth-shattering. Once I bottle the Tripel I'll have a carboy free so I can rack the IPA to secondary. Probably going to do both on Wednesday, after which I'll let the IPA sit for another week or so before bottling.

IPA - Day Two

Okay, it doesn't look as bad as I had feared. Went to check on the IPA this morning and was happy to find that it was already quite active, and that the run-off tube was working just fine. Looks like about a pint or so of the liquid has blown out in the tube because the level is lower in the carboy than it was initially. I think that's a positive.

Anyway, much more encouraged today. Also, this batch has already been dubbed the "Jeltronic 5000 India Pale Ale".

IPA Today

I took a stab at an IPA tonight. Well, I guess I started last night by making a starter, but I actually brewed the batch tonight. Recipe is:

Starter
2 pints water
3/4 cup Light Malt Extract Syrup
Wyeast British Ale Yeast

Boil LME and water for 15 minutes, cool to below 80 degrees. Pitch yeast, let sit for 24 hours.

6 lbs Light Malt Extract

2 lbs Pale Ale Malt
0.5 lb Crystal Malt

1 oz Galena (75 minutes)
0.25 oz Tettnanger (20 minutes)
0.25 Fuggle (10 minutes)
1.5 Tbsp Coriander (10 minutes)
0.5 Cascade (2 minutes)

Not feeling good about this batch as I think I made some mistakes along the way. First and foremost, I used a 5 gallon carboy for the first time, and it screwed me up. After cooling the wort and adding to 3 gallons of water, I topped off to 5 gallons ... forgetting to leave room for the starter. I had to use a Wine Thief to get some of the liquid out to make room for the starter, but not until I had already pitched half of it. No telling how much, if any, yeast I took out of the carboy. Gonna have to wait and see.

This was a 90 minute boil. I started steeping the malts in the cold water and kept it at 160 degrees for 30 minutes. Brought it to a boil and added the LME, stirring until completely dissolved. After 15 minutes I added the Galena hops, then followed the timing above for the rest of them.

This is also my first time using a run-off tube from the carboy. We'll see what happens.

O.G - 1.051

Tripel - Days 4 & 5

Not much to tell here ... activity has slowed down to a halt and the krauesen has settled. I plan to rack to secondary on Saturday or Sunday, and will let it sit for another week or so before bottling.

Update on the ale: cracked another bottle tonight and it's just about perfect. Carbonation seems complete and there is a nice, thick head when poured into a wide-mouth glass. Soooo happy with this batch!

Triple - Day 3

The Tripel is looking fantastic! The color has cleared up to a very nice golden yellow and the fermentation is still going crazy. It's going to be really hard to wait this one out without cracking a bottle too early!

As for the Ale, I passed out some bottles yesterday to some co-workers to take home with the caveat that they sit on them until at least Wednesday before chilling and drinking. Of course, one of my friends called me yesterday evening to say that he tried it and really liked it. Then he called back about 20 minutes later and said that he really, really liked it ... and would I be so kind as to bring him 3 more bottles? :) Absolutely!

Tripel - Day 2

Woke up today to a very active carboy ... very cool! There was about a 1/4 inch of kraeusen on top, and the brew was (and still is!) just swirling around. Wonderful smell from the fermentation lock.

When I finished up yesterday, I was very concerned that the beer looked really, really dark for a tripel-style beer. Much lighter today. Kraeusen is almost an inch thick on top.

Also, I broke down and cracked a bottle of the ale after just 4 days in the bottle. I know, I know ... but it's Father's Day and I just couldn't wait. Grilled up some beef short ribs with some fresh steamed green beans and poured the beer into a wide-mouthed glass (from Westmalle). Not all that carbonated yet, but I was able to get a nice head on it with a tall pour.

Nice color: Deep amber with an orange tint. Clear and bright. Smooth tasting with a bit of a bitter aftertaste that I hope will mellow, but definitely drinkable. Because I didn't take an initial hydrometer reading, I can't really measure the ABV, but this has a kick to it.

Overall, I'm thrilled with my first batch of ale. I'll have a better read later this week after it's been in the bottle for at least 8 days, but as for Father's Day, I couldn't be happier!

Cheers!

Morgan's American Tripel

Okay, I took a stab at a Belgian-style Tripel today. Recipe is:

5 Gallon Batch, 2 Gallon Boil

STEEPING GRAINS
.5 lbs Carapils
.5 lbs Belgian Pilsen

LIQUID MALT EXTRACT
9.6 lbs Light LME
1.2 lbs Wheat LME

HOPS
2 oz Hallertau (60 min.)
.75 Saaz (30 min)
.75 Tettnanger (15 min)
1/2 Tbsp Irish Moss (15 min.)

YEAST
WLP500 Trappst Ale Yeast (White Labs)

O.G. - 1.081
F.G. - 1.020
ABV - 7.9

Started my yeast yesterday by boiling 1 pint of water with 3/4 cup of the LME. Cooled it below 80 degrees, transferred to a Pyrex beaker and added the yeast. Affixed the fermentation lock and let it sit at room temperature.

Today, I heated 2 gallons of water to 160 degrees, turned off the heat and added my steeping grains in a muslin bag. Covered the pot and let it sit for 15 minutes. I removed the grains, turned the heat back on and added the LME, stirring until completely dissolved.

Brought this all back to a boil, then added the Hallertau hops and set the timer for 60 minutes. At 30 minutes, added the Saaz, and at 45 minutes added the Tettnanger and Irish Moss. Turned off the heat at 60 minutes and put my pot into a sink filled with ice and water to chill the wort.

While chhilling, I added 3 gallons of water to my sanitized 6.5 gallon carboy. I let the wort sit for about 30 minutes, aerated it (something I didn't do with my first batch) then added to the caroby through a strainer and funnel.

Question: Man, it takes forever to strain into the carboy! Spent hops build up really fast in thhe strainer, and the wort just barely trickles down. Is this normal, and is there a way to speed this up? Any other considerations I should take note of here?

Checked my temperature, found it was just at 74. Used a Wine Thief and took the initial hydrometer reading of 1.075. Am I right to take this reading before pitching the yeast?

Aerated some more in the carboy by shaking it vigorously, then pitched my yeast starter and added the fermentation lock. That's it!

Note: I truly love the smell of the wort as it's boiling, especially the grains and the LME before hops are added. My 6 year-old daughter came downstairs today as I was doing this and said, "Is that soup I smell?" Um, yeah ... "Daddy soup." I let her see what I was doing and then made her some chicken noodle :)

Now the waiting game begins! First batch of Ale should be ready next weekend, at least for a first taste. I'm going to take my time with this batch, and my plans are:

* Leave in primary fermentor for 8 - 10 days
* Rack to secondary fermentor for another 4 - 7 days
* Bottle and age for at least 14 days.

Any thoughts, comments or asnwers to my questions? Much appreciated!

Cheers!

Yeast Starter

Got my starter going last night. I boiled one pint of water with 3/4 cup of LME, cooled it to about 72 degrees and funneled it into a Pyrex flask, then pitched the yeast and added the fermentation lock. That was about 10 hours ago, no real activity as of yet. I plan to make the beer later tonight, and I'll post the recipe once I've got it going. Cheers!

Today

Went to pick up a Pyrex flask today to make a yeast starter for the next batch of Belgian Triple. Will work on that tonight, let it sit for about 24 hours and I'll make the beer tomorrow night ... something to do to take my mind off of wanting to open a bottle of the ale before it's ready!

I'll try to post some pictures later.

The First Batch

TODAY'S BEER: Dolly Varden IPA from Metolius Brewing Co. (B-)
Not a huge fan of IPA, but saw the bottle at the store and I wanted something a bit different than the Sam Smith Organic Lagers and Ales I've been having lately. Mildly hoppy for an IPA, but smooth and drinkable.

This is my first blog post as a home brewer, so I guess I should back up a bit and tell you my story ...

I made my first batch of home brew in the spring of 1989. I was 17 at the time, and for some reason that I still can't explain, my aunt gave me a gift certificate to a local home brew supply shop. Even more questionable is the fact that my parents let me buy a beginner set-up and allowed me to brew a batch of beer. I won't bore you with the details; I'll summarize and say that the first batch was awful. Let's just say that I simply wanted beer more than I wanted good, properly brewed beer, so what I now know to be necessary steps were sacrificed for the quickest road to opening a bottle. The word "sludge" comes to mind.

Suffice it to say, the spring of 1989 also saw my last batch of home brew until about two weeks ago. I don't know why, but for some reason I got the idea in my head that I wanted to make my own beer again, but this time I'd do it right. I haven't been drinking a lot of beer in the past year or so, maybe a bottle or two on a Friday or Saturday night, but nothing really more. However, I had recently fallen in love with Belgian beers, so my "bottle or two" consisted of at least 22 oz. of high alcohol heaven. Great stuff but expensive, so I think more than anything I figured I could make a good Belgian-style beer for a fraction of the cost (experienced home brewers feel free to laugh at me right about now!).

Okay, so I did my research, I bought a copy of Charlie Papazian's "The Complete Joy of Home Brewing" and read it cover-to-cover, and I decided I was ready to brew ... just not ready to brew a Belgian beer. Went down to the local home brew supply store the next day, bought a mid-range starter package and ingredients and drove home with visions of my own future brew pub dancing in my head!

I thought I'd go somewhat easy with my first batch, so I selected a recipe for an amber ale that's a clone of the "Carlsbad Chronic" from Pizza Port, a local favorite spot. Recipe is:

8 lbs LME
.5 lbs 60L
.5 lbs 80L
.5 oz Black Patent
1 oz Galena (60 minutes)
2 oz E.K. Goldings (10 minutes)
WLP002 English Ale Yeast
O.G. = 1.057 - 1.060
F.G. = 1.012 - 1.014

Seemed simple enough ... famous last words?

I must say first that the available equipment for home brewers today is much better than what was available 20 years ago. Either that or I went completely bargain basement the first time around, but the stuff I got with my intermediate package is fantastic! Very easy to understand and use, and I think that patience and attention to detail this time around will pay off. But I'm sure I made some mistakes ...

First, I don't think I chilled the wort fast enough. Basically, I added the hot wort (2 gallons) to a 6.5 gallon glass carboy with 3 gallons of cool water. After that, I set it in a sink with cool water but no ice. Probably should have cooled the wort before adding to the carboy. Second, I didn't aerate the wort. Why? I didn't know how, and quite honestly, I didn't know it was recommended. Oh well, we'll see. Also, I was so excited to get everything rolling that I forgot to take an initial hydrometer reading. Next time ...

Pitched my yeast at about 78 degrees, attached the fermentation lock, and spent the next 10 days sitting and staring at a big glass bottle with nothing short of total fascination! Seriously, I could just sit there and watch this dark liquid bubble and foam for hours. I didn't, of course, but I did find myself stopping for 5 to 10 minutes at a time just staring. "Staring" or "drooling"? Probably a little of both.

After 8 days, I did get a hydrometer reading of 1.015, which stayed the same for the next 2 days. By the way, a Wine Thief is a fantastic tool! Drank the sample each time, and it was weird. I know it was supposed to be flat and warm, but it was hard to pick out a really good taste. Hopefully that with come with some more aging.

So, three days at 1.015 ... TIME TO BOTTLE!

I had spent the previous 3 weeks or so hoarding Sam Smith bottles. I'd been finding excuses go to the local organic supermarket for family shopping, not so much for the food, but because they sell Sam Smith Organically Produced Ale and Lager really cheap, and both of which I love. So I'd been buying them up and drinking way too much beer in preparation for bottling my first real batch of home brew.

Sterilized all my components, boiled my bottle caps, cleaned my bottles, and got a batch of priming sugar and water ready to go. Oh yeah, I remember addding small amounts of corn sugar to each bottle last time I tried this, and the priming method is WAY better ... love it! Stayed up way too late bottling beer, but I had a blast.

And now the hard part ... waiting. I've got everything capped and sitting in a dark, cool space, and I plan to chill and crack my first bottle next Friday. Plans change, of course, and I might just want to sample something along the way. Sue me :)

So, updates to come. Keep coming back and reading my progress as I hope to go from beginner to experienced home brewer. Feel free to post comments and suggestions, and share recipes! I'll do the same as I go along ... next up is a Belgian Triple that I concocted with the guys at the local home brew supply shop, Hydrobrew in Oceanside (great shop!). Making the yeast starter tomorrow night ... cheers!