#XBREW A Cross Country Brew & Swap. Podcasts.

Chicago winter has finally hit and put a damper on how much I can get out and brew. As soon as it stops precipitating I will be firing up WTF Saison and possibly an Sticke. In the mean time I was invited to be part of a cool project. Several Home Brewing Twitter junkies were invited to brew a chosen style on the same day, add local flare to it and then swap with everyone involved in the project. You can read more about it at http://homebrewcallab.wordpress.com/. I will be cross posting from that blog but feel free to check it out the other participants beer at that link.

One of my beers will be featured on an upcoming episode of the BGP (Beer Genome Project). Done by a few friend's I have met through the awesome internet home brew community. Check it out at http://beergeno.me/. I will post more info when that episode is out. Finally I had a chance to help out Ken and Brad with the Three Floyd's Beer Dinner episode of Hopcast. You can check them out here, http://www.hop-cast.com/.

Single Hop APA and WTF Saison

I am in love with the happy accident which was My last Saison. The Wyeast Saison yeast gave out at about 1.022 and it remained in Primary for almost 6 months. While in primary it picked up a pleasant sour character, that despite many veteran brewer's warnings, has only got better with age. While I know this can not be duplicated, I still have a thirst to brew Saisons as they are fast becoming one of my favorite styles. There is a lot of freedom one can take with a Saison, while it might not meet BJCP standards, they are all unique and delicious.

This particular Saison is a play on the previous recipe. I have cut back the amount of Rye, subbing Grains Of Paradise for a more subtle spiciness. Going to keep the early additions Hallertau but the late additions are going to be some peachy citrusy Amarillo hops. I want to avoid the long wait to get this one to finish out. So I am going to start with the Wyeast Saison, after three days I am going to hit it with Wyeast Trappist High Gravity to dry it out. Thinking of setting aside some unfermented wort and aerating it heavily. Creating a super started for the finishing yeast. Anyone with yeast mixing experience, please chime in!

Today I am brewing a simple single hop APA with Simcoe. I really love this hop and want to get a good grasp on its profile. I want to give a shout out to the folks at Brew And Grow for helping me with a Carpils sub today but also for letting me know you read the blog, THANKS!! You should always support your local home brew shop.

Boulevard To Collaborate With International Brewer - Brewmasters will partner on new Smokestack Series offering

My favorite home town brewery announced it's first collaboration and in Boulevard style it's unique and innovative. Taken from the press release.


"KANSAS CITY, Mo., October 9, 2009 – Boulevard Brewing Company today announced that Jean-Marie Rock, brewmaster at Orval, the renowned Trappist brewery located in southern Belgium, will team up with Boulevard brewmaster Steven Pauwels to create a small production, limited release beer. The joint effort, a first for the Midwestern craft brewery, will take place during Rock’s late October visit to Boulevard’s Kansas City facility. The brewers, both native Belgians, will produce an Imperial Pilsner similar to a lager brewed by Rock at the start of his career. It will, according to Pauwels, be a tribute to Pilsner beers; full flavored and refreshing, brewed with 100% Pilsner malt and 100% Saaz hops, using time-honored techniques.


“The beer will be made in a very traditional way,” said Rock. “The methods by which it will be brewed, fermented, and lagered are no longer employed, though they made this beer fantastic. It is time to get a beer like this back in a glass.” For his part, Pauwels is thrilled by the chance to work with his notable colleague. “In this, Boulevard’s first collaborative effort, we are pleased to honor a brewer who has had such an enormous influence on me and on so many other craft brewers. Jean-Marie mastered dry hopping and brewing with wild yeast long before craft brewers began experimenting with the techniques here in the U.S.”


The beer, to be packaged in 750ml bottles as part of Boulevard’s Smokestack Series, is expected to be available in January, and will be distributed through Boulevard’s wholesaler network. "

Home Brewer Profile – Joseph Lemnah

New Home Brewer profile at Hop Cast. This week it is the super knowledgeable Joseph Lemnah AKA The Hopfentreader. I leverage this guy for advanced home brew tips..oh and did I mention he is a pro brewer for DFH?! Check it out.. HOPCAST

Recipe: Rye Stout

Brewed this one on Monday as part of the "Bridges Brewery" project. This recipe seems so tasty, i may have to re brew it for my self. Nothing out of the ordinary, just borrowed form a few of my favorite Stout recipe's and replaced a portion of the base grain with Rye malt. I will use a small amount of Rice Hulls next brew as the mash bed drained awfully slow.


OG: 1.061
FG: 1.016
ABV: 6%
IBU: 39
SRM: 38
EFF: 75%
BOIL: 90
(Note: Reduced the first gallon of wort down to .5 gallon. Compensated in water volume. I have not figured out how this impacts my OG/FG)

7.5 lb Marris Otter
3 lb Rye Malt (Note: Mill at the lowest gap setting to get a fine crush)
8 oz UK Chocolate Malt
8 oz UK Roasted Barley
6 oz Caramel 40
6 oz Caramel 80
2 oz Caramel 120

2 oz Fuggles 90 min

Used 2 packs of Safale US-04 as I am fermenting this one cooler than normal, 60 - 62F. Aerated for 30 minutes with aeration stone.

RECIPE: Imperial American Brown Ale w/ Columbus Hops

I am real fond of Brown Ale's. In my opinion Chicago's Goose Island Clybourn location brews really strong Browns, Porters and Stouts (just enjoyed a Triple X Porter there yesterday, mmmm). They do a American Brown Ale called "Naught Goose" and recently did "Imperial Naughty Goose", my recipe is not a clone of this beer but was without a doubt inspired by many pints of it.

The first gallon of runnings were reduced by 50% to create a heavy body and mouth feel. I did not dry hop, the 2 ounce 1 minute addition gave enough hop aroma without it being overwhelming. Being that most Brown Ale's are in the lower ABV I decided to call this one Imperial.

Imperial Brown Ale with Columbus

OG: 1.069
FG: 1.016 (1.020 with Reduction)
EF: 75%
ABV: 7%
IBU: 90
SRM: 25

13 lbs 2-Row
12 oz Crystal 40
8 oz UK Chocolate Malt
8 oz Crystal 10
4 oz US Chocolate Malt

.75 oz Columbus 90 min
.50 oz Columbus 30 min
.50 oz Columbus 15 min
.25 oz Columbus 05 min
2 oz Columbus 01 min

2 packs of US-05

Mashed at 149 for 60 minutes. Spiked mash water with .75 tsp of Baking Soda. Reduced 1 gallon of first runnings by 50% to create a heavier body and mouthfeel.

I am still here..

I have been busy doing what I love, being with my Friends and Family, Home Brewing, #gents, Disc Golf and sneaking in a full work week between it all. Needless to say I have ignored the Blog. I will be posting up so new recipes and beer reviews.

It's also time for Bridges Brewery again. I have already started brewing the Scotch Ale but decided not to brew the Golden Strong Ale this year. Instead it looks like a Rye Stout will be the other beer offering.

Hop Cast Home Brewer Profile's - Andy Farley

Ken and Brad are celebrating the art of Home Brewing by featuring them on the Hop Cast site. My friend Andy Farley was featured, check him out here.. HOP CAST

Rootstock Wine & Beer Bar

Last night we decided to keep things in our area and check out a new spot. Rootstock has been getting a lot of buzz but i had heard very little about it from the perspective of a beer lover. What we intended to be a quick stop turned into a full evening at the bar sampling the menu and fine libations.

The bottle list was carefully selected. They kept a few selections from local craft brewers Three Floyds and Two Brothers, notably "Behemoth Barley Wine" but also "Gorch Fock" and "Dog Days". Domestic offerings from Allagash, Lost Abbey, North Coast, Lagunitas and Great Lakes. You will notice a leaning towards Belgian ales but dig a little deeper and they keep one good example of most styles. The imports list kept English Bitters like "Bombardier" and "Old Speckled Hen", French Canadian Belgian style ales from Unibrou, Lagers from Schlenkerla and Weihenstephan plus several Belgian and French ales. All price points on the bottles but of course it's great to pick out a pricier bottle to share with the table.

They had a two draft tower with Goose Island "Matilda" and Brooklyn "Sorachi Ace Saison". Matilda is great but what really brought me in was the Sorachi Ace Saison. Fresh grassy hop aroma and flavor. Citrus notes with grains of paradise meld well with the somewhat aggressive hopping for a Saison. I could have had this all night and will definitely be back again for another glass.

The partner who was running the bar, John, had an incredibly knowledge of the selections. You will notice the bar is not over ran by a pack of well known bottles. Like the beer selection, the spirits all were hand selected. I was impressed to see they had Templeton Rye. When He found out I was a big fan of brewing with Rye, he shared a sample of Wasmund's Rye Spirit, a small batch from Virginia. You can tell a lot of thought and love went into this bar and they were passionate about showing it off.

You can check them out at http://rootstockbar.com . They are located on the South West corner of Augusta and California in the Humboldt Park neighborhood.

On a side note, please vote for "The Best Chicago Beer Venue". #Gents will be reviewing one every Tuesday in August. Voting closes Sunday at 8pm. http://www.fellowshipofgentlemanlygentlemen.com/

Brew Day Pictures

Doing The Pliney Clone..

Finally! I have been wanting to do this clone for a long long time. In the recent issue of BYO Vinnie Cilurzo did an article on creating Double IPA's and shared a recent version of his famous Pliny The Elder recipe. His recipe had a simple malt bill and much different hop bill than other clone recipes. Notably omitting Chinook addition, Mash Hops and First Wort Hops. He had his mash efficiency at 80%, I average about 75% on my system. Still with the decrease in efficiency I was coming a little under both the SG of 1.070 and FG of 1.011. Increased the grain portions and really stepped up the sugar to keep this bad boy dry. Kettle hops act as a great filter for trub and break from the boil. I increased the amount of water to account for hop absorption so I am not left squeezing wort out. Also doing a Gypsum and Calcium Chloride mash salt addition to make the hops pop and get suitable brewing water for a lower SRM pale ale. Here is my modified recipe.

14C-India Pale Ale(IPA)-Imperial IPA


Recipe Overview
Wort Volume Before Boil: 7.50 US gals
Wort Volume After Boil: 6.40 US gals
Volume Transferred: 5.50 US gals
Water Added To Fermenter:0.00 US gals
Volume At Pitching: 5.50 US gals
Volume Of Finished Beer: 5.25 US gals

Expected Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.052 SG
Expected OG: 1.070 SG
Expected FG: 1.013 SG
Apparent Attenuation: 81.2 %
Expected ABV: 7.7 %
Expected ABW: 6.1 %
Expected IBU (using Rager): 246.4 IBU
Expected Color (using Morey): 6.0 SRM
BU:GU ratio: 3.50
Mash Efficiency: 75.0 %
Boil Duration: 90.0 mins
Fermentation Temperature: 67 degF


Fermentables

US 2-Row Malt 13lb 0oz 83.9 %

US Caramel 40L Malt 10.00 oz 4.0 %

US Carapils Malt 10.00 oz 4.0 %

Sugar - Corn Sugar/Dextrose (Dry) 1lb 4oz 8.1 %


Hops
Variety Alpha Amount IBU Form When
US Columbus(Tomahawk) 13.9 % 3.50 oz 190.4 90 Min
US Columbus(Tomahawk) 13.9 % 0.75 oz 31.3 45 Min
US Simcoe 13.0 % 1.00 oz 24.8 30 Min
US Simcoe 13.0 % 2.50 oz 0.0 0 Min
US Centennial 8.5 % 1.00 oz 0.0 0 Min
US Columbus(Tomahawk) 15.5 % 1.00 oz 0.0 Dry Hop
US Centennial 8.5 % 1.00 oz 0.0 Dry Hop
US Simcoe 13.0 % 1.00 oz 0.0 Dry Hop
US Columbus(Tomahawk) 15.5 % 0.25 oz 0.0 2nd Dry Hop
US Centennial 8.5 % 0.25 oz 0.0 2nd Dry Hop
US Simcoe 13.0 % 0.25 oz 0.0 2nd Dry Hop

Mashing at 151F for 60 minutes.

Brew Day Pictures - American Wheat 2.1 part 1

Brew Day Pictures - American Wheat 2.1 part 2

Russian Imperial Stout Brew Day Pictures

American Wheat Redux

It's been awhile since I last updated, took a much needed vacation to Mexico AKA land of the Mexican Light Lager. It's good to be back in a country who's climate support a wide variety of beer styles. Came home to find Maibock, American Wheat(American Heffer) and a IIPA ready for consumption. So it is definitely great to be home.

American Wheat has been one of my favorite styles as long as I can remember. Boulevard Wheat being the standard "Micro Brew" where I grew up, then moving out to Chicago where Gumball Head takes the style to new heights. I have a standard German Hef recipe that I am quite fond of. Last month I tried to convert it over to an American Wheat with some success. Aiming for the hoppiness and body of Three Floyd's Gumball Head, I was right where I needed to be for Bitterness and Aroma. Fell flat in the flavor additions. Body was nice and light but I felt it could use a slight lift in the sweetness. Two recipe's below have a slightly beefed up grain bill, the first recipe has a shifted hop bill, second has an all together new hop bill.

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American Heffer 2.0

VOL: 5.5 Gal

OG: 1.052
PG: 1.042
FG: 1.013

ABV: 5.2 %
IBU: 40
COLOR: 5.9 SRM

Mash at 154F 60 minutes. Boil 90 minutes.

German Wheat Malt 5lb 0oz 43.5 % 1.4
US 2-Row Malt 4lb 0oz 34.8 % 1.3
US Carapils Malt 1lb 0oz 8.7 % 0.2
US Rice Hulls 8.00 oz 4.3 % 0.0
US Caramel 40L Malt 8.00 oz 4.3 % 3.6
US Caramel 10L Malt 8.00 oz 4.3 % 0.9

US Magnum 14.4 % 0.25 oz 17.2 Loose Pellet Hops 90 Min From End
US Simcoe 12.7 % 0.50 oz 10.0 Loose Pellet Hops 20 Min From End
US Cascade 6.0 % 0.50 oz 4.7 Loose Pellet Hops 20 Min From End
US Simcoe 12.7 % 0.50 oz 5.4 Loose Pellet Hops 5 Min From End
US Cascade 6.0 % 0.50 oz 2.6 Loose Pellet Hops 5 Min From End
US Amarillo 5.0 % 1.00 oz 0.0 Loose Pellet Hops In Hop-Back
US Simcoe 12.7 % 1.00 oz 0.0 Loose Pellet Hops Dry-Hopped
US Cascade 6.0 % 1.00 oz 0.0 Loose Pellet Hops Dry-Hopped
US Amarillo 5.0 % 1.00 oz 0.0 Loose Pellet Hops Dry-Hopped
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

American Heffer 2.1

VOL: 5.5 Gal

OG: 1.052
PG: 1.042
FG: 1.013

ABV: 5.2 %
IBU: 74
COLOR: 5.9 SRM

Mash at 154F 60 minutes. Boil 90 minutes.

German Wheat Malt 5lb 0oz 43.5 % 1.4
US 2-Row Malt 4lb 0oz 34.8 % 1.3
US Carapils Malt 1lb 0oz 8.7 % 0.2
US Rice Hulls 8.00 oz 4.3 % 0.0
US Caramel 40L Malt 8.00 oz 4.3 % 3.6
US Caramel 10L Malt 8.00 oz 4.3 % 0.9

US Summit 18.0 % 0.33 oz 25.8 Bagged Pellet Hops FWH
US Cascade 4.5 % 0.33 oz 6.5 Bagged Pellet Hops FWH
US Summit 18.0 % 0.25 oz 21.5 Loose Pellet Hops 90 Min From End
US Summit 18.0 % 0.34 oz 9.6 Loose Pellet Hops 20 Min From End
US Cascade 6.0 % 0.34 oz 3.2 Loose Pellet Hops 20 Min From End
US Summit 18.0 % 0.34 oz 5.2 Loose Pellet Hops 5 Min From End
US Cascade 6.0 % 0.34 oz 1.7 Loose Pellet Hops 5 Min From End
US Amarillo 5.0 % 1.00 oz 0.0 Bagged Pellet Hops In Hop-Back
US Summit 18.0 % 1.00 oz 0.0 Bagged Pellet Hops Dry-Hopped
US Cascade 4.5 % 1.00 oz 0.0 Bagged Pellet Hops Dry-Hopped
US Amarillo 5.0 % 1.00 oz 0.0 Bagged Pellet Hops Dry-Hopped
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bridges Russian Imperial Stout

What follows is the prototype for this year's Bridges Holiday Beer. Making a BIG 10% Imperial Stout which will get 5 months of age on it before it ends up in the clients hands. Hopefully they will age it some more but this should give them a head start. I have never brewed this style but have brewed high ABV beers with success. I am dropping my mash efficiency to 60% to accommodate for the huge amount of grain in my tun. Going to Ferment this one at 65F in the lager fridge. Beer Tools puts my FG at 1.026 but I am thinking of racking to secondary between 1.30 to 1.035 to keep it a little sweet and thick. Any constructive criticism will be taken seriously.

Bridges Russian Imperial Stout

5 Gallon
60% Efficiency
1.082 Pre Boil Gravity
1.105 Original Gravity
1.026 Final Gravity
10.6% ABV
100 IBU
0.98 BU:GU

20 lbs UK Pale Malt
2.5 lbs UK Roasted Barley
2 lbs Wheat Malt
1 lb Special B
1 lb UK Chocolate Malt

1.5 Oz. Magnum 90 Min
2 Oz. Liberty 10 Min
2 Oz. Liberty 10 Min

Single Infusion Mash at 154F for 90 minutes. Ferment at 65F with 20 grams of Safale S-04 English Yeast.

Brew Day Pictures - Double Brew Day - Rye PA 2.0 & American Wheat

Brew Day Pictures - Double Brew Day - Rye PA 2.0 & American Wheat

Things I have been doing differently.. or answering Blake's questions

The great thing about Home Brewing is the option to keep things as simple or complex as your time and ability allow. Also the option to experiment with different methods, as you are only disappointing yourself or maybe a few drinking buddies.

To Answer "@Fermentus" question, I nixed the FWH cause I was adding my 0 minute hops when my wort chilled to 180F. I read about this in Ted Danyluk's blog and thought it was worth checking out. This would be similar to doing whirlpool hops or using a hop back. I always add 0 minute hops as soon as the flame is off. You can read Ted's blog for more info. Ted's Homebrew Journal.

According to the Bries web site, flaked rye adds a more subtle Rye flavor. Everyone who tried my previous Rye PA liked the level of Rye flavor. Since this is a paler brew, I subbed out some of the Rye Malt grist percent for Flaked Rye. I am hoping this along with the Willamette hops brings a unique flavor to this beer. We will see.

The German Hefeweizen AKA LITTLE HEFFER! Only has a Hallertau charge for bittering and one at 15 minutes for Flavor/Aroma. The American Heffer has american yeast, american hops and similar grain bill. I like using a small amount of Special B in my wheats.

I am sure the American Wheat will be a kick ass beer. The Rye PA 2.0, we will see. I am not sure the paler beer can hold on to the Rye. I am keeping it under temp control for the first few days, as the original Rye PA had some alcohol esther, especially as it warmed. Thanks "@beersys " for making that clear to me.

Double Brew Day part 2 - Rye PA 2.0 and American Heffer Recipes

Looks like Friday's weather is going to be perfect for a double brew. Starting the day off with Rye Pale Ale 2.0 and following that with a Hoppy American Wheat with the same grain bill as my German Hefeweizen. With my new burner this should go much faster than before as I can get liquid to boil much much faster. Recipes follow and as always any constructive criticism or advice will be considered.


Rye Pale Ale


Expected Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.048 SG
Expected OG: 1.060 SG
Expected FG: 1.014 SG
Apparent Attenuation: 75.0 %
Expected ABV: 6.1 %
Expected ABW: 4.7 %
Expected IBU (using Rager): 34.9 IBU
Expected Color (using Morey): 5.5 SRM
BU:GU ratio: 0.58
Mash Efficiency: 70.0 %
Boil Duration: 90.0 mins
Fermentation Temperature: 68 degF


Fermentables
Ingredient Amount % MCU When
US 2-Row Malt 9lb 0oz 66.7 % 2.9 In Mash/Steeped
US Rye Malt 2lb 0oz 14.8 % 1.3 In Mash/Steeped
US Munich 10L Malt 1lb 0oz 7.4 % 1.8 In Mash/Steeped
US Flaked Rye 1lb 0oz 7.4 % 0.5 In Mash/Steeped
US Rice Hulls 8.00 oz 3.7 % 0.0 In Mash/Steeped


Single infusion Mash at 152F.

Hops
Variety Alpha Amount IBU Form When
US Magnum 14.0 % 0.50 oz 29.4 Loose Pellet Hops 90 Min From End
US Willamette 4.5 % 1.00 oz 5.5 Loose Pellet Hops 15 Min From End
US Willamette 4.5 % 1.00 oz 0.0 Loose Pellet Hops At turn off

Ferment with Safale US-05

American Heffer - American Wheat Ale

Expected Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.035 SG
Expected OG: 1.043 SG
Expected FG: 1.011 SG
Apparent Attenuation: 74.9 %
Expected ABV: 4.3 %
Expected ABW: 3.4 %
Expected IBU (using Rager): 23.6 IBU
Expected Color (using Morey): 5.5 SRM
BU:GU ratio: 0.54
Mash Efficiency: 70.0 %
Boil Duration: 90.0 mins
Fermentation Temperature: 68 degF


Fermentables
Ingredient Amount % MCU When
German Wheat Malt 5lb 0oz 51.8 % 1.4 In Mash/Steeped
US 2-Row Malt 3lb 0oz 31.1 % 1.0 In Mash/Steeped
US Carapils Malt 1lb 0oz 10.4 % 0.2 In Mash/Steeped
US Rice Hulls 8.00 oz 5.2 % 0.0 In Mash/Steeped
Belgian Special B 2.50 oz 1.6 % 4.2 In Mash/Steeped

Single Infusion Mash at 154F for 60 minutes

Hops
Variety Alpha Amount IBU Form When
US Magnum 16.0 % 0.25 oz 16.8 Loose Whole Hops 90 Min From End
US Simcoe 13.0 % 0.50 oz 5.1 Loose Whole Hops 5 Min From End
US Cascade 4.5 % 0.50 oz 1.8 Loose Whole Hops 5 Min From End
US Simcoe 13.0 % 0.50 oz 0.0 Bagged Pellet Hops At turn off
US Cascade 4.5 % 0.50 oz 0.0 Bagged Pellet Hops At turn off

Ferment at 68F with Safale US-05

Imperial India Pale Ale with Honey Malt Recipe.

5.5 Gal

OG: 1.079
PB: 1.059
FG: 1.013
EFF: 70%
ABV: 9%
IBU: 171
Boil: 90 min
Ferm Temp: 68F

15.5 lb 2 Row Male
11 oz Honey Male
2 oz Chocolate Malt
2 lbs White Sugar (at flame out)

Mash Grain at 130F 30 Minutes, 149F 60 Minutes and 165F 10 Minutes. 2.5 tsp of Gypsum for Chicago water.

Recirculate Mash until sufficient clarity. Sparge to 8gal.

US Magnum 14.2 % 0.50 oz 17.6 In Mash
US Magnum 14.2 % 1.50 oz 75.6 90 Min From End
US Horizon 10.9 % 0.50 oz 20.5 60 Min From End
US Cascade 6.0 % 1.00 oz 12.6 30 Min From End
US Summit 18.5 % 0.75 oz 22.9 25 Min From End
US Cascade 6.0 % 0.50 oz 3.0 15 Min From End
US Summit 18.5 % 0.75 oz 11.4 10 Min From End
US Ahtanum 4.5 % 0.50 oz 1.6 5 Min From End
US Amarillo 5.0 % 0.50 oz 1.7 5 Min From End
US Simcoe 13.0 % 0.50 oz 4.5 5 Min From End
US Ahtanum 4.5 % 0.50 oz 0.0 At turn off
US Amarillo 5.0 % 0.50 oz 0.0 At turn off
US Simcoe 13.0 % 0.50 oz 0.0 At turn off


One unique thing I did with this batch was recirculate 10 gallons of the mash. This provided a MUCH more brilliant clarity and set up the mash bed well before sparging. It only took me an extra 30-45 minutes and I believe this will impact the beers outcome greatly. Thanks to @hopfentreader and La Brewer blog for posting about this method.

I am keeping this restrained in my lager freezer, hopefully keeping the temp at 68F for the first three days of fermentation. After this I will let it rise up to dry the beer out to really showcase the hops.

As always constructive criticism and comments are welcome. Let me know if you brew it. Shouts out to Fermentus for brewing my Rye Pale Ale recipe and converting some fizzy beer lovers.

More Brew Day Pictures - Imperial India Pale Ale

All Pictures taken with Shake It Photo. Available on the iTunes store and created by fellow #Gent @NickVegas.

Brew Day Pictures - Imperial India Pale Ale

IIPA?

I have had this IIPA sitting in the on deck circle for awhile, Maibock is finally bottled up and out of the fridge (and quite malty/boozy on first sampling), things are warming up outside and in the apartment.. what does this all mean? I can finally regulate fermentation temperature again. Which is great, especially when brewing an imperial style. So tomorrow I was planning on making a BIG malty British ale but instead will do the IIPA. Still using up the last of my 2-row, a little pilsner, honey malt, touch of chocolate malt and some white sugar to dry it out. Using up the last of my Magnum, Horizon, Summit, Cascade and Ahtanum for the hop cocktail. Keeping the fermentation temp at 68 to keep it from getting hot booze but at 9% this one will have alcohol. I will post the final recipe tonight and post lots of pictures tomorrow.

Latest Brew Hauls - San Diego part 3 & Minneapolis

Two incredible Hauls this week! John in San Diego sent a third box full of West Coast goodies. My favorite so far being the "Fred" from Hair Of The Dog in Portland. The Ballast Point "Victory At Sea" was intense, even after sampling both '08 and '09 FFF Darklord. Jon @beersys sent a weighty Minnesota care package full of Flat Earth, Surly and Brau Brothers picks. He bottled up some Xanadu, A limited version of the Flat Earth Porter with Orange. At first I was not a fan of the Xanadu but it grew on me fast. Orange is not overbearing and mixes well with the light chocolate malt. Tasty! Thanks to both John and Jon for the great trades!