Recipe: American Wheat - A Summer Time Brew

Growing up in Kansas I have a reverence for Boulevard Wheat that no one but people from the region seem to understand. Kansas summers are damn hot and the wheat ale is the perfect thirst quencher. You can drink it all afternoon and not be in a stuper. It is also a excellent gateway beer for your pals who have yet to discover the broad world of beer beyond macro lager.

I have never attempted to clone it. This recipe is the best I could come up with after reading many forums on the subject. Taking the most plausible recipes and cross referencing them to Boulevards sight. Then realizing many of the hops would need to be swapped with readily available hops. Finally getting to my LHBS and finding two commonly available hops not in stock. It was just not my day to make this beer, but being stubborn I pressed on and came out with this.

Batch size: 5.5 gal
OG: 1.046
PG: 1.036
FG: 1.011
ABV: 4.6%
IBU: 17
SRM: 3.4
EFF: 75%

5 lb 2-Row
2 lb 12 oz Wheat
2 lb Flaked Wheat

7 gr Magnum 14% AA 60 min
7 gr each Centennial and Citra 5 min (OG recipe had Summit and Simcoe)
21 gr each Centennial and Citra -1 minute or flameout (OG recipe had Summit and Simcoe)

Protein rest at 125F for 15 min, 149F for 60 min, 165F mash out for 15 min.

Chicago water adjusted accordingly.

Fermented with 1 pack US-05 dry yeast.

2011: The year I nail down an IPA Recipe?

I brew a lot of hoppy beers and refuse to apologize for it. Beer nerds/afficonados are well past this trend but I love a dank IPA in my glass. The pale ale or IPA is the standard I hold most brewpubs too and am quick to dismiss a brand if they have a subpar version. I have done many single hop IPA, traditional cascade pale ales, overdone DIPAs, massively hoppy barley wines and experimental hop beers. Most good, a few great, some down right terrible. So it's about time I practice what I preach and make a truly awesome IPA. This is going to happen in one brew, these things take time.

In January I brewed a sessionable IPA with 2 row, Munich, Caramel Malt, Columbus, Cascade and Citra. I purposely mashed a the low end of things, thinking it would add to the drinkability. It did but the bittering hops charged through and flattened the malt profile. It was not too bitter for my tastes but the average drinker would not appreciate it.

At the beginning of March I took the same recipe but mashed at the higher end of the scale. After hearing a Brewing Network podcast with Lagunitas, the brewer talked about mashing at 160F for the Maximus IPA. Even the brewcasters thought it was a wild concept but he said the body it delivers was right for the beer. I ended up mashing at 158F. Fermentation struggled a bit with the long chain sugars, ending at 1.018 (calculated 1.013). Out of the FV it was tasting great, there was more of a balance with the Columbus bittering charge. I just dry hopped it with 2 oz of Citra and will be kegged in 5 days.

The concept is to keep brewing this recipe, changing one variable until I feel it is locked in. If the change doesn't improve the beer we go back to the last good version and change another variable. Once solidified, I will enter it into a few competitions and see how it fairs against the judges.

Bridges Brewery 2010

BRIDGES BREWERY 2010

This year's site is up. This project, like the beer, keeps getting better every year. Thanks to the Bridges crew for the opportunity to be apart of this for the third year now. Check out the site for a awesome video of the beers from start to finish.

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. "

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/

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!

San Diego Care Package + Founder's Kentucky Breakfast Stout

Thanks to BA Engebrits for another awesome box of SD brews. It was nice to get my hands on a few KBS but not nice on the old wallet.

Rye Pale Ale Recipe

Style: American Pale Ale
Batch Size: 5.5
Boil: 60 min
Efficiency: 70% (first time with the rye)
OG: 1.056
FG: 1.014
IBU: 53 (but I am First Wort Hopping, so maybe 45)
SRM: 12
ABV: 5.6%

8 lbs 2-Row 63.4%
2 lbs 8 oz Rye 19.8%
1 lb Carapils 7.9%
8 oz Crystal 40L 4%
8 oz Rice Hulls 4%
2 oz Black Malt 1%

.75 oz Cascade FWH
.50 oz Magnum 60 min
.50 oz Cascade 15 min
.50 oz Cascade 5 min
1 oz Cascade Flame Out
1 oz Cascade Dry 5 days before bottling

Mash at 152F for 60 minutes 1.25qt to lb of grain
Spike Mash according to your water chemistry to control PH

I wanted to keep this recipe as straight forward as possible. The 2 oz of 540SRM black malt is strictly for color. It should not impart much flavor. Originally I wanted to have spicy Saaz and spicy/citrusy Cascade fight it out in the aroma department. I could not get Saaz in time, so it looks like it will be a single hop in aroma/flavor realm. Which I am OK with, I am interested to see how the rye flavor goes with Cascade blast. I know I am heavy handed with the hops, thats how I get down, you can lower the IBU to your tastes. I also figured that the rye would absorb .30 gal of water per lb and figured that into my water volumes. Finally, I did not want to make this one too boozey, keep it drinkable.

As always, any experienced criticism will be taken seriously. Thanks!

Brewing With Malted Rye

In getting ready for the iPhone or Brew Pal RyePA, I needed to do a little more research on our special ingredient to insure success on the first go around. Side Note, looks like my Twitter Friend @blakejarolim will also be brewing this recipe, we will swap, compare and enjoy. God Bless Web 2.0 for its many beer blessings.

I will be using Malted Rye. If you have done any basic brewing reading you know that malted barley is a partial modified grain. The Malster has kick started the germination process and then "paused" it as the best possible moment for starch to sugar conversion. This is great, cause it means I can throw it in with the rest of my grist and use a single infusion mash. EASY..but wait..

Rye kernels are smaller than barley and do not have husks. When we mill barley we leave the husks partially in tact to act as a filter bed for lautering. If I mill my rye at the same gap as my barley i will not get the appropriate crush. So I will need to crush my normal grist and then change the gap for the rye. If you mill at your LHBS then you can place your rye portion in a sturdy Zip Lock bag, steal grandma's rolling pin and carefully crush your rye. Also, similar to Wheat, Rye has a much higher beta-glucan content. This can gummy up your mash in grist's portion's over 10%, possibly resulting in slow run off or the dreaded stuck mash. Using rice hulls as a filter bed will combat this problem. I also read of raising the mash temp by a few degrees to allow for easier run off. Apparently Rye is a little more thirsty than your typical grain. I usually multiply my dry grain weight by .20 to figure for quarts lost in grain. You might raise that slightly to accommodate for water volume.

From what I read most Pro Brewers use Rye in portions of 10-20% to act as flavor enhance to an established style, ie RyePA or Rye Stout. 30 - 50% to dominate a style, like Roggenbier or American Rye Ale. Imagine replacing the wheat with rye in a typical Heffeweizen malt bill. Sounds delicious to You and I but not for everyone.


I hope this summary helps anyone using Rye for the first time. If you have experience with the grain and you would like to correct my information, please comment.



Sources:

Brewing With Rye by Rosannah Hayden

Brewing With Rye; Tips From The Pros by Glenn BurnSilver

Beer Wars - in theaters near you?

Beer Wars Movie Trailer from Beer Wars on Vimeo.


For many this is the same ole' story told time and time again. It's an important story and the film looks like it has great production values..

Hop Cast 27 - Deschutes IPA's

Hop Cast - Episode 27 from Hop Cast on Vimeo.

You should subscribe to Hop Cast via iTunes. This episode was filmed before the BMG episode. I am very awkward on camera, notice me slam the fist IPA..;)

Boulevard Brewing Co. tour Pics

Forgive the iPhone photo's, I forgot the better camera. Boulevard is currently remodeling the old brew house to increase capacity of the tasting room and gift shop. In the last couple years they have undergone a 29 million dollar expansion. The old brew house was being pushed past it's limit, now the old brew house is strictly for brewing Smokestack's and test batches. The main brew house is a stainless steel beauty. They also added a new bottling line, which last time we toured was a basketball court. One thing I learned is that the new roof is a "green roof" that allows them to retain as much heat as possible. Also they use as much natural light as possible to cut down on power consumption. I know many of you Chicagoans have not had the opportunity to enjoy these fine beers due to distribution. I can only hope that Boulevard gives our region a shot in the future.



That would be BA NCTRNL enjoying a Single Wide IPA. Myself looking goofy, with Courtney and Selina.

This week we celebrate Kansas City and San Diego through two great Brew Hauls

This one almost didn't make it! We just barely missed check in at KCI, the most secure airport on earth, and were tagged with the evil yellow "late check in" tags. Needless to say my bag was flagged and opened. As I watched in horror as bottle after bottle was removed from between stinky socks and dirty t-shirts, my temper shot up. I know better than to approach a TSA agent about anything, so I had to hope this guy appreciated craft beer, or if anything the smugglers spirit. I have to apologize to my Wife for being completely intolerable for most of the flight. The bag was one of the first ones off at Midway. Felt just as heavy as when I left it and no signs of leakage. Once I got home, every bottle was repacked in the same manner as which I packed it. Big ups to the TSA for not stealing my Boulevard Barrel Aged Quads.


Thanks to BA's Tigerboo, JustinCurtis and NCTRNL for hooking me up with Boulevard BBQ's and Imperial Stouts. I hope the FFF and DFH treat you just as well as I know these will. I also picked up some Boulevard's new Single Wide IPA, which in my opinion is greater than the Double Wide, a more citrusy and floral hop that really comes through in the mouth. I also picked up some Avery New World Porter, a dry hopped porter, on suggestion from several KC peeps. For some reason we do not get this one in Chicago. On the end is Schlafly Bourbon Aged Stout. Had to grab this one and have a I-70 series of my own.







WOAH! Thanks to BA Engebrits for hooking this SERIOUS package. The AleSmith Yule Smith 2007 Summer Holiday was a welcome surprise. Speedway Stout, one of the top rated stouts by BA users. Horny Devil Belgian ale, looks like a large golden strong. Finally the Green Flash Grand Cru, one of my favorite Belgian styles.. Thanks and I look forward to doing a second Midwest Vs. San Diego trade.

Two Brother's Tasting @ Brasserie Joe

If you follow me on Twitter then you had live updates from the field. It was held in a private room where we enjoyed sharing a table with some real knowledgeable Croatian Chicagoans, one of the old bartenders at Brasserie Joe and Homebrewer Brian from BMG. Each place setting had a marker for the four beers that we enjoyed. Erin, the host and "Beer Sommelier", started the evening off by introducing Jason Ebel. He explained how to properly enjoy beer from start to finish and went into detail about his recipe design for each beer without getting overly technical. One of his more interesting comments was that Beer had 4 times the flavor compounds as wine.

The night went quickly with Redy Rye "Coffee Porter" being my percy. We did get to sample the 2009 Bare Tree "Imperial Weiss" out of the conditioning tanks. It was still very flavorful even with minimal cabonation. The nose reminded me of my Imperial Wheat but the Bare Tree was more dry and complex.

Next Month Hildegard Van Ostaden, head brewer at Urthel will be the featured brewer. Two Brothers and Urthel are doing a Collab! I do enjoy the Urthel "Hop It" and can't wait to try some more offerings..

Revolution Brewing, Chicago's latest Brewery Pub.

I had been hearing rumor's about this for awhile, no one was ever able to give me the complete story. Check out Revolution's blog and follow the construction progress. Looks like more options are on the way for Chicago beer fans! http://revbrew.com/blog