Mocha Porter

I had the idea of brewing a mocha porter in my mind for awhile, but what I really wanted to do is to brew it without using actual coffee and chocolate and only use roasted malts to achieve the mocha flavour.    

Recipe Specifications
Batch Size (Gal): 11.00
Total Grain (Lbs): 25.25
Estimated OG: 1.061
Anticipated SRM: 28.6
Anticipated IBU: 38.2 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75 %
Wort Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Grains
63.4% (16 lbs) - 2 Row
19.8% (5 lbs) - Vienna
5.0% (1.25 lbs) - Coffee Kiln Malt
5.0% (1.25 lbs) - Pale Chocolate
4.0% (1 lbs) - Honey Malt
3.0% (0.75 lbs) - Carafa Special II

Hops
3.25 oz Northern Brewer(7.00%) @ 60 min

Yeast
5.5 gal -> S-05
5.5 gal -> Nottingham 

Mash Schedule
Sacch Rest - 60 min @ 155F

Notes
07/17/14: Brew day

Fly sparge with 170F water
Collected 12 gallons
pH=5.2
OG = 1.061

Enamel Stripper DIPA

A couple of weeks ago I was taking my hops inventory and noticed that my Summit and Belma hops were getting near 2 years old and I should use them up before long.  What better way to use a bunch of hops then by brewing a Double IPA!

Recipe Specifications
Batch Size (Gal): 11.00
Total Grain (Lbs): 31.50
Estimated OG: 1.078
Anticipated SRM: 7.2
Anticipated IBU: 104.0 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75 %
Wort Boil Time: 75 Minutes

Grains
85.7% (27 lbs) - 2 Row
4.0% (1.25 lbs) - Carafoam
4.0% (1.25 lbs) - Crystal 40
1.6% (0.5 lbs) - Acid malt

Hops
2.50 oz Summit (13.50%) @ FWH
2.50 oz Nugget (14.50%) @ 75 min
1.00 oz Simcoe (10.50%) @ 30 min
1.00 oz Amarillo (8.70%) @ 15 min
1.00 oz Simcoe (10.50%) @ 15 min
3.00 oz Belma (9.8%) @ Whirlpool 
3.00 oz Summit (13.50%) @ Whirlpool 
2.00 oz Amarillo (8.70%) @ Whirlpool 
2.00 oz Nugget (14.50%) @ Whirlpool 
1.00 oz Nelson Sauvin (14.4%) @ Dry Hop 14 days
1.00 oz Summit (13.50%) @ Dry Hop 14 days
1.00 oz Simcoe (10.50%) @ Dry Hop 14 days
1.00 oz Nugget (14.50%) @ Dry Hop 14 days
1.00 oz Nelson Sauvin (14.4%) @ Dry Hop 7 days
3.00 oz Belma (9.8%) @ Dry Hop 7 days
1.00 oz Simcoe (10.50%) @ Dry Hop 7 days
1.00 oz Nugget (14.50%) @ Dry Hop 7 days

Yeast
5.5 gal -> S-05
5.5 gal -> BRY-97
(yeast slurries from American Wheat)

Mash Schedule
Sacch Rest - 75 min @ 149F

Notes
07/10/14: Brew day
Wort pH = 5.3
Fly sparge with 170F water
Collected 11 gallons
OG = 1.079

07/18/14: First round of dry hopping

07/28/14: Secondary + second round of dry hopping

Das Altbier

Altbier is a amber German ale from Düsseldorf that is fermented cool then lagered for a few weeks much like a Kölsch from Cologne. The terms Alt means “old beer” in the sense that this style is older than lager beers which is a fairly recent advent in brewing history.

I did couple of things differently with this recipe as compared to the other’s I’ve brewed in the past.  First is keeping the crystal to a minimum to help achieve a really crisp and dry finish. Second is I used wheat instead of barley for crystal/color.  Last month I’ve read Horst D. Dornbusch’s Altbier: History, Brewing Techniques and at one point the author mention that some Düsseldorf breweries use wheat for crystal and color so I thought I would try that with this recipe.  

For hops I went the traditional Spalter, Magnum for its clean and neutral bitterness and Tettnanger for flavour.  

I fermented using 3 different strains, WLP036 which is the authentic Altbier yeast from Zum Uerige, WY2565 which is a Kölsch yeast and WY1010 which is a bit odd since it’s an American yeast but its origin is actually from Zum Uerige via Widmer.  

Recipe Specifications
Batch Size (Gal): 15.00
Total Grain (Lbs): 28.44
Estimated OG: 1.054
Anticipated SRM: 11.8
Anticipated IBU: 53.1 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75 %
Wort Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Grains
59.8% (17 lbs) - Floor Malted Pilsner
21.1% (6 lbs) - Munich
14.1% (4 lbs) - Vienna
3.5% (1 lbs) - Carawheat
1.5% (4 oz) - Chocolate Wheat

Hops
2.00 oz Spalter (3.50%) @ FWH
2.00 oz Spalter (3.50%) @ 90 min
1.75 oz Magnum (12.60%) @ 90 min
2.00 oz Tettnanger (5.30%) @ 20 min

Yeast
5 gal -> WLP036 Dusseldorf
5 gal -> WY3565 Kölsch
5 gal -> WY1010 American Wheat

Mash Schedule
Sacch Rest - 60 min @ 152F

Notes
07/04/14: Brew day

Fly sparge with 170F water
Collected 15 gallons
OG = 1.053

American Wheat

While it’s still summer and I’m still on a wheat beer and hoppy pale kick, I decided I would brew something that would combine both hops and wheat.  I wanted something refreshing, light bodied with low bitterness and a medium hop flavour/aroma.  Typically American Wheat is not usually dry hopped but I will still try it on the S-05 carboy with 1oz of hops (0.50 oz Amarillo + 0.50 oz Sorachi Ace) just for personal research and development.

Recipe Specifications
Batch Size (Gal): 15.00
Total Grain (Lbs): 27.50
Estimated OG: 1.050
Anticipated SRM: 4.8
Anticipated IBU: 32.7 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75 %
Wort Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Grains
47.3% (13 lbs) - 2 Row
47.3% (13 lbs) - Wheat
5.5% (1.5 lbs) - Caravienne

Hops
3.00 oz Willamette (5.20%) @ 60 min
1.00 oz Amarillo (8.70%) @ 15 min
1.00 oz Sorachi Ace (13.00%) @ 15 min
1.00 oz Amarillo (8.70%) @ Hop-Stand (175F for 45 min)
1.00 oz Sorachi Ace (13.00%) @ Hop-Stand (175F for 45 min)

S-05 carboy
0.50 oz Amarillo (8.70%) @ Dry Hop for 10 days
0.50 oz Sorachi Ace (13.00%) @ Dry Hop for 10 days

Yeasts
5.5 gal -> Safale S-05
5.5 gal -> Lallamand BRY-97
4 gal -> WY3565 Kölsch

Mash Schedule
Sacch Rest - 60 min @ 152F

Notes
06/19/14: Brew day

Fly sparge with 170F water
Collected 15 gallons
OG = 1.052


07/16/14: bottled @ 2.5 vol CO2.  FG: S-05=1.009