TropicAle

American Pale Ales (APA) are simple and fun to brew all year round and it is because of those reasons that it is a style that I brew often.  This is the second time that I am brewing this recipe but I have tweaked this version, mainly on the hop bill.  The last time I used Nelson Sauvin on its own, but this time around I’ve paired it with Citra and Sorachi Ace for a more fruity, tropical and citrusy flavour. This will hopefully be a nice “summer shandy".

Recipe Specifications
Batch Size (Gal): 11.00
Total Grain (Lbs): 23.00
Estimated OG: 1.055
Anticipated SRM: 7.2
Anticipated IBU: 43.9 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75 %
Wort Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Grains
78.3% (18 lbs) - 2-Row
13.0% (3 lbs) - Munich
6.5% (1.5 lbs) - Crystal 40
2.2% (0.5 lbs) - Carafoam

Hops
1.00 oz Warrior (12.00%) @ 60 min
0.90 oz Nelson Sauvin(0.45)/Citra(0.30)/Sorachi Ace(0.15) @ 20 min
1.80 oz Nelson Sauvin(0.90)/Citra(0.60)/Sorachi Ace(0.30) @ 10 min 
3.00 oz Nelson Sauvin(1.50)/Citra(1.00)/Sorachi Ace(0.50) @ Hop-Stand (175F for 60 min)
3.00 oz Nelson Sauvin(1.50)/Citra(1.00)/Sorachi Ace(0.50) @ Dry Hop for 10 days (1.50 oz per carboy)
3.00 oz Nelson Sauvin(1.50)/Citra(1.00)/Sorachi Ace(0.50) @ Keg Hopping (1.50 oz per keg)

Yeast
5.5 gal -> WY1450 Denny's Favorite 50
5.5 gal -> S-05

Mash Schedule
Sacch Rest - 60 min @ 153

Notes
05/18/14: Brew day

Fly sparge with 170F water
Collected 11 gallons
OG = 1.056


06/01/14: Rack to secondary + dry hops

07/14/14: Keg S-05 version  FG=1.010
07/18/14: Keg WY1450 version  FG=1.012

Hefeweizen

Hefeweizen (or Weissbier) highlights the two stars of the show in its name, which translates to yeast (hefe) and wheat (weizen). Hailing from Bavaria, Hefes are meant to be consumed fresh, which is perfect since I just so happen to have an empty keg that needs to be filled. I will ferment this for 10 days before kegging it, then will force carb it for two days and will start drinking it 14 days after brewday.

I followed the typical recipe for a Hefe, consisting of 60/40 wheat/barley and just enough hops to balance it.  The one thing I did differently for this batch is that I added an acid rest in the mash schedule to promote more ferulic acid. The yeast will metabolize the acid into clove flavour and aroma (4-vinyl guaiacol).  The rest of the mash was conducted with Hochkurz-type mash via infusions of water.

I will pitch my yeast at 13C and ferment at 17C to abide by the old German rule of thumb where pitching temperature plus the fermentation temperature should equal 30 °C.  (ref. German Wheat Beer)

Recipe Specifications

Batch Size (Gal): 5.50

Total Grain (Lbs): 10.00

Estimated OG: 1.050

Anticipated SRM: 3.4

Anticipated IBU: 13.6 IBU

Brewhouse Efficiency: 75 %

Wort Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Grains

60.0% (6 lbs) - Wheat

40.0% (4 lbs) - Floor Malted Pilsner

Hops

1.00 oz Hallertauer Mittelfrueh (4.00%) @ 60 min

Yeast

WY3068 Weihenstephan

Mash Schedule

Acid Rest - 20 min @ 113

Maltose Rest - 40 min @ 148

Dextrin Rest - 40 min @ 158

Notes

05/05/14: Made 2L starter

05/13/14: Brew day

Fly sparge with 170F water

Collected 6 gallons

OG = 1.049

05/27/14: Kegged  FG=1.009

ESB

Extra Special/Strong Bitter (ESB) is a beer style that I enjoy, but that I have yet to brew, surprisingly.  Each year, I set myself new homebrewing goals and this year one of them was to brew more styles of beers which I had not ventured yet. Besides Stouts and Porters, English Ales tend to be at the bottom of my brewing list but I started working on that last month when I brewed my Brown Ale.  

ESBs are maltly/bitter beers of moderate strength, yet balanced and very drinkable, like a lot of English ales. I kept my recipe fairly simple using Maris Otter as the base malt for its classic toasty and nutty flavour, a little Munich for a speck of breadiness and malt sweetness, Crystal 60 for a little caramel to balance the bitterness and a dash of Crystal 120 for a subtle touch of raisins and nut flavour.  

For the hops, I chose Bravo for bittering as I prefer to bitter with high AA hops instead of using a buttload of lower AA hops.  I find Bravo has a noble-ish character with its floral, earthy and spicy notes.  For finishing hops, I used  the classic English Fuggles.  I am also considering dry hoping the S-04 carboy with some Willamette just for fun.

Recipe Specifications
Batch Size (Gal): 15.00
Total Grain (Lbs): 28.57
Estimated OG: 1.054
Anticipated SRM: 11.3
Anticipated IBU: 43.1 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75 %
Wort Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Grains
77.0% (22 lbs) - Maris Otter
14.0% (4 lbs) - Dark Munich 
7.0% (2 lbs) - Crystal 60
2.0% (9 oz) - Crystal 120

Hops
2.50 oz Bravo (10.75%) @ 60 min
3.00 oz Fuggle (4.9%) @ 20 min
2.00 oz Fuggle (4.9%) @ 0 min

Yeast
5gal -> WLP002 English Ale
5gal -> Safale S-04 English Ale
5gal -> Danstar Windsor Ale

Mash Schedule
Sacc Rest - 60 min @ 152F

Notes
04/24/14: Made 2L starter for WLP002 
05/02/14: Brew day

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


05/27/14: Kegged  FG=1.009

Lambic 3.0

Last year around this time I brewed my first Lambic (v1.0).  I brewed it using a turbid mash, fermented it with Wyeast Lambic Blend and added dregs of various bottles of Lambics over the year for a more diverse microbe flora and flavour complexity.  I also brewed another one a few months ago using Steve Piatz’s extract recipe, which became my Lambic v2.0

Last week I bottled 2.5 gallons of v1.0 straight.  An additional 2.5 gallons was racked over 4 pounds of local strawberries that I picked last summer. This batch will mature for another six months before bottling. I also kept one gallon of v1.0 with the intention of aging it for another year, then blending it with some of v2.0 and v3.0 to make a Gueuze.

For this year’s version, I stayed with the typical Lambic grist which consists of about 60% malted barley and 40% raw wheat.  It was brewed using a turbid mash again, debittered hops and boiled for three hours. 

For the yeast and bugs, I used the slurry from v1.0 and a fresh pack of 3278. The fresh pack probably wasn’t necessary, but I would rather be safe than sorry, especially since I will be waiting a minimum of 12 months before processing it. 

I will end with a quote that can be found hanging at the Cantillon brewery that I really like.  For wild ales, this couldn’t be more true!

“Le temps ne respecte pas ce qui se fait sans lui. » which translate to « Time does not respect what is made without it.”

Recipe Specifications

Batch Size (Gal): 12.00

Total Grain (Lbs): 23.00

Estimated OG: 1.053

Anticipated SRM: 3.9

Anticipated IBU: 0.0 IBU

Brewhouse Efficiency: 75 %

Wort Boil Time: 180 Minutes

Grains

60.9% (14 lbs) - Pils

39.1% (9 lbs) - Raw Wheat

Hops

8.00 oz Debittered Hops @ 180 min

Yeast

WY3278 Lambic Blend + slurry from v1.0

Mash Schedule

Acid Rest - 15 min @ 113F

Protein Rest - 15 min @ 126F

     -transferred 1.5 gallon to kettle #2 and heated to 190F

Sacc Rest - 45 min @ 149F 

     -transferred 2 gallon to kettle #2 and heated to 190F

Sacc Rest  - 30 min @ 162F 

Sparge about 4 gallons to kettle #1

Added kettle #2 to mash to acheive mash out temps rest

Mash Out Rest - 20 min @ 172F

Notes

04/21/14: Brew day

Fly sparge with 190F water

Collected 12 gallons

OG = 1.051

Grisette

Grisette is a sub-style of Saison, which comes from the Hainut province in southern Belgium. Traditionally, Grisettes were made to quench the thirst of miners just like Saison was used for the farm labourers. In his book Great Beers of Belgium, Michael Jackson describes Friart’s Grisette as “grainy dryness and a refreshing acidity”. Phil Markowski, in Farmhouse Ales, describe them as “low-alcohol, light bodied, saison-like golden ales of no great distinction". Being such a fan of the saison style and since I never had a Grisette before; I was interested to try it.

For the grain grist, I adhered closely to the recipe in Famehouse Ales but added some acid malt to get that “refreshing acidity”. The hops consist of Brewer’s Gold for its spicy and lemony notes, which is then complemented with Saaz’s herbal character. When I was brainstorming for my recipe, I thought about using some lemon peel in the boil (similar to using orange peel in a wit) then remembered I had just received some Sorachi Ace. While researching this particular hop, I learned that it has Brewer's Gold and Saaz as heritage so I thought it would be a perfect pairing.

I brewed 18 gallons, split three ways with two other friends. It fermented with three different yeast strains: 3522 Ardennes, like the Farmhouse Ales recipe; 3726-PC Farmhouse since it’s from Hainut (Blaugies); and for the third one I’m trying Mangrove Jack M27 which sounds alot like Wyeast French Saison.

Santé!

Recipe Specifications

Batch Size (Gal): 18.00

Total Grain (Lbs): 28.69

Estimated OG: 1.045

Anticipated SRM: 3.0

Anticipated IBU: 29.4 IBU

Brewhouse Efficiency: 75 %

Wort Boil Time: 75 Minutes

Grains

73.2% (21 lbs) - Floor Malted Pilsner

17.4% (5 lbs) - Wheat

7.0% (2 lbs) - Flaked Wheat

2.4% (11 oz) - Acid Malt

Hops

2.00 oz Brewer's Gold (8.7%) @ 60 min

2.50 oz Saaz (3.2%) @ 20 min

1.00 oz Sorachi Ace (13.0%) @ 10 min

2.00 oz Saaz (3.2%) @ 0 min

1.00 oz Sorachi Ace (13.0%) @ 0 min

Yeast

6gal -> WY3522 Ardennes 

6gal -> WY3726 Farmhouse Ale

6gal -> Mangrove Jack M27 

Mash Schedule

Sacc Rest - 60 min @ 152F

Notes

04/15/14: harvested WY3522 and WY3726 from a belgian pale ale I brewed last month

04/18/14: Brew day

Fly sparge with 170F water

Collected 18 gallons

OG = 1.045

Ferment at 58F for first 2 days, 70-72F for remaining

05/15/14: bottled @ 2.8 vol CO2.  FG: 3522=1.010 ; 3726=1.002 ; M27=1.002

Kölsch

For this batch I went with a nice and easy Kölsch.  It’s been almost two years since I brewed one and it’s the perfect timing with the summer approaching fast.  I will let it ferment for a month and then condition it in keg for another month before tapping it.  The odd hops bill is because I had some remaining Tradition and Tettnanger bags that I wanted to use up.

Recipe Specifications

Batch Size (Gal): 12.00

Total Grain (Lbs): 21.25

Estimated OG: 1.047

Anticipated SRM: 3.5

Anticipated IBU: 26.9 IBU

Brewhouse Efficiency: 75 %

Wort Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Grains

88.9% (18 lbs) - Floor Malted Pilsner

9.9% (2 lbs) - Wheat

1.2% (0.25 lbs) - Acid Malt

Hops

2.50 oz Hallertauer Mittelfrueh (4.0%) @ 90 min

1.00 oz Tettnanger (3.5%) @ 90 min

0.75 oz Tradition (5.4%) @ 90 min

1.50 oz Hallertauer Mittelfrueh (4.0%) @ 30 min

Yeast

6gal -> WY3565 Kölsch

6gal -> WY3565 Kölsch

Mash Schedule

Sacc Rest - 90 min @ 149F

Notes

03/31/14: Made 2x2L starters from the club yeasts library

04/10/14: Brew day

Wort pH = 5.2

Fly sparge with 170F water

Collected 12 gallons

OG = 1.049

Ferment at 58F

05/13/14: secondary and lager @ 41F.  SG: 1.006
07/17/14: bottled @ 2.5 vol CO2.  FG=1.006

Browne with an E

English Brown beer is a style that I had never brewed before and once in awhile I like to make something different for a change. I settled on the Northern English Brown because it is drier than the Southern version and I prefer drier beers.  A couple of weeks ago I had a tasting of Samuel Smith’s Nut Brown and wanted to re-create something similar to it.  

The story behind this batch, “Browne with an E”, is because my friend’s last name is Browne. He was once stopped by a cop who made a smart ass comment because his last name ended with an E.  Half the batch is for him so I thought it was appropriate.  

Recipe Specifications

Batch Size (Gal): 12.00

Total Grain (Lbs): 21.38

Estimated OG: 1.050

Anticipated SRM: 15.0

Anticipated IBU: 30.0 IBU

Brewhouse Efficiency: 75 %

Wort Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Grains

79.5% (17 lbs) - Maris Otter

9.4% (2 lbs) - Munich II

7.0% (1.5 lbs) - Cara 60

2.3% (0.5 lbs) - Cara 120

1.8% (6 oz) - Chocolate Malt

Hops

2.50 oz Fuggle (4.9%AA) @ 60 min

1.75 oz Styrian Golding (5.4%AA) @ 20 min

0.75 oz Willamette (5.2%AA) @ 5 min

Yeasts

6gal -> WY1450 Denny's Favorite 50

6gal -> WY1098 British Ale 

Mash Schedule

Sacc Rest - 60 min @ 153F

Notes
03/24/14: Made 2L starter for WY1098 
04/01/14: Brew day

Fly sparge with 170F water
Collected 12 gallons
OG = 1.049

05/06/14: Kegged 1450 version.  FG=1.012