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 

Saison des Pissenlits

This year I decided that I wanted to make a Saison for each season of the year, kind of like Fantome does.  I already did the winter version which was a 9% abv Saison along the lines of Dupont Avec les bons voeux. For the spring version I wanted to remake a dandelion Saison I brewed two years ago, which was also inspired by Fantome’s Saison Pissenlit.

It almost took me as much time to pick the petals as it took me to brew the beer and I ended up picking 20 oz of petals. Last time I added the petals at flameout but this time I did it a bit differently. What I did is boil some water, let it chill to 180F, steep the petals for two days and then strain. I was left with 4L of tea which I added 2L for each 6 gallons batch. 

The 4 gallon batch will not have dandelion and it will be secondary for 3-4 months.  I will try dry hopping this one, something I never tried with Saison.  It’ll be fermented with WLP670; a strain I bought 18 months ago and kept using it every 3-4 months and I intend to keep reusing it as long as I can, just for fun! This will be the sixth re-pitch.

Recipe Specifications

Batch Size (Gal): 16.00

Total Grain (Lbs): 30.00

Estimated OG: 1.053

Anticipated SRM: 3.4

Anticipated IBU: 33.7 IBU

Brewhouse Efficiency: 75 %

Wort Boil Time: 75 Minutes

Grains

80.0% (24 lbs) - Bohemian Pilsner 

10.0% (3 lbs) - Vienna

6.7% (2 lbs) - Flaked Barley

3.3% (1 lbs) - Acid Malt

Hops

2.00 oz Brewer's Gold (8.70%) @ 60 min

3.00 oz Aramis (8.10%) @ 15 min

3.00 oz Aramis (8.10%) @ 0 min

Yeast

6 gal -> Yeast Bay - Wallonian Farmhouse 

6 gal -> WY3726 Farmhouse Ale

4 gal -> WLP670 American Farmhouse Ale Blend 

Mash Schedule

Sacch Rest - 60 min @ 152F

Notes

07/14/14: Brew day

Fly sparge with 170F water

Collected 16 gallons

OG = 1.056

07/15/14: bottled @ 2.8 vol CO2.  FG: Yeast Bay=1.002 ; 3726=1.010 
07/28/14: rack WLP670 to secondary FG=1.002

Weizenbock

Hefe while brewing the bock version

Weizenbock (also called Doppleweizen) is a wheat-based beer similar to a Dunkelweizen but brewed to Dopplebock strength.  I based my recipe on Northern Brewer’s recipe but made a few changes to it.  As I was brewing this one, I was having a glass of my Hefe I brewed a couple of weeks back.  It's the perfect refreshment for a hot and humid day and hopefully the one I'm brewing today will be the perfect beer for a cool autumn nights.  

Recipe Specifications

Batch Size (Gal): 6.00

Total Grain (Lbs): 18.00

Estimated OG: 1.085

Anticipated SRM: 16.5

Anticipated IBU: 29.5 IBU

Brewhouse Efficiency: 75 %

Wort Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Grains

50.0% (9 lbs) - Dark Wheat 

27.8% (5 lbs) - Munich II

16.7% (3 lbs) - Floor Malted Pilsner

2.8% (0.5 lbs) - CaraWheat

2.8% (0.5 lbs) - CaraAroma

Hops

1.00 oz Mittelfrueh (4.00%) @ FWH

2.50 oz Mittelfrueh (4.00%) @ 60 min

Yeast

WY3068 - Weihenstephan (yeast slurry from Hefe)

Mash Schedule

Sacch Rest - 60 min @ 152F

Notes

07/01/14: Brew day

Fly sparge with 170F water

Collected 6 gallons

OG = 1.086

American Barleywine

My beer pipeline is good at the moment and I was itching to brew something, I thought it would be a good opportunity to brew some high gravity beers and let them age.  Those will be nice for when the cold season comes upon us again.  Only a homebrewer would think about what he’s going to drink next winter!

This beer style has been on my mind for the longest time, an American Barleywine.  I wanted to make it really bold just like the American way of life; go big or go home.  The recipe has nothing unsual beside lots of malt and lots of hops.  I had to use LME since my mash tun maxes out at 30 pounds of grains.

While I was brewing it, I had a spur of the moment thing and decided to take the first gallon of the running and boil it down on the stove and caramelize it.  We’ll know in 6 months if this was a good idea or not!

I split this batch into 3 carboys (2x2.5gal + 5gal) and will treat each one differently.  One carboy will have some Spanish cedar, kind of like Flying Monkeys do with their Matador.  Another carboy will be dry hopped with fresh Cascade cones when harvest comes.  The 5 gallon will be dry hopped using 4oz of pellets but I haven’t decided yet what the varieties will be.  Most likely something like Centennial, Amarillo and Belma.

Recipe Specifications

Batch Size (Gal): 10.00

Total Grain (Lbs): 40.50

Estimated OG: 1.111

Anticipated SRM: 16.6

Anticipated IBU: 117.2 IBU

Brewhouse Efficiency: 70 %

Wort Boil Time: 120 Minutes

Grains

56.8% (23 lbs) - 2-Row

24.7% (10 lbs) - Pale LME

12.3% (5 lbs) - Munich II

4.9% (2 lbs) - Crystal 60

1.2% (0.5 lbs) - Crystal 120

Hops

2.00 oz Nugget (14.50%) @ FWH

10ml Hop Shot @ 120 min

2.00 oz Nugget (14.50%) @ 60 min

1.00 oz Cascade (8.80%) @ 20 min

1.00 oz Belma (8.80%) @ 20 min

1.00 oz Cascade (8.80%) @ 10 min

1.00 oz Belma (8.50%) @ 10 min

2.00 oz Cascade (8.80%) @ 0 min

2.00 oz Belma (8.50%) @ 0 min

Yeasts

5 gal -> WY1450 Denny's Favorite 50

5 gal -> S-05

(both were yeast slurry from TropicAle)

Mash Schedule

Sacch Rest - 60 min @ 150F

Notes

06/01/14: Brew day

Fly sparge with 170F water

Collected 10.5 gallons

OG = 1.109

07/14/14: Secondary.  SG:  US05=1.020 ; WY1450=1.028