Smoked Helles + Oktoberfest Review

Reviewed by Club Members:

Oktoberfest

Feedback: Flawed. Fruity nose. Too sweet and thick body. Needs more bitterness.  FG too high. Score range 25-30. But some positive comments on the malt flavor, in the right direction.

For next time: Use C60 instead, proper yeast health / pitch rate, use less Vienna and more Munich malt.  Get full attenuation, and allow to lager longer. 

Smokey Helles

Feedback: Most people felt that the smoke had the appropriate intensity in the aroma and was well balanced with the rest of the beer, though a few people recommended I back off the smoke. Several people found the beer too thick in body and a little too sweet for the Helles style. Some tasters detected inappropriate esters, astringency at the end, or acidity. Recommended to let more pilsner malt character shine through.

Recipe and Process Improvements for next time:

1. Replace Munich mal with pils malt
2. Use less phosphoric acid in mash and sparge water
3. Use a short decoction to get fuller malt character
4. Proper yeast handling and allow the beer to sit on the yeast longer to attenuate fully and clean up esters etc.
5. I do not plan to back off the smoke for the next time since the intensity of the smoke worked for me and I think was fairly similar to the Aecht Schlenkerla smokey helles, which I was trying to clone. But I may back off on the smoke if necessary for competitive purposes.

Straight Lambic Review

Appearance: Quite clear golden color. A few little bubbles rising through the beer. Billowing white head on initial pour, but dissipates quite rapidly.

Aroma: Light sour funk aroma. Lemony and pithy nose, like lemon rhinds, with some grainy Cheerio-like aroma. No hop aroma.

Taste: Moderate sourness, slight acetic. No bitterness. Grainy quality shows up in the taste too. Very dry. I get no hop flavors. Tannic oak in the aftertaste.


Mouthfeel: Thin body, but oak tannins prevent it from being watery. Not highly carbed, but with the thin body the carbonation has a slight bite.

Overall: Fairly light and refreshing sour beer. The Cheerio quality is sub-optimal. Maybe it will age out. Would like a little more sourness and more lemony / fruity aroma.

Would really like to calibrate this against a few commercial examples to see how it's different and / or how the commercial beers are better.

Smoked Helles Brewday

BeerSmith 2 Recipe Printout - http://www.beersmith.com
Recipe: Smoked Helles 2018
Style: Munich Helles / Smoked
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (30.0)

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 7.64 gal
Post Boil Volume: 6.51 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.50 gal  
Bottling Volume: 5.00 gal
Estimated OG: 1.046 SG
Estimated Color: 6.1 SRM
Estimated IBU: 17.7 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 79.5 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt              Name                                             Type          #          %/IBU         Volume       
9.12 gal         Medford, MA                                      Water         1          -             -            
26.25 ml         Phosphoric Acid 10% (Mash)                       Water Agent   2          -             -            
5.50 g           Calcium Chloride (Mash)                          Water Agent   3          -             -            
3 lbs 8.0 oz     Smoked (BestMälz) (3.0 SRM)                      Grain         4          35.9 %        0.27 gal     
3 lbs            Munich Malt (9.0 SRM)                            Grain         5          30.8 %        0.23 gal     
3 lbs            Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM)                    Grain         6          30.8 %        0.23 gal     
4.0 oz           Melanoiden Malt (20.0 SRM)                       Grain         7          2.6 %         0.02 gal     
1.00 oz          Tettnang [3.70 %] - Boil 75.0 min                Hop           8          13.1 IBUs     -            
1.00 oz          Tettnang [3.70 %] - Boil 10.0 min                Hop           9          4.5 IBUs      -            
1.0 pkg          SafLager West European Lager (DCL/Fermentis #S-2 Yeast         10         -             -            


Mash Schedule: 150F, Mash Out, Batch Sparge
Total Grain Weight: 9 lbs 12.0 oz
----------------------------
Name              Description                             Step Temperat Step Time    
Mash Step         Add 13.19 qt of water at 163.5 F        150.0 F       60 min       

Sparge: Batch sparge with 2 steps (Drain mash tun , 5.76gal) of 168.0 F water

Notes:
------
8/25/18: Rehydrated yeast in preboiled water at room temp. After a few hours, crashed to 35F.

8/26/18: Brewday. Mash temp was spot on at 150F. Preboil OG was 9.6B / 1.038 SG
Post boil OG was ~ 1.045, so pretty good.

Cooled to 80F with CFC, cooled wort pumped straight into fermenter. Placed in chest freezer overnight to chill to 45F.

8/27/18: Oxygenated ~30s, pitched yeast slurry.

8/29/18: Fermentation going well. Still going as of 9/1/18.

Lager fermentation schedule - pitch at 45F, hold 12 hours, ramp to 50F over twelve hours, hold 2 weeks, diacetyl rest at 65F for a few days, cool to 55F, hold a day or two, then crash to 35F for extended lagering.  

Oktoberfest Brewday

Recipe: Oktoberfest 2018

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 7.64 gal
Post Boil Volume: 6.51 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.50 gal  
Bottling Volume: 5.00 gal
Estimated OG: 1.059 SG
Estimated Color: 8.8 SRM
Estimated IBU: 20.4 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 79.5 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt              Name                                             Type          #          %/IBU         Volume       
9.45 gal         Medford, MA                                      Water         1          -             -            
26.25 ml         Phosphoric Acid 10% (Mash)                       Water Agent   2          -             -            
5.50 g           Calcium Chloride (Mash)                          Water Agent   3          -             -            
5 lbs            Munich (BestMälz) (7.6 SRM)                      Grain         4          38.5 %        0.39 gal     
4 lbs            Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM)                    Grain         5          30.8 %        0.31 gal     
3 lbs            Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM)                            Grain         6          23.1 %        0.23 gal     
8.0 oz           Munich 20L (Briess) (20.0 SRM)                   Grain         7          3.8 %         0.04 gal     
5.5 oz           Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM)            Grain         8          2.6 %         0.03 gal     
2.5 oz           Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM)            Grain         9          1.2 %         0.01 gal     
1.50 oz          Tettnang [3.70 %] - Boil 70.0 min                Hop           10         17.6 IBUs     -            
0.50 oz          Tettnang [3.70 %] - Boil 15.0 min                Hop           11         2.8 IBUs      -            
1.0 pkg          German Lager (White Labs #WLP830) [35.49 ml]     Yeast         12         -             -            
1.0 pkg          German Lager (White Labs #WLP830) [35.49 ml]     Yeast         13         -             -            


Mash Schedule: 150F, Mash Out, Batch Sparge
Total Grain Weight: 13 lbs
----------------------------
Name              Description                             Step Temperat Step Time    
Mash Step         Add 17.25 qt of water at 163.8 F        150.0 F       60 min       

Sparge: Batch sparge with 2 steps (Drain mash tun , 5.13gal) of 168.0 F water
Notes:
------

8/22/18: Made 2.75L starter w/ two packs yeast and used oxygenation wand. Started fermentation at 50F, then after two days moved to room temp. Cooled to 35F on brewday.

8/26/18: Brewed. Mash pH at room temp was 5.3. Mash temp was about 150.5F after 30 minutes of mashing.

Post-boil wort was around 6.5 gallons, at 1.062. I had boiled vigorously because I was over volume and under gravity pre-boil.

Chilled with CFC to 80F,  with cooled wort directly into the fermenter. Got about 5.25gal in the carboy, with a bunch of trub, so may end up slightly under 5 gal in the keg.

Placed carboy in chest freezer to chill to 45F.

8/27/18,  8am: Oxygenated wort for 60s, decanted most of the starter beer, and pitched.

8/28/18: By 8pm or so fermentation had started, some krausen was forming. Still going but slowly by 9/1/18.

Lager fermentation schedule - pitch at 45F, hold 12 hours, ramp to 50F over twelve hours, hold 2 weeks, diacetyl rest at 65F for a few days, cool to 55F, hold a day or two, then crash to 35F for extended lagering. Ramp temperature changes.

Smokey Porter 2018 Review

Aroma: Slightly acrid smoke aroma. Malty background, light sweetness. Hint of chocolate / dark roast. Hop aroma very low.


Appearance: Tan head with rocky texture, ok retention, dark black body.


Taste: Light malt sweetness, somewhat acrid smoke, moderate woody bitterness. It taste a little tart. Bitterness is moderate. Has kind of a woody note.


Mouthfeel: A little thin. Carbonation is low. Slight astringency at the end.

Overall: Ok but not super characterful. I'd like a little more sweetness, more body, and more complexity. Use more hops at the end. Perhaps use some Munich or Maris Otter malt, and higher mash temp.

Sour Solera 2nd Pull Tasting

Aroma: Sourness, lactic with vinegar notes. Lemony rind quality. Some light fruit esters, bretty funk. No hops, malt aroma is barely noticeable. As it warms a kind of woody aroma comes through.


Appearance: Golden yellow body. Haziness from yeast slurry. Fluffy white head with small bubbles immediately after pour, but dissipates after a few minutes.


Taste: I get the lemony rhind / pith quality at the start. Aftertaste is quite sour and has a bit of acetic harshness. It also has some woody / tannic quality in the background. Quite dry. Malt flavors barely there, covered up by the sourness.


Mouthfeel: Moderately carbed, somehow though it has a bit of creaminess in the texture.


Overall: A bit too harshly sour - too much viengar. I find the tannic quality a bit weird. Wish I could identify it more precisely. Will keep the solera going just as an experiment.

 

Czech Pale Lager Review

Appearance: Golden body with moderate chill haze, billowing white head with good retention and lacing.


Aroma: Grainy pils malt growing a bit more intense as it warms. I think some diacetyl is there as well. Light Saaz type hop aroma.


Taste: Again moderately pils-type grainy / malty character. Sweetness is low- just a hint, but fairly dry. Bitterness is moderate and well-balanced with malt flavors. I'd say it's a more balanced to the bitter than malty side but not by much. It has an earthy bitterness and to me a slightly minerally aftertaste.


Mouthfeel: Light body, moderate carbonation. Maybe slight diacetyl slickness in the body.


Overall:  Pretty good but may not be quite as good as my first attempt at this style. Probably it's key to use really fresh ingredients. In this case the pils malt was approaching a year old, so not optimal. But nevertheless this turned out to be a pleasant beer. Might give this low 30s.

Czech Lager and Kellerbier Brewday

Czech Pale Lager
Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 7.54 gal
Post Boil Volume: 5.89 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.25 gal  
Bottling Volume: 4.85 gal
Estimated OG: 1.044 SG
Estimated Color: 4.3 SRM
Estimated IBU: 29.5 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 72.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 77.5 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt                   Name                                     Type          #        %/IBU        
5.25 gal              Boston, MA                               Water         1        -            
5.00 g                Calcium Chloride (Mash 60.0 mins)        Water Agent   2        -            
7 lbs 8.0 oz          Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM)            Grain         3        86.9 %       
7.0 oz                Caravienne Malt (22.0 SRM)               Grain         4        5.1 %        
6.0 oz                Wheat Malt, Ger (2.0 SRM)                Grain         5        4.3 %        
5.0 oz                Acid Malt (3.0 SRM)                      Grain         6        3.6 %        
0.50 oz               Magnum [12.00 %] - Boil 40.0 min         Hop           7        20.6 IBUs    
1.00 oz               Saaz [2.80 %] - Boil 10.0 min            Hop           8        4.0 IBUs     
1.00 oz               Saaz [2.80 %] - Boil 5.0 min             Hop           9        2.2 IBUs     
1.00 oz               Saaz [2.80 %] - Steep/Whirlpool  15.0 mi Hop           10       2.7 IBUs     
2.0 pkg               Saflager Lager (DCL/Fermentis #W-34/70)  Yeast         11       -            


Mash Schedule: 154F, Batch Sparge, Mash Out
Total Grain Weight: 8 lbs 10.0 oz
----------------------------
Name                    Description                                          Step Temperat Step Time    
Mash Step               Add 13.78 qt of water at 168.2 F                     156.0 F       45 min       
Mash Step               Decoct 3.67 qt of mash and boil it                   168.0 F       10 min       

Sparge: Batch sparge with 2 steps (Drain mash tun , 5.87gal) of 168.0 F water
Notes:
------
http://byo.com/stories/issue/item/3244-czech-pale-lager-style-profile
5 g calcium chloride (CaCl2) to the mash
3 g CaCl2 to the sparge water.

Created with BeerSmith 2 - http://www.beersmith.com
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kellerbier
Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 7.26 gal
Post Boil Volume: 6.51 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.50 gal  
Bottling Volume: 5.00 gal
Estimated OG: 1.050 SG
Estimated Color: 4.9 SRM
Estimated IBU: 32.7 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 72.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 81.8 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt                   Name                                     Type          #        %/IBU        
5.50 gal              Boston, MA                               Water         1        -            
5.00 g                Calcium Chloride (Mash 60.0 mins)        Water Agent   2        -            
6 lbs                 Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM)                    Grain         3        56.5 %       
4 lbs                 Pilsen (BestMälz) (1.5 SRM)              Grain         4        37.6 %       
6.0 oz                Melanoiden Malt (20.0 SRM)               Grain         5        3.5 %        
4.0 oz                Acid Malt (3.0 SRM)                      Grain         6        2.4 %        
1.00 oz               Mandarina Bavaria [9.20 %] - Boil 15.0 m Hop           7        14.8 IBUs    
1.00 oz               Mandarina Bavaria [9.20 %] - Boil 10.0 m Hop           8        10.8 IBUs    
1.00 oz               Mandarina Bavaria [9.20 %] - Boil 5.0 mi Hop           9        5.9 IBUs     
1.00 oz               Mandarina Bavaria [9.20 %] - Boil 1.0 mi Hop           10       1.3 IBUs     
2.0 pkg               Southern German Lager (White Labs #WLP83 Yeast         11       -            


Mash Schedule: 152F, Mash Out, Batch Sparge
Total Grain Weight: 10 lbs 10.0 oz
----------------------------
Name                    Description                                          Step Temperat Step Time    
Mash Step               Add 14.28 qt of water at 165.0 F                     152.0 F       60 min       
Mash Step               Add 8.50 qt of water at 200.0 F                      168.0 F       10 min       

Sparge: Batch sparge with 2 steps (Drain mash tun , 3.09gal) of 168.0 F water
Notes:
------


Created with BeerSmith 2 - http://www.beersmith.com
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Starter for the Kellerbier made 1 week earlier, fermented and cooled to 45F.

Brewed 1/13/17
Czech Lager: Got 1.046 OG, pretty good. Force cooled to 60F, then in fridge to cool to 45F. Pitched 2 packets of rehydrated yeast after oxygenating 30 seconds. Fermentation seemed slow to start - perhaps expected due to the cool pitching temp. Got only about 5 gal into the bucket, a little less than hoped.

Kellerbier: Got 1.054 OG. Cooled to 45F, racked, oxygenated 75 seconds, pitched decanted starter. Fermentation was visibly starting by 36 hours after pitching.

Brewday went fairly well, except that the cold and dry weather resulted in greater boil off than expected, so less volume of wort into the fermentor. At racking, both worts were very clear and only minimal trub made it into the fermenting vessels.

Fermentation on the Kellerbier was much quicker to take off and appeared more vigorous than that of the Czech Lager. Plus the temp in my basement maxed out at around 60F, so the diacetyl rest was only at around 58F for a few days. Perhaps I could have let it rest there a bit longer. In any case, as of Feb. 2, the diacetyl rest, such as it was, had been done, and fermentation appeared complete.

Crash cooled to 33F for 2 days, then on Feb 4 racked both beers to keg and began force carbing at 12PSI. For the Czech Lager, was careful to rack clear wort, without picking up much yeast / trub. Allowed some into the Kellerbier, as may be appropriate for the style.

Czech Lager: 1.011 FG. Sample tasted OK but maybe a hint of green apple.
Kellerbier: 1.013 FG. Sample tasted kind of fruity hoppy. I did use a lot of aroma and flavor hops for this one.

Both beers tasted a bit "green".

Parti-Gyle Hefe Review

Appearance: Billowing off-white head, fairly clear amber body with carbonation bubbles visibly rising to the top.


Aroma: Light clove like and phenolic character with some grainy notes in the background. Not sure that I would identify it as a hefewessein just by smell. A small sulfury quality, which fortunately has decreased over the month or so it's been in the bottle.


Taste: Pretty similar to the aroma. Some clovey and phenolic notes. Dry and moderate bitterness. Too bitter for the style. Lacks the banana taste and subtle yeast-derived flavors of a good hefe.


Mouthfeel: Moderate body, high carbonation.


Overall: Ok, but not to style - lacks the right yeast character and refreshing body of real hefe. But, not terrible, especially considering it's experimental. My guess is that a different yeast strain would improve this beer.



 

Oaky Smokey Porter Review

Aroma: A combination of oak chips and smoke, but dominated by oak. A bit one dimensional. Some toasty Munich malt in the background. Hop aroma is none. Sweetness is low.

Appearance: Very dark with some ruby highlights. Thick, persistent head with small bubbles.

Taste: Starts with some toasty and bready malt notes, crystal sweetness, and surprisingly only a hint  of smoke. Dark coffee or chocolate note as well. At the end, an oaky quality. Not super tannic or tart. The oaky quality is one dimensional, I find. Bitterness is moderate with some earthy hop character.

Mouthfeel: Pretty thick and chewy. Carbonation is low to moderate. Oak leaves a dry impression on the aftertaste.

Overall: OK. I wish the smoke came through more and that the oak character was more complex and subtle.Next time will use cubes of varying toast instead of chips.

Brett Saison Review

This review is for the 3 gallon part of the Sour 6 gallon brewed on March 19, 2017.

Aroma: Light bretty funk notes. Grainy pils in the background. Surprisingly doesn't have much in the way of fruity Belgian esters. Hop aroma absent.

Appearance: Billowing white head with very thick texture, clear straw body.

Taste: Dry, bretty funk notes. Pils malt mostly hidden by brett character.  Some tannic quality from the wood. Slight tartness. Bitterness seems moderate but could be confusing it with the tannic  dryness.

Mouthfeel: Surprisingly full bodied but also effervescent. Weird.

Overall: Ok, not great. Lacks brightness and the refreshing lemony character of some brett beers.

Wheatwine 2 Brewday

Recipe: BJCP Wheatwine
Style: Wheatwine
TYPE: All Grain

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 7.64 gal
Post Boil Volume: 6.51 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.50 gal 
Bottling Volume: 5.00 gal
Estimated OG: 1.116 SG
Estimated Color: 12.5 SRM
Estimated IBU: 47.6 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 65.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 73.9 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt                   Name                                     Type          #        %/IBU       
5.50 gal              Boston, MA                               Water         1        -           
8.00 g                Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Mash 60.0 mins Water Agent   2        -           
5.00 g                Calcium Chloride (Mash 60.0 mins)        Water Agent   3        -           
2 lbs                 Rice Hulls (0.0 SRM)                     Adjunct       4        7.3 %       
6 lbs                 Wheat Malt, Ger (2.0 SRM)                Grain         5        22.0 %      
4 lbs                 Triticale (3.0 SRM)                      Grain         6        14.7 %      
4 lbs                 Wheat Malt, Dark (9.0 SRM)               Grain         7        14.7 %      
3 lbs                 Munich (BestMälz) (7.6 SRM)              Grain         8        11.0 %      
3 lbs                 Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM)            Grain         9        11.0 %      
1 lbs                 Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM)    Grain         10       3.7 %       
1 lbs                 Honey Malt (25.0 SRM)                    Grain         11       3.7 %       
1 lbs                 Wheat - Red Malt (Briess) (2.3 SRM)      Grain         12       3.7 %       
8.0 oz                Wheat, Flaked (1.6 SRM)                  Grain         13       1.8 %       
4.0 oz                Acid Malt (3.0 SRM)                      Grain         14       0.9 %       
1 lbs 8.0 oz          Sugar, Table (Sucrose) (1.0 SRM)         Sugar         15       5.5 %       
0.25 oz               Warrior [15.00 %] - Boil 45.0 min        Hop           16       7.0 IBUs    
1.00 oz               Cascade [9.30 %] - Boil 10.0 min         Hop           17       6.8 IBUs    
1.00 oz               Centennial [9.00 %] - Boil 10.0 min      Hop           18       6.6 IBUs    
1.00 oz               Pacifica [5.20 %] - Boil 10.0 min        Hop           19       3.8 IBUs    
1.00 oz               Cascade [9.30 %] - Boil 5.0 min          Hop           20       3.8 IBUs    
1.00 oz               Centennial [9.00 %] - Boil 5.0 min       Hop           21       3.6 IBUs    
1.00 oz               Pacifica [5.20 %] - Boil 5.0 min         Hop           22       2.1 IBUs    
1.00 oz               Cascade [9.30 %] - Boil 1.0 min          Hop           23       0.8 IBUs    
1.00 oz               Centennial [9.00 %] - Boil 1.0 min       Hop           24       0.8 IBUs    
1.00 oz               Pacifica [5.20 %] - Boil 1.0 min         Hop           25       0.5 IBUs    
1.00 oz               Cascade [9.30 %] - Steep/Whirlpool  15.0 Hop           26       4.7 IBUs    
1.00 oz               Centennial [9.00 %] - Steep/Whirlpool  1 Hop           27       4.5 IBUs    
1.00 oz               Pacifica [5.20 %] - Steep/Whirlpool  15. Hop           28       2.6 IBUs    
2.0 pkg               California Ale (White Labs #WLP001) [35. Yeast         29       -           
1.0 pkg               Safale American  (DCL/Fermentis #US-05)  Yeast         30       -           


Mash Schedule: Temperature Mash, 1 Step, Light Body
Total Grain Weight: 27 lbs 4.0 oz
----------------------------
Name                    Description                                          Step Temperat Step Time   
Mash Step               Add 31.61 qt of water at 108.7 F                     104.0 F       10 min      
Mash Step               Add 0.00 qt of water and heat to 131.0 F over 10 min 131.0 F       15 min      
Mash Step               Heat to 146.0 F over 10 min                          146.0 F       40 min      
Mash Step               Heat to 158.0 F over 10 min                          158.0 F       15 min      
Mash Step               Heat to 168.0 F over 10 min                          168.0 F       15 min      

Sparge: Batch sparge with 2 steps (Drain mash tun , 4.07gal) of 168.0 F water
Notes:
------

Created with BeerSmith 2 - http://www.beersmith.com
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11/8/17: 2L starter with the liquid yeast/

Brewed 11/11/17

Direct heat on oven, constantly recirculating with March pump. Some problems w/ clogging pump. Problematic in terms of keeping the entire mash at the right temperature, stirred occasionally with mash paddle. But more or less seemed to hit temps within a couple of degrees after stirring the mash. This is a time consuming process.

Collected 7.4 gallons of pre-boil wort, 1.077 SG, before sugar addition.

Began boil, added sugar after 45 min.

At knockout, my counterflow chiller got clogged with the large volume of hops. Stirred the wort a bit with my big spoon, then went to Plan B - using my immersion cooler. Chilled to 80F by using near freezing cooling water.

Racked about 5.25 gallons to carboy. Wort looked kind of ruddy brown color - not appealing. May have gotten some darkening from the direct heat mash and / or the long boil. Or maybe the triticale gives the beer a grayish color.

OG was ~ 1.106. So, not great efficiency. Brew day did not go well.

Allowed to cool to 62F. Around 10pm, oxygenated 90s, pitched decanted starter and rehydrated dry yeast.

11/10/17: 8am, fermentation starting. By the morning of 11/11, very active fermentation.

1/5/18: Wheatwine has been in secondary for about a month, with about .75 gal of headspace. Brewed a 1.25 gallon top up with a similar grain bill and pitched some champagne yeast and US-05. Once the fermentation on that was slowing, racked it on to the wheatwine, leaving very little headspace. There was some continuing fermentation as the fresh and alcohol tolerant yeast consumed the remaining simple sugars.

1/19/18: Gravity was 1.020. Sample had a wheaty, malty taste, with thick body, definite alcohol bite, moderately sweet taste balanced by alcohol. I found the booze a bit sharp. Hoping it will melow as the beer ages.

Partigyle Meta-Hefeweissen:

Added 3.25 gallons of 155F water to the mash, collected ~ 3 gallons. Boiled 30 minutes, adding .25 oz of Cascade at start of boil.

Naturally cooled in the winter air overnight. Oxygenated 30s, pitched recycled WLP380 yeast directly from the decanted mason jar.
 

Autum Seasonal Tasting

Appearance: Billowing, slightly tan head with good retention. Dark amber body, moderate haze.

Aroma: Cinnamon and nutmeg dominate, with ginger in the background. Not really sure what cardamom and allspice smell like, so hard to judge their impact. Spice is intense and unlike anything one would normally find in beer. A bit of crystal malt aroma too. Not sure is smells exactly like pumpkin pie, but pretty close.

Taste: Again the spice dominates. Hard to taste any actual pumpkin though. Malt sweetness and a bit of crystal character come through as well. Maybe a hint of molasses note. Alcohol is noticeable but not biting - slightly warming. Bitterness is low, but the cinnamon flavor gives it a kind of drying, spicy effect at the end.

Mouthfeel: Moderate to high body, despite the sugar and molasses additions. Carbonation is medium.

Overall: Not my favorite style and I would probably not have more than one at a time, but this one is spicy without being overwhelming with spice. Pumpkin taste doesn't really come through, and for me it's hard to distinguish this from a Festivus-style winter beer.

Oktoberfest Review

Appearance: Billowing tan off-white head with good retention and lacing. Deep mahogany body that's not quite crystal clear.


Aroma: I get a fairly intense nutty, toasty malt aroma, like bread crust. No hop aroma. Something is off though - a green apple aroma or maybe an overly roasty quality. In any case does not taste right.

Taste: Similar to the aroma, very malty with a dry, toasty character. Hop bitterness present but low. Maybe a slight hint of astringency. Also has a green apply quality and some type of tartness.  Off

Mouthfeel: Pretty creamy and dry. Moderate carbonation.

Well, fail. This one has an offer flavor. I suspect a fermentation problem or an infection.

ESB Brewday

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 7.00 gal
Post Boil Volume: 6.25 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.50 gal  
Bottling Volume: 5.00 gal
Estimated OG: 1.053 SG
Estimated Color: 11.2 SRM
Estimated IBU: 36.0 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 81.8 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt                   Name                                     Type          #        %/IBU        
5.50 gal              Boston, MA                               Water         1        -            
5.50 g                Calcium Chloride (Mash 60.0 mins)        Water Agent   2        -            
5.50 g                Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Mash 60.0 mins Water Agent   3        -            
9 lbs                 Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM)         Grain         4        86.7 %       
8.0 oz                Aromatic Malt (26.0 SRM)                 Grain         5        4.8 %        
8.0 oz                Caramel/Crystal Malt -120L (120.0 SRM)   Grain         6        4.8 %        
4.0 oz                Special Roast (50.0 SRM)                 Grain         7        2.4 %        
2.0 oz                Acid Malt (3.0 SRM)                      Grain         8        1.2 %        
1.50 oz               Fuggles [6.00 %] - Boil 60.0 min         Hop           9        29.6 IBUs    
0.50 oz               Fuggles [6.00 %] - Boil 20.0 min         Hop           10       6.0 IBUs     
0.28 tsp              Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 mins)              Fining        11       -            
0.50 oz               Fuggles [6.00 %] - Boil 1.0 min          Hop           12       0.4 IBUs     
1.0 pkg               London Ale (White Labs #WLP013) [35.49  Yeast         13       -            


Mash Schedule: 152F, Mash Out, Batch Sparge
Total Grain Weight: 10 lbs 6.0 oz
----------------------------
Name                    Description                                          Step Temperat Step Time    
Mash Step               Add 13.97 qt of water at 165.0 F                     152.0 F       60 min       
Mash Step               Add 8.30 qt of water at 200.0 F                      168.0 F       10 min       

Sparge: Batch sparge with 2 steps (Drain mash tun , 2.93gal) of 168.0 F water
Notes:
--------

 Brewed 9/30/17

Hit mash temp OK. But had higher than expected efficiency - at first got about 6.9 gallons at 1.050. Diluted to 7.5 gallons at 1.046 and started boil. Still a bit over gravity.

At end of boil, ~6.3 gallons, 1.054 OG. Cooled to 100F, settled, and racked. Allowed to cool overnight.

10/1/17: 7:15 am. Oxygenated 35 seconds, pitched decanted starter. Ambient air temps ~66F in my basement. 

Pumpkin Beer Brew Day

BeerSmith 2 Recipe Printout - http://www.beersmith.com
Recipe: Pumpkin Beer 11B

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 8.30 gal
Post Boil Volume: 7.55 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 6.50 gal  
Bottling Volume: 6.00 gal
Estimated OG: 1.062 SG
Estimated Color: 17.8 SRM
Estimated IBU: 16.4 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 78.1 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt                   Name                                     Type          #        %/IBU        
5.50 gal              Boston, MA                               Water         1        -            
5.50 g                Calcium Chloride (Mash 60.0 mins)        Water Agent   2        -            
5 lbs                 Brewers Malt 2-Row (Briess) (1.8 SRM)    Grain         3        24.8 %       
3 lbs                 Munich (BestMälz) (7.6 SRM)              Grain         4        14.9 %       
2 lbs                 Munich Dark (BestMälz) (12.7 SRM)        Grain         5        9.9 %        
2 lbs                 Wheat - White Malt (Briess) (2.3 SRM)    Grain         6        9.9 %        
1 lbs                 Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM)    Grain         7        5.0 %        
8.0 oz                Brown Malt (Simpsons) (150.0 SRM)        Grain         8        2.5 %        
4.0 oz                Carafa Special I (Weyermann) (320.0 SRM) Grain         9        1.2 %        
4 lbs 12.0 oz         Pumpkin Puree (3.0 SRM)                  Sugar         10       28.5 %       
8.0 oz                Sugar, Table (Sucrose) (1.0 SRM)         Sugar         11       2.5 %        
3.0 oz                Molasses (80.0 SRM)                      Sugar         12       0.9 %        
1.00 oz               Fuggle [4.20 %] - Boil 60.0 min          Hop           13       10.6 IBUs    
0.25 oz               Northern Brewer [10.00 %] - Boil 45.0 mi Hop           14       5.8 IBUs     
0.28 tsp              Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 mins)              Fining        15       -   
        
6.00 Items            Cinnamon Stick (Boil 5.0 mins)           Spice         16       -            
0.75 tbsp                      Ginger, chopped (Boil 0.0 mins)     Herb          17       -            
10.00 Items           Allspice (Boil 0.0 mins)                 Spice         18       -            
4.00 Items            Cardamom (Boil 0.0 mins)                 Spice         19       -            
0.75 tbsp             Nutmet (Boil 0.0 mins)                   Spice         20       -           

1.0 pkg               SafAle English Ale (DCL/Fermentis #S-04) Yeast         21       -            


Mash Schedule: 152F, Mash Out, Batch Sparge
Total Grain Weight: 20 lbs 3.0 oz
----------------------------
Name                    Description                                          Step Temperat Step Time    
Mash Step               Add 18.19 qt of water at 167.6 F                     154.0 F       60 min       

Sparge: Batch sparge with 2 steps (Drain mash tun , 5.66gal) of 168.0 F water
Notes:
Recipe inspired by Gordon Strong in Modern Homebrew Recipes.

-------
9/23/17: Roasted pumpkin puree in oven at 415F until lightly browned. Hit mash temp, added pumpkin for last 10 mins of mash. Added rice hulls.

Brewed, with 7.5 gallons of pre-boil wort, so under sparged, kind of as intended.

Boiled 90 mins. At knockout, added spices in mesh bag, steeped 10 mins, occasionally stirring with the spice bag.

Began force cooling with IC, removed spices.

Chilled to 100F. Settled, then racked to carboy.

9/24/17: 8am Beer was in basement at 69F. It's been an unusually hot few days for late September. Oxygenated for 30 sec. Pitched rehydrated packet of S-04.

9/25/17, 7am: Active fermentation. A bit too hot for my liking. Basement temp was 70F ambient.

Rauchbier Review

Appearance: Deep mahogany body with a billowing off-white head that has good retention and lacing. Body is crystal clear or very close. A good looking beer.

Aroma: Subtly smokey, well mixed with moderately toasty malt aroma. Hop aroma is none.

Taste: The smoke comes through more in the taste than the aroma, though the smoke's not overpowering or hammy. Smoke comes through more in the aftertaste, where it has a little more assertive character. Not acrid though. Toasty malt taste blends with the smoke. Slight sweetness with an earthy bitterness. Clean lager fermentation.

Mouthfeel: Creamy body. Good carbonation, sweetness is low.

Overall: Pleasant and not over the top smoky. At some point I should make a beer with 90%+ of smoke malt for a real malt bomb.

NEIPA #1 Review

Appearance: Golden-orange body, with haze that is not much more than normal for my ales, moderate off-white head with decent persistence and lacing.

Aroma: I get a decent hoppy aroma, kind of berry fruity. Maybe passion fruit or strawberry. Aroma improves a bit as the beer warms. Intensity of the aroma is not the kind that you could smell from across the room, but good.

Taste: Hoppy, bitter. Less fruity than the aroma, more of a dank and piney note. Slight maltiness but fortunately no crystal sweetness to distract from the hops.

Mouthfeel: Soft but not juicy. Pretty well balanced between soft mouthfeel and dank hoppiness.

Overall: OK, wish the hop aroma were more intense. Not as fruity in taste or "soft" in mouthfeel as I was hoping.

Wit Beer Review

Appearance: Billowing white head that lasts. Straw body with light haze. A good looking brew.

Aroma: Low intensity, hard to identify. Perhaps a bit of Belgian yeast character. Unfortunately does not have the lemony or coriander quality it should. Or maybe my nose is stuffy.

Taste: Better. I get some slightly sweet pils malt notes, a bit of a spicy Belgian yeast character, and some earthy hops. Maybe a very small bit of tartness. It's pleasant but not as characterful as I was hoping for.

Moutfeel: Creamy and thick, but with moderate carbonation.

Overall: Pleasant, refreshing but lacking in as much character as I was hoping for.

NEIPA #1 Brewday

BeerSmith 2 Recipe Printout - http://www.beersmith.com
Recipe: NEIPA 1

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 7.26 gal
Post Boil Volume: 6.51 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.50 gal  
Bottling Volume: 5.00 gal
Estimated OG: 1.051 SG
Estimated Color: 3.6 SRM
Estimated IBU: 42.9 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 72.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 81.8 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt                   Name                                     Type          #        %/IBU        
5.50 gal              Boston, MA                               Water         1        -            
5.50 g                Calcium Chloride (Mash 60.0 mins)        Water Agent   2        -            
1.00 g                Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Mash 60.0 mins Water Agent   3        -            
6 lbs                 Brewers Malt 2-Row (Briess) (1.8 SRM)    Grain         4        55.2 %       
2 lbs                 Wheat (BestMälz) (2.0 SRM)               Grain         5        18.4 %       
1 lbs                 Carapils (Briess) (1.5 SRM)              Grain         6        9.2 %        
1 lbs                 Vienna (BestMälz) (4.1 SRM)              Grain         7        9.2 %        
8.0 oz                Oats, Flaked (Briess) (1.4 SRM)          Grain         8        4.6 %        
6.0 oz                Acid Malt (3.0 SRM)                      Grain         9        3.4 %        
2.00 oz               Simcoe [11.80 %] - Boil 5.0 min          Hop           10       15.0 IBUs    
1.00 oz               Huell Melon [5.20 %] - Boil 1.0 min      Hop           11       0.7 IBUs     
1.00 oz               Lemon Drop [5.20 %] - Boil 1.0 min       Hop           12       0.7 IBUs     
2.00 oz               Simcoe [11.80 %] - Steep/Whirlpool  15.0 Hop           13       18.7 IBUs    
1.00 oz               Huell Melon [5.20 %] - Steep/Whirlpool   Hop           14       4.1 IBUs     
1.00 oz               Lemon Drop [4.60 %] - Steep/Whirlpool  1 Hop           15       3.6 IBUs     
1.0 pkg               Safale American  (DCL/Fermentis #US-05)  Yeast         16       -            
2.00 oz               Simcoe [13.00 %] - Dry Hop 7.0 Days      Hop           17       0.0 IBUs     
1.00 oz               Huell Melon [5.20 %] - Dry Hop 7.0 Days  Hop           18       0.0 IBUs     
1.00 oz               Lemon Drop [5.20 %] - Dry Hop 7.0 Days   Hop           19       0.0 IBUs     


Mash Schedule: 154F, Mash Out, Batch Sparge
Total Grain Weight: 10 lbs 14.0 oz
----------------------------
Name                    Description                                          Step Temperat Step Time    
Mash Step               Add 14.59 qt of water at 167.4 F                     154.0 F       60 min       
Mash Step               Add 8.70 qt of water at 196.0 F                      168.0 F       10 min       

Sparge: Batch sparge with 2 steps (Drain mash tun , 2.99gal) of 168.0 F water
Notes:
------

Brewed 7/29/17.
Hit my mash temp and volume OK, but got OG of 1.056, a bit high.

After whirlpool, used IC to get wort to 100F, racked, then left to cool.

7/30/17: Pitched one packet of US-05 at ~70F, which is on the high side. Did not oxygenate, but did rehydrate the yeast.

Activity by that evening. High airlock activity and krausen by the following day. By 8/1,  fermentation still going but high krausen appears to have past.

8/3/17: Added dry hops.

8/12/17: Kegged with carbing sugar. Aiming for 2.4 volumes of CO2.