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:
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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
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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:
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 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. 

Funky Rye Brewday

This will be my second brew from American Sour Beers, though really this beer will be brett-funky, not sour exactly.

The book only has percentages for the grain bill, and I neglected to look at The Mad Fermentationist before formulating the recipe, so numbers are slightly off compared to the original, and there are a couple of ingredient substitutions. Finally I was really lazy this brew and didn't record the gravity, mash ph, etc... I hope the brett will have funkified this recipe around November or December for a nice winter time session ale.

Recipe: Funky Rye Session Ale
Style: Mild

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 6.88 gal
Post Boil Volume: 5.88 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.25 gal  
Bottling Volume: 4.85 gal
Estimated OG: 1.043 SG
Estimated Color: 20.5 SRM
Estimated IBU: 30.9 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 75.3 %
Boil Time: 60 MinutesIngredients:
------------
Amt                   Name                                     Type          #        %/IBU       
5.25 gal              Boston, MA                               Water         1        -           
3 lbs 8.0 oz          Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM)           Grain         2        38.9 %      
3 lbs 8.0 oz          Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM)         Grain         3        38.9 %      
1 lbs                 Rye Malt (4.7 SRM)                       Grain         4        11.1 %      
8.0 oz                Caramel/Crystal Malt -120L (120.0 SRM)   Grain         5        5.6 %       
8.0 oz                Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM)               Grain         6        5.6 %       

1.00 oz               Goldings, East Kent [5.70 %] - Boil 45.0 Hop           7        20.1 IBUs   
1.00 oz               Goldings, East Kent [5.70 %] - Boil 15.0 Hop           8        10.8 IBUs   
1.0 pkg               West Yorkshire Ale (Wyeast Labs #1469)   Yeast         9        -           
1.0 pkg               Brettanomyces Claussenii (White Labs #WL Yeast         10       -           

           
1.0 pkg               Brettanomyces Claussenii (1 tube into secondary fermenter)     


Mash Schedule: 154F, Batch Sparge, Mash Out

Total Grain Weight: 9 lbs
----------------------------
Name                    Description                                          Step Temperat Step Time    
Mash Step               Add 15.25 qt of water at 165.3 F                     154.0 F       60 min       
Mash Step               Add 7.20 qt of water at 202.6 F                      168.0 F       10 min       

Sparge: Batch sparge with 2 steps (Drain mash tun , 3.34gal) of 168.0 F water

6/24/15: Made a 1.020 starter since the Yeast package was old and discounted at the LHBS.

6/26/15: Decanted fermented starter beer, and stepped up to a 1.040 starter.

6/29/15: Brewed. Brewing went well despite my laziness in failing to take notes, etc... Cooled to 100F and racked to fermenter. Approx. 5.5 gallons into fermenter.

Put in basement to cool to pitching temps. 30 seconds of Oxygen, pitched decanted starter at ~ 68F.

6/30/15:  Good krausen has formed.

7/1/15: Krausen is still good and active. Moved to 72F ambient air temps.

7/27/15: Racked to secondary, added a small bit of the Brett C starter I made for the Brett C saison.

8/14/15: After a few weeks of no visible activity, the Brett C had left some krausen gunk along the neck of the carboy. Some foam / pellicle on the surface of the beer too.

American Brown 2 Review

The pace of my brewing has slowed. I've been busy, and at the moment I have nearly 3 gallons of this brown ale in bottles, 3 gallons of APA in the carboy, and around another 6+ gallons of beer in bottles, not to mention 3 gallons of mead and 5 gallons of souring beer in carboys. Not even the combined drinking power of my wife and me can handle so much beer quickly. So I've held off on brewing for a while.

In any case, this brown ale is a little over a month old, so time to review:

Appearance: Deep brown with a reddish tinge. Transparent around the bottom of the glass. Off white head that fades a little too quickly, but sticks to the side of the glass. A bit hazy.

Aroma: Malty sweetness, with some toasty character. Minimal earthy and floral hop notes.

Taste: Sweet but not cloying due to a moderate bitterness. Again malty and toasty, with moderate to low caramel flavors. A dark bitter chocolate note is in there as well but its subtle. The bitterness is there, maybe a little too much.

Mouthfeel: Moderate to low carbonation, medium body. Slightly bitter aftertaste.

Overall: Pretty solid brown ale. Easy drinking, tasty and moderate alcohol. I like it. Maybe next time reduce the bitterness slightly. Also I'm not sure why the head on this particular bottle wasn't good as previous bottles have had better foam.

Oatmeal Stout Review

I've been pretty busy for the last few weeks and will probably still be busy for the next week or so. That is the reason for the longish delay in reviewing the oatmeal stout. But here goes.

Appearance: Deep brown / black. Not completely opaque, but close. Small tan head that dissipates quickly, leaving only the surface of the beer and a few bubbles around the perimeter of the surface.

Aroma: I get a roast / chocolatey aroma, like a classic dry stout. A hint of dark fruit is somewhere in there. No hop aroma. I'm not really sure that the oats have contributed anything to the aroma, since I don't get anything that smells like oatmeal cookies.

Taste: Again, roast, coffee and chocolatey notes, but pretty subdued. No astringency. It's fairly dry, I would say almost as dry as an Irish Dry stout. I get some hop bitterness in the aftertaste. It's kind of earthy and blends well with the roast flavor.

Mouthfeel: Moderate carbonation, but a thickish mouthfeel provided by the oats. Roasty aftertaste.

Overall:  It tastes quite good, especially as it warms to serving temperature. As intended, it's tasty but overpowering, and it is low in ABV.  A good session beer. But the head retention is disappointing. Next time I will add some Carapils, wheat, or flaked barley to give it better foam.