Bayou Beer

All about beer brewing and drinking in South Louisiana.

German Pilsner 1.5 Gallon Attempt A

May 14th, 2016

So this will be my first go at brewing 1.5 gallon batches of beer. Lately I’ve had an interesting go of it with brewing beers I’ve not perfected yet. American stout and American porter came out mediocre at best. I straight dumped about 8 gallons of the stout because to me it was undrinkable. My 10 gallons of German pilsner were very nice and a great lager but I want world class. I mean hell who wants to drink 8 gallons of great lager when you want great German pilsner? So I’m going to try my hand at small batches. It’ll allow me to do induction brewing in my beer room with air conditioning. It’ll allow me to take up less room and not have to waste so much if it doesn’t end up well. Most importantly it’ll allow me quick turnover to perfect some of these recipes that require very honed in recipes and practices.

So I’d already built a small mash tun for single infusion brewing. It’s a 5 gallon water cooler. I purchased a 5 gallon induction ready pot off Amazon. Also picked up a 1800 watt induction cook top on Amazon. I already had a couple of 3 gallon better bottles I purchased a few years back to small brew lager batches. I think this small scale will give me good feedback on new recipes. It’ll also allow me to brew in the air conditioning and do it quickly. Time is always tight with kids.

This will be German pilsner rebrew of the recipe I brewed a few months back. Feedback from 2 different judging sessions was scattered at best. From what I can tell it needed improvement in two places. 1. It wasn’t bitter enough or hoppy enough. So Going to give it late hops and a bit more bitterness. 2. Improve maltiness yet make it dry. So adding a tad of melanoidin malt. Also going to make it a bit more carbonated to impress dryness since the last beer was dry enough as far as gravity was concerned.

Update 5/17/2016

So the brew day went very smooth in terms of process. I did have a few issues in regards to volume. The volume ended up a little low due to my Beersmith equipment profile being off in the calculations. The beer will be pretty close in it’s original gravity at 1.05 but I’ll be lucky to end up with a gallon. I suppose I didn’t think about the loss to trub and the boil off not being linear things when scaling down to a 1.5 gallon batch. So we’ll see how this guy ends up but I’ve already concocted the Attempt B to try again.

All in all it was a lot of fun to brew in the air conditioning with the control of the electric cook tops and the small size, weight and cost. I ordered a 1.5 gallon Torpedo keg from Morebeer.com and am looking forward to trying that out. Hoping to end up with a stack of 4 of those kegs in my kegerator along side 3 regular rotating beers so that I can experiment without having to waste or choking down a bad beer.

Recipe Details

Batch Size	Boil Time	IBU	SRM	Est. OG	Est. FG	ABV
1.8 gal	60 min	38.8 IBUs	4.8 SRM	1.045	1.009	4.8 %

Style Details

Name	Cat.	OG Range	FG Range	IBU	SRM	Carb	ABV
German Pils	5 D	1.044 - 1.05	1.008 - 1.013	22 - 40	2 - 5	2.5 - 3.2	4.4 - 5.2 %

Fermentables

Name	Amount	%
Pilsner (2 Row) Ger	3 lbs	96
Melanoidin (Weyermann)	2 oz	4

Hops

Name	Amount	Time	Use	Form	Alpha %
Hallertauer Hersbrucker	0.55 oz	60 min	Boil	Pellet	6
Hallertauer	0.13 oz	0 min	Aroma	Pellet	4.8

Miscs

Name	Amount	Time	Use	Type
Lactic Acid	4.00 ml	60 min	Mash	Water Agent
Calcium Chloride	2.00 g	60 min	Mash	Water Agent
Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate)	2.00 g	60 min	Mash	Water Agent

Yeast

Name	Lab	Attenuation	Temperature
German Lager (WLP830)	White Labs	77%	50°F - 55°F

Mash

Step	Temperature	Time
Mash In	150°F	75 min

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Hippidy Hoppidy Rebrew

May 1st, 2016

Floated the rest of the last keg I had. I really enjoyed the brew for Zapp’s so we’re brewing it again. Adding a tad more crystal 40 and made minor changes to the hop schedule. Basically a little less simcoe and more mosaic.

The brew day was April 30 and went fine. Beer came out around 1.048 original gravity. Pitched and was bubbling well within 24 hours.

Recipe Details

Batch Size	Boil Time	IBU	SRM	Est. OG	Est. FG	ABV
5.5 gal	30 min	43.9 IBUs	8.5 SRM	1.048	1.010	4.9 %

Style Details

Name	Cat.	OG Range	FG Range	IBU	SRM	Carb	ABV
American Pale Ale	10 A	1.045 - 1.06	1.01 - 1.015	30 - 45	5 - 14	2.3 - 2.8	4.5 - 6.2 %

Fermentables

Name	Amount	%
Munich Malt	5 lbs	45.45
Pilsner (2 Row) Ger	5 lbs	45.45
Cara-Pils/Dextrine	8 oz	4.55
Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L	8 oz	4.55

Hops

Name	Amount	Time	Use	Form	Alpha %
Galaxy	1 oz	30 min	Boil	Pellet	15.2
Centennial	1 oz	1 min	Boil	Pellet	10
Citra	1 oz	1 min	Boil	Pellet	12
Simcoe	1 oz	1 min	Boil	Pellet	13
Centennial	1 oz	0 min	Aroma	Pellet	10
Citra	1 oz	0 min	Aroma	Pellet	12
Mosaic (HBC 369)	2 oz	0 min	Dry Hop	Pellet	12.3

Miscs

Name	Amount	Time	Use	Type
Lactic Acid	11.00 ml	60 min	Mash	Water Agent
Calcium Chloride	8.00 g	60 min	Mash	Water Agent
Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate)	6.00 g	60 min	Mash	Water Agent

Yeast

Name	Lab	Attenuation	Temperature
Safale American (US-05)	DCL/Fermentis	77%	59°F - 75°F

Mash

Step	Temperature	Time
Mash In	152°F	60 min

Notes

Didn't have as much pilsner on hand as I thought I did. Luckily I had pilsner DME at the houes. Original plan was to use Magnum for bitter but ran out so used Columbus instead.

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Harley of Barley 2016 Edition

April 13th, 2016

Time to brew the American barleywine again. This year it was a little different in that I modified the recipe to brew 10 gallons at once. I also brewed it earlier in the year so it’ll be perfect come October.

Additionally there were some recipe tweaks this year.

I removed the little bit of chocolate malt I used.
The gravity has also been reduced in order to reduce some of the alcohol based on multiple competition feedback.
The hops have been increased based on multiple competition feedback.
Because we’re using DME which wouldn’t finish as dry as my 142F mashed all grain work, I’m using a pound of table sugar to dry this out some.

Update: 4/23/2016

Fermentation is complete at 1.017 so quite dry. The beer tastes like you’d think a young barleywine should taste. It’s pretty abrasive and the alcohol is more pronounced that I wanted. Probably going to leave the table sugar out next time but this time next year this beer should be great.

Update 4/30/2016

This beer is already quite clear and you can certainly see it’s potential to be a great beer. Extremely hoppy going in to the keg. Will carbonate and bottle in about a week. I’m pretty excited given that I just tried one of the doppelbocks I bottled after correcting my carbonation issues. I think this will be the best version of the barleywine yet. Carbonation has always been an issue and I think I finally have it down.

Recipe Details

Batch Size	Boil Time	IBU	SRM	Est. OG	Est. FG	ABV
10 gal	120 min	83.7 IBUs	18.7 SRM	1.100	1.021	10.5 %

Style Details

Name	Cat.	OG Range	FG Range	IBU	SRM	Carb	ABV
American Barleywine	19 C	1.08 - 1.12	1.016 - 1.03	50 - 120	10 - 19	1.8 - 2.5	8 - 12 %

Fermentables

Name	Amount	%
Pale Malt (2 Row) US	15 lbs	33.33
Munich Malt	12 lbs	26.67
Rye Malt	6 lbs	13.33
Cara-Pils/Dextrine	2 lbs	4.44
Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L	1 lbs	2.22
Caramel/Crystal Malt - 80L	8 oz	1.11
Special B Malt	8 oz	1.11
Light Dry Extract	7 lbs	15.56
Sugar, Table (Sucrose)	1 lbs	2.22

Hops

Name	Amount	Time	Use	Form	Alpha %
Columbus/Tomahawk/Zeus (CTZ)	2.25 oz	90 min	Boil	Pellet	18
Challenger	2 oz	90 min	Boil	Pellet	7.1
Bramling Cross	1 oz	90 min	Boil	Pellet	6
Amarillo Gold	4 oz	0 min	Aroma	Pellet	8.5
Citra	4 oz	0 min	Aroma	Pellet	12
Galaxy	4 oz	0 min	Aroma	Pellet	14
Simcoe	4 oz	0 min	Aroma	Pellet	13

Miscs

Name	Amount	Time	Use	Type
Lactic Acid	15.00 ml	60 min	Mash	Water Agent
Calcium Chloride	10.00 g	60 min	Mash	Water Agent
Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate)	5.00 g	60 min	Mash	Water Agent

Yeast

Name	Lab	Attenuation	Temperature
Safale American (US-05)	DCL/Fermentis	77%	59°F - 75°F

Mash

Step	Temperature	Time
Mash In	143°F	90 min

Notes

Pitching on Safale 05 yeast cakes from previous American Pale Ale batches. One had an American porter in it also. Unlike previous years I am not adding the cane sugar. Recurring judge note was that the alcohol could be a little more restrained.

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American Porter

March 24th, 2016

Given that I’ve been brewing a bunch of American ales and didn’t have a bunch of luck with the American stout I’m going to try an American porter. Much simpler recipe formulation this time with caution to ensure it’s slightly roasty yet not abrasive.

Update 3/25/2016

Brew day went really well. Original gravity was about right on. On these last couple of American beers I’ve done 30 minute mash and 30 minute boil Combine that with this JaDeD Hydra chiller which takes 5 gallons down to pitching in less than 10 minutes and I’m done brewing from opening the door to closing in about 2 hours 15 minutes. Brew day is no longer a 4 hour event! The wife certainly appreciates that as weekend hours are at a premium. The beer smells and tastes very nice. Pitched it on top of the yeast cake from the Amber which I transferred in to kegs today also.

Update 4/23/2016

I quite enjoy this beer. It has a little bit of a bite on the end but all in all it’s very nice and has been a go-to beer for me over the past two weeks.

Recipe Details

Batch Size	Boil Time	IBU	SRM	Est. OG	Est. FG	ABV
5.5 gal	60 min	35.9 IBUs	32.0 SRM	1.057	1.015	5.5 %

Style Details

Name	Cat.	OG Range	FG Range	IBU	SRM	Carb	ABV
American Porter	20 A	1.05 - 1.07	1.012 - 1.018	25 - 50	22 - 40	2.3 - 2.9	4.8 - 6.5 %

Fermentables

Name	Amount	%
Pale Malt (2 Row) US	10 lbs	76.92
Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L	1 lbs	7.69
Munich (BestMälz)	1 lbs	7.69
Black (Patent) Malt	8 oz	3.85
Carafa II	8 oz	3.85

Hops

Name	Amount	Time	Use	Form	Alpha %
Columbus/Tomahawk/Zeus (CTZ)	0.75 oz	25 min	Boil	Pellet	15.5
Amarillo	1 oz	10 min	Boil	Pellet	9.2
Amarillo	1 oz	0 min	Aroma	Pellet	9.2

Miscs

Name	Amount	Time	Use	Type
Calcium Chloride	8.00 g	60 min	Mash	Water Agent
Lactic Acid	8.00 ml	60 min	Mash	Water Agent

Yeast

Name	Lab	Attenuation	Temperature
Safale American (US-05)	DCL/Fermentis	77%	59°F - 75°F

Mash

Step	Temperature	Time
Mash In	156°F	60 min

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Guardians of the Galaxy Amber

March 20th, 2016

So Deadpool Stout came out sucking pretty bad. It’s muddled, it’s astringent and it’s a little offensive.(sort of like Deadpool I guess) So serving it for Zapp’s has been deemed a bad idea. I’m going to age it a couple of months and see if it straightens out to drinkable. But I still have to go to Zapp’s in two weeks and have been craving an Amber. So I’m brewing a version of Jamil’s amber.

Brew day 3/22/2016
Brew day went extremely well. 30 minute mashing, 30 minute boil and this new Hydra chiller from JaDeD brewing took 10 gallons down to pitching temperature in 15 minutes which is excellent given the relatively warm ground water here. Completely blew away what I thought was sold as a 10 gallon chiller I purchased for $100 a couple of years ago. It’s certainly work the money.

From start to closing the garage doors took me 3 hours which is a new record for me. Pitched the yeast right then and there and had a healthy fermentation going this morning when I peeked in the chamber. Original gravity was high at 1.070. I did a last minute change in additions changing the 1 ounce additions for finishing hops to .75 ounce to avoid over-hopping. This beer will be extremely tasty.

Update 4/23/2016
A good beer no doubt but not something I’ve been able to drink a bunch of. If I brew another amber it’ll be less caramel.

Recipe Details

Batch Size	Boil Time	IBU	SRM	Est. OG	Est. FG	ABV
11 gal	30 min	35.2 IBUs	16.2 SRM	1.051	1.010	5.5 %

Style Details

Name	Cat.	OG Range	FG Range	IBU	SRM	Carb	ABV
American Amber Ale	6 B	1.045 - 1.056	1.01 - 1.015	20 - 40	11 - 18	2.3 - 2.8	4.5 - 5.7 %

Fermentables

Name	Amount	%
Pale Malt (2 Row) US	18 lbs	74.23
Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L	2 lbs	8.25
Munich Malt	2 lbs	8.25
Caramel/Crystal Malt -120L	1 lbs	4.12
Victory Malt	1 lbs	4.12
Carafa I	4 oz	1.03

Hops

Name	Amount	Time	Use	Form	Alpha %
Columbus/Tomahawk/Zeus (CTZ)	1 oz	30 min	Boil	Pellet	15.5
Centennial	1 oz	10 min	Boil	Pellet	10
Galaxy	1 oz	10 min	Boil	Pellet	14
Centennial	1 oz	0 min	Boil	Pellet	10
Galaxy	1 oz	0 min	Boil	Pellet	14

Miscs

Name	Amount	Time	Use	Type
Lactic Acid	10.00 ml	60 min	Mash	Water Agent
Calcium Chloride	5.00 g	60 min	Mash	Water Agent
Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate)	5.00 g	60 min	Mash	Water Agent

Yeast

Name	Lab	Attenuation	Temperature
Safale American (US-05)	DCL/Fermentis	77%	59°F - 75°F

Mash

Step	Temperature	Time
Mash In	150°F	75 min

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Hippidy Hoppidy – American Pale Ale

February 28th, 2016

My wife and I are brewing this real nice American pale ale for Zapp’s beerfest. Also going to bottle about a 12 pack for competitions over the next 3 months. A slightly lighter version won a lot of praise last year at Zapp’s and in competitions so I’m optimistic. Adding Mosaic to it and probably nudging the dry hop up more than what’s below. The Hippidy Hoppidy name is something Michelle cooked up because she didn’t want me naming her beer Hopasaurus Sex again.

Brew day on 2/28 went fine. The OG came in around 1.06 which I was happy to see. I didn’t have enough pilsner on hand and had to use all my DME to bump it up. The math was fuzzy with the volumes but it came out at an acceptable gravity.

Update 3/8/2016

Final gravity came in around 1.09 which is pretty much on target. It basically tastes like hop water. Which means the hop heads should love it.

Update 3/16/2016

Beer is carbonated and tastes fantastic. Probably the best IPA / Pale ale I’ve ever made. In the past I had a lingering astringency that even in my best examples came through and left lingering doubts over the quality of my pale ales. This one did not display that. The only notable change I made was switching off the Magnum I’d been using and it was my primary suspect. So I’ll rebrew again with a different bittering hop and see if the results hold true. Have to fine with gelatin so we can double transfer for Zapps to avoid stirred up sediment embarrassment.

Update 4/26/2016

We ended up bringing some of this beer home from Zapp’s and I’ve had a pint or two here or there for the past few weeks. over the weekend right before it kicked it was remarkably smooth yet very hoppy. Going to brew this again very soon. I think my taste buds don’t jive with the conventional wisdom that the freshest possible IPAs are the best. Or perhaps when they say brewery fresh it means something different than home brewery fresh. Perhaps professionally brewed IPAs take several weeks to a month before they are even available brewery fresh? All I know is I have preferred my American pale style ales at about 3-5 weeks after putting it in a keg.

Recipe Details

Batch Size	Boil Time	IBU	SRM	Est. OG	Est. FG	ABV
5.5 gal	90 min	41.4 IBUs	8.0 SRM	1.060	1.013	6.2 %

Style Details

Name	Cat.	OG Range	FG Range	IBU	SRM	Carb	ABV
American Pale Ale	10 A	1.045 - 1.06	1.01 - 1.015	30 - 45	5 - 14	2.3 - 2.8	4.5 - 6.2 %

Fermentables

Name	Amount	%
Munich Malt	4 lbs	38.1
Pilsner (2 Row) Ger	4 lbs	38.1
Cara-Pils/Dextrine	8 oz	4.76
Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L	4 oz	2.38
Light Dry Extract	1.75 lbs	16.67

Hops

Name	Amount	Time	Use	Form	Alpha %
Columbus (Tomahawk)	1 oz	30 min	Boil	Pellet	16
Centennial	1 oz	1 min	Boil	Pellet	10
Citra	1 oz	1 min	Boil	Pellet	12
Centennial	1 oz	0 min	Aroma	Pellet	10
Citra	1 oz	0 min	Aroma	Pellet	12
Mosaic (HBC 369)	1 oz	0 min	Dry Hop	Pellet	12.3
Simcoe	1 oz	0 min	Dry Hop	Pellet	13

Miscs

Name	Amount	Time	Use	Type
Lactic Acid	15.00 ml	60 min	Mash	Water Agent
Calcium Chloride	6.00 g	60 min	Mash	Water Agent
Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate)	6.00 g	60 min	Mash	Water Agent

Yeast

Name	Lab	Attenuation	Temperature
Safale American (US-05)	DCL/Fermentis	77%	59°F - 75°F

Mash

Step	Temperature	Time
Mash In	152°F	60 min

Notes

Didn't have as much pilsner on hand as I thought I did. Luckily I had pilsner DME at the houes. Original plan was to use Magnum for bitter but ran out so used Columbus instead.

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Deadpool American Stout

February 28th, 2016

Naming this beer after the movie because it’s extremely abrasive. I brewed 10 gallons of this monster for a couple of reasons. First the various homebrew competitions within Louisiana that are for whatever reason all picking up the American Stout category. Second I had to have an interesting beer for Zapp’s beerfest and this is it. This recipe is based off of a baseline American Stout recipe I got from a great homebrewer from Lafayette by the name of Jim C. I mashed it up with a list of recipes I read in a BYO article from Jamil Z and voila. We’ll see if it’s great later on.

The brew day went great on 2/27/2016. No problems or anything. I’m really curious about this beer since I don’t have experience sending it to competitions. I imagine judges will like beers with more body/mouthfeel than the guidelines lead on because that’s what appears to be the beers that club members bring to meetings or appreciate themselves. I guess we’ll see.

Not really sure where the BeerXML plugin is getting the actual OG but mine was actually 1.066 so it came in high. I did adjust up some from the original plan at 1.061 because Merica.

Update 3/8/2016

This thing finished at about 1.019 and has a really nice taste and feel to it. Look forward to having it cold and carbonated.

Update 3/24/2016

I thought this beer would soften more than it did with a few weeks. It’s quite harsh and the hops clash with the dryness from the roasted malts. I think I probably threw too much in this beer for a first run at a style I’m unfamiliar with. Hopefully it’ll improve with another month but It’s certainly not a pleasing beer by the pint.

Recipe Details

Batch Size	Boil Time	IBU	SRM	Est. OG	Est. FG	ABV
12 gal	60 min	71.7 IBUs	40.4 SRM	1.066	1.017	6.5 %

Style Details

Name	Cat.	OG Range	FG Range	IBU	SRM	Carb	ABV
American Stout	20 B	1.05 - 1.075	1.01 - 1.022	35 - 75	30 - 40	2.4 - 3	5 - 7 %

Fermentables

Name	Amount	%
Pale Malt (2 Row) US	16 lbs	47.41
Munich Malt	7 lbs	20.74
Oats, Flaked	3 lbs	8.89
Cara-Pils/Dextrine	2 lbs	5.93
Aromatic Malt	1 lbs	2.96
Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L	1 lbs	2.96
Chocolate (Briess)	1 lbs	2.96
Black Barley (Stout)	12 oz	2.22
Caramel/Crystal Malt - 80L	8 oz	1.48
Chocolate Wheat (Weyermann)	8 oz	1.48
Roasted Barley	8 oz	1.48
Wheat, Roasted	8 oz	1.48

Hops

Name	Amount	Time	Use	Form	Alpha %
Magnum	2.5 oz	60 min	Boil	Pellet	14
Centennial	1.5 oz	60 min	Boil	Pellet	11
Mosaic (HBC 369)	1.5 oz	60 min	Boil	Pellet	12.3
Centennial	1.5 oz	10 min	Boil	Pellet	11
Mosaic (HBC 369)	1.5 oz	10 min	Boil	Pellet	12.3
Centennial	1 oz	1 min	Boil	Pellet	11
Mosaic (HBC 369)	1 oz	1 min	Boil	Pellet	12.3

Yeast

Name	Lab	Attenuation	Temperature
Safale American (US-05)	DCL/Fermentis	77%	59°F - 75°F

Mash

Step	Temperature	Time
Mash In	155°F	60 min

Notes

The centennial was actually 50/50 centennial and mosaic hops. Just mixed 4 ounces with 4 ounces and used that. Since I didn't have mosaic in beersmith at the time.

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Schwarzbier American Monchshof

January 31st, 2016

So continuing on my German beer series as I work my way through this sack of Weyermann pilsner malt I purhcased. Reusing my WLP833 and WLP830 yeast cakes from the German pilsner on this rather bold Schwarzbier recipe. Schwarzbier is one of my most nostalgic brewing beers as it was one of the first I brewed and shared at a festival. Most Americans have never had it and are shocked by the dark beer with the smooth character. This one should be a rather agressive cousin of Monchshof which is probably the most popular version of the style you’ll find in the United States today.

The brew day went well with the exception of gravity coming in a little high at 1.054. Did have some pump trouble which led to some higher than expected mash temperatures temporarily which could be the primary cause for this high gravity. It’ll probably have a higher finishing gravity as well but should taste perfectly fine. If it finishes as dry as originally expected I’ll worry it’ll be a little warm on alcohol.

Recipe Details

Batch Size	Boil Time	IBU	SRM	Est. OG	Est. FG	ABV
6 gal	90 min	26.9 IBUs	25.5 SRM	1.054	1.012	5.5 %

Style Details

Name	Cat.	OG Range	FG Range	IBU	SRM	Carb	ABV
Schwarzbier	8 B	1.046 - 1.052	1.01 - 1.016	20 - 30	17 - 30	2.5 - 3	4.4 - 5.4 %

Fermentables

Name	Amount	%
Munich I (Weyermann)	6 lbs	45.96
Pilsner (Weyermann)	6 lbs	45.96
Carafa II (Weyermann)	4 oz	1.91
Carafa III	4 oz	1.91
Caramel Malt - 60L (Briess)	4 oz	1.91
Chocolate (Briess)	2.88 oz	1.38
Pale Chocolate Malt	2 oz	0.96

Hops

Name	Amount	Time	Use	Form	Alpha %
Magnum	0.6 oz	60 min	Boil	Pellet	14
Hersbrucker	0.25 oz	10 min	Boil	Pellet	2.8
Hersbrucker	0.5 oz	1 min	Boil	Pellet	2.8

Mash

Step	Temperature	Time
Mash In	150°F	75 min

Notes

the crystal will end up being caracrystal from Briess. 55L

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Thomas Hardy Ale Clone

January 5th, 2016

As part of an ongoing barrel project I’m brewing 5 gallons of Thomas Hardy ale. It’s a beer that’s been brewed professionally over the years and was originally brewed in honor of English writer Thomas Hardy. A giant barleywine that was one hell of a brew day let me tell you. It came out fine though and should be one gnarly monster of a beer especially after aging in a whiskey barrel.

I also ran a second runnings beer which I hopped with 2 ounces of EKG for 30 minutes and 1/4 ounce at flameout. With the help of DME it ended up in teh 1.072 range. So two giant beers on one brew day ain’t bad. That one won’t go in a barrel. It’ll just be a super ESB / mini-barleywine.

Update 1/9/2016
The big beer has finished fermentation at about 1.019 while the smaller beer has finished quite dry around 1.013. Both taste exactly like you’d expect young barleywine to taste; quite raw. They’ll be going in the barrel this weekend.

Recipe Details

Batch Size	Boil Time	IBU	SRM	Est. OG	Est. FG	ABV
6.5 gal	180 min	61.9 IBUs	13.3 SRM	1.111	1.023	11.8 %

Style Details

Name	Cat.	OG Range	FG Range	IBU	SRM	Carb	ABV
English Barleywine	19 B	1.08 - 1.12	1.018 - 1.03	35 - 70	8 - 22	1.6 - 2.5	8 - 12 %

Fermentables

Name	Amount	%
Pale Malt, Maris Otter	18.5 lbs	59.2
Lager Malt	5 lbs	16
Wheat, Flaked	3 lbs	9.6
Caramel/Crystal Malt - 80L	1 lbs	3.2
Munich 20L (Briess)	8 oz	1.6
Extra Light Dry Extract	3.25 lbs	10.4

Hops

Name	Amount	Time	Use	Form	Alpha %
Goldings, East Kent	4 oz	90 min	Boil	Pellet	6
Styrian Goldings	1.5 oz	30 min	Boil	Pellet	5.4

Yeast

Name	Lab	Attenuation	Temperature
Nottingham (-)	Danstar	75%	57°F - 70°F

Mash

Step	Temperature	Time
Mash In	150°F	75 min

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American Pale Ale With Challenger

January 2nd, 2016

So I have some challenger I’ve been needing to use and I’m running out of my American hop stockpile I’ve been working on for the past year. Before I can justify ordering a giant round of wholesale hops I need to burn through it. So try some things out. How about Simcoe and Challenger? We’ll see how it comes out. Going to try a little more crystal than I typically use because I’ve read that Challenger can be a little sharp. Simcoe can also be a bit aggressive to me so I think more sweetness won’t hurt. The brew day went well with the gravity being more like 1.048.

2/4/2016 Update
This beer ended up being ok at best. Ironically the BeerXML plugin for my site won’t show the recipe for some unknown reason. Probably because the plugin knows that the beer wasn’t great. The hop flavor and aroma just isn’t smooth. It’s pretty harsh and the bitter probably isn’t very pleasant either.(I have to speculate due to being mostly bitter insensitive) I drink it but don’t love it. May dump it if I run out of kegerator space soon. Currently have 5 full, 2 in the works and want to brew some more. So something has to go!