tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63650740568075357582024-03-13T11:00:21.503-07:00Counter Brew: Making Great Beer with Common Sense. Easy ways to master the fundamentals of HomebrewingDavid Steltinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08091919069275585647noreply@blogger.comBlogger206125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6365074056807535758.post-44214352476504837642019-03-08T12:07:00.000-08:002019-03-08T12:07:14.135-08:00A brief Rant. 2019 Edition...<div dir="ltr">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--pVxqk24Zzw/XIHkU2UuvTI/AAAAAAAA7vA/XUd5CU9hCg4y1aqn3Va8HpPsHx_MTj2TQCLcBGAs/s1600/troll.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="176" data-original-width="286" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--pVxqk24Zzw/XIHkU2UuvTI/AAAAAAAA7vA/XUd5CU9hCg4y1aqn3Va8HpPsHx_MTj2TQCLcBGAs/s1600/troll.jpg" /></a>Ok, well they've done it again. The trolls have come out from under the bridges and from deep in their mom's basements and pissed me off. So once again it is up to your old uncle Dave to set you numskulls straight. </div>
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First, there is no bad style of beer. PERIOD. There are styles you may not prefer, there are beers that are made poorly, but there is no style of beer that sucks. And if you think that the big breweries suck at making beer... you are an idiot. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jyo7Hg5mYGY/XIHkZV7FoEI/AAAAAAAA7vE/i2ESXWzq8NYJTB_YOBaVVggFWJMaGhr7ACLcBGAs/s1600/macho-man-randy-savage-macho-man-randy-savage-tribute-demotivational-posters%2Bslim%2Bjim%2Brip%2Belizabeth%2Bepic%2Brap%2Bbattles%2Bhall%2Bof%2Bfame.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="510" data-original-width="640" height="254" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jyo7Hg5mYGY/XIHkZV7FoEI/AAAAAAAA7vE/i2ESXWzq8NYJTB_YOBaVVggFWJMaGhr7ACLcBGAs/s320/macho-man-randy-savage-macho-man-randy-savage-tribute-demotivational-posters%2Bslim%2Bjim%2Brip%2Belizabeth%2Bepic%2Brap%2Bbattles%2Bhall%2Bof%2Bfame.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Macho Man... always original!</td></tr>
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The jokes you are telling in response to people's posts on social media about macrobeer being horse p!ss in a glass are old and trite and completely unoriginal. The jokes about macrobeer being water are also boring. Do better. Be better. Or at least be original. As Herman Melville famously said <i><b>"it is better to fail in originality, than succeed in imitation" </b></i>Don't be a troll regurgitating the same crap others have already said. Say something new, brew something new... be original. What the hell is it like to wander through life with out original thoughts? life as a pale imitation of other men's better ideas? Be freaking original... </div>
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Listen, be who you want to be, and brew what ever you want to brew. I'm not your mom, you can make whatever you want. But, there is nothing the matter with macro lager beer. If you like it drink it. If you want to make it make it. But please for the love of all things hoppy stop making the easy jokes... Don't know what I'm talking about? Well, let me set the scene for you. The place is a chatroom or a facebook Group. The time is now, the place is wherever you are right now.</div>
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Brewer A - "Hey does any one have a good American light lager recipe?"<br />
Brewer B - " Just piss in a bottle and add some water"<br />
Brewer C - "Why would you ever brew that?" "big beer is evil"<br />
Brewer D - "Conglomerate beer sucks... "<br />
Brewer F - " just make a cream ale"</div>
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Brewer E - "low oxygen is the key... here is everything you didn't ask about low oxygen brewing..."<br />
Brewer A - "I just want a recipe from someone who knows how to brew this style please, my wife prefers it and I want to make it for her"<br />
Brewer B - "Get a new wife"<br />
Brewer C - "Divorce her"<br />
Brewer D - "is she dumb"<br />
Brewer A - " You guys are jerks"</div>
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and...scene...</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pmtIfw1jY_Q/XIHlemaH5gI/AAAAAAAA7vY/wk2qLCvQtmAazPeQVoXzFxilsQrqSudmQCLcBGAs/s1600/shutterstock_271076909.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="440" data-original-width="660" height="213" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pmtIfw1jY_Q/XIHlemaH5gI/AAAAAAAA7vY/wk2qLCvQtmAazPeQVoXzFxilsQrqSudmQCLcBGAs/s320/shutterstock_271076909.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can't tell me this doesn't look refreshing! and don't try<br />
to say you thought it was some bizzare IPA we all know exactly<br />
what this is a bowl of... yummy delicious American Lager.</td></tr>
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Enough already, we get it, you don't like American Light Lager beer. You prefer craft beers, we get it. But if you are an ass hat to other brewers who do enjoy this style... then you are a jerk. PERIOD. </div>
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American Lager and American light lager are most people's preferred beers, they have so much mass appeal, they are so easily consumed, they are so thirst quenching... that they dominate the world beer scene. Yes, they are fairly low in hop and malt flavor. But who cares. They are still great to drink, when made well they are well balanced and slightly malty. They are hugely refreshing, they are perfect on a hot day, or even a cool autumn day, or a crisp spring day... just about any day...</div>
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They are also very hard to brew well. Most of you who make fun of American Lager and Light lager couldn't brew a great one if you had to. They are tough to brew. You have to be the best at what you do. You have to control every aspect of the brewing process, you have to limit oxygen at some points in the brewing process and dissolve the right amount in other points in the brewing process, you have to pitch correct amounts of vital yeast, and you have to learn to do a concentration brew with out screwing up your IBUs. And if you can master all of that you also have to be perfect in cleaning and sanitation. One flaw, one screw up and your beer is ruined. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fjDkvvHBVu0/XIHpeGeXbQI/AAAAAAAA7vo/tm1QSWn2fqk8QaIJLwTkhzzPD6n7i1K4ACLcBGAs/s1600/A15-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="267" data-original-width="400" height="133" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fjDkvvHBVu0/XIHpeGeXbQI/AAAAAAAA7vo/tm1QSWn2fqk8QaIJLwTkhzzPD6n7i1K4ACLcBGAs/s200/A15-2.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You suck! You could't brew a BUD<br />
if you had to! And your mom wears<br />
Army boots!</td></tr>
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Making fun of American Lager and American light manufacturer's makes you everything that is wrong with craft beer snobbery. Any one of you would be honored to work at AB, any one of you would be proud to brew at Miller, or Coors... or even at Old Milwaukee. Don't act like you wouldn't. But you want to know a secret? Almost none of you would be qualified, because those guys are the best in the world at what they do. They have advanced, degrees in Oenology, brewing, and Biology. They love brewing as much as you do, and they are damned good at it. They brew the exact same product all over the world with the exact same taste with different ingredients and different water profiles. Can you even brew the same exact IPA twice? </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YVpbxHBPHPw/XIHrS3hpg0I/AAAAAAAA7v0/kStkBeJT0Ac9gMT1E0473rgj4gUoPZ_zACLcBGAs/s1600/download.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="133" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YVpbxHBPHPw/XIHrS3hpg0I/AAAAAAAA7v0/kStkBeJT0Ac9gMT1E0473rgj4gUoPZ_zACLcBGAs/s200/download.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Couldn't find one with Kelly in front!</td></tr>
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So get off the back of mega lager. It is what it is, but it isn't evil. It isn't horse P*$$, it isn't water. It's beer, made by people who also love beer. If you want to keep making fun of mega lager, at least find an original way to do it. Quit using the same damned jokes we used in the 1990's. "lame" "As if!", "That's so funny...NOT"</div>
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But wait there's more...</div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EzXxUCvfotg/XIHrr_fJj7I/AAAAAAAA7v8/CwKhoG-VSjYgvUD8RPLLvWpWfFhUu4VVgCLcBGAs/s1600/top-101.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EzXxUCvfotg/XIHrr_fJj7I/AAAAAAAA7v8/CwKhoG-VSjYgvUD8RPLLvWpWfFhUu4VVgCLcBGAs/s200/top-101.jpg" width="200" /></a>Second, major issue recently... Brewing priorities are again out of whack. So I have to review them again for you all. All around the internet I am seeing $1000.00 - $5000.00 wort production machines. Listen I have no problem with electric brewing, I myself often brew on an electric system, what I have a problem with is a lack of understanding of the priorities... So... from the home office in Sheboygan Wisconsin, here is today's Top 10 home brewing priorities. </div>
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<ol>
<li>Cleanliness & sanitation - minor infections ruin beer</li>
<li>Vital yeast pitch - covers a myriad of sins... hides most every flaw</li>
<li>Correct amount of yeast - see above</li>
<li>Oxygenation of wort before yeast pitch - yeast needs oxygen to replicate. </li>
<li>Temperature controlled fermentation - yeast makes bad flavors at wrong temperatures.</li>
<li>Low oxygen packaging - oxygen ruins finished beer. </li>
<li>Freshness of ingredients - duh. </li>
<li>Low oxygen fermentation (many styles) - there are many styles where oxygen should be limited. </li>
<li>Patience & mindfulness - don't get hammered until you are cleaning up from your brew day, have a plan, be patient, be calm</li>
<li>Wort Production - here it is at the end of the list. The most fun most active part of brewing is not even close to the most important part of brewing. </li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QAmzyaU0QzQ/XIHr6qumeFI/AAAAAAAA7wA/KpKLWEXk4TI5bbTwgWdtghPJoqxdgBnyQCLcBGAs/s1600/download%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="259" data-original-width="194" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QAmzyaU0QzQ/XIHr6qumeFI/AAAAAAAA7wA/KpKLWEXk4TI5bbTwgWdtghPJoqxdgBnyQCLcBGAs/s1600/download%2B%25281%2529.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">this is 100x more important than<br />
a wort production machine!</td></tr>
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Think I'm wrong? Well then go ask the guys who actually win the awards in your area. They will knowingly nod at my list. So by all means please support and buy awesome brewing gear from the amazing companies who produce the amazing array of products we now have available. But for the love of Pete, start out with the fermentation related products they manufacture. The very last thing you should buy is a wort production machine. Remember more and more awards are won every year by guys brewing BIAB. And all you need for that is a kettle and a bag. So please do not over inflate the importance of the wort making phase of beer production... it is important to be sure, it requires your concentration, no doubt... it just isn't the most important part of the process. It is the most fun part of the process, so why in the hell would you want to make it less interactive? Makes no sense to me. Some of you can literally brew from the couch via blue tooth. My question is, do you actually enjoy brewing or do you just want to say you brew? Give me a spoon and control knob any day over that crap!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lPwMGusY7-4/XIHvrUnId2I/AAAAAAAA7wQ/NSBYJylbnYMl64zSFfdNO6-zIBUHq1yQgCLcBGAs/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lPwMGusY7-4/XIHvrUnId2I/AAAAAAAA7wQ/NSBYJylbnYMl64zSFfdNO6-zIBUHq1yQgCLcBGAs/s1600/images.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Duke... laying down some truth son!</td></tr>
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So now lets handle the questions I am sure to get... <b><i>What about stainless conical glycol controlled fermentation should I invest in that? </i></b> sure... yes... of course... good idea... <b><i>Should I get a counter pressure bottle filler?</i></b> yes, if you package in bottles or compete in contests you probably should. <b><i>Can you tell my wife I need two more fermentation fridges in the garage?</i> </b> Yes, after my date with...your mom. Don't forget the temperature controllers. <b><i>Should I get more kegs?</i></b> yes, excellent... good plan... <b><i>What about a stir plate?</i></b> Wait...are you freaking kidding me? what the freak? yes of course...seriously, you mean you were even considering purchasing a wort machine before a stir plate? What the hell is wrong with you? have I taught you nothing? <b><i>Should I get a spunding valve?</i></b> Yes excellent plan! <b><i>What about an immersion heating and cooling system for fermentation?</i></b> Definitely,yes good plan. (although aquarium chillers cost a little less so watch for the sales.) <b>You really think aeration should come before wort production? </b>YES, duh freaking duuuuuuh! <b><i>Should I get a $2k wort production machine when I don't have anything saved for my kids college or my retirement?</i></b> NO, NO, NOOOOOOOO! What the hell is wrong with you? </div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0gNvntXh_tc/XIHxTAlMIFI/AAAAAAAA7wc/bnuRy61Rz0sZTykDoCecCpCgVcRydVfAQCLcBGAs/s1600/https___blogs-images.forbes.com_luisromero_files_2015_12_Jedi_Banner_V3-1200x675.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="868" data-original-width="1280" height="217" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0gNvntXh_tc/XIHxTAlMIFI/AAAAAAAA7wc/bnuRy61Rz0sZTykDoCecCpCgVcRydVfAQCLcBGAs/s320/https___blogs-images.forbes.com_luisromero_files_2015_12_Jedi_Banner_V3-1200x675.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">strong yes is the dumb in this one...</td></tr>
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Guys win awards every year with extract batches of home brew. Big major shinny awards. And guess what?... they don't use a wort machine when they make extract you nincompoop. But when they do everything else right... it still turns out great. So, my advice is to get your focus on what matters... As for me and my tribe of misfit brewers, we will keep on mashing in our super awesome ultra customized, plastic cooler mash tuns. We will sanitize the living hell out of anything that comes near our beer. Our minds will serve as our temperature control computers. We will continue to pitch healthy yeast starters, we will continue to aerate, we will continue to be patient, and we will continue to drink the awesome fruits of our labor. (Unless one of us wins the lottery, in which case all bets are off...in that case we will build a home brew system so ridiculously cool it will burn your eyes to look upon it. It will feature mirror polished stainless steel, be automated by magical woodland elves and be controlled by Jedi Mind power.... It will be awesome... but I'm not holding my breath.)</div>
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Soon I will be brewing some cool beers for you all again, a Belgian IPA (can anyone say La Chouffe Houblon? think I have it cloned) and a Belgian Summer ale (somewhere between a wit beer and a Belgian single) until then keep brewing, keep thinking, and keep on drinking... home brew... in moderation... and with friends. </div>
David Steltinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08091919069275585647noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6365074056807535758.post-1036674777195628222019-02-07T09:11:00.001-08:002019-02-07T09:11:51.185-08:00Ghetto Brew: Affordable advanced brewing! The mash tun.<div dir="ltr">
<i>This is the beginning of a new series on counterbrew about affordable Advanced Brewing. In this series well try to show you all some common sense affordable methods for advanced home brewing.</i></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zp27EHJM6m8/WvMp3IiVdjI/AAAAAAAA2w4/QzYJ2Ao80HIVK2hj6N1swK4wz8uoh2d1wCLcBGAs/s1600/fancy%2Bgear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="514" data-original-width="700" height="146" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zp27EHJM6m8/WvMp3IiVdjI/AAAAAAAA2w4/QzYJ2Ao80HIVK2hj6N1swK4wz8uoh2d1wCLcBGAs/s200/fancy%2Bgear.jpg" width="200" /></a>Ok... I get it...I've said it before... I understand... you want the shiny bling...the mirror polished stainless $15,000.00 brewing system and the 14 gallon glycol controlled uni-tanks... I get it... really I do. You've drooled over photos of some basement in some far off state or province that has been turned into a miniature temple of fermentation. You imagine (wrongly) that if you just had that level of brewing equipment, you would win 5 Ninkasi awards in a row, and the whole world would know of your brewing excellence.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fsZIzxLsa3I/WvMqc4ONvZI/AAAAAAAA2xA/Y4Z4KeEQcE0hcTNSKXrbgSK068g1TJCQACLcBGAs/s1600/rims%2Btube.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="389" data-original-width="400" height="193" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fsZIzxLsa3I/WvMqc4ONvZI/AAAAAAAA2xA/Y4Z4KeEQcE0hcTNSKXrbgSK068g1TJCQACLcBGAs/s200/rims%2Btube.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brewhardware's pre wired rims tube<br />
set up. Just add a pump.</td></tr>
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And you can call me a grumpy old curmudgeon... but I don't really want any of that stuff any more. ( <i>Maybe I should say I don't want more of that stuff...In full disclosure I have a gas fired, mirror polished, medical grade welded, 10 gallon recirculating system with a pump, tri-clover valves, built in thermometers, acid etched sight gauges, and false bottoms...I rarely use it. It is in fact in storage right now. Part of it may be at Jakes... I may change it over to a <a href="https://www.brewhardware.com/product_p/rimspackagetc.htm" target="_blank">Rims Tube</a> system in an effort to continue to minimize oxygen ingress <b>with out the use of chemicals</b>. There is a follow up post on LODO coming soon. </i>)<br />
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For the most part I brew small batches on the stove top. So when I think about a brewing system, <b>I only want easy to clean equipment that improves my final product. </b> And I want to continue to brew a lot. Which means small batch. I want variety. Which also means small batch. <b><i>Basically, I want to brew a lot. </i></b>And again that means stove top small batch.</div>
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Don't get me wrong I like shinny brewing equipment as much as the next guy. I've spent literally hundreds of hours over the years drooling over systems. I am especially attracted to the High Gravity brewing systems, Blichman Engineering, Brausupply, Clawhammer Supply, and especially to Colorado Brewing Systems. But alas, I have yet to win the lottery. And even if I did win the lottery, I'm not convinced I would buy one of these systems (see above, I would probably just add a <a href="https://www.brewhardware.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=RIMSpackageTC" target="_blank">Rims Tube</a> from brewhardware.com to my 5 gallon system). Heck, I may add one of those anyway. But unless I win the lottery, I'm not buying more expensive brew gear. Especially, when I can make advanced gear at home for a fraction of the cost. On our brew crew we are very proud of focusing on what really matters, and we can make the equipment we need for advanced home brew mashing. That's right, I can make great equipment, and you can to. </div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XEcL5YDDeqQ/WvMpMEnBw_I/AAAAAAAA2ww/UX-XCsHSAGUt-5rXXiWLJLMjgWdgDzI5ACLcBGAs/s1600/ancient%2Bbrewing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="163" data-original-width="310" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XEcL5YDDeqQ/WvMpMEnBw_I/AAAAAAAA2ww/UX-XCsHSAGUt-5rXXiWLJLMjgWdgDzI5ACLcBGAs/s1600/ancient%2Bbrewing.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fancy Gear, is no substitue for experience and<br />
knowledge. No amount of money spent on<br />
equipment can make good beer if you don't<br />
know how to brew!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
You see i know the truths...I have read the secret ancient tomes... I possess the ethereal mystical knowledge of the brewing art... and I will share it with you. </div>
<ul>
<li>Its the brewer not the equipment. </li>
<li>There is no substitute for sanitation,</li>
<li>Fermentation is eminently more important than wort production. </li>
<li>Fresh quality ingredients are more important than recipe design. </li>
<li>Simple is usually better</li>
<li>Packaging matters, oxygen can ruin finished beer.</li>
<li>Brewers make wort yeast makes beer, yeast vitality and health are of paramount importance. </li>
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These are the things that matter. If you are focused on wort production above all else, your beer will suck, well maybe not suck, but it wont be as good as someone who focused on sanitation, yeast health / vitality, and on fermentation control. </div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-91OMM9eiDGo/WvMq2lHpDTI/AAAAAAAA2xM/bMltzwZlDkoWippGFV2WHRlzD3-9-mWbgCLcBGAs/s1600/low%2Bcost.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="317" data-original-width="306" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-91OMM9eiDGo/WvMq2lHpDTI/AAAAAAAA2xM/bMltzwZlDkoWippGFV2WHRlzD3-9-mWbgCLcBGAs/s200/low%2Bcost.jpg" width="193" /></a>So how do I go about making great beer on the stove top, or with out spending a fortune? Well I think I have figured out what will work for me, and I will share it with you in hopes that it will work for you as well. Or in hopes that it will inspire you to create your own small batch system. I also have figured out what I can afford, and what any serious brewer can afford. (in follow up posts I'll be showing you how to make a boil kettle, a fermentation chamber, and a stainless fermenter...affordably.<br />
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My goals. Super easy to clean. Minor infections are the bane of the home brewing world. I can not tell you how many times I've tasted a beer that was slightly off. Still pretty good, but just not everything it should be, not the taste the brewer was trying to produce. The brewer would swear it was due to stale malt or a change in the recipe, or a slightly different mash temperature... But you and I both know the real flaw was probably a lack of complete cleaning and sanitation. Some minor infection didn't ruin the beer but certainly competed for the resources of the desired outcome. Or there was some weird flavor left over from poor cleaning. In an effort to keep the system easy to clean I am eliminating pumps and limiting valves. I know this may sound shocking to you all, but when you think about it you don't really need a pump. Pumps are convenient, pumps are kind of cool. But pumps are also places where minor infections can hide. And I don't know any of the world's great large breweries that use recirculating Mash systems (although they do all use pumps to move wort around). I do know a ton of them that use mash paddles. The whole point of stirring or recirculating is making the enzymes more effective, enzymes are proteins they only work when in contact with starch. So stir your mash. It really doesn't matter if you stir or recirculate. And please don't give me the clear wort argument. Numerous studies, prove that (with the exception of light lagers) crystal clear wort is meaningless. If you are producing a light lager or a beer that needs clear wort, there is no law that says you can't vorlauf (even when you are doing biab style or no sparge.) </div>
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Other goals for the system are that it hold temperature well, reduce oxygen ingress, and that it will allow me to step mash. I am generally a no sparge brewer. And I am often a step mash brewer ( at least with my Belgian Inspired beers). So I need an easy way to step mash as well. </div>
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For me the best solution is a 5 gallon cooler as a mash tun. I use a brew bag as a filter, which allows me to crush finer, which means I maintain decent efficiency even with no sparge brewing, usually 76.4% (which I think you would agree is awesome for no sparge in a cooler)</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3F8oSAuNGpQ/XCuolKUi4UI/AAAAAAAA6y4/WQIqYvsgybA6WNAx8KXXHQ3lPeK15UU5gCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/20181027_120221_Film1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3F8oSAuNGpQ/XCuolKUi4UI/AAAAAAAA6y4/WQIqYvsgybA6WNAx8KXXHQ3lPeK15UU5gCPcBGAYYCw/s200/20181027_120221_Film1.jpg" width="150" /></a>But there is a problem with a cooler mash tun. You have to open it to stir. And you have to open it to do an infusion step Mash. Well have no fear brewing nerds, Old Uncle Dave has the solution for you. I'm going to show you all how I modify a cylindrical cooler mash tun in order to accomplish all of the goals set out above. And you probably own 90% of the tools you'll need. And the materials you need are cheap at your local big box hardware store. Here is what you need.</div>
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<ul>
<li>A 5 gallon (or 10 gallon) cylindrical mash tun with a screw on lid (they're thinner)</li>
<li>1 1/2" PVC<a href="https://www.lowes.com/pd/Charlotte-Pipe-1-1-2-in-dia-PVC-Female-Trap-Adapter-W-Washer-and-P-Nut/3132641" target="_blank"> Female Trap Adapter with Nut and Washer</a>, Hub x Socket $2.59</li>
<li>a 1 1/2" hole saw. (any big box hardware store will have this)</li>
<li>A <a href="https://www.amazon.com/BSG-Anti-Splash-Funnel-Strainer/dp/B00GE9NKBC/ref=asc_df_B00GE9NKBC/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309764586387&hvpos=1o4&hvnetw=g&hvrand=4265811135541054683&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9023898&hvtargid=pla-524091066386&psc=1" target="_blank">large funnel</a> or better yet Your LHBS</li>
<li>A worm clamp - Your LHBS</li>
<li>2' of 1/2" inside diameter silicone tubing - Your LHBS</li>
<li>a #10 stopper - Your LHBS</li>
<li>A large brew bag, I have lots of these from Wilser, BrewBag, and my LHBS </li>
<li>A stainless steel 8" drip pan as a false bottom ( make sure it is stainless steel not chromium or painted, stainless won't be quite as shiny as chromium) Any big box will have these. </li>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dxaJyIGAJ-A/Wu3a57lVbsI/AAAAAAAA2ns/uTdG6d_iCjUBbOy0JHJiQYJkQLaUO3ajgCKgBGAs/s1600/20180424_202758.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dxaJyIGAJ-A/Wu3a57lVbsI/AAAAAAAA2ns/uTdG6d_iCjUBbOy0JHJiQYJkQLaUO3ajgCKgBGAs/s320/20180424_202758.jpg" width="240" /></a>So here is the finished mash tun. With the port on top. The port has a mash paddle sticking out of it... with foil wrapped around it. A waterproof digital thermometer probe goes down into the wort. My awesome daughter bought me a 13" fast read long probe, so I can take temps at different places in the mash as well through the port. So far so good. I'm on my 16th brew with it and it is performing well. We are getting right at 76% ever time. If I extend my mash to 90 minutes I get over 80%. Despite what you have heard; iodine is not a good test of mash conversion, and mash length does matter somewhat. With apologies to the short and shoddy crowd (who I really enjoy), a 90 minute mash will always create more conversion and fermentability (thinner beer). Well be posting on using time of mash as a component in excellence soon. </div>
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Here's how it works. I strike at 12 degrees above my target temperature. Every 15 minutes i stir...with out opening the lid, that's it. If I need to step mash I add a funnel with a silicone tube attached and I pour boiling water through the port. It fits even with the mash paddle in place.<br />
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When I am done... I drain into the boil kettle. Shocking right? If I'm making a very high gravity beer I have to sparge. When this is the case, I lift the bag, set it into a colander, squeeze/press, and then rinse the grains. Simple affordable mashing without temperature loss. You don't need a $5k brewing system, you just need common sense. <br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gAjQJ3sRFbA/VekGUcWFt3I/AAAAAAAAgyU/ObyVkSiTQwcTtPzEyinTekJn-WFVephcACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/you%2Bsir%2Bare%2Ba%2Bdumbass%2Bmeme%2Bred%2Bforeman%2Bfrom%2Bthat%2B70%2527s%2Bshow.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="456" data-original-width="317" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gAjQJ3sRFbA/VekGUcWFt3I/AAAAAAAAgyU/ObyVkSiTQwcTtPzEyinTekJn-WFVephcACPcBGAYYCw/s200/you%2Bsir%2Bare%2Ba%2Bdumbass%2Bmeme%2Bred%2Bforeman%2Bfrom%2Bthat%2B70%2527s%2Bshow.png" width="138" /></a>I realize I am kind of a knucklehead, but I think I am right on point with this one...We are focused to much on things that don't really matter. We are focused on the active part of brewing, we are focused on those halcyon days in the garage with friends brewing beer. And that is great, but we need to be focused on cleaning, and on making good healthy yeast starters. (I have some crazy theories about the absolute importance of yeast health that well be tackling soon). We need to be focused on fermentation temperature control, and proper aeration of wort at yeast pitch. If you can't make a yeast starter and you want a $1000.00 wort production machine your priorites are wrong. If you can't control fermentation, and you want a $1000.00 wort production machine, you're nuts. If you aren't kegging yet... well that comes before fancy wort machines. If you aren't fermenting in stainless steel, that comes first. You get where I'm headed here... there's lots to handle before a wort machine.<br />
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I'll close by saying, as always, there are no homebrew police, brew how you want to brew. It is all about having fun making beer. Cheers!<br />
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On our next brew I'll post a picture of the funnel in place during a step mash.</div>
David Steltinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08091919069275585647noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6365074056807535758.post-70436612054734666812019-01-01T10:42:00.000-08:002019-01-01T19:45:05.591-08:00Room Temperature Marzen with Cargill Idapils and Meusdoerffer Munich<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sorry for the lapse, life got busy. Have<br>no fear we're back.</td></tr>
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One of my favorite things about home brewing is that there are no rules. You can brew the beer you want to brew, the way you choose to brew. You can add hot peppers to cream ale, or use all Vienna malt for a pale ale. You can even add ridiculous ingredients to a stout... like lobster or oysters. It's your beer, do what you want. And although there are always opinionated trolls on the internet who are more than willing to tell you that you are doing something wrong, there are no brewing police.<br>
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A couple of weeks ago we set out to make a Marzen for consumption later in winter. I realize we were late to the party and that we should have made it a long time ago. But like you, our lives get busy. Like you we have jobs and families and sometimes we don't get around to brewing something, or at least posting about brewing. But things are settling down now, and we should be posting again weekly. We will be starting a series on advanced ghetto brewing soon. In it we will show you easy and more importantly affordable ways to step mash, decoct, control fermentation temperatures, aerate, make starters, and naturally carbonate your beer.<br>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yeast produces CO2, Ethanol, and Glycerol.<br>But also lots of esters in different combinations<br>Depending on it's own genetics. Ethyl acetate, <br>Isoamyl acetate, Isobutyl acetate<br>Being prominent in fermentation. </td></tr>
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Right now my fermentation chamber is full of tailgate beer. Cream Ale, Centennial Blonde, and Dry Stout. So we are making and fermenting this one at Mark Anthony's place. And MA doesn't have a fermentation chamber. So we are fermenting at room temperature. A lot has been said over the past couple of years about lagers at room temperature. Let me assure you, this is not a best practice. If you can ferment in cool controlled temperatures, you should. But if you can't<b> that doesn't mean you shouldn't brew a lager.</b> It won't be gross, a lager yeast puts off less ppm of esters than an ale yeast, even when you ferment at higher temperatures. They just happen to be lager esters. In fact, I often use 34/70 at room temperature for a blonde ale, cream ale, and even some IPAs. So just go ahead and make the damn thing, and use a lager yeast that can handle room temperatures, there are many of them on the market.<br>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VoHrRlGLuEE/Voqg1yvbTvI/AAAAAAAAkIc/5inmrCcKCAIFPM-7zJzVC71XaIpghpLegCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/cargil%2Blogo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="115" data-original-width="192" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VoHrRlGLuEE/Voqg1yvbTvI/AAAAAAAAkIc/5inmrCcKCAIFPM-7zJzVC71XaIpghpLegCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/cargil%2Blogo.png"></a>With the growth of German styles there has been an increased demand for and discussion about malt selection. Remember, <b>the most important thing in malt selection is freshness. </b>And when most of your malt comes all the way from Germany... that means most of your malt was subject to the harsh conditions of shipping all the way from Germany... on a boat, on a train, and on a truck. So malts that have been shipped from overseas have been subject to all kinds of temperature swings. Not a huge deal for malt, but still an area of concern. Foreign Malts... they may be awesome, they may be crap, you just don't know until you brew with them. So for my base malt, in every recipe that calls for Pilsner, I always use at least half North American Malt. I like <i>Idapils </i> by Cargill. I just want to make sure that a good portion of the grist is fresh. In truth, for lots of recipes, <i>Idapils</i> is my base malt. I can't explain the bready, slightly sweet aroma and cracker like taste. You really need to try this one for your self. So while I do use some European malts, they never make up the majority of my grain bill. I'd rather use fresh North American Malts, where I know I will get good conversion and great flavor. <br>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Wz_FGKKQWX4/XCujLVLai1I/AAAAAAAA6yQ/ghaBeFjRmmkG71GmhbZT5rqE1oqjCU6NgCLcBGAs/s1600/swamp-cooler-top.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="400" height="150" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Wz_FGKKQWX4/XCujLVLai1I/AAAAAAAA6yQ/ghaBeFjRmmkG71GmhbZT5rqE1oqjCU6NgCLcBGAs/s200/swamp-cooler-top.JPG" width="200"></a>So if you don't have fermentation control, <b>don't let that stop you,</b> go ahead and make a lager at room temperature, or just make a swamp cooler with a laundry tub, some frozen 1 and 2 liters, a fan and some dish towels. Easy lagering, no big investment. <i>In truth a used mini fridge and controller will be about the same price as the other items I just described, but you probably have most of the stuff you need for a swamp cooler.</i>) Alternatively, find a cool place in your basement. A swamp cooler with a fan can easily hold your fermentation down to lager temperatures. <br>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AyCyA3EkH4I/XCuk0p_JF-I/AAAAAAAA6yc/f3Sj836ojmAPnlOIK9oUIRl1bBjCnFAbACLcBGAs/s1600/57-94-49.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="383" data-original-width="508" height="150" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AyCyA3EkH4I/XCuk0p_JF-I/AAAAAAAA6yc/f3Sj836ojmAPnlOIK9oUIRl1bBjCnFAbACLcBGAs/s200/57-94-49.jpg" width="200"></a>The key to brewing a a room temperature lager is yeast selection. Any yeast that is called a "steam beer" yeast, or a "california lager" will work just fine. Personal favorites are WY2112 and wlp810. I have made many lagers over the years with steam beer yeast. And they all turned out just fine. You can also use Saflager 34/70 or WY2124. I haven't tried the L05 by Imperial yet, but I may at some point. In truth, I generally just use Fermentis 3470. It is crazy reliable, and a great attenuator. I know the guys at Brulosophy have done several xbrmnts with 3470. Their most famous, they fermented it at 70 F. But in truth we were doing the same thing in the 1990's. Full disclosure, we didn't really know any better. We knew we needed more lager yeast to get a good healthy fermentation, but most of us didn't know we needed specific temperature control. And the beers turned out just fine. <br>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MhLqRt6Nw0w/XCuuE3bKYJI/AAAAAAAA6zk/w0gTLm-7mUM41J32cLTT6KqK5oNQeA8oACLcBGAs/s1600/gandalf%2Bfixed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MhLqRt6Nw0w/XCuuE3bKYJI/AAAAAAAA6zk/w0gTLm-7mUM41J32cLTT6KqK5oNQeA8oACLcBGAs/s320/gandalf%2Bfixed.jpg" width="320"></a>Digression warning - I for one believe that the home brew world has gone crazy with expensive gadgetry. You can literally spend thousands on brewing equipment. But before you do, ask yourself, should you? My brewing mentor used to say, <i><b>"it's the brewer... not the equipment, and if it is hard to clean...it sucks...no matter how cool it seems" </b></i>(miss that guy and his wisdom).<i> </i>We are about to embark on a series called <i>"<b>advanced brewing ghetto style"</b> </i>In that series we'll be showing you that you can brew even the most advanced styles with out spending a fortune.<br>
equipment. I know guys that have spent over 10K on their home brewery. And their beer... isn't any better than ours... In truth not usually as good as what we brew. Which brings me back to the word's of my brewing mentor...<br>
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But today, today we were making a "steam marzen", here is how we did it. We chose Liberty for the hop because it is so similar to a noble hop and we had lot's of it on hand. We also are trying the Mangrove Jack's yeast for the first time. We'll let you know how it turns out. The malts are all Cargill. <br>
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The recipe:<br>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="viewStats" style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px 5pt;"><span class="firstLabel" style="display: inline-block; min-width: 80px;">Method:</span> <strong>All Grain</strong> </span><br><span class="viewStats" style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px 5pt;"><span class="firstLabel" style="display: inline-block; min-width: 80px;">Style:</span> <strong><span itemprop="recipeCategory"><a href="https://www.brewersfriend.com/styles/marzen/" style="color: black; text-decoration-line: none;">Märzen</a> </span></strong></span><br><span class="viewStats" style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px 5pt;"><span class="firstLabel" style="display: inline-block; min-width: 80px;">Boil Time:</span> <strong>60 min</strong> </span><br><span class="viewStats" style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px 5pt;"><span class="firstLabel" style="display: inline-block; min-width: 80px;">Batch Size:</span> <strong><span itemprop="recipeYield">3 gallons</span> </strong><span style="font-style: italic;">(fermentor volume) </span></span><br><span class="viewStats" style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px 5pt;"><span class="firstLabel" style="display: inline-block; min-width: 80px;">Boil Size:</span> <strong>3.75 gallons </strong></span><br><span class="viewStats" style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px 5pt;"><span class="firstLabel" style="display: inline-block; min-width: 80px;">Boil Gravity:</span> <strong>1.043</strong> <span style="font-style: italic;">(recipe based estimate) </span></span><br><span class="viewStats" style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px 5pt;"><span class="firstLabel" style="display: inline-block; min-width: 80px;">Efficiency:</span> <strong>75% </strong><span style="font-style: italic;">(brew house) </span></span><br><span class="viewStats" style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px 5pt;"><span class="firstLabel" style="display: inline-block; min-width: 80px;">Source:</span> <strong>Counterbrew</strong> </span><br></span></div>
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<label style="display: block; float: left; margin: 0pt 4pt 0px 0px; width: 100px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Original Gravity:</span></label><div class="value ogBatch" style="float: left; font-weight: bold; line-height: 16px; margin: 1pt 0px 0px; width: 80px;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">1.053</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">1.011</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">5.53%</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">18.47</span></div>
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<label style="display: block; float: left; margin: 0pt 4pt 0px 0px; width: 100px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">SRM (morey):</span></label><div class="value srmMin" style="float: left; font-weight: bold; line-height: 16px; margin: 1pt 0px 0px; width: 80px;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">13</span></div>
<div class="value batchcolor" style="float: left; font-weight: bold; height: 25pt; line-height: 16px; margin: 1pt 0px 0px; position: relative; width: 80px;">
<div class="color colorBatch" style="background: rgb(203, 98, 0); border: 6pt solid rgb(203, 98, 0); height: 0pt; left: 0pt; position: absolute; top: 5pt; width: 0pt; z-index: 444;">
</div>
<div class="mug" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: url("../images/beermug_23x26.png"); background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: initial; height: 25px; left: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 23px; z-index: 111;">
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div id="minph" style="float: left; padding: 4pt 2pt 0px 4pt;">
<label style="display: block; float: left; margin: 0pt 4pt 0px 0px; width: 100px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Mash pH</span></label><div class="value phMin" style="float: left; font-weight: bold; line-height: 16px; margin: 1pt 0px 0px; width: 80px;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">5.57</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<div class="brewpart" id="fermentables" style="break-before: auto; font-family: MuseoSans500, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px; margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; width: 672px;">
<div class="brewpartheading" style="border-bottom: 1pt solid rgb(119, 119, 119); font-size: 10pt; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; padding: 3pt 5pt 0px;">
Fermentables</div>
<table class="brewpartitems" style="background-color: #eeeeee; border-radius: 2pt; border-spacing: 0pt; border: 1pt solid rgb(210, 210, 210); padding: 1pt; width: 667.344px;"><tbody>
<tr class="brewpartcolumnlabel" style="background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8); border: none; color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid rgb(66, 66, 66); color: #424242; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;" width="10%">Amount</td><td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid rgb(66, 66, 66); color: #424242; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;" width="54%">Fermentable</td><td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid rgb(66, 66, 66); color: #424242; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;" width="12%">PPG</td><td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid rgb(66, 66, 66); color: #424242; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;" width="12%">°L</td><td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid rgb(66, 66, 66); color: #424242; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;" width="12%">Bill %</td></tr>
<tr class="odd" style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0pt;"><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;">3 lb</td><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;"><a href="https://www.brewersfriend.com/fermentables/american-munich-light-10l/" style="color: black; text-decoration-line: none;">American - Munich - Light 10L</a></td><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;">33</td><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;">10</td><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;">49.2%</td></tr>
<tr style="background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8); border: none; color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0pt;"><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;">3 lb</td><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;"><a href="https://www.brewersfriend.com/fermentables/american-pilsner/" style="color: black; text-decoration-line: none;">American - Pilsner</a></td><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;">37</td><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;">1.8</td><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;">49.2%</td></tr>
<tr class="odd" style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0pt;"><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;">0.1 lb</td><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;"><a href="https://www.brewersfriend.com/fermentables/american-chocolate/" style="color: black; text-decoration-line: none;">American - Chocolate</a></td><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;">29</td><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;">350</td><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;">1.6%</td></tr>
<tr style="background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8); border: none; color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0pt;"><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;" width="10%"><b>6.1 lb</b></td><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;" width="54%"><b>Total</b></td><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;" width="12%"> </td><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;" width="12%"> </td><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;" width="12%"> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="brewpart" id="hops" style="break-before: auto; font-family: MuseoSans500, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px; margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; width: 672px;">
<div class="brewpartheading" style="border-bottom: 1pt solid rgb(119, 119, 119); font-size: 10pt; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; padding: 3pt 5pt 0px;">
Hops</div>
<table class="brewpartitems" style="background-color: #eeeeee; border-radius: 2pt; border-spacing: 0pt; border: 1pt solid rgb(210, 210, 210); padding: 1pt; width: 667.344px;"><tbody>
<tr class="brewpartcolumnlabel" style="background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8); border: none; color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid rgb(66, 66, 66); color: #424242; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;" width="10%">Amount</td><td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid rgb(66, 66, 66); color: #424242; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;" width="34%">Variety</td><td class="disregardable" style="border-bottom: 1pt solid rgb(66, 66, 66); color: #424242; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;" width="14%">Type</td><td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid rgb(66, 66, 66); color: #424242; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;" width="6%">AA</td><td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid rgb(66, 66, 66); color: #424242; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;" width="12%">Use</td><td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid rgb(66, 66, 66); color: #424242; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;" width="12%">Time</td><td class="disregardable" style="border-bottom: 1pt solid rgb(66, 66, 66); color: #424242; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;" width="12%">IBU</td></tr>
<tr class="odd" style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0pt;"><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;">0.6 oz</td><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;"><a href="https://www.brewersfriend.com/hops/liberty/" style="color: black; text-decoration-line: none;">Liberty</a></td><td class="disregardable" style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;">Pellet</td><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;">4</td><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;"><span style="white-space: nowrap;">Boil</span></td><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;"><span style="white-space: nowrap;">60 min</span></td><td class="disregardable" style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;">18.47</td></tr>
<tr style="background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8); border: none; color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0pt;"><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;">0.2 oz</td><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;"><a href="https://www.brewersfriend.com/hops/liberty/" style="color: black; text-decoration-line: none;">Liberty</a></td><td class="disregardable" style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;">Pellet</td><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;">4</td><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;"><span style="white-space: nowrap;">Boil</span></td><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;"><span style="white-space: nowrap;">0 min</span></td><td class="disregardable" style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="clear" style="clear: both;">
</div>
<div id="hopsSummary">
<div class="brewpartheading" style="border-bottom: 1pt solid rgb(119, 119, 119); font-size: 10pt; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; padding: 3pt 5pt 0px;">
Hops Summary</div>
<table class="brewpartitems" style="background-color: #eeeeee; border-radius: 2pt; border-spacing: 0pt; border: 1pt solid rgb(210, 210, 210); padding: 1pt; width: 667.344px;"><tbody>
<tr class="brewpartcolumnlabel" style="background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8); border: none; color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid rgb(66, 66, 66); color: #424242; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;" width="10%">Amount</td><td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid rgb(66, 66, 66); color: #424242; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;" width="34%">Variety</td><td class="disregardable" style="border-bottom: 1pt solid rgb(66, 66, 66); color: #424242; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;" width="14%">Type</td><td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid rgb(66, 66, 66); color: #424242; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;" width="52%">AA</td></tr>
<tr class="odd" style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0pt;"><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;">0.8 oz</td><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;">Liberty</td><td class="disregardable" style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;">Pellet</td><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;">4</td></tr>
<tr style="background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8); border: none; color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0pt;"><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;" width="10%"><b>0.8 oz</b></td><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;" width="54%"><b>Total</b></td><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;" width="12%"> </td><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;" width="12%"> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
</div>
<div class="brewpart" id="mashsteps" style="break-before: auto; font-family: MuseoSans500, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px; margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; width: 672px;">
<div class="brewpartheading" style="border-bottom: 1pt solid rgb(119, 119, 119); font-size: 10pt; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; padding: 3pt 5pt 0px;">
Mash Guidelines</div>
<table class="brewpartitems" style="background-color: #eeeeee; border-radius: 2pt; border-spacing: 0pt; border: 1pt solid rgb(210, 210, 210); padding: 1pt; width: 667.344px;"><tbody>
<tr class="brewpartcolumnlabel" style="background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8); border: none; color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid rgb(66, 66, 66); color: #424242; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;" width="10%">Amount</td><td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid rgb(66, 66, 66); color: #424242; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;" width="34%">Description</td><td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid rgb(66, 66, 66); color: #424242; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;" width="20%">Type</td><td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid rgb(66, 66, 66); color: #424242; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;" width="12%">Temp</td><td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid rgb(66, 66, 66); color: #424242; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;" width="24%">Time</td></tr>
<tr class="odd" style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0pt;"><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;">3.6 gal</td><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;">Strike at 165</td><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;">Infusion</td><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;">154 F</td><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;">60 min</td></tr>
<tr style="background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8); border: none; color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0pt;"><td colspan="5" style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;">Starting Mash Thickness: 2.4 qt/lb</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="brewpart" id="others" style="break-before: auto; font-family: MuseoSans500, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px; margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; width: 672px;">
<div class="brewpartheading" style="border-bottom: 1pt solid rgb(119, 119, 119); font-size: 10pt; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; padding: 3pt 5pt 0px;">
Other Ingredients</div>
<table class="brewpartitems" style="background-color: #eeeeee; border-radius: 2pt; border-spacing: 0pt; border: 1pt solid rgb(210, 210, 210); padding: 1pt; width: 667.344px;"><tbody>
<tr class="brewpartcolumnlabel" style="background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8); border: none; color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid rgb(66, 66, 66); color: #424242; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;" width="10%">Amount</td><td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid rgb(66, 66, 66); color: #424242; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;" width="34%">Name</td><td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid rgb(66, 66, 66); color: #424242; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;" width="20%">Type</td><td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid rgb(66, 66, 66); color: #424242; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;" width="12%">Use</td><td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid rgb(66, 66, 66); color: #424242; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;" width="24%">Time</td></tr>
<tr class="odd" style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0pt;"><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;">0.6 tsp</td><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;"><a href="https://www.brewersfriend.com/other/yeast-nutrient/" style="color: black; text-decoration-line: none;">Yeast nutrient</a></td><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;">Other</td><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;">Boil</td><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;">15 min.</td></tr>
<tr style="background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8); border: none; color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0pt;"><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;">1.2 each</td><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;"><a href="https://www.brewersfriend.com/other/whirflock/" style="color: black; text-decoration-line: none;">Whirflock</a></td><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;">Fining</td><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;">Boil</td><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;">10 min.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="brewpart" id="yeasts" style="break-before: auto; font-family: MuseoSans500, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px; margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; width: 672px;">
<div class="brewpartheading" style="border-bottom: 1pt solid rgb(119, 119, 119); font-size: 10pt; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; padding: 3pt 5pt 0px;">
Yeast</div>
<table class="brewpartitems" style="background-color: #eeeeee; border-radius: 2pt; border-spacing: 0pt; border: 1pt solid rgb(210, 210, 210); padding: 1pt; width: 667.344px;"><tbody>
<tr style="background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8); border: none; color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0pt;"><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;"><div class="yeastname" style="font-size: 11pt;">
<a href="https://www.brewersfriend.com/yeasts/mangrove-jack-californian-lager-m54/" style="color: black; text-decoration-line: none;">Mangrove Jack - Californian Lager M54</a></div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0pt;"><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;"><table><tbody>
<tr style="background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8); border: none; color: white; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0pt;"><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;"><div class="brewpartlabel" style="font-weight: bold;">
Amount:</div>
</td><td colspan="3" style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;">1</td></tr>
<tr style="color: white; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0pt;"><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;"><div class="brewpartlabel" style="font-weight: bold;">
Attenuation (avg):</div>
</td><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;">79.5%</td><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;"><div class="brewpartlabel" style="font-weight: bold;">
Flocculation:</div>
</td><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;">Med-High</td></tr>
<tr style="background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8); border: none; color: white; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0pt;"><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;"><div class="brewpartlabel" style="font-weight: bold;">
Optimum Temp:</div>
</td><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;">64 - <nobr>68 °F</nobr></td><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;"><div class="brewpartlabel" style="font-weight: bold;">
Starter:</div>
</td><td style="color: black; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt;">No</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Target Water Profile: Recipe: Lunatic Fringe</div>
<table class="brewpartitems" style="background-color: #eeeeee; border-radius: 2pt; border-spacing: 0pt; border: 1pt solid rgb(210, 210, 210); padding: 1pt; text-align: left; width: 667.344px;"><tbody>
<tr class="brewpartcolumnlabel" style="background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8); border: none; color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0pt; text-align: left;"><td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid rgb(66, 66, 66); color: #424242; font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt; text-align: left;">Ca<sup>+2</sup></td><td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid rgb(66, 66, 66); color: #424242; font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt; text-align: left;">Mg<sup>+2</sup></td><td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid rgb(66, 66, 66); color: #424242; font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt; text-align: left;">Na<sup>+</sup></td><td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid rgb(66, 66, 66); color: #424242; font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt; text-align: left;">Cl<sup>-</sup></td><td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid rgb(66, 66, 66); color: #424242; font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt; text-align: left;">SO<sub>4</sub><sup>-2</sup></td><td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid rgb(66, 66, 66); color: #424242; font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt; text-align: left;">HCO<sub>3</sub><sup>-</sup></td></tr>
<tr style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0pt; text-align: left;"><td style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt; text-align: left;">150</td><td style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt; text-align: left;">10</td><td style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt; text-align: left;">80</td><td style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt; text-align: left;">150</td><td style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt; text-align: left;">160</td><td style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt; text-align: left;">220</td></tr>
<tr style="background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8); border: none; color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0pt; text-align: left;"><td colspan="6" style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 5pt; text-align: left;">Kcmo water.<span> </span><br>1 Camden<br>5 g calcium chloride<br>.5 table salt acidify to 5.6 pH before dough in.</td></tr>
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<div class="brewpart" id="water" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; break-before: auto; color: black; font-family: MuseoSans500, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 672px; word-spacing: 0px;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3F8oSAuNGpQ/XCuolKUi4UI/AAAAAAAA6y0/XCWALTp3hCsX8JaKkPUiaRRdWNTCOycMACKgBGAs/s1600/20181027_120221_Film1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3F8oSAuNGpQ/XCuolKUi4UI/AAAAAAAA6y0/XCWALTp3hCsX8JaKkPUiaRRdWNTCOycMACKgBGAs/s200/20181027_120221_Film1.jpg" width="150"></a>The day began with water adjustments, like always. We can get away with using city water for any amber to dark beer, Mash in was spot on. The mash went as expected. By the way, do you like our ghetto advanced mash tun? An up coming post will show you how to make one. We are averaging 75% mash efficiency with it on a 60 minute mash and 82.5% on a 90 Minute mash. On this brew day we decided to do a decoction for the mash out step. Decoctions are not strictly necessary. But they are fun and we are among the brewers who are convinced that decoction adds a certain flavor that you just can't get from a normal brewing process. We also enjoy some of the traditional processes. We are guys who find brewing to be relaxing. We don't stress out while we brew. We have all brewed enough batches that we really know what we are doing and how to react to anything that may come our way. On this day our mash fell by 4 degrees over 60 minutes... no big deal we'll just do a decoction. </div>
<div class="brewpart" id="water" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; break-before: auto; color: black; font-family: MuseoSans500, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; width: 672px; word-spacing: 0px;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jebjpK80ETU/XCutGfPUpzI/AAAAAAAA6zQ/K-GIGeoFeJAriUimd7AkRQQ_8jhWaw_qQCKgBGAs/s1600/20181027_124154_Film1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jebjpK80ETU/XCutGfPUpzI/AAAAAAAA6zQ/K-GIGeoFeJAriUimd7AkRQQ_8jhWaw_qQCKgBGAs/s200/20181027_124154_Film1.jpg" width="150"></a>The boil was uneventful. No boil over or other shenanigans to report. A lot of you turn your brew kettle in to a magma like cauldron... boiling hard and always at full power. To you I say... why? You don't need to boil at full power, just above a simmer is just fine, it will still evaporate and concentrate your flavors, it will still break down proteins, and hop utilization will still be fine. In fact there is a phenomenon called boil shock, which we will cover in a subsequent post. It takes a while to get used to a gentle boil but once you do, you will never go back. This beer is currently lagering. Can't wait to try it soon. When it is done, we will of course post updates with tasting notes. The good news, we're back, and should be posting regularly again. Sorry for the lapse. Up next a couple more brew days, and then we will all embark on Advanced Ghetto Brewing. </div>
David Steltinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08091919069275585647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6365074056807535758.post-54101197821119179452018-05-09T09:33:00.001-07:002018-05-09T09:33:52.127-07:00MC2 IPA with Cargill 2 row<div dir="ltr">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oUGThOzWDAs/WvMcbs4H6MI/AAAAAAAA2wA/fxVuwznQ8lYWfszs6ArFX-5tixMgQF-jgCKgBGAs/s1600/20180424_202937.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oUGThOzWDAs/WvMcbs4H6MI/AAAAAAAA2wA/fxVuwznQ8lYWfszs6ArFX-5tixMgQF-jgCKgBGAs/s320/20180424_202937.jpg" width="240" /></a>John and I set out to make an ipa using two of our favorite hops and some of our favorite grains... On a week night. On a stove top. Yup we brew small batch to. I know you're all more accustomed to seeing us brew 10 gallons in the garage, but we enjoy brewing and stove top makes it possible to brew any night of the week. From the time I got there till we were all cleaned up was. Just over 3 hours. Not too shabby. And we watched basketball, and we tried some sours. All in all a good week night.</div>
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Our goal was to make an ipa with much of the flavors we enjoy from an New England ipa, but with out the cloudy murky appearance of the same. We wanted a flavorful malt background but The Malt would not be the star of this recipe. We chose a combination of 2 row malt, Cara/Crystal 40 and a little bit of wheat malt. But not enough wheat malt to make it cloudy or murky. The Malt we chose was all <a href="https://www.cargill.com/food-beverage/malt/na-malts-home" target="_blank">Cargill</a>. </div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VoHrRlGLuEE/Voqg1yvbTvI/AAAAAAAAkIc/5inmrCcKCAIFPM-7zJzVC71XaIpghpLegCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/cargil%2Blogo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="115" data-original-width="192" height="191" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VoHrRlGLuEE/Voqg1yvbTvI/AAAAAAAAkIc/5inmrCcKCAIFPM-7zJzVC71XaIpghpLegCPcBGAYYCw/s320/cargil%2Blogo.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Cargill Two Row Barley is a blend of Metcalfe and Copeland Barley. Some Maltsters want you to believe that barley from a single plant (Harrington) species is superior to a blend. But think that through sports fans. Harrington is a 22 year old varietal. Newer and better grains have come along. Metcalfe and Copeland are just as enzymatic and field hardy as Harrington, but they simply taste better. Harrington is very neutral. No doubt Harrington is still excellent for producing lager. But we find that the flavors from Cargill two row are superior and we continue to have fantastic conversion and extraction from the <a href="https://www.cargill.com/food-beverage/malt/na-malts-home" target="_blank">Cargill</a> grains. Our mash efficiency was excellent. John got a fancy new gas stove, so we were off on our brew house efficiency, no big deal we added 1 lb of extra light dme, and we ended up with an extra .23 gallons of wort. Our IBUs will be a little lower, but this thing is 79 IBUs and almost all of it late. We can afford to give a little there. The moral? These things happen your first time using new equipment. But we are experienced and prepared, and we knew what to do.</div>
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<b>Here's the recipe. </b></div>
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Style - 21A American IPA</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AmLiMBhZkxI/WvMctrQ6T6I/AAAAAAAA2wI/_PDezt63uqAJNhaYQ0lyc6U70bkGOyyBQCKgBGAs/s1600/20180424_223115.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AmLiMBhZkxI/WvMctrQ6T6I/AAAAAAAA2wI/_PDezt63uqAJNhaYQ0lyc6U70bkGOyyBQCKgBGAs/s320/20180424_223115.jpg" width="240" /></a><span style="background-color: yellow;">2.75 Gallons at 75% efficiency</span></div>
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1.058 OG</div>
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1.011 FG</div>
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9.67 SRM - Morey</div>
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79.49 IBUs - Raeger</div>
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The grain:</div>
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4.00 lbs Cargill Two Row</div>
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0.25 lbs Cargill Wheat Malt</div>
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0.25 lbs Cargill Cara 40</div>
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10 ounces of Cane Sugar</div>
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The Hops</div>
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.4 ounces of Columbus at 40 minutes</div>
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.5 ounces of Citra at 5 minutes</div>
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.5 ounces of Mosaic at 5 minutes</div>
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.5 ounces of Citra Whirlpool for 15 minutes starting at 180 F</div>
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.65 ounces of Mosaic Whirlpool for 15 minutes starting at 180 F</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aURThsCAWSE/WvMebwtjQtI/AAAAAAAA2wU/45q4lDIE9IIxGxYgsxtnSJ0MLGn72Rk_ACKgBGAs/s1600/20180424_202758.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aURThsCAWSE/WvMebwtjQtI/AAAAAAAA2wU/45q4lDIE9IIxGxYgsxtnSJ0MLGn72Rk_ACKgBGAs/s320/20180424_202758.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yup thats' the super cool small<br />batch mash tun with a port for<br />stirring the wort!</td></tr>
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.5 ounces of Citra Dry hop for 3 days</div>
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.5 ounces of Mosaic Dry hop for 3 days</div>
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Yeast </div>
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Brew day starter of Fermentis S04 - 9 g of yeast in .5 liter of water with 50 grams of DME. Or just rehydrate during brew day with goferm. </div>
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Mash </div>
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152 F for 60 minutes - stir every 15 minutes</div>
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168 F for 10 minutes - stir and let rest for 10 minutes</div>
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Ferment at 65 F for 7 days then raise to 70 F to let it finish strong. Dry hop with 3 days to go!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P_MRly6C-IE/WvMg_greFsI/AAAAAAAA2wg/FuIA2II3Kw0ggp7RzlLELiwi2nnsV8KOQCLcBGAs/s1600/rudd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="630" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P_MRly6C-IE/WvMg_greFsI/AAAAAAAA2wg/FuIA2II3Kw0ggp7RzlLELiwi2nnsV8KOQCLcBGAs/s200/rudd.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fermentis s04<br />100% of the time, it works<br />every time!</td></tr>
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Small batch is a great way to spend an evening. Brewing small batch gives you more variety. Yes, you will need some different equipment, no it isn't expensive. Check back for upcoming posts on <i>Affordable Advanced Home Brewing. </i>If you haven't tried Cargill, let your home brew shop know they should get some. If you haven't used Fermentis S04 in a while, give it another try it is excellent stuff. The dry yeast from Fermentis gives us consistent reliable performance. </div>
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David Steltinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08091919069275585647noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6365074056807535758.post-46428185596314846042018-05-05T08:33:00.001-07:002018-05-05T08:33:42.866-07:00Make wine... because chicks dig it... Master Vintner Pinot Noir<div dir="ltr">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kSEy1L_4BH8/Wu3HWzmbIlI/AAAAAAAA2lc/9hEJKWv5dosaijklxrAWxAJHARo9QsRfQCLcBGAs/s1600/wineclassypeople1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="237" data-original-width="300" height="252" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kSEy1L_4BH8/Wu3HWzmbIlI/AAAAAAAA2lc/9hEJKWv5dosaijklxrAWxAJHARo9QsRfQCLcBGAs/s320/wineclassypeople1.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Happy Big Brew Day 2018... I'll be posting about Big Brew in a subsequent post!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I know most of you come here for beer knowledge. I know most of you love beer. Hey, I love beer to. I've been in this hobby for 28 years. But this hobby is not really just the beer making hobby. It is the fermentation hobby. The skills you have learned making beer apply to other fermentables as well. With the skills you have learned brewing you can make world class Bread and Pizza, Fermented Pickles, Cheese, Cider, Mead... and Wine. </span></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P6KLg6-RiRA/Wu3JcvaHf5I/AAAAAAAA2l8/Zt49OAJAelwLrkBvCRV-6TotoLEogfd_QCKgBGAs/s1600/20180414_180225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P6KLg6-RiRA/Wu3JcvaHf5I/AAAAAAAA2l8/Zt49OAJAelwLrkBvCRV-6TotoLEogfd_QCKgBGAs/s200/20180414_180225.jpg" width="150" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Most of you also make Mead, and Cider... but not Wine. And I think I know why. Wine has a certain <i>je ne sais quoi, </i>an unidentifiable aura. There are entire libraries of books dedicated to wine. There are people who spend their entire life studying wine. They enjoy tasting wine and smelling wine and trying to pick out the subtle flavors and aromas. You can make a fortune, by finding words to describe wine in a way that others have never thought to say.</span></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MNMFi6GmZyY/Wu3H2v_0twI/AAAAAAAA2lo/U_Z5j_oL-5oSVZw1bGz5Gs_hv9LppP3mQCLcBGAs/s1600/wine-snob-cartoon-670.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="670" height="167" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MNMFi6GmZyY/Wu3H2v_0twI/AAAAAAAA2lo/U_Z5j_oL-5oSVZw1bGz5Gs_hv9LppP3mQCLcBGAs/s200/wine-snob-cartoon-670.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> If you like to try to pick out the subtle fruit flavors of a NEIPA, you would probably enjoy doing the same with a Pinot Grigio, a Pinot Noir, or a Syrah. There are so many people who love wine, and who enjoy tasting different wines. And there are a whole bunch of snobby idiots who think "wine love" is a symbol of refinement, achievement, and fine breeding. They are quite simply Jerks.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Wine making and trading doesn't have to be snobby. Making wine doesn't mean you have to join the local snooty patooties at some expensive exclusive club and argue about the merits of the 1961 Petrus vs. the 1982 Latour. You can still be a beer guy and enjoy wine as well. The best thing about home brew... there are no rules. </span></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-snsEPB5IbiY/Wu3Ig8lb0EI/AAAAAAAA2lw/JhGr7xxJ3WsFsjH_3URXTahOl3pt4VuywCLcBGAs/s1600/wine%2Bgirl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-snsEPB5IbiY/Wu3Ig8lb0EI/AAAAAAAA2lw/JhGr7xxJ3WsFsjH_3URXTahOl3pt4VuywCLcBGAs/s1600/wine%2Bgirl.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And there is a benefit. Chicks dig wine! It's a fact. Most chicks (forgive me ladies) enjoy wine more than beer. In my scientific research (wine tastings) your SWMBO will find you significantly more attractive and even tolerable if you make some wine. Alas, my SWMBO is gone. It's my fault, I should have made more wine...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Over the years I have made hundreds of batches of wine and over 800 batches of beer. I've also made some cider, and some mead, and pickles. I have made wine from fruit, and from grapes. And it is always fun. Making wine from grapes is a once a year thing for me. I go to the LHBS and order 90 - 120 lbs of grapes. I use their destemmer and crusher. There are 30 to 40 other wine makers there, there are horderves, and loads of beer and wine to try. The rest of the year, I make wine from Fruit (frozen berries) and from Kits. I have used every major manufacturer. I have settled on two manufacturers. One by preference (<a href="http://mastervintner.com/" target="_blank">Master Vintner</a>), and one because it is what my LHBS carries (winexpert) Both make excellent wines. </span></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0wWuh_Z7hfg/Wu3KQ9Jf4pI/AAAAAAAA2mE/zn9NxXr8-NgBXLkmkWdsrTD8RQqzcCxmgCLcBGAs/s1600/master%2Bvintner.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="142" data-original-width="354" height="128" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0wWuh_Z7hfg/Wu3KQ9Jf4pI/AAAAAAAA2mE/zn9NxXr8-NgBXLkmkWdsrTD8RQqzcCxmgCLcBGAs/s320/master%2Bvintner.png" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My preferred wine Kit manufacturer is <a href="http://mastervintner.com/" target="_blank">Master Vintner</a>. Every single wine I have made by them has been excellent. The customer support is fantastic. If you post a question, Tim (the curator) will actually get back with you. The website is great, and loaded with information. And the prices, are much more reasonable than other manufacturers (about $70 for a basic kit). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Now compared to most people I am an advanced wine maker. I have the gear to test for sulfites, and acid (not pH actual acid), I have a pump and filter (somewhere in storage). I have a large primary fermenter dedicated to wine, big mouth bubblers with spigots, and loads of glass carboys. (you don't need all this stuff it's just fun). Compared to my sister and brother in law I am a GOD OF WINE...I am Bacchus himself. But they wanted to learn to make wine and so, being a beneficent wine god... I agreed to teach them. I contacted Tim at Master Vintner just looking for advice on teaching others to make wine, and he said<b> "<i>why don't I send you a <a href="http://mastervintner.com/weekday-wine/" target="_blank">Weekday Wine Pinot Noir.</a> You can make it and tell me what you think."</i></b> What do I think? Free wine and the fun of making wine... hell yeah, that's what I think. And so the adventure began... teaching my sister and brother in law how to make wine. I should point out that the Weekday Wines kits are only about $50 bucks. So they are as affordable as the lesser quality kits that you see on Amazon. </span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_01lnPB2sS0/Wu3MseToRHI/AAAAAAAA2mY/ra3FEAV4OBoaE8v9qzUyCpv9xOa6ki40wCKgBGAs/s1600/20180304_142737.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_01lnPB2sS0/Wu3MseToRHI/AAAAAAAA2mY/ra3FEAV4OBoaE8v9qzUyCpv9xOa6ki40wCKgBGAs/s200/20180304_142737.jpg" width="150" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The kit arrived, we already had all the gear we needed. But if you need gear to, they have a<a href="http://mastervintner.com/master-vintner-weekday-wine-starter-kit/" target="_blank"> $99 starter kit</a>, The kit instructions are easy to read and very straight forward. Much better than the others I use (although in fairness the other major producer has "reimagined" their instructions recently, and they are now much better). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There is nothing super difficult about making wine. It really is easier to do than extract brewing. If you are reading this you are probably a brewer. You already know how to be clean and sanitary. The only difference in the production of wine is that you have to be clean and sanitary from the beginning. Many wine makers use sulfites to sanitize, but your regular Starsan will work just fine. Although, with wine I usually rinse it out after it does it's voodoo.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Master Vintner Kits come<br />with everything you need!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The next step, Add the bentonite. Make muddy water. Yup, the first step in making crystal clear wine is almost always making muddy water. Bentonite is a<span style="background-color: white;"> gray, clay powder. It is used in </span><span style="background-color: white; font-weight: bold;">wines</span><span style="background-color: white;"> as a clarifier. It has a negative electrostatic charge. (static electricity) This negative charge along with hydrogen bonding, causes suspended particles in the </span><span style="background-color: white; font-weight: bold;">wine</span><span style="background-color: white;"> to cling to it as it settles to the bottom of the fermenter.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CSn1TmLPOOo/Wu3NVmQ7vEI/AAAAAAAA2ms/xhJFAx4X9CQYpKU1Dpg8EVbfBuVsMENDQCKgBGAs/s1600/20180304_145617.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CSn1TmLPOOo/Wu3NVmQ7vEI/AAAAAAAA2ms/xhJFAx4X9CQYpKU1Dpg8EVbfBuVsMENDQCKgBGAs/s200/20180304_145617.jpg" width="150" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">After that the process is easy. You add the juice concentrate, fill to the specified amount with water, add your oak (sawdust), pitch your yeast, add your air lock, and wait. That is it. You just made wine. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Now unlike beer you will need to rack the wine once or twice. For making wine, I always use fermenter's with spigots. But a sanitized auto syphon will work as well. </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Xdsn0_CU0S4/Wu3NnEzhAfI/AAAAAAAA2m0/75OkpkeJbWkvx8d8Rw6oWA00o8B1NmnMgCKgBGAs/s1600/20180318_135811.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Xdsn0_CU0S4/Wu3NnEzhAfI/AAAAAAAA2m0/75OkpkeJbWkvx8d8Rw6oWA00o8B1NmnMgCKgBGAs/s200/20180318_135811.jpg" width="150" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">The instructions tell you when to rack off of the lees (trub for you brewers). This kit was started at 1.089, we racked the first time at 1.020. The wine was already clearing up nicely. Now there is one small change we made, we wanted an off dry "young pinot" So when the wine hit 1.009 (the next night) we went ahead and stabilized it and began the degassing and clearing (fining). But again, I am a little more advanced and I knew exactly what to do to get the result we wanted. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> The kit instructions tell you to ferment it all the way out (.998) </span><span style="background-color: yellow; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>WHEN YOU ARE JUST STARTING IT IS ALWAYS BEST TO FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS. </b></span></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MPlrGz14dNQ/Wu3N5Kqc7TI/AAAAAAAA2m8/3Y_D2wDdxTU0eZGILbdyV4p3fLPyWv3GgCKgBGAs/s1600/20180401_162031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MPlrGz14dNQ/Wu3N5Kqc7TI/AAAAAAAA2m8/3Y_D2wDdxTU0eZGILbdyV4p3fLPyWv3GgCKgBGAs/s320/20180401_162031.jpg" width="240" /></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">So I mentioned degassing. That is one specialty piece of equipment you may need to get. You have seen them before at your local home brew store. You just sanitize, and attach them to a drill. They knock the CO2 out of the wine, which helps it clear up and stabilize. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">We then waited another 2 weeks and bottled. A corker is included in a basic kit. I happen to have an italian floor corker, which can do wine or champagne bottles. It is a minor investment if you make a lot of wine. Mine was $50 bucks 20 years ago, but you can still get them for about $70. My niece likes to make and apply labels to our wine. She called this one "Peace out Pinot". I call it awesome. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Testing, recording, and<br />evaluating is part of<br />the fun!</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The color is garnet to purple, it is ruby to garnet in the light fading to violet at the edge. Beautiful. The wine would fade to a brick red if it aged, as the blue compounds denatured. But this wine won't be aged. Awesome aromas of berry jam (blackberry and ripe raspberry). The flavor is also vigorous berries, balanced by a nice oak presence and good mouth feel. exactly what you want from a young Pinot Noir. There is no chocolate or tobacco aroma or flavor in this one, but that is ok, that is what we were going for all along. It will be perfect for sitting by the lake and watching boats go by. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">So, start making wine. It is fun, and delicious, and it makes you a much better brewer. The things you learn making wine apply to brewing more than you probably realize. And remember chicks dig wine. </span></div>
David Steltinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08091919069275585647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6365074056807535758.post-18896145218459726852018-01-10T12:51:00.002-08:002018-01-10T14:03:08.502-08:00Pineapple Milkshake NEIPA - Brew Night<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9XSIto7iCFA/WlZ4t1nRkCI/AAAAAAAAz3I/jpfCi6LzZGEIYzyNNG71qwNQ78hk_5YOgCLcBGAs/s1600/Now-or-Never.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="960" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9XSIto7iCFA/WlZ4t1nRkCI/AAAAAAAAz3I/jpfCi6LzZGEIYzyNNG71qwNQ78hk_5YOgCLcBGAs/s200/Now-or-Never.jpg" width="160" /></a>So last night Mark Anthony and I gathered at his place to take another shot at a NEIPA. This recipe and brew<strike>day</strike> night were informed by our past attempts including our recent hazed and confused brew session. In our hobby learning and developing as a brewer are best informed by trial and error. You can and probably should read about the hobby. This and other blogs give lots of great information. There are hundreds of books that inform you about the hobby. Certainly, there are two really excellent magazines about it. You can and should watch videos about brewing. There are lots of great videos on brewing on youtube. Some of them are actually by really excellent brewers who actually know what they are talking about. Some of them should be avoided. But nothing will inform you like actual experience brewing- both with success and failure. And there is no substitute for lots and lots of practice. Practice is the main reason I am such a fan of 2.5 - 3 gallon stove top batches.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qWcGwvS3OmQ/WlZ5MvLViCI/AAAAAAAAz3M/BsReIAKEkDkGsryp48lMV_r7rNRaxr89gCLcBGAs/s1600/experience.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="211" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qWcGwvS3OmQ/WlZ5MvLViCI/AAAAAAAAz3M/BsReIAKEkDkGsryp48lMV_r7rNRaxr89gCLcBGAs/s320/experience.jpg" width="320" /></a>I love this hobby. I have for years. And over the years, I have developed some best practices that work well for me. Many have been learned through trial and error, many through study. Many in my case by having a mentor who taught me so very much.<br />
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So why am I digressing about learning and experience on a brew night post? <b><i>Where the hell are the photos of the grain and wort? Where's the freaking recipe?</i></b> Well, because we nailed the brew night last night. It wasn't perfect, but our experience and knowledge was able to overcome the problems that we had with the brew day.<br />
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Last night we brewed a session pineapple milkshake NEIPA with centennial, citra, and mosaic. 3.3 gallon batch. Here is the recipe.<br />
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3 gallon batch<br />
1.048 OG 1.013 FG ABV 4.63 IBU 47 Rager SRM 10 Daniels 65% Efficiency<br />
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Fermentables<br />
3 lbs 6 Row - Cargill (love this malt)<br />
8 oz Flaked Oats - Quaker<br />
8 oz Cane Sugar (late) - C&H<br />
5 oz Cara 60 - Cargill<br />
4 oz Wheat Malt - Cargill Malted White Wheat<br />
1/4th LB - Lactose<br />
(the sugar from the 46 oz of pineapple sugar, for me the calculation was about 6.6 ounces of sugar)<br />
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The Hops<br />
1 oz at 15 Centennial 10% AA<br />
.5 oz Whirlpool CITRA 12 AA% 15 minute whirlpool starting at 175 F<br />
.5 oz Whirlpool MOSAIC 11 AA%15 minute whirlpool starting at 175 F<br />
.5 oz Dry hop CITRA CRYO 25.2 AA% at high krausen<br />
.5 oz Dry hop MOSAIC CRYO 24.2% AA% at high krausen<br />
.5 oz Dry hop CITRA CRYO 25.2 AA% days<br />
.5 oz Dry hop MOSAIC CRYO 24.2% AA% 3 days<br />
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The yeast - Wyeast British Ale 2 1335 - why? Several friends have reported excellent results for this yeast in this style. We are aware it is a departure from London Ale 2. We'll report back on results. going to ferment at 66 F.<br />
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The mash - Full volume, no sparge at 153 F<br />
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The water - NEIPA profile- balance the calcium and the chlorides for us we were about CA 125 and Chloride 175. That gives the desired "soft mouth feel".<br />
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The brew night was really relaxing and pretty much free of any major problems. We made our water adjustments and heated the water to the strike temperature recommended by Brewersfriend. But somehow I screwed up my settings on my equipment profile. Rather than telling the software that I loose 7 degrees F upon mash in, I told it I loose 3 degrees F on mash in. So we were sitting at 149 rather than 153 F. What do you do? Well you have a couple of options. You can do nothing or you can bring the temperature up somehow. With our cooler mash tun, increasing the temperature by flipping the switch is not an option. So we did what we do when we miss; we used the calculator on brewersfriend to calculate an infusion. And used the water that would have been for the mash out addition to bring the temperature up to the correct rest temperature. No big deal. We were only planning on 65% efficiency and no sparge so skipping the mash out is really not a big deal for us. We also could have pulled a decoction, something you have seen us do many times.<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B7PZvZWL5rc/WlZ50I31d7I/AAAAAAAAz3Y/-K-3tluODWU-CouKiUuibnnMREwvd9sGwCKgBGAs/s1600/20180109_222102.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B7PZvZWL5rc/WlZ50I31d7I/AAAAAAAAz3Y/-K-3tluODWU-CouKiUuibnnMREwvd9sGwCKgBGAs/s320/20180109_222102.jpg" width="240" /></a>Here is the point: experience and knowledge are your real tools on a brew day. Not fancy fancy equipment. Not your computers (although they are really important). Experience and knowledge. And you get those by brewing... brewing a lot.<br />
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Other best practice steps we took? Well we used a brew bag as a mash filter. We used 1 camden tablet to remove chlorine and to scavenge off additional oxygen. We used aluminum foil as a mash cap. When we stirred, we stirred gently. As you all know I am skeptical about oxygen's effect on mashing, but on the other hand I am not going to invite extra oxygen into the game. We also bagged our hops. There is no reason to increase hop debris in your wort. We chilled this one in the sink with ice water. We knew it would chill quickly with the addition of the frozen pineapple juice. We were at pitching temperatures in 20 minutes.<br />
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And most importantly we are getting the 2.5 - 3 gallon no sparge system dialed in for upcoming contest season. Can't wait to taste this beer. The wort samples were amazing.<br />
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The beer is now happily fermenting at 66 F. The beer should be ready for packaging in under a week. It is a session beer. So I will wait 24 hours after it reaches terminal gravity, and package immediately. <br />
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Next Up? John and I have something up our sleeves for this weekend. Stay tuned. Then in about 2 weeks I will be showing you all how to make an apple ale, easy partial mash delicious...Graff. The LODO part 2 post is coming soon.<br />
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That's all for now brew nerds.<br />
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David Steltinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08091919069275585647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6365074056807535758.post-86334363975318636492018-01-05T08:47:00.000-08:002018-01-05T08:47:18.936-08:00LODO - the new crazy craze ...kinda... <div dir="ltr">
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Every now and then a new craze hits home brew. Sometimes good, sometimes goofy but always there are elements of truth and of bologna. Such is the case with the new craze in home brewing... Low Dissolved Oxygen Brewing, or LODO. It is the current source of both hope and controversy in the home brewing world. Normally we focus on beginning and intermediate brewing concepts here. And to be truthful, this post has been in the works for a long time as we worked through the science of LODO and how to present it to you all with as much common sense as we can muster. You will be thrilled to hear that this is the first of 3 posts on LODO. The second will dive deep into the science of malt chemistry and our ultimate conclusions will be supported not only by actual chemistry but also by some heavy hitters in the world of brewing science and home brewing. The third will show our process changes associated with lodo. The very fact that there is a 3rd post tells you that we do, in fact, accept some of the claims of the Low Dissolved Oxygen Brewers<br />
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It should be stated as always, homebrewing is about having fun and making great beer. There is not one and only one way to brew. Brew how you want to brew, in whatever way makes sense to you. I will now also tell you that the LODO disciples are guys who love the same hobby you love. They are trying to share something that has worked for them, and I believe they are well meaning, if sometimes misguided.<br />
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So what is Low Dissolved Oxygen Brewing (LODO)? Basically the proponents of LODO brewing assert that oxygen is the enemy of quality brewing, especially <span style="background-color: white;">in</span> German style lagers. The proponents of LODO claim that as little as 1 PPM of dissolved oxygen in your mash can rob your malt of that special "German" taste. They call this special taste the "it" factor. In support of this claim they quote a great old brewing text by Professor Wolfgang Kunze (originally written in the late 1950s and published in 1961) of the Technical Institute of Dreseden and the VBL Institute. The text has been updated many times over the years, and the work of Professor Ludwig Narziss. I have read most of Kunze, and almost all of the Narziss that I can find online. Ich kann kein Deutsch mehr, aber ich lese es immer noch ziemlich gut (I can not speak German any more, but I can still read it pretty well, if I have the time). And these texts clearly do state that limiting oxygen is a good brewing practice. They especially suggest limiting oxygen exposure to finished beer, a point upon which we can all agree. They rightly point out that many breweries do all they can to limit oxygen ingress throughout the boil. Sadly, Herr Kunze died last January so we can't simply ask him for his input. To this end the LODO guys say you should pre-boil your strike water and add potassium or sodium metabisulfite to scavenger off any and all remaining oxygen in your brewing liquor. (Why do they say this? well one of these German Professors said that sodium metabisulfite can aid in scavenging additional oxygen from mash water, and from sparge water.)They recommend a closed mash system with as little exposure to oxygen as possible. (again recommended and agreed upon by virtually the entire industry as a good practice) And only gentle stirring or recirculation, and recirculation return below the mash cap or submerged (again recommended and agreed upon if you feel the need to recirculate. )<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3OPtKUyEv_s/Wk0PgWupeCI/AAAAAAAAzso/x_L6_rVrq_EiWfDGGlYKjmJLOvrfOix8ACLcBGAs/s1600/1709576.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3OPtKUyEv_s/Wk0PgWupeCI/AAAAAAAAzso/x_L6_rVrq_EiWfDGGlYKjmJLOvrfOix8ACLcBGAs/s200/1709576.JPG" width="150" /></a>The proponents of LODO brewing also say that you should boil gently to avoid additional oxygen ingress during the boil. And finally the proponents of LODO brewing recommend that you should ferment in an oxygen free environment and then package your beer prior to full attenuation (spunding) in order to naturally carbonate and allow the very active yeast to scrub out any additional oxygen, also known to be a great technique that has been largely forgotten by home brewers.<br />
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Finally, the LODO guys say you should ferment your lagers on the cool end, and that there is essentially no diacetyl conditioning needed if you have pitched a large enough healthy enough yeast starter.<br />
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So this may surprise you but I think most of their recommendations are valid. Valid, but not absolutely necessary to make great beer. There is certainly nothing wrong with limiting oxygen ingress during the mash. It is even considered a good practice. Boiling gently (just above a simmer) also makes some sense to me. There is such a thing as "boil shock", although you could argue that the chemical components created by shock are necessary to achieve certain distinct German flavors. Adding more sulfites to a beer... Well this makes no sense to me at all just to scavenge off more oxygen. Dr. Charlie Banforth, the professor of brewing and malting at University of California at Davis, had this to say about adding sulfites, "<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; text-align: justify;"><i>Sulfites in the mash are to be avoided, yeast will reduce it to sulfide and you will end up with an egg-y aroma in your beer.”</i></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; text-align: justify;"> (credit Brulosophy 4/10/2017) </span></span>Dr. Charlie Banforth of UC Davis also has said on multiple occasions that a quality fermentation will clean up and or fix almost all issues with HSA. But what if it didn't have to? What if you never created any hot side aeration issues? Recently the LODO brewers have been recommending the use of a "trifecta" of water treatments related to oxygen composed of sulfites, ascorbic acid, and bretan b. I am excited to learn more about the chemical effectiveness of Brewtan-B. For the time being we have not completed any testing or real research on it's effectiveness.<br />
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So why the controversy? Why do you have frustration with the LODO guys? It sounds like you like a lot of what they say...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't act like a Troll....</td></tr>
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Well, the biggest frustration I have with the LODO guys is that they all seem to be unified under the banner of "LODO or die". They all have the same motto-"do things exactly as we suggest, or what you do won't work... and our ideas can therefore not be criticized". I have had one explain to me that despite my 27 years of brewing and considerable experience with contest, and limited experience with professional brewing. That I was an "idiot" for not brewing LODO, and that I should probably find a different hobby...trolls suck, And aren't really very common in our hobby. ( I should say not all of the guys act this way. Brian, techbrau and Ancient abbey have been very helpful and patient with my questions and they didn't even know I was the one asking them...) Normally, when someone says "do things my way or your results are invalid", I would recommend running away as if your hair is on fire. But with LODO I am intrigued. I know some of what they recommend works. I don't believe that they are lying about the results. And several Brewers whose opinions I absolutely Trust are praising the technique. So we have to glean from their learning techniques that will work for everyhone. </div>
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But, I'm still somewhat skeptical.<br />
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Repeated experiments and <span style="background-color: white;">exbrmts </span>show that beer drinkers can not identify a batch where <a href="http://brulosophy.com/2014/11/18/is-hot-side-aeration-fact-or-fiction-exbeeriment-results/" target="_blank">Hot Side Aeration (HSA) was intentionally created </a>versus a batch where HSA was intentionally avoided. The LODO guys claim it is more than just HSA, they have coined a term called HSO (Hot Side Oxidation). They claim that HSA/HSO is more than just the creation of trans-2-noneal precursors (the cardboard flavors associated with oxidation). They claim that oxygen can also react with the pleasant malt related phenols of grain. And I think that they are right, kind of, (<b><i>wait... what? what do you mean they're right kind of...</i></b>). Well I am skeptical that 1 ppm of oxygen would have a deleterious effect on your home brew. I am also skeptical that any staling caused at 1 ppm is with in the human taste mechanism to identify. After all staling compounds are not self replicating viruses or bacteria they're mostly modified phenols (guaiacol and 4-methylphenol primarily, with some vanillin) When the phenols pick up an additional oxygen molecule they do change chemically. They no longer taste the same. They don't however spread like wild fire through your mash. </div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-p9TN_EptV_c/Wk0PXeGToQI/AAAAAAAAzsk/ie8w8Idl5vw4nLynbPiTgSp927xijO_UwCLcBGAs/s1600/brulosophy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-p9TN_EptV_c/Wk0PXeGToQI/AAAAAAAAzsk/ie8w8Idl5vw4nLynbPiTgSp927xijO_UwCLcBGAs/s1600/brulosophy.jpg" /></a>The guys at brulosophy were also skeptical, so they did what they always do, they put it to the test. In a <a href="http://brulosophy.com/2017/04/10/the-lodo-effect-evaluating-the-low-oxygen-brewing-method-exbeeriment-results/" target="_blank">recent <span style="background-color: white;">xbrmt</span> over at brulosophy</a>, they followed the LODO process exactly. Comparing a LODO to standard home brewing practice brought meaningful results. The tasters could in fact tell the two beers apart. They could identify the odd beer out, but here's the kicker- most people preferred the beer brewed with normal brewing processes, not the LODO beer. And they preferred it by nearly a 3 to 1 margin. Obviously, the reaction of the LODO community was not favorable. They sited all kinds of process improvements and possible problems with the xbrmt. But as far as I could tell Brulosophy nailed it. It is fair to say that any process change needs several batches to get really dialed in, and to produce similar results.<br />
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So I remain skeptical. But I'm not skeptical about oxygen's long term effects on beer storage stability and beer packaging. We've known for a long time that dissolved oxygen has negative impact on beer that has been packaged. We've known for a long time and we can display this knowledge with actual scientific results. And after reading a lot of Kunze (btw the electronic edition was over $100.00) and everything by Narziss that I can find on the internet I can assure you that most of their comments about oxygen have to do with finished beer and packaging. But Kunze does suggest low oxygen mashing as well, and even suggests Nitrogen gassing of the grist, and a nitrogen gas cap of the mash, at one point in the text. And both consider it a good practice to avoid oxygen at all points in the brewing process. Further, in researching this post I was able to confirm that not just many, but most of the Bavarian breweries take steps to remove and limit oxygen in their mash. Many employ degassing towers, some use a mechanism that vibrates the brewing liquor to remove dissolved oxygen from the strike water prior to dough in. None that I could get to respond admitted to using any kind of sulfite in their brewing liquor (only 2 responded).<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oYawsOM2rSQ/VfLms3pahLI/AAAAAAAAg-E/hyTnUqXPzbw9e0lfQR3De-gm-tarbFFlwCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/octoberfest%2Bgirl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="222" data-original-width="227" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oYawsOM2rSQ/VfLms3pahLI/AAAAAAAAg-E/hyTnUqXPzbw9e0lfQR3De-gm-tarbFFlwCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/octoberfest%2Bgirl.jpg" /></a>I have long suspected the improvements that LODO brewers see in their beer is due to process improvements. In other words, the careful process they begin following (a careful process meant to reduce dissolved oxygen) is the actual reason for the improvements in their beer. LODO brewing requires concentration and careful process. And concentration and careful process always results in better beer. The LODO guys on various groups and forums seem to be truly truly excellent, and precise brewers. These are the guys that really want to learn the chemistry, the guys who know exactly how much they lose in their systems, these are the guys who can tell you exactly the heat gain in bTu from firing their system for 1 minute. That may be why their beer improves so much... Or they might be on to something... I kind of think that it is both... they're definitely damn good brewers (any one who specializes in German styles is usually pretty good, cause it is really damn hard to do well) and they are on to something.<br />
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And I suppose if I'm truly being fair I should mention that the fantastic advances they have made (revived) in packaging also plays a role in the improvement of their beer. I for one believe that reviving keg spunding and bottle spunding is a great contribution to the home brew scene.<br />
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But on the other hand I have to realize, I am now, and I kind of always have been a <span style="background-color: white;">low dissolved oxygen</span> brewer... I do a no sparge infusion step mash with almost everything I brew. And that means I boil over half of my water. I often use tap water and just add a little calcium chloride to get close to where i need to be. When I do that I almost always pre-boil the water and add 1 camden tablet. Why? because it's what we used to do... so I still do it. When I combine this practice with decoction mashing, I will admit I notice an even maltier taste. So empirical evidence tells me that there might be something to this whole LODO thing. The most perfect German style beer I have had in the past couple of years was very similar in process to the low dissolved oxygen brewing process. John, Beth and I triple decocted a Munich Helles. We had pretreated the water with K-Meta (camden or potassium metabisulfite) to take out any chlorine. And in a sheer accident we brought our strike water to a boil and had to chill it down to strike temp. <a href="http://counterbrew.blogspot.com/2016/05/tripple-decoction-munich-helles-home.html" target="_blank"> You might remember the post, John was injured, so a pregnant Beth stepped in and helped with the brew day... but that beer... that beer was amazing.</a></div>
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In researching the LODO claim further: I turned to the internet to see if any American commercial breweries use the LODO process. And a quick search of the internet reveals that surprisingly yes... yes the best breweries on earth do try to avoid oxygen ingress in their brewing process. They limit it, but they no longer go to the lengths that the paper suggests, maybe they never did. So I suspect that there is something to this LODO craze. As pointed out by another blogger who I enjoy <i>"You may not appreciate the recipes of Anheuser Busch but it is hard to say they aren't one of the world's greatest beer manufacturers.</i>" They make millions of barrels of Budweiser nearly identically worldwide. Their process and products are meticulous. And they go to some painstaking levels to limit dissolved oxygen in their brewing process, but they do not add sulfites. When I asked the brewer that spoke with me about Brewtan-Bl, he said... "No comment". So now I'm even more confused. </div>
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A big part of me really wants this to be true; to have found the super top secret process that makes the best beer on earth. But I remain torn. I have seen many, many experiments that seem to show that HSA is not an issue for home brewers. I have read an experiment where a guy used a whisk to almost constantly whisk his mash. The results? No one could tell a difference. So what the heck...</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">David Hume, dropping common sense!</td></tr>
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So what are we supposed to think? Is this LODO craze crazy? Both sides have good points; both sides make some sense. Here's the problem I have with LODO and recent LODO trolling activities on various chat rooms. Any time a group of people are telling you there is only one "right" way to do things, well, that is a problem. A problem that means their general hypothesis is not valid. Here is what I mean. David Hume, the great British empiricist, postulated that a theory that cannot be disproved is therefore always invalid and purely empirical or academic. "<b><i>What? Seriously dude? We don't come to counterbrew for philosophy lessons, show us a brew day."</i></b> OK, I know, but bear with me. When you try to do LODO and don't do it exactly as they suggest, they say you screwed it up. When you do exactly what they say and the beer sucks they say it must be something else, you must have screwed up somehow. The strength of a theorem is it's ability to be proven wrong. If a theorem cannot be proven wrong, the theorem itself is wrong. So there based on HUME I reject the notion that LODO is the supreme way to brew, but it is a way to brew. Probably a good way to brew. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">W. Kunze RIP, thank you for<br />
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There are certain things about LODO brewing that seem to be true beyond question. Certainly the following statement is true- <b>too much dissolved oxygen is not a friend of your mash, and ruins your beer after fermentation.</b> I'm not as convinced that this is an issue during the boil. The chemistry doesn't add up. It is also true to say that oxygen in packaging will shorten the shelf life of your beer and generally lower the perceived quality of the beer. On the other hand it doesn't make sense to suggest that you would avoid oxygen at all costs and then oxygenate your wort. Here is another thing that makes no sense. The LODO guys do not recommend Fermentis 34/70. The very yeast strain developed by Weinhenstephan Institute, albeit in a dry form. This is a yeast that can multiply up to 10x without adding oxygen to wort. That makes no sense at all. You would think that if OXYGEN BAD NO OXYGEN GOOD, you would want a yeast that doesn't require oxygen. So what the heck... what do we do? Well have no fear sports fans. We have some answers. We will be taking some cues from LODO, and some from traditional brewing, and forming a reasonable approach to dissolved oxygen in home brewing, sort of a new best practices. And we will be using LODO techniques to make a couple of lagers, and a Belgian Single in upcoming brew days. </div>
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For now here is a realistic approach to managing potential oxygen damage to your beer. The two main areas of concern for us are mashing and packaging. And here is the general idea. It is a good idea to be aware of oxygen in your mash and especially in your packaging. It is probably a good practice to take some steps to limit the amount of oxygen in the mash. It is absolutely a good idea to limit oxygen exposure to finished beer. So here is some common sense.<br />
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The mash procedure changes: <br />
Like I said previously, we have empirical evidence that suggests that driving away oxygen during the mash is probably a good idea. So we will be pre-boiling our wort water (hot liquor). We will be infusion step mashing, and we will be decocting, especially anything German. We will not be adding additional camden, unless we are using tap water, in which case we will use one tablet per five gallons crushed to negate chlorine (which would be boiled off any way but its what I've always done), and take advantage of the oxygen reduction. As much as possible we will be doing no sparge brewing. We will keep the lid closed on the mash tun as much as possible, and using a mash cap (in my case some aluminum foil). We will be avoiding splashing of the mash. We already underlet by lowering the bag into the strike water. We will still stir our mash occasionally, but not vigorously. <br />
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Yeast changes? None. Feel free to use Fermentis or Danstar. After consulting with various yeast providers, we do not feel that this part of their advice is not correct. I suspect that someone who helped write the "helles paper" had a bad experience with this yeast. Especially feel free to use Fermentis 34/70. It is probably the best lager yeast in the world. But my opinion is only fueled by over 300 batches of experience with this yeast so I could be wrong...<br />
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Packaging changes.<br />
When we brew as a team we usually bottle the beer. We naturally carbonate so no major changes here. We are just going to flush the bottles with a little CO2 before bottling. When I brew solo, I will be bottle spunding my beers. This is an awesome technique and development by the LODO guys and Kai (braukaiser) it is especially awesome for those of you who only bottle your beers. (It is actually an old technique they have revived.) I may use some of my 5 liter mini kegs for this because I am lazy. I will be doing an entire post on bottle spunding for you guys. Update, got 2 brewboxes for Christmas, will definitely be using them for this process, but following the bottle spunding recommendations. </div>
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Thanks for reading this schizophrenic post. It was for me to work out my thoughts as much as a post for all of you.<br />
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Additional thoughts on LODO...and additional information on LODO<br />
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<a href="http://www.lowoxygenbrewing.com/" target="_blank">Lowoxygenbrewing.com </a>- Brian's site. Full of excellent, albeit opinionated, information.<br />
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<a href="http://germanbrewing.net/">Germanbrewing.net</a>- this is where you can find the original post.<br />
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You want even geekier stuff... Well, there is a whole additional post coming. In it we will dive into the chemistry of the mash with guys from Cargill. But if you want to read up right away, and if you can handle the. science, <a href="http://immaculatebrewery.com/" target="_blank">immaculatebrewery.com</a> is an awesome blog. It is very technical. But like brewing itself, the more you go to this site the more you will learn. Eventually it will all make sense to you.<br />
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And finally <a href="https://accidentalis.com/low-oxygen-brewing-exploring-lodo-method/" target="_blank">accidentalis brewing</a>, Matt always brings common sense to the party. He also gives some great advice for people to understand beer competitions. </div>
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David Steltinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08091919069275585647noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6365074056807535758.post-32455712359148156832017-12-01T08:32:00.000-08:002017-12-01T12:28:48.674-08:00Way too long... NO CHILL Centennial Pale ale featuring Cargill malts...<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-z3LWFD9U1-s/WeoRIFY6yWI/AAAAAAAAx74/7y2RguL9_uQxE5f9gE9qASOX1vL8iI1RgCLcBGAs/s1600/619c50c5cac7c9505606a50549561f4f636860b969b613dd201d368625f8716a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-z3LWFD9U1-s/WeoRIFY6yWI/AAAAAAAAx74/7y2RguL9_uQxE5f9gE9qASOX1vL8iI1RgCLcBGAs/s200/619c50c5cac7c9505606a50549561f4f636860b969b613dd201d368625f8716a.jpg" width="200" /></a>Ok so this year has been tough. Two of our team had babies, I got a promotion, Mark... well Mark was already living the busy life of KC's most eligible bachelor. So we haven't been as active as we normally are.<br />
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But that doesn't mean we haven't been brewing. WE HAVE. We just haven't been posting about it. Recently we brewed a Belgian Blonde with Raspberries, A BDSA (with Dingemans...Post coming) and an American Light Lager that should be great once it finishes lagering, we also brewed a raspberry kolsch, and several pale ales. We have continued our sour projects as well. But now life is calming down a bit. So it is time to hit the blog and hit it hard. In upcoming weeks you will see blogs on our raspberry Belgian blonde, BDSA, a tripel, a spiced winter saison, and on our version of an East Coast India Pale ale. So we are getting back after it in a big way, hoping to finish the year strong.<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xeJGadFf3ZI/WeoRhA7k-HI/AAAAAAAAx78/iYMtpnIXFxQr6l2rU63vESe7CavZQkNngCLcBGAs/s1600/download%2B%25285%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xeJGadFf3ZI/WeoRhA7k-HI/AAAAAAAAx78/iYMtpnIXFxQr6l2rU63vESe7CavZQkNngCLcBGAs/s1600/download%2B%25285%2529.jpg" /></a>But tonight, tonight is about a classic grapefruity Centennial India Pale Ale, with a twist. Tonight we keep it simple and we make a basic American classic. Our recipe has changed and grown from it's original simplicity but the heart of the recipe is still beating strong. A basic american india pale ale, inspired by an american classic, Centennial IPA. But when it is me and Mark, we never leave well enough alone. We always do something to push the limits and learn. So classic Amerian west coast IPA made with East Coast IPA techniques. Tonight we brew hazed and confused.<br />
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In keeping with our desired classic out come, we are keeping tonight's brew day simple. Just a single sachrification rest, with a sparge rinse. Brew in a bag, straight forward and easy. And we are no chilling the beer. The point? You can brew a beer on a week night, on your stove top. We are making 2.5 gallons of the beer. <br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XR0naD1_0io/WfDvseJwW0I/AAAAAAAAyVk/yQa6AU6tg64q_SI2C0s0qV_4rpNqZZ5EQCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_20171016_191514.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XR0naD1_0io/WfDvseJwW0I/AAAAAAAAyVk/yQa6AU6tg64q_SI2C0s0qV_4rpNqZZ5EQCKgBGAs/s200/IMG_20171016_191514.jpg" width="150" /></a>We started the evening by drinking some wine I made as we got set up for brewing. If you make beer but you don't make wine, you are really missing out. I don't profess to be a sommelier, but I use Winexpert and Master Vintner kits to make wine that friends (1 of whom is a sommelier) assure me is fantastic stuff. I like it, they seem to love it. It's a win / win. I have made 20 or 30 different kits over the years (and some actual all grape wines) they have all been really good. My favorites winexpert kits are California Trinity White, and Diablo Rojo ( I leave out the K pack). My favorite Master Vintner kit so far is the weekday Pino Noir. I am making the wine makers reserve Moscato right now. Should be great by spring. If you think about it, you are really in the fermentation hobby. If you can make beer you can easily make wine, cider, mead... pizza, cheese, or even fermented pickles.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tWLd8DvE3-w/WfDv0mM14-I/AAAAAAAAyVo/FnlnD1Z2Jn0KKe-DOUgFzjxuuhYiQAo5ACKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_20171016_193226.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tWLd8DvE3-w/WfDv0mM14-I/AAAAAAAAyVo/FnlnD1Z2Jn0KKe-DOUgFzjxuuhYiQAo5ACKgBGAs/s320/IMG_20171016_193226.jpg" width="240" /></a>The most interesting thing about our brew? We are using a blend of 6 row and 2 row malt from <a href="https://www.cargill.com/food-bev/malt/na-base-malts" target="_blank">Cargill Malts</a> That has become our go to. You may ask why? Well first off, I would argue that 6 row is delicious and people should use more of it, but more importantly, because 6 row has more diastatic power than two row. Diastatic power is measured in degrees linter. The Linter scale is a measure of a malt's enzymatic ability to reduce complex starches into sugars. Where as most two row has about 100 degrees linter (up to 110) , <a href="https://www.cargill.com/food-bev/malt/na-base-malts" target="_blank"> </a><span style="background-color: white; color: #474c55; font-family: , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 18px;"><a href="https://www.cargill.com/food-bev/malt/na-base-malts" target="_blank">Schreier™ Six-Row Pale</a> </span>has 145 degrees linter. It is just way more potent stuff. In theory it can convert it's own starches and upto 45% additional starches.<br />
<br />
As brewer's we have all but forgotten about diastatic power. All modern base malts do a pretty good job converting themselves. But there was a time when diastatic power was a major component of our recipe planning as home brewers. I will admit it isn't such a big deal any more. But it is nice to know your grist is well designed for success. I would also add that 6 row malt tastes great. What does it taste like you ask... well it tastes like 6 row. I perceive it as more cracker like, and maybe a little sharper.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GvNR2KcHGr4/WfDwES9a4uI/AAAAAAAAyVw/EhsJYf8tnQk87ggC9HTBv5cJ0iXQzKboQCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_20171016_203915.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GvNR2KcHGr4/WfDwES9a4uI/AAAAAAAAyVw/EhsJYf8tnQk87ggC9HTBv5cJ0iXQzKboQCKgBGAs/s200/IMG_20171016_203915.jpg" width="150" /></a>So we set out to brew an easy week night IPA with the no chill method. When you brew a no chill hoppy beer you need to make some adjustments to your hop schedule. The hops will be in contact with the hot wort for much longer than a standard batch. So basically, just back your flavor and aroma additions up by 20 minutes or so. Those methods have been covered, and covered again else where, so I wont belabor the method here. I will say, Brewersfriend and Beer Smith both have settings for no chill. We generally do a bittering charge and then nothing until the flame is off and the wort is cooling. We hit a five gallon no chill with 3 to 4 oz of hops when the wort gets to 190 F. This was a 2.5 gallon recipe and we used, 1.75 oz of hops for the "chill" addition. This beer will get an additional 2 oz of dry hops.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ndRWiQZA6tg/WfDv7OI-pgI/AAAAAAAAyVs/1sR4NhytVdERCTBbIFcDHWpFfLjXVq1hACKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_20171016_192551.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ndRWiQZA6tg/WfDv7OI-pgI/AAAAAAAAyVs/1sR4NhytVdERCTBbIFcDHWpFfLjXVq1hACKgBGAs/s200/IMG_20171016_192551.jpg" width="150" /></a>Since this was an easy brew night, we used 5.2 stabilizer for our water adjustment. The pH stabilized at about 5.34, hot, so probably around 5.5. I'll take it, not bad for tap water and no real water adjustments. As always the smell of the Cargill grains was amazing...just some how more, than the other grains we sometimes use. We boiled for a full hour. When you "no chill" you have to be aware of potential DMS. The easiest precaution is to boil hard for 60 minutes. Also a good idea for any brew with lots of 6 row malt, it has a bit more sms, the precursor to the dreaded dms.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ANIzmjjTlPg/WfDwPMyMQgI/AAAAAAAAyV4/I-ebCozZHP4j2_xIm_mmeCr1kctxlmn_ACKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_20171016_201613.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ANIzmjjTlPg/WfDwPMyMQgI/AAAAAAAAyV4/I-ebCozZHP4j2_xIm_mmeCr1kctxlmn_ACKgBGAs/s200/IMG_20171016_201613.jpg" width="150" /></a>My favorite thing about this method, is you really can brew on a week night. We ended up way overshooting our gravity ( probably due to the 6 row malt ) so we ended up brewing 3 gallons of IPA. We originally planned for only 1.5 oz of hops in the "chill", but ended up adding an additional .25 of Centennial, and .25 of Equinox. Should be a grapefruit bomb, can't wait to try it. <b>update: it has been over a month since brew day. The beer was exactly as planned. It was hazy and totally grapefruit...citrus... juicy... great stuff. This may create controversy, but I am now clear... I prefer traditional IPAs. Don't get me wrong I have enjoyed the haze craze... but I really dig a bitter, citrusy, grapefruity, crystal clear West Coast IPA. </b><br />
<br />
Stay tuned more posts coming up. And more Belgian Inspired Brews. AS we head into spring, we will be making some lagers for spring and summer consumption. Can you say decoction neighbor? I know you can...<br />
<br />David Steltinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08091919069275585647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6365074056807535758.post-21867371238928271302017-11-28T13:50:00.000-08:002017-12-01T07:58:55.301-08:00The easy method...Countertop 3 Vessel...<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b3V_1ZaySvY/WhiBvF2sroI/AAAAAAAAy28/LaRwDc4A9b8agFV3HOVxKanVKUKGPNZcQCKgBGAs/s1600/20171118_191136.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b3V_1ZaySvY/WhiBvF2sroI/AAAAAAAAy28/LaRwDc4A9b8agFV3HOVxKanVKUKGPNZcQCKgBGAs/s320/20171118_191136.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everything you need to make great small batches of beer!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Ok, today I roll out what I have been doing for sometime now. My super easy counter top 3 vessel brewing method. This astonishing development in home brew, this amazing technique is... well OK it isn't exactly new. In fact, it has been around forever and is about as easy and traditional as home brewing gets. As I get older... an unavoidable fact of life... I find my desire to make huge batches of the same beer waning. Sure, we still brew 10 to 15 gallons as a team, but when I brew on my own I tend to brew 2.5 gallon stove top batches. After SWMBO and I split up, I moved into a tiny apartment. (literally the same size as our master suite) That was part of the motivation to make more small batch. Not surprisingly the quality (which was already good after 27 years of brewing) has reached a very high level. So much so that I'm considering returning to competition.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bgdVmECe2vU/Whw3lBH8QMI/AAAAAAAAy5Y/Dlde4-EdVZERIHc42y585zz8EnCLwgL6wCLcBGAs/s1600/download%2B%25286%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="182" data-original-width="278" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bgdVmECe2vU/Whw3lBH8QMI/AAAAAAAAy5Y/Dlde4-EdVZERIHc42y585zz8EnCLwgL6wCLcBGAs/s1600/download%2B%25286%2529.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This hobby can get out of hand, you owe it to<br />
yourself and your friends to stay responsible.<br />
It's the best way to promote and protect home brewing.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
For me small batch just makes sense, I mean what the heck do I need 4 cases of Belgian Strong Ale for? No one needs that much beer on a regular basis...if you disagree, I think you need to think about how much beer you are consuming. I know what you'll argue... "<i><b>I have lot's of friends I give lots of beer away...</b></i>" sure so do I. I still make 5 - 10 gallons every month. I just don't make 20 to 40 gallons any more. We never talk about the dark side of our hobby, forgive me for a moment, it's going to get a little dark, but every now and then I have to bring us back to reality. Guys seem to want to make bigger and bigger batches at home...I know a guy who can do 3 Bbls In his garage... why? what the heck does anyone need to make 93 gallons of beer for? I've also know many guys over the years who could not handle this hobby. This year alone I know of a couple of guys who were turning into full blown alcoholics... they <b>both had to quit brewing to get their lives in order. </b> So, yes I am clear... no one needs to make 93 gallons of beer at home every weekend or even every other weekend.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QeUYxrhBuLo/Whw3b6s5InI/AAAAAAAAy5U/vueld9aqBlgp6gXwX0-k2avrs6u34CJJwCLcBGAs/s1600/images%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="180" data-original-width="280" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QeUYxrhBuLo/Whw3b6s5InI/AAAAAAAAy5U/vueld9aqBlgp6gXwX0-k2avrs6u34CJJwCLcBGAs/s1600/images%2B%25281%2529.jpg" /></a>So for me, I tend to brew 2.5 gallons on the stove top. Up close and personal with my wort and my boil... it has been awesome. I also find that I am brewing about 6 recipes over and over again. Risen Pale Ale, Centennial Blonde Ale, Centennial IPA (Bells two hearted), Cream Ale, Raspberry Wheat, and Chocolate Milk Stout. Every now and then I let the yeast cake inspire me to brew something else... I actually use lager yeast for my cream ale, so occasionally the yeast gets reused for a Schwartz Bier...or a Honey Bock. Every now and then the stout yeast becomes a honey brown...But mostly when I brew on my own, I brew stuff that anyone would enjoy. That lets me brew almost every weekend. Certainly every other weekend. The beer I make is approachable for beer muggles. It is easy to give away (with one rule, "bring me back rinsed bottles").<br />
<br />
Like everyone else I have been caught up in the Brew in a Bag phenomenon. And like everyone else I recognize its ease and accessibility. It is a great method. I think it, along with partial mash (which I will never stop defending) is a fantastic method for making beer. BIAB is probably the best way for a newb to start doing all grain brewing.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mqo6J2VCCyc/WhiBjCynVHI/AAAAAAAAy24/s7k9CYNIxB4O5yCC6T6NbexfDdOsdJqfQCKgBGAs/s1600/20171118_190536.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mqo6J2VCCyc/WhiBjCynVHI/AAAAAAAAy24/s7k9CYNIxB4O5yCC6T6NbexfDdOsdJqfQCKgBGAs/s200/20171118_190536.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brew bag as a filter!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
But I am not a newb. I am currently 28 years and over 800 batches into this hobby. I am an experienced... aging, curmudgeony brewer. And well, to be honest... I like 3 vessel brewing. I enjoy it. I like step mashing, I like batch sparging, heck I even like vorlauffing. With my counter top system I can control my wort exactly how I want, and I can do the things I enjoy. And isn't that what brewing is all about. Having fun and making the best beer that you can make?<br />
<br />
So here is my current set up. You will notice I have eliminated anything that is hard to clean, I have minimized valves, there are no thru wall <br />
thermometers, no sight glass, no pumps, and no re-circulation ports. If I need the wort to whirlpool or to move, I get out my spoon and stir it. As I have said before although spoons are a new technology, I am confident they will catch on. <br />
<ul>
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w4D9yQDc4WQ/WhiA7ECOzQI/AAAAAAAAy2w/44zlC8qZxS0VTj2nyl_HPI_ezvSMSkIMQCKgBGAs/s1600/20171118_191136.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w4D9yQDc4WQ/WhiA7ECOzQI/AAAAAAAAy2w/44zlC8qZxS0VTj2nyl_HPI_ezvSMSkIMQCKgBGAs/s320/20171118_191136.jpg" width="320" /></a>
<li>5 gallon round cooler mash tun</li>
<ul>
<li>Brewers Best Mesh Mash Bag filter</li>
<li>3/8" Ball Valve</li>
<li>Floating mash thermometer</li>
<li>Long probe digital thermometer.</li>
</ul>
<li>5.5 gallon stainless steel kettle</li>
<li>4 gallon stainless steel HLT</li>
</ul>
<div>
That's it. Less than $200.00 worth of equipment for a lifetime of brewing fun. And with my set up I can make 2.5 to 5 gallon batches of beer. I still own larger pots. I still own a ridiculous propane burner, (12" 231K BTU), I still can do large batches, but for the most part this is what I use to brew.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3xjFSyak380/Whw4rJxy2nI/AAAAAAAAy5o/IqOABF_4yZAtzVWR6wsiIgOQpQ5FTOhjgCLcBGAs/s1600/Homebrewer-Using-Mash-Tun.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="603" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3xjFSyak380/Whw4rJxy2nI/AAAAAAAAy5o/IqOABF_4yZAtzVWR6wsiIgOQpQ5FTOhjgCLcBGAs/s320/Homebrewer-Using-Mash-Tun.png" width="241" /></a>Now... the big question... my process. Most of the recipes I brew are medium original gravity beers. I rarely brew anything over 1.070. So I adjust the mash water calculations so that my sparge is around 1.25 to 2 gallons. I batch sparge. I always do a mash out step, always. I often do a 3 step mash (146 F, 156 F, 168 F) This is the practice for beers I want to have attenuate very dry. I know what you're thinking... the self appointed step mash champion doesn't always do a 4 step mash or decoction? well no, no I don't. After 27 years of brewing, I know when to do a complicated step mash, and when not to do a complicated step mash. The truth is I use mostly Cargill base malts and grains and the quality is so high, I just don't always need to do a step mash. Here is an example of a mash for my american pale ale... Risen... which is just a good ol fashioned early 1990s all cascade pale ale (Think New Albion). NOTE: I always use reverse osmosis water, and I always make adjustments. I have been using the Brewersfriend water program, but I also like EZ water, and BruNWater. I shoot for 5.2 pH, and a balanced profile.<br />
<br />
<br />
5lbs of grain<br />
Strike 2.5 gallons of water at 162 F (72.2 C 9.5 L) stabilize at 154 F.<br />
Mash out - Infusion of 3.5 quarts (3.2 liters) of water at 211 F (100 C)<br />
Sparge with 5.75 quarts (5.44 liters) of water at 170 F (76.6 C)<br />
<br />
Do you know how fast you can heat 2.5 gallons to 162 F (72.2 C 9.5 L)? Even my crappy stove can do it in less than 20 minutes. It is so much faster to brew this way. And you are up close and personal with your brew. It's right there in front of you. On the stove top, on the counter top. You can smell it, you can taste it. I still take all of the same measurements as before. pH, temperature, gravity, and taste impressions. I still write everything down in my brewing journal. But somehow, I have more control, I'm able to correct things. I always use fresh never opened hops. I always calculate the hops with the correct AA% and adjust my additions. One thing you will need if you are doing a lot of small batch is a gram scale ($6 - $14) at Wal-Mart. Grams are just far more accurate than ounces or tenths of an ounce. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FUz9uv3Xv3U/Whw5HpgtyRI/AAAAAAAAy5s/dYIoWLJ4jiQ70xwmKiV2K_F0Lj3HJ0iugCLcBGAs/s1600/86f1874821342c00d6306e68e8a79494.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FUz9uv3Xv3U/Whw5HpgtyRI/AAAAAAAAy5s/dYIoWLJ4jiQ70xwmKiV2K_F0Lj3HJ0iugCLcBGAs/s200/86f1874821342c00d6306e68e8a79494.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With a minor modification<br />
two 3 gallon carboys will<br />
fit in a mini fridge.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
My mini fridge died. So I need to get a new one for my fermentation chamber. I prefer to ferment in Glass. Two of the common 3 gallon glass carboys will fit into a mini fridge with very little modification. Right now, it is early winter, and the space beneath my big window is stable at 63 F. I kinda got lucky on that one... So that's where I am fermenting. But soon I will get a new mini fridge and do a post on how I modify it for fermenting. It is really easy to do.<br />
<br />
For now I am bottling, force carbonating in two liters, and using 2.5 gallon cubes. Alas, my keezer is in storage. I just don't have room in the apartment. As we head toward contest season I will have to go ahead and make a mini keezer so that I can bottle from the keg. But I am loving small batch so much I may sell my old one and switch to 2.5 - 3 gallon kegs exclusively.<br />
<br />
So that is what I am doing. I have a strong desire to make more crystal clear perfectly fermented beers. I think I am kinda over the murky IPA thing. I appreciate them, and they are delicious. But for me... I prefer to be able to read through my beers... I guess time will tell if this approach is as excellent as I suspect it might be. It's certainly faster, it's certainly more engaged. And I am still having a blast brewing beer. Cheers. </div>
<br />
<br />David Steltinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08091919069275585647noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6365074056807535758.post-4732479578497811712017-10-25T07:46:00.004-07:002017-10-25T07:46:41.004-07:00Raspberry Belgian Blonde... with Cargill Malts... Oh yeah we're BACK!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y4neQekDvJU/Vss2GHTmltI/AAAAAAAAlZU/LLv6PG92yUUK8g_VPwdHaJRCN6tqeBDhACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/raspberry%2Bfaries.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="160" data-original-width="204" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y4neQekDvJU/Vss2GHTmltI/AAAAAAAAlZU/LLv6PG92yUUK8g_VPwdHaJRCN6tqeBDhACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/raspberry%2Bfaries.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Allegement des Framboises</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So this year has been busy. Promotions at work, families growing, team members moving. Brewing as a team has taken a smaller role in our busy lives. It's not that we haven't been brewing, we have. Recently we have brewed a Centennial Blonde, a couple of pale ales, and an American Light lager, that will be fantastic after it lagers. Our sour projects are continuing and coming along beautifully. But actually brewing what we brew, "staying in our lane"as it were and doing some crazy decoction or step mash... well that has had to wait. But this Saturday, the wait ended. We gathered in the brewery (John's Garage) to brew our ridiculous Raspberry Belgian Blonde Allegement des Framboises. If you have never tried this recipe, cancel your next brew, get some <a href="https://www.cargill.com/food-bev/malt/na-base-malts" target="_blank">Dingemans Pilsner malt,</a> and some <a href="http://www.fermentis.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Safbrew-BE-256-en.pdf" target="_blank">Fermentis BE 256</a>, and get ready to step mash.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5lcPLW_fcEk/We4WY9D8WiI/AAAAAAAAyDg/tC4qRvMauXk8Rp56Vlo7Wts756Si19d6wCLcBGAs/s1600/mdpibag55_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="500" height="256" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5lcPLW_fcEk/We4WY9D8WiI/AAAAAAAAyDg/tC4qRvMauXk8Rp56Vlo7Wts756Si19d6wCLcBGAs/s320/mdpibag55_4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the real Belgian Grain that you have been looking<br />
for. Your search is over. Dingemans is the real deal.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We have been so honored by the many of you who have supported us and brewed our beers over the years. This one has been a favorite. And you can expect many more Belgian Inspired Brews coming up. In the next weeks you'll see a tripel, a BDSA, a Saison Noel, and a Belgian Amber. Like I said we are staying in our lane, complicated step mashes and decoctions coming up. We are also planning some fun IPAs that are cooled partially with frozen grapefruit juice, and mango juice respectively (with special thanks to Basic Brewing where we got the idea). But today is all about the cross over beer. The beer that is loved by soccer moms and craft beer nerds alike. I present... Allegement des Framboises.<br />
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Allegment is a Belgian Blonde, it is pretty darn fantastic without the Raspberries, but it takes on a a whole other character with the fruit. It is also amazing with Peaches. Something about the esters of the<a href="http://www.fermentis.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Safbrew-BE-256-en.pdf" target="_blank"> BE-256 </a>and the fruit just goes so well together. We have tried other Belgian style yeasts, like White Labs 530 (our go to for BDSA) and Imperial Monastery, but honestly they are too estery for this beer. We want a hint of fruity esters and cloves... not a punch to the face. We find that with BE 255 we can control the esters with our step mash, creating more or less of a desired flavor by modifying our step times.<br />
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Yes, this is a decoction mash, yes you will have to do some math but brewersfriend step mash infusion calculator makes that easy. Yes, our brew day was 5 hours long. 5 hours of awesome fun and craft brew sampling with other brew nerds is a fun way to spend a Saturday. And yes there are more ingredients, see below. We generally rack onto thawed frozen raspberries, and then use raspberry extract to round out the flavor. Yes, we generally secondary age this beer. All the crazy stuff we do pays off in a elixir that is worthy of an offering to Ninkasi herself. We do a fairly basic water adjustment, you are shooting for about 60 CA, and about 95 Chloride. For us that is John's tap water mixed with 5 gallons of RO water and 1.25 G of Gypsum, and 2.5 G of Calcium Chloride, but you will have to calculate your own water adjustments. If you need help, send a message, we try to respond.<br />
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And yes for Belgian inspired beers, the grain you choose matters. We use, love, and promote <a href="https://www.cargill.com/food-beverage/malt/craft-malt-for-brewers-in-north-america" target="_blank">Dingemans Pilsner </a>from Cargill. Ask for it by name. It will make all of the difference in your Belgian inspired ales. All of Cargills malts have been fantastic. But this one... well this one is particularly fantastic. It is the real Belgian malt you have been looking for. You can use what ever Belgian yeast you prefer, but we recommend Fermentis Safale BE 256. We have tried Wyeast and WhiteLabs with varying degrees of success. If you choose liquid, please get fresh yeast. It really loses viability quickly.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HzMDipGB6y0/We4Pw7wp90I/AAAAAAAAyCc/6sycqHUMP3ITTDdiZboj48d7mnAM0r03ACKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_20171021_104920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HzMDipGB6y0/We4Pw7wp90I/AAAAAAAAyCc/6sycqHUMP3ITTDdiZboj48d7mnAM0r03ACKgBGAs/s200/IMG_20171021_104920.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The new mill set up is<br />
awesome!</td></tr>
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The brewday started, as always with lots of cleaning and preparation. John milled the grains while MA and I cleaned. And when you are brewing I suggest you clean everything that needs cleaning in your brewery. Remember, if you don't like cleaning, you don't like brewing, you just enjoy making wort. MA and I cleaned everything. We went through a whole container of PBW. But now everything is crystal clean. We scrubbed, things soaked, we rinsed... it was great.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-skcqiuzDKu0/We4QmV5D9vI/AAAAAAAAyCk/q764Btl4qKECSk_ibtURvp2dquPCPpwdgCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_20171021_115538.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-skcqiuzDKu0/We4QmV5D9vI/AAAAAAAAyCk/q764Btl4qKECSk_ibtURvp2dquPCPpwdgCKgBGAs/s200/IMG_20171021_115538.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crushing fine improves<br />
efficiency!</td></tr>
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John crushed the grains to .3 mills. Like our new mill set up? That is a corona mill mounted in a 5 gallon bucket with a 3 gallon hopper on top. It can hold about 12 lbs of grain. (well it can hold more, but the bucket gets full, so when we redesign it there will be a larger bucket) Dust free milling in half the time. The idea came from Wilserbrew on Home brew talk. We love our new mill set up. And we crush fine. It improves everything. Those of you who have brewed this beer before may notice that we no longer add sugar. The truth is we are getting 75.8% from no sparge brewing. So why add any sugar to the beer? It really doesn't need it. Plus last time, the beer was a little high on alcohol aromas. So we wanted to bring it down just a bit.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T_GIRek9J3E/We4SGGjDPyI/AAAAAAAAyC4/XF41NvK3qmQR4Z6NSVPdEG6a-ErTup7MACKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_20171021_120603.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T_GIRek9J3E/We4SGGjDPyI/AAAAAAAAyC4/XF41NvK3qmQR4Z6NSVPdEG6a-ErTup7MACKgBGAs/s320/IMG_20171021_120603.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Your first steps will be thick... RDWHAHB</td></tr>
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We then started our step mash. As you can see from the mash instructions above, this is a complicated mash. But infusion step mashing really isn't hard. You pour boiling water into your mash. That's all it is. We used to have to step mash, now we do it because it makes better beer. Beer with real mouth feel, beer with real head retention. Can you make a meringue like head last on a beer with out adding tons of adjuncts? We can... because we step mash. The first step, the acid rest is always extremely thick, don't worry about it. By the end, it will be very thin and it will flow easily. With the help of the calculator on Brewersfriend we nailed our step mash. Resting at each level for our desired time, and the furthest we were off on a step was 2 degrees Fahrenheit. Pretty darn good.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RenlCPz2Oj4/We4SQhN3BTI/AAAAAAAAyC8/MeyBHYVNnB4tnFOsfwJ1wHhHcqirhiMLwCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_20171021_120818.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RenlCPz2Oj4/We4SQhN3BTI/AAAAAAAAyC8/MeyBHYVNnB4tnFOsfwJ1wHhHcqirhiMLwCKgBGAs/s200/IMG_20171021_120818.jpg" width="150" /></a><br />
Step mashing is so much more active than single infusion brewing. I personally think it is just more fun. This is the step where we were 2 degrees to high. We were shooting for 132 to 134 F. We ended up at 134 for most of the grist, but some spots were at 136 F. No big deal. We know from our post boil trub that we accomplished our goal of modifying proteins into medium length chains. (UPDATE - the ol trusty long probe thermometer is toast- so we were probably spot on) This is the step that really makes the difference in our beers. The protein rest. You see, we never ask sugars to do the job that should be done by proteins. We use the proteins to create the head retention and to create the mouth feel that you can only get from a good step mash.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CcDc3b51pGc/We4UEGZ_NXI/AAAAAAAAyDI/sZ5lHFHUh2EIxt0ORs9xh8yC2OFJ4AciACKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_20171021_130240.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CcDc3b51pGc/We4UEGZ_NXI/AAAAAAAAyDI/sZ5lHFHUh2EIxt0ORs9xh8yC2OFJ4AciACKgBGAs/s200/IMG_20171021_130240.jpg" width="200" /></a>We had two more additions after the protein rest, and a schluss mash decoction to get to mash out. By then end of our mash, our wort was thin, the brewery smelled like heaven. And our mout (wort) was digestable. That is what you want when you are making a Belgian inspired beer. By the way, the flavor of the wort was amazing, sweet, biscuit, toast, slight sourness from the acid rest (the yeast will turn that into awesome Belgian flavors) This should be a great beer.<br />
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I know I have told you to take records while you brew. But I really mean it. Take good notes, keep records. John documents our brew days in a brew journal he got. I use my computer. MA takes photos. I can't tell you how many times the records have saved our bacon, or allowed us to figure out what went wrong or right. It is also fun to go back and read your brewing notes from previous brew sessions and see what was going on.<br />
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Record your gravity through out the process. You will quickly learn how your brewery operates, and what changes you need to make to craft the beer you want to make. This is how you learn your system. This is how you brew world class beer. Learning and experience... there's nothing that compares to Learning and experience. <br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ntn2Ky2bqHo/WfCjR6D-FTI/AAAAAAAAySI/WSBttUQKTUAHBnKpMnuhv1Zma9eKDXyugCKgBGAs/s1600/IMG_20171021_164914.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ntn2Ky2bqHo/WfCjR6D-FTI/AAAAAAAAySI/WSBttUQKTUAHBnKpMnuhv1Zma9eKDXyugCKgBGAs/s320/IMG_20171021_164914.jpg" width="240" /></a>The boil was uneventful, we boiled hard, hoping to destroy any long chain proteins that weren't modified by the step mash. There is only one hop addition. At the end of the boil we had 9 gallons of delicious wort. We were shooting for 1.060. We got... 1.060. We will gain a couple of points from the sugars in the raspberries in secondary. It was a great brew day. Lots of fun. And most importantly we're back. So get ready for a whole slew of new posts from us. We'll keep things rolling, and if you are ever in KC on a weekend, and want to brew with us, let us know. We'd love to brew with you. <br />
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Keep checking back. We're brewing a tripel this weekend, our infamous "desir". We have some cool stuff coming up on decoction mashing, and on how to correctly add spices to your beers... can you say Christmas farmhouse ale?<br />
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<br />David Steltinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08091919069275585647noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6365074056807535758.post-63110559713845890272017-07-26T09:11:00.000-07:002017-07-26T12:35:04.688-07:00I think I may already own my dream brewing rig...<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M8Y4gVz4l8o/WWu2N1girlI/AAAAAAAAv_Y/QyA3Ey77pSEmx4BQsFIWbCAOAhc5vn7uACLcBGAs/s1600/01_brewbagrev_inmlt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="465" data-original-width="620" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M8Y4gVz4l8o/WWu2N1girlI/AAAAAAAAv_Y/QyA3Ey77pSEmx4BQsFIWbCAOAhc5vn7uACLcBGAs/s320/01_brewbagrev_inmlt.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is Marshal's (Brulosophy) old set up, but mine is identical.<br />
I didn't have a <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">picture handy, so I used his. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">If you don't read Brulosophy, well</span><br />
start reading it today.</td></tr>
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So as I have been responding to questions and comments about my recent post about using your head when brewing, it occured to me... I may already own my dream 5 to 10 gallon brewing rig. I already know my stove top gear is ideal for 2.5 to 3 gallon batches. This might be the perfect rig, or at least the rig that makes the most sense for me (and probably for most of you). I have an old 48 quart cooler mash tun with a 3/8th" valve. I have a bad ass burner <a href="https://www.webstaurantstore.com/backyard-pro-outdoor-range-patio-stove-with-hose-guard/554BPHP17.html" target="_blank">(231K BTU 12" banjo)</a> that I have had since the Clinton administration. I have a <a href="https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=keggle" target="_blank">Keggle</a>, and I have an electric turkey fryer. (it's getting harder and harder to find a 30 quart electric turkey fryer but you could also use a large coffee urn) So all I really need again is a stand and some PVC tubing and some silicone for my sparge arm. If I use my pump it will be more for vourlauf and temperature stabilization than for anything else.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1qlkcA9EFYg/WWu2b7DTqeI/AAAAAAAAv_c/w7-c-pv-24k8qH1k0hO-1lppJwPBf8VigCLcBGAs/s1600/maxresdefault%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1qlkcA9EFYg/WWu2b7DTqeI/AAAAAAAAv_c/w7-c-pv-24k8qH1k0hO-1lppJwPBf8VigCLcBGAs/s320/maxresdefault%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PVC Sparge arm for my cooler mash tun. Pretty easy build<br />
consistent rinsing of the grains. </td></tr>
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I used to own a huge gravity system we called the beast. We made 30 gallon batches on it with out a single pump. If our mash temp fell we didn't worry about it. We knew another step was coming up, and that we would be adding near boiling water. We made fantastic beer. Balanced and malty, clear enough to read through. And our beer had head retention and real mouth feel, even if it was crisp and fully attenuated. I know the concept of mouth feel and crisp together is hard to explain to single mash step brewers, but think of a Pilsner Urquell. It has mouth feel even though it is crisp and light. You see a Pilsner Urquel doesn't ask sugars to do the job of proteins. It is lovingly and carefully step mashed through a decoction process. Long chain proteins are modified in this process into medium length proteins, melanoidal flavors are developed. And that my friends you can not do with single rest mashing. To get close you have to add more grains that are designed to mimic the taste of the authentic process. So why not just do it right from the beginning. In the old days if we wanted a dry ultra crisp beer like American lager or dry Irish stout we just changed our step mash in order to create a dry beer. I still believe multiple step mashing is the control panel of wort creation. <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y5gKiVU2LVU/VtMKUbRao2I/AAAAAAAAlp0/-JIOhb0NxjQExkXlQCnXMTWtKCnqewbFQCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/20160224_161844.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y5gKiVU2LVU/VtMKUbRao2I/AAAAAAAAlp0/-JIOhb0NxjQExkXlQCnXMTWtKCnqewbFQCPcBGAYYCw/s320/20160224_161844.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My trusty ol Keggle and Burner</td></tr>
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It might be time to take what I have learned over the past couple of years and apply it to my current gear. So here is what I am thinking. I prefer mashing in a cooler mash tun with a brew bag as a filter. I crush fine, and always get 75 to 80% efficiency. I can get over 90% when I slowly fly sparge. But I want to do a kinda modified fly sparge. (basically, I am going to do a step mash but I will try to make sure I have 30% of the brewing liquor left for sparging.) I always step mash. (you all know my feelings on single temperature mashing). So with that in mind. I am stealing bits and pieces of what I have learned from BIAB and 3 vessel to brew in the way that makes the most sense to me.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dINDNmOUNC4/Vb4fMqQNgnI/AAAAAAAAfao/W45bMr1II6U3YN-XkbDKPcUiq6hsQpuUACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/20150801_134640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="112" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dINDNmOUNC4/Vb4fMqQNgnI/AAAAAAAAfao/W45bMr1II6U3YN-XkbDKPcUiq6hsQpuUACPcBGAYYCw/s200/20150801_134640.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you read this blog you have seen the<br />
Cajun Injector countless <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">times. </span></td></tr>
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So my electric turkey fryer will be my hot liquor tank. My keggle and bad ass burner will be my... well my keggle and burner. My old extract pot will be for decoction (the keggle is just too deep). My trusty old blue cooler mash tun will be my mash tun. I will be step mashing with up to 70% of the water. To ensure that the wort temperatures even out I will be using... a spoon! <i>(Although the technology is unproven, I am confident that spoons for use in brewing will catch on. )</i> The remaining 30% of the water, I will use for a modified fly sparge, like a sparge rinse but slower and more controlled. I am going to try to keep my system short, even though I am 6'1" and two of the other team members are 6'4" or taller, shorter systems are easier to manage. So, I am going to collect the wort in a graduated bucket (bottling bucket) and transfer it manually to keggle. That way I can stop my sparge when I get to the volume i want to be at, or the exact gravity I want to be at for my boil.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--p94FiJ8Rjs/WWu435kklxI/AAAAAAAAv_g/8z11ZLMc-O86j8_SQ1uavWE_rWDjJKh5gCLcBGAs/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="179" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--p94FiJ8Rjs/WWu435kklxI/AAAAAAAAv_g/8z11ZLMc-O86j8_SQ1uavWE_rWDjJKh5gCLcBGAs/s1600/images.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We'll make the ol girl look<br />
like this with some elbow grease!</td></tr>
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Now, I may add some features to my brewing set up, like a <a href="http://www.bargainfittings.com/index.php?route=product/product&keyword=thermometer&category_id=0&product_id=268" target="_blank">thermometer for my keggle</a>. Just because it is cool to know where the temperatures are as you are cooling, and when you are almost to a boil. And a <a href="http://www.bargainfittings.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=46_69&product_id=116" target="_blank">sight glass</a>, to make volume determination easier. And a With this system and process I should come in around 75% to 80% every time, but this also allow me to fine tune my mash exactly how I want it. And more importantly it gives me more connection to the brewing process. The more hands on the better. The more focus needed the better. That is what makes a great brewer. <b>Great brewers are focused and connected to the brew... every time. </b><br />
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So yes, my decision is made, unless I win the lottery, I have what I need already. And I'm guessing most of you have what you need as well. If you don't already have what you need, I'm guessing you can get what you need for less than $350.00 USD total. You probably have most of what you need. And anything and everything else you need you can get online, or at your local hardware store. There is just no reason to spend a fortune on home brewing. It is learning, cleaning, and actually brewing that will make you a great brewer, not equipment. Lots of guys (and gals) have won big time awards on basic equipment. The difference between them, and you... they really, really know what they are doing. So, yes, I have my brewing rig already. I'm guessing you do to. I know you probably surf the web and look at the awesome stuff that is now available. My best advice is change how you surf. Begin researching the awesome brewers who post their stuff to the web. Begin learning about advanced brewing techniques, there is a reason last years brewer of the year did a ferulic acid rest... just saying. There is a reason last years Ninkasi award winner does decoctions. Not all of these guys would agree on everything, but by researching them you can learn what works for you. That's all for now brew nerds...<br />
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<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.webstaurantstore.com/backyard-pro-outdoor-range-patio-stove-with-hose-guard/554BPHP17.html" target="_blank">Burner</a> </li>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Coleman-Performance-Cooler-48-Quart-Blue/dp/B0000DH4LT/ref=sr_1_3?s=outdoor-recreation&ie=UTF8&qid=1501084442&sr=1-3-spons&keywords=coleman+cooler&psc=1" target="_blank">Cooler Mash tun</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Weldless-Cooler-Bulkhead-Full-BSG/dp/B01C85GCMO/ref=sr_1_3?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1501084902&sr=1-3&keywords=cooler+mash+tun+valve" target="_blank">cooler valve </a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.ebay.com/itm/Jarhill-Stainless-Steel-Brew-Kettle-Mash-Tun-w-Thermometer-Valve-Avail-4-Sz-/252221385497?var=&hash=item3ab990eb19:m:mDt-BCpJc8SaKgPofI6GilA" target="_blank">Kettle</a> if you are a no sparge brewer you only need one kettle, your old extract kettle works fine as a hlt (in fact you can use your stove top and save some money on gas...)</li>
<li><a href="http://biabbags.webs.com/" target="_blank">Brew Bag</a> </li>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-Accuracy-Pocket-Handheld-Tester/dp/B00FJFEB2O/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1501084263&sr=8-3&keywords=ph+meter+home+brew" target="_blank">pH meter</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Refractometer-iTavah-Automatic-Temperature-Compensation/dp/B01LZFXT7S/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1501084200&sr=8-4&keywords=refractometer+homebrew" target="_blank">refractometer</a></li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />David Steltinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08091919069275585647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6365074056807535758.post-44985530441055142402017-07-14T06:55:00.000-07:002017-07-14T12:28:57.883-07:00OK Knuckleheads its time for some TRUTH again<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ukmxJat7HJw/WWd2BFfIiwI/AAAAAAAAv9E/ffiNnYi-y7s6Tn69HxY_W0fPFw3JJELmQCLcBGAs/s1600/download.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="201" data-original-width="251" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ukmxJat7HJw/WWd2BFfIiwI/AAAAAAAAv9E/ffiNnYi-y7s6Tn69HxY_W0fPFw3JJELmQCLcBGAs/s1600/download.jpg" /></a>This blog was launched years ago largely on the back of a blog post called <a href="http://counterbrew.blogspot.com/2015/08/a-quick-rant.html" target="_blank">A quick Rant</a>. Years later I find myself still saying and preaching the same things. Listen to me round eye... you go brew how you want to brew. If you want to make nothing but no boil hibiscus flower gose... then do that. If you want to boil everthing for 90 minutes than do that. But please use your heads about brewing. There are some disturbing trends that I am noticing that I think need to be addressed. So, today I am addressing them... again.<br />
<br />
<b>1.) It is all about the skill of the brewer not the equipment.</b> In the past couple of years there has been a near explosion of quality brewing equipment for home brewers. And most if it is awesome. Most of it will really help you make excellent wort. <b style="background-color: #fff2cc;"> But it will only help you if your recipe doesn't suck. </b> If you have great fresh ingredients. If you've calculated the correct amount of hops to add. If your process is solid. If you know how to aerate. If you can control fermentation temperatures. If, If, If! <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fuVy1AjYajo/WWd56rdXRQI/AAAAAAAAv9U/3GcyPTXXFqMhLHH68BhL5mLwvlLNtJuywCLcBGAs/s1600/KevanM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="487" data-original-width="728" height="214" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fuVy1AjYajo/WWd56rdXRQI/AAAAAAAAv9U/3GcyPTXXFqMhLHH68BhL5mLwvlLNtJuywCLcBGAs/s320/KevanM.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a dream set up for almost all of us. The electric brewery<br />
sells everything you need to craft your own dream set up. But<br />
remember you can make great beer with a cooler mash tun. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
If you are a brewer who prefers to step mash your beer, these systems are very appealing. I will admit that the idea of wort moving through tubes and then back into the mash tun is kinds cool. I will admit I am still considering the purchase of one. But, since I step mash anything and everything I brew, and I happen to own a stove and a pot and a spoon. I'm still not convinced they make much sense. I can accomplish the same thing by adding near boiling water and stirring. The effective cost to me...$0. I already own a pot for boiling and a spoon for stirring. Remember wort doesn't know it is being recirculated, enzymes couldn't care less. <span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">You see the equipment won't do squat for you if your water profile sucks, if your grain is stale, if your hops are old, if your fermentation temperatures rage uncontrolled. And it won't save you from a lack of general skill and knowledge. </span><br />
<br />
Listen, you can probably get away with messing up one variable of your beer,<a href="http://brulosophy.com/2017/06/26/traditional-vs-short-shoddy-brewing-process-exbeeriment-results/" target="_blank"> and have it still be pretty darn good. </a>(the Brulosophy guys are testing this). But don't imagine for a minute that a fancy wort production machine will make up for abject failure in other areas of your brewing. I've said it before, and I will say it again. Wort production is less important than; great recipe design, water adjustment, aeration, fermentation control, and above all else cleaning. So follow some common sense in making beer. Your first big investment is of course your kettle, burner, and mash tun.<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"> But your second big investment should be fermentation related. Remember, brewers make wort, yeast makes beer. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">Commit to 1 or 2 processes for the production of wort (we always step mash unless we are doing German beer, then we do a decoction step mash). Commit to a method of chilling your wort. Commit to a method of yeast preparation (vitality starters for this guy). Commit to a method of aeration. And finally commit to temperature controlled fermentation. Most importantly we use quality fresh ingredients.</span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--rZRstb1CP8/WWd5PGG3v5I/AAAAAAAAv9M/zjDPFcGcqYEBvv8_4bSOHoBprUAiBjrdgCLcBGAs/s1600/download%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="125" data-original-width="401" height="99" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--rZRstb1CP8/WWd5PGG3v5I/AAAAAAAAv9M/zjDPFcGcqYEBvv8_4bSOHoBprUAiBjrdgCLcBGAs/s320/download%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a><b>2.) You can not make great beer with crap ingredients.</b> It can not be done, do not dispute this point. So I understand that you want to save some money and buy in bulk, and it isn't a terrible idea for your grains. After all, grain is malted and kilned in part to preserve the grain. But please understand that if you are entering a contest with 2 year old pilsner and you are hoping to win category 2B (Bohemian Pilsner) you're screwed if I show up. Because I'm getting the freshest pilsner I can get. (Probably from our amazing sponsors at <a href="http://www.cargillfoods.com/specialty-malts/brewing/base-malts/index.jsp#pilsner" target="_blank">Cargill</a>) And I am lovingly, carefully performing a step mash decoction with out the aid of a recycling wort system. You'd better not try to use the remaining Saaz from the 1 lb bag you bought last year, cause I'm showing up with fresh nitrogen flushed<a href="https://ychhops.com/varieties/czech-saaz" target="_blank"> Saaz from our friends at YCH</a>. And I can promise you I will get perfect fermentation with a brew-day starter of <a href="http://www.fermentis.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/SFG_W34pdf.pdf" target="_blank">SafLager 34/70 </a>carefully controlled in our fermentation chamber. And forget it completely if you do not know how to adjust your water to the correct profile for a Bohemian Pilsner.<br />
<br />
How many times have you watched a YouTube video where the guys brewing didn't really know what they were doing, and they never mentioned how old their grain was, and they didn't utter a word about the AA% of their hops? And they are trying a brand new process they have never tried before... shockingly they miss their target OG, and then they blame the process and conclude it doesn't work. Do yourself a favor, ignore those guy. Remember the aspects that make quality beer, and keep your process consistent keep your ingredients fresh. Do the same things every time, for that matter brew the same beer over and over again with great ingredients. Commit to quality ingredients (if your LHBS doesn't have fresh hops, order them on line)<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bhAiGNg1ZSE/WWd5b6HVkEI/AAAAAAAAv9Q/e0BeCWWZPIg8MS7SEEf2v7PvA9ti2l-DwCLcBGAs/s1600/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="85" data-original-width="114" height="238" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bhAiGNg1ZSE/WWd5b6HVkEI/AAAAAAAAv9Q/e0BeCWWZPIg8MS7SEEf2v7PvA9ti2l-DwCLcBGAs/s320/unnamed.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can not make great beer if your brewery looks like this.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>3.) FACT - most of the problems we face as brewers are because of a lack of cleaning, a lack of understanding, or a lack of quality ingredients. </b> If you get even reasonable efficiency, your problems aren't because your wort production sucks. It's because something else, or everything else, in your process sucks. Most common error? <span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">Lack of sanitation.</span> So, best advice is slow down and clean everything. Think carefully about every step of the process. And again clean your stuff a lot. I am known to grab a piece of gear and clean it while I watch TV. My gear is pristine. <br />
<br />
You don't have to spend a fortune on any particular step of the process to make great beer. <span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">You do have to be clean.</span> You do have to think carefully about each step in the process. Incidentally if you do want to spend a fortune, spend it on quality ingredients, temperature controlled fermentation, on water filtration, and on aeration. Too many guys are focusing on the wrong things. Remember many of the equipment choices commercial brewers make are motivated in part by ease of cleaning. They don't have the advantage of being able to easily carry and break down their gear. They can't deep clean a mash tun while watching Sports Center.<br />
<br />
<b>4.) It's not a race. They don't give out awards for brewing quickly. And why would you want to? Brewing is so much fun. </b>Just slow down and use your heads, yes I know you are busy. Yes I know you need to carve out time to brew. But remember there are no short. If you are serious about making world class beer, Clean, Clean, Clean. Learn to adjust your water. Build a mash tun and learn to do infusion step mashing. Buy a <a href="https://www.brewinabag.com/collections/frontpage/products/the-brew-bag-for-coolers?gclid=Cj0KCQjwtJzLBRC7ARIsAGMkOAmn02O_APwPwKYDwAv_h2A_38jTK96tvBadB0c7A3NEAN96Iu3HMEEaAt4vEALw_wcB" target="_blank">brewbag for a filter,</a> they are just better mash filters than false bottoms, or toilet braiding. Those changes alone will improve your wort way more than a $2,000.00 wort machine. <i> (don't misunderstand me, If you are flush with cash go for it! If I win the lottery I'm buying all kinds of cool stuff from <a href="http://cobrewingsystems.com/nano-brewer-home-electric-brew-system-20-gallon-kettle/" target="_blank">Colorado Brewing Systems</a> and <a href="https://www.ssbrewtech.com/collections/fermenters/products/chronical-7-gal-fermenter-brewmaster-edition" target="_blank">SS Brewtech</a> )</i> <br />
<br />
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-99-reWix0cU/WWd4eMvZ3rI/AAAAAAAAv9I/ZhKtRicAkR8qB_zeH6AvqVkMxqvFc8hiwCLcBGAs/s1600/weak-sauce_o_2899137.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="368" data-original-width="552" height="213" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-99-reWix0cU/WWd4eMvZ3rI/AAAAAAAAv9I/ZhKtRicAkR8qB_zeH6AvqVkMxqvFc8hiwCLcBGAs/s320/weak-sauce_o_2899137.jpg" width="320" /></a>For your German beers learn to decoct, it makes a difference. Who cares if your mash takes 2 hours? It makes superior authentic German beer. And please don't tell me you can make the same caliber of beer with a single sacchrification rest. You CAN NOT so don't bring that weak sauce up in here. Only pitch healthy vital yeast. Learn to make a starter, or at least a vitality starter. Aerate your wort, so it can become healthy beer. And for the love of Sally control your fermentation temperatures.<br />
<br />
Above all else have fun, RDWHAHB, and don't be a douchebag. I have to suggest that you consider brewing beers that expose problems you are having. Brew a basic Blonde, brew a Cream Ale. If you can, brew a basic lager. And if you can't control temperatures on a lager, why are you worried about a wort production machine? Once again for excellent brewing, expenses related to water adjustment and temperature control should come before wort production expenses.<br />
<br />
I write this today as much as a reminder to myself as I do a reminder to all of you. I also see the fancy rigs on line and think how cool it would be to have one. I also see the shiny stainless fermenters and think, "<i>man that would be cool,a glycol controlled system in my basement." </i> But the truth is you don't need that to make world class beer, you can ferment in a keg, or in a stainless steel pot for much less. You can literally purchase 4 kegs to ferment in for the price of 1 stainless fermenter, and with a keg you can ferment under pressure. Just a reminder to all of you and to myself, stay clean & use your head. <br />
<br />
UPDATE: I was just thinking... Riddle me this batman, how come standard brew in a bag gets 80 -90% efficiency, and the recirculating units don't get anywhere near that. You have to do all kinds of stuff to a Grainfather mash to ensure 75%? Robobrew is no different. Gash Slug reports 80% on his robo brew with no pump, and we're hearing reports much lower with the pump. So yeah for me, I will keep my pot, and my spoon. I will use my BrewBag and crush as fine as I can, No sparge in the cooler infusion step mash.<br />
<br />
<br />David Steltinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08091919069275585647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6365074056807535758.post-41227716795377824082017-07-05T10:43:00.000-07:002017-07-06T13:19:04.285-07:005 gallon all grain on an average stove top? Concentration Cream Ale<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Cc-FsZ2U1y8/WV0SZOv8qBI/AAAAAAAAv24/54qs_L0AnjoxDrEvQ9LSRt3jXztHd9qIQCLcBGAs/s1600/Cream_Ale-600x800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Cc-FsZ2U1y8/WV0SZOv8qBI/AAAAAAAAv24/54qs_L0AnjoxDrEvQ9LSRt3jXztHd9qIQCLcBGAs/s200/Cream_Ale-600x800.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Good ol' cream ale.<br />
Delicious for you, and for your beer<br />
muggle friends.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So recently I posted that I actually prefer the craft beers of my youth. With the possible exception of my MWIPA, I prefer simple clean beers. I prefer basic flavors. This weekend I will be brewing a Basic Cream Ale. Old School Style in my mash tun, with my brew bag as a filter, step mash, to full volume. I will be draining slowly to see if that has an effect on my efficiency. Infusion step mash no sparge in my cooler is always around 72% efficiency. I will be stirring throughout the process. I think I prefer cream ale to American lager and American pilsner. Something about it just really agrees with my pallet. I think it is the corn. So I am going back to my good ol' Cream Ale recipe. And I will be making 5 gallons of a concentration batch. Because... well... It's Cream Ale. And because I don't think I've ever shown you all how to do a concentration before. <br />
<br />
Concentration is a simple process of making a smaller higher OG (concentrated) batch of wort, and then blending it with water to get to volume. It used to be a common practice in home brewing. Basically you brew a high OG small batch, in our case 1.075 and then blend it with water to reach volume. You then stir and aerate to thoroughly combine the wort and the water. I use one of my wine degassing whips attached to a drill to mix the concentration and the water, and to aerate the wort.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ekD9vpf1DJ0/WV0SlIl4KxI/AAAAAAAAv28/SIZASoVK7hILiTPGm8xJ6sip0fQPdJP5QCLcBGAs/s1600/download.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="191" data-original-width="264" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ekD9vpf1DJ0/WV0SlIl4KxI/AAAAAAAAv28/SIZASoVK7hILiTPGm8xJ6sip0fQPdJP5QCLcBGAs/s1600/download.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Say what you will, Genesee is Delicious.<br />
And, I'm reasonably confident the Genesee River<br />
is safe to drink out of...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This is one of the recipes I will be focusing on. I love great cream ale. It is hot as heck in KC right now. I don't feel like firing up the turkey fryer. So I am going to make this on the stove top in the air conditioned comfort of my apartment. And show you all how you can make 5 gallons of all grain beer in a 5 gallon kettle on your stove top, by only boiling 3.5 gallons. And it is delicious. And it tastes like any other all grain brew. If you follow close instructions, it tastes just as good as any other beer you make.<br />
<br />
I will be making the recipe below. And don't worry I will post all about how I do it with lots of photos, so that you too can make your own concentration wort. This is a great technique for those of you who want to keep brewing in the dead of winter, but who don't want to stand in a freezing garage.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Concentration Cream Ale - All the grains... </span></b><br />
OG 1.047<br />
FG 1.008<br />
IBU 14<br />
ABV 5%<br />
72.5% efficiency<br />
SRM - 2.63 predicted - probably around 3.5<br />
<br />
<b>Grain Bill</b><br />
5 lbs of American Pilsner. I will be using <a href="http://www.cargillfoods.com/specialty-malts/brewing/base-malts/index.jsp" target="_blank">IdaPils from Cargill</a><br />
2 lbs of Flaked Corn<br />
1 lbs of Flaked Rice<br />
.5 lbs of White Wheat Malt - yes wheat! I'm trying to get some head on the beer by doing a protein rest and using some wheat. Feel free to substitute CaraPilsner if you like.<br />
<br />
<b>Hop Bill</b><br />
.8 oz. of Liberty Hops at 60 minutes Yes I realize that at 4.77% this is not 14 ibu's remember this is a partial boil brew, like an extract. You have to account for that.<br />
.5 oz. of Liberty Hops at 15 minutes<br />
<br />
<b>Yeast & Extras</b><br />
1 package of US05<br />
1 whirflock tablet<br />
1 tsp of yeast nutrient<br />
<br />
<b>Mash schedule</b><br />
Rest at 132 F for 15 minutes - dough in with 2.64 gallons of water at 142 F<br />
Rest at 146 F for 40 minutes - add .7 gallons of 210 F water to get to this rest <i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(why 210 F ? Well to be truthful, 210 F, because you can not actually add boiling water to your mash tun, the minute you take the kettle off of the stove it will stop boiling, I account for that in my calculations by using 210 F)</span></i><br />
Rest at 156 F for 15 minutes - add .7 gallons of 210 F water to get to this rest<br />
Rest at 168 F for 10 minutes - Drain 1.3 gallons of wort from the mash and heat it to a boil, when boiling add it back into the wort to get to this rest. This is a Schluss Mash Decoction. <br />
Collect 3.6 gallons of wort Check gravity, it should be about 1.068<br />
Boil and follow hop schedule<br />
As you near the end of the boil, check your gravity, you should be around 1.072 to 1.074.<br />
Chill the wort to near pitching temperatures<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6icIvPmpgLI/WV0UxAJEXrI/AAAAAAAAv3A/9FhodlJ7cdMOAIltnS6cboISZhBKPT-bQCLcBGAs/s1600/chi-minnesota-bar-busted-for-selling-wisconsin-beer-20150421.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="400" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6icIvPmpgLI/WV0UxAJEXrI/AAAAAAAAv3A/9FhodlJ7cdMOAIltnS6cboISZhBKPT-bQCLcBGAs/s320/chi-minnesota-bar-busted-for-selling-wisconsin-beer-20150421.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I know they call it a farmhouse ale<br />
but they are esoteric, and much smarter<br />
than we are. Trust me it is a cream ale!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Blend the wort with water to get to volume<br />
Mix it and or shake it up so it is totally combined. <br />
Pitch your yeast<br />
Ferment<br />
Package<br />
Enjoy<br />
Repeat<br />
<br />
That's it. That is all you have to do. Yes, you can make 5 gallons of all grain beer on your stove top. And yes, you can do this with any style of beer. And yes they will come out just fine. For very high gravity beers, you should plan on doing a partial mash, where a portion of your sugars come from DME.<br />
<br />David Steltinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08091919069275585647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6365074056807535758.post-4177406488405259232017-06-27T08:25:00.001-07:002017-06-27T08:25:55.716-07:00Wine HACKING part 1... Using Kits and Concentrates to make great wine at home.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MNQ5qXmJnBs/WUlITj5cidI/AAAAAAAAvlc/t13NxF9e34ghEY2d5vGnMHst1R-qMdcRACLcBGAs/s1600/the-great-wine-rush.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="627" data-original-width="1200" height="167" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MNQ5qXmJnBs/WUlITj5cidI/AAAAAAAAvlc/t13NxF9e34ghEY2d5vGnMHst1R-qMdcRACLcBGAs/s320/the-great-wine-rush.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
So obviously here at Counter Brew we are mostly focused on beer. But, I also have a passion for great wine. Not just drinking it, but also reading about it, and making it. For most beer dudes, wine has kind of a negative stature. After all, we all know the "fake ass" wine snobs who claim they can detect a hint of <i>"lemon balm softened by a touch of french milk chocolate"</i> in a glass of average Cabernet. But, you'll find that people who actually know and love wine, are kinda like home brewers, they are happy to talk and share what they know about wine. And they are happy to help you appreciate wine more completely. And wine appreciation is a blast. You really can pick out all kinds of flavors if you learn how.<br />
<br />
But this time of year we wine makers are playing the waiting game. The harvest is months away. Oh sure we could just grab kits at the LHBS, and there are some great kits out there. But kit wine is kinda like the extract beer of the wine world. It is good, but it just isn't the same. In truth, <span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"> <i><b>Home made wine is almost always delicious, </b></i></span> and it can be great (think Grand Cru, world class stuff). But making kit wine is not the same as crushing the grapes, punching down the cap, pressing the wine and adjusting the acids to make the exact wine you want. <span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"> I should stress again <span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">the high end kits make world class wine,</span> </span>wine that would cost you $35 to $80 a bottle at the liquor store (it's that good). But it just isn't the same as making wine from grapes. So let me assure you if you can make beer, and you or your SWMBO enjoys good wine, you can easily make great wine from a kit at home. Don't worry, you don't have to become a wine snob to enjoy good wine. But you shouldn't be an anti wine guy either, you'd just be depriving yourself of a lot of fun.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZvteS3YJW0g/WUlJ3bK7faI/AAAAAAAAvlo/OBiRKEQmeT8Mitqvw_CJsTswMA4KAIc-gCLcBGAs/s1600/German-Strawberry-Wine-Punch-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZvteS3YJW0g/WUlJ3bK7faI/AAAAAAAAvlo/OBiRKEQmeT8Mitqvw_CJsTswMA4KAIc-gCLcBGAs/s200/German-Strawberry-Wine-Punch-2.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">freezing strawberries and using them<br />
as ice cubes in a <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Strawberry wine</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So what is a guy who likes to make wine to do in the summer months? <span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">What can I make to get that wine making kick? The answer: fruit wine.</span> Strawberry Moscato wine. And that is just what I did. I am also making a 1 gallon wine expert Pino Noir, and a 1 Gallon Merlot with Blackberries and Raspberries. Pino Noir and Merlot are very drinkable young, so I will probably drink a bottle and age the rest for 6 months. (<i>UPDATE I got a hold of a Wine Expert Trinity White Kit and made it too</i>). In a later post I will talk about what to age and, what you don't really ever need to age.<br />
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5YZMtnBfs7k/WUvvW4T2-5I/AAAAAAAAvns/n0kCT4xuZtEwhVLQjlLQMGhf7VfXzBCswCLcBGAs/s1600/16a20938c4519fb3986e65656c7139f6d1750c8de8d6df7a063cdcd0b5f82b99.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="457" data-original-width="305" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5YZMtnBfs7k/WUvvW4T2-5I/AAAAAAAAvns/n0kCT4xuZtEwhVLQjlLQMGhf7VfXzBCswCLcBGAs/s200/16a20938c4519fb3986e65656c7139f6d1750c8de8d6df7a063cdcd0b5f82b99.jpg" width="133" /></a><br />
When you make fruit wines (as we have before here on Counter Brew) <span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">you can just use the fruit to give the wine flavor and color, and table sugar to get the fermentables that you need to make the alcohol</span>. And that process is the standard way to make fruit and country wines. But those wines are kinda hit or miss, and without a grape wine base, fruit wines can be kinda thin and flabby. (Even with tannin additions.)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-95uKe_CV1RM/WUlKIo0RzgI/AAAAAAAAvls/od1dz4vnx_AQ4sGVrW7BJsZHK2iST78YgCLcBGAs/s1600/21-220.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-95uKe_CV1RM/WUlKIo0RzgI/AAAAAAAAvls/od1dz4vnx_AQ4sGVrW7BJsZHK2iST78YgCLcBGAs/s200/21-220.png" width="200" /></a></div>
So when I make fruit wine <span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">I generally start with a wine concentrate base or a 1 gallon kit.</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span>This gives the fruit wine more interest and rounds it out. To give you a beer comparison, think of it this way- it is like adding 20 and 30 minute hop charges so there is no hollow area in the taste of a hoppy beer. For strawberry wine, I usually use Moscato or Savignon Blanc ( Reisling is incredible with green apples). I usually make 3 gallons with a can of Alexander's wine concentrate. Alexander's Muscat will give you the gravity you need for 2 gallons of great fruit wine, you'll add sugar for the remaining gravity. And for those of you who already make wine, yes I know Alexanders is not vintage level concentrate, but it works really well for this practice. To be fair, I sometimes just make 1 gallon of fruit wine with a Wine Expert Kit. Both approaches make great fruit wines.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CSrnv9dIvD0/WUvk8O224jI/AAAAAAAAvnc/VaOMfuELDDYGYNj45-QL2Mh4wwfyVW1CQCLcBGAs/s1600/vines.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="640" height="133" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CSrnv9dIvD0/WUvk8O224jI/AAAAAAAAvnc/VaOMfuELDDYGYNj45-QL2Mh4wwfyVW1CQCLcBGAs/s200/vines.jpg" width="200" /></a>Now it is important that you know that wine is easier to make on brew day than beer, but where beer is all about the skill of the brewer,<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"> great wine is all about the quality of the ingredients. </span> "World Class" wine can take years to make and age and it will never be better than the grapes (fruit) you start with. And there are advanced techniques in wine making just like brewing. <span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"> So, if you are trying to make world class award winning wine you need to purchase the highest level kit you can afford ($175 - $200) or learn to make wine from actual wine grapes and frozen grape must and skins. </span> Just like brewing, you will need to learn how to adjust the acids, pH, and sugar level of your wine to make a world class wine. Just like brewing and blending sours, you will need to learn to blend wines to make a world class wine. But have no fear Mark Anthony and I will be doing that for you all in the fall. But today is not about world class wine, it is about the best strawberry wine you have ever had.<br />
<br />
For easy drinking delicious fruit wines... this is the way to go. So here is what you will need need to make a great summertime strawberry wine. Everything is available at your local home brew store.<br />
<br />
<b>Memories Last - a Strawberry Moscato </b>( Alternatively titled - Soccer Mom)<br />
1.074 OG<br />
.980 FG<br />
1.014 Back sweeten level<br />
12% ABV<br />
.65 g / 100 ml Acid Titration Level<br />
Profile - Sweet and loaded with Strawberry flavor - Smells like fresh berries.<br />
Color - Red and clear<br />
<br />
<b>Ingredients</b><br />
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ry5ZKb1NV88/VquiIM3HwoI/AAAAAAAAk_Y/YgQqDEyOAM80CoMjlYj9wttsFy3GKjQfgCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/20160123_123127.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ry5ZKb1NV88/VquiIM3HwoI/AAAAAAAAk_Y/YgQqDEyOAM80CoMjlYj9wttsFy3GKjQfgCPcBGAYYCw/s200/20160123_123127.jpg" width="112" /></a><br />
<ul>
<li>1 Can of Alexander's Moscato (Alexander's Muscat)</li>
<li>4 lbs of frozen mixed berries (this will provide some interesting flavor and deeper color Strawberry wine can turn kinda orange over time)</li>
<li>5 lbs of fresh or frozen strawberries (very ripe but not rotting, I prefer frozen berries and it took me years to accept that they make better wine)</li>
<li>2 - 2.5 lbs of sugar (you will have to use a hydrometer to figure this out)</li>
<li>2 crushed Camden Tablets</li>
<li>1.5 tsp of Pectic Enzyme</li>
<li>1.5 T of Bentonite</li>
<li>1 tsp of Yeast Nutrient</li>
<li>1 tsp of Acid Blend (or exact amount needed if you can test. Adjust wine to .65 / 100 ml acid level)</li>
<li>1/2 tsp of wine tannin</li>
<li>Wine Yeast - Lalvin 71B 1122 is my go to for this one</li>
<li>Brewer's Gelatin or Super Clear KC - fining agent.</li>
</ul>
<b>Equipment needed</b><br />
<ul>
<li>5 Gallon Food Grade Bucket with a lid and air lock. (good idea to add a racking spigot if you will be racking your wine)</li>
<li>3 Gallon hardware store PET water jug ($7 at Walmart by the primo water)</li>
<li>Hydrometer</li>
<li>Auto siphon and tubing</li>
<li>Wine Thief or Sanitary turkey baster, or .75 inside diameter silicone tube.</li>
<li>Wire Whisk or wine whip</li>
<li>Air Lock for secondary fermenter</li>
<li>3 1 gallon jugs with screw caps. or 6 half gallon jugs. </li>
<ul>
<li>I am not recommending you buy an Italian floor corker quite yet. Lets see if you enjoy this first. (I suggest the 1 gallon jugs because you can use them for pico batches of beer as well)</li>
<li>Plus if you really get into wine you will need to make 1 gallon batches of wine for blending with larger batches.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<b>Optional</b><br />
Acid Test Kit (worth it, and necessary if you get into wine)<br />
<br />
<b>Brew Day -</b><br />
<ol>
<li>Add .5 gallons of water to your sanitized fermenter add the bentonite, and with a sanitized whisk get it dissolved. </li>
<li>Add the Muscat concentrate </li>
<li>Add 2 gallons of water to the fermenter stir with whisk to get the Muscat Concentrate mixed in, check your gravity. It will be around 1.050. </li>
<li>In the remaining water dissolve enough sugar to bring the gravity up to 1.070, the fruit will provide the rest. For me it is always 4 to 5 cups of table sugar. </li>
<ol>
<li>Remember when you are doing this you will have to account for the additional water as well. So 2.5 gallons at 1.050 means that if you just added water to full volume your gravity would drop to 1.042. (Because you are going from 2.5 gallons to 3 gallons.) 2.5 is 83% of 3 gallons. 1.042 is 83% of 1.050 (roughly). So you need to add enough sugar to get your gravity up 28 points per gallon. 1 lb of sugar has 42 gravity points per pound per gallon. so you need to add .66 lbs per gallon. 28 / 42 = .666 or 1.9998 lbs of sugar = 2 lbs. or 4.5 cups of granulated sugar, dissolved in the .5 gallon of remaining water.</li>
</ol>
<li>Add the sugar and water to the fermenter - check gravity you should be at about 1.070, the fruit will provide the remaining gravity points. </li>
<li>Add the berries to a disposable brew bag (<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Gallon-Elastic-Opening-Strainer-Pieces/dp/B00C2A9L0Q" target="_blank">nylon paint straining bag</a>, 4 for 2.50 at my local ACE Hardware store in the paint area). Tie the top closed. If you are using frozen berries, thaw them first and don't lose that precious juice as they thaw. </li>
<ol>
<li>I like frozen berries for this. Half the work is done for you already and I have to tell you they tend to make better wine. You need 3 to 3.5 lbs of berries per gallon of wine you are making. For this batch I used fresh berries, well see how it turns out.</li>
</ol>
<li>Crush the berries with your clean and sanitized hands - get them well crushed.</li>
<li>Add the berries to the fermenter</li>
<li>Test the acid if you can, if not just add a tsp of acid blend.</li>
<ol>
<li>Adjust as necessary to get to .65 / 100 ml. </li>
</ol>
<li>Add the pectic enzyme</li>
<li>Add the wine tannin</li>
<li>Add the crushed camden tablets (crush between two spoons) - </li>
<li>Cover your fermenter with a clean towel, hold it in place by setting the lid on it.</li>
<li>Walk away for 24 to 36 hours. Why isn't this precise? well you have to wait for the Sulphites to off gas. When the sulfur smell is gone, you can pitch your yeast. </li>
</ol>
<div>
<b>Day 2</b></div>
<ol>
<li>Uncover fermenter</li>
<li>Check gravity with sanitized hydrometer, it should be deep enough to float in the must, just hold the fruit bag off to the side with a sanitary whisk. <b>Record the Gravity</b></li>
<li>Add yeast nutrient - stir in to dissolve </li>
<li>Add the yeast (follow the manufacturer's instructions for this) You may need to re-hydrate.</li>
<li>Cover with towel and lid</li>
<li>Walk away for 24 hours</li>
</ol>
<div>
<b>Day 3-7</b></div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>Uncover Fermenter</li>
<li>Check Gravity and Record</li>
<li>Remove fruit bag to a sanitary bowl</li>
<li>Whisk the wine - you are de gassing as you go, this isn't beer don't worry about adding oxygen at this phase. </li>
<li>Add the fruit and any juice that drained off back into fermenter. Give the fruit a squeeze- I usually press it against the fermenter wall with the whisk.</li>
<li>Cover with towel and lid</li>
<li>Repeat</li>
</ol>
<div>
<b>Day 8 - 1st Racking</b></div>
</div>
<div>
<ol>
<li> Use your auto siphon to transfer wine to a clean and sanitized 3 gallon fermenter of your choice.</li>
<ol>
<li>This is not a wine you will age. So PET works just fine.</li>
<li>Make sure you squeeze all the yummy goodness out of the fruit, before you start your transfer and stir it in. </li>
<li>The wine is safe to taste, so go ahead and try some.</li>
</ol>
<li>Fill it as full as you can - leave only an inch or so under the air lock. If you need to add wine, choose a light fruity wine like White Zinfandel. I use other wine or mead I have made.</li>
<ol>
<li>Now we care about oxygen. So go easy and don't aerate the wine.</li>
<ol>
<li>This is not always the case...some big red wines you actually want to aerate at this point. </li>
</ol>
</ol>
<li>A fix and air lock and walk away for at least 2 weeks</li>
</ol>
<div>
<b>Day 21 - 2nd - 4th Racking (OPTIONAL)</b></div>
</div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>If you want to clear your wine naturally (no fining agents) you will need to let it sit and rack it a couple of times, and it will take a couple of months minimum. </li>
<li>Each time it is clear and lees develops on the bottom of the fermenter, transfer the wine to another 3 gallon fermenter - top it up if necessary with other wine. I use bottle I made previously, but if you don't have those just use a cheap White Zinfandel. </li>
</ol>
<div>
<b>Stabilizing and Fining Your Wine</b></div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>Check your gravity, it should be around .990-.980</li>
<ol>
<li>If it is not, it is not done. </li>
</ol>
<li>I do not rack fruit wine more than once - it's fruit wine not Grand Cru. If you are like me you will probably choose to stabilize and fine the wine in secondary. </li>
<li>To stabilize your wine you will add 1/4 tsp of potassium metabisulfite and 2.25 tsp of potassium sorbate. </li>
<ol>
<li>Stabilizing will stop fermentation. </li>
<ol>
<li>When a wine is stabilized you can then back sweeten the wine. </li>
</ol>
<li>Stabilizing wine will provide preservatives for the long term storage of the wine</li>
</ol>
<li>At the same time you stabilize your wine you will want to fine the wine. Fining makes the wine brilliantly clear. </li>
<ol>
<li>Since you are a brewer I suggest you consider using Brewer's Gelatin to clear the wine. </li>
<ol>
<li>Do it just like you would a batch of beer</li>
<li>Dissolve 1 tsp Gelatin in cool water, then heat it to dissolve. Then add it to the wine. It will clear just fine at room temperatures. </li>
</ol>
</ol>
<li>Add your fining agent to the wine and stir / degas. <b><i>this is when you degas the wine. This is when you hook the whip up to your drill and go to town. Your goal is to get all of the CO2 out of the wine. You may need to rack a gallon of the wine to another container while you de gas, so that there is room for the bubbles and the spinning wine. </i></b></li>
<li><b>Walk away for a week. When you return the wine should be brilliantly clear.</b></li>
<ol>
</ol>
</ol>
</div>
<div>
<b>Back sweetening and Bottling</b><br />
<ol>
<li>Transfer the wine to your sanitized bottling bucket.</li>
<li>Fruit wines taste best with some sweetness. I generally back sweeten to 1.014. You may prefer more or less. </li>
<li>To do this you have to calculate how much sugar to add, just like above. </li>
<ol>
<li>Most of the time you are going from 0.0098 to 1.0140, that is <b> .0042 gravity points per gallon. </b> 1 lb of sugar has 42 gravity points per gallon. So you need to add .1 pound of sugar per gallon, or .68 cups of sugar dissolved in a warm liquid of your choice, I actually usually use another wine I have made for this but you can use water.</li>
</ol>
<li>When the wine is back sweetened to your liking, it is time to bottle.</li>
<li>Drain your wine into the 1 gallon (or half gallon) glass jugs. Put the screw cap on the jugs. </li>
<ol>
<li>If you are able to cork, then really you probably already know how to do this. </li>
</ol>
<li>Fruit Wine is ready for drinking as soon as you bottle it.</li>
</ol>
<div>
Well beer nerds, that's it. That is how you make awesome wine from fruit. It is a lot of fun, and it makes a reliably delicious batch of home made fruit wine. </div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<br />
<br />David Steltinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08091919069275585647noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6365074056807535758.post-76284297558952152102017-06-16T14:14:00.001-07:002017-07-03T10:27:55.799-07:00But first a HOP BOMB!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tWJPAt9bNXI/WUKzpT4ggnI/AAAAAAAAviY/kXt14OHQjWY2dtwQcFACwgQa91gws0YiQCLcBGAs/s1600/Raspberry-Wheat-300x283.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="283" data-original-width="300" height="299" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tWJPAt9bNXI/WUKzpT4ggnI/AAAAAAAAviY/kXt14OHQjWY2dtwQcFACwgQa91gws0YiQCLcBGAs/s320/Raspberry-Wheat-300x283.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I have always loved Raspberry Wheat beer. Say what you will<br />
but when it is done right, it is truly awesome!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><i style="background-color: yellow;">I miss the craft beers of my misspent youth. </i></b>Honey Brown, Raspberry Wheat, Cream Ale, Pale Ale,BDSA, Belgian Blonde, and Steam Lagers. Don't get me wrong I still love the newfangled IPAs and Sours, who doesn't love a juicy NEIPA, or a complex Bret Beer aged on whiskey soaked oak or an Oud Bruin aged on Cabernet soaked currants? (we have 20 gallons of complex sour beer fermenting right now) But recently I find myself missing the more basic beers of my younger days. <br />
<br />
I think what is motivating this is my need to make beer that more people will appreciate. Sure it is nice to drink interesting craft beer with beer nerds, but it is also nice to be able to give your bud drinking uncle Leroy a beer he will enjoy.<br />
<br />
So I am putting out a series of recipes and brew days called... wait for it... younger daze. (I'm so damned creative.) I<i><b>n this series I am going to brew 2.5 gallon batches of the beers we loved in the mid 1990's and early 2000's.</b></i> <span style="background-color: yellow;">These are beers that anyone could make well. </span>These are beers that didn't require a pressurized fermentation system and oxygen free transfer. There was no water chemistry required. And these were beers that<span style="background-color: yellow;"> always tasted better when you made them your self.</span> These are all beers than can be kegged or bottled, and they will taste just fine. <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jeCGc3rnPHo/WUgAF9Xs3DI/AAAAAAAAvlA/v3vFiSDa9BUHKrd3cYsWQaDkP5iHypvewCLcBGAs/s1600/friends.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jeCGc3rnPHo/WUgAF9Xs3DI/AAAAAAAAvlA/v3vFiSDa9BUHKrd3cYsWQaDkP5iHypvewCLcBGAs/s1600/friends.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Who doesn't love the beer and the TV of the<br />
1990s and early 2000s</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
Heck I may just put these beers back into rotation full time. I like them... that's right, <span style="background-color: yellow;">after years of cognitive therapy and home brewing, I'm able to stand before you right now and say... I like basic craft beers.</span><br />
<br />
I invite you to brew along with my younger daze series. <span style="background-color: yellow;">Return to basic awesome beer that all of your friends and neighbors will enjoy.</span> If you have never tried all grain, well now is the time to get started. None of these beers require advanced equipment or advanced water adjustments. Although, making water adjustments is certainly an acceptable practice. I will certainly be starting with RO water and making adjustments. (Remember sports fans, John showed us all an easy way to adjust water for a low IBU beer last week, mixing RO water and tap water 50/50 and using 5.2 stabilizer.) <br />
<br />
So over the next few weeks I will be posting the recipes for these beers. All 6 of them, I'll probably brew the BDSA first so that it can age properly before the fall and winter. But I'll probably brew 2 a weekend. And <i><span style="background-color: yellow;">I am returning to Step Mashing all of the time. That's right every single beer get's step mashed. I may be crazy, but I am more and more convinced that (overall) we made better beer in the early days of home brewing. Not as complicated, but better over all. Our mash process was more complete. We made beer with real head retention, and real mouth feel.</span> </i> I am pretty sure my millennial brewing partners would agree with me on this controversial claim. The beers we step mash are more complete. They have real mouth feel, and real head retention.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Dnh0HklIszs/V_LR8ggkHYI/AAAAAAAAqlk/M4S9pqrlOBIybd6ohUXOXRcKQz-0YfjNQCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/hippo%2Bsexy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="436" data-original-width="500" height="278" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Dnh0HklIszs/V_LR8ggkHYI/AAAAAAAAqlk/M4S9pqrlOBIybd6ohUXOXRcKQz-0YfjNQCPcBGAYYCw/s320/hippo%2Bsexy.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We've been brewing August Hyppo for years.<br />
It is our version of a Classic West Coast IPA.<br />
We always shoot for about 75-80 IBUs.<br />
That is the range where we really feel like you can<br />
get the best taste, and still experience the bitterness.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: yellow;">But before I do any of that, I will be brewing a hop monster, well a hop hyppo. </span> Why? Because I happen to have the ingredients for one, and because I really like this recipe. Here it is feel free to brew along with me.<br />
<br />
By the way the Hop Bomb is the <span style="background-color: yellow;">last of the 2 hour beers I will be making for now. I will only be mashing until the mash is done, and boiling for 30 minutes on this beer. <b><i>update: I mashed for 45 minutes, and boiled for 40 minutes. the dang 1oz package of Warrior was only .7 oz, so I had to extend my boil. Still brew day was only 2:48. </i></b></span> The recipe is for 5 gallons, but I will only be brewing 2.5 gallons. Enjoy.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">August Hyppo 3.0 Classic West coast IPA</span></b><br />
1.051 OG<br />
1.007 FG<br />
6.7% ABV<br />
76 IBU (1.25 IBU /OG)<br />
5.5 Gallons<br />
72.5% efficiency on a step mash no sparge<br />
<br />
3.8 # 6 Row Brewer's Malt<br />
3.8 # 2 Row Brewer's Malt<br />
1.0 # Cara 20<br />
1.0 # Pale Wheat<br />
4 oz Acidulated Malt<br />
<br />
Mash at 150 F until the mash is converted then raise to 168 F to denature enzymes. <br />
<br />
1.6 of Warrior (16%) at 30 minutes<br />
2.0 of Cascade (7%) at 5 minutes<br />
1.0 of Centennial (10.5%) whirlpool (175 F for 20 minutes) <b><i>update a neighbor stopped by so whirlpool lasted for 25 minutes.</i></b><br />
1.0 of Cascade (7%) whirlpool (175 F for 20 minutes)<br />
1.0 of Simcoe (13%) whirlpool (175 F for 20 minutes)<br />
1.0 of Centennial (10.5%) dry hop 3 days<br />
1.0 of Cascade (7%) dry hop 3 days<br />
1.0 of Simcoe (13%) dry hop 3 days<br />
<br />
US 05 yeast<br />
<br />
Make a vitality starter - 1 cup of sanitary water + 3.5 Table spoons of DME at the beginning of brew day. Should be around 1.035 to 1.040 (I use my refractometer and get it in this range). Performance will be as fast and easy as liquid yeast. <b><i>update with the vitality starter the beer took off. It is Now Tuesday and the wort is at 1.014...arent sample ports great!</i></b><br />
<br />
I will be adding 1 g of Gypsum to my water pre mash. I will be adding .5 tsp of Gypsum to the boil (late). I will be using yest nutrient, and whirlflock.<br />
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<b>GENERAL UPDATE</b><br />
The beer has been fermenting for 8 days, and has dropped to 1.012. It is not clear at all. I think because of the massive whirlpool hopping and dry hopping. The beer is bracingly bitter and the hop flavors are well defined. It explodes with Citrus, Grapefruit, and citrus Juice, but there is enough bitterness to balance. It reminds me more of a NEIPA than a WCIPA, It actually really reminds me of Boulevard "The Calling". I will bottle on Wednesday night. It is what it is at this point. I am not going to fine the beer. I don't want to lose any of the precious hop flavor. I am not surprised by the cloudiness of this beer. Remember I shortened the boil, and threw a lot of hops into whirlpool I think I will call this a MidWest IPA. MWIPA. I wont know for sure until I bottle, but right now this is the best IPA I have ever made. This oneis getting naturally carbonated. Cheers brew nerds.<br />
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<br />David Steltinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08091919069275585647noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6365074056807535758.post-44680623372415201742017-06-13T09:22:00.003-07:002017-06-13T11:38:36.609-07:00The wedding brew day... featuring Cargil IdaPils<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-c8Fn1_pOAiY/WUAKwyHLoCI/AAAAAAAAve0/TfrMzUIk1Qcz8qfzpVM8MxShMoyf-XTvgCLcB/s1600/2017-06-13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-c8Fn1_pOAiY/WUAKwyHLoCI/AAAAAAAAve0/TfrMzUIk1Qcz8qfzpVM8MxShMoyf-XTvgCLcB/s320/2017-06-13.jpg" width="320" /></a>Saturday the crew gathered at John's brewery / garage for a special brew day. You see Mark's brother is getting married to an awesome girl. (how awesome? she loves beer... and not just beer... the girl loves Sour and Funky beer). And we were asked to brew something for the wedding. Now the wedding is coming up soon, so there wasn't time to make a sour. (<i>yes I know we could have done a Berliner Weiss, but this is a wedding, how many Bud guzzling muggles do you think would actually enjoy that beer</i>).<br />
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We were joined by a whole bunch of Mark's cousins. And it made for a fun brew day. Mark and John explaining the process, and why we were doing what we do. Great beers were sampled, and hi-jinks and shenanigans ensued.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xey1OhbMttM/WUAIRxECOzI/AAAAAAAAvek/rc2ak9JM4zs-qMG9LG5j5hlCUmXyOtgKACKgB/s1600/IMG_20170603_091511.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xey1OhbMttM/WUAIRxECOzI/AAAAAAAAvek/rc2ak9JM4zs-qMG9LG5j5hlCUmXyOtgKACKgB/s320/IMG_20170603_091511.jpg" width="240" /></a>On this brew day we were making <a href="http://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=42841" target="_blank">Biermuncher's classic Centennial Blonde ale</a>. If you have never made it, well to be honest if you have never made it, where have you been? It was the number 1 recipe on home brew talk. It is a home brew classic. Equally loved by craft beer fans, and beer muggles alike. Medium gravity (1.046 target) and low bitterness (21 ibu) make this beer a home brew classic. At my home I always have Centennial Blonde or Cream ale available for beer muggles.<br />
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Now one thing to know about brewing 10 gallons. Step mashing is usually faster than single infusion mashing. Yes, you read that correctly. Step mashing is usually faster. Why? Well use your common sense. It is much faster to heat smaller volumes of water, and it takes less time to get your mash going. The entire brew day for 11 gallons of Centennial Blonde, only took a little over 3 hours, and that included clean up.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XoDYYw8ACEw/WLxOtbIbAdI/AAAAAAAAtVc/lgYQFI3Afb0qA9oL1l0hvf3eJtcpE9zAACPcB/s1600/IMG_20170225_125529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XoDYYw8ACEw/WLxOtbIbAdI/AAAAAAAAtVc/lgYQFI3Afb0qA9oL1l0hvf3eJtcpE9zAACPcB/s200/IMG_20170225_125529.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">infusion mashing won't be<br />
equalized unless you stir it<br />
to make it even out</td></tr>
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On this day we were doing a no sparge 4 step infusion mash, with rests at 132 F, 146 F, 156 F, and 168 F. Now, remember we brew a lot, and we have our process down. John chose to do a simple water profile for the day. He mixed tap water with RO water 50/50 and used 5.2 stabilizer to buffer the pH. Worked like a charm We were at 5.46 for most of the mash. His chief aim was making the water softer to let the malt shine a little more. But we sometimes make Centennial Blonde with tap water and a basic acid adjustment, and it comes out just fine. Great beer for new all grain brewers.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NXQCFiLS3Q0/WLxRwI3KCtI/AAAAAAAAtWA/AvAUWtRkbV0MGQmHX9VMDnjVquHQTxDiwCPcB/s1600/IMG_20170225_134634.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NXQCFiLS3Q0/WLxRwI3KCtI/AAAAAAAAtWA/AvAUWtRkbV0MGQmHX9VMDnjVquHQTxDiwCPcB/s200/IMG_20170225_134634.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">stir your infusions to equalize<br />
and to get better efficiency.</td></tr>
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We doughed in at 142 F, and the mash stabilized at 132 F. We loose 10 degrees this time of year. In the winter we pre heat the mash tun, and we still lose about 12 degrees Fahrenheit. As soon as we doughed in we started our next water heating. 1.3 gallons of nearly boiling water would take the mash to 146 F The 2nd rest is our long rest, it lasts for about 35 minutes. At the end of that rest we added 1.7 gallons of nearly boiling water to get to 156 F. where we rested for 15 minutes. Finally we added 3.3 gallons of boiling water to get to 168 F where we rested for 10 minutes. The smell of the <a href="http://www.cargillfoods.com/specialty-malts/brewing/base-malts/index.jsp#pilsner" target="_blank">Cargill <i>IdaPils</i></a> dominated the garage, and driveway. You can use <i>IdaPils</i> for German Beers, American Lagers, heck you can even use it for Belgians. Although we prefer the <a href="http://www.cargillfoods.com/specialty-malts/brewing/base-malts/index.jsp#pilsner" target="_blank">Dingeman's Pilsner for the Belgians</a>. It really is excellent malt. An iodine test and taste test confirmed that our mash was complete. One note on Brewing with John, don't leave an open bag of <i>IdaPils</i> near him, he eats it like pop corn.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R_xXkkVqHmw/WLxTcE1gVzI/AAAAAAAAtWA/bPXJXdqVkaw-v4B2dzJiUOnDx9J8IIIewCPcB/s1600/IMG_20170225_141040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R_xXkkVqHmw/WLxTcE1gVzI/AAAAAAAAtWA/bPXJXdqVkaw-v4B2dzJiUOnDx9J8IIIewCPcB/s200/IMG_20170225_141040.jpg" width="150" /></a>There are so many advantages to a step mash, not the least of which is the ability to manage your proteins more effectively. We breakdown long proteins into medium length proteins. What is left behind gives great head retention and great silky mouth feel. It's the way beer used to be, it's the way beer should be. Have you ever experienced a creamy meringue like head on a Belgian beer? Well, they step mash. Step mashing also gives you very complete and predictable conversion of your starches. The multiple temperatures are a more reliable methodology for conversion than just a long single infusion mash. John collected 11.5 gallons of delicious pilsner wort. <br />
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The boil was uneventful. Our 12" Banjo Burner quickly brought the 12.5 gallons to a boil. John added .6 of Centennial at 60 minutes, .6 of Centennial at 35 minutes, .6 of Cascade at 15 minutes, and .6 of Cascade at 5 minutes. That's it. It is that simple of a beer. The deliciousness of the beer has much more to do with it's simplicity. The combination of Centennial and Cascade is the key. Don't over do them. Your target is 20-22 IBUs. Do not half ass this thing into an "almost pale ale, or a "not very hoppy IPA". Although these hops work for those styles just fine, do your self a favor, and just follow Biermuncher's recipe. If you want to mess with something mess with the malt.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-47y-0bUw7E0/WUAPQtIDZqI/AAAAAAAAvfI/Mo53vBmSo8sKWKkP7pJ5pXT8VRU5I6APQCLcB/s1600/87b7365d-8720-44e2-9828-9a8ddabb008c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-47y-0bUw7E0/WUAPQtIDZqI/AAAAAAAAvfI/Mo53vBmSo8sKWKkP7pJ5pXT8VRU5I6APQCLcB/s320/87b7365d-8720-44e2-9828-9a8ddabb008c.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">step mashed wort has lots of protein break. That is a good<br />
thing, that is what you are trying to created. RDWHAHB</td></tr>
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At the end of the boil, the wort was quickly chilled with our Jaded Hydra immersion chiller. This thing is a beast. The wort went from 210 F to 74 F in 5 minutes. John and Mark then transferred into carboys, and put the beer in the chamber to continue chilling to 64 F. When they got home from the Sporting Kansas City match (a Champions league 3-0 drubbing of Minnesota United) John pitched Fermentis S-04. The original gravity was 1.046 (spot on). <b><i>Now, one important note, when you step mash you will have lots of protein break in your wort. Don't freak out, it will settle out.</i></b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8ZsWt3zFc8Q/WUAPWJSeulI/AAAAAAAAvfM/8m2QT3liHzY12XtrEcpzEM4nhvKwhSSGQCLcB/s1600/3338de99-ef4d-4b86-83df-2aaf54f5741c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8ZsWt3zFc8Q/WUAPWJSeulI/AAAAAAAAvfM/8m2QT3liHzY12XtrEcpzEM4nhvKwhSSGQCLcB/s200/3338de99-ef4d-4b86-83df-2aaf54f5741c.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the proteins have settled</td></tr>
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This beer will ferment fast, and will easily be ready in time for the wedding. It will serve to protect the "special beers John has created for Rob on his big day. But I suspect it will be enjoyed by all.<br />
<br />David Steltinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08091919069275585647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6365074056807535758.post-5564635131726205742017-04-28T10:27:00.001-07:002017-04-28T10:27:22.135-07:00What would they drink in the shire? Warminster Maris Otter Brown Ale...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Years ago, while watching an episode of<a href="http://brewingtv.com/episodes/2012/10/3/brewing-tv-episode-69-palmers-oaked-mild.html" target="_blank"> BrewingTV,</a> I was inspired by the idea of a beer that the hobbits would have enjoyed. A beer that would have been drank by the pint at the "green Dragon" and the "Prancing Pony". Mike Dawson was interviewing John Palmer, and during the interview, MD asked JP, what would the Hobbits drink... out of that nerdy question (no judgement #NERDPRIDE!) came John Palmer's incredible recipe for<a href="http://brewingtv.com/recipe/2011/9/23/belladonna-tooks-oaked-mild-john-palmer-recipe-for-btv.html" target="_blank">Belladona Took's Oak Aged Mild</a>. If you haven't made the BTOAM... it is is a fantastic beer. I have made it several times, and in an ultimate nerdery session, last year I made a small batch of it (2.5 g) and I drank it as I re-read the Lord of the Rings. It was an awesome experience that has lead to a pantheon of recipes inspired by film and books. <br />
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But I am never one to leave, well enough alone. I for one am always messing with recipes and trying to create a new taste sensation. And over time our recipe has grown, and changed. It is now a Brown ale aged on oak, with a touch of smoke... I give you Bywater Brown Ale.<br />
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Saturday Mark Anthony and I got together to brew this awesome beer. We generally brew small batch at Mark Anthony's place, and today was no exception. I gave you a 5 gallon recipe, but we only brewed 3 gallons. 2.5 to 3 gallons are easily handled on most stove tops, and since Mark Anthony's stove seems to be nuclear powered, his stove makes it really easy. This was a simple straight forward brew day. Single infusion mash, no sparge, full volume, no chill... every thing easy. Jazz on the radio, soccer (football) on the television. <br />
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We began with basic water treatments. The brewing water in Kansas City is like many other cities, great for some styles, lacking for others. We treated our water with 5.2 stabilizer and because this beer is at least somewhat English in its inspiration, we did add some gypsum. We targeted a pH of 5.4. Yes, 5.4. when you are doing Full Volume BIAB you want to keep the pH a little higher. Trust me you will still get full conversion and great efficiency. It's a thin mash afterall. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n9g07RQswvs/WP_KDksFHcI/AAAAAAAAuYE/A05ngh-OenkYOrAWVpccREZwdX4voaJ2gCPcB/s1600/IMG_20170326_144312.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n9g07RQswvs/WP_KDksFHcI/AAAAAAAAuYE/A05ngh-OenkYOrAWVpccREZwdX4voaJ2gCPcB/s200/IMG_20170326_144312.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love the color of this beer.</td></tr>
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For this brew day we were excited to be trying the <a href="http://www.cargillfoods.com/specialty-malts/brewing/base-malts/index.jsp#2row" target="_blank">Warminster Maris Otter</a>. This is another fine product from the good folks at Cargill. (It looked and smelled amazing) We used specialty malts from our local home brew store. The most interesting specialty malt was walnut smoked malt. Man there are a lot of smoked malt options on the market these days. I remember when we had to smoke our own malts for a Scottish Heavy or for a Rauch Bier.<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1sJHiWLDtrQ/WP_KDn42jWI/AAAAAAAAuYE/ouBYjQmpUm0dN-mPD76H1m-XqH-k5mlnwCPcB/s1600/IMG_20170326_134958.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1sJHiWLDtrQ/WP_KDn42jWI/AAAAAAAAuYE/ouBYjQmpUm0dN-mPD76H1m-XqH-k5mlnwCPcB/s200/IMG_20170326_134958.jpg" width="150" /></a>Mash in went well, MAs stove quickly brought the water to strike temperature. Almost immediately the kitchen took on the aroma of bread, and toast, with the slightest hint of campfire smoke. Since we were brewing a beer inspired by literature, MA decided to ponder the mash for a moment. The mash was stirred every 15 minutes and we began tasting the mash at 45 minutes. Conversion was complete but the mash wasn't fully developed, so we rested for another 15 minutes. Sometime in that 15 minutes is when the magic happened. The bread like character of the <a href="http://www.cargillfoods.com/specialty-malts/brewing/base-malts/index.jsp" target="_blank">Warminster Maris Otter </a>came to the fore front, and the taste shifted from "really good" to "damn son"<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We bag our hops during the boil to reduce<br />kettle trub.</td></tr>
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At the end of the mash we pulled the bag, gave it a squeeze... and checked the gravity... 1.042... way too high for a pre boil mild... the solution... we rinsed the grains, grabbed some more English hops from MAs freezer... and Bywater brown was born. We knocked it down to 1.036 with our rinse, targeting a post boil volume of 3 gallons, and a OG of 1.046. One thing you can count on when brewing with MA, he will always have some kind of English Hop and some Czech Saaz around... I think he puts them on his oatmeal. Our efficiency was over 80%, so the recipe you see above is adjusted down to 75%. <br />
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The boil was uneventful We added hops as indicated by the recipe, at the end of the boil we just sealed up the kettle and let it cool overnight. The next afternoon, MA transferred to the fermenter, and pitched a package of Fermentis S-04. The beer is fermenting away, and soon, the beer will be aged for a couple of weeks on toasted Oak chips. <br />
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OK so we've been a little inactive recently. Two of our team member have had babies in the past couple of months. But were back with a vengeance. You can expect lots of posts coming up. I'm brewing 2x this weekend, I will of course post about it. Even when we're not posting, I am still brewing. Ive brewed a BGSA (ridiculously good), a hoppy wheat, a Citra Saison, and a Pale in recent weeks. Increasingly, I brew 2.5 gallon batches. There is just no reason to brew 10 gallons all the time. But 1 gallon isn't enough beer for the effort. I think it can be argued that most brewers should brew more small batch. Not just for experimenting, and practice, but also because this is alcohol we are talking about. One of the hazards of our hobby is excessive consumption, and possibly alcoholism. Obviously small batch brewing doesn't solve the inherent issues of alcoholism.. but it can shift your focus from making a whole bunch of beer, to making the very best beer. It also costs less... In fact, I will be posting soon about responsible home brewing, and the easiest most affordable way to make world class beer at home. We'll be examining what is and what is not important to create world class beer at home. I will also be sharing tips for the brewing of small batches, and for the construction of a small fermentation chamber, and a kegging in 2.5 gallon kegs. <br />
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<br />David Steltinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08091919069275585647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6365074056807535758.post-81974490340900895442017-03-05T10:54:00.000-08:002017-03-08T09:51:41.140-08:00Saison brew day featuring Cargill Malts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So it has been a while, but Saturday, John and I gathered at his place to make 10 gallons of our flower power saison. Flower flavored saisons are a tradition for us in summer time. (In the fall you may recall we make a heavily spiced saison inspired by Saison d'Pipaix.) This years Flower power has a change from previous versions. This year's Flower Power would be all Chamomile. This change was inspired by John's recent trip to St. Louis, where he tried Saison de Lis... a wonderful, wonderful beer.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gF9U_8vWEUY/WLxVXNF6_NI/AAAAAAAAtV8/nF8CzKuRuwoLu5ML4M5ztIdFP4NVLj5mACLcB/s1600/Mr%2Brogers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gF9U_8vWEUY/WLxVXNF6_NI/AAAAAAAAtV8/nF8CzKuRuwoLu5ML4M5ztIdFP4NVLj5mACLcB/s200/Mr%2Brogers.jpg" width="186" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can you say "Saison?"</td></tr>
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So Saturday at 11:00 We started our brew day. Now, there was another special thing about this brew day. We had the privilege of brewing with <a href="http://www.cargillfoods.com/specialty-malts/brewing/base-malts/index.jsp#pilsner" target="_blank">Moterij Dingeman's Pilsner Malt. </a> That is the real deal folks. Dingeman's is a Cargill Partner. As you have heard me say countless times. If you haven't tried <a href="http://www.cargillfoods.com/specialty-malts/brewing/base-malts/index.jsp" target="_blank">Cargill malts</a>, do it. Do it now. The flavor is outstanding and the extraction is consistently as predicted. Our adjunct grains were also from Cargill. I should say now that we are so thankful to the wonderful people at Cargill for their continued support and advice. We are rich with pilsner right now, and that is in no small part because of their support. So in the coming weeks you can expect loads of pilsner based brews... "Children can you say lager season? I knew you could"<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ki5N7xJrt8Q/WLQ1hgZeC1I/AAAAAAAAs0U/k4k53_kC8pA8c4fNEtAFwJWDhfVZ4lEZgCLcB/s1600/saison.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ki5N7xJrt8Q/WLQ1hgZeC1I/AAAAAAAAs0U/k4k53_kC8pA8c4fNEtAFwJWDhfVZ4lEZgCLcB/s400/saison.jpg" width="310" /></a>Our recipe was pretty straight forward. And while John was setting up the brewery I started crushing the 20+ lbs of grain. Now there is one change from the recipe you see below. That being, in the recipe below you will see German Spelt. We actually used <i><b><a href="http://www.cargillfoods.com/specialty-malts/brewing/specialty-malts-grains-others/index.jsp" target="_blank">Meussdoerffer Spitz malt.</a> Spitz malt is an under modified grain which improves head retention. </b></i><br />
<br />
We have been playing with Spitz malt as a replacement for Carapilsner in our traditional beers. So far we are very happy with the results.<br />
<br />
We have also had another realization that may prove beneficial to the group. <span style="background-color: yellow;">STEP MASHING IS FASTER THAN SINGLE STEP WHEN YOU ARE DOING A NO SPARGE MASH. That's right. I said it. And I own it. </span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5go8gTzwljU/WLxOzEUUr2I/AAAAAAAAtVQ/79VoMx6YNjA0H6vwMchzdir2vu1yYc_ygCKgB/s1600/IMG_20170225_115156.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5go8gTzwljU/WLxOzEUUr2I/AAAAAAAAtVQ/79VoMx6YNjA0H6vwMchzdir2vu1yYc_ygCKgB/s320/IMG_20170225_115156.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We have a beast of a burner. So no lack of heat<br />
in our brewery. 12" / 231 K Btu.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Listen, we are blessed to have a 12" banjo burner, that puts out incredible amounts of heat. And heating 14.5 gallons of water from ground temperature to strike temperature... just flat out sucks. It takes forever... We can recirculate, we can stir, we can make sacrifices to the heat gods... doesn't matter. The laws of thermodynamics are still, laws. They dictate that water can only heat up so fast. They also dictate that the total amount of time for heating, per kCal / Btu is linear. So why not put that energy to work earlier, especially if it makes better beer. <br />
<br />
You know what doesn't take forever? Heating 5 gallons of water. And we can have 3 separate burners that can heat 5-7 gallons to a rocking and ready state as brew day begins. And the first addition doesn't even have to be boiling. The first addition only has to be hot enough to start a protein rest. Here's an example below. <br />
<br />
For this recipe we have 22 lbs of grain. We absorb about .08 gallons per pound after a gentle squeeze. We loose 1.5 gallons to the boil. We loose .5 a gallon in general. This is a recipe for 11 gallons. So we need 14.76 gallons of water treated, heated, and ready to roll. To start off the day we will heat 6.76 gallons of water to 134.5 F. We will dough in there and rest for 20 minutes. During that time we bring 2.55 gallons to a boil, then infusion mash in bringing our mash rest temperature up to 146 F where we rest for 35 minutes, then 1.85 gallons of boiling water to bring the mash up to 156 F for 15 minutes. Then 3.6 Gallons boiling water to reach mash out. And that's it. That is our total volume of water. The mash is so well converted after our basic step mash that we just drain and boil. <b>And yes I am telling you this is faster than heating 14.76 gallons of water to the temperature necessary for a single step mash.</b> And unless you have a high powered electric brewing system, It is faster for you as well. Don't argue this point, try it. it is physics. The laws of physics are not up for argument on a home brew blog site. <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XoDYYw8ACEw/WLxOtbIbAdI/AAAAAAAAtVM/DixHeCSjMSECRTDq1w_nNDWKMk8YQxP4gCKgB/s1600/IMG_20170225_125529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XoDYYw8ACEw/WLxOtbIbAdI/AAAAAAAAtVM/DixHeCSjMSECRTDq1w_nNDWKMk8YQxP4gCKgB/s200/IMG_20170225_125529.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The thick Beta Glucan rest.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So we stepped in and came to rest at 125 for a protein rest. We rested there for 20 minutes. The protein rest was thick and milky... that is good. That means the gummy substance betaglucan is being broken down. Breaking down betaglucan will result in more effective starch conversion, more complete attenuation, and more clear beer. We have written about this comprehensively in our step mashing series. The links are to your right. <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NXQCFiLS3Q0/WLxRwI3KCtI/AAAAAAAAtVs/_H-xwDbQtL07Uk3F94QWtu_718MVSffRQCKgB/s1600/IMG_20170225_134634.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NXQCFiLS3Q0/WLxRwI3KCtI/AAAAAAAAtVs/_H-xwDbQtL07Uk3F94QWtu_718MVSffRQCKgB/s320/IMG_20170225_134634.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The mash after the final infusion. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The brewery / garage filled with a wonderful bready aroma. The aroma of a world class pislner malt. Listen, all pilsner smells great when you mash in (for that matter all grain smells pretty darn good when you mash in). But great pilsner is especially potent. And this Moterij Dingeman's Pilsner Malt, well let's just say Cargill has a winner on their hands.<br />
<br />
After 20 minutes we added 2.55 gallons of boiling water to the mash tun. And we rose to 146 F. This is our main saccrification rest. We held at this step for 40 minutes.<br />
<br />
As you can see the mash goes from extremely thick to very thin. But that is ok. Using our process we save a tremendous amount of time and actually produce better beer. Our final infusion brought us to 156 F where we rested for 15 minutes.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R_xXkkVqHmw/WLxTcE1gVzI/AAAAAAAAtV0/teA8uLMJqwU_lhOR0iiizCKjTVV_7xlNwCKgB/s1600/IMG_20170225_141040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R_xXkkVqHmw/WLxTcE1gVzI/AAAAAAAAtV0/teA8uLMJqwU_lhOR0iiizCKjTVV_7xlNwCKgB/s200/IMG_20170225_141040.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Draining the wort, with Bella<br />
the brew dog. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Now we are no sparge brewers. We started doing no sparge a year ago and we have never looked back. We are seeing efficiency at 72.5% every batch. We have our process locked in. But, today we overshot. Our initial gravity was supposed to be 1.045 and it was 1.055. <span style="background-color: yellow;">That's 85% efficiency. All I can figure is that the Moterij Dingeman's Pilsner Malt extracts like crazy in a step mash. Remember in a step mash that includes a beta glucan rest, you are removing the gummy beta glucans and the amylase is more effective.... It also tasted amazing. </span><br />
<br />
So we drained our mash and started the boil. The power of our burner makes boiling a breeze. In fact, we have to watch to boil to make sure we don't boil off too much. But we light the flame and put the spurs to it as soon as the first of our wort is in the kettle. <br />
<br />
The boil was uneventful until the addition of the organic chamomile tea pods. When those went in the entire garage brewery filled with the magical floral smell of chamomile. Listen to me round eye. Do not spend big money on chamomile. Organic chamomile tea is 100% chamomile flowers. That is all it is. There is no reason to go to a spice store or a specialty merchant. just go get 1 ounce of organic chamomile tea at Walmart. Simply make sure it is just 100% chamomile. <br />
<br />
Normally we chill with our Jaded Hydra chiller. But this time we decided to do a no chill. We just thought it would be cool to leave the chamomile steeping for an extended period of time. <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sSHoOIaUsvs/WLxb6YUBzpI/AAAAAAAAtWs/awMFCTbDxpsZbfuZ-1K7uDuKT4HdmSE0QCKgB/s1600/IMG_20170225_143752.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sSHoOIaUsvs/WLxb6YUBzpI/AAAAAAAAtWs/awMFCTbDxpsZbfuZ-1K7uDuKT4HdmSE0QCKgB/s200/IMG_20170225_143752.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John and Boomer<br />
brew buddies.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The next day we pitched 1.5 packs of Belle Saison. (.75 packs per batch) We are big believers in making saison yeast suffer a bit. We know from our experience that our batches that are "under pitched" and our batches that ferment warm, with temperature swings up and down produce the best saisons.<br />
<br />
As of today the batches are bubbling away. I am looking forward to having these on hand for the summer. These along with my recent IPAs and my "cascadian summer" saison will be the basis of my summer beer menu. <br />
<br />
Big thanks to Cargill for their on going support. If you have never tried their malts, I can't encourage you enough. David Steltinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08091919069275585647noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6365074056807535758.post-56323660704981402992016-11-16T08:59:00.006-08:002016-11-20T05:24:43.004-08:00East Coast IPA Brew Day... and Vertical Tasting of Boulevard Rye on Rye. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1ITxkTGYrFg/WCyIwk1V75I/AAAAAAAArk4/o2z3oJp30-EzzzKiXRYq-5JcpQOJH58MwCKgB/s1600/20161112_105151.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1ITxkTGYrFg/WCyIwk1V75I/AAAAAAAArk4/o2z3oJp30-EzzzKiXRYq-5JcpQOJH58MwCKgB/s200/20161112_105151.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The team gathering in the<br />
garage with Bailey the<br />
<b><i>"lab-brew-doodle"</i></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
On Saturday morning the team gathered for an epic brew day. We were determined to brew our version of an East Coast IPA. 10 gallons of hoppy deliciousness. The recipe was set out in the previous post. Basically a whole lot of Mosaic, Citra, and Cascade, with a touch of Warrior, and Simcoe, to add some bitterness on the front and in the middle. <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_AsP1HaYmGU/WCyQUPqLB-I/AAAAAAAArlk/Sybydq17KjUlurE-MKBzamHtuYZI2oclQCKgB/s1600/20161112_143248.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_AsP1HaYmGU/WCyQUPqLB-I/AAAAAAAArlk/Sybydq17KjUlurE-MKBzamHtuYZI2oclQCKgB/s200/20161112_143248.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beth and Mashy Hoppinton<br />
visited during brew day. What<br />
a cool mom, notice the beer.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This was a fairly medium gravity brew, only 22.5 lbs of grain. The base grain was Vienna 20 lbs, and the only other additions are 2.5 lbs of wheat malt, and 1 cup of white flour (to make it murky). The flour is the wild card, we have never done that before. We have never tried to make a beer cloudy before. It was a real weird feeling, adding something to the mash for the express purpose of making a beer appear cloudy. All of our grains came from Cargill. The Vienna from Cargill is amazing stuff. Malty and bready... gives an awesome back bone for a hoppy beer. <a href="http://www.cargillfoods.com/specialty-malts/brewing/base-malts/index.jsp#vienna" target="_blank"> Meussdoerffer Vienna..</a>. We have made ECIPAs in the past with pale ale, or two row malt, and they were delicious, but the Vienna adds something that can stand up to all those hops. <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eoHJvy60Ll0/WCyI_I-VGvI/AAAAAAAArk8/LdexN150eQMp_JDkt5qgV5CdMYm9HccPwCKgB/s1600/20161112_105147.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eoHJvy60Ll0/WCyI_I-VGvI/AAAAAAAArk8/LdexN150eQMp_JDkt5qgV5CdMYm9HccPwCKgB/s200/20161112_105147.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">22 lbs of crushed grains about<br />
to go into a 100 quart no sparge<br />
mash tun. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We crushed the grains fine (35 mils) the day before at a friends who has a seriously big mill. Like the kind you see at a home brew shop... But like an idiot, I left the grains in the car overnight, so they were at 51 F as we started the brew day. We know from experience that when we brew no sparge in our cooler we loose about 7 F. Even if we pre heat the mash tun. So our software suggested we should be at 160 F Strike, so we added our grains first and then added 165 F water. John had treated the water with Camden, Lactic (2ml) and Calcium Chloride 2 g. Our pH settled in nicely at 5.2, at temperature, so it was probably closer to 5.4 or 5.5... which is fine with us.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6qrkC3pN2pw/WCyJ3ORZSCI/AAAAAAAArlE/G2AsYxTpINskUowUleJFsItcEMgppw2EwCKgB/s1600/20161112_111506.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6qrkC3pN2pw/WCyJ3ORZSCI/AAAAAAAArlE/G2AsYxTpINskUowUleJFsItcEMgppw2EwCKgB/s200/20161112_111506.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brew in a bag in a mash tun<br />
our favorite way to brew.<br />
We know that 5 F to 6 F over<br />
strike temperature will hit<br />
our strike temp every time. This<br />
cooler has a door in the lid, so<br />
we can stir during the mash.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The mash went well. We stirred every 15 minutes. Our mash tun has a door on the top of the lid that we can open with out losing too much heat. Our mash temps remained perfect at 149 to 152 F for the entire 60 minutes of the mash. And we ended up overshooting by .004... which means we got 77% efficiency on a no sparge, brew in a bag, in a cooler... pretty darn cool. This is by far the easiest and fastest way to brew. Even with our complex boil schedule. We were done brewing in 3.5 hours. Although the brew day was much longer, due to bottling 20 gallons of beer, and the vertical tasting.<br />
<br />
East coast IPAs are fun to brew, and relatively easy. The boil went as planned due in no small part to organization of the ingredients, and preparation. Jake got the group more disposable plastic cups for measuring hop additions. The cups were labeled and set out in order. There was well over a pound of hops going into this 10 gallon hop monster. <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Sk7R63zv3X4/WCyLZ6tan9I/AAAAAAAArlQ/Fr_3MpPRLa42R3xixEMjL_rxPZ38PwL7wCKgB/s1600/20161112_121048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Sk7R63zv3X4/WCyLZ6tan9I/AAAAAAAArlQ/Fr_3MpPRLa42R3xixEMjL_rxPZ38PwL7wCKgB/s200/20161112_121048.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jaded hydra is the king of<br />
all worth chillers.. pay heed<br />
and homage!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The fun thing about the ECIPA style is so many of the hops go in at the end of the boil, and there are hop additions during the wort chill. We made our flame out additions and then we used our trusty Jaded Hydra to chill the batch to 180 F. At 180 F we added more hops and let them whirl pool for 30 minutes. Then we chilled the batch to pitching temperatures. The jaded hydra makes chilling the entire batch lightning fast. It chilled from 212 F to 179 F in under a minute. Of course cool ground water temperatures helped a lot. <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CDN2bo5vPaU/WCyLpgjHZyI/AAAAAAAArlU/nMlIGLzTFp0OGZCPKRhtmn7SoCe8We5OQCKgB/s1600/20161112_164552.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CDN2bo5vPaU/WCyLpgjHZyI/AAAAAAAArlU/nMlIGLzTFp0OGZCPKRhtmn7SoCe8We5OQCKgB/s200/20161112_164552.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">10.5 gallons in the<br />
chamber turning in to awesome<br />
ECIPA.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Early in the day, John re hydrated three packs of US05. They were ready to rock and roll when we pitched. As of today (Tuesday) Both batches are fermenting well in the fermentation chamber at 65 F. Tonight Jake and John will add 1 ounce of Mosaic, Citra, and Cascade to the fermenters. In a couple of days the batch fermentation temperature will be raised to 68 F to encourage complete fermentation, then in a week another charge of dry hops. The second dose of dry hops will only be exposed to the beer for 3 or 4 days. Then it will be time for packaging. We package beer when it is ready. Well how do you know it is ready. It is really simple, take a gravity sample. Take a sample and when it is at terminal gravity let it sit a couple of days to clean up. That is all it takes. <br />
<br />
We should be drinking this beer in about 2.5 to 3 weeks. Can't wait. This one should be great. <br />
<br />
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tG-Uu0kry-4/WCyQKJUph7I/AAAAAAAArlg/h8vllMqsKVwVONWH7XgfHA-Ns82DOE6JwCKgB/s1600/20161112_170221.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tG-Uu0kry-4/WCyQKJUph7I/AAAAAAAArlg/h8vllMqsKVwVONWH7XgfHA-Ns82DOE6JwCKgB/s320/20161112_170221.jpg" width="320" /></a>At the end of the brew day, after all clean up, we gathered in the house for a vertical tasting of Boulevard Rye on Rye. 2012 through 2016. If you are not familiar with Boulevard's smoke stack series...<a href="https://boulevard.com/beers/smokestack-series/" target="_blank"> Smoke Stack </a>brews from boulevard are made on their smaller original brewing system. And they are world class. This is where Boulevard makes their limited release beers. This is where Boulevard brewers are encouraged to experiment. This is where Tank 7, and Lovechild, and Tell Tale Tart were born. And Boulevard Rye on Rye is an outstanding beer. It is a Rye Beer, aged in Rye Barrels. <br />
<br />
We all had different impressions. My favorite was the 2015. It still had some of the Spicy Rye character. I think everyone else preferred the 2014 version. Love this beer, and I am thankful that my brewing partners can store and save beer. I don't seem to have that discipline. If you have never tried it, stop what you are doing and go get some. <br />
<br />David Steltinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08091919069275585647noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6365074056807535758.post-49408316134650642692016-11-11T12:02:00.000-08:002016-11-11T12:02:38.334-08:00How to make a ridiculous IPA - East Coast IPA...So over the past year we have done a lot of research into what makes an IPA taste the way an IPA taste. We have talked with experts at BSG and Yakima Valley Hop Union about hops, and hop oils, isomerization, and flavor. We have shared with you all the technology of Scott Janish's Hop Oil Calculator. And we have brewed a whole bunch of IPAs. <br />
<br />
But now it is time to really apply what we have learned to an everyday, medium gravity IPA. Sure, we designed and brewed Hoptonite. And we are so flattered that so many of you have downloaded this monster and brewed this beast. And it is an amazing beer. But you don't always want a high alcohol, extremely high IBU beer. And that brings us to this weekend's recipe. "Persuasion IPA" <br />
<br />
With Persuasion we are bringing the knowledge we learned in the ridiculous double IPA series and applying it to what we have learned to an East Coast IPA. Yes, we are the first to acknowledge that ECIPAs are sweeping the brewing world faster than beanie babies swept through the early 1990s. Yes, we acknowledge that this is the latest brewing fad. But... who really cares. The ECIPA is more than a fad it is a delicious beer. Here is our take on it. Backed by the research we have done. Loads of late hops, loads of whirlpool hops. and two additions of dry hops. First addition before fermentation (so the yeast can work on the hop oils), second addition after active fermentation (for pure traditional dry hop goodness).<br />
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And here is what it will taste like according to Scott Janish. If you are not using the hop oils calculator on <a href="http://scottjanish.com/hop-oils-calulator/">ScottJanish.com</a> you are missing out. It is the best way to predict the flavor and aroma of your late hop additions. </div>
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David Steltinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08091919069275585647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6365074056807535758.post-40296973712271226962016-11-04T07:00:00.000-07:002016-11-04T07:00:02.306-07:00Coming soon to Counterbrew<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Mf8DLFazd6Y/WBtgwbHYOOI/AAAAAAAArVU/0cVyxwiAtwYoCueFaf7ldnr2IpWjc8ZPwCLcB/s1600/14915266_10207487975259790_3005562233814510141_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Mf8DLFazd6Y/WBtgwbHYOOI/AAAAAAAArVU/0cVyxwiAtwYoCueFaf7ldnr2IpWjc8ZPwCLcB/s200/14915266_10207487975259790_3005562233814510141_n.jpg" width="150" /></a>So this is an exciting week at Counterbrew. John and Beth had a beautiful healthy baby girl who they named... "Hoppy Mash Paddle"... just kidding this is a public blog, did you really think I would give out the child's name. Despite my best efforts, they did not name her "David, Jake, Mark Anthony". So the writing and the editing is down a little bit this week, hope you all can cut us some slack.<br />
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<b>In the brewery.</b><br />
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The KBS clone has been transferred to secondary on oak chips that were soaked in quality bourbon. This beer should be amazing. Really looking forward to enjoying it by a fire place with snow falling out side.<br />
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The golden boy sour - remember the disaster batch from over a year ago? Well it got hit with brettanomyces dregs from Boulevard Love Child series - it is ready for bottling. The problem is we need to make a new wort to put on top of it, and life is crazy right now. I may see if MA can brew on Sunday afternoon. Then we'll just bottle and pitch sometime next week. We may make a simple partial mash. (OK we are brewing a celebration batch next weekend. While we do that I will brew a wort to go on top of the sour. Just a simple heavy adjunct wort with lots of corn and oats to give the brett something to work on over the next 6 months) <br />
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The Saison Brett is not quite ready yet - but it is getting close. We are monitoring it and tasting. At this point we are just waiting for that perfect flavor to develop.<br />
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Mark Anthony was a trooper last night. He took the time to clean the brewery, and divide up the spoils of brewing. Here is what we all got from recent brewing activities.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OheRh511EQ4/WBtf7rpHkII/AAAAAAAArVQ/n4Vrd7uQUNQ8zSezsRXbSv_rXWAQoqXLgCLcB/s1600/download%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OheRh511EQ4/WBtf7rpHkII/AAAAAAAArVQ/n4Vrd7uQUNQ8zSezsRXbSv_rXWAQoqXLgCLcB/s1600/download%2B%25281%2529.jpg" /></a>4 bombers each of Bourbon Barrel Quad<br />
6 12 ounce Festbiers<br />
3 bombers, 5 bottles of standard BDSA<br />
10 pumpkin ales<br />
6 bombers two hearted ale clones<br />
4 bombers of Karma Citra<br />
7 grapefruit Sculpin clone<br />
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That is a lot of beer. Just in time for the holidays. <br />
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<b>Coming soon</b><br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VoHrRlGLuEE/Voqg1yvbTvI/AAAAAAAAkIc/5inmrCcKCAI5RBOh2rssNTPrXZ6_4s8IACPcB/s1600/cargil%2Blogo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VoHrRlGLuEE/Voqg1yvbTvI/AAAAAAAAkIc/5inmrCcKCAI5RBOh2rssNTPrXZ6_4s8IACPcB/s1600/cargil%2Blogo.png" /></a>Here is what is coming up for the blog. First I am very excited to be doing an advanced series on Malt and mashing. We will be joined by industry experts from Cargill to take a much deeper look at <b><i>what makes malt taste the way malt tastes</i></b>. So many of you know so much about yeast and hops, but really next to nothing about the chemical composition of malt. Does it matter? You bet your mash tun it does.<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1AIFuenrBDU/VqZGNDkVivI/AAAAAAAAks8/O4AFZKNBpvgth3iskwiO2uFXvDaBe6aBgCPcB/s1600/fermentis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1AIFuenrBDU/VqZGNDkVivI/AAAAAAAAks8/O4AFZKNBpvgth3iskwiO2uFXvDaBe6aBgCPcB/s1600/fermentis.jpg" /></a><br />
We will also be doing two more episodes in the actual truth about yeast series with Kevin Lane of Fermentis. The first one will be on maximizing attenuation, and the second on blending yeasts. Really exciting stuff. So stay tuned. <br />
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We will also be getting back to brewing more beer. There are some exciting developments on that as well, as we launch our new 10 Gallon BIAB Recirculating system.<br />
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So stay tuned, keep on brewing, and remember brewing is 45% Cleaning 45% learning, and 10% brewing. David Steltinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08091919069275585647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6365074056807535758.post-43013141529916085732016-10-28T07:13:00.001-07:002017-04-20T09:02:57.056-07:00A beer geek guide to step mashing - Even more advanced information.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>"Enzymes are the real control panel of mashing." - The great and powerful Brewer X</b><br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SzC8ZNfCSRc/WBDdfPM_5sI/AAAAAAAArK4/oVlKhfQeBs8NttXiST5i_RJw8cNZz7vHACEw/s1600/f79.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SzC8ZNfCSRc/WBDdfPM_5sI/AAAAAAAArK4/oVlKhfQeBs8NttXiST5i_RJw8cNZz7vHACEw/s320/f79.gif" width="270" /></a>The most common questions we field on this blog are related to step mashing and I know it can be confusing. We clearly have touched on something with this topic. To be honest I am surprised that more of you don't know more about step mashing. After all, in the old days we had to step mash. We have written about this process a lot, but it is important to go back and clarify some things and to review what we have learned already.<br />
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In this modern home brew world you have been taught that mash temperature is a dial that you can turn up or turn down in order to create the wort that you want to create. Turn it up to create more mouth feel; turn it down to create more fermentability. <span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">You have been told that modern well modified malts do not need a multi step mash, and that it is kinda a waste of your time to do a 2 hour multi-step mash... and I am here to tell you... all of those statements are kinda true. Kinda, but not entirely true. </span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xhcAHqNetFg/WBDeIdQMaVI/AAAAAAAArK8/do59zyUAIhkHPc58o5k2cpdELkXm-4DSACLcB/s1600/confused.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xhcAHqNetFg/WBDeIdQMaVI/AAAAAAAArK8/do59zyUAIhkHPc58o5k2cpdELkXm-4DSACLcB/s200/confused.jpg" width="200" /></a>"<b><i>What? OK, once again I got on your blog and you are giving me almost truths, and cloistered mysterious statements, just tell me what to do..."</i></b><br />
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Ok, I will tell you what to do. <span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">The first thing I want you to do is, quit looking for absolute procedures and rules. Intstead.... Learn.</span> Brewing is 45% cleaning, 45% learning, and 10% brewing. So the most important thing to do right now, as you are reading this blog, is learn. Learn about the major enzymes that we as brewers use to control our mash and get the desired results. Learn that there are so many more enzymes at work in your mash than just alpha and beta amylase. Learn that enzymes work in temperature ranges not at absolute specific temperatures. If you are determined to do only single step mashes... well then go read another blog today. It wont hurt my feelings. I've said it before I know an award winning brewer who mashes everything he brews at 150 F. (65.5 C). Doesn't matter what style.... 150 F. He makes grain or sugar additions to make up for what he is not getting from the mash. Who am I to say he is wrong. So learn what works best for you. For me, I enjoy step mashing and the benefits that it yields.<br />
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Here is the truth, as I understand it. When you brew with modern well modified malt, you do not have to do a step mash. The mash will convert just fine at the temperatures you are accustomed to using. <b style="background-color: #fff2cc;">Higher temperatures will produce a wort with slightly more mouth feel. Lower temperatures will produce a wort with slightly more fermentability. <u> But only SLIGHTLY</u>. </b>As Marshall Schott, the Brulosopher showed us on Brulosophy, <a href="http://brulosophy.com/2015/10/12/the-mash-high-vs-low-temperature-exbeeriment-results/" target="_blank">the difference between a wort that finishes at 1.005, and 1.014 is not reliably perceived by the human taste mechanism.</a><br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cy7zU07SrAA/WBNZhkSRu9I/AAAAAAAArOA/LUXqtU9rTvsXvadpflG2CanyzN7BAnVhQCLcB/s1600/old-meme.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cy7zU07SrAA/WBNZhkSRu9I/AAAAAAAArOA/LUXqtU9rTvsXvadpflG2CanyzN7BAnVhQCLcB/s320/old-meme.jpg" width="256" /></a><b style="background-color: #fff2cc;">Here is why. When you are only using alpha and beta amylase to create mouth feel, or adding grains with more proteins, you are asking sugars to do the job of medium chain amino acids, and sugar isn't very good at doing this job.</b> That is the problem with this approach... you can't make a highly attenuative beer with a luxurious mouth feel. Don't argue this point, it cannot be done, once again if you don't believe me read the Brulosophy article linked above. The human taste mechanism can not perceive the difference. As an example, I will present our Desir Tripel. Desir is a 1.084 OG beer, It drops to 1.014. That is 83% attenuation. But when you drink it, it is luxurious and rich. The last batch was almost too rich- almost cloying. Comments from random tasters and BJCP judges universally called the batch sweet. And obviously, at 83.33% attenuation, it wasn't sweet at all. But the perception of sweetness associated with rich mouth feel pervades our community like a cancer. (<i><b>Rant warning!</b> We used to know better. But we have all been brewing single mash rest so long, that we have forgotten what a rich beer tastes like. The association of mouth feel and sweetness is a problem in our hobby. And that is because of single step mashing. But I'm not bitter.</i>). Next time we'll shorten the protein rest and increase the hops slightly.<br />
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So the temperature of a single step mash is one way you can create the beer you want. But an even better way? Multi-step Mashing. But to multi-step mash you have to know what the enzymes do, and how they can help you make the beer you want. And to do that, you have to know what enzymes are, and a little bit about how they work.<br />
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<b>What is an enzyme?</b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Representation of an Enzyme</td></tr>
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An enzyme is a protein. A protein that works on other components of your mash. And like most proteins that act as catalysts, the proteins in your mash are trying to stick to another component, and change it in some way. For our purposes, the proteins are trying to break things up. The enzymes can work on starches, proteins, and sugars in your mash. For the most part the enzymes that we care about in your mash are Amino Acids (most proteins are but some are RNA). The enzymes do not actually eat away at the sugars... I know you all think of them like pac man... but they are not alive and they are not eating. They are just proteins. They actually bond to different sugars (based on their shapes) and break them apart. The enzymes are hydrophilic, and they themselves change when a water molecule "bumps" into them. They then break apart the sugars, or the proteins, or the starches, to which they are attached. (By the way, the fact that enzymes are hydrophilic is a good thing. It is the reason we can do decoction mashes, more on this in another post)<br />
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc; font-size: large;"><b>More than one enzyme can be active at any given time. </b> And this is a really good thing. That means more than one process can be going on at a time. </span><br />
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A catalyst is just a name for a component of a biological or chemical reaction that creates a change of some kind. For our purposes, the proteins are almost always breaking things apart. By understanding what the various enzymes are and what they do, you can truly fine tune and control a mash. Remem<span style="font-family: inherit;">ber, brewing is not about following some exact protocol that you read on some crazy man's blog. Brewing is about learning- learning your system, and learning how things behave on your system. It may shock you that when I brew a hefe on my system I know that my protein rest needs to be 32 m</span>inutes. Not 31, not 34. 32 minutes. Why? Because that created the exact taste I wanted, several times in a row, at my old house, with my old water profile. Now... that I have moved, all bets are off. I'll have to re-learn what is perfect at my new place. For our BDSA at John's house, I think we all agree that 30 minutes was a little too much, but 20 was not enough. So next time we will be extending the protein rest to 25 minutes and seeing how that tastes. See? it is all about learning... and cleaning...<br />
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So the important question, what enzymes are we concerned with in brewing?<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">The ACID rest: Temperature Range 95 F to 113 F, (35 to 45 C0 Active Enzyme Phytase, Glucanase</span></b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Ok, during an acid rest there are two potential enzymes working: Phytase and Glucanase. (And honestly you can pretty much ignore one of them). </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Phytase works actively on a molecule found in grains called phytin. It creates phytic acid which can and will lower your mash pH. But it takes a long time (60 minutes) and really only does well in soft water. If you ever want to do a true, rustic brew with minimal additions, this is the way to lower pH without chemicals. It is also a pain in the ass and takes forever. It is much easier to add some Acid, or Acidulated Malt to the grist. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc; color: #222222;">The real reason to do a rest at this temperature is to break down beta glucans (gummy gelatin gunk). </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Beta Glucan is a gummy carbohydrate that surrounds the starch molecule of a grain. They get in the way of the amylase and other enzymes, and glucans are the chief contributor to chill haze in your beer. A brief rest at these temperature ranges will allow </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">glucanase to break down the Beta Glucans. End result- clearer beer and slightly better conversion. Especially important for wheat and rye. When you do a Beta Glucan Rest your wort will be very milky, that is normal and good. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The PROTEIN rest: Temperature Range 113 -138 F (45 to 59 C), Active Enzymes Proteinase, Peptidase</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Why perform an protein rest? Well, you perform a protein rest if you want to accomplish one of two things: you want more clarity or you actually want a phenolic expression in your beer. You should view the two protein related enzymes differently. They work at different temperatures. Both of these enzymes are referred to as protease enzymes. You may hear that term thrown around as well. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Proteinase works at 131 F to 138 F (55 to 59 C) and is thought to</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="background-color: #fff2cc; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><b>reduce haze without reducing body</b></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">. It breaks long chain amino acids into medium chain amino acids. You want medium chain amino acids in your beer. They improve the mouth feel of your beer. They can create a </span><span style="color: #222222;">luscious beer that isn't overly sweet. I for one really appreciate this quality in a beer. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">If you are looking for clarity, without a loss in mouth feel, you should consider a mash rest that maximizes Proteinase action (around 136 F). </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Peptidase works at 113 F to 128 F. (45 to 53 C) Peptidase breaks medium chains into their components. </span><span style="background-color: #fff2cc; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"> So if you want to express maximum esters or phenols in a Hefe weis or in a BSDA, you really should consider a protein rest around 115 F.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">The key acid you are trying to maximize is called Ferulic acid. A Peptidase rest will help you maximize it's availability. Then all you have to do is use a yeast that is POF+ or phenolic off flavor positive. <b>And do not worry, if you are not trying to create these esters, just choose a yeast that is not POF+. </b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Review: what we have learned so far is that a rest at 113 F (45 C), followed by a rest at 136 F (57.5 C), would be a really good idea if you want to make a very clear beer with good mouth feel and still have a highly efficient mash. </b></span></span><br />
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<b>The Saccharification Rest; Temperature range 132 F to 162, (55.5 C to 72 C) Active Enzymes; Beta Amylase, and Alpha Amylase</b><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Most of you are already familiar with the Sac rest. You already are using temperatures in this range to craft your delicious home brew. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">This is the main activity going on in the mash. The main thing we are concerned with- conversion of starches to sugars. And it happens more quickly than you may think. Most amylase conversion is done with in the first 25 minutes. But if you want to maximize conversion we strongly suggest you stir your mash every 10 to 15 minutes and rest for at least 45 minutes. We have used this approach to get over 90% efficiency on Brew in a Bag, with a sparge rinse, multiple times.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beta Amylase</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525;">Beta Amylase only works from the ends of carbohydrate molecules. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Beta amylase is active from about 132 F (55 C) to about 151 F (66 C). A long rest at optimum beta amylase temperatures can produce a highly fermentable wort that will finish dry. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525;">It works by breaking the first bond of a carbohydrate molecule. It literally breaks a carbohydrate into two sugars (</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maltose" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" title="Maltose">maltose</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525;">) at a time. Beta amylase is present in every seed or grain. Alpha amylase and the protease enzymes are not present prior to malting. That is in fact why we malt barley. </span><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525;">The ideal pH for Beta Amylase is 4.0 to 5.0. </span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;">The pH of 5.2 is an arbitrary number that strikes a balance between the needs of alpha and beta amylase and seems to create the most efficient wort... <i>bet you didn't know that.</i></span><span style="background-color: white;">..</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> Remember beta amylase can not break up the longer chains of starch. Only alpha amylase can do this. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alpha Amylase</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Alpha amylase </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525;">breaks down long-chain starches and carbohydrates. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> Alpha amylase is active from about 150 F (65 C) to about 163F (72.7 C). The optimum temperature is around 156 F (68.8 C). A rest at alpha amylase will <i>slightly </i>improve the mouth feel of a beer. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">It creates Maltose and maltoriose. </span><i style="background-color: #fff2cc;"> An interesting fact about Alpha amylase is that it is </i></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: inherit;"><i style="background-color: #fff2cc;">c</i></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: inherit;"><i style="background-color: #fff2cc;">ompletely unable to function in the absence of calcium</i><span style="background-color: white;">. It works by attaching to random locations along a starch chain. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: inherit;"> Because it can act anywhere on a carbohydrate molecule alpha </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: inherit;">amylase tends to be <i>faster</i> acting than beta amylase. Alpha amylase ideal</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: inherit;"> pH is 6.7–7.0, </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An enzyme after mash out.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><b style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">The MASH OUT rest: Temperature range 168 F +, Active Enzymes - none. </b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"> </span></b></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">The point of the mash out is to turn off the enzymes.</span><span style="background-color: white;"> The brewing enzymes are, in fact, proteins. Like all proteins they are trying to bind to something; trying to work on something; trying to interact. By raising the temperature above 168 F, you are damaging the working parts of the enzymes and basically turning them off. This is called </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">denaturing</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"> proteins. They can no longer act on the starches and proteins. By doing this you create a </span></span><span style="background-color: #fff2cc; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">less viscous ( Less thick)</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"> wort and a wort that will flow more completely and with more of its desired sugars and flavors into your boil kettle. Again this is a fact, there is no reason to argue it. You can argue whether or not it is worth it, but you can't argue the science behind the reasoning. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">So I took this from the previous post. Here are some time tested proven step mash programs. I have used them all. They all work. And yes, they take longer. If you have an automated system then these are a walk in the park for you. If not, you'll have to do some math. <a href="http://www.brewersfriend.com/mash/" target="_blank">Fortunately Brewersfriend has a great infusion calculator for you to use. </a> If you are infusion step mashing you will need this calculator open on brew day. </span><br />
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If you are not familiar with infusion step mashing, you should get your self familiar with it. Basically you start with a thick mash, and add boiling water to the mash to raise the temperature. It is actually faster than most recirculating mash systems. Boiling water additions are faster than a heating element. <br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">A Step Mash for clarity and body.</b><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">100 F for 20 minutes</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">134 F for 20 minutes</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">145 F for 30 minutes</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">155 F for 20 minutes</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">168 F for 10 minutes</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">A Step Mash for maximum phenolic expression.</b><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">100 F for 20 minutes</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">113 F for 35 minutes</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">134 F for 10 minutes</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">150 F for 30 minutes</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">168 F for 10 minutes</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">A simple step mash for maximum extraction of sugar</b><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">100 F for 20 minutes</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">150 F for 45 minutes</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">168 F for 10 minutes</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" />
<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Step mash for dry beer - dry stout & dry lager like ales</b><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">145 F for 30 minutes</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">152 F for 50 minutes</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">158 F for 30 minutes</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">168 F for 10 minutes</span><br />
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<br />David Steltinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08091919069275585647noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6365074056807535758.post-62130808416177120412016-10-18T15:00:00.002-07:002016-10-18T19:22:24.620-07:00The Clone Wars; Designing Home Brew Recipes<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eeMhkoJ4V9Q/WAZZ5OT8lmI/AAAAAAAAq8s/YSREUPdTFgsNd_aYubGw-b_0tVo3YqfPQCLcB/s1600/star-wars-the-clone-wars-the-movie.14870%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eeMhkoJ4V9Q/WAZZ5OT8lmI/AAAAAAAAq8s/YSREUPdTFgsNd_aYubGw-b_0tVo3YqfPQCLcB/s200/star-wars-the-clone-wars-the-movie.14870%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="133" /></a>Hello all. John here. Today, I am going to tell you all about my approach to cloning beers. I am not afraid to admit it. When I began my home brewing saga, my buddy and I had no idea what we were doing. We knew we liked super hoppy IPAs but also wanted to make beer that would appeal the general public. Our first attempt was an Irish Red, which we had really high hopes to become the "next big thing" in the home brewing community. I am not sure what we were thinking...we knew next to nothing about brewing beer. The end result of our effort was a terrible overly sweet batch of first time home brew. Fast forward 18 months, we have advanced quite a bit, by using one method to help us connect to our beer on a higher level. We design all of our recipes from top to bottom, start to finish. We plan the malt, the yeast, the hops, and the water every single time.<br />
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Now I am certainly not the first person to post about designing a home brew recipe, but maybe I can shed some light on my process to make it less intimidating for those looking to "up their game". The easiest way I can explain it is, I work backwards. I start thinking about what I want the finished product to be like. It is not too different from that coach you had in middle school that told you envision that buzzer-beating shot going in, or your boss telling you to dream about your next sale. If you know where you want to get to, it is pretty easy to complete the process to get to the promise land.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cO7vTtzpxZE/WAZaaqjZ-1I/AAAAAAAAq80/nUJGBxxruaoPoHfPK5HJndkLL2Kdz_FlwCLcB/s1600/chlist1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cO7vTtzpxZE/WAZaaqjZ-1I/AAAAAAAAq80/nUJGBxxruaoPoHfPK5HJndkLL2Kdz_FlwCLcB/s1600/chlist1.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plan your beer, take comprehensive records.</td></tr>
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First thing first, write down what you want your beer to taste, smell, and look like. Once we have accomplished this, we turn to several trusty internet tools to help us put the structure together. Our group uses brewtoad.com or brewersfriend.com for recipe construction and we begin to pull in the ingredients desired to meet the agreed upon results. Brewtoad is easier to use. Brewersfriend is more comprehensive. Our brew sensei often uses Beersmith, it is the penultimate brewing program. This includes our malt bill (all-grain brewers here), hop additions, yeast selection, and any other additives or adjuncts we would like to add to the batch. After pulling in the ingredients, the recipe tool you choose should begin auto-populating the parameters of the beer; including Original Gravity, Final Gravity, SRM (Color), and ABV%.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s-VOxpWoIo8/WAZZkpz1AvI/AAAAAAAAq8o/3RAYYFiU47YN_OvdVCXugl95qjVO7VzpACLcB/s1600/pilsner_showdown_2006-large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="294" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s-VOxpWoIo8/WAZZkpz1AvI/AAAAAAAAq8o/3RAYYFiU47YN_OvdVCXugl95qjVO7VzpACLcB/s320/pilsner_showdown_2006-large.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I would say that this guys clone looks pretty dang close!</td></tr>
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Todays Recipe: Pilsner Urquell - Now if you are not familiar with Pilsner Urquell, it is the world's first, and arguably best light colored lager. Pilsner Urquell was developed in Plzen Czechloslovakia, in the state of Bohemia. That is where the term Pilsner, and the term Bohemian Lager originate from. It is perhaps the most influential beer in history, and is the inspiration for 2/3rds of the beer produced in the world today. It literally changed everything about how beer is brewed. Before Pilsner Urquell there were no light colored lagers. Now historians argue as to whether or not there were even lagers before Pilsner Urquell, but there we definitely no golden pilsners. Apparently prior to 1840 the beer in Plzen was so bad that in 1840 the city burghers ordered 36 casks of the beer to be poured out, and a new brewery to be built. The people of the town invested in the new brewery, and helped build it. They then hired Joseph Groll (a Bavarian) to come to Plzen and develop a new beer for their new brewery. On November 11th 1842, Pilsner Urquell was first served at the feast of St. Martin. And very little has changed about it over the years. It is still fermented in open oak casks. It is lagered in underground tunnels carved from the earth for the purpose of lagering. The lagering tanks are oak, and are coated with pine tar pitch. The boilers and mash tuns are coal fired, and are made of copper. When you drink this beer you are drinking history.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-upsbL23M0WI/WAZZZs6lJGI/AAAAAAAAq8k/q0EocBf2-z0BKqLp4Pz28N-IT2PUNUFWwCLcB/s1600/bierstation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-upsbL23M0WI/WAZZZs6lJGI/AAAAAAAAq8k/q0EocBf2-z0BKqLp4Pz28N-IT2PUNUFWwCLcB/s200/bierstation.jpg" width="200" /></a>We are fortunate to live in a large metropolitan area with some great beer bars. One of the best is called Bier Station. And on Friday the 14th of October, Bier Station hosted a great event. Pilsner Urquell, unfiltered and un-pasteurized. Wow! This beer is good the way we get it here in the states. But holy cow was it good unfiltered and unpasteurized, fresh and balanced, malty and hoppy. The good news... We can make this beer when ever we want we just need to find and perfect a reliable recipe.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ksJxS_JYoyw/WAaixeKwMNI/AAAAAAAAq9Y/Rpb2udJwN4UWRW8LH9dvFKnO4CVQh0BugCLcB/s1600/485eca03bb3d8cf5ddae1452ded9c79e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ksJxS_JYoyw/WAaixeKwMNI/AAAAAAAAq9Y/Rpb2udJwN4UWRW8LH9dvFKnO4CVQh0BugCLcB/s320/485eca03bb3d8cf5ddae1452ded9c79e.jpg" width="177" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pils Urquell unfiltered<br />
and un pasturized was<br />
an amazing experience.</td></tr>
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So, where to find a reliable clone recipe? Well, here are some good sources for clone recipes. - Brew Your Own Magazine. The American Homebrewer's Association (AHA) , major bloggers (like this one, Brulosophy, The madfermentationist, Bear Flavored, and Scott Janish.) On these blogs you will find a whole treasure trove of carefully vetted and award winning brewers and brewing recipes. You will also find helpful articles and tips. The recipe we chose to start with was Michael Tonsmiere's Pils Urquel clone. Well known blog (themadfermentationist). Michael Tonsmiere is a great authority on sour beers. His book is a valuable resource for those of you who want to dabble in sour beer making. So it may surprise you that we chose a lager recipe from him. But we know the caliber of brewer that he is, and we knew that we could use <a href="http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2011/06/triple-decocted-czech-pilsner-recipe.html.">this recipe</a> as a starting point for developing our own version.<br />
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Now a lot of you begin your cloning career by just choosing a recipe and brewing it, with no modifications. Here is the problem with that, you need to be modifying that clone to fit your brewing style and your brewing system. We get 73.24% from no sparge, we get 77.8% from a decoction no sparge. We lose 1 gallon of trub in a 10 gallon batch. We boil off 1 gallon per hour, so 1.5 in a 90 minute boil. If we want 11 gallons into the fermenters we have to boil 13.5 gallons. Michael gets about the same efficiency as we do, but not exactly the same efficiency. So we will have to adjust the grain bill for our slightly higher efficiency.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AkS5hbTJBpA/WAZaudylXHI/AAAAAAAAq84/1H6t3xm3ZZAY0zw1fuQ2_kLPo1cgxnjXgCLcB/s1600/czech-saaz-hops.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AkS5hbTJBpA/WAZaudylXHI/AAAAAAAAq84/1H6t3xm3ZZAY0zw1fuQ2_kLPo1cgxnjXgCLcB/s320/czech-saaz-hops.jpg" width="320" /></a>Now pilsner Urquell is entirely Saaz Hops. So no problem there, easy to source. But we need to modify the hop bill as well. This is the biggest mistake that brewers make when trying to clone a beer. The don't modify for the current alpha acids of this years crop of hops. And if you don't modify for current acids, your beer can be way off. Here is an example. The alpha acid units are calculated by taking the ounces x the alpha acid percentage. So 1 ounce of a 10% alpha acid hop is 10 AAUs. 2 ounces would be 20 units. But alpha acids change from year to year. And sometimes radically. Saaz was 9.9% in 2015, it is usually about 3.75% obviously in 2015 we needed less hops. So here is how you calculate for correct replacement. 1 ounce of 3.75 AA% hops = 3.75 AAUs. So to get 3.75 AAUs of 9.9% Alpha Acid Saaz you only need. .378 ounces. .378 ounces x 9.9 = 3.75 AAUs (alpha acid units). Always calculate your alpha acid units.<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6fwytJZwl7A/WAZbjruEIzI/AAAAAAAAq88/eZYVPKE69uEI0IKCiThGRLC0ZCPYHfFxACLcB/s1600/pilsner%2Burquell%2Bfermentation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6fwytJZwl7A/WAZbjruEIzI/AAAAAAAAq88/eZYVPKE69uEI0IKCiThGRLC0ZCPYHfFxACLcB/s320/pilsner%2Burquell%2Bfermentation.jpg" width="320" /></a>Modifying the recipe for special ingredients, or special characteristics of the brewery. In the case of Pilsner Urquell, they ferment open in oak barrels, and then they lager in pine tar pitch lined barrels. This lends the beer a unique character. Well obviously we are not going to do that. But we may to a semi open fermentation. just covering the fermenter loosely with a towel affixed with a bungee cord. We may also sanitize some oak chips and put them in during fermentation. That should create similar fermentation and similar atmospheres of pressure, and still keep the nasties out. But some of the traditions of the brewery can only be replicated with common sense on a home brew level. Obviously we are not going to line our fermenters with pine tar pitch. So how do we replicate that on the home brew level? A touch of smoked malt, should do the trick in this recipe for duplicating the pine tar character.. How much... well that is the fun of the cloning process. We wont know until we try it. We do know that you do not taste smoke when you drink a pilsner urquel, but there is a unique character. So we will only add a tiny amount, an ounce or two. We have loads of saaz hops, so in all likelihood we will make 10 gallons and ferment 5 gallons with our traditional method, and 5 gallons with our changes (intended to replicate the brewery). Is it necessary to replicate the brewery? No, but it is fun.<br />
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Choosing the right yeast. Does it really matter? Yes, and no. In some beers is is critical. In some beers the yeast is a big part of the character of the beer. In most lagers, the yeast is not a predominant feature of the beer. So Yes, a lager strain is needed. And No, the strain you use is not really that critical. We prefer Fermentis 34/70 for almost all of our lagers. And 34/70 is a dependable reliable yeast. This amazing lager strain can make authentic lagers (not hybrid or mock lagers, actual lagers) at 60 F. This has been displayed by many blogs, including this one. Now, you need to know that Pilsner Urquell has a malty sweet finish, and a touch of sulphur. So with a Pilsner Urquell you need to consider stopping the fermentation a couple of gravity points higher than the terminal gravity, and if we don't get the yeast character we want, we will use Saflager S189 next time (it has a touch of sulphur). You can halt fermentation easily with a good cold crash. But in our case, we will be bottling these beers so we will just let it finish out and then we will count on a certain amount of sweetness from the bottle conditioning. Remember we are trying to make this as similar to the golden unfiltered, unpasturized lager we got to try at Bier Station.<br />
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The recipe. <a href="http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2011/06/triple-decocted-czech-pilsner-recipe.html">Our inspiration can be found here.</a> And here is our final recipe modified for this years hops, and for our efficiency. Is this the ultimate final version of our recipe? No, of course not. But it will be fantastic beer that we will enjoy. We will also take notes and talk about how to change it to be exactly what we want it to be. We often start out trying to clone a recipe and then end up deciding not to continue the cloning process. Electing instead to focus on another aspect of the beer, and focus on making the beer exactly what we want it to be, rather than copying the original beer. As you review this recipe you can see that we made subtle changes to Mike's original recipe.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-agK-TciZhOc/WAZjauzIICI/AAAAAAAAq9I/R1Q4ZqX8ntY_6NfGPdlBqJjhVcFA6xT6QCLcB/s1600/pilsner%2Burquell%2Brecipe%2Bimage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-agK-TciZhOc/WAZjauzIICI/AAAAAAAAq9I/R1Q4ZqX8ntY_6NfGPdlBqJjhVcFA6xT6QCLcB/s1600/pilsner%2Burquell%2Brecipe%2Bimage.jpg" /></a></div>
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Dave jumping in here. Now you may notice that this is a triple decoction recipe. If you are not familiar with decoction, I really encourage you to go back and <a href="http://counterbrew.blogspot.com/2016/05/tripple-decoction-munich-helles-home.html">read this blog</a>. And read <a href="http://counterbrew.blogspot.com/2016/05/hot-video-brewing-action-french-country.html">this blog.</a> Oh, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIQPQmELWPo">watch this video.</a> Decoction is not hard, once you learn what you are doing. Basically you are going to do a multi step mash, and to raise the temperature of each step, you are going to remove 2/3rds of the grain in the mash tun and decoct it. That means you are going to bring it to 150 -155 F for 10 minutes, and then to a boil for 15 - 20 minutes. You will need to stir constantly. If you are a new brewer, this might not be the recipe to try to learn decoction on. So In that case just mash for 60 minutes starting at 156 F and letting your mash fall naturally in temperature over 60 minutes. At the end of the mash remove 1/2 of the grains and bring them to a boil, stirring constantly for 15 minutes, then add them back into the main mash before draining, and or sparging. So your total mash time will be close to 75 minutes. This process is called a false decoction. It will get you very close in terms of color and mouth feel. <br />
<br />
That's all for today. Thanks for reading. <br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13581296396270048511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6365074056807535758.post-88405229048883496042016-10-14T09:33:00.001-07:002016-10-14T09:49:13.431-07:00Making a delicious light beer at home... part 2 Merican PilsnerSo, in our last installment we learned about de-branching enzymes and how they can be used to create a crisp low-calorie, low-carbohydrate beer. In today's episode we will be using a different approach. In today's episode, we will be making a lager that anyone can make. If you can control fermentation temperatures for an ale, you can make this lager. <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3FRBPcJyqkY/V_5l3tLOG9I/AAAAAAAAq4A/CxYxTPmKpHECIeendaHbdCl5YTY4SYKPQCLcB/s1600/csm_06_Brauerei-Maische-Wu__rzepfanne_b081c8ff21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3FRBPcJyqkY/V_5l3tLOG9I/AAAAAAAAq4A/CxYxTPmKpHECIeendaHbdCl5YTY4SYKPQCLcB/s1600/csm_06_Brauerei-Maische-Wu__rzepfanne_b081c8ff21.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The research brewery at Weihensttephan Institute</td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.fermentis.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Saflager-W-3470-en.pdf">Fermentis Saflager 34/70</a> is an excellent yeast. It is actually the most popular yeast strain in the world. And considerable development has gone into this yeast over the last fifty or so years. It is a lager yeast, Saccharomyces Pastoranus. It is clean and malty. However, did you know it will ferment just fine at low ale temperatures? I have used it over and over a 65 F (18 c) with undetectable ill effects. The yeast was developed at the world's premier lager research institute, The Weihenstephan Institute at The Technical University of Munich (TUMs), a university where learning about beer is taken very seriously. <br />
<br />
Now you may have heard it said that this yeast is a "hybrid yeast". And you may be thinking it is a "hybrid" in the slang sense of the word, like a San Francisco lager yeast. Or like a "cream ale yeast." I want to assure you this is a strain of <i>Saccharomyces Pastoranus,</i> one of the two most prevalent strains of lager yeast. It is a hybrid only in the fact that it is hybridized from <em style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", stixgeneral, serif; font-size: 15.9991px;">Saccharomyces carlsbergenis. We have to be careful with the word hybrid when we are talking about genetics. Genetically if something is a hybrid, it doesn't exist in nature. Of course if you want to get truly technical, all lager yeasts are hybrids.... but that is a topic for another blog entry. It was developed at the Weihenstephan Institue. But it isn't just a combination of S. Carlsbergenis and </em><em style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", stixgeneral, serif; font-size: 15.9991px;">S. Cerevisiae; it is an actual lager strain, most commonly classified as a S. Pastoranus. </em><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hy4QKmj4EMI/V_5nM1ScHaI/AAAAAAAAq4I/PxnlPz4yuuMZwI1vi28xX4Cq5ChAFb2UwCLcB/s1600/chromosome%2Bmap%2Bof%2B34%2B70.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hy4QKmj4EMI/V_5nM1ScHaI/AAAAAAAAq4I/PxnlPz4yuuMZwI1vi28xX4Cq5ChAFb2UwCLcB/s320/chromosome%2Bmap%2Bof%2B34%2B70.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Genome map of 34/70 and<br />
Saccchoromyces Pastoranus vs. S. Carlsbergenis</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif; font-size: 15.9991px;"></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif; font-size: 15.9991px;">Understanding yeast genetics and yeast genomes is not necessary to brew great beer. But it can be interesting. If you ever want to really geek out go to the <a href="https://www.tum.de/en/studies/studinews/issue-052011/show/article/30531/" target="_blank">TUMs website</a>. There is so much information there, I think even the geekiest of home brewers would learn something new. The 34/70 strain does exceptionally well from 48.5 F to 71 F. Average attenuation is about 83%, in an 18 plato (1.064) wort. <a href="http://brulosophy.com/2016/02/08/fermentation-temperature-pt-4-lager-yeast-saflager-3470-exbeeriment-results/" target="_blank">Marshal, over at Brulosophy reports great results up to 70 F with this yeast.</a> I am not that brave. But I have used it for years at 62 to 65 F (16 to 18 C) with excellent results. I know this is just a blog on the internet. I know I am not a brewing scientist (wish I'd known that was a choice on junior high career day). I am just a guy sharing practical experience with you. So please do your own research and remember my 45% 45% 10% rule. Great brewing is 45% cleaning, 45% learning, 10 % brewing. But I will tell you this, I have done the research. I have read the articles and even struggled through the research studies. The knowledge I have gleaned is that this yeast will work fine at ale temperatures. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EngcyTSMEhw/V_5srnbS2qI/AAAAAAAAq4U/IBg6GaqmTG85xkQdvxa9uhJeQ3ZDRpDbACLcB/s1600/ryan-hattaway-knowledge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EngcyTSMEhw/V_5srnbS2qI/AAAAAAAAq4U/IBg6GaqmTG85xkQdvxa9uhJeQ3ZDRpDbACLcB/s200/ryan-hattaway-knowledge.jpg" width="199" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Knowledge is power!</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif; font-size: 15.9991px;">So, how do we apply this knowledge? Well, we brew of course. We use this knowledge to realize that you can make any lager with this yeast at cool ale temperatures without the need for advanced temperature control. And we understand that when we make a low original gravity beer the primary fermentation will only last a couple of days. So the critical time to hold the temperature down is during these first days of fermentation. Anyone can hold the temperature down early with a swamp cooler set up. It isn't hard and you probably already have the equipment. If you have temperature control, you can literally treat this yeast like an ale yeast. Start at 62 F for a couple of days then ramp up to 66 F, then cold crash. No big deal. This practice is for low and medium OG lagers; when we make higher OG lagers, we tend to follow the Lager method explained <a href="http://brulosophy.com/methods/lager-method/">here.</a> </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif; font-size: 15.9991px;">So here is the recipe. Good ol' Merican Pilsner... 5.5 gallons of good "merican" beer. 72.5% efficiency. So adjust yours for your system. Remember we tend to not sparge this beer. I have never decocted this recipe, but I am considering it. To do that I'll dough in for a 132 initial rest / enzyme wash. When I dough in it will only be the barley. Then I'll pull a 2/3rds decoction. After I add back the decoction, I'll add the corn and rice for the remainder of the mash. But as you all know I enjoy decoction. It is not necessary, I just want to see what it would do to this recipe. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif; font-size: 15.9991px;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif; font-size: 15.9991px;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZHBHxeE7lek/V_5vtW2cLcI/AAAAAAAAq4g/zZ0Y_N1W7dExS213kTUAkYHs5GS-eHvBACLcB/s1600/step%2Baside.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZHBHxeE7lek/V_5vtW2cLcI/AAAAAAAAq4g/zZ0Y_N1W7dExS213kTUAkYHs5GS-eHvBACLcB/s200/step%2Baside.png" width="200" /></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif; font-size: 15.9991px;"><b>Good ol' Merican Pilsner 145 calories</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif; font-size: 15.9991px;">1.047 OG</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif; font-size: 15.9991px;">1.007 FG</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif; font-size: 15.9991px;">12.00 IBUs</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif; font-size: 15.9991px;">3.00 SRM</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif; font-size: 15.9991px;">4.8% ABV</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif; font-size: 15.9991px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif; font-size: 15.9991px;"><b>Grain Bill - Mash at 148 for 60 minutes, rinse or sparge to volume. </b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif; font-size: 15.9991px;">7 lbs of Pilsner</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif; font-size: 15.9991px;">1 lbs of flaked corn</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif; font-size: 15.9991px;">1 lbs of flaked rice</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif; font-size: 15.9991px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif; font-size: 15.9991px;"><b>Hops</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif; font-size: 15.9991px;">.2 oz of Magnum 13% AA - 2.6 AAUs - at 60 minutes</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif; font-size: 15.9991px;">.2 oz of Liberty 4% AA - .8 AAUs at 30 minutes</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif; font-size: 15.9991px;">.5 oz of Liberty 4% AA - 2 AAUs at 0 minutes</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif; font-size: 15.9991px;"><b>Yeast</b></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif; font-size: 15.9991px;">17 grams of Fermentis Saflager 34/70 - </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman", stixgeneral, serif; font-size: 15.9991px;">(that is 1 & 2/3 packs)</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman", stixgeneral, serif; font-size: 15.9991px;"> Ferment at 62 for 5-7 days, then let rise to 70 for 2-3 days, then cold crash. Or make a starter, if you start with 1 pack of 34/70 then you only have to do a single step to get to 345 B Cells. Make sure you oxygenate well. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif; font-size: 15.9991px;"><b>Extras</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif; font-size: 15.9991px;">1 Whirlflock tablet </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.9991px;">1 tsp of Wyeast yeast nutrient. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.9991px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.9991px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.9991px;">What's that? you say you don't like 12 IBU beers... fine... turn it into a Pivo Pilsner Clone... If you have never had Pivo Pilsner it is a 59 IBU pilsner beer made by Firestone Walker brewing. It is made to honor the classic Czech Pivo. But really it is more like an India Pale Lager to me. Either way it is delicious. This grain bill stands strong as a great back ground for many of your lager experiments. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JUj2XXkgpyE/V_9_5KhPNrI/AAAAAAAAq5Y/5kt758HWPTMLRcsqiMXjoDkA291tL1feACEw/s1600/swamp-cooler-top.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JUj2XXkgpyE/V_9_5KhPNrI/AAAAAAAAq5Y/5kt758HWPTMLRcsqiMXjoDkA291tL1feACEw/s320/swamp-cooler-top.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A laundry tub and some frozen bottles of ice are all you need<br />
to make this fantastic lager. Anyone can do it. </td></tr>
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You want to make a true tasting Czech Pilsner? Ok, go with all Saaz hops. You want to make a German Pilsner, Go with all German Noble Hops... Hallertauer family. You could even use this beer as the base for a truly American India Pale Lager, just load it up with west coast hops, Centennial, Cascade, Columbus...etc... </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15.9991px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif; font-size: 15.9991px;"><b>Pivo Pilsner Clone 145 calories</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif; font-size: 15.9991px;">1.047 OG</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif; font-size: 15.9991px;">1.007 FG</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif; font-size: 15.9991px;">53.00 IBUs</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif; font-size: 15.9991px;">3.00 SRM</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif; font-size: 15.9991px;">4.8% ABV</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif; font-size: 15.9991px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif; font-size: 15.9991px;"><b>Grain Bill - Mash at 148 for 60 minutes, rinse or sparge to volume. </b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif; font-size: 15.9991px;">7 lbs of Pilsner</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif; font-size: 15.9991px;">1 lbs of flaked corn</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif; font-size: 15.9991px;">1 lbs of flaked rice</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif; font-size: 15.9991px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif; font-size: 15.9991px;"><b>Hops</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif; font-size: 15.9991px;">1 oz of Magnum 13% AA - 13 AAUs - at First Wort Hop</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif; font-size: 15.9991px;">1 oz of Spalt Select 5% AA - 5 AAUs at 10 minutes</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif; font-size: 15.9991px;">1 oz of Spalt Select 5% AA - 5 AAUs at 5 minutes</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif; font-size: 15.9991px;">2 oz of Saphir 3.4% AA - 6.8 AAUs 5 day dry hop</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif; font-size: 15.9991px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif; font-size: 15.9991px;"><b>Yeast</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif; font-size: 15.9991px;">17 grams of Fermentis Saflager 34/70 </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif; font-size: 15.9991px;">(that is 1 & 2/3 packs)</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif; font-size: 15.9991px;">- Ferment at 62 for 5-7 days, then let rise to 70 for 2-3 days, then cold crash. Or make a starter, if you start with 1 pack of 34/70 then you only have to do a single step to get to 345 B Cells. Make sure you oxygenate well. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif; font-size: 15.9991px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif; font-size: 15.9991px;"><b>Extras</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif; font-size: 15.9991px;">1 Whirlflock tablet </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif; font-size: 15.9991px;">1 tsp of Wyeast yeast nutrient. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "stixgeneral" , serif; font-size: 15.9991px;"><br /></span>David Steltinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08091919069275585647noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6365074056807535758.post-958862767305312912016-10-11T07:31:00.004-07:002016-10-11T07:40:15.689-07:00Belgian Single at the LHBS - Great Brew Day<div style="text-align: right;">
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TLySG86NuYM/V_z3pZG_HAI/AAAAAAAAq2c/FuoRbKkI_WQHyxXYlWUpgS40f0aanxKlACLcB/s1600/brewlab.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TLySG86NuYM/V_z3pZG_HAI/AAAAAAAAq2c/FuoRbKkI_WQHyxXYlWUpgS40f0aanxKlACLcB/s320/brewlab.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Sunday after church, I met up with Andrew the manager at BrewLab to help him brew a Pattersbier. More commonly known as a Belgian Single or a Monk Single, this is a style that is growing in popularity with home brewers. A Pattersbier is a low-gravity, golden abbey style beer. Is is often, but not always flavored with Cardamon, and Cinnamon, and sometimes coriander. And we make a really good one. Andrew and I always have great brew sessions when we brew together. It is really fun to brew with another absolute brew nerd. We tend to make very good decisions together. The brewing system at BrewLab is world class. A 3 vessel eHERM system capable of 10 or 15 gallons of beer.<br />
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Our grain bill, as well as our recipe in general, was pretty simple. But have no fear, we did a very complicated mash schedule for your amusement. For an <i><b>11 Gallon batch. 80% efficiency</b></i><br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HDoaSZZEwWg/V_z01bErF-I/AAAAAAAAq2Q/LAfccnzGpHcBYyFstQhzZxR1hlMwGxS7gCLcB/s1600/monk%2Bdrinking.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HDoaSZZEwWg/V_z01bErF-I/AAAAAAAAq2Q/LAfccnzGpHcBYyFstQhzZxR1hlMwGxS7gCLcB/s320/monk%2Bdrinking.png" width="240" /></a>The Humble Monk<br />
1.042 OG (which we nailed)<br />
1.006 FG<br />
5.67 SRM<br />
27.5 IBUs<br />
4.67$ ABV<br />
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12.1 # Castle Chateau Pilsen - Belgian Pilsner<br />
1.1 # American Wheat - (lots of ferulic acid)<br />
0.6 # Special B<br />
1.0 # Belgian Candi Sugar at 10 minutes<br />
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0.3 oz of Magnum at 60<br />
1.1 oz of Saaz at 30<br />
1.0 oz of Nelson Sauvin at 3 (we know it isn't traditional but, you gotta have some fun weird stuff)<br />
2 sticks of Cinnamon at 10 minutes<br />
1 oz of Coriander at 10 minutes<br />
Fermentis - Abbaye (BE256) 2 packs pitched dry. <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eB6kuoZDC2E/V_ujTvUXmQI/AAAAAAAAq08/IIJ1qI4VsIYhDs4_-6S6PID60x9PcrRzwCLcB/s1600/wort%2Bstir.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eB6kuoZDC2E/V_ujTvUXmQI/AAAAAAAAq08/IIJ1qI4VsIYhDs4_-6S6PID60x9PcrRzwCLcB/s200/wort%2Bstir.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The wort was beautiful golden, and milky<br />
early on. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Yes dry yeast. No starter, no re hydration. We want the yeast to have to struggle a bit. By struggling it will create more of the esters that we want in the beer. <b style="background-color: #fff2cc;">Recently, home brewers have errantly promoted the idea of big, huge yeast pitches. Boy have they missed the point. The point is to pitch the <i>right </i>amount of yeast, not just huge amounts of yeast. </b> If you read the yeast series you know that yeast creates esters, and higher alcohols in order to grow the population and survive. When yeast is under stress it creates more of these esters.<br />
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Now to make sure we created the esters we needed in the finished beer, and because we wanted to develop a great mouth feel for this beer, we had to do a multi step mash. We were already pitching dry, and fermenting at room temperature. But we had to create the right environment for the yeast. Step mashing is a breeze on this system. Here is our schedule.<br />
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15 minutes at 118-120 F<br />
15 minutes at 132-134 F<br />
40 minutes at 146-148 F<br />
10 minutes at 156-158 F<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-R8lxVKEcj50/V1Q2ijc3FxI/AAAAAAAAn9E/My1YocIkQRc3DTLioA37yPMm1RxykZElgCPcB/s1600/20160604_140657.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-R8lxVKEcj50/V1Q2ijc3FxI/AAAAAAAAn9E/My1YocIkQRc3DTLioA37yPMm1RxykZElgCPcB/s320/20160604_140657.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brew Lab's 3v system. Makes multi step mashing a breeze.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Now this is a multi step mash designed to extract lots of sugars, create good mouth feel, and to create some ferulic acid in the mash, so that the POV+ (phenolic off flavor variant positive) yeast can create the abbey flavors we are looking for in this beer. Early on the wort was extremely milky, that is normal in a step mash especially during the acid rest and the protein rest. You are letting other enzymes do their job. In the acid rest we are chiefly letting Phytase and Glucanase create acid, and soften the cell membranes of the starch. The protein rest was designed to allow Peptidase to create the ferulic acid we are looking for in the beer. <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Peptidase breaks medium chains into their components. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> </span><span style="background-color: #fff2cc; color: #222222;">So if you want to express maximum esters or phenols </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc; color: #222222;">in a Heffeweis or in a BSDA, you really should consider a protein rest around 115 - 128 F.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">The key acid you are trying to maximize is called Ferulic acid. A Peptidase rest will help you maximize it's availability. From then on it was a normal beta sachrification rest, and a brief alpha sachrification rest. We skipped the mash out and shortened our sparge to 10 minutes. We were already in danger of overshooting our gravity, and shortening the sparge and skipping the mash out helped us stay where we wanted to be. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc; color: #222222;"><br /></span></span>
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-luOTVFme0Cw/V_z0Aj5te_I/AAAAAAAAq2I/yBu-exQxKWk7y3Y-eHkPbJN_sSV7IP9OwCLcB/s1600/sacred%2Bcow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-luOTVFme0Cw/V_z0Aj5te_I/AAAAAAAAq2I/yBu-exQxKWk7y3Y-eHkPbJN_sSV7IP9OwCLcB/s200/sacred%2Bcow.jpg" width="175" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc; color: #222222;"> "<b><i>Wait, what? you guys did something to limit your efficiency? how crazy are you? efficiency is the sacred holy bovine god of home brewing... how could you do that? more sugar is always a good thing right?"</i></b> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> Well, "<b>yes,"</b> we took steps to limit the transfer of sugars, and "<b>no,"</b> more sugar is not always a better thing. Higher efficiency is not always a better thing. Like always, I am promoting the common sense notion, that brewing, is 45% cleaning, and 45% learning and 10% brewing. When you learn how to manage your mash, you can take steps like we took to get the beer you want. Maximum efficiency is not the goal of a mash The goal of a mash is creating the wort you want, and having a lot of fun. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-solvhDHOTZc/V_wIskBlvQI/AAAAAAAAq1U/ap51uVSHNo4nv7i0pdhc8s0eOk1shgT8wCLcB/s1600/P01443530483.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: #fff2cc; clear: right; display: inline; float: right; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-solvhDHOTZc/V_wIskBlvQI/AAAAAAAAq1U/ap51uVSHNo4nv7i0pdhc8s0eOk1shgT8wCLcB/s200/P01443530483.jpg" width="138" /></a>Now if you don't want to do a multi step mash, and you certainly don't have to, an alternative approach is to adjust your grain bill to include more wheat. Trust me on this, a quality yeast will still give you the flavor you want. I love Fermentis Abbaye (BE256), WLP500, and WLP530. They are my favorite abbey style yeasts. I recently brewed with Imperial Monastery, and I'll let you know how it turns out. So far it seems pretty great too, but with a softer phenol profile. I haven't tried Wyeast Belgian Abbey, or Belgian Abbey 2 (1214 and 1762) so I cannot comment on them yet, but I'm sure they are wonderful as well. I should mention I have also brewed abbey style beers with Danstar Abbaye; it is also great stuff. Wow, we brew a lot of abbey style ales...<br />
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<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">Before I go on I want to remind you that when you do a single step mash, you will not develop all of the same characteristics of a multi-step mash. You are asking sugars to do the job of proteins with regard to mouth feel and foam retention.</span><span style="background-color: white;"> A single step mash</span> will work to a certain extent. But it won't be exactly the same. There is a reason the monks do step mashing and it is not just because of undermodified grains. <span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">ONCE AGAIN THERE IS MORE GOING ON IN THE MASH THAN THE SIMPLE CONVERSION OF STARCH INTO SUGAR.</span> And I think we can all agree, they are pretty good brewers. <br />
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The boil went as expected 13 gallons boiled down to 11. We added our hops and spices at the appropriate times. We filtered, chilled and transferred. Then we pitched a pack of yeast in each carboy. We did not use oxygen to aerate. Fermentis is packaged with nutrients and oxygen. So all we did was shake the carboys for 5 minutes. That's it. The final result? We nailed it! 1.042 on the nose, and a clear golden <i>elixir van de liefde</i>. This should be an amazing beer. I can't wait to try it. If you are in Kansas City in about 3 weeks, stop by the BrewLab and try this beer!<br />
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<br />David Steltinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08091919069275585647noreply@blogger.com2