So where are we now? The near future of home brewing.

if you don't have a copy
of this chart, copy it!

My how things have changed.  In 25 years of home brewing I have seen so many changes.   When I started home brewing almost everyone did extract.  A few guys did all grain, and we revered them as rocket scientists.  They had all kinds of weird gear and cool toys.  They spent half of a Saturday making a batch of beer, and they kept talking about "diastatic power".  (still very important, although no one really talks about it any more)  They used fancy terms like "acid rest" and "phytase" and "beta amylase".  All terms that blew the mind!

the perforated 5 gallon bucket, the heart
of the zappap lautering system

Eventually I met a guy who promised me that "it isn't that hard, they make it seem hard to feel smarter... programming your VCR to record Letterman with out missing the top 10, that is hard".   He taught me all about all grain brewing.   He taught me how to mash grains. He taught me a lot about common sense science and that understanding the science is more important than following a recipe.    But our equipment was rudimentary,  we used a large enamel pot to mash and boil in.  A stainless steel spaghetti pot and a large soup pot were used as the hot liquor tank.  He did have a turkey fryer with an aluminum 7.5 gallon pot.   We transferred the mash to a zappap lauter tun to lauter our mash.   We were fancy boys, so we had a plastic spigot on the zappap. (rather than a vinyl tube that was affixed with silicone caulk)

Seriously, who takes the time to
make a meme of a goat with braces?

I have to wonder what he would think of the new home brewing systems if he were around today. What would he think about $20K home brew systems, or even $5K systems.   I like to think he would say something about "spending money on things that don't improve your beer, is like shaving a goat.   Moderately satisfying for the goat, but a waste of time and money for you" But, I know he would like the all in one systems, and he would love Brew in a Bag.  He was always looking to simplify his brewing procedures.  He coined many of the phrases I iterate on this blog.  In the end I know he would follow the science.   And if it made his beer better, or the same and easier, he would embrace it wholeheartedly.

• Grains don't know they are being mashed, and they don't care where they are mashed!
• he proved this once by mashing in a large vinyl coated Styrofoam plant pot.  The success of that batch prompted our move to a cooler for mashing.
• Enzymes have no agenda.  They work at certain temperature ranges. 
• Enzymes can not modify what they can not act upon.  Stir your mash occasionally.
• No sugar shall be left behind... after all a starch molecule gave it's very life for that sugar. 
• He believed in fly sparging.  I think he would be ok with the recirculating systems, but I don't think he would see the need to recirculate for the entire mash.
• And I am sure he would find a way to sparge, even if it was just rinsing.  

So it is with that back ground that I look at where we are now, and I try to predict where we are headed.  I'll use what I was taught.  Because that is what I know.  And because his beers were among the best I ever tasted.  Still trying to get a Scottish wee heavy that compares to his.  So with that frame of reference,  here are my predictions for the near future.  

I think for the immediate future, Brew Bags are going to become the norm in all systems.  As you all know I always use a brew bag.  Even when brewing 3 vessel with batch sparge.  They are simply better at lautering.  It is a better filter medium.  And just like we no longer use separate mash and lauter tuns.  I think very few brewers will be using false bottoms and bazooka screens in the near future.   But, for those of you who like complication, technology (always cool) and durable stainless metal products.  I think that Stainless Steel mesh filters will come to replace bags.  They are even easier on brew day.   And they do an even better job lautering than the bag.  They don't ever slip down, or slump and allow some grains into the wort. 

I think we will see the price come down on all in one systems.   And I think we will see advances to make more of the 110 V systems the norm.  I also predict easier control of the units with phone applications.   I know many of you love your complicated diy control panels and I will admit they look cool.   But I think we will see simplification and ease of use.

I also predict advances in 3 vessel brewing to catch up with BIAB and all in one systems.   We've seen some.   Heat Exchange Recirculating Mash,  Recirculating Immersion Mash,  But those systems are pricey.  I am aware of an affordable Recirculating Mash system that is being developed.  It uses a cooler and keeps your temperatures exactly where you want them. It will market for only about $350.00 - $400.    That should be huge, if the guys can get it to the market.  

On the water adjustment front.  I predict more simplification and advances. We are already seeing products like Beer Dust and 5.2 pH stabilizer that make brewing water chemistry additions easier.  But more importantly we are seeing software advances like Brunwater, and EZ Water.   Both of which are free ware, and both of which can help you plan your brew day water chemistry adjustments.   I predict tubs of different water adjustment that can adjust water by general style. 

I predict that methods to reduce contact with oxygen will become common place.   I think guys will transfer to kegs more and more with co2 pressure rather than with gravity.  And at a minimum,  I think guys will devise ways to transfer that minimize oxygen contact with nearly finished beer.  I for one like to lay a blanket of CO2 on top of my bottling bucket right after I add the priming sugar.   I don't know for sure that it helps, but it certainly can't hurt. 

A shot from Don O's video on
no sparge brewing. 

I predict more no sparge brewing.   Although my mentor might not like it, it is a great method, and produces beer on par with sparging.  Everything that saves a home brewer time and improves beer is a great advance.  In truth I think if the beer was just as good, he would love no sparge brewing.  Anything to make brewing easier.  I personally think he would be doing no sparge BIAB if he were with us today.  Check out Don Osborn's video on no sparge  brewing. In fact, check out all of Don Osborn's videos, they're great. 

Decoction mashing
total connection to
your mash!

Finally I predict a return to more connected brewing.   More 3 vessel, more decoction, more step mashing.   Home brewers brew for fun.  And although we all dream of going pro and taking down INBEV/AB/SABMILLER , the reality is brewing costs us money.  We do it because we love beer, and we love brewing.   And brewing on the totally tricked out computer controlled systems is... well... kinda boring.   Guys want to brew, to be in contact with their mash, and their wort.  Some guys even want to source local ingredients and capture local yeast.  Who am I to say they are wrong.  It is all about having fun and making great beer.   I have warned you all that when 3 vessel seems more fun to me I'll switch back to 3 vessel.  And truthfully, I have been doing some 3 vessel recently.  And it has been fun.  But I also love my partial mash process and my countertop BIAB process, and I get to do even more cool stuff with those processes.  So when brewing at home Ill probably stick with that.  

That's all for now sports fans.  

How to make a ridiculous dIPA; Part 3 Recipe design. with BSG Hoptonite dIPA

So now it is time to apply what we have learned in this series and design a ridiculous double India Pale ale.   Our goal is not to clone any particular dIPA but rather to be inspired by some of the dIPAs that we love. We are not nearly as concerned with IBUs as we are with hop flavor and aroma.  IBUs are a theoretical measurement of bitterness.   We want the beer to be bitter, but we are more focused on hop flavor and aroma, and definitely a tongue stinger.  I, for one, think this is a fundamental characteristic of a dIPA.  We want loads of hop flavor and aroma.  We want those aromas to be herbal, pine, citrus, black pepper, and a touch of stone fruit.   Notice I didn't say woody, earthy, floral or grassy.   Those are characteristics we associate with an English IPA.   We want the color to be very light for a dIPA 7.5 to 8 SRM.


Wowser, that is a lot of want's and things to consider.  So let's break them down and analyze them one at a time.

• We want the beer to be bitter -  We have learned that IBUs are a measurement of bitterness not hop aroma or flavor.  A beer that is 70-80 IBUs can be intensely hoppy.  But we promised you a hop monster. Were shooting for 135+ IBUs.
• We have learned that many brewers prefer bittering hops low in cohumulone to get a less harsh bitter.   So We will be using Nugget Centennial - more later.
• We have learned that by choosing hops with certain oils and protecting those oils by not exposing them to isomerization, and boil off, we can maximize our hop flavor and aroma.
• We have learned that we have to focus on certain oils to get certain flavors.   In our case those oils are high in Myrcene and Linalool, and have a fair amount of Humulene and Carophylene.
• We will need a decent bittering charge to get our IBUs up.
• When you hop the heck out of a beer and have no bitterness, it just kinda seems mildly fruity and citrusy on the tongue.  That isn't what we want here.  
• We made an all late addition citra IPA.  it was... meh. No balance just citrusy and stone fruit.
• We will need a mid boil addition to up the bitterness more and get some midrange flavors.
• Otherwise our beer can taste like it has a hole in the middle.   Bitter, but not lingering, and then whamo! aroma and flavor.  We want flavor and aroma all the way through the pallet. This is really common with lots of commercial american IPAs
• We will have some flame out additions in our batch, but remember we have a jaded  hydra chiller and can easily control how long the oils are subjected to high heat. If you do not have the ability to chill rapidly.  I would suggest chilling to 140 F, then adding the hops for a 20 minute hop stand. 
• We will be using 2 charges of dry hops in this recipe.  
• One large charge of dry hops during active fermentation to expose the oils to bio transformation.  We want the transformation of the linalool into citronella 
• One smaller charge of dry hops right before bottling to protect the oils from bio transformation during active fermentation. 
• The hops we have selected were generously provided by BSG.  BSG is freaking fantastic.  They also have a small packaging program that keeps hops fresh.   Ask for BSG.
• Side note:  They are the force behind many of the grains and hops you already use.  
• Additional recipe support was also provided by the great people at BSG.  
• The hops we have selected are
• Centennial
• Nugget
• Galaxy
• Cascade
• Citra
• El Dorado
• Mosaic
• Our hops came in 1 ounce  oxygen evacuated packages from BSG.  Your local home brew store can order these for you.  Our hops were shipped cool, and have been stored in the freezer. 
• If your local home brew store does not have oxygen protected hops, and you are brewing for contest, or just trying to make the ultimate batch.  have them order these for you.  Both of the great hop providers, BSG, and YCH Hops can provide these for you. 

Again, we didn't want to copy another recipe exactly.  We wanted this to be our own Counterbrew / Turkey Creek / Mynd Spyn / Borders Brewing Adventure recipe.  Sure we could have just copied Pliny the Elder, or Headdy Topper.  And let me say for the record that is a fine thing to do.  I personally love Pliny the Elder.   I make it a lot, a couple of times during this writing of this blog. But this is our beer, based on our new and deeper understanding of the hops.  It is our hope that this new understanding creates a fantastic beer.

But now comes the hard part.

Figuring out the additions, the times, and the processes.   For that we turn to two sources to which I am proud to introduce you. (see I can use correct grammar)  First,  ScottJanish.com  hop oil calculator.  Scott is a great guy and very cerebral.  He has taken the time to build a free online hop oil calculator.  We have been testing it, and the predicted results match very closely the final product.  Now, you should know our hop bill doesn't fit into scotts calculator very well.  We  are using some hops that have not made their way onto the calculator yet.  No problem.  Not only is Scott cerebral, he is also a good guy.  He helped us choose the closest substitutions for the sake of his calculator.   The end result.  We will kinda know what the beer will taste like before we brew it.

Second, is good ol' expert advice.  One of the great things about home brewing is you can turn to people in your club, your LHBS, and to industry guys for help.   We will be planning our recipe using Brewtoad.com and Scottjanish.com.  And then sending our recipe to the experts at BSG just to make sure what the computer is spitting out will match what experience and expertise indicates.

ScottJanish.com is a beer blog.  Scott has done the research for you.  On ScottJanish.com you willfind the very best commercial clone recipes on the net.  A list of the top 200 beer blogs by reported traffic.  (Sadly we haven't made the list yet, but were almost there.) A list of great home brew recipes.  A hop substitutions engine, which is ever growing and expanding and, last but certainly not least, a hop oil calculator.   I don't design hoppy beers any more without consulting scottjanish.com.   The first beer was our hoppy wheat.  The hoppy wheat was barely posted about.  But we designed the recipe using the hop oils calculator, and as I sit here enjoying one right now, it occurs to me, the engine was right on the money.   We were trying to make a hoppy, citrusy wheat beer with some pine notes.  That is exactly what the engine said we would get, and that is exactly what we got.

But designing this recipe is a little more challenging.  The hop oil calculator does not have every hop yet,  Scott is doing his best, but remember this is just an amateur home brew blog. Not amateur in appearance or performance, just in the fact that it is not Scotts full time profession.  Since we were Using some hops that are not in the calculator yet, we had to find the closest substitution hop and plug that in.

When I first put the recipe in I was convinced of a hop schedule that featured Nugget as our bittering hop.   Nugget fit the bill.  I was sure of this fact.  But, I have come to trust Scott's hop oil calculator.  And when I put in my hop bill I got something that looked like this...Mild and pleasant with spicy floral tones.... what the what?   I'm trying to make a tongue stinger.   A tongue stinger that features very lemony, citrusy, pine, and black pepper tastes.  Here was my first attempt.

That is not what we were trying to do.   Mild and pleasant?   What is this the Lawrence Welk of beers?    We want interesting and cool.   We want flavors you can identify when you drink the beer.  But that is the cool thing about ScottJanish.com.   It allows you to test your recipe before you brew.  And based on the knowledge we have accumulated about hops, you can adjust your recipe.  Which I did.  Here is the second attempt.

Citrus and lemon notes with cedar, pine, floral black pepper and subtle green melon.  "Hello! yes please Ill have two of those, and get the dame a cosmo please, thank you!"  That is exactly what we wanted.   So that is what we are going with.    Just to make sure, before we brew, we will be running this by some experts at BSG.  But I think you all get my point.  What a cool resource.  One little change.  Changing the initial bittering charge to Centennial makes all the difference.  And isn't it cool that we live in a time where we don't have to just keep making the same beer over and over to figure that out?
So now our final recipe looks like this.
5.5 Gallon Batch.   Yield 5 gallons.
OG - 1.081
FG - 1.012
ABV - 9.1%
IBUs - 142 - yup 142 percieved IBUs but total AAUs of 160.85  (Pliny is 199 percieved IBUs and 152 AAUs)  So this is an insane hop monster.

The mash is a simple 60 minute rest at 150 F.    We will certainly do a no sparge for ours, but you brew it however you want to.  You could even make this as an extract.  There is so much hops in this that you really wouldn't notice much of a difference.   We wont be mashing out, or sparging, or step mashing or anything complicated.  Just straight forward hop attack.   That is it.  Nothing more to this one.   It is all about the hops.  We will be turning on our Jaded Hydra right at after the flame out additions go in.  We will be under 140 F, in under 2 minutes.  The 2 day dry hop is not a typo.  For the final dry hop we don't want to expose the hops to any yeast activity.

Next stop Brewing the beast.   But before we brew, remember we are running it by our experts.

So that is it sports fans.   A true hop monster.  But a hop monster developed with thoughtfulness and technology.   I am not saying this is the final version of the recipe.   I am sure we will make adjustments and modifications as we brew this beer.  But for now, this is our version of a double IPA. The brew day photos and videos will have to wait a while. As we are all very busy right now.   With family coming into town, work travel, church, and school activities.   I for one can't wait to brew this beer.   We will also be making my "by Grace" IPA in the near future (the best IPA I have ever tasted, an entire 5 gallon batch disappeared at just 2 cast parties)  and John's cream ale.  It is a fantastic summer beer. Thank you for your comments and questions.   I hope you will also brew this beer, and tell me what you think of it.

If you need an extract version of the recipe.  Just substitute the entire grain bill for 9.9 lbs of Light Liquid Extract (not pilsen or Maris Otter, just standard extract) and 2 lbs of extra light DME.   We are working with a home brew supplier to bring you all pre packaged versions of our recipes.  More on that to come soon.

UPDATE:  The good folks at BSG think our recipe looks good, and want to try some when it is done. We'll make sure they get to.

UDATE 2 Hoptonite will have to wait for a couple of weeks.  Easter is coming fast.  We have convinced our SWMBOs to let us brew on Holy Saturday, but it has to be fast.  So were doing a 10 gallon no sparge Saison.  Hoptonite will not be a fast brew day, every detail will be checked and re checked when we brew the monster.

UDATE 3 Hoptonite is about a week old.  It is chugging away in the FC.  The whole basement smells like hops.  We had a slight blowoff, and by slight I mean it took over an hour to clean up, so use a blow off tube and a large bucket.    Cant wait to taste it.

How to make a Ridiculous dIPA volume 2 - Hops, with Chad Roberts of YCH HOPS

This is a long one, but it's worth it. 

"Furthermore, we wish to emphasize that in future in all cities, markets and in the country, the only ingredients used for the brewing of beer must be Barley, Hops and Water. Whosoever knowingly disregards or transgresses upon this ordinance, shall be punished by the Court authorities' confiscating such barrels of beer, without fail.

There it is, the Reinheitsgebot.  The first of many laws governing how beer was to be made. What?  you don't care for the Reinheitsgebot? You are a free brewer, and you'll add what ever you want to your wort...  OK, cool, I'm cool with that.  But,  understand, this is where the use of hops became not just common, but also standardized and regulated.   And thank god it did.   From this point on hops were the key defining flavor of beer. Hops became the flavor that separated one style from another.  

When you back up to 50 yards away and watch a brew day.  They all look very similar.   Water, malt,  hops, and yeast.  Brew in a Bag, 3 Vessel, eHERMS, RIMS, they all look very similar from 50 yards away.  It isn't the method that creates the flavors.   It is the specific choice of ingredients that defines a beer.    Tell me what is the difference between a blonde ale and a american India pale ale?   It is the hops. Nothing else.  What about the yeast smart guy? Well, as much as I talk about yeast, I will acknowledge that yeast is also a key ingredient.  But true yeast whisperers,  the guys who really understand yeast, can use many different yeasts to get the flavor they want, or use the same yeast to get many different flavors. One of the best saisons I ever had was made with US 05 fermented at high temperatures.   The guy knew how to get what he wanted from the yeast.  But there is no way to fake hops.  Each hop has unique properties that make it what it is.  Each hop variety is a separate variety and is genetically different than the other varieties.   

So whats in a hop?   By now I am assuming you know what a hop is.  If you aren't familiar with what hops are, this blog may be a little technical for you.   But have heart, I'll keep it as understandable as possible.  And when I say "what is in a hop"  I don't mean cellulose,    I mean what are the compounds in a hop that we as brewers care about?  How do these compounds (acids and oils) react to heat and mechanical agitation?  How can we use this knowledge to control (maximize) hop flavors. For that information, we turn to a pro,  Chad Roberts of YCH Hops.    Chad is the quality control officer of YCH Hops.  He is a wealth of information on hops and how to use them.  YCH Hops is an awesome provider of hops.   They have pioneered small packaging for home brewers.   When you are making a beer for competition, or true excellence, small packs are the choice.  Their Small packs are low oxygen packages that damn near guarantee freshness.   YCH HOPS

What are the compounds in hops that give beer flavor?

Numerous hop compounds contribute to the flavors they add to beer, from the obvious ones such as alpha and beta acids, various oils, as well as polyphenols and the vegetal hop matter itself.

So they are acids and oils?

Primarily, yes.  These are what are judged for their flavor and aroma contributions.  We are beginning to understand more what the other elements contribute as well.

What are the acids and how do they affect flavor?

Alpha and beta acid are comprised of various acids present in hops, and are placed into these two groups for ease of calculation.  They are housed within the hard resins of the hop glands.

What flavor is alpha acid?   

Aside from “hoppy and bitter”, I don’t think you can really assign a specific flavor to alpha acid.  Most of the flavors come from the connection to aroma contributed from the oils.

What flavor is beta acid?

Beta contributes somewhat to the bitterness of the beer as well, but as it does not isomerize or solubilize, beta acid bitterness primarily comes from it oxidizing, and has been described as “harsh, or medicinal”.

How long does it take for them to give their maximum bitterness?

A 60 minute boil isomerizes about all of the bitterness that is going to come from boiling the alpha acids in the hops, but some perceived bitterness from polyphenols may also come from dry hopping.

So the longer they are exposed to the heat the more bitterness they provide? 

To a point.  After 90 minutes, the only way you are extracting more than the maximum utilization of 30-35% is by actually reducing the total volume of liquid and increasing the bitterness that way.

So does the choice of bittering hop matter?

Absolutely.  While some brewers have anecdotally favored low co-humulone hops for bittering in the belief that they provide a “smooth” bittering, blind taste tests have not given data to back this up.  However, bitter character is most likely informed by the genetics of each hop, which is why some use high alpha, clean hops such as Magnum and Warrior™ to achieve the bitterness they desire while contributing little conflicting flavor or aroma.

What are the oils and what flavors do they give? 

Myrcene

Myrcene is normally connected with tropical fruit flavors, and is the most volatile of the oils in hops, so the first to disappear with age. 

Caryophyllene

Earthy, woody, spicy character is classically ascribed to this oil.

Farnesene 

Farnesene can range from primarily floral tones into some citrusy character as well.

Humulene

It is very much like Caryophyllene, and so produces much of the same aromas.

Geraniol

Strong floral aromas come from geraniol.

Linalool

Linalool is closely related to myrcene, and responsible for many perceived aromas in hops, from floral to woody to fruity.

There has bee a lot of focus recently on late hop additions and dry hopping.   Can you discuss that?

Adding hops late in the boil and dry hopping are where you are going to get the majority of your hop aroma, as aroma compounds are volatile and would be boiled off otherwise.  

Heat creates isomerization and boils off volatile oils,  fermentation creates biotransformation.  How can brewers use that to their advantage? 

Isomerization creates your bitterness, so that is why your bittering addition is at the beginning.   Hop oils boil off at much lower temperatures than water, and the flavors provided by the oils degrade much faster than isomerization occurs.  “Biotransformation” and hydrolization by yeast take the aroma compounds found in oils and change them into other aromas.  Whether or not this is desirable is a point of contention between brewers, and people dry hop with or without yeast present to control these effects.

Is it fair to say you can custom design the flavor of a beer by knowing the amounts of the acids and oils, and how to maximize them?

By using calculators to control the amounts of IBU you extract from Alpha Acids in the hops you use, you can absolutely control how bitter your beer is.  By knowing the oil contents, you can definitely get closer to what you are looking for but a whole host of variables between brewing and consumption affect whether or not the character you are shooting for will be exactly what you planned for.

So if a person wanted to make a ridiculously hoppy double india pale ale (the focus of this series)  they could literally choose what flavors they wanted to emphasize and choose hops and hop usage techniques to maximize those flavors?

Designing your hop bill thoughtfully and controlling all of your processes will absolutely improve your beer and get it closer to what you are designing.

We want a citrusy, piney, somewhat floral, maybe even a little peppery 5 gallon batch of beer at about 95 IBUs   What would you recommend for hops and additions?  

For Citrus, I’ve always liked Cascade and Citra™, with pine coming from Chinook and Simcoe®, floral from Spalt and Sterling, and pepper from Summit and Columbus.

How important is freshness and packaging?

Cold storage, packaging quality and retaining an inert (low oxygen) atmosphere for the hops is integral to keeping them fresh.  The crop year isn’t as important as keeping them cold and sealed.  I have professionally used hops over 8 years old and made a great hop forward beer, so I personally am very against the “current crop year or bust” mentality.  (did you all catch that?)

How can a home brewer get the best quality hops?

Buy from your local home brew store, as long as they keep all of their hops cold (below 40 F), even their back stock.  Yakima Chief-Hopunion “Small Pack” product is the first in the market to provide quality controlled, commercially packaged and guaranteed product to the home brew market, and we hold our products to a standard of excellence and trace-ability to ensure that all of our customers receive the highest quality hops we have to offer.

So faithful readers, to sum up what we have learned.   Using hops is not as simple as putting them in your beer at certain times.   A well designed recipe uses the knowledge we all have built to create the flavors we all want.  Some of the techniques that brewers have developed are great.  Some of them are... well, let's just say they don't accomplish what was intended.   And there are exciting new techniques you can use to maximize the flavors you want.  It is really just like everything else. Understanding what you are doing is the key.  So lets summarize what we have learned.

• The bitterness comes from the acids in the hops, and to a certain extent the polyphenols
• It takes about 60 minutes for the acids to isomerize (re arrange) for maximum effect
• So if you want a super bitter beer, you need to add hops at 60 minutes, and those hops need lots of acid content.
• The taste of one hop added at 60 versus another hop added at 60 is noticeable.  So the idea that any bittering hop will do is not true.  
• Many brewers like bittering hops with low Co-Humulone levels. Warrior and Magnum
• Much of the hop flavor comes from the volatile oils in the hop
• These oils boil at much lower temperatures than wort.  
• When the oils boil they loose their flavors, they are volatile
• This can happen in as little as 10-20 minutes in the boil
• Tell us exactly how long they can boil safely with out losing the flavors
• I can't.  It all depends on what you are trying to accomplish and what flavors you are trying to create.  One thing I take from this, is that for the purpose of flavor and aroma... I add my hops in the last 10 minutes or in whirl pool or dry hop only.  
• Whirl pool additions over 140 F will continue to isomerize.   Which isn't to say you shouldn't whirlpool.  Just know that you are loosing some aroma and flavor, and gaining some additional bitterness.  Sometimes that's what you want.  Remember people its about understanding not rules.
• But late additoons, with out fast chilling of the entire volume of the wort will continue to do 2 things
• Isomerize
• Oils will break down
• This isn't bad or good, it just is.  late additions and whirlpool additions are just a tool you can use to get the flavors you want.   
• Basically, Whirlpool and hop burst additions exposed to high heat for long periods of time will muddle.  
• Meaning their flavors and aromas will diminish and you will get some additional bitterness from them. Which may be what you want, but not really what we want in a monster dIPA. 
• Hop oils exposed to active fermentation can undergo bio-transformation.  This is a process where the yeast acts upon the hop oils (looking for anything it may need).  The hop oils can change.  This is also neither good or bad.  It just is what it is.   You may want this, you may not.  
• There is debate on whether or not this is actually perceivable.  My best advice is try it yourself.  Brew the same beer 2x or split a batch.  One time follow your normal dry hop schedule.  One time add the dry hops a day or two before packaging after most active fermentation has subsided.
• Can't you ever just give us a rule to follow? 
• No, no I can not.  other than clean and sanitize constantly.   
• Great brewing is not about rules and recipes, it is about understanding. 
• Understanding how your ingredients will behave based on the factors you can control

In our next episode we will design our ridiculous dIPA using what we have learned, and I will give you more resources to use in designing a beer.   There have been some amazing developments in the last couple of years.   That is all for now sports fans.  

PROST!

YCH HOPS

The ubiquitous brown ale... still a favorite!

The hop series will continue this week, and the yeast series will also get going strong again later this week or next.  When you are working with experts, you work with their time lines.  And not surprisingly, they are busy people.

Brown Ale.   Simple Malty brown ale.   A wonderful beer for every day consumption.  There was a time when brown ale was all the rage.  Every where you would go, you would see brown ales.  But with the growth of the home brewing scene and the craft brewing scene many of the old classic styles have gotten put on the back burner.   Shoved aside for the newest taste explosion.   Forgotten for the latest double India chocolate nib saison aged on bourbon barrel chips in a chardonnay barrel and fermented with Saccharomyces eubayanus.  In the quest to capture market share craft breweries have looked to make more and more interesting, and hoppier, beers.  This trend has even perverted the simple brown ale.   It is hard to find one now with out coffee, or peanut butter.  Overall, this trend is a good thing.  None of us would have ever enjoyed so many of the great beers of the last 10 years with out this trend.  But,can we still enjoy beers that skinny jean wearing, self absorbed, sycophants would turn their noses up at?  Can we just have a simple well crafted malty brown ale?

Brown ale is one of the best styles for home brewers to brew.   It is medium OG, malty, complex, not too bitter, and easy to brew with success.    This is a beer you can enjoy at any time, even in the summer.  It is malty, but not too roasty.  It is balanced but not overly hoppy.  There is a residual sweetness but it isn't cloying.   If you have a friend, or a loved one, or a SWMBO that doesn't like dark beers, this is the beer to give them.  This is the beer that can help them understand that a dark color does not always mean overpowering roasted flavor.

 I really enjoy Fat Squirrel by New Glarus, and Moose Drool by Big Sky.  But my favorite brown ale, is made in my kitchen.  So today, I will give you my Northern English Brown Ale recipe that I have been brewing forever. I have probably brewed this beer more times than I have brewed any other beer.  If you were to survey friends of mine who have tried my beer, this is probably the beer they would conjure in their minds.  It has converted many muggles to craft beer.   I hope you will try it and enjoy it.  Wimpole Street Brown Ale.  Wimpole Street is in London.  It is the home of Professor Henry Higgins, Eliza Dolittle, and of the poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning.  Wimpole street is 2 blocks from Baker Street home of Sherlock Holmes.

Wimpole Street Brown Ale.
All Grain
5 gallons
1.053 OG
1.016 FG
27 IBU
18 SRM - Brown not black, it's not a porter
4.7% ABV

7.5 # of 2 Row, or pale ale, or if you want to be fancy Maris Otter
0.7 # of  Caramel/Crystal 80
0.7 # of  Biscuit Malt
0.5 # of  Brown Malt
0.3 # of Chocolate Malt
1.4 Ounces of East Kent Golding at 60  (5% AA,  7 AAU)
0.6 Ounces of Fuggles at 10 (4.8 % AA,  2.88 AAU)
0.6 Ounces of Fuggles at 5  (4.8% AA, 2.88 AAU)
Safale S-04, or Nottingham Ale yeast

Mash grains at 154 F for 60 Minutes.
Ferment Cool,  64-67 Fermentation chamber.  (the yeast is very forgiving and you want some esters so if you cant control fermentation temperatures you'll be OK fermenting in a cool dark place)

With a simple change of hops and a quick wort souring, this beer makes an amazing base beer for a sour.  It becomes an Oud Bruin.  (Old Brown)   Another style that I love.   I'll post about that soon as well.   If you can make 10 gallons of beer at a time you can easily make enough wort for both styles.

I will be brewing the brown ale this weekend.  And as we go into the fall the counterbrew team will be brewing the base wort and splitting the 10 gallon batch into a brown ale, and an Oud Bruin.

Decoction brew days...

Ted Williams was arguably the greatest hitter in the history of baseball.   He hit .400 twice in his career,   1952 and 1953 (400 and 407).  And in his career he had over 9700 plate appearances and only 2654 hits.  ( That's right Ted Williams is not in the 3000 hits club. )  But Ted Williams also walked 2026 times.  He literally got on base half of the time he went to the plate.  All because he understood the game.

On Saturday, we struck out on our first at bat... but we understand the game.

So last week, I was here on the interwebs shooting my mouth off about how decoction is just a tool. A tool you can use to raise the temperature of your mash.  Talk about good timing.   This weekend we brewed twice.  One was always supposed to be a double or triple decoction brew day.  The other was supposed to be an easy, no stress, no sparge, session pale ale brew day "Pliny the Petulant".   But things happen...and if you understand what is happening, you can react to it.   If you don't really understand... and you are just following a recipe....well in that case, you get what you get. Fortunately, you are a reader of this, and other brewing blogs.  Fortunately, you know there is a way to raise your temperature, and improve the maltiness and clarity of your beer.  And that method is decoction.

UPDATE:  Pliny the petulant hops were less than advertised.  Not sure if it was our hop provider or the general decline in the quality of hops.  We solved that problem by adding 1 ounce of Simcoe, Cascade and Centennial, and dry hopping for another 5 days.  The bitterness is also too low.  We will solve that by using a bitter hop tea at bottling. I am beginning to suspect that something is wrong with either 1.) Where we are getting the hops or 2.) The hop crop in general.  More to come on this later.  I am looking into it.   

getting ready to pull
the decoction

It's such a little thing, when you are using a cooler as a mash tun, you have to preheat it.  And when the cooler is a cooler that has been sitting in a cold garage, you especially have to preheat the mash tun.   We didn't.   So when we mashed in at 160, our mash temperature fell to 146 F.   This is still firmly in the range for beta amylase enzyme activity.  When you are at 146 you are still getting all kinds of conversion.   But we wanted to be at 152 F.  So we were way low. And then John said..."well, why not pull a decoction?"  and you know that feeling of pride you get when someone you have trained or taught something, out performs you?    That's what I felt.   Of course John was right.  Of course he had actually been reading the blog.  He knew exactly what to do.  He understood that decoction is just a tool. A tool that you can use to raise your mash temp, add some color, get clearer beer, and maximize extraction.  He understood the game.

It's almost comical
but you really do
have to stir the
entire time.

And so that is what we did.   We let it rest for a while at 146.  probably around 15 minutes. (15 minutes is long enough to get the enzymes and starches into the water).  Some brewers call this an enzyme flood/wash.  Then we pulled a thick decoction of 1 quart per pound.  Over the years the easiest way I have found to pull a thick decoction is with a stainless strainer. We scoop the thick mash into a pitcher that has clear markings at every quart and gallon.  We pulled 7.2 quarts for decoction.  That got put into the boil kettle  where it was raised to 156 F for a 15 minute rest.   At the end of the 15 minute rest we brought the decoction to a boil. Of course we stirred constantly through this entire process.  After boiling for 15 minutes we added the decoction back to the main mash and our temperature stabilized at 154 F. Where we rested until mash out.

Decoction will create loads
of break material. Don't worry
(see the next picture)

Then end result... we overshot by a couple of points. (1.045/1.049) But we absolutely destroyed the proteins in the mash.   We will have a crystal clear beer when all is said and done.

It will all settle
out during
fermentation

A single decoction doesn't take that much longer than a traditional brew day.   Especially when you are just pulling the decoction to get to mash out, or to go from beta amylase rest to alpha amylase rest.  It improves your clarity.  It improves your extraction.  It does not add harsh or bitter tannins to your beer. One of the coolest things about being a home brewer is that you can use what ever technique you want to use.     So the next time you are too low on temperature,  I hope you'll consider using this old school technique.

Sunday's double
decoction brew day

Now to be completely honest about double and triple decoction brew days, they can suck.  Yes, you are connected to your wort.  Yes, it is kinda romantic.  But the mash will take as long as it normally takes to brew.   And I for one am not convinced that they add much more clarity, or extraction than a single decoction brew day.   So where does this leave us sports fans?  What is the right way to do this whole decoction thing?

Loads of protein in
the wort after 1st
decoction

Well the right way is to understand that decoction is just a tool.   Understand the game, and you will know when to pull a decoction to change your temperatures.  Understand the game and you'll know when to have a triple decoction brew day.   I for one use decoction for mash out a lot.   I also like to do a step mash on any under-modified or organic grain that i don't know very well.  So I sometimes throw them into those brew day as well, for one of the temperature changes.

Picture doesn't do
the clarity of the
wort justice.

In the past couple of weeks we have learned about step mashing and decoction.   I for one think too many all grain brewers have gotten away from these very valuable techniques.   It is baffling to me that so many brewers are spending so much money on wort production machines, but they are not taking advantage of these techniques.   I think that is because many of the brewers who are brewing now, never had to use under-modified grains. They never had to do a multi step mash just to make sure that they got good conversion.  The end result they don't  know all of the other benefits of  multiple temperatures in a mash.   So you can be sure there will be a series coming up on the mash as well.  

That's all for now sports fans.

By the way the 1 gallon pink pitcher is our trusty brew day pitcher.  it is marked with quarts, and half quarts.   It cost $6.00 and has lasted for over 10 years of brewing now.

Decoction Made Easy...it's just cooking

We will return to the dIPA series, and the yeast series next week...thank you for your amazing support of those posts.  I am truly humbled by the thousands of you who have read them.  I pledge to keep posting, and trying to keep things easy to understand.   Now, on to the show!

Decoction mashing isn't mad science, it isn't even hard
science... it is just another tool you can use to make
great malty, bready, and very clear beer! 

Decoction Mashing is that mysterious, antique, and almost mystical process that some of the most advanced brewers of lagers and ales use to coax extra flavors, color, and clarity out of their malt.   Possibly the most romantic, intense connection a brewer can have with the brewing process.  When you meet a serious decoction brewer, pay heed... give respect... this is a serious brewer, right?  Well maybe... or maybe they just know it isn't that big of a deal.

A decoction mash boiling away.

Yes, I know many of you don't think decoction is necessary... blah blah blah... fully modified malt, blah blah blah... time consuming...  pH levels... blah blah blah...  But I suspect many of you who are posting this ridiculousness about decoction mashing,  have never tried a decoction mash. You wouldn't know decoction mash if it was sitting next to you on a bus. You've never stood at your boil kettle and lovingly stirred Vienna or Munich malt for 15 minutes ( the ultimate connection to your brewing). You've never  experienced the melanoidal baked bread flavor and  the crystalline shimmering clarity that only comes from a decoction mash.   You've never served a Vienna Lager that was triple decocted to other brewers and had them gaze back at you with awe and respect.   You've never had them throw a parade in your honor because you completed a decoction mash...(Don't hate... it could happen).


Let's be honest...the reason you haven't done a decoction... is because you don't really get it.  It is intimidating.   The websites that address it make it seem like rocket science.   "Pull a thick 90/10 mash decoction of approximately 1/3 of the total mash volume x the difference in the current temperature and the desired temperature x the factor, rest at 150F for 5 minutes while stirring constantly, then rest at 164 F while stirring constantly, then bring the decoction to a boil while stirring constantly for 15 minutes"   What?  Well that makes no sense...  The only thing I am sure of from those instructions I found online are that I need to stir constantly.


Decoction mashing isn't actually that hard.  And it does lend a certain melanoidal flavor and color to your beer that you just can not get with any other method of mashing.  If you do not agree and you'd rather not learn about decoction mashing... well that's fine.  Here is a link to some pleasant videos you can watch to pass the time while the rest of of learn about decoction mashing.

Thank God for the ingenuity of the old time brewers!

What is decoction mashing?   Well... it is basically removing, resting, and boiling some of the grains in your mash.  Why would you ever do that?   There was a time when grains were not well modified and brewers found that if they followed this procedure they could extract maximum sugars and make clearer beer.   The brewers who followed this practice didn't have computers, refractometers, or pH meters.   The just had common sense.  They developed a method that worked.  They worked and refined it over time.    You can learn as much as you want to know about Decoction Mashing.  There are books that can educate you to the point where commercial brewers are asking you questions. My favorite book on Lagers and Decoction is by Greg Noonan,  New Brewing Lager Beer.  If you want to become a great brewer read this book.  (Truly if you can master advanced German brewing techniques, there is really no beer you can not brew.)  You'll learn that you can weigh your decoction, check the pH constantly, even check the gravity...


Or...

You can keep it simple. You can embrace the principles, without embracing the complexity.  It will still work just fine.  RDWHAHB, and remember brewing is just cooking.   If you are a regular, or even an occasional reader...you already know what approach we here at counter brew are going to take.

So here are our fundamental easy to follow guidelines for decoction mashing....

• Decoction mashing is just a form of step mashing where you are using thick mash to change the temperature of your mash.
• Decoction mashing creates amazing bread like melanoidal flavors you can not get without a decoction mash.
• Decoction mashing does not create harsh tannins - the sugars and the proteins easily buffer the pH changes in the thick mash.
• When you need to raise the temperature a lot.  You pull 1 quart of thick mash per pound of grain in the recipe. 12 to 20 degrees F.
• What the heck is thick mash?  Well basically, it's mostly grains.  I use a 1 quart ladle (when i can find it) and I scoop out the grains, and drain most of the wort from the grains before they go into the other kettle)
• When you need to raise the temperature a little.  You pull .5 quarts of thick mash per pound of grain in the recipe.  8 to 12  degrees F 
• Rest Boil - 156 F for 5 minutes, then boil for 15 minutes stirring constantly. 
• You can decoct 1, 2, 3, or 20 times if you want too.  But the impact diminishes after 3.  
• A triple decoction is two thick decoctions and 1 thin decoction
• A thin decoction is just running off some of your wort, bringing it to a boil, and adding it back in to get to mash out temperatures.
• BIAB, and  no sparge brewing and decoction are great partners. but you can also sparge 
• Decoction does not have to change your overall mash water calculations (although you should dough in a little thinner with a higher water to grain ratio)
• The easiest way to do a decoction is to rest at beta saccrification temps for 30-40 minutes then pull a thick mash and decoct it to take you to alpha saccrification rest temperatures for 15 minutes.  No mash out.  
• You can also just do a decoction for mash out with any recipe,... you just pull off enough thick mash to raise the temperature to 168 - 170 F.
• Your cold break will be pretty extreme and you may need to siphon your wort into your fermenter.  

So as you can see the possibilities of decoction mashing are endless.  It is just a tool.  A tool you can use to add flavor, color, and clarity to your beer.  For our purposes today, we are just going to do a single decoction mash in the most foolproof way possible.  We are not going to do a protein rest, a beta glucan rest, an acid rest, or a kermit the frog rest.  We are just going to do a beta sacc rest, then an alpha sacc rest, and then a mash out.   We will use decoction to raise the temperature from beta to alpha.  We won't be doing a true no sparge BIAB but we will have a fairly thin mash.

I'll explain the process this week, post the recipe with very specific instructions, and then I'll post brew day photos in the next week or two.  May even put some video in that one.   But remember, if I need to add an additional decoction to change my temperatures, I will.   And that is kind of the point.  Decoction is just a tool. I also reserve the right to brew a Pils Urquell clone, cause I love that beer.  But the technique is the same.

What beers benefit from decoction?  For double and triple decoction,  I tend to stick  with amber and dark German lagers, Scottish ales, and Baltic porter.   A mash out decoction?  Any beer you ever brew can benefit from a mash out decoction.  I have even done a single decoction as a way to raise the temperature of a dIPA that was mashing too cool (wouldn't have had enough body for the hops, so I made a spur of the moment decision, best IPA ever!) Remember, it is just a tool.  A tool you can decide to use on a moments notice if you understand the concept.

Schrodinger's Equation-  Vienna Lager
OG 1.050
FG  1.015
IBU 21
SRM 10 to 12
single decoction with an infusion mash out.
90 minute boil

10 # Vienna
.5 #  Cara Munich
1.6 ounces of Hallertauer Hops.  (6.75 AAU) @ 60 of 90
Fermentis SafLager 34/70
Whirlfloc tablet
Yeast Nutrient

• Mash in at 156.3 F. Your mash should stabilize at 148 F
• Rest for 30 Minutes.  
• A note for you purists who already decoct... yes I know 30 minutes is not truly necessary after the enzymes flood off the grain, remember this blog is for people who have never decocted before. I'm making it foolproof.   
• Pull a thick decoction from the mash.  1 quart per pound of grain, or 10 quarts 
• Bring the decoction to 156 F for 5 minutes, then bring it to a boil stirring constantly for 15 minutes, then turn off the heat.
• Add the decoction back into the mash until the mash is at 154 to 158 F.  (how can you be so loosey goosey with temperatures?... seriously?  
• because it doesn't really matter as long as you are in alpha saccrifi range,  geesh, how can you people not know that?  all kidding aside, home brewers make way way way to big of a deal about precise mash temperatures.  Be in the range for beta, then be in the range for alpha that is all it really takes. 
• Rest for 15 to 20 minutes.  
• If you have left over decoction, don't add it until it is at the same temp as your mash.   Is there a specific formula I can follow to make sure I only pull the correct amount of decoction?   Yes, but I won't tell you in this post.  Part of the purpose of this post is helping you understand that it's not a big deal. My mentor used to say "recipes are for people who can't or won't understand the process".    
• Heat 7.8 quarts of water to a boil during the alpha rest.  Add to the mash at the end of the alpha saccrification rest. This will raise your temperature to mash out.   Let it sit for 5 minutes then stir.  
• You're done, vourlauf and drain your mash tun into your boil kettle, or lift your bag.  
• And proceed forward with the recipe just like any other.

Remember this is a lager beer.  So you'll need to be able to lager.   If you can't lager yet,  I'd suggest you use US05.  It is reliable and fairly clean.   It won't be a true Vienna Lager, but it will be a damned fine amber.  You may even add more hops, or change the hop bill.   

See?  it really isn't that hard.   In the future I will post the specific formulas you can follow, and I will even post a triple decoction mash day for a Marzen I will be brewing at the end of the month.   I hope for now that this made decoction a little easier.   There are lots of videos online about decoction.  But the best and easiest to follow by far is the brewing TV video with Michael Dawson. You can tell when you watch it that MikeD is comfortable with the process, it's no big deal, he's done it a hundred times.   That's where you need to go.  That is where you need to be as a brewer.  A level of understanding, not a set of rules.