Who's Brewing? 3/6-3/9/15

Yes!! Finished our keezer last weekend. We coincided it with when it was time to "bottle" the IPA we had brewed a couple weekends prior -- it's the American IPA from Brewers Best. We didn't do the quick force carbonation where it'd be ready to go in a few days. Just put it in the corny keg and let it sit for about a week. Anyway, I just got home and pulled my first glass off the keezer. I may just be overrating it a bit since I'm beyond stoked about having beer on tap, but it's a damn good IPA. I'm likely going to get snowed in tonight and not have to go anywhere tomorrow, so I know what I'm going to be drinking for the next 8-10 hours.

We have three corny kegs in the keezer. One of the other two has a Russian Stout we just put in there a few nights ago, and the third is empty. We want to put something lighter in alcohol content in the third keezer so we're not constantly drinking 7%+ beers, so we brewed an American Light on Saturday and that'll go in there first. Does anyone have any other suggestions, though, for session-style beers that would be a better alternative than an American Light? The next one we have on the schedule is a cream wheat.

 

Just got my first Tripel bottled three weeks ago (before the keezer was built) and it's finally getting to the point where it's good to go. Still probably a week or so away from being in it's prime, though.

 

Brewing 4gal of Doppelbock (Pi-Bock) for a couple comps this year and possibly next year. Brewing on the 14th to commemorate pi day.

 

The Spring thaw approaches. 40s for several days in a row are expected next week. Can't wait to brew again! Only missed one month this Winter.

 

As long as the incoming snow storm doesn't delay my grain delivery for 2 days I will be. 9 gallon stout that 4 will be soured.

 

No brewing for me. I just kicked another IPA keg so I need to clean that. Need to finish a couple welds on my new CFC and run it through a good cleaning with vinegar and then Oxi. Also need to do a test run on it with boiling water and see what temp I can get down to and how fast (ended up with only 16' of 3/8" copper). Stepping up 3 Brett starters for next weekend.

Biggest thing is to bottle one entry for NHC, wrap all 8 bottles (4 total entries), and ship them off.

 

Stir plate is a whirring with 1056 . . . will brew my Albino Black IPA (Ama & Sim) on Friday. Will rack a Blond off yeast/hops to keg and jump a dh'ing keg to a fresh keg. And I must do a taste test with three different Belgian IPAs.

'bout a hundred beers better. Try a nice Belgian Witbier or German Hefeweizen . . . pick up a Hoegaarden and/or Weihenstephaner to make sure you like the style, tough to find a better beer with ABV in the low 5s. Even a good ole American Pale Ale can be mighty nice.

 

Speaking of witbier....
Got my wife's vintner friends coming over this weekend to see what all this fuss about beer is. They wanted to brew a witbier to secondary on some peaches they have, I wanted another saison. So we gonna do 12 gallons of 47.5% pils and wheat, 5% oats with some coriander and clementines at flameout. They get the wlp witbier, I get the clara dregs, their half gets peaches... might have to get some from them for mine too. If no peaches in the saison, then manderina Bavaria dryhop in a few months...
Edit, also throwing sofie dregs into the saison after primary.

 

I totally slacked off on brewing responsibilities last weekend. I need to drain pour my first keg. It's a Berliner that never shaped up. It tastes ok, but holy sauerkraut does it smell like hell. An empty slot in the keg rotation should motivate me to get out and brew something hoppy and quick.

Over the winter I think I've fed yeast for starters more than I've actually brewed. Totally unacceptable. I'm going to buy another keg or two and I'll brew some more heavy beers in the next few weeks. I see a parti-gyle happening soon.

 

I'd pay to see a picture of that freak beer.

 

My head is spinning right now after a long day of work and this isn't helping. Is this just a regular IPA?

 

I clone Stone's Sublimely Self Righteous (SRM 28) which turns out pretty good. I've entered it in competitions before but as a Black IPA it has to go in the damn ole Cat 23 with all the beer-misfits. So I ditched the CIII . . . not sure this makes it a "regular" IPA . . . it's parentage definitely has dark roots. Sorry for the discomfort, but expect some casualties on the quest for the perfect IPA.

 

Bottling an IPA and building up some starters in preparation for a week of staycation coming up.

 

I am bottling a Berliner this weekend.

Try sour worting it, you will get good results. Mine is pretty tart from the lacto, but the recipe only takes around 4-5 weeks from grain to glass, which isn't bad for a sour-ish beer!

 

I'm brewing up either a Berliner Weisse or a Brett IPA, haven't decided yet. I'm also dry hopping an Equinox single hop IPA and adding cacao nibs to a White Stout. Possibly bottling a wild yeast Saison as well.

 

Bottling a berliner weisse. I've gotta keep the fermenters full though, they'll all be empty after this weekend. Sunday I'll probably be gathering the ingredients for a Stone Ruination (double dry hopped) clone. I always seem to be really craving hops come spring

 

What's your sour worting technique? Did you inoculate with grains or with a pure Lacto culture?

 

I did the inoculation method with grains – .5 lb uncrushed pilsner. This thread pretty much explains the whole process: http://www.beeradvocate.com/communi...ecipe-critique-sour-mash.257913/#post-3294945

I initially wanted to do a sour mash, but I ended up doing sour wort instead after doing a bit of research. Much easier than I had anticipated, too

 

Now "brewing," but I'll be kegging a hoppy Am. Wheat.

Also have a friend flying into town for the weekend, so will be consuming copious amounts of homebrew.