Brewing Activities? (March Edition)

Got my big RIS into the barrel this morning! Look forward to the end result of this one. The final beer ended at 10.9% ABV (FG of 1.032). Love the viscous mouthfeel of this one! Should be an epic beer once complete.





Also, got my beer lines cleaned last night using my new manifold method to make it easier to do all lines at once.

 

Today, brewing a cennade IPA,,,, centenial cascade hops,

 

I will be brewing today. Maybe a hoppy blonde. I got some nelson but don't know what I want to do with it. Was thinking about saving it for some hallertau blanc I got coming in and use them both in a saison. Any other suggestions? What should I brew today that's not an IPA.

 

I think this will be good and crushable for my brothers upcoming birthday party. 34/70, Conan, or US-05. Trying to make a clear beer that won't scare newbie drinkers off.

 

Pulled tasting samples from my cream ale yeast experiment: US-05 vs. K-97. It has been 2 weeks since I pitched the yeast. Stupid me, so eager to get to the tasting that I forgot to take gravity samples. I have brewed cream ale with US-05 before, so it is more or less taking on the role of control or standard for this experiment.

The K-97 has not fully flocced and dropped, so it is rather cloudy by comparison to US-05. While US-05 is not known for its flocculation, and it is transparent enough to read the red ink of my brew notes through the glass.

The US-05 is clean tasting, and allows some grainy sweetness to come through. The K-97 smells sulfurous, and does not have the clean sweetness that I get in the US-05 beer. This may be a consequence of suspended yeast. What is absent from the K-97 is the vinous, slightly fruity character I get from WY2565, and leaving me convinced that K-97 would be a poor choice for a Kolsch, at least to my palate and way of thinking. And as for the cream ale at hand, I prefer the US-05. This likely is the first and only time I will ever need to use K-97. It is not a terrible yeast, but it strikes me as a little flawed, a little problematic, with not much to offer as compensation.

Where to go from here? I'll fine the K-97 with some gelatin to see if I can get some of the yeast out of suspension. I think I will rack the two beers to the same 5-gallon keg. Not enough difference here to merit taking up two footprints in my keezer with 2.5 gallon cornies, and I suspect that blending, racking, and a keg purge or two should help with the sulfur.

 

And because it doesn't count as Sunday morning drinking if you are just checking in on homebrew, I also pulled a gravity sample on my old ale, brewed on New Years Eve and aging with Brett clausenii for the last month. The beer originally went from 1.087 to 1.022, and the Brett has chewed through 6 more points. There is a bit of leather, a bit of twang, and some undertones of licorice, still with residual sweetness. Beautiful dark amber color. Pellicle is beginning to form. I think I will check back on this in another month.

 

1st 10 gal batch of the year...IPA no doubt with 5 gal going to a friend.

 

I recently went to a skeletal conference in Charlotte NC and had one of the best beers I've ever had...a one off from NoDa called Double Whirlpool, a NE IPA brewed with Mosaic and Amarillo. So, yesterday I took a stab at a clone recipe and brewed up my own version that's bubbling away and smelling fantastic already!

Cheers!

 

Care to share your recipe?

 

Tell me about this strawberry milkshake IPA. Do the strawberries and hops mix well?

 

That sounds like a great day!

 

Jury is still out on that as I likely under hopped it. Was going for a session milkshake IPA so wasn't positive just how much hops to use. I went with no bittering hops so its all post boil additions (Citra,Mosaic) with a 20 min hop stand of 2 ounces and 6 total ounces of dry hops added in the primary and secondary. At bottling the aroma is pretty awesome with lots of fruits. Flavor was mostly strawberry and lactose sweetness though I am hoping that some of that sweetness is just the priming sugar. Next time I will likely use a litte bit of bittering hops, increase dry hops, lower the amount of lactose (1 lb was likely too much), and possibly reduce amount of strawberries from 4 lbs. Will let you know if I change my mind after having a carbonated bottle.

 

I read that Belma hops have a strong strawberry aroma. Did you consider dryhopping w/ Belma?

 

Haven't heard of that hop before. I am very intrigued by the description of it. Think I'll try that in place of the Mosaic next time and may try it in my house session wheat recipe.

 

Got my Festbier brewed yesterday... Smooth brewday start to finish. Grist was German Pils, Vienna, Munich II, Carahell and Acidulated. Hopped to 22 IBU with Gr. Magnum and a 15min addition of Hersbrucker.

This is a photo of the wort that went into the fermenter, which is currently chugging along at 48F.



Likely brewing a German Pils and Hefe in the next few weeks to get a nicely stacked taplist for our Springtoberfest party early May when they all will be tapped!

 

Every time I say I'm not going to go in the mosh pit. Then I do...
Then I can barely drag myself out of bed the next morning.

 

Nothing brewing at the moment.

I'm waiting patiently for my Imperial Stout to age (10% ABV - aged with oak that held whisky that was in oak that held stout that was in oak that held whisky ). It should be ready to start tasting by (Southern Hemisphere) winter.

I'm also planning a batch (Pale Ale or Bitter or something) that I will use to test out my home-grown hops. I planted a Goldings plant last year, and have a reasonable sized harvest coming up. No idea what they will be like, so will go with something fairly plain and simple to try to let the hops shine through.

 

I was really impressed with a Nelson dry hopped pilsner I had from Wren House here in Phoenix. Maybe try a modern twist on a classic German Pils with the Halertau Blanc in the whirlpool and Nelson on the cold side?