December Homebrewing

I just rack from under the floating particulate. The more convoluted the process becomes, the higher the chances for dumb mistakes.

 

Brewed a smash saison (Pils, Sterling, Leeuwenhoek Saison Blend) this weekend to go with my smash Helles (Pils, Sterling, German Lager X) That I just kegged.

 

I will be having to keg my NEIPA this coming weekend. I'm sure I might have some issues myself after adding 4 oz of dry hop. However, I do closed transfers so maybe the pressure of the CO2 will help? Or maybe make it worse?!

 

I haven't done closed transfers before so I can't be of any help.. but perhaps someone else can chime in here. Good luck with that! Are they whole leaf or pellet?

 

pellet

 

I have not used 1056 before, but if it's advertised tolerance is 10-11% I can imagine you can get it to get into the mid/high teens if you pitch a real healthy amount of yeast, oxygenate, use nutrients, and keep the fermentation cool and slow.

My latest imperial milk stout I'm doing has a 1.1 OG and after adding a couple quarts of maple syrup for additional fermentables, the abv is around 14% (and could probably push it further), and that yeast (S-04) is supposed to be similar in tolerance.

 

Just made a 2.5L yeast starter of Conan (Giga) for my IPA this weekend. Also cleaned my tap lines and tapped my Schwarzbier! Really tasty stuff, but not yet fully carbonated. I expect by this weekend it should be closer to where it needs to be. Very light roast notes, clean and bitterness is just right... very crushable. Can't wait to dig into this one more when ready!

 

While cleaning my 5gal glass carboy, I noticed a very small mark. About 1/4 inch long and the glass is still very smooth on the outside where the mark is evident. The beer tastes fine, but I fear this carboy is finished.

 

My pitch was pretty big. Two smack packs in a 4000ml starter, then brew day got pushed back so I jarred the yeast up for two weeks, used a 2000 ml starter to wake it up. Holding my fermentation at 65, and added nutrient and oxygen. Biggest beer I have done yet, figured you would have the 911. I am on day three and fermentation has slowed, I may start ramping a bit.

 

@Mullen2525 , pretty beer!

Later this month will be brewing a farmhouse ale with Yeast Bay Saison Blend II, late hopped with Mosaic.

 

If nothing else, I'm finally going to brew a half-barrel of @JackHorzempa 's 1896 Michelob recipe. I'm fresh out of lagers and I've wanted to try this one for a long time.

Probably a simple APA too, to use up my homegrown cascades. Anything else is still TBD.

 

I will be brewing another batch of 1896 Michelob in a month or so. This will be my third time brewing this batch. I bought some Weyermann Pilsner Malt in 'volume' so I will be using that as the base malt for this go around. My first batch I used Rahr Premium Pilsner malt and I liked that malt. Last year I used Weyermann Floor Malted Bohemian Pilsner malt and I liked that too. Hopefully the 'regular' Weyermann Pilsner malt will provide good results as well.

Best of luck with your batch. Please provide feedback.

Cheers!

 

I think I'll be brewing the 1961 version on New Years'...because I'm sitting on a 1/2 sack of flaked rice and the 60's seem appropriate for "Recreation Day" here. Cheers, Jack!

 

What percentage of rice will you use? Do you have a recipe from 1961 which gives that grain bill?

Cheers!

P.S. I will also soon be brewing my Classic American Pilsner where I use 20% flaked maize for that batch.

 

No, not yet...can you help me out?

 

The good news: I am pretty sure that AB still has logbooks from 1961.

The bad news: I have no contacts at AB for the 1961 logbooks.

Cheers!

@Peter_Wolfe

 

I wonder if it's close/the same as the current recipe?

 

Bottled the maple Belgian dark strong. Came in at 10.1%. Needs several months of aging but the green beer tastes promising.
Today, dryhopping the J-60 60th birthday IPA. Monday bottleing same and half getting a shot of ginger.

 

Not much to go by but in the absence of other material I thought these two advertisements were interesting.

 

Well if we knew the percentages of the Budweiser grain bill we would bump up the barley malt by 20% to brew a Michelob.

Cheers!