What's a brewin. December (2018)

Packaged and ready to flameout.

 

First brew day in over 10 months. It was a tough 2018 for making beer. Life gets in the way sometimes I guess. I’m hoping for a better 2019.

This was a modified NEIPA for me. 1.058 OG with a boatload of Azzacca and Amarillo. I use a diverse grain bill and more sulfate that chloride. Still like the 1318 for it though. Going for big hop flavors and aroma, soft mouthfeel, a little malt backbone, and a bitterness to balance it out.

 

Delayed this because when I got home, it seems that my well might be contaminated with iron bacteria. I had been thinking I had some rust developing in the hot water tank, but have since realized that the color is coming when I bypass the tank. I filled my kettle with water for brew day last night and was pretty grossed out by the color, and when I drained it this morning, the bottom and the boil coil had some slimey sedimentation. Drove around the county today to get some RO water for brew day, tomorrow. Priorities, you know. I doubt contacting a well service will do me any good at least until after new years day (but hopefully can get their help before spring, or I'll be hauling water around for a few months).

 

@GormBrewhouse great thing about small flavorful beers is that you can drink longer!

 

Planned to brew it yesterday, but decided to brew this as a NYE beer instead (and I was lazy!). So when I get home from work I will get started. All mash/sparge water already prepped and ready to go, along with the malt weighed and ready to go through the mill.

NE DIPA

Grist of 70% 2-Row, 16% wheat, 10% flaked oats, 2.5% carahell and 1.5% acidulated.

OG expected of 1.078 and FG of 1.018.

Bittering with a single FWH charge of CTZ for about 50 IBU, then no additional hops until after flame out for the whirlpool at 170-180F for 20-30min. That will be with 1oz each of El Dorado, Experimental Tangerine, Galaxy, Nelson and 0.50oz of CTZ.

Bio-hop is 2.5oz El Dorado, 2oz Galaxy, and 1oz each of Exp. Tangerine and Nelson.

Primary dry hop is 2.5oz Galaxy, 1.5oz El Dorado, Tangerine and Nelson...

The final keg hop will be 0.5oz each of Tangerine, Galaxy and Nelson to finish it off.

After this one, time to head back down the ABV ladder since the past few I've done have all been big beers (Doppelbock, Weizenbock and this DIPA). Plan to get a new lager or two going and other more sessionable stuff.

 

Odin's Tipple
https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/724915/odin-s-tipple

 

Had some extra time on my hands yesterday so I brewed up the year's last batch for me. Had some hops and local malt I wanted to use up so I made a base batch of 10 gal of wort and WP'd 5 gal with Amarillo/Citra and the other 5 gal with Galaxy/Citra.

 

I will be ringing in the New Year by christening my new Mash & Boil on her maiden voyage. First time doing a 5 gallon batch in over 4 years... dialing back was fun, I kept thinking, that's not enough malt? needs more hops! Brewing an IPA with 2 Row, CaraPils, Caramunich 80, Carastan, and Vienna, Azzaca, El Dorado, and Falconer's Flight, fermented with Imperial's Independence.

EDIT: went with a Rauchbier instead of the IPA... hit 89%, fermenting with Imperial's Cable Car.