Brewing Activities (2019)

I'm in a self-imposed hiatus because my keezer's full, but the yeast I need to use is piling up. Got Jovaru and several kveiks in the fridge.

 

Bottleing the Irish stout.

 

Checked on both my Pils and Rauchbier, which are both currently in lagering (only a week and a few days in, respectively). Took small samples from the keg just to check on their final taste, since I only got to taste my oxidized FFT at FG prior since these beers are both spunded in the keg.


The Rauchbier is SO delicious. Smoking my own malt will be standard procedure going forward with my smoked beers, the flavor and intensity of the smoke is just better than what I have tried with commercially smoked grain. I actually smoked this malt, twice. It was 8 pounds of dark munich malt, spritzed with distilled water and then got 2hrs the first smoke session… But I wasn’t exactly impressed with the intensity of the smoke when I smelled/tasted the grain. I believe my trays filled with malt were too thick.


Put it back on the smoker the next day for round two, but this time, thinner beds so the smoke could penetrate better. The thinner malt beds got more smokey, for sure. So I’d say next time, I’d just do thinner beds for 2-2.5hrs and it should be about equivalent. Either way, came out perfect! I really find this style so fun and interesting to brew, as now there is another variable to play around with. Grist, Hops, Yeast and Water profile… Then the smoke factor with the wood type, duration of smoke, % of grain bill smoked, etc…


Pils is coming along very nicely, too. A little yeasty (only a week into lagering or so) but the sulfur dissipated and those beautiful hops are beginning to shine. These two beers will be an awesome duo on tap!


Lastly, wrapping up my Oktoberfest recipe to brew this weekend… Grist is 65% Barke Pils, 19% Dark Munich (Avangard), 14% Vienna and 2% of Acidulated. Hopping to 18 IBU with a mix of Tradition, Tettnanger and Hersbrucker. WLP830. OG expected at 1.049 and FG of 1.009 (~5.2%). Going for something in-between a Marzen and Festbier of sorts. Wanted to keep the ABV on the lower side of the spectrum this time around, too.

 

I ordered another 5 gal bourbon barrel and will be using it to house my funky dark saison for a few months before it goes onto a crapload of black cherries.

PSA: Barrels are $135 and free shipping right now: https://www.williamsbrewing.com/Drained-5-Gallon-Reservoir-Bourbon-Barrel--P4664.aspx

 

Coconut stout today.
Basically the same grist as my maple syrup stout but with this amazing product



10 liter
OG: 1.092

1500 g Briess Golden Light
1500 g Pale
170 g Chocolate
170 g Roasted Barley
170 g Flaket oat
115 g Crystal 120
115 g Carafa

20 g Nugget to hit 65 IBU

 

If you can get it, try using real flaked coconut you toast yourself. The flavor is even more amazing, and you get the pleasure of knowing you used the real thing. More losses though, of course.

 

Barrel arrived, btw. Only two days!

 

No, don that
The fat just destroys the head, this my way to get around that

 

I see. I've never had big issues with head retention after a good toasting and patting with paper towels. I also like to use wheat/rye, though, which helps head formation.

 

Maybe I just din't toast it good enough,
but I try something else this time

 

Cheers! I hope it comes out great.

 

This saison was fermented with a White Labs Vault purchase, the Leeuwenhoek Blend. It fermented down to 1.001 (Mash temp 152. I'm tasting the FG sample from the hydrometer and, I have to say, this is blend may have been better suited for a brut IPA. Not much going on in terms of yeast flavor. Not estery, slightly doughy. I think the right hops could give it a wine-like presence. Given that it is not really what I look for in saison, and it is a vault strain, I feel pretty confident saying that I doubt I will brew with it again.

 

Also doing the hydrometer sampling on the grodziskie I brewed a few weeks ago. FG 1.006. Does not seem to be the watery thing @dmtaylor suggested based on the lengthy protein rest. However, I do not think I will be falling in love with this style.

 

My father in law just did a stout aged in a reservoir bourbon barrel. Then he traveled to VA for work and bought a bottle of reservoir bourbon as well. Good stuff! (The beer and the bourbon)

Good luck!

 

I never used wheat in that kind of beer. How much do you use?

 

Just in the 5-10% range, except kettle sours which are closer to 50%. In stouts it's honestly more often rye, but in lighter beers where I use coconut it's mostly wheat.

 

Would you sub wheat for flaked barley in a stout for head retention,
Say something in the 6-9 abv range?

 

Never tried it, but I could see it working. Anything high-protein would help.

 

I just bought some wheat or a hefe, with a couple lbs left I'll dump it in the next stout with the flaked barley. Perhaps I'll have a super head retention brew.

Thanks for the tip.

 

From what i see that's a great deal. I may get one. Do they run out quick and how's the char level inside look.