Brewing Activities (2020)

Ya I was talking about the larger circular lid. Seems like it would be a bit easier to use a grommet but I can see your point about proximity to the airlock with your ThermoWorks.

I'm mostly playing with the idea of installing a thermowell that I can run a temp controller wire probe into so maybe proximity to the airlock wouldn't be an issue for something like that, idk.

Anyway, always down to see some fermenter mods.

 

These guys have a bunch of Speidel mods. https://www.norcalbrewingsolutions.com/store/Speidel-Fermenter-Thermowell-with-Grommet.html

 

Brewed a straight up American porter last night for a club comp (will be the first one I've entered).

72% Lamonta
8% Munich
8% C60L
8% Chocolate
2% Roasted Barley
2% Brown/Coffee Malt

36 IBU
Chinook @ 60
Fuggle @ 20
Cascade @ FO

US-05

 

Also just posted tasting notes for my BBA coconut-vanilla pastry stout (~13.3%), a year after I brewed it. What a beautiful beer this one is.

 

Nice write-up.....made me want one. Are you going to enter it?

 

You need to be an AHA member to enter, right? Makes the cost kinda high, since I'm lapsed. But maybe...

Anyway, cheers!

 

How do you like the malts from this company. Thinking of trying the Opal 22 for a stout

 

Love 'em. Only real downside, aside from price, is that some of their malts are too flavorful for traditional styles, eg. Pelton has too much character for a traditional German pils and Lamonta is closer to MO than Briess 2-row in taste. The Opal malts are great and truly unique in my experience, and their rye is simply amazing.

I'm lucky that I live an hour away, so I can just go grab sacks at $1.25/lb.

 

Just mashed in on 4 Gallons of NEIPA that I'll be fermenting in a 5 gallon corny (first time). I'll also be harvesting the CO2 from fermentation. Pretty psyched!

I'm using the Averagely Perfect hop schedule, but with El Dorado, Vic Secret & Mosaic. Fermenting with Lalbrew NE.

 

Kegged a Scottish export and the fake kveik kvass.

I've been more attuned to the peachy notes of US05 the last few times I used it, or else they have just started expressing themselves in my brewhouse for undiagnosed reasons.. Consequently, the Scottish export, the pre-carbed sample I just tried seems unusually fruity for a style I think of as more neutral. I like it, but I'm afraid I may never be able to overlook it, now that it has caught my attention.

The kvass is nice. The rye bread notes are no longer noticeable. There is not much character from the kveik, presumably because of the pitch size (it was a repitch), the low OG (not much for it to work on) and the relatively normal fermentation temperature (70-72). It drinks more as an unsweetened soda, with a prominent ginger and lactic character (I spiced it, and ginger ended up dominating orange peel and coriander).

I must say that now that I have had a chance to explore the first beer I made with the kviek, where I tried to stay somewhat true to tradition (very low pitch, high temp), I am not a huge fan. There are fruity aromatics, but there is something rough about the taste. It comes across as hot (alcohol), something I may have at one time thought to be fusel alcohol (but not really sure that is correct).

 

Brewed a Vienna lager today.

4 gals

7.25# Vanora
0.15# Pale Chocolate

30g Hallertau Mittelfrueh @ FWH
20g Hallertau Mittelfrueh @ 10min

W-34/70 at ambient garage temp (probably mid 50s)

 

Brewed my last beer for the next 8 weeks or so due to complete kitchen remodel starting this weekend that is shutting down my brew space (I do all my brewing in the kitchen)… On the bright side, the new gas range I have chosen has a higher density of burners (6 vs 4), higher BTU burners, as well as a far better fume hood being installed overhead. I should be able to straddle my kettle over 4 burners now, versus just two, increasing my BTU output from about 20,000 to approx. 45,000 BTU. So that will be nice for speeding some things up. I am able to get a nice rolling boil currently with 8-9 gallons of wort, but increasing the strength a bit can't hurt. Not to mention an industrial sink and faucet, as well as increasing the counter space in the kitchen by a good 40% or so. So I can’t wait until it’s all done! Be interesting to see the difference in boil off rates and such when i'm back up and running.


My final beer was a “Springtoberfest” Marzen… OG of 1.053. Will be tapped to celebrate the reopening of the kitchen/brewery in early March!

 

Submitted four beers to the KLCC Homebrew Competition, a semi-major regional comp here in Orgeon. My first time entering anything!

 

What model are you getting?

 

Café CGS700P2MS1

Quite a bump up from what we have now (GE 4-burner model), with the highest burner being rated at 13K... My kettle currently can straddle the 13K and 9.5K burners, but now I should be able to straddle four at once for the boil, totally up to about 45K. My kettle is around 16.5" diameter (10-gal), for reference.

 

Gotta take a couple half days vacation, you know, use em or lose em,,,,,,,,
So yesterday brewed a double jack clone
Today another message recieved ipa.

 

First brew of the year was a Porter for me.

Roughly
80% 2 Row
4.5% CaraPils
4.5 % C120
4.5% Wheat
6% dark DME - left overs from the starter
WLP007

 

Kegged the club comp robust porter last night and it's currently burst carbing. Also moved the Vienna lager inside for a diacetyl rest. Finally, submitted Permanent Midnight to Stout Bout in Portland.

 

Oh, also posted a brew log for my imperial coffee cream ale.

 

Currently brewing a gluten free Strata IPA and using a very different process. There is a new enzyme available to us that is shown to brew a beer with more head retention and body with lots of lacing (which is a big missing piece in GF brewing). So, I'll be doing a rising step mash (instead of reverse step) with a totally different enyme load and temps. A bunch of us are experimenting with this enyme, so I'll be taking lots of gravity readings and documenting everything. There is a concern that the beers will underattenuate...we shall see.

Also kegging a Black IIPA