Brewing Activities (2024)

Smoking 5 pounds of malt for my upcoming Rauchbier.

(Note: Fire much smaller and lower smoker temp by time malt went on... That was when I was just firing it up. Keeping temps as low as possible, under 200F).

 

Currently brewing up the rauchbier this morning that I smoked the malt for, above. Smells heavenly.

The smoked malt makes up about 45% of the grist in this one.

 

Trying for the first time using Lallemann Belgium Abbey ale yeast.
Only used Chimay yeast before.
Also first time using Belma. Some blood oranges at flameout.

 

I remember that yeast as being pretty close to Chimay (wy1214). Unless something has happened in the past 12 years since I've used it, don't expect much from Belma. It's a good bittering hop, but pretty subtle on flavor/aroma.

 

It's fermenting at 72 and banana is noticeable. Didn't get that with 1214 at same temps. More like cherry.
I used an oz of Belma as bittering, no other hops.
Hopefully it's good, if not that's ok. It's only beer.

 

Update-After keg/carbed the Lallemann Belgium Abbey ale yeast used didn't have bannana, but lots of bubblegum and some cherry. Seems brighter/fruitier from the 1214 I used. Maybe ferm temp? But, it has the flavor I've been looking for to do a quad like Weyerbachs. Seems to me that's the yeast I'm tasting in it.
I did another brew with it using christmas spices fermenting.
I like this yeast.

 

Brewing an 11 gal batch of cream ale today. Going for a bit higher gravity than my normal batch, cuz why not! 15 lb 2-row, 5 lb 6-row, 5 lb flaked corn. 25 IBU with warrior and later additions of Czech saaz. Fermenting with us-05 and lutra kveik. Should be around 6.5% abv and the lutra batch should be kegged carbed by next weekend

 

Have an Oktoberfest - Marzen on tap. A cream ale in primary. A clone IPA (Triple Crossing - Falcon Smash) ready to brew this weekend.

 

New Anvil Foundry 10.5 owner here! I'm liking it. Brewed a 7 gal Cream Ale batch and split into a 4 and a 3 gal. The 3 gal I added mango and habanero. Also bought a tilt hydrometer.

Murphy and Rude is my go-to malts (sans the maize).

 

I have 10 gallons of Lager in the primary now the cool weather is on it's 50 in the garage. It's going to be be to cold to brew in a few weeks so I'm brewing another this week.

 

Would like to know how your beer turns out. Doesn't seem like a lot of Rauchbiers around me. One place that had it on tap didn't quite taste right, but their next batch was spectacular. Can not remember their name as it has been years and they closed.

 

@memory

It came out phenomenal! Still have it on tap at the moment.

I have brewed quite a few rauchbier and in the past, I've cold smoked all my malt with wood pellets (mix of oak, hickory, cherry, etc...) but this is the first time I've used 100% proper hardwood fire as shown in the pictures on my new offset smoker. The smoke is intense and rich, not at all medicinal or harsh.

Has a nice doughy backbone and really easy to drink. It finished at 5.7% ABV and at ~20 IBU

Smoking my malt has significantly improved my Rauchbier from when I just bought commercially smoked malts already. The freshness of the smoke most likely, comes across more rich/intense like you'd find in Bamberg proper.

Here are some pics of the finished beer:






In other "Brewing Activities", I placed a large order over at Morebeer for a bunch of floor malted bohemian malt, Best Malz Pils, Acidulated and Munich malts to restock my grain stash. Along with a pound of Czech hops, some yeast, etc...

We just got back from the Czech Republic and made the "mistake" of enjoying liters of Pilsner Urquell at the source and it ultimately being the best beer I've had in my life (sorry, Germany...),so it's time to brew up a few Czech Pils and start dialing in to as close as I can get. Also plan a big imperial stout as well for the cold winter months upcoming.

 

Have the first of two yeast step starters of WLP800 cold crashing as of this morning, which one dropped will harvest a little mason jar of yeast for future batches and then continue on to the second step (2.5L).

This will get pitched into a Czech Lager early next week to try and get somewhere in the ballpark of Pilsner Urquell... Received my order of floor malted bohemian malt and czech saaz of course. Getting ready for the lengthy multi-decoction mash and brew day. Just need to pick up some RO water and I will be all set to go.

Following this beer I will be brewing an imperial stout of some sort for the winter months ahead.

 

That smoke beer has a grest appearance. I agree that smoking your own grains is the way to do it. It's time for me to start my brewing season, and a Rauchbier using citrus smoked malt is on my list, using some orange wood I got from a guy in Florida.

Czech beers are excellent. I need to get back there.

 

Brewed up a porter this weekend. Enough for a 5.5 gal and a 1 gal that I'll do some extra stuff with.

I used the AHA Sable Porter Recipe as my base. Added Tart Cherry Concentrate and Madagascar Vanila Beans. Missed my OG target (Est: 1.075 - Act: 1.054) - I think the mash was clumped up. Took FOREVER to drain to the boil kettle.

I had enough wort to do a 1 gal batch. I put some dark oak chips in the fermenter. I also have a few dark oak chips sitting on some Angel's Envy to put into the secondary. Should be done in time for January's brew contest.

 

Currently boiling away on my Czech Pils... Started at 7am this morning and just reached this point with the double decoction. Nailed the pre-boil gravity at 1.036, so things are going well I suppose.

I have 8oz of Czech Saaz going into this one throughout the boil (90/60/30/20/0) to an IBU of 40... Grist was 97% Floor Malted Bohemian and 3% Acidulated. Cut my city water down by 70% with distilled to soften it up a bit.

Look forward to this one when done... Will be pitching a healthy pitch of WLP800.

I plan to brew another relatively soon, but without the decoction and using a little melanoidin malt instead, just to compare (but same recipe, otherwise). Decoctions suck and I have done a few in the past, but figured I'd give it a go again in honor of Pilsner Urquell... Skipped the triple decoction though (eliminated the acid rest) and just did a double.

 

Finally wrapped it up, pitching yeast around 1:30pm... OG was right where it was supposed to be, wort tasted phenomenal. Looking forward to seeing how this comes out in a few weeks! Currently in the ferm chamber at 48F where it will go for a few days, depending on speed of fermentation, where it will get into a spunding keg to finish fermenting and naturally carb for another week or so before crash/lagering. Plan to crack into this around the new year.

Wort:

 

A few days ago, racked my Czech Pils into the spunding keg at about 1.020... My final FFT finished at 1.015 as of this morning left to finish at room temp, so almost spot on to target gravity with WLP800 (OG was 1.051, so final ABV of ~4.7%). The spunding keg has fully carbed up nicely, currently at 2.8 volumes of CO2.

Will give it another few days to finish/clean up before crashing down to lagering for a few weeks.

 

Mini homebrew cask fest last weekend with my black IPA hopped in the barrel with simcoe cryo; a friend brewed a nice Landlord clone, and the folks from Zero Gravity provided a pin of their pale ale. Discussions that evening have motivated me to brew a Guinness clone and serve it on cask for the next fest in Jan.