Time for Fall brews!

Still haven't gotten used to the whole "brewing per season" thing yet. I'm making 10 gallons of Kolsch using the recipe provided by @Soneast in the recipe database. I'm stoked nonetheless.

 

I'm gonna be brewing some beers with 833(German Bock Lager) in the upcoming weeks. Have been excited to brew with Ayingers strain for some time. Thinking about a German Pils, Dunkel and Marzen as well!

 

I have my annual Pumpkin Ale currently carbonating in the kegerator. Came out to 7.7%ABV, which should ward off any chills from the cool autumn air that will be soon arriving.

I'm still on the fence if I want to brew a nice Impy Stout for winter or some other kind of Winter Warmer

 

I just did a dunkelwiezen. A doppelbock is up next ... although I will probably do a german pilsner as a "starter" so's I can build up enough yeast. Hey, if I'm going to have to do a 5L starter, I might as well get some good beer out of it, and german pils is a style I can drink in any weather. I might do a pumpkin ale somewhere in there, too.

 

After summer is over, it's time for a batch of Janet's brown. In my house at least.

 

Next two brew sessions will be rye bitter (of sorts) and a rye saison. I don't know why, fall makes me think rye. Then it'll probably be an IPA to use up the rest of last year's harvest, and a porter of some sort, maybe a mild (possibly w/ rye).

 

Got 10 gallons of IPA and 5 gals of Imp Red IPA in the fermenter now. Will be doing a 10 gallon split English Porter and Vatted Porter soon. Also my annual Lambic. Will re-brew my Winter Warmer/American Brown fairly soon as well, and a quick turn around 9% RIS. Will need to have 8+ gallons of full RIS for a Balcones Whiskey barrel. Need to get a recipe figured out and brewed for a Rumble Barrel as well.

 

I don't know that I will brew anything that is considered a seasonal beer. I'm toying with the idea of a tripel, and an IPA with some new fangled hop that I never tried.I have ingredients to make a Flanders sour, which won't be ready for a while. I have a Berliner weisse in the fermenter and a saison in the keg, but these are probably thought of as summer beers, and winter is just around the corner for me.I will be harvesting some grapes that may go into a mead; that may be as seasonal as I get.

 

I've got an Amber Mild fermenting right now. Pearl for the base with a generous handful of Amber Malt. Glacier and Willamette on Whitbread yeast.

Next is a Munich/Tahoma (daughter of Galcier) Smash. I did a Munich/Glacier one last year which was really nice.

Tahoma is a weird hop. I used 4 oz in a I/PA that I'm drinking now (which is friggen awesome by the way. Reminds me of Treehouse's Julius). When I added it to the kettle I got straight cheese. However, that did not at all follow through to the final product. Lots of fruit (from generous helpings of Citra) and some woodiness.

 

a porter.

 

I'm getting another keg for the fall brew rotation this year. I figure 4 brews will get me through the fall while there is still a rotating IPA and DIPA on taps beside it.

First up is gonna be an Imperial Pumpkin Ale, then a Hazelnut Brown Ale, followed by a Honey Porter and finally a big Double Chocolate Stout. Ready for the cooler temps and outdoor adventures with my favorite beers...I mean friends!!!

 

My birthday is on the 17th, and I've made the decision that every year on or around my birthday will be when I brew a big, nasty imperial stout, and then hopefully by the time my next birthday rolls around, the previous year's batch will be drinking really well, so that's probably going to be the next batch for me. I am also going to put two batches of sours on the schedule and get those going sooner rather than later. I have an idea for a blend I've wanted to do for a long time, and have just recently gotten confident enough to try brewing sour beers, so I'm pretty excited to give them a shot.

 

Just the fact that it is fall means that I am entering my brewing season. Except for the occasional Saison, summer isn't the best time for me as my fermentation cooling technique is simply the crude water-bath, wet-shirt, and blowing fan swamp-cooler method (just used on my American ESB, in fact). When the weather is cool, my beers ferment in a temperature controlled fermentation cabinet in the garage, but it is only set up for heating to maintain temperature.

Next up is a West Coast IPA. After that, who knows?

 

I brew for the seasons, and September usually means brewing my annual Christmas beer to give away as gifts. Last year I brewed a spiced pumpkin ale (soured wort) for Halloween that never came together, so I threw dregs in it and let it sit. Currently, it is sharply sour to the point of being virtually undrinkable. The plan is to brew a fall-ish beer (maybe a spiced dark saison?) and blend with the soured pumpkin ale.

Otherwise I usually brew a Belgian Dark Strong and an RIS every year (to enjoy after a year of aging) . . . this winter I'll drink last year's Pomegranate Quad and Brett RIS.

 

I've been behind the seasons so far (hefeweisen ready to drink at the end of summer, and a malty red and dubbel coming into their own right about spring time). This time I did it right and brewed a weizenbock at the end of July, bottled in the middle of august, and expected to start drinking in november. I expected to need at least a few months of age to be good based on it being 7.5%, but 2 and 3 weeks after bottling it is very good.

 

I just brewed a brown ale, based off of Surly Bender, that I will add coarsely ground coffee to in ~2 weeks.

 

Who's your coffee shop of choice in Columbus? I just bottled an RIS that I used some full city roast from Brioso in. Just got a taste of what was left, but definitely looking forward to it.

 

Brioso is good, though I've had limited beans from them. My favorite place for beans and coffee is One Line. They are really killing it these days.

 

Brioso is easy access for me. I walk by it just about every day from the parking lot into the office. I'll have to stop in and give One Line a try. Good luck on the brown ale.