Cleaning Up Brewday

Today was about moving stuff along; after two weeks, nothing had happened with the two cakes from the Great Brett Experiment II that were on the better tasting side, so I racked both onto the yeast cake from 203. One Last Lambic Hurrah after the Old Beer Blending Party. However, what I am really interested to see is what becomes of the wort that got dumped on the remains of 132a. Wild Yeast Lambic Raspberry, which had done something since the last time I checked; the previous beer on that cake got racked onto the yeast cake from 196a. Yeast Bay Lo Christi. Buncha fucked up stuff that will most likely get dumped. Still, gonna play that game.

224. Cleaning Up

Mash:

4 lbs. Best Malz Pilsen

2 lbs. Best Malz Wheat

1 lb. MFB Vienna
½ lb. Acidulated 

Mash @ 153° F for 80 minutes w/ 3 gallons RO water, 4 g. gypsum, and 3 g. CaCl; collected 2 gallons @ 1.062

Batch sparge @ 168° F for 20 minutes w/ 4 gallons RO water; collected 4 ¼ @ 1.012

Topped off to 7 gallons, brought to a boil (70 minutes), & added:
w/60 to go: 1 oz. Choice debittered hops

w/10 to go: 1 oz. Comet pellet 8.6% AA
5 g. Wyeast yeast nutrient

Chilled & split into 3 gallon carboys between 165 002 Great Brett II, 165 009 Great Brett II, and 132a. Wild Yeast Lambic Raspberry

224a. Great Brett II 002/224b. Great Brett II 009

Brewed: 2/7/2016

Secondary: 2/21/2016; nothing happening, so dumped both 3 gallon carboys onto yeast cake from 203. One Last Lambic Hurrah

Bottle:

OG: 1.038

FG:

Tasting Notes: 

224c. Wild Yeast Lambic Raspberry

Brewed: 2/7/2016

Secondary: 

Bottle:

OG: 1.038

FG:

Tasting Notes: 

Flanders Red Brewday

Another rift on a similar yearly theme. The main changes to this one were to raise the mash temperature and use a half pound of caramel malt, mostly because last year’s version was called thin and over-carbonated by AHA NHC First Round Judges. While I know the contributions from the caramel malt will ultimately disappear—as will the long-chain dextrins from the higher mash temperature—via the slower acting wild yeast, I figured experimenting and waiting to see the end results was the best path forward. See you next year! 

223. Flanders Red

Mash:

4 lbs. Best Malz Pilsner

4 lbs. Weyermann Vienna

1 lb. Weyermann Dark Munich

1 lb. Best Malz Wheat

1 lb. Special B
½ lb. Maltexco/Patagonia Caramel 70-80 L. 

Mash @ 158° F for 60 minutes w/ 4 gallons RO water, 4 g. gypsum, and 2 g. CaCl; collected 2 ½ gallons @ 1.076

Batch sparge @ 160° F for 20 minutes w/ 4 gallons RO water; collected 4 gallons @ 1.028

Topped off to 7 gallons, brought to a boil (60 minutes), & added:

w/60 to go: 1 ½ oz. Choice debittered hops

w/10 to go: 5 g. Wyeast yeast nutrient

Chilled and pitched mason jar of ECY 02 Flemish from 195. Flanders Red; added .55 oz. Hungarian oak, house toast

Brewed: 1/23/2016

Secondary:

Bottled:

OG: 1.056

FG:

Tasting Notes:

Lambic Party Brewday

Slow and steady wins the race. Once this beer and 221. are ready, they will be the replacement beers for the first small pull from the Barrel Project, the goal being to see where the barrel is at, and to then start planning for the next larger pull later in the year. I’m guessing the pull will be three gallons to bulk age and five gallons on sour cherries, but we’ll make the specific call on game day. 

222. Lambic Party

Mash:

7 lbs. Best Malz Pilsen

5 lbs. unmalted wheat

Mash @ 158° F for 90 minutes w/ 4 gallons RO water, 4 g. gypsum, and 4 g. CaCl; collected 2 ½ gallons @ 1.064

Batch sparge @ 169° F for 20 minutes w/ 4 gallons RO water; collected 4 gallons @ 1.024

Topped off to 7 gallons; brought to a boil (70 minutes), & added:
w/60 to go: 1 oz. Choice debittered hops 

w/10 to go: 5 g. Wyeast yeast nutrient (added w/ boiling water after beer racked to carboy)

Chilled and racked onto ECY01 Bug Farm yeast cake from 181b. ECY01 Bug Farm

Brewed: 1/14/2016

Secondary: 2/28/2016 @ 1.002

Bottle: 3/20/16

OG: 1.050

FG: 1.002

Tasting Notes (2/28/2016): Tart and game-y; lemon zest and pith up front, followed by earthiness and game-y brett funk. Looks like the unmalted wheat is paying off. 

New Year’s Lambic Brewday

Time to start out the New Year right, and get back to massively over-producing lambic. In part, this is because I am thinking ahead to the first pull off of the Barrel Lambic Solera, which should happen in a month or so. But also because I am ridiculously intent on building up a massive reservoir of lambic and gueuze, and that requires having plenty on hand. We’re getting there. Happy New Year’s, everyone. 

221. New Year’s Lambic

Mash:

7 lbs. Best Malz Pilsen

5 lbs. unmalted wheat

Mash @ 158° F for 90 minutes w/ 4 gallons RO water, 4 g. gypsum, and 4 g. CaCl; collected 2 ½ gallons @ 1.070

Batch sparge @ 170° F for 20 minutes w/ 4 gallons RO water; collected 4 gallons @ 1.024

Topped off to 7 gallons; brought to a boil (90 minutes), & added:
w/60 to go: 1 oz. Choice debittered hops 

w/10 to go: 5 g. Wyeast yeast nutrient

Chilled and racked onto ECY Bug County yeast cake from 201. Post-Barrel Lambic 

Brewed: 1/1/2016 @ 64° F

Secondary: 2/27/2016 @ 1.004

Barrel: 3/20/16

OG: 1.050

FG: 1.002

Tasting Notes (2/27/2016): Bright and tart going into the secondary; lemonade-like with some funky undercurrents and light spritziness from the CO2 still in solution. 

Iron Brewer Honey Tripel Brewday

In an effort to get more club members brewing, my local homebrew club, DRAFT, stole and re-packaged the Rockit Cup as the club Iron Brewer competition. The Rockit Cup had a three year run, so I can’t really complain. Plus, less to be in charge of, honestly. Anywhoo, I decided on taking a stab at a tripel using honey instead of table sugar to dry out the body. Yes, the late hopping is a bit aggressive, but, well, too bad. Felt like it. Here’s to honey. I’m coming for you, Joe Harrington. 

220. Iron Brewer Honey Tripel

Mash:

10 lbs. Best Malz Pilsen

½ lb. MFB Vienna 

½ lb. MFB Pale

Mash @ 149° F for 90 minutes w/ 3 ½ gallons RO water, 4 g. gypsum, and 3 g. CaCl; collected 2 ¾ gallons @ 1.064

Batch sparge @ 162° F for 20 minutes w/ 4 gallons RO water; collected 4 gallons @ 1.024

Collected 6 ¾ gallons; brought to a boil (90 minutes), & added:
w/60 to go: 1 ¼ oz. Styrian Golding pellet 2.0% AA
¾ oz. Azacca leaf 9.9% AA

w/10 to go: 5 g. Wyeast yeast nutrient

w/0 to go: 2 oz. Azacca leaf 9.9% AA

3 (or so) lbs. Bob Irwin honey
2 g. coriander
1 g. cumin
1 g. grains of paradise 

Let stand for 20 minutes, chilled, & pitched mason jar of Iron Brewer yeast from 218. Iron Brewer Cider

Brewed: 12/27/2015 @ 64° F

Secondary: 1/23/2016 @ 1.008; added 5 g. Wyeast yeast nutrient

Bottle: 4/23/2016 w/ 4 ¾ oz. table sugar

OG: 1.076

FG: 1.000

Tasting Notes: Dry with some earthiness and slight sweetness at bottling. Some alcohol warmth but no heat, even as dry as it is. 

Table Saison w/ ADHA 529 Brewday

Another small, light, and eminently drinkable saison. Again, the perfect excuse to experiment with new hop varieties. Again, this beer will be excellent and so so drinkable. Again, I find myself talking to myself. Well, at least I have beer to drink while doing so.

219. Table Saison w/ ADHA 529

Mash:

4 lbs. Best Malz Pilsen

2 lbs. Best Malz Wheat

1 lb. MFB Vienna
½ lb. Acidulated 

Mash @ 150° F for 80 minutes w/ 3 gallons RO water, 4 g. gypsum, and 4 g. CaCl; collected 2 gallons @ 1.062

Batch sparge @ 168° F for 20 minutes w/ 4 gallons RO water; collected 4 ¼ @ 1.012

Collected 6 ¼ gallons; topped off to 7 gallons, brought to a boil (70 minutes), & added:
w/60 to go: ½ oz. ADHA 529 10.6% AA

w/20 to go: ½ oz. ADHA 529 10.6% AA

w/10 to go: ½ oz. ADHA 529 10.6% AA
5 g. Wyeast yeast nutrient

w/5 to go: ½ oz. ADHA 529 10.6% AA

w/0 to go: ½ oz. ADHA 529 10.6% AA

Let stand for 20 minutes, chilled, & racked onto 3276 yeast cake from 216. Table Saison w/ ADHA 484

Brewed: 10/4//2015

Secondary: 12/26/2015 @ 1.000; 219a. bottled 3 gallons w/ 3.0 oz. table sugar; 219b. dry-hopped 3 gallons w/ ½ oz. each of Pekko, Jarrylo, and Comet

Bottle: 12/31/2015 w/ 2.55 oz. table sugar (219b.)

OG: 1.036

FG: 1.000

Tasting Notes: When you don’t carefully label your carboys, this is what happens: you confuse a table saison and a cider and swap the plans for the secondary for each. Which is why this got split and dry-hopped with something besides ADHA 529, while 218. Iron Brewer Cider got dry-hopped with ADHA 529. Classy, yo. Yes, the taste should have given it away, but that assumes that I tasted them, doesn’t it? 

Iron Brewer Saison Brewday

More table saison brewing, this time with the ADHA hops that have already acquired themselves names, namely Pekko (ADHA 871) and Jarrylo (ADHA 881). You know, the cool kids on the block. Azacca already got some play recently around these parts, so it will have to wait its turn to get an ADHA shout out. Not sure what is going on with the Jarrylo logo (the hop is named after Jarilo, the Slavic god of fertility and springtime), but I do know that is less offensive than the Pekko logo, so I went with this one. And no, I won’t provide you a link to the Pekko logo. Go find it your damn self.

217. Iron Brewer Saison

Mash:

4 lbs. Best Malz Pilsen

2 lbs. Best Malz Wheat

1 lb. MFB Vienna
½ lb. Acidulated 

Mash @ 152° F for 80 minutes w/ 3 gallons RO water, 4 g. gypsum, and 4 g. CaCl; collected 2 gallons @ 1.058

Batch sparge @ 163° F for 20 minutes w/ 4 gallons RO water; collected 4 @ 1.020

Collected 6 gallons; topped off to 7 gallons, brought to a boil (70 minutes), & added:
w/60 to go: .4 oz. each of Pekko (15.4% AA) and Jarrylo (13.9% AA) pellet

w/20 to go: ½ oz. each of Pekko (15.4% AA) and Jarrylo (13.9% AA) pellet

w/10 to go: ½ oz. each of Pekko (15.4% AA) and Jarrylo (13.9% AA) pellet
5 g. Wyeast yeast nutrient

w/5 to go: ½ oz. each of Pekko (15.4% AA) and Jarrylo (13.9% AA) pellet

w/0 to go: ½ oz. each of Pekko (15.4% AA) and Jarrylo (13.9% AA) pellet

Let stand for 20 minutes, chilled, & pitched Iron Brewer yeast cake from 215b. Fresh Hop Iron Brewer

Brewed: 9/19/2015

Secondary: 10/4/2015 @ 1.004; dry-hopped w/ 1 oz. each of Pekko and Jarrylo pellet

Bottle: 10/9/2015 w/ 3 ¼ oz. table sugar

OG: 1.036

FG: 1.000

Tasting Notes: 

Table Saison w/ ADHA 484 Brewday

Now that the fresh hop beers have grown the yeast up, time to churn out some small, easy-drinking saisons. And nothing serves as a more perfect excuse to experiment with new hop varieties than a table saison. Learning never tasted so good. Plus, the dwarf hops are so gosh-darned cute!

216. Table Saison w/ ADHA 529

Mash:

4 lbs. Best Malz Pilsen

2 lbs. Best Malz Wheat

1 lb. MFB Vienna
½ lb. Acidulated 

Mash @ 150° F for 80 minutes w/ 3 gallons RO water, 4 g. gypsum, and 4 g. CaCl; collected 2 gallons @ 1.058

Batch sparge @ 163° F for 20 minutes w/ 4 gallons RO water; collected 4 ¼ @ 1.016

Collected 6 ¼ gallons; topped off to 7 gallons, brought to a boil (70 minutes), & added:
w/60 to go: ½ oz. ADHA 484 10.6% AA

w/20 to go: ½ oz. ADHA 484 10.6% AA

w/10 to go: ½ oz. ADHA 484 10.6% AA
5 g. Wyeast yeast nutrient

w/5 to go: ½ oz. ADHA 484 10.6% AA

w/0 to go: ½ oz. ADHA 484 10.6% AA

Let stand for 20 minutes, chilled, & racked to carboy and pitched Wyeast 3276 yeast cake from 215a. Fresh Hop Saison

Brewed: 8/30/2015

Secondary: 10/4/2015 @ 1.002; dry-hopped w/ 1 ¼ oz. ADHA 484 10.6% AA

Bottle: 10/9/2015 w/ 3 ¼ oz. table sugar

OG: 1.036

FG: 1.002

Tasting Notes: 

Smith Hop Fresh Hop Saison/Iron Brewer Brewday

While I will most likely not get around to brewing as many fresh hop beers as usual this year, I cannot stand by the wayside and watch the free Smith hops from next door go to waste, especially since I have such a long and storied history with them, and they are so so delicious. To complicate my brewing matters, I am also using this opportunity to make a split batch of beer and grow up some yeast to suitable pitch sizes. One is Wyeast 3276, their American Farmhouse, which is a pleasant, spicy, and slightly fruity saison yeast. The other is the Iron Brewer yeast created/blended by Brett Smith for the DRAFT club Iron Brewer brewing challenge that so ignominiously replaced the Rockit Cup. Whatever, haters. The Rockit Cup ain’t afraid of your Iron Brewer malarkey.

215. Saison/Iron Brewer Fresh Hop

Mash:

2 ¼ lbs. MFB Vienna
2 lbs. MFB Pale
2 lbs. Best Malz Wheat

1 ¼ lbs. Best Malz Pilsen

Mash @ 151° F for 80 minutes w/ 3 gallons RO water, 4 g. gypsum, and 4 g. CaCl; collected 1 ¾ gallons @ 1.062

Batch sparge @ 163° F for 20 minutes w/ 4 gallons RO water; collected 4 ¼ @ 1.022

Collected 6 gallons; topped off to 7 gallons, brought to a boil (70 minutes), & added:
FWH: 4 oz. fresh hops

w/20 to go: 4 oz. fresh hops

w/10 to go: 4 oz. fresh hops

w/0 to go: 4 oz. fresh hops

Let stand for 20 minutes, chilled, split into two three gallon carboys, and pitched Wyeast 3276 in one (215a.) and Iron Brewer yeast in the other (215b.)

215a. Fresh Hop Saison
Brewed: 8/16/2015

Secondary: 8/30/2015 @ 1.002

Bottle: 9/19/2015 w/ 1.2 oz. table sugar

OG: 1.036

FG: 1.002

215b. Fresh Hop Iron Brewer
Brewed: 8/16/2015

Secondary: 9/19/2015 @ 1.000

Bottle: 9/20/2015 w/ 1.2 oz. table sugar

OG: 1.036

FG: 1.000

Tasting Notes: 

Hibiscus Saison Brewday

Another in the long litany of summer saisons. I made a Hibiscus Saison last year, which was something of a dud—the yeast ended up being a huge disappointment, leaving me with a rather pedestrian beer—although the brightness and slight acidic sourness from the hibiscus and acidulated malt were delightful. Hence my interest in revisiting the beer. You can follow the link to read all about last year’s stupendous failure, but in this case, I’d let the past be the past. Like, move on, man. So here’s to moving on.

211. Hibiscus Saison

Mash:

4 lbs. Best Malz Pilsen

2 lbs. Best Malz Wheat

1 lb. MFB Vienna
½ lb. Acidulated 

Mash @ 152° F for 80 minutes w/ 3 gallons RO water and 6 g. gypsum; collected 2 ¼ gallons @ 1.060

Batch sparge @ 168° F for 20 minutes w/ 4 ½ gallons RO water; collected 4 ¼ gallons @ 1.012

Collected 6 ½ gallons; topped off to 7 gallons, brought to a boil (70 minutes), & added:
w/60 to go: 1 ½ oz. Styrian Golding leaf 3.7% AA

w/10 to go: 5 g. Wyeast yeast nutrient

w/0 to go: 1 oz. Styrian Golding leaf 3.7% AA

3 ½ oz. hibiscus 

Let stand for 20 minutes, chilled, & racked onto saison yeast cake from 210. Barrel American Saison w/ Dandelion Root

Brewed: 6/14/2015

Secondary: skipped

Bottle: 7/10/2015 w/ 3.0 oz. table sugar

OG: 1.036

FG: 1.002

Tasting Notes: This beer is straight drinking pleasure. 

Barrel American Saison w/ Dandelion Root

Quite similar to the first batch, but with a few modifications. I just used dandelion root in this version, lessened the late hop additions, and cut the sugar addition. Hopefully, I will be able to discern the flavors contributed by the dandelion root. At least that is the intended goal. I’ll bottle a couple to try later before racking the rest into the barrel. Check back!

210. Barrel American Saison w/ Dandelion Root

Mash:

6 lbs. Best Malz Pilsen

2 lbs. flaked maize

Mash @ 148° F for 80 minutes w/ 3 gallons RO water and 6 g. gypsum; collected 1 ½ @ 1.072

Batch sparge @ 164° F for 20 minutes w/ 4 ½ gallons RO water; wort collected 5 @ 1.026

Collected 6 ½ gallons; topped off to 7 gallons, brought to a boil (70 minutes), & added:
w/60 to go: ½ oz. Azacca leaf 9.9% AA
1 oz. Comet leaf 10.9 AA

1 ½ oz. dandelion root, coarsely chopped

w/10 to go: 5 g. Wyeast yeast nutrient

w/5 to go: 1 oz. Styrian Golding leaf 3.7% AA
3 ½ oz. table sugar

w/0 to go: ¾ oz. Comet leaf 10.9 AA

2 g. coriander
2 g. grains of paradise

Chilled, & pitched mason jar of saison yeast blend from 207. Dandelion Saison

Brewed: 5/31/2015

Barrel: 6/14//2015 @ 1.002

209/210a. 1/30/2016 @ 1.000; racked onto 2 lbs. wild plums

209/210b. 1/30/2016 @ 1.000; racked onto 4 lbs. 10 oz. tart cherries
209/210c. 1/30/2016 @ 1.000; bottled w/ 2.5 oz. table sugar

OG: 1.044

FG:

Tasting Notes: 

Barrel American Saison w/ Dandelion

This batch (along with 210.) will replace the cider that currently calls the ten gallon barrel on my dining room table home; I’ll fill and soak the barrel with boiling water after I empty it to give the claussenii that is getting added in the secondary a head start over previous bugs and wild yeast that are already in the barrel. As with American Saison w/ Dandelion Flowers, this is another Jeff Alworth-inspired beer intended to experiment with the rustic elements of corn in American craft beer.

209. Barrel American Saison w/ Dandelion

Mash:

6 lbs. Best Malz Pilsen

2 lbs. flaked maize

Mash @ 150° F for 80 minutes w/ 3 gallons RO water, 4 g. gypsum, & 2 g. CaCl; collected 1 ¾ @ 1.072

Batch sparge @ 163° F for 20 minutes w/ 4 ½ gallons RO water; wort collected 4 ¾ @ 1.032

Collected 6 ½ gallons; topped off to 7 gallons, brought to a boil (70 minutes), & added:
w/60 to go: ¾ oz. Azacca leaf 9.9% AA
¾ oz. Comet leaf 10.9 AA

1.95 oz. dandelion root, coarsely chopped
1.8 oz. dandelion leaves

w/10 to go: 5 g. Wyeast yeast nutrient
8 oz. table sugar

w/5 to go: 1 oz. Styrian Golding leaf 3.7% AA
3 ½ oz. table sugar

w/0 to go: ¾ oz. Azacca leaf 9.9% AA

¾ oz. Comet leaf 10.9 AA

4.4 oz. dandelion leaves

Let stand for 20 minutes, chilled, & pitched mason jar of saison yeast from 208. American Saison w/ Dandelion Flowers

Brewed: 5/26/2015

Secondary: 5/31/2015 @ 1.002; added a vial of WLP645 Brettanomyces claussenii
Barrel: 6/14/2015 @ 1.002

209/210a. 1/30/2016 @ 1.000; racked onto 2 lbs. wild plums
209/210b. 1/30/2016 @ 1.000; racked onto 4 lbs. 10 oz. tart cherries
209/210c. 1/30/2016 @ 1.000; bottled w/ 2.5 oz. table sugar

OG: 1.048

FG:

Tasting Notes: 

American Saison w/ Dandelion Flowers Brewday

This is another Jeff Alworth-inspired beer, albeit a riff on a previous similar idea. But if the goal is to recover corn for American craft brewers, the saison and all that it represents for American craft brewing seems the most obvious place to extend the idea. After all, who don’t love saisons? I mean, besides this guy? Although since he hasn’t posted for like six months, that insult is effectively as dead as that blog. Oh, and I included the dandelion flowers as a means to compare the flavor contributions to beer in relation to the contributions from the leaves and roots in 207. Dandelion Saison.

Note: the 30/70 corn to grain ratio might have got some extra traction for me today via today’s stuck sparge. I adjusted the ration for the next version, so we’ll see what happens.

208. American Saison w/ Dandelion Flowers

Mash:

6 lbs. Best Malz Pilsen

3 lbs. flaked maize

Mash @ 150° F for 90 minutes w/ 3 gallons RO water, 4 g. gypsum, & 4 g. CaCl; mash stuck after I collected 1 gallon drained, so I topped it off with sparge water @ 1.080

Batch sparge @ 158° F for 20 minutes w/ 4 ½ gallons RO water; wort collected @ 1.030

Collected 6 ¼ gallons; topped off to 7 gallons, brought to a boil (70 minutes), & added:
w/60 to go: 1 ½ oz. Azacca leaf 9.9% AA

w/10 to go: 1 oz. Styrian Golding leaf 3.7% AA
5 g. Wyeast yeast nutrient

w/5 to go: 1 oz. Styrian Golding leaf 3.7% AA
3 ½ oz. table sugar

w/0 to go: 1 oz. Styrian Golding leaf 3.7% AA
4 oz. dandelion flowers

Let stand for 20 minutes, chilled, & pitched mason jar of saison yeast from 207. Dandelion Saison

Brewed: 4/28/2015

Secondary: 5/26/2015 @ 1.002; dry-hopped w/ 2 oz. Styrian Golding leaf 3.7% AA

Bottle: 5/30/2015 w/ 3.25 oz. table sugar

OG: 1.050

FG: 1.002

Tasting Notes (12/15/2015): American Saison w/ Dandelion Flowers pours a hazy straw with a big white mousse-y head that hangs around, and has plenty of tiny white bubbles streaming up the sides of the glass. The nose is floral and perfume-y and lightly spicy all at once; there is a hint of Pilsner sweetness, but the yeast overpowers much of that. Additionally, there are white pepper phenols with a hint of clove as well. As it opens up, citrus, lemon zest, earthiness, and dandelion also comes out. There is nothing here that reads distinctly as corn, although the dandelion flowers mixed with the yeast does provide some scratchy rusticity. Flavors start with a hint of banana that leads into a medium grainy Pilsner malt mixed with a soft ephemeral bread crust and lemon zest, quickly followed by floral spiciness, both from the hops and yeast—I can’t really distinguish where one begins and the other ends. There might be some hints of corn sweetness in the final third of the beer, but it is also dry and crackery via the bright sharp carbonation, and the finish is dry and peppery with hints of lemon and that Styrian Golding earthy spiciness I find so beguiling. The main contribution of the corn appears to be lightening the color and thinning the body of the beer, although I am pretty sure that it contributes to some of the rustic saison character, as do the dandelion flowers. And it has a dry body, even by my standards—when I try this again, I will raise the mash temperature to 152° F to see the affect that has on the mouthfeel of the beer. I might also try substituting 6-row and some wheat—swing it towards the grain bill of the American Weissbier—to see how that affects the overall beer in the glass a well. Still, corn’s presence in beer seems to be more dependent upon yeast than anything else; as with some of the American Weissbiers, I am not certain that anyone would readily identify this as having corn were they not told. But I do like the contribution corn provides, and I’ll continue to experiment. Stay tuned, y’all.

Dandelion Saison Brewday

Time to bring back an oldy but a goody. I've made dandelion saisons off and on over the years, but I was re-inspired by pulling out an old bottle of dandelion saison, and being blown away by the balance of flavors, even after 3 plus years. Plus, since it is the time of year when dandelions have returned in all their majestic glory, it is time to once again take advantage of the bounty of my back yard.

207. Dandelion Saison

Mash:

6 lbs. Best Malz Pilsen

1 lb. Best Malz Wheat

1 lb. light Munich

1 lb. Acidulated

Mash @ 149° F for 90 minutes w/ 3 gallons RO water, 4 g. gypsum, & 4 g. CaCl; collected 2 ¾ gallons @ 1.064

Batch sparge @ 158° F for 20 minutes w/ 4 gallons RO water; collected 4 ¼ gallons @ 1.018

Topped off to 7 gallons, brought to a boil (70 minutes), & added:

w/60 to go: 1 ½ oz. Styrian Golding leaf 3.7% AA
4 oz. dandelion leaves
1.5 oz. dandelion root, coarsely chopped

w/20 to go: 1.2 oz. dandelion leaves
.7 oz. dandelion root, coarsely chopped

w/10 to go: 1.2 oz. dandelion leaves
.7 oz. dandelion root, coarsely chopped
5 g. Wyeast yeast nutrient

8 oz. Turbinado sugar

w/5 to go: 1.2 oz. dandelion leaves

.7 oz. dandelion root, coarsely chopped

2 g. coriander

1 g. grains of paradise

Chilled, & racked onto yeast from 205. Saison

Brewed: 4/18/2015

Secondary: 4/28/2015 @ 1.004; dry-hopped w/ 1 oz. Styrian Golding leaf 3.7% AA

Bottle: 5/4/2015 w/ 3.5 oz. table sugar

OG: 1.044

FG: 1.004

Tasting Notes: 

Even More Hoppy LTC

One final hurrah for the Hoppy LTC. Today’s brew featured an all-Belma hop regimen and an abbreviated boil: I first-wort hopped the beer and cut the boil time to 20 minutes. The last version of this beer (204) ended up having plenty of bitterness, so I wanted to see the effects of shortening the boil time in relation to a similar flavor and aroma hop schedule. Can’t hurt, right?

And the Yo! bird is back, baby!

206. Hoppy LTC

Mash:

8 lbs. Best Malz Pilsen

4 lbs. Best Malz Wheat

Mash @ 150° F for 80 minutes w/ 4 gallons RO water, 4 g. gypsum, & 4 g. CaCl; collected 2 ½ gallons @ 1.074

Batch sparge @ 166° F for 20 minutes w/ 4 gallons RO water; collected 4 gallons @ 1.024

Topped off to 7 gallons, brought to a boil (20 minutes), & added:

FWH: 2 oz. Belma leaf 12.1% AA

w/20 to go: 1 oz. Belma leaf 12.1% AA

w/10 to go: 1 oz. Belma leaf 12.1% AA
5 g. Wyeast yeast nutrient

w/5 to go: 1 oz. Belma leaf 12.1% AA

w/0 to go: 1 oz. Belma leaf 12.1% AA

Let stand for 20 minutes, chilled, & racked onto LTC yeast cake from 204. More Hoppy LTC

Brewed: 4/12/2015

Secondary: 6/12/2015 @ 1.000; dry hopped with 4 oz. Belma leaf 

Bottle: 

OG: 1.052

FG: 

Tasting Notes: 

Saison Brewday

Time to get back to basics. Since it is summer, that means saison. And thanks to Jeff Fortney at Warped Wing, I have some fancy new yeast for my summer run of saisons. After this one, the dandelions should be in full swing, so another version of the dandelion saison will be in the mix. Maybe two.

205. Saison

Mash:

8 lbs. Best Malz Pilsen

1 lb. MFB Vienna

1 lb. Acidulated

Mash @ 150° F for 90 minutes w/ 4 gallons RO water, 4 g. gypsum, & 4 g. CaCl; collected 2 ¾ gallons @ 1.066

Batch sparge @ 163° F for 20 minutes w/ 4 gallons RO water; collected 4 ¼ gallons @ 1.020

Topped off to 7 gallons, brought to a boil (70 minutes), & added:

w/60 to go: 1 oz. Azacca leaf 9.9% AA
1 oz. Styrian Golding leaf 3.7% AA

w/20 to go: 1 oz. German Magnum leaf 14.2 % AA

w/10 to go: 5 g. Wyeast yeast nutrient

w/0 to go: 1 oz. Azacca leaf 9.9% AA
1 oz. Styrian Golding leaf 3.7% AA

Let stand for 20 minutes, chilled, & pitched saison yeast blend from Warped Wing (thanks, Jeff!)

Brewed: 4/3/2015

Secondary: 4/18/2015 @ 1.006; dry-hopped w/ 2 oz. Azacca leaf 9.9% AA

Bottle: 4/27/2015

OG: 1.050

FG: 1.004

Tasting Notes: 

More Hoppy LTC Brewday

Another one for the drinking; this one has a different grain bill and a slightly different hop bill, but otherwise it is headed down the same path. Word to your mother, indeed.

204. More Hoppy LTC

Mash:

8 lbs. Best Malz Pilsen

4 lbs. Best Malz Wheat

Mash @ 150° F for 80 minutes w/ 4 gallons RO water, 4 g. gypsum, & 4 g. CaCl; collected 2 ½ gallons @ 1.076

Batch sparge @ 166° F for 20 minutes w/ 4 gallons RO water; collected 4 gallons @ 1.024

Topped off to 7 gallons, brought to a boil (70 minutes), & added:

w/60 to go: 1 oz. Millenium leaf 16.7% AA
1 oz. German Magnum leaf 14.2 % AA

w/20 to go: 1 oz. German Magnum leaf 14.2 % AA

w/10 to go: 1 oz. Comet leaf 10.9% AA
5 g. Wyeast yeast nutrient

w/5 to go: 1 oz. Millenium leaf 16.7% AA

w/0 to go: 1 oz. Comet leaf 10.9% AA
1 oz. Millenium leaf 16.7% AA

Let stand for 20 minutes, chilled, & racked onto LTC yeast cake from 202. Hoppy LTC

Brewed: 3/21/2015

Secondary: 4/12/2015 @ 1.004; dry-hopped w/ 1 oz. Comet leaf 10.9% AA and 1 oz. Millenium leaf 16.7% AA

Bottle: 4/18/2015 w/ 3 oz. table sugar

OG: 1.052

FG: 1.002

Tasting Notes (5/12/2015): More Hoppy LTC pours a hazy and slightly dirty straw; there is decent white head that is bright and shiny while leaving behind a fair amount of lacing. The nose is hay and the herbal spice of Millenium—a mix of mint and that pleasant herbal spiciness you get in Nugget, albeit at a reduced level—combined with some peppery phenolic fruit and lavender hints. I’d call it a spritzy floral character, although at a lower level than the other aromatics. Flavors follow the nose; there is a hint of Pils graininess that hold the body together, but mainly this beer is a vehicle for yeast and hop flavors. There is mint and pepper in the front, followed by herbal hop flavor and a clean bitterness in the middle that gives way to hay, spiciness, and a scratchier bitterness in the finish; the bitterness is bright and crisp, and lingers on the palate with just a touch of mint. The mouthfeel is pretty minimal—this beer is dry dry dry—consisting mainly of bright cracker effervescence from the carbonation that blends well with the scratch finishing bitterness. Combined, the sensation is not unlike the lingering effects of using a minty toothpaste. A tasty and easy-drinking beer; I like the hop profile—I am a bit of a sucker for Millenium—but while well made, there is nothing super-exciting about the beer. Well, besides further confirmation that I do love bone-crushingly dry beers. But we all already knew that! 

Barrel Project Lambic Solera

Time for the third addition of lambic to the barrel project. It did take me longer to get the last 15 gallons in the barrel than I anticipated. Still, it is now full, so time for the waiting game to begin in earnest. And maybe finally get around to making something to drink in the short term, dammit!

Details on the second addition.

And on the first addition.

197. Barrel Project Lambic

Mash:

8 lbs. Best Malz Pilsen

4 lbs. Best Malz Wheat

Mash @ 150° F for 75 minutes w/ 4 gallons RO water, 4 g. gypsum, & 4 g. CaCl; collected 2 ½ gallons @ 1.072

Batch sparge @ 167° F for 20 minutes w/ 4 gallons RO water; collected 4 ¼ gallons @ 1.024

Topped off to 7 gallons, brought to a boil (60 minutes), & added:

w/60 to go: 1 oz. German Magnum leaf 14.2 % AA

w/10 to go: 5 g. Wyeast yeast nutrient

Chilled, racked to carboy, & pitched most of ECY Bug County from 191. Barrel Project Lambic

Brewed: 2/8/2015

Secondary: 3/6/2015 @ 1.002

Barrel: 3/20/2015

OG: forgot!

199. Barrel Project Lambic

Mash:

8 lbs. Best Malz Pilsen

4 lbs. Best Malz Wheat

Mash @ 148° F for 80 minutes w/ 4 gallons RO water & 8 g. gypsum; collected 2 ½ gallons @ 1.070

Batch sparge @ 165° F for 20 minutes w/ 4 gallons RO water; collected 4 ¼ gallons @ 1.028

Topped off to 7 gallons, brought to a boil (70 minutes), & added:

w/60 to go: 1 oz. German Magnum leaf 14.2 % AA

w/10 to go: 5 g. Wyeast yeast nutrient

Chilled and pitched Hanssen’s Oude Gueuze from 194. Barrel Project Lambic

Brewed: 2/9/2015

Secondary:3/6/2015 @ 1.002

Barrel: 3/20/2015

OG: 1.052

200. Barrel Project Lambic

Mash:

8 lbs. Best Malz Pilsen

4 lbs. Best Malz Wheat

Mash @ 150° F for 80 minutes w/ 4 gallons RO water & 6 g. gypsum; collected 2 ½ gallons @ 1.072

Batch sparge @ 166° F for 20 minutes w/ 4 gallons RO water; collected 4 gallons @ 1.028

Topped off to 7 gallons, brought to a boil (60 minutes), & added:

w/60 to go: 1 oz. German Magnum leaf 14.2% AA

Chilled & racked to carboy; pitched mason jar of Hanssen’s Oude Gueuze from 194. Barrel Project Lambic

Brewed: 2/21/2015

Secondary: 3/17/2015 @ 1.004

Barrel: 3/20/2015

OG: 1.050

One Last Lambic Hurrah Brewday

No time like the present to start building some reserve lambic for when it is time to take the first pull from the barrel. After all, starting now means I don’t have to brew at such a crazy, breakneck pace when it gets right down to it. Plus, I can always try other random crazy shit with this stuff if I feel so inclined. Which, might I add, I do.

203. One Last Lambic Hurrah

Mash:

8 lbs. Best Malz Pilsen

4 lbs. Best Malz Wheat

Mash @ 152° F for 60 minutes w/ 4 gallons RO water and 7 g. gypsum; collected 2 ½ gallons @ 1.068

Batch sparge @ 166° F for 20 minutes w/ 4 gallons RO water; collected 4 gallons @ 1.026

Topped off to 7 gallons, brought to a boil (70 minutes), & added:

w/60 to go: 1 oz. Choice debittered hops

w/10 to go: 5 g. Wyeast yeast nutrient

Chilled & racked onto Hanssen’s Gueuze yeast cake from 200. Barrel Project Lambic

Brewed: 3/17/2015

Blended: 1/14/2016: used to top-off 181b. ECY01 Bug Farm for bulk-aging; blended rest during Old Beer Blending Party (2/21/2016)

OG: 1.052

FG: 1.000

Hoppy LTC Brewday

Now that we’ve entered the post-barrel era, time to make something to drink in the here and now. Something small and quick and punchy, something like an overly-hopped sour pale ale (I’d call it a session IPA, but those are way too trendy right now). LTC is my current house yeast blend; it is a mix of Lactobacillus, bruxellensis Trois, and custersianus. I’ve been re-pitching the initial blend for well over a year now—I honestly have no clue how many beers I’ve made with it since I started. As long as it keeps producing good beers, though, it will have a place in the regular rotation.

202. Hoppy LTC 

Mash: 
6 lbs. MFB Pale
3 lbs. MFB Vienna
1 lb. Acidulated

Mash @ 153° F for 120 minutes w/ 4 gallons RO water, 4 g. gypsum, & 4 g. CaCl; collected 2 ½ gallons @ 1.066
Batch Sparge @ 170° F for 20 minutes w/ 4 gallons RO water; collected 4 gallons @ 1.016

Topped off to 7 gallons; brought to a boil (70 minutes), & added:

w/60 to go: 1 oz. Comet leaf 10.9% AA
1 oz. German Magnum leaf 14.2% AA

w/20 to go: 1 oz. Comet leaf 10.9% AA

w/10 to go: 1 oz. Styrian Golding leaf 3.7% AA
5 g. Wyeast yeast nutrient

w/5 to go: 1 oz. Comet leaf 10.9% AA
1 oz. Styrian Golding leaf 3.7% AA

w/0 to go: 1 oz. German Magnum leaf 14.2% AA
1 oz. Styrian Golding leaf 3.7% AA

Let sit for 20 minutes, chilled, racked to carboy and pitched mason jar of LTC from 185. Cider

Brewed: 3/7/2015
Secondary: 3/21/2015 @ 1.006; dry-hopped with 1 oz. Comet leaf 10.9% AA & 1 oz. Styrian Golding leaf 3.7% AA
Bottled:

OG: 1.046
FG:

Tasting Notes: