Seems like a good time for an an update.
We bottled on Saturday night, managing to get a case of the Hibernation clone (recipe #3) and about forty-eight 12 oz servings of the Winter Belgian into their own drinking vessels.
Things generally went smoothly during the process. Oxyclean was a big help in de-labeling the empty bottles, and I went through a soak and scrape process Friday and Saturday to prep enough bottles. We are already ahead of the game for the next bottling; I'd say there are about 20-30 bottles ready to go.
We tasted the Hibernation the other day, and thought it was a nice compliment, if maybe lighter bodied, to it's cousin. I'll be very curious to see them side by side, but we need to wait for carbonation.
The Winter Belgian was very pungent on the nose, but was surprised that the spice smell didn't really hit the flavor of the beer. It's a meaty style, I'd say, and probably not session-able, but I think it's going to be a big winner. Very impressed with how that one is going.
We need to get some things on the calendar...the Saison and the Pumpkin porter deserve to be racked this week, and we have all the ingredients to brew the small batch rye. That needs to happen this week.
Showing posts with label Recipe #2. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Recipe #2. Show all posts
Monday, November 16, 2009
Monday, November 9, 2009
Current Status - Recipes #2-5
It's a damn beautiful sight, seeing four carboys going at the same time.
Recipe #2 - Belgian Winter - This guy will be ready to bottle come the weekend. It's in the plastic secondary.
Recipe #3 - Hibernation Clone - I noticed some slight roiling in the carboy, so there could still be some fermentation going. The krausen is all but gone, and the airlock activity seems to have slowed to a stop. I believe we are leaning towards bottle conditioning, instead of racking into a secondary. We need that small carboy for the Rye Ale!
Recipe #4 - Saison - No activity noticeable in the carboy yet. LOTS of trub, though. Aerated a second time yesterday, so hopefully it'll jumpstart. This is our second batch that is out of the gates slow, and both times it was a Belgian yeast strain. Might want to double that up, or use a starter process.
Recipe #5 - Pumpin Porter - Heavy activity in the airlock. Big foam head, that seems to have peaked already, and is starting to retract. Looks like a black hole, it's so dark. Heavy, almost fruity, aromas out of the airlock.
Recipe #2 - Belgian Winter - This guy will be ready to bottle come the weekend. It's in the plastic secondary.
Recipe #3 - Hibernation Clone - I noticed some slight roiling in the carboy, so there could still be some fermentation going. The krausen is all but gone, and the airlock activity seems to have slowed to a stop. I believe we are leaning towards bottle conditioning, instead of racking into a secondary. We need that small carboy for the Rye Ale!
Recipe #4 - Saison - No activity noticeable in the carboy yet. LOTS of trub, though. Aerated a second time yesterday, so hopefully it'll jumpstart. This is our second batch that is out of the gates slow, and both times it was a Belgian yeast strain. Might want to double that up, or use a starter process.
Recipe #5 - Pumpin Porter - Heavy activity in the airlock. Big foam head, that seems to have peaked already, and is starting to retract. Looks like a black hole, it's so dark. Heavy, almost fruity, aromas out of the airlock.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Recipe #2 - Day by Day - Updated!
Day 0 (approx 10 minutes in carboy)
Solid process, good tasting wort. Looks like flat cola in the carboy after a few minutes of fermentation.
Day 1 (approx 23 hours in carboy)
Basically looks the same as when it was poured. No noticeable fermentation occurring. Possible big, intermittent 'burps' through the airlock, but could have also have been vibrations in the room. I thought I saw one, and Kate thought she did, too.
Day 3 (approx 65 hours in carboy)
Finally! Some fermentation. It began on Day 2, but looked essentially like it did when it started up until AM of the third day. Started with a thin amount of krasen, but now had a nice half inch of foam, with murky brown stuff all over it. Heavy bubbling in the airlock.
-Ron
Solid process, good tasting wort. Looks like flat cola in the carboy after a few minutes of fermentation.
Day 1 (approx 23 hours in carboy)
Basically looks the same as when it was poured. No noticeable fermentation occurring. Possible big, intermittent 'burps' through the airlock, but could have also have been vibrations in the room. I thought I saw one, and Kate thought she did, too.
Day 3 (approx 65 hours in carboy)
Finally! Some fermentation. It began on Day 2, but looked essentially like it did when it started up until AM of the third day. Started with a thin amount of krasen, but now had a nice half inch of foam, with murky brown stuff all over it. Heavy bubbling in the airlock.
-Ron
Recipe #2 - Update
That, my friends, is fermentation. That was this AM. Last night, after giving the carboy a really good shake, the airlock burped. I saw about five or six little collections of bubbles hit the top, and not dissipate. I could tell they were not just air bubbles...they didn't pop right away, so my hope was they were the start of the Krausen. I went to bed with some hope. Woke up this morning, and it was like opening a X-mas present, except there was a chance Santa hadn't came. Well, he came, and he brought me burgeoning alcohol!
We can stop fretting now. I didn't take a daily pic of the two brews yesterday. At my normal time, they both looked exactly the same. I should update that today, though, before the weekend.
-Ron
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Some Movement!
I gave the carboy a strong jostle tonight, and now we're getting some very, very slow action in the fermenting airlock. This is big. Starter yeast, with any White Labs yeast vial, may be required, fellas.
Still no activity...
The Winter Belgian may be fermenting, but it's not doing so in any obvious manner. Experts, literature, and leveler heads are telling us not to worry, so here's hoping this is just part of the process for this particular brew.
-Ron
-Ron
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Reason to panic?
We should follow this thread, guys:
http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/do-i-have-problem-144004/#post1640134
I came home to a big carboy full of no activity. Far cry from the other one. Maybe it's not a cause for concern, but I was expecting to see something happening after 18 hours, or so.
-Ron
http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/do-i-have-problem-144004/#post1640134
I came home to a big carboy full of no activity. Far cry from the other one. Maybe it's not a cause for concern, but I was expecting to see something happening after 18 hours, or so.
-Ron
Testing out Beersmith on the Winter Belgian
Ok, here's the skinny on our Belgian.
Beersmith pretty much had all of our ingredients, except for nutmeg. I estimated the spices, in general, but it doesn't look like that does all that much to the estimated numbers. This program is pretty damn cool.
It estimated an original specific gravity of 1.065, based on our ingredients. We measured 1.063. It estimates a final gravity of 1.015, which would net us out somewhere around 6.27-6.51 ABV. If we got that down to 1.010, we'd be at 6.92%.
We're looking at 283 calories per pint (whoa).
IBU estimate is 18.3, which is midrange in what the program thinks this style should have (15-40 IBU's). The boil volume (i.e., the amount in the pot) seems to drive the IBU's significantly. We should see if we can boil more liquid in the pot, safely (or get a bigger pot!).
The estimated color is pretty dark. It could be my computer screen, but it looks to me like it's black.
It also estimates cost of the recipe...it has default costs, and predicts 32.82 for this particular recipe. These can be adjusted, to match local prices. There is also a calendar, which helps you see when things need to be racked, etc.
Beersmith pretty much had all of our ingredients, except for nutmeg. I estimated the spices, in general, but it doesn't look like that does all that much to the estimated numbers. This program is pretty damn cool.
It estimated an original specific gravity of 1.065, based on our ingredients. We measured 1.063. It estimates a final gravity of 1.015, which would net us out somewhere around 6.27-6.51 ABV. If we got that down to 1.010, we'd be at 6.92%.
We're looking at 283 calories per pint (whoa).
IBU estimate is 18.3, which is midrange in what the program thinks this style should have (15-40 IBU's). The boil volume (i.e., the amount in the pot) seems to drive the IBU's significantly. We should see if we can boil more liquid in the pot, safely (or get a bigger pot!).
The estimated color is pretty dark. It could be my computer screen, but it looks to me like it's black.
It also estimates cost of the recipe...it has default costs, and predicts 32.82 for this particular recipe. These can be adjusted, to match local prices. There is also a calendar, which helps you see when things need to be racked, etc.
Pictures From Recipe #2!
Andrew skinning the oranges.
Beer minds at work.
Ryan and the funnel clog. Work the strainer!
Gentlemen, I found our contaminate.
Are we sure we want to drink this stuff?
Beer!
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Hydrometer Knowledge!
I just looked at the hydrometer for the first time, in detail...noticed it has a reading for alcohol levels.
Recipe #1, if we assume 1.039 as our adjusted reading, would have an alcohol content of around 5%, if the specific gravity drops all the way down to 1.00 (not possible, but we could realistically ferment down to 1.010, which would leave us with approx 4% alcohol).
Recipe #2, if we use our adjusted reading of 1.062, would net out a max of around 8%. so if we could ferment this batch down to around 1.010, or so, we could net out around a 7% abv.
-Ron
Recipe #1, if we assume 1.039 as our adjusted reading, would have an alcohol content of around 5%, if the specific gravity drops all the way down to 1.00 (not possible, but we could realistically ferment down to 1.010, which would leave us with approx 4% alcohol).
Recipe #2, if we use our adjusted reading of 1.062, would net out a max of around 8%. so if we could ferment this batch down to around 1.010, or so, we could net out around a 7% abv.
-Ron
Recipe #2 - Winter Belgian
3 lbs of Traditional Dark DME (LD Carlson Co brand) (half at 60 minutes, half at 20 minutes)
3.3 lbs Amber LME (Briess brand) (half at 60 minutes, half at 20 minutes)
1 oz Saaz hops (45 minutes)
1 oz Hallertau Tradition hops (20 minutes)
1 oz Hallertau Tradition hops (10 minutes)
1 lb orange blossom honey (10 minutes)
1 lb dark candy sugar (15 minutes)
1 lb crushed grain (Belgian blend) - 20% Crystal, 20% Belgian Aromatic, 30% Munich 20, 30% Special B
1 vial White Labs Trappist Ale
Spice mixture (2 oz fresh ginger, zest of 2 large oranges, tsp Ground Cinamon, tsp ground nutmeg, 1.5 tsp organic mulling spices (cinnamon, orange peel, allspice, ginger), sprig of rosemary) (5 minutes)
Steeped grains at 150 degrees for 45 minutes. Removed from heat.
Half of LME and DME added at minute 60. Brought to roiling boil.
Saaz hops added at 45 minute mark.
At 20 minute mark, other half of extracts added, along with Hallertau hops.
At 10 minute mark, honey, candy sugar, and more Halltertau hops added.
Boil over at approx 8 minute mark.
At approx 3 minutes, added spice mixture (going 60 + 2 minutes, to compensate for coming off burner for boil over).
Pot moved to ice bath for wort chilling. Wort chilled for 35-40 minutes. 3 Gallons of cold water added to carboy. Transferred at 68 degrees. Original Specific Gravity taken at 1.061. Adjusting for temperature, OSG is 1.062. Yeast pitched at 68 degrees.
-Ron
I tasted the wort. The orange zest and cloves were very prominent. It had a bitter aftertaste. I could tell that even before the guys tested the alcohol level that it was going to be high. This is going to be a good Christmas beer! - Morgan
3.3 lbs Amber LME (Briess brand) (half at 60 minutes, half at 20 minutes)
1 oz Saaz hops (45 minutes)
1 oz Hallertau Tradition hops (20 minutes)
1 oz Hallertau Tradition hops (10 minutes)
1 lb orange blossom honey (10 minutes)
1 lb dark candy sugar (15 minutes)
1 lb crushed grain (Belgian blend) - 20% Crystal, 20% Belgian Aromatic, 30% Munich 20, 30% Special B
1 vial White Labs Trappist Ale
Spice mixture (2 oz fresh ginger, zest of 2 large oranges, tsp Ground Cinamon, tsp ground nutmeg, 1.5 tsp organic mulling spices (cinnamon, orange peel, allspice, ginger), sprig of rosemary) (5 minutes)
Steeped grains at 150 degrees for 45 minutes. Removed from heat.
Half of LME and DME added at minute 60. Brought to roiling boil.
Saaz hops added at 45 minute mark.
At 20 minute mark, other half of extracts added, along with Hallertau hops.
At 10 minute mark, honey, candy sugar, and more Halltertau hops added.
Boil over at approx 8 minute mark.
At approx 3 minutes, added spice mixture (going 60 + 2 minutes, to compensate for coming off burner for boil over).
Pot moved to ice bath for wort chilling. Wort chilled for 35-40 minutes. 3 Gallons of cold water added to carboy. Transferred at 68 degrees. Original Specific Gravity taken at 1.061. Adjusting for temperature, OSG is 1.062. Yeast pitched at 68 degrees.
-Ron
I tasted the wort. The orange zest and cloves were very prominent. It had a bitter aftertaste. I could tell that even before the guys tested the alcohol level that it was going to be high. This is going to be a good Christmas beer! - Morgan
Beer Crazy
It's on...batch #2 will commence this PM, at Ron's house. Andrew's baby, a Belgian style (I think along the lines of a dubbel?) will enter the new 6.5 gallon glass carboy we picked up today at lunch (thanks goes to Santa Claus, the father of the brewmaster at Thomas Creek, for lending some advice).
Andrew has some flavorings in mind, including orange zest, coriander, and rosemary. I'll be curious how much of the essence we can squeeze out in the wort. We did not score on the 'floating thermometer' front, or the 'wine thief' front, two items we desperately need, but Thomas Creek was sold out of.
So it's on. Also on tap for tonight, a new pic of the fermenting Recipe #1 (I have no idea what style to call it...it's a Pale Ale with an IPA's soul...). Also on tap is a heart to heart with the boys over how hard we have to work our liver to accumulate 100 bottles for these two batches.
-Ron
Andrew has some flavorings in mind, including orange zest, coriander, and rosemary. I'll be curious how much of the essence we can squeeze out in the wort. We did not score on the 'floating thermometer' front, or the 'wine thief' front, two items we desperately need, but Thomas Creek was sold out of.
So it's on. Also on tap for tonight, a new pic of the fermenting Recipe #1 (I have no idea what style to call it...it's a Pale Ale with an IPA's soul...). Also on tap is a heart to heart with the boys over how hard we have to work our liver to accumulate 100 bottles for these two batches.
-Ron
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