Isalia Brewing Company

Long Time Coming

2023-06-11T15:59:00.001-06:00

It's been a number of years since the last post, which coincides with the time since I last brewed (more or less). The pandemic got me rethinking my system, and I decided I wanted to get away from propane. Coincidentally, I found The Electric Brewery and started in earnest to convert to electric. I started slowly, going with groups of components first, buying what my budget would allow. Slowly I built up all of the components required to convert my existing 10 gallon system, with one exception - I didn't have the electric supply required to power the system.

After completing the build, it sat for a while until I got into gear and started talking to electricians. I thought what was needed was to upgrade the service from the house panel to the garage, but I was convinced by the guys at Lighthouse Restoration Group that the better solution - and one that wouldn't cost any more - was to install a stand-alone 240V 100A service to the garage. The more I thought about this, and the more I thought about the possibility of an EV in my future, the more I agreed that this was the route to go.

After about a month dealing with the permitting process in our town, getting ComEd to set up the install, and getting the panel installed, all went well and I finally had the power required for my system. Power was hooked up, install was checked, and all that was left was to plug in the control panel and see if it powered up. And....it didn't. Turns out that the best was to build the panel was to check the components as you build, and since I didn't have the power required, I couldn't. After some sleuthing and re-reading the troubleshooting instructions, along with a number of e-mails with Kal Wallner at The Electric Brewery, I figuredout I had the transformers connected backwards, which fried a number of components, such as the AC/DC converters and the amp and volt meters. Finally, all was rebuilt, and the panel powered up successfully.

Having that out of the way, I immediately jumped to the question: what is the first beer I should brew? I'd been trying unsuccessfully for years to get Goose Island Honkers Ale in 5-gallon kegs, and apparently the only place you can get it any more is at the brewpub, Honkers was the first local beer I really got into, and I spent a LOT of time at the Clybourn brewpub in the 90s and early 2000s when I lived in Bucktown. It was a no-brainer.

Having made that decision, it was now time to look at my brewing software. For years I'd used ProMash, which was really intuitive, and I had everything dialed in for that software. Unfortunately, it's no longer supported and more than a little out of date. I did a bit of searching and came to land on Brewfather, not only because it's web-based (so no software to install) but it's mobile and has a pretty extensive library of publicly-available recipes. I also like that if you go to buy supplies for a brew, you have everything at hand. I also discovered the Tilt hydrometer/thermometer, a bluetooth-connected device that will log both specific gravity and temperature, and also syncs with Brewfather.

Now that I had all of that completed, it was time to brew. I must say that having the ability to have your temps controlled by a PID is a wonderful thing. It took a while to get back into my process, but it all worked out really well. Here's the link to the Honkers Ale session. Can't wait to get back to this on the regular.

Yet Another Update

2014-07-26T13:24:00.001-06:00

It would appear that my attempt to restart the yeast was a successful one. After not doing what I should have done originally - step the starter for a week - I quick threw together another starter (see the prior post) and it would appear that it was successful. The starter was repitched a week ago and the gravity has dropped from 1.050 to 1.018. I have also been swirling the conical to remix the existing yeast so that my have helped as well.

Tasting along the way (because beer) has shown a consistent flavor profile with a subtle but obvious Brett note. That's not a bad thing in this style beer, and I knew that this would be the result going in. Otherwise why even use it? The tips from the July/August 2014 issue of Zymurgy have been very helpful with this batch.

I don't know what it is about Belgian beers, but my favorite beer styles are from this region: Wit, Saison/Biere de Garde, Lambics, Trappist/Abbey beers - they all have something that just stands out above the rest. That's not to say I don't love the IPA, Stout/Porter or even English Ale, but given my druthers, I'll always go back to Belgium.

Update

2014-07-22T18:44:00.000-06:00

The SMASH It Up Simcoe Ale is now racked into a keg and is carbonating. So far it seems to be a pretty balanced ale, and without the benefit of a higher carbonation level seems a bit more like a British Real Ale. The Simcoe hops, however, prevent that initial thought from lingering too terribly long. The Simcoe is a little fruity and piney at the same time, not quite the grapefruit bomb of some other American hop varieties. Given that this has only 2-row malt and there's no other variety coming from the malt base, the WLP051 (California V) and US05 neutral yeasts allow the hops to shine in this beer.

The Saison de Perle has been a stubborn batch to be sure. I'm to blame for that having not stepped up the yeast starter a week ahead of time and instead opting for only a day or two to get the yeast going. When brewing a beer with an OG of 1.080 your yeast had better be up to the task, and mine wasn't. After stalling at 1.050 after 2 weeks in primary, I started up the yeast I harvested from the Smash It Up Simcoe and, after a day of that getting going, harvested some yeast from the conical, added it to the yeast starter and after allowing it to pick up steam, repitched it into the Saison. That gives me a total of four yeast strains (Dupont 1 and 2, California V and US05) in addition to the Brettanomyces Bruxellenis. This beer should be one to reckon with, and I plan on bottling and storing a considerable amount to age.

2014-07-13T16:20:00.001-06:00

SMASH American Session Ale and Saison de la Perle

The kids are away so I finally have time to brew, and decided to make up for lost time quickly, running a SMASH Session Ale and Saison on back to back weekends. Having been so long since I last brewed, I knew there would be issues with the first brew of the year, but they were mainly of the efficiency kind.

06-29-2014 SMASH American Session Ale

Brewing Date:	Sunday June 29, 2014
Head Brewer:	Mike Ring
Asst Brewer:
Recipe:	SMASH American Session Ale

BJCP Style and Style Guidelines

10-A American Ales, American Pale Ale

Min OG:	1.045	Max OG:	1.060
Min IBU:	30	Max IBU:	45
Min Clr:	5	Max Clr:	14	Color in SRM, Lovibond

Recipe Specifics

Batch Size (Gal):	5.00	Wort Size (Gal):	6.00
Total Grain (Lbs):	7.75
Anticipated OG:	1.042	Plato:	10.44
Anticipated SRM:	3.0
Anticipated IBU:	53.7
Brewhouse Efficiency:	75	%
Wort Boil Time:	60	Minutes

Actual OG:	1.052	Plato:	12.39
Actual FG:	1.014	Plato:	3.57
Alc by Weight:	3.70	by Volume:	4.74	From Measured Gravities.
ADF:	71.1	RDF:	59.3	Apparent & Real Degree of Fermentation.

Actual Mash System Efficiency:	76 %
Anticipated Points From Mash:	41.85
Actual Points From Mash:	42.48

Pre-Boil Amounts

Evaporation Rate:

15.00

Percent Per Hour

Pre-Boil Wort Size:	7.06	Gal
Pre-Boil Gravity:	1.030	SG	7.47	Plato

Water Needed Pre-Boil Wort Size:	7.93	Gal
Water Needed Pre-Boil Gravity:	1.026	SG	6.66	Plato

Formulas Used

Brewhouse Efficiency and Predicted Gravity based on Method #1, Potential Used.
Final Gravity Calculation Based on Points.
Hard Value of Sucrose applied. Value for recipe: 46.2100 ppppg
% Yield Type used in Gravity Prediction: Fine Grind Dry Basis.

Color Formula Used: Morey
Hop IBU Formula Used: TinsethTinseth Concentration Factor: 1.30

Additional Utilization Used For Plug Hops: 2 %
Additional Utilization Used For Pellet Hops: 10 %

Grain/Extract/Sugar

%	Amount	Name	Origin	Potential	SRM
100.0	7.75 lbs.	Pale Malt(2-row)	America	1.036	2

Potential represented as SG per pound per gallon.

Hops

Amount	Name	Form	Alpha	IBU	Boil Time
0.50 oz.	Simcoe	Pellet	12.70	28.3	60 min
0.50 oz.	Simcoe	Pellet	12.70	14.1	15 min
1.00 oz.	Simcoe	Pellet	12.70	11.3	5 min
1.00 oz.	Simcoe	Pellet	12.70	0.0	10 days

Yeast

White Labs WLP051 California Ale V
Fermentis US-05 added after 24-hour lag (added dry to wort)

Mash Schedule

Mash Type:	Single Step
Heat Type:	HERMS
Grain Lbs:	7.75
Water Qts:	10.46	Before Additional Infusions
Water Gal:	2.62	Before Additional Infusions
Qts Water Per Lbs Grain:	1.35	Before Additional Infusions
Tun Thermal Mass:	0.25
Grain Temp:	68 F	Before Additional Infusions

Rest	Temp	Time
Dough In:	169	0 Min
Saccharification Rest:	149	60 Min
Mash-out Rest:	170	10 Min
Sparge:	170	0 Min

Total Mash Volume Gal: 3.24 - After Additional Infusions
Runnings Stopped At: 1.004 SG
All temperature measurements are degrees Fahrenheit.

Water Needed For Brewing Session

Sparge Amount:	7.50	Sparge Deadspace:	0.25	Total Into Mash:	7.25
Total Grain Lbs:	7.75	Qts Per Lbs:	1.35	Total From Mash:	1.68
		Mash Gallons:	2.62
		Grain Absorption:	0.93

Amount Lost in Lauter Tun Deadspace, Grant and Misc. to Kettle:	1.00

Top Up Water Added to Kettle:	0.00
Amount into Kettle:	7.93

Boil Time (min):	60
Evaporation Rate:	15.00
Amount after Boil:	6.74

Left in Kettle Deadspace:	0.50
Left in Hopback:	0.25
Left in Counterflow Chiller:	0.25
Left in Other Equipment / Other Absorption:	0.30

Amount to Chillers:	5.44
Amount After Cooling (4 perc.):	5.23

Grain absorption rate is: 0.12 (Gallons Per Lbs)
Evaporation rate is Percent per Hour
This formulation will yield 5.23 gallons of fermentable wort.
You will need 10.11 gallons of water for the complete brewing session.
Generated with ProMash Brewing Software

My first issue came during the sparge. After taking the first runnings and sparging, I ended up well short of my target volume in the boil kettle. Consequently, I ended up stopping the sparge runnings at 1.004 in order to get close to the volume required. I was still short, and ended up with only 3 gallons in the fermenter after chilling. Checking along the way, it seems to be coming along and I added the dry hops 10 days after brewing. It'll likely sit another week in the carboy before transfer to a keg.

The saison, however, seems to be right on track to be another magnificent beer.

07-05-2014 Saison de la Perle

Brewing Date:	Saturday July 05, 2014
Head Brewer:	Mike Ring
Asst Brewer:
Recipe:	Saison de la Perle

BJCP Style and Style Guidelines

16-C Belgian & French Ale, Saison

Min OG:	1.048	Max OG:	1.065
Min IBU:	20	Max IBU:	35
Min Clr:	5	Max Clr:	14	Color in SRM, Lovibond

Recipe Specifics

Batch Size (Gal):	6.50	Wort Size (Gal):	9.10
Total Grain (Lbs):	18.52
Anticipated OG:	1.079	Plato:	19.17
Anticipated SRM:	5.3
Anticipated IBU:	49.2
Brewhouse Efficiency:	75	%
Wort Boil Time:	90	Minutes

Actual OG:	1.080	Plato:	19.33
Actual FG:	1.054	Plato:	13.33
Alc by Weight:	2.60	by Volume:	3.47	From Measured Gravities.
ADF:	31.0	RDF:	27.1	Apparent & Real Degree of Fermentation.

Actual Mash System Efficiency:	96 %
Anticipated Points From Mash:	79.31
Actual Points From Mash:	101.51

Pre-Boil Amounts

Evaporation Rate:

15.00

Percent Per Hour

Pre-Boil Wort Size:	11.74	Gal
Pre-Boil Gravity:	1.044	SG	10.93	Plato

Water Needed Pre-Boil Wort Size:	11.39	Gal
Water Needed Pre-Boil Gravity:	1.045	SG	11.26	Plato

Formulas Used

Grain/Extract/Sugar

%	Amount	Name	Origin	Potential	SRM
87.7	16.25 lbs.	Pilsener	Belgium	1.037	2
5.3	0.98 lbs.	Wheat Malt	Germany	1.039	2
7.0	1.30 lbs.	Munich Malt	Germany	1.037	8

Potential represented as SG per pound per gallon.

Hops

Amount	Name	Form	Alpha	IBU	Boil Time
4.00 oz.	Fuggle	Whole	4.50	45.3	75 min
3.00 oz.	Tettnanger	Whole	2.70	3.9	5 min

Yeast

WYeast 3724 Belgian Saison
WLP 565 Belgian Saison (harvested from last year's saison)
Wyeast 5112 Brettanomyces Bruxellenis

Mash Schedule

Mash Type:	Single Step
Heat Type:	HERMS
Grain Lbs:	18.52
Water Qts:	29.45	Before Additional Infusions
Water Gal:	7.36	Before Additional Infusions
Qts Water Per Lbs Grain:	1.59	Before Additional Infusions
Tun Thermal Mass:	0.25
Grain Temp:	68 F	Before Additional Infusions

Rest	Temp	Time
Dough In:	161	0 Min
Saccharification Rest:	145	90 Min
Mash-out Rest:	170	10 Min
Sparge:	0	0 Min

Total Mash Volume Gal: 8.84 - After Additional Infusions

Runnings Stopped At: 1.010 SG 2.56 Plato

All temperature measurements are degrees Fahrenheit.

Water Needed For Brewing Session

Sparge Amount:	7.50	Sparge Deadspace:	0.25	Total Into Mash:	7.25
Total Grain Lbs:	18.52	Qts Per Lbs:	1.59	Total From Mash:	5.14
		Mash Gallons:	7.36
		Grain Absorption:	2.22

Amount Lost in Lauter Tun Deadspace, Grant and Misc. to Kettle:	1.00

Top Up Water Added to Kettle:	0.00
Amount into Kettle:	11.39

Boil Time (min):	90
Evaporation Rate:	15.00
Amount after Boil:	8.83

Left in Kettle Deadspace:	0.50
Left in Hopback:	0.25
Left in Counterflow Chiller:	0.25
Left in Other Equipment / Other Absorption:	0.30

Amount to Chillers:	7.53
Amount After Cooling (4 perc.):	7.23

Grain absorption rate is: 0.12 (Gallons Per Lbs)
Evaporation rate is Percent per Hour
This formulation will yield 7.23 gallons of fermentable wort.
You will need 14.86 gallons of water for the complete brewing session.
Generated with ProMash Brewing Software

You can see from the grain bill on the saison this is ONE BIG BEER. ProMash is reporting a current ABV of 3.5%, but if this ferments out to 1.010 it'll be a little above 9%. Coincidentally, Zymurgy had an article on saisons in the July/August 2014 issue, which offered some insightful bits:

Saisons should by dry, so they need to ferment out. The standard saison yeasts can't do this by themselves, and attenuation is usually only around 70%. One of the recommendations was to add a "helper yeast" in the way of another saison strain.
Use Brett to finish it out. This will also help when aging the beer and developing the saison in the bottle. For this beer I added an entire pack of Wyeast 5112, Brettanomyces Bruxellenis. In the tasting I've done at a week in, there's a slight note of the Brett, and the beer has gone from 1.080 to 1.054.

The efficiency on this brew was far superior to the SMASH, coming in at 96% efficiency vs. 76% on the SMASH.

I've seen sneak previews of the new Blichmann electric heating elements, and they've got me intrigued. I'm hoping to convert my system from propane burners to full electric soon in order to keep brewing suring the winter months. This past winter was significantly brutal here, and it would have been nice to be able to brew during some of that down time.

2013-08-16T05:15:00.000-06:00

Yes, I'm Still Alive

It's been quite a while since my last post, and that may give some insight as to how busy domestic life can be. Between the kids and their activities and remodeling the house, there's not a lot of time left over. Fortunately, almost all of our current remodeling projects are completed and with the kids at Camp Grandma, I finally had a free day to brew. My first Saison, and at 90% efficiency and 14 pounds of grain for a 5 gallon batch, this one may top out over 9%. Details to follow.

Updated 1/7/14: So the grand unveiling of this beer was planned for my 30-year high school reunion on September 14th. A friend from high school, Brooks Smith, designed the label art, and another, Peter Eipers, suggested the name, Saison de la Perle. After spending most of the evening at the reunion, we headed back to Brooks' place in the wee hours and popped a few open. For only having been in the bottle about a month, it was pretty good, but having since tasted it after more aging, it got DAMN good. I'll have to remember that either this style or strength beer needs some maturation. I'll have to slot this guy on the calendar and have the time to rest it for the next brew, and ship some to both Downers Grove and Alabama.

Coopers IPA

2010-12-27T14:55:00.005-06:00

Back in November, the first Saturday is always "Teach a Friend to Homebrew" Day. As I had been on a bit of a hiatus from brewing due to the house being packed up and always show-ready, I figured now that we're in the new house, this was as good a day as any to get going again. Unfortunately, as with any move, things are not found as easily as they are packed, so it was decided extract would be the way to go.

Mikey had purchased a Coopers IPA kit, so he and another friend came over and we fired it up. All went pretty well, except that I had forgotten that carboy fermentations can be pretty powerful, and put an airlock instead of a blowoff tube on the carboy. It didn't explode, but it made a good bit of a mess. I cleaned it up and salvaged the majority of it, and after almost 2 months, the final product is on tap.

My wife was kind enough to go with my idea of bringing the small kegerator into the house and setting the tower on the countertop. I ran the lines through the side of the kegerator and through the cabinet, insulted the lines with 1/2" pipe insulation and promised to always have root beer on one of the taps.

The end product, both taps and IPA, turned out pretty well. It'll likely take a little while for the lines to balance, but I think the beer has already done that.

11-06-2010 Coopers IPA

A ProMash Brewing Session Report

--------------------------------

Brewing Date: Saturday November 06, 2010

Head Brewer: Mike Ring

Asst Brewer: Mikey Snot

Recipe: Coopers IPA

BJCP Style and Style Guidelines

-------------------------------

14-A India Pale Ale, English IPA

Min OG: 1.050 Max OG: 1.075

Min IBU: 40 Max IBU: 60

Min Clr: 8 Max Clr: 14 Color in SRM, Lovibond

Recipe Specifics

----------------

Batch Size (Gal): 5.00 Wort Size (Gal): 6.00

Total Extract (Lbs): 5.67

Anticipated OG: 1.046 Plato: 11.47

Anticipated SRM: 9.3

Anticipated IBU: 48.6

Wort Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Actual OG: 1.049 Plato: 12.15

Actual FG: 1.012 Plato: 3.07

Alc by Weight: 3.81 by Volume: 4.87 From Measured Gravities.

ADF: 74.7 RDF 62.2 Apparent & Real Degree of Fermentation.

Grain/Extract/Sugar

% Amount Name Origin Potential SRM

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

66.1 3.75 lbs. Coopers LME - Amber Australia 1.038 16

22.0 1.25 lbs. Generic DME - Light Generic 1.046 8

11.8 0.67 lbs. Corn Sugar Generic 1.046 0

Potential represented as SG per pound per gallon.

Hops

Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

3.50 oz. Cascade Whole 3.53 48.6 60 min.

Yeast

-----

Coopers Brewe 03309 IPA

Re-motorized Grain Mill

2010-11-30T19:25:00.009-06:00

It's been a little while since my last post, mainly due to the upheaval of our household by packing, showing and moving to another house. However, those days are done and gone, hopefully never to return. With moving, unfortunately, also comes unpacking, which means trying to locate all of the brewing gear that got packed. I still haven't been successful at that yet, but I did get motivated enough to try again at motorizing my Schmidling Malt Mill.

This is a project I've been working at for some time now, and this is my third attempt. Every time I've completed it the test (dumping a few shovels of grain in and turning it on, ultimately to be disappointed by an electric motor not turning) it has failed. Every time, this one included.

I don't know if it's the gearing, incorrect sheave sizes or motors without enough torque. They just never seem to have enough oomph to crush the grain if they aren't already moving. The latest design was inspired from the December 2010 issue of BYO. Dayton motor, sheaves, everything was identical, but still no go. I may play a bit more with the size of the sheave on the mill (kind of like stepping it down to first gear on a 10-speed bike) but it looks like I may just have to live with starting the mill, then slowly pouring the grain in. I think my addition of the output chute was a pretty good idea.

In other beer news, if you haven't heard of it, Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head has a series on Discovery called "Brewmasters" that - through one episode, anyway - is pretty enjoyable. The first episode was about his collaboration with Sony Records to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Miles Davis' Bitches Brew by creating a DFH beer of the same name. I've had the beer, and it is something else, that's for sure. To see the story behind it makes it that much better. Catch the show if you can.

It's Been a Long Time, Been a Long Time....

2010-06-12T15:28:00.003-06:00

It's been quite some time since my last post, and there hasn't been a whole lot of brewing going on this year. This is due mainly to the situation with my previous job, change to a new job, family obligations and recently the process of selling and buying a new home. Add the upcoming move to the mix and there's almost no time for anything. I did, however, manage to squeeze in a Belgian Tripel back around the end of February. This was my first attempt at a Tripel, but I think it went pretty well.

I started this recipe with one from Northern Brewer, but had been reading Stan Hieronymus' book "Brew Like a Monk", which is essential reading for anyone wanting to brew Belgian or Trappist beer. I started with Wyeast 3787, Trappist High Gravity yeast, creating a starter that I stepped three times - the first two were 1000 ml starters, both of which overflowed my 2000 ml erlenmeyer flask, the third a 500 ml starter - to ensure a good, healthy and hungry batch of yeast.

5 gallon batch recipe:

11.5 lb pilsner malt

1.0 lb clear candi sugar

0.5 lb honey

0.25 lb Cara pils

1.79 g baking soda

0.88 g canning salt

2.01 g calcium chloride

2.46 g gypsum

1.75 oz Czech Saaz pellets (5 minutes)

1.50 oz Tettnanger pellets (60 minutes)

Infused mash w/ 5 gallons 166 F strike water (salts added to mash); mash at 148 F for 60 minutes. Recirculated through HERMS to raise the mash temp to 170 F for mash out. Pre-boil SG 1.040, sparge stopped at 1.010; added candi sugar and honey at the start of the 90 minute boil. OG 1.093, aerated for 2 hours, pitched 700 ml starter. FG 1.022 for a 96% efficiency and an ABV of 9.3. Spent 20 days in the conical (primary), 20 days in secondary and bottled all 4.5 gallons using Fermentis S-33 dry yeast to bottle condition.

I've cracked open a few bottles so far, and in a side-by-side taste test against Tripel Karmeliet, the taste is pretty darn close, but the appearance differences are obvious. The Karmeliet is very clear with a high level of carbonation that seems to float throughout the glass; my tripel is a bit cloudy and not quite as highly carbonated, although it's carbonated enough for the style.

All told, it's a pretty good first attempt. Hopefully once the move has been completed I'll get back to brewing. I've got a wit on tap, and I know Mikey is itching to get back to brewing as well.

London Ales Are Going Down

2010-01-18T12:24:00.007-06:00

This past week my wife and I spent a week in London, staying with our friend Timm in Brixton. It's a lovely town and I wish we'd made a point to go there when the weather was nicer, but we still had a fabulous time. Since this blog is mainly about beer, I'll skip the traditional touristy bits and jump straight to my focus on the visit - pubs and good ale.

A few of these were suggestions - Allyson Shaw of Impy Malting and Feral Strumpet Teatime gave me a few great ones and Carl Hensman recommended The Turf Tavern in Oxford - and others, such as The Gunmaker's Arms in Clerkenwell were pubs I'd read about, in this case on Jeff's late blog. In chronological order, here were the ales and pubs of note:

Sunday:

Zatec and Budvar Czech; Luxe in Spitalfields Market
Timothy Taylor Landlord and Polar Beer; The Black Friar
Rodenbach Grand Cru and Brugs Wit; Moules, Brixton

Monday:

Suthwyk Liberation Ale; Tate Modern Café
Harvey's Best Bitter, Woodeforde Wherey, Purity Mad Goose and a sample of Anastasia Imperial Stout (thanks Eddie!); Gunmaker's Arms, Clerkenwell

Tuesday:

Fuller's London Pride; The Swan, Bayswater
Cobra (with a curry takeaway)

Wednesday:

Shepard Neame Rudolph's Reward, Cragg Valley Organic Bitter, Brains Party Popper; Eagle and Child, Oxford
Greene King IPA, Hook Norton Old Hooky; Turf Tavern, Oxford

Thursday:

Deuchars; Nellie Dean
Tapas dinner at Fino, Fitzrovia

Friday:

Acorn Pacific Gem, Mauldoon's Mid-Winter Gold; Wenlock Arms, Shoreditch

Saturday:

Sharps Doom Bar; The Lock, Camden Town
St. Peter's Organic Best Bitter, Charles Wells Bombardier, Meantime Pale Ale; The Engineer, Primrose Hill
Greene King St. Edmunds; Prince Albert, Brixton

Although this is by no means a thorough and complete list, it's the

ales and pubs I remembered to write down. Many thanks to those who gave recommendations and to our gracious host for an unforgettable week.

Coffee Porter 2, Helles Bock

2009-11-22T12:35:00.002-06:00

After cold steeping a half pound of French roast coffee, I added 750 ml to the keg, then racked the porter. Not thinking, I didn't do anything to the coffee from a sanitation standpoint, but 21 days after there is no sign of infection (knock on wood). Bottled 6 for archival purposes.

Last weekend I brewed another batch of the Helles bock I had such success with. Unfortunately, I had a friend over whom I hadn't seen in quite some time, so I wasn't very mindful of the brew session. Either my hydrometer is way off or this session totally sucked as the OG was way low. Only time will tell.

Shout out to our buddy Bill Hartley, who is on the mend. Get well soon, Billy!

Coffee Porter

2009-10-27T18:13:00.004-06:00

It's been a while and I've been busy (but who hasn't, right?). I'll get that out of the way right now. Since my Double IPA back in August, I've only done one other batch, a Pre-Prohibition Lager that seems to be doing pretty well. Ended up with about 6.5 gallons total, force carbonated, and knocked out the 1.5 gallon overflow keg pretty quickly. It's clarifying with time, and there seem to be very few traces of DMS and no trace of diacetyl as of yet.

This weekend my wife was out of town with the girls, which gave me ample opportunity to put up the Halloween decorations and knock out another batch. Since we picked up a Toddy cold brew coffee maker, we thought a brew with coffee would be in order. This batch is based on Northern Brewer's St. Paul Porter, but I made a few adjustments to the recipe. It's also my first use of Ringwood Ale Yeast, WYeast 1187. I did a starter with it and stepped it once, but only pitched a total volume of 1000 ml. I don't know if it was the starter or the yeast, but you can kind of see the fermentation I got from it. A whisper under 5 gallons of beer in the 14 gallon conical, but a krausen that went ALL THE WAY TO THE 12.5 GALLON MARK!!! I am just completely blown away by this as I've never experienced this kind of fermentation before. If it turns out that it IS the yeast, I may use this yeast for all of my English-styled beers.

Speaking of the English, my college mate Timm has graciously offered to host my wife and myself for a number of nights in Brixton, so we will finally get to troll about to some of the pubs I've read about for so long and get a taste of lots of cask ales. We don't get a whole lot of that over here, so we're really looking forward to the trip.

10-25-2009 Coffee Porter

A ProMash Brewing Session Report

--------------------------------

Brewing Date: Sunday October 25, 2009

Head Brewer: Mike Ring

Recipe: Coffee Porter

BJCP Style and Style Guidelines

-------------------------------

12-B Porter, Robust Porter

Min OG: 1.048 Max OG: 1.065

Min IBU: 25 Max IBU: 60

Min Clr: 22 Max Clr: 42 Color in SRM, Lovibond

Recipe Specifics

----------------

Batch Size (Gal): 5.00 Wort Size (Gal): 5.00

Total Grain (Lbs): 10.63

Anticipated OG: 1.057 Plato: 14.04

Anticipated SRM: 23.1

Anticipated IBU: 45.2

Brewhouse Efficiency: 75 %

Wort Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Actual OG: 1.072 Plato: 17.51

Actual Mash System Efficiency: 99 %

Anticipated Points From Mash: 57.00

Actual Points From Mash: 75.31

Pre-Boil Amounts

----------------

Evaporation Rate: 15.00 Percent Per Hour

Raw Pre-Boil Amounts - only targeted volume/gravity and evaporation

rate taken into account:

Pre-Boil Wort Size: 5.88 Gal

Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.048 SG 12.02 Plato

With sparge water, mash water, additional infusions, vessel losses, top-up

water and evaporation rate recorded in the Water Needed Calculator:

Water Needed Pre-Boil Wort Size: 6.46 Gal

Water Needed Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.044 SG 10.99 Plato

Grain/Extract/Sugar

% Amount Name Origin Potential SRM

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

89.4 9.50 lbs. Pale Malt(2-row) America 1.036 2

1.2 0.13 lbs. CaraVienne Malt Belgium 1.034 22

2.4 0.25 lbs. CaraPils Malt America 1.033 1

2.4 0.25 lbs. Crystal 55L Great Britian 1.034 55

4.7 0.50 lbs. Chocolate Malt Great Britain 1.034 475

Potential represented as SG per pound per gallon.

Hops

Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

1.00 oz. Columbus Pellet 14.20 45.2 60 min.

1.00 oz. Cascade Whole 3.20 0.0 1 min.

Extras

Amount Name Type Time

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

0.00 Cup(s) Black Cat Espresso Coffee 0 Days(fermenter)

Yeast

-----

WYeast 1187 Ringwood Ale

Mash Schedule

-------------

Mash Name: Single Infusion Mash

Total Grain Lbs: 10.63

Total Water Qts: 12.65 - Before Additional Infusions

Total Water Gal: 3.16 - Before Additional Infusions

Tun Thermal Mass: 0.25

Grain Temp: 68 F

Step Rest Start Stop Heat Infuse Infuse Infuse

Step Name Time Time Temp Temp Type Temp Amount Ratio

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Single Infusion 5 60 153 153 Infuse 175 12.65 1.19

Mashout 1 10 170 170 Infuse 210 6.28 1.78

Total Water Qts: 18.93 - After Additional Infusions

Total Water Gal: 4.73 - After Additional Infusions

Total Mash Volume Gal: 5.58 - After Additional Infusions

All temperature measurements are degrees Fahrenheit.

All infusion amounts are in Quarts.

All infusion ratios are Quarts/Lbs.

Water Needed For Brewing Session

--------------------------------

Sparge Amount: 3.00 Sparge Deadspace: 0.00 Total Into Mash: 3.00

Total Grain Lbs: 10.63 Qts Per Lbs: 1.78 Total From Mash: 3.46

Mash Gallons: 4.73

Grain Absorption: 1.27

Amount Lost in Lauter Tun Deadspace,

Grant and Misc. to Kettle: 0.00

Top Up Water Added to Kettle: 0.00

Amount into Kettle: 6.46

Boil Time (min): 60.00 Evaporation Rate: 15.00

Amount after Boil: 5.49

Left in Kettle Deadspace: 0.00

Left in Hopback: 0.00

Left in Counterflow Chiller: 0.25

Left in Other Equipment / Other Absorption: 0.25

Amount to Chillers: 4.99

Amount After Cooling (4 perc.): 4.79

Grain absorption rate is: 0.12 (Gallons Per Lbs)

Evaporation rate is Percent per Hour

This formulation will yield 4.79 gallons of fermentable wort.

You will need 7.73 gallons of water for the complete brewing session.

Hop Harvest 2009

2009-08-17T15:59:00.004-06:00

I did considerably better this year than last, about quadrupling (eyball estimate) last year's output of Cascades and Nuggets, and a fairly decent first year for the Willies. I've got a double IPA conditioning and am going to run it through a Randall; my only question at this point is do I use the year-old Cascades that I bought in bulk or go with the homegrown?

Quick Hops Update

2009-08-12T19:36:00.003-06:00

Looks like the Cascades will be ready to come down this weekend. Just judging by a quick visual, I'd say I'll have wuadrupled last year's crop. I'll likely give the Nuggets and Willamettes a little more time unless the look as ready as the Cascades. Hard to tell as the Cascades are a bit hardier and seem to engulf everything else.

Double IPA Part 2

2009-08-08T18:42:00.009-06:00

After 19 days in my conical and the gravity not about to drop any lower than 1.020, I finally decided that it was time to move the beer. I tried numerous times to rouse the yeast to keep the fermentation going, but there just wasn't anything left in it, I guess. I was using 2 old sachets of Safale US56, and the fermentation took off like a rocket, but just couldn't finish the deal. Attenuation at older age may be a drawback of this yeast.

At any rate, 5 gallons into the carboy, and 2 ounces of 6.6% AA whole Cascade hops to dry hop. Based on the dry hopping experience I've had in the past, about 5 days should do it, then I'll transfer to a keg for conditioning.

The whirlpooling I've been doing prior to chilling has has a profound effect on the clarity of thebeer. Most of the samples I've been drawing have been crystal clear within about 5 minutes of decanting, and after transfering twice and conditioning, this beer should brighten up nicely.

I finally worked my way through Barry's selection of German beers for

me, and I've got one thing to say to him: THANK YOU! I saved the Andechser Dunkel for last, although there were plenty of the good ones along the way. The Schlenkerla Rauschbier was a smoked malt delight. Lots of alder smoke, great maltiness, well carbonated and not overly bacon-y, as some smoked beers can be. The Dunkel was amazing, with a great head and clarity more likely found in a filtered wheat. Still had a bit of the banana and clove you'd expect from a German weiss, but a bit of malt in there as well.

Since my wife was downtown at the Playboy Brunch with our friend Patrick, I figured I'd use the afternoon (after moving box upon box of old papers) to hit the brewery tour at Two Brothers in Warrenville. They've been in their new facility just about a year now and brew mainly farmhouse and bier de garde style beers, but they also have some other styles that are killer: Red Eye Porter made with coffee from Intelligentsia Coffee; Hop Juice, a killer imperial/double IPA; Dog Days Dortmunder and recently Moaten, an oaked Flemish Red, which is a collaboration with Urthel Brewery in Belgium. It is a great beer for those who like sour beer.

Double IPA

2009-07-30T19:36:00.004-06:00

I have yet to come up with a name for this, but I've still got time. This brew went pretty smoothly, and given that I used almost 17 pounds of grain for a 5 gallon batch, I had surprisingly high efficiency at almost 80%. I've also hopped the bejeezus out of this with 8 ounces of whole 6.6% AA Cascades in the boil for 75 IBU. I'm going to dry hop with 2 to 3 more ounces, and then wet hop in my Randall, but I don't know if I want to stick with the Cascades or use the home-grown version. I guess I can always change if I don't like it.

Hops 2.1

2009-07-19T07:45:00.004-06:00

I've often heard that the second year for a plant is exponentially better than the first. It appears that this will hold true for my hops crop. The plants are doing FAR better than last year, taking into account the destruction of a Willamette bine that was a fair trade for the removal of a pesky mulberry tree.

They started to get to the point where I was constantly having to untangle them at the top to keep the varieties separated, but I decided why bother? I can separate them by variety at the lower levels and will have a blend of Cascade, Nugget and Willamette from the top of the heap. Unless there are very different physical characteristics in the cones (which I doubt), there's really no way to tell them apart.

The burrs - which will eventually turn to cones - are starting to appear everywhere. It seems I've got at least double the number I had last year, but I'll have to go back and see if I actually recorded the yields. I know I had a higher percentage of Cascades than Nugget, but Cascades traditionally do much better their first year.

I already have plans for these hops. Next week I'm going to brew a Double IPA, and with what I have in the freezer already I should have enough to hop and dry hop the brew. The guys on the bine, however, I am going to use to either wet-hop or fresh-hop through the use of an organoleptic hops transducer, otherwise known as a Randall. By the time the IPA is ready to drink, these hops should be ready to use.

Finally A New Post!

2009-07-12T08:22:00.010-06:00

Yes, I realize that it's been almost two months since I last posted. Around that time, there were questions as to our company's viability and things were very tenuous. Without getting into the details, I will just say that things are back on track at work and I've been very busy the last 6 weeks.

First, the kolsch. Things went very well with this brew, and it finished nicely at just under 4% ABV. I had a good amount of lagering time on it, in addition to getting my whirlpooling technique down to prevent excessive trub in the fermenter, so it's cleared up nicely. The carbonation could be a bit higher, but it'll suffice for now. The first keg is almost empty and I've been using a carbonation stone on the second, so we'll see how that one turns out.

Memorial Day weekend was brew day for my Bell's Oberon clone, which has been dubbed "Mikeron" by some, and in honor of those fallen, "MemoriAle" by me. I did a side-by-side tasting (early on, I might add) and it was pretty darn close. The color turned out a bit more orange than the commercial (mine is on the right), and my wife thought (again, early on) that mine was a bit grainy, but over the 4th of July weekend, we attended a barbeque in Carbondale and brought some along. Those wo sampled it remarked that mine was actually better than the commercial version. That could have just been kind words, or they could have been the truth. Either way, I think it turned out pretty damn well, and I am looking to make this a regular brew.

The wife and I attended AleFest Chicago yesterday at Soldier Field Stadium Green, which was sponsored by the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild and had representatives from Unibroue, Two Brothers, Metropolitan, Left Hand, Rogue, Brooklyn, and so many others I could fill a page alone. There were about 50 tables, so there were roughly 50 breweries.

A nice feature of this event was the Replicale, where a dozen different members of the ICBG created their own version of one style beer. This year's was the Belgian-style wit, one of my wife's favorites (she LOVES Hoegaarden), and while they were all very similar, there were distinctions between them. I thought this was a great introduction to the subtle differences between beers of the same style, and really made the differences noticable. We were also able to join IMBIBE (I'm a Big Illinois Beer Enthusiast) as charter members. In all, it was a great event, low-key, but worthwhile and pretty well organized.

Hopefully I'll begin posting on a more regular basis going forward. This year's hops are growing like mad, and I've finally planned an IPA to make use of all of the hops I plan on harvesting in addition to making use of my Randall as well. The Mikeon/MemoriAle stats follow below. By the way, HOW am I getting these insane efficiency numbers?

05-25-2009 Mikeron/MemoriAle

A ProMash Brewing Session Report

--------------------------------

Brewing Date: Monday May 25, 2009

Head Brewer: Mike Ring

BJCP Style and Style Guidelines

-------------------------------

06-D Light Hybrid Beer, American Wheat or Rye Beer

Min OG: 1.040 Max OG: 1.055

Min IBU: 15 Max IBU: 30

Min Clr: 3 Max Clr: 6 Color in SRM, Lovibond

Recipe Specifics

----------------

Batch Size (Gal): 6.80 Wort Size (Gal): 8.16

Total Grain (Lbs): 12.72

Anticipated OG: 1.053 Plato: 12.98

Anticipated SRM: 5.3

Anticipated IBU: 15.1

Brewhouse Efficiency: 75 %

Wort Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Actual OG: 1.058 Plato: 14.16

Actual FG: 1.016 Plato: 4.08

Alc by Weight: 4.27 by Volume: 5.48 From Measured Gravities.

ADF: 71.2 RDF 59.5 Apparent & Real Degree of Fermentation.

Actual Mash System Efficiency: 94 %

Anticipated Points From Mash: 52.50

Actual Points From Mash: 66.09

Pre-Boil Amounts

----------------

Evaporation Rate: 15.00 Percent Per Hour

Pre-Boil Wort Size: 9.60 Gal

Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.037 SG 9.31 Plato

Water Needed Pre-Boil Wort Size: 9.26 Gal

Water Needed Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.039 SG 9.65 Plato

Grain/Extract/Sugar

% Amount Name Origin Potential SRM

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

37.9 4.83 lbs. Pale Malt(2-row) America 1.036 2

50.0 6.36 lbs. Wheat Malt Germany 1.039 2

5.2 0.66 lbs. Munich Malt Great Britain 1.037 6

6.9 0.88 lbs. CaraVienne Malt Belgium 1.034 22

Potential represented as SG per pound per gallon.

Hops

Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

0.61 oz. Czech Saaz Pellet 2.50 3.3 First WH

0.44 oz. Hallertau Hersbrucker Pellet 2.40 2.3 First WH

1.56 oz. Hallertau Hersbrucker Pellet 2.40 9.1 60 min.

0.61 oz. Czech Saaz Pellet 2.50 0.4 15 min.

0.78 oz. Czech Saaz Pellet 2.50 0.0 0 min.

Yeast

-----

WYeast 1272 American Ale II

Mash Schedule

-------------

Mash Type: Multi Step

Heat Type: HERMS

Grain Lbs: 12.72

Water Qts: 18.13 - Before Additional Infusions

Water Gal: 4.53 - Before Additional Infusions

Qts Water Per Lbs Grain: 1.43

Tun Thermal Mass: 0.25

Grain Temp: 68 F

Dough In Temp: 157 Time: 0

Intermediate Rest Temp: 140 Time: 30

Saccharification Rest Temp: 158 Time: 30

Mash-out Rest Temp: 176 Time: 10

Sparge Temp: 176 Time: 30

Runnings Stopped At: 1.010 SG 2.56 Plato

Total Mash Volume Gal: 5.55 - After Additional Infusions

All temperature measurements are degrees Fahrenheit.

Water Needed For Brewing Session

--------------------------------

Sparge Amount: 7.50 Sparge Deadspace: 0.25 Total Into Mash: 7.25

Total Grain Lbs: 12.72 Qts Per Lbs: 1.43 Total From Mash: 3.01

Mash Gallons: 4.53

Grain Absorption: 1.53

Amount Lost in Lauter Tun Deadspace,

Grant and Misc. to Kettle: 1.00

Top Up Water Added to Kettle: 0.00

Amount into Kettle: 9.26

Boil Time (min): 60.00 Evaporation Rate: 15.00

Amount after Boil: 7.87

Left in Kettle Deadspace: 0.50

Left in Hopback: 0.25

Left in Counterflow Chiller: 0.25

Left in Other Equipment / Other Absorption: 0.30

Amount to Chillers: 6.57

Amount After Cooling (4 perc.): 6.30

Grain absorption rate is: 0.12 (Gallons Per Lbs)

Evaporation rate is Percent per Hour

This formulation will yield 6.30 gallons of fermentable wort.

You will need 12.03 gallons of water for the complete brewing session.

Efficiency Specifics

--------------------

Recipe Efficiency Setting: 75 %

With sparge water, mash water, additional infusions, vessel losses, top-up

water and evaporation rate recorded in the Water Needed Calculator:

Target Volume (Gal): 9.26

Estimated OG: 1.039 Plato: 9.65

Raw Pre-Boil Targets - only targeted volume/gravity and evaporation

rate taken into account:

Target Volume (Gal): 9.60

Estimated OG: 1.037 Plato: 9.31

Post-Boil Targets:

Target Volume (Gal): 6.80

Estimated OG: 1.053 Plato: 12.98

Recorded Actuals - Measurement Taken In Ferementer:

Recorded Volume (Gal): 6.50

+Losses (Gal): 1.25

Total Volume (Gal): 7.75

Recorded OG: 1.058 Plato: 14.27

At 100 percent extraction from the maximum mash potential:

Total Points: 70.00

Points From Mash: 70.00

Points From Extract/Sugar: 0.00

With the recipe efficiency setting, you should have achieved:

Total Points: 52.50

Points From Mash: 52.50

Points From Extract/Sugar: 0.00

Actuals achieved were:

Actual Points From Mash: 66.09

Actual Mash System Efficiency: 94

Fermentation Specifics

----------------------

Pitched From: Starter

Amount Pitched: 1200 mL

Lag Time: 0.00 hours

Primary Fermenter: Plastic

Primary Type: Closed

Days In Primary: 7

Primary Temperature: 68 degrees F

Black Coal Kolsch

2009-05-18T08:17:00.003-06:00

This session went pretty well. As you can see from the ProMash report, I was somehow able to get 100% efficiency from my system. Based on what I know of the scientific method and what I ended up with in my Advanced Chemistry class in high school (how was I able to extract caffeine from 7-Up? Answer: I wasn't.) it must have been an error in measurement somewhere.

At any rate, most of the variables were held pretty consistent: mash temperature was good, fermentation temperature was pretty close to optimum, lag time was minimized by a monster 3-step starter. I think I had one of the biggest fermentations to date, and after a week in the conical with 4 days of consistent gravity readings, I moved the beer into carboys to lager.

The timing of this beer couldn't have been better as Jamil Zainasheff has an article on kolsch in the May-June issue of BYO. I'm holding the beer at around 40°F and will keep it there for about a month as recommended in the article. I do have more airlock activity, so I may be able to drop the beer a bit further and get better attenuation from the yeast. It is, however, about 3 years old, hence the 3-step starter to get it going again. I have not yet resorted to the second addition of yeast to finish a beer, but that day may soon come.

Next up is the Oberon clone. Maybe Memorial Day weekend will be the time to do that so it's ready with the kolsch.

05-09-2009 Black Coal Kolsch

A ProMash Brewing Session Report
Brewing Date: Saturday May 09, 2009
Head Brewer: Mike Ring
Recipe: Black Coal Kolsch

BJCP Style and Style Guidelines
08-A Koelsch & Altbier, Koelsch-Style Ale
Min OG: 1.040 Max OG: 1.048
Min IBU: 16 Max IBU: 30
Min Clr: 4 Max Clr: 5 Color in SRM, Lovibond

Recipe Specifics
Batch Size (Gal): 7.00 Wort Size (Gal): 7.44
Total Grain (Lbs): 11.38
Anticipated OG: 1.044 Plato: 10.98
Anticipated SRM: 3.3
Anticipated IBU: 21.8
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75 %
Wort Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Actual OG: 1.044 Plato: 10.98
Actual FG: 1.014 Plato: 3.57
Alc by Weight: 3.09 by Volume: 3.96 From Measured Gravities.
ADF: 67.5 RDF: 56.2 Apparent & Real Degree of Fermentation.

Actual Mash System Efficiency: 100 %
Anticipated Points From Mash: 44.11
Actual Points From Mash: 59.05

Raw Pre-Boil Amounts - only targeted volume/gravity and evaporation
rate taken into account:
Pre-Boil Wort Size: 8.75 Gal
Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.035 SG 8.85 Plato

With sparge water, mash water, additional infusions, vessel losses, top-up
water and evaporation rate recorded in the Water Needed Calculator:
Water Needed Pre-Boil Wort Size: 9.77 Gal
Water Needed Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.032 SG 7.95 Plato

Formulas Used
Brewhouse Efficiency and Predicted Gravity based on Method #1, Potential Used.
Final Gravity Calculation Based on Points.
Hard Value of Sucrose applied. Value for recipe: 46.2100 ppppg
% Yield Type used in Gravity Prediction: Fine Grind Dry Basis.

Additional Utilization Used For Plug Hops: 2 %
Additional Utilization Used For Pellet Hops: 10 %

Grain/Extract/Sugar
% Amount Name Origin Potential SRM
68.8 7.82 lbs. Pale Malt(2-row) America 1.036 2
12.5 1.42 lbs. Wheat Malt Belgium 1.038 2
12.5 1.42 lbs. Vienna Malt Germany 1.037 3
6.3 0.71 lbs. Cara-Pils Dextrine Malt 1.033 2

Potential represented as SG per pound per gallon.
Hops
Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
1.17 oz. Hallertauer Mittelfruh Pellet 5.20 14.3 60 min
0.67 oz. Spalter Select Whole 5.00 3.9 30 min
1.17 oz. Hallertauer Mittelfruh Pellet 5.20 3.6 20 min
0.66 oz. Hallertauer Mittelfruh Pellet 5.20 0.0 0 min

Yeast
WYeast 2565 Kolsch

Mash Schedule
Mash Type: Single Step
Heat Type: Heat Exchanger/HERMS
Grain Lbs: 11.38
Water Qts: 19.54 Before Additional Infusions
Water Gal: 4.89 Before Additional Infusions
Qts Water Per Lbs Grain: 1.72 Before Additional Infusions
Tun Thermal Mass: 0.25
Grain Temp: 68 F Before Additional Infusions

Rest Temp Time
Dough In: 166 0 Min
Saccharification Rest: 150 60 Min
Mash-out Rest: 168 10 Min
Sparge: 170 0 Min

Total Mash Volume Gal: 5.80 - After Additional Infusions

Runnings Stopped At: 1.010 SG 2.56 Plato

All temperature measurements are degrees Fahrenheit.

Generated with ProMash Brewing Software

Railing Against Stupidity

2009-05-16T14:41:00.002-06:00

I don't know if any of you folks on the other side of the pond have been subjected to this stupidity, but apparently the people at SAB Miller think we're all a bunch of uneducated buffoons who will take anything that's fed to us by way of the telly as gospel. The first thing to really get my goat was their claim to a special process called "Triple Hops Brewing", which according to their web site, does the following: 1) The first hop addition gives a "clean, distinctive Pilsner flavor and aroma". Okay, STOP RIGHT THERE. Flavor AND AROMA? The majority of the flavor comes from the water (ESPECIALLY in the case of a Pils/Pilsner/Pilsener - I don't know which style they claim to be brewing), malt and yeast. I was always under the impression that the last hop addition was the aroma hop. Maybe that's been my problem all along.

2) The second addition gives "balance: perfect body and hop taste". HOP TASTE? IN MILLER LITE? Come on, has anyone ever really tasted hops in Miller Lite?

3) The third addition the hops "add to Miller Lite's perfect head and locks in its great taste". Wow. What a steaming pile of crap. Another ad asks "Does the fact that we add hops at three times during the brewing process, instead of all at once, ever cross your mind?" Of course it doesn't because I would be shocked to think they'd use more than a smattering of hops in any given batch. Divide that smattering into three different additions and you've got, well, what's the technical term for a third of a smattering? A skosh? A pinch? A dash?

The latest insult was their claim that they use "the best hops in the world - Idaho hops." HUH? Idaho hops? I always thought that the noble hops were the best for classic european styles, and if one was brewing something that needed to be big and hoppy, you would probably go with cascades. But Idaho? Hell, I didn't even know they GROW hops in Idaho.

I can't wait until their next attempt to shove misinformation and marketing down our throats comes when I'm having a really bad day, because it may just be enough to make me snap. They've even gone so far as to have trademarked the term "Triple Hops Brewing". Anyone ever think to trademark the term "potable drinking water"?

Hops v2.0.2

2009-05-04T11:42:00.002-06:00

I've been doing a bit more reading, especially about commercial hop growing and some of the techniques that can be applied to small-scale hop produciton. I think one of the things I've been misinformed about is multiple bines on one line. Last year I had trimmed back the plants to one bine per line, but I read recently from Glen Fuller, an organic hops grower in Colorado (and also the supplier of hops to New Belgium for their Century Ale) that he lets three to four bines go per line, which increases yields. I'm guessing that this is also the number at which if you exceed the number of bines per line you'll begin to experience adverse issues, such as mildew or rot. I am going to give this a try this year and see how things go.

On a related note, here's a link to New Belgium's Century Ale.

Hops v2.0.1

2009-04-30T09:06:00.002-06:00

nugget1 042709
Originally uploaded by midwtech

Hops are coming along pretty well, and with all of the rain we've had in the past week or so, I haven't had to worry about watering them - yet. Once the warmer weather kicks in it'll start drying up. I'm amazed at how robust these plants are for being only second year plants. The Cascades are pretty bushy, the Nuggets (one pictured here) are sending off shoots left and right, and the Willamettes are both productive with the shoots and foliage. Hopefully I can avoid any of the mildews this year and have a bountiful crop with which to brew. One more step towards self-sustaining brewing.

Dark Lord Giveth....

2009-04-25T17:12:00.002-06:00

...but in this case he did not take away. The weather today in Munster, IN was a bit spotty, and we encountered plenty of rain on the way there, but for the most part the rain held off until we left, laden with a dozen bottles of 2009 Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout. There are still 2 bottles of 2007 and one from last year in the cellar and I suspect that they will remain there until we can come up with a good reason to open them.

The Floyds had a good system going this year with the Golden Tickets, and the line moved pretty well. We got to sample the Three Floyds/Dogfish Head collaboration "Popskull" (it was really good, by the way) as well as a few others we'd brought/purchased/swapped with others in line. Good time, and the wee one was very well behaved given that it was an adult event.

Dark Lord Day Eve...

2009-04-24T19:36:00.003-06:00

Quick note here. Tomorrow will be my third trek to Dark Lord Day at Three Floyds in Munster, Indiana (sort of the doppelganger of Muenster, Germany, eh Barry?). This year I think we are far better prepared as we have our Golden Tickets, which will guarantee I don't know how many bottles. We plan on bringing coolers, grills and the wee one, but at least the weather is supposed to be nice - 80s and partly cloudy - which beats the 40 degree temps and 30 mph winds of last year. Looking forward to it, and we'll see how much beer we come back with. Check it out here.

Hops v2.0

2009-04-18T17:33:00.005-06:00

Spring has finally sprung here (for a day, at least) which means that the hops rhizomes I planted last year should be coming back, and like the voracious plants they are (they're not called Humulus lupus for nothing) they are back at it, with the Cascades appearing to have come back strongest. From what I've read, Cascades will grow pretty much anywhere, so they were an obvious choice. The Nuggets are coming back nicely (I still have some left in the freezer from last year's crop) and the Wilamettes I didn't get to harvest look like they'll do well. My neighbor stepped on the bine, breaking it at the ground, which toasted the crop. I'd have been upset, but he was in my garden to rid us both of the pesky mulberry trees along our common line, so he gets a pass and a hearty thanks. Those trees suck. Hopefully this year I'll get some greater yield being a) my second season, and therefore stronger plants, and b) more sunlight with the removal of that damn tree.

Thanks, Tom, and I'll brew a fresh hop beer in your honor if it works out that way.

Oatmeal Stout and Danke Schön

2009-04-04T14:54:00.002-06:00

You know what they say about the cat being away? The girls (all three of them) are gone for the weekend, which leaves me with time to brew. As I've recently had some disasters due to inattentiveness, I made sure to pay particular attention to my process for this session. Strike temp hit the mash-in dead on, mash temp was consistent throughout, I made sure to have a vigorous boil the full 60 minutes, whirlpooled after the boil and quickly cooled on the way to the fermenter. I started the yeast about 2 weeks ago, so it should be rarin' to go by now, and I gave the beer a good 30 minutes of aeration prior to pitching. Gravities were good, volumes were good and the cleanup went well. In fact, this session went so well I feel like I've just cursed myself for something I overlooked to happen, and happen badly. I guess time will tell.

Thanks to Adeptus, who came through on his end of the deal with a good assortment of German beer. Some I've had, others I've never heard of. But that's the beauty of it, innit? I'll post some notes once I break into them.

Also, just a reminder that Dark Lord Day is right around the corner - April 25th to be exact. Those who are fans of Russian Imperial Stouts and Three Floyds should not miss this event. The wife and I plan on going, and perhaps bringing the girls as well.