Sandy's Porter

Being a weather weenie has its perks. I was able to mash in tonight around landfall, knowing I was going to get a lull in the weather as the eye moved over South Jersey, Northern Delaware and as I type this, I am 30 minutes into the boil and although it's raining steadily outside, it's eerily quiet with minimal wind. 

So here is Sandy's Porter.

Grist:

7lb Rahr 2-row

2lb Rye malt

2lb Dark Munich malt

1lb crystal 40l

.5lb English black malt

Hops:

.50 oz Nugget 60 min

1oz UK Fuggle 30 min

1.5oz Cascade 5 min

Other Additions:

4oz Lactose 10 min

yeast nutrient 10 min

Yeast:

Wyeast London ale #1028

Mashed in at 7pm with 5 gallons 166 degree water, target 153.

Mashed out with 3.5 gallons 170 degree water

Hotbreak 8:55pm, Nugget

fuggles 9:25

yeast/lactose 9:45

Cascade 9:50

chill to 74 degrees, 9:55 to 10:20.

Target OG 1.052

Actual OG 1.050

Better Bitter

First one in, last one out, years of toiling and boiling have turned me into an inventory guru of sorts, too many ingredients laying in wait, make some beer...this led to the birth of Leroy Brown and tonight I introduce the Better Bitter. A 90 minute boil to enhance caramelization of the malt, an initial charge of Warrior and some dry hopping of extra Glacier hops morphs into modern take on the classic British Bitter in the comfort of my humble abode. This ale gets it's intense toast and marmalade character from British malt and American hops enhanced by virgin Well water from Warren, Vermont.  Dry hopping with Glacier brings an added dimension of floral and citrus aromas not normally found in ordinary bitters....introducing the Better Bitter.
Grist:
4 lb Fawcett Optic
3lb Pale Ale Malt
.75 lb Naked Oats
.005 lb Roasted Barley (sorry, all I had left)
.35 lb Medium Crystal (sorry all I had left)
Hops:
.25 oz Glacier  FWH
.5 oz Warrior 90 min
1.75 oz Glacier 0 min (flameout)
Think I had way too much Glacier in my refrig?
2.5 oz Gacier Dry Hop
That would be yes...
Yeast:
Wyeast #1335 British Ale II
Finished this up at 3:00am 10.21.12, I. Need. Dominos.
Target OG 1.040
Actual OG 1.044

Freckled Holstein

Beer is a pretty basic thing. People make it in their homes. People made it in their homes 1,000 years ago. "Scientist" was only coined as a term in 1834. Events at that time were moving fast. Yet, we have to cope with knowledge and science and stuff like that. But does beer need any more of it? Really? I am a bit worried... well, I am "slightly aware" of the idea that science might seek to improve but, as it often does, bugger up what nature takes care of very nicely, thank you very much. Yet, could science recreate something that is beyond nature's ken? Like the yeast or malt or hops that got away? Perhaps diastatic kilned oatmeal brown malt?. Or pre-industrial English pea beer? Do we really need science to go beyond that? Should beer - or at least good beer rather than popular beer - accept that limitation? Is that part of what makes good... good? If not craft?

So I'm brewing a pretty simple beer tonight....a Spotted Cow clone by New Glarus Brewing in Wisconsin. I'm using the venerable cluster hop or big "C" as it used to be called prior to the introduction of the Cascade. First, a bit on the history of American hops. The first British settlers, beer-oriented as they were, had hops in the ground by 1629 and there was a commercial market for them by 1646. 

 These were English hops--or possibly English and Dutch--but they were pretty quickly crossed with local natives. (I doubt anyone knows if this was intentional or accidental.) What ultimately emerged from these early crops was Cluster. By the turn of the 20th century nearly every hop grown in the country was Cluster (96%). After Prohibition, Clusters continued to dominate. American hops weren't prized; they had high alphas, high cohumulone, and were regarded as pungent and harsh. Brewers used American hops for a bitter charge and then scented and flavored their beers with the sweet nectar of low-alpha, low-cohumulone hops from Europe. For 350 years, American brewers bought in to the notion that their local hops, which definitely differed from European hops, were inferior. As that all changed, mainly when American craft brewers began to discover that local hops were indeed tasty and aromatic, and the Cluster hop--the original "C" hop--faded from sight.
Oh, anyway, back to the beer...a review of the infamous Spotted Cow and one of the reasons I love the craft beer movement in America. This really is a simple Cream Ale hybrid that has a cult following that makes it to be so much more than it really is...a really clean, crisp, low ABV, Cream Ale:
An offering from New Glarus Brewing Co. that I have had on many occasion while living in Madison. Finally decided to review it.

A - The Spotted Cow has a faint hazy yellow gold color, mainly due to the yeast left in the bottle. It also poured a very white fluffy head, about an inch that dissipated at an average pace.

S - On the nose I get light fruits, a little citrus from the hops, barley malt, yeast, and the unmistakable hint of corn.

T - On the palate I got exactly what I smelled on the nose, and that hint of corn on the finish adds a distinct sweetness, but not too much.

M - Medium-bodied on the palate, carbonated very well while conditioned in the bottle.

O - A fantastic offering from New Glarus. Each time I have a Spotted Cow, I understand more and more why this beer is their staple. It i a fantastic Wisconsin farmhouse ale with an unmistakable character. I do like it much more on tap than in the bottle, but it doesn't detract from this great brew. Great from start to finish.

And the New Glarus description:
Cask conditioned ale has been the popular choice among brews since long before prohibition. We continue this pioneer spirit with our Wisconsin farmhouse ale. Brewed with flaked barley and the finest Wisconsin malts. We even give a nod to our farmers with a little hint of corn.

Naturally cloudy we allow the yeast to remain in the bottle to enhance fullness of flavors, which cannot be duplicated otherwise. Expect this ale to be fun, fruity and satisfying. You know you're in Wisconsin when you see the Spotted Cow. 

lol...seriously...it's beer...a 1.042 original gravity beer...very low by today's standards...regardless, I did enjoy it immensely while in Wisconsin, so here's my attempt to replicate.
Grist:
8 lbs Rahr 2-row
.50 lbs Briess carapils
.25 lbs flaked barley
.25 lbs flaked corn
Hops:
.60 oz cluster 45 min
.20 cluster 20 min
.20 cluster 10 min
Yeast:
Safale US-05
Mash temp 153
ferment temp 63
Cheers!