50 SHADES OF GREG

Haven't posted in a while, life has been on warp speed since the birth of Sophia, but is seems particularly apparent over the past two years. Anyway, time to catch up...have not stopped brewing despite the ridiculously cold winter for the second year in a row. Sorry hopheads, not too much in the hop department, it's winter after all and time to celebrate all that is malty, roasty, reddish, brownish and to hopheads, dull. I'm also giving my liver a break for putting up with me for over 48 years by brewing some lower gravity (alcohol content), albeit, super flavorful stuff. Some recent beers that I'll make sure to document in future posts include a Multigrain Red ale, a well balanced quaffer that clocks in at 4.5% alcohol or so, and incorporates, Barley, Oats, and Rye in the grist and willamette and cascade hops in the kettle. A Schweet Stout brewed with lactose, for ummm...a bit of sweetness to balance out over a pound of roasted barley...a Dry Irish stout for the upcoming holiday...4.2%, which is around the ABV Dry Irish stouts should be (lots of misconceptions out there that Guinness is high in alcohol) a Holiday Red Ale that seems to be getting better with time, a Dyslectic Brown ale that saw me accidentally reverse my hop additions, so it's a bit on the bitter side, but we'll see how it mellows over time...an English mild and a session pale ale. Some beers already in the pipeline for March/April (because I already designed the recipe and bough the ingredients) are a Ginger Saison, session pale ale redux that I will use to build a yeast cake for an IPA, a Citra forward American Pale Ale and the aforementioned IPA.
Distractions aside, this post is about a beer I brewed to celebrate my brother in laws' upcoming 50th birthday in June, hence the title. Might be obvious to some, not so obvious to others, 50...as in years...Greg...as in name. Greg's favorite celebratory beer is Chimay Blue, or Chimay Grande Reserve. To anyone even remotely familiar with Belgian beer, Chimay Blue is a Trappist icon and the first beer to use the Trappist designation on its labels. As with all other Trappist breweries, the beer is sold only for financial support of the monastery and good causes. The brewery business pays rent for use of the property within the abbey, which is used to support the monastic community. The majority of the profit from the sale of the beer is distributed to charities and for community development around the region.
The water for the beers is drawn from a well located inside the monastery walls (I drew mine from a well under my home in Vermont). The filtered solids from the beer mash are recycled into livestock feed which is given to the same cows that produce the milk for Chimay cheeses. So let's get to it. This was a difficult beer to ferment given the severity of this winter, but I could no longer delay the process with the my b-laws birthdate in June and the need to condition this beer for several months based on the alcohol level and sugar content of the grist. While hoping for an exact replica of Chimay Grande Reserve, my enthusiasm is tempered by the fact that this beer has been brewed for hundreds of years, in a monastery, where there isn't much discussion, in a land far, far away. What I do hope to achieve is an exceptional Belgian Ale, brewed to end up being a fine example of the style, if not a close second to the real deal.

Date of Birth: 02.08.15
Weight: 12lbs 8oz
Name: 50 Shades of Greg

Grist:
11 lbs Belgian Pilsner
.50 lb Dingeman's cara 8
1 lb Torrified wheat (Golden winter wheat)

Hops:
1.75 oz Saaz 60 minutes (1.0 chez, .75 american)
1 oz Hallertau 30 min

Adjuncts:
1 lb D-90 candi syrup at flameout
1 lb D-45 candi syrup at high krausen in primary fermenter

Yeast:
wyeast 1214 (chimay), 3 packs

Mash in 5 gallons 163 degree water, target 150
Mash out 3.5 gallons 170 degree water, no need to stop conversion, looking for dry, dry, dry
starting volume 7.0 gallons, boil 90 minutes

Target OG: 1.077
Actual OG: 1.073 (prior to 2nd sugar addition in primary)

Fermentation temps: Chimay yeast is notoriously slow based on Internet feedback, so I actually left this beer at 70 degrees until I saw signs of visible fermentation, then I dropped it to 60 and froze my family out of the the house for 3 days. It's been so cold this winter, that the basement (where I usually ferment ales, even in winter) was 55 degrees!! I had no other option than to drop the heat in the house down to 60 degrees. I left it there despite numerous complaints from the rest of the house for three days. I slowly ramped up the temps from 60 to 72 over the course of the next 5 days. I was at 1.010 after 8 days, so placed it into a secondary fermenter, and moved it to the basement and ambient temps (55-58) for an additional 10 days. I then lagered it at 35 degrees for 6 days and bottled it at 40 degrees with 6 oz of simplicity clear candy sugar. I have to mention this because I have ALWAYS primed with corn sugar...always...and NEVER had an issue with carbonation. But this is a Trappist beer after all , so when in Belgium, do as the monks do and prime with clear candi sugar. I'm going to be honest, I am nervous. To this point, this beer has gone according to plan despite the temp issues and each sample I pulled tasted wonderful. I bottled this beer three days ago, so it's too early to tell if I screwed this up by trying to carbonate with a different sugar...only time will tell. Lastly, many Trappist beers are bottle conditioned for 10 days or so in "warming" rooms where the temps range from 72-75 degrees. I never keep the entire house that warm in winter, so I've been moving the beer back and forth between a spot in front of the fireplace (at night) and the warmest, sunniest room during the day for the past three days and will do so for the next 7-10. I will then test carbonation and cellar condition them until June (and longer). I was able to cork 22 750ml bottles and cap several more as test samples...lord candy sugar, god of perfect carbonation, don't let me down! Final gravity was 1.008, so the beer is approximately 8.8% alcohol. Chimay Grande Reserve is 9%.

Long.Ass.Day

AKA "There's No Rye'ing in Washington". A ridiculously Rye Saison brewed after a long ass day of work. Whole Foods 6:00-2:30, mow the lawn, clean the deck, braise a chuck roast, bottle my Bier De Mars and brew this beer onto the yeast cake(60 minute hop addition at 10:25pm).

Grist:
8 lbs Belgian Pils
2 lbs Belgian-Franco Pils
3 lbs Weyermann Rye Malt
.6 lbs Abbey Malt

Hops:
1.75 oz Celia Golding 60 min
.50 oz Celia Golding 30 min
.25 oz Celia Golding 10 min

Adjunts:
1 lb Dark Candi sugar 10 min
Yeast nutrient 10 min
8 oz D-90 Candi sugar high krausen (actually 23 hours after pitching, high krausen was already subsiding)

Yeast:
Wyeast #3711, pitch onto cake from Be De Mars brewed 3/26 and bottled 4/26

Note:
This beer was brewed with 100% Vermont well water gathered in Warren, Vt March 29, 2014.

Mash in 5 gallons 165 degree water, target 151 degrees
Sparge 3.38 gallons 190 degree water
Target OG 1.068 (before D-90)
Actual OG 1.072

I poured the beer onto the yeast at around 72 degrees, then let it fly at basement ambient which is around 63-64 degrees. The beer took off in 4 hours and blew off at 10 hours. I added the D-90 at 10pm on 04.27.14 and will wait one week until I take a gravity reading.


As a side note, this yeast carbonated the Bier De Mars in 3 days!!

Bye Bye Ms American Rye

Wife and child are away, so I'm using the down time to brew a simple Rye Ale, a super sessionable 1.042 original gravity Rye Ale brewed with American Rye Malt, American 2-Row, Liberty hops and US-05 yeast. It's a pretty simple, straightforward beer, so i used the time in between to bake some break and make the dough for several breads i'm going to bake and take to Ca. tomorrow for Easter.

Grist:
6lb Rahr 2-row Pale Malt
1.75 lb Briess Rye Malt
1lb Briess caramel 40l

Hops:
.80oz Liberty 60 min
1oz Cascade 10 min

Yeast:
US-05 Dry (starter for Rye IPA)

Mash in 3.4 gallons water, 161 degrees, target 152
Mash out 1 gallon boiling water
Sparge 3.25 gallons 185 degree water

Target OG 1.042
Actual OG 1.045

Saison Du Wit

Best laid plans...a call out at work today, so I go in...din;t get out until 6:30, so here I am adding the first hops at 10:20pm. I am scheduled 6:30-2:30 tomorrow, so it looks like about 4 hours of sleep tonight. My second time brewing this beer, I'm going to try adding some lemon grass directly into the fermentor this time.

GRIST:
5 lbs Weyermann Pale Malt
3 lbs Franco Belges Pilsen Malt

HOPS:
1oz Nugget 45 minutes
1oz Saaz 15 minutes
1oz UK Kent Golding 5 minutes

ADJUNCTS:
.75oz Sweet Orange Peel 5 minutes
.75oz Lemongrass 5 minutes
1 lb organic honey 5 minutes

YEAST:
Wyeast #3522 Belgian Ardennes

TARGET OG 1.052 ACTUAL OG 1.050 (too much volume, wound up with 5.5 gallons of wort)

Mashed in 3.3 gallons 161 degree water, target 151
Mashed out 1 gallon boiling water
Sparged 3.3 gallons 180 degree water

.25oz lemongrass added to fermenter at terminal gravity

Biere De Mars

That's my Irish Red on the right...

Or Biere De "March"....snuck this one in with a few days left to go in the month. Going to 17 degrees tonight, crazy temps for late March, but it will help my chill immensely. This style is a rare subtype of the French Biere De Garde. Low Bitterness from French hops reinforces the malt character while a french Saison yeast that will be used later in my Rye Saison creates a decidedly dry finish with distinctive farmhouse funkyness. Perfectly suited for the transition into the growing season that transitions the cold months of this past winter into the fertile days of spring.

Grist:
5 lbs Franco Belges Pilsner Malt
5 lbs Franco Belges Vienne Malt
12oz Caravienne Malt
4oz Aromatic Malt
4 oz Franco Belges Kiln Coffee Malt

Hops:
1.25oz French Strisslespalt 60 min
.75oz French Strisslespalt 5 min

Yeast:
Wyeast (the beast) #3711 French Saison

Mash in 4.25 gallons (3.25 Vermont well water) 166 degree water, target 153
Mash out .50 gallons 180 degree water
Sparge 3.25 gallons 190 degree water (2.0 gallons Vermont well water)
Sophia mashing in...

Target OG 1.056 Actual OG 1.056

Brew Date 03.26.14

Update:
We have liftoff...03.27.14 16 hours later, a bit slow because I'm purposely fermenting at low temps to minimize esters common with this yeast and acceptable in Saisons.



While many beer fans are aware that Germany's doppelbocks were originally brewed to help medieval monks get through Lent, another traditional spring style gets a bit less press: France's Bière de Mars. A variation on a Bière de Garde and a not-too-distant relation of Belgium's saisons, this beer was traditionally made by French farmers in late winter or spring for relatively quick consumption—the 'Mars' in the name refers to the month of March.

In contrast to Germany's monastic tradition, this particular stripe of French brewing originated at the household level. While the south of France was busy producing grapes and making wine, more northerly areas, in concert with their Belgian neighbors (and occasionally countrymen, depending on who oversaw which bit of land and when), made beer.

Tasting examples of both styles side by side is one clue suggesting that Bière de Garde is indeed closely related to Belgium's saison; the styles share both a similar agricultural origin and a French-speaking background. Both types of beer were originally brewed for thirsty farmworkers, so a reasonably malty, though dry, and probably lower-alcohol beer was usually the result.

Another characteristic both beers share is that they were typically cellared—Bière de Garde translates as 'beer for keeping'—and consumed some months after they were initially produced, so there is also a relationship with Germany's lagers. Indeed, in the middle of the 19th century, a technical dictionary of the period suggests that Bière de Garde, Bière de Mars, and Das Lagerbier were all useful synonyms for 'Blink' beer—a term one is unlikely to come across in modern usage. While the Belgian connections are widely acknowledged today, it would seem that some reference to German lager traditions may also come into play—especially given the frequency with which commercial examples of Bière de Mars from Strasbourg are mentioned in pre-20th century texts—and Germany was right across the river (much of the time).

But what makes the springtime version of Bière de Garde so unique? While originally brewed for consumption in March (before the heat of the summer made brewing a riskier proposition), it seems that the seasonal aspect of Bière de Mars was already something of a memory before the advent of refrigeration. The beer's reputation was firmly established beyond France by the 19th century, and it had become popular—and occasionally sneer-worthy—with the traveling set. Even an otherwise matter-of-fact British publication on trade laws and taxation, originally published in the 1840s, enthused about the beer of the Nord-Pas de Calais region:

Beer is brewed at all seasons in France, but that made in the month of March ("Biere de Mars") is the most esteemed."

Medical journals of the period also suggested that visitors to the Strasbourg area seek out Bière de Mars (as well as still-familiar names like 'bock-bier' and 'Lambick'), for both health and leisure purposes, while many travel guides also supported this notion. Biere de Mars even developed its own lore, garnering an association with Napoleon that seems to have come about via a bit of (fancy) folk etymology—classically-educated British visitors asserted, often in jest, that 'mars' referred to the god of war and that the beer fueled the army before battles, while the direct (and less romantic) French-to-English translation of 'March' was overlooked.

Beyond the name games, any modern beer fan knows that popularity can breed contempt in certain corners, and later Victorian writers such as George Augustus Sala, a well-known journalist who wrote for both Charles Dickens's and William Makepeace Thackeray's publications, was glad to escape Strasbourg '...and Biere de Mars abominations' for 'very good' German beer, while on this side of the Atlantic, the beer was slated as '...a countrified beer...known under the pompous name of biere de Mars' and did not seem to be highly recommended by Stoddard Dewey, a frequent correspondent on Things French.

History was not kind to the style either, as the early 20th century saw the demise of many of the smaller producers—with the small matter of two world wars and the rise of mass-produced lager, it's not surprising that only a few producers remained by the latter part of the century.

But the style has had a healthy, if small, revival, both in France and beyond. In America, Southampton Publick House features one of the most well-documented examples—brewer Phil Markowski knows these beers inside and out, having written a popular book on the subject, while New Belgium features a Bière de Mars as part of its popular Lips of Faith series.

One of the post popular versions for sale today domestically is made by Jolly Pumpkin—they take the aging element seriously by putting it in oak barrels before its seasonal release. French examples include La Choulette Bière de Printemps, which was reintroduced in 2010; La Choulette has been making French farmhouse-style beers since 1895, so it is a fitting return to tradition.

March need not play host only to green lager and Guinness—a nice Bière de Mars is a welcome and timely alternative at this time of year.

Teddy Hopper

Balanced malt, "heady" hops, Vermont well water....not a clone, but a beer that falls somewhere between an IPA and a double IPA. Hops=Warrior for clean bittering, Centennial for that classic floral/citrus flavor, a 1-2 punch of Citra and Simcoe for an intense hop finish that includes a wide range of aromas and flavors, from dank and piny to bright and fruity. Let's get to it...

Grist:
6.5 lbs Maris Otter 501
6.5 lbs Malteurop Pale Malt
.5 lb Cara 40 Malt
.5 lb Victory Malt

Hops:
.80 oz Warrior 60 min
2 oz Centennial 20 min
1 oz Citra 5 min
1 oz Simcoe 5 min

Dry Hops:
1 oz Citra 7-10 days
1 oz Simcoe 7-10 days

Yeast:
S-05 yeast cake from Chinookered Pale Ale, ferment ambient, which is 61 degrees in the basement right now

Mash in 5.25 gallons 166 degree water target 152
Sparge 3 gallons 190 degree water

Target OG 1.070
Actual OG 1.066

Brew Date 03.18.14

Update:
Final Gravity 1.010 in 7 days

Edit:
Added .25 oz Chinook to dry hop.

Chinook Pale Ale

A sessionable IPA? Isn't that an American Pale Ale? This beer straddles the line with a combination of Chinook and Citra, two of today's most popular hop combinations.

Grist:
9 lbs Two Row Malt
.375 Briess Caramel 60l
.325 lbs Belgian Biscuit Malt

Hops:
.25oz Chinook 60 min
.25oz Chinook 45 min
.25oz Chinook 30 min
.50oz Chinook 15 min
.50oz Chinook 2 min

Dry Hop:
.5oz Citra added to secondary fermentor for 7 days

Yeast:
S-05--will become the starter for Teddy Hopper

Target OG 1.049
Actual OG 1.051

Brew Date 03.02.14
Secondary 03.18.14 I don't, as a practice, secondary beer unless I am bulk aging, but I brewed this beer for the yeastcake for another beer, so I put it into a secondary fermentor the day I brewed Teddy Hopper

Bottle of "Red"

Cold weather be damned, I snuck in a low gravity Irish Red Ale that probably won't make St Patty's day but will be ready before April.
Like Irish Stouts, Irish Ales are sociable session beers with low alcohol, but decent body. As a bow to Ireland's mead making past, I added a touch of honey to boost the gravity a bit, while a small dose of oats adds creaminess to the mouthfeel.

Grist:
6.5 lbs English Maris Otter
.5 lbs Simpsons Caramalt
.25 lbs Golden Naked Oats
.25 lbs Chocolate Malt

Hops;
1oz Cluster 60 min

Adjuncts:
1 lb honey 5 minutes

Yeast:
Wyeast #1084 Irish Ale

Mash in 3 gallons 164 degree water, target 154
Mash out 1 gallon 180 degree water
Sparge 3.3 gallons 185 degree water

I used 4 gallons Vermont well water in this recipe

Target OG 1.045 Actual OG 1.046

Ferment in low 60's for 12 days, 50 degrees for 14 days, bottle 3.10.14

Finished Product 03.26.14:

The Number 10

The 10th beer of the fall and hopefully a wonderful example of a Belgian strong dark ale.

Grist:
9lbs Belgian Pilsner Malt
3lbs Belgian Pale Malt

Hops;
1oz Northern Brewer 60 mim
1oz Styrian Goldings 20 min
1oz Hersbrucker 10 min

Adjuncts:
1lb D-180 syrup 10 min
1lb D-90 syrup right into the fermenter at high krausen

Yeast:
WYEAST #3787 yeastcake from the Patersbier

Mashed in with 4.5 gallons 161 degree water, target 150
Mashed out with .5 gallons at 180
Sparged 3.5 gallons out at 190 degrees
90 minute boil, 7 gallons collected

Target OG 1.072
Actual OG 1.070 before sugar to fermenter

Brewed 12.08.13, gravity reading 12.18.13 = 1.018 (10 days), moved to secondary at 1.011, conditioned at 50 degrees for 4 weeks, bottled.

Update-I actually had to bottle condition these in the oven. The basement was 62 degrees which is way to cool for Belgian yeast and I didn't want to stress the yeast out and cause off flavors. The oven (off) with the light bulbs on was 74-76 degrees, so I conditioned in there for two weeks. The capped bottles came out great, the corked bottles seem a bit under carb'ed. Regardless, I cellared them because I didn't want them warm for too long either. Looking forward to tasting these next year, the capped test bottles were very good with minimal esters.

Rye of the Storm

I expect a full bodied IPA, hefty is all respects, not a cross between an American Pale Ale and an IPA...Straight up IPA.

Grist:
11.25lbs Rahr 2-row
2.75lbs.Weyermann-Rye-malt
1lbs Crystal-60
.5lbs Briess Carapils
.5-lbs Rahr White Wheat malt

Hops:
1oz Mt.Hood(first-wort)
1oz Columbus 60min
1oz Mt.Hood 30min
1oz Mt. Hood 0min
Dry Hop:
1oz Columbus 7 days

Yeast:
Safale US-05 yeastcake from Pale Ale

Mashed in 4.75 gallons 166 degree water, target 153
Mash out .25 gallons 190 degree water
Sparge 3.25 gallons 190 degree water

60 minute boil

Target OG 1.078 Actual OG 1.074

Brew Date 12.06.13
Primary fermentation 2 weeks
Secondary fermentation at 52 degrees 3 weeks
Bottle condition 2+ weeks, it was cold in my basement and took a bit of time to carbonate

Update: This beer was fantastic, one of my favorites to date. Nothing floral or citrus about this beer, just spicy rye and bitter hops following some serious malt flavor.

Bit O Honey

Continuing to take a Half Hearted IPA clone recipe and evolve it into new beers, I added Simcoe hops to the mix as well as some honey directly into the fermenter at high krausen.

Grist:
8 lbs Briess 2-row
1 lb Briess Caramel 40l
1 lb Munich Malt

Hops:
1oz Centennial 60 min
1.25oz Centennial 20 min
1oz Centennial 5 min
1 oz Simcoe 2 min
Dry hop 1oz Centennial, 1oz Simcoe, .5oz Cascade (7-10 days)

Yeast:
S-05 cake from Pale Ale

Mash 4.8 gallons 165 degree water target 153
Sparge 3.4 gallons 186 degree ater

60 min boil

Target OG 1.070 Actual 1.067 (before honey)

Brew Date 11.22.13

Update: The honey really dried this beer out over time...different, but very good

Common Denominator

California Common is a New World beer style. In fact it is one of two classic styles that everybody agrees are genuinely American, the other being cream ale. California Common is an odd beer, essentially a lager that tastes more like an ale. Some people call it a hybrid beer; others are less genteel and call it a bastard. It is a quaffing brew for the common man and woman, a brew reminiscent of the rough and tumble days of the Alaska Gold Rush of the 1890s, when many of the mostly male inhabitants of San Francisco lined up on the docks waiting to be transported to the riches of the northern frontier.

Obviously, in those days before the Panama Canal, there was hardly enough “imported” beer available to satisfy the collective thirst of the disparate lot of prospectors, thrown together from all corners of the country, even the globe. Not surprisingly, enterprising publicans quickly filled the void by brewing their own beer on location, and because German immigrant brewers used to dominate American brewing, including California brewing, at the time, the brews these California pioneer brewers made were lagers . . . but lagers with a difference.

California Common, a can-do and make-do style

Before man acquired the technology to control the entire brewing process as well as the transportation network to make locales irrelevant, he could only make the beers nature allowed him to brew, and do so with local materials. In the cold winters of Munich, for instance, near the foothills of the Alps, lager emerged, because only bottom-fermenting yeasts can work in such a climate. The Rhineland, by contrast, never got cold enough for lager brewing nor warm enough for ale brewing by the British way. The result was the cool-fermented Altbier and its blond cousin, the Kölsch. In the British Isles, on the other hand, warm-fermenting brews thrived, which resulted in a cornucopia of ale styles from the blondest pale ale to the darkest stout.

In far-away California, however, it was much warmer and the brew equipment was primitive. According to the Anchor Brewing Company Website, the California brew scene was run mostly by German-born entrepreneurs in the 19th century. They had such names as Behlmer, Böse, Freyer, Garms, Hage-mann, Hansen, Lurmann, Schleemann, Schröder, Schwarz, Thode, Veen, Win-deler and Wunder. True to the tradition of their native land, they used lager yeast, probably hauled in from the Eastern seaboard. As for grain and hops, they probably used whatever happened to become available on the local market. From these ingredients, they made their beers in flat open fermenters. Even after the invention of refrigerated beer vats in Munich in the 1870s, such technologies were not yet available in the pioneer outposts at the Golden Bay.

Whichever lager yeast these early brewers might have used initially, it is likely that it mutated rapidly in the unusual, non-lager-like environment. Not surprisingly, the character of the San Francisco brews began to reflect the character of their times and circumstances. The result was a beer, which, though bottom-fermented, tasted more like an ale, probably with plenty of fruitiness and butter-scotch flavor.

Initially this brew from the steamy shores of San Francisco was called “steam beer.” It is not clear where the name came from, but according to one fanciful theory, the cask-conditioned California brews of the 1890s gave off plumes of “steam” when their bung holes were opened prior to tapping. Another theory suggests that the name relates to the early steam engines installed in some California breweries. As these steam-equipped breweries proudly bragged about their modern machinery in their promotions, their brews came to be known as “steam beer.”

Whichever is the true explanation, for legal reasons, the descendants of these beers are now universally called California Common, because “Steam” has since become a trademark owned by the Anchor Brewing Company of San Francisco. The steam beer style had nearly faded into oblivion by the 1960s. Fewer and fewer breweries bothered to make it, while generic mass lagers were capturing an ever-increasing market share. It was then that Fritz Maytag purchased one of the last steam breweries — namely Anchor. This brewery was founded in the 1850s by two German immigrants. In 1896, it had fallen into the hands of two German-born steam brewers, Otto Schinkel and Ernst Baruth. After several changes in ownership, Fritz Maytag acquired the brewery in 1965, just before it was to be closed down, and he turned it into one of the biggest success stories of the American craft brew revival.
Not a difficult beer too brew if you have a temperature controlled environment:
Grist:
9lbs 2-Row malt
1lb Crystal 20l (should be 60l, see Simple Pale Ale
1lb Munich mALT

Hops:
1oz Northern Brewer 60min
.5oz Northern Brewer 15min
.5oz Northern Brewer 5min
1oz Northern Brewer 1min

Yeast:
Wyeast California Lager

Target OG 1.048 Actual OG 1.051
Ferment 2 weeks at 60 degrees and one month at 50 degrees
Crash cool to 40 for one week, then I kegged the beer.
This was outstanding and amazingly clear by Christmas.

For Starters

This beer is based on one of the rarest beers in the world, brewed in the Belgian town Malle solely for consumption by the reverent Cistercian brothers. This ale is not served or sold to the public. Made only from pilsner malt, hops, and yeast, the complexity that results from these simple ingredients is staggering: perfumey floral hops, ripe pear fruit, sour apple, spicy cloves, candied citrus and a slight biscuit character on the drying finish ... a monks’ session beer.

Grist:
9lbs Belgian Pilsner malt

Hops:
1oz Tradition 60min
.5oz Saaz 60min
.5oz Saaz 10 min

Yeast:
Wyeast #3787 Trappist High Gravity

The yeastcake for this beer will also provide the starter for #10 in December, a traditional Trappist Ale to be cellared for one or more years. (Of course there will be test bottles too:))

Mashed in 4.3 gallons of 158 degree water, no mash out, target 147
Sparged with 3.5 gallons 185 degree water
Boil time was 75 minute to adjust for volume

Target OG 1.047
Actual OG 1.049

Update: I mashed this beer very low and the result is a very dry, highly drinkable Belgian single with hints of clove and pronounced fruitiness from the yeast. Bottle date was 12/8, brew date for #10 was 12/9.

Rusty Pale Ale-Take Two

The first mistake turned out wonderful, so I changed up the hops a bit and did it again.

8lb 2-row
2lb vienna
.75 crystal 60l

.25 cent .25 chinook 60
.25 cent .25 chinook 30
.25 cent .25 chinook 15
.20 chinook .20 citra .20 simcoe .10 cent 0 min

s-05

OG 1.050

dry hopped this with .80 cascade...

Simple Pale Ale

Rusty after not brewing all summer...rusty in color because being rusty caused me to add crystal 40l that was slated for my common denominator by accident, giving me a slightly darker "pale" ale.

Recipe Type: All Grain
Yeast: S-05
Yeast Starter: Nope
Additional Yeast or Yeast Starter: Nope
Batch Size (Gallons): 5.5
Original Gravity: 1.051
Final Gravity: 1.011
IBU: 39
Boiling Time (Minutes): 60
Color: 10 SRM
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 10 Days at 68 degrees

Grain Bill
8 lbs. 2-Row Pale Malt
2 lbs. Vienna Malt
0.5 lb. Crystal 20L Malt

Mash
Single Infusion mash for 60 minutes at 152 degrees.
Dough-in with 3.5 gallons of water. After 60 minutes, add 5 quarts of 175 degree water and begin vorlauf. My system only takes about 2 quarts before it clears up, then it's wide open to drain in the kettle. Have another 3.25 gallons of 175 degree water ready for the next batch sparge. You should then get 6.5 gallons to your kettle for the boil.

Boil & Hops
1.0 oz Cascade 6.6% at 60 min.
0.5 oz. Cascade 6.6% at 30 min.
0.25 oz. Cascade 6.6% at 15 min.
0.25 oz. Cascade 6.6% at 5 min.
0.25 oz Simcoe at 0 min
Chill to 70 to 75 degrees

Ferment at 60-64 ambient.

Brew Date 09.26.13

The Red C

An American Red Ale in the spirit of Independence Day, fermented on the yeast cake of Beach Blonde Summer Ale. Ok, so in a moment of weakness, I named it Scarlet last night, but with a line up of Columbus, Chinook and Cascade and Citra, how could I ignore the C theme-so I'm "parting" with Scarlet and bringing on the red C.

Grist:
11 lb Malteurop 2-row
.75 lb Briess Caramel 60L
.5 lb Belgian Special B

Hops:
.50 oz Columbus 60 min
.50 oz Chinook 20 min
1 oz Cascade 5 min

Dry Hop:
1 oz Centennial
1 oz Chinook

Yeast:
S-05 cake

Mash in 5.25 gallons 167 degree water, target 153, actual 153.7. Sacch Rest 60 minutes. 8:30
Sparge 3.5 gallons 170 degree water.
90 minute boil.
Chill 12:30
Aerate yeast 1:15am
Full blown fermentation 8am the next morning

Target OG 1.058 Actual OG 1.060
Fermentation temp is 70 degrees ambient, a bit high for my liking, but within the range for this yeast. I'm going to ferment it in a sink of groundwater just in case i need to bring the temps down with some ice. My fermentation chamber has saison du weizen in it at 40 degrees and i don't want to change that.

Blonde Highlights (Again)

Taking advantage of the break in the heat to brew this easy drinking summer ale. Fermentation temps will be a bit warmer than March, so I'm going to add a a touch of aroma hops to balance out the increased fruitiness s-05 will probably throw off at 70 degrees ambient.

Grist:

7.5lbs Briess 2 row

.5lb Briess Carapils

.25lb Flaked Barley

.25lb Flaked Corn

Hops:

.5oz Cluster 45 min

.25oz Cluster 15 min

.15oz Cluster 5 min

Yeast:

Safale 05

Mash 4.25 gallons 161 degree water, target 152.

Sparge 3.25 gallons 180 degree water

Start volume 6.5 gallons

Target OG 1.041 Actual OG 1.042

Fermentation temps 68-70 degrees, basement ambient

Saison du Weizen 05.13.13

Taking advantage of some seriously cold May temps to brew a wheat Saison, my 4th Saison of the Season...

Grist:

5 lbs Weyermann Pale Wheat
3 lbs Franco–Belges Pilsen Malt

Hops:
(Triple hopped!)
1 oz Nugget 45 minutes
1 oz Saaz 15 min
1 oz UK Kent Golding 5 min

Adjuncts:

.75 oz Sweet Orange Peel 5 min
.75 oz Lemongrass 5 min
1 lb Orange Blossom honey 5 min

Yeast:

Wyeast #3522 Belgian Ardennes

Mash in 3.75 gallons @161 degrees, target 151
Mash out .75 gallon @170
Sparge 3.50 gallons @170

Initial volume 7 gallons
Target OG 1.052 Actual OG (No clue, I broke my first hydrometer this evening)

Saison Gone A Rye

The final beer of the spring line up, a ridiculously rye Saison fermented on top of my petite Saison cake that I bottled Thursday. This beer is also being brewed with that magical Vermont well water that I brought home in March. Why is Vermont producing such world class beers with increased frequency? Let's find out...

Grist:
7lb Belgian Pilsner Malt
2lb Franco-Belges Pilsen Malt
3lb Weyermann Rye Malt
4oz Belgian Carmel Pils

Hops:
1oz Stryian Golding 60 min
.75oz Styrian Celeia 60 min
.30oz Czech Saaz 30 min
.25oz Stryian Celeia 10 min

Adjuncts:
8oz rice hulls added to mash
1lb Amber Candi sugar 10min
.20oz black peppercorns crushed
.25oz dried orange peel

Yeast:
Wyeast #3711 French Saison (cake)

Mash in 5 gallons 165 degree water, target 152. Mash for 60 minutes
Sparge 3.5 gallons 170 degree water

75 minute boil, pre boil volume 7.1 gallons.

Target OG 1.060
Actual OG 1.070
Really not sure what happened here, except incredible efficiency. I even wound up with about 5.7 gallons, so i expected the OG to be on the low side. This is going to be once scary beer with #3711, probably over 8% ABV. This really did go awry..

Massive Hotbreak...

Brew Date 04.20.13

Yeah, I'm Bitter

Grist:
4 lbs. Fawcett Optic
3 lbs. Canada Malting Pale Ale Malt
.75 lbs. Simpsons Golden Naked Oats
.38 lbs. English Medium Crystal
. 05 lbs. English Roasted Barley

Hops:

.25oz Glacier (First Wort Hop, add to wort as it drains from mash tun)
.5oz Warrior (90 min)
1.75oz Glacier (0 min)
3oz Glacier (Dry Hop)

Yeast:
Wyeast #1335 British Ale II

Mash in 3.5 gallons 163 degree water, target 153
Mash out with 1 gallon boiling water

Sparge with 3.5 gallons 180 degree water

I collected 7 gallons of wort-this was a 90 minute boil

Brew day 03/10/13
Ferment 2 weeks at 60-64 (basement ambient)
Ferment 3 weeks at 50 degrees (temperature contolled)
Dry hop last 10 days at 50 degrees

Target OG 1.041 Actual OG 1.043

Bottle date 4/20/13