WeizenBock


Beer Judge Certification Program's overall impression and comments of style 15C, "a strong, malty, fruity, wheat based ale combining the best flavors of a dunkel-weizen and the rich strength and body of a bock." "A dunkel-weizen beer brewed to bock or doppelbock strength. Now also made in the Eisbock style as a specialty beer. Bottles may be gently rolled or swirled prior to serving to rouse the yeast." BJCP claims, "Aventinus, the world's oldest top-fermented wheat doppelbock was created in 1907 at the Weisse Brauhaus in Munich using the 'Methode Champenoise' with fresh yeast sediment on the bottom. It was Schneider's creative response to bottom-fermenting doppelbocks that developed a strong following during these times"

The grist is made up of German pilsner malt, munich malt, wheat malt, Special B, crystal 80, and chocolate malt. I won't be doing a traditional triple decoction brewing today, but will be doing a step mash and caramelizing the first gallon of first runnings. To, in theory make up for the lost nuances of decoction brewing.

Beer Blogger Brew Off 'Stout'


Peter at Simply beer contacted a group of home brew bloggers to have a cross country brew off on the same day, Sunday the 13th of December 2009, to brew a stout. The concept is for us all to brew the same stout recipe and we each to change one thing. This could be a regional ingredient, a grain, a hop, spices, chocolate, chilies, anything. My changes are going to come a little out of necessity. I wasn't able to get to my local home brew store this weekend, which is only open on Saturday's. In short I don't have flaked barley or tettnanger hops. Instead of the flaked barley I'm going to toast 4 oz. of flaked oats instead. To me that is my "one" change to the recipe, a grain and extra process change.

For the tettnanger I'm just going to substitute glacier hops (I hope this is okay with everyone involved)by doing an alpha acids substitution calculation.

(AAU% of hop in recipe*weight)/AAU%=weight of hop substituting with

So in this case I'm substituting Glacier 5.5%AAU for the Tettnanger 4.0%AAU that 's in the recipe.

(.04*1 oz)/.055=.72 oz Glacier

Simply Beer blog explains what were up to, "I(Peter of Simply Beer) came up with this idea a couple months back. I’m not entirely sure what dark unused part of my brain it was spawned from, but has been warmly received from the Beer Blogger’s I’ve approached about it. Basically the idea stemmed from seeing my fellow bloggers tweeting about brewing beer. It seems to me, you get a deeper understanding of beer when you make your own. But I digress, since I’ve been doing the Beer Brawl™ podcasts, reviewing beers, and brewing them, I thought it would be fun to combine it all together! So, I enlisted the help of some beer bloggers you probably know…
Aaron – Captain’s Chair(@captainschair)
Ethan – Geek Beer (@geekbeer)

So what is the “Beer Bloggers Brew-off“?
We are all going to brew the same base Stout recipe with the same time frame, but we all get to change ONE thing about the recipe, our secret ingredient. The secret ingredient can be anything, as long as the 5 gallon batch is completed on time. Once the batch of beer is bottled, we’ll ship each other a couple bottles of our Stout and we do a virtual tasting. I will record a podcast for all to hear. Sounds cool, huh?
The recipe:
9 lbs. Domestic 2-Row barley
16 oz. Chocolate Malt
16 oz. Roasted Barley
4 oz. Flaked Barley
4 oz. Caramel 60°L

1 oz Williamette hops (60min)
1 oz tettnang (2 minutes)

60 min mash @ 152
~75 min sparge @170
60 minute boil.

American Ale Yeast (wyeast 1056)
base recipe has estimated gravity of ~1.046 and finish around 1.014.

The Schedule:
Brew day will be December 13th, Beer bottled on January 10th, 3 bottles of Beer shipped to each of us on Feb 1st Tasting on Fri Feb 12th(subject to change) Very simple! I’m excited to see what these accomplished home brewers can put together. I’m sure it is going to be 6 exceptional brews that we’ll be tasting February."

Cranberry Winter Wheat


A different sort of Holiday ale. An American wheat ale brewed with whole cranberries, the zest and juice of naval oranges, crystallized ginger and toasted oats. Malts include German pilsner, wheat malt, and biscuit malt. I'll be spicing this ale with Hibiscus flowers for color and depth. With a sprinkle of whole leaf glacier hops at the beginning of boil for balance.

When I added the cranberries to the kettle they began to pop like a semi automatic toy rifle. This is my first time using cranberries in brewing. Started with whole fresh berries that I added to the freezer to break down the cell wall of the berry. Then let thaw and added to kettle with five minutes left in boil. Very interested to see how the tartness of the cranberries comes through.

Dunkelweizen

"Similar to a Hefeweizen, these southern Germany wheat beers are brewed as darker versions (Dunkel means "dark") with deliciously complex malts and a low balancing bitterness. Most are brown and murky (from the yeast). The usual clove and fruity (banana) characters will be present, some may even taste like banana bread." as described by Beer Advocate. Beer Judge Certification Program explains the history for style 15B: Dunkelweizen "Old fashioned Bavarian wheat beer was often dark. In the 1950's and 1960's, wheat beer did not have a youthful image, since most older people drank them for their health-giving qualities. Today, the lighter hefeweizen is more common"


My grist bill today consists of Munich malt, wheat malt, crystal 60, and Special B malt. Doing a step mash because of the large proportion of wheat malt in the grist. I find the protein rest helps the runoff further down stream, helping to prevent a stuck runoff. As well as insure conversion in a wheat based beer. This wheat beer is hopped with whole leaf glacier hops. Yeast being used is Safbrew WB-06.

English Special Bitter

"The Bitter style came from brewers who wanted to differentiate these ales from other mild brews, enter pale malts and more hops. Most are gold to copper in colour and are light bodied. Low carbonation. Alcohol should be low and not perceived. Hop bitterness is moderate to assertive. Most have a fruitiness in the aroma and flavor, diacetyl can also be present. These are traditionally served cask conditioned, but many breweries have bottled versions." as explained on the Beer Advocate website.

I'll be using East Kent Golding hops which are traditional English aroma hops as well Willamette hops for bittering and flavor. The grist bill consists of pale, munich, biscuit, brown, and crystal malt. Also added a 1/4 pound of organic barley flour to the mash. In theory to add body to this low alcohol offering. Mashed in warm at 157f and let rest for :45 then mashed out to 168f. Boiled for seventy five minutes to increase kettle caramelizing. Looking forward to enjoying this English session ale.

Export Oatmeal Stout


A strong (7%abv) oatmeal stout is the plan for this evenings brew. Not quite imperial, but stronger than a session beer. Using oat groats as well as flaked oats in the mash. I need to get some oat flour, as I would have added that to the mash as well. Next time. This stout is somewhere between a Russian Imperial stout, foreign export stout and an oatmeal stout. Roasty, full bodied, a little sweet but with enough strength to fortify you.

Buckwheat Brown Ale


Brewing a flavorful brown ale today using organic toasted buckwheat groats. Buckwheat is used in cuisine around the world. Making noodles, kasha, and pancakes. Buckwheat is gluten free and being used in a variety of new settings because of this. I'm using toasted buckwheat to add complexity to this brown ale. Will also be collecting the first gallon and a half of first runnings and reducing down to less than half a gallon and adding back to the kettle. Which adds body and downright maltiness to the beer. Lightly hopped with whole leaf simcoe.

Wikipedia says this about the agricultural history of buckwheat, "Common buckwheat was domesticated and first cultivated in southeast Asia, possibly around 6000 BC, and from there spread to Europe and to Central Asia and Tibet. Domestication most likely took place in the western Yunnan region of China. Buckwheat is documented in Europe in the Balkans by at least the Middle Neolithic (circa 4000 BC) and the oldest known remains in China so far date to circa 2600 BC, and buckwheat pollen has been found in Japan from as early as 4000 BC. It is the world's highest elevation domesticate, being cultivated in Yunnan on the edge of the Tibetan Plateau or on the Plateau itself. Buckwheat was one of the earliest crops introduced by Europeans to North America. Dispersal around the globe was complete by 2006, when a variety developed in Canada was widely planted in China."

classic American IPA


The style re-invented in America. Beer Advocate describes it as "The American IPA is a different soul from the reincarnated IPA style. More flavorful than the withering English IPA, color can range from very pale golden to reddish amber. Hops are typically American with a big herbal and / or citric character, bitterness is high as well. Moderate to medium bodied with a balancing malt backbone."

I used a little amber and crystal malt to add a color and complexity to the malt backbone of this IPA. Used a variety of citrus forward northwest American hops. Will be dry hopping with more hops, one and a half more ounces. Calculated color 7 lovibond, 45 IBU's and around 6% abv.

Belgian Quadruple


"Inspired by the Trappist brewers of Belgium, a Quadrupel is a Belgian style ale of great strength with bolder flavor compared to its Dubbel and Tripel sister styles. Typically a dark creation that ranges within the deep red, brown and garnet hues. Full bodied with a rich malty palate. Phenols are usually at a moderate level. Sweet with a low bitterness yet a well perceived alcohol." as described by BeerAdvocate.

The twist I'll be putting on the brew today is that I'll be adding two pounds of pinot noir juice which will contribute 25% of total extract for the recipe. Going to be aging this on oak for at least a month. Using three types of crystal malt, including crystal rye. Racked to secondary fermentation and added medium toast French oak chips. Quad was at 11% abv when racked.

Smoked Porter


This will be the third variation of a smoked porter I've brewed this year. Brewed the first one back in May and the second one in September. Making some minor adjustments to the grist bill, adding some crystal malt and roasted barley and increasing the percent extract from wheat malt. Keeping the hop additions the same with an addition at sixty minutes and ten minutes. Just mashed in at 152f, letting rest for one hour than mashing out to 168f. Great runoff. Used whole leaf vanguard hops in the boil and fermenting with dry American ale yeast (Safale US-05).

Imperial Coffee Stout


The plan for the night is to brew a strong imperial stout and to add coffee through cold extraction later down stream. Total grist has twenty two pounds of malt. Nine different malts and four different hop variety's. Fermented with second generation American ale yeast. This brew is over 10% abv, with a quarter pound of coffee added to secondary. After three days on the coffee beans I bottled. Smooth cofffee flavors with dark chocolate notes. Can't wait for this to be carbonated and fully enjoyed.

French Saison


Brewing a Saison this afternoon. Using Wyeast 3711 French Saison yeast. It's a yeast that Wyeast releases seasonally. Planning on re-using yeast for a second generation to brew a Belgian Quadruple. The grist for this batch uses pale, German pils, wheat malt, dark Munich, and Amber malt. Hopped with East Kent Goldings (pellet) and Vanguard (whole leaf).

Beer Advocate describes the style, "Saisons are sturdy farmhouse ale that was traditionally brewed in
the winter, to be consumed throughout the summer months. Not so long ago it was close to being an endangered style, but over recent years there's been a massive revival; especially in the US. This is a very complex style; many are very fruity in the aroma and flavor. Look for earthy yeast tones, mild to moderate tartness. Lots of spice and with a medium bitterness. They tend to be semi-dry with many only having touch of sweetness."

American style Amber Ale

Brewed an American style Amber ale yesterday. Scaling up the grains and hops to create a 6.5% abv with 50 IBU's (international bittering units). Using some crystal, and roasted malts to attain the amber color. The hops in this batch are warrior, palisade, and lots of simcoe towards the end of the boil. Fermenting with a dry English yeast to accentuate the malt back bone of this hoppy offering. The English yeast will help to balance the hops and malt.

Cali Belgique



The style of beer I'm brewing today is a completely modern American style of beer. It's a cross between a West Coast style IPA and a Belgian Triple. A great new style that combines the citrus hoppy notes of an IPA with the spicy yeast character of Belgian beers. Stone Brewing makes one that is literally their IPA recipe but with a different yeast. Another example is Green Flash's Le Freak. The grist today is pale, wheat, dark munich, and amber malt. Hopped with warrior, palisade, and amarillo. Fermented with a blend of Belgian yeasts.

White Heat


The idea for this beer has been swirling my mind for quite some time. Brewed with great esteem for the world famous chef Marco Pierre White and his classic 1990 cookbook titled White Heat. Called the first celebrity chef, Marco Pierre rose to fame in the 80's. As famous for terrines as kicking out customers. When he recieved three Michelin stars he was the youngest ever to recieve three Michelin stars. Then made history by giving them all back. Wikipedia describes his career, "On completion of his training in 1987, White opened Harveys in Wandsworth Common, London, where he won his first Michelin star almost immediately and was awarded his second in 1988, before moving on to become chef-patron of The Restaurant Marco Pierre White in the dining-room at the former Hyde Park Hotel now Mandarin Oriental, (where he won the third Michelin star) and then moved to the Oak Room at Le Meridien Piccadilly. By the age of 33, Marco Pierre White had become - at the time - the youngest chef to be awarded three Michelin stars (This record is now held by the Italian Massimiliano Alajmo, who won three stars at the age of 28 in 2002). During these years White had working for him Gordon Ramsay, Eric Chavot (The Capital), Heston Blumenthal (The Fat Duck), Bryn Williams(Odette's), Matt Tebbutt (The Foxhunter), Robert Reid, Thierry Busset, Jason Atherton and in front of house Max Palmer, Claude Douart, Philippe Messy and Chris Jones. Although White worked relentlessly for 17 years to pursue his ambition, he ultimately found that in spite of his accomplishments, recognition and fame, his career did not provide him with adequate returns in his personal life. So in 1999, he retired and returned his Michelin stars. I was being judged by people who had less knowledge than me, so what was it truly worth? I gave Michelin inspectors too much respect, and I belittled myself. I had three options: I could be a prisoner of my world and continue to work six days a week, I could live a lie and charge high prices and not be behind the stove, spend time with my children and re-invent myself. During his early career in the kitchen, White regularly ejected patrons from his restaurants if he took offence at their comments. When a customer asked if he could have a side order of chips with his lunch, White hand-cut and personally cooked the chips but charged the customer £25 for his time."


The brew is a Belgian style Double White brewed with Hot Chilis, Coriander, Oranges, Lemon peel, and Red pepper berries. Get it, White Heat. Never homebrewed with chilis but have had a few beers brewed with this ingredient. Interested to see how and where it burns through this beer. Simple grist bill: pale malt, wheat malt, and flaked oats. Step mash, mashed in at 145 degrees and rest for fifteen minutes. Raise temp to 156 degrees and rested for thirty minutes. Finally mashed out to 168 degrees. Adding all the spices, chilis, and citrus with five minutes left in the boil. The yeast will be 2nd generation from the Tangerine Wit I brewed recently. The yeast was a blend of White labs Wit WLP400 and Safbrew T-58. It was a great brew day.

Dark Amber Tangerine Wit



An amber russet colored wit. Brew with 60/40 pale/wheat malt. Speacialty malts are amber, munich, crystal 60 and toasted flaked oats. I toasted flaked oats in the oven to create a full on oatmeal cookie aroma. For spicing I'm using some toasted coriander as well as coriander that has not been toasted, along with a little chamomile. Adding all the spices and five scored tangerines with five minutes left in boil. I've brewed a few diffferent wit style beers that have been pale in color, this one with darker specialty malts has some similarity's to the german weiss being light (a belgian wit in this case) and dunkelweiss darker but with traditional weiss characteristics. Maybe this is a "Dunkel Wit" of sorts. Very bready tasting wort, english muffin, toast, and shortbread flavors. For yeast I'll be blending White Labs Belgian Wit WLP400 and Safbrew T-58 (half packet), I've have had great results with this blend in the past on my clementine wit.

Spiced Ginger Bread Ale


The pumpkin in a pumpkin beer has fermented out and I'm going to try and ferment one more brew inside the pumpkin before I carve it. It seems to be in good condition. Looking forward to racking the pumpkin beer later to see how it tastes. Today I'm brewing a dark amber ale spiced with ginger, heather, elderflowers, and nutmeg. The grist bill is as follows: pale malt, amber malt, flaked oats, munich malt, crystal 60, and torrified red wheat. Going to add a 1/2 ounce of vanguard at start of boil and that will be the only hop addition. Both the heather and elderflowers will contribute bitterness to the brew. The wort tasted very good going into the pumpkin, ginger flavor was mild and balanced.

English style Pale Ale



Today I'm brewing an English style pale ale. Using one of the English "noble" hops, East Kent Goldings to create a single hop pale ale, to bittering, flavor and right thru to dry hopping. Brewers Connection describes the British hop East Kent Golding pedigree: "Golding is a group of English, aroma-type, hop varieties. The East Kent variety being an especially fine aroma hop, originating in England. Developed by clonal selection from 1790 on starting from Canterbury Whitebine. Over the decades, the group has been changed and widened. Mostly they have been named after villages in East Kent. English Goldings grown in East Kent are a premium hop. This classic English Ale hop is used extensively in kettle hopping and for dry hopping. Used alone or in conjunction with Fuggles it produces an especially fine glass of ale. It is the premier contributor to classic English pale ale aroma."

The malt bill consists of pale two row, flaked barley, torrified soft red wheat, amber, and crystal malt. I'm not trying to follow style guidelines of the BJCP on this brew but it might fit in the 8C category. I'll be dry hopping this ale with a heavy hand of whole leaf hops in secondary, American Style quantity's. The malt bill is designed to balance the hops, in the same way late hopped beers in America have been more amber in color, see Stone Levitation Ale. Using dry yeast, Safale S-04, from Muntons Brewery. A malt accentuating strain that ferments rapidly and drops out quickly.

Ferment-O-Lantern




A pumpkin ale fermented inside a pumpkin A collaboration ale with fellow brewer Jon Talkington of Brimming Horn Meadery. This idea of doing this is goofy and mad. Some restraint was used. We sulfited the inside of the pumpkin after cleaning out the seeds. I guess it was as sanitary as the inside of a pumpkin could be. We roasted four small sweeter variety pumpkins with spices that yielded 6.4 pounds of cooked meat. In the mash was pale malt, dark munich, wheat malt, amber malt, crystal, and coffee malt. Along with the cooked pumpkin meat. We decided to do a step mash to convert more of the starches in the pumpkin. Mashing in at 124 F, rest for twenty minutes. Then brought temperature of mash up over direct heat while stirring to prevent hot spots. Rested again at 149 F for one hour before finally mashing out to 168 F. During vorlauf the wort cleared up surprisingly fast. Began collecting wort and sparging and even with the 1/2 pound of rice hulls in the mash the bed collapsed and the runoff stopped. No surprise really with all that pumpkin meat in there. Stirred mash and ran off rest no problem. The wort was lightly hopped at sixty minutes for 15 IBU's. With five minutes left in boil we added meadow sweet, chamomile, real cinnamon bark, and two pounds of brown sugar. Cooled the wort down and knocked out in to a pumpkin. Would have liked to seal the top with wax but didn't have any so just taped it with packing tape. I'm really excited to see how this turns out. Whether the final beer is good or bad it's been a fun brew so far.

Pumpkins were an early sugar source in colonial America for fermented beverages. From the blog Beer Living it states. "From some of the books (Google books is great for searching these old books!) describing beer in colonial times, it seems like Pumpkin beer was not that unusual. During different times malted barley would be in short supply so the colonial brewers would use a wide assortment of whatever organic ingredient was handy. Pumpkin was in abundance so it was probably one of the most common of the ingredients. One reference to pumpkin beer was from the 1863 book “History of Hadley” by Sylvester Judd: “In Hadley, around 1800, beer was generally brewed once a week; malt, hops, dried pumpkin, dried apple parings and sometime rye bran, birch twigs and other things were put into the brewing kettle and the liquor was strained through a sieve. This beer was used at home and was carried into the fields by the farmers. “It also seems that pumpkin beer was an ingredient to making a very popular drink of the day, the ‘Flip’. From the 1919 book ‘“Colonial Folkways” by Charles McClean Andrews, there is a reference to using Pumpkin Beer to make a very common drink of the time, the ’Flip’:“Flip was made in different ways, but a common variety was a mixture of rum, pumpkin beer, and brown sugar into which a red hot poker had been plunged” American flip was made in a great pewter mug or earthen pitcher filled two-thirds full of beer; sweetened with sugar, molasses, or dried pumpkin, according to individual taste or capabilities; and flavored with “a dash” of rum. Into this mixture was thrust and stirred a red-hot loggerhead, made of iron and shaped like a poker, and the seething iron made the liquor foam and bubble and gave it the burnt, bitter taste so dearly loved."

Roggenbier


Randy Mosher in Radical Brewing describes Roggenbier as, "By simply substituting rye malt for half the wheat in the weizen recipe and tossing in a half pound of crystal of your choosing, you can make a delightfully spicy rye beer." BeerAdvocate describes the style as "A traditional German style rye beer that typically contains very large portions of rye. Expect a very pronounced spiciness and sour-like rye character, malty flavor, and a clean hop character. Often unfiltered and bottle-conditioned, Roggenbiers tend to be rather turbid and foamy."

I'm going to just leave the wheat malt out of the recipe all together and do 40/60 with rye malt and pale malt. The specialty's are crystal rye, amber malt, and a little black patent. Going to ferment on 2nd generation Safbrew T-58. This yeast will accentuate the pepper spice of the rye instead of using the more traditional weizen yeast.

Chocolate Vanilla almost Baltic Porter



Yesterday I brewed a Chocolate Vanilla Porter that is approaching the strength of a Baltic Porter. I added a large amount of South American Cocoa that I have had for some time. I got it from family friends who brought some back from their travels. I grated two cups worth and added it directly to the kettle with one minute left in boil. That is also when I added the pulp of one vanilla bean pod. Very lightly hopped with Vanguard hops and fermented with dry Safale US-05 yeast. There is also a good quantity of flaked oats in the recipe to add a silky mouthfeel to this dessert beer.


Here is what wikipedia has to say about the history of the cacao plant. "The cacao tree is native to the Americas. It may have originated in the foothills of the Andes in the Amazon and Orinoco basins of South American where today, examples of wild cacao still can be found. However, it may have had a larger range in the past, evidence for which may be obscured because of its cultivation in these areas long before, as well as after, the Spanish arrived. It may have been introduced into Central America by the ancient Maya, and cultivated in Mexico by the Olmecs, then by the Toltecs and later by the Aztecs. It was a common currency throughout Mesoamerica and the Caribbean before the Spanish conquest. Cacao trees will grow in a limited geographical zone, of approximately 20 degrees to the north and south of the Equator. Nearly 70% of the world crop is grown in West Africa. Cocoa was an important commodity in Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. Spanish chroniclers of the conquest of Mexico by Hernan Cortes relate that when Montezuma II, emperor of the Aztecs, dined he took no other beverage than chocolate, served in a golden goblet and eaten with a golden spoon. Flavored with vanilla and spices, his chocolate was whipped into a froth that dissolved in the mouth. It is reported that Montezuma II may have consumed no fewer than 50 portions each day, and 200 more by the nobles of his court. Chocolate was introduced to Europe by the Spaniards and became a popular beverage by the mid 1600s. They also introduced the cacao tree into the West Indies and the Philippines. The cacao plant was first given its botanical name by Swedish natural scientist Carolus Linnaeus in his original classification of the plant kingdom, who called it Theobroma ("food of the gods") cacao."

Oatmeal Stout

The glory of a delicious oatmeal stout. This is a style that needs some poetic waxing. You can have it for breakfast or dessert. The flavors of roast, chocolate, and coffee weaved into the silky texture from the large proportion of flaked oats to the mash. If you put an oatmeal stout on a nitro pour it can turn the beer into a stout of all together different character. This style is a joy to riff on. Adding all sorts of herbs and spices can add complexity and mystery.

Bhutanese Red Rice Ale


One of my favorite styles is the under appreciated brown ale. Enough toasted character, just approaching roasted. Lightly hopped, a malt centric ale. Flavorful enough to drink all night.



To add an extra nutty flavor to this ale I'm adding a Bhutanese red rice. Wikipedia has this to say about the rice. "Bhutanese red rice is a medium-grain rice grown in the Kingdom of Bhutan in the eastern Himalayas. It is the staple rice of the Bhutanese people. Bhutanese red rice is a red japonica rice. It is semi-milled — some of the reddish bran is left on the rice. Because of this, it cooks somewhat faster than an unmilled brown rice. When cooked, the rice is pale pink, soft and slightly sticky. This rice became available in the United States in the mid 1990s." I ran the rice through my grain mill to just break the grain into a couple pieces. Cooked as per the directions on the bag and adding directly to mash during mash in and let rest with rest of grains.

Saison d'Hiver


Today's brew is one I'm planning on bottling and laying down to age. At least till this winter. The plan is to brew a strong black saison, spiced with meadow sweet, chamomile, and nutmeg. A winter warmer of sorts. Should be around 10.5% abv. I recently just brewed a summer (peppercorns) and fall (maple, which really should be spring) saison and I'll be using the same yeast for today's brew. Just knocking out onto 3rd generation yeast cake. Alright, got to get the strike water heated up and grains milled.


Twenty five pounds of grain, 5 gallon batch size. Malts being used today are pale, wheat, amber, de-bittered black, chocolate, crystal 120, coffee malt and flaked oats. Just mashed in and the 10 gal. polarware mash tun I have is pretty much maxed out. Mashed in at 151 f and let rest for forty five minutes.
Good brew day. The herbs really added a lot of aroma and flavor to the wort. Meadow sweet is an interesting herb, it tastes of cinnamon and apples. Looking forward to how this one turns out.

Bottled in the beginning of December. After aging on heavy toast French oak for seven weeks. Finishing at 10.2% abv.

Red Maple Saison


The sun is setting earlier. The nights are getting cooler. The leaves begin to change in the green mountains into a mountain on fire. Red, Orange, Yellow leaves ignite the mountains into flames. Where tree's become flowers before winter. Enough jabber. Brewing a Red Maple Saison with maple syrup. The red color will come from amber and crystal malt. Also using torrified wheat and flaked oats for body and head retention. The syrup will add some color as well. Especially since I'm using grade B syrup. Which, as any syrup connoisseur knows is the better syrup. It's been boiled longer, creating a more intense maple flavor than grade A syrup. I'll be adding this during cool down. Stirring in two pounds at 160 degrees F. I don't want to drive off the delicate maple flavors, even though the yeast will do it's best to scrub it away during fermentation. I may back sweeten with more maple syrup depending on it's attenuation and flavor when tasted. Check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maple_syrup for more information on the sugar of the tree gods.I'll be using the saison yeast from the one I brewed last week. Looking forward to tasting and dry hopping it. I'll probably be using this yeast for a 3rd generation to make an imperial black winter saison, strong 11% and spiced with meadow sweet, nutmeg and chamomile.

The Aussie's Attack Smoked Porter


The International home brewing community is strong. Around the world home brewers get together to share brew, ideas, and stories. Last Wednesday night was one of those nights. A group of Australian home brewers came to my house to home brew and drink. How all this came together is somewhat explained in this newspaper article. Out of the Times Union in Albany, NY. http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=835847&category=&BCCode=&newsdate=8/28/2009&BCCode=&newsdate=8/28/2009. So, Ross and Dave express some interest to Jim Azotea, the former president of the Saratoga home brew club(my first home brew club http://www.thoroughbrews.com/), that they want to go to DFH. Since, I am reluctant to say this, a brewer there Jim emailed me Tuesday if they could come to the mid Atlantic to home brew and get a tour. Of course my response was yes. The opportunity to hang out with home brewers that have the wealth of knowledge that Ross, Dave, and Matt have was priceless. We started brewing around 11:00 at night. I think I finished brewing around 3:30 in the morning. Not sure, but there is a carboy full of smoked porter from that night that doesn't taste too bad considering the circumstances. The circumstances were the tasting of quite a few brews. I don't think many were under 8%. Needless to say the night lasted till the morning. I learned a new term. To take a pint to the head, to skull it. For example "hey, I bought you a pint, skull it". Ross, Dave and Matt, you can crash here anytime and I'll be looking you guys up when I'm in Brisbane. Hey Dave send me some of the pics you took. Cheers!