I did this batch on my old brewing system with the guy who bought it from me. It was a 10 gallon batch but we split it 1/2 and 1/2. It was his recipe and looks like it will be pretty good.
Ingredients-
Grain:
18 lbs 2 Row
3 lbs 8 oz Crystal 60L
Hops:
1.5 oz Cascade @ 60
2 oz Cascade @ 30
2 oz Cascade @ 5
Yeast: Safale-05
OG- 1.052
31DEC2011- Brewing went really well and the system performed as it should before selling it. I had just gotten the sight glass installed before brewing and passing it off to its new owner and it worked great.
12JAN2012- Down to 1.016, should be ready to keg. Maybe sometime this weekend I'll clean out an empty keg and start carbing this.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
New System
In my quest to build a new system I've started work converting more kegs while I am trying to sell my old system to fund the new one. This is actually an extra keg I came across and converted and am also trying to sell. But it is an example of what I will be doing for all three kegs/kettles in my system.
Hardware from bargainfittings
Check out my plug for bargainfittings here
Hardware from bargainfittings
Check out my plug for bargainfittings here
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Bargain Fittings
This is sort of a plug for a website I have really come to like. I am in the middle of designing and setting up a new brew system, a two tier with a pump instead of a three tier gravity fed.
I have been buying different brewing hardware to convert my kegs into kettles, attach thermometers and install sight glasses from bargainfittings.
They have a great selection of the things you need without all the expensive extra stuff that people buy to just make their stuff look fancy but doesn't do a thing for their ability to brew. The prices are the best I have found anywhere, whether on the internet or in local stores. They also have flat rate shipping for only $5 and after I order I have always received my products in less than a week. For anyone looking to convert coolers or kegs, install thermometers, sight glasses or quick disconnects, this is the place to go.
Check it out sometime.
I have been buying different brewing hardware to convert my kegs into kettles, attach thermometers and install sight glasses from bargainfittings.
They have a great selection of the things you need without all the expensive extra stuff that people buy to just make their stuff look fancy but doesn't do a thing for their ability to brew. The prices are the best I have found anywhere, whether on the internet or in local stores. They also have flat rate shipping for only $5 and after I order I have always received my products in less than a week. For anyone looking to convert coolers or kegs, install thermometers, sight glasses or quick disconnects, this is the place to go.
Check it out sometime.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Molasses Cider
Ingredients:
5 Gallons of Apple Juice
24 oz of Molasses
Yeast: Red Star Pasteur Champagne
OG 1.068
28NOV2011: I didn't want this to get too dry as can happen quite easily with this yeast. I've been checking for the past two days and I hit 1.020 today so I moved it to the keg and stuck it in the freezer where it is currently carbing. Hopefully this stops fermentation. Tastes really good, even while warm and flat. ABV at 6.4%
5 Gallons of Apple Juice
24 oz of Molasses
Yeast: Red Star Pasteur Champagne
OG 1.068
28NOV2011: I didn't want this to get too dry as can happen quite easily with this yeast. I've been checking for the past two days and I hit 1.020 today so I moved it to the keg and stuck it in the freezer where it is currently carbing. Hopefully this stops fermentation. Tastes really good, even while warm and flat. ABV at 6.4%
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Pepperalia
Ingredients-
Grain:
10 lbs 2 Row Pale Malt
2 lb Honey Malt
1 lb Vienna Malt
1 lb ESB Malt
1 lb Crystal 60L
Hops:
9 oz First Wort
9 oz Mystery Hops @ 30
8 oz Mystery Hops @ 15
10 oz Mystery Hops @ 5
Yeast:
WLP 005 British Ale
OG: 1.059
Extras:
6 Large Whole Pepperoncini's and One broken in half (Randy's doing) in with first wort
15OCT2011- Efficiency was low on this one, don't know why.
24OCT2011- Down to 1.018, transferred to secondary
31OCT2011- Down to 1.012, transferred to tertiary ABV at 5.4%
Grain:
10 lbs 2 Row Pale Malt
2 lb Honey Malt
1 lb Vienna Malt
1 lb ESB Malt
1 lb Crystal 60L
Hops:
9 oz First Wort
9 oz Mystery Hops @ 30
8 oz Mystery Hops @ 15
10 oz Mystery Hops @ 5
Yeast:
WLP 005 British Ale
OG: 1.059
Extras:
6 Large Whole Pepperoncini's and One broken in half (Randy's doing) in with first wort
15OCT2011- Efficiency was low on this one, don't know why.
24OCT2011- Down to 1.018, transferred to secondary
31OCT2011- Down to 1.012, transferred to tertiary ABV at 5.4%
Lager Dogger
Ingredients-
Grain:
12 lbs 2 Row Pale Malt
1 lb Briess Red Wheat
Hops: (mystery hops are really wet so high weight does not exactly equate)
7 oz Mystery Hops @ 60
15 oz Mystery Hops @ 5
Yeast:
Urquell Lager
OG: 1.061
15OCT2011- Again went really well. Excited to have another lager on tap.
Grain:
12 lbs 2 Row Pale Malt
1 lb Briess Red Wheat
Hops: (mystery hops are really wet so high weight does not exactly equate)
7 oz Mystery Hops @ 60
15 oz Mystery Hops @ 5
Yeast:
Urquell Lager
OG: 1.061
15OCT2011- Again went really well. Excited to have another lager on tap.
Hop in the Dark Clone
Randy got this recipe off Hopville, but we had to change a couple of things based on availability of hops.
Ingredients-
Grain:
20 lbs 2 Row Pale Malt
4 lbs Munich Malt
2 lbs 8 oz Flaked Oats
12 oz Crystal 120L
8 oz Chocolate Malt
8 oz Chocolate Wheat
4 oz Black Barley
10 oz Dark Belgian Candy
Hops: (all whole hops unless otherwise noted)
4 oz Nugget @ 60 (pellet)
2 oz Northern Brewer @ 60
2 oz Centennial @ 30
2 oz Cascade @ 15
2 oz Simcoe @ 1
Yeast:
1056 American Ale (in my half)
Safale 04 (in randy's half)
OG: 1.065
15OCT2011- Brewing went great, i love having someone over to brew with. Efficiency is up. I think because of the temperature stuff, and the re-circulation with the pump probably helped.
17OCT2011- Should have used a blow off tube, the krausen clogged the airlock and I almost blew the lid off the bucket, good thing I went and checked on it in time.
24OCT2011- Down to 1.020, Transferred to Secondary
31OCT2011- Down to 1.010, Transferred to keg. Final ABV is 7.2%
Ingredients-
Grain:
20 lbs 2 Row Pale Malt
4 lbs Munich Malt
2 lbs 8 oz Flaked Oats
12 oz Crystal 120L
8 oz Chocolate Malt
8 oz Chocolate Wheat
4 oz Black Barley
10 oz Dark Belgian Candy
Hops: (all whole hops unless otherwise noted)
4 oz Nugget @ 60 (pellet)
2 oz Northern Brewer @ 60
2 oz Centennial @ 30
2 oz Cascade @ 15
2 oz Simcoe @ 1
Yeast:
1056 American Ale (in my half)
Safale 04 (in randy's half)
OG: 1.065
15OCT2011- Brewing went great, i love having someone over to brew with. Efficiency is up. I think because of the temperature stuff, and the re-circulation with the pump probably helped.
17OCT2011- Should have used a blow off tube, the krausen clogged the airlock and I almost blew the lid off the bucket, good thing I went and checked on it in time.
24OCT2011- Down to 1.020, Transferred to Secondary
31OCT2011- Down to 1.010, Transferred to keg. Final ABV is 7.2%
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Monday, September 26, 2011
Mystery Hop Mini IPA
Ingredients-
Grain:
4 lbs 2 Row Pale Malt
1 lb Crystal 40L
Hops: (still slightly wet)
1.5 oz Mystery Hop @ 60
1.5 oz Mystery Hop @ 30
1.5 oz Mystery Hop @ 10
3.1 oz Mystery Hop @ Dry Hop
Yeast:
Safale 05, 2nd Generation, Half Pitch
O.G. 1.063
26SEP2011- Brewing went really easy. This is a two gallon batch. I upgraded from a two gallon cooler to a three gallon one which works better for a little bit bigger batch.
Grain:
4 lbs 2 Row Pale Malt
1 lb Crystal 40L
Hops: (still slightly wet)
1.5 oz Mystery Hop @ 60
1.5 oz Mystery Hop @ 30
1.5 oz Mystery Hop @ 10
3.1 oz Mystery Hop @ Dry Hop
Yeast:
Safale 05, 2nd Generation, Half Pitch
O.G. 1.063
26SEP2011- Brewing went really easy. This is a two gallon batch. I upgraded from a two gallon cooler to a three gallon one which works better for a little bit bigger batch.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Keezer
So I finally got to working on the Keezer. It was amazing that I was able to get it done the same week as my son Calvin was born. Just goes to show how awesome my wife is.
Basically I built the collar with 2X6's for the main run and 4X6's for the corners. I built it with a gap in the middle and 1X8's on the inside so it drops into the freezer. Then I caulked the cracks to seal it up, used spray foam insulation, let it dry and then cut off the excess. After that I capped it with 1x6's, used a table saw to cut the caps to size with just a little over hang on the front and used a router to make it flush before sanding it smooth. After staining and sealing the wood I lined up and installed the lid and plugged it into the johnson control after programming it to the correct temps.
I have installed one tap so far and will work on the other two that I already own when I have time, and get the last five in when I have money for them. When all is said and done there will be eight taps ready to go.
UPDATE 26SEP2011: I got the other two taps installed. Now I just need to devise a plan to get enough extra money for five more.
Basically I built the collar with 2X6's for the main run and 4X6's for the corners. I built it with a gap in the middle and 1X8's on the inside so it drops into the freezer. Then I caulked the cracks to seal it up, used spray foam insulation, let it dry and then cut off the excess. After that I capped it with 1x6's, used a table saw to cut the caps to size with just a little over hang on the front and used a router to make it flush before sanding it smooth. After staining and sealing the wood I lined up and installed the lid and plugged it into the johnson control after programming it to the correct temps.
I have installed one tap so far and will work on the other two that I already own when I have time, and get the last five in when I have money for them. When all is said and done there will be eight taps ready to go.
UPDATE 26SEP2011: I got the other two taps installed. Now I just need to devise a plan to get enough extra money for five more.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Burnt Mallow IPA
Ingredients-
22 lbs 2 row pale malt
1 lb Munich
2 lbs Crystal 40L
1 lb Crystal 20L
Hops-
2 oz Magnum @ 60
2 oz Centennial @ 30
2 oz Mt Hood @ 15
3 oz Mt Hood @ 10
1 oz Mt Hood @ 5
8 oz Mt Hood Dry Hop in primary
Whirfloc @ 15
Yeast-
Safale American 05
O.G. 1.055
Again my gravities are a little low but brew day was pretty awesome. No real snags or hang ups, just a beautiful sunny morning hanging out with Bryan while we brewed. This is a ten gallon batch that Bryan and I will be splitting. There was a small leak on my brew kettle after I cleaned out the ball valve. It would drip a small amount sweet wort onto the brew sculpture and burn. At the end Bryan convinced me to try it. It smelled like caramel and tasted like an over burnt marshmallow, hence the name.
24SEP2011: Transferred to secondary. Gravity is down to 1.010 giving about 5.9% ABV which is perfect for this beer. Tried a sip, the bitter comes through but not super powerful, a lot of hoppy aroma and good malt character.
22 lbs 2 row pale malt
1 lb Munich
2 lbs Crystal 40L
1 lb Crystal 20L
Hops-
2 oz Magnum @ 60
2 oz Centennial @ 30
2 oz Mt Hood @ 15
3 oz Mt Hood @ 10
1 oz Mt Hood @ 5
8 oz Mt Hood Dry Hop in primary
Whirfloc @ 15
Yeast-
Safale American 05
O.G. 1.055
Again my gravities are a little low but brew day was pretty awesome. No real snags or hang ups, just a beautiful sunny morning hanging out with Bryan while we brewed. This is a ten gallon batch that Bryan and I will be splitting. There was a small leak on my brew kettle after I cleaned out the ball valve. It would drip a small amount sweet wort onto the brew sculpture and burn. At the end Bryan convinced me to try it. It smelled like caramel and tasted like an over burnt marshmallow, hence the name.
24SEP2011: Transferred to secondary. Gravity is down to 1.010 giving about 5.9% ABV which is perfect for this beer. Tried a sip, the bitter comes through but not super powerful, a lot of hoppy aroma and good malt character.
Ruby Clone
This one is for Steph
Ingredients:
Grain-
11 lbs 2 Row Pale Malt
Hops-
1 oz Mt Hood @ 30
1 oz Mt Hood @ 10
Yeast-
Safale American 05
Raspberry-
Will make a raspberry puree and it into secondary
O.G. 1.041
I'm not hitting my gravities and am not sure why. I'm thinking my handheld thermometer might be off so I will try that. Or possibly I'm disturbing my grain bed too much and I'll try the pie plate technique.
24SEP2011: I forgot to update when I transferred to secondary and tertiary. I added two pints of raspberries into secondary and cold crashed in tertiary. Today I kegged it so it should be ready in a couple of days. Gravity hit 1.004 making it 4.8% ABV which is about right for this beer.
Ingredients:
Grain-
11 lbs 2 Row Pale Malt
Hops-
1 oz Mt Hood @ 30
1 oz Mt Hood @ 10
Yeast-
Safale American 05
Raspberry-
Will make a raspberry puree and it into secondary
O.G. 1.041
I'm not hitting my gravities and am not sure why. I'm thinking my handheld thermometer might be off so I will try that. Or possibly I'm disturbing my grain bed too much and I'll try the pie plate technique.
24SEP2011: I forgot to update when I transferred to secondary and tertiary. I added two pints of raspberries into secondary and cold crashed in tertiary. Today I kegged it so it should be ready in a couple of days. Gravity hit 1.004 making it 4.8% ABV which is about right for this beer.
Monday, August 22, 2011
The Harvest
So its time to harvest our hops from our mystery plant that was here when we bought the house. We don't do anything to it, we don't water it, train it, put twine up or anything else. It just goes crazy and it's an absolute monster. I can't get to all the hops cause the vines extend twenty feet into three different neighbors yard but we still got a lot of them.
The picture is what we pulled off the vine today but if you can see that mound of vines on the ground there are still a lot more to be picked off and dried. We'll start vacuum sealing them tomorrow. I'm excited to see how much we get.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Jockey Box
So we are going camping this weekend, and Randy and I had brewed 50 gallons of beer over the 4th of July weekend for the camping trip. He has a small jockey box with one tap on it. We need more than that for camping so I decided to go ahead and make something so we can have more taps rolling cold. Here it is-
First inventoried supplies. The cooler, 50 feet of 1/4 copper tube, silicone caulking, taps, something to wrap the copper around (in this case a small propane tank) and of course Beer.
Wrapped the copper tightly around the tank.
Copper all wound up.
Checked to see see if I would be able to fit 2 or 3 coils. In this case only 2 will fit.
Counted the coils and divided in half. Used this number to mark the center point and cut the copper. Here it is cut.
The two coils inside the cooler.
Drilled 1/4 inch holes and brought 1 inch of each coil through the holes and sealed them on both sides with caulking.
Installed the 2 taps, and hooked up beer lines from the copper to the taps.
Now just need to add beer, ice, some camping and some friends.
First inventoried supplies. The cooler, 50 feet of 1/4 copper tube, silicone caulking, taps, something to wrap the copper around (in this case a small propane tank) and of course Beer.
Wrapped the copper tightly around the tank.
Copper all wound up.
Checked to see see if I would be able to fit 2 or 3 coils. In this case only 2 will fit.
Counted the coils and divided in half. Used this number to mark the center point and cut the copper. Here it is cut.
The two coils inside the cooler.
Drilled 1/4 inch holes and brought 1 inch of each coil through the holes and sealed them on both sides with caulking.
Installed the 2 taps, and hooked up beer lines from the copper to the taps.
Now just need to add beer, ice, some camping and some friends.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Raspberry Mead
Ingredients:
Fermentables-
3 lbs local-raw-organic, raspberry Honey
5 oz Fresh Raspberries
Yeast-
Red Star Pasteur Champagne
OG- 1.120
16JUL2011- After weighing out the raspberries I put them into a pot, added water and started boiling. I used a spoon and mashed the raspberries into the water as they boiled. After that mixed in the raspberry puree with the honey and added enough water to make a gallon. Beautiful purple color.
11AUG2011- Looks like pink lemonade now. Down to 1.002 for a whopping 15.5% ABV
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Broken Mower Pilsner
Ingredients-
Grain:
20 lbs- Pils
3 lbs- Carafoam
Hops:
2 oz- Perle @ 60
1 oz- Perle @ 40
1 oz- Perle @ 30
1 oz- Saaz @ 15
1 oz- Saaz @ 5
Water:
Mash-
7.25 Gallons @ 162 for 60 Minutes
Sparge-
2 Gallons @ 169
2 Gallons @ 169
5.5 Gallons @ 169
Yeast:
Wyeast 2001, Urquell Lager (starter made day prior with 1 lb DME)
OG:
1.048
22JUN2011- Another batch brewed with Jon. Its really nice to have the extra help around for the brew. Plus its fun to relax with a friend. Everything went really well. No stuck mash, no hiccups really anywhere in the process. Gravity was a little lower than target even though our the mash temp was right on. I'll have to think it over and see where something needs to be adjusted.
29JUN2011- Down to 1.008, I thought this yeast was supposed to take a long time but apparently it went really quick. Might cold crash on friday.
Grain:
20 lbs- Pils
3 lbs- Carafoam
Hops:
2 oz- Perle @ 60
1 oz- Perle @ 40
1 oz- Perle @ 30
1 oz- Saaz @ 15
1 oz- Saaz @ 5
Water:
Mash-
7.25 Gallons @ 162 for 60 Minutes
Sparge-
2 Gallons @ 169
2 Gallons @ 169
5.5 Gallons @ 169
Yeast:
Wyeast 2001, Urquell Lager (starter made day prior with 1 lb DME)
OG:
1.048
22JUN2011- Another batch brewed with Jon. Its really nice to have the extra help around for the brew. Plus its fun to relax with a friend. Everything went really well. No stuck mash, no hiccups really anywhere in the process. Gravity was a little lower than target even though our the mash temp was right on. I'll have to think it over and see where something needs to be adjusted.
29JUN2011- Down to 1.008, I thought this yeast was supposed to take a long time but apparently it went really quick. Might cold crash on friday.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Brawley's Meadicine
Ingredients:
4 lbs- Local Organic Raw Honey
1 Gallon- Water
1 Packet- Red Star Pasteur champagne Yeast
O.G. 1.159
22JUN2011- Man this is gonna be crazy
4 lbs- Local Organic Raw Honey
1 Gallon- Water
1 Packet- Red Star Pasteur champagne Yeast
O.G. 1.159
22JUN2011- Man this is gonna be crazy
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Simple Mead
Ingredients:
Honey- ~3.5 lbs
Water- <1 Gallon
Yeast- Red Star Pasteur Champagne
O.G. 1.120
15JUN2011- My last mead went over so well I had to make another. I just get bummed about how long it takes to ferment. I'll check it in a couple of months and see what the gravity is down to.
21JUN2011- I had checked it earlier this week and again this morning. Fermentation has stopped at 1.032 for a final ABV of 11.6% Its pretty good, you can really feel that alcohol burn but the left over sugars really balance it out.
Honey- ~3.5 lbs
Water- <1 Gallon
Yeast- Red Star Pasteur Champagne
O.G. 1.120
15JUN2011- My last mead went over so well I had to make another. I just get bummed about how long it takes to ferment. I'll check it in a couple of months and see what the gravity is down to.
21JUN2011- I had checked it earlier this week and again this morning. Fermentation has stopped at 1.032 for a final ABV of 11.6% Its pretty good, you can really feel that alcohol burn but the left over sugars really balance it out.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Wheatopia
Ingredients-
Grain:
1 lb German Dark Wheat
1 lb Wheat
Hops:
0.2 oz Willamette @ 40
0.2 oz Willamette @ 20
0.2 oz Willamette @ 10
Yeast:
Safale US-05
Water:
0.75 Gallon Strike @ 162 for 60 min
0.25 Gallon Sparge @ 168 for 5 min
0.75 Gallon Sparge @ 168 for 5 min (re-circulate X 2)
Post-boil specific Gravity: 1.084
11JUN2011- This morning doing the IPA was so easy I just HAD to brew again. I didn't get as much as I should have. Apparently I should not think that I am smarter than beer smith cause the first brew went well and this one I tried to change the amount of sparge water and ended up with only a 1/2 gallon instead of a full. And my gravities turned out almost twice as high as expected, oh well. Decided I would do a hoppy wheat since I've never done a wheat and since its only a gallon batch it doesn't matter if I am not super excited about it. We'll see how it turns out.
18JUN2011- Gravity down to 1.002 for a whopping 10.7% ABV. I dont know that this is going to taste very good, but we shall see.
20JUN2011- Bottled. Got 1- 22oz, 1- 12oz, and 1- 7oz bottle.
Grain:
1 lb German Dark Wheat
1 lb Wheat
Hops:
0.2 oz Willamette @ 40
0.2 oz Willamette @ 20
0.2 oz Willamette @ 10
Yeast:
Safale US-05
Water:
0.75 Gallon Strike @ 162 for 60 min
0.25 Gallon Sparge @ 168 for 5 min
0.75 Gallon Sparge @ 168 for 5 min (re-circulate X 2)
Post-boil specific Gravity: 1.084
11JUN2011- This morning doing the IPA was so easy I just HAD to brew again. I didn't get as much as I should have. Apparently I should not think that I am smarter than beer smith cause the first brew went well and this one I tried to change the amount of sparge water and ended up with only a 1/2 gallon instead of a full. And my gravities turned out almost twice as high as expected, oh well. Decided I would do a hoppy wheat since I've never done a wheat and since its only a gallon batch it doesn't matter if I am not super excited about it. We'll see how it turns out.
18JUN2011- Gravity down to 1.002 for a whopping 10.7% ABV. I dont know that this is going to taste very good, but we shall see.
20JUN2011- Bottled. Got 1- 22oz, 1- 12oz, and 1- 7oz bottle.
speakEasy IPA
Ingredients-
Grain:
2.5 lbs- 2 Row Pale Malt
0.5 lbs- Crystal 20L
Hops:
0.30 oz- Nugget @ 60
0.30 oz- Willamette @ 30
0.30 oz- Willamette @ 10
Yeast:
Safale American 05
Water:
Mash-
1 Gallon strike @ 161 for 2 hours (a little long cause I went to the farmers market)
Sparge-
1/2 gallon strike @ 168 for 4 minutes
1 gallons strike @ 168 for 5 minutes
Pre-boil Adjusted Gravity- Chose not to take this
Post-boil Specific Gravity- 1.062
11JUN2011- So I was sitting at work the other day just itching to brew. But sometimes finding someone to help, getting all the materials and all that is just too much of a hassle. I decided I should set up a system so I can do 1 or 2 Gallon batches fairly quickly and easily whenever I want. So I went to Target, got a 2 gallon beverage cooler, went to Lowes and got a ball valve and a brass hose barb. I already had some high temp O-rings and a 1/2 inch to 3/8 inch bushing. I took out the spout in the cooler and attached the ball valve with the bushing and crimped the end of a stainless steel braid I had laying around and attached that to the hose barb and installed it for a quick easy mash tun. IT WORKED GREAT! I can't believe how easy this is, and since I already had a brew pot and the other stuff I need it was pretty cheap too. Now I can make a beer whenever I want. (I'll just have to bottle it instead of kegging it) And my wife signed on to the idea cause she wanted me to make a beer for a friend of hers at work who just had a baby. I didn't want to do a 5 gallon deal so this works perfect. Below are some pics of the set-up and the brew!
Grain:
2.5 lbs- 2 Row Pale Malt
0.5 lbs- Crystal 20L
Hops:
0.30 oz- Nugget @ 60
0.30 oz- Willamette @ 30
0.30 oz- Willamette @ 10
Yeast:
Safale American 05
Water:
Mash-
1 Gallon strike @ 161 for 2 hours (a little long cause I went to the farmers market)
Sparge-
1/2 gallon strike @ 168 for 4 minutes
1 gallons strike @ 168 for 5 minutes
Pre-boil Adjusted Gravity- Chose not to take this
Post-boil Specific Gravity- 1.062
11JUN2011- So I was sitting at work the other day just itching to brew. But sometimes finding someone to help, getting all the materials and all that is just too much of a hassle. I decided I should set up a system so I can do 1 or 2 Gallon batches fairly quickly and easily whenever I want. So I went to Target, got a 2 gallon beverage cooler, went to Lowes and got a ball valve and a brass hose barb. I already had some high temp O-rings and a 1/2 inch to 3/8 inch bushing. I took out the spout in the cooler and attached the ball valve with the bushing and crimped the end of a stainless steel braid I had laying around and attached that to the hose barb and installed it for a quick easy mash tun. IT WORKED GREAT! I can't believe how easy this is, and since I already had a brew pot and the other stuff I need it was pretty cheap too. Now I can make a beer whenever I want. (I'll just have to bottle it instead of kegging it) And my wife signed on to the idea cause she wanted me to make a beer for a friend of hers at work who just had a baby. I didn't want to do a 5 gallon deal so this works perfect. Below are some pics of the set-up and the brew!
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Snorkel Stout
Ingredients-
Grain:
25 lbs- 2 Row Pale Malt
3 lbs- Crystal 120
1 lb 8 oz- Chocolate Malt
8 oz- Black Patent
8 oz- Carafa III
Hops:
1.5 oz- Nugget (pellet)
2.0 oz- Cascade (whole)
Yeast:
Safale American 05
Water:
Mash-
9.5 Gallons @ 162 for 70 minutes
Sparge-
1.5 Gallons @ 168 for 2 Minutes
6.5 Gallons @ 168 for 10 Minutes and re-circulate
Pre-boil Adjusted Gravity- 1.054
Post Boil Specific Gravity- 1.076
04JUN2011- Had the privilege of brewing this with Jon Brawley which was awesome. Brewing went fairly well except for the fact after we had mashed and drained the mash water and the first sparge water the Mash Tun clogged and we couldn't get the wort out of the mash very easily while keeping it free of grain pieces. We had to use the Poormeister suggested "snorkel" technique (hence the beers name) which was difficult and took countless tries but was finally successful. Ended up with about 13.5 gallons pre-boil. Boil was really fun yet we ended up with slightly lower final amount than expected and higher specific gravity than expected. I think this one is going to be really really good. I can't wait.
11JUN2011- Gravity down to 1.012, which gives us 8.4% ABV. I am going to transfer my 4.5 gallons to the keg today and transfer Brawley's to cold crash. This way when they are ready we can compare and see how big of a difference cold crashing makes.
Grain:
25 lbs- 2 Row Pale Malt
3 lbs- Crystal 120
1 lb 8 oz- Chocolate Malt
8 oz- Black Patent
8 oz- Carafa III
Hops:
1.5 oz- Nugget (pellet)
2.0 oz- Cascade (whole)
Yeast:
Safale American 05
Water:
Mash-
9.5 Gallons @ 162 for 70 minutes
Sparge-
1.5 Gallons @ 168 for 2 Minutes
6.5 Gallons @ 168 for 10 Minutes and re-circulate
Pre-boil Adjusted Gravity- 1.054
Post Boil Specific Gravity- 1.076
04JUN2011- Had the privilege of brewing this with Jon Brawley which was awesome. Brewing went fairly well except for the fact after we had mashed and drained the mash water and the first sparge water the Mash Tun clogged and we couldn't get the wort out of the mash very easily while keeping it free of grain pieces. We had to use the Poormeister suggested "snorkel" technique (hence the beers name) which was difficult and took countless tries but was finally successful. Ended up with about 13.5 gallons pre-boil. Boil was really fun yet we ended up with slightly lower final amount than expected and higher specific gravity than expected. I think this one is going to be really really good. I can't wait.
11JUN2011- Gravity down to 1.012, which gives us 8.4% ABV. I am going to transfer my 4.5 gallons to the keg today and transfer Brawley's to cold crash. This way when they are ready we can compare and see how big of a difference cold crashing makes.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
More Fermentation Please
Just got 3 more buckets for brewing. This puts me up to four regular buckets, a 6 gallon glass carboy and a bottling bucket. I am trying to sell the carboy and with the cash will be able to get two more buckets for fermentation.
P.S. Thanks Randy
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Upcoming Brewing
So on April 16th I will be attempting to brew three batches in one day. A feat I have never tried before. I did two batches on the first day I had my brew tree going though. I have invited a bunch of people over to come hang out and finish off what Oatmeal Stout I have left on tap. If you are reading this, are free on April 16th and want to drop by feel free to do so.
BIG BREW is also coming up on May 7th. I think I may just have to load up all my equipment, roll on out to Hillsboro and join in on the festivities. Can't think of what to brew for this yet. Any ideas? let me know.
Friday, April 1, 2011
8 Furlongs Imperial IPA
Ingredients-
Grain:
15 lbs 2 Row Pale Malt
1.25 lbs Crystal 10L
1 lb Crystal 40L
1 lb Carapils
Hops:
1.5 oz Millenium @ 60
1 oz Millenium @ 50
1 oz Millenium @ 40
1 oz Nugget @ 30
1 oz Nugget @ 15
1 oz Cascade @ 10
2 oz Willamette @ 5
Hop Tea:
2 oz Nugget in French Press for one hour added to fermentation
Yeast:
Wyeast 1056 American Ale
Water:
6.8 Gallons @166F
2.1 Gallons @ 190F
Pre-Boil Gravity- 1.052
Original Gravity posty Boil- 1.072
01APR2011- Came up with about 6.8 gallons pre-boil. I moved my big burner a little closer to the keg. I think I have it set perfect now. It saves a lot of fuel and I was boiling in under 3 minutes. (I think) Having a temp gauge in the Mash Tun also is helping a lot so I can just kick the burner on if my temp drops below desired amount. Can't wait to get another thermometer for the HLT and also another big burner so I can start mashing quicker. The only thing that went bad, and it went really bad, was that I was working on some stuff downstairs when I had kicked on the burner under the Mash Tun. I didn't get back upstairs to watch it in time and the temp had hit 172 half way through my mash. I think this is what cause my really low gravity. But still, 1.072 isn't too bad.
08APR2011- Transferred to the keg and started carbonating. FG at 1.022 which puts me at 6.7% ABV. A little less malty and alcohol than I would have liked but that is due to my screw up in the mash. Hops are punch you in the face strong. Can't wait til its carbed.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Start of the Keezer
So I have been watching craigs list for a big chest freezer for quite a while now. I would like to get this set up someday so I can have a bunch more taps going. I got a nice big chest freezer last night that I think will hold 9 cornies. It will be a while before I get everything ready on it as it is quite expensive for that many cornies, taps and faucets, regulator and CO2 tank.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
Bryan's IPA
Brewed again today. Things went fairly well. I'm starting to get my system dialed in.
Here it is while mashing
The Boil
Again with the boil
So for part of the "dry hop" I did a hop tea. Basically took two small french presses and put an ounce of pellet hops in each, then I put boiling water in each and let it sit for an hour and pressed it out and poured the "hop tea" in with the primary.
CFC working amazing still
Ingredients-
Grain:
11 lbs 2 Row Base Malt
2 lbs Munich Malt
1 lb Caramunich II
Water:
5.2 Gallons @ 163F
3.2 Gallons @ 184F
Hops: (pellets)
0.75 oz Nugget @ 60
0.75 oz Cascade @60
1.5 oz Nugget @ 15
1.5 oz Cascade @ 10
1.5 oz Cascade @ 5
Hop Tea:
1 oz Nugget
1 oz Cascade
Dry Hop:
2 oz Cascade
Yeast:
Wyeast 1056 American Ale
21FEB2011: Like I said I had a really good time brewing. Things went fairly well but I lost some more temperature than I would have liked in the mash. This probably contributed to the lower than target O.G. I hit 6.8 Gallons pre-boil at 1.041. Post-boil I came out to 4.8 gallons and ended at 1.056. I wanted to hit 1.061 but oh well. I need to raise up my banjo burner a couple of inches and then I think it will be better on the boil.
02MAR2011: Finally transferred to secondary. Gravity is at 1.008 so sitting at 6.4% ABV. I think that will be perfect for this beer. Aroma is wonderful with a lot of the dry hop coming through. I think that Hop Tea did wonders because there is so much Hop Flavor without it being overly bitter or grassy. I can't wait to try that again on some future brews.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
No Buts Stout
The insulated Mash Tun while doing the stout. This kept the temperature a little better because I actually pushed the sleeping bag underneath as well. I only dropped 2 degrees over the whole hour.
Here is the boil kettle when I first fired it up and had the banjo going full.
Here is a close up of the banjo going strong. I love this burner!
Some steam coming off the boil. The smell is absolutely wonderful.
Chillin towards the end of the boil
After the CFC and sitting in my messy extra bedroom after the pitch
19FEB2011: On this one I pretty much stuck to the recipe but I got lazy and did not do a double batch sparge. I will make sure to do that next time as that may be contributing to my low O.G. I ended up with 1.054 and was hoping for 1.060. Thats not too bad though as I prefer a mid range ABV on a stout versus the high 7's and 8's. Taste was pretty good at first. Can't wait to see what it comes out like after fermentation.
23FEB2011: Just pulled a thief full out of the carboy. Gravity is now at 1.021. This puts me at about 4.4% ABV. I actually like a low ABV on a stout, but I was hoping to hit at least 5%. I'm gonna wait a few more days and see if it will drop anymore. It had some very nice roasty flavors. The oatmeal really comes through on this one. I am excited to try it cold and carbonated.
24FEB2011: Gravity is still at 1.021. Fermentation must be complete. Transfered to the keg and bottled 4 in 22oz bottles. Tastes really good. Can't wait for this one to condition.
Grain:
7 lbs 2 Row Base Malt
3 lbs Flaked Roasted Oats (I roast these myself @ 350 for about 45 minutes)
0.5 lb Crystal 30l
0.5 lb Crystal 120l
1 lb Black Patent
0.5 lb Chocolate Malt
1 lb Roasted Barley
Water:
5.1 Gallons @ 163F
3.3 Gallons @ 183F
Hops: (pellets)
2 oz Cascade 6.6% @ 60
1 oz Cascade 6.6% @ 15
1 oz Cascade 6.6% @ 2
Yeast:
Safale 05 Dry Yeast
Funners not a Word IPA
Everything set-up in the backyard before the busy day.
Chris warming his hands while boiling.
The Boil
Chris enjoying the Imperial NW Red
The CFC in action. That thing works like magic. Beer came out at 58F
Grain:
11 lbs 2 Row Base Malt
1 lb Crystal 50l
1 lb carapils
Water:
4.9 Gallons @163F
3.4 Gallons @182F
Hops: (all pellets)
1.5 oz Nugget 13% @60
1 oz Nugget 13% @30
1 oz Cascade 6% @20
1 oz Cascade 6% @10
1 oz Cascade 6% @2
Yeast:
Wyeast 1056 American Ale
So, I changed the recipe on this one from my previous post of the planned recipe. I ended up using Nugget instead of Millennium. Not so much because of taste but because that is what I have most of on hand and wanted to burn through it. I also changed the first set of cascade for nugget to add a little bit more bitter.
11 lbs 2 Row Base Malt
1 lb Crystal 50l
1 lb carapils
Water:
4.9 Gallons @163F
3.4 Gallons @182F
Hops: (all pellets)
1.5 oz Nugget 13% @60
1 oz Nugget 13% @30
1 oz Cascade 6% @20
1 oz Cascade 6% @10
1 oz Cascade 6% @2
Yeast:
Wyeast 1056 American Ale
19FEB2011: Brewing went okay for first time on the system. I think those burners have a break in period or something cause they did a lot better on the second batch. I insulated the mash tun but ended up dropping about 7 degrees by the end so I was a little frustrated at that. Then when I went to sparge I had accidentally left the ball valve on the mash tun open and the hose was sitting on top of the lid for the boil kettle. That meant that I lost about a quarter gallon of good sugars. That was kind of frustrating, but oh well. It boiled ok but not as great as I would have liked. Like I said I think those burners have a break in period. It was hard to keep it at a full rolling boil the whole time so I ended up with 6 gallons at the end instead of 5. That meant my O.G. turned out to be a lame 1.038. I was pretty bummed about this so I ended up pouring a few gallons of it into my extra pot and put it on the stove to boil off a gallon or so in hopes to raise the gravity. Well, it didn't work as planned. It did raise but my O.G. still ended up being only 1.041. I don't want to mess with it too much so I am just going to leave it and see how it ends up tasting.
23FEB2011- Used a thief on this one as well. Gravity is at 1.010. Thats pretty low but its still bubbling fairly actively. Due to the low O.G. this obviously can't hit the higher ABV I like in an IPA. Which I have a hard time even calling this an IPA, I'm probably just going to consider it a Pale Ale. It tastes really good and refreshing but the hops don't come through as strong as I like. A nice crisp summer beer is what this seems more like.
03MAR2011- Finally got my last keg fixed today after work. I went over to my parent's house and my dad had just bought a dent puller for hi truck. It worked amazingly well on the keg and now it seals without even having to use pennies. Transferred the IPA (maybe I should just rename it a pale ale) to the corny. Everything went well and F.G. is at 1.004 giving an ABV of 4.9%. It tastes really good with a light maltiness and strong but not overly boisterous floral notes. Can't wait til its carbed and ready.
Friday, February 18, 2011
All Systems Go
So I was able to spend a little time and get the Burner attachments painted and set. Here is one of the small burners under the HLT.
I shortened the lenght of the attachments holding the Big Daddy Banjo. It was sitting a little far away from the kettle. I think its perfect now, or at least I hope its perfect.
Here is the system all put together with straps holding the kettles on and high temp tubing running from one kettle to the next.
I can brew now but would like to get a couple of things added in the future as I have cash available. Might be kind of hard though with a baby on the way. (thats right, Steph is pregnant with our first child if you hadn't heard)
First I need some weldless thermometers, especially for the Mash/Lauter Tun and the Hot Liquor Tank. I would like one for the brew kettle as well but it seems less important. I also at some point need to get and install some casters. It will be nice to be able to roll the system around, but mainly I just need to raise the height a few inches. When we originally designed the system I didn't think the bottom burner would be that big or sit that low. The last thing I would really like to install is sight glasses. But for now I took some extra pipe I had laying around and filled a keg one gallon at a time and made a mark where each gallon was at. Now I can just fill with a hose until it hits the right line.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Upcoming Brews
So, I have had them listed for while now but I am brewing this weekend if all goes to plan. I am gonna do two batches hopefully. This will be my first time on my own system. There are a few things I would really like to do to it to be able to brew but as of right now I "can" use my system but it may be a little difficult. I don't yet have the cash for weldless thermometers so I will have to continually dip the one I have.
Anyways, here are the planned recipes for Saturday:
No Buts Stout: (this one I took from a book but changed it a little to what I think I will like as well as using the hops I have on hand instead of spending money for others.)
Grain:
7 lbs 2 Row Base Malt
3 lbs Flaked Roasted Oats (I roast these myself @ 350 for about 45 minutes)
0.5 lb Crystal 30l
0.5 lb Crystal 120l
1 lb Black Patent
0.5 lb Chocolate Malt
1 lb Roasted Barley
Water:
5.1 Gallons @ 163F
3.3 Gallons @ 183F (double batch sparge)
Hops: (pellets)
2 oz Cascade 6.6% @ 60
1 oz Cascade 6.6% @ 15
1 oz Cascade 6.6% @ 2
Yeast:
Safale 05 Dry Yeast
Funners not a Word IPA: (I made this one up in my head)
Grain:
11 lbs 2 Row Base Malt
1 lb Crystal 50l
1 lb carapils
Water:
4.9 Gallons @163F
3.4 Gallons @182F (double batch sparge)
Hops: (all pellets)
1.5 oz Millenium 14% @60
1 oz Cascade 6% @30
1 oz Cascade 6% @20
1 oz Cascade 6% @10
1 oz Cascade 6% @2
Yeast:
Wyeast 1056 American Ale
Anyways, here are the planned recipes for Saturday:
No Buts Stout: (this one I took from a book but changed it a little to what I think I will like as well as using the hops I have on hand instead of spending money for others.)
Grain:
7 lbs 2 Row Base Malt
3 lbs Flaked Roasted Oats (I roast these myself @ 350 for about 45 minutes)
0.5 lb Crystal 30l
0.5 lb Crystal 120l
1 lb Black Patent
0.5 lb Chocolate Malt
1 lb Roasted Barley
Water:
5.1 Gallons @ 163F
3.3 Gallons @ 183F (double batch sparge)
Hops: (pellets)
2 oz Cascade 6.6% @ 60
1 oz Cascade 6.6% @ 15
1 oz Cascade 6.6% @ 2
Yeast:
Safale 05 Dry Yeast
Funners not a Word IPA: (I made this one up in my head)
Grain:
11 lbs 2 Row Base Malt
1 lb Crystal 50l
1 lb carapils
Water:
4.9 Gallons @163F
3.4 Gallons @182F (double batch sparge)
Hops: (all pellets)
1.5 oz Millenium 14% @60
1 oz Cascade 6% @30
1 oz Cascade 6% @20
1 oz Cascade 6% @10
1 oz Cascade 6% @2
Yeast:
Wyeast 1056 American Ale
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Counter Flow Chiller
So I decided to take my existing Immersion Chiller that I got with my first kit and turn it into a CFC (Counter Flow Chiller). Here are all the necessary pieces of equipment that I gathered before I started on the project.
After having all the materials I tried to push the hose on around the immersion chiller while it was still coiled. I wanted to do this so it would like nice and clean and perfectly coiled on my finished project. Well, that didn't work out so well. Surprisingly I was able to get about half of it on but there ended up being too much friction and I had to straighten the whole things out to get the hose on. Even with it fully straightened it was difficult. Norman really wanted to help.
Here is what One of the ends looks like when it is completed. The other end does not bend the 3/8 copper. I bent this end so I could easily drain it into my fermenter. I had it outside and leak tested it. Everything works great with no leaks.
Here is a pic of the whole thing put together. The only parts that are not on here in this pic is the hook up between the boil kettle and the 3/8 copper, as well as the drain hose for the outer tube.
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