When we popped open the fermenter, we found a beer that was rich amber in color. It also had a strong Cascade hop aroma, which was what Jesse was going for with the brew. I wouldn’t be surprised if the beer turns out similar to Mac’s Amber. The bottling process itself went quickly and within a couple hours we went from this…
…to this.
Yeah, I forgot the camera again, so these pictures all came from the cellular. Anyway, we finished early, so Jesse cleaned out his fermenter and we tossed an Apfelwein in it. For the Apfelwein, Jesse used Ed Wort’s tried and true recipe from Home Brew Talk.
Apfelwein
5.0 Gallons 100% Apple Juice
2.0 lbs Corn Sugar
Safale S-04 Yeast
The one deviation from Ed’s recipe was the yeast. Jesse wanted something that would give him a two week turnaround, so he opted for S-04 over Red Star Montrachet.
Next up is my Wit, which is getting bottled at the end of the week. I took a hydro sample tonight and it is down to 1.010, .002 lower than the target FG. This means it is sitting at 4.9% ABV; a few tenths higher than anticipated, but not something I am going to complain about.
Finally, I’ll mention again that Oakshire is having their O’Dark:30 release tomorrow night at the Bierstein; the festivities are set to begin around 6:00pm. I also want to correct a statement I made a couple posts back about the Portland O’Dark:30 releases. The first release party is at the Eastburn this Friday, the second at Belmont Station next Monday. The Belmont Station release is where the corny of Collaborative Evil-er is being tapped, not the Eastburn as I previously stated. The brew is a Belgian Strong Golden Ale, aged in an Elijah Craig Bourbon Barrel.
Cheers!
Kevin
Hmm…a big Northwest IPA and a Doubled-up Red, looks like someone [...]]]>
Hmm…a big Northwest IPA and a Doubled-up Red, looks like someone is calling plays straight out of the Ninkasi handbook. Also, notice the slight tweak to the name of the IPA? I’m betting the TTB wasn’t exactly keen on approving a label for something called Alpaholic.
Hop Valley brought in a mobile bottler for their first run; 250 cases, which co-owner Jonas Kungys points out in the article as being unprofitably small. The brews are available at Eugene area bottle shops (yep, both of them), the Monroe Street Cafe and Market of Choice stores. The 22oz bombers will retail for around $4.29.
Cheers!
Kevin
Between various homebrew projects and Oakshire’s O’Dark:30 release, this is going to be a pretty busy beer week for me. I’ll be getting started [...]]]>
Between various homebrew projects and Oakshire’s O’Dark:30 release, this is going to be a pretty busy beer week for me. I’ll be getting started tomorrow evening when I help Jesse bottle the Pale Ale he brewed a couple weeks ago. Time permitting, we may also be tossing a batch of Apfelwein into his fermenter when we finish.
On Wednesday, it’s off to the the Bier Stein for the release of Oakshire’s spring seasonal, O’Dark:30. The brewers will be on on-site at 6:00 pm to offer tastings of their new CDA.
And fear not Portlanders, you are getting your own O’Dark:30 releases; Friday at the Eastburn and the following Monday at Belmont Station. Oakshire is also bringing a corny of Collaborative Evil-er, a Belgian Strong Golden Ale to the Station.
On Friday I will be bottling up the Wit that is currently fermenting away in my pantry. I have been doing my best over the last couple weeks to free up some bottles and think I will have enough come Friday.
Finally, my wife and I are off to Sam Bonds to see the Ascetic Junkies and Sassparilla Jug Band on Saturday. While not directly beer related, I can say with near certainty that beer will be involved in some form or fashion. I guess I should get some sleep and let the batteries recharge.
Cheers!
Kevin
My Belgian IPA was an attempt to clone Stone’s Cali-Belgique; an occasionally produced version of their flagship IPA, fermented with a Belgian strain of yeast and dry-hopped with Chinook. I didn’t have a lot of information about the Cali going into this brew. My grain bill was cobbled together from various clone recipes of Stone’s regular IPA. The yeast was Wyeast’s Belgian Strong Ale (1388), based entirely on availability. The end result? A good hoppy Belgian Ale, but one that tasted nothing at all like Cali-Belgique.
First of all, my beer is probably closer to a Belgian Pale than an IPA. Since I was only using a partial boil, I didn’t get the utilization out of my hops that I was expecting. I was shooting for around 70 IBUs, but ended up in the 40-45 range. Nothing to sneeze at, but pretty tame by Northwest standards. I also didn’t get the contributions I was expecting from my late additions; the citrus flavor and aroma is noticeable, but not strong. The one thing I did hit spot on was the color, a deep ruby red.
With a grain bill that includes about 10% Carapils, the beer has a huge, meringue-stiff head. And if not poured with the utmost care, your glass will be filled with 10% beer and 90% foam. When I brew this one again, that percentage is getting slashed in half.
The yeast had a stated range of 64-80°F and I fermented near its upper limit, resulting in some very strong esters; bubble-gum and fruit dominating the aroma. These are both big contributors to the brew’s flavor as well. Behind the strong yeast, there are some hints of biscuit malt, citrus hops and a light caramel sweetness. The finish is bitter and clean, the esters not lingering longer than welcome. It is very light bodied and as mentioned above, has over the top carbonation.
Out of the beers I have brewed so far, this one has been the most well received, resulting in a completely decimated supply. As I said, I am planning to brew this beer again, but may have to jump it ahead of some of the others I am planning. Here is the recipe I will be using for my next go-around.
Beer and Coding Belgian IPA
Batch Size: 5.0 gallons
Boil Size: 6.0 gallons
Estimate Attenuation: 75%
Estimated Efficiency: 70%
Estimated OG: 1.064
Estimated FG: 1.016
Estimated ABV: 6.2%
Estimated IBU: 62
Estimated SRM: 10
10.0 lbs 2-Row
1.0 lbs Crystal 40L
1.0 lbs Victory
0.5 lbs Carapils
0.5 oz Columbus @ 60
0.5 oz Columbus @ 30
0.5 oz Centennial @ 20
0.5 oz Centennial @ 10
Wyeast 1388 – Belgian Strong Ale
I also plan to lower the fermentation temperature a few degrees, probably to the 68-72°F range. This should reduce the esters some and let more of the citrus hop flavors shine through.
So, other than the carbonation and the less than taste bud smashing amount of IBUs, I am pleased with how the beer turned out. If nothing else, it encouraged me to continue brewing, which can’t be a bad thing. Several of my friends have tried this beer over the last couple of months, so maybe the comments area will turn up another opinion or two and you won’t be forced to settle for my undoubtedly biased review.
Cheers!
Kevin
Keeping temperature during the fly sparge was our biggest issue last week, so we converted to a simpler batch sparge process for the Wit. To solve the temperature issue, we employed a second beverage cooler to hold the heated sparge water, freeing up the brew kettle to collect the first runnings from the mash tun. I also purchased a cylindrical sparge bag at the homebrew shop to line the mash tun, keeping grain from sneaking through the false bottom and into the spout. Using the batch sparge method, we were able to up our efficiency to nearly 70%, falling just .001 short of our target OG.
The recipe we used was:
5.5 lbs German Pilsen
2.5 lbs Flaked Wheat
1.0 lbs Flaked Oats
1.0 lbs White Wheat
0.5 lbs Rice Hulls
.50 oz Mt. Hood @ 60 min
.50 oz Mt Hood @ 20 min
.75 oz Crushed Coriander @ 5
.50 oz Orange Peel Granules @ 5
.07 oz Chamomile (two 1 gram tea bags) @ 5
Zest of two medium oranges @ 5
Fermentis Safbrew T-58 Yeast
Estimated Efficiency: 70%
Estimated OG: 1.049
Estimated FG: 1.012
Estimated ABV: 4.8%
Estimated IBU: 14
Estimated SRM: 3
I was originally set on using Wyeast’s Belgian Wit strain, but a few days before our brew session, a post started on Home Brew Talk about Safbrew T-58; purportedly the strain used by Chimay. Many people were commenting that it produced both peppery phenols and light fruity esters, just about what I was looking for in my Wit. I pitched the yeast at 68ºF, then slowly ramped up the temperature. Right now I’m about 72 hours in and the Wit is churning away in my pantry at 74ºF.
Don’t worry; no leopards were harmed in the making of this beer. After pitching the yeast, I pulled a sample to use for gravity checks. Right now the sample is giving off a hot, pineapple aroma, not far off from MacTarnahan’s Lipstinger. If the beer ends up tasting close to how it currently smells, I’ll be using T-58 again for my next brew, a Farmhouse Ale.
Cheers!
Kevin