Oktoberfest au Cheateau 2011

Prost, Mo-Fuggers!

So it was 85 degrees and muggy. So no one there was German. So I had just returned a pair of Lederhosen a few weeks back. Oktoberfest was still in style on Sept 25 at the Chateau de Destiny.

A small gathering out in the Garden. handmade pretzels, bratwurst, german potato salad, sauerkraut, evne german chocolate cake. food divine indeed. we even dragged the TV outside and rigged up cable to watch the Pats take it hard from the Bills that Sunday. but all in all a very good time indeed had underneath the hop vines.

This also marked the 1 year anniversary for the brewery's opening. based on the pics form last year, its undergone quite an improvement. A wall of coasters, glassware shelf, all the MD beer labels on bottles on display in the Gallery of Champions. other points of interest, vintage beer trays mounted up, other signs and beer boards, and, coolest of all, the old Radnor Beirut table mounted to the wall. Epic.

but now what would Oktoberfest be without the bier? well, let's see...

Teutonic Shift- Oktoberfest - the first bottles cracked after a 6 month lagering and poured into DAS BOOT for all to consume. beautiful german malts, crisp dry and springy.

Pointy Ears - Weizenbock - a bit sweet, but dries up upon warming. very full, malty toasty, smoky spicy and deep

Skyfire - Saison - biright and lemony. full of saison yeast flavor and peppery spice. perfect.

DT's Roggen Witbier - super dry and refreseing. full og witbier yeast flavor and lemon balm

truly a sight and taste to behold. let the pics do their thing.



C

...it sure TASTES like a learning experience batch...

... and there on the cover, written in uppercase letters read the phrase:

DON'T PANIC

Well, here we are again. A few more notches in the belt, a few more bottlecaps busted open, and maybe with them, some more collective wisdom. and so, I think we've all learned something here today:

Patience is still paramount in brewing. Nothing sorts out the big questions quite like time. Papazian's mantra may seem simple at first, yet undue, and some rather amateur anxiety has led to near disaster when litterally, relaxing and drinking a beer instead of worrying would have resolved all problems on its own.

1. Know your yeasties. Very much like hiring a construction contractor, time spent in the details can make all the difference. What makes em happy, what environment they like to/ can only work in. What their style is in finished product. What size job they can handle and how long they take.

I brewed a nice saison mid-july, looking forward to drinking it in the final weeks of August. So when the dupont strain appeared to only be halfway through attenuation at 2 weeks, my mentality went quickly from "well, i guess lets just let them go at their own pace, try to eat what sugars it can and see what happens" to "GAHHH, NUKE THE BASTARDS! GO, KILL EVERYTHING. EVERYTHING!!"

I naively freaked and tossed in a vial of Brett C to finish the job, only to read up days later that the dupont strain ALWAYS does this. stalls exactly at 1.030, then takes weeks to finish up. poor choice overreaction. and although I'll have what I imagine to be a very nice and funky batch of saison come spring, more could have been saved from the clutches of evil wild yeasties.


2. Know green beer.
Brewed a weizonbock a few weeks later in August for a nice smoky, robust beer for fall. First sampling of the beer out of the primary nearly made me toss the batch. very harsh, strong, acetic/ sour flavors from the beer, combined with solvent alcohol sting. The alcohol burn I've handled in the past no problem from green beer, it happens. though a sting like this led my mind intot he darkest of places, acetobacter contamination. The more I dwelled on it, the more certain that's what it was that killed my beer. Didnt consider that I'd never made a big beer with so much wheat before however and the acidity sent me into a tailspin of rather fatalistic options:

1. dump the batch. fuck an acetic acid soured weizenbock. that aint fall! that aint even winter!

2. take it "to the next level." if its already kinda soured, maybe try making the first Berlinerdunkelweizenbockbier by adding in uncut lactic acid. the world was ready for that, right?

3. some bizzare salvaging options to kill the resident bacteria by boiling the finished beer, then hitting with new yeast for bottling. this was a shit idea no way you look at it.

4. Pretend it never happened, prime and bottle as such and tell people its how you meant it to taste.

I went with option 4, which turned out to be the right one. As the beer aged, it mellowed. The acid I was so certain was bacteria faded and the natural flavors present began to develop and come through.

though hit another roadblock in the mix. FG was 2 points below where I anticipated, so I added 4oz maltodextrin to the priming sugar batch to boost body. oh it did. and i ended up with a cloyingly sweet and syrupy brew that feels much heavier than it should and wold have at its original final gravity. A nice dessert beer for sure, but not much else.

So in the end I dodged one fearful bullet with patience, then ran myself on my own sword for another.

It seems the road to the perfect beer can take you to some dark places.

DON'T PANIC

More Pondering/ get that pallete up to snuf.

just sitting here, sipping what I assume to be the very last of DT's Aquavit Ale 1.0 as most of the rest travels through Boston's Drainage system.

Musing today: it seems truly tasting beer is a somewhat elusive art. Case and point, not an hour ago I was embroiled in a heated battle of self vs. self at the Julio's Monday night beer tastings. straight up blind taste competition. No styles, no brands, no hints, no order to the pours. just beer in cup, name style, and if possible, brand and specific beer.

this was no mean task mein freunde.

without so much as a simple style guideline to hold onto, the mind wanders like crazy when presented with something that isnt already labeled, binned into a set category well known. Much like what driving in Nebraska must be like, having no reference point leads one astray, second guessing everything the senses are trying to tell you.

whats worse, many of the beers weren't the most robust examples of the style, many were, though some of my picks were quailfied with many scribbled sentences such as "cleaner than most," "drier finishing," or "weak and light bodied version of a...".

and so, the perceptions, my picks.

1. Belgian wit - easy first shot. thinner than Allegash, guessed Allegash anyway.
2. Standard IPA - another easy one. not particularly robust or malingering flavor. - Harpoon IPA
3. Brown Ale - simple as well. guess epitome of the style, Sam Smith nut Brown.
4. Saison - led me for a loop before I came back to my first gut feeling. lighter flavored than I like, very light color. guessed, NOT DUPONT
5. Imperial Stout - went away from first gut feeling of American Stout in favor of the deep roast and bitter finish. guessed Storm King
6. DIPA - this threw a lot of us, having another IPA on the board that didnt feel as full or sweet. aroma was gorgeous. could have been a weaker DIPA perhaps? didnt guess.
7. German Pilsner - this was evil putting after a strong IPA. had to wipe the palette twice before soming to this conclusion. wasnt bready enough nor hoppy enough really for style. still, went with it. Oskar Blues Mamma's Little Yellow Pils.
8. Bel/ Abbey Dubbel - full and rich, nice and sweet. a relatively fast and easy pick I thought. - Chimay Red.
9. Weizenbock - a sneaky one, lighter than dunkelweizen, not as heavy as weizonbock, really could have gone either way. Victory Moonglow.
10. RIS - super chocolate, roast finish and what I seemed to detect as hot alcohol readily apparent. or so i thought, right? Old Rasputin.


now, here comes the shame. in some parts. judge not too harshly.

1. CORRECT - Bel wit. Hoegaarden. made sense. ok.
2. CORRECT - American West Coast IPA - Bear Republic Racer 5. bullshite. racer 5 was much more robust that what was presented here. meh.
3. CORRECT - Brown Ale - Avery Ellie's Brown Ale. Avery sucks, so im fine here.
4. CORRECT - Saison - Ommegang Hennepin. I was leading in the right direction with the lighter versions on the style. feeling good right bout now.
5. INCORRECT - American stout - forget company, never had it. not too far off i guess.
6. INCORRECT - American East Coast IPA - Dogfish 60. this threw a mess of us off. the aroma was all there, but damn pissed and chagrined i missed this.
7. INCOEERET - Kolsch. forget who. but its still evil putting such a light beer after DFH 60. pils aint that far off. the nearly identicla grain bill threw me. its all about knowing the difference between a true lager yeast brewed at 50 and a German ale brewed at 55
8. INCORRECT - Abbey Quad. St. Bernadus Quad - overshot it a bit in my opinion. getting it down between an 8% dubbel and 10% quad, all other things equal aint as easy as it looks 8 beers deep.
9. KINDA CORRECT - Dunkelweizen. Schneider Dunkelweizen. was oscillating between this and weizenbock for a damn good while. expected a dunkelweizen to be darker, but shouldda went with the lighter feeling. cutting apart 2 beers that can overlap in spectrum... rough dilly.
10. INOCRRECT - American Porter. Smuttynose Robust Porter. this one blew all of us out as well. the high chocolate and hyper- stong roast flavors, plus what seemed like strong alcohol presence, (couldda sworn it was 10+) made us all overshoot it hard. tough, but meh.

anyways, this was a great excersize and I highly recommend it for all to try out and see just how refined that palette is before sitting for the BJCP exams.

till then, keep that tongue sharp.

Skyfires of August - Saison

The horror, the horror.....


OG: 1.062/ 1.062 IBU - 24/
FG: 1.004/ SRM - 4/


Malz

7# pils
1.5# rye malt
1# flaked wheat
1/2# malted wheat
14oz light candi sugar

Hopfen

1.75oz Styrian Goldings 5%

Hefe

DUPONT - Wyeast 3724 - belgian saison. the bitchy one.

Adjunct

5g crushed pink peppercorns
H2O

stock


protocol

1. Single infusion 1.5qt/ # - strike 3.5 gal to 159
2. thermo mass acclimate - 147, add boiling h20 -->149
3. Mash @ 149 60 min
4. weak mashout to 160 wait 10 min
5. recirc x6qt - collect 1st runnings to 5.5 gal!
6. batch sparge another 2 gallon, recirc x6 - collect second
7. total collected 7 gallons -
8. pre-boil OG: 1.024 @ 125 -> 139 corrected
9. boil 30 min before hops
@90 + .75oz styrian
@75 boil out - propane out, simmer? + .5oz styrian
@60 move inside to range - re-boil
@20 + .5 styrian
@5 + 5g pink peppercorn
10. cool to 85 and pitch hot saison yeast 3724. vigorous aeration
11. post-boil OG @ 5gal OG: 1.059 @ 85 --> 1.062 corrected

7/19/11 - pitched in the heatwave of July 2011
7/20/11 - 85 degrees
7/21/11 - 88 degrees, following 90+ temps all week
7/26/11 - still 85 degrees
7/31/11 - FG1: crap 1.028 Dupont has stalled as predicted. must let go longer
split batch - 3.4gal to carboy + WLP 645 BRETTANOMYCES CLAUSSENI
- 1 gal to jug + 0.25oz german hallertau whole hop for dry.
8/1/11 - back to 85 degrees up.

The Hall of Champions

12/17/08 - Sam Adams Patriot Homebrew Comp
Unibrau Oktoberfest - no placement - BJCP score - 21/50

5/15/10 - Worcester Homebrew Challenge Cup #1

Lawnmower IPA - Second Place - Avg score - 41/50

6/14/10 - Gordon's Wine + Spirts Homebrew Comp #1
Lawnmower - IPA - well recieved. rosemary apparent
Churchill's Dry Wit - Juniper Pale Ale - also well received. juniper subdued.

10/12/10 - Worcester Homebrew Challenge Cup #2
Weizenschaaft ist Cool - Weizenbock - third place - score unknown

12/19/10 - Sam AdamsPatriot Homebrew Comp 2011
Durin's Grain - Imperial Stout w/ Anise - very well received. suggested re-categorize to cat. 23, spiced special. would have done better? - 31/50

AHA - National Homebrew Comp 2011

Sclama Baltic Porter - good ranking 30/50
Sclama Oak Simcoe Black IPA - good ranking 27/50

5/23/11 - Sam Adams Longshot 2011

Springtime fur Hitler - Maibock - 34/50
Nine Dragons - Jasmine Witbier -24/50 offstyle. meh.

6/12/11 - Worcester HomebrewChallenge Cup #3

Nine Dragons - Jasmine Witbier - did not place /9. score unknown
Darkwing - Dunkelweizen - did not place /9. score unknown

6/15/11 - Gordon's Wine + Spirts Homebrew Comp #2
Nine Dragons - Jasmine Witbier - did not place. well received - 35/50
Springtime fur Hitler - Maibock - did not place. well received - 32/50
Au - Belgian Strong Golden - did not place. well received 34/50

2/25/12 - Boston Homebrew Comp - WORTS

Misery Mild - English Mild - 2nd place, cat 11 - 34.5/50

4/1/12 - Ocean State Homebrew Comp - Jbrew

Misery Mild - English Mild - 2nd place, cat 11 - 37/50
Bismarck - Traditional Bock - miscategorized? - 27/50

4/21/12 - South Shore Homebrew Comp

Misery Mild - English Mid - 2nd place, cat 11 36/50
Bismarck - Munich Dunkel - 3rd place, cat 5  33/50
Biohazard - Saison Brett - did not place. 27/50

Nine Dragons - Jasmine Witbier

second collaboration with DT. his original idea, now all grained and modified.

OG: 1.054/ 1.053 IBU - 20
FG: 1.015/ 1.008 SRM - 4.5-5 and cloudy as fuck

Malz

adjunct mash
3# flaked soft white wheat
2# US 6 row for diastic power

main mash
4# pils
1# munich
1# wheat malt
1# rice hulls

Hopfen
.44oz tettnager 5.1
.87oz saaz 4.0
.87 saaz 4.0

Hefe
Wyeast 3944 Belgian White, no starter

H2O - stock

Adjunct-
.5oz coriander crushed
1.5 TBSP lavender flowers
1.3oz jasmine green tea dragon pearls + .5 oz for dry jazzing
lemon zest of 3 lemons

STANDARD AMERICAN ADJUNCT MASH

Main mash-
1. strike 7.5 qt to 115
2. hit 110, rest 30 min
3 .continue to hold @ 115 1 hr NO PROTEIN REST

Adjunct Mash
1. strike 6.5qt to 137
2. hit 122 +2 extra qt h20
3. hold 15 min protein rest
4. direct heat to 150 --> TOO FERMENTABLE TEMP HERE
5. hold 15 min sacc rest
6. direct fire boil 15 min (+2 qt h20 to account for boil loss)

add mashes together 104 + 212 ---> 158F
7. hold 45 min
8. mashout - add 6t boiling h20 --> hit 160-168ish hard to calc
9. rest 10 min
10. recirc 3qt, milky as all hell
11. collect 1st runnings ~1/2 way through, added 4qt boiling h20 to keep liquid
a fly sparging of sorts, no sparge/ runoff issues. collect 6.5 gallon to kettle
12. pre-boil OG - 1.038 @120 = 1.048 standardized
13. boil 60
@60 draw extra qt from the tun
@60 + .44 oz tettnager5.1
@30 +.87oz saaz 4.0
@5 +.87oz saaz
+.5oz ocriander
+1.5oz TBSP lavender
+1.2oz jasmine tea ball/ dragon pearls
zest of 3 lemons
14. post boil vol 5.5gal
15. chill to 78
16. strain to primary, vigorously aerate, pitch
17. post-boil OG: 1.050 @ 80 = 1.053 standardized (ok, higher vol)
4/25/11 -primary @ 72 1 wk
4/30/11 - allowed to remain in pri, big shake
5/8/11 - + .5oz dargonballz. still in primary on yeast. FG: 1.008
5/15/11 -bottle to 2.5/ 2.4 vol CO2 -- 5gal @70F = 4.5oz dextrose

Accalades:

5/16/11 - submitted to Sam longshot 2011 -
6/12/11 - Worcester Homebrew Challenge Cup #3 - DID NOT PLACE /9 others
6/15/11 - Gordons' Second Annual Homebrew Comp -

Teutonic Shift - Oktoberfest

Classic style, the long lager.

Stats:

expt/ act

OG: 1.056 / 1.052 SRM - 15 /11
FG: 1.012 / 1.010 IBU - 25/?

Malz

3# Pils
1# Munich
6# vienna
1# caramunich

Hopfen

1.5oz Saaz
.5oz Tettanager

Hefe

re-cultured 250ml of the Wyeast 2203 Bavarian Lager from Maibock post 6 week lagering
- 2L starter 1/2 cup DME for 2 days

DOUBLE DECOCTION MASH - modified from Mosher/ braukaiser

1. Strike 4.62 gal to 112 - infuse ratio - 1.68qt/#
2. Mash in to 104
3. Acid rest 20 min
4. Take ~1/2 mash vol 12qt vol THICK - heat to 155
5. rest 148 5 min --> 155 10 min
6. boil 30 min (212)
7. add 5qt to main mash - hit 132
8. protein rest 10 min
9. re- heat decoction 1 to 210, add remaining 7 qt to main mash - hit 151
10. sacchrification rest 45 min
11. heat sparge water while resting 4 gal to 190 or so
12. mashout -hit only 155 +8qt boiling water. oddity. FORGOT TO PULL SECOND DECOCTION
13. mashout rest 10 min
14. manifold clogged bad- cut, re-mix, cut- re-mix mash
15. recic 2qt/ 2qt/1qt careful not to disturb bed
16 collect 1st runnings --> 6.5 gal. no sparge necessary.
17. pre boil OG: 1.034 @ 100F = 1.040 standardized
18. boil 60
@ 60 + 1oz saaz
@ 30 + .5 tettnager
@ 15 + .5oz saaz + 1tbsp irish moss
19. chill to 60F
20. OG post boil --> 1.052 (bit short of the mark, lack of sparge? old malt? no second decoct?
21. Primary chart
4/10/11 - day 1 @ 61
4/11/11 - move to 50
4/17/11 - report - some flux in temp from 45-60 over the week, craptacular
4/23/11 - move to 62/ RT for 2 days diacyl rest
4/25/11 - rack to secondary for lagering 40F- lighter than expected. dry/ nutty FG: 1.010
- begin lagering for 4 months then bottle for another month

ACBF 2011- BOSTON EPIC

but back to other people and their beers:

going to a fest is fun. working a fest is nutz. very much like a union job. 12 hours of manual labor straight hauling water out to the drunken horde. but got to drink on the shifts, very much like a union job...

Ill start with humans then move on to beer -

met a ton of very cool people, brewers, Brewery reps, other vols, Alstrom Bros. many cool conversations with the smaller guys. Jackie O's is an incredible brewery, read latest BA issue. thats the brewmaster on the cover. super nice. doing loco things with odd styles, incredible souring/ wild barrell lab for a brewery that size (someone said it was 7 barrels?, way too low i assume.... but maybe). explorations into aging in wine, rum and infected barrels of all kinds to get crazy flavors yet unseen. true innovators.

another vol homebrewer was also keen on the spruce beer concept as well as other funky effects. right up our alley. met peeps how came up from Atlanta, Nashville and NY just to network with people trying to get into the industry, one as a brewer's apprentice, another looking to startup a distribution co to India. crazy.

talked to Ommegang Brewer - commended him on the 21st saison. effing epic. he said it should be, they used the Dupont strain for it. makes sense. also, look for "Aphrodite" in coming months. think he said it was a raspberry? lambic/ sour wild beast. cant remember...

spoke with the brewer from Atlantic Brewing/ Bar Harbor/ Manly Men Brewing Club Brewing (of which there are apparently 5 different beers in that line, not just sea smoke, only 3 on Ba...) - El Hefe, apparently wheatwine that doest suck. also bashed NH's testing policy on beers. apparently they must run their own ABV tests on anything that is sold in state under a single label. so if you get all you shit tested by them and a strict setup, are approved, then make a mixer 12 pack using only approved beers, you have to get it all re- certified the same way again as its a new packaging. its such a pain in the ass Allegash doesnt even bother with the state, they drive their beer straight through it to Mass. Live free and fuck off New Hampshire.

ok now the boozing. it got hazy towards the end. not as many as i'd thought, just got tired as hell. here goes

Atlantic Brewing (ME) - Manly Men Sea Smoke - still beautiful and subtly smokey and old ale oxidized sweet. so nice to sip.

Blue Hills Brewery (MA) - Anti-Matter Pale Ale - crap beer. light yellow for a pale, all stale hops. got this cause I wanted a coaster. no other reason. it was also late in the night.

Boulevard Brewing (MO) - Tank 7 saison. very nice if i recall. somewhat yeasty, but lacking a tad if reference to what comes later. Dom also had the 6th Glass Quad. like it.

Brewery Ommegang - 2011 Belgian Independence Day Saison - gorgeous beer. say it again, one of the very few here in America to get Belgians dead right. so much yeast flavor, pepper, lemon, spice/ clove, ever so slight wild tinge of farmhouse to it. I'm starting a campaign to dethrone Sam Summer and plot the rise of the Jacobin People's Army of Saison. Do you Hear the People Sing?

Brooklyn - The Tonic/ The Concoction/ "The Chronic" - based on a mixed drink called "Penicillin" Lemon, ginger, something else and medicinal herbs and hops. crazy one. very very different to taste.

CBC - Saison and Hefeweizen (ok had it at the next day brunch. Alstroms picked up the tab. yet another sighting of Dann Paquette, like a God amongst men). saison was too subdued for my liking, slight citrus, slight yeast, not much else. sadface. however, the weizen was fucking perfect. let it be said, best German Style Hefe i've ever had. perfect temp served helped. banana/ bubblegum aromas, sticky like a carnival or artificial candy flavoring. rich body, only mild sour tinge of the wheat. yeasty/ earthy/ muddy and full. get this now. I plan on grabbing a growler for the next beer night.

Cisco (MA) - Pechish Woods - second in sour barreled series after raspberry which we also had a few months ago. only a spare few barrels were made and bottled for the public. before i even got to the counter he started pouring it for me. said " been a lot of you Orange (color of the staff shirt) folk asking for this today." soured as hell and wild. thin and spritzy, peach doesnt come through that well except in light aroma. like a peach sour patch kid but so much finer.

Coastal Extreme (RI) - aka Newport Storm - got a big swig of what they called a black IPA in between sessions when we werent allowed to drink but did anyway. really good black strong ale, very little hop character. boozy and thick, very rich and a nice sipper actually.

Dogfish - Robert Johnson Hellhound on my Ale - DIPA - curious one. hops present, but just full of lemon and spice. yeast was nice too.

Element (MA) - Dark Element - wasnt super impressed by this one. too much hype/ price. intense with some anise type warmth if i recall. not much more to say.

Grand Teton - The Grand Saison - like so many out there, almost gets it. aromas of yeast and pepper and kinda there, just not enough. clean saison just dont cut it, when Ommegang is around town, boy.

Harpoon Rye IPA - (from Harpoon 5 mile run a few weeks ago) - very tasty, strong rye, sharpens the hops nicely, but highly drinkable.

Jackie O's - ditto on berliner weiss, fantastic brew. so sour and clean. really like nothing else there that day. Raccoon dubbel. not so impressed with this, but like the effort/ concept. Dom also like the hopped up tripel they presented.

Lawson's finest liquids - Acer Quercus - odd name, odd beer. heavy heavy rye here and a sharp booziness to it that i didnt care for. malingering flavor on the tongue wasnt all that pleasant either. cant explain the line on this one other than their exceptionally rated DIPA.

Notch Brewing - Dark Mild - on cask - very nice to see some real ale out there. super low alc, packed with flavor. nutty, smooth yeasty and creamy. a very nice change of pace.

Odell - 90 shilling - again, not overwhelmed by this one. good sweetness to it, but lacked some sort of depth i was expecting. was also at end o the night when it all starts blending together from fatigue. Dom give big props on the Myrcenary IPA as well. epic stance.

Olde Burnside - Ten Penny Ale reserve - remember liking it. not much else. not super peaty but its there. Penny Weiss Wit - not so good. compared on the spot to Orangina.

Peak Organic - Espresso Amber - very interesting combo, and they actually made it work. powerful coffe flavor/ aroma in a like colored beer. strange stuff.

Pretty Things - Our Finest Regards Barleywine - Self explanatory. picked up aroma of grape popscicle at one point. for total complexity, his beers are unrivaled.

Prodigal Brewing (NH) - Effinghamburgherbrau - Helles Lager - not a lot of character to it, bright and clean. Misty Mountain Bock - a bit better, but not all there with full maltiness im looking for. Prognosticator Doppelbock - here they nailed it. deep and smoky malty malt. sharp finish and great for a bockbier.

Redhook - Wee Heavy - actually liked this one. little boozy, but full without sharpness or cloyingness.

Surley - Furious DIPA - a head above the others at this comp. nothing but beautiful hops laid atop the perfect bed of malts. can see why it was rated best in the country some time back.

Thomas Hooker - Liberator Doppelbock - fell well short of the style. quite dissapoining overall. not way off. just. not. good.

White Birch - Wrigian - Rye mystery - fantastic beer. rediculous rye explosion. thick and earthy. bready spice as fuck. great beer. gotta get on this one fast.


think that should do it.

cool

Sweet Sassy Mo-lassy

Hey chilluns. Time again to feed from the high trough of beery knowledge.

So its been months since I've posted. what of it. gonna get on recipes soon too.

but for now, a couple of recaps.

Cisco Brewers of Nantucket. A local brewery that often gets overlooked in the shadows of Boston Beer Company and the other big boys out West. BBCBC was lucky enough to get a good taste of their linup some time back to see what they have to offer. Now, at first glance, their roster looks pretty stock for a small American brewery: Pale Ale, IPA, Porter, Summer Weizen-type, stout. very stock indeed. but as they say, its all in how you make them.

First off, they go English style. As in, "ENGLISH MOTHERFUCKER, DO YOU SPEAK IT!?"
As in a subtle hand in hop use. As in balance in their beers. As in Marris Otter pale and English Fuggles, Northdown, Target hops imported from England exclusively for their stuff. This is very interesting.

First off, flagship. Whale's Tail Pale Ale - Seen all over, but here's the kick, English Pale. Instead of american hops pissing all over your tongue, you're greeted by the kiss of biscuity malt as if to say, "O, 'ello there! C'mon in, freshen yer drink gov'nor?" Instead of a thin lacking body, its full and rich without being sweet. the hops come in to compliment the malts ("good show, Winston my dear chap...good show"). earthy and lightly floral. I really felt ashamed that I've passed this rather unassumingly labeled bottle of beer over so many times while reaching for something more"extreme."

Next up - Indy Pale Ale - English IPA. See above for malt description. Gorgeous earthy deep hopping on a delicate but substancial malt base. Seriously one fo the best IPA's I've had in a very long time. its so uiquitous now in the US to go hop bombing that so many fall into mediocrity by mixing pale malt + metric assload of cascade/ centennial and assuming its gonna be great. I need more of this beer. it conjures images of a small pub on a rainy day, talking wistfully about the decline of The 'ol Empire.

Skankaty Light - They brought a light lager to the tasting. the audacity! the ignominy! the word "skank" in the very name of it! Excellent beer. A "light" lager with a strong body, very even flavor that wraps up clean as ever. no adjunct bite, no skunky tinge, very low sulfur. I was immensely pleased with this and could drink it for days. Again, subtlety in all things with this leads to a great beer.

Moor Porter - ok, time to get robusto up in this piece. thick and dark (not black, hear that amateurs, NOT BLACK) reeking of the rare deals like dark brown malt, chocolate malt, biscuit malt, dark crystal malt. full and rich, roastiness is in there, definitely not astringent or cutting. rather pleasing, getting more rewarding as it warms. no hop cut thankfully. another big full of win beer

Grey Lady - Belgian Blonde type - this is the only one where they missed the mark. overly fruity/ apricot, without enough belgian yeast profile. thinninsh body, just wasnt feeling it. Which again proves the point, so very very few do the belgians justice in America. #Ommegang and friends.

Now, with a lineup like that you might think they'd be content to rest on their laurels and now rising reputation. NAY CITIZEN. there's more. something frightfully more lurking about. that place where homebrewers fear and all bust the boldest turn aside.

Wood-aged, lactobacillus, wild yeast, brett, french oak and fruit reeking experimental beers - Behold, the Woods Series:

http://sites.google.com/site/ciscobeers/beer/the-woods

read this. one description, example - Flemish Braggot Smoke Spice Oak: Lambic critters, French oak barrels. Pinot Noir grapes. Mulling spices. 1000 lbs raw local honey. Cherrywood smoked malt.Unreal.

and thats just one of em. they had a single bottle of the Cherry Woods on. brutally sour, bright sour cherry, pleasant oaking, gushing and refreshing as all hell. so nice to see the flemmish sours making a dent in the world. So much more to come from these guys.

So all in all, big things from a small local brewery. Support a mofo and nab some next time you're oot and aboot.

C

Peppermint Chocolate Stout

STATS
Est. OG:
Est. FG:
IBU:
SRM:
~ ABV%:

INGREDIENTS
3.0 lbs Munton's Plain Dark DME
2.0 lbs Munton's Plain Extra Dark DME
1.0 lbs Munton's Plain Amber DME
1.0 lbs Munton's Chocolate Malt
1.0 lbs Briess Crystal 20L Malt
0.25 lbs Black Patent Malt
0.25 lbs Munton's Roasted Barley

1.0 oz Northern Brewer (8.0% AA) - 60 min
1.0 oz Fuggle (4.2% AA) - 15 min
1.0 oz Willamette (4.7% AA) - 5 min

8.0 oz Baker's Unsweetened Baking Chocolate Squares
2 tea bags Peppermint Tea Leaves (dried and crushed)
1 tsp Irish Moss
5 drops peppermint extract

Wyeast 1084 Irish Ale

3/4 cups corn sugar for priming

RECIPE
1. Steep grains @ 138 F for 30 min.
2. Raise temp to 150 F and hold for 10 min.
3. Raise temp to 164 F and hold for 16 min.
4. Bring to boil and add all DME and hops as listed above.
5. With 15 min remaining, add chocolate, 1 tea bag of peppermint, and Irish Moss.
6. Add 1 tea bag of peppermint with 5 minutes remaining.
7. After boil, cool immediately and transfer to primary. Condition 9 days total.
8. After 7 days of conditioning, add 2 drops of peppermint extract.
9. After 8 days of conditioning, add 3 drops of peppermint extract.
10. Bottle and condition 23 days. Enjoy!

FINAL STATS
OG: 1.053
FG: 1.0176

ABV%: 4.57%

Dog Days of Summer Ale

STATS
Est. OG: 1.040
Est FG: 1.010
IBU: 26-35
SRM: 4
~ABV%: 4.0%

INGREDIENTS
3.0 lbs Munton's Extra Light DME
1.0 lbs Munton's Wheat DME (55% wheat, 45% barley)
1.0 lbs Briess Wheat Malt
0.5 lbs Briess 10L Crystal Malt
0.5 lbs Briess 2-Row Malt

1.0 oz Saaz Czech hops (2.8% AA) - 60 min
0.5 oz Cascade hops (7.5% AA) - 15 min
1.0 oz Saaz Czech hops (2.8% AA) - 15 min
0.5 oz Cascade hops (7.5% AA) - 5 min
0.5 oz Chinook hops (11.4% AA) - 5 min
0.5 oz Cascade hops (7.5% AA) - Secondary
0.5 oz Chinook hops (11.4% AA) - Secondary

0.5 oz Ginger (grated) - 15 min
0.5 oz Orange zest (grated) - 15 min
1 tsp Irish Moss - 15 min
2 Kaffir lime leaves - Post Boil
2 Kaffir lime leaves - Secondary
1 cup Clover Honey - Tertiary

Wyeast German Ale 1007

3/4 cups Corn Sugar for priming

RECIPE
1. Steep grains @ 164 F for 27 minutes
2. Bring to boil and add all DME and hops as listed above.
3. Add spices as listed above.
4. At end of boil, cool immediately. Add 2 kaffir lime leaves to wort while cooling.
5. Transfer to primary and let condition for 5 days.
6. Transfer to secondary, dry hop, add 2 new Kaffir lime leaves, and let condition 22 days.
7. Boil 1 cup Clover Honey for 10 min and add to tertiary fermentor. Transfer beer to tertiary and condition 19 days.
8. Bottle beer and condition 14 days. Enjoy!

FINAL STATS
OG: 1.033
FGP: 1.018
FGS: 1.005
FGT: 1.0065

The above numbers are weird from adding honey in the tertiary. The OG should be recalculated and higher to explain the increased FGs from Secondary to Tertiary.

ABV%: 4.8%

Au - Double Belgian Blonde

So firstly, I made the mistake of inputting the ingredients into Promash incorrectly. Essentially, the beer came out 10% ABV rather than 6.5%. Lot of lessons learned from this one.

OG 1.093 (adjusted for starters, additions, and priming sugar)
FG 1.015
ABV 10%
IBU 27.2
SRM 4.8

7# Briess DME Pilsen
1.25# corn sugar
5 oz acidulated malt
5 oz biscuit malt 24L
5 oz honey malt 18L
2 oz flaked soft white wheat

1 oz Tettnanger 5.1% (40 min)
0.8 oz Tettnanger 5.1% (25)
0.8 oz Saaz 4.0% (15)
0.54 oz Saaz 4.0% (0)
0.54 Saaz 4.0% dry hop, 1 week.

White Labs 530 Abbey Ale (Westmalle)
Pitched 230 billion cells (2l starter woth 200 ml DME created 48 hours prior to brewing) 66F, allowed to rise to 71F.

Troubleshooting

LOT of yeast lost to blowoff. Account for starter size next time.

6 days out, stuck at 1.030. May need to boost yeast mass to finish fermentation.

Transferred to secondary, added 1L starter. Put in bathtub of 75-90F water to bring temp up for a few days.

Primed 10 oz Briess DME Pilsen. Target 2.7 volumes CO2.

Notes:
Westmalle strain tends to stall around 1.030, temperature needs to be raised to finish fermentation fully on the 3rd day after pitching. Otherwise it's tricky.

5 oz acidulated malt is very noticeable. May not fit the style, but I like it. For other styles, may need to tone it down a little.

Bathtub emergency method works. Get warm water in the bath, drop the secondary in, let the temp come up, refresh water.

Victory for All

BBCBC meeting

3.29.11

Tha minutes:

Peeps from good amigos of ours at Victory Brewing were by to showcase their newest wares for all to quaff. So we did enthusiastically.

Started off a bit weak, litterally with the Victory Lager, a stock german Helles, super pale, light and with pretty low flavor, some skunkiness unfortunately, followed by the Prima Pils, a much more successful beer, excellent example of the style.

Moving on the Headwaters Pale Ale was next up, typical APA. very nice flavor and aroma without the bitters, though somewhat lacking in body as is typical and why I dont care for the style that much. still, strong. This was inevitably followed by Hop Devil and Hop Wallop IPAs, not quite as pungently bitter as I once remembered. had it better on draft at some point. still nice aroma, but once ye go Ruination, your palate is forever fucked.

Next set was some Belgian styles done up. Now before I begin, I must state, as I always do, that I only trust 3 breweries outside of Belgium to get it right. Ommegang. Allagash. The Breuery. Everyone else, no matter how good their other stuff comes out, falls short. Big V was no exception. Helios, their saison, though I remembered it being better was flat and lifeless, with a bitter funky tinge not common to the style. Next, Golden Monkey, an overly sweet tripel, much lighter than I recelled from drinkings past in the Public House many moons ago. Still lacking in aroma (way too much banana) and without depth. Finally, V12, a Quad, smelled and tasted like a half assed strong/ old ale that belgian. alcohol all too apparent. rather disappointing.

Which bring us back to why we like these guys, German Styles. St. Victorious, their seasonal doppelbock, was excellent. Nice and malty without being too sweet or cloying. Rich german malanoidin malts with a not too heavy body and lighter color than most made for a most refreshing yet creamy and substantial brew. Finish was cleaner than most, not malingering like their german cousins. Finished with Storm King, big bad and robust as all hell. a bit more hopped than i recall, but still dark rich and deep.

Overall not a bad night of drinking. We'll return with more soon once we kick this problem drinker thing...

-B

Orator Ale - Scotch Heavy 70/-

4 # Briess Pilsen DME
0.5# Cane sugar
6 oz Crystal 10L
3 oz Roasted barley
1.5 oz Scottish peated malt

1.5 oz Styrian Goldings 2.6% AA 60 min
0.6 oz Fuggle 4.2% AA 15 min
0.2 oz Styrian Goldings 2.6% 0 min

Irish moss 15 min

White Labs WLP028 Edinburgh Ale

Method - Steep grain bag, add extracts. Boil down until it's reduced by half. Aim for kettle caramelization. Add to boiling water and proceed as normal.

OG 1.040
FG 1.013
3.54 % ABV

Springtime for Hitler - Maibock

2/13/11

Have we gone too far?

NEIN!

stats-

OG 1.069/ 1.062
FG 1.015/ 1.013
SRM 11
IBU 23

Malz

7.25# Pilsner
5# munich
.25# melanoidin

Hopfen

1.25oz hallertau 4.5% @ 60

Hefe

Wyeast 2206, Munich Lager - 1L starter, 1 cup ex LME, 24hr @ 58, swirling

H2O

stock

Protocol -

1. heat strike 4 gal to 175
2. to tun, allow thermal mass equlibration, settle to 165
3. add grain and mix - settle at 155
4. single infusion @ 155 60 min
5. heat sparge to 185, 4 gal.
6. recirculate 2 L till clear, take 1st runnings, 2.5 gal
7. batch sparge 4.5 gal @ 185, 5 min set for post-mashout and re-mix
8 recirculate 2L, collect 2nd runnings - 6 gal total
9. boil 60
@ 60 - 1.25oz hallertau
@10 - 1tbs irish moss
10. Chill TO 60, 20 min, strain to aerate, pitch 1L starter. settled @ 75, cooled to 60 outside.
11. OG1 - 1.062, 8points below the mark, poor efficiency.
12. 1 day @ 58 to start

2/14/11 - moved to 50 for 8 days
2/20/11 - grav - 1.020, still bubbling vigorously,
2/22/11 - 80% attenuated - move to 65 for diacyl rest 48 hr
2/24/11 - rack to secondary lager x 6 wk @ 40.

4/8/11 - bottled w/ 4.6oz dextrose. aiming for 2.7 vol. we shall see.

results pending....

Washington's Wooden Teeth - Oatmeal Molasses Stout

1/2/2011

Colonial brew, collaboration of nanertak and the baron.

DT got wise and changed the malt bill on me, so....

stats:

OG 1.065/ 1.070
FG 1.025/ 1.020
SRM 30/ 35
IBU 35/ 30

Malz -

10# 2 row pale (US)
2# flaked oats
1# marris otter pale (wary noice)
8oz flaked barley
8oz black malt
8oz chocolate malt
6oz dark molasses

Hopfen -

1oz chinook 11% @ 60/ 5
0.5oz cascade 6% @ 5

Hefe

WLP 002 english ale yeast - super floccu, did it work. second repitching with generic dry ale yeast.

H2O

stock

Adjuncts -

6oz dark molasses, 1oz toasted oak chips medium for secondary


proto

1. heat strike to 182
2. add to tun, allow thermal mass absorption 5 min
3. add grains, hit 157/ 156
4. mash single infusion @ 156 for 60
5. heat sparge to 190, cool 180.
6. add 1 gal or mashout. 10 min
7. recirculate 2 qt till clear, collect first runings - 3gal
8. batch sparge remaining 3 gal. sit 10 min
9. reciculate 2 qt, collect second runnings 3 gal.
10. boil 60
@60 - .75 chinook + 6oz molasses
@5 .25 oz chinook + 0.5oz cascade. no moss.
11. 4.5 gal left. chill, strain, pitch, no starter. OG 1.070
12. ferment 1 week @ 65-70
1/6/11 - no fermentation apparent, re-pitch generic dry ale yeast
1/9/11 - still nothing, let sit.
1/16/11 - grav reading - 1.020. something happened.
12. rack to secondary with 1oz oak chips. 2wk. 4 gal left.
1/30/11 - bottle with 2.1oz dextrose, 1.9oz light DME - aim 2.2 vol CO2

2/21/11 cracked on Washington's Birthday. was nice. oatiness, hearty, dryish finish, could be a bit drier. molasses hangs heavy in the air. light chocolate/ coffee, could use more. not bad. mouthfeel is pretty dead on, need more head retention.

Weizenschaaft ist Cool - Weizenbock

Sorry, would have got to this sooner but got distracted watching old MUSE videos. Fuck, man.

smoked weizenbock the ended up more like a overly smoked, overly dark doppel. meh.



stats, est/ actual

OG - 1.075/ 1.072
FG - 1.020/ 1.019
SRM - 23/ 35
IBU - 17/40 (from smoked malt)

Malts -

5# - Breiss wheat LME (ACTUALLY ONLY 50% wheat by vol, fuckers)
3.3# - breiss munich LME
1# german pilsner
3/4# cherrywood smoked malt
1/2# chocolate wheat
1/2# belgian special B

Hops -

1.5oz tetatanager 4.7% @ 60min

Yeast -

WLP 380 - Hefeweizen IV (more clove, less nanner) No starter (poor choice)

H2O -

1tsp CaCO3 to harden slightly

no adjuncts


protocol -

1. Steep @ 154 40min
2. sparge 1/2 gal @ 170
3. boil 60
@45 add 3.3# wheat LME
@ 30 add 3.3# munich malt
@ 15 add irish moss
@ 5 add 2# wheat LME
4. cool, strain, pitch direct
5. primary 1 week @ 75-80. was warm week
6. secondary 2 weeks @ 70
7. prime, .75 cup dextrose in 1/2# steeped uncracked smoked malt

-lack of wheat and heavy smoking regimen turned this doppelbock side up. stinging freak. still quite tasty though, rich and malty, deep and clove with banana. should re-do the style proper.

Warrior Mouse - Belgian Dark Strong

45 min steep, 160F
3 oz CaraAroma 125L
2 oz Belgian Debittered Black Malt 500L

60 min boil
3# Briess sparkling amber DME
3# Briess golden light DME
1# Bavarian wheat blend DME (65% wheat, 35% barley)
1# clear candi sugar
7 oz dark candi sugar

1.3 oz Tettnanger 5.1% 60 min
sachet* + irish moss 15 min (sachet removed before yeast pitched)
.7 oz Saaz 4% 5 min

WLP 565 Saison 1 (3 days)
WLP 530 Abbey Ale pitched 48 hours after pitching first yeast.

Fermentation temp - 68F
Two weeks fermentation.
Harvested krausen, re-pitched more yeast into secondary after transfer.
One week secondary at 68F.

*Sachet information is classified for the moment. Let's just say... there's some stuff in it.

Target CO2 - 3 volumes
Primed 5 oz dark candi sugar

OG - 1.086
FG - 1.023
IBU - 30.5
est SRM - 23.3
ABV - shade under 9% - (8.4% plus 5 oz priming sucrose)