I've Got Gas

After borrowing tanks for a few months to carbonate all my beers, I finally picked up my own CO2 tank, regulator and hoses. Not only do I have several kegs (up to 10 now), but carbonating with CO2 takes ~ 3 days versus ~ 3 weeks for natural carbonating with yeast/sugar. Kegs are also easier for storage and a secondary rest phase before drinking.

Kegging continues to be a learning process though with getting the desired amount of carbonation, limiting excessive foaming inside the keg (annoying when trying to bottle), cleaning, sealing and adventures with used keg posts not closing quite right (one beer lost its carbonation and head pressure, while another slowly leaked out more than a gallon of beer).

Batch No. 35 - The White Rabbit

The White Rabbit

Brewed - July 9, 2011

Style - Belgian Witbier

Ingredients:

• 10.0 lbs. Weyermann Pilsner
• 10.0 lbs. White Wheat
  
• 1.0 lbs. Flaked Wheat
  

• 2.00 oz. Hallertauer (60)
  
• 0.75 oz. Hallertauer (5)
• 1.5 oz. Coriander (5)
• 1.0 oz. Dried Orange Peel (5)
• 1.0 oz. Dried Bitter Grapefruit Peel (5)
• 0.5 oz. Grains of Paradise (5)
• 0.2 oz. Lavender (5)
  

• Wyeast #3944 Belgian Witbier (3 packs / 1500 ml starter)

OG – 1.048
Primary – 14 days
Secondary - 9 days

Kegged - August 1, 2011


FG - 1.008
Attenuation - 83%
ABV - 5.24%


Notes:

• Mash 154° for 60 minutes
• Sparge at ~ 175°

Batch No. 34 - Loving Cup Saison

Loving Cup Saison

"Oh, what a beautiful buzz, what a beautiful buzzzzz"

Brewed - July 9, 2011

Style - Saison

Ingredients:

• 20.0 lbs. Weyermann Pilsner
• 2.0 lbs. Table Sugar (added into the boil @ 25 mins.)
  
• 1.0 lbs. Belgian CaraVienne
  
• 0.5 lbs. Belgian Aromatic
  
• 0.5 lbs. Carapils
  

• 1.25 oz. Styrian Golding (60)
  
• 1.54 oz. Hallertauer (60)
• 2.0 oz. Czech Saaz (10)
• 2.0 oz. Czech Saaz (5)
• 1.0 oz. Coriander (5)
• 1.0 oz. Orange Peel (5)
  

• Wyeast #3726 Farmhouse Ale (slurry from Adam / 1500 ml starter)

OG – 1.072
Primary – 14 days
Secondary - 32 days

Kegged - August 24, 2011


FG - 1.010
Attenuation - 86%
ABV - 8.12%


Notes:

• Mash 152° for 60 minutes
• Sparge at ~ 175°
• 90 min boil
• lower mash temp and thinner mash volume to help attenuation

• 1/2 of this batch was dumped into the uncleaned keg of the Scrizzel Berliner Weiss, which has leftover brett dregs coating the keg
• part of the reason was that it was during of a long day and frankly I didn't want to clean the keg, but also of course I was curious how much flavor the brett dregs would impart on the beer esp. after it had already from the berliner weiss
• I carbonated that keg up for Adam's wedding
  
• the second 1/2 is still sitting in the keg at the brewspace and I haven't even carbonated it yet, but will do so soon; no brett in that one