Batch No. 9 - Moonshiner

Moonshiner

Brewer - March 29, 2008

Style - Bourbon Porter
Source - Northern Brewer kit

Ingredients:

• 1.0 lbs. Simpson's Chocolate
• 0.5 lbs. Simpson's Dark Crystal
• 0.5 lbs. Simpson's Dark Malt
• 2.0 lbs. Wheat DME (60)
• 6.3 lbs. Dark LME (15)
• 1.0 oz. Chinook (60)
• 0.5 oz. Argentina Cascade (15)
• 0.5 oz. Argentina Cascade (5)
• 2.0 oz. Oak Cubes (DH)
• 16 oz. Makers Mark (DH)
  

OG - 1.064
Primary - 8 days
Secondary - 54 days

Bottled - May 30, 2008

FG - 1.020
Attenuation - 68.8%
ABV - 5.8%

Notes:
- 3.25 lbs. LME went in at 60 min by mistake
- Makers Mark - soak w/ chips for one week
- Dumped into secondary



Wood chips & bourbon in bottom of carboy

Batch No. 8 - Senior Moment

Senior Moment

Brewed - March 22, 2008

Style - Old Ale
Source - Northern Brewer kit

Ingredients:

• 2.0 lbs. Golden Light DME
• 6.0 lbs. Gold LME (15)
• 0.5 lbs. Simpson's Dark Crystal
• 0.5 lbs. Golden Flaked Oats
• 1.0 lbs. Dark Candi Sugar / rocks (0)
• 1.0 oz. Argentina Cascade (60)
• Wyeast #1084 Irish Ale
  

OG - 1.066
Primary - 7 days
Secondary - 61 days

Bottled - May 29, 2008

FG - 1.022
Attenuation - 66.7%
ABV - 5.8%

Notes:
- candi sugar took a while to disolve / stuck to chiller
- 5.5 gal in primary / too watery??
- LME actually went in @ 60 instead of 15

Batch No. 7 - Shredded Wheat

Shredded Wheat

Brewed - March 8, 2008

Style - German Hefeweizen
Source - Mountain Homebrew / Siren!!

Ingredients:

• 6.0 lbs. wheat LME
• 1.0 lbs. Wheat DME
  
• Misc. grain from all-grain kit
• 1.0 oz. Hallertau / Leaf (60)
• Dry Yeast - Safale us-05
  

OG - 1.051
Primary - 9 days
Secondary - 19 days

Bottled - April 5, 2008

FG - 1.012
Attenuation - 76.5%
ABV - 5.1%

Notes:
- first time using dry yeast
- high attenuation with dry yeast
- all grain kit / picked up LME / used most of grain
- old wheat LME?
- first time using leaf hops

This was an ok beer overall, but didn't really turn out to style. I think I've brewed two beers now with wheat LME and I don't like it. Leaves a strange texture and I think it's the quickest of LME's to turn.



Leaf hops added to the boil

Batch No. 6 - Midland Pale Ale

Midland Pale Ale

Brewed - December 30, 2007

Style - American Pale Ale
Source - Tastybrew.com / Bob's HBS

Ingredients:

• 7.0 lbs. LME
• 1.0 lbs. Crystal 40L
• 1.0 lbs. Munich Light
• 1.0 lbs. Golden Promise
• 1.0 lbs. British Two-row Pale
• 1.0 lbs. Flaked Barley
• 1.0 oz. Domestic Gaiena (60)
• 0.5 oz. Domestic Gaiena (15)
• 0.5 oz. Domestic Gaiena (DH)
• Wyeast #1056 American Ale
  

OG - 1.060
Primary - 14 days
Seconday - 14 days

Bottled - January 27, 2008

FG - 1.018
Attenuation - 70%
ABV - 5.5%



At capacity once again - BW, Coffee Porter & new Pale Ale

Batch No. 5 - Liquid Karma

Liquid Karma - Coffee Porter

Brewed - December 23, 2007

Style - Coffee Porter
Source - Tastybrew.com / Bob's HBS

Ingredients:

• 7.0 lbs. LME
• 1.0 lbs. American Crystal 80L
• 1.0 lbs. American Munich Light
• 1.0 lbs. Chocolate Grain
• 1.0 lbs. Flaked Oats
• 1.0 lbs. Corn Sugar
• o.25 lbs. American Black Patent
• 1.5 oz. Fuggles (60)
• 1.5 oz. Fuggles (15)
• 4 cups strong coffee (DH)
  
• Wyeast #1028 London Ale

OG - 1.068
Primary - 7 days
Secondary - 27 days

Bottled - January 26, 2008

FG - 1.020
Attenuation - 70.6%
ABV - 6.3%

Notes:
- 4 cups strong coffee (Organic Sumatra)
- cooled in fridge; dumped in secondary
- named after my fav Ballard coffee shop, the now defunct Karma Coffee

I love coffee, I love porters and I love the combo, so this was a natural one to try. Found a nice looking recipe on Tastybrew.com and this was my first time following a recipe and picking up all my supplies at a homebrew shop. That process made it all more real b/c as opposed to receive a complete kit via FedEx, I had to measure out and crush all the needed grains. More expensive, but something is said for smelling all those grains and having a more organic experience.

This turned out to be one of my fav batches to date and really took off after 3 months in the bottle with flavor and texture taking some time to meld together. Brewed again in early 2009 w/ some minor changes.


After coffee dumped into secondary

Labels - Clean Sweep IPA

December 18, 2007

With my first brew a success, I was excited to share with friends and send some bottles back home to my family...and fellow Red Sox fans!! I took some copyright liberties and made a nice label using Photoshop with the team logo and comments about how it was brewed on the same day as the clinching game. The labels turned out great and went on easy (printed on regular copy paper and attached via glue stick).

Labeling is fun and makes for great presentation, but I spend time messing with irrelevant details like a brewery name and stuff like that. In 2008 I did three different brews that I bottled in green, 750 ml bottles and took some to a pre-wedding party. I have been doing them less and less these days, but will post the other ones I have later.

First Taste - Clean Sweep IPA

Date - December 8, 2007

After patiently letting my first batch carbonate it was time to taste the finished product. Sounded like a beer, looked like a beer and sure enough tasted like a beer! Crisp, clean, sweet and hoppy. Lovely nose from the dry hopping. I didn't take much notes beyond that, but for being my first beer I was very pleased. The only complaint, which would continue for most beers, was that the thin body and overall lacking texture.

From what I had read, clarity is sometimes had to come by but mine was crystal clear. That was one of the reasons I went with the glass secondary and let it rest longer so that everything drops out. Another concern during the was the possibility of bottle bombs, but that never came to be (and hasn't yet).

For research purposes, I decided it would be best to have my IPA against a lineup of commercial brews - Stone IPA, Lazy Boy IPA and Left Hand Warrior IPA. Mine stood up very well against these three.

Hey now, homebrewing rocks!!!!!



Carbonation....check!



Clear.....check!



IPA lineup (mine of the far left)