Ingredients
Fermentables
11 lbs 14.6 oz Pale Malt 2 Row (2.0 SRM) – 88.4 %
8.4 oz Wheat Malt, Bel (2.0 SRM) – 3.9 % – for head retention
6.7 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt 20L (20.0 SRM) – 3.1 %
6.7 oz Dextrose (0.0 SRM) – 3.1 %
3.2 oz Acid Malt (3.0 SRM) – 1.5 % – for pH adjustment, little too much
Hops
1.20 oz Columbus [13.90 %] – Boil 60.0 min – 52.6 IBUs
1.00 oz Galaxy [14.00 %] – Flameout @ 200F
0.80 oz Columbus [13.90 %] – Flameout @ 180F
1.00 oz Galaxy [14.00 %] – Flameout @ 170F
1.00 oz Columbus [14.00 %] – Dry Hop 10 Days (addition 1)
1.00 oz Galaxy [14.00 %] – Dry Hop 10 Days (addition 2)
Misc
1 tablet Whirlfloc
1/2 tsp Wyeast Nutrient
Yeast
Safale US-05 (~14g)


The Brew
Soundtrack: Kompakt Records on Soundcloud
Brew Beer: american sour ale fresh from the keg, sharp!


Stats
Batch Size: ~6 gal
Mash: 1.25 qt/lb @ 149F for 60m, mash out to 178F
Overall Efficiency: ~60%
Water adjustment: Targeting hoppy Burton-esque water: Ca 70, Mg 20, HCO3 100, Na 50, Cl 100, SO4 200
Boil Duration: 60 min
Oxygenation: 1.5m O2
Original Gravity: 1.055
Final Gravity: 1.010
Est. ABV: 5.9%
IBU: 53 [Tinseth]
Color: 5 SRM
Fermentation: 67F
Carbonation:
Brewed: 3/29/13
Kegged: 4/27/13


Notes:
Tasting on 5/7/13: Color is light straw ‘pilsner-like’, good clarity and white head with pleasing stability. Aroma is a bit vegital, excessive time on dry hopping? Very earthy hop tones, some skunkyness but not as sharp and ‘woah’-inducing as I was aiming for. The taste is more acutely ‘hoppy’ than the flavor; much more on par with what I was aiming for. At first taste alone it is *sharp* and bitter, next time around I will back off a bit.

It is a frantic and wonderful time in my house this spring. Buried in the depth of my brew-ology text here I want to quietly announce I am moving to Palo Alto from Chicago this fall. Having lived in Chicago all my life, this is an exciting and intimidating change. Despite the challenges, I am already daydreaming about fantastic California beers. This brew is a celebration of the forthcoming spring and all its promises; my ale is aiming to be a red, hoppy and zesty farmhouse. Slightly more dark than I’ve made before, first time trying these hops…but change can be a good thing right?


Ingredients
Fermentables
4 lbs 14.0 oz Weyermann Pilsner (2.0 SRM) – 34.3 %
4 lbs 14.0 oz Briess Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM) – 34.3 %
2 lbs 8.5 oz OIO Gilbertson & Page Flaked Wheat (1.6 SRM) – 17.8 %
13.1 oz Weyermann Carared (24.0 SRM) – 5.8 %
11.0 oz Dextrose (0.0 SRM) – 4.9 %
6.4 oz Weyermann Caraaroma (178.0 SRM) – 2.8 %
Hops
0.56 oz Nelson Sauvin [11.80 %] – Boil 60.0 min – 19.8 IBUs
0.61 oz Motueka [7.80 %] – Boil 10.0 min – 5.2 IBUs
1.40 oz Nelson Sauvin [11.80 %] – Flameout
1.00 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] – Hopback
1.00 oz Nelson Sauvin [11.80 %] – Dry Hop 5 days
0.40 oz Motueka [7.80 %] – Dry Hop 5 days
1.00 oz Columbus [13.80 %] – Dry Hop 5 days – ABSENTMINDED-LY ADDED!
Misc
1 tablet Whirlfloc
1/2 tsp Wyeast Nutrient
Yeast
French Saison (Wyeast Labs #3711) – from 1200 ml starter


The Brew
Soundtrack: Shlohmo
Brew Beer: american sour ale stright from the fermenter on its way to the keg!


Stats
Batch Size: 6 gal – 5 to main, 1 to experiment
Mash: 1.25 qt/lb @ 154F for 60m, no mash out
Overall Efficiency: ~60%
Water adjustment: Chicago water – 0.5 tsp Gypsum, 0.25 tsp CaCl2, 0.5 tsp Epsom salt, 0.5 tsp Baking Soda
Boil Duration: 60 min
Oxygenation: 1.5m O2
Original Gravity: 1.050
Final Gravity: 1.008
Est. ABV: 5.5%
IBU: 25 [Tinseth]
Color: 12 SRM
Fermentation: 74F
Carbonation:
Brewed: 3/22/13
Kegged: 4/17/13

While the winter here in Chicago has been extremely mild – rainy, with days even in the 50s (F) – I have still developed a yearing for a cold night with a pint of oatmeal stout to warm me up. My #35 overtime oatmeal stout brewed more than a year ago was my last foray into the category. This time around I intended to make some small tweaks/experiments and most important to me was to give the English/British ale yeast strains another shot. I haven’t liked their profiles in my past beers but I keep on hearing that a lot of my favorite breweries actually deem it their house strain. Though I have found success with Belgian strains, the right selection of English/American strains still escapes me; going out on a limb and experimenting is the only way to find out!


Ingredients
Fermentables
8 lbs 8.0 oz Weyermann Pilsen (1.6 SRM) – 64.3 %
1 lbs 8.0 oz Trader Joe’s Steel Cut Oats (1.0 SRM) – 11.4 %
1 lbs 8.0 oz Weyermann Carafoam (2.0 SRM) – 11.4 %
1 lbs 2.4 oz Briess Roasted Barley (300.0 SRM) – 8.7 %
5.0 oz Dingemans De-Bittered Black Malt (550.0 SRM) – 2.3 %
4.0 oz Crystal Malt (20.0 SRM) – 1.9 %
Hops
0.54 oz Columbus [16.30 %] – Boil 60.0 min – 28.0 IBUs
Misc
(none, forgot my whirlfloc!)
Yeast
British Ale Yeast (Wyeast Labs #1098) – from 1500ml starter


The Brew
Soundtrack: Envy, Ottawa vs. New Jersey game
Brew Beer: hidden alley flanders ale


Stats
Batch Size: 6 gal [~5.5 gal into fermenter]
Mash: 1.25 qt/lb @ 157F for 45m, mash out to 168F, cold sparge to 7.5 gal
Overall Efficiency: 64%
Water adjustment: Chi water, 1 tsp chalk, 0.3 tsp gypsum, 1 tsp baking soda, 0.5 tsp salt
Boil Duration: 60 min
Oxygenation: 1.5m O2
Original Gravity: 1.058
Final Gravity: 1.020
Est. ABV: 5.0%
IBU: 28 [Tinseth]
Color: 36 SRM
Fermentation: 68F
Carbonation: ~2.4
Brewed: 2/18/13
Kegged: 3/18/13