Chinook in Bloom

Grew Chinook and Cascade hops this year. The Chinook is in bloom with a faint, piney aroma. A Harvest Ale is in store for these. I think I will wet hop an American Pale Ale with an ounce or two in the keg. To be enjoyed as the weather turns cooler.

American Rye Ale

grain:
- 12 pounds Briess 2 row Brewer's malt
- 8 pounds Briess Rye malt
- 6 pounds Briess White Wheat malt

hop:
- 2 ounces Willamette (whole hops) 60 minutes
- 1 ounces Cascade pellet hops in secondary (first half of batch)
- 1 ounces Centennial pellet hops in secondary (first half of batch)
- 1 ounces Willamette (whole hops) in keg (second half of batch)

yeast: White Labs German Ale/Kolsch from American Wheat

comments:
Sure as heck fire a fine Summertime quencher with enough rye character you will not forget him. Am I right? Or am I right? Or am I right? Or am I right?

Based on a BYO recipe.

batch size: 10 gallon

ambient outdoor temperature: 83 degrees Fahrenheit
ambient basement temperature: 72 degrees Fahrenheit

mash notes:
- (12:30 PM) mash start @ 154 degrees Fahrenheit
- (1:15 PM) @ 150 degrees Fahrenheit
- (1:30 PM) @ 150 degrees Fahrenheit
- (2:20 PM) first sparge at 19 degrees Brix
- (3:00 PM?) third (second not recorded) sparge at 14 or 15 degrees Brix

boil notes:
- (3:50 PM) boil start
- (5:00 PM) boil end
- post boil Brix reading: 18 degrees

brew date: 7/10/2010
keg date: 7/24/2010 with 1 ounce Willamette whole hops (second half of batch)
secondary date: 7/24/2010 with 1 ounce Cascade pellet and 1 ounce Centennial pellet hops (first half of batch)
bottle date: kegged it all!

notes:
- a good brew ... slightly bitter and oily from the rye. Willamette dry hops provide a nice floral contrast. less foamy than the wheat ale.
- the cascade and centennial dry hopped is very hoppy and decent ... the wheat ale was better though ... skip the rye ale next time

American Wheat Ale

grain:
- 11 pounds Briess White Wheat malt
- 6 pounds Briess 2 row Brewer's malt
- 5 pounds Weyermann Pils

hop:
- 1 1/2 ounces Willamette (whole hops) 60 minutes
- 1 ounce Willamette whole hops @ flame out

yeast: White Labs German Ale/Kolsch

comments:
A hint of flowery Willemette hops in an otherwise malt focused Summer quaffer. Based on a BYO recipe.

batch size: 10 gallon

ambient outdoor temperature: 78 degrees Fahrenheit
ambient basement temperature: 68 degrees Fahrenheit

mash notes:
- (9:10 AM) mash start @ 148 degrees Fahrenheit
- (9:30 AM) @ 144 degrees Fahrenheit
- (10:40 AM) @ 150 degrees Fahrenheit
- (11:00 AM) first sparge at 17 degrees Brix
- (11:35 AM) second sparge at 12 degrees Brix

boil notes:
- (12:10 PM) boil start
- (1:40 PM) boil end
- post boil Brix reading: 17 degrees

brew date: 6/26/2010
keg date:
- first keg forced carbonated by shaking, tastes great. Enjoyed a pint on 7/7.
- second key kegged on 7/10 with full package priming sugar. Added a 1/4 ounce Willamette to keg. Will naturally carbonate until the first keg is retired.

bottle date: kegged the whole batch


notes:
- an exceptional brew; must join the California Common and Amber / Red Ales as yearly batches
- learned wheat is more dense and more difficult to mill than barley
- no problems with stuck sparges
- spent grains cooling off prior to composting:

- boil about to begin:

- hot day in the brewery ... a Summery image:

- enjoying a pint

Strong Ale

grain:
- 26 pounds Muntons English Pale Ale Malt (Maris Otter)

hop:
- 2 ounces Willamette (whole hops) first wort hops
- 2 ounces Nugget (whole hops) 90 minutes
- 1 ounce Amarillo (whole hops) 90 minutes
- 2 1/2 ounces Amarillo (whole hops) dry

yeast: White Labs London Ale Yeast from Red Ale

comments:
A monster brew in the Barleywine / Old Ale category.

batch size: 5 gallon

ambient outdoor temperature: 65 degrees Fahrenheit
ambient basement temperature: 63 degrees Fahrenheit

mash notes:
- (1:45 PM) mash start @ 154 degrees Fahrenheit
- (2:00 PM) @ 150 degrees Fahrenheit
- (2:20 PM) @ 152 degrees Fahrenheit
- (3:45 PM) first sparge at 22 degrees Brix
- (? PM) second sparge at 17 degrees Brix

boil notes:
- (5:00 PM) boil start
- (7:00 PM) boil end
- post boil Brix reading: 24 degrees (predicting a 12% brew)

brew date: 5/15/2010
secondary date: 5/29/2010 (14 days in primary)
bottle date: 11/12/2010 (six months in secondary)

notes:
- too hoppy ... aroma and flavor ... feature malt more next time
- check out the hops in the secondary... about 2 1/2 ounces of Amarillo

- here is an interesting shot that shows how light this brew is compared to the Red Ale on the right (both brews are much lighter than the image indicates ... just note the contrast)

- 41 bottles

- enjoying a bottle in 30 degrees

Red Ale

grain:
- 19 pounds Muntons English Pale Ale Malt (Maris Otter)
- 9 ounces Briess Crystal Malt (60 Lovibond)
- 1 1/2 pounds Briess crystal malt (80 Lovibond)
- 12 ounces Dingmans Carapils
- 1 pound Munich malt
- 4 ounces roasted barley

hop:
- 1 1/2 ounces Nugget (whole hops) 90 minutes
- 1 ounce Amarillo (whole hops) 30 minutes
- 1 ounce Amarillo (whole hops) 5 minutes

yeast: White Labs London Ale Yeast

comments:
A Pale Ale caramel and citrus infusion.

batch size: 10 gallon

ambient outdoor temperature: 60 degrees Fahrenheit
ambient basement temperature: 60 degrees Fahrenheit

mash notes:
- (1:50 PM) mash start @ 146 degrees Fahrenheit
- (2:00 PM) @ 148 degrees Fahrenheit
- (2:30 PM) @ 148 degrees Fahrenheit (added hot water infusion during stir)
- (3:00 PM) @ 152 degrees Fahrenheit
- (3:20 PM) @ 150 degrees Fahrenheit
- first sparge at 19 degrees Brix
- second sparge at 13 degrees Brix

boil notes:
- (4:55 PM) boil start
- (6:35 PM) boil end
- post boil Brix reading: 16 degrees

brew date: 4/24/2010
keg date (one 5 gallon): 5/15/2010 with .25 cups priming sugar under minimal pressure; also a handful of Willamette hops
secondary date (one 5 gallon): 5/23/2010 with about an ounce of Willamette hops
bottle date: 11/6/2010 (almost 6 months in secondary ... oops)

notes:
- after two weeks in the keg, tapping the sides suggests high pressure ... resisting venting potential excess pressure
- naturally carbonated keg registered at 20 PSI after 3 weeks ... excess pressure released after a few pints ... delicious
- this is a great flavorful red ale. lots of malt and lots of hops.
- go for more bitterness next time

India Pale Ale

grain:
- 20 pounds Muntons English Pale Ale Malt (Maris Otter)
- 8 ounces Muntons Crystal Malt (60 Lovibond)

hop:
- 3 ounces Nugget (whole hops) 90 minutes
- 1 ounce Amarillo (whole hops) 30 minutes
- 1 ounce Amarillo (whole hops) 20 minutes
- 1/4 ounce Cascade (whole hops) 0 minutes
- 1/3 ounce US Goldings (whole hops) 0 minutes
- 1/4 ounce Cascade (whole hops) dry hopped
- 1/3 ounce US Goldings (whole hops) dry hopped

yeast: White Labs Dry English Ale Yeast from Pale Ale; wort dumped directly onto trub

comments:
A strong India Pale Ale showcasing high bitterness, citrus flavors, and floral aroma.

batch size: 5 gallon

ambient outdoor temperature: 55 degrees Fahrenheit
ambient basement temperature: 60 degrees Fahrenheit

mash notes:
- (9:30 AM) mash start @ 148 degrees Fahrenheit
- (10:00 AM) @ 146 degrees Fahrenheit (stir and add 2 - 3 quarts hot water)
- first sparge at 17.25 degrees Brix
- second sparge at 14 degrees Brix

boil notes:
- (12:30 PM) boil start
- (2:10 PM) boil end
- post boil Brix reading: 19 degrees (about 9.5% potential abv)

brew date: 3/19/2010
secondary date: 4/3/2010 (15 days in primary)
bottled date: 5/29/2010 (45 days in secondary)

notes:
- a bitter mouthful of hop flavor mingles with an obvious alcoholic bite at bottling time ... just as drawn up
- overall a good, strong IPA ... very bitter ... but lacks fruity and floral hop aroma ... use only American hops next time

Pale Ale

grain:
- 10 pounds 4 ounces Muntons English Pale Ale Malt (Maris Otter)
- 8 ounces Muntons Crystal Malt (60 Lovibond)

hop:
- 1 ounce Brewers Gold (pellets) 90 minutes
- 1/4 ounce Fuggles (whole hops) 0 minutes
- 1/4 ounce Cascade (whole hops) 0 minutes
- 1/3 ounce US Goldings (whole hops) 0 minutes

yeast: White Labs Dry English Ale Yeast

comments:
This Pale Ale is based on a recipe in Terry Foster's book Pale Ale. A lower gravity, dry Pale for the tap. Quickly conditioned brew targeted for release in about a month. The first ale of 2010.

batch size: 5 gallon

ambient outdoor temperature: 46 degrees Fahrenheit
ambient basement temperature: 55 degrees Fahrenheit

mash notes:
- (1:10 PM) mash start @ 154 degrees Fahrenheit
- (2:20 PM) @ 150 degrees Fahrenheit (stir and add 2 - 3 quarts hot water)

boil notes:
- (3:40 PM) boil start
- (5:15 PM) boil end
- post boil Brix reading: 12 degrees (about 5.5% potential abv)

brew date: 3/7/2010
keg date: 3/19/2010 with about 1/2 cup priming solution in 2 cups water
tap date: 4/6/2010

notes:
- natural carbonation worked well
- beer has an earthy aroma ... i prefer flowery and citrusy more than this aroma ... must be from the Fuggles and US Goldings
- overall an enjoyable beer ... though was not ready for basketball