Batch 4: Al’s Red-eye ale

Changed the name of this one because I haven’t got my scale in yet, and thus I’m having to “eyeball” the hops! Should be pretty close… LOL!

OK.  Just ordered the stuff for my 4th batch.  It’s going to be a “red” ale, about 6% ABV.  I haggled with a bunch of people on various forums with the recipe, and a lot of good advice was digested.  In the end, I decided upon  this recipe, for whatever it’s worth:

• 4 lbs, 8 oz Briess pilsen extra light liquid extract
• 3.o lbs Briess sparkling amber dry extract
• 1.0 lbs Weyerman Cara-munich II
• 0.5 lbs Briess carapils
• 0.5 lbs Briess 2-row caramel 120
• 1.0 oz Magnum 15.2% AA bittering hops 60 min
• 1.0 oz Cascade 6.0% AA 10 minutes flavor/aroma hops 10 min
• 1.0 oz Cascade 6.0% AA at flameout
• 1.0 oz Cascade 6.0% AA dry hops after one week in primary
• 1.0 oz Amarillo 9.3% AA dry hops after one week in primary
• 1/2 tsp 5-star super Irish moss powder
• Safale S-05 dry yeast
• 5 oz corn sugar at bottling*

5.5 gallon batch

1. fill pot number one with two gallons bottled spring water (actual volume used about 1.75 gallons)
2. heat to 165.
3. add crushed malt
4. hold at 155 for 40 minutes
5. In stainless 5 gallon pot, pre-boil 1 gallon spring water
6. strain wort from the grain bucket into stainless steel 5 gallon pot
7. bring to boil
8. add 1 oz magnum hops
9. boil 50 minutes
10. with about 20 minutes to go, I added the wort chiller to the pot.  I had the wort chiller filled with hot water at this time to prevent this step from killing the boil
11. add dried malt extract, liquid malt extract.  I actually added this a little at a time over about the last 20 minutes, so as to keep the boil going.  This seemed to work well, I plan to do this again.
12. stir
13. Once the boil started again, (which was quickly this time) I added an ounce of cascade flavor hops packet at the 50 minute mark and boiled 10 more minutes.
14. at flameout added the last ounce of cascade hops
15. at flameout I started cooling the wort by running cold water slowly through the wort chiller.  It cooled the wort quickly, SO much easier than using ice!
16. Sanitized fermentation bucket whilst waiting for wort to cool.
17. Sanitized other need utensils (spoon, thermometer, SG meter, wine thief, strainer)
18. added 2 gallons chilled spring water to sanitized fermentation bucket by letting it fall off the counter into the bucket, adding oxygen to the water in the process
19. poured cooled wort into fermentation bucket.  No straining this time, we’ll see how this works.  I figure with dry hopping it probably won’t make much difference anyway, but we will see when it’s done.
20. top to 5.5 gallons
21. Used sanitized thermometer to check temperature of wort before pouring into bucket, it was about 80F or so, while the water in the bucket was cooler than this.
22. Used sanitized wine thief to sample for OG reading
23. Aerated wort by vigorous stirring
24. Pitched yeast into bucket (was dry yeast, I pitched directly)
25. Waited five minutes
26. gently stirred using sanitized stainless steel spoon
27. Installed sanitized lid and airlock
28. Put in closet, ambient temperature 68-70F.
29. After one week, dry hopped with 1 oz cascade and 1 oz Amarillo pellets

Targets**

• 1.061 SG
• 1.015 FG
• 45.5 IBU
• 14.14 SRM
• 6.03 ABV

Actual OG: 1.060, pretty spot on!  Actual FG 1.012, close enough!

*going to try the 5oz package of bottling sugar on this one and see how it comes out

**note: targets are according to website.  Thus the targets are approximate.  I don’t have the BeerSmith software yet to check it myself but will soon get it.

Sweet Stout: Batch 3

Today I’m bottling my English IPA, tomorrow is brew day for my Sweet Stout!  Here’s the recipe:

• LME light 6.0 lbs
• 12 oz crystal malt
• 1 lb black patent malt
• 2 oz cascade hops (6.4AA) 60 minutes
• 1 lb lactose
• Safale S-04 dry yeast
• 1 whirlfloc tablet
• 4 oz corn sugar for bottling.

Estimated OG 1.045-1.048
Estimated IBUs 38-42
Estimated ABV 4.5%
Suggested fermentation temp 65-68 (will likely be 68-69, closet temp is pretty steady)
LME and lactose added before boil, total boil 60 minutes
rehydrate yeast at 95F in a cup of boiled spring water

I ordered a wort chiller but it hasn’t arrived yet, so this will be the last batch I have to cool with ice.

OK.  Here is my procedure:

1. Bring about 2.5 gallons of spring water to 168F
2. Add grain bag, slowly immersing and mashing with spoon to ensure the entirety of the grain becomes saturated, with no dry pockets
3. maintain temperature at 155-158F for 30-40 minutes
4. remove grain bag
5. add LME, Lactose
6. bring to boil
7. add hops
8. boil 60 minutes
9. at 55 minutes, add whirlfloc tablet
10. at flameout, put the boiling kettle in ice to cool
11. sanitize bucket, wine thief, thermometer
12. Add 2 gallons cold spring water to bucket
13. when wort reaches about 120-130F, add wort to bucket and top to 5.5 gallons with cold spring water
14. take sample for OG reading
15. aerate wort
16. add dry yeast directly to wort
17. after 30 minutes, gently stir
18. close bucket and add airlock
19. ferment in closet (68-69F ambient air temp)

That’s my procedure, and I’m sticking with it and having a homebrew along the way (Al’s Celebration Ale).

OG: 1.052

 

UPDATE: SG 1.024 as of the 13 day mark.  Still a bit cloudy, tasted pretty good, although a bit more bitter than I expected.  It should turn out pretty good though.  I plan to leave it for another week, then bottle using 3/4 cup by weight of corn sugar.