American Stout – All Grain

This one is somewhat planned, somewhat on the fly.  It was originally planned as an American stout, and will still be exactly that.  However, I have a little bit of leftover wheat that I want to get rid of, so I just decided to toss it in this one for the hell of it.  So in that respect, it’s a bit on the kitchen sink side…
Batch size is 3.5 gallons

• 6 lbs maris otter
• 10 oz crystal malt 120L
• 10 oz chocolate malt 350L
• 10 oz roasted barley 300L
• 10 oz flaked oats
• 7 oz pale wheat malt
• 7 oz flaked wheat
• 0.75 oz Columbus (1 hour)
• 1 oz Willamette (10 minutes)
• 1 oz Hallertau (5 minutes)
• 1oz Hallertau and 1oz chinook dry hop
• Us-05 yeast

Targets:

• OG 1.067
• FG 1.012
• IBUs 70.5
• ABV 6.3%
• SRM 41

Procedure:

1. prepare checklist
2. lay out ingredients and equipment
3. reconstitute dry yeast using 95F boiled spring water and allow to cool to room temperature
4. Add grains to mash tun
5. bring 3 gallon spring water to 169 F
6. Add 2 3/4 gallons of 168F spring water to mash tun on top of grains, then stir well
7. add more water to boil pot, bring to near 172F and hold for sparging
8. measure temperature after temperature equalizes in mash.  this has been prretty spot-on the last few batches, so I don’t anticipate having to boil extra water, but I will be ready just in case
9. adjust mash temperature using either heated mash water or cool spring water as needed to reach 152F
10. mash for 75 minutes at 152F
11. during mash, stir about every 15 minutes or so, checking temperature and adjusting if needed
12. at end of mash, begin draining wort into pitcher
13. allow first runnings to drain into a pitcher until clear
14. pour first runnings back on top of mash
15. drain remaining wort into boil pot until mash tun is near empty
16. add 1.5 gallons 172F water (adjusted as needed)
17. stir well
18. drain first runnings of first batch sparge into pitcher until clear (or close to it)
19. pour first runnings of first batch sparge back on top of mash
20. drain wort into main boil pot until near empty
21. add another 1.5 gallons 172F water to mash tun (adjusted as needed)
22. stir well
23. drain first runnings of second batch sparge to pitcher until clear (or close to it)
24. add first runnings back into mash tun
25. drain wort into main boil pot
26. add wort chiller to boil pot, filled with hot water
27. bring main boil pot to a boil
28. when boil is reached, add bittering hops, 0.75 oz columbus at 60 minutes
29. at 30 minutes, add about 1/4 tsp Wyeast nutrient blend to a small amount of spring water and dissolve
30. add nutrient blend at 15 minute mark
31. add 1/8 tsp Irish moss powder at 15 minute mark
32. add 1 oz Willamette at 10 minutes
33. add 1 oz hallertau at 5 minutes
34. at flameout, turn on water for wort chiller
35. begin sanitation procedures on spoon, thermometer, bucket, wine thief
36. stir occasionally with sanitized stainless spoon during cooling
37. ensure bucket, wine thief, thermometer, strainer, spoon are sanitized
38. when wort gets to about 72F, add to fermentation bucket, pouring through sanitized strainer to catch any extra solids and to help aerate
    
39. take OG reading with sanitized wine thief
40. thoroughly aerate wort with sanitized stainless steel spoon again
41. ensure wort is 72F or a little less before pitching yeast
42. ensure yeast is a little cooler than wort before pitching
43. pitch yeast
44. gently stir using sanitized stainless steel spoon
45. install sanitized bucket lid and airlock
46. ferment in closet for 14 days at 67F ambient air temp.
47. after 14 days, add dry hops, 1 oz hallertau and 1 oz chinook
48. ferment a total of 21 days
49. take FG sample and bottle
50. use 3.5 oz corn sugar at bottling

Actual OG: 1.058

Actual FG: 1.014

Notes: Sparge was difficult.  I had to stir it around the strainer hose frequently in order to get the wort flowing, and had to keep stirring it.

Also I had just a little bit of oatmeal left at home, not enough for a bowl, so I tossed that into the mash too, perhaps 2-3oz

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Founder’s Breakfast Stout

Just completed a trade, and got a bottle of Founder’s Breakfast Stout in my box!  Great stuff, rated 98 on beeradvocate.com and 99 on ratebeer.com!

Very black and thick with a fairly small head, but good lace.

Monster great coffee smell, reminds me of my grandmother’s percolator in her cabin in upstate new york. Roasted malts with a touch of burnt aromas cap off a wonderful aroma.

Taste is roasty, slightly burnt coffee bomb with tons of flavor, complex dark malt flavors intermingle with a little dark semi-sweet baker’s chocolate to make for a wonderfully tasty brew.

Feel is thick and rich, very chocolatey with a bitter finish and a full body.  Carbonation is pretty light but ample.

This is one delicious beer.  Thanks to BrettD for the trade!

New Glarus!

OMG!  New Glarus Brewing makes the most incredible beers… evah!  I am a huge fan of fruit beers, and New Glarus has the BEST!
Between their fantastic Enigma sour ale, their outstanding Raspberry Tart, their tremendous apple ale, and the vast array of fantastic offerings they produce, I vote for New Glarus as being one of the top ten breweries EVER!

Tonight it’s Belgian Red, a great cherry-based beer that’s incredible in every way.  Here’s my impressions as my taste buds explode with beery, fruity deliciousness…
Pours a dark red, almost purple color, a bit hazy with a one finger pink head and pretty good lacing.

Amazing aroma, cherries blasting everywhere.  It’s like you died and went to cherry heaven.

Taste is simply amazing.  You can tell this is a wonderfully produced product that is carefully crafted each and every time.  So much wonderful cherry flavor, sweet and almost candy like.

The body is light, highly drinkable, and delicious.  Cherry flavors permeate every ounce of your soul when you drink this one!

Between the raspberry tart and Belgian red, New Glarus has pretty much cornered the market on great fruit beers.

If you get a chance to try some New Glarus, you’ll see that it’s clearly Wisconsin’s best.  Great stuff!