Gastro Brewery Update!!!

It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything, so here’s what’s been happening at the Gastro Brewery.  First the Brewery has a new employee, a 3 month old black lab mix named Maximus, which we hired from a no-kill animal shelter.  We’re hoping that he brings the Brewery some good vibes. 

The Brewery recently produced a Belgian Strong Dark, at 8% ABV.  It’s a nice clean beer that has a great Belgian ester profile.  It’s very similar to the Delirium Nocturnal.  Here’s the recipe:

Meridius Belgian Strong Dark Ale

ABV 8%

11 lbs Belgian Pils

½ lb Belgian Special B

½ lb Belgian Aromatic

½ lb Caramunich 45*

1 lb Belgian Munich

3/4 lb Dark Belgian Candy Sugar 0 min

½ lb Cane Sugar 0 min

1 oz Tettnanger 4.5% AA 60 min

1 tsp Irish Moss 15 min

3 qt starter using Wyeast 1024 Belgian Ale

This is a great example of the style. The fermentation was right on target.  Although it’s not like you can have a lot of these, you certainly can have a couple and feel nice and toasty.

The Staff Vacation this year was to Aruba.  What A great place!  As soon as we got back, we cranked out our Harvest ale using our own home grown hops.   It’s basically a cross between blonde ale, and pale ale.  I used a commercial hop, Chinook, for bittering and then used the home grown hops for the flavor and aroma additions.  I was surprised on how it tasted after fermentation.  When I tasted a sample before I pitched the yeast it was very similar to most of my pale ales, but when I tasted a sample after fermentation it lacked that hop aroma and flavor.  It has a nice backbone with the Chinook, but the home grown Cascade and Chinook just didn’t come through.  Having said that, the beer is clean, and it taste good.  It’s a nice session beer.  Here are the vitals….

Maximus Harvest Ale

ABV 5.12%

8.5 lb American 2-row (organic)

4.8 oz Munich (organic)

1.5 lb wheat

7.6 oz American Caramel 20*

½ oz Chinook 11.4% AA 60 min

2.5 oz Chinook 10 min Home grown, AA % unknown

1.3 oz Cascade 0 min Home grown, AA % unknown

2 ea Wyeast 1056 American Ale

1 tsp Irish Moss 15 min

Brewery Update!!

The Latest Cider:
the last batch of cider turned into a great discovery. The preservatives in the apple cider used to back sweeten, did not kill the yeast left in the cider. So, if you add fresh apple cider and a simple syrup to the fermented cider to back sweeten, the fresh apple cider will not ferment, but the simple syrup will!
When I put the cider in the keg I was lagering a pilsner, and a keg of chocolate porter was carbing. So, for lack of room the cider stayed out at room temp for about a week. After I bottled the porter, I hooked up the cider to the gas and saw foam inching its way up the gas line! I quickly unhooked it and released the pressure valve. When I did this, massive amounts of foam started oozing out the relief valve. I then took it out side, and released the valve to let it do its foaming volcano like thang!
LESSON: "Use campdem tabs to sulfite the cider before adding more sugars!"

After it was still, I hooked it back up and then carbed. It tasted pretty good, I definitely could drink a couple of jars of this. It's dry with great apple flavor, although it has this bready characteristic that lingers in the background, Not necessarily a bad flavor. Its like an apple pie effect.

The Bohemian Pilsner Experiment:
Well This turned out how to make a really bad beer. I used straight tap water, I should have used half R.O. water, and half tap. I under pitched my starter by about a gallon and a half. On top of that, I completely froze the beer when I attempted to lager it. It taste like crap! It's been a while since I brewed a DUMPABRAU. It is under attenuated and has a overly sweet flavor. It also has this buttery flavor, I can't tell if its the cooked corn flavor of D.M.S. It's Just Straight Nasty!
Oh Well Try, Try, and Try Again!

Hop Harvest!!

The hops are ready to be picked. When dried, I'll got a good 2 oz out of the Chinook, a little over an oz of Cascade, and about a 1/4 oz of Centennial. You can see the yellow lupulin at the base of the flowers.









I'm am using a food dehydrator to dry the cones. I set it between 90 and 115 for three hours. I'm going to make a harvest IPA. I'll use a store bought hop for bittering and throw in my hops for the flavor, aroma, and bittering hops.

Brewery Update

Today I did a double brew session. I chose to do a Dusseldorf Alt and a Pale Ale. The brew session was long but I was happy to be able to brew two beers in one day. The Pale Ale is a recipe on the fly.

Autumn Leaf Pale Ale

10 lbs British Mild Ale
1/2 lb Caramel 60
3/4 Victory
13 oz. Vienna
1 oz. Chinook 11.4% AA 60 min
1/2 oz Amarillo 10 min
1/2 oz Cascade 10 min
1/2 oz Amarillo 0 min
1/2 oz Cascade 0min
1 oz cascade dry hop
2 pks Wyeast 1056 American ale
1 whirlfloc tab 15 min

I wanted to experiment with some other base malts so picked up some British Mild. I put in the caramel for some body and sweetness, some Vienna for a soft malty notes, and some victory for biscuit flavors. I mashed at 152 for 90 min, boiled for 75 min, and pitched at 68.

The Alt Beer is yet another Brewing Classic Styles recipe. I use this book to get a frame of reference on style, and then I adjust to taste from there. It is very helpful when I find myself not familiar with a particular style, such as Alt. There are not too many commercial Alt beers on the market. I have found two so far, not that I'm looking. Southampton Alt, and the Heuttenbar has an Alt on draft. Alt is a brown ale with and off white head. It is clean with malt, roast, and caramel flavors in perfect balance.

Dusseldorf Alt

8 lbs German 2 row
1.8 lbs Munich
1 lb Aromatic
3 oz Carafa special II
5 oz Caramunich III
20 g Magnum 14.4% AA 60 min
14 g Tettnanger 15 min
2 pks Wyeast 1007 German Ale with a 2 qt starter
1 Whirlfloc tab 15 min

Mash at 149 for 90 min, boil for 90 min, pitch and ferment at 60.

In other News!!
The Pilsner is lagering at a cool 34 degrees for four weeks. The beer was slightly under pitched and did not finish at the target final gravity, instead it ended up a couple points high. Oh well we'll see how it goes. As for the Chocolate Porter, It is stuck! I added a little more yeast from the slurry of the alt beer to see if would kick up. So far not much going on. I'll take reading in a few days and go from there.

Monday Night Chocolate Porter

With the new NFL season upon us I brewed a chocolate porter to drink while watching a certain football team from the New of England. Here are the stats.

Chocolate Patriot Porter
11.5# American 2 row
1.5# Munich Malt
1# Crystal malt 80
1# Crystal malt 40
.75# Chocolate Malt
.5# Black patent

1.5 oz Kent Goldings(american) @ 4.5 AA 60 min
.8 oz Wilamette @ 4.8 AA 30 min
.8 oz Wilamette 15 min
10 oz coco powder at 0 min
1 wirlfloc at 15 min
3 pks wyeast 1056 american ale

mash at 156 for 60 min, boil for 60 min and pitch at 67 degrees.

Wicked Hard Cidah!

The weather in Chicago has been on the cool side, and that means fall is here! Time for NFL football, baseball playoffs, and time for Wicked Hard Cidah!
Here are the stats:


3 gallons Organic apple juice, no preservatives
1 gallon 100% organic Gravenstien apple juice
1 vial White labs English cider yeast

I will ferment this bad boy for a couple weeks and then rack to secondary for 4 weeks. I'll back sweeten with apple cider and force carb in the keg. I will also add a touch of cinnamon and clove flavored simple syrup.

Hop Update!!

Here's a few shots of the hop plants. The Chinook is the healthiest with a bunch of beginning hop cones, followed by the cascade. I wish I could say the same for the Centennial, it just didn't grow very well. Chicago is a tough town.

Inaugural Lager

This is our first lager, from a recipe from Brewing Classic Styles. I rigged up a fermentation chamber to maintain fermentation temps. Heres a shot of some of the sazz I'll be putting in. The recipe is as follows:

12 lbs german pils
.75 lbs cara pils
1 oz sazz 5.8% AA 60 min
2 oz sazz 3.2% AA 30 min
1 oz sazz 5.2% AA 10 min
1 oz sazz 5.2% AA 0 min
2 pks wyeast Budvar with a starter
1 wirlfloc tab at 15min

mash at 154 for 90 min with 1.3 qt per lb. ratio.
chill to 43 and pitch, then ramp up to 50 over the next two days. lager for 4 weeks before carbing. I'll raise it up a bit at the end to ensure all the diacetyl is cleaned up.

Brewery Update!!

Wednesday I brewed another blueberry wheat beer, seeing if I could improve the previous recipe.




Here is the old one.
"First of the Season" Blueberry Wheat
5.5 lbs American 2-row
5 lbs wheat
1/2 lb Crystal 15
1 oz Willamette (5.1% AA) 60 min
2 pks Wyeast 2565 Kolsch
2 cans Oregon Blueberry puree
5 oz blueberry flavoring
Mash at 152 for 90 minutes

The New One.
The 2 row and wheat malt stayed the same. I switched out the crystal 15 for a whole lb of caramel 10. I tried to mash at 154, and will only use 1 can of the puree and half the flavoring addition. I used a pack of Wyeast American ale and a pack of Wyeast American wheat. The reason for this is to build up a culture for my the next brew session. I also used .75 oz. of Cluster instead of the Willamette.

Hops Update!!
The hops look great. The chinook has really taken off, with the centennial and cascades not far behind. I installed some support for the vines to grow up on, and did a little trimming.


I don't expect a huge harvest, I just hope I get enough for one batch.


Q.C. Report on the 18 hole kolsch
This beer turned out great!! It has a clean spritzy, mouth feel, smooth hop flavor, malty aroma, and a slightly bitter finish. I can't wait to brew it again. I rigged up a fermentation chamber to my A.C. unit with a thermostat, so I can control fermentation temp and keep it at exactly 60 degrees.
Q.C.R. Grade = A

Here are some recipes that never made it to the blog. A first of the season blueberry wheat, my 18 hole kolsch, and the latest batch of Rock Face pale ale.

"First of the Season" Blueberry Wheat:
This was the second attempt at the blueberry wheat. This time I used the Oregon canned puree instead of the IQF Blueberries from the previous batch. The puree was added to the secondary and sat for a week. It left a lot of sludge on the bottom.

5.5 lbs American 2-row
5 lbs wheat
1/2 lb Crystal 15
1 oz Willamette (5.1% AA) 60 min
2 pks Wyeast 2565 Kolsch
2 cans Oregon Blueberry puree
5 oz blueberry flavoring
Mash at 152 for 90 minutes

I got an O.G. 1.050 and an F.G. of 1.012. The beer is very crisp, and has a little more body then the last batch. It still is tad dry for my taste. Next time I'll up the mash temp and replace the crystal 15 with a full lb of caramel 10, or maybe add some Vienna.
QCR GRADE = B-


18 Hole Kolsch:
Those who know me, know that most of my life is spent at a golf mecca, otherwise known as Medinah Country Club, and home to the 2012 Ryder cup. Even though when I'm there I'm not playing golf, I decided to dedicate this brew to the world of golf, a world that allows me to pay my bills.



10lbs German pils
1/2 lb wheat
1/2 oz Hallertau (3.9% AA) 60 min
1/4 oz Northern Brewer (6.5% AA)
1 Wirlfloc tab 15 min
Yeast cake from blueberry wheat beer
Mash at 149 for 90 min
use a 90 min boil to reduce DMS

This was the first time I used gelatin to clarify. I used 1 tsp of gelatin that I blooomed, and then heated to 170. The beer has been lagering for about 3 weeks. 1 more week and I will transfer it to another keg and then carb it to 2.5 volumes. I got an O.G. of 1.049.

Rock Face Pale Ale V4.0:
Here's the latest version of the ever changing Rock Face Pale Ale. No rhyme or reason for the changes, other then variety being the spice of life.

10 Marris otter
1/4 lb Crystal 60
1/2 lb Vienna
1/2 lb Wheat
1 oz Chinook (11.4% AA) 60 min
1/2 oz Perle 10 min
1/4 oz Northern brewer 10 min
1/2 oz Cascade 0 min
1/2 oz Perle 0 min
1 oz Cascade added to secondary
1 wirlfloc tab 15 min
2 pks Wyeast 1056


Mash at 152 for 90 min
got an O.G. of 1.051 and an F.G. of 1.014

I kegged this and I will lager it for two weeks. I usually carb and drink right away, so we'll see how it goes. Chin Chin!

WideSpread Wheat an American Wheat Beer

So I decided to brew up an American wheat and make with some hop character, but still be crisp. I will ferment this around 65 degrees to keep it clean. I used an even balance of wheat and two row, and enhanced the flavor with some Belgian biscuit, and German Munich. The brew session worked out real well, until I started to mill the wheat. I ended up cracking the partical board base in half, and snapping off the handle, all in one shot. I some how managed to turned the remaining part of the handle to mill the rest of the grain, and the show went on! Here are the vitals......

WideSpread Wheat
an American wheat

4.5 lbs American 2-row
4.5 lbs Briess Wheat
1/2 lb Belgian biscuit
.75 lbs Munich
1/2 oz Chinook (13%AA) 60 min
1/2 oz Liberty 15 min
1/2 oz Cascade 0 min
1 pk Wyeast American wheat
1 pk Wyeast American Ale

I mashed at 152 for 90 min, boiled for 75 min and got 5.5 gallons into the fermenter, with an O.G. of 1.052

In Other News........
Homegrown hops:
I planted three hop rhizomes this spring. A Cascade, Centennial and a Chinook. The all have grown large enough for me to start training them. It will be a challenge for them, they don't have a clear southern view for maximum sunlight exposure. Here they are a few weeks ago.

Alt Beer Showdown!
I picked up a Southhampton alt beer this week. It was the first commercial alt beer I have ever had. It tasted very similar my alt beer I made using JZ's recipe. The commercial one was lighter in color, but both had that smooth roasted malt flavor with a crisp and clean finish. This at least gives me some kind of assurance that the one I brewed was in the right ball park.
Kampai!!

Quality Control Report (QCR)

Here is the scoop on how some of the recent recipes have turned out.
(All grades given by the National Association of Beer Tasting Research For the Gastronomique Brewing Company or NABTR for the GBC)

Wicked Hard Cidah!
Every time I drink this I am amazed on how it turned out. It has a perfect balance of sweetness that makes it a true session drink. I could easily sit down and drink this all day. The key to its success was the blend of juice, and the back sweetening process before kegging. This is a perfect 5% ABV. I did not want to make an apple wine so I did not add any sugar to the recipe. If you try this recipe I guarantee you will enjoy it.
GRADE = A+

Rock Face Pale Ale V3.0
This was the latest addition to my ongoing Pale Ale experiments. At first it was a little too bitter, but as it aged it got a lot smoother. A very drinkable beer with a big hop aroma, and crisp malt background. This is one of my favorite styles. I would recommend this recipe for beginners, due to the fact that the hop additions can mask some imperfections in the beer. The key is balance. The brewer must maintain appropriate levels of hop bitterness, flavor and aroma, with the malt sweetness providing the backbone. This recipe has all the classic American Pale Ale Characteristics. If you like Sierra Nevada you'll like this one.
GRADE = A

McCarthy's Irish Red
When I made this beer I was trying to clone Smithwick's, a malty beer with a touch of roast and a dry finish. Overall the beer was decent, although it was a little sweeter and more toasty then the original. Next time I brew this, which would be in November/December, I'll cut back on the specialty grains and try and mash at a lower temp. This should keep the roasty and toasty notes in check, and allow the beer to dry out a little more during fermentation If you like a big malty beer, then this is for you.
Grade = B

German~American Hefe Weiss

Yesterday I brewed up a batch of Hefe Weiss. Its a very simple recipe, and could be one of the easiest beers to brew. It has two types of grains and one hop addition. Franziskaner is a great commercial example of the style, and I made sure I had plenty on hand while brewing!

"Dank"
A German~American Heffe Weiss
--------------------------------------
5lbs 10 oz American 2-row
5 lbs 10 oz wheat malt
29 g hallertau (4.2% AA) 60 min
2 pks Wyeast 3638

Mash with 3.64 gallons of water
Rest at 152 for 90 min
Boil for 75 Min
Pitch at 60 and ferment around 62

Batch Sparging
I add a gallon of near boiling water per 10 lbs of grain in the recipe for mash out. This thins out the mash wich allows the sugars to flow more freely, and raises the temp to halt enzymatic activity. It also makes up for grain absorption I then sparge with an amount of 180 degree water equal to the volume of the first runoff.

I used the US 2-row in place of the traditional pilsner malt found in Weiss beers. This beer is all about the yeast profile. A cool fermentation will get the right balance of banana, clove and spicy characteristics. I got a pre boil gravity of 1.046 at 7 gallons, and a starting gravity of 1.054 at 5.75 gallons. This beer is perfect for spring, warm weather, and opening day of baseball season! GO RED SOX!!

Use a blow off tube, wheat beers tend to be very active during fermentation! I'll let this ferment for about 10 days and then I'll keg or bottle. Cheers!
Q.C.R. Grade = B

"Alt, Who goes There?" Noerthern German Alt Bier Brew Session

Yesterday I brewed a northern German Alt beer loosely based on a recipe by Jamil Zainasheff. I chose to use Belgian pale as the base grain. His recipe calls for Pilsener malt. I have it fermenting in a plastic trash can with water and freezer packs to keep the temp at approximately 60 degrees. The shirt around the carboy protects the fermentation from light and allows the carboy to stay cool. I hit the target gravity right on the nose with a reading of 1.050. I brewed this to try and get a grasp on what the specific characteristics that an Alt beer has, and to get a point of reference so I can try and clone the Alaskan Amber.

"Alt Who Goes There"
a Northern German Alt Bier
_______________________

9.8 lbs Belgian Pale Malt
1 lb Organic Munich
1/4 lb Carafa Speacial II
1/4 lb CaraMunich
3 oz Pale Chocolate
1 oz Magnum (14.2% AA) 60 min
1 Wirlfoc tab 15 min
3 pks Wyeast 1007

I did a 90 min rest at 152, a 90 min boil and I pitched at 60 degrees. Prost!
Q.C.R. Grade = A

Rock Face Pale Ale V3.0 Brew Session

About 3 weeks ago I brewed a batch of my Rock Face Pale Ale using Amarillo, Centennial, and Cascades. I tried to keep it on the dry side with a background character that had more biscuit and toasty elements to it. So instead of using Munich, which I have always used in past Pale Ale batches, I used Vienna, which is a little lighter and crisper then the munich. I also used some Crisp Marris Otter in the grain bill, which is kilned to produce more biscuit like flavors then your average 2-Row. When I brewed this beer I only had a small amount of the 2-row and I wanted to use it up, so instead of using all CMO in the recipe I cut it with the 2-row. Its good to keep a good rotation of product to ensure freshness.

Rock Face Pale Ale V3.0
--------------------------------
7.2 lbs Crisp Marris Otter
4.75 lbs Canadian 2-Row
3/4 lb Vienna
1/2 lb Wheat
1/4 oz Crystal 60
1 oz Chinook (11.4% AA) 60 min
1/4 oz Cascade 10 min
1/4 oz Amarillo 10 min
3/4 oz Cascade 0 min
3/4 oz Amarillo 0 min
1 oz Amarillo dry hop
1 Wirlfloc tab 15 min
2 pks Wyeast 1056

O.G. 1.057
F.G.1.010
This is the first time I used Amarillo in a recipe. The beer is in the keg now and just about fully carbonated. It has a great citrus flavor. The combination of the cascade and Amarillo give the beer a little complexity. The malt background is very complementary to the beers overall character. Its has that light toasty essence with a little caramel. I would say that this recipe is a great one. Next time around I will use nothing but Marris Otter for the base grain, and I might change the hop schedule. Maybe I'll try the First Wort Hopping technique. Chin Chin!

Here is a short clip of the 60 min hop addition. Its about 15 degrees out, but it could be worse.

Cider and IPA Kegging Sessions

Well I decided to keg The IPA and the Cider, after I finally gathered all the kegging equipment. The IPA came out nice and hoppy, with a lot of malt character. At first It seemed a little too sweet, but as it aged a bit, and settled at the proper carbonation level, it actually turnned out not too bad. I don't think this stuff will last very long!
As for the Cider....
I ended up back sweetening with some apple cider that contained preservatives, some apple juice, and a simple syrup that I boiled with some cinnamon and clove. It tasted real nice, with good crisp apple flavor. Its got a nice tannin level that balances with the tartness and the sweetness of the cider.
The final gravity fell to 1.000, so with a starting gravity of 1.050 its should be around 6.5% ABV before I added the juice and sugar. The ABV should be a little lower after the addition.
Next time I might add some french oak and some honey or sugar to the recipe.

Duchess de Nodak

Last night I attempted a Flanders Red. Overall it was a nice session, even though it was only about 10 degrees outside. My wife Jenny is from North Dakota and loves Duchess de Bourgogne, so hence the name Duchess de Nodak. Nodak = North Dakota. I used the method of starting fermentation with wyeast 1056, and then secondary with oak chips and the wyeast Rosalare blend. This is supposed to get more consistent results, and make it turn out not as sour as the Rodenbach Grand cru, but more like the regular Rodenbach.

Duchess de Nodak
A Flanders Red

5.25 lbs Canadian 2 row
5.25 lbs Vienna
1/2 lb Wheat
1 lb Munich
1/2 lb Special "B"
1/2 lb Caramunich III
1/2 lb Aromatic
1 tab Wirlfloc 10 min
.8 oz Goldings (5% AA) 60 min
1 pk Wyeast 1056 American Ale
1 pk Wyeast VSS Rosalare blend
1 oz oak Chips

I mashed at 154 for 90 minutes, boiled for 75 minutes and chilled to 63 degrees before pitching the 1056. After racking this to secondary it will ferment for about a year. I might add sour cherries before bottling, we'll see how it goes!

Centennial Pale Ale V2.0 Tasting Notes

This was a good beer. Nice and Hoppy!
Not to be over critical but it was a little too caramel candy sweet, but in reality it was not cloying and pleasant to the palate. I'll tweek that down a bit next time. Nice white to off white head. Very "drinkable". This stuff was gone fast.



In other news.....



I finally scored a sanyo 4912 mini fridge for a kegerator!!!!!
Thank you Craigslist!
I took it off this guys hands for a mere 100 bucks.
I got the tubes and fittings coming from the always reliable Northern Brewer, and a dual regulator from Midwest Supplies for $99. All I have to do now is pick up the co2 from the gas store, Suburban Carbonics.

Rock Face IPA Brew Session

Today I made an IPA using a recipe I just came up with out of the blue with a little help from Brewing Classic Styles.

Rock Face IPA

12.75 lbs Canadian 2row
.75 lbs Munich
1 Lbs Caramel 20
.25 lbs Caramel 40
1 oz Magnum (14.2% AA) 60 min
1/2 oz Centennial (9% AA) 10min
1/2 oz Cascade (7.2% AA) 10 min
1 oz Cascade (7.2% AA) 5 min
1 oz Cascade Flame out
1 oz Cascade Dry Hop
2.89 liter Yeast Starter Wyeast 1056
1 tsp Irish Moss 15 min

Mash For 90 min at 150-149
1.3 qt per pound ratio
target OG 1.065
Estimated FG 1.012

Actual OG 1.060
I ended up adding a little too much water for a mash out, and I collected 7.25 gal instead of 7 gal, thus diluting the pre-boil gravity. Over all, a very smooth session. I used a big starter that I made sunday morning. I pitched at 3:00 pm and krausen had formed by the time I woke up the next day.
"Chin Chin"