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