So long 2010!

So, I've been using this to log all of the beers I brew, and as you'll see, I've been slacking on documenting. I keep great records in my brew program, but finding time to do a blog post has been rough. So, here's a pile of them all lumped into one blog post (I just brewed 3 more batches today, so I figure it's time to catch up!)


8.6.10 - Double IPA
1076 OG - This was a hop bomb. It also was when I realized I had a bad batch of Cascades from Hops Direct. The beer was drank, and tasted ok, but it had this burnt hop taste to it, overly bitter. The odd thing is, the other beers I used those same cascades in tasted similar. Will try this one again in the future - was nice having a big IPA sipper on tap.

8.27.10 - Oktoberfest Ale
1064 OG - Yes, you heard it right. An Oktoberfest Ale - and probably one of the most popular beers on tap in the DRB in 2010. I'll definitely be making this one again. Fan-freaking tastic. Pilsner, Vienna, Munich and a few other grains make up this beer. Small bittering hop at 60 min., and fermented with Saf 04.

9.15.10 - Pumpkin Pie Ale
1055 OG - Same recipe as last year only I used canned pumpkin in the mash. Did that make a difference? No. Spices are what come through in this beer. Won 2nd place in the Muskrat Mashers Pumpkin Fest competition - the winner was a clovey based pumpkin ale, which was fantastic. Next year.... add some cloves? .. Tried Saf 04 this year also, will probably go back to 05 or something different next year. Seemed to have lost some of the sweet character I felt it should have..

10.11.10 - Thanksgiving Porter
1058 OG - Same recipe as last years only I dialed it down a bit on the grains. Last years came out a bit too high, this years was perfect, very drinkable. In fact I'm enjoying one right now. :)

10.11.10 - Halloween IPA
1055 OG - Same recipe out of Jamil's book (Hopiness is an IPA) - Great recipe. I made this for a party and couldn't end up making the party so I brought the whole keg out to the campfire, along with the TV, invited some friends over and we watched UM lose a football game... but damn, the beer was great!

11.4.10 - American Stout
1068OG - Same recipe as my "West Coast Stout" .. only, I don't know, better this year. I brewed this early to take to the UM vs. MSU outdoor hockey game. It was a hit. Way less "hoppy" than last year.. Last year I brewed it a few weeks before drinking and the hops didn't have time to settle out. This time it sat for over a month and tasted great. So good I had one for breakfast this morning.

11.4.10 - Amarillo Pale Ale
1051OG - This was a simple yet awesome pale ale that I made for the UM vs. OSU football game party. It was a hit, very tasty and very easy to brew. In fact, I'm brewing the same recipe now, but with Citra hops in place of Amarillo's. 9.50 lb. 2-row, 1 lb. C-20. Nugget hops at 60, then a 1 minute, turn off and dh.

12.30.10 - Citra Pale Ale
1042OG - Again, same as the Amarillo Pale, just mixed up the hop additions. Did 1.5 oz of nugget at 60, an ounce at 10, an ounce at 5, an ounce at knock out and will DH an ounce. Should be awesome - anything citra hops touches is awesome.

12.30.10 - Southern English Brown Ale
1044OG - Recipe straight out of Jamil's Brewing Classic Styles. Come to find out, I did a Southern English Brown before, only I used a different recipe. This one I'm a little concerned about the color, it seems really dark but smells awesome. Saf 04 yeast.

12.30.10 - Belgian Wit
1043OG - I'm excited about this one. I brew Belgian Wits often, as they're always a crowd pleaser, only this time I"m using T-58 SafBrew yeast. I've never used it but have heard great things about it. I'm looking forward to seeing how it does, I'm really looking forward to the fermentation, I read some reviews saying it goes crazy... Gotta love a yeast eating sugar party!

Ok folks, that concludes my posts for 2010. If you want more info on any of these recipes, just shoot me an email or leave a comment. If I get time, I'll go through and actually post the recipes with each, but with two kids under 2, getting on a computer for personal usage is tough!

Happy New Year brewers! See you next year.

DRB Weizen

I wanted a plain ol' wheat beer for some end of summer sipping. This is a really basic recipe, and I used the dry wheat yeast for the first time, which I was impressed with. Great tasting beer, very light, refreshing, clove/banana flavors come through, but aren't too big. Easy, shmeasy, excellent beer.

Fermentables
6 lb. Pilsner
5.25 lb. Wheat

Hops
1.20 oz. Willamette - 4.8% - 60 min.

Yeast
WB-O6 Safbrew

OG: 1.051
FG: 1.010
ABV: 5.4%

RobSlam - Imperial IPA

I've definitely been on a hop kick this year. I've pretty much had something hoppy on tap non stop in my garage. And with the 3 hour disappearance of the last keg of 60 minute IPA clone, I had already prepared another beer to replace it.
I'd been wanting to do an Imperial IPA for quite some time, and just never had a big enough hop selection on hand to do one. I had accumulated hops I traded for, hops from previous batches, etc., and finally had enough on hand to make a good beer.
The base grain for this recipe is straight out of Brewing Classic Styles. The hop addition, I borrowed from a Pliney the Elder clone. I used different hops, but was pretty aggressive in the styles I chose. Most I researched went well together, so I didn't go too crazy on mixing them up.
I kegged this last night and took a sip from the racking cane, and wow, it about hurt my tongue it was so hoppy. Today, I carbonated it, poured some off and tasted it again. A beautiful white froth head sat on the top of the glass the duration of my sampling. What a fantastic floral citrusy smell this beer has. And the taste is amazing. It reminded me of hopslam, with every sip I took (thus the name), although, that wasn't really what I was going for - but the reason I mention it, is hopslam is one of those double (imperial) IPA's that has an overwhelming hop presence to it, with a minimal malt background. I imagine this is going to settle into a nice beer, but I wouldn't mind if it stayed just how it is now! It's truly a fantastic beer, and one glass is about all you need for an evening. :)

RobSlam - Brewed August 6th, 2010 (no, it's not a Hopslam Clone)
Fermented @ 63-65 degrees
Dryhopped in the primary

Fermentables
15.00 lb - US 2-Row Malt
1/2 lb. Crystal 40
1 lb. Corn Sugar (flame out)

Hops
2 oz. US Nugget 13.0 % - 90 min.
1 oz. Chinook 11.5% - 90 min.
1 oz. Amarillo 8% - 90 min.
1 oz. Simcoe 12.4% - 45 min.
1 oz. Amarillo 8% - 30 min.
1 oz. Cascade 5.4% - 15 min.
1 oz. Cascade 5.4% - 10 min.
1 oz. Cascade 5.4% - 5 min.
1 oz. Nugget 13% - 0 min.
1 oz. Amarillo, 1/2 oz. Chinook, 1/2 Nugget - Dryhop

Yeast
US-O5 SafAle

OG: 1.076
FG: 1.009
ABV: 9%

Amarilla Thrilla!

Thought I would do a quick post to keep documented the brews I've done this summer. I made a 10 gallon batch of the Three Floyds Gumball Head clone again, and am pretty much through the second keg already. This beer is a great summer beer. For whatever reason, this seasons didn't seem as "hoppy" to me. Probably because I had an IPA on tap at the same time.
I did something a little odd this time. I didn't quite hit my volume and drained a bit too much into a carboy, so I added about a gallon of water to one of the carboys to dilute it some. The diluted batch ended up around 4.5% and actually came out quite light and tasty. I think if I do this one again, I'm going to add more hops so the Amarillo really shines through, and I might just try to make this a little lighter, as the light version this year was so well received.

Click here for the recipe - Three Floyds Gumbal Head Clone.

Dogfish Head 60 minute IPA clone

I don't drink DFH very often, but if I do, it's usually the 60 minute IPA. Not my favorite IPA, but it's definitely a great example of the style. I had always been intrigued by the labor intensive hop additions in this beer and wanted to try it for myself. I had to make my annual IPA for a friends bday party, so I opted for this clone.

After this was done, I did a side by side comparison. I honestly would say that the two really don't match up. Maybe the bottle of DFH lost it's hop "pop" or something, but the comparison wasn't really close. Mine had a citrus hop burst right up front, with a bitter back end. The malts really didn't shine through. The DFH version had a huge malt up front with a bit of a bitterness at the end. This clone recipe sworn by in the brewing community, so who knows. Maybe the commercial example needs to be fresher for a better comparison. Either way, it's a kick ass IPA, one I'd definitely make again, maybe... The hop additions can get a little repetitious, and for someone like me that has a tough time paying attention longer than 5 minutes.... this brew took some serious concentration. What didn't help was two highschool buddies I hadn't seen in ages, showing up to drink beer in the middle of the brew session.. All was good, I kept setting the timer and kept adding the hops! Here's the recipe:

Fermentables:
2-Row - 13 lb.
C-60 - 2 lb.

Hops:
Amarillo, Nugget and Simcoe - .10 oz. each, added: 60, 55, 45, 35, 25, 15, 10, 5. 0 min. was a 1/2 oz of Amarillo.
Dry Hopped with: 1 oz. Amarillo, 1/2 oz. Simcoe

Yeast:
SafAle-05

OG: 1.055
FG: 1.010
ABV: 6%

DRB Cream Ale

I was asked to make a beer for a work function and actually made this a month or so ago, in preparation for the mid-August party. I made 10 gallons of it and tested the first 5 gallons out at a friends party. 5 gallons were gone in about 3 hours. My test worked! I figured if I could make a craft beer, that wasn't dark, hoppy or thick, people that drink regular beer might dig it. This will especially hold true for the "Bud" drinkers I work with. I was quite impressed with the second round of this beer. The first I had served right off the yeast only 2 weeks after being brewed. It still had a bit of a freshness to it. This second round has a lighter flavor to it and looks beautiful. The head on it is light, white and bubbly. It's a very refreshing beer, oh and by the way, I made this before using all 2-row, I'd definitely suggesting the split with pilsner, it lightened it up quite a bit. Here's the recipe:

Cream Ale (10 gallons)

2-Row - 8 lb.
Pilsner - 8lb.
Flaked Rice - 1.70 lb. (mash)
Corn Sugar - .84 lb. (end of boil)

Hops
Willamette - 4.8AA - 1.60 oz. 60 min.
Willamette - 4.8AA - .80 oz. 1 mins.

Yeast
SafAle US-05 - 2 packets

OG: 1.051
FG: 1.010
ABV: 5.4%

Smokin' Brown Ale

If I'm not brewing, I'm barbecuing (smoking meat using a smoker). I just love the smoked flavor that comes from the wood used in the smoking process. A while ago, I made a smoked porter, and although it was good, it didn't quite have the level of smokiness I desired.
While shopping at Titgemeiers a while back, I stumbled on some Briess Cherry Smoked malt. I picked up a few pounds for an eventual smoked beer. I finally constructed the recipe using a basic American Brown Ale. I took out some of the 2-Row and replaced it with 3lbs. of the smoked grain. Here's the recipe:

Smokin' Brown Ale

Fermentables:
8 lb. 2-Row
3 lb. Briess Cherry Smoked Malt
.50 lb. C-40
.50 lb. Biscuit
.50 lb. Wheat
.25 lb. CaraMunich 60
.25 lb. Chocolate

Hops:
1.10 oz. Goldings - 5.0% AA

Yeast:
Wyeast 1728 Scottish Ale (starter from Fred)

OG: 1.059
FG: 1.007
ABV: 6.9%

The beer came out pretty good. It has a really nice level of smokiness to it, probably just a tad too much, but it's still very drinkable. If I were to make it in the future, I might cut back a pound of it for more of a subtle smoke flavor, this recipe is more of an in your face smoke smell and taste, but again, it's a really unique style and I've really been enjoying a pint here and there. From what I'm told, the smoke flavor level in my version is not even close to that of a German Rauchbier.. I've gotta try one of those someday..

One more thing to add, the yeast used in this beer came from Brad @ Original Gravity. He had a couple leftover packs of Wyeast. Fred on our club was gracious enough to build a 5 gallon starter which we all split up. Thanks everyone.

Oh yeah, pictured is my new smoker, which, has nothing to do with this batch of beer, I'm just proud of it. I do plan on smoking some grains with it in the future for another smoked recipe. I did however enjoy some smoked ribs from this smoker, with the smoked Brown Ale, and the match was perfect!

Citra-Rillo IPA (AHA Big Brew Day Batch)

Edit: adding to this post that, this is by far one of the very best beers I've ever made. Save this recipe, it's freaking amazing! Great citrus burst of hops with a refreshing low malt finish. WOW. (6.30.10)

A couple posts back, I posted on an IPA I made for the new kids arrival. During the process of making that beer, I screwed up a bit. I had wrote down the wrong grain bill and ended up replacing honey malt grains for Munich. Once I figured out what I did, I re-ground grains for that batch, and set the honey malt grains aside thinking I'd give the bag of grains away or toss them.

After a lot of research, everyone (of course) told me to "Relax, have a homebrew and brew it anyway.." Since I didn't have anything else prepared for Big Brew Day, I decided on using these grains for an IPA. I've been loving the Citra hops lately, so I picked some up along with some Amarrillo's and brewed this IPA on the lawn of Harbor Inn & Ale. For those of you that weren't there, this beer was chilled and carboy'd in about 15 minutes, as I had received "THE" phone call that my wife was in labor!

Citra-Rillo India Pale Ale

Fermentables:
11 lb. 2-Row
2 lb. Honey Malt
.50 lb. C-40
.50 lb. Wheat

Hops:
1 oz. Magnum 12.2% - 60 min.
1 oz. Citra 11.1% - 30 min.
1/2 oz. Amarillo 8.6% - 10 min.
1/2 oz. Citra 11.1% - 10 min.
1/2 oz. Amarillo 8.6 % - 5 min.
1/2 oz. Citra 11.1% - 5 min.
1 oz. Amarillo 8.6% - 0 min.
1/2 oz. Citra 11.1% - 0 min.
1 oz. Citra 11.1% - Dry Hopped
1 oz. Amarillo 8.6% - Dry Hopped

Yeast:
WLP001 - California Ale (starter)

OG: 1.060
FG: 1.008
ABV: 6.9%
IBU: 103.2

This beer is a hop bomb. I've kegged it but have only tasted it during transfer and as you can imagine, it tastes amazing. All the worrying I did about the honey malt making this too sweet - not even a problem. Looking forward to sitting down to a cold carbonated pint. Once some space in the fridge clears, I'll be putting this one on tap.. hopefully soon!!

Belgian Summer Ale

I saved the yeast from my Belgian Pale, made a starter with it and decided to make a light Belgian White ale with it. Typically, white's use a "wit" yeast, but i really liked the flavor of the pale, and thought it would work well in a wit. It fermented out well and tastes wonderful. I probably could have upped the spices just a bit, but it's nice and light and has some nice light citrus spice flavors to it. I dug around and sort of used most of the ingredients in an Alligash White clone. I'm debating on when to put this on tap, it's ready, I just have run out of keg space.. a great problem to have! :)

Fermentables
6.75 lb. German Pilsner
4.25 lb. Wheat
.75 lb. Cara Vienna

Hops
1 oz. Golding 5.5% - 60 min
1/2 oz. Willamette - 4.5% - 60 min
1/2 oz. Willamette - 4.5% - 1 min

Spices
.30 oz - Coriander
.30 oz. Ginger
.30 oz. Orange peel
(all added at knock out)

Yeast
Wyeast 3655 Belgian Schelde

OG: 1.055
FG: 1.007
ABV: 6.4%

NKOTB IPA

I brewed this beer with intentions on having it ready by the time the new kid arrived home, but I got busy and haven't started the dry hopping yet, plus this sucker bubbled well over two weeks. I plan to do the dry hopping today. I did this IPA more to use up some hops I had in the freezer. I tasted it, and so far it tastes awesome. The dry hops should finish this off to make it perfect. I have a similar recipe that I brewed on Big Brew Day that I'll be posting later, I think it's destined I tweak this recipe to perfection and name it after the new kid on the block!

NKOTB IPA

US 2-Row Malt - 11.00 lb
US Munich 10L Malt - 2.00 lb
Crystal 20L Malt - 0.50 lb
US White Wheat Malt - 0.50 lb

60 Min - US Magnum - 12.1 % - 1.00 oz
20 Min - US Cascade - 4.5 % - 1.00 oz
20 Min - US Willamette - 4.5 % - 0.50 oz
10 Min - US Cascade - 4.5 % - 1.00 oz
10 Min - US Willamette - 4.5 % - 0.50 oz
5 Min - US Cascade - 4.5 % - 1.00 oz
5 Min - US Willamette - 4.5 % - 0.50 oz
0 Min - US Cascade - 4.5 % - 1.00 oz
0 Min - US Willamette - 4.5 % - 1.00 oz
DH - US Cascade - 4.5 % - 1.00 oz
DH - US Centennial - 8.5% - 1.00 oz

Yeast - SafAle 05

OG: 1.060
FG: 1.008
ABV: 6.9%

Hop Head Fireman Red

Quick post on a beer I did a few weeks back. My buddy Aaron needed a beer for his Firefighter graduation party in May. I planned on making one as a test, then making his later on, but I ended up having other plans for summer beers, and didn't get around to making a second - or even putting this one on tap. It's sitting in a secondary smelling and tasting awesome.
The recipe is actually a "West Coast" Amber Ale from Jamil's book, tweaked a bit, but pretty similar. Here's the lowdown:

Hop Head Fireman Red

Fermentables
8.15 lb. British Pale
.67 lb. Crystal 40
.67 lb. Munich
.33 lb. Crystal 90
.33 lb. Victory
.13 lb. Chocolate

Hops
1 oz. Magnum - 60 min.
1 oz. Cascade - 10 min.
1 oz. Centennial - 10 min.
1 oz. Cascade - 0 min.
1 oz. Centennial - 0 min.

Yeast
US-05 - SafAle

OG: 1.051
FG: 1.007
ABV: 5.8%

Again, tastes awesome. I'm planning on kegging it a week or so before I hand it over, and pulling a couple pints off it, so at least I get to taste some of it before it's consumed in a few hours by a pile of Toledo Firefighters.. Ah well, at least it's going to a good cause.

Why don't you just make a regular beer dude?! - DRB American Lager

I get this question every so often from friends who really aren't huge craft beer fans. Not very often, because most of my friends are pretty open minded and are willing to try anything. But, you get a few that just want a straight up "beer"... Since I now have a temperature controlled lager freezer (I'll do a post on it at some point soon).., I can now ferment at any temperature I need to. I decided to do an American Lager just about the time the Maibock was finishing up. This beer is pretty much your basic beer, I hate to say it, but, well, like a Budweiser.
Now, before you think it's going to taste or even be comparable to a Bud, let me explain how I "DRB'd" it.. :)

The recipe is pretty much a 2-row and corn flake based beer, with a lager yeast. I ended up making the beer just a little bit bigger than your basic "beer".. I'm shooting for around a high 6%. Definitely not your off the shelf beer, but it should have a real neutral flavor to it. Maybe I should call this an "Imperial Bud?!" .. Anyhow, here's the recipe:

American Lager

Fermentables:
11.60 lb US 2-Row Malt
1.00 lb US Flaked Corn/Maize

Hops:
1 oz. Magnum 12.1 % - 60 min. (90 minute mash, 90 minute boil)

Yeast: WLP840 - American Lager

OG: 1.068
FG: 1.009
ABV: 7.9%

- A little high for an American Lager, but it tastes pretty good. In the lager freezer it went tonight (in a secondary carboy) where it will sit for a month. I'll keg it and let that settle for a while before tapping. I would have kegged it right away, but I'm out of kegs... a great problem to have! :)

*Edit to add: I kegged this beer finally (May 6, 2010) and am amazed at how clear it is. It's looking like a coors light or something like that. Very light, and no real noticeable off tastes. I was afraid there would be a corn taste, but its really very basic and will be a dangerous one with it being so high. The gravity dropped a bit more since lagering. Very good, I'll be enjoying a pint of it tonight.

Belgian Pale Ale 2010

I made a Belgian Pale Ale last year and really loved it. It's basically a Pilsner grain based beer, lightly hopped, with a nice Belgian yeast flavor to it. I put together a different recipe this year. I think I do like last years better, but wow this is good. A pretty well balanced beer with just the right amount of hops and that familiar Belgian sweet fruity taste to it that I love so much this time of year. I ended up saving the yeast from this, and will be using it again to possibly make the same beer or make a variation of the same recipe.

Belgian Pale Ale 2010
Fermentables
11.20 lb German Pilsner Malt
0.75 lb US Caramel Munich 60L Malt
0.25 lb Belgian Biscuit Malt

Hops
1.33 oz. - Kent Golding 4.5% - 60 min
.30 oz. - Kent Golding 4.5% - 0 min (turn off)

Yeast
Wyeast 3255 Belgian Ardennes

OG: 1.068
FG: 1.009
ABV: 7.9%

Again, I can't say enough about this beer. Love it. I have a feeling this beer will go pretty quick, though I'm going to try to pace myself with it. The DRB is a bit low on beers right now, so this one has to last a little while!!

DRB Scottish Export 80/-

I really try to blog my beers before they are gone, but this one was kind of a surprising exception. I made this beer, along with the West Coast Stout for St. Pat's day. The last 3 St. Pats days, I made a Scottish, an Amber and a Red.. I decided this year I'd go back to a Scottish Ale, only this would be my first all grain.. (yes, I understand Scottish Ale's aren't exactly St. Pat style beers.. but come on, it's kind of close!)...

After this beer was finished, I was a bit disappointed. I tasted the West Coast Stout first, and really enjoyed the big hop presence it had. Then, tasting the Scottish Ale, it was a real big malt bomb.

Come the Sunday before St. Pats, after the Detroit Parade, some friends stopped by and guess what beer went first? Within a few hours, 5 gallons of the Scottish Ale had disappeared. Rave reviews! I think I'll be making this one again next year.

Scottish Export 80/-

Fermentables
9.50 lb UK Pale Ale Malt
0.75 lb US Caramel 40L Malt
0.50 lb US Munich 10L Malt
0.50 lb Canadian Honey Malt (Gambrinus)
0.50 lb German Wheat Malt
0.25 lb US Caramel 90L Malt
0.19 lb US Chocolate Malt

Hops
1.3 oz. Kent Golding - 60 min.

Yeast - SafAle05 (dry)

OG: 1.055
FG: 1.009
ABV: 6.1%

Oh yeah, and the picture of the dogs? Who knows. I was downtown Detroit after running a 5k and visiting Slows BBQ for a pint or two, and thought the dogs were picture worth.

Maibock 2010

Did a Maibock on Friday (02.26.10). Check out the crazy fermentation in this.



18 lb. Pilsner, 8 lb. Munich. 1 oz. Magnum @ 60 min. 90 min. boil. Yeast: WLP 833. Ferment for at least 4 weeks. Diacetyl rest for a couple of days, then into the lager for a month. Hope to be tapping this one around May 1st.

Starkbier - Dopplebock Lager

I decided over the winter to give a try at my second lager. I'm pretty inexperienced with them, but have slowly been learning how to properly lager. I decided on a dopplebock, partially due to the ingredients I had on hand back in January when I brewed this. I am not even sure where I got the recipe, I know I fudged a lot of it.. I thought the 1/2 lb. of chocolate grains was too much after brewing - it actually turned out to be pretty damn good.
I thought I would call this Starkbier, based on the post lent happenings in Germany right now (that I only learned about this year). After the long winter, Germans will make Starkbier (strong beer). This Starkbier is a stronger bock (Dopplebock) and is served at the Starkbierzeit events in Munich. This is becoming one of Germany's bigger festivals, as it's not over run by tourists like the Oktoberfest has become.

Stakrbier - Dopplebock Lager (I'll probably rename it once it goes on tap)

Fermentables
6.00 lb German Munich Malt
4.00 lb German Pilsner Malt
4.00 lb US Caramel Munich 60L Malt
0.50 lb US Chocolate Malt
0.25 lb US Caramel 120L Malt

Hops
1.00 oz US Willamette 4.5 % - 60 mins.
1.00 oz US Willamette 4.5 % - 30 Min

Yeast
DCL W-34/70 Saflager

OG: 1.076 SG
FG: 1.023 SG
ABV: 7.1%

I fermented this for over a month, and did a 2 day diasetyl rest at around 64 degrees. I kegged it and will be lagering at 34 degrees for 30 days, maybe longer. They say the higher the ABV the longer to lager. I did taste it between transitions and it came out pretty awesome. I grabbed some commercial examples this weekend, and I may have hit mine a bit richer with more chocolate and caramel tones, but I came pretty close. Can't wait to try this one when it's finished!

West Coast Stout

Since I started brewing, I have been doing a stout every January to put on tap for St. Patrick's Day. Last year I did a Milk Stout (sweet). The year before I did an Oatmeal Stout. This year, since I've been blessed with a mother load of hops at a cheap price (hopsdirect.com), I decided to make a hoppier version of a stout - an American Stout.
Several years ago, I was sitting in Fort Wayne Indiana at Mad Anthony brew pub, drinking a hoppy stout they called "West Coast Stout." I was loving the beer and always thought it would be great to brew something similar. After researching a bit, I found there isn't an exact "West Coast" specific recipe; most refer to anything with more hops as "West Coast," since apparently, the west coast of the US is hoppier than Michigan. Hmm.. Anyhow, it's basically an American Stout. There really isn't a huge hop addition, just a bitter and some Centennial at the end. Anyhow, here's the recipe (mainly from Jamil/Palmer, tweaked a bit - as most all my recipes are!):

Dayton Road Brewing West Coast Stout

Fermentables:
US 2-Row Malt 11.50 lb
UK Black Malt 0.69 lb
UK Chocolate Malt 0.50 lb
US Caramel 40L Malt 0.50 lb
UK Wheat Malt 0.50 lb (head retention)

Hops
S Magnum 12.1 % 1.50 oz - 60 Min From End
US Centennial 8.7 % 1.00 oz - 5 Min From End

Yeast
SafAle US-05 (Starter)

OG: 1.060
ABV: 6.9% - tasted it while testing the gravity and WOW. Tastes awesome!


Brew session went pretty well. I was brewing another batch at the same time, and made a yeast starter for both of them. This Stout took off fermenting in about 5 hours. I plan to rack it to a secondary after a couple of weeks and tap it closer to St. Pat's day. I'll post back how it is.. I'm really looking forward to a pint of this beer. :)

DRBPA - Dayton Road Brewing Pale Ale

One thing I've learned about brewing is not to rush things. When I first started, I would brew, then literally sit and stare at the carboy day after day. Since, I just brew a bunch more, so I don't really mind some taking longer than others. Plus, as the saying goes... good things come to those who wait.

For kicks, I thought I would try a quick turn around beer, just to see if it was possible. I picked a fairly easy recipe and opted for a packet of dry yeast. This beer took a total of about 2 weeks or about 12 days.
DRBPA (Dayton Road Brewing Pale Ale)

Fermentables
10.90 lb - US 2-Row Malt
0.75 lb - Belgian Caramel Munich Malt 40
0.50 lb - US Caramel 40L Malt
0.50 lb - US Caramel 20L Malt
0.50 lb - German Wheat Malt

Hops
1 oz. - US Magnum - 60 min.
.50 oz. - US Centennial - 10 min.
.50 oz. - US Cascade -10 min.
2 oz. - US Cascade - 0 min.
.50 oz. - US Centennial - 0 min.

Yeast
Safe-ale US05

OG: 1.060
FG: 1.011

I should have made a starter, because this took a bit to start. But it did ferment out in about a week and a half. I put this right in the keg, and chilled it. Carb'd it the next day and we were enjoying it the Saturday before the Super Bowl. Everyone seemed to enjoy it. Right now, it's a bit too sweet for me and unbalanced. I'm letting it sit for a bit and will go back to it another day. It's not bad, just like I said, pretty sweet. I'm thinking due to all the caramel malts I used.
The picture above is a growler full of it at a Super Bowl party. The color was gorgeous, I just had to take a picture. :)