Thursday, December 30, 2010

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.