tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60214662997310705392024-03-04T20:53:26.336-08:00Finn Hill BrewingYour local non-commercial picobrewery. (pico = 10<sup>-12</sup>, nano = 10<sup>-9</sup>, micro = 10<sup>-6</sup>)Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12469900515378207257noreply@blogger.comBlogger72125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6021466299731070539.post-71038961753433015442013-07-10T18:34:00.000-07:002013-07-10T22:08:03.489-07:00Beerstock 5060-4<p>
The first Beerstock 5060 was held on the 40th anniversary of Woodstock on the Alison Sheafor-Joy & Mark Joy property outside of Arlington "with the intention of sharing homebrew, love, joy, peace and creating new friendships between the various homebrew clubs," but we quickly outgrew that venue. The last Beerstock drew over 200 homebrewers from 16 different clubs. This year Beerstock 5060-4 will take place in a large, private park South of Seattle where we will have lots of space for club booths, camping, a band, food, fun, games, prizes, etc.
</p><p>
If you're still wondering, "What is Beerstock 5060?" Beerstock is an event where homebrew clubs in Washington get together to celebrate the fact that homebrew clubs in Washington can get together and drink beer; celebrated by getting together and drinking beer.
</p><p>
Back on July 26th, 2009, thanks to the hard work by Washington Homebrewer's Association (WAHA) members and other friends, Washington Senate Bill 5060 passed making it legal to transport homebrew for consumption in the state of Washington. It is still highly illegal to sell homebrew here, but our brew club meetings and homebrew sharing get-togethers are now legal. In August of 2009, Beerstock 5060 was the first, legal get-together of Washington homebrew clubs to taste each other’s homebrew and talk brewing across home brew club lines.
</p><p>
Most clubs set up a booth from which to share their tasty brews with other home brewers, kind of like a home brewer’s brew fest or an all day and over-night NHC Club Night in the woods. This is a private event, open only to homebrew club members. Each member is allowed to invite one guest, such as, a spouse, partner, interested friend, designated driver, etc. There is no fee for attending, this would be illegal, but there is a requested donation from each person to help pay for expenses. In the past Beerstock barely broke even, but this year, it will donate any extra money generated to the Lakewood Rotary Club. In this way, Beerstock 5060 can help spread love and joy to the needy kids of Lakewood through the work of this wonderful organization.
</p><p>
Here is the "poster" for the second year of the events:
</p>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOgXDUkUZOOwlnIu9MNbe19veTnasUIwpiUVN_fb2UV04LOJryQnXUyAG4N8yLxS3piyGSu0G8O49PrEGjBhGV47Gr8PyR-WcfmlmW2hJtd3pq4G1Z8Y2BR4tpT2PpLE7lBTh7jtcZK3U/s1600/BeerstockSingleFlier.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOgXDUkUZOOwlnIu9MNbe19veTnasUIwpiUVN_fb2UV04LOJryQnXUyAG4N8yLxS3piyGSu0G8O49PrEGjBhGV47Gr8PyR-WcfmlmW2hJtd3pq4G1Z8Y2BR4tpT2PpLE7lBTh7jtcZK3U/s640/BeerstockSingleFlier.jpg" width="428" /></a>Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12469900515378207257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6021466299731070539.post-30715447839029336702013-06-07T20:55:00.000-07:002013-06-08T18:27:04.086-07:00Water Profiles for a Westvleteren 12 Clone Recipe<p>One of the last things I worry about in brewing is water profiles. I'm fortunate to live in the Seattle area where the water is naturally soft, so there is a wide array of light-colored beers that I can brew with tap water, without a second thought, and without any treatment other than to remove the chlorine. For a few things like IPAs and stouts I can add a tablespoon of gypsum per seven gallons of water and be good to go.
</p><p>
Having brewed one Westvleteren 12 clone that wasn't as close as to the original as I wanted once before, I'm being more strategic the second time around. So water profiles are worth some study. Brew Like A Monk (BLAM) reports that Westvleteren has a water profile that is not great for brewing, so they treat their water because it is too high in bicarbonates, sodium, sulfate and chloride:
</p><p>
<b>Westvleteren Water Profile</b><br/>
Calcium (Ca+2): 114<br/>
Bicarbonate (HCO3-): 370<br/>
Magnesium (Mg+2): 10<br/>
Sodium (Na+): 125<br/>
Sulfate (SO4-2): 145<br/>
Chloride (Cl-): 139<br/>
</p><p>
As with everything else Westvleteren, the actual treatment and the resulting water profile is a closely guarded secret. But according to BLAM, Chimay has a nearly perfect water profile for Belgian Dark Strong Ale, and might be what Westvleteren aims for when they treat their own water.
</p><p>
<b>Chimay Water Profile</b><br/>
Calcium (Ca+2): 96<br/>
Bicarbonate (HCO3-): 287<br/>
Magnesium (Mg+2): 4<br/>
Sodium (Na+): 6<br/>
Sulfate (SO4-2): 32<br/>
Chloride (Cl-): 13<br/>
</p><p>
I'm on the other side of the water treatment line, and need to 'harden' the local water so I get the Calcium and Bicarbonate levels up high enough for brewing the dark beer I want to clone:
</p><p>
<b>Seattle Water Profile</b><br/>
Calcium (Ca+2): 10<br/>
Bicarbonate (HCO3-): 20<br/>
Magnesium (Mg+2): 0<br/>
Sodium (Na+): 1<br/>
Sulfate (SO4-2): 3<br/>
Chloride (Cl-): 3<br/>
</p><p>
<b>Brewing Salt Additions for Seattle<br/>
Chalk (CaCO3): add 11 grams, or 1 scant tbsp<br/>
Baking Soda (NaHCO3): add .75 gram, or 1/8 tsp</b><br/>
</p><p>
<b>Adjusted Water Profile</b><br />
Adding almost a tablespoon of chalk and an eighth of a teaspoon of baking soda brings the Seattle water profile within a couple of points of the Chimay water profile. An alkalinity of 150 to 300 ppm is ideal for dark beer, so we are right where we want to be.
</p><p>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpV3Uv0fdDL3bn99IBt_O-_y09Ph_6vya1iZE6ZVogOLcWZ1xBNJAIipo9zQbvqaF54pKqxx1NZ2r0mHRGmtdFlmMKU1GXm_ocUrVNPjVKO-ujns2wuNvMtu608VJ7J5wmM7LZDaJpdlA/s1600/Capture.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpV3Uv0fdDL3bn99IBt_O-_y09Ph_6vya1iZE6ZVogOLcWZ1xBNJAIipo9zQbvqaF54pKqxx1NZ2r0mHRGmtdFlmMKU1GXm_ocUrVNPjVKO-ujns2wuNvMtu608VJ7J5wmM7LZDaJpdlA/s1600/Capture.JPG" /></a>
</p><p>
I was very pleased to see that I got as close as I did with the example above. If you're trying get your local water profile dialed in, don't worry about hitting the target exactly. You only need to be in the general ballpark. Even when you get your local water report, it's not chiseled in stone, it will vary from year to year, so there is no guarantee that the water coming out of your tap today exactly matches the water report from last year, or from years gone by; which means that you can't adjust it with absolute accuracy anyway.
</p><p>
If you're interested in adjusting your local water, Brewers Friend has a good water calculator <a href="http://www.brewersfriend.com/water-chemistry/">here</a>, a list of water profiles for various cities <a href="http://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/water-profiles/">here</a>, and a good discussion of water chemistry <a href="http://www.brewersfriend.com/2009/03/14/all-grain-water-chemistry-brewing-information/">here</a>. For a much more in-depth discussion of brewing water chemistry, have a look at the<a href="https://sites.google.com/site/brunwater/water-knowledge"> Bru'N Water Knowledge Page</a>. There is also a free downloadable <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/brunwater/home/files">Bru'N Water spreadsheet</a>. Just don't make yourself crazy by adding minute amounts of half a dozen different chemicals every time you brew. As long as your water profile is in the general ballpark for the style, your beer will be just fine. And even if it isn't there's a pretty good chance that you can brew a great beer anyway.
</p>
Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12469900515378207257noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6021466299731070539.post-91451018427804338412013-06-01T20:27:00.002-07:002013-06-01T20:27:40.138-07:00Taste Your IngredientsI'm guessing a bit here, but I'm willing to bet that whether they started with whole grain or extract, most homebrewers brewed their first beer in one of two ways:
<ol>
<li>Following a recipe designed by someone else
<li>Using a kit prepared by someone else
</ol>
This makes total sense to me. When I started out, I didn't know my ingredients, I only knew that I wanted to brew a beer. I was focused on learning the brewing process, so I wanted to limit the unknowns. I knew what style I wanted to brew, so I found a recipe that said it would produce that result.
<p>
Eventually, I started making my own recipes, which initially tended to consist of tweaking an existing recipe designed by someone else to make it a little hoppier or lighter or darker or whatever. Eventually, as I started becoming more familiar with my ingredients. I started designing my own recipes.
</p><p>
Somewhere in the middle of all this, I got a great bit of advice from one of my fellow homebrewers, "Taste your ingredients."
</p><p>
With malt, you can just chew a bit of it. Nobody is going to complain if you do this in a homebrew store. Or at least they've never complained when I've done it, and if they do complain, is that the sort of place you want to be shopping? But the chew and taste method requires some mental math on your part. When tasting you need to remember that the taste you're getting will be diluted a lot and sweetened a bit. And the aroma will change as well.
</p><p>
To get a better understanding of malts you might want, try super-mini mashes with an ounce or two of various malts side by side. For example, Aromatic @ 21.6 lovibond, Biscuit @ 19.3 lovibond, Victory Malt @ 25 lovibond and Crystal 20 @ 20 lovibond will all add approximately the same color to your beer. You can figure that out with math. But what tastes will they add? You'll be able to tell a bit by just chewing some of the malt, but you'll get a better picture of the taste and aroma my mashing just a little bit of each.
<p><p>
As I found out one day long ago, you probably don't want to chew on your hops. On that fateful day I popped open a bag of Simcoe hops, and put my nose in it. The smell was glorious. I picked out a pellet and chewed. Not so glorious. Apparently, human saliva does a pretty good job of isomerizing the alpha acids, the resulting taste was nearly painful. Fortunately, there are other options. One is to smell the hops. The best way to do this is to take a bit of the hops and rub them together between the palms of you hands.
<p><p>To get a good idea of the taste of various hops, <a href="http://www.bertusbrewery.com/2013/03/dry-hopped-bud-light.html ">this "tasting experiment"</a> seems like an incredibly good way to evaluate them side by side. One of the "Lite" beers seems like the best test media, because they have little else to get in the way of the hop taste. I'm planning to try it soon. The Mikkeller brewery did this on a professional level by brewing a series of single-hop IPAs with the same malt bill and yeast, but <a href="https://www.google.com/webhp?hl=en&tab=nw#hl=en&gs_rn=14&gs_ri=psy-ab&tok=HlgJo66eql0ytP4iiCMSLA&cp=34&gs_id=6p&xhr=t&q=mikkeller+single+malt+ipa+ratebeer&es_nrs=true&pf=p&safe=off&output=search&sclient=psy-ab&oq=mikkeller+single+malt+ipa+ratebeer&gs_l=&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_cp.r_qf.&bvm=bv.47008514,d.cGE&fp=599f97e894b6076a&biw=1129&bih=758">different hops</a>. Great for them, great for any homebrewers who took advantage of the tasting opportunity.
</p>
Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12469900515378207257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6021466299731070539.post-8620120556337620342013-05-21T20:46:00.001-07:002013-05-21T21:03:21.134-07:00LAMBIC! (Fantastic download)<p>
Free information is good. Free, quality information is better. But this is a ton of free, quality information that is nearly impossible to find or get. So if you're interested in brewing anything in the Lambic stye, you need this download:
<a href="http://www.mediafire.com/download/32d4xe5pjwqlp63/lambic.zip">lambic.zip</a> <br/>
</p><p>
The download contains the PDF of this book which is $100 used, $500 new:<br/>
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lambic-Classic-Beer-Style-Guinard/dp/0937381225/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1369192822&sr=1-1&keywords=Lambic+%28Classic+Beer+Style%29"><b>Lambic</b> (Classic Beer Style) by Jean Guinard</a>
</p><p>
And it contains the full 3-part series of Brewing in Styles: Practical Strategies for Brewing Lambic at Home by Jim Liddil.
<a href="http://morebeer.com/brewingtechniques/library/backissues/issue5.3/">Which can only be found in the non-gettable back issues of the now-defunct magazine "Brewing Techniques"</a>
</p><p>
And it also has this paper from the University of Colorado: Microbes Found in Lambic Wort by Mick Burgeson
</p><p>
All the PDFs are meticulously hand-scanned versions of the original texts.
</p>Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12469900515378207257noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6021466299731070539.post-20357498471180878002013-05-17T23:11:00.001-07:002013-05-17T23:11:51.144-07:00What's More Valuable: Time or Ingredients?<p>After years of going down the wrong path I've finally realized that the most valuable thing is time. I can get more ingredients but I can't get more time. On brew-days past, I spent a lot of time messing around with the system so I didn't leave any wort behind in the pipes and tubes ad bottoms of keggles in my brewery system.
</p><p>
But no more. The upshot of this is that I will be brewing larger batches with a certain amount of waste built into the process, so I don't have to take so much time and expend so much effort to make sure I get every drop of goodness out of a batch. What does this mean in terms of dollars and cents? Not much. Lets take a Cream Ale recipe as an example.
</p><p>
I'll use the worst-case scenario, and look at the costs as if I was buying all my ingredients from the most expensive homebrew shop in my area. All the following prices include tax. Pilsner malt is one of the cheaper options there at $1.55 per pound, but other malts are as much as $2.75. Hops are $3.25 per ounce, dry yeast is $5.40 and liquid yeast is $8.10 per packet. Going up in batch size from five gallons to seven gallons means adding another three pounds or so of malt, and another ounce or two of hops. On the yeast I would just make a bigger starter. So if we say that the 'average' malt is $2.00 per pound, we're looking at bumping up the total cost of the batch $9.25 for the additional hops and malt for a fairly light, not overly hopped beer.
</p><p>
I'm OK with that. Looking at my regular sources where my costs are roughly half that much, I'm totally OK with blowing an extra five bucks per batch. The one gotcha here is that it will take a bit longer to get seven gallons of water up to temps rather than five. But I don't need to be fussing with it or standing around as that happens. I can set a timer and go do other stuff.
</p>
Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12469900515378207257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6021466299731070539.post-90695150228465047172013-05-15T20:28:00.002-07:002013-05-17T23:19:06.476-07:00The Beano Cream Ale Experiment<p>One of the joys of home brewing is building my very own beer recipes. One annoying feature of building beer recipes is that I'll get everything just the way I want it, only to find out that my final gravity isn't low enough, even when I start out with an original gravity that is mid-range for the style. This often happens on lower alcohol beers, so the problem isn't that the yeast isn't attenuative enough, or alcohol-tolerant enough to finish converting all the sugars. Basically, my brewing software (I've tried several) has decided that there will be too much unfermentable sugars created. Sometimes this ends up being true, sometimes not.
</p><p>
Fine. I'm going to fight back with Beano, which can help you to make bone dry beer. The magic ingredient in Beano is the enzyme amyloglucosidase (AMG) which breaks down any currently unfermentable dextrins into fermentable sugars, which will readjust the FG numbers in my favor. So I'm going to make a Cream Ale, but this time it's going to be a "Lite Cream Ale."
</p><p>
There are two main times to consider adding Beano: pre-boil and post-boil.
</p><p>
Let's consider post-boil first. You're ready to pitch your yeast, and you could pitch some crushed Beano tablets along with it. Plenty of non-fermentables in the wort waiting to be transformed into fermentable sugars.
</p><p>
The post-boil addition problem is that enzymes continue to work as long as their substrate is present, so all residual dextrins in the wort will eventually be converted to fermentable sugars which the yeast will then convert into alcohol and carbon dioxide. This process can go on for a <b>very</b> long time. This is not a major problem for me because I keg, but if you bottle your beer, this could lead to long-term bottle bombs. If you had a professional setup, you could stop the enzymes by pasteurizing your beer prior to bottling, but I don't see that as a viable option for home brewers.
</p><p>
The other way to use Beano is to add it to the mash. The questions here are how much time and how many tablets for the AMG to work on the dextrins. Enzyme activity is accelerated by heat, so the mash temps will help out. AMG should be stable at fairly high temperatures, hopefully up to around 176ºF, which means it will be working for the entire mash, and as the wort heats up for the boil, which means that it will have up to 1 1/2 hours to work. According to the Googles, about 1 tablet crushed per gallon should do the trick. I could let the collected wort stand for a couple of hours prior to boiling, but that will add too much time to my brew day.
</p><p>
If you're adding Beano pre-boil, the boiling step will denature the AMG along with all the malt enzymes and you'll avoid the danger of exploding bottles. I'm going with pre-boil because I'll have more controlled process without yeast continuing to work for weeks, months.
</p>
<h3>Liquid Sunshine Cream Ale</h3>
<table>
<tr>
<td style='width:260px;'>
<dl>
<dt>Batch size</dt>
<b>7.0</b> gallons
<dt>Original Gravity</dt>
<span><b>1.047</b></span>
<dt>Final Gravity</dt>
<span><b>1.012</b></span>
</dd>
<dt>Bitterness</dt>
<span><b>19.0</b> IBU</span>
</td><td>
<dt style='clear:left;' title='Bittering Units per Gravity Unit'>BU:GU</dt>
<dd><b>0.41</b></dd>
<dt>Color</dt>
<span><b>3</b>° SRM</span><span style='font-size:smaller;'>/ <b>6</b>° EBC</span>
<dd >Yellow</dd>
<dt>Mash Efficiency</dt>
<dd>
75%
</dd>
<dt>Alcohol</dt>
<b>4.6</b>% ABV
<dt>Calories</dt>
<dd>
<b>274</b> per 12 oz.
</dd>
</dl>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<br>
<h3>Malts/Fermentables:</h3>
<table>
<tr>
<th style='width:35px;' title='Percent of Total Grist Weight'>%</th>
<th style='width:35px;' title='Pounds'>LB</th>
<th style='width:35px;' title='Ounces'>OZ</th>
<th style='width:175px;'>Type</th>
<th style='width:35px;' class='centered' title='Points per Pound per Gallon (Sugar Extract)'>ppg</th>
<th style='width:35px;' class='centered' title='Degrees Lovibond (Color Measurement)'>°L</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>50%</td>
<td class='numbers'>6</td>
<td class='centered'>0</td>
<td>Weyermann Pilsner Malt</td>
<td class='numbers'>37</td>
<td class='numbers'>2</td>
<td></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>41%</td>
<td class='numbers'>5</td>
<td class='centered'>0</td>
<td>American 6-Row</td>
<td class='numbers'>36</td>
<td class='numbers'>3</td>
<td></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>9%</td>
<td class='numbers'>1</td>
<td class='centered'>0</td>
<td>Flaked Corn</td>
<td class='numbers'>37</td>
<td class='numbers'>1</td>
<td></td>
</tr>
</table>
<br/>
<h3>Hops</h3>
<table>
<tr>
<th style='width:125px;'>Use</th>
<th style='width:75px;'>Time</th>
<th style='width:75px;'title='Ounces'>oz</th>
<th style='width:175px;'>Variety</th>
<th style='width:75px;'>Form</th>
<th style='width:75px;' title='Alpha Acid (Bitterness Measurement)'>aa</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td >boil</td>
<td >60 mins</td>
<td class='centered'>1.06</td>
<td style='text-align:left'>Hallertau</td>
<td >pellet</td>
<td class='centered'>4.4</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td >boil</td>
<td >30 mins</td>
<td class='centered'>0.75</td>
<td style='text-align:left'>Hallertau</td>
<td >pellet</td>
<td class='centered'>4.4</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td >boil</td>
<td >1 mins</td>
<td class='centered'>0.35</td>
<td style='text-align:left'>Hallertau</td>
<td >pellet</td>
<td class='centered'>4.4</td>
</tr>
</table>
<br>
<h3>Yeast</h3>
<table>
<tr>
<td style='text-align:left;'>
Primary: Safale US-05
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<br/>
<h3>Extras</h3>
<table>
<tr>
<td style='text-align:left;'>
5ea. Beano
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style='text-align:left;'>
1ea. Whirfloc
</td>
</tr>
</table>Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12469900515378207257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6021466299731070539.post-21773926356785688362013-04-14T21:30:00.000-07:002013-04-14T21:40:19.981-07:00The Yakima Hops Harvest<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;">
<tbody style="background-color: #101010;">
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhayk2xjKMfrLstwlPSAc-_jJQBlmKdXvhPsnltzAWgDukubIAcoNpK0VxCjcxV_yoDpsobzLw7Tfb2_soT59g7BqTTH3Q-537sWkOGxvfn6ZyU-Y7cwzvWCbG7b1NwiuEGR3subWiWTeo/s1600/hops1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhayk2xjKMfrLstwlPSAc-_jJQBlmKdXvhPsnltzAWgDukubIAcoNpK0VxCjcxV_yoDpsobzLw7Tfb2_soT59g7BqTTH3Q-537sWkOGxvfn6ZyU-Y7cwzvWCbG7b1NwiuEGR3subWiWTeo/s400/hops1.JPG" width="250" /></a>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<span style="color: #cccccc;">Hops on the bine. Yep, it's a bine not a vine. Vines have tendrils that they use to wrap around other plants to climb up to the sun. Bines wrap themselves around other plants and other convenient objects.</span><br />
<br />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<span style="color: #cccccc;">The hop yards just before harvest. At the beginning of the growing season cords are strung in a "V" shape from the overhead cables, down to the spots where each hop plant is beginning to grow.
</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9yIsI7wkV5dLZHSFpk9K7G3ctquNj-5kbF01WS-BX_TVoTRk9IQfFDdzuGPmDeOOe6-p0dnBLHmfJgwxde3NZcM_iQNlO7n8ScX-2I0M9z3tpEYDfWxKs5YY5iQxdTVRGgRQSLsJncF8/s1600/hops2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9yIsI7wkV5dLZHSFpk9K7G3ctquNj-5kbF01WS-BX_TVoTRk9IQfFDdzuGPmDeOOe6-p0dnBLHmfJgwxde3NZcM_iQNlO7n8ScX-2I0M9z3tpEYDfWxKs5YY5iQxdTVRGgRQSLsJncF8/s400/hops2.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />
<span style="color: #cccccc;">In this picture the cords are still in the "V" shape, but someone will be along to cut the bottom ends, leaving about 1 1/2 feet of hop plant in the ground.</span><br />
<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGj1chowNSFNuncoxDW7dhzJX-ld5jvA3-iL8NiwXZTwfpSVuuE9BmLsDKdtzmqD2isTwMdIqFo1AaQWRFqVixIg_UFvLzqiaXy1p-JPCeXSBffT1_efK9oCholbet3G2PDuXB8mDuyN0/s1600/hops3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGj1chowNSFNuncoxDW7dhzJX-ld5jvA3-iL8NiwXZTwfpSVuuE9BmLsDKdtzmqD2isTwMdIqFo1AaQWRFqVixIg_UFvLzqiaXy1p-JPCeXSBffT1_efK9oCholbet3G2PDuXB8mDuyN0/s400/hops3.JPG" width="400" /></a>
<span style="color: #cccccc;">Here, the hops are being harvested. The hop bines are now hanging straight down, because the bottom of the cord and the plant have been cut earlier by workers on the ground. As the tops of the cords are cut, and the hop bines and the cords fall into the the truck. There is a guy on each side of the truck bed, making sure that things don't get too messy.</span><br />
<br />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqtmIKz6Ax37gaaLys6osXvIeBckoRGVIlRzrdGz7sxXOSK3coNODk68R3ff4hfR31_08bjlSspC1TlnpfJW9jkzSrpRgKiSsCh121EXypZF1-MyvuUxE_J0ZmWlZsMo30VnVUmw5Se6s/s1600/hops5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqtmIKz6Ax37gaaLys6osXvIeBckoRGVIlRzrdGz7sxXOSK3coNODk68R3ff4hfR31_08bjlSspC1TlnpfJW9jkzSrpRgKiSsCh121EXypZF1-MyvuUxE_J0ZmWlZsMo30VnVUmw5Se6s/s320/hops5.JPG" /></a>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">The guys on the back will now pick out individual bines and hook them into the conveyor system overhead. Once they're hooked in place, the rest of the process is automated.The hop flowers (and some of the leaves) have now been stripped off. There are a few stragglers but the hop farmers view trying to harvest them as a task that is not worth their time and effort.
Eventually, the truck will be full and they'll drive it back to the plant for processing. The trucks are offloaded, three at a time.
</span>
<br />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuyf3CxGILg8QJcnBSqihVrHtoYjFnybTFpKA2461WTl7RHXxhRIWdOCvmtxiE0qtkLMXNht7hhN3FXWN1jCnctIhdUoYUwi_e0SKSSDQitlXGJjoXRyViFC4Khr9GWElkomCld8R1vsA/s1600/hops8.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuyf3CxGILg8QJcnBSqihVrHtoYjFnybTFpKA2461WTl7RHXxhRIWdOCvmtxiE0qtkLMXNht7hhN3FXWN1jCnctIhdUoYUwi_e0SKSSDQitlXGJjoXRyViFC4Khr9GWElkomCld8R1vsA/s400/hops8.JPG" width="400" /></a>
<br /><span style="color: #eeeeee;">Once the hops come off the truck, automation takes over. Hop flowers are stripped off the bine, and separated from the leaves in a flurry of sifting and sorting activity. The flowers leave the building on one conveyor belt, everything else on another.
</span> <br /> <br />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilQALaTz3l2wyvCZQ7xubw3zcgXm0PAmFXML906EKmdSdwDobAZCGODv8aCEv3QB3h5z4yycEX28_-0XgPjq7Q6IpdvkRkRf8FyKtnmNu__leQJXwDYCEFwKk3K-qYYHUJcyByBm4BSck/s1600/hops10.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilQALaTz3l2wyvCZQ7xubw3zcgXm0PAmFXML906EKmdSdwDobAZCGODv8aCEv3QB3h5z4yycEX28_-0XgPjq7Q6IpdvkRkRf8FyKtnmNu__leQJXwDYCEFwKk3K-qYYHUJcyByBm4BSck/s400/hops10.JPG" width="400" /></a>
<br /><span style="color: #eeeeee;">The next stop is the kiln. A layer of hops several feet thick is gradually spread over a cloth-covered perforated base. Warm air is forced though this layer until the hops are dried sufficiently for storage.
</span> <br /> <br />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYQ1QFSvXo01u7UQtMkbMv8PzR3lYl1ynQd5zIshyphenhyphenH5B5nB4fZZTac_6_MShpNAcg8ceRnzpFxncdexrZdie_qSwyuxZ8gERD4uf-VnonWcfoi1ZMmLQT94nA6c-x2bVPb3jmISIW9hwM/s1600/hops11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYQ1QFSvXo01u7UQtMkbMv8PzR3lYl1ynQd5zIshyphenhyphenH5B5nB4fZZTac_6_MShpNAcg8ceRnzpFxncdexrZdie_qSwyuxZ8gERD4uf-VnonWcfoi1ZMmLQT94nA6c-x2bVPb3jmISIW9hwM/s400/hops11.JPG" width="400" /></a>
<br /><span style="color: #eeeeee;">Getting near the end of the process. Mountains of hops await the baler.
</span> <br /> <br />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEvlIHUGZe7rGKkUdpyPNzKQxi50gtvNMbL28iCzzeRDNtuoED7RMBHpMJ95x4QCbXPChvOL2GJnJ8L5PXYWjxeVJ4mWR8AKb5f5K_2T9xkyBUSGyybD5AuqYYFS7ipfjhRwWBmHVJoQE/s1600/hops12.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEvlIHUGZe7rGKkUdpyPNzKQxi50gtvNMbL28iCzzeRDNtuoED7RMBHpMJ95x4QCbXPChvOL2GJnJ8L5PXYWjxeVJ4mWR8AKb5f5K_2T9xkyBUSGyybD5AuqYYFS7ipfjhRwWBmHVJoQE/s400/hops12.JPG" width="400" /></a>
<br /><span style="color: #eeeeee;">Hops are pressed into giant bales for storage. They will remain in these bales until their ready for sale or retail packaging.
</span>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">
</span>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12469900515378207257noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6021466299731070539.post-56634604949069576432013-03-10T20:39:00.000-07:002013-03-30T08:33:09.585-07:00SRM / Lovibond / EBC Values<p>I started looking at SRM recently, after doing some research on Westvleteren 12, which according to notable sources has an SRM 40. This number seemed off the mark to me, so I knew I needed to do a bit of research because I want to brew a credible clone of the Westy 12.
</p>
<p>Keeping track of what color value means what is complicated a bit because there are three different scales for determining the color of a beer: SRM, Lovibond and EBC. SRM and Lovibond are essentially the same for the values that can be discriminated by the human eye:<blockquote><span style="color:#9fc5e8;">°L = (SRM + 0.6) / 1.35</span></blockquote>For example, with an SRM of 6, the Lovibond value would be 4.88, so the difference is nearly indistinguishable, and I think most people treat them as being the same. Looking at beer in a glass, I don't think I could spot one degree of difference without some reference system. Here's an example:
</p>
<table style="margin-left:40px">
<tr>
<th>SRM</th>
<th> Color </th>
</tr>
<tr>
<tr>
<td>3</td>
<td style="background:#F6F513;"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>4</td>
<td style="background:#ECE61A;"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
</table>
<p>EBC is roughly double SRM, but not quite. Why should any part of this be simple?<blockquote><span style="color:#9fc5e8;">EBC = SRM x 1.97<br/>
SRM = EBC x 0.508</span></blockquote>And just to keep things more interesting, the Lovibond scale is mostly used to express the potential color for dry ingredients such as malts and sugars, while SRM and EBC are used to express the color of liquids.
</p>
<p>So, back to the problem at hand, the color of Westvleteren 12. To put things in perspective, here is a scale that represents the colors for various style of beer. (Yes, I know that what I can show on a webpage is only a vague approximation because the perceived color depends on the angle of the light, the angle of the view, and the thickness of the sample, so bear with me.) If Westy 12 really does come in at SRM 40, it's at the end of the scale, and is the same darkness as Imperial Stout.
</p>
<table>
<tr>
<th>SRM</th>
<th>EBC</th>
<th>Example Styles</th>
<th> Color </th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>2</td>
<td>4</td>
<td>Pale Lager, Pilsener</td>
<td style="background:#F8F753;"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>3</td>
<td>6</td>
<td>Maibock, Blonde Ale</td>
<td style="background:#F6F513;"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>4</td>
<td>8</td>
<td>Weissbier</td>
<td style="background:#ECE61A;"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>6</td>
<td>12</td>
<td>American Pale Ale, India Pale Ale </td>
<td style="background:#D5BC26;"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>8</td>
<td>16</td>
<td>Saison</td>
<td style="background:#BF923B;"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>10</td>
<td>20</td>
<td>English Bitter, ESB</td>
<td style="background:#BF813A;"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>13</td>
<td>26</td>
<td>Biere de Garde, Double IPA</td>
<td style="background:#BC6733;"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>17</td>
<td>33</td>
<td>Vienna lager, Märzen, Amber Ale</td>
<td style="background:#8D4C32;"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>20</td>
<td>39</td>
<td>Brown Ale, Dunkelweizen</td>
<td style="background:#5D341A;"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>24</td>
<td>47</td>
<td>Doppelbock, Porter</td>
<td style="background:#261716;"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>29</td>
<td>57</td>
<td>Stout</td>
<td style="background:#0F0B0A;"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>35</td>
<td>69</td>
<td>Foreign Stout, Baltic Porter</td>
<td style="background:#080707;"></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>40+</td>
<td>79+</td>
<td>Imperial Stout</td>
<td style="background:#030403;"></td>
</tr>
</table>
<br/><br/>
With all this in mind, 40 seems way too dark. To settle it once and for all, I needed to open a bottle of Westy 12. This is the kind of research I need to do more often. Looking at a fresh pour, it looks pretty dark, but the head isn't as dark as I would expect for RIS:<br/><br/>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8MrQjezTR_Fw34Hf1lqK9kIPKvS0hpz-hXxUf08b3__-kWZu9-ECM-YedUM7z8tPY1YjlqKn3ocDK-ZsnvQqxwFOqLWKbp6yJFaiflENDqs58YL3BBBAKEKsyDy8jy09AcjWB476e_co/s1600/IMG_1735.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8MrQjezTR_Fw34Hf1lqK9kIPKvS0hpz-hXxUf08b3__-kWZu9-ECM-YedUM7z8tPY1YjlqKn3ocDK-ZsnvQqxwFOqLWKbp6yJFaiflENDqs58YL3BBBAKEKsyDy8jy09AcjWB476e_co/s320/IMG_1735.JPG" /></a>
<br/><br/>
And when I shine a flashlight from the back, it's clearly not as dark as RIS:<br/><br/>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-HCfzaf7fg27dn1xyNEma7c0slzEoBpM53DkqGXASvwVNY9HsAbVymc4rMNkTQdvJo72jmqvSwR0BAZZepLOHWG3PMXIWSQLEI8BcH1CDPtReiv7FaMGh1JxLBSipjhJ1GyI45UKtu_8/s1600/IMG_1739.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-HCfzaf7fg27dn1xyNEma7c0slzEoBpM53DkqGXASvwVNY9HsAbVymc4rMNkTQdvJo72jmqvSwR0BAZZepLOHWG3PMXIWSQLEI8BcH1CDPtReiv7FaMGh1JxLBSipjhJ1GyI45UKtu_8/s320/IMG_1739.JPG" /></a>
<br/><br/>
Finally, as I expected, pouring it into a smaller glass has a significant effect on the color perception. There is also a bit of sediment from the bottom of the bottle which gives the light something more to reflect off.<br/><br/>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3wyabjL2JbUn9Cd9jjaZUVdXpovVKApg20FMwCIs4V3X_lwiUXqqwMOqwRJT-kXr7cudwHfSD5Ks1xMEGmXdDKpTin-Id1Au6Fc0JqUz6etZQn22jBXbcu5QmnGJ-TzJSRlsjpKtkibU/s1600/IMG_1740.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3wyabjL2JbUn9Cd9jjaZUVdXpovVKApg20FMwCIs4V3X_lwiUXqqwMOqwRJT-kXr7cudwHfSD5Ks1xMEGmXdDKpTin-Id1Au6Fc0JqUz6etZQn22jBXbcu5QmnGJ-TzJSRlsjpKtkibU/s320/IMG_1740.JPG" /></a>
<br/><br/>
I think I'll be shooting for an SRM around 25 or 26 when I brew my Westvleteren 12 clone.
Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12469900515378207257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6021466299731070539.post-83275743283808038482013-03-09T22:34:00.003-08:002013-03-10T15:24:42.842-07:00Designing A Westvleteren 12 Clone<p>If there was ever a beer worthy of cloning, it's the Westy 12. It tastes great and is one of my favorite beers, but nearly impossible to get. You need to schedule a time to visit the monks at the Abbey of St. Sixtus in Belgium, and then you can buy a case. Or you can buy individual beers at the pub across the way from the abbey. Not an economical way to acquire this beer unless you live in the area. You can buy grey market beer on eBay, which is a less expensive than the trip to Belgium but it costs about $20/bottle the last time I checked.
</p>
<p>So, I'm going to try brewing this beer again. I tried once before but I got too cute and caramelized my own sugar (just like the monks.) This time around I'll go with commercially prepared Candi Sugar. In looking at the recipes around the web that purport to be Westvleteren 12 clones, they mostly seem to be too dark, wandering into porter/stout country. That's not going to get you a credible Westy 12 clone. Knowledge is power, so what do we know? The monks haven't been overly forthcoming, but we do have some information.
</p>
<p><b>The Fermentables:</b> We can't confirm anything here, but the most likely scenario is:<br/>
Belgian Pilsner<br/>
Belgian 2-Row<br/>
Belgian Candi Sugar<br/>
And all in quantities that are unknown. The beer may also contain some plain sugar, but no specialty malts. We know that all the darkness and most of the character in the beer comes from the sugar rather than from specialty malts, but how that is accomplished is one of the monks secrets they are not willing to share. All that Michael Jackson and the book 'Brew Like a Monk' (BLAM) say is that "caramelized sugar" is used. BLAM also says that 15 to 20% of the fermentables in a Belgian Dark Strong can be sugar, which would be between 2.75lbs and 4lbs for a 5 gallon batch.
</p>
<p><b>The Mash and the Boil:</b> We don't know anything here. Decoctions and infusions are possible, we just don't know.
</p>
<p><b>The Hops:</b> Michael Jackson wrote that Northern Brewer was used for bittering (which has since been replaced by a hop extract) and Styrian Goldings and Hersbrucker are used for flavor. BLAM says the same. Amounts and schedules aren't known.
</p>
<p><b>The Yeast:</b> We have solid info on the yeast. Westvleteren uses yeast they get from Westmalle, and they pitch fresh on every batch. "A secular worker" makes the drive to get the yeast on brew day. This means White Labs 530 Abbey Ale Yeast or Wyeast 3787 Trappist High Gravity are going to be good choices.
</p>
<p><b>The Ferment:</b> According to Brother Joris, head brewer of Westvleteren, fermentation begins at 68°F and then rises to at least 82°F (pretty darn warm), even in the winter. After apparent attenuation reaches 76-80% he begins cooling the beer to 68°F. Westvleteren 12 spends four to six days in primary before lagering to clarify (crash cooling to 50°F) for 8-10 weeks. Bottle conditioning is done at 79°F and takes 12 days. They pitch additional sugar and yeast for this.
</p>
<p>
<b>The Water:</b> Westvleteren has a water profile that is not very desirable for brewing, and BLAM says that they treat their water because its high in bicarbonates, sodium, sulfate and chloride. The Chimay water profile has identified by BLAM as being desirable for a Belgian Dark Strong Ale, so this is worth considering:<br/>
Calcium: 96<br/>
Bicarbonate: 287<br/>
Magnesium: 4<br/>
Sodium: 6<br/>
Sulfate: 32<br/>
Chloride: 13<br/>
</p>
<p>
Hope this helps. Please don't make another 'Westvleteren 12 Clone' that comes in at 40° Lovibond. Also, don't try to make one that follows the BJCP color guideline for Belgian Dark Strong. That's also off the mark. For what it's worth here is part of my tasting notes, which were probably skewed a bit by the small tasting glass that made the color seem a bit lighter than it should be:
<blockquote>Pours a cloudy dark amber with a big fluffy off-white head. Creamy medium-full body. Taste of pears and apples, almost to the point of being like cider, but with the toffee and caramel malt and some spice behind it. </blockquote>
</p>Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12469900515378207257noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6021466299731070539.post-13241831483669364212013-02-01T17:04:00.000-08:002013-02-01T17:04:26.558-08:00Measuring Specific Gravity with Refractometers<p>
I've had my refractometer for a while now, but it's taking me a while to make the leap from the Specific Gravity scale found on hydrometers, to the Brix scale found on refractometers. There is probably a super-cool refractometer out there somewhere that has both scales, but mine doesn't.
<p>
There are a number of web pages that have a chart to convert between the two, but I find the charts annoying. Some are short and easy to read, but not very useful because they don't have anything but whole values. Others include the values for 10ths of a degree, but make it tougher to find what I want because the list is so long.
</p>
<p>
Right now, I look at the value in Brix scale displayed on my refractometer, and then calculate the Specific Gravity on a phone app, or look it up on a web page. Eventually I'll leave SG behind, but for now the calculation and conversion process is a crutch.
</p>
The conversion from Brix to SG is not simple math that you can do in your head, but in the interest of science, here it is anyway: <br/>
<b>( Brix / ( 258.6 - ( ( Brix / 258.2 ) * 227.1 ) ) + 1 = Specific Gravity </b>
</p>
<p>
And here's a nifty calculator that will do the work of converting the Brix scale to the Specific Gravity scale so that you (and I) don't have to:
</p>
<script type="text/javascript">
function calc(){
var form = document.forms[0];
form.gravity.value = form.plato.value / ( 258.6 - ((form.plato.value / 258.2) * 227.1)) + 1;
form.gravity.value = (Math.round(form.gravity.value * 1000) /1000).toFixed(3);
}
</script>
<form name="platoToSG">
<table style="margin-left: 40px;">
<tr>
<td style="text-align: center;">
Brix/Plato:
</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">
<input type="text" size="3" name="plato">
</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">
<input type="button" value="Calculate" onclick="calc()">
</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">
Specific Gravity:
<br>
</td>
<td style="text-align: center;">
<input type="text" size="5" name="gravity" readonly>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
</form>Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12469900515378207257noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6021466299731070539.post-76541734435319259962013-01-25T19:15:00.002-08:002013-01-25T19:29:39.874-08:00Fuminator Smoked Doppelbock<p>
Bock is a strong German lager, a fairly dark, very malty, and it originated as a lightly hopped ale first brewed in the 14th century in the town of Einbeck. The style from Einbeck was later adopted by Munich brewers in the 17th century and they pronounced "Einbeck" as "ein Bock" or "a billy-goat" and thus the beer became known as "Bock". To reinforce this, the goat often appears on bock labels.
</p>
<p>
Doppelbock or "double bock" is a stronger version of traditional bock that was first brewed in Munich by the Paulaner monks. Doppelbock is high in alcohol and sweet, and served as "liquid bread" for the monks during times of fasting, when eating solid food was not permitted. They named their beer "Salvator" or "Savior", which today is trademarked by Paulaner. Brewers of other dopplebocks often add "-ator" to their beer's name as a signpost of the style. Today there are 200 "-ator" doppelbock names registered with the German patent office and a bunch more in the U.S.
</p>
<p>
This style seems to me like it would be a great base for a smoked beer. The Latin word for smoke is "fumus" so Fuminator seemed like a natural for a smoked doppelbock. And I really don't want to drink anything named "fumigator." I'm using a combination of the traditional German Rauchmalz (smoked malt) and cherry smoked malt. The cherry smoked malt has a much smokier nose and taste, so I'm going light on that. I think the overall effect will be about the same as an equal mix of smoked and non-smoked malts.
</p>
<br/>
<h3>Fuminator Smoked Doppelbock Recipe</h3>
<table>
<tr>
<td style='width:260px;'>
<dl>
<dt>Batch size</dt>
<dd><b>6.0</b> gallons
</dd>
<dt>Original Gravity</dt>
<dd>
<span><b>1.083</b></span><span style='font-size:smaller;'>/
<b>20.0</b>° Plato</span><div style='padding-top:3px;'>(1.074 to 1.087)</div>
</dd>
<dt>Final Gravity</dt>
<dd>
<span><b>1.022</b></span>
<span style='font-size:smaller;'>/ <b>5.6</b>° Plato</span>
<div style='padding-top:3px;'>(1.020 to 1.024)</div>
</dd>
<dt>Bitterness</dt>
<dd title='International Bittering Units'>
<span><b>20.2</b> IBU</span>
<span class='secondary-metric' title='Home Brewer Units'>/ <b>6</b> HBU</span>
</dd>
<dd>
<span style="font-size:15px;font-family:'times new roman', serif;font-weight:bold;">ƒ:</span>
Tinseth
</dd>
</td><td>
<dt style='clear:left;' title='Bittering Units per Gravity Unit'>BU:GU</dt>
<dd><b>0.24</b></dd>
<dt>Color</dt>
<dd>
<span><b>15</b>° SRM</span><span style='font-size:smaller;'>/ <b>30</b>° EBC</span>
</dd>
<dd >(Medium Brown)</dd>
<dt>Mash Efficiency</dt>
<dd>
75%
</dd>
<dt>Alcohol</dt>
<dd title='Alcohol By Volume'>
<b>8.1</b>% ABV
<span>/ <b>6</b>% ABW</span>
</dd>
<dt>Calories</dt>
<dd>
<b>274</b> per 12 oz.
</dd>
</dl>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<br>
<h3>Malts/Fermentables:</h3>
<table>
<tr>
<th style='width:35px;' title='Percent of Total Grist Weight'>%</th>
<th style='width:35px;' title='Pounds'>LB</th>
<th style='width:35px;' title='Ounces'>OZ</th>
<th style='width:175px;'>Type</th>
<th style='width:35px;' class='centered' title='Points per Pound per Gallon (Sugar Extract)'>ppg</th>
<th style='width:35px;' class='centered' title='Degrees Lovibond (Color Measurement)'>°L</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>37%</td>
<td class='numbers'>7</td>
<td class='centered'>0</td>
<td>Munich Malt - 10L</td>
<td class='numbers'>36</td>
<td class='numbers'>10</td>
<td></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>32%</td>
<td class='numbers'>6</td>
<td class='centered'>0</td>
<td>Weyermann Rauchmalz</td>
<td class='numbers'>35</td>
<td class='numbers'>3</td>
<td></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>16%</td>
<td class='numbers'>3</td>
<td class='centered'>0</td>
<td>Weyermann Vienna Malt</td>
<td class='numbers'>34</td>
<td class='numbers'>3</td>
<td></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>11%</td>
<td class='numbers'>2</td>
<td class='centered'>0</td>
<td>Caramunich Malt 40</td>
<td class='numbers'>33</td>
<td class='numbers'>40</td>
<td></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>5%</td>
<td class='numbers'>1</td>
<td class='centered'>0</td>
<td>Cherry Smoked Malt</td>
<td class='numbers'>34</td>
<td class='numbers'>2</td>
<td></td>
</tr>
</table>
<br/>
<h3>Hops</h3>
<table>
<tr>
<th style='width:125px;'>Use</th>
<th style='width:75px;'>Time</th>
<th style='width:75px;'title='Ounces'>oz</th>
<th style='width:175px;'>Variety</th>
<th style='width:75px;'>Form</th>
<th style='width:75px;' title='Alpha Acid (Bitterness Measurement)'>aa</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td >boil</td>
<td >60 mins</td>
<td class='centered'>1.25</td>
<td style='text-align:left'>Hallertau</td>
<td >pellet</td>
<td class='centered'>4.4</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td >boil</td>
<td >30 mins</td>
<td class='centered'>0.75</td>
<td style='text-align:left'>Hallertau</td>
<td >pellet</td>
<td class='centered'>4.4</td>
</tr>
</table>
<br>
<h3>Yeast</h3>
<table>
<tr>
<td style='text-align:left;'>
Primary: German Bock Lager (WLP833), liquid yeast with medium flocculation and 73% attenuation
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<br>
Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12469900515378207257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6021466299731070539.post-2641422775350040792013-01-20T13:14:00.002-08:002013-01-20T14:29:00.311-08:00Belle Saison Dry Ale Yeast<p>This is a new strain from Danstar/Lallemand, and the first dry Saison yeast that I'm aware of. I noticed it in my last trip down to Larry's Homebrew. I asked them about it, but it has only been on their shelves for a couple of days, so they don't have any feedback. Larry's sells it for $4.95 for an 11 gram packet.</p>
According to the manufacturer,
<blockquote><span style="color:#9fc5e8;">Belle Saison is an ale yeast of Belgian origin selected for its ability to produce great Saison-style beer. The propagation and drying processes have been specifically designed to deliver high quality beer yeast that can be used simply and reliably to help produce ales of the finest quality.
<ul>
<li>Quick start and vigorous fermentation, which can be completed in 5 days above 17°C (63°F).
High attenuation and high alcohol tolerance.
<li>Fermentation rate, fermentation time and degree of attenuation depend on inoculation density, yeast handling, fermentation temperature and nutritional quality of wort.
<li>Low flocculation rate; settling can be promoted by cooling and by using fining agents and isinglass.
<li>Saison beers are quite unique to brew. During fermentation, cooling is not normally used, allowing temperature of fermentation to increase.
<li>Aroma is fruity, spicy and peppery due to ester and phenol production, and does not display undesirable odours when properly handled.
</ul></span></blockquote>
<p>
Let's break this down a bit. "Belle Saison" really means "Belgian Saison" style ale yeast, with belle possibly having a double meaning that indicates that the yeast has lovely phenolics? Like other saisons, it wants to ferment on the warm side. If you can expect a completed ferment if five days, it apparently does not experience the sluggishness common with Dupont strains.
</p>
<p>
According to the <a href="http://www.danstaryeast.com/sites/default/files/tds-belle-saison-english.pdf">PDF on the Danstar website</a>, the commercial brewer should "Use 100 g of active dry yeast to inoculate 100 litres of wort." The home-brewer package recommends 1 grams of dry yeast to inoculate 1 liter of wort, or roughly two packages per five gallon batch. With 220 billion cells per packet, that's a lot of yeast, and even one packet is a bit more than the pitch rate recommended by <a href="http://www.mrmalty.com/calc/calc.html">MrMalty </a>for a five gallon batch of an average saison. Danstar also says that the yeast does not need to be aerated.</p>
<p>
This all sounds like they are not expecting a growth phase at the recommended inoculation rate. Since so many flavors come from the growth phase, I'm planing to pitch less than the suggested amount and aerate, which should cause the yeast to grow a bit. If that introduces a bit of lag time, so be it.
</p>
The pro brewer rehydration instructions (which are much more extensive than the homebrew instructions) are as follows:
<blockquote><span style="color:#9fc5e8;">
<ul>
<li>Sprinkle yeast on surface of 10 times its weight of clean sterilized (boiled) tap water at 30-35°C (86-92°F). Do not use wort, or distilled or reverse osmosis water, as loss in viability may result. GENTLY break any clumps to ensure that all yeast is in contact with rehydration medium. DO NOT STIR. Leave undisturbed for 15 minutes then suspend yeast completely and leave it for 5 more minutes at 30-35°C (86-92°F). Then adjust temperature to wort and inoculate without delay.
<li>Attemperate by blending portions of wort at 5-minute intervals, below 10°C (50°F) at a time. Do not allow attemperation to be carried out by natural heat loss as this will take too long and could result in loss of viability or vitality.
<li>Temperature shock, at greater than 10°C (50°F), will cause formation of petite mutants, leading to long or incomplete fermentation and possible formation of undesirable flavours.
<li>Belle Saison Yeast has been conditioned to survive rehydration, and contains an adequate reservoir of carbohydrates and unsaturated fatty acids to achieve active growth. It is not necessary to aerate wort.
</ul></span></blockquote>
<p>
I'm excited to try this. If this turns out to be a good yeast, it's one more thing that I can "stock" at home and avoid extra trips to the homebrew store.
</p>Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12469900515378207257noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6021466299731070539.post-12428438647489977062012-10-14T18:00:00.002-07:002012-10-14T20:47:23.819-07:00BeerTools, SPAM, and Marketing AssholesI got an email from BeerTools about my login problem. Seems nice enough at a casual glance, but it seems a little odd, since I didn't have a login problem:
<br />
<blockquote><span style="color:#9fc5e8;">
<b>BeerTools.com Login Trouble</b>
<br />
<br />
October 13, 2012<br />
Dear Bob,<br />
<br />
We would like to apologize for any trouble you experienced logging in at BeerTools.com. Technical details aside, it involved some trouble with files on the web server that hosts BeerTools.com and we believe the issue is resolved. If you were inconvenienced by the inaccessibility of your recipes please accept our sincere apologies. We value you as a visitor to BeerTools.com and hope to see you there again soon!<br />
Sincerely,<br />
<br />
BeerTools Staff <br />
BeerTools.com
</span></blockquote>
<p>
Then I started looking at the content. All the graphics in it are tracking beacons that point back to some website called rs6.net. The links that say "BeerTools.com" actually go to http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?<i>[queryString]</i> The queryString part of each web address is a long string of seemingly nonsense characters that identify exactly who I am, and why I clicked on it.
</p><p>
It seems odd that the links to BeerTools in my email from BeerTools don't actually go to BeerTools. they go to rs6.net instead. So, who the hell is rs6.net? There is an Internet service called "whois" and it will tell you:
</p>
<blockquote><span style="color:#9fc5e8;">
Administrative Contact:<br />
Domain Administrator<br />
Constant Contact, Inc.<br />
1601 Trapelo Road Suite 329<br />
Waltham MA 02451<br />
www.constantcontact.com/index.jsp?cc=TEM_BusLet_003<br />
</span></blockquote>
<p>
"The domain rs6.net is used by the email marketing provider Constant Contact as the root domain for certain links embedded in email campaigns sent on behalf of our customers." Well, that's interesting. Constant Contact is a click-through sort of like tinyURL, but it's for designed for tracking those click-throughs rather than just redirecting you.
</p><p>
How does this all work? Let's say you get a 'helpful' email from BeerTools (really Constant Contact), you open your email and your email client is set to display the graphics. A call is made back to rs6.net, and they track the fact that you were interested enough to open the email. After that info goes into their database, they send your graphics back to be displayed in the 'helpful' email. They probably get paid some small amount by BeerTools at this point. As a bonus, you might be a candidate for some targeted marketing some time soon.
</p><p>
If you click on the link in the 'helpful' email that says "BeerTools.com" your request goes to r20.rs6.net and they read the queryString. Again part of that info goes into their database, and the rest is used to redirect you to BeerTools.com. They probably get paid some larger amount by BeerTools at this point and you're probably a great candidate for some targeted marketing.
</p><p>
Nice. Not as bad as a pedophile with a "lost puppy" on the playground, but not an actual solution for my non-existent login problem either. Oh look! Every other bit of brewing software in the world suddenly got more appealing when compared to BeerTools, and the chance of me ever buying anything from BeerTools is approaching zero.
</p>Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12469900515378207257noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6021466299731070539.post-53260479210505615392012-10-12T21:12:00.001-07:002012-10-17T23:18:38.764-07:00Olde Fortran Malt Liquor<p>
Malt liquor is a North American term referring to high alcohol beer. Legally, it usually means not lower than 5% ABV and made with some malted barley. Sugar, corn or other adjuncts are added to the malted barley to boost the total amount of fermentable sugars in the wort. "High Gravity" or "HG" malt liquor may have high levels of fusel alcohols, which give off solventy or fuel-like aromas and flavors. Examples of malt liquors sold in forty ounce bottles include Olde English 800, Colt 45, Mickey's, Camo, Country Club, Steel Reserve 211 an a host of others.
</p>
<p>
Despite all this I was inspired by my friend Ben to brew a Malt Liquor... <br>"Olde Fortran" was the malt liquor in Futurama, and I like Futurama. So there you go. First problem: Malt Liquor is not a recognized BJCP style, so not many malt liquor homebrew recipes seem to exist. I decided to sort of riff on the Classic American Pilsner (CAP) theme, and build an "Imperial" version.
</p><p>
The basic ingredients for a CAP are base malt, adjunct (corn or rice), hops, water and yeast. I was planning on an authentic mix of six-row and two-row malt, but supply limitations lead me to two-row only. Six-row pale malt has more diastatic power (DP) than domestic two-row malts, and I was initially looking for the "extra" enzymatic power to convert to starches from the adjuncts, so I'm going a little "light" on the adjuncts to compensate.
</p><p>
Barley malt occupies around 60–70% of the total grain bill of a Classic American Pilsner, with the remaining 30–40% being corn or rice adjuncts. I decided to use a bit of both, since both yield very little color, their flavor is nearly neutral and are low in protein compared to malt. I decided to go with flaked corn since it is cheaper than the grits I have used in the past for a CAP. Flaked corn is "pre-gelatinized" so it can simply be stirred into the mash. For the rice I will need to do a cereal mash.
</p><p>
The hopping rate for Classic American Pilsners is very low, with IBU levels generally around 10–14. I'm going to double the hops along with the fermentables Cluster was popular among American brewers, so I'll include a bit of that. Classic American Pilsners are brewed with lager yeasts and most lager strains will do a decent job. The ideal is probably Wyeast 2007 (Pilsen Lager) or White Labs WLP840 (American Lager), but I'm going with Saflager S-23 Dry Yeast, just to see what the hell happens. I somewhat distrust the FG number from my calculations. I'm betting it finishes in the high teens.
</p>
<p>
I was planning to hit 8% alcohol, but I ran off a bit too much during the sparge and a cold, rainy day kept the the evaporation level lower than expected. I ended up with six gallons at 7.2 rather than 5.5 at 8. Oh well.
</p>
<table>
<tr>
<td style='width:260px;'>
<dl>
<dt>Batch size</dt>
<dd><b>6.0</b> gallons
</dd>
<dt>Original Gravity</dt>
<dd>
<span><b>1.075</b></span><span style='font-size:smaller;'>/
<b>18.2</b>° Plato</span><div style='padding-top:3px;'>(1.0798 to 1.089)</div>
</dd>
<dt>Final Gravity</dt>
<dd>
<span><b>1.021</b></span>
<span style='font-size:smaller;'>/ <b>5.3</b>° Plato</span>
<div style='padding-top:3px;'>(1.018 to 1.023)</div>
</dd>
<dt>Bitterness</dt>
<dd title='International Bittering Units'>
<span><b>25.7</b> IBU</span>
<span class='secondary-metric' title='Home Brewer Units'>/ <b>10</b> HBU</span>
</dd>
<dd>
<span style="font-size:15px;font-family:'times new roman', serif;font-weight:bold;">ƒ:</span>
Tinseth
</dd>
</td><td>
<dt style='clear:left;' title='Bittering Units per Gravity Unit'>BU:GU</dt>
<dd><b>0.33</b></dd>
<dt>Color</dt>
<dd>
<span><b>3</b>° SRM</span><span style='font-size:smaller;'>/ <b>6</b>° EBC</span>
</dd>
<dd >(Yellow)</dd>
<dt>Mash Efficiency</dt>
<dd>
75%
</dd>
<dt>Alcohol</dt>
<dd title='Alcohol By Volume'>
<b>7.2</b>% ABV
<span>/ <b>6</b>% ABW</span>
</dd>
<dt>Calories</dt>
<dd>
<b>258</b> per 12 oz.
</dd>
</dl>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<br>
<h3>Malts/Fermentables:</h3>
<table>
<tr>
<th style='width:35px;' title='Percent of Total Grist Weight'>%</th>
<th style='width:35px;' title='Pounds'>LB</th>
<th style='width:35px;' title='Ounces'>OZ</th>
<th style='width:175px;'>Type</th>
<th style='width:35px;' class='centered' title='Points per Pound per Gallon (Sugar Extract)'>ppg</th>
<th style='width:35px;' class='centered' title='Degrees Lovibond (Color Measurement)'>°L</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>72%</td>
<td class='numbers'>12</td>
<td class='centered'>0</td>
<td>Two-row Pale</td>
<td class='numbers'>37</td>
<td class='numbers'>2</td>
<td></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>18%</td>
<td class='numbers'>3</td>
<td class='centered'>0</td>
<td>Flaked Corn</td>
<td class='numbers'>40</td>
<td class='numbers'>1</td>
<td></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>9%</td>
<td class='numbers'>1</td>
<td class='centered'>8</td>
<td>Rice</td>
<td class='numbers'>40</td>
<td class='numbers'>1</td>
<td></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>0%</td>
<td class='numbers'>0</td>
<td class='centered'>4</td>
<td>Rice Hulls</td>
<td class='numbers'>0</td>
<td class='numbers'>0</td>
<td></td>
</tr>
</table>
<br/>
<h3>Hops</h3>
<table>
<tr>
<th style='width:125px;'>Use</th>
<th style='width:75px;'>Time</th>
<th style='width:75px;'title='Ounces'>oz</th>
<th style='width:175px;'>Variety</th>
<th style='width:75px;'>Form</th>
<th style='width:75px;' title='Alpha Acid (Bitterness Measurement)'>aa</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td >boil</td>
<td >60 mins</td>
<td class='centered'>1.25</td>
<td style='text-align:left'>Crystal</td>
<td >pellet</td>
<td class='centered'>7.7</td>
</tr>
</table>
<br>
<h3>Yeast</h3>
<table>
<tr>
<td style='text-align:left;'>
Primary: Saflager S-23, medium flocculation and 73% attenuation
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<br>
Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12469900515378207257noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6021466299731070539.post-85436451178393876642012-10-08T20:56:00.001-07:002012-10-08T21:05:44.465-07:00Experimental Flanders Red<p>
Flanders Red is one of my favorite beer styles: La Folie, Rodenbach Grand Cru, and Duchesse de Bourgogne are all worthy of clone attempts. The problem is that a good Flanders Red takes a long time to brew, at least the way I did it last time. I went with the Cal Ale yeast in the primary, followed by Roselaire blend in the secondary. After about eight months it was rather nice. This probably isn't far from the commercial formula of ale yeast fermentation in the primary for one week, lacto secondary for four weeks, and Brett tertiary conditioning for months or years.
</p><p>
There seems to be an almost standard malt bill that involves varying quantities of Munich, Vienna, Aromatic, CaraMunich, Special B and Wheat along with base malt, so this part of the recipe isn't so experimental. Hops don't play a significant part because this is a sour, malty beer. My ideal Flanders Red has a combination of the soft lactic sourness and touch of the sharper acetic sourness, but several of the homebrews I've tried by some pretty good brewers have come up a bit short on any sort of sourness. Hence the experimental part...
</p><p>
This time I'm going to mix the ferment and souring up a bit differently. I'll start off with a four-day sour mash using about half of the Pilsner malt, then do the normal mash on brew day, with a one week ale yeast primary and a tertiary with Lambic Blend. The contents of the sour mash won't be added to the regular mash until it is more than half done, so I don't throw off the mash pH. I would prefer to go with Roselaire Blend to finish it off, but it won't be available right now, so the substitute will have to do.
</p>
<p>
My hope is that I get the tartness without having to wait forever, and I get some complexity in the sourness to match the malt bill. We shall see.
</p>
<table>
<tr>
<td style='width:260px;'>
<dl>
<dt>Batch size</dt>
<dd><b>5.5</b> gallons
</dd>
<dt>Original Gravity</dt>
<dd>
<span><b>1.053</b></span><span style='font-size:smaller;'>/
<b>13.1</b>° Plato</span><div style='padding-top:3px;'>(1.048 to 1.056)</div>
</dd>
<dt>Final Gravity</dt>
<dd>
<span><b>1.013</b></span>
<span style='font-size:smaller;'>/ <b>3.3</b>° Plato</span>
<div style='padding-top:3px;'>(1.012 to 1.015)</div>
</dd>
<dt>Bitterness</dt>
<dd title='International Bittering Units'>
<span><b>13.18</b> IBU</span>
<span class='secondary-metric' title='Home Brewer Units'>/ <b>4</b> HBU</span>
</dd>
<dd>
<span style="font-size:15px;font-family:'times new roman', serif;font-weight:bold;">ƒ:</span>
Tinseth
</dd>
</td><td>
<dt style='clear:left;' title='Bittering Units per Gravity Unit'>BU:GU</dt>
<dd><b>0.25</b></dd>
<dt>Color</dt>
<dd>
<span><b>31</b>° SRM</span><span style='font-size:smaller;'>/ <b>16</b>° EBC</span>
</dd>
<dd >(Light Brown to Medium Brown)</dd>
<dt>Mash Efficiency</dt>
<dd>
75%
</dd>
<dt>Alcohol</dt>
<dd title='Alcohol By Volume'>
<b>5.3</b>% ABV
<span>/ <b>4</b>% ABW</span>
</dd>
<dt>Calories</dt>
<dd>
<b>173</b> per 12 oz.
</dd>
</dl>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<br>
<h3>Malts/Fermentables:</h3>
<table>
<tr>
<th style='width:35px;' title='Percent of Total Grist Weight'>%</th>
<th style='width:35px;' title='Pounds'>LB</th>
<th style='width:35px;' title='Ounces'>OZ</th>
<th style='width:175px;'>Type</th>
<th style='width:35px;' class='centered' title='Points per Pound per Gallon (Sugar Extract)'>ppg</th>
<th style='width:35px;' class='centered' title='Degrees Lovibond (Color Measurement)'>°L</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>32%</td>
<td class='numbers'>3</td>
<td class='centered'>8</td>
<td>Vienna</td>
<td class='numbers'>36</td>
<td class='numbers'>3</td>
<td></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>28%</td>
<td class='numbers'>3</td>
<td class='centered'>0</td>
<td>Weyermann Pilsner</td>
<td class='numbers'>37</td>
<td class='numbers'>2</td>
<td></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>23%</td>
<td class='numbers'>2</td>
<td class='centered'>8</td>
<td>Munich</td>
<td class='numbers'>36</td>
<td class='numbers'>10</td>
<td></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>5%</td>
<td class='numbers'>0</td>
<td class='centered'>8</td>
<td>Wheat</td>
<td class='numbers'>39</td>
<td class='numbers'>2</td>
<td></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>5%</td>
<td class='numbers'>0</td>
<td class='centered'>8</td>
<td>Aromatic</td>
<td class='numbers'>34</td>
<td class='numbers'>23</td>
<td></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>5%</td>
<td class='numbers'>0</td>
<td class='centered'>8</td>
<td>CaraMunich</td>
<td class='numbers'>33</td>
<td class='numbers'>75</td>
<td ></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>3%</td>
<td class='numbers'>0</td>
<td class='centered'>6</td>
<td>Special B</td>
<td class='numbers'>33</td>
<td class='numbers'>220</td>
<td ></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td class='numbers'>11</td>
<td class='centered'>10</td>
</tr>
</table>
<br/>
<h3>Hops</h3>
<table>
<tr>
<th style='width:125px;'>Use</th>
<th style='width:75px;'>Time</th>
<th style='width:75px;'title='Ounces'>oz</th>
<th style='width:175px;'>Variety</th>
<th style='width:75px;'>Form</th>
<th style='width:75px;' title='Alpha Acid (Bitterness Measurement)'>aa</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td >boil</td>
<td >60 mins</td>
<td class='centered'>0.75</td>
<td style='text-align:left'>Goldings</td>
<td >pellet</td>
<td class='centered'>5.0</td>
</tr>
</table>
<br>
<h3>Yeast</h3>
<table>
<tr>
<td style='text-align:left;'>
Primary: Safale US-05, low to medium flocculation and 73% attenuation
</td>
</tr><tr>
<td style='text-align:left;'>
Secondary: Belgian Lambic Blend (3278), 75% attenuation
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<br>
<h3>Miscellany</h3>
<table>
<tr>
<th style='width:160px;'>Use</th>
<th style='width:75px;'>Amount</th>
<th style='text-align:left;padding-left:10px;'>Ingredient</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style='text-align:left;'>Secondary fermenter</td>
<td >
<b>3</b>
ounces
</td>
<td style='text-align:left;'>
Oak Chips
</td>
</table>Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12469900515378207257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6021466299731070539.post-82040120334796798682012-08-25T16:00:00.000-07:002012-08-25T20:41:05.809-07:00AHA/NHC Gold Medal Recipes 2004-2011<p>
The AHA Wiki is great for some stuff. In the good news section, they have the last eight years worth of first place, Gold Medal
homebrew recipes for each of the BJCP categories.
<p/><p>
In the not-so-good news section, they make it unneccessarily hard to find the gold medal recipes on their website,
and after you've finally found them you need to weed through all eight years to find the one and only Belgian Dubbel recipe that medaled.
Or you may end up sifting through all eight years only to find out that that a Brown Porter never got the gold in the Porter category
because the Robust Porters and Baltic Porters always win; so you need to keep looking for that superb Brown Porter recipe elsewhere.
You'll find that there are 12 sub-categories that haven't struck gold.
<p/><p>
I decided to help them get organized, so here you go. The following list has the Gold Medal-winning recipe in each category of the
AHA National Homebrew Competition (NHC) for the last eight years. <i>The list of BJCP categories changed in 2005, so I've tried to fit
the earlier entries where they make sense in the current categories.)</i>
<p/><p>
The AHA Gold Medal-winning recipes for 2012 has been announced, but the recipes have not been posted on the AHA website as of yet. I'll update my list when
they become available.
<p/><br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style01.php#1a"><b>BJCP 1A</b></a> <b>Lite American Lager</b><br />
2009 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/OBamaLot">O'Bama-Lot</a><br />
2008 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/BillyBobMississippiLager">Billy Bob Mississippi Lager</a><br />
2006 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/ChampagneLager">Champagne Lager</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style01.php#1b"><b>BJCP 1B</b></a> <b>Standard American Lager</b><br />
2005 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/StandardAmericanLager">Standard American Lager</a><br />
2004 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/Dougweiser">Dougweiser</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style01.php#1c"><b>BJCP 1C</b></a><b> Premium American Lager</b><br />
(No gold medal winners in this category in the last eight years.)<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style01.php#1d"><b>BJCP 1D</b></a><b> Munich Helles</b><br />
2011 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/VikingGoldNHC2011">Viking Gold</a><br />
2007 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/MunichHellesNHC07">Munich Helles</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style01.php#1e"><b>BJCP 1E</b></a> <b>Dortmunder Export</b><br />
2010 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/461DortmunderExport">461 Dortmunder Export</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style02.php#1a"><b>BJCP 2A</b></a> <b>German Pilsner</b><br />
2006 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/DreiLiebchenDeutschePils">Drei Liebchen Deutsche Pils</a><br />
2004 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/Edmontoner">Edmontoner</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style02.php#1b"><b>BJCP 2B</b></a> <b>Bohemian Pilsner</b><br />
2011 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/StopLookingForMaltComplexityInPilsnersNHC2011">Stop Looking For Malt Complexity In Pilsners</a><br />
2010 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/BoPilsBohemianPilsner">BoPils</a><br />
2008 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/LiquidSunshineBohemianPilsner">Liquid Sunshine</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style02.php#1c"><b>BJCP 2C</b></a> <b>Classic American Pilsner</b><br />
2009 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/ClassicAmericanPilsnerNHC2009">Classic American Pilsner</a><br />
2007 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/ClassicAmericanPilsnerNHC07">Classic American Pilsner</a><br />
2005 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/Goldeneralager">Golden Era Lager</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style03.php#1a"><b>BJCP 3A</b></a> <b>Vienna Lager</b><br />
2011 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/ViennaLagerNHC2011">Vienna Lager</a><br />
2008 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/ViennaLager">Vienna Lager</a><br />
2005 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/littleVienna">Little Vienna</a><br />
2004 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/ViennaEhIII">Vienna Eh? III</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style03.php#1b"><b>BJCP 3B</b></a><b> Oktoberfest/Märzen</b><br />
2010 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/Maerzen">Maerzen</a><br />
2009 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/OktoberfestHallertau">Oktoberfest Hallertau</a><br />
2007 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/GBMarzen">GB Märzen</a><br />
2006 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/OfaceOfest">Oface Ofest</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style04.php#1a"><b>BJCP 4A</b></a> <b>Dark American Lager</b><br />
2009 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/DannysBock">Danny's Bock</a><br />
2006 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/DarkAmericanLagerNHC06">Dark American Lager</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style04.php#1b"><b>BJCP 4B</b></a> <b>Munich Dunkel</b><br />
2010 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/TarasSlamDunkel">Tara's Slam Dunkel</a><br />
2008 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/MunichDunkel">Munich Dunkel</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style04.php#1c"><b>BJCP 4C</b></a> <b>Schwarzbier</b><br />
2011 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/BlackSaxonNHC2011">Black Saxon</a><br />
2007 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/SchwarzbierNHC07">Schwarzbier</a><br />
2005 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/LettheSchwarzBeWithYouNHC2005">Let the Schwarz Be With You <i>(recipe not available)</i></a><br />
2004 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/DarkHelmetSchwarzbier">Dark Helmet Schwarzbier</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style05.php#1a"><b>BJCP 5A</b></a> <b>Maibock/Helles Bock</b><br />
2008 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/HellesBock">Helles Bock</a><br />
2005 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/HeiligeHellesNHC2005">Heilige Helles</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style05.php#1b"><b>BJCP 5B</b></a> <b>M Traditional Bock</b><br />
(No gold medal winners in this category in the last eight years.)<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style05.php#1c"><b>BJCP 5C</b></a> <b>Doppelbock</b><br />
2007 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/DoppelbockNHC07">Doppelbock</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style05.php#1d"><b>BJCP 5D</b></a> <b>Eisbock</b><br />
2011 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/TriPaulBockNHC2011">Tri-Paul-Bock</a><br />
2010 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/Isebock">Isebock</a><br />
2009 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/EisbockNHC2009">Eisbock</a><br />
2006 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/Dominator">Dominator</a><br />
2004 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/EKU">EKU</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style06.php#1a"><b>BJCP 6A</b></a> <b>Cream Ale</b><br />
2008 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/KarisCreamAle">Kari's Cream Ale</a><br />
2006 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/CreamAleNHC06">Cream Ale</a><br />
2011 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/12CreamAleNHC2011">$12 Cream Ale</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style06.php#1b"><b>BJCP 6B</b></a> <b>Blonde Ale</b><br />
2004 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/SweetheartBlonde">Sweetheart Blonde</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style06.php#1c"><b>BJCP 6C</b></a> <b>Kölsch</b><br />
2010 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/HeliosKolsch">Helios Kölsch</a><br />
2007 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/KolschNHC07">Kölsch</a><br />
2005 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/SummerKolsch">Summer Kölsch</a><br />
2004 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/KoelschdeToro">Köelschde Toro</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style06.php#1d"><b>BJCP 6D</b></a> <b>American Wheat Or Rye Beer</b><br />
2009 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/ByeByeMissAmericanRye">Bye, Bye, Miss American Rye</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style07.php#1a"><b>BJCP 7A</b></a> <b>North German Altbier</b><br />
2006 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/StrikeTeamChanukahAltbier">Strike Team Chanukah Altbier</a><br />
2005 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/NorthernGermanAltbier">Northern German Altbier</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style07.php#1b"><b>BJCP 7B</b></a> <b>California Common Beer</b><br />
2010 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/NJSteam143">NJ Steam 143</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style07.php#1c"><b>BJCP 7C</b></a> <b>Düsseldorf Altbier</b><br />
2011 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/DailyBreadGermanAleNHC2011">Daily Bread German Ale</a><br />
2009 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/DusseldorfAltNHC2009">Dusseldorf Alt</a><br />
2008 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/SummersAltDusseldorfAltbier">SummersALT</a><br />
2007 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/JZAlt">JZ Alt</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style08.php#1a"><b>BJCP 8A</b></a> <b>Standard/Ordinary Bitter</b><br />
2008 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/StandardOrdinaryBitter">Standard/Ordinary Bitter</a><br />
2004 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/Ordinary">Ordinary Bitter</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style08.php#1b"><b>BJCP 8B</b></a> <b>Special/Best/Premium Bitter</b><br />
2011 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/ESBNHC2011">ESB</a><br />
2006 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/BobsBitter">Bob's Bitter</a><br />
2005 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/TrueBrit">True Brit</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style08.php#1c"><b>BJCP 8C</b></a> <b>Extra Special/Strong Bitter (English Pale Ale)</b><br />
2009 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/Guvnah">Guvnah</a><br />
2009 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/ESBNHC2009">ESB</a><br />
2007 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/BearsBitter">Bears Bitter</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style09.php#1a"><b>BJCP 9A</b></a> <b>Scottish Light 60/-</b><br />
2007 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/ScottishLight60NHC07">Scottish Light 60/-</a><br />
2005 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/Scottish60">Scottish 60/-</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style09.php#1b"><b>BJCP 9B</b></a> <b>Scottish Heavy 70/-</b><br />
2011 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/BrownEyedWomanNHC2011">Brown Eyed Woman</a><br />
2009 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/ScottishHeavy70NHC2009">Scottish Heavy 70/-</a><br />
2006 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/SandHillScottie">Sand Hill Scottie</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style09.php#1c"><b>BJCP 9C</b></a> Scottish Export 80/-<br />
2004 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/Export80">Export 80/-</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style09.php#1d"><b>BJCP 9D</b></a> <b>Irish Red Ale</b><br />
(No gold medal winners in this category in the last eight years.)<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style09.php#1e"><b>BJCP 9E</b></a> <b>Strong Scotch Ale</b><br />
2010 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/ScotchBingersonsRehydrationFluid">Scotch Bingerson's Rehydration Fluid</a><br />
2008 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/IfItAintScottishItsCrapScotchAle">If It Ain't Scottish, It's Crap Scotch Ale</a><br />
2004 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/FatBastardWeeHeavy">Fat Bastard Wee Heavy</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style10.php#1a"><b>BJCP 10A</b></a> <b>American Pale Ale</b><br />
2010 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/OpeningDayPaleAle">Opening Day Pale Ale</a><br />
2009 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/LaraPaleAleNHC2009">Lara Pale Ale</a><br />
2008 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/LaraPaleAleAmericanPaleAle">Lara Pale Ale</a><br />
2007 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/AmarilloPaleAle">Amarillo Pale Ale</a><br />
2006 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/DrunkMonkPaleAle">Drunk Monk Pale Ale</a><br />
2005 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/ScreamingVikingPaleAle">Screaming Viking Pale Ale</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style10.php#1b"><b>BJCP 10B</b></a> <b>American Amber Ale</b><br />
2011 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/AmberWavesOfGrainNHC2011">Amber Waves Of Grain</a><br />
2004 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/DrunkMonkAmberAle">Drunk Monk Amber Ale</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style10.php#1c"><b>BJCP 10C</b></a> <b>American Brown Ale</b><br />
2004 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/JanetsBrownAleNHC2004">Janet's Brown Ale</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style11.php#1a"><b>BJCP 11A</b></a> <b>Mild</b><br />
2010 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/ThomasToesMild">Thomas Toes Mild</a><br />
2009 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/ModestMild">Modest Mild</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style11.php#1b"><b>BJCP 11B</b></a> <b>Southern English Brown Ale</b><br />
2007 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/SouthernEnglishBrownAleNHC07">Southern English Brown Ale</a><br />
2005 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/EnglishBrownAle">English Brown Ale</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style11.php#1c"><b>BJCP 11C</b></a> <b>Northern English Brown Ale</b><br />
2011 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/NorthernEnglishBrownAleNHC2011">Northern English Brown Ale</a><br />
2008 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/NuttyProfessorAleNorthernEnglishBrownAle">Nutty Professor Ale</a><br />
2006 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/NutBrownNHC06">Nut Brown</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style12.php#1a"><b>BJCP 12A</b></a> <b>Brown Porter</b><br />
(No gold medal winners in this category in the last eight years.)<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style12.php#1b"><b>BJCP 12B</b></a> <b>Robust Porter</b><br />
2011 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/DreadedRobustPorterNHC2011">Dreaded Robust Porter</a><br />
2009 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/RobustPorterNHC2009">Robust Porter</a><br />
2008 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/RobustPorter">Robust Porter</a><br />
2007 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/RobustPorterNHC07">Robust Porter</a><br />
2005 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/BlackHillsPorter">Black Hills Porter</a><br />
2004 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/RocketRodRomanaksPositivelyPorter">Rocket Rod Romanaks Positively Porter</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style12.php#1c"><b>BJCP 12C</b></a> <b>Baltic Porter</b><br />
2010 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/ThreeKingsBalticPorter">Three Kings Baltic Porter</a><br />
2006 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/BalticPorterNHC06">Baltic Porter</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style13.php#1a"><b>BJCP 13A</b></a> <b>Dry Stout</b><br />
(No gold medal winners in this category in the last eight years.)<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style13.php#1b"><b>BJCP 13B</b></a> <b>Sweet Stout</b><br />
(No gold medal winners in this category in the last eight years.)<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style13.php#1c"><b>BJCP 13C</b></a> <b>Oatmeal Stout</b><br />
2010 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/OatmealStout">Oatmeal Stout</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style13.php#1d"><b>BJCP 13D</b></a> <b>Foreign Extra Stout</b><br />
2009 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/RedridgeStout">Redridge Stout</a><br />
2004 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/WestIndianViagra">West Indian Viagra</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style13.php#1e"><b>BJCP 13E</b></a> <b>American Stout</b><br />
2008 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/FostagStoutAmericanStout">Fostag Stout</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style13.php#1f"><b>BJCP 13F</b></a> <b>Russian Imperial Stout</b><br />
2011 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/BadenovRussianImperialStout">Badenov Russian Imperial Stout</a><br />
2007 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/LeapSecondImperialStout">Leap Second Imperial Stout</a><br />
2006 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/RISNHC06">Russian Imperial Stout</a><br />
2005 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/VeronicasImperialStout">Veronica's Imperial Stout</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style14.php#1a"><b>BJCP 14A</b></a> <b>English IPA</b><br />
2009 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/BlitzkriegHops">Blitzkrieg Hops</a><br />
2005 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/13MileIPA">13 Mile IPA</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style14.php#1b"><b>BJCP 14B</b></a> <b>American IPA</b><br />
2011 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/TsunamiIPANHC2011">Tsunami IPA</a><br />
2007 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/LongbrookIPA">Longbrook IPA</a><br />
2006 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/ChickenCreekIPA">Chicken Creek IPA</a><br />
2004 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/InauguralIPA">Inaugural IPA</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://"><b>BJCP 14C</b></a> <b>Imperial IPA</b><br />
2010 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/HopFu">Hop-Fu</a><br />
2008 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/PlinyTheElderCloneImperialIPA">Pliny The Elder Clone</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style15.php#1a"><b>BJCP</b> 15A<b></a> Weizen Weissbier</b><br />
2009 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/ElHefe">El Hefe</a><br />
2008 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/EnglandWeizen">England-Weizen</a><br />
2005 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/Hefeweizen">Hefeweizen</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style15.php#1b"><b>BJCP 15B</b></a> <b>Dunkelweizen</b><br />
(No gold medal winners in this category in the last eight years.)<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style15.php#1c"><b>BJCP 15C</b></a> <b>Weizenbock</b><br />
2007 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/BitezenBock">Bitezen Bock</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style15.php#1d"><b>BJCP 15D</b></a> <b>Roggenbier (German Rye Beer)</b><br />
2011 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/RoggenNHC2011">Roggen</a><br />
2010 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/Roggen">Roggen</a><br />
2006 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/PeterNelsonsRoggenBier">Peter Nelson's RoggenBier</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style16.php#1a"><b>BJCP 16A</b></a> <b>Witbier</b><br />
2011 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/WitbierNHC2011">Witbier</a><br />
2006 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/WitbierNHC06">Witbier</a><br />
2005 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/Witbier">Witbier</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style16.php#1b"><b>BJCP 16B</b></a> <b>Belgian Pale Ale</b><br />
(No gold medal winners in this category in the last eight years.)<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style16.php#1c"><b>BJCP 16C</b></a> <b>Saison</b><br />
2010 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/SaisonLite139">Saison Lite 139</a><br />
2007 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/SaisonDEte">Saison d'Ete</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style16.php#1d"><b>BJCP 16D</b></a> <b>Biere de Garde</b><br />
(No gold medal winners in this category in the last eight years.)<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style16.php#1e"><b>BJCP 16E</b></a> <b>Belgian Specialty Ale</b><br />
2009 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/BelgianSpecialtyAleNHC2009">Belgian Specialty Ale</a><br />
2008 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/100BrettanomycesBelgianSpecialtyAle">100% Brettanomyces</a><br />
2004 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/Sorval">Sorval</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style17.php#1a"><b>BJCP 17A</b></a> <b>Berliner Weisse</b><br />
2008 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/BerlinerWeisse">Berliner Weisse</a><br />
2004 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/WillOtheWispWeisse">Will Othe Wisp Weisse</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style17.php#1b"><b>BJCP 17B</b></a> <b>Flanders Red Ale</b><br />
2010 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/ZedsDeadRed">Zed's Dead Red</a><br />
2007 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/FlandersRedAleNHC07">Flanders Red Ale</a><br />
2004 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/FlandersRedAle">Flanders Red Ale</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style17.php#1d"><b>BJCP 17D</b></a> <b>Flanders Brown Ale (Oud Bruin)</b><br />
(No gold medal winners in this category in the last eight years.)<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style17.php#1d"><b>BJCP 17D</b></a> <b>Straight (Unblended) Lambic</b><br />
2006 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/ThrowingTheDiceAgain">Throwing The Dice Again</a><br />
2005 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/OhtoDaisy">Oh to Daisy</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style17.php#1e"><b>BJCP 17E</b></a> <b>Gueuze</b><br />
2011 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/YouSnoozeYouGueuzeNHC2011">You Snooze You Gueuze</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style17.php#1d"><b>BJCP 17F</b></a> <b>Fruit Lambic</b><br />
2009 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/MsHelensPechePassion">Ms. Helen's Peche Passion</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style18.php#1a"><b>BJCP 18A</b></a> <b>Belgian Blonde</b><br />
2010 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/SullysBelgianBlonde">Sully's Belgian Blonde</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style18.php#1b"><b>BJCP 18B</b></a> <b>Belgian Dubbel</b><br />
2009 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/BelgianDubbelNHC2009">Belgian Dubbel</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style18.php#1c"><b>BJCP 18C</b></a> <b>Belgian Tripel</b><br />
2008 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/HaveANiceTripelBelgianTripel">Have A Nice Tripel</a><br />
2004 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/hmmmTripelIV">hmmm...Tripel IV</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style18.php#1d"><b>BJCP 18D</b></a> <b>Belgian Golden Strong Ale</b><br />
(No gold medal winners in this category in the last eight years.)<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style18.php#1e"><b>BJCP 18E</b></a> <b>Belgian Dark Strong Ale</b><br />
2011 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/ChimayoAzulNHC2011">Chimayo Azul</a><br />
2007 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/BelgianDarkStrongNHC07">Belgian Dark Strong</a><br />
2006 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/BelgianStrongDarkAleNHC06">Belgian Strong Dark Ale</a><br />
2005 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/BluntTrauma">Blunt Trauma</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style19.php#1a"><b>BJCP 19A</b></a> <b>Old Ale</b><br />
2006 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/OldAleNHC06">Old Ale</a><br />
2004 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/BigMo">Big Mo</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style19.php#1b"><b>BJCP 19B</b></a> <b>English Barleywine</b><br />
2010 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/JJsBarleywine">JJs Barleywine</a><br />
2004 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/EnglishStyleBarleyWine">English Style Barley Wine</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style19.php#1c"><b>BJCP 19C</b></a> <b>American Barleywine</b><br />
2011 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/NeuralRustBarleywineNHC2011">Neural Rust Barleywine</a><br />
2009 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/CreativeDestructionBarleywine">Creative Destruction Barleywine</a><br />
2008 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/CheapLeatherJacketBarleyWineAmericanBarleywine">Cheap Leather Jacket Barley Wine</a><br />
2007 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/OldBloodandGutsCalifornia">Old Blood & Guts - California</a><br />
2005 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/ArrogantBarrister">Arrogant Barrister</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style20.php#1a"><b>BJCP 20</b></a> <b>Fruit Beer</b><br />
2011 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/HopFruityNHC2011">Hop Fruity</a><br />
2010 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/PeachesNCreamHefe">Peaches-n-Cream Hefe</a><br />
2009 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/ThanksCurt">Thanks, Curt</a> (Blackberry Baltic Porter)<br />
2008 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/ItsAllMineSoKeepBackBerlinerWeisseWithSourCherries">It's All Mine So Keep Back</a> (Berliner Weisse With Sour Cherries)<br />
2007 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/SummerBreeze">Summer Breeze</a> (American Wheat Beer with Apricot)<br />
2006 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/BlackberryAndCream">Blackberry & Cream</a> (Cream Ale with Blackberry)<br />
2005 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/KolschAbuse">Kölsch Abuse</a><br />
2004 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/RaspberryWheat">Raspberry Wheat</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style21.php#1a"><b>BJCP 21A</b></a> <b>Spice Herb Vegetable Beer</b><br />
2011 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/StefsOliveBeerNHC2011">Stefs Olive Beer</a><br />
2010 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/Zingibier">Zingibier</a> (Belgian Strong Wheat Ale with Ginger and Spices)<br />
2009 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/MashingPumpkinsSpicedSaison">Mashing Pumpkins Spiced Saison</a><br />
2008 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/AmericanWheatAleWithLemonVerbena">American Wheat Ale With Lemon Verbena</a> <br />
2007 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/MildJalepenoPepperBeer">Mild Jalapeño Pepper Beer</a><br />
2006 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/VanillaCreamStoutNHC06">Vanilla Cream Stout</a> (Sweet Stout with Vanilla Bean)<br />
2005 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/HotChihuahua">Hot Chihuahua</a><br />
2004 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/PepperedHoneyWheat">Peppered Honey Wheat</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style21.php#1b"><b>BJCP 21B</b></a> <b>Christmas Winter Specialty Spiced Beer</b><br />
(No gold medal winners in this category in the last eight years.)<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style22.php#1a"><b>BJCP 22A</b></a> <b>Classic Rauchbier</b><br />
2011 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/SmokeScreen">Smoke Screen (Classic Rauchbier)</a><br />
2009 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/BrisketInABottle">Brisket In A Bottle</a><br />
2006 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/ClassicRauchbierNHC06">Classic Rauchbier</a><br />
2004 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/RollingRauch">Rolling Rauch</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style22.php#1b"><b>BJCP 22B</b></a> <b>Other Smoked Beer</b><br />
2008 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/BurninDownTheHouseSmokedWeizenbock">Burnin' Down The House Smoked Weizenbock</a><br />
2007 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/DareToRoeselare">Dare to Roeselare</a> (Flanders Red Ale Aged in Oak)<br />
2005 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/LovePotion9">Love Potion #9</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style22.php#1c"><b>BJCP 22C</b></a> <b>Wood Aged Beer</b><br />
2010 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/SpanishCedarIPA">Spanish Cedar IPA</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style23.php"><b>BJCP 23</b></a> <b>Specialty Beer</b><br />
2011 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/UrbanUFONHC2011">Urban UFO</a><br />
2010 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/OldAleWithGrapesAndHoney">Old Ale With Grapes And Honey</a><br />
2009 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/JanetsBrownAle">Janet’s Brown Ale</a> (Imperial American Brown Ale)<br />
2008 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/BenFranklinsAleColonialStockAleWithMolasesAndSpruceTips">Ben Franklin's Ale Colonial Stock Ale With Molasses And Spruce Tips</a><br />
2007 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/ChipotlePepperAlderSmokedBock">Chipotle Pepper Alder Smoked Bock</a><br />
2006 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/GardenGruit">Garden Gruit</a><br />
2005 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/Bellringer">Bellringer</a><br />
2004 <a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/EyeOpenerStout">Eye Opener Stout</a><br />
<br />
<p>
<b>Here are the AHA Wiki pages for each year:
</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/2011NHCGoldMedalRecipes">2011 NHC Gold Medal Recipes</a></li>
<li><a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/2010NHCGoldMedalRecipes">2010 NHC Gold Medal Recipes</a></li>
<li><a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/2010NHCGoldMedalRecipes">2010 NHC Gold Medal Recipes</a></li>
<li><a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/2009NHCGoldMedalRecipes">2009 NHC Gold Medal Recipes</a></li>
<li><a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/2008NHCGoldMedalRecipes">2008 NHC Gold Medal Recipes</a></li>
<li><a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/2007NHCGoldMedalRecipes">2007 NHC Gold Medal Recipes</a></li>
<li><a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/2006NHCGoldMedalRecipes">2006 NHC Gold Medal Recipes</a></li>
<li><a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/2005NHCGoldMedalRecipes">2005 NHC Gold Medal Recipes</a></li>
<li><a href="http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/2004NHCGoldMedalRecipes">2004 NHC Gold Medal Recipes</a></li>
</ul>
</b>
Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12469900515378207257noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6021466299731070539.post-17681731526708909852012-07-07T09:44:00.001-07:002012-07-07T10:03:33.683-07:00Making the Brew Day Shorter<p>
I don't brew beer to save money. Let's get that out of the way up front. I've brewed enough beer that my brewing equipment has paid for itself, but from a budgetary standpoint I'd be way better off to pick up some work on the side and use the money to buy beer, rather than taking the same amount of time to brew my own. I brew because I enjoy the hobby and the beer. Even though brewing is a great hobby, the brew day can get long, so I look for ways to do things quicker, easier.
<p></p>
I've noticed that if I'm not actively heating or cooling water during that process, not much progress is being made. I need to heat up my strike water just to get the day started, so I've been thinking about getting a higher capacity burner to be able to heat my water faster. But I found that I was able to cut my "getting ready to mash" time in half with my existing equipment.
<p></p>
Some people heat water in their mash tun, and add the grain directly. Others heat water in a a hot liquor tank and run it off into the mash. I liked the second way because it let me be more precise about mash temperatures.
<p></p>
When I was thinking about the best way to heat a large amount of water for a double batch of RIS, I finally realized that I could do both at once. The key is that you need two burners, which I've had for quite a while. I just heated half of the water in the mash tun, the other half in the hot liquor tank at the same time.
<p></p>
Having a lot of water to start in the mash before I add my grist makes the process of doughing in easier than it used to be, and I can still fine-tune my mash temps by controlling the amount of water I run in from the HLT. It's enough of a speed gain that I now have to scramble to get my malt measured and ground by the time the strike water is ready.
</p>Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12469900515378207257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6021466299731070539.post-68352995863461860582012-07-06T22:06:00.003-07:002012-07-07T09:54:09.367-07:00Leftovers Russian Imperial Stout<style type="text/css">
.centered {
text-align: center;
}
.numbers {
text-align: right;
}
</style>
<p>
This isn't a recipe that I thoughtfully prepared in hopes of creating the ulimate RIS. It's more like spring cleaning: I finally decided it was time to clean up the old malt and hops that had been laying around for too long. The problem is that I had been working in Oregon for almost a year, and as a result fell way behind on my brewing schedule.
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wGsGP62Z8U4/T_e4zY09V_I/AAAAAAAAEhY/Lg_BTkpih8g/s1600/full_mash_tun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="274" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wGsGP62Z8U4/T_e4zY09V_I/AAAAAAAAEhY/Lg_BTkpih8g/s320/full_mash_tun.jpg" /></a></div>
<p>
I decided to brew a massive Russian Imperial Stout to get rid of the old ingredients that have just been gathering dust in my garage. Fortunately, the garage is part of "downstairs" in my house so it's a cool, dry environment. I had plenty of dark malts to use up so the resulting RIS is "blacker than a pimp's heart." And just in case you're wondering, 42 pounds of malt is <b>way</b> too much to mash in a 15 gallon keggle. The photo has only the first 38 pounds... there is more to come.
</p>
<p>
Just to make things a little more interesting I decided to to do a 'late addition' of most of the dark malts. The last four pounds went it with five minutes left in the mash. The idea is that most of the convertible starches in these malts have already been converted, and since I have more than enough dark malt, maybe I'll pull off more of the chocolately bits and less of the coffee/charcoal ones. We'll see.
</p>
<p>
The bad news is that I ended up with a stuck mash. The mash was too thick and too deep because there was just too much malt. The bottom got so compacted that I had to stir it up halfway through the mashing process. Now I've got a lot of trub to get rid of in the primary, but I did end up with decent efficiency.
</p>
<table>
<tr>
<td style='width:260px;'>
<dl>
<dt>Batch size</dt>
<dd><b>10</b> gallons
</dd>
<dt>Original Gravity</dt>
<dd>
<span><b>1.056</b></span><span style='font-size:smaller;'>/
<b>26.6</b>° Plato</span><div style='padding-top:3px;'>(1.113) measured</div>
</dd>
<dt>Final Gravity</dt>
<dd>
<span><b>1.030</b></span>
<span style='font-size:smaller;'>/ <b>7.6</b>° Plato</span>
<div style='padding-top:3px;'>(1.026 to 1.032) estimated</div>
</dd>
<dt>Bitterness</dt>
<dd title='International Bittering Units'>
<span><b>67.7</b> IBU</span>
<span class='secondary-metric' title='Home Brewer Units'>/ <b>36</b> HBU</span>
</dd>
<dd>
<span style="font-size:15px;font-family:'times new roman', serif;font-weight:bold;">ƒ:</span>
Tinseth
</dd>
</td><td>
<dt style='clear:left;' title='Bittering Units per Gravity Unit'>BU:GU</dt>
<dd><b>0.61</b></dd>
<dt>Color</dt>
<dd>
<span><b>77</b>° SRM</span><span style='font-size:smaller;'>/ <b>152</b>° EBC</span>
</dd>
<dd >(Black)</dd>
<dt>Mash Efficiency</dt>
<dd>
77%
</dd>
<dt>Alcohol</dt>
<dd title='Alcohol By Volume'>
<b>10.8</b>% ABV
<span>/ <b>8</b>% ABW</span>
</dd>
<dt>Calories</dt>
<dd>
<b>367</b> per 12 oz.
</dd>
</dl>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<br>
<h3>Malts/Fermentables:</h3>
<table>
<tr>
<th style='width:35px;' title='Percent of Total Grist Weight'>%</th>
<th style='width:35px;' title='Pounds'>LB</th>
<th style='width:35px;' title='Ounces'>OZ</th>
<th style='width:175px;'>Type</th>
<th style='width:35px;' class='centered' title='Points per Pound per Gallon (Sugar Extract)'>ppg</th>
<th style='width:35px;' class='centered' title='Degrees Lovibond (Color Measurement)'>°L</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>43%</td>
<td class='numbers'>18</td>
<td class='centered'>0</td>
<td>American Two-row Pale</td>
<td class='numbers'>37</td>
<td class='numbers'>1</td>
<td></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>19%</td>
<td class='numbers'>8</td>
<td class='centered'>0</td>
<td>Gambrinus ESB Pale</td>
<td class='numbers'>37</td>
<td class='numbers'>3</td>
<td ></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>9%</td>
<td class='numbers'>4</td>
<td class='centered'>0</td>
<td>Special B Malt</td>
<td class='numbers'>30</td>
<td class='numbers'>180</td>
<td ></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>5%</td>
<td class='numbers'>2</td>
<td class='centered'>4</td>
<td>Chocolate Malt</td>
<td class='numbers'>34</td>
<td class='numbers'>475</td>
<td ></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>5%</td>
<td class='numbers'>2</td>
<td class='centered'>0</td>
<td>Victory Malt</td>
<td class='numbers'>34</td>
<td class='numbers'>25</td>
<td ></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>5%</td>
<td class='numbers'>2</td>
<td class='centered'>0</td>
<td>Aromatic Malt</td>
<td class='numbers'>36</td>
<td class='numbers'>26</td>
<td ></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>4%</td>
<td class='numbers'>1</td>
<td class='centered'>8</td>
<td>Dark Chocolate Malt</td>
<td class='numbers'>24</td>
<td class='numbers'>525</td>
<td ></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>3%</td>
<td class='numbers'>1</td>
<td class='centered'>4</td>
<td>Brown Malt</td>
<td class='numbers'>32</td>
<td class='numbers'>65</td>
<td ></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>2%</td>
<td class='numbers'>1</td>
<td class='centered'>0</td>
<td>Flaked Barley</td>
<td class='numbers'>30</td>
<td class='numbers'>2</td>
<td ></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>2%</td>
<td class='numbers'>1</td>
<td class='centered'>0</td>
<td>Roasted Barley</td>
<td class='numbers'>25</td>
<td class='numbers'>300</td>
<td ></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>2%</td>
<td class='numbers'>0</td>
<td class='centered'>12</td>
<td>Extra Special Malt</td>
<td class='numbers'>32</td>
<td class='numbers'>130</td>
<td ></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>2%</td>
<td class='numbers'>0</td>
<td class='centered'>12</td>
<td>Melanoidin Malt</td>
<td class='numbers'>37</td>
<td class='numbers'>20</td>
<td ></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td class='numbers'>42</td>
<td class='centered'>4</td>
</tr>
</table>
<br/>
<h3>Hops</h3>
<table>
<tr>
<th style='width:125px;'>Use</th>
<th style='width:75px;'>Time</th>
<th style='width:75px;'title='Ounces'>oz</th>
<th style='width:175px;'>Variety</th>
<th style='width:75px;'>Form</th>
<th style='width:75px;' title='Alpha Acid (Bitterness Measurement)'>aa</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td >boil</td>
<td >60 mins</td>
<td class='centered'>4.0</td>
<td style='text-align:left'>Northern Brewer</td>
<td >pellet</td>
<td class='centered'>9.0</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>boil</td>
<td>30 mins</td>
<td class='centered'>2.0</td>
<td>Northern Brewer</td>
<td>pellet</td>
<td class='centered'>9.0</td>
</tr>
<td>boil</td>
<td>15 mins</td>
<td class='centered'>2.0</td>
<td>Northern Brewer</td>
<td>pellet</td>
<td class='centered'>9.0</td>
</tr>
</table>
<br>
<h3>Yeast</h3>
<table>
<tr>
<td style='text-align:left;'>
Safale US-05 Dry Yeast with low to medium flocculation and 73% attenuation
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XJCvL75-JT0/T_fDD90i-2I/AAAAAAAAEho/i3RXTKz9uHU/s1600/ris_ferment.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="268" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XJCvL75-JT0/T_fDD90i-2I/AAAAAAAAEho/i3RXTKz9uHU/s320/ris_ferment.jpg" /></a></div>
<p>
Ten gallons of stout bubbling along nicely in two 6-gallon carboys. After this ferments a good long while, I'll barrel-age it, then bottle. This is too big a beer for me to keg. I'm guessing it may be drinkable in a year or two.
</p>Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12469900515378207257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6021466299731070539.post-26754598377461537042012-06-28T19:44:00.003-07:002012-06-28T20:29:37.678-07:00Brewing Software Review: brewtoad.comFree-to-use website located at <a href="http://www.brewtoad.com/">http://www.brewtoad.com/</a><br />
Overall Grade: <b>D</b><br />
<br />
<p>
I wanted to love Brewtoad, I really, really did. The logo is great, and I liked the devs I talked to when I met them at NHC. Parts of Brewtoad are very good, but the website is full of ups and downs. Lots of parts are missing, and some of what is there is pretty marginal. Overall, they're off to a good start, but not entirely ready for prime time yet.
</p>
<p>
Starting a recipe is easy. I like the list of styles is organized to match the BJCP styles, but this might turn out to be a detriment for people who could easily find "Dunkelwizen" alphabetically, but don't know that it's part of BJCP Category 15 — German Wheat and Rye Beer, and thus about halfway down the list rather than being near the top.
</p>
<p>
The steps you need to go through to "Add fermentables" are downright painful. To get started click on the "Add fermentables" link, which brings up an ingredients window as a modal dialog. The first page gets only halfway through the "B" ingredients, so you'll need to scroll to the bottom of the page to get to the "Next" button. After four more "scroll and next" combos I realize that "Crystal 40" doesn't even appear as an ingredient. I also realize that the only way to add Rye Malt and maintain my sanity is to use the search feature, but fortunately the search works well. It would be handy to be able to click on page 8 or 12 or whatever, rather than just next, next, next.
</p>
<p>
Adding an ingredient with an amount turns out to be a multi-step process. First you need to click the "Add fermentables" link, then search for the malt you want. Next click on the "Add" button, the click on the "Add and Close" link which doesn't really add anything, but it does close the ingredients dialog. Now that you're back on your recipe page, locate the new ingredient, and add the quantity. Whew! I'm not sure why they didn't give me a way to enter the amount right next to the Add button.
</p>
<p>
You'll need to go though similar processes to add hops and yeast, but the hops and yeast lists are thankfully much shorter. I was disappointed to see that I couldn't search for "1056", I had to search for "American Ale" instead. I also found that if I go to the last page for yeast, close the dialog and reopen it, I'm still on the last page but the "Previous" button no longer appears, so I'm stuck.
</p>
<p>
Adding hops was 'interesting.' Brewtoad doesn't identify the calculation (Tinseth, Rager, Garetz, other?) used for determining bitterness, so I'm not sure how relate that to calculations from other brewing software. The bitterness level also turned out to be inconsistent with one recipe showing 38 IBU on the recipe edit page but only 23 IBU on the saved recipe. It took several rounds of adding and removing hops to get them to agree with each other.
</p>
<p>
It's easy to add your own custom ingredients, but there are a bunch of extra values to enter that don't seem to be used anywhere. You can import BeerXML, sort of. I had "Hallertauer" and "Hallertau" hops on a recipe, both with AA values of 4.6. One got imported as 7.2, the other at 4.5. Not surprisingly, the resulting recipe was "Not to style." It would be great if they could preserve recipe fidelity.
</p>
<p>
Brewing calculation features such as strike temperatures, hydrometer correction, converting Brix to OG are MIA. Almost every existing feature of BrewToad works well except for the myriad of problems associated with every existing feature. Unfortunately, I can't recommend it at this time. I wish them well but the BrewToad devs have a long road ahead of them.
</p>Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12469900515378207257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6021466299731070539.post-30150200253086859972012-06-21T09:12:00.000-07:002012-06-28T19:52:14.810-07:00Brown Brothers Brewing Recipes<p>
These recipes include beers being served at the 34th Annual National Homebrewers Conference:
<ul>
<li>Father Time
<li>Smoked Eisbock
<li>Merry New Year
<li>Death by Hops
<li>Bacca
<li>Lord Helmet
<li>Black Barley (Stout)
<li>Call Guiness!!!
<li>Strong Scotch Ale
<li>American Brown Ale
<li>Pilsner
<li>American Ale
</ul>
</p>
<p>
Click the <a href="http://www.keepandshare.com/doc/4179437/nhc-beers-bsmx-june-21-2012-6-48-am-220k?da=y">Download Link</a> to go to the BeerSmith recipe file. I wish I could make this easier, but Blogger doesn't seem to give me a way to host files in the blog.
</p>
<!-- iframe src="http://www.keepandshare.com/doc/4179437/2168793?da=y&ifr=y" width="0" height="0" scrolling="yes" frameborder="0" / -->Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12469900515378207257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6021466299731070539.post-64377973305173816712012-06-21T07:37:00.001-07:002012-06-21T07:37:16.237-07:00Kriek (Cherry Lambic)<style type="text/css">
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<p>
The Kriek turned out great. It got surprisingly sour in six months, possibly due to extended 'barrel aging'? For the last three months I put a dowel into the carboy, passing it through the hole in the cork designed for the fermentation lock. I also added 8 ounces of cherry concentrate just before kegging.
</p>
<br>
<h3>Malts/Fermentables:</h3>
<table>
<tr>
<th style='width:35px;' title='Percent of Total Grist Weight'>%</th>
<th style='width:35px;' title='Pounds'>LB</th>
<th style='width:35px;' title='Ounces'>OZ</th>
<th style='width:175px;'>Type</th>
<th style='width:35px;' class='centered' title='Points per Pound per Gallon (Sugar Extract)'>ppg</th>
<th style='width:35px;' class='centered' title='Degrees Lovibond (Color Measurement)'>°L</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>48%</td>
<td class='numbers'>6</td>
<td class='centered'>0</td>
<td>American 2-row Malt</td>
<td class='numbers'>37</td>
<td class='numbers'>1</td>
<td></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>16%</td>
<td class='numbers'>2</td>
<td class='centered'>0</td>
<td>Montmorency Cherry Concentrate</td>
<td class='numbers'>42</td>
<td class='numbers'>20</td>
<td ></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>16%</td>
<td class='numbers'>0</td>
<td class='centered'>10</td>
<td>German Pilsner Malt</td>
<td class='numbers'>37</td>
<td class='numbers'>2</td>
<td ></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>16%</td>
<td class='numbers'>0</td>
<td class='centered'>10</td>
<td>Wheat Malt</td>
<td class='numbers'>38</td>
<td class='numbers'>2</td>
<td ></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>3%</td>
<td class='numbers'>0</td>
<td class='centered'>10</td>
<td>Melanoidin Malt</td>
<td class='numbers'>37</td>
<td class='numbers'>20</td>
<td >
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td class='numbers'>11</td>
<td class='centered'>10</td>
</tr>
</table>
<br/>
<h3>Hops</h3>
<table>
<tr>
<th style='width:125px;'>Use</th>
<th style='width:75px;'>Time</th>
<th style='width:75px;'title='Ounces'>oz</th>
<th style='width:175px;'>Variety</th>
<th style='width:75px;'>Form</th>
<th style='width:75px;' title='Alpha Acid (Bitterness Measurement)'>aa</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td >boil</td>
<td >60 mins</td>
<td class='centered'>0.5</td>
<td style='text-align:left'>Aged Goldings</td>
<td >leaf</td>
<td class='centered'>5.5</td>
</tr>
</table>
<br>
<h3>Yeast</h3>
<table>
<tr>
<td style='text-align:left;'>
Wyeast Belgian Lambic Blend
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<br>Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12469900515378207257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6021466299731070539.post-8898132824476010722012-06-09T23:03:00.002-07:002012-06-09T23:31:07.798-07:00Dandelion Blossom Saison LabelsCompletely out of the blue, someone on Ratebeer offered to make labels for a couple of my beers. The first one he produced was done for a dandelion saison, and I think that the results are fabulous. They make Finn Hill Brewing look legit, which is probably the wrong impression. Patrick also did a nice job of noting that this was a collaboration brew with The Fraternal Order of Wayward Brewers, or L'Ordre Fraternel des Brasseurs Retif.
<br/>
<br/>
<a href="http://desert-motors.com/random/fhb-dandelion-saison-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="768" width="512" src="http://desert-motors.com/random/fhb-dandelion-saison-1.jpg" /></a>
<p style="margin-left:2em; margin-right:2em">
This looks so good I wish I could cork and cage the beer.
</p>
<br/>
<br/>
<a href="http://desert-motors.com/random/fhb-dandelion-saison-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="341" width="512" src="http://desert-motors.com/random/fhb-dandelion-saison-2.jpg" /></a>
<p style="margin-left:2em; margin-right:2em">
The 'fhb' chop is a nice touch.
</p>
<br/>
<br/>
<a href="http://desert-motors.com/random/fhb-dandelion-saison-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="342" width="512" src="http://desert-motors.com/random/fhb-dandelion-saison-3.jpg" /></a>
<p style="margin-left:2em; margin-right:2em">
If you want to contact Patrick for design, graphics, photography work, just scan the QR code. It works. Or contact him at <a href="http://www.patrickernzen.com/">http://www.patrickernzen.com/</a>.
</p>
Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12469900515378207257noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6021466299731070539.post-36898296912284507062012-06-08T22:52:00.000-07:002012-06-09T23:43:17.791-07:00Brewing (At Least a Little) Smarter<p>Sometimes it's the little things. On brew day, there's not much going on if you're not heating or cooling something liquid. Whether you're using an immersion chiller or a counter-flow chiller, there will be cold water running into it, and hot water running out. Why waste hot water?
</p><p>
As you're chilling the wort, capture the hot water running off, and use it for cleanup. This works especially well with an efficient counter-flow chiller that produces higher temperature runoff. I also got a pump not too long ago, and that lets me run CIP (Clean In Place) Cycles with PBW. The PBW needs hot water to dissolve, and the extra time needed to heat the water has long been a disincentive for me to clean thoroughly on brew day.
</p><p>
Instead, I've usually started cleaning most of the system at the start of brew day. I heat the strike water, and once the mash is started I heat the cleaning water, and then the sparge water. It all fits in the hour used for mashing, but makes for a busy time at the start of things. Now that I started capturing hot water at the end of the brew day it does make the day a bit longer, but I have the hot water, and I feel better about putting away clean gear rather than mostly clean gear.
</p><p>
Waste not, want not. It's better than watching steaming-hot water run down the driveway, which I've been doing for too long.
<p>Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12469900515378207257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6021466299731070539.post-33065822804171560522012-05-07T21:49:00.000-07:002012-05-13T21:10:05.437-07:00Dandelion Blossom Saison (Saison des Boutons de Fleurs de Pissenlits)<style type="text/css">
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<p>
A dandelion Saison sounded like a good idea on paper, and I figured I needed to brew it now or wait another year for the really thick crop of new dandelions, and suddenly the Dandelion Blossom Saison project was off and running. Ben Bottoms had the same idea at about the same time so we did a <a href="http://fermentedminds.blogspot.com/2012/05/batch-51-saison-de-souffle-fleur.html">collaboration brew</a> at the home of The Fraternal Order of Wayward Brewers. We completely maxed out the mash tun for a 15 gallon batch.
</p>
<div style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvfKdZaKyBQxjT56IomEh6A9ar3OHsEgR92JHo4lr7pU_O-ziYensFcGVnW5XreVqaIxycg18bbnwyJe3L2BdOiy1w4Anh-OSPTSHLQe1q569Gnjbmh8ocJpox8cTSqrbwcf_sDsoJVM4/s1600/dandelionblossoms.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvfKdZaKyBQxjT56IomEh6A9ar3OHsEgR92JHo4lr7pU_O-ziYensFcGVnW5XreVqaIxycg18bbnwyJe3L2BdOiy1w4Anh-OSPTSHLQe1q569Gnjbmh8ocJpox8cTSqrbwcf_sDsoJVM4/s400/dandelionblossoms.jpg" /></a></div>
<p>
The first challenge was the dandelion harvest. My first attempt to gather dandelions was after sundown on a cold and rainy night. Don't try this - the results will not be good because the flowers open up in the sun, and close with cooler temperatures. My second harvest attempt was a warm, sunny afternoon. Along with being more pleasant conditions, it was easier to identify good flowers. I harvested just the flower tops, so I didn't even get the base of the flowers. As you can see from the photo, I'm getting mostly flowery yellow goodness.
</p>
<p>
Going into the project I know that adding dandelions will have an unpredictable effect on the overall color and bitterness, but I also figured I could make some good guesses. I had several ways I could go with the dandelions, but ultimately decided to add dandelion blossom tea to the secondary. I found that I could add the dandelion tea incrementally as a new 'crop' of dandelions appeared every couple of days. The primary is bubbling along nicely now, I'll have to see how this all progresses.
</p>
<table>
<tr>
<td style='width:260px;'>
<dl>
<dt>Batch size</dt>
<dd>5.5 gallons
</dd>
<dt>Original Gravity</dt>
<dd>
<span><b>1.056</b></span><span style='font-size:smaller;'>/
<b>13.8</b>° Plato</span><div style='padding-top:3px;'>(1.050 to 1.058)</div>
</dd>
<dt>Final Gravity</dt>
<dd>
<span><b>1.017</b></span>
<span style='font-size:smaller;'>/ <b>4.3</b>° Plato</span>
<div style='padding-top:3px;'>(1.015 to 1.018)</div>
</dd>
<dt>Bitterness</dt>
<dd title='International Bittering Units'>
<span><b>25.8</b> IBU</span>
<span class='secondary-metric' title='Home Brewer Units'>/ <b>4</b> HBU</span>
</dd>
<dd>
<span style="font-size:15px;font-family:'times new roman', serif;font-weight:bold;">ƒ:</span>
Tinseth
</dd>
</td><td>
<dt style='clear:left;' title='Bittering Units per Gravity Unit'>BU:GU</dt>
<dd><b>0.45</b></dd>
<dt>Color</dt>
<dd>
<span><b>5</b>° SRM</span><span style='font-size:smaller;'>/ <b>9</b>° EBC</span>
</dd>
<dd >(Yellow to Gold)</dd>
<dt>Mash Efficiency</dt>
<dd>
74%
</dd>
<dt>Alcohol</dt>
<dd title='Alcohol By Volume'>
<b>5.2</b>% ABV
<span>/ <b>4</b>% ABW</span>
</dd>
<dt>Calories</dt>
<dd>
<b>186</b> per 12 oz.
</dd>
</dl>
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<br>
<h3>Malts/Fermentables:</h3>
<table>
<tr>
<th style='width:35px;' title='Percent of Total Grist Weight'>%</th>
<th style='width:35px;' title='Pounds'>LB</th>
<th style='width:35px;' title='Ounces'>OZ</th>
<th style='width:175px;'>Type</th>
<th style='width:35px;' class='centered' title='Points per Pound per Gallon (Sugar Extract)'>ppg</th>
<th style='width:35px;' class='centered' title='Degrees Lovibond (Color Measurement)'>°L</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>77%</td>
<td class='numbers'>9</td>
<td class='centered'>0</td>
<td>Weyermann Pilsner</td>
<td class='numbers'>37</td>
<td class='numbers'>2</td>
<td></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>17%</td>
<td class='numbers'>2</td>
<td class='centered'>0</td>
<td>Wheat, Red</td>
<td class='numbers'>29</td>
<td class='numbers'>2</td>
<td ></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>5%</td>
<td class='numbers'>0</td>
<td class='centered'>10</td>
<td>Munich Malt</td>
<td class='numbers'>37</td>
<td class='numbers'>10</td>
<td ></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td></td>
<td class='numbers'>11</td>
<td class='centered'>10</td>
</tr>
</table>
<br/>
<h3>Hops</h3>
<table>
<tr>
<th style='width:125px;'>Use</th>
<th style='width:75px;'>Time</th>
<th style='width:75px;'title='Ounces'>oz</th>
<th style='width:175px;'>Variety</th>
<th style='width:75px;'>Form</th>
<th style='width:75px;' title='Alpha Acid (Bitterness Measurement)'>aa</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td >boil</td>
<td >60 mins</td>
<td class='centered'>1.0</td>
<td style='text-align:left'>Perle</td>
<td >pellet</td>
<td class='centered'>6.5</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>boil</td>
<td>30 mins</td>
<td class='centered'>0.5</td>
<td>Saaz</td>
<td>pellet</td>
<td class='centered'>3.5</td>
</tr>
</table>
<br>
<h3>Yeast</h3>
<table>
<tr>
<td style='text-align:left;'>
Wyeast 3724 Belgian Saison, low flocculation and 78% attenuation
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<br>
<h3>Miscellany</h3>
<table>
<tr>
<th style='width:160px;'>Use</th>
<th style='width:75px;'>Amount</th>
<th style='text-align:left;padding-left:10px;'>Ingredient</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style='text-align:left;'>Secondary fermenter</td>
<td >
<b>6</b>
ounces
</td>
<td style='text-align:left;'>
Dandelion Blossoms
</td>
</table>Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12469900515378207257noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6021466299731070539.post-42802753003351116982012-01-13T21:17:00.000-08:002012-05-08T12:05:31.168-07:00Gumballhead: It's Triple-Hopped!You probably heard some time ago that Miller Lite is "triple hopped." Triple-Hopped sounds pretty good if you don't consider that Miller isn't even halfway to the max on hop addition possibilities. Aside from dancing around the kettle and randomly throwing in hop flowers, I can think of at least seven possible hop additions, but that's a blog for another day.<br/><br/>
I haven't confirmed this the folks at SAB Miller, but it sounds like their lite beer has the standard three hop additions; the first for bittering, the second for flavor and the third for aroma. Last time I heard, Miller was using hop extract rather than "real" hops, so it's probably more correct to say that Miller Lite is "triple hop-extract dosed." All in all it looks like they're brewing a pale lager more or less the way large breweries brew pale lagers. And in their spare time they're making adds that really outshine the completion on the annoyance factor.<br/><br/>
All that being said, the subject of hop additions can be interesting, and thoughtful use of hops can add great character to beer. One great example is Gumballhead, brewed by Three Floyds Brewing Company in Munster, Indiana. According to the brewer, Gumballhead is... <blockquote><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-style: italic;">"An American Wheat Ale, Gumballhead is named in honor of the underground comic book cat created by Rob Syers. Initially a seasonal summer beer, now brewed year round due to demand. This beer helped redefine American Wheat Beers. Brewed with Amarillo Hops and a generous portion of American red wheat, Gumballhead has a complex hop aroma with notes of grapefruit, lemon zest, marmalade and peach. These flavors combined with low bitterness make Gumballhead a refreshing American Wheat Beer that doesn’t suck."</span></blockquote>
For me, American Wheat is one of the gateway beverages like lite lagers. Not much in the way of hops, or beer character in general. To make their beer non-sucky, Three Floyds is doing something interesting with the hops, while staying inside the style guidelines. Just barely...<br/><br/>
<table cellpadding="5" border="1">
<tr>
<td colspan="2"><b>BCP American Wheat Vital Statistics</b>:
</td>
<td>IBUs: 15 – 30
</td>
<td>ABV: 4 – 5.5%
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2"><b>Gumballhead Vital Statistics</b>:
</td>
<td>IBUs: 28
</td>
<td>5.5%
</td>
</tr>
</table>
<br/><br/>
Let's go back to the idea of the standard three hop additions for bittering, flavor and aroma. No hop addition does only one thing - the results vary according to when the addition is done. There is some flavor and a little aroma in the bittering addition. There is some bittering and aroma in the flavor addition. Finally, there is s touch of bittering and some flavor in the aroma addition. The trick in Gumballhead is that there is so much in the aroma addition that it has significant impact on the flavor and some good impact on the bittering. The results are pretty fabulous.<br/><br/>
<table>
<tr>
<td colspan=2><h3>Gumballhead Clone Recipe</h3><td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Batch Size:</td><td>5.0 gallons</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Original Gravity:</td><td>1.055 / 13.6° Plato</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Final Gravity:</td><td>1.015 / 3.8° Plato</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Color:</td><td> 4° SRM / 8° EBC (Yellow)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Mash Efficiency:</td><td>74% used for O.G. estimate</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Bitterness:</td><td> 27.4 IBU / 5 HBU ƒ: Tinseth </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>BU:GU Ratio:</td><td>0.50<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Alcohol:</td><td>5.3% ABV / 4% ABW</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Calories:</td><td>182 per 12 oz. </td>
</tr>
</table>
<br />
<table>
<tr>
<td colspan=6><b>Malt & Fermentables</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=80px>%</td>
<td>Lbs.</td>
<td width=50px>Oz.</td>
<td width=180px>Malt/Fermentable</td>
<td>PPG</td>
<td>°L</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>45%</td>
<td>4</td>
<td>8</td>
<td>Pilsner (Germany)</td>
<td>37</td>
<td>2</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>45%</td>
<td>4</td>
<td>8</td>
<td>Wheat Malt</td>
<td>37</td>
<td>2</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>10%</td>
<td>1</td>
<td>0</td>
<td>Vienna Malt</td>
<td>36</td>
<td>3</td>
</tr>
</table>
<br />
<table>
<tr>
<td colspan=6><b>Hops</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=80px>Use</td>
<td width=80px>Time</td>
<td width=40px>Oz.</td>
<td width=140px>Variety</td>
<td>Form</td>
<td>AA</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Boil</td>
<td>60 mins</td>
<td>0.5</td>
<td>Amarillo</td>
<td>pellet</td>
<td>10.7</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Boil</td>
<td>0 mins</td>
<td>4.0</td>
<td>Amarillo</td>
<td>pellet</td>
<td>10.7</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Dry Hop</td>
<td>7 Days</td>
<td>1.5</td>
<td>Amarillo</td>
<td>pellet</td>
<td>10.7</td>
</tr>
</table>
<br />
<table>
<tr>
<td colspan=2><b>Yeast</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width=80px>Type</td>
<td width=80px>Strain</td>
<td>Description</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top">Safale</td>
<td valign="top">US-05</td>
<td>Dry Ale Yeast in dry form with low to medium flocculation and 73% attenuation</td>
</tr>
</table>
<br/><br/>
<b>NOTE: Add the four ounces of Amarillo at flameout. Whirlpool, and let it stand for ten minutes. This will probably push the IBUs into the high twenties, which is still fine for the style. Back the recipe off half a pound on both the Pilsner and Wheat malts if you want to brew a 'lighter' version.</b>Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12469900515378207257noreply@blogger.com4