I almost bottled PostNatal and Cherry Sparkles on Friday, just a week after brewing them, but I just couldn't do it. Even though both were done fermenting, I felt like it was too early to bottle them, even for me.
But now it's in this any-day-now mode with my wife's pregnancy, and eeking out a few hours to bottle one batch, let alone two, is a politically and practically delicate matter. You just sort of never know when I'll be needed.
But since PostNatal is for use after giving birth, I thought it would be nice if it were ready at that time. I know I'd want to crack a cold one pretty soon after giving birth, but maybe I'm projecting.
Fortunately, my wife is one of the most understanding on earth, and was agreeable to me bottling today. It turned out it was really only reasonable for me to bottle one of the batches today, but that's fine. Cherry Sparkles can wait a little bit more. Maybe tomorrow ;)
PostNatal started at 1.032 and the FG was 1.006. That makes it 3.4% ABV, which is a little higher than I wanted, but still hopefully low enough. The body is pretty thin and watery. I think that will improve with some fizz in there, and perhaps a little with age, but age generally hurts hop-centric beers. I will probably add more crystal malts and increase the mash temperature for next time I make this one. The hop bitterness is good and firm with a nice linger, but the hop flavor and aroma are weak to non-existant. I guess I need a lot more hops at flameout and maybe at other late boil times.
I'll report back when they're fully conditioned.
Showing posts with label Experimental Brews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Experimental Brews. Show all posts
2.25.2008
1.24.2008
Pre Cut "Just Resiny"
So today I went back to Zok's. I could go on and on about how great it is there. It was even better this time than last time.
Today there were three other guys there. Bill Hincks was there, and it was great fun to meet him in person. Now I have a face and a voice to the email correspondence. Then there was a guy named Andy Jackson there, who is from Mystic. He had a beer made with Spruce, and on top of that, Zok was just saying, "there's this other guy that makes a good beer with some Spruce in it..." Then there he is! And there was one more guy, whose name I didn't get. But he was nice, too. It was the five of us hanging out for a while, sampling various beers. Just cool, really. Never had anything like that at any other homebrew shop.
But, what does this have to do with a sour Pre Cut Ale With Fir, you might ask, except for the fact that Andy brought a pine beer, too? I brought a bottle of Pre Cut with me, so Zok could try it and analyze the nature of the sour taste. He detected a sour taste, but decided it wasn't lactic, and was probably not an infection. Further anti-infection evidence is the fact that the bottles aren't absurdly fizzy. Lactic bacteria devour sugar that beer yeast won't touch. The feakin' bottom feeders of the yeast-microbe world, and that's saying something. So if the beer was infected by lactic acid, souring bacteria, it would keep fermenting until the beer was so fizzy it spouted forth from the bottle as soon as you opened it. This is not the case - Pre Cut is just a normal carbonation level, whatever that means...
So the final diagnosis is that Pre Cut was just too Fir-infused. The sour taste could just come from the tree. It was overwhelmingly voted "resiny". The two full boughs of Fraser Fir, stick and all, was too much for those little three gallons to take. It might have been something extracted from the sticks put in the beer. Heck, it might have been something that they sprayed on the tree while it was growing. In fact, I caught a whiff of the same sour smell from another old piece of the tree that the kids were playing with today.
So in the end, I might have replaced all my plastic crap for no reason. But better safe than sorry, and the stuff was dirty. Furthermore, I really drove myself crazy with the "why" and "how" of the infection. I guess I will sleep well tonight, knowing that I didn't really do anything wrong, except just used too much Fir with too many sticks in there. Next time, I'll just use the needles.
Today there were three other guys there. Bill Hincks was there, and it was great fun to meet him in person. Now I have a face and a voice to the email correspondence. Then there was a guy named Andy Jackson there, who is from Mystic. He had a beer made with Spruce, and on top of that, Zok was just saying, "there's this other guy that makes a good beer with some Spruce in it..." Then there he is! And there was one more guy, whose name I didn't get. But he was nice, too. It was the five of us hanging out for a while, sampling various beers. Just cool, really. Never had anything like that at any other homebrew shop.
But, what does this have to do with a sour Pre Cut Ale With Fir, you might ask, except for the fact that Andy brought a pine beer, too? I brought a bottle of Pre Cut with me, so Zok could try it and analyze the nature of the sour taste. He detected a sour taste, but decided it wasn't lactic, and was probably not an infection. Further anti-infection evidence is the fact that the bottles aren't absurdly fizzy. Lactic bacteria devour sugar that beer yeast won't touch. The feakin' bottom feeders of the yeast-microbe world, and that's saying something. So if the beer was infected by lactic acid, souring bacteria, it would keep fermenting until the beer was so fizzy it spouted forth from the bottle as soon as you opened it. This is not the case - Pre Cut is just a normal carbonation level, whatever that means...
So the final diagnosis is that Pre Cut was just too Fir-infused. The sour taste could just come from the tree. It was overwhelmingly voted "resiny". The two full boughs of Fraser Fir, stick and all, was too much for those little three gallons to take. It might have been something extracted from the sticks put in the beer. Heck, it might have been something that they sprayed on the tree while it was growing. In fact, I caught a whiff of the same sour smell from another old piece of the tree that the kids were playing with today.
So in the end, I might have replaced all my plastic crap for no reason. But better safe than sorry, and the stuff was dirty. Furthermore, I really drove myself crazy with the "why" and "how" of the infection. I guess I will sleep well tonight, knowing that I didn't really do anything wrong, except just used too much Fir with too many sticks in there. Next time, I'll just use the needles.
1.16.2008
Zok is the Coolest
Today, at the recommendation of Bill Hincks, former CT-RI Brewery Correspondant for Ale Street News, I went up to Willimantic (or Windham or whatever) to visit Zok's Homebrew Supply.
Since I found Pre-Cut to be sour, I immediately suspected every single piece of equipment in my brewery to be full of lactic Brett yeast, and in need of replacement. I soon realized that probably only the bottling stuff and fermenting bucket were likely infected, if that much, and headed out to pick up some new stuff.
I got a bottling bucket, auto siphon, blah blah blah - a bunch of bottling and other plastic stuff. But the best part was meeting the famous Zok. For those of you that don't know, Paul Zocco is Zok. He has a homebrew shop in Willimantic CT, and his knowledge and experience are vast. He does annual trips to Belgium to visit Lambic breweries and blenders as well as other great Belgian brewers. Probably does other trips, too. He writes for BYO, has a bit in Sam Calagione's Extreme Brewing book, knows people like Stan Hieronymous, and probably even more things I don't even know.
Yet with all this awesomeness, he's the easiest guy in the world to talk to. Honestly, I was pretty nervous heading up there. Fortunately, I had 51 minutes (according to MapQuest) to get over the nerves, and by the time I got there, I was excited to see the place and meet the man. I ended up spending upwards of an hour chatting about everything brewing and picking out all the stuff I needed.
Turns out Zok's passion really is with brewing. He seems particularly involved in Lambic brewing, and even has two (soon to be three) wood casks of Lambic in progress in his store. The store's sort of scattered, but there are so many cool things there. You can buy 1/4-bbl brewhouses and 1/2-bbl brewhouses from him, as well as plastic conical fermenters. He had on display a bottle of Utopias (vintage not noted), as well as empty bottles of all sorts - the ones I noticed were Newport Storm annuals from 2000-present.
Another cool thing about Zok is that he has some firm opinions, but at the same time, he's willing to let you do your own thing. A perfect example is fermenting. I used to do secondary fermentation, but stopped when I had all those flat batches. I now bottle every beer - big or small - a day or two after it's done bubbling the airlock. Zok is traditional and always does secondary, often for months. I just don't have the patience, but he respectfully stated his opinion and reasons, listened to mine, and agreed to disagree - no judgement, no arguing, not even a sigh and head shake. A perfect gentleman.
It was a real pleasure to talk with someone so well-versed in brewing, and loving it, doing it day in and day out for his work. Just an inspiration, really. I am glowing inside just thinking about it now. Even though I only ended up with just over $60 of odds and ends, I was given the royal treatment. I am hooked. I want to go back tomorrow to get my copy of Extreme Brewing signed, share some of his Lambic, and get his opinion on my Pre-Cut sour taste. I'll even bring my Mean Giant Double Stout to see what he thinks about it.
So besides a tribute to Zok, I guess the message is: try something new. You might find something awesome.
Since I found Pre-Cut to be sour, I immediately suspected every single piece of equipment in my brewery to be full of lactic Brett yeast, and in need of replacement. I soon realized that probably only the bottling stuff and fermenting bucket were likely infected, if that much, and headed out to pick up some new stuff.
I got a bottling bucket, auto siphon, blah blah blah - a bunch of bottling and other plastic stuff. But the best part was meeting the famous Zok. For those of you that don't know, Paul Zocco is Zok. He has a homebrew shop in Willimantic CT, and his knowledge and experience are vast. He does annual trips to Belgium to visit Lambic breweries and blenders as well as other great Belgian brewers. Probably does other trips, too. He writes for BYO, has a bit in Sam Calagione's Extreme Brewing book, knows people like Stan Hieronymous, and probably even more things I don't even know.
Yet with all this awesomeness, he's the easiest guy in the world to talk to. Honestly, I was pretty nervous heading up there. Fortunately, I had 51 minutes (according to MapQuest) to get over the nerves, and by the time I got there, I was excited to see the place and meet the man. I ended up spending upwards of an hour chatting about everything brewing and picking out all the stuff I needed.
Turns out Zok's passion really is with brewing. He seems particularly involved in Lambic brewing, and even has two (soon to be three) wood casks of Lambic in progress in his store. The store's sort of scattered, but there are so many cool things there. You can buy 1/4-bbl brewhouses and 1/2-bbl brewhouses from him, as well as plastic conical fermenters. He had on display a bottle of Utopias (vintage not noted), as well as empty bottles of all sorts - the ones I noticed were Newport Storm annuals from 2000-present.
Another cool thing about Zok is that he has some firm opinions, but at the same time, he's willing to let you do your own thing. A perfect example is fermenting. I used to do secondary fermentation, but stopped when I had all those flat batches. I now bottle every beer - big or small - a day or two after it's done bubbling the airlock. Zok is traditional and always does secondary, often for months. I just don't have the patience, but he respectfully stated his opinion and reasons, listened to mine, and agreed to disagree - no judgement, no arguing, not even a sigh and head shake. A perfect gentleman.
It was a real pleasure to talk with someone so well-versed in brewing, and loving it, doing it day in and day out for his work. Just an inspiration, really. I am glowing inside just thinking about it now. Even though I only ended up with just over $60 of odds and ends, I was given the royal treatment. I am hooked. I want to go back tomorrow to get my copy of Extreme Brewing signed, share some of his Lambic, and get his opinion on my Pre-Cut sour taste. I'll even bring my Mean Giant Double Stout to see what he thinks about it.
So besides a tribute to Zok, I guess the message is: try something new. You might find something awesome.
1.15.2008
Pre-Cut is Sour
Did I say "sour"? I meant "acidic". There was something wild in there. I bottled it about four days ago, and today it is sour. It was verging on funk at bottling time, but today it is funky. Funny thing is, with this mild dose of acid, it is pretty tasty. Doesn't exactly blend with the fir that well, but at the same time, it isn't horrible.
But now I am worried about my bottling equipment and even the bucket I fermented this in. Are they infected? I don't think I want to risk souring the Big Slick 2 by bottling with the same equipment. Lucky me that Big Slick 2 is still bubbling away in there, unaware of the buggy risks that it has just avoided.
To-do tomorrow: go to Rob's and get a new bottling bucket, siphon, and bottling wand.
Hey, this frees me up to go ahead and make "Lambic Imprint" (a takeoff on Limbic Imprint - yes, we are going to do a natural homebirth.) Lambic Imprint will be a 100% Brett B. beer! But according to Vinnie Cilurzo, it will take about six months before it's ready.
But now I am worried about my bottling equipment and even the bucket I fermented this in. Are they infected? I don't think I want to risk souring the Big Slick 2 by bottling with the same equipment. Lucky me that Big Slick 2 is still bubbling away in there, unaware of the buggy risks that it has just avoided.
To-do tomorrow: go to Rob's and get a new bottling bucket, siphon, and bottling wand.
Hey, this frees me up to go ahead and make "Lambic Imprint" (a takeoff on Limbic Imprint - yes, we are going to do a natural homebirth.) Lambic Imprint will be a 100% Brett B. beer! But according to Vinnie Cilurzo, it will take about six months before it's ready.
1.11.2008
Pre-Cut Bottled
Pre-Cut Ale with Fir has been done fermenting for about a day. That is, the airlock no longer re-rises when I push the lid of the bucket to get the CO2 out of there. Done enough for me.
I bottled it today. I am...um...how can I say this...curious to see how it will come out. The FG is 1.007. BeerSmith told me it would be 1.011. Maybe the 0.50 lbs of Honey gave it that extra burst of fermentability. The flavor is sort of sourish, and thin. It reminds me of the Sparkling Maple Wine I made this summer, which had a FG of 1.000. It was gross. At least this has a smell and taste of piney fir bough to keep it interesting beyond the pure alcohol of the rest of the flavor. I am considering the possibility that there is contamination. I used a half an open packet of dry yeast from a few months ago, so it could have been contaminated. This would explain the low FG, since wild yeast are a bit less picky about what they'll eat. It could also explain the sour-ish taste, since the notorious characteristic of wild yeast is an acidic fermentation byproduct.
At any rate, I got about fifteen 22-ounce bottles out of it. I dosed it pretty good with corn sugar - 3.25 oz, to get around 3 volumes of CO2. In a word, fizzy. Think Champagne or cellared Gueuze. Time will tell, but I expect to have this one around for a while waiting for it to "mature" in the bottles.
I bottled it today. I am...um...how can I say this...curious to see how it will come out. The FG is 1.007. BeerSmith told me it would be 1.011. Maybe the 0.50 lbs of Honey gave it that extra burst of fermentability. The flavor is sort of sourish, and thin. It reminds me of the Sparkling Maple Wine I made this summer, which had a FG of 1.000. It was gross. At least this has a smell and taste of piney fir bough to keep it interesting beyond the pure alcohol of the rest of the flavor. I am considering the possibility that there is contamination. I used a half an open packet of dry yeast from a few months ago, so it could have been contaminated. This would explain the low FG, since wild yeast are a bit less picky about what they'll eat. It could also explain the sour-ish taste, since the notorious characteristic of wild yeast is an acidic fermentation byproduct.
At any rate, I got about fifteen 22-ounce bottles out of it. I dosed it pretty good with corn sugar - 3.25 oz, to get around 3 volumes of CO2. In a word, fizzy. Think Champagne or cellared Gueuze. Time will tell, but I expect to have this one around for a while waiting for it to "mature" in the bottles.
1.01.2008
Pre-Cut: Ale with Fir
BeerSmith Recipe Printout - www.beersmith.com
Recipe: Pre-Cut
Brewer: Keith Brainard
Asst Brewer:
Style: Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer
TYPE: Partial Mash
Taste: (35.0) Smell and taste of wort are of christmas tree. Of course, the taste has some sweetness. This should be interesting!
Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 3.00 gal
Boil Size: 3.75 gal
Estimated OG: 1.045 SG
Estimated Color: 5.8 SRM
Estimated IBU: 0.0 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 58.0 %
Boil Time: 20 Minutes
Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
0.50 lb Amber Dry Extract (12.5 SRM) Dry Extract 9.2 %
2.10 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 38.8 %
2.10 lb Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM) Grain 38.8 %
0.21 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain 3.9 %
0.50 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 min) Misc
0.50 tsp Yeast Nutrient (Boil 15.0 min) Misc
1.00 items Fraser Fir Bough (Secondary 7.0 days) Misc
3.00 items Fraser Fir Bough (Boil 15.0 min) Misc
0.50 lb Honey (1.0 SRM) Sugar 9.2 %
1 Pkgs US-05/US-56 (Safale #1056) Yeast-Ale
Mash Schedule: My Mash 2
Total Grain Weight: 4.41 lb
----------------------------
Name Description Step Temp Step Time
Mash In Add 5.51 qt of water at 162.5 F 151.0 F 60 min
Notes:
------
Second runnings of both mashes of Big Slick 2. Grains are approximation of gravity of this wort. Extract and sugar added to achieve normal gravity beer. Used the open, half-pack of US-05. Fir boughs got all black and nasty looking after being boiled.
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