Omni Summer Giveaway

http://www.omnihotels.com/blog/passport/

Munich Helles

Munich Helles Brew Type: All Grain Date: 7/4/2008 Style: Munich Helles Brewer: Dale Batch Size: 6.00 gal Assistant Brewer: Boil Volume: 8.62 gal Boil Time: 90 min Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 % Equipment: Keggle / Turkey Fryer - 5 gallon 2 Actual Efficiency: 74.75 % Taste Rating (50 possible points): 35.0 Ingredients Amount Item Type % or IBU 9.00 lb Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (1.8 SRM) Grain 83.72 % 1.75 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (1.4 SRM) Grain 16.28 % 14.00 gm Hallertauer, New Zealand [8.60 %] (75 min) Hops 14.3 IBU 13.20 gm Tettnang [4.30 %] (15 min) Hops 2.0 IBU 26.40 gm Saaz [4.00 %] (1 min) Hops 2.3 IBU 0.50 tsp Yeast Nutrient (Boil 15.0 min) Misc 1.00 items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 min) Misc 1.00 items Wort Chiller (Boil 15.0 min) Misc 2.20 gm Baking Soda (Mash 60.0 min) Misc 3.30 gm Chalk (Mash 60.0 min) Misc 3.30 gm Epsom Salt (MgSO4) (Mash 60.0 min) Misc 14.00 ml Lactic Acid (Mash 60.0 min) Misc 11.00 gal Our Well -> Munich 2 Water 2 Pkgs Southern German Lager (White Labs #WLP838) [Starter 2000 ml] Yeast-Lager Beer Profile Estimated Original Gravity: 1.049 SG (1.045-1.051 SG) Measured Original Gravity: 1.049 SG Estimated Final Gravity: 1.013 SG (1.008-1.012 SG) Measured Final Gravity: 1.012 SG Estimated Color: 3.2 SRM (3.0-5.0 SRM) Color [Color] Bitterness: 18.6 IBU (16.0-22.0 IBU) Alpha Acid Units: 6.2 AAU Estimated Alcohol by Volume: 4.67 % (4.70-5.40 %) Actual Alcohol by Volume: 4.82 % Actual Calories: 217 cal/pint Mash Profile Name: Temperature Mash, 2 Step, Full Body Mash Tun Weight: 3.00 lb Mash Grain Weight: 10.75 lb Mash PH: 5.4 PH Grain Temperature: 72.0 F Sparge Temperature: 168.0 F Sparge Water: 5.78 gal Adjust Temp for Equipment: TRUE Name Description Step Temp Step Time Protein Rest Add 13.50 qt of water at 130.1 F 122.0 F 30 min Beta Saccharification Add 3.25 qt of water and heat to 146.0 F over 12 min 146.0 F 15 min Saccharification Add 3.75 qt of water and heat to 156.0 F over 5 min 156.0 F 15 min Mash Out Heat to 168.0 F over 6 min 168.0 F 10 min Mash Notes Two step profile with a protein rest for mashes with unmodified grains or adjuncts. Temperature mash for use when mashing in a brew pot over a heat source such as the stove. Use heat to maintain desired temperature during the mash. Carbonation and Storage Carbonation Type: Kegged (Forced CO2) Carbonation Volumes: 2.6 (2.3-2.7 vols) Estimated Pressure: 12.3 PSI Kegging Temperature: 38.0 F Pressure Used: - Age for: 2.0 Weeks Storage Temperature: 38.0 F Notes Protein rest ended up at ~125F Alpha Sac rest ended up at ~155F Hit preboil and SG with no adjustments. Gave it 60seconds of O2 when pitching. Pitched @ 50F (both wort and yeast). Fermentation started about 36hrs in. Found that my digital and the lab thermometers disagreed by 2-3 degrees.

Ripped Kilt Scottish 70/

Ripped Kilt Scottish 70/ Brew Type: All Grain Date: 6/7/2008 Style: Scottish Heavy 70/- Brewer: Dale Batch Size: 6.50 gal Assistant Brewer: Boil Volume: 8.63 gal Boil Time: 60 min Brewhouse Efficiency: 73.00 % Equipment: Brew Pot (15 Gal) and Igloo/Gott Cooler (10 Gal) Actual Efficiency: 72.71 % Taste Rating (50 possible points): 35.0 Nice, but it didn't quite turn out what I was trying to achieve. It's not malty enough and too roasty. Ingredients Amount Item Type % or IBU 0.63 lb Extra Light Dry Extract (3.0 SRM) Dry Extract 6.38 % 6.50 lb Golden Promise (1.9 SRM) Grain 65.79 % 1.00 lb Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 10.12 % 0.75 lb British Crystal Malt - 50-60L (55.0 SRM) Grain 7.59 % 0.50 lb Honey Malt (25.0 SRM) Grain 5.06 % 0.25 lb Chocolate Malt, Pale (225.0 SRM) Grain 2.53 % 0.25 lb Roasted Barley (300.0 SRM) Grain 2.53 % 32.00 gm Goldings, East Kent [4.20 %] (60 min) Hops 14.7 IBU 4.00 gm Epsom Salt (MgSO4) (Mash 60.0 min) Misc 5.00 gm Calcium Chloride (Mash 60.0 min) Misc 6.00 gm Baking Soda (Mash 60.0 min) Misc 6.00 gm Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Mash 60.0 min) Misc 10.00 gal Our Well -> Edinburgh Water 1 Pkgs California Ale (White Labs #WLP001) [Starter 1000 ml] Yeast-Ale Beer Profile Estimated Original Gravity: 1.040 SG (1.035-1.040 SG) Measured Original Gravity: 1.040 SG Estimated Final Gravity: 1.009 SG (1.010-1.015 SG) Measured Final Gravity: 1.012 SG Estimated Color: 16.1 SRM (9.0-17.0 SRM) Color [Color] Bitterness: 14.7 IBU (10.0-25.0 IBU) Alpha Acid Units: 4.7 AAU Estimated Alcohol by Volume: 4.03 % (3.20-3.90 %) Actual Alcohol by Volume: 3.64 % Actual Calories: 177 cal/pint Mash Profile Name: Single Infusion, Full Body, Batch Sparge Mash Tun Weight: 9.00 lb Mash Grain Weight: 9.25 lb Mash PH: 5.4 PH Grain Temperature: 30.0 F Sparge Temperature: 168.0 F Sparge Water: 6.84 gal Adjust Temp for Equipment: TRUE Name Description Step Temp Step Time Mash In Add 11.56 qt of water at 181.0 F 158.0 F 60 min Mash Out Add 3.22 qt of water at 211.4 F 168.0 F 10 min Mash Notes Simple single infusion mash for use with most modern well modified grains (about 95% of the time). Carbonation and Storage Carbonation Type: Kegged (Forced CO2) Carbonation Volumes: 2.0 (1.5-2.3 vols) Estimated Pressure: 6.0 PSI Kegging Temperature: 38.0 F Pressure Used: - Age for: 2.0 Weeks Storage Temperature: 38.0 F Notes 1.012@137 preboil reading. Not sure if that's accurate ... now. Added .5lb XLDME to 8.5gal to make sure to hit target gravity. Yet gravity came in too high @ 1.040 instead of 1.037. So the dme was not needed. 6/9 - 16:00 48 hrs later, still no activity. But beer in hydrometer tube started to ferment. Began heating pad to get the temp up to 72F Active fermentation by bed time, dropped temp back to 70F. Then 69F the next morning. 6/15 - 1.011 6/17 - Racked to secondary - 65F I found in the next brew session that the glass thermometer and the digital vary by 2-3 degrees; the glass being higher. I used the glass one solely on this one. Next time take gravity readings closer to 100-120F. Drop the roasted barley and just use the pale choc (maybe .33lb), hit and hold 158 mash, with a thicker mash. If still not malty enough then add carapils.

Bottles away!

Today I bottled the first brew. Everything went as planned and anticipated.
Of course, the real assessment of that will be in a few weeks when I can open a bottle and see how it did.

The beer spent 11 days in the primary, and 22 in the secondary. Technically it should go 33 days in the bottle conditioning process. Even though I can be patient, I doubt I can wait that long.

Just under 5 gallons came out of the secondary.
I snuck a few glasses to drink over the past couple of weeks. The last one was just a couple of days ago. I had the glass sitting on the counter while I tended to a couple of other things, and the wife happened by and thought that it was a commercial ale! WOW!

The time in the secondary really let it clear up. I even put a little bit in the fridge a couple days ago; which is really too cold for an English Bitter, and it only had a little bit of chill haze.

I bottled 27 500ml and 13 12 oz. bottles.

OG was 1.044, TG was 1.011. That should give roughly a 4.3-4.4 ABV.

When I started out on this venture I couldn't imagine how to consume 5 gallons of beer before it went bad. I've even been doing some research this past week on how to brew smaller batches.
Now, today, after putting my creation in it's final march, I can't see how it's going to last long enough for the second batch to be ready! LOL

I still plan to do some smaller batches. I just have to finish solving a couple of issues; mainly how to find an adequate ~2 gallon vessel for the primary.

Yeast Starter Calculator

http://www.mrmalty.com/calc/calc.html

How to build a keg system

http://www.northernbrewer.com/docs/html/corny-keg.html

Yum & CLear

Yesterday was a big day.

Thanks to the wonderful preparation and coaching of my next door neighbor I shot my first deer.
Well, precisely, that would be my first two deer. I got a 6-point buck and a button buck. Not bad for the first time out in about 25 years and my first deer ever!

To celebrate I pulled a small glass of the English Bitter that's in the secondary to have with dinner.
The brew is 3 weeks old, with the last 10 in the secondary. Wow! It's really getting clear!
I had originally, meaning before even brewing, to add gelatin as a fining a few days before bottling. Now I don't think that that will be necessary with almost two more weeks to go in the secondary.
I think it could be bottled now if I wanted. But I'm sticking to the original plan; less the gelatin.

I thought it tasted pretty darn good.

The wife wasn't quite as happy with it. Not sure if her taster was off or if it being flat affected her perception.

It's going to be some good drinking!!

I'm quite pleased.