Beer Log

Ingredients

• 10 lbs Great Western 2-row Malted Barley, 1.8L
• 1/2 lb Crystal malt, 120L
• 1/2 lb Crystal malt, 60L
• 1 oz Columbus Hops 16.8% α, boiling
• 1 oz Cascade Hops 7.3% α, boiling
• 1 oz Columbus Hops 16.8% α, finishing
• 1 tsp gypsum
• 1/2 tsp Irish Moss
• 2 pkg ale yeast
• 3/4 cup cane sugar (yeast starter)

Temperature Controlled Mash

2008-01-01, 1630: Added 2.25 gal of 140°F water to 11 lbs of crushed grain. Settled at 135°F for 30 min. Stirred occasionally.

1700: Added 1 gal of 200°F water to get mash up to 142°F for 30 min. Stirred occasionally.

1730:Added 3/4 gal of 212° water to get mash to 150°F. Held there for 30 min.

1800:Added 4.5 gal of 170-175°F water while draining tank to
sparge into big kettle.

1845: Heating kettle.

1900: Beginning boil

2000: Added boiling hops, 1 oz each, continuing boil

2140: Added finishing hops, 1 oz Columbus, continuing boil

2155: Leak in heat exchanger, can’t fix. Taking wort off of heat to cool out side for a bit.

2007-01-02, 630: Poured from pot to bucket. Still to hot to pitch yeast. Bummer.

1200: Finally cooled to 78°F. Pitched yeast from starter. Initial Gravity = 1.040.

1700: Fermenting vigorously.

It was a lovely but cold day for brewing. Don and Hans were planning to make the trip from Seattle but Don was unable to come; Hans arrived right on time. We drank some of the Cedars Coffee Porter and the last bottle of Steam Beer Without a Name (that isn’t really a steam beer). And, of course, Jack capitalized on every opportunity to bark at Hans, hence, the name of this beer (which really is a steam beer).
We started the process by using the Grain Gobbler to crack the grain. Does the Grain Gobbler gobble grain? Gobble, indeed, it does.
The notes might be less complete than usual.

• 10 lbs American 2-row malt
• 1 lb crystal malt (80)
• 1 oz Northern Brewer Hops (boiling)
• 1 oz Cascade Hops (last 15 minute boiling)
• 1 oz Northern Brewer Hops (2 minute finishing)
• 1 teaspoon Irish Moss Power
• 1 thingy of California Lager Yeast

• 7 lbs 14oz American 2-row malt
• 1 lb crystal malt (80)
• 1 lb victory malt
• 1 lb dark munich malt
• 12 oz chocolate malt
• 4 oz black patent
• 7 oz Equal Exchange French Roast
• 12 oz organic molasses
• 1 oz East Kent Golding Pellet (1 hour boiling)
• 1 oz Fuggle Leaf (15 minute boiling)
• 1 oz East Kent Golding Pellet (2 minute finishing)
• 1 teaspoon Irish Moss Power
• 1 thingy of British Ale Yeast

• 10 lbs American 2-row malt
• 1 lb crystal malt (80)
• 1 oz Northern Brewers (boiling)
• 1/2 oz Cascades (boiling)
• 1/2 oz Northern Brewers (boiling (last 15 minutes))
• 1/2 oz Northern Brewers (finishing (last 2 minutes))
• 1 teaspoon Irish Moss Power
• 1 thingy of American Ale Yeast

09/03 — Active Fermintation

This is a simple recipe but there is one unusual thing. I am going to take the first 1/2 gallon or so of the wort out of the lautertun and boil the hell out of it so the sugars carmelize. This step is supposed to give the Scottish Ale its distinctive flavor.
(Note: That’s a hard Gee.)

• 8 lbs six-row malt
• 4 lbs pale British malt
• 2 oz. roasted barley
• 1/2 teaspoon Irish Moss Power
• 1 oz. Fuggles hops (boiling)
• 1 oz. Fuggles hops (finishing)
• 1 thingy of Scottish Ale Yeast

Hopefully this beer turns out better than its name. Although happiness in a bottle sounds pretty cool. I could ask the kids, “Would you go out to the garage and get me a bottle of Happy?”
I am starting with 13 3/4 pounds of grain which is way more than I’ve ever started with before. I am adding a rest at about 110 degrees to cut down on the guminess of the oats (my recipe is based on the one at the bottom of the page) and adding some lactic acid to the sparge water to cut down on the tannins removed from the barley husks. This is by far the most complicated beer I’ve attempted.
The wife, kids and I will be picking up the ingredients today (friday) and I will start brewing in the morning (saturday).
Here are the ingredients:

• 10 lbs pale two-row English malt
• 1 1/4 lbs oatmeal flakes
• 1 lbs crystal malt (60)
• 1/2 pound dextrine malt
• 1/2 pound chocolate malt
• 1/2 pound roasted barley
• 1/2 teaspoon Irish Moss Power
• 1/4 teaspoon lactic acid
• 2 oz. Fuggles hops (boiling)
• 1 thingy of Irish Ale Yeast

January 14th: Bottled Happy today. Final specific gravity was about 1.014. I drank a bottle that I thought was probably over-airated. It was good.

This is based on the Papazian recipe “Monkey’s Paw Brown Ale”, but I changed it, so I get to name it. Hmmm…. Christmas beer.
Here are the ingredients:

• 7 pounds English malted barley
• 1 pound victory malt
• 1/2 pound British crystal malt
• 1/2 pound dextrine malt
• 1/4 pound chocolate malt
• 1/4 pound black patent malt
• 1 teaspoon Gypsum
• 1/2 teaspoon Irish Moss Power
• 1 oz. Fuggles hops (boiling)
• 1/2 oz. Northern Brewer hops (boiling)
• 1/2 oz. Fuggles hop (finishing)
• 1 thingy of British Ale Yeast

Now it is December 11th. I put the carboy into the big styrafoam insulted box with a 15 watt light bulb and I attached one of those carboy thermometers to the carboy. We have achieved rapid fermentation at 68 degrees. Lots of little bubbles. Nasty stuff coming out of the blow-off tube. It’s a big chemistry experiment that you can drink.
December 14th: I replace the blowoff tube with a standard airlock. I also poured half a glass of the beer from the carboy and checked the specific gravity… 1.012. Then I drank the sample; a little young still but still pretty tasty–the veal of beer.
December 17th: The power has been out since the evening of the 14th. The house is down to 47 degrees and the beer is down to 42. The fermentation had already slowed before the drop in temp, so I don’t think there will be any negative effects.

Ok. I realized the other night that the last time I made beer the propane burner was upside down. Don’t ask.
Today the weather is beautiful. K. is hanging out in the garage with me. The burner is right-side up.
The recipe is a slight variation of Papazian’s Silver Dollar Porter, but I changed it, so I get to rename it. Here are the ingredients:

• 8 pounds 6-row malted barley
• 1 pound Munich malt
• 1 pound dark (120 somethings) crystal malt
• 3/4 pound chocolate malt
• 1/4 pound black patent malt
• 1 teaspoon Gypsum
• 1/2 teaspoon Irish Moss Power
• 2 oz. Goldings hops (boiling)
• 1 oz. Northern Brewer hops (finishing)
• 1 thingy of Irish Ale Yeast

Throughout the brewing process I will be working on organizing brewing supplies and (I shouldn’t have to say this) cleaning up from the last brew. Here goes.

When the going got tough, I relaxed, stopped worrying, and had a can of coke.

“This is grain which any fool can eat, but for which God intended a higher purpose.” (This is from that version of the movie Robin Hood that stars Kevin Costner.)
I have wanted to brew all-grain for a long time. I started gathering the equipment years ago, but then put all the brewing stuff away to get our old house ready to sell. We did that, sold it, lived in an apartment, built a new house and moved into the new house. We’ve been here for 18 months; I haven’t brewed in 2 1/2 years.
A couple of weeks ago I was talking to D., a collegue at work. He said that he used to brew but had given it up and had a bunch of stuff that he wouldn’t mind removing from his garage. This past Wednesday I paid him $150 (and a couple of cases of product) for a carboy, some airlocks, grain and hop bags, a huge 2-burners propane stove, a tank of CO2, a couple of kegs and taps, a big box with a 15-watt bulb for fermenting at a constant temp, a big thermos, a five gallon pot and an immersion wort chiller. Wednesday night I bought a propane tank. Saturday I bought 9 pounds of undermodified 6-row malted barley, a pound of dark crysal malt, some Cascade hops and some Northern Brewer hops.
I was ready to go.
I brewed all-grain several times with my friend J. many years ago. I have also assisted my friend G. This is the first time I have done it solo. Finally. My goal was a red, full body, low alcohol bitter ale (but not too bitter because I want to give some to my boss and I don’t think she likes super bitter beers).

I meant to add gypsum and Irish Moss. I changed my mind on the gypsum. I forgot to add the Irish Moss.
I need to get a wort chiller that has a bigger diameter copper tubing.

9 lbs Marisotter pale barley malt
1 lb crystal malt (5L)
1 oz Cascade Hops (7.3% α) boil
1 oz Cascade Hops (7.3% α) finish
1/4 tsp Irish moss
1 tsp Gypsum
2 pks Mutton’s Ale Yeast
1/2 cup Corn Syrup
905: Added 2.25 gallons of 135°F water to 10 lbs of malt. Stirred. 122°F protein rest.
928: Change Julia’s poopy diaper. Maggie licks her head and hands. Water heats. We wait.
950: Rachel arrived for Ruby Ione, who spent the night. Julia fusses. I’m distracted. I frantically try to get the mash up to 150°F, but only get to 145-148°F with 3 qts of 190°F water.
1017: OK, it isn’t a fiasco but I am struggling. While trying to stir the mash 10 150°F I dislodge the screen in the mashtun. I thought that I could cool my hands and then submerge them in the hot mash to fix the screen. Oops! Then I tried to pour out the mash into a too small pot and splashed all ove. Had to empty water from heating pot to pour out the rest of the mash. Fixed screens. Heated some of the mash. Returned mash. Waited for water to reboil. Added almost boiling water, so finally at 1015 I have 158°F mash.
1039: I guess it is time to sparge.
1045: Sparging with 4.5 gallons of 175°F water.
1137: Finished sparging about 20 minutes ago. The boil commences in big pot (5 gallons) and small pot (2 gallons).
1210: Wort slowly boils down.
1355: 5.5 gallons in big pot. Added boiling hops. Boiling.
1507: Added finishing hops 10 minutes ago along with Irish moss and gypsum.
1510: Finished boil. Chilled with heat exchanger. Pitched yeast starter. Stirring vigorously.
1532: OG 1.056 at 70°F.
2006-07-22
Wort is fermenting vigorously!!! Oh, yeah!