Duff Beer for me!
Duff Beer for you!
I'll have a Duff,
You have one too!
Everyone's wondered what kind of beer Duff might be.
It's an obvious parody of the big three beer comapanies, so it's definitely an American Light Lager.
The logo is similar to Budweiser's, having a bowtie-ish area on the top.
Both are heavily advertised, cheap and popular.
Now here's to the cause of... and solution to... all of life's problems.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Brooklyn Brewery Black Chocolate Stout
Brooklyn Brewery
Nothing says winter like a good strong stout.
This imperial version starts out with a crazy head from a little too much carbonation (a good thing). Once that settles down and the lacing appears, a cold one makes for some great drinking. I dunno about drinking 6 of these, coz they're 10.1% alcohol. The starting gravity was 1.096, meaning the final gravity is 1.020, pretty sweet.
It pours like motor oil and its mouthfeel is only a little less viscous.
I recommend drinking this in the early evening, one gulp at a time, over an hour and a half, letting it warm up in the glass to experience the different textures the higher temps bring.
Nothing says winter like a good strong stout.
This imperial version starts out with a crazy head from a little too much carbonation (a good thing). Once that settles down and the lacing appears, a cold one makes for some great drinking. I dunno about drinking 6 of these, coz they're 10.1% alcohol. The starting gravity was 1.096, meaning the final gravity is 1.020, pretty sweet.
It pours like motor oil and its mouthfeel is only a little less viscous.
I recommend drinking this in the early evening, one gulp at a time, over an hour and a half, letting it warm up in the glass to experience the different textures the higher temps bring.
Diacetyl, Part 2
Shart.
I guess if you experiment, you have to expect some failures. :(
My yeast harvest did not produce enough yeast, OR I had a bacterial infection.
I'm thinking it was both.
See, if you don't pitch enough yeast, some nasties can get a foothold on your beer.
What am I on about?!
Well, the Centennium Falcon that I used the harvested Bell's Two Heated Ale yeast made butter beer. Brewed that on 11/04/2007. I've since bottled a couple butter bombs for posterity. (Maybe I'll enter em in a competition to gross out the judges?) I read up on what would coz this, and I decided on diacetyl, which has multiple causes. A possible fix is a room temperature rest for a week, to get the existing yeast to clean it up. It dint. Then I pitched half a pack of Salfale US-05 yeast to see if it just needed more yeasties. Nope. I think I'm gonna have to dump this batch.
Sad day.
I guess if you experiment, you have to expect some failures. :(
My yeast harvest did not produce enough yeast, OR I had a bacterial infection.
I'm thinking it was both.
See, if you don't pitch enough yeast, some nasties can get a foothold on your beer.
What am I on about?!
Well, the Centennium Falcon that I used the harvested Bell's Two Heated Ale yeast made butter beer. Brewed that on 11/04/2007. I've since bottled a couple butter bombs for posterity. (Maybe I'll enter em in a competition to gross out the judges?) I read up on what would coz this, and I decided on diacetyl, which has multiple causes. A possible fix is a room temperature rest for a week, to get the existing yeast to clean it up. It dint. Then I pitched half a pack of Salfale US-05 yeast to see if it just needed more yeasties. Nope. I think I'm gonna have to dump this batch.
Sad day.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Batch Sparging
My first three batches of all grain brew, I used a method of rinsing sugars off the malt called "fly sparging". In this method, you mix hot water with the crushed malt, let is sit for an hour, then gradually rinse the sugars for an hour, letting the run out be replaced by hot water from above.
Today, I tried a different method called "batch sparging". With this method, you mix, let sit, then drain the entire mash tun as fast as possible. Then mix with more water, then drain fast. You mix both the run offs and get a total volume. There are pros and cons to both methods, but I've been hearing about this a lot lately, so I just wanted to try it.
My thoughts:
- Was easy to do.
- Did not need my bottling bucket / Hot Liquor Tank (HLT)
- Did not need sparge arm. This is fun to watch! Kinda missed it.
- Needed either another kettle to heat water, or what I did was use my extra 5 gallon cooler to hold hot liquor (water) until I could do the second (And third) infusion.
Science:
- First runnings were 2.5 gallons of SG 1.072 @ 130F (1.086).
- Second runnings were 2.5 gallons of SG 1.044 (total) @ 125F (1.062).
- Third runnings 1.0 gallons of SG 1.044 (total) at 124F (1.056).
- Makes this method a 71% efficiency, which is quite comparable to a fly sparge.
Will def try this again.
Today, I tried a different method called "batch sparging". With this method, you mix, let sit, then drain the entire mash tun as fast as possible. Then mix with more water, then drain fast. You mix both the run offs and get a total volume. There are pros and cons to both methods, but I've been hearing about this a lot lately, so I just wanted to try it.
My thoughts:
- Was easy to do.
- Did not need my bottling bucket / Hot Liquor Tank (HLT)
- Did not need sparge arm. This is fun to watch! Kinda missed it.
- Needed either another kettle to heat water, or what I did was use my extra 5 gallon cooler to hold hot liquor (water) until I could do the second (And third) infusion.
Science:
- First runnings were 2.5 gallons of SG 1.072 @ 130F (1.086).
- Second runnings were 2.5 gallons of SG 1.044 (total) @ 125F (1.062).
- Third runnings 1.0 gallons of SG 1.044 (total) at 124F (1.056).
- Makes this method a 71% efficiency, which is quite comparable to a fly sparge.
Will def try this again.
Norwood Punch
So I had a vial of White Labs English Cider Yeast (WLP775) in the fridge set to expire in a couple weeks. Not a big deal, but I didn't want to waste it.
So I hit the sto', and bought 8 cans of frozen Minute Maid Fruit Punch, for $1.29 each. For just over $10, I had 3 gallons of fruit punch, pitched the yeast, and added some Fermax yeast nutrient.
I have no idea what this will turn out like, but I'll be sure to letcha know!
So I hit the sto', and bought 8 cans of frozen Minute Maid Fruit Punch, for $1.29 each. For just over $10, I had 3 gallons of fruit punch, pitched the yeast, and added some Fermax yeast nutrient.
I have no idea what this will turn out like, but I'll be sure to letcha know!
Monday, December 3, 2007
How I Spent My Saturday
Wow. At 15.25 pounds, this was my largest grain bill ever.
It produced a nice malty wort of 1.066, only 2 points off my expected OG. So my technique has a 69% efficiency. Not bad.
I did burn my finger while boiling the wort on my turkey fryer. I'll live.
I may have underpitched, just slightly. The the C3-PilsnerO, I used two smack packs of lager yeast, but with this bock I only pitched one. They're like $7 each, so that's why. $36 was enough for that day's Listy trip. I could've made a starter, but I didn't. So sue me. I followed the manufacturer's recommendation to all the fermenting to start and THEN bring it down to lagering temps (50F).
Right now, I've got a nice primary fermentation going in the chest freezer.
Spaz Bock (Name changed due to the hop substitutions.)
AKA The Empire Strikes Bock
Batch Size (Gal): 5.00 Wort Size (Gal): 5.00
Total Grain (Lbs): 14.75
Anticipated OG: 1.068 Plato: 16.65
Anticipated SRM: 36.9
Anticipated IBU: 20.7
Grain/Extract/Sugar
% Amount Name Origin Potential SRM
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.4 0.50 lbs. Chocolate Malt Great Britain 1.034 475
94.9 14.00 lbs. Munich Malt(dark) America 1.033 20
1.7 0.25 lbs. Briess Caramel 80L America 1.034 80
Hops
Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.00 oz. Spalt Pellet 3.20 14.4 60 min.
1.00 oz. Czech Saaz Pellet 3.20 3.9 15 min.
1.00 oz. Czech Saaz Pellet 3.20 2.4 5 min.
Yeast
-----
WYeast 2206 Bavarian Lager
It produced a nice malty wort of 1.066, only 2 points off my expected OG. So my technique has a 69% efficiency. Not bad.
I did burn my finger while boiling the wort on my turkey fryer. I'll live.
I may have underpitched, just slightly. The the C3-PilsnerO, I used two smack packs of lager yeast, but with this bock I only pitched one. They're like $7 each, so that's why. $36 was enough for that day's Listy trip. I could've made a starter, but I didn't. So sue me. I followed the manufacturer's recommendation to all the fermenting to start and THEN bring it down to lagering temps (50F).
Right now, I've got a nice primary fermentation going in the chest freezer.
Spaz Bock (Name changed due to the hop substitutions.)
AKA The Empire Strikes Bock
Batch Size (Gal): 5.00 Wort Size (Gal): 5.00
Total Grain (Lbs): 14.75
Anticipated OG: 1.068 Plato: 16.65
Anticipated SRM: 36.9
Anticipated IBU: 20.7
Grain/Extract/Sugar
% Amount Name Origin Potential SRM
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.4 0.50 lbs. Chocolate Malt Great Britain 1.034 475
94.9 14.00 lbs. Munich Malt(dark) America 1.033 20
1.7 0.25 lbs. Briess Caramel 80L America 1.034 80
Hops
Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.00 oz. Spalt Pellet 3.20 14.4 60 min.
1.00 oz. Czech Saaz Pellet 3.20 3.9 15 min.
1.00 oz. Czech Saaz Pellet 3.20 2.4 5 min.
Yeast
-----
WYeast 2206 Bavarian Lager
Diacetyl
Diacetyl is a bane to many brewers. It's a natural by-product of fermentation and gives butter is distinctive buttery flavor. At low levels it provides a slippery mouthfeel, and higher levels, it's gross. Trust me.
Usually, yeast will produce diacetyl and then eat it up. Usually.
I underpitched (didn't put enough) yeast in my last Centennium Falcon IPA.
Remember, this was an experiment using harvested yeast from some Bell's Two-Hearted Ale, and a stir plate. So I shoulda made more yeast, but I didn't.
This underpitching may have caused my diacetyl issue, OR I may have a bacterial infection. I'm really hoping it's the former.
So the beer fermented out to a nice Final Gravity of 1.012. And it's nice and hoppy, but the butter is just icky.
After some research about whether I can save the 5 gallons, or if I should just dump it down the basement utility sink, I've run across some suggestions to do a "diacetyl rest" on it. Usually lagers will get a 24+ hours (@ ~58F) diacetyl rest after secondary (or even primary) fermentation is complete. I'm hoping that a rest will allow the yeast that are still in the keg will be able to wake back up and eat up some butter flavor.
Keep your fingers crossed.
Usually, yeast will produce diacetyl and then eat it up. Usually.
I underpitched (didn't put enough) yeast in my last Centennium Falcon IPA.
Remember, this was an experiment using harvested yeast from some Bell's Two-Hearted Ale, and a stir plate. So I shoulda made more yeast, but I didn't.
This underpitching may have caused my diacetyl issue, OR I may have a bacterial infection. I'm really hoping it's the former.
So the beer fermented out to a nice Final Gravity of 1.012. And it's nice and hoppy, but the butter is just icky.
After some research about whether I can save the 5 gallons, or if I should just dump it down the basement utility sink, I've run across some suggestions to do a "diacetyl rest" on it. Usually lagers will get a 24+ hours (@ ~58F) diacetyl rest after secondary (or even primary) fermentation is complete. I'm hoping that a rest will allow the yeast that are still in the keg will be able to wake back up and eat up some butter flavor.
Keep your fingers crossed.
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