Batch #09, another taste.

Daniel was over and I thought that since it was two weeks in I’d try a shot glass taste of the Sundowner Ale.  This stuff tasted really strong.  It is a high alcohol brew, but now I’m afraid it might have gotten infected.  Daniel didn’t think it tasted too bad.  I’ll probably still bottle it up anyway and see how it turns out.  If nothing else it’ll be a taste learning experience.

Batch #08 bottling.

This is my first time batch priming.  I used an online calculator to figure out how much priming sugar (in this case, dextrose) to use.  The number it gave me for an ESB seemed low, so I went with the measurement for a brown ale.  I ended up using 1.3 oz. of dextrose.

I sanitized everything.  I boiled the dextrose in 1 cup of water.  I used my modded spigot and tubing to transfer some of the beer from my fermenter into another MB keg that I plan to use as only a bottling bucket.  Then I poured the boiling hot sugar solution into that bit of beer.  This definitely killed some of the yeast, but the temperature should have evened out quickly and there should be lots of other yeast to make sure this isn’t a problem.  I then transferred the rest of the beer from the fermenter to the bottling bucket.  At this point I let the beer sit in the bottling bucket with the top on for about 20 minutes.

My bottling bucket is using the brand new spigot and bottling wand from Mr. Beer.  This seemed to work very well.  My other bottling wand just used pressure to stay closed, while the MB one is spring loaded.  It definitely took a little getting used to the amount of pressure you have to use since the one without the spring opened and closed much easier.

From here on out I just filled up all of bottles, a mixture of plastic 16 oz. and glass 12 oz. bottles.

Batch #09 taste.

I took a taste after one week of my Sundowner Ale.  It actually tastes okay, so maybe it didn’t get infected .  Still very cloudy though.  I think I’ll definitely go three weeks on it.

Batch #09 Explosion!

When I woke up this morning I noticed that the read out from the wireless thermometer that was connected to the Sundowner Ale I brewed last night said 81 degrees.  I know I had the ambient temperature in the cooler around 68-70 and I thought I need to get some more ice packs in there.  When I opened the cooler the fermenter was bulging out in places where it’s normally flat, and I thought, this isn’t good.  The yeasties had gone crazy and filled the fermenter with krausen that must have clogged the holes.  So now all the CO2 being given off was just building up pressure inside the fermenter.  I decided I’m better undo the top and release some of that pressure and clean up the airlock holes.  Little did now what was going to happen…

 

 

There she blows!

 

The fermenter basically kept that up all day.  I decided to answer emails and such from home and every half hour or so I’d go wipe it down with a brand new sponge soaked in One-Step.  At one point I heard a pop sound in the kitchen.  I found that the pressure had been enough to blow the top off of the fermenter.  I found the top about four feet away, granted, I hadn’t tightened the top down much but I still thought that was crazy.

 

Anyway, it’s finally settled down and I’ve put it back in the cooler with a bunch of ice packs to try to get the temperature down.  We’ll just have to wait to see if this batch is contaminated.

Batch #09 start.

My plan was to make a real simple lawnmower brew, something like a Cream Ale.  Well I went a little overboard and it’s nowhere close to that style anymore.

 

Sundowner Ale

 

Recipe		Sundowner Ale		Style		Cream Ale
Brewer		Deep Forrest Brewing		Batch		2.13 gal
Extract

 

Recipe Characteristics

Recipe Gravity		1.064 OG		Estimated FG		1.016 FG
Recipe Bitterness		34 IBU		Alcohol by Volume		6.2%
Recipe Color		11° SRM		Alcohol by Weight		4.8%

 

Ingredients

Quantity		Grain		Type		Use
0.50 lb		Crystal 20L		Grain		Steeped
2.00 lb		Light DME		Extract		Extract
1.00 lb		Wheat DME		Extract		Extract
Quantity		Hop		Type		Time
0.50 oz		Cascade		Pellet		60 minutes
0.10 oz		Liberty		Pellet		2 minutes
0.20 oz		Willamette		Pellet		30 minutes
Quantity		Misc		Notes
1.00 unit		Ale yeast		Yeast		Cooper’s Ale Yeast
0.20 unit		Corriander Seed		Spice		teaspoon

 

Recipe Notes

 

Batch Notes

Batch #9

 

I crushed my grains with a rubber mallet, it seemed to work much better than the last brew.  I think it was the Maris Otter in the last grain bill that was so hard to crush.  I got a little warm while steeping, but not too bad, I think around 168 degrees was the worst.

 

I added my DME and went on to my hop boil with everything going normally.  I added the corriander with five minutes left in the boil.

 

It took a little longer than normal to cool the wort down, but I think that’s because it was just warmer in the apartment than it has been in the past.

Batch #05 first taste.

I’ve let this brew sit for a good while.  The recommendation is three months conditioning.  It’s gone one and half months, but I have to try one so I can compare…right?

 

This brew is good, it tastes like a real doppelbock.  Good carbination and color.  It has the up front strong alcohol taste that I expect from a doppelbock, like Aventinus.  Then it moves to a raisin/plum taste and finally a bready taste at the end.

 

 

 

Batch #08 test taste.

One week into fermentation and I decided to try a shot glass taste.  It tastes just like you’d expect a flat ESB to taste.  On top of that I couldn’t believe how clear it was after only one week.

 

 

Sorry about the photo, I don’t know why everything I’ve taken lately has been out of focus.

Batch #07 into the fridge.

I moved my Dark Rock Porter into the fridge after a 3-2.  I had to rearrange the shelves in my fridge to fit this in.  With my Capital Red Ale looking like it’s going to need a good amount of conditioning and the Bock Off Doppelbock definitely conditioning for a lot longer I’m running out of room.

Batch #06 first taste.

I decided to try my Capitals Red Ale at 3-2-1.  It’s still young.  I had big hopes for this recipe and I hope it works out in time, but for now it’s not great.  The hop taste isn’t as strong as I’d expected and it’s not an off taste I can’t quite put my finger on.  There are bits of something floating in it, I’ve heard other people who used the Bewitched Red Ale kit say the same thing.  It’s probably just bits of hops and doesn’t other me.  I will say one last thing though, the color is awesome.

 

 

 

Batch #08 Start.

I thought I’d try out an ESB (Extra Special Bitter).

Wheel Bite ESB

 

Recipe		Wheel Bite ESB		Style		Extra Special/Strong Bitter (English Pale Ale)
Brewer		Deep Forrest Brewing		Batch		2.13 gal
Extract

 

Recipe Characteristics

Recipe Gravity		1.053 OG		Estimated FG		1.013 FG
Recipe Bitterness		36 IBU		Alcohol by Volume		5.2%
Recipe Color		14° SRM		Alcohol by Weight		4.1%

 

Ingredients

Quantity		Grain		Type		Use
0.10 lb		Chocolate Malt (US)		Grain		Steeped
0.20 lb		Crystal 40L		Grain		Steeped
0.38 lb		Honey		Sugar		Other
2.00 lb		Light DME		Extract		Extract
0.30 lb		Maris Otter Malt		Grain		Steeped
Quantity		Hop		Type		Time
0.30 oz		Glacier		Pellet		5 minutes
0.60 oz		Kent Golding		Pellet		60 minutes
0.40 oz		Kent Golding		Pellet		20 minutes
Quantity		Misc		Notes
1.00 unit		British Ale yeast		Yeast		Danstar Nottingham Yeast

 

Recipe Notes

.375 lbs of Honey is .5 cups

Batch Notes

Batch #8

 

I measured out my grains and put them in a freezer bag.  I’d picked up a rubber mallet to use when crushing grains.  Some of the grains seemed really hard and I’m afraid I didn’t crush them all, even though you’d think that will a rubber mallet that wouldn’t be a problem.

 

After doing some research, that I probably should have done before I bought it, I found out that the Maris Otter needs to be mashed.  I put my grains in my nylon grain sack and into a gallon of water they went.  I had a much better idea of where I needed to set the heat on the stove to reach my 150 degrees.  I’d say it took me about 15 minutes to get to 150 and I was able to keep it there for 60 minutes pretty easily.  I’m hoping I understood what I read correctly and 60 minutes at 150 degrees is a mini-mash.  One thing to note here, a little bit of chocolate malt goes along way towards color.  It definitely looked darker than most ESBs I’ve had before.

 

Next we go into a 60 minute hop boil.  I had no problems with boil overs on this batch and actually was able to sit down for a few minutes at one point.  Finally, I added 1/2 a cup of honey at flameout.

 

I filled the fermenter with a gallon of spring water, added my wort once it was cooled to around 80 degrees, and then aerated well.  I then added the full 11 grams of the Nottingham yeast, sit, aerate again, and into my big styrofoam cooler it went.

Batch #06 into the fridge.

Quick note, I moved my Capitals Red Ale into the fridge.  Sadly, it’s two days after we’re out of the playoffs.

Batch #07 Bottling.

I bottled up my Dark Rock Porter today.  Since my Bock Off Doppelbock has such a long conditioning time I’m really out of bottles right now.  Luckily, my friend Richard came through with a 2 liter growler.  It was an old St. Patrick’s Day growler from Blue & Gray.  Without the growler I wouldn’t have had enough bottles.

 

Now all of my fermenters are empty.  Since the Capitals keep pushing on, watching playoff hockey is really all I’ve done outside of work.  I guess this gives me time to build up a new cache of bottles though.

Batch #06 Bottling.

I bottled up my Capital’s Red Ale after 3 weeks.  I ended up about 1.5 12 oz. bottles short, I’m not sure why.  The last half bottle I didn’t bottle up, I put it into a glass and tasted it.  Strangely it seemed a little sweet.  I used a full 11 grams of Nottingham, it had a very large krausen the first 2 days so I’m not sure why it’s sweet.  I guess I’ll just have to wait a few weeks and find out how the final product is.

Batch #05 into the fridge.

So I put my Doppelbock into the fridge after 2.5 weeks.  Now comes the long wait.  Expected conditioning time is 3 months, although I’m sure I’ll try one occassionally along the way.

Batch #04 taste and pics.

Wow, what a difference two weeks makes.  I’d mentioned when I had the trub bottle that this brew didn’t seem to have much taste, that has changed.  It’s got a nice caramel/nutty kind of taste with an ever so slight more bitter coffee taste at the end.  I really dig it.