Batch 66 Vienna tasting notes

Taste cold

Pours orange, slightly cloudy, moderate tan head, falls back quickly,

Aroma, fresh pears, fruity, slight vanilla malt

Mouth feel, some body, but not heavy

Flavor, sweet malt, but not overly sweet, fresh pears again, slight bitterness, no hops.

Finish, vanilla malt, slight bitterness, want more.

Overall, clearly an ale, should try with more hops and lagered.  Malt bill says Vienna, just a bit thicker and fruitier than I want.

Batch 74 Bohemian Pilsner

6 gallons

9.5 lbs weyermanns boh pils
21 oz gwm Vienna
8 oz best malz dark Munich
1/2 tsp cacl

SRM 4

Mash 15 mins 130 df, 150 df 20 mins pH 5.0, 156 40 mins

Restart lauter at 3 gals.

OG into boil 1.060 (7 gals)

Boil 90 mins

90 1/2 oz Columbus 15%aa, 21 IBUs
60 mins 1/2 oz saaz 3.5%aa, 4 IBUs
30 mins 1/2 oz saaz 3.5%aa, 3 IBUs
1 tsp Irish moss 15 mins
5 mins 1 oz saaz 3.5%aa, 2 IBUs

30 IBUs

Og into fermenter 1.066, add 1 gallon to get to 1.056.  93% brew house efficiency.

Abv est 5.3%

Pitch with w2278 in 2 Qts starter, chilled to 48 df.  Chill wort to 52 df, pitch winds up at 56-8 df into chamber.  Move to 50 df.  

Next time, try pitching the next day after chilling wort in carboys overnight.

At 35 hours, full krausen.  At 60 hrs, foam over, transfer some to 3rd carboy.  Leave at 50 df.

Rack to secondary 5/5/14.  Turn down chamber to 49 df.  Turn down 2 df per day until 40 df (5/10/14). Turn down to 35 df 5/25/14.

Bottle 6/20, with 90 gr table sugar, yield 734 oz, 2.7 vols co2.

Using prechiller for the first time

Batch 65 SAB clone tasting notes

Taste cold

Pours cloudy, brown with red hues, big tan head stays, billows, laces well

Aroma tart, earthy pine, malt background

Mouth feel, chunky, too much carbonation.

Flavor bitter, chinooky but mostly bitter, sweetness is way too subdued, kind of too malty, not sweet.

Finish clinging, cloying, hop bitterness too high.  Carbonation not very refreshing.

Overall. WHAT HAPPENED?  Last 2 times this was delicious. Golden promise ruins this, need more protein rest, fresh yeast, watch hop additions, push more towards later additions.  Don't exceed 70 IBUs. Stout starter bad.  Watch priming sugar, 80 gr should be plenty.

Batch 73 American IPA

3 gallons

4 lbs wey boh pils

2.75 lbs munt mo

4 oz mfb car120

1/2 tsp gyp

SRM 10

Mash 130 df 10 mins, 148 df 20 mins pH 4.6, 154 df 40 mins

OG into boil 1.059 (4.2 gals)

Boil 90 mins

60 mins add 8 gr brewers gold 9%aa, 17 IBUs

Continuous from 60 to 30 mins, 18 gr northdown 7%aa, 26 IBUs

Continuous from 30 to 0 mins, 7 gr simcoe 11.7% aa and 7 gr Amarillo 8.4% aa, 16 IBUs

59 IBUs 

1.078 after boil, add 38 oz water to get to 1.070 at 3 gals, 79% BH eff

Pitch with S-04(h) in 1/2 qt starter, 78 df

Dry hop 14 gr Simcoe and 7 gr Amarillo

Move to 63 df.  Full krausen at 8 hrs, 70 df.  At 18 hrs, down to 65 df, going strong.  Primary at 65 df.

Rack to secondary 4/24/14, dry hop 7 gr simcoe, 1 gr Amarillo.  Move to 66 df. Toss out S-04 yeast cake.  Move to 63 df for 2 days before bottling.

Bottle 5/8/14 with 75 gr table sugar, yield 359 oz, 2.8 gals, 2.6 vols co2.

Up next

IPA, simcoe and amarillo.

Batch 72 Witbier

3 gallons

2 lbs weyermanns pils
1.25 lbs weyermanns boh pils
2.25 lbs flaked wheat
6 oz gwm Vienna
1/4 tsp cacl

SRM 4

Mash 130 df 10 mins, 148 df 60 mins, pH 4.8

4.25 gallon boil, Og into boil 1.043

Boil 90 mins
60 mins 3 gr sorachi ace 11.9%aa, 9 IBUs
15 mins 1/2 tsp Irish moss
10 mins spice mix:  2 gr dried bitter orange peel, 7 gr cracked toasted coriander, zest of 2 oranges
5 mins 5 gr sorachi ace 11.9% aa, 3 IBUs

12 IBUs

OG at end of boil 1.055, add 10 oz water to get 1.053 into fermenter

Pitch: Dry hop 6 gr sorachi ace 11.9%, w3942 in 1/2 qt starter @ 73 df, move to 72 df.  Runs up to 79 df in 8 hours (going like crazy), move to 68 df, back at 73 df at 16 hrs.  72 df at 28 hrs, move up to 72 df.

Rack to secondary 4/18/14, move to 66 df.

75% brewhouse efficiency

Bottle 5/2/14 with 90 gr table sugar boiled 5 mins with zest of 2 oranges, yield 30@12oz, 360 oz, 3.0 vols co2.

Abv 5.2%

Weekend ideas

Back to witbier, pile on the orange zest.  Summers a comin.

Stout yeast possibilities

Wyeast 1272 American II (slight tartness)

Wyeast 1469 West Yorkshire (slight tartness, would also work nicely for nut brown)

Wyeast 1084 Irish Ale (Guinness, would work for porter, as well)

Batch 63 Stout Tasting Notes

Cellar Temp

Hefty dark tan/brown head, black opaque with red hues around edges.  Pours fairly clear, not cloudy.  Head stays, laces ok.

Aroma - Roast malt with malt backbone beneath.  Slight earth/spice hop freshness.  Hint of sour fruit.  Dirty dishrag hidden in there.

Mouth feel - Thick and sweet.  Clings to cheeks.  Carbonation about right, helps clean up cloying qualities.

Flavor - Roast malt without astringency, sweet in the middle, dishrag quality somehow (late glacier hops?), maybe soapy hop bitterness at end.

Overall, could add a little roast barley in mash to press on roast quality, halve the caramel, NO MORE GLACIER HOPS, no more hop additions after 30 mins, S-04 may not be your yeast, should shop for something more sour, use fresher grains, reduce flaked wheat considerably.  Could back off of carb level, but not much.

Batch 64 MOV smash tasting notes

Taste cold

Moderate size white head, even bubbles, clings, stays, laces nicely, nice golden amber color, pretty cloudy.

Aroma - cumin, spice, slightly sweet but earthy hops, bubblegum, corn.

Mouthfeel - Toothy but carb cleans it up nicely, almost too much carb.

Flavor - up front, nice blend of hops and malt, middle has a pleasant hop bitterness, a little soapy, malt sweetness rescues towards the end, along with carb cleanse.  Hops are understated, mild spice with earth notes, slight soapy bitterness that is odd.

Finish - Soapy, refreshing, cleansing, very mild hop bitterness that is the opposite of harsh.

Overall, vanguard not a keeper.  Very mild hop without character, a little soapy, not a great flavor (kind of spice and earth, but neither is great) or bitterness (soap).  Future MO smashes need to go 90 mins on boil.