Batch 77 Dubbel tasting notes

Taste room temp

Pours clear red dark brown, tiny tan head that remains around edge

Aroma nice malt with slight roast edge, earthy hops on top with some pears

Mouth feel lively carbonation, alc warmth, low to moderate tooth, although beefier at finish

Flavor almonds, prunes/raisins dried stone fruit, earth hop edge, sweet but not cloying.

Finish sweetness could use more IBUs to clean up, some earthy hop flavor or yeast is going bad.

Note won 2nd pl peoples choice and 3rd pl judges at battle of the brews among 7 beers. 

Overall, time to toss out WLP 500.  Should up IBUs to about 25, brighten aroma hops more, maybe Simcoe or Chinook instead of Amarillo.  Grain bill is good.

Batch 84 Belgian Witbier

3 gallons

3.25 lbs wey boh pils
2.25 lbs flaked wheat
6 oz best malz Vienna
1/4 tsp cacl

Mash 148 df 70 mins pH 5.4

OG into boil 1.045 in first 3 gal pot, add 2 gals final runnings in second pot

Boil 90 mins

90 mins 3 gr sorachi ace 11.9%aa, 9 IBUs
15 mins 1/2 tsp Irish moss
10 mins spice mix: 3 gr dry bitter orange peel, 8 gr toasted coriander cracked, zest of 2 fresh oranges
5 mins 5 gr sorachi ace 11.9%aa, 3 IBUs

12 IBUs

Add some water to get to 3.2 gals, OG 1.048 into fermenter, 72% BHE.

Pitch with 20 gr sorachi ace 11.9% with W3942 in 1/2 qt starter at 75 df, leave at 75 df for primary.

Turn down to 70 df after 7 days.  Rack to secondary 8/2, move to 73 df.

Abv est 4.7%

Bottle 8/10 with 90 gr table sugar, boiled 5 mins with zest of 1 fresh orange, yield 340 oz, 3.2 vols co2.

Batch 76 Scottish 80 tasting notes

Cellar temp

Very clear dark amber with orange brown luster, big light tan head that stays put, slightly uneven.

Aroma scotch malt whiskey without booze behind spice/earth hops.  Smells of rich sweetness.

Mouth feel moderate tooth, more body than expected.  Carb level and hop bitters prevent cloying. 

Flavor rich malt with touch of smoky roast, even bitterness is moderate at end.  Peated toast? 

Finish, round bitterness of malt and hops, clean and bright after the base/color.  Want more.

Overall, could add a touch of brown malt in place of choc, move hops to earlier in the boil, but reduce IBUs maybe 5-10%.  Is there such a thing as peat malt?  Go continental on flavoring hop.

Batch 83 Belgian Blonde

4.5 gallons

7 lbs wey boh pils
1 lb Munton's MO
1 lb flaked wheat
1/2 tsp CaCl

SRM 4

Mash 70 mins 150 df pH 5.0

OG into boil 1.050 @ 6 gals (89% eff)

Boil 75 mins
60 mins 1/2 oz sorachi ace 11.9%aa, 22 IBUs
55 mins 1/5 oz homegrown centennial, 5 IBUs
15 mins 1 tsp Irish moss
10 mins 1 oz homegrown willamette, 3 IBUs
Flameout 1 oz hersbrucker 1.7% aa

30 IBUs

Add water and 8 oz table sugar to get to 1.068 into fermenter

Abv est 6.8%

Pitch at 70 df with W3787 in 2/3 qt starter, move to 62 df to get to 65 df.

Full krausen at 21 hrs and 65 df, bump chamber up to 66 df.  7/14 am at 72 df, bump down chamber temp to 64 df.  7/14 pm foam over at 66 df, clean up mess and bump chamber temp up to 68 df.  7/15 pm holding steady at 70 df, clean up another foam over.  There's at least 6 inches head space - big foaming action.  7/16 more foam over cleanup, continue primary at 70 df.  Gradually comes up to 73 df at bottling.

Bottle 8/1 with 100 gr table sugar, yield 480 oz, 2.6 vols co2.

Batch 75 Vienna tasting notes

Chilled

Pours golden orange, clear with slight haze, healthy light tan head drops back, hangs around, laces

Aroma nutty vanilla, spice candy, apples

Mouth feel, clean, mouthful of carb, light to moderate body

Flavor nice malt backbone, vanilla, refreshingly sweet, spicy hops give nice balance without leaving any harshness or overt bitterness.  Apple cider fruitiness in background.  Hops have slight earthy undertones.

Finish pleasant hop bitterness, crisp carbonation and pH balance is crisp, refreshing, but not dry.

Overall, could add more Munich, no more golden promise, lower strength, shift more towards continental hops, drop IBUs a touch, maybe 10%.  Need to do a proper lager, lower temps and longer.

Batch 82 Wine Barrel Saison

6 gallons

Part of Roger Masson's communal recipe, to go in a 26 gallon wine barrel from Todd Guse

1/2 lb Warminster Maris Otter
6 lbs Briess 2 row
3 lbs Weyermanns boh pils
1.25 lbs best malz dark Munich

SRM 4

Mash 147 df 60 mins pH 5.4
Mash 155 df 20 mins

OG into boil 1.056 (6 gals, also some final runnings on the side)

Boil 75 mins

75 mins 6 gr gypsum
60 mins 1 oz northdown 9.4% aa, 28 IBUs
30 mins 1 oz German hallertau mittelfruh 4.3% aa, 10 IBUs
15 mins 1 tsp Irish moss
15 mins 1/2 oz east kent goldings 5.7% aa, 4 IBUs
Flameout 1/2 oz mt hood 5.5% aa
Flameout 11 oz table sugar in 3 qts boiled water to shoot for 1.061

42 IBUs

OG into fermenter 1.062, about 7 gallons split between 5 gallon and 3 gallon carboys.

BHE 83% before sugar

Pitch at 75 df in OYL 500 in starter from Roger.  Leave chamber at 70 df.  Full krausen at 15 hrs, 72 df.  Transfer from original 5 gallon carboy to a 3 gallon carboy 7/9, carrying most of trub over; leave original 3 gallon carboy alone.  Move to 70 df on 7/12 am, move to 72 df on 7/13 am.

Rack to secondary 7/18, leave at 73 df.

8/16 rack into oak barrel used 36 months with pinot noir, along with 20 gallons of similar beer made by Roger and Pete.

Bottle 10/26 using 5.6 gr table sugar per 5 gallon bucket, 2.8 vols co2.

Batch 74 czech pils tasting notes

Cold from fridge

Pours bright, yellow gold, slight haze, big white head that lingers, laces

Aroma bright hops, smooth spice blend with slight earth background, light malt

Mouth feel very clean, refreshing, slight sweetness but not cloying

Flavor sweet fresh malt with slight grain undertone, crisp spicy hop bitterness, vanilla at end

Finishes with nice balance of hop bitterness and vanilla, a little tar in the hops. 

Overall, excellent summer beer, crisp refreshing beverage, could back off Vienna, but hops seem about right, maybe consider alternate bittering hop, but not sure where to turn.  Columbus gives slight tar edge, nugget?

Batch 71 dubbel wit tasting notes

Cellar temp, about 68 df.

Pours like champagne, frisky tan head that fizzes and drops back, but hangs around the edge to the end.  Nice clear deep red brown.

Aroma on pour is like sparkling wine, big alcohol in your face.  Once that subsides, nice malt/roast aroma, earthy hop edge, dates or prune esters, sweet but not annoying.  Earthy hops almost too much.

Mouthfeel almonds, sweet and toothy, carbonation fills mouth with cleansing, solidly beer.

Flavor, almonds up front, and in the middle, dried fruit, slight tang, nice bitterness at the end, balanced malt and earth hop, not too strong on either.  Sweet, like almond extract.

Finish, soapy, hop bitterness almost too much, alcohol warmth underlying but not dominant, thirsty, not really refreshed.  After dinner sipper, this.

Overall, the flaked wheat doesn't help much, brewers gold hops may be the soap culprit.  Mt hood before saaz.  Columbus seems to be the bittering winner.  Maybe try some magnums.

Batch 73 ipa tasting notes

Never got to take notes, drank it up too fast.

Recollection was that grain bill was good, could eliminate amber with the heavy Maris otter.

Also, slightly too bitter, not enough nose.  Would balance more towards simcoe away from Amarillo, but also go heavier dry in secondary, lower IBUs.

It was better about 2 weeks in the bottle than at 4.