Batch 67 Marzen - First lager

6 gallon batch

6 lbs weyermanns pils

3 lbs German dark Munich
2 lbs gwm Vienna
4 oz mfb caramel 120
1/2 tsp cacl

SRM 10

Mash 10 mins 130 df, 60 mins 150 df. Thick mash. pH 5.0

TOG into boil 1.078

Actual OG into boil 1.079

4 gallons into boil

Boil 90 mins
90 mins 7 gr glacier 5% aa, 3 IBUs
60 mins 14 gr nugget 13.5% aa, 16 IBUs
15 mins 11 gr hallertau mitt 4.1% aa, 2 IBUs
15 mins 1 tsp Irish moss

21 IBUs

Add 3 gallons cold water, OG 1.040. Too much by about 6 Qts, wanted 1.050 or so.  Never got close to target pitching temps, either.  Note for next time: get a bigger (6 gallon) kettle and pre-chill (ice bath) coil.

ABV est 4%. 

Pitch at 60 df with wyeast 2633 in 2 quart starter conditioned at 50 df.  Put in chamber at 50 df.  Takes about 24 hours to get back to low 50s.  Full krausen at about 40 hrs.  Primary at 50 df.

Krausen falls back to 1/2 inch, airlock at 10 secs, rack to secondary 3/2/14, leave at 50 df for 6 hrs, then turn chamber temp down to 48 df.

Bump down to 46 df 3/4/14, airlock around 45 seconds.  Bump down to 44 df 3/6/14, airlock about 1 min.  3/8/14 bump down to 42 df.  3/10/14 bump down to 40 df.  3/12/14 bump down to 38 df. 3/14/14 bump down to 36 df. 3/16/14 bump down to 34 df.

Bottle 4/24/14 with 92 gr table sugar, yield 574 oz, 4.5 gals, 2.95 vols co2.

Planning First Lager

OK, the stars are all lined up for a lager, time to launch.

Bought a Kelvinator ice cream freezer on E-bay for $50.  Bought a temp controller for same on E-bay for $17.  Wired and tested everything this week, chamber is holding a steady 50 df as I write.

Bought two 3 gallon glass carboys that fit (the 5s are too big, but I can fit 3@3 gallons if desired, but starting with 2 for now).

Bought Wyeast 2633 and have been building it up in two stages of starters since Tuesday.  I now have 2 quarts at about 55 df, ready to bring down to 50 df in my new chamber tonight.

Marzen ingredients are on hand: pils, munich, vienna, caramel 120, noble hops.
Planning to use my best recipe to date (done on US-05).  We'll see how the yeast changes the character of the beer.

Need to boil a big pot of water tonight and get it into the fridge, so I can add it for pitching tomorrow.  Planning a 4 gallon boil for 6 gallons of beer.

Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five....

Batch 66 Vienna

3 gallons

3 lbs gwm vienna
1.5 lbs TFS golden promise
1 lb weyermann pils
3 oz mfb caramel 120
1 oz German dark Munich
1/2 tsp cacl

SRM 9

Mash 10 mins at 130
60 mins at 150 pH 5.0

TOG 1.054

OG into boil 1.055 (80% eff)

Boil 90 mins
80 mins 6 gr glacier 5.0%aa, 8 IBUs
15 mins 1/2 tsp Irish moss
5 mins 14 gr northdown 7.0%aa, 5 IBUs

13 IBUs

OG into fermenter 1.053

Abv est 5.0%

Pitch with us-05v in 1/3 qt starter at 72 df, move to 60 df. Full krausen at 20 hrs, 62 df.
Rack to secondary 2/21/14, move to 65 df.

Bottle 3/7/14 with 80 grams table sugar, yield 30@12oz, 360 oz.

Batch 58 Vienna tasting notes

Pours cloudy orange amber, bigger head than needed, light tan head, laces and stays ok.

Aroma - vanilla/caramel malt smell, with hints of spiced fruit.

Mouthfeel - somewhat toothy, but overcarbonated, taking away/interfering too much with body.  Could skip the 154 mash rest, but need less priming sugar, too.

Flavor - pleasant malt flavor, kind of 'scotchy' (could introduce some pils, reduce golden promise), munich doesn't really work here, could reduce caramel a touch.  Hop bitterness is too high, but aroma is missing and would help this balance better.

Finish - underlying hop bitterness comes through, malt finish is munich, slight fruity yeast at finish, but not enough to balance.

Overall - overcarbed so hard to tell what's going on, might be a good effort with 20% less priming sugar.

Batch 65 Stones Arrogant Bastard Clone

3 gallons

3.5 lbs muntons Maris otter
3.5 lbs tf&s golden promise (whoops, meant to use pils)
10 oz  mfb caramel 120
1/2 tsp gyp
1/2 tsp cacl

SRM 16

Mash 10 mins 130df
60 mins 150 df pH 4.8, add 1/8 tsp soda

Throw into kettle 1 pint of stout wort, saved for starter (add a SRM or two)

OG 1.077 into boil (81% eff)

Boil 90 mins
90 mins 1/2 oz Chinook 12.1% aa - boilover again, fooooock.  10 min cleanup. 35 IBUs
45 mins 1/2 oz Chinook 12.1% aa 30 ibus
15 mins 1/2 oz Chinook 12.1% aa 16 ibus
15 mins 1/2 tsp Irish moss
1/2 oz Chinook 12.1% aa at flameout

81 IBUs

OG into fermenter 1.076

Abv est 7.2%

Pitch on S-04 trub from Batch 64 primary at 72 df, move to 65 df, full krausen in 3 hrs.  Primary runs at 70 for about 2 days, then slows way down.

Rack to secondary 2/14/14, leave at 65 df.

Bottle 2/27/14 with 100 gr table sugar.  Yield 28@12 oz with 4 oz sample, 340 oz.

Batch 64 Maris Otter/Vanguard SMaSH

3 gallon batch

5.5 lbs Muntons Maris Otter
1/2 tsp CaCl

SRM 5

Mash 130 df 10 mins, 153 df 60 mins, pH 4.8
Add 1/16 tsp soda, pH to 5.2

TOG 1.056

OG 1.058 into boil (83% eff)

Boil 60 mins
60 mins 1/2 oz Vanguard 4.8% 15 IBUs. (Boil over, shiiiiiit, 15 min pause for cleanup)

15 mins 1/2 tsp Irish moss

15 IBUs

OG into fermenter 1.056 (80% overall eff). Note, added some water at chiller stage to make up for boil over loss.

Pitch with S-04 in 1/2 qt starter, dry hop with 1/2 oz Vanguard at 4.8%, 72 df, move to 68 df for primary.  Full krausen at 6 hrs, primary running at 70 df.

Abv est 5.3%.

Rack to secondary 2/8/14, leave at 65 df.  Bottle 2/21/14 with 100 gr table sugar.  Smells like butterscotch, tastes like corn tortillas, dms.  Yield 370 oz, 19@12oz, 6@22oz, generous sample.

Batch 57 sweet cascade tasting notes

Pours brown with orange hues, big light tan head, cloudy/translucent.  Head stays/laces.

Smells like hops, grassy/piney/earthy, slight sweet malt behind

Mouth feel, thick.  Carbonation doesn't clean it up well.

Tastes like hop bitterness first, then a touch of pine/earth.  Sweetness underlies, but no escaping the plain bitterness. 

Finishes just plain bitter.  Don't really want more.

Overall, nothing like Stone's arrogant bastard, even though recipe is similar except the hop type.  The Chinook makes that much difference.  I did use more of the cascades, but the aa% is lower, or it should be.  Is it Roger's cascades, or cascades in general?  I think it's a combo, but I used store cascades at flameout, when the hop character should shine, and I'm getting nothing compared to the Chinooks.

Don't try this again.  Failed experiment.  Kinda buzzed, though.