Stouted

The two stouts are bottled...

Chocolate Mint Stout:  OG: 1.050 FG: 1.010 ABV: 5.2%
Initial Impressions:  Heavy on the mint.  It overpowers the Chocolate.  Lactose added at Bottling.  If the mint calms down, this will be the cookie flavor we targeted

Cinnamon/Chipotle Oatmeal Stouf:  OG: 1.050 FG: 1.012 ABV: 5.0%
Initial Impression:  Hot/Smokey.  Chipotle is overpowering.  May mellow into a nice winter warmer

Now with legs!

Now we're being worth labs thanks to a gift from the gifts. Up next a split stout batch.  Half will be chocolate mint milk, half cinnamon oatmeal.

Citra Blonde is Bottled

OG 31 May:  1.035
FG: 23 June: 1.010
ABV: 3.25%

Irish red is bottled

Irish red is bottled after 4 weeks in the fermenter.   FG 1.010

Up next: Citra Blonde

it still needs a name, but this summer blonde/session ale should have high citrusy notes.  It is styled after Widmer Bros' Citra Blonde

Citra Blonde an All Grain, Blonde Ale by buriedcastle Fermentables Efficiency: 75.0 % Batch size: 5.5 gal Fermentable Amount Use PPG Color Pale Ale (US) 8.5 lb 89 % Mash 37 3  °L Caramel/Crystal 10L (US) 1.0 lb 10 % Mash 35 10  °L Hops Boil time: 60 min Hop Amount Time Use Form AA Warrior (US) 0.2   oz 40  min Boil Pellet 16.0% Columbus (US) 0.1   oz 30  min Boil Pellet 15.0% Citra (US) 0.2   oz 10  min Boil Pellet 13.7% Citra (US) 0.2   oz 5  min Boil Pellet 13.7% Citra (US) 0.5   oz 5  days Dry Hop Pellet 13.7% Yeasts Name Lab/Product Average Attenuation American Wheat Wyeast 1010 76.0% Extras Name Amount Time Use Whirlfloc Tablet 1.0 each 19.0 min Boil Fermentation Primary 21 days Secondary 0 days Conditioning 14 days Grain to Glass 35 days Predicted Stats 1.048 OG - 1.011 FG - 18 IBU - 4.7% ABV – 5 SRM - 0.39 IBU/OG

4 months since last brewday

It's been about 4 months since last brewday.  It's getting warm out again, the fermenters are asking to be filled, a new recipe is ready, and ingredients are on hand for a new and hopefully improved Red Clay Irish Red.

Red CLay 2014 an All Grain, Irish Red Ale by buriedcastle Fermentables Efficiency: 70.0 % Batch size: 5.0 gal Fermentable Amount Use PPG Color Maris Otter Pale (UK) 8.25 lb 84 % Mash 38 3  °L Briess Carapils® Malt 0.5 lb 5 % Mash 34 1  °L Caramel/Crystal 90L (US) 0.25 lb 2 % Mash 33 90  °L Caramel/Crystal 10L (US) 0.25 lb 2 % Mash 35 10  °L Briess Special Roast Malt 0.25 lb 2 % Mash 34 50  °L Special B (BE) 0.13 lb 1 % Mash 34 115  °L Briess 2-Row Chocolate Malt 0.13 lb 1 % Mash 34 350  °L Hops Boil time: 60 min Hop Amount Time Use Form AA Fuggle (US) 0.75   oz 60  min Boil Pellet 4.5% Nugget (US) 0.1   oz 30  min Boil Leaf 14.3% Willamette (US) 1.0   oz 10  min Boil Pellet 5.5% Yeasts Name Lab/Product Average Attenuation Irish Ale Wyeast 1084 73.0% Extras Name Amount Time Use Whirlfloc Tablet 1.0 each 10.0 min Boil Predicted Stats 1.051 OG - 1.014 FG - 22 IBU - 4.9% ABV - 13 SRM - 0.45 IBU/OG

It's hoppening again

Sorry for the long delay.  Things have gotten busy and the fermenters have been sitting empty for a while.  But it's spring and it's time to start planning to resume operations.  First up, fresh hops

With the 3 cultivars planted today, our total is 4 varieties and 11 plans:  (Hop Profiles from http://www.homebrewstuff.com/hop-profiles)

Flowery, citrus & spice with grapefruit the noticeable fragrance quite often. This medium aroma balances the low bittering value. Derived from a cross between fuggles and the Russian hop Serebrianker. Very popular hop among craft brewers.

Used For: Good for flavor and aroma, but an acceptable bittering hop. Pale Ales, IPAs, Porters

Substitutes: Amarillo, Centennial, Ahtanum

3 Mount Hood (all new)

Hybrid of Hallertau with similar mild flower/spice aroma characteristics with a hint more of the forest. “Clean” commonly describes it, with similarities to the German Hallertau and Hersbrucker varieties

Used For: Aroma and flavor. American and German ales and lagers.

Substitutes: German Hallertau, Liberty, Crystal.

1 Glacier (there was only 1 left when we ordered, but look for more additions next year)  (new)

Use For: American ale or ESB

Substitutes: Palisade

Strong heavy and herbal, spicy aroma and high bittering value (along with desirable growing traits) has brought this hop variety to the forefront of the industry.  Selected from a cross between Brewer's Gold and a high alpha male.

Used For: Extremely bitter. All Ales, Stouts

Subs: Chinook, Galena, Cluster

Rhyzomes added:

2 more Cascade (+ 3 Previous)

4-7%  All purpose

5-8%  Finishing

5-6% Finishing

Pleasant aroma of citrus mixed with sweet fruity of pear or apricot.  Aroma seems to be the strong suit of this hop.

2 Nugget (previous)

11-16% All Purpose  

IPSide Part 1

IPSide Down has been split.  3 gallons are in the little fermenter with oak and back in the chamber, the remainder (approx 1 gallon) is bottled.  Good flavors in the 1 gallon pre conditioned.  We'll need a while to see if adding oak makes it even better or ends up being mistake.  This is likely a batch to repeat.

Bottle Bombs

Our first batch to explode: Bourbon Barrel Stout... It was bottled in October, two weeks later the first bottled opened and poured well.  Since then, it's been a gusher.  This weekend, bottles started popping in the dungeons, earning the barrel stout a spot ina plastic tub instead of the milk crate towers.  Although it freshens up the basement air, the shards of glass and unstable bottles add difficulty to consumption and distribution.

In other news, 2 of the 3 ciders were bottled last week and have joined the remainder of the beverage in the stacks without incident.