Special Bitter

Brewing a special bitter. Here's the recipe:
10 gallon batch

16 pounds of Golden Promise
1 pound of 135L Crystal Malt

Adding West Golding
2 oz  at 60
2 oz at 45
1 oz at 0

Fermenting on Wyeast 1968

Cherry mead

The last of the honey (12-15 pounds) and the cherries (20 pounds) are mixed together with two packets of 71B-1122. Tasty results are expected! On day 2 the gravity is 1.138! Fermenting away nicely, by no means total volume. When the cherry flavor peaks, I'll rack to secondary and most likely will have to add a gallon of water!

Cyser

Started it tonight,
So far
7 pounds of honey
3 gallons of apple juice
On cider yeast.
Might increase this to a 5 gallon batch.Converted this to a 5 gallon batch on 10/17

Gooseberry Mead

5 gallon batch
12 pounds of honey (Creve Couere)
to 5 gallons
2 packs of 71B-1122

Sack Mead

5 gallon batch
15 pounds of Creve Couere Honey
1 tsp Fermaid
2 packets of Red Star Montrachet Yeast

Cranberry Mead

9 pounds of Susan's honey
Lngiers Cranberry juice to 3 gallons
2 packets of D-47
OG 1180
Hoping it goes to Sweet/Tart most likely fg of 1030.

Cider batch 2

Put the second batch on the yeast from batch 1. This one is 5 gallons of apple juice, 2.5 pounds of honey. Will be back sweetened.

Pumpkin Saison

Did a week day brew, a 5 gallon batch of Pumpkin Ale. Monday night, I toasted one pound of Golden Promise and 3 15 ounce cans of pureed pumpkin. Tuesday night brewed.
10 pounds of Golden Promise
1 pound of Carastan
1 pound of Toasted malt
45 ounces of toasted pumpkin puree
mashed at 157 for 75 minutes
Boiled for one hour
a half ounce of Belma hops 60 minutes
2 teaspoons of Pumpkin Pie Spice at 10
fermenting at 70 with Bella Saison yeast

My grandson, Owen, helped with this batch. When we tasted the wort, he said he liked it, when asked what it tasted like, he said sweet pumpkin.

Cider!!!

Started a cider on 9/20. A very much out of date vial of White Labs Cider yeast, But I've brought it to life. A half gallon starter yesterday, went from 1050 to 1010 overnight, added two gallons of cider the 21st, a.m. will add 1 pound each brown sugar and honey and the rest of the apple juice this afternoon. I will let this batch finish dry then start another batch on the yeast cake to make a sweet cider for the kids.

Irish Stout!

Ten gallon batch!

18 pounds of English Pale (Maris Otter and Golden Promise)
2 pounds roasted barley
2 1/4 pounds rolled barley

2 ounces Chinook for 60
Fermenting on Chico Yeast at 68 degrees

Petit Saison

A five gallon batch going, using Northern Brewers all grain kit, was actually cheaper than buying the base grain (not my normal base) and the specialties and needed hops. Wish it luck!
Kegged on 9-18, the tasting was very good, spicy, light, a thirst quencher!

Its About Time

Special Bitter
10 pounds Maris Otter
12 ounces 135L Crystal
No Sparge, mashed at 152
.5 oz Northdown at 60
.5 oz Target at 30
1 oz EKG at 15
Irish Moss at 15
Fermented on WL 005 at 62

Heating/cooling coils

This is the heating and cooling coil. Using this with the Brewhemoth allows me total temperature control, regardless if the shop is too cold or too hot to maintain the ideal fermenting temperature.
A couple short videos.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnH8idVcY04&list=UUbJ4Ace9RBNFId-0dZuxTkg   and  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOimcCZgdMw&list=UUbJ4Ace9RBNFId-0dZuxTkg  
The shop has been between 41 degrees and 74 since brew day and the beer has been held where I want it.

Wiring a dual temperature control for the heating/cooling coil

As the diagram shows, wiring up the dual temperature control is quite easy. Remember to remove the "tangs" that connect the screws on each side of the outlet. This allows each plug to receive an independent circuit.

Fermenting when the temperature fluctuates

Like many homebrewers, I would rather ferment outside the house, most in a garage, some in a shed (brewhouse). We also do not want to heat them. In the summer, it is simple to set up a cooling system, in the winter a way to warm. But what about spring and fall? Nightime temps can drop into the 30's, daytime in the 70's. Too cold or too hot to ferment a beer at the preferred temperature. We (at Brewhemoth central) have come up with the perfect solution, a dual set of tubes that can go into the Brewhemoth, one that can chill the wort when needed, the other can be heated when needed. Will be tested next week with a batch of American Pale ale. Here is a picture of it half done.



And here is it finished.....

And the top

Carefully marked so the proper hoses go on the right line!

ESB

Using the IPA water profile and yeast,

18 pounds of Maris Otter
2 pounds of toasted Maris Otter (in oven at 425 till popping)
2 pounds Simpson's extra dark crystal
2 ounces of choclate malt

Bittering with 2 ounces of Northdown at 60
then EKG 1 ounce at 30, 15 and flame out, 2 tsp of Irish Moss at 15

English IPA

Using the water profile below, here is today's recipe.
25 pounds floor malted Maris Otter

Mashed in with 8 gallons of water to a mash temp of 150,
Second mash, 8 gallons water at 170.
90 minute boil,
3 ounces of Northdown at 60
1 ounce of EKG at 30, 15, and knockout
2 tsp of Irish Moss at 15.
Fermenting on

Wyeast 1203-PC Burton IPA Blend

Beer Styles: Traditional and Historical English IPA, English Pale Ale, English Bitter styles, Robust Porter, Foreign Stouts

Profile: The revival of interest in historic and classic English IPA styles calls for a specialized yeast – this blend highlights hop bitterness and aroma while still allowing full expression of authentic water profiles and pale malts. Low to moderate ester level can be manipulated through fermentation temperature and pitching rate. Palate finish is typically neutral to mildly fruity with some maltiness. Good flocculation characteristics make this an excellent candidate for cask conditioning.

 

Alc. Tolerance          10% ABV

Flocculation             med-high

Attenuation             71-74%

Temp. Range           64-74°F (18-23°C)

Fermenting at 65. 

Kegged on 3-2. Oh, my, the hop bitterness came thru ever so nicely. A definite winner, one keg is being force carbonated, the other received a 1/4 cup of sugar. Cannot wait for this one to be ready! 

This is on tap. The hop bitterness is very clean and well pronounced. The water profile seemed to accentuate this quite nicely, seems to have the flavor of a Meantime IPA. Success!!!

Water making

This is the recipe for water on my next English IPA


Ca 126; SO4 281; MG 19; Na 18; Cl 48; HCO3 66

For 8 gallons

Epsom 6g
Baking Soda 2g
Calcium Carb. 1g
CaCl 3g
Gypsum 11g

This is an exciting new direction for my brewing, creating the perfect water for the perfect brew. Over the years, I've traveled out to springs in the Ozarks to collect my brewing water. This has resulted in award winning ales, that don't win awards when brewed with local water. With a source of DI water, I can now brew the award winners every time without driving 150 miles to get water.

Bitter

15 gallon batch

20 pounds of Maris Otter
1 3/4 pounds 135L crystal

Mashed at 153

Premium American Lager

Shooting to the higher end of hoppiness.

20 pounds of Idapils

90 minute mash at 145

90 minute boil
1 oz of AB Hallertau (8%) at 60
1 oz of AB Hallertau at 15
1 oz of AB Hallertau at Flame out