Author: stoutmaker

Last minute updates

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I thought I posted a few things here since November.. Guess not. Lets do a quick catch up.

I got the Blackfeather stout kegged up already. Remember this was my revised American stout. And it came out fabulous. The changes I made were minimal, but came out rather drastic. I moved the mash temp down 6 degrees and mistakenly didnt add the chocolate malt. (only a 1/4 lb)

What came out of this was a beer so different from the original, I think a name change may be in order. So different, but so good. And did everything I wanted it to do. It dried it out quite a bit, and why it bittered up like it did I dont know, but it fits the category more I think. Am going to keep this version as is for a while.

To my horror one night, I discovered that I was out of beer. And Christmas and New Years is a coming. I needed something quick. I chose a recipe that I wrote out a while ago. A Southern Brown. Having never had one, and not knowing anyone else who had one either, I guessed, and used American style ingredients.
  • 7lbs 2 row
  • 1/2 80L
  • 1/2 lb 120
  • 1/4 roast barley
  • 1 oz fuggles @ 60
  • 05 yeast
I wanted a sweeter raisiny kind of beer. And I couldnt have been further off. I was sooo expecting to have one kind of beer, that when I got another,, I hated it. But after I relaxed and drank 4 or 5 of them I came to realise that this may be the best damn beer I drank in a long time! I’m not sure what it is yet. (will need to drink,, I mean research more). A mild brown? A mild stout? Not sure yet, but after all of the beers I’ve considered,, this may be the closest to becoming the “house” beer.
 
And finally a cider update. I have not bottled yet, but have had a few Hydrometer samples. And this cider is damn good. The 04 left it sweet and appley, but it with all of the sugar and molasses its coming in at a 8%.
This was only a half batch, so it will bottle quickly. Which is good, because the next batch of it will go in almost immediately.
 
Got the ingrediants for a Schwartz and could be brewing tomorrow, definatly within the next few days. Gotta dry hop the 20Plato brown for the TTO. And start bottling up the rest of the entries. I got a busy week coming up.
 
 

The Come to the Dark Cider

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Its getting cold out and i have no hard cider to drink. Lets fix that.

Slegar’s Dark Cider
2 1/2 gallons cider.. I used cheap ol Walmart stuff.
2 lbs dark brown sugar
1/2 bottle brer rabbits molasses (eyeballed that amount)
04 yeast

Mix everything,, done.
But i didnt wanna heat the juice to mix the sugar. But I didnt have to. Its dissolves pretty east on its own.

Same with the molasses. Just pout in 1 gallon of the cider then the molasses and shake the heck out of it. Take a look at the bottom and you’ll know when its done.
Thats it. Put an air lock on and stand back. 
OG was a brisk .082. That dark brown sugar and the molasses really darkens it up.

Out of Practice

stoutmakerLeave a comment

Got around to brewing this week. Brewed up the Blackfeather stout. A little late. I normally brew this one in October. But we got it done. 

Sure seems like I’m out if practice though. Running around like my head cut off. But this is th first brew down stairs this year and the first time using the big mash tun in ove a year. 
But we had everything in control. And looks like it will be beer. 
Sure don’t like this tun.  It’s a 52 qt rectangle, and I just hate it. It don’t hold heat worth a crap and the efficientcy is bad. Mid 70s. I think it’s due to the major temp swings. 
So am looking into a round 10 gallon. 
Also doing a cider tomorrow. A 1/2 batch. 3 gallons cider, 2 lbs brown sugar and molasses. (Don’t know how much of that yet)
Glad to be back downstairs. Might be makin this permanent.