Category: amber ale

Rebrew: Red IPA- part 1

stoutmakerLeave a comment

So the timing of this next rebrew is pretty much right on. The club is having a little “contest” to get back into the swing of things again, now that we are more and more back to in-person meets.

For the June meeting (about 6 weeks away) we are supposed to bring in an IPA to be judged “peoples choice” style by the whole club. Like we do at our picnic contest.
Any style of IPA goes. Just bring enough for the club members to sample and vote on. This isnt BJCP style where the technical aspects are what you’re after. This is straight up personal preference where terrific beers often get lost in the shuffle of odd editions and out of styles.

Plus this is not my favorite, or best style, but I have made some decent ones over the years. One that I did like, was my Duck Creek IPA from 2018.

I did keep detailed notes on this brew, so it will be a very easy rebrew with possibly only a change or two. But before I get too far, here is the original recipe
-Red IPA- Duck Creek IPA
11 lbs 2 row
1.5 lbs 60L
.5 lbs double crystal (120L)
1 oz Eureka @ 60
2 oz cascade @ 20
2 oz cascade @ FO
Mash at 154
Notty yeast.

I mention in the original post that this was more or less an upscaled version of my American Amber ale. Which yea, sounds like the way to go. But I also remember that I was trying to get a certain taste from those Eureka hops.

A local brewco had just released a one hop style beer with these Eureka hops and the taste and smell was like a newly cedar sided basement. Even I just used the Eureka as bittering only, I had a bit of that cedar board in there. I kinda want more of that.

But its this Simpsons Double crystal that I’m more concerned with. I am not sure that I have any left, or if I can get any in time. This malt was much different than any other crystal malt I haved used.

The color is around 120L but it does not taste like any other 120L crystal. It tastes like a mix of Chocolate Malt, 80L and a smidge of Special B all rolled into one.
I am not going to try and come up with a mix like that,,, at least not in this batch. So I hope I have another bag of it at home yet, but if not, I will just use a much smaller portion of 120 crystal.

Next I was thinking I should dry hop. I probably wouldnt normally do that,, but if this meant for a contest of IPAs, then it better be dry hopped. But what to use?
I’m remembering back to that cedar sided basement beer. Basement being the key word here. We need some dankness with this. How about Columbus… yea. The Eureka should take care of the cedar siding, the Columbus will take the basement part.

Ok I think we are set. I will be brewing this beer Saturday,, hopefully I can get some of that Double Crystal.

Summer spiced

stoutmakerLeave a comment

I have already seen the complaining about beers being released too early for their season. I dont care about that. Irish Stout in Sept? Right on. Oktoberfest in June? Yes please. And my favorite summer beer of all…? Pumpkin Spiced!

Being nearly out of the 2019 spiced beer I needed to get a batch up before the real heat of August arrives. So I dug up my regular Amber Ale recipe and tweeked down the bitterness a tad and proceeded to brew this years batch at last months brew club meet.

8lbs Maris otter
1/2 lb 40L
1/2 lb 60L
1 oz Black Pat
1oz Hallertau @60
1 oz Saaz @ 10
2 TBS Tone’s Pumpkin Spice
Mash 152 Nottingham Yeast

Now I did call this a pumpkin spiced beer, and I used Tone’s. This blend is pretty tame and balanced,, but you could of course add more of any of the single spices,, like.. cloves. (Everything needs more cloves)

But, I could have called this an actual pumpkin beer.

While pumpkins them selves are on short supply this time of year, pumpkin flowers are not! The one pictured above was more than a foot across when I cut it and threw it in the mash,, so technically I used pumpkin.

Well its already fermented and kegged and is awaiting an the next opening in the fridge,, which should be today or tomorrow.

Alt

stoutmakerLeave a comment

A couple of us are planning on entering the Germanfest Stein Challenge. A beer contest for only German style beers.

I chose to brew an Alt Bier. I have brewed Alts a couple of times and they have been good beers,, not sure how they would score against the guidelines,, but we will see I guess.

I also used this beer to start messing with water. We do have decent water here, but a few things can be done. I didn’t go all out on the water,, so I went with just a 1/4 tsp Gypsum, and a 1/4 tsp calcium chloride.. oh and 2oz of acid malt.

The rest was just an old Alt recipe that I’ve made before except I used Maris Otter instead of the Pilsner malt. just because I wanted the malt to stand out a bit more than usual since its going to a contest.

  • 4.5 lb Munich malt
  • 4 lb Maris Otter
  • 2oz black pat
  • 4oz crystal 40
  • 2oz Acid malt
  • 1oz Perle @60
  • 1oz Spalter @15

Went with a Medium body mash of 154, And used Munich dry yeast. Munich Dry yeast?… aint that a wheat yeast? Yep. But it gives that certain “Germanish” aroma and flavor profile.

Skipping ahead to today,, I just kegged this beer and it is what i was looking for in the malt, hop and yeast profile,, but I do have to say that it does seem a bit,, mineraly or something in the feel of it. I am assuming from the water additions.

I’m not yet saying that its a bad thing,, just that I did notice it right away. And since I have been brewing with this same water for 25 or so years,, pretty sure I would notice something different. I will how ever, be keeping track of this one a bit closer and see how those additions affect the final beer.