Wiki’d Update

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Been doing alot work at the ol “brewery” in the last week. Getting back into the swing of things and giving a facelift to the old equipment.

Last post I finished up the mashtun, and today I gathered up all the fixins for a ball valve in the kettle. Will be installing that sometime this week I hope.

I am on the look out for another burner so I can finally get around to making my 3 tier set up. But finding the right burner isnt as easy as it was when the deep fried turkey was the big fad. Now it seems they all have some sort of safety timer on them, and shallow pots.

And why do I need another pot? Well thanks to the fine folks over at TCB and their electric meddlings,, my interest is leading me to also experiment. I am thinking a smaller 3 gallon batch, indoor electric set up would be mighty fine for those winter brews. But I gots all summer to work on this.

On to the Wiki’d Ale. Kegged it up the other night and got it on the gas. I gotta say, its pretty good.
I think it is hopped just about right. Full nose of cascade along with the roasty of choc malt. Just enough bitter to over come the sweet. But not biting.
Sweet upfront, but the slight roasty and the 05 make it finish on the dry side, but not overly dry.
The color is exactly what you normally get with 1/4 lb choc malt. 17-18 SRM (I’d Sneak a pic in here but is pretty dark down here)
Slight haze, but I expect this to drop out fairly quickly. Might try some gelatin just for kicks.

Over all I am very happy with the result. Its extremely young yet. So when these sharper hops and roasts meld and blend after another week or two,, this is gonna be one great beer

Bigger Tun

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I bought a rectanglar 52 qt. last fall to make into a bigger mash tun. Took a while to find one with a drain. Target had it for 15 bucks i think. 6 months later I’m finally gonna get to it. Not much to it. Cost me 26 bucks for the parts. Took about 20 minutes.

Ran to Menards and picked up:

  • 1 – 1/2 inch ball valve
  • 1 – 1/2 inch x 1 1/2 brass nipple
  • 3 – 3/4 inch zinc flat washers
  • 1 – 1/2 inch male hose barb (one that screws into the valve)
  • 1 – 1/2 inch female hose barb (one that screws onto nipple)
  • 1 – 3/4 stainless steel flat washer (is to tight to fit over nipple. needs to slightly ground)
  • 1 – Stainless braided water supply hose 18 inch
And we get started
Had to take the old drain out.

saved the gasket and lil plastic thingy there on the left

got my supplies a ready

gotta grind the SS washer on the inside but it goes. Add the gasket and thingy

Put the hose barb on and push thru the hole

Washer up the out side and screw on the valve and other hose barb

Take your SS water hose and cut off the ends. Jig saw works awesome. Hack saw,, um no.

Pull out the hose from the inside. crimp one end. Or close it off how ever you want. Other end goes over the barb with a clamp

Done. Make some beer.

Couple of Beer Updates

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Two Horded ale
It seems I may have not posted one of my brews from last fall. Its was a rush job. My freezer decided to stop freezing, and I had a 4 oz packet of nugget hops in there. I wanted to get them used up, so I threw a pale ale of sorts together.

9 lb 2 row
2 lb vienna
1/2 lb 20L
1/4 lb dextrine
.5 oz nugget 60
.5 oz nugget 45
1.5 nugget 15
1.5 nugget 0
05 yeast

I had some severe boil off that day, and ended up with a 4 gallon batch. I forced carbed it way to high. So between the nugget being nugget at 11 or 14 % and pretty good co2 burn this beer was not one of my favorites.

But now as its now several months later and the co2 has balance out, I think this may be a pretty damn good beer. It lost some of its major bitter or burn, cleared up very well. I get a Mt Hood type aroma out of it.
But the taste I get is where its at. I get citrus, subdued, but there. an almost juniper kinda thing. And oddly enough, a maraschino cherry note.

I was worried even as i was boiling this beer that it would be far to hoppy for me. But it really seems to be balanced. But it really shouldnt be.

Next up, the newest American Stout.
Last year I made this specifically for the Titletown Open. Right from the recipe creation that was its only intent. It took a second place. (to Brians stout) I was very happy with this beer.
This years batch I switched the cascade to the last edition and added an ounce more. Plus added Mt Hood.

Well I think if its possible, there is less aroma. But far more bitter. Tim from TCB mentioned, and i agree, that it is now more along the lines of a Cascadian Dark Ale.

Cascade hops yes, but they are overpowered by the biting taste of the Mt Hood.
Even with the addition of a 1/4 lb of the torrified wheat there is virtually no head. I am thinking this may be from the bag of my homegrown hops.

But its the body of this beer that worries me the most. It should have been motor oil like. The first batch was mashed at 152, this however was mashed at 157. That should have produce a beer that was at the very least as thick as the last batch. It is very thin. Thin. Thermometer problems?

If you just handed me this beer I would like it. But it is not a stout. Or its not what I look for in a stout. This years version will be back to the original recipe.