Dopplebock

Description:
A dopplebock that I brewed with a friend. This was a straight up recipe from Northern Brewer. It is currently aging in the crawlspace under my house at a constant 56 degrees. The temperature will hopefully drop into the 40s this winter. It will be bottled around the new year.

Ingredients:
12# Munich Malt Syrup
1# Weyermann Caramunich II
1oz Perle Hops
1oz Hersbrucker hops
Saflager W-34/70 Lager Yeast

Mash:
20min at 170 degrees - Specialty grain

Hop Schedule:
60min - Perle hops
60min - Hersbrucker hops
15min - 6# Munich malt syrup

ABV:
Starting - 06/19/2011 - 1.092 SG - 0.0% ABV
Racking - 07/10/2011 - 1.036 SG - 7.5% ABV
Bottling - 12/02/2011 - 1.021 SG - 9.4%

Notes:
Mistakes -
Changes -

Tasting:
A -
S -
T -
M -
D -

OBL's Demise

Description:
An ambitious IPA I brewed with a friend. This was based off Northern Brewer's 115th Dream Hopbursted Imperial IPA. Hopbursting is continually adding hops near the end of the brewing to give a variety to the flavor and bitterness of the hops and is used as an alternative to dry hoping during fermentation. Additionally, we aged the beer on light oak chips for two weeks. This beer got it's name because it happened to be brewed on the same day that Osama bin Laden was killed.

Ingredients:
6# Amber Malt Syrup
6# Gold Malt Syrup
2# Corn Sugar
4oz Cluster hops
12oz Hopburst hop blend
1oz light oak chips
WYeast 1056 American Ale

Hop Schedule:
60mins - 2oz Cluster hops
20mins - 2oz Cluster hops
15mins - 6# Gold Malt Syrup
15mins - 4oz Hopburst hop blend
10mins - 4oz Hopburst hop blend
5mins - 4oz Hopburst hop blend
0mis - 2# Corn Sugar
0mins - 4oz Hopburst hop blend

ABV:
Starting - 05/01/2011 - 1.086 - 0.0%
Racking - 05/17/2011 - 1.016 - 9.3%
Ending - 05/30/2011 - 1.014 - 9.6%

Notes:
Mistakes - I read that you should not age on oak chips for more than 1 week. I didn't feel that there was enough oak taste after 1 week so I went for a second. I think that the second week added good oak flavor but killed some of the hops flavor and added a tannin bitterness that is not pleasant.
Changes - Age only 1 week on chips.

Tasting:
A - A dark golden color with almost no head.
S - Smells of oak, banana and alcohol.
T - Primarily oak, banana and caramel. The oak and alcohol level make the hops flavor hard to find.
M - Thick and cloying.
D - High alcohol and bold flavors make this a sipping beer. Gives a morose buzz.

Honey Badger Brown Ale

Description:
A Honey Brown Ale that I brewed with a friend, at the last moment we added coffee to the specialty grains. One of the better tasting worts I've made and turned out to be an excellent brew. Named after The Crazy Nastyass Honey Badger of course.

Ingredients:
6# Gold Malt Syrup
4oz Simpson's Chocolate
4oz Dingemans Special B
4oz Dingemans Biscuit
4oz Briess Special Roast
4oz Starbuck's Anniversary Dark Roast Coffee
1# Honey
1oz Cluster Hops
WYeast 1056 America Ale

Mash:
20min - Crushed specialty grains and coffee at 170 degrees

Hop Schedule:
60 mins - 10z Cluster Hops
0min - 1# Honey

ABV:
Starting - 02/13/2011 - 1.054 SG - 0.0% ABV
Racking - 03/02/2011
Ending - 03/13/2011 - 1.012 SG - 5.6% ABV

Tasting:
A - Reddish brown.
S - Coffee.
T - Coffee in the front followed by honey and ending with a little bitter from the coffee hops.
M - Great mouthfeel with a good carbonation
D - This turned out to be a very drinkable beer as long as you like coffee.

Vanilla Cinnamon Wheat Ale

Description:

A vanilla and cinnamon wheat ale to be blended with a maple brown ale to make a fusion French toast ale.

Ingredients:

3.3# Light Malt Extract

3.3# Wheat Malt Extract

1# Light Dry Malt Extract

1 1/4# Ground German Wheat

1 oz. German Tettnang Hop Pellets

Edme Ale Yeast (Safbrew S-33)

2 Vanilla Beans

3" Cinnamon Stick

Hop Schedule:

60 mins - German Tettnang
15 mins - Cinnamon Stick

ABV:

Starting - 12/30/2010 - 1.055 SG - 0.0% ABV

Racking - 1/15/2011 - 1.022 SG - 4.4% ABV 

Ending - 1/22/2011 - 1.020 SG - 4.7% ABV

Notes:

Mistakes - The wort got a little scorched by the electric stove used. Cinnamon was not present at all. Vanilla was a little strong even though it only soaked in pint of vodka for 1 week.

Changes - Bring down the boil a little or use flame to prevent scorching. Add another 3" of cinnamon. Use only 1 vanilla bean.

Tasting:

A: Pours a dark golden color with two fingers of lemon-white head. Head quickly recedes leaving behind a fairly decent lacing.

S: Smells of wheat and a sweet citrus. Alcohol and cinnamon are barely present.

T: Vanilla is prominent at first, it is young and sweet tasting in the middle and ends with slight bitter from the Tettnang and alcohol.

M: Light-medium bodied with a real smooth mouthfeel. It is pretty well carbonated.

D: As it has aged the vanilla has been less powerful and it has become pleasant to drink. The carbonation seems right and if the vanilla was a little less strong it would be very drinkable.

Christmas Stout

Description:
Based off a Rogue Shakespeare Oatmeal Stout kit with "Christmas" flavors added.

Kit Ingredients:
Priming Sugar
Aroma Hops
Bittering Hops
Specialty Grains
Specialty Extracts
Spray Dry Malts

Added Ingredients:
2 oz Fresh Ginger
1 teaspoon Cloves
6 inches Stick Cinnamon
2 teaspoons Sweet Orange Peel
Whole Leaf Cascade Hops
Pacific Ale Yeast WLP041

Hop Schedule:
55min - Cascade Hops
15min - Christmas Spices
5min - Cascade Hops
0min - 2oz Ginger
0min - 1tsp Cloves
0min - 6in Stick Cinnamon
0min - 2tsp Sweet Orange Peel

Fermenting Schedule:
Dry - Cascade Whole Leaf Hops

ABV:
Starting - 11/6/2010 - 1.070 SG - 0.0%
Racking - 11/20/2010 - 1.032 SG - 5.1%
Bottling - 11/28/2010 - 1.028 SG - 5.6%

Notes:
Mistakes - Something seemed to have contaminated the batch as it was highly carbonated.
Changes - Use hop pellets when dry hopping and reduce the amount of priming sugar for bottling.

Cade's Crawlspace IPA

Description:

A Belgian Tripel IPA based on Houblon Chouffe but with hops similar to Urthel Hop-It.

Ingredients:

10 Lbs Belgian Pilsener Malt
2 Lbs Belgian Candi Syrup
2 oz. Chinook Hops
2 oz. Styrian Golding Hops
1 oz. Czech Saaz Hops
1 teaspoon Ground Coriander
Belgian Ale Yeast WLP550

Mash:
60 mins - 155 degrees
Sparge - 168 degrees

Hop Schedule:

60 mins - 1 oz. Chinook
20 mins - 1 oz. Chinook
7 mins - 2 oz. Styrian Golding
Dry Hop - 1 oz. Czech Saaz

ABV:

Starting - 09/04/2010 - 1.078 - 0.0%
Racking - 09/19/2010 - 1.008 - 9.3%
Ending - 10/09/2010 - 1.008 - 9.3%

Notes:

Mistakes - 2 lbs of Belgian candi was too much simple sugar. Flavor was "cidery," and amount of alcohol killed some of the hops flavor. Color was slightly darker than intended.

Changes - Use 1 lb of Belgian candi

Tasting:

Color - Dark golden color, slightly too dark for an IPA.

Carbonation - Carbonation was low until 4 - 5 weeks after bottling. Once it had aged properly there was decent head and lacing.

Clarity - Clarity was very good for an all grain.

Aroma - Wonderful Saaz aroma, alcohol killed some of the aroma.

Mouthfeel - Dry, light and good carbonation.

Flavor - Slight fruity flavor accustomed to Belgians. Could only catch a hint of the coriander, which was the intent.

Finish - Left with a "cidery" taste from too much simple sugar.

Irish Red Tide Ale

Description:

An all grain Irish Red for a friend, but with hops of my choice.

Ingredients:

10 Lbs American 2-row
1/2 Lb Crystal 40
1/2 Lb Crystal 120
1/2 oz. Hallertau Hops
1 oz. Cascade Hops
Irish Ale Yeast WLP004

Mash:

60 mins - 158 degrees
Sparge - 168 degrees

Hop Schedule:

60 mins - 1/2 oz. Hallertau Hops
45 mins - 1/2 oz. Cascade Hops
5 mins - 1/2 oz. Cascade Hops

ABV:

Starting - 08/04/2010 - 1.052 SG - 0.0%

Racking - 08/21/2010 - 1.026 SG - 3.5%

Ending - 08/31/2010 - 1.022 SG - 4.0%

Notes:

Mistakes:
- I had a hard time maintaining a 158 degree mash, the temperature kept peaking over 162 degrees.
- The wort was boiling too rigorously when I added the second batch of Cascade Hops.
- The ale was still fermenting when I racked to secondary

Changes:
- Do not repeat mistakes.

- Irish Moss for clarity.

Tasting:

Color - A good red, maybe a bit browned by the high mash temperature.

Carbonation - Carbonation was real low, it was a good 6+ weeks in a bottle before it seemed well aged.

Clarity - Was a bit cloudy from pour.

Aroma - Sweet ale.

Mouthfeel - Excellent body and silky texture.

Flavor - Fairly sweet flavor.

Finish - Finish was that of a slightly sweet, light ale.