Recent Brewing

So I am back on the brewing horse, now that spring is here and the kegerator was empty. I received the Northern Brewer Bourbon Barrel Porter kit for christmas, and brewed it in mid-February. Turned out as more of a robust porter (7.8% ABV), and I did not add the bourbon or oak chips. It is really smooth, although with all the alcohol, it is not a beer you want to pound or drink a lot of.

I also brewed a version of my pilsner IPA this weekend, remembering to boil for 90 minutes. The only change was I was actually out of Centennial hops (oops), so I subbed in Chinook for them instead. We'll see how it turns out, although it smells great in the fermenter.

Hop plants have also broken ground and are growing quickly in the warm weather.

I will be brewing the belgian wit in the next few weeks, same as I brewed last year for my daughters second birthday party.

Brewing Update

Well, I went through a little brewing hiatus this winter. The pale ale I brewed with my home grown hops turned out alright, although I finally found out what the problem with brewing with pils malt is: DMS. I only boiled for 60 minutes, and there was an off flavor in the aftertaste of the beer, which I diagnosed as DMS. Not too good. Live and learn!

Brewing Update

Today I am brewing 5 gallons of pale ale using my own hops! I ended up with about 2.5 oz of cascade and about 1.5 oz of centennial. Pictures:

Cascade

Centennial

Recipe is pretty simple, 8 lbs Pilsner, 1 lb munich, 1/2 lb crystal 60. I'm putting most of the hops towards the end for a big hop flavor.

I also brewed 10 gallons of stout a month or so ago, it came out good despite the fact I used dark crystal instead of chocolate malt. Cheers!

Busy Summer

Not much time for brewing this summer. I made 10 gallons of the Pilsner IPA about a month ago, but that was about it for brewing after the Belgian Wit. I did go to the homebrew store and picked up 80 lbs of malt, so I am ready to go. Looking to brew up some stout, then a pale ale using my own hops!
Yes, the hop plants have done pretty well this year. Looks like I will get a few ounces each of centennial and cascade, and more cones are still developing. I think I will do the first harvest this week. I'll post some pictures soon. Cheers!

Beer and hop updates

The belgian wit I brewed recently was a big hit at Isabelle's 1st birthday party, and I must say is a really good summer brew. The yeast combination worked out just like I thought it would, with a banana/clove aroma and taste up front, and a fruity/spicy belgian finish. It looks a little wierd, but is continuing to clear. Really good!
And the really exciting news is my hop plants are kicking ass! The centennial has 2 bines going (I cut back the others), with 1 over 14 feet tall, the other about 8 feet tall. They have a lot of cones developing, so I will certainly get some fresh hops. The cascade has 5 bines growing, and they are all about 8 to 12 feet tall. Cones are also starting to develop on those as well. Awesome!

Belgian Wit

I recently brewed a Belgian Wit beer for my daughters first birthday party. The recipe for 10 gallons is:
8 lbs Pilsner Malt
8 lbs Wheat Malt
2 lbs Flaked Oats
2 oz. Hallertau @ 60 min.
2 oz. Czech Saaz @ 2 min.
Zest from 3 oranges at 2 min.
1 packet Safale WB-06 and 1 packet Safale T-58
Mash for 1 hour at 152 deg., 1 hour boil
OG: 1.048, FG: 1.009

I ended up mashing at about 150, which dried out the finished product a little more than I wanted. But, the beer tastes and smells great, and I think that once it is kegged and carbonated it will really be nice. Cheers!

Tasting and Hops!

So, the Helles and Pilsner IPA are in the keg. Both turned out to be really good. The IPA I knew would be good, as it is a recipe I have brewed several times in the past, it's basically my house beer. The Helles was another story, a new recipe that I had never brewed before, using first wort hopping which I had never tried. Well, it really does result in a smooth bitterness, but I feel like there is too much hop flavor than the style calls for. However, that is not something I worry about, I think the beer tastes good and in the end, thats all that really matters.
Oh, and my hop plants have broken ground and are loving the warm weather. The centennial has 7 shoots, the tallest ones are currently about 6 inches long. The cascade has about 15 shoots, and are all about 3 inches long. I expect serious growth this weekend with the 80 degree temps being forecast. I'll post some pics soon.