Hop Candy Time

Posted on June 30, 2017 by funkmetal

It was only a matter of time. And now is the time. The same good friend of mine who was looking for a witbier also wanted something hoppy. I told him that it was time for me to brew a North Eastern Style IPA that’s all the rage on the intertubes. My first thought was to take my Calma Muerta clone and change it up a bit. I wasn’t so sure that the grain bill and hops would work with the yeast nor match the style. Luckily there have been quite a few recipes going around and earlier this year The Electric Brewery released a recipe that included a greatly detailed break down of the techniques and recipe changes used to achieve what looks to be a fantastic beer. I considered the large amount of hops and larger batch size that I’m brewing with and wanted a bit more assurance that things would turn out. I’ve scaled up the Electric Hop Candy recipe, tweaked it for my water profile but it’s almost identical otherwise.

I wasn’t able to get the Wyeast London Ale III (1382) but many folks have said that White Labs Dry English Ale (WLP007) does a really great job as well. I’m very familiar with WLP007, it’s been a favorite of mine. It’s also a great flocculator so I’m interested in how cloudy the result will end up. There still is a lot of discussion about whether the cloudy appearance is related to hops or yeast, or something else.

This batch will also be compared to an amazing local favorite IPA, Independence Stash IPA. Stash is a traditional IPA; nothing NEIPA about it, but it’s a really high bar of excellence and my friend and I are interested in comparing, contrasting and seeing how other friends compare the beers.

Recipe Details

Batch Size	Boil Time	IBU	SRM	Est. OG	Est. FG	ABV
16 gal	60 min	103.9 IBUs	6.2 SRM	1.065	1.016	6.4 %
			Actuals	1.046	1.01	4.7 %

Style Details

Name	Cat.	OG Range	FG Range	IBU	SRM	Carb	ABV
American-Style India Pale Ale	56	1.06 - 1.075	1.012 - 1.018	50 - 70	6 - 15	2.2 - 2.8	6.3 - 7.6 %

Fermentables

Name	Amount	%
Brewer's Malt, 2-Row, Premium (Great Western)	12.5 lbs	32.47
Maris Otter (Thomas Fawcett)	12.5 lbs	32.47
Oats, Flaked	5.75 lbs	14.94
White Wheat Malt	5.75 lbs	14.94
Honey Malt	2 lbs	5.19

Hops

Name	Amount	Time	Use	Form	Alpha %
Warrior	1.33 oz	60 min	First Wort	Pellet	15.7
Citra	2.66 oz	5 min	Boil	Pellet	14.4
Galaxy	2.66 oz	5 min	Boil	Pellet	14.8
Mosaic	2.66 oz	5 min	Boil	Pellet	11.6
Citra	2.66 oz	30 min	Aroma	Pellet	14.4
Galaxy	2.66 oz	30 min	Aroma	Pellet	14.8
Mosaic	2.66 oz	30 min	Aroma	Pellet	11.6
Citra	2.67 oz	3 days	Dry Hop	Pellet	14.4
Galaxy	2.67 oz	3 days	Dry Hop	Pellet	14.8
Mosaic	2.67 oz	3 days	Dry Hop	Pellet	11.6
Citra	2.67 oz	1 day	Dry Hop	Pellet	14.4
Galaxy	2.67 oz	1 day	Dry Hop	Pellet	14.8
Mosaic	2.67 oz	1 day	Dry Hop	Pellet	11.6

Miscs

Name	Amount	Time	Use	Type
Calcium Chloride	9.20 g	60 min	Mash	Water Agent
Epsom Salt (MgSO4)	2.50 g	60 min	Mash	Water Agent
Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate)	2.30 g	60 min	Mash	Water Agent
Phosphoric Acid	1.20 ml	60 min	Mash	Water Agent

Yeast

Name	Lab	Attenuation	Temperature
London Ale III (1318)	Wyeast Labs	73%	64°F - 74°F

Mash

Step	Temperature	Time
Saccharification	152°F	60 min
Mash Out	168°F	10 min

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Witbier Challenge

Posted on June 15, 2017 by funkmetal

Look at that rocky head on Holy Mountain Brewing’s The White Lodge Witbier

A good friend of mine who enjoys my homebrew recently has been pushing for some beers that he can share with more folks that enjoy more mainstream styles. I really like focusing on funky, sour, dry beers as well as hoppy, juicy and dry IPAs.

His suggestion was to put together a Witbier. I wasn’t quite sure if I wanted to do that but decided that it was worth the effort to see if I could build a recipe that I enjoyed coming from the styles I prefer. In Brewing Like a Monk there is a chapter discussing Witbiers in which they interview Ron Jeffries from Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales. He describes his process where by he imagines how the beer should taste and then works backwards to arrive at a recipe that should deliver the experience.

I’m attempting to do the same here. I recently had a really fantastic Witbier while I was in Settle, WA, The White Lodge from Holy Mountain Brewing Company. When the glass arrived there was this rocky mountain of imperfect off-white head that looked to include some bits of yeast. The nose had a nice spicy, bready, citrus character that begged for me to take a sip. It had a super soft mouthfeel that was a wash of malt and bready flavors with just a bit of banana, lots of orange, and; surprise, surprise; a bit tart. Maybe that’s what captured my attention.

All of that together in a beer was just amazing. I’m attempting to capture much of that in this recipe. This beer will be compared to a local Witbier (which doesn’t look or taste like The White Lodge), however I’m interested in how it fares.

Recipe Details

Batch Size	Boil Time	IBU	SRM	Est. OG	Est. FG	ABV
15 gal	60 min	17.1 IBUs	3.6 SRM	1.051	1.012	5.2 %
			Actuals	0	1.01	-75.8 %

Style Details

Name	Cat.	OG Range	FG Range	IBU	SRM	Carb	ABV
Witbier	17 1	1.044 - 1.052	1.008 - 1.012	10 - 20	2 - 4	2.2 - 2.8	4.5 - 5.5 %

Fermentables

Name	Amount	%
Pilsen (BestMälz)	14 lbs	47.11
Wheat, Flaked	7 lbs	23.55
Wheat (BestMälz)	6 lbs	20.19
Acid Malt	1.22 lbs	4.1
Oats, Flaked	1 lbs	3.36
Sugar, Table (Sucrose)	8 oz	1.68

Hops

Name	Amount	Time	Use	Form	Alpha %
Saaz	3.7 oz	60 min	Boil	Pellet	2.9
Summer (Summer Saaz)	3 oz	7 days	Dry Hop	Pellet	5.5

Miscs

Name	Amount	Time	Use	Type
Phosphoric Acid	5.00 ml	60 min	Mash	Water Agent
Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate)	4.90 g	60 min	Mash	Water Agent
Calcium Chloride	4.00 g	60 min	Mash	Water Agent
Lemon Grass	15.00 g	5 min	Boil	Flavor
Coriander Seed	30.00 g	5 min	Boil	Spice
Orange Peel, Bitter	3.00 g	5 min	Boil	Spice

Yeast

Name	Lab	Attenuation	Temperature
Belgian Witbier (3944)	Wyeast Labs	74%	62°F - 75°F

Mash

Step	Temperature	Time
Mash In	152°F	60 min
Mash Out	168°F	10 min

Notes

21.47 gallons *.85 = 18.25 gallons
Mash is 14.85 gallons *.85 = 12.62 gallons + 2.23
Spage is 6.62 gallons *.85 = 5.63 gallons + 1.0

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Woxbic Time

Posted on January 16, 2017 by funkmetal

It’s Texas winter time again; well sort of. Texas has the strangest winters; it was 85F on December 25th, and then had a high of 28F for 3 days in early January. Today is 72F. Despite these wild swings in temperatures, it’s time again to brew my annual Lambic-style, or Methode Gueuze, as the newly introduced mark for a process has been released alongside a huge accomplishment from Jester King when they released SPON late last year. Note, I won’t be performing a turbid mash. Yet.

In preparation for my first year of blending, I’m doing my largest single batch. 22 Gallons of wort to be split between a 15 gallon Rye Whiskey barrel, and a 5 gallon Whiskey barrel. The 15 gallon barrel will get a fresh pitch of ECY 20, my favorite blend for long barrel aging lambic-style beers. The 5 gallon will get wild yeast I captured under a peach tree from my yard. I brewed a 1L starter a year ago which produced Belgian-like characteristics by not much in the way of sour. After aging for nearly 9 months, the pH dropped from 4.2 to 2.8. Slow bugs work magic. I just refreshed this mixed culture to pitch into the 5 gallon barrel to see how that turns out.

These two barrels are the newest in my collection and need to be parafin waxed. Using Gulf wax in a glass bowl, heat gun set at 1000F and a thermal glove one can drip and blend hot wax on the whole barrel (outside and both heads) in about 20 to 30 minutes. I’ve done this for all 3 of my Woxbic barrels and it’s done amazingly well at keeping any acetic character out of even the 3 year old beer which has been stored at approx 75F for the entire time.

After this brewday, the next big challenge is blending the 3, 2 and 1 year old blends, and then how to plan for next years’ blends. I find it incredibly difficult to determine how to keep a consistent amount of 3, 2 and 1 year old lambic beer around considering the blending ratios may change. One can always brew more each year but it becomes challenge to use up the remaining beer that’s beyond the 3 year mark. I plan to take what I need out of the 3 year old barrel and anything that remains will get bottled as straight unblended lambic-style; sort of a Grand Cru or Cuvee. Maybe I’ll blend with fruits as well.

Recipe Details

Batch Size	Boil Time	IBU	SRM	Est. OG	Est. FG	ABV
20 gal	60 min	8.7 IBUs	3.7 SRM	1.054	1.018	4.7 %
			Actuals	1.046	1.01	4.7 %

Style Details

Name	Cat.	OG Range	FG Range	IBU	SRM	Carb	ABV
Straight (Unblended) Lambic	17 D	1.04 - 1.054	1.001 - 1.01	0 - 10	3 - 7	1.8 - 2.6	5 - 6.5 %

Fermentables

Name	Amount	%
Pilsner (Weyermann)	24.306 lbs	60
Wheat (BestMälz)	14.583 lbs	36
Acidulated (Weyermann)	1.62 lbs	4

Hops

Name	Amount	Time	Use	Form	Alpha %
Northern Brewer	2.46 oz	60 min	Boil	Leaf	3.2

Miscs

Name	Amount	Time	Use	Type
Phosphoric Acid	32.40 ml	60 min	Mash	Water Agent
Epsom Salt (MgSO4)	2.60 g	60 min	Mash	Water Agent
Calcium Chloride	1.30 g	60 min	Mash	Water Agent
Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate)	1.30 g	60 min	Mash	Water Agent
Wheat Flour	5.00 oz	5 min	Boil	Other

Yeast

Name	Lab	Attenuation	Temperature
Bug Country (20)	East Coast Yeast	70%	63°F - 75°F

Mash

Step	Temperature	Time
Protein Rest	122°F	30 min
Saccharification	156°F	30 min
Mash Out	168°F	10 min

Notes

After mash-out, drain all liquid into boil kettle, raise temp to 190, pump back to mash for second rinse through grain bed.

Pitching ECY20 Bugcountry in 15G barrel, 5G

Sparge acidification:
Gypsum: 1.9 Grams
Epsom Salt: 2.6 Grams
Calcium Chloride: 1.3 Grams
Phosphoric Acid: 61.9 mL

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That was quick

Posted on December 22, 2016 by funkmetal

Risky boil, ~19 gallon boil in a 20 gallon pot + 6 oz of hops. Defoamer to the rescue!

The session IPA I brewed earlier this year was a resounding success. Exactly what I wanted and the kegs floated way faster than I imagined. I also had a chance to share some with Joe Mohrfeld. He was very kind with his response and even gave me a few tips on tuning it even closer. In particular, switching out the El Dorado hops for Azzacca to swing the flavors back toward a grapefruit citrus. And of course, *more* dry-hop! Here’s v3 now with more PHP power!

Recipe Details

Batch Size	Boil Time	IBU	SRM	Est. OG	Est. FG	ABV
16 gal	60 min	50.4 IBUs	3.2 SRM	1.041	1.005	4.7 %
			Actuals	1.041	1.01	4.1 %

Style Details

Name	Cat.	OG Range	FG Range	IBU	SRM	Carb	ABV
American-Style Pale Ale	50	1.044 - 1.05	1.008 - 1.014	30 - 50	6 - 14	2.2 - 2.8	4.4 - 5.4 %

Fermentables

Name	Amount	%
Organic Brewers Malt 2-Row (Briess)	20 lbs	80.81
Barley, Flaked	3 lbs	12.12
Caramel/Crystal Malt - 10L	1 lbs	4.04
Cane (Beet) Sugar	12 oz	3.03

Hops

Name	Amount	Time	Use	Form	Alpha %
Calypso	1 oz	60 min	First Wort	Pellet	15.1
Azacca	1 oz	25 min	Boil	Pellet	15
Cascade	2 oz	10 min	Boil	Pellet	5.9
Meridian	5 oz	20 min	Aroma	Pellet	6.5
Cascade	3 oz	7 days	Dry Hop	Pellet	5.9
Meridian	3 oz	7 days	Dry Hop	Pellet	6.5
Azacca	2 oz	7 days	Dry Hop	Pellet	15
Calypso	2 oz	7 days	Dry Hop	Pellet	15.1

Miscs

Name	Amount	Time	Use	Type
Phosphoric Acid 10%	4.70 ml	60 min	Mash	Water Agent
Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate)	3.30 g	60 min	Mash	Water Agent
Epsom Salt (MgSO4)	3.00 g	60 min	Mash	Water Agent
Calcium Chloride	2.20 g	60 min	Mash	Water Agent
Whirlfloc Tablet	3.00 Items	15 min	Boil	Fining
Yeast Nutrient	3.00 tsp	3 days	Primary	Other

Yeast

Name	Lab	Attenuation	Temperature
San Diego Super Yeast (WLP090)	White Labs	80%	65°F - 68°F

Mash

Step	Temperature	Time
Protein Rest	131°F	20 min
Saccharification	148°F	45 min
Mash Out	168°F	10 min

Notes

Calma Muerta Attempt #1

WLP090 Recommendations:
"Make sure you make a proper sized starter, pitch cool at 65˚F then set your
regulator to 66˚F, let it rock for 3 days, then raise the temp to 70˚F for a
couple days to encourage complete attenuation and reabsorption of
fermentation byproducts. At this point, I usually crash the beer to 32˚F for
a couple days then keg per my typical method, pouring the first pint a
couple days later."
-- http://brulosophy.com/2014/10/06/is-san-diego-really-all-that-super-a-yeast-comparison/

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Another Session IPA

Posted on September 21, 2016 by funkmetal

500mL bottle filled with 1 year whiskey barrel aged hatch chilis fermented on mixed fermentation culture

With the new conical requiring larger batches (15 gallon minimum for using the cooling coils), I definitely need a beer that I can drink often. The previous Le Petite Prince (LPP) from Jester King, clone batch went amazingly quick (did I drain that keg myself? maybe…), even if the flavor profile wasn’t exactly spot on. I cheated the natural process and didn’t bother bottle/keg conditioning, but rather force carbonating which definitely prevents some flavors from developing that normally would when naturally carbonating.

I’ve got 15 gallons of LPP ready to be bottled this week and the next beer is going to be a “clean” session IPA, fashioned after Pinthouse Pizza’s Calma Muerta. A few months ago I got to talk with Joe Mohrfeld there and discussed some details of the recipe which prompted me to take another stab at getting it right.

Here’s my take.

Recipe Details

Batch Size	Boil Time	IBU	SRM	Est. OG	Est. FG	ABV
16 gal	60 min	50.4 IBUs	3.2 SRM	1.041	1.005	4.7 %
			Actuals	1.046	1.01	4.7 %

Style Details

Name	Cat.	OG Range	FG Range	IBU	SRM	Carb	ABV
American-Style Pale Ale	50	1.044 - 1.05	1.008 - 1.014	30 - 50	6 - 14	2.2 - 2.8	4.4 - 5.4 %

Fermentables

Name	Amount	%
Organic Brewers Malt 2-Row (Briess)	20 lbs	80.81
Barley, Flaked	3 lbs	12.12
Caramel/Crystal Malt - 10L	1 lbs	4.04
Cane (Beet) Sugar	12 oz	3.03

Hops

Name	Amount	Time	Use	Form	Alpha %
Calypso	1 oz	60 min	First Wort	Pellet	15.1
El Dorado	1 oz	25 min	Boil	Pellet	15
Cascade	2 oz	10 min	Boil	Pellet	5.9
Meridian	5 oz	20 min	Aroma	Pellet	6.5
Calypso	2 oz	7 days	Dry Hop	Pellet	15.1
Cascade	2 oz	7 days	Dry Hop	Pellet	5.9
El Dorado	2 oz	7 days	Dry Hop	Pellet	15
Meridian	2 oz	7 days	Dry Hop	Pellet	6.5

Miscs

Name	Amount	Time	Use	Type
Calcium Chloride	4.53 g	60 min	Mash	Water Agent
Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate)	4.27 g	60 min	Mash	Water Agent
Epsom Salt (MgSO4)	0.80 g	60 min	Mash	Water Agent
Whirlfloc Tablet	3.00 Items	15 min	Boil	Fining
Yeast Nutrient	3.00 tsp	3 days	Primary	Other

Yeast

Name	Lab	Attenuation	Temperature
San Diego Super Yeast (WLP090)	White Labs	80%	65°F - 68°F

Mash

Step	Temperature	Time
Protein Rest	131°F	20 min
Saccharification	148°F	45 min
Mash Out	168°F	10 min

Notes

Calma Muerta Attempt #1

WLP090 Recommendations:
"Make sure you make a proper sized starter, pitch cool at 65˚F then set your regulator to 66˚F,
let it rock for 3 days, then raise the temp to 70˚F for a couple days to encourage complete
attenuation and reabsorption of fermentation byproducts. At this point, I usually crash the
beer to 32˚F for a couple days then keg per my typical method, pouring the first pint a couple
days later."
-- http://brulosophy.com/2014/10/06/is-san-diego-really-all-that-super-a-yeast-comparison/

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