Houston, we have Haze

Posted on June 11, 2019 by funkmetal

Two-story Nor’Easter IPA — looking quite hazy!

Has it really been almost six months since the last brew? Yes. Yes it has. It turns out that life, including moving your house does happen to take up precious brewing time. We moved, not far, in April and it was a crazy time with getting the old house in order, buying a new house, selling the old and figuring out what to do with all of the things… (#kondotime).

New garage/brewery layout. I used some of the shelves from the shed and I’m looking forward to using hooks and a pulley to add/remove kegs from keezer.

It does bring a small tear to my eye that I no longer have a BattleShed, as it was affectionately called for some time. Good friends of mine worked many hours to help insulate and prepare the shed to perform as a beer cellar. There were many ups and downs with the shed. I won’t forget the first time I tried to roll at 15 Gallon barrel up into the shed; I eventually got it in there. I also remember walking out in the morning and hearing the AC unit “announce” that it had frozen the coils again. After nearly 4 years of shed-life, one thorough cleaning of the AC unit to restore full functionality and a quarter of the floor being destroyed due to water leakage from a said AC unit it was time to say goodbye.

Brewbucket water leak test. Definitely needed. Had to swap where o-rings were and check fittings.

With the shed gone and new new replacement it did mean some hard decisions on future brewing. Upgrading to the half-barrel Chronical was a massive improvement in beer quality (not to mention quantity). However, during experimentation phase, it did punish the budget (NEIPAs are super pricey when making 15 gallon batches), and mean that even successful batches didn’t get completely consumed soon enough to avoid going bad. So, I’m transitioning back to five or six gallon batches. I picked up a SS Brewtech Brewbucket with the cooling attachments which work perfectly with the existing glycol chiller loop I have. And later this summer I’ll also switch to electric brewing; looking forward to the easier mash temp control. More on that later.

#ElectricBrewer #WhenWillThenBeNow #Soon

Brewstand still holding up. Put the 30G up for the HLT and moved the 20G back to boil kettle.

What to brew for a first batch then? I had stepped away from NEIPAs while I worked out more details on recipes, techniques, malt bills, pH, hop creep, yeast strains; the whole nine yards. I’m a huge fan of Scott Janish’s blog which explored so many aspects of NEIPAs that I found to be critical to producing a really excellent beer of the style. The recent recipe from Scott caught my eye and I decided to start there. The other area of interest that I’ve been chasing down was a local brew pub (Pint House Pizza) which makes some really top-notch NEIPAs in our area has mentioned in several interviews that their house strain is not as affected by diacetyl and hop-creep as other well known strains. Joe Morhfield of PHP is very open about recipes and providing feedback to homebrewers; but on this point they keep their house strain to themselves. I don’t know definitively but I’m making an educated guess and for this batch I picked up White Labs German Ale yeast (WLP 029). I’ve seen several threads about a “fruity” ale yeast which finishes fairly dry.

Let’s see how this one comes out. The recipe follows after some brewday pics!

Enjoy!

Milky Oatmeal with that Flaked Barley

Where was my larger nylon bag? #IHateMoving

Fly sparge!

Transfers are really simple with gravity and no poppet valves.

Co2 Blanket added to source and destination

Recipe Details

Batch Size	Boil Time	IBU	SRM	Est. OG	Est. FG	ABV
6 gal	60 min	62.8 IBUs	4.0 SRM	1.061	1.018	5.6 %
			Actuals	1.05	1.012	5.0 %

Style Details

Name	Cat.	OG Range	FG Range	IBU	SRM	Carb	ABV
American IPA	13 2	1.056 - 1.075	1.01 - 1.018	40 - 70	6 - 15	2 - 2.8	5.5 - 7.5 %

Fermentables

Name	Amount	%
Brewers Malt 2-Row (Briess)	7 lbs	51.85
Barley, Flaked	3 lbs	22.22
Wheat - Red Malt (Briess)	3 lbs	22.22
Acidulated (BestMälz)	8 oz	3.7

Hops

Name	Amount	Time	Use	Form	Alpha %
Columbus (Tomahawk)	0.35 oz	30 min	Boil	Pellet	14
Cascade	1.98 oz	30 min	Aroma	Pellet	5.5
Citra	1.98 oz	15 min	Aroma	Pellet	12
Columbus (Tomahawk)	1.76 oz	15 min	Aroma	Pellet	14
Citra	0.99 oz	14 days	Dry Hop	Pellet	12
Galaxy	0.99 oz	14 days	Dry Hop	Pellet	14
Huell Melon	1.98 oz	2 days	Dry Hop	Pellet	7.2

Miscs

Name	Amount	Time	Use	Type
Calcium Chloride	5.60 g	60 min	Mash	Water Agent
Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate)	2.40 g	60 min	Mash	Water Agent
Lactic Acid	1.20 ml	60 min	Mash	Water Agent

Yeast

Name	Lab	Attenuation	Temperature
German Ale/Kolsch (WLP029)	White Labs	75%	65°F - 69°F

Mash

Step	Temperature	Time
Saccharification	157°F	35 min
Mash Out	168°F	15 min

Notes

Calcium Cloride @ 1g / Gal. , Gypsum @ 0.5g / Gal
Huell Melon @ 2nd day
All the rest @ 7th day
https://scottjanish.com/headspace-hazy-ipa-oxidation/

Mash pH was a bit lower than anticipated, resulting in 10 point
gravity loss. Partly due to adding 2.5mL of Phosphoric Acid
rather than the 1.2mL as listed. However, the resulting beer is
quite excellent so not a terrible issue. Maybe lowering efficiency
numbers and adding a pound or two of malt to adjust.

Hop combo isn't my favorite; I like a bit more grapefruit. Next time
I'd toss Azacca and some El Dorado or Eukonaut in place of H. Melon.
Would also entertain some Simcoe for an orange direction as well.
Galaxy was sorely missed but out of stock.

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Dessert Beer: Humble Pie

Posted on August 31, 2018 by funkmetal

No, I’m not really making a dessert beer NEIPA. However, making a NEIPA that can stand-up to some of the great examples in and around town has been quite the challenge. My last brew was another round of corrections to address the overly-bitter result. Not Grapefruit Juice was a step in the right direction but it had several issues.

Before I get to that, I do have to mention that the past few NEIPAs that I’ve done have ended up getting a rather nasty diacetyl flavor days after kegging. I’m particularly sensitive to the off-flavor and really prevented me from drinking any amount of the beer. I’ve several friends for whom the level was not something they could detect and they still enjoyed the beer and commented that it was an improvement over the previous version. Tracking down this problem was quite the challenge. I first attacked the keg and keg lines. I didn’t find anything of concern and each keg is fully broken down, cycled with hot PWB via Mark’s Keg/Carboy washer, sanitized and flushed. The keg lines use a recirculating PWB line cleaner followed by hot water rinse and sanitizer. I really was stumped until I ran across this post out on Brülosophy where a long time friend of the site was tracking down a similar issue and worked out some experiments to track down the issue. The discovery was that the ball-valves on the boil kettle weren’t getting direct heat due to the burner design. This matched my setup, but I had recently switched to a new 30 gallon boil kettle with only a hand full of brews under its belt. However I have two ball valves on the March pump used for recirculation. I started the process of breaking those down and let’s just say it was *NOT* pretty. I also broke open the pump itself and found bits of sponge. I was quite furious with myself. After switching to a new Chronical which requires a complete break down after each use I just couldn’t believe that I hadn’t applied that same effort to the post-boil path.

I don’t think the diacetyl flaw impacts the bitterness issue so I knew that after tasting Not Grapefruit Juice that something else was going on with the bitterness. While I was scrubbing away at all of the post-boil parts I did quite a bit more reading on the recent studies around flameout and dry-hop additions imparting bitterness. Reading through all of those blog posts and papers left me a distinct impression. Massive dry-hops definitely have a bitterness impact in two ways. First, additional dry-hopping can result in lower pH which increases perception of bitterness. Second the non-iso-alpha acid components of hops can contribute actual IBUs to a finished beer. A deeper look into those studies reveals that hops which do not store as well (these hops have a higher HSI value) result in more IBUs being imparted into the final product when used in dry-hopping. With this new information in mind, I’ve put together three new NEIPA recipes to try out. Taking in all of the change from Not Grapefruit Juice, the biggest change moving forward is a much reduced amount of dry-hop; the rate of dry-hop previously resulted in bumping the final product by several tens of IBUs. I’ve also continued to adjust the malt bill upwards, this time blending with Vienna and targetting 7.5% and a higher overall final gravity; this was featured in the very first recipe I tried. The next two variants keep the same quantities of hops and gravity bill but will try two different things. One will re-introduce cryohops but at a 60/40 split between pellet and cryo, accounting for the higher AA in cryohops. Joe Mohrfeld at Pinthouse Pizza presented early results when using cryohops/powder and found that they get the best results with a blend of pellets and powder. The last experiment looks to identify hops with fruity, tropical properties but have the lowest HSI value. The expectation there is that these hops will further reduce the introduction of IBUs into the final product.

Lastly as a side-note I have been mostly avoiding use of Simcoe for quite some time. Beers from five or six years ago had massive amounts of Simcoe and had a nice piney almost “cat pee” element. These memories of flavors do not excite me and I’ve felt they don’t have a place in the softer, juicier IPAs I really like. I’ve had several recent NEIPA beers which feature Simcoe as a hop that drives perception of Oranges and Tangerines and have not found these beers to have any of those piney or cat like qualities of the past. I’m looking forward to giving Simcoe a place in a future NEIPA once I’m on the other side of this battle with bitterness.

Here’s the next experiment towards that pillowy soft and juicy beer I crave:

Recipe Details

Batch Size	Boil Time	IBU	SRM	Est. OG	Est. FG	ABV
15 gal	60 min	63.7 IBUs	5.7 SRM	1.068	1.016	6.9 %
			Actuals	1.068	1.016	6.9 %

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)	14 lbs	36.84
Vienna Malt (Weyermann)	14 lbs	36.84
Oats, Flaked	4 lbs	10.53
White Wheat Malt	4 lbs	10.53
Carapils (Briess)	1 lbs	2.63
Honey Malt	1 lbs	2.63

Hops

Name	Amount	Time	Use	Form	Alpha %
Columbus (Tomahawk)	1.5 oz	60 min	First Wort	Pellet	15.3
Amarillo	2.5 oz	10 min	Aroma	Pellet	9.2
Citra	2.5 oz	10 min	Aroma	Pellet	14.4
Mosaic	2.5 oz	10 min	Aroma	Pellet	11.6
Columbus (Tomahawk)	1.5 oz	10 min	Aroma	Pellet	15.3
Amarillo	2.67 oz	3 days	Dry Hop	Pellet	9.2
Citra	2.67 oz	3 days	Dry Hop	Pellet	14.4
Mosaic	2.67 oz	3 days	Dry Hop	Pellet	11.6
Columbus (Tomahawk)	1.5 oz	3 days	Dry Hop	Pellet	15.3

Miscs

Name	Amount	Time	Use	Type
Calcium Chloride	7.30 g	60 min	Mash	Water Agent
Epsom Salt (MgSO4)	2.70 g	60 min	Mash	Water Agent
Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate)	2.40 g	60 min	Mash	Water Agent
Phosphoric Acid	1.20 ml	60 min	Mash	Water Agent

Yeast

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

Mash

Step	Temperature	Time
Saccharification	156°F	60 min
Mash Out	168°F	10 min

Notes

Adjust cl:s04 to 1.5 ratio
Use columbus
Single dry-hop
1:1 GU:IBU ratio
Swap in 50% base with Vienna for additional malt backbone
Welcome Amarillo to the Hop Club
Gravity bump to 1.071

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Beer for bottling

Posted on February 19, 2018 by funkmetal

Today’s holiday brew session is another round from the “light and hoppy” styles. I’m pushing this recipe to pull in more farmhouse than North Eastern IPA. I ran across a new-to-me hop, Jester, which is of UK origin but exhibiting some American Hop citrus and fruity characteristics. That sounded really nice for a farmhouse hoppy beer. Brewing NEIPAs though has definitely affected the hop process I used. Normally I would include a bittering addition and something late, maybe a step but save most for dry-hopping but now I’m much more happy with using significantly more hops late and after flame-out.

I’ve also been a bit of a mix of bottling and kegging. Kegging is *so* much easier. So much so that it does tend to make me a bit lazy and skip the effort of bottling; much to my regret. Many of the beers I’ve brewed in years past age extremely well so I’m planning on trying to keep more of it around longer. I’m looking at simplifying my process of bottling with this batch. I’ve got quite a few items that do help the process: 12 bottle rinsing system, drying racks that stack, a pneumatic bottle capper, and two different bottling wands. The main effort is the standing and filling part. I’ve had a Blichmann Beergun for quite some time. I’ve had few issues with it. I also picked up a Last Straw. The Last Straw’s main improvement over the Beergun is how it is held; that helps remove the shoulder ache after filling 15 gallons worth of bottles. The drawback (for me) is that I tend to bottle condition which means filling uncarbonated beer. The diameter restrictions on both fillers slows the entire process down. I recently picked up a wine auto-filler which I’m hoping will make things go a lot faster. It utilizes a pressure switch to automatically stop the flow into a bottle. This is quite effective. My hope is that I’ll be able to hook up two or three of these to a manifold off of the fermentation vessel and then start each bottle which will then stop automatically allowing making it easier to grab the filled bottles, purge with co2 and cap while other bottles continue to fill.

Here’s the recipe for Hoats and Boes:

Recipe Details

Batch Size	Boil Time	IBU	SRM	Est. OG	Est. FG	ABV
16 gal	60 min	54.5 IBUs	3.2 SRM	1.030	1.006	3.2 %
			Actuals	1.046	1.01	4.7 %

Style Details

Name	Cat.	OG Range	FG Range	IBU	SRM	Carb	ABV
Session IPA	16	1.038 - 1.052	1.008 - 1.014	40 - 55	4 - 12	2.2 - 2.8	3.7 - 5 %

Fermentables

Name	Amount	%
Maris Otter (Thomas Fawcett)	16 lbs	88.89
Barley, Flaked	1 lbs	5.56
Oats, Flaked	1 lbs	5.56

Hops

Name	Amount	Time	Use	Form	Alpha %
Centennial	2 oz	5 min	Boil	Leaf	10
Citra	2 oz	5 min	Boil	Pellet	25.2
Jester (UK)	2 oz	5 min	Boil	Pellet	6
Centennial	2 oz	20 min	Aroma	Leaf	10
Citra	2 oz	20 min	Aroma	Pellet	25.2
Jester (UK)	2 oz	20 min	Aroma	Pellet	6
Jester (UK)	4 oz	3 days	Dry Hop	Pellet	6

Miscs

Name	Amount	Time	Use	Type
Phosphoric Acid 85%	28.80 ml	60 min	Mash	Water Agent
Calcium Chloride	1.80 g	60 min	Mash	Water Agent
Epsom Salt (MgSO4)	1.80 g	60 min	Mash	Water Agent
Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate)	1.80 g	60 min	Mash	Water Agent

Yeast

Name	Lab	Attenuation	Temperature
French Saison (3711)	Wyeast Labs	80%	65°F - 77°F

Mash

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

Notes

- Lupu

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One good NEIPA deserves another

Posted on December 30, 2017 by funkmetal

Somewhere between Fall and Winter south Texas actually got some snow! That’s probably the third time in nine years. I know this because my oldest son keeps track of these things. Now that the winter freeze is over and Texas Winter has returned us to the mid 60s F we can resume brewing. The previous NEIPA batch was a huge success in a number of ways so obviously with all three kegs almost gone it’s time to brew another.

The previous batch dropped the gravity down to session levels around 4.6%. I certainly don’t mind or even notice many of the higher ABV NEIPAs in the 6 to 8% range; well that is until I’m two or three pints in and then I’m wishing they were 4% instead so I could have a few more. One challenge with sessions is retaining mouthfeel, however, given the huge amounts of oats and barley in the recipe that isn’t an issue.

The second experimental element in the previous batch was using a mixed-culture yeast that I typically reserve for sour beers. However, it’s a faithful yeast which is known to ferment beers to complete (or nearly there) dryness. I also figured that if the culture did turn a bit sour that wouldn’t be out of place for a NEIPA designed after “juice” anyhow.

Upon the first samples of the beer as it fermented it was quite evident that it was taking a sharp turn down grapefruit lane. That worked out quite well but it did mean that for this recipe the hop bill was going to take a turn toward the more tropical and stone fruits.

Process-wise, no changes. The critical part of brewing stage has been stirring the hops in the filter. The 5-minute charge gets a stir after stopping the heat and then the hop stand gets multiple stirs, every 5 to 10 minutes. While opening the lid means some of the volatile aromas escape the stirring overcomes that loss by extracting more flavors, oils and aroma by saturating the whole batch with the hops.

For this batch, I wanted to make use of some aromatic hops that I had around in smaller quantities so I have quite a few more varieties than last time replacing the Meridian and Cascade hops used previously. I also recently had an Idaho #7 hopped beer at Pinthouse Pizza and whole-heartedly approved of those flavors and aromas and chose to have it come along for this NEIPA.

Looking forward to this batch!

Recipe Details

Batch Size	Boil Time	IBU	SRM	Est. OG	Est. FG	ABV
16 gal	60 min	92.8 IBUs	3.3 SRM	1.044	1.010	4.5 %
			Actuals	1.044	1.01	4.4 %

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)	19 lbs	71.03
Barley, Flaked	3 lbs	11.21
Oats, Flaked	3 lbs	11.21
Caramel/Crystal Malt - 10L	1 lbs	3.74
Cane (Beet) Sugar	12 oz	2.8

Hops

Name	Amount	Time	Use	Form	Alpha %
Azacca	3 oz	5 min	Boil	Pellet	15
Idaho #7	3 oz	5 min	Boil	Pellet	13
Nelson Sauvin	3 oz	5 min	Boil	Pellet	11.2
Azacca	3 oz	30 min	Aroma	Pellet	15
Galaxy	3 oz	30 min	Aroma	Pellet	14.8
Idaho #7	3 oz	30 min	Aroma	Pellet	13
Azacca	3 oz	3 days	Dry Hop	Pellet	15
El Dorado	3 oz	3 days	Dry Hop	Pellet	15
Idaho #7	3 oz	3 days	Dry Hop	Pellet	13
Azacca	3 oz	1 day	Dry Hop	Pellet	15
Ekuanot - Equinox (HBC 366)	3 oz	1 day	Dry Hop	Pellet	15
Idaho #7	3 oz	1 day	Dry Hop	Pellet	13

Miscs

Name	Amount	Time	Use	Type
Phosphoric Acid 10%	61.90 ml	60 min	Mash	Water Agent
Calcium Chloride	5.80 g	60 min	Mash	Water Agent
Epsom Salt (MgSO4)	1.50 g	60 min	Mash	Water Agent
Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate)	1.50 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
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

Notes

Nor'easter V2

- Really need the rice hulls with all of the rolled oats and barley
- Giving London Ale III yeast a try. Not sure about the sugar addtion or not.
I really do want a dry beer; so we'll see how gravity drops and if it gets sluggish
around 1.020 , I'll likely add some to keep the fermentation going and drop the
final gravity.
- Stirring the hop additions *really* makes a huge difference.

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A Nor’easter blowin in

Posted on October 20, 2017 by funkmetal

I recently spent two weeks in New York City for work. One of my co-workers was coming in from the Boston area via train. This afforded him a really special perk: BYOB! That’s right, you can bring your own beer along for the ride. My friend was nice enough to bring some of the finest NorthEast IPAs that he could get his hands on including Trillium, Baby Genius, Industrial Arts Wrench and quite a few others.

I’ve recently brewed a NEIPA beer which turned out much better than expected for a first-time recipe. It was very well received and the only correction for my palette was the maltier character that came from a 50% Marris Otter grain bill. After almost drowning in NEIPAs in New York I have been craving to update my Session IPA done with the techniques and hopping rate used in Hop Candy. Today is that day. Here’s the recipe and follow along brewday below.

Recipe Details

Batch Size	Boil Time	IBU	SRM	Est. OG	Est. FG	ABV
16 gal	60 min	65.9 IBUs	3.2 SRM	1.041	1.007	4.5 %
			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 %
Azacca	3 oz	5 min	Boil	Pellet	15
Cascade	3 oz	5 min	Boil	Pellet	5.9
Meridian	3 oz	5 min	Boil	Pellet	6.5
Herkules	0.81 oz	5 min	Boil	Pellet	18.5
Azacca	3 oz	30 min	Aroma	Pellet	15
Cascade	3 oz	30 min	Aroma	Pellet	5.9
Meridian	3 oz	30 min	Aroma	Pellet	6.5
Azacca	3 oz	3 days	Dry Hop	Pellet	15
Cascade	3 oz	3 days	Dry Hop	Pellet	5.9
Meridian	3 oz	3 days	Dry Hop	Pellet	6.5
Azacca	3 oz	1 day	Dry Hop	Pellet	15
Cascade	3 oz	1 day	Dry Hop	Pellet	5.9
Meridian	3 oz	1 day	Dry Hop	Pellet	6.5

Miscs

Name	Amount	Time	Use	Type
Phosphoric Acid 10%	61.90 ml	60 min	Mash	Water Agent
Calcium Chloride	5.80 g	60 min	Mash	Water Agent
Epsom Salt (MgSO4)	1.50 g	60 min	Mash	Water Agent
Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate)	1.50 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
French Saison (3711)	Wyeast Labs	80%	65°F - 77°F

Mash

Step	Temperature	Time
Saccharification	152°F	60 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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Local grocery store as a new curbside pickup… hrm, I wonder if they fill 22 gallons of Reverse Osmosis water? Guessing not.

You’re damn right that RO water is an Emergency Essential to my IPAs.

Crush em all! Even the Flaked Barley and Flaked Oats!

Split the crushed grain into two buckets since I’m mashing in solo today.

Don’t forget to heat the sparge water… this time.

Transfer, sparge time. Glad I remembered to heat the sparge water.

Look at that layer of sparge water over the grains. I was surprised at how well the grain flowed without any rice hulls and all of the barley/oats which were pretty dang gooey.

Brew day requirement: special beer from the shed. Today I pulled out a Jester King Biere de Miel Honey Sour Saison from 2014. The story behind this beer is pretty neat. Garret of Jester King at the time related that this first batch was brewed in December here in Texas which has quite cool mornings but is nothing like fall or summer where at dawn it’s already 70F or 80F+. The interesting part was that beer reached terminal gravity much faster than they expected despite the lower temperatures. It turns out that the Jester King mixed-culture is somewhat unique in that at cooler temperatures the bacteria tends to take over if the sacchromyces isn’t warm enough and it resulted in a beer that’s pH was quite a bit lower than expected. The result is this perfect balance of malt, honey sweetness and strong but soft lactic acidity. Even after 3 years the beer holds up very well.

Oh right, *lots* of hops needed. This is just the 5 minute addition and the steep. There are still two more rounds of this same size (~9oz) for two dry-hop additions. Also special Equinox Cyro-hop injection at steep time for shits and gigs.

That’s right, another massive does at steep time. I decided to do a bit more hands on with the hops this time. Normally I just leave the hops in the basket and move along. However this time I stirred the hops continuously to help distribute as much of the hop oils as possible. When I added the hops for steeping I also stirred and then I lowered the hop basket to the bottom of the kettle and since the wort is not longer boiling it stays put exposing more wort to the hops. Let’s see if that pays off.

Jackpot!