2012 Brewing Goals: Brews by Month

Lets start with a little bit of reflection. I updated last year's brewing goals with my actual results. 

2011 Brewing Goals (Updated)

Favorite Homebrews of 2011:

1. Old Ale with Avery 15 dregs - I find this Brett strain(s) to just produce my favorite flavors, which are tropical fruits when it is young and then transitions to a nice funk, but never gets close to fecal or "goaty". This beer has a great richness about it. The aroma is pineapple, guava, pear and caramel malt with a sour tinge. The taste is very complex and the main reason I like it so much. You get the fruity flavors first, then sourness (more tart than sour), then it finishes with a great toffee aftertaste that stays with you.


2. Dark Saison (Soured Version) - This one took a bit of aging for the flavors to meld together. Once it did, the flavor complexity (see trend) won me over. Saison spice up front, then sourness (mid to high), and ends with a warm dark fruit flavor.


3. Best Bitter (Fullers Version) - I have not posted a tasting yet, but this beer is long gone. It was consumed quickly. The malt profile is exactly where I want it. It has this great crispy butter (not diacetyl buttery) cracker flavor. The hop aroma is still lacking a bit, I think that I need to convert over to whole leaf hops for dry-hopping.

It is amazing how my beer preference is continually changing. Here is my wish list for next year. 

Jan. 2012: 
Parti-gyle Stout Experiment:
5 gal Oatmeal Stout
1 gal batch – Stout with Maple candy
5 gal Imperial Stout
2.5 gal batch – French Oak + Cacao Nibs + Vanilla Beans

Feb. 2012: 
Scottish 60/80
1 gal batch – Scottish 60- with Cedar1 gal batch – Scottish 80- with French Oak

March 2012:
Wee Heavy 
1 gal batch – Wee Heavy with Avery 15 dregs

April 2012: 
Barleywine 1 gal batch – Barleywine with French Oak
1 gal batch –  Barleywine with Minced Meat

May 2012: Table Saison
5 gal split batch – 2 different Saison Strains  
1 gal batch – Orval dregs 
Flanders Red
1 gal batch – 1 year old Flander’s Red on Sour Cherries

June 2012: Summer Saison
1 gal batch – St. Somewhere dregs 

July 2011: 
Dark Saison
1 gal batch – TBD dregs

August 2012: 
Belgian Singel 
5 gal split batch – 2 different Belgian Strains 

Sept. 2012: 
Belgian Dubbel
1 gal batch - Belgian Dubbel with Achel dregs
Homegrown Pale Ale
Belgian Dark Strong
1 gal batch – Belgian Dark Strong with Red Poppy dregs

Oct 2012:
Best Bitter5 gal split batch – 2 different English Strains  

Nov 2012: 
English Dark Mild
5 gal split batch – 2 different English Strains 
Oud Bruin
1 gal batch – Oud Bruin with Holiday Party Dregs

Dec 2012:  
ESB

Session Beer Series: Best Bitter 2011

This is a style I have been brewing consistently over the last few years. I am determined to get a beer that is worthy of the fine casks ales of the UK.

2009 Recipe - Session Beer Series: Best Bitter (Haus Ale)
2010 Recipe - Session Beer Series: The Best Bitter

I did not make any big changes, but a few slight adjustments:

• Kept the Biscuit (or Victory) Malt because I like the big cracker taste it gives. It really adds to the fresh bread taste of Maris Otter.
• Bumped up the Special Roast to 7% and split the Crystal 120 into UK Crystal ~70L and UK Crystal ~135L. 
• Used Horizon hops for my main bittering hop to help decrease the amount of hop matter in the boil and hopefully give a more neutral bitterness
• 10 gal batch to split wort on 2 different yeast strains

I was excited to try 2 different yeast strains for this Best Bitter. I used WLP 002 because this strain is fantastic. Plus this will allow good comparison to previous batches and contrast with my other new yeast. Much deliberation went into the other yeast selection. But I finally decided on the Wyeast Private Collection: Wyeast 1469-PC West Yorkshire Ale Yeast. It sounds like a well endorsed yeast and works very well for top-cropping (which I'm planning on doing since it will be fermented in a 5 gal keg).

Recipe: The Best Bitter 2011
O.G.-1.045      F.G.-1.012      IBU-30
SRM-11         ABV-4.3%     10 Gallons

Grain Bill (75% Efficiency):
12 lb Maris Otter (83%)
1 lb Biscuit (7%)
1 lb Special Roast (7%)
4 oz UK Crystal ~77L (2%)
4 oz  UK Crystal ~135L (2%)

Hops:
1 oz Horizon, 9.1%, pellet, 60 min 22.7 IBU
1 oz EK Goldings, 5%, pellet, 20 min 4.2 IBU
.5 oz EK Goldings, 5%, pellet, 0 min 1 IBU
.5 oz Horizon, 9.1%, pellet, 0 min 1.9 IBU
.5 oz EK Goldings, 5%, pellet, Dry Hop in each keg
(extra 1 oz Citra, whole leaf, Dry Hop in 2.5 gal of WY1469 keg)

Yeast:
1 vial of White Labs 002 - no starter
1 vial of  Wyeast 1469-PC West Yorkshire Ale Yeast - no starter

Water:
San Diego (Alvarado) Tap Water
2 campden tablet for 10 gal.

Mash Details:
H2O/Grain Ratio: 1qt/lb
Mash Volume: 3.5 gal
Sacc Rest. Temp/Time: 154F @ 60min
Strike Temp: 167
Batch Sparge Volume: 10 gal
Sparge Temp/Time: 170F

Boil Details:
Boil Volume: 11 gal
Boil Time: 60min
Post Boil Volume: 10 gal

Ferment Details:
O.G.: 1.045
Ferment Temp: 66-68F
Length: 10 days
F.G.: 1.012

Stay tuned for the side by side tasting.

Experimental: Elderberry Wine

This was my first attempt at "wine". And why did I try to do this? My good friend, Dan (pictured below), has 2 elderberry trees in his backyard. And they produce a lot of berries (for some reason the birds have not found his house). I know we were not going to make something that would be considered exquisite by a wine expert, but we were aiming for a nice country wine. There are a lot of recipes on the web, but as I know by being a homebrewer that it is important to be critical of each ingredient. And I know about what is important for good fermentation from beer making.

Recipe: Elderberry Wine

O.G.-1.100  F.G.-.998  ABV-13.6%   Batch-1 Gal

Grain Bill Ingredients:

3.5 lb Elderberries (Frozen as picked)

2 lb  Sugar (12%)

1 - 12oz Red Grape Concentrate

1 juiced lemon (needed for acid*)

2 juiced oranges (needed for acid*)

*If you have an acid balance kit then you can use this after fermentation

  

Yeast:

1 gal container - 1/4 packet of Red Star Pasteur Red (rehydrated in warm water)

.5 gal container - 6 oz starter with Russian River Redemption dregs (which are mostly wine yeast - RockPile)

Water:

San Diego Alvardo Tap Water

1 tsp Wyeast yeast nutrient

1 tsp Fermaid K

Boil Details:

We added all the ingredients including the all the frozen elderberries and mashed all the berries. (We started with a potato masher and then Dan decided to just use his hands). Then we stirred as we brought it up to a boil to help dissolve the sugar. It boiled for only a few moments and then was cooled in the sink.

Ferment Details:

O.G.: 1.100

Ferment Temp: Pitched at 70 and kept in low to mid 70s

F.G.:  .998

We poured everything (juices and berries) into the 2 growlers. We then pitched the yeast once the must was at the proper pitching temp. The wine fermented actively for a week and then was allowed to age for a few more months. We plan to make this once a year and perfect our recipe.

We recently bottled the wine after a Charger game (we sampled a lot because this was during our 6 game losing streak). The wine turned out surprisingly well, with great color and very nice berry flavors. There is still some alcohol heat, but that is understandable since this is so young. I really liked how the Russian River version turned out, with much bigger fruit and berry notes. We bottled half straight up and then Dan bottled the other half with different fruit juice mixes to make some great Sangria.

(Dan please post you Sangria combinations in the comments or on your blog and give me the link)




And Dan still has 3.5 lbs of Elderberries, any ideas? (elderberry mead, dark elderberry sour...)

Beer Tasting: African Lager Review

This post is more for fun than education. Because to be honest there is not much to talk about with these beers. They are all lagers and pretty good examples of the style. You will also see included in the the tasting are 2 Egyptian Malt Liquors. Enjoy a much more picture intensive post.

All these beers fit the environment and traditional food well. When it was 100F cruising down the Nile in Aswan, these light Pilsners hit the spot. And when it came to the spice heavy rice and vegetable dishes of Egypt and Kenya, the high carbonation and crisp dryness helped to clear the palate.

Stella is probably the most popular beer in Egypt. It is made by Al Ahram Brewery which is now owned by Heineken (like all the Egyptian beers). Here is their description:
"Stella is the authentic Egyptian lager beer since 1897. For more than 110 years now, Stella has been providing unique quality through its refreshing suberb taste.
We believe in people coming together and enjoying themselves; taking time out from the daily routines that rein their lives; Stella is always there to offer them a free pass to a care free time, a delightful experience and enjoyment with every sip. Stella is all about "Good friends and Good time"

Taste - light, crisp and a touch of bitterness

Sakara - This beer was the most available for us on our travels. And it is also made Al Ahram Brewery.

"Sakara Gold is an Egyptian beer with a very smooth taste and very moderate Alcohol level 4% alcohol.

Taste - light, crisp and biscuity taste/aroma





Sakara King - just read their description:
"If you're seeking a more daring experience, make sure you try out the Sakara Ling 10% (long live the King)."

Taste - Actually pretty darn good. No hot alcohol, and a bit of caramel and fruitness. The flavors reminded me of a Barleywine, but with Pilsner flavors.






Meister Max - The other high alcohol option, also made by Al Ahram.
"With its 8% alcohol, Meister Max is a beer for a new and daring men generation.
Meister Max was the first high alcohol beer to be launched in the Egyptian market, and still it's the market leader because tat beer offers you power, taste and style at the same time.
Meister Max is a sophisticated and premium beer with an international dimension for the stylish and strong men only. It enforces your masculinity and expresses who you truly are; a virile man... It's part of the way you look and the way you act. It's got the looks and power just like you.
Meister Max gets you in the mood quickly with its powerful buzz and very acceptable taste: that beer is here to challenge you, to make you live your life to the max with style and control"


Taste - Covered in the description. Made me feel daring, powerful, sophisticated, stylish, strong, masculine, virile and buzzed.

Tusker - The most popular beer in Kenya. It is brewed East African Brewing Limited (EABL) as are all the other beers in Kenya. We did get to try several other beers while on Safari and they are very similar (notes below). Here is the description for Tusker:

"George Hurst a co-founder of Kenya Breweries Ltd, was killed by an elephant during a hunting expedition in 1923. In memory of his tragic death, this famous lager beer that he had helped create was renamed 'Tusker'.

Tusker is brewed from 100% African ingredients that are all locally sourced. The barley is from the Savannah and the Maasai Mara. The spring water is from the Aberdare Mountains. All the yeast is developed locally. The cornstarch is sourced from a local Kenyan company. Every grain of sugar is delivered from West Kenya. This means that you feel closely connected to the origins and roots of Tusker.

The taste of African spirit can inspire you going forwards, by re-connecting you with your roots. As the old proverb goes, ‘to know where you are going, you must first know where you have come from’. Tusker drinkers see the traditions, beliefs and cultures of their roots as the springboard for inspiration. They are full of optimism; focused on looking forwards, not backwards. Today’s triumphs are born out of and inspired by where we have come from – Tusker. Refresh Your Roots.

For consumers who are truly nationalistic, brand TUSKER is the beer that provides an everlasting bond of deep, natural friendship with their countrymen because only TUSKER Lager uniquely represents a true and refreshing spirit of national heritage

Tusker Lager is a medium beer with an alcohol content of 4.2% "

Taste - Clean, Crisp and nice bready malt background. Best enjoyed at sunset while watching a pride of lions.

At the Safari Lodge we also tasted the following (very little difference in taste for the Pilsners, we did a blind side by side test)

White Cap

Pilsner (great creative name)

Guiness (made in Kenya) - It is the Foreign Extra Stout version.