Summer pale ale

Appearance:  Light orange, somewhat golden. Some white head with moderate staying power. Some lacing. Slightly hazy (probably should have cold crashed longer).

Aroma:  Fruity aromas. Apricot, mango, and grapefruit prevalent. Very fresh smelling. Sticky sweet aroma possibly due to coalescence of malty and fruity (hoppy) aromas.

Taste:  Very well balanced! Malty up front, that fades to sweet and fruity aftertaste. Smooth throughout. Grapefruit and honey notes distinctly present. The more I drink it, the more the malty flavors come forth and hoppy flavors blend into a general bitterness. It would be nice if those fruity notes could last throughout the entire glass (next time I will replace Warrior hops with Citra - maybe that will help).

Mouthfeel:  Medium body. Medium-low cabonation. Might benefit from a bit more carbonation. Easy drinking. I could polish off quite a few of these in one sitting.

Recipe Name:         Summer pale ale

Recipe Volume:      5 gallons

Yeast:                     White Labs WLP001 American Ale

Malts:	Amount
1. 2-row malt	7 lbs.
2. 6-row malt	1 lb.
3. Honey malt	8 oz.
4. Acid malt	2 oz.

Brewhouse Efficiency            70%
Calculated Original Gravity            1.045
Caclulated Boil Gravity                   1.036
Measured Original Gravity             1.044
Measured Final Gravity             1.009

Hops:	Amount	Boil Time	IBUs
1. Warrior (15.7%)	0.25 oz.	20	9
2. Cascade (6.3%)	0.5 oz.	15	6
3. Summer (5.8%)	0.5 oz.	15	6
4. Cascade (6.3%)	0.5 oz.	5	2
5. Summer (5.8%)	0.5 oz.	5	2
6. Summer (5.8%)	0.5 oz.	0	0
7. Summer (5.8%)	0.5 oz.	Dry hop
8. Warrior (15.7%)	0.5 oz.	Dry hop

Calculated IBUs          26

Grapefruit pale ale

It's been a while since I have put up a post on this blog. I have been very busy with some other things in my life. I have still been brewing, but just haven't had time to organize everything into a post. Hopefully more will be on the way. I am getting into brewing sour beers now though, so it might be a little while. Anyway, here are my thoughts on the grapefruit ale that I finished about a month ago.

Appearance:  Amber to golden brown color. Very little head that dissipates quickly leaving behind little lacing. I would like more staying power - might want to add some Carapils next time around.

Aroma:  Lots of grapefruit! Sticky sweet aroma. All fruit, I can't smell any distinct hop character or maltiness.

Taste:  Very heavy on the citrus. I can't tell if this aspect is coming mostly from the hops or from the juice I added. I think both in relatively equal proportions. Neutral malt backbone. No apparent off flavors.

Mouthfeel:  Medium-low carbonation. No effervesence. Clean finish.

Overall:  I am very proud of this one. I feel like I got exactly what I was gunning for.


Recipe Name:         Grapefruit Pale Ale

Recipe Volume:      5 gallons

Yeast:                     White Labs WLP060 American Ale Blend

Malts:	Amount
1. 2-row malt	7.5 lbs.
2. 6-row malt	1 lb.
3. Crystal 60	0.5 lb.
4. Munich malt	0.5 lb.
5. Vienna malt	0.5 lb.
6. Acid malt	0.25 lb.

Brewhouse Efficiency                      70%
Calculated Original Gravity            1.058
Caclulated Boil Gravity                   1.046
Measured Boil Gravity                    1.053

Hops/Additives:	Amount	Boil Time	IBUs
1. Chinook (12%)	0.5 oz.	60	21
2. Cascade (7%)	1 oz.	30	19
3. Amarillo (9.3%)	0.5 oz.	0	0
4. Cascade (7%)	0.5 oz.	0	0
5. Grapefruit juice	from 6 grapefruits	0	0
6. Amarillo (9.3%)	0.5 oz.	Dry hop (1 week)	0
7. Cascade (7%)	0.5 oz.	Dry hop (1 week)	0
8. Grapefruit zest	from 3 grapefruits	Dry hop (1 week)	0

Calculated IBUs          40

Pumpkin Ale

I got the beer team together about a month ago to brew a pumpkin ale. We decided to use whole pumpkins and roast them ourselves instead of canned. The results were fantastic! I am very proud of this brew. Here's a review and a few photos. Enjoy!


Appearance:  Golden yellow color. Very bright and warm. Evokes thoughts of harvest. Thin, off-white head that rapidly dissipates leaving little lacing.

Aroma:  Lots of spices shine through. Strong aroma of nutmeg and warm cinnamon. Also a slight nuttiness and a creamy smell present (possibly due to lactose). Warm fruity notes also present.

Taste:  Complex. Starts out sweet and slightly sour. Some caramel flavor comes through (would be worth bumping up when we give this another go - possibly more Crystal malt). Spices present on the back end of the taste. Neutral malt backbone present throughout, which works quite well.

Mouthfeel:  Medium-high carbonation level. Lactose gives slightly velvety feeling at start, which is cleaned up by effervescence.

Overall, a great beer! I am very satisfied with this one. It is going into my hall of fame.

Imperial Amber Ale Review

Here's a review of my latest beer:

Look:  Deep amber/brown. Looks like it could be a brown ale, but has a slight reddish hue. Slightly off white head that leaves behind nice lacing on the glass.

Aroma:  TROPICAL!!! Lots of mango and some pineapple on the nose. This is likely due to excessive use of Simcoe hops.

Taste:  Fruit comes through first. Some mild malty undertones. Finishes with the mango and pineapple and a slight alcohol flavor. I think it could do with more bittering. Lots of fruit complexity, but since I was going for something hybrid between an amber and an IPA, I think it isn’t far enough into the IPA camp.

Feel:  Smooth and velvety. Feels like it has some real body to it. It is a bit on the heavy side and leaves quite a coating on the palate.

Overall it's not bad, but too much in the fruit camp for my tastes without enough bittering to balance. If I make this one again I will need to hop the shit out of it during the boil. I already added a lot of hops and still no bitterness comes through. The IBUs should be at least doubled! This would probably be a good one to go overboard hopping. The rest of the flavors would balance it nicely.

Here's the recipe:

Recipe Name:         La Mia's Imperial Amber IPA

Recipe Volume:      1 gallon

Yeast:                     White Labs WLP001 California Ale

Malts:	Amount	Gravity Points
1. Pale malt extract (DME)	1.75 lbs.	77
2. Crystal 120	1.75 oz.	3
3. Caramunich	1.75 oz.	3

Calculated Original Gravity            1.084
Caclulated Boil Gravity                   1.060
Measured Original Gravity             1.090

Hops:	Amount	Boil Time	IBUs
1. Nugget (13.3%)	0.2 oz.	90	45
2. Simcoe (13%)	0.15 oz.	30	24
3. Simcoe (13%)	0.15 oz.	1	24
4. Nugget (13.3%)	0.1 oz.	Dry Hop
5. Simcoe (13%)	0.2 oz.	Dry Hop

Calculated IBUs          70

Procedure
- Heat 1 gallon of water in a large pot.
- Heat 3 cups of water to 150-160 F in small pot, add Crystal 120 and Caramunich. Steep for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally (maintaining temperature is not vital). Remove grain bag and wash with water heated in large pot.
- Add 3 more cups of water, bring to boil, turn off heat and stir in 1.75 lbs. DME
- Return to boil and add 0.2 oz. Nugget hops
- Boil 60 minutes, and then add 0.15 oz. Simcoe hops
- Boil 15 minutes, and then add 1/4 tsp. yeast nutrient and 1/4 tsp. Irish moss
- Boil 14 minutes, and then add 0.15 oz. Simcoe hops
- Boil 1 more minute, then take off heat
- Top up to 1 gallon with chilled sterilized water
- Chill wort to 75 F in ice water bath
- Add wort to fermenter
- Aerate for a few mintues
- Pitch 3/4 of 1 vial of yeast

Review - (German) American pale ale

I am going to do a review of my first beer, the (German) American pale ale that I started a little over a month ago (pictured above).

I will review my beer as they do on the Beer Advocate website. I would like to think that I won't pull any punches with myself, but I can't guarantee that won't happen. I guess the real verdict will be when I get my friends to try it.

Here's my review.

Appearance:  Very clear (surprisingly clear for a homebrew). Rich copper color. A very nice looking beer! Off-white head with surprising retention. Good lacing, better than many American pale ales that I have had.

Aroma:  The aroma is mostly citrus. There is a hint of clove, but definitely the majority is citrus - orange and grapefruit.

Taste:  Very solid taste profile. Great balance! Hops come through strongly, but don't overwhelm. I am getting a lot of pine notes. Some citrus too, a hint of lemon and orange flavor. Not much prominent malty flavor to this beer. I am picking up what I think are some very mild caramel notes.

Mouthfeel:  Very light. It is a touch over-carbonated for my taste, but that doesn't take much away from the beer. I would prefer to have this particular beer overcarbonated than undercarbonated. The body has a good deal of substance. This beer also has a bit of a sharpness to it, a bite. It fits the style quite well.

Overall:  Extremely satisfied! I think this beer turned out great. It is very drinkable and has a nice balance of flavors. For my first homebrew, I don't think I could have asked for more.


Try brewing it yourself!
Here's the recipe again if you are interested:

Recipe Name:         (German) American Pale Ale

Recipe Volume:      5 gallons

Yeast:                     White Labs WLP001 California Ale

Malt:	Amount	Gravity Points
1. Extra pale malt extract (LME) in boil	3.3 lbs.	40
2. Extra pale malt extract (LME) at knockout	3.3 lbs.	40
3. Crystal 60 malt	0.5 lb.	3

Calculated Original Gravity            1.049
Caclulated Boil Gravity                   1.032
Measured Final Gravity                  1.017

ABV          4.5%

Hops:	Amount	Boil Time	IBUs
1. German Northern Brewer (9.6%)	0.5 oz.	60	20
2. Cascade (6%)	0.5 oz.	30	9
3. Cascade (6%)	1 oz.	15	12
4. German Northern Brewer (9.6%)	0.5 oz.	Dry hop
5. Cascade (6%)	0.5 oz.	Dry hop

Calculated IBUs          41

Procedure
- Heat 1 gallon of water to 150-160 F, add Crystal 60, and steep for 30 minutes (maintaining temperature is not vital in this stage). Remove grain bag and let drain for 30 minutes.
- Add 3 gallons of water, bring to a boil, then turn off heat and stir in 3.3 lbs. pale LME
- Return to boil and add 0.5 oz. German Northern Brewer hops
- Boil 30 minutes, and then add 0.5 oz. Cascade hops
- Boil 15 minutes, and then add 1 oz. Cascade hops
- Boil 15 minutes, then add 3.3 lbs. extract, let sit 10 minutes to pasteurize
- Add 1.5 gallons chilled sterilized water
- Chill wort to 75 F in ice water bath
- Add wort to fermenter
- Pitch yeast

Fermentation start time - date:  6pm - 4/20/13
Bubble start time:  6am - 4/21/13
Bubble slow time:  6am - 4/23/13
Transferred to secondary fermenter:  7pm 4/28/13
Bottling date:  5/15/13

Bottle count:  42 (12 oz. bottles)
Priming sugar:  3.7 oz. (2/3 cup) cane sugar (boiled in 2 cups of water)
Bottle conditioning time:  2 weeks

Brewing my first beer - American pale ale

So, I brewed my first beer a couple weeks ago (pictured above). I wanted to start with something simple so I decided to make an American Pale Ale. The recipe I used is from a book called "How to Brew" by Palmer (a great book for anyone interested in getting started in homebrewing). I followed the recipe almost to a T, except instead of using Northern Brewer hops, as the recipe calls for, I had accidentally bought German Northern Brewer hops. I guess that makes this a German-American Pale Ale - I'm a big fan of cultural diversity anyway.

Let's walk through the general steps of brewing so you understand the process a little bit. The first step in brewing is to make the "wort", which is the food that the yeast eats to make the beer. Wort is a solution consisting primarily of sugars (extracted from malted grains - usually barley, but sometimes wheat, rye, or some combination of these) and isoprenes (extracted from hops).

Malted grains - sugars

Sugars extracted from grains are metabolized by yeast to produce alcohol and carbon dioxide. However, the yeast cannot metabolize all of the sugars. Some are left behind, which contribute "malty" flavors to the beer. If you have ever noticed the taste of toast or caramel in a beer, then you know what malty means. The unmetabolized sugars that remain in the beer contribute these, in addition to many other flavors. Dark beers, like porters and stouts, have flavor profiles that are very malty.

Hops - isoprenes

Hops are boiled in the solution containing the extract sugars from the grains. As they are boiled, the release molecules called isoprenes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isoprene) which contribute bitter flavors to the beer. Hops are also largely responsible for the aroma of the beer. Citrusy and spicy smells are common. There is a lot of variation in the flavor and aroma the hops can lend to the beer.

The style of beer that I was trying to make has a flavor profile that is mostly dominated by hoppiness. If you have ever had Sierra Nevada's pale ale, then you know what I was shooting for. The hops I used are on the citrusy side of the spectrum.  I tried a glass of the beer today (even though it isn't quite ready yet). It tastes really good already - almost exactly how I think an American pale ale should. The hops shine through nicely, but are not overwhelming. I am pretty pleased with the balance it has achieved. It is still a little sweet, but I am hoping that is because I am drinking it a few days premature (I really should wait until Wednesday at the earliest, but I couldn't). Anyway, I think it was a good first effort. More to come!



If you are interested, here's the recipe:

Recipe Name:         (German) American Pale Ale

Recipe Volume:      5 gallons

Yeast:                     White Labs WLP001 California Ale

Malt:	Amount	Gravity Points
1. Extra pale malt extract (LME) in boil	3.3 lbs.	40
2. Extra pale malt extract (LME) at knockout	3.3 lbs.	40
3. Crystal 60 malt	0.5 lb.	3

Calculated Original Gravity            1.049
Caclulated Boil Gravity                   1.032
Measured Final Gravity                  1.017

ABV          4.5%

Hops:	Amount	Boil Time	IBUs
1. German Northern Brewer (9.6%)	0.5 oz.	60	20
2. Cascade (6%)	0.5 oz.	30	9
3. Cascade (6%)	1 oz.	15	12
4. German Northern Brewer (9.6%)	0.5 oz.	Dry hop
5. Cascade (6%)	0.5 oz.	Dry hop

Calculated IBUs          41

Procedure
- Heat 1 gallon of water to 150-160 F, add Crystal 60, and steep for 30 minutes (maintaining temperature is not vital in this stage). Remove grain bag and let drain for 30 minutes.
- Add 3 gallons of water, bring to a boil, then turn off heat and stir in 3.3 lbs. pale LME
- Return to boil and add 0.5 oz. German Northern Brewer hops
- Boil 30 minutes, and then add 0.5 oz. Cascade hops
- Boil 15 minutes, and then add 1 oz. Cascade hops
- Boil 15 minutes, then add 3.3 lbs. extract, let sit 10 minutes to pasteurize
- Add 1.5 gallons chilled sterilized water
- Chill wort to 75 F in ice water bath
- Add wort to fermenter
- Pitch yeast

Fermentation start time - date:  6pm - 4/20/13
Bubble start time:  6am - 4/21/13
Bubble slow time:  6am - 4/23/13
Transferred to secondary fermenter:  7pm 4/28/13
Bottling date:  5/15/13

Bottle count:  42 (12 oz. bottles)
Priming sugar:  3.7 oz. (2/3 cup) cane sugar (boiled in 2 cups of water)
Bottle conditioning time:  2 weeks