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

Amber IPA

Appearance:  Darker than I had anticipated. The color suggests that of a brown ale. Slight yellowish head with some staying power and moderate lacing.

Aroma:  Fruit bomb! Pineapple, mango, papaya, peach. Smells like a pina colada. No maltiness aromas come through.

Taste:  Grapefuit and pineapple notes. General tropical fruitiness – difficult to identify particular flavors. Mild malty undertone that presents near the end of the taste. Very mild flavors. Bitterness is well balanced with sweetness.

Mouthfeel:  Full bodied. Rich. Could stand to be more carbonated – a bit on the low side of what I would have wanted. Enhanced carbonation may also provide a brighter, fresher taste that I think would do this beer very well.

Recipe Name:         Amber IPA

Recipe Volume:      5 gallons

Yeast:                     White Labs WLP001 American Ale

Malts:	Amount
1. 2-row malt	8 lbs.
2. Vienna malt	2 lbs.
3. Crystal 60	1 lb.
4. Carapils	0.5 lb.
5. Black patent	2 oz.

Brewhouse Efficiency            70%
Calculated Original Gravity            1.060
Caclulated Boil Gravity                   1.048
Measured Original Gravity             1.060

Hops:	Amount	Boil Time	IBUs
1. Warrior (15.7%)	0.5 oz.	60	25
2. Warrior (15.7%)	0.33 oz.	30	13
3. Galaxy (15%)	0.5 oz.	15	12
4. Falconer's Flight (10.8%)	0.5 oz.	0	0
5. Palisade (7.8%)	0.5 oz.	0	0
6. Palisade (7.8%)	0.5 oz.	Dry hop
7. Falconer's Flight (10.8%)	0.5 oz.	Dry hop
8. Galaxy (15%)	0.5 oz.	Dry hop

Calculated IBUs          50

Banana Brett Saison

I talked about sour beers a few posts back. I explained to y'all some of the changes that occur when you incorporate wild yeast and bacteria into a beer in addition to brewer's yeast. I have been experimenting some with funking (adding wild microbes) beers and have finally been able to enjoy some of the fruits of my labor. In that previous post, I talked about a beer that I made with bananas and Brettanomyces (wild yeast). I didn't know what to expect when I first tossed them into the fermenter. I have to say, I am quite pleased with the results!

Appearance:  Golden yellow. Straw colored, but a muted straw. Very clear. No head to speak of.

Aroma:  Smells like Brett. Funky. Some horseyness/barnyard (but not in a bad way). Slight sour aroma probably resulting from acetic acid. All funk, no malt or hops.

Taste:  Extremely complex! Nice blend of sour and earthy notes. Slight hop bite, but it has largely faded from what the non-soured saison boasted. Mild caramel flavor. Mild toasty notes. The flavor has certainly improved since my last tasting (which I didn’t write up a post for, oops!!!).

Mouthfeel:  Very light. It seems a lot of the carbonation has faded a bit too. Feels as light as it looks.

Good beer overall. The hoppiness clashes a bit with the other flavors, overpowering them slightly. I will be interested to try this in a few more months.

Recipe Name:         Banana Brett Saison

Recipe Volume:      1 gallon

Yeast:                     White Labs WLP568 Saison Blend for primary fermentation
                                Brett cultured from El Cedro for secondary fermentation

Malts:	Amount
1. 2-row malt	8 lbs.
2. Vienna malt	1 lb.
3. Carapils	0.5 lb.
3. Honey malt	0.5 lb.

Brewhouse Efficiency            77%
Calculated Original Gravity            1.055
Caclulated Boil Gravity                   1.044
Measured Original Gravity             1.056

Hops:	Amount	Boil Time	IBUs
1. Nugget (13.5%)	1 oz.	60	49
2. Warrior (16.7%)	0.5 oz.	30	23
3. Saaz (2.4%)	1 oz.	1	0

Calculated IBUs          73

Event horizon imperial stout

I considered not putting up this post. I thought maybe I should just let this one die, but then I thought some more, and I decided that I don't want this blog to only be a chronicle of the successes I have in brewing. I would prefer it to be a tool for me to document my experiences and tell the complete story of my homebrewing adventures. So with that, I confess - this beer is bad. It's not just ok. It's not half-bad. It's all bad. I am extremely disappointed in it, and I came into making this one with the highest of expectations (I even came up with what I thought was a very clever name). Here are my thoughts. I will get it right next time!

Appearance:  Probably the only pleasant thing about this beer. It is extremely dark. Tan head that appears rich, but rapidly dissipates leaving behind some lacing.

Aroma:  Something's not quite right here. The smell is off. Not what I would expect in a stout. No maltiness to speak of. A cider-like aroma that might be due to the large addition of extract.

Taste:  A few good things, but mostly bad things. The taste is not quite as off-putting as the aroma. I went too heavy on the hops, which probably happened because I didn't think to adjust the amount we used after we got a poor extraction. The cider flavor clashes badly with the rest of the beer. Both the excessive hopiness and cideriness mask what could potentially be a good beer - difficult to tell though.

Mouthfeel:  Think coating in the mouth. Slight astringency.

:(

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