Bayou Beer

All about beer brewing and drinking in South Louisiana.

Guardians of the Galaxy Amber

March 20th, 2016

So Deadpool Stout came out sucking pretty bad. It’s muddled, it’s astringent and it’s a little offensive.(sort of like Deadpool I guess) So serving it for Zapp’s has been deemed a bad idea. I’m going to age it a couple of months and see if it straightens out to drinkable. But I still have to go to Zapp’s in two weeks and have been craving an Amber. So I’m brewing a version of Jamil’s amber.

Brew day 3/22/2016
Brew day went extremely well. 30 minute mashing, 30 minute boil and this new Hydra chiller from JaDeD brewing took 10 gallons down to pitching temperature in 15 minutes which is excellent given the relatively warm ground water here. Completely blew away what I thought was sold as a 10 gallon chiller I purchased for $100 a couple of years ago. It’s certainly work the money.

From start to closing the garage doors took me 3 hours which is a new record for me. Pitched the yeast right then and there and had a healthy fermentation going this morning when I peeked in the chamber. Original gravity was high at 1.070. I did a last minute change in additions changing the 1 ounce additions for finishing hops to .75 ounce to avoid over-hopping. This beer will be extremely tasty.

Update 4/23/2016
A good beer no doubt but not something I’ve been able to drink a bunch of. If I brew another amber it’ll be less caramel.

Recipe Details

Batch Size Boil Time IBU SRM Est. OG Est. FG ABV
11 gal 30 min 35.2 IBUs 16.2 SRM 1.051 1.010 5.5 %

Style Details

Name Cat. OG Range FG Range IBU SRM Carb ABV
American Amber Ale 6 B 1.045 - 1.056 1.01 - 1.015 20 - 40 11 - 18 2.3 - 2.8 4.5 - 5.7 %

Fermentables

Name Amount %
Pale Malt (2 Row) US 18 lbs 74.23
Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L 2 lbs 8.25
Munich Malt 2 lbs 8.25
Caramel/Crystal Malt -120L 1 lbs 4.12
Victory Malt 1 lbs 4.12
Carafa I 4 oz 1.03

Hops

Name Amount Time Use Form Alpha %
Columbus/Tomahawk/Zeus (CTZ) 1 oz 30 min Boil Pellet 15.5
Centennial 1 oz 10 min Boil Pellet 10
Galaxy 1 oz 10 min Boil Pellet 14
Centennial 1 oz 0 min Boil Pellet 10
Galaxy 1 oz 0 min Boil Pellet 14

Miscs

Name Amount Time Use Type
Lactic Acid 10.00 ml 60 min Mash Water Agent
Calcium Chloride 5.00 g 60 min Mash Water Agent
Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) 5.00 g 60 min Mash Water Agent

Yeast

Name Lab Attenuation Temperature
Safale American (US-05) DCL/Fermentis 77% 59°F - 75°F

Mash

Step Temperature Time
Mash In 150°F 75 min

North German Altbier

January 22nd, 2014

Recently I had the opportunity to judge alts at Roberts Cover Germanfest. As I’d never had a German alt other than Uerige Sticke I had no idea what to expect but was surprised at how much I enjoyed the beers submitted. So I’ve made it a point to brew my own German altbiers this year starting with 10 gallons of Jamil’s North German Altbier with a minor change of using only half of the roasted malts he used. The reason for this change is the beers I judged seem very dark compared to the description of the style. Most of the alt recipes I’ve seen out there are adaptations of Jamil’s North German Alt or Dusseldorf Alt recipe and I suspect these are where many of the beers I judged came from.

Brew Day Was January 20, 2014

A fairly hectic brew day. Had some pump issues with recirculation and something happened with the screen at the bottom of the mash tun as I couldn’t get it to run clear. I ended up transferring the wort/grain to buckets, resetting the tun, transferring it back, recirculating and getting it straight. Post boil and in to the fermenters everything was right on gravity and tasted/looked really good so no worries. As I suspected the beer is much lighter in color and more akin to the style description.

January 22, 2014

Really strong 2 days of fermentation at 60F and it’s still going. Should be a good beer. It’d better be for 10 gallons.

January 26, 2014

After the great ice storm of 2014 here in Baton Rouge I was a little worried this beer wouldn’t finish out enough. It’s currently at 1.0115 even though with the cold weather my outside storage got it down as low as 50F. The top 1/4 of the fermenter is brightening so I’ll let it sit for another week to polish up before crashing to lager on the yeast for a week. Overall it’s a very bready, very strongly bittered beer with distinct German flavors. Definitely some bready tastes bordering on toasty in there and a full body especially for a 1.048 beer. I think I’m going to really enjoy this one when it’s finished.

Recipe Details

Batch Size Boil Time IBU SRM Est. OG Est. FG ABV
11 gal 90 min 36.8 IBUs 11.9 SRM 1.048 SG 1.010 SG 5.0 %

Style Details

Name Cat. OG Range FG Range IBU SRM Carb ABV
Northern German Altbier 7 A 1.046 - 1.054 1.01 - 1.015 25 - 40 13 - 19 2.4 - 2.8 4.5 - 5.2 %

Fermentables

Name Amount %
Pilsner (2 Row) Ger 18 lbs 85.71
Munich Malt - 10L 2 lbs 9.52
Caramunich Malt 0.5 lbs 2.38
Carafa II 0.25 lbs 1.19
Pale Chocolate Malt 0.25 lbs 1.19

Hops

Name Amount Time Use Form Alpha %
Magnum 1.5 oz 60 min Boil Pellet 14

Yeast

Name Lab Attenuation Temperature
German Ale (1007) Wyeast Labs 75% 55°F - 66°F

Dunkelweizen

April 18th, 2013

Fresh off my latest good run of medals(3rd in Weizen at Louisiana Clubs Homebrew Competition, 2nd in Bock at Bluebonnet Brew Off and 3rd in Barleywine at Bluebonnet Brew Off) it’s time to brew another hopefully good beer.   I’m working my way through the German wheat and rye this time with Dunkelweizen.   Looking forward to this one big time as it’s one of my favorite drinkers.  Beer will be brewed 4/19/2013. Pitching it on a yeast cake from my hefeweizen so lord knows how that’ll go.

Update 5/18/2013

In my attempt to perfect my carbonation issues I hit this one at 24 PSI for 2 weeks.   It’s given this beer a remarkably better mouthfeel.   As I’ve carbonated it I’ve tried it.   I started initially with 18 PSI to see how it turned out and it wasn’t quite right after a week.   It tasted decent but wasn’t quite centered.   Fast forward one week it’s very smooth, creamy and complete.    The beer tastes wonderful.

Recipe Details

Batch Size Boil Time IBU SRM Est. OG Est. FG ABV
6 gal 90 min 15 1.056 1.012 5.5

Style Details

Name Cat. OG Range FG Range IBU SRM Carb ABV
Dunkelweizen 15 15B 1.044 - 1.056 1.01 - 1.014 10 - 18 14 - 23 0 - 0 4.3 - 5.6 %

Fermentables

Name Amount %
Wheat Malt, Ger 7 lbs 50.63
Munich Malt 3 lbs 21.7
Pilsner (2 Row) Bel 3 lbs 21.7
Special B Malt 5.6 oz 2.53
Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L 5.6 oz 2.53
Carafa II 2 oz 0.9

Hops

Name Amount Time Use Form Alpha %
Hallertauer Mittelfrueh 1 oz 60 min Aroma Pellet 4

Miscs

Name Amount Time Use Type
Lactic Acid 529.11 oz 60 min Mash Water Agent
Calcium Chloride 17.64 oz 60 min Mash Water Agent
Epsom Salt (MgSO4) 17.64 oz 60 min Mash Water Agent

Yeast

Name Lab Attenuation Temperature
Hefeweizen Ale (WLP300) White Labs 74% 68°F - 72°F

Mash

Step Temperature Time
New Mash Step 154°F 70 min

Notes

Prepare 10 gallons of water with intention of using 9 in it. Salt and acid go in to the 10 gallons. 3.5 volumes of carbonation. 165F strike water at 20 quarts.

Baton Rouge Brown Porter – Brewed June

June 17th, 2012

So our Brasseurs a la Maison club competition is porter for the sake of sending the beer to the club competition in the AHA.    This was coincidental to my latest decision to go on a British style brewing rampage so I’m pushing the ESB and sweet stout until July although I’m ordering all the ingredients for all of the brews.    I love the English style brown porters especially the Taddy porter from Samuel Smith.   I’ll be brewing Jamil’s with a slight variation in chocolate and crystal malts.   I want more actual chocolate taste so I’ll be using pale chocolate.   Pale chocolate is slightly sweet so I’ll reduce the crystal addition.   Hopefully it’ll work out and be a a very nice porter.  Salt additions will likely involve calcium carbonate, gypsum and/or Epson salts.

Here is the original brew game plan:

Mash Water Modification For 5 gallons prepared mash water volume with the intention of using 4 of it.  75% Baton Rouge water 25% distilled with 3/4 teaspoon chalk, 1/4 teaspoon Epson salt and 1/3 teaspoon calcium chloride.   If we drop the volume to 4 gallons prepared the chalk will become 1/2 teaspoon and the calcium chloride 1/4 teaspoon.   1 teaspoon of Irish Moss rehydrated.

How it went down:

Everything went very smooth.  I hit the mash temperature right but for some reason before I could run off enough liquid the gravity fell below 1.010 which caused me to stop it there.   Original gravity was about 1.049 which is slightly lower but I think it’s because the grain ran clean fast.   I may need to adjust my efficiency or just run off more wort until I get to the 1.007 area.

After 10 days the final gravity was at 1.013 which tends to make me think adding a little DME would’ve been a good idea in this situation.  However the results I got resulted in a great tasting beer with a nice balance of chocolate, roast, nutty and sweet flavors.   Currently carbonating.

Name: Baton Rouge Brown Porter
Description: A classic porter.   Mash at 153F for 60 minutes..   ferment at 67F.   the chocolate is pale chocolate and the carafa is because i dont have time to age the acrid roast maltS.  1 teaspoon irish moss and modify water for carbonate profile using 3/4 tsp chalk, 1/4 tsp epson and 1/4 tsp calcium chloride.   4 gallons mash water with 5 prepared.   btr water
Post Boil Volume: 6.00
Pre Boil Volume: 7.00
Mash Time: 60.00
Boil Time: 75.00
Desired Original Gravity: 1.052
Desired Final Gravity: 1.013
Calculated Likely ABV% Based on Specified Gravities: 5.120
Users Targeted ABV%: 5.000
Desired CO2 Volumes: 2
Anticipated Brewhouse Efficiency: 70
Likely Original Gravity at 6.00 Based on Grains and Efficiency: @ 70% = 334 GU = 1.056

Grain: Caramel/Crystal Malt – 40L qty:0.5
Grain: Pale Malt, Maris Otter qty:10
Grain: Brown Malt qty:1
Grain: Chocolate Malt qty:0.5
Grain: Caramel/Crystal Malt – 20L qty:0.5
Grain: Carafa II qty:0.5

Hop : Fuggles qty:2 at:60 mins. AA=4.50
Hop : Fuggles qty:1 at:10 mins. AA=4.50

Yeast: Burton Ale qty:2 Max temp: 73.0 Min temp: 68.0

Style Name: Brown Porter (Porter)
Baton Rouge Brown Porter Pocket Brewer XML Code»

Baton Rouge Brown Porter BeerXML Code»

Sent from my Windows Phone


<?xml version=”1.0″ encoding=”utf-16″?>
<RecipeClass>
<BREWER>Pocket Brewer</BREWER>
<Type>All Grain</Type>
<VERSION>1</VERSION>
<OriginalGravity>1.052</OriginalGravity>
<OriginalGravityImportExport>1.052</OriginalGravityImportExport>
<FinalGravityImportExport>1.013</FinalGravityImportExport>
<FinalGravity>1.013</FinalGravity>
<BatchSize>6</BatchSize>
<BatchSizeImportExport>6</BatchSizeImportExport>
<BoilVolumeSize>7</BoilVolumeSize>
<BoilVolumeSizeImportExport>7</BoilVolumeSizeImportExport>
<CO2Volumes>2</CO2Volumes>
<BoilTime>75</BoilTime>
<MashTime>60</MashTime>
<TargetABV>5</TargetABV>
<BrewHouseEfficiency>70</BrewHouseEfficiency>
<Name>Baton Rouge Brown Porter</Name>
<Style />
<Description>A classic porter.   Mash at 153F for 60 minutes..   ferment at 67F.   the chocolate is pale chocolate and the carafa is because i dont have time to age the acrid roast maltS.  1 teaspoon irish moss and modify water for carbonate profile using 3/4 tsp chalk, 1/4 tsp epson and 1/4 tsp calcium chloride.   4 gallons mash water with 5 prepared.   btr water</Description>
<StyleIdExact>12A</StyleIdExact>
<StyleIdGeneral>12</StyleIdGeneral>
<Yeasts>
<YeastAdditionClass>
<Quantity>2</Quantity>
<Name>Burton Ale</Name>
<ProductID>WLP023</ProductID>
</YeastAdditionClass>
</Yeasts>
<Hops>
<HopAdditionClass>
<USE>Boil</USE>
<VERSION>1</VERSION>
<NOTES>Used For: General purpose bittering/aroma for English Ales, Dark Lagers</NOTES>
<QuantityIO>2</QuantityIO>
<Quantity>2</Quantity>
<QuantityText>2</QuantityText>
<Alpha>4.50</Alpha>
<AlphaText>4.50</AlphaText>
<TinsethIBUS>26</TinsethIBUS>
<IsWholeHop>false</IsWholeHop>
<TimeInMinutes>60</TimeInMinutes>
<TimeInMinutesText>60</TimeInMinutesText>
<Name>Fuggles</Name>
<Visible>Visible</Visible>
</HopAdditionClass>
<HopAdditionClass>
<USE>Boil</USE>
<VERSION>1</VERSION>
<NOTES>Used For: General purpose bittering/aroma for English Ales, Dark Lagers</NOTES>
<QuantityIO>1</QuantityIO>
<Quantity>1</Quantity>
<QuantityText>1</QuantityText>
<Alpha>4.50</Alpha>
<AlphaText>4.50</AlphaText>
<TinsethIBUS>5</TinsethIBUS>
<IsWholeHop>false</IsWholeHop>
<TimeInMinutes>10</TimeInMinutes>
<TimeInMinutesText>10</TimeInMinutesText>
<Name>Fuggles</Name>
<Visible>Visible</Visible>
</HopAdditionClass>
</Hops>
<Grains>
<GrainAdditionClass>
<QuantityIO>0.5</QuantityIO>
<VERSION>1</VERSION>
<YIELD>74.00</YIELD>
<COLOR>40.0</COLOR>
<ORIGIN>US</ORIGIN>
<SUPPLIER />
<NOTES />
<Quantity>0.5</Quantity>
<PotentialSpecificGravity>1.034</PotentialSpecificGravity>
<Type>Grain</Type>
<Name>Caramel/Crystal Malt – 40L</Name>
</GrainAdditionClass>
<GrainAdditionClass>
<QuantityIO>10</QuantityIO>
<VERSION>1</VERSION>
<YIELD>82.50</YIELD>
<COLOR>3.0</COLOR>
<ORIGIN>United Kingdom</ORIGIN>
<SUPPLIER>Maris Otter</SUPPLIER>
<NOTES>Premium base malt from the UK.  Popular for many English styles of beer including ales, pale ales and bitters.</NOTES>
<Quantity>10</Quantity>
<PotentialSpecificGravity>1.038</PotentialSpecificGravity>
<Type>Grain</Type>
<Name>Pale Malt, Maris Otter</Name>
</GrainAdditionClass>
<GrainAdditionClass>
<QuantityIO>1</QuantityIO>
<VERSION>1</VERSION>
<YIELD>70.00</YIELD>
<COLOR>65.0</COLOR>
<ORIGIN>United Kingdom</ORIGIN>
<SUPPLIER />
<NOTES>Imparts a dry, biscuit flavor. Used in nut brown ales, porters and some Belgian ales.</NOTES>
<Quantity>1</Quantity>
<PotentialSpecificGravity>1.032</PotentialSpecificGravity>
<Type>Grain</Type>
<Name>Brown Malt</Name>
</GrainAdditionClass>
<GrainAdditionClass>
<QuantityIO>0.5</QuantityIO>
<VERSION>1</VERSION>
<YIELD>60.00</YIELD>
<COLOR>350.0</COLOR>
<ORIGIN>US</ORIGIN>
<SUPPLIER />
<NOTES />
<Quantity>0.5</Quantity>
<PotentialSpecificGravity>1.028</PotentialSpecificGravity>
<Type>Grain</Type>
<Name>Chocolate Malt</Name>
</GrainAdditionClass>
<GrainAdditionClass>
<QuantityIO>0.5</QuantityIO>
<VERSION>1</VERSION>
<YIELD>75.00</YIELD>
<COLOR>20.0</COLOR>
<ORIGIN>US</ORIGIN>
<SUPPLIER />
<NOTES />
<Quantity>0.5</Quantity>
<PotentialSpecificGravity>1.035</PotentialSpecificGravity>
<Type>Grain</Type>
<Name>Caramel/Crystal Malt – 20L</Name>
</GrainAdditionClass>
<GrainAdditionClass>
<QuantityIO>0.5</QuantityIO>
<VERSION>1</VERSION>
<YIELD>70.00</YIELD>
<COLOR>412.0</COLOR>
<ORIGIN>Germany</ORIGIN>
<SUPPLIER>Weyermann</SUPPLIER>
<NOTES>Used to intensify aroma and color in dark, Munich beers and stouts.</NOTES>
<Quantity>0.5</Quantity>
<PotentialSpecificGravity>1.032</PotentialSpecificGravity>
<Type>Grain</Type>
<Name>Carafa II</Name>
</GrainAdditionClass>
</Grains>
<Adjuncts />
<MISCS />
<WATERS />
<MASH>
<MASH_STEPS />
<VERSION>0</VERSION>
<GRAIN_TEMP>0</GRAIN_TEMP>
<TUN_TEMP>0</TUN_TEMP>
<SPARGE_TEMP>0</SPARGE_TEMP>
<PH>0</PH>
<TUN_WEIGHT>0</TUN_WEIGHT>
<TUN_SPECIFIC_HEAT>0</TUN_SPECIFIC_HEAT>
</MASH>
<Id>f34cf186-c38b-4944-be2d-df1cb5e73388</Id>
<BrewHouse>
<Efficiency>70</Efficiency>
</BrewHouse>
</RecipeClass>

<?xml version=”1.0″ encoding=”utf-16″?>
<RECIPE>
<NAME>Baton Rouge Brown Porter</NAME>
<VERSION>1</VERSION>
<TYPE>All Grain</TYPE>
<NOTES>A classic porter.   Mash at 153F for 60 minutes..   ferment at 67F.   the chocolate is pale chocolate and the carafa is because i dont have time to age the acrid roast maltS.  1 teaspoon irish moss and modify water for carbonate profile using 3/4 tsp chalk, 1/4 tsp epson and 1/4 tsp calcium chloride.   4 gallons mash water with 5 prepared.   btr water</NOTES>
<BREWER>Pocket Brewer</BREWER>
<BATCH_SIZE>22.7115</BATCH_SIZE>
<BOIL_TIME>75</BOIL_TIME>
<BOIL_SIZE>26.4968</BOIL_SIZE>
<EFFICIENCY>70</EFFICIENCY>
<FG>1.013</FG>
<OG>1.052</OG>
<CARBONATION>2</CARBONATION>
<HOPS>
<HOP>
<NAME>Fuggles</NAME>
<VERSION>1</VERSION>
<ALPHA>4.50</ALPHA>
<AMOUNT>0.0567</AMOUNT>
<USE>Boil</USE>
<TIME>60</TIME>
<NOTES>Used For: General purpose bittering/aroma for English Ales, Dark Lagers</NOTES>
</HOP>
<HOP>
<NAME>Fuggles</NAME>
<VERSION>1</VERSION>
<ALPHA>4.50</ALPHA>
<AMOUNT>0.0283</AMOUNT>
<USE>Boil</USE>
<TIME>10</TIME>
<NOTES>Used For: General purpose bittering/aroma for English Ales, Dark Lagers</NOTES>
</HOP>
</HOPS>
<FERMENTABLES>
<FERMENTABLE>
<NAME>Caramel/Crystal Malt – 40L</NAME>
<VERSION>1</VERSION>
<AMOUNT>0.2268</AMOUNT>
<TYPE>Grain</TYPE>
<YIELD>74.00</YIELD>
<COLOR>40.0</COLOR>
<ORIGIN>US</ORIGIN>
<SUPPLIER />
<NOTES />
<COARSE_FINE_DIFF>1.50</COARSE_FINE_DIFF>
<MOISTURE>4.00</MOISTURE>
<DISASTATIC_POWER>0.0</DISASTATIC_POWER>
<PROTEIN>13.20</PROTEIN>
<MAX_IN_BATCH>20.00</MAX_IN_BATCH>
<POTENTIAL>1.034</POTENTIAL>
</FERMENTABLE>
<FERMENTABLE>
<NAME>Pale Malt, Maris Otter</NAME>
<VERSION>1</VERSION>
<AMOUNT>4.5359</AMOUNT>
<TYPE>Grain</TYPE>
<YIELD>82.50</YIELD>
<COLOR>3.0</COLOR>
<ORIGIN>United Kingdom</ORIGIN>
<SUPPLIER>Maris Otter</SUPPLIER>
<NOTES>Premium base malt from the UK.  Popular for many English styles of beer including ales, pale ales and bitters.</NOTES>
<COARSE_FINE_DIFF>1.50</COARSE_FINE_DIFF>
<MOISTURE>3.00</MOISTURE>
<DISASTATIC_POWER>120.0</DISASTATIC_POWER>
<PROTEIN>11.70</PROTEIN>
<MAX_IN_BATCH>100.00</MAX_IN_BATCH>
<POTENTIAL>1.038</POTENTIAL>
</FERMENTABLE>
<FERMENTABLE>
<NAME>Brown Malt</NAME>
<VERSION>1</VERSION>
<AMOUNT>0.4536</AMOUNT>
<TYPE>Grain</TYPE>
<YIELD>70.00</YIELD>
<COLOR>65.0</COLOR>
<ORIGIN>United Kingdom</ORIGIN>
<SUPPLIER />
<NOTES>Imparts a dry, biscuit flavor. Used in nut brown ales, porters and some Belgian ales.</NOTES>
<COARSE_FINE_DIFF>1.50</COARSE_FINE_DIFF>
<MOISTURE>4.00</MOISTURE>
<DISASTATIC_POWER>0.0</DISASTATIC_POWER>
<PROTEIN>0.00</PROTEIN>
<MAX_IN_BATCH>10.00</MAX_IN_BATCH>
<POTENTIAL>1.032</POTENTIAL>
</FERMENTABLE>
<FERMENTABLE>
<NAME>Chocolate Malt</NAME>
<VERSION>1</VERSION>
<AMOUNT>0.2268</AMOUNT>
<TYPE>Grain</TYPE>
<YIELD>60.00</YIELD>
<COLOR>350.0</COLOR>
<ORIGIN>US</ORIGIN>
<SUPPLIER />
<NOTES />
<COARSE_FINE_DIFF>1.50</COARSE_FINE_DIFF>
<MOISTURE>4.00</MOISTURE>
<DISASTATIC_POWER>0.0</DISASTATIC_POWER>
<PROTEIN>13.20</PROTEIN>
<MAX_IN_BATCH>10.00</MAX_IN_BATCH>
<POTENTIAL>1.028</POTENTIAL>
</FERMENTABLE>
<FERMENTABLE>
<NAME>Caramel/Crystal Malt – 20L</NAME>
<VERSION>1</VERSION>
<AMOUNT>0.2268</AMOUNT>
<TYPE>Grain</TYPE>
<YIELD>75.00</YIELD>
<COLOR>20.0</COLOR>
<ORIGIN>US</ORIGIN>
<SUPPLIER />
<NOTES />
<COARSE_FINE_DIFF>1.50</COARSE_FINE_DIFF>
<MOISTURE>4.00</MOISTURE>
<DISASTATIC_POWER>0.0</DISASTATIC_POWER>
<PROTEIN>13.20</PROTEIN>
<MAX_IN_BATCH>20.00</MAX_IN_BATCH>
<POTENTIAL>1.035</POTENTIAL>
</FERMENTABLE>
<FERMENTABLE>
<NAME>Carafa II</NAME>
<VERSION>1</VERSION>
<AMOUNT>0.2268</AMOUNT>
<TYPE>Grain</TYPE>
<YIELD>70.00</YIELD>
<COLOR>412.0</COLOR>
<ORIGIN>Germany</ORIGIN>
<SUPPLIER>Weyermann</SUPPLIER>
<NOTES>Used to intensify aroma and color in dark, Munich beers and stouts.</NOTES>
<COARSE_FINE_DIFF>1.50</COARSE_FINE_DIFF>
<MOISTURE>4.00</MOISTURE>
<DISASTATIC_POWER>0.0</DISASTATIC_POWER>
<PROTEIN>11.70</PROTEIN>
<MAX_IN_BATCH>5.00</MAX_IN_BATCH>
<POTENTIAL>1.032</POTENTIAL>
</FERMENTABLE>
</FERMENTABLES>
<MISCS />
<WATERS />
<YEASTS>
<YEAST>
<NAME>Burton Ale</NAME>
<TYPE>Ale</TYPE>
<VERSION>0</VERSION>
<FORM>Liquid</FORM>
<AMOUNT>2</AMOUNT>
<LABORATORY>White Labs</LABORATORY>
<PRODUCT_ID>WLP023</PRODUCT_ID>
<MIN_TEMPERATURE>68.0</MIN_TEMPERATURE>
<MAX_TEMPERATURE>73.0</MAX_TEMPERATURE>
<ATTENUATION>72.00</ATTENUATION>
<NOTES>Burton-on-trent yeast produces a complex character.  Flavors include apple, pear, and clover honey.</NOTES>
<BEST_FOR>All English styles including Pale Ale, IPA, Porter, Stout and Bitters.</BEST_FOR>
<FLOCCULATION>Medium</FLOCCULATION>
</YEAST>
</YEASTS>
<MASH>
<MASH_STEPS />
<VERSION>0</VERSION>
<GRAIN_TEMP>0</GRAIN_TEMP>
<TUN_TEMP>0</TUN_TEMP>
<SPARGE_TEMP>0</SPARGE_TEMP>
<PH>0</PH>
<TUN_WEIGHT>0</TUN_WEIGHT>
<TUN_SPECIFIC_HEAT>0</TUN_SPECIFIC_HEAT>
</MASH>
<STYLE>
<NAME>Brown Porter</NAME>
<CATEGORY>Porter</CATEGORY>
<CATEGORY_NUMBER>12</CATEGORY_NUMBER>
<STYLE_LETTER>A</STYLE_LETTER>
<STYLE_GUIDE>BJCP</STYLE_GUIDE>
<VERSION>1</VERSION>
<TYPE>Ale</TYPE>
<OG_MIN>1.040</OG_MIN>
<OG_MAX>1.052</OG_MAX>
<FG_MIN>1.008</FG_MIN>
<FG_MAX>1.014</FG_MAX>
<IBU_MIN>18</IBU_MIN>
<IBU_MAX>35</IBU_MAX>
<COLOR_MIN>20.0</COLOR_MIN>
<COLOR_MAX>30.0</COLOR_MAX>
<ABV_MIN>4.0</ABV_MIN>
<ABV_MAX>5.4</ABV_MAX>
<NOTES>Differs from a robust porter in that it usually has softer, sweeter and more caramelly flavors, lower gravities, and usually less alcohol.  More substance and roast than a brown ale.  Higher in gravity than a dark mild.  Some versions are fermented with lager yeast.  Balance tends toward malt more than hops.  Usually has an “English” character.  Historical versions with Brettanomyces, sourness, or smokiness should be entered in the Specialty Beer category (23).</NOTES>
</STYLE>
</RECIPE>

What I Learned Screwing Up Two Pilsners I brewed in February

May 11th, 2012

I learned a lot on my last two beers.   I brewed two different pilsner recipes.   One was a slight modification of a beer that was a big hit and the other was an attempt at one of Jamil Zainasheff’s well known recipes in the “Northern German Pilsner”.    The two recipes can be found at the following links on Pocket Brewer where I post all my recipes for those who use my software:

Northern German Pilsner

A Modified (Saaz) Pilsdaddy Recipe

Here’s the things I did wrong:

  • I boiled with the top on to reduce boil off.  DMS
  • I forgot my clarifying agent for these beers which need to be very clear.
  • I had a seriously rolling boil which I learned was overkill later on.
  • I used hop balls to reduce trub without adjusting the level of hops.   Hop balls in my mind really reduce your IBUs.   Both beers were so low on bitterness it’s not even like drinking a pilsner.
  • I pitched warm then two weeks later I learned about not pitching warm.
  • Louisiana weather shifted on my room holding my lagering freezer which totally screwed the temperature.     The first two days the temperature was closer to 60 rather than the target of 50.   Later I learned about how these non-digital Johnson temperature controllers are way off.   I also learned that you should tape the sensor to the carboy.    The bottom line is the higher fermentation  probably contributed to ending up with not as clean a beer as I would’ve liked.

The end result was two somewhat cloudy beers which were more malty than bitter.    The beers were actually very drinkable but they just weren’t pilsner.    They display a light sweetness and not much bitter taste.   It really reminds me of drinking some sort of mild tasting ale with high alcohol.

I have learned quite a bit on these two beers.  Most was learned after the fact listening to The Brewing Network but learned none the less.   I will re-brew the exact same recipes in a few months to see what the results are.

What’s funniest is that for about two years now I’ve been having great results brewing lagers but lately the results have gotten less desirable.   It’s always been good beer but I didn’t get better results from the tweaks I made.   Things like the lid on the brew pot and hop balls were attempts to improve but they made things worse.   I am thinking keeping it simple and learning more about the science has helped me.

Bayou Beer

All about beer brewing and drinking in South Louisiana.

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