Brews Easily!

A collection of unusual brewing ideas: mostly weird beers!

[brewseasily]

Pine Apple Wheat Beer (Wine?)!

OK so here’s the idea: for the ultimate in summer refreshment, we’re going to make five gallons of something that is half beer and half pineapple wine.  HERE GOES:

Bring 1.25 gallons of water to a boil.  Add 3.3 lbs of liquid wheat malt extract.  Return to a (low) boil.  30 mins later, add .5 oz saaz hops [as you can see in the above picture, mine are 2.4% alpha acid] .  We are only using flavor and aroma hops (omitting bittering hops) in this batch, because we want the pineapple character to be more detectable, and therefore want minimal hop contribution.  Boil 25 more mins.  Add .5 oz saaz hops.  Boil five more minutes.  TERMINATE THE BOIL.  While your wort is cooling, pour 7 liters (apologies for the metric/standard mashup) of pasteurized pineapple juice into your sanitized fermenter.  Add your cooled wort, and add an additional 1.5 gallons water.  Pitch your yeast (I chose the Wyeast 1187 Ringwood Ale for a balanced, yet vigorously fermenting yeast), let sit two weeks...(to be continued as this beer ferments!)

Review March 17, 2016:

So this beer is almost a year old now, and I have been keeping it refrigerated for about 8 months now.  When I moved apartments a few months ago, I moved this last beer of the batch from my old apartment’s fridge to my new one.   But here it is: still an excellent beer.

As I recall, the first ones of the batch had an extremely mild pineapple flavor.  While I made my way through the five gallons, the pineapple element was increasingly expressed.  And now, after all this time, the pineapple note is stronger than ever.  

Which isn’t to say there’s a lot of pineapple there to begin with.  A notoriously hard flavor to capture in beer, even adding as much as I did, the pineapple is an afterthought.  Someone who hadn’t been informed that this beer contained pineapple might attribute the fruitiness to a citra (or other passionfruit-forward) hop.  

The wheat note is just right.  I’ve had mixed results with wheat malt extract; it always seems to leave a muddy, yeasty beer regardless of the yeast used to ferment.  However, given that this was only one half wheat malt, I think it was the perfect amount.  I would consider using another yeast next time, something that fermented a little slower, and something that would attenuate more completely for a crisper beer.  

As more of a maltster, the low-hop quality was just right.  I would probably use a more citrusy hop in the future, to accentuate what little pineapple there was.

Overall, a technically sound beer, even after all that time spent lagering.  Here’s hoping to get back into brewing after a long hiatus!

[brewseasily]

Count Stoutula!

this text is to confirm that in the time since I updated this blog, I made a stout with two boxes of count chocula brand cereal, called Count Stoutula.  At first I thought the beer was going to be a failure due to how much suspended particulate there was (giving it this sludgy texture).  After almost eight months in the bottle, I tried another one out of curiosity.  To my surprise, the extra time clarified it a little, and made it drinkable!  A little tangy/sour (though I doubt lactobacillus interference), you still can only drink about 2/3 of every bottle, because the rest is pure mud.  I don’t have any pictures of this batch because the iPad I had all my pictures on broke - also it looks like I didn’t record the recipe :(  Anyway, time to get back to brewing; I think I’m making a horseradish pale next week!

[brewseasily]

Dark Munich Cherry Kolsch Homebrew Recipe

Dark Munich Cherry Kolsch

May 22, 2014:  This beer is going to be a crazy mash-up of styles.  It’s another low-alcohol beer for easy summer drinkin’.  Roasty due to the special B and Munich malts.  Fruity in the nose because of the Citra hops.  Tart and crisp because of the Kolsch yeast and tart cherry juice.  Will it work?  Let’s find out!

1.  Bring 2.5 gallons water to steeping temperature (145 to 160 degrees F).  Steep 0.367 lbs of special B malt for fifteen minutes in this range, and then bring the water to a full boil.

2.  Add 3.3 lbs liquid Munich malt extract.  Return to a boil and boil for one hour.

3.  Add 1 oz pelletized Citra hops and 32 oz unfiltered not from concentrate red tart cherry juice.  Boil this all for 20 minutes.

4.  Cool your wort, put it into a fermenter with an additional 2.5 gallons cool water, and pitch your yeast!  I used Wyeast 2565 Kolsch to give it a lemony-crisp tartness to accentuate the cherry’s tartness. 

5.  Let it ferment for two weeks.

More on this beer as it develops!

Review CHRISTMAS DAY 2014:

Wow am I getting behind on this thing.  Anyway, after 2 months at room temperature and then 5 months in the fridge (where does the time go?), I'm finally getting around to drinking this little guy.  

I definitely waited too long.  There is a lot of particulate on the bottom of my glass, and an overpowering yeasty flavor that was not there when I was drinking the first few beers from this batch.  This is an important lesson in drinking and reviewing my beers in a timely manner!

[brewseasily]

My First Belgian Homebrew Recipe!

May 20, 2014:  File this one under "B" for "Boring".  I haven't brewed in too long so I wanted to throw something together, but inspiration hasn't struck me so this beer is not up to the creative par I have set so far on this blog.  Anyway, it's not so warm here that the AC needs to be on, but it's warm enough to keep five gallons of beer in that 75 degree range which is perfect for BELGIAN beers.  I have never brewed one before so I thought I'd give it a try!  

So it's nothing too wacky or special, but here's what I did:

1.  Boil 2.5 gallons of water.

2.  When the water is boiling, add 3.3 lbs liquid Amber malt extract, and 3.3 lbs liquid Dark malt extract.  I used Breiss' Amber and Special Dark.

3.  Add 1 oz pelletized UK Challenger Hops (8.9% alpha, 3.7% beta).  And boil for one hour.  Why UK Challenger?  Because the brew store was out of Saaz, Willamette, and Strisselspalt!

4.  Add 1 oz pelletized UK Challenger Hops and boil for 20 more minutes.

5.  Cool your wort, add another 2.5 gallons water, and pitch your yeast.  I used Wyeast 3787 Trappist HG.  Why?  Because some random guy at the beer store suggested it.  He said it was "a beast", and he wasn't kidding; this thing started bubbling angrily that very first night in the fermenter.  [side note: I scooped some of the krausen and pitched it into a half gallon of blueberry and pomegranate juice with 32 oz water to make another jug of "wine"]  

6.  Let it sit for two weeks, and then bottle.

More on this beer once I'm drinking it!

Review:

Well this is done from memory because, like a dummy, I didn’t write the review while drinking the last beer from the batch, which is usually my custom.  I remember this being too roasty, and I also didn’t like the yeast I used as it didn’t flocculate out well enough (though I understand that’s part of the appeal of belgian style beers).

[brewseasily]

Blueberry Wine? Wine not?

I was at the homebrew store (Brew Camp in Chicago!) and saw a little gallon jug.  "HOW CUTE" I thought.  "I CAN FERMENT SOMETHING IN THERE I AM SURE" (I think in caps lock).  And so I got 3 quarts of blueberry juice and poured them into the sanitized jug.  My jalapeno beer (see below) just happened to be at high krausen, so I just took a little krausen off the top and plopped it into the jug.  It took three days to start, but we are now fermenting happily!  I'm going to re-rack this off the yeast a few times to clarify it, but then just bottle it up (with a bit of priming sugar) to make a nice fruity summery sparkling wine!

Review May 26, 2014:  Holy crumbs this was a success!  Fresh and fruity with tobacco notes coming through in the body with a perfectly tart finish.  I am now resolute to always have some fruit juice in this jug bubbling away - the small batches make it that much more precious!  

[brewseasily]

Jalapeno Galaxy Homebrew Recipe!

Sunday, April 27:  Jalapeno Galaxy!  A lightly smoky jalapeno beer with a hint of galaxy hops in the nose!  Perfect for a hot summer day (which we may never, ever have here in Chicago ever again!).  Here’s the dilly:

1.  Bring 2.5 gallons of water to steeping temperature.  Steep ½ lb honey malt and ½ lb smoked malt for 15 mins while water is between 145 and 160 degrees F.

2.  Bring water to a full boil.  Add 3.3 lbs Munich Liquid Malt Extract (I used Breiss) as well as 2-3/8 oz sliced jalapeno.  I have found this amount of jalapeno to be right where you want it: hot, but not oppressively so.  Boil for 30 mins.

3.  Add 1 oz Czech Saaz pelletized hops.  Boil for another 70 mins. 

4.  Add ½ oz Galaxy hops.  Boil for 20 more minutes.

5.  Terminate boil.  Cool your wort ASAP and add it to your fermenter.  Add an additional 3 gallons of cool water (3 gallons because I boiled the wort for a little longer than I should have and thus lost some extra water), and pitch your yeast!  I used Wyeast 1318 London Ale III for its high flocculation and slightly sweet finish. 

6.  Let this baby bubble for two weeks and then bottle.  Two weeks after that, guzzle as directed! 

*This beer will never get a review.  It has been too long since I drank it, it will forever be lost to history...

[brewseasily]

Revitalizing Tonic Homebrew Recipe!

Tyler’s Revitalizing Cure-All Tonic!

This beer includes elements of many foods that I consider magical (or at least profoundly healthy).  Garlic, ginger, melon, mushroom, and five different fruit juices.  The idea is that this low-alcohol beer is something nutritious that I can sip on during those long, hot summer days without getting too buzzed.  Here’s the recipe:

1.  Bring 2.5 gallons of water to steeping temperature.  While between 140 and 165 degrees F, steep 1 lb freshly-milled honey malt (15 – 20 Lovibond).  When finished steeping, bring the water to a full boil.

2.  Add 1 and 7/8 oz freshly peeled and chopped garlic, 3 oz freshly peeled and chopped ginger (4 oz pre-peel), 8 oz maltodextrin, 7 oz fresh chopped shiitake mushrooms, and 1 lb, 14 and 3/8 oz fresh chopped honeydew melon (about one large melon). 

3.  Add 3.3 lbs Amber liquid malt extract.  I used Breiss, as usual.  Boil for 30 mins.

4.  Add ½ oz Willamette hops, pelletized.  Boil for another 40 mins.

5.  Add ½ oz pelletized Citra hops.  Boil for 20 more mins.

6.  Cool your wort!  Strain it into a fermenter, and add 32 oz of the following juices EACH:  blueberry, cherry (unfiltered), cranberry (not from concentrate), pomegranate, and concord grape.  Add an additional 1.25 gallons aerated water. 

7.  Pitch your yeast (I used Wyeast London ESB 1968), and let it sit for two weeks, and then bottle it up with 5 oz priming sugar!

Review 5/31/2014:  This batch became infected with something, but whatever that “something” was, it gave me a new appreciation for sour beers.  The unmistakable tangy sour quality of something fermented via bacteria and not yeast pervaded this batch; but due to the nutritive value of everything I put into this beer, I drank it anyway!  And as I continued the batch, I developed a taste for that sour beer quality, and the alien microbe went from a curse to a blessing.  The negative side, however, was that several of these bottles EXPLODED while conditioning due to the excess CO2 generation bacterial contamination creates. 

Anyway, the ginger, cranberry and cherry are the three flavors that came through the most – or those could just be the flavors that compliment the lactic acid so well.  The citra hops are entirely absent, as is the honey malt.  If I were to make this beer again I would remove the cranberry for being a flavor bully, and kick the garlic up just a little.  I would also not use as powerful a hop, I would consider 1 to 2 oz of a noble hop for the aroma. 

While this batch was “ruined”, it has inspired me to attempt a real sour beer sometime soon!  

[brewseasily]

Low-Alcohol Blueberry Homebrew Recipe!

3/25/14:  It is the end of March here in Chicago, but this everwinter refuses to end!  It's below freezing outside but I'm already thinking ahead to the sweltering heat of this summer.  I'd love to have a batch of beer on-hand that was really light and thirst-quenching, but low-alcohol enough to drink all evening without getting too puzzled.  So, as my first attempt to make a delicious but low-alcohol beer:

Easy Breezy Dark Blueberry Recipe!

Boil 2.5 gallons of water.  When in steeping range (145 to 160 degrees F) steep 1 lb of Special B Malt (140-155 Lovibond).  Bring the water to a full boil and add 6 lbs frozen blueberries! I used wild Boreal ones for that extra punch of the feral blueberry in its natural habitat.  Also add 3.3 lbs Special Dark liquid malt extract (I used Breiss).  Boil for 30 mins and then add ½ oz pelletized Willamette hops.  Boil for 55 more mins and then add 1 lb maltodextrin.  I would have added it earlier with the LME but I just stupid old forgot until the last minute!  Boil for 10 more mins, terminate boil and cool your wort, add another 2.5 gallons of water, and pitch your yeast.  I used Wyeast 3711 French Saison for that creamy body and low flocculation (which should also help give it some substance).  Let it ferment for two weeks, and then bottle!  

Picture: Fermentation has started!  This beer is looking a lot darker than I thought it would turn out - I think I might have been too heavy-handed with that special b!

Review May 26, 2014:  This was definitely one of my better beers.  A rich, creamy, and ever-so-slightly-pale-lavendar head atop a roasty, smooth and tart body.  The blueberry comes through most discernibly in the nose, with the perfect balance between a fruity and roasty finish; a hint of that perfect B crispy roast at the very end.  Everything came together with this beer to make something outstanding, I can easily see brewing this beer again. 

If I were indeed to make it again, I would use only a half pound of special B, and perhaps change up the yeast to something a little higher ester-producing to accentuate the fruit – perhaps I would even use the same yeast at a higher temperature. 

A truly delicious beer!

[brewseasily]

Blood Orange Amber v2.0 Homebrew Recipe!

Blood Orange Amber v2.0: Sunday, Ferbuary 23rd 2014  

A second attempt at my original Blood Orange Amber recipe! 

Heat 2.5 gallons of water.  When the water is in steeping range (145 to 160 degrees F), steep 1 lb Caramunich malt for 15 minutes.  Remove steeping grains and bring your water to a fully engorged boil.  Add 3.3 lbs of Amber liquid malt extract and 3.3 lbs of munich liquid malt extract (both breiss).  As you can see, this time I used half amber and half munich malt because I wanted something a little darker.  After this has been boiling 30 minutes, add 1 oz pelletized Willamette hops (just like last time).  Boil 40 minutes, and add 1 oz pelletized saaz hops.  I switched the flavor hops from Willamette to Saaz mostly because I have learned how much I love the noble Saaz, and I like the hint of spice it gives.  Boil 20 more minutes, and then cool your wort.  Add 2.5 gallons water and pitch your yeast.  I used the Wyeast 4242 Chablis yeast because I have never used a wine yeast before and I think the Chablis will be perfect due to its higher ester formation and fruity yet extremely dry and crispy tart character. 

As you can see, I have over-committed my airlocks and had to use a sanitized crinkle of aluminum foil.

Wait a week and then…

BLOOD ORANGE TIME!  I zested 6 blood oranges (and I chose the darkest 6 in the bag) to get 15.19g of zest, and then I squeezed the entire 4 lbs of oranges for their delicious juice.  Take the juice (not the zest!) and add 8 oz water to it.  Bring it to a VERY low simmer on the stovetop in a saucepan (about 135 degrees F).  Once it is steaming ever so slightly, add the zest, and keep the whole mixture at about 135 degrees for two minutes.  Add the mixture to your secondary fermenter, and rack your beer on top of it. 

Wait another two weeks and then bottle with 5oz priming sugar.  Can't wait!

Review April 27, 2014:  OH WAIT i can't review this beer properly because I accidentally drank the last one, thinking that I had another left to do my review with.  From memory, the beer had a nice. sharp tang in the nose with just the right citrus quality in the body.  The minimal hops was also a good idea, though I wonder if a hint of citra in the nose wouldn't round out the fruitiness in both the smell and finish of this beer.  If I were to make this again, however, I think it could stand to be a little less dry; the Chablis yeast was perhaps not a great idea.  

Otherwise, this beer was friggin delicious and it may very well see a version 3.0 someday!

[brewseasily]

Tequila Sun-Rye! Homebrew Recipe

Tequila Sun-Rye! (February 10th, 2014)

With bourbon-barrel stouts on the rise, I thought I would jump on YET ANOTHER bandwagon and give one a go.  However:

1.  I do not have access to any bourbon barrels.

2.  Bourbon is gross anyway. 

So I’m making my own variant: the Tequila-barrel Rye!  Rye is a specialty grain used in some beers to give it like a tangy, pumpernickel element; I think it is just the thing that would compliment Tequila’s hot cactus flavor.  For the barrelesque woodsy quality, I am using oak chips purchased from my local homebrew store to soak up some tequila that we are adding to secondary! 

Bring 2.5 gallons of water to steeping temperature (145 degrees F).  Steep 1 lb malted rye and ½ pound honey malt for 15 minutes without letting the temperature go above 160.  Then bring the thing to a fully engorged boil.  Add 9.9 lbs Rye liquid malt extract (I used Breiss), and return it to a boil for 30 minutes.  Add 1 oz pelletized saaz hops and boil for another 50 minutes.  Add 1 more oz pelletized saaz hops and boil for the final 10 minutes.  Cool your wort, add another 2.5 gallons of water and pitch your yeast!  I used Wyeast 1450, because I really like the balance of maltyness and dryness it gives, with a very clean finish that will hopefully let the oak character shine through. 

Once your beer is safe and sound in its carboy cocoon, get yourself 4 oz of oak chips.  In a small AIRTIGHT container, use enough tequila to cover the wood chips completely.  I did a really poor job of measuring how much tequila I added, but I estimate it was about 12 oz!  Let the tequila permeate the wood for a week while your beer is fermenting.  Next week, when we rack it to secondary, we will be adding these wood chips.  

One week later...

Add your tequila and wood chips to your sanitized secondary fermenter. Rack your beer on top of it.  Wait another week and then bottle!

April 19, 2014 Review!

Another great batch of beer!  The oak and tequila combined to make this really weird marzipan/vanilla thing that accentuates the rye’s sweetness while keeping the body crisp and light.  The hop element was just right, and the malt element and specialty grains also hit the nail right on the head. 

If I were to make this beer again, I would probably use a little less tequila (I would be a little better about measuring this time, and keep it to approx 10 oz.), and probably spring for a higher-grade tequila now that I know this beer can be delicious.  The attached picture shows the bubbles of the head being too large, though I think it was more due to this glass having just been used for milk, because most of these bottles carbonated perfectly with a satisfying, creamy head.

All in all, I consider this beer one of my great successes, and I would look forward to someday brewing it again!

[brewseasily]

Mustard Pretzel Dunkelweizen Homebrew Recipe!

February 3, 2014:  Mustard Pretzel Dunkelweizen!

In honor of the quickly approaching springtime, we are brewing a beer inspired by a big, soft pretzel with mustard!  It’s a wheat base with some malts for baked breadiness, and a scotch ale yeast to enhance its crisp maltiness!  Here’s what I did:

Heat 2.5 gallons of water.  While in steeping range, steep 1 lb of victory malt and ½ lb of brown malt for 15 mins.  Victory gives a nice breadiness while the brown malt is there for that hint of roastiness the baked outside of a pretzel has.  Bring your wort to a rolling, healthy boil and add 6.6 lbs of wheat liquid malt extract - I used Breiss’ Bavarian Wheat.  Boil this for 30 mins, and add 1 oz pelletized czech saaz hops.  Boil for another 30 minutes and add 1.8 oz ground mustard.  Why 1.8 oz?  Because that was the size of the container they sold at the grocery store and it seemed as good as any other guess.  After 30 minutes with the mustard, terminate your boil.  Add another 2.5 gallons of water and pitch your yeast.  I used Wyeast 1728 Scottish Ale for the smooth, malty character with low attenuation and higher flocculation.  I didn’t want an excessively fruity, ester-y profile which is common with some of the wheat beer strains out there.  It’s mostly wheat, it looks pretty dark:  I’m just calling this a dunkel. 

I racked this beer to a secondary fermenter after one week in primary.

Let that baby ferment for a few weeks and then bottle!

Review April 8, 2014:

This beer had an inauspicious start when the very first bottle I opened gushed all over the place!  And then…well…it didn’t get much better.  No other bottles “gushed” in the traditional sense, but they were all overcarbonated (see photo). 

The overcarbonation would be acceptable if this beer had anything else going for it.  It really does not :(  The nose is super alcohol-y, and the taste is metallic.  I am wondering if this batch was spoiled or infected by something!  The roastiness of the brown malt is over pronounced,  there is no hop character to speak of (should have used some for aroma), and the mustard is nonexistent. 

If I were to make this beer again, I’d use a little less brown malt, I’d add a mild flavoring hop, I would use more mustard, and a traditional wheat yeast.  Ah well!

[brewseasily]

Cinnamon Maple French Toast Homebrew Recipe!

January 18, 2014:  Today’s beer, Cinnamon French Toast with Maple Syrup!  This beer is being brewed in honor of my awesome twin sister, who suggested the idea which I immediately loved!  Here’s what ya do:

Heat 2.5 gallons of water.  While the water is within steeping temperature (145 to 160 degrees F), steep a mixture of 1 lb victory malt (for breadiness), 1 lb flaked oats (for body), and ¼ lb brown malt (for that light crispy browned toast flavor).  Steep for 15 minutes.  Remove the grain bag and bring it to a nice, rolling boil.  Add 6.6 lbs Bavarian wheat liquid malt extract and 3.3 lbs Munich liquid malt extract (I used Breiss, as usual).  We want a wheaty, hearty creamy body with just a little touch of crispy roastiness here.  Boil this for 30 mins, and then add 1 oz pelletized French Strisselspalt hops (used for its low alpha acid content [2.3%]).  Boil for an hour.  NO AROMA HOPS because the maple cinnamon is all we want in the aroma.  Cool your wort, and add it to your fermenter.  Add an additional 3 gallons of water on top of it as well as your yeast.  I used Wyeast 1099 Whitbread because of its low attenuation and high flocculation, as well as producing a clean, malty profile in the 65 to 68 degree F fermentation range.  Let this baby sit for a week and then...

January 25th:  Racking into secondary!  Mix 32 oz maple syrup and 16 oz water in a saucepan, and bring it to a very low simmer.  Add 2 tablespoons cinnamon, and simmer on VERY VERY LOW for 5 mins. Add it to your secondary and rack your beer on top of it.  Wait another week to bottle!  

February 3:  Get this: WE EVEN PRIME IT WITH MAPLE SYRUP!  Since I used a new, unopened bottle of syrup from the store, there was no need to sanitize it.  I just dumped 2/3 of a cup of Grade A Dark Amber into my bottling bucket, racked on top of it, gave it a good stir, and then bottled. 

Review April 7, 2014:

CINNAMON BOMB.  Let it be known that, even for high-gravity darker beers, two tablespoons is a LOT of cinnamon!  The cinnamon is so cloying that it is difficult to even taste any of the other flavors.  The maple flavor comes through slightly, which helps mitigate the cinnamon and make it a little more complex (read: distracts you from the cinnamon flavor).  The body is just right, the hops are also just right – I wouldn’t change either if I were to make this beer again.  I also think the yeast was the correct one to use, giving a crisp, clean element to the beer.  One major fault this beer had was very poor head retention; I would consider upping the priming sugar another oz in hopes that the increase in carbonic acid in solution would counterbalance the sweeter flabby maltiness.  As usual with my higher-gravity beers, I could detect a surplus of fusel oils.  One thing that was notable was that the cinnamon actually chilled out as the beer aged – I am saving a bottle for a few more months to see if that trend continues. 

Not one of my finer beers.  Ah well!  

[brewseasily]

Flamin’ Hot Homebrew: The beer made with Flamin’ Hot Cheetos™!

December 30, 2013:  Boil 2.5 gallons of water.  We are not steeping specialty grains this batch!  Once the water is good and boiling, add 3.3 lbs light liquid malt extract (I used Breiss Golden Light) and 3.3 lbs amber liquid malt extract (I used Breiss Sparkling Amber).  Boil this for thirty minutes. 

“As a registered dietician and food scientist, I can attest to this one objective fact:  Flamin’ Hot Cheetos™ are the best snack ever invented.  Delicious and also enriched with 5 B vitamins, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos™ are mankind’s greatest culinary achievement.  For breakfast, lunch, dinner, or anything in between, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos™ are always a smart choice!”  -Tyler Horstman, Dietitian.

So after your wort has been boiling for 30 minutes, add a bag of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos™.  The bag I used was 9.5 oz for some totally inscrutable reason; it’s not like it’s an even metric number or anything (269.3g?).  I suppose 9.5 oz is just the size that test markets proved to be the most snacktacular?  So that’s how I settled on 9.5 oz for this recipe.  I crushed them up a little bit before I added them, but they all ended up dissolving anyway.

After your Flamin’ Hot Cheetos™ have been boiling for 40 minutes and the wort has turned SUPER NEON ORANGEY RED, add 1 oz Willamette Hops.  Boil for 20 more minutes and then cool your wort.  Add 2.5 gallons of water to the mixture, and pitch your yeast.  I used Wyeast 1332 Northwest Ale for its low attenuation, low ester levels (to accentuate the spices), and high flocculation.  Let this bad boy sit for two weeks and then bottle! 

As a side note, this was the first beer I decided to measure with a hydrometer;  O.G. of only 1.044!  

January 9, 2014:  Primary fermentation is done, I re-racked this beer into a secondary because I wanted to get it off the lipids that were floating at the top like a friggin' oil spill.  

Final gravity: 1.014.  We're looking at an ABV of about 3.9%.  Hopefully its lightness will accentuate the flamin' hott contribution.  

Review Feb. 23rd, 2014:  Well first off, I should have used more flamin’ hots.  While the flavor is there if you look for it, you don’t really notice a flamin’ hot presence.  If I were to make this beer again, I would double the amount of flamin’ hots used, and only leave them in for a few minutes in a grain bag so they do not dissolve into the beer.  At the same time, I was pleased by how little the copious amount of fat in this beer really effected head retention.  Even better, the beer has the perfect creamy consistency to it which may be attributable to the fat content.  In a future batch, I would also use a higher attenuating yeast, I think something that fermented dryer would allow for more of the flamin’ hot spices to show through.  The hops were perfect and I would not change them next time.  Overall, this beer was better than I expected and paves the way for future snack-infused recipes!

[brewseasily]

Kiwi Orange French Saison Homebrew Recipe!

December 26, 2013:  Today’s Beer: Cherry Orange Saison

Seems to me that the saison is the new IPA insofar as it is the hip beverage that all the kids are drinking.  So I’m just going to jump on this bandwagon and make one myself!  The security guard at my workplace and I were rapping beer, and he proposed this idea; thanks Corey!

Heat 2.5 gallons H2O.  When the water is between 140 and 155 degrees F, steep 1 pound of flaked oats.  I like the creaminess of Saisons, so we are going to accentuate it with the oats.  After steeping, bring the water to a boil and add 3.3 lbs Munich Liquid Malt Extract and 3.3 lbs Amber Liquid Malt Extract.  I want something with a little bit of roasty maltiness (munich) and some more benign dark depth (amber).  Boil for 1 hour and add 1 oz pelletized Magnum hops. We are using Magnum because this hop is going to be both the bittering and the aroma hop, and I don’t want the hoppiness to be too pronounced.  Boil for 30 more minutes before terminating your boil.  Cool your wort and pitch your yeast (I used Wyeast 3711 French Saison; my room isn’t warm enough to support the high temperatures a Belgian Saison would require and I also like the lower attenuation in the French vs. the Belgian style).  Add only ONE gallon of water (you'll see why in two weeks).  Wait a few weeks and then…

January 9, 2014:   

Peel and thinly slice 6 kiwis.  With my new kitchen scale (thanks ma!) I weighed them out to be 404g.  Zest 2 large oranges.  The zest came out to 9.67g.  Put the kiwis in a half gallon of water, and start heating that water.  When the water gets to 140 degrees F, add the zest.  Keep this at about 140 F for two minutes.  Add one gallon of cold water.  I used tap water for this part, and in retrospect I probably shouldn't have.  OH WELL.  Add this gallon and a half of fruity stuff to your secondary fermenter and rack your saison on top of it.  Let it sit for one more week, and then bottle with 5 oz priming sugar. 

CONSIDERATIONS:  I am a little concerned that the initial wort was too high a gravity (due to it only being about 3 - 3.5 gallons before adding the fruit), and may make this beer too fusel-y, a taste I can no longer stand since drinking an entire batch of that super fusel-y peanut butter beer I made not too long ago.  Also I stared long and hard at an ounce of Magnum hops, wondering if maybe I should just have put a dash in with the fruit.  I ultimately did not, but if I don't get enough soft citrus in this saison I'm going to be really disappointed!

Review March 11, 2014:  I normally write these reviews while drinking the last beer out of the batch, and I put off writing this review for so long because I didn’t want this batch to ever end!  This was easily one of the best beers I have ever brewed.  Smooth, refreshing body, just the right amount of hops and orange in the nose, and the bitter orange complimenting the malt character at the finish.  The kiwi, as before, did not really come through flavor-wise, though you can find it in there if you look for it.  There isn’t much I would change if I were to make this beer again.  I think the finish could stand to be a bit crisper, so I might use a higher-attenuating yeast such as a Belgian saison.  Also, you can see the bubbles of the head are a little too big for my liking, but it might be because the glass I poured it into had not been very clean (bachelor life, you know?).  

Farewell to a great beer!

[brewseasily]

Roasty Ginger New Year's D'ale!

December 4, 2013:  A nice roasted ginger to settle one’s stomach on a January 1st hangover, and hearty enough to warm you up on a cold Chicago afternoon.  Here’s how it is made…

Bring 2.5 gallons H2O to steeping temperatures (between 145 and 160 degrees F), and steep 1 lb 60L Caramunich malt for 15 minutes.  I chose this malt because it will add a nice, roasty/malty body.  Bring your wort to a boil.  Add 3.3 lbs amber liquid malt extract (I used Breiss sparkling amber) and 3.3 lbs dark liquid malt extract (I used the Breiss Special Dark).  The reasoning behind this is that I wanted a dark-but-not-too-dark beer; some roast but nothing like coffee or chocolate, the bitterness would interfere with the ginger’s snappiness!  Boil this for 30 minutes, and add 1 oz pelletized Willamette hops.  I chose this hop for its mellow, mild bittering characteristics.  Boil this for 20 minutes, but while doing so start peeling and slicing 8 oz fresh ginger!  Add the ginger, and boil it (don’t forget to be stirring) for 35 minutes.  Add your aroma hop (I am using Saaz; I love the Saaz aroma, something to compliment and add complexity to the ginger quality), and boil for five more minutes.  Cool your wort, and add your yeast.  I used Wyeast 1968 London ESB, due to its high flocculation and low attenuation.  Add 2.5 more gallons well-aerated water and let it sit for a couple of weeks!

ON BOTTLING DAY: Make your priming solution with 2 cups water, 5 oz maltodextrin (priming sugar) AND 8 oz freshly peeled and finely chopped ginger!  Boil your priming solution for five minutes, and strain the ginger out through a colander as you add it to your bottling bucket.  WAIT TWO MORE WEEKS.

Review January 20, 2014:  My first beer of the new year turned out great!  The perfect amount of crispy maltiness is the exact duplicate of a crunchy ginger snap cookie; bready but not doughy.  The caramunich was also a great choice both for the color and also the roasty flavor.  The hop bitterness is detectable but almost unnoticeable, which is exactly the quality I was going for.  The yeast was flawless, fermenting light and crisp while still maintaining that cookie quality, flocculating out as expected.  If I had to pick something to improve upon this beer, I'd say it was still a little fusel-y, perhaps racking it to a secondary fermenter would help.  Overall, this beer was a huge success!

[brewseasily]

Persephone Pomegranate Amber!

November 21, 2013:  Persephone Amber!

Today’s beer is a pomegranate amber beer, named after the daughter of Zeus and Queen of the Underworld in Greek mythology!  She was tricked by Hades to eat some Pomegranate seeds, which meant that she then had to spend a third of each year in Hell, during the winter months!  Given that it is currently the end of November here in Chicago, I can empathize completely!

Heat 2.5 gallons of water.  While you are waiting for it to heat, get the seeds out of 6 pomegranates.  The ones I used were pretty big!  Also I learned just how tedious it is to get the seeds out of 6 pomegranates!  The trick is to do it underwater so the seeds sink to the bottom and the white stuff (which we do not want) floats to the top.  When the water is between 145 and 160 degrees F, steep a pound of Melanoidin Malt (for some color and a little bit of body without too much bitterness).  Bring it to a full boil and add 6.6 lbs Amber Liquid Malt Extract (Breiss was used this time, as usual).  Boil for 30 mins.  Add 1 oz pelletized Willamette Hops (for a bit of bitter without too much spice).  Boil 30 mins.  Add the pomegranate seeds.  Boil 25 mins.  Add 1 oz pelletized Citra Hops (just because I love them as an aroma hop – something savory to their fruitiness) and boil for the last five minutes.  Cool your wort!  Add another 2.5 gallons of well-aerated water and your yeast.  I used Wyeast 1450 Denny’s Favorite because I’ve used it before and liked it, so given that I didn’t have any other ideas for special yeasts it won by default.  Let that baby ferment for two weeks and then bottle!

Review January 25, 2014:  Holy stromboli this was another excellent batch.  Perfect head retention, perfect body, juuuuuuuust the right amount of fruitiness!  The malt and pomegranate flavors were spot on, the yeast did an excellent job fermenting clean and crisp, not too estery or fusel-y; the only thing I would tinker with if I were to make this beer again would be the hop element.  I feel the hops bittered the right amount, but the citra hops were a wee bit too much.  In future recipes, I would probably use .75 oz citra for finish, just to tone it down ever so slightly and let more of that pomegranate flavor and aroma shine through.  Also, while the initial sip is a splash of slightly tart flavor, the finish is a little bland and bitter, and just a little too hot (fusel).  Just a little lasting sweetness on the finish would be perfect, perhaps adding an extra pomegranate or two at bottling would freshen it up a little bit.  Overall though, I'm sorry to see the last one of these go, this was a success!

[brewseasily]

Cranberry Pilsner

November 6, 2013

I’m brewing tonight because a date canceled on me.  Whelp, her loss, because the ladies are sure to love my...

CRANBERRY PILSNER!

Boil 2.5 gallons of water as per usual.  Once its good and boiling, add 6.6 pounds pilsner liquid malt extract (as usual, I used breiss).  Boil this 30 mins.  Add 1 oz pelletized Czech saaz hops.  We are using good old noble saaz because it has a low bitter and good spice to it.  Because the cranberries are going to add a tart/bitter element, going with a high alpha hop would only make it cloyingly bitter.  And because we want an element that balances the tartness of the cranberries, saaz has a really nice spicy bouquet to its nose.  Boil this for 30 mins.  Add another 1 oz pelletized  saaz hops, and also add 2.5 pounds of fresh cranberries!  We are going to boil this for another 30 mins.  In that time, the cranberries (if your boil is good and rolling) will POP like popcorn into the wort.  Be careful for boil-overs!  I almost had a couple boil-overs during this last part, so keep stirring and don’t put a lid on it.  TERMINATE BOIL.  Cool your wort, man.  Add another 2.5 gallons well aerated water and also your yeast!  I used Wyeast 2565 Kolsch because I wanted a clean, crisp yeast that would accentuate the tart cranberries with the traditional Kolsch lemony element. 

Let it all ferment for two weeks, and bottle!  I missed the cutoff for this to be ready by thanksgiving, but at least it will make a nice yuletide-friendly light winter beer.  Review to come soon!

Review 12/28:  As you can see, I had no problem with adequate head retention this batch!  (As you can also see, my desk is messy).  I lit the beer up with a flashlight behind it to give a better picture of the nice color of this beer.  This is one of the best beers I have made in awhile.  It was a little overcarbonated, yes, but the flavors were JUST RIGHT.  The cranberry element was PERFECT and complimented by the distinct LEMONY FRESHNESS of the Kolsch yeast.  This was also the first beer I used ISINGLASS on; I'm not sure if I like the end result better enough to warrant not being able to give this beer to my vegetarian friends - it's probably the last time I use isinglass as well.  Crisp, clear, refreshing as hell...I should have made this beer six months from now when its like 100 degrees outside.  If I were to make this beer again, I would rack it to secondary after a week and give it two weeks in secondary to let it clarify naturally and make sure fermentation completes to prevent gushing/overcarbonation; otherwise, another perfect beer!