Cerveza Noche Buena - 17

owner: Michael Erwin | started: 12/11/2008 | last updated: 07/08/2009
status: Finished

12/11/2008 - another of Papazzian's recipes: Good Night in Mexico. Here's what I used, based on what I had in hand:

.5# toasted barley
.5# corn sugar
.5# pilsen light dme
.5# golden light dme
6# dark syrup (from Midwest)
1.5oz German Spalt (60)
1oz German Saaz (20)
1 oz Hersbrucker-Hallertau (5)
1 tsp Irish moss (15)
Saflager 23

The 1/2lb toasted is unmalted barley, toasted in my oven at 350F for 15 minutes. Oh, that smells good!

I used a bag to hold the hops this time. That means, lots of spent hop material didn't make it into the fermentation bucket. I wonder what will happen.

OG: 1.056
Pitched at 70F.
Anticipated FG: 1.014

12/29/2008 - Fermentation was started at room temp (approx 65F). Then, after a day, was moved to the basement (approx 53F). After 10 days, the SG was down to 20. Brought the brew up to room temp again (65F), and sat for another week. Now, it's down to 16. I racked to secondary, I'll let it sit there for a couple of weeks in the garage (approx 40F).

1/22/2008 - Bottled today.
SG:1.015
App atten: 73%
ABV: 5.4%

--------------------
February 19, 2009
Enjoying
--------------------

This one is getting great reviews! Awesome balance of malt and hops. It great for a nightcap.


--------------------
July 8, 2009
Finished
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I received the following email from Briess malt when I queried them about converting their Dark LME to all-grain.

Hello Michael,

Thank you using our Briess products in the past. The LME dark extract
has a combination of different specialty grains to create the rich dark
color and flavor. The best grain bill for the product you are trying to
duplicate in all grain would be as follows. Do remember this is just a
guideline that can be altered to fit the style of beer you wish to
create.
6-Row Brewers malt 3 - 4#
Munich malt 5 - 6#
Caramel 60 Malt 1 - 2#
Black Malt 1/4#
All of these grains should be in a coarse grind grist.
If there is anything further we can do for you to enhance your brewing
experience please let us know.

Happy Brewing

California Common Beer - 16

owner: Michael Erwin | started: 11/22/2008 | last updated: 01/02/2009
status: Finished

11/22/2008 - based on a recipe from The Brewmaster's Bible, p. 324-6. from Boston Brewers Supply Co, Jamaica Plain, Mass. An Anchor Steam clone.

8oz crystal 10L
6lbs light syrup
1lb light dme
1 oz Northern Brewer (45)
1 oz Northern Brewer (25)
1 oz Cascade (5)
1tsp Irish moss
1pkg Saflager S-23

SG:1.054
Temp: 67F
anticipated FG:1.014

12/01/2008 - Racked to secondary. FG:1.014. Moved to garage. Currently 35F in the garage.


1/1/2009 - I'm measuring something wrong. Bottled today, but the SG was up to 17 (was 14). I don't get it. I've accounted for the temp, so it's not that. Is there something I'm missing?

No Pale American Pale Ale - 15

owner: Michael Erwin | started: 11/06/2008 | last updated: 11/17/2008
status: Finished
Pictures: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30201811&l=0

11/6/2008 - from the Brewmaster's Bible, West Coast IPA, but reducing to bring down from the IPA range. I'm entering this one in the local Big Turkey club competition at the end of the month.

8 oz light crystal malt
6 lbs light malt extract syrup
12 oz light dry malt extract
1 oz Galena pellets (45)
.5oz oz Cascade pellets (15)
1 tsp Irish moss (15)
1 oz Cascade pellets (5)
1 package dry ale yeast
1 oz Cascade pellets (dry hop in 2ary)
6 oz corn sugar

OG: 1.050
anticipated FG: 1.013
approx 33 IBUs
Pitched at 74F.

11/11/2008 - Racked to secondary, dry hopped. I'm going to drop some gelatin in later in the day. I want to get this one into bottles by the weekend. Forgot to get SG, no problem, I'll grab it on bottling day.

11/12/2008 - Wait, this thing started fermenting again. Weird, because the temp is lower now than it was before I racked. Oh well.

11/17/2008 - What a PITA to get the hop bag out of the carboy!!! Bottled at FG: 1.013, 4.8% ABV, 74% apparent attenuation. Used 1 cup of corn sugar for bottling to increase carbonation level.

12/29/2008 - Mmmm, Mmmm, good. Unfortunately, I missed the contest, but the beer is good.

Apple Wine - 10/2/2008

owner: Michael Erwin | started: 10/02/2008 | last updated: 02/19/2009
Recipe: Apple Wine | status: Bottling

10/5/2008 - Prepared must. I made a sugar syrup instead of actually adding dry sugar, and that upped the volume to nearly 6 gallons. Also, added chemicals in water solution, rather than directly to must. The SG was 1.091, not as high as I wanted, but high enough not to worry about.

10/6/2008 - Pitched yeast. Lalvin EC-1118, rehydrated, no starter.

10/7/2008 - Fermentation began between 18-24 hours. Temp: 68F.

10/11/2008 - After 3.5 days, SG is 1.036. Racked to carboy.

11/8/2008 - 1st rack, added 5 campden tabs. SG:0.994.

Notes:
Next rack: 12/8
Rack until clear, then bottle.
Ready in 6 mths: April

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February 19, 2009
Bottling
--------------------

I racked this back in mid-December, and I've been too busy to get to it. It's pretty clear right now, not completely. I'll start with a clearer cider next time, that should help.

FG: .995

I've stabilized with 5 campden tabs and 2.5 tsp of potassium sorbate. I'm going to add 4oz of sugar to the last gallon to sweeten up to 1.005.

Should be ready after the bottle-shock, sometime mid-April, in time for Easter?

5/9/2009 - First bottle was definitely green and heavy on the sulfites. Second bottle was a little better, but still more sulfite flavor than I wanted. Third bottle is in the fridge now, try it tomorrow. Also tried a sweetened bottle recently. Not too sweet, really a balanced sweetness.

7/11/2009 - A note on sweetening. I've found a good balance for this wine, and worth trying on the blueberry, too. Two tablespoons of sugar dissolved in a tiny amount of hot water, put that syrup in a decanter, and pour the dry wine on top of it. Kathy, Mom, and others really like it that way. Then, I can keep all the wine dry like I prefer, and prepare some that others would enjoy, too.

Osmosis Amoebas German Alt - 14

owner: Michael Erwin | started: 09/25/2008 | last updated: 11/17/2008
status: Finished
Pictures: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30201812&l=3

Original Recipe: from Papazian.

6# German amber malt syrup
1.75 oz Northern Brewers or Perle hops (60)
.25# chocolate malt
.125# German Caraffe black malt
German ale-type yeast (safale K-97)
.75 cups corn sugar
OG:1.040-1.044
FG:1.007-1.011

Steep malts at 150-160F for 30 minutes.
Add extract and hops. Boil 60 minutes.
Add water up to 5 gallons.
Primary at ale temperature.
Secondary 2 weeks at 55F.

Alts:
2oz Perle to get 16HBU.
ordered 6# Briess Pilsen extract syrup

10/16/2008 - Had a few friends over to observe the process. Pizza and homebrew, can't beat that. Served up the ESB and the Pumpkin; they loved it, the ESB more so. Bought a 4-gallon kettle and used it for the first time. Makes life so much better. I was able to boil almost three gallons at a rolling boil, so I'm hoping the beer will appreciate the expense and effort.

10/16/2008 - SG:1.044. Pitched Safale K-97 at 74F.

10/26/2008 - SG:1.011. Weather has changed; temp is 64F. Ready to rack and put in the garage for lagering.

10/27/2008 - Racked to secondary. In the garage. Need to check temp later today.

10/28/2008 - Secondary is at 51F.

11/6/2008 - Bottled at SG 1.011. I used 1 cup of sugar to increase the carbonation when it's chilled. Perfect reddish brown color, perfect clarity, and flavor is dead-on for a Düsseldorfer. App Atten: 75%, ABV: 4.3%.

11/15/2008 - Perfect! A little bit green, but exactly what I was going for in this altbier. Nice thick head (about 3 inches worth!) that hung around for a while. Great clarity, and just the perfect amount of bite; not too much, not too little. Papazian wins again!

11/17/2008 - This beer is awesome!

Edwin Sandys Bitter - 13

owner: Michael Erwin | started: 09/11/2008 | last updated: 10/01/2008
Recipe: Edwin Sandys Bitter (ESB) | status: Fermenting

9/11/2008 -
Hops:
1oz Columbus (12.2%) (60)
.5oz Willamette (4.8%) (60)
.5oz Glacier (30)
.5oz Glacier (2)

Extracts: 1 can Muntons x-light, 1 can Muntons amber
Grains: 9oz Crystal 60L, 1oz black patent.
Yeast: Nottingham dry

9/12/2008 - SG:1.052, 75F.

9/18/2008 - Fermented around 70F for a week; active for about three days. Racked to secondary. Added gelatin. SG:1.012. Tastes just as great as the first batch, just like beer is supposed to taste. Edwin Sandys is back.

9/22/2008 - Bottled at SG:1.012, 77% apparent attenuation, 5.2% ABV. The gelatin really cleared it out. Looks awesome.

10/1/2008 - Oh, so good. Can't wait 'til it mellows out.

11/1/2008 - How did this one disappear so fast? Some to friends, some to me, and some held back for Christmas gifts. I'm beerless.

Pocahontas' Pumpkin Pleaser - 12

owner: Michael Erwin | started: 08/20/2008 | last updated: 09/18/2008
Recipe: Pocahontas' Pumpkin Pleaser | status: Enjoying
Pictures: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30201813&l=5

8/20/2008 - Buying ingredients tomorrow. Prepping yeast starter tonight. Styrian Goldings not available. Substituting Fuggle.

8/21/2008 - Wow, first pumpkin smells, then Willamette, then Fuggle, and finally cinnamon, and that was just the boil!!!

Recipe mods: 1 can Muntons amber, 1 can John Bull amber. Substitute Fuggle for Styrian Golding. 1 package Windsor dried yeast.

8/23/08 - pitched at 76F last night. Bu-bu-bu-bubbling.

8/28/2008 - racked to secondary. Darn, no numbers here. Where are the numbers? The OG was pretty high, but how high I can't say! I do remember thinking, this is the biggest beer I've ever done. I'm thinking it was in the 80s. The SG when I racked was about 1.018, kinda high, but it is a pumpkin beer, so you gotta figure on sweetness. I expect it to come down when I add the gelatin. The cinnamon was very pronounced, not too much, but very noticeable. The pumpkin was more subtle, but certainly there. Much more so than the peach in the peach wheat I did earlier this summer.


9/11/2008 - Bottled. FG:1.017.

9/18/2008 - Whoa! This stuff is incredible! Like the best pumpkin pie you've ever had, IN A GLASS! It's all there, the pumpkin, the cinnamon, the ale, the bubbles! Awesome. It's not as clear as I had hoped, too much pumpkin floating around maybe. Can't wait to share this one when the weather turns cooler.

Not including the pumpkin, beercalculus.com says this is about a 1.060. So, it couldn't have in the 80s? Any help out there?

Let's go with 60. That gives us: 72% apparent attenuation, 5.6% ABV.

Whosyer Blueberry Wine - 7/19/2008

owner: Michael Erwin | started: 07/19/2008 | last updated: 11/07/2008
Recipe: Wild Blueberry Wine | status: Bottling
temperature: n/a
starting gravity: n/a | current gravity: n/a | final gravity: n/a
Pictures: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30201814&l=8

7/19/2008 - Got the blueberries, got the chemicals. Bought a 6-gallon betterbottle (wow, they're SO light, I may never buy glass again!). Just waiting now for the fermenter to be free (next week). Blueberries are frozen (helps with sugar extraction I've heard).

Whosyer - The blueberries are from Dexter's farm in Knox County, IN. Ya know, Hoosiers. As in, hoosier daddy?

7/24/2008 - This is TOO easy! Got the must ready today. No worries, no temperature control, no sterilization (except for the Campden tabs), no 60-minute boil, adjust the SG by just adding sugar, wow! Why didn't I do this sooner?

OG:1.093

The only thing I did wrong was, I put twice as much yeast energizer as the recipe calls for. I'm gonna cling to the idea that the yeast won't mind. The cannibals!

7/25/2008 - Made the yeast starter this morning in the official yeast starter bottle (a 750ml Maker's Mark bottle) which has gotten most of my beers off to a good start. So, here's hoping! The yeast was active. When I opened the fermenter, the must had some solids floating on top, but underneath was the most beautiful dark purple liquid I've ever seen. Pitched the yeast and stirred it in a little.

7/27/2008 - Whoa! Came in this afternoon after church and the whole first floor smelled like blueberry "something." Powerful. Then, later today, opened the fermenter to punch the fruit down. The CO2 was coming out so fast that the juice was foaming like a shaken Coke can. This thing is really smoking. I guess I'm used to ales that go really hard for a couple of days. But, the airlock is bubbling two to three times per second, and it's been steady like that since it started two days ago.

7/29/2008 - Half-way done. Down to 1.030 SG. CO2 has slowed down to about 10 pops per minute.

7/31/2008 - Pretty much done. Down to 0.995 SG, I've never seen a hydro float so low before. Tastes like dry wine. Of course, it's full of solids, but wow it's pretty good, even without aging at all. Transfered (not racked) to carboy.

8/21/2008 - Racked to 5-gallon Better Bottle. Had to add about a bottle of wine, and then half that of water.

8/28/2008 - Stir.

9/11/2008 - Stir.

9/18/2008 - Racked. Very little sediment, but some fruit pulp did drop out. Of course, I had to steal a sip. It's so dry, but so good. Very clear except the last little bit.

9/25/2008 - Stir. Target bottle date: 10/30.

11/7/2008 - Stabilized with 5 campden tablets and 2.5 tsp potassium sorbate. Of course I sampled. It's mellowing out; the bite is nearly gone.

Sweetening Wine
Sweetness SG
Dry (less than) 1000
Medium dry 1000-1010
Medium sweet 1010-1020
Sweet 1020-1030
Dessert 1030-1040
Two (2) ounces of sugar will raise one (1) gallon of wine by .005 or five (5) gallons by .001.

1/2/2009 - I bottled this several weeks ago. I sweetened some, left some dry. I'll never sweeten again. It would be better to leave it dry, and offer a syrup table-side for those who want a sweeter wine. The dry is awesome, the rest, less so.

2/19/2009 - Update on the sweetened wine. The stuff that I brought up to about 1.010 was pretty good. It just needed some time to mellow. Maybe bottle-shock. The dessert wine, which I brought up to about 1.020 I don't like very much, and neither does anyone else.

Vicar's Brew Mild Ale - 11

owner: Michael Erwin | started: 07/13/2008 | last updated: 08/21/2008
Recipe: | status: Finished

original recipe calls for 6# Alexanders. I'll check to see, but I don't think I can get that locally, and can't mail order in time for brew day.

7/17/2008 - Had two clergy friends over today to show them the brew process. First, we bottled a peach wheat that was ready, then we brewed this simple brew. This will end up being a dark brown but very light beer. Low in alcohol, low in hops, very drinkable. I was hoping for a little more sugar, maybe at 1.036.

OG: 1.031
Exp app atten: 75%
expected FG: 1.008 (really?)
Yeast: WLP001 (from #9 2nd gen, last culture)

7/21/2008 - Racked to secondary. SG:1.010. ABV:2.8%. Less attenuation than expected, but fermentation was done.

7/26/2008 - Concerned about the mild flavor. Dropped in 1oz of Fuggles.

8/21/2008 - FG:1.006, so the lightest beer I've made. I added gelatin about two weeks ago, and WOW that works. Dark and clear. 3.3% ABV, 81% attenuation. I think the late dry-hopping of the Fuggle saved the beer. We'll see after carbonation.

8/31/2008 - A drinkable beer, very light, very malty in the flavor, hops are more of an aftertaste. Dark and clear. Don't make this one again, though.

9/22/2008 - I take it back. This one has matured into a smoother flavor, the hops have balanced the malt out. I still probably won't make it again.

Peach Wheat Ale - 10

owner: Michael Erwin | started: 06/19/2008 | last updated: 07/17/2008
Recipe: Peach Wheat Ale | status: Finished

6/19/2008 - Woo-hoo! Haven't brewed in six weeks, running out of beer! Modded this based on what's on hand and at the local store. 1 can Muntons wheat, 4lbs wheat dme, 4oz pilsen light dme, 1oz Columbus for bitter, and 1oz Argentinian Cascade for aroma. The puree is going into the secondary later.

OG:1.064
Yeast: WLP001 from #9 (2nd Gen)
Exp Att: 75%
Exp FG: 1.016

6/29/2008 - oh boy, I might be in trouble. Racked to secondary on Thursday, added the peach puree, then went out of town for three days. The yeast absolutely loved the puree, and blew out the airlock completely. I'm concerned about contamination of some kind, though I didn't see any signs of it in the carboy just yet. Of course, I cleaned everything up and stuck a new, sanitized airlock on. Now, there's only praying left. And lots of it.

7/17/2008 - Bottled today with a couple of friends. FG:1.014, a whopping 78% apparent attenuation, and 6.5% ABV! Initial pre-conditioned tasting yielded a great wheat beer flavor, not much peach, though.

Meiriceánach - 9

owner: Michael Erwin | started: 05/08/2008 | last updated: 07/13/2008
Recipe: Meiriceánach | status: Finished

5/8/2008 - Brewing this one for a June clergy picnic. First time I've toasted barley, wow that makes the house smell awesome!

Same day - Dern! Dropped the hydrometer on the floor, itsa goner. Luckily, the farm store is close, headed over there now. Anyway, pitched at 72F, actually used the WLP001, not an Irish yeast. OG:1.044. At 76% App Atten, expect 1.011.

5/12/2008 - Very slow start to fermentation. Pitched Thursday AM, by Saturday AM there was no activity at all. Made a mad dash to the FLHBS and bought a dry yeast to salvage. Boiled water, cooled, rehydrated for 30 minutes. Opened the closet door to pitch, and heard the tell-tale sound of bubbling. Just about 48 hours to the minute for fermentation to start. Still going pretty well two days later. What a nightmare.

5/15/2008 - Racked to secondary. SG: 1.011. Nothing flavor-wise to write home about. Hop profile is distinct, so I'm thinking it's the use of a Calif Ale instead of the guiness yeast.

SG: 1.011
ABV: 4.3%
App Atten: 75%.

6/15/2008 - This one's been in the 2ndary for a month. Racked to a corny today. This is my first kegged beer, prepared for a clergy picnic in two weeks. Now, if I can just find the right fridge or freezer...

Celis White - 8

owner: Michael Erwin | started: 04/30/2008 | last updated: 07/13/2008
Recipe: Celis White | status: Finished

4/30/2008 - This one has some interesting ingredients. Prepped a 1.5qt yeast starter last night. Reusing the Wyeast 3787. Not a witbier yeast, but at least it's Belgian. And it really performed last time around.

5/1/2008 - Flaked oats steeped 30 min in grain bag, drained. 6.6# Muntons wheat extract, no sugar. 1oz Mt Hood for 60, 2tsp Irish moss for 15. Coriander crushed, both orange peels, all that for 10. 1oz Mt Hood for 5. 10 min steep. Cooled to 95F. Poured into fermenter with 3gal cold water. Pitched at 73F.

OG: 1.052
At 76% app atten, expect SG: 1.013

BTW, with the orange peel chunks and the thickening of the oats, the wort looked a lot like vomit! :)

5/2/2008 - Fermentation started pretty early last evening. Things are really popping away right now. I think I have a pretty high pitch rate; I remember thinking (as I was pouring in the yeast) "wow that seems like a lot of yeast." I need a better way to estimate how much yeast I'm pitching.

5/8/2008 - Fermentation was active for about two days, and pretty dormant the last five. Moved to secondary. Was in a hurry and forgot to check SG. Oh well. RDW-HAHB.

5/15/2008 - Wow! I love this brew! Lots of orange flavor from both types of peel, the coriander is more subtle. Finished at 1.014, a tad higher than expected, but okay. Bottle-conditioning as we speak.

SG: 1.014
ABV: 5.0%
App Atten: 73%

5/26/2008 - Whoa! This beer is awesome! Tremendous orange flavor, with a dry, bitterness that I attribute to the coriander. Slice an orange, drop it in, and enjoy!

Belgian Blonde - 7

owner: Michael Erwin | started: 04/12/2008 | last updated: 07/13/2008
Recipe: Belgian Blonde | status: Finished

4/12/2008 - "You go to brew with the hops you have, not the hops you want." To bitter, I used 1/4-oz Sterling and 1 1/4-oz Glacier. For aroma, I used 3/4-oz Sterling. OG: 1.056. Also, used 2 cans Muntons X-light syrup. Wyeast 3787 propagator, first in a 1-liter starter, then stepped up to a 3/4 liter starter. Pitched at 76F.

4/13/2008 - Pitched at 11pm last night, bubbling profusely by 6am this morning. Bubbling has slowed as of this evening. Lots of aroma coming from the fermenter. 72F.

4/16/2008 - Temp is hovering around 70F. Still bubbling pretty well at about 6 or 7 times per minute. At 76% app atten, expect SG: 1.013.

4/17/2008 - Boy is this one fun! Still very actively fermenting after 5 days. Looked up the yeast, it's an active little devil. Don't know if it'll be done after a week or not.

4/21/2008 - Oh boy! Perfect! Racked to secondary this evening. SG: 1.013, exactly what I predicted. The flavor is dead on for the Leffe Blonde, which is what I was going for. It's awesome flat, I can't wait to taste it with carb!

4/25/2008 - It's all in bottles now. This is the clearest beer I've done, there's no appearance of yeast floating around at all. Has a real fruity/citrusy aroma and flavor. This is going to be a good one.

5/3/2008 - Whew! After a week in bottles, this beer definitely has that Leffe taste potential, but the flavors haven't blended yet. It's a little green, needs to mature some.

Pop's Brown Ale - 6

owner: Michael Erwin | started: 03/27/2008 | last updated: 07/13/2008
Recipe: Pop's Brown Ale | status: Finished

3/27/2008 - OG: 1.048. Used a 2nd generation culture of Wyeast 1084, harvested 2/28, in a 1 pint starter, very active. Pitched at 76F. Fermentation started within 4 hours, going strong within 8 hours.

4/3/2008 - Racked to secondary, to store for bottling in a few days. SG: 1.014. ABV: 4.5. Apparent attenuation: 71%. SRM: 10. Mildly to moderately bitter, with very little hop aroma.

Yeast: Harvested 3 bottles worth, this would be 3rd generation, so now I have 5 bottles of Gen3 in the fridge.

4/5/2008 - Bottled today. Same specs as before. Really great color and a mild flavor. Can't wait to try this one.

4/10/2008 - Opened one today. Bam! Lots of carb, too much really. And, you have to pour carefully to reduce head, which is pretty thick and lots of retention. You'll get a beer mustache drinking this one! Flavor is still maturing.

4/18/2008 - Had a tasting at work today of several brews. This one was preferred over all others by the most people. I would call the crowd non-beer drinkers generally, whose only experience with beer was the American macros.

6/19/2008 - One more 22oz'er left. Saving it for my brother's visit in August. Good, easy-drinking beer, especially for people that don't like a lot of hops.

Muntons Export Stout (kit) - 5

owner: Michael Erwin | started: 03/06/2008 | last updated: 06/03/2008
status: Finished

4# can Muntons Connoisseurs Export Stout
1.4# amber DME
2nd Gen WLP004 Irish ale yeast

3/6/2008 - Using a Muntons Connoisseurs can, Export Stout. Instructions are for 6 gallons, reducing it to 5 gallons with same OG by reducing DME to 1# 6oz. No additional hops or grains.

One interesting learning: Never lick hopped malt syrup from your fingers!!!

OG: 1.041.
FG: 1.019
App Atten: 54% !!!!!
2.8% ABV

Notes on the yeast: this yeast was harvested from the Irish Red Ale one week ago. I filled two sanitized 12oz bottle up to the shoulder and put s-locks on top, stored in the garage. I brought both in the house, let one warm up, then just pitched it directly into the wort. The other bottle I capped and put in the fridge. I need to "burp" it weekly.

3/7/2008 - First time using the plastic fermenter I bought last week. This morning, things seem to popping along nicely. I don't like that I can't watch the progress.

3/11/2008 - Stalled at SG:1.019. Temp down to 62F. Moved to upstairs closet for more warmth. Sample has good flavor. I'm thinking it's the temp & not a yeast problem, but I didn't harvest the slurry anyway.

3/26/2008 - Okay, no dice. It's only gone down 1 point to 1.018. I'm not happy. I'm going to bottle it and see what happens. Also, I'm upping the DME slightly during bottling, trying to get some extra carbonation. If the yeast is dead, then I have five gallons of flat & heavy bottled beer. Great. :(

4/3/2008 - First bottle last night. It's only a week old, so it's still green. Flavor is good, color is dead on, Mouthfeel is slightly fuller than it should be. Bitterness is not as high as I anticipated, but there is a tiny little bite at the end. Definitely full-bodied and sweet, which I attribute to the yeast quitting early, but it's not overly sweet. Carbonation is great, with a thick, dark head and good retention.

Looking back over the notes, I think the problem was in handling the yeast. I had it in the garage during a cold spell, but still the garage was probably above 40F, whereas the fridge would've been a better option. And, I'm coming to believe, a starter is a MUST with harvested yeast. I utilized the 2nd bottle of yeast (the one I put in the fridge after a week in the garage) in another batch three weeks later, using a starter, and it had 71% attenuation.

4/16/2008 - Not a very good beer at this point. Drinkable, but not much more. I have one friend that really likes it.

6/3/2008 - Done. Weeks ago.

Edwin Sandys Bitter - 4

owner: Michael Erwin | started: 02/23/2008 | last updated: 06/03/2008
Recipe: Edwin Sandys Bitter (ESB) | status: Finished

This brew is based on the Palace Bitter in Papazian's book. But, I upped the malt and upped the hops to keep up with the malt, pushing it into the ESB range. Plus, I changed the hops around, b/c I didn't want to use low-alpha and hard-to-get Fuggles to bitter this one. Newport is a good choice for this purpose.

This brew is named after a direct ancestor, an Archbishop of York whose theological leanings played an integral part of the Separatist movement some of whose members eventually became the Pilgrim Fathers. Also, this is the connection to Scrooby Manor, after which I've named my brewery.

2/28/2008 - OG: 1.057 I dumped off about 2/3s of the slurry from the previous batch (Irish Red) and just dumped this in the carboy. Who knows what will happen?

[same day, pt 2] - Just checked carboy, this thing has been active for at least an hour, which means it started less than 3 hrs after pitching.

3/1/2008 - Fermentation has slowed. I blew off almost a gallon of beer! I don't like that. Lots of slurry in the bottom. Racked to bucket, cleaned carboy, and racked back to carboy. So, now I am utilizing a secondary for the first time. SG: 1.017, so it's pretty much done. I'll let it sit until Wednesday or Thursday.

3/5/2008 - SG: 1.015. Apparent attenuation: 74%. Bottled at 5.5% ABV, which is the strongest I've made yet. Reduced the DME to 1 cup to get a little less carb in the English style of this brew. I got 7 bottles less than 2 cases b/c of the extreme blow-off. Tastes really good. Harvested two bottles of G3 yeast, capped and fridged.

3/27/2008 - I've been drinking this one for a couple of weeks. Good beer, with moderate bitterness and good flavor and aroma, great light amber color. Very enjoyable brew.

4/16/2008 - Has really matured into a fine beer. Definitely needs some time in the bottle for the flavor to coalesce.

6/3/2008 - This one's gone now. It needs to make a reappearance in the near future.

Irish Red Ale - 3

owner: Michael Erwin | started: 02/11/2008 | last updated: 05/26/2008
Recipe: | status: Finished

2/21/2008 - Pitched 9:30 PM, with OG: 1.050.

2/22/2008 - Activity started some time this afternoon.

2/23/2008 - Blow-off done this morning. Surprisingly quick, I hope everything's working.

2/28/2008 - SG: 1.018. Apparent attenuation: 64%. Seems like the yeast has given up. Should use secondary fermentation, but I don't have the equipment. So, I bottled it anyway. The hydro sample (always finds its way into my mouth!) was incredible. It was exactly what I expected an Irish Red to be, except 10 times better. Looking forward to this one. Harvested 2 bottles of G2 yeast, stored in garage with s-locks.

3/6/2008 - Great beer, with a nice bitter bite. A little on the heavy side, definitely should've used 2ndary.

3/27/2008 - This has matured into an awesome Irish Red Ale. The hop profile is aggressive for this style, so much so that I might call it an Irish-American Red Ale :) Still a bit heavy, but definitely this recipe will be used again, with some modifications.

4/11/2008 - Only four bottles left, and saving them for a special occasion later this summer. I hate to see this one go!!! Boo hoo. I can't wait to try this one again and get it right. It was so good as imperfect as it was.

Scottish Sixty-One - 2

owner: Michael Erwin | started: 02/02/2008 | last updated: 05/26/2008
status: Finished

3.3# NB Gold liquid malt extract
1# Light spraymalt
4 oz. Brown Sugar
12 oz. Crystal 40°L
4 oz. Chocolate Malt
8 oz. Maltodextrin
.5 oz. Newport 10% (45 min)
2 oz. dried oak chips
Wyeast 1728 (69-73% atten)

This is a 60/- Scottish brew, but I've added oak chips to give it an additional flavor. So, it's a bit more expensive, say, one shilling more, hence, 61/-.

2/14/2008 - boiled and pitched today. Actual OG: 1.038. Waiting for fermentation.

2/15/2008 - We have lift-off, or I should say, blow-off.

2/16/2008 - Blow-off done. Switched to airlock.

2/19/2008 - SG: 1.013.

2/20/2008 - SG: 1.012. Apparent attenuation: 68%.

2/21/2008 - Bottled today. Had a funky flavor that was kind of a bourbon-type taste, I'm guessing from the oak chips. I hope that calms down a bit in the bottle.

2/27/2008 - oh, wow! Put a bottle in the fridge last night and pulled it out tonight. The funky bourbon flavor has subsided to an oak aftertaste which adds a perfect little surprise at the end of a sip. Carbonation is higher than I want, & no head retention to speak of. But, I'm certainly not throwing it out, as I thought I would be as I was bottling. Not very clear, next time try Irish moss.

3/10/2008 - The oak flavor, which at times has seemed overwhelming, is really mellowing out now, making this a pretty good beer. Not great, but decent.

3/12/2008 - wow, I don't get it. Things keep getting better with this brew. Tonight it had a 1.5" head for a couple of minutes, which started disintegrating from the outside (heavy carb underneath), leaving like an island of head! Weird. And, the oak flavor has become a faint hint, making this a great beer. So, maybe it just needed three weeks in the bottle to mature.

5/26/2008 - Boiled today's brats in the last bottle. A fitting end to a beer I will never make again.

Elbro Nerkte - 1

owner: Michael Erwin | started: 02/01/2008 | last updated: 05/23/2008
status: Finished

2/8/2008 - The gods of Firefox wiped out my notes on this one. In any case, this is my first homebrew ever, I used Papazian's Joy of Homebrewing, a recipe for Elbro Nerkte, a dark English ale. I substituted Styrian Goldings for the Fuggles. Totally fermented in five days. Bottled 49 12oz yesterday. It's really hard to wait!!!

Other notes from memory:

OG was something like 1.036-38. For some reason, lower than the book said it would be.

FG was 1.012. Apparent attenuation: 68%

Recipe:
2 cans Muntons Dark
.5# 20L Caramel
.25# black patent
1 oz Styrian Goldings 3.3% (boil)
.5 oz Cascade 5.0 (boil)
.5 oz Cascade 5.0 (aroma)
1 Tbsp Irish moss (5 minutes)
Safale US-05

Single-stage fermentation, w/ blow-off tube.
Pitched on 1/31/08 - incredibly flavorful brew; my mouth is watering just thinking about the glass I poured out of the hydro tube. extremely dark, closer to a porter color (but clearly not a porter) than a Newcastle color.

2/7/2008 - Bottled. Place in downstairs shower (dark and out of the way).

2/14/2008 - Tasted. Drinkable, but disappointing carbonation. More than likely, the downstairs shower was too cool. Moved to upstairs closet.

2/17/2008 - I'm currently moving one bottle down from the upstairs closet each day, fridging it, drinking it, and replacing with another bottle. Each day the beer is getting better, and getting more carbonation. This evening I got about a 1/4-inch head, so things are "perking up."

2/18/2008 - Carb still rising ever so slightly. After having one a night for several nights, beginning to analyze flavor. Needs more bittering. Also, very sweet beer.

2/20/2008 - Now, after nearly a week in the warmer environment, I'm getting more than a half-inch head, which I believe is allowing more of a hop aroma to come through in the first sip.

2/26/2008 - I've passed out around a dozen bottles, waiting for reviews.

5/23/2008 - Just downed the last one. Now, with just five months experience, I can say, not bad for a first brew. Easy to make, difficult to wait in the beginning, but worth it all in the end. Goes great with pizza. I think I could do this one better knowing what I know now.