Straight C IPA Tap Handle

Straight C IPA
14-B American IPA
Author: Mark Ranes

Size: 10.08 gal
Efficiency: 75.0%
Attenuation: 75.0%
Calories: 234.7 kcal per 12.0 fl oz

Original Gravity: 1.070 (1.056 – 1.075)
Terminal Gravity: 1.018 (1.010 – 1.018)
Color: 12.51 (6.0 – 15.0)
Alcohol: 6.94% (5.5% – 7.5%)
Bitterness: 57.5 (40.0 – 70.0)

Ingredients:
12.0 lb Maris Otter Pale Ale Malt
12.0 lb Northwest Pale Ale Malt
1.0 lb Crystal Malt 60°L
1.0 lb Cara-Pils Malt
1.0 lb American Munich
1.5 oz Columbus (15.0%) – added during boil, boiled 60.0 m
2.0 oz Centennial (10.0%) – added during boil, boiled 10.0 m
2.0 oz Cascade (5.5%) – added during boil, boiled 1.0 m
2.0 ea Servomyces – added during boil, boiled 10.0 m
2.0 ea Whirlfloc Tablets (Irish moss) – added during boil, boiled 10.0 m
4.0 oz Cascade (5.5%) – steeped after boil
2000 mL White Labs WLP090 San Diego Super Yeast
2.0 oz Cascade (5.5%) – added dry to secondary fermenter
1.0 oz Centennial (10.0%) – added dry to secondary fermenter
1.0 oz Columbus (15.0%) – added dry to secondary fermenter

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Alesmith's San Diego Dark Session Ale

Anyone who knows me would laugh if I told them I was going to brew a session ale.  For me, life starts at 1.060 OG and goes up from there!

As a part of our schwag for NHC 2011, we were given a commemorative bomber of San Diego Dark Session Ale, brewed by Alesmith in San Diego (the picture of the bottle on Beer Advocate is mine:)  The ale was incredibly drinkable – sessionable even – but with enough lightly roasted hoppy flavor to meet my needs.  The recipe was published in the May/June 2011 issue of Zymurgy as a 5 gallon recipe.  I threw the ingredients into Beer Tools for a 10 gallon batch, adjusted the OG for my system’s efficiency, and I plan on brewing this on Labor Day.  A starter of the new White Labs WLP090 San Diego Super Yeast is bubbling away on the stir plate as I type this entry.  This is the second batch of ale that will be run through my new  fermenter.

The weather here has been so hot I just haven’t wanted to brew and Monday is the coolest projected day for this weekend.  Additionally, the 26 month old Sears refrigerator that I use for a fermentation vessel crapped out last week.  Thankfully, it is now up and running again after a $139 repair bill.  It’s time to brew!

Here’s the recipe I’ll be brewing on Monday:

Central Valley Dark Session Ale
11-A Mild
Author: Mark Ranes
Date: 9/5/11

Size: 10.08 gal
Efficiency: 75.0%
Attenuation: 75.0%
Calories: 194.62 kcal per 16.0 fl oz

Original Gravity: 1.044 (1.030 – 1.038)
Terminal Gravity: 1.011 (1.008 – 1.013)
Color: 17.4 (12.0 – 25.0)
Alcohol: 4.32% (2.8% – 4.5%)
Bitterness: 31.5 (10.0 – 25.0)

Ingredients:
12.0 lb Maris Otter
1.2 lb Crystal 45
0.6 lb Biscuit Malt
0.6 lb Crystal 120
0.6 lb Crystal 75
0.6 lb Melanoidin Malt
0.25 lb American Chocolate Malt
1.0 lb Cara-Pils® Malt
0.4 oz Simcoe® (13.0%) – added during boil, boiled 60.0 min
0.4 oz Warrior® (16.0%) – added during boil, boiled 60.0 min
0.5 oz Simcoe® (13.0%) – added during boil, boiled 15.0 min
2.0 ea Whirlfloc Tablets (Irish moss) – added during boil, boiled 10.0 min
2.0 ea Servomyces – added during boil, boiled 10.0 min
0.5 oz Amarillo® (8.5%) – added during boil, boiled 10.0 min
0.5 oz Cascade (5.5%) – added during boil, boiled 5.0 min
1.0 oz Cascade (5.5%) – added dry to primary fermenter
0.5 oz Amarillo® (8.5%) – added dry to primary fermenter
0.5 oz Simcoe® (13.0%) – added dry to primary fermenter
2000.0 mL Starter White Labs WLP090 San Diego Super Yeast

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Sabco Fermenter

So I’m wanting one of these.  Bad!

A couple of my brew buddies, Wade and Steve, have fabricated similar fermenters using conversion kits to achieve the same general result.  My only concern with their setups is that they really can’t get into the top of the unit to check for cleanliness and scrub away fermentation funk.  The Sabco unit has a 4 inch port on top, secured with a tri-clamp that should make entry and cleaning a breeze.  All of the couplings utilize tri-clamps, so cleaning and sanitation should be easy.  I especially like the idea of being able to harvest yeast.  I also really like the idea of getting ten gallons of exactly the same ale since one of my five gallon carboys always seems to have a better/different fermentation.

They are not cheap, but run about the same as a quality, non-temperature controlled conical fermenter.  I’ve always worried about moving a full 14 gallon conical fermenter since they tend to be so top heavy, and my fermentation fridge is 50+ feet away from where I brew.  This unit looks more stable, and easier to handle and then muscle into my fermentation fridge.  Sabco has a nice video showing how the fermenter works.  I’m thinking of buying one, and then if they live up to my expectations, picking up another one and then ditching all of my carboys.  I’ve a a serious close call with a carboy that has me a bit scared – and I’m handing them with renewed respect.

I want to give Sabco a call before purchasing with a few questions.  I’d also need to rework a couple of my recently fabricated hoses, with stainless quick disconnects, to attach to the new fermenter, but that shouldn’t be too big of a deal.

So yea, lust!  Stainless steel lust:)

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Cookie Dough Brown Ale Tap Handle

I now have ten gallons of Cookie Dough Brown Ale sitting in a couple carboys.  I’d love to take credit for the inspiration for this wonderful ale, but that goes to my brew buddy, Stephen.  The idea came to him one day when he was sitting around (probably with an ale in his hand:) thinking about how to take his Brew Barn Brown Ale to the next level, and the idea of adding dark brown sugar and raisins to the batch came to him, to give it a deeper, cookie-like quality.  He brews the ale as an imperial, but I scale it back a bit in the OG to make it a bit more of a session ale.  This is the third time I’ve brewed this ale and it just seems to get better with every batch.  The one I have on tap right now is easily in the top five best ales I’ve ever brewed.

This beer was also my inaugural run using my new Therminator plate chiller, and I was on edge throughout most of the brew session, knowing that a big change was coming to my process at the end of the day.  On top of the chilling process change, I haven’t brewed for at least three months, so overall, the brew day was just a bit out of the ordinary.  I chased my mash temps, and I forgot to add the Whirlfloc tablets at the end of the boil. In the end, I made beer:)

Here’s the recipe for Cookie Dough Brown Ale:

Cookie Dough Brown Ale
10-C American Brown Ale
Author: Mark Ranes
Date: 04/25/11

Size: 10.08 gal
Efficiency: 69.06%
Attenuation: 79.0%
Calories: 212.53 kcal per 12.0 fl oz

Original Gravity: 1.064 (1.045 – 1.060)
Terminal Gravity: 1.013 (1.010 – 1.016)
Color: 24.6 (18.0 – 35.0)
Alcohol: 6.66% (4.3% – 6.2%)
Bitterness: 37.9 (20.0 – 40.0)

Ingredients:
12.0 lb Golden Promise Malt
8.0 lb Pale Ale Malt
2.0 lb Brown
1.0 lb Cara-Pils® Malt
1.0 lb Chocolate Malt
1.0 lb Crystal 120
1.5 oz Northern Brewer (8.0%) – added during boil, boiled 60.0 min
1.5 oz Centennial (10.0%) – added during boil, boiled 20.0 min
2.0 tsp Wyeast Nutrient  – added during boil, boiled 15.0 min
2.0 ea Whirlfloc Tablets (Irish moss) – added during boil, boiled 15.0 min
1.0 lb Dark Brown Sugar – added during boil, boiled 10.0 min
12.0 oz Raisins – added during boil, boiled 10.0 min
2.0 oz Centennial (10.0%) – added during boil, boiled 0.0 min
2.0 oz Northern Brewer (8.0%) – added during boil, boiled 0.0 min
2000 mL White Labs WLP001 California Ale
2.0 oz Cascade (5.5%) – added dry to secondary fermenter
2.0 oz Northern Brewer (8.0%) – added dry to secondary fermenter

Therminator Set Up

Overall, the chilling process with the Therminator went well.  Man, that plate chiller can drop the wort temperature fast!  I was a bit out of sorts with my anal retentive need to super clean the plate chiller though.  I had lots of problems with the March pump cavitating, while trying to repeatedly forward and reverse flush the Therminator.  And the hop bit just seemed to never stop coming out of the chiller.  Steve uses a sump pump for cleaning the chiller, and I got one for these from Mrs. Lazy Brewer for Christmas, but it was the one part of the system I didn’t take the time to flesh out all of the fittings for, so it wasn’t ready.  It will be the next time I brew:)

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New hoses, quick disconnects, HopRocket and Therminator

It’s been a while since I posted. Maybe because I haven’t brewed since the holidays.  Maybe because I’ve been busy with life.  Maybe because a major upgrade to my brewing system has me avoiding all things brewing – other than consuming homebrew.

Last Christmas, Mrs. Lazybrewer put a Blichman Therminator and Thrumometer under the tree for me and this year followed it up with a Blichmann HopRocket, and an additional March pump.  Over the last year I’ve picked up new stainless steel quick disconnects and high temp tubing, getting ready for the transition from my immersion chiller to a new plate chiller cooling system.  Yes, that’s right.  It’s taken me fifteen months to move from an old school wort chilling system to a new shiny high tech chilling system.  Because I’m a creature of habit – set in my ways – a stick in the mud!

It’s finally happening!  Today I spent a couple hours building new hoses and attaching male QDs to “devices” and kettles.  I’m 95% ready (I just need to get a couple 3/4″ F/F couplers for the water side of the Therminator) and plan of doing a water-only dry run on Saturday, followed by a Cookie Dough Brown Ale brew on Sunday or Monday.  I know that it’s going to be a worrisome brew day for me with the change.  I have well over a hundred brew sessions under my belt with my system, and current immersion chiller, and the plate chiller looks to be far more complex to manage and keep clean and sanitized.  Part of my hesitation over the last year has be concerning keeping the Therminator clean and not being the single point of infection failure for my brews.  I’ve read way too much on cleaning and sanitizing plate chillers on the web, and several of my closest brew buddies have been using plate and counterflow chillers for years without a single infection.  But still, I’m nervous, because I’m a creature of habit – set in my ways – a stick in the mud! I’m sure 5-10 brews from now, the Therminator will be my new habit, but getting there will wear on me a bit:)

I am looking forward to using the HopRocket, infusing my IPAs with oodles of hop goodness, but that’s a couple brews down the road.  I want to get the new chilling regime down first before introducing a new variable.

Where's Waldo?

On a side note, we just got back from a Northern California brewery road trip.  We enjoyed stops at Russian River Brewing, Bear Republic Brewing, Anderson Valley Brewing, North Coast Brewing and on the way home, a drop-in at Lagunitas Brewing yielded a single release tapping of Waldo – which they bill as their hoppiest beer ever.  We spent two nights at The MacCallum House in Mendocino, and enjoyed great beer, wonderful food and spirited companionship – with some of the best people in the world!

Life is good!

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My new Therminator!

Woohoo!  Santa brought the Lazy Brewer a new Therminator!

I’ve been an immersion chiller kinda brewer since I first starting brewing.  I’ve always liked the fact that by using an immersion chiller, most of the cold break stays in my brew kettle.  I also have really enjoyed the 15 seconds it takes to spray off my copper coil chiller.  What I haven’t liked is waiting for 45-75 minutes (depending on the current groundwater temperature) for my wort to cool.  It just leaves the wort in the potentially dangerous temperature range, susceptible to  contamination, for too long.

I have been very hesitant to use either a counter flow or plate chiller because of cleaning and sanitation concerns.  I’ve seen sheets of beerstone that have flowed out of Stephen’s counterflow chiller and it chilled me to the bone. He’s never had a batch get contaminated, so I do believe his anal retentive cleaning and sanitation methods work – it just creeped me out when I saw the beerstone exiting the chiller.  Additionally, I’ve known several of my brew club buddies that regularly use plate chillers – and read the forum posts about cleaning and sanitizing them.  Steve started with a Shirron plate chiller, and promptly moved up to the Therminator.  He has a cleaning and sanitizing routine for the Therminator where he instantly pumps PBW through both his March pump and Therminator for several minutes, then pumps clean water through both, followed by StarSan to sanitize the equipment.  Like Stephen’s cleaning regime, I’m convinced Steve has covered all the bases to make sure he doesn’t infect a batch of ale.

Steve managing the Therminator connections

In the long run, I don’t see the Therminator actually saving me any time on brew day because of the need to meticulously clean the plate chiller after use, but it will allow me to avoid putting my wort at risk during the actual chilling phase.  This is obviously a good thing.

I still need to pick up some cheap quick disconnects for my water hose connections, additional tubing for wort, as well as a sump pump for moving the various liquids necessary for cleaning and sanitizing.

I’m a creature of habit.  After 95 batches, I have my brew day processes down pat.  Integrating the Therminator into my brewing process will throw me out of sorts for a while.  Steve has suggested I do a dry run with water, learning to manage the various hose swaps necessary for both chilling and cleaning/sanitizing. This sounds like a good idea…

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Racking Mordicai's Imperial Red Flare Ale

Tonight I finally kegged up the Czar’s Pride Russian Imperial Stout and Mordicai’s Imperial Red Flare Ale.  The RIS started at OG 1.084 and ended at FG 1.020, for an 8.6% ABV.  It’s not as big as I was hoping for, but the hydrometer jar sample tasted roasty and sweet – with a big alcohol front end.  It should mellow nicely over the next 6-9 months.  The Imperial Red Ale started at OG 1.072 and finished out at FG 1.013, for an 7.9% ABV.  It is nice and hoppy from multiple injections of Columbus and Nugget dry hops.  I’m looking forward to spending some time with this ale!

I recently blew through a 20 pound CO2 tank in two days.  I originally assumed that it was a bad o-ring on one of the keg’s gas-in posts, so I replaced the o-rings on all of the active kegs in the kegerator.  While changing the o-ring, I dropped both of my brass 4 way gas manifolds into a bucket of water only to find that they were both leaking.  I monkeyed with both of them, trying to tighten up the fittings, but without completely dismantling both of them, I had little luck.  Being the Lazy Brewer, it seemed much easier to throw some money at the problem, so I ordered two 4 way manifolds from Northern Brewer.  These seem more sturdy and actually fit better on my 5/16″ commercial gas lines.  So far I’m pleased.  I also discovered a leak in my double CO2 regulator, so I ordered a replacement for that also.  Money up front?  Yup!  But compared to blowing through multiple 20lb CO2 tanks at $35 a pop to fill, it’ll save some bucks over the long run.  Plus, I hate this kind of frustration.

Tonight I’m making a starter with two vials of WLP004 Irish Ale Yeast.  Saturday I’ll be brewing a 10 gallon batch of Black Widow Stout.  The recipe will follow here in the next day or so…

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Brew Sculpture

Last Friday’s Simcoe IPA brew day was uneventful.  This was batch 72, and I spent at least a little time thinking about how to make batch 100 a special brew.  The OG came in a little low at 1.064, and with a full six ounces of Simcoe hops in the brew, I’m expecting a very flavorful brew, with a piney taste similar to the Columbus IPA.  I’m looking forward to putting these two brews side by side.  Next up in the single hop experiment is an all Summit IPA.

Simcoe Hops - Lots of Simcoe hops!

Everything came off like clockwork, and I even enjoyed the change of brewing further out on the patio.  Usually I brew under the patio cover and have easy access to counter space, all my brewing stuff and electricity (and proximity to the taps, too:).  It was kind of pleasant to have the late fall leaves drifting down on me while I brewed.  This is my favorite time of the year to brew.  The weather is cool for brewing and my fermentations tend stay right at the correct temperature without too much extra effort.  Fall is brewing season for me.  The day reminded me that even though I enjoy the social aspects of brewing, I also very much enjoy solo brewing – things just fall in line like they should, and I tend to be more on my game.

Mmmm! IPA!

I had several visitors at the end of the brew day. Becky, Eric and Evan visited for a while, Brad was my Iceman, and Steve and Maggie hung out and enjoyed a couple brews (well, Maggie was actually Steve’s DD:).  Steve brought me a cool new cleaning tool that was the result of an idea he’s had rolling around in his head for a while.  I’m actually looking forward to cleaning a couple carboys and trying it out!

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Hands Covered with Nasty DME!

I read a simple, yet very cool tip on a beer blog recently (I don’t remember which blog or I’d give it credit:) that makes creating yeast starters a breeze.

My personal feeling is that DME is the most vile stuff on earth.  As soon as it comes in contact with any moisture (like in the air or even your hands), it creates a nasty, pasty coating on everything it touches.  Little poofs of it go everywhere even when you just open the bag!  Jeez – I hate the stuff, but it is a necessary evil.  Anything I can do to cut down my contact time with the stuff is a blessing.

Measuring DME

Basically, I just buy a bag or two of DME, pre-measure it into Ziploc bags, add a pinch of yeast nutrient, and then throw all the little pre-measured bags into a 1 gallon Ziploc for storage.  Then, when it’s time to make a starter, I just cut the bottom corner off one of the pre-measured Ziplocs and pour it into the flask – no funnel needed. I then just add water and proceed as normal.  This process means that I have to touch the DME just once – and I like that!  Why hadn’t I thought of this before?

Small and Large Pre-measured Bags of DME

My general process of making yeast starters is similar to what other homebrewers do, but may differ a bit because I like to “feed” my starters.  I use two flasks for making starters – a one liter and a two liter flask.  I use two-thirds of a cup of DME in the two liter flask, and add 1400 ml of water.  In the one liter flask, I use one-third of a cup of DME, and add 800 ml of water.  Each flask is boiled for fifteen minutes.  After boiling, I quick-chill the large flask in an ice bath to get it down to pitching temperature.  In goes a vial of White Labs yeast – or sometimes two, for a high gravity brew.  I like to get the starter going four or five days in advance, if I plan well.  Usually it is just a couple days prior to  brewing, though.  The large flask is put on a stirplate and the small flask goes into the refrigerator.

Boiling Flask of Starter Wort

Once the large flask is on the stirplate, I put a shot of oxygen into the flask, and then turn the stirplate speed way up to get the starter wort into a froth, mixing the oxygen into solution.  I usually do this two more times in the first couple hours the wort is on the stirplate.  In general, I keep the stirplate on 300-400 rpm until it completely ferments out – usually in about twenty four hours.  If I have the luxury of three or four days before brewing, I’ll put the large flask into the refrigerator for a day to get the yeast to drop out of suspension.  This way, I can decant off much of the starter wort and then “feed” the starter again for another complete fermentation to kick up the yeast cell counts.

If I only have another day before brewing, which is more typical, I’ll add about 300 ml of “feeder” wort from the small flask early in the day.  This sets the starter off again on a quick fermentation, waking up the yeast and slightly increasing cell counts.  Finally, on brew day morning, I’ll add another 300 ml of “feeder” wort to wake up the starter and get it ready for pitching into carboys.

Stirplate, Feeder Wort and Oxygen

Throughout this process, I maintain strict sanitation procedures.  About a minute before the flask is done boiling, I put aluminum foil on both flasks, and the exposure to the air and unsanatized equipment, from this point on, is minimized.  All stoppers, stir bars, yeast vials and even my hands, are thoroughly sanitized before they are exposed to the starter wort.  Lets face it, you don’t want your yeast starter to be the contaminating agent for ten gallons of brew!

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I’ve been kegging this way since I started brewing and it seems to be working. My barleywines, that often age for over a year, show no signs of oxidation. I also like the fact that I’m not introducing any bacterial or fungal stuff from my mouth as I don’t have to blow into carboy to start the siphon.

Although I was really worried about the barleywine finishing way too high, it seems that somewhere along the line, the yeast chewed through most of the maltose. I’m not sure if it was the champagne yeast starter I added a couple weeks back, but the final gravity was 1.031. It seems kind of high, but it is important to remember that this barleywine started with an original gravity of 1.134. This is going to be one big ‘ole barleywine! Here’s the particulars on the barleywine:

Mark’s Big Foot Barleywine

Brewed 02/14/08 (Valentines Day:)
Original Gravity, 1.134
Final Gravity, 1.031
Alcohol by Volume, 13.86%

I also kegged up ten gallons of Colona Mexican Lager. This is a clone of Corona – hence the name Colona. It is always well received by the masses and is the beer of choice for those folks that visit my bar, but are not craft brew drinkers. Often, after couple Colonas, they are willing to try some of the other ales I have on tap. It is a clean lawnmower beer for the summer. The two kegs will lager for another month or so before serving. Here are the details:

Colona Mexican Lager

Brewed 03/02/08
Original Gravity, 1.060
Final Gravity, 1.015
Alcohol by Volume, 5.91%

Finally, I also kegged up five gallons of Blue Flame Imperial IPA. This is the third time I’ve brewed this in the last eight months, and I’m hoping it turns out as good as the first batch. The last time I brewed the IIPA, it just didn’t have the same hop brilliance as the first batch. The sample I tasted from the hydrometer jar leads me to believe this round is as good as the first:) Here’s the info on this ale:

Blue Flame Imperial IPA

Brewed 03/15/08
Original Gravity, 1.096
Final Gravity, 1.021
Alcohol by Volume, 9.96%

Ahh, the beauty of twenty gallons of freshly kegged beer!

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It was the biggest beer I’ve ever brewed and came in at OG 1.134!  It was like syrup when I put it in the fermentor.  Obviously I was worried about the yeast’s ability to chew through the wort, but I made a huge 1600 ml starter, with 2 vials of White Labs Cal Ale yeast, WLP001.  It took off with a huge ferment, with a massive krausen, that put a ton of yeast in the bucket holding the blowoff tube.  I was hopeful.  After about 25 days I took a hydrometer reading and the hydrometer bottomed out -meaning that it was still way too high.  I added a properly rehydrated packet of Safale US-05 in hopes that it could wake up the lazy barleywine.  All the while, I’d been performing my standard late fermentation carboy swirling on a daily basis, in hopes of rousing the yeast.  I tested it again after a week and it had dropped a bit, but not enough.  A couple weeks ago, I had Stephen pick up a vial of White Labs Champagne yeast, WLP715, in hopes that its high tolerance for alcohol might help finish off the barleywine.  Additionally I put a heating pad on the carboy, insulated by a Carboy Cover, and hoped for the best.  There was some activity in the airlock, and I’ve continued to swirl the carboy on a daily basis.  I’ll take another hydrometer reading soon to see how much progress I’ve made toward the final gravity.

I’d like to give a plug to Carboy Covers.  I’ve been using them since I started brewing and I gave a couple to Stephen because he taught me so much about brewing (even though I’m now a better brewer than he is:). Basically, most brewers know that light is an enemy to your fermenting, as well as finished, beers.  Carboy Covers keep the light out of your carboys.  They are made of soft fleece-like material and come in a variety of fashionable colors.  You can get them for 1, 3, 5, 6 and 6.5 gallon carboys and I can attest to the fact that they do hold up over time.

The green Carboy Cover in this picture is over three years old and does have a nasty yeast overflow stain on it, but I’m sure with a simple rinsing, it will clean up nicely:)

Originally, I picked all of my Carboy Covers up on eBay, but there were no auctions running when I wanted my last batch, so I paid full retail at $11.00 a pop – still a good deal in my book.  There are currently a couple eBay auctions running right now.  I recently had to resort to using bath sheets to cover my carboys since I had so much beer in glass.  Now, with four additional Carboy Covers, I can have up to 40 gallons in glass, and protected from light!

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