English IPA

My most recent beers were a few English Pale Ales - specifically a best bitter and an ESB. I also used an English yeast for my Porter. Since I had all this nice English yeast ready to go, I decided to use it for an English-style India Pale Ale.

Now, for the English IPA, first of all, I would like to direct those of you who are reading this to my favorite beer blog, "Shut Up About Barclay Perkins" (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2011/01/characteristics-of-ipa.html) here Mr. Ron Patterson explains more clearly than I could what I always thought was true about English IPA, which fellow homebrewers and American beer lovers would always disagree with - namely that the English IPA is not a strong beer. The Beer Judge Certification Program has been tremendously useful for judging and comparing beer and the BJCP is also extraordinarily influential when it comes to defining beer styles in the American Homebrewer and Craft Beer scene. However, English IPA is a style they just got wrong, in My opinion.

English IPA is not a strong beer. It just isn't. But then, I'm not English and here on the west coast of the US, an IPA is typically a strong, hoppy, golden to copper-colored ale. So what if you use an English yeast and English hops and English malt? Then you have an English-style American India Pale Ale! Now, What I decided to go for was a beer that was on the big end of what would be called IPA in Britain. My OG was 1.054 and the IBUs should be around 45-50. I used British malts (Maris Otter and British Crystal 65L) and yeast (WLP002, purportedly the Fuller's strain) and I hopped this ale 100% with a new American hop variety (Delta) that is said to be similar to Styrian Goldings. I certainly used far more late hop additions than would be typical of any English ale and I added some corn sugar to help this beer dry out. Here is what I came up with. After all, I want this beer to both fit within the BJCP guidelines and properly fit within the true definition of English IPA.

Here's the recipe:


Recipe: Delta Force English IPA
Style: 14A-India Pale Ale(IPA)-English IPA

Recipe Overview

Wort Volume Before Boil: 14.50 US gals
Wort Volume After Boil: 11.50 US gals
Volume Transferred: 9.75 US gals
Water Added: 1.25 US gals
Volume At Pitching: 11.00 US gals
Final Batch Volume: 10.50 US gals
Expected Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.044 SG
Expected OG: 1.054 SG
Expected FG: 1.012 SG
Expected ABV: 5.5 %
Expected ABW: 4.4 %
Expected IBU (using Tinseth): 44.7
Expected Color: 8.4 SRM
Apparent Attenuation: 76.6 %
Mash Efficiency: 88.0 %
Boil Duration: 95.0 mins
Fermentation Temperature: 64 degF

Fermentables
UK Pale Ale Malt (Maris Otter) 18lb 0oz (85.7 %) In Mash/Steeped
UK Medium Crystal (120EBC) 1lb 8oz (7.1 %) In Mash/Steeped
Sugar - Corn Sugar/Dextrose (Dry) 1lb 8oz (7.1 %) Start Of Boil

Hops
US Delta (6.5 % alpha) 85 g Loose Whole Hops used 60 Min From End
US Delta (6.5 % alpha) 85 g Loose Whole Hops used 15 Min From End
US Delta (6.5 % alpha) 85 g Loose Whole Hops used 5 Min From End
US Delta (6.5 % alpha) 85 g Loose Whole Hops used At turn off
US Delta (6.5 % alpha) 85 g Loose Whole Hops used Dry-Hopped

Other Ingredients
Wyeast Nutrient 1 tsp used In Boil
2 Whirlfloc Tablets used In Boil

Yeast: White Labs WLP002-English Ale

Mash Schedule
Mash Type: Full Mash
Schedule Name:Single Step Infusion (65C/149F)
Step: Rest at 149 degF for 60 mins

Scrublin Stout

I used an old-fashioned American yeast (ECY 10 - the old Ballantine Ale strain) for my best bitter, and so I figured it would be a nice yeast to use on a dry stout. Since I hadn't brewed a low-gravity dark beer ever, I thought it seemed prudent to try. Here's what I did:

I dubbed this dry Irish-style stout "Scrublin Stout," as the style originates from Dublin, Ireland and Dublin, California is sometimes called Scrublin by residents of nearby San Ramon, CA, where I grew up. I am kegging this stout today.

Edit: It's good and kegged now and it tastes great.

Recipe: Scrublin Stout
Style: 13A-Stout-Dry Stout

Recipe Overview

Wort Volume Before Boil: 9.00 US gals
Wort Volume After Boil: 6.50 US gals
Volume Transferred: 6.00 US gals
Water Added: 0.00 US gals
Volume At Pitching: 6.00 US gals
Final Batch Volume: 5.50 US gals
Expected Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.031 SG
Expected OG: 1.043 SG
Expected FG: 1.008 SG
Expected ABV: 4.7 %
Expected ABW: 3.7 %
Expected IBU (using Tinseth): 37.5
Expected Color: 31.8 SRM
Apparent Attenuation: 81.4 %
Mash Efficiency: 86.0 %
Boil Duration: 90.0 mins
Fermentation Temperature: 56 degF, ramped up to 64, then matured in primary at ambient (68F) for two weeks after fermentation was complete.

Fermentables
UK Pale Ale Malt (Maris Otter) 6lb 0oz (59.3 %) In Mash/Steeped
US Flaked Barley 1lb 12oz (17.3 %) In Mash/Steeped
US Rice Hulls 1lb 0oz (9.9 %) In Mash/Steeped
German Roasted Barley 14.00 oz (8.6 %) In Mash/Steeped
German Carafa Special II 6.00 oz (3.7 %) In Mash/Steeped
US Pilsen Malt 2.00 oz (1.2 %) In Mash/Steeped

Hops
US Willamette (4.0 % alpha) 28 g Bagged Pellet Hops used First Wort Hopped
US Magnum (17.0 % alpha) 14 g Loose Whole Hops used 90 Min From End

Other Ingredients

Yeast: East Coast Yeast ECY 10-Old Newark Ale

Mash Schedule
Mash Type: Full Mash
Schedule Name:Single Step Infusion (67C/152F)
Step: Rest at 153 degF for 60 mins

Recipe Notes
2 oz of Pilsner Malt were mashed in a thermos brand coffee mug for about 5 days to get sour. That mash was added to the main mash tun at sparge.

Brewing Since November

Even though failing the bar kept me from writing on this blog, it didn't keep me from brewing good beer. I have brewed several batches in the past few months, and have stepped up my system to 12 gallons. I also joined a homebrew club, the Greenbelt Brewers Association (greenbeltbrewers.org). Of note, I brewed a Double Red Ale inspired by Green Flash Hop Head Red - that was my first 10 gallon batch and it suffered from a few problems - namely a freak storm that sent hail into the kettle, and the learning curve that went along with it being my first 10 gallon batch. However, the beer turned out great, so here's the recipe:


Thunderstorm Double Red Ale


Wort Volume Before Boil: 14.50 US gals
Wort Volume After Boil: 12.00 US gals
Volume Transferred: 10.00 US gals
Volume At Pitching: 10.00 US gals
Final Batch Volume: 9.50 US gals
Expected Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.057 SG
Expected OG: 1.069 SG
Expected FG: 1.016 SG
Expected ABV: 7.2 %
Expected ABW: 5.6 %
Expected IBU (using Tinseth): 60.3
Expected Color: 14.2 SRM
Apparent Attenuation: 76.5 %
Mash Efficiency: 83.0 %
Boil Duration: 90.0 mins
Fermentation Temperature: 60 degF

Fermentables
UK Pale Ale Malt (Maris Otter) 14lb 0oz (51.6 %) In Mash/Steeped
US 2-Row Malt 10lb 8oz (38.7 %) In Mash/Steeped
UK Medium Crystal (120EBC) 2lb 0oz (7.4 %) In Mash/Steeped
UK Extra Dark Crystal 8.00 oz (1.8 %) In Mash/Steeped
German Carafa Special II 2.00 oz (0.5 %) In Mash/Steeped

Hops
US Amarillo (7.5 % alpha) 50 g Loose Whole Hops used First Wort Hopped
US Columbus(Tomahawk) (12.0 % alpha) 20 g Loose Pellet Hops used All Of Boil
US Cascade (4.5 % alpha) 77 g Loose Whole Hops used 15 Min From End
US Summit (15.8 % alpha) 57 g Bagged Pellet Hops used 10 Min From End
US Cascade (4.5 % alpha) 100 g Loose Whole Hops used 5 Min From End
US Amarillo (10.7 % alpha) 55 g Loose Whole Hops used 5 Min From End
US Cascade (5.7 % alpha) 160 g Loose Whole Hops used At turn off
US Amarillo (10.7 % alpha) 60 g Loose Whole Hops used At turn off
US Amarillo (10.7 % alpha) 50 g Loose Whole Hops used Dry-Hopped
US Summit (15.8 % alpha) 30 g Loose Whole Hops used Dry-Hopped
US Columbus(Tomahawk) (12.0 % alpha) 20 g Loose Pellet Hops used Dry-Hopped

Other Ingredients
Whirlfloc Tablet 1 g used In Boil

Yeast: White Labs WLP001-California Ale

Mash: Single Step Infusion (68C/154F)
Step: Rest at 154 degF for 60 mins


I also brewed my porter once again, albeit slightly modified, and it turned out great. The next time I brew it, though, I will slightly reduce the bittering hops. That recipe is:

Recipe: Grey Skies Porter 2
Style: 12B-Porter-Robust Porter

Recipe Overview

Wort Volume Before Boil: 15.50 US gals
Wort Volume After Boil: 12.00 US gals
Volume Transferred: 11.50 US gals
Water Added: 0.00 US gals
Volume At Pitching: 11.50 US gals
Final Batch Volume: 11.00 US gals
Expected Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.046 SG
Expected OG: 1.060 SG
Expected FG: 1.016 SG
Expected ABV: 5.8 %
Expected ABW: 4.5 %
Expected IBU (using Tinseth): 40.9
Expected Color: 33.4 SRM
Apparent Attenuation: 71.6 %
Mash Efficiency: 83.0 %
Boil Duration: 90.0 mins
Fermentation Temperature: 64 degF

Fermentables
UK Pale Ale Malt (Maris Otter) 17lb 8oz (72.9 %) In Mash/Steeped
UK Pale Chocolate Malt 2lb 0oz (8.3 %) In Mash/Steeped
UK Medium Crystal (120EBC) 2lb 0oz (8.3 %) In Mash/Steeped
German Melanoidin Malt 1lb 0oz (4.2 %) In Mash/Steeped
German Carafa Special II 1lb 0oz (4.2 %) In Mash/Steeped
UK Extra Dark Crystal 8.00 oz (2.1 %) In Mash/Steeped

Hops
US Columbus(Tomahawk) (12.0 % alpha) 60 g Bagged Pellet Hops used 60 Min From End
US Willamette (4.0 % alpha) 30 g Bagged Pellet Hops used 15 Min From End

Yeast: White Labs WLP002-English Ale

Mash Schedule
Mash Type: Full Mash
Schedule Name:Single Step Infusion (68C/154F)
Step: Rest at 154 degF for 60 mins

Brewing After Failure

So, I haven't updated this for a while since I found out in November that I failed the New York bar exam. I failed by 8 points, or .8% (less than 1%), but failing is failing. While it felt awful, it also sucked away a lot of my free time since I have been studying for the bar again... albeit this time it has been twice as stressful and depressing (though also somewhat less daunting). For those who are interested, I got a passing score on the MBE and the New York Multiple Choice. I failed the written section of the exam, obtaining a less-than-passing score on every essay as well as the Multistate Performance Test. Since I passed the MBE and the NYMC pretty solidly, I only needed a single extra point on any of the essays or the MPT (or 4 more correct MBE answers) and I would have passed. I am expecting to get 10-20 more correct answers on the MBE this time around, as well as an additional point or so on each essay and the MPT, but who really knows, right? We will see how I do this February - and then in July when I take the California exam for the first (and hopefully only) time.

October Bitter and Citrus Wit

So, Corrine asked that I make some beers for her sister's baby shower. This keeps costs down and is also likely to mean evereyone gets to drink high-quality fresh beer than they otherwise would. So, I decided to make a girl-friendly witbier and a universally-drinkable red autumn English Bitter (something along the lines of Shepherd Neame's Late Red, which is actually brewed with Kent-grown Cascade hops).

The witbier was brewed with raw soft white wheat berries, domestic 2-row, instant oats, cascade hops, lime peel, coriander, and a little bit of cardamom. I will serve this one with orange or lemon slices. The yeast I used was 3711 French Saison - and I used a pretty big starter for such a low-gravity beer.

October Bitter Recipe


Recipe: October Bitter
Style: 8B-English Pale Ale-Special/Best/Premium Bitter

Recipe Overview

Wort Volume Before Boil: 7.75 US gals
Wort Volume After Boil: 5.50 US gals
Volume Transferred: 5.28 US gals
Water Added: 0.00 US gals
Volume At Pitching: 5.28 US gals
Final Batch Volume: 5.02 US gals
Expected Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.032 SG
Expected OG: 1.045 SG
Expected FG: 1.011 SG
Expected ABV: 4.5 %
Expected ABW: 3.6 %
Expected IBU (using Tinseth): 37.9
Expected Color: 13.1 SRM
Apparent Attenuation: 75.6 %
Mash Efficiency: 78.0 %
Boil Duration: 90.0 mins
Fermentation Temperature: 64 degF

Fermentables
UK Pale Ale Malt (Maris Otter) 7lb 12oz (89.5 %) In Mash/Steeped
UK Medium Crystal (120EBC) 12.00 oz (8.7 %) In Mash/Steeped
German Carafa Special II 2.58 oz (1.9 %) In Mash/Steeped

Hops
US Nugget (9.8 % alpha) 20 g Loose Whole Hops used 60 Min From End
US Citra  (9.0 % alpha) 14 g Loose Whole Hops used 20 Min From End
US Crystal (3.0 % alpha) 32 g Loose Whole Hops used 5 Min From End
US Nugget (9.8 % alpha) 8 g Loose Whole Hops used At turn off
US Cascade (5.7 % alpha) 20 g Loose Whole Hops used Dry-Hopped

Yeast: White Labs WLP006-Bedford British Ale

Mash Schedule
Mash Type: Full Mash
Schedule Name:Single Step Infusion (66C/151F) w/Mash Out
Step: Rest at 151 degF for 60 mins
Step: Raise to and Mash out at 168 degF for 10 mins

Both of these will get 2 weeks in primary, followed by a kegging. The difference will be that the bitter will get dry-hopped in the keg, and the witbier will not.

Ooh, and I accidentally put thrice the recommended amount of brewing salts in the mash - so the beer may come out overly minerally and somewhat harsh - time will tell, I suppose.

West Coast Pale Ale

What's the difference between a west coast pale ale and an ordinary American Pale Ale? About 5-10 IBU. West Coast pale ales tend to be a little hoppier (though not always). In the same way, a Californian Red Ale will almost always be hoppier than a pacific northwestern Amber Ale (though they are both technically American Amber Ales).

This was an "on the fly" brew, so there was no time to make a starter, and I used a single packet of US-05 yeast to ferment this badboy. This was made with recently-arrived Cascades, and an unopened 2 oz pack of Zeus. I hit my temps fine, and everything has gone smoothly with this beer, though my efficiency is still at just 75%, which leads me to believe that the new LHBS crushes a bit less fine than F. H. Steinbart's up in Portland (where there is an adjustable grain mill).

So this recipe is pretty standard, though it has a couple classic, "homebrew" recipe quirks, namely that I used 1 lb of Belgian Aromatic malt, rather than 2 lbs of American Munich malt (which would likely lead to a similar resulting melanoid-driven maltiness), and I used significantly more late-kettle hops than most professional breweries would put into a medium-gravity beer like this one. The final product should be great, if a little "ordinary" (nothing remotely experimental about this recipe). All together, this beer cost me under $20 to brew up 5 gallons, which brings the six-pack price to $2.50, and the pint price to 50¢ - that's less than a candy bar.

Since it is a little amber in color, I am following the norcal tradition of naming the beer, "Red" followed by the name of an animal. In this case, I decided to go for the Red Panda, because they are cute.

Red Panda Beer (American Pale Ale)


9 lbs Great Western 2-row
1 lb Dingemans Aromatic Malt
1 lb Hugh Baird Crystal 75L


.5 oz CTZ (15% AA) 90 min
1 oz Cascade (5.7 % AA) 15 min
1 oz Cascade (5.7% AA) 5 min
1.5 oz CTZ (15% AA) 0 min
1.5 oz Cascade (5.7% AA) 0 min
1 oz Cascade (5.7% AA) Dry-hop
.5 oz CTZ (13.2% AA) Dry-hop


Mash at 151F for 60 min


US-05 yeast


OG 1.055
Expected FG (I will change this if it comes out different) 1.011
IBU ~44
SRM ~12
ABV ~5.9%

Brewing Black Beers

Ok, so it has been way too long since I updated this. I have brewed 2 or 3 witbiers, a hopbursted American Pale Ale, 2 Black IPA's, and I am currently brewing a Chocolate Stout.

The witbiers all came out ok (not great), and the hopbursted APA came out pretty good, but the Black IPA that I tapped was amazing (the other one is currently fermenting, so I won't know how it tastes for a few weeks.

Anyway, I will list the IPA recipes here, in order of then they were brewed (oldest first):

Rose City Black IPA:

This is one of the last beers I brewed in Portland, and one of the best. The flavor was outstanding - with a smooth roastiness beneath a rich hoppy aroma and flavor and a silky-smooth mouthfeel. I was eminently proud of this beer, and hope my future Black IPA's live up to the quality of this one.

10 lb  Great Western 2-row
1 lb    Briess Munich 10L
1 lb    Briess Crystal 60L
1.5 lb Weyermann Carafa Special II (dehusked)


US Summit 18.5 % 0.50 oz Loose Pellet Hops 60 Min
US Simcoe 12.7 % 1.00 oz Loose Whole Hops 10 Min
US Cascade 5.7 % 1.00 oz    Loose Whole Hops 10 Min
US Summit 18.5 % 1.00 oz Loose Whole Hops 5 Min
US Simcoe 12.7 % 1.00 oz Loose Whole Hops 5 Min
US Simcoe 12.7 % 1.00 oz Loose Whole Hops At turn off
US Summit 18.5 % 0.50 oz Loose Whole Hops At turn off
US Cascade 5.7 % 0.50 oz Loose Whole Hops At turn off
US Simcoe 12.7 % 1.00 oz Loose Whole Hops Dry-Hopped

Mashed at 150 for 60 min, then the carafa was added just before the sparge water went in, and I sparged with cooler-than-usual sparge water (150F).

Pacman Yeast

OG 1.061, FG 1.012, 68 IBU, 39.5 SRM (midnight black)


Bar Exam Black IPA

This one was brewed a few weeks ago, and just got racked into a secondary fermenter. I will dry hop this in a couple weeks, and tap it shortly after that.

10  lbs Great Western 2-row
2    lbs Briess Munich 10L
1    lb  Carastan Malt (Crystal 35L)
1.5 lbs Weyermann Carafa Special II (dehusked)

US Sorachi Ace   11.0 %    0.50 oz    Loose Whole Hops    45 Min From End
US Cascade         4.0 %    2.00 oz    Loose Whole Hops    20 Min From End
US Simcoe         12.0 %    1.00 oz    Loose Whole Hops    10 Min From End
US Sorachi Ace   11.0 %    1.00 oz    Loose Whole Hops    10 Min From End
US Simcoe         12.0 %    1.00 oz    Loose Whole Hops    5 Min From End
US Citra             10.8 %    1.00 oz    Loose Whole Hops    5 Min From End
US Simcoe         12.0 %    1.00 oz    Loose Whole Hops    At turn off
US Citra             10.8 %    1.00 oz    Loose Whole Hops    At turn off
US Sorachi Ace   11.0 %    0.50 oz    Loose Whole Hops    At turn off
US Simcoe         12.0 %    1.00 oz    Loose Pellet Hops    Dry Hop
US Cascade         6.0 %    1.00 oz    Loose Pellet Hops    Dry Hop


Wyeast 1028 London Ale


Mash 100 min @ 150F