Returning from a long hiatus (of posting)

Sorry for the long hiatus, folks. My pace of brewing certainly hasn't slowed down at all, but I've been incredibly remiss in posting any new entries for what seems like an eternity. If anything, my brewing increases substantially during the fall of the year. Crisp cool weather is just perfect for standing over a boil kettle.

I'm going to post some pictures of a recent brew day and recipe later today once I have them formatted. The brew day went swimmingly and the Amarillo/Cascade Rye IPA is happily fermenting in the basement.

Cheers!

Round 'Em Up, Cowboy!

That's right, folks- cue 'Happy Trails' and saddle up! We're yeast ranching!

I'm not particularly science-minded outside of brewing subjects, so I've spent the past several weeks reading up on yeast ranching techniques to build up a bank of commonly used strains. Homebrewers are a frugal bunch when it comes to our ingredients, and liquid yeast is expensive. An excellent write-up on HBT by FlyGuy described a process of freezing yeast in a glycerin solution for maximum long-term storage. It's actually a simple affair - but you have to work under sterile conditions to keep the strains pure and away from contamination.

I've successfully frozen two strains from recent batches: WLP400 and WLP013, but I discovered a problem: my freezer's defrost cycle was keeping the samples in constant flux. Over time, this freezing/refreezing will wreak havoc on the viability of the yeast. Some have recommended placing the vials in a small styrofoam cooler packed with ice packs to buffer against swinging temps, but this solution wasn't the most practical to me. Freezer space is at a premium, so I had to investigate other options.

The solution was simple! Using petri dishes and 8-dram vials and a media of 2% agar, 1.038 wort and yeast nutrient gave me maximum space potential and a new skill to perfect - making slants/plates and handling a nichrome inoculation loop to streak them.

It's also quite easy to grow yeast from a plate or slant.

My current library of yeast strains is:
WLP400
WLP013
WY1469
WY9097
WY1728

I'm always eager to swap strains, so get in touch!

Cheers for now.

Old Boot ESB

There's no denying that I love English beers. I love drinking them and I love brewing them. My idea of heaven is a perfectly drawn pint of a cask-conditioned bitter. This recipe is one that I've brewed several times, and it's as comfortable and familiar as an oft-read novel.

The yeast strain that gets the most use in my brewery is Wyeast 1968: London ESB and I've used it often in Old Boot. However, the Wyeast Winter 2009 Private Collection showcased a yeast that immediately caught my attention: Wyeast 1469PC: West Yorkshire.

Wyeast says this strain "produces ales with a chewy malt flavor and character, while finishing dry, producing famously balanced beers.  Expect nutty and stone-fruit esters.  Best used for the production of cask-conditioned bitters, ESB and mild ales."

Right up my alley!

Old Boot ESB

8-C Extra Special/Strong Bitter (English Pale Ale)
Date: 2/3/09

Size: 5.0 gal
Efficiency: 80%
Attenuation: 75.0%
Calories: 182.79 kcal per 12.0 fl oz

Original Gravity: 1.055 (1.048 - 1.060)
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Terminal Gravity: 1.014 (1.010 - 1.016)
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Color: 11.96 (6.0 - 18.0)
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Alcohol: 5.4% (4.6% - 6.2%)
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Bitterness: 34.1 (30.0 - 50.0)
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Ingredients:

9.0 lb Maris Otter Pale Ale Malt
7.5 oz Caramel Malt 35L
3.75 oz Crystal 120
.7 oz Galena (13.0%) - added during boil, boiled 60.0 min
1.00 oz Goldings (5.0%) - added during boil, boiled 0.0 min
1.0 ea WYeast 1469PC West Yorkshire

00:03:00 Mash-In - Liquor: 2.43 gal; Strike: 167.74 °F; Target: 152 °F
01:03:00 Rest - Rest: 60 min; Final: 150.1 °F
01:03:00 Batch Sparge - First Runnings: 0.0 gal sparge @ 150 °F, 0.0 min; Sparge #2: 3.19 gal sparge @ 175 °F, 0.0 min; Sparge #2: 3.19 gal sparge @ 175 °F, 0.0 min; Total Runoff: 7.87 gal

Results generated by BeerTools Pro 1.5.2

Virtual Tour of the Brewhouse: Grain Storage

At the gentle nudging and not-so-subtle suggestion of some of my Homebrewtalk brethren, I was recently inspired to photograph the basement brewhouse and fermentation room by way of a virtual tour.  My house is a classic example of 1930s amateur architecture and construction with lots of idiosyncratic design features; the brewhouse is certainly indicative of that trend.

I am a firm practitioner of KISS in both my brewing process and the brewhouse.  Simplicity writ large, as it were.  I conduct full volume boils outside on the back patio using a turkey fryer burner and 10 gallon kettle.  A modified 5 gallon round cooler serves as my mash lauter tun and I use gravity to my advantage when draining to the kettle and then on to the fermentation vessel.   

As an all-grain brewer, I quickly realized substantial cost-savings when purchasing base malt in bulk.  

The first shelf is mostly quart jars of speciality grain;  I've discovered that these jars conveniently hold approximately a pound so I can gauge at a glance what my current stores are.

The second shelf holds 12 quart Rubbermaid bins of additional malt (crystal malt, Munich, Vienna, etc) that I use in larger percentages that some other speciality grains.  These containers hold approximately ten pounds each with room for a bit more as need arises. The bottom shelf is all base malt,  Pilsner to the left and Maris Otter to the right.  I buy full 55 pound sacks and each of these containers holds a single sack easily.

And of course, my beagle (and the brewery's namesake) sniffs around with intent curiosity.

Review: Hair of the Dog Fred

10% ABV

65 IBUs

Aroma: Sweet alcohol, brown sugar and caramel, sherry and plum.  

Appearance: Slightly cloudy amber, bordering on burgundy.  Tons of orange and red hues.  Off-tan head that starts off rocky and settles to a 1/4" cap.  Lots of sticky lacing.

Flavor: Brown sugar and caramel up front with a slightly alcoholic citrus note, much like Grand Marnier.  Juicy, citrusy hop presence that still allows the caramel and toffee maltiness to come through.  Hints of rye spiciness. 

Mouthfeel:  Medium-full with a lingering finish of hop bitterness, caramel and a smooth alcohol warmth.

General Impression:  An excellent American barleywine, and a real stand-out in the category amongst those that I have sampled to date.  Sweet fruits and earthy hops complement each other gracefully.   Belgian candi sugar is an excellent addition to a truly unique and savorable barleywine.

BrewCast with Barking Beagle Sunday, January 4th 2pm EST!

Tune for a BrewCast as I brew my Twisted Oak IPA, a malt-forward English IPA featuring Challenger hops.  

EDIT: In case the hyperlink doesn't function properly, the address is www.mogulus.com/barkingbeaglebrewing

The recipe:

Fermentables:

12 lbs Maris Otter

8 oz Crystal 60L

2 oz chocolate malt

Hops:

1.25 oz 7.1% AA Challenger first-wort hopped.

.5 oz 7.1% AA Challenger @ 60 minutes

Yeast: Burton Ale (WLP023)

Review: Pliny the Elder (Russian River)

8.0% ABV

100 IBUs

Aroma: Loads of grapefruit and lemon, some grassiness and pine.  

Appearance: Pours golden with slight copper highlights.  Ample white head that settles into a nice cap that persists; lacing very prominent and leaves striations in the glass as a reminder of sips long since gone.  

Flavor:  As expected, very hop forward with all the grapefruity, citrusy, resiny aroma notes present on the palate as well.  Huge hop presence up front, followed by caramel malt sweetness in the midpalate, finishing with a firm bitterness without being extreme.  

Mouthfeel:  Medium-bodied and quite drinkable.  I often find Double IPAs cloyingly sweet and overbearing; this beer is wonderfully balanced and quite smooth.  Very pleasant.

General Impression:  Pliny the Elder is the first Russian River offering that I have sampled, and it certainly won't be the last!  This is what Imperial/Double IPAs should be, in my not-so-humble opinion.  Despite the advertised 100 IBUs, the bitterness is a complimentary note to the wonderful hop flavor and aroma rather than being distracting.