Yeah, Yeah, I know.

Check out the Brewing Shenanigans over at Brewer's Friend. That's where the most up to date stuff is...

In the meantime, here's the current brew, a Mojito Ale, monitoring provided by Tilt.

Tasting the Jalapeño Saison

2 weeks and 1 day... Time to break open a Jumpin' Jalapeño!

Here's how it went down:

A - light blonde/yellow color. Slightly hazy; head disappears quickly. Good carbonation, small bubbles. No lacing.

S - Sweet, subtle. Light jalapeno essence.

T - Slight Malt, balanced well with the light bittering hops. Jalapeno nice, not overbearing at all; restrained. Finishes with some spice, but only very lightly.

M - very thin. Drinkable.

O - WILL BREW AGAIN!!!!

This one was pretty tasty - I may make it again without the jalapeño; it would make a great farmhouse ale. I can't wait to see how it tastes in another week.

Ol' Ben CMP (Chocolate Maple Porter)

Why not name a beer after my old friend Ben. He's sweet, and friendly, and lots of fun, with a touch of mischief. Here's hoping this beer will be the same.

Brew Name: Ol' Ben CMP (Chocolate Maple Porter)
Date: 9/4/12
Style: Porter
Batch #: 4
Batch Size: 1 gal
Brewer's Friend Session Link

Grain Bill / Extract / Adjuncts
1.2 lb Pale 2-Row malt
0.3 lb Chocolate malt
0.2 lb Caramel / Crystal malt 15L
0.15 lb Black Patent malt
0.51 lb (3/4 cup) Maple Syrup

Mash:
Rest Temp: 152-144 Time: 60 min Vol: 2 quarts
Strike Water Temp: 175' Vol: 1 gal

Sparge time: 60 min Temp: 152-144

Efficiency: 62%
Preboil Volume: 1.25 gal
Preboil Gravity: 1.042

Boil Time: 60 minutes
Anticipated IBUs: 33.81
Hop Schedule:
60 min 0.3 oz Fuggles Pellet
15 min 0.1 oz Fuggles Pellet
post boil: Add 3/4 cup maple syrup
Original Gravity: 1.056

Yeast: Munton's Brewer's Yeast (came with kit)
Starter Size: n/a
Bottling Date:
Final Gravity:
ABV:

Batch #3, Bruxom Blonde

Brew Name: Bruxom Blonde
Date: 8/23/2012
Style: Belgian Blonde Ale
Batch #: 3
Batch Size: 1 gal
Brewer's Friend session link


Grain Bill / Extract / Adjuncts:
1.7 lb Pilsner
0.4 lb Carapils (Dextrine Malt)
0.1 lb Aromatic Malt

Mash:
Rest Temp: 152-144 Time: 60 min Vol: 2 quarts

Strike Water Temp: 175' Vol: 1 gal

Sparge time: 60 min Temp: 152-144

Efficiency: 46% (expected 70)
Preboil Volume: 1.25 gal
Preboil Gravity: 1.033

Boil Time: 60 minutes
Anticipated IBUs: 20.63
Hop Schedule:
60 min 0.083 oz Styrian Goldings Pellet
30 min 0.083 oz Styrian Goldings Pellet
15 min 0.083 oz Styrian Goldings Pellet

post boil: n/a
Original Gravity: 1.037 (expected 1.056)

Yeast: Fermentis / Safale - Safbrew - General/Belgian Yeast S-33
Starter Size: n/a
Bottling Date:
Final Gravity:
ABV:

Notes: I don't know why this one was so inefficient - unless it was because I followed the instructions for sparging and only ran the wort through the grain once....

8/30/12 - SG @ 1.025
9/02/12 - SG @ 1.020

Happy International Beer Day! (Batch #2, Jalapeno Saison)

Hey, it's International Beer Day, so why not brew up a batch of beer?

Today I brewed up a batch of Brooklyn Brew Shop's Jalapeno Saison.

Brew Name: Jumpin' Jalapeno
Date: 8/5/2012
Style: Saison
Batch #: 2
Batch Size: 1 gal
Brewer's Friend Session Link

Grain Bill / Extract / Adjuncts
1.6 pounds Belgian Pilsner malt
0.1 pound Aromatic malt
0.02 pound Munich malt
1 chopped jalapeno
.2 pound clear Belgian Candi Sugar

⅓ cup agave nectar (priming)
Mash:
Rest Temp: 152-144 Time: 60 min Vol: 2 quarts

Strike Water Temp: 175' Vol: 1 gal

Sparge time: 60 min Temp: 152-144

Efficiency: 42% :-(

Preboil Volume: 1.25 gal
Preboil Gravity: 1.027 / 6.8 (sg / brix)

Boil Time: 60 minutes
Anticipated IBUs: 30.28
Hop Schedule:
 0 .04 oz Pacific Jade hops
30 .04 oz Pacific Jade hops
45 .04 oz Sorachi hops
50  chopped jalapenos
55 .04 oz Sorachi hops
60 .04 oz Sorachi hops
post boil 1/3 cup Agave, belgian candi sugar
Original Gravity: 1.048 / 11.8

Yeast: Belgian Saison 3724 (or equiv)
Starter Size: n/a
Bottling Date:
Final Gravity:
ABV:

Note: Forgot to mash out after resting. We'll see what happens with that...

Yeast pitched, ready for the fermentation closet...

Bonus: drying the spent grain for later use...

New Toy (Refractometer in the house)

First batch was done without taking any specific gravity measurements, mainly because I didn't have a hydrometer, but also because taking 4-5 4oz measurements from a 1 gallon batch is upwards to 12% of that precious beer. So before I start on Batch #2, I bought:

I bought the refractometer from this company, but the same company sells them on Ebay, for about $4 cheaper. It shipped to me FAST, and seems a fairly sturdy device, given the cost ($25.40).

Here's an interesting podcast from Basic Brewing Radio, about Hydrometers and Refractometers, in case you're curious.

Now I feel like brewing something and involving JigaWatt in the name...

Tasting the Grapefruit Honey Ale (Batch #1)

As a reward for completing the Tahoe Rim Trail Endurance 50 Mile Race, I allowed myself to crack open a homebrew, and enjoy it in my new hard earned pint glass. Here are the results...

Appearance: Golden, and fairly clouded. Head had big, coarse bubbles, with little retention, and almost no lacing.

Smell: Just a hint of hops, and lacking any citrus notes. Would have hoped for more of both. Malt was present, but not over pronounced.

Taste: Tastes like beer! Again, the hop flavors and grapefruit presence seemed non-existent. There were hardly any hints of honey, and while there were no off flavors, I'm wondering if I should have made a better effort to cool the fermentation temperature.

Drinkability: I wouldn't drive across town to drink this, but since I made it, I want to make it again, and make it better.

Mouthfeel: The carbonation was good, but the bubbles big. Not over-carbonated, but just a bit coarse. Definitely not thin, rather I felt it was well balanced.

Notes: Take Gravities! Ferment in a more controlled environment, and check yeast temp recommendations. Maybe rack to a secondary, and let it settle another week or two at cooler temps. DON'T FORGET TO PUT THE HONEY IN THE WORT. Maybe bump up the flavor & aroma hops.