Y-Brew Stafford Brewers Club Challenge

Our local brewing club, the Stafford Brewers Club, decided to have a bit of a yeast comparison.  Each of the participants chose a yeast strain from RVA Yeast Labs.  We all received the exact same extract kit and specialty grains, and the yeast we selected.  The idea is to see how the aromas and flavors of the base kit changes based on yeast selection.

The kit as supplied included two grains that were intended to be steeped, but they weren't the right grains for steeping.  They were better suited to mashing.  So I did a mini mash of the grains and sparged them.  This extracted sugars from the grains in addition to the color and non-fermentables.  As a result, my original gravity is quite a bit higher than the recipe suggested.  Instead of being around 1.040, I was at 1.071.  My final gravity was 1.014, which gives me an ABV of about 7.5%.  An online calculator estimated my attenuaton at 79%, just about the maximum for this yeast strain.  One of my biggest beers yet.  I won't mention anything about the aroma and flavor of the sample I took when I bottled, in case any club members read this as I don't want to influence anyone before the official tasting at the November meeting.  I'll write a new post about this beer after the tasting at the club meeting.

I chose this yeast (info taken from the RVA Yeast Labs webpage):
RVA 201 Trappist Ale I (Chimay): 
Classic Belgian yeast provides signature fruity esters reminiscent of plums. 
Flocculation: Medium
Attenuation: 75-80%
Suggested fermentation temperature: 65-72º F
Alcohol Tolerance: High (12%)

Bottling the Boysenberry Tart

Bottled the Boysenberry Tart this past weekend.  It sat in the BrewDemon conical for 4 weeks simply because I didn't have time to bottle it the previous weekend.  I sampled a bit of it to get an initial impression.  It has a light, fruity aroma.  It tastes a bit fruity and has a bit of hop bitterness on the finish.  I'm looking forward to see how the flavors on this one develop as it bottle conditions.

Comparing the two Reds - First Pours

Been awhile since I've updated this blog.  A while back (holy cow, back in July!) I sampled both red ales, the one with the wrong grain bill and the one with the correct grain bill side by side.  Here are my findings.  First, a photo of the two brews.  First off, you'll notice a dramatic difference in color.  The brew on the left is the one with the wrong grain bill.

Both had similar amounts of head when poured, the one on the left was poured first which is why some of the head is gone.  The one of the left has a spicy aroma with a hint of hops.  It has a very spicy taste (similar to coriander with a bit of pepper).  And it is lighter in body than a typical red ale.  The spicyness comes from the yeast, I think this one fermented at the upper range for the yeast.

The brew on the right has an earthy, malty aroma with a hit of hops.  It has a  deeply roasted, slightly coffee flavor to it, and is heavier bodied compared to the other brew.  The head was a bit thicker, and persisted longer.

Both are very good brews in their own right.  This goes to show how much of an impact the specialty grains can have, even if they are only a small portion of the ingredients.