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.

Irish Red Ale, Take 2

Since Midwest Supplies was kind enough to send me the correct specialty grains for the Irish Red Ale, I decided to do a second batch. I didn't expect a grain replacement since I didn't catch the mistake before I started the last batch. Great customer service from them as the instructions say they can't fix mistakes after the kit is used. Anyhow, the grain comes pre-crushed, so I had to use it soon or it would have dried out or molded. So I sourced the rest of the items locally that would have been in the kit. Only change I made was to buy one can of amber extract as I had a can of Golden Light extract that I needed to use. Recipe called for 6 pounds, these two cans gave me 6.6, so it will have a slight bump in ABV. It will be interesting to see the difference between the two batches based mainly on the different specialty grains.

First 5 Gallon Batch and First Partial Mash

With the arrival of my 5 gallon starter kit from Midwest Supplies ( a Living Social deal), I was ready to try my first 5 gallon batch.  The kit came with an Irish Red Ale ingredient set.

Below is the ingredient kit.  I didn't notice it at the time, but the grain bag they included was the wrong one.  Didn't catch this until the wort was on the stove for the 60 minute boil.  Contacted Midwest, asking what type of beer I'd end up with.  Didn't seek anything from them as it was my mistake not checking the contents properly like the brewing directions say.  They indicated I'd still have an Irish Red Ale, just a bit lighter in color and with a reduction in the roasty flavor in the beer.  They still expect it to be a good, drinkable beer.

Image my surprise a few days later when I get a package in the mail with the correct grain bag.  Wasn't expecting that at all, so kudos to the customer service folks at Midwest Supplies..  Now I just need to get the rest of the ingredients and I can brew up a second, correct, batch and compare the two.

For the steeping of the grains (sometimes called a partial mash), I brought 4 gallons up to 154 F and put the grains in for 30 minutes.  I ended up with the beginnings of wort, looks a lot like tea.  I did have to turn the burning on a couple of times on the stove to keep the temperature at 154 F as the stainless steel kettle isn't insulated.  After I drained the grain bag, without squeezing it, I added the liquid malt extract and stirred it to make sure it was fully dissolved.

Then it was time for the boil.  Only thing is my brew kettle to too large for my stove, it hits the over the range microwave oven, so I couldn't use two burners to help get it boiling.  With only one burner, it took quite some time to get it boiling, and could barely keep it there.

Due to the tight fit, I was able to wedge the grain bag between the pot and the microwave during the steeping phase.

Then came time to cool down the wort.  I'd planed on an ice bath in the sink.  Only problem is my boil kettle doesn't fit as you can see in the below photo.  I could only get about 2-3 inches of the pot into the ice water.  The top layer of the water quickly warmed up, while the rest of it remained cold.  I had to run cold water from the faucet down the side of the pot into the sink to get the warm water to overflow into the sink to the left.  It took a while to get it down to temperature, so I'll definitely need an immersion chiller for next time.

Once it was cooled off, I poured it into the fermentation bucket and topped it off with cold water.  Pitched the yeast and sealed the lid.  Added the air stopper with sanitizer in it, and moved it to the basement.  It's been fermenting for a week now, will let it go another two weeks before I bottle it.

Since I'm so used to doing smaller two gallon batches, I totally forgot to take a hydrometer reading for this batch, and since the grain is incorrect, not really sure where it will end for a final gravity or ABV.

I'll update this post, or add a new one, when it is bottling time.

Here's a video of my stove struggling to keep the wort boiling.  Not quite a rolling boil, but hopefully it was enough.  I have a propane burner for next time, once the weather improves a bit.

Update: 03/22/2014

Bottled this batch today, and as expected, the color was off due to the wrong specialty grains.  I think I'll call this one the Irish Unred Ale.

Moving to 5 gallon batches

Quite the deal on Living Social. One day left to take advantage of it before it expires.

Beer-Making Starter Kit with Irish Red Ale - http://www.livingsocial.com/deals/1031219-beer-making-starter-kit-with-irish-red-ale?option_id=7652917&ref=ios_share_app&rpi=152061621&rui=21869584

Nut Brown first pour

First pour of the Brewdemon Nut Brown Ale shows good color and minimal head. Aroma was very subtle worn nothing discernable to note. Taste was very good with some nuttiness, roasted notes and hints of caramel. A very tasty brew that I find to be surprising drinkable. It's got good body and mouth feel and this style of beer will become a regular in my lineup.