Blonde Ale

For those of you who keep up with this blog, you know that I'm brewing beer for a friend's wedding in January. We decided that one of the beers should be a very light and mild beer for those who are "casual" beer drinkers, so I decided to brew a blonde as a trial. Here's hoping it turns out to be what we're looking for. It was incredibly easy.


Ingredients:

• 6.6 pounds Light LME
• 1 pound Light DME
• 1 pound Table Sugar
• 0.5 pound Crystal 15L
• 1.5 ounces Willamette Hops
• Whirlfloc
• 10 grams American Ale Yeast (White Labs WLP001, Wyeast 1056, or Safale US-05--I used 2 packages of US-05 for a really crisp feel and flavor)

Instructions:

• Steep grains at 150-160 F for about 30 minutes
• Add dry extract, sugar, and hops. Boil for 60 minutes.
• At 15 minutes left, add liquid extract.
• At 10 minutes left, add one whirlfloc tablet
• After one hour, remove from heat. Cool wort and pour into fermenter. 
• Pitch yeast.
• Ferment for 7-10 days.
• *Before kegging, I transferred the batch over to a secondary to remove excess sediment from the beer. I did not let it sit long at all. I then transferred the batch right over to the keg and pressurized it. This beer is supposed to be light and clear, so we don't want a lot of sediment getting in the way.

OG: 1.060
FG: 1.012
ABV of about 6%

It turned out to be a little more alcoholic than I would have liked for a blonde, but we'll see. I'll update in a couple of days to let you know how it turned out.

Until Next Time,
RHSC

The Ultimate Compliment

A little while ago, a good friend of mine got engaged. He and his bride to be are getting married sometime in January. He asked me to be a part of the wedding in a somewhat original way. He asked me to make the beer for his reception. I, of course, accepted. What an awesome compliment. I will need to get some more equipment (oh darn) in order to do this right, but he's offering to help me buy some of that, not to mention he's buying the ingredients for the beer. This is so cool. I'm really looking forward to this. I'll be making 2-3 beers and one cider. We're currently discussing types of beer. This should be fun!

Until Next Time,
RHSC

Irish Red Update

I let the Irish Red ferment for about two and a half weeks before transferring it over to the keg. It came out nicely, in my opinion. It has a very deep copper color (a little darker than most reds) and has more roasted character than I would usually associate with a red. It has a great mildly bitter aroma, followed by a smooth texture. It has some great caramel and roasted malt characteristics, without too much of a bitter aftertaste sometimes associated with reds. A few of my friends who tasted it recently really liked it, but didn't think it tasted like an Irish Red. I'd be interested in comparing it to more traditional Irish Reds to see how it stacks up. At any rate, I really like it and would make it again.

OG: 1.064
FG: 1.020
ABV of approximately 6%

Until Next Time,
RHSC

Lemon Wit Update

The Lemon Wit is done. I let it ferment in the primary for seven days before moving it to the keg. I then force carbonated it for about 2-3 days. It turned out really well. It has a somewhat darker than normal amber color for a wheat-style beer, but everything else about it screams Belgian Wit. It has a great citrus aroma upfront followed by a nice smooth, crisp feel. It has a great lemon addition to the flavor, as well as just the right amount of spiciness. This is a great summer beer and is easily the best wheat beer I've ever made. I also really like the lemon flavor; it's something different as almost all wheat beers have an orange flavor accent. I'm very pleased.

OG: 1.043
FG: 1.013
ABV of approximately 4%

Until Next Time,
RHSC

New Faucet

A friend of mine bought me a Perlick stainless steel tower faucet for my birthday back in May. I had been having issues with leaks with the faucet that came with the kegerator pretty much since I got it. Both the faucet and elbow shank were original to the fridge and were honestly just worn out. I bought a new elbow shank and installed the faucet on the tower yesterday. It works great! There are no leaks or issues at all. I can control the flow of the beer a lot easier and am in love. I have looked at Perl faucets in the past and thought they were kind of pricey, but I can tell you (even after just one day) they are worth it. When I upgrade to a two-tap tower, I will be getting another Perlick to go with this one to replace the standard faucets that new tower comes with. I really like how simple and sturdy it is. It doesn't have a lot of working parts, which leaves less room for mishaps. The faucet itself is one piece (no moving ball pieces or locking joints on the faucet), which removes a lot of the leaking and pressure issues I was having with the other faucet. I know that standard faucets are a lot cheaper and ridiculously easy to find, but I highly recommend going for a Perl. This thing is awesome!

Until Next Time,
RHSC

Inventory

A while back I created a post entitled "Wish List" where I wrote down all of the items I would like to accumulate for home brewing purposes. The purpose of this post is to basically just take stock of what I have and where I am in the process.

What I Have:

• (2) 6 gallon plastic fermenter 
• (1) 5 gallon plastic fermenter 
• (1) 6 gallon bottling bucket with spigot
• (1) 5 gallon brew pot
• (1) 8 gallon brew pot 
• (1) 6.5 gallon glass carboy
• (1) U-Line Keg-Meister kegerator with single tap tower
• (2) 5 gallon Cornelius Keg with ball-lock connectors
• (1) 5 pound CO2 tank
• (1) growler filler attachment for kegerator faucet
• (1) bottle capper
• (2) hydrometer
• (2) racking cane
• (1) candy thermometer
• (1) bottle filler
• (3) plastic 3-piece airlock
• (2) rubber stopper for carboy airlock
• (1) auto-syphon
• (2) plastic paddle for stirring
• (2) carboy carrier

What I Want to Acquire in the Near Future:

• Outdoor burner/Turkey Fyer with 8 gallon pot
• Additional 5 gallon Cornelius keg
• floating thermometer
• New tower for kegerator with two faucets
• Extra CO2 tank
• 8+ gallon brew pot with built-in thermometer and spigot
• Hop Garden (with some other herbs used in beer)

What I Want to Acquire in the Not-So-Near Future

• Mash tun and hot liquor tank setup for all-grain brewing
• Grain mill for all-grain brewing
• Aluminum grain bucket
• 7+ gallon conical fermenter with stand
• Barley garden
• Temperature controlled refrigerator for lagering

What I Started With:

• (1) 6 gallon plastic fermenter
• (1) 6 gallon plastic bottling bucket with spigot
• (1) bottle capper
• (1) racking cane
• (1) bottle filler
• (1) hydrometer
• (1) candy thermometer
• (1) plastic 3-piece airlock

It's amazing to think how far I've come from the days using a wooden spoon and my 2.5 gallon chili pot. I've also noticed that I don't want newer things just to have more stuff for my hobby. I really want these items because it will enhance my abilities to make better beer. The better equipment I have, the more I can do. And isn't that what this is all about? Isn't this the reason why we all get started with home brewing in the first place? Making better beer? Think about it.

Until Next Time,

RHSC

Irish Red

I brewed this one at the same time as the witbier (see Lemon Wit). I've never brewed a red before, and I really like them, so I thought I'd give it a try. In my opinion, reds can be a perfect compromise of beer tastes. They are not as heavy as super dark beers (like stouts and porters), but they have more flavor and malt characteristics than really light beers (like blondes, goldens, and some lagers). This is a really easy recipe and should hopefully taste really good.

Ingredients:

• 6.6 pounds Light (or English Pale Ale) LME
• 2 pounds Light (or English Pale Ale) DME
• 6 ounces Crystal 40L
• 6 ounces Crystal 120L
• 6 ounces Roasted Barley
• 1.25 ounces Kent Goldings Hops
• 10 grams Irish Ale Yeast

Instructions:

• Steep grains and barley at 150-160 F for 30-60 minutes.
• Add dry extract and hops. Boil for 60 minutes
• At 15 minutes left, add liquid malt.
• After one hour, remove from heat. Cool wort and add to fermenter.
• Pitch yeast. *I used one packet Fermentis Safale US-05. If using liquid yeast, you could use up to 2 packets. You could use White Labs WLP004 or Wyeast 1084.
• Ferment for 7-14 days.
• I will keg with CO2.

OG: 1.064

Until Next Time,

RHSC