Updates on Cider and Porter

We added both the porter (formerly titled Sexual Chocolate...still looking for a new name) and cider to the secondary fermenters last night. We added the boiled strawberry purees to the fermenters first (carboy for the cider and another brew bucket for the porter), and then added the beer.  We weren't able to get accurate gravity readings, so I made an estimate on how the strawberries will affect the gravity based on other recipes and a little research. I am very anxious to try both of these brews.

Cider
The gravity of the cider before adding the strawberries was 1.054. This was a little surprising, because it didn't consume very much of the sugar, yet (that makes it about 2.25% so far). However, once we added the cider to the strawberries in the carboy, we could literally see the yeast feeding off of the newly added sugar. Apparently initial fermentation was slowed down a lot for one reason or another. Once we added the cider to the secondary, an immediate reaction occurred. We had to wait almost an hour before adding the airlock due a slow steady overflow of foam. It has since calmed down a lot and appears to be fermenting at a steady pace.

It has a great dark amber color and smells wonderful. I can't wait to see how this turns out.

OG: 1.072; 1.074 with fruit (estimated)

Porter
We didn't have nearly the problems with the porter that we had with the cider. There are two good explanations for that: 1) we used a bucket, so there was more open space and the pressure didn't bottleneck (so to speak). 2) the gravity reading we took before racking the beer was 1.020. This places the beer at an ABV of 6.5% before adding the fruit. The yeast had already done a lot of work. We did notice about 10-15 minutes after we sealed the lid and placed the airlock, that we were getting a slow steady stream of bubbles.

This beer has a very dark brown color with a slight red tint to it. The aroma of bitter chocolate and sweet strawberries combined was amazing. I can't wait to try this beer.

OG: 1.070; 1.072 with fruit (estimated)


The plan was to wait about 2 weeks to keg both. I may transfer the porter over sooner simply because I don't want all of the sugar consumed. I already have a 6.5% beer, so I really just want the flavor from the strawberries. I don't need it to have a higher alcohol content.

A note for anyone keeping up with this at home, I ended up using about 2.5 pounds of fresh hulled strawberries for the puree for the cider. It was right at 3 pounds for the porter. I added about .5 cup of sugar to both purees in the pot. The puree was really easy to make if you have a blender; just add water and strawberries and blend until you have the consistency you want. Add it to the pot with any desired sugar and boil for about 5 minutes. I will update once I've added them to the kegs.


Until Next Time,
RHSC

Sexual Chocolate

I have had really good luck with porters since I've started brewing. I've also discovered more of a taste for them as I've been making them. A couple of friends of mine really liked the last porter I made (refer to Black Cat) and wanted me to experiment with another porter. We came up with an idea for a dark beer with strawberries after we had already planned to make a strawberry cider (see previous "Strawberry Cider" post). I found a recipe for a raspberry porter that I liked. I will simply substitute in strawberries. I've also added some chocolate to the recipe to add some texture and flavor (chocolate and strawberries go great together), and modified the grain and malt bill a little. This is a pretty simple recipe and we had a lot of fun making it at the same time as the cider. It turned out to be a strawberry themed brew party.

Ingredients

• 6.6 pounds Light LME
• 3.3 pounds Munich LME
• 8 ounces Unsweetened Baking Chocolate
• 1 pound Crystal Malt (40 L)
• 3/4 pound Chocolate Malt
• 1/2 pound Black Patent Malt
• 2 ounces Kent Golding Hops
• American Ale Yeast (12 grams)
• 3 pounds Strawberry puree

Instructions

• Steep grains at 150-160F for about 30 minutes
• Remove grains and add half of the light extract and the hops. Boil for 60 minutes.
• Add melted chocolate at 30-40 minutes into the boil.
• Add the remaining extract in the last 10-15 minutes of the boil.*
• Remove from heat after 60 minutes. 
• Cool wort and add to fermenter. Add water to get 5 gallons.
• Pitch yeast.
• Ferment in primary for 7-10 days (or until fermentation slows dramatically).
• Boil strawberry puree for 5-10 minutes (I will be making my own puree using fresh strawberries). Let cool.
• Put puree in the secondary fermenter. Rack the porter on top of the puree in the secondary.
• Let ferment in secondary an additional 7-14 days. 
• I will keg using CO2.

OG: 1.070

*I used all liquid malt extract (LME) for this batch. When using LME, I have found that you can get more flavor out of the malt by not boiling all of it for the entire 60 minutes. 

I am excited about this beer. It should be good. I hope to update at the secondary process when I take more gravity readings. We came up with this name as kind of an homage to one of Eddie Murphy's numerous characters in "Coming to America." We were trying to come up with something creative and original to capture the essence of what we hope this beer will turn out to be. After mulling over ideas like "Chocolate Covered Strawberry," "Strawberry Chocolate Porter," and "Strawberry Porter," one of the guys helping brew the beer blurted out "Sexual Chocolate." I hope it will fit--a little sweet, a little strong, a tad bit outrageous, but ultimately very enjoyable and satisfying. 

I could also be reading way too much into this. It's a creative and hilarious name for a beer.

Until Next Time,

RHSC

Strawberry Cider

I have a friend who really likes ciders. I have always liked ciders, but over the last couple of months he has really turned me on to them more. This is the third cider I have made since I started brewing, and the second cider that he has helped me with (and funded). Having made two very simple and straightforward ciders, we decided to experiment a little by adding some fruit flavoring.

Ingredients

• 5 gallons no sugar added apple juice
• 2 pounds light brown sugar
• 2 pounds pure honey
• 1 packet Champagne yeast
• 1-2 pounds of fresh strawberries

Instructions

• Combine sugar and honey with one gallon of apple juice on the stove top. Heat until completely mixed.
• Pour mixture into the fermenter with the rest of the apple juice.
• Pitch yeast and secure lid and airlock on fermenter.
• Ferment in primary about 7-10 days.
• Puree fresh strawberries using sugar and water. Boil puree on stove for 5-10 minutes. Let cool.
• *Make puree as sweet and thick as you desire. You could also add a little syrup or juice if you want the puree thicker or sweeter. More sugar will add to the gravity and can raise the alcohol content. This also holds true for the amount of strawberries you use. Use enough to give it the taste, but if you don't want it super sweet, you may not want to add too much puree. I am planning on using 2 pounds of fresh sliced strawberries for my puree.*
• Add puree to the secondary fermenter. Rack cider on top of puree.
• Ferment for an additional 2-3 weeks
• I will keg this batch using CO2. 

OG: 1.072

I will try to update once I secondary. Since adding fresh fruit is a new experience for me, I'm learning as I go. If this turns out well, I might like to do it again and bottle it flat (with no carbonation). We'll see.

Until Next Time,

RHSC

Update on three beers

Over the fall, I brewed three beers: a porter, a pumpkin ale, and a Belgian. The pumpkin ale and porter both turned out really well.

The porter was especially a big hit among my friends and was gone in less than a month. I did notice a little bit of a sour taste in the after taste, and I wonder if that was because of the vanilla extract. Next time, I'll either add it to the keg, or leave it out completely.

The pumpkin ale got better as it aged in the keg. It definitely grew on me, as I did not think it was as good as the porter at first. The flavors were well balanced and it had a very smooth mouthfeel to it. It definitely had a nice spice aroma. I know that pumpkin really doesn't have a lot of flavor (most pumpkin ales don't even call for real pumpkin), but I think the addition of real (and fresh) pumpkin really helped. Roasting it with the spices upfront also helped bring out what little flavor is in pumpkin flesh. Overall, this was a good spiced brown ale and I would make it again. The only real downside to this beer is the amount of prep and time it takes to make it.

The Belgian did not turn out at all. Belgian's typically do better with longer fermentation times, but I think I went too far by letting it ferment for over 12 weeks. It was completely sour and had no flavor. This is the first batch I have ever tossed. I hope it doesn't happen again.

Until Next Time,
RHSC

Three New Brews

So I've been a little busy lately, but I've still managed to brew three new beers in the last two weeks. Right now, I have a Belgian Triple, a Pumpkin Ale, and a Porter fermenting. They should be good.



Belgian Triple


Ingredients:

• 6 pounds Light Dry Malt Extract
• 0.5 pound Aromatic 
• 2 pounds Table Sugar
• 2 ounces Fuggles hops (bittering)
• 1 ounce Saaz (aroma)
• 1 package liquid Belgian Ale yeast
• 1 package dry Belgian Ale yeast

Instructions:

• Steep Aromatic grains at 150-160 degrees for 30-60 minutes
• Add Fuggles, extract, and sugar. Boil for 1 hour.
• Add Saaz in last 10 minutes.
• Cool wort to 65-72 degrees. Pitch yeast.
• Ferment for 14-21 days.

I know a lot of recipes call for Belgian Candy Sugar as opposed to regular table sugar, but there's really not a whole lot of difference between them. Also, a lot of recipes and sites I've seen recommend table sugar to candy sugar because there's no difference. It's also a lot cheaper.

OG: 1.071

"The Great Pumpkin Ale"

Ingredients:

• 3.3 pounds Amber Liquid Malt Extract
• 3 pounds Light Dry Malt Extract
• 1 pound Crystal Malt (60 L)
• 0.5 pound Chocolate Malt
• 2 ounces Goldings (bittering)
• 1 ounce Fuggles (aroma)
• 1 tablet Whirlfloc
• 8-9 pounds fresh pumpkin
• Pumpkin Pie Spice (cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, ginger)
• Light Brown Sugar
• 4 Cinnamon Sticks
• 3 Whole Nutmegs
• 6 Whole Allspice
• 1 package London Ale Yeast

Instructions:

• Cut the pumpkin into large pieces and sprinkle with the pumpkin pie spice and brown sugar.
• Bake for 2 hours at 350 degrees until tender.
• Remove from oven and cut into 1-inch cubes. Remove peel. 
• Mash slightly.
• Steep grains at 150-160 degrees for 30-60 minutes. Remove spent grains
• Add dry extract, pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and Goldings hops. Boil for 60 minutes.
• Add liquid extract at last 15 minutes.
• Add Fuggles and whirlfloc at last 5 minutes.
• Remove whole spices and pumpkin.
• Cool wort and pitch yeast.
• Ferment for 14-21 days.

*Use 3/4 cup of corn sugar to 2 cups boiling water f3or priming solution if bottling.

OG: 1.042

"Black Cat Halloween Porter"


Ingredients:

• 6.6 pounds Amber Liquid Malt Extract
• 1 pound Chocolate Malt
• 0.5 pound Black Patent Malt
• 1 cup Black Strap Molasses
• 1.5 ounces Vanilla Extract
• 2 ounces Willamette hops (bittering)
• 1 ounce Tettnanger hops (aroma)
• 1 package London Ale yeast

Instructions:

• Steep grains at 150-160 degrees for 30-60 minutes.
• Add half of the extract, molasses and Willamette hops. Boil for 60 minutes.
• Add remaining extract at 15 minutes left.
• Add Tettnanger hops in last 5 minutes.
• Cool wort and pitch yeast.
• Add vanilla (you can add this in secondary process if you plan to use a secondary).
• Ferment 14-17 days (Secondary for last 7 days if using a secondary).

Use 1.25 cups dry malt extract to 2 cups boiling water for priming solution if bottling.

OG: 1.048

I will update once they are ready. Also, I only have 2 kegs, so I need to figure out which batch I'm bottling.

Until Next Time,

RHSC

Big Dan's Brew Shed

A new home-brew store opened in NC over the summer in the Triad area. It's called "Big Dan's Brew Shed." I've been there a couple of times and I have to say that it's pretty nice. It's privately owned by one person (Big Dan), which means you get a lot of individual customer attention. If he doesn't have it, he'll get it for you or he'll let you know where you can get it for the best price. I love that about him. He's not afraid to be honest with the customer about the different products because he's all about providing a service for the customer. He told me directly that you can't make money if no one wants to come back in the store. Also, I love that he sells a lot of miscellaneous items that no one would really think about. For instance, he has the plastic washers for CO2 regulators, air-line splitters, tape for the fittings, hose clamps, etc. He has the best prices on O-rings I have ever seen; you can get a complete set of O-rings for about $3.  He also does tank exchanges and sells kegs. A lot of stores don't sell either of those items anymore, especially kegs. It's just a great store. However, what really set this store apart is the owner. He's perfectly willing to sit and talk to you about your beer or anything beer related. He'll help you work out a recipe and work with you until you are satisfied. He won't make you do it his way if you don't want to. After all, it's about your beer. My favorite thing so far has got to be that if he'll help you out even if he's closed. If you have an emergency and really need some help, he'll help you out. He stays there long after closing, so he'll help you out if he's there. It really is a great experience that I recommend to anyone who can make the trip.

Check out the store at http://www.bigdansbrewshed.com/.

Until Next Time,
RHSC

Busy Summer

So it's been about two months since my last post. I would love to say that I've been brewing a lot since then, but I really haven't. This summer was really busy and just got away from me. There were a couple of festivals and new breweries that I tried this summer that I meant to blog about, but never got around to doing it. I will hopefully catch up on those. I hope to be brewing a Belgian style tripel pretty soon. I'm kind of excited about it and will post about it soon. I've also discovered a new home-brew store that I will blog about soon. I've been behind on all of the blogs I read and comment on, as well. Hopefully I will get back in the swing of that pretty soon. Stay in touch and keep commenting.

Until Next Time,
RHSC