Brew Day - October 26, 2013

Slightly Confused Brewing Company

Spiced Winter Ale (Norther Brewer recipe)

Ingredients:
British Golden Promise
English Medium Crystal

1 oz cluster hops (US Goldings)
0.5 oz Mulling Spices

Liquid yeast (Wyeast #1728 Scottish Ale Yeast) via 1 L starter

Stats:
OG: 1.047 (estimated); 1.042 (measured)
FG: 1.014 (measured); estimate no provided
ABV: 5.2% (measured); estimate no provided

Brewing Steps:

First time brewing solo - only 1/2 of the SCBC brewers somehow is not better than the two of us combined, although not substantially worse

• Heated 3.1 gallons of water to a strike temperature of approximately 167 degrees
• 10 pounds grain, 1.25 quarts/pound 
• Added grains to mash tun
• Added water to mash tun by about 1/2 - 3/4 gallon at a time; poured last 1.5 gallons from brewpot straight into mash tun
• After all water added mash temperature approximately 156 degrees; final temperature 154 degrees 
• After 60 minutes recycled 3/4 gallons and then lautered into sanitized bucket 
• Heated about 6 gallons of sparge water to approximately 175 degrees and added to mash tun 
• Online calculators recommended 6.1 gallons of sparge water to get pre-boil volume of 6.5 gallons
• Let sit for 10 minutes, then lautered into bucket until we had about 6.5 gallons (had to shut off flow - still liquid left in mash tun. Responsible for slightly lower OG d/t dilution?). Poured bucket into brew pot and brought to boil
• Boiled for 60 minutes, adding hops and spices according to schedule
• Chilled by putting pot into tub with ice and water (filled about 6-8 inches of tub with water) and wort chiller/pre-chiller to 70 degrees in about 6.5 minutes
• Pitched yeast (whole 1 L bottle) and then aerated wort by transferring between brew pot and bucket 6 times
• Poured into fermenting bucket (had probably ~5.5 gallons total volume - hard to tell because very foamy. Had to waste about 1/3 - 1/2 gallon)
• Put bucket into fridge at 62 degrees (took 13 minutes post-boil, including almost forgetting to measure the OG)

• Ferment 14 days
• Recommended schedule is to ferment for 1-2 weeks in primary, then 1-2 weeks in secondary, then condition for 2 weeks in bottle
• Will likely ferment for about 2 1/2 weeks, cold crash, then keg around 11/12

Update 11/19

-Kegged on 11/16

-Haven't tasted yet.

Brew Day - October 20, 2013

Slightly Confused Brewing Company

Smashing Pumpkin Ale (Norther Brewer recipe)

Ingredients:
Rahr 2-row Pale
German Munch Malt
Briess Caramel 80
Briess Caramel 60

1 oz cluster hops
1 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice

Liquid yeast (Wyeast 1056 American Ale) via 1 L starter

Stats:
OG: 1.054 (estimated); 1.052 (measured)
FG: ?? [estimate not provided]; 1.012 (measured)
ABV: ??% [estimate not provided]; 5.1% (measured)

Brewing Steps:

• Heated 3.5 gallons of water to a strike temperature of approximately 167 degrees
• 10.75 pounds grain, 1.25 quarts/pound ~ 14 quarts
• Was about 170, so poured about 1.5 gallons into mash tun, turned off burner, stirred
• Temperature dropped to 167; re-added water from mash tun
• Added grains to mash tun
• Added water to mash tun by about 1/2 - 3/4 gallon at a time; poured last 1.5 gallons from brewpot straight into mash tun
• After all water added mash temperature approximately 154 degrees; rechecked at 45' temperature still 154 degrees 
• After 60 minutes recycled 3/4 gallons and then lautered into sanitized bucket 
• Heated about 3.7 gallons of sparge water to approximately 175 degrees and added to mash tun 
• Let sit for 10 minutes, then lautered into bucket until we had about 6.25 gallons (basically got out everything we could). Poured bucket into brew pot and brought to boil
• Boiled for 60 minutes, adding hops according to schedule
• Chilled by putting pot into tub with ice and water (filled about 6-8 inches of tub with water) and wort chiller/pre-chiller to < 80 degrees in about 7 minutes
• Pitched yeast (whole 2 L bottle) and then aerated wort by transferring between brew pot and bucket 6 times
• Poured into fermenting bucket (had probably ~5.5 - 6 gallons total volume (hard to tell because very foamy)
• Put bucket into fridge at 62 degrees (took 14 minutes post-boil)

• Ferment 14 days
• Recommended schedule is to ferment for 1-2 weeks in primary, then 1-2 weeks in secondary, then condition for 2 weeks in bottle
• Will likely ferment for about 2 1/2 weeks, cold crash, then keg around 11/6

Update:

• Kegged on 11/2/13
• Flavor got a little stronger after another 10 days or so, but still not a strong pumpkin flavor
• Next time double the amount of pumpkin spice?

Brew Day - October 6, 2013

Slightly Confused Brewing Company

Fat Man Brown Porter (Hoggetowne recipe)

Ingredients:
UK Pale Ale Malt
Dark Chocolate Malt
UK 55-65L Crystal Malt

Northern Brewer Hops (x2)
Willamette Hops

Liquid yeast (White Labs British Ale Yeast, WLP005) via 1 L starter

Stats:
OG: 1.051 (estimated); 1.050 (measured)
FG: 1.012 (estimated); 1.010 (measured)
ABV: 5.1% (estimated);  5.2% (calculated)
IBU: 22
Color: 33 SRM

Brewing Steps:

• Heated 4 gallons of water to a strike temperature of approximately 170 degrees 
• Added grains to mash tun
• Added water to mash tun by about 1/2 - 3/4 gallon at a time; poured last 1.5 gallons from brewpot straight into mash tun
• After all water added mash temperature approximately 156 degrees 
• After 60 minutes recycled 3/4 gallons and then lautered into sanitized bucket (note: to measure volume)
• Heated about 3.5 gallons of sparge water to approximately 175 degrees and added to mash tun 
• Let sit for 10 minutes, then lautered into bucket until we had about 6.25/6.5 gallons (basically got out everything we could). Poured bucket into brew pot and brought to boil
• Boiled for 60 minutes, adding hops according to schedule
• Chilled by putting pot into tub with ice and water (filled about 6-8 inches of tub with water) and wort chiller/pre-chiller to < 80 degrees in about 7 minutes
• Pitched yeast (whole 2 L bottle) and then aerated wort by transferring between brew pot and bucket 6 times
• Poured into fermenting bucket (had probably ~5.5 - 6 gallons total volume (hard to tell because very foamy)
• Put bucket into fridge at 62 degrees. Later turned up to 67 degrees (after 3 days) due to lack of visible bubbling through airlock

• Ferment 14 days

Update:

• Kegged on 10/19
• Tastes great
• As it sat in the keg it took on more of a smokey flavor

Brew Day - October 4, 2013

Slightly Confused Brewing Company

Dubbel the Pleasure (Hoggetowne recipe)

Ingredients:
Belgian Pilsner Malt
Belgian Biscuit Malt
CaraMunich II Malt
Special B Malt
UK 120L Crystal Malt

Clear Candi Sugar/Syrup
Hallertauer-type hops
Saaz Hops

Liquid yeast (White Labs Abbey)
2 L yeast starter using stir plate


Stats:
OG: 1.065 (estimated); 1.072 (measured)
FG: 1.012 (estimated); 1.010 (measured)
ABV: 7% (estimated);  8.1% (calculated)
IBU: 29
Color: 15 SRM

Brewing Steps:

• Heated 4.5 gallons of water to a strike temperature of approximately 185 degrees (measured with digital thermometer). Checked water temperature with mercury thermometer and it read 155 degrees. Threw out digital thermometer, heated water to about 170 degrees
• Added grains to mash tun
• Added water to mash tun by about 1/2 - 3/4 gallon at a time; poured last 1.5 gallons from brewpot straight into mash tun
• After all water added mash temperature approximately 158 degrees (measured with normal thermometer)
• After 60 minutes recycled 3/4 gallons and then lautered into sanitized bucket 
• Heated about 4 (3.75 gallons?) of sparge water to approximately 175 degrees and added to mash tun 
• Let sit for 10 minutes (temperature maintained at about 173 degrees), then lautered into bucket until we had about 6.25/6.5 gallons (basically got out everything we could). Poured bucket into brew pot and brought to boil
• Boiled for 90 minutes, adding Clear Candi Sugar/Syrup and hops according to schedule
• Chilled by putting pot into tub with ice and water (filled about 6-8 inches of tub with water) and wort chiller/pre-chiller to < 80 degrees in about 8 minutes
• Strained twice through large strainer
• Pitched yeast (whole 2 L bottle) and then aerated wort by transferring between brew pot and bucket 6 times
• Poured into fermenting bucket (had probably ~5.5 - 6 gallons total volume (hard to tell because very foamy)
• Put bucket into fridge at 62 degrees

• Ferment 14 days
• During fermentation beer came out through airlock and onto top of bucket lid (noticed on day 3 of fermentation). Changed out airlock, did not have any other problems during fermentation

Update:

• Kegged on 10/19
• Tastes awesome

Brew Day - September 22, 2013

Slightly Confused Brewing Company

Plinius Secundus Imperial IPA ("Pliny" - Hoggetowne recipe)

One of the first all grain recipes we bought. We wanted to make sure we knew what we were doing before we brewed it so we didn't screw it up.

Ingredients:
Rahr 2-Row Malt
US 40L Crystal Malt
CaraPils Malt

Dextrose

Hops (all leaf hops)
CTZ Hops (x2)
Simcoe Hops (x2)
Centennial Hops

Simcoe, Centennial, and CTZ (dry hop)

Liquid yeast (don't remember the strain) via 2 L starter

Stats:
OG: 1.070 (estimated); 1.064 (measured)
FG: 1.012 (estimated); 1.014 (measured)
ABV: 7.6% (estimated);  6.6% (calculated)
IBU: 300
Color: 7 SRM

Brewing Steps:

• Heated 4 gallons of water to a strike temperature of approximately 190 degrees (measured with digital thermometer)
• Added grains to mash tun
• Added water to mash tun by about 1/2 - 3/4 gallon at a time; poured last 1.5 gallons from brewpot straight into mash tun
• After all water added mash temperature approximately 162 degrees (measured with normal thermometer); left lid off. Measured at 30 minutes and it decreased to 156 degrees
• After 60 minutes recycled 3/4 gallons and then lautered into sanitized bucket (note: to measure volume)
• Heated about 4.5 gallons of sparge water to approximately 185 degrees and added to mash tun 
• Let sit for 10 minutes (temperature maintained at about 170 degrees), then lautered into bucket until we had about 6.25/6.5 gallons (basically got out everything we could). Poured bucket into brew pot and brought to boil
• Boiled for 60 minutes, adding dextrose and hops according to schedule

• Chilled by putting pot into tub with ice and water (filled about 6-8 inches of tub with water) and wort chiller/pre-chiller to < 80 degrees in about 9 minutes
• Strained twice through large strainer; didn't need to strain again because pretty clear

• Pitched yeast (whole 2 L bottle) and then aerated wort by transferring between brew pot and bucket 6 times
• Poured into fermenting bucket (had probably ~5.5 - 6 gallons total volume. Hard to tell because very foamy)
• Put bucket into fridge at 62 degrees. Later turned up to 67 degrees (after 3 days) due to lack of visible bubbling through airlock
• Dry hopped at 6'

• Ferment 14 days; to keg on 10/6

Final product - turned out great!