Brew Day - March 15, 2014

Slightly Confused Brewing Company

Hop Zombie Pale Ale (Hoggetown Ale Works recipe)

Ingredients:
US 2-Row malt
US 20L Crystal malt
CaraPils malt
Victory malt
--total grain bill 11#

Magnum/Horizon hops
Cascade hops

White Labs California Ale Yeast WLP001 via 1.5 L starter

Stats:
OG: 1.054 (estimated); 1.050 (measured)
FG: 1.012 (estimated); *** (measured)
ABV: 5.4% (estimated); *** (measured)
78 IBU


Brewing Steps:

• Heated 3.5 gallons of water to a strike temperature of approximately 164 degrees
• Target mash temperature 152; volume at 1.25 quarts/pound
• Used Sparge Pal app for volume calculations
• Added water to mash tun first (about 2-3 gallons), then added grains and rest of sparge water
• After all water added mash temperature approximately 147.5 degrees 
• Heated 0.5 gallons to boil; added to mash tun and temperature increased to 149
• Final mash temperature 149 degrees
• After 60 minutes lautered into bucket (to measure volume)
• Heated 4.5 gallons of sparge water to approximately 175 degrees and added to mash tun 
• Let sit for 10 minutes, then lautered until we had about 6 gallons
• Added 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 75 degrees in about 6 minutes
• Pitched yeast and then aerated wort by transferring between brew pot and bucket 6 times
• Poured into fermenting bucket 
• Put bucket into fridge at 62 degrees (took 9 minutes post-boil)
• Ferment about 3 weeks in primary
• Dry hop '6 days (start on 3/30/14)

Notes:

-Only about 1/2 pitcher of sweet wort left in mash tun after lautering
-Low OG due to volume? Post-boil volume about 5.5ish gallons (maybe a little more?), so potentially a little bit of dilutional decrease in OG?

Brew Day - March 09, 2014

Slightly Confused Brewing Company

Black IPA (Hoggetown Ale Works recipe)

Ingredients:
US 2-Row malt
US C-40
Weyermann Chocolate Wheat
Weyermann Carafa Special III
--total grain bill 12.5#

Aussie/NZ Bittering Hop
Falconer's Flight
Falconer's Flight 7Cs
Zythos
Dry Hop with "Blend Blend"

White Labs California Ale Yeast WLP001 via 1.5 L starter

Stats:
OG: 1.070 (estimated); 1.060 (measured)
FG: 1.015 (estimated);
ABV: 7.2% (estimated);


Brewing Steps:

• Heated 4 gallons of water to a strike temperature of approximately 164 degrees
• Target mash temperature 152; volume at 1.25 quarts/pound
• Used Sparge Pal app for volume calculations
• Added water to mash tun first (about 2-3 gallons), then added grains and rest of sparge water
• After all water added mash temperature approximately 150 degrees 
• Final mash temperature 148 degrees
• After 60 minutes lautered into bucket (to measure volume)
• Heated 4.5 gallons of sparge water to approximately 175 degrees and added to mash tun 
• Let sit for 10 minutes, then lautered until we had about 6 gallons
• Added 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 75 degrees in about 7 minutes
• Pitched yeast and then aerated wort by transferring between brew pot and bucket 6 times
• Poured into fermenting bucket 
• Put bucket into fridge at 62 degrees (took 12 minutes post-boil)
• Ferment about 2 weeks in primary
• Dry hop '6 days (start on 3/25/14)

Notes:

-Only about 1/2 pitcher of sweet wort left (low OG not due to dilution)

Brew Day - March 4, 2014

Slightly Confused Brewing Company

Denny's Rye IPA (NB recipe)

Ingredients:
Rahr 2-row malt
Weyermann Rye malt
Briess Crystal 60
Briess Carapils
Rarh White Wheat malt
--total grain bill 16#

Mt. Hood
Columbus
Wyeast #1450 Denny's Favorite 50 via 1.5 L starter

Stats:
OG: 1.078 (estimated); 1.062 (measured)
FG: 1.015 (estimated); 1.014 (measured)
ABV: ?% (estimated); 6.3% (measured)


Brewing Steps:

• Heated 5.1 gallons of water to a strike temperature of approximately 168 degrees
• 1.25 quarts/pound 
• Used Sparge Pal app for volume calculations
• Added water to mash tun first (about 2-3 pitchers), then added grains and then rest of sparge water
• Hole in grain bag so had to pour entire bag out into mash tun before adding more water
• Poor mixing? Disturbed braid location/positioning? 
• After all water added mash temperature approximately 159 degrees 
• Left lid off for about 12 minutes; decreased to 155
• Final mash temperature 154 degrees
• After 60 minutes lautered (slowly) into bucket (to measure volume)
• Heated 4 gallons of sparge water to approximately 175 degrees and added to mash tun 
• Let sit for 10 minutes, then lautered until we had about 6 gallons
• Did not drain extra water left in mash tun to determine if sweet wort was "diluted" 
• Added hops according to schedule
• Added '30 addition at about '14
• 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 75 degrees in about 7 minutes
• Pitched yeast and then aerated wort by transferring between brew pot and bucket 6 times
• Poured into fermenting bucket 
• Put bucket into fridge at 62 degrees (took 12 minutes post-boil)
• Ferment 1-2 weeks in primary
• Will put into secondary for 4 weeks (recommended

• Put into secondary on 3/12/14
• Will dry hop for about 7 days (starting on 3/19/14)
• Kegged 3/25/14

Notes:

-Unclear why OG was so low. Maybe adding all the grains and then the water led to suboptimal mixing (some pockets of grain not in contact with water)? Or mixed too much and messed up the position/location of the braids? Volume was too high? Did not drain out remaining volume in mash tun so unsure how much was left; not likely enough to drop OG 16 points. Also double checked hydrometer and it seemed to be working fine.