Friday, July 4, 2014

Brew Day July 4th, 2014 - America!


Slightly Confused Brewing Company

What the Fox Saison (Austin Homebrew recipe)
Batch 30

Ingredients:
Pale Ale Malt
Crystal 20L Malt
--total grain bill 10.5#

Cane Sugar
Kent Golding Hops
Spalt Hops
Bitter Orange Peel

White Labs WLP 560 Saison Ale Yeast Blend (5 mL) and WLP 565 Saison Ale Yeast
Note: tried to make starter on 7/2 but didn't have DME. Had to buy more yeast and brew store did not have WLP 560 so had to use 565

Stats:
OG: 1.060 (estimated); 1.059 (measured)
FG: 1.012 (estimated); 1.008 (measured)
ABV: 6.3% (estimated); 6.7% (measured)


Brewing Steps:
  • Heated 3.1 gallons of water to a strike temperature of approximately 162 degrees
    • Target mash temperature 150; volume at 1.25 quarts/pound
    • Used Sparge Pal app for volume calculations
  • Added water to mash tun first (water, then grains)
    • Mashed 70 minutes; final temperature about 152
  • After 60 minutes lautered into bucket (to measure volume)
  • Heated 5 gallons of sparge water to approximately 175 degrees and added to mash tun
    • Took 0.1 gallon off Sparge Pal calculation 
  • Let sit for 10 minutes, then lautered until we had about 6.25 gallons
    • Only 1/2 of pitcher remaining 
  • Added hops
  • Chilled
  • Pitched yeast and aerated wort 
    • Pitched yeast from yeast bottles
  • Poured into fermenting bucket 
    • Did not filter prior to putting into fermentation bucket; wanted to keep Orange Peel with beer for flavoring
  • Ferment about 2 weeks then rack to secondary
  • Secondary about 2 weeks then keg

Notes:
-Two different yeasts - flavor change?
-Seems like mashing for extra 10 minutes for every 0.010 points above 1.050 helps attain target OG better vs 60 minute mash
-Left in garage to ferment (average temp above 80?)
-Cold crashed on 7/29; kegged on 8/3
-Washed yeast to save for future batch due to "unique" blend