February 2015 - Chest Freezer Upgrade

Slightly Confused Brewing Company

 Upgrading fermentation chest freezer

Wanted to upgrade the look of the fermentation chest freezer.

Used reclaimed palette wood for the outside, and 2x4 for the base and frame.

Had to put posts to mount the palette wood; chest freezer fit into frame with 1.5" of extra space on each side to allow for ventilation.

Front is done, but still have to do the sides. Plan on leaving space open on the side for the compressor vents. Sitting on wheels, so open below to allow for more ventilation (overhang of palette wood covers most of the wheels).

Haven't decided plans for the lid, but thinking tin/metal.

February 14th, 2014 - Cthulhu IPA (SCBC)

Slightly Confused Brewing Company

 Cthulhu IPA (SCBC original recipe)

Batch 43

Ingredients:
2-Row Pale Malt - 12#
Crystal 60L - 1#
American Carapils - 1#
Crystal 120L - 0.5#
--total grain bill ~14.5#

2 oz Centennial - 60'
1 oz Centennial - 45'
1 oz Cascade - 30'
1 oz Cascade - 15'
2 oz Cascade - 2

White Labs WLP 001 California Ale

Stats:
OG: 1.069 (estimated); 1.070 (measured) [estimated 65% efficiency]
FG: 1.016 (estimated); 1.012 (measured)
ABV: 6.9% (estimated); 7.6% (measured)
Estimated IBU 142.69, SRM 14.91
Brewersfriend.com for caclulations

Brewing Steps:

• Heated 4.5 gallons of water to a strike temperature of approximately 165 degrees
• Target mash temperature 152; volume at 1.25 quarts/pound
• Used Sparge Pal app for volume calculations
• Added water to mash tun first (water, then grains)
• Mashed 60 minutes
• Stirred twice
• After 60 minutes lautered into bucket (to measure volume)
• Lautered over 15 minutes
• Heated 4 gallons of sparge water to approximately 175 degrees and added to mash tun
• Took 0.3 gallon off Sparge Pal calculation 
• Let sit for 10 minutes, then lautered until we had about 6.25 gallons
• Had about 1/4 - 1/2 pitcher left
• Preboil gravity 1040 @ 142 degrees  --> 1054
• Calculator estimated had to boil off 1.36 gallons to reach desired OG of 1069
• Boiled for 60 minutes
• Kept fairly vigorous boil going
• Added hops
• Chilled
• Pitched yeast and aerated wort 
• Pitched yeast from starter
• Poured into fermenting bucket 
• Ferment about 2 weeks then rack to secondary vs. keg

Notes:
-First SCBC recipe
-Original name was "Beer that shall not be named"
-Mash next time for 75 minutes?
-Upgraded the chest freezer that we use as fermentor. Put fermenting bucket back in (2/22/15), plugged in temperature controller, and set it at 63. Forgot to put probe back in, so freezer ran for about 48 hours and got down to -4; bucket was frozen (2/23/15). Took out and put in garage to thaw; fermentation should be done at this point. Will plan on kegging it once a space is open.

February 7th, 2015 - SMASH Test Dummy

Slightly Confused Brewing Company

 SMASH Test Dummy (SCBC recipe)

Batch 42

Main reason is to test out the Wee Baby mash tun (5 g) for smaller batches
First SCBC recipe - 2.5 g size

Ingredients:
US 2-row
--total grain bill ~4.5#
Added 4.5 oz (.28125#) dextrose

Cascade Hops:
0.5 oz at 60'
0.25 oz at 30'
0.25 oz at 2'

White Labs WLP 001 California Ale

Stats:
OG: 1.043 (estimated; 1048 with dextrose); 1.065 (measured)
FG: 1.010 (estimated); *** (measured)
ABV: 4.4% (estimated; 4.87% with dextrose); *** (measured)
Recipe built on BrewersFriend.com

Brewing Steps:

• Heated 1.4 gallons of water to a strike temperature of approximately 165 degrees
• Target mash temperature 152; volume at 1.25 quarts/pound
• Used Sparge Pal app for volume calculations
• Added water to mash tun first (water, then grains)
• Mashed 60 minutes
• After 60 minutes lautered into bucket (to measure volume)
• Lautered over 5 minutes
• Heated 3.1 gallons of sparge water to approximately 175 degrees and added to mash tun
• Took 0.3 gallon off Sparge Pal calculation 
• Let sit for 10 minutes, then lautered until we had about 3.1 gallons
• Had about 1/4 - 1/2 pitcher left
• Boiled for 60 minutes
• Added hops
• Chilled
• Pitched yeast and aerated wort 
• Pitched yeast from starter
• Poured into fermenting bucket

• Ferment about 2 weeks then bottle

Notes:
-1 gallon left over after lautering; remove 1+ gallon off sparge pal?
-Final volume about 2.25 g. Lost about 0.85 g during boil (lost 27% of preboil volume).
-Not sure why OG was so high. Lower volume likely contributed, but with 1 g left over after lautering.
-Need to measure gravity after initial mash prior to sparging.



The Wee Baby Mash Tun

January 19th, 2015 - Robust Porter

Slightly Confused Brewing Company

 Puma Man Robust Porter (Hoggetowne recipe)

Batch 41

Made on Hain's birthday

Ingredients:
UK Pale Malt
Biscuit Malt
Dark Chocolate Malt
UK 120L Crystal Malt
Black Patent Malt
--total grain bill ~11.375#
NOTE: did not re-crush grains after getting from brew store

Northern Brewer Hops
Hallertauer-type Hops

White Labs WLP 001 California Ale

Stats:
OG: 1.059 (estimated); 1.054 (measured)
FG: 1.013 (estimated); 1.008 (measured)
ABV: 6.1% (estimated); 6% (measured)

Brewing Steps:

• Heated 3.6 gallons of water to a strike temperature of approximately 165 degrees
• Target mash temperature 152; volume at 1.25 quarts/pound
• Used Sparge Pal app for volume calculations
• Added water to mash tun first (water, then grains)
• Mashed 60 minutes
• Stirred twice
• After 60 minutes lautered into bucket (to measure volume)
• Lautered over 15 minutes
• Heated 4.8 gallons of sparge water to approximately 175 degrees and added to mash tun
• Took 0.3 gallon off Sparge Pal calculation 
• Let sit for 10 minutes, then lautered until we had about 6.25 gallons
• Had about 1/4 - 1/2 pitcher left
• Boiled for 60 minutes
• Added hops
• Chilled
• Pitched yeast and aerated wort 
• Pitched yeast from starter
• Poured into fermenting bucket 
• Ferment about 2 weeks then rack to secondary

Notes:
-Put into secondary on 2/14/15, gravity 1.016
-Kegged 6/5/15
-Really good