I had a 6 pack of Firestone Walker’s Pale 31 a couple of weeks ago and forgot what a great beer this is. Clean, hoppy, floral, and with a tiny hint of tannic oak. Highly sessionable. Mix of their Pale Ale with 10% DBA. To recreate the DBA blend I add 1/2 oz. of oak chips. Technique I like is to throw the chips into a saucier pan and just cover with water. Bring to a boil, cool, and add to secondary when you dry hop. You could add a little Crystal 80 to add a touch of color and sweetness to mimic the 10% DBA but I don’t really think it’s a deal breaker not adding it. I did this beer  a couple years before for the Ventura Winter Sudstice and it came out remarkably spot on.

6 gallons

Estimated OG: 1.046
Estimated FG: 1.008
Estimated Color: 5.1 SRM
Estimated IBU: 42.4 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 65.00 %
ABV: 4.9%

Grain
9 lbs Two Row (2.0 SRM) 76.9%
2 lbs Munich(10 SRM) 17.1%
11 oz Cara-pils (2 SRM) 6.0%

Schedule
60 minute Boil
12.00 g Chinook [13.00%] – Boil 60 min 17.8 IBUs
28.00 g Centennial [10.00%] – Boil 30 min 24.6 IBUs
28.00 g Cascade [7.0%] – Boil 0 min 0 IBUs
44.00 g Centennial [10.00%] – Boil 0 min 0 IBUs
28.00 g Cascade [7.0%] – Dry Hop 4 days
42.00 g Centennial [10.00%] – Dry Hop 4 days
16.00 g Chinook [13.00%] – Dry Hop 4 days
0.5 oz Oak Chips – Secondary 4 days(boil in small amount of water and add to secondary)

Whirfloc or Irish Moss 20 min
1tsp yeast nutrient 15 min

Mash and Sparge
1/2 Ventura water(high bicarbonates and sulfates)
1/2 RO Water
4gm calcium chloride  mash water
2gm calcium chloride  sparge water
Mash in 4.65 gallons water 157F and let stabilize to 148F for 60 min
Batch Sparge 4.75 gallons (.75 gallons add to mash and then sparge with remaining 4) cold sparge

Yeast
WLP 007 Dry English Ale 2L starter

Since it is Mild Month I’ve decided to brew a proper English dark mild. The interesting thing is I have never had the pleasure of drinking a mild. Maybe I have in my long and storied drinking career and haven’t realised it but to the best of my knowledge one has not crossed my lips. Anyhow, J.W. Lee’s Best Mild, according to all dubious internet sources, is the Mild that needs to be brewed if you’re going to do a dark mild. As usual this is an interpretation of a Pattinson archival recipe. A bit higher in alcohol and a tad more hop heft in my version but still in the “session beer” spectrum I guess.

Brewer’s Caramel recipe:
3 tablespoons brown sugar to 1 tablespoon water = 1.5 oz. Go low and slow in saucier pan until black.

Yes the beer was black this time.

6 gallons

Estimated OG: 1.036
Estimated FG: 1.005
Estimated Color: 30.8 SRM
Estimated IBU: 30.9 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 65.00 %
ABV: 4.1%

Grain
6 lbs Marris Otter (3.0 SRM) 74.9%
1 lbs Table Sugar (1 SRM) 12.5%
5.3 oz Crystal 80 (80 SRM) 4.1%
5.3 oz Chocolate  (350 SRM) 4.1%
3.2 oz Brewers Caramel (1500 SRM) 2.5%
2.4 oz Black Patent (500 SRM) 1.9%

Schedule
60 minute Boil
28.00 g East Kent Goldings [5.5%] – Boil 60 min 18.9 IBUs
14.00 g East Kent Goldings [5.5%] – Boil 30 min 7.3 IBUs
14.00 g East Kent Goldings [5.5%] – Boil 15 min 4.7 IBUs

Whirfloc or Irish Moss 20 min
1tsp yeast nutrient 15 min

Mash and Sparge
1/2 Ventura water(high bicarbonates and sulfates)
1/2 RO Water
6gm calcium chloride  sparge water
Mash in 3 gallons water 161F and let stabilize to 152F for 60 min
Batch Sparge 6 gallons (2 gallons add to mash and then sparge with remaining 4) 170F

Yeast
WLP 005 British Ale 2L starter

My take on a 3K ale, also know as a stock or Burton ale. These beers have high gravities and high hopping rates and were aged, although by the 20th century the gravities had dropped quite a bit as compared to 18th and 19th centuries where the gravities would be as high as 1.100. I was going to make an invert sugar but it’s such a pain in the butt that I opted to try my hand again at brewers caramel for coloring while using Turbinado and molasses as substitutes for the invert. To make the brewer’s caramel I took 3 tablespoons of brown sugar with one tablespoon water and went low and slow in a saucier pan for about a half hour and got it pretty black without burning it. Based on the SRM color chart of the finished product in the fermenter,  I back calculated and came up with 1500 SRM on it. This is highly speculative of course but Sinamar is 3000 SRM so it makes sense somewhat. Anyhow, after all this the beer is still not black but brown…looks like I need to have either more caramel or actually use Blackstrap molasses instead of regular molasses. Never knew there was a difference. Blackstrap is three times more concentrated. Wort tasted like one of those molasses cookies. Should be tasty.

6 gallons

Estimated OG: 1.065
Estimated FG: 1.009
Estimated Color: 21.1 SRM
Estimated IBU: 102.6 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.00 %
ABV: 7.5%

Grain
12 lbs Marris Otter (3.0 SRM) 83.7%
2 lbs Turbinado Sugar (10.0 SRM) 13.9%
3.2 oz Black Patent (500 SRM) 1.4%
1.6 oz Brewers Caramel (1500 SRM est based on SRM wort color and back calculating) 0.7%

Schedule
60 minute Boil
28.00 g East Kent Goldings [5.7%] – Boil 60 min 15.7 IBUs
28.00 g Warrior [15.7%] – Boil 60 min 43.3 IBUs
28.00 g Galena [12.5%] – Boil 30 min 26.5 IBUs
28.00 g Galena [12.5%] – Boil 15 min 17.1 IBUs
28.00 g East Kent Goldings [5.7%] – Boil 0 min 0 IBUs
56.00 g East Kent Goldings [5.7%] – Dry hop 7 days

Whirfloc or Irish Moss 20 min
1tsp yeast nutrient 15 min

Mash and Sparge
1/2 Ventura water(high bicarbonates and sulfates)
1/2 RO Water
4g calcium chloride mash
4gm calcium chloride  sparge water
Mash in 4.825 gallons water 162F and let stabilize to 153F for 60 min
Batch Sparge 4.6 gallons 170F

Yeast
WLP 007 Dry English Ale 2L starter

My wife wants something a little less bitter than the IPAs and what not I’ve been making. How about an easy drinking blond beer. Unfortunately I can’t just add a single bittering addition. Was thinking of adding some floral aromas – more like a Pils. I added 1 oz Willamette in flame out and in dry hopping. Don’t know what style category it would fall under but it smelled very nice at flame out with that Willamette addition.

6 gallons

Estimated OG: 1.052
Estimated FG: 1.010
Estimated Color: 5.2 SRM
Estimated IBU: 24 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.00 %
ABV: 5.4%

Grain
11 lbs 8 oz Pale Two Row (2.0 SRM) 93.1%
14 oz Crystal 20 (20 SRM) 6.9%

Schedule
60 minute Boil
28.00 g Cascade [6.8%] – Boil 60 min 24 IBUs
28.00 g Willamette [5.5%] – Boil 0 min 0.0 IBUs
28.00 g Willamette [5.5%] – Dry Hop 4 days

Whirfloc or Irish Moss 20 min
1tsp yeast nutrient 15 min

Mash and Sparge
1/2 Ventura water(high bicarbonates and sulfates)
1/2 RO Water
5g calcium chloride mash
4gm calcium chloride  sparge water
Mash in 4.8 gallons water 161F and let stabilize to 152F for 60 min
Batch Sparge 4.6 gallons 170F

Yeast
WLP 001 Cal Ale 2L starter

Taking the Ballantine recipe I did a few weeks ago and tweaking. Although the large charge of Galena added enough oomph to balance out the Marris Otter, Munich, and corn, I was pretty disappointed with the EKG as flavor, aroma and dry hops. Maybe its my desensitized palette but was expecting a bit more floral hop character that EKG should provide but just wasn’t getting it. Dry English ale yeast scavenging hop flavor and aromas? Hard to say but I am using Cal Ale this time. Going Simcoe, Amarillo, and Columbus. That should be pretty dank in comparison.

6 gallons

Estimated OG: 1.065
Estimated FG: 1.009
Estimated Color: 8.3 SRM
Estimated IBU: 68.3 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 65.00 %
ABV: 7.4%

Grain
12 lbs Pale Two Row (2.0 SRM) 76.9%
2 lbs Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) 12.8%
1 lb Table Sugar (1.0 SRM) 6.4%
10 oz Crystal 60 (60.0 SRM) 3.8%

Schedule
60 minute Boil
28.00 g Warrior [15.7%] – Boil 60 min 43.4 IBUs
28.00 g Simcoe [13.0%] – Boil 25 min 25.0 IBUs
28.00 g Simcoe [13.0%] – Boil 0 min 0 IBUs
28.00 g Amarillo [9.2%} – Dry Hop 7 days
56.00 g Columbus [15%] – Dry Hop 7 days

Whirfloc or Irish Moss 20 min
1tsp yeast nutrient 15 min

Mash and Sparge
2/3 Ventura water(high bicarbonates and sulfates)
1/3 RO Water
4ml lactic acid mash
4ml lactic acid sparge water
Mash in 4.8 gallons water 161F and let stabilize to 150F for 60 min
Batch Sparge 5 gallons 170F

Yeast
WLP 001 Cal Ale 2L starter

Recently read a post about this beer on Mitch Steele’s blog which I believe reiterates what is in  his IPA book about Ballatine, it’s history and recipes, and what an awesome beer it was. As usual in my quest to brew something the supply chain throws a wrench in my plans. This is where we improvise and the beer becomes your own. The brewshop was completely out of 2 row (I know, I know, hard to believe a brewery doesn’t have any 2 row), so had to use Marris Otter and some 6 row as subs. Anyhow, how can you replicate something that dry hops with the distilled oil of the Bullion hop? I don’t think you can. Since I’ve been kegging I really have noticed that the final yield on IPAs aren’t so hot with so much trub and hop material sucking up beer, so this batch I am going do 6 gallons that will hopefully yield a finished 5.

6 gallons

Estimated OG: 1.074
Estimated FG: 1.015
Estimated Color: 9.3 SRM
Estimated IBU: 80.1 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 65.00 %
ABV: 7.7%

Grain
10 lbs Marris Otter (3.0 SRM) 54.5%
3 lbs Pale Malt Six Row (2.0 SRM) 16.3%
2 lbs 12 oz Flaked Maize (1.5 SRM) 15.0%
2 lbs Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) 10.9%
10 oz Crystal 60 (60.0 SRM) 3.3%

Schedule
60 minute Boil
56.00 g Galena [13.9%] – Boil 60 min 64.8 IBUs
28.00 g East Kent Goldings [5.7%] – Boil 25 min 15.3 IBUs
28.00 g East Kent Goldings [5.7%] – Boil 0 min 0 IBUs
56.00 g East Kent Goldings [5.7%] – Dry Hop 4 days

Whirfloc or Irish Moss 20 min
1tsp yeast nutrient 15 min

Mash and Sparge
Ventura water(high bicarbonates and sulfates)
6ml lactic acid mash
4g calcium chloride mash
4ml lactic acid sparge water
Mash in 6 gallons water 161F and let stabilize to 150F for 60 min
Batch Sparge 4.25 gallons 170F

Yeast
WLP 007 Dry English Ale 2L starter

My wife’s uncle has a really prolific Meyer lemon tree and gave us a big bag of them. Ripe citrus will go bad pretty quickly so had to come up with some uses. I made some orange wine last year and have made lemon wine before using a modified Skeeter Pee recipe so decided to revamp my orange wine recipe for lemon and skip the Skeeter Pee recipe altogether which has too many  silly steps for a small batch and uses potassium sorbate. A properly fermented juice wine with champagne yeast will be completely dry and stable making the use of any preservative unnecessary unless you want to have some residual body and cut the fermentation before terminal gravity.  I prefer these wines bone dry and served cold. You can sparkle them too by priming the bottles just like a beer. Just remember the gravity should be 1.000 or less or you will have a bottle bomb! Use the Lallemand EC-118 Champagne yeast. It is fast starting, tolerates temperature swings and a high alcohol environment up to around 18% abv. If doing one gallon no need to start it – just pitch the yeast. It will literally start in a half hour.

1 Gallon

Estimated OG: 1.083
Estimated FG: 0.998
Estimated Color: 1.7 SRM
Brewhouse Efficiency: 100.00 %
ABV: 13.4%

Ingredients
1 lb lemon juice by weight (this is for brewing calculations only) which the equivalent of 1 pint of fresh squeezed juice or about 10 good sized lemons
1.75 lb table sugar
1/2 tsp  yeast nutrient
Lalvin EC-1118 (Champagne yeast)

Method

• Squeeze lemons and strain out pips.
• Add .75 gallon water to pot and add lemon juice and sugar (this should yield about 1.25 gallons).
• Stir sugar till dissolved.
• Turn on heat and pasteurize(161F) or bring to boil and shut off heat.
• Cool to 75 and transfer to sanitized 1 gallon fermenter and pitch room temperature dry yeast directly to wine and add airlock.
• Swirl fermenter occasionally.
• Let ferment at least 7-14 days and rack off lees to another sanitized 1 gallon fermenter and check gravity. If gravity is good (at least 1.000) let yeast settle out for one week by crash cooling(small enough to put in your fridge). If not at terminal gravity let ferment another week and check gravity again by racking off lees.  A double transfer will give you a clearer wine but it is not necessary if crashed cooled – this yeast should form a compact sediment bed you can pour off of.
• Bottle either still or carbonate by priming to 2 volumes and let condition at room temperature for at least a month, preferably 3. More age will smooth this wine out!

Another Lets brew Wednesday recipe. I really like these older English recipes with their heavy use of adjuncts. This beauty has over 35% of the grist as adjuncts! I’ve had pretty darn good success with using adjuncts in the past and after tasting this from the fermenter I think this is another winner. During the boil the corn will really create a lot of hot break so skim that off so you don’t have those globs of protein in the fermenter. Haven’t been able to find Cluster so Galena is a good substitute. Styrian Goldings is going by the names Styrian Celeia and Savinjski Golding. Celeia is a hybrid of Goldings and Aurora.  Savinjski Golding is the more traditional Slovenian hop that is from Fuggles rootstock but is more susceptible to root disease hence the Celeia cross that is a little hardier. The Bedford British yeast has a nice fruity profile but doesn’t seem to flocculate as well as the Dry English Ale and finished a tad high but that could be we’ve had some very cold weather here and I don’t have a way of heating a fermenter. The temp dropped to below 65F after 5 days so maybe it stalled out? Hard to say it supposed to be high flocculating and a dry finishing yeast. Well it’s in the keg and primed so if it didn’t finish will just have to blow off the excess carbonation.

5 gallons

Estimated OG: 1.047
Estimated FG: 1.014
Estimated Color: 5.5 SRM
Estimated IBU: 51.3 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 65.00 %
ABV: 4.3%

Grain
3 lbs Marris Otter (3.0 SRM) 33.9%
2 lbs 10 oz Pale Two Row (2.0 SRM) 29.4%
2 lbs 4 oz Flaked Maize (1.5 SRM) 25.4%
1 lbs Pilloncillo Sugar (20.0 SRM) 11.3%

Schedule
60 minute Boil
28.00 g East Kent Goldings [5.7%] – Boil 60min 21.5 IBUs
14.00 g Galena [13.9%] – Boil 60 min 26.2 IBUs
14.00 g Styrian Goldings [3.2%] – Boil 20 min 3.7 IBUs
14.00 g East Kent Goldings [5.7%] – Boil 0 min 0 IBUs
14.00 g East Kent Goldings [5.7%] – Dry Hop 4 days
14.00 g Styrian Goldings [3.2%] – Dry Hop 4 days
14.00 g Galena [13.9%] – Dry Hop 4 days

Whirfloc or Irish Moss 20 min
1tsp yeast nutrient 15 min

Mash and Sparge
Ventura water(high bicarbonates and sulfates)
3ml lactic acid mash
4ml lactic acid sparge water
Mash in 12.75 qt water 157F and let stabilize to 148F for 60 min
Batch Sparge 4.75 gallons 170F (add 1 gallon to mash and run off and then sparge with 3.75 gallon)

Yeast
WLP 006 Bedford British 2L starter