Maybe the first reintroduction of the IPA on American shores since the infamous Ballantine IPA continued to be bastardized by corporate mayhem. A very simple beer that lets the ingredients shine through. Two row, Cascade, and California Ale V (the Anchor brewery strain). Cal Ale V is more floculent and less attenuating than Cal Ale I and supposedly gives off more fruit notes(more like a classic English Ale yeast). Got the recipe from BYO but the hopping amounts were producing a very low IBU when entered into Beer Smith so upped them quite a bit. IBUs might be a tad high but after racking to secondary the beer didn’t taste that bitter so I think I’m good to go. The yeast is wonderful too. Nice fruit and malt notes allowing for a well balanced beer. I recently moved into a new place and don’t have any RO water so used 100% tap with filtration. Ran out of Calcium Chloride also which really helps to adjust the hard water here, so had to go 100% lactic acid to acidify. Probably the palest beer I’ve ever made so maybe the 100% lactic was a good thing. Can’t wait till this puppy is carbed up.

5 gallons

Estimated OG: 1.059
Estimated FG: 1.012
Estimated Color: 4.2 SRM
Estimated IBU: 57.2 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 65.00 %
ABV: 6.2%

Grain
12.5 lbs Pale Two Row (2.0 SRM) 100%

Schedule
60 minute Boil
28.00 g Cascade [7.0%] – Boil 60min 24.2 IBUs
42.00 g Cascade [7.0%] – Boil 45 min 33.3 IBUs
14.00 g Cascade [7.0%] – Boil 0 min 0 IBUs

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

Mash and Sparge
Ventura water(high bicarbonates and sulfates)
5ml lactic acide mash
3ml lactic acid sparge water
Mash in 19.75 qt water 157F and let stabilize to 148F for 60 min
Batch Sparge 3.5 gallons 170F

Yeast
WLP 051 California Ale V 2L starter

This is a pumpkin beer based on Elysian’s Dark o the Moon. This beer is basically a stout with a bit of pumpkin and cinnamon. I dialed back the cinnamon from the original recipe because I didn’t have Vietnamese cinnamon and used “regular” cinnamon which is really ground cassia and also known as Chinese cinnamon, although Vietnamese cinnamon is related to cassia, so go figure if they are the same or not – the literature out there is a bit muddled on the subject. Some claim Vietnamese is the best cinnamon with less bitterness, more aromatics, and with a slightly sweet taste. The other cinnamon on the market is Ceylon cinnamon, which is also marketed as Mexican cinnamon. This is the “true” cinnamon which has a more delicate flavor than Chinese. More than likely the stuff you get at the store is ground cassia and is much stronger in flavor, less aromatic, and more bitter. Anyhow, I digress.

I always err on the side of caution with adding spices. The original recipe called for 7g cinnamon at 5 minutes and 3.5 g at flame out. I opted for 4g at flame out. This resulted in really no cinnamon flavor upon tasting the beer after being in the fermentor for 6 days so maybe the original recipe was on to something. With this in mind, I cold steeped another 4g of cinnamon in 1 pint of water and then boiled the priming sugar in it to add back to the beer. Beer tastes great so far but hopefully this will add a little cinnamon kick to make it more complex.

Other tweaks to the recipe are that the roasted barley I got was high on the Lovibond scale at 650 when the recipe called for 550. Not sure what appreciable affect on flavor this will have. Also, added all the pumpkin in mash and boil at 8 ounces each while recipe called for adding a little less in mash and boil and then adding 4 ounces pumpkin after high krausen. Also, 4g of cinnamon dry spicing got ditched with the addition of the cinnamon tea.

Should be ready for Thanksgiving.

5 gallons

Estimated OG: 1.071
Estimated FG: 1.020
Estimated Color: 56 SRM
Estimated IBU: 30.5 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 65.00 %
ABV: 6.5%

Grain
11 lbs Pale Two Row (2.0 SRM) 67.7%
1 lb 4 oz Munich (9.0 SRM) 7.7%
1 lb Chocolate (350 SRM) 6.2%
1 lb Roasted Barley (650 SRM) 6.2%
8 oz Crystal 20 (20 SRM) 3.1%
8 oz Crystal 80 (80 SRM) 3.1%
8 oz Pumpkin(mash) (3 SRM) 3.1%
8 oz Pumpkin(boil) (3 SRM) 3.1%

Schedule
60 minute Boil
18.00 g Warrior [15.0%] – Boil 60 min 30.5 IBUs
28.00 g US Saaz [4.0%] – Boil 0.0 min 0 IBUs
4.0 g cinnamon – Boil 0.0 min

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

4.0 g cinnamon tea in 1pint water for priming sugar – add to keg or bottling bucket

Mash and Sparge
Half RO water
Half Ventura water(high bicarbonates and sulfates)
5.00 g Calcium Chloride added to mash water
Mash in 25 qt water 166F and let stabilize to 156F for 45 min
Batch Sparge 3.5 gallons 170F

Yeast
WLP 007 Dry English 2L starter

 

This beer pretty much falls into the dank red category. Red IPA I’d guess you’d call them these days. Good example would be Hop Head Red and Blazing World. Lots of hops in this puppy. I don’t know if anybody has used Cal Ale yeast recently but the last two times I have the fermentation has been very vigorous. I don’t remember it being so vigorous in the past. We’re talking blowing the airlock off the fermentor where I have to use a blow off tube.

6 gallons

Estimated OG: 1.068
Estimated FG: 1.015
Estimated Color: 13.6 SRM
Estimated IBU: 75.3 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 65.00 %
ABV: 7.1%

Grain
15 lbs Pale Two Row (2.0 SRM) 86.1%
2 lb 2 oz Munich (9.0 SRM) 12.1%
5 oz Chocolate (350 SRM) 1.9%

Schedule
60 minute Boil
17.00 g Simcoe  [13.0%] – Mash hop 60 min 4.2 IBUs
28.00 g Columbus [15.0%] – Boil 60.0 min 41.8 IBUs
12.00 g Mosaic [13%] – Boil 60.0 min 14.1 IBUs
17.00 g Mosaic [13%] – Boil 30.0 min 15.2 IBUs
33.00 g Simcoe [13%] – Boil 0.0 min 0 IBUs
25.00 g Mosaic [13%] – Boil 0.0 min 0 IBUs
86.00 g Nelson Sauvin [12.0%] – Dry Hop 7 days
28.00 g Mosaic [13%] – Dry Hop 7 days
28.00 g Simcoe [13%] – Dry Hop 2 days

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

Mash and Sparge
Half RO water
Half Ventura water(high bicarbonates and sulfates)
5.00 g Calcium Chloride added to mash water
3.00 g Calcium Carbonate added to sparge water
Mash in 27 qt water 161F and let stabilize to 152F for 75 min
Batch Sparge 4.00 gallons 170F

Yeast
WLP 001 California Ale 2L starter

Another Pattinson recipe. I like the idea that nothing is new under the sun as demonstrated by this historical beer from 1928. This is pretty much a “black IPA” without the cattiness of American hops and no roastiness from roasted or patent malt – the color is instead derived through caramel. Color didn’t turn out black more of a ruby but that could be that my homemade brewer’s caramel may not have been burnt enough? I was a bit afraid to scorch the pan but maybe I should have? Anyhow, wort was bracingly bitter when tasted. Didn’t realize Falconer’s Flight is a blend of C hops. For some reason thought it was a blend of English hops. Probably not enough to effect overall flavor but it got the IBUs where I wanted because the EKG were pretty low at 4% and couldn’t stomach putting 7 ounces of hops into the boil. I already have terrible efficiency as it is. Tasted at racking to secondary and was a bit thin and still really bitter. Too much sugar? See what a little dry hopping and carbination does to this puppy. Hopefully round it out a bit.

6 gallons

Estimated OG: 1.067
Estimated FG: 1.010
Estimated Color: 23 SRM
Estimated IBU: 70.9 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 65.00 %
ABV: 7.5%

Grain
8.5 lbs Marris Otter (3.0 SRM) 53.6%
3 lb Pale Six Row (2.0 SRM) 18.9%
2 lb Invert Sugar (60 SRM) 12.6%
1 lb 7 oz Falked Maize (1 SRM) 8.8%
12 oz Crystal 80 (80 SRM) 4.8%
3 oz Brewers Caramel (700? SRM) 1.3%

Schedule
60 minute Boil
56.00 g East Kent Goldings  [4.0%] – Boil 60 min 26.4 IBUs
56.00 g East kent Goldings [4.0%] – Boil 45.0 min 24.2 IBUs
28.00 g Falconers Flight [10.0%] – Boil 30.0 min 20.3 IBUs
56.00 g East Kent Goldings [4.0%] – Dry Hop

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

Mash and Sparge
Half RO water
Half Ventura water(high bicarbonates and sulfates)
5.00 g Calcium Chloride added to mash water
2 ml Lactic Acid to mash water
3.00 g Calcium Carbonate added to sparge water
Mash in 21.5 qt water 157F and let stabilize to 148F for 75 min
Batch Sparge 4.25 gallons 170F

Yeast
WLP 007 Dry English 2L starter

 

Liked my last attempt at a Saison with some American hopping and spice but this time around forgoing the spice. I’m really starting to see that even if you think you’re using a deft hand with spices you aren’t. I’m starting to think in small amounts of grams(1 or 2g) instead of half ounces(14g). Moot point because I want the star of the show here to be White Labs special release Saison III yeast. Straight from the White Labs website –

“Produces beer with a high fruit ester characteristic, as well as some slight tartness. Finishes slightly malty, which balances out the esters. Also produces low levels of clovey phenolics. Great yeast choice for a summer Saison that is light and easy-drinking.”

Added Czech Saaz, which is traditional for Belgians and goes well with spicy phenols, Mosaic and some wet Cascade harvested that morning from the garden to complement the fruit esters. Going to start fermentation at 68F and let ramp to 80 but not higher.

6 gallons

Estimated OG: 1.059
Estimated FG: 1.009
Estimated Color: 8.9 SRM
Estimated IBU: 33.8 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 65.00 %
ABV: 6.5%

Grain
10.8 lbs Pilsner Malt (2.0 SRM) 76.4%
1 lb Caramunich (56 SRM) 7.3%
1 lb White Wheat (39.0 SRM) 7.3%
1 lb 4.0 oz Table Sugar (1 SRM) 9.1%

Schedule
90 minute Boil
56.00 g Czech Saaz [3.0%] – Boil 60 min 17.9 IBUs
7.00 g Mosaic [12.25%] – Boil 60.0 min 9.1 IBUs
28.00 g Czech Saaz [3.0%] – Boil 30.0 min 6.9 IBUs
21.00 g Mosaic [12.25%] – Boil 0.0 min 0 IBUs
50 g Cascade [Wet Hop Unknown%] – Boil 0.0 min 0 IBUs

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

Mash and Sparge
Half RO water
Half Ventura water(high bicarbonates and sulfates)
5.00 g Calcium Chloride added to mash water
3.00 g Calcium Carbonate added to sparge water
Mash in 19.75 qt water 157F and let stabilize to 148F for 75 min
Batch Sparge 5 gallons 170F

Yeast
WLP 585 Saison III 2L starter

Was in Chico a few weeks ago and had the pleasure of going to Sierra Nevada. A few things blew my mind. One, I cant believe a place that really isn’t that big pumps out so much beer per year. The place is running 24/7. No wonder they needed a second brewery on the East Coast. Two, the original Pale Ale is incredible when fresh. I know they do there best to make sure it is in good condition when you get it at the market but man it was revelatory how floral and clean tasting the beer is straight from the brewery. Third, they had a bunch of the Beer Camp collaboration beers on tap. The Alt Route Altbier, in collaboration with Victory Brewing, really stood out. It’s one of those beers that is hugely inspiring when you have a well made one. Malty rich backbone and firm bittering balance so nicely.

This is my second attempt at an Alt. My first attempt had temperature control issues. I used to do the water and ice in a tub temperature control method and we had a heat wave. The yeast crashed when the fermenter got to 80F while I was at work. Had to pitch Cal Ale after attempts at restart failed. Won’t happen this time. Will be fermenting at 62F and then racking to secondary to cold condition for two weeks dropping the fermenter down a few degrees per day.

6 gallons

Estimated OG: 1.050
Estimated FG: 1.014
Estimated Color: 15.2 SRM
Estimated IBU: 50.1 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 65.00 %
ABV: 4.8%

Grain
8 lbs  Pilsner Malt (2.0 SRM) 63.0%
3 lbs Munich (9.9 SRM)  23.6%
1 lb Munich (39.0 SRM) 7.9%
8 oz Cara-Munich (56.0 SRM) 3.9%
3.2 oz Carafa II (412 SRM) 1.6%

Schedule
90 minute Boil
28.00 g Magnum [13.6%] – Boil 60 min 42.9 IBUs
28.00 g  US Tettnang [4.6 %] – Boil 15.0 min  7.2 IBUs
28.00 g  Strisslespalt [2.0%] – Boil 0.0 min 0.0 IBUs

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

Mash and Sparge
Half RO water
Half Ventura water(high bicarbonates and sulfates)
5.00 g Calcium Chloride added to mash water
3.00 g Calcium Carbonate added to sparge water
Mash in 5 gallons water 157F and let stabilize to 156F for 75 min
Batch Sparge 5 gallons 170F

Yeast
WLP 036 Dusseldorf Alt Ale 2L starter

Another IPA riff. Pretty “traditional” hopping with Summit, Chinook, Cascade, Simcoe and Amarillo. Very clean almost all base malt grain bill that I’ve been using for awhile now with just a tab of sugar to dry it out and some cara-pils for a bit of mouth feel. First wort hopping is key, I feel, to achieve a nice smooth bitterness.

6 gallons

Estimated OG: 1.063
Estimated FG: 1.008
Estimated Color: 4.0 SRM
Estimated IBU: 92.2 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 65.00 %
ABV: 7.1%

Grain
13 lbs 8 oz Pale Malt (2.0 SRM) 87.7%
1 lb 4 oz Cara-Pils (2.0 SRM)  8.1%
10 oz Sugar 4.2%

Schedule
24.00 g Simcoe [13%] – First Wort 90 min 34.1 IBUs
36.00 g  Summit [12 %] – Boil 60.0 min  42 IBUs
28.00 g  Cascade [5.5 %] – Boil 30.0 min 10.7 IBUs
14.00 g  Amarillo [5.7 %] – Boil 30 min 5.4 IBUs
40.00 g  Chinook [13 %] – Boil 0 min
56.00 g  Chinook [13 %] – Dy Hop 7 days
56.00 g  Simcoe [13 %] – Dy Hop 7 days

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

Mash and Sparge
Half RO water
Half Ventura water(high bicarbonates and sulfates)
5.00 g Calcium Chloride added to mash water
3.00 g Calcium Carbonate added to sparge water
Mash in 23 qt water 156.9F and let stabilize to 148F for 75 min
Batch Sparge 4.50 gallons 170F

Yeast
WLP 001 Cal Ale 2L starter

I have had a riff on this beer twice. Once at the Ballast Point Linda Vista location and the other time last summer at Pizza Port in OB. The version at Pizza Port was sublime. Epic makes a version that is pretty well received and they have the basic ingredients on their site and Ballast Point is a little more cagey besides saying there is sage in theirs. Took these ideas and started tweaking to get what I wanted. I think the Citra and Calypso should play nice with the Saison yeast and herbs. A quick search out there reveals some people adding an ounce of rosemary. In my opinion that would be a huge amount of this powerful herb. I went for restraint having learned my lessons in the past the hard way on herb and spice additions. 4 grams rosemary, 4 grams dried thyme and 14 grams fresh sage should be plenty. You want background notes not Thanksgiving dinner.

6 gallons

Estimated OG: 1.067
Estimated FG: 1.015
Estimated Color: 5.3 SRM
Estimated IBU: 35.3 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 65.00 %
ABV: 7.0%

Grain
6 lbs Pilsner (2.0 SRM) 35.3%
4 lbs Pale Malt (2.0 SRM) 23.5%
4 lbs  Maris Otter (3.0 SRM)  23.5%
1 lb  Flaked Barley (1.7 SRM) 5.9%
1 lb Rye Malt (4.7 SRM) 5.9%
1 lb White Wheat Malt (2.4 SRM) 5.9%

Schedule
28.00 g  Centennial [10 %] – Boil 60.0 min  27.2 IBUs
14.00 g  Citra [12 %] – Boil 15.0 min  8.1 IBUs
14.00 g  Citra [12 %] – Boil 0 min
28.00 g  Calypso [15 %] – Boil 0 min
4.00 g Dried Thyme – Boil 0 min
14 g Fresh Sage – Boil 0 min
4.00 g Fresh Rosemary 0 min
28.00 g  Calypso [15 %] – Dy Hop 7 days
28.00 g  Citra [12 %] – Dy Hop 7 days

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

Mash and Sparge
Half RO water
Half Ventura water(high bicarbonates and sulfates)
5.00 g Calcium Chloride added to mash water
Mash in 26.5 qt water 156.9F and let stabilize to 148F for 75 min
Batch Sparge 4.00 gallons 170F

Yeast
WLP 565 Saison I (Dupont strain) – 2L starter

Notes: Saison I from White labs is the notoriously fickle Dupont strain. I’ve used it once a long time ago and it performed great for me. I did a 2L starter this time and it ramped to 80F and pitched it at high krausen into 68F wort. Started rapidly and free rose to 74F and as of today 6 days later it is still at 74F and finally slowing down. I aerated the shit out of my wort and shook the starter vigorously before pitching. So far so good.

Technically I think this beer is just as hard to brew as a lager. Maybe even more difficult if you are crazy enough, like myself, to make your own brewer’s invert sugar. More on this delicious adjunct in a second. A small malt bill of Maris Otter and flaked barley, a pretty hefty addition of invert sugar, and a healthy dose of East Kent Goldings leaves little margin for error. Like a blonde ale or a light lager, flaws will be easily detected in this beer. Your fermentation must be excellent to attain at least a 1.004 finishing gravity. Because of the small malt bill you must get this beer dry as a bone to achieve a target range of around 5% ABV. A good starter of Dry English Ale(WLP007) yeast and proper aeration will get you there.

Now the thing that makes this beer is the invert sugar. Some people don’t believe sugars impart flavor.  100% fermentable, all tastes the same, blah, blah. The best resource out there on how to make brewer’s invert, from Half a Cat, begs to differ:

HORSE SHIT. There just happens to be an entire industry and 100+ years of brewing history because it is a fancy way to get sugar into a beer? Again, HORSE. SHIT.

Pretty much sums it up. Look, white granulated “pure cane sugar” has been bleached of any flavor and impurity. Its flavorless. Sugar that is not fully refined still retains the cane plants essence, that “rumminess” that imparts complex flavors from rum to raisin. Taking an unrefined sugar and inverting it will further enhance these flavors and additionally caramelize the sugar adding more complexity. Add this to a beer and you get almost 100% efficiency with the flavor. Brilliant.

The recipe is incredibly simple but like anything that is hand crafted on a small scale you must pay due respect and watch your product like a hawk, so in short, it is a time consuming affair. I went for a mid-range SRM on my sugar and it was about 2 hours start to finish. Once the sugar comes to temp is when you must be very diligent on monitoring the temp. Too low and carmelization will not happen. Too high and you run the risk of burning. Recipe taken from Half a Cat,

Ingredients:

• Sugar in the Raw or other demerara cane sugar(I used turbinado – super cheap in bulk and already quite dark)
• 1 lb sugar to 1pt of h20
• 1 tsp (5ml) liquid Lactic Acid @ 88% per 2.5lbs of sugar.
• 1/2 cup (4 fl oz) light corn sugar per 2.5lbs. (helps prevent crystals)

Process:

• Heat h20 to boiling
• Heat off, slowly add sugar & dissolve – goes quicker than dumping and stirring
• Add Lactic
• Put on Medium-high heat, set candy thermometer alarm for 230F
  • reduce for your stove if you are heating more than 3F/minute
• Stir occasionally until simmering starts.
• Once @ 230F, set alarm for 240F, slowly reduce heat to keep temp stable
  • easiest is to slowly ramp temp up to 240F. There is so much thermal mass, that once you go over it is very tough to get the temp down.
• As alarm goes off @ 240F, reduce heat to keep 240F. It is ok to hit 245F, but keep under 250F.
  • low & slow will prevent any burning and associated flavors

When Am I Done?

• No1: 12-16 SRM, 25-35 EBC
  • minimum 20min @ 240F, but not much longer and don’t want color to darken much. Time is merely to let inversion complete.
• No2: 30-35 SRM, 60-70 EBC
  • total of 90-120 min @ 240F
• No3: 60-70 SRM, 120-140 EBC
  • total of 150-210 min @ 240F.

Times for No2/No3 are approximate!! – you want to take periodic color samples @ 10min intervals. Place samples on white porcelain, compare to EBC or SRM charts. Stop 2-3 SRM low, as it will darken a bit as it cools.

There you have it. If you are a good cook this no problem. Also, you have to have to have a thermometer, preferably a candy thermometer. You cannot do this without one. Don’t even attempt it.

OK so here’s the recipe courtesy of Let’s Brew Wednesday from Ron Pattinson’s website Shut up Barclay Perkins. Remember if you can’t find East Kent Goldings you can substitute Golding, Willamette, Fuggle, etc.

6 gallons

Estimated OG: 1.042
Estimated FG: 1.002
Estimated Color: 8.4 SRM
Estimated IBU: 31 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 65.00 %
ABV: 5.3%

Grain
6 lbs  Maris Otter (3.0 SRM)  66.7 %
1lb 12oz invert sugar (35 SRM) 19.4%
1lb 4oz Flaked Barley (1.7 SRM) 13.9%

Schedule
42.00 g  East Kent Goldings [5 %] – Boil 60.0 min  24.6 IBUs
14.00 g  East Kent Goldings [5 %] – Boil 20.0 min  6.2 IBUs
28.00 g  East Kent Goldings [5 %] – Dy Hop 7 days

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

Mash and Sparge
Half RO water
Half Ventura water(high bicarbonates and sulfates)
5.00 g Calcium Chloride added to mash water
Mash in 3 gallons 156.5F and let stabilize to 148F for 75 min
Mash out 168F 15 minutes
Batch Sparge 5.75 gallons 170F

Yeast
WLP 007 Dry English Ale – 2L starter

Notes: It’s very important to extract as much sugar out of your mash as possible because of such a light grain bill. Be diligent about keeping the mash temperature stable at 148 and then mash out to make sure everything is converted. The smaller the thermal mass the quicker the mash bed will cool so have your sparge water done early to heat it up the mash bed easily by small water additions. Go for a low carbonation level of 1.5 – 2.0.

Tasting: Make sure you pop one out of your fridge(if you bottle) and let it warm up a bit. This beer is meant to be served at “cellar temperature”(about 50F). Light biscuity malt form the Maris Otter. A bit of mouth-feel form the flaked barley. A hint of raisin from the invert sugar. Super dry and quaffable for a 5% beer. Be careful about getting the right carbonation and thoroughly mixing your bottling sugar. A coulple of my bottles got over carbonated and the resulting beer is a bit too spritzy/seltzer like. Overall an excellent beer.