The Demise of Surf Brewery

Sad days indeed when the local homebrew store shuts down. The slow demise of Surf Brewery had a fork stuck in it when it was sold a couple months ago. Usually the pioneers are the ones to suffer. Surf opened about 6 years ago and was the first production brewery in Ventura. Anacapa has been open 15 plus years but is just a small brewbup and the scene was ready for the tasting room model and, for me anyway, a full homebrew shop. Unfortunately, sounds like the debt was getting to them and add to that a few bad brewers over the years and with the ownership under stress, sold to some folks from LA who Surf was contract brewing for (news to me they were contract brewing but what do I know).

Anyhow, the new ownership doesn’t seem to care to much about the local homebrewing community. I walked in there about a month ago and a sign said homebrew shop was under reconstruction. A week later I’m told to go online. I go online the store is unusable, or they are just trying to offload the old inventory. Too bad, it was the only thing keeping that place on the radar for the large homebrewing community in the larger Ventura/Oxnard/Camarillo area.

Funny, I was in Made West down the street a week later and all the Surf locals were in there. RIP Surf. Oh yeah, using Morebeer now. Substantially cheaper than ABInBevs’ Northern Brewer. Another RIP.

Red Tide

Amber ale is another under appreciated and out of fashion style that I like. Problem is there are not too many out there these days. I’m attempting the late hopping technique again which I haven’t really have had much success with as far as having a really in your face aroma. In my opinion I really think the aroma gets blown off during fermentation.

11 gallons

Estimated OG: 1.054
Estimated FG: 1.011
Estimated Color: 11.6 SRM
Estimated IBU: 18.4 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 65.00 %
ABV: 5.6%

Grain
17 lbs Pale Two Row (2 SRM) 68.3%
3 lbs 12 oz Munich Malt (10 SRM) 15.1%
3 lbs White Wheat (2.4 SRM) 12.1%
13 oz Caramel 60 (60 SRM) 3.3%
5 oz Chocolate Malt (350 SRM) 1.2%

Schedule
60 minute Boil
84.00g Cascade [6.6%] – 10 min 11.9 IBUs
84.00g Cascade [6.6%] – 5 min 6.5 IBUs

Whirfloc or Irish Moss 20 min
2tsp yeast nutrient 15 min

Mash and Sparge
100% Ventura (high bicarbonates and sulfates)
5g Calcium Chloride added to mash water
5ml lactic acid added to mash water
3g Calcium Chloride added to sparge water
3ml lactic acid sparge water
Mash in 9.5 gallons water 159F and let stabilize to 150F for 60 min
Mashout 170F
Batch sparge 6.6 gallons cold

Yeast
WLP 007 Dry English Ale

Fermentation
Ferment until done 69F
Cold crash one day
Add gelatin and rack to keg and carbonate using your preferred method

Aurora LBA

So I have been really happy with the “Super Styrian” hop Aurora. It’s cheap, has good alphas for bittering and has a wonderful tangerine flavor and nice citrus and floral aromatics. To top it off it’s a hybrid of Celia (Styrian Goldings) and they play very nicely together. Just racked it to the kegs and this batch has an almost candy like flavor and floral bouquet with just enough dryness and bitterness to round everything out. Delicious.

The ongoing water experiment turned out decent this time. Bru-n-water said my water wasn’t alkaline enough when adding about 1ml per gallon! We’re talking water so hard it leaves salt on your car when you wash it. Interesting. So I dialed the acid additions back and it seems fine. Might also be the corn and oats smoothing things out as well. The quest for easy brew water continues. I’ll keep you posted.

11 gallons

Estimated OG: 1.048
Estimated FG: 1.008
Estimated Color: 10.3 SRM
Estimated IBU: 30.2 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 65.00 %
ABV: 5.2%

Grain
16 lbs Maris Otter(3 SRM) 80%
1.5 lbs Flaked Maize (1.3 SRM) 7.5%
0.5 lbs Flaked Oats (1 SRM) 2.5%
2 lbs Turbinado (10 SRM) 10%

Schedule
60 minute Boil
28.00g Aurora [9.63%] – 60 min 16.7 IBUs
28.00g Aurora [9.63%] – 30 min 12.8 IBUs
56.00g Celia [3.5%] – Whirlpool 5 minutes 0.6 IBUs

Whirfloc or Irish Moss 20 min
2tsp yeast nutrient 15 min

Mash and Sparge
100% Ventura (high bicarbonates and sulfates)
3g Calcium Chloride added to mash water
3.5ml lactic acid added to mash water
3g Calcium Chloride added to sparge water
4ml lactic acid sparge water
Mash in 7 gallons water 162F and let stabilize to 152F for 60 min
Mashout 170F
Batch sparge 8.3 gallons cold

Yeast
WLP 007 Dry English Ale

Fermentation
Ferment until done 69F
Cold crash one day
Add gelatin and rack to keg and carbonate using your preferred method

Dark Flower

Another take on a bitter but this one leaning more on the dark crystal malt side of things to give it a more rummy and raisin like character. Doing an experiment on this batch to see if I can notice any difference in taste and mouthfeel using 100% tap water. Collecting RO water for 11 gallons is real time consuming affair with my RO filter tank only capable of holding 3 gallons at a time. I wad thinking acid and mineral adjustments might help.

Finished product was a bit too dry for my liking but still quaffable. The actual final gravity was at 10 points so as usual ignore the estimated finishing gravity listed below – I rarely get below 10 point with the Dry English yeast unless its quite a low gravity beer. As for the water, I’m not too sure if the dryness was from the 100% tap, to much acid additions, not enough calcium chloride, or I need to bump up the mash temp. So many variables.

11 gallons

Estimated OG: 1.046
Estimated FG: 1.005
Estimated Color: 10.3 SRM
Estimated IBU: 29.4 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 65.00 %
ABV: 5.4%

Grain
17 lbs Maris Otter(3 SRM) 85%
1 lb Crystal 120 (120 SRM) 5%
2 lbs Turbinado (10 SRM) 10%

Schedule
60 minute Boil
28.00g Aurora [9.63%] – 60 min 17 IBUs
56.00g EKG [5%] – 20 min 10.7 IBUs
56.00g EKG [13%] – Whirlpool 5 min 1.8 IBUs
56.00g Celia [4.5%] – Dry Hop 3 days

Whirfloc or Irish Moss 20 min
2tsp yeast nutrient 15 min

Mash and Sparge
100% Ventura (high bicarbonates and sulfates)
5g Calcium Chloride added to mash water
7ml lactic acid added to mash water
3.5g Calcium Chloride added to mash water
5ml lactic acid sparge water
2g Calcium Chloride added to sparge water
Mash in 7 gallons water 162F and let stabilize to 152F for 60 min
Mashout 170F
Batch sparge 8.3 gallons cold

Yeast
WLP 007 Dry English Ale

Fermentation
Ferment until done 65F
Day 4 of fermentation add first charge of dry hops
End of fermentation add rest of dry hops for 2 days
Cold crash one day
Add gelatin and keg hops, rack to keg and carbonate using your preferred method

Dank No. 2

Another take on my base IPA recipe. More old school piney and citrus than juicy. Simcoe is nowhere to be found locally so used Chinook instead. Aroma of pine pretty dense on this one. Finding that consistently I’m losing 3 points by cold sparging, which in my book, is a huge time and propane saver. Easy to make up with a bit of sugar or even malt extra if you’re so inclined on hitting your numbers, or just do a hot sparge at 180F and burn that propane.

11 gallons

Estimated OG: 1.059
Estimated FG: 1.016
Estimated Color: 6.0 SRM
Estimated IBU: 56 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 65.00 %
ABV: 5.6%

Grain
26 lbs Pale 2 Row (2 SRM) 86.7%
2 lbs Crystal 20 (20 SRM) 6.7%
2 lbs White Wheat (3.2 SRM) 6.7%

Schedule
60 minute Boil
56.00g Columbus [15%] – 60 min 44.8 IBUs
56.00g Amarillo [9%] – Whirlpool 10 min 4.8 IBUs
56.00g Chinook [13%] – Whirlpool 10 min 6.8 IBUs
42.00g Chinook [9.5%] – Dry Hop 2 days
56.00g Columbus [15%] – Dry Hop 2 days
14.00g Chinook [13%] – Dry Hop in keg

Whirfloc or Irish Moss 20 min
2tsp yeast nutrient 15 min

Mash and Sparge
50% RO water
50% Ventura (high bicarbonates and sulfates)
5g Calcium Chloride added to mash water
9ml lactic acid added to mash water
4g Calcium Chloride added to sparge water
4ml lactic acid sparge water
Mash in 9.5 gallons water 166F and let stabilize to 154F for 60 min
Mashout 170F
Batch sparge 7.25 gallons cold

Yeast
WLP 007 Dry English Ale

Extra Stout

A nice mellow roasty stout falling between a dry stout and export stout it has enough heft to be a real sneaker after a couple that go down real easy. Flavor is quite complex with the chocolate, flaked barley, and special raost giving it quite a bit of depth but still nice and dry on the finish. I conditioned one keg with turbinado and found that keg to be superior probably due to it’s extra conditioning time and softer carbonation profile. If you can’t wait a couple extra weeks the forced carbonation keg was no slouch either.

11 gallons

Estimated OG: 1.058
Estimated FG: 1.012
Estimated Color: 45.7 SRM
Estimated IBU: 37 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 65.00 %
ABV: 6.1%

Grain
18 lbs Maris Otter (3 SRM) 64.3%
4 lbs 4oz Flaked Barley (1.7 SRM) 15.2%
3 lbs 8oz Chocolate Malt (450 SRM) 12.5%
1 lbs 4oz Torrified Wheat (1.7 SRM) 4.5%
1 lb Special Roast (50 SRM) 3.6%

Schedule
60 minute Boil
28.00g Northern Brewer [9.5%] – 60 min 15.3 IBUs
28.00g Northern Brewer [9.5%] – 30 min 11.7 IBUs
56.00g Fuggles [3.5%] – 30 min 8.6 IBUs
28.00g US Goldings [4.3%] – 5 min 1.4 IBUs

Whirfloc or Irish Moss 20 min
2tsp yeast nutrient 15 min

Mash and Sparge
33% RO water
64% Ventura (high bicarbonates and sulfates)
4g Calcium Chloride added to mash water
9 ml Lactic Acid added to mash water
4g Calcium Chloride added to sparge water
3 ml Lactic Acid added to sparge water
Mash in 9 gallons water 159F and let stabilize to 148F for 60 min
Mashout 170F
Batch sparge 7.5 gallons cold

Yeast
WLP 004 Irish Ale

Fermentation
Ferment until done 65F
Cold crash one day
Add gelatin and rack to kegs and carbonate using your preferred method
I conditioned one 5 gallon keg by adding 55g turbinado sugar

Adnams LBA

I’m going from one extreme to another. Last time I brewed a Burton Ale at over 7 percent and this time around I have brewed a very low gravity bitter approaching the dismal ABV of 3 percent. I’m really looking forward to see how this turns out. I’ve always been very interested in how these beers would have tasted. Even though it has less alcohol then, lets say a Bud or Coors light, does it has to have more flavor and body?

This is another Pattinson recipe. I don’t know when this guy sleeps. If you can’t be bothered to follow the link here’s a little excerpt explaining the possible origins of this style:

At just 1031º, it looks very much like a West Country Boy’s Bitter. These were Bitters with a gravity similar to Ordinary Mild and when Mild went into serious decline, they often took its place. Maybe that’s why this beer existed, too. Something cheap and cheerful for drinkers who didn’t want to sup Mild.

…

It looks like a nice light, easy-drinking Bitter. The stuff you’re meant to drink by the gallon.

Great stuff. I will definitely try to do some tasting notes on this. Oh yeah, since you have to drink it by the gallon I made 11 gallons which should yield two kegs. The BeerSmith estimate below didn’t meet actual – my OG came in at 1.032 points. I still personally haven’t had any English ale yeast get below 1.010 before it flocs. OG of 32 with a finish of 10 gives you 2.9%. Actual bitter came in at a whopping 2.86% so it would be spot on.

11 gallons

Estimated OG: 1.035
Estimated FG: 1.005
Estimated Color: 4.4 SRM
Estimated IBU: 26.8 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 65.00 %
ABV: 3.9%

Grain
12 lbs Maris Otter (3 SRM) 85.7%
2 lbs Turbinado sugar (20 SRM) 14.3%

Schedule
60 minute Boil
28.00g Aurora (Super Styrian) [9.3%] – 60 min 17.9 IBUs
28.00g EKG [6%] – 30 min 8.9 IBUs
28.00g EKG [6%] – 0 min 0 IBUs
56.00g East Kent Goldings [6%] – Dry hop 3 days

Whirfloc or Irish Moss 20 min
2tsp yeast nutrient 15 min

Mash and Sparge
50% RO water
50% Ventura (high bicarbonates and sulfates)
2g Calcium Chloride added to mash water
5 ml Lactic Acid added to mash water
3 ml Lactic Acid added to sparge water
Mash in 4.75 gallons water 160F and let stabilize to 150F for 60 min
Mashout 170F
Batch sparge 9.5 gallons cold

Yeast
WLP 005 British Ale

Fermentation
Ferment until done 65F
Day 3 of fermentation add 28g dry hops
Cold crash one day
Add gelatin and 28g dry hops rack to kegs and carbonate using your preferred method

Burton Ale

Somewhat of a Burton ale. I have done a similar recipe before. The last time it came out bracingly bitter and a bit grassy without ageing so this time I have dropped the hopping rate and couldn’t be bothered to color up with the appropriate invert sugar or caramel. A healthy dose of turbinado will have to do. These beers were traditionally aged in wood barrels and brett would have dried them out after finishing high. Just let the yeast do its thing and it should finish pretty dry with all the sugar in it. Later versions of this style were actually on the sweet side perhaps after moving away from ageing in barrels so the finishing gravity would remain high in the mid to upper 20s.

6 gallons

Estimated OG: 1.065
Estimated FG: 1.009
Estimated Color: 13 SRM
Estimated IBU: 68.4 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 65.00 %
ABV: 7.4%

Grain
12 lbs Maris Otter (3 SRM) 84.5%
4 oz Black Patent (500 SRM) 1.4%
2 lbs Turbinado sugar (20 SRM) 14.1%

Schedule
60 minute Boil
28.00g Admiral [13.1%] – 60 min 36.3 IBUs
28.00g Cluster [8.3%] – 35 min 19.1 IBUs
28.00g Cluster [8.3%] – 18 min 13 IBUs
28.00g East Kent Goldings [6%] – 0 min
28.00g East Kent Goldings [6%] – Dry hop 3 days

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

Mash and Sparge
50% RO water
50% Ventura (high bicarbonates and sulfates)
5g Calcium Chloride added to mash water
2g Calcium Chloride added to sparge water
Mash in 5 gallons water 163F and let stabilize to 153F for 60 min
Mashout 170F
Batch sparge 4.5 gallons cold

Yeast
WLP 007 Dry English Ale

Fermentation
Ferment until done 65F
Day 4 of fermentation add dry hops
Cold crash one day
Add gelatin and rack to keg and carbonate using your preferred method

Dank No. 1

Juicy and tropical seems to be all the rage these days in pale ales and IPAs but what I miss is that good dankness that used to be such a hall mark of the west coast style. Using my Pale No. 3 base I added a good amount of Columbus, Simcoe and Amarillo to put the dank back. Also had some Stella in the freezer and added that in to the dry hopping.

6 gallons

Estimated OG: 1.059
Estimated FG: 1.016
Estimated Color: 6.0 SRM
Estimated IBU: 56 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 65.00 %
ABV: 5.6%

Grain
13 lbs Pale 2 Row (2 SRM) 86.7%
1 lbs Crystal 20 (20 SRM) 6.7%
1 lbs White Wheat (3.2 SRM) 6.7%

Schedule
60 minute Boil
28.00g Columbus [15%] – 60 min 44.8 IBUs
28.00g Amarillo [9%] – Whirlpool 10 min 4.8 IBUs
28.00g Simcoe [13%] – Whirlpool 10 min 6.8 IBUs
14.00g Simcoe [9.5%] – Dry Hop 2 days
28.00g Columbus [15%] – Dry Hop 2 days
28.00g Stella [15%] – Dry Hop 2 days
14.00g Simcoe [9.5%] – Dry Hop in keg

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

Mash and Sparge
50% RO water
50% Ventura (high bicarbonates and sulfates)
2g Calcium Chloride added to mash water
4ml lactic acid added to mash water
2g Calcium Chloride added to sparge water
2ml lactic acid sparge water
Mash in 4.75 gallons water 163F and let stabilize to 152F for 60 min
Mashout 170F
Batch sparge 4.75 gallons cold

Yeast
WLP 007 Dry English Ale

Fermentation
Ferment until done 65F
Day 4 of fermentation add first charge of dry hops
End of fermentation add rest of dry hops for 2 days
Cold crash one day
Add gelatin and rack to keg and carbonate using your preferred method

Beer Geek Breakfast Clone

I really have no idea what got me thinking about brewing a stout. Maybe a cooler than normal September or perhaps me getting sick of brewing pale ales and IPAs. The amount of oats in this beer is silly. Over 5 pounds split between flaked and Golden Naked definitely give this beer a viscous texture. Lots of roast and chocolate, plus the addition of 1 ounce of ground coffee hot brewed (I did organic Honduran in 16oz of water) makes this beer heavy duty.

The brew shop only had some unmarked smoked malt that smelled like stepping into a smoke house which is a sign it is definitely not German rauchmalt, so I was judicious in it’s use at 2oz. The clone recipe called for 10 oz. which I would only do if it is Weyermann’s finest.

The brew shop was also out of my favorite WLP 007 so I tried WLP 004 Irish Ale which I’m assuming is the Guinness strain. I made a 2L starter and it performed extremely well with it finishing in 4 days and flocculating like a champ.

Give it a few extra days in the keg then you normally would before serving due to the high amount of oats if you like your beer clear.

6 gallons

Estimated OG: 1.079
Estimated FG: 1.023
Estimated Color: 64 SRM
Estimated IBU: 70 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 65.00 %
ABV: 7.4%

Grain
9 lbs German Pilsner (2 SRM) 43.4%
2 lbs 10 oz Flaked Oats 20 (1 SRM) 12.8%
2 lbs 10 oz Golden Naked Oats (10 SRM) 12.8%
2 lbs 3 oz Chocolate Malt (450 SRM) 10.5%
1 lb 6 oz Caramunich (51 SRM) 6.7%
1 lb 6 oz Roasted Barley (300 SRM) 6.7%
1 lb 6 oz Special Roast (50 SRM) 6.7% (if you can find brown malt use that instead)
2 oz smoked malt (if you can get German go 10 oz)

Schedule
60 minute Boil
56.00 g Chinook [11.9%] – 60 min 59.1 IBUs
14.00 g Cascade[7.5%] – 60 min 9.3 IBUs
42.00 g Cascade[7.5%] – 1 min 1.2 IBUs

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

Mash and Sparge
25% RO water
75% Ventura (high bicarbonates and sulfates)
8g Calcium Chloride added to mash water
Mash in 8gallons water 161F and let stabilize to 152F for 60 min
Mashout 170F
Batch sparge 4 gallons cold

Yeast
WLP 004 Irish Ale

Fermentation
Ferment until done 68F (5-7 days should be good)
Cold crash one day
Add gelatin and rack to keg and carbonate using your preferred method