After the hiatus, I wanted to get back to brewing in a big way, so I put together a triple brew day and invited out a few friends. On deck was a Heady Topper clone (which ended up as an Imperial Heady Topper...yikes), House Hefeweizen 1.5, and a Munich Helles.
After 18 hours of brewing, sampling, and geeking out over home brew, I've got 30 gallons fermenting.
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| Brew madness |
Heady Topper Clone
I have a really solid Conan culture that I've used on a handful of beers. I made a 6L starter for this monster and more or less followed theveganbrewer's fourth and final recipe from HBT. I adjusted the recipe to fit my 15 gallon kettles and sized my batch for 12 gallons, but with increased efficiency and careful inattention to detail, I seemed to have overshot my original gravity by about 13 points. I ended up with an "Imperial Heady Topper" at 1.090. Other than that, the brew went perfectly. I finally have confidence in my whirlpool and Blichmann hop blocker combination to minimize kettle hop loss and separate the beer from the massive amount of hop pellet debris.
PB OG: 1.065 @ 13.5 gallons
OG: 1.090 @ 12 gallons
Hit with a solid 3 minutes of oxygen and pitched the decanted Conan starter.
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| I knew something was off with my recipe when I realized how full my mash tun was |
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| 22ml of CO2 hop extract warming up on the boil kettle |
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| The best I've done at minimizing kettle loss and keeping that pellet junk out of my fermenter |
Recipe: Heady Blunder
Brewer: Adam Keck
Style: Imperial IPA
TYPE: All Grain
Recipe Specifications
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Estimated OG: 1.088 SG
Estimated Color: 6.5 SRM
Estimated IBU: 167.9 IBUs
Boil Time: 90 Minutes
Ingredients:
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Amt Name Type # %/IBU
15.00 g Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) (Mash 60.0 mins Water Agent 1 -
24 lbs Golden Promise (Simpsons) (2.0 SRM) Grain 2 68.6 %
6 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) UK (3.0 SRM) Grain 3 17.1 %
2 lbs Caramalt (Muntons) (12.0 SRM) Grain 4 5.7 %
2 lbs White Wheat Malt (2.4 SRM) Grain 5 5.7 %
1 lbs Turbinado (10.0 SRM) Sugar 6 2.9 %
6.25 oz Hop Extract [10.00 %] - Boil 90.0 min Hop 7 113.2 IBUs
22.00 ml CO2 Hop Extract (Boil 90.0 mins) Other 8 -
2.00 oz Columbus (Tomahawk) [14.00 %] - Boil 5.0 Hop 9 8.5 IBUs
6.00 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] - Boil 0.0 min Hop 10 0.0 IBUs
3.00 oz Columbus (Tomahawk) [14.00 %] - Steep/Wh Hop 11 20.5 IBUs
2.00 oz Amarillo Gold [8.50 %] - Steep/Whirlpool Hop 12 8.3 IBUs
2.00 oz Columbus (Tomahawk) [14.00 %] - Boil 0.0 Hop 13 0.0 IBUs
2.00 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] - Steep/Whirlpool 30.0 Hop 14 12.7 IBUs
1.00 oz Centennial [10.00 %] - Steep/Whirlpool Hop 15 4.9 IBUs
1.0 pkg Conan (Mad Fermentationist #) [35.49 ml] Yeast 16 -
2.00 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] - Dry Hop 8.0 Days Hop 17 0.0 IBUs
1.00 oz Amarillo Gold [8.50 %] - Dry Hop 8.0 Day Hop 18 0.0 IBUs
1.00 oz Centennial [10.00 %] - Dry Hop 8.0 Days Hop 19 0.0 IBUs
1.00 oz Columbus (Tomahawk) [14.00 %] - Dry Hop Hop 20 0.0 IBUs
0.50 oz Apollo [17.00 %] - Dry Hop 8.0 Days Hop 21 0.0 IBUs
2.00 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] - Dry Hop 4.0 Days Hop 22 0.0 IBUs
1.00 oz Amarillo Gold [8.50 %] - Dry Hop 4.0 Day Hop 23 0.0 IBUs
1.00 oz Centennial [10.00 %] - Dry Hop 4.0 Days Hop 24 0.0 IBUs
1.00 oz Columbus (Tomahawk) [14.00 %] - Dry Hop Hop 25 0.0 IBUs
Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Light Body, No Mash Out
Total Grain Weight: 35 lbs
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Name Description Step Temperat Step Time
Mash In Add 42.50 qt of water at 163.5 F 150.0 F 75 min
Sparge: Fly sparge with 8.95 gal water at 168.0 F
Notes:
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20ml of hop extract
House Hefeweizen 1.5
I kept the recipe the same for this iteration of House Hef, but opted for 1lb of Melanoidin malt in lieu of a decoction. When you're brewing 30 gallons of beer in a day, or brewing commercially for that matter, an extra 1.5 hours and the logistics of decoction make it a nightmare. I'm also fermenting it in my 67 degree basement without a fermentation wrap. This should get it up to 72-73 degrees at peak fermentation, which should result in a little less banana character than I've pushed this beer previously. Although I really enjoy heavy banana flavors, the style is technically less aggressive. We'll see how it turns out compared to the last iterations of the recipe.
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| Speck und Zwiebel to go with our Bavarian brew |
PB OG: 1.042 @ 12.5 gallons
OG: 1.05 @ 11.5 gallons
Gave it 2 minutes of oxygen and pitched 15g of rehydrated Safbrew WB-06.
Recipe: House Hefeweizen (1.5)
Brewer: Adam Keck
Asst Brewer:
Style: Weizen/Weissbier (Wheat Beer)
TYPE: All Grain
Recipe Specifications
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Estimated OG: 1.052 SG
Estimated Color: 4.7 SRM
Estimated IBU: 10.6 IBUs
Boil Time: 60 Minutes
Ingredients:
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Amt Name Type # %/IBU
11 lbs Wheat Malt, Ger (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 52.4 %
8 lbs Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM) Grain 2 38.1 %
1 lbs Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 3 4.8 %
1 lbs Melanoiden Malt (20.0 SRM) Grain 4 4.8 %
0.50 oz Hallertauer [4.80 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 5 5.3 IBUs
1.00 oz Hallertauer [4.80 %] - Boil 30.0 min Hop 6 5.4 IBUs
0.50 oz Hallertauer [4.80 %] - Boil 0.0 min Hop 7 0.0 IBUs
2.0 pkg Safbrew Wheat (DCL/Fermentis #WB-06) [50 Yeast 8 -
Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Medium Body
Total Grain Weight: 21 lbs
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Name Description Step Temperat Step Time
Mash In Add 28.25 qt of water at 162.8 F 152.0 F 60 min
Mash Out Add 14.70 qt of water at 202.9 F 168.0 F 10 min
Sparge: Fly sparge with 4.98 gal water at 168.0 F
Gave it 2 minutes of oxygen and pitched 15g of rehydrated Safbrew WB-06.
Recipe: House Hefeweizen (1.5)
Brewer: Adam Keck
Asst Brewer:
Style: Weizen/Weissbier (Wheat Beer)
TYPE: All Grain
Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Estimated OG: 1.052 SG
Estimated Color: 4.7 SRM
Estimated IBU: 10.6 IBUs
Boil Time: 60 Minutes
Ingredients:
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Amt Name Type # %/IBU
11 lbs Wheat Malt, Ger (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 52.4 %
8 lbs Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM) Grain 2 38.1 %
1 lbs Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 3 4.8 %
1 lbs Melanoiden Malt (20.0 SRM) Grain 4 4.8 %
0.50 oz Hallertauer [4.80 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 5 5.3 IBUs
1.00 oz Hallertauer [4.80 %] - Boil 30.0 min Hop 6 5.4 IBUs
0.50 oz Hallertauer [4.80 %] - Boil 0.0 min Hop 7 0.0 IBUs
2.0 pkg Safbrew Wheat (DCL/Fermentis #WB-06) [50 Yeast 8 -
Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Medium Body
Total Grain Weight: 21 lbs
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Name Description Step Temperat Step Time
Mash In Add 28.25 qt of water at 162.8 F 152.0 F 60 min
Mash Out Add 14.70 qt of water at 202.9 F 168.0 F 10 min
Sparge: Fly sparge with 4.98 gal water at 168.0 F
Munich Helles
I had some aging Oktoberfest lager yeast in my fridge. Now that my 1972 Delfield cooler is up and running, I can finally dial in temperature control to the precision that I need for both lagers and ales. Of course, on my 14th hour of brewing I had to hit a snag: I ran my pump too aggressively at first while recirculating my mash and it sucked enough grain up to clog the wet end of my pump. Everything worked fine after I disassembled/reassembled it. I cooled to 45 degrees before pitching my WLP 820 starter - 6L decanted. Lager cooling is such a breeze in the winter time. I have an external 1/8th HP pump connected to a bucket that I use to clean kegs out. Dual purposing it couldn't be simpler. I just fill it with cold water and ice/snow and set the outflow to the input on my wort chiller and recirculate the ice cold water. After I got the temperature down to ~ 65 degrees with well water, I switched over and dropped it another 20 degrees in about 15 minutes.
PB OG: 1.042 @ 12.5 gallons
OG: 1.059 @ 11 gallons
Applied 3 minutes of oxygen and pitched the decanted 3L starters of WLP 820.
Applied 3 minutes of oxygen and pitched the decanted 3L starters of WLP 820.
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| So much yeast for such a delicate beer. |
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| Transferring to the last boil of a long day. |
Asst Brewer:
Style: Munich Helles
TYPE: All Grain
Recipe Specifications
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Estimated OG: 1.049 SG
Estimated Color: 3.6 SRM
Estimated IBU: 18.6 IBUs
Boil Time: 90 Minutes
Ingredients:
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Amt Name Type # %/IBU
20 lbs Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 100.0 %
3.00 oz Hallertauer Hersbrucker [2.60 %] - Boil Hop 2 17.1 IBUs
1.00 oz Hallertauer Hersbrucker [2.60 %] - Boil Hop 3 1.5 IBUs
2.0 pkg Octoberfest/Marzen Lager (White Labs #WL Yeast 4 -
Mash Schedule: Temperature Mash, 1 Step, Medium Body
Total Grain Weight: 20 lbs
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Name Description Step Temperat Step Time
Saccharification Add 25.00 qt of water at 163.7 F 152.0 F 60 min
Mash Out Heat to 168.0 F over 10 min 168.0 F 10 min
Sparge: Fly sparge with 11.15 gal water at 168.0 F
Notes:
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Update:
Heady Blunder (Heady Topper clone gone imperial)
I fermented this at 68 degrees for four days then bumped up the temperature to 71 degrees. On 1/8/2014, it recorded a ~1.030 specific gravity. The color is a very intense dark orange. Probably darker than Heady Topper. The flavor was extremely fruity with signature Heady Topper dankness. I didn't taste any of the sweetness that comes with a 1.030 gravity, as the hops covered it up entirely. The Conan "peach" flavor was there, but not pronounced.
House Hefeweizen 1.5
Transferred 10 gallons to kegs on 1/14 after 10 days in the primary. FG: 1.010, kegged at 30 psi. The sample was as expected: a little more reserved on the banana notes due to the cooler fermentation. It also had a different texture than I remember in the last batches. This could be a result of it not being carbonated and not representative of how the final beer will come out or it could actually be a result of skipping the decoction mash (and the protein rest that comes with it). We'll see on the final beer.
Munich Helles
Checked the gravity on 1/15 to see if it was ready for a diacetyl rest. SG: 1.020. Bumped up the temperature to 57 degrees. I'll leave it set for 2 days then I'll begin to cool the beer down to lagering temperature. This is probably the most malt focused beer I've done and even with the unfinished yeast business, the prominent taste was bready, pilsner malt. I used 100% Avangard Pilsner malt in the grist and it shows off.
Munich Helles
I was thinking about filtering this beer into serving kegs, but then I drew a sample and saw how crystal clear it was after two weeks of lagering. I tasted it for any diacetyl or off flavors before deciding whether I'd lager it longer or package it for serving. There were no off flavors. It tastes delightful. I transferred it into two corney kegs then set the kegs on 10 psi of gas. I intend to serve one keg within the week and bottle a few of them and the other I'll allow to lager longer to see if there is a noticeable flavor improvement.
I'm a little thrown off by the FG: 1.020. I suppose I could have allowed it more time to ferment, but I really thought that the diacetyl rest at 58 degrees for two days would have finished it out. It didn't move a single point of gravity. The attenuation for WLP820 lager is 65-73% and from 1.059 to 1.020, I hit the low end of the scale at 66% apparent attenuation. Next time, I'll pitch a larger starter (easier now that I've salvaged the yeast) and I'll allow it a full 2.5 weeks to ferment.
The sample was excellent though, and I didn't sense any extra sweetness.
Heady Blunder (Heady Topper clone gone imperial)
I fermented this at 68 degrees for four days then bumped up the temperature to 71 degrees. On 1/8/2014, it recorded a ~1.030 specific gravity. The color is a very intense dark orange. Probably darker than Heady Topper. The flavor was extremely fruity with signature Heady Topper dankness. I didn't taste any of the sweetness that comes with a 1.030 gravity, as the hops covered it up entirely. The Conan "peach" flavor was there, but not pronounced.
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| Fiery orange. |
I took the heat off of the fermenter on 1/13/2014 and will let it crash cool to 38 degrees while I am on vacation next week. I opted to let the beer sit, rather than rush to dry hop it. This will be the first time I do a two stage dry hop in earnest. I want to do it right.
House Hefeweizen 1.5
Transferred 10 gallons to kegs on 1/14 after 10 days in the primary. FG: 1.010, kegged at 30 psi. The sample was as expected: a little more reserved on the banana notes due to the cooler fermentation. It also had a different texture than I remember in the last batches. This could be a result of it not being carbonated and not representative of how the final beer will come out or it could actually be a result of skipping the decoction mash (and the protein rest that comes with it). We'll see on the final beer.
Munich Helles
Checked the gravity on 1/15 to see if it was ready for a diacetyl rest. SG: 1.020. Bumped up the temperature to 57 degrees. I'll leave it set for 2 days then I'll begin to cool the beer down to lagering temperature. This is probably the most malt focused beer I've done and even with the unfinished yeast business, the prominent taste was bready, pilsner malt. I used 100% Avangard Pilsner malt in the grist and it shows off.
Update 2:
Heady Blunder
After crashing for a week, the beer came out much clearer. I transferred with CO2 by installing a spear in my sanke fermenter. I added the first round of dry hops on 1/27, the second round on 1/30, then put the corneys in the fridge for crashing on 2/2. I've been dry hopping in the keg with nylon socks. Looking forward to tasting what the 2-stage dry hop will do for this beer. Later this week, I'll pull samples of the beer till it is clear then transfer to clean kegs for serving.
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| One week @ 38 degrees cleared the beer out really nicely, even without finings |
I was thinking about filtering this beer into serving kegs, but then I drew a sample and saw how crystal clear it was after two weeks of lagering. I tasted it for any diacetyl or off flavors before deciding whether I'd lager it longer or package it for serving. There were no off flavors. It tastes delightful. I transferred it into two corney kegs then set the kegs on 10 psi of gas. I intend to serve one keg within the week and bottle a few of them and the other I'll allow to lager longer to see if there is a noticeable flavor improvement.
I'm a little thrown off by the FG: 1.020. I suppose I could have allowed it more time to ferment, but I really thought that the diacetyl rest at 58 degrees for two days would have finished it out. It didn't move a single point of gravity. The attenuation for WLP820 lager is 65-73% and from 1.059 to 1.020, I hit the low end of the scale at 66% apparent attenuation. Next time, I'll pitch a larger starter (easier now that I've salvaged the yeast) and I'll allow it a full 2.5 weeks to ferment.
The sample was excellent though, and I didn't sense any extra sweetness.
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| Crystal clear. |
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