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Firefly Brewing Company

For many of you who know me, you are aware of the concept of Firefly Brewing Co., but for anyone I have not reached out to yet, here is the quick rundown.  I am currently working in conjunction with a few others from my current business (Brew & Wine Hobby in E. Hartford, CT) to open a Brewery and Taproom in Bristol, CT.  We recently launched a kickstarter campaign in order to drum up some funding for the project: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/200559997/firefly-brewing-company-craft-beer?ref=home_location

It is time to lay out our exact vision for Firefly Brewing Company.  At its core we would like to provide is a relaxing environment to enjoy locally produced craft beer.  The brewery itself will be paired with a taproom and lounge.  What we really mean here is we want you to be able to come down to socialize, read a book, play chess, or just hang out at the bar.  Imagine a cafe for your evening beer rather than your morning coffee.  We'll have furniture and tables, but the experience will be more laid back than a typical 'sit down' pub.  We also have a patio out front, so when the weather beckons, we will be able to move the fun outside.

On the topic of sustenance, we will not provide food at the taproom.  The restaurant business is a rather ferocious beast, and not one we're looking to tame at this point.  That being said, we invite our patrons to bring your own food, order take out, and with any luck we'll be able to get some local food trucks parked out front.  We hope this will allow you to come out and get a beer without needing to spend the extra money on restaurant food and service, while giving you the option to bring food from home or the other local businesses.

Now the concept of a small Brewery & Taproom may seem foreign and a bit strange to many Connecticut natives because they really don't exist in this state.   The idea is alive an flourishing in many western states with a developed beer culture, and much of that is a result of the respective state's political view on the beer industry.  The key to our success here actually comes in hand in hand with the new laws that were recently passed allowing Sunday sales.  This piece of legislation also lightened up some of the tight regulations on brewers, making a small taproom both viable and legal.  The cool part about this concept is it now allows Connecticut to really jump on board the Craft Beer Revolution.  I'm personally a bit green over the fact that out in Colorado there are probably two dozen small taprooms making great beer that I may never even hear of.  It's time for the East Coast to start generating some envy of our own.

As far as the kickstarter goes, we really are aiming to pre-sell our 'Founder's Mug Club."  This esteemed group will be permanent members with no additional future dues to ensure your spot in subsequent years.  At $100 for a lifetime of extra beer, it is a very solid investment.  Many craft beer bars charge this much or more for only a single year of membership.  We are also trying to build in benefits and excitement for those who will be coming down to enjoy the fruits of our labor.

Lastly, we are adding another reward level to the campaign.  We realized we're offering a pair of tickets to our launch party, but no real way to get a pair of mugs.  If you're planning on coming down with a friend or significant other, we want both of you to have the benefits of the mug club, so we've added an additional (and optional) mug club membership at $200.  

If you haven't already you can check out our website at fireflybrewing.com or find us on facebook.

Cheers!

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Boom

Gotta give credit where credit is due. Thanks to my enormously talented friend Billy Orr for taking the time to take the pics for this event. If you like what you see check out his other albums on his facebook http://www.facebook.com/billy.orr

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Home Brewed Diablo 3 Beer

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Ginger Binger

A few months ago my cousin visited me from her home state of Vermont.  Understanding my propensity for craft beverages and anything forged in a 'brewing' process, she came bearing gifts of some locally bottled Ginger Beer.  Immediately I was intrigued by the designation of 'beer', as the beverage before me held no alcohol and contains no barley.  At the time I had very little experience with this particular beverage outside of the relatively lifeless versions of Canada Dry or Schwepps, so I eagerly dove in and poured a small glass. 

A tiny head of meringue perched on top of the hazy golden liquid perfused the air with a most pleasant aroma.  The intensity with which the spice and ginger tickled my nostrils I had never before experienced from this exotic root.  Then I sipped.  A tsunami of heat and spice cascaded over my palate as a touch of sweetness provided structure for a lingering warmth.  Turns out I like ginger.  A lot.

So naturally I became obsessed with making my own.  I have a converted refrigerator in my basement which is designed to hold four old soda kegs.  Typically I just have beer on tap, but this is the perfect excuse to delve into another dimension of the beverage universe.  I decided I would have home made Ginger Beer on tap at all times, so I began doing a little research.  Most of what I turned up followed these two fundamental steps:

1. Clean and chop ginger root.

2. Heat Ginger root in water with sugar.

That was all the instruction I needed.  I figured I'd scale my sugar additions to be about half of what you find in a typical ginger ale.  I really wanted this beverage to shine with the refreshing flavor of ginger and a bit heat associated with the root rather than just pure sweetness.  I was intrigued with the fact that the commercial example I poured held a bit of a head and actually had some body, so I decided to make a small addition of maltodextrin (a branched carbohydrate which contributes body and head retention in beer).  Lastly, I knew I'd need something else to add a bit of depth to the flavor, so I decided to add a whole lemon to the process.  All that said, here is my take on draft Ginger Ale.

Ingredients for 5 gallons:

3.25-3.5lbs of ginger root trimmed and sliced (thats about 4-4.5lbs of the raw stuff before its trimmed.)

1.5lbs cane sugar/unrefined sugar

.5 lbs maltodextrin

1 lemon

1 large muslin bag

And here is the process:

Begin heating about 1.5 gallons of water to 180F in a large pot.  As the water heats, dissolve the cane sugar and maltodextrin.

Clean and chop ginger root.  Quarter the lemon

Use a blender or food processor with a few cups of water to finely chop the ginger root and lemon (peels and all).

Pour the ginger/lemon slurry as neatly as you can into the muslin bag and steep in hot water at 180F for 30 minutes.

Use a funnel and kitchen strainer to separate the solid from liquid portion of the beverage, and top off the keg with cold water.  Refrigerate and carbonate at about 30psi for about 5 days.

Drink and Enjoy

Check out the full photostream on flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/brewwinehobby/sets/72157629951812251/

Cheers!

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Oceanic IPA

This brew goes out to celebrate one of the world's most unique hop growing regions, and our recent ration of Galaxy hops down at the shop.  New Zealand Hops are something we don't see very often in the part of the world, but the glimpses we get are frequently life changing.  Typically bursting with a myriad of tropical fruit flavors and exotic spice notes, New Zealand hops have many extreme qualities American craft brewers value.  For this recipe I want to focus on 3 hops I've been itching to brew with for a while.

Galaxy - Here's one I've used while I was apprenticing at Willimantic Brewing Co., and I'm pumped to have an opportunity to brew with it again.  Galaxy has a super sharp and clean white grapefruit flavor with notes of passionfruit.  This is the type of hop that just excites the palate and invites sip after sip.  I know with a big Galactic expression in the flavor range, this beer is going to win the hearts of many for its unique intensity.

Pacific Jade - This is the heavy hitter of the bunch.  Running 14.2% alpha, I've chosen Pacific Jade for my earliest additions with a slight peppering in the finish for a touch of this hop's unique spicy characteristics.

With the grain bill on this one I want something that is going to add touch of something unique against such an odd hopping schedule, so I've chosen to add a small amount of rye for a bit of dry spice.  I chose a base of Pilsner malt because I want the color to remain in the pale gold to yellow range, and I want to shy away from the use of any intensely flavored specialty malt.  I love the simplicity of Pilsner malt and subtle complexity that rye and Vienna will contribute.

O.G -- 1.064-1.069 :: IBUs - 85 :: Color - Pale Gold (5 SRM)

Batch Size: 5.5 gallons

All Grain Version:

Preboil Volume - 7.0 gallons

Grain Bill:

71% - 10lbs - Pilsner Malt

18% - 2lbs 8oz - Vienna Malt

7% - 1lb - Rye Malt

4% - 8oz - Flaked Rye

Hopping:

60 minutes - .5oz Pacific Jade - 14.2%

30 - 0.5oz Galaxy - 13.0%

20 - 0.5oz Galaxy - 13.0%

20 - 0.5oz Motueka - 7.1%

10 - 1.0oz Galaxy - 13.0%

10 - 0.5oz Pacific Jade - 14.2%

5   - 1.5oz Motueka - 7.1%

Dry Hop -14 Days - 2.0oz Motueka

Yeast:

Wyeast 2565 - Kolsch

Mash this beer for 60 minutes at 153F.  With just a Pilsner base on this one, we want to retain some body so the hop oils have a foundation to stand on.  Mashing too low on a big IPA like this could cause the brew to come across as one dimensional.  After the mash rest is complete, vorlaugh until the runnings appear clear and free of debris, and begin collecting wort in the kettle.  Since we're using a big base of Pilsner malt on this brew, we'll want to boil for a full 90minutes to drive off any DMS precursors that could throw a corn or cabbage taste into the beer (DMS = Dimethyl sulfide.  It tastes like canned vegetables and its precursors are typically at high concentrations in very lightly kilned malts like pilsner.  It is very volatile, so as long as the wort is sufficiently boiled it will not present an issue).  So proceed collecting 7.0 gallons of wort in the kettle and boil for 30 minutes before making the first hop addition.  Once you're done with the boil knockout to 60-70F and pitch yeast.  Kolsch is going to be a really cool strain on this one, so ferment between 58-62 if you can, but a little higher fermentation temperature will coax out some of the unique esters that would play very nicely with this exotic hop profile.

Extract Version:

Batch Size : 5.5gallons

Preboil Volume : 3.0gallons

Fermentables:

3.3lbs Extra Light LME (Late Addition -- 15minutes to end of boil)

1.4lbs Pale LME (Alexander's Kicker)

3.0lbs Pilsner DME

2.0lbs Pilsner Malt

1.0lbs Rye Malt

.5lb Flaked Rye

Hopping:

Follow the same schedule as above, but add an additional .5oz of Pacific Jade to the 60 minute addition. (1oz Pacific Jade at 60minutes)

This is a simple minimash process that does not require any specialized equipment

-  Bring 1.5 gallons of water up to 155˚F and turn off heat source.

-  Place crushed grains in a muslin bag and begin to steep.

-  In a separate pot, heat 1.5 gallons of water to 165˚F

- After 45 minutes, place the steeping grains into a colander over the brew pot, and slowly pour the additional heated water over them to extract converted sugars.  Dispose of spent grains.

- Begin heating the kettle, and dissolve the DME and 1.4lbs of LME as the water approaches a boil.

- Once the DME is thoroughly dissolved and the kettle is up to a boil, make the first hop addition and follow the schedule above.  When making the late LME addition, turn off heat source and pause the boil timer.  Dissolve the LME well, and turn heat back on.   Once the wort is boiling again, resume the timer and boil for a full 15 minutes.

- Once the boil is complete, chill the wort to 60˚F – 70˚F and add to a sanitized fermenter.  Top off volume in fermenter to 5.5 gallons with clean, cool water.

- Ferment as above, and dry hop for 2 weeks before bottling.

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Cloud 9: Hefeweizen

Here's a simple, cheap, and fantastic recipe for a Bavarian Hefeweizen.  Flavors of ripe banana and clove complement the grainy richness of the malt.  This is an easy drinking brew with a pleasant creaminess from the high proportions of wheat malt and extracts used.

Batch Size: 5 gallons ~ Approach: Minimash ~ Style: Hefeweizen

Target OG: 1.047-1.052

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Extracts & Grains:

3.3lbs Liquid wheat/weizen extract (I like Northwesterns extracts myself)

1lb 8oz Dry Wheat Extract

2lbs Wheat Malt

1lb Pilsner Malt

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Hops & Kettle additives:

1oz Mount Hood -- 6.1 %

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Yeast:

Safale WB-06

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Procedure:

Steep the crushed grains in a muslin bag in a gallon of water at 153F for 35 minutes.  You can do this right in your brew kettle. While performing the minimash, bring up another gallon of water to 170F in a separate vessel.  After the 35 minutes is up, remove the grain bag from the wort and place it in a kitchen strainer over the brew kettle.  Slowly rinse the grains with your preheated water to extract sugars clinging to the grains.  Discard grains and begin mixing the dried extracts into the kettle.  Once the dried extracts are completely dissolved, bring the total volume in the kettle up to 2.5 gallons, and bring to a boil.  Once the wort is at a rolling boil start a 60 minute countdown and follow the procedure below.

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60 minutes - add .75 oz Mount Hood Hops (4.6aau @ 60 minutes).

5 minutes - .25 oz Mount Hood (1.5aau @ 5minutes)

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After the boil chill down to 68F, pitch the yeast pack, and ferment to completion.  No need to use any whirlfloc or do a secondary on this one, as we want a cloudy beer with yeast in suspension.

Thingss to keep in mind:  Never let grains come above 170F.  Don't squeeze the grains to extract flavor, you will get tannin instead.  Avoid putting direct heat on the kettle during the minimash.  The bottom of the kettle can reach temperatures well above 170F and even scorch the grains if you're not careful.  

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Got a flickr account up and running.  Seems like a better outlet to organize a photo library.

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Just found these and was immediately blown away by coolness.

Here's a Link

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Got some sexy new Cam-lock fittings from Proflow dynamics.  They are relatively inexpensive, very easy to connect/disconnect, form a very tight seal, and pretty much rock.  I've tried using the polysulfone (foodsafe plastic) disconnects in the past.  They're much more expensive, very fragile, and don't seat nearly as well.  If you're looking to make an upgrade to your home brewery this is one I'd highly recommend.  I'll get some more pics of how I established the whole system soon.

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Daylight Savings Bock

Imagine a rich, malty lager, deep gold in color, with an ivory head billowing over the side of your glass.  The aroma of lightly toasted malt and peppery noble hops permeates the air around the beer as the spring sun pierces the side of your glass revealing all the secrets of the universe....It's Maibock season.

As the name implies Maibock is a strong German lager brewed in the fall for the spring season, but for us procrastinators March works just fine.  Ambient temperature is still cool enough for most of us to pull off a lager (and if not German Ale is great), and it gives us something special to present for the beginning of the sunny season.  After some deliberating we'd like to share what our collective mind has constructed.

O.G - 1.071 - 1.075  ::  IBU - 28  ::  Color - 8 SRM

Batch Size - 6 gallons  (To accommodate kettle and ferment loss )

All Grain Version:

Preboil Volume - 7 gallons

Grain Bill :

44% - 7lbs- Pilsner Malt

28% -- 4lbs 8oz - Vienna Malt

28% -- 4lbs 8oz - Munich Malt

Hopping :

60 minutes - .75oz Magnum 13.5%

Dry Hop (Optional) - 1oz Hallertau - 7 days.

Yeast :

Hella Bock (Wyeast Private Collection).

We're going to mash this beast for 60 minutes at 152-153F to achieve a medium bodied, high octane lager.  Collect 7 gallons in the kettle and boil down to 6.  If you want feel ambitious go for the decoction mash on this (we'll be glad to walk you through it) or simulate one by boiling the first gallon of runnings out of the mash for 20 minutes or so.  Cooking of the first wort develops a touch of color and some of the melanoidins and caramel flavors associated with a traditional decoction mash.  Ferment at 50-55F and raise the temperature about 10F for a couple of days before the fermentation is complete for a thorough diacetyl rest.  Afterwards, rack and condition in the mid 30's for four weeks or more.

Extract Equivalent :

Batch Volume 5.5 gallons (To accommodate fermentation loss)

Boil Volume - 2.5 - 3.0 gallons

Fermentables:

53 % 5.0 lbs Pilsner DME

29% 3.3lbs Munich LME (Late addition)

18% 2lbs Vienna malt

Hopping:

60 minutes - 1oz Magnum - 13.5%

Dry Hop (Optional) - 1oz Hallertau - 7days

Yeast:

Hella Bock (Wyeast PC)

Steep Vienna malt in 2.5- 3.0 gallons of water at 150F for 40 minutes.  Remove grains from pot, and add Pilsner DME.  Mix the dry malt well and bring to a boil.  Once a rolling boil is reached, begin a 60 minute timer and add warrior hops.  Fifteen minutes to the end of the boil turn off heat and thoroughly mix in Munich extract.  Boil a further 15 minutes, cool to fermentation temperature, and bring up total volume to 5.5gallons with cool water.  Follow same fermentation procedure as with the All-Grain version.  Bottle with 1 1/4 cup of remaining Pilsner DME.

ALE VERSION:

For those of you who aren't comfortable with the temperature control, feel free to use German Ale yeast on this between the temperatures of 55-68F, and condition as cool as possible for 4-6 weeks.  Its not a true lager this way, but it is nice and clean and tastes awesome. 

Also, the Dry Hop is a simple option to push a touch of hop character into the finished beer.  It certainly is not traditional, but if you're a fan of the hallertau it is certainly a logical step to take.

Dana

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Best Beers in American 2012

Hey everyone...I'M BACK!! Just finished up school with the American Brewer's Guild and my Apprenticeship with Willimantic Brewing, and now its time to share a bit of my experiences of the past year.  To start, I'm putting together a compilation of my votes for the AHA's Best Beers in America 2012 and I want some input.  Below is what I've got so far, but I want your input.  If you have some recommendations find me on facebook at Brew & Wine Hobby or mention us on twitter at BrewWineHobby

- The Alchemist : Heady Topper

- New England Brewing : Imperial Stout Trooper

- New England Brewing : Ghandi Bot

- North Coast : Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout

- Bar Harbor Brewing : Thunder Hole Ale

- Terrapin : Rye Pale Ale

- Troegs: Hopback Amber

- Troegs: Nugget Nectar

- Sierra Nevada : Estate

- Bristol's: Laughing Lab

- Chateau Rogue: OREgasmic Ale

- Captain Lawrence: Rosso E Marrone

- Homebrew - All of it

Adding:

- Russian River - Redemption

So this is what I have so far, and what I really need are some ideas of solid beers to go out and drink so I can decide if I should put them on my list.

Cheers!

Dana

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Connecticut Pale Ale

Last year I came across several ounces of Cascades grown locally in Connecticut.  I had enough to do a full brew, so I wanted to take advantage of the situation.   After talking with the grower and a few other brewers from the area, I concluded that varieties grown in this part of the Northeast have a tendency to run a touch lower in alpha acids than what we typically see.  I tasted a few flowers by popping them in my mouth, and decided they we're likely between 5.5 and 6.0% alpha, a safe middle ground figuring Cascade's typical values are 5.0-7.5%.  So when formulating the recipe I shot for a pale ale with a few more IBUs than I might actually need, figuring if the alpha content was lower I'd still be in a safe range, but if they were higher than anticipated I'd have something a little more IPA like.  Either way would work for me. 

I wanted to keep the recipe simple to allow the local flavors to really shine through on this one.  I decided to go with just two malts: Gambrinus ESB malt as a base and Amber malt.  The ESB malt has a very pleasantly sweet, malty taste with a touch of nuttiness, so I figured I would have to give it a first run.  The amber malt is in there to provide a bit of color and touch of toasty, bready malt flavor.  I also wanted to keep yeast presence to a minimum, and wanted to go with something distinctly East Coast, so I chose WLP008 East Coast Ale (Sam Adam's Strain).  To get the most out of these hops, I decided to keep the bulk of the additions towards the end of the boil, and to reserve an ounce for the dry hop.  I only had 6oz's to work with, and I figured the best way to get what I wanted was to skimp a touch on the knock out addition in favor of the dry hop to get that big fresh aroma.  So here it is.

Batch Size: 5 gallons  ~ Approach: All-Grain (extract version also included!) ~ Style: Pale Ale

Target OG: 1.050 - 1.055

IBUs: I shot for 40, expected 30, and probably landed right around 32-35.

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Grain Bill:

97% - 9lbs 8oz Gambrinus ESB malt

3% - 4oz  Thomas Fawcett Amber Malt

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Hops & Kettle Additions

60 minutes - 1oz CT Cascades

20 minutes - 2oz CT Cascades

15 minutes - Whirlfloc Tab

KO - 2oz CT Cascades

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Procedure:

This is an easy one.  Mash in between 152-153F with approximately 3.75gallons (1.5qts/lb) of hot liquor.  I want the hops to shine, but as a pale ale I still want to preserve some body and malt character.  Mash for one hour and sparge with water at 167F.  Collect 6 gallons of wort, boil one hour, and follow the hop schedule above, manipulating it however you see fit to accommodate the hops you have at hand. 

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Now I don't want to leave the extract brewers out of the fun, so here's a simple Extract Version of the same recipe.

3lbs Light DME

3.3lbs Extra Light LME (late kettle addition)

6oz Amber malt

Bring 2.5 gallons of water up to 150F and steep the amber malt for 20 minutes in a grain bag.  Remove the grain (no squeezing!) and add DME as the wort heats up.  Bring to a boil, and follow the same hop procedure as above.  One thing to note about this procedure, is we're going to wait until 15 minutes to the end of the boil to add our LME.  This does a few things for us.  First, a lower gravity boil will allow us to get better hop utilization, so we can get the bitterness we need from a relatively small 60 minute hop addition.  Waiting to add the LME also results in less kettle caramelization, which gives us better control over color and sweetness.  We also preserve some of the flavor and aroma of the liquid extracts by boiling for less time.

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After the boil, chill down and ferment in the mid 60s, and if you're doing extract, make up the rest of the wort volume with cool water up to 5 gallons.  A cooler ferment will lend itself to a cleaner profile and keep ester formation in check.  Fortunately, WLP008 produces a very pleasant red apple/pear ester which does a great job at accentuating hop flavors.

Once the beer has attenuated, rack to secondary and let sit on an ounce (or three!) of whatever local gems you have at your disposal.  Seven to ten days on dry hops should suffice.  Bottle or keg, and enjoy! 

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It's Harvest Time!

With the hop harvest right around the corner I felt a compulsion to share my thoughts about whole hop flowers with the world, especially those of you who grow your own or plan to get a hold of some fresh hop flowers this season.

So why spring for fresh or local hops?  For me its about experiencing a piece of our local brewing culture.  Hops are heavily influenced by the soil and growing conditions they are exposed to, so naturally, hops grown in your region will be slightly different from the same varieties professionally grown in the Yakima or Willamette Valleys of the Northwest.  Brewing with local hops is a way to brew and experience something no one else has ever made, has ever experienced, and will never be able to perfectly recreate.  Its a snapshot in time.  A photo of the weather patterns and events of a respective year's harvest.  It's a glimpse into the mind of a brewer at a single point, and the most perfect and passionate expression of the lupulin lover.  Anyway...I digress.

Using local hops can be a challenge based solely on a lack of usable information.  Unless you've sent your hops out for lab analysis, the alpha acid content is likely a mystery, with nothing but a typical range to guide you.  Using hops of known alpha content for bittering will allow you to come much closer to a target level of IBUs, and allow you to better capture the character of your local hops through late kettle additions or dry hopping.  If you choose to do an "all local" brew, you may want to gather some past data from local growers who may have gotten hops tested in the past, or have brewed with specific varieties.  This sort of information will tell you where alpha content typically ranges relative to other, known parts of the country.  At the end of the day, formulate your recipe with some allowances.  Load up the hop character in the finish, but figure you might be 5 IBUs or more off in either direction.  Shooting for something in the middle ground between a pale ale and an IPA is a safe bet unless you have enough flowers to undoubtedly make an IPA.

The second part of the harvest I wanted to touch on was the use of fresh, undried, whole hop flowers.  Fresh hops bless us with the opportunity to bask in the purest, juiciest, unadulterated, incarnation of the Hop Gods' glory.  So for those of you who choose to use your hop flowers fresh from the vine, here are a few things to keep in mind.  

Fresh, aka "Wet", hops contain moisture and weigh about 4 to 5 times as much as dried flowers, so you'll want to bump up the quantity used considerably.  For example, a beer typically using 4oz of hops would require more along the lines of 18oz's, over a pound.  Additionally, water breaking out of the leafy part of the flower during the boil or long contact time can carry with it some leafy or grassy flavors.  For this reason, you may wish to limit the quantity of fresh hops being used for bittering additions or limit dry hopping to 7 days.  As a final note, consider the amount of space 18 to 32oz's of whole, wet hops will accommodate in the kettle.  It is a massive amount of material to deal with, so be prepared with some extra head space in the kettle as the hops go in.

Now go forth and prepare yourself for the joy of the harvest!

Cheers

Dana

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Stroke of Genius IPA

Not to brag or anything, but I'm a genius.  And here is the liquid expression of said genius.  A moderate-high strength IPA using some unconventional hops in an attempt to harness the true power of the lupulin gods.  For this recipe I've chosen 5 hops: Yakima Magnum (aa 13.1%), Palisade (7.8%), Aurora (7.5%), US Sorachi (11.6%), and Ahtanum (4.5%).  

I wanted something different for this brew.  Something other than the conventional pungent grapefruit of Columbus, the floral citrus of Cascade, or the distinct Fruit-loop flavor of too much Centennial.  Nothing against these hops, quite honestly, they are delicious.  The problem is that everyone uses them, and most of what they have to offer has become commonplace.  

I've chosen the Yakima Magnum for bittering because of its high alpha and low cohumulone content relative to some other common bittering choices.  Theoretically, it should provide a nice clean bitterness and minimize total hop material entering the kettlel.  Palisades are the spine of the recipe contributing a big tangerine, light citrus flavor and aroma.  I wanted something with unique fruit character that wouldn't come across as pungent.  Aurora is a very unique hop from the styrian growing region, and provides a candied orange peel/ candied ginger note.  Sorachi, originally sourced from Japan, has a very distinct lemon zest flavor and dill aroma.  I used the latter two hops sparingly to support the prominent character of Palisades.  Subtle hints of orange peel, candied ginger, lemon, and herbs behind a big expression of tangerine should add a depth of complexity to this beer that will intrigue the drinker and keep them guessing as to what the mystery liquid contains.  Now for the big finish.  A 2oz dry hop of Ahtanum will bring hop flowers, apricot, and and a note of pine to the nose.  Enough said about the hops, here is the recipe.

Batch Size: 5.5 gallons ~ Approach: All-grain ~ Style: Genius IPA

Target OG: 1.060 - 1.065

Target IBUs: 60-63

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Grain Bill:

91% -11lbs 8oz Domestic 2-Row 

6% - 12oz Crystal 40L

3% - 6oz Carapils

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Hops & Kettle Additions:

.5oz Yakima Magnum Pellets(13.1%)

3oz Palisade Pellets (7.8%)

1oz Aurora Pellets(7.5%)

1oz Sorachi Pellets(11.6%)

2oz Ahtanum Whole (Dry Hop)

Whirlfloc Tablet

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Yeast:

Nottingham - Dry Yeast

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Procedure:

Mash in between 150-152F with apx. 3.75 gallons of water (1.2qts/lb grain).  A slightly thicker mash will lend itself to increased B-amylase activity, increase fermentability, and drive hop perception.  Sparge with water @ 167F to collect 6.5 gallons of wort. Bring to a boil and follow the schedule below.  Note that the recipe has been adjusted to a 5.5 gallon batch to accommodate hop loss in the kettle.

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60 minutes - .5oz Yakima Magnum (6.5 aau)

20 minutes - 1oz Palisade (7.8 aau)

20 minutes - .5oz Aurora (3.8 aau)

20 minutes - .5oz Sorachi (5.8 aau)

15 minutes - Whirlfloc Tab

KO - 2oz Palisade

KO - .5oz Aurora

KO - .5oz Sorachi

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Chill the wort and pitch the packet of Nottingham.  This is a forgiving strain with a broad temperature range 58-73F comfortably.  The lower side of the spectrum will ferment slow and very clean with very mild fruitiness and more vigorous fermentation as temperature increases.  Going much over 73F will lend itself to diacetyl production, but overall, the strain is very clean at a broad spectrum.  I've chosen Nottingham for this brew because its cheaper than a liquid strain, ferments clean, and is a bit cheaper in the face of a huge hop profile.  That being said, once fermentation slows or stops, rack to a secondary over 2oz of Ahtanum (Whole leaf if you can swing it) and let condition for 7-10 days.  At this point you're ready to bottle or keg.  Figure a standard 3/4cup of priming sugar should get the job done.

Enjoy!

Dana

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Oddball Hops

There's a basic trend in the brewing community to gravitate towards a small group of American hops, most of which begin with the letter "C".  What many have never seen are the little green gems that don't often enter into the spotlight.  What many homebrewers see as the best options are the ones they've tasted, i.e the varieties established breweries use.  By the same token, most big breweries play it safe, working with the established and successful flavor profiles of Centennial, Cascade, Columbus, Chinook, Amarillo, and Willamette.  Those six names make up about 90% of what we see used in commercial and homebrew circles, but there are literally hundreds of "undiscovered" hop varieties with beautifully unique and delicious flavor and aroma characteristics.  Fortunately for the homebrewer, we're not bound to buying 100lbs of hops at a time, and are free to experiment as we please, forever crafting and perfecting our art.  Now I'd like to share a few of my favorite varieties.

Ahtanum - American - Typical AA 4.0-6.0% - This hop shares a common vein with cascade, but with more subtle charactistics.  A bit more floral than cascade, and lightly fruity with light citrus and notes of dried apricot and a unique subtle pine aroma.  

Bravo - American - Typical AA 10.0-13.0% - Big mixed fruit expression with some earthiness in the profile.  Think Centennial and Fuggle having a child bigger than each of his parents.  Consider this trying this hop in a big American or Russian Stout, as the earthiness plays nicely with caramel and roast flavors.

Palisade - American - Typical AA 5.5-8.0 - Big tangerine flavor and aroma.  Don't let the simplicity of the description scare you away.  Palisade is one of the most versatile and juicy hops out there.  Try on anything, and consider pairing with ahtanum.

Sorachi Ace/ Sorachi - Japan/US respectively -Typical AA 10-15% - Lemongrass and dill on the aroma with a strong lemon peel flavor.  Truly unique.  Makes killer Belgians.

Aurora - Styrian - Typical AA 6.0-8.0% - Flavor and aroma of candied orange peels, a mild lime note, and a touch of fresh ginger-like spice.  A little Aurora will bring complexity to any brew, and makes phenomenal pale lagers.  Admittedly one of my favorites.

Saphir - German - Typical AA 4.0-6.0 -Bred from Hallertau Mittelfrueh for better growth yield and stability.  Big grassy, hallertau-like characteristics with a pleasant peach-apricot-tangerine fruitiness.  Fantastic aroma. (Try using it with Aurora)

Summit - American - Typical AA 15-20 - This is the nuclear strike of American hops.  Maybe not quite as oddball as some of the others, but I need to mention Summit for its insane level of pungent pine-like characteristics.  Try using Summit to dry hop an IPA.

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The following are brand new to me, but I've had the honor of repackaging several pounds of each.  Here are my initial impressions.

Lublin - Polish - Current AA 4.2% - Very floral and genuinely "hoppy."  A mild, very pleasant finishing hop.  Noble-like.  I have a feeling this would benefit any lager or light/hoppy ale.

Komik - Polish? - Current AA 4.6% - Earthen spice.  A caraway or curry-like aroma off the bag.  I'd love to see this in a Saison or Belgain Pale.

Bobek - Styrian -Current AA 3.9% - This has got to be Fuggle's estranged cousin.  Super earthy, with notes of dried leather, jerky, and white pepper.  Intensely unique.

Opal - German - Current AA 6.3% - Pleasantly herbal with notes of sage, thyme and a touch of peppery spice.  

Merkur - German - Current AA 12.4% - Pungent herbs and quite spicy.  Seems similar to Magnum, but with a bit more spice.

Motueka - New Zealand - Current AA 7.1% -  When I first opened a bag of this hop and smelled the contents, my brain went numb and I tried to crawl into the bag.  Big lemon-lime, tropical fruit, and melon aroma.  I will be brewing with this hop soon.

So next time you're at your local homebrew shop, ask what "oddball" hops they have to give your next brew the unique edge it deserves, whether it be a small melon note in a Belgian Pale, a touch of ginger-like spice lingering in the background of your big American IPA, or something mild and floral to finish off a pale lager.  There is a whole world of lupulin-lovers out there and the addition of one of these hops could add an extra depth of character that sets your beer apart from the rest.

Cheers!

Dana

[brewniverse-blog]

Essentials of Cleanliness & Sanitation

There seems to be a bit of confusion out there these days as to what actually constitutes effective and safe cleaning and sanitation practice for the homebrewer.   The first step in understanding your own routine is differentiating between the two terms and understanding the products that are available.  

"Cleaning" refers to the removal of gross debris, residue, or otherwise visible or invisible gunk plaguing your equipment.  Avoid using household soaps, detergents, or chlorine bleach as these tend to leave a residue and are difficult to eliminate from equipment.  There are a multitude of effective, and affordable cleansers on the market that will help you maintain and get the most out of your equipment.

B-Brite & PBW: These are my top recommended cleansers.  They are safe* (non-caustic), very effective, and easy to use.  Both products are powdered alkaline cleansers using mainly sodium percarbonates as a cleaning agent.  B-brite is a bit less powerful than PBW, but it is a bit cheaper and sufficient for most homebrew cleaning.  I recommend PBW for anyone using a pump, plate chiller, or equipment that requires difficult to reach scrubbing. This stuff is potent and effectively dissolves proteins and other organic material making scrubbing less of an issue.  Always rinse well and wear gloves.  Great for cleaning stainless steel, glass, plastics, and tubing, but limit contact to reactive metals like copper, especially if you're using a copper chiller.

Straight-A:  This is one that is great for beer label removal.  I haven't tried it for anything else, and honestly don't know much about it.  Use it to save yourself from buying costly new bottles.  Use gloves.

C-Brite: This product uses a chlorine complex as the cleaning agent.  It is marketed as a no rinse cleaner and sanitizer, but I put it into the "cleanser" category because it contains chlorine.  Any chlorine that makes its way into the finished beer causes yeast stress and throws a particularly nasty off flavor reminiscent of old bandaids.  I don't recommend C-brite for any final step sanitation, but if you do make sure to give a thorough hot water rinse to gas off excess chlorine.  Additionally, chlorine is corrosive to stainless steel equipment, so C-brite is inappropriate for keg cleaning.  That being said, C-brite works great for cleaning glass carboys and plastics.  Use gloves.

"Sanitation" has more to do with killing microbes of concern, which for beer, is of prime importance.  The brewing process involves preparing a liquid designed to support microbial growth.  We want to make sure that the yeast or microorganisms we introduce reproduce and flourish while eliminating all other microbes.  Proper sanitation practice is essential to the production of quality beer.  Keep in mind that most sanitizers require at least a full minute of contact time to be effective.

Star San: Economically sound, super effective, ease of use, and shelf stability make star san one of the best brewing sanitizers.  Use at a rate of 1oz/5gallons (or mix up 1/5/gallon jug).  Use in distilled water if you plan to store mixture for more than a few days.  Star san is convenient to keep in a spray bottle and is completely no rinse.  Do not use with any chlorine based products and try to avoid contact with skin.  This product is a phosphoric acid base and will cause cracking and bleeding on the hands.

Iodophor:  Professional grade iodine based sanitizer.  1oz makes 5 gallons of sanitizer.  Iodophor is cheap, effective, and easy, but it is not shelf stable.  Iodine sanitizers gas off over time and at high temperatures.  Make your dilution with cold or lukewarm water and discard at the end of the day.  Iodophor is a no rinse sanitizer when used at the proper dosage, and will not harm your skin.  On a final note, this stuff will discolor plastics over time.  Avoid soaking plastics, but know it doesn't harm the equipment in any way.

One Step:  This product is a cleanser/sanitizer combo advertised as a no-rinse product.  If you're using one step in a no-rinse application, allow your equipment to completely dry before use.  I've heard great things about this product, but haven't used it myself.  Its certainly cheap and easy to use, but I'm generally skeptical of no-rinse products that contain cleansers.

Always use cleansers and sanitizers at the recommended dosage.  More doesn't mean more effective.  Some cleaners will literally eat away at stainless steel or glass if too concentrated and sanitizers can damage your skin or throw off flavors into your beer.  Get into the habit of handling brewing chemicals responsibly, you'll protect yourself, your equipment, and your wallet.

[brewniverse-blog]

Techniques in Home Yeast Propagation

Pitching adequate amounts of healthy, active yeast is key to the success of any fermentation.  Underpitching lends itself to increased lag times, longer fermentations, and off flavors associated with yeast stress.  For your sake, but more importantly, for the trillions of yeast cells at your disposal, I will demonstrate the production of a starter.

Home Brewing How To · Preparing A Yeast Starter from Jeremy White on Vimeo.

Ideally, a starter should be prepared about 2 days prior to brew day.  This will give the yeast plenty of time to increase their population, strengthen their cell walls, and acclimate to their environment.  Start off by sanitizing everything.  I'm using star-san in a spray bottle because its extremely effective, easy, and has a long shelf life when mixed with distilled water.  In theory, the heat from the boil should take care of any unwanted micro-organisms in the neck of the flask, but it takes about 3 seconds to spray it down.  Turn the flask upside down to dry until you're ready to use it.  Next measure out DME at a ratio of 10g DME/100mL water.  For our 1200mL starter we'll use 120g DME.  If you don't have a gram scale, 1/2 cup DME is approximately equal to 90g.  Also, keep in mind that we're only going up to 1200mL on this starter because the yeast will have a tendency to try and crawl right up and out of the airlock.  One more important point - NEVER use distilled water with any fermentation.

Next combine DME wit ha small amount of water, mix well, and add into the flask.  Its much easier to dissolve DME in a separate bowl than in the flask itself.  Add this mixture to the starter flask and add water until you've achieved the total volume you're looking for.  Boil this mixture for a full 15 minutes to ensure a totally sterile environment.  I usually affix a #10 stopper to the top of the flask during boiling to add a little bit of back pressure.  This allows steam to back up in the neck of the flask and gets everything good and hot.

To cool the starter quickly, transfer the flask to an ice bath.  Usually 5 lbs of ice with some water in your sink is sufficient.  Keep in mind that these flasks are made to endure extreme temperature changes, and will not shatter.  Normal glassware should not be heated on a stove or exposed to extreme temperature changes!  Be aware of this if you're using normal kitchen equipment.  Cover the stopper with a bit of foil and swirl around in the ice bath for quick  cooling.  If you're using a sauce pot to cook up your starter in, do not cover it.  We want to keep any liquid from condensing on a lid and dripping back into the starter.

When you've reached adequate pitching temperature for your particular yeast strain, sanitize the yeast pack, scissors, and pitch into the starter.  Swirl for several minutes to mix up the yeast and introduce oxygen into the system.  Yeast need oxygen to properly multiply, and since we are really looking to bolster our population here oxygen is a key nutrient.  Swirl for as long as you have patience for, or invest in a stir plate.  When you're satisfied, either cover tightly with foil or affix the airlock.  The foil allows better gas exchange with the environment, but since I live in a house with a cat who has free reign of everything, I choose to use the airlock for safety.  Pet dander and dust are riddled with wild yeast that I'd prefer to keep out of my starter.  Now sit back and relax knowing you've given your yeast population the best possible shot at life.

One more very important note: Sanitize the lip of the flask and around the stopper before pitching the starter into your wort.  Any microbes on the lip of the flask will have a field day in your wort if not taken care of.

Hope you enjoy the demonstration!  And special thanks to Jeremy White for the stunning cinematography.  Check out his other work at http://www.fairfaxfilms.com/

Dana