Sunday, September 28, 2008

Sleazy T Ale

I've decided to brew another English Ale for my next beer. My friend Sleazy T from Des Moines really likes this beer called John Courage but they aren't making it anymore. I did a little research on John Courage. I think this beer will be similar to what John Courage is like.

I've decided to add a special twist to this beer. I've decided I would like a little more hop aroma without the added bitterness that you get from adding more hops to the boil pot. To accomplish this I am going to dry hop this beer with two half ounce plugs of East Kent Goldings. It should be interesting.

Sleazy T Ale

3.5 pounds Munton and Fison Extra Light Dry Malt Extract
14 oz light brown sugar
1/2 pound Crystal 50-60ยบ Simpson’s (UK)
1/2 pound flaked corn
1/2 pound flaked wheat

Hops

1 oz 4% Fuggles (60 minutes)
1/2 oz 3% German Tradition (60 minutes)

1 oz East Kent Goldings plugs - dry hopped for last week in secondary

1 tsp Irish Moss added in last 10 minutes of boil

Yeast
White Labs #WLP005 British Ale Yeast

Holy Bottles Batman!

My naughty friends in Des Moines gave me 8 cases of bottles!

Peach Ginger Mead Moved

I moved the Peach Ginger Mead to another carboy today. I also tasted a little sample. It has mellowed tremendously over the last month.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Plum Mead Moved to Secondary

I moved the plum mead to the secondary. The SG was 0.996 today. The ABV is around 14.7%.

Hawkeye Hefe

I opened a Hawkeye Hefe last night. It is my best effort yet! Very tasty! It tastes exactly like a hefe should. There is a slight flavor of bananas mixed with clove. It goes down very easy and is not too bitter.

Hard Knox Cider moved to secondary

I moved the Hard Knox Cider to the secondary this AM. It is about 7.5% alcohol by volume at the moment.

Irish Red Ale Bottled

I bottled the Irish Red Ale this AM. I think it will be pretty tasty. Here are the final stats:

Starting Gravity - 1.059
Finishing gravity - 1.014
Alcohol By Volume - 5.8%
IBU's - 20

I made up some labels for the caps. My naughty wife came up with the name.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Hard Knox Cider

Today I brewed up some hard cider for NJ. I got un-preserved apple juice from Wal Mart. I misread the label. I thought I was buying gallons of the stuff and it was in 3 quart bottles. My naughty wife had to run to Hy Vee to get the Hy Vee brand apple juice. I added a little clover honey to increase the starting gravity. Without further delay, here is the recipe.


Hard Knox Cider

4 gallons Wal Mart Great Value 100% Juice (unsweetened) pasteurized apple juice
1 gallon Hy Vee brand Juice (unsweetened) pasteurized apple juice
1 lb 2 oz clover honey
1 package Red Star Pastuer Champagne yeast, rehydrated according to package.

Starting gravity - 1.058

Buzzy Beer Update

I tested the gravity of the Buzzy Beer today. Its almost there! 1.028. The ABV is ~9.29%. I gave it a swirl today to encourage a little more fermentation. It now needs to sit until mid-October.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Plum Crazy Mead Tested

The activity in the plum crazy mead has really slowed down. I decided to give it a gravity test today. It was 1.000, corresponding to an ABV of ~14.7%.

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Buzzy Beer, Location

I have been researching 2 strip and 3 strip technicolor. I have figured out how to do 3 strip technicolor with the touch of a button using photoshop. Here is the original photo of the Buzzy's Farm Location:

Here is Buzzy's Farm Location in glorious 3 strip technicolor:

Party consumes Benn Naughty Ale!

I was recently at my great uncle's 80th birthday party.

I brought the rest of the Benn Naughty Ale and enough Liberty Cream Ale to make 5 gallons. It all disappeared.

I got a photo of the inspiring character for Benn Naughty Ale, consuming the very same!

New Mugs

I got a few Octoberfest mugs. They are 1L mugs made from really heavy glass.
Tasty!

Hawkeye Hefe Bottled!

I bottled the Hawkeye Hefe today with yellow caps.
Here are the final stats
Starting Gravity - 1.052
IBU - 10
Final Gravity - 1.015
Alcohol By Volume - 4.77%

Friday, September 5, 2008

Hawkeye Hefe Close to Ready

I measured the gravity of the Hawkeye Hefe today. It was 1.015. There is still a bit of activity in the airlock but not much. I'll measure the gravity again over the next few days. If it doesn't change much I'll bottle it. This is going to be an outstanding beer. I tasted a little nip. Also it has great color. Today the ABV is about 4.77%.

Buzzy Beer Gravity Reading

I measured the gravity of the Buzzy Beer today, just to make sure it was still making progress. It was 1.036 which means it has about 8.25%ABV. I gave it a little swirl to mix the nutrients around a bit. I'll measure it again in another couple weeks.

Monday, September 1, 2008

Buzzy Beer Racked to Secondary

I moved the Buzzy Beer to the secondary today. Right now its ABV is about 7.5%!! It still has a ways to go though. It will spend at least 6 weeks in the secondary before bottling. I tasted a little sample and it was super tasty but I could tell it needs to ferment a bit more.