| No | Brew Date | Name | Type | Primary | 2nd | O.G. | F.G. | ABV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2011-01-09 | Pale Ale (kit) | 13 | 1.040 | 1.010 | 4.4% | ||
| 2 | 2011-02-12 | Robust Porter (kit) | 17 | 1.049 | 1.012 | 4.9% | ||
| 3 | 2011-04-11 | Baltic Porter (kit) | 5 | 8 | 1.067 | 1.020 | 6.2% | |
| 4 | 2011-07-02 | Irish Red | 10 | 5 | 1.054 | 1.012 | 5.6% | |
| 5 | 2011-08-28 | IPA | 4 | 3 | 1.092 | 1.028 | 8.8% | |
| 6 | 2011-10-23 | Double IPA | 6 | 10+1 | 1.094 | 1.030 | 8.7% | |
| 7 | 2011-11-13 | Pumpkin Spice Ale | 7 | 15 | 1.061 | 1.016 | 6.1% | |
| 8 | 2011-12-27 | Russian Imperial Stout | 6 | 51 | 1.076 | 1.032 | 5.9% | |
| 9 | 2012-01-13 | Double IPA | 6 | 12+6 | 1.064 | 1.016 | 6.5% | |
| 10 | 2012-02-26 | Chocolate Porter | 11 | 4 | 1.040 | 1.012 | 3.9% | |
| 11 | 2012-04-17 | Double IPA | 7 | 14+14 | 1.082 | 1.020 | 8.4% | |
| 12 | 2012-08-26 | Pumpkin Spice Ale | 7 | 7 | 1.068 | 1.014 | 7.2% | |
| 13 | 2013-02-09 | Breakfast Stout Clone | 15 | 2 | ? | 1.020 | ? | |
| 14 | 2013-04-20 | Pumpkin Spice Ale | 21 | 1.062 | 1.012 | 6.6% | ||
| 15 | 2013-04-25 | Double IPA | 12 | 13 | 1.080 | 1.018 | 8.4% | |
| 16 | 2013-09-24 | Nut Brown Ale | 40 | 1.030 | 1.008 | 3.1% | ||
| 17 | 2014-01-01 | Black IPA | 4 | 13+1 | 1.061 | 1.020 | 5.6% | |
| 18 | 2014-01-12 | Peanut Butter Cup Porter | 6 | 10+1 | 1.076 | 1.030 | 6.3% | |
| 19 | 2014-03-16 | Milk Stout | 10 | 4 | 1.059 | 1.024 | 4.7% | |
| 20 | 2014-04-27 | IPA | 7 | 9 | 1.046 | 1.008 | 4.9% | |
| 21 | 2014-06-01 | Double IPA | 4 | 11+2 | 1.078 | 1.013 | 8.7% | |
| 22 | 2014-06-26 | Breakfast Stout Clone | 10 | 10 | 1.073 | 1.020 | 7.1% | |
| 23 | 2014-08-10 | Pumpkin Spice Ale | 21 | 9 | 1.052 | 1.013 | 5.3% | |
| 24 | 2014-09-01 | Breakfast Stout Clone | 13 | 6 | 1.058 | 1.014 | 5.9% | |
| 25 | 2015-01-10 | Peanut Butter Cup Porter | 8 | 5 | 1.070 | 1.030 | 5.5% | |
| 26 | 2015-02-08 | Breakfast Stout Clone | 7 | 9 | 1.066 | 1.020 | 6.2% | |
| 27 | 2015-03-22 | Milk Stout | 7 | 1.065 | 1.027 | 5.2% | ||
| 28 | 2015-04-26 | Double IPA | 7 | 8 | 1.078 | 1.017 | 8.3% | |
| 29 | 2015-06-14 | Pumpkin Spice Ale | 15 | 84 | 1.054 | 1.010 | 6.0% | |
| 30 | 2015-07-20 | Milk Stout (kit) | 7 | 14 | 1.053 | 1.025 | 3.8% | |
| 31 | 2015-10-25 | Double IPA | 6 | 15+1 | 1.078 | ? | ? | |
| 32 | 2015-11-15 | Goldilocks | Imperial IPA | 7 | 15+6 | 1.072 | 1.012 | 7.9% |
| 33 | 2016-01-31 | Dwarf | Imperial Stout | 6 | 8 | 1.104 | 1.033 | 9.7% |
| 34 | 2016-01-18 | Diplodocus | Double IPA | 9 | 15 | 1.064 | 1.008 | 7.6% |
| 35 | 2016-02-28 | Black Beauty | Black IPA | 7 | 1.050 | ? | ? | |
| 36 | 2016-06-05 | Diplodocus | Double IPA | 7 | 15 | 1.080 | 1.012 | 9.2% |
| 37 | 2016-08-14 | Mayflower | Blonde Ale | 7 | 2 | 1.045 | 1.010 | 4.8% |
| 38 | 2016-08-27 | Goldilocks | Imperial IPA | 2 | 11+8 | 1.071 | 1.012 | 7.9% |
| 39 | 2016-09-11 | 20 Gauge | Pumpkin Spice Ale | 28 | 1.060 | 1.013 | 6.4% | |
| 40 | 2016-10-30 | Severnaya | Breakfast Stout Clone | 14 | 1.082 | 1.032 | 6.8% | |
| 41 | 2016-12-04 | Black Beauty | Black IPA | 6 | 21 | 1.056 | 1.013 | 5.8% |
| 42 | 2017-02-12 | Goldilocks | Imperial IPA | 6 | 14 | 1.070 | 1.010 | 8.1% |
| 43 | 2017-05-21 | Diplodocus | Double IPA | 16 | 1.079 | 1.012 | 8.9% | |
| 44 | 2017-07-02 | Goldilocks | Imperial IPA | 3+9+5 | 1.063 | 1.008 | 7.3% | |
| 45 | 2017-09-03 | 20 Gauge | Pumpkin Spice Ale | 37 | 1.058 | 1.012 | 6.3% | |
| 46 | 2018-04-18 | Goldilocks | Imperial IPA | 4+10+4 | 1.069 | 1.006 | 8.4% | |
| 47 | 2018-06-23 | Goldilocks | Imperial IPA | 4+9+5 | 1.064 | 1.010 | 7.3% | |
| 48 | 2018-07-05 | 20 Gauge | Pumpkin Spice Ale | 87 | 1.064 | 1.011 | 7.1% | |
| 49 | 2018-12-23 | Imperial Stout | 1.100 | 1.037 | 8.6% | |||
| 50 | 2019-03-03 | Motor Oil | Russion Imperial Stout | 13 | 1.085 | 1.031 | 7.3% | |
| 51 | 2019-03-17 | Maple Sunrise | Imperial Breakfast Stout | 14 | 1.091 | 1.024 | 9.0% | |
| 52 | 2019-05-12 | Goldilocks | Imperial IPA | 3 | 11+7 | 1.060 | 1.007 | 7.1% |
| 53 | 2019-06-09 | Diplodocus | Double IPA | 8 | 10 | 1.073 | 1.012 | 8.2% |
| 54 | 2019-06-23 | 20 Gauge | Pumpkin Spice Ale | 12 | 1.064 | 1.012 | 7.0% | |
| 55 | 2019-08-18 | Oak-Aged Vanilla Stout | 8 | 47 | 1.072 | 1.018 | 7.2% | |
| 56 | 2019-11-09 | Winter Spiced Stout | 14 | 1.064 | 1.022 | 5.6% | ||
| 57 | 2020-03-01 | Motor Oil | Russion Imperial Stout | 14 | 1.095 | 1.031 | 8.4% | |
| 58 | 2020-03-29 | Iguanodon | Double IPA | 6 | 17 | 1.076 | 1.011 | 8.5% |
| 59 | 2020-05-26 | Diplodocus | Double IPA | 1.080 |
Similar to #15, #21, #28, #36, #43, #53.
OG: 1.080 @ 77F; FG: ; ABV: ; Calories:
Back to 9.0 lb of LME instead of 8.5.
I started by going to the brew store to get ingredients for Diplodocus. But they were out of some hops, LME, and the yeast I needed. So I decided to sub out all of those, which was really an entirely different recipe, rather than not brew at all.
OG: 1.076 @ 75F; FG: 1.011 @ 72F; ABV: 8.5%; Calories: 249
It took a little over 45 min to hit 165F starting from cold tap water. Transferred from primary to secondary (5 gal carboy) for dry hopping at 6 days. Smell was great. Kegged after 17 days in secondary. I had carbonated water in the keg, so I didn't do a full keg clean. I left the locks in place and just ran sanitizer through to save some time.
This one was too fruity for me. I'm guessing the yeast substitution contributed to that. Don't need to do this one again.
OG: 1.095 @ 75F; FG: 1.031 @ 73F; ABV: 8.4%; Calories: 321
I got the ingredients from Brewer's Edge instead of Siciliano's. They did not have bulk Dark LME so I used Golden LME instead and increased the amount of chocolate, black patent, and roasted barley grains. I did not crush up the flaked oats with the grains. I used my large grain bag and I lost a lot of water when removing the grains - probably close to a gallon. However, I had close to a gallon of LME so that brought it back up close to 5 gallons total again. It took over 45 minutes starting from cold water to get to 165F to steep. Lost maybe half a gallon during the boil. So the OG was higher than previous time but more like what I was going for with this recipe anyway.
I wanted to brew a session stout but decided to spice it up slightly.
A little over a week after kegging it tastes ok. It has a somewhat bad initial smell factor, not sure why.
On 2019-08-12 I submersed 2 oz of oak chips in about 1 cup of Ezra Brooks bourbon in a 2 cup pyrex container. On 2019-08-16 I submersed 2 vanilla beans in about 3/4 cup of Ezra Brooks bourbon in a 4 cup pyrex container. Used the large nylon brew bag to steep the grains and oats. When removing it it removed so much water (about 2“ below rivets) that I added more to bring up to about 1” below rivets. On 2019-08-26 I transferred to secondary and racked onto the vanilla beans, bourbon, and oak chips. Gravity measured 1.020 at 72 before transferring and about 1.018 after transferring. Kegged on 2019-10-12. Gravity measured 1.018 at 71. It tasted great during kegging. This one tasted excellent. I could have used even more vanilla. The oak was plenty though. A couple weeks after kegging, this one is very good. Although it turned out excellent, it could have used more vanilla, and probably a little less aging on oak chips. Next time I would try maybe adding the oak chips later to the secondary.
OG: 1.064 @ 79; FG: 1.012 @ 73; ABV: 7.0%; Calories: 226
Similar to 48. The brew store no longer had U.K. W.G.V. hops so I used UK East Kent Goldings instead. Turned out great!
Similar to #15, #21, #28, #36, #43.
OG: 1.073 @ 81; FG: 1.012 @ 72; ABV: 8.2%; Calories: 257
Turned out good.
Imperial IPA
OG: 1.060 @ 78; FG: 1.007 @ 72; ABV: 7.1%; Calories: 209
Similar to #47 but back to Safale US-05 yeast. I used the Pliny Hop Pack from Farmhouse Brewing. This time around I preferred diplodocus to Goldilocks.
OG: 1.091 @ 77; FG: 1.024 @ 69; ABV: 9.05%; Calories: 321
Somewhat based on https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/322238/maple-imperial-breakfast-stout.
Instead of transferring to an actual secondary, I just added the oak chips and natural maple flavor to the primary bucket. I used the “tea” method for the oak chips because I did not start soaking them in liquor early enough. I boiled about 2 cups of water in a pot and then added the 2 oz of oak chips to the boiling water. I let it boil for 5 minutes then moved the pot to an ice bath in the sink for 5 minutes, and then poured the entire “tea” and most of the oak chips in to the wort. I am not sure how much of the natural maple flavor to use in addition to the maple syrup that was brewed with. I am probably going to have to taste it once it's kegged and see whether I need to add more then. I could not taste enough maple once it was kegged. I added close to 2 oz of the maple flavor extract in the keg to try it out. Unfortunately it did not mix in well so the next pour had way too much of it. The following pours were also too strong of the maple extract. Will see if it starts mellowing out. If I brew again I should use more of the maple extract in the secondary or at flameout perhaps.
OG: 1.085 @ 77; FG: 1.031 @ 72; ABV: 7.3%; Calories: 304
I got the ingredients from Siciliano's instead of Brewers Edge this time. I crushed up the flaked oats with the grains. During kegging the final gravity was higher than I expected. Perhaps I didn't let it sit long enough. It tasted sweeter than I wanted while kegging, but tasted great. After letting it sit in the keg 1-2 weeks this one tasted great. It still is slightly sweeter than I wanted, and not as high of a gravity as I was going for. I probably could have done a lower volume of water. I think having the flaked oats crushed up with the grain made a difference. The mouthfeel was very smooth. Overall excellent, one of my best stouts. After a few weeks and several more pours, this remains a very good stout. I could try adding oak chips or more flaked oats.
OG: 1.100@75; FG: 1.037@66; ABV: 8.6%; Calories: 356
Originally based on https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/view/1647/chocolate-imperial-stout. Mike and I brewed the same recipe in his garage. I used Safale US-05 while he used White Labs WLP004 Irish Ale liquid yeast. I used his aluminum turkey roaster pot on the burner. It turned out good enough.
OG: 1.064@74; FG: 1.011@67; ABV: 7.1%; Calories: 222
Same as 45.
Imperial IPA
OG: 1.064 @ 77; FG: 1.010 @ 67; ABV: 7.3%; Calories: 223
Similar to #46. Decreased dextrose from 1.75 to 1.0 lb. Increased LME from 7.0 lb to 7.5 lb. Changed steeped grains slightly. Changed the yeast to experiment. I used the Pliny Hop Pack from Farmhouse Brewing.
Imperial IPA
OG: 1.069 @ 74; FG: 1.006 @ 71; ABV: 8.35%; Calories: 237
Similar to #44. Increased dextrose from 1.25 to 1.75 lb. I used less Crystal 10 and more Carapils in the hope to make the color lighter and make the taste slightly less malty. The brew store only had one Safale US-05 in stock so I only used one. I used the Pliny Hop Pack from Farmhouse Brewing.
OG: 1.058 @ 82; FG: 1.012 @ 71; ABV: 6.3%; Calories: 207
Imperial IPA
OG: 1.063 @ 79; FG: 1.008 @ 76; ABV: 7.3%; Calories: 220
Similar to #42. Decreased pilsen light LME down by another 1 lb. Decreased dextrose from 1.5 to 1.25 lb. I used the Pliny Hop Pack from Farmhouse Brewing.
Similar to #15, #21, #28, #36.
OG: 1.079 @ 76; FG: 1.012 @ 73; ABV: 8.9%; Calories: 275
This one turned out great. Probably the best for this recipe. It is a bit malty. Perhaps next time reduce LME.
Imperial IPA
OG: 1.070 @ 77; FG: 1.010 @ 64; ABV: 8.1%; Calories: 243
Similar to #38. I increased the amount of dextrose quite a bit and brought the pilsen light LME content down by 1 lb. I used the Pliny Hop Pack from Farmhouse Brewing.
This is mainly based on the recipe at http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/10/homebrewing-how-to-brew-american-black-ale-cascadian-dark-black-ipa-recipe.html.
OG: 1.056 @ 76; FG: 1.013 @ 64; ABV: 5.8%; Calories: 197
This one turned out to be fairly decent. I wouldn't say it's great, but very drinkable. Very dark color with a bitter initial bite. Mouthfeel and aftertaste are meh.
A Breakfast Stout clone; mostly the same as 26.
OG: 1.082 @ 78; FG: 1.032 @ 68; ABV: 6.8%; Calories: 295
Changes from previous:
At first this one tasted too sweet like it didn't fully ferment. After several days of sitting in the keg and turning up the CO2 it was a little better. Next time, use 2 yeast packets for this high of an OG. Also transfer to secondary. Also let it sit longer. I think I kegged it too early.
OG: 1.060 @ 80; FG: 1.013 @ 70; ABV: 6.4% Calories: 213
Used cold tap water instead of hot water from the water heater.
This one is good, but not as good as it has been in the past. The spice taste is good but the pumpkin is lacking. I did not get around to transferring this to a secondary fermenter, which might make a difference. And it only fermented for 28 days before kegging. Perhaps I need to let this one sit for a couple months before kegging again next time.
Imperial IPA
OG: 1.071 @ 80; FG: 1.012 @ 74; ABV: 7.9%; Calories: 250
Similar to #32. I used Pilsen Light LME instead of Golden Light LME and Crystal 10 instead of Crystal 40 in hopes of lightening the color a little. I used the Pliny Hop Pack from Farmhouse Brewing. I also used cold tap water instead of hot water from the water heater.
It turned out alright. Definitely drinkable. The hop profile was good. It was very malty and had a thicker mouth feel than I would prefer. I need to figure out how to make it crisper. Phil suggests increasing the portion of simple sugar (dextrose).
Letting this one sit a couple weeks in the keg seemed to do it well, it is very tasty. I still think I'll try a higher portion of simple sugar to try to lighten the body a bit.
From http://www.eckraus.com/blog/centennial-blonde-ale-recipe-all-grain-extract.
OG: 1.045 @ 84; FG: 1.010 @ 74; ABV: 4.8%; Calories: 164
This one was meh. Drinkable but not great. I think I should have let it ferment longer. It didn't taste complete enough.
Similar to #15, #21, #28.
OG: 1.080 @ 78; FG: 1.012 @ 66; ABV: 9.2%; Calories: 278
Same hop schedule as 17 but a totally different grain bill.
OG: 1.050 @ 76; FG: ?; ABV: ?
I re-hydrated the US-05 yeast for this brew. This one must have gotten infected or something. It tasted bad and needs to be dumped. It did sit for a long time (2 months?) in the fermenter while I had two other kegs going.
Similar to #28 but without Table Sugar.
OG: 1.064 @ 77; FG: 1.008 @ 64; ABV: 7.6%
Forgot to put in table sugar. Drinkable, but not great.
Converted Expedition Stout clone recipe from https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/forum/index.php?topic=10220.0
OG: 1.104 @ 77; FG: 1.033 @ 65; ABV: 9.7%
Notes:
I kegged this one after 14 days and tried it after 4 days in the keg. It is pretty good, but I think I needed to let it age a bit longer. The sweetness level is good. The roast character is good. It is not as thick and creamy as I'd like. Maybe use more flaked barley?
After a couple weeks in the keg this one developed a bad aftertaste. It is not great.
OG: 1.072 @ 67; FG: 1.012 @ 67; ABV: 7.9%
This started out as a Pliny the Elder clone recipe. It was converted to extract. The brew store was out of Pilsen Light LME so I used Golden Light LME instead. I also used Safale US-05 dry yeast instead of the White Labs WLP001 California Ale Yeast. I used the Pliny Hop Pack from Farmhouse Brewing. It came out darker than Pliny so next time I'd like to lighten the color. It also came out feeling thicker and maltier. Pliny feels lighter which I like.
Similar to #15, #21, #28.
OG: 1.078 @ 81; FG: @; ABV: ?
Forgot to measure FG for this one when kegging. Oh well.
This Chocolate Milk Stout was a Brewer's Best kit.
OG: 1.053 @ 77; FG: 1.025 @ 70; ABV: 3.8%
This pumpkin spice ale was pretty much the same as #14.
OG: 1.054 @ 81; FG: 1.010 @ 69; ABV: 6.0%
Similar to #15 and #21.
OG: 1.078 @ 78; FG: 1.017 @ 66; ABV: 8.27%
From http://castlerockhomebrew.com/portfolio-posts/milk-stout-left-hand-clone/.
OG: 1.065 @ 75 FG: 1.027 @ 65 ABV: 5.2%
A Founders Breakfast Stout clone mostly based on the recipe at BYO
OG: 1.066 @ 74; FG: 1.020 @ 64; ABV: 6.2%
Mostly the same as 22. Notes:
Mostly the same as 18. I used baker's chocolate instead of PB2 with chocolate, and 10oz of plain PB2. I also used a different yeast.
OG: 1.070 @ 76F; FG: 1.030 @ 63F; ABV: 5.5%
A Founders Breakfast Stout clone mostly based on the recipe at BYO
OG: 1.058 @ 77; FG: 1.014 @ 68; ABV: 5.9%
Based on #14 but with a few small changes.
OG: 1.052 @ 78; FG: 1.013 @ 69; ABV: 5.3%
I added a little more water before steeping so I would not lose as much volume as last time. But, I also had Krissy pour a little hot water over the steeped grains after steeping. Unfortunately after adding the pumpkin and sugar the volume was too high to safely boil so I removed a little bit off the top before beginning the boil. This probably contributed to the lower original gravity. The brew store did not have U.K. W.G.V. hops so I am trying US Goldings instead. I also used a different yeast.
A Founders Breakfast Stout clone mostly based on the recipe at BYO
OG: 1.073 @ 77; FG: 1.020 @ 69; ABV: 7.14%
Mostly the same as 13.
Notes for next time:
This one was extremely tasty. A very good recipe that Krissy likes as well.
Mostly the same as #15 but with no Cara-Pils steeped grains and a different yeast.
OG: 1.078 @ 75; FG: 1.013 @ 68; ABV: 8.7%
Use the larger primary bucket with this once since it always makes a lot of foam during fermentation. After ~17 hours this baby was fermenting very quickly. I had just over 5.5 gallons in my bucket and there must not have been enough head room since foam started leaking out through the airlock. I split it up into two separate buckets to complete primary fermentation.
Based on http://www.reddit.com/r/Homebrewing/comments/1ee9fn/.
OG: 1.046 @ 68; FG: 1.008 @ 67; ABV: 4.9%
This is the first beer that I kegged in my new keezer. I set the regulator to 12 PSI and plan on slow force carbonating for a week or so.
Based on https://brewersconnection.com/recipes/cactus-milk-stout.html.
OG: 1.059 @ 74; FG: 1.024 @ 67; ABV: 4.7%
Mostly based on http://www.brewtoad.com/recipes/peanut-butter-cup-porter-2.
OG: 1.076 @ 73; FG: 1.030 @ 59; ABV: 4.15%
During transfer to secondary I tasted a small portion and could not pick up the peanut butter / chocolate. Hopefully it will come through in the finished product. If not, I might not want to boil it and instead add it at flameout.
When bottling the peanut flavor was very apparent, but it wasn't much of a “peanut butter” flavor. I also did not pick up on much chocolate. We'll see how it is after a few weeks of bottle conditioning.
Well, after several weeks the taste is about the same. There is a very strong peanut taste, not very peanut buttery though, and I do not pick up on any chocolate. This beer was also under-carbonated. If I try this one again I should use separate baker's chocolate and not the PB2 with chocolate included. I might use a different solution for the peanut butter as well. There was very little head. I'm not sure if the PB2 killed the head retention or if this is purely because it was undercarbed.
This is mainly based on the recipe at http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/10/homebrewing-how-to-brew-american-black-ale-cascadian-dark-black-ipa-recipe.html. The homebrew store was out of the German Carafa II grain. I decided to just omit it instead of substituting since the grain bill seemed rather large to me anyway.
OG: 1.061 @ 71; FG: 1.020 @ 58; ABV: 5.57%
This one turned out great. It was carbonated well. It had a great combination of hop aroma and bitter hop taste.
Having a 2-year old and a 3-month old means not too much free time, so I haven't brewed in a while. I picked up a Muntons Nut Brown Ale kit to have something quick to do. It's just hopped malt extract with a dry yeast packet. I boiled the hopped malt extract for an hour in about 4.5 gal. I did not add the additional sugar that the kit recipe called for, thinking I would use less water instead. But I ended up with quite a lower original gravity than their recipe called out with the sugar added.
OG: 1.030 @ 78; FG: 1.008 @ 64; ABV: 3.1%
This one had an oily residue on top when I transferred from the fermenter to the bottling bucket. It probably did not help that it sat in the fermenter for 40 days. It did not taste that great either. Hopefully it will at least carbonate so it is not all wasted.
Carbonated but doesn't taste great. Don't need to do again.
This is the same base recipe as my #6, #9, and #11, but this is the first time that I'm actually using the originally-called-for Summit and Simcoe hops instead of their substitutes. I also used a different yeast since the brew store was out of the WLP090.
OG: 1.080 @ 76; FG: 1.018 @ 66; ABV: 8.4%
Use the larger primary bucket with this once since it always makes a lot of foam during fermentation.
This pumpkin spice ale was pretty much the same as #12 with a little more pumpkin.
OG: 1.062 @ 70; FG: 1.012 @ 66; ABV: 6.6%
A Founders Breakfast Stout clone mostly based on the recipe at BYO
OG: 1.052* @ 74
FG: 1.020 @ 63
I did a 4 gallon boil and ended up with only about 3 gallons after boiling and leaving trub (transferred from pot to primary with a siphon to leave behind the coffee grounds). I topped off with tap water to 5 gallons but my gravity was quite lower than the recipe (1.078).
*I measured the original gravity immediately after topping off the 3 gallons from the boil without stirring it up much, so I think that the original gravity that I measured is lower than it should have been.
This pumpkin spice ale was pretty much the same as #7 with a little less allspice.
OG: 1.068 @ 77 FG: 1.014 @ 70
Lost about a gallon due to trub. Yield: 40 bottles
I redid my #6 again without the changes that I made in #9. The only difference was I used a full 1.0 oz of Northern Brewer at 5 minutes instead of 0.5 oz.
OG: 1.082 @ 76. FG: 1.020 @ 64.
This one foamed up the airlock and started bulging up the top of my primary bucket after 36 hours. I transferred to a glass carbon to complete primary fermentation.
OG: 1.040 @ 72. FG: 1.012 @ 66.
Mostly the same as my #6.
OG: 1.064 @ 68. FG: 1.016 @ 58.
I think the original gravity was lower firstly because I only used 1 lb of table sugar instead of 2 lbs, and secondly because I added about 0.6 gallons of water after the boil to bring the volume up since I know I will lose some due to trub like I did last time.
So, adding water to make it around 5.6 gal in the primary caused foam to leak out into the air lock and I had to transfer to a second primary after a couple days. The rest of primary fermentation completed fine and I dry hopped and transferred to secondary after six days.
Yield was 46 bottles because I added some water. The ABV was lower than before though at 6.5%.
This one was using the base Brewer's Best Russian Imperial Stout kit.
Ingredients:
OG: 1.076 @ 68F. FG: 1.032 @ ~60F. Transferred to secondary and added 1.5 oz Oak chips. Plan to age for 8 weeks.
I brewed a pumpkin ale for Krissy.
Wow, this one turned out really good. I'd like to do it again, perhaps with a little more pumpkin and a little less allspice.
This Double IPA is based on the recipe at http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/founders-double-trouble-clone-165615/index2.html
OG: 1.094 @ 76. FG: 1.030 @ 66.
The homebrew shop recommended the San Diego Super Yeast as being similar to the called-for American Ale #1056 yeast by Wyeast labs.
Transferred to secondary and dry hopped after 6 days. There was so much trub in the bottom of the primary that I only got about 4 gallons worth into the secondary :( If I do this one again I should do a 6 gallon boil instead of 5.
Transferred to third and lost almost another gallon. Ended up with ~3.2 gallons (33 bottles). Definitely need to do a bigger boil if I do this again. But, it was very sweet and tasted great. I can't taste much of the hop but perhaps after carbonating I will.
I brewed an IPA based on a recipe from my friend Mike Zwagerman. It is my highest-gravity beer so far, especially since his recipe was based on 6 gallons but I only did a 5 gallon batch.
OG: 1.092 @ ~78; FG: 1.028 @ ~69
Lots of activity after 12 hours; very little at 4 days so I transferred to the secondary. Gravity was about 1.030 @ ~72.
This beer was based on the recipe at http://www.brew-monkey.com/recipes/html/bigheadirishred.htm.
I tried one at two weeks but it was not very carbonated yet. I think it needs another two weeks. At four weeks it was a little more carbonated, but has a bad finish and doesn't taste great. Don't need to do this one again.
This one was a Brewer's Best Baltic Porter kit. I took my eye off the boil for 10 seconds and it boiled over so I lost a little sugar. I put in less water to compensate - around 4.5 gal total.
I've noticed with this Baltic Porter that letting it warm up slightly brings out more of the flavor.
Kit Ingredients:
My second beer is a Brewer's Best Robust Porter kit. I am fermenting this one in the 6.5gal plastic bucket. I am planning to do secondary fermentation in the glass carboy.
UPDATE: Well, life happened and I didn't get around to putting it in a secondary fermenter. But, it smelled and tasted good while bottling after only being in a primary, but for 17 days. I could definitely taste the caramel and chocolate grains used. Hope it turns out good!
My first beer was a True Brew Pale Ale kit. I fermented it in the 5 gal. glass carboy with airlock on top, but some foam leaked out through the airlock. I may use a hose into an overflow pail for my next one. I may also use the plastic fermenter as I do not have good equipment to measure the gravity in the carboy.