Nut Brown

Grains
9.00 lb 2 Row            x     37ppg     =     333
1.00 lb Crystal 60L   x     34ppg      =    34
0.50 lb Victory          x     34ppg      =    17
0.25 lb Chocolate      x     29ppg     =     10

Hops
1oz Fuggles @ 60m
1 oz East Kent Goldings @ 15

Yeast
Danstar Nottingham Ale Yeast - Started 2 days prior in 1 quart water with 1 cup DME

The Numbers

Added 4 Gallons of water at 169° to reach a Mash Temp of 156°. Decreased to 153° over 1 hour. 

Total Points: 394

Expected Pre-Boil: 1.061
Actual Pre-Boil: 1.044
Efficiency: 72%

Expected Post-Boil: 1.066
Actual Post-Boil: 1.059

Final Gravity: 1.012
ABV: 6.2%
Attenuation: 95.5%

The Verdict
This was much better than our first Nut Brown. I'm actually kind of surprised our efficiency so high, its been a lot lower since. I still wish it was a bit Nuttier though. Its a bit too smooth still and needs more of a bite. I'm not sure what that means though, in terms of what to change in the recipe. 

Simple Hefewissen

For our next brew, we decided to make a simple hefewissen. Until L decided he loved hops more, wheats were his favorite type of beer. I really enjoy them too, so we decided to take on the challenge before the prime summer wheat-drinking time ended. The recipe came from the Home Brew Talk recipe database and apparently has won a bunch of awards. We didn't really want to alter the flavor of the beer too much with something like honey or orange so we just stuck pretty much with the original recipe.

Some folks say wheat beers are harder to brew, but I don't believe that's exactly the case. The reason that water flows so well through a barley mash is because barley grains have an exterior casing that essentially supports the weight of the rest of the barley grain. The casing prevents the mash from setting so tightly that water cannot pass through.  Wheat naturally does not have any casing on it's grains, so when you mix it with warm water it turns to mush a lot like oatmeal without any holes or pathways for water to flow through. Rice hulls are essentially the casings from rice that are incorporated into the mash to add structural support for the grain bed. Before you actually add the rice hulls, they should be rinsed and soaked so they don't mess up your water amount calculations.

This was actually our cheapest beer yet. It cost about $31 including the yeast. We might have folks over to help us drink this one since it was so cheap! 

Grains
7 lbs White Wheat
4 lbs German Pilsner
~0.5 lbs Rice Hulls

Hops
0.75 oz Tellertau at 45 min
0.25 oz Tellertau at 15 min

Yeast
Wyeast 3068 Weihenstephan Weizen - Started 5 days prior in 1 cup DME and 1 quart water.

Brewing
Protein Rest at ~132° for 20 min
Saccrification rest at ~154° for 90 min
Fly Sparge to collect 6.5 gallons
Boil for 60 min

The Numbers
Expected Pre-Boil Gravity:1.072
Actual Pre-Boil Gravity:1.048
Efficiency: 67%

Expected Post-Boil Gravity:1.079
Actual Post-Boil Gravity:1.053
Efficiency: 67%

Expected Final Gravity:
Acual Final Gravity: 1.010
% ABV: 5.63
Attenuation:81%

The Verdict

This was DELICIOUS!!!! It was super banana-y but didn't have a super awesome head. We had folk from Southeast over and they loved it too! We fermented it a room temperature because the fermentation chiller still isn't done so that might have affected the yeasties some. 

ILM Imperial IPA

L's favorite beer that we've brewed so far, and one of his favorite beers ever, was the IPA kit we got from Wilmington Homebrew. Seriously, if you're bored in ILM, go hang out. They're awesome. L wanted to brew the IPA again but all grain style so I converted the recipe and we brewed.

This was probably our most challenging brew day yet. It was miserable. I couldn't walk the next day. No, really. I slept with a heating pad wrapped around each foot.

The previous weekend, we went by my parents house to raid their garden. My mom had a ridiculous garden. We brought home enough produce to feed a small country. Monday I made 4 pints of squash pickles. Tuesday, 4 quarts of pickled jalapeno peppers. Wednesday, we went to the Slightly Stoopid/311 concert. Thursday, we brewed and made 2 quarts of dill pickles, pasta salad, sirracha hummus, and zucchini bread. All after work. Friday, we got up early and went to the beach. It was worth it.

Grains
14lbs 2-Row
1.5lb Vienna Malt
0.5lb Biscuit Malt
0.5lb Crystal-40L

Hops
1oz Warrior at 60 min
1oz Columbus at 40 min
1oz Citra at 20 min
1oz Chinook at 20 min
1oz Chinook at 0 min
1oz Columbus at 0 min
2oz Simcoe Dry Whole Cone at Secondary.

Yeast
Wyeast 1056 American Ale - started 2 days before.

Brewing
Mashed at 154° for 60 minutes.
Fly Sparge to collect 6.5 Gallons.
60 minute Boil.

The Numbers
Expected Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.101 (1.071 @ 70%)
Actual Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.065ish*
Efficiency: 64.4%*

Expected Post-Boil Gravity:1.110 (1.077 at 70%)
Actual Post-Boil Gravity: 1.072*

Expected Final Gravity:
Acual Final Gravity:
% ABV:
Attenuation:

* So we didn't do a very good job of keeping track of our data this time. I guess we were just distracted by all the other crap going on. We didn't actually write down either of the original gravities. But this is what we think they were. I know the pre-boil gave us a mid-60s efficiency but the post-boil was slightly better.

We also didn't take ANY pictures. Lame.

For the mash, we started out with 4.5 gallons at 169° which got us to 151°. Then I found this handy dandy calculator to figure out the temperature we should get the other 2 gallons to achieve the right temperature and thickness. We added the two gallons at 162° and ended up at 154° right where we wanted to be.

After we brewed, I even mopped the kitchen. It was a late night. While I do think its a good idea to multitask while brewing, I don't recommend doing quite this much!

The Verdict
L LOVES this beer. He thinks it is fabulous. I think it is wayyy to hoppy. But, it does smell amazing. Those Simcoe hops are phenomenal!!  

Dry Hopping

2 ounces of Simcoe Leaf Hops take up a lot of space!