Birthday Stout

Last winter, I made a Dry Stout that turned out pretty well. For my recipe, I followed the conventional wisdom of what a dry stout should be with a couple tweaks. I shared this with a lot of people and got lots of positive feedback. The best feedback was from my mother, who generally doesn't like beer much. Her birthday is coming up soon and the only thing that she asked for was more of that stout. So, what's son to do? Make 10 gallons, of course—5 for mom and 5 for me.

Problem: I only have a 5-gallon system.

Solution: A double-brew day.

I got all the ingredients measured out and crushed the grain the night before. Brew day was an early start, with work underway by 8:30 a.m. As the first batch was boiling, the second was mashed in. And with parenting duties included and helping carry drywall into the neighbours house, there were two carboys full and the mess cleaned by 4:30 p.m. All and all, not bad time.

The Recipe:

With my system I get about 65% efficiency.

OG - 1.040

FG - 1.010 (expected), about 4% ABV

37 IBU

32 SRM

3.15 Kg (6lbs, 15oz) - Marris Otter

900g (2lbs) - Flaked Barley

450g (8oz) - Roasted Barley

100g (3.5oz) - Black (Paten) Malt

46g (1.6oz) - East Kent Goldings, 5% AA (60 mins)

0.5 tsp - yeast nutrient (10 mins)

Whirlfloc tablet (10 mins)

Wyeast 1084 - Irish Ale yeast

(Made a yeast starter big enough for both batches a few days before and had it on the stir-plate)

Mash with 12.5L (3.3gal) of water at 66.5 degrees C (152 F) for an hour.

Mash water treatment (I have super soft water):

1.5 tsp - Chalk

0.75 tsp - Baking Soda

0.5 tsp -Gypsum 

0.25 tsp - Calcium Chloride

Fermenting with an ambient temperature of 17.5 degrees C (64 F) in a temperature controlled fridge (even the basement is too warm this time of year). Probably 2 weeks in the primary and another 2 weeks in a secondary. Will keg to force carbonate and bottle off with the Beer Gun for mom, I'll keep mine on tap.

Mort Subite Framboise

As an avid home brewer I'm always looking for that next beer. Lately, I have been inspired by Belgian beers, including those fermented with wild "bugs". I made the mistake, however, of showing what a lambic fermentation looked like to my wife - she put her foot down and said there was no way that was coming into her house. What was I to do? I had to show her what beer possibly could be (even if it wasn't the same as my intentions) with a bit of a different fermentation. Then it hit me, framboise! I told her it was like raspberry champaign. She loved it. 

Mort Subite is a lambic, spontaneously fermented in Belgian tradition, that has been matured in oak with raspberry juice added.

Pours a reddish, pink with a light pink foamy head. The head is short lasting, not the heavy lacing that you see in other Belgian styles. Brilliantly clear from years of aging. The aroma is strong, sweet raspberries - I guess that is what you might expect, but it's almost over the top. Not a lot of malt in aroma.

The taste is of raspberries, not surprising, but lacking a lot else. There is a slight tang from the long aged lambic base beer giving balance to the sweet raspberry. The high carbonation, and light body give a thin mouthfeel.

Overall, I liked it for what it was. It was very fruity, very raspberry-y, very light, but also, very refreshing. I was expecting something sweeter then it was from what I had read, so being a bit more tart then expected was a nice surprise, though a bit more tang from the lambic would be nice.

3.5/5

Wells Banana Bread Beer

Ok. To be honest I was given this beer and was a bit afraid. It sat in the fridge longer than most beer and I kept looking and wondering. Well, I manage up the courage (which wasn't actually much and I was looking for something different) and poured it - very surprised, and in a good way.

The aroma is dominated by banana with spicy notes. Some sweetness and maltiness.

The flavor is malty, with the banana becoming subdued. It has a firm bitterness and is fairly balanced with some hops and spice. The finish is crisp and dry.

A fairly thin mouthfeel but with the dryness it is still refreshing.

Overall I was impressed. Maybe it was the fact it wasn't terrible, but more likely it was because it actually was well made. Granted, this is not the type of beer for everyone, but those who are looking for something different, give it a try.

3.5/5

Duchy Originals from Waitrose - Old Ruby Ale 1905

Duchy Originals was set up in 1990 by Charles, Prince of Wales and is a brand of organic foods sold mainly in the UK. Fortunately for me they do export some products and a kind friend picked my up the fine bottle of Organic Ruby Ale.

Pours clear copper/ruby red. Light carbonation, in tradition with British ales, only gives a slight, off white head. The aroma is slight with notes of malt and caramel and hints of fruit and orange.

The flavor is rather mild and clean with a good balance of malt and bitterness. Some fruity esters and slight yeast tang. Notes of pear and cherries and an earthy hop flavor.

Mouthfeel is medium to med-light. Light British style carbonation creates a silkiness on the palette.

Overall impressions is a quality ale. Well made and clean ale with balance of flavors and esters making it very drinkable. This is a good introductory ale for those North Americans looking to experience British ale.

4/5

Beer Basics - Part Two: Storing and Serving

Most beer is not meant for long storage and should be drunk within a few weeks of bottling or kegging, depending on the beer. There are some exceptions to this rule, but generally speaking it's meant to be enjoyed sooner then later. Beer is best kept from exposure to sunlight as it can cause the beer to turn "skunky" and not so pleasant to drink, this is why most beer is bottled in dark brown bottles or kegs. Some beer is put into green bottles, which lessens the effects of the sunlight, but are not as protective as dark brown bottles.

Beer should be stored between 2 °C (35 °F) and 15 °C (60 °F), the higher the temperature the faster the beer will age. In North America beer is generally served chilled - this mutes some of the flavors and in Britain, it is served at room temperature so the full flavor can be enjoyed. As a general guide temperatures range from 7 °C (45 °F) for pale lagers to 15.5 °C (60 °F) for strong dark ales. Avoid freezing beer as it will form ice crystals that don't melt back the same way and will alter the taste of the beer.

There is a variety of glassware; almost every beer has its own glass that is designed to showcase the appearance, aroma, and the taste of the beer. As glassware could be a large topic, I digress. When it comes to pouring the beer, the amount of head there is on the beer in the glass can be controlled (to a point) by the pour. To archive a larger head the beer can be poured directly into the glass and to reduce the head, the glass can be tilted and the beer poured slowly.

The most important tip I can give it to always enjoy the beer and enjoy it responsibly.

~ More to come, stay tuned for Part Three: Types of Beer (some, not all)

Once Upon a Dark and Stormy Night...

It was a Dark and Stormy Night - no really, there's thunder outside and everything. I'm kidding, but there is Dark and Stormy Night by Picaroons Traditional Ale of Fredericton, NB, Canada on the table. Picaroons has produced this this deep reddish-brown ale that is a hybrid between a German dunkel and an English ale. It has a head that is off-white and slightly mocha with a light aroma of roasted barley with sweet, butterscotch notes. This ale has a slightly creamy texture and is lightly carbonated. The taste is wheat and roasted barley with a light, sweet caramel flavor.

This is a very easy drinking ale with a balanced flavor and light body.

My rating: 3.5/5

Beer Basics - Part One: Brewing God's Gift

"Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."

-- Benjamin Franklin

Beer has been around for thousands of years, it was brewed since ancient times by the Egyptians. It is the third most drunk beverage in the world behind water and tea. Beer has played a role in shaping out history - the Pilgrims on the Mayflower landed in Plymouth because, as was written by one of the passengers "we could not take time for further search or consideration, our victuals being much spent, especially our beer..."

Beer is made from pure water, hops, and grain, generally corn grits and malted barley (malted meaning that the barley has been soaked in water and allowed to germinate, sprouting just a little). The malted barley is what gives beer its flavor and color. The grains are cooked in the water to produce what is called the mash. The wart (the liquid part of the mash) is then removed with the solids discarded. The wort is boiled with hops and then cooled. Yeast is added and fermentation is allowed to occur (the yeast consumes the sugars producing alcohol and carbon dioxide). After fermentation is allowed to take place the end product (once filtered, most varieties anyway) is beer.

Brewing beer is an art and each brew is as unique as the brew master. Beer does not last forever, so each bottles is made to be enjoyed - and so we should.

~ More to come, stay tuned for Part Two: Storing and Serving