So now I have tasted the Berkshire Brown
I have bottled the Jenn in Black.
I have brewed the RÄCinstien IPA
I have moved the RÄCinstien to secondary
I have brewed the Cloverlick Creek Belgian.
Issues:
The Berkshire Brown and the JenninBlack suffer from the same thing, low attenuation. I'm not sure if its the quick dump from the mashing tun or the high temperature of the water but I have corrected that in the RÄCinstien and the Cloverlick Creek Belgian. I let the mashing tun drain for an hour instead of the six minutes the previous two went through. I now can appreciate the continuous sparging process. However I cannot tell if my process is improved because the IPA and the Belgian had sugar and honey in the recipe. All I know is that the airlock was going crazy during primary on both. I am secretly thrilled about the fermentation but also kind of want to retry Berkshire Brown Recipes
So obviously if you make beer you have to enjoy the QA experience. QA is short for Quality Assurance or testing the quality of the beer.
The process of QA is
1) Open a bottle of beer
2) Pour it into a glass
3) Taste the beer (Until the Glass is Empty) *wink* *wink*
4) Lather Rinse Repeat until you can QA no more. (Your taste buds give out or your head hits the pillow)
If you don't get the concept of "QA"... come on over. Help me bottle some beers and I will show you the true "QA" process.
So I've been wanting to make a Belgian/Abbey/Trappist Ale for a while. My first taste of a Trappist Ale was Chimay... not that pleasing because it had been sitting on the shelf before I was born. OK I can appreciate a new taste but I was shocked at how stale the hops were and how the additional spices clashed against the stale hops. If your first taste has a start of dead cardamom with a long finish of cobwebs... but hey Kudos's on the long finish. I should have known better. Once I realized that A) you should not have to use and hammer and chisel to open a beer and B) The cork should not turn to dust when you pull it out.. I should have put the beer down. However Alcohol abuse is Alcohol abuse and I am not going to abuse a bad beer by pouring it down the drain...then I was not worthy to make my own. In the case of Abbey beer however... I loved the history of it and I loved trying to figure out the taste.
I have always thought that making a good Belgian Beer was tough only because it was difficult to find a Belgian I liked. I'm guessing the toughness come in the double or triple ale.
However in reality it might be because we have so many people trying to recreate what they think is the ultimate Belgian ale trying spice and intentional flaws with the beer to get a distinct combination of flavours.
So I have the chance to make my first Belgian Beer. A friend of mine was coming in from Cincinnati and I know he wants to go through the beer making process. However the beer (Berkshire Brown) that we were going to do "QA" on had low attenuation so we went to to the Corner Brewery for some other beer to do some voluntary QA.
Mean while we transferred the RÄCinstien to secondary, Started the Belgian.
They we are with 2 Growlers of Beer IPA and RyePA (Less than a 12 pack in volume), making a Belgian or commonly called an Abbey Beer traditionally made by monks. I thought was apropos that play some Carmina Burana. To my surprise.. my guest like it and get the subtle Irony in brewing and Abbey Ale and listening Carmina Burana. Carmina Burana is a classical piece of music set the the words of poem written by Monks who would typically make this style of beer. The lyrics oddly enough are about drinking... and spring.... and dancing with a twist or two of lusting after maidens. To top it off, the friend helping me Brew and QA is a Minister who did our wedding. A latter day Monk so to speak who has good head of hair. It was joyous mystical experience for us while our wives were out touring the beauty that is Detroit.
Next in line..
Breakfast stout using White Castle Coffee. I'm going to call it the "slider". Those in Cincy would get that joke. If not I'm looking at doing a porter, heffewiesen, bock, alt or try #2 at the Berkshire Brown. Saw Recipes online for a Moose Drool Clone or Black Butte Porter. Love doing the research. Eventually I will have to do a pale ale.
Belt that wraps around the primary fermenter to keep it warm.
A continuous sparging cooler system (I want to make it myself).
More bottles for more beer storage
Beer Thief to help with testing gravity
A Digital Refractometer.
Kegging System.
Spent Grains from the Mashing Tun and yeast cakes from the bottom of the primary fermenter, fantastic for composting.
Recipes:
Cloverlick Creek Farms Belgian
- 9 pounds U.S. 2-row
- 1.5 pounds Munich malt
- 0.5 pounds 60L (or darker) crystal malt
- 1-2 ounces of chocolate malt
- 1/2 pound of Cloverlick Creek Farms Fall honey
- 6 - 7 AAUs bittering hops, a mix of hallertauer and kent goldings (60 minute boil)
- 1 Wyeast Abbey Ale Yeast
RÄCinstien IPA
- 8# 2 row
- 3# amber
- .25# chocolate
- .25# cara 120
- 1 oz Bravo @ end of collection (FWH)
- 2# dextrose @ 15 min
- .5# brown sugar @ 15 min
- 1 oz Cascade @15
- 1 oz Cascade @10
- 1 oz Cascade @5
- 1 oz Cascade @0
- 1 oz Columbus dry hop for 10 days
- 1 oz Columbus dry hop for 7 days
Nottingham Dry Yeast @66 degrees for 3 weeks
My first IPA, Dry Yeast
