Topics

1

Beer Recipes / Amarillo IPA

« on: May 15, 2013, 07:23:50 am »

I have almost 3 pounds of Amarillo hops, and I haven't made or drank an all Amarillo beer before. So, I'm going to do one. What do you think about this hop schedule?

60 minute = 1 oz Amarillo
30 minute = 1 oz Amarillo
15 minute = 1 oz Amarillo
0 minute = 3 oz Amarillo
Dry hop = 3 oz Amarillo

This is for a 5 gallon batch. I've calculated about 85 IBUs.....Too much? Add some more? Or just go with it?

Thanks!

2

Hop Growing / Second Year Hops

« on: April 09, 2013, 04:17:55 pm »

The weather finally turned for the better here in Ohio. The gardens are coming alive and have had a lot of perennial growth the last couple days. I have three second year hops starting to develop shooters. This centennial was the best plant last year and is, by far, the earliest to develop significant new growth. As you can see, there are several larger shooters starting, but there are probably close to 30-40 smaller ones. Being that this is its second year, should I just let it go this year or should I prune some these back when they begin to mature a bit more?

3

Commercial Beer Reviews / Rye of the Tiger!

« on: April 05, 2013, 07:39:12 pm »

Great Lakes hit a home run with this new release! I was very happy with their Alchemy Hour, but this is absolutely stellar! I had it on tap at a local restaurant yesterday. I bought a 12 pack today. Both tap and bottles are equally great. It pours a very light golden color. As you drink it, it starts out mouthy but dries our rather quickly on the palette. It is pretty piney tasting. I immediately thought Simcoe. I checked out their website to find out that I was correct. It's hopped with a combination of Columbus, Warrior, and Simcoe. When I originally read about the release of this beer, I figured that it would be a 4 pack specialty. Nope! It is sold in six packs at $9 at my local giant eagle! That's a pretty nice price for a beer with 7.5% ABV. I highly recommend this IPA!

Great Lakes has quickly risen up my list of favorite breweries over the past year or two.... At least Cleveland has one thing going for it 

4

All Grain Brewing / Extreme Efficiency Boost!

« on: March 30, 2013, 05:55:19 pm »

OK, I need everybody's two cents here. I brewed a single hopped Citra pale ale that I created the recipe for. Since I've been brewing all grain since June 2012, I've consistently hit 70% efficiency with my mash to within +/- .002 for my OG. My last brew before this one was a Red IPA with a target OG of 1.070, but I hit 1.078. I wrote this off to the increased sparge water temp. I had been sparging with 170ish degree water and upped it to 185 because of some advice from the forum. So yesterday, I decided to brew the Citra pale ale with the recipe derived from 70% efficiency and use the 185 sparge water...Just to see if this becomes a trend before I switch up my recipe calculations. I also decided to not use the pH stabilizer that I have always used per advice from Denny. The brew went very well....until I took my OG reading and found that I over shot my 1.057 target OG and hit 1.077! So, I want to see what everybody has to say about this. Say I increase my gravity by .005 to .007 by using the higher temp sparge water. Could I have increased the efficiency that much more by dropping the pH stabilizer?

I used the same grain mill and settings that I've used since October.
11 lb Two Row
.75 lb 40L Caramel
.5 lb 60L Caramel
60 minute mash @ 150 degrees in a blue cooler
I mashed with 5.5 gallons and batch sparged with 3.5 gallons

Not that overshooting this is a terrible thing if it happens all the time and becomes consistant. This has just never happened before. Needless to say, this is no longer a Citra APA. It is now a Citra IPA. I used 2 oz of Citra in the boil and planned to dry hop with a 1/2 ounce....Well, we're just gonna have to up that dry hop addition to 3 ounces!

5

Events / Big Tap In

« on: March 29, 2013, 08:15:40 am »

Anybody going to the Big Tap In in Boardman, OH April 20th?

6

Hop Growing / Bamboo Stakes?

« on: March 22, 2013, 07:55:15 pm »

Last year (my first year for hops) I used a tomato plant cones to start my hops up to the twine. I had to bridge the gap between the steel cone to the twine with some kite string. So, I got a plant magezine in the mail today and was looking at options to use to be better. I saw a picture of a tomato plant that grew into three bamboo stakes that were in a teepee shape. Basically the reverse of the cone. Would you think that the hops would stick to the bamboo? I'm thinking about using 4' bamboo stakes in this shape (buried about 6-8") up to the twine. I figure that I could cut back the shooters to the 3 strongest and let them grow up the stakes and then all combine onto the twine that is suspended from the roof of the barn. I'm going for a shape that is shown in the picture below. These appear to be 6' stakes, but same sort of concept of shape. I'm just concerned about the hops gripping to them. What do ya think?

7

Commercial Beer Reviews / Columbus Brewing Company

« on: March 14, 2013, 05:57:38 pm »

I've spent the week in Columbus, OH and went to the Columbus Brewing Co. Restaurant twice during my stay. The first night I did the "Flight of Beers" taster. They only had four of their own beers on tap (5 on the menu): Pale Ale, IPA, BODHI DIPA, and SOhio Stout. I did get a taster of Breckenridge Vanilla Porter to round off the flight. The fifth of their beers that was on the menu was The Creeper, which was an imperial IPA. They said they only had 1 keg of it and were waiting to tap it on St. Patty's Day. I offered to buy the keg, but I just got an awkard stare.

Anyways, I only had the 4 oz of the pale ale. It was a solid APA, but that wasn't what I had come for. It was good, and I would drink it again.

The IPA is very nice. I have had that a handful of times before. I have bought bottles of it at my local giant eagle. It is a hazy pour with an orangish color. It has a very solid "Simarillo" finish. I would recommend this IPA to anybody who enjoys IPA's any day of the week. The menu said 60 IBU's, but it seemed a bit higher to me.

The BODHI DIPA is the reason why I went. I've read the raves about it, so that's what I wanted. I tasted it in the 4 oz taster and really liked it. I bought a growler of it. After drinking it in the hotel room, I started to get turned off by it. It lacked the body that I would want in an IPA. Don't get me wrong, I don't like the malt to clash with the hops, but this was thin. It was blonde in color and had a strong citrusy taste and aroma. I think it was to be 90 IBUs. I was actually let down by this beer considering the hype. I think I would have been let down without any hype. Anyways I finished the growler to go back and get it filled with something else.

The SOhio Stout is an imperial stout. Fantastic! Pours black as night with a nice bronze/mocha head. It is a very thick beer with a nice coffee presence. It advertizes Costa Rican coffee. Whatever it is, it's good. It is over 9% ABV and around 50 IBUs. This beer is fantastic and is what I refilled my growler with. The problem was, the growler is only 64 oz.

The brewery is small, but I would like them to expand their access to bottled beer more thoroughly in Ohio. I have only seen their Christmas Ale (Very good) and IPA on the shelves. I have no problem buying the IPA whenever I run across it, but I would love to run across their other brews as well.

8

Hop Growing / Rhizomes planted on 3/9/13

« on: March 09, 2013, 02:16:13 pm »

It is pushing 60 degrees today in Ohio, and my hops rhizomes came in the mail today....So they got planted! I grew a couple Centennial plants and a US Gold last year with much success. So, I put a pre-order in to the Thyme Garden back in October. The quality of these rhizomes are amazing. I would recommend them to anyone. They are based out of Oregon, and when the rhizomes arrived here, they were sealed in ziplock bags and still very moist. The rhizomes I ordered from another company last year were dry sticks....these are far from that.



I ordered rooted cuttings of Magnum, Nugget, Cascade, Chinook, and Willamette. The smaller three are standard cuttings, which are very very solid. They are Zeus, Mt. Hood and Perle.



This is the Nugget cutting I got!



I now have 11 total plants of 10 hops varieties planted along the side of the barn. Hopefully the "after" picture is a little more appetizing than this "before" picture.

9

Beer Travel / Columbus

« on: March 07, 2013, 06:04:24 pm »

I am traveling a few hours to Columbus, OH Sunday (3/10) for the week for work. I'm originally from West Virginia, so I've only recently been to Columbus once. I'm scouting out places to eat...and drink, and I'm thinking about going to the Columbus Brewing Co. Restaurant. I have had their IPA and Christmas beer and both are exceptional beers. I am anxious to try their BODHI DIPA and SOHIO Stout. Has anybody tried either of these beers? Or eaten at this place? If so, any reviews would be nice.

Any other recommendations on eateries/drinkeries :-) would be nice. I know Columbus has a handful of craft/micro breweries.

Thanks!

10

Commercial Beer Reviews / Great Lakes Alchemy Hour DIPA

« on: March 02, 2013, 05:46:18 pm »

I don't remember this seasonal last year, so I'm guessin that it is new this year? Anyways, it is a great change of pace DIPA. It pours a nice amber color and has the nice amber malt taste and smoothness. The blend of nugget and mosaic hops gives it the nice change of pace. I feel that the aroma is very orangy, but the bitterness and taste if very earthy. It's not piny or fruity....kinda a smooth earthyness. The 9.4% ABV is very well disguised. I won't say that it is my favorite DIPA, but it is certainly a great change of pace. This DIPA might appeal to people who aren't fans of the traditional smack you in the face DIPA's that are out there.

11

Events / Cooper's Lake Brewers Fest

« on: February 18, 2013, 02:27:42 pm »

Has anybody ever participated in the Cooper's Lake Brewers Fest in Slippery Rock, PA? It sounds like a good time if they have it again this year. Last year was the 4th annual event and was held August 24-26th, but I can't find any info on it happening this year. It's $20 admission unless you brew on Saturday...then you camp for free. My brewing partner and I wanted to attend, but he had a conflicting schedule. I was just curious if anybody has attended this event and had any insight on it.

12

Beer Recipes / Bell's Java Stout

« on: February 15, 2013, 06:07:41 pm »

I've been searching for an all grain clone for Bell's Java Stout with no luck. Does anybody have one? Or even better, does anybody have a copy July/August 2003 issue of Zymurgy that could be PDF'd?

13

General Homebrew Discussion / 1st Yeast Harvest

« on: February 15, 2013, 01:14:00 pm »

I did my first yeast harvest last week. As far as I can tell, everything went perfectly. To me, the samples look very good. I harvested WLP 001 Cali Ale Yeast. The one thing that I might have done incorrectly is that I harvested it off a Pliny brew. From what I have read, you really don't want to harvest it off of a real hoppy beer, because of the hop flavor. My plan was to harvest it off of a two-hearted clone, but I did not filter that from the brew pot to the carboy, so there was a lot of trub left behind in that. I filtered the Pliny with a leg stalking. It looked much cleaner to be able to harvest. I'm not too concerned about the hop flavor because this yeast will be used APA's and IPA's. I do have a few questions....

How many times can I re-harvest yeast?
Does the yeast have better flavors further down the harvest line?
How long will this harvest yeast keep in the fridge?
As long as I keep re-harvesting this strain say at least once a month, will this yeast strain last forever, or will it die off over time?
Does it look good?...These are 8 oz mason jars...

14

Ingredients / Meridian Hops

« on: February 02, 2013, 02:53:42 pm »

Has anybody brewed with this new beast yet? I'm thinking about buying a pound, so I would appreciate any reviews.

15

Beer Recipes / Hopslam Clone?

« on: February 02, 2013, 11:09:50 am »

I threw a recipe together last night to try and clone Hopslam, or create something along the same lines, or something just awesome. Here's what I have. What are your thoughts?

Batch = 5.5 gallons
OG = 1.098
60 minute mash @ 153
Mash out @ 175

American Two Row Pale = 15.5 lb
Caramel/Crystal 20L = 1 lb
Carapils = 8 oz
Caramel/Crystal 40L = 4 oz
Corn Sugar = 1.5 lb (added at the beginning of the boil)
Honey = 2 lb (last 10 minutes of boil)

60 minute = .5 oz Columbus
60 minute = 1 oz Simcoe
30 minute = 1 oz Centennial
0 minute = 3 oz Amarillo
0 minute = 1 oz Simcoe
Dry hop = 3 oz Simcoe (12-14 days)
Dry hop = 1 oz Amarillo (12-14 days)
Dry hop = .5 oz Simcoe (5 days)
Dry hop = .5 oz Amarillo (5 days)

White Labs WLP001 California Ale
WYeast 1056 American Ale