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Author Topic: Stone releases official Levitation Ale recipe  (Read 10913 times)

Offline Phil_M

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Re: Stone releases official Levitation Ale recipe
« Reply #75 on: March 31, 2015, 08:19:04 am »
I'll be sure and post all the data I can on here when I brew this beer. As for when, well I'm not even sure. If all the ingredients come in this week I may be able to squeeze in a brew on Saturday. If I can't brew this weekend, my next (maybe) free Saturday would be April 18th. And if THAT doesn't work, likely after the semester finishes up, so mid-May.  ::)
Corn is a fine adjunct in beer.

And don't buy stale beer.

Offline brewday

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Re: Stone releases official Levitation Ale recipe
« Reply #76 on: March 31, 2015, 08:44:20 am »
If you haven't done so already, take a look at a couple of Zymurgy articles on this topic:

Late Hops: The Secret to Hop Aroma and Flavor
-Jamil Zainasheff, May/June 2006

Hop Bursting: Maximizing Hop Flavor and Aroma
-Mitch Steele, Nov/Dec 2013

Jamil's article provides some good insight from a couple of brewers, including Matt Brynildson of FW, while Mitch's article takes a deeper dive into utilization rates.


Offline Stevie

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Re: Stone releases official Levitation Ale recipe
« Reply #77 on: March 31, 2015, 08:23:40 pm »
I could be wrong, but I think nearly all of the hopping for jamil's evil twin is 100% whirlpool. Maybe some later additions. I know for sure his commercial recipe is very different from the original due to the changes in process from home to commercial.

Offline Phil_M

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Re: Stone releases official Levitation Ale recipe
« Reply #78 on: April 01, 2015, 04:26:02 pm »
Ingredients are in! Actually went ahead and bought in bulk for the pale malt and hops, so now the condo smells of fresh malt. Everything is now packaged for storage, and I'll hopefully brew this weekend. Supposed to have Friday off, but that's far from guaranteed...
Corn is a fine adjunct in beer.

And don't buy stale beer.

Offline Rattlesnake44

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Re: Stone releases official Levitation Ale recipe
« Reply #79 on: April 01, 2015, 08:09:21 pm »

Ingredients are in! Actually went ahead and bought in bulk for the pale malt and hops, so now the condo smells of fresh malt. Everything is now packaged for storage, and I'll hopefully brew this weekend. Supposed to have Friday off, but that's far from guaranteed...
I hear ya, my days off get changed at the last minute all the time. If you do brew Friday run a live thread. I'm supposed to be off too. Be cool to follow along.

Offline brewcrew7

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Re: Stone releases official Levitation Ale recipe
« Reply #80 on: April 02, 2015, 09:08:50 am »
For whirlpool/steep/hopstand/post-flameout additions, I've been using the free BrewCipher spreadsheet for IBU estimations. Having just did a beer similar to Levitation with nothing but flameout hops and a 30 minute no cooling steep, I found the estimate IBU to be pretty close to how I perceive the actual bitterness.

Another similar exercise is to compare Mike Tonsmeire's Modern Times recipe of Fortunate Islands to that on his home system. His homebrew versions have more finishing hops than the commercial version, simply due to his lower hop utilization (bitterness, flavor and aroma).

http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2014/03/fortunate-islands-homebrewed-yeast.html

The one thing I'm discovering about this beer (heavy on crystal malt) is that the character of the beer changes quite rapidly going back and forth between hops and malt, and not always in a good way.

Offline Phil_M

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Re: Stone releases official Levitation Ale recipe
« Reply #81 on: April 02, 2015, 09:15:06 pm »
I hear ya, my days off get changed at the last minute all the time. If you do brew Friday run a live thread. I'm supposed to be off too. Be cool to follow along.

Usually when I brew I'm so busy prepping for the next step that I'm not sure how much I'd be posting lol. I will take plenty of notes and pictures, and report back here when I'm done. I'll probably post the thread in the "General Homebrewing" discussion.

Brewcrew, I really like the idea of a no cooling hop stand, I'll probably just go that route. As for the character of the finished beer changing, are you talking about as it ages, as it warms in the glass, or how it changes mid sip?
Corn is a fine adjunct in beer.

And don't buy stale beer.

Offline hophead636

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Stone releases official Levitation Ale recipe
« Reply #82 on: April 04, 2015, 09:29:02 am »
She's siting a 1.014 so I dry hopped this morning will keg in 5-6 days grav sample tasted amazing

My color is slightly off due to having to sub 120 but I'm fine with that flavor and mouth feel are pretty close can't wait for this to be ready
« Last Edit: April 04, 2015, 09:30:50 am by hophead636 »

Offline Phil_M

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Re: Stone releases official Levitation Ale recipe
« Reply #83 on: April 04, 2015, 12:30:15 pm »
Looks good! I had 150L crystal to use in mine, but I used crystal 60L instead of the called for 75. It's fermenting happily so far.

Corn is a fine adjunct in beer.

And don't buy stale beer.

Offline Phil_M

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Re: Stone releases official Levitation Ale recipe
« Reply #84 on: April 13, 2015, 07:11:32 pm »
Just legged it today, going to just dry hop in the keg. Also picked up the last three bottles of the real Levitation that I could find in my area. (Drink by date: 02feb15.  ::)) The real thing is way more bitter than what I brewed, it's also far more piney in flavor/aroma.

That's not to say that my version isn't bad. We'll see how it is once it's carved, but so far it's a fine beer on it's own. Thinking I may take this in my own direction rather than try and make it more like Stone's beer. I'd love to get it a little more dry, slightly more bitter, and retain this nice tea-like herbal flavor that it has developed.
Corn is a fine adjunct in beer.

And don't buy stale beer.

Offline hophead636

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Re: Stone releases official Levitation Ale recipe
« Reply #85 on: April 26, 2015, 05:45:38 pm »
Well side by side aroma identical taste all but indentical and well I won first place on people's vote   And it was our first time kegging and pouring threw a jockey box and we had probs at the beginning but all mellowed out


Offline hophead636

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Re: Stone releases official Levitation Ale recipe
« Reply #86 on: April 26, 2015, 06:04:17 pm »

Offline HoosierBrew

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Re: Stone releases official Levitation Ale recipe
« Reply #87 on: April 26, 2015, 06:41:54 pm »
Looks great !
Jon H.

Offline Phil_M

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Re: Stone releases official Levitation Ale recipe
« Reply #88 on: April 27, 2015, 06:08:48 am »
Very nice!

Mine turned out looking great, but tasted nothing like Levitation. Still a good beer though, although I'll never use that much crystal malt in a recipe again...
Corn is a fine adjunct in beer.

And don't buy stale beer.