Re-stocking the larder

Stopped at the Medford store Grains, Beans & Things yesterday and picked up some goodies. I'm very interested in rye malts and rye beers, and I hope to add of couple of pounds rye to my next batch. There was some dark (roasted) rye malt as well, and I think I might try to flavor a stout with it. Speaking of stouts, I'm a big fan of dehusked dark malts like Carafa as they impart lovely black color and a nice roast flavor with a little less risk of adding a bitter astringency. Flaked barley always seems to help with the head and mouthfeel on a stout and I grabbed a pound of that. I rounded things out with the usual 60 ºL crystal and some black patent which are useful in lots of beers. I can never pass up Northern Brewer hops and I picked up a 2-oz. package of that as well. Full sacks of domestic 2-row pale malt--including organic--jammed the narrow aisles, and there were at least three dozen bins of specialty grains. If you brew anywhere in the State of Jefferson I'd suggest you drop Bob an email (sales@grains-n-beans.com) and see what he's got in stock.

a.d. III Kal. Ian.

World Series Stout tapped!

The Giants won the World Series on the the 1st of November, the traditional start of the winter season in the old Celtic Calendar ("Samhain"). The December Solstice--our first day of winter--would thus be Midwinter for the Celts. In honor of all those holidays I tapped the World Series Stout today. It was a mini-catastrophe at first, as I sprayed beer all over the fridge before finally getting the fittings properly attached. Eventually I got things all cleaned up and poured a nice, tall pitcher of the lovely black brew. It was smooth and delicious with the rich malty sweetness that the "first runnings" produces. The carbonation level was perfect, the bubbles were small, dense, and creamy, forming a firm, thick head. We drank World Series Stout and watched Game 1 of the World Series again. What fun!

World Series Stout

I started brewing in 1988. One of the first of my many formulations was "Championship Ale." I brewed it in honor of the 1987 San Francisco Giants, who were NL West Champions. I followed that same theme in 1990 with "Pennant Porter," which honored the 1989 National League Champions. I imagined a "World Series Stout" to honor, some day, the World Champion San Francisco Giants. That day came true! Finally! The 2010 Giants won the World Series! I've been waiting over 20 years to make this beer. I had a lot of fun with my new "first-runnings only" approach, and had some excellent results. I used 15 lbs. of malt, a mixture of 2-row (8 lbs.), Pilsner (5 lbs.), and Munich (2 lbs.). I made a thick mash (12 quarts of liquor) that settled in at 152-154 ºF and held it for 40 minutes. I then added 12 more quarts of liquor at about 170 ºF and recirculated 10 quarts. I then drained the mash tun into the kettle. No sparging! I also had 1-1/2 pounds of specialty malts (Black, Chocolate, and 120 ºL Caramel) that I steeped in a gallon and a half of hot liquor. That I added to the kettle with the wort. The whole process yielded about 4 gallons at 1.068 (17 ºPlato). I filled the kettle to 28 Liters and took another refractometer reading and got 1.040 (10 ºP). I boiled it for 70 minutes. I added 20 grams of 14%-alpha Belgian Admiral hops for an hour to get the medium bittering I was looking for. The yield was 20 L of clean, clear wort in the carboy at 1.050 (12.5 ºP). I left behind about 1.5 L in the kettle. It was thick with "break" proteins and other sludge. I pitched a pack of Safale-04. I think this one is a winner, just like the 2010 Giants!

a.d. XVIII Kal. Dec.

A fond farewell to the Ale of Mark

We finished off the Ale of Mark last night at Mike's party--everyone seemed to like it. I think it made an ideal summer beer as it was both sweet and dry, both full-flavored and easy-drinking. That's the brewer's art right there: finding the right balance. I like a beer with a bit of fruit on the nose, like this one, but not too much. I like a malty, bready brew, but it has to have some bottom, too, and some tartness and bitterness to give it depth. Ale of Mark was one off my better efforts, I think, and I intend to do more with this first runnings/no sparge scheme that I played with back in July.

a.d. X Kal.Sep.
 

Tasting Ale of Mark

Oh man, is it good! Smooth, silky, full-bodied . . . my god I'm not sure I can keep from drinking it all before Mike's party. Is that bad?

Non. Aug.