Rolled Up Irish Red: Second Brew

After the disaster that was my first brew, my second brew seemed to turn out well.  It's fermenting like crazy right now - already lost a good 1/2 gallon to fermentation.  I tweaked the recipe a tad between first and second brew, adding some pale malt to the steeping mixture and actually doing a partial mash instead of just steeping the grains.  Also, I made a starter with 2 packs of yeast this time around - no chances on that front!  If fermentation and color are any indication, this should be a pretty good brew!

Contraband Chocolate Stout: First Brew

I decided that I wanted to brew something special for Christmas and I came up with a chocolate stout.  I like my stouts "stout," that is, with plenty of alcohol.  However, I decided that I couldn't make this brew at the 11+% ABV I wanted and actually have it ready for Christmas since large beers need more time to mellow and lose the alcohol burn.  So, I went with a milder, 7.5% brew in the hopes that it might be ready to give out as Christmas presents.  Here is the recipe:

Recipe: Contraband Chocolate Imperial Stout
Brewer: Dechert
Asst Brewer:
Style: Imperial Stout
TYPE: Partial Mash

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 5.25 gal
Boil Size: 6.01 gal
Estimated OG: 1.079 SG
Estimated Color: 34.9 SRM
Estimated IBU: 54.1 IBU
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
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Amount Item Type % or IBU
4.00 lb Extra Light Dry Extract (3.0 SRM) Dry Extract 34.78 %
3.00 lb Extra Light Dry Extract (3.0 SRM) Dry Extract 26.09 %
2.00 lb Pale Malt (6 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 17.39 %
1.00 lb Barley, Flaked (1.7 SRM) Grain 8.70 %
0.75 lb Black Barley (Stout) (500.0 SRM) Grain 6.52 %
0.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 4.35 %
0.25 lb Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain 2.17 %
0.75 oz Chinook [11.00 %] (60 min) Hops 22.8 IBU
0.50 oz Warrior [15.80 %] (40 min) Hops 19.2 IBU
0.50 oz Williamette [4.50 %] (10 min) Hops 2.3 IBU
2.00 oz Belgian Chocolate (Secondary 0.0 min) Misc
2 Pkgs Scottish Ale (Wyeast Labs #1728) Yeast-Ale


Mash in at 161 degrees. Held between 148-155 degrees for 60 min.
Mash out at 172 degrees for 10 min.

Notes:
------
Make 2.3L starter with 2 packs of yeast.

Dissolve chocolate in boiling water. Cool and add to secondary.

It didn't quite hit my target OG, mostly because of a boilover and a couple of other technical issues.  However, if it attenuates well, I should be able to bring it in at 7.5%.  We'll see.  Of course, then the trick will be to have it conditioned by the 25th of December.  We'll see how that goes, as well.  Here's hoping!

Weekly Update, 10/14/10

I haven't had much time to post my impressions on all the beers I have going right now, so here's an aggregate of what's happening:

Ad-Seg IPA - still stuck at 1.040.  Cold crashed it and the sediment settled out, but no change in SG.  Plan on bottling within the next couple of days.  Taste is dead-on to Dogfish Head 90.

Off Paper Lager - conditioning in the bottle, though first tests show good carbonation and OK head retention.  I'll probably throw in a heading powder next time.  Taste is good, but less fruity than Dos Equis Lager.  The fruity esters seems to have mellowed in the lagering/bottle conditioning.  Still decent, for what it is.

Contraband Chocolate Stout - in the primary and fermenting like crazy.  Still trying to decide how much cocoa to add to the secondary - 1oz, 2oz, 3oz, or more?

Brevis Bock - lagering away at 38 degrees.  Check yesterday still had an odd grainy flavor to it.  Should (hopefully) mellow out in lagering/conditioning.

Over-the-Fence Weissbier - carbed up super fast.  Tasty with good head.  Could be a new favorite.

Rolled Up Irish Red - just tried making this one again today after the last disaster with yeast.  Did a full boil this time.  Went well, OG came in higher than expected.  Should be pretty tasty, if all continues well.

On deck is Bottom Number Blonde, my first attempt at all-grain brewing using the BIAB (brew in a bag) method.  After that, a Guiness inspired Dry Stout, though not a Guiness clone.

Over all, the brewing thing seems to be going well.  I like it, I'm learning a lot, and I'm going to have some great beers to give away for Christmas.  Besides that, I'll have a lot of great beers to enjoy myself throughout the holidays.  Cheers!

Over-theFence Weissbier: First Impressions

I just bottled this beer yesterday morning.  This afternoon I noticed that there was considerable yeast sediment in the bottom of the bottles.  So, I tossed one in the fridge and let it chill.  Imagine my surprise when I cracked it open and heard the pfft sound of carbonation.  After one day!

I poured it into a wheat beer glass and the head was amazing.  Aroma, color, everything is just right.  Taste-wise it seems pretty good, too.  I haven't had wheat beer in a long time, but this stuff tastes pretty darn good.  Can't really taste the cinnamon in it, but that might come out with age.  Either way, it's definitely a success. 

BIAB: Yes or No?

I've been researching BIAB (Brew In A Bag) on Homebrewtalk.com.  I'm very intrigued by it, as it seems to be a way for me to go all-grain for some of my recipes without having to invest in so much equipment.  I'm thinking about brewing an upcoming blonde BIAB just to see what happens.  If it works, brewing will get a little cheaper for me without having to buy so much extract, and I don't really see a downside to it.  Once I commit to it and actually try it, I'll post my thoughts.

Over-the-Fence Wiessbier: The Name

Most prisons that people think of have high fences with concertina razor wire at the top and guard towers all around.  The prison I work at is a minimum security facility and has none of those things.  The only barbed-wire fence we have is to keep the cows in and the only razor-wire we have is around the facility generator to prevent sabotage.  The fence at our outer perimeter is a 4-foot pipe fence and the fence around the inmate living quarters is a 6-foot chain link fence with nothing on top. 

Needless to say, escaping from our institution is very simple - one only needs to go "over the fence" and one is free.  However, no one who has ever gone "over the fence" has been free for long.  And, once they are caught, their prison stay is usually lengthened and they are sent to a maximum facility with all the standard security - high razor wire fences, guard towers, and the like.  So, going "over the fence" is a bad idea.

Most inmates at our institution understand this and have reconciled themselves to knowing that, while supposed "freedom" is only a short fence or two away, greater freedom will come if they just stay put and finish out their time.  Once in a while, though, an inmate gets a burr under his saddle and goes "over the fence."

Goodtime Oktoberfest: The Name

Most states in the country recognize the use of "good time" in determining how long a prisoner remains in prison.  Good time is generally credit for time served on good behavior.  This means that an inmate who does time without breaking prison rules will often be given time off their sentence.  The amount of good time credited varies from state to state, but generally it is understood that inmates without any disciplinary infractions will get out of prison quicker than those who continue to have behavior problems.  Good time generally does not affect life sentences, but it is possible that enough good time accrued by a "lifer" might cause the parole board to recommend a sentence reduction.