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06/25/2006
Cascade Ale bottled
June 24, 2006, 4pm - We bottled the ale. Found it is extremely light in all regards - flavor and bitter-wise, but it does have a nice aromatic hoppy aroma about it. At first I thought I was having iced tea.. not a good sign, but I'm hoping things will improve with some time in the bottle.
What caused the overlightness? Probably not enough bittering hops during the initial boil. Note to self - don't rely on homegrown hops for this stage, unless you're absolutely certain you have adequate amounts, and also that the hops you're using have high enough alpha to lend a bittering hand to the wort.
The dry hopping, however, turned out really nice. Very aromatic, citrusy notes present immediately prior to bottling.
This morning (June 26) I made up some beer pancakes, and decided to test out the beer as it is progressing. Just two days into it, already carbonating nicely, and yes, there is definitely a much more pronounced hop quality to the beer. So this goes to show that a lot of aromas and flavors can easily blow off unless it's kept sealed. Further, it seems higher pressure really does help break things down to bring out the flavors.
More updates coming soon, but for now, the garage brewery is closed, and all eyes are on the cellar.
David
Posted by Dave at 06/25/2006 5:16:43pm
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06/20/2006
Cascade Ale clone: So smooth, it's criminal
This is about the Cascade Ale clone, formerly known as Mirror Pond Ale clone. This went far dryer, and perhaps due to the light malt, it's just crisp, golden, and shall we say, "bright" in flavors and aromas. What a lovely summer brew!
With SG currently at 1004, it's about 5% given an OG of 1046. Definitely started off a lot lighter than it should have been -- cheers to me for choosing the largest carboy which requird adding an extra 1/2 gallon or so of water -- but so be it. This is an incredibly smooth ale, round and mellow, aromatic but not overly hopped - definitely something you'd want to enjoy on a hot summer afternoon.
Stay tuned, as bottling commences this time tomorrow evening.
David
Posted by Dave at 06/20/2006 4:29:41pm
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06/15/2006
Dry Hopping: Love At First Pint
 Wow. Dry hopping. Yum.
That is about all I have to say regarding the Mirror Pond clone. I transferred it to a secondary fermenter yesterday, and took a SG of 1.005. Whoops. A bit dry. Perhaps if I'd done it a few days earlier, the ferment would not have continued for quite so long. My suspicion is that by removing it earlier off of the yeast, the little bit remaining in solution would not have had the ability to eat up all of the remaining sugars. Oh well. Interestingly enough, the beer as it stands now resembles more of a light summer ale. It's quite dry and crisp, but really coming along.
Now. About them hops.
I added a substantial amount, about 1.5 ounces, directly to the carboy. What I wasn't anticipating is that the hops would expand so much, they would fill the entire remaining headspace, and even force some of the beer up into the airlock Whoops. Lesson learned. The solution? Draw some beer off the top and sample it. In any case, this was my first direct-infusion dry hopping ever, but I'm already convinced this is the way to hop your beer.
Well, what can I say? 1.5 ounces of Cascade hops, even after 24 hours, has already had an immediate impact on the citrus/floral qualities of the beer. It really is turning into a summer ale. I can't wait to see what happens once it's done, bottled, and aged for 6 weeks. Bottling will happen in about one week. Stay tuned for that.
David
Posted by Dave at 06/15/2006 10:43:39am
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06/05/2006
Getting the "blow off" from Mirror Pond clone
Well, it was bound to happen.
By late yesterday evening, only four hours after pitching the yeast, the air lock was slowly bubbling. By this morning, it was bubbling steadily, once per second. By this afternoon, about 24 hours after fermentation began, I had a serious problem on my hand. Apparently, the ferment was so aggressive that the entire mix foamed up. I found the airlock filled with a milky-looking solution, and bubbling furiously. A slight bit of foam was visible at the top of the air lock.
Thoughts of infection ran rampant through my mind, calmed only when I considered that the airlock was filled with a very potent mixture of Iodophor, that wonderful no-rinse solution that can sterilize just about anything you let soak in it. I wasn't too worried about things getting into the beer, just wanting to prevent any further problems.
I carefully sterilized a blow-off cap, attached a hose to it, and placed the open end in a shallow bucket filled with a strong Iodophor solution. After affixing the seal to the top of the keg, blow-off immediately began bubbling up and into the hose, down into the bucket. See for yourself!
While this sounds dangerous -- essentially, something (like a fly or small bug) *might* get into the Iodophor solution and try to work its way up the tube and into the carboy -- the chances of it surviving the solution, and then the five-foot climb up the CO2-filled tube, are pretty minor. As for less-mobile critters, such as bacteria, well, that's what the Iodophor is for.
Now, once the blow-off has completed, and bubbling subsides, I'll need to replace the cap with the more standard airlock. So I'll monitor the carboy every few hours over the next few days.
Refer to my previous post about the Mirror Pond clone for more info about the recipe.
David
Posted by Dave at 06/05/2006 4:47:52pm
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06/05/2006
New Recipe: Mirror Pond Ale Clone
When it comes to homebrewing, what's a "clone"? Essentially, it's a faithfully produced copy of a beer recipe. In homebrew terms, a clone recipe is one that mimics a commercially produced beer. I'll blog more about the art of cloning in another post - but for now, here's a recipe I thought you might enjoy reading about for Mirror Pond Ale.
Ingredients:
- 3 1/2 lbs. light DME (powdered malt extract)
- 1/2 lb. light DME
- 1 lb. 20L Crystal malt
- 1/2 lb. Munich malt
- 1/2 lb. 2 row pale malt
- 2 ozs. Cascade hops
- 2 ozs. Cascade hops
- Wyeast 1056 American ale yeast "Slap Pack"
Yields:
- 6 gallons of tasty brew @ 4.5%
Instructions:
- Remove yeast from fridge; slap the bag to release inner yeast pouch; let culture grow for 3 hours (pouch should be extremely puffy)
- Mash grains in 1.5 gallons of water @ 152F for 90 minutes.
- Remove from heat; add 1.5 gallons water @ 168F
- Mix in 3 1/2 lbs. malt extract, and return to boil (~200F)
- Add in 1 oz. hops, continuing boil for 30 minutes
- Add in 1 oz. hops, continuing boil for 15 minutes
- Cool to 100F, transfer to primary fermenter, and top up with cool water to 6 gallons
- Pitch yeast once wort is below 80F
- After 2 weeks, dry hop by adding 1.5-2oz. hops to secondary fermenter
- After 1 week, remove hops and prime with remaining 1/2 lb. DME
- Bottle and allow to condition for 4 weeks
Brewing Notes
- O.G. 1045
- S.G. 1008
- Alcohol content ~4.5%
I'll keep you updated on this as we progress...
Posted by Dave at 06/05/2006 5:01:23am
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