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HarvInSTL · 12-12-2007, 02:50 PM

Everyone should have recieved their beers from me by now.

The HomeBrew I sent:

Czech Pilsner:
My second attempt at a lager.

Code:

BeerSmith Recipe Printout - www.beersmith.com
Recipe: 11-Czech Pilsner
Brewer: Anthony
Asst Brewer: 
Style: German Pilsner (Pils)
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (35.0) 

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 10.00 gal      
Boil Size: 13.50 gal
Estimated OG: 1.047 SG
Estimated Color: 4.5 SRM
Estimated IBU: 20.4 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.00 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount        Item                                      Type         % or IBU      
15 lbs        Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM)             Grain        83.33 %       
2 lbs         Munich Malt (9.0 SRM)                     Grain        11.11 %       
1 lbs         Carafoam (2.0 SRM)                        Grain        5.56 %        
3.25 oz       Hallertauer Hersbrucker [3.50 %]  (60 min)Hops         19.6 IBU      
1.00 oz       Hallertauer Hersbrucker [3.50 %]  (3 min) Hops         0.8 IBU       
1.00 items    Irish Moss (Boil 15.0 min)                Misc                       
1 Pkgs        Czech Pilsner Lager (Wyeast Labs #2278)   Yeast-Lager                


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge
Total Grain Weight: 18.00 lb
----------------------------
Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge
Step Time     Name               Description                         Step Temp     
45 min        Mash In            Add 5.63 gal of water at 159.1 F    148.0 F

Oktoberfest:
My first attempt at a lager.

Code:

BeerSmith Recipe Printout - www.beersmith.com
Recipe: 12-My Oktoberfest
Brewer: Anthony
Asst Brewer: 
Style: Oktoberfest/Marzen
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (35.0) 

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 10.00 gal      
Boil Size: 12.55 gal
Estimated OG: 1.051 SG
Estimated Color: 9.5 SRM
Estimated IBU: 23.9 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.00 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount        Item                                      Type         % or IBU      
10 lbs        Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM)             Grain        50.00 %       
4 lbs         Munich Malt (9.0 SRM)                     Grain        20.00 %       
4 lbs         Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM)                     Grain        20.00 %       
1 lbs         Caramunich Malt (56.0 SRM)                Grain        5.00 %        
1 lbs         Caravienne Malt (22.0 SRM)                Grain        5.00 %        
3.30 oz       Hallertauer Hersbrucker [3.50 %]  (60 min)Hops         19.3 IBU      
1.30 oz       Hallertauer Hersbrucker [3.50 %]  (20 min)Hops         4.6 IBU       
1 Pkgs        Octoberfest Lager Blend (Wyeast Labs #2633Yeast-Lager                


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge
Total Grain Weight: 20.00 lb
----------------------------
Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge
Step Time     Name               Description                         Step Temp     
60 min        Mash In            Add 6.25 gal of water at 163.7 F    152.0 F

Three Fingered Ale:
All Centinenal IPA

Code:

BeerSmith Recipe Printout - www.beersmith.com
Recipe: 11-Czech Pilsner
Brewer: Anthony
Asst Brewer: 
Style: German Pilsner (Pils)
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (35.0) 

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 10.00 gal      
Boil Size: 13.50 gal
Estimated OG: 1.047 SG
Estimated Color: 4.5 SRM
Estimated IBU: 20.4 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.00 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount        Item                                      Type         % or IBU      
15 lbs        Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM)             Grain        83.33 %       
2 lbs         Munich Malt (9.0 SRM)                     Grain        11.11 %       
1 lbs         Carafoam (2.0 SRM)                        Grain        5.56 %        
3.25 oz       Hallertauer Hersbrucker [3.50 %]  (60 min)Hops         19.6 IBU      
1.00 oz       Hallertauer Hersbrucker [3.50 %]  (3 min) Hops         0.8 IBU       
1.00 items    Irish Moss (Boil 15.0 min)                Misc                       
1 Pkgs        Czech Pilsner Lager (Wyeast Labs #2278)   Yeast-Lager                


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge
Total Grain Weight: 18.00 lb
----------------------------
Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge
Step Time     Name               Description                         Step Temp     
45 min        Mash In            Add 5.63 gal of water at 159.1 F    148.0 F

Robust Porter:
One of the first beers I made back in April 2007.

Bourbon Oak Aged Russian Imperial Stout:
Warning! Do not open for at least 2-3 months. This beer honestly needs to rest/age for 3-6 months before opening.

Code:

BeerSmith Recipe Printout - www.beersmith.com
Recipe: 2-Bourbon Oak Russian Imperial Stout
Brewer: Anthony H
Asst Brewer: 
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (35.0) 

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 5.50 gal      
Boil Size: 6.79 gal
Estimated OG: 1.100 SG
Estimated Color: 44.4 SRM
Estimated IBU: 104.1 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.00 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount        Item                                      Type         % or IBU      
18 lbs        Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM)            Grain        81.26 %       
1 lbs         Caramel/Crystal Malt -120L (120.0 SRM)    Grain        4.51 %        
1 lbs         Roasted Barley (300.0 SRM)                Grain        4.51 %        
1 lbs         Rye, Flaked (2.0 SRM)                     Grain        4.51 %        
12.0 oz       Special B Malt (180.0 SRM)                Grain        3.39 %        
6.4 oz        Chocolate Malt (450.0 SRM)                Grain        1.81 %        
4.00 oz       Centennial [9.20 %]  (90 min)             Hops         81.3 IBU      
1.00 oz       Warrior [16.40 %]  (20 min)               Hops         22.8 IBU      
1.10 tbsp     PH 5.2 Stabilizer (Mash 60.0 min)         Misc                       
1.10 items    Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 min)          Misc                       
4.00 oz       Bourbon Soaked Oak Chunks (Secondary 21.0 Misc                       
1 Pkgs        American Ale II (Wyeast Labs #1272) [StartYeast-Ale                  


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Light Body, Batch Sparge
Total Grain Weight: 22.15 lb
----------------------------
Single Infusion, Light Body, Batch Sparge
Step Time     Name               Description                         Step Temp     
60 min        Mash In            Add 6.87 gal of water at 158.0 F    147.0 F

Brewsmith · 01-03-2008, 04:07 AM

Czech Pilsner

Appearance - Nice gold color. Small white head that disapated quickly. Crystal clear and small bubbles streaming.

Aroma - only slight hint of hop aroma, a little yeasty nose to it.

Flavor - Malty, dry, full mouthfeel and soft carbonation. Some grainy toast flavors. Light bitterness, no hop flavor.

Mouthfeel - fuller than what I was expecting. Carbonation is light, could be higher for this style.

Overall - Very straight forward lager with no fermentation defects that I can detect. For the full mouthfeel of this beer, the flavor is a little light. Also, the bittering hops could be just a little more aggressive. The malt flavors are good. I can definately taste malt, without any residual sweetness. The dryness is good for the style.

**Bobby_M** · 01-26-2008, 12:59 AM

Hi Anthony, I decided it was about time to start tasting some of your beers. I figured the IPA is good to go. You actually posted the Pils reciple twice but I'd like to see what's in this one too..

Three fingered ale.
The bottle sat in the cold for a good 3 weeks. Upon opening, I knew it was well carbed. It poured with a nice 1" head and I didn't have to do a drop pour to get it. I immediately noticed a pretty significant chill haze. I suppose that's acceptable for an IPA since hops contribute to haze. I don't mind it anyway. The color is golden which I think is on the lighter end of the IPA range.

The aroma is way hoppy, just as it should be and enough to block out any malt aroma there might be.

I get bitter as the primary flavor, it's definitely got some bite. If I didn't know any better, I'd say Chinook or Warrior as the bittering hop. I could be way off but it reminds me a lot of a Warrior IPA I did a while back. I think the bitter is slightly accentuated by a higher carb level. After letting it warm up a bit, I'm able to taste more malt and therefore perceive it as well balanced. I don't any over the top alcohol burn of off flavors.

Mouthfeel. It's got a creamy mouthfeel due to the higher carbonation but after letting it offgas a bit, it's obviously on the dryer end for an IPA.

Overall this is a good beer. I'd only say that the only possible improvement would be clarity. I don't know if you used any finings or how fast you got the batch chilled, but those may be factors. Now that I only have one swig left, I would definitely crack another one if it were in the fridge. Nice job.

**Bobby_M** · 01-27-2008, 01:02 AM

I had both the pils and oktoberfest today.

First on the pils, It was crystal clear, light gold as I'd expect. Great head, lasted for a while. The aroma was just clean, nothing standing out but I also poured it pretty cold. Flavor was nice and clean, no esters or diacytel. The bitterness was a little light but I feel like it is well within range of the style, just on the lower end. Mouthfeel was moderate, it might have been thicker if I let it warm up but this was a clean drinking beer that went down fast. I couldn't criticize this beer in the least, excellent.

The oktfest:
Poured with nice 1" head that was persistent. Copper/Orange with perfect clarity. The aroma I get is malt and I can actually pick out Vienna which is distinctive. No hop aroma. The flavor is complex malt with very slight residual sweetness and I don't taste any off flavors. The mouthfeel is a little on the thin side compared to most commercial examples I'm familiar with but it's not bad. I do feel a bit of a coating on my tongue after each sip. Overall another good beer. I'd be proud of it if it were my own.

So far, I like the pils the best. I'll have a wait for the RIS to age more.. Looking forward to it.

Brewsmith · 01-31-2008, 07:49 PM

I had the Oktoberfest last night.

It was a beautiful amber color, and poured with a thin, rocky head. Aroma was juts faintly of malt. The flavor was malty, but not sweet. I could taste the munich malt. It was balanced, fairly medium bodied, and very drinkable. Very clean, and clear. I loved that beer and I think it is a fantastic example of the style. You should consider entering it into competition, because it was practically flawless. Great job.

Brewsmith · 02-09-2008, 10:40 PM

I had the robust porter last night. The flavor and body seemed alright, but it lacked some sweetness. The finish was dry and a little astringent. The mouthfeel was full bodied, so it wasn't thin. Pretty good, but you might want to try a less attenuating yeast to leave some sugars behind.

Brewsmith · 02-09-2008, 10:41 PM

I just opened the Three Fingered Ale and it was a gusher. It's a volcano in my sink right now...

The flavor si a little astringent in the bitterness. The aroma was very fruity and I could taste and smell the hops, but the astringency was there in the finish. Again the body was full, but the malt profile seems off a little. There may be an infection in this one.

HarvInSTL · 02-10-2008, 08:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brewsmith

Overall - Very straight forward lager with no fermentation defects that I can detect. For the full mouthfeel of this beer, the flavor is a little light. Also, the bittering hops could be just a little more aggressive. The malt flavors are good. I can definately taste malt, without any residual sweetness. The dryness is good for the style.

I agree, this beer finished about 5 IBU's below the bottom end of the range.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brewsmith

I had the robust porter last night. The flavor and body seemed alright, but it lacked some sweetness. The finish was dry and a little astringent. The mouthfeel was full bodied, so it wasn't thin. Pretty good, but you might want to try a less attenuating yeast to leave some sugars behind.

I think this is past its prime. I made it in April 2007 from a Brewers Best kit (this was first beer I ever made) and I had one a couple weeks ago and just tasted off.

I could taste the astringency as well, which I couldn't taste 3 months ago.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bobby_M

Hi Anthony, I decided it was about time to start tasting some of your beers. I figured the IPA is good to go. You actually posted the Pils reciple twice but I'd like to see what's in this one too..

Three fingered ale.
The bottle sat in the cold for a good 3 weeks. Upon opening, I knew it was well carbed. It poured with a nice 1" head and I didn't have to do a drop pour to get it. I immediately noticed a pretty significant chill haze. I suppose that's acceptable for an IPA since hops contribute to haze. I don't mind it anyway. The color is golden which I think is on the lighter end of the IPA range.

The aroma is way hoppy, just as it should be and enough to block out any malt aroma there might be.

I get bitter as the primary flavor, it's definitely got some bite. If I didn't know any better, I'd say Chinook or Warrior as the bittering hop. I could be way off but it reminds me a lot of a Warrior IPA I did a while back. I think the bitter is slightly accentuated by a higher carb level. After letting it warm up a bit, I'm able to taste more malt and therefore perceive it as well balanced. I don't any over the top alcohol burn of off flavors.

Mouthfeel. It's got a creamy mouthfeel due to the higher carbonation but after letting it offgas a bit, it's obviously on the dryer end for an IPA.

Overall this is a good beer. I'd only say that the only possible improvement would be clarity. I don't know if you used any finings or how fast you got the batch chilled, but those may be factors. Now that I only have one swig left, I would definitely crack another one if it were in the fridge. Nice job.

The last one I opened had the same carb issues. And the dry mouthfeel leads me to believe that it restarted fermentation in the bottle. I mashed high on this to keep some sugar to help balance all the Centennial hops. It sat at 1.018 or so for close to a week, so the increased carbonation level, dryness and the gushing that Brewsmith had leads me to think that the transfer to the bottling bucket and into the bottle roused the yeasties.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bobby_M

I had both the pils and oktoberfest today.

First on the pils, It was crystal clear, light gold as I'd expect. Great head, lasted for a while. The aroma was just clean, nothing standing out but I also poured it pretty cold. Flavor was nice and clean, no esters or diacytel. The bitterness was a little light but I feel like it is well within range of the style, just on the lower end. Mouthfeel was moderate, it might have been thicker if I let it warm up but this was a clean drinking beer that went down fast. I couldn't criticize this beer in the least, excellent.

The oktfest:
Poured with nice 1" head that was persistent. Copper/Orange with perfect clarity. The aroma I get is malt and I can actually pick out Vienna which is distinctive. No hop aroma. The flavor is complex malt with very slight residual sweetness and I don't taste any off flavors. The mouthfeel is a little on the thin side compared to most commercial examples I'm familiar with but it's not bad. I do feel a bit of a coating on my tongue after each sip. Overall another good beer. I'd be proud of it if it were my own.

So far, I like the pils the best. I'll have a wait for the RIS to age more.. Looking forward to it.

Thanks!

We had a 750ml bottle of the RIS after last weeks Brewclub meeting and while it tastes great now, we all agreed that another 4-6 months would make this beer just about perfect.

Too bad I only have 2 12oz bottles & 8 750ml bottles of it left.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brewsmith

I had the Oktoberfest last night.

It was a beautiful amber color, and poured with a thin, rocky head. Aroma was juts faintly of malt. The flavor was malty, but not sweet. I could taste the munich malt. It was balanced, fairly medium bodied, and very drinkable. Very clean, and clear. I loved that beer and I think it is a fantastic example of the style. You should consider entering it into competition, because it was practically flawless. Great job.

Thanks!

Because of your post I pulled a couple out of the cellar and will be entering them into BABBLE so next month we will see how they stack up.

You mentioned that it was practically flawless. Do you mind going into detail about what flaws there were?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brewsmith

I just opened the Three Fingered Ale and it was a gusher. It's a volcano in my sink right now...

The flavor si a little astringent in the bitterness. The aroma was very fruity and I could taste and smell the hops, but the astringency was there in the finish. Again the body was full, but the malt profile seems off a little. There may be an infection in this one.

I opened on Christmas and had the same opinon.

It sat at 1.018 or so for close to a week, so the increased carbonation level, dryness and the gushing that Brewsmith had leads me to think that the transfer to the bottling bucket and into the bottle roused the yeasties. I did just recheck all the bottles and I don't a scum ring or anything like that.

If you think this is a gusher infection then I'll toss the remaining bottles and appologize profusely for sending a beer that had a gusher infection.