Can you Brew It recipe for Firestone Walker Union Jack

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I finally brewed my Double Jack close last Thursday, and sure enough, WLP002 got the job done. 1.083 down to 1.012. It might have another point left, but I doubt it. OG was a couple points low, but I doubt the difference will be noticeable. It's too early to tell, but based on tasting the hydro sample, it's on the right track.

But ya, my fear in 002 was unfounded. I mashed at 145 for 60min then 155 for 10min btw
 
Alright, it's in the keg now, and so far, I'm definitely on track. I'll update in a week or two with pictures and results. I think We're there though
 
Originally Posted by TimBrewz
RO = Reverse Osmosis water: I get this water at a vending machine at my local supermarket. It is basically free of any minerals, chlorine, chloramides, etc.
Adding gypsum and CaCl to 100 ppm is based on 6 gallons of wort. I don't have the brewing calculator handy, but here is Palmer's intro to water adjustment.

Thanks for the reply. I guess my question was not very clear... It seems you would add x grams of gypsum (CaSO4) and and y grams CaCl to create a water profile containing - Ca, Cl, and SO4 (completely neglecting Mg, Na, or bicarbonates). Of these, which ones are to be at 100ppm? Also, for a hoppy beer it seems that you would want a sulfate to chlorine ratio around 3:1. That being said, I would suspect SO4 should be closer to 300 if Cl is 100 and Ca around 100?

Any thoughts?

EXACTLY !!!
The "RO water with Gypsum and CalciumChloride to 100ppm" is NOT enough info !
TimBrewz, why do you think that means to get the Calcium to 100ppm !?!?!?
They didn't say THAT.
Although like I said I don't understand what they DID mean either...
I am VERY much in line with JMSullivan73 on this.
You would need to add SOME amount of Gypsum and SOME amount of CalciumChloride to get to SOMETHING and THEN worry about the Sulfate to Chloride ratio to decide how much of each one. What they DIDN'T tell us was what the "SOMETHING" to get to was...?!?!
100ppm of WHAT ??? :confused:
 
I wouldn't read that far into it. Start with RO, get your calcium in the 100ppm range, and sulfates in the 150-300 range, and I think you'll be close enough. IPA isn't a beer style that needs a super specific water profile.

PS, my double jack clone turned out phenomenal. http://bertusbrewery.blogspot.com/2012/11/ipa-clone-series-firestone-walker.html. I used about 1.5tsp\5gal each of calcium chloride and gypsum for what it's worth.
 
Brewing this tomorrow.. can.not.wait. This beer was what got me into brewing... the thought of being able to recreate this amazing beer is pretty awesome.

My recipe is basically Scotts' except I couldn't find 002 and have to use 007. I'm debating about mashing slightly higher since the 007 is reportedly a dryer yeast? I'm a noob and have only really used 1056 until this point.

Question, my beers typically finish around 1.010 (usually mash at 146-9ish) For this recipe, would the higher mash help me finish around the desired 1.014?
 
Brew day was a success. Pushed my 10 gallon mash tun to its limits. I couldn't have fit another pound of grain in there. Preboil gravity was on track at 1.067, SG was 1.087. I was very happy to have hit both because of the sheer volume of ingredients involved.

Many thanks to everyone who laid out the groundwork on this recipe.
 
One week in and my gravity is about 1.021. I'm still seeing a little bit of airlock activity but I would have liked for that number to be a bit lower. Perhaps my mash temp was too high or i let my temps get too low or perhaps i'm just being impatient.

This weekend will be attempt #2 on this if I can get a hold of the 002/Wyeast 1968.
 
WLP007 has a tendency to chew off a few more gravity points once the krausen drops. You mentioned it was 10 gallon batch. How much yeast did you pitch, and did you aerate the wort well?
 
good to know! it was almost your exact recipe (6 gallon batch, mashed in a 10 gallon tun). I pitched a (decanted) 3 liter starter which might have been a slight underpitch, but I don't have a vessel that can do a larger starter. Might need to spread it across a few growlers.

btw scott.. thanks again for your work on that recipe and blog... great stuff!
 
Ya, you under-pitched by around half. More so if you aren't using a stir plate. One trick for 10 gallons batches is, you can always brew a small 1.030-1.038 5 gallon batch, and use it as a big 'starter'. You get 5 gallons of a cheap session ale, plus enough yeast to pitch into around 15 gallons of 1.060 wort.

That's what I've started doing before I brew my 10 gallon IPAs. Because ya, the starter size starts to get silly. (6+ liters). I'm glad you like the blog! It's been a fun use of my spare time, and I'm glad it's appreciated.
 
sorry, i should be more clear. It's a 6 gallon batch. The reference to 10 gallons was my 10 Gallon round mash tun that was filled to the top with the 20lbs(ish) of grain.

I don't have a stir plate so I still probably underpitched by a bit, although this was by far my most active fermentation. I had chunks of hops in my blowoff tube.
 
Going to brew two batches of this soon (two different parties) - a good way to get rid of the piles of hops I have around and then restock.

After reading this thread, I too was curious about WLP002 vs. WLP007.

Just crunching the numbers, if the beer is 7.5% ABV with an OG of 1.070, that means we need to get to an FG of 1.013. That means 81.43% attenuation. I just don't see how that is possible with WLP002. From White Labs:

WLP002:
Attenuation: 63-70%
Flocculation: Very High
Optimum Fermentation Temperature: 65-68°F
(18-20°C)
Alcohol Tolerance: Medium

WLP007:
Attenuation: 70-80%
Flocculation: Medium to High
Optimum Fermentation Temperature: 65-70°F
(18-21°C)
Alcohol Tolerance: Medium-High

So I'm choosing WLP007 and following the exact mash schedule in the first post. I'll make a nice starter for the first batch, then pitch the proper amount of slurry for the second batch. I'll be sure and post my results.

And BTW, I've used S-04 in the past and thought it left a strange Ester profile (even when fermenting cool). Interested to see my results with WLP007 which is supposed to be the same strain.

I have used 002 many times and if you have a good active starter and raise the temp slightly as you go, I get in the low 80s attenuation consistantly.
 
sorry, i should be more clear. It's a 6 gallon batch. The reference to 10 gallons was my 10 Gallon round mash tun that was filled to the top with the 20lbs(ish) of grain.

I don't have a stir plate so I still probably underpitched by a bit, although this was by far my most active fermentation. I had chunks of hops in my blowoff tube.

Oh, then ya, your pitch rate was fine. I thought you made twice as much.
 
i brought the temp up to 71 (max recommended is 72) to hopefully get it down a little further and into the teens. The hydrometer sample tasted great but obviously a touch on the sweet side.. I was able to locate some 002.. looks like sunday is brew day!
 
Brewed this version up on Saturday. I didn't have the caramunich so I threw in some munich 20 and pilsner....LHBS sucks and the choices were limited. I hate Crystal in IPAs so I wasn't disappointed that I went with something else.

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 13.98 gal
Post Boil Volume: 12.48 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 11.00 gal
Bottling Volume: 10.25 gal
Estimated OG: 1.070 SG
Estimated Color: 5.4 SRM
Estimated IBU: 66.3 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 82.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 89.5 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
21 lbs 3.9 oz Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 82.0 %
3 lbs 1.0 oz Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 2 11.8 %
1 lbs 4.0 oz Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM) Grain 3 4.8 %
5.4 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain 4 1.3 %
56.00 g Magnum [14.70 %] - Boil 90.0 min Hop 5 44.7 IBUs
38.00 g Centennial [8.70 %] - Boil 30.0 min Hop 6 12.9 IBUs
35.00 g Cascade [6.40 %] - Boil 30.0 min Hop 7 8.7 IBUs
95.33 g Cascade [5.50 %] - Boil 0.0 min Hop 8 0.0 IBUs
95.33 g Centennial [10.00 %] - Boil 0.0 min Hop 9 0.0 IBUs
55.00 g Cascade [5.50 %] - Dry Hop 7.0 Days Hop 10 0.0 IBUs
55.00 g Centennial [10.00 %] - Dry Hop 7.0 Days Hop 11 0.0 IBUs
25.67 g Amarillo Gold [8.50 %] - Dry Hop 7.0 Day Hop 12 0.0 IBUs
25.67 g Simcoe [13.00 %] - Dry Hop 7.0 Days Hop 13 0.0 IBUs
80.67 g Cascade [5.50 %] - Dry Hop 0.0 Days Hop 14 0.0 IBUs
80.67 g Centennial [10.00 %] - Dry Hop 0.0 Days Hop 15 0.0 IBUs
25.67 g Amarillo Gold [8.50 %] - Dry Hop 0.0 Day Hop 16 0.0 IBUs
25.67 g Simcoe [13.00 %] - Dry Hop 0.0 Days Hop 17 0.0 IBUs


Mash Schedule: Temperature Mash, 2 Step, Light Body
Total Grain Weight: 25 lbs 14.3 oz
----------------------------
Name Description Step Temperat Step Time
Protein Rest Add 31.27 qt of water at 134.4 F 122.0 F 10 min
Saccharification Add -1.50 qt of water and heat to 145.0 145.0 F 45 min
Beta Amalaze Heat to 155.0 F over 10 min 155.0 F 10 min
Mash Out Add -0.01 qt of water at 168.0 F 168.0 F 10 min

Sparge: Fly sparge with 10.02 gal water at 168.0 F
 
Finally brewing this up tomorrow with the only subs being 40L crystal for caramalt and s04 rehydrated. I'll still pitch at 63f and then allow to free rise and hold at 66f for 3 days or so, then a dry hop addition at day 4-5 with the second dry hop going into the keg. Can't wait to see how this comes out.
 
so far, i'm not thrilled with this batch.. Since I've gone all grain, it seems like i keep have this woody/nutty flavor that keeps creeping into my beers that I can't seem to isolate. I know the recipe was solid, i'm pretty confident in my yeast/sanitizing process but something isn't right with this batch. It's a bit cloudy, hop particles throughout and just overall doesn't seem close to the original.

I'm scratching my head.. It's obviously not a recipe thing.. my ingredients seem fresh and all my gravities seem inline.. maybe it's that "grassy" taste people are talking about with leaving dry hops in too long? I used to leave the beer on the dry hops much longer without even a hit of the current flavor.

could it be a slight infection with my buckets? They are about a year old now.. any ideas?
 
so far, i'm not thrilled with this batch.. Since I've gone all grain, it seems like i keep have this woody/nutty flavor that keeps creeping into my beers that I can't seem to isolate. I know the recipe was solid, i'm pretty confident in my yeast/sanitizing process but something isn't right with this batch. It's a bit cloudy, hop particles throughout and just overall doesn't seem close to the original.

I'm scratching my head.. It's obviously not a recipe thing.. my ingredients seem fresh and all my gravities seem inline.. maybe it's that "grassy" taste people are talking about with leaving dry hops in too long? I used to leave the beer on the dry hops much longer without even a hit of the current flavor.

could it be a slight infection with my buckets? They are about a year old now.. any ideas?

Where is you mash ph at? To high of mash ph will extract tannins (woody taste) from the grain husks.
 
Where is you mash ph at? To high of mash ph will extract tannins (woody taste) from the grain husks.

PH? Interesting, never even considered that.. I use Poland Spring water so I never really paid much attention to it. I have been trying to think if it is something related to oxidation and trying to convince myself its wet cardboard taste and not this nutty taste. Woody would also be another word to describe it.

My next batch will probably be this weekend so I guess i'll be doing some reading on the subject.. is it true that if I'm crushing too fine that can also contribute?
 
PH? Interesting, never even considered that.. I use Poland Spring water so I never really paid much attention to it. I have been trying to think if it is something related to oxidation and trying to convince myself its wet cardboard taste and not this nutty taste. Woody would also be another word to describe it.

My next batch will probably be this weekend so I guess i'll be doing some reading on the subject.. is it true that if I'm crushing too fine that can also contribute?

It can so more if the mash ph is to high. You are shooting for 5.2 to 5.4 at mash temps
 
My batch over-attuated, which was the last of my concerns with WLP002. 1.011 down from 1.071. Racking to secondary tomorrow.
 
My batch over-attuated, which was the last of my concerns with WLP002. 1.011 down from 1.071. Racking to secondary tomorrow.

Sounds pretty close to target, the recipe in the hops book (from matt himself) has a fg of 1.012. I have also measured 1.012 fg from firestones version.
 
Sounds pretty close to target, the recipe in the hops book (from matt himself) has a fg of 1.012. I have also measured 1.012 fg from firestones version.

I guess I'm not far off then. My calcs had me at 1.070 for OG and 1.013-1.014 for FG
 
Brewed this up on Sunday. It was my first time using the barley crusher, so over shot a little to 1.078. Otherwise, brew day went well. The WLP002 has been very active and my basement smells deliciously hoppy.
 
Ok, it's 7 days in and sitting at 1.014. I'm thinking it's closed to done, so I'll start the first dryhop tomorrow. After that I'll move it to the keg and do the second round there. The sample tasted so good already that I wanted to go back for seconds.
 
Sounds good.. I have had nothing but problems brewing this beer.. Each time it comes out with this harsh flavor that I can't place. I'm wondering if it's the warrior hops that I'm using for the bittering. Gonna try it in a few with something else to see if that's the culprit.
 
Sounds good.. I have had nothing but problems brewing this beer.. Each time it comes out with this harsh flavor that I can't place. I'm wondering if it's the warrior hops that I'm using for the bittering. Gonna try it in a few with something else to see if that's the culprit.

As someone mentioned upthread, Matt has said that they sometimes bitter with Columbus. Worth a shot.
 
Hmmmm, I will have to wait and see how the bitterness turns out. Water can have a big impact on bitterness, so another place to try changing things up. I have hard water, so I usually I use about a half & half mix of tap water & plain RO water (not spring water). However, this time I used the method described in the water chemistry primer which is all RO water and adding calcium chloride & gypsum, as well as using acidulated malt in the mash. I am going to start cold crashing it tonight, then move it to the keg on Sunday along with the next dryhop addition. After that I am planning on letting it sit at basement temp (mid 60s) for 4 more days then drop the temp and carbonate.
 
Ok, this one has been in the keg for a week, and it is really tasty! I've never actually had the union jack because I can't get it here. My bro lives in CO, so he's brought me some double union jack during visits. This beer is definitely what I imagined it would taste like.

The bitterness and hop flavor are just perfect. It's just a saturated hop flavor that sits on the tongue. The aroma is good after the initial pour, but seems to disappear quickly. I'm not sure how to improve that in future. Maybe because it's only been in the keg a week and is still carbing up?

The alcohol is also just a touch hot since it ended up at 8.5. However, it's not noticable enough to detract from the beer. The beer is also a little hazy right now. It would probably clear up in time, but I just don't think it will last long enough to find out. Maybe next time I will use gelatin. This is easily my favorite beer that I've brewed and I am really digging being able to have it on tap.
 
Hi guys, I brewed this about a year and a half ago, and can't recall how long I let it condition before drinking. I have a fishout the second week of July for which I am brewing four beers;
FWUJ IPA (1.075),
American Stout(1.065),
American Wheat(1.042)
and American Lager(1.041). I already brewed the lager last weekend.

I am trying to decide when I need to brew the IPA, its 8 weeks until the trip right now. Planning to brew 3 consecutive weekends starting next weekend and right now leaning towards starting with the stout(it gets better with some conditioning), then doing the UJ and the wheat last.

So, to make a long question short; how long are you guys taking from brew day to consumption with this beer? I know most IPAs are best fresh, but there is a fine line with bigger beers between fresh and not quite at its peak.

Thanks,

Tim
 
TimBrewz said:
Hi guys, I brewed this about a year and a half ago, and can't recall how long I let it condition before drinking. I have a fishout the second week of July for which I am brewing four beers;
FWUJ IPA (1.075),
American Stout(1.065),
American Wheat(1.042)
and American Lager(1.041). I already brewed the lager last weekend.

I am trying to decide when I need to brew the IPA, its 8 weeks until the trip right now. Planning to brew 3 consecutive weekends starting next weekend and right now leaning towards starting with the stout(it gets better with some conditioning), then doing the UJ and the wheat last.

So, to make a long question short; how long are you guys taking from brew day to consumption with this beer? I know most IPAs are best fresh, but there is a fine line with bigger beers between fresh and not quite at its peak.

Thanks,

Tim

I would brew by June 1st at the latest. A good IPA can use a 30 day period to settle out; just my 2 cents.
 
I brewed a very similar batch last night, pitched WLP002 on a 1L starter which followed the same grain profile as the batch and it's off to a good starter. OG came in at 1.066 so I was very pleased. Started out with 9.2 gallons of H2O and put 5.6 gallons into primary. Though I do have a slightly different hop profile...

11.25 lbs 2 row
1.5 lbs Crystal 10
0.5 lbs Carapils
.25 lbs Munich
.25 lbs WhiteWheat
.75 oz Millenium 60 min
1 oz Cascade 30 min
.5 oz Citra 30 min
.5 oz Citra 15 min
.5 oz Citra 10 min
.5 oz Citra 5 min
WLP002 yeast - with a 1L starter

Going to dry hop soon with citra/cascade. or so my plan goes....
 
Just brewed this last week (finally).
Pitched yeast starter and aerated with Oxygen on Tuesday night, and was down to almost 1.020 by Friday evening (i.e. 3 days)!!
Dry hopped with the first batch of hops and let sit 3 more days at ~68F.
Transferred to secondary carboy and dry hopped with second batch of hops last night.
I plan on cold crashing in the secondary for a couple weeks, but how long should I leave it sit at ~68~69 with the last round of dry hops in it ? (they are in a hop bag so I can remove them at anytime)
5 days ?
longer ??
 
BigJay13 said:
I think your plan is a good one. Give the ipa 6 weeks and you will be drinking it in its prime!

In that 6 weeks, how much time is spent in the bottle? I have 3 diff ipa's fermenting now - my first 3 ever and am getting ready to bottle soon. What's the standard wait - 7 days? 14 days?
 
crawkraut said:
In that 6 weeks, how much time is spent in the bottle? I have 3 diff ipa's fermenting now - my first 3 ever and am getting ready to bottle soon. What's the standard wait - 7 days? 14 days?

Once you finish primary, throw your dry hops in (typically 5-10 days depending on your recipe-I usually go 7-10), after that is complete you should bottle. Three weeks in bottle to carbonate will give you roughly 5 weeks from brew day to drinking. Let it sit cold for another week and it will be great. When you dry hop you can transfer to another carboy but it isn't necessary if you aren't saving the yeast. Hope that helps.
 
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