My very first custom recipe AG batch brew day was today, and I couldnt be more happy with the results. I just had to share how it went!
To start the day out I split a Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary imperial helles bock (the one that Papazian and another known homebrewer helped out on) with my brother. (I refuse to brew sober!
). It was a great beer, and I highly recommend trying it!
I brewed an American pale ale recipe I created that I think will turn out to be quite tasty. Used vienna, light crystal, and honey malts (with a 2 row base), and citra, amarillo and cascade hops. I tried out first wort hopping for the first time with a mix of amarillo and cascade.
I had just recently gone through a DIY phase and built my own MLT out of a coleman cooler and a wort chiller + pre chiller from some copper tubing from home depot. Both worked amazing!
Since I'm brewing indoors on an apartment stove top and unable to do a full boil, I split my 6.3 gallon boil into two 4 gallon kettles. Since I only have one wort chiller I started the boils 20 minutes apart from each other and successfully kept up with each kettle's hop additions (three each, 6 total). When the first was done and chilled the second was at the end of it's boil. T'was very hectic, but perfectly timed (This is all easier said than done, especially with 4 beers already in you!).
This was also my first time using whirlfloc. I usually use raw irish moss, but after today I dont think i'll ever use it again. Whirlfloc worked way beyond my expectations... When racking the cooled wort into my fermenter it was crystal clear. I mean 100% crystal effing clear. It looked so damn delicious!
Now its wrapped in a nice blanket tucked away for fermentation. I really can't wait for this one to be done. It was my most difficult brew day by far, but good beer, good equipment, and good company made it my smoothest ever brew day too!
To start the day out I split a Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary imperial helles bock (the one that Papazian and another known homebrewer helped out on) with my brother. (I refuse to brew sober!
). It was a great beer, and I highly recommend trying it!I brewed an American pale ale recipe I created that I think will turn out to be quite tasty. Used vienna, light crystal, and honey malts (with a 2 row base), and citra, amarillo and cascade hops. I tried out first wort hopping for the first time with a mix of amarillo and cascade.
I had just recently gone through a DIY phase and built my own MLT out of a coleman cooler and a wort chiller + pre chiller from some copper tubing from home depot. Both worked amazing!
Since I'm brewing indoors on an apartment stove top and unable to do a full boil, I split my 6.3 gallon boil into two 4 gallon kettles. Since I only have one wort chiller I started the boils 20 minutes apart from each other and successfully kept up with each kettle's hop additions (three each, 6 total). When the first was done and chilled the second was at the end of it's boil. T'was very hectic, but perfectly timed (This is all easier said than done, especially with 4 beers already in you!).
This was also my first time using whirlfloc. I usually use raw irish moss, but after today I dont think i'll ever use it again. Whirlfloc worked way beyond my expectations... When racking the cooled wort into my fermenter it was crystal clear. I mean 100% crystal effing clear. It looked so damn delicious!
Now its wrapped in a nice blanket tucked away for fermentation. I really can't wait for this one to be done. It was my most difficult brew day by far, but good beer, good equipment, and good company made it my smoothest ever brew day too!
