2016 Inaugural Brewday...

[jwalk4]

was a near disaster!


My burner conked out on me! Heated my strike water okay, but when I went to boil I couldn't get any flame and no propane out the burner. I switched propane tanks, and adjusted the regulator. I played with the connections and the hose and was able to get a small flame, but not enough to sustain a boil.

In the end I was forced to bring my BK inside and try to boil on my rinkydink stovetop. I made it to 212F, but just barely, with only a ripple on the surface.

Sigh In the end though, I transferred about 6 gallons instead of my projected 5.5 gallons and came up short of my 1.052 OG by .002. Still, I'm surprised I came that close.

RDWAHAHB, or whatever we say.

Here was my day:
Started by heating up my strike water. All RO.

Mineral weighing: gypsum

Mineral weighing: Calcium Chloride. I’m shooting low for my mineral content as per the advice of some people on this forum, especially for a pale ale. Calcium ~90 Sulfate ~100 Chloride ~60ish, for the record

Warming up the tun. I overshoot my strike temp by a few degrees and wait until my cooler is warm a bit to help maintain temps.

Mashing. Sorry, no strike temp pic, but I hit 152 as planned.

Time for a beer and a picture.

Argh, I’ll also do some dishes….

With that out of the way, weighing out my hop additions.

Here is where it all went wrong. Sorry but not many pictures from here on out. I was too stressed trying to maintain a boil on the ****tiest stove of all time. Like I said, got to 212, but not much rolling action.

OG 1.049 – 1.050

 

[mike_23us]

Looks like a interesting day.

 

[jwalk4]

Thanks! It was.

Just an update. I kegged the beer today, finished at 1.012. Pretty much exactly what I calculated. No DMS or diacetyl, but the beer was super cloudy as a result of the ****e boil.

I'll put it in the fridge and keep it at 35 psi til Thursday and I'll post a pic of the first pull.

 

[jwalk4]

 

[jwalk4]

Okay, Beer Review Time.

Appearance: As you can see, the beer has a hazy appearance, more so than average when I use whirlfloc as I did. But I'm kind of a fan of a little chill/hop haze in some styles. To me, it imparts a bit of an advantage in mouthfeel, like my brain already knows what to expect when I take a sip. The head is a clean white and is persistent through the end. Some, but not a crazy amount, of lacing all the way down. Very Appetizing.

Aroma: This is the first time one of my beers has smelt so aggressively hoppy, which is at odds with what I expected because my poor boil. The hoppy-ness actually doesn't seem to be a good thing to me. It smells raw, and un-matured (as it is). Past the hops, I can smell what I believe to be the Saf-05 too. Fruity-ish? Strange malt smell, I have never smelt Diacetyl or DMS, but I am familiar with the descriptors. I don't think that is it though.

Mouthfeel: Mmm. Good mouthfeel. I would say that this is the mouthfeel that I wish more of my beers would have. Not too thin, nor too thick. Carbonation is good, and will get better as it stays on gas in the fridge.

Taste: Here is where that weird malt smell is in my taste, right up front. Again, I'm familiar with the DMS and Diacetyl descriptors (although I have never tasted it, myself), but I don't think that's it. It tastes like a beer that has been kicking around the house for a while (in the fridge, out of the fridge, and back in again). It might be oxidation, but I thought that stale flavors would be dull, not intense like this. Maybe, I need to clean my beer lines? Aside from that though, the hop flavor is strong and the yeast is a pleasant fruity.

Overall, I give this beer an unofficial 28-29 / 50. Great appearance and mouthfeel, but out of the 30's due to that weird flavor and aroma.