Today I brewed my first batch of beer in 15 years. I was a n00b then (having only made 5 batches of extract brew and one mead) and I am still a n00b, albeit a very well-read one. I decided to try to recreate a Belgian white that was my 4th batch back in the day. Because of ingredient availability and time constraints, I had to adapt the recipe quite a bit and it looks like it might end up being more like a "doppel-wit" of sorts.
6 lbs extra-light house blend malt extract syrup from High Gravity Brew here in Tulsa (not sure of the brand-- they have it in 100 gallon barrels)
2 3/4 lbs light honey
1 oz. Hallertau (60 min.)
1/3 oz. Hallertau (15 min.)
3/4 oz. crushed coriander (15 min.)
3/4 oz. crushed coriander 5 min.)
1/2 oz. dried orange peel
1/2 oz. Hallertau (2 min.)
White Labs Belgian Ale Yeast WLP550
O.G. 1.064
It's pretty much the Grand Cru from Joy of Homebrewing but with an 6 lbs malt syrup instead of 5 lbs spray malt. Also, I was short of whole coriander so I subbed a small amount of ground coriander (a tsp.) for 1/2 oz crushed.
I had a couple of mishaps which I hope will not affect the ferment (fingers crossed). My primary is a plastic bucket and to cool the wort, I immersed it partially in a sink filled with cold water. Unfortunately, the adhesive thermometer I am using did not seem to register a temperature, even when the bucket began to feel cooler than the air. I pitched the yeast at what I believe was about 65 F. Oddly enough, the thermometer began to work 4 hours later...
The other think that happened was that the little gasket in the lid of the primary where the fermentation lock fits got pushed into the wort! It was thoroughly sanitized so I am not worried about it hurting the beer, but I had to come up with an alternative very fast. I took some foam rubber that my hydrometer was packed in and jammed it in the hole with the lock to make a seal. It's funny but I had actually sanitized the foam rubber out some some OCD tendency. I did have to apply some tape to the exterior of the lid in order to keep the fermentation lock standing up straight, but I am pretty confidant of the seal.
Anyway, I am soooo happy to be brewing again. I had not met my wife when I used to brew and was pleasantly surprised when she seemed to like the boiling smell as much as I do.
6 lbs extra-light house blend malt extract syrup from High Gravity Brew here in Tulsa (not sure of the brand-- they have it in 100 gallon barrels)
2 3/4 lbs light honey
1 oz. Hallertau (60 min.)
1/3 oz. Hallertau (15 min.)
3/4 oz. crushed coriander (15 min.)
3/4 oz. crushed coriander 5 min.)
1/2 oz. dried orange peel
1/2 oz. Hallertau (2 min.)
White Labs Belgian Ale Yeast WLP550
O.G. 1.064
It's pretty much the Grand Cru from Joy of Homebrewing but with an 6 lbs malt syrup instead of 5 lbs spray malt. Also, I was short of whole coriander so I subbed a small amount of ground coriander (a tsp.) for 1/2 oz crushed.
I had a couple of mishaps which I hope will not affect the ferment (fingers crossed). My primary is a plastic bucket and to cool the wort, I immersed it partially in a sink filled with cold water. Unfortunately, the adhesive thermometer I am using did not seem to register a temperature, even when the bucket began to feel cooler than the air. I pitched the yeast at what I believe was about 65 F. Oddly enough, the thermometer began to work 4 hours later...
The other think that happened was that the little gasket in the lid of the primary where the fermentation lock fits got pushed into the wort! It was thoroughly sanitized so I am not worried about it hurting the beer, but I had to come up with an alternative very fast. I took some foam rubber that my hydrometer was packed in and jammed it in the hole with the lock to make a seal. It's funny but I had actually sanitized the foam rubber out some some OCD tendency. I did have to apply some tape to the exterior of the lid in order to keep the fermentation lock standing up straight, but I am pretty confidant of the seal.
Anyway, I am soooo happy to be brewing again. I had not met my wife when I used to brew and was pleasantly surprised when she seemed to like the boiling smell as much as I do.