Guate Brewing

[pacayaforhops]

Crap, double post. Sorry .
Might as well make the best of it.

Last call for a headcount, either on the thread or by PM, so far I'll be bottling 3 samples including my own.

 

[pacayaforhops]

agreed, i attributed most of the harshness to the bittering hops combined with only 1 week in the bottle. i was happy with the way the malt tasted tho. in a few weeks it should mellow into a solid Amber.

i plan on doing a 5g batch this weekend, upping the hops and sugar to go for an IPA.
Do you think there is much difference between color and flavor using plain white table sugar vs brown sugar?

my hop schedule this weekend will be:
1/2 oz magnum - 60 min
1 oz FF - 15 min
1 oz cascade - 10 min
1 oz FF - 5
1 oz cascade - flame out

There's not that much difference between white & light brown sugar, but if you use 2 pounds it's noticeable, light brown sugar contributes a slight molasses/caramel character, more noticeable in the smell than taste. I prefer it over plain white sugar.

There's not much difference between a 15 and a 10 min addition, I'd suggest
1/2 oz magnum - 60 min
1/2 oz FF - 30 min
1 oz cascade - 15-10 min
1 oz cascade - flame out
1 oz FF or cascade - dry hop 1 week (FF for piny aroma, cascade for citrus)

That will still get you in the lower 50's IBU's and have a bit more hops presence. If you space the additions too far (60->15 min) you'll be able to tell that there were separate additions rather than a "hoppy fullness" so to speak, it'll smell like a hops garden when you sniff, but it'll be a bit flatter and less complex on the palate.
Usually when I go for a cheap bitter, I do a 60 and a 20 min addition in a less than rolling boil, so as to not evaporate as many essential oils; I'm usually satisfied with the results in the aroma department.

 

[hopbrad]

Nice, makes sense. ive never used FF before so good to know about the profile.
i was contemplating a dry hop, so i might add in an extra oz for that.
1/2 oz magnum - 60 min
1/2 oz FF - 30 min
1 oz FF - 15 min
1 oz cascade - 15 min
1 oz cascade - flame out
1 oz FF - dry hop 1 week

 

[rappyfreak]

Guys, won't be able to make it this time. Next time for sure!

 

[pacayaforhops]

Nice, makes sense. ive never used FF before so good to know about the profile.
i was contemplating a dry hop, so i might add in an extra oz for that.
1/2 oz magnum - 60 min
1/2 oz FF - 30 min
1 oz FF - 15 min
1 oz cascade - 15 min
1 oz cascade - flame out
1 oz FF - dry hop 1 week

You can cut down to a half oz each on the double 15 min addition, FF will still be citrussy, but it'll give you more pine needles than cascade.

Guys, won't be able to make it this time. Next time for sure!

Sorry to hear that, I'll see if we can organize another get together before the holiday season (late Nov maybe?) .

 

[Patzaquel]

Sorry guys, things really are not working out at this end for me to get into the city this weekend. I hope to be able to make the next one.

 

[pacayaforhops]

Ok, this isn't going as well as I'd planned, so how about we leave it for a future date, maybe mid october? If there's a particular date that works better for all/most, let me know.

 

[rappyfreak]

Lemme know, usually available. Got a tasty saison!

 

[Curtis2010]

And I hate to say it, but our travel plans are not working out as originally expected so I wont be able to make it either.

:-(

 

[Curtis2010]

No update from transcargo. I will try them again on Monday.

 

[nsaubes]

Ok, I would be able to come today, but only for a while, as other stuff came up... So I would prefer to change the date too...

 

[Curtis2010]

Did any body make it on the 7th?

As far as a future date, I now plan to be back in Guate by mid October.

 

[pacayaforhops]

Nope, had to cancel since it would've been a 2 man show for a couple of hours, if that. Mid october was the next time frame I'd been considering so we have enough time to plan it. I'll bottle some of my saison and märzen, maybe even have the fruit lambic carbed up by then as well.

 

[Curtis2010]

Mid+ October should work for me. GF wants to spend her B'day (10th) in Grenada, Nic on the way back. Probably there for a few days, but we don't plan many stops after that.

 

[Curtis2010]

Re grain order. No update from TransCargo, but thats not unuaual, communication is not their strong suite. I will call them tomorrow.

 

[Curtis2010]

Our 2-row has arrived!

......

HOLA CUTIS

LE INFORMO QUE SU CAJA ESTA EN NUESTRA BODEGA, POR FAVOR INDICARME A DONDE SE LA ENVIO A DEJAR, SALUDOS,

EL TOTAL A CANCELAR ES DE US$40.00

.......

Not bad, $40 total for international shipping of 65lbs of 2-row.

Now, we just need to pay and take delivery. I am in Panama for a few more weeks, so would better for one of you guys to pay and take delivery. Any volunteers?

 

[nsaubes]

Our 2-row has arrived!

Curtis, I would be able to pick up the stuff, this week or next week... Where is their bodega? Zona 13?

 

[Curtis2010]

Curtis, I would be able to pick up the stuff, this week or next week... Where is their bodega? Zona 13?

Their bodega is in Z1, but is really just a working bodega, it has no retail front and you have to make sure some one is there. You can arrange to pick up there, but delivering to your home is more their normal routine.

PM me your contact info and I will pass it on to TransCargo and you can make arrangements then directly with them.

Just hold on to my portion and I will settle up w you when I get back to Guate City around mid October.

 

[Curtis2010]

Nsaubes, you still up for this?

 

[Curtis2010]

Nsaubes now has all the info and will be contacting TransCargo.

 

[Curtis2010]

Nsaubes now has the grain.

Rappy, did you ever deposit your payment?

 

[hopbrad]

I walked into the DC on Monday and noticed they had a bunch of Cargill Products laying around. Cargill is a big Malt Supplier in the US and has factories all over Central America. I didnt ask the rep if they could get their malt because my spanish is still lacking. but it may be worth a shot.
i emailed Cargill when i got home to see if their central american locations carry malt and if i can just go straight to them. no response yet.

on another note. my DC malt test batch came out nice. i cracked one last night after 4 1/2 weeks in the bottle.
i dry hopped my IPA batch on Monday, gonna bottle that one up this weekend.

 

[Curtis2010]

Cool maybe pacaya can contact them and find out?

 

[pacayaforhops]

I walked into the DC on Monday and noticed they had a bunch of Cargill Products laying around. Cargill is a big Malt Supplier in the US and has factories all over Central America. I didnt ask the rep if they could get their malt because my spanish is still lacking. but it may be worth a shot.
i emailed Cargill when i got home to see if their central american locations carry malt and if i can just go straight to them. no response yet.

on another note. my DC malt test batch came out nice. i cracked one last night after 4 1/2 weeks in the bottle.
i dry hopped my IPA batch on Monday, gonna bottle that one up this weekend.

I'm glad to hear that, let me know how the IPA turns out.

Cool maybe pacaya can contact them and find out?

As far as I can tell (from their website), all they carry locally in CA are meat products and animal feed

http://www.cargill.com.hn/en/products-services/index.jsp

HQ for CA is located in Honduras. Maybe if we can pitch in and make a big enough order, it'll be worth their time to send some malt in to be distributed by Purina or DC.

 

[rappyfreak]

Hi Curtis, I will deposit next week, sorry!

 

[Curtis2010]

Hi Curtis, I will deposit next week, sorry!

No problem, just checking, now that we have the shipment.

 

[nsaubes]

Hi all, quick note too, on my last brews:

- DC LME IPA: made only with DC malt + a little table sugar, it came out pretty good although I've had carbonation problem (uneven carbonation, sometimes they are overcarbonated, sometimes they are flat.. evan had 2 bottle bombs... messy), but some of them have a correct carbonation level, and they are nice. The hop aroma came out pretty good as I dry hopped with cascade for 2 weeks... Although bottling was a little messy, because I dry hopped with pallets that I through stright in the fermenter... Next time I'll think about a muslin bag or something like this... Anyway, I think It's an easy recipe that is not very expansive and easily replicable, given the access to ingredients that we have here in Guate..

- The pepitoría/chile guaque amber: This was brewed with half DC LME and table sugar and half home malted and partly toasted malts... Plus a late addition of chile guaque in the boil, and additions of chile guaque and toasted pumpkin seeds in the fermenter for a week (dry chiliing/seeding, hehe). Originnaly I wanted to do more something like a brown ale or even a porter, but my home toasting experiment didn't lead me to real chocolate malt: I got 2 kinds of toasting, something like amber malt, bicuity/nutty, and something like a very pale chocolate, with kind of nutty/chocolaty taste, but quite pale color... At the beginning (2 weeks after bottling) the pumpkin seeds flavor/aroma was still too strong, but it mellowed after a week, leaving a nice nutty touch. The chile guaque is way more subtle in the flavor, and I guess it also added something to the color (deep red/amber)... In the end the beer is easily drinkable (amber colour, aroun 5-5.5°), and it's interesting and original. The conclusion is that the late addition of chile guaque in the boil was almost useless, and most of the flavor was given by the additions in the fermenter. I would really try again this recipe, but as I wanted at the beginning, i.e. in a porter... Cile cobanero would be worth to try too, as when you by it toasted at the market it really has a smoky touch that could be interesting. It's way hotter than chile guaque too, hehe...

 

[pacayaforhops]

Hi all, quick note too, on my last brews:

- DC LME IPA: made only with DC malt + a little table sugar, it came out pretty good although I've had carbonation problem (uneven carbonation, sometimes they are overcarbonated, sometimes they are flat.. evan had 2 bottle bombs... messy), but some of them have a correct carbonation level, and they are nice. The hop aroma came out pretty good as I dry hopped with cascade for 2 weeks... Although bottling was a little messy, because I dry hopped with pallets that I through stright in the fermenter... Next time I'll think about a muslin bag or something like this... Anyway, I think It's an easy recipe that is not very expansive and easily replicable, given the access to ingredients that we have here in Guate..

Well, 2 bottle bombs beats having a 5L minikeg-bomb... My room's ceiling still has splatter all over it... I'll usually just pour everything through a colander, it'll usually keep everything that doesn't need to be in the beer out of it. Yeah, it's a pretty good option for an all locally sourced ingredients brew.

- The pepitoría/chile guaque amber: This was brewed with half DC LME and table sugar and half home malted and partly toasted malts... Plus a late addition of chile guaque in the boil, and additions of chile guaque and toasted pumpkin seeds in the fermenter for a week (dry chiliing/seeding, hehe). Originnaly I wanted to do more something like a brown ale or even a porter, but my home toasting experiment didn't lead me to real chocolate malt: I got 2 kinds of toasting, something like amber malt, bicuity/nutty, and something like a very pale chocolate, with kind of nutty/chocolaty taste, but quite pale color... At the beginning (2 weeks after bottling) the pumpkin seeds flavor/aroma was still too strong, but it mellowed after a week, leaving a nice nutty touch. The chile guaque is way more subtle in the flavor, and I guess it also added something to the color (deep red/amber)... In the end the beer is easily drinkable (amber colour, aroun 5-5.5°), and it's interesting and original. The conclusion is that the late addition of chile guaque in the boil was almost useless, and most of the flavor was given by the additions in the fermenter. I would really try again this recipe, but as I wanted at the beginning, i.e. in a porter... Cile cobanero would be worth to try too, as when you by it toasted at the market it really has a smoky touch that could be interesting. It's way hotter than chile guaque too, hehe...

this might help with oven roasting your chocolate malt:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/homemade-pale-choclate-malt-possible-176656/
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/attempt-making-chocolate-malt-115738/

 

[pacayaforhops]

Ok guys, mid october is coming up, any ideas for where/when you'd like to/be able to get together? I've bottled samples of my märzen, nancy brown and birthday saison; and depending on how soon the get together happens, I might also have some oud bruin available.

 

[hopbrad]

someone got back to me from cargill, a US rep. i asked if they could either ship their products to a cargill location here or to a distributor like DC. waiting to hear back.

i brewed a pumpkin beer this week. bubbling away as we speak. my wife found libbys pumpkin puree in managua. i baked it at 350 for 15-20 mins with a 1/4 lb of brown sugar, dash of cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. then steeped it with specialty grains - 10oz of special roast
Fermentables:
9 lbs of the DC LME. and 1 lb of brown sugar
Hops/Spices:
3/4 oz of magnum at 60
1 oz of kent golding at 15
at 5 min:
1 tsp - ground allspice, ground ginger, whole cloves, & pumpkin pie spice
1/2 oz of fresh grated ginger

Fermenting with US -05
I will add 1 tbsp of real vanilla extract after fermentation or at bottling. i might secondary this to clear it up as im sure alot of the pumpkin puree got thru my grain bag.