Way, way, way over the top Sam Adams Utopia clone - #2

[babalu87]

What kind of smoked ale? I'm so pissed about the efficiency on my "smoked old ale" from last weekend, I ****ed something up because I'm pretty sure I didn't even crack 60%. Forgot to add my damn pH buffer, which is usually good for about 10 efficiency points. Was shooting for 1075-ish, hoping for 1080, if my refractometer is right I think I got ~1055-ish. ****.

I think you ******** took the sugar out of my wort and put it in the damn utopias!

Try a decoction for Rauchmalt.
I get 83-84% for 1.058-ish Rauchbiers

Finally brewing my freakin' smoked ale this weekend. I'm reeeeeeeally pushing it if I want it ready by the comp.

it'll be ready.

wouldn't mind brewing both days.... we'll see.

I'm really tight on fermenter space unless I open up one of the big 30 gal conicals. Maybe I'll do a 15 of the Always Bet on Black

.......................

 

[the_bird]

Oh, I'm usually a lot higher than that. I was running pretty consistently north of 75% before I had to shut things down. Mash tun was ****ed up (how the **** does a ball value get a damn crack in it? if nothing else, this batch will be a test of hot-side aeration). Wanted to check pH, but can't find my strips. Forgot the buffer, which helps me a lot. can't even confirm my gravity, since I lost my hydrometer and haven't been able to verify that I'm interpreting the refractometer right.

Meh, I'll get back into it. If it's not eight degrees and windy on Sunday, might even brew another batch!

 

[babalu87]

Oh, I'm usually a lot higher than that. I was running pretty consistently north of 75% before I had to shut things down. Mash tun was ****ed up (how the **** does a ball value get a damn crack in it? if nothing else, this batch will be a test of hot-side aeration). Wanted to check pH, but can't find my strips. Forgot the buffer, which helps me a lot. can't even confirm my gravity, since I lost my hydrometer and haven't been able to verify that I'm interpreting the refractometer right.

Meh, I'll get back into it. If it's not eight degrees and windy on Sunday, might even brew another batch!

Might just end up being the best beer you ever made :rockin:

This
is why I am going 240.

 

[the_bird]

I'm also worried that the rauch wasn't particularly aromatic. Meh, I'll rack it this weekend or next and see how it tastes.

Did I hear somebody say "smoked wheat?" That's got to be on my agenda soon. Wondering about maybe trying one of those cherrywood-smoked malts, something other than classic rauchmalt. Anyone try that stuff? There was some place, I think out in CA, that was selling all kinds of interesting smoked malts, but I haven't tried any of them yet.

 

[Cape Brewing]

I'm doing a knock off of Rogue's smoked ale. And I'm using cherry-smoked in addition to classic rauch. We'll see.

 

[babalu87]

I had a beer made with home smoked malt, he used cherry.
The beer was AMAZING

I'm going with a Smoked Dunkelweizen, substituting Rauchmalt for the Munich.
55% wheat and 45% Rauch with a dash of Carafa II and some Crystal.

I can get sacks of Weyermann Rauchmalt locally for $55+ tax.
Still have some I need to use up.

If you really like Smoked Beers the book by that title is a MUST GET
Got it for Christmas this year............... great book

 

[Cape Brewing]

For my smoked ale Bird... I'm lookin' at something like this:

6 lbs Munich
1 lb Crystal 60
1 lb of Carastan (30-37 lovibond)
1 lb of Carared (10-20 lovibond)
1.5 lbs of the Rauch malt
1.5 lbs of Cherry smoked

something around 45 IBUS and then some US-05

It won't be a true "rauchbeir" at all but that's fine. With the Carastan and Carared it'll be a real deep amber with a bit of smoke but it won't be an over-the-top smokey beer by any stretch.

 

[babalu87]

For my smoked ale Bird... I'm lookin' at something like this:

6 lbs Munich
1 lb Crystal 60
1 lb of Carastan (30-37 lovibond)
1 lb of Carared (10-20 lovibond)
1.5 lbs of the Rauch malt
1.5 lbs of Cherry smoked

something around 45 IBUS and then some US-05

It won't be a true "rauchbeir" at all but that's fine. With the Carastan and Carared it'll be a real deep amber with a bit of smoke but it won't be an over-the-top smokey beer by any stretch.

THAT looks very good!
You changed it up a bit right?

DONT let what I am about to tell you sway you PLEASE
I've been reading/hearing that the Cherry smoked malt is about twice as smokey as Rauchmalt.

 

[the_bird]

That looks ****ing etherial. Love Munich and the smoked malts together.

Do the Carastan and the Carareds add any sweetness? I don't think I've ever used them; are they more-or-less just a crystal malt, or are they different?

 

[Cape Brewing]

all I did Babalu is bump the smoked slightly... not much but slightly.

The Cara's should add a fair amount of body and some sweetness. The Red especially should turn the beer a real deep amber.

And if that's the case Babalu on the Cherry... I might knock it down to 2 or 2 1/2 pounds on a ten gallon batch. I'm not looking for a ton of smoke. I want it to absolutely be there I want it to blend nicely instead of being the overwhelming focus.

I'm gonna to ten gallons so... I dunno... we'll see.

 

[babalu87]

all I did Babalu is bump the smoked slightly... not much but slightly.

The Cara's should add a fair amount of body and some sweetness. The Red especially should turn the beer a real deep amber.

And if that's the case Babalu on the Cherry... I might knock it down to 2 or 2 1/2 pounds on a ten gallon batch. I'm not looking for a ton of smoke. I want it to absolutely be there I want it to blend nicely instead of being the overwhelming focus.

I'm gonna to ten gallons so... I dunno... we'll see.

Why did I say anything ............................

 

[Cape Brewing]

Why did I say anything ............................

Because deep down... you're a good person... and you know, unlike you, I don't like my smoked beers to taste like I'm chewing on a peice of wet firewood.

 

[babalu87]

Because deep down... you're a good person... and you know, unlike you, I don't like my smoked beers to taste like I'm chewing on a peice of wet firewood.

I know one thing
I now rue the day I ever got a water report.

One more thing to **** around with now............................

In the interest of being honest
My water is ****ing awesome

Its the fiddling around part for certain styles that I am confused on right now.

There has to be a calculator out there where you put in your water and the target water VOILA' it tells you what to put in ....................

 

[Cape Brewing]

yeah... good luck with that.

 

[paulthenurse]

Morning!

Doesn't Kai have a calculator for that?


PTN

 

[korgman]

Alright, here's a question from a new brewer (only about 6 months in doing this). If you keep adding fermentables (the maple syrup), how do you measure the ABV? Do you take a hydrometer reading before you add the maple, figure out what has converted so far, then add the maple, get a new hydro reading, then come back in a few days and take another hydro reading? Wash, rinse, repeat? I'm just thinking, if you keep adding fermentables, the grav reading has to go back up a little...right?

 

[paulthenurse]

You are only adding X amount of fermentables. X will give Y % alcohol. You just need to know what you are adding and do the math.

 

[babalu87]

Morning!

Doesn't Kai have a calculator for that?


PTN

Yes but it requires you to add the salts and its a bit like a Rubiks cube.
Make one wrong move and your ****ed

I do have KICK ASS water though

Sodium................................ 14
Potassium............................. <1
Calcium...................................14
Magnesium...............................3
Total Hardness CaCO3...............48
Nitrate......................................1.0
Sulfate.......................................4
Chloride....................................15
Carbonate..................................<1
Bicarbonate HCO3......................37
Total Alkalinity CaCO3................31
Flouride......................................0.03
Total Iron....................................<0.01
TDS ..........................................110
pH..............................................6.7

 

[paulthenurse]

Kick ass?

Your Calcium Carbonate is 48 ppm! Everyone knows that you NEED 49 ppm before you can make decent beer.

More proof that you bought and rebottled that Baltic Porter.

 

[babalu87]

Kick ass?

Your Calcium Carbonate is 48 ppm! Everyone knows that you NEED 49 ppm before you can make decent beer.

More proof that you bought and rebottled that Baltic Porter.

Find me a bottled one as good as mine and we'll do a triangle test.

 

[eriktlupus]

dangitt!!! i think our utopia is oxygen deprived:cross: it seems to be stuck at a very high gravity after a short fermentation period. need to go borrow a O2 tank.

 

[paulthenurse]

Hit it with the O's and rouse the yeast up off the bottom.

Where are you stuck at?

PTN

 

[Cape Brewing]

welp... just finishing up that smoked ale. Got a super late start since I was hunnnnnngover from last night. PHEW... my head felt funny last night.


Anyway... yeah, smoked ale is all set. All I gotta do is hit it with some oxygen... oh... wait.. that's right... YOU FUKCNUTS STILL HAVE MY O2 STONE.

Thanks. That's helpful

 

[Cape Brewing]

Niiiiiice... I ran out over lunch and grabbed just a couple pounds of speciality grains and a bit of hops I needed so I can make a Black IPA tomorrow. I'm pysched. I've been looking forward to trying this recipe. I can't wait to finish it, hit it with some O2 and let it ferme...

oh...

that's right. Still don't have my O2 stone back yet.

Awesome.

 

[paulthenurse]

Hey Chris,
better go check on the baby, I swear I hear her crying in the other room.

 

[bigjohnmilford]

Well said Jay

The OEM Utopias is probably fermented too warm. Also has a bit of Soy Sauce thing going on (CB might call that Poo flavor)
If this years is as good as last years what do I have to do to get a bottle or two?
I can only imagine what that stuff is going to be like after a few years aging.
Someone should take a gallon of that and put it on oak cubes.

It was nice watching them all throw you under the bus for the boil overtoo.
I watched you keeping an eye on two keggles at full boil but you walk away for a second and one turns into Mt Vesuvius.
Nice guys

Good to see all of you (cant believe how many HBT'ers there were there)
Big John, glad you FINALLY got to try THE Baltic Porter. I hope it was worth the wait.

Hippy passed out , woulda thunk
I though I was at church with him and that cup.....................

It was worth the wait. Hope to see everyone again soon

 

[yeager1977]

Finally brewing my freakin' smoked ale this weekend.

Are you putting the charred wood from your "incident" into the mash tun to get that wonderfully real smoky flavor?

 

[yeager1977]

BY the way our gravity is a bit stuck..... (1058) Probably going to add some ec1118 yeasties again....

 

[paulthenurse]

Are you putting the charred wood from your "incident" into the mash tun to get that wonderfully real smoky flavor?

Wow! Yeager gettin' all full of himself and diss'in CB! He must have gooten layed and started feeling all cocky!

CB, you gonna put up with that? You gonna let Yeager diss you like that?

PTN

 

[yeager1977]

CB need your stone(s) back? Your wife told me last night you have been B&^%$in about it. We know who really holds your stone....