Milk Stout

Brew Day: 11/18/14

5 gallon extract kit from Northern Brewer.

2.5 gals in the kettle. 

0.5 lb UK Chocolate
0.5 lb Carafa III

Steeped grains at 152 for 20 mins. Raised temp to 170. Rinsed grains with 1 gal of 165 water. Total pre-boil volume of 3.5 gals. 60 min boil. 

3 lb Amber LME - 60 mins
1 lb Lactose (milk sugar) - 60 mins
1 oz Willamette hops 4.7% AA - 60 mins
3 lb Amber LME - 15 mins
1 tsp Irish Moss - 15 mins

Killed the heat. Whirlpooled and set kettle in sink for ice bath. Took 30 mins to cool down to 80. Siphoned out of kettle through double mesh strainer into 6 gal glass carboy. Topped up to with cold water to 5.25 gal. Didn't evaporate as much as I'd intended during the boil, which means I added a bit more cold water than I'd planned. Brought my OG down a bit, but I'd undershot it anyway. Not sure how. Pitched yeast at 70. Wyeast British Ale 1098. Added 1.5 tsp of yeast energizer, since the smack pack didn't expand all the way by the time I was ready to pitch. Attached blowoff tube just in case the extra headroom on the carboy isn't enough. Fermenting at 68.

Forgot to take pictures. But I do have this instagram video from the boil.

The recipe calls for 2 weeks in primary, then 2-4 weeks in secondary, then about 2-3 weeks to bottle condition. Should be drinking it by mid January.

OG: 1.042 (10.2 brix)

est IBU: 19

est FG: 1.019
est SRM: 37

Racked to secondary: 12/09/14

This brew has been rather fickle. First, I undershot my gravity on brewday. Then, I gave it an extra week in the fermenter and it still didn't get down to the est gravity. It bottomed out at 1.023, which coupled with the low OG only puts this beer at 2.49% abv. Session stout anyone?

I decided to split the batch in half and put some coffee in one carboy. I used 2/3 of a French press of the LaCosecha City Limits Line from back home in St. Louis, MO. My buddy Gregory Lowe is a coffee guru and hooked me up with this awesome blend. 

Have you done any coffee additions? Tell me about it in the comments.



Update: 4/09/15

Popped a Coffee Milk Stout open today. Very large head, but it faded very quickly with some residual bubbles around the edge of the glass. I've done some reading about how the steeping temp can affect the head retention. If I can nail down this carbonation, it'll be a great beer. Wondering how it will age with the low abv and the low carbonation. I think the sooner I drink this, the better.

Used some of the Milk Stout to make a roast in the slow-cooker. Toss in some veggies, and let it sit for 5-8 hrs. It made the apartment smell amazing all day. Have you ever cooked with beer? Let me know in the comments. 

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English Bitter

Brew Day: 11/11/14

5 gallon extract kit from Northern Brewer.

2.5 gals in the kettle. 

0.25 lb Crystal 120L
0.25 lb Belgian Biscuit

Steeped grains at 165 for 20 mins. Rinsed grains with 1 gal of 165 water. Total pre-boil volume of 3.5 gals.

Brought to boil and started timer. 60 min boil. During the boil, I read up on the style in Jamil Zainasheff's Brewing Classic Styles book. A good read with a recipe for every style in the BJCP (Beer Judge Certification Program) Style Guidebook.

1 lb Pilsen DME - 60 mins

3.15 lb Marris Otter LME - 60 mins

1 lb Corn Sugar - 60 mins

1 oz Fuggles hops 5% AA - 60 mins

1 oz Kent Goldings hops 6.47% AA - 45 mins

1 Whirfloc tablet - 15 mins

1 oz Styrian Goldings hops 3.2% AA - 5 mins

Killed the heat. Whirlpooled and set kettle outside on patio. Outside temp of 25. Packed snow around kettle, which melted pretty quick. Took 30 mins to cool down to 80.

Siphoned out of kettle through double-mesh strainer into sanitized 5 gal bucket, topped off to 5 gals, then poured through funnel into carboy. Undershot my gravity a bit. Estimated OG was 1.041; I ended up at 1.035 but I'm not too worried. Pitched 1 packet of Danstar Nottingham Ale Yeast at 72 and rocked carboy to mix. Attached blowoff tube. Fermenting at 65. 

The recipe calls for 2 weeks in primary, then 2-3 bottle conditioning. Every review I read on the NB forum said it doesn't need a secondary and that it tastes great fresh as well as aged a month or two.

OG: 1.035 (8.6 brix)

est IBU: 41

est FG: 1.009

est SRM: 9.1

Update: 11/24/14

Checked the gravity today and it's down to 1.008. Tomorrow I'll be bottling it. Very excited that it'll be ready to drink for Christmas.

Bottling Day: 12/01/14

Didn't get to it last week like I'd hoped, but today my wife helped me bottle up 35 12 oz. bottles and 4 20 oz. bottles. Total volume bottled is 3.91 gal. The gravity stayed at 1.008, so according to my Brewer's Friend app, it is 3.54% abv. Nice to have a session ale around for the holidays. I'll let it carb up for 2-3 weeks and be enjoying by Christmas.

Honey Pilsner

Brew Day: 11/04/14

Small batch extract kit from Northern Brewer.

1.25 gals in the kettle, pre-boil volume.

Brought to boil and started timer. 60 min boil.

1 lb Pilsen DME - 60 mins

7 grams Willamette hops 4.7% AA - 45 mins

7 grams Willamette hops 4.7% AA - 20 mins

*put both hop additions in a nylon hop bag to keep wort clear*

1/4 tsp of Irish Moss - 15 mins

2 oz Ames Farm Single Source Honey - 0 mins

Cooled with ice water bath in sink. Down to 80 in 10 mins. Siphoned out of brew kettle through double mesh strainer into fermentation bucket to aerate and get any hop sludge or Irish Moss out. Fermentor volume approximately 1 gal. Put lid on and shook for 30 seconds to help aerate further. Pitched yeast at 66. Sprinkled 1/2 packet of Safale W-34/70 German Lager Yeast, then added 1/2 tsp of yeast nutrient. First time doing a lager and want to make sure the dry yeast has enough "umph" to take care of it. Put in fermentation chamber, set at 54.

It'll sit for 2 weeks in primary, then I'll rack it to secondary and drop the temp to around 36 for 4 more weeks to lager before bottling. As I'm typing this, I realize my next brew is an English Bitter and my fermentation chamber will be too cold. I guess I'll have to clean out the bottom of my closet to put the carboy whenever I brew next. It's in the mid 60's in the apartment so that'll be just fine for the bitter. 

OG: 1.053 (13 brix)
est IBU: 39
est FG: 1.012
est SRM: 2.4

Racked to secondary: 11/18/14

Got it down to 1.013 after 2 weeks. My brewers friend app says it's about 5.25% abv. Racked it to a secondary fermentor, and it's lagering in the fridge as we speak. This is by far the lightest beer I've ever made, even more than the German Blonde Ale I brewed last spring (before the blog, sorry no notes). In the siphon tube, it was a light straw color. I'll leave it 3 weeks in the fridge before bottling.

Bottling Day: 12/09/14

Bottled it up after 3 weeks of lagering in the fridge at 40 deg. Got 8 12 oz bottles filled. Tastes pretty nice, always interesting to see what it'll be like with carbonation. Very clear.