1. 843 Amber – did not carbonate, ended up drinking it but mixed it with light beer to create a decently tasty amber
2. Pale Ale #1 – (w/ caramel- Brewing Classic Styles) -first beer I shared proudly with others
3. Sierra Nevada Clone #1 – not quite a clone, but a great, hoppy beer. First kegged batch, first clear beer- enjoyed on vacation
4. Continental Pilsner – delicious and served at friends rehearsal dinner- floated keg easily
5. American Wheat -more like a pale ale but with some wheat liquid malt extract. Much like Goose Island Harvest Ale- my first favorite beer, very very good- 1st and only beer to be entered in a competition so far. “Special Delivery Pale Ale.” No ribbon, no honorable mention
6. Saison – a great attempt at the style. Kegged 5 gallons for best friends engagement party – well received
7. Irish Red Ale #1 (Brewing Classic Styles) – did not carbonate- too lazy to drain pour it. Still in basement. Also first full-boil
8. Righteous American Real Ale (Papazian) – full boil, brewed back to back days with Irish Red #1- great beer. Simplest of all so far, but good flavor. ESB with Cascade hops, no steeping grains
9. Pale Ale (w/o caramel- Brewing Classic Styles) – solid, hoppy beer
10. Blonde Ale (Brewing Classic Styles) Good but not great – syrupy – gravity didn’t lower quite enough – served via keg anyway @ Halloween party
11. Grand Cru (Papazian) – very Belgian. Tasty, spicy, sweet. Good beer.
12. Oktoberfest (Brewing Classic Styles) –first lager. Great beer. So true to style, kegged 5 gallons, served @ Halloween. Very well received and tasty
13. Irish Red Ale # 2, same recipe as Irish Red #1 – same carbonation issue, but much more drinkable, not bad
14. Red Ale (#4 –from Nate) 2.5 oz Centennials for bittering – way too much. Big, red, bitter, monster. Perfect for some days- kegged 3 gal and bottled balance
15. Claus Haus Pale Ale – first partial mash – sprinkled dry Nottingham yeast- could taste the effects of the particular yeast strain. Good, not great, should re-do with different yeast (from EdWorts Bee Cave Brewery Haus Pale –loosely)
16. Red Ale #5 -revision of Red #4, first recipe I tweaked well on my own. Great beer- one of my favorites. 4.2% but flavorful and drinkable.
17. Graff! Cider / beer hybrid. Very easy, inexpensive and a real crowd pleaser…especially ladies. 7% ABV
18. AmberHop –(Brewing Classic Styles- American amber) -Big partial mash, 7.75lbs of grains. overdid the DME, became huge. A bit syrupy, but beautiful clear, ruby color, great dry hopped aroma, very solid and well received by some. Kegged.
19. Rainy Day Pale Ale (Brewing Classic Styles, Hoppines is an IPA)- partial mash- didn’t add enough DME- turned out like Great Lakes Burning River- strong, hoppy pale ale, with just a bit of malt balance missing. Best color yet. Beautiful, clear, burnt orange. Great beer.

Racking this beer as soon as possible, it’s been in primary for 10 days and I don’t not expect the gravity to drop any more at all. I actually wonder if secondary is even necessary, based on samples this beer is already clear. And without the addition of dry hops in the recipe, there’s really nothing left to do but get it in the keg and let it carb up and age a bit more. Is it possible I somehow created a beer that takes 10 days to primary ferment, and another 10 days to carbonate and condition? Wouldn’t that just be great. Hmmm, decisions. We shall see. Any thoughts?

The beer is really good. Big, malty and sweet, but lots of hops in the aroma, flavor, and mouthfeel. One pint turned into about 3, and with the Blackhawks playing in the middle of the day, I basically kissed yardwork goodbye. That is, until my wife got home and I had to pretend I wasn’t sitting on the couch, 3 beers at 7% ABV deep, doing nothing. In my defense, if you saw the work that went into our backyard this past weekend, you would understand the need for a mid-day beer break. Full review coming soon, I want to give it a bit more time to condition before really reviewing it.

Racking the IPA to secondary this week, will update.

Onto the beer. I love the color- reddish copper and clear, with a visual crispness that is coupled perfectly by the crispness of the liquid itself. The aroma smells of hops and caramel malt, but neither being too forward or all that noticable. The taste however, is the logical outpouring of the ingredients used. A partial mash consistening of 2-Row American pale malt, with some crystal 80 for sweetness and color. Hopped with Amarillo for bittering, Centennial for everything else. This is a balanced pale ale with a noteworthy bitterness throughout the front and middle and a great hoppy finish. The carbonation was executed well by force-carbing in the keg and giving it proper time. This is the last one and a half pints this keg will offer so this beer has had its time to “condition” as they say. I’m sad to see it go but I did save two gallons to bottle for archive and sharing purposes.

At a whopping 4.2% ABV I’m still amazed at the combination of flavors and hoppiness in a very low ABV package. This was not inititally an attempt at my sought after “Claus Haus Ale” (the beer I have hoped to brew and have on tap at all times, but this recipe is clearly the frontrunner until another comes around. It’s also the first recipe that I, for the most part, devised myself. A true success. All around I’m going to give it an A-.

Cheers!

• Based on Jamil’s “Hoppiness is an IPA” in Brewing Classic Styles
• Helpers: Olivia, daughter. Vicki, wife.

Ingredients

• 4lbs 2-Row American Pale Malt
• .75 lbs Munich malt
• .5 Crystal 10
• .25 Crystal 40
• 3lbs Dry Malt Extract
• .75 lb dextrose
• 1 oz Magnum 14.4% AA @ 60 min (pellets)
• 1 oz Centennial 9.2% AA @ 10 min
• 1 oz Simcoe 12.2% AA @ 5 min
• 1 oz Amarillo 7.5% AA @ 0 min
• 1 TSP Irish Moss @ 15 Min
• Safale US-05 dry yeast, hydrated

Mashed all grains for about 80-90 minutes total at around 150. Was able to keep temperature pretty consistent this time. Preboil volume was about 4 gallons, post boil closer to 3 gallons.

I decided to replace some of the DME with dextrose after being told some brewers do this in IPA’s to increase the fermentability of the wort. My hope was that it would help the yeast eat more of the sugar, providing me with a bit dryer beer and less syrupy than some of my previous batches. The biggest mistake I feel I made in this batch was not putting enough DME in. I got a bit lazy with my math and decided that 3 lbs DME and .75lbs dextrose was enough to get my OG up where it needed to be. I fell short by almost two whole points. Target OG: 1.065, my OG: 1.048. So even though this is not likely going to resemble a true IPA, all in all, it was a great day to brew, I had a good time with my daughter (until she got a bit bored), and I hope I come out with a very hoppy pale ale at around 5%. I just hope its not too bitter because of the hop / malt ratio. I really do not know what to expect. Its bubbling away in my basement where the temperature is below 70 degrees. I will update as this batch progresses!

I was also able to keg the entire 5 gallons after fixing the leak to the best of my ability. I think it might have a leak still, but I’ve been keeping the pressure up and I’m able to get a good draw. It was rewarding to tap my first keg and pour a homebrew. I have the keg sitting in the basement which is between 50-55 degrees. Doing so has given me a nice cask-type ale than you’d find in England. It has turned out to be a good session beer.

Appearance: It is a very clear copper hue with pale highlights. The head on a freshly poured pint is dense and foamy. There is some carbonation in the beer, but for the most part it is relatively low. The use of saffron threads helped to give some honey-like color. It is also darker than your average Cream Ale.

Aroma: The aroma is light and slightly fruity. Since it was not fermented at high temps the fruit ale notes do not present themselves as much. I think the strongest scent is that of DMS or corn, which comes across as plastic. There is an earthy hop character which I attribute to the Saaz and Perle. I do receive some toasted grain hints probably from the Munich and Caramunich malts.

Taste: At first I was met by the plastic qualities that using too much corn impart. They are not overpowering, but take some time to get use to. Aside from that, I’d say the malts and hops balance pretty well. I experience the light adjunct ingredients, but also notice the toasted malts. There is a slight hint of honey due to the saffron I did not expect to find. The hops are earthy and pungent. The finish is rather dry, but palatable. I had a Bass Ale recently (last night) and found my beer to be close in flavor (which I considered a good thing). Drinkable!

Mouthfeel: On the lighter side of the spectrum, but that is to be expected. Dispensing from the keg provides a nice head that lasts the entire glass and just enough carb to prevent it from being flat. Easy drinking and low in alcohol (between 3-5%). I’m left feeling satisfied after a pint or two.

Grade: B- (or B on a good day)

There are a couple things I would do differently next time I brew this beer.

1. Pre-soak the oak in some Bourbon so it can absorb some of those flavors.
2. Use only one variety of oak cubes or spirals as to keep the wood profile consistent and simple.
3. Watch the airlock to make sure it stays filled. Some bacteria might have entered the carboy after the water evaporated from the airlock.

Appearance: Black at first glance, but when held up to the light it is a deep mahogany or garnet color. It has only been two weeks since I bottled it so the carbonation is still pretty low. The picture shows a weak beige head that dissipated quickly.

Aroma: An extremely high wood scent. It reeks of moderately burn wood, but does not contain familiar hints of Bourbon. This makes the aroma rather bland and not as deep. It smells like ash to a certain degree. After wafting for some time, I was able to key in on some roasted malt notes.

Taste: There are some off flavors right at the start. It is bitter, puckering, astringent, over the top wood notes that are not developed or smooth. I was hoping the flavors would mellow out and compliment the deep roasted grains, but there is a medicinal quality to it still. I do get burnt malt notes towards the end of the sip and minor coffee expressions.

Mouthfeel: The carbonation has not built up yet so it is still rather watery. In regards to the texture, it is very one dimensional with the wood being the boldest. I was hoping for a more well-rounded beer. The aftertaste did show some promise (coffee and roasted grains), but lacked the Bourbon component. Minor carbonation did not add anything life to the beer.

This Porter was awesome and tasted great after spending time in the primary fermenter. I should have kept it at that and not decided to age in on oak. Shoulda, woulda, coulda…next time! For now, I’m going to let it cellar for a while and see what happens to the carbonation and flavors.

Grade: D+

Appearance: Not pure gold like the original version, but it does have golden highlights on the sides of the glass. Ruby red with a large plume of tan head that fades slowly, I was rather proud of its appealing nature. There are visible beads of carbonation that maintained a small film.

Aroma: The first waft brought strong hits of grapes, blossoming flowers, and an faint alcoholic sting in my nostrils. It reminded me of a Belgian Triple of Quad without the spicy yeast profile. Taking a couple minutes to savor the smells, I’d conclude that it has fruity wine-like notes.

Taste: Stronger alcoholic presence on the palate that provides a warming effect. Darker fruit flavors come to the front as sweet undertones dominate. I can isolate the grape concentrate confirming the wine-like aromas. There is also a pleasant hint of honey on the back of the palate. I cannot pick out the hops, but I know they help to balance out this beer. I think the Cane Sugar used for priming added an apple-like flavor.

Mouthfeel: Medium body because of the residual sugars, but the higher alcohol helps to lift them off the tongue. My lips are sticky and the honey/grape flavors coat my palate. The carbonation gives it a minor champagne-like quality.

Although I did not brew a perfect replica of Midas Touch, I have something that I’m proud of and the time spend waiting has been worth it.

Grade: C+

I added 12.5 oz of Maple syrup during the boil in hopes that it would lend a sweeter character to a rich malty beers. I used at Oktoberfest Lager yeast making this the first lager I’ve attempted to make. Not having a fridge space to properly ferment in led me to place it in the garaged during the Fall months. This was not the best choice as the constant fluctuation in temp from day to night seems to have shocked the yeast. As a result, I do not think it fermented thoroughly and might have produced some off flavors. Not having much hope for a good outcome I used 2.5 gals to test out my new keg. This turned out disastrous as it had a leak and the beer never carbonated and soiled. The remaining 2.5 gals were bottled and cellared for some time. About three weeks ago I placed the bottles in the fridge for consumption.

Appearance: Pre-fridge it poured a clear bronze with colors highlights of Fall leaves. The head was relatively minimal, but overall the beer did look like a legitimate Oktoberfest beer (close to Spaten). Post-fridge it is now a cloudy bronze and lacks any head only producing a couple bubbles. It looks like some kind of chill haze.

Aroma: A mixture of maple syrup and malts where the syrup overpowers. It does not have a crisp clean lager scent, but rather a sugary nose (caramel). I can barely make out the hops and thankfully I do pick up minor bready and biscuit notes. Basically, it smells like wort rather than a fully fermented beer.

Taste: Watery, weak, sweet, sugary, and tastes like I put too much syrup in it. I do notice the 2 oz of Hallertau hops I used to bitter and 1 oz. of Saaz for finishing. They give an earthy finish to the sip. There is a slight lager characteristic, but for the most part, I feel like I’m drinking wort.

Mouthfeel: Light-medium with a watery texture. The aftertaste had a high sugar residue with a pungent subtle bitterness. Minor carbonation suspended in beer that adds a little life.

I hope to re-brew this batch without the maple syrup and properly ferment it at a consistent temp.

Grade: D

My journey into the world of fermented beverages did not start until after I had graduated college. I had my first beer at the age of 23 at my local Rock Bottom with a good buddy of mine. Shortly thereafter I shared a well-earned beer with my dad upon clean and re-organizing of his garage. What took place during both of those experiences was relationship building around a beer. I guess you could say that is one aspect that led me to take up home brewing. I enjoy meeting new people and building friendships and in the context of brewing I was introduced to a whole new community of people.

Probably the most significant reason why I started home brewing was to grow in my knowledge and understanding of beer in general. Before I took on this hobby, I had sampled a good many beers and styles, but I wanted to dig deeper behind what made up each beer and why they tasted a certain way. I’ve always been a hands-on learner so being able to read various books on brewing was not good enough for me. Brewing on a micro scale has boosted my appreciation for what brewmasters do on the macro level (which I’ll define here as any production for commercial use). While home brewing is not required to develop your tastes, I have found that my ability to pinpoint various flavors (malts, hops, spices, etc) has increased and matured.

In addition, I’ve found that the history behind brewing is vast and interesting. My world has been expanded by learning tidbits about Ninkasi (Sumerian goddess of fermentation), of how Guinness championed social welfare, to how new styles were formed out of creativity, and of scientists who revolutionized the industry.

One of the coolest aspects of brewing is that you can approach it from any angle. In my observation, I’ve seen two main philosophies when it comes to brewing. You can either dive right in and have fun or be methodical and technical. I try to incorporate both. After all, brewing is fun and should be enjoyed, but there is also a time/place for doing your research and getting technical.

It is a rewarding hobby and one that I can grow at my own pace. Most of the time I would rather sample and review beer, but I try to temper that with the occasional brewing of a batch. I hope that my attempt to have fun, learn, and try new things comes through in my home brewing. Please feel free to voice your thoughts…I love to dialogue about beer.