Comments for Out Of Key Brewing

Comment on State of the Brewery 2013 by Fredrik

Fredrik — Sun, 19 May 2013 22:04:00 +0000

Hi,

We have recently launched a new magazine called Craft Beer Magazine:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/craft-beer-magazine/id643848007

Any way I could reach you?

Thanks,
Fredrik

Comment on Watermelon Wheat Recipe by Daniel

Daniel — Thu, 09 May 2013 06:51:53 +0000

Thanks for the recipe, it sounds great. I avoided 21st amendment watermelon because I heard it wasn’t any good. I finally caved and bought one tonight and really enjoyed it. Will give your recipe a shot in a couple weeks. Cheers!

Comment on Promash File Converter by Lou King

Lou King — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 15:55:31 +0000

This is really cool, Brian. I converted some sessions and had the following comments. Not sure if you’ll have time to address these or not…

1. RECIPE tag
1a. Missing BREWER tag data
1b. ASST_BREWER tag missing completely
1c. [nit] category number should be integer, not float
1d. would be nice to have the Recipe Extensions tags that are available in the promash session

2. MASH tag
2a. MASH_STEP temp in °F, not °C as spec’d

Comment on Promash File Converter by Lou King

Lou King — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 13:47:03 +0000

Thanks. I might look at this soon, but it may take me a while. But just curious, are the file formats documented somewhere?

Comment on Promash File Converter by Brian

Brian — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 13:40:50 +0000

Ive done some really basic testing on session files and it does convert. I did not go over the session file format in a much detail when writing the converter.

So bottom line. It should work, but please do verify.

Comment on Promash File Converter by Lou King

Lou King — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 12:35:28 +0000

This looks great. Does this also convert session files?

Comment on Watermelon Wheat Recipe by RobP

RobP — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 17:52:15 +0000

I made this exact recipe about 3 years ago and it was amazing. I made it for a party my wife was throwing for her friends. All her friends husbands and boyfriends ended up killing the keg after making fun of the “girly” beer. I came back to this website for the recipe because she’s having the same groups of friends over and this beer was requested.

Comment on Watermelon Wheat Recipe by Brian

Brian — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 20:29:28 +0000

Jeremy you should probably go back to that recipe I posted again and just confirm what you are doing. The recipe I listed was for a 12 gallon batch. You should use exactly half of what I listed for a 6 gallon batch.

DME will dissolve just like LME does so there will be no difference between what you have done before with liquid malt.

Regarding taking gravity. Measure at the end of the boil (remember hydrometers are calibrated to 60f). And measure at the end of fermentation. Pitch enough yeast and there will be nothing for you to do.

No specialty grains are needed.

Good luck and let me know how it turns out.

Comment on Watermelon Wheat Recipe by Jeremy

Jeremy — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 19:54:25 +0000

Hi Brian,

I am going to brew this up tonight. Very excited. I am going to use your modified recipe using an extract since I dont have a mash tun. I know this is a stupid question, but how do I know I will get a target gravity of 1050 if I use your recomended 6 LB of Pale Malt and 4 Lb of wheat malt (DME) for my 5 gallon batch. I have only used liquid malt up to this point (typically 6 lbs) and I have never used a dry malt. Evterything I read says they are the same. Does the DME dissolve like liquid does? Or do I need to strain it out before it goes into the fermenter?

Also I have never tried to reach a target gravity before, I just measure the gravity after the boil is finished and cooled enough, but before I pitch my yeast. Then I take another reading before I bottle to see if fermentation is done. How do I reach a target gravity?

Typically I will also steep a pound of specialty grain to help with the body, mouth feel, and head retention rather than just going all extract. Can I do the same for this batch? Or because I am using so much dry malt I wont need too? If I can use additional grain, which grain do you recomend?

Thanks for all your help. I never thought of brewing with fruit before and recipe is taking me out of my normal comfort zone so I can expand my horizons and try new things. I really dig it and thank you for all your suggestions.

Comment on Watermelon Wheat Recipe by Brian

Brian — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 14:09:44 +0000

Personally I don’t bother with transferring to a secondary fermenter as it is one additional point that can introduce oxygen as possible contaminants. I don’t do that for any of my beers. The risk of autolysis is very low at the how brew scale unless you leave a beer sitting on a yeast cake for months.

Regarding having enough yeast to carbonate. Yes there will be enough yeast to carbonate. Plenty. The only time I have ever needed to add additional yeast to a beer to naturally carbonate was when I stressed the hell out of them with a high alcohol fermentation.

Comment on Watermelon Wheat Recipe by Jeremy

Jeremy — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 21:45:30 +0000

Hey Brian,

Would it be better to wait until the primary fermentation has finished and the yeast have had a chance to condition the beer then add the frozen fruit to a secondary container for a secondary fermentation? Would I get more watermellon flavor this way? What would be the cons to doing it this way? I would immagine that there would be enough alcohol in the beer to prevent spoilage and a secondary fermentation would yield a clearer beer right?

If this is a good idea, how long would I let it sit for a secondary fermentation and would there be enough yeast left after the secondary to carbonate when I go to prime and bottle?

Comment on Watermelon Wheat Recipe by Brian

Brian — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 16:21:02 +0000

Jeremy in this comment I lay out a reasonable extract recipe for this beer. It sounds like you are doing 5 gallon batches so just cut it in half. I typically do 6 gallon batches so I yield a full keg.

Comment on Watermelon Wheat Recipe by Jeremy

Jeremy — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 16:11:39 +0000

Hi Brian,

I am a little new to brewing and have only made about four batches. I really want to try my hand at this watermelon brew but I don’t have a mash tun. I just haven’t been able to make the investment to build one yet. Is there any way that I can make this beer in a five gallon capacity while using a malt extract?

I can steep a few pounds of grain to get extra body, flavor, and head but can I use a malt extract syrup as the base for my wort?

Thanks

Comment on Watermelon Wheat Recipe by Adam Roth

Adam Roth — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 16:39:42 +0000

I’ve made 30 gallons over 2 years always using loose fruit in the secondary. My favorite beer each year. This recipe is great.

Comment on Watermelon Wheat Recipe by Tim

Tim — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 16:35:41 +0000

Jeff-

Since I ferment in a carboy, there was no way I could think of to get all the pulp in there. I used just the juice (you can see what I did in my message from 07-2012 above), it worked pretty well, but I did end up using too much juice. A 10 lb melon yielded about 5 lbs of juice, and I should have used maybe 2-2.5 lbs. I used 4 lbs, and it ended up too sweet.

My $0.02, have fun!

Comment on Watermelon Wheat Recipe by Brian

Brian — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 15:23:10 +0000

I’ve found that the easiest thing to do is to bag the watermelon in a large filter bag. The kind of bag that would be used for brew in a bag or similar. It makes racking and dealing with the seeds SO much easier.

Hope that helps and please do report back on how it turns out.

Comment on Watermelon Wheat Recipe by Jeff Lagemann

Jeff Lagemann — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 16:47:44 +0000

Dont know if this is still check on or not. So I as a newbie brewer should you throw the watermelon in loose or bag it?

Comment on There Gose The Neighborhood by Brian

Brian — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 14:51:25 +0000

Keith you are welcome. It is a great style especially for the upcoming warmer weather.

Regarding the mash, this really isn’t a traditional sour mash in which the wort is left on the grain for a series of days and allowed to sour naturally with the natural lactobacillus in the grain husk. This technique allows you to sour entire batch then stop the souring (and denature the bacteria) allowing more stable (less variance in the pH) beer. When this beer goes in the keg there should be no souring bacteria remaining in solution.

If you wanted to do a split batch (half sour, half yeast) you probably would have good luck blending to the level of sourness you desire. Personally I just go for it and sour the entire batch. If you do not have a way to measure pH the blending route may be best for you.

With good sanitation (pbw/starsan) you should be able to use the carboy for any other beer you want. Personally I dedicate a glass carboy to my sour beers but it is probably not necessary.

One last hint. Don’t go too long before boiling, 48-72 hours warm, with a healthy pitch of lacto, should get you to a nice level of sourness. If you go too long the pH will drop too far and you yeast fermentation will suffer.

Good luck and please do let me know how it turns out.

Comment on There Gose The Neighborhood by Keith Kirchoff

Keith Kirchoff — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 13:58:04 +0000

I’m planning on brewing a Gose for the first time in the next few weeks, and I came across your blog post. Thank you! This is actually exactly what I’ve been looking for.

I’ve some questions about your sour mash process. I notice that you ended up boiling and fermenting with only the wort from the sour mash, not a blend with another mash. Is there a benefit to doing it this way?

I’m also curious if you found that using your carboy with lacto left any residual bacteria in there for the next batch you did. Did you set aside that carboy for only lacto beers? Or were you able to clean it enough afterwards?

Thanks!

Comment on Is Guinness an extract beer? by Are there any small breweries that use extracts instead of all grain? - Home Brew Forums

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 14:15:41 +0000

[...] does now, and are really talking about the '90's, when it contained malt extract?) Oh and so does Guinness… [...]

Comment on Goose Island is not a Anheuser Busch product by Paul S

Paul S — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 23:11:14 +0000

Just bought a case of Goose Island IPA at my neighborhood beer distributor who billed it as this month’s fine microbrew. With the first taste, I knew I’d been had: think old Bud with some added hop bitterness. This site topped the search results for who owns Goose Island. I’d never tasted a Goose Island beer before today, so I don’t know if they were ever any good before. Having been through this before with other micros I knew were good before AB destroyed them, I’m inclined to give the malevolent giant credit for another kill. I wonder how much my local distributor got paid to sell me out.

Comment on Watermelon Wheat Recipe by Brian

Brian — Sun, 28 Oct 2012 16:04:42 +0000

Justin –

For some reason your comment was held up in the spam queue.

The ingredients you have listed are perfect. Id probably stick with white wheat as I believe that Red has a bit more protein. Nearly all my beers are now brewed with simple domestic 2 row. It makes great beer.

German or American Hallertau will work. Both will give a nice delicate hop character which is what you are looking for. I typically use German.

Comment on Watermelon Wheat Recipe by Brian

Brian — Sun, 28 Oct 2012 15:58:21 +0000

I have brewed it as a wit in the past and the yeast character totally overwhelmed the watermelon. Id think that something like an American wheat yeast is neutral enough but should contribute some interesting notes with the watermelon. Please do report back with how it turns out.

Comment on Watermelon Wheat Recipe by Damon

Damon — Sun, 28 Oct 2012 15:07:47 +0000

Hey Brian, this looks just like what I’ve been looking for. Thanks for the recipe. Curious, though: have you ever tried any yeast other than the Chico? I was toying with the idea of using American Wheat yeast. Obviously, it wouldn’t finish as clean, but was curious if you or anyone else has ever tried both and which you or they preferred. Gracias, –Damon.

Comment on Chicago Water Analysis by Brian

Brian — Sun, 07 Oct 2012 21:37:29 +0000

Good catch, I’ve updated the links. As I would expect, there are no major changes in the water chemistry.

Comment on Chicago Water Analysis by Matt

Matt — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 02:41:43 +0000

Not sure if you noticed, but the links are all currently dead.

Comment on First Commercial Beer Review by Third Street Brewhouse

Third Street Brewhouse — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 20:45:52 +0000

Keep at it, my man!

Comment on Watermelon Wheat Recipe by Justin

Justin — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 15:50:48 +0000

I’ve only brewed 2 batches of beer, so I’m pretty new to this. I have some questions on the ingredients:

12.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) – this ok? http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/malteurop-american-2-row-pale-malt.html
8.00 lb Wheat Malt, Bel (2.0 SRM) – this ok? http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/rahr-white-wheat-malt.html – or red instead?

Hops:
2.00 oz Hallertauer [3.60%] (60 min) Hops 14.7 IBU
2.00 oz Hallertauer [3.60%] (5 min) Hops 2.4 IBU

For both Hops, this? http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/german-hallertau-pellets-1-oz.html or use american hallertauer?

On a trip to San Fran, my wife loved this beer from 21A – she’s stoked that I found this recipe…thank you!

Comment on Promash File Converter by Rob

Rob — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 09:34:11 +0000

not sure what is going on but it just flashes up then closes.
Does the program install in the programs list?
I’m running Windows 7. Is it compatible?

Comment on Promash File Converter by Brian

Brian — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 13:38:08 +0000

Good catch. The link is updated.

Comment on Promash File Converter by tacoma396

tacoma396 — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 20:31:03 +0000

Where is the converter? I think the link is not working

Comment on Watermelon Wheat Recipe by Brian

Brian — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 02:11:56 +0000

Tim, I think it will work fine. What you get from the pulp (I believe) is some of the “rindy” notes in the beer. I’d do exactly as you have stated, ferment the beer out, add the juice, and see how it tastes. Worst case scenario you may want to add some more watermelon. Good luck and let me know how it turns out.

Comment on Watermelon Wheat Recipe by Tim

Tim — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 01:22:01 +0000

I hope you’re not sick of getting questions on this recipe, but can I get your opinion? Due to freezer space issues, I ended up pushing my watermelon through a screen and just kept on going for the whole melon. Now I have about 5 pounds of juice (no pulp, no seeds) in the freezer for a 5 gallon batch. How does that affect yield with the lack of pulp? Should I start with half the juice after primary, see what happens? Thanks! Looking forward to this one!

Comment on Goose Island is not a Anheuser Busch product by Brian

Brian — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 19:57:15 +0000

Just to be clear. This post was from 2007. I am not actively making updates to it. John your analysis is correct for the current situation.

Comment on Goose Island is not a Anheuser Busch product by John

John — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 15:06:56 +0000

Goose Island’s legal name is Fulton Street Brewery LLC (FSB). Anheuser-Busch reached an agreement to purchase the majority (58 percent) equity stake in FSB from its founders and investors, held in Goose Holdings Inc. (GHI), for $22.5 million. Craft Brewers Alliance Inc. (CBA), an independent, publicly traded brewer based in Portland, Ore., that operates Widmer Brothers, Redhook and Kona breweries, owns the remaining 42 percent of FSB and reached an agreement in principle to sell its stake in FSB to Anheuser-Busch for $16.3 million in cash. Anheuser‑Busch holds a minority stake (32.25 percent) in CBA.

Comment on Watermelon Wheat Recipe by Enk-A-Mania

Enk-A-Mania — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 18:40:50 +0000

We went to 21st Amendment and I told my girlfriend we both shouldn’t order the watermelon, because in my experience fruit beers are a crap shoot and I didn’t want two bad beers. Needless to say, it was awesome, can’t wait to brew it! A few years back, I brewed a Jolly Rancher version, holy alcohol bomb

Comment on Bourbon Barrel Porter Pecan Walnut Pie by Mmm, food | Community Beer Works

Mmm, food | Community Beer Works — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:22:30 +0000

[...] was only one result I could find, from the Out of Key Brewing blog: Bourbon Barrel Porter Pecan Walnut Pie. I may skip the walnuts; we’ll see. Yes, it would have made sense to have made this before my [...]

Comment on Promash File Converter by Matt Anderson

Matt Anderson — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 20:31:03 +0000

Great stuff, thanks very much!
I have noticed that the ‘Est Original Gravity’ and ‘Bitterness (IBUs)’ are a bit off from a printed Promash recipe I have compared to a BeerSmith2 recipe I have converted.
I no longer have Promash, just my recipe file but I am assuming this is due to the individual ingredient parameter each program has set. Can you confirm this?

Thanks much for your great work on this!
Lakedawgs

Comment on Pumpkin Saison by Pumpkin Saison? - Home Brew Forums

Pumpkin Saison? - Home Brew Forums — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 23:58:26 +0000

[...] that. might make for an easy drinking leaf raking beer though. a quick googling found this: http://outofkey.com/beer/brewing/pumpkin-saison/ and this: http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f36/pumpkin-saison-3711-a-256204/ __________________ My 6 [...]

Comment on Watermelon Wheat Recipe by Tony

Tony — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 19:50:38 +0000

I think I may have ruined this batch somehow. Smells like rotten watermelon. Lots of rotten watermelon. I kept it in my fermentation chamber, and just pulled it off the yeast cake, after 4 weeks. Don’t want to dump it, but it reeks right now.

Comment on Watermelon Wheat Recipe by G. Corey

G. Corey — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 17:22:26 +0000

Just read your follow-up… I will be using seeded watermelons next time. Got really lucky on this batch with the seedless variety.

Comment on Watermelon Wheat Recipe by G. Corey

G. Corey — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 17:21:36 +0000

Onto the second keg – better than the first. Watermelons were not local to Connecticut… I’ll check the store to find out exactly. Another thing, they were seedless… couldn’t find seeded. Second keg sat for about 10 days longer and also used a different watermelon.

I’ll be brewing this every year. Here are pictures of us enjoying it. Thanks again!

http://i.imgur.com/RrpJs.png
http://i.imgur.com/E3yQ2.png

Comment on Using Slacked Lime to Reduce Water Alkalinity by Very hard water - worth using? - Home Brew Forums

Very hard water - worth using? - Home Brew Forums — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 14:14:22 +0000

[...] too much and would prefer something that would require a bit less preparation. Did you see this http://outofkey.com/beer/brewing/using-slacked-lime-to-reduce-water-alkalinity/ ? It only involves a bit of work the night before you intend on brewing. __________________ Vir [...]

Comment on Watermelon Wheat Recipe by Brian

Brian — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 19:21:22 +0000

So glad to hear that. Tell me about the watermelons you used, were they locally grown? The quality of the fruit makes a big difference in this beer.

Comment on Watermelon Wheat Recipe by G. Corey

G. Corey — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 19:10:23 +0000

Just kegged this… almost a dead-on match. Probably one of my favorite beers I’ve made in 50 batches. 21A lists Magnum hops on their site, but the Hallertau from this recipe worked well. Thanks for this write-up.

Comment on Watermelon Wheat Recipe by Robert

Robert — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 16:54:43 +0000

Brewed my version of a watermelon wheat. Two weeks in the fermenter; tasty, light but not as sweet as expected. I added the watermelon a little sooner into fermentation than you but I up the lbs per gallon just a bit. I’m thinking a about “dry watermeloning” @ 1/2 lbs per gallon, let it sit for a week and then keg it up.

Comment on Watermelon Wheat Recipe by Robert

Robert — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 19:13:19 +0000

Awesome, thanks for the quick follow up.

Comment on Watermelon Wheat Recipe by Brian

Brian — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 18:51:47 +0000

Ive never had any issue with it tasting watered down, while watermelon is mostly water it isn’t exclusively water, and it brings different flavors to the beer (which is the point). Id say that if you normally brew 6 to get 5, you would probably be safe brewing 5.75 to get 5 with this beer. You do end up leaving behind a lot of the solids.

Comment on Watermelon Wheat Recipe by Robert

Robert — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 18:36:21 +0000

Brian,

Since you are adding so much fruit in after the boil and watermelon in mostly water, do you find the beer is getting watered down? Do you calculate the water in the melon to get your final quanitity of beer?

Thanks,
Robert

Comment on Watermelon Wheat Recipe by Mike

Mike — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 20:55:20 +0000

I haven’t brewed anything yet wanted to get all the information before trying to attempt probably start this weekend but I’ll make sure that I follow the instructions that you’ve listed…this is a big help !! and thanks again for the tips and for getting back to me so quickly, I will let you know how this comes out.

Mike

Comment on Watermelon Wheat Recipe by Brian

Brian — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 20:22:09 +0000

Mike –

Its not a stupid question at all. You nailed it. Make your wort. Pitch Yeast. Ferment for 3-5 days (you did pitch a ton of yeast right?), open the top (a bucket makes this really easy) and add the watermelon. I am using Primary and Secondary loosely here to mean the sugar from the wort (primary) and the sugar from the watermelon (secondary).

Regarding “rogue organisms” I wouldn’t worry about it. Don’t do it in room with a fan on and still air and you will be fine. By the time you are adding the watermelon the pH of the beer has dropped and there is already alcohol in solution. These are two things that beer spoiling organisms(bugs) dont like. Good luck.

Comment on Watermelon Wheat Recipe by Mike

Mike — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 02:36:17 +0000

Hi Brain, I’m new to this so I apologize if this is a stupid question I see talk about secondary fermentation and then primary fermentation but when you add the watermelon do you mean at after the first week of fermentation you open up your fermenter and then add the Watermelon chunks ? or is this added right after the wort is created…want to make sure I’m doing this right, because I read a lot about not opening the fermenter to avoid “rogue organism”…Thanks for all the information you have posted here !

Mike

Comment on Watermelon Wheat Recipe by Brian

Brian — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 16:56:55 +0000

That sounds like the perfect watermelon for the beer. Im sure it will be amazing.

Regarding hops, Hallertau are pretty mild in my book EKG, would be a decent substitution. At around 15 ibu, the hops are pretty much imperceptible, so I dont think it matters too much. I would advise just keeping it simple, as you really want the watermelon to shine.

Comment on Watermelon Wheat Recipe by Brewmaster N

Brewmaster N — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 16:53:06 +0000

Thanks for the information, the blogs were very helpful in my decision to brew watermellon beer this year since i planted a watermellon patch this spring.. so hopefully if all goes well.. this all grain , organically grown mellon, batch will turn out good.. one thing though.. the hops.. has anyone tried subsitutions for the hops to give it a milder profile.. you really want the watermellon to stand out.. how about some citrus hops or kent goldings.. whatcha think? aight.. have a great time.. BREW ON

Comment on Watermelon Wheat Recipe by Brian

Brian — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 13:07:54 +0000

Dan – At the end of your initial (primary) fermentation there will be a ton of yeast in solution. This will be true for all beers not just wheat beers. Not sure what “Kroning” is, however the only time you should have to pitch extra yeast in a batch is if you are doing some high gravity fermentation or if the beer has aged for more than a couple months and you are planning on bottle conditioning. Personally I dont use a secondary fermenter unless the beer is going to be sitting for greater than six weeks. I see the additional transfer as one more contamination point. Yeast autolysis is a minor concern at the homebrew level.

Good luck with the beer, use ripe watermelons, and let me know how it turns out.

Comment on Watermelon Wheat Recipe by Dan

Dan — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 05:09:48 +0000

Just re-read and saw your statement that it won’t taste like a jolly rancher, my bad, my eye got stuck on what Todd said above.

Comment on Watermelon Wheat Recipe by Dan

Dan — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 04:36:21 +0000

Brian, this is a great article! Like Will above, I’m also an extract brewer. I’ve ordered an american wheat kit from Austin homebrew and I was planning on adding watermelon (in your learned proportions) to the secondary. But as I’m reading this article it seems as though you’re advocating just using the primary and leaving it the extra week there. Is that right? And if so is that because the nature of a wheat brew is cloudy anyway?. I also had a fellow brewer suggest kroning my brews in general, which included tossing extra yeast. Since essentially I’ll be adding fermentable sugar with the watermelon, would I benefit from tossing more yeast in when I put in the melon? And to toss in one more question, does using this amount of watermelon typically lend a jolly rancher flavor? I’d like to avoid that over bearing of a flavor. Thanks in advance!

Comment on Watermelon Wheat Recipe by Brian

Brian — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 14:27:25 +0000

Aaron – No steeping grains. Just base malts. You really dont want anything to get in the way of the watermelon.

Comment on Watermelon Wheat Recipe by Aaron

Aaron — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 02:38:22 +0000

Brian, What type of steeping grains do you use for this beer?

Thanks, Aaron

Comment on There Gose The Neighborhood by Jack

Jack — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 06:10:45 +0000

Thanks for the info! Currently im living in berlin studying brewing, i hope to go to leipzig soon to try a gose, but funds are short and exams are here. so we’ll see…
cheers
jack

Comment on There Gose The Neighborhood by Brian

Brian — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 21:04:18 +0000

Personally I think it is just a cleaner solution to souring a beer with lacto. With this approach, it only really takes a few days to reach the point at which lacto has a hard time producing acid (PH < 3.7) vs the months that it will take at colder temps. I cant say if taking the long road (post fermentation lacto) will produce an appreciably more sour(or "better" sour) beer, but I don't find it to be necessary. Ive brewed a Berlinerweiss with the lacto still active and it really never developed any additional sourness over the 6 months that I aged it. Now if we are talking about a mixed culture of brett, pedio, etc, then the post fermentation is probably the way to go.

One thing you may want to try is to brew a batch and split the fermentation with the lacto being added early and late. With the early approach I laid out in the post you can reasonably be drinking a nicely soured beer in <3 weeks.

Hope that helps.

Comment on There Gose The Neighborhood by Jack

Jack — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 20:49:37 +0000

I have a recipe that calls for the addition of the lacto at the end of main fermentation, i was wondering why you approached the lacto the way you did? i usually thought that the lactic acid was used a secondary fermentation or bottle conditioning phase…
Cheers,
Jack

Comment on Watermelon Wheat Recipe by Brian

Brian — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 17:44:16 +0000

The lower percentage of wheat is not going to be a deal breaker. The important thing is that you kept the grist simple. It is still going to be a really clean beer, which should let the watermelon come through.

Now, regarding the seedless, if when you sample before kegging/bottling, there isn’t enough watermelon flavor you can add more watermelon (ahem, seeded) at that point. Seedless wont ruin the beer, its just not ideal. All is not lost.

Comment on Watermelon Wheat Recipe by abc123

abc123 — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 17:28:39 +0000

Sigh…
Well not only did I use seedless watermelon, but I didn’t realize Cooper’s Wheat Malt Extract is only 50% wheat. They should advertise that more clearly for us novices. So 3.3 lbs of that stuff, and 4 lbs of pale malt, and I’m looking at 22.6% wheat and 77.4% pale malt.
Sigh…
I wonder how my WYeast American Wheat felt about that lower than planned wheat proportion during primary fermentation? I can see that it certainly is going to town on the watermelon chunks during secondary, even if they are seedless.
Sigh again…
I hope this still turns out well, because I had high hopes before I started doing this additional reading.

Comment on Watermelon Wheat Recipe by Brian

Brian — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 21:08:41 +0000

I posted on brewing with seedless watermelon and it lays out why not to use them. Just my experience.

Comment on Watermelon Wheat Recipe by Will

Will — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 21:04:47 +0000

Why do you say not to use seedless watermelon.

Comment on Watermelon Wheat Recipe by Will

Will — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 14:33:32 +0000

Thanks. I plan on brewing this week. I may just take the plunge into all grain brewing and do it that way instead. Thanks for the help and the recipe.

Here’s to a long summer of of good beer.

Comment on Watermelon Wheat Recipe by Brian

Brian — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 18:38:53 +0000

Hey Will, thanks for you interest in brewing the beer. I would suggest you look at the Malt extract that you are using. Most of the time wheat Malt extract is not 100% wheat but rather 50% wheat and 50% two row (or similar). If you look at Breiss’s extract on Northern Brewer for instance you will see that it is actually composed of 60% wheat and 40% barley.
So you have the option of doing something simple and just using 100% “wheat” DME (which would taste great) or you could mix some combination of Pale DME and Wheat DME to get to the ratio in the original all grain recipe. I took a quick cut at it below for a 12 gallon batch (yielding 10 gallons into the keg).

8 lbs 2.6 oz Light Dry Extract (8.0 SRM) Dry Extract 54.6 %
6 lbs 12.8 oz Wheat Dry Extract (8.0 SRM) Dry Extract 45.4 %

Hope that helps.

Brian

Comment on Watermelon Wheat Recipe by Will

Will — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 04:14:45 +0000

I have not graduated to all grain brewing yet. Can I do this recipe with 60% light Malt extract and 40% Light malt extract (wheat)? If so how many lbs of each would i use for a 10Gal batch. I really want to make a few batches of this before we get to far into summer.

Thanks
-Will

Comment on Watermelon Wheat Recipe by Brian

Brian — Tue, 31 May 2011 00:49:18 +0000

Absolutely, just cut it in half and brew it.

The recipe scales both up and down with no issues.

Good Luck.

Comment on Goose Island is not a Anheuser Busch product by Brian

Brian — Tue, 31 May 2011 00:45:08 +0000

Jim Bob, if you like their beer drink it. If not then don’t drink it.

I honestly hope that the beer does not change with the purchase by AB (not the topic of this post), time will tell. Personally I am willing to wait and see.

Regarding changing the title, I don’t make a habit of changing the title of posts from 4 years ago or for anytime in the past. When it was posted it was accurate and I stand by that. Given that AB did end up buying it I thought it was worthwhile to make an update to the post. To state that I am intentionally trying to mislead anybody reading is a little heavy handed in my book.

Comment on Goose Island is not a Anheuser Busch product by jim bob

jim bob — Fri, 27 May 2011 22:54:58 +0000

Yes. Yes, it does matter.

Goose Island is distributed by AB. AB owns a stake in Widmer, and Widmer has a stake in Goose Island.

So why should anyone buy Goose Island?

Part of the profits go straight to AB, through distribution agreements or through Widmer.

AB did nothing to build the recipes, open up the craft brewing market, or build up Goose Island as a business. AB just wants a cut of the business even though they’ve done no work to earn it.

I don’t want any of my beer money to go to AB — not through subsidaries, and not through distributors. AB is anti-free market, anti-capitalist and anti-democracy. Politically they don’t really understand America or believe in it, and they sure hate to have to compete on a level playing field as much as they hate good beer.

This move was a major mistake by Goose Island. Same for Red Hook, also a brand that at one point had a little integrity.

BTW — saw your update up at the top. If the headline “should” read ‘Goose Island IS an Anheuser Busch product’ then CHANGE THE HEADLINE. Otherwise you are obviously intentionally misleading your readers. Which, I guess that was the original point.

Comment on Watermelon Wheat Recipe by B

Fri, 27 May 2011 22:48:30 +0000

Brian,
If i wanted to make a smaller batch could i just cut this recipe in half and only brew a 5 gallon batch?
Thanks!

Comment on Larger Fermenter by Brian

Brian — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 20:53:35 +0000

Take a look at MullerBrau’s site (http://www.mullerbrau.com/) in his all grain section (http://www.mullerbrau.com/all_grain.htm) he has pictures of how he is using them. A direct link to a picture of one of the fermenters is: http://www.mullerbrau.com/Fermenter1.JPG

Ive used them for coming up on 5 years with little to no problems. I typically use them to ferment 10 gallon batches. There is plenty of head space to do up to 13 gallons at a time.

Great fermenters. Great Price.

It should be noted that I _know_ that prices have gone up. I cant say how much however. Nor if they are still available.

Good luck.

Comment on Larger Fermenter by John

John — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 20:01:51 +0000

Hey do you have any pictures of this bucket as a fermenter holding wort/with air valve? Thanks!! …Does it work well?!

Comment on A Gose Discussion by Out Of Key Brewing » Blog Archive » There Gose The Neighborhood

Out Of Key Brewing » Blog Archive » There Gose The Neighborhood — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 14:52:04 +0000

[...] really interested in the Gose (Goes-A) since I had the chance to try it this past summer at the Great Taste of the Midwest. It really stood out as excellent on a day of excellent [...]

Comment on Goose Island To Be an Anheuser Busch Product by Out Of Key Brewing » Blog Archive » Goose Island is not a Anheuser Busch product

Tue, 29 Mar 2011 15:46:31 +0000

[...] Update[03/28/2011 at 8:08 am]: Title should now read Goose Island IS a Anheuser Busch product [...]

Comment on Goose Island is not a Anheuser Busch product by Out Of Key Brewing » Blog Archive » Goose Island To Be an Anheuser Busch Product

Mon, 28 Mar 2011 14:08:31 +0000

[...] in GI and partnered with them to do distribution. At the time I honked my horn(pun intended) saying that Goose as not a AB product. Since then, that post has been one of my biggest search terms (sad I know). It seems that [...]

Comment on Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Out Of Key Brewing » Blog Archive » Mr. Hyde 2010

Out Of Key Brewing » Blog Archive » Mr. Hyde 2010 — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 14:53:39 +0000

[...] made a few tweaks on last years version of the recipe for Mr. Hyde, adding Flaked Barley and boosting the amount of Flaked Oats. In [...]

Comment on Watermelon Wheat Followup by Jizzo

Jizzo — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 18:39:47 +0000

I second your comments. No Seedless.

Comment on Watermelon Wheat Recipe by Brian

Brian — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 01:48:56 +0000

I would count on another 3-5 days of active fermentation, but I typically give it 10-14 total days contact with the watermelon.

Pureeing the watermelon will absolutely work. If you do take that route I would just ensure that you have pulled all the seeds. After freezing and thawing the chunks it will break down a bit as well. I normally chunk it and mash it with a potato masher.

Use a bag for the watermelon and don’t use seedless.

Good luck.

Comment on Watermelon Wheat Recipe by Tanisha Mills

Tanisha Mills — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 01:07:11 +0000

Nice work on the recipe. How long was the extra fermentation due to the watermelon? I was thinking of pureeing the watermelon versus the chunks. Thanks for the blog, enjoy your posts.

Comment on A Gose Discussion by Brian

Brian — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 18:05:47 +0000

Thanks for the comment, Im pretty sure that Kevin ended up in at the GB in Rockville MD. He is the head brewer out there.

Comment on A Gose Discussion by Pirate Brewer

Pirate Brewer — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 03:27:58 +0000

I had Kevin’s Gose in Boilingbrook and even took a growler home. It was excellent. He swapped locations recently with a brewer in the northwest (Oregon?). The Oktober Fest was his last seasonal beer in Illinois. I met him and talked to him. He’s real nice and seems to love his job.

Comment on Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Out Of Key Brewing » Blog Archive » Bourbon Barrel Porter Pecan Walnut Pie

Fri, 26 Nov 2010 18:49:59 +0000

[...] * 1/3 Cup Barrel Aged Bourbon Porter * single crust pie * 1/2 Cup chopped pecans * 1/2 Cup walnuts * 1 tsp. Cinnamon * 1/4-1/2 tsp. Ground Nutmeg. * 4 eggs * 1/2 Cup corn syrup, light or dark * 1 tlb. (good squeeze) honey * 1/3 Cup white sugar * 1/3 Cup brown sugar * 8 tlb. melted butter * 1 tlb. Vanilla Extract * 1 tlb. flour * 8 oz Chopped 50% Cacao baking chocolate (I use this same chocolate in Mr Hyde) [...]

Comment on Bourbon Barrel Porter Pecan Walnut Pie by Brian

Brian — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 18:49:38 +0000

It was good stuff.

Making a huge (5 gallon) starter of wlp 530 for lager season. Stepping up two vials. Temps are about to hit their prime for lager brewing.

Comment on Bourbon Barrel Porter Pecan Walnut Pie by Nate

Nate — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 17:49:05 +0000

Sounds like a might fine T-day! Especially the nap (I never did fit one in…) Brewing this weekend?

Comment on Bourbon Barrel Porter by Out Of Key Brewing » Blog Archive » Bourbon Barrel Porter Pecan Walnut Pie

Thu, 25 Nov 2010 02:45:42 +0000

[...] the bourbon barrel aged porter as a base for the flavor I (ok we, hat nod to my wife) whipped up a pecan walnut [...]

Comment on Promash File Converter by Brian

Brian — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 14:08:46 +0000

Chris –

Glad it worked for you. Send me the rec files that had issues and what the issues were and Ill work on getting the fixes in quickly.

As for the Brewer’s workshop converter, Ive assembled my team of monkey coders and they have assured me the work should be done within weeks! I just need to ply them with more banana’s and beer. My wife claims its a bad idea, but I cant see what could go wrong.

Comment on Promash File Converter by Chris Bushman

Chris Bushman — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 04:28:57 +0000

A few glitches here and there, but all fixed in one evening. Without your converter it would have taken me a month to migrate the recipes. I still have a bunch of recipes in Brewer’s Workshop – when will that converter be ready??? .

Many thanks for your great effort and your generosity for sharing with the homebrewing community!

Comment on Brewing Network Shoutout by Brian

Brian — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 17:50:45 +0000

It will only run on a Mac using some soft of virtualization. Take a look at virtual box, (http://www.virtualbox.org/). There a lot of images that are available for download. It may be a pain in the ass but it should work.

The other option would be to send your REC files zipped up to a close friend who would most likely love to convert them for you.

Comment on Brewing Network Shoutout by Gary Gulley

Gary Gulley — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 17:27:27 +0000

Does this work on a Mac?

Comment on Promash File Converter by Out Of Key Brewing » Blog Archive » Brewing Network Shoutout

Out Of Key Brewing » Blog Archive » Brewing Network Shoutout — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 16:20:40 +0000

[...] Promash File Converter RSS [...]

Comment on Chicago Water Analysis by alphawater

alphawater — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 08:07:10 +0000

nice blog very useful information

Comment on Worlds Strongest Beer Launches by MJK

MJK — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 03:18:43 +0000

I think I’d rather drink the ash tray.

Comment on Worlds Strongest Beer Launches by Nate

Nate — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 14:50:26 +0000

While I might pay $765 for a bottle wrapped in a dead stoat, there is no way I’d pay the same price for one stuffed in a squirrel!

Comment on Watermelon Wheat Recipe by Out Of Key Brewing » Blog Archive » Watermelon Wheat Followup

Out Of Key Brewing » Blog Archive » Watermelon Wheat Followup — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 21:37:41 +0000

[...] my original post on brewing a watermelon wheat, I have brewed the recipe several more times. What I have found is that the most important aspect [...]

Comment on Watermelon Wheat Recipe by Brian

Brian — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 01:19:35 +0000

Campden has been know to retard yeast activity, so I’m not sure I would go that route. While contamination is possible when adding unpasteurized fruit there a couple things working against it.

1. Freezing the watermelon knocks the bacteria load down to virtually nothing.
2. Fermented beer is a pretty inhospitable environment for bacteria. By the time you are adding the watermelon the beer’s PH has dropped significantly and it is full of alcohol. Two things that bacteria are not crazy about.
3. Last, this is not a beer that is going to be aged. This is a beer that you will drink within a couple months (six months tops probably). Any strong brett based flavors take months to develop. In the off chance that contamination does occur, by the time those flavors are developing, this keg is going to be blowing CO2.

Just be sure to pitch the proper amount of yeast (erring on the side of too much), practice good sanitation, and drink it quickly.

Perhaps its just me, but Id say just don’t worry about it and brew just the beer. Ive brew over 40 gallons of this stuff over 4 distinct batches and have never had an issue with contamination.

Hope that helps.

If the beer was going to be contaminated it probably would have occured

Comment on Watermelon Wheat Recipe by Cody

Cody — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 18:46:38 +0000

Brian –

Any worries or problems with contamination from adding “unsanitized” watermelon into the fermenter? Have you thought about using Campden to sanitize the fruit?

Thanks….

Comment on Watermelon Wheat Recipe by Brian

Brian — Wed, 26 May 2010 18:16:02 +0000

I think that you would be surprised how easy it is to brew with real watermelon. It takes about 15 minutes to prepare the watermelon for freezing and the flavor you get is great.

I just re-brewed this recipe two weeks ago, and thus far the flavors are amazing.

Comment on Watermelon Wheat Recipe by Ales to Lagers

Ales to Lagers — Tue, 25 May 2010 22:14:27 +0000

I am thinking about making one but using the extract instead…hopefully it doesn’t give a medicine like flavor

Comment on I went to the Stone Brewing Launch…. by MJK

MJK — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 03:23:20 +0000

Is this the only face he makes…
http://chicagoist.com/2010/03/31/interview_stone_brewings_greg_koch.php

Comment on I went to the Stone Brewing Launch…. by Brian

Brian — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 14:13:04 +0000

A fine question indeed. He actually seem like a pretty serious guy, he would walk around talking to people until a camera came out and then he would make the scream scowl look.

Comment on I went to the Stone Brewing Launch…. by Nate

Nate — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 14:03:12 +0000

Who’s more drunk, you or Greg?

PS
So jealous…

Comment on I went to the Stone Brewing Launch…. by Anne

Anne — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 14:02:19 +0000

SWEET!!!

Comment on Bourbon Barrel Porter by Nate

Nate — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 21:44:17 +0000

Damn man that sounds great! Hopefully we can get a taste next St. Pattys!

Comment on Greek Berliner Weisse by Aaron

Aaron — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 20:02:24 +0000

Nicely done, sounds like a great beer.

Comment on Greek Berliner Weisse by Nate

Nate — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 13:41:02 +0000

I thought the Berliner was great, although you know I wouldn’t have objected to more sour…
Additionally, I really liked the beer with the woodruff. I thought the herbal character actually accentuated the hint of sour, while adding just a touch of sweetness.

Can’t wait to try your next effort!

Comment on Promash File Converter by Rob

Rob — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 08:17:31 +0000

Comment on First Thursday February Edition by Nate

Nate — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 17:50:29 +0000

Congrats on the feedback man! I still can’t believe that going to a clubmeeting for you means Mosher is there! Can’t wait to try them in March.

Comment on Doppelbock / DoppelSticke Brew by Out Of Key Brewing » Blog Archive » First Thursday February Edition

Out Of Key Brewing » Blog Archive » First Thursday February Edition — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 16:09:34 +0000

[...] night was the Chicago Beer Societies First Thursday meeting for February. I brought my doppelbock, Low Brass, Lost in the Woods Tripel, and the Dr. Jekyll Mild. After my last tasting with The [...]

Comment on Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Out Of Key Brewing » Blog Archive » First Thursday February Edition

Out Of Key Brewing » Blog Archive » First Thursday February Edition — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 16:05:15 +0000

[...] meeting for February. I brought my doppelbock, Low Brass, Lost in the Woods Tripel, and the Dr. Jekyll Mild. After my last tasting with The Mosher, my confidence was shaken, however I brought the [...]

Comment on Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Brian

Brian — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 20:45:44 +0000

Shhhh. Its a secret.

Nothing to see here.

Comment on Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Nate

Nate — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 20:42:14 +0000

Ah! The seccrt to bourbon flavor is as simple as adding bourbon…

Comment on Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Brian

Brian — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 14:41:29 +0000

Probably from the 8 oz of makers that I added at kegging time. I neglected to mention that so it probably wouldn’t be obvious. I dosed it at about half the rate that I normally would the Bourbon Vanilla Porter. It is really subtle. This is really my take on Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout. Trying to get some of that oak aged character without the extended aging period.

Comment on Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Nate

Nate — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 14:31:07 +0000

Man those both sound nice! Can’t wait to gove them a try. Where do you think the bourbon character is coming from? Obviously the vanilla, but do you think it is just a combination of that and the residual sugars?

Comment on Winter Brewing by Nate

Nate — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 15:46:46 +0000

Nice! Not rain nor snow, nor dark of night shall keep the brewer from his appointed rounds…

Brewed in the aftermath of the ice storm down here myself! Not often that we have to worry about snow on a brew day!

Comment on Fifteen more in the fermenters by Brian

Brian — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 20:58:44 +0000

Im feeling pretty good about it as well. The hydro sample sure as hell looked like a porter but when sampled it was not roasty at all. Here is hoping that it turns out.
-
The Harry Knuckle Rye Ale has already fermented down to 1012 and was dryhopped with 2.5 oz of Simcoe on Tuesday.

Comment on Fifteen more in the fermenters by Nate

Nate — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 20:52:29 +0000

Schwartzbeir sounds nice! Really like the idea of capping the mash with the carafe for color. I might give this a shot with the next batch of Old Black Dog. Due to be brewed early in the new year.

Comment on The Brettanomyces Blog by Chad

Chad — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 22:58:38 +0000

Glad you find the blog interesting. The practical research with barrel aging at Odell has been great as it allows the research to be used in a way that showcases the ability of the yeasts…and drinking the beer is always nice too! If you have any question feel free to drop me a line.

Chad

Comment on First Thursday December by Doug

Doug — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 19:07:07 +0000

First Thursday may be a tough place to judge a session beer fairly. If you’re drinking strong heavy beers all night, a mild will taste like water.

Comment on First Thursday December by Brian

Brian — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 19:43:11 +0000

Thanks Nate.
–
You are exactly correct in putting the brew club in quotes. That term should definitely be used loosely. Its really more of a drinking meeting. Although last night they did have a tasting of every Anchor Christmas beer going back to 1990.
–
The only real problem with entering all the categories is that I have a limited number of bottles. I think I may have to have Jon bring me some more in a growler so I can recarb and bottle another six.
–

Comment on First Thursday December by Nate

Nate — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:52:23 +0000

Congrats of the positive feedback! (‘course we all knew you could brew)
-
I love the fact that you can go to a “brew club” meeting and someone like Mosher is there. Nothing like that down here.
-
RE: the BVP and BJCP.
I think you will get dinged in 12b because of the added flavors. 22 or 24 will probably be the best fit. But you can just enter it in both/all three right? Just see where it does best.

Comment on Swine Flu Mild by Out Of Key Brewing » Blog Archive » First Thrusday December

Out Of Key Brewing » Blog Archive » First Thrusday December — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:24:57 +0000

[...] The Dark mild is a good beer but of a totally different character. I think a couple people were disappointed when it did not exhibit the same strong flavors that the porter did. I think this is akin to saying that the chicken is awful because it tastes nothing like steak. I did have Randy Mosher try the beer and the first thing he asked me was if it was an extract beer. Not exactly off to a rousing start here. He admitted that he was not an expert at the style but from what he knew of it, he thought it was spot on. Another homebrewer thought that perhaps it was too clean. That there were not enough residual sugars remaining and that it was not fruity enough. Perhaps fermenting a touch higher and under pitching will resolve this. [...]

Comment on Doppelbock / DoppelSticke Brew by Out Of Key Brewing » Blog Archive » Doppel Beer Followup

Out Of Key Brewing » Blog Archive » Doppel Beer Followup — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 19:26:39 +0000

[...] over 40 days of fermentation the sticke bock nuts (thanks again for the name Nate N) seems to finally be approaching it’s terminal gravity. When I checked the gravity last [...]

Comment on Brewmaster’s Warehouse by Nate

Nate — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:28:52 +0000

Just placed an order myself. 2 of the new Perlick 525ss and all the trimmings. Plus a bunch of brewing salts…guess I’m going to get on that water kick too…

Comment on Russian River Fermentation Schedule by Brian

Brian — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:24:30 +0000

Gary – Let me know what recipe you go with, I am interested in brewing it myself.

Comment on Using Slacked Lime to Reduce Water Alkalinity by Gary Gulley

Gary Gulley — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:19:33 +0000

This is absolutely fantastic! I’m going to be using this as part of my water regimen from now on. Thanks for the info!

Comment on Russian River Fermentation Schedule by Gary Gulley

Gary Gulley — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:18:39 +0000

I will definitely listen to this. I just had my first Pliny about a month ago. I’m getting ready to make a clone of it very, very soon.

Comment on Swine Flu Mild by Gary Gulley

Gary Gulley — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:17:30 +0000

Glad your family is feeling better. My wife and kids just got their H1N1 shots.

Comment on Russian River Fermentation Schedule by Brian

Brian — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:33:57 +0000

Ya totally agree. He did say that this was their schedule for all their beers except for the Belgians. Another interesting thing that came out of the show was talking about hop blending. Not a ton of specifics but he did mention that he loves the combo of Willamette and Centenial in a 1 to 3 ratio. He said that if he brews a pale ale again that he would use that ratio to brew it.

Comment on Russian River Fermentation Schedule by Nate

Nate — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:28:30 +0000

I’ve listened to that show and Vinnie is always a good time. It is also a good trip in the “way back” machine as RR was brewing mostly American styles then, so Cal Ale was mostly what he was using then. He has much more “interesting” fermentaions on some of the later shows when he is discussing some of the Belgian styles he is brewing now…

Comment on Promash File Converter by Bryan Peretto

Bryan Peretto — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:40:11 +0000

Brian, this is exactly the app we’ve been looking for.

I’ve modified my program, Brewthology, to get around some limitations (Mostly ProMash’s fault).

However, there’s a few additional things I’m having an issue with. Could you drop me a line (bperetto@kotmf.com) and we can chat about it? The main things I’m having a problem with can be fixed in about 2 minutes.

Comment on Doppelbock / DoppelSticke Brew by Brian

Brian — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 19:19:24 +0000

Ahh yes I like it.
-
Going to keg 5 of this and the remainder will be something special for the spring and beyond.
-
Now that I have you locked in for St. Pats I can tell you that I have a couple surprises up my sleeve.

Comment on Doppelbock / DoppelSticke Brew by Nate

Nate — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 19:15:48 +0000

Cool! Now you just need to come up with a design for the bock. Here’s some inspiration:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/norelevance/sets/72157622266250471/show/

Comment on Doppelbock / DoppelSticke Brew by Brian

Brian — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 19:14:31 +0000

I haven’t computed the efficiency yet but am pretty sure I was in the low 80s, which for a beer of that size is very solid. I used a hybrid sparging approach where I continually pumped water onto the bed, while keeping the water level above the grain bed. It seemed to work pretty well. The only tough bits were figuring out how much more I needed to add.
-
Its been cold here. Cold enough to keep the water bath @ like 48 during the day. Of course now they are forecasting 70s tomorrow. What can you do?
-
I am hoping that the heater is not needed, more of a proof of concept than anything else. If this works I will definitely use the fermentation chamber…I mean garage, more this winter.

Comment on Doppelbock / DoppelSticke Brew by Nate

Nate — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 19:03:02 +0000

Man that is alot of high grav wort! I also can’t believe you need to use a heater to ferment a lager…We’re just hitting the sweet spot where I don’t have to work to keep the ales cool enough…

Doppel Sticke = Double Secret (like double secret probation?)

Comment on Promash File Converter by Brian

Brian — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 14:08:06 +0000

Thanks Rob.

Glad that it worked for you.

Comment on Promash File Converter by Rob Hart

Rob Hart — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:23:52 +0000

Hey Mate,

This is one tidy piece of work, downloaded the program into my recipe folder and double clicked on it, 2 seconds later i had over 70 of my promash recipes converted to BeerXML.

Cheers Rob.

Comment on Thoughts From the 2009 Great Taste of the Midwest by Brian

Brian — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 21:13:48 +0000

All very good points.

I had forgotten about the Lemongrass Weizen Bam. That was very very nice.

Comment on Thoughts From the 2009 Great Taste of the Midwest by Nate

Nate — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 21:01:13 +0000

I whole heartedly agree on Shoreline. Also thoght the various versions of “Curse the Goat”.

While I don’t have enamel to spare, you need to practice more if the Kombucha was too sour. (In many ways thiswas my favorite beer of the day)

Regarding Jolly Pumpkin; the Lemongrass Weizen Bam must also be mentioned. So green and grassy to go with the sour.

Also of note was Founder’s Devil Dancer Triple IPA. You’d never know it was that strong. (not that I would go back 4 times…)

Comment on Watermelon Wheat Recipe by Out Of Key Brewing » Blog Archive » Watermelon Wit

Out Of Key Brewing » Blog Archive » Watermelon Wit — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 20:47:11 +0000

[...] year I brewed up a watermelon wheat beer which turned out great. Being who I am, I cant leave well enough alone (well that plus I [...]

Comment on My Thoughts on Sam Calagione by Brian

Brian — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 19:30:54 +0000

Well, I sent him a note today basically saying that I was wrong about him and that I appreciated his beers and his passion. He replied today with:

Wow Brian. Thanks for the kind words and support. And thanks for taking the time to see the movie. Keep drinking, and brewing, the good stuff! Cheers, Sam

–
Sam Calagione
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats
http://www.dogfish.com

Maps props on taking the time to reply to what was probably a fairly common note that he gets. That goes along way with me.

Comment on My Thoughts on Sam Calagione by Nate

Nate — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 19:19:04 +0000

Yeah I’m always up in the air on Dogfish Head and Calagione. I respect what they’re trying to do, but I just never like the beer that much (outside 60 and 90 minute). Like I just had Aprihop last night and ok fine, good idea, but I’ll never have another. I have a Red & White in the cellar, but I’m not sure if I’m excited.

All that said there ws a great article in The New Yorker last fall. Definatly the guy throws his heart and soul into the beer.

Comment on Is Guinness an extract beer? by Brian

Brian — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 20:11:27 +0000

The truth hurts.

You have to admit though that if you had a quarter for everytime someone said how the Guinness in Ireland is so much better or so different or so much stronger, you would have at least 50 cents.

Comment on Is Guinness an extract beer? by Nate

Nate — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 19:23:16 +0000

Oh man…you are going to outrage some Irishmen…

Comment on Gas In Vs Beverage Out by Out Of Key Brewing » Blog Archive » Watermelon Wit

Out Of Key Brewing » Blog Archive » Watermelon Wit — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:34:09 +0000

[...] wheat beer which turned out great. Being who I am, I cant leave well enough alone (well that plus I pumped my normal summer wit all over the basement floor), so decided to mix up the recipe a bit by taking my standard wit recipe and spiking it with [...]

Comment on Watermelon Wheat Recipe by Todd

Todd — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 21:00:19 +0000

Cheers, Brian. I ended up hitting the chunks in the blender and then strained it through a fine strainer to get roughly 3 cups of “juice” into 5 gallons (that amount was based on some other recipes I’ve run across). This was about 1/3 of a reasonably sized melon. I went ahead with blending for two reasons – ease of insertion into the carboy and freezing/thawing time (which I usually do with fruit for beer, it’s just that I was in a bit of a rush to get this beer done and carbed for a party). I put in the juice once the yeast dropped and left it for about 4 days before kegging. There was some additional fermentation of the juice but not much from what I could tell. The beer is still carbing but on first taste it is a nice subtle watermelon flavor (somewhat Jolly Rancher-y to my surprise) that hits right in the middle and lingers slightly to the end. I think it’s probably the right amount and would expect that the flavors will meld a little with time. I might make another batch with a little more juice depending on how it ultimately finishes. Thanks for your advice!

Comment on What was the first beer you ever had? by Brian

Brian — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 00:35:13 +0000

Im 90% sure it was with Dan and Dave G “camping” out in his large backyard. I’m pretty sure there were BB guns involved as well.

Comment on Watermelon Wheat Recipe by Brian

Brian — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 00:33:53 +0000

Todd – You can probably count on another week to ten days of fermentation. I think that amount of time allow most of the sugars to ferment out plus for the beer to build on the watermelon aroma.

Regarding puree vs chunks. I think that pureeing it is probably not going to be necessary. Once you freeze and thaw the stuff the resulting fruit is pretty much a liquid. If anything take a sanitized potato masher to the melon once you have it carved out in a large bowl. The resulting mix will be anything but chunks. One other thing to consider is if you decide to puree it you will need to seed the entire thing. Trust me there will be plenty of watermelon flavor/aroma without pureeing it.

Thanks for reading! Its nice to know that I am not the only one reading it. Let me know how it turns out.

Comment on Watermelon Wheat Recipe by Todd

Todd — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 23:06:50 +0000

Nice work on the recipe. How long was the extra fermentation due to the watermelon? I was thinking of pureeing the watermelon versus the chunks. Thanks for the blog, enjoy your posts.

Comment on What was the first beer you ever had? by Nate

Nate — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 22:11:13 +0000

Damn! are you sure it wasn’t a Blue? Pretty sure mine was a Weidemann’s longneck I stole from my Dad…

As we are sans children, I’m not really qualified to aswer your 2nd question…

Comment on Promash File Converter by Out Of Key Brewing » Blog Archive » Promash Recipe File Converter

Out Of Key Brewing » Blog Archive » Promash Recipe File Converter — Fri, 29 May 2009 14:37:45 +0000

[...] Promash File Converter [...]

Comment on Water Chemistry Calculator by Larry

Larry — Wed, 13 May 2009 15:38:03 +0000

Glad you like it! If you have any suggestions, let me know.

Comment on Chicago Water Analysis by Brian

Brian — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 22:29:46 +0000

I’m pretty sure that the the number that matters is the outlet number, which for me is 7.58. The range you refer to is the allowable limits I believe.

Comment on Chicago Water Analysis by Colin Brietzke

Colin Brietzke — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 14:33:03 +0000

So, what do you make of the wide range of ph levels posted on the site. Not helpful at all ofr brewers to know that the ph ranges from 6.5 to 8.5.

Comment on Very Harry Knuckle by Out Of Key Brewing » Blog Archive » Very Harry Knuckle Followup

Out Of Key Brewing » Blog Archive » Very Harry Knuckle Followup — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 20:05:53 +0000

[...] beer finished at 1020 which puts it at about 9.3%. I kegged it with 1.6 oz corn sugar and pitched [...]

Comment on Very Harry Knuckle by Brian

Brian — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 14:21:22 +0000

This beer fermented down to 1020 in less than a week. Total ABV = 9.3%. Dry hopped the beer with a 3 oz blend of warrior, Amarillo, Centennial and Columbus for four days at 67 degrees.

Comment on Popskull Review by Brian

Brian — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 21:34:04 +0000

Ahh, but only the finest of beers are triple hopped or so the folks over at Miller tell me.

Sadly they probably quadruple hopped it, which we all know ruins it.

Comment on Popskull Review by HopGod

HopGod — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 01:24:28 +0000

Was it triple hopped?

Comment on Night of the Living Ales Report by Out Of Key Brewing » Blog Archive » Popskull Review

Out Of Key Brewing » Blog Archive » Popskull Review — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 19:00:40 +0000

[...] Saturday night I had a chance to taste popskull from the [...]

Comment on Free Beer Alliance Expands Its Empire by dr.spinnerfall

dr.spinnerfall — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 17:02:32 +0000

Damn dude. I guess I am not up to date on terminology but it sounds pretty impressive.

Comment on Promash Recipe File Converter by Out Of Key Brewing » Blog Archive » Free Beer Alliance Expands Its Empire

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 22:25:57 +0000

[...] seems that the some faction of the free beer alliance has struck again. The Promash To BeerXml file converter, has been included in another application to convert beer recipes into other text based formats. [...]

Comment on Promash Recipe File Converter by Matt

Matt — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 03:24:54 +0000

Brian,

first of all, thanks for the great little app. I’ve taken it a bit further… I wrote a little .net windows app to wrap the converter in a frontend. It gives the user the ability to convert the .rec to code that’s postable to forums, HTML, or plain text. That way I can convert my .rec files to be easily postable without loading them into promash.

you can d/l it at http://beerconverter.codeplex.com

Again, thanks for doing all of the heavy lifting on the converter, it made my life a lot easier!

Matt

Comment on Saison de Truite Update by Jon

Jon — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 21:30:16 +0000

That label is great. It makes me want to retire.

So did you build it? because if so… we really need to talk about my website.

Comment on Saison de Truite Update by Dryfly.org » Blog Archive » Saison Inspiration

Dryfly.org » Blog Archive » Saison Inspiration — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 16:12:01 +0000

[...] That night Matt and I found a bottle of Saison de Truite that I evidently had bottled off the keg last spring and left at my parents place. This bottle came from the batch that I had blended with a batch of 100% Brett C. It had been sitting in a bottle in my parents back room at about 70 degrees for about nine months. To be totally honest I had totally forgotten about the bottle. I believe I had brought it up there for Matt and I to sample in a lead up to our fishing trip. [...]

Comment on Promash Recipe File Converter by AndyW

AndyW — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 22:27:40 +0000

Hi Brian,
Nice work on the Promash Converter. that is a handy tool.
I am working on a bit of PHP that I hope to have import beerxml recipes into a mysql db, for use in a homebrew community webpage (For my local brew club). It would allow for easy recipe sharing, and a central club recipe repository.
I am hoping that you could shed some light on your .rec conversion process. Right now my biggest hangup is that I need to be able to convert .rec files before I can even think of importing them (silly ProMash).
This is all for fun, no profit, and I will sing your praises to the masses if you can provide even a hint… I will anyway, because of the converter, but still…

Thanks in advance.

-AndyW

Comment on Session Updates by Brian

Brian — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 13:17:32 +0000

I love the stuff as well. Made an extract batch last year(steeped) and it was really good. I am looking forward to doing the the real deal this year. I am planning on doing 10 gallons and Oaking half of it.

Comment on Session Updates by Ryan

Ryan — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 19:53:18 +0000

BVIP is the best. It’s nice and roasty and leaves you with warm fuzzies.

Comment on Goose Island is not a Anheuser Busch product by I did it at ionia ales

I did it at ionia ales — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 17:04:51 +0000

[...] CORRECTION: DRYFLY put me as the first of many, links regarding a popular mis-conception. AB doesn’t directly own G.Island. But does own distributing rights, and widmer did buy a portion of GI, and AB owns some of Widmer, who owns some of GI. [...]

Comment on Goose Island is not a Anheuser Busch product by Brendan

Brendan — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 16:52:50 +0000

MR. DRYFLY

thanks to technology, I noticed your link to my blog. Your references are very helpful, and thanks for the info! I will correct both my brain and my blog. Two things, 1. How did you come across my blog, and 2. Did you try to comment? if not, Would you? – I am trying to see if I can have comments/discussion on my site, with out insane amts of spam.
Thanks.

Comment on Saison de Truite Update by sean

sean — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 17:03:04 +0000

Brian, that is one awesome label. Did you make it yourself? I love that black background and then the trout on the line. Perfect.

Comment on Tis Hop Season by sean

sean — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 17:48:31 +0000

B, it looks like you have a lot to do this spring and summer. Good luck on the Hops and may they be fruitfull.

Comment on Saison de truite by Brian

Brian — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 17:12:38 +0000

Brewing can be as simple as you want to make it or as complex as you want to make it. In this case it is complex, hopefully the end result is worth it. By the way, translated it means “Trout Season”.

Comment on Saison de truite by sean

sean — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 17:10:15 +0000

Dude taht sound s great. i see it is very complex to make a brew with the variables being what they could be.

Comment on Larger Fermenter by Dryfly.org » Blog Archive » Enis Update

Dryfly.org » Blog Archive » Enis Update — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 15:03:35 +0000

[...] Here are some photos from the transfer to the larger fermenter last night. I think this beer is going to turn out quite good. [...]

Comment on Lost in the Woods by Jon

Jon — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 21:22:21 +0000

I believe tomorrow will be all about the ball valves

Comment on The Ole Oil by Brian

Brian — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 17:28:12 +0000

This is a work in progress, so you may find bugs but I am working on writing a brewlog plugin. You can see it here: http://dryfly.org/?a=brewlogger&showdetail&brewlog.

I am going to put the gravity readings in the notes.

Comment on The Ole Oil by Matt

Matt — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 17:24:51 +0000

So how is the fermentation process coming along? Have you taken a gravity reading lately?

Comment on Kegging Info by Test User

Test User — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 14:57:52 +0000

Just a test test comment. Is this thing working