2018 Happy Holidays

So far my only entered winter comp (12/8/18)  and out of 606, I walked away with jack schitt. Of course to bring me back down to Earth, my brew buddy reminded me that I was on such a stellar tear of medal wins that a right correction was due. Creekbed was in 1B (26 score) and 1C (32.5), whilst out of a Sheep's Teet 21B and Lipsmackers 29A garnered 34 and 37.5 both with good feedback and easy corrections on both to push towards the 40s . My next hope is a total unknown with a stout bases only competition. 

Brew Batch #109 Reinke’s Revenge 2018 (Reserve)

The 13th brewing of this auspicious recipe has yielded the final version, that if ever I were to open a micro would be the "served" version. Learning from previous year's changes and the 2016 version at BlackStone with it's astringency gave way to this perfection. Deep, dark, smooth for it's 10.4% abv, with some great chocolate notes. The reduction of roasted grains and bump of midnight wheat and lactose addition has made this the one. So why not split it? That's exactly what I did. There are 2 great Reinke offerings this year (both available on draft only at Beat-12 Brewing Co , Untappd). Half is the "original" with the other being aged on Appleton rum soaked oak chips for 16 days. There will be no howler fills of it this year. FG 1.031+0.00@ 50F. It will however be making a stingy appearance for scoring at RISoff this year on 1/5/19. Stay tuned. 

Brew Batch #112 Southie-12 v2.0

Well, it's official. My attempt at revamping Southie was good but my BE was off so much that it'll be a dubbel this year instead of a BDSA. Color is good, it needs a touch more complexity put back and the esters are there, but at 7.88%, I need a little more fermentable bump. FG 1.008-0.001 @56F. Let's see how cold and carb treat it.

Brew Batch #110 50PSI gIMPY Brown Ale

Into the keg on 11/30 with 6 ounces of Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee dangling in the center (uncrushed). Pulled a sample and 3 days was plenty!! Still hanging on to a brown, albeit a darker shade of brown with prolific roast notes, I'm not sure we'll be able to pass this one off as a Brown Ale. The residual roast leftover after being the spawn of Reinke's Reserve has only been amplified by one of the top 6 coffees in the world. So what was to be a malty slightly thin brown-ness is now a coffee roast dark-ish browness. FG 1.014+0.000@ 64F to make it a gentle sipping 9.2%. Either way, a great beer to reminisce with The Enabler over, which is how the name came to be....

Brew Batch #112 Southie-12 v2.0

What was a totally revamped version of Southie from last year to be one of my best attempts at a Belgian Dark Strong, may end up as a Dubbel. Grain bill redone, use of continental everything where available with sprinkles of character malts that was to be an OG 1.097 ended up at 1.066+0.001@74F upon cold break and rack on to 3787 Trappist yeast. Yeah, bummer to say the least. Even with a 75 minute mash and adjustment down to 62% for BE, I still ended up at 60% on a grain bill only 2 pounds lighter than my last hazy. I don't get it. To the point I've already sanctioned more Belgian pilsner and dark candi syrup. Not panicking yet, I can still enter 26D at 8%abv but it'll have to do some dropping. (My next Reinke's PITA, pain in the neck!)

Brew Batch #111 Out of a Sheep's Teet

Kegged this morning before work and smelling luscious! FG 1.016-0.001 @53F to yield a 5.9% lactose laden version of Shepherd's NEIPA. Got it on 40psi so that I can get it into Happy Holidays next month and compete with 649 other entries as part of the Midwestern Championship series. If you've never had milk from a sheep's teet, this may be your bevvy?

Brew Batch #111 Out of a Sheep’s Teet

Since January I've done 8 batches of something hazy, with Shepherd's leading the charge and being responsible for me diving deep into water chemistry and how that one facet changes a beer's identity. So for #9 I returned back to the favorite and added lactose. The LA3 was a 4th generation pitch sitting on an OG 1.060+0.00@ 66F. Let's see if typically unfermentable sugars make a noticeable difference on this crowd favorite. 

Brew Batch #110 50 PSI gIMPY Brown Ale

And then there was the foray into parti-gyling. So since first runnings were used for Reinke's Reserve, it seemed only appropriate that instead of throwing out the leftover sugary (gyle) that we brew something along the same path yet slightly different. A process given to us by the British and still incorporated by Fuller's in London to produce up to 3 brews at a time. This was an exciting "peach-pit" passing experience for me.  We collected the second runnings that sparged for roughly 20 minutes and ended up with roughly 735 gallons pre-boil with a pre-boil gravity of 1.055+0.008 @117F, or 1.063. After a very coordinated 60 minute boil with RR Reserve on an 80 minute boil, we ended up with OG 1.076+0.000@ 66F with no additional LME or grain added. This gyle had 2oz of Cluster at 60 minutes but no lactose addition. Hopefully it turns out to be less roasty than the father brew but we're also adding 16oz of maple syrup to thin it out and give it a potentially sweeter body in a few days. And so Reinke's has an offspring....

Brew Batch #109 Reinke's Revenge 2018 (Reserve)

Oddly enough Reinke's Revenge, the almost annual RIS brewed at Beat-12 was bumped a little this year due to weekly brewing for AUfest. However, in a strange twist of timing it fell exactly on International Stout Day. As this year's recipe started out being simply an attempt to qualify last year's AG batch, RP at OTB threw me a curve ball and asked for Reinke's Revenge Reserve. So during a tornado watch laden storm front we took the 1st mash runnings only and created a potentially mind blowing wort that could yield at 12-13% beast instead of the usual 9-10%. OG 1.110+0.00@ 66F and cooking a healthy starter of 1056. Needless to say, my controlled fermentation chamber will be tied up for 10 days. 

Brew Batch #108 Creekbed Cream Ale

Kegged today at 1.004+0.000 @60F to yield an unexpected 6%abv. Wonderful light color with a very traditional hop profile of Cluster only. My last cream ale was misunderstood by judges I believe as I attempted to dry-hop and start a series of local hop offerings. My last being Hemerodromos, with a Mediterranean hop feeling. This one more traditional with all but a 6-row offering on the grain bill. So I chased the BJCP judges on this one. Either way, I've got a good sipper for a few weeks. I haven't ruled out doing a Commie cream ale of Jarrylo but let's see how this keg empties.

2018 Jacktoberfest

And the culmination of a year's worth of change came today in the form of 2018 Jacktoberfest. The only comp Corporal Catbox v1.2 (aka War Dank Eagle) was entered into and it got a silver. Didn't win it all but at least I went from bronze to silver with a solid 40.5 while Pill Roller v2.0 finished it's career with a 37.5. So since Ikigai a year ago, I've gone all grain, tacked on another dozen medals while brewing styles I've never even given a second though to and competed in my first people's choice festival. Time to brew for me!

2018 Brew in the Lou

You gotta love it when a Lutheran Elementary School Association puts on a homebrew comp! Brew in the Lou was a small event but reaped good feedback nonetheless. Corporal Catbox v1.1 snagged a gold and a 40 overall making it to mini-BOS but Pill Roller v2.0 dragged down the lot with a 28, ouch. I think this is the only comp that CCv1.1 made it to, I may have put it in Big Muddy Monster as well but until they post scoresheets I honestly can't remember. 

2018 Big Muddy Monster

Was held today with WBI grabbing it's 3rd consecutive medal with a bronze. So far this beer has yet to be entered and not won; therefore, my daughter only knows bling when she helps me now. No info on the score as the comp is a little slower than usual posting scores. Will update this post when they become available.

Brew Batch #107 Lip Smackers

The Siamese twin of Galaxy 44, cause you make 10gallons for $12 every time you can. Lip Smackers kegged up a wonderful light pink tone thanks to the blueberry, strawberry and banana secondary mash. Then for kicks I put it on 12oz of Limeade concentrate. This should make those of us that grew up in the 80s think about that girl that liked to smooch with her Lip Smackers on! FG 1.008+0.001@76F to yield a VERY full keg of 4.8% yummy. Get your growler ready.

Brew Batch #105 Melted Chocolate Bars

As I anticipated great things from this beer, knowing full well it was 1 of only 2 brews I had "stashed" away so not as to have an empty keezer after AUfest, I opened the pre-sanitized bucket with the mesh bag of 9 ounces of cacao nibs hanging in it for the last 2 weeks to find a light pellicle skim!!! NO! Damn buckets! I guess it's safe to say that my old buckets regardless of the lengths I go through to clean them have become fermenters for funk if I ever veer in that direction. This beer was pristine when secondaried over. It even finished at 1.010+0.001@ 78F to give a nice 5.8%. My only hope is to crash it cold and inhibit anything further and drink it fast. I'll be using my glass carboys or getting a couple of new bubblers form now on. Farewell, plastic buckets of old.

2018 AU Oktoberfest

Bringing Beat-12 Brewing Co and One True Bine Brewing under the same tent gives you Formation Brewing Co. The four beers we came up with together as a plan of attack on AUfest fared well, but alas garnered only 2nd place overall with Galaxy 44 being the highest rated of all of our beers (hat tip to RP). Serving couldn't have taken place with out the help of The Enabler. And as a reward for helping us serve 2000 attendees, he got a t-shirt and a temporary tattoo (inside joke, have him tell you:) Overall, a great first time experience for me on a very stifling hot October day and ultimately the goal wasn't necessarily to win but "make wake like fat boys on a pontoon boat", which is what I believe we did. Got to introduce Dr. Reinke to RP which reminds me, I'm behind on brewing that this year and managed to come home with 1.5 gallons of PBnJT! Time to brew for pleasure for a while and contemplate the next festival?

Brew Batch #103 Peanut Butter NO Jelly Time!

Kegged today with a solid FG 1.014+0.00@ 50F to give it a healthy 10.5% for AUFest. Placed it on 3oz of peanut butter flavoring (roughly 0.3ml/2oz). I am actually glad to be done with this behemoth for the 2nd time, I even pitched the yeast instead of attempting to reprop it. So come this Saturday it'll be on fresh draft for 2 ounce pours and votes!

2018 New South Brew Off

Put on by The Clarksville Carboys, an AHA/BJCP comp that sported 163 entries with a little bling headed south! WBI garnered silver with a 41 and mini BOS rating, while bronze fell to Corporal Catbox v1.0 and a 33.5. So during it's tenure v1.0 garnered 2 🥉 medals and averaged 39 overall. So far WBI has banged out 2 🥈 and a 37 overall in 3 comps. Things are coming along nicely in my all grain conversion and minor tweaks based off the judges notes should push these to gold, I hope.

Brew Batch #106 Corporal Catbox v1.2 (aka War Dank Eagle)

Kegged up and on gas. FG 1.006-0.001 @58F to give a standard IPA abv of 6.8%. The nose is by far more what I was hoping for. Citra and Mosaic alone on final dry hop has brought a nose of danky-poo forward much more than it's predecessors. Can't wait to see what carb and cold storage bring to this one. It will only be available at AU Oktoberfest under the moniker War Dank Eagle. (Thanks to RP@OTB for the brain stormed name)

Brew Batch #106 Corporal Catbox v1.2

What looks to be the final iteration of the “ranked” kitty litter beer, I went with minute changes that I hope will make this a crowd pleaser at AUfest under the alias War Dank Eagle. Holding all else the same from v1.1 but with a cut back on CaraRed, as it seemed to make less of an impact than I wanted with a detriment to the haze as I took away wheat from the grain bill. So more wheat than it's predecessors and I dropped Eureka! from the final dry hop and simply split Citra and Mosaic in the hopes of dialing in this purring dank haze. OG 1.056+0.001 @77F. This is the 3rd pitch on this LA3 so it should take off by bedtime!

Bruce Street Brewfest 2018

On a whim, I entered Bruce Street Brewfest this mainly because of the cheap entry fees, little did I know:
https://www.facebook.com/therealbrucestreetbrewfest/

I'd take home bronze AND gold overall. These are my 7th and 8th national comp medals overall and from what I gather will involve a write up in Zymurgy. I may have started actually knowing what I'm doing?

Brew Batch #105 Melted Chocolate Bars

What better way to celebrate the end of summer except with Melted Chocolate Bars stout. OG 1.054+0.001 (1.060 expected, so still working on efficiency. But with a 1728 starter ramped up and 4oz of nibs waiting for 10 days of swimming this one should be perfect as the first chill of October sets in, if not before?

Brew Batch #104 Corporal Catbox v1.1

Kegged up for a test run at AUfest at 1.006-0.001@55F to give 6.1%abv and the hop change to Citra, Eureka! and Mosaic seems to whiff much more of the turd in the bottom of the box I'm looking for.

Brew Batch #104 Corporal Catbox v1.1

On the heels of the original in the search for more dank, I used the same everything except I went Citra, Eureka!, and Mosaic on the hopping profile. Let’s see if this tones back the citrus and brings forward more funk. OG 1.052+0.000@ 65F, forgot to stir the sparge. Cost me 10 points easy. Bummer. But at least I know why.

Brew Batch #103 PBnJT! (again)

Brewing for AUfest, I tried my hand once again with the help of RP @OTB on Peanut Butter NO Jelly Time! It's v1.1 for only a few reasons that have to do with slight grain bill changes and profile changes due to having my own brewing system and ability to finalize water chemistry. Still the Baltic Porter on steroids with an OG 1.096+0.00@65F (1.100 expected). Pitched a mega fresh 1.5L starter of 2112 and used the "legacy" yeast from last time just in case the "muties" wanted to hold the "newbies" hands through the process. BE-wise I'm sitting solid at 66% but had to do a 90 minute mash. We'll see how it turns out and whether or not this will be my AU OKfest entry.

2nd MO M.A.S.H. In

The 2nd MO M.A.S.H. In (8/18/18) yielded some great insight AND a little bling. Hemerodromos tallied a 28, so it averaged a 30 in it's lifespan at comp, but the real surprises were Pill Roller v2.0 and WBI. I entered Pill Roller v2.0 into 3B Czech Premium Pale Lager and 2A International Pale Lager with it garnering 33 and 40 respectively and snagging a gold for Int'l PL. WBI was my first attempt and scored a 36 to win a silver! So to date the medal count stands at 6 since last October. Pill Roller v2.0 is flying out of the garage by the growler so grab it while you can.

Brew Batch #102 Corporal Catbox

Into the keg today!! FG 1.010+0.000@55F to yield a solid 7%. But the nose is citrus with a touch of dank followed by more pine than I'd like. I'll be reviewing the hop additions and trying something a little different. Still no problem in emptying the keg though, just sayin'

Brew Batch #102 Corporal Catbox

As I begin gearing up for AUfest this year (yes I'm actually off), I wanted to try my hand at a dank hazy just to see how it turned out so I could make a run at winning this year. So on a doublt brew day with OTB, we tried our hands at known bases with unknown recipe tweaks. RP's going Raspberry milkshake #noflocs and I turned out a Carared dosed hazy with Comet, Columbus and Simcoe. Hit my numbers at OG 1.064+0.00@66F. Now let's see if I can "orange" this one up a bit and make you look around for kitty poo..... in a box. 

Brew Batch # 101 WBI

WBI (aka Wheat Beer Incident) is a bit of an inside joke, but nonetheless was kegged with a beautiful slight straw haze today with FG 1.008-0.0001@55F to yield a perfect 5.6% Weissbier. The patience at 64F for 3 days of fermentation then free rise to 72F and holding seem to really cut back on the clove and bring the soft banana esters forward which is what I was shooting for. I like clove but since I wasn't doing a ferulic rest, I wanted to try and manipulate the 4-vinyl guaiacol pathway however I could and push towards iso-amyl acetate for this one. I'll play with under pitching next time, but for now let's have a pint.

World Beer Cup...Runner-Up

This is overdue from the original 6/23/18 post but, 

Of the 242 US medals, 4 came out of TN (representing a doubling from the 16' entries) consisting of 1 Gold, 2 Silver (101 awarded nationwide) and a Bronze. 

Of that 1.62% received in TN, 25% was by one man... Red, Brewmaster at Nashville Brewing Company. A beer that debuted at the nuptials of The Dog and Pony show, aka "wedding of Junk and Wee Nay Nay" only to become the second best Muenchner-Style Helles in the world, Nashville Lager. Now how 'bout them red overalls? Given to brewers with at least 50% Weyermann malt in a beer. But only if it medals, next time you're at NBC as Red to put his on and model them for you. 

And everyone can get behind this rating. 

Our Tastes-- Strange Paradise

It's been a while since I posted a yummy brew taster and after a long weekend of daddy duty, I needed a light crusher. Enter Strange Paradise. An easy to destroy 5% light lager infused with lime. There too many pluses to this beer to discuss them all but, it fills an imperial pint, drinks like ice cold water, comes in a can (beach laws here have condemned bottle drinkers here to fines) and whiffs and quaffs with a touch of lime hence no need to carry one and a knife. Good good good. Such a good clean treat to myself!

Brew Batch #101 WBI

Wheat Beer Incident is my first attempt at the Weiss style in quite some time. With only 11 &1/2 pounds of grain, I hoping this one is hard to eff up or at least cheap to replicate if need be. OG 1.050 +0.00@ 65F. My plan is to let Wyeast 3068 start at 64F for 3 days then let it free rise to 72F and hold to finish. That should bring a good bit of banana to this one. Then harvest a ton of the yeast cake and make.....Banana Baltic Porter?

For What It's Wort 2018

Having lived in Rockford and dated a girl in Normal, when I saw this brew comp I had to jump on it and hope that she wasn't a judge. Put on by The ABNormal Brewers, For What It's Wort paid off with a 🥉 for Shepherd's IPA. Only the 2nd time brewed and it garnered a 32.5 (chasing the chloride helped, thanks RP). Hemerodromos a 31.5 and Smurf Whizz "petered" out a 27.5. Over at OTB, RP slid another 🥇 around his bar lamp for Poppin' Collars in the APA category. Can't wait to see the score sheets and make some tweaks maybe. That 🥈 is an elusive ole girl....for now.

Brew Batch #100 Shepherd's NEIPA

Kegged today after a mad dash to get it ready for the For What It's Wort brewcomp. Hit 1.010 -0.001@49F to shoot it over intended abv of 6.9 to 7.2%. Aroma is just what the first batch was just trying to cream it up on 40psi till bottling Wednesday morning for a fresh send off!

Brew Batch #99 Smurf Whizz

Blending was experimentally fun and scientific. So as we tried blue popsicles and blueberry Kool-Aid Jammers, we found the more intense aroma and blueberry came through ultimately on the Jammers sample at about 10ml/2oz (at 5mls/sample the popsicles were winning on both sweetness and aroma). So upon blending the keg today I went with roughly 8.8 packs and 2 ounces of the Madagascar vanilla extract that was left over from Orange Creamsicle. The sample on the left in the far right pic is final blending.

Brew Batch #100 Shepherd's IPA

An original AG recipe seemed fitting for this momentous occasion, but really I just needed something solid for the For What It's Wort competition in Normal, IL. I used to live in Rockford just north so when I found this one on the AHA website I had to get in on it, just hope one of my exes isn't judging;) Hit all of my numbers with OG 1.062+0.002 @75F which means my BE went up marginally by about 3% to 65%. If I can continue to get increase like that as I get better with my new equipment, I'll be at 72-75 in no time. 

Brew Batch #99 Smurf Whizz

My second Berliner and a funny one at that. Kegged today at FG 1.010-0.001@56F to give a nice 5.1% Berliner. Used blueberry/acai lacto which oddly enough has given it an almost translucent white, not sure if that's the white wheat interaction or what but should make for the perfect canvas to drop in blue popsicles. Had to keg it quick so I'll make color concentration determinations this weekend prior to bottling and hope for the best. The sourness seems to be softer this go around as well. Either way, I can see Lip Smackers on the horizon, limeade and triple berry puree.

World Beer Cup 2018

Though this took place on May 3rd, I wanted to educate myself on the details of this event in order to better convey my personal attachment. Unlike GABF that takes place every year, WBC is only every 2 years making it even more of a medal winning rarity. 

So by the numbers there were:

8,234 entries a 25% increase from 2016 (72% outside the US) from 2,515 breweries (807 from outside the US) 

Judged by 295 judges from 33 countries during 6 session over 3 days

302 awarded medals (out of 303) in 101 different beer style categories

US dominated at 242 medals, Canada (or Canadia as my wife has called it) 14, Germany at 9. Belgium apparently gets an Honorable Mention as the highest rate at 10% (big deal they enter 10 and 1 wins, that's just playing with statistics!)

Brew Batch #95 Cherry Wood Porter

Old school bottling took place tonight in the form of 50 longnecks. It's been such a long time since I bottled a complete batch I had to look for the spigot that went on my bottling bucket! FG 1.018+0.001@77F gives this old Baltic porter recipe favorite a 7.1%. I think the 6oz of cherry wood uncharred is a bit much over previous batches with only 4oz but it's bottle conditioning and my hopes are that it will mellow out some of the wood astringency allowing more of the chocolate notes to come through and marry with the cherry. However, ALL but 7 go to Dr. C, a big fan and supporter of Beat-12. So that'll be 2 comps at the minimum and a little QC to track and compare.

Brew Batch #98 Pill Roller v2.0

Having revamped this recipe a little by using continental malt and Czech Lager yeast, I feel like this is my best attempt at a good pilsner so far. Kegged tonight and pressurized to 40 pounds and simply allowed to sit a while, like maybe a month or so before trying. FG 1.006-0.001@49 to give a nice 5.6% tells me that my BE was too good for the style parameters and at least my yeast propagation turned out well. Initial swill tests have it being extremely clear with a definite Saaz presence, but will it be enough once lagered and carbed up?

Brew Batch #99 Smurf Whizz

I contracted this brew out to RP while on vacation in the hopes of getting a different Berliner that was just as good as Orange Creamsicle. The idea behind this one is to use the same Berliner base but instead of a neutral lacto base like Mango Goodbelly Plus, I'd use the blueberry/acai form for color and add blue popsicles and vanilla extract at kegging to really ramp up the color and raspberry/blueberry tones. We'll see what happens to this one since I have temp control this go around. OG 1.043+0.005@100F.

2018 Semi-Annual Beach Balls 5K

The Beach Balls 5K is not only an endurance race usually done in only the heat of the day (in of course a salty humidity laden environment) but also an Our Tastes event. So each time my brood visits sea level I find a local trail and some local brew to enjoy, one after the other. This year I ran part of the Hugh S Branyon Back Country Trail, specifically the CatMan road. I think I saw Cat-Man but at mile 3.5 a little dehydration kicks in and I was thankful to just make it back to the trailhead! Scenery was bland until 1.5 miles in when I reached the Pavilion kept up by the local garden club and the Boulder Chair park (think boulders 2 stories tall chair shaped, naturally. I have no idea how they got them in there and if you want to reach the part you sit in you better be ready to climb a little) followed by my turning point at Little Lake at mile 2.1. I don't think the scale on the map is correct because my Garmin can't be that off! I can say one thing for certain, at the end of this 4.2 mile trek, I've never had a better gose than Trim Tab's Margarita Gose. I'm new to this style but it's growing on me like the Berliner category. The lime and salt could not have satiated better, but then again these guys won the only medal in the state at last year's GABF. 

Brew Batch #97 Electron Cloud

Kegged today and on 40psi with an FG 1.010+0.00 @45F. ABV 6.69% like all the other before it in the BP series. Initial tastes seem to have Bravo winning this hop pileup with a pretty good play on it's orange bitter background.

Brew Batch #98 Pill Roller v1.1

An overhaul of a favorite brings us v1.1 of Pill Roller, OG 1.048+0.000 @64F. Overshot the gravity by a few points but if it hangs at 1.012 or so, it'll pan out. Simple recipe using RO water with only Perle and Saaz. So 2 weeks maybe of fermenting and another month or so lagering?

Brew Batch #96 Hemerodromos

So I wanted a cream ale to cut my teeth on and I did. FG 1.008@70F gave me 4.6%abv (5.5%) expected. But as I hone my new brew system BE should improve and it tastes great! My only complaint at the AG stage is I should have dry-hopped double. Easy fix. Get your “day runner” while you can.

Brew Batch #97 Electron Cloud

So my buddy at CommonBond helped me out with some hops and I decided to honor him with a clone of hopefully his first "Hop Workshop" brew. Missed my expected by 4 with an OG 1.060+0.001@76F which tells me when the new burner is built and ready those numbers should be spot on OR better. Followed the same Shepherd's grain bill with only a change in whirlpool and dry-hopping. Mandarina Bavaria, Denali and Bravo are the culprits in this one. Happily fermenting away at 66F on some Nottingham yeast (courtesy of an OTB rump save), we'll see how this one ends up in about 10 days.

Hot Summer Brew Off 2018

Sponsored by Mashers of MO, Hot Summer BO 18' posted results today at 5pm and someone will be getting another 🥇! Orange Creamsicle banged out a 46 overall and earned it's 2nd 🥇. The only complaint given was "needs a bit more orange". Uranus eeked out a 28 total, but the real surprise was the 40 from one judge on Jake's Juice entered as an American Lager (1B) totaling out 37 and a 33 for Intn'l Lager (2A). Great notes from 4 judges total to help hone that recipe. This was a capped, quick sell out on entries and well organized event, perhaps the best I've entered to date. Regardless of medals, the communication and smoothness of the contest has made this an annual must for me! Oh, and RP@OTB scored some bling to add to his collection, some gold or bronze something?:)

Brew Batch #96 Hemerodromos

It's taken almost 16 years but I AG'd like Han today for the first time ever. Inspired by the Hemerodromos, "day-long runners" (ultra-marathoners before there was such a thing) of the ancient Greek army, I wanted a low abv, smooth yet slightly tropical hopped beer for my first attempt. After some research the cream ale fit my bill but I diverted from the traditional hops and went with Calypso and Medusa to give it that Mediterranean feel. Missed my OG by 7 with 1.042+0.001@ 72F, so that puts my BE at 62%. Ouch! Thank goodness grain is cheap. But a new 105K burner is en route to help with my boil off volume and I'll rebrew maybe towards the end of summer if it turns out well. 

Our Tastes-- Prairie BOMB!

This year's offering of Bomb! was such a difference from last year for me that I had to revisit it. (That and the fact that this may very well be the end of The Falfi 'leg train). Still an opulent darkness with wonder lust head that emanates a heated coffee and bittered chocolate. But this year the chilies came roaring through. Not like Pirate Bomb!, which is another story, but definitely more sweet heat. At 13% and the fact that I have better access to the Deconstructed series of the beer this year, I've gotten deeper into this initial Junker and really started enjoying these blended stouts. And you still gotta love the smoking catfish as the cap logo!

Brew Batch #95 Cherry Wood Porter

Got this one knocked out today. OG 1.072+0.00.1@ 72F, which is right on par with numbers. Old techniques had this done at 6 weeks, give or take, but with temp control fermentation and better brewing processes it may be done in 4. A little contract brew like JJ's to clear bottle footprint for new brew haus space. Plus my plan is to rack Hemerodromos onto the Wyeast 1212 cake.

Hammerdown Brewcup 2018

Hammerdown sponsored by Braxton Brewing Co went down this past Saturday and whaddaya know, someone scored a gold! To start PBnJT! got gutted at a 19? Obviously not PB fans and one comment stated "alcoholic", at 10.6% I hope so. Reinke's jumped up to a 31 and was lumped with Orange Creamsicle in a group of 19 on the 29 Fruit Beer category. Notes for it included bumping up the malt bill to balance the raspberries or toning down the fruit. That's an easy fix. Then the shocker, Orange Creamsicle, 35.5, mini-BOS equaled GOLD🥇 ! A 37 from one judge, 34 from the other with good feedback on flaws of base Berliner character and pumping up the orange. Favorite comment was "childhood ice cream". RP@OTB snagged some🥈 on Poppin' Collars and Even More Stars, then 🥇 on Brett X Blend .  Next up Hot Summer Brew Off.

Brew Batch #94 Uranus IPA

The latest "fun" batch kegged up this morning. FG 1.010-0.001 @48F to yield a nice 6.69%. Hoping for some good pineapple/pear form the Comet finished by a touch of dank. Learning a lot about hops with these beers and looking forward to next batch already. Actually got a solid 5 gallons on this one from cold crashing the fermenter at an angle! Uranus is waiting, drink it up!

Wizard of Saaz 2018

The results are in and the statisticians will love them! So there were 332 entries judged and ALL (114, I think places) but about a dozen or so medaled from either the SAAZ or SNOB brew clubs both located within close proximity to each other in the same state, Ohio. Meaning roughly 90% of ALL places went to these 2 clubs. I'm not sure how the Homebrewers Association feels about this, but either these clubs represent some badass amateur brewers within BJCP standards or there was a bunch of "good ole boy-ism"? Reinke's (29A) faired about the same as Suwanee at 27 (with a cracked bottle?), Orange Creamsicle (29B) squeezed out a 28 and PBnJT! (30A) spread it's first showing at 29. Notes on PBnJT! were that of "liquid Reese's cups" but lacking hop profile for Baltic porter. So I made the perfect beer I was intending but got shanked at a 29? It's a 10.6% Imperial peanut butter porter!!! Not real impressed with the ethics on this comp that's why I made sure to link to the results directly for all to see. Next up Hammer Down in Covington, KY sponsored by Braxton Brewing Co. 

Brew Batch #94 Uranus IPA

A NEIPA in the BP series that you receive a special sow-on-patch for when getting to Level 10 with this beer in your portfolio, has the same grain bill as the founding beer Shepherd's but with a schedule that includes Galaxy, Comet and Mosaic. Only time will tell how long this 5 gallon (only 4 after pre-keg treatment and I cry a little as I wash out so much yeast and hop trub loss) will last. So gather yourself kids and tap into this limited beer when you can. OG 1.060+0.000@ 65F. Next go around let's do some T-shirts? I'm open to slogans, but let's start it with.. " I ❤ Uranus" from Beat-12 on a brown T that's a sweet 60/40/10 blend. (Freebie if you catch that and Untappd it)

Brew Batch #93 Jake's Juice

What I will label as Jake's Juice 2.1 on Untappd, has become the final edition of a well brewed beer. This batch is 2nd only to Reinke's in number of brews, extract version (1.0) was always the same with of course the honey being the variable in all batches, 2.0 being the leap to AG WITHOUT water corrections to appreciate Köln, now we have honey from within a 5 mile radius and corrections made for water chemistry thanks to RP@OTB to bring the best definition so far. Vanguard hops and a smooth FG 1.006-0.001 @49F to give a solid 5.9%. Crisp, light bread notes and a wonderful froth, with 8 gallons (5 for Jake and 3 for QC) do I dare enter this swill in a comp? Only if The Enabler enters his Oyster Stout?

Suwanee HomeBrew Contest 2018

Suwanee Homebrew Contest 2018 went down 3/17/18 and the results are finally in and Reinke's Revenge 2017 and Southie-12 weren't contenders. Reinke's was entered as 29A (Fruit beer) with a 20C (Imperial Stout) on raspberries. BJCP Master Judge, Phil Farrell hit me with a 27, but provided great feedback. Adding some Cara, more Dark Crystal or higher mash temp "will give the beer a closer profile". He said it was a good drinkable beer but lacked "strength". HHhhhmmm, it's 10.5%!? I will say the apprentice offered up pairing this raspberry fermentation with Nelson Sauvin worked into the base beer (not a bad idea, gotta be a dry-hop though). So Reinke's fell ultimately at 26. Southie fell into 26D, Belgian Dark Strong Ale. A double black eye of 22.5, with comments of reviewing grain bill and yeast choice. So I'll be revamping that one quite a bit. I've already looked at traditional Trappist yeasts and adding 2 pounds of turbinado to pump up the 8.5%abv to a drier 10-10.5%. My only complaint is this was a $10/beer comp and it took 3 weeks to get sheets! and I live a state over. I don't mind scans, I can print them myself and the majority of beers won't medal so they can be scanned and ready for website loading, but damn nothing for almost 3 weeks?

Brew Batch #93 Jake's Juice

I owed my building buddy for a few favors, so today Ryan at OTB helped knock out hopefully the 100% dialed in recipe for JJ's. I've put all of his batch on Wyeast 1010 the way he likes it, started fermentation at 67F and used honey from a source only 10 miles away within our home town! OG 1.050 +0.000@ 67F. Water chemistry adjusted to hopefully give a clean crisp gulper! (Actually made 9 gallons, QC Dept. needed some;)

Happy St. Patrick’s

Signaling the impending and undeniable end of winter and April showers, is the greenest day on my calendar! My children are now getting into carrying the "green" torch as long as the leprechaun continues to visit and mess up their room leaving his customary gold foil wrapped chocolates😉 I use this day to imbibe in at least one pint of Guinness and review it's history. I still love the bargain made for the original brewing property, 45IEP (now obsolete and replaced by the Euro in 1999) roughly $70 US per year for 9000 years. (Just realized I forgot to release this post, too busy drinking dark beer:)

T-minus 3 to The Green

St. Pat's has always been a celebrated holiday with me. I've cooled over the years with regards to starting celebration a month early and due to pro-creation, Braveheart doesn't play on a loop because of the violence. But, that's no excuse not to jump back into the swing of things. Let's start with some basic stuff, like the flag.

Our Tastes-- Plenty for All Pilsner

After Siebel, I tried to open my palate to other styles that maybe I had tried in the past but not really followed through on with regards to developing an opinion on. So I ordered a bunch of beer styles that I didn't readily drink with Pilsner being one of them. Plenty for All from Fall Brewing Co got put in the basket and is a great style example. A sweet malt backbone and what I imagine is a exemplary Saaz nose. This along with Pilsner Urquell was my inspiration for Pill Roller Pils. 4.9% and easy to operate heavy machinery with. 

Brew Batch #92 Orange Creamsicle

The blending of orange flavoring and my vanilla extract took place this afternoon during kegging to create my first sour. FG 1.010 +0.000@ 60F to yield hopefully a very quaffable spring brew that has a slight sweetness of an orange creamsicle on a slightly sour base. Had about 1 gallon of leftover base beer so I may conjure up some other little extremely limited test batch for my next one. Waste not want not.

Balls N Chain 15K (Leg Three)

In 2016 I had my entire "Wolf pack" married off in no less than 6 months! I completed a Beat-12 version of a 5K, 10K and planned for 15K. But alas my longest buddy's betrothal completion went unfinished, until today. So at 9.9 miles (15K being 9.3, and sponsored by East Coast Transplant) I finished with 1:37. After burning 1300kcal and praying to be able to make it to the ice bath I felt the deed had been done. The Enabler +1 that's been in the asphalt since pouring next to my house now has a name.... "Ali's Son". Now, let's see who of the Wolf Pack dies first......

Brew Batch #90 Peanut Butter NO Jelly Time

An Imperial porter with a journey into the unknown the likes of Jack Sparrow At World's End. Starting with a ton of reading and modeling after Beer Engineer's (now defunct) PB porter this one has taken it's toll on me in both the kettle clean up and patience. But today after a week on cocoa nibs and a trial run on a 2 ounce taster with only 0.2ml flavoring it went into the keg after cold crashing on the back porch at 37F. I started with 2.0 ounces of flavoring at kegging based off of that same ratio, which by the way only a gallon would properly enhance 8.5bbls! A grain bill with 10 listings, a week on nibs, thieved enough plus trub to yield only 4.75 gallons then flavoring enhanced on an FG 1.030 @50F to yield 10.6%, 0.1 higher than BE. And it smacks of liquid Reese's peanut butter cup. This will be my most limited on Untappd. Reserve your 12oz long neck today because half of this booty belongs to my family "stitcher".

Kansas City Bier Meisters 35th Annual Homebrew Competition

Entry #395 aka Southie-12 entered the field of 529 and got a 31. Bummer all around but the BJCP judge scoring it gave it an "apple and medicinal" comment in an ordinal flight 6 of 6. I understand Schu has been doing this for a while, but short of tainted bottles (which they weren't) I'm not sure where these particular notes were picked up. Also needed more carbonation and complexity, both of which I can control but even this category doesn't require high volumes of CO2. On to the next comp and chalk it up as a learning lesson.

Brew Batch #92 Orange Creamsicle

My first attempt at a sour, not a kettle sour, but sour, there is a difference. OG 1.040 @110F (yes that's right) which by the way is perfect for what our calculations said. So simple non-hopped wort at 100F sits in the garage with 8oz of Lacto ready to sour away for about 48hrs. Then 1056 in my 500ml starter chews up the rest. Then in 10 days, 16oz of Orange-Aid gets blended with a Madagascar vanilla bean Vodka extract I'm starting tonight to give hopefully a great 4%abv result.

Brew Batch #91 Dangling Fruit IPA

Second in the BP series went in to the keg today with a healthy FG 1.010+ 0.000@ 45F to give 7.6%abv. The aroma is heavy grapefruit citrus, tasting notes and posting to Untappd come on the morrow. A slightly different color than Shepherd's with more of a green/dark mustard hue.
(Update: the aroma is pineapple/grapefruit but the tropical notes are washed away by the full force of pine on the taste from the Cascade)

Brew Batch #91 Dangling Fruit IPA

Second in the BP series. Same base grain bill as Shepherd's with a change in hops to Cascade, Azacca and El Dorado. Using the new mashtun we hit the OG within -0.002 at 1.068, then vorlaufed to get all the goodness from the kettle we could as we conducting brewing during this rainy Daddy Daycare Beat-12/OTB Collaboration. Things took longer than we expected but a great brewing first nonetheless. See ya in 8 days for kegging!

Brew Batch #90 Peanut Butter no Jelly Time

Why not throw my hat into the foray of "nutty" beers. Short of a slightly underwhelming Pecan porter, I've never done any. So for a special friend and after enough research to choke a horse, today I mashed in Peanut Butter no Jelly Time porter. An imperial all grain based off of a previous Baltic extract recipe that seemed to marry well with almost anything. Except today I slid 30oz of PB powder into the boil and have flavoring waiting for thief samples before kegging. I owe this ole girl for some "non-surgical" work...twice. Kettle cleaning was a nightmare and I hope the 2112 can chew up an OG 1.110 +0.00@65F! Gonna throw some nibs in there for a touch of chocolate, I think.

Our Tastes-- Gingerbread Stout

A Fairhope offering and Alfalfa Train bootleg, Gingerbread Stout is the real holiday deal! Wanted to finish this howler before the spices got too squirrely, but this beer other than a bit too much clover is spot on. I understand that gingerbread cookies have their fair share of this item in them but too much in an alcohol base lends to a metallic almost tininess. Dark brown in color with a wonderful sweet ginger nose. Taste and mouthfeel are a bit thin and leaning towards metal but I mentioned that previously. I'd have at least 2 pints of this before I was done fo sho'

Our Tastes-- Rinse N Repeat Amarillo, Citra, El Do

Nose more citrus than previous NEIPA (Mosaic) with color about the same which leads me to believe I am on the right track with only minor grain changes on the current BP (Bearded Pharmacist) series! I've learned you can have relatively the same malt bill for these types of beers then alter the whirlpool and dry-hopping hops just enough to make a huge difference. They're by far cheaper than commercial stuff to brew at home but with about a 20% trub loss. The Amarillo, Citra, El Dorado offering is by far my favorite to date and at 7% is still an easy 2 or 3 then done, ....maybe.

Our Tastes-- Rinse N Repeat Citrus Redacted

Another Westbrook "chase card" in the NEIPA series, well not really it's an Imperial IPA in the middle of the NEIPA releases, so not quite the 30 day urgency to imbibe, but the fresher the better nonetheless. Little info on WB's website but then again their blog hasn't been touched in years and yet has a link on the homepage. Huge citrus grapefruit notes on the aroma and a touch of peel and lemony/lime on the back end. "This beer combines three of our favorite things: juicy fresh-squeezed hops, zesty and bright citrus fruits, and a cryptic name" Hope they're friends with Pipeworks. Get some!

Our Tastes-- Rinse N Repeat Mosaic

The second as best as I can tell in Westbrook's well sought after and very addictive NEIPA series. Coming in 16oz 4-pack cans (with easily peeled labels for magnets) this 7% is a cloudy medium straw with thick white froth atop. The Mosaic® profile is full and upfront on nose and taste to the point of almost onion. This hop being a daughter of Simcoe and Nugget does however open my mind to pairings of my own on certain juice bombs I'm brewing. Overall impression is a find it and drink it now as this is the beer that opened my mind to brewing an NEIPA of my own, at cheaper than $20/4!!

Brew Batch #86 REINKE'S REVENGE 2017

Into the keg it went today and 40lbs of CO2 pressure on it just in case we need another KC Brew comp entry. FG 1.021@ 45F to give a healthy 10.6% that seems seductively hidden behind a great raspberry touch of tart. Even after warming the vanilla didn't come through, then again my sample didn't get above about 55F anyway. Nonetheless a great AG 2nd attempt that toned down the astringency of the roasted bill from last year, midnight wheat was the ticket! Available on draft and possibly bombers?

Brew Batch #89 Shepherd's IPA

Into the keg after cold crashing on the back porch at around 30F for 24hrs thanks to this cold front. Big Mouth Bubbler served me well on racking into the keg, but the trub loss hurt my heart. YUUUGGGEEE aroma! FG 1.008 to give a solid 7.5% first attempt at a haze monster. I enjoyed brewing and how quickly this fermented (8 days start to finish) I may start a BP series (Bearded Pharmacist;) Thanks to the brew crew at One True Bine Brewing Co. for loaning out the knowledge and equipment. Got it on 30# of CO2 in hopes of quaffing a pint on the morrow. Next up.....Coon Kickin' Chinos IPA?

Brew Batch #89 Shepherd's IPA (aka Get the Floc Outta Here)

Tried my hand at hazy juice monsters today at OTB Brewing Co. Grain bill is relatively simple with mostly 2-row on board and a Summit bittering. Whirlpool and dry-hopping are all the same with Galaxy, Citra and Mosaic. Using London Ale for that added yeast biotransformation and hoping for the best. OG 1.065+0.00 @65F. If all goes well this one should be fresh in 14 days (or less).

Brew Batch #88 Sittin' Session IPA

Last time I'll be trying this on the extract level, AG next time fo sho' as I slowly convert everything over suing BeerSmith. "Smells good" according to my wife, I think the extra Cascade in the dry-hop blend helped. Kegged up today and "conditioning" on my back porch as it is a balmy 35F. Figured that should drop it clear in no time. FG 1.010 +0.00@62F to give a balanced 5.5%abv.