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.