Brew Batch #121 KeeWeePee

Kegged this little beauty today and pulled 2 quarts of the best looking Czech pils yeast you'll ever see off of it. FG 1.006 +0.000@60F to give it a 6.2%abv. Higher than what the category calls for 4.5-5.8, but after lagering at least a month as the weather warms outside who's gonna be able to tell the difference on this crusher. Will be doing Pill Roller v1.2 with the yeast slurry, it's too monstrous not to that way it'll be on in the heat of the summer. The NZ hops are definitely distinct. There's a slight lime grass note to the aroma and taste. Excited to see where this one goes

2019 Hammerdown Brewcup

Another fine competition sponsored by Braxton Brewing Co and The NKY Hombrewers Guild. Out of 320 Gettin' Lei'd scored a 35.5 and a 🥉 (out of 18 in SHV 30A), Cabana Boy got a 37 (29A with 6 entries, which by the way was higher than Orange Creamsicle got last year which tells me this was a tough category) then A by S layed the egg with a 24.3(only 7 entries, so I'll be reading up on the scoresheets). RP @ OTB snagged a gold for Blackbeer Feels, his first attempt at a black IPA if you can believe. Amazing, they had almost the same number of entries as IBU Open and have managed to have the scores AND sheets up within 2 hours of awards ceremony. IBU a month later, nothing. 

2019 Arizona Spring Classic Homebrewing Competition

My only AZ entered competition and ended up with nada. However, out of 186 entries and Fedex screwing up the delivery which meant my bottles took 8 days to deliver I feel pretty good about Addition by Subtraction getting as 31 and Gettin' Lei'd a 27.5. Feedback is pretty much what I expected meaning A by S needs to be a little more crisp and I'm putting too much in the descriptors for entries like Lei'd where nuances like the banana can no longer be perceived. Would have come out better pointing out coffee by itself and seeing if the coconut was noted. But above all else, I like the fact that the comp organizer let me know when and in what condition the entries were received. Communication is best, and they posted scores and sheets light years ahead of IBU (which still haven't been posted). 

Brew Batch #121 KeeWeePee

And to finish the morning, my New Zealand Pilsner. I've been reading about the PRX5 category so long that I had to take a swipe at it. So with a 75 minute boil (for the pilsner base), a light sprinkling of Nelson, Motueka and Wai-iti at difference places in the boil and a hefty pitch of Czech pilsner slurry greatness awaits. OG 1.054-0.001@57F. Even updated the style parameters on German Pils in BeerSmith so I can match it up better next time. Fermenter full for the next couple of weeks. 

Brew Batch #119 Aotearoa v1.1

Then a quick dash to the house allows for kegging of Aotearoa v1.1. After reading the feedback on "#1", I surmised that perhaps I should simply replace the MO in the grain bill with 2-row so the sweetness wasn't perceived as oxidation. The only problem is the Safale 05 I used crunched the hell out of the wort and dropped it to FG 1.004+0.000@ 72F, to give it 7.1% abv and a drier finish. So the PA I was shooting for on this batch has possibly ended up being my intended IPA from v1.0! I'm going to have to practice this batch a little more to hone in the BE of my system and nail down this recipe. I love the the grassy/earth finish of these NZ hops. They are here to stay in my arsenal. 

Brew Batch #120 Pacific Rimmer

Starting a busy day in the brewhouse by kegging Pacific Rimmer. Thanks to the loan of some fridge space for crashing by RP@OTB, I was able to quickly keg this one but with a disappointing 4 gallons thanks to trub/hop loss. Did a 5.5 gallon batch, so the worst thing that can happen is this one turns out stellar. The LA3 I used was on it's last flocculation leg as it appeared to drop out a little faster than I remember, so I tossed it (6th gen though). FG 1.010-0.001 @46F gives it a nice 6.56%. Hopefully it blends the fruit and pine/grass profiles of the all Aussie/NZ make-up. 

Brew Batch #120 Pacific Rimmer

Another hazy specifically to enter in the Colonial Cup just to see if I can snag some jewelry on one other than Shepherd's. Using the same grain base as Corporal Catbox v1.2 (aka War Dank Eagle) to hopefully give it that opaque orange some of the other well known hazies are notorious for. However, I'm currently on a NZ hop kick so this one features Comet, Nelson Sauvin,  Waimea, Galaxy and Wakatu. Figured Pacific Rimmer was appropriate. OG 1.058+0.001@ 72F for that LA3 to start on.