Deck The Hall N' Oats IPA

Possible Label?

Here are some updates.  Firstly, Pirate Hooker Ale won a silver medal in the first Portland Brewers Collective Stout Competition called, 'Stout Bout.'  I got home from Spain and found out there would be a stout competition in a couple months.  What better reason to brew some more beer!  I did not have much time, so I went to the drawing board and developed a recipe.  I wanted to enter more than one beer.  Time was against me so, I had to experiment by splitting a single 5 gallon batch into 3 different beers.  The first carboy consisted of one gallon with a sprig of rosemarry, the other gallon of stout had smoked black tea in it, and the last carboy had 3 gallons infused with rum soaked oak chips (Pirate Hooker Ale).  There was a great turnout with 34 entries!  I am already excited about next year.  I also wanted to thank Mark Gillette and the Portland Ubrew for making it all happen!  

Secondly, I just bought a beer gun!  Which, is an awesome device that allows one to bottle from the keg.  It also has a trigger which allows you to purge the bottles with Co2.  This pushes out the oxygen in the bottle and limits the possibility of oxidation.  Oxidation creates off flavors of wet cardboard and sherry-like flavors according to, John Palmer.  I just bottled the rest of my 'Stonemad Scotch Ale,' which is a delicious nutty Scottish ale.  Bottling with the new gun was a bit of trial and error, but worked out quite well.

Lastly,  I cleaned out the keg and filled it with a Baltic Porter that Steve and I made.  The stout competition and the weather were telling me that I needed to make another dark malty beer!  It finished a little on the sweet side at 1.022, which is fine and still in the guidelines of the style (1.024 is the highest Final Gravity for the style).  The Original gravity was 1.078 right on target, so it is still a strong beer at about 7.4%.  Can't wait to taste it carbonated. Further details to come...

I also made a bunch of mead, but I will save that for another time.

This weekend I collaborated with some fellow PBC members, Jordan Folks/ Michael Stinson/ Aaron Bach.  We decided on an Oat IPA.  The first I have ever brewed.  It was a great brew session and look forward to this awesome smelling libation!

The grain bill consisted of - 2row Pale malt, Melanoiden malt, Munich malt, Flaked Oats, and Honey.
The Hop bill included - Warrior for bittering, Simcoe, Homegrown Centennial, and a lot of Amarillo!

 

 

We split a ten gallon batch and Jordan opted to use Pac Man (1764) yeast from Wyeast and I chose British Ale (1098) yeast from Wyeast.  The Pac Man yeast is a private collection yeast with a limited release.  Rouge Brewery uses that strain.  According to Wyeast,  "This is a versatile yeast strain from one of Oregon’s leading craft breweries.  Pacman is alcohol tolerant, flocculent, attenuates well and will produce beers with little to no diacetyl.  Very mild fruit complements a dry, mineral finish making this a fairly neutral strain.  Pacman’s flavor profile and performance makes it a great choice for use in many different beer styles."  The 1098 profile on the Wyeast website states, "This yeast allows malt and hop character to dominate the profile. It ferments dry and crisp, producing well-balanced beers with a clean and neutral finish. Ferments well down to 64°F (18°C).  Till next time, remember to drink good beer responsibly and be merry.  Cheers!

Still Brewing

A lot has happened since June!  Instead of rehashing all the excuses in the book as to why I have not posted any articles, I have decided it would be best to skip it and get back to the important stuff.  Yes, I am talking about beer.  I may have taken a vacation from writing, but I have been busy brewing up some killer brews.

Harvest

I took all of September and some of October off work and walked across Spain.  I kegged my fresh hop ale for Tracey (my wife) before I left.  Although, I did not get to drink it fresh, it was quite tasty when I did try the backyard brew.  My wife claims it was better early on.  I used most of the hops and barley I grew in the backyard.  It was the longest beer project I have attempted.  I have to be honest, the pay off was lackluster.  The beer was good, but that much work and care demands better than good.  I do not regret doing it, but next year I am just growing hops!

Weighing the bounty

Also, before I left Steve and I brewed a special wheat beer.  Peanut butter Jelly Time!  Guess what kind of beer?  Yes, it was a Peanut butter Jelly beer.  We bottled it when I got back and dang is it good!  When you crack a bottle the smell of a PB&J sandwich wafts into your nostrils and takes you back to grade school.  This deconstructed sandwich has a strong fruit profile up front and peanut butter toward the back.  Some people claim they only get fruit and the other half only get peanut butter.  

There is more news, but I will get to that later on.  I just wanted you all to know I did not forget about you!  I can't wait to write more on the wonders of brewing and beer!  Till next time, remember to drink good beer responsibly and be merry!