Snowpocalypse Pale Ale

The 17^th annual Slurp and Burp is coming up this March!  The 16^th annual competition was my first time entering a competition and I had such a great time with my wife and friends that I have to do it again.  Plus, this year it is taking place in my hood!  I wanted to brew one of my favorite styles for the event, which is Pale Ale.  

A side note, I will also be entering my Eastern Promise Baltic Porter, Pirate Hooker Stout, Year of the Horse IPA (maybe), Manneken Golden Strong (Tripel, opps!), and possibly the Ye Ole Jabberwocky Barley Wine.

I had everything planned out and the unexpected snow fall did not slow down the progress of this pale.  If you live in Portland, you know that just about everything shuts down with snow fall.  Fortunately, the homebrew shop was still open waiting for a delivery.  I thought about remaking my Whirlpool Wheat, which has a great tropical flavor.  I decided to create something similar, with less wheat and more variety as far as the hop profile.  A whopping 2 more hops!

My Brewing bud Gracie

My hope is that it will be a tropical citrus fruit bomb of a pale.  I first wort hopped with Amarillo.  Amarillo can be used for bittering because of the low cohumulone percentage, although it is often used for aroma purposes.  Cohumulone is one of the three alpha acids found in a hop cone, which are associated with harsh bitterness.  Amarillo has orange characters along with floral notes.  

The second hop I used is Meridian.  I have only used it once in the Year of The Horse IPA.  So, I don't know how it holds up yet, however I am confident it will be good due to the aroma.  According to firstwefeast.com, This Oregon hop was suppose to be a resurrection of an old forgotten hop Columbia, which is similar to Willamette.  What they found was something completely different.  The profile has been described as, sugar-sprinkled lemons and fresh fruit punch.  I don't know about you, but that sounds awesome.  

   

I used Mosaic for the whirlpool and I will dry hop also with Mosaic.  This hop is my favorite!  Tons of tropical notes along with cedar, blueberry, peach, and bubblegum.  Can't wait to taste how they all come together.

Rehydrating Yeast

I have recently been using dry yeast.  It is cheaper and you get more cells than you would with liquid.  It is easy to rehydrate.  To rehydrate boil 1 cup of water per packet of yeast.  Cool the water down to about 95-105 degrees f and pitch in your yeast and stir it up.  Why not just pitch straight into the beer?  Well, you can and it will most likely work, yet you will lose cell count.  John Palmer author of 'How to Brew' explains, "Dry yeast should be re-hydrated in water before pitching. Often the concentration of sugars in wort is high enough that the yeast can not draw enough water across the cell membranes to restart their metabolism. For best results, re-hydrate 2 packets of dry yeast in warm water (95-105°F) and then proof the yeast by adding some sugar to see if they are still alive after de-hydration and storage." 

Cooling down with no wort chiller just snow

It is going off right now, which is a great sign.  When you walk into my fermatarium the smell is something else.  If it taste like it smells right now I will be pleased.  That is all I got for today,  remember to drink good beer responsibly and be merry!

Cheers,

Year of The Horse IPA

Logo for the IPA

The Chinese New Year is one of my favorite holidays, mainly because it gives me an excuse to eat great Chinese food with my lovely wife!  I felt inspired to create a majestic beer with flavors resembling the day.  Hopefully this ale mimics the beauty and strength of the horse and the culinary gifts from the Far East. 

Citrus is often gifted during the New Year to bring wealth, luck and prosperity.  Keeping that in mind, my hophead went straight to IPA.  Also, due to the season I wanted something strong and decided to imperialize this citrus bomb.  I think this beer will bring luck to anyone who gets to drink this.  All kidding aside, I am very excited about this one.  

I added citrus zest from a Pamelo and an Orange.  I added ginger, because I love the way it compliments citrus and is also used in many Chinese dishes.  Double IPA's often use dextrose to reduce the malt presence, which helps to bring forth the hop flavors.  The sugar also dries out the beer and gives it a light body, which also promotes the hop profile (some people are afraid to use sugar in their beer because it can cause a green apple off flavors, however this usually only happens when the amount of sugar is 10% or more of the malt bill).   I decided not to use corn sugar, but instead I used rice syrup solids to stick with the flavors I associate with New Year.  This will do the same as corn sugar and probably will not add flavor, but I must stick with the theme. 

SOME DETAILS

Malt bill

                15 lbs. of 2 Row

                1 lb of Rice Syrup Solids

                3/4 lb of Crystal 40L

                1/2 lb of Cara Pils

Hop bill

               Horizon 14.5%AA

               Meridian 14.5% AA

               Citra  14.5% AA

               Mosaic 11.5% AA

               Nelson Sauvin 11.4%AA

Yeast

              Safale US 05 (x2)

Mash

              90 mins. @ 150 degrees f

Boil 

              90 mins.

I want to give a shout out to Steven Childs for his help.  Can't wait to share this beer with you lucky folks.  Remember to drink good beer responsibly and be merry.  

新年好!

Manneken's Belgium Strong Gold

I decided I should make a label for every beer I brew...

I just finished a great book, 'Brew like a Monk.'  You should read this if you are a brewer or into esoteric stuff.  The book inspired me to make a Belgian beer, which I have never attempted alone.  Why?  I have no clue.  I love the country and everything Belgian...Yes, that includes Jean Claud Van Damme.  It only makes sense that I get my hands dirty just like JCVD.

Why Manneken's Golden Strong Ale?  Manneken Pis is a fabled statue in Brussels, Belgium.  There are many legends about him, and on special days the townspeople hook him up to different Belgian beers and the little boy urinates wonderful beer to all the people of the city.  Pee that never tasted so good...

I wanted this beer to be unique, so with the Belgian spirit and inspiration from Russian River's, 'Damnation & Temptation,'  I developed a recipe that pays homage to both Belgium, California and my own ideas.  'Damnation,' is a Golden Strong ale aged on oak chips.  'Temptation,' is an American wild ale aged in Chardonnay barrels.  I wanted this ale to mirror some of those flavors without the tannins from the oak and Brett (Brettanomyces) from the barrel.

Serious business

I used a traditional malt bill of Pilsner malt and Sugar.  As for the hops, I used one semi traditional hop 'Savinja Goldings.'  This will add a touch of spice.  The other hop is nontraditional, 'Nelson Sauvin.'  This hop will mimic the wine character and add some fruit notes.  I used Belgian Ardennes yeast.  This strain is highly flocculent, attenuates nicely, has mild fruit esters, and a subtle spicy character.  All that means in a nutshell is that the beer will be bright, dry, well balanced, and refreshing.  Remember to drink good beer responsibly and be merry!  Cherrio

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!
  

Kiwi (not the fruit) inspired beer

Welcome back to Off The Hinge Brewing!  I first want to give a shout out to Steven Childs.  He was asked to provide a keg of his Hot Fuzz beer for the Portland Fruit Beer Festival Dinner.  This beer is a great tasting peach beer with some heat from jalapeno peppers, good work sir!  I entered my Mango Cedar Belgian into the Fruit beer homebrewer's contest, which may be a little under carbonated.  I think it taste good.  The mango hits you in the beginning and the cedar hits you in the end.  The good thing about entering the comp is that you get a glass and three drink tickets so it is a win win!  I also want to wish everyone from the collective good luck with their entries, should be a good time.

Just bottled up the Rhubarb Saison, and I believe it is going to be good.  I ran into a huge problem while fermenting this beast of a beer.  The Belgian Saison 3724 is a tricky yeast, and it has a reputation for stalling out before fully attenuating.  I read that if you bump up the heat it will fully attenuate with time.  So, I bumped up the heat (this strain can ferment up to 95 degrees F).  I came back to check on it the following day to find it was 110 degrees, Oh shit!  I thought that I ruined the beer.  I cold crashed it as fast as I could (I don't have a refrigeration system) then transferred and repitched 3711, which is the French Saison strain and it chewed up all those sugars and got down to 1.003!  I tasted it while bottling and it was tart, sweet and bitter.  Can't wait to try the final product, I have a good feeling about this one.

Cold steeped 

Adding the darkness

Steve stirring the mash

Lastly, yesterday I brewed my first Cascadian Dark Ale (Black IPA) with Steve.  I cold Steeped my dark grains (these grains are debittered, so this step is not a necessity) this is done to try and subdue the roastiness, plus this was a new process I wanted to attempt.  The hops are the star of this style, so if you attempt this beer you do not want much roastiness to it.


You maybe curious about the title of this post?  I decided to try all New Zealand hops, which have been getting great reviews.  I call it, All Blacks CDA, this is a reference to their national rugby team.

Steve brought over some Pacific Jade hops, which I used for bittering.  They are a high alpha acid hop with a slight spice of pepper, very clean and no harsh aroma's.  there is some citrus in this hop, grapefruit and lemon.  I also used Motueka and Wakatu, which are dual purpose hops that have a great oil profile with flavors of lime zest, lemon, and tropical fruit.  I have not decided what I will dry hop it with?  I used American II yeast strain, which I really liked in the Stars and Bars Pale ale.  Time will tell the results, however it is bubbling away and smells fantastic!  Till later, remember to drink good beer responsibly and be merry!

P.S.  Here are some pics of the garden...

Chinook is sprouting

Blowin' up

New addition, 'Lemon Grass'

In Search of El Dorado (Single hop)

Welcome back to Off The Hinge Brewing!  At the last Portland U-brew Collective meeting, Mark Gillette threw out an idea that we all do a single hop beer.  We all drew a hop out of a hat.  I picked up Bravo, but Bravo was out when I went to pick it up.  El Dorado was in my fridge whispering to me and no one had any objections to that hop.  I decided on a whim to brew last night.  I was getting restless.

El Dorado hop pellets

First, I would like to share an Edgar Allen Poe poem, "El Dorado," which I believe is relevant to brewing...

Gaily bedight,
   A gallant Knight,

Pitching the yeast

In sunshine and in shadow,
   Had journeyed long,
   Singing a song,
In search of Eldorado.

   But he grew old-
   This knight so bold-
And o'er his heart a shadow-
   Fell as he found
   No spot of ground
That looked like Eldorado.

   And, as his strength
   Failed him at length,
He met a pilgrim shadow-
   'Shadow,' said he,
   'Where can it be-
This land of Eldorado?'

   'Over the Mountains
    Of the Moon,
Down the Valley of the Shadow,
    Ride, boldly ride,'
    The shade replied,-
'If you seek for Eldorado!'

Why is this relevant?  In my thoughts, trying to make a great beer is an endless search, but we still keep brewing to find that golden kingdom of Eldorado.  That aside, let's continue on...

We all had a choice of following a Hop2it recipe or going rouge and coming up with our own.  In the majority of circumstances I go rouge, however I wanted to follow the recipe to better understand the hop and not be influenced by malts and yeast.  This recipe was designed by, Vinnie Cilurzo of Russian River.

I did a 90 minute single infusion mash at 154 degrees F.  My gravity was four points higher than the recipe called for, which is because I added two extra pounds of 2-row.  The amount of International Bittering Units (IBU) was to be between 30 - 40, which this beer hit at 34.8.  This beer has a higher alcohol by volume, due to the higher gravity and better efficiency than I expected.  I normally get anywhere between 65 - 75 % efficiency, however on this batch I go 84%!

The Grain Bill is as follows, 7 lbs. of US 2-row, 1.5 lbs. of Maris Otter Malt, 1 lb. of Crystal 15L, 1 lb. White Wheat, and 4 oz. of Acidulated Malt.  The Hopping schedule went like this, .375 oz. of El Dorado first wort hop at 90 mins., next .5 oz. at 30 mins., then at flame out whirlpool 1 oz. of El Dorado.  I will also dry hop 1 oz. for a week.  I did not make a starter due to spontaneity, so I added two smack packs of Wyeast 1056 American Ale yeast.  Can't wait for this one.

Yeast 1056

You may be wondering about El Dorado (the hop)?  Dan Woodske, wrote a book on hops entitled, "Hop Variety Handbook," which I like as a guide when formulating a hop bill.  Here is some info on El Dorado he put in his book.  This US hop is a new high yielding hop, which was trademarked in 2010.  It is a bittering hop and also used for aroma.  Common styles it is used in are Imperial IPA and IPA.  The Aroma includes, dried fruit, some citrus, covers up malt aroma, and watermelony fruit like.  The flavor profile is very sharp/crisp bitterness, tropical fruit flavors of mango and apricot and possible honey taste adds to its sweetness.  The Alpha Acid ranges from 14% -16%, the Beta Acid is 7% - 8%, and Cohumulone Acid 28% - 33%.  Has a good storage rating 7 out of 10.  Myrcene Oil 55% - 60%, Humulene Oil 10% - 15%, and Caryophyllene 6% - 8%.  Good Substitutes are, Zeus, Columbus, Bravo, and Summit.  

Hop pellets

You may now wonder what does that all mean?  I will try to make this short and sweet... Alpha Acid refers to the bitterness, the higher the more bitterness.  Beta Acid, unlike Alpha Acids release bitterness during the aging process and attribute more to the aroma of a beer.  The best hops have a Alpha to Beta ratio of 2:1.  Cohumulone Acid is a type of Alpha Acid that gives your beer a harsh bitter taste, most noble hops have a low Cohumulone Acid percentage, while El Dorado has a high percentage.

Let us review the essential oils.  There are generally 4 types of measured oils in hops.  They include, Myrcene, Humulene, Caryophyllene, and Farnesene.  Farnesene, however is almost negligible in every hop.  These are what gives your beer flavor and aroma from the hops.  Myrcene is the largest oil in your hops and it does not like heat, the longer you boil this hop the more flavor and fragrance you lose. The longer you boil Myrcene the more you get citrus and pine flavors and aromas and the shorter you boil this the more citrus and fruity flavors and aromas come forward.  Orange peel is a common taste you get from Myrcene.  Next, Humulene Oils, which are associated with Noble hops and are heat resistant.  It gives off more of a earthy/herbal/woody character in both flavor and aroma.  This oil is not a fan of oxygen or sunlight!  Caryophyllene Oil is similar to Humulene.  A common aroma is clove and a taste of cracked black peppercorn.  Lastly, Farnesene Oil, which is another oil that breaks down quickly in heat.  It is almost non-existent in many hop varieties composing of less than 1% of the total oil.  Flavors and aromas include pears, ginger, oranges, and nutmeg.  The aroma is compared to lavender and magnolia flowers.

I hope this helps any interested in the composition of hops.  There is a lot more info out there on hops if you are interested in expanding your knowledge of hops.  Remember to drink good beer responsibly and be merry.  Cheers!