Thursday, April 25, 2013

Bock To The Future

I had the morning off work one day this week and decided to package up my Dopplebock.
The finishing gravity was a bit high at 1.023 but I hope the strength of the beer will help mask the sweetness left behind by the yeast.

I'll let it finish in the bottle for a few weeks and then lager it for a couple of months and hope that it corrects itself.
In hindsight I probably should have raised the temperature in the vault to about 70 for a few days to make sure it was done before I got so deep into the bottling process.
Not a big deal, though.  This is an educational beer. 
I can make my regular menu of Pales, Browns, Blondes and Stouts like AB can make Bud.  The same great beer every time.
But this is a new style, new yeast and a slightly different process.
I'm not at all unhappy with this beer because of the added skill it will give as I taste it and evaluate it's flaws and strengths.
As I wait to try this as a fully carbonated beer, I'll try to study this style a bit more.
Good Beer To You.

Saturday, April 13, 2013

Grain Supply Is Up,... Gravity Is Down

I made a Pale on Friday and was surprised to find that I had over shot the sparge and missed my gravity target.
This beer usually comes in at 1.057-1.059 but was fairly short at 1.051.  My adjustment to the batch size by a 1/2 gallon was, I believe, where the problem arose.  I shortened the grist by the appropriate amount but fell into my regular sparge routine.  Of course I got more wort than expected but the efficiency, normally 73-75% was a dismal 67%.
This won't affect the beer that much.  In fact, the difference will probably be un-noticeable.

The weather is allowing me to ferment in the warehouse for a few weeks.

I shortened the batch size to allow myself to get an extra batch of beer from a 50 pound sack of 2-row.
I just bought a sack of Briess and poured it into storage so it will keep as I use it over the next 5 weeks.
Finally,  The Dopplebock looks pretty good.  It's been set at 51 degrees for 3 weeks now.

I think it'll be ready to be transferred next Friday into a bright tank  to lager a couple of more weeks.

After that I'll need the fermentation vault because the approaching Summer will make the brewery too warm for the wort.
Good Beer To You.