#56: Light Lager

I've become very interested in creating a pale lager that I will like (as craft pilsners and pale lagers have become some of my current favorites), but also one that my non-craft friends would appreciate. Here goes the latest attempt. This started as the BYO Schlitz (60's/Gusto/current) recipe, but my grain balance is a touch different, and my hop selections were different (they called for Cluster and Fuggles for 60 min and no flavor addition), as I wanted to clear out some leftover hops.

I harvested the lager yeast from my Oktoberfest. Of course, this harvest is kind of backwards, as I should be harvesting from a pale to use in an oktoberfest just in case I impart some Oktoberfest characteristics into the pale. I really don't care if this occurs, to be quite honest, but I washed the yeast well and figure I'll be OK. If the harvest was unsuccessful, I picked up some dry lager yeast as a backup, but the starter was active, so I'm pretty sure I'm OK.


Pale Lager
Standard American Lager


Type: All Grain
Date: 12/31/2011
Batch Size: 2.40 gal
Brewer: Swenocha
Boil Size: 3 gal
Boil Time: 90 min
Equipment: Brew Pot (4 Gallon)

Ingredients

Amount Item Type % or IBU
2.00 lb 2-Row (2.0 SRM) Grain 42.64 %
1.69 lb Corn, Flaked (1.3 SRM) Grain 36.03 %
1.00 lb Pale Malt (6 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 21.32 %
0.10 oz Mt. Hood [6.00 %] (60 min) Hops 4.5 IBU
0.10 oz Pearle [7.70 %] (60 min) Hops 5.7 IBU
0.25 oz Saaz [4.00 %] (5 min) Hops 1.5 IBU
0.25 tsp Calcium Chloride (Mash 90.0 min) Misc
0.50 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 15.0 min) Misc
1 Pkgs German Bock Lager (White Labs #WLP833) Yeast-Lager

Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.053 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.014 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 5.09 %
Bitterness: 11.7 IBU
Est Color: 3.5 SRM

EDIT: Well, a mostly successful brew day other than missing my OG wildly. I lost a bunch more volume to the flaked corn than I thought I would and thus my volume was only about 1.5 gallon. Since this is pale lager, I thought 4% would work as well as 5%, so I topped off with water and moved on. My only concern is that this is two brew days in a row where I've missed my mark after never really having that issue before. I suppose my efficiency could be not where it was on previous runs, but I really think that this one can be accounted for by the massive swelling of the corn. And I don't think I really accounted for the extra boil-off due to the 90 min boil that the recipe called for (instead of my normal 60). Ah, well. Live and learn... Pitched and hopefully things will be rockin' soon...

EDIT: 50 degrees in the fermenting fridge, and a nice layer of trub.

EDIT (3/12):  Five weeks in the bottle at this point, and this thing is exactly what it is supposed to be...  essentially what normal folks call light beer...  Tasty and pretty...

Perfectly carbed and very clean.  Aroma is corn, grain, and a bit of hop.  Next go-around I'll likely hop a bit more, but this really shows promise.  Flavor is pretty solid, though not strong in any way.  Clean, a bit of bitter, a bit of corn, a bit of saaz.  Very pleasant.  Should be even better in another month.

1st attempt at dog biscuits

Post brew session, I decided to try my hand at spent grain dog biscuits.  Here's the recipe I used:

4 cups spent grain
2 cups flour
1 cup peanut butter
2 eggs

Mix all ingredients thoroughly. Press down into a dense layer on a large cookie sheet. Score almost all the way through into the shapes you want. Bake for about half an hour at 350 F to solidify them. Loosen them from the sheet, break the biscuits apart and return them, loosely spread out on the cookie sheet, to the oven at 225 F for 3 to 4 hours (or until they are really dry) to prevent mold growth. Store in an airtight container to keep them dry and mold-free.

The second bake just commencing.  I pulled a couple to let the doggies (and me) test them.  Pretty tasty, and the dogs are hovering to see if I drop any.  Appears to be a success story...

#55: Two Hearted IPA clone

Wow...  it's been a while since I brewed.  It's been even longer since I brewed an IPA.  One of my favorite IPAs is Two Hearted from Bell's Brewery.  I've wanted to brew one of the countless recipes related to this brew for some time, and I have 2oz of Centennial staring at me in the freezer every time I open it, so here goes.  This is pretty much the BYO recipe, though I am using Notty because it is what I have on hand...


Midway through the hop boil at this point.  Minor catastrophe with a split grain bag (I was experimenting with  a new tool to keep my bag off of the bottom of the pot, and it apparently caught on the bag...  back to the drawing board), but another grain bag as a filter clipped to the top of another brew pot strained things real nice.  Didn't get my usual sparge and lost some wort to the accident, but RDWHAHB...


EDIT:  Well...  with the volume lost with the bag split and the subsequent lack of sparge, my volume was way off.  I figured I could either a) make only a gallon or so of beer that hit my hydro reading pretty well, or b) add water to the wort to reach my volume and make this a light IPA.  I went for option B.  Thus, I am looking at a 4% abv beer.  I also lost a metal binder clip I use to hold the hops bag into the wort and had to fish it out after realizing several minutes later.  Assuming no ill effects from that either.  I tasted the last hydro pull just to make sure there were no off-flavors, but didn't detect any.


Alas, I have a session IPA.  I hope the bitter is not off the chart for this OG...


Again...  RDWHAHB...


EDIT x2:  I have had a day and a half of no activity, which in theory isn't the end of the world, but since this beer has already had issues, I decided to experiment a touch to see if I could get things going, and also to give the ABV a bump. So, I followed normal yeast starter procedures with 1 cup DME and some boiling water, and I also added a pack of booster. Once boiled and cooled, I added an additional pack of Notty, aerated the snot out of it, then added to the fermenter. I ended up mid-Q, so my level is in the 2.4 to 2.5 gallon level. I took a new hydro reading, knowing it wouldn't be 100% accurate with the yeast already added, but it should be close enough. Success on my estimates, as I got it to 6.5%, which was my target. Recipe below adjusted. I see activity already.

Two Hearted

American IPA

Type: All Grain	Date: 12/27/2011
Batch Size: 2.40 gal
Ingredients
Amount       Item          Type             % or IBU

0.50 lb Extra Light Dry Extract (3.0 SRM) Dry Extract 7.08 % 4.50 lb Malteurop 2-Row (2.0 SRM) Grain 63.74 % 0.75 lb Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM) Grain 10.62 % 0.25 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 3.54 % 0.25 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 10L (10.0 SRM) Grain 3.54 % 0.66 oz Centennial [8.80 %] (Dry Hop 3 days) Hops - 0.41 oz Centennial [8.80 %] (60 min) Hops 22.3 IBU 0.20 oz Centennial [8.80 %] (45 min) Hops 10.2 IBU 0.20 oz Centennial [8.80 %] (30 min) Hops 8.6 IBU 0.20 oz Centennial [8.80 %] (15 min) Hops 5.5 IBU 0.20 oz Centennial [8.80 %] (0 min) Hops - 0.81 lb Booster (0.0 SRM) Sugar 11.47 % 1 Pkgs Nottingham (Danstar #-) Yeast-Ale
Beer Profile
Est Original Gravity: 1.089 SG	Revised Est Original Gravity: 1.066 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.021 SG	Revised Est Final Gravity: 1.016 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 8.91 %	Revised Est Alcohol by Vol: 6.53 %
Bitterness: 46.6 IBU	Calories: 298 cal/pint
Est Color: 5.5 SRM

EDIT:

Wow... two weeks in the bottle, and this is great!

EDIT:  Fast-forward to 4.5 months in the bottle.  Still very, very tasty.  Acquired a Two Hearted this weekend, so I did a little side-by-side...  Mine is a bit more pale than theirs and clearer.  Aroma is spot on.  Flavor is pretty darn close as well, though their carries a bit more malt character, which isn't surprising considering the challenges on brew day.  Really, really happy with this attempt.  I hope to have a cleaner brew day next time, but I will definitely roll with this recipe again.

Slow brewing quarter...

Weeellll....  No brewing activity still.  My stats for the year are pretty low.  I guess work and family have cut into my process a bit more than they did last year.  


2010:  77.5 gallons on 33 brews
2011:  49 gallons on 19 brews


Wow...  I was much more motivated last year.  Actually, I think the fact that I'm mostly doing all-grain now, as opposed to extract (and even hopped extract) last year is the big difference.  A much longer brew day.  Luckily I still have a fridge full o' homebrew, so I guess I'm doing enough.  But I still have plenty of styles I want to do, so I'll have to get back on the horse soon...

#54: Oktoberfest/Marzen (AG)

First lager (finally) in the fermenter... It was supposed to go in August, but just now finding time to get it done. I guess I'm looking at a Februaryfest, as I'm looking at 5 or so weeks in fermenters, and then at least a few months lagering in the bottle. Used WLP833 (Ayinger), so it should be a nice clean brew...

Oktoberfest/Marzen (AG)

Type: All Grain
Date: 10/9/2011
Batch Size: 2.40 gal

Ingredients

Amount Item Type % or IBU
2.75 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 55.00 %
1.25 lb Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 25.00 %
0.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 10.00 %
0.50 lb Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM) Grain 10.00 %
0.60 oz Mt. Hood [6.00 %] (60 min) Hops 26.0 IBU
1 Pkgs German Bock Lager (White Labs #WLP833) Yeast-Lager

Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.057 SG
Measured Original Gravity: 1.052 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.013 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 5.08 %
Bitterness: 26.0 IBU
Calories: 231 cal/pint
Est Color: 11.7 SRM

#53: Saison

#53: Saison

Type: Partial Mash
Date: 8/21/2011
Batch Size: 2.40 gal

Ingredients

Amount Item Type % or IBU
1.85 lb Extra Light Dry Extract (3.0 SRM) Dry Extract 48.36 %
0.25 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 6.52 %
0.25 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain 6.52 %
0.19 oz Pearle [7.70 %] (60 min) Hops 9.0 IBU
0.29 oz Nugget [13.00 %] (20 min) Hops 13.8 IBU
0.24 oz Goldings, East Kent [4.70 %] (5 min) Hops 1.4 IBU
0.48 oz Saaz [4.00 %] (5 min) Hops 2.3 IBU
1.48 lb Booster (0.0 SRM) Sugar 38.60 %
1 Pkgs Saison Ale Yeast Blend (White Labs #WLP568) Yeast-Ale



Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.067 SG
Measured Original Gravity: 1.066 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.019 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 6.28 %
Bitterness: 26.5 IBU
Calories: 300 cal/pint
Est Color: 4.3 SRM

Slow brewing month...

Really want to get back in the swing of things, but the vacation, the kids school start-up, and a large load of work from the employer have taken precedence. I have a hefe in the bottle for three weeks now that I realize I haven't documented yet, so I'll have to add that post shortly.

On deck (ingredients on hand):

Saison
Oktoberfest (first lager!)
Pale Ale
Gluten-free Sorghum Ale

Upcoming (need to make purchases):

Yazoo Gerst Amber
Yazoo Sly Rye Porter
Yazoo Pale Ale
Another crack at Winter Welcome
Another crack at a bitter or ESB
Loved the last Fat Tire clone
Haven't done an IPA in ages
Casually thinking of doing the Midwest Kit of the Month, simply to cut down on decision-making
May look at the Northern Brewer Surly series
Been wanting to do a roggenbier
Want to work through some of the Classic Beer Styles I haven't done yet

#52: Weisen

Continuing my revisiting of Mr. B recipes and extracts... 

I'm not a huge wheat fan (though I loves me a Gumballhead or Oberon), but I'm trying to gain a taste for it. This is the second time I've had the WW extract on hand. Last time (nearly two years ago, and near the beginning of my brewing adventure) I added it to the OVL from the variety pack and made something resembling the Prince Ludwig Lager, though I used Centennial instead of Saaz and also added some honey. It was so-so though drinkable.

This time, instead of trying to add it to something else, I went instead full bore into it, getting a wheat yeast and supplementing with wheat DME. Also threw in a touch of EKG I had left from another brew day just for fun.

I did the easy-peasy brew day on Monday night. Overfilled to the top of the Q as an experiment (figuring it's about 2.5 gallons). Odd that the OG was way over the estimate. I didn't weigh the DME. I wonder if they mismeasured at Rebel, as I get the same OG if I change the stats to 1.5 lb. Interesting...

I tested gravity tonight (something like 69 hours later)... 1.011! Below estimate! I guess I need to get some bottles ready... Wow... Munich tore it up...

Hydrometer taste is very encouraging. Banana and clove just as expected, but not overpowering. 
Wheat 
Weizen/Weissbier

Type: Extract
Ferment 7/11; bottled 7/24
Batch Size: 2.50 gal
Brewer: Swenocha

Ingredients

Amount Item Type % or IBU
1.00 lb Wheat Dry Extract (8.0 SRM) Dry Extract 45.25 %
1.21 lb Whispering Wheat (6.0 SRM) Extract 54.75 %
0.10 oz Goldings, East Kent [4.70 %] (30 min) Hops 1.6 IBU
1 Pkgs Munich (Lallemand #- ) Yeast-Wheat

Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.035 SG
Measured Original Gravity: 1.044 SG
Adj Est Final Gravity: 1.012 SG
Measured Final Gravity: 1.011 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 4.17 %
Actual Alcohol by Vol: 4.30 %
Bitterness: 9.7 IBU
Calories: 194 cal/pint
Est Color: 5.2 SRM

#51: Two Dogs Mexican Brown (take 2)

Back to my AG confort zone...

I did the Yazoo Dos Perros recipe a while back... It tasted all right, but it was my first AG and I had some temp control issues.

This time I had better control of the temps, but I had to figure out a good way to do 5 gallons on the stovetop (since I still haven't gotten the turkey fryer and bigger pot as I intended when I bought this grain). Thus, I split the recipe between my bigger pot and my water cooler for the mash (staggering the times so that I wouldn't have them finish at the same time), and continued to run them parallel in my big and small brew pots the rest of the way out. Worked pretty well, but I don't think I'll run a 5 gallon AG again until I upgrade my equipment.

Regardless of process challenges, I hit my OG perfectly. RDWHAHB...


Here's take #2:

Two Dogs - All Grain - 5 gallon

Type: All Grain
Date: 6/12/2011
Batch Size: 5.00 gal
Brewer: Swenocha
Boil Size: 6.00 gal
Boil Time: 60 min


Ingredients

Amount Item Type % or IBU
4.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) UK (3.0 SRM) Grain 58.99 %
2.25 lb Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 33.17 %
0.33 lb Corn, Flaked (1.3 SRM) Grain 4.82 %
0.20 lb Carafa II (412.0 SRM) Grain 3.02 %
0.85 oz Pearle [5.40 %] (60 min) Hops 18.6 IBU
0.40 oz Saaz [4.90 %] (5 min) Hops 1.6 IBU
S-04 yeast


Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.037 SG
Measured Original Gravity: 1.037 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.010 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 3.52 %
Bitterness: 20.1 IBU
Calories: 162 cal/pint
Est Color: 13.0 SRM

#50: Irish Red

Ahhh, number 50. Haven't brewed a lot lately, so just getting back in the swing of things this week.

Second of the Mr. Beer extract series. This one is one of the three (or so) with add-ons. Going for a nice Irish Red, and EKG and Mt. Hood sound like a good boil addition to me.


Irish Red Ale

Type: Extract
Date: 6/6/2011
Batch Size: 2.40 gal
Brewer: Swenocha
Boil Size: 2.75 gal Asst Brewer:
Boil Time: 60 min
Equipment: Brew Pot (4 Gallon)


Ingredients

Amount Item Type % or IBU
1.00 lb Amber Dry Extract (12.5 SRM) Dry Extract 33.11 %
1.21 lb Bewitched Red Ale (13.2 SRM) Extract 40.07 %
0.20 oz Mt. Hood [6.00 %] (60 min) Hops 9.0 IBU
0.20 oz Goldings, East Kent [4.70 %] (60 min) Hops 7.0 IBU
0.81 lb Booster (0.0 SRM) Sugar 26.82 %
1.00 pkg Nottingham yeast

Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.052 SG
Actual Original Gravity: 1.050 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.013 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 4.82 %
Bitterness: 25.0 IBU
Est Color: 8.1 SRM

#49: Czech "Pilsner" Ale

After buying the international and American sampler boxes on a whim when I saw them on a super cheap clearance, I decided to do two or three of them straight up (well... either straight up or using a recipe from the Mr. Beer recipe book), while modifying the other three or four. I hadn't done a Mr. B straight-up standard extract brew since the first month I started brewing (I quickly moved to non-HME brewing out of preference).

First up in my venture into basic Mr. Beer brewing: the Czech "Pilsner" recipe (pilsner in quotes, as a true pilsner is a lager and this is an ale, but I digress). I did the HCCD once before early in my brew experience with booster and 1 lb of DME, as well as some Argentine Cascade for dryhop, and had a banana flavor that never conditioned out. I'm hoping that that isn't the case with this one. I will monitor my temps closely, as I believe that to be my problem from the last go.

I did do a slight modification, as I used .4oz Saaz and a .1oz smidge of Glacier for the dryhop instead of the Sterling listed in the recipe. Saaz and Sterling are good subs for each other in general, and as Saaz is the traditional aroma hop for a Czech Pilsner, all is good there. The smidge of Glacier was added simply to clear some excess inventory and to round things out at .5oz. I also used three Fromundas instead of one.

Super quick brew day. A boil with the Booster, and then add the HME and into the sanitized fermenter. I had kinda forgotten how easy these are, but I also remember this simplicity being why I quickly moved out of "soup mix" brewing (no offense to anyone who normally HME brews... I have no problem with it, and I've tasted some fine brews made from HME. I simply prefer the control I have over AG brewing).

The only issue I had was a loss of wort as I moved to the fermenter. Generally I use a bigger brewing pot, and then use my auto-siphon to transfer. This time, I went back to using the smaller pot that I used when I started, and did the pour into the fermenter. Unfortunately I poured a bit down the side beginning my pour. I suppose I should stick with the auto-siphon. Hydrometer reading tells the tale... 1.034. A bit lower than anticipated, but no worries...

Czech "Pilsner"
---------------
Brewer: Swenocha
Style: German Pilsner (Pils)
Batch: 2.12 galExtract

Characteristics
---------------
Estimated Gravity: 1.038 OG
Measured Gravity: 1.034
Recipe Bitterness: 20 IBU
Recipe Color: 3° SRM
Estimated FG: 1.008
Est Alcohol by Volume: 3.4%

Ingredients
-----------
MrB. High Country Canadian Draft1.21 lb, Extract, Extract
MrB. Booster 0.81 lb, Sugar, Other

MrB. High Country Canadian Draft1.00 oz, Pellet, 5 minutes
Saaz (Czech) 0.40 oz, Pellet, 0 minutes
Glacier 0.10 oz, Pellet, 0 minutes

Mr. Beer Dry Ale Yeast 3.00 unit, Yeast

#48: Burton upon Trent Original Pale Ale

Brew day today in the midst of Easter dinner preparation...  Surprisingly things went really smoothly.

Went for a clone of the "original pale ale"...  Followed the BYO Bass recipe.  Looked and smelled great.  I left the hydrometer at home by accident, so I don't have an OG....  RDWHAHB...

Here's the recipe...

Bass Pale Ale

American Pale Ale

Type: All Grain	Date: 4/24/2011
Batch Size: 2.40 gal	Brewer: Swenocha
Boil Size: 3.25 gal	Asst Brewer:
Boil Time: 60 min	Equipment: Brew Pot (4 Gallon)
Ingredients
Amount Item Type % or IBU 3.25 lb Malteurop 2-Row (2.0 SRM) Grain 69.89 % 0.90 lb Corn, Flaked (1.3 SRM) Grain 19.35 % 0.31 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 6.67 % 0.19 lb Roasted Barley (300.0 SRM) Grain 4.09 % 0.40 oz Northern Brewer [8.50 %] (60 min) Hops 27.1 IBU 0.10 oz Northern Brewer [8.50 %] (15 min) Hops 3.5 IBU 1 Pkgs Nottingham (Danstar #-) Yeast-Ale
Beer Profile
Est Original Gravity: 1.052 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.012 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 5.10 %
Bitterness: 30.6 IBU
Est Color: 17.0 SRM

#47: English Session Pale

This recipe is based on the Clone Brews recipe for SW2 from the Orange Brewery in London, though the clone calls for London Ale yeast and I only have Notty on hand.  This is supposed to be an English session pale.  It sounded really good to me, and I liked its simplicity.

SW2

Standard/Ordinary Bitter

Type: All Grain	Date: 4/18/2011
Batch Size: 2.40 gal	Brewer: Swenocha
Boil Size: 3.25 gal	Asst Brewer:
Boil Time: 60 min	Equipment: Brew Pot (4 Gallon)
Ingredients
Amount Item Type % or IBU 3.75 lb Malteurop 2-Row (2.0 SRM) Grain 82.24 % 0.81 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 17.76 % 0.75 oz Goldings, East Kent [4.70 %] (60 min) Hops 28.3 IBU 0.25 oz Goldings, East Kent [4.70 %] (15 min) Hops 4.7 IBU 0.25 oz Goldings, East Kent [4.70 %] (1 min) Hops 0.4 IBU 1 Pkgs Nottingham (Danstar #-) Yeast-Ale
Beer Profile
Est Original Gravity: 1.051 SG	Measured Original Gravity: 1.046 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.012 SG	Measured Final Gravity: 1.014 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 5.01 %	Actual Alcohol by Vol: 4.17 %
Bitterness: 33.4 IBU	Calories: 205 cal/pint
Est Color: 13.0 SRM

#46: Prohibition Ale

A fellow poster on a homebrewing website graciously sent me a can of Premier Malt Extract. I couldn't justify not running it prohibition style, though adding 2lbs of sugar was quite a juxtaposition from my normal no adjunct stance. As mentioned before, my great grandfather followed the recipe provided by Pabst/Premier, so I'm totally curious to what the brew they did tasted like. I did change the process just a touch... they talked of dumping the sugar straight into the fermenter and then adding water and wort. I instead added the sugar to the boil, and then added the malt extract at flameout (just like a Mr. B brew).

The recipe stats below are a total guess, outside of the Brewsmith stats for table sugar and the actual OG. After getting the OG, I worked backwards to estimate the stats for the extract.  I have no idea on the IBU or the color...

Prohibition Ale

American Pale Ale

Type: Extract	Date: 4/17/2011
Batch Size: 5.00 gal	Brewer: Swenocha
Ingredients
Amount Item Type % or IBU 2.20 lb Priemer Malt Extract (3.0 SRM) Extract 52.38 % 2.00 lb Sugar, Table (Sucrose) (1.0 SRM) Sugar 47.62 %
Beer Profile
Est Original Gravity: 1.034 SG	Measured Original Gravity: 1.034 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.009 SG	Measured Final Gravity: 1.002 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 3.21 %	Actual Alcohol by Vol: 4.16 %
Bitterness: 20.7 IBU	Calories: 144 cal/pint
Est Color: 2.2 SRM

At two weeks, I took a potential FG reading (2 weeks in the fermenter)...

1.002~!

Holy crap! I pulled and reseated the hydrometer 3-4 times just to be sure. The yeast kicked the snot outta that wort... Adjusted the readings above to reality...

I guess it's time to bottle...





Fast forward another week...


I made three sampler bottles that I intend to taste the next three weeks on this one.  The first is at 6 days in the bottle...

Has OK carb, but still needs some more carb time.  Pour is straw colored and pretty clear.  Very slightly ciderish on the nose and the taste, but not nearly as much so as I anticipated.  Lightly bittered, and lightly hopped.  Pretty smooth.  Really close to being pipeline ready, though I still plan to give it three to four weeks before throwing any volume of these into the fridge.  I anticipate this will be a good lawnmower/BMC friend brew based on this early tester.

#45: Amarillo Pale Ale (take 2)

I did a take on Yazoo's Pale Ale a while back. It was very tasty, but I wanted to take another run at it in an AG batch. Besides, I know a lot more about their recipe now, so I should have a closer-to-clone result. Regardless, it (hopefully) will be a fine brew, clone or not.  The Better Bottle is all comfy in the fermenting fridge...  If the smell is an indication, this will be a good one... Amarillo Pale Ale                                           American Pale Ale Type: All Grain Date: 3/25/2011 Batch Size: 2.70 gal Brewer: Swenocha Boil Size: 3.30 gal Boil Time: 60 min Equipment: Brew Pot (4 Gallon) Ingredients Amount Item Type % or IBU 4.25 lb Malteurop 2-Row (2.0 SRM) Grain 79.44 % 0.41 lb Munich Malt (10.0 SRM) Grain 7.66 % 0.38 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain 7.10 % 0.31 lb Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM) Grain 5.79 % 0.50 oz Pearle [5.40 %] (60 min) (First Wort Hop) Hops 19.3 IBU 0.33 oz Amarillo [6.90 %] (60 min) (First Wort Hop) Hops 16.3 IBU 0.15 oz Cascade [5.30 %] (30 min) Hops 4.0 IBU 1.85 oz Cascade [5.30 %] (5 min) Hops 12.7 IBU 1 Pkgs Nottingham (Danstar #-) Yeast-Ale Beer Profile Est Original Gravity: 1.053 SG Measured Original Gravity: 1.052 SG Est Final Gravity: 1.013 SG Measured Final Gravity: 1.013 SG Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 5.28 % Actual Alcohol by Vol: 5.08 % Bitterness: 52.4 IBU Calories: 231 cal/pint Est Color: 6.2 SRM

Side-by-side comparison with Yazoo Pale Ale...

Color? spot-on
Aroma? mine's a tiny bit more cascade forward, but pretty similar
Taste? again, mine's a bit more hop forward (not by much), while theirs has a bit more from the Vienna malt.

I think mine will balance with a bit more age, but pretty darn similar. Very, very happy with this.

#44: Smoked Porter

This was an attempt at something similar to Yazoo SUE Smoked Porter.  Missed the OG a bit, but no worries otherwise...

Smoked Porter

Other Smoked Beer

Type: All Grain	Date: 3/6/2011
Batch Size: 2.40 gal	Brewer: Swenocha
Boil Size: 3.33 gal	Asst Brewer:
Boil Time: 60 min	Equipment: Brew Pot (4 gal)
Ingredients
Amount Item Type % or IBU 4.50 lb Malteurop 2-Row (2.0 SRM) Grain 63.74 % 0.75 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain 10.62 % 0.75 lb Cherry Smoked Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 10.62 % 0.60 lb Carafa II (412.0 SRM) Grain 8.50 % 0.33 lb Barley, Flaked (1.7 SRM) Grain 4.67 % 0.13 lb Black (Patent) Malt (500.0 SRM) Grain 1.84 % 0.30 oz Nugget [12.60 %] (60 min) (First Wort Hop) Hops 25.5 IBU 0.22 oz Pearle [7.70 %] (30 min) Hops 8.0 IBU 1 Pkgs SafAle English Ale (DCL Yeast #S-04) Yeast-Ale
Beer Profile
Est Original Gravity: 1.078 SG	Measured Original Gravity: 1.066 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.020 SG	Measured Final Gravity: 1.025 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 7.55 %	Actual Alcohol by Vol: 5.35 %
Bitterness: 33.5 IBU	Calories: 304 cal/pint
Est Color: 44.9 SRM

#43: Dark Strong Ale

This was a straight-up Mr. Beer winter seasonal, trading the supplied US-05 yeast with Notty instead.  I don't do many malt extracts any more, and especially not an HME, but this one sounded interesting...

Dark Strong Ale

Old Ale

Type: Extract	Date: 2/21/2011
Batch Size: 2.12 gal	Brewer: Swenocha
Boil Size: 2.43 gal	Asst Brewer:
Boil Time: 60 min	Equipment: My Equipment
Ingredients
Amount Item Type % or IBU 3.30 lb Dark Strong Ale (77.6 SRM) Extract 100.00% 1 Pkgs Nottingham (Danstar #- Yeast-Ale
Beer Profile
Est Original Gravity: 1.058 SG	Measured Original Gravity: 1.054 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.014 SG	Measured Final Gravity: 1.014 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 5.71 %	Actual Alcohol by Vol: 5.21 %
Bitterness: 66.0 IBU	Calories: 241 cal/pint
Est Color: 40.0 SRM

#42: Session Amber

Was shooting for a low gravity session beer.  Missed the OG a bit, so it's a bit lower gravity than expected.  But it tastes great, so all is well...

Session Amber

American Amber Ale

Type: All Grain	Date: 2/13/2011
Batch Size: 2.40 gal	Brewer: Swenocha
Boil Size: 3.25 gal	Asst Brewer:
Boil Time: 60 min	Equipment: Brew Pot (4 Gallon)
Ingredients
Amount Item Type % or IBU 3.00 lb Pale Malt, Golden Promise (1.8 SRM) Grain 75.00 % 0.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt -120L (120.0 SRM) Grain 12.50 % 0.25 lb Kiln Amber (19.0 SRM) Grain 6.25 % 0.25 lb Rye Malt (4.7 SRM) Grain 6.25 % 0.50 oz Amarillo Gold [8.50 %] (Dry Hop 14 days) Hops - 0.22 oz Nugget [13.00 %] (30 min) Hops 18.0 IBU 0.43 oz Amarillo Gold [8.70 %] (15 min) Hops 14.0 IBU 0.43 oz Amarillo Gold [8.70 %] (5 min) Hops 5.6 IBU 1 Pkgs American Ale Yeast (DCL Yeast #US-05) Yeast-Ale
Beer Profile
Est Original Gravity: 1.046 SG	Measured Original Gravity: 1.040 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.013 SG	Measured Final Gravity: 1.013 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 4.24 %	Actual Alcohol by Vol: 3.51 %
Bitterness: 37.6 IBU	Calories: 182 cal/pint
Est Color: 15.3 SRM

#41: Leftover Rye Ale

Had some leftover grains to use, so added so 2 row and away I went...

Leftover Rye Ale

American Wheat or Rye Beer

Type: All Grain	Date: 2/8/2011
Batch Size: 2.40 gal	Brewer: Swenocha
Boil Size: 3.30 gal	Asst Brewer:
Boil Time: 60 min	Equipment: Brew Pot (4 Gallon)
Ingredients
Amount Item Type % or IBU 3.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 47.17 % 1.75 lb Rye Malt (4.7 SRM) Grain 27.52 % 1.00 lb Golden Promise (2 Row) US (1.8 SRM) Grain 15.72 % 0.50 lb Melanoiden Malt (20.0 SRM) Grain 7.86 % 0.06 lb Kiln Amber (23.0 SRM) Grain 0.94 % 0.05 lb Carafa II (412.0 SRM) Grain 0.79 % 0.25 oz First Gold [7.50 %] (55 min) Hops 13.2 IBU 0.10 oz Pearle [8.00 %] (55 min) Hops 5.6 IBU 0.15 oz Brewer's Gold [8.00 %] (55 min) Hops 8.4 IBU 0.40 oz Fuggles [4.50 %] (7 min) Hops 3.5 IBU 1 Pkgs Edinburgh Ale (reharvested) (White Labs #WLP028) Yeast-Ale
Beer Profile
Est Original Gravity: 1.068 SG	Measured Original Gravity: 1.054 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.018 SG	Measured Final Gravity: 1.013 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 6.58 %	Actual Alcohol by Vol: 5.34 %
Bitterness: 30.8 IBU	Calories: 240 cal/pint
Est Color: 11.6 SRM