BlackSwan Honeycomb Wood inserts

In the last issue of Zymurgy they talked about wood aging.  In this article they mentioned BlackSwan's HoneyComb as an alternative to traditional cubes and chips.  Since this story, my website has gotten more search SEO referrals about this topic.  Meaning, people love wood aging in homebrew's. 

I am working on a more subjective post on the flavor differences observed in my base pale ale over the last 3 months of aging.  Since that is not complete, I wanted to give a run down of the flavors associated in the 5 batches of homebrew I've used them in so far and my brewing notes to date.

Honeycombs are really easy to use.  They come in a standard 5" lengths.  They are cut 3/4" wide on each side.  I've found that they fit in all my carboys but one glass 3 gallon size.  On the 1 gallon carboys they are a tight fit, but fit in and out without to much trouble. 

As you can see above they have a much greater surface area than the normal cubes.  After listening to the Brewing Network's Sunday Session with Shea Comfort talk about Oak aging I have a new found respect for oak fermentation's, aging and blending.  The major topic of the show was that these wood varietals have major impacts on the final flavor of the beer that can be exposed during fermentation's and aging.

Here is what BlackSwan has to say about the flavor additions during the brewing process.

Personally, I've only ordered Red and White American Oak.  I ordered 5 of each for testing and small batch brewing.  I've cut the 5" lengths down to 1" sample cubes for my 1 gallon sour projects.  As of today I've used about 10, 1" cuts in sour dreg beers.  Most of them where added 24 to 36 hours after the active fermentation.

For the 5 gallon batches, I've only really tested the red oak in my Old Glory IPA recipe.  (I've used it for test 5 gallon batches on others, just not continually repeated.)  I am adding the oak 10 to 12 hours after pitching the yeast.  Remember this is added to the wort after a big healthy starter.  I wouldn't recommend adding the honeycomb to the wort without a healthy starter going.  I used the honeycombs tied onto a fishing line with a stainless nut as a weight.  For contact time on my IPA I keep it short, only about 3 days.  I feel this adds enough components on this beer without overpowering it. 

Test fitting the honeycomb in my 6.5G carboy

Simple, yet beautiful.....

For pricing, this is what really surprises me about BlackSwan, they are cheap.  I've worked with Heidi and she is very helpful with the ordering process.  Just a note, they do not accept Credit Cards or payment over the phone as of last March.  I mailed a check the old fashioned way.  A very trusting company to work with, they mailed my Honeycombs before getting my check.

Prices may of changed, not responsible for accurate pricing.

I am still in the testing faze of this new product, but I like what I see.  For the price, I think it would be beneficial to call up BlackSwan and order a couple to play around with.  Their contact information is:

Heidi Karasch
Black Swan Cooperage, LLC
1605 Commerce Ave. S.
Park Rapids, MN 56470
Mailing:
PO Box 217
Osage, MN 56570
Cell 320.266.5981
Office 218.237.2020
Fax 218.237.2024

www.blackswanbarrels.com

In addition, Jeff over at Bikes, Beer and Adventure started his "Great Wood Aging Experiment" I don't know how the results are panning out yet but it is some more information on the subject.  As time goes on and more information is gathered I will update this post with the appropriate links to this or another homebrew blog. 

1st Post on BlackSwan Honeycombs

Old Glory #2 Tasting Notes W/HoneyComb added.

Raven Black IPA Brewing Recipe and Notes 

Farmer Bitch, Flanders Red Ale (Extended aging) 

Also search "Dreg Series" on this site for more 1 gallon sour brew sessions with the smaller Honeycombs added.

Black Swan Cooperage added this link to their Facebook page!!  

A New, Colder Chapter

I live in a condo, luckily I have a large 2 car garage on the 1st level that I can brew in and store my Fermentation Chamber.  I also grew upstairs to an extra bedroom that I kept my bottles, sours, flasks and other brewing equipment.  After a talk with my wife about the use of that room we decided that I should revamp the garage in a effort to keep the brewing supplies in one location.

This is my starting location.  Measuring out my needs for storage I figured that I needed 1, 36" wide x 6" tall shelving structure.  Next to that I am putting in 1, 36" wide x 2" tall shelving structure.  Below this, I am going to store my new Chest Freezer.  

My new GE Chest Freezer from Home Depot is really popular on Home Brew Talk. This chest freezer will be set at 50 degrees and also act as a cellar of sorts.  I already moved most of my aged beer (stouts, finished sours, barley wines, meads, etc) into the unit.  

Mid Year Ramblings.....

19 Batches so far this year

Normally at the end of the year I take a look back and see where my brewing is taking for the year ahead, this year I wanted to do a mid year look back review to see any trends that I need to address.  The biggest challenge right now are my ongoing attempts at mastering the "Re-Brew".  It has sort of become a passion of mine.  Understanding the changes your homebrew goes through from batch to batch has made me look at myself differently has a brewer.  The hot side recipe changes are really only effective if you have a controlled, stable cold side process.  Having a better understanding of temp controlled fermentation has let me focus on simple recipe adaptations needed to finalize a recipe.  Getting to know my fermentation chamber has also dramatically improved the quality of homebrew being produced at my house.  The normal internal carboy temp of one of my ales during the first 3 days of active fermentation is 4 degrees over the ambient temp in the chamber and what shown on the side of the carboy.  The days of 67 degree ambient fermentation are over in my house.

10 Years of Brewing, a look back

I brewed my 1st homebrew batch in late 2001, it was a Mr. Beer kit that my sister got from a Skymall catalog on a Southwest flight from Nashville to San Diego.  I remember looking at the can of malt supplied by Mr Beer kit and thinking, "This is all?"  That little packet of dry yeast was all I needed to add to start the wonderful process of fermentation?  It seems silly now after dozens of books read, thousands of forum posts and most importantly absorbing the knowledge from "The Brewing Network"

 I can remember that Mr Beer kit on the stove boiling away completely lost in brewing thought.  It was a scary experience, to me and my stove.  Luckily around the same time a childhood friend started brewing extract beers.  We would pour one of our homebrews and think about different beer styles and have a cigar.  I remember the beer being drinkable, but not great.  The truth of the matter is we would have a quality craftbeer and then jump into the homebrews after we had a inkling of a buzz.  I'm sure this strategy was to trick our minds into thinking that our beer was better than it really was.  (Off topic, I wish I could taste my old homebrew to compare it to today's batches.  I'm sure that I would man up and drink it) 

I think I have a hop problem

Glacier Hops

Over the last couple of years I've slowly started to become a hop whore.  I go out of my way to find a nice balance with my wife and my homebrewing, keeping the kitchen clean, clear and building my fermentation chamber out in the garage.  This level of respect has allowed me to brew more batches of beer than most homebrewers.  Which is very important to me.

To keep this hobby moving I need more and more styles of hops in my arsenal.  I love brewing and everything that comes with it, besides the belly.  To know I have the freedom to brew a style on a whim is a big incentive for a brewer.  But will this ever growing collection of hops is reaching a critical mass?  Last night I opened the freezer to defrost some chicken and a pound of Cluster hops came rolling out.  When I picked up the Cluster to find a spot for it in the freezer I couldn't.  My freezer door, bottom storage bin and keezer have hops in them.  When would my wife stop this collection from growing?  When Aydan, my son can't keep his favorite chicken nuggets in the freezer for a quick snack?  Plus knowing that I have a pound of Citra in the car I knew I had to take inventory.

Honeycomb Oak - Blackswan Barrels

Trying to pursue long term oak aging while balancing my personal life in a small condo is kind of difficult.  I do have a large area for homebrewing, fermenting and serving.  But Dedicating a barrel is out of the question.  So I've been experimenting with different types of oak.  American Oak Cubes have been my personal favorite in the last couple of batches.  My Kate the Great project worked out great with the American Med Toasted Oak.  Currently, I have a couple of other batches going with different levels, ages and types of oak.  


Recently, I stumbled into BlackSwan Barrels, they produce different types of barrels and other wood aging products.  They offer something I have never seen before.  A honeycomb insert, almost like a spiral.  

3/4 by 3/4 for inserting into your carboy

I ordered 3 Red Oak and 3 White American Oak honeycomb cuts.  They are 5" long and they say that you really want 1" per gallon. I am going to play with different wines, spirits and beer to see how they age.  

I got a package today of the 6 honeycomb inserts.  They look really well made and have this (above) in each package.  

This is the Red Oak @ 5" long

Sunday Brewday Re-cap

Lewy's Silk Stout

Yesterday was the perfect brewday.  I woke up and got right to work on my Alroy Irish Red Ale around 6:30 am.  Which worked out to be mashing at 7:15.  The system I brew on (B3 tiered tower) makes brewing multiple beers easy.  I start mashing in the 2nd tier.  Hot water on the top.  Once the conversion is done I move on to sparging into the boil kettle on the bottom tier.  When I start boiling the wort I clean the mash tun out and start the 2nd batch. 

 

 

Clean Mash Tun, adding hot water

With this system each additional beer I brew adds about a hour and forty minutes. I followed up the Alroy with my Silk Stout and lastly my 3rd take on my Pale Ale/Session project.  Fargo Lane Pale #3

Aydan watching my pump/chiller

Collecting the hot side chiller water

Fargo Lane #3 Session Pale

Overall a great brew day relaxing in the sun with Aydan my 2.5 year old.  He is understanding the process a little to much.  He loves to eat the spent grain and turn any valve he can get his hands on.  I hit all my numbers and everything works correctly.

2012 AHA National Homebrewing Competition

I've never entered any homebrewing competition's before.  Never even wanted to, but for some reason this year I did.  I wanted to enter only 2 beers, a still mead and my Kate the Great clone.  While logging in on the AHA's website I said fuck it and entered 3 beers.  My 4C's Rye IIPA was entered for the hell of it.  I've only brewed the 4C's once before and after a cold crash for 2 weeks it was one of the cleanest beers I've ever done.  I'm cold crashing the 2nd batch right now so it is more of a shot in the dark entry.  The 1st two that I listed are great beers and I am excited to see how the do.

A quick recap:

• 100% Blackberry Mead, Aydan aged 6 years in Category 24B
• Kate the Great, my Russian Imperial Stout aged on Oak for 8 months in Category 13F
• IIPA 4C's Rye Red IIPA entered in Category 23.  6D is the base style but this beer is way to strong for the 6D style category

This should be fun.

Homebrew Tip: Dyeing your Beer

5 Mins of Soaking in the Boil Kettle

The color of a beer tells a lot about it's taste, style and grain bill.  Of the thousands of beers poured at my house to friends and family the 1st comment I get is on the color.  When you see a light yellow colored beer you expect it to taste like a Pilsner or a Kolsh.  The same applies with a dark color beer.  When you see a dark black color you expect a roasted, chocolate or more robust flavors.  

This got me thinking about "steeping" dark grain into the beer in nontraditional ways.   I have 3 black IPA's under my brewing belt, one of them was a perfect hit balancing the hops with the roast.  The others either seemed to be a little to far in either direction.  In one case the hops battled with the Roastyness of the grain for control and needed 3 months of cold aging to balance out.  

What to do with my spent grain?

I tend to brew 2 five gallon batches at a time due to my system.  Normally I have 2 five gallon food grade buckets that I fill, cap and toss in the dumpster at work.  Plugging my nose as I dump them hopefull to keep the mysterious gases that grow in the bucket overnight at bay.

Now that my son is 2 years old and his appreciation for "Daddy's Drink" is growing, he wants to be involved in the brewing process.  This includes tossing out the old grain for the next batch.  He started helping by taking a sand shovel and attempting to transfer the spent grain into the trash bucket.  This normally resulted in a hosing of the garage floor at the end of the brew day.

Now that he older, he watches me take a bite of the grain before sparging.  I really don't know where this tradition came from.  It's not like I would ever take a bite and scream, "This is all wrong" and toss the grain.  I think this has evolved from a homebrew shop in San Diego called American Homebrew.  If you are local, you understand what I am talking about.  The helpful owner, for lack of better words, "Is lonely, very lonely" and loves to talk about beer to anyone that will listen.  This is unfortunate for the brewer that is in a hurry because he will talk and not ring up your purchase until the story is over.  This love for tasting the grain has been officially passed to Aydan, my son.  Anytime grain is within arms reach he will reach out for a bite.  New grain, spent grain it doesn't stop his need for a taste.  


I know that the amount of grain that I toss is terrible for the environment.  I understand that pigs, cows and other livestock can live off my brewing.  But living in a townhouse in Otay Ranch, I don't have the privilege of living next to these animals.  With Aydan's love for this treat I would love to make something out of them.   I've thought of making dog treats but they are so much work for a do that I do not own.  

So what do the others brewers do? 

The Search for the perfect Session Pale Ale.....

Most people that know me say I have a combination of OCD and ADD.  So starting projects around the house are hard for me to finish.  1- I get bored and 2- I need to do it right and that takes time with a 2 year old running around.  So I started with my Justice Pale Ale Project about a year ago.  And I got close to the "Ever elusive perfect pale ale".  But I didn't get it right.  Honestly, that pissed me off.  But with the new year coming close I am going to try it again.  But this time with a new rule.  Under 5 % ABV.  This is going to be a pale ale "Sessionized" I have 2 under my belt with the Fargo Lane Pale, and the revise Fargo Lane Pale #2.  So I am going to use those recipe(s) and brew 3 more.

This time I am going to brew, ferment and then taste before brewing the next one.  I think that was the problem with the Justice Pale Ale Project.  I brewed 4 beers over a 2 week time period.  This didn't give me the opportunity to revise the recipe properly.  This time around I am going to brew one and finish the keg before taking on the next batch.

Pale Ale Take #1:  Brewed Nov 18th

Fargo Lane Pale

Coming in at 4.6% this was a great session beer that everyone loved.  I even got my Wife's Corona drinking Family to want more of this beer.

The beer poured crystal clear with a snow white top.  This is the lightest colored beer I've brewed.  I would say it came in around a 4sh SRM.  


The aroma of pineapple was overpowering.  This was my 1st attempt at Dry-Hopping with Citra.  As I swirled the glass I could make out the pine tree likes of Amarillo.  


The low amounts of alcohol were covered up by with a soothing sweet taste of tropical fruit.  I could not taste any harsh bitterness that is common in a low ABV beer.   Keeping this with a lower Co2 level let the maltyness shine.  Which, honestly is hard to do in this style.  


My increasing addiction to late hopping/aroma hopping is starting to develop into great sessionable beers.  Including my IPA's.  Would I change anything on this beer?  No, not right now.  But for the sake of this experiment I am going to brew this again with a different dry hopping schedule and the addition of Flaked Barley.

Fargo Lane Pale #2

The changes on this batch from the 1st attempt is the addition of flaked barley to the boil.  It was a total of 1#.  I used it in the hop sock.  The kettle hops are the same as the 1st attempt.  For the dry hops I changed the recipe and omitted the citra.   This was a big mistake.  This beer ended up dry and plain. 

Fargo Lane Pale #3

I went back to the original on this recipe.  Yesterday I kegged the beer and right now I am waiting for space in the keggor to serve it.  From the initial tastes, this beer will be another great one. 

Fargo Lane Pale Ale

I am off for a couple weeks around Christmas and I am looking for a clean Session Pale Ale to drink around the house.  I am expecting a 4.5 % ABV.  Normally I do not brew these types of beers but a lot of thought went into the recipe.

	Fargo Lane Pale
American Pale Ale

 

Type: All Grain	Date: 11/19/2011
Batch Size: 6.00 gal	Brewer: Chris Lewis
Boil Size: 6.87 gal	Asst Brewer:
Boil Time: 60 min	Equipment: My Equipment
Taste Rating(out of 50): 35.0	Brewhouse Efficiency: 80.00
Taste Notes:
Ingredients
Amount Item Type % or IBU 6 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 60.00 % 2 lbs 8.0 oz Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (2.0 SRM) Grain 25.00 % 1 lbs Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain 10.00 % 8.0 oz Wheat Malt, Ger (2.0 SRM) Grain 5.00 % 0.50 oz Chinook [13.00 %] (60 min) Hops 19.9 IBU 1.00 oz Amarillo Gold [8.50 %] (Dry Hop 3 days) Hops - 0.50 oz Amarillo Gold [8.50 %] (10 min) Hops 4.7 IBU 1.00 oz Amarillo Gold [8.50 %] (0 min) (Aroma Hop-Steep) Hops -
1.00 oz              Citra [12.00%] (Dry Hop 3 Days)                         Hops                -
Beer Profile
Est Original Gravity: 1.049 SG	Measured Original Gravity: 1.043
Est Final Gravity: 1.013 SG	Measured Final Gravity: 1.08
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 4.69 %	Actual Alcohol by Vol: 4.6 %
Bitterness: 24.7 IBU	Calories: 187 cal/pint
Est Color: 5.3 SRM	Color: Color
Mash Profile
Mash Name: My Mash	Total Grain Weight: 10.00 lb
Sparge Water: 4.32 gal	Grain Temperature: 72.0 F
Sparge Temperature: 168.0 F	TunTemperature: 72.0 F
Adjust Temp for Equipment: FALSE	Mash PH: 5.4 PH
My Mash Step Time Name Description Step Temp 60 min Step Add 15.00 qt of water and heat to 149.0 F over 2 min 149.0 F
Mash Notes:
Carbonation and Storage
Carbonation Type: Kegged (Forced CO2)	Volumes of CO2: 2.4
Pressure/Weight: 21.6 PSI	Carbonation Used: -
Keg/Bottling Temperature: 60.0 F	Age for: 7.0 days
Storage Temperature: 52.0 F
Notes
Fermented @67 for 7 days.  Transferred on the 8th day.  2ndary will be at 72 for 3 days.  Then cold crashing it for 7 days @36
Created with BeerSmith Update #1  Today (11-27-11) I moved over this beer to Secondary.  The gravity right now is 1.008  So this puts it at 4.6% ABV  This is right where I wanted this beer.  The taste right now is perfectly balanced with the Amarillo and the citra hops.  All aroma.  It does however need a little clearing.  Looking at cold crashing it for a week and then doing a drop of Gelatin.  Update #2 After letting the beer cold crash @36 for a week I am currently let it prime up to serving temperature.   It should be ready to serve by Weds this week (12-7-11).   Update #3 This beer is currently priming and the taste is so good uncarb'ed, that I choose to brew it again last weekend with the same yeast (cake) as the Fargo #1.  Interestingly enough, this is the 6th generation of this yeast.  Starting about 2 months ago.  It will be interesting to see if the yeast its holding up well after so many brewing sessions.  Even as this beer is a low alcohol yeast.  Only a couple of changes, well 3 changes were adding the Flaked Barley (1 pound), not adding Citra in the aroma (dry Hop) and this time not forgeting to add the whilfloc tablet.   Update #4 Most people think this might be the best Session beer I've ever done.  The citra hops, after about a month created such a great flavor profile.  The 2nd batch of this Fargo Pale is without the citra, looking back this might be a big mistake.  I am going to brew this again with the citra added back and see how it is.

Dreg Sour Project

As a bonus to the Sour Project #1 we are going to do a second running beer.  This beer will brewed with the second runnings from the Flanders Red Ale.  We will add DME (if needed) to achieve a 1.040 O.G.  We are hoping to get 4 gallons of wort.  The exciting part of this little side project is that we are taking the collected wort and adding it to four, one gallon glass jugs.  These will all be "Dreg" beers with yeast collected from commercial sour beers.

I have 3 of the Sour's in my fridge now.  As you can see I have the "Crem De La Crem" of Sour Beers. 



I have two Russian River bottles.  They are Temptation and Supplication.  We also have one beer from Brewery Ommegang .  It is Biere de Mars.  Danny has collected one more Russian River Soured beer that I will update when I know the name.

Sour Ale Experiment #1

This Saturday is the start of a new Homebrewing project.  Sour Ales.  The fear of these bugs goes a lot farther than the understanding of how to contain their unique character.  When writing this I don't want to give the impression that I understand these sour bugs.  In fact this project is a shot in the dark to Danny (Deeperrootsbrewing.com) and I.  Over the next year we hope to gain a fair amount of understanding of these bugs.  For our 1st brewing project we are going to create a Flanders Red Ale now called Farmer's Daughter Red.

Here are a couple of key points that will be controlled/addressed during the fermentation.

• Brewing a 10 gallon collaborative batch at Danny's house.  11/12/2011
• The Wort will be split into two, 5 gallon carboys.  
• Carboy #1 will have WLP655/WLP001 added into it at 62 degrees.
• Carboy #2 will have WLP001 added into it at 62 degrees.  A normal fermentation will be conducted.  We will let the beer free rise up to 68.  It will stay at 68 degrees for one week.
• Carboy #2 will then have WLP655 added after primary fermentation.
• Both beers will let the bugs work on them for 6 months.  
• After 6 months we will try the beers and adjust the timeline if necessary. 
• The final product will be blended together according to taste.
• The left over beer will be blended into the next Flanders Red we brew.
• We are adding 2 oz of used (Kate the Great) American Oak Cubes to my carboy

I will keep this updating about every month as this rides out.  Any changes to the brewing process will also be updated.

Update #1

We brewed this yesterday.  It was a rainy day here in San Diego (Chula Vista)  The brew day consisted of both of our brewing systems.  Danny did the main beer and I did the Gallon Project 2nd Runnings.  Our gravity was to high.  Finishing at 1.070.  We were expecting around 1.060  We also dropped the yeast in both beers today.

My WLP001 fermentation is looking great.  we both pitched at 62 and mine is slowly rising to 68 degrees.  I lost my airlock in the chamber due to a very active fermentation last night.

Update #2

I am adding the used American Oak Cubes from Kate the great in the beer today.  (Dec 13, 2011) 

Hops Direct Delivery Today

Today, just in time for my Janet's Brown dry hopping, I received my package from Hops Direct.  I ordered 6 different hops for this brewing season.  I ordered Northern Brewer, Palisade, Chinook, Cascade, Cenntenial and Amarillo.  I am looking forward to brewing some complex IPA's and session brews. 

SRM Chart

Every new and experienced homebrewer needs one of these.  So I made one off "Brewing Classic Styles" as a reference.  This is for me and anyone to reference.  Enjoy!!!

White Labs San Diego Super Yeast

At this years NHC Conference in San Diego I was excited to hear about a new yeast by White Labs.  

Here is a description from White Labs:
WLP090 San Diego Super Yeast
A super clean, super-fast fermenting strain. A low ester-producing strain that results in a balanced, neutral flavor and aroma profile. Alcohol-tolerant and very versatile for a wide variety of styles. Similar to California Ale Yeast WLP001 but it generally ferments faster.
Optimal Fermentation Temperature: 65-68F
Attenuation: 76-83% +
Flocculation: Medium-High
Alcohol Tolerance: High


Currently I have this yeast in my Janet's Brown #3 or Classic Version from "Brewing Classic Styles".  Also I have this in my Porter which is also from "Brewing Classic Styles". ( Which I brewed at the same time ).  I have them both fermenting at 63-64 so it will strange to see how they compare to the classic WLP001.


Reading online I am getting mix reviews on this strain.  Most people from what I can gather jumped at the chance for a fast fermentation but did not look at the optimal yeast temperature.  From what see this creates a longer fermentation period.  Up to 6 to 7 days if you have the wort at 72-ish.  Scott P from Big P Brewing used it in a blond recently and just sent me a picture.

The left is Safale 05 and the right is WLP090 (San Diego Super Yeast)  You can clearly see the one on the right is clearer than the left sample.  Both of these are still at the time of the picture.  He fermented at 68 in a SOB box but it took over 6 days of active fermentation to finish out.  

UPDATE #1

Danny with Deeper Roots Brewing Brewed with it on July 31st.  He did a Russian Imperial Stout.  The yeast was used with a Jamil style starter and has not finished out correctly.  He did ferment at 72.  He active fermentation was over 10 days.  The starting gravity was 1.080.  Yesterday he checked the FG and it was still at 1.024.  In my brewing with WLP001 I have taken that yeast (with an appropriate starter) from 1.100 down to 1.018 over 2 weeks.  


Today I e-mailed White Labs about the issue to see if they have any information on this.  When I report back I will let you know.


I also checked my 2 beers and they are going strong in the fermentation chamber at 63.  I added my dry hops (and added it to wrong beer, sucks might have a hoppy porter) I did not take a gravity reading yesterday. 

UPDATE #2 

Last night I started to raise my fermentation temp(s) up from 64 to 66 degrees.  My fermentation is slowing as of this morning.  I haven't taken a gravity reading yet.  My plan is tonight take a reading and transfer to secondary Friday after work if the readings are what I expect. 

UPDATE #3

Saturday morning I transferred both of the beers into Secondary and took the final gravity readings.  The Porter was at a 1.014 and the Janet's Brown was at a 1.012.  I have brewed both these before (we, really close) with the WLP001 and they finished a little lower.  They both had a little activity in the airlock, so they might be able squeeze out another point or 2 of lower by the time they are kegged.  


As for the taste,  I have to say they were both very clean, almost to clean for my tastes.  I got no esters, no yeast contributions at all.  I like the character that yeast give the beer style.  With this style of yeast I think that's lacking with both these beers.  Or honestly, maybe me fermenting in the closet all these years at 74 - 78 has just messed up my ability to judge "good" homebrew. Maybe I have become accustomed to off flavored yeast.  


UPDATE #4

I have the Brown in the keg fully primed as of today.  I did do a Gelatin wash to to clean up this beer as best as possible.  

Should be drinking one tonight.

And I did.......Well 2 of them after a long 17 hour day at the office.  I have say, I really liked it.  This Janet's Brown is just to different from the last 2 I've brewed before the compare them side by side.  But the WLP090 has a couple of things really going for it.  

• The yeast ferments very clean, with the WLP001 I sometimes get a sweet cracker taste at the end of the drink, before the aroma hops.  Now this might have to do with the controlled fermentation this was done it or a yeast quality. 
• The beer appeared cleaner with very little flocculation or suspension of the yeast in secondary.   This was noted before adding the Gelatin during kegging.
• The fermentation time is greater than the advertised.  Why did I put this in the "good" area of the yeast?  Well to be honest, I just don't trust a yeast or a batch of beer that can completely ferment out in 3 days.  Maybe they should change the wording on the vile.  To 3 days of active fermentation plus a couple days extra.  I'm sure the marketing guys would love that.
  

Classic Janets Brown

I have brewed Mike McDole's "Janet's Brown" 2 times now going off the current recipe on www.brewingnetwork.com  For this one I wanted to brew it the way it was done in "Brewing Classic Styles"  So this batch has a lower SRM than the last.  This is also the 1st brew I have done in my fermentation chamber.  Though unfinished, it is at the state that it works for brewing.

The beer is currently at 63 degrees and happy.  Also I did use San Diego's Super Yeast for this batch.

Janets Brown

American Brown Ale

 

Type: All Grain	Date: 8/14/2011
Batch Size: 6.00 gal	Brewer: Chris Lewis
Boil Size: 6.87 gal	Asst Brewer: Aydan Lewis
Boil Time: 60 min	Equipment: My Equipment
Taste Rating(out of 50): 40.0	Brewhouse Efficiency: 80.00
Taste Notes: Classic Janet's brown. The Judgement Day Brown is Tasty's later version of the beer
Ingredients
Amount Item Type % or IBU 12 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 75.00 % 1 lbs 4.0 oz Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 7.81 % 1 lbs 4.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 7.81 % 1 lbs White Wheat Malt (2.4 SRM) Grain 6.25 % 8.0 oz Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain 3.13 % 2.00 oz Chinook [10.00 %] (Dry Hop 3 days) Hops - 1.25 oz Northern Brewer [8.50 %] (60 min) Hops 26.2 IBU 1.00 oz Northern Brewer [8.50 %] (60 min) (Mash Hop) Hops 4.2 IBU 1.00 oz Northern Brewer [8.50 %] (15 min) Hops 10.4 IBU 1.50 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (10 min) Hops 7.4 IBU 1.50 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (1 min) Hops 0.9 IBU 1.00 items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 min) Misc 1 Pkgs California Ale (White Labs #WLP090) Yeast-Ale
Beer Profile
Est Original Gravity: 1.076 SG	Measured Original Gravity: 1.068 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.017 SG	Measured Final Gravity:
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 7.78 %	Actual Alcohol by Vol: 7.06 %  Expected
Bitterness: 49.1 IBU	Calories: 306 cal/pint  Expected
Est Color: 19.5 SRM	Color: Color
Mash Profile
Mash Name: Single Infusion, Full Body, Batch Sparge	Total Grain Weight: 16.00 lb
Sparge Water: 3.79 gal	Grain Temperature: 72.0 F
Sparge Temperature: 168.0 F	TunTemperature: 72.0 F
Adjust Temp for Equipment: FALSE	Mash PH: 5.4 PH
Single Infusion, Full Body, Batch Sparge Step Time Name Description Step Temp 60 min Mash In Add 20.00 qt of water at 170.5 F 158.0 F
Mash Notes: Simple single infusion mash for use with most modern well modified grains (about 95% of the time).
Carbonation and Storage
Carbonation Type: Kegged (Forced CO2)	Volumes of CO2: 2.4
Pressure/Weight: 21.6 PSI	Carbonation Used: -
Keg/Bottling Temperature: 60.0 F	Age for: 28.0 days
Storage Temperature: 52.0 F
Notes
This is my 3rd Janets Brown that I have brewed. They all have changed over the years but this one is going back to the Brewing Classic Styles recipe. Before the additional dark malts. (If you notice the lower SRM). This is also my 1st batch with my new Fermentation Chamber in use. The 63 is a true temp reading on this beer.
Created with BeerSmith

Russian Imperial Stout Tasting Notes

So after drinking a Smuttynose Imperial Stout from my cousin I got the idea to give my Russian Imperial Stout a try.  It's been quietly sitting in the closet for about 2 months now aging on Oak Cubes.  The cubes are American Medium Toasted Oak.

With that out of the way, I opened the keg to the slight smell of oak.  Not overpowering at all.  I took my wine thief and filled her up for a tasting.  

The beer was solid black with a little bit of a coffee colored head, although un-carbonated at this point.  When going in for a taste, I could smell the alcohol rising out of the glass.  The aroma had oak in it but it wasn't the first thing I smelled.  The roasted barley and the alcohol are the most apparent.   So far the beer is very well balanced with no off flavors at this point.  


My wife tried the Stout and said "I like it but I couldn't drink more than one 22."  For being over 12% ABV I'll take that.

Fermentation Chamber Build

Living in San Diego, building a fermentation chamber is low on the build priority list.  But a "free" fridge from work it jumped up to #1.

The fridge is a Sanyo (with Freezer) black/fake stainless steel door mini fridge.  We moved into a new building at work and we received a old glass slider fridge.  It is HUGE...so the little fridge from the embroidery shop was a goner. 

Here are the needs:

• Hold 3 Carboys.
• Fit in my garage inside my condo
• The top will be used as a workbench
• Must be energy as efficient as possible 
• Must be able to lager homebrew or cold store beer.

Here are the build pictures.

Here is the fridge with the door off, I am spacing the width and the length needed for 3 carboys.

I am figuring out the height of the workbench top.  The board on top is for figuring out the "sealing" part.

Here is the mock layout.  The door is dryfitted. 

This is the back side of the front picture (above)  I reused the same hinges that came with the fridge.

Here is the fridge with the poly foam installed on the side and the floor. 

A inside look at the fridge area.  Also above this picture is the "inside" construction materials.  Wood (floor only) poly foam and a smooth FRP plastic.

This is the backside on the chamber.  All the poly foam is glued to the wood frame.

I am just starting the install of the smooth FRP plastic sheets.  I love this stuff.  It is waterproof and cuts with a pair of scissors .  I am using inside and outside transition corners when possible.  The areas that I can't, I will add a 100% white silicone caulk.

The door is lined up and installed.  I have metal around the door area so the fridge door acts like it did before. 

For the outside lining, right now I am thinking a  3/4 plywood sheet for the work area on top and a 1/4 inch hardboard or cheap birch.  The sides will be painted black to match the rest of the fridge area.  I will post some more pictures this week.

Update #1

I was totaling up the cost of the build with a couple buddies of mine today.  Here is a quick breakdown of the costs:

Fridge = Free from work

4  2x3's: $1.53 each  = $6.12

2  4'x8' FRP sheets Smooth kind $22.00 each  = $44.00

2  2x4's = Free from work

1  2x4 foot sheet of 1/4 plywood = $9.50

2 tubes of Liquid nails $2.49 each = $4.98

2 tubes of White Caulking $4.00 each = $8.00

Screws: Free (I had them)

Johnson temp controller = $79.00

4 casters = Free from work

Right now I am at $151.60.  More than I wanted to be honest, but the build quality is top notch and I am very happy with it.  I just need to source the top workbench wood and choose a side material.  Right now I keep flopping back and forth about what I want.

Update #2

The Chamber is now on its 9th beer as of today.  I normally brew 2 batches at a time so that is about 2 months.  I did add the 2nd layer of a thicker R rated foam.  I also added 2 DC computer fans in the freezer area that I think are one of the most important elements of this chamber.

On the door I have a white board that I can write carboy information and gravity readings before transfering them into Beersmith.  I can get 5 carboys inside the chamber area.  Normally I run this with 2 at a time.  


All that is left is the top plywood to finish it off.  The sides will be left unfinished for the time being.