Tree Shaker IPA

Wow, has it really been this long since I posted here? While I haven’t been writing, I have been brewing non-stop this spring. Most of my energy was devoted to getting beer ready for our annual Memorial Day party at the lake. For those of you not from Indiana, the Indy 500 brings in family and friends from as far away as California and Texas and makes a pretty good reason to have a 4 day party.

Besides a batch of Bitchin Blonde, I received a request from my friend Eric Jones that I make him a 5 gallon batch of “something hopy” which I took as a challenge to create an Imperial IPA. While I wanted to add both a large variety and amount of hops, I didn’t want it to be so bitter that it would slap you in your face and leave you crying for your mama.

Originally I was shooting for 120 IBU’s, like Harpoon's Leviathan IPA, but ended up with a respectable 104. I actually think this makes it a more enjoyable beer while still having enough hop bite to call it an IPA. Taste testings resulted in positive reviews and with Mr. Jones’ approval, the keg only lasted the weekend. I did however hold back enough to bottle enough to enter in the Indiana State Fair this year.

As for the name? It is a tribute to the legendary Cajun alligator hunter Troy Landry. Troy attaches his traps to trees above the water. If a gator is big enough to move the tree when Troy approaches it, he yells out “It’s a tree shaker!” Just watch an episode of Swamp People on the History Channel and you’ll get the picture.  

Six varieties of hops equaling 5 ounces total or 1 ounce per gallon.  Brew schedule is as follows:

5 lbs -  Light Dry Malt

6 oz  -  Crystal Malt 20L

2 oz  -  Aromatic Malt

4 oz  -  Carapils

6 oz  -  Wheat Malt

6 oz  -  Munich Malt

.5 oz – Centenial Hops (9.1% Alpha Acids)   - 45 min boil

.5 oz – Citra Hops (13.4% Alpha Acids)        - 45 min boil

.5 oz – Simcoe Hops (13% Alpha Acids)       - 30 min boil

.5 oz -  Citra Hops (13.4% Alpha Acids)        - 30 min boil

.5 oz – Warrior Hops (15.8% Alpha Acids)    - 15 min boil

.5 oz – Citra Hops (13.4% Alpha Acids)        - 15 min boil

1 oz  - Cascade (5% Alpha Acids)                  - 5 min boil

1 oz  - Amarillo (10.8% Alpha Acids)              - Dry hop

Wyeast 1098 – British Ale

Brewed on: 5/14/2011

Primary Fermented for 8 days at 70⁰ F.

Kegged on: 5/22/2011

Tapped on: 5/27/2011

OG: 1.05

FG: 1.005

ABV = 5.98%

IBU = 104.4 

SRM:

All Grain Red Headed Alice Irish Red Ale

So my friend Alice had a birthday that just happens to fall a few days after St. Patrick's Day. I'll bet your thinking to yourself that this sounds like a reason to celebrate. You would be correct my friends, but let me tell you more. Alice is a red head and she comes from a tough family of Irish figherfighters. What's this you say? Is this too good to be true? Nay I say, for it is true. Thus when she requested that I make her a beer for her birthday, I could think of no better brew than an Irish Ale. A few hours of looking through several recipies and working them through my Beer Smith program, Red Headed Alice Irish Ale was created.

I only made a 5 gallon test batch but judging from the fact that it was gone in a matter of hours I'd say that I will need to make 10 or 15 gallons the next time I brew it. I've had several Irish ales and even though it's mine, I have to honestly say that this is my favorite and one of my best brews to date. You can't see in the picture below, but the color is amazing. I have already reserved it a spot in the rotation and can't wait to make enough to share with everyone next time.  'Sláinte go saol agat!!!

 8 lbs -   2-Row Pale Malt
 2 lbs -   Carmel/Crystal Malt 40L
.5 lbs -   Carapils
.5 lbs -   Malanoiden Malt
.5 lbs -   Munich Malt 10L
.5 lbs -   Flaked Wheat
.25 lbs - Chocolate Malt

1.5 oz Goldings
1.0 oz Fuggles

Wyeast 1084 - Irish Ale

Brewed on: 2/5/2011

Primary Fermented for: 6 days at 66⁰ F.

Secondary Fermented for : 3 days at 50⁰F.

Kegged on: 2/15/11

Tapped on: 2/19/2011

OG: 1.047

FG: 1.004

ABV: 5.68%

IBU: 31.4

SRM: 18.59

Spring Brewing Schedule Released!

Avon, In. March 23, 2011 – Lake House Brewing Announces Spring Brewing Schedule

 Lake House Brewing Co. is proud to announce the release of their brewing schedule for the Spring of 2011. With yard work and many other weekend events already planned for this busy time of year, brewing will be scheduled for once a month. This should allow time for the careful crafting of each of your favorite beers as well as ample time to kill enough kegs for each new batch.

The scheduled is as follows:

Dill’s Dunkel                           3/31/11 NEW! Inspired by the man and his hat.

Bitchin’ Blonde                       4/10/11 Her drapes match the carpet.

Hopzilla IPA                            5/8/11   NEW!  Requested by Eric Jones.

Red Headed Alice Irish Ale     6/5/11   Miso tipsy on this Irish missy.

Eight Legged Pale Ale            7/10/11 The classic is back!

Tapping dates for each will be posted during the fermentation period of each brew so be sure to check back often.

Cheers!

Quick Update

Sorry, I have not posted in a few weeks. I have been frantically busy at both jobs resulting in this site being neglected. One thing that has not been neglected is my brewing schedule. So far I have brewed and tapped 10 gallons of all grain Eight Legged Pale Ale and brewed and tapped a 5 gallon test batch of Red Headed Alice Irish Red Ale. Both have received great reviews from taste testers Shawn, Dill Hero and Mr. Crazy. I’ll post the details for each and a few pics later this week.

I will also be discussing yeast in a future post and step-by-step all grain brewing. Until then I have a 10 gallon batch of Dill’s Dunkel that will be brewed in the next week, so stay tuned and don’t forget to support your local Micro Breweries.

Speaking of Hops...



Hop farm in Germany (Photo by Marti Benutzer)


I thought it was interesting that I just posted a blog about hops and no sooner had I finished than I received word from my local homebrew store that hop rhizomes were ready to order. Rhizomes are cuttings of roots, (these of course being from a hop plant) that once planted, will grow as much as a foot a day up to 25 feet. I ordered 6 Cascade and 6 Centennial rhizomes. Once harvested in August or September, I hope to get a half to a full once of dried hops per plant. Just enough for a few limited batches of seasonal Hopzilla Harvest IPA and Harvest Eight Legged Pale Ale.

Got Hops? Part II

As I said earlier, particular hops are associated with specific beers. American Pale Ales for instance are normally brewed using Cascade hops, while traditional lagers utilize Saaz, Tettnanger, Spalt or Hallertau hops which are also known as Noble hops.

Noble hops refer to the varieties of Saaz, Tettnanger, Spalt and Hallertau hops which are known for their mild bitterness and high aroma.  They are most often found in lagers, Marzens, Pilsners and Dunkels. These hops are named after the towns and regions in Bavaria and Germany where they are grown. Examples include Pilsner Urquell and Sam Adams Noble Pils.

Hops can further be grouped into whether you want to use them for bitterness, aroma or a combination of both. Hops containing high alpha acid are normally used for bittering and are incorporated into the wort at the beginning of the boil process and usually have an alpha acid of 9% and higher. Examples of these hops are Galena (11%-15% alpha), and Nugget (11%-13% alpha).

Hops containing lower alpha acids are traditionally used for aroma and are incorporated into the wort toward the end of the boil process (usually the last 10 minutes) or are added as dry hops directly into the fermentor. These hops have an average alpha acid of anywhere from less than 2% to 8%. Examples of these hops are Cascade, (5%-7% alpha), Goldings, (5%-6.8% alpha), Fuggle, (4%-5% alpha), Willamette, (4%-5% alpha) and the Noble hops which range from less than 4% to 5% alpha.

Hops containing moderately high alpha acid can be used as dual purpose hops and will produce both bitterness and aroma depending on the amount used and the length of time allowed in the boil process.  Examples of these hops are Brewer's Gold (6%-7.5% alpha), Chinook (11%-13% alpha), Northern Brewer (6%-7.5% alpha), and Perle (6.5%-9% alpha).

Depending on how adventurous you are, the options for creating beers that are unique to your own taste are endless and just as simple as varying the types of hops used.   

Bitchin’ Blonde All Grain Update

My first all grain batch using a conical fermentor was finally ready this weekend so I thought I’d share a quick post on how things went. I had very active yeast as you can see from the lid of the fermentor. The lower valve allowed me to blow off the trub and convert from a primary to a secondary fermentor. The top valve worked perfect when it came time to rack to my kegs.

Brewed on: 1/18/11

Fermented for: 1 week at 68⁰ F. Lagered 18 days at 44⁰F.

Kegged on: 2/12/11

FG: 1.003

ABV: 4.86%

IBU: 10.83

SRM: 3.7

Yummy!

Hydrometer reading at 1.003



Happiness is a full beer refrigerator!



Got Hops? Part I

One of the key ingredients to making beer, are hops. However, most non-brewers think of hops as a one dimensional ingredients that either varies from slightly bitter to very bitter and leave it at that. In reality, hops come in over a hundred varieties each with its own characteristics that can be used for bitterness, aroma or both.  Grown in several countries of the world, specific hops will be forever associated with particular styles of beer.

(* Photographer: LuckyStarr * Location: Hallertau)

                  

How did this practice get started and why? Since early 700A.D. to 900 A.D. hops were being harvested and used for medicinal as well as culinary purposes. But it wasn’t until 1079A.D. that they are recorded as first being used in beer. Until that time, brewers used a variety of flowers and herbs to flavor their brews and it is thought that through this practice of trial and error, they realized the benefits of brewing with these little green strobiles. For along with providing a balance against sweetness, hops possess natural antimicrobial properties that act as a preservative. (Even in ancient times, skunky beer was frowned upon).

With this knowledge at hand, 18^th century breweries in Great Britain heavily hopped their beer that was destined for India. As they had learned, the beer that they sent their soldiers spoiled on the weeks and months that it took for ships to travel the long voyage. By adding large quantities of hops, the brew would remain unspoiled with the original idea that once opened, this strong ale could be diluted with water. However, as it is today, nobody in their right mind drinks the water in India. Thus drinking it full strength not only became essential, it became the norm.

Next up: Types of hops

Partial Mash America Pale Ale

Today I thought I would go over a recipe for an American Pale Ale. The process for making this brew is called partial mash as the malts that I will used were already created in extract form as either a powder or a syrup. A few pounds of the specialty grains were steeped in the hot wort to add additional flavor and other properties that add character and body to the beer.

To start, I heated up 2 gallons of water. Depending on the type of beer you wish to make, and the hardness or softness of your tap water, you may need to treat your water or default to using bottled water. Since this is a topic that I could write an entire post about, let’s just say I used spring water for this recipe. After reaching a temperature of 155⁰ F, I soaked the grains which include crushed Light Crystal, Aromatic and Cara Pils malt in a muslin bag for 30 minutes.

After removing the bag, I then added my malt extract making sure to continuously stir to avoid scorching the malt.

Once completely dissolved, I added my bittering hops. As this in an APA, I used a few ounces of Cascade hops. (Since there are several types of hops that have been used for thousands of years, each with a different taste and aroma profile, I will be devoting a post at a later date to discussion of the different types). After adding the hops, I raised the temperature of the wort and boiled for 60 minutes. During this time I also add additional hops for flavor at 50 minutes into the boil along with Irish moss to aid in clarification.

Once my boil was completed, I used a wort chiller to cool the wort down to a temperature between 70⁰ F and 75⁰ F. To cool it down even more, I add 3 more gallons of water that I refrigerated an hour before I started brewing. With the wort now well chilled, I transfer it to my fermentor and add the yeast. I chose a liquid American Ale yeast strain from Wyeast Labs and dry hopped a few more ounces of Cascade before closing the fermentor and installing the airlock. After the airlock bubbles slowed to 2-3 minutes apart, ( About 13 days) I transferred it to a 5 gallon Cornelius keg pressurized to 30 PSI for 24 hours then lowered to approx 12 PSI for an additional 5 days.  

 

When Good Beer Goes Bad

Part of the fun of being a home brewer is that you can experiment with recipes. You can either try to copy a commercial beer that you really like, or create your own one of a kind brew. Of course, the drawback to experimentation is the very real possibility of failure. Thus we come to the solemn news that a beer has died.

We at Lake House Brewing are sad to announce the death of Dill and Brownie’s Adams Apple Ale. While the brewing process and fermentation went off without fail, the taste department failed to show up for the party. While the subtle notes of cinnamon worked perfectly, the tart factor was off the charts leaving a bitter aftertaste that clung to the sides of your tongue without any apple flavor coming through. Multiple attempts to correct and balance the flavors failed and only served to make matters worse eventually cumulating in the realization that it was too far gone to save.

I believe my mistake may have been in using Granny Smith apples instead of a variety with a higher sugar content. On a bright note, I did bottle a six pack that will be stored for the next six months in hopes that the flavors will mellow allowing for at least some enjoyment at a later time. So with that, I will put this one up as experience and move confidently on to the next recipe as my kegs are getting lighter and my friends are getting thirsty.

Beer, Beer and More Beer

If you go to a micro brewery, you can usually order a sampler flight of 6-8 of their beers to try out. Pretty cool way to see if you like a beer before shelling out your hard earned cash only to find out its swill. Now just imagine a sampler of 150 beers. That’s right, I said 150 beers! Sound too good to be true? Well, it’s not.

This Saturday, January 29^th the Brewers of Indiana Guild will be hosting their 3^rd annual Winterfest at the Indiana State Fair Grounds form 3pm to 7pm. Over 50 breweries from Indiana and across the nation will be there providing 2 ounce samples of their fine products. Tickets are only available at Crown Liquors or online for $35 and are going fast.  I’m going…are you? For more information log go to:  http://www.indianabeerfest.com/

The Evolution of Beer…at least in my house. (Or, from plastic to stainless.)

Looking back 20 years ago, I can’t exactly remember what motivated me and my friend Mac to take a trip to our local homebrew store in El Cajon, California. But I distinctly remember the smell. Open barrels full of white wheat, Munich, and 2 Row Pale Malt filled the store with a thick, hearty aroma not unlike fresh bread. One look at the glass door refrigerator full of fresh hops, the walls lined with cans of malt extract, and I knew this was something I wanted to do.

Back then, like so many homebrewers, I purchased a starter kit consisting of a plastic bucket, lid, air lock and assorted siphons, hoses and 2 cases of empty bottles. (I still have the bucket.)

I even remember the first beer I made, it was a pilsner extract from Coopers that I named Copperhead. ( A play on my last name). As the years went by, I dabbled on and off with brewing as a moved across the country and sometimes found it hard to find supplies.

Fast forward to last year, and an old high school friend of mine mentioned a brew supply, Great Fermentations that he got his supplies from. One step in the store, and I was transported back 20 years to that shop in California. I picked up some new supplies, replaced some old equipment and was back on a regular brewing schedule.

Now, after 20 years of brewing and 25 years of marriage, my wife upgraded me to a top tier system. Two 20 gallon pots and a March pump later, and I’m brewing more than ever before and now it’s all grain recipes.

The Blichmann system I have is perfect for brewing 10 gallon batches. It took a about 2 weeks to put together, and if you plan on getting one, e-mail me and I’ll give you a few tips that are sure to save you a lot of time. My problems will be your secret to success! More than once, I had to make adjustments and take items apart and re-assemble, but all in all, it was worth it. In addition to the top tier system, my wonderful wife also purchased a 14.5 gallon “Ferminator.”

Next post, I’ll walk you through a few stove top batches and then walk you through an all grain batch on the new top tier brewing system.

Lake House Brewing Co. Announces Tapping Schedule

Avon, In. January 21, 2011 -- Lake House Brewing Announces Tapping Schedule.

  Lake House Brewing Co. has announced its weekend tapping schedule just in time for NFL Playoffs. According to sources, a five gallon keg of Eight Legged Pale Ale (8LPA) will be tapped on Sunday afternoon. In addition, to food and football, there is also a chance that their newest creation, Dill and Brownie’s Adams Apple Ale may be ready as well. 

  The award winning Eight Legged Pale Ale, a cascade hopped American Pale Ale has been specifically brewed this time with extra hops in what Brew Master Mr. Naughty calls “a tribute to the Pacific Northwest”.  Having won awards from Master Taster’s Shawn Merrill and Dennis Macgruder (aka: Mr. Crazy), 8LPA is sure to bring this weekend’s crowd to their feet for more. As one patron recently stated, "It sure beats drinking water!”