Making bottle labels

I like the idea of being able to do graphic design but I'm not so good with the execution. Somehow though, doing labels for batches of home brew is fun even if they're not amazing. Actually, it's the same with naming beers, It takes me ages but I enjoy making a complete package and giving it some personality.

My first go. BR stands for Bultman's Reserve. I send out a some beers every couple of months to a group of my beer loving friends.

What I'm planning for the June release:

Tasting: Playoffs IPA

I brewed this about a month ago as my beer for the NBA playoffs. It totally does what I want it to do and I think I'm going to need to get another batch of this into the fermenter soon because this one isn't going to last long.

It weighed in at 6.5% abv.

Glass full of IPA happiness

Aroma: Citrus, mango, floral and perfume aromas. It's big and hoppy and definitely inviting. There's a malty or honey sweetness to the aroma too.

Appearance: Light orange, I love that colour in a Pale Ale/IPA. There's a bit of haze that ideally wouldn't be there and a decent head that sticks around for quite a while and leaves its mark down the glass.

Flavour: The big citrus, fruit and perfume carry over from the aroma to the flavour with some rye and malt peeking out from behind it. Maybe also a herbal thing going on there too? There's a lingering, resiny bitterness that helps give this beer a bit of character and makes it a pretty complete package. Without it I think it would be a bit too cuddly and aromatic for its own good.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied and low-medium carbonation. It should carbonate a little more as it's only been in the bottle for a couple of weeks but even now it's got a decent mouthfeel. It's just nicely dry, pretty much exactly what I like in an IPA. The bitterness isn't out of control but definitely leaves its mark on the tongue and helps the dry perception.

Overall: The hops are so inviting and the flavour is just right, smooth and fruity but the rye and bitterness give it a little kick that lingers pleasantly and then calls for more. It's dangerously drinkable. I wasn't very satisfied with my Galaxy Pale and in general my Pales and IPAs have been a bit one dimensional, lots of hops and not much else. This beer has no shortage of hops but also carries enough malt flavour to make it a more complete beer. It makes me feel like I'm back in Seattle again. I'll be interested to see how this one turns out next time with hops that are more fresh and with some attention paid to the water chemistry.

Now, back to this LAL-OKC game...

It's science: Water chemistry and brewing

Adjusting the levels of minerals in the water helps brewers achieve optimal flavour in their beer. This is my first attempt to understand how it all works. My problem is that I have difficulty when things get beyond the most basic science. At school I shunned physics for english and chemistry for history. Foolish I know. Even a basic level of chemistry would be really useful right about now.

My plan

Calcium is good for people and beer. It lowers the mash pH level, helps the enzymes do their biz in the mash, reduces colour formation during the boil, nourishes the yeast, helps the yeast flocculate and helps beer clarity and flavour stability. Calcium is pretty rocking stuff. Have you told it how much you care about it lately?

According to what I've read, somewhere in the 50-150 parts per million is the correct range for calcium. My Goodwood water report says we're only rolling 11.2 ppm deep so it looks like my beer could do with some extra calcium love.

I'm all about the calciums, baby

Bicarbonate on the other hand is good for your scones but not for your beer. It raises the pH level and makes it harder to acidify the mash, hinders alpha-amylase enzymes, slows the process of trub dropping out and increases the risk of contamination in the ferment. In hoppy beers it contributes a harsh bitterness but it reacts with dark malts to mellow out their harshness.

Word is that you want less than 15 ppm of this stuff in your water. My water report has a space where there should be a number. I've sent an email to find out what the deal is but I don't reckon there'd be heaps. We must remain vigilant however.

Is this right? I have no idea

Both calcium and bicarbonate regulate mash pH which is important because a mash that's too alkaline pretty quickly shuts the action of the enzymes down. An acid mash isn't as much of a problem but it will also reduce the effectiveness of the enzymes. The range for mashing is 5.2-5.4 pH at mash temperatures. A mash on the alkaline side also blunts malt and hop flavours.

The colour of the malts used in the mash will also change the pH level. The darker the malt, the lower the mash pH. Dark beers will sometimes require bicarbonate to get the pH back up into the right range.

If you need to add calcium, then calcium sulfate (gypsum) or calcium chloride are your friends. Which one to use depends on the style of beer and what effect you're after.

Chloride is pretty much fine in any beer. An all-rounder. It highlights bitterness, mellows the flavour and makes for a more clear beer. 1-100 ppm is normal, up to 250 ppm for British Mild Ales.

Sulfate is the player in Burton water and helps out pale hoppy beers. Gives a dry, full flavour and a cleaner bitterness. You want less than 150 ppm if it's not a bitter beer but very bitter beers will happily go 150-350 ppm. IPAs, Pale Ales, German Pilsners are the kinds of beers we're talking about. Pale, dry, crisp beers is the thing.

Magnesium and sodium can also be used but they don't seem to be as important and my attention span has expired. Magnesium is friendly with yeast and helps round out the flavours. It looks like my water is a little low on magnesium and adding a couple of grams would be a good thing.

It looks like my mash pH has probably been a little high for my pale beers. It also seems like I haven't been doing my hops any favours. Hopefully a proper dose of calcium chloride or sulfate will help my beers step up a notch.

I've plugged my Goodwood water numbers into the EZ Water Calculator (which is awesome, by the way) and it looks like I'm going to need to add some calcium chloride and sulfate to every brew but it will vary depending on what effect I'm after. I should also add a couple of grams of epsom salts to get the magnesium into the proper range regardless of what I'm brewing.

I'm also going to get around to testing the pH of my mash. Sometime. Probably.

Want to read about this with less of my nonsense? These are the main things I read to work out what I have so far. Check the links for info of varying degrees of complexity.
1. Key Concepts in Water Treatment by Tony Wheeler (This is gold and most of my summary is ripped from here)
2. Chapter 15 of How to Brew by John Palmer
3. Braukaiser.com on how pH affects brewing and mash pH control (This is gold also)

DIY stir plate

My friend Jon says that the essence of hardcore punk is 'DIY'. I love that as a definition of punk and I like the idea of being a bit handy but I don't have a great DIY track record myself. This is my attempt to build a stir plate, something that will help my yeast starters to grow big and healthy.

It took:

• A PC fan
• A 12v adaptor
• A couple of crazy rare earth magnets
• A LED dimmer (for speed control)
• A plastic container
• Bolts, nuts, washers, blu-tac

I drilled holes in the lid to mount the fan. 4 bolts, each with 3 nuts between the lid and fan to provide a bit of space for the magnets to sit on top of the fan. A couple more holes in the container, one on the end for the speed controller and one on the side for the power chord.

Magnets nicely balanced and spaced for my stir bar

After stripping the wires for the power supply and the fan, they were hooked up to the speed controller.

I attached the magnets to the top of the fan as in the picture. I'd read that some people had difficulty getting them balanced and others had difficulty with spacing the magnets. I wasn't confident to just glue them down and blu-tac made it easy to get it right. It also means that I can easily move the magnets if I get a longer stir bar.

DIY stir plate in action

Pretty simple and totally effective. The bar spins well and stays spinning properly even at full speed. 

Normally, I'll be putting an erlenmeyer flask of wort and a bit of yeast on the stir plate. The idea is that as the magnetic stir bar in the flask spins, it keeps the wort moving and doesn't allow the yeast to fall out of suspension. It helps the yeast to be active and also introduces oxygen into the wort. These are perfect conditions for the yeast to flourish and quickly build up numbers before pitching into a brew.

Can Beer Save America?

Interesting article on the battle between craft brewers and the major brewers in America. If people in general are willing to pay more for better quality beer, it really turns the industry on its head.

The article notes that craft beer has 5.7% of the US market by volume, 9.1% in dollars. We noticed when we were there that craft beer is way more common than in Australia. I got stuck in supermarkets because I had to inspect the whole aisle given almost entirely to craft beer.

In Australia the craft beer market is only around 1% of the total volume and our laws make it harder for craft brewers but even so, the craft industry is growing while overall beer consumption declines.

Bottle dregs

It's not normally worth saving the yeast rich dregs of a beer for later use. You can build a starter from dregs and get decent results but with easy access to healthy, fresh and pure strains of yeast, it makes more sense to buy.

The exception to that is when the bottle of beery goodness you're drinking holds a yeast that you can't buy.

De Ranke XX Bitter, I love you so much

I only recently got my hands on De Ranke's XX Bitter and it was a revelation. Every beer since, part of me has been saying 'Why are you drinking this? Get another De Ranke!' Inspired, I've been planning something in a similar style.

Part of the planning is working out what yeast to use and the internets weren't very helpful for once. Having searched, it looks like they used to use yeast from Rodenbach but since then they've changed and there doesn't seem to be any clarity about what they're using now. The yeast doesn't seem to be as bold as other Belgian beers but there is a nice clove character in there buried under the hop assault and I'd like to at least try it out so to the dregs it is.

Plenty of yeast growth

I boiled up some dried malt extract in water and poured about 150ml into a sanitised erlenmeyer flask. Once it was cool, the De Ranke dregs went in and I covered it with gladwrap. A week later I stepped it up from 180 to 800ml and now it's about ready to go into a brew.

Brewday: 100% Brett Brown Ale

It's taken me ages to get there but I've finally managed to get a 100% brett fermented beer underway. Because it's a world I'm unfamiliar with I adapted a recipe from the Ryan Brews blog. It should be malty and give plenty of room for the yeast to shine.

Packet of goodness

This beer was also fun because I used my home made brown malt for the first time. It's had a few weeks to de-gas so it should be spot on now. It definitely added plenty of colour to the wort, in the fermenter it looks like it's going to be red-black. I'm looking forward to seeing how it tastes.

Recipe:
11.5 litre batch
OG: 1.058
IBU: 23

2.5kg Pale malt
250g Brown malt
200g Acidulated malt
125g Crystal 120ebc
20g Carafa Special III

10g Citra hops @ 60 minutes

The yeast is WY5526 Brettanomyces Lambicus. From what I've read it should give a fruity, black cherry aroma and flavour to the beer.

Brett Brown looking good in the fermenter

Beef and Stout Stew

I had some stewing beef that needed to be used and my Imperial Stout to cook it with. It turned out pretty well so I thought I'd record it for future reference.


Ingredients:
750g cubed gravy beef
2 carrots cut into chunks
2 sliced onions
4 cloves of crushed garlic
330ml of my Imperial Stout
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 handful of barley
Bunch of silverbeet
Salt and pepper

Method:
Brown the beef and set it aside, fry the onions in some oil, added the garlic and cayenne pepper. Then chuck in some beer to deglaze the bottom of the pot, give it a stir and add the rest. Chuck in the carrots and beef and put it into the oven on low heat for as long as it takes for the meat to get tender. Add barley with around 45 minutes to go. Chop the silverbeet and stir it in when it's ready to serve.

I enjoy cooking but haven't done much over the last couple of years. I'll have to learn more about cooking with beer and matching beer and food. Sadly the stocks of my Imperial Stout are running low. I'll have to get brewing again.

Van Diemen Brewing - Hedgerow Autumn Ale

It's so exciting to be able to buy a sour beer that's been brewed in Tasmania! Van Diemen's 2012 Hedgerow Autumn Ale has hit the shelves. The label says that it's aged for 12 weeks on rosehips, hawthorn and sloe berries, partially barrel aged.


Aroma: Berries, some sweetness, strawberry, and definitely a sour edge. It reminds me a bit of the aroma of strawberries mixed with balsamic vinegar.

Appearance: I really love the appearance of this one. It's burnt red in colour with a light haze. Attractive. It pours with a two finger head that settles to a dense 1cm of foam, leaving sheets rather than lacing down the glass.

Flavour: Given the label and the aroma I was looking for sourness but what I found was only a very light sourness. The flavour is dominated by prominent oak and smokey, burnt notes. There's some delicate berry notes underneath that tease but it seems like the malt has been largely subdued by the oak and tannins. It just feels like it's missing a big part of what's meant to be there. I want more berries! Hmmm... perhaps currants in the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: The beer dries on the palate which with the oak/char leaves an astringent taste and feel in the mouth. It has medium carbonation. I thought the beer as a whole might get better as it warmed up but though the berries came out more with a little warmth, the beer felt even more thin.

I really need to get more, better beer glasses

Overall: What kills this beer is that as it beer dries on the palate it emphasises the tannins and makes it astringent. I want this beer to be amazing but it doesn't take me there.

My hunch is that it's ended up with a foot in two camps by not wanting to be too risky. The problem is that the char/oak that comes from the barrel ageing don't combine well with the dry finish. I think it needs to be either more sweet or more sour. The sweetness (just a little) would give it enough body and flavour to counter the oak, perhaps more sour might achieve a similar effect, at least it would give something else to focus on.

I'm a bit disappointed but hopeful that this will just be the first of many Tassie produced sour beers. Well done Van Dieman Brewing for daring to do it. I think I'll pick up another one and let it age for a while to see if it evens out over time.

Brewday: Hefeweizen

It happened like this: I had a packet of the WY3068 Weihenstephaner yeast that was pushing its use-by date and I just received my order from a bulk buy organised through the Aussie Home Brew forum. I had to brew and it had to be a hefeweizen. It was out of my hands.

My old German teacher would not approve, he's not a fan of Bavarians

Weihenstephaner's Hefeweizen was an early part of my craft beer education. In a beer scene that can get pretty silly with stuff like 'I bet I can melt your face with my IBUs' (which I love by the way), these beers just quietly do their thing and do it so well that they're still favourites of mine years later.

I now have ALL the grain

Getting a grain mill changed my life for the better

It's a really simple recipe, the magic comes from the yeast and the job of the brewer is to treat it right and get out of the way. It's 50/50 wheat and pils malt. Thanks to the bulk buy I now have some good German pilsner malt which should help. I used 8g of Tasmanian Hallertau, not very authentic but since it's gone in at 60 minutes and is only contributing 13-14 IBUs I don't think it'll be too much of a problem.

Water nearly ready, just put the bag in place

This was my first attempt at a stepped mash. The idea of a stepped mash is to allow the enzymes active at different temperatures to contribute their thing to the mash process. I'm hoping that it will provide better mouthfeel, a good head, good attenuation and maybe even better efficiency. And everything. Make my beer amazing, please, stepped mash.

First step

The plan was for rests at 55/67/72/78'C and it went ok but my first rest was a bit high and the second (the main rest) lost lots more heat over the hour than normal. It's a pretty cold day in Hobart though so I guess I'm just going to have to factor that in during winter. The other two were spot on. It took quite a bit longer than my normal mashes but I had back to back NBA games to watch so that wasn't a problem. Next time I'll be better prepared and I think it'll go really smoothly.

90 minute boil, hops in with 60 minutes remaining.

Mug-o-hops

At the back, living with the Stout and Brown Ale

Nice and easy. I'm planning on using some of the yeast slurry from this batch for a Dunkelweizen next week. Might as well make the most of it.