Smoke em if you got em.

I harvested the yeast cakes (830,835) from my Swartzbier and continued the yeast experiment with a Rauchbier. The grain bill is 48% smoked malt.

I always enjoy a beer with smoke malt but never have gone this high of a percentage of smoked malt.
Both are fermenting away nicely after a strong healthy pitch.

Doing it in the Dark

I had a bunch of lager yeast *830, 835) left from my Lady Luck Lager, so I made an over the top Swartzbier from Jamil Zainasheff called "Doing it in the Dark". It's supposed to be an over the top for the style, but I'm expecting good things.

Normal brew day 11/4/12 - no issues.
Split fermentation 830 and 835.

Hmm... what to do with lager yeast with roasty overtones?
I smell something smokey coming...

Lady Luck Lager - take 2 (Updated)

I liked my five gallon yeast experiment between 830 and 835 so much I decided I had to do it again.
The five gallons went pretty quick...

This time I made a 10 gallon batch and split between 830 and 835. I added carafoam to this grain bill.
the grain bill is (pils, sauer, Munich, melanoidin). Hallertau for bittering and Tettnang for  aroma.

This should complete the Christmas Eve beer menu preparations.

Updated - Based on previous fermentation experiments 830 is my favorite German strain.
 835 - Lager X is a very clean yeast compared to 830.
We'll see how the two yeast compare in different German beer styles in a few weeks.

Tasting notes: 835 is cleaner, but 830 seems to be a better beer with this recipe. Two more recipes to judge in the weeks to come...

Saison - WLP585 - Saison III

Made a saison today and pitched a new yeast WLP585. We'll see if it's as good as the Dupont strain.
Some like the french saison but I don't care for it.

Wine anyone?

Stopped at the brew store on Monday to pick up some yeast for this weekend's brew session and picked up 5 gallons of Reisling and 5 gallons of Merlot juice. I decided to try making some wine.
So we'll see what happens in a year...

Sweetzel Brown Ale

Sweetzel Brown Ale

Brewed my sweetzel brown ale today  (10/6/12-this post is a few days late). Things didn't quite go as planned.

Started transferring the mash to kettle and walked inside. Come out a few minutes later and see that I didn't have the kettle ball valve closed so half my runnings are on the patio.

Oh well, looks like I'm mashing again.

Started the second mash and things went much better.

The perfect beer for a Halloween party in a few weeks.

Here's to dry cookie'ing.

Stout and Oud Bruin

I brewed yesterday an Irish Dry Stout and an Oud Bruin. 

The oud Bruin was fermented with AL's Bug Farm VI from East Coast yeast.

The Irish Dry stout was fermented with WLP001 and I replaced the Flaked Barley with 1# of flaked rye.

I also took 1/2 gallon of Oud Bruin wort and pitched the dregs of a Jolly Pumpkin Firefly. The Firefly was a recently bottled beer so it really wasn't too sour. 

I now have a few 1/2 gallon batches of sours going in the hopes of getting some cultures going.

Russian River, Fantome, Jolly Pumpkin.

I also have 4 5 gallon batches of White labs, Wyeast, East Coast yeast sours fermenting.