Your Beer Wheat (Sorachi Version), Rye Not, and Some Tasty Advice Run Number Two!

So bare with me, I'm still getting used to this whole blogging thing. That being said, in the words of Nick Roy, "Thumbs up, lets do this!"

It has been quite a while since I've last posted. Three batches exactly.

Let's begin with my first 10 gallon batch.

I took one of my standard American Wheat Beer recipes and adjusted it to play around with some new Sorachi Ace hops.

Your Beer Wheat (Sorachi Hopped)

Profile:

OG - 1.051
IBUS - 19.6
FG - 1.010

Yeast
Wyeast 1010

Malt
Rice Hulls - 4.3%
White Wheat Malt - 47.8%
2 Row Pale Malt - 30.4%
6 Row Brewers Malt - 17.4%

Hops
Northern Brewer - First Wort Hop - 8.9 IBU
Cascade - 60 Minutes - 10.7 IBU
Sorachi Ace - 0 Minutes - 1 Oz (Per 5 Gallon Batch)


This turned into a very crisp, lemony, wheat beer that has served its purpose in this sweltering summer. It was one of the most frustrating brews I have done. I had one of the worst stuck-sparges I have ever had, but the numbers turned out just fine, and it made it into a great first 10 gallon batch of beer!

Rye Not?

That same weekend I attacked my first Rye Pale Ale. I wanted something with a bite, something big, and something "In Yo Face".

Profile:

OG - 1.077
IBUS -77.9
FG - 1.016


Malt
Rice Hulls - 2.5%
2 Row Pale Malt - 39.9%
Rye Malt - 19.9%
6 Row Brewers Malt - 15%
White Wheat Malt - 10%
Carapils - 5%
Crysta; 40 - 2.5%
Vienna Malt - 2.5%
Crystal 60 - 1.6%
Munich Malt - 1.2%

Hops
Chinook - First Wort Hop - 29.5 IBUs
Columbus - First Wort Hop - 33.6 IBUs

Citra - 10 Min - 11.6 IBUs

Citra - 5 Min - 3.2 IBUs

Chinook - 0 Min - 1 Oz (6.5 Gallon Batch)

Citra - 0 Min - 1/2 Oz (6.5 Gallon Batch)

Chinook - Dry Hop - .85 Oz (6 Gallon Fermentor)

Citra - Dry Hop - 1 Oz (6 Gallon Fermentor)

This beer...turned...out...AWESOME. It was crispy dry, spicy, floral, spicy, all of these great flavors melded into a complex finishing taste. For the next time I brew this beer, I'm going to try and make the grain bill less muddled, up the Rye a few percent, and bring the OG up a few more points. For such a big beer, it mellowed out quickly and has been drinkable since about 3 and a half weeks old.

Some Tasty Advice - Round Two

  For this brew, I took a pale ale base that I have found to deliver and I wanted to experiment with Simcoe hops for the first time. What I should talk about first is the hop stopper I created for my brew kettle.

I took some copper tubing, bent it towards the bottom of my brew kettle, and cut a metal colander to just rest along the bottom of the brew kettle. It looked overly simple, to the point where it was almost sloppy? But my thought process was if I recirculate the wort before I dump it into the fermentor it will at like a false bottom. Only the brew day will tell how it works!

 

Profile:

OG - 1.049
IBUS -39.1
FG - 1.010


Malt
2 Row Pale Malt - 71.5%
Carapils - 8.9%
Maris Otter - 8.9%
Wheat Malt - 6.7%
Crystal 40 - 3.9%

Hops
Chinook - 60 Min - 21.7 IBU
Simcoe - 15 Min - 10.8 IBU
Cascade - 10 Min - 6.7 IBU
Simcoe - 0 Min - .5 Oz (6.5 Gallon Batch)


This beer is currently ready to be kegged. I can't decide if I want to take half of it and dry hop it with some more Simcoe so I can get an idea of what Simcoe does to the beer as a dry hop character.

 

All the break and hops at the bottom. Worked great!

What I do know is my hop stopper was a success! The break material that was allowed in was minimal!

All I know is that there have been some great beers brewed in the last 2 months and I wish I had more time to brew more.

More beers, brews, and details to come in the future!

Stay tuned!