Fight for the rights of every man…
Wednesday, December 26, 2018
Ordered Classic American Pilsner kit from Adventures in Homebrewing with SafAle US-05 yeast on a free shipping sale.
Bottling Day – Franziskaner Clone
Sunday, December 16, 2018
Two days of productivity. Back to back.
The Bottles are all washed up and ready for Franz.
This beer is really sediment heavy. Not just in a wheat beer way. It’s got the clay.
Final Gravity: 1.013 – 4.6% ABV (recipe called for 1.012)
I am well pleased with this beer. It is a good clone of the original. The only thing it is missing is the banana off-flavor, which comes from fermenting at a higher temperature. Since it’s winter, it’s only around 66° up in here. If I brewed in the summer time, it would likely be more true to the original.
Brew Day – Gingerbread Brown Christmas Spice Ale
Saturday, December 15, 2018
There was going to be a big snow storm coming last weekend, so I was planning on being trapped in the house. I prepared five gallons of filtered water and added a campden tablet, but then never got around to brewing. The power flickered a few times every few hours, so I didn’t want to risk it. I was lucky, some people were without power for days.
In any case, that water waited for a full week for me to get around to brewing.
The tiny, little bag of gingerbread spice that came in the recipe kit smells fabulous. From a long way away. That’s some pretty potent stuff.
Dan has already brewed this beer and sampled it and said the spice is strong at first, but settled down over time. The spice is only added in the last five minutes of the boil, which may be why it tasted so “raw”.
You may have noticed in this and previous pictures the plastic tubs laying around the brew pot. Those are liquid malt extract (LME) and they are full of thick, caramelized malt extract. “Liquid” in the name is a bit of a stretch. The cook-top gets very hot, like ouchy hot, during this process, and the heat makes them pour more cleanly.
Original Gravity: 1.050 (Recipe calls for 1.045)