Pannotia White IPA 2021

Posted on August 29, 2021 by Andy Farke

It’s been two years since I last brewed my white IPA (the original hazy IPA!), so now is as good of a time as any to make it again. The recipe I used this year isn’t too far off from my previous one.

Pannotia White IPA 2021

6.75 lb. Viking 2-row Xtra pale malt
2.5 lb. white wheat malt (Briess)
1 lb. white wheat malt (Great Western)
1.5 lb. Viking Pilsner Zero Malt
1 lb. flaked wheat
0.75 lb. flaked oats
0.5 lb. rice hulls
1 oz. Amarillo hop pellets (9.5% alpha), 60 minute boil
0.25 oz. Magnum hop pellets (10.1% alpha), 60 minute boil
2.62 g (1 tsp.) WLN1000 yeast nutrient (White Labs), 5 minute boil
0.35 oz. bitter orange peel, 1 minute boil
0.15 oz. coriander seed, 1 minute boil
1 oz. Amarillo hop pellets (9.5% alpha), 10 minute whirlpool
1 oz. Citra hop pellets (12.8% alpha), 10 minute whirlpool
1 oz. Galaxy hop pellets (13.4% alpha), 10 minute whirlpool
1 pkg. Whiteout Belgian Ale Yeast (Imperial Yeast #B44)
1 oz. Citra hop pellets (12.8% alpha), dry hop in keg
1 oz. Galaxy hop pellets (13.4% alpha), dry hop in keg
1 oz. Mosaic hop pellets (11.2% alpha), dry hop in keg

Target Parameters

1.062 o.g., 1.015 f.g., 6.2% abv, 60 IBU, 4 SRM
60 minute full volume mash at 152°, with mash-out at 168°
Claremont tap water, with 8 g gypsum

Procedure

I mashed in with 7.5 gallons of water at 159°, to hit a mash temperature of 152°. I added 5.5 mL of 88% lactic acid to adjust the pH.
After 60 minutes (with recirculation), I raised the temperature to 168° and held it there for 10 minutes, before removing the grains.
In total, I collected 6.3 gallons of runnings with a gravity of 1.051, for 64% mash efficiency.
I added the gypsum to the kettle and brought the runnings to a boil, adding hops and finings per the recipe. After a 60 minute boil, I turned off the heat, whirlpooled the final hop addition, and then chilled down to around 75°, before transferring to the fermenter.
I chilled the wort the rest of the way down to ~66°, before pitching the yeast.
I brewed this beer on 15 May 2021, and fermented at 66°. Starting gravity was 1.058.
On 24 May 2021, I raised the fermenter to ambient, around 75°.
On 29 May 2021, I kegged the beer. Final gravity was 1.015, which works out to 5.7% abv. I added the hops in a bag, and chilled the beer down to 33°, removing the hops on 1 June 2021.

Tasting

Appearance
- Light gold, with a moderate haze that has dropped fairly clear over the weeks it was on tap. The beer pours with a frothy and persistent white head.
Aroma
- Light citrus hop character, with spicy yeast phenols and light coriander.
Flavor
- The beer has an up-front citrus bitterness with citrus zest and pithy character. There is a light malty/doughy malt character, and a nice spicy yeast character as appropriate for a Belgian wit yeast.
Mouthfeel
- The beer has a medium-light body, moderate carbonation, and a dry finish. It’s pretty good!
Would I brew this again?
- Yep! This is a nice recipe. The beer is best before too much yeast settles out, and I think it would be tasty with a touch more carbonation, but even after a month or two in the keg, it’s still a very drinkable beer.
Overall
- 9/10

Schell’s Pilsner Clone 2021

Posted on August 28, 2021 by Andy Farke

I brew this recipe from time to time, and have enjoyed it pretty well so far. It’s a nice German pils to have around, and has a wonderfully simple approach. This year’s edition is generally the same as in past years, although I used all-Sterling as the hop, rather than a mix of Mt. Hood and Sterling, and I have a different brand of base malt.

Schell’s Pilsner Clone 2021

11 lb. Viking 2-row Xtra Pale Malt
0.25 lb. Carapils (Briess)
0.75 oz. Sterling hop pellets (7.4% alpha), 60 minute boil
0.5 oz. Sterling hop pellets (7.4% alpha), 20 minute boil
1 g BruTanB, 10 minute boil
1.3 oz. Sterling hop pellets (7.4% alpha), 5 minute boil
1 Whirlfloc tablet, 5 minute boil
1 pkg. German Lager yeast (WLP830), in 2L starter
1.25 oz. Sterling hop pellets (7.4% alpha), 3 day dry hop

Target Parameters

1.050 o.g., 1.006 f.g., 5.9% abv, 35 IBU, 4 SRM
60 minute full volume mash, with 40 minutes at 144° and 10 minutes at 158°
Claremont tap water

Procedure

I mashed in with 7.3 gallons of water at 150°, adding 7 mL of 88% lactic acid, and recirculated at a mash temperature of 144° for 40 minutes.
Next, I raised the mash temperature to 158°, holding it there for 10 minutes.
Finally, I raised the mash to 168° for 10 minutes, before removing the grains.
In total, I collected 6.4 gallons of runnings with a gravity of 1.044, for 68% mash efficiency.
I brought the kettle to a boil, adding hops and finings per the schedule. After 60 minutes, I turned off the heat and chilled, transferred, and finished chilling to 48°. I oxygenated with pure O2 for 40 seconds before pitching the yeast.
I started with ~5.25 gallons of beer in the fermenter and an original gravity of 1.050.
I brewed the beer on 1 May 2021.
I began fermentation at 50°, and raised the temperature to 52° on 8 May 2021. I raised the temperature to 60° on 26 May 2021, and cold crashed on 26 May 2021. My fermentation chamber broke(!) on 1 June 2021, so the beer was at ~65° for around 24 hours. I got it back cold on 2 June 2021, and added the dry hops on 5 June 2021.
I kegged the beer on 12 June 2021, adding 1 tsp. of gelatin heated to 156° in 3/4 cup of water.
Final gravity was 1.010, which works out to 5.2% abv.

Tasting

Appearance
- This is a light gold/yellow beer that pours brilliantly clear, with a persistent creamy head.
Aroma
- The beer has a light, spicy hop note, and a crackery malt note.
Flavor
- It has a prominent bitterness, with a crisp and clean hop character. The bitterness is a bit over the top, and the water has a mineral-type (almost salty) character. Paired with the right food it does OK, but it is a bit too bitter on its own. The malt is light and crackery; very simple, but nice. Yeast profile is quite clean.
Mouthfeel
- Medium-light body, moderate carbonation, slightly dry finish.
Would I brew this again?
- Yes, but next time I’m going to do better on the water profile. I think using tap water was a mistake here, especially without more adjustments to knock out carbonates, etc. The bitterness is just too much, which is unfortunate! In going back through my notes, all past iterations have built up from RO water, and I think I’ll do that again next time. Everything else works pretty well, and I suppose the bitterness is within the upper bounds of a German pils, so I can’t ding it too much. I might also try going back to the Mt. Hood+Sterling hop combo, just to give it a touch more interest in the hops.
Overall
- 6/10

What’s Brewing? July / August 2021 Edition

Posted on August 25, 2021 by Andy Farke

These summer months have been busy with travel, which means not a lot of brewing (or homebrew sampling) has happened. Towards the end of August, I’m just starting to dip my toes back into the waters.

Beer Batch Updates

I brewed, kegged, and am now conditioning the 2021 edition of “Mow the Damn Lawn,” a light (?lite) American lager.
Two weekends ago, I made a new batch of my Raspberry Belgian, with a kettle sour, boil, and then fermentation. It should be ready to keg in a few days.
I’m doing a third brew of my Orange Summer Wheat Ale, for a homebrew club event. It’s a great recipe, and is easy (and popular) enough that I’ve made a few batches of it this year. I brewed the beer last weekend, and now it’s fermenting away. In a week or so, I’ll keg it and add the orange zest tincture.
Last weekend, I brewed a Voss kviek-based American IPA, to see if I can get a bit better beer with some different hops. The last IPA I made with Voss was meh, and so I figured a new version is worth a try.

What’s On Tap?

I’ve blown through my Schell’s Pilsner Clone as well as my Pannotia White IPA, and need to write those up for this blog!
The second brew (this year) of my orange wheat ale is on tap. What a drinkable, tasty summer beer! I made this version with the dry K-97 yeast (instead of a liquid American wheat yeast), and it’s pretty great. I think I found a great yeast alternative!
Dunkel-Osteus 2021 is also on tap right now; it’s pretty good, although is maybe a touch past its very prime now.

What’s Coming Up?

I plan to do a hefeweizen in a week or so, just because it’s an enjoyable style while the weather is still warm.

Other Notes

I’ve got another batch of sauerkraut going, because the last batch (packaged back in June) is about 3/4 gone.

Soda Syrup Recipes

Posted on June 13, 2021 by Andy Farke

Although beer brewing is the main focus of my beverage-based creativity, I also enjoy making non-alcoholic drink syrups. I’ve perfected a strawberry soda recipe I’m quite happy with, and also have a ginger beer syrup that works very well. I often get asked to pass these recipes along, so I’m going to compile them in a post here for future reference.

All of these syrups are completely non-alcoholic. “Traditional” recipes (such as ones for ginger beer) use natural carbonation, but I prefer to make a concentrated syrup and then mix it with sparkling water. This gives me a bit more control and consistency on the carbonation level, ensures there is absolutely no alcohol in the beverage, and reduces the sometimes yeasty flavor you get from natural carbonation.

Strawberry Syrup

Ingredients
- 1.5 cups strawberries (cut up roughly)
- 0.9 cups sugar (white or demerera)
- 0.25 cups fresh-squeezed lemon juice
- 0.65 cups water
Procedure
- Simmer all ingredients for 15 minutes, mashing strawberries as it comes to a simmer.
- After 15 minutes, strain through a fine mesh strainer and transfer the syrup to a container. The strawberry sludge left over in the strainer makes a great ice cream topping or spread on bread.
- Mix ~1 to 2 oz. of syrup with 6 to 8 oz. of sparkling water, or to taste.

Ginger Syrup

This recipe is very heavily modified from an Alton Brown recipe on The Food Network website. The original version didn’t have nearly enough ginger for my taste; it’s worth experimenting to find what works for you.
Just the standard “grocery store ginger” works really well, although you can try out galangal or other gingers if you like.
Thanks to my buddy Peter K. for turning me on to this recipe.
Ingredients
- Mid-sized ginger root, peeled and grated
- 3/4 cup sugar (white or demerera; I usually use demerera)
- 3/4 cup water
- 2 tbs. freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice
Procedure
- Bring the ginger, sugar, and water to a boil, and let sit for an hour.
- Strain into a container, and add the lemon (or lime) juice.
- Mix ~1.5 oz. of syrup with 6 to 8 oz. of sparkling water, or to taste.
- This is delicious on its own, or you can use it as a mixer for other drinks.

Juniper Syrup

This recipe is modified off of one from Imbibe magazine. I reduced the sugar a bit, and added rosemary–that last ingredient really helped the syrup to “pop,” and brought it a bit closer to a gin-like character. This works really well in a juniper & tonic!
Ingredients
- 3 tbs. dried juniper berries, crushed
- Peel from one orange
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 3 green cardamom pods, crushed
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
Procedure
- Bring the juniper berries, orange peel, rosemary, cardomom, and water to a simmer, simmering for 15 minutes.
- Add the sugar, stir to dissolve, and then transfer the hot mixture (berries and all) to a jar.
- Steep overnight in the refrigerator, and then strain into a jar.
- Mix ~1.5 oz. of syrup with 6 to 8 oz. of sparkling water, or to taste.

Tonic Syrup

In our house, this serves primarily as a mixer for gin & tonic, although it also works really well for a non-alcoholic juniper & tonic drink.
For a full post on the stuff, check out my previous article.

What’s Brewing? June 2021 Edition

Posted on June 12, 2021 by Andy Farke

My previous What’s Brewing post was cutting it close to the finish line for the end of the month, so I’m aiming to get this one done a bit more ahead of the curve. There has been a moderate amount of activity in the brewery since then, and also on the “other fermentables” front.