Brewer's Friend Home Brewing Software

Hops Growth Progress

Judging by my amateur hop yard (out front of the house) different types of hops grow at different speeds. This makes sense based on how many varieties of apples or tomatoes there are, but the variation in my hops was more than I expected. Harvesting everything at once does not appear to be the plan according to the vines. This will make it easier to keep the different varieties organized during harvest.

#1- Hallertau

I am  amazed at the sheer number and size of the cones on this plant. It is going to be a great harvest. I have told my brew neighbors to come by with a bucket and grab some when they are ready.

#2 Cascade

This vine has probably 30 small cones the size of acorns. Not much aroma to the cones yet, they are very moist.

#3 Nugget

Nuggest was early to sprout and grows vigorously but is nowhere near the cone production of Cascade or Hallertau.

#4 Magnum

Still not quite up to the top of the rope yet. Plant looks healthy.

#5 Kent Goldings

This plant was the last to sprout. Last year it was the last to be harvested. Kent Goldings is on the far left in first image. It has not yet reached the top of the rope either.  It seems Kent Goldings is just naturally a few weeks behind the other varieties.

Harvest:

When the cones just start to turn yellow I will begin harvesting.  This will probably happen about a month from now.  The first step is to pick the cones and dry them. I use an old window screen. That process takes 3-4 days in my brewing room. By the end of the process the room smells like hops – delicious. Then I vacuum seal and freeze the hops. I will probably prepackage some for trading with my friends, in 4 oz bags.  I’m pretty sure I won’t be spending very much on hops for brewing in the future.

Brewer’s Friend has another good article on harvesting hops here.

Posted in Hops Growing | 8 Comments »

Deschutes Red Chair NWPA clone home brew recipe

Deschutes made a great beer this year, Red Chair NWPA (North West Pale Ale). Besides Ninkasi, this is really the only beer I would buy from the store again. Naturally, I wanted to make a clone recipe. I think this came pretty close for my first attempt, very drinkable beer.

1/30/2011 Update: Based on my experiments I have updated the recipe on this page.

Grains (all grain):
6.5 lb 2-row Pale
1.0 lb Crystal 20L
0.5 lb Carastan (30L)
1.0 lb Munich
1.0 lb Pilsner
0.5 lb CaraPils

(@ 75% brewhouse efficiency, 5.25 gallon batch)

Grains (extract):
Steep the following for 30 minutes at 150F
0.5 lb Crystal 20L
0.25 lb Carastan 30L
0.5 lb Munich Light
0.5 lb Pilsner

6.5 lb of Light dry malt extract
or
8 lb of Light liquid malt extract

Hops:
Zeus, 1 ounce, 60 minutes
Cascade, 0.5 ounce, 15 minutes
Cascade, 0.5 ounce, 5 minutes
Cascade, 1 ounce, 1 minute (flame out)
Cascade, 1 ounce, dry hop

Yeast:
Wyeast 1098 British Ale Yeast

Style 14B (American IPA) stats:

The beer does not qualify as a Pale Ale according to BJCP standards. The IBU’s are up around 60, clearly putting it into the league of IPAs. The gravity is just barely outside what qualifies as an American IPA.

OG: 1.056 – 1.075
IBUs: 40 – 70
FG: 1.010 – 1.018
SRM: 6 – 15
ABV: 5.5 – 7.5%

This Recipe:
OG: 1.055
IBUs: 66
FG: 1.015
SRM: 7.7
ABV: 5.6%

Fermented in the primary for 19 days at 64-68F, then bottled.

Notes:
I updated this 1/30/2011 based on my second try. The beer is much better than the first attempt.

I would highly recommend dry hopping with cascade, and maybe swapping out some of the Zues bittering hops for Cascade, keeping IBU’s the same.

The color, maltniness, and body are spot on, good head retention, and a beautiful golden amber color.

Do not use Centennial hops in Red Chair! That threw me off. Also in the last batch I had one pound of Carastan malt which added a roasted toffee flavor bite. Cutting back the Carastan helped a lot. I also switched to Wyeast 1098 British Ale Yeast (same as White Labs WLP007 English Dry). It is my new favorite yeast. I have never seen a more compacted yeast cake. The beer was drinkable in 3 weeks!

Thanks to the folks at homebrewtalk for input and disccusion on this recipe:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/deschutes-red-chair-nwpa-knockoff-recipe-construction-160178/

More information about Red Chair NWPA:
https://www.deschutesbrewery.com/brews/seasonal-ales/red-chair-nwpa/default.aspx

Posted in Recipes | 30 Comments »

The Art of Tasting Beer

Home brew is a thing to be appreciated. Guzzling is not allowed. Sucking through a hose upside down, also not allowed. This applies even to the epic “first batch” which usually tastes good only to the person who made it.

1) Pour

If the beer is coming out of the bottle, make sure to decant it. This does not apply for kegged beer. Bottled home brew almost always has sediment, unless the beer was filtered which is a time consuming expensive process.

To properly pour home brew, hold the beer and the glass at 45 degree angles and slowly let the beer ease into the glass. Do not up end the bottle. Yeast will have settled in the bottom of the bottle and you don’t want that in your glass. FYI – brewer’s yeast can be a natural laxitive. A practiced pourer can stop at the last instant and get all of the beer and none of the sediment. I keep my eye on the neck of the bottle and watch for a dark cloud heading towards the glass. Usually about a ¼” of sediment is left in the bottle. I immediately rinse and scrub out my bottles with a brush kept next to the kitchen sink.

2) Look

The first thing you want to do when drinking beer is to look at it. Note the color, the bubbles, the head. Is it hazy, cyrstal clear, is there junk floating in it?

3) Smell

Before drinking, smell the beer. Deeply inhale with your eyes closed. Do not make yourself light headed. Note the aromatic qualities, which could be fruity, earthy, roasted, etc. Some styles should have certian qualities, for example porters have a roasted quality, some may be ‘nutty’. American pale ale’s might have a citrusy note (from the cascade / centenial hops). While a German lager would have an almost floury smell from the nobel hops. Beers with a high alcohol content > 10-12% will almost burn the nostrels. If it smells like ammonia, week old dung, or goats, look out.

In competitions, judges smell the beer first, then analyze color, head and carbonation.

4) Taste

Take in an average sized mouthful. Keep it in your mouth for a few seconds covering your tongue.  Swallow then wait a bit for the next sip. In tasting there are three things to consider, the initial hit on your tounge, the finish during swallowing, and the after taste, which stays around.

For beginners, contrast an IPA with a pale ale, it should be fairly obvious how the IPA biterness first hits your tougue, how the finish is richer in the IPA, and how the bitter after taste is substantially stronger in the IPA. Another good comparison is betwen Guiness and a micro brew stout, they should be very different, though they are techncially the same style.

5) Mouth Feel

Mouth feel has a lot to do with carbonation, the types of sugars present, and temperature. For example, compare a beer on nitro with a beer on CO2, or a dunkle larger to a stout. The more sugars there are in the beer, the less crisp, and the more creamy it will feel. Nitro makes a beer extremely creamy.

6) Belch

After writing the first five steps, I realize I may come across as a beer snob. That is NOT the case. If it pleases you and your company, belch loudly. Don’t bother analyzing the flavor, unless you are also tasting that spicy burrito you had for dinner for a second time. I belch with a fist pull!

Posted in Fun | 4 Comments »

Oregon Brewing Clubs Get Screwed

This sucks! Home brew clubs in Oregon are no longer allowed to have home brew at their meetings! Public beer and wine competitions, like those commonly held at the state and county fairs are now considered illegal too. What a bummer for us home brewers… The clubs can live on, but they have to be ‘dry’. Takes all the fun out of it, and the chance to learn and share about brewing (which is the whole point). The Oregon law had been on the books for 30 years, but it was not enforced or interpreted in this way until now.

The Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) and the Oregon Department of Justice have decided to shut down beer and wine competitions, and remove home brew from home brew clubs. Excerpt from the law:

‘No person shall brew, ferment, distill, blend or rectify any alcoholic liquor unless licensed so to do by the Oregon Liquor Control Commission. However, the Liquor Control Act does not apply to the making or keeping of naturally fermented wines and fruit juices or beer in the home, for home consumption and not for sale.’” https://www.leg.state.or.us/ors/471.html

The problem with the competitions and home brew clubs is, the home brew is taken out of the home, and then consumed by the ‘public’. Sounds down right naughty doesn’t it?? People, sharing home brew and discussing it?? Under the law, even though the home brew is not sold, it is still illegal to have members of the ‘public’ drink the home made alcoholic beverages. Judges are considered members of the public under the new interpretation as well.

This means it is illegal to drink home brew anywhere in Oregon, except at home.

In order to get home brew clubs, and beer/wine competitions going again, the state legislature would have to amend the law. Oregon has some pretty big budget items to address this year, so we can only hope for the best.

Interestingly enough, competitions for canned preserves, pies, etc are still legal at fairs. It is the mystique of alcohol that causes all the trouble for brewers and vintners. If the argument is for public safety, there are more dangerous strains of diseases in improperly canned foods than in a bad batch of home brew.

For the clubs in Portland, Oregon that are impacted, I predict new brewing clubs will be formed just over the river in Vancouver, Washington!

For more details, go to:
https://www.kval.com/news/business/97335294.html

Posted in Announcements | 12 Comments »

Blonde Ale Summer Brew

This Blonde Ale is a home brew thirst quencher perfect for summer time. I plan to serve it ice cold on tap for days when it gets above 80F. I named the brew after my wife as she has the most beautiful blonde hair. The Cascade and Mt Hood are a nice light combination, with the Mt. Hood imparting a light spicyness. The Vienna malt gives a sublte honey sweetness. If you want to make it even lighter, use less hops.

The style is BJCP 6B – Blond Ale:

I bought a busshel of Pilsner malt (55 lb) about a year and a half ago. I have been using it for Lagers. I want to use up the Pilsner malt before it spoils so I made an ale.

Grains:

8 lb Pilsner
1 lb Vienna
1 lb CaraPils
(@ 75% brewhouse efficiency)

Hops:

Mt Hood, ½ ounce, 60 minutes
Cascade, ½ ounce, 30 minutes
Cascade, ½ ounce, 5 minutes
Mt Hood, ½ ounce, 5 minutes

Yeast:

American or British Ale Yeast – Kolsch would work well.

I used British II Wyeast 1335 because I had it on hand and was pitching it forward (for free). I think this yeast is better for darker beers now that I am tasting the first few samples, but time will tell.

Style 6B stats:

OG: 1.038 – 1.054
IBUs: 15 – 28
FG: 1.008 – 1.013
SRM: 3 – 6
ABV: 3.8 – 5.5%

This Recipe:

OG: 1.044
IBUs: 24
FG: 1.008
SRM: 3.2
ABV: 4.5%

Fermented in the primary for 35 days at 64-68F, then kegged.

Posted in Recipes | 1 Comment »

Water Volume Management in All Grain Brewing

How to hit your target wort volume spot on.

There are several factors that go into how much water is lost during the brewing process from mash to fermentor.

1) Grain Absorption: Figure 1/2 quart per pound of grain. This comes out to ~1 pint (0.125 gallons) / pound of grain. Some reports are as high as 0.2 gallons per pound.

During the mash process the grains soak up water. This water is not transfered to the kettle when lautering. Make sure if you do a high gravity batch to account for this. My last big batch was a little short on wort volume and grain absorption is exactly why.

2) Mash Tun Dead Space: Dead space varies by equipment. Some of the water / sweet wort is left behind because of the shape of the mash tun or location of the valve.

I estimate 2 quarts (0.5 gallon) in my cooler mash tun.

3) Boil Off / Evaporation Rate: This depends on how vigorous of a boil and the shape of the kettle. The average is around 1.5 gallons (6 quarts) per hour. If the kettle is narrow (like a keggle), expect ~1 gallon per hour, or short and wide, as high as ~2.5 gallons / hour. If you are brewing with Pilsner malt and want to do a 90 minute boil to drive off DMS (which I do on my lagers), make sure to account for the extra boil time.

4) Trub loss: Water absorbed by hops or adjuncts. I estimate 1/2 quart (0.125 gallons).

5) Wort Shrinkage: When the wort cools it looses some volume (4% is standard). This is minor in a 5 gallon batch, about 0.8 qt in a 5 gallon batch, and 1.6 qt in a 10 gallon batch.

Example Calculation 1:
How much starting water is needed to make a 5 gallon batch given, a) 10 pounds of grain, b) 60 minute boil? I shoot for 5.5 gallons of wort, to allow for samples, losses in the fermentor and bottling bucket. It is easier to work in quarts for water volume measurements.

5.5 gallons wort = 22 quarts
Grain losses = 5 qt (10 pounds * 0.5 qt/pound)
Dead Space = 2 qt
Boil off = 6 qt (1.5 gallons/ hr)
Trub loss = 0.5 qt
Shrinkage = 0.8 qt

Total input water: 36.3 quarts, or 9.08 gallons.

Example Calculation 2:
How much starting water is needed to make a 10 gallon batch given, a) 25 pounds of grain, b) 90 minute boil? Let’s go for 11 gallons total.

11 gallons wort = 44 quarts
Grain losses = 12.5 qt (25 pounds * 0.5 qt/pound)
Dead Space = 2 qt
Boil off = 9 qt (1.5 gallons/ hr)
Trub loss = 0.5 qt
Shrinkage = 1.6 qt

Total input water: 69.6 quarts, or 17.4 gallons.

Figure out your mash tun dead space and your boil off rate, and you will be able to hit your target volume spot on every time!

Posted in Brewing | 10 Comments »

Spring Cleaning and Updates

Many updates were made to the site based on feedback from visitors:

1) Extract and partial mash brew day check lists now include a reminder to make sure all equipment is on hand. Thank you Matt for sending in that comment!

2) All brew day checklists and recipe templates have been made unit independent. They used to read pounds or ounces, which left out our brewing friends around the world who use European units. Quantities of weight simply say ‘amount’ now. When a temperature is listed both Fahrenheit and Celsius are specified. Thank you Guillermo for that comment!

3) The calculators on the site have been updated with a new grain list. There were approximately 30 grains added to the list. Thank you to Brian, Jeff, Aaron, Del, and Chris for writing in!

4) IBU calculator now accepts 5 digits as inputs for amounts.

Posted in Announcements | 3 Comments »

Second Year Hops Growth Amazes Me

The second year hops have really taken off. It is only the end of May, and two of the plants have already grown 10 feet! I am amazed at how quickly they have grown this month given we only had a few days of nice weather. For the most part is has been cloudy, grey, and 55F the whole month of May.

This should give hops growers who recently planted a better idea of what they can expect to see in subsequent years. My guess is the yield of cones will be much larger this year too.

The two that are doing the best are Nugget and Cascade.

Magnum and Kent Goldings are the shortest at less than a foot. The Hallertau is doing well at about 3 feet.

At this point, the plants are practically zero maintenance. I have gone past and trimmed off the straggler shoots, leaving the two strongest to grow up the rope. I’m using a thick twine for some, and just regular twine for others. Watering has not been an issue because it has been so wet.

Posted in Hops Growing | No Comments »

Beer Glass Cabinet in Brewery

The latest addition to the brewery is a custom beer glass cabinet.  It is made of mahogany and red oak paneling.  I inherited a melamine cabinet from a neighboor friend, face framed it, added panels, added a shelf, and built the doors.  

In total the project was  under $10 out of pocket because the cabinet was free and the wood was from pieces that had been collecting dust in the shop.  All I had to buy was the hinges. The cabinet is positioned above the keezer, such that the keezer can still be opened without interference. It took several measurements in advance to get it just right.

It is convenient to have the beer glasses on hand next to the keezer. This cabinet freed up a considerable amount of shelf space in the kitchen.  It also makes use of dead wall space above the keezer.

For stability, the cabinet is mounted to the wall with a French cleat.  Attached to the cabinet horizontally there is a 45 degree angled piece of wood.  The wall has a companion 45 degree angled piece mounted to the wall.  When the cabinet rests on the cleat, gravity takes care of locking it in place. I also use heavy screws to secure everything. See diagram below:

I may add a wall mount bottle opener to the brewery in the future.

This is one of my favorite beer quotes:

“Beer is proof that god loves us and wants us to be happy.” – Benjamin Franklin

Posted in Fun | No Comments »

Hops and Dogs

Here’s a friendly notification to all brewers who own dogs:

If a dog eats hops it can be fatal!

A study conducted by the National Animal Poison Control Center, University of Illinois in Urbana in 1995 showed this to be true. Of the eight dogs, seven were Greyhounds, one was a Labrador Retriever, all cases were fatal. The dogs had ingested spent hops. Dogs are attracted to the sweet wort covering the hops.   Cases of dogs eating raw hops and getting sick or dieing have been reported on brewing forums, but this appears to be rare and no studies have been done.

When a dog eats hops the onset of Malignant Hyperthermia occurs. Not to be confused with hypothermia, hyperthermia means the dog’s body overheats uncontrollably (2 degrees Fahrenheit every five minutes). The dog will begin panting heavily, display a rapid heart rate, and may have muscle spasms. This page has a report on how a dog was treated by a veterinarian in 2002 for such an incident: https://www.bme.ogi.edu/~ericwan/DOG/hops.html.

Types of dogs that have been impacted:

• Greyhound
• Labrador Retriever
• Golden Retriever

Other breeds are likely susceptible to hops toxicity.

The best way to prevent against a dog eating hops is not to compost the spent hops or trub. Put the spent hops and trub in the trash or down the garbage disposal. Another approach is to setup a composting box so the dog can’t get into it.

When it comes to growing hops, if you want to be extra careful, plant them in an area the dog is not allowed in. If your dog is a digger or chewer pay extra attention to where the vines are planted. Also be careful during harvest when the cones are being collected and potentially dropped on the ground. A relative of mine has a dog and grows two hop vines in the back yard. This particular dog has an addiction to playing fetch and has never shown an interest in the vines or the hops.

Posted in Hops Growing | 16 Comments »