Batch #8 - American Pale Ale (REVISITED), (Extract, Full-Boil, Non-kit)

Custom caps from BottleMark.com

For batch #8 I'm going to quit "playing the field" so-to-speak and really try to perfect my extract American Pale Ale recipe before moving on.  While the original APA batch (#6) was probably the best so far it's still not what I would consider stellar.  I've learned a lot from the previous 7 batches but I think the best way to really pinpoint was it working (or not) is to keep the variables to a minimum and really laser focus on one recipe.

My American Pale Ale should be a pretty easy recipe to pull off as it is fairly basic and the alcohol levels should not overwhelm the yeast before it does its job.  Following are some lessons I learned the first time I tried this recipe that I will incorporate into this batch:

• Start with a pre-boil water level of 5.7 gallons (not 5.5 as before) as prescribed by BeerSmith.  Side note: Full-boils make a big difference in taste.
• STRAIN this batch!  I didn't do this with the last batch and the amount of trub bothered me.
• Consider using a blow-off tube so the airlock doesn't go dry.
• Use the hydrometer and keep your results for reference.
• Aerate well.  See HERE for instructions.  Going to employ a wort aeration system for this batch.
• Pay close attention to fermentation temperatures - keep them constant.  Shoot for 67-68 degrees.
• This style probably does not require a yeast starter as the specifications on the Wyeast site indicate it can handle a full batch based on my style stats.  Follow these instructions carefully IF you do not use a yeast starter.
• Don't be so anxious to transfer to secondary.  Let the yeast do it's job.  Use a hydrometer to assess when/if it is time to go to secondary.

Ingredients:

• 6 lbs. Light Dry Malt Extract (DME) - Munton's Light
• .5 lbs. 2-Row
• .5 lbs. Munich
• .25 lbs. Pale Malt 20L
• .25 lbs. Pale Malt 40L
• .5 lbs. Carapils
• 1 oz. Centennial Hops for bittering (60 mins.)
• .5 oz. Cascade Hops for bittering (40 mins.)
• .5 oz. Cascade Hops for flavor (30 mins.)
• .5 oz Cascade Hops for aroma (20 mins.)
• 1.5 oz. Cascade Hops for aroma (dry hop)
• 1 Whirlfloc tablet (an Irish Moss product) during last 15 minutes of boil.
• Yeast - American Ale from Wyeast #1056
• 5 oz. Corn Sugar (Dextrose) for priming (bottle conditioning)
• 6 gallons of drinking water
• 20 lb. bag of ice for chilling the wort

Process:

1. Bring 5.7 gallons of water up to a temperature of approximately 158 degrees.
2. Pour all of the crushed grain into a grain sock and submerge in water for 20 minutes to steep. Maintain a temperature between 150-165 degrees for steeping.  Be careful not to let temperature rise to 170 or above to prevent off flavors from being introduced.
3. Remove grain sock and allow excess water to drip back into pot.  (Do not squeeze.)
4. Bring wort to a gentle rolling boil, remove from heat and add all of the Light Dry Malt Extract and stir vigorously to dissolve.  Return to heat and resume boil.
5. Add hops according to boil schedule above.
6. Add 1 Whirlfloc tablet (an Irish Moss product) during last 15 minutes of boil.
7. Chill wort to 70 degrees or less and transfer to primary fermentation (strain).
8. Take OG reading with hydrometer - target is 1.056.
9. Optional - add clean (boiled) water to get OG to target range.
10. Pitch yeast.  Follow these instructions:
1. To Activate, locate and move inner packet to a corner. Place this area in palm of one hand and firmly smack the package with the other hand to break the inner nutrient packet. Confirm the inner packet is broken.
2. Shake the package well to release the nutrients.
3. Allow the package to incubate and swell for 3 hours or more (it is not necessary for this package to fully swell before use) at 70-75°F (21-24°C).   
4. Use sanitizing solution to sanitize the package before opening.
5. Shake well, open and pour the Activator™ into 5 gallons of well aerated or oxygenated wort up to 1.060 OG at 65-72°F (18-22°C). Maintain temperature until fermentation is evident by CO₂ bubble formation, bubbling airlock or foaming on top of wort. For high gravity or low temperature fermentations additional yeast may be required.
6. Adjust to desired fermentation temperature.
11. Ferment in primary for 4-7 days or LONGER.  Use your hydrometer to determine when it is ready to move.  Don't rely on airlock activity.
12. Take second specific gravity reading.
13. Move to secondary fermentation when ready for an additional 10 days or more.
14. Take final specific gravity reading to ensure fermentation has ceased.
15. Prepare priming sugar by boiling 2 cups of water and adding 5 oz. of priming sugar.   Be careful not to scorch.  Boil for 3-5 minutes and add to bottling bucket.  Stir for 1 minute.
16. Transfer wort to bottling bucket and bottle.
17. Bottle condition for approximately 30 days.

Notes, Results and Lessons Learned:

• Brew Day - March 25, 2012
• Transfer to secondary fermentation - April 15, 2012 (dry hopped) - 3 weeks in Primary.
• Bottling Day - April 25, 2012 - 10 days in Secondary.
• Fermentation temperature (range) - Remained constant at 66 degrees.
• Estimated Original Gravity after boil - 1.057
• Actual Original Gravity - 1.080
• Estimated Final Gravity - 1.012
• Actual Final Gravity - 1.020
• Estimated ABV - 5.9%
• Actual ABV - 7.9%
• What was done differently for this batch compared to the last one of the same style?
• Employed a wort aeration system to try and ensure a full fermentation.
• Hops schedule changed.
• Deleted amber malt and used a 2 lb. grain bill suggested by my local home brew supply store.
• OG was much higher than planned.  Forgot to add additional water.  I think there was more boil-off than I anticipated.
• Tasted the wort when it was transferred to Secondary and it was surprisingly good.

The Verdict:
I cracked open a bottle on May 9th which meant 14 days in the bottle.  Carbonation was fine.  As for taste, like many of the previous batches, it was certainly not bad but still not where I want it to be.  It has a sweetness to it that I attribute to an incomplete fermentation.  The final gravity was much higher that it was supposed to be.  I will go through this batch and enjoy it for what it is but I am on a quest to produce that batch of homebrew that makes me say, "Finally, this is IT!".

Related articles

• How (and why) to Make a Yeast Starter (andyslusher.blogspot.com)
• Homebrew Batch #6 Notes - American Pale Ale (Full-boil, non-kit) (andyslusher.blogspot.com)
• How (and why) to Aerate Your Wort (andyslusher.blogspot.com)

How (and why) to Aerate Your Wort

Let's start out with WHY we should aerate our wort.  Aeration is really about helping the yeast.  Because yeast plays such a critical role in the overall success of our home brew we want to pay special attention to it and create an ideal environment for it to thrive.

Yeast needs several things to work well and do its job.  First, it needs food.  Yeast feeds off of the fermentable sugars in the wort and in the process converts it to CO2 and alcohol.  Next, it needs to be able to work within the proper temperatures for its particular style.  Many ale yeast strains work best around 68 degrees Fahrenheit.  Finally, yeast needs OXYGEN which brings us to WHY we need to aerate our wort.

It is often written that the best things we can do to improve the quality of our home brew is to do full-boils of our wort*, control fermentation temperatures and take special care with sanitation.  All very useful and practical suggestions but I submit that aerating your wort ranks just as high in importance.

*Note: While full-boils of your wort can significantly increase the quality of your beer they also greatly deplete the amount of oxygen naturally contained in the water thus further increasing the need to aerate.

Let's take a look at what happens with under-oxygenated wort:

1. Long Lag Times.  This will be one of the first problems you may notice if your wort has not been properly aerated.  Lag time is that crucial period when yeast cells replicate and fermentation begins.  We want shorter lag times to lessen the chance of contamination and reduce the chance of off flavors ending up in our finished beer.
2. Incomplete Fermentation.  Here again, it comes down to the yeast.  To achieve the desired final gravity of your particular beer style you want your yeast to ferment completely to achieve the desired Final Gravity and ABV percentage.  If your yeast does not have enough oxygen it will eventually cease functioning thus resulting in incomplete fermentation.  Assuming proper pitch ratios, fermentation temperatures and life-sustaining oxygen, the yeast will continue to be healthy and thrive despite the rising alcohol production which can kill the fermentation cycle in poor environments.
3. Off flavors or "fruity" tastes.  When it comes down to it we are really just trying to make the best tasting beer we can.  As we previously alluded to, long lag times can lead to off flavors ending up in our finished product.  Another by-product of poor yeast cell production (from poor aeration for instance) is excessive ester production.  An over abundance of esters can lead to an unwanted fruity character to your beer.

So if you are convinced that aerating your wort is a good thing, let's investigate HOW to do so.  The good news is that it's easy.  Like most tasks in home brewing there are many avenues to getting to where you want to go.  Aeration is no different.  Below are 3 methods for getting oxygen into your wort.  (All methods take place AFTER the wort is cooled and BEFORE the yeast is pitched.)

William's Oxygen Aeration System

1. Splashing.  This is a simple method of allowing the wort to "splash" into the primary fermentation container either along the side, through a strainer or off the bottom of the vessel itself.  This will allow a little additional air to make its way into the wort before the yeast is pitched.
2. Agitating or Shaking.  This method simply involves vigorously stirring or whisking the wort after it is in the fermentation container for several minutes or longer.  Alternatively, you can cap the fermentation bucket or carboy with a sanitized lid and shake for 1-2 minutes or as long as you can stand it.  This isn't as practical since a typical 5 gallon batch of wort is quite heavy!  Note - method 1 and 2 can be done in combination with one another to improve the result.
3. Injection.  There are 2 basic ways of injecting oxygen into your wort.  The first involves purchasing a simple aquarium pump along with a filter and diffusion stone. These are readily available from pet stores or home brew stores. Simply sanitize the hose and stone that will come in contact with your wort, submerge and power on for 25-30 minutes.  The second, and most preferable, method is to inject pure oxygen into your wort.  All of the methods above introduce "air" into your wort.  Since air only contains just over 20% oxygen you need to inject way less pure oxygen into your wort for it work.  Much like the aquarium set-up, you can purchase a relatively inexpensive oxygen valve, hose and diffusion stone to get the job done.  To this, you will add a pure oxygen tank (for around $10 from Lowe's or Home Depot) and you are set (I like this one from Williams Brewing).  The good news is that instead of injecting air into the wort for 25-30 minutes you only need 45-60 seconds of pure oxygen to give the yeast its much needed boost.  A word of caution though - More isn't always better when it comes to injecting oxygen into your wort.  Too much oxygen can actually stress the yeast and in extreme cases kill it so stick with the prescribed times.

Well, that's it.  I hope you have luck aerating your wort and I'm sure your home brew will be all that much better.

Cheers!

Related articles

• How (and why) to Make a Yeast Starter (andyslusher.blogspot.com)

Batch #7 - India Pale Ale (Extract, Full-Boil, Non-kit)

Batch #7 ingredients

Batch #7 is an extract, full-boil IPA.  To develop the recipe I used BeerSmith 2.0.

Ingredients:

• 6.5 pounds Light Dry Malt Extract (DME)
• 1 pound Amber Dry Malt Extract (DME)
• 1 pound Crystal/Caramel Malt 40L grain for steeping (color + fermentable)
• .5 pound of Victory Malt
• 1 oz. Chinook Hops for bittering (boil for 60 minutes)
• 1 oz. Falconer's Flight Hops for bittering (boil for 15 minutes)
• 1 oz.  Falconer's Flight Hops for aroma (boil for 5 minutes)
• 1 Whirlfloc tablet (an Irish Moss product)
• Yeast - American Ale from Wyeast #1056
• 5 oz. Corn Sugar (Dextrose) for priming (bottle conditioning)
• 6 gallons of drinking water

Krausen!

Process:

1. Two days before brewing session make a yeast starter.
2. Bring 6 gallons of water up to a temperature of approximately 158 degrees.
3. Pour all of the Crystal/Caramel Malt and Victory Malt into a grain sock and submerge in water for 20 minutes to steep. Maintain a temperature between 150-165 degrees for steeping.  Be careful not to let temperature rise to 170 or above to prevent off flavors from being introduced.
4. Remove grain sock and allow excess water to drip back into pot.  (Do not squeeze)
5. Bring wort to a gentle rolling boil, remove from heat and add ALL of the Light Dry Malt Extract and 1 pound Amber Dry Malt Extract (DME) and stir vigorously to dissolve.  Return to heat and resume boil.
6. Add 1 oz. Chinook Hops for bittering.
7. Boil for 60 minutes.
8. Add 1 Whirlfloc tablet (an Irish Moss product) during final 15 minutes of boil.
9. Add  1 oz. Falconer's Flight Hops during last 15 minutes of boil.
10. Add  1 oz. Falconer's Flight Hops during last 5 minutes of boil.
11. Chill wort to 70 degrees or less.
12. Take OG reading with hydrometer.
13. Optional - add water to get OG to target range.
14. Transfer to primary fermentation (strain).
15. Pitch yeast.
16. Ferment in primary for 4-7 days.
17. Take second specific gravity reading and record.
18. Move to secondary fermentation for an additional 10 days or more.
19. Take final specific gravity reading.
20. Prepare priming sugar and add to bottling bucket.
21. Transfer wort to bottling bucket and bottle.
22. Bottle condition for approximately 30 days.

Stats and brew notes:

• Target Original Gravity - 1.070
• Actual Original Gravity - Forgot to measure.... :-(
• Estimated Final Gravity - 1.015
• Actual Final Gravity - 1.020
• Estimated ABV - 7.2%
• Actual ABV - 
• Brew Day - December 29, 2011
• Transfer to secondary fermentation - January 4, 2012 (6 days)
• Bottling Day - January 21, 2012 (17 days)
• Fermentation temperature (range) - 57 - 64
• Notes:

• After a couple of hours I checked on Primary fermentation and the airlock wasn't working.  For some reason the water level was too low.  I added more water and it was soon bubbling away.  Does not appear to be affected.
• With this batch, unlike #6, I am going to strain it before it goes to Primary fermentation.
• Did NOT strain as I did not buy a funnel and strainer in time.  Everything I have read so far said it will not affect taste.
• I am going to use an ice bath plus my chiller with this batch to try and cool the wort as quickly as possible.
• Actual cooling time - about 15 minutes.  This method worked GREAT.
• I'm a little worried about fermentation temperatures.  I'm fermenting in the basement and the temperature has dropped lower than I wanted.  The yeast I am using prefers temps between 60-72 degrees.
• Airlock in secondary fermentation dried up but I think I caught it in time.

The Verdict:
Popped the first bottle open on February 4th (2 weeks of bottle conditioning) and there was very little carbonation.  I agitated the bottles by turning them upside down and slightly shaking them.  After another week they were perfect in terms of carbonation.  So this beer ended up much like my last batch.  Definitely a better tasting brew minus the homebrew "twang" but a little on the sweet side.  My guess is this is due to an incomplete fermentation.  I plan to purchase a wort aeration system for my next batch.  Another issue is bitterness and aroma.  For an IPA I would have expected this one to be more hoppy both in aroma and bitterness.  Perhaps more time in the bottle will change the character of this one.

All-in-all I would say this one is a success.  Not perfect but steadily getting better.

Related articles

• Homebrew Batch #6 Notes - American Pale Ale (Full-boil, non-kit) (andyslusher.blogspot.com)

How (and why) to Make a Yeast Starter

Making a yeast starter for your homebrew is a fast and easy way to gain more control over your final product and ensure the results you are after.

Let's start with the "Why" of making a yeast starter for your homebrew.  First, it should be acknowledged that making a yeast starter is by no means required.  Most beginners, including myself, have pitched the dry yeast packets that come with a basic kit and achieved acceptable results.  Some opt for the liquid yeast varieties from either White Labs or Wyeast and the results are sometimes even better.  So why ever bother with the extra steps of creating a starter?  Below are a few reasons that I think make the exercise worthwhile:

1. Build up the cell count.  The more active yeast cells you have the more they can get to work and do their job of converting sugar to alcohol.
2. Full fermentation.  With more active yeast cells you have a better chance of achieving your desired finishing gravity.  Let's say you start off with an original gravity (OG) of 1.051 and want to end up at 1.012.  If you under pitch the yeast and the rising alcohol content overwhelms the active yeast you could stall it out before reaching your final gravity and not reach the desired alcohol content.
3. Reduce risk of contamination.  The faster your yeast is able to do it's job the less time your beer has to be exposed to contaminants.  The less lag time you have the less chance of contamination.
4. Better tasting beer!  Yeast does more than just convert sugar to alcohol.  It contributes to the overall taste of your beer and when it is pitched in the proper ratios it can help reduce off flavors.

Let's move on to the the "How" of making a yeast starter beginning with the equipment and supplies you will need to get started:

1. 1 gallon glass growler or a 2 liter glass pyrex flask
2. Rubber stopper and airlock
3. Approximately 1/2 cup light dry malt extract (DME)
4. 1 quart of water
5. Aluminum foil
6. Medium-sized sauce pan
7. Yeast appropriate for your homebrew recipe

Making a yeast starter is actually very simple.  In fact, if you've made even one batch or beer you have already done most of the basic steps.  While there are variations galore on how to do this task, I find the steps below are easy to follow and yield consistently good results.  Begin your yeast starter at least 2 days before you intend to brew.

1. Start by removing your liquid yeast pack or vial from the refrigerator.  If it is a "smack-pack" go ahead and activate as per instructions.  Your yeast should have several hours to warm to room temperature before moving to step 2.
2. Bring 1 quart of water to a boil.
3. Add 1/2 cup of light dry malt extract (DME) and stir until dissolved.
4. Boil for approximately 15 minutes.
5. Cool the DME and water mixture (wort) by placing the saucepan in sink and surround with ice water and stir gently until liquid is room temperature or below 80 degrees.
6. Transfer cooled wort to carboy or flask.
7. Add (pitch) yeast to wort.
8. Cover with aluminum foil and shake vigorously to aerate.  You can also choose to oxygenate the mixture.  Instructions can be found HERE.  Note: reduce time to 10-15 seconds.
9. Add rubber stopper with airlock and allow to begin fermentation at room temperature.
10. You should see fermentation activity within 24 hours if not much sooner.
11. You now have your yeast starter!
12. When it comes time to pitch your yeast in you homebrew recipe you can simply pour the entire mixture into the fermentation vessel or use this optional method:

• Optional - 24 hours prior to brew day you can transfer your wort to the refrigerator.  This will cause the yeast to separate or sink to the bottom of the container.  Remove from refrigeration and pour off most of the top liquid.  Let the remaining yeast warm to room temperature and pitch the resulting yeast slurry into your wort at the appropriate time.  Removing the extraneous liquid may reduce off flavors.  

Well, that's it.  I hope you find this a useful process in your homebrewing adventures.  Happy brewing!

See these links for more information on creating a yeast starter:

• Making a Yeast Starter by Beer Geek Nation
• Making a Yeast Starter by Brew Your Own Magazine
• How to Make a Yeast Starter by Joe Polvino

Related articles

• Homebrewing: Fine-Tuning Fermentation (suburbanmen.com)
• Homebrew Batch #6 Notes - American Pale Ale (Full-boil, non-kit) (andyslusher.blogspot.com)

Batch #6 - American Pale Ale (Extract, Full-Boil, Non-kit)

For batch #6 I'm taking a baby step toward all-grain. For this batch I'm going to do a full-boil extract brew using DME only.  I'm going to also move away from the kits I've been using and make up my own simple Pale Ale recipe.

Equipment:
First task at hand is upgrading my brew kettle.  I wish I had sprung for an 8 or 10 gallon pot initially over the 6 gallon model but lesson learned.  Next is to get a chiller.  Cooling 2-3 gallons in an ice bath is pretty easy but I don't think there is an efficient way to rapidly cool 5 gallons of wort without a chiller.

Ingredients:

• 5 pounds Light Dry Malt Extract (DME) - Munton's Light
• 1 pound Amber Dry Malt Extract (DME) - Munton's Amber
• 1 pound Crystal/Caramel Malt 40L grain for steeping (color + fermentable)
• 1.5 oz. Cascade Hops for bittering
• 1.5 oz. Cascade Hops for aroma
• 1 Whirlfloc tablet (an Irish Moss product)
• Yeast - American Ale from Wyeast #1056
• 5 oz. Corn Sugar (Dextrose) for priming (bottle conditioning)
• 6 gallons of drinking water

Process:

1. Two days before brewing session make a yeast starter.
2. Bring 5.5 gallons of water up to a temperature of approximately 158 degrees.
3. Pour all of the Crystal/Caramel Malt into a grain sock and submerge in water for 20 minutes to steep. Maintain a temperature between 150-165 degrees for steeping.  Be careful not to let temperature rise to 170 or above to prevent off flavors from being introduced.
4. Remove grain sock and allow excess water to drip back into pot.  (Do not squeeze)
5. Bring wort to a gentle rolling boil, remove from heat and add 3 pounds of the Light Dry Malt Extract and 1 pound Amber Dry Malt Extract (DME) and stir vigorously to dissolve.  Return to heat and resume boil.
6. Add 1.5 oz. Cascade Hops for bittering.
7. Boil for 40 minutes.
8. Add remaining 2 pounds Light Dry Malt Extract (DME).
9. Add 1 Whirlfloc tablet (an Irish Moss product).
10. Boil for 15 minutes.
11. Add 1.5 oz. Cascade Hops for aroma.
12. Boil for 5 minutes and terminate boil.
13. Chill wort to 70 degrees or less and transfer to primary fermentation (strain).
14. Take OG reading with hydrometer - target is 1.056.
15. Optional - add water to get OG to target range.
16. Pitch yeast.
17. Ferment in primary for 4-7 days.
18. Take second specific gravity reading.
19. Move to secondary fermentation for an additional 10 days or more.
20. Take final specific gravity reading.
21. Prepare priming sugar and add to bottling bucket.
22. Transfer wort to bottling bucket and bottle.
23. Bottle condition for 30 days.

Notes, Results and Lessons Learned:

• Brew Day - December 5, 2011
• Stop watch quit working for initial 40 minute boil so had to estimate.  Not too concerned.
• Yeast starter seemed to work well.  Lots of activity within a couple of hours.  I was a little concerned that the activity in the yeast starter had ceased before I pitched it but it didn't seem to matter.  Pitched the whole starter - did not drain off wort beforehand.
• Transfer to secondary fermentation - December 12, 2011 (7 days in Primary)
• Forgot to add the airlock floater for about an hour.  Hopefully no contaminants reached the beer.
• Bottling Day - December 24, 2011 (12 days in Secondary, 2 days longer than planned)
• Fermentation temperature (range) - 61-66 degrees.  Would have preferred a constant 68 degrees but since fermentation was done in the basement I could not control it.
• Estimated Original Gravity - 1.056
• Actual Original Gravity 1.068!  Did not add water at end of boil to adjust.  Consider doing a 6 gallon full boil next time.
• Estimated Final Gravity - 1.012
• Actual Final Gravity - 1.020
• Took a specific gravity reading when transferring to secondary fermentation and got a reading of 1.020.  The sample contained a fair amount of trub so I don't know how accurate it was.  This would translate to an ABV of 6.3% or .5% higher than expected.
• Estimated ABV - 5.8%
• Actual ABV - 6.3
• Priming sugar may have carmelized.  I dumped all 5 ounces in the boiling water and it clung to the bottom a bit.  It broke up and seemed fine but wonder if it will affect the taste.
• Next time I need to remove from heat and slowly stir in to water and then return to heat.
• Remember to aerate the wort well when pitching the yeast.  Full boils will lessen the oxygen in the wort which is needed to fuel the yeast.
• Pitched yeast, covered carboy with sanitized aluminum foil and shook vigorously.  This seemed to have worked fine.
• I'm going to try and perfect this recipe before moving on to a different recipe/style.  Main objectives for Batch #8:
• Start with a pre-boil water level of 5.7 gallons as prescribed by BeerSmith.
• STRAIN this batch!
• Consider using a blow-off tube.
• Use the hydrometer and keep your results for reference.
• Aerate well.
• Pay close attention to fermentation temperatures - keep them constant.  Shoot for 67-68 degrees.
• This style probably does not require a yeast starter as the specifications on the Wyeast site indicate it can handle a full batch based on my style stats.  Follow these instructions carefully.
• Don't be so anxious to transfer to secondary.  Let the yeast do it's job.  Use a hydrometer to assess when/if it is time to go to secondary.

The Verdict:

• Opened a bottle at 13 days and was disappointed that it was not more carbonated.  It also had a sweet taste which probably indicates the yeast did not fully do it's job.  It may still come around with more time.  Additionally, the area where it was bottles conditioned dipped into the 50's which may have made the yeast go dormant.  I brought 4 bottles upstairs where the temperature is more stable and agitated them on a daily basis for several days to try and get the yeast going again.  Time will tell...