Finally Brewed!

Hello again everyone!

Well I finally got the chance to brew, but not the Kentucky Common recipe that I had planned. Last Saturday I had to drive to the closest Homebrew Store which is an hour away to pick up some yeast. I decided that I would use some Wyeast California Lager Yeast for the Kentucky Common to try out. I asked the attendant at the store for 2 Wyeast Activator pouches of the stuff, and also picked up a new hydrometer tube to replace my old one that broke earlier that day, and some other little things while I was there.

After making the purchase and on my way home I thought I'd look at the yeast packages, and discovered that the attendant gave me 2 Propagator packs instead of the Activator packs. Damn!!! Too late now as I was half way home. Oh well....I got home and made a 2000 ML yeast starter with plans of brewing the following day, which was last Sunday. On Sunday morning I checked out the starter and it was in full bloom and fermenting like crazy! I decided to brew but I realized that this starter with the amount of yeast that was in it would probably not be enough for the Kentucky Common and I would probably end up under pitching. Not good!

I decided that I would brew a low gravity session psudo-like Blond Lager and use that as my "starter". Good Idea! So I ended up brewing a pale Blond Lager, and if it comes out all right, I'll serve it at my daughters wedding! (the BMC crowd will like it). It's now fermenting very nicely at 60 degF and looks like it will be ok! After it's finished and racked out of the primary, I'll brew the Kentucky Common then rack it on top of the yeast cake in the original primary fermenter. I'm actually thinking of trying the Australian "no chill" method for this, so I can get the Kentucky Common brewed soon.

Well anyways, I did manage to take a couple of pics during the brew day before my batteries died in the camera. Oh...and the recipe is posted below too!


Recipe: Wedding Light Blonde Beer
Brewer: wottaguy
Asst Brewer:
Style: Blonde Ale
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (35.0)

Recipe Specifications
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Batch Size: 6.50 gal     
Boil Size: 9.00 gal
Estimated OG: 1.041 SG
Estimated Color: 4.3 SRM
Estimated IBU: 20.9 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 76.00 %
Boil Time: 75 Minutes

Ingredients:
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Amount        Item                                      Type         % or IBU     
5 lbs         MFB Pale Ale Malt (2.1 SRM)               Grain        53.53 %      
3 lbs         Pale Malt (2 Row) Bel (3.0 SRM)           Grain        32.12 %      
8.0 oz        Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM)              Grain        5.35 %       
5.3 oz        Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM)     Grain        3.53 %       
2.1 oz        Honey Malt (25.0 SRM)                     Grain        1.39 %       
2.1 oz        Rice, Flaked (1.0 SRM)                    Grain        1.39 %       
0.66 oz       Pearle [8.00 %]  (60 min)                 Hops         18.2 IBU     
0.33 oz       Hallertauer [4.80 %]  (20 min)            Hops         1.8 IBU      
0.33 oz       Hallertauer [4.80 %]  (2 min)             Hops         0.9 IBU      
4.0 oz        Cane (Beet) Sugar (0.0 SRM)               Sugar        2.68 %       
1 Pkgs        California Lager (Wyeast Labs #2112) [StarYeast-Lager              




Mash Schedule: 5 Gallon Batch Sparge
Total Grain Weight: 9.09 lb
----------------------------
5 Gallon Batch Sparge
Step Time     Name               Description                         Step Temp    
60 min        Mash In            Add 2.80 gal of water at 169.7 F    152.0 F      


Notes:
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Create an appropriate yeast starter 36 hours before pitching.
Chill wort to 65 degF aerate well with CO2 then pitch.
After fermentation has started lower the temp 2 degrees a day until you reach 60 degrees. Hold at 60 degF until fermentation has completed. Once completed, rack to a sanatized secondary fermenter and crash cool for 72 hours then keg and force carbonate or prime and bottle.

Enjoy!

(_)3

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And the Pics:

The well insulated mash tun:

The Hot Liquor Kettle (HLT):

I use my pool water to chill the wort after boiling and it works great!

Here my Sub-Pump which I pump through the immersion chiller and back into the pool:

Boil Kettle with the wort boiling away:

Weighing the flavor hops for the next addition:

Well...that's all I have for now. All of my primary fermenters are full and fermenting away and I still have 3 more brews to brew for the wedding, a Dusseldorf ALT and an APA, and a Sparkling Ale called "Strawberry Wedding White Sparkling Ale" and I'll have to brew the Kentucky Common soon too!

Talk to ya soon!

Keep Brewing!

(_)3