Brew Day - Honey Wheat 5/24/2012

Another kit from the LHBS.  How lucky I am to have Great Fermentations close by.  10 am I decided it was a good day to brew, 11:00 am picked up a kit, 3:30 I was cleaned up and pitching yeast.  It really doesn't get much easier than that.

I also replaced the regulator on my jet burner that I use in the driveway.  Holy smokes, it throws some heat now.  Granted it was a 90 degree day, but I was up to a full boil with 5 gallons in less than 1/2 hour.  I was also able for the first time to maintain a vigorous boil and had to back of the heat a bit a couple times.

This is also the first time I've done a full 5 gallon boil.  Its a lot easier to get a boil over in a 7 gallon pot with 5 gallons of wort than it was with 3.

Honey wheat kit - pretty simple kit really.  I backed off the boil times to reduce the hoppiness and added orange peel to make it a little closer to blue moon.  I'm looking for something to keep really cold while it's so hot outside and my english mild isn't meant to be served that cold.

I hit my OG pretty well and the yeast took off quickly.  Activity in the airlock within 5 hours and a full krausen within 15 hours.  Very vigorous fermentation.  Wheat beers are supposed to finish quickly so we'll see how long this one takes.  I may carbonate upstairs to get a little quicker finish than the 6 weeks it's been taking in the basement.

Boulevard Smokestack Series - Dark Truth

Pours nice and dark with a deep tan head.  I used a gentle pour and got a small amount of foam which dissipated fairly quickly. That's good in my book. Nicely roasted dark grains with no burnt taste.  Very little hop flavor.  I find that to be a good thing as well.  The malts are roasted enough that there is just a hint of sweetness.

This is a pretty big beer.  Very low alcohol taste, but a whopping 9.7% ABV. I'm not sure if that puts it into imperial range or not.  It doesn't have the smooth mouth feel of Guinness on nitro, but if I had to choose, I'd pick the Dark Truth. Guinness is so bitter that I can really only enjoy about 1 per year.  I could drink this one once a month.  I'm really not a stout guy.

I should have waited until dinner to drink this one.  I just came in from doing yard work and I only had this, an IPA and my pumpkin ale cold. I probably should have chosen the IPA, as in my mind stouts need a little something to go with them.

I'd pick this one over most of the other stouts I've tried.  I think it's a little better than Samuel Smiths oatmeal stout as it's a little more rich.  I think it's a lot better than Guinness as it doesn't have the same crushing bitterness. Solid 8 on a ten point scale.

Another thanks to Bob Mack as he's the one who gave me this sampler that I have been enjoying so much.

Boulevard Sixth Glass

Sixth glass - Another gift from Bob Mack @ World Class Beverage
Immediate thought - Belgian , sweet, not too hoppy. Good balance. Some fusal hotness and a little spice flavor from the yeast. Medium body. Good carbonation. Good copper color. Little cloudiness. Refreshing when with rich food but a little strong to just drink alone. Good dinner beer.

Boulevard Tank 7 farmhouse ale.

This is a pale ale.  Lots of hops. Its got bitterness, aroma, and flavor. Bottle conditioned with a fair amount of suspended yeast even after a gentle pour. Well executed with little to no grassy flavors. Slight citrus aroma. Not a style I tend to enjoy, but well executed for the style. 

After 10 mins there was 1/8 the inch of yeast in the bottom of my glass.

Breakfast Stout

I've bottled and carbonated my oatmeal vanilla breakfast stout.  2 full vanilla beans gives quite a dose of vanilla aroma, but it doesn't actually affect the flavor very much.  Nice thing about this beer is it doesn't have to be served really cold.  Just cool will do.

I'm really enjoying this beer. It has a pretty thick and filling consistency.  Its not great with a meal, but it is awesome as a snack.  With all the grain that is in it, it's probably north of 300 calories for a pint, so I do have to think of it as a snack.  Next time I make it, I'll step up to a full 5 gallon batch and I'll probably add a touch more hops or darker malt.  It could use a little more balance to counteract all the grain and malt.

Because of the odd batch size I used the coopers drops again to carbonate.  I've used them in 3 different beers now and they definitely don't provide as much carbonation as the old standby of 5 oz of corn sugar for a 5 gallon batch.

Will I continue to use the coopers carbonation drops? The answer is yes, as long as it's a style that benefits from slightly lower carbonation and it's an odd batch size.  For a standard batch or higher carbonation it's just as easy to go with the corn sugar.