This will be the first beer I make where I will not be cleaning any of the equipment with Oxyclean. Instead, I'll be using PBW. Why? Some members of my brew club have noticed what they call a "house flavor" to many (if not all) of my brews they've tasted.
At a BJCP study session, it was identified that the Oxyclean I've been using to soak my gunk-encrusted carboys in my be contributing to the "house flavor" due it its fragrance. Therefore, everything that touches this brew will be thoroughly soaked and scrubbed with PBW. If the "house flavor" shows up in this one, it's back to the drawing board. We'll see (January 1, 2010).
Great news! I brought a sample of this to our April officer's meeting and no one there could detect the "house flavor" - it looks like the Oxyclean was the the culprit (April 1, 2010).
Made a syrup with five pounds of granulated cane sugar in 1/3 gallon water. Boiled 20 minutes to concentrate and cooled. Added to the primary fermenter on the fourth day (January 4, 2009).
Fermentation temps ran from 70°F at pitch to nearly 77°F at high krausen. Resulting aroma is appropriately estery, with all of the characteristics you would expect: pear notes, some apple, and pepper. My plan is to bottle at least a case for aging and competitions (April 1, 2010).
| Amount | Malt/Grain | % |
|---|---|---|
| 16.00 pounds | German Pilsen Malt (2-Row) | 60.4% |
| 10.00 pounds | American Pale Malt (2-Row) | 37.7% |
| 0.50 pounds | Belgian Aromatic Malt | 1.9% |
| 26.50 pounds | Total Grain Weight | 100% |
| Amount | Adjunct |
|---|---|
| 5.00 pounds | Sucrose (Table Sugar) |
| Amount | Non-Fermentable | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 tsp | Irish Moss | 15 minutes |
| Amount | Hop | Time | AA | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.00 ounces | Magnum | 60 min | 12.5% | |||
| 1.00 ounces | Golding | 10 min | 4.5% | |||
| 2.00 ounces | Total Hop Weight | |||||
| Name | Lab/Manufacturer | Product ID | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belgian Strong Ale | White Labs | WLP545 | 2000 ml |
Converted 15.5 gallon/59 liter keg boil kettle for full boil with a 10 gallon/38 liter cooler as a mash/lauter tun.
Mash profile for most well-modified malts.
| # | Name | Time | Temp. | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mash In | 75 min. | 150°F | Add 100% of mash water at 162° F / 72° C |
Filtered through standard charcoal system.
| Date Brewed: | |
|---|---|
| Brewer/Assistant: |
| Target | Actual | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strike Water Amount: | 8.8 | ||
| Strike Water Temperature: | |||
| Mash Temperature(s): | |||
| Mash Time: | |||
| Sparge Water Amount: | 7.8 | ||
| Sparge Water Temperature: | |||
| Pre-Boil Gravity: | |||
| Pre-Boil Amount: | 11 | ||
| Post-Boil Amount: | 10 | ||
| Boil Time: | 90 | ||
| OG: | 1.085 / 20.4° P | ||
| Mash PH: | |||
| Boil PH: | |||
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