Beer 2013.07

Overview

• Style: Belgian Golden Ale with Hibiscus and honey
• Codename: Amber Hare Golden Belgian
• Brewmaster: Eric Stein
• Type: All-grain
• Expected Original Gravity: ?
• Expected Final Gravity: ?
• Expected ABV: ? %
• Initial Gravity: 1.048
• Final Gravity: 1.008
• ABV: 5.25%
• Brewed: 5/19/2013
• Racked: ?/?/2013
• Kegged: ?/?/2013
• First served: ?/?/2013
• Last served: ?/?/2013

Brew Participants

Those who stuck through thick and thin:

• Eric S
• Donna B
• James L
• Kris Huisinga
• Matt Triano
• Essam Khairullah

Brewing

Mash

Grain Bill:

• 4 pounds belgian pilsner
• 2 pounds organic 2row
• 1 pound belgian cara 45
• 4 oz caramel 20L

Mash Schedule:

• Type: Single step in insulated mash tun, no heating
• 10.5 qt water at 165F
• Target temp: 152F
• Actual temp: 151.5F
• Start pH: ?
• Time: 70 mins
• Start Mash: 4:06pm
• End Mash: ?pm
• End temp: ?F
• End pH: ?

Sparge

Started cycling the mash water in pre-sparge at ?pm

• 5.25 gal
• Target temp: 168F

Boil

• 60 minute boil
• 5 gallons expected at end of boil
• Boil start 6:43pm
• 40mins from end: 6oz raw sugar, 4.2 oz wildflower honey
• 3 oz of dried hibiscus flowers 30mins from end
• 0.4 oz czech saaz at 26 mins from end
• 0.4 oz czech saaz at 16 mins from end
• Boil end 7:46pm
• Measured 1.048 gravity after boil

Taste after Boil

The hoppiness was quite low as expected, a nice honeyed taste with some sourness that carries an aftertaste. Of course, the ginger and chamomile isn't in there, so this isn't that representative!

Fermenting

• Primary ferment: Plastic tub
• Pitch Wyeast 1214 belgian abbey
• Ferment temp set point: 62F, but the beer chilling system is currently down due to power issues. Eric will try to resolve this soon.

Extract Addition

7 grams ginger, chopped 4 chamomile teabags (not sure of grams) 125mL vodka 4 cycles in 250mL soxhlet extractor at hard boil

How much of this is to be added is yet to be determined, we have about 100mL of result, lost 10% to spillage and tasting so far.

Kegging

• Kegged on 7/21/2013 into Keg 5. Measured gravity again as 1.006. Tasted a little tart as expected, wonderfully rounded flavor. Is quite close to being like the Huitzi. Tested the extract to taste quite nice with the beer.

Source

Eric made this up with the help of Donna. The team came up with some modifications after we started working! Yeah.