Brew #3
Started 1-15-2002
The idea here is a back-to-the-basics brew. It's never to early to go back, is it? I wanted a simple brew based on simple brewing principals. When I get that right, then I'll worry about making a particular recipe.
3 lbs Muntons unhopped plain dark dried malt extract
1.75 fl ounces Wyeast brand liquid yeast #1007 mfg date 12-31-2001
approx 1 tbsp Galena hop pellets added at start of boil
approx 1/2 tbsp Willamette hop pellets added at end of boil
The day before I started this batch, I purchased a bottle capper and 144 bottle caps from "The Grape" for use on Brew #2 and the ingredients listed above. I remembered to ask the guy how long to let the yeast fizz in the bag before adding it to the wort. His answer - 24 hours. That's good to know. So, when I got home, I popped the yeast and let it set in my cabinet overnight. When I was ready to start the next day, the bag had expanded to it's maximum size. I felt good knowing that I was treating this yeast right. Perhaps this yeast will thank me later.
I boiled the wort for an hour. Just as it began to boil, it started foaming. But I was ready this time. Some quick adjustments to the heat and things were under control. After that, the wort maintained a rolling boil for an hour with no problems. During this time I had my 4 quarts of water in the Mr Beer fermenter in the refrigerator. I wanted I nice rapid cool-down when I added the wort. Five minutes before the end of the boil, I added the Willamette hops. I mixed the wort into the cold water in the fermenter, and topped it off to the 8.5 quart mark with tap water. Then I added the yeast and whipped it up with a whisk. I put the lid on and put the fermenter on the top shelf of my kitchen cabinet, where the temperature stays about 63°.
The next morning, I checked for any activity. There was none. Not even a little bit of foam. I began to wonder what when wrong. As far as I knew, I did everything right. I decided to give it a little more time.
When I got home from work that night, the dogs were acting strange, like there was an intruder about or something. So, I snooped around the house looking for clues. I discovered a strange noise coming from my kitchen cabinets. The dogs looked at me, and then at the cabinets as if to say "Yup. He's in there!" So I sprung open the cabinet, and brown foamy ooze dribbled down. The krausen was out of the fermenter and rampaging through my cupboard! The popping and fizzing noise was the vented lid of the Mr Beer fermenter failing to keep the krausen under control. I quickly removed the fermenter from the cabinet and put it in the sink. After about 45 minutes of cleaning (fermenter and shelves) I decided that the fermenter needed a new home. I relocated it to the basement on a wire shelf with a bucket under it. The basement is a little cooler than my cupboards, maybe 55°-60°.
Checked fermenter on 1-22-2002 to see if it's ready for bottling. Mr. Krausen is still lurking about - he's still about 1-1 1/2 inches tall. I'm going to wait until he settles back into the beer. I don't want him busting up my bottles. I think the cooler temperatures may have taken the fight out of him a bit.
Took a sample from the fermenter on 1-23-2002. The brew is too dark to determine clarity in the fermenter. In a glass, I could see that this beer was quite cloudy. That and the fact that there is still a head on the top led me to believe that my fermentation might be stuck. The average temperature in my basement is 55° - which is my yeast's lowest recommended fermenting temperature. I moved the fermenter back up to the kitchen shelf, this time with a tray under it to catch any escaping krausen. We'll see if that perks it up.
Bottled on 1-29-2002. It's been 14 days in the fermenter. It's gotta be done even if it's not entirely clear. I noticed that the beer is quite dark, which makes it hard to determine just how clear it is. I used an "Ale Pail" bottling bucket to mix in the priming sugar. I boiled 1/2 cup table sugar in about 1 1/2 cups water, and added that to the beer after it was transfered to the bottling bucket. It was a pain holding down the valve on the Mr Beer fermenter to drain it into the bucket. 20 12 oz bottles resulted.
Opened a bottle on 2-6-2002. Slow foam crept out of the top. Tastes rather bitter. I expected better beer.
2-8-2002 - got an idea. Brew #2 is too sweet, and this brew is too bitter. Can you see where I'm going with this? Yep. I took out a bottle of each and mixed them together. The result was a fairly decent beer. Not feeling let down anymore, I put all of it in the fridge.
2-9-2002 - noticed something. This beer is much better cold. Now it tastes something like Becks Dark or St. Pauly Girl dark. Not bad. I'll have to remember that refrigeration trick. No need to mix anymore. Brew #2 still tastes bad cold.