Craft Beer Week Celebration

Monday May 17 is the start of American Craft Brew week. It took me by surprise this year as it does every year. Luckily I've been active enough to have a batch or two ready to celebrate with.

Apparently Homebrewers are suppose to start things off for this celebration early. The first weekend in May is National Homebrew Day. It occurred this year on May 1 and the American Homebrew Association, in association with the coordinators of American Craft Beer Week, have declared a Big Brew Day Recipe. This year's recipe is the American Craft Beer Wheat. I love a good pun.

Unfortunately, I am only finding out about this now as I research for this post. Fortunately I did make a beer on the first and it was none other than the smash hit of the summer and Baton Rouge's favorite wit beer The Rouge Huit! Really, I brewed it on the second, but the fact that it too is a wheat beer is a happy coincidence.

I do plan on sharing my love of craft brew this joyous week, by crafting some brew! I always need help with my homebrewing - there is a lot of equipment to be lifted with a lot of very hot wort inside of it - but often there is no set time to when I will brew. I'll let a few friends know a few hours or days before I begin, and if no one shows up to help my wife is cosigned to the project. But this week is a big deal.

Here is a set week to share the joys and mysteries of brewing. I decided to send out an open invitation to all of my friends and curious connoisseurs. Often they will say "We need to brew sometime." Well let's make it this week. Find some time to make it out. I have the grain, I have the technology, we can craft it stronger, hoppier, better.

In the manner that is most befitting our generation's social interactions, I have created an event on Facebook. I don't want just anyone to show up at my backdoor so I invited a select few, but I extend invitations to third party friends-of-friends. After all more hands makes the work easier.

Sunday I plan on brewing a large amount. I know I'll have the help of my wife so I intend to make 10 gallons. I also plan to do two five gallon batches on Tuesday and Thursday. However, brewing 10 gallons is not only ambitious but utilitarian. I have only two primary fermentation vessels, two 6.5 gallon glass carboys, but recently my wife bought me a Brew Cube. Although plastic, it hold 13 gallons of liquid and so makes a formidable 10 gallon primary fermentation. She got it from the Austin Homebrew Store although I spotted another one at my local veterinarian. Seems it makes a formidable dog food storage unit as well, the only difference is mine has a hole for an airlock in the screw on lid.

To make the large quantity on Sunday I will be using some old equipment in a different way. My large Igloo mash tun busted and needs repair. In the meantime I want to use my stainless steel lauder tun on the burner itself to control the temperatures. The only problem is the false bottom is high and extra water will be needed in the mash, leaving less water to sparge and possibly less efficient sugar extraction.

So here's the agenda for the upcoming week. Sunday:

Amber Clone (10 gal)
	Style: American Amber Ale	OG: 1.055
	Type: All Grain	FG: 1.016
		ABV: 5.11 %
	Calories: 181	IBU's: 32.24
	Efficiency: 70 %	Boil Size: 10.00 Gal
	Color: 13.1 SRM	Batch Size: 10.00 Gal

Fermentation Steps
Name	Days / Temp
Primary	7 days @ 68.0°F
Secondary	14 days @ 72.0°F
Bottle/Keg	21 days @ 74.0°F

Grains & Adjuncts
Amount			Name
1.00 lbs			Biscuit Malt
1.00 lbs			Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L
1.00 lbs			Victory Malt
17.00 lbs			Pale Malt (2 Row) US
1.00 lbs			Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L
1.00 lbs			Caramunich Malt

Hops
Amount			Name	Time	AA %
1.00 ozs			Northern Brewer	60 mins	8.50
1.00 ozs			Cascade	60 mins	5.50
0.67 ozs			Goldings, East Kent	20 mins	5.00
0.67 ozs			Cascade	20 mins	5.50
0.33 ozs			Goldings, East Kent	10 mins	5.00
0.33 ozs			Cascade	10 mins	5.50

Yeasts
Amount	Name	Laboratory / ID
2.0 pkg	Safale S- 05	Fermentis

Additions

(none)

Mash Profile

Notes
www.iBrewMaster.com	Version: 2.630

Then on Tuesday, unless plans change, an old classic. This one made with a hint of Rye and a bolder hop profile:

Istrouma Pale Ale
	Style: American IPA	OG: 1.059
	Type: All Grain	FG: 1.018
		ABV: 5.37 %
	Calories: 195	IBU's: 55.55
	Efficiency: 70 %	Boil Size: 6.50 Gal
	Color: 11.3 SRM	Batch Size: 5.00 Gal

Fermentation Steps
Name	Days / Temp
Primary	7 days @ 68.0°F
Secondary	14 days @ 72.0°F
Bottle/Keg	21 days @ 74.0°F

Grains & Adjuncts
Amount			Name
9.00 lbs			Pale Malt (2 Row) US
0.50 lbs			Cara-Pils/Dextrine
0.50 lbs			Rye Malt
0.50 lbs			Biscuit Malt
0.50 lbs			Victory Malt
0.50 lbs			Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L
0.50 lbs			Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L

Hops
Amount			Name	Time	AA %
1.00 ozs			Chinook	60 mins	13.00
1.00 ozs			Cascade	5 mins	5.50
1.00 ozs			Cascade	20 mins	5.50

Yeasts
Amount	Name	Laboratory / ID
1.0 pkg	Safale S-04	Fermentis

Additions

(none)

Mash Profile

Protein Rest 20 min @ 130.0°F

Decot 8.00 qt mash & heat to 150.0°F

Light Body Infusion In 75 min @ 150.0°F

Add 8.00 qt water @ 212.0°F

Notes
www.iBrewMaster.com	Version: 2.630

Then, on Thursday, necessity becomes the Mother of Invention, and because of a limited hop selection and I fuse two recipes to make:

India Brown Ale
	Style: Schwarzbier	OG: 1.064
	Type: All Grain	FG: 1.019
		ABV: 5.90 %
	Calories: 211	IBU's: 63.77
	Efficiency: 70 %	Boil Size: 6.50 Gal
	Color: 27.7 SRM	Batch Size: 5.00 Gal

Fermentation Steps
Name	Days / Temp
Primary	7 days @ 68.0°F
Secondary	14 days @ 72.0°F

Grains & Adjuncts
Amount			Name
2.00 ozs			Black (Patent) Malt
0.25 lbs			Chocolate Malt
0.50 lbs			Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L
0.50 lbs			Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L
1.00 lbs			Caramunich Malt
9.00 lbs			Pale Malt (2 Row) US
1.00 lbs			Molasses

Hops
Amount			Name	Time	AA %
1.00 ozs			Chinook	60 mins	13.00
1.00 ozs			Cascade	20 mins	5.50
1.00 ozs			Cascade	10 mins	5.50

Yeasts
Amount	Name	Laboratory / ID
1.0 pkg	Safale S- 05	Fermentis (null)

Additions

(none)

Mash Profile

(none)

Notes
(null)
www.iBrewMaster.com	Version: 2.630

It combines the hops of an IPA with the malt and roasted characteristics of a Brown Ale, but you've probably already figured that out. I got the idea from some unique brews I've had. Dogfishhead makes one, and I even have a recipe for it from Sam Calagione's excellent book Extreme Brewing. Also, for the second time on this blog, Athens, GA's Terrapin gets a plug for their interpretation, Hop Karma Brown IPA.

There is one problem with this mass production of craft beer. I will quickly run out of room for it. If I follow my aging times as planned I will have beers that need to go into secondary vessels and no where to put them because the ones that came before it will need at least another week, but I hope my friends who celebrate with the crafting this week will enjoy imbibing the brew a bit early.