Sunday, October 30, 2011

Amplified Autumn Amber Ale

It's ready to bottle!  I'll be bottling later this afternoon.  FG is going to be 1.026, ABV 8.4%.  Flavor is good, slightly sweet with caramel flavors from the crystal malt and brown sugar.  Hops bitterness is good, finish is crisp and clean.  Some time conditioning should balance everything out nicely!  Definitely goes down easy and is very warming!  Perfect for cool Autumn nights!  Thanks for reading!  CHEERS!

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Amplified Autumn Amber Ale

Hello all!  Gravity test of the Amber tonight and it is at 1.026.  (ABV 8.4%)  Yeast is still active.  May be able to bottle this weekend if gravity stabilizes.  Flavor is good.  Caramel notes from the Crystal malt and brown sugar.  Good balance of hoppiness and nice clean finish.  Definitely a winter warmer with the higher alcohol content.  Thanks for reading!  Cheers! 

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Amplified Amber

Hello again!  I tested the the batch to see where the gravity is.  It is at 1.034 and falling as the yeast is still very active.  (ABV around 7.33 %)  Taste is good.  The brown sugar is smoothing things out wonderfully and adding a nice molasses sweetness!  Went ahead and dry hopped with East Kent Goldings hops.  Smells great coming off the airlock!  Can't wait for this one to finish up!  Should be another 3-5 days at this rate.  If so it will be bottled this weekend!  Color is a deep amber.  Thanks for reading!  Cheers!

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

AmplifiedAmber Ale.......

Hello all.  Racked the Amber to secondary and had a taste.  Wow!  Extremely dry though.  So I added brown sugar to the secondary.  Still have activity and small krausen.  It was 8.2% ABV at secondary racking.  After adding the brown sugar syrup, the gravity bumped up from 1.028 to 1.044.  So the yeast is still gobbling the up the brown sugar!  May not be able to bottle for maybe another week.  Didn't dry hop yet as the bitterness seemed higher than I wanted, but after the addition of the sugar it will tame down.  I'll check another reading in a few days to see where it is.  Thanks for reading!  Cheers!  Steve

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Tommyknocker's Mother Lode Sampler

Hello!  On my beer menu tonight is Tommyknocker Brewing's Mother Lode Sampler.  It contains two each of the following:  Jack Whacker Wheat with Lemon Grass, Maple Nut Brown Ale, Vienna Amber, Pick Axe IPA, Butt Head Bock, And Hop Strike Black IPA. 

I am a fan of Tommyknocker and Maple nut Brown is one of my favorites.  I can't wait to try Hop Strike Black IPA as I haven't had it yet, and as for the rest, they are all great beers.  The Bock is the seasonal throw in at this time.  Nice selection overall!

If you like variety this is a great buy!

Thanks for reading!
Prost!

Amplified American Amber Ale (AAAA)

Hello all!  I brewed up an American Amber Ale this morning.  I wanted a good Amber Ale in my repertoire, but something a little different, so I wanted to "Amp" it up a little and was shooting for 7.5 - 8% ABV, but my OG is telling me it will be much bigger than that!  My expected OG was to be around 1.070, but as I must have nailed my mash temp, I ended up with an OG of 1.090!  (20 points higher gravity than I was expecting)  If it ferments properly, ABV will be around 10%!  WHOA!

I opted for four different hops varieties to get some good flavors, Chinook, Centennial, and Citra for the boil, then I will dry hop with East Kent Goldings.  I will use a total of 5 ounces in this batch which is the most I have used to date!  (I am a hophead, ya know!) 
As for the grains I kept it very simple.  Caramel 60 and toasted oats, again for something different, and amber malt extract.  I actually like brewing with extract, though some think it is inferior to all grain brewing.  As long as it tastes great, that is all that matters! 

The yeast is starting to become active tonight and there is bubbling in my airlock, which means I should have a good krausen by morning.  I'll keep uou posted!

Thanks for reading!  Cheers!  

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Cranberry (Oat) Spiced Holiday Ale

The Cranberry Oat Spiced Holiday Ale is ready for bottling.  The final gravity is 1.028 which will put the alcohol at 6.03%.  Lower than expected, but that is o.k.  It will be very drinkable, though.  I was wanting the alcohol content ot be closer to 8%, but with the wheat base, I think it would have been unbalanced so I am happy with it!

The flavor profile is coming along nicely.  The flavors of the spices are coming through with the slight tartness of the cranberry juice, and the toasted oats are finally coming through.  With carbonation and chilling, this will be a tasty brew!  It will be great for Thanksgiving!

I'm going to prime with 4.5 ozs of corn sugar and will add some vanilla extract for aroma and flavor.  I'll taste one in a week, then one in two weeks, and will keep you posted on how it is conditioning!
Since it is a wheat based beer, it will have some haze and cloudiness to it, which is natural. 

Thanks for reading!  Cheers!