Tiramisu Stout

Hi all! I've been wanting to brew this beer for some time and finally decided to get it done! I've been wanting a good stout, but most local breweries don't have any on tap. I love stouts of all flavor combinations. When I worked as a brewer, I developed a recipe for a blond ale, flavored like tiramisu. I feel those flavors are better suited for a stout as they have flavors in common. Coffee and chocolate are the primary flavors which can be derived from malt. Of course there has to be brandy in there somewhere, so I'm going to get more chocolate flavor from cocoa nibs, which I'm soaking in brandy, then adding them in secondary fermentation. I'll be adding more flavors during bottling to round it out. I don't want an overly sweet beer, but I am using a British ale yeast to leave some residual sugars behind. The malt bill has Munich malt, oat malt, flaked malt, brown malt, coffee malt, chocolate malt, caramel malt, and flaked oats. I used UK Target hops as they seem to compliment stouts quite nicely. Looking forward to the final product! Starting gravity was 1.054.
Thanks for reading!
CHEERS!
Steve

Ginger Spice Hard Cider

I performed a gravity check tonight. Right on target for the SN9 Yeast. 1.004 placing the ABV at 10.24%. Aromas of citrus, ginger, and spice. Flavors of citrus, ginger, and cinnamon, with some earthy undertones and a slightly tart finish, and just enough residual sweetness to keep from being over-dry. I'm still waiting for this cider to drop clear, then I'll bottle it up. This will be great for the fall and winter!

Thanks for reading! CHEERS!

Ginger Spice Hard Cider

Since it is now fall, I wanted to make a fall beverage so I opted to make a spiced hard cider. I used store bought juice, frozen concentrate, and fresh ginger. I ran the ginger through my juicer and added it to the thawed concentrate. I then topped it off with the store bought juice and tossed in some cinnamon sticks and a few whole cloves. Starting gravity is 1.082, and if I get good attenuation, this hard cider will come in at just above 10% ABV. It should finish more on the dry side, and I've found with the Vintners Harvest SN9 yeast, there is usually just a hint of background sweetness as other ciders I've made with this yeast finish at 1.004. This will be great for the holidays!
Thanks for reading! Cheers!
Steve

Summer Wheat White IPA

Wow! A year has elapsed since my last post here. I have been slacking off. Not really, life gets in the way. Anyhow, I decided to brew up my white IPA, which is similar to Deschutes Brewery Chainbreaker. (My wife's favorite!) And I dig it too! The recipe contains Pilsner malt, Vienna malt, pale wheat, dark wheat, unmalted wheat, and flaked wheat. I'll be using seven types of hops in this one. Centennial, Challenger, Chinook, CTZ, (Columbus, Tomahawk, Zeus), Cascade, Cluster, and Citra. I'm adding some ground coriander seed as well. I'll be using Fermentis T-58 yeast which is a Belgian style strain. Hop additions will be late to maintain flavor and aroma and to keep the bitterness more on the tame side to make this an easy drinking IPA.

I brewed this beer on July 10, 2017 and I bottled it on September 9, 2017. This is one of my wife's favorites so it usually disappears quickly!

Aromas of spice, tropical fruit, and citrus fill the nose. Crisp and clean bittering hops notes with a silky smooth mouthfeel, and a pleasant, moderate, lingering, bitterness, reminiscent of white grapefruit.

After 1 week of bottle conditioning, here it is! It still has a week or two to continue conditioning.

Coming along nicely! As always, thank you for stopping by and reading! CHEERS!

Swaen All In Breakfast Brown Ale

I received a gift of sample malts from the Netherlands that included Ale malt, Coffee malt, honey biscuit malt, caramel red malt, wheat malt, and light Munich malt. I decided to brew it all up together to see what I could end up with. It ended up a deep reddish brown color with an original gravity of 1.070. I used 100% UK Challenger hops for bittering, flavoring, and aroma additions, and will likely dry hop with another ounce. I used English Ale yeast so maybe it will throw some fruity esters and enhance some flavors. Thanks for reading! Cheers!

Smokin' Cider, (Rauch Malted Cider)

Flavors of apple and mesquite smoke meld together seamlessly in this cider providing quite a drinkable smoked cider. Nicely balanced with hints of tart apple, sweet apple, and sweet smoke, and a nice carbonation level make this cider go down quite easily. This one will pair nicely with barbecue and grilled foods, and I'm sure it won't last long. CHEERS!

Rauch Malted Cider

Bottled today, finally, after 7 weeks. Just another 2-3 weeks until bottle conditioning will be complete. I am excited to get a taste of this one when it's carbonated. It is definitely a unique malted cider. Final gravity of 1.006 which makes the brew 6% ABV. I'll post again in 2 weeks!
Thanks for reading!
CHEERS!