W5: Wacky Westside Winter Wheat Wine
Brewers: d & j
Style: Wheat Wine / Barleywine / Experimental
Type: Partial mash
Size: 5 gallons (4.135 gal. boil, topped up to 5 gal. for primary)
Color: ~7 SRM (projected)
Bitterness: 59 IBU (calculated w/ Rager method)
OG: 1.110 (actual)
FG: 1.024 (projected)
Projected alcohol: 11.47% ABV (8.89% ABW)
GRAIN:
7 lb. Maris Otter Pale ($1.50/lb)
7 lb. Schreier American White Wheat ($1.25/lb)
1 lb. Muntons Torrefied wheat ($1.50/lb)
Partial mash: 65% efficiency (estimated)
Post-sparge volume: 4.135 gallons
BOIL:
60 minutes
boil volume approx. 4.135 gallons
22 quart (5.5 gal) stockpot, 18/10 stainless steel
SUGARS:
6 lb. Wheat extract syrup (bulk: $17)
HOPS:
2 oz. Fuggles (4.6% AA, 60 min.) ($1.50/oz)
2 oz. Willamette (4.0% AA, 60 min.) ($1.25/oz)
WATER:
bottled spring water (SLC's water is ridiculously hard) (~$0.80/gal)
SANITIZING:
* B-T-F iodophor 12.5ppm for carboy, siphoning equipment, and lid; rinsed with water boiled for 30 minutes
* One Step powder (one tablespoon per gallon) for utensils, hydrometer, thermometer, miscellanous tools
COOLING:
in tub full of snow; approximately one hour 25 minutes to 80*F; after siphon temperature was 64*F at yeast pitch
YEAST:
Pitched at 64*F.
WLP007: White Labs 007 Dry English Ale liquid vial: chosen for high attenuation, high flocculance, high alcohol tolerance.
Yeast starter made 24 hours in advance with 4 cups spring water, 4 tablespoons Muntons light DME, boiled 30 minutes, cooled to 68*F, transferred to growler, liquid yeast vial (out of fridge for approx. two hours) pitched 5:30pm, three piece airlock with vodka.
Noticeable fermentation 6:55pm; at 7:30pm ferment bubbles 4/minute at approx. 65*F air temperature.
LAG PHASE approximately 24 hours.
PRIMARY FERMENTATION VESSEL:
Ale Pail bucket; three piece airlock w/ vodka
(Better Bottle being currently used for wine secondary)
Actively fermenting as I write this, 2/22/06 11:20am, approximately 36 bubbles per minute!
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
the Boss?
So, I'm sitting at my computer, listening to a CD set from the library. And see, because I'm a little unoriginal and lame, it's the Essential Bruce Sringsteen.
Okay, see, it's like this: my childhood was Springsteen's anthem rock period. I was born the year Born to Run was released. I was seven years old and far too musically immature to know or appreciate the magically poetic Nebraska. Born in the USA, perhaps the most misunderstood song of an era, came out when I was nine years old.
It wasn't until 1995, when a friend, mentor, and practically hero of mine (M.H.) gave me a mixed tape (remember those?) with the title track from 1995's masterwork The Ghost of Tom Joad. This song awoke in me an immense appreciation for Springsteen, and caused me to discover Nebraska, and go back to actually listen to and understand Born in the USA.
Other tracks on that tape, which oh! how I wish I could track it down, included Richard Thompson's extraoridnary (and underappreciated!) song Beeswing. I have a hard time explaining (and understanding) how much this tape changed the way I listened to music, and what music I listened to. Another CD sitting in the pile on the kitchen table is Richard Thompson's Action Packed: The Best of the Capitol Years.
But I digress: Springsteen. While he put out a fair amount of mediocre, commerically viable but artisically lacking music, I confess here that I like his music enough to have all three discs from Essential. If that's lame, well, that's just too bad.
So, I'm sitting at my computer, listening to a CD set from the library. And see, because I'm a little unoriginal and lame, it's the Essential Bruce Sringsteen.
Okay, see, it's like this: my childhood was Springsteen's anthem rock period. I was born the year Born to Run was released. I was seven years old and far too musically immature to know or appreciate the magically poetic Nebraska. Born in the USA, perhaps the most misunderstood song of an era, came out when I was nine years old.
It wasn't until 1995, when a friend, mentor, and practically hero of mine (M.H.) gave me a mixed tape (remember those?) with the title track from 1995's masterwork The Ghost of Tom Joad. This song awoke in me an immense appreciation for Springsteen, and caused me to discover Nebraska, and go back to actually listen to and understand Born in the USA.
Other tracks on that tape, which oh! how I wish I could track it down, included Richard Thompson's extraoridnary (and underappreciated!) song Beeswing. I have a hard time explaining (and understanding) how much this tape changed the way I listened to music, and what music I listened to. Another CD sitting in the pile on the kitchen table is Richard Thompson's Action Packed: The Best of the Capitol Years.
But I digress: Springsteen. While he put out a fair amount of mediocre, commerically viable but artisically lacking music, I confess here that I like his music enough to have all three discs from Essential. If that's lame, well, that's just too bad.
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Pictures from the long weekend
We didn't get a lot of different things done this weekend, but we did brew, clearly the most valuable use of our time. We made a winter wheat wine, cheekily named W5: Wacky Westside Winter Wheat Wine. Here are a few images from the day:
This is J looking at the yeast starter, trying to find active fermentation. It was there, albeit a bit slower than the night before.
This is the various pots of strike water and boiled, sanitary rinsing water.
Why buy ice to cool down the boil when you have a yard full of snow, and a bathtub just begging to hold it?
And completely unrelated: here are the cool icicles on our next door neighbor's house.
We didn't get a lot of different things done this weekend, but we did brew, clearly the most valuable use of our time. We made a winter wheat wine, cheekily named W5: Wacky Westside Winter Wheat Wine. Here are a few images from the day:
This is J looking at the yeast starter, trying to find active fermentation. It was there, albeit a bit slower than the night before. 
This is the various pots of strike water and boiled, sanitary rinsing water. 
Why buy ice to cool down the boil when you have a yard full of snow, and a bathtub just begging to hold it? 
And completely unrelated: here are the cool icicles on our next door neighbor's house.
Monday, February 20, 2006
Saturday, February 18, 2006
It's been a long time, been a long time now...
Since I posted, that is. I know, you missed me. Right? I've been to Georgia, and back, by car, through many national parks (pictures may follow.)
Working on the wine I'm making now, and we're both working on the house that we're getting really goddamn sick of.
Here is a photo of today's thing that the morons who previously owned out house did to it.
See, I knew we needed to replace the 220 volt receptacle to the stove, as it was loose. Well, it turns out it had been loose for a while, 'cause the fucking idiots who used to own the house had worked on it. As you can see in the image, the plug part of the receptacle joins a metal plate which holds it in place. (The metal plate in the middle of the plug thing should be snug up to the front of it.)
Well, it had come loose, and the fucking morons decided to take wood screws (see the wood screw sticking through the metal plate), and tried (unsuccessfully) to screw the metal plate back on to the plastic receptacle plug (do you see the word wood anywhere in that transaction?) Then they wrapped the screws in electrical tape (which you can see dangling off.)
How much does a new receptacle cost, you ask? About four bucks. Stupid fuckers.
Since I posted, that is. I know, you missed me. Right? I've been to Georgia, and back, by car, through many national parks (pictures may follow.)
Working on the wine I'm making now, and we're both working on the house that we're getting really goddamn sick of.
Here is a photo of today's thing that the morons who previously owned out house did to it.
See, I knew we needed to replace the 220 volt receptacle to the stove, as it was loose. Well, it turns out it had been loose for a while, 'cause the fucking idiots who used to own the house had worked on it. As you can see in the image, the plug part of the receptacle joins a metal plate which holds it in place. (The metal plate in the middle of the plug thing should be snug up to the front of it.)
Well, it had come loose, and the fucking morons decided to take wood screws (see the wood screw sticking through the metal plate), and tried (unsuccessfully) to screw the metal plate back on to the plastic receptacle plug (do you see the word wood anywhere in that transaction?) Then they wrapped the screws in electrical tape (which you can see dangling off.)
How much does a new receptacle cost, you ask? About four bucks. Stupid fuckers.
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