What’s Brewing? – Page 6 – Fieldpointe Brewery

March 2022

Maibock II

The long awaited Spring Break has finally arrived! That stretch between Christmas Break and now is a long haul – a 10 week stretch – but we made it – with the help of each other and beer.

What better way to kick the week off than a brew session in the Blauert Man Cave. Once again Mark was the gracious host of yet another gathering at his humble abode. And, as in previous sessions, many were invited but few accepted. (OK, just a few were invited – but still.) One individual who took the invite seriously was our good friend Greg who we got to know via the social aspect of beer but had not seen until recently. He sought us out last Friday at Littleport Brewing in Racine for the “We Made It To Spring Break!” after school festivities. That was when he received the invite for yesterday’s social event and made it work on such short notice. The other invites should be humbled and feel shame. I’d be OK with that. It was good to see him then and yesterday – especially yesterday because we were able to play some three handed Sheephead. It had been a while since the Schafkopf cards had seen any action. He did very well for an old timer claiming he hadn’t played for quite some time. That was a load of bunk. He knew very well what he was doing. Greg did put on a good show though in his act of apparent ignorance. He should consider joining drama club. Thanks for stopping by.

There were two tasks on the agenda for the day: 1) Brew beer (of course) and 2) keg the previously brewed Doppelbock (Super Brew Sunday). On Friday, Mark (Yes, Mark – (he actually did something!)) moved the fermentor from the Dorothy Door step where it has been doing its thing for the past month or so, to the inner sanctum of his basement man cave. The beer (a lager) had not finished fermenting and tasted sweet as a result. The Dorothy Steps were just a tad too cold. Mark should have put a blanket on it but didn’t. (I’m getting old and don’t have the energy to do all the thinking.) The new beer had to occupy the same fermentor so out with the old and in with the new. “It’s what it is.” Into the keg it went and then the beer fridge. However, Mark can’t sample because I neglected to bring him a tap. Oh well, such is life. I’ll get around to fixing this situation sometime. I’m in no hurry – it’s Spring Break!

So yesterday was Pi Day – March 14 – 3.14. The closest thing to pie that Mark had was a 4 meat pizza which kinda did the job. (I prefer pizza pie over regular pie anytime, actually.) I’m not sure if a regular crust pizza actually qualifies as a pizza pie. I would think that a deep dish would have been more appropriate for pie day. Again, “It’s what it is.” and it IS Mark after all.

Time now for the Dorothy Door Report. The DD’s were OPEN. Mainly for Mark to show off some hunks of cast iron in his grill on the back patio to Greg. Not sure what all the hype was about. He just blew this one passed me and went to easier target Greg I guess knowing that all I’d say is, “That’s nice.” Lame reason or not, the doors were open – although the downstairs door was mostly closed for most of the time. Not quite that warm out yet but getting there. Much like seeing the first Robin of the season, open DD’s are a welcome sight and a convenience for transporting dripping spent grains to the back for disposal behind the shrubbery. Have to keep those chipmunks well fed so they repopulate and keep Mark busy again this summer. Sorry for the sticky steps and floor Mark.

The brew was the, I guess annual now, Spring Break Maibock. This was Maibock II because I discovered that I have two Maibock recipes on file. I don’t recall what version was brewed a year ago. I suppose I could go back in the archives here and figure it out but that would entail a little bit of effort. I’m going to go middle school on this one and not care. This one consists of a simple grain bill and just one hop addition. It was racked on the lager yeast from the afore mentioned Doppelbock and a fresh pack of yeast added for good measure. The brew is occupying the same space on the Dorothy Door Steps. With the weather warming up and temps in the 40s and 50s, this one should attenuate better than the last one. Either way, “It’s what it is.”

On a side note, Mark was contemplating how to improve lager fermentation temperatures at his place. He has a unique basement with all sorts of compartments, closets and the like. I’m not sure what the original purpose of these nooks and crannies were and we can’t ask the previous home owners as they moved out before Mark and his wife moved in. (Good move on their part.) Anyway, perhaps a simple setup consisting of a new unused garbage can, ice, water and a constructed (insulation and duct tape) hood could be implemented in one of these basement storage areas. I’m sure Mark will conduct the necessary research on this and come up with a plan as he would like to get an Oktoberfest going for Fall.

Enough of the ramble. Here is the makings of Maibock II:

Grains

Pilsner (2 Row) – 10 lb
Munich Malt – 3 lb

Hops

Perle (German) – 1 oz @ 60 min

Yeast

Fermentis Saflager W-34/70 – 1 pack

Looking forward to Maibock in May. Cheers!

February 2022

Super Brew Sunday

Some of us got together on the day of “The Big Game” to take in some football, fellowship and brewing at Mark’s Man Cave (MMC). (No, I’m not going to throw that stuff at you again.) As much as I protested about having to perform brew duties at yet another event where everyone else sits around while I take care of the beer business, I was reminded that brewing beer was the sole purpose for which I have been and continue to be invited to events such as these. (If they would just offer to assist in any way once in a while. I’d be happy with them taking a slight interest in the process – faking it if need be. But no, “Gimme my beer!” is the pervasive attitude with this bunch. Not sure why I even bother. Guess it gives me something to do once in a while.)

Anyway, as much as I tried to appeal to the slightest hint of empathy and understanding from this bunch, none was to be had and it was decreed that I must get my brew on at this event – which means my participation in viewing “The Big Game” was minimal. In addition, they attempted to play on my emotions by getting overly excited at faux plays by hooping and hollering and then giggle like school girls as I might run over to see what was going on. News flash: I have just two emotions: Hungry and Tired. They were not given the satisfaction of an intriguing response from me. I know better. Besides, I am a responsible brewer who takes the duties seriously. Why would I abandon the kettle to go see what these chuckle heads were up to? I guess it was a good game from what I hear – but I wouldn’t know. Thanks guys.

The problem really was with the lack of pastor supervision at the event. Although two were invited, a total of zero thought it worthwhile to put in the effort to show. Oh yes, excuses were given and perhaps you have heard these before:

A man (Mark) once gave a great banquet (Big Game Gathering), and invited many; and at the time of the banquet (Game) he sent his servant (emails) to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come; for all is now ready.’ But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it; I pray you, have me excused.’ And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I must go to examine them; I pray you, have me excused.’ And another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. Yet another said, ‘The keg of Belgian Quad is about to be depleted and since it will probably be gone, I will not come.‘

Well fellas, the Quad was not gone and three additional Fieldpointe brews were available to keep the festivities lively (and tolerable). In addition to Mark’s assorted delicacies of nuts and shrimps, Dave brought two pizza pies. These along with the libations ensured that a good time was had by all (who attended).

‘For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my (Mark, David and Jerry’s) banquet. For many are called, but few are chosen.’

This brings me to the real reason of gathering: the beer. Because of the season, Mark’s Dorothy Doors don’t get much attention this time of year. How to make them still feel appreciated and part of the action during the off season? Answer: Doppelbock! Let’s use the cold to our advantage. Lagers make very rare appearances due to the advanced methods of temperature control needed. This is just the 3rd one attempted. The previous two were Maibocks brewed the past two spring breaks (March). No high tech temp control is used. Whatever the ambient garage temp happens to be at the time has to do. Last year it was on the warmer side but it still turned out OK. The 3rd rendition of Maibock will be brewed soon.

We don’t know what the temp is underneath the Dorothy Doors. I suppose a thermometer would be useful – but only if Mark knew how to read one. He has given up on using many of his life skills – he asks Alexa to do most of his thinking these days.

It is still on the cold side here in southeast WI so this is purely an experiment to see what happens. Provided Mark can leave his hands off, it will be left alone under the doors for the next month to 6 weeks. Wait and see will have to be the strategy employed here.

This brew session went extract to aide in ease and time so at least a few minutes of “The Big Game” could be viewed by this guy. (I think I remember seeing a commercial or two.)

Malts

Golden Malt LME – 6.6 lb
Munich Malt LME – 3.3 lb
Pilsen Light DME – 3 lb

Hops

Hallertauer Mittelfruh – 2 oz (60 min)

Yeast

Fermentis Saflager W-34/70 – 2 packs

Projected Analysis

OG – 1.073
FG – 1.017
ABV – 7.77%
IBU – 29.1
SRM – 8.1°

Here’s hoping for warmer weather soon!

January 2022

Bourbon Barrel Porter

Today is Friday of Martin Luther King Jr (MLKJ) week so I better get some thoughts down before they totally evaporate from my mind. Monday seems so long ago already. I guess it must have been a busy 4 day work week. Thanks MLKJ for the special day and for what you did for all our Brothers and Sisters in Christ (BaSiC).

Yes, Monday, January 17 was Martin Luther King Jr Day (MLKJD) for us – and probably for you as well. This meant a day off from school and an opportunity to fire up the brew kettle for the annual mid-winter brew in the Blauert Basement Man Cave (BBMC) to commemorate the special day.

In keeping with the tradition, and the Black Is Beautiful (BIB) mantra, a dark beverage is always selected to be brewed on the Designated Day Of Appreciation (DDOA). Having a Second Flask of Bourbon and Oak Chips (SFoBaOC) on hand, the Bourbon Barrel Porter (BBP) was revisited as the Honorary Martin Luther King Jr Brew of the Day (HMLKJBotD).

As previously indicated, the brew session was held at the afore mentioned BBMC which brings me to the Dorothy Door Report (DDR). The DDR on file indicates that the Dorothy Doors (DD) were closed. However, this has not been verified by the Commission on Dorothy Door Observance and Report Status Committee (CoDDOaRSC). Perhaps the filing status paperwork has been held up do to COVID-19 (COVID-19) protocols involving the Metropolitan Meaningless Mask M&M Mandate Measure (MMMM&MM). I Don’t Know (IDK). I’m Not Sure (INS).

Anyway, the Brew Day (BD), Monday (M), was our BBMC MLKJ DDOA incorporating the SFoBaOC to be used in the BBP as the HMLKJBotD and the DDR was negative (to review).

Side Note (SN): Some People (SP) confuse MLKJ and Martin Luther (the Reformer) (ML(tR)) as being One in the Same Person (OitSP). This is an Erratum (E). Although both may have been Gregarious Persons (GP), they Lived in Different Eras and Were of Different Ethnic Backgrounds (LiDEaWoDEB). If it were ML(tR) Day (ML(tR)D), than a Totally Different Beer Would Have Been Selected for the Brew Session (TDBWHBSftBS).

To summarize: In the SN SP think MLKJ and ML(tR) as OitSP which is an E even though they could have been GP, they LiDEaWoDEB. A TDBWHBSftBS if it were ML(tR)D instead of MLKJD. Glad to Set the Record Strait on That (GtStRSoT).

OK, Enough of That (OKEoT). Let’s get on with the brew session notes. Mark and I were the only dedicated individuals who took the day seriously. The others were “leakers” who pretended to have “more important things to do” than to spend the day dedicated to the cause. Mark stocked his beloved beer fridge with beverages in line with the theme of the day. Another Side Note (ASN): Mark also had “lighter” selections for those who committed the afore mentioned identity faux pas. Sometimes he is the most thoughtful and understanding brew bud – sometimes. Actually, not quite that often. In fact, very rarely. Now giving it some thought, it must have been purely coincidental. Yes, it had to have been. That’s it.

Thanks Mark for the hospitality, the snacks, the meal, the beer and for hosting. It was a fun day. I am thankful that you have indoor plumbing. It was rather disappointing that no circuit breakers tripped as it would have been fitting. You know – lights out – dark – theme of the day?

Here are the makings of Bourbon Barrel Porter which originally was brewed and housed in an 8 gallon bourbon barrel from Washington state.. That barrel is still around but has been Designated as the Sour Barrel for the Rest of its Life (and Mine) DatSBftRoiL(aM).

Grains

2 Row Pale Malt – 10 lb
Wheat Malt – 2 lb
Chocolate Malt – 1 lb
Crystal Malt (120°) – 1 lb
De-Bittered Black Malt – 1 lb

Hops

Chinook – 1 oz (60 min)
Kent Golding (UK) – 1 oz (15 min)

Yeast

Fermentis Safale US-05

Adjuncts

Oak Chips (Medium Toast) – 2 oz (Keg)
Bourbon – 4 oz (Keg)

Projected Stats

OG – 1.082
FG – 1.02
IBU – 42.8
SRM – 58.1°
ABV – 8.74%

Notes:

This beer and the previous Russian Imperial Stout (RIS) will be in the keg (not the same one) with the oak and bourbon until next Fall / Winter.
This wort was racked onto the previous dregs of the RIS in the fermentor. Additional fresh yeast was added for insurance purposes.
MLKJ day music included “Southern” by Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark (OMD) followed by the Blues.
The “Leakers” missed out on Danny’s Meat Sticks (DMS) and Helen’s Pasta Extraordinaire (HPE).

December 2021

Silent Night Winter Ale

The second brew session of break took place today in the Fieldpointe brew garage. The gear was initially setup outside however the wind persuaded a move to the garage. Good thing because a little snow fell and turned into rain during the session.

This was a solo event so nothing unique to report on like there usually is when others are involved. Some entertainment was sought by working 2o meter Slow Scan TV (SSTV) during the boil but wasn’t too productive. The high powered stations were ruling the band leaving little room for low powered station success. However, I was able to decode some SSTV images from the International Space Station as it passed the vicinity. The ISS is transmitting lunar images between Christmas and New Year. Unfortunately, most of the passes are during the very early hours of the morning and being on break, I’m sleeping in – a bit. (Still wake up on the early side. But still …)

The new Blichmann Hellfire burner was used for the second time today. (Once today – second time used.) I am very happy with the purchase as it performs well. Clean burning blue flames producing plenty of heat to get the job done. An added benefit was that it warmed the garage up nicely – not that it has been that cold around here so far this winter. Today’s very minor snowfall perhaps gets us to about 1.5 inches so far for winter. Kind of silent. And nice.

The beer this time is a Strong American Ale. Previous renditions of this beer have been produced before but it has been average so a few changes were made to the recipe. The grain bill was increased and the hop type was changed with another ounce or two added. This edition should be more interesting.

Here are the makings of this edition of Silent Night Winter Ale.

Grain

14 lb – 2 Row Brewers Malt
1.5 lb – American Caramel 60°L
0.25 lb – American Chocolate Malt

Hops

2 oz – Cascade (60 minutes)
1 oz – Cascade (45 minutes)
1 oz – Cascade (30 minutes)
1 oz – Cascade (15 minutes)

Adjunct

2 lb – Honey (Flameout)

Yeast

1 Pack – Fermentis Safale US-05 (1 Liter Starter)

Projected Analysis

OG: 1.079
FG: 1.021
Color: 17.6 SRM
ABV: 7.74%
Bitterness: 69.6

Here’s hoping that this winter remains silent as we transition to 2022.

December 2021

Imperial Bourbon Barrel Stout

Post author By Jerry
Post date December 26, 2021
No Comments on Imperial Bourbon Barrel Stout

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! On Christmas break so that means the brew kettle gets to see some action. (Hopefully more than once over break.)

The brew session took place this past Thursday with Mark being the host. It had been previously decided that a big boy would be up for consideration with the weather being on the cooler side – minus the snow so far. (No complaints on the lack of snow.) The thought was to brew something on the stronger side to keg and keep for next Fall / Winter. Thus, the Imperial Bourbon Barrel Stout is making another appearance.

The original IBBS was a 8 gallon brew for an 8 gallon oak barrel that I had secured from Woodinville Whiskey Co located in Woodinville, WA. This was some years ago. After housing a few larger dark beers initially, the barrel is currently used for the Fieldpointe Sour – which is very tart and horsey. It’s not so bad once you get past the initial taste or two.

Mark got his hands on some Beer Barrel Bourbon distilled by New Holland Brewery in MI. I picked up some toasted oak chips and soaked 2 oz of chips in 4 oz of BBB. These will be added to the keg at packaging. This is not going to be the same as being in the barrel but it should suffice.

As previously mentioned, the brew session took place at Mark’s place. Since this brew has a larger grain bill, it was too big for the RoboBrew electric system. Time to clean the dust off the 10 gallon brew kettles and check the propane levels in the tanks. This equipment has not been used for quite a long while. The electric system with built in pump works fantastic for average grain bill beers < 13 lb. A concern was that I had eliminated my old turkey frier style burners when the garage was cleaned earlier this Fall.

When the plans had been discussed about a month or so ago, I pulled the trigger on a HellFire Burner and Stand from Blichmann Engineering. (Blichmann makes some good hardware. I have a 10 gallon mash tun and 7 gallon conical fermenter.) With shipping delays still the norm these days I was expecting the same for this order but it arrived within a week of the order date. Nice.

This was going to be the inaugural brew on the new burner. Since propane needed to be used, the brewing was done outside on Mark’s patio. It was nice of him to preplan for this activity as he had removed all of the summer patio furniture. How convenient!

This brings me to the Dorothy Door Report: The Dorothy Doors were open. This access is very nice for moving between the basement man cave to the outdoor back patio. The steps are rather steep and the top door frame a little low – the occasional bump of the head reminds those who pass through to keep low – but is a convenient travel portal.

During the mash and boil, Mark and I played two handed Sheephead. He did not get any of my nickels because he set me up on the first hand. While I managed the brew duties, Mark sat around and “stacked the deck” by giving me two fail suits while he kept most of the trump. He did mess up because I did take one trick – rookie. Because he did not let me cut the deck and had set me up, I did not fetch my nickels from my truck so he got nothing from me. That will learn him. (He does a much better job at tracking cards. Me – not so much. Thus he is slowly depleting my supply of nickels. But not today.)

While card playing and waiting for him to play (sometimes he takes as long as Jeff does to play a card) I noticed that Mark has a whole house humidifier on his furnace. I mentioned this discovery to Mark and game play was suspended to investigate the operational status of this unit. It turned out that the unit was still operational and was engaged for winter use. Mark’s wife is dealing with some breathing concerns and the thought was that adding some humidity to the house air may be beneficial to her. Usually humidity is added by our indoor brewing but this doesn’t happen enough to really make a difference. In addition, Mark’s wife thinks hops smell like stinky feet. You try to be nice and helpful. Go figure. So, the humidity level was set to full output on the furnace unit and we petitioned Mark’s wife throughout the brew session whether the upstairs felt like Florida. Of course we did not disclose as to why we were asking. Not wanting any part of our antics and game playing (she said so) positive feedback was not received. Apparently our repetitive asking was not as entertaining to her as it was to us. Eventually she was informed as to what we were up to but still was unimpressed with us and our amazing discovery. Oh well. Back to the brew.

The new burner worked well. The mash hit temp just fine and held pretty well for the hour it sat outside in the cooler weather – around 40° F – with the burner off. I guess the mass of all the grain – just about to the top of the 10 gallon tun – held the temp nicely. Not having used the burner before, it took just a bit of fine tuning to get it to perform well for the boil. The HellFire burns very clean and is quiet unlike my old turkey frier types that were noisy and often left a lot of soot on the kettle underside. Not a cheap burner – especially now with metal prices – but well constructed and very efficient. I hope to use it again this week for another brew and for many more down the road – or in my garage – which is more convenient than brewing down the road.

Because the original IBBS was for a 9 gallon boil (8 finished), the recipe was scaled back for a 6 gallon boil (5 finished). The original version had 6 lb of dark LME in addition to the ingredients listed below. Otherwise everything else remained the same. The projected ABV is around 11% – although it will be a bit lower than that because there were about 6 gallons at finish. I didn’t have a way to calibrate the final kettle volume so I guessed – and it was dark out by then. And I’m the world’s worst guesser. And it was dark out. (Mark was too cheap to turn on the outside patio light.) Not that is would have mattered. Anyway….

Here is the brew as we put it together:

Grain

14 lb – 2 Row
1.5 lb – Dark Munich
1.5 lb – Crystal Malt 90°
1.25 lb – Roasted Barley
1 lb – Chocolate Malt
0.75 lb – Black Patent
2 lb – Flaked Oats

Hops

1 oz – Columbus (60 minutes)
1 oz – Challenger (45 minutes)
1 oz – East Kent Goldings (30 minutes)
1 oz – Fuggle (15 minutes)

Yeast

1 pack – Fermentis US-05 (1 Liter Starter)

Adjuncts

1 lb – Rice Hulls
2 oz – Oak Chips (Medium Toast)
4 oz – Bourbon

Projected Specs

OG – 1.111
FG – 1.028
Color – 41.26 SRM
ABV – 11.11%
Bitterness: 103.9

The trick will be to keg this on the oak and bourbon and then forget about it for about a year. Time will tell how it goes.

October 2021

Oatmeal Stout

Happy Festival of the Reformation! 504 years ago, Martin Luther (NOT MLK) tirelessly worked at the risk of his life to bring the church back to the inerrant Word of God as found in Holy Scripture. Today Lutherans thank God for His direction and blessing in working through men such as Luther so that we today know that we are saved by faith alone in Christ. The Lutheran Reformation grew from the conviction that the Bible alone (sola scriptura) is the final authority in faith and practice. The “three solas” identified with the Reformation are sola scriptura, sola gratia and sola fide, that is, scripture alone, by grace alone, through faith alone. Thanks be to God.

This is a continuation of the last post. The Belgian Quad needs some time for maturation – about 4 months minimum. In the meantime, there needs to be something to fill the empty space in Mark’s mostly empty beer fridge. After a little thought, a stout was chosen with the hopes that it be ready for the Thanksgiving holiday.

This was a solo brew done this past Friday because Mark decided to spend his time basking in sunny California with his wife. (Enjoying In And Out Burger – and most likely a few so-cal brews.) Yes, a Friday. The last Thursday and Friday of October are annually slated for state teachers’ convention time. Having been in the teaching profession for as long as I have has taught me a few things: 1) Most ideas are recycled. Usually they come back to the tried and true. Changing things for the sake of change is not necessarily innovation. As it is said, “The more things change the more they stay the same.” I don’t need a conference to be reminded of this. 2) I can use the time more productively at home taking care of the final outside Fall things that need to be done: like cleaning the rain gutters, covering the AC unit (BTW – if your cover your outside AC unit for the winter, place a couple of drier sheets inside the unit where the electronics are located to keep mice from nesting in there. They like to set up shop in there and chew on the wires. I know from experience. Apparently, the wires taste like licorice to the mice – I guess.) The rain barrel needs to be emptied, the grass cut, the garage door lubed, etc. And beer NEEDS to be brewed. So yes, a brew session took place this last Friday since I took care of the other things on Thursday.

After a bit of deliberation, Mark decided that he would go with the stout as it ties in with the Fall / Winter season and is a change from the IPA scene. Once again, I went with the Northern Brewer version. Why try to reinvent the wheel? The stout was a partial mash brew meaning that there are some grains that need to be steeped or mashed at 152° F while the rest of the additions are LME and DME extracts.

The no chill method was used. This is now standard procedure here at the brewery. The method works well and there have been no negative experiences after employing the method multiple times. The cooled wort was transferred to the fermentor Saturday AM before work and the yeast starter added. Fermentation was going strong Saturday evening. Two weeks in the conical and then to the keg it goes for a little conditioning and carbonation. It might make the Thanksgiving timeline.

This is a lighter version of the Fieldpointe Oatmeal Stout. (I think there is a previous post on the Fieldpointe Brewery version.)

The anticipated OG is 1.049 and the IBU and ABV are classified as low. This should work well for sharing with visiting family while playing multiple rounds of Terraforming Mars all hours of the night.

Grains

2.5 lb – Maris Otter
0.5 lb – Black Malt
0.5 lb – English Dark Crystal
0.5 lb – Flaked Oats

Additional Fermentables

3.15 lb – Dark Liquid Malt Extract (LME): 60 minutes
1 lb – Dark Dry Malt Extract (DME): 60 minutes

Hops

2 oz – US Fuggle: 60 minutes

Yeast

Safale S-04 Ale: Starter

Happy Festival of the Reformation! Time to watch the Luther movie on DVD.

October 2021

Belgian Quad

Looks like some time has passed since the last post. It is this school thing – it gets in the way of doing much of anything else – like brewing. The good news is that 1/4 of the school year has been completed. The 2nd quarter starts on Monday. This means that the end of the school year is only 3 quarters away – but who is keeping track? (I wonder.)

A big change has taken place with the group here regarding our favorite watering hole, Racine Brewing. Andy and Angie pulled the plug on the establishment and closed the doors the end of September. Apparently, COVID mandates did them in. This is sad and disappointing because many of the forced protocol measures were not necessary. This and many other small businesses were forced out of existence by the overreaction to the pandemic. The brewery was for sale but no one stepped up to the plate so the brewery furnishings are to be auctioned off. There were a few people who looked my way and hinted. Although I would have liked the chance to work at it, owning one at this stage of my life is not on the agenda – nor financially an option. It would have been fun though – for a while. As members of the Ray Bru mug club, we will cherish our mugs and reminisce all the good times spent playing Sheephead while drinking great brews. Andy, Angie and Racine Brewing will be greatly missed.

On the positive side, another local brewery is getting underway in Racine – Littleport Brewery is a block from where Racine Brewing was located. It is still in the process of learning the system and dialing in parameters. The brew gear there is larger than what Racine Brewing had and the owners have quite a list of beers that they plan on brewing. Time will tell how this venture goes.

Changing gears, the last brew session before the school year got underway was my take on Racine Brewing’s Ghost in the Graveyard – Monster in the Mausoleum I call it. The one or two of you who possibly read these posts will vaguely remember that the brew day didn’t go so well. Basically, the kettle thermometer decided to record its own reading which was quite different from the actual temp involved. This resulted in a mash temp well above the desired 152° F target. By the time I located my analog dial thermometer (because my digital didn’t work), the temp was at the mash out tempt of 170° F. The ghosts in the graveyard were apparently at work here. Not wanting to call the brew day a bust along with the ingredient and time investment, I followed through hoping for the best. Well, it quickly fermented so there was hope. However, the finished product is thin and on the low side in regards to ABV. I don’t take measurements but I can tell. Oh well, as they say, there is always next year to try again. The Monster in the Mausoleum will just have to stay there for another year. Sadness and Disappointment!

This past Sunday, after morning worship, there was a brew session at Mark’s pad. On the agenda was the Belgian Quad that has been brewed and enjoyed before. The extract version was chosen for two reasons: 1) A shorter brew day. See the school reference above. 2) For ease in mobile brewing – less equipment to haul and clean.

The session kicked off just as the Packers were engaging in their weekly bout – this time with the Washington Football Team To Be Named Later As Long As It Doesn’t Include A Reference To Indigenous Native Americans. That sure is a long name. The old one was much shorter.

This brew is a rendition of Norther Brewer’s Northy 12 Belgian Quad. In fact, it might possibly be the same recipe. Of course there are the nuances of each brewing system so I’m sure there were some slight variations in the brewing procedure and process.

Nothing extraordinary to report – the session went fine. Mark provided assorted nuts, berries and grubs (OK – no berries and grubs) and the small big screen for the game down in his man cave dungeon. I almost forgot the Dorothy Door Report: the DDs were closed – a sad reminder that the season has changed. Mark’s wife served tasty taco bowls which went nicely with the IPAs that were consumed. Some severe damage was done to Mark’s beer fridge inventory.

Shifting gears again – Mark managed to road trip to Imperial Oak Brewing in Willow Springs, IL. This brewery makes one of my most favored beers: Sinister Minister – a Belgian Quad! I think Mark likes it too. We have been able to get our hands on some the past few years now. It is a seasonal fall release and is eagerly anticipated. Check out Imperial Oak’s web thing and if you are in the area, stop in and try some outstanding beer. Back to the Quad:

According to the NB product details:

Style: Belgian Strong Ale
OG: 1.090
SRM: 31
IBU: 40
ABV: 10.1%

Enough chat – here is the ingredient list:

Extracts & Other Fermentables

6 lb – Pilsen LME: 60 minutes
3.15 – Gold LME: 15 minutes
1 lb – Pilsen DME: 60 minutes
1 lb – Gold DME: 15 minutes
2 lb – Candi Syrup (D-180): 15 minutes

Hops

1 oz – Brewer’s Gold: 60 minutes
1 oz – Hallertau: 30 minutes
1 oz – Styrian Goldings: 15 minutes

Yeast

2 Packs – Safbrew Abbaye (BE-256)

This is a 4 month brew – which would be expected for a beer of this calibre. Some age works wonders on it. The test will be to see if Mark can keep his mits off of it until February. Any bets, anyone?

August 2021

Monster In The Mausoleum

Today is the final brew day before the new school year gets underway – which is this coming Tuesday, August 24. That is when the little monsters arrive. It’s also the sign that summer is winding down and will be gone too soon.

It has been a warm and dry summer here in SE WI. Grass cutting hasn’t entirely stopped although I did get one 2 week stretch of not having to push the mower. Otherwise I’m still at my once per week routine and this morning was it for the week. Despite the warmth, dryness and brown patches, the lawn still begs attention from the mower – and the mower requires my attention. Summer is still here with sunshine, 86°F and 75% humidity. Great day for a mow and a brew.

Today’s brew is a clone of a beer that Racine Brewing did a couple of years ago as a one and done (so far). They called it Ghost In The Graveyard and it was fantastic! Its baseline is an American Stout with oats, pumpkin and lactose added. I was disappointed that it was not on the tap list the following Fall as it sure was good. The second year it was a no show I asked Andy if he would share his recipe with me and he happily obliged. He even scaled it down for a 5 gallon batch for me. Thanks Andy! (Andy and Angie are the propriaters of Racine Brewing Company.)

So, after the grass cutting the brew gear was setup and the brew is in progress in the early stage as I type this – and there has already been a scare which may doom this batch to the dungeon of the waste water treatment facility.

The grain bill for the Monster is 17 lb – a bit much for my frail electric system – which I enjoy using. Since additional kettle space was needed, the old propane burner, which hadn’t been used for quite a long time, and the Blichmann BoilerMaker 10 gallon kettle with false bottom came out of hibernation from the crypt to see some action. This part of the equation was a good decision as the mash fit comfortably. So far – so good.

An online mash / strike water calculator was used to get the correct amount of water in the kettle. The first propane tank was empty but the second one still had contents and the old burner fired up just fine. Once the temp reached 125°F, according to the dial thermometer built into the kettle, the grains were added and stirred well. Heat was still being applied and the mash was stirred often on its way to 152°F. Once the temp rose to 140°F, it kind of just stayed there – for a while. There was a light breeze so I figured I was loosing too much heat to the wind so I turned up the flame on the burner. A little more time passed and still not much of an increase in the mash temp. As more time passed and the temp just stayed there I figured something was amiss. It sure seemed that the mash was getting warmer. Time to get another temperature instrument and check as to what is going on here.

My electric brew system has its own built in temperature sensor so I haven’t used my old dial or digital thermometers for about as long as the old brew system hasn’t been used. Now to locate them. I rummaged through a tote of brewing gear. Not there. Hmmmm… Tried another and found the digital thermometer. Pushed the “on” button and nothing. Crud. Where is that analog dial unit? More digging and it was finally located near the eye of newt and hair of toad. Went out to take the mash temp. Sadness and Disappointment ensued. Not just a little past the 154°F I was after – it was near mashout temp of 170°F. Lightning and Thunder! I cut the flame and stirred it desperately trying to get the heat to dissipate because I was out of cricket breath which lowers temperatures quickly. Don’t know if this brew is going to be a goner but I’m going through with it. Time will tell how this one turns out but I’m rather bummed at this point. Anyway, the hour mash is up so off I go to sparge the grain bed, filter through grasshopper wings and transfer to the cauldron.

I’m happy to report that the sparge went well. 1 lb of rice hulls was added out of concern for the oats and the canned pumpkin that were added to the mash. A stuck monster mash is not a graveyard smash. The wort certainly looks and smells like a stout. That is all that matters in the end, right? Dark and Foggy? The mash tasted somewhat sweet to me – or it was my mind wanting me to taste it as being sweet. There should be some fermentable in there – or at least some spider legs – or something. This may end up being a dark water based elixir enhanced with lactose.

The boil and hop additions went just fine. No boil over to make a mess of things. This is somewhat disappointing for sorcerers spell. (Not really.)

This is another no chill brew as the witches are on vacation. This saves a little time and water not having to cool the wort down to pitching temp. This is Ok since there was the extra time heating the mash extra hot. Arg! The session ended up being 8 hrs without the chill. I’m hungry enough to eat a fried salamander tail or two at this point.

Now the cleanup is done and the yeast starter is under way. The fermenter has sanitizer within – all awaiting the Monster tomorrow – which will probably not be too monsterous after today’s mishap.

Here is the makings of Monster In The Mausoleum:

Grains

10 lb – 2 Row Brewers Malt
2 lb – Black Patent
2 lb – Crystal 120
2 lb – Chocolate Rye Malt
1 lb – Flaked Oats

Other

2 lb – Canned Pumpkin
1 lb – Rice Hulls
1 lb – Lactose

Hops

1 oz – Fuggle (60 minutes)
1 oz – Fuggle (30 minutes)
1 oz – Fuggle (10 minutes)

Yeast

Fermentis Safale S-04

Here’s hoping for good things to happen!

July 2020

Apocalyptic Zombie

It has been almost a week since this brew session took place in Mark’s dungeon so it’s high time to get this posted.

The weather was fantastic (not that it really mattered with the basement brewing) and the Dorothy Doors were open. Mark finally moved his patio furniture outside so that is where we enjoyed most of the brew session.

I’ve always known Mark to be the type of person who is even keeled. He doesn’t get too bothered or upset by what life presents. He just rolls with the show and makes the best of the situation. However, there are two things for witch Mark does not have patience or a tolerance for: mosquitoes and chipmunks.

Everyone living in Wisconsin has to deal with the mosquito situation – although it really hasn’t been that bad with all the dry weather so far this summer. But the chipmunks – whoa Nelly! I haven’t seen Mark move that fast since our college football days a few years back when he spots one invading his property. I’m not going to mention Mark’s eradication methods, but let’s just say that the critters usually out maneuver him. They have his stratagies figured out. Mark even claims that the varmints will taunt him by standing on his flower bed retaining wall while doing the I’m Alright gopher dance from Caddyshack.

David stopped by for a while and he and Mark got to try the Mango Kölsch which I thoughtfully brought specifically for Jeff (It was brewed at his place) . But alas, Jeff was a no show.

Jeff is one of those people who likes to have his “ducks in a row” and had inquired a day or two earlier for verification that the planned brew session was indeed going to take place. Mark enjoys messing with Jeff’s questions. He answers them – but not so directly at times. This frustrates Jeff – which the rest of us enjoy. Once Jeff received the information in a satisfactory manner, all was set. That is until Friday’s session got under way and Jeff texted that he wasn’t going to make it. Something about having to get things ready for a vacation that was kicking off the next day. Apparently he wasn’t aware of his planned vacation – or he just forgot about it. I don’t know what is so involved in prepping for a vacation. On the morning of, just throw your socks, underwear and tooth brush in a duffle bag and off you go. As previously indicated, Jeff’s ducks need to be properly lined up so I’m sure his prep was way more involved for a guy than it should have been.

You will notice that there is a name change on this beer. That is because this session’s recipe underwent an experimental change. We liked the hazy presentation of the beer brewed for National Homebrew Day (Star Gazer Double IPA). So, we used that grain bill (I think) and used the hop schedule for the Zombie Dirt – 10 ounces of Citra hops. This should offer the likeness of a favorite of all of us – Toppling Goliath’s Pseudo Sue. Of course, this all depends on Mark taking his hop agitation responsibility seriously. Time will tell.

I think (as previously stated) this is the grain bill for the brew as I’m not sure what Mark picked up from Northern Brewer and he wasn’t so sure either. I certainly know that oats were involved as I could identify them and the sparge was on the slow side. The sparge was not a concern while brewing the Start Gazer. Perhaps Mark got extra oats? He isn’t a numbers guy so he probably read 1.5 lb as 15 lb or something like that. Anyway, some rice hulls would have been a benefit to loosen the grain bed. His suggestion of adding some pink naked squirrels into the mash for good measure was nixed. Good thing.

Grains

6.5 lb. Rahr Premium Pilsner Malt
3.25 lb. Rahr Red Wheat Malt
1.5 lb. Flaked Oats
6 oz. Weyermann® Acidulated Malt

Hops

1 oz – Citra (60 minutes)
1 oz – Citra (20 minutes)
1 oz – Citra (10 minutes)
1 oz – Citra (5 minutes)
1 oz – Citra (Flameout)
2 oz – Citra (Dry Hop – Fermentor)
3 oz – Citra (Dry Hop – Keg)

Yeast

Fermentis SafAle K-97

That’s it! Thanks for reading and get your brew on.

June 2021

The Innkeeper

This was a simple solo brew put together to be enjoyed the second half of the summer – which in WI has been either sunny with temps in the 90s or as in today, cloudy and cool with a current temp of 62° F. I’ll take either as both are better than January mid-winter cold.

This is a quick brew consisting mainly of Liquid Malt Extract (LME), Dry Malt Extract (DME), a couple steeped specialty grains and some corn sugar. Of course, hops and yeast complete the presentation.

The Innkeeper is classified as an English Pale Ale – Standard / Ordinary Bitter. The estimated ABV is 3.25% with 48.5 IBU.

Nothing unique to report on this session so here it is:

Grains

0.5 lb Extra Dark Crystal (steeped)
0.5 lb Belgian Biscuit (steeped)

Extracts

3.15 lb Pilsen Light Liquid (15 minutes)
1.0 lb Pilsen Light Powder (60 minutes)

Adjunct

1.0 lb Corn Sugar (15 minutes)

Hops

1 oz Fuggle (60 minutes)
1 oz East Kent Goldings (45 minutes)
1 oz Styrian Goldings (5 minutes)

Yeast

Danstar Nottingham