| President’s
Notes
President’s
Notes
Before I begin with the extract competition guidelines, I
want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas along with a Healthy
and Happy 2003.
This Febrewary we will have our Pale Ale Extract
competition. This experiment is intended to level the
playing field between the extract and all-grain brewers. The
goal is to determine who can make the most interesting beer
when given the same set of ingredients.
Members will purchase a Pale Ale kit from All The Brewha.
The kit will contain all the ingredients and a set of
“suggested” directions. Chuck Nolen, who won first place
using this recipe in the Pale Ale category at a San Diego
competition, provides the recipe and directions.
We tried this experiment two years ago with a Brown Ale kit.
We sold twenty kits and had around fifteen entries. We were
very surprised at the difference in beers when provided with
the same ingredients. Overall, it was a good learning
experience.
The Records:
We ask that you keep good records. A record sheet will be
provided a sheet to log your information. The boil times and
hopping rates will affect the beer dramatically. Rather than
simply tasting beers, we want to know how the schedules
affect the results. We will place the schedule sheets with
the pitcher at sampling. We recognize that this may allow
members to identify their entries at the time of sampling,
but there is much to be learned with this experiment. We ask
that members not identify their entries during the sampling.
The Experiment:
The only variables in this experiment will be water and
process control. By water, we mean that you will supply the
water from the source you choose. By process control, we
mean how you use the ingredients, your equipment and your
knowledge of brewing. We ask that you use all of the
ingredients provided and make no additions. All the
ingredients are measured out, including the hops, so you
will have nothing left over.
Water: This is one of the variables. You may use any water
you want you want. It can be bottled, tap, well or reverse
osmosis. You may adjust the alkalinity by any means you
choose, or not at all. However, you should end up with five
gallons of wort in your primary fermentor.
Adjunct Grains: You are provided with two types of grain.
You can choose to crush the grains or not. You must steep
them in water. The water temperature and the steep duration
are entirely up to you.
Hops: You are provided with five ounce of hops. The recipe
calls for bittering, aroma and dry hops, but this is only a
“suggested recipe.” You may add them at anytime you want,
but you should use all five ounces.
The Boil: You may boil for any length of time. You may use
any amount of Irish Moss during the boil.
Yeast: The White Labs yeast provided is pitchable yeast. You
are allowed to make a starter, up to one quart in volume.
You may use any fermentable sugar for you starter, as long
as it does not affect the original gravity of the wort. This
is a polite way of saying that you should not but an extra
pound of extract in your starter, hoping to affect the
original gravity of your wort.
Fermentation: The instructions call for a primary, secondary
and tertiary fermentation at specific temperatures and
durations. These are only suggestions, but we hope you go
through the primary fermentation process. The secondary and
tertiary fermentation(s) are optional. The fermentation
vessels, temperatures and durations are entirely up to you.
Conditioning: You may bottle condition using priming sugar,
bottle using a counter pressure bottle filler or keg. If you
keg, please use only Carbon Dioxide.
The Ingredients and “Suggested” Directions:
Ingredients:
½ lb. Crystal Malt-10 Lovibond
½ lb. Caramunich
2 cans John Bull Light Liquid Extract (3.52 lbs. each)
1 lb Laaglander Dry Malt Extract Light
1.5 ounces Northern Brewer Hops; pellets
3.5 ounces Cascade Hops; pellets
White Labs WLP002 English Ale Yeast
Suggested Directions:
Add 2.5 Gallons water to your brew pot
Steep grains in water at 158 degree F for 30 minutes
Remove and discard grains
Add malt extract then bring to boil
Add 1.5 ounces Northern Brewer hops at start of boil
Add 1 ounce Cascade hops at 30 minutes into boil
Add 1 teaspoon Irish Moss 45 minutes into boil
Add 1 ounce Cascade hops 55 minutes into boil
Total boil time 60 minutes
Cool wort to 70 degree F and transfer to fermenter
Top off fermenter to 5 gallons if needed
Aerate wort then pitch yeast
Primary fermentation for 7 days at 68 F
Secondary fermentation, add 1.5 ounces Cascade hops and
continue fermentation for 14 days at 68 F
Tertiary fermentation for at least 7 days, then bottle or
keg.
.
Pat Cunningham,
President
|
'02
Christmas Party!
The annual Forest City Brewers Christmas Party was held
Saturday the 14th at Rich and Maryanne’s and it is firmly
believed by your humble correspondent that a rollicking good
time was had by all attendees. (with the possible exception
of one guest who’s date didn’t show. Not to worry though,
another one showed up to save the evening.) Things finally
broke up around 4:30am right after the world’s problems were
solved. Guess what!! All the solutions involved beer!
Figure 1 Beginning of evening.
Figure 1 Middle of evening.
.
Figure 1 End of evening.
Richard Theyerl,
Secretary
|
Submissions:
If you have anything that you would like to see
published in the next issue of The Barley News please e-mail
me at
mailto:banjoflyer@aol.com?subject=Barley News submission |
