Today I’m brewing an Imperial Pilsner loosely based on the recipe in Sam Calagione’s Extreme Brewing.

Here’s what’s going in:

• 9 lbs Pilsner DME
• 3 lbs Extra Light DME
• 1/2 lb Cara Pils
• 2 oz Czech Saaz Hops (2.4-3% AA)
• 1 oz Hallertau Hops
• Wyeast 2007 Pilsen Lager Yeast

Here’s the process:

1. Add Cara Pils in a grain bag to cold water. Bring that to 170F and remove grain bag.
2. Bring that to a boil and dissolve in the Pilsner DME and 2 lbs of Extra Light DME. The rest will be for bottling.
3. Add 1oz of Saaz at 60min mark.
4. Add 1/2 oz of Hallertau at 20 min.
5. Add 1/2 oz of Hallertau & Irish Moss at 10.
6. Add 1/2 oz of Saaz at flame-out.
7. Chill to 65, add Yeast, put it in the cold, add cold water to make 5 gal.
8. Ferment 2 weeks, transfer to secondary w/ last 1/2 oz of Saaz.
9. Ferment another 2-3 weeks & bottle.

We’ll see how this goes…

I don’t usually do all-grain recipes ’cause of the enormous PIA that it is to do all-grain in a kitchen without a mash tun.

But I’m doing one today.

Even with lack of a real lauter tun, I think I’ll be able to accomplish this with help from Kyle and an extra brew kettle. It won’t be easy, but nothing is.

So…infusion mash, here we come.

Ingredients

• 10lb Cargill 2-row Pale Malt
• 2oz Simcoe @ 13.6% AA

Process

1. Bring 2.5 gallons to 168-174F
2. Add the 2-row – adding 10lb of grain to 2.5 gallons of water will bring the temp down 14-18F.
3. Mash for 60 minutes.
4. Bring to a boil
5. Hops schedule: 1oz @ 60, 1/2oz @ 20, 1/2oz @ 5

Kyle and I also had some of the Full Sail Golden clone that we did together a few weeks ago. It was good, but not spectacular, and it didn’t come out as clear as I was hoping. Obviously the wheat in the recipe had something to do with that, but I am also chalking part of that up to sub-stellar processes on my part.

The Rye Pale Ale that we did was awesome, though. The color is gorgeous and the taste is great – though it does have a chill haze that I’d like to get sorted out.

Kyle and I decided today that we’re not doing another all-grain until we have the equipment to do it right. Too much trouble and too much waste.

I think we’ve gotten the hang of this pretty damn well. We can turn out a batch and be cleaned up in just over four hours, with plenty of video games during the day.

Even when we’re both hungover and tired.

Last week I dropped and shattered my hydrometer, so I don’t have any gravity readings or anything for this one. The wort tasted great, though, and since we’ve pretty much gotten the motions figured out, I’m sure this one will turn out well.

http://www.byo.com/stories/recipeindex/article/recipes/112-specialty-a-experimental-beer/2169-rye-pale-ale

I followed it really closely, actually. Something I’ve rarely accomplished in the past.

One thing that went really well today was soaking and sparging the grains. I sparged with the exact right amount of water. Well, not technically the right amount probably, but when I rinsed the grains with the water I’d heated for sparging, I ended up with just about the exact amount that will fill my brew kettle.

The final product turned out darker than what I’d expected, but I did a vigorous boil for the entire thing, so that probably had something to do with it. Also, I couldn’t find Crystal 10L, so used Crystal 20L instead – adding to the color.

I’m hoping this turns out well as I really like rye.

I’m really excited to get to know more about this thing that I love so much. The book is quite thick and what I’ve read so far is really interesting and looks to be somewhat challenging. Which is exactly what I want, it’s just been a while since I had to try to read equations and understand them, prioritize readings, and schedule courseloads.

I know I have practically zero readers (Hi, Mego!), but this is where I’ll be posting information, updates, etc. as I go along.

Yes, I know Facebook exists. But that doesn’t really seem like the place for long, thoughtful posts about the educational process.

I can’t describe how excited I am.

• Second runnings from Irish Imperial
• 1lb 2-Row
• 1lb 7oz Munich
• 1lb Light Malt Extract (Dry)

Notes

• Mashed in at 132F for 30min.  Previously added about 1qt of original irish imperial mash
• Conversion at 153F for 25min

Hops

• 60min 1oz Citra
• 45min 1oz Citra
• 30min .5oz Perle
• 15min .5oz  Tettnang

• 9lb 2-Row
• 1lb 14oz Roasted Barley
• 1/2lb Black Patent
• 1/2lb Briess Chocolate
• 5oz Crystal 40L (4.6)
• 6lb Light Malt Extract (Dry)
• 2oz Centennial
• 1oz Cascade
• 1oz US Kent Golding
• 6oz Jameson
• 4tablets Beano

Notes

• Mashed in at 122F for 30min (temp was 127F at 15min and also at 30min)
• Conversion around 153F for 25 min
• So much grain.  Deciding to do a big beer and a little beer.  Sparging the grains for a second batch is proving to be an amusing challenge.
• 60min – 2oz Centennial
• 45min – 1oz Cascade
• 30min – 1oz US Kent Golding
• 15min – 1tsp Irish Moss

OG: 1.062

FG: 1.036

• 5 pounds, light dry extract
• 3 pounds, 2-row pale malt
• 1/2 pound, crystal malt (40L)
• 2 ounces, roasted barley
• 4 ounces, wheat malt
• 2 ounces, dextrin malt
• 2 ounces, Cascade hops (5.2% alpha)
• 1 ounce, Tettnanger hops (4.9% alpha)
• 1 ounce, Perle hops (7.2% alpha)
• 1 ounce, Kent Goldings hops (5.2% alpha)
• 1 teaspoon, Irish moss
• 1 pack, Wyeast Irish Ale XL

One day I’ll find the list of spices we used…

Here’s what I had:

• Kona Brewing: Bourbon Barrel Aged Black Sand Porter
• Schlafly Brewing: Bourbon Barrel Oatmeal Stout
• Fifty-Fifty Brewing: Imperial Eclipse Stout, aged in 4 Roses and Heaven Hill Rye barrels
• Limestone Brewing: Ukranium Krusher
• Port Brewing / Lost Abbey: Older Viscosity, Deliverance
• Smuttynose Brewing: Imperial Stout
• Bluegrass Brewing: French Oak Rye 75 IPA
• Nebraska Brewing: Oaked Rye IPA
• Stone Brewing: Barrel Aged 2006 Double Bastard Ale
• Founders Brewing: Backwoods Bastard
• Lunar Brewing: Barrel Aged Intergalactic Kilt Lifter Scotch Ale
• New Holland Brewing: Charkoota Rye
• Goose Island: Bourbon County Ancho Stout, Bourbon King Henry, Chocolate Mint Julep Stout
• Lakefront Brewing: Bourbon Barrel Aged Holiday Spice
• Three Floyds Brewing: Conquistador de la Muerte

There were 158 beers at this fest – most of them over 7% and many over 10%. I’m surprised that I lived.