Hop Madness! 2009

This is my first attempt at a "Vlog". I had never actually opened iMovie on my Mac, but I had to rotate some video that I took this weekend at Hop Madness. Then I just started piecing this together and did the voiceover today.

Here's the recipe for the black "saison" I did. I write saison in quotation marks because I am not expecting a very dry beer. This was supposed to be around 1.065 O.G. including a 1 pound sugar addition. Due to collecting more wort in the boil kettle, I got a huge 89% efficiency. So this beer clocked in at 1.069 O.G even when I left the sugar out, and even though it was mashed low, I figure it will probably end up around 1.013 - 1.015 F.G. The residual body might be nice, since this also has healthy dose of IBU's. I think it should be around 60 IBU's, but it's impossible to calculate with unknown moisture content and alpha acids of the fresh hops.

Recipe is for 8.5 gallons pre boil, all grain. Boiled down to 7 gallons, collected 6 in the fermenter.

O.G. 1.069 F.G. 1.006 ABV 8.1% IBU's 60?

11.5 lb. Weyermann pilsner malt

2 lb. Munich malt

.75 lb. Caramunich 60

.5 lb. Carafa special III (600L)

All hops are fresh! and whole of course

6 oz. Nugget 60 min

6 oz. Willamette 30 min

6 oz. Willamette 20 min

6 oz. Willamette 10 min

4 oz. Willamette 0 min (was supposed to be 6 but I ran out.)

Mash: 4.5 gallons + 1 tsp gypsum

Mash in to 149, keep between 145-149 for 60 min.

pH was about 5.3-5.4 at room temp

Raise to 154 for 15 minutes

No mash-out due to time restrictions

Sparge with 5 gallons of 180 degree water

Collect 8.5 gallons at 1.058 = 89% efficiency

Boil 90 minutes, with whirfloc & yeast nutrient at 10 minutes

Chill to 76 (would have liked to get lower, but hell, it's a saison!)

60 seconds pure oxygen

Pitched half of the yeast cake of Wyeast 3711 from the last batch of saison

Fermenting at 78 degrees.

Racked to keg straight from primary on 10/1/09 F.G. 1.007. Damn, this yeast is unstoppable!