comanchetrailbrewing-blog

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NEIPA

So this is my first time really brewing a New England style IPA. I have brewed many IPAs in my life, substituting different hops, yeast and grains. Messing with water chemistry. Doing different hopping techniques. You name it. For this brew I wanted to go high on the flaked oats and calcium chloride to get that signature soft mouthfeel that’s true to the style. I also wanted to use the correct yeast. In comes in Barbarian from Imperial. Their website describes it as follows. “ Ready to attack your IPA, Barbarian produces stone fruit esters that work great when paired with citrus hops. Barbarian will give you what you need for an exceptionally balanced IPA. “ To go along with medium flocculation this yeast should work great for the style.

Recipe Specifics:

Batch Size (Gal) - 5.5

Total Grain (Lbs) - 16.25

OG - 1.071 (17.5 plato)

Anticipated SRM - 14.3

Anticipated IBU - 0

Brewhouse Efficiency - 81.50%

Wort Boil Time - 60 minutes

Grain/Sugar:

63.1% - 10.25 lbs. 2-row

24.6% - 4 lbs. Flaked Oats

6.2% - 1 lb. Vienna

6.2% - 1 lb. White Wheat

Hops:

2 oz. Citra (13.4% alpha acids) @ Flameout (20 min. hop stand)

2 oz. Equinox (13.4% alpha acids) @ Flameout (20 min. hop stand)

1 oz. Mosaic  (12.3% alpha acids) @ Flameout (20 min. hop stand)

4 oz. Citra @ dry hop (7 days)

2 oz. Mosaic @ dry hop (3 days)

2 oz. Equinox @ dry hop (3 days)

Extras:

2 tsp Yeast Nutrient @ 15 min.

1 Whirlfloc Tablet @ 15 min.

Yeast:

Imperial A04 Barbarian

Water Profile:

Krum, TX

Mash Schedule:

Protein Rest - 20 min @ 122F

Alpha Amylase Rest - 45 min @ 155F

Mash Out - 168F

04/14/2017 - Made 1.25 L yeast starter on stir plate. My stir plate broke so luckily I work at a brewery and used ours at Community.

04/15/2017 - Brewed with Brian, Nate and myself on my Sabco BrewMagic. Started with 2 gallons of filtered Krum tap water and 4.5 gallons of distilled water for mash-in. Mash pH @ 5 min. 5.85. Added 10.2 grams of Calcium Chloride, 1.4 grams of Gypsum, 2.3 grams of epsom salt. Mash pH down to 5.7. I figured I’d wait until we raised up to the 155F rest to check again. I added 1.5 ml of lactic acid. pH down to 5.45. Left as is. Sparged with 1.3 gallons of filtered Krum tap water and 2.9 gallons of distilled water (added 2 ml of lactic acid to bring down pH). Collected 8 gallons of wort for boil. We did not have to dilute because our runnings never got below 2.5 Plato. Pre-boil gravity measured 1.058 (15 plato). Chilled to 68F and whirlpooled for 20 min. Collected a little over 5 gallons in fermenter. Added 30 seconds of pure O2, followed by the yeast starter. Set the SS Brewtech temp. controller to 64F.

4/17/2017 - 8 PM - Upped the temp to 72F. Gravity = 10 Plato.

4/18/2017 - Added first set of dry hops, 2 oz. Mosaic & 1 oz. Equinox.

4/22/2017 - Added second dry hops, 4 oz. Citra. Gravity = 3.5 Plato (1.014).

4/24/2017 - Crashed. Gravity = 1.014. 7.4% ABV, 79% Apparent Attenuation.

4/26/2017 - Kegged.

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Dark Saison Tasting Notes

4/15/2017:

Appearance - Black from initial sight. Hues of brown come through on the edge of the glass in the light. Plenty of roasted malt to make it dark.

Smell - 

Taste - 

Mouthfeel - 

Drinkability & Overall - 

Changes - Use less roasted barley (1%) or take out completely.

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Dark Saison

Recipe Specifics:

Batch Size (Gal) - 5.0

Total Grain (Lbs) - 8.875

OG - 1.054 (13.2 plato)

Anticipated SRM - 27.2

Anticipated IBU - 26.5

Brewhouse Efficiency - 81.65%

Wort Boil Time - 60 minutes

Grain/Sugar:

78.9% - 7 lbs. Vienna

5.6% - 8 oz. Special B

4.2% - 6 oz. Chocolate Malt

2.8% - 4 oz. Carafa II

2.8% - 4 oz. roasted Barley

8 oz. brown sugar @ 15 min. left in boil

Hops:

0.5 oz. Warrior (15.4% AA) @ 60 min.

1 oz. Czech Saaz @ flameout

Extras:

2 tsp Yeast Nutrient @ 15 min.

1 Whirlfloc Tablet @ 15 min.

Yeast:

Wyeast 3711 French Saison

Water Profile:

Krum, TX

Mash Schedule:

Beta Amylase Rest - 40 min @ 148F

Alpha Amylase Rest - 20 min @ 158F

Mash Out - 168F

03/03/2017 - Made 1 L yeast starter on stir plate.

03/04/2017 - Brewed with Brian, Kat and myself on my Sabco BrewMagic. Started with 1.25 gallons of filtered Krum tap water and 2.35 gallons of distilled water for mash-in. Mash pH @ 5 min. 5.10. Added 1.1 grams of gypsum, 1.4 grams of epsom salt, 2.7 grams of baking soda, and 2.7 grams of Calcium Chloride. Mash pH up to 5.45 @ 20 min. Left as is. Sparged with 1.8 gallons of filtered Krum tap water and 2.5 gallons of distilled water (added 2 ml of lactic acid to bring down pH). Stopped runoff when runnings reached 2.1 plato, diluted with 1 gallon of water to bring total boil kettle volume to 6.5 gallons of wort for boil. Pre-boil gravity measured 1.040 (10 plato). Chilled to 68F and whirlpooled for 15 min. Collected 4.5 gallons in fermenter. The evaporation was higher than expected. Added 30 seconds of pure O2, followed by the yeast starter. Set the SS Brewtech temp. controller to 70F. Will bump up temp to 75F on day 3 of fermentation.

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Plum Sour

Recipe Specifics:

Batch Size (Gal) - 5.0

Total Grain (Lbs) - 10

OG - 1.050

Anticipated SRM - 3.3

Anticipated IBU - 12

Brewhouse Efficiency - 78%

Wort Boil Time - 60 minutes

Grain/Sugar:

100% - 10 lbs. Pale 2-row

Hops:

1.0 oz. Celeia @ 60 min.

Extras:

1 tsp Yeast Nutrient @ 15 min.

1 Whirlfloc Tablet @ 15 min.

Yeast:

White Labs #WLP001 California Ale (Primary Fermentation)

White Labs #WLP665 Flemish Ale Blend (Secondary Fermentation)

Water Profile:

Austin, TX

Mash Schedule:

Alpha Amylase Rest - 60 min @ 155F

01/30/2016 - Brewed by myself. Started with 4.0 gallons of filtered ATX tap water for mash-in. Mash pH @ 10 min. 5.63. Added 3.0 grams of gypsum, and 2.0 grams of Calcium Chloride. Mash pH down to 5.49 @ 30 min. Left as is. Sparged with 5.1 gallons of filtered ATX tap water. Collected 7.5 gallons for boil. Chilled to 68F and whirlpooled for 20 min. Collected 5.25 gallons in fermenter. Added 30 seconds of pure O2, followed by the yeast starter. Set the SS Brewtech temp. controller to 68F.

2/5/16 - Gravity down to 1.016 after letting it free rise up to 72F.

2/6/16 - Dumped trub.

2/8/16 - Dumped yeast. Gravity still at 1.016. Transferred to secondary. Added 2.5 oz. French Oak cubes (boiled) and the flemish Ale Blend.

4/29/216 - Gravity down to 1.012. Deep orange color, burnt orange. Smells a little tart, lemony. White wine like.

7/30/16 - Added 3-5 lbs. of fresh plums cut into cubes. Had a pretty vigorous re-fermentation. Had to change airlock several more times.

Bottled.....TBD

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Saison w/ Honey & Currants Tasting Notes

7/18/2016:

Appearance - Crystal clear orange. Actually surprised by the clarity. Head dissipated quickly, but can stir one up with a quick swirl.

Smell - Fruity. The French Saison yeast is the main character. Peppery and candied fruit on the back end. Also a malty sweetness and crackery malt. Perfume-y.

Taste - Light citrus. A light sweet, honey sweetness. No off flavors whatsoever. Very clean and crisp.

Mouthfeel - Light body, silky and finishes dry and a touch of bitterness.

Drinkability & Overall - Very easy to drink, yet very flavorful. Perfect for the heat of the Texas summer. I’m loving it. Much better than my last saison. Like I said in the taste, there are no off flavors. Perfectly brewed saison.

Changes - Use a different fruit next time. I read after I already committed to the currants that they can be quite muted on the flavor. I remember when I racked to the bottling bucket the aroma coming out of the fermenter. It was a tart cherry smell. That did not come through in the final beer. Also add the honey into secondary fermentation. I want to start brewing more saisons with different fruits and fermentable sugar in each one. 

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Oatmeal IPA (Julius Clone)

To be brewed....

Another clone attempt. With more and more research done on the New England style IPA, the more I think I know how they are brewed. 30% Oats, wheat, FLOUR?!?, dry hopping during active fermentation?!? But you’re not supposed to do any of those things! With my attempt at Julius from Tree House I will use around 30% flaked oats in the grist bill to match the haziness of the beer. For the smooth, creamy, very little bitterness of the beer I will add 125-150 ppm of both sulfate and chloride, and mash at 155F. 

Recipe Specifics:

Batch Size (Gal) - 

Total Grain (Lbs) - 16.5

OG - 

Anticipated SRM - 4.1

Anticipated IBU - 27

Brewhouse Efficiency - 

Wort Boil Time - 60 minutes

Grain/Sugar:

53% - 8.75 lbs. Pale 2-row

28.8% - 4.75 lbs. Flaked Oats

6.1% - 1 lb. Vienna Malt

6.1% - 1 lb. White Wheat

3.0% - 8.0 oz. Dextrose

3.0% - Rice Hulls

Hops:

1.0 oz. Centennial @ 60 min.

2.0 oz. Amarillo @ 175F Steep/Whirlpool for 15 min

2.0 oz. Centennial @ 175F Steep/Whirlpool for 15 min

2.0 oz. Simcoe @ 175F Steep/Whirlpool for 15 min

1.0 oz. Amarillo dry hop 7 days

1.0 oz. Centennial dry hop 7 days

1.0 oz. Simcoe dry hop 7 days

1.0 oz. Amarillo dry hop 3 days

1.0 oz. Centennial dry hop 3 days

1.0 oz. Simcoe dry hop 3 days

Extras:

1 tsp Yeast Nutrient @ 15 min.

1 Whirlfloc Tablet @ 15 min.

Yeast:

Wyeast #2565 Kolsch Yeast

Water Profile:

Austin, TX

Mash Schedule:

Protein Rest - 15 min @ 122F

Alpha Amylase Rest - 45 min @ 155F

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Black IPA/Hoppy Brown Tasting

6/18/2016:

Appearance - Very dark brown. Hence the name change to Hoppy Brown.

Smell - Bright citrus. Mainly ripe oranges. Very nice.

Taste - More oranges with a touch of chocolate on the finish. Well balanced between the two. Nothing overpowering. Just a hint of bitterness.

Mouthfeel - Medium to light. Slides off the tongue easily.

Drinkability & Overall - Happy overall at my first attempt at a black IPA. Could drink a few of these, but be careful since it’s 7.1%.

Changes - Add a darker malt or just more that 5% to get the black color I’m looking for. Even at 5% the roasted malt comes through enough. Maybe add some midnight wheat next time. Also maybe lower the bicarbonate level even more to 0-50 ppm. Since there’s such little dark malts I don’t think it would affect the flavor too much.

[comanchetrailbrewing-blog]

Trillium Congress St. Clone

Back at it with another “New England” style IPA. This time I will attempt to clone my favorite IPA in the world, Trillium’s Congress Street. Trillium gives you the malts and hops used on their website. Hopped with almost exclusively Galaxy hops it also has a Columbus addition. I decided to just add an oz. of Columbus when it came to a boil and Galaxy at Flameout.. With the success of my last IPA brewed with a Kolsch yeast, I will continue using the Wyeast Kolsch Yeast #2565 for my IPAs. I continued adding almost all the hops to the wort when it’s chilled to 145F and letting them steep for 30 min. I urge every IPA lover to try this method. Cheers!

Recipe Specifics:

Batch Size (Gal) - 5.0

Total Grain (Lbs) - 13.75

OG - 1.062

Anticipated SRM - 4.2

Anticipated IBU - 44.6

Brewhouse Efficiency - 78%

Wort Boil Time - 60 minutes

Grain/Sugar:

69.1% - 9.5 lbs. Pale 2-row

21.8% - 3 lbs. White Wheat

3.6% - 8.0 oz. Cara-Pils/Dextrine

1.8% - 4 oz. Crystal 10L

3.6% - 8.0 oz. Dextrose

Hops:

1.0 oz. Columbus @ 60 min.

5.0 oz. Galaxy @ 145F Steep/Whirlpool for 30 min

2.0 oz. Galaxy dry hop 7 days

2.0 oz. Galaxy dry hop 3 days

Extras:

1 tsp Yeast Nutrient @ 15 min.

1 Whirlfloc Tablet @ 15 min.

Yeast:

Wyeast #2565 Kolsch Yeast

Water Profile:

Austin, TX

Mash Schedule:

Beta Amylase Rest - 40 min @ 148F

Alpha Amylase Rest - 20 min @ 158F

6/17/2016 - Made 1.1 L stir-plate starter.

6/18/2016 - Brewed with brother Garrett. Started with 1.1 gallons of filtered ATX tap water and 4.3 gallons of distilled water (water amounts are not 100% accurate). Mash pH @ 15 min. 5.63. Added 0.5 grams of canning salt, 1.6 grams of epsom salt, 9.6 grams of gypsum, and 1.2 grams of Calcium Chloride. Mash pH down to 5.52 @ 30 min. Added 1 ml of lactic acid. pH down to 5.45. Left as is. Sparged with 0.9 gallons of filtered ATX tap water and 3.6 gallons of distilled water after adding 4.0 ml of lactic acid to get pH of sparge water down to 6.0. Collected 7.75 gallons, stirred in dextrose, and had 1.050 runnings for boil. Chilled to 70F and whirlpooled for 20 min. Added 30 seconds of pure O2, followed by the starter. Set the SS Brewtech temp. controller to 62F.

Hop Juice...

6/21/2016 - Added 2 oz. of Galaxy hops, loose. Let temperature free rise up to 69F and will hold until fermentation complete.

6/23/2016 - Down to 1.010. 6.8% ABV, 83% AA. Appearance is reminiscent of orange juice. Super hazy.

6/25/2016 - Added 2 more oz. of Galaxy hops, loose. Also dumped a pint of trub.

6/28/2016 - Gravity down to 1.008. 7.1% ABV, 87% AA.

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Black IPA (Hoppy Brown)

The black IPA. Some love it. Some hate it. Same goes for brewing it. I have never brewed this style, but with my curiosity to brew every style out there I thought I’d give it a shot.  My first thought was the water profile. Should I treat my water for a typical IPA or somewhere in the middle of a stout and IPA? I decided to go somewhere in the middle. I made sure to have 100-110 ppm bicarbonate to account for the dark malts. Carbonates mellows the harshness of dark malts, but at the same time carbonates give a crude bitterness to highly hopped beers, which is the case in a black IPA. I decided to have just a bit more chloride than sulfates to limit the amount of bitterness. Since it’s my first attempt at the style, who knows if this will end up working for the best. Cheers!

Recipe Specifics:

Batch Size (Gal) - 4.75

Total Grain (Lbs) - 13.75

OG - 1.062

Anticipated SRM - 30

Anticipated IBU - 68

Brewhouse Efficiency - 78%

Wort Boil Time - 60 minutes

Grain/Sugar:

94.5% - 13 lbs. Pale 2-row

5.5% - 12 oz. Debittered Black Malt

Hops:

1.5 oz. Galaxy @ First Wort

2.5 oz. Amarillo @ 145F Steep/Whirlpool for 30 min

2.5 oz. Simcoe @ 145F Steep/Whirlpool for 30 min

3.5 oz. Simcoe dry hop 6 days

0.5 oz. Amarillo dry hop 6 days

0.5 oz. Galaxy dry hop 6 days

Extras:

1 tsp Yeast Nutrient @ 15 min.

1 Whirlfloc Tablet @ 15 min.

Yeast:

White Labs WLP001 California Ale

Water Profile:

Austin, TX

Mash Schedule:

Beta Amylase Rest - 75 min @ 148F

5/28/2016 - Made 1 L stir-plate starter with 3.6 oz. DME

5/29/2016 - Brewed by myself. Started with 2.7 gallons each of filtered ATX water and distilled water. Mash pH @ 15 min. was 5.58. Added 2.4 g Gypsum, 0.5 g Epsom Salt, 1.6 g Canning Salt, and 2.7 g Calcium Chloride. Checked pH @ 33 min. Was 5.43. Left as is. The color of the wort was more of a dark brown to ruby red than black. Added 3 ml lactic acid to sparge water and sparged with 2.25 gallons each of filtered ATX water and distilled water.

Collected about 7.7 gallons of 1.048 runnings.

Chilled to 70F and whirlpooled. Ran off 4.5 gallons into fermenter. Tons of hop material and trub left behind. Set SS Brewtech temp controller to 68F. Will let free rise to 70-72F on day 4 of fermentation.

6/2/2016 - Moved temp up to 72F.

6/3/2016 - Gravity down to 1.008, 7.1% ABV, 87% AA.

6/6/2016 - When I brewed this batch I sort of forgot I was going to Colorado for a week the following week. So instead of my typical IPA schedule (kegging on day 10 or 11) I decided to add the dry hops on Monday, 8 days after brew day and letting them sit for an addition 6 days, and then kegging on Sunday when I get back home.

6/12/2016 - Kegged. Finished at 1.008, so no change from June 3. I think that’s the quickest I’ve ever seen WLP001 attenuate. From the color of this beer I think I’ll call it a hoppy brown or hoppy dark. It’s not quite black. Tasting notes coming in a few days.

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Coffee Oatmeal Stout Tasting

Appearance - Black. Jet black. Brown on the edges in certain light. Khaki colored head.

Smell - Coffee, chocolate, caramel. Also some toastiness and coffee cake.The aroma seems to dissipate over time.

Taste - Coffee bitterness hits first. Some chocolate lingers on the finish as well as some bitterness most likely from the coffee. Some caramel barely comes through. The coffee has mellowed out nicely after a couple weeks. As it warms up some dark fruits come out. Absolutely a treat of a beer.

Mouthfeel - Creamy, but a tad thin. At 6.1% I expected that somewhat. Carbonation could be higher. Will add some more CO2 to the keg.

Drinkability & Overall - Very easy drinking. The lingering bitterness is a bit off putting, but nothing too intrusive. Burps are amazing. Coffee and chocolate make it’s way out. A great breakfast beer. On second tasting that lingering bitterness is no longer there.

Changes - I think I will mash at a single temperature of 154-156F next time for a fuller mouthfeel. Also cut the amount of coffee in half and use a very light roast to see how the flavor and aroma changes. I wish there was a little more chocolate. Maybe cut the roasted barley down and add more chocolate or caramel malts.

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Saison w/ Honey & Currants

Brewed on 5/18/2016

Summer time is almost here. It’s warming up and there’s no other beer I’d rather drink than a refreshing, crisp, dry saison to beat the heat. This is only my second time brewing this style, but I wanted to add something extra for flavor. I decided to add some honey and a fruit of my choice. I went for currants. Following my recent discovery of adding late addition hops to my IPAs to the wort after chilling to 150F and letting them steep for 30 minutes, I added the honey after I chilled the wort down to 180F. I just stirred in to dissolve. My thinking is it will give more honey flavor to the finished beer. The currants will be added to the secondary fermenter for two to six weeks. Check back in 4-6 weeks. Cheers!

Recipe Specifics:

Batch Size (Gal) - 4.75

Total Grain (Lbs) - 11.75

OG - 1.056

Anticipated SRM - 5

Anticipated IBU - 28.6

Brewhouse Efficiency - 77%

Wort Boil Time - 90 minutes

Grain/Sugar:

42.6% - 5 lbs. German Pilsner

34% - 4 lbs. Vienna Malt

8.5% - 1 lb. White Wheat

4.4% - 8 oz. Honey Malt

2.1% - 4 oz. Acid Malt

8.5% - 1 lb. Honey

Hops:

1.0 oz. Northern Brewer @ 45 min.

1.0 oz. Saaz @ flameout

Extras:

1 tsp Yeast Nutrient @ 15 min.

1 Whirlfloc Tablet @ 15 min.

1 lb. Black Currants from Central Market in secondary

Yeast:

Wyeast 3711 French Saison

Water Profile:

Austin, TX

Mash Schedule:

Beta Rest - 75 min @ 148F

Notes:

5/17/2016 - Made a 0.9 L stir-plate starter

5/18/2016 - Brewed by myself. Started with 1.15 gallons of filtered ATX tap water, cut with 3.45 gallons of Ozarka distilled water (water amounts are not 100% accurate). Added 0.5 grams of canning salt, 0.9 grams of epsom salt, 2.0 grams of gypsum, and 2.0 grams of Calcium Chloride. Mash pH down to 5.38. From my experience I will never use acid malt again! Whenever I cut my water with Ozarka distilled, my mash pH drops significantly when comparing the numbers from the brewing software Bru’n Water. So adding acid malt will drop it even further. NO MORE ACID MALT FOR ME! Sparged with 1.3 gallons of filtered ATX tap water and 4.0 gallons of Ozarka distilled water after adding 2.75 ml of lactic acid to get pH of sparge water down to 6.0.

Collected a little over 8 gallons for boil.

Chilled to 74F. Added 60 seconds of pure O2, followed by the starter. Set the SS Brewtech temp. controller to heating mode @ 72F with aquarium heater in water tank (normal temperature in my house keeps my conicals at about 69F). I will ramp up temp to 75-77F in the coming days.

Fermentation activity already at 6:30 PM.

5/22/2016 - Raised temperature to 75F.

5/25/2016 - Gravity down to 1.006. 

6/1/2016 - Racked beer onto 15 oz. black currants (frozen). Had nice banana smell (Dat French Saison yeast!).

6/16/2016 - Bottled with 2.0 volumes of CO2, 3.2 oz. corn sugar. Final gravity - 1.002, 7.1% ABV, 96% AA.

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Coffee Oatmeal Stout

Brewed on 5/12/2016

I know it’s not stout season, but I’m a sucker for coffee beers. The silky smooth mouthfeel of a stout with the decadence of the coffee and chocolate malt make this style one of my favorites. I opted to add coffee beans and cold brewed coffee to the beer just prior to kegging. I recently made a blonde ale on coffee beans (inspiration from Michael Tonsmeire) where I added whole coffee beans directly to the fermenter for 24 hours. That’s all it took to get an intense aroma and mild flavor to the beer, without adding any color. I feel the cold brewed coffee will just add more coffee complexity to the flavor while the beans will contribute mainly to the aroma. 

Recipe Specifics:

Batch Size (Gal) - 5.0

Total Grain (Lbs) - 15.25

OG - 1.066-7

Anticipated SRM - 44.0

Anticipated IBU - 68.5

Brewhouse Efficiency - 77%

Wort Boil Time - 60 minutes

Grain/Sugar:

65.6% - 10 lbs. Pale Ale Malt

13.1% - 2 lbs. Flaked Oats

6.6% - 1 lb. Chocolate Malt

4.9% - 12 oz. Crystal 40L

3.3% - 8 oz. Biscuit Malt

3.3% - 8 oz. Debittered Black Malt

3.3% - 8 oz. Roasted Barley

Hops:

2.0 oz. Magnum @ 60 min.

Extras:

1 tsp Yeast Nutrient @ 15 min.

1 Whirlfloc Tablet @ 15 min.

2 oz. Whole Coffee Beans 24 hours before kegging/bottling

5 cups cold brewed coffee at kegging/bottling

Yeast:

Wyeast 1056 American Ale

Water Profile:

Austin, TX

Mash Schedule:

Beta Rest - 40 min @ 148F

Alpha Rest - 20 min @ 158F

Notes:

5/11/2016 - Made a 1 L stir-plate starter

5/12/2016 - Brewed by myself. Started with 5 gallons of filtered ATX tap water. Mash pH @15 min. was 5.5. Added 2.5 grams of canning salt, 2.25 grams of gypsum, 1 gram of Calcium Chloride and 0.6 grams of baking soda. Mash pH down to 5.42. Sparged with 4.9 gallons of filtered ATX tap water after adding 4 ml of lactic acid to get pH of sparge water down to 6.0.

Collected 7.5 galloons of 1.050 runnings (measured with refractometer which I think is off).

Chilled to 70F (Texas’ ground water is warm this time of year. Circulated through an ice bath to help). Added 45-60 seconds of pure O2, followed by the starter. Set the SS Brewtech temp. controller to 66F.

Fermentation activity already at 7 PM. The 1056 is a quick worker!

5/13/2016 - Vigorous fermentation in the morning. Glad I have blowoff hose connected.

5/15/2016 - Pulled sample. Smells of chocolate and cocoa powder. Very crisp and clean smelling. Did not taste.

5/16/2016 - Raised temp to 68F. Fermentation has slowed. Gravity down to 1.026.

5/22/2016 - Let temperature free rise up to 70F. Gravity down to 1.020, 69% AA. Would have thought it would be lower. Will check gravity again in two days to see any changes.

5/24/2016 - Gravity stable at 1.020. 6.1% ABV. Added 2 oz. of whole coffee beans (100% Columbian) into fermenter (un-sanitized). Put cold brew coffee in refrigerator. Will mix with beer tomorrow and keg.

5/25/2016 - Added 5 cups of cold brew coffee to keg and racked beer into keg. Had a coffee bean get stuck into racking arm. Next time bag the beans. Left 30 PSI blanket of CO2 in keg and put in fridge.