Batch 53: Christmas Tree Ale
     
 
 
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Original
Gravity
Final
Gravity
Alcohol
By Volume
Mash
Efficiency
Primary Secondary Keg
1.062 1.014 6.3 % 62 % 17 days 0 days 14 days

 

rewed on Saturday, September 12th, 2009
This batch is not really the Christmas Tree Ale but loosely based on the recipe because I am using homegrown hops that my neighbor grew this year. The malt bill is the same but the hops are an unknown variety that are added for bittering and flavor. The yeast cake from the previous batch 52 of Fermentis Safale US-05 dry yeast is being used. I used the motorized mill to double crush the grains to help improve my efficiency. The ambient temperature for fermentation is 70 F in the basement which is a bit warm but ferments quickly. The primary fermeter is a plastic bucket, and I'll wait only about a week before dry hopping in the secondary.

All Grain
5.00 gal Batch Size
6.41 gal Boil Size

 

Amount Item Price
14.00 lb Weyermann Pale Malt (2 Row) (2 L) $17.50
1.00 lb Muntons Crystal Malt - 150L (150 L) $1.55
1.00 oz Unknown Hops Hops (8.00 %) at 60 min $0.00
1.00 oz Unknown Hops Hops (8.00 %) at 30 min $0.00
1.00 tsp Irish Moss at 30.0 min $0.10
1 pkgs Fermentis Safale US-05 (US-05) $0.00
    $19.15

 

Time Step
1:00 PM Sanitized equipment
2:00 PM Heated 5.00 gal strike water to 190 F, preheated mash tun
2:20 PM Doughed in at 167 F, mashed at 154 F for 60 min, 154 F for 30 min, 151 F for 0 min
  Heated 3.50 gal sparge water to 190 F
3.20 PM Lautered 7 gal of wort, 1.032 @ 141F = 1.048 SG, 62% Mash Efficiency
4:00 PM Boiled, added hops on schedule
5:00 PM Heat exchanger and wort wizard, cooled to 74 F
5:30 PM Pitched yeast, 1.060 @ 74 F = 1.062 OG (Estimate: 1.071 OG)
6:00 PM Cleaned equipment

 

acked to Secondary on Tuesday, September 29th, 2009
Secondary fermentation was skipped and no dry hops were used so the Homegrown Hops Ale was racked straight to the keg.

 

egged on Tuesday, September 29th, 2009
The Homegrown Hops Ale was racked into a 5-gallon keg straight from the primary.. The keg is going into the kegerator at 40 F to carbonate at 12 PSI.

Measurements:
1.013 @ 68 F = 1.014 FG
6.3% ABV

 

asted on Tuesday, October 13th, 2009
This batch of Homegrown Hops Ale turned out completly different than the Christmas Tree Ale and a good description of it is tasting like a malty amber lager beer. The hops must be some type of noble european variety but I still cannot place the exact type. This beer will be served at a neighborhood community garden party that will highlight the locally grown hops in this recipe.