New Republic Brewing Company 3rd Anniversary Party - 5/3

Dean and Adrienne Brundage and John and Lisa Januskey are celebrating the third birthday of their College Station brewery, New Republic Brewing Company, with a party at the brewery on May 3. Tickets are available on their website.

They've done very well over the last three years. They have expanded production from 2500 gallons a year to 155,000 gallons a year. The beer is now distributed in parts of Houston as well as College Station, and they are now bottling their beer.

Middleton Brewing Moving to San Marcos

Middleton brewery, which has been in Wimberley for three years, is expanding their production as a new brew pub at 101 Oakwood Loop. Following the Jester King model, Middleton Brewery's new location won't prepare food. Instead there will be food trucks. This expansion will increase their production twenty times.

Bitter Sisters Brewing opening soon in Addison

Matt Ehinger is in the process of opening a new production brewery in Addison, Bitter Sisters. Bitter Sisters is named after the women in the family owned business. Located at 15103 Surveyor Boulevard, Ehinger will produce lagers and English and American ales.

The Horror!

I was drinking my Uinta XPA clone, thinking about how I had to write a post about how it tasted. I was pouring a pint, composing the opening in my head, when, suddenly, the tap began to spit furiously!

Out? No way! I thought.

I jiggled the keg.

Oh, Way. Definitely Way.

Okay. I still have some OPA left.

More spitting! Crap!

Now I'm down to two kegs, the undercabonated Rye Cream Ale, and the sour Blonde Ale.

I found a bottle of Pedernales Brewing Company Lobo Negro, and immediately went to my computer and order ingredients for two batches of beer.

I brewed one over the weekend, and I'll brew the other next weekend.

I still have Wake N Bake and Union Jack in fermenters. It will be a week until I keg the Stout, and another week until I keg the IPA. I should be able to keg Dirktastic the same day, and the other beer the week after that.

Dirktastic 5

With all this water knowledge under my belt, it's time to put it to use. Today, I am going to brew Dirktastic.

Dirktastic5

American Pale Ale

 

Type: All Grain	Date: 4/20/2014
Batch Size: 6.00 gal	Brewer:
Boil Size: 7.97 gal	Asst Brewer:
Boil Time: 60 min	Equipment: Brew Pot (15 Gal) and Igloo/Gott Cooler (10 Gal)
Taste Rating(out of 50): 35.0	Brewhouse Efficiency: 60.00
Taste Notes:
Ingredients
Amount Item Type % or IBU 10.80 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 61.52 % 4.20 lb Pilsner (2 Row) UK (1.0 SRM) Grain 23.92 % 1.36 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 7.72 % 0.60 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 3.42 % 0.60 lb Wheat, Flaked (1.6 SRM) Grain 3.42 % 0.88 oz Centennial [7.70 %] (Dry Hop 3 days) Hops - 0.30 oz Warrior [16.00 %] (60 min) Hops 13.3 IBU 0.30 oz Chinook [12.20 %] (60 min) (First Wort Hop) Hops 11.2 IBU 0.60 oz Columbus (Tomahawk) [14.00 %] (Dry Hop 3 days) Hops - 0.60 oz Simcoe [11.90 %] (Dry Hop 3 days) Hops - 0.30 oz Simcoe [12.00 %] (20 min) Hops 6.0 IBU 1.22 oz Columbus (Tomahawk) [12.20 %] (10 min) Hops 14.7 IBU 0.61 oz Northern Brewer [5.70 %] (10 min) Hops 3.4 IBU 0.41 oz Centennial [7.70 %] (1 min) Hops 0.4 IBU 0.30 oz Simcoe [11.90 %] (1 min) Hops 0.4 IBU 1.20 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (0 min) Hops - 0.60 tsp Gelatin (Secondary 5.0 hours) Misc 1 Pkgs California Ale (White Labs #WLP001) [Starter 1000 ml] Yeast-Ale
Beer Profile
Est Original Gravity: 1.063 SG	Measured Original Gravity: 1.010 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.014 SG	Measured Final Gravity: 1.005 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 6.38 %	Actual Alcohol by Vol: 0.65 %
Bitterness: 49.5 IBU	Calories: 43 cal/pint
Est Color: 6.7 SRM	Color: Color
Mash Profile
Mash Name: Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge	Total Grain Weight: 17.56 lb
Sparge Water: 5.39 gal	Grain Temperature: 72.0 F
Sparge Temperature: 168.0 F	TunTemperature: 72.0 F
Adjust Temp for Equipment: FALSE	Mash PH: 5.4 PH
Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge Step Time Name Description Step Temp 60 min Mash In Add 21.95 qt of water at 165.9 F 154.0 F
Mash Notes: Simple single infusion mash for use with most modern well modified grains (about 95% of the time).
Carbonation and Storage
Carbonation Type: Kegged (Forced CO2)	Volumes of CO2: 2.4
Pressure/Weight: 21.6 PSI	Carbonation Used: -
Keg/Bottling Temperature: 60.0 F	Age for: 28.0 days
Storage Temperature: 52.0 F
Notes
Add the hops loose when the airlock appears to stop bubbling. Added hops Wednesday night (2/18) about 8:15 pm.
Created with BeerSmith

CYBI Terrapin Wake N Bake

Satan has a habit of making the same three beers over and over. So I sent him this recipe for him to make for me. In typical Satan fashion he ignored the recipe and came up with something he called Voodoo Ink. Since I can't depend on Satan (I can't wait to see what this line will do in a Google search), I went ahead and brewed it myself.

CYBI Wake N Bake

Imperial Stout

 

Type: All Grain	Date: 4/7/2014
Batch Size: 6.00 gal	Brewer: Jeff Holt
Boil Size: 7.97 gal	Asst Brewer:
Boil Time: 60 min	Equipment: Jeff's Equipment
Taste Rating(out of 50): 35.0	Brewhouse Efficiency: 60.00
Taste Notes:
Ingredients
Amount Item Type % or IBU 17.50 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 72.71 % 2.04 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 80L (80.0 SRM) Grain 8.48 % 1.53 lb Barley, Flaked (1.7 SRM) Grain 6.35 % 1.53 lb Oats, Flaked (1.0 SRM) Grain 6.35 % 0.74 lb Chocolate Malt (450.0 SRM) Grain 3.05 % 0.74 lb Roasted Barley (300.0 SRM) Grain 3.05 % 0.74 oz Chinook [13.00 %] (60 min) Hops 22.0 IBU 0.50 oz Nugget [13.00 %] (30 min) Hops 11.4 IBU 1 Pkgs California Ale V (White Labs #WLP051) [Starter 500 ml] Yeast-Ale
Beer Profile
Est Original Gravity: 1.085 SG	Measured Original Gravity: 1.080 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.022 SG	Measured Final Gravity: 1.005 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 8.29 %	Actual Alcohol by Vol: 9.82 %
Bitterness: 33.5 IBU	Calories: 358 cal/pint
Est Color: 41.1 SRM	Color: Color
Mash Profile
Mash Name: Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge	Total Grain Weight: 24.07 lb
Sparge Water: 3.34 gal	Grain Temperature: 72.0 F
Sparge Temperature: 168.0 F	TunTemperature: 72.0 F
Adjust Temp for Equipment: FALSE	Mash PH: 5.4 PH
Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge Step Time Name Description Step Temp 60 min Mash In Add 30.09 qt of water at 165.9 F 154.0 F
Mash Notes: Simple single infusion mash for use with most modern well modified grains (about 95% of the time).
Carbonation and Storage
Carbonation Type: Corn Sugar	Volumes of CO2: 2.4
Pressure/Weight: 4.5 oz	Carbonation Used: -
Keg/Bottling Temperature: 60.0 F	Age for: 28.0 days
Storage Temperature: 52.0 F
Notes
60% Costa Rican, 20% Guatamalan, and 20% Zimbabwe or blend from Jittery Joe's [Suggested to Satan: You can soak 4 oz oak chips in Makers Mark, strain and add chips to secondary.]
Created with BeerSmith

Water Part 3 - Water and Beer Styles

From the third Brew Strong Water Show. I've been listening to the shows to try to help me understand water, and more importantly, understand the book Water: A Comprehensive Guide for Brewers (Brewing Elements).

In Texas, the water has high residual alkalinity. So ideally I should brew stouts. I could add gypsum. It's all about the ratio, not the amounts of the minerals. I can dilute my water to brew a pale ale or a helles, but I would probably have to add calcium for good fermentation and yeast health.

After they covered what water works with Czech Pilsner, German Pilsner, Munich Helles, and Dortmunder Export, completely losing me in the process. I mean, I understood the overall picture. The minerals in the water make beers taste maltier, and the hops crisper. I still didn't know how to correct my water.

I opened the Water book and found a table that listed target water for several beer styles. Here's the profile for an IPA:

Bicarbonate  40 ppm
Calcium  50-150 ppm
Alkalinity  40-120
Sulfate  100-400 ppm
Chloride  0-100 ppm

Here's my water:

Bicarbonate  364 ppm
Calcium  83 ppm
Sulfate 35 ppm
Alkalinity 298
Chloride  81 ppm

I put these numbers into John Palmer's Residual Alkaliinity spreadsheet, and hit a brick wall. What did I need to do?

I Googled and found Brewer's Friend Brewing Water Calculator. I played around with it and learned that if I dilute my water 90% with distilled, and add 2g CaCO3, 6g gypsum, 1g CaCl2, and 1g epsom salt, I hit smack dab in the middle of IPA water.

Hmmmmm.

Texas Craft Brewers Conference Winners

Congratulations to the 8 Texas medalists at the 2014 Craft Brewers Conference:

Category 6: Herb and Spice Beer, 101 Entries
Silver: Bitterama, Kamala Brewing at the Whip In, Austin, TX

Category 12: Session Beer, 40 Entries
Bronze: Le Petit Prince, Jester King Brewery, Austin, TX

Category 38: German-Style Schwarzbier, 47 Entries
Bronze: Black Thunder, Austin Beerworks, Austin, TX

Category 45: American-Style Dark Lager, 18 Entries
Silver: Santo, Saint Arnold Brewing Co., Houston, TX

Category 54: Belgian-Style Witbier, 61 Entries
Gold: Witbier, Community Beer Co., Dallas, TX

Category 63: Belgian-Style Dark Strong Ale, 44 Entries
Bronze: 4 Swords Belgian Style Quad, Deep Ellum Brewing Co., Dallas, TX

Category 70: English-Style India Pale Ale, 41 Entries
Bronze: Stormcloud, Rahr and Sons Brewing Co., Fort Worth, TX

Category 84: Golden or Blonde Ale, 67 Entries
Silver: Alibi Blonde, Circle Brewing Co., Austin, TX

CYBI Firestone Walker Union Jack

I finally got around to brewing this thing, just as I am running out of home brew.

CYBI Firestone Walker Union Jack

Imperial IPA

 

Type: All Grain	Date: 3/31/2014
Batch Size: 6.00 gal	Brewer: Jeff Holt
Boil Size: 8.38 gal	Asst Brewer:
Boil Time: 90 min	Equipment: Jeff's Equipment
Taste Rating(out of 50): 35.0	Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.00
Taste Notes:
Ingredients
Amount Item Type % or IBU 14.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 87.17 % 1.00 lb Munich Malt - 10L (10.0 SRM) Grain 6.23 % 0.84 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 5.23 % 0.22 lb Simpsons Caramalt (35.0 SRM) Grain 1.37 % 0.50 oz Amarillo Gold [8.50 %] (Dry Hop 7 days) Hops - 1.55 oz Cascade [7.00 %] (Dry Hop 14 days) Hops - 1.55 oz Centennial [10.50 %] (Dry Hop 14 days) Hops - 0.88 oz Warrior [17.00 %] (90 min) Hops 43.3 IBU 0.50 oz Simcoe [13.00 %] (Dry Hop 7 days) Hops - 1.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (Dry Hop 7 days) Hops - 0.63 oz Centennial [10.50 %] (30 min) Hops 13.8 IBU 0.63 oz Cascade [7.00 %] (30 min) Hops 9.2 IBU 1.06 oz Centennial [10.00 %] (Dry Hop 7 days) Hops - 1.83 oz Cascade [7.00 %] (0 min) Hops - 1.83 oz Centennial [10.50 %] (0 min) Hops - 1 Pkgs English Ale (White Labs #WLP002) [Starter 1000 ml] Yeast-Ale
Beer Profile
Est Original Gravity: 1.068 SG	Measured Original Gravity: 1.069 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.022 SG	Measured Final Gravity:  SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 6.00 %	Actual Alcohol by Vol: 0.65 %
Bitterness: 66.2 IBU	Calories: 43 cal/pint
Est Color: 6.2 SRM	Color: Color
Mash Profile
Mash Name: Single Infusion, Light Body, Batch Sparge	Total Grain Weight: 16.06 lb
Sparge Water: 5.29 gal	Grain Temperature: 72.0 F
Sparge Temperature: 168.0 F	TunTemperature: 72.0 F
Adjust Temp for Equipment: FALSE	Mash PH: 5.4 PH
Single Infusion, Light Body, Batch Sparge Step Time Name Description Step Temp 75 min Mash In Add 20.08 qt of water at 161.4 F 150.0 F
Mash Notes: Simple single infusion mash for use with most modern well modified grains (about 95% of the time).
Carbonation and Storage
Carbonation Type: Corn Sugar	Volumes of CO2: 2.4
Pressure/Weight: 4.5 oz	Carbonation Used: -
Keg/Bottling Temperature: 60.0 F	Age for: 28.0 days
Storage Temperature: 52.0 F
Notes
Add the 14 day dry hop to fermenter on day 7. Transfer to secondary and dry hop the 7 day hops.

Not My Favorite Brewing Kilt - A review

I was brewing an imperial stout over the weekend. In honor of the black beer, I wore my black  AmeriKilt.

I like the look of the kilt, but I have some issues. First, the pleats are only sewed on the front. My Utilikilt sews both sides of the pleats which means I don't have to iron a kilt.

Second, the pleats run all the same way. On my right, the sewed edge of the pleats face forward. On my left, the insides of the pleat face forward. Not a big deal, but it annoys me.

I like the sporran that came with the kilt, although the clasps are a bit difficult to operate for a phat phaq like me.

I got this thing a bit dirty while I was brewing, so I have to wash it again. The pleats will need to be ironed.  I am not looking forward to that.

What's your favorite kilt company? I'd like to add a few more to my collection.

How I Imagine It to Be

If I Like Hops So Much, Why Do I Drink So Much Porter?

I left work at 4 pm the other day, and decided to kill a couple of hours at the Fredericksburg Brewing Company. On the menu was their 19th Anniversary Ale, a DIPA with piney, resinous hops. But I chose the Pioneer Porter instead.

For the last few months I have been devouring IPAs and DIPAs like those beers would never be made again. I especially like the ones that have a citrusy flavor, like Firestone Walker Union Jack, or Ballast Point Sculpin IPA.

I also love porters. I like my porter to be more chocolaty and less bitter. Almost the exact opposite of the beers I have been drinking.

Right now, I have a Simcoe dry hopped pale ale on tap, and a Rye Cream Ale, and I find myself craving a stout or porter.

So next on my brew list is the CYBI Terrapin Wake n Bake clone:

CYBI Wake N Bake

Imperial Stout

 

Type: All Grain	Date: 4/7/2014
Batch Size: 6.00 gal	Brewer: Jeff Holt
Boil Size: 7.97 gal	Asst Brewer:
Boil Time: 60 min	Equipment: Jeff's Equipment
Taste Rating(out of 50): 35.0	Brewhouse Efficiency: 60.00
Taste Notes:
Ingredients
Amount Item Type % or IBU 19.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 77.14 % 1.75 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 80L (80.0 SRM) Grain 7.11 % 1.31 lb Barley, Flaked (1.7 SRM) Grain 5.32 % 1.31 lb Oats, Flaked (1.0 SRM) Grain 5.32 % 0.63 lb Chocolate Malt (450.0 SRM) Grain 2.56 % 0.63 lb Roasted Barley (300.0 SRM) Grain 2.56 % 0.74 oz Chinook [13.00 %] (60 min) Hops 21.6 IBU 0.50 oz Nugget [13.00 %] (30 min) Hops 11.2 IBU 1 Pkgs California Ale V (White Labs #WLP051) [Starter 500 ml] Yeast-Ale
Beer Profile
Est Original Gravity: 1.088 SG	Measured Original Gravity: 1.010 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.023 SG	Measured Final Gravity: 1.005 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 8.53 %	Actual Alcohol by Vol: 0.65 %
Bitterness: 32.9 IBU	Calories: 43 cal/pint
Est Color: 37.3 SRM	Color: Color
Mash Profile
Mash Name: Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge	Total Grain Weight: 24.63 lb
Sparge Water: 3.23 gal	Grain Temperature: 72.0 F
Sparge Temperature: 168.0 F	TunTemperature: 72.0 F
Adjust Temp for Equipment: FALSE	Mash PH: 5.4 PH
Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge Step Time Name Description Step Temp 60 min Mash In Add 30.79 qt of water at 165.9 F 154.0 F
Mash Notes: Simple single infusion mash for use with most modern well modified grains (about 95% of the time).
Carbonation and Storage
Carbonation Type: Corn Sugar	Volumes of CO2: 2.4
Pressure/Weight: 4.5 oz	Carbonation Used: -
Keg/Bottling Temperature: 60.0 F	Age for: 28.0 days
Storage Temperature: 52.0 F
Notes
60% Costa Rican, 20% Guatamalan, and 20% Zimbabwe or blend from Jittery Joe's
Created with BeerSmith

Henry and John Mauer - Pioneer Brewers

The problem with a lot of historic Texas breweries is that they were transient, and it is often difficult to get any information about the owners, much less the physical brewery. Combine that with the elaborate handwriting and inconsistent spelling on census forms and you have all sorts of problems.

For years, I have heard about Henry Warner opening a brewery in Fredericksburg in 1875, then selling it to John Mauer in 1877. I found Mauer on the 1880 census in Fredericksburg, but could never find Henry Warner. Now I know why. His last name wasn't Warner: it was Mauer.

John Mauer was born in 1838 in Hesse Darmstadt. His brother Henry was born in 1842.

Shortly after the Civil War, they were living in Louisiana, where they married and had their first children. John married Louisiana native Charlotte. Henry married Emilia, from Iowa. John junior and Edward Mauer were both born around 1867. Both men's second children, Gertrude and Emilia, were both born in Texas around 1869.

In 1870, the two families were living in Marlin, and were listed on the census of that year as brewers.

There was no Marlin brewery on the Federal tax rolls. Business must not have been good. The Mauer brothers moved to Fredericksburg where they opened a lager brewery in 1875. In 1877, Henry left, leaving John in control of the brewery.

John's brewery closed in 1884. Local legend has it that John was in some way connected to the Lone Star Brewery, which opened the same year. Unfortunately, John and his family disappear after this time. His widow, Charlotte reappears in 1917 and 1919 in El Paso, but is not listed on any census between 1880 and 1919.

Henry, on the other hand, appears in 1855 working as a brewer in Seattle. With him is his wife Emilia and their son Edward.

 Handwriting of the time was florid, and often difficult to read. If someone can confuse “Lando” with “Laredo”, or “Walters” with “Wolters”, it is entirely possible that someone misread “Mauer” as “Warner”. This would also account for Henry Warner's absence from any census.