Excelsior Oktober Ale Scores

The Excelsior Oktoberfest Ale 23.5 out of 50 from the Bluebonnet Brew-Off Judges.

Frankly, I was stunned. Satan and I kind of figured the Oktoberfest was going to have problems. It tasted of butterscotch. Only one of the judges thought the beer thought the beer was estery. They both agreed that it wasn't an Oktoberfest. One said it was a nice dunkel. (?) They also said it was too dark and didn't have enough hops. One judge suggested it should havebeen entered as a Vienna style lager. The other said it was thin bodied and dry. Both said it was acrid.

It was a Charlie Papazian recipe so I used Cry Havoc. I am beginning to think that might be the problem. That yeast can work as an ale yeast and it can work as a lager yeast. As a result, it's not perfect for either.

I should stick with ales, and I should get a temp controlled conical fermenter.

I'm taking donations.

Brewery chores

I kegged and transferred everything Tuesday morning. Whew! Three hours of work. I need a beer!

Let's see:

Kentucky Common - Not as sour, and the anise is so mild, I didn't notice it. Smells hoppy, though. I might have something here. OG 1048, today 1019. I will let this clear a week or two, then keg it. This beer was traditionally kegged young. We'll see how this turns out. This will go to Nationals, I think.

Oak Barrel Stout - OG 1054, FG 1018. Bourbon flavor seems subdued compared to last time, but that was a year and a half ago. Kegged it today. Should be good in four to six weeks.

Peppercorn Rye-Bock - I brewed this the day after I brewed the Kentucky Common, using the same recipe as before, but using Liberty Hops. OG 1064, today 1018. (I think I have spotted a trend here. Yeast starters are in order.) I didn't pull any yeast off before I transferred it out of the stainless conical, so it's a bit cloudy. Two weeks in secondary, then I'll keg it. Tastes pretty good.

Satan also suggested I send Excelsior to Nationals. I already had 6 bottles, so I bottled 6 more. I don't think it will win: it's too dark for style, but I have to admit it is darn tasty.

Excelsior Oktober Ale

I conducted "The Great Experiment" today. Is my conical fermenter destined to be a planter? Or is it capable of making beer?

Satan suggested I make something malty, like an Oktoberfest. I chose a recipe by The Master, Charlie Papazian: Winky Dink Märzen. I made a couple of changes. The original recipe calls for 1/2 cup of chocolate malt. I made it 8 ounces. And I chose The Master's signature strain, Cry Havoc. And since Austin Homebrew was out of Hallertauer hops, I used Cascade.

ProMash Brewing Session Printout
--------------------------------

Brewing Date: Friday December 07, 2007
Head Brewer: Jeff
Recipe: Conical Experiment Maerzen

ProMash Brewing Session - Recipe Details Printout
-------------------------------------------------

BJCP Style and Style Guidelines
-------------------------------
09-A German Amber Lager, Oktoberfest/Maerzen

Min OG: 1.050 Max OG: 1.064
Min IBU: 20 Max IBU: 30
Min Clr: 7 Max Clr: 14 Color in SRM, Lovibond

Recipe Specifics
----------------

Batch Size (GAL): 5.00 Wort Size (GAL): 5.00
Total Extract (LBS): 8.50
Anticipated OG: 1.049 Plato: 12.16
Anticipated SRM: 24.2
Anticipated IBU: 25.7
Wort Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Actual OG: 1.057 Plato: 13.97
Actual FG: 1.012 Plato: 3.07

Alcohol, Est.: 5.11 By Weight 6.44 By Volume - Full Attenuation.

Grain/Extract/Sugar

% Amount Name Origin Gravity SRM
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
11.8 1.00 lbs. Crystal 60L America 1.034 60
5.9 0.50 lbs. Chocolate Malt America 1.029 350
82.4 7.00 lbs. Munich Liquid Malt Extract 1.030 8

Hops

Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
0.75 oz. Cascade Pellet 6.40 23.6 60 min.
0.25 oz. Cascade Pellet 6.40 2.1 15 min.

Extras
Amount Name Type Time
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
0.25 Tsp Irish Moss Fining 15 Min.(boil)

Yeast
-----

WhiteLabs WLP862 Cry Havok

The experiment will be conducted in the same manner and I use my plastic fermenters. I will leave the wort in the fermenter for a week and a half, then add some gelatin to fine it, and let it sit a couple of days. Then I'll keg it.

Tune in next time! Same Beer Time! Same Beer Channel!