Back in the Saddle Again

It has been quite awhile since we've posted to the blogs. It has been years since we've brewed a beer at home. Now is the time to hop in the saddle (see what I did there?) and ask: "Where the white women at?"

With a little help from a gift card we rebuilt our Frankenstein system. It would be more accurate to say we started to rebuild the system but it's enough to get a batch under our collective belts. With more than a little help from the good folks at KegWorks we gathered some ingredients for what was supposed to be a Lagunitas IPA clone. For reasons that shall remain within the confines of the brewery we started out close to Lagunitas and quickly veered off course. So, it's hard to say what we'll get out of this but if you want to know what we put together keep reading...

Name: TBD
Original Gravity: 1.046
Final Gravity: 1.015 (or thereabouts)
Primary Fermentation: Approximately 7 days
Secondary Fermentation: Approximately 14 days
Age 21 days

11.33 lbs Canadian 2-Row Pilsner
0.4 lbs BrewCraft Malto Dextrin
0.3 lbs Great Western Crystal Malt 60
0.2 lbs MFB Caramel Munich Malt 60
California V Ale Yeast (White Labs)
0.75 oz Zythos Hops (10.9%)
1.9 oz Cluster Hops (5.0%)
4.2 oz Cascade Hops (7.1%)

Pour grains into 4 gallons of cold water. Mash at 145 degrees F for 60 minutes. At end of mash add malto dextrin. Boil for 90 minutes adding hops as follows: 0.75 oz of Zythos (30 minutes); 0.9 oz Cluster (40 minutes); 4.2 oz Cascade and 1 oz Cluster (90 minutes). After the boil allow wort to rest for 15 minutes before cooling. Ferment at 72 degrees F.

This is a complicated brew for the first one in three years so we were encouraged by the brewing aromas and the fact that it actually is fermenting. With a little luck the end product will turn out right. And just for giggles...