Batch 29: Geronimo American Indian Pale Ale (Tim)

Batch 29: Geronimo American Indian Pale Ale

Brewer: Wolfseye Brewery

Asst Brewer: Tim

Style: Brown Porter

TYPE: Extract

Recipe Specifications:

Batch Size: 5.00 gal

Boil Size: 4.00 gal

Estimated OG: 1.058 SG

Estimated Color: 9.8 SRM

Estimated IBU: 43.5 IBU

Boil Time: 45 Minutes

Ingredients:

3.00 lb Light Dry Extract (8.0 SRM) Dry Extract 35.80 %

4.00 lb Pale Liquid Extract (8.0 SRM) Extract 47.73 %

0.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 5.97 %

1.00 oz Pailsades [7.00 %] (45 min) Hops 16.9 IBU

1.00 oz Glacier [6.00 %] (30 min) Hops 12.1 IBU

1.00 oz Crystal [4.00 %] (15 min) Hops 5.2 IBU

1.00 oz Williamette [3.40 %] (2 min) Hops 0.8 IBU

0.50 oz Challenger [7.00 %] (1 min) Hops 0.4 IBU

0.88 lb Cane (Beet) Sugar (0.0 SRM) Sugar 10.50 %

1 Pkgs SafBrew Ale (DCL Yeast #S-33) Yeast-Ale

Brewed -- 12/5/2008

Measured OG -- 1.058

Measured FG --

Bottled --

Batch #28: Iron Drawers Honey Porter #2 (Chris)

Batch 28: Iron Drawers Honey Porter #2
Brewer: Wolfseye Brewery
Asst Brewer: Chris
Style: Brown Porter
TYPE: Extract

Recipe Specifications:

Batch Size: 5.00 gal
Boil Size: 4.00 gal
Estimated OG: 1.051 SG
Estimated Color: 26.2 SRM
Estimated IBU: 29.6 IBU
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:

4.00 lb Pale Liquid Extract (8.0 SRM) Extract 45.71 %
1.00 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 11.43 %
0.50 lb Chocolate Malt (338.0 SRM) Grain 5.71 %
0.25 lb Black (Patent) Malt (500.0 SRM) Grain 2.86 %
1.00 oz Williamette [5.80 %] (60 min) Hops 21.9 IBU
1.00 oz Williamette [5.80 %] (5 min) Hops 4.4 IBU
6.00 oz Malto-Dextrine (Boil 5.0 min) Misc
3.00 lb Honey (1.0 SRM) Sugar 34.29 %
1 Pkgs Irish Ale (Wyeast Labs #1084) Yeast-Ale

Brewed -- 11/15/2008
Measured OG -- 1.045
Measured FG -- 1.012
Bottled -- 12/5/2008

Mulvenon Inventory (11/9/08)

I was spending some quality time with my homebrew inventory tonight, organizing it and such, when I realized that other members of the group might be interested in knowing what I have. There are some rare ones, and clearly styles that I do not fancy as much and would be open to trade. Here goes:

1 (2)
2 (0)
3 (3)
4 (2)
5 (0)
6 (7)
7 (1)
8 (6)
9 (9)
10 (0)
10A (3)
11 (9)
12 (11)
13 (3)
14 (4)
15 (6)
16 (7)
17 (4)
18 (1)
19 (2)
20 (10)
21 (4)
22 (3)
23 (8)
24 (11)
25 (12)
26 (12)
27 (12)

Wolfseye Eval #2

October 26.

Wolfseye Members: Quade, Heath, Mulvenon, Pritchard
Evaluation: Which Wolfseye Brew is the best (the age old question)?

Eval #2 - Batches 1-23

Criteria: Each member was asked to compile a list of the five best Wolfseye brews. The batches were then assigned points based on their appearance on these lists (5 pts for top of the list, 1 pt for bottom).

Winners:
#19 Rene Magritte's Surreal Saison (tops on two ballots)
#17 Otto von Bismark's Blood and Iron Double Marzen
#5 Rikki Tikki Tavi India Pale Ale (tie)
#10 Old Bolshie Amber Ale (tie)

Scores:
#19 Rene Magritte's Surreal Saison -- 12 pts
#17 Otto von Bismark's Blood and Iron Double Marzen -- 9 pts
#5 Rikki Tikki Tavi India Pale Ale -- 8 pts
#10 Old Bolshie Amber Ale -- 8 pts
#20 Tsar Nicholas II's Russian Imperial Stout -- 6 pts
#12 Groundskeeper Willie's Wee Heavy -- 5 pts
#14 Marquis de Sade's Old Speckled Cock -- 4 pts
#21 Ambiorix Triumphant Witbier -- 4 pts
#17 Otto von Bismark's Blood and Iron Double Marzen -- 2 pts
#6 Von Stauffenberg's Assassinator Dopplebock -- 1 pt
#9 Doc Holliday's California Common (Steam) Beer -- 1 pt

#2 Iron Drawers Honey Porter is generally accepted by the collective members as a good brew - it doesn't appear on our list more due to style preferences. Also #12 is a sixth man on many lists.

#13 Ira Hayes American Indian Pale Ale was the second rated beer in June. Opinions have gone down due in part to a re-evaluation of our older beers and the arrival of our new beers.

More eval to come.

Batch 27: Nietzsche's (So) Bitter #3

Batch 27: Nietzsche's (So) Bitter #3

Brewer: Wolfseye Brewery

Asst Brewer: James

Style: Special/Best/Premium Bitter

TYPE: Extract

Recipe Specifications:

Batch Size: 5.00 gal

Boil Size: 3.00 gal

Estimated OG: 1.053 SG

Estimated Color: 11.5 SRM

Estimated IBU: 31.9 IBU

Boil Time: 50 Minutes

Ingredients:

4.00 lb Pale Liquid Extract (8.0 SRM) Extract 48.19 %

3.30 lb Pale Liquid Extract [Boil for 15 min] Extract 39.76 %

1.00 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 12.05 %

0.50 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] (50 min) Hops 5.8 IBU

0.50 oz Fuggles [4.00 %] (50 min) Hops 4.6 IBU

1.00 oz Williamette [5.80 %] (30 min) Hops 10.8 IBU

1.00 oz Bramling Cross [6.00 %] (5 min) Hops 2.9 IBU

1.00 oz Goldings, East Kent Leaf [5.00 %] (1 min) Hops 0.5 IBU

1 Pkgs London ESB Ale (Wyeast Labs #1968) Yeast-Ale

Brewed -- 10/10/2008

Measured OG -- 1.052

Measured FG -- 1.012

Bottled --11/4/2008

Batch 26: Bukowski Misanthropic Barleywine

Batch 26: Bukowski Misanthropic Barleywine

Brewer: Wolfseye Brwery

Asst Brewer: JP

Style: American Barleywine

TYPE: Extract

Recipe Specifications:

Batch Size: 5.00 gal

Boil Size: 3.00 gal

Estimated OG: 1.121 SG

Estimated Color: 16.1 SRM

Estimated IBU: 96.3 IBU

Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:

16.00 lb Pale Liquid Extract [Boil for 10 min] Extract 90.14 %

0.50 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 2.82 %

0.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 2.82 %

1.00 oz Nugget [11.50 %] (60 min) Hops 10.9 IBU

1.00 oz Cluster [7.00 %] (30 min) Hops 5.1 IBU

1.00 oz Pailsades [8.30 %] (15 min) Hops 3.9 IBU

1.00 oz Amarillo Gold [8.00 %] (0 min) Hops

0.75 lb Honey (1.0 SRM) Sugar 4.23 %

1 Pkgs American Ale (Wyeast Labs #1056) Yeast-Ale

Brewed -- 9/20/2008

Measured OG -- 1.135

Racked to Secondary -- 10/2/08 - Gravity 1.030

Measured FG --

Bottled --

Batch 25: Sitting Bull Double IPA

Batch 25: Sitting Bull Double IPA
Brewer: Wolfseye Brwery
Asst Brewer: Tim
Style: Imperial IPA
TYPE: Extract

Recipe Specifications:

Batch Size: 5.00 gal
Boil Size: 3.50 gal
Estimated OG: 1.082 SG
Estimated Color: 9.3 SRM
Estimated IBU: 75.1 IBU
Boil Time: 45 Minutes

Ingredients:

1.00 lb Light Dry Extract (8.0 SRM) Dry Extract 8.06 %
6.60 lb Lyle's Golden Syrup [Boil for 10 min] Extract 53.23 %
3.30 lb Lyle's Golden Syrup (0.0 SRM) Extract 26.61 %
0.75 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 6.05 %
0.50 lb Victory Malt (25.0 SRM) Grain 4.03 %
0.25 lb Aromatic Malt (26.0 SRM) Grain 2.02 %
1.00 oz Chinook [13.00 %] (45 min) Hops 22.6 IBU
1.00 oz Cascade [6.30 %] (30 min) Hops 9.2 IBU
1.00 oz Centennial [9.50 %] (15 min) Hops 8.9 IBU
2.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (Dry Hop 3 days) Hops
1.00 oz Cascade [6.30 %] (1 min) Hops 0.5 IBU
1 Pkgs American Ale (Wyeast Labs #1056) Yeast-Ale

Brewed 9/20/2008
Measured OG -- 1.064
Racked to Secondary -- 10/2/08 - Gravity 1.015
Dry Hopped 2 oz. Cascade
Measured FG --
Bottled --

Batch 24: Black Peter Christmas Spice Ale

Batch 24: Black Peter Christmas Spice Ale

Brewer: Wolfseye Brwery

Asst Brewer: Chris

Style: Christmas/Winter Specialty Spice Beer

TYPE: Extract

Recipe Specifications:

Batch Size: 5.00 gal

Boil Size: 3.00 gal

Estimated OG: 1.055

Estimated Color: 16.4 SRM

Estimated IBU: 26.5 IBU

Boil Time: 45 Minutes

Ingredients:

1.50 lb Extra Light Dry Extract (3.0 SRM) Dry Extract 18.92 %

1.50 lb Extra Light Dry Extract [Boil for 15 min] Dry Extract 18.92 %

3.30 lb Pale Liquid Extract [Boil for 15 min] Extract 41.61 %

0.50 lb Biscuit Malt (23.0 SRM) Grain 6.31 %

0.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 6.31 %

0.13 lb Chocolate Malt (450.0 SRM) Grain 1.64 %

1.25 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] (45 min) Hops 14.4 IBU

0.75 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] (10 min) Hops 3.4 IBU

8.00 oz Malto-Dextrine (Boil 45.0 min) Misc

0.50 lb Molasses (80.0 SRM) Sugar 6.31 %

.

Brewed -- 9/10/2008

Measured OG -- 1.050

Racked to Secondary -- 10/2/08 - Gravity 1.020

Added 2 tsp nutmeg, 2 tsp cinnamon, 2 tsp cloves, 2 vanilla beans

Measured FG -- 1.010

Bottled -- 10/21/08

Batch 23: George Orwell Nut Brown #4

Batch 23: George Orwell Nut Brown
Brewer: Wolfseye Brewery
Asst Brewer: James
Style: Northern English Brown Ale
TYPE: Extract

Recipe Specifications:

Batch Size: 5.00 gal
Boil Size: 3.00 gal
Estimated OG: 1.042 SG
Estimated Color: 18.7 SRM
Estimated IBU: 22.9 IBU
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:

2.00 lb Dark Dry Extract (17.5 SRM) Dry Extract 30.42 %
3.30 lb Pale Liquid Extract [Boil for 10 min] Extract 50.19 %
0.50 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 7.60 %
0.50 lb Victory Malt (25.0 SRM) Grain 7.60 %
0.28 lb Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain 4.18 %
1.00 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] (60 min) Hops 14.3 IBU
0.50 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] (10 min) Hops 2.6 IBU
1 Pkgs European Ale (Wyeast Labs #1338) Yeast-Ale

.

Brewed -- 8/14/2008

Measured OG -- 1.o39

Measured FG -- 1.011

Bottled -- 9/20/2008

Batch 21: Ambiorix Triumphant Witbier

Ambiorix Triumphant Witbier (Batch 21)

Brewer: Wolfseye Brwery
Asst Brewer: Tim
Style: Witbier
TYPE: Extract

Recipe Specifications:
Batch Size: 5.00 gal
Boil Size: 3.00 gal
Estimated OG: 1.059
Estimated Color: 8.1 SRM
Estimated IBU: 19.4 IBU
Boil Time: 45 Minutes

Ingredients:

0.75 lb Wheat Dry Extract (8.0 SRM) Dry Extract 9.56 %
3.30 lb Wheat Liquid Extract [Boil for 30 min] Extract 42.04 %
3.30 lb Wheat Liquid Extract (8.0 SRM) Extract 42.03 %
1.00 oz Cluster [7.90 %] (45 min) Hops 16.3 IBU
0.50 oz Orange Peel, Bitter (Boil 1.0 min) Misc 0.75 oz
Coriander Seed (Boil 1.0 min) Misc
0.50 lb Cane (Beet) Sugar (0.0 SRM) Sugar 6.37 %
1 Pkgs Forbidden Fruit (Wyeast Labs #3463) Yeast

Brewed -- 7/31/2008
Measured OG -- 1.062
Measured FG -- 1.013
Bottled -- 9/10/2008

Batch 22: Old Bolshie Amber Ale (#4)

Old Bolshie #4 (Batch 22)

Brewer: Wolfseye Brwery

Asst Brewer: JP

Style: Irish Red Ale

TYPE: Extract

Recipe Specifications

Batch Size: 5.00 gal

Boil Size: 3.00 gal

Estimated OG: 1.049
Estimated Color: 13.8 SRM

Estimated IBU: 21.9 IBU

Boil Time: 45 Minutes

Ingredients:

3.30 lb Amber Liquid Extract [Boil for 10 min] Extract 38.37 %

3.30 lb Pale Liquid Extract (8.0 SRM) Extract 38.37 %

1.00 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain 11.63 %

0.50 lb Caramunich Malt (56.0 SRM) Grain 5.81 %

0.50 lb Victory Malt (25.0 SRM) Grain 5.81 %

1.00 oz Whitbread Golding Variety [5.00 %] Hops 11.8 IBU

1.00 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] (10 min) Hops 4.7 IBU

1 Pkgs Irish Ale (Wyeast Labs #1084) Yeast-Ale

Brewed -- 7/31/2008

Measured OG -- 1.039

Measured FG -- 1.012

Bottled -- 8/13/2008

Batch 20: Tsar Nicholas II's Russian Imperial Stout

Tsar Nicholas II's Russian Imperial Stout
13-F Russian Imperial Stout

Size: 5.18 gal
Efficiency: 75.0%
Attenuation: 75.0%
Calories: 303.29 per 12.0 fl oz

Original Gravity: 1.090 (1.075 - 1.095)
Terminal Gravity: 1.023 (1.018 - 1.030)
Color: 33.3 (30.0 - 40.0)
Alcohol: 8.97% (8.0% - 12.0%)
Bitterness: 67.23 (50.0 - 90.0)

Ingredients:
1 lbs Baird Carastan Malt
0.5 lbs Black Malt
1 lbs Chocolate Malt
1 lbs Crystal 120
10.5 lbs Light Liquid Extract
.25 lbs Roasted Barley
2 oz Cluster Hop (7.3%) - added during boil, boiled 60 min
1 oz Centennial Hop (10%) - added during boil, boiled 5 min
1 oz Phoenix (10%) - added during boil, boiled 5 min

Schedule:
Ambient Air: 70.0 °F
Source Water: 60.0 °F
Elevation: 0.0 m

Brewing: 7/22/08
O.G.: 1.073
F.G.: 1.019
Bottling: 8/13/2008

Batch #19: Rene Magritte's Surreal Saison

Rene Magritte's Surreal Saison
16-C Saison

Size: 5.0 gal
Efficiency: 75.0%
Attenuation: 75.0%
Calories: 214.0 per 12.0 fl oz

Original Gravity: 1.064 (1.048 - 1.080)
Terminal Gravity: 1.016 (1.010 - 1.016)
Color: 5.3 (5.0 - 12.0)
Alcohol: 6.32% (5.0% - 8.5%)
Bitterness: 25.1 (25.0 - 45.0)

Ingredients:
6.6 lbs Munton's Light Syrup
0.5 lbs Munton's Light DME
2.0 lbs Light Candi Sugar
1.25 oz Styrian Goldings (5.25%) - added during boil, boiled 60.0 min
0.5 oz Saaz (3.5%) - added during boil, boiled 2.0 min
0.0 ea WYeast 1214 Belgian Abbey

Schedule:
Ambient Air: 70.0 °F
Source Water: 60.0 °F
Elevation: 0.0 m

Brewed: 7/1/08
O.G.: 1.069
Bottled:
F.G.:

Wolfseye Collective Eval

June 23.
Wolfseye Members: Quade, Heath, Mulvenon, Pritchard

Evaluation: Which Wolfseye Brew is the best (the age old question)?

Criteria: Each member was asked to compile a list of the five best Wolfseye brews. The batches were then assigned points based on their appearance on these lists (5 pts for top of the list, 1 pt for bottom).

Winners:
#5 Rikki Tikki Tavi India Pale Ale (tops on two ballots)
#13 Ira Hayes American Indian Pale Ale
#10 Old Bolshie Amber Ale

Scores:
#5 Rikki Tikki Tavi India Pale Ale -- 13 pts
#13 Ira Hayes American Indian Pale Ale -- 11 pts
#10 Old Bolshie Amber Ale -- 6 pts
#6 Von Stauffenberg's Assassinator Dopplebock -- 6 pts
#3 Old Bolshie Amber Ale -- 4 pts
#4 George Orwell Nut Brown Ale -- 4 pts
#7 Nietzsche's (So) Bitter -- 4 pts
#9 Doc Holliday's California Common (Steam) Beer -- 3pts
#10A Old Bolshie Amber Ale -- 3 pts
#14 Marquis de Sade's Old Speckled Cock -- 3 pts
#1 George Orwell Nut Brown Ale -- 2 pts
#15 Nietzsche's (So) Bitter - 1 pt

Worth Consideration:

If the Old Bolshie Amber Ale scores are added (batches 3,10,10A), then it equals the 13 points of the I.P.A.

Same calculations can be run on George Orwell Nut Brown Ale (batches 1,4,11) and Nietzsche's (So) Bitter (batches 7,15) to get a good read on collective members' tastes.

#2 Iron Drawers Honey Porter is generally accepted by the collective members as a good brew - it doesn't appear on our list more due to style preferences.

I think #13 Ira Hayes American Indian Pale Ale was overlooked by some members (James). As well as it did, it could have done better. I also believe #14 Marquis de Sade's Old Speckled Cock may make a run up the leader board as we begin to really enjoy it - it's not sexy but it's good.

Watch out for #12 Groundskeeper Willie's Wee Heavy - it will tear down the wall...

Thanks to Brew Crew for Cool Brewery Wear

Just wanted to post a shout-out to my fellow brothers of the Wolf's Eye Brewery. As the junior brew partner, I wanted to say thanks for inviting me to be a part of the experience. Its been a fun past few months hanging out with you guys- James' poker party, experimental brews gone good and bad, late nights youtubing whatever movie came to mind, etc. And the brewery shirt was a great idea- thanks, guys!

Guests to the blog- look for Wolf's Eye Brewery gear to be coming soon to your local homebrew store!!!

Batch #18: Duke Wilhelm IV's Reinheitsgebot Hefeweizen

Weizen
15-A Weizen/Weissbier

Size: 5.0 gal
Efficiency: 75.0%
Attenuation: 75.0%
Calories: 188.61 per 12.0 fl oz

Original Gravity: 1.057 (1.044 - 1.052)
Terminal Gravity: 1.014 (1.010 - 1.014)
Color: 7.9 (2.0 - 8.0)
Alcohol: 5.57% (4.3% - 5.6%)
Bitterness: 17.87 (8.0 - 15.0)

Ingredients:
8 lbs Alexanders Wheat Extract
.5 lbs Crystal 10
1 oz Hersbrucker (3.3%) - added during boil, boiled 60 min
.5 oz Saaz (3.2%) - added during boil, boiled 30 min
.5 oz Saaz (3.2%) - added during boil, boiled 5 min
0.0 ea 3068 WYeast Weizen

Schedule:
Ambient Air: 70.0 °F
Source Water: 60.0 °F
Elevation: 0.0 m


Notes:
Brewed: 6/6/08
O.G.: 1.052

Batch #17: Otto von Bismarck's Blood and Iron Double Marzen

Otto von Bismark's Blood and Iron Double Marzen
0- Untitled Style

Size: 5.0 gal
Efficiency: 75.0%
Attenuation: 75.0%
Calories: 207.28 per 12.0 fl oz

Original Gravity: 1.062 (1.000 - 1.100)
Terminal Gravity: 1.016 (1.000 - 1.100)
Color: 13.6 (0.0 - 50.0)
Alcohol: 6.12% (0.0% - 10.0%)
Bitterness: 0.0 (0.0 - 50.0)

Ingredients:
0.5 lbs German Light Munich
0.5 lbs German CaraMunich II
0.5 lbs White Wheat
0.5 lbs Melanoidin Malt
4 lbs Pale Liquid
3.0 lbs CBW® Sparkling Amber Powder (Dry Malt Extract)
0.0 oz Cluster (7.0%) - added during boil, boiled 60.0 min
0.0 oz Czech Saaz (5.0%) - added during boil, boiled 10.0 min
0.0 ea WYeast 2206 Bavarian Lager
0.0 tsp Irish Moss - added during boil, boiled 15.0 min

Schedule:
Ambient Air: 70.0 °F
Source Water: 60.0 °F
Elevation: 0.0 m

Brewed: 5/26/08
O.G.: 1.075
Racked: 6/14/08
Gravity: 1.012
Bottled: 9/10/2008
F.G.: 1.012

Batch #16: Rikki Tikki Tavi #2

RikkiTikkiTavi #2
14-A English IPA

Size: 5.0 gal
Efficiency: 72%
Attenuation: 77.6%
Calories: 210.41 per 12 fl oz

Original Gravity: 1.063 (1.050 - 1.075)
Terminal Gravity: 1.014 (1.010 - 1.018)
Color: 13.7 (8.00 - 14.00)
Alcohol: 6.46% (5.00% - 7.50%)
Bitterness: 54.67 (40.00 - 60.00)

Ingredients:
8 lbs Pale Ale Extract
.5 lbs Crystal 60
0.5 lbs Carapils
1.5 oz Challenger (7%) - added during boil, boiled 60 min
.5 oz Fuggles (4%) - added during boil, boiled 60 min
1 oz Fuggle (4%) - added during boil, boiled 15 min
.5 lbs Light Brown Sugar
1 oz Willamette (4.5%) - added during boil, boiled 1 min
8.3 ea 1028 London Ale Yeast

Schedule:
Ambient Air: 70.0 °F
Source Water: 60.0 °F
Elevation: 0.0 m


Notes:
Brewed 5/17/08
Light brown sugar and 4lbs of extract as late extract at 15 minutes.
O.G.: 1.062
Racked: 5/26/08
Bottled: 6/6/08
T.G.: 1.012
Tasting:

Results generated by BeerTools Pro 1.0.29

Batch #15: Nietzsche's (So) Bitter

Nietzsche's (So) Bitter #3
8-C Extra Special/Strong Bitter (English Pale Ale)

Size: 5.0 gal
Efficiency: 75.0%
Attenuation: 75.0%
Calories: 184.16 per 12.0 fl oz

Original Gravity: 1.055 (1.048 - 1.060)
Terminal Gravity: 1.014 (1.010 - 1.016)
Color: 14.8 (6.0 - 18.0)
Alcohol: 5.44% (4.6% - 6.2%)
Bitterness: 46.43 (30.0 - 50.0)

Ingredients:
1.0 lbs Crystal 40
8.0 oz Brown Sugar
1 lbs Crisp Amber Malt
6.6 lbs Munton's Light Extract
2.0 oz East Kent Goldings (5.0%) - added during boil, boiled 60.0 min
1.0 oz East Kent Goldings (5%) - added during boil, boiled 15 min
0.0 ea Wyeast 1968 London ESB Ale

Schedule:
Ambient Air: 70.0 °F
Source Water: 60.0 °F
Elevation: 0.0 m

Brewed: 5/4/08
O.G.: 1.040
Racked to secondary: 5/13/08
Bottled: 5/26/08

Batch #14: Marquis de Sade's Old Speckled Cock

Marquis de Sade's Old Speckled Cock
8-C Extra Special/Strong Bitter (English Pale Ale)

Size: 5.0 gal
Efficiency: 75.0%
Attenuation: 75.0%
Calories: 183.81 per 12.0 fl oz

Original Gravity: 1.055 (1.048 - 1.060)
Terminal Gravity: 1.014 (1.010 - 1.016)
Color: 12.3 (6.0 - 18.0)
Alcohol: 5.43% (4.6% - 6.2%)
Bitterness: 42.39 (30.0 - 50.0)

Ingredients:
12.0 oz Crystal 55
5.25 lbs Munton's light dry malt extract
0.5 lbs Cane Sugar
4.0 oz Wheat Dry Malt Extract
1.0 oz Challenger (8%) - added during boil, boiled 60.0 min
0.5 oz East Kent Golding (5%) - added during boil, boiled 15 min
0.5 oz Challenger (8%) - added during boil, boiled 15 min
1.0 oz East Kent Goldings (5%) - added during boil, boiled 1 min
0.0 ea Wyeast 1084 Irish Ale

Schedule:
Ambient Air: 70.0 °F
Source Water: 60.0 °F
Elevation: 0.0 m

Brewed: 4/10/08
O.G.: 1.047
Bottled: 5/4/08
T.G.: 1.010

Batch #13: Ira Hayes American Indian Pale Ale (Timmy)

Due to cold weather, a few of our brews have had clean, neutral yeast character. In which case I decided to brew an American ale and use dry US-05, which is the exact same yeast as the famous "Chico" American Ale yeast that has a very clean yeast character. This brew should be a citrus, piney hop fiesta with the malt to back it up.

Ira Hayes American Indian Pale Ale
10-A American Pale Ale

Size: 4.94 gal
Efficiency: 75.0%
Attenuation: 75.0%
Calories: 191.58 per 12.0 fl oz

Original Gravity: 1.057 (1.045 - 1.060)
Terminal Gravity: 1.014 (1.010 - 1.015)
Color: 14.0 (5.0 - 14.0)
Alcohol: 5.66% (4.5% - 6.0%)
Bitterness: 40.51 (30.0 - 45.0)

Ingredients:

8 oz American Caramel 60°L
3 lbs Briess Dried Golden Light
4 lbs Pale Liquid
08 oz Dextrine Malt
1 oz De-Bittered Black Malt (Mout Roost 1400)
0.5 oz Columbus (13.5%) - added during boil, boiled 15 min
1 oz Cascade (5.5%) - added during boil, boiled 0.0 min
0.0 oz Amarillo (8.5%) - added during boil, boiled 0.0 min
1 oz Glacier (6.1%) - added during boil, boiled 60 min
0.0 ea Fermentis US-05 Safale US-05
0.5 oz Columbus (13.5%) - added during boil, boiled 5 min

Schedule:

Ambient Air: 70.0 °F
Source Water: 60.0 °F
Elevation: 0.0 m


Notes:

Brewed 3/8/2008
O.G. 1.057
Dry Hopped 3/22/2008
F.G.: 1.010 (4/10/08)

Results generated by BeerTools Pro 1.0.29

Batch #12: Groundskeeper Willie's Wee Heavy (Chris)

Groundskeeper Willie Wee Heavy
9-E Strong Scotch Ale

Size: 5.0 gal
Efficiency: 75.0%
Attenuation: 75.0%
Calories: 271.95 per 12.0 fl oz

Original Gravity: 1.081 (1.070 - 1.130)
Terminal Gravity: 1.020 (1.018 - 1.030)
Color: 17.1 (14.0 - 25.0)
Alcohol: 8.04% (6.5% - 10.0%)
Bitterness: 28.08 (17.0 - 35.0)

Ingredients:
8 oz Crystal 60
4 oz Roasted Barley
4 lbs Alexanders Pale Liquid
3.52 lbs John Bull Maris Otter
3 lbs Muntons Dry Light
1 oz First Gold (7.5%) - added during boil, boiled 60 min
0.0 ea WYeast 1728 Scottish Ale

Schedule:

Ambient Air: 70.0 °F
Source Water: 60.0 °F
Elevation: 0.0 m


Notes:

Brewed: 3/08/08
O.G.: 1.077
F.G.: 1.012
Racked to Secondary: 3/21/2008
Gravity: 1.021
Bottled:

Results generated by BeerTools Pro 1.0.29

Batch #11: George Orwell Brown Ale #3 (James)

George Orwell Brown #3
11-C Northern English Brown Ale

Size: 4.94 gal
Efficiency: 75.0%
Attenuation: 75.0%
Calories: 156.93 per 12.0 fl oz

Original Gravity: 1.047 (1.040 - 1.052)
Terminal Gravity: 1.012 (1.008 - 1.013)
Color: 19.6 (12.0 - 22.0)
Alcohol: 4.64% (4.2% - 5.4%)
Bitterness: 22.74 (20.0 - 30.0)

Ingredients:

0.5 lbs Munton's Crystal 60
0.3 lbs Munton's Chocolate Malt
0.5 lbs Briess Victory Malt
3.3 lbs Coopers Plain Light Malt Extract
2.0 lbs Briess Dry Traditional Dark Malt Extract
1.0 oz Kent Goldings (5.0%) - added during boil, boiled 60.0 min
0.5 oz Kent Goldings (5.0%) - added during boil, boiled 10.0 min
0.0 ea Wyeast 1338 European Ale

Schedule:

Ambient Air: 70.0 °F
Source Water: 60.0 °F
Elevation: 0.0 m


Notes:

Brewed: 2/20/08
O.G.: 1.032
Bottled: 4/1/08

Results generated by BeerTools Pro 1.0.29

Batch #10A: Old Bolshie Amber #3 (JP)

Old Bolshie Amber Ale #3
10-B American Amber Ale

Size: 5.0 gal
Efficiency: 15.52%
Attenuation: 76.9%
Calories: 158.91 per 12 fl oz

Original Gravity: 1.048 (1.045 - 1.060)
Terminal Gravity: 1.011 (1.010 - 1.015)
Color: 15.0 (10.0 - 17.0)
Alcohol: 4.83% (4.5% - 6.0%)
Bitterness: 24.6 (25.0 - 40.0)

Ingredients:

1 lbs Crystal Malt 20°L
.5 lbs Dingemans Belgian Caramunich®
.5 lbs Briess Victory Malt
3.3 lbs Coopers Liquid Amber Extract
3.3 lbs Coopers Liquid Light Extract
1.0 oz UK Whitbread Gold Varieties (4.5%) - added during boil, boiled 60 min
.5 oz East Kent Goldings (4.5%) - added during boil, boiled 30 min
.5 oz East Kent Goldings (4.5%) - added during boil, boiled 5 min
8.00 fl oz WYeast 1084 Irish Ale

Schedule:

Ambient Air: 70.0 °F
Source Water: 60.0 °F
Elevation: 0.0 m


Notes:

Brewed: 2/1/08
O.G.: 1.048
Secondary Fermentor: 2/20/08
S.G.: 1.010
Dry-hopped: .5oz Fuggles, .5oz Challenger
Bottled:
F.G.:

Results generated by BeerTools Pro 1.0.29

Batch #10: Old Bolshie Amber Ale #2 (JP)

Old Bolshie Amber Ale #2
10-B American Amber Ale

Size: 5.0 gal
Efficiency: 15.52%
Attenuation: 76.9%
Calories: 158.91 per 12 fl oz

Original Gravity: 1.048 (1.045 - 1.060)
Terminal Gravity: 1.011 (1.010 - 1.015)
Color: 15.0 (10.0 - 17.0)
Alcohol: 4.83% (4.5% - 6.0%)
Bitterness: 31.34 (25.0 - 40.0)

Ingredients:

1 lbs Crystal Malt 20°L
.5 lbs Dingemans Belgian Caramunich®
.5 lbs Briess Victory Malt
3.3 lbs Coopers Liquid Amber Extract
3.3 lbs Coopers Liquid Light Extract
1 oz Whitbread Gold Varieties (4.5%) - added during boil, boiled 60 min
.5 oz East Kent Goldings (4.5%) - added during boil, boiled 60 min
.5 oz East Kent Goldings (4.5%) - added during boil, boiled 30 min
8.00 fl oz WYeast 1084 Irish Ale

Schedule:

Ambient Air: 70.0 °F
Source Water: 60.0 °F
Elevation: 0.0 m


Notes:

Brewed: 2/1/08
O.G.: 1.043
Bottled: 2/20/08
F.G.: 1.011
Tasting: (3/8/08): Wonderful! Served #10 at the Knights of St. Patrick Fellowship. Fully bodied, malty, great aroma...a real hit with the poker players.

Results generated by BeerTools Pro 1.0.29

Batch #8: Taft's Oatmeal Stout (Chris)

William Howard Taft Oatmeal Stout
13-C Oatmeal Stout

Size: 4.94 gal
Efficiency: 75.0%
Attenuation: 75.0%
Calories: 203.94 per 12.0 fl oz

Original Gravity: 1.061 (1.048 - 1.065)
Terminal Gravity: 1.015 (1.010 - 1.018)
Color: 24.8 (22.0 - 40.0)
Alcohol: 6.03% (4.2% - 5.9%)
Bitterness: 22.51 (25.0 - 40.0)

Ingredients:

1 lbs Crystal 80L
0.25 lbs Muntons Black Patent
6 oz Chocolate Malt
6.6 lbs Coopers Light
.5 lbs Crystal 64
1 oz EKG (4.5%) - added during boil, boiled 60 min
.5 oz Fuggles (4%) - added during boil, boiled 30 min
6 oz Flaked Oats
4.25 oz WYeast 1084 Irish Ale
1 tsp Irish Moss - added during boil, boiled 0.0 min

Schedule:

Ambient Air: 70.0 °F
Source Water: 60.0 °F
Elevation: 0.0 m


Notes:

Brewed: 1/12/08
O.G.: 1.052
F.G.: 1.012
Bottled: 2/1/08

2/14/08: Very green, good taste, litle bitterness
3/1/08: More mature than last time, but no intense flavors, no real oatmeal taste, probably will take a long time to mature.

Results generated by BeerTools Pro 1.0.29

Batch #6: Von Stauffenberg's Assassinator Dopplebock (JP)

Von Stauffenberg's Assassinator Dopplebock
5-C Doppelbock

Size: 5.0 gal
Efficiency: 72%
Attenuation: 76.2%
Calories: 244.87 per 12 fl oz

Original Gravity: 1.073 (1.072 - 1.096)
Terminal Gravity: 1.017 (1.016 - 1.024)
Color: 21.9 (6.0 - 25.0)
Alcohol: 7.37% (7.0% - 10.0%)
Bitterness: 19.85 (16.0 - 26.0)

Ingredients:

1 lbs Crystal Malt 60°L
1 lbs German Dark Munich
1 lbs German Vienna
0.25 lbs English Chocolate Malt
.75 lbs Belgian Caramunich®
8 lbs Liquid Light Extract
1 oz Tettnanger (4.50%) - added during boil, boiled 60 min
1 oz Saaz (4%) - added during boil, boiled 5 min
0.0 ea Wyeast 2206 Bavarian Lager

Schedule:

Ambient Air: 70.0 °F
Source Water: 60.0 °F
Elevation: 0.0 m


Notes:

Brewed: 12/29/07
O.G.: 1.042 (!!!)
Racked to Secondary: 1/12/2008

2/8/2008 - Gravity Reading 1.014

3/8/08: Sampled during brewing. Whoa! Amazing!

Bottled: 5/4/08

T.G.: 1.014

Results generated by BeerTools Pro 1.0.29

Batch #5: Rikki Tikki Tavi India Pale Ale (Chris)

RikkiTikkiTavi #1
14-A English IPA

Size: 4.94 gal
Efficiency: 72%
Attenuation: 77.6%
Calories: 213.01 per 12 fl oz

Original Gravity: 1.064 (1.050 - 1.075)
Terminal Gravity: 1.014 (1.010 - 1.018)
Color: 13.8 (8.00 - 14.00)
Alcohol: 6.54% (5.00% - 7.50%)
Bitterness: 55.18 (40.00 - 60.00)

Ingredients:
.5 lbs Light Brown Sugar
1.5 oz Challenger (7%) - added during boil, boiled 60 min
1 oz Fuggle (4%) - added during boil, boiled 15 min
1 oz Styrian Goldings (3.5%) - added during boil, boiled 1 min
8.3 ea 1028 London Ale Yeast
8 lbs Pale Ale Extract
.5 lbs Crystal 60
0.5 lbs Carapils
.5 oz Fuggles (4%) - added during boil, boiled 60 min

Schedule:

Ambient Air: 70.0 °F
Source Water: 60.0 °F
Elevation: 0.0 m


Notes:

Brewed 12/20/2007
O.G.: 1.056
Bottled: 1/6/08
T.G.: 1.019
Tasting: (3/1/08): Beer really came into its own. Fully bodied, hoppy, fruity, smelled great!

Results generated by BeerTools Pro 1.0.29

Batch #3: Old Bolshie Amber Ale #1 (JP)

Old Bolshie Amber Ale
10-B American Amber Ale

Size: 5.0 gal
Efficiency: 15.52%
Attenuation: 76.9%
Calories: 158.91 per 12 fl oz

Original Gravity: 1.048 (1.045 - 1.060)
Terminal Gravity: 1.011 (1.010 - 1.015)
Color: 15.0 (10.0 - 17.0)
Alcohol: 4.83% (4.5% - 6.0%)
Bitterness: 31.34 (25.0 - 40.0)

Ingredients:

1 lbs Crystal Malt 20°L
.5 lbs Dingemans Belgian Caramunich®
.5 lbs Briess Victory Malt
3.3 lbs Liquid Amber Extract
3.3 lbs Liquid Light Extract
1.5 oz East Kent Goldings (4.5%) - added during boil, boiled 60 min
.5 oz East Kent Goldings (4.5%) - added during boil, boiled 30 min
8.00 fl oz WYeast 1084 Irish Ale

Schedule:

Ambient Air: 70.0 °F
Source Water: 60.0 °F
Elevation: 0.0 m


Notes:

Brewed: 11/29/07
O.G.: 1048
Bottled: 12/11/07

Results generated by BeerTools Pro 1.0.29

Batch #2: Iron Drawers Honey Porter (Chris)

Iron Drawers Honey Porter
12-A Brown Porter

Size: 5.0 gal
Efficiency: 72%
Attenuation: 76.1%
Calories: 161.15 per 12 fl oz

Original Gravity: 1.049 (1.040 - 1.052)
Terminal Gravity: 1.012 (1.008 - 1.014)
Color: 27.5 (20.00 - 30.00)
Alcohol: 4.84% (4.00% - 5.40%)
Bitterness: 21.97 (18.00 - 35.00)

Ingredients:

.5 lbs British Black Patent
.5 lbs American Chocolate Malt
1 lbs Crystal Malt 40°L
3.33 lbs Liquid Light Extract
2.67 lbs Honey
.5 oz Perle (7.5%) - added during boil, boiled 60 min
.5 oz Fuggle (4.6%) - added during boil, boiled 30 min
.5 oz Fuggle (4.6%) - added during boil, boiled 5 min
8.00 fl oz WYeast 1084 Irish Ale

Schedule:

Ambient Air: 70.0 °F
Source Water: 60.0 °F
Elevation: 0.0 m


Notes:

Brewed: 11/6/07
Bottled: 11/13/07
First bottle sampled on 11/15/07: amazing taste for so young a beer! Thick, rich porter with full brown head....honey sweetness really comes through
Second bottle sampled on 11/17/07 at UM-OSU game: Same great, rich porter taste! Everyone commented on lack of burned bitterness, wonderful sweet gloss from the honey

Results generated by BeerTools Pro 1.0.29

Batch #7: Nietzsche's (So) Bitter (James)

Another disappointing first attempt at what I hope will be a permanent fixture of the Wolf's Eye Brewery beer family. Like the first batch of George Orwell English Nut Brown Ale, this is an unadulterated recipe from one of our books, without any manipulation. Moreover, we are pretty damned sure that we added too much water to the fermenter, diluting whatever taste might have emerged. Oh well, back to the drawing board.

Nietzsche's (So) Bitter #1
8-B Special/Best/Premium Bitter

Size: 5.0 gal
Efficiency: 72%
Attenuation: 77.3%
Calories: 149.34 per 12 fl oz

Original Gravity: 1.045 (1.040 - 1.048)
Terminal Gravity: 1.010 (1.008 - 1.012)
Color: 11.7 (5.0 - 16.0)
Alcohol: 4.57% (3.8% - 4.6%)
Bitterness: 22.84 (25.0 - 40.0)

Ingredients:

1 lbs American Victory
.75 lbs Crystal Malt 20°L
.25 lbs American Vienna
4 lbs Alexanders Pale Liquid
1 lbs Muntons Dry Extra Light
1 oz East Kent Goldings (4.5%) - added during boil, boiled 60 min
1 oz Fuggle (4%) - added during boil, boiled 10 min
8.00 fl oz WYeast 1187 Ringwood Ale

Schedule:

Ambient Air: 70.0 °F
Source Water: 60.0 °F
Elevation: 0.0 m


Notes:

Brewed: 1/6/08
O.G.: 1.042
Bottled: 1/26/08
T.G.: 1.008

First Taste:
1st bottle - flat, funky
2nd bottle - still green, no fruity esters, pleasant taste
3/1/08: Still not very interesting, tastes watery with just a hint of malt and hops

Batch #4: George Orwell Brown #2 (James)

George Orwell English Nut Brown Ale, take two. This was the first time we tinkered with a recipe, since the first batch of Orwell Brown was unanimously assessed to be a disaster. I rebuilt the recipe from the ground up, using books like Designing Great Beers. I wanted to change everything, beginning the search for the signature brown ale recipe for the Wolf's Eye Brewery. First to go was the Briess CBW Light, which Derek at MyLHBS confirmed was more watered-down than other extracts. I replaced it with 3.3 lbs of Coopers Plain Light Malt Extract at the beginning of the boil and 2.0 lbs of Briess Dry Traditional Dark Malt Extract as a late extract with 10 minutes left on the boil. I also replaced the Weyerman Carafoam with Briess Victory Malt, which is a standard brown ale specialty grain. The most controversial change in the recipe was the yeast, though I do not regret the decision now. Derek at MyLHBS listened to my request for a typical Wyeast English ale yeast, and made the out-of-the-box recommendation for Wyeast 1338 European Ale, which he said made great, full-bodied brown ales. The man knows of which he speaks, because this brown has grown to be an all-around fantastic beer, with strong caramel aroma, malty body, and strong finish. I am done tinkering with this one...we have a winner! I predict this beer will be one of the cornerstone recipes for Wolf's Eye for years to come.

George Orwell Brown #2
11-C Northern English Brown Ale

Size: 4.44 gal
Efficiency: 75.0%
Attenuation: 75.0%
Calories: 174.93 per 12.0 fl oz

Original Gravity: 1.053 (1.040 - 1.052)
Terminal Gravity: 1.013 (1.008 - 1.013)
Color: 20.5 (12.0 - 22.0)
Alcohol: 5.17% (4.2% - 5.4%)
Bitterness: 25.3 (20.0 - 30.0)

Ingredients:

0.5 lbs Munton's Crystal 60
0.3 lbs Munton's Chocolate Malt
0.5 lbs Briess Victory Malt
3.3 lbs Coopers Plain Light Malt Extract
2.0 lbs Briess Dry Traditional Dark Malt Extract
1.0 oz Kent Goldings (5.0%) - added during boil, boiled 60.0 min
0.5 oz Kent Goldings (5.0%) - added during boil, boiled 10.0 min
0.0 ea Wyeast 1338 European Ale

Schedule:

Ambient Air: 70.0 °F
Source Water: 60.0 °F
Elevation: 0.0 m


Notes:

Brewed: 12/11/07
O.G.: 1.042
Bottled: 12/29/07

12/29/07: While still green, beer already has more body and chocolate flavors than first batch of G.O. Brown

1/19/08: Smells amazing and wonderful, complex taste of caramel and malt and just a hint of chocolate

2/20/08: Great aroma, great opening flavor, but thin finishing taste.

Knights of St. Patrick Men's Fellowship Night

Brothers:

As members of the Fraternal Order of the Knights of St. Patrick, it is imperative that we celebrate our patron saint's feast day in the appropriate manner. The Brewing Committee has prepared a double batch of the Old Bolshie Amber Ale for the occasion, which will be served according to the usual regulation; namely, a Brother in the Fraternal Order is not drunk if he can still hold on to one blade of grass and not fall off the face of the Earth. The Poker Committee, chaired by Brother Bruce, will be conducting the usual games of chance, subject to standard MMA "Octagon Rules."

Yours in St. Patrick,
Brother James

Batch #9: Doc Holliday Steam Beer (Timmy)

Following Wolf's Eye Brewery's tradition of naming brews after notorious historical figures, I named my first beer "Doc Holliday's Steam Ale." This dentist-turned gunslinger is famous for his skills in gambling, drinking, and killing. Doc was an educated man, however, and certainly would have preferred a higher quality beverage than the cheap swill known as "steam ale" sold out west in th 1800s.


Unlike the historical steam ales that were often made with adjuncts for the thirsty masses, this recipe is all-malt. I decided to go with a mix of German and American hops, since the original steam ales were an attempt to re-create the European lagers using the peculiar shallow-pan fermenting method at ale temperatures.

I used the California Lager yeast years ago when I first attempted a steam ale, but my house temperature was a little too warm (64-65 degrees) and I ended up with a fruity tasting beer that I eagerly gave away.

This beer should turn out much better. Wolf's Eye brewers lucked out in that we were able to ferment this beer in JP's garage in the dead of winter at an excellent lager-fermenting temperature of 40-50 degrees. JP reported that the brew fermented slowly and steadily- an encouraging sign. I am predicting this will be more like an all-malt American lager than a steam ale. It should turn out a strong, smooth, clean-tasting lager bursting with hop flavor and caramel - just the sort of classy brew that Doc would perhaps have ordered up between a hand of cards.

Recipe for Doc Holliday's Steam Ale, brewed 26 Jan 08:

0.5 lb Crystal 40
0.5 lb Victory malt
3 lb Light DME (1 hour)
4 lb Allexander's Pale LME (15 min)

1 tbs Irish Moss (15 min)
Hop bill:

1 oz Cluster (8.5%) 1 hour
0.5 oz Challenger (7%) 15 min
0.5 oz Challenger (7%) 5 min
1 oz Mt Hood (3.4%) 0 min
Yeast: California Lager Wyeast W2112

OG: 1.072 (!)

Introduction to the Anarcho-Syndicalist Brewing Collective Members

Chris Quade is a hop-head of the highest order, and has a penchant for stouts and irish cream ales as well, athough he is learning to love the brown and amber styles (and socialism). He once drank a Bud Light on the golf course, but only because he couldn't find any Gatorade. Chris is the Chief Bottle Washer for the collective, and as the man who works two days a week he often makes the beer store runs (this has nothing to do with the beer store being 500 feet from the Dogfish Head Alehouse). As an Irish and a professional tuba player, Chris' levels of beer intake reach the very limits of human endurance, and he avoids DWI charges only because the DMV took away his license for speeding. Frankly, the only reason he's not an alcoholic is because he doesn't go to the meetings. On a personal note, Chris would really hate his job if he ever went.

JP (Jean-Pierre) Pritchard is the Engineer for the brewing collective.  JP is a controls engineer for a major (unnamed) area manufacturing firm and an aspiring consultant (reference Dilbert definition of consultant).  Engineering issues are dealt with JP's "deliberate stealth" engineering method typically resulting in broken kitchen hardware.  JP is working on babbage style homebrew equipment made of common parts available from plumbing supply houses and area thrift sales.  [More comments forthcoming]

Tim "Timmy" Heath is the most recent member to join the Wolf's Eye Brewery team. Tim lends a hand wherever it is needed and provides advice in the formulation of recipes drawing from his experience with his own home brewery, "White Oak." Long obsessed with beer and homebrewing, Tim reads any homebrew books, magazines, and websites he finds and especially enjoys sampling fine American Pale Ales, malty British brown ales/ bitters, and the occasional Belgian.

James Mulvenon is obsessed with English brown ales, malty ambers, and hand-pulled English bitters. He used to drink Guinness stout and Russian imperial stouts, but now anything darker than a brown ale gives him criminal levels of flatulence. James buys every beer book he can get his hands on and subscribes to a pathological number of beer trade magazines. He is trying to develop a more sophisticated vocabulary for his love of beer, but the early pathetic attempts are captured at ratebeer.com for the rest of eternity. In the collective, James is the Creative Director, developing the labels and the branding for the beers. He wants nothing more in the world than to make a big pile of "fuck you" money, quit his job, and open a kickass microbrewery in his hometown.

Batch #1 (James)

Batch #1 was my first beer. As a lover of English brown ales, it was the natural first choice. I love malty brown ales like Newcastle, but am really obsessed with Rogue Hazelnet Brown Nectar these days. I wanted this brown ale to have the same combination of malty, caramel flavor with full body. Batch #1, however, was my first batch in over ten years. All of the old equipment was dragged out of the basement and cleaned. We had not yet found MyLHBS in Falls Church, so we made the mistake of ordering the ingredients from Jay's Brewing Supplies, which we thought was still located in the basement of Jay's parents house in Fairfax. Turns out, he had moved to North Carolina, so the ingredients did not even show up on time. Once they finally arrived, we made the batch and bottled it in 22oz bottles. I introduced the collective to the labeling style I used in Los Angeles, using black and white photographs of historical personages that were either appropriate for the style or amusing in some way. For a Northern English Brown Ale, the only choice was George Orwell, my favorite author and a noted lover of beer. His courageous struggle against Soviet totalitarianism mirrors our own desperate struggle against the corporate brewing, which has borrowed Moscow's playbook with respect to sucking the color and personality out of everything. This brown ale will always be my signature beer, and I committed to making it again and again until I found the perfect brown ale recipe. This batch, however, was a noble but doomed first effort. Derek from MyLHBS told us that the Briess extract we used is 10% more diluted than Munton's or Cooper's, and the batch tasted thin. Here was the recipe:

George Orwell Brown #1
11-C Northern English Brown Ale

Size: 4.44 gal
Efficiency: 75.0%
Attenuation: 75.0%
Calories: 112.61 per 12.0 fl oz

Original Gravity: 1.034 (1.040 - 1.052)
Terminal Gravity: 1.009 (1.008 - 1.013)
Color: 18.6 (12.0 - 22.0)
Alcohol: 3.34% (4.2% - 5.4%)
Bitterness: 35.84 (20.0 - 30.0)

Ingredients:

0.5 lbs Munton's Crystal 60
0.5 lbs Weyermann Carafoam
0.3 lbs Munton's Chocolate Malt
6.6 lbs Briess CBW Golden Light
1.5 oz Kent Goldings (5.0%) - added during boil, boiled 60.0 min
0.5 oz Kent Goldings (5.0%) - added during boil, boiled 10.0 min
0.0 ea White Labs 005 British Ale

Schedule:

Ambient Air: 70.0 °F
Source Water: 60.0 °F
Elevation: 0.0 m

Notes:

Brewed: 10/12/07
O.G.: 1034
Bottled on 10/23/07

First bottle sampled on 11/1/07: thin taste, resembling a hand-pulled bitter
Second bottle sampled on 11/8/07: still fairly thin taste, highly carbonated with small bubbles
Third bottle sampled on 11/17/07 for UM-OSU game: flavor smoothing out, but still not rich and malty (use of Briess was mistake)

Creation Myth

Hunkered down in Wolfsauge bunker complex, the members of the anarcho-syndicalist collective slowly raised the armored periscope, looking in vain for a wayward craft beer delivery truck. Unable to see past the mangled, perversely disfigured dead bodies stacked like cordwood outside the flame-scarred entrance door, they decided to brew their own, driven both by an unconscionable thirst and an intense and relentless desire to create obsessively authentic beer styles. What you hold in your hand is the humble product of their efforts. Enjoy, or get bent.