Tale of two Pumpkins: Der Kurbis Amber & The Great Pumpkin Porter

Pumpkin Ales can be love/hate relationship for many craft beer drinkers. Personally, I love all things fall, including pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin scented candles, and ... pumpkin beers.  In recent years, the commercial market has been saturated with this fall seasonal, and regrettably many of them are little more than amber ales with pumpkin pie spice bombs. Also, recent trends have them being released in late July and early August...and in Northern Virginia it just feels wrong drinking these with 95F and 95% humidity. Make your own & Toast the Fall Season!
A few things I've learned through my experiments with Pumpkin Ales:

• Mouthfeel is very important, whether you use real pumpkin during the brewing process or not. Thin spicy beers just don't hit the mark.
  • If you do use pumpkin, Roasting is a great option and its typically added during the Mash
    • If concerned about a stuck sparge, add Rice Hulls to help your lauter.
• Quality of spicing is paramount, I prefer to crush my own whole spices and mixing them to taste.
  • ***Less is more with spicing. Less than 2tsp is typically enough for 5 gl batch at the end of the boil. If not enough, you can always add more at kegging to taste.
• Let the malt shine, use high quality malts and don't overdue the hopping. (I don't think Pumpkin IPA is going to become a thing...)
• Experiment with your yeast
  • Some Belgian strains can make a really nice pumpkin beer (saison anyone?), Also, for an interesting take, try German Ale WLP029.

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"Der Kurbis" Pumpkin Ale 2012 (12 gl Final, 75-Minute boil):
Grain (Mash @ 152-156F for 1 Hour, 1Tsp CaCl2 and 1/4 Tsp CaSO4)

• 18# British Maris Otter (Crisp)
• 4# German Vienna
• 1# Munton’s Dark Crystal (70-80L)
• 1.66# Belgian Biscuit

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

• Extra: 2# Honey @ 20 min BKO, 1.5 Dark Brown Sugar @ 20 min BKO
• Spices (Added at end of Boil): 1 tsp whole AllSpice, 1/2 tsp whole clove, 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground ginger, 1/4 tsp Pumpkin pie spice
  • Plus 1/4tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice @ Kegging

Hops (37IBU, All Pellet, quantities for 12 gl)

• 1oz, Columbus, 15% AA, 60 min BKO
• 2oz, Styrian Goldings, 3.8, 20 min BKO

Extra: Irish Moss, Wyeast Nutrient
Yeast: WLP029 German Ale Yeast (Primary for 9 days)
O.G. 1.066, F.G. 1.013, ~7.1%abv
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"The Great Pumpkin" Porter 2010 (6 gl Final, 75-Minute boil):
Grain (Mash @ 156F for 1 Hour)

• 10# American 2-Row
• 2# German Munich,
• 1# Belgian Biscuit
• 0.75# Crystal 120L
• 0.5# Roasted Barley
• 0.33# Chocolate Malt
• 0.25# Black Patent

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• Extra:1.5# Honey @ 20 min BKO, 0.75 Dark Brown Sugar @ 20 min BKO
• Spices (Added at end of Boil): 1 tsp whole AllSpice, 1/2 tsp whole clove, 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground ginger

Hops (44IBU, All Pellet, quantities for 6gll)

• 1oz, Perle 15% AA, 60 min BKO
• 1oz, Willamette, 4.8, 20 min BKO
• 1oz, Willamette, 4.8, 10 min BKO

Extra: Irish Moss, Wyeast Nutrient
Yeast: WLP002 English Ale (Primary for 9 days)
O.G. 1.064, F.G. 1.012, ~6.9%abv

Oktoberfest: Beyond the Beer!

Oktoberfest is one of the world's greatest celebrations of German beer, culture, and cuisine. Check out a brief history here, courtesy of wikipedia. But to be honest, I'm more interested in the party! This year will be my parent's 30th wedding anniversary, and instead of having an anniversary party, they enlisted me to put together an epic menu for an Oktoberfest celebration. It's designed as a 5+ Course meal, but these pairings will work wonders on an individual basis as well.

When pairing food and beer, there are no "perfect" pairings. A few rules help guide your path: (1) Match Intensity. (2) Think it terms of how the elements of beer and food Compliment, Contrast, and Cut.

Oktoberfest Beer and Food Dinner


Try a few or try them all, Prost!

For more ideas, check this website out: http://www.craftbeer.com/food/pairing/pairing-interactions.

Draft System Maintenance- "Quality is not an act, it is a habit"-Aristotle

Home brewers are a unique breed, often passionate about their craft but highly individual at the same time. Some may be meticulous in their precision while other adopt a more "fly by the seat of their pants" methodology. I'll be the first to acknowledge that no two homebrewer's are the same, and both metholdogies CAN produce outstanding beer if the basic brewing best practices are accounted for. I don't advocate a one-size-fits-all approach to brewing, but i do think there are certain rules that will greatly improve everyone's enjoyment of the craft.

One of the first lesson's most of us learn is to "Clean, Clean, Clean" or "Sanitize, Sanitize, Sanitize," (in reality, two difference processes) which are rightfully a hallmark of quality brewing. What is often neglected, at least for my own personal experience, is the same level of effort when dealing with your draft system and serving practices. This is not just a problem from homebrewers, many commercial beer establishments suffer from a lack of educated severs and managers that do not have the knowledge or appreciation to adopt industry best practices. During my studies for the Certified Cicerone (r) exam, it was enlightening to read the commercial literature and see just how applicable it could be to many homebrewers. If we are to consider the quality of our homebrew to be equivalent to commercial beers, let's present it that way.

I highly recommend everyone takes a quick look at the Draft Beer Quality Manual (DQM), which is a fantastic resource for anyone interested in serving great beer.
Here's a few takeaways:

• According to the DQM, we should be  conducting routine cleaning of our beer lines and faucets every 14 days.
  • This may not be practical for homebrewers, but I think a good rule of thumb is for routine cleaning every month, and a "deep" clean every quarter. (See page 52 of DQM)
  • There is a significant difference between StarSan, PBW, and BLC (Beer Line Cleaner)
    • Beer Line Cleaner is the preferred cleaner for beer lines and faucets, ***personnel protective equipment (gloves) should be used when dealing with cleaning agents.
  • Any time your lines have been exposed to warm temperatures for a considerable amount of time or your changing a sour beers or even a cider, a deeper cleaning is likely warranted as well.
• If using a "Standard" faucet, dissemble and manual cleaning should occur on a routine basis.
  • Be careful to clean vent holes and inspect all moving parts.
• Finally, know when it's time to push "RESET," installing new beer/gas lines is fairly inexpensive and should be part of yearly maintenance.
• Glassware Cleaning is just as important as the draft system.
  • See Chapter 7 in DQM
    • Learn what "Beer Clean" is!
    • Don't put the faucet in your beer when pouring.
    • Enjoy beer with an appropriate glass.
    • Temperature matters (Ice-cold glasses are typically not advised) for a variety of reasons

Regardless of your brewing style, setup, or methodology; proper draft system maintenance is important for all beers to be enjoyed at their peak. The DQM provides a great reference, but for many of us, we need to just start somewhere. If you haven't ever cleaned your lines or faucets, I recommend installing new lines and keep track of your future maintenance with a simple log. Everyone who enjoys your beer will appreciate it!
Cheers!

Big Ron's Cabin Stout

This recipe was constructed for a very special trip this summer to my wife's family cabin  outside of Jackson Hole, WY.  My father-in-law, Big Ron, has always been a fan of flavorful dark beers, so we set out to make a great stout that could be shared with the whole family. After years of experimenting with a wide variety of Stout styles, this is by far the best "standard" strength stout I've constructed.

High quality English malts and hops provide a wonderfully complex yet approachable beer. To avoid any "dark grain astringency," I opted to mash the dark grains during the recirculation step. Behind the scenes, this method helps avoid lowering (acidic) the mash pH too much, which is likely with a large portion darker grains. A simple recirculation for 15 minutes was enough to extract the flavors and color from these grains without any harsh edges.

"Big Ron's Cabin" Oatmeal Stout (12 gl Final, 75-Minute boil):
Grain (Mash @ 155F for 1 Hour+ 15min Recirculation for dark grain, 1Tblsp CaCl2 and CaSO4)

• 20# (72%) British Maris Otter (Crisp)
• 2# (7%) Flaked Oats
• 1.5# (5%) Munton's Medium Crystal (50-60L)
• 1.33# (5%) Belgian Biscuit
• ----------
• 1# (3.5%) British Roasted Barley (Munton's)
• 1# (3.5%) British Pale Chocolate (Fawcett)
• 0.5# (2%) American Black Barley (Briess)
• 0.5# (2%) Chocolate Rye (Weyermann)

Hops (36IBU, All Pellet, quantites for 12 gl)

• 1oz, Target, 11% AA, 75 min BKO
• 2oz, East Kent Golding, 6.5, 20 min BKO
• 2oz, East Kent Golding, 6.5, 10 min BKO

Extra: Irish Moss, Wyeast Nutrient
Yeast: WLP060 American Ale Blend (Primary for 9 days)
O.G. 1.062, F.G. 1.015, ~6.2%abv
***This is a great American Stout base to play around with other variations: Chocolate, Coffee, or even Bourbon Soaked Oak Chips...***

Kings Pointer Collaboration 1.0: Belgian Dubble

The Story: Over the past three years, I've been lucky enough to see many of my best friends from college get married. Just last week, we were down in Austin, Texas for Luke and Cheryl's spectacular wedding. Luke had the full spread of brews being served included a wonderful Belgian Brune and even a Melomel (Fruit Mead). As I was the first of the group to get married I was pretty excited to see the tradition of wedding homebrew continuing at each of the weddings!

Unfortunately, distance and schedule keeps most of us apart so we can't share many beers throughout the year. To combat this, we decided earlier this year, I believe over brews at Adams wedding,  to take a stab at one of the latest craft beer phenomenon's: Collaboration. Brewing the same of very similar recipes on our individual setups around the country and seeing how they turn out. This is the first in our series of collaborative brews! Cheers.

The Brew: To start things off we wanted a style of beer that could really take on some individualized personality. The Belgian family of beers seemed perfect because of their inherent individuality even amongst the same style. This beer is our take on a Belgian Dubble and seeks to provide the appropriate balance between moderate alcohol warmth, richness, and superior drink-ability or "digestible" as the Belgians might say. The grain bill may seem involved, but at the end of the say the signature ingredients are the yeast choice and Dark Candi Sugar. Minor variations in fermentation characteristics such as temperature or yeast strain will likely produce nuanced variations on the same theme.


Some tasting notes: A remarkable clean fermenting Belgian with reddish-ruby highlights and low to moderate yeast fruity esters that possess a pleasant but distinct banana quality. The rich quality of caramel and plum undertones is coupled with round notes of toasty bread and biscuit and concluded with a slight dryness.

Check out the great book Brew like a Monk for more information on Belgian breweries and their wonderful history and beers.

Ingredients:
Malt (148-150F; Filtered Water w/ 1/4tsp CaCl2,CaSO4 per 5gl):

• 11# American 2-Row (Great Western)
• 1# Belgian Aromatic
• 1# Belgian Biscuit
• 0.5# Briess Crystal 40
• 0.25# Briess Crystal 135-165
• 0.15# German Carafa II

Hops:

• 2oz. Liberty 4.9%AA 60min 

Extras: 1# Dark Rock Candi Sugar, Irish Moss, Wyeast Nutrient
Yeast: WhiteLabs WLP500 Trappist (Source: Chimay) (68F allowed to free rise)
Specs: 1.064 O.G., 7.2%abv, 28 IBU

KP Collab 2.0: Munich Dunkel

The Story: Some styles are harder to come across than others, and Munich Dunkel is certainly one of them in the US. But, one of the joys of homebrewing is the ability to brew just about any style you want, the way you want it. To continue our collaboration series, we're brewing a lager with some true German character, perfect as we start to enter the colder winter months.

The Brew: As with all lagers, a clean and vigorous fermentation is key to success. To showoff the richness needed for this style without being overly sweet or full, we'll use German Munich malt for the majority of the grain bill, accented with a bit of Carafa, Caramunich, and Vienna to round out a slightly toasty caramel quality. Hops are of the noble variety and restrained to let the grain and yeast shine through. To really develop a traditional Munich Dunkel malt profile, a decoction mash is called for, but I leave that choice and time commitment up to you. Prost!

Ingredients:
Malt (Filtered Water w/ 1/2tsp CaCl2 per 5gl):

1. Protein rest at 122F for 25 min

2. Saccharification rest at 152F for 45 min

3. Mashout at 165F for 10 min

• 80% German Munich
• 10% German Vienna
• 5-8% Belgian CaraMunich II
• 2-5% German Carafa II

Hops:

• 1.5oz. Czech Saaz 3.5%AA 60min 
• 0.5oz. Czech Saaz 3.5%AA 10min 

Extras: Irish Moss, Wyeast Nutrient
Yeast: **Double Pitch or make a 2L Starter**
WhiteLabs WLP833 German Bock (48-50F (primary), 66-70F at end of primary, 1 month at 32-35F)
Specs: 1.050 O.G., 5.2%abv, 23IBU

Christmas Brew 2013: Biere De Noel

The Story: Beire De Noel has been said to be a seasonal offering from many Belgian and French brewers that is typically stronger and more robust than the breweries year-round offerings to reward their most loyal customers. This year I wanted to make a offering along the same characteristics as Scaldis Noel, which I recently had on-tap at a great local beer bar called Rustico. At a whopping 12.5% abv, I didn't have the time or inclination to attempt such a bruiser for this year's holiday season. So this is my attempt at capturing Christmas in a glass, the Belgian way, without any spices or gimmicks. Happy Holidays!

Check out this great book for more info on this style: Farmhouse Ales: Culture and Craftsmanship in the Belgian Tradition. 

The Brew: Festive but restrained, this strong Belgian ale sits nicely between a Dubble and Quadruple. A low mash temperature and additional fermentables in the form of honey near the end of the boil helped dry it out and enhance overall drink-ability. A modest hopping rate is used for the bittering addition to simply stand up and balance the large grain bill. Finally, the Belgian blend yeast strain was pitched on the cooler side at around 66F and allowed to free rise;  after being hit with pure Oxygen for about 1 minute. The lower temperature helped keep the yeast esters in check for a moderate yeast character of dark fruits and spices. This batch was split between an unblended version and one with Kriek added to the keg for a touch of Cherry goodness.

Ingredients (8gl batch):
Malt (147F for 1.5 hour; Filtered Water w/ 1/2tsp CaSO4, CaCl2 each):

• 15# Dingeman's Pils
• 3# German Munich
• 2# White Wheat
• 0.5# Belgian Biscuit
• 0.5# Belgian Caravienna
• 0.5# German Carafa II
• 0.25# Gambrinus Honey Malt
• 0.33# Belgian Aromatic

Hops:

• 2oz. Zythos 9.4%AA 60min 

Extra: 2# Clover Honey, Irish Moss, Wyeast Nutrient
Yeast: 3 viles WhiteLabs WLP575 - Belgian Blend (68F Allowed to free rise)
Specs: 1.080 O.G., ~8.6%abv, 40IBU

From the Brewery to your Glass: Some thoughts on Beer Storage

When i first started getting into craft beer a few years ago many people were, and still are, fostering an opinion that verticals, vintages, and the like are the climax of beer geek-dom and an ultimate beer experience. While I think this is true for a few styles, for the vast majority aging is not your friend. In addition, aging in less than ideal conditions can destroy an otherwise amazing beer. So here's a few tips I've picked up that help me buy, store, and enjoy commercial and homebrews at their best.

First off, styles can be really important to consider when you go to your local beer store. I'm a firm believer that every beer style has its place and should be enjoyed to its fullest extent by those who love it, even if it isn't trendy, "craft", or extreme. 


Buying Beer:

• Try to buy beers from a store that has a high turnover rate, this will help ensure you get the freshest beer. Did a new beer just get released? It's probably fresh if they just came out with it and its on the shelf, better yet...in the fridge at the store? Do you have the choice to get the same beer from the fridge or floor...99% of the time you're safer with the fridge!
• Consider the manner in which the store handles their beer, does it have dust on it? Is it a $15 bottle of Double IPA that's been sitting there for who knows how long in a warm climate? Probably not the best bet for enjoying that beer. This is another reason why I try and give beers I've tried another chance if I am unsure of how they were handled, a great beer served fresh could be mediocre or downright poor if improperly handled and/or aged.
• Be a curious consumer: A new trend that I love is the inclusion of best by or bottled/canned on dates. These are an awesome indicator to how old the beer of the shelf is.  (Sidenote: Don't shy away from Cans, tons of craft brewers are putting everything from IPA to Barleywine in cans these days) Bottled on dates are much better because the best by date is subjective to the brewers individual interpretation, ranging from 3-4 months to a year or more past bottling, I'd rather make that call on my own. Also, consider that most commercial brewer's only release a beer when it is ready to be consumed, so the assumption that 3 year old barleywine is in some way better than fresh, may be poor.

Storing Beer:
Most beers are intended for consumption within the season they are brewed, albeit there are notable exceptions and factors that impact how well and nuanced a beer ages.

Style Overview

• Hoppy Beers are typically most vibrant within 3-4 months, some argue sooner.
• This does not mean they may be bad after that period but will certainly lose some of their trademark hop-forward flavors. 

• Wheat beers are notoriously bad at shelf-life, the nuances of styles such as Belgian Wit and German Hefeweizen are really great young.
• Higher alcohol (7%+) , more bitter, and sour beers are typically much better for aging than average alcohol (4-7%) , malty, clean beers.

Storage Environment: Basic approach for all beer includes a cool (less than 68F) and dark (avoid skunking from light) space.  While a beer fridge works, many styles are better cellared, ironically at "cellar temperature", which is arguably between 45-55F. Avoid vast temperature swings, but more importantly, try to store all beers below 70F. I have read studies that show a direct correlation between accelerated degradation (oxidation) at 70 vastly outweighing changes between 55 or 32F.

**Corked (Belgian) bottles of beer are typically best stored upright, contrary to wine, this helps encourage the layer of yeast ("lees") to settle at the bottom and facilitate pouring when you actually enjoy the beer.**

Enjoying Beer:
Everyone has their own way of doing things, so these are a few of my takeaways.

• Seasonality: Drink seasonally, sometimes we get wrapped up with bigger is better, but it's really refreshing to recharge your palate as the seasons evolve with unique session beers.
• Glassware: Use a clean properly shaped glass that will not hinder the experience (i.e., stifled aromatics in a hoppy IPA or fruity Belgian). I'm a glass nerd, so I go overboard here but I'd recommend everyone tries their favorite beers in the appropriate glass...drinking from the bottle is a last resort (you'll never fully experience the aroma...which actually contributes a ton to taste!)
• Temperature: Serve at an appropriate temperature: most lagers should be colder than ales, but many English beers are wonderful at around 50-55F, if you have a kegerator give a try and see how it goes, you may be surprised of the different flavors that come out a bit warmer. That being said, give some of the bigger beers time to warm up if you're getting them straight from the fridge, "ice-cold" and "frost brewed" are propaganda with no real meaning or benefit for the beer lover.

"Zorn-Vort" Maibock

The Story: Brewing is always better with a friend. This beer was a collaboration with my friend Bill, who is from the first generation of American homebrewers. I think with the mass influx of new brewers and beer lovers, we can still learn a lot from the generation that started brewing in the dark days of draft beer, they challenged the status quo and brewed their own before anyone ever heard of Extreme Beer.

The Brew: Utilizing Bill's awesome MoreBeer brew sculpture and cooled conical fermenator, we wanted to brew a kick ass lager. For the Spring Monterey Competition and Festival, a Maibock was natural, but we wanted to hop it up a bit more. It has the classic character of a German Maibock

Ingredients:
Malt: (60%) Golden Promise, (27%) Vienna, (10%) Munich, (3%) Caramunich
Hops: (First wort hopped) Cascade, Saaz, Hallertau Mitt., French Strisselspalt
Yeast: German Lager
Specs: 1.069 OG, 7.4%abv, 30IBU

Saison Du Monterey

The Story: Saison means season in French and I think that is a perfect name for a style of beer. Afterall, we remember certain beers we've had based on our experiences, and the seasons play a big role in that. Maybe it's that crisp Pilsner or Pale Ale on a Summer day, or a nice roasty Stout or high-octane Barleywine on a cold winter night. The seasons are ingrained in our lives and our beers...naturally.
 
The Brew: So for my last season in Monterey, late spring and summer, we went back to the classic Belgian roots and made a hoppy pale saison  with classic ingredients. Although it's hopped up a little more than most, it's not in Belgian
IPA territory. That's the beauty of using traditional noble hops, in my experience they provide a much more refined and subtle complexity to moderately hoppy beers than your typical IPA hops. This is a jazzed up hoppy Belgian summer ale for the geerbeek in all of us.

Ingredients:
Malt: American 2-Row (75%), White Wheat (15%), German Munich (7%), Honey Malt (3%)
Hops: Cascade (Bittering); Styrian Goldings, French Strisselspalt (Late Hopping)
Extras: Turbinado Sugar, Wyeast Nutrient, Irish Moss
Yeast: Belgian Saison Blend (WLP565), Dry Belle Saison
Specs: 1.053 O.G., 6.2%abv, 27IBU

UPDATE: Won People's Choice 2013 MASH831 Spring Monterey Homebrew Invitational

Romping Rye India Pale Ale

The Story: There are a ton of great beers out there, and good IPAs are pretty easy to come by, on the West Coast especially. For the upcoming Monterey Spring Homebrew Competition and Festival I helped organize, we decided to do a special ingredient showdown. I've been a part of these over the past few years with herbs, spice, fruit, etc. But I wanted to go a little more mainstream to really see where brewers went with a unique but fairly classic ingredient. Rye seemed natural, it's been used in brewing for centuries and contributed a wonderful spicy quality in various styles and intensities... and not just in Roggenbier.


The Brew: Leaving Monterey soon, I had a stock pile of wonderful Aroma hops to contribute to this brew. The key was the right balance of malt backbone and character with the rye and hop aspects, I think we hit it on the mark with a bit more malt character than I would call for in a standard IPA.

Ingredients:
Malt: (73%) American 2-Row, (13%) Malted Rye, (3%) Crystal 40, (2%) Crystal 60, (3%) Victory, (2%) Honey Malt
Hops: (First wort hopped and Dry Hoped) Cascade, Columbus, Galaxy, Galena, Palisade
Yeast: California V (WLP051), Cali (WLP001)
Specs: 1.062 OG, 6.7%abv, 70IBU

A West Coast Christmas: Honey Ginger IPA

I’m a sucker for seasonal beers, and the best time of year for seasonals has to be the Holidays, and Christmas in particular. This year I wanted to deviate from some of the usual suspects such as Belgian Bier De Noels, Holiday spiced Winter Warmers, and other big Christmas offerings to try something a little more West Coast. What’s more West Coast than IPA? Well, I don’t know but I do know I wanted to do something a bit more than imperializing it. Luckily, I had a pretty great recipe of Honey IPA and with a little inspiration for Randy Mosher’s Radical Brewing the addition of Ginger seemed perfect. He advocates the use of East Kent Goldings exclusively, which I was a bit reluctant about but it was definitely worthwhile. I hope you enjoy this spin on a “Christmas IPA.”

Recipe is best viewed by Right-Clicking on Image and selecting "Open in New Window."

Autumn Collaboration 2012: Oaked Imperial Pumpkin Ale & English Bitter

The Story: When you're asked what you would like to serve at a beer festival, especially a homebrew festival, what should you bring? For me there are a few approaches: something "extreme" in style, something "unique" in technique, or just a crowd pleaser. To fit those approaches into a single brewday and collaborate with the other festival organizers I advocated the use of Parti-Gyle brewing. This traditional English method produces a big (higher alcohol) beer from the first wort runnings and then a smaller (lower alcohol) beer from the second or third runnings, effectively brewing two distinct beers from one grist (grain profile). Additional grains, different hops, yeast and other additives can be added to produce drastically different results while optimizing your use of base malt profile.

The Beers: To keep with the Autumn Theme, we decided on an Imperial Pumpkin Ale with a twist (Aged in a 5gl Medium Toast American Oak Barrel- for only 3 days). Aiming for a good amount of lightly toasted biscuity quality to compliment the flavors of pumpkin pie while being mildly sweet and showcasing the delicate flavors of real Oak (rich vanilla undertones). And then a crowd please: English "Indian" Bitter to the tune of 60 IBUs of East Kent Golding, Challenger hops and served from a Pin, which is a 5gl variety of English Cask.

Ingredients:
Malt: American 2-Row, German Munich, Caravienna, Belgian Biscuit, Crystal 60 (Extra for Bitter: Maris Otter and British Amber malt)
Extras: Pumpkin pie spices and Brown Sugar for Pumpkin
Hops: Perle, Styrain Goldings to 30 IBU and East Kent Golding, Challenger  to 60 IBU for Bitter
Yeast: California/Dry English (Pumpkin) and English (Bitter)

Specs: Imp Pump-1.077OG, 8.9%abv, 30IBU; Bitter-1.052, 5.8&abv, 60IBU

***UPDATE: This brew won Judges Choice at the Monterey Autumn Charity Festival!***

Monterey Autumn Brewer's Comp and Fest: A Beer Charity to benefit Wounded Warriors

One of my recent beer goals was to become a Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP), beer judge. While there are many paths to take in earning this certification, I believe some of the best opportunities for learning are through teaching. This interest in teaching others about the BJCP and beer judging in general lead me to want helping or organizing a sanctioned competition. With the help of a friend of mine, Marc, who had been a longtime homebrewer also in the Coast Guard, we thought the Monterey area could use the excitement of a major homebrew event like a competition. Along with the Bottoms Up homebrew shop owner, Duane, the team set out to create something that would be great for both homebrewers and the community-at-large.


Through several weeknight planning sessions and brewdays we had settled on the idea of a BJCP sanctioned homebrew competition and a homebrew festival to top it off and announce the winners. The festival would have to be a non-profit affair because of alcohol public serving laws; so we thought of creative solutions to this requirement. Charity seemed a natural fit to help the community. The proximity of Veteran's Day made the choice of charity fairly easy; Wounded Warriors is the benefactor of the festival which will take place next Saturday!

On a personal note, I also recently received my BJCP Tasting exam scores and have become a Recognized Certified Beer Judge!

This post is dedicated to all the volunteers for these great events and more importantly every American Veteran out there. Happy Veterans' Day!

Flying Ace Summer Wheat Pale Ale

The Story: Being at the Naval Postgraduate School has been a unique experience for a variety of reasons but second-to-none is the opportunity to meet fellow students who come from an incredible diversity of backgrounds. While the Coast Guard has afforded me several experiences in isolated locations with great cultures, I didn't ever think I'd have a single class with an US Army Artillery officer, Colombian Navy officer, and some of our Navy's elite pilots who will soon report to the Test Pilot School in Maryland. This brew was an introduction to brewing process for some of my friends, who just happened to be members of that later select group.

The Beer: Inspired by the idea of taking American Pale Ale in a direction toward summer. This beer features a healthy portion of American Wheat and Light Caramel for a slightly hazy blond color with some character and considerable mouth feel. To balance the wheat but not overpower it, the German Noble hop Tettnanger was used for a mild bitterness and a fairly new variety similar to Cascade called Ahtanum was used for flavor and aroma (in whole leaf form as well!)

Ingredients
Malt:American 2-Row (49%), German Pilsner (14%), American Wheat(30%), Crystal 20 (7%)

Hops: Tettnanger, Ahtanum
Yeast: Pacman (Generation 4)

Specs: O.G. 1.048, 5.3abv, 22ibu

Valentine's Hefeweizen

The Story:Although I like to think I enjoy almost every style of beer, my wife does not share my love for variety. One style she has never past up is a classic German Hefeweizen. It has become a yearly tradition to brew her a Hefeweizen for Valentine's Day as a small token of thanks for putting up with my brewing obsession. 

The Beer: Cloudy golden yeast filled goodness, aroma of wheat with spicy phenols of clove, banana, and bubblegum, medium mouthfeel with a full texture finishes dry and refreshing.

 

Ingredients: 

Malt: German Pils & Munich, American Wheat

Hops: Tettnanger

Yeast: Hefeweizen (WLP003)

Extras: Honey

Specs: O.G. 1.048, 5.0abv, 13ibu

West Seattle Ale

The Story: While visiting relatives in West Seattle, WA I had a few lazy days and looked to take advantage of my brother-in-law's wine equipment in the basement. Formulated an idea for a Red ale that could hold up in the Pacific Northwest. I aimed for a session beer somewhere between Rogue DeadGuy Ale and Greenflash Hop Head Red. The creation was such a hit, I had to brew it on my full setup back in Monterey, CA...the beer was similar but the name stuck. Makes me want to go back to Seattle and drink visit my relatives. 

The Beer: Pours a brilliant dark Amber,great nose of citrus (Amarillo dryhop), medium rich smooth mouthfeel, finishes crisp with a little hopkick to keep you interested.

 

Ingredients: 

Malt: American 2-Row, American Carmel, German Munich & Caramunich, Belgian Biscuit, Canadian Honey Malt

Hops: Columbus, Willamette, Liberty, Amarillo

Yeast: Rogue Pacman Yeast

Specs: O.G. 1.055, 5.9abv, 52ibu

Holiday Spiced Porter w/ Pumpkin

The Story: One of the first beers I homebrewed was a Pumpkin Porter inspired by Dogfishhead's great introductory book, Extreme Beers. Although every fall I brew a version of this a pumpkin beer, this is a late season addition brewed specifically for the SF Beer Week's Charity 'Small Batch Big Thirst' Event.

  

The Beer: Chocolaty Robust Porter in the English tradition, whole spices help jump out of the glass for a Christmas time aroma, rounded flavors begin and the spices help accentuate a long finish.

 

Ingredients: 

Malt: American 2-Row, American Carmel, German Munich & Caramunich, Belgian Special B & Belgian Biscuit, English Chocolate & Roasted Barley

Hops: Columbus, Willamette

Yeast: London Ale (WLP013)

Extras: Honey, Brown Sugar, and whole spices (allspice, clove, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg)

Specs: O.G. 1.066, 7.2abv, 40ibu

My Favorite Fall Treat, Pumpkin Porter

Greetings,

My favorite time of year is Fall and i can't think of a more fitting way to enjoy the season than brewing a delicious Pumpkin Ale. I have tested several commercial examples and homebrewed a few in search of the right balance of spice, malt, bitterness, and alcohol. As many of you already may know, this is one style of beer that has been bastardized more than most, with spice bombs that taste more like a bad pie than a rich, creamy, festive Brew. That being said, a few commercial style's that inspired me were "Dogfish head Punkin" and "Southern Tier Pumking."

I think this year's version really hits the mark on all of those categories. A dark brown porter weighing in at 7.5% abv that is meant to be sipped and savored as we enter the cooler months. You may think there is a lot going on in this recipe, and there is! but please don't be discouraged the proportions really work well together.

Grain: 11# 2-Row
.75# Crystal 120
.5 # Roasted Barley
.33# Belgian Aromatic
.33# Chocolate Malt
.25# Black Patent

Hops: 1oz. Perle(8.1%) @ 60
1oz. Willamette(4.8%) @ 20
1oz. Willamette(4.8%) @ 10

Additions: 2 # Canned Pumpkin (in the Mash)
2# Honey (@10 to knockout)
.5# Light Brown Sugar (@10 to knockout)
1 tsp Irish Moss (@15 to knockout)
Spices: 1 tsp Allspice, .5tsp Cinnamon, .5tsp Nutmeg, .25tsp Ground Ginger

Yeast: English Ale 002

O.G. 1.072
F.G. 1.015
ABV 7.5

Mash at 156 for 60 minutes

Happy Halloween and Cheers!
-J.B. Zorn (enjoying the warm weather out here at Sector Honolulu)