Slow

Not much has been happening since Teach a Friend to Homebrew day. In fact, I've taken those few weeks in between off as there's lots of beer aging away, waiting for a keg to free itself (well, it can't do it alone, I'll help). I transfered the ten gallons of Amber Rye to secondary fermenters and added Polyclar, a clarifying agent that helps eliminate evil chill haze.
I'm also getting ready to make my first lager, now that the cold has come. But my fermenting fridge is in the garage, and it's even too cold in there! I have the thermostat in the fridge set to 50, but the temp is around 45. A bit too cold for the lager yeast I've chosen, Wyeast 2124 Bohemian Lager, which has a temp range of 48-58. So I'm thinking of moving the fridge to the basement where I can have excellent control all year round. Too bad the things heavier than a mo'fo.

Pilsner Jasuhn
8 lb German Pilsner
1 oz Select Spalt (60 min)
1 oz Saaz (30 min)
0.5 Spalt (30 min)
1 oz Saaze (flame-out)

Target OG 1.048
Target IBU 33

Teach a Friend to Homebrew

Saturday, November 1, was teach a friend to homebrew day. I only had one friend over who had never brewed before, and one who does partial mashes. The day had it's glitches with a mill that wouldn't crush the grain at first (turned out to be a loose screw), and a way missed OG (1.043 instead of 1.053). But we still ended up with ten gallons of beer, albeit slightly different from what we had set out to brew (Southern Sky Amber Rye). I used this batch as an opportunity to try a brew with two different styles of yeast to see how they affect the beer. Five gallons were fermented with Wyeast London Ale 1028, and the other five with a packet of Nottingham dry yeast. I took our first hydrometer samples this past weekend and was impressed with the differences. The Nottingham yeast produced a smoother, more malty product, with the hops being nice and subtle. The London Ale yeast let the hops shine through very nicely. Their flavor really popped. But it's early, and time will be the ultimate judge.