BierKrieg

I ended up brewing the Rye Pilsner as described in the previous post, and I have high expectations. Things went off without a hitch; my batch sparging efficiency was great, starting fermentation was great. I also used White Labs new(ish) Clarity Ferm, a clarifying agent that is meant to be added to the start of fermentation. I think I like it, but I guess I won't know until later. If I like this recipe, I'll brew up a 6 gallon batch, split it into two of my 3 gallon fermentors, one with it, one without.

On Saturday, many of us NB folk went out to St Cloud to help out with the new-this-year St Cloud Craft Beer Expo, which was a blast. It seems there was a need for a good quality beerfest/tasting event out there, as we sold out. My numbers may be wrong, but I seem to recall somewhere between 1000 and 1100 tickets were pre sold, and we sold out at the door at 2000 (I think). Guests were mixed between the St Cloud college types (wooo- endless beer!), and more refined folk tasting and discussing the various beverages. Either way, people got drunk and had a blast.

I'm planning a big brew day for this Saturday. I have been researching as much as I can into decoction brewing techniques, and I had originally planned to brew a triple decoction. I will give a brief description below, you can skip reading it if I say big words (its OK, my brain hurts sometimes too).

--Begin Beer Science Talk--

For those not in the know, decoction mashing was a technique used in ye olden tymes, before we figured out how to modify grains for easier starch extraction. Decoction mashing involves holding the mash (your milled grains with some heated water), at a certain temperature for a length of time, pulling the mash out, boiling it, and putting it back in with the rest of the mash to hold it at a higher temperature for a time. 

In addition to activating the enzymes (Glucanase, α-Amylase, β-Amylase, etc) to degrade the proteins necessary for fermentation, this method also slightly carmelizes the unfermented wort, bringing out some subtle (unsubtle if you do it wrong) nuances in your beer. 

We brewers don't use this method (much) anymore, because 2-row barley is much more modified, increasing the efficiency in starch extraction, making mash steps less important. Mash steps means more heat, and more time, that means your beer costs more, or your local brewer lives in a shanty.

--End Beer Science Talk--

I'm thinking I will postpone the decoction mash until I acquire more equipment, and take some more time to go over my intended recipe. Since I already set aside a big block of time this Saturday for brewing, I think I'll do 2 all grain batches instead.

A friend of mine asked me when I was going to brew my prized "Stout Sprinter" english style (kind of) imperial stout again. To put it in Mozart terms, this beer is my requiem. It has promise to be great, and I've had some already amazing incarnations of it, but I know it can be even better. I've left it alone for some time now, in order to rest myself, and ponder where to take it next, but after a little prodding, I'm ready to try it again. A 3 gallon of that is beer #1.

Next, after thinking about what a moron I was with my "Amber" ale a few weeks back (hey, it was a while since I brewed last, I needed to dust the cobwebs out somehow), I tasted that, and now have my bearing on exactly where I want to go, that is beer #2. I think I'll do a 3 gallon of that too, so I don't end up with fountains of beer everywhere (Side note, I need more thirsty, adventurous friends).

2 mashes, 1 day, that will be my BierKrieg (or maybe Blitzbier is more appropriate, but it just doesn't have the same ring)