Batch No. 18: [To Be Named] Stout

Formula: Shillelagh Stout Recipe: 1 can St. Patricks Irish Stout HME, 1 can Creamy Brown UME, 1 packet Northern Brewer pellet hops, Safale-04 English yeast
Brew Date: September 17, 2011
ferment time: 21 days
Bottle Date: October 8ish, 2011
conditioning time: 6 weeks
Open Date: November 19, 2011

Brewing process:
- Bring approx 4 cups of water to a boil, remove from heat.
- Stir HME and UME into mixture
- Pour wort into keg. Bring the volume of the keg to the 8.5-quart mark by adding more cold water
- Add Pellet hops, stir vigorously to mix well
- Add yeast

Batch No. 17: It's The Great Pumpkin Porter

Formula: Pumpkin Porter: West Coast Pale Ale HME, 1 can Creamy Brown UME, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 can cooked pumpkin puree, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Brew Date: August 7, 2011
ferment time: 28 days
Bottle Date: September 4, 2011
conditioning time: 6 weeks
Open Date: October 16, 2011

Brewing process:
- Bring approx 4 cups of water to a boil, remove from heat.
- Add 1/2 cups of brown sugar, 2 tsp. ground cinnamon and 1/2 tsp. nutmeg. Stir to mix well.
- Stir HME and UME into mixture
- Pour wort into keg. Bring the volume of the keg to the 8.5-quart mark by adding more cold water
- Add pumpkin puree, stir vigorously to mix well
- Add yeast

Some temperature issues in the fermenting process; Tried to keep the batch in a cooler with frozen water bottles for the most part. It stayed between 72-26 degrees, for the most part, although at times was down to the lower 60s. The constant temperature fluctation is bad, but a necessary evil of summertime brewing.

Of course, fall brews have to be done in the summertime, so I'm going to have to figure that out. Having two batches going (Bullseye and this) simultaneously meant only one could be in the cooler at a time. I'm going to have to time the fall/winter batches so that doesn't happen again.

Fortunately, after this weekend, it's supposed to cool down, so I should be able to have multiple batches going.

9/2 Update: Put the keg in the fridge to cold-crash before bottling. Tasted a sample. It was full of pumpkin trub, even though the keg has been tilted to the back in the cooler the entire time. Bottling is going to be tough, I think.
It tasted . . . strong. We'll see.

Might be another give-away-er.

Don't know if I'm going to brew double mellow next or start the christmas brew . . .

Batch No. 16: "Bullseye" English Ale

Formula: Bullseye Ale: West Coast Pale Ale HME, 1 can Mellow Amber UME, 1/2 lb Amber, DME, Fuggle Pellet Hops, Booster, Safeale-04 Yeast
Brew Date: July 30, 2011
ferment time: 21 days
Bottle Date: Aug 20, 2011
conditioning time: 4 weeks
Open Date: September 17, 2011

Brewing process:
- Dissolved a pouch of Booster in about 8 cups water
- Brought almost to a boil, added 1/2 lb Amber DME
- dissolved all and brought it to foam over
- removed from heat, added WCPA HME and Mellow Amber UME
- added to cold water in keg, topped off to 8.5 Q with cold water and pitched 11.5 grams Safeale 04 British Ale yeast

Another--wait for it--attempt at an English ale.
This is, I think, the last of the various combinations of Hopped Malt Extract that are appropriate for an English ale. (I've used Englishman's Nut Brown Ale, Bewitched Red Ale, and now West Coast Pale Ale.)
This one is combined with the Mellow Amber unhopped malt, which I liked so much in the Anglers' Rest ales. It should be okay. I threw in a half pound of my Amber DME at the last minute, to just give it a little more body.

This is supposed to be a good English "session" beer; I think it will be about the same as Anglers' Rest. Maybe I'll like it a little better, maybe a little less.

Batch No. 15: Semi-Pro Pilsner

Formula: First Pitch Pilsner recipe: 1 Can High Country Canadian Draft HME, 1 Can Pale Export UME, Booster, Sterling Pellet Hops
Brew Date: May 28, 2011
ferment time: 21 days
Bottle Date: June 18, 2011
conditioning time: 4 weeks
Open Date: July 16, 2011
Yet another American-style brew for Dennis the Baseball Coach. The name "First Pitch Pilsner" gives some indication: it's a good brew for a summer's day watching a ballgame.

A note on the name: As referenced earlier (Frank Truck Beer), my co-baseball coach Dennis played semi-pro ball. A very funny guy, Dennis frequently drops into conversation 'I played semi-pro.' Which he always followed up with a (quite funny) tag line.

We've come to be a bit like an old vaudeville cross-talk comedy act, and so more frequently than not, I am now the one who will drop into conversation, 'You know, Dennis used to play semi-pro,' to which Dennis will immediately follow up with his traditional line, 'I don't like to talk about it.'

Batch No. 14: Wicked Monk

Yes, that is Rasputin. He was the most wicked monk I could think of.
Formula: Wicked Monk recipe: 2x Witty Monk Witbier HME, 1 can Pale Export UME, Saaz Pellet Hops
Brew Date: May 6, 2011
ferment time: 21 days
Bottle Date: May 27, 2011
conditioning time: 5 weeks
Open Date: July 1, 2011
This is a stronger version of the Witty Monk witbier to which I added honey to make the Drones Club beer for my third batch.

This is supposed to be a pretty amazing Belgian white beer. The reviews on the Mr. Beer site give it 5 stars, and several people have said it's the best brew they've made. With all of those ingredients (3 cans of malt extract), I'm giving it an extra week (5 weeks total) of conditioning. It should be ready to try in about a month.
I'm curiously excited.

I'm also working on a neat label, playing on the 'wicked monk' theme.

Batch No. 13: Frank Truck (American) Beer

Formula: American Premium Lager recipe: West Coast Pale Ale HME, Booster, Centennial Pellet Hops
Brew Date: April 9, 2011
ferment time: 21 days
Bottle Date: April 30, 2011
conditioning time: 4 weeks
Open Date: May 28, 2011
Another shot at a good, light, summertime American beer. Again, for my co-baseball coach and friend Dennis.

This is just the classic American lager; think Budweiser. We'll see.

Name note: Dennis played semi-pro ball (he doesn't like to talk about it*), and one of his teammates may or may not have been a guy named Frank Truck. I'm not entirely sure of the back story, but - again, on fishing/drinking trips with his brothers - "Frank Truck" has turned into a catch-all expression.

If you catch the biggest fish? That's Frank Truck.
If you get your lure caught in a tree and you're attacked by a dogmonkey? That is also Frank Truck.

Superlative forms include "Francis Ford Truckula".

* More about semi-pro coming with Batch #15

Batch No. 12: Cervesa Cinco de Mayo

Formula: Cervesa Cinco de Mayo recipe: American Blonde Ale HME, Booster, Sterling pellet Hops
Brew Date: March 12, 2011
ferment time: 21 days
Bottle Date: April 2, 2011
conditioning time: 4 weeks
Open Date: April 30, 2011

Another try at a summer beer. I was looking for something like Corona; something to put a lime into and enjoy on a hot summer's day. This is supposedly more like Dos XX than Corona. We'll see.