Post by Bob McGill on Jun 19, 2012 14:33:40 GMT -5
PROPOSED SPECIAL BIG BREW GTHC BREW-IN Rev 1
BACK GROUND:
In the summer of 2010, the club had a special brew-in. Using mostly club purchased malts and three club systems with 29 lbs of malted grain in each, we mashed in. The 1st 4 gallons of wort from each system was recovered for a club beer; individual brewers recovered the remaining sugars for their beers. The average sugar content for the club beer was 20%. To the club wort, we added 5 oz of selected hops for 12 gallons of wort. We recovered about 10 gallons of wort in 2 carboys. We added Old Ale yeast to one and Baverian Lager yeast to the other. Dean took both home and fermented the cool in his pool room. One week later, all showed up and got 1 gallon of beer (1.094 OG). Most treated their secondary gallon, adding oak or honey or molasses, or hops, or something else. I believe all shared a beer at a subsequent meeting.
Prior to the last meeting, Eric C , Richard, and I discussed repeating this event. Eric brought up the idea at our June meeting for consideration. I have given considerable thought on how to conduct this brew-in. Please read my comments and then add complaints or improvements.
PROPOSED: A BREW-IN TO PRODUCE BOTTLES OF BIG BEER FOR MEMBERS
I am proposing what I consider an improvement of our 2010 event that might include more members, particularly new members. It would be easy to repeat the previous event which had only 8 or 9 members; I would like more. As an incentive, I want to point out that Richard and I –with the addition of a qt of honey – I went home with a 7.6% alcohol beer from second runnings.
Individual system owners would develop their own recipes with consideration about the big beer. They might consider using more grain to increase the second runnings (maybe 32-34 lbs). They should consider the big beer and maybe consider holding back some crystal grains and adding them to their pot after a separate recovery (we want a highly fermentable wort for the big beer, and it will end up sweet from the high OG).
My guess is that 3 systems will not be a problem; Richard, Dean, Ira (or Ronney); from 3 systems we recovered 9 gallons of big beer in 2010. If more show up, we will get more Big Beer.
COST:
Each system owner will purchase what is required for their beer and the 4 gallons for the club. We will pay the owner for the 4 gallons he provides.
For each gallon of 20% sugar wort, members getting the big beer will pay $7:50 to the system provider, offsetting his cost by $30:00. This is equivalent to the cost of LME to make up his gift of wort. Of course, the owner will want to participate (and his helper) and the transfer may be only $15:00.
We need to select yeast to use for the various big beers. At least one should be a lager yeast and all should be high alcohol tolerance yeasts. Preferable, the yeasts should be in big starters or 2 packs of yeast, about $10 - $12 either way.
My estimate on the cost of a gallon of beer is:
Grain: $7.50
Hops: $1.50
Yeast: $2:00
O2 $1.00
Other: $1.00 (fuel, whirlflock, other)
Total: $13:00
This amount may change with my later comments.
BREW-IN PLANS:
We will need an estimate on the participation by system owners and members. At the previous brew-in I provided (at partial club costs) the yeasts in 3/4+ gallon starters. I am willing to do that again and could make purchases in Houston in late August.
I propose a few changes from our past successful brew-in. First I propose we brew at Richard’s or Dean’s. The reason for this is that both have separate temperature controlled rooms for the initial fermentation of the big beers. Second, I propose we keg and force carbonate all club beers and bottle in 12 oz bottles. Dean has these facilities as do I (I could also provide temperature controlled fermentation for 5 gallons). Richard can force carbonate and I could help him bottle. This effort should be rewarded with Richard or Dean (or me) getting 4-6 beers from each keg(my guess both would agree for half of these beers be set aside for the club to use as toasting beers to close meetings). We do not know how many members will attend, so I am proposing participants pay like they will receive 10 beers at $1:50 each ($15:00) and any extra money will be payed to the club with the understanding that if you overpayed, the truncated amount would go to next years dues. This means all members that show up would bring $ 15:00 and would be credited back for less than 10 beers received on next year’s dues.
BACK GROUND:
In the summer of 2010, the club had a special brew-in. Using mostly club purchased malts and three club systems with 29 lbs of malted grain in each, we mashed in. The 1st 4 gallons of wort from each system was recovered for a club beer; individual brewers recovered the remaining sugars for their beers. The average sugar content for the club beer was 20%. To the club wort, we added 5 oz of selected hops for 12 gallons of wort. We recovered about 10 gallons of wort in 2 carboys. We added Old Ale yeast to one and Baverian Lager yeast to the other. Dean took both home and fermented the cool in his pool room. One week later, all showed up and got 1 gallon of beer (1.094 OG). Most treated their secondary gallon, adding oak or honey or molasses, or hops, or something else. I believe all shared a beer at a subsequent meeting.
Prior to the last meeting, Eric C , Richard, and I discussed repeating this event. Eric brought up the idea at our June meeting for consideration. I have given considerable thought on how to conduct this brew-in. Please read my comments and then add complaints or improvements.
PROPOSED: A BREW-IN TO PRODUCE BOTTLES OF BIG BEER FOR MEMBERS
I am proposing what I consider an improvement of our 2010 event that might include more members, particularly new members. It would be easy to repeat the previous event which had only 8 or 9 members; I would like more. As an incentive, I want to point out that Richard and I –with the addition of a qt of honey – I went home with a 7.6% alcohol beer from second runnings.
Individual system owners would develop their own recipes with consideration about the big beer. They might consider using more grain to increase the second runnings (maybe 32-34 lbs). They should consider the big beer and maybe consider holding back some crystal grains and adding them to their pot after a separate recovery (we want a highly fermentable wort for the big beer, and it will end up sweet from the high OG).
My guess is that 3 systems will not be a problem; Richard, Dean, Ira (or Ronney); from 3 systems we recovered 9 gallons of big beer in 2010. If more show up, we will get more Big Beer.
COST:
Each system owner will purchase what is required for their beer and the 4 gallons for the club. We will pay the owner for the 4 gallons he provides.
For each gallon of 20% sugar wort, members getting the big beer will pay $7:50 to the system provider, offsetting his cost by $30:00. This is equivalent to the cost of LME to make up his gift of wort. Of course, the owner will want to participate (and his helper) and the transfer may be only $15:00.
We need to select yeast to use for the various big beers. At least one should be a lager yeast and all should be high alcohol tolerance yeasts. Preferable, the yeasts should be in big starters or 2 packs of yeast, about $10 - $12 either way.
My estimate on the cost of a gallon of beer is:
Grain: $7.50
Hops: $1.50
Yeast: $2:00
O2 $1.00
Other: $1.00 (fuel, whirlflock, other)
Total: $13:00
This amount may change with my later comments.
BREW-IN PLANS:
We will need an estimate on the participation by system owners and members. At the previous brew-in I provided (at partial club costs) the yeasts in 3/4+ gallon starters. I am willing to do that again and could make purchases in Houston in late August.
I propose a few changes from our past successful brew-in. First I propose we brew at Richard’s or Dean’s. The reason for this is that both have separate temperature controlled rooms for the initial fermentation of the big beers. Second, I propose we keg and force carbonate all club beers and bottle in 12 oz bottles. Dean has these facilities as do I (I could also provide temperature controlled fermentation for 5 gallons). Richard can force carbonate and I could help him bottle. This effort should be rewarded with Richard or Dean (or me) getting 4-6 beers from each keg(my guess both would agree for half of these beers be set aside for the club to use as toasting beers to close meetings). We do not know how many members will attend, so I am proposing participants pay like they will receive 10 beers at $1:50 each ($15:00) and any extra money will be payed to the club with the understanding that if you overpayed, the truncated amount would go to next years dues. This means all members that show up would bring $ 15:00 and would be credited back for less than 10 beers received on next year’s dues.