Filthy Frenchman Stout

Brewed: 03/30/2008
Status: Consumed
This stout is my first off-the-wall type brew. The recipe is based on Austin Homebrew's "Coffee Malt Stout" kit, but with one major addition: elderberries. From what I've read (and smelled), elderberries are quite tart, and would pair nicely with a stout. Since raw elderberries contain a bit of cyanide (apparently cooking them breaks it down), I'm going to have to make sure they're cooked before they enter the brew. Based on what I've read from recipes calling for dried elderberries versus those calling for fresh elderberries, one ounce of dried berries seems to equal roughly six ounces of fresh ones. I boiled two ounces of dried elderberries in the last 15 minutes of the boil. For the berries in the secondary, I soaked them in enough water to cover them overnight, and then simmered them in that water for about ten minutes. I tasted this batch when taking the final gravity, and I'm quite pleased. There is little (if any) hint of a distinct "berry" taste to it, just a mild tartness in the aftertaste. Despite coming out about 1% short of the intended ABV, I didn't find it to be particularly weak. It should be tasty once it carbonates. Instead of doing the 2-day force carbonation @ 25 psi, I decided to do it at 12 psi for 2 weeks (roughly 2.5 vols of CO2 @ 40° F). This recipe turned out exceptionally well, and it disappeared pretty quickly. The elderberry taste was fairly subtle, so I was happy with the estimates made in their addition.

INGREDIENTS

• 1.75 lbs. Marris Otter Pale Malt
• 0.75 lbs. Coffee Malt
• 0.25 lbs. 40L Crystal Malt
• 0.125lbs. Black (Patent) Malt
• 0.125lbs. Black Roasted Barley
• 0.5 lbs. Malto Dextrin
• 2.0 lbs. Amber Liquid Malt Extract
• 4.0 lbs. Dark Liquid Malt Extract
• 1.0 oz. Galena Hop Pellets (Bittering, 60 min, 13.1% AA)
• White Labs London Ale 013 Liquid Pitchable Tube Yeast
• 2 oz. Dehydrated elderberries (mash)
• 1 oz. Dehydrated elderberries (secondary)
  

OG/FG/ABV: 1.061/1.023/4.91%
Primary Fermentation in 6.5 gallon glass carboy @ 75° F for 9 days.
Secondary Fermentation in 5 gallon glass carboy @ 75° F for 11 days.
Force Carbonation in 5 gallon cornelius keg @ 40° F, 12 psi.

El Castor Oscuro

Brewed: 01/27/2008
Status: Muerto

This dark, german-style lager was brewed using an Austin Hombrew Supply recipe. Waco tap water was also used in brewing this batch. It is my first lager, and everything seemed to go well, but it appears that the Diacetyl rest was insufficient. This batch had a very distinct buttery aftertaste that pretty well ruined it, in my opinion. It was taking up room in a needed keg, so it went the way of Old Yeller.

INGREDIENTS

• 1.125 lbs. Caramunich Malt
• 0.5 lb. Munich Malt
• 2.5 lb. German Pilsner Malt
• 2.5 oz. Chocolate Malt
• 5 lbs. Amber Malt Extract Syrup
• 1 oz. Spalt Pellet Hops (bittering)
• 0.5 oz. Northern Brewer Pellet Hops (bittering)
• White Labs German Lager Yeast (WLP830 Pitchable Tube)

Primary Fermentation in 6.5 gallon glass carboy @ 52° F for 10 days.
Diacetyl Rest @ 60° F for 2 days (Gravity @ 1.014 on transfer).
Secondary Fermentation/Lagering in 5 gallon glass carboy @ 38° F for 37 days.
Force Carbonation @ 40°F & 28psi for 2 days.

OG/FG: 1.051/1.009
ABV: 5.6%