BATCH #7

DYNASTY ALE (if the Patriots win Super Bowl XL)

DIE NASTY ALE (if the Patriots lose the crown)

(HEAVY IPA)

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GRAINS STEEPED UNTIL 172�F

DME ADDED SLOWLY BETWEEN 90 AND 60 MINUTES

STYRIAN GOLDINGS HOPS ADDED AT 60 MINUTES

1 oz CASCADE HOPS AT 30 MINUTES

1 oz CASCADE HOPS AT 20 MINUTES

WHIRLFLOC AT 10 MINUTES

1 oz CASCADE HOPS AT 10 MINUTES

1 oz CASCADE HOPS AT 1 MINUTE

TOOK SEVERAL MINUTES TO COOL WORT TO 90�, EXACT TIME UNKNOWN, BUT ABOUT 15 MINUTES

1.5 oz CASCADE HOPS INTO SECONDARY FERMENTOR

TOTAL 5.5 GALLONS WORT AND TRUB

20 DECEMBER 2005

            This is another McCarthy original recipe.  Trying a new IPA of sorts.  I beat the hell out of this one, using the wrong pots, burning the wort, going late on WHIRLFLOC, overflowing the primary (all over the floor when I was on the ship far a couple days), etc.  It has been too long since I brewed.  My technique suffered and my brew may take the brunt of it!

      BREW

           This was a trial.  New brew pot, seems nice, but it was the wrong size.  It being so long since last time, I forgot about the big pot I have hidden (it doesn't fit in a normal drawer).  So I was cooking wort and stirring like hell.  The specific gravity was so damned high that I had sugars that would not dissolve.  That is what tipped me off that a 3 gallon pot was a wee bit smallish.  So I switched to the big one mid-boil.  Then the thermometer died (immersion tragedy).  I turned everything off for a run to the store.  Then I was back on track.  Except that the new sink does not fit my heat exchanger, so I was running back and forth trying to set that right and keep the wort from burning or boiling over.  Partially successful.  

22 DECEMBER 2005

            The damned thing threw up all over the place when I was only gone for a few hours, but kept burping up hops, froth and trub through the night.  Boy was the wife please.  Only 56 blurps per minute in the AM, about 12 hours post brew.  But I guess the temperature at midday brought out the best in it.  I would imagine there was some serious blurping at its hops throwing peak!

23 DECEMBER 2005

      TRANSFER TO SECONDARY FERMENTOR

            Decided not to krausen, still debating the dry hopping.  It has 8.9% alcohol already?  Yikes!  I really was not looking for a killer brew.  I just hope it tastes good.  OK, what the hell, lets add another dose of hops.  There.

            The transfer was interesting.  About a half gallon of trub and beer went all over the kitchen on the first night, then when I tried to transfer it today there was another � gallon of yeast at the bottom.  This is the most I have seen yet.  The yeasty-beasties went along for the ride because there was a lot in the spichot and the flow pulled it all to the secondary.  Well, not all, probably an ounce or so.  But enough to make it cloudy.  I am sure it will settle well.  Anyhow, I am now down to about 4-4.5 gallons of beer.  

04 JANUARY 2006

      BOTTLE

            After it hit one bubble per minute I decided to bottle her up.  Uneventful, 44 bottles.  Smells good, nice amber color.  There were a couple bottles at the end that ingested some hops because I did not get all of the dry hopping hops that were floating.  I marked them special so that I will not be surprised.  The potential alcohol difference, 9.3%, is a hell of a lot higher than expected or desired.  I wanted 5-5.5%, but hey, I am not one to complain.  The problem is that I am a lightweight, and 9.3% will kill me.  If it is nasty, OK, I will drink one at a time.  But if it is good I will want more, and two of those is a lot of beer!

22 JANUARY 2006

            PLACE HOLDER FOR THE NEXT ENTRY BECAUSE I AM TOO LAZY TO DELETE AND START OVER.

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