Just brewed on Saturday. First time in a long time. Details unnecessary, but back on the hoss. I’ve committed myself to brewing a Commodore Perry clone repeatedly until I get it right. An homage to a great beer.
Noting meticulously my errors and successes. So this is round one. In the future, I’ll brew 2.5 gallon increments! =)
Here’s the recipe I went with. Variations in the future will be noted.
Recipie
Ingredient | Quantity |
Rahr Malt (2 Row) (1.9 SRM) | 15 lbs. |
Caramel/Crystal Malt – 30L (30 SRM) | 1 lbs. |
Honey Malt – (25 SRM) | 1 lbs. |
Simcoe 13.0% | 1 oz. 60 min. |
Cascade 5.50% | 1 oz. 30 min. |
Willamette 5.50% | .5 oz. 30 min. |
Cascade 5.50% | .5 oz. 20 min. |
Willamette 5.50% | .5 oz. 20 min. |
Cascade 5.50% | .5 oz. 10 min. |
Willamette 5.50% | .5 oz. 10 min. |
London Ale Yeast (Wyeast Labs #1028) | 2L starter |
Cascade 5.50% | .5 oz. Dry Hop. |
Willamette 5.50% | .5 oz. Dry Hop. |
Hit my targets right on the money. It was beautiful. Too beautiful. I’m waiting for the other shoe right now, in fact.
Struck at 171 degrees and got a mash temp of 156.4.
Let it sit for un hora.
Then my seven-year-old son popped in to start helping me and broke yet another hydrometer.
But together we pushed on to triumph.
He helped through all the runs and vorlaufs:
- 1st Run @ 149 degrees, 3 gallons, 23 brix, 1.094 SG (no hydrometer)
- 2nd Run @ 143.5 degrees, 2 gallons, 23 brix, 1.094 SG (no hydrometer)
- 3rd Run @ who cares degrees, 2 gallons, 9 brix, 1.034 SG (no hydrometer)
- Wort in 8 gallon pot at 7.0 gallons, 17.5 brix, 1.068 SG (no hydrometer)
Boiled for 70 mins, various hop additions, son helping with hop socks and sniffing and considering the differences between hop varietals. While also stirring the 7 gallons of boiling wort and causing me no end to terrible scenarios in my mind, esp while touching the ball valve on the boil pot.
Got a post boil volume of around 6 gallons at 1.079 OG, pitched the yeasties, and …
The fermentation is sluggish. Smells bad. May have effed up the starter. Sour Commodore anyone? I could be pessimistic, too. Stuck my nose in the fermenter and had my eyebrows burned off. Loving life. If this one is bad, I’ll do another.