Batch #3 New England Cyser

7/20/11:
This was more of an experimental batch more than anything.  A way for me to get familiar with spice additives at around the +5 min boil mark in preparation for my It's a Great Pumpkin Stout Charlie Brown.

Recipe
2x1 Gallon of Harris Teeter apple cider
1.5 cup honey
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup chopped golden raisins

5 minutes before end of boil:
(though, not really boiling, just hot enough to blend sugar additives such as brown sugar and honey, but not enough to produce that "burnt" apple off taste.)
spices:

• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp all spice

1 tsp vanilla extract

One thing to note: I used 1tsp per gallon of yeast nutrients for the first time.  It will be interesting to see how this affects the fermentation.

Pitched yeast around 9:30pm on 7/20/11.

• Potential ABV 10.1%

Used a dry pack of wine yeast that has to be over a year or two old. I'm hoping this doesn't prove detrimental to the batch. It's also partially the reason I used the yeast nutrient.
Used balloon with pinhole method for airlock. I plan on racking around week 2 for clarity and flavor. I want to age this well into the Autumn season.

Woke up at 6:50 am 7/21/11 to a mild fermentation with a "cap" forming around the top. Raisins were present at both the top and bottom with some actively rising and sinking. I shook it again for good measure to expose the yeast.

8/10/11:
I figured now was as good a time as any to get these guys bottled.  I enjoyed a sip or two during to gauge its flavor. I must say, I am impressed. I feel like I say this every time but this is my best cider (cyser) yet!  It completely lacks any of the off flavors from batches before.  The cinnamon and other spices definitely come through.  I'm sure the grapes helped add a bit of body.  I'm going to exercise extreme restraint and condition these for the month of October where hopefully they will be at their peak.

Great new filter I built. Cheap funnel from Auto Zone (< 2 dollars) a 5 dollar filter from Cake and Wine Hobby Shop and a few dabs of hot glue at 4 points inside the cone for filter stability.

Final haul. There is a bigger bottle off picture with additional cyser inside.  Doesn't seem like much but then again, this was an experimental batch.  Also note the saved sani fluid in the jugs.  Hopefully this will help save money.

Next homebrewusa visit

Things to get on next visit to HomebrewUSA:

Autosiphon
Up & Out Oatmeal Stout (for Pumpkin Stout base)
Keg Lube
Tea Ball
Corny Keg #2

A note on Kegging

Before kegging your beer.
Take a minute to completely dissasemble everything.  From the gasket to the ball lock.  Sanitize as if it were a bottle.  Use keg lube on everything under pressure. Gasket and draft output especially. 
Run sanitizing fluid through all lines using CO2.
You are ready to keg!

Make a spray bottle for sanitizing fluid. Should last multiple brew days. Discard when empty or hazy.

More info.

Batch #4: It's a Great Pumpkin Stout, Charlie Brown!

Brainstorming:


Good thread to start with
Great site with history, tips, recipes, videos of Pumpkin beer brewing

Naming ideas: Halloween Treat, Autumn, leaves, Jackolantern, Pumpkin, Charlie Brown Pumpkin Stout


edit: better idea - It's a Great Pumpkin Stout, Charlie Brown!  (can substitute Stout with Ale, etc..) Many thanks to the wifey for helping nail the name down.

It's a Great Pumpkin Stout, Charlie Brown!

Base kit: [1] HomebrewUSA Up & Over Oatmeal Stout(5.6%)
Using Actual Pumpkin (if using canned skip to the next step)

6-10 pounds of pumpkin, roasted
You’ll first need to roast the pumpkin in the oven, similar to cooking squash. This softens the pumpkin and begins breaking it down. Cut the pumpkin into manageable pieces (should be cleaned, of course—old jack-o’lanterns work great), place in a shallow baking pan and add a bit of water to the pan. Roast in a 325°-ish oven for about an hour, or until soft

Using 2x15 oz cans of organic pumpkin.

Place in cookie pyrex plate. flatten and cook on 350F for a little over an hour or until 50% of its mass is gone. The finished product should look a bit caramelized.

• Add Pumpkin product to bottom of cheese cloth with grain on top.

1 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup Molasses
(I accidentally added these two with 10 minutes left on the boil)
Pitch these spices towards the end of boil (last 5 minutes).

2.5 Tsp Cinnamon
1.5 Tsp Nutmeg
1.5 Tsp Allspice
1.5 Tsp Ginger
 ½ teaspoon vanilla last 5 minutes of boil

Would recommend a blow off tube as this has a bit of a violent fermentation.

Make a starter!  Don't want a wimpy yeast.

Consider racking into secondary fermenter depending on how "messy" primary is.


Brew Day:

7/31/11 - Today I began brewing my much anticipated "It's a Great Pumpkin Stout, Charlie Brown!" I love this name for so many reasons. 

Note: Polka music makes GREAT brew day music!


Woke up the next morning to THIS:

Oops...I paid for this one...Went to work after cleaning up slightly and adding a temporary blow off.
Posted this to reddit regarding the situation:

I knew it would happen one day. I woke up this morning giddy as a kid on Christmas morning. I opened the door and was immediately greeted with a strong and pleasant pumpkin pie odor. I flipped on the light switch and happened upon the mess :D I quickly cleaned up and re sanitized the carboy. Plugged it with a bigger blow off pipe and it's still going strong. Lesson learned and I'm looking forward to trying this come October!

After work I went to Lowes and for 6 dollars bought a 1'' Inner Diameter tube for a more permanent blow off.

After cleaning and installing the blow off:

08/08/11 - Today tested the remaining ABV (sitting at about 2.5% left to ferment out) Possibly stuck as this was the reading two days ago.  I also took this time to taste the beverage after measuring.  It may not ferment out completely but I am definitely on the right track! I got clear notes of pumpkin and cinnamon with what I'm sure is the remaining all spice, ginger, and nutmeg backing it.  I also took the time to create a brandy based secondary flavoring of 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp all spice, one stick of cinnamon, and one sliced vanilla bean. Hopefully this will have a powerful flavor addition.

08/25/11 - Today I prepped the new (2nd) keg for tomorrow's kegging by letting it soak for 24 hours in an oxyclean solution.

 08/26/11 - Today was kegging day. Which was fortunate because Hurricane Irene was only a few hours from making land fall. Should the worst have occurred, I wanted to make sure my 4 week investment in this beer wasn't wasted.
This also marks the first time I used my red carboy holder which really worked a treat.
After a successful transfer from carboy to keg I had a bit of trouble testing the liquid out. It kept leaking when I put the tubing over the pin. I later found out it was missing a grommit which Wine and Cake Hobby shop was more than happy to give to me for free.
It is now sitting in my Study happily aging away until October.

08/30/11 - Tasting Notes:
My skills and practices in beer making continue to improve. I know I keep saying it but this is my best beer yet. It came out exactly how I wanted in the taste department. Free of off flavoring but could have been filtered a bit more.
I got notes ginger, vanilla, the pumpkin definitely came through. Its main characteristic as a stout is very apparent and there is a clean final hint of cinnamon at the end.
Michelle was also very impressed and stated this was the best one of all my batches.  She's not the biggest beer drinker but she sure does love to support me by giving each brew a tasting.

Future Brew Ideas

Naming brainstorm.

Brewery name: Boglen Brew, Water Stick Brewery
-Evoking fun times in nature with man's best friend retrieving thrown sticks from the local pond.

Styles:
Breakfast stout with subtle hints of maple and bacon.
Cherry Chocolate Stout
Pepper beer - hint of spiciness
Fig Beer 
Raspberry Wheat  For the Wifey

Beer:
British Frankenstein: A beer within a beer. British in nature. "I'm Frankenstein, I am!" "I got bolts in me neck"

Blue Ray: Blue moon wheat beer in nature. Luray as inspiration

Buttered Beer: Something with a ton of Werthers Originals in either the boil or at the bottom of the fermenter.

Family & Friends Series: Interview family and friends, brew according to their interests and beer preference.

Events:
Pig Roast: Charles F. Foster's Fast Pitch [style] - named after Grampy's love of baseball. Fun play on brewing term.

Fishing Trips: Something comforting. Eases a long day of foot travel along the rivers of upper NY.

Batch #2 Buzzlegum's Honey Wheat [6.1%]

7/9/2011
I set off to make my second official 5 gallon batch of beer. It's summer time so I thought I'd go with something light and sweet. I settled on Homebrewusa's Bee's Knees Honey Wheat kit. I wanted to put my own spin on the recipe so I added another pound of crushed white wheat grain and an extra 8 oz. of orange blossom honey from the local area. Michael decided to start his beer brewing expedition with me, bringing his hefeweizen kit for a bit of bucket brewing.
Great night for double brewing. When I woke up in the morning I had a healthy and pronounced fermentation.





7/19/11 - I want to try to wash the yeast from this batch when it is time to keg. Save money on the next wheat beer by making a starter.
Carboy is producing only a few bubbles per minute now.  Only a matter of hours until they stop completely.  This is OK and does not necessarily mean the beer is done.
The cap at the top is almost completely gone.

 7/30/11 - Today I kegged Buzzlegum!  I put it at 72 F 25psi and am keg conditioning with sporadic testing.  As of 8/1/11 it tastes strongly of honey, slightly sweet, and nearly perfectly carbonated. Michelle loved it.  I look forward to enjoying this one leading up to my much anticipated Pumpkin Stout.  I also bled my first CO2 tank dry. Michelle was nice enough to replace it while I was at work.  My late neighbor's equipment played a crucial role in my developing homebrewing skills. Thank you Mr. Mayes.

Results of Batch #1 Amber Ale

Batch #1 Amber Ale [6.0%]

Chewy, aromatic, and best of all, hoppy. My first 5 gallons of beer IS a huge success. Completely worth the difficulties I endured acquiring all pieces of my kegging gear. So far my wife, buddies Todd and Denise, and myself have all sampled to much delight. I'll be sure to make it the centerpiece of our barbeque tomorrow on this 4th of July weekend.

Foiled again! Things I learned: There are two types of cornelius kegs. Ones with a pin lock configuration and ones with a ball lock. My keg has a ball lock. Guess which type arrived in the mail last night? Onward to Homebrewusa over my lunch break to purchase the correct type and perhaps use my existing locks as a form of discount. We will have ale this Independence day! The liberation of my beer from its glassy cell.