Batch #12 - Santa's Little Helper Holiday Ale

Batch #12. This was Erik's first go round with picking out a recipe.  He wanted to showcase the southern feel by using 12 satsumas (they were zested, peeled and segmented).  The segments were added with 5 minutes left in the boil and the zest was added with 1 minute left and was left until the transfer to the secondary fermenter. This was also the first time we used an outdoor propane burner stand (see pic) - this made for a quicker heating and boil! 

Style: Extract Brew
Sub-Style: Winter Specialty Spiced Brew (21 B)
Malts: Crystal Malt (40 L)
            Pale Ale Malt
            Chocolate Malt
            Black Patent Malt
Malt Extract: Munich Liquid Malt Extract
                        Malto Dextrin
Hops: Bittering - German Magnum         
           Flavoring - None
           Aroma - None
Other Additives: 12 satsumas (zested, peeled, and segmented), unsweetened Belgium cocoa powder, cinnamon, sweet orange peel, bitter orange peel.
Yeast: Safale S-04 Dry Ale Yeast 
Clarifying Ingredients: Irish Moss - 1 teaspoon
Number of Bottles: 48 (12 oz. bottles)
Original Gravity: 1.050 (75°F)
Final Gravity: 1.022 (63°F)
Percent Alcohol: 3.9% by Volume
Comments: To be continued.......
                    Testing Date: To be continued......
                    Aroma:  out of 12
                    Appearance:  out of 3
                    Flavor:  out of 20
                    Mouthfeel:  out of 5
                    Overall Impression:  out of 10
                    Total:  out of 50

Batch #11 - North Pointe Pecan Brown Ale

Batch #11. This was our attempt to make a good Southern beer that highlighted the flavors of local (from Andy's backyard) pecans.  We had tasted some other brews that claimed that they used pecans, and while we liked them, we felt that there wasn't enough pecan flavor coming through.   

Style: Extract Brew
Sub-Style: Northern English Brown (11 C)
Malts: Biscuit Malt
            Crystal Malt (40 L)
            Special Roasted Malt
            Chocolate Malt
            Maris Otter Malt
Malt Extract: Extra Pale Liquid Malt Extract
Hops: Bittering - Kent Golding         
           Flavoring - Fuggle
           Aroma - Fuggle
Other Additives: 6 cups of local pecans roasted then steeped in water (water was reserved and added to the wort).
Yeast: Wyeast - London Ale III 1318 Activator 
Clarifying Ingredients: Irish Moss - 1 teaspoon
Number of Bottles: 46 (12 oz. bottles)
Original Gravity: 1.052 (75°F)
Final Gravity: 1.018 (70°F)
Percent Alcohol: 4.6% by Volume
Comments: This one came out very good.  The pecan flavor is nice and roasty and when the beer warmed up, the sweetness came through nicely to balance out the bitterness from the pecans.
                    Testing Date: To be continued......
                    Aroma:  out of 12
                    Appearance:  out of 3
                    Flavor:  out of 20
                    Mouthfeel:  out of 5
                    Overall Impression:  out of 10
                    Total:  out of 50

Batch #10 - White House Honey Porter

Batch #10. This was done with the recipe from the White House.  The chefs at the White House starting brewing beer a while ago, and they finally (after a lot of pressure) released the recipe.  Since we could not get our hands on any of Michelle Obama's honey from her garden, we used some from a local apiarist in Sterlington, LA.   

Style: Extract Brew
Sub-Style: Porter (12 A)
Malts: Munich Malt
            Crystal Malt (20 L)
            Black Patent Malt
            Chocolate Malt
Malt Extract: Extra Pale Malt Extract
Hops: Bittering - Cluster         
           Flavoring - Cluster
           Aroma - Hallertau
Other Additives: Tommy's Apiaries Honey (Sterlington, LA)
Yeast: Danstar Nottingham Ale Yeast (dry)
Clarifying Ingredients: Irish Moss - 1 teaspoon
Number of Bottles: 51 (12 oz. bottles)
Original Gravity: 1.064 (80°F)
Final Gravity: 1.018 (68°F)
Percent Alcohol: 6.3% by Volume
Comments: This one came out good.  The only complaint that we all had was that the honey dominated too much of the flavor profile on the back end.  The porter flavor was good, but it was a tad too sweet.
                    Testing Date: 1/3/13
                    Aroma: 8.5 out of 12
                    Appearance: 3 out of 3
                    Flavor: 12 out of 20
                    Mouthfeel: 2.5 out of 5
                    Overall Impression: 6 out of 10
                    Total: 31.5 out of 50