Imperial Stout - Day 21

I pulled a sample today and the specific gravity is now 1.036 so it is still moving even if it is slowly. :-)

Imperial Stout - Day 14

I pulled a sample of the Imperial Stout today and I got a specific gravity of 1.041. Using an online calculator that give me a 6.05% alcohol by volume. I am going to call DeFalcos today to see when I should bottle and if I need to add priming sugar.

Imperial Stout into Secondary - Day 5

I racked my imperial stout into secondary this morning. I am trying a new rig for keeping the fermentation at desired temperatures that my friend Brian recommended. My friend Steve made the awesome lid. All went well as the pictures show it even began to bubble again right away. The beer is at a specific gravity of 1.048 or so and it is already tasting pretty darn good. :-) I am looking forward to bottling this one and getting to share it. Thanks a ton Brian and Steve!

Imperial Stout - Day 2

This morning I checked the progress and it was bubbling merrily so all looks well. About 4 hours after sealing it the bubbler was showing signs of pressure but no serious activity.

When I got home at 9:30pm or so I found that the action was so much that some of the beer had bubbled up into the air lock. I sanitized a new one and put it on. When I pulled the old one I had so much pressure it you could hear the air coming out. As soon as I stuck in the new air lock it began to bubble merrily again. Nice.

Imperial Stout - Brewing Day

Today I brewed an Imperial Stout using a partial grain method.

1. I activated the 1318 London III Wyeast liquid yeast packet
2. Heated 2 gallons of water to 158 F and steeped the grains for 30 minutes.
3. While grains were steeping I heated a third gallon to 160 F in a second pot
4. At thirty minutes I rinsed the grains in a strainer over the big pot with the 160 F water from the second pot
5. I brought the 3 gallons to a boil
6. I added the Northern Brewer Hops at 5 minutes
7. I added the Chinook Hops at 45 minutes
8. At 1 hour of boiling I turned off the pot and allowed to cool for 15 minutes on stove
9. I used a water bath in the sink for ~30 minutes changing the water three times and in the last one using ice
10.. When wort was at 87 F I began to pour back and forth between the sterilized plastic carboy and the pot adding two more gallons of water and the Bru Vigor
11. I took a small sample and measured the initial specific gravity at 1.088
12. I pitched the now bulging yeast, sealed the carboy, and placed it on the floor

Bottled my first beer

I bottled my first beer tonight. We took a SG reading and it was 1.010 so I decided to go ahead and rack it into the primary fermentor, prime it and bottle. The new racking cane worked like a charm and I was super glad we spent the 3 dollars for the bottler attachment. I brewed this beer on April 27th and then racked into the secondary carboy on April 30th. I planned to let it stay in the secondary for two weeks but it appeared to be ready so I went ahead and bottled. They should be bottle conditioned on May 26th. Just in time to take a few to Austin.

Welcome to the MacRotch Brewery

Welcome to the MacRotch Brewery where I will be recording my brewing successes and disasters. Hopefully more on the success side. ;-)