#17 "O Hike Ale" Test Batch (Gordon Clone #2)

The Belgian Wheat

The first part of the mash collected in the vorlauf

In order to get a sense of how to brew the beer I intend to make for my High School's reunion, I thought I should at least get one test batch in to see if there's anything I would change in my recipe or process for this Imperial Red ale. Brewing the extract Gordon clone with Laura gave me a few ideas of how I would alter the recipe, firstly by lowering the amount of chocolate malt and secondly by lowering the number of IBUs. I'm hoping to brew a beer that approximates Gordon (aka G'knight) by Oskar Blues, producing a beer that is strong and hoppy but balanced between bitterness and maltiness; a beer that should be drinkable for a wide variety of beer drinkers.

O Hike Ale (Gordon Clone #2)

Batch Volume (Gal): 6

Pre-Boil Volume (Gal): 7

Total Grain (Lbs): 17.4

OG: 1.076 (should be 1.081)   Anticipated FG: ~1.012   Anticipated ABV: 8.3%

IBUs: 64.5

SRM: 13.1

Brewhouse Efficiency: 70%

Boil Duration: 90 min

Grain                     (Lbs/oz.)                       (%)

Pearl Pale 2-row        14                            80.4

Crystal 40                   1.4                              8

Carastan Malt             1                                5.7

Munich Malt               1                                5.7

Chocolate Malt  0.08 oz (39 grains)        0.0

Hops                     (AA%) (IBU) (Oz.) (Boil[min])

Northern Brewer 12.3       23.8  0.5         80

Columbus               14         40.7   4            10

Amarillo                 10           0      2       Dry Hop

Yeast

1056 American Ale yeast harvested from Terrapin Rye Pale ale trub/yeast layer. Collected roughtly ~130 mL of clean, solid yeast.

Water

~2.5 g CaSO4 and CaCl2 (in boil)   Ca: 56  Mg: 2  SO4: 61  Na: 4  Cl: 53  HCO3: 24

Mash Schedule

Single Infusion   60 min at 152 F, mashout at 170 F 10 min

The wort chilling after the boil

The brewday went well except for letting a bit of the mash grains making it into the brew kettle through my mesh bag during the sparge. I also may not have harvested quite enough yeast either; I was unable to measure the exact amount of yeast I had harvested but it appeared to be at least close to the amount I needed to pitch into a beer of this size. If I underpitched, it may result in more fruity esters and/or phenols which may or may not result in the beer I'm looking for so it'll be something to look at once this beer finishes. I also was unable to reach my goal OG of 1.081 as with the commercial version of Gordon. But that as well may make for a more suitable beer for a reunion; somewhat less alcoholic and inebriating.

Other than a few minor mistakes, the brew day went very well so this beer will make for a good reference point from which I can make final adjustments for the beer I hope to hand out at reunion. It'll also be a good chance for me to learn more about my process and about brewing in general. I typically brew very different styles and rarely brew the same beer repeatedly, which is a missed opportunity to learn about how process effects the end result in a beer. I think this process will give me the chance to learn a bit about how small adjustments will influence a beer.

Adding the four ounces of Columbus hops for flavoring and aroma