4 Dog Brewery

1 Gallon 4 lbs. 2 row .81 lbs. Toasted Wheat Flakes .47 lbs. corn sugar .44 lbs. Choc malt .25 lbs. Carafa Special III 6 grams Magnum - 13.2% AA - 60 min. Well water Maribrew 514 - BB 2014 - Will use lots - 20 grams hydrated in 200 ml 35C water. .25 tsp. Amyalse Enzyme .25 tsp. Whirlfloc .05 tsp. yeast nutrient qts/lb. 1.55 cherry extract in bottling bucket vanilla bean in primary @ 7 - 10 days. O.G. - 1.060 F.G. -  1.020 % -      5.28 - Must of been a higher OG, got a buzz from this awful beer. SRM - 45 BU - 30 Brewed this back to back. Poured into the fermenters like thick black oil, yummy. I did lose about 25% from each carboy via the blow off hose. I assume I need to buy a 3 gallon carboy and use these as growlers. Finished in 2 days though. That doesn't mean a thing. I have had batches that went like crazy, finished early and had a FG of 20 or even higher.                      ...

Young Cujo 11 Gallons I wanted to make a darker beer so as to just go from the carboys to the keg/bottles. Day before brewday, I noticed I was short of RO water. I already decided to go with well water, but still needed some RO water to balance out my calcium and too high of alkaline water. I got lazy and went with 50/50 in the mash and 100% well in the sparge tank. The colour was around 13, so that was good. The wort was really cloying. A little like a mild soy sauce. I have gone through this before when I used too much crystal malt with well water. This time I used Caramunich III @ only 2%. It was still cloying, so I guess the problem is not crystal malt. Water? Hell, I don't know. Wait and see. One time my IPA wort tasted great, was very clear and tasted like shit after it was fermented. This still may be okay, so I will wait and see. 20 lbs. OiO 2 lbs. Toasted Wheat Flakes 1 lb. Special Roast Malt 8 ozs. Caramunich III 4 ozs. Chocolate Malt 4 ozs. Carafa Special II...

Maggie Pilsner 15 Gallons 22 lbs. Weyermann Pils Malt ( should of used 20 lbs. ) 2 lbs. Munich 2 lbs. Toasted Wheat Flakes 1 lb. Vienna 174 g Hallertauer 2.5% AA @ 60 min. WLP833 German Bock 50/50 CITY/RO Amylase Enzyme when pitching yeast - 2 1/2 tsp. 1 Whirlfloc @ 10 min. 1.25 tsp. yeast nutrient Polyclar ( if I think it is needed in the secondary. Worked last summer. ) O.G. - 1.050 F.G. -  1.010 % -     5.26 SRM - 5.8 BU - 25 I changed the srm in Promash as my brews seem to be getting darker than they used to. This may be a PH issue. As long as it tastes good with no off flavours, especially harshness from too much city water, I don't care how dark it is. Usually 2 weeks after kegging, the harshness is there, or it is not. This is my Storey Xmas beer, so it better be good.                                  Fermentation Notes Day - 6 - Shut off fridge to ramp it...

11 Gallons This Blonde Ale was supposed to be an experiment with 100% city water. I didn't have enough spare water bottles, so I went with 50/50. I think this is better anyway. Millbrook Ale 22 lbs. GWM 2 lbs. Flaked Wheat 140 g hallertauer - 2.5% AA - FWH 2 tsp. Amylase Enzyme ( added when pitching yeast ) 1 Whirlfloc @ 10 min. 1.25 tsp. yeast nutrient @ 10 min. Nottingham 50% city water - ( dechlorinated ) 50% RO O.G. - 1.048 F.G. -  1.009 % -      5.13 SRM - 3 BU - 21 This is a very active fermentation. Keezer set @ 18.5 C. I just sprinkled the Nottingham on top. Took almost 24 hrs. to get going, however, it is acting like my beer did many years ago. Spewing, gurgling, and whatever else it did back in the day. I wonder if it is because of the AE? Will know in about 2 weeks when I check the FG. Checked the gravity on day 6 and it was 1.012. The AE hasn't done a lot so far. I just want it to help with my starch haze so it doesn't matter at the ...

THUCKY 11 Gallons                                                       CUJO CPA 22 lbs. OiO 1.19 lbs. Toasted Wheat Flakes 1 lb. Crystal 40 - ( Breiss ) 28.35 grams Magnum - 13.20 % AA - 60 min. 85 grams Cascade - 6.9% AA - 0 min. 56.70 grams Ahtanum - ( 3.9% AA )  dry hopped - tossed on top, no bag. WLP060 - US Blend 100% CITY 1.25 tsp. Yeast Nutrient - 10 min. NO WHIRLFLOC - RAN OUT O.G. - 1.052 F.G. -  1.011 % -     5.4 SRM - 5 BU - 22 I can't seem to find whirlfoc in town. I may of found some irish moss, but didn't look too hard. Did a whirpool at the end, but not sure how it will work. No matter, it all will come out in the wash anyway. It is very hazy going into the fermenters. Sure is taking it's time to get going, 18 hrs. later with no visible sign of activity. Temp may be too low though, around 61 F....

The Donald Trump Ale 11 gallons 22 lbs. Bohemian Pils 1.16 lbs. Toasted Wheat Flakes 28.35 grams Magnum - 12.40 % AA - @ 60 min. 28.25 grams Hallertauer - 2.5% AA - @ 15 min. 28.25 grams Hallertauer - 2.5% AA - @ 5 min. Wyeast 1007 German Ale RO/CITY/75/25 1 Whirlfloc @ 10 min. 1.25 tsp. yeast nutrient @ 10 min. O.G. - 1.052 F.G. -  1.011 % -     5.4 BU - 22 SRM - 3 I didn't get a lot of bitterness in the wort sample. Not sure why though, as magnum is a strong hop. At least the hop stopper wasn't plugged this time as I am using city water ( 25% ) instead of my well water. 27 hours have gone by and I am only getting a small sign of activity in one carboy. The other one is doing nothing. I just split the starter wort in half and dumped it in. Who knows how much I got? Hard to tell. 61 F is the temp on the side of the fermenter. My old notes say this is a slow starter. It took around 35 hours to get going and the beer kind of sucked. Hmmm, if this suc...

11 Gallons Carboys This Time 22 lbs. Bohemian Pils malt 2 lbs. Toasted Wheat malt 90 g Hallertauer - 2.50 % AA - 60 min. 22 g Hallertauer - 5.5 % AA - 60 min. WLP080 Cream Ale Blend 1.25 tsp. yeast nutrient 1 tab whirlfloc 75/25/RO/WELL O.G. - 1.057 F.G. -  1.010 % -     5.7 SRM - 3.2 ( MORE LIKE 5 ) BU - 19.4 I had big problems draining to my carboys. It was a trickle the whole time. I had so much trub, protein, or whatever that the hopstopper was totally covered and slowed everything down. The bottom of the kettle had tons of protein too. The colour was almost orange and looked like apple cider or maybe an Oktoberfest beer. I thought I may of used too much minich malt by mistake, but I don't have any. Wort tastes fine though. If this keeps up I need to buy that small little pump to get it all out in a reasonable amount of time. I wasn't done until 3 pm. 11 hour brew days is not acceptable, even ...

15 Gallons This is my annual Helles for the big six in August. I need to make more of this style on a regular basis. It doesn't take much longer than a Kolsch, but needs to age longer. This won't be getting any aging since it will be served as soon as it clears. 22 lbs. Bohemian Pilsner 2 lbs. Toasted Wheat Flakes 56.5 grams Hallertauer - 5.5% AA at 60 min. WLP833 German Bock - Pitch @ 60 F until signs of krausen then ramp down to 50 F to 53 F. 75/25 RO/WELL ( 25% well water doesn't seem to hurt it ) 1 1/2 tsp. yeast nutrient @ 10 min. Whirlfloc tablet @ 10 min. O.G. - 1.056 - 89% - WHY? F.G. -  1.014...

Ahh Beer!!!!!                                                                                                                                                               ...

11 Gallons - Brewed twice in carboys Just a brew to keep the pipeline going. Needed to brew 2 batches back to back. Running out of time to get my Helles brewed. MILLBROOK BLONDE ALE 22 lbs. Bohemian Pils 2.44 lbs. Toasted Wheat Flakes 56 grams Hallertauer  - 5.5%  AA for 60 min. 14.17 grams Hallertauer - 5.5% AA for 30 min. 14.17 grams Hallertauer - 5.5% AA for 10 min. US-05 - Sprinkled on top. 1.25 tsp. yeast nutrient Gelatin finnings 75/25 RO/WELL - I went with well water for the 25% addition. Hope it goes well. O.G. - Carboy # 1 - 1.056 Carboy # 2 - 1.050 F.G. - 1.010 % -     5 maybe, just a guess. SRM - 3 BU - 21   The first batch stopped draining into the carboys with only about 3 - 4 gallons in each one. I tried to scoop some out with a cup, but it was taking too long and I had to get going with the 2nd batch. No idea why this happened. I sa...

THIS WILL DO FOR NOW 13 GALLONS 22 lbs. Best Maltz Pilsen 2.50 lbs. Toasted Wheat ( not toasted wheat flakes ) 67 grams Hallertauer - 5.5% AA - 60 min. 56.70 grams Hallertauer - 5.5% AA - 0 min. WLP029 Kolsch 75/25 RO/CITY 1.25 tsp. yeat nutrient 1 whirlfloc tablet Gelatin finnings O.G. - 1.050 F.G. -  1.013 % -      4.9 SRM - 3.2 BU - 21 I am hoping to get a better aroma hop taste in this beer as in the past. I did use 3 ozs. of Hallertauer whole hops onetime and it was too much. Kind of a sickly, slimey taste. I hope this ferments quickly so I can brew another one. No homebrew at the moment, which really sucks. I got the hop aroma that I was after, at least in the wort sample as yet. Wort was very clear going into the fermenter. I pitched the yeast @ 70 F and as soon as sign...

St. Martens 15 Gallons 22 lbs. Best Maltz ( all that I have ) 1.5 lbs. Toasted Wheat 1.5 lbs. Crystal 40 1 lb. Crystal 80 8 ozs. Carafa Special III ( 500 L ) 56.70 grams EKG - 5% AA at 60 min. 28.35 grams EKG - 5% AA at 30 min. 28.35 grams EKG - 5% AA at 10 min. 1 1/4 tsp. yeast nutrient at 10 min. 100% WELL Wyeast 1469 West Yorkshire I haven't brewed an ESB in awhile now. Hope the well water is going to work out and not make it taste funny. Raining all weekend, so there will be 2 brew sessions. No homebrew at the moment. O.G. - 1.057 F.G. -  1.012 % -      6 SRM - 15 BU - 30 The wort was very cloying. Not sure if it is all that crystal malt, or the well water. Maybe both. It's fermenting away anyway now. Whatever it turns out like, I will be brewing Kolsch/Helles beers for now on. I seem to get better beer brewing those styles and I like them way bette...

11 Gallons The yeast is from a previous Kolsch. I found some Tettnanger hops buried in my ice in the freezer that I saw when I defrosted it. May as well use them, they still had a vacuum. 22 lbs. Best Matlz 1.5 lbs. Munich 6 8 g Magnum - 12.40% AA - 60 min. 60 g Tettnanger - 4.4% AA - 60 min. 28.35 g Czech Saaz - 3.6% AA - 20 min. 28.35 g Hallertauer Mittelfruh - 3% AA - 20 min. WLP092 Kolsch - 2nd generation 1 1/4 tsp. yeast nutrient to the boil at 10 min. 1 whirtfloc at 10 min. O.G. - 1.050 F.G. -  1.014 % -      4.74 SRM - 3.5 BU - 24.7 It was a long brew day, no, nothing went wrong. Just when you don't use the timer, you add 2 hours to your brew day. lag time was around 12 - 17 hours. One carboy was full krausen and the other one was just starting. This is what happens when you split the flask of yeast. Cool pitch though - 61.3 F. It wouldn't rise until 24 hrs later and it was later in that day. I won't be here for a D-r...

DRINK UP CHRIS 15 Gallons The mash tun timer malfunctioned and boiled 2-3 L of water during the night. Added sparge water back but the water was darker. I hope this brew turns out okay since this is my summer Pils. 22 lbs. Best Maltz 1.5 lbs. Munich 6 56.70 g Hallertauer - 5.50% AA - at 60 min. 28.35 g Hallertauer - 5.50% AA - at 30 min. 28.35 g Hallertauer - 5.50% AA - at 0 min. WLP833 German Bock 74/25 RO/CITY O.G. - 1.047 - Added 2 L to the boil. F.G. -  1.013 % -      4.5 SRM - 3.5 BU - 22.7 64 hour lag time. I will use Magnum instead of Hallertauer if this tastes a little cloying. I will also reduce the BU to 19 - 20 if this is too bitter. My previous brew will let me know if the level is where I want to be. The lag time was almost 3 days. Going good now though as of March 8.                          ...

11 Gallons Just a blonde ale to keep the pipeline going. Did a 0 addition of an ounce of spalt to see if I can get a good aroma hop taste but not going over the top. Keg on March 14. O.G. - 1.048 F.G. -  1.010 % -      5 SRM - 3.4 BU - 18 22 lbs. Best Maltz 1 lb. Munich 6 22 g Magnum - 12.40% AA - 60 min. 14.17 g Czech Saaz - 3.60% AA - 30 min. 14.17 g Czech Saaz - 3.60% AA - 10 min. 28.35 g Spalt Spalter - 2.40% AA - 0 min. Nottingham - 1 1/2 sachets in each carboy 75/250 RO/CITY 1.25 tsp. Yeast nutrient @ 10 min. This is an okay beer, but I thought it should be better. Maybe a little aging will help as I have nothing else on tap. It cleared up really good, but it has too much of a fruity taste for my liking. I fermented the Notttingham @ 64 F, so it should of tasted cleaner. My last brew with dry yeast.

15 Gallons Kids With My Camera Millbrook Kolsch 22 lbs. Bohemian Pils 1 lb. Munich 6 28.35 g German Magnum - 13.20% AA - 60 min. 14.17 g  Spalt - 2.40 % AA - 30 min. 14.17 g Spalt - 2.40 % AA - 10 min. 1 1/2 tsp. yeast nutrient 75/25/RO/CITY WLP029 Kolsch O.G. - 1.054 - 92% F.G. -  1.010 % -      5.8 BU - 23 SRM - 3.4 I am using a lb. less of Munich malt to see what the difference is. 8% - 10% seems to be the sweet spot. The temp in my ferment room is quite cold. No kidding, -28 outside now. Put the heater on just to get it a steady 65 F. I had a hard time keeping this at 64 F. Either 61 F or 68 F. Too cold in the beer room. This finished in 4 days because I over built my yeast by 100 B cells to save and decanted nothing apparently. I must of got a ton of cells in this beer. However, it turned out okay and I did save some to make another Kolsch. This needs aroma hops.

11 Gallons I am trying different German hops to see what I like. No more 11 lb. hop buys. Just aroma hops, so not a big difference in taste, at least I hope not. 22 lbs. Weyermann Bohemian - 90% 2.44 lbs. Munich 6 L - 10% 23 g Magnum - 12.4% AA - 60 min. 14.17 g Hallertauer Mittelfruh - 3% AA - 30 min. 14.17 g Hallertauer Mittelfruh - 3% AA - 10 min. Nottingham - 1 1/2 sachets per carboy 1 1/2 tsp. yeast nutrient 75/25 - RO/CITY O.G. - 1.050 F.G. -  1.010 % -    5.26 SRM - 3.8 BU - 18 A little malty in my opinion. Will see after clearing with gelatin and a bit of aging. I still want more of a hop aroma. I just have enough hops for the next few brews, so I will have to adjust the hop aroma later on.