I racked to secondary with a FG of 1.010. My OG was 1..060, giving me an ABV of 6.7%. The beer had a great aroma, worthy of IPA stature. My sample was a dry mouth feel and first sip taste was bitter/dry turning to malt and the lingering taste was more hops than malt, which I think is good. If it carbs up decent I’m excited about this beer. A little darker than I expected but I dont’ really care. All about the taste on this go around.
Three Hearted Ale Quick Overview (from Norther Brewer)
Is this the river Hemingway was really writing about in “Big Two-Hearted River?” Did he change the name in the story, not to hide the presence of brook trout as big as his arm from other fishermen, but to hide the presence of this beer? Obviously.
NB’s Three Hearted Ale is a larger-than-life American IPA with a hop aroma so thick you can almost see it. American base malt and crystal malt create the big body, pale-amber color, and slight grainy sweetness, while Centennial hops deliver pronounced bitterness and a citrusy aroma and flavor. Brew one and make Papa proud. Recommended: 2-stage fermentation and yeast starter.
Three Hearted Ale
Extract kit from Northern Homebrewer, Milwaukee, WI
Target OG: 1.064
Malt 1: 9.15 lbs. Gold Malt LME (60 min)
Adjunct: 1 tsp Irish Moss (15 min)
Grain 1: 1 lb Briess Caramel 40
Hop 1: 1 oz Centennial – alpha 9.9% (60 min)
Hop 2: 1 oz Centennial – alpha 9.9% (30 min)
Hop 3: 1 oz Centennial – alpha 9.9% (15 min)
Hop 4: 1 oz Centennial – alpha 9.9% (10 min)
Hop 5: 1 oz Centennial – alpha 9.9% (5 min)
Hop 6: 1 oz Centennial – alpha 9.2% (0 min)
Hop 7: 1 oz Centennial – alpha 9.2% (dry hop in secondary for 2 weeks)
Yeast: #1056 American Ale (60°-72°F)
Boiling Schedule:
Collected 2.5 gallons of water. Steep grains at 155°F for 20 minutes. Bring to a boil. Remove water from heat and mix Malt 1. Bring water back to a boil and add Hop 1 @ 60 minutes, Hop 2 @ 30 minutes, Hop 3 @ 15 minutes, Hop 4 @ 10 minutes, Hop 5 @ 5 minutes, Hop 6 @ flame out. Add Irish Moss with 10 minutes left in the boil.
Notes:
I wanted to pitch yeast @ 60° but ended up pitching at 70°. I think I’ll leave it near room temp (60) and then bump it up to 68° for a day or so right before secondary. Transfer to secondary fermenter after about 7-14 days or begin taking daily hydrometer readings – when hydrometer readings are the same on consecutive days, primary fermentation is complete. Proceed to secondary fermentation for 2 weeks. Add Hop 7 @ 2 weeks prior to bottling. Bottle with 5 oz of corn sugar and 2 oz of table sugar. Bottle condition for up to 2 weeks.
My actual OG was 1.060. I pitched @ 70°.
I did a starter for this brew. I also used Fercaps again to prevent a lot of foam action from the proteins bonding during the boil. I used a 6.5 gallon bucket for this beer, with a slightly larger siphon blowoff tube attached to the top of an airlock. I also bought a strainer so that my cold break material (hops, etc) from the primary didn’t make it into my primary.
After 12 days I racked to secondary with a FG of 1.007. With my OG being 1.042 that will give this beer an ABV of 5.5%. A good session beer for the spring/summer I think. I did get the promised hints of citrus and pear with a bit of spicey notes. One unfortunate thing that happened was that I cooled the heated fermenter down from 74 degrees to room temp of 59 a day prior to racking. The air and liquid must have condensed, therefore pulling in about 1/2 cup of the water in my blow off vessel, up through the tubing and into the top of the bucket and into the beer. I didn’t see any film on top nor smell any off smells, so hopefully all is good. Note to self to leave the temp alone prior to racking.
I also cracked a couple beers that have been aging for a while. My Imperial Stout and Belgian Dubbel turned out great. They’re a little low on the carb but it has only been a couple weeks and it has been cold so they’ll only get better from here on out. So far, the stout has been the best tasting beer I’ve made. Very excited to share.
I’ve been eyeing this extract kit for a long time. The overview speaks for itself.
Patersbier Quick Overview (from Norther Brewer)
Stan Hieronymus (author of Brew Like a Monk) and Kristen England (BJCP Continuing Education Director) bring you this very special kit. “Brouwerij’ed” on the left side of the Belgian town Malle solely for consumption by the reverent Cistercian brothers. This ale is not served or sold to the public, making it one of the rarest beers in the world. Made only from pilsner malt, hops, and yeast, the complexity that results from these simple ingredients is staggering: perfumey floral hops, ripe pear fruit, sour apple, spicy cloves, candied citrus and a slight biscuit character on the drying finish … a monks’ session beer.
Note: If you wish to achieve a level of carbonation similar to the commercial examples of this beer, add an additional 1 to 2 oz plain table sugar to the priming solution.
Patersbier
Extract kit from Northern Homebrewer, Milwaukee, WI
Target OG: 1.047
Malt 1: 6 lbs. Pilse Malt LME (60 min)
Adjunct: 1 tspn Irish Moss (15 min)
Grain 1: .5 lb CaraPils
Hop 1: 1 oz German Tradition – alpha 5,7% (60 min)
Hop 2: .5 oz Czech Saaz – alpha 3.9% (10 min)
Yeast: #3787 Trappist (64°-78°F)
Boiling Schedule:
Collected 2.5 gallons of water. Steep grains at 155°F for 20 minutes. Bring to a boil. Remove water from heat and mix Malt 1. Bring water back to a boil and add Hop 1 @ 60 minutes and Hop 2 @ 10 minute left in the boil. Add Irish Moss with 10 minutes left in the boil.
Notes:
Transfer to secondary fermenter after about 7-14 days or begin taking daily hydrometer readings – when hydrometer readings are the same on consecutive days, primary fermentation is complete. Proceed to secondary fermentation for 2 weeks. Bottle with 5 oz of corn sugar and 2 oz of table sugar. Bottle condition for up to 2 weeks.
My actual OG was 1.042. This was the smoothest brew I’ve done so far and the first I’ve done with my new son, Colin. He chilled out in his bouncy seat while I did this beer, watching and learning 
I did pitch a little chilly (60 degrees, when my target pitch temp was 68). It was actively fermenting after 6 hours. The guy at Northern Brewer said he just brewed this batch and suggested dialing it up to 74 degrees after pitching at 68. I plan on doing this since I’ve got it sitting in the tub of water with an aquarium heater again, so it is all under control.
I didn’t sparge grains with 1/2 gallon of boiled water this time. I also used Fercaps to prevent a lot of foam action from the proteins bonding during the boil. I used a 6.5 gallon bucket for this beer, with a slightly larger siphon blowoff tube attached to the top of an airlock.
