Brew 7: Ratbag IPA

Ratbags. We need more of them. Merriam Webster defines ratbag as, 'a stupid, eccentric, or disagreeable person'. But a ratbag is much more than that... eccentric, yes, but also, a free thinking free spirit, unhinged from convention, an entrepreneur.

Trump the punk. Cheers.

James Watt and Martin Dickie are the quintessential modern ratbags. The Brewdog founders not only make delicious craft beer but they market it by dropping taxidermied cats from helicopters and driving tanks through the streets of London. More recently they've written an open letter to Donald Trump, in which James Watt, offers two Punk Equity Shares in return for Trump giving up his political ambitions, for the benefit of all humanity. An honorable offer. 

Brewdog's Punk IPA was the first IPA I actually enjoyed drinking, I knocked back many of the tasty ales in their Edinburgh Brewdog bar back in 2012 and have never looked back. It is the beer that got me hooked on hops. Like that first rock concert, it is a moment, a taste, I will never forget. And the fact that the company is a bunch of free-thinking ratbags makes me admire them and their beer even more.

Recently, whilst drinking some Punk IPA at our local North Hobart watering hole my ratbag housemate proposed a challenge. He held up a pint to the light, and boldly proclaimed, 'if you can brew a beer that tastes as good as this I will buy you a brewery'. Challenge accepted!

Here is my first attempt at earning that brewery:

Recipe

This ale was brewed in a bag using my old trusty Crown urn. For more info on brew in a bag techniques visit BIAB.

Mash Vol	32l
VAM	25l
Fermenter Vol	23l
Yeast	S04 English Ale
Grains	Maris Otter	5kgs
	Dark Crystal	150gs
	Melanoiden	300gs
	Carapils	200gs
Hops	Magnum	7gs	60min
	Nelson Sauvin	15gs	20min
	Mosaic	15gs	15min
	Amarillo	10gs	10min
	Cascade	10gs	5min
	Mosaic	10gs	1min
	Nelson Sauvin	10gs	1min
	Cascade	20gs	DRY
	Amarillo	20gs	DRY
Mash	66 Degrees	90min
Sparge	75 Degrees	15min
Boil		60min
OG	1.050
FG	1.009
Estimated IBU	37

Ratbag brewing next to his friend

Tasting Notes

Ratbag IPA is more biscuit bomb than hop bomb. The Maris Otter combined with the melanoiden provides a massive biscuit malt backbone. It's a quaffable beer but it tastes nothing like it's idol Punk IPA. It needs some refining but a worthy first attempt. My housemate's savings account is save for now! 

Brew 6: Garry the Goat Golden Ale

I grew up in the country on 6 acres. Dad was too lazy to mow the lawns. He had one of those light-bulb moments and bought some goats. But the goats didn't eat the lawns, they ate mum's garden instead. So we fenced the goats in and they spent the rest of their lives trying to escape and bleating about the notion that the grass is always greener. We discovered that goats don't really like grass and they don't like to be fenced in. They are individuals: stubborn, belligerent and headstrong. A respectable, albeit quite annoying species.

What are you looking at!?

Australia's own Garry the goat is a youtube sensation. He has garnered the fame and recognition that all goats deserve. He takes it easy. Chews the cud. Headbutts dogs. Goes to the pub. This beer is a golden ale for Garry and all goats out there, the ones that go to pubs and even the ones that don't, the ones in paddocks and the ones on the road, the stubborn and the free.

Recipe

Mash Volume	31l
Volume in Fermenter	23l
Yeast	US05
Grains	Pilsner Malt	2.5kgs
	Munich Malt	1kg
	Wheat Malt	1kg
	Medium Crystal	200gs
	Melanoiden	200gs
Hops	Magnum	12gs	60min
	Amarillo	15gs	15min
	Amarillo	15gs	5min
	Amarillo	15gs	1min
	Amarillo	30gs	Dry
Mash	66 Degrees	90min
Sparge	75 Degrees	15min
Boil		70min
OG	1.040
FG	1.005
Estimated ABV	5.2%

I brewed this BIAB in the trusty Crown urn outside on the deck at my brother's place. It was a cold Tassie day so the temperature did drop a little during the mash. The urn thermostat wasn't as reliable or accurate as I had anticipated. I think this may explain the lower than expected final gravity. It leaves a thin dry beer that packs a punch but is still really refreshing.

 

Gary the Goat Golden Ale in the Glass

Tasting Notes

Crystal clear and golden in the glass with good head retention. A very dry beer with a surprisingly strong biscuit flavour (will try without melanoiden malt next time). Nice crisp bitterness and delicate Amarillo aroma.

Brew again star!

Brew 5: Baggers & Mash Summer Ale

Starting all-grain brewing is an intimidating prospect for a novice brewer. But as The Beatles sung, 'I'm gonna try with a little help from my friends'. Brewing comrade Tom, from St. Ares (home)brewery, was keen to do an all-grain brewday at his place. Because we didn't have a large enough pot to boil the 25-23 litres of wort, we decided to do half the brew each in our 20 litre stove-top pots.

Tom had a handmade cooler mash tun he was keen to try and I wanted to attempt a single vessel brewday with my stove pot and a brew bag. We decided to halve the brew: I'd do 10 litres on the stove-top and Tom would do the remaining 15 litres or so in his mash tun.

Brew in a Bag

Tom's mash tun in action

 

The brewday was a first for both of us so we decided to do a really simple, traditional English style ale. We wanted the malt characteristics of the Maris Otter to really shine through. We balanced the malt with traditional English hops: Northern Brewer and East Kent Goldings.  

The all important wort taste test!

Due to the excitement of the day (and numerous homebrew tastings throughout the afternoon) my notes are pretty rough. But from memory we mashed at around 67 degrees Celsius for about 75 minutes. Everything on the day went smoothly (although Australia did lose the cricket). It was a dream first all-grain brewday which instilled in us a inaccurate estimation of our brewing abilities (more of that to come!).

Two for the price of one. Both pans before the boil.

Recipe

Fermenter Volume:	23l
Yeast:	Notingham Ale Yeast
Grains:	5kg Maris Otter
	500gs Pale Malt
	250gs Medium Crystal
Hops:	Northern Brewer	20gs	60min
	Goldings	20gs	20min
	EK Goldings	20gs	15min
	EK Goldings	20gs	10min
	EK Goldings	20gs	5min
	EK Goldings/Northern Brewer	20gs	Dry
Mash temps:	67 Degrees Celsius	75min
OG:	1.055
FG:	1.013
Estimated ABV:	6%

At the boil with wort coolers ready to hook up 

Tasting Notes

Cloudy and pale in the glass with low carbonation and small head. Strong malt character with subtle honey and spice notes. It's bitter and easy drinking. A very tasty session ale that has improved dramatically with age.

Baggers & Mash in the Glass

 Brew again star!

Brew 4: Sump Oil Stout

Once upon a time I spent a week in Ireland. The unwritten law for our Ireland adventure was to consume at least one Guinness before midday. This simple rule had a dramatic effect on my general well-being and my digestive system. Black gold alright. 

At Guinness headquarters in Dublin there is a room full of famous Guinness advertisements. The advertisements that caught my attention were from the 50s and 60s. They all had a fascinating and rather specific theme: Guinness is good for you. 

I wouldn't go as far to say it's a health drink but a couple Guinness's do feel like a meal, and Guinness is actually a relatively light dry stout. Inspired by my Ireland experiences I had the dubious idea to create a massive caloric, sweet, blackest of black stout for all those cold Tasmanian winter evenings. Sump oil stout is what I have come up with.  

Sump oil is the last of my four kit beers. The idea was to pretty much throw all my leftover ingredients and a few tablespoons of treacle into a large 24 litre batch of black gold.

Recipe

Volume: 24 Litres 
Yeast: 2 x Kit yeast
Kit: Coopers Stout
LME: Coopers Dark Malt Extract 1.5kg
DME: 800gs Light Malt Extract
Adjuncts: 200gs Treacle
Specialty Malts:  250gs Chocolate Malt

                         250gs Caramalt

Hops:   EK Goldings  18gs  - 20min           
            EK Goldings  14gs -  5min 

            
OG: 1.065 
FG: 1.014 
Estimated ABV: 7.3%

Sump oil in the fermenter

Fermentation temperature: around 22 degrees

Thoughts & Tasting

Viscous and black in the glass, with a thin dark head. Tastes like a sweet chocolate milkshake. A slight estery alcohol flavour, with a little green apple and subtle bitterness. Black, sweet and bold.

Black gold. Sump oil in the glass.

Sump Oil Review

by local beer lover Iain James

Eddie Van Halen the world famous guitarist and recovering alcoholic once said, “never drink anything you can see through” … he was right.

Should we change the name of “Sump Oil” to “Black Hole”? Yes we should, because not a single photon of light gets through this one. If Steven Hawking were to take a sip, he’d be out of his chair in no time and back to solving the mysteries of the universe, plus he’d stop sounding like a 1990’s GPS.

Sump Oil, like a Black Hole, draws the drinker in and doesn’t let go in a hurry, you get caught up in mellow caramel flavours coupled with a cold smokiness which gives the palate a great workout. One also becomes instantly relaxed and warm, wondering what’s at the end of this unusual drink... in my case it was a headache.

Somewhat thick in texture but well worth a bottle or two if you drink it slowly and savour the flavour.

Score: 7.5/10

Brew 3: Red Curry Ringstinger

There's a cheap and nasty Indian takeaway up the road from where I live. It has become quite the tradition to venture up there of a Sunday afternoon to order a curry. I also enjoy a good amber ale and I've discovered nothing goes better with a good curry than a well balanced amber or american red ale. Hence, the Red Curry Ringstinger experiment. It's a deep red, malty extract brew, spiced up with a few delicious US hops. Soon to become a Sunday funday favourite.

This recipe was based on a Coopers recipe of the month: Midnight Mosaic. I just switched out the Midnight wheat grain with some Caramalt and I used US05 yeast.

Recipe:

Volume: 22 Litres 
Yeast: US05 
Kit: Coopers Lager
LME: Coopers Amber Malt Extract 1.5kg
DME: 700gs Light Malt Extract
Specialty Malts:  250gs Caramalt BB

                         150gs Medium Crystal Grain 

Hops:     Amarillo  25gs - 15min           
             Mosaic    20gs - 10min 

             Citra       20gs - Dry

OG: 1.060 
FG: 1.012 
Estimated IBU: 40s 
Estimated ABV: 6.8%

Fermentation was dead on two weeks at about 22 degrees. There were a couple hot days during which I needed to surround the fermenter with ice blocks!

Thoughts & Tasting:

Ringstinger has turned out similar to Plague IPA. The Mosaic and Citra hop flavours come out pretty strong. However, I appreciate this beer a lot more. It's a more balanced beer and I think the clean fermenting US05 yeast has given it a crisp finish. 

Initial taste is massive pineapple and passionfruit. The caramalt and amber malt extract give a pleasant malty sweetness that balance the hops nicely. 

This one gets the "brew again star". Sunday afternoons just got even better.

Brew 2: Plague IPA

Plague IPA doesn't just put hairs on your chest; it makes them grow an inch and turns them grey. 

IPAs: the more I drink them the more I like them. I've discovered hops are like heroin. If you're a junkie you always want more. Your palate becomes numbed (or accustomed) to the bitterness and complex hop flavours and aromas. It's an addiction. An infection. Ahhh and then there's the IPA glow.

So it was only natural that on my second attempt at brewing I'd throw kilos and kilos of hops into the boil. I got a bit excited. Mosaic and Citra. My two favourite new age hops. They are both hops on steroids. Did I mention I got a bit excited?

Anyway, what I have created is another mongrel. But this one knows exactly who his parents are: a desperate Liverpool scouse-wife and an American used cars salesman. They're not good stock. Plague IPA fills your mouth with cotton, gives you a left jab to the jaw and then picks you up and throws you out onto the street.

I was actually meaning to get the original gravity up to around 1.060. But I forgot the extra Dry Malt Extract I was planning to add. Hence my balance value is pretty out of whack and this beer has a leering dry bitterness, like an old and weathered gambler with no friends, no money and nothing but bad memories.

The gambler: an immature Plague after 2 weeks in the bottle. Couldn't resist a sample!

Recipe:

Volume: 23 Litres 

Yeast: Coopers IPA Kit 
Kit: Coopers IPA
LME: Coopers Light Malt Extract 1.5kg
DME: 500gs Light Malt Extract
Adjuncts: 100gs Dextrose
Specialty Malts: 250gs Medium Crystal Grain 

Hops: Mosaic 10gs - 20min 
         Citra    20gs - 10min 
         Mosaic 10gs - 10min
         Citra/Mosaic 10gs - Dry 

OG: 1.052 
FG: 1.010 
Estimated IBU: 60 
Estimated ABV: 6%


With this brew I used my copper coil wort cooler for the first time. Worked a treat. I highly recommend purchasing some copper pipe to make one. 

The sink and the new copper wort cooler.

Plague was bulk primed with 155gs of dextrose. On bottle day I dissolved the dextrose in a little water and poured the sugar water into a sanitized secondary fermenter. I then racked the brew to the secondary fermenter, leaving the last few litres of yeast and hop scum behind. I let the transported brew sit for about half an hour to settle. I then bottled straight from the secondary fermenter.

Thoughts & Tasting:

Plague IPA is a sweeter, more pleasant beast than I expected. Sweet passionfruit and grapefruit aromas. Clear amber to golden colour with decent head retention. 

The first sip was a big fruity passionfruit explosion and a deep full flavour. There is actually a nice bit of sweet malt character and the balance is a lot better than I expected. A lingering bitter finish that is actually not too overwhelming.

I reckon this beer could do with even more aroma and fresh hop flavour. If I had my time again I'd throw in 20-30gs more dry hops. I'd keep the same amount of finishing hops but I'd add them all a little later in the boil.

Pretty happy with this one. It's tasty for an extract beer and a nice step up from good ole Pond Scum Golden Ale!

Brew 1: Pond Scum Golden Ale

A couple years back I had the pleasure of visiting the quaint town of Pilsen in the Czech Republic, the home of Pilsner Urquell and the birthplace of the Pilsner style. Apparently the majority of all beers worldwide are based on the Pilsner - think flavourless mass-produced lagers. "What's wrong with the beer we got? Beer drank pretty good don't it?"  Yeah righto honourable Alvin Holmes, but I don’t think anything beats the crisp, slightly spicy deliciousness of the European original.

The Coopers DIY kit comes with a Coopers Lager tin and a kilo of brew enhancer (dextrose and maltodextrin combo). From the start I made an oath to use dextrose sparingly, however, I had a kilo of the stuff, so I thought I’d try create a light easy-drinking beverage akin to the Pilsner style, albeit using the Coopers Lager kit (ale) yeast and ale fermentation temperatures!

I bought some Saaz hops and a little crystal grain for steeping.

First mistake. The crystal grain was unlabeled. I never inquired how dark it actually was. I assumed it had a Degrees Lovibond of around 20. Whereas I reckon the stuff I bought is more like 60. Hence my brew took on the appearance of pond scum in the fermenter. Definitely not a nice pale and crisp looking Pilsner! Late style/name change… let’s go with Golden Ale!

Recipe

Volume: 22 Litres

Yeast: Coopers Kit

Kit: Coopers Lager

Adjuncts: 1kg Coopers Brew Enhancer

Specialty Malts: 250gs Medium Crystal Grain

Hops: Saaz 15gs - 20min

         Saaz 10gs - 10min

         Citra 10gs - Dry

Carbonation Drops - 2 per bottle

OG: 1.040

FG: 1.012

Estimated IBU: 30
ABV: 4.2%

Procedure

• Sanitize fermenter and all equipment that will come in contact with the wort
• Prepare an ice bath for cooling the wort
• Steep the crystal grain, in a grain bag, for 30 minutes in about 1 litre of water at 60-70 degrees
• Re-hydrate the yeast in boiled water cooled to 30 degrees.
• After 30 minutes sparge/rinse the grains in another litre of 60-70 degree water 
• Pour the steeped water into the brewpot along with the brew enhancer and another 8 litres of water
• Stir and bring to the boil
• Add 15 gs of Saaz hops and boil for 10 minutes
• After 10 minutes, add a further 10 gs of Saaz hops and boil for an additional 10 minutes
• Towards the end of the boil stir in the Coopers kit
• Cool the wort to pitching temperature in the ice bath - took me about 45 minutes 
• Pour the cooled wort into fermenter
• Fill fermenter to 22 litres with cool water
• Ensure the wort is at appropriate pitching temperature - usually between 18-25 degrees - and pour in the re-hydrated yeast

That was my basic brewday procedure. It all went pretty smoothly but it was a bit of a struggle getting the wort down to pitching temperature. (I now have a copper immersion wort cooler. It works a treat. Cools a 10 litre boil to 25 degrees in about 15-20 minutes.) 

I left my brew at a pretty steady 22 degrees for 16 days, taking regular gravity readings (and samplings!). It was amazing how the taste changed in the last 5 days. It's definitely worth conditioning the brew in the fermenter for the full two weeks and then some.

After the vigorous fermentation was done and the brew had settled down (about day 4) I removed the Krausen collar and added the 10gs of Citra hops. I didn't bother with hop bags. The hops all seemed to settle to the bottom of the fermenter with all the yeast gunk after 2 weeks or so. Just be careful not to disturb the fermenter too much before you bottle.

I used the plastic Coopers bottles, which came with the kit, and left for 2-3 weeks to bottle condition.

Results & Tasting

Pond Scum is a real mongrel of a beer. Pond Scum doesn't know who his mother is. And his dad, well, some say he was a Baptist minister but in truth he was a swindler and a bounder. 

Pond Scum is a clear golden colour. Crisp. Subtle bitterness and a slight Saaz spiciness. Easy drinker.

Pond Scum Golden Ale - after two and a half weeks in the bottle

In hindsight, bloody hindsight, dry hopping with 10gs of Citra was a little pointless – I was hoping to improve aroma. But if I had added more it probably would have just overpowered the Saaz. More Saaz added in the last 10 to 5 minutes of the boil might have helped increase the punch and spiciness – and of course in this regard it would have benefited immensely from a better European style yeast strain.

My main gripe with Pond Scum is its thin “homebrew Kit and Kilo” taste which I aim to overcome in future brews. I wrongly or rightly attribute these flavours to the kit yeast and the brew enhancer. Maltier beers to come!

Introductions - Beer. Liquid. Gold.

I'm a pretty big fan of drinking beer. In my travels I have enjoyed nothing more than sampling the local brews. My eyes have been opened to world of different liquid gold flavour sensations. 

During one flavour sensation sampling session I asked that big question: how do they make this stuff? Surely it's a miracle. Some dark alchemy. Black magic.

This blog will describe my jaded and misguided efforts to learn the art of brewing. It’s a rough, rocky and winding road. I’m going in with one motto: the grander my mistakes the quicker I will learn.

I purchased a Coopers DIY brew kit for half price. I thought, 45 bucks is not much of an outlay, especially if I can create something drinkable. But I aim not to merely create adequate ales but rather outstanding beers: Brew Dog Punk IPA, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Little Creatures Pale etc. We all want to create something that can stand alongside our favourite brews – that’s the pinnacle, the grand vision.

I aim to start with some kit beers, then move to extract beers and eventually work my way towards all grain brewing.

First up I read chapter one of John Palmer’s brewing bible How to Brew – A Crash Course in Brewing. And threw my ingredients into the extract beer designer spreadsheet. Both, I think, invaluable free online resources any newbie should utilize.

Two valuable lessons I learnt straight up: 

• Sanitize everything. Cleanliness is next godliness. 
• Temperature control is vital during all stages - steeping, cooling, pitching, fermenting. Buy a thermometer.

Basic Gear:

All up the basic gear cost me about $100-150:
• DIY Coopers kit 
• 16 litre stockpot to use for steeping and boiling
• Thermometer
• Kitchen Scales
• Rinse Free Sanitizer 
• Spray bottle – for spraying previously mentioned rinse free sanitizer
• Grain bag / cloth for steeping Speciality Grains

Righto, introductions out of the way. Let's get into some brewing!