Olive Oil and Homebrew

I've written about my willingness to violate the German purity law in making my homebrew, but I never thought I would go this far. I've started adding olive oil to my beer.

The issue is oxygen. Yeast need a certain amount of oxygen to do their work in converting sugary wort (the beer juice that you boil) into beer. The amount they need is a bit more than will wind up in the wort under normal brewing conditions, employing normal brewing techniques.

There are a few ways of getting more oxygen in the wort. One way is to shake the heck out of the carboy (the big bottle where you add the yeast and let it ferment) for a half hour or so. The downside of this method is that it's a lot of work to shake up a 50 pound bottle of beer, and I make ten gallon batches, so the work is doubled.

Another way is to bubble air through an aquarium pump and aeration stone (usually employing a filter in the tubing to get rid of floating wild yeast, bacteria, etc.). The problem with this is that you get a ton of foam, and it takes forever to add some air, wait for the foam to subside, add more air, and repeat until you bubble enough air through. Plus, the foam you create is composed of the same proteins and stuff you want to help your beer form head when you pour it, and, in a nutshell, when you use it you lose it. So you might wind up with a good, but flat beer.

The most professional way is to add straight oxygen to the wort, again, using an aeration stone. There's a little expense involved, and the stones are a bear to sanitize, but it's the best way to add oxygen. Sometimes, though, it can be too effective, and too much oxygen in the beer can make the yeast generate all kinds of off-flavors.

A little olive oil avoids the need for so much oxygen. I'm not biochemist, but much of the oxygen needed by the yeast goes to help form cell walls. Olive oil reduces the need for oxygen in this stage, because it provides the kind of fatty acids that the yeast would otherwise need to create by itself. The science is complex, but here's a 35 page thesis on the subject if you're interested.

To adapt the process to homebrewing, you want to use a minuscule amount of olive oil. Too much could conceivably affect the flavor profile, and way too much could destroy the head.

For a few recent batches, I've split my wort into two 5 gallon carboys, and added a tiny amount of olive oil to one of the carboys. I've straightened a paper clip, flamed the end, and dipped the tip into olive oil, then mixed it in with the wort as it runs from the boiling kettle into the carboy. The other carboy gets my normal method of oxygenation, which consists of a splashy trip into the carboy and a bit of shaking.

The results have been subtle. In a recent Vienna Lager, both versions had the same final gravity, but the one with olive oil tasted a bit smoother. In an amber ale, the difference was again subtle, but I preferred ever-so-slightly the olive oil version. (It wasn't a blind tasting, so it might reflect my bias in favor of a spiffy cheap way of improving my beer.) I've detected no downside to the method, and head retention is not impacted at all.

It sounds weird, but it seems to work. So, until I'm convinced otherwise, I'm bringing a bit of Italy to my homebrew.

Beer Scores - No Hardware, but Good Feedback

On Saturday, I picked up my score sheets from the KC Biermeisters 27th Annual Homebrew Competition. I already knew I hadn't won any awards, so I picked them up with some trepidation, mixed with eagerness to get some expert feedback on my beer.

Fortunately, the scoring was not as brutal as I had feared. I submitted 5 beers - 2 I knew were bad, but wanted some feedback on how to improve them, one that was pretty good but around a year and a half old, so well past its prime, and 2 I was happy with. I was surprised that my beers all wound up in the "very good" category, with 2 scoring 30, one 31, one 32, and one 34.

One of the 30s was one that I anticipated would score badly. It was a weizen that I thought had too much tartness and no head retention, and I'm not sure why. The judges, KC Wort Hog among them, picked up on the fact that I overhopped this one a bit, and focused their suggestions on that point. The feedback was good, and the Wort Hog suggested a potential cause of my dissipating foam.

The other 30 was my robust porter, which I knew was past its prime. The judges picked up on some phenols, and a bit of sourness. The feedback encouraged me to brew this one again - it really is a good beer when it's fresh.

My Dark American Lager was one of the beers I expected to score badly, but it got a 31 (including a 34 from a Nationally ranked judge). A dark American lager is a tough beer to brew well - it should have relatively little flavor, like a Michelob Dark, which means that off-tastes stick out like the proverbial sore thumb. I made the beer for the challenge, and the judges seemed to enjoy it, with the only criticism being that it tasted a little too good; there was a bit too much malt and flavor for the style. Fair enough - I was glad to get the feedback without any glaring complaints about my brewing technique.

I love my schwarzbier, which scored a 32. Most of the judges' criticisms focused on the fact it was overcarbonated - I've not yet mastered the science of filling bottles from kegs and preserving the proper level of carbonation. Again, I got helpful feedback from two nationally-ranked judges, which is pretty awesome. I've brewed another schwarzbier since I made the one I submitted, and I totally changed the recipe. I'd love to see how the two score side by side.

Finally, my milk stout scored a 34, which is a pretty respectable score. Unfortunately, there were LOTS of stouts entered into the competition, so I knew I was unlikely to bring home a medal unless my beer was darned near perfect. Again, it was overcarbonated. The judges picked up a lot of chocolate flavor; one suggested that perhaps I had added cocoa to my beer. I hadn't, but I agree that the chocolate flavor developed from the interplay of the roasted malts was strong. It's a likable beer, and I'm glad the judges enjoyed it.

I'm really happy I entered my beers into the contest. Sure, I want to win some more recognition, but I'd rather get the feedback to make better beer. I really appreciate the attention and comments from some top-notch judges - next year, I'll be bringing home some medals.

What to Brew? Two Batches, 20 Gallons, One Day

It looks like Monday will bring temperatures above freezing, and I have the day off in honor of MLK Day. I've promised beer to a few events, and I got a sweet new boiler for Christmas I'm eager to blow some propane through.

I have a great, malty Oktoberfest in kegs, and a deep, rich Traditional Bock. What should I brew next? I can make two batches, and I would prefer that I not brew more than one lager (cold storage space is not limitless).

Right now, I'm thinking of a hoppy Amber Ale, and perhaps a Schwarzbier, both of which I brewed last year and went over very well. On the other hand, I love trying now recipes, so it might be time to try a Scottish ale, or an alt. Now would also be a good time to brew a cream ale, since we have a big Mardi Gras party coming up, and it's good to have something everybody will like.

Out of the 81 styles in the Beer Judge Certification Program guidelines, what should I brew?

(If you want to swing by on Monday and see some all-grain homebrewing (while sampling the aforementioned Oktoberfest and Bock), consider yourself invited. Just drop me a note.

Recognized Beer Judge

I received my test scores from the Beer Judge Certification Program yesterday evening, and my score put me at the Recognized Beer Judge category. I did better in my tasting portion than I did in my writing. I was hoping for a better score, but, during the test, I accidentally completely skipped one of the essay questions, and did a poor job of formulating a Weissbier recipe from scratch, without reference materials.

The next level up is Certified Beer Judge, which will require some more experience judging in sanctioned contests (even if I had scored 100% on the test, I could only be "Recognized" until I racked up some more experience points) and a retake of the written portion of the exam.

Cheers to being a dedicated student!

Designing a Great Bock Beer

Bock can be a confusing beer for the casual drinker. Sometimes it's light-colored (Maibock), sometimes it's dark, thick and rich (doppelbock), and sometimes it's sweet and incredibly strong (eisbock). Worse, the most widely available "bock" in the United States is Shiner Bock, which isn't even a bock (it's just another dark American lager, like Michelob Classic Dark).

This weekend, I went to a moderately well-stocked beer store, and could not find a single tradtional bock on the shelves. The closest thing I could find was Rogue's wonderful Dead Guy Ale, which is similar to a Maibock, but brewed with ale yeast, and a couple doppelbocks.

If I want a great bock, it seems I will need to make it myself.

There are 4 varieties of bock beer. Maibock is moderately strong, pale-colored version of traditional bock beer, with less malty flavor. Traditional bock is the original rich malty German lager, originally brewed in the town of Einbeck in the 1300s. Doppelbock is a dark, rich, malty loaf of bread in a bottle, developed by monks who wanted to get a full meal while avoiding solid food. Eisbock is doppelbock which has been concentrated by freezing and draining away the rich bock concentrate which did not freeze with the water.

I want to make the traditional bock. I've never made one, they're hard to find, and wonderful to drink.

In designing a homebrew recipe, you start with your malts. A good homebrew shop will have a selection of dozens of malts, some of which are meant to be the backbone of a beer (base malts) and some of which are meant to add flavors (specialty malts).

Some "traditional bock" recipes use a fair amount of pilsner malt, which is a (generally) high-quality, very pale grain that was developed in the 1800s and made it possible to make very light-colored lagers. It's a great product, but it wasn't around when bock beers were originally made, and it also needs to be boiled 50% longer than other malts to avoid developing a cooked vegetable taste and smell in the beer. While some award-winning bocks are made with pilsner malt, I'm not going to use it. Instead, I will rely on some of the other interesting European malts available.

The classic malt for bock beer is Munich malt, a slightly darker malt. Weyermann's is a good brand I can buy at my local homebrew shop, and it comes in a light and a darker version. For my 10 gallon batch, I will be using 15 pounds of the lighter version, 10 pounds of the darker version, and 3 pounds of Vienna malt, which is similar to Munich, but gives a bit of a toasted flavor I enjoy.

For hops, I will use just enough German hops to add enough bitterness so that the sweetness is not overwhelming. I will probably add 3 ounces of Hallertau hops, the first hop variety known to be cultivated. I will add them all at the beginning, so that the boil will drive off most of the hop flavor, which would only distract from the maltiness I'm going to be seeking in this beer.

For water, I will use good old Kansas City tap water, filtered through carbon to remove the chorine.

For yeast, I will be using a special variety from one of the big yeast companies, available only temporarily. It is called Hella-bock, and it should "produce rich, full-bodied and malty beers with a complex flavor profile and a great mouth feel." That's what I'm looking for, and I have a batch of Oktoberfest fermenting on it right now. After I keg that beer this weekend, I'll put the bock right on top of the yeast. The more yeast, the better for a strong beer like a bock, and there should be plenty of yeast left over after fermenting the Oktoberfest (yeast doesn't get "used up" when fermenting, it multiplies).

I'll ferment this beer in carboys (large glass bottles) placed in a chest freezer I converted to maintain a temperature of around 48 degrees, which is the temperature this yeast likes to work at. It should produce a rich, clean lager profile at the temperature, without any of the fruitiness or esters that an ale yeast might produce. After a few weeks of fermenting, I'll keg it and store it cold for as long as I can bear. If I were well-disciplined, I would save it for 6 months or more, but something tells me we will be pouring this one at our Mardi Gras party.

Any suggestions for improving this recipe? Any questions? I'll probably be brewing this one on Sunday - let me know if you want to come over and watch the process.

Brew Day Tomorrow - Belgian Dubbel

I love Belgian Abbey Style ales, and dubbels are my favorite. Rich with raisiny, fruity esters, this is a warming, complex autumn beer (though I love a good one any time of the year). If you've had Chimay Red, Corsendonk Abbey Brown Ale, Grimbergen Double (on tap at Harry's Country Club, I believe), Ommegang, or even New Belgian Abbey Ale, you've had a good example.

Tomorrow, I'll try to make 10 gallons of my own. I've been amassing two large starters (~1600 milliliters) of special Belgian Abbey Ale yeast (Wyeast 1214) over the past week. I have made up my own recipe - 13 pounds of Belgian pale malt, 5 pounds of Belgian Pilsner malt, 1 pound of Special B, 2 pound of Belgian Aromatic, 2 pounds of Mexican pilloncilla sugar, and a pound and a half of cane sugar. I'm using 1 ounce of New Zealand Hallertauer leaf hops to add just a touch of bitterness.

If anyone wants to see how all that makes a beer, email or call. I'll probably start mid-morning, and be at it till mid-afternoon.

Free Beer Tonight! And You Can Judge Me . . .

Tonight is the first round of the 75th Street Homebrew Contest; they'll be narrowing the field to 5 choices tonight. Customers will get the opportunity to taste the submissions and cast their votes. I have 5 submissions, so get out and vote for one of them (or whichever beer you think is best, even if it's not one of mine).

Here's what I submitted:

"'Round Midnight" - a schwarzbier. It's dark but smooth and easy-drinking. Just a touch of roasted malts and german hops in a smooth German lager. It's my favorite of the beers I submitted.

"Jim's Milk Stout" - a sweet stout based on Left Hand Brewery's version. No real milk is put into the beer, but it gets a dose of lactose, the natural dairy sugar. The lactose adds body and just a touch of sweetness. This one is very easy to drink.

"Not my Brother" - a Hefewezen. Get it? The name is a play on "he's not heavy (hefe), he's my brother"? Oh, never mind . . . This is the beer I wrote about brewing in this post, and that proved more popular than the milk stout in this post. Hefeweizens are funky beers, but people love them.

"Power Porter" - a Robust Porter. It's pretty tasty, but there's probably not enough left to make it through the contest, so don't waste a vote on it. But take a sample, anyhow, and let me know what you think.

"NOLA Voodoo" - a Dark American Lager. I brewed this beer more for the challenge than for enjoyment. It's based upon normal American mega-beer, with added darkness and just a touch of added flavor. It's the only beer I've ever brewed that included corn and rice, just like the big breweries do. The beer itself is pretty flavorless, which is a virtue for this style, and a bit of a challenge to accomplish as a brewer. Obviously, I'm not a huge fan of the beer, but it might appeal to some people, and, by submitting it to the contest, I hope I get rid of enough that I can use the keg for something I enjoy more!

I don't know what else got submitted, or how many other beers will be available for tasting. But I'm certain there will be some great beers there for the free sampling, so come out and vote for your favorites.

Great Food Tomorrow Night! And an Opportunity to Support the ALS Foundation

How does "Smoked Porter Braised Piedmontese Short Ribs,Black Truffle Grits, Tomato Jam, and Baby Arugula" sound? How about "Tomato Water Poached Halibut, Spanish Sweet Tarragon, Watermelon and Heirloom Tomatoes with Radish accents"? Does "Lemon Grass Seared Fresh Water Prawn, Corn, Green Tomato and Turnip Fricassee, Herb Pistou" sound good?

There will be some homebrew by me on the porch, too.

Better yet, the proceeds will go to support the local ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) Foundation.

Tickets are still available here. It's going to be a fantastic evening for a great cause.

I'm a Part of American Craft Brew Week

I won't be able to make it to 75th Street on Wednesday night, but they're going to be serving the beer we co-brewed back more than half a year ago. It's now been almost 6 months since we first tapped the beer - and they've kept a little on reserve. I hope some adventurous beer taster will venture by and give us a report on how it's aging!

Judging Beer

Rather than writing my own post about what it was like to serve as a judge in the Regional Homebrew Contest this weekend, I recommend a reading of Owen Morris' post on the topic. It's an incredible experience to taste so many well made beers of one variety in one sitting - really teaches you a lot about the style.

Acquiring Self Knowledge

I told myself when I submitted a couple of my beers to the Regional Homebrew Contest last weekend that I was doing so because I wanted good, informed feedback from experienced judges so that I could improve my brewing. Now, having seen the list of winners without my name on it, I realize that what I really wanted was effusive praise and gold medals.

Beer Contest This Weekend!

The 26th Annual Regional Homebrew Contest hosted by the Kansas City Biermeisters out at Holy-field Winery in beautiful Basehor, Kansas will take place on Friday and Saturday.

Around 300 homebrewed beers will be tasted, evaluated, scored and ranked. Most will be very good beers - a few will be mind-blowingly wonderful, and a few will be awful. If you've never seen a homebrew contest, you should drop by the vineyard and see the goings-on, and maybe pick up a bottle of wine or two as a thank you to the host.