Ugly

Ah, to be brewing again!

I've had time enough to brew of late, but no budget for brewing. I think Irvine Welsh had a character describe the catch 22 of either having a job and no free time or else having all the time in the world and no money.



Somewhere in between those extremes, I lucked into some serious store credit at Bacchus & Barleycorn, so Saturday I brewed another batch of Ugly.

Ugly is the American Stout I made last year out at B&B.

I wasn't setting out to make a 'clone beer' at the time, but it ended up being a ringer for Sierra Nevada Stout. Then, for my next batch, I made an Imperial Stout, and even as I've nursed that batch (my brew buddy who came down to assist Saturday got the last pine of it), I wished I'd made another batch of Ugly.



I thought it was going to rain all day. Not the first time I've brewed in the rain, but actually the rain stopped around the time I got set up and didn't start again until a good five minutes after everything was back inside and put away.



I've never been one to repeat a recipe exactly, but there's a first time for everything. I guess I'm trading creativity for a test to see if I can consistently hit a target. Because when the guys in Chino make that stuff, it's not dumb luck. Actually, reviewing my notes from last time, I timed out the finishing hops slightly differently. I doubt if that's the largest variable between batches: this is homebrewing after all. The variation in temperature in my basement would make a bigger difference.



Here's the recipe (10 gal) for any beer geeks out there:

Ugly

25 lbs. Maris Otter Pale Ale Malt
2 lbs. Roasted Barley
1 lb. 120º Crystal
4 oz. Special B
4 oz. Biscuit Malt
8 oz. Chocolate Malt
2 oz. Magnum whole hops 14.6 AAU (90 minutes)
1 oz. Simcoe whole hops 14.4 AAU (90 minutes)
1 oz. Northern Brewer whole hops 8.3 AAU (90 minutes)
2 oz. Cascade whole hops 7.4 AAU (20 minutes)
2 oz. Cascade whole hops 7.4 AAU (at knockout)
Wyeast 1056 American Ale Yeast (an Activator for each 5 gallons)

O.G. 1.068

Another variation in the two batches, I spaced off more details than usual. Everything got done, but when I should have been preparing for the next step, more than once, I was caught off guard. So we had a bit of extra time in the mash, an extra-long runoff/sparge, and probably 40 minutes steeping at the end of the boil instead of the usual 20. We'll see what it all ads up to.

I've banked ice bags against the carboys to keep the fermentation at a cool 58ºF to 60ºF these first couple days. This produces a cleaner ferment, still a definite 'ale' but with fewer esters and evil fusel alcohols. Plus, I think you scrub less aroma, both malt and hop, with a slower, cooler ferment. And as with the Sierra Nevada Stout I inadvertently cloned, that hop aroma is important. I'll be dry-hopping in the keg, an ounce to each 5 gallons, too.



With the rest of my store credit and gift certificates I may try to make something less hoppy. The hop shortage has caused prices to escalate: at four bucks an ounce, a batch of beer calling for ten ounces of hops is expensive to brew. I did the math, and we're still under a buck a pint (including propane, grain, hops, yeast, etc.), but barely. Still about half the price of ten gallons of Sierra Nevada Stout, but if I want to squeak three batches out of these certificates, I better step away from my inner hophead.

Of course, if I do that, knowing me I'll make a Tripel or Wee Heavy and make up for the hop savings with extra malt. Or maybe not. I remember years ago making a few batches of ordinary bitter that were truly a delight.



My brew buddy and his wife came down, even brought smokables. I'm not sure, but I think this may have been my first Punch since back when I was married.



Anyway, putting stuff away after dark, just like old times, I gotta say a bad day brewing is better than a...wait: a bad day brewing is impossible.