Good Morning and Welcome Back.

Last week we here at the brew house endeavored to get Ocean House Coffee Porter correct in Batch 2. Readers will remember that your truly had made an error with his scale which had led to a very salty beer that was not drinkable. Batch 2 is off to a good start. We will be testing it today and will update the post when we do.

This week, we are going to visit an old stand by, Iron Clad Pale Ale (ICPA). Iron Clad is one of our “House Beers”. We have been brewing variations of this beer for two years with the current recipe in use for the last 6 months. ICPA is a medium bodied pale ale that is dark gold in color and approximately 5.5% alcohol. Hopping is balanced. Usually a single variety, in this case Cascade, does all of the work and gets all of the accolades.

Grain Bill
10#  Pale Malt
1#     Caramalt
.5#   Crystal 30
.25# Crystal 65

The pale malt is the backbone. It will provide most of the alcohol, allot of flavor and a bit of color. Caramalt will bring color and some flavor while also improving the head characteristics of the finished brew. The 2 types of Crystal Malt, measured by color with higher numbers being darker, adds flavor, aroma and color.

All in all, a simple bill that yields a wonderfully complex brew.

Hops

The hopping, as noted above, is one variety. Cascade is perfect for this as it has good bittering qualities and has wonderful aromas often cited as grapefruit/citrus and grassy. The additions will be:

1.5 oz at 60 minutes
1     oz at 20 minutes
.5   oz at 10 minutes
.5   oz at 5 minutes
1.5 oz at flame out.

The last addition will steep for 5 minutes before we start the chill loop.

Mash/Boil

Mash in will be at 153F. This will yield less fermentables than mashing at 150F, but will give more body to the beer.  Mash will  run for 60 minutes. We will mash out for 10 minutes. Run off will go for 45 minutes with the goal of 6.5 gallons of wort in the kettle with a gravity of 1.050.

Boil will run for the normal 60 minutes with the hops additions listed above. We will also add Irish Moss at 10 minutes to aid in clarifying.

Final Steps

After the boil and steep the wort will be chilled to 70F, whirlpooled, transfered to the fermenter, aerated and the yeast will be added. The yeast for this bath will be Fermentis SafAle S-04.

Fermentation should take 4 to 5 days. the beer will be racked into a keg and allowed to condition for 3 or 4 days in the cellar. At that time it will be carbonated and ready to serve.
Target tapping is October 15.

More on the Yeast
More on Cascade Hops

Good Morning

Starting a new series called Brew Day on the blog today.  Will be an overview and (hopefully) play by play of a brew session.

Today is batch 2 of Ocean House Coffee Porter.  Batch 1 had to be dumped do to an unfortunate error on my part. Without going into details, suffice it to say that when weighing materials for additions to the water, one should confirm the scale is in GRAMS not OUNCES… Pretzel Porter anyone?

Even with the excess salt, the base beer was excellent. Good color and body. Background flavors seemed pretty good.  That being said, there was no way John and I were going to get through 5 gallons of that stuff. So, onto the driveway on a rainy day it went.

Learning as we go, it’s time to try again. This time, we leave the water alone.

The Grain Bill

9#      Pale Malt
1#      Munich Malt
.5#    Crystal Malt (30l)
.5#    Chocolate Malt
.25# Black Malt

This bill is designed to yield 5 gallons of a dark auburn beer with an ABV of 5.5%. The pale malt is the back bone. It is most of the alcohol and a bit of the body. Munich adds a smooth body. Crystal gives nut and sweet characters to the flavor. Chocolate brings roasted and coffee notes to the nose and flavor. Black gives color and roasted notes.

The Mash

The above grains will be milled into the Mash/Lauter Tun. They will be infused with 3.5 gallons of 165F water and well stirred. This should yield a mash temperature of 153F. The mash will last 60 minutes.
After 60 minutes, we will perform the Mash Out. This involves stirring in 2 gallons of 200 degree water into the mash and allowing it to sit for 10 minutes. This stops the mash.

Lautering

This is the process where in the sweet wort is removed from the Mash/Lauter tun and the sugars are washed from the grains. This is a seemingly simple step but it is fraught with potential problems.
The goal is to slowly drain sweet wort from the bottom of the Mash/Lauter tun whilst adding 168F water back in at the top. This is called Fly Sparging. When done right, the grain bed is never exposed to the air or allowed to settle onto itself.  Exposure to air can lead to oxidation of the final brew and settling of the bed can lead to stoppage of the flow or a ‘stuck’ run. Our sparge volume is 2.5 gallons. We will stop the run when we have 6.5 gallons of sweet wort in the kettle.

Typically, this process takes about 45 minutes to an hour.

The Boil

Now it gets interesting. Here we take the sweet wort and bring it to a rolling boil for one hour. This concentrates the sugars and allows us to add the hops and other spices.

For this recipe, the goal is a slightly full bodied Robust Porter. Hopping is used primarily to balance the malts and keep the finished beer from being cloyingly sweet. Any hops aroma would detract from the malts and coffee character of the final beer. To achieve this there will be 3 hops additions during the 60 minute boil. They will be as follows: (it should be noted that addition times are time left on the boil, ie: T-60)

1.5 ounces of Willamette at 60 minutes
1.0 ounces of Willamette at 20 minutes
.5 ounces of Willamette at 05 minutes

It should be noted that all of the hops used in this brew were grown by the brewer.

There will be an addition of 1 tsp of Irish Moss at 10 minutes. This is used as to clarify the beer.

At 15 minutes we will insert the chilling loop into the kettle to allow it to be sanitized by the boiling process.

The Chill

This is the point where we rapidly cools the wort and prepare it for transfer into the fermenter. Also is a good time to open another brew cause it is pretty smooth sailing from here.

The chilling loop that was inserted in the kettle at 15 minutes is connected to a pump which rests in a cooler full of ice water. After the boil is complete, the pump is switched on a chilled water is circulated through the loop and back into the cooler. The intentions here are several. The simplest is to speed the process along. But, there are more important reasons at work.

The first is called the Cold Break. This is a process where the proteins in the wort are solidified or coagulated. The proteins have yielded all the sugars and will now just cloud the beer.  By reaching the Cold Break as fast as possible, we maximize the effect. The Cold Break is also improved by the Irish Moss. This happens around 110F.

Second is Kettle Break. This is when most of the solids like the proteins and hops will drop from the solution.This usually happens around 70F. As above, the quicker we can get here, the better the effect.

Finally, there is Free Rise. This is the period when the yeast has been pitched and is acclimating as the wort is warming to it’s final fermenting temperature.  Again, the sooner we are here, the sooner the session is done.

Whirlpool and Rack

A simple step where the kettle is rapidly stirred to create a whirlpool. The resulting centrifugal force pushes the liquids out and leaves the solids in the middle of the kettle. Clear liquid is siphoned into the fermenter.

Aerate and Pitch

Time to bring in the yeast. Most of the efforts so far have been done with the finished beer in mind. At this time, we are going to do something for the little critters who do the work.  We want to create the perfect environment for them to multiply and turn the sugars into alcohol. To do this, we are going to give them a bunch of oxygen to consume and be fruitful shall we say.Then they can eat the sugars mostly all up.

We will pump oxygen into the wort via a air pump.Some home brewers and most commercial brewers, use oxygen. We are cheap. An air pump running through a HEPA filter does the job.  We usually go for about 10 minutes of bubble time. This is spread out to allow the wort to settle and reduce foaming.

We then pitch the yeast. In this case, Wyeast 1028 London Ale Activator Pack.

Fermentation

At this step, the yeasts will consume the sugars and create alcohol and cO2. The cO2 will be vented from the fermenter via an air lock. Primary fermentation will be at 70-75F and take 7 to 10 days.
At this point, most of the alcohol conversion is done. There are some chemical conversions still taking place that effect flavor, aroma and stability. These will continue into secondary fermentation.

Secondary fermentation is something of a finishing stage. A few days rest to let the chemical process work out. We will also use this step to add the coffee. We will add 1 cup cold espresso to the keg and transfer the beer into it. This will be allowed to set at 70F or so for three days.

Carbonation, bottling and aging

We now have the finished beer. All that remains is to carbonate, bottle and age.

Carbonation will involve attaching the keg that has been holding the beer in secondary fermentation to a gas bottle and applying pressure to it for about 4 or 5 days. This will carbonate the beer to the desired level. As carbonation is easier at cooler temps, the keg and gas will be put in the fridge and held at 40F.

When the beer is carbonated, we will place sanitized bottles in the fridge and allow them to chill to the same temp as the beer. During this time, we will assemble the bottling equipment and when everything is well chilled, we will transfer the beer to bottles. The bottles will be moved to the cellar and allowed to age 5 or 6 weeks before serving.

Be sure to check back for updates and look for more Brew Day posts to come.

Related:
Hops Growing
More on the yeast
Where we get pale malt
Where we get specialty grain
Where we get espresso
How we made the espresso

After a couple weeks off for hops harvesting, I am back with a new jaunt around the ring.

In our last visit, we saw how the teacher handles the Ring in some serious wet conditions. Still one the hairiest and scariest Ring vids I have seen.

This week we have some thing a bit more mundane. Hit the jump for more

The Subaru Impreza WRX is an accomplished off road racer that can double as a daily driver or grocery getter. In it’s STI form, it is a rally champion and can still get the groceries. It may scramble the eggs with it’s stiff ride but it works.

In 2010, Subaru spent some time at the Ring developing the chassis and suspension of the STI whilst seeing just how quickly they could get a ‘stock’ STI around the 14+ miles that makes up one lap of the mighty Green Hell.  They did suprisingly well with Tommy Makinen coming in at 7’55″. This with some pretty ragged driving.

As always, turn it up…

Hardly hear the engine at all, except for the blown shifts. Pretty grotty tire noise as well.  After watching this vid twice, I am not sure I buy the time. He is very ragged and hitting the curbs WAY more than any sane driver would be.

Hmmm. Cool yet NOT

1984 AMC Eagle Sundancer.

This is somewhat interesting and cool yet, totally not cool and down right scary…

Here are a couple other views found via Google Image

Not getting any better

WTF is with the roll hoop?

See the sale here. Still time to bid!

Check Out Bring A Trailer for more great rides.

In previous editions, I have focused on the odd and unique cars seen on our local roads or found on the Innertubes. Today’s visit is a bit different. Today, I want to look closely at two cars I have seen in the last few weeks and how, even though they are pretty much the same car, they seem so totally opposite.

The Flying B

Bentley Motor Car was founded by W.O. Bentley and his brother in 1919.  Although short lived, they were bought by Rolls Royce in 1931, they became known for such legendary cars as the Speed 6  and the Blower Bentley driven by the great Woolf (Babe) Barnato. In 1925 Barnato’s father Barney purchased all the assets of the company which was then in financial straights.

The Rolls Royce Era, which lasted until Rolls was split up in 2002, was indifferent when it came to Bentley. Much of the time it was mostly forgotten. Reduced to selling rebadged and decontented RR products. In the late 70′s Bentley became something of the ‘Sporty’ arm of Rolls Royce. This led to the development of the Turbo R and Mulsanne models.

In 2002, it all came crashing down for Rolls Royce/Bentley. Financial troubles, which had dogged the company for most of it’s history, forced the firm into receivership. Volkswagen bought the remains and sold the Rolls Royce line to BMW. VW, which had been eyeing the high end/luxury market for some time, took Bentley into a new era.

2003 saw the rebirth of the Continental GT. A two door, 2 + 2 grand touring coupe that was as high tech as it was high priced. Sporting a 550 hp twin turbocharged W-12 and all wheel drive sourced from the VW Phaeton, it was good for a claimed top speed of 197 mph. Base price was $150,000.

Our first subject is from this era.  I am not sure of the year but the lines and lights mark it as a first generation GT. Seen near one of our local craft brewers.

Not an every day sight on Middle Street

So there it was, staring me in the face so to speak. That grille shape and those head lights are pretty unique. This being the first one I had ever seen in person, I was intrigued to say the least. As I got closer, my intrigue changed to discomfort.

That is not what I call 'svelte'

How to describe the size? A good word may be Lahge. Or Ewww!

The projected leading edge of the hood over the grille is too hard and looks in a way like it is an add on. I do like the way the power bulge transitions into the A-pillar. That being said, the rake of the pillars and the bulging look to the windshield seem to over emphasize the length of the car, which is prodigious.  On the subject of length, on of the benefits of the W-12 engine is that the bay space of a V-8 can hold a W-12. So why does this thing have enough nose for a 16 cylinder?

The roof line drops to dramatically implying that the rear seats are not there for adults, or late teens for that matter. Yet the long door and window imply there is allot of leg room.  So, maybe some one can crawl into the rear seats.  Either way, just seems ill thought out in my mind.

The sills are to strongly extended from the doors. They tend to over emphasize the sheer girth of the car. Not much on the bulging rear fenders. A bit hot rodesque. Oh, and the wheels are Way Too Big and, dare I say it, blingy.

A bit o funk in the trunk

What the heck is this?! I am not even sure where to begin. The bulging fenders end in a very Mustang tail light kinda thingy. The rear window sweeps down into a bunch of unresolved curves and angles.  Perhaps the one redeeming feature is the exhaust. The subtly chromed flat ovals are nice. They give a feeling power that is restrained and dignified.

The whole trunk looks like an afterthought.

Wolfgang: ” Hey Otto, vhere is zee trunk?”
Otto: “Was is it zee trunk?”
Wolfgang: “Vhere vill our customers put zee golf bags? Zey cannot put dem in zee back seat.”
Otto: “Oh. I vill put a trunk back here.It vill be easy”
Wolfgang: “But it does not look so good.”
Otto: “Zey will not care as zey vant everybody to be looking at zem in zee car, not at zee car.”
Wolfgang: “Oh, you are correct.”

As the comment at Jalopnik on an abandoned one found on London’s Canary Wharf put it:

“Continental GT? Ugh… Push it back in. “

Onward into the sunlight!

A couple of weekends ago, as my brewing buddy and I are returning from a supply run, we note that parked in our local grub and pub is the gem below.

That made me turn around

A second generation Continental GT Convertible. In many ways, the same car as above. But not the same in all the ways that matter.

First, the line transition from the grille to the hood is cleaner with less projection. The nose is still long but a bit more in proportion overall than the coupe. The rake of the windshield is lessened and easier on the eyes with the top gone.  The doors are a bit longer and flow into the much cleaner looking flanks.

Nice.....

A much cleaner and better thought out nose.  The chrome rings are gone. As is the chrome grilles on the lower air intakes which them selves are better integrated  into the design. I still think the grille is a bit blingy.

Fancy

An advantage of a convertible on a sunny day, interior shots! Of course we have real tree wood and fine leathers. Note the dash, steering wheel, center console and arm rests are dyed to match the body color. Natch! I particularly like the chrome vents. I think they had a bit of ‘old school’ class to the design.  That being said, I think the little tv which houses the sat nav, heating and ac contrls and entertainment system is a distraction and a large black void where there should not be. But, I am a bit of an old crusty when it comes to stuff like that.

I do like the way the seat belt is integrated into the seat back. Nice touch with the chrome trimming.

A view of the commander's seat

Just a quick look at the helm. To damned many button on the wheel! WTF is that all about? Add in the turn signal/headlight stalk, wheel tilt stalk, wiper control  stalk and flappy paddle shifters and you have got just way too much crap to be done by the things that control the car, IE:  the HANDS. Can we maybe move some of this stuff to the console or the freaking little TV?

My what big brakes you have

All the better to stop you with my dear.

Here we have, in my eye, a well done wheel arrangement.  The wheel it self is subtle and understated. Well, except for the giant B in the middle. 5 spokes that are clean and elegant. A tire that has a low profile thus adding a sporting look but not too low profile which tends to add a tuner boy look.  Wicked big brakes that fill the wheel but are not cross drilled. And nary a red Brembo in sight.
I am a big fan of the wheel arch on this car. It is not to large but large enough to have a good balance with the size of the wheel. I really like the curve of the arch and the way it carries a smooth, graceful roll into the sills. Again, the restrained use of chrome at the line separating the body and the sill is well done and really adds allot of class to the design.

Okay, I do not have a picture of the trunk. Mainly because I forgot to take one. So, I have borrowed one.

Image from www.dreamcarhire.com

I think it is still a problem if a bit less so than on the coupe. I still do not like the tail lights. Nor do I like the trunk, which must be even more useless now that it has to hold the roof when not in use.

So there you have it. My deconstruction of two very unique and very similar cars. For what it is worth, I would not choose the own either. The cost alone is outrageous with a GT starting at $189,000 and a GTC at $201,000.  I would just be afraid to drive it or park it anywhere. I won’t even get on the practicality bus.

See ya next time with more Cars That Make Me Go Hmmm..

Yeah. I said Race Truck

This evening while reading at Bang Shift, I stumbled upon a new video from Jason Lewis of Mike’s run at The Rock.It is 5+ minutes of rallying on a large scale. It is the first video I have seen showing the absolutely horrid conditions on the upper sections. As can be seen, it was sunny, and warm, at the starting line but it just never cleared much above 2500 to 3000 feet. Hit the jump for the video..

It is a great video.

Hat tip to the Gang at Bang Shift for this.

Well you just put near ta 200 wheels underneath it and hook her uptoa Mack Truck. At 400 feet long, that’s a Serious Trailer!

Seen on Jalopnik

(AP Photo)

Our previous visit had us being given a corner by corner lesson in driving the Nordschleife from none other than Hans Stuck. This week we have a lesson of a different color, or moisture level one might say. Hit the jump for more.

The Ring has it’s own driving academy, talk about a great place to go to school, which does not appear to be connected to a manufacturer. They teach driving in several different road cars and Formula Super open wheel cars. Andreas Gulden is the chief instructor.

During last weekends German Gran Prix, which was held on the Ring’s F-1 circuit, Andreas and the crew did some teaching on the Green Hell. And boy was it hell. With a rainy wet track, many drivers were probably down with hanging out in the garage and waiting for things to dry out. Not Andreas. He went out with a camera and proceeded to give us a driving lesson like no other.

From massive amounts of opposite lock to being all over the rev limiter, it was an inspiring and somewhat frightening drive. He also was the first car I have EVER seen take the Karussell on the OUTSIDE!! Given the roughness of the inside line on the Karussell and the low slung nature of the car, I guess it is not surprising.

So, sit back and watch 12.5 minutes of pure Ring Awesomeness. As always, turn the sound up.

See ya next time for more Ring Porn

After a week off for some r&, ITTFRP is back with a step by step lesson in dancing the Ring as taught by none other than the legendary Hans Joachim Stuck.

Hans Joachim Stuck

The sun of a legend, Hans Stuck was born for racing glory.  His father taught him to drive on the Ring. His first race was in 1969 at the Ring and in 1970 he won the 24 hrs at the Ring in a BMW 2002 TI. He would go on to win the 24 hrs at the Ring two more times in BMWs. Stuck also made his mark in prototype racing with the dominant Porsche 962 Endurance team of the 80′s.

Porsche 962C

Currently, Hans is a spokesman and occasional driver for BWM. Which brings us to today’s  video.

How about a well guided tour and driving lesson in a modern BMW GTR ride. All kinds of mashing of un-synchronized dog clutched gears, solid differential,screaming v-8 and carbon fiber brakes with Stuck’s commentary giving us an inside view of the ring from someone who knows it even better than Sabine Schmitz even if he does not look as good.

Do Not Fail To Turn It Up!

As a closer, check out this video of Mr Gymkhana himself, Ken Block, explaining the meaning of the word “Hooning”. Block gives a good explanation but the best part is,  if you listen closely,  Stuck’s, who is sitting in the Auto Union Silver Arrow Grand Prix car driven by his father,  reply to Block asking him if he will Hoon the Audi.

See ya next Thursday with more Ring Porn….

Sage advice at any time

Welcome Back

This time out, I have a few quick clicks from around town, some things found on the internets and visit to the Climb to the Clouds 2011. Hit the jump for more…

A rather lahge rear end for a Vee-Dub

First up is this singular image taken whilst crossing the Casco Bay Bridge. For those not familiar with this visage, it is the rear end of  VW Phaeton. I caught a rear 3/4 glimpse in traffic and endeavored to get a closer look. Sadly, this is as close as I could get. I note the California plate. I have never seen a Maine registered Phaeton.

Perhaps the rarest modern VW to be found in the US. Introduced in 2002, it represents VW’s semi successful attempt to enter the ‘super premium’ auto market which had long been the sole domain of companies such as Mercedes, Audi and Jaguar. It was the brainchild of Ferdinand Piëch, the strong willed Chairman of the Board and grandson of Ferdinand Porsche. Many consider the Phaeton to be Piëch’s answer to Mercedes decision to enter the European A class business which was one of VW’s strongest markets.

In American trim it boasted an immensely complex W-12 engine of 6.0 litres producing a whopping 600 bhp.

The Volkswagen W-12 engine

Sporting Wolfsburg’s 4-Motion all wheel drive, 5 or 6 peed automatics and a 4 zone climate control system, the Phaeton was a high tech cruiser which easily swallowed 4 people and all the baggage they could muster.

With a mere 2750 units sold in the US between 2003 and 2006, the Phaeton was destined to be a flop. VW, wisely, pulled the plug in the US after the 2005 model year.  The car is still sold in Europe.

Next up, we have news from the land of automotive stupidity.

When Audi resurrected the Bugatti name with the Veyron, I thought they had proven themselves capable of meeting the technological challenge whilst missing the stylistic mark completely. A 1000 bhp, 250+mph auto is nothing to sneeze at, even at a million dollars or more each.

Since then, Bugatti has proven themselves quite handy at making ever more unique and expensive versions of the Veyron that are quickly sold out. As the production of the model comes to an end, they have brought us what I think has to be the dumbest version yet. Can you say “Porcelain”?

Ahhh...Urrr...Umm... Really?

Did I mention it has porcelain fittings inside and out from Konigliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Berlin (KPM)?
No.?
Well, I must have mentioned it sells for 2.3 million dollars right?
And all the copies are sold?

As my father would say, “more money that smarts”…

Another interesting find in my fair city was this ride seen at my local hardware store.

A rare Volvo indeed

Behold, the Volvo 780 Bertone Coupe. The descendant of the famed 262C this was Volvo’s second attempt at dressing a staid Swedish car in a fancy Italian suit. In my mind, it was not as stylistically successful as the 262C

With 175 turbo charged horsepower, it was no barn stormer but it did decently for itself.  Total production was around 8700 units world wide thus making it a rare bird indeed.

Emblem also seen on Fiat’s, Ferrari’s, Alfa Romeo’s and more.

Finally, I close with some imagery from last week’s 2011 Climb to the Clouds. The first running of the famed hill climb in 10 years was a must see for me. A close friend and I drove up on Saturday and had a wonderful time.  Here are a few highlights.

Seen in the parking lot

Could be the best car there. 1973 or 74 911 RS 3.0. Sporting a cage, racing seats, 1974 Le Mans  entry sticker and a Brumos badge. This seemed like the real deal.

Nuff Said

Yeah. I said Race Truck

Mike Ryan’s Freightliner Cascadia Race Truck. Mike is a stunt driver who is regularly seen on Mythbusters. He normally competes at Pike Peak but chose to come to the Mountain this year.

Kurtis 500

Kim Eastman’s 1953 Kurtis 500S.  Love the headlight covers.

Wells Coyote

The famed Wells Coyote hill climb car.

A working interior

Interior of the Last Ditch Racing WRX Subaru

1933 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Zagato

1933 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Zagato ex Tazio Nuvolari. Driven by the Flying Mantuan at Le Mans that year. These cars change hands for multiples of millions now. This one came off the mountain after every run and went right into a carrier out of sight. The only car doing so.

Author with John Buffum

Lastly, the shot above is yours truly with rally legend John Buffum. I had no idea he would be there and would shake my hand and sign an autograph. Made my day