Westside California Common

This started out as a classic California Common, which is golden-to-amber in color, but I misread the recipe guide, and used 2 pounds of  chocolate malt instead of 2 ounces.  Luckily, the chocolate malt provided a nice roasty character that gave this beer a coffee-like back-end, without the burnt aftertaste.  Surprisingly balanced and smooth given the mistake.  Delightful!

• 7 lbs. light LME
• 1.1 lbs. Munich LME
• 1 lb. Crystal 40L
• ½ lb. Victory malt
• 2 lbs. Chocolate malt
• 1 oz. Northern Brewer 6.5% AAU (bittering)
• 1.5 oz. NB (flavor)
• 1.5 oz. NB (aroma)
• Wyeast 2112 California Lager, fermented at 62° with diacetyl rest at 68°, then lagered at 36°

Homebrewing is often about experimentation, sometimes accidental.  Here, I accidentally brewed a German Schwarzbier, which is a dark, roasty lager.  Not usually as dark and roasty as this one, but close.  The color here is closer to a Russian Imperial Stout, including the slight sweetness and high alcohol.  This one just gets better with age.

Brewed August 2011 and bottled September 2011

Dub Siren Saison

This is a Belgian/French Strong Ale done with the classic Saison Du Pont yeast.  With the acidulated malt, wheat and the bitter orange peel, it has the tart mouth of a classic Wit, but the wonderful phenolic nose of a Saison, plus a pepper bite.  Also, because I couldn’t get the DuPont strain to finish low enough, I brewed-up a Belgian Ardennes starter about three-quarters of the way through fermentation, and pitched that to get the beer to finish, so it also has a little bit of that Belgian funk present.  Think Avery White Rascal crossed with a Belgian Triple and you get close.  The recipe is the Saison Etè from the Woodland Hills HBWC Shop.

• 4 oz. German acid malt
• 12 oz. German wheat malt
• 8 oz. German Vienna
• 9 lbs. pale liquid malt extract
• 1 lb. Belgian rock candy sugar
• 1.65 oz. Styrian Goldings hops (bittering)
• 2 oz. Czech Saaz (aroma)
• 1 tsp. coriander seed
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorn
• 1/2 oz. bitter orange peel
• Fermented with Wyeast 3724 Saison yeast at 68-80, then finished with Wyeast 3522 Belgian Ardennes.

For the label, I started with a Mermaid theme, but found this wonderful Club-Princess mermaid and just cropped the top third of the photo, and “dubbed” her the Dub Siren.  It just felt right.  The QR code takes you here.

Brewed:  June 2011 from a birthday gift, and Bottled July 2011.  Excellent result, will definitely brew again.  Wife loves it.