Hop Harvest Ale: Brewday & Recipe

Seems that just a few weeks ago (as it happens this time of year), with the advent of the hop harvest, fresh hopped beers were all the rage. This is not to say that they are not and would not be all the rage if there were still fresh hops to be had. In my neck of the woods, however, there are no longer any fresh hops to be had. The changing of the seasons ushers us from the Marzen-Vienna-Oktoberfests, pale ales, and lagers of Summer and early Fall into the stouts, porters, DIPAs, and barleywines of impending Winter. Enter the Harvest Ale, a beer of autumnal tradition that has historically used freshly harvested ingredients. This traditional style does not have to be particularly hoppy, though most commercial fresh hop beers seem to be more hop forward.

I wanted to create a beer along these same lines with my fresh Chinook and Nugget hops, a low-gravity, session pale ale. Because I had to travel 3 hours one-way to harvest my hops, I had no desire to deal with the time and logistics required for an all-grain brew. Instead, I opted for extract. Originally, I had it in mind to make a double IPA, but decided even that would be too involved. A very simple recipe resulted.

Before I get into the recipe, I want to give credit to my friends, Galen & Archie Strole, who took care of my hops after I moved from Illinois to Michigan this Summer. I also got their help with harvesting the hops for this beer, as well as the use of some of their equipment for the brewing of this beer. I got to Illinois late afternoon on brewday and met Galen & Archie. Apparently a storm was brewing to the north, so we got right to work harvesting the hops. Here are some pics of the storm and our harvesting efforts. The pics don't really do justice to the weather, but notice how dark some of the pics are as well as how blurry. We were really trying to work quickly and dodge lightning bolts as we picked hop cones next to 18 ft. vertical steel poles.

For this recipe, my goal was to use a small bittering charge, and throw in a whole bunch of fresh hops at the end for a hop stand. I picked half a 5-gallon bucket full of cones, mostly Chinook and a few Nuggets.

Here is a nice pic of my hop stand:

We had a few homebrews during the boil. Here's one of my Pilsners:

And one of their cranberry wheat beers (I think. I know it was some kind of fruit. Like I said, we had a few homebrews.):

After the hop stand, it was time to chill down the wort.

Here is the recipe:

Hop Harvest Ale:

5 gallon batch; OG: 1.045; ABV: 3.9%; BU: 45 (not including isomerization of hop oils during hop stand)

Extract:

3.3# Light LME
3.3# Amber LME

Hops:

1.00 oz. Simcoe (13.2%) FWH (first wort hop) @ 60 min.
approx. a 1/2 full 5-gallon bucket fresh picked Chinook and Nugget hop cones
0.50 oz. Citra (14.1%) Dry-hop 7 days

Yeast:

Fermentis US-05

Procedures:

Add one can LME as water comes to a boil. Add second can LME with 15 min. remaining (to get better hop utilization). Add first wort hops right away. Boil 60 minutes. Add fresh hops at flameout. Let steep covered for 30 minutes. Chill wort to pitching temperature. Ferment in the low-to-mid 60sF. Add dry hop charge in secondary or when primary fermentation is complete.

I'll save the boring tasting notes for another beer. You've sucked on a fresh C-hop cone, right? It tastes kinda like that. Citrus, pine, mango, bitter, spice, low-carbed cool, soft refreshment. Until next time, Be Fermentive!

Jaden James Brewery: The Little Brewery That Does

In my ongoing series of posts exploring Grand Rapids area breweries I have tried to discover each brewery's unique attributes. Jaden James microbrewery has been one of my more surprising finds. At first blush, one would not even recognize this "urban winery," microbrewery, tasting room, and home vintner/brewing supplies retailer for what it is. Located in a commercial/industrial park, it is non-descript save some white lettering that reads, "Cascade Winery," on the front of the suite facing a four-lane, divided highway near the Gerald R. Ford Airport. In the smallish tasting room, patrons stand around a U-shaped bar or sit at a few adjacent tables. Award winning wines, glassware, decor, and accessories are also available for sale in this area. A bookable party room with many more tables and another room with home vintner and brewing supplies is located off the main tasting room. Wines are poured at the bar and beer is served from taps in a kitchen behind the main bar. Decor is somewhat spartan, but includes wine-related signs and a hand-painted mural of various grape varietals.

Though I cannot fully vouch for their wine (not my area, but what I've had, including a chocolate and jalapeno wine, yes, that's right jalapeno wine, was tasty), their beer is quite good. For it's size, Jaden James brewery makes some of the best ales and lagers I have tried in the greater GR area. I introduced myself to one of the owners, Bob, who aspires to "have the smallest brewery in Michigan." Jaden James' beer is only available at the brewery, served in glasses, howlers, or growlers. Rose, another owner, manages the bar and is great to chat with. There is also Roger, who makes wine and cider, runs marathons, and does some of the brewing. There is also a brewer who does most of the brewing (I believe), but I have not met him. From what I've gathered on several visits, they have a 2-barrel brewhouse and have genuine lagering capabilities (the Oktoberfest and Black Lager are both very nice). Regular offerings include a Gluten-free beer, Cream Ale, one or two lagers, an India Pale Ale (90 IBUs and as good as I've had in these parts), four flavors of hard cider, and a root beer. Rotating and seasonal offerings I've enjoyed include a Rye IPA, India Brown Ale, Little Full Lotta Sap (a tree beer brewed with a pine branch; sounds strange, but pretty good), and a Russian Stout (their most popular beer and very good).

I see Jaden James/Cascade Winery as a great place to go if you are a beginner to the world of craft beer, or to take friends who like wine or cider but aren't sure about beer. This place has it all, and it's all good. When I have been in attendance, I've seen several parties of Groupon-ers come and go. So, because it's a small place and infrequently crowded, it can be fun to listen to what people are saying about what they are drinking. Unlike other places I've been in the city, there is a very low (or non-existent) snob factor to tarnish the drinking experience. Jaden James has Happy Hour on Thursdays 4-8 with $1 off 12 oz. and 16 oz. beers. Rose frequently offers free pretzels to snack on, but chips, crackers, cheese, and salsa are also available for sale. Tuesdays are $2 off growler fills, which I've taken advantage of once so far. I have a lot of my own beer at home to drink though, so I doubt I'll be indulging much in the near future. Overall, Jaden James seems to be my kind of place. Great beer, cider, and wine; a bright, cheery atmosphere; friendly owners, employees, and patrons; and, a convenient location and prices that keep me coming back. Here's some pics of some of their beer and cider in action.

International Stout Day: A Recipe and Tasting Notes

So apparently today is "International Stout Day," whatever that means. I guess, for me, that means I'm going to post a stout recipe. But not just any stout recipe. A great big ol' Smoked Rosemary Russian Imperial Stout. It's quite a mouth full. That's what she said? This was back when I brewed with less restraint, so the original beer included grain, LME, honey, and the boiled down third runnings of another (now forgotten) dark beer (there's also enough oats to make it an oatmeal stout). As such, some of the ingredient types and amounts are estimates. I will not be offended (much) by your substitutions or omissions. Enjoy!

Smoked Rosemary Russian Imperial Stout-5 gallon batch

Est. OG:  1.120  BU:  50  13.2% ABV

Grist:

5.5# Maris Otter
3# Flaked Oats
3# Cherry wood smoked malt
2# White wheat malt
.75# Crystal 80
.75# Roasted Barley
.50# Chocolate wheat malt
2# Pilsner LME
1# Amber LME
1# Honey (secondary)
Hops (spices):

3 oz. Willamette (5.5%) @ 60 min.
1 oz. Willamette (5.5%) @ 5 min.
5 g. Fresh rosemary @ 5 min.
1 approx. 5 in. sprig fresh rosemary (secondary)

Yeast:

Safale S-04 English Ale Yeast (make a large starter or use multiple sachets)

Procedures:

Beta glucanase rest @ 118F for 15 min.
Protein rest @ 122F for 20 min
Saccharification rest @ 154F for 40 min.

I achieved these steps by adding volumes of hot water, but one could also achieve similar results by increasing the full mash temp via RIMS, HERMS, direct heat, etc.

For the oats:  Buy bulk "old-fashioned" oats from grocery or natural/health food store, etc. Spray with water so they are rather damp, but not soupy. Put oats in oven safe bag (turkey bag) and seal tightly. Place in oven at 140F-160F for 30-40 min. Remove oats. Spread on cookie sheet(s). Place in oven at ~300F until golden brown. This method gives them an almost oatmeal cookie flavor and adds complexity to the beer.

Tasting Notes:

I brewed this beer the end of January 2012, so that makes this last bottle (I think, anyway) roughly 1 year, 8 months old. Early on, I recall the beer being quite cough syrup-y (from the smoked malt) and medicinal (the rosemary didn't diminish that). It's rather bitter, too, so the roasted malt had to work quite hard to push through. Definitely more of a "hey, taste this crazy, over-the-top beer I brewed" beer than an enjoyable, sip-it-slowly-because-you-want-it-to-last beer. The alcohol was hot, the flavors too bold, the hops too forward. With age, however, let's just say the beer is still all of those things, but SO much better.

Appearance-DARK brown, with reddish highlights at the edge of the glass. Despite rather high carbonation, a 3/4"-1" medium-bubbled head compacts to a lasting 1/2" tan head that clings to the glass in sticky lacing.

Smell-spicy, molasses cookie, sweet, low alcohol aroma, menthol, almost Andes mint chocolate but not quite.

Taste-still cough syrup-y, but not nearly as much as in the past; that can't-quite-put-my-finger-on-it Christmas-y, spicy but not cinnamon or ginger flavor, perhaps some woody elements; slight carbonic bite; bitter, dark chocolate; roasted malt; hops come through, but fairly well-balanced after the cherry fades; flavors linger.

Mouthfeel-Beautifully soft despite the high carbonation; silky, viscous, mouth-coating; warming in back of throat; pleasant tongue tingle.

Overall-I'm quite pleased with how this has aged. The body has lightened, but a softness remains. The flavors have married and are balanced, with cherry smoke being more forward. This beer is not for everyone, but (in fairness) my wife seems to enjoy it just fine. At this age, it is also dangerous. Light enough to be quaffable for a big beer, but hides its 13.2% like a 6%-8% beer. Try it! You might like it! Be Fermentive!