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| This photo makes the beer look more amber than it really is. The calculated SRM = 6. |
I have upgraded and changed equipment in the last year and had to adjust the recipe. I have added a blichmann Hop Rocket and Therminator. Therefore, I have had to udjust my preboil volume to account for the loss in volume in both pieces of equipment. On top of that I add an additional gallon of to the preboil volume to account for wort lost to wet hop absorption. I have heard many brewer say that do not loose any volume to wet hops, but I have found the opposite. A 1:1 ratio of wet hops: additional gallons of preboil wort is the equation I use when brewing wet hopped beers.
The majority of the grist is US 2-Row. There is a healthy dose Rye Malt, some Vienna Malt, and Crystal 20L for color and mouthfeel.
The second change from last year is that I am using my own hops. I harvested a little over a pound of fresh, wet Centennial hop cones from my first year plant. I was actually shocked I ended up with so many hops due to the mild and overcast summer we had in Southern Michigan. I ended up using the a whole pound in this beer: 12 oz steeped at the end of the boil and 4 oz in the hop rocket on the way to the chiller. I supplemented the rest of the hops with pellets.
Again this is a hoppy, crisp beer for the end of summer. Now that the keg is tapped, I am looking forward to 2016 Rye IPA.
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| Centennial Hops on the vine. If the tips of the cones turning brown and feel "papery", they're ready to be picked. |
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