Ol' Yule Loggy

I drank a bunch of Sam Adams winter beers. They're great. I love the big beer with holiday spices. I just got the Jamil/Palmer recipe book so I figure I'll give this a go. Went to the homebrew shop in Eagle Rock since it was on the way home from the hospital. It was my second time there. The old guy is very condescending and degrading. It's not what he says, it's how he says it. I had the same experience as last time. My wife was ready to walk out the door right there. I won't be back.

Anyhow, here is the recipe.

19.5lbs Maris Otter
0.75lb Crystal 80L
0.25lb Black Patent

1oz Magnum 15.3% (Jamil calls for Horizon. Couldn't find it)

WLP013 London Ale (3 vials) - Mar-28-13 Lot#CTTPORCTP775-76-77

Servocyces
5.2
whirlfloc
O2 stone for 2 minutes (gonna be a big beer)

Cyrstal Gyser water

1/4 tsp clove
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon

1:33 - Got info entered into beer smith. Measured out the spices and put them outside. I had to cover them because they smelled too awesome. Also filled the CO2 tank. Gotta fill the propane tank next time too. Heating up the strike water now. I really need to remember to go over. Over is easier to fix. Also went and calibrated a steel thermometer. Used the boiling water as I was sterilizing the O2 stone.

Also just texted Kevin. And I got a case of Sam Adams winter beer.

8:25 - All done things went well. Kevin came over. We drank all the beer. He also helped put things away. I get hat he doesn't like just sitting there doing nothing but shit ends up in different places. I like shit to end up in the same place every time. I'm  busy cleaning stuff so it's not like he can ask for every little thing "where does this go."

I made sure to calibrate all the equipment today. The hydrometer and spectometer read 1.000 woth distilled water. The steel thermometer worked well once calibrated to boiling water. As a side note, the amount of steel exposed to the liquid makes a difference. Be consistent. I also think I dorked up my last glass thermometer. I think they don't like being swirled around haphazardly in the mash like I do. Pretty sure that's how I broke the last one too. 

Anyhow, pre-boil gravity was 1.065 which was not the 1.070 I needed. So we added some DME until we got to 1.069. Then we boiled for 90 minutes. We added hops 60min before flameout. Then added the spices at 10min before flameout. The wort tasted good.

Chilling was another thing that I learned. Kevin tried to convince me that faster is better. So we went faster. That burned through the ice faster for sure. But the prechiller temp never got very cold. I think slower is the way to go on chilling.

The OG when all was said and done was 1.092. I wanted 1.090 so this is good news. The beer now lives in the bathroom and I've opened the window to try and keep it cool.

It was nice having Kevin there today. Real laid back and chill. Ellie brought dinner form Bernadino's and ate it with us on the table she bought for work that has now been annexed as brew equipment. I claim eminent domain.