Beer recipes

I am still learning how to brew my own beer, but I am getting better and figured I would share some recipes that have worked well for me and/or might interest someone else. I brew like I cook, a minimal amount of exact measuring and temperature control, and a lot of 'wonder what this will do?'. I generally start with a malt kit, add some extra grain and hops, and whatever else catches my fancy. I am starting to pay more attention to the SG recently, because I am trying to figure out how accurate the brew calculator on the Brew Craft website is.

"Pucker Up" - Heavy Hop Porter
I brewed this one back in December '05, and am just drinking the last of the bottles now (April '06). It is a fairly complex beer, but the taste has remained consistent. I had a bunch of grains left over from a stout, and some Saaz hops from a pilsner, and I decided to just used them all up. It turned out to be extremely dry (hence the 'pucker up') from the hops, though not overly burnt tasting. According to the 'beer calculator', the Orig. SG should have been 1.077 and the Final SG 1.023, giving it an alcohol content of 8%, but I am fairly sure it isn't much above 6%.

Ingredients:
- 2.5kg equal parts of Black Patent Porter Malt, Roasted Barley, and Chocolate Malt
- 2x 1.7kg Mac's Triple Malt Dark beer kits
- 50grams Brewer's Choice Czech Saaz hop pellets

Steps:
1) Boil all grains with 4 litres water slowly for 1/2 hour, while warming the malt kits.
2) Remove some of the grain from the pot, add the hop pellets, and continue boiling for 15 minutes, while priming the yeast (included with the malt kits).
3) Filter the grains and hops, add remaining water, malt kits, and yeast to the fermenter along with enough cold water to fill it to 20 litres.
4) After 8 days, switch the beer to a glass carboy for secondary fermentation.
5) Few days later (I left it for 3), mix with 120grams of sugar, and bottle.

"Wild Bromb-Ale" - Mac's Pale Ale II (blackberry style)
I brewed this one in February, and the taste never quite matured, even though I am almost through drinking it (April '06). I still had some Saaz hops left, so I decided to just make a hopped Mac's Pale Ale. When I bottled it, it had a distinct wild blackberry aroma and flavour, probably from the hops. It still has quite a fruity flavour, but it isn't quite as blackberry like as before. It has never tasted 'finished' though. Supposedly this should have been OSG=1.057 and FSG=1.015, and 6.3%ABV, but I kinda doubt it.

Ingredients:
- 2x 1.7kg Mac's Pale Ale beer kits
- 30grams Brewer's Choice Czech Saaz hop pellets

Steps:
1) Boil the hops with 3 litres water slowly for 1/2 hour, while warming the malt kits.
2) Filter the hops, add remaining water, malt kits, and yeast to the fermenter along with enough cold water to fill it to 20 litres.
3) After 6 days, switch the beer to a glass carboy for secondary fermentation.
5) Few days later (I left it for 4), mix with 120grams of sugar, and bottle.

Satan Doesn't Ice Skate

Well, I was hoping to have a really exciting update from some crazy, busy, climbing filled, long holiday weekend, but it is Monday, raining, and I am back at work.
On a very very positive note though, I finally nailed my very first FA (first ascent) of a climbing route. This route has been on my ticklist for over 2 months, but between wet weather and other projects, I hadn't gotten around to leading it until Saturday. I have named it Satan Doesn't Ice Skate, and it is marked in the photo in green. The name came to me after Gary named his route (marked in pink) When Hell Froze Over (yes, it was really cold that day!). I wish I could say I did the route in style, tiptoeing my way up the beginning, then powering my way through the roof, occasinally stopping to put in the odd bit of gear from the minimal selection hanging off my harness.
But.......I can't......
In reality, I hadn't climbed anything higher than a metre in 2 solid weeks, and I had been suffering with a very tiring cold all week. So, needless to say, I wasn't in the best shape to be climbing in on Saturday.
I knew from having toproped and cleaned the route a few weeks back, that I was going to need a fair selection of cams, mostly in the smallish range (but above the roof was a wide bit, so I took the #3 too). Then, there was that ragged crack a bit below the roof, which seemed to scream, 'put a tricam or 3 in me', but I couldn't remember what size(s), so I just racked up all 8. Of course the standard wires and lowe balls had to be taken, and just so I wouldn't run out, 15 draws. I could barely stand up.
I decided that Saturday was going to be my day no matter what anyway, so away I went. I slotted the first nut before even leaving the ground, took 2 steps and slotted the second nut. I tried to make the next move, started shaking, got off balance, started running out of strength, and decided to take a rest. 2 steps back down, and I was where I had just started from, this wasn't going very well. I calmed myself and came up with a game plan for how to get through the first crux, which is really only a slightly awkward move past the 2nd nut. I made it! That wasn't so bad. I was still shaking like a leaf, but at least the holds were now much bigger and the rest ledge was in sight. As long as I kept my balance, I would be fine. Gary, between his words of encouragment, starts telling me how the rattling and clanking caused by my shaking reminded him of his grandmother's old china cabinet. I guess he was just trying to lighten the mood...
I made it to the ledge, set a tricam, and started to feel a bit better. At least I stopped shaking, mostly. After a good long rest, and setting a more than redundant crux protection 'piece', it was time for the roof! Try #1=a quick look at the crux, and back down to the ledge. Try #2=fully into the crux, try the #3 cam, too small,try slinging the chockstone, too tight, damn, back down to the ledge. Turns out, down climbing the crux of the route isn't easy, but is doable if you want the FA bad enough. Had a quick think, and realised that having a #4 cam to protect the moves over the lip was the only way I was going to get through this. Thankfully I could stand on the ledge, and haul it up. Also turns out that all but the smallest 3 tricams are too big to be of any use. So, now with a #4 in tow, I leave the largest 5 tricams and the #3 cam hanging at the ledge. Try #3=up, place cam, and whoohoo, away we go! 16 pieces of gear in total placed, and 12 draws later, I had finally climbed 'my route'.
Now I have my eye on this crack at the very end of the crag.....