Author Archives: scarp

Jimmy Dean copycat

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Original recipe from TSR: http://www.food.com/recipe/tsr-version-of-jimmy-dean-pork-breakfast-sausage-by-todd-wilbur-250325

INGREDIENTS

Sage

  • 16 ounces ground pork
  • 1 teaspoon salt No salt added if using Italian sausage
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon rubbed sage (or more)
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon fresh coarse ground black pepper
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon dried thyme (or more)
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon coriander
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon MSG (such as Accent flavor enhancer)

Hot

  • 16 ounces ground pork
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more)
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon rubbed sage
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon fresh coarse ground black pepper
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or more)
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon coriander
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon msg (such as Accent)

Maple

  • 16 ounces ground pork
  • 3 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon msg (such as Accent)
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon coriander

DIRECTIONS

Combine all ingredients for the flavor of your choice in a medium bowl.Form the sausage into patties and cook in a skillet over medium heat until brown.

Orange Double Chocolate Stout

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I sampled DuClaw’s Continuum #1: Blood Orange Gypsy recently.  While I liked the orange character, the rest of the beer let me wanting something different.  I’ve been looking to play with orange peel, orange zest, candied orange peel or even marmalade in a recipe lately.  In my research on orange additives for different styles, I came across an interesting Orange Double Chocolate Stout recipe posted to HBT a few years ago.  Not exactly what I was looking for, but it seems interesting enough to try.  I’ll at least learn a few things about orange additives in the process.

KinkOtheCarp’s Orange Double Chocolate Christmas Stout

For a 5-gallon batch

Ingredients

  • 7lb Light DME
  • 1lb Chocolate Malt
  • 1lb Crystal 120-150L
  • .5lb Malted Barley
  • .5lb Brown Sugar
  • 4oz lactose

Schedule

  • 60minutes – 2 oz chocolate
  • 60minutes – 1oz Challenger
  • 30minutes – 2 oz chocolate
  • 30minutes – .5oz Amarillo
  • 30minutes – .5oz Ahtanum
  • 0minutes – 4oz chocolate
  • 0minutes – 4oz lactose
  • 0minutes – 8oz brown sugar

Primary

  • 2 oranges pureed (everything including peels)
  • 4 oz chocolate

Secondary

  • 2 oranges pureed
  • 4oz Cold Brewed Chocolate Expresso
  • 2oz Oak Chips soaked in Grand Marnier (who woulda thought?)

Yeast: WY1214 Belgium Abbey

Source: http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/tried-true-orange-double-chocolate-stout-x-mas-139912/

Untitled Kolsh

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It’s been a while since I’ve brewed.

After the debacle with the refractometer, I’ve been lazy about brewing.  I’m not sure why, but something about the whole process just seemed to make me weary.  As it is, my pipeline is pretty full– I have three kegs on draft, and no burning desire to make more.  The thought of hauling out all the gear, cleaning it, sanitizing it.. just nnn’guh!  But!  Summer is nearly upon us and it’s time to start thinking about the summer brews.

And when I think of summer, now I think Kolsch.  I happened across the style my first time last summer, and got fixated on the simple clarity and creamy texture of the style.  This was a pale ale I could drink all day: not too alcoholic, light, creamy and perfectly hopped.  I had ideas for what I would do with a Kolsch if I ever made one.  Come October of last year I cobbled together a recipe based on German pilsner, Dextrine, Saaz and Tettnang hops, and then promptly hit the wall.  The kit sat, and sat, and sat.  Until today.

My first order of business was the yeast.  This packet of yeast was about 3 months old when it was delivered, and then sat in my fridge for another 7 months waiting for the day.  I wasn’t sure it was still viable.  But, it’s a smack pack, so I popped it before Memorial Day to see what happened, and for two days there was nothing.  Then, suddenly the pack swelled but I was too late: I had a road trip scheduled for that weekend.  Back into the fridge and hope the yeast stay healthy or another week.

Upon my return after Memorial Day weekend, I pitched the yeast into a 1200mL starter, figuring if the smack pack was old, then the surviving yeast could use a step-up.  The starter took off after a day, and went for 48 hours.  I waived off on a Saturday brew day (I was feeling tired and lazy) so I cold crashed the starter in preparation of  Sunday brew day.

And what a brew day it ended up being!  Glorious weather (clear, dry, 75 degrees and sunny!), and a brew session by the numbers. I hit every number on the brew sheet for temperature, volume, gravity and time.  The session went like it was on rails, and I could not have been happier.  Finally, I pitched the yeast and had the strongest fermentation I think I’ve ever seen with my process.  It hit the highest krausen I’ve ever seen overnight tonight, and I could not be happier.  The color, smell and taste are fantastic for an unfermented beer.  I cannot wait til this one is done.

On refractometers and systemic errors

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Allow me to be the first to say, “rookie move.”

I mentioned in a prior post that I have been chasing a mysterious loss of efficiency in my brew process lately. About a year ago, I acquired a bunch of new equipment and more or less completely changed my brew day process.  Around that time, I started using fly sparging instead of batch sparging. I started using BeerSmith 2 to design and track my brews.  I also acquired a refractometer that I began using to monitor my mash process.  It was about that time I also noticed that my efficiency seemed low for some reason.  It seemed reasonable to me that it probably had something to do with the process I was using around the new equipment, and I started to fuss over my gear.  Was the sparge arm really working out for me?  What a waste of cash!  Is the crush right?  Try a different brew shop, and another, and another!  Are my thermometers reading right?  Get new thermometers!  Calibrate all the things!  Then I started to obsess over the numbers.  I was always 15-20 points low on my gravities. I started to dread brew days.  I obsessed over little mistakes, which in my mind became the reason this particular brew fell flat.  I was making some great beer, sure, but I knew it wasn’t what it could have been.  That IPA of mine that you liked was really supposed to be an IIPA. It felt like I was serving lies, and it made me sad.

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Maple, Bacon and Bourbon Turkey fry!

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I volunteered to contribute a fried turkey to our Festivus staff lunch today, and had planned to fry the bird on site. The logistics of carting along the fryer, propane, carving kit and work table were complicated by rain in the forecast. I didn’t feel comfortable frying under the overhang on our loading dock, and didn’t want to stain the concrete. I was feeling too lazy to bring a canopy along, so I just did the fry at home and brought the hot bird in.  I had wanted to share the process with some of the guys at the office, so I took some shots and video for them. 

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Maple bacon bourbon brine

The brine was the best part. I adapted another recipe I had and brined the bird overnight. It’d make a great injection marinade as well.

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Rain in the forecast, frying under a canopy

It’s always a little dodgy running a hot fryer under a cannot like this. The vinyl cloth gets soft and sags, collecting rain water. I really need to get a new canopy. Still, this did the trick for today.  That’s my 110k BTU burner under there.

Keggle time!

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Kegs for conversion

Two kegs for conversion to kettle and mash tun!

 

I scored a pair of half barrel kegs from a friend and benefactor, and am working on two conversion projects. The first, my brew kettle, is more or less done. That was a quick 20 minutes’ work with a pencil, angle grinder and drill.  Next brew day will be conducted without any fears of boil over.

My other project is a mash tun conversion. In researching electric brewing, I came across a few electric RIMS mash tun designs that look interesting. There are also options to invert the Sanke fitting and use it as a bottom drain. Between that and the potential for future RIMS brew kettle conversion, I think I should start planning for indoor brewing.

Brew kettle

Top of the new brew keggle. Notice the tapped hole for the fitting at the bottom

 

I wasn’t looking to scale up. Why do I always do this to myself?

Cask ESB, part 2

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Casking the ESB

The ESB is done fermenting, and came down to 1.012, about 6% ABV. Its a beautiful, clear copper red. The sample tastes great! Very balanced, slight bitter on the back.

I drilled out the hole in the cask, and was greeted with a sweet smell of toast and bourbon.  Letting the carboy settle a bit after I moved it before I rack the beer into the cask.

I’m really excited about this one. I might just  bottle it instead of kegging, just to have it around for a bit longer.