beer discussion, recipe: original post 9/12/2009

well, its official. all i need is my wort chiller and i am ready to go. today i went to the brew store and got everything i need.

i decided to not ferment in my bucket. i switched out my five gallon carboy for a six gallon one. i wanted six and a half but the store doesnt carry them. no big deal. if i am really that worried about it i can always cut down my wort volume a little bit. i got a blow off tube, i dont think i will have any problems. why did i decide to do this? i dont know. probably, as chris and brian have iterated before, it will just be fun to watch the fermentation.

i didnt think my store carried Wyeast, but they do. i got a liquid activator pack, strain 1056 American (http://www.wyeastlab.com/hb_yeaststrain_detail.cfm?ID=5). i meant to get American II which has a little higher fermentation temp but i didnt read the label correctly. or should i say, at all. i was kind of nervous. when i get nervous i do things that dont make sense. like not read the label on something i am buying. anyway, im sure it will be fine.

the recipe i am using called for four hop additions, the last being a steep. i decided i didnt need that one so i only got three packs of one ounce pelletized hops each of centennial, amarillo, and UK kent golding. before i went to the store i thought i wasnt going to go heavy on the hops but once i got there and saw the selection, i said to myself, "self, fuck it." remember that line cheech marin has in "from dusk till dawn?" if you can find it cheaper,...i dont know what that has to do with anything, maybe its the crappy lost coast brewery rasberry brown talking. so what the heck, maybe i'll have a hoppy brown ale. my maltiness just may offset it nicely.

speaking of maltiness, i also got my grains while i was out and about. the recipe i am working off of called for fifteen pounds of grain. that may be a little much for my mash tun, if so i just got thirteen lbs. i dont want to have to sparge or anything, so the more grain, the better. i ended up getting ten pounds of a domestic two row, one pound of dark crystal, one pound of Kara Amber, and one pound of dark Munich.

so, what do you all think?