This amber ale is Mainstreet’s Fat Tire clone.  Not very original, I know.  Fat Tire was one of the two beers that got turned onto the craft beer scene (the other was McMenamin’s Ruby).  All I’m looking for is a very drinkable beer that I don’t have to think about too much.  I also think there’s something to be said for working on improving my consistency in brewing process.  This time around I’m using the New Belgium Fat Tire yeast (from Wyeast) and a yeast starter.  I’m also paying attention to the temperature when I pitch the yeast and getting a better cold break.

Amber Ale recipe
8lbs light malt extract
1lb CaraMunich malt
8 oz Special B malt
2oz Willamette hops (4.5% alpha) - (1oz @ 60, 1/2oz @ 15, 1/2oz @ 5)
Wyeast Fat Tire Ale

It has a very nice pale color (not quite amber) and nice hop aroma.  I would say it is somewhere between a lightly hopped pale ale and a modest IPA.

Farmhouse Ales: Culture and Craftsmanship in the Belgian Tradition

Brewing Classic Styles: 80 Winning Recipes Anyone Can Brew

Radical Brewing: Recipes, Tales and World-Altering Meditations in a Glass

I’m pretty excited about all of them.   One of the things I’m going to try this summer is growing my own hops.  From what I’ve read, they won’t produce much this first year, but it should be a fun experiment.

The only bad news from this weekend is that I discovered that my other keg is leaking somewhere.  Thankfully, it was almost empty.  It’s probably just a bad o-ring.  I’ll fix it for next time.

I’ve been reading a little on the web about yeast starters and I’m amazed by the variety in information out there. A lot of the information recommended using Erlenmeyer flasks and stir plates - I’m sure that’s probably the “right” way to do it, but it seems like overkill for the average homebrewer. My process seemed to work ok.

I added about a half pound of dried malt extract to 2.5 quarts of water and boiled it for 15 minutes. I added a pinch of hops for good measure. I cooled the whole thing in an ice bath and then I poured into a gallon jug. I used a normal stopper and airlock. After about 48 hours it was bubbling along pretty nicely - I added the whole 2 quarts to my cooled wort. It started fermenting in about 8-10 hours, as opposed to 24-36 hours like it has lately.

One little mistake I made was topping my primary fermenter off to a full 5 gallons before I added my starter. That wasn’t a problem until I went to rack into the secondary and I had more liquid than I could fit in. Oops.

Otherwise the process worked really well and I’m going to make it a regular part of my brewing.

This is a great reference on uncomplicated yeast starters from Main Street Homebrew Supply.

The california common was ready to be racked to the secondary and dry hoppped.  It was a little more bitter than I expected, but still good.  It’ll be interesting to see what happens in the secondary.  I’m going to bottle this one - I discovered that my spare fridge in the garage can only store two corny’s.  It’s a side-by-side and I don’t think I could get three in there.  But it’ll be good to have some beer than I can easily share.

I think its time to brew another dark beer.  I’m thinking about trying a nut brown ale…or maybe another stout and throwing some oak chips in.  It seems everything these days is oaked.

Kegging 1 of 4
Kegging 2 of 4
Kegging 3 of 4
Kegging 4 of 4

He also has a series on all grain brewing. I haven’t watched them, but if the production quality matches the kegging videos, I’m sure they’re great.

• First batch - Black Butte Porter clone.  I used a primary fermenter only with a blow-off tube.  I ditched the blow-off tube after this batch.
• Favorite beer - Either the Lake Sabrina Pale Ale or the Midwinter Porter.
• Number of batches brewed - 12.
• Biggest mistake - bottling my raspberry wheat beer before it was done fermenting.  I had a foamer on my hands - it still tasted good, though.
• Biggest disappointment - West Coast Stout.  I racked it from the primary too soon (stupid mistake, boring story) which left it way too malty for my taste.
• Best inexpensive purchase - my bottle filler.  I bottled my first batch using this little clamp on the hose.  It was messy and a royal pain.  The $3.50 I spent on the bottle filler was a very good investment.
• Best expensive purchase - my cornelius keg.
• Best lesson learned - Relax, don’t worry, have a homebrew!
• Goals for the next year: brew some new styles of beer, get the equipment to do full volume boils, move in the direction of all grain or partial mash brewing, and continue to have fun.

Anyway - onward!

I’m very excited to try it - hopefully it was worth the wait (and the price - $10 for a 22oz bottle!).