Tofu Curry

 From March 1, 2009...  This is another one I really need to revisit.  It's sort of in the spirit of a thai curry, but uses almonds, rather than peanuts.   The sweet and spicy combination with the almonds and coconut milk really made this dish.
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1T butter
2t olive oil
2t walnut oil
1t sesame oil

1.8oz ginger, peeled & minced

1/2t black mustard seeds

whole spices:
1/8t anise seed
1t coriander
1t fenugreek
1t cumin
1t black pepper
3 cardamom pods
2 dried thai chilis

other spices:
1/4t cinnamon
1/4t allspice
1t turmeric
10 grinds nutmeg

1/3 cup ground almonds
1 can coconut milk
1 can water
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1.5T soy sauce

1/2t salt (to taste)

1 package nasoya fresh (not silken) tofu, cut into little cubish bits (1/2" x 1/2" x 1-1/2" bits or so)

Heat a pan on medium heat until it's hot. Add oil and butter. When butter has melted, and oils have mostly mixed, add onion, garlic, mustard seeds, and mushrooms. Stir occasionally until the onions are starting to carmelize (10 or 15 minutes). Add ginger and mix in and cook for about 1 minute. Meanwhile gather up the whole spices and grind them up. Mix in with the ground spices, and add the spice mixture to the hot stuff, and mix that in and cook for about 30 seconds. Add tho coconut milk, water, soy sauce, brown sugar, and ground almonds. Stir to mix up and bring to a simmer. Add tofu. Make sure tofu is covered with sauce, and return to simmer. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, then uncover and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve over rice.

Spent Grain Granola, Mark II

This is my second attempt at making a granola out of some leftover spent grain from a beer.     It seems like sort of a waste to just turn all of that grain into compost, and this is an interesting method of turning it into something edible.  I tried some other nuts before, and left out the peanut butter and wheat germ, and it was a bit loose, and a pain to eat, but it tasted really good.   I figured that the new ingredients would help bind it.   If that doesn't work, I may use some whole wheat flour or oat flour to help it stick together.

4 cups spent grain
2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 cup wheat germ
1/3 cup flaxseed meal
8oz honey (spring blossom, in this case) + 2-4 oz hot water to rinse honey bear
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Mix thoroughly and scoop into a 9x13 baking dish.   Bake at 350F for 40 minutes, stirring halfway through.   Let cool in the oven.

Roasted Root Stew

This was for a get-together with the Nashville Smial (Tolkien fan group) around January 24, 2009.   The idea was to make something that hobbits would eat, and I was trying to aim for something sort of seasonal, too, so I decided to go with some perennial herbs (rosemary & thyme can handle pretty chilly weather) as well as some that are easily dried, and root vegetables. I don't know if hobbits would have sea salt, black pepper, and olive oil, but that's OK. It turned out delicious, though. This makes 3-4 servings.


4oz onion quartered
.1oz garlic, crushed, mostly whole
3.3oz parsnip, peeled and cut into 2-3 inch lengths, 1/2 inch wide or so.
5.3oz turnips, peeled and cut into 1-2 inch cubes
4.7oz carrots, peeled and cut pretty much like the parsnip
11oz small red potatoes, quartered
.18oz rosemary
.18oz thyme
3 small bay leaves
1T dry parsley (fresh would be better, but i don't have a lot of that, so i'll use it for the real one)
3T olive oil
1t sea salt
20 grinds black pepper

Combine in dutch oven. stir so everything has some herbs and oil on it. Bake at 400F without lid for 40 minutes. Stir at least twice.  Be sure to remove the thyme and rosemary from their stems, since it's a bit of a pain to do that once everything is cooked.

Remove from oven and add:

1 large pinch dry basil
1T (mounded) tomato paste
1 cup red wine
1/4-1/2 cup water


Bring to a boil and let it simmer back down for 20-30 minutes, until the sauce is nice and thick.  Serve with some good crusty bread.

Black Eyed Peas

 I also made these for New Years, 2009.   This would also work well for the various cow peas and Lentils.   Again, the soy, butter, and smoke really help bring out the flavors of the peas.   Great with cornbread.
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8oz dry black-eyed peas
1/2 capful liquid smoke
1/2T butter
1 capful soy sauce
1 capful apple cider vinegar
kosher salt to taste
water to cover peas by 1-2 inches

bring to boil and simmer 50 minutes, or until soft, stirring occasionally

Greens

This is what I did for New Years 2009.   The combination of flavors and the butter gives them a good full flavor, without going overboard on any one thing.   This will work with kale, turnip greens, and mustard greens as well.  
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9oz collard greens (after cleaning and stemming), chopped into rough 2 inch squares
4 cups water
1/2 capful liquid smoke
2 capfulls soy sauce
1/2t sugar
1/2t red pepper flakes
1/2T butter
kosher salt to taste

bring to boil, cover and simmer 45 minutes, stirring every 15

Potato Soup

From December 21, 2008.   Potatoes and cream in soup.   It's a good soup that will "stick with you".

For some additional interesting flavor and texture, 5-10 minutes before serving, add ~8oz of imitation (or real) crab meat, or a few chopped-up stalks of broccoli (or both).  
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1T butter
2T olive oil

1 medium onion, diced
2 stalks of celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced

~2lbs of golden potatoes, diced
1/2 cup heavy cream
4.5 cups water

2-3T fresh parsley, chopped
black pepper to taste
1 vegetable bullion cube.

2oz cheddar cheese, grated
2oz monterey jack cheese, grated

In a large pot, got the oil & butter just up to the smoke point, and then added the onion, garlic, celery, carrots, and a dash of kosher salt, to help extract water. Sauteed all of those for a bit, and then added the potatoes, water, and cream (in that order). Ten I added the seasonings, and sprinkled the cheese into the pot while stirring. Brought it back to a low simmer and cooked on medium low for about 45 minutes.

Oatmeal Apple Cookies

From December 20, 2008.   This is my take on quaker's vanishing oatmeal cookies.  I mix the dry ingredients with a wire whisk in a steel bowl, and then everything else with a wooden spoon in a huge ceramic bowl that my grandmother gave me that probably has lead in the glaze. It never gets hot, though. I think most people would prefer a mixer, though, since getting the butter and sugar to a smooth consistency is a pain.

I'll also sometimes switch the apples out for other dried fruit and nuts.   just a cup of those combined.  (cherry & almond would be good in this).
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1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
2 cups Oats (quick, uncooked)
1 cups Oats (whole rolled, uncooked)
1 cup chopped sour apple


preparation
1. Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, beat margarine and sugars until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Add oats and apples; mix well.
2. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack. Cool completely. Store tightly covered.

Saison Sombre

I've been wanting to brew a Saison for about a year or so, so when I saw that the yeast I've been experimenting with is good for Saisons as well as Biere De Garde, I decided that now's the time to make one.   As I tend to do, though, I wanted to put my own little spin on it.   Saison is considered a "Farmhouse Ale", which is historically just a beer that was brewed in a farmhouse, for farm hands to drink for refreshment and energy.   The more modern versions are a little more "special", and are often quite a bit more alcoholic than the original beers would have been.   Mine is definitely on the modern side.  

After getting bitten a bit by a shortage of Candi Syrup earlier in the year, I wound up buying a whole lot of it when I was able to find some. So I thought I'd use some of that in it, since simple sugars are used to help dry these beers out. I was a big fan of Yazoo's Rye Saison, so I thought the rye character would be nice in it, and had a bit of rye malt left over after brewing the Rye Thing.  After plugging those things into ProMash, I decided that I wanted it more like the color of a Porter, so I added the last of the Carafa I had left over from something I did a while back, and some Caramunich 60 that I bought last year, thinking I would be making a Dubbel last year (I did, but it wound up being part of a partigyle).   So, based on all of that, I should wind up with a wort with some toffee, raisin, caramel, and some spiciness.   I have noticed some black peppery kind of spiciness in the two beers that I have fermented with this yeast, so that should add some interesting characteristics, as well.   I should also get some "earthiness" from the Styrian Goldings, and some more floral spiciness from the Saaz hops. 

For this fermentation, I'll be laying the spurs to the yeast during the later parts of fermentation.   The last two brews I have made with this, I have kept the temperature restrained, and only allowed it to rise to 70F during the last bit of primary fermentation, just to give it a diacetyl rest and keep it fermenting to the end, to dry them out.   Saisons are often fermented above 80F, and the Saison Dupont strain is known to get "stuck" even when fermented as high as 85F.  These temperatures encourage the various esters and phenols that the yeast produces to really come to the fore, and give it the interesting, complex fruity and spicy flavors that saison is known for.    

Saison Sombre

Batch Size (Gal): 6
Total Grain (Lbs): 14.69
Adjunct Sugar (Lbs): 1
Anticipated OG: 1.072
Anticipated SRM: 23.3
Anticipated IBU: 24.0
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70%
Wort Boil Time (min): 90

Grain
74.1% -- 12 lbs. French Pilsen Malt
9.3% -- 1.50 lbs. Fawcett Malted Rye
6.2% -- 1.00 lbs. Franco Belges Caramel Munich 60
1.2% -- 0.19 lbs. Weyermann De-Husked Carafa II
6.2% -- 1.0 lbs. Belgian Candi Syrup D2
3.1% -- 0.5 lbs Fruit Fast Montmorency Tart Cherry Syrup

Hops
1.25 oz. Styrian Goldings (Pellet, 5.20% AA) @ 60 min.
1.00 oz. US Saaz (Pellet, 5.80% AA) @ 0 min.

Extras
Whirlfloc - 1 tablet @ 10 min.

Yeast
Wyeast 3725 - PC Bier De Garde Yeast (repitched slurry)

Water Profile
Clearview, degassed overnight
~1/5 of the water was distilled, to soften the profile some.

Mash Schedule
Sacch. Rest: 70 min. @ 151F
Batch Sparge:  15 min. @ 162F


Notes

• Brewed on Saturday, April 16, 2011
• Totally forgot to add the syrup to the wort.   I guess I'll add it to the fermentor in a couple of days.   On the upside, that should help keep the yeast going, as well as improve the flavor that it gives to the beer.
• I'm still amazed by the fact that with the new pump and chiller, it takes 10-12 minutes to go from a full, rolling boil, to 80F.
• Chilled to around 64F
• Oxygen:  wide open for 50 count
• Pitched at 4:30PM
• OG: 1.061 (minus the syrup)
• 71F and blowing off at 7:00AM, Sunday morning.
• Raised temperature to 73F at 7:00AM Monday morning.
• Added 1/2 lb. cherry concentrate and 1lb. belgian candi D2 syrup boiled with 2 cups of water and then chilled to around fermentation temp.  9:00PM monday.
• Tuesday 7:30AM:  temperature was 74F.  Raised to 75F.
• Wednesday 7:00AM:  raised temperature to 77F.
• Thursday 7:00AM: raised temperature to 79F. 
• Friday 7:00AM: raised temperature to 80F.
• After a week or so at 80F, the temp control was removed and the beer was allowed to return to room temperature (~65F).   It spent 2 or 3 weeks in the primary fermentor, and then was moved to a secondary to warm age for a few weeks.
• Kegged on June 19, 2011

Vegetable Casserole

 From Dec. 10, 2008.   This was an attempt to make something tasty and reasonably healthy, that was also relatively easy to throw together.   It wound up being a whole lot like a pot-pie filling.   I need to revisit this one and actually put this inside a pie crust sometime...
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1 large potato, diced
1 large stalk of broccoli, chopped
1/2 of a large onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/3 cup brown rice

Some random frozen vegetables to fill the casserole dish, I used peas, limas, and some corn.

1 can of cream of mushroom soup
Water to fill aforementioned can 1.5 times
12 grates of sharp cheddar (2 oz, maybe?)
20 grinds of black pepper
1t thyme
1/4t cayenne

Get everything mixed well and bake with a lid at 425 for an hour. Take it out of the oven, crumble 10 saltines over the top of it, and return it to the oven for 20 minutes.

Thai-Style Tempeh and Asparagus

I cooked this on September 22, 2008.   I've made something similar a couple of times since, but I should really revisit this one this spring.   My comment when I wrote down the recipe:  "Tastes like summer."

Tempeh is one of the more interesting meat substitute type things.   Mostly (to me) due to the fact that it has some texture that tofu really can't reproduce.  

Remember that this is stir-fry, so have everything chopped up on a board next to the stove, ready to shove into the wok at a moment's notice.
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4oz tempeh

Marinade:
1/2t lime - juice
1/2t sesame oil
1T soy sauce
1T rice wine vinegar
1t hoisin sauce

Cut tempeh into sticks and marinate for at least 15 minutes, turning occasionally.

Sauce:
Outer part of the lower section of lemon grass stalk
1/4 veggie boullion cube
1/4 cup hot water
1T soy sauce
1T rice wine vinegar
1/2t sesame oil
1/2t lime -juice
1 1/2 t sugar
1/2 t ground white pepper

Flavor veggies:
1 thumb-sized knob of ginger, minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small thai hot pepper, diced
The heart of one lemon grass stalk

Veggies:
1/2 onion, chopped into sticklike pieces
6oz asparagus, after breaking ends off, cut into ~2" pieces
3 stalks of bok choy, leaves cut into 3" squares, stalks cut into piece of a similar size to the asparagus

finishing:
1/3 cup unsalted dry roasted cashews
2t of cornstarch in 2T of cold water, stirred up.

Put 1T of walnut oil (I thought I was buying peanut) into a wok, and got it hot. Added the marinated tempeh to the hot oil, and let it sit while I shook the pan around some, to keep it from sticking. After a minute or two, I turned the tempeh over and let
it cook for another minute or two, so it would get a nice little crust on both sides. It absorbed almost all of the oil, and I let it cook mostly dry for another 30-45 seconds before dumping it out to a rack. I added another tablespoon of walnut oil and got it hot, and then added all of the flavoring vegetables and stirred them around in the oil for 10-15 seconds (until they were fragrant, i.e. until the pepper made me cough) before adding the onion and bock choy stalks. I stir-fried that until the onions turned translucent, maybe a minute and a half, and then added the asparagus and stir-fried that for another minute and a half before returning the tempeh and adding the bok choy leaves. I continued to cook everything just until the leaves started to wilt, and added the sauce and cashews and let it cook for another minute. Then I re-stirred and added the cornstarch mixture and cooked for another 30 seconds before pulling it off of the heat.

Serve over brown rice.

Minestrone

From October 26, 2008.   I cooked this for my father and grandmother when they came to visit.  It's a fantastic soup, and it reheats well.   You could probably cut the simmer-time back to 30-45 minutes and have it for a weeknight meal, but it really is better with that extra time.

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Sautee these in 2-3 T of olive oil, and 1/2T of butter, with 1/2t of salt
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
3 medium carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, chopped

Once the vegetables are bright and the onions are translucent, add:
28oz can diced tomatoes
1 15oz can garbonzo beans
water to rinse both cans out + some more to get it to soup consistency
1 vegetable boullion cube
the leaves from 3 basil plant tops
a large handful of fresh spinach (2-3 oz)
1T dry parsley
1/2 t thyme
1/2 t dry rosemary
1/4 powdered oregano
1t dry marjoram
30 grinds of black pepper
1/2 t liquid smoke
1/2 t apple cider vinegar

Bring it all to a boil, and simmer for a couple of hours, for the flavors to meld.   Serve with fresh grated parmesan cheese and fresh cornbread from the oven.

Vegetable Pilaf and Pan Fried Shrimp

I spent some time racking my brain on Sunday, trying to figure out what I wanted to eat.   I had seen something interesting in food network magazine, but it wasn't entirely what I was looking for.   I also needed something more than just rice with beans and mushrooms.   So I swung by the store for a couple of things and made something up.







Preheat the oven to 350F


Combine:
1/2 oz dried shiitake mushrooms
1.5 cups water

Lid and bring to a boil, then remove from heat and let them sit for 20-30 minutes, while you deal with some other stuff.

If you don't have the means to roast a pepper, then some canned ones will probably do, but your kitchen won't fill up with that wonderful roasted pepper smell.

1/2 red bell pepper, roasted and diced
1 medium yellow onion, diced

1 carrot, diced
1 celery stalk, chopped small
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 lb. (a handful) snow peas, cut into short strips

Once the mushrooms are thoroughly soaked, cut the stems off and cut them into thin strips.   Reserve the liquid from the mushrooms and top up with water to 1.5 cups of liquid.   Add a bullion cube to it and heat this liquid while you do the next bit (so you don't crack your dish, if it's not metal).

Heat an oven safe dish with a lid, and add
1T olive oil

Sautee the vegetables (minus the mushrooms and snow peas) until the onions are translucent, but preferably not yet browning.  

Add 3/4 cup medium grain rice, and stir until the rice starts taking on some color.  Add the heated liquid, the mushrooms, the peas, and:

1t thyme
1t turmeric
2t parsley
black pepper to taste

Stir to get everything combined, lid it, and put into the oven to bake at 350F for 25 minutes.

Make sure your shrimp are peeled and deveined (mine were pre-frozen), and in a small container, combine:
1/3 cup AP flour
1T Old Bay Seasoning

Get a heavy skillet hot, and heat 1T butter and 1T olive oil in it.   As the oil heats, dredge the shrimp in the flour-spice mixture, just so they're reasonably coated.   You're going for a light crust.

Arrange the shrimp evenly around the pan, and cook 3-4 minutes on each side (6-8 minutes total), but just until they have some nice browning on the outside. 

If you've timed everything just right, the shrimp will be ready just as you take the pilaf out of the oven.

Make your own...

Salt Rising Bread

If you're into spontaneously fermented products, this is a wonderful sourdough-type bread.   It's got many of the same sour and "barnyard" flavors (trust me, it's better than it sounds) and smells that you'll find in a good sour beer.   My dad makes it fairly regularly, and I benefit from his efforts from time to time.

Cornbread

The Joy of Cooking that I have has approximately this on page 777, so you know it's God's Own Recipe.

Preheat oven to 450, with a cast-iron skillet inside

In a large mixing bowl, mix :
2 cups cornmeal
1t baking powder
1t baking soda
1/2t salt

Stir in (all at room temperature, if possible):
2 cups of buttermilk
2 large eggs

Just stir to get them mixed, not beaten like crazy or anything.

Toss a little butter into the skillet and wait for it to melt, and then pull the skillet out and pour in the batter. toss it back into the oven and bake for 25 minutes. when it's done, turn it out onto a cutting board and cut and serve while it's hot.

Apple Crisp

From September 23, 2008.   The John Brown apples (probably Jonathons) work excellently for this. I also usually put a little bit of lemon juice into the pan with the apples. Just a couple of tablespoons, so that it will coat the apples and keep them from turning brown before they get cooked. It's not really necessary, though. 

Yes, all of these cobblers are variations on the same thing.
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preheat oven: 400F

8x8 stainless baking pan, greased with butter wrapper.
1 stick butter, melted.
1t vanilla extract, add to butter when it is mostly melted

Mix these up together:
1/2 cup AP flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup quick oats
25 grinds of a nutmeg nut on my box grater (1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Add 1 large chicken egg to the dry stuff after it's been mixed, and combine all that and let it sit while you peel and chop enough apples to mostly fill the pan. Once you get that done, dump the crusty stuff in to the pan, and the pour the butter over the top of it all. Bake for 45 minutes, or until it's crispy and bubbling in the center.

Herb Mix For Vegetables

This is from August 10, 2008.   I made it specifically for taking with some friends on a camping trip.   It wound up going on a vegetable mix (potatoes, zucchini, squash, tomatoes, peppers), with some oil and a few ounces of Old Chub in a foil pouch, and then cooked in a fire pit for 20-30 minutes (basically, until the potatoes were cooked through).  Quite tasty.

It would also be good in scrambled eggs, baked fish, and probably in an herb bread, too.

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4t parsley
2t thyme
1t marjoram
1t basil
1/2t rosemary
1/2t tarragon
1/2t black pepper
1/2t kosher salt

Mix and put on whatever.

Hot Potato Casserole

 From August 5, 2008.   Essentially, this is just a variation on a classic, but it's a nice change of pace.   Especially if it's being served with something relatively bland.   I usually wind up making this sort of thing in a round corningware bowl, but it really gets cooked through better with something like a 9x13 dish.    The best part is the burned cheese around the edges.
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1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1-1/2t cajun seasoning
1 chipotle, chopped
potatoes to fill casserole dish
1/2t ground black pepper
3oz sour cream
1 can cream of mushroom soup
3-4oz shredded mexican quesadilla cheese

Mix it all up and put it in a casserole dish for long enough for the potatoes to get cooked. i did 35 minutes covered and 35 minutes uncovered (to get some cheese-char, but not too much) at 400, but i probably should have done 425.

My Biere De Garde

Reading "Farmhouse Ales" last year, I found that you could make a passable Biere De Garde using an American Hefeweizen yeast.   So, I tried it, and it wound up being my favorite beer of the summer.    A little too alcoholic to be a "Lawnmower Beer", but it had a nice malty flavor that was both sweet and dry at the same time.   You didn't notice that it was around 7% ABV until you got up to get another glass.   It is somewhat difficult to describe a beer from memory.  My dad described it as almost like an Irish Red, which is what he tends to drink when he's not having my homebrew.   I haven't had an Irish Red in a long time, so I can't really comment on the similarities, but he was drinking it 9-10 months after brewing, and I don't know how the flavors might have developed in the meantime.





The "secret" to brewing this style is low temperatures.   Mash low to extract as much fermentable sugar as possible.  Add additional simple sugar to get the alcohol up a little higher while keeping the body light and refreshing.   Ferment cool to keep the yeast from expressing too much fruit character.   When primary fermentation is done (10-14 days), put the fermenter into a refrigerator and age the beer on the yeast for 4-6 weeks (This final chilling process is the "Garde" in the name).

For today's session, I have modified the recipe from last summer slightly.  I have reduced the amount of grain to reflect the higher efficiencies that I've been getting with my new pump and copper manifold.   I am also using Turbinado Sugar, instead of white cane sugar, just because I don't want to pass up a chance to get some flavor into the beer.  Due to not keeping track of my inventory as well as I should, I'm also changing the bittering hops up slightly. I also decided to add a little bit of calcium chloride, which should help amplify the maltiness. Finally, I'm using the appropriate yeast this time (repitching a little less than half of the yeast cake from the Rye Thing): Wyeast 3725 PC Bier De Garde.

My Biere De Garde

Batch Size (Gal): 6
Total Grain (Lbs): 10.42
Adjunct Sugar (Lbs): 1
Anticipated OG: 1.063
Anticipated SRM: 10.0
Anticipated IBU: 23.7
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75%
Wort Boil Time (min): 90

Grain
75.4% -- 8.61 lbs. French Pilsen Malt
7.9% -- 0.91 lbs. Franco Belges Munich Malt
4.0% -- 0.45 lbs. Castle Special "B" Malt
4.0% -- 0.45 lbs. Castle Belgian Biscuit Malt
8.8% -- 1.0 lbs. Turbinado Sugar

Hops
0.50 oz. US Fuggle (Pellet, 5.10% AA) @ 60 min.
0.50 oz. Styrian Goldings (Pellet, 5.20% AA) @ 60 min.
0.25 oz. US Saaz (Pellet, 5.80% AA) @ 20 min. 

Extras
Whirlfloc - 1 tablet @ 10 min.

Yeast
Wyeast 3725 - PC Bier De Garde Yeast (repitched slurry)

Water Profile
Clearview, degassed overnight
Calcium Chloride -- 1/8t in the mash, 1/8t in the boil

Mash Schedule
Sacch. Rest: 90 min. @ 147F
Batch Sparge:  15 min. @ 165F 

Notes

• Brewed Saturday, April 2, 2011
• Initial mash temperature came to 149F, added some cold Milksick water to reduce the temperature some.
• Realized that I was out of Fuggle, so added some Styrian Goldings.   They're genetically similar, and still style-appropriate, so that should be fine.
• Somehow, I managed to get a pretty crappy efficiency this time.   The mash may have gotten too cool.   Also, inserting the chiller killed the boil, and it never recovered, as I was simultaneously running out of propane, and the wind kept blowing the flame out.
• OG: 1.050, but I got more than my volume.  So this will be a smaller, more drinkable BDG than my last one, I guess.   Honestly, that's OK.
• Pitched ~1/2 quart yeast slurry @ 9PM, temperature was 65F
• Sunday @ 7:30AM, temperature was 67F and kraeusen had started.   Moved blanket back to keep temperature from rising too much.
• Monday @ 7:30AM, temperature was 66F.   Replaced blanket, to hold heat in (I'm fermenting in a cellar which typically stays around 56F through the winter)
• Monday @ 7:30PM, it was still at 66F, so I pushed it up to 67F, to make sure the yeast stay active.
• Tuesday @5:30PM, I bumped it up another degree to 68F.   Trying to encourage the yeast to eat up their Diacetyl
• Wednesday @5:30PM, increased to 69F.
• Thursday @5:30PM, increased to 70F.  It will sit here until the middle of next week.
• Saturday April 16 @3:00PM , took carboy to upstairs closet, A/C is off, hopefully this will help finish it out.
• Tuesday April 19 @5:00PM, checked gravity, and it was at ~1.004, so set carboy in refrigerator for garding period.
• Tuesday May 23, racked to keg.