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Helles it is. The yeasts look like they will be ready for tomorrow. I am splitting the batch 3 ways. Using WLP 860, 835, and 833. Want to see which one shines in a Helles.
Just got the yeast today for a HUGE American IPA set for this weekend. First beer of the year, and first time using my new pump and Hop Rocket, and my new silicone hoses and cam-locks. Mop is at the ready…
Mops and buckets are often overlooked as to their importance. 
I had hoped to brew on the 1st but some travel and visits to see family took priority. That was all good as there was much quaffing and quality family hang time involved! So an English Pale Ale brew is scheduled for Friday. Then on down the list I will go. Pretty much every two to three weeks. I may have to sneak another APA or IPA in there. At some point after these I want to try brewing some Belgian Ales mixed in with the usual EPA/APA/IPA/Porter I like to regularly have on tap. I haven’t brewed a Classic American Pilsner before. I hope to have a beer like this as one of my regulars…
English Pale Ale - EKG
West Coast IPA
Imperial Stout to age in an Apple Brandy barrel.
Amarillo/Citra APA
London Porter (using brown malt)
Old Ale
Classic American Pilsner
American Wheat (This is really an APA with 25% red wheat. It’s my obligatory summer wheat brew).
Enjoy the day! Happy brewing in 2014!
I have been building lager starters (WY2308 Munich and WY2001 Urquell) for the last couple of weeks. They weren’t ready yesterday for New Year’s Day brewing, but will be this weekend. I have been brewing 10 gallon batches as of late, and splitting them into two fermentors with two different kinds of yeast.
I think a hoppy pilsner first, followed by mai-bock, and finishing either with baltic porter or a big triple bock with the lagers. Next up it is time for Belgians (WLP500 and WLP575). I want to start with a hoppy pale Belgian like Bink, then go from there.
With 4 weeks each in the primaries, I will stagger lager and Belgian ale brewing sessions every two weeks until March. Then I will get into some British bitters and American IPAs for the summer. When it warms up, a couple of saisons will also be in the queue.
I don’t usually plan my beers out that far in advance. It’s usually what I’m feeling or what I think will be good in a month or so. I plan to do a Maibock, then a brown ale. But it could change at any time. It’s too cool in my house for Wy1469 to properly attenuate I think (which is what I have for harvested ale yeast). Can’t raise it to 68. Which makes me think I should be brewing more lagers and steam/hybrid beers.
I usually use 1469 around 60-62F, and it has always attenuated quite well, IME. I obviously don’t know what your conditions are like, but thought I’d throw that out there.
Wow, I just don’t get it. I aerated with pure O2, pitched a starter for one and harvested yeast for the other, mashed at 153…had a 1.044 bitter stop at 1.014 and a 1.065 IPA is currently at 1.021 after a week and a half. I’m perplexed. The only thing I can think of is the fact that it’s a rather flocculent yeast and I can’t get temps above about 64 right now.
Hmm, that is weird. I pretty much make the same gravity brews as you have made, and they always finish at 1.010 or lower, even at that lower temp. Looks like you would indeed need to wait for higher temps to see if that is the culprit.
The only thing of interest that I have planned is an all-bine-dried hop version of Dennys RIPA.
Yep…really want to experiment with the brown. ???
Was going to brew xmas day but that fell through. Had everything ready to brew New Years eve- however, friends convinced me to venture out into the night. Next day the hangover was debilitating. SO I brewed yesterday. Split 11 gallons of Bock between S23 and WLP833.
This will be the year of the “Lager.” I will be concentrating on lager production primarily with quick batches of ale to fill in the holes.
The brewing goal this year is to be self sufficient beer-wise. What’s the point of having 16 kegs if you only use 4 at most? I’m filling them all!
I brewed my adambier and it is chugging away. I think I am going to try to knock out a lambic tomorrow or Sunday.
I want to hear your results on that bock Euge. I have a 2gal WLP833 starter going now and want to make a bock with it. I may make a helles with it first and then pitch the bock on that yeast cake. This is for 11gal batches.
Aside from my usual cast of production brewing (IPA, Dortmunder, Fest, etc, etc) i usually keep a running list of styles/recipes I don’t normally brew but want to get around to. This year its;
1). Imperial Black Rye PA
2). ESB
3). skotrat’s Scotch Ale
4). American Nut Brown Ale
5). Russian Imperial
I did well last year and accomplished brewing a Golden Bock, Blind Pig clone, Janet’s Brown Ale, and my Robust Porter which had not been brewed in over 2 years.
I brewed up 5 gallons of starter wort and froze it in 1 L portions on New Year’s Day. Set myself up for a year’s worth of brewing!
Since I’m kind of a planner, I actually have my year’s brewing all planned out with kits assembled. This year I’m scaling back to 3-gallon batches, so I can enjoy brewing more often and drinking a greater variety of beers. I’m kind of on a health and workout kick, so I need to be able to burn through the kegs fast enough so that I don’t get bored and also don’t become a lardo. 
Here’s what’s up:
RIS
Munich Helles
Scottish Heavy 70/-, Caramelized first runnings
Kolsch
American Rye Ale
Janet’s Brown Ale
Pliny the Toddler Session IPA
Crouch Vale Brewer’s Gold (Kris England)
Jamil’s American Amber
Odell 90/- clone
Black IPA
The Innkeeper
House IPA
Schwarzbier
Denny’s Rye IPA
Celebration Ale “homage” 
Vienna Lager
Here in MN, the governor just cancelled school for Monday since we’ll be around -30 to -60 statewide. I’m looking at a bonus 3-day weekend! Seriously considering rocking the double longjohns and throwing down an RIS or Munich Helles on Monday. You know you’re hooked on homebrewing when…
I keep seeing Denny’s RIPA on the lists…I promised that to a business associate, so it is definitely up soon for me, too. Gotta get some 1450 and check on my Centennial supply. That is a real crowd pleaser!
Testify my brotha!