1 brown.

Brew Day! Muir's Birthday Ale

11 pounds Belgian pale ale malt
1.5 pounds 60 degree Lovibond Crystal

3.5 gallons 145 degree water - initial mash temperature 130 degrees.

remove/add hot water/wort, bring to 145 degrees at 45 minutes.

8 gallons 170 degree sparge at 90 minutes.

Boil to 5.2 gallons

16 gm German Hallertau Tradition 2005 6.2% alpha acid 45 minutes
12 gm NZ 2008 Hallertau 7.4% alpha acid 45 minutes

Wyeast 1007 German Ale yeast (Munich ale)

o.g. 1.072 - target 7.5% ABV

Boiled a bit longer than intended. If yeast takes this to the same f.g. as last time I made this beer ABV will be 8.1%.

I've got a strong incentive to learn how to use my counterflow bottling setup. I tried bottling stout for the Sam Adams Longshot contest last year; one of the deficits in the bottles I submitted was lack of carbonation.... Anyway incentive: I talked with my daughter Muir today (her 27th birthday) and she asked me to send her some of her birthday ale.

This beer has undergone some modifications over the years. I made it on Muir's birthday in 1993 as an extract beer - I made 15 gallons then, and was making 15 gallon batches into 1995. What's amazing to me in retrospect is I was bottling, not kegging in those days, thankfully I had a stock of 1/2 gallon bottles that took crown caps. In summer of 1995 I started to develop an all grain version... changed a bit over time due to changing malt availability and decisions regarding hops. Always has been an alt ale, amber colored.

I've brewed since 1978, technically illegally in 1979, then possessing the beer was illegal into 1982. I didn't start keeping records until sometime in 1992 or 1993 - I have a recipe book that survives from those days.

I've got 9 beers in fermenters at present:
pale ale #4 2008 (secondary)
stout #3 2008 (secondary)
tripel 2008 (secondary)
zot d'amour (wit) #2 2008 (secondary)
brown ale 2008 (secondary)
ESB 2008 (primary)
pale ale #1 2009 (primary)
Muir's Birthday Ale (MBA) 2009 (primary)
Inaugurator Bock 2008 (primary)

Will be brewing lagers - experimenting with yeast strains, grain bills. Initially 2 brews with same yeast, same hops. Vary grain - ale malt, pils malt. 2 additional pils batches in February - pils malt, different yeast, vary hops.

Brewing another bock - maibock, using the helles yeast strain.

brewing an abbey ale, another tripel. probably a fruit or gueze using 2 yeasts - wit and abbey...

I love making beer.