7 replies to this topic

[EWW]

I really enjoy this one and it won people's choice at the club meeting tonight, so I thought I'd share it with the rest of you. I did a long boil (2.5 hr) to reach volume and it seemed to add some complexity that I really enjoy. This was my first time brewing this, but it was very well received so I don't think I'll make any major changes. I toasted the 2row at 350 for approx 30 minutes in a 350 oven stirring it every 10 minutes. Muscrat Ramble - Imperial Amber AleOG 1.083FG 1.016 SpecificsBoil Volume 8.5 gallonsBatch Size 5 gallonsFermentables% Weight Weight (lbs) Grain 68.6 % 12.0 American Two-row Pale 11.4 % 2.00 American Two-row Toasted 5.7 % 1.00 Canadian Honey Malt 5.7 % 1.00 Munich Dark 8.6 % 1.50 Unrefined Cane Sugar Hops% Wt Weight (oz) AA% Time IBU25.0 % 1.00 Zeus 16.4 FWH 33.712.5 % 0.50 Amarillo 9.0 120 16.712.5 % 0.50 Zeus 16.4 120 30.425.0 % 1.00 Amarillo 9.0 DH 0.025.0 % 1.00 Zeus 16.4 DH 0.0Mashed at 152*F for 60 min.Enjoy, and please let me know if you brew this.

Edited by ewanzel, 10 April 2009 - 09:45 PM.

[earthtone]

wow looks tasty man. How'd the flavour of the zeus come through?

[EWW]

wow looks tasty man. How'd the flavour of the zeus come through?

Zeus came through really nicely on this one. Zeus is a lot like columbus as far as flavor/aroma, but it is slightly different in a way that I can't quite put my finger on. IMO, the slightly pungent notes from the zeus mixed really well with the softer/milder flavor/aroma of the amarillo to produce a really balanced hop profile that is present but not too assertive. I was a little tipsy, and it looks like I forgot to list the yeast last night I used the WLP060 Am. Ale blend, but I think you could get away with using any clean Am. yeast strain on this.

[drewseslu]

1.083...yea that would get ya a little tipsy...Looks awesome, it has a lot in common with the Imperial Brown I damn near medaled with at Nationals a few years back.Congrats on the win!

[ncbeerbrewer]

I agree with the comments posted. I think your recipe looks good. I brewed an Imperial Red back in January and came in at 1.084 myself. I like your hop combination. I did a bitter with Nugget and flavor/aroma with Amarillo and Simcoe. Thanks for sharing. It would be fun to brew your recipe and compare to mine. Tipsy you say, those high gravities creap up on your quickly.

[EWW]

1.083...yea that would get ya a little tipsy...

Tipsy you say, those high gravities creap up on your quickly.

On the night in question, I actually only had a 2oz sample of this beer, but I had posted it after a club meeting...no matter how much I try not to be "over served" at a meeting (since I have to drive home), for some strange reason I always seem to get a wee bit tipsy at H.O.P.S. meetings This recipe came about as part of an iron brewer-type club only comp in which we were given instructions on brew day. The general gist of it is that we were challenged to brew a recipe that consisted of at least 75% briess 2-row, 1# honey malt, and 2 varieties of hops. I really shot from the hip on this one and didn't do any calculations or run it through any software till after I got home. FWIW, I took it to the mtg after 2 months and it won peoples choice out of 9 entries. We also enlisted some local pros and misc. judges in the community to evaluate the beers, and although the jury is still out on all of the panels results, I know that at least one of the judges (the head brewer at a regional string of brewpubs) also selected this as his pick. Thanks for all of the kind words!

[EWW]

bump cause I'm rebrewing this as written above except subbed biscuit for the home toasted - electrical fire got me out of work early so I jumped on the chance to brew

[EWW]

brewing this again today. I'm going back to the toasted 2-row, it had a better flavor profile then the biscuit IMO