2009 Batch #2: 15 Mile IPA (AND bonus riddle!)

I'm excited about this beer. I crafted the recipe by comparing several online and then building it from what I had on hand. But, lets start with the riddle... Answer me this: Where did I get the name 15 Mile IPA? Comment with Yes or No questions only. This is your only hint:

Grain and Hop Bill:
Note: my original intent was to have 92% 2-row 8% Crystal ratio. The 92% base is the same, but I decided to use up a bunch of miscellaneous bits of malt I had to make up the rest. Also, I didn't quite have enough base malt for a 6 gallon batch so that's why is 5.3 gallons.

• 12.5 lbs 2-row brewers (or pale if you perfer)
• 7 oz 20L crystal malt
• 5 oz Vienna malt
• 7 oz Carapils

• 3 oz Cascade hops (7.8% AA)
• 1.5 oz Amarillo (8.2% AA)

The Mash:

Heat 4.5 gallons mash waster to 162º and start your 5.25 gallons of sparge water as well. This is an infusion mash, so when your water is up to temperature add your grain. Keep mash below 155º; below 152º is better. Mash until complete (mine took 75 minutes). Sparge and keep 6.4 gallons of run-off.

The Boil:

Add 1 oz of Cascade at 60 minute and at 40 minutes. Add 0.5 oz of Cascade at 20 and 10 minutes. Add 1 oz of Amarillo at flame-out. Pitched with dry Safale US-05 when cool. When transferring to your secondary (I did at 5 days) add 0.5 oz of Amarillo. OG= 1.068; FG=1.012.

2009 Batch #1 Recipe: Resolution Porter

This recipe uses the dark malts I roasted in January. As of this post, the beer is aging in my oak barrel.

The Grain Bill:

• 11.1 lbs 2-row Brewer's Malt (Pale will work)
• 13 oz Dark Crysal malt (135 LB)
• 1.5 lbs Carapils
  
• 15.5 oz 65 minute roasted malt
• 15.5 oz 75 minute roasted malt

The Mash:

This is for a 5.5 gallon batch. Infusion mash with 5 gallons of H2O at 162º; add grain and the temperature should be somewhere around 153º. Keep it below 155º for the first 45 minutes then creep up to 160º until the conversion is complete and mash out. Sparge and collect 6.2 gallons of run-off.

The Boil:

A 60 minute boil starting with 0.5 oz Northern Brewer hops (AA 8.1%). At 30 minutes add another 0.5 oz Northern Brewer. At 15 minutes add 0.5 oz Cascade hops (Heritage Hops) and at flame out add another 0.5 oz Cascade hops. Chill and pitch with dry Safale US-05 yeast. The SG was 1.061 (wanted it to be 1.065).

Three weeks later I transfered the beer to my new oak barrel when the SG was near 1.0165. It tasted great, but heavy on the roasted/burnt flavors from the home-roasted dark malts. I think this will mellow out nicely.

New Lautering System

I've used this new system for my last two batches of beer (I'll post the recipes soon: Whiskey Barrel Porter and 15 mile IPA). It works great. A friend of mine sent me a link (which I can't seem to find...) to a blogger who uses a picnic cooler mash-tun that utilizes the stainless steel mesh from a flexible waterline as the filter which I thought was a great idea. That post led me to make this contraption which I've since seen in the book Radical Brewing. I cut the slots in the 1/2 copper pipe with my band saw (wear gloves!!). Only the goose-neck connector is soldered; I left the rest of the connections free for modifications and cleaning. I was using the "Zapap" lauter-tun from Papazian's JofHB. This method eliminates a transfer step! If you have a mash-tun/brew kettle with a valve, I highly recommend a system like this.