"Dunkelweizenguy" fermented fast and furious, overflowing a bit (requiring we refill the airlock with sanitizing vodka), and then took about 2 weeks in a colder spot (near a window) to start cleaning and mellowing. As of last night, it tastes like I ended up making 5 gallons of bootleg Sierra Nevada "Celebration Ale", which is nothing to sneeze at, unless your allergic to hops.The aroma and taste are very hoppy, but not cheesy or perverse like tube socks in soup or a salad of rotting vegetables, and not overpowering as you'd expect in a thin light beer with nothing more to say for itself as hops invade taste buds, because the extra malt of this Dunkelweizen inspired recipe abides.
This batch turned out great-- the goal was a hoppy Christmas, and thanks to Brewcraft and Hop Union my hop list ended up making a bitter blanket of piny flavors and aromas. The list included: Palisade (7.8% Alpha), Chinook (11.7% Alpha), Citra, and Nugget (12.2% Alpha).Racking will commence in one hour ago.... mid afternoon and evenings are better for bottling, since the 6 stages of obligatory sampling are involved.
Witty Hard Cider
Meanwhile, after over malting an experimental batch of cider with wheat in November, I did another gallon 3 weeks ago, with 1/4 the malted wheat, and it's turned out way more drinkable, delectable, and delightful, if not teh "amazing and delicious". The experimental batch was absurd, with big, bold, and filled with off flavors, like a Mary Shelley's Cider house Rules for making Hoegaarden. Exactly-- makes no sense. This batch, by contrast, with 1/4 the malted wheat, turned out pleasing. and it just means more Christmas cheer on top of the bucket of Dunkelweizenguy, the outcome of this odd, if obvious combination that I've not had anywhere before. It's got flavor elements of banana and apple, and I'm thinking by adding Cinnamon and some clove, we'll have something worth writing homeys about in by New Years.
Stout Study v.03
Egged on by the Dunkelweizenguy batch, and the mice eating at my inventory, I went back to the drawing board, using bits and pieces of grains and extracts I had handy, and went reaching for an offbeat stout for my long winter's 2014 nights.The 80 minute boil included an ingredient list of 3.9 pounds of Mouton's Export Stout, 6 oz. of Northern Brewer Malted Wheat extract.
It also included grains that I mashed for a half hour below 150 degrees (for the most part), with a few short pauses where the temperature dropped below 135, hoping to keep the flavors of the grains more dry than sweet, which generally results from mashing, laughtering and sparging at higher temperatures.
The grains were a strange mix in a bag-- one lb. of Briess' Crystal 10, one lb. of roasted American 6 row (that promises to taste like sourdough according to Briess' lable), one lb. of Briess' "Carawheat", 1/2 lb. of dry malt extract powder, and 3 oz. of Wisconsin Wildflower honey. Note to the future: impatient and tired of the rolling pin thing, I ground the up in a food processor, which may have been too fine to capture the desired flavors, but time will tell. 
The Brix for the 6 gallon pale came in at just under 4 to start, which meant a predicted 2.5% ABV after the mash, but buy adding honey, the Brix raised to nearly 7, which suggests a ABV of 3 to 3.5% with any luck. I am aiming for a stout without too much ethanol, like traditional stout, something that doesn't put a red hot bun on your nose after one beer. The hops for this stout were small doses of my favorites, strong, piny and spicy: one oz. of Centennial and Chinook. I'm hoping Small doses of strong aromatic hops will add a nice touch to an offbeat stout.
I'm also dry hopping this stout so the aroma battles it out with the roasted flavor.
It's the second time I've been unable to locate my Peat Moss for the boil. I was kind of pissed off when I found it this morning, but it's more vital for light, clear beers, like the Wit I'm fixing to brew next with what grains and what extract I had left.
Public Service Announcement-- Beer reduces risks of Kidney Stones!?!
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