Belgian (W)it

ABV - 5.9%
BU:GU ratio - 9:55 = .16

.5 oz German chamomile
1.5 oz orange peel
.5 oz crushed Indian coriander seed

Belgian Wits are supposed to be light, refreshing ales with a much lower ABV than this one. The high use of wheat and light pilsener malt make it white in color. Compare this to Hoegaarden or Blue Moon (hopefully better than Blue Moon). The coriander is the first thing to hit you (peppery), but belgian yeast can give off a peppery flavor as well. They may be working in tandem. The chamomile and orange are there if you concentrate hard enough. I think this came out pretty good. Will drop the coriander a little next time and amp up the orange.

Sweet & Sour (C)ider

ABV - 6.1%

This was my first cider, so I didn't get all fancy here. Just 3 gallons of Organic Apple Juice from New Leaf and 2 gallons of Publix Cider. My next one I'll maybe try some fresh pressed apples and some cinnamon/nutmeg. The finished product came out super dry, so I grabbed two frozen things of apple juice concentrate and threw them into the keg :) Fermented with an English Cider yeast. The finish product is somewhat sweet and sour. Didn't use any pectic enzyme so the cider is a bit hazy. "So what, who cares?"

American Summer Wheat Ale

ABV - 6.4% (act accordingly)

BU:GU ratio - 25:64 = .39  (What is that? Bitterness units in relation to malt sweetness, gravity units)

.5 is considered balanced.

> .5 is considered more bitter

< .5 is more sweet

This beer is an American Summer Wheat Ale, similar to any beers at the store with the word "summer" in them. It looks like it could be a lager, but that's basically all they share in common. Lagers generally take much longer to ferment than ales due to the colder fermentation temperature. This style beer usually is fermented with a "neutral" yeast that doesn't add any additional flavors to help showcase the malt/hops. I'm bored with neutral yeasts, so I ended up using a Kolsch yeast, which imparts a grape-like fruitiness that I love... and some slight sulfur that generally diminishes with time. Kolsch is a beer style altogether, product of Cologne Germany. Also for grains I used 52% wheat, 33% barley, 15% maize (for drinkability). Wheat contains a fair amount of protein which can create a large fluffy head but also produce haze in your beer. For Hefeweizens, so much wheat is added that brewers don't concern themselves with clarity. Mashes with a lot of wheat will undergo an additional "protein rest" before raising the temperature. A protein rest is about 113-131 degrees for 20-30 minutes and that is when certain enzymes are active that help break down the protein in the wheat and also help release starch from the grain... resulting in a possibly clearer and fuller maltier beer with better head retention. Wheat also has a "evaporating" mouthfeel to me, where it is so light and refreshing that the bubbles almost evaporate off your tongue. For hops I used very little at the beginning of the boil to prevent overly bittering the beer. In general, hops early in the boil adds bitterness, hops at the end of the boil adds aroma/flavor but not much bitterness. I added most of the hops at the end for a little more flavor and aroma. I also "dry hopped" the beer which means adding whole hop cones into the beer after fermentation to extract even more aroma. That aroma is very volatile and will fade over time, that is why it's best to drink "hoppy" beers fresh @ the brewery. Not sure how much of the aroma has lasted in the bottle. A majority has faded from the kegged version.

Let me know what you think. Can't make any promises, I'm just getting back into bottling so I may be rusty. If a cap doesn't seal completely you'll end up with a flat beer. Worst case scenario, grab a quart sized bag and you've got a marinade for chicken or fish.