No Blowoff on Amber Ale

We've been a bit concerned that there hasn't been any blowoff on the Amber Ale after 4 days now. At this point, the other beers we've brewed have been settling down and the blowoff is about done. But we haven't had any.

Although the verdict is still out, it's probably not a big deal. The blowoff basically allows for some bitter flavors to be expelled from the beer. Here's the synopsis from a hombrewtalk.com forum:

"Aside from my first couple of batches with food grade buckets, all I've ever used to ferment are carboys (usually 5 gal). I almost always have a blowoff but it's never a disaster it just dirties up a 1" hose and a quart container.
Quote:
You waste beer, it's a pain to cleanup and in IMO, it means I did something wrong.
When I started brewing I believed that blowoff was a good thing and I thought that if I DIDN'T get a blowoff that I had done something wrong. Now I've changed my view on that but to be honest I still prefer a quick start and a blowoff (I STILL tend to think I did something wrong if I don't have blowoff within 12 hours or so of pitching). It wastes very little beer and the cleanup is just a hose and a quart container. However, if you put a 5 gal. batch in a 6 gal. carboy there's probably too much headspace and the krausen won't reach the neck of the bottle (my Vienna Lager didn't blowoff because it's in a 6 gal. carboy...nice krausen though).

A blowoff can change the flavor of the beer...probably in more ways than I realize. For one thing it shoots hop material up and out or sticks it to the glass above the beer level and that has to affect the flavor to some degree.

EDIT: One last thing - In my limited experience, the amount of dissolved O2 in the wort has a big effect on blowoff (and quick starts). Once I started aerating the **** outta my cooled worts blowoffs became the norm...before that...not so much."

So bottom line: I think we're ok.

Chipotle Corn Amber Ale: Brewing Notes

Becka and I brewed yet another modified clone recipe yesterday: a chipotle and roasted corn infused modified Fat Tire Amber Ale. We've obviously made modifications in the past with the ginger in the Hefe, the vanilla and almond extract in the porter. This really wasn't any different.

We went to Trader Joe's and bought a 16oz bag of roasted corn for $2.50 (previously frozen) and allowed it to thaw overnight. Becka thought it would be good to drain it to get some of the excess water out, so we did that. We took 1oz (about 3) of the Chipotle peppers that were soaked in Adobo sauce from our Super Bowl party (we used them in a cheese dip) and rinsed off the Adobo sauce. Becka sliced them and left the seeds intact.

We added the corn along with the grains into the mash. It definitely made an impact on the aroma of the mash, making it smokey and a little nuttier, but we're not sure how much fermentable sugars it contributed. If you actually brew with corn, you want to use flaked corn, as it is much easier for the enzymes from the barley and the yeast to convert into nearly tasteless, body-lightening alcohol. Brewing with whole kernels, however, should have relatively less of an impact on the beer as a whole.

After adding the corn, we followed the Fat Tire recipe as is until we got to the last 15 minutes of the boil, when we added our Irish Moss and flavoring hops. Then we threw in the Chipotle peppers and crossed our fingers. You could tell they had an impact from the smokey spicy aroma that the wort let off, but it wasn't overwhelmingly spicy. Hopefully the beer will be the same way.

When it came time to measure the specific gravity, we both took a taste of the cooled wort. I'm not going to lie, it wasn't that bad. I happen to like Amber Ales quite a bit and Fat Tire specifically, so it wasn't a huge surprise that I liked it. What was a bit of a surprise is that you could taste a little of the Chipotle, and it definitely contributed positively. We'll see what happens after fermenting and aging, but I'm pretty psyched about this beer.

And so is Tess Szamatulski of Maltose. She asked us to bring in a bottle for her to taste. Becka was pretty pumped about the stamp of approval from the author of several books on brewing. We'll see how it turns out.

Brew Date: 3/1/2009, 12pm-3:30pm
OG: 1.048 (recipe called for 1.048-1.050)
Total Brewing Time: 3.5 hours
Present for brewing: Becka and Morgan
Yeast Activity Report: by 8:30am next day, very thin layer of bubbles at top. By 8:30am day 3, thick foamy layer with some dark sediment, rising 2-3 inches above the surface. Expect to see blowoff by later today.
Recipe credit: Beer Captured for the Fat Tire base recipe; Radical Brewing for the idea to add Chipotle and roasted corn. Becka and Morgan for the portion guesses