Sap's running!

Lot's of brewing this week. I brewed an ESB over the weekend. Finally used the Yorshire yeast in something that I'll be able to taste it in. Then on Sunday I got 5 gallons of sap. So today's brew is a traditional bock with the sap. Starting gravity is 1.071. I also did a "mash-out" decoction for 15 minutes. Oh boy, does the house smell good when I do that. It's so cool to see the different color of the decocted grains when they get mixed back into the main mash. Recipe was: dark Munich, German pale ale, pilsner, dark wheat, caramunich III, melanoidin and 2 ounces of dehusked Carafa I. Looks like a nice rich, dark copper, almost brown. Just two and a half ounces of German Hallertau pellets, a 500 ml starter of Bavarian and at the last minute a half cup of Urquell slurry. Chilled it right down to 52F and down to the same temp in the cellar. This should be a nice bock. I don't really expect any maple character since sap is so watery. And with the starting gravity I didn't bother to add any syryp to the boil.
So lager season is almost over and still, no rauch or Vienna or Dunkel. Oh well.

More pilsner

Because the days are getting longer and the basement is going to start getting warmer, the dilemma on each brew day becomes: should I brew a pilsner or should I make something that I haven't brewed yet this year. Like a bock, Vienna/Octoberfest, Dunkel or Rauch.....or should I just keep making Pilsner. So with an aging jar of Urquel slurry in the fridge, Pilsner won. Basic simple grain bill: Bohemian malt and white wheat. Hops are more fun: Saaz, Hallertau, Magnum, Tettnang and Spalt (still cleaning out the fridge). Starting gravity andIBU's are both 57. Yum. Can't wait.

The picture is of what I think is a pretty cool way to get your kegs delivered. I really like Venice.