Quadruple Brewday

Once or twice a year the stars align we go out of our way to ensure that Hacksaw Brewing and Down the Hall Brewing get to do a joint brew session. Typically Every time we up the ante on the scope and go bigger and better. This most recent QUADRUPLE brew day was no different… except it was by far our worst joint brew day to date. It wasn’t as if there was one major disaster that happened but more of a compilation of issues that resulted in this being the worst. Allow me to explain!

First off, let me lay out what QUADRUPLE brewday was all about. The idea was to brew two huge beers and then take the second runnings from each of those beers and create two more beers. Naturally we didn’t want a partial batch with the second runnings – we wanted a full 5 gallons. In order to accomplish this we had to go REALLY big on the first beers. I’m talking a Russian Imperial Stout and a Double IPA of which the goal was minimum 10% ABV. With the recent discovery that my wife enjoys bourbon barrel beers (because of the less bitter aftertaste), the Russian Imperial Stout would be hit with a heavy dose of bourbon soaked oak chips.

5:15 – Obtain ingredients from local homebrew supply store. All is well and spirits are high.

5:45 – Strike water is heated and massive amounts of grain are being poured into the mash tuns.

5:47 – Temperature for the Russian Imperial Stout is too high and stirring ensues to try and bring this down. It seems a failed effort but at last 152 degrees is reached and we cap the mash tun and call it good.

6:13 – YELP! Finley gets a little hair singed from the burner. #brewdogforlife.

6:45 – Lautering for the Double IPA and the Russian Imperial begin. Spirits and excitement are high as the wort starts to flow. Massive amounts of sparge water are heating up for both beers in order to sparge the big beers and have enough sparge water for the second runnings. (Wives come home with 6 pack of Highland Black Mocha Stout after having to make an emergency return to the homebrew store for liquid malt extract-- at this point we KNEW the stars had aligned!)

7:45 – Double IPA lautering is complete and the boil starts! The lautering for the Russian Imperial is painfully slow. It appears as though the ~30 pounds of grain are crushing Hacksaw’s pathetic mesh filter. It isn’t really stainless steel and should have been changed a long time ago. Efficiency for the DIPA is calculated to be about 55% and we get a little worried.

8:45 – The DIPA is almost done boiling and the second runnings IPA are being brought to a boil when suddenly the propane tank runs out of juice! Emergency trip is made gas station to get a replacement. In the meantime the brew kettle is transferred indoors to the stove. The RIS lautering got to be so painfully slow (but not stuck) that we made the executive brewcision to transfer all the grain and sparge water into the other Mash Tun. A drop in temperature… and also efficiency ensued as well.

9:45 – RIS is boiling and second runnings are now being collected. DIPA is in the books and second runnings IPA has just had some table sugar thrown in due to low gravity. Rain has begun which dampens spirits. We press on with the brew!

10:45 – It is starting to get late and the last beer is finally in the brew kettle. With some help from a can of LME and a little table sugar the second runnings are salvaged. Some cleanup has begun but the rain and the night wear on.

11:45 – 20 gallons of beer are officially brewed and yeast has been pitched.

As I said – it wasn’t as if there was one thing that went wrong, but when you’re constantly trying to figure out how to handle the current problem it makes it a little less fun. We didn’t let it stop us, and although questions abound from the wives as to why we can’t just brew one beer when we get together I can almost assure you the next joint brewing day will be bigger and better than ever!