a self-congratulatory thread about beer

[kcinpdx]

Last Fall I entered my first brewing competition with an IPA recipe that was modeled off of Grey Sail's Captain's Daughter IPA. I wanted a lower ABV and slightly more West coast take on it. In any event, I ended up taking first place in the Oregon Fall Classic, which surprised the heck out of me.
So the prize? A shiny new kettle? Nope. A 15 gallon conical? Nada.
The prize was brewing the recipe with Breakside Brewing at their new facility on a 10 barrel system.

Fast Forward to last Friday. The day finally arrives. I am brewing this recipe on a professional 10 barrel system. About an hour into the brew day, Tom, the brewmaster of the day, tells me that we are actually brewing a double batch, i.e. 20 barrels......
It was an incredible experience and I learned a ton. I'm not sure what is the norm for prizes in brewing competitions, but I can't imagine any would beat this.
If any of you are in the NW in around mid June, my IPA will be on tap at Slabtown https://www.breakside.com/locations/nw-portland/ soon.

Big props to Breakside, Ben, Tom and Will.

 

[Jtk78]

Congratulations. Bet that was a blast.

 

[marjen]

That is so cool.

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

Neat, congrats!

 

[Upthewazzu]

Congratulations!

 

[kcinpdx]

A few things I learned:
There is a surprising amount of manual work that is involved. Meaning that there are lots of knobs to turn and tweak vs set it and forget it. For example, manually mixing hot and cold water to get the right sparse water temp.
They also place a tremendous amount of emphasis on minimizing oxygen during and post fermentation.

 

[catdaddy66]

Congratulations! Do you get a case or two of that beer? Are they going to sell it in their tasting room or in the community?

What mementos did you end up with after the brew day was done?

 

[kcinpdx]

It will be in their slabtown location and likely a one off, but who knows? I imagine that could change if it does really well?
I'm sure I'll get my share of pints when we do the tapping party! The experience itself was incredible. The beers I sampled and lunch in the restaurant was icing on the cake. View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1495482135.816024.jpg. You don't often get to toss 5.5 lbs of citra into a kettle!

 

[jwalk4]

You don't often get to toss 5.5 lbs of citra into a kettle!

Psh, that's just my aroma addition in my 1 gallon mild.

 

[kcinpdx]

The beer will be tapped this Friday. Look for "popularity contest" IPA at Breakside Slabtown. 14 barrels netted , so it'll go fast.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

Awesome!

BTW you didn't specify, so I'm guessing it's a no, but any chance that this was also to be used for the GABF Pro-Am competition? That would be cool...

 

[mongoose33]

The beer will be tapped this Friday. Look for "popularity contest" IPA at Breakside Slabtown. 14 barrels netted , so it'll go fast.

Congrats on the prize!

Something I would like more info on: you brewed a 20-barrel batch but only had 14 barrels netted. Why the difference?

When I brew a 5-gallon batch I typically end up with 5.5 gallons. Not the same scale, I know, but what's the difference with a large system like that?

 

[bigplunkett]

Would u mind losting the recipe? Ill be up there july 3rd im gonna drink it.

 

[kcinpdx]

Congrats on the prize!

Something I would like more info on: you brewed a 20-barrel batch but only had 14 barrels netted. Why the difference?

When I brew a 5-gallon batch I typically end up with 5.5 gallons. Not the same scale, I know, but what's the difference with a large system like that?

I'll try to get an answer on this tomorrow, but my initial thought is dry hop loss believe it or not.

I hope it is still on tap July 3rd. 14 barrels may not last long in P-Town.

 

[kcinpdx]

To my knowledge it did not get entered in the Pro Am GABF, but I agree, it would be cool!

 

[kcinpdx]

I'll post the final recipe in the next few days for sure. I want to taste the final product first!

 

[kcinpdx]

Getting some good reviews! https://untappd.com/b/breakside-brewery-popularity-contest/2136490

 

[eagle23]

Congrats on the win. Not to derail the subject, but I'm hoping you can shed some light on show the brewery worked to keep the oxygen levels down? Its been something I've been reading a lot about, but can't seem to find a little in instruction.