(from 2/17/95 — this batch was wasted, but the recipe should be good)

1.6 kg Brewmaker India Pale Ale extract ($13.50)
5 cups Munton & Fison amber dried malt extract ($10.50)
1 oz. English Kent Golding Hop pellets; half for bittering and half for finishing ($1.95)
11.5 g. EDME active dried yeast (reconstituted)
I c. Dextrose for bottling

Using filtered water from Joffrey’s, I brought one gallon to a boil: began boiling at 12:30 pm. Added 2 cups of malt at 12:40 and added the rest in increments until all was dissolved. Bittering hops added at 12:52 (excellent aroma!). Reduced heat a bit at 1:00 (boiling too high, but still has that great, hoppy aroma). Added finishing hops at 1:10. At 1:15 removed from heat and sparged into glass carboy containing 3.5 gallons of Joffrey’s water (good thing I sparged too—the pellets turned into a huge mess!). Looks cloudy and gross in the carboy. Pitched yeast before I took the wort temperature (idiot); the temperature was probably around 80°F. I racked the wort to a second fermenter on 2-25, after I discovered its sour taste. The gravity was 1.015, still too high to bottle. On 2-26, the gravity is still 1.015. Fuck it! I’m going to bottle. Added I cup dextrose to “beer” and bottled. _C’est la vie_, we shall see.

Green taste: bitter, well, slightly bitter—caramelly—could be good.

February 25: Tasted beer again—terrible! The wort was very sour and malodorous. I talked to Victoria and she assured me that it just needs to ferment a couple of more days.

Comments: The yeast began to work around 3:00 pm on 2-18. I was worried that it would not work, but it seems to be starting nicely. After a week the yeast is still going, though I can see it is petering out. I’ll probably be able to bottle this weekend.

February 26: Checked the gravity again: it is still the same, as is the smell and taste. I’m beginning to really worry now. I might bottle anyway, let it sit for a couple of weeks, and then give it a try. I can always toss it after it sits for a while. The sourness could be the result of (1) improper sanitation (doubtful, though, I did not do anything different this time and the first batches came out all right); (2) Joffrey’s water in the milk cartons (also doubtful because I sanitized the cartons and the water was boiling before I put it into the cartons); (3) bad yeast, or I pitched the yeast while the wort was too hot.

Feb 27: I’m beginning to think that the water that I brought home from Joffrey’s is just bad water. I hope this is not the case because I made #2 with it. That’s a bunch of money down the toilet if this is the case. Ironic, the water was free.

March 1: The guy at the other homebrew store said that most likely the sour smell and taste is indicative of a bacterial infection. I’m still going to wait for the beer to “mature” a couple of weeks and then taste. If it’s still bad then I’ll just dump it and use the bottles for #3, or maybe #2 if it is salvageable.

March 1: Totally wasted. There was an obvious bacterial infection, evident by the scum around the top of the bottles. The final reason is the carboy. I figure the water was fine because #2 seems good. The carboy must have had some bad stuff in it that I didn’t adequately clear out. C’est la vie; I shall, perhaps, try this recipe again, perhaps not.

O.G.: 1.039
F.G.: 1.015

Final Output: 37 12oz bottles (@ $.07 a bottle) and 5 16oz bottles. Total cost: $28.54 ($.68 a bottle).