Everybody's Workin' for the Weekend

If beer is my business, then I'm working for the weekend.

Brewing:
I plan to brew on Friday as I have the day off. The tentative plan is to make something that satisfies the following criteria: deep yellow to golden in hue, brilliant clarity, malt forward, yet balanced, inclusion of noble-type hops. I also want it to be of a moderate gravity (1.050 - 1.055), fairly well-attenuated, and easy drinking.

This is the recipe I have devised to meet these criteria:

Grain Bill:
10 lbs. Maris Otter
0.5 lb. CaraFoam
0.5 lb. Biscuit

Hops:
Hallertau @ 60 mins. & Flameout
Shooting for 20-25 IBU

Yeast:
Safale S-04

I plan on mashing low (somewhere between 145-148F) to achieve a rather fermentable wort. Though the yeast I have chosen is not *exceptionally* attenuative, I think this will work overall to make a fairly dry beer. I imagine I won't have any issue achieving at least 75% apparent attenuation. That will work just fine. I would use Wyeast 1056, but the British strain places more emphasis on the malt character. Additionally, it is very flocculant. We shall see how this turns out. I look forward to drinking a cool pint while eating some BBQ seitan.

Beer Festival:
No better reason to sojourn to Harrisburg but for the 4th Annual Harrisburg Brewers Fest. Not only do proceeds benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, there will be some excellent beers to sample! I'm particularly excited to taste offerings from PA breweries/brewpubs that I have not had the chance to taste yet. Bull Frog Brewery, Church Brew Works, Marzoni's Brewing Company, and Otto's Brewpub have all piqued my interest in a serious way. Of course, some of my established favorites will be pouring as well.

In typical brewfest fashion, I can be found rocking a black Ommegang t-shirt and a notebook for about the first hour or so. After that, the notebook goes in the bag and the party starts. Hey, that's just how it is.

Perhaps I'll see you there.