GF Beer #2 update

Waited longer to try GF Beer #2.  The aroma seemed to tone back as it aged.  I don't know if the aroma of the beer is bad, so much as my beer selection has been limited for so long, I think I have forgotten what a lot of real beers taste like.




I think the next time I brew this, I am going to try a hefeweizen yeast/hops, I think it would benefit from a citrus flavor and be a good summer beer.  The sorghum adds some bitterness to the finish of this beer. Not sure how to combat that.

Good ammount of carbonation, though some bottles really seemed to have a lot of head, and others not so much.  I think I am going to come up with a more standard method for cleaning bottles.  Noticed in some of the cider bottles (mostly 22ozs) that the yeast didn't completely settle in some of the bottles, which makes me wonder about the cleanliness of the bottle.

Cider/GF Beer 2

Cider 1
Cider fermentation is finally winding down. Nice amber color, cloudy though. Will bottle Friday/Saturday. Only took ~18 days for it to settle down. This should be pretty strong.

GF Beer 2
Violent fermentation for first 3 days. Smell in the closet where the fermenter's reside was funky... makes me wonder if this will be my first train wreck. Starting to settle down. This beer will definitely go into a secondary for atleast a week.

GF Beer 2

Started GF Beer #2. Started as a English Pale Ale, decided to add apricot...
Apricot-Oat-Sorghum
Bittering Hops: UK Challenger
Aroma Hops: Fuggles
Windsor Yeast
1Tsp Irish Moss
Apricot (1lb/gallon)
5 Cups Toasted Rolled Oats

• 2 Cups roasted in oven, 200F 10 Minutes, 300F 10 Minutes, 400 F 10 Minutes. Opened oven several times to mix. Resulted with Mixed golden/brown. Allowed to rest for 1 week in brown paper bag.
  
• 3 Cups Roasted in oven, 400F 15 Minutes. No mixing, yeilded dark brown oats.

5 Lbs Apricots (cheap kind from Trader Joes...) Chopped in food processor.

1. Put Grains / Apricot in Muslin Bags (should have bought the big ones). Added 2.5 Gallons tap water to pot.
   
2. Heated on 3 to 170 (about 1 hour.)
3. Let steep for 15 minutes.
4. Removed oats, left apricots.
5. Added Sorghum Syrup. Brought to boil.
6. Added Challenger, boiled for 60 Minutes.
7. Last 15 minutes, added fuggles in muslin bag, 1 Tsp Irish Moss.
8. Added contents of Ice Tray to kettle to cool down (perhaps this was a mistake).
9. Added contents to fermenter.
10. Went to Canadian Thanksgiving.
11. Pitched yeast 6 Hours later.

Unknowns: exactly how much started in fermenter (Weighed 55lbs including the carboy).
Hyrdometer Reading.