tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63969193508632113962024-03-14T06:20:59.817-05:00A Year in BeerA year of home brewing, recipes, terminology, equipment, the brewing business and more from brewstock.comUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6396919350863211396.post-7213579202331049062010-11-19T17:01:00.003-06:002010-11-19T17:05:13.282-06:00Brewstock's Top 10 Gifts for Homebrewers!<p class="style44"><strong></strong><span class="style38">I was looking through our inventory today, and was trying to decide what I'd love to get as a gifts this holiday season:) There's always those 'wants' that aren't really needs. We covered a few of those...study it, use it, get awesome presents. Have a great Christmas!<br /></span></p> <p class="style44"><span class="style38"><em>The list-</em></span></p> <p class="style44"><strong>1. <a href="http://brewstock.enstore.com/item/gift-certificate">Gift Certificate</a> </strong>- OK, this gift could be your savior. Get what you want. Good in store for anything!</p> <p class="style44"><strong>2. <a href="http://brewstock.enstore.com/item/blichmann-therminator-wort-chiller">Wort Chiller</a></strong> - Whether it's a high end <a href="http://brewstock.enstore.com/item/blichmann-therminator-wort-chiller">Therminator</a> or a simple to use <a href="http://brewstock.enstore.com/item/immersion-wort-chiller-5-gallon">Immersion Chiller</a>, this is an indispensable tool for the homebrewer. Cool your beers down quicker, take the pain and wait out of brew day.</p> <p class="style44"><strong>3. <a href="http://brewstock.enstore.com/item/johnson-analog-refrigerator-thermostat">Thermostat</a></strong> - Got a fridge or freezer sitting around you could be using for serving beer or lagering? Get yourself one of these and get more control over your fermenting and serving temperatures.</p> <p class="style44"><strong>4. <a href="http://brewstock.enstore.com/item/blichmann-beer-gun-bottle-filler">Blichmann Beer Gun</a></strong> - Kegging, but need a few bottles to take over to a buddy's place for the game? you need one of these.</p> <p class="style44"><strong>5. <a href="http://brewstock.enstore.com/item/15-brew-heater-electric-brewing-stick">Brew Heater</a></strong> - Brew up to 10 gallons of beer, indoors! An electric heating element you can use for mashing or boiling your brew. Simply awesome.</p> <p class="style44"><strong>6. <a href="http://brewstock.enstore.com/item/10-gallon-cooler-mash-tun">Mash Tun</a> </strong>- Your first step in to serious brewing starts with a mash tun. Get in gear, save money on ingredients, and start brewing all-grain!</p> <p class="style44"><strong>7</strong>. <strong><a href="http://brewstock.enstore.com/item/march-high-temperature-brewing-pump">March Pump</a> </strong>- Too much heavy lifting? Looking to get in to all-grain? Want to brew more beer? This bad boy is gonna help your beer get from one place to another.</p> <p class="style44"><strong>8. <a href="http://brewstock.enstore.com/item/basic-hard-cheese-kit">Cheesemaking Kit</a></strong> - The beer brewer who has everything? Why not try your hands at the perfect partner to your homebrew- cheese. Hard or soft, all you'll need is some milk from the store!</p> <p class="style44"><strong>9. <a href="http://brewstock.enstore.com/item/aha-homebrewers-association-1-year-membership-gift-card">American Homebrewer's Association Membership</a></strong> -At only $35, this gift makes a lot of sense for the experienced or beginning homebrewer. 6 issues of Zymurgy magazine, discounts to local pubs, and discounted or free attendance to events and rallys! </p> <p class="style44 f-lp"><strong>10. <a href="http://brewstock.enstore.com/item/rogue-dead-guy-ale-kit">Rogue Extract Beer Kit</a></strong> - A top quality kits designed by one of the best breweries in the country. Try your hand at their <a href="http://brewstock.enstore.com/item/rogue-dead-guy-ale-kit">Dead Guy Ale</a>, <a href="http://brewstock.enstore.com/item/rogue-hazelnut-brown-nectar-ale-extract-kit">Hazelnut Brown Nectar</a>, or <a href="http://brewstock.enstore.com/item/rogue-shakespeare-stout-recipe-kit">Shakespeare Stout</a>!</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6396919350863211396.post-44771756102265814562010-07-09T18:11:00.004-05:002010-07-09T18:21:44.946-05:00A new hard cider kit!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.enstore.com/brewstock/shop/item/preorder-the-midcountry-hard-cider-kit"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 153px; height: 163px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIyFp8hY9A8iWITp1o0WsaEKGflF152y35tAxZN0kGG-m2FJW6EFCUeBsGYRPrGon2uFUgSba8W_3lSfRtb_GPzhFAXkXDLvZ4Tk_3ZG-lX7LCfpaOVLSHLxyS7HVCfquaA3XsfSTB0fM/s200/applepicture.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492048963021431874" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>I've been having a lot of fun the last week. At work. Doing research. I know, I know... I'm either a super nerd or I love my job. Probably both. Anyhow, after seeing a lack of high quality hard cider kits on the market, I've decided to throw my hat in to the hard cider ring.<br /><br />The 'fruition' (eh?) of these efforts has culminated in the release of Brewstock's first hard cider kit effort. The <a href="http://www.enstore.com/brewstock/shop/item/preorder-the-midcountry-hard-cider-kit">Midcountry Hard Cider Kit</a>, is available for preorder, and will ship, or be available for pick up come early September... or whenever the apples decide they're ready for a squeeze.<br /><br />I've spent a lot of time researching cider apples, blending cider, contacting orchards, and gathering all the information I could on the best process for getting this cider to you.<br /><br />I've decided to go with an unconcentrated cider, this stuff is fresh. It's getting pressed, shipping to me, and then shipping to you. If you preorder, you'll probably have this cider 10 days from the apples actually hanging on the tree! Crazy fresh, unadulterated, unconcentrated cider. The 5 gallon kits will ship in 6.5 gallon fermenting buckets, with liquid cider yeast! The varieties of apples this kit will primarily be built on are Jonathan, Gala and Red Delicious. There's a bit more info on the Brewstock info at the <a href="http://www.enstore.com/brewstock/shop/item/preorder-the-midcountry-hard-cider-kit">kit page</a>.<br /><br />If you have any questions about the kit, just get in touch! aaron@brewstock.com.<br /><br />Cheers,<br />AaronUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6396919350863211396.post-79965643246570291442010-06-30T09:13:00.005-05:002010-06-30T09:57:07.403-05:00Malt Extract - Liquid, Dry, Bulk, Canned<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTUNPdBwl_qou6o3yWThz-GpzyPnPQxV0oppemcJ-b_qf4mLF7DTIWLryv6FNHTd5YoaH3EzlrXHZ4z0RHQC_ZWn6EoIj0-vTmRVoL1OVhnycbs07sSBOSoG5eNcVGhm_1qGxCO5PqGlQ/s1600/extractglassgrain.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 178px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTUNPdBwl_qou6o3yWThz-GpzyPnPQxV0oppemcJ-b_qf4mLF7DTIWLryv6FNHTd5YoaH3EzlrXHZ4z0RHQC_ZWn6EoIj0-vTmRVoL1OVhnycbs07sSBOSoG5eNcVGhm_1qGxCO5PqGlQ/s200/extractglassgrain.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488578771034799906" border="0" /></a><br />Hey all- thought I'd get a blog about malt extracts posted here, since I get at least two or three people asking me each day, 'which do you prefer?' and 'do you carry bulk?'<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Which malt extract do I prefer, dry or liquid? </span><br /><br />I don't really have a preference...<br /><br />Wait, maybe I do have a preference... dry malt is great. It keeps better, and longer, if sealed well. It can give you a lighter color as well- it's less prone to scorching, and the malt itself is produced at a lighter color by the malting facility (take Briess' Pilsen Light dry malt, which is, I believe the lightest malt extract on the market.) And a pound of dry goes further than a pound of liquid. By this I mean, there's more sugar in a pound of dry malt, than in a pound of liquid malt. There's no water weight.<br /><br />So, 1 lb of dry malt extract is equal to about 1.25-1.3 lbs of liquid malt. I usually say roughly 5lbs of dry is equal to about 6.3lbs of liquid malt. There are online calculators to help you make closer approximations.<br /><br />Personally I use liquid just as much (if not more) than I use dry, and get great beers from both. If you're planning on keeping malt around for use 'down the road' get yourself some dry malt.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Do I carry bulk malt in the store?</span><br /><br />Sometimes I carry bulk, but not in summer. Yes, buying bulk divided up can be cheaper, or costlier, depending on how you look at it...<br /><br />A lot of homebrew shops carry bulk malt in their store. It sometimes leads to savings for the purchaser. But, there can be some problems with bulk malt.<br /><br />1. Oxygen - As soon as they open their barrel or pail of malt, oxygen is introduced. This can cause the malt to taste stale in your finished product. Often shops will try to blanket their malt with CO2, but this is only really solving half the problem- the empty space is being filled, but the spigot is often still allowing air in. Also, your container that the malt is getting poured in to often has a bit of head space for oxygen and isn't purged before filling.<br /><br />2. Bacteria and Mold - Although you'll be boiling your malt, effectively killing anything that was living in it- mold loves, loves, loves malt. If you're a frequent buyer of bulk malt, and have ordered some and then let it sit around some, I'm sure there's been a point where you've seen mold develop on your malt. Either as a white flake, or green fuzziness. Typically it can be removed, and the malt can be boiled, with no ill effect on the beer. But it goes to show what sort of shelf life malt has when not packaged properly.<br /><br />3. Shelf Life - I just touched on this a little bit. Check and make sure the bulk malt you're getting is somewhere close to its shelflife date. Malt packaged in barrels and buckets has a shorter shelf-life than malt canned at the malting facility. Often times when I receive bulk malt I have 3 months to sell it, based on the 'best if used by' date. If I take a look at the boxes the cans come in, the shelf life is often a year. It's a big difference, and it can make a big difference in the quality of your beer.<br /><br />So yeah, in the heat and humidity of a New Orleans summer, I carry bulk malt, only when I think I can sell it fast. And even then, I only order the 33lb jerry packs, not the 60lb buckets. Cans are typically a safer bet if you don't know when you'll be brewing next, and you want a guarantee that it was packaged well, in a sanitary container. Beer isn't cheap to make, saving a couple bucks is always great, just make sure you use that bulk malt as soon as possible<br /><br />Happy Homebrewing!<br /><br />Aaron<br /><br /><a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.brewstock.com">www.brewstock.com</a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6396919350863211396.post-41062987663396309992010-03-26T17:49:00.002-05:002010-03-26T18:11:27.898-05:00Hop Growing Down SouthSo you wanna grow hops but you live in one of the Southern states like me. Here in New Orleans, where it's extra humid, we can still grow hops, we just need to be careful.<br /><br />Tips:<br /><br />1. No Full Sun - Most growing directions will call for full sunlight. This works up North where it may get up to 100F a few times during the summer, but it never stays around that temperature. The nights are also much more cool in the normal growing regions for hops. Think about a place that gets full morning or afternoon sun, like the East side of your house. That will be your best bet.<br /><br />2. Water at Night - Hops need a lot of water. Evaporation is the enemy down South. After the sun goes down, soak your hops well. But remember- if the soil is already damp or saturated form rain, watering will not do the plant any good, and may just cause rot.<br /><br />3. Find Tolerant/Resistant Hops - <a href="http://www.enstore.com/brewstock/shop/browse/rhizome/1">Cascade hops</a> are known to do well in almost any condition. <a href="http://www.enstore.com/brewstock/shop/browse/rhizome/1">Magnum</a> does well everywhere as well. The English varieties and low-yielding hops like <a href="http://www.enstore.com/brewstock/shop/browse/rhizome/1">Golding, Fuggle and Willamette</a> may give you less hops, but they also require less consistent watering, but do require good soil. If given the right conditions, <a href="http://www.enstore.com/brewstock/shop/browse/rhizome/1">Centennial</a> and Sterling will give you large yields, but may wilt easily in full sun.<br /><br />4. Don't do too Much - Unless you're planting in sand or in shallow soil, you don't have to go crazy with the fertilizer. Weed around the hops, and let them do their thing. If you've given them somewhere to climb, they will find it and climb. If you have average soil, they'll be fine. Over fertilization can lead to a leafy, low alpha acid hop.<br /><br />Good luck!<br /><br />AaronUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6396919350863211396.post-46106517692992912602010-03-02T19:36:00.003-06:002010-03-02T19:39:47.958-06:00Pale Ale Kit ContestHi all-<br /><br />I've been wanting to a Kit Contest for a while. I actually plan on having many more...<br /><br />This first one is for a Pale Ale. You brew a pale ale, enter it in the competition, and you could end up with one of your own beers on the shelf in Brewstock, for all homebrewers to try their hand at.<br /><br />I'm hoping everyone can have some fun with this, and I really look forward to trying all the great pale ales people are brewing out there!<br /><br />We are accepting beers/recipes for an extract and an all-grain kit.<br /><br />More info can be found here - <a href="http://brewstock.com/brewstockpaleale.html">Brewstock Pale Ale Kit Contest</a>.<br /><br />Cheers!<br />AaronUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6396919350863211396.post-40231728682555757142010-02-13T09:55:00.005-06:002010-02-13T10:10:30.992-06:00Give yourself a break, brew easy.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.enstore.com/brewstock/shop/item/german-continental-light-extract-kit"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZiTYN3itlEzLAZEufrByvc7SgoQAcapFZOZc3Zh9lXnWRKytVtoP4DSsODBwuahug1OflZPkngTtlmggWKiw8OVRkzUoN439YHCkSVnVX1CuDDbvh4keDaoRBAxHjwZNnTRyUZ4b-KZg/s200/TrueBrewGermanStyle(ContinentalLite)HomebrewIngredientKit2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437759724110012546" border="0" /></a><br />Homebrewing can definitely become an obsession for some people. Understandable. Think about it- you're making beer. It's awesome.<br /><br />Life though, is often hard to brew around, and many people who invested time and money in to equipment, sometimes just find it hard to brew regularly. Some people choose to just brew when they want. Either way, you may find brewing even more satisfying, and that you have more time to brew, by keeping it simple.<br /><br />If you've been doing all-grain batches, and your brewing has slowed down due to weather outside, or just not having enough time in the day, you may find you can satisfy the brew bug by getting a simple extract batch going on the stove. Forget the grains, forget the mashing, forget the starter. Remember, you can make great beer with malt, hops and dry yeast. You don't need to step-mash every time.<br /><br />So next time you get the itch, and think you don't have the time, stop by your local homebrew shop and grab a <a href="http://www.enstore.com/brewstock/shop/item/german-continental-light-extract-kit">True Brew German Style Light Kit</a>, or Brewer's Best Cream Ale Kit. Both turn out great, and make a nice refreshing beer that you won't be left drinking alone. Not to mention, they're quick.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Cheers!<br />AaronUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6396919350863211396.post-90511850087782338582010-02-03T10:57:00.003-06:002010-02-03T11:13:01.499-06:00Brewstock Buyers ClubFebruary is a funny month for retailers in New Orleans. Depending on your business it can be a month to remember or a month to forget. This February looks to be better for most retailers out there, with Mardi Gras being compounded by the Saints in the Super Bowl. Anything black and gold is going to sell- t-shirts, hats, napkins, flags, shot glasses, jerseys, tooth brushes, underwear, you name it, it's selling.<br /><br />In the home brewing business these things help as well, as people brew for the Super Bowl and Mardi Gras. Of course, most of these sales happen in January, so the beer is ready by then!<br /><br />Since this is only my second February in business, and it seems like a great month to try something new, I'm starting the <a href="http://brewstock.com/brewstockbuyersc.html">Brewstock Buyers Club</a>. A one year membership gets you 10% off everything for a year, and many other bonuses.<br /><br />I feel if I do this every February it'll probably catch on some. It gives me a chance to gain a small padding of extra income in February for store projects. Whether it's a bigger sign, advertising, expanding the product line, or just fixing things that need fixing. In this year's case- it's all going to go toward a bigger store. I've begun a search for a bigger space, and know this would please a great deal of people. More inventory, more room to browse, more room for family and kids.<br /><br />If the <a href="http://brewstock.com/brewstockbuyersc.html">Brewstock Buyers Club</a> seems like something you would be interested in, please don't hesitate to get in touch with me. And know, that this year's membership money goes toward something we can all use, a bigger store!<br /><br />http://brewstock.com/brewstockbuyersc.html<br /><br />Cheers!<br />AaronUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6396919350863211396.post-6196471562554368372010-01-29T12:23:00.005-06:002010-01-29T14:32:23.134-06:00Bread Yeast for Wine - A better, cheaper alternative: wine yeast.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRJIvXeauYV6v250nV6ouBbI_1arNttFAVZOm2oWOrbCfY49Pu0mv7bJbcLklYmbNGhs0_HTsbBVBBMmnMmgA7eBtGgEAqsD-msfcz-2lepLvGfY3t2CRDefAQkW1-T5zChvf-rFweOBU/s1600-h/BakersYeast.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRJIvXeauYV6v250nV6ouBbI_1arNttFAVZOm2oWOrbCfY49Pu0mv7bJbcLklYmbNGhs0_HTsbBVBBMmnMmgA7eBtGgEAqsD-msfcz-2lepLvGfY3t2CRDefAQkW1-T5zChvf-rFweOBU/s200/BakersYeast.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432233219174024562" border="0" /></a>It seems silly to recommend wine yeast for wine, but here I am doing so. There are a lot of wine makers that use bread yeast for making wine. Cool. Great. I have no problem with that. But really, what's the logic behind doing so? I asked some winemakers why they chose bread yeast, and I get a lot of answers that are often not true-<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">It's cheap</span> - Well, that's actually wrong. Wine yeast is cheaper than bread yeast you can get in store. I think the cheapest bread yeast I found in store was 60 cents a pack. I sell a variety of wine yeast for 40 cents a pack. So technically for every two packs of bread yeast you bought, you could have bought three packs of wine yeast.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />It works well</span> - This is true and false. It makes alcohol, and you can get a good flavor out of it, sometimes. Since bread yeast has no rules regarding alcohol production quality (since they didn't take that in to account when selecting a strain), the yeast is much more unpredictable. Wine yeast has been closely selected through years of research to maximize alcohol and flavor qualities in wine, mead, fruit wines and the like. If you select the right yeast and treat it well, you will get an equally good, if not always better product using wine yeast over bread yeast.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bread yeast makes strong wine</span> - So does wine yeast! There are strains that let you get upwards of 22-24% alcohol in your wine! Bread yeast usually can't make it passed 16-18%.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The recipe calls for bread yeast</span> - Well, it might be time to improve upon that recipe, save yourself money, and at the same time, get better results!<br /><br />Cheers!<br />Aaron<br /><br />PS- Any bakers out there looking for a cool alternative to bread yeast should give wine and ale yeast a try. You'll find it gives your bread a slightly different flavor...just don't proof too long, or you will end up tasting some alcohol in your bread;)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6396919350863211396.post-62490892769919664922010-01-27T10:15:00.003-06:002010-01-27T10:39:01.351-06:00Two Grains and Hops to Try in Your Next IPAOne of the most popular homebrew styles, India Pale Ales are easily one of the most popular commercial craft brew styles on the market. Too name some of my favorites- we've got<a href="http://www.nolabrewing.com/products/"> NOLA Hopitoulas</a> brewed locally, <a href="http://www.bellsbeer.com/brands/info/2">Bell's Two Hearted</a> in the Midwest, <a href="http://www.bearrepublic.com/ourbeers.php">Bear Republic Racer 5</a> from the West coast, and <a href="http://www.victorybeer.com/hopdevil.aspx">Victory HopDevil</a> from the East.<br /><br />Be brave when brewing an IPA. Most American breweries go their own way on these beers.<br /><br />Hops-<br /><br />1. <a href="http://www.enstore.com/brewstock/shop/item/perle-hop-pellets-1oz">Perle</a> - Don't think you need to just use high alpha hops (though this one is usually around 7%) in an IPA. Find a flavor you like. A lot of breweries out West use Perle as a finish or dry hop for the fresh minty and earthy flavors it gives a beer.<br /><br />2. <a href="http://www.enstore.com/brewstock/shop/item/crystal-hop-pellets-1oz">Crystal</a> - This hop is a classic in the craft brewing industry, but never seemed to get the same mass appeal from homebrewers. It has a nice spicy character without giving you the massive amounts of citrus notes other "C" hops (Cascade, Centennial, Citra) give. Use at any stage in the boil, and you'll find you get a classic IPA flavor.<br /><br />Grain-<br /><br />1. <a href="http://www.enstore.com/brewstock/shop/item/dingemans-special-b-malt-1lb">Special B</a> - If you're looking to keep your beer light in color, don't use this grain. It adds a beautiful dark amber color to an IPA, and brings some balance to the hops. Sweet, malty, and built to keep your beer in perspective.<br /><br />2. <a href="http://www.enstore.com/brewstock/shop/item/dark-munich-type-ii-malt-1-lb-bag">Dark Munich</a> - Another great grain to give your IPA some depth. Grainy and chewy, it'll bring your malt bill forward some against the massive amounts of hops your bound to throw in. <br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><h2 style="font-weight: bold;" class="h2_recipe"><span style="font-size:100%;">All-Grain Recipe - Bite Me Bitter : 1.061/1.015 (5 Gal)</span></h2> <h3 style="font-weight: normal;" class="h3_recipe"><span style="font-size:100%;">Grain Bill (Assumes 72% Efficiency)</span></h3> <p class="p_recipe"><span style="font-size:100%;"> 10.5 lbs. - Pale Malt<br />1 lb - Dark Munich Malt<br /> 1 lb - Wheat Malt<br /> 0.5 lb - Special B Malt<br />0.5 lb. - Crystal Malt (40L) </span></p> <h3 style="font-weight: normal;" class="h3_recipe"><span style="font-size:100%;">Hop Schedule [49 IBU]</span></h3> <p class="p_recipe"><span style="font-size:100%;"> 2 oz - Crystal hops [4% AA] (60 min.)<br /> 2 oz - Crystal hops [4% AA] (40 min.)<br /> 2 oz - Crystal hops [4% AA] (20 min.)<br />1 oz - Perle hops [7.5% AA] (5 min.)<br /></span> </p> <h3 style="font-weight: normal;" class="h3_recipe"><span style="font-size:100%;">Yeast</span></h3> <p class="p_recipe"><span style="font-size:100%;"> Wyeast Rogue PacMan Yeast</span></p> <h3 style="font-weight: normal;" class="h3_recipe"><span style="font-size:100%;">Mash/Sparge/Boil</span></h3> <p class="p_recipe"><span style="font-size:100%;"> Mash at 152° for 70 min.</span></p><p class="p_recipe">Cheers!</p><p class="p_recipe">Aaron<br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6396919350863211396.post-47607490699035573122010-01-24T10:30:00.002-06:002010-01-24T11:14:25.822-06:00Hop Pellet SalesAs well as some beer and homebrewing postings, I'm gonna post a bit about the business as well. Maybe just some info for some of you interested out there.<br /><br />Top viewed hop pellets online for January (as of 1.24.2010)-<br /><br />1. <a href="http://www.enstore.com/brewstock/shop/item/citra-hop-pellets-1oz">Citra</a><br />2. <a href="http://www.enstore.com/brewstock/shop/item/simcoe-hop-pellets-1oz">Simcoe</a><br />3. <a href="http://www.enstore.com/brewstock/shop/item/cascade-pellet-hops-1oz">Cascade</a><br />4. <a href="http://www.enstore.com/brewstock/shop/item/millennium-hop-pellets-1oz">Millennium</a><br />5. <a href="http://www.enstore.com/brewstock/shop/item/warrior-hop-pellets-1oz">Warrior</a><br /><br />Top sold hop pellets for January (as of 1.24.2010)-<br /><br />1. <a href="http://www.enstore.com/brewstock/shop/item/centennial-hop-pellets-1oz">Centennial</a><br />2. <a href="http://www.enstore.com/brewstock/shop/item/hallertau-german-hop-pellets-1oz">Hallertau </a><br />3. <a href="http://www.enstore.com/brewstock/shop/item/simcoe-hop-pellets-1oz">Simcoe</a><br />4. <a href="http://www.enstore.com/brewstock/shop/item/kent-golding-hop-pellets-1oz">Kent Golding</a><br />5. <a href="http://www.enstore.com/brewstock/shop/item/cascade-pellet-hops-1oz">Cascade</a><br /><br />I find the viewed hops interesting, as it almost never correlates to the hops sold. People have definitely seemed interested in <a href="http://www.enstore.com/brewstock/shop/item/citra-hop-pellets-1oz">Citra</a>, a newcomer to the high alpha citrus flavored hop family. Few people though, have had it on their shopping lists. That goes for <a href="http://www.enstore.com/brewstock/shop/item/warrior-hop-pellets-1oz">Warrior</a> as well. A bittering hop, that seems to be fading in sales some.<br /><br />As far as the pellets that are actually selling, this month has been a bit different. <a href="http://www.enstore.com/brewstock/shop/item/cascade-pellet-hops-1oz">Cascade</a> and <a href="http://www.enstore.com/brewstock/shop/item/kent-golding-hop-pellets-1oz">Kent Golding</a> have typically been in or around the number 1 and 2 spots. With <a href="http://www.enstore.com/brewstock/shop/item/hallertau-german-hop-pellets-1oz">Hallertau</a> always on this list as well. My guess is, if I looked back at sales, <a href="http://www.enstore.com/brewstock/shop/item/centennial-hop-pellets-1oz">Centennial</a> wouldn't always be on this monthly list of top performing hops. My guess is a few people brewed up some hoppy IPAs that called for <a href="http://www.enstore.com/brewstock/shop/item/centennial-hop-pellets-1oz">Centennial</a>, and it pushed it up to the top. Sales of all these hops were relatively close, <a href="http://www.enstore.com/brewstock/shop/item/centennial-hop-pellets-1oz">Centennial</a> nudging out the top spot to <a href="http://www.enstore.com/brewstock/shop/item/hallertau-german-hop-pellets-1oz">Hallertau</a> by only an ounce.<br /><br />Happy Homebrewing!<br />AaronUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6396919350863211396.post-16615574557780651012009-09-13T15:41:00.003-05:002009-09-13T15:59:04.915-05:00Day 30: Imperial Pale AleThe last day of my 30 day brewing run ends in odd fashion. A lot of home brewers out there got started because somebody bought them a 'Mr. Beer' kit, or something similar. These come with a ready made beer, that really just needs water and yeast added to it. These cans of pre hopped malt are also sold in home brew shops. I personally bought a case of 6 cans when I first opened of Ironmaster's Imperial Pale Ale. I really just wanted one no boil kit around for people who maybe wanted more malt for their Mr. Beer, or just brewed in this way. I sold 5 cans over 8 months, leaving me with 1 can. Let's just say I havent ordered more of these ''ready to go' malts, and probably won't. They don't require a boil, as there is nothing to boil together. Just a fermentation. Having never done one of these, I thought I'd give it a try. I do get people asking about them now and again..and never know what to tell them about the quality. I assume it's ok, but guess I should find out for myself!<br /><br />On to the beer...<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Beer #28 - Practical Pale Ale<br /><br /></span>Style: Imperial IPA (14C)<br /><br />Recipe: For 2.5 Gallon (Extract)<br /><br />4lb Ironmaster Imperial Pale Ale Kit<br />Ale Yeast<br /><br />Beer notes: A no boil kit that came with a non descript package of yeast. I'm guessing it's Muntons ale yeast. OG was 1.042. Seems a bit low...who knows. This kit is no longer manufactured. It looks like these no-boil kits aren't being made in England by Muntons anymore. Coopers, out of Australia, is still making them. This kit reccomended adding 2.2lb dry malt extract for an amber, or 2.2lbs corn sugar for a lighter beer. I just want to see how the malt in the can turns out, so keeping this as a 2.5 gallon kit. I'll let you know who this turns out!<br /><br />Cheers!<br />AaronUnknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6396919350863211396.post-6964316965444666172009-09-12T23:05:00.002-05:002009-09-12T23:21:06.769-05:00Day 29: Raspberry Honey MeadSecond to last day of the 30 day ride. I've definitely decided to end this current brewing streak at 30 days. And I knew, I definitely wanted to get a mead in. I haven't brewed a honey wine in a while, and am remembering how nice the last one I did was. I've had a lot of people coming in to the store doing meads. Seem popular with the lady brewers, and have heard of a good amount of people keeping bees in the city, or who have friends keeping bees somewhere. Which is good, cause honey is awesome.<br /><br />On to the mead...<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mead #1 - Snazzy Razzy Mead<br /><br /></span>Style: Dry Mead (24A)<br /><br />Recipe: For 1 Gallon<br /><br />3 lb Raspberry Honey<br />2 Tbsp Fermax Yeast Nutrient<br />2 Tsp Acid Blend<br />1 Tsp Tannin<br />1 Campden Tablet <br />Lalvin EC-1118 Yeast<br /><br />Mead notes: Stirred everything together minus the yeast. This is based on a lot of basic recipes I read, and follows none exactly. I think you could do this mead a variety of ways. I don't think I've ever used tannin in mead before. I found a few recipes that recommended it for dry meads. Meads aren't my forte, most of my meads have been based on basic recipes I've found online. We'll see what happens with this one!<br /><br />Cheers!<br />AaronUnknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6396919350863211396.post-14069726058008895562009-09-11T22:34:00.006-05:002009-09-12T23:05:09.738-05:00Day 28: Specialty BeerThis may end up being a 30 day trial run of this brewing experiment. This battle of will. Man vs Beer.<br /><br />I'm stumbling a bit to find time and space (which is my biggest concern) for this project. I'm confined to a tiny store for brewing, and I have much more important things needing my attention at this moment in time. A new website for the store... Finding more space for inventory... Bookkeeping...(shudder.)... A vacation coming up next week...<br /><br />So maybe this is a false start. I'm not happy with the limited amount of space I had for this project. It's hard to stay organized when things have to be in random spots. The store is small enough as it is, and there's no room in my apartment to tackle this project.<br /><br />Now I know. I'm trying to run a marathon in sandals.<br /><br />On to the beer...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Beer #27 - Add Junk, Get Junk? Lager<br /><br /></span>Style: Specialty Beer (23A)<br /><br />Recipe: For 2 Gallon (Extract)<br /><br />1 lb Wheat Dry Malt Extract<br />1 lb Rice Syrup Solids<br />.5 lbs Corn Sugar<br />.25 oz Sterling Hops (4.5%) (30 minutes, full boil)<br />Fermentis Saflager S-23<br /><br />Beer notes: I've be wondering about the flavor of a beer that uses a large amount of rice syrup solids. Decided since I was using an adjunct, I'd use more, and threw in some corn sugar. Used a dry wheat malt, which is 55% wheat, 45% barley. So, four different sugar sources. Not sure what I'm gonna get. Maybe something light and flavorless...maybe something light and amazing? Probably not, but who knows:) OG was 1.048.<br /><br />Cheers!<br />AaronUnknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6396919350863211396.post-50065322462733996522009-09-10T20:35:00.002-05:002009-09-10T21:48:20.828-05:00Day 27: Weizen/WeissbierI really like hefeweizens. A lot of people do. I'm always stunned by how different the style can be, just based on how basic the ingredients are. Usually wheat and pilsner malt with a noble hop, and a Hefeweizen yeast strain. Usually no caramel or crystal malts, or a lot of hop flavor, but somehow with just a change in yeast and water these beers become quite different beasts. Alright, time to brew one.<br /><br />On to the beer...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Beer #26 - Cloudy Wheat</span><br /><br />Style: Weizen/Weissbier (15A)<br /><br />Recipe: For 2 Gallon (Partial-Mash)<br /><br />1 lb Wheat Dry Malt Extract<br />1 lb Pale Wheat Malt (steeped at 152F for 60 minutes)<br />1 lb Pilsner Malt (steeped at 152F for 60 minutes)<br />.45 oz Tettnanger Hops (5%) (20 minutes, full boil)<br />Wyeast 3068 Weihenstephan Weizen Yeast<br /><br />Beer notes: This is being brewed in the 'hefe' style, and not the clear, filtered style. It's a hefeweizen. This style seems to continue to gain in popularity. Mini-mash on the stove today. It definitely helps to keep the color down in this style. I need to really watch my gravity on these mini mashes, but it was late and I didn't have my refractometer handy. Smellin' good, lookin' good.<br /><br />Cheers!<br />AaronUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6396919350863211396.post-34140762795119634292009-09-09T21:50:00.007-05:002009-09-10T22:07:12.771-05:00Day 26: Belgian Dark Strong AleOh beer...how you come in so many different colors and flavors... I'm currently enjoying something from the Kiuchi Brewery in Japan, and was surprised at the amount fo ginger flavor that hit me immediately. It makes me want to totally avoid all this 'to style' brewing I do daily. I guess it's sort of a Picasso thing- most great artists change history through their creation of something completely new on the basis of their strong understanding of their art form. Picasso painted classically first, and studied art, and then did his own thing. I meet a lot of brewers who have created their own recipes without a basic grasp of what they're looking for, and don't get what they're looking for, and may be good or bad. I feel a study of the different brewing styles, even those you don't like, is a good thing. It gives you a strong base to create from.<br /><br />On to the beer...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Beer #25 - Westneworleean 12</span><br /><br />Style: Belgian Dark Strong Ale (18E)<br /><br />Recipe: For 1 Gallon (Extract)<br /><br />2.5 lb Light Liquid Malt Extract<br />2 oz Amber Belgian Candi Sugar<br />2 oz Aromatic Malt (135L) (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)<br />2 oz CaraAroma Malt (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)<br />.25 oz Styrian Goldings Hops (3.4%) (30 minutes, full boil)<br />Wyeast 3522 Belgian Ardennes<br /><br />Beer notes: I tried to simplify this style, but wanted the flavor to remain complex. I've seen recipes upwards of 12 different grains. I'm planning on a warm fermentation, which can bring out a lot of unique phenolic flavor in Belgian yeast. After using this yeast a few times now, I'm a big fan. The Ardennes seems like a very versatile Belgian Yeast. Any sort of Abbey ales- Dubbel, Tripel or just Belgian Strongs, it has a great spicy and fruity aromatic flavor to it. OG rang in high, I may need to add a little water. It makes a big difference in these small batches. Reading was 1.113.<br /><br />Cheers!<br />Aaron<br /><br />UPDATE 9/10/2009 (12 Hours) : I added more water, and may have went a bit too far! I'm down to 1.070 for a gravity now. A bit low...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6396919350863211396.post-44619419102938095722009-09-08T13:58:00.005-05:002009-09-09T07:09:59.659-05:00Day 25: Scottish Export 80/-A quick note about kettle caramelization since the style I'm brewing today has historically relied on it- The whole point of caramelization is to add some color and toffee and possibly burnt caramel flavors. Most of the time we rely on the caramelization done by the maltster, which this recipe does somewhat, with the addition of dark crystal. Traditionally in Scottish ales, much of the color and malt flavor was derived from kettle caramelization, or the darkening of the malt in the pot. I'm relying on a 2 hour boil today to recreate this style and add some caramelization. Another good method is to take 1/2 gallon to a gallon of wort and boil it down about 50-80%. Commonly people will boil a gallon of wort down to three cups and throw it in their fermenter or boil pot with the rest of their beer. I'm just going to boil an hour longer, and hope for a bit more of that toffee flavor to prevail.<br /><br />On to the beer...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Beer #24 - McAaron's Scottish 80/-</span><br /><br />Style: Scottish Export 80/- (9C)<br /><br />Recipe: For 2 Gallon (Extract)<br /><br />2 lb Extra Light Dry Malt Extract<br />1 oz English Dark Crystal Malt (135L) (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)<br />1 oz Roasted Barley (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)<br />.5 oz Peated Malt (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)<br />.25 oz Brambling Cross Hops (7%) (Last 60 minutes of 2 hour boil)<br />.25 oz Brambling Cross Hops (7%) (Last 20 minutes of 2 hour boil)<br />Wyeast 1098 British Ale<br /><br />Beer notes: My little electric burner doesn't get a ferocious rolling boil like some gas and propane burners do, but for the purpose of my caramelization experiment, I think it'll work fine. It really gets kind of confusing if most or all breweries in Scotland use peated malt, or any sort of malt that has been roasted over peat. I don't know, I wish I did. Here's what is said of the style on the BJCP website, "The optional peaty, earthy and/or smoky character comes from the traditional yeast and from the local malt and water rather than using smoked malts." Could someone point me in the direction of a peaty yeast? Or peaty water for that matter? They then write, "Use of peat-smoked malt to replicate the peaty character should be restrained." They are definitely making it tough on home brewers, or anyone else, to replicate this style in my opinion. From what I've read a strain of Dry English or Irish Ale yeast is often used, and I don't recall these being peaty. I don't think the water tastes to peaty in Scotland, nor do I think I could create a peaty/earthy flavored water to easily either. So guess what, I'm using a restrained amount of peat malt to get the flavor I'm hoping for. OG finished at 1.048.<br /><br />Cheers!<br />AaronUnknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6396919350863211396.post-78897806983064334372009-09-07T19:45:00.002-05:002009-09-07T22:09:08.368-05:00Day 24: Russian Imperial StoutThe wine I started a couple days ago is slowly chugging along...and tomorrow I may try to get a 'state of the beers' session in. Check gravities on everything, move beers in to secondary fermenters, repitch yeast in some if needed, move some in to bottles, etc...I'm getting to the point of no return on some of these- meaning I need to keep stuff moving or it's going to get ugly. I've got tomorrow off, and not too much to do, so it should work out.<br /><br />On to the beer...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Beer #23 - Boris & Natasha's Stout</span><br /><br />Style: Russian Imperial Stout (13F)<br /><br />Recipe: For 1 Gallon (Extract)<br /><br />3 lb Dark Liquid Malt Extract<br />2 oz Chocolate Rye Malt (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)<br />2 oz Roasted Barley (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)<br />1 oz British Black Patent (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)<br />.5 oz Chinook Hops (4.5%) (30 minutes, full boil)<br />Wyeast 1028 London Ale<br /><br />Beer notes: Pretty straight forward beer, just more malt than most. Again, this is a style that allows for a lot of give and take. Make sure it's dark and malty, and alcoholic. Though they do say it can have 'variable' amount of fruitiness and hop flavor, which is sort of nice. You don't realize how many styles call for no hop flavor until you start going through them. Chose the London Ale yeast, and hope it can get me to about 11% alcohol. OG was 1.106.<br /><br />Cheers!<br />AaronUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6396919350863211396.post-69746831783298676872009-09-06T17:02:00.003-05:002009-09-06T18:24:00.250-05:00Day 23: Traditional BockBack to beer today. I splurged and opened up one of the refractometers on the shelf today. I had one that broke somehow after about 3 months of light use. I loved using it. It's really nice and easy to take a quick gravity read with. I need to start moving a few things in to secondary and a few things in to bottles...soon. Beer everywhere. Definitely need to organize and get my system in place, now that I have some understanding of size of fermenters, the space they'll take up, and the different times beers will be finishing at. Which is one tough thing about the process. A lager is going to take longer than an ale in most cases. I'm thinking of starting a spreadsheet, I was hoping to just use this blog as my tracking system, but it'll be easier with everything laid out in front of me in a spreadsheet-transfers, gravity readings, etc.<br /><br />On to the beer...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Beer #22 - Rock the Bock</span><br /><br />Style: Traditional Bock (5B)<br /><br />Recipe: For 3 Gallon (Partial-Mash)<br /><br />3 lb Briess Amber Dry Malt Extract<br />1.5 lbs Vienna Malt (steeped at 152F for 60 minutes)<br />1.5 lbs Munich Type 1 Malt (steeped at 152F for 60 minutes)<br />.5 lbs CaraMunich III Malt (steeped at 152F for 60 minutes)<br />.75 oz Hallertau Hops (4.5%) (40 minutes, full boil)<br />.5 oz Spalt Select Hops (2%) (40 minutes, full boil)<br /><br /><br />Beer notes: Boiled this batch 40 minutes, just long enough to get the minimum bitterness needed for the style. Used hops I had around. I mashed a couple pounds, got about a 57% efficiency. Was hoping for somewhere between 60-70%. Maybe could have sparged a bit better, a bit longer, than the gallon of water I poured over it and gently squeezed out of the sack. Pot looks like it's going to end with about 3 gallons. OG finished around 1.062, a little low.<br /><br />Cheers!<br />AaronUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6396919350863211396.post-71142804010690280392009-09-05T22:24:00.006-05:002009-09-06T18:00:27.744-05:00Day 22: Sauvignon BlancWine! I figured today would be the day to get a wine in! I was busy and beer brewing sounded like a lot of work.<br /><br />On to the wine...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Wine #1 - Sauvignon Blanc</span><br /><br />Style: Sauvignon Blanc<br /><br />Recipe: For 6 Gallons<br /><br />It's a 10 liter Grand Cru Sauvignon Blanc kit that starts as 10 liters, and makes 23 liters, 6 gallons. Filled a 6 gallon glass carboy to 6 gallons and threw the bentonite in. Hydrometer reading was 1.084. Sprinkled yeast on top as instructed, not stirring it in. It says to give it two weeks in the primary. I'm interested to see how active it'll be these first couple of weeks. I may play by my own rules and move it when it settles down- no air bubbles coming through the airlock. I'm planning on a longer secondary fermentation than their 2 week suggestion. I may tweak and play around some with the chemicals, or I may play by the rules:)<br /><br />Cheers!<br />AaronUnknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6396919350863211396.post-63593883581292372862009-09-04T10:55:00.005-05:002009-09-04T17:53:37.934-05:00Day 21: Berliner WeisseI posted yesterday that I'm looking to get a wine going. Instead, today I'm brewing up the true Champagne of beers: The Berliner Weisse.<br /><br />On to the beer...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Beer #21 - Berntnylin Weisse</span><br /><br />Style: Berliner Weisse (17A)<br /><br />Recipe: For 3 Gallon (Partial-Mash)<br /><br />1 lb Briess Pilsen Light Dry Malt Extract<br />1.75 lbs Pale Wheat Malt (steeped at 152F for 60 minutes)<br />4 oz Bohemian Pisener Malt (steeped at 152F for 60 minutes)<br />.5 oz Spalt Select Hops (2%) (15 minutes, full boil)<br />Wyeast 4335 Lactobacillus<br />Wyeast 2565 Kolsch Ale Yeast<br /><br />Beer notes: Was looking for something interesting to brew today. This one looked fun, but ended up needing a restart. As I was steeping my grains, I got inattentive and left the burner on high for a few minutes...burned/melted a hole in my nylon grain bag....ugh. So, boiled some PBW in the bottom, and started over- new grains, new grain bag, new water. Thus the name of this beer, "Berntnylin Weisse." I think I got a pretty good mash and sparge this time. Going to throw the bacteria and yeast in at the same time. I'd thought about putting the Lacto in for about 2 weeks first, and then the yeast. I hear you can add a nice sourness to the beer. On second thought, I really want to see the results of throwing the lacto and yeast in together at the same time. Probably looking to age this one for a while (2-3 months) in the secondary. May have pitched a bit on the hot side. Hopefully it kicks off!<br /><br />Cheers!<br />AaronUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6396919350863211396.post-23048453451224656232009-09-03T18:35:00.004-05:002009-09-04T12:04:49.128-05:00Day 20: Sweet StoutThis will mark the 20th different style of beer I've brewed in 20 days. Captain Obvious here, I know. As I taste some of the first batches, I'm already looking forward to tweaking recipes slightly, and playing around. First I'd like to get through most, if not all, of the BJCP listed beer styles. Also, I'm jonesin' to get a wine going again. You may see one of those pop up soon. Oh, and some sake...I may have to change the name to 'A Year in Brewing.'<br /><br />On to the beer...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Beer #20 - London Calling Stout</span><br /><br />Style: Sweet Stout (13B)<br /><br />Recipe: For 2 Gallon (Extract)<br /><br />3 lbs Muntons Dark Liquid Malt Extract<br />3 oz Malto-Dextrin<br />2 oz Chocolate Malt (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)<br />2 oz Special B Malt (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)<br />2 oz Cara-Pils Malt (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)<br />2 oz Chocolate Wheat Malt (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)<br />1 oz British Black Patent (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)<br />.25 oz Columbus Hops (14.2%) (30 minutes, full boil)<br />Wyeast 1318 London Ale III Yeast<br /><br />Beer notes: Was shooting for an old fashioned stout that you'd serve with low carbonation and at cellar temperature. I guess I was shooting for a cask stout recipe. Didn't go with Lactose, which would have made this a 'milk' stout, but decided to go with maltodextrin instead. Both are non-fermentable sugars that will add some sweetness to the beer. I really like the Wyeast London Ale III yeast. I'm not alone- there's been a lot of discussion on the boards at probrewer.com about this yeast as an all-around craft brewery yeast. Seems to be a favorite of some. Used Columbus as my bittering hop again today. I find it's a good bittering hop, especially for beers where you want the malt showcased some.<br /><br />Cheers!<br />AaronUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6396919350863211396.post-18801727714252118372009-09-02T19:51:00.002-05:002009-09-02T20:14:54.088-05:00Day 19: Dark American LagerGood news to all you home brewers out there- hop prices are coming down. Just got an email from my distributor yesterday saying they've started adjusting prices based on current inventory and future inventory. Yay! So if you haven't seen price decreases at your local home brew shop yet (mine will be coming down soon), you should this month.<br /><br />On to the beer...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Beer #19 - Born On The Bayou Black Lager</span><br /><br />Style: Dark American Lager (4A)<br /><br />Recipe: For 2 Gallon (Extract)<br /><br />1 lb Muntons Extra Light Dry Malt Extract<br />1 lb Rice Syrup Solids<br />6 oz Corn Sugar<br />2 oz Chocolate Malt<br />1 oz Muntons Dark Crystal Malt (135L)<br />.15 oz Columbus Hops (14.2%) (30 minutes, full boil)<br />Wyeast 2042 Danish Lager Yeast<br /><br />Beer notes: I have a hard time taking any beer style serious when coloring agents are appropriate. This is pretty much Pabst in a black t-shirt. The style should remain light, and should have very few roasted, toasted, toffee, coffee or any other flavor you might find in a dark malt...but it should be dark. If I had debittered black patent, it probably would've went in this one instead of the chocolate. Gravity, if I did my temperature adjustment right, is 1.046.<br /><br />Cheers!<br />AaronUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6396919350863211396.post-60390969236656093512009-09-01T10:25:00.008-05:002009-09-02T18:54:29.539-05:00Day 18: RoggenbierI definitely feel like I'm learning a good amount beer styles doing this. Today I'm brewing one I've never brewed before, and looking forward to it. Also had a nice milestone today- bottled the first batch! 6 500ml bottles.<br /><br />On to the beer...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Beer #18 - Pitcher in the Rye</span><br /><br />Style: Roggenbier (German Rye Beer) (15D)<br /><br />Recipe: For 2 Gallon (All-Grain)<br /><br />2 lbs Rye Malt<br />1 lb Munich Type 1 Malt<br />6 oz German Dark Munich Malt<br />6 oz German Dark Wheat Malt<br />2 oz Caramel Wheat Malt<br />2 oz Chocolate Wheat Mal<br />.5 oz Tettnanger Hops (4.5%) (Last 30 minutes of 60 minute boil)<br />Wyeast 3333 German Wheat Yeast<br /><br />Beer notes: I was pretty excited to brew today. I like rye beers, but don't think I've ever made a roggenbier 'true to style.' I've added rye to a good amount of beers in the past, but don't think I've ever tackled it as the major malt in my grain bill. This beer ended up with exactly 50% rye grist. Was higher, then I realized I had caramel wheat, and not caramel rye. Didn't do the best job weighing the grains, this one might finish a bit dark, as I was high on caramel and chocolate wheat malts. Temperature didn't hold well the second half of the 60 minutes. Not sure my pseudo sparge went well either. Think I left some sugars behind. I am writing this mid boil so we'll see how the gravity looks when it cools down. An hour later- Missed gravity by a lot...which I figured might happen...was at a paltry 1.034. I'll need to fix this.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6396919350863211396.post-72980312550779341402009-08-31T22:03:00.005-05:002009-09-01T09:17:37.765-05:00Day 17: Chocolate Cherry PorterIt looks like the hardest days for me to brew are Mondays and Tuesdays. These are my days off, and the farthest thing from my mind was brewing today. So started brewing today around 10pm. Did some exploring today, and grabbed a couple six-packs mix-packs of 12 different great beers. After some nice Belgian beer today, I'm definitely looking forward to brewing a tasty Tripel up soon.<br /><br />On to the beer...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Beer #17 - Chocolate Cherry Porter</span><br /><br />Style: Fruit Beer (20A)<br /><br />Recipe: For 1 Gallon (Extract)<br /><br />1 lb Dark Dry Malt Extract<br />3 lbs Cherries (Secondary Fermenter)<br />4 oz Chocolate Malt (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)<br />.5 oz Sterling Hops (5%) (Full boil, 30 minutes)<br />Danstar Windsor Ale Yeast<br /><br />Beer notes: I had some fresh cherries I wasn't eating fast enough and froze recently. I'm planning on sanitizing them and throwing them directly in to the secondary for about 2 weeks. I'll make notes if this recipe changes some. Had first thought about making a cherry hefeweizen, but settled on a cherry porter. I think it should balance the cherry flavor nicely. Didn't make this beer too alcoholic, but feel it's probably more of a winter beer. Adjusted my hops Alpha Acids down some. They were marked at 7.2%, but they were a bit old, so gave'em a 5%. OG sat right at 1.050.<br /><br />Cheers!<br />Aaron<br /><br />Cheers!<br />AaronUnknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6396919350863211396.post-69554242623415692772009-08-30T16:34:00.005-05:002009-08-30T17:57:23.062-05:00Day 16: Belgian Specialty AleIt's been a lazy Sunday, which is why we're moving directly...<br /><br />On to the beer...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Beer #16 - Lazy Sunday Specialty Ale</span><br /><br />Style: Belgian Specialty Ale (16E)<br /><br />Recipe: For 2 Gallon (Extract)<br /><br />1.5 lb Wheat Dry Malt Extract<br />.75 lb Dark Liquid Malt Extract<br />8 oz Caramel/Crystal 80L Malt (steeped at 152F for 20 minutes)<br />.6 oz Saaz Hops (3.2%) (Full boil, 30 minutes)<br />.5 oz Crushed Coriander Seed (Last 15 minutes)<br />.75 oz Bitter Orange Peel (Last 2 minutes)<br />Wyeast 3522 Belgian Ardennes & 1187 Ringwood Ale Yeast<br /><br />Beer notes: The Belgian Specialty Ale is actually a 'catch all' category for Belgian beers that are hard to classify. It's sort of an up in the air, do what you want (to a certain extent) kind of category. I was staring at some of the ingredients I had sitting around before I brewed and was trying to figure out what sort of 'dark wheat' beer I could brew. After struggling to categorize the beer I wanted to brew, I found this category. It's sort of like a 'get out of jail free' card when you have a ton of ingredients that would lend themselves to Belgians laying around. I guess some people would call this an Artisanal Brown Ale. Lots of coriander and orange peel in this recipe. Enough for a 5 gallon batch. I don't think I'd raise the coriander and orange peel amount too much for a bigger batch. Just hoping for some orange aromatics there at the end. First batch using all Kentwood Springs water instead of tap water. Both yeasts were saved from my first two batches in jars. Just going to pitch them both in. Was thinking about propagating both, and keeping them going, but just don't have time at the moment. Gravity is 1.064.<br /><br />Cheers!<br />AaronUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0