Still on the Beer

Wow!  It's been a while since I've posted anything... new babies will do things like that I guess.  Well I've been brewing my heart out since the end of March and have just recently slowed new brews coming down the pipe.
I've started using glass carboys for all my fermenting which does not hold on to aroma, and therefor ends in a beer that has less chance of picking up off flavors from bacteria.  I also use yeast starters on all brews whether or not they have a high original gravity (the amount of fermentable sugars in the beer).

The two carboys are the Lord Fatbottom barley wine, that I mentioned a while back, and an amber ale.  The cases are an IPA, a Honey Weizen and a beer I brewed before Elora was born (which did not turn out well... it's pretty good for cooking though).  I've also started kegging beer:

It's SO MUCH FASTER than bottling, and you can drink your beer sooner (which of course this whole process is for).  In there now is my version of Magic Hat #9, and I think it's pretty damn good!

Well, that's it for now.  I hope to post more sooner than later... CHEERS!

Brewing up a storm!

After a long winters nap I've been dusting off my brew pot and sparking the flame under a new batch of home brew!
I've actually been home brewing since April of last year and have not looked back since.  It is one of the most rewarding hobbies that I have ever undertaken and I must say I have become quite obsessed (in a good way).  I have made about ten or so batches so far and have learned a lot of do's and don'ts.  I've graduated from a five gallon pot in the kitchen to a ten gallon pot using an outside propane burner.

This allows me to boil a full five gallon batch (about 6.5 gallons of water) without the need for adding additional water at the end of the boil.  I've also started making yeast starters which helps to expand and strengthen the population of yeast cells before adding it to the main fermentation vessel.

This is a half gallon growler with a rubber stopper and an air lock to keep bacteria out!  The beer that I used this one for is an IPA that will probably come out in the area of nine or ten % alcohol, which is why the starter is so important.  If you under pitch your yeast, meaning not adding enough healthy cells, your beer won't properly or fully ferment the way it was meant to thus not tasting the way it was designed.

The IPA I made (which I brewed on March 12th) is known as 115th Dream Hopbursted Imperial IPA... that's a mouth full!  It was a kit beer meaning that all the ingredients and directions came together in one neat little package.  It used a pound of hops and fourteen pounds of fermentable sugars!  Total time till you take your first sip is about two months or more, but well worth the wait.  The kit was purchased from Northern Brewer, here's the link: http://www.northernbrewer.com/brewing/recipe-kits/extract-kits/extract-ale-kits/115th-dream-hopbursted-ipa-extract-kit.html

I set my ingredients and utensils out ahead of time for a nice smooth brewing session.  Those copper coils you see there is known as a wort chiller and helps to cool the wort at the end of the boil.  You basically hook a hose up to one or both ends which allows cool water to circulate in the brew kettle dropping the temperature quickly to the desired yeast pitching temp. 

Watching the boil is important.  You don't want any boil overs which will result in the loss of sweet wort (unfermented beer) and possibly hops.  Hops are added at the beginning of the boil for bitterness, and at various times throughout the boil to add additional bitterness, flavor and aroma.  If you look closely at the picture you'll see the melted thermometer face attached to the pot, left side above the ball valve.  This burner gets amazingly hot, i've lost another thermometer and some valve covers to it's mighty flames.

After the boil is done, about an hour later, I transfer the wort to a six gallon glass carboy, pour in the yeast and attach an airlock.  I usually use a similar airlock to the one in the yeast starter shot but I thought there might be a lot of activity during fermentation so I rigged up a blow off tube.  The wort will ferment into beer for about a week or two then be transfered to a secondary fermenter to clarify and age for about a month.  Yummy!

I am planning another brew this Saturday March 19th which will be a Honey Hefeweizen (wheat beer) of my own recipe.  Similar process with a different but just as tasty result!  Please let me know if you have any questions or comments about this beer or the brewing process.  Thanks for reading. 

The magic of hops!

My favorite type of beer out there has to be the beautiful IPA.  India pale ale is characterized by it's big hop aroma and flavor along with it's boost in alcohol.  But why stuff all this goodness in the bottle?  Well it all started when in the 17th and 18th century when some non-local brewing companies started exporting there beer to India in hopes of gaining a foothold in the market.  Unfortunately most beers would spoil rather quickly without refrigeration, which was why most breweries of the time distributed in there local area only.   I think that would be awesome, imagine getting your brew down the road a piece?  Knowing the brewer and his family and all that... small town style!  Anyway, they discovered that by adding more hops and boosting the alcohol content to there "pale ale" (which is named for the malt used in brewing) it would last much longer and hence complete the long journey.  This is of course the short short version of which you can find more detailed info around the net.
What I love about this beer is the vast different tastes, aromas and characteristics that make up this up and coming style.

• Some are very bitter and dark in color with hints of pine and citrus.  
• Some are lighter in color, less bitter and sweeter with heavy grapefruit flavors.
• Some are floral along with citrus with a nice balance of bitter and sweet.

My favorite thus far is a brew named "Hopslam" by Bells brewing in Kalamazoo Michigan.  It's a seasonal IPA style beer that is magic to the pallet.  

It is light and aromatic with grapefruit, orange and peach.  It's clear and has a light mouthfeel that make you forget the high alcohol content (10%).  And it tastes like it smells, like sweet grapefruit, orange and peach juice with a nice even bitterness.  It's a beautiful thing!  If you can find it grab it.  

You may have a different taste for this great style of ale so don't be afraid try them all.  Let me know some of your favs!

A little self education

Colette Lappin commented on Facebook about loving both Guinness and a beer called La Goudale, the latter which I have not tried.  This of course causes me to do some research to find out a little more about it.  Most of us have had Guinness before or at least have heard of it; a dark stout that is popular for it's St. Patrick's Day toast and the cool way the head creeps up from the bottom of the glass.  Goudale on the other hand is known as a 'biere de garde' or 'beer for keeping' named for this styles higher alcohol content and higher hop addition which balances sweetness and helps preserve the beer.  Biere de garde originated from northern France where it was to far north to grow grapes, but perfect for growing hops!  Another variety is known as 'biere de mars' or 'beer for March' which is meant as a seasonal brew with different characteristics.  This link to Beer Advocate has some technical specs and a bunch of reviews on La Goudale: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/813/7451.

From time to time I will drink Guinness with a shot of Chambord Black Raspberry liquor thrown in!  One St. Patrick's day I had a four pack of these and wound up sleeping on a friends couch... sometimes more than a  shot made it in to the glass.  Here's another link for the Guinness rundown: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/209/754.

Getting involved

Tonight I sit here thinking about all things beer, actually not drinking one at the moment but you have to drink some water every once and a while.  I'm writing some reviews and answering posts on Beer Advocate which keeps my tasting sense sharp and my typing skills sharper.  Although I've never thought I had much of a pallet, I'm building it with each brew I enjoy.  And that's what I love about beer; the depth and variety of styles and ingredients that can be used to make this magical beverage.  I've read a recipe for beer made with chicken... I don't plan on trying this recipe any time soon.  I'm also thinking about the next batch of beer I plan to make for the upcoming spring and summer seasons.  A big IPA and maybe hefty Hefeweizen made with honey!  Yummy!