Hop and Malt prices hit home

Someone please explain to me how it costs $8 to ship 3 pounds of malt from Columbia, MD to Hanover, PA (roughly 50 miles) but it costs $20 to ship a 55-pound sack of Munich malt from Champlain, NY to Hanover PA (roughly 500 miles). Unfortunately it would probably cost me $8 in gas to drive to Columbia, MD and back. But there definitely isn't a direct relationship there.

At any rate, the effects of the price hike in malt and hops due to several agroeconomical factors is already being felt. Take for instance Northern Brewer's footnote on hops, and the outright unavailability listed on their hops page. "Temporarily Out of Stock" is a recurring sight on MoreBeer's page as well.

It's definitely going to be a rough year. Hopefully we'll have enough beer to cry in...

Merry Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from OSBC!

Christmas time is definitely my favorite time of the year. In terms of beer, it's a no-brainer: holiday ales, barleywine, etc. Brewers roll out their special batches for the season. Bell's released their Special Double Cream Stout, which goes really well with dark chocolate chip cookies by the way!

Part of my treasure trove of presents was a bottle of Stone Double Bastard and St. Peter's Winter Ale. Proof the wife does pay attention, even when I think she's not. Gonna have to keep an eye on her...

Wherever you are, enjoy the holidays!

Cheers!

Brooklyn Monster 2007

I was pleasantly suprised to find a sixer of Brooklyn Monster Barleywine at my fav bottle shop the other day. As I said in the Devil's Milk blog post, I love barleywine---and the Monster doesn't disappoint. Sporting Willamette, Cascade, and American Fuggle hops, it's a tasty interpretation of the English style. This year's rendition clocks in at 10.8% so there's plenty of warmth for these cold nights.

Personally, I'm more partial to the English-style barleywines---the exception being Avery Hog Heaven, an American-style barleywine and probably my favorite of that style. But in many cases, the line between American-style barleywine and Double IPA tends to get blurred by liberal doses of hops. With barleywine, it's not solely about the hops. Maybe the Left Coasters can manage to show some restraint for once.

"Yeah, and maybe I'm a Chinese jet pilot."

Happy Holidays!!!

Flying Dog packs up and moves

Looks like Colorado-based Flying Dog Brewing Co. is packing its bags and moving east to Frederick, MD. As you may know, Flying Dog bought Frederick Brewing Co. a few years back. Flying Dog is moving all of its brewing operations to Frederick; the sales, marketing and administrative staff will remain in Colorado.

That means more beer for us---special release parties, events, etc!

Cheers!!

DuClaw Devil's Milk Barleywine

It's fine weather for Barleywine!

Last night I attended the 2007 release of DuClaw's Devil's Milk Barleywine at their Bel Air location. It's fresh from a fire restoration; you can almost smell the sawdust. Unfortunately the new setup isn't much bigger than the old restaurant, in terms of seating and room. One would think dragging the brewhouse out and starting with a clean slate would make for a prime opportunity to expand, given their popularity. The upstairs is walled-off, presumably holding a banquet room. But last night it was standing-room-only at the bar and at least an hour wait for a table. If they did design it bigger than it previously was, they seriously undershot.

Fortunately, irritation was easily soothed by a good selection of very good beer. On tap were their Porter, Belgian Wit, Oktoberfest, Wheat, Blonde, Amber, Pale Ale, and of course, the Barleywine. 6:55pm hit with a short presentation for the release on all flat-screened video monitors in the bar. The lines were already forming at the email-club table. Once 7:00pm I headed to the bar and ordered-up and by 7:01pm I had a snifter of Barleywine in one hand and a growler full of it in the other! I don't need to go into detail of its virtues. Suffice it to say it's excellent, it's worth driving an hour each way for, and a lot of beer drinkers feel the same way.

Last year, they released their Barleywine in wax-sealed 1L flip-top bottles in addition to their normal release. I grabbed two; one lasted a month tops, the other is still in my cellar "beers-not-to-touch-for-a-while" collection. Also last year they ran through 15 kegs of Devil's Milk in one night at their Bowie location and sold out of it soon after.

Word to the wise: if you're jonesin' for some Devil's Milk, get there NOW. Whoever first said "while supplies last" never had a good glass of Barleywine.

Project: Draft Box

For some time now I've been wanting to build a draft box for parties and what not. For probably 3 years now I've been grabbing gear here and there for it, starting with a cooler that my neighbor offered to me. Then, about 15 months ago I scored a 3-circuit cold plate on eBay for about $85, which is very cheap by comparison. After stopping by the store to grab two shanks and some tubing, it was time to get to work.

First, I measured and drilled the 7/8" holes for the shanks. I spaced them 6" apart and left a space in the middle where I will add a third shank and tap sometime soon. Unfortunately my local homebrew store (LHBS in homebrewing forum-speak) only had 2 3" shanks. If you plan to follow my lead, know that once you get past the outer plastic layer and hit the insulation inside, it gets very messy. Drop the cold plate in only after all holes are drilled, shanks are installed and the cooler is cleaned out. Insulation in your cold plate is bad.

Once that was complete and the fittings were installed on the cold plate, in it went. I also wrapped each fitting's threads with Teflon tape, as the cold plate is aluminum and the fittings are steel. I heated some water in the microwave and soaked the ends of the 3/16" tubing in it before pushing them onto the nipples.




The 3/16" fittings on the liquid disconnects and cold plate were no problem; the shanks I bought had two 1/4" nipples welded on. No problem, as long as the tubing is nice and soft. And don't forget to put two Oetiker clamps on the tubing before putting both ends on the nipples.




For the rear, I just drilled two holes the size of the outer diameter of the tubing. Many commercial draft boxes use pass-through shanks, which work well but add to the cost, assembly and disassembly.






After all fittings were finished, it was time to flush the cold plate with OxyClean and sanitize with StarSan before giving it a test-run. It worked well, however it got pretty foamy at serving pressure of 8 psi...give that it was just flushed with 60°F sanitizer. Once the cold plate is chilled with ice water, it should be a different story.




Which means more testing. And more beer to drink! Cheers!

The Dangers of Carboys

Saw this today on one of the brewing forums I frequent. Unfortunately, it's not a freak accident. I've seen this quite a few times before and I'm sure I'll see it again:

My good friend and fellow brewer has been off this week recovering from surgery.

He dropped a full carboy and instinctively tried to save it... putting his hands in the path of the resulting explosion. All that liquid escaping pushes the glass shards out pretty explosively apparently.

He severed 5 tendons in one had and had over twenty stitches in the other.

After telling my wife this story she made me sit down and by a carboy hauler, can't say I blame her.

I guess the lesson is be very damn careful with your vessels, spend the money on safety equipment, and if the carboy is going save yourself, and cry over the lost beer later.

The carboy hauler will help, but for me this danger is averted by using food-grade buckets. Until I can afford to drop $600 on a conical fermenter, this will be my fermenter of choice. Not to mention you're going to drop $12 on top of the $20 per carboy you have. That gets expensive quickly; though presumably once you make that purchase, you probably won't have to replace it again (short of any disasterous accidents like the one mentioned earlier).

I've been brewing for almost 5 years and for every one of the 67 batches I've made, I've used buckets. Buckets just have a few advantages over glass carboys:

• Easier to clean
• Easier to harvest yeast from
• Do not shatter
• Have a carrying handle built in
• Protect the fermenting wort from light (UV has negative effects on yeast and unisomerized hop compounds)
• Less slippery than wet glass

Of course there's the ever-debated issue of scratching the plastic buckets that may create a place for bacteria and wild yeast to take hold and flourish. If you're using a Brillo pad maybe. I just hose 'em out, soak 'em in OxyClean, drain, rinse and wipe 'em down.

Oxygen permeability was also debated at one point, before it was pointed out that new buckets are made of a plastic that is impermeable to oxygen. In terms of secondary fermentation, many homebrewers are now using the Better Bottle. And many, including myself, are using Cornelius kegs for secondary fermentation. No "suck-back" issues with the airlock and the beer stays protected in stainless steel under a blanket of carbon dioxide (provided you purge the headspace with it).

Whatever method you chose, make an informed decision. Many homebrewers still like the glass carboy for primary fermentation, if not just for the perk of being able to watch the fermentation activity. Who doesn't like that?!

Cobblestone's

About a year ago I remember seeing a billboard for Cobblestone's in York, PA. Then, Trouble Brewing blogger Eric cited an article mentioning Cobblestone's and the South Central PA Homebrewers' Association. After reviewing the website and their salivation-provoking beer list, we put it on our to-do list.

Yes, the wife suggested it...even though she's not a beer drinker! How to know you married the right girl...

Anyway, last night we made the trip. Fortunately for me, it's less than 30 minutes from my house. True to the picture on their website, the inner doors open to a large expanse of TV screens, pool tables, dart boards, and tables. The service was great, the food was good, and the overall atmosphere was inviting. I started with a pint of Bell's Oktoberfest and it fit the bill perfectly. Although later I did order a pint of Bell's Porter, the server returned with something that was definitely not dark and nearly opaque. The server had been great in every way and since it was a light copper color, I was sure it wasn't Bud so I didn't complain. Instead I looked at it as a challenge to try to test my senses and palate. After a few sips and some nosing, I was certain it was an IPA. When it was time to pay up, the check told me it was a pint of Bell's Two-Hearted Ale. A nice surprise for sure!

All in all, their beer menu was encouraging and the pool tables looked inviting. Definitely heading there for Happy Hour someday!

Construction

This past weekend kicked off another stride of construction in the ol' basement. A good friend of mine stopped by and helped me wire the place and the next day I started hanging insulation. The basement includes my back room, which is where all the brewing-type things happen (fermentation, yeast propagation, serving freezer, endless cleaning, etc.)---minus the actual wort production process; that happens in the garage or outside on a nice day. It also includes my bar with four VentiMatic faucets that run straight from my serving freezer. Once it's carpeted and the furniture and LCD TV go down there, I think my wife may have to forcibly remove me from my "man cave".

It is nice to be able to build things the way you want them, though. Outlets for the temperature controlled freezers, one here and there for miscellaneous items, shelving, etc. Once I finish framing the HVAC chase I'll be hanging moisture-resistant drywall. Maybe some epoxy on the floor someday. Who knows.

For now, I just have to suffer through not having any light in the back room---it's wired, just needs to have the overhead 48" lights hung after the drywall goes up. Until then, it's a 1,000-watt tripod light. Sometimes you have to sacrifice a little to gain a lot.

Pictures? They're coming. That place is looks terrible right now!

Another trip, another score

I've got it down to a pattern now: trip to Michigan, stop in Arbor Brewing, stop in Andersons in Maumee/Toledo, return. Ok, and some family things in between too.

Arbor Brewing was pleasant as usual, but unfortunately their offerings this time were diminished in selection. The Sacred Cow Cask IPA was out, their menu said they had Dunkel but didn't, and their Abbey ale was the only seasonal on tap. All were good, nonetheless. Just not as diverse this time. Hopefully they'll have their Terminator dopplebock back on tap soon.

And as usual, the Andersons store didn't disappoint. Aside, I really wish we had one here but then there's the PA distribution stranglehold---so you can forget singles right out, nevermind selection. It truly is a shame that in a state with such great breweries as Victory, Appalachian, Sly Fox, Stoudt's (countless more) the consumer is so limited in terms of what and where they can buy. There's supply and demand (the countless stores that stock 30-packs of Bud/Miller/Coors) but then there's politics. Pathetic, really, and a scarlet letter on the Pennsylvania legislative and distribution systems.

Anyway, I arrived safely home with a bounty of tasty brews:

• Weyerbacher Double Simcoe IPA. Had it before, great beer. And look, I can buy one bottle!
• Lagunitas IPA
• Southern Tier Raspberry Wheat
• Paulaner Salvator Dopplebock. The original dopplebock. Didn't make it 4 hours in the house before it was opened and summarily poured. It will be missed.
• Three Floyds Rabid Rabbit Saison
• Arcadia Coco Loco
• Southern Tier Harvest Ale
• Arcadia Hopmouth Double IPA
• Southern Tier Big Red Imperial Red
• Fort Collins Brewing Chocolate Stout
• Great Lakes Brewing Oktoberfest
• Great Lakes Nosferatu (stock ale)
• Stone Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale

Yes, that is a 6-pack of Southern Tier Harvest Ale. The "quadrupulus humulus lupus" descriptor on the package sealed the deal for me. And before you think that this is just another double IPA, take a sip and you'll find that it's not even a double IPA at all. It has a very pleasant hop aroma and flavor but restrained bitterness. The beer delivers a moderately-malty flavor, devoid of a darkness that would suggest highly-roasted caramel malts; only 2-row pale malt and wheat malt. Clearly, the emphasis is the hops here: Amarillo, Chinook, and Columbus hops in the kettle, Styrian Golding hops in the hopback, and dry-hopped with Amarillo.

I've really grown a fondness for Southern Tier. Their beers are creative, and who doesn't love the packaging? Vibrant and vivid.

The Three Floyds Saison, one of the Arcadia Coco Locos and the Arcadia Hopmouth will be going to my craft beer enthusiast and amateur magician friend Jason, in return for 3 bottles of Stone 2007 Vertical Epic he brought me. It's good to have good friends with good taste.

Cheers!

There's hope for the world yet

Among my usual offering from my blog reader was an encouraging article from the BBC. Good beer knows no boundaries and makes its own friends. These friends in an unlikely part of the world modeled their event after the ubiquitous Oktoberfest in Munich and reaped the rewards in true Bavarian bierkeller style.

Rodney King missed the mark but he was close: can't we all just have a good beer together?

Ein prosit, der Gemütlichkeit!!

Time to reap what was sown

Received the score sheets and goods for the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair yesterday. This is the big pay-off, and not always necessarily in terms of physical goods (although those are nice too). The honest, objective feedback from BJCP judges on your brew is invaluable. This is where the wheel meets the road, in my opinion. Often I see posts of brewers on internet forums of "I've done [insert technique---or lack thereof---here] and my beers taste great!" While pride in one's creations is admirable and empathic, it's still subjective. I firmly believe you cannot completely and objectively analyze your own brews. That's where the score sheets come in.

In terms of my own, I received a 41 (out of 50) for my dry stout, 1st in category and an honorable mention in Best of Show. Here are some remarks:

Very nice beer. Could consume vast quantities.

Good coffee flavor with slight hop bitterness. Great balance, no huskiness.

A classic example of style. Very well balanced with only minor flaws. Kudos to the brewer.

Moderate roast with very low roast sharpness. Slight chocolate in middle of palate with some creaminess that smoothes beer tremendously.

For the Second Best of Show Maibock (36 points, 1st in category):

Very close to an excellent Hellesbock. The cloying malt flavor is my only problem. You have a very nice balance, but I've found that the best Maibocks are served fresh but become cloying with age. This could be the issue here. Still, very nicely done beer.

And just to be honest and drive the point home, Oktoberfest (30 points, 2nd in category):

Deep copper, very clear. Pretty good initial carbonation, but very poor head retention.

Recipe is probably ok but you need a cleaner yeast and lower fermentation temperature.

So, feedback, whether shining or shining a light on your shortcomings, is a good thing. It's certainly motivation to do better next time or to try to replicate your results. It's constructive criticism, so if you have a problem with that you're probably not going to do well with competitions or brewing in general.

Man up, put 'em in the box and send 'em on their way! If nothing else, the loot (like a gift certificate to the Flying Barrel) will put some bounce in your step!

How you know you married the right girl

My patient and ever-loving wife headed out to Michigan this weekend to help out a friend in need and returned with a mixed six-pack:

• Bell's Porter
• Bell's Lager of The Lakes (Pilsner)
• Bell's Batch 8,000 (Belgian Strong Ale)
• Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter
• Great Lakes Elliot Ness Amber Lager
• Great Lakes Commodore Perry IPA

She done good! Not bad for someone who doesn't even like beer---show's she's been paying attention! Think I'll split the bottle of Batch 8,000 with her, some homebrewers I've talked to that have non-beer-drinking wives say they've had success with Belgian beers.

Cheers!

DIY taphandles

You don't have to go out and plunk down $40 on a new tap handle. You don't even have to spend $10-15 on eBay. You can make 'em yourself. Granted, some may require some tools most don't have in their workbench (myself included), but if you have access to 'em or know someone that does, a little homebrew barter can go a long way.

I grabbed an old aluminum spanner wrench that was dumpster-bound and decided to give it a second life, delivering hoppy and malty goodness. First it needed a little cleanup, so 5 minutes in the sandblasting cabinet made it look brand-new. Aluminum's a soft metal, of course, so drilling it and tapping it was a piece of cake. Add a light spray of acrylic to protect and voila! Ready for the faucet.

Short of that route, there's always the Tap Handle Insert, but it's probably best used for wooden or plastic items. It requires you drill a 1/2" hole, and in my case that was way too big. Still, it's a good low-tech option at $1.70.

Weight is a concern, so bear that in mind while you perform your search. I'm not sure exactly how much a given faucet can handle, but in reality the faucets aren't mounted 100% vertically and a little unsupervised movement in the wrong direction could mean an empty CO2 tank, an empty keg, and a large mess of beer on your floor---not to mention the loss of the beer! In my situation, my bar is being constructed in a fire department theme (go figure) so axe and sledgehammer heads aren't exactly practical. But aluminum is nice and lightweight so it fit perfectly.

Good hunting!

Sam Adams: Beer Lover's Choice

In 2005, it was the Brown Ale. In 2006, it was the Honey Porter (delicious, by the way). And once again, the Boston Beer Company is looking for votes for their next production brew. In one corner is an Irish Red, and in the other is a Dunkelweizen.

So check out the video and go to their promotions page to find a date and location where you can put your $0.02 in and drink good beer!

Cheers!

Alabama town considers going DRY

Link to Yahoo News Article

It appears some of the residents of Athens, Alabama retain the conviction that alcohol begets all that is bad. And to spare every reader with a political/religious tirade, I'll just say this: "What happened to Separation of Church and State, Reverend Eddie?!?!"

Ironically, the movement in Athens is encouraging the citizens to pray and fast---and when I think of fasting and alcohol, I think of the first monks that emigrated to Germany and sustained themselves with dopplebock, the ancestor of Paulaner Salvator. The outcome was much more prolific.

Someone needs a history lesson on why Prohibition failed. Perhaps Athens, Alabama can endure another ugly period in time; hopefully, the rest of the Country will never have to and as long as I'm here, I'm going to do my small share to ensure that doesn't happen by brewing beer, drinking beer, and blogging/talking/having a few pints with those that would agree that the world is a better place with beer.

Cheers, beer drinkers!!!

The results are in!

The results of the 2007 Montgomery County Agricultural Fair are in and I did pretty well:

• 2nd place Best-of-Show, Bock (Maibock)
• Honorable Mention, Best-of-Show, Stout
• 2nd place European Amber Lager (Oktoberfest)
• 1st place Dark Lager (Dunkel)
• 1st place Bock (Maibock)
• 1st place Stout

Second year in a row with 2nd Best-of-Show!!! Gonna shoot for the top for next year.

Betrayal by Auto-Siphon

The Auto-Siphon. A $15 contraption built by Fermtech Ltd., probably one of the most valuable tools in any well-equipped homebrew's brewing toolbox. It comes in two sizes, 3/8" and 1/2" diameter. Originally I opted for the 3/8" and later moved up to the 1/2" diameter one, naturally because larger diameter equals higher volume flow. I sang its praises at every siphon-discussion turn until...until it betrayed me.

The Achilles' Heel of the Auto-Siphon is the seal at the bottom of the inner tube that contacts the outer tube. When this seal wears or is otherwise defective, it will let air into the siphon. Perhaps not enough air to completely break the suction seal, but enough to create a long, steady line of very large bubbles that'll give you nightmares of your frail and delicate Bohemian Pils tasting like a mouthfull of wet cardboard.

(In case you're confused on that last line, do some reading up on oxidation.)

My second Auto-Siphon died an early death at the hands of a defective seal, summarily and unceremoniously tossed into the trash can. Order up #3, drop another $15.

Straight from the package and into the sanitizer it goes, dunked into the beer, start the siphon and what appears before my disheartened eyes but a long, steady stream of bubbles coming from down at the seal. Another $15 down the drain.

I'm not the kind to let the same dog bite me 3 times (who would've expected twice?!?!) so I'm done with the Auto-Siphon, despite claims on the Fermtech website of a new and improved seal that "prevents introduction of air at the seal." Luckily, I can still use the inner racking cane and tubing to siphon. Just need to come up with a Plan B to get beer into the keg without oxidizing the bejesus out of it along the way.

It's that time again!

Dropped off my entries Saturday for the 12th annual Montgomery County Agricultural Fair. Included is a homebrew competition, held by the Gaithersburg Area Brewers Society (GABS) and other local clubs who also supply the BJCP judges. I have a title to protect as I did pretty well last year:

• 2nd Best-of-Show (Robust Porter)
• 1st Place, Bock (default)
• 1st Place, Light Hybrid Beer - Kölsch-style ale
• 1st Place, Porter
• 2nd Place, Strong Ale - English Barleywine

Cheers!

The Harpoon Championship of New England Barbecue

The only thing I love more than beer is beer and good barbecue. Real barbecue, cooked slow-and-low at 225° for the better part of a day, not grilled spare ribs with bottled sauce slathered on just before it hits your plate.

The Harpoon Brewery in Windsor, Vermont is holding it's annual competition this weekend. Unfortunately for me, it's 450 miles away and has a time conflict with that pesky...uh, "occupation" or whatever you call it; quite fortunate, however, for New Englanders or anyone up for a worthy roadtrip.

Here's the info:

What is Harpoon Championships of New England Barbecue all about?

• A celebration of the best of Summer—Fresh beer, great BBQ, & live music
• The Harpoon Brewery in Windsor, Vermont offers an ideal setting for the event
• 40 BBQ Teams from all over will be competing for prize money & trophies
• A select few teams will be selling their award winning BBQ to the public
• Great live music provided by the hottest local bands from Vermont
• Come sit back, relax and enjoy the summer with friends at Harpoon Brewery
• Brewery tours offered through out the weekend

Event Date:

• Saturday, July 28th, 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM (Entrance closes at 6:30 pm)
• Sunday, July 29th, 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM (Entrance closes at 3:30 pm)
• Schedule of Events
  

Where to Come:

• At the Harpoon Brewery, 336 Ruth Carney Drive, Windsor, VT. Map/Directions
• Off Route 5, next door to Simon Pearce, exit 9 off Interstate 91
• Free parking available in the fields surrounding the event site
• Camping at the event is for competing teams only. See attached list of local campgrounds and accommodations

More Details (subject to change):

• Schedule of Events

• Door charge is $6.00 per person and does not include beer or food Children under 12 are admitted free, but must be accompanied by a parent

• Cash bars serving a selection of Vermont-brewed fresh Harpoon and UFO beer for $4.25 a pint

• Various BBQ teams will be selling a wide variety of hot delicious BBQ

• The event will be held rain or shine. Tickets not sold in advance

Stop...hefe time!

I came up with this recipe on my own 4 years ago as my second all-grain batch. It won 1st place in wheat beers at the 2003 Great Frederick Fair. It's simple and is just what the doctor ordered:

Hot Summer Hefeweizen

Batch Size (Gal): 5.00
Total Grain (Lbs): 10.00
Anticipated OG: 1.053
Anticipated SRM: 4.3
Anticipated IBU: 15.0
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70 %
Wort Boil Time: 65 Minutes

4.50 lbs. Pale Malt
5.50 lbs. Wheat Malt

0.80 oz. Hallertauer (Whole, 4.25% AA) 60 min

White Labs WLP300 Hefeweizen Ale

Single infusion mash at 152°F. If you want to get fancy you can do a rest at 111° to optimize ferulic acid production and/or a beta-glucanase rest at 122° to make lautering easier. If you really want to go crazy, do a decoction mash. Otherwise, a single infusion works fine.

Ferment in the low-mid '60s...higher will give you more banana esters. And use a blow-off tube, WLP300 is notorious for blowing the lids off fermenters! Unless you like mopping the floor and ceiling.

Cheers!

Another trip to Michigan

...means another trip to Arbor Brewing and a stop at my favorite beer store!

Arbor Brewing had a great lineup as usual and some nice beers on the hand pump: their Sacred Cow IPA and their Milestone Cask Porter. Both delicious. We went there with some friends so we ordered their sampler, which was 13 3-ounce glasses of all their brews. Nicely done, all very good. They had a Rauchbier that tasted like liquid bacon (admittedly by their own description), which isn't really my thing but it was good for what it was. I just haven't acquired the smoked beer taste yet. Unfortunately their Terminator Dopplebock wasn't on tap but hopefully next time I'm in town, maybe it's a seasonal thing for them.

And without fail, I stoped by Anderson's in Toledo to grab some beers and some other items before heading home. They have a great selection and you can buy SINGLES, something you're not going to do here in Pretzelvania without paying out the wazoo. Didn't go hog wild this time, grabbed some Bell's Porter, Three Floyds Alpha King, Stone Pale Ale, Southern Tier Porter, Southern Tier IPA, Southern Tier UnEarthy IIPA, Salvator Dopplebock (the original, scheduled to die tonight), New Holland Blue Goat Dopplebock and Great Lakes Blackout Imperial Stout.

I'm especially looking forward to the bomber of Blue Goat Dopplebock! Gonna have to be a slow night for that one though.

And what better way to come home than for my dry stout to be carbonated, ready to drink and my Kölsch done fermenting?! A pint of stout was the perfect thing after a long day of driving 500 miles of turnpike.

Up next: brewing a hefeweizen for a club competition and a Three Floyds Alpha King clone!

Another brew

Today was an absolutely beautiful day to brew---74°F, a few clouds in the sky but otherwise great. Brewed 10 gallons of Kölsch with a local fellow brewer. Always good to have good people around who like to make good beer. Things went well, was a little low on the temps when going from the beta-glucan rest to the sacc. rest but we resolved that. Mash-out temp hit dead on at 168°.

This same recipe has won 3 first-place ribbons in competitions over the past few years and usually comes up with 40-42 points. Plus there's a few more comps left this year so it's time to send in the big ones! Not to mention there's a growing demand for my Kölsch among family and friends so I had to get the supply back up!!

Cheers!

Pump it

Eventually some all-grain brewers decide that a pump is a good idea. Rightfully so, I came to that conclusion whilst lifting 10 gallons of 180° sparge water. Not fun.

But here's where the confusion begins; although it doesn't have to be. Most homebrew stores sell the March 809 pump which is perfect for homebrewing---short of the fact that it has to be primed. While this is a common annoyance, with a little practice it's not an issue. It runs on 120V, has a maximum head of 16 feet and runs at about 8 gallons per minute (gpm). Notice the output pressure here is low as well.

So some homebrewers will start checking eBay and finding pumps of all sizes, shapes, and capabilities. Note: you NEED a pump that can handle boiling wort. And you DON'T need a pump that has an output pressure of 50 psi, unless you want wort sprayed everywhere and your couplings to leak. Not to mention 50 psi will make your lines move if they're not securely connected (much like nozzle reaction, sans nozzle).

Then you'll find the ones on eBay that have no plug, requiring you to hardwire it yourself. Hope you're good with electricity.

Another good feature about the March 809 is it's magnetic-slip impeller. This means that you cannot cavitate this pump. You can starve it, but it's not going to create enough power to start ripping molecules of water apart and dropping the vapor pressure in the pump. Why not? Because (1) it's only 1/4 horsepower, (2) the RPM of the pump is constant and cannot be changed, and (3) because of the aforementioned magnetic-slip impeller. Trust me. If you want to see a pump cavitate, go to your local fire deparment, ask the engine driver to try to flow their deck gun at 2,000 gpm from a 20' draft. And if he actually tries it, smack the f--- out of him and reconsider your homeowner's insurance.

In the end, by the time you're done buying the cheap, sketchy pump off eBay, adding in this or that to make it work, it's easier and nearly as expensive to just buy the 809 outright from either eBay or a homebrew store. Unless, of course, you like headaches.

Ok folks, listen up

You need to understand a thing or two about yeast, whether it's your first batch or 100th.

First off, those little packs of dry yeast that come with the kit? IT'S NOT ENOUGH YEAST FOR A 5 GALLON BATCH.

Secondly, those little smack packs and yeast tubes full of liquid yeast that say "pitchable"? IT'S NOT ENOUGH YEAST FOR A 5 GALLON BATCH. Historically and predictably repetitively, homebrewers do not pitch enough yeast.

Third, yeast need OXYGEN. Swirling/shaking the fermenter isn't doing shit except putting you at risk for a back injury or dropping the carboy, shattering it, sending wort and shards of glass everywhere. You need to aerate or oxygenate, even if you pitch the correct amount of yeast. Yeast use oxygen to reproduce and create healthy, pliable cell walls. Do you ever see a professional brewer swirling a cylindroconical fermenter? Me either.

Lastly, if you're going to forego the above advice, save us all the trouble and bandwidth and don't post the "I never make a starter and my beer turns out great", "my beer didn't ferment completely", "it's been 4 days and no airlock activity" or "this has some wierd flavors" mainstays in the internet forums.

Do yourself a favor: read this. Then read it again. Then think about your yeast propagation procedures. Bookmark it for future reference. Then go here and plan out how much yeast you need. Pitch the calculated amount.

What's that you say? Fermentation didn't take 3 days to start? Fermentation didn't take 4 weeks to get to FG? Hit your FG? No off flavors? That's what pitching the right amount of yeast will do for you.

REMEMBER! Brewers make WORT; yeast makes BEER. Take care of them, they'll take care of you.

Return to Darkness

I love lagers. Flavorful lagers, not the "Classic American Pils" crap. I mean Bock, Dopplebock, Dunkel, Oktoberfest, Vienna, Bohemian Pils...flavorful lagers. And for the last few batches, that's all I've brewed. Of course, I'm now enjoying having 3 lagers on tap.

But sometimes you just have a hankerin' for some good ol' Dry Stout.

I've tried a few stout recipes that just didn't pan out. Not what I was looking for. Since getting a hold of an iPod, brewing podcasts have been the next-best-thing to my heavy metal MP3s...better than radio most of the time, anyway. In particular is The Brewing Network. Great information, quality listening. Jamil Zainasheff (AHA Board member, 2004 Ninkasi Award winner, author and all-around nice guy) reviews beer styles and how to brew them weekly on his internet radio show. So I downloaded the Dry Stout podcast and gave it a listen. Jamil gives a basic recipe for dry stout and I tweaked it just a little:

Something Different Stout

Batch Size (Gal): 10.00 Wort Size (Gal): 10.00
Total Grain (Lbs): 15.75
Anticipated OG: 1.041 Plato: 10.26°
Anticipated SRM: 34.9
Anticipated IBU: 37.1
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75 %
Wort Boil Time: 75 Minutes

10.50 lbs. Marris Otter
0.50 lbs. Chocolate Malt
3.00 lbs. Flaked Barley
1.75 lbs. Roasted Barley

2.40 oz. East Kent Goldings (Whole, 6.90%AA) 60 min.

White Labs WLP004 Irish Stout yeast

6am comes bright and early tomorrow morning! Gonna get brewin' while the weather is still cool and the kids are still sleepin'.

Cheers!

Say Hello to My Little Friends!

Two, count 'em---two, forward-seal faucets! Finally got these up, almost running. My birthday was a few weeks back and that meant goodies! Got two faucets, two 4" stainless steel shanks, tail pieces and nuts, etc. The shanks were on backorder so it took a little while for them to get in but well worth the wait. Personally, I'd rather have beer in contact with stainless steel than chrome-plated brass. More durable, will never have to be replaced. Plus the stainless shank is only roughly $7-8 more. The faucets, on the other hand, are more than twice as much but eliminates the sticking that rear-seal faucets get and are more durable as well. In my opinion, if you're going to drop the coin to do something like this, do it right!!

Installing taps means making a wood collar for the beer freezer (temp-controlled kegerator) so you don't have to drill through the top of the freezer. Some 2x4s and some nice oak 1x6s to cover does the trick nicely. Then just hook up the beer line and let 'er rip!

Maybe by the end of summer I can have 4 of them up and running!

Another win!!

I got the results back from the SoFB---my Kölsch got 2nd place in category!!! That's the third ribbon that beer's won, 2 1st-places and a 2nd! Great feedback on the BJCP form, got a 42/50 (Excellent).

Speaking of which, I need to make more! Time to get a-brewin'!

More on comps

Speaking of the National Homebrew Competition, I just learned last night that my friend and fellow brewclub guy Bill has placed twice in the first round! Bill got 2nd place for his English Pale Ale (which he said was his first time brewing it) and 3rd for his American Ale. Likewise, another brewer from my club, Dave, got first place in the American Ale category. And in the West, a few compatriots of mine (Jamil and Jason) scored as well---Jamil, not suprisingly. The guy was a Ninkasi Award winner, among other awards.

Dave also beat me out last night at our club's Oktoberfest/Märzen/Vienna competition---he got 1st, I got 2nd. One of the judges told me the 1st and 2nd places were very close, almost to personal preference, which was humbling as Dave is one hell of a brewer!

Congrats to all!!

Cheers!

National Homebrew Day

I'd certainly be amiss if I didn't mention the fact that today is National Homebrew Day! Many homebrewers will either be teaching a friend to brew, brewing at one of the many registered locations, or just hanging out at home with the kettle boiling. Me, I have a 3-1/2 year old and a 17 month-old to watch, no brewing for me today. Such is parenthood at times.

At any rate, Happy National Homebrew Day!

Cheers!

Competition time!

Invariably, the spring and following summer seasons mean beer competitions. There are a few in the fall and even less in the winter, but the warmer months seem to be high time. The American Homebrewers Association has their annual National Homebrew Competition in April through June---the first round being in April and the finals being at the National Homebrew Convention.

Last month I entered 3 beers---a Maibock, an Oktoberfest, and a Kölsch---in a local brewpub competition. The competition wasn't AHA sanctioned and asked for only -one- beer per entry. There was no entry fee either. The winning beers were a Coconut Porter, a Weissbier, and a Honey Ginger Ale. Then it dawned on me: this was a People's Choice competition; in other words, the brewmaster picked the beers he/she thought would be most marketable for their brewpub, as the winner got to assist with the brewing of that beer on the brewpub's 4.5 barrel system. Part of what makes competitions so great is the invaluable feedback you get. Presumably, as this is not an AHA-sanctioned competition and was just a way for the brewpub to drum up sales, I probably wont' be seeing any score sheets. Kinda sucks, but it was free so I can't complain.

Oh well, there's plenty more comps!

Of note is the Spirit of Free Beer competition hosted by Brewers United for Real Potables (BURP), a Metro DC homebrew club. The club's 15th annual competition is being held next Saturday, May 12th and my entries are in!

Another interesting competition is the Sam Adams Long Shot. Unlike the competition mentioned in the first paragraph, this is not what the brewmaster feels will fill his pockets the best. The winner gets a one-time $5,000 royalty and has his beer produced for a Long Shot specialty line that's brewed once a year after the competition. You even get your mug on the label! Last years winning beers were a Boysenberry Wheat, a Dortmunder Export, and an Old Ale. Again, these styles were judged by category---notice, no "kitchen sink" beers here!

Jim Koch has always been a big supporter of the homebrewing community, being a former homebrewer himself. Maybe I'll send one off afterall...

Cheers!

The flaws of beer rating sites

Currently there are two beer rating sites on the 'net (at least that I'm aware of), RateBeer.com and BeerAdvocate.com. Personally I prefer the former, due in part because after several instances, I find one of the proprietors of the latter to be less than a nice guy. But they're both choc-full of good information insofar as content. Both contain information about what beer is what and where to find it, be it store/pub/etc. Links to maps, etc. A wealth of knowledge.

Then we come to ratings and the inherent problems associated with many users who may or may not have any Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) training whatsoever. With some users, it's "this beer tastes great" and it gets a high rating without further elaboration or analysis; likewise, an otherwise decent beer (or one that may just be a flawed batch and not the best example of the beer) may get a "this tastes like shit!" and congruent ratings.

To me, a user's ratings should carry a weight given by their experience. For example, a newb with only their limited personal tasting experience should carry little weight and should increase as the user gains experience, while someone with BJCP training (ie. a National Judge) should carry A LOT of weight. A nice descriptor of "aroma of honeysuckle and raisins" is good but it does little to tell about how the beer fits into it's style category.

Probably more peoples' choice than stylistic accuracy...

Luckily, there are ways with computers to address that sort of thing---to an extent. Both show ratings and the number of users who have rated them, and RateBeer even gives a standard deviation, straight from your Stat 101 class. But neither can address the discrepancy between a newb and a trained beer judge.

So enjoy the sites, use the info but take it with a grain of salt. Remember, human nature plays a huge part here.

Cheers!

DUNKEL!

Today I racked the dunkel over to the kegs for lagering. Came in a little high at 1.018 FG but it didn't taste overly sweet---malty yes, cloying no. That's good. I will say the hydrometer samples (two fermenters) didn't last long!!

This Saturday is National Homebrew Day!! Lots of homebrewers will be brewing up a batch of something, think maybe I'll brew up some dry stout, haven't had any of that on tap for a while. Hopefully a Guinness-fanatic coworker/friend of mine can stop by and assist. Here's the recipe:

Murphy's Law Dry Stout

Batch Size (Gal): 10.00 Wort Size (Gal): 10.00
Total Grain (Lbs): 19.00
Anticipated OG: 1.050 Plato: 12.27°
Anticipated SRM: 37.1
Anticipated IBU: 34.7
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75 %
Wort Boil Time: 90 Minutes

15.00 lbs. Pale Malt (2-row)
1.00 lbs. Chocolate Malt
1.00 lbs. Flaked Barley
1.50 lbs. Roasted Barley
0.50 lbs. Crystal 55L

1.50 oz. Target (Whole, 10.00%AA) 60 min.
0.40 oz. Goldings - E.K. (Whole, 4.75%AA) 15 min.

WLP004 Irish Ale Yeast

Cheers!!

What next?

So as I returned from my cellar this evening with Warsteiner Dunkel in hand, I found myself thinking, "what should I brew next?" For the immediate plans, it's going to be some barleywine have some ready for the fall/Christmas. Gonna do an Avery Hog Heaven clone and then my English barleywine as well, 5 gallons each. Then it's time to restock the Kölsch.

After that, I'm thinking about expanding out of my typical line-up of brews. Maybe an 80 Schilling Scottish ale, maybe a Dopplebock with all the 833 Bock yeast I have (highly likely!), maybe a Schwarzbier, maybe even do a Pale Ale or IPA for a change---yes, for a change. I usually don't brew them just 'cause I get tired of them. But every now and then you need something hoppy.

I seriously need to revamp my porter recipe. Did well in a few comps but it's just lacking something...

Anyway, stay tuned, you're sure to read about it here.

Cheers!

BBQ?

I've added a few links to the right frame of the blog to a few BBQ sites and blogs. Why? Cooking is another passion of mine and I really love good 'que! I'm a BBQ newb and I've enjoyed what I've learned thus far---especially when you put it to work and it turns out some mouth-waterin', finger-lickin', lip-smackin' BBQ! And what goes better with some delicious 'que than a wonderfully-crafted, flavorful beer?!

Don't fret, I'll still be going on about beer, brewing, and everything that has to do with it; it's my foremost love, afterall.

Cheers!

Batch #61: Munich Dunkel

Dunkel. Means "dark" in German. Well, not pitch-black can't-see-squat-through-the-glass dark. Not Schwarzbier dark. Just an inviting, mesmerizing, alluring dark brown.

Sunday I brewed 10 gallons of Munich-style Dunkel, making it 61 batches (10 extract, 51 all-grain) to date. Here's the specs:

Altfeuerwache Dunkel

Batch Size (Gal): 10.00 Wort Size (Gal): 10.00
Total Grain (Lbs): 22.00
Anticipated OG: 1.052 Plato: 12.82
Anticipated SRM: 19.1
Anticipated IBU: 20.0
Brewhouse Efficiency: 65 %
Wort Boil Time: 75 Minutes

12.00 lbs. Munich Malt
5.00 lbs. Dark Munich Malt
4.00 lbs. Pilsener
0.50 lbs. Melanoidin Malt
0.50 lbs. Carafa II

2.00 oz. Hallertauer (Whole, 4.50% AA) 60 min.

White Labs WLP833 German Bock Yeast

In about 4 hours I had 10 gallons in the fermenters and a yeast slurry pitched. Popped it in the chest freezer at about 50° and the next day it was a-bubblin'.

Just for shits and giggles I took some video of the brew session:





Next up: Barleywine, just in time for the colder nights.

Cheers!!

Sly Fox

Well, it's been a couple weeks. Family's been sick and that means time away from keyboard and brewing.

But I did manage to get some free time and head over to hang out with a good friend and hit the taps! A 2-1/2 hour drive east on the turnpike landed me in Royersford, PA, home of Sly Fox Brewing. My friend and I stopped in and sampled some of their offerings.

The Sly Fox Brewpub in Royersford is their second of two and it houses a 20bbl brewhouse, a bottling line and a canning line. The restaurant was pretty big, about 7,000 sqare feet. The food was good, the beer was even better!

We kept the barstools warm for a while, giving us time to knock back a few pints. I opted for the dunkel, the stout, and split a 22oz bomber of their Double IPA with my friend. My friend grabbed some dunkel and their Rt. 113 IPA, a little of which I tried. Nice, hoppy aroma and flavor; only upstaged by their huge Double IPA! He also remarked that he had been there a few days earlier with a friend and that their Saison was very good as well.

All in all, it's a nice place with very good beer! Next time I'm in the area I'll be visiting their Pheonixville establishment.

Cheers!

Another good year for craft beer

According to the Brewer's Association, craft beer sales were up 11.7% by volume in 2006! Furthermore, craft beer sales have grown 29.5% over the past three years! See the press release at the Brewer's Association website for more info and statistics.

Microbrew fad, my ass! Sounds to me like a lot of people are discovering what beer with flavor is like.

Batch #60

Today makes 445 gallons and 60 batches. Brewed 11 gallons of Oktoberfest, partially for a couple comps coming up in a few months and the other part being Fall parties!!

Today I learned that when the propane cylinder is getting low you can shake it and the pressure will pick up...enough to help get the boil going while you go to the neighbor's and beg to borrow theirs, or go to the store and get more. The latter wasn't a viable option since we have about 6" of snow and sleet here. Wish I could've been just brewing, but I was shoveling when I wasn't standing by my system.

I'm done with Winter, bring on Spring. By then my Maibock will be ready!!!

Cheers!

Bookend Brews

On a whim I decided that Saturday morning would be a good day to brew beer. What to make? Looking over my current is-fermenting/conditioning/carbonating/on-tap list I see a Kölsch (always on tap!), a Double IPA, and a Christmas Ale on tap; some Maibock fermenting away at 50°, and 10 gallons of Porter carbonating. Problem being, the Christmas Ale and Double IPA are almost gone! I have a few jars of yeast slurry in the ol' kegerator, namely Kölsch yeast, English Ale yeast, and the standard WLP001 California Ale yeast. And then there's that little bottle of raspberry extract that's been sitting on my shelf for months.

Then I decided I'd give it a shot at making a Raspberry Wheat. The only thing I had missing was the wheat malt, and I'll be using the WLP001 yeast instead of a hefeweizen yeast (basically an American wheat). So here we are:

Raspberry Wheat

Batch Size (Gal): 5.00
Total Grain (Lbs): 10.00
Anticipated OG: 1.053
Anticipated SRM: 3.5
Anticipated IBU: 16.8

5.00 lbs. Wheat Malt
4.00 lbs. Pilsner Malt
1.00 lbs. Honey

0.75 oz. Hallertauer (Pellet, 4.00% AA) 75 min.
0.25 oz. Hallertauer (Pellet, 4.00% AA) 15 min.

Raspberry extract added at kegging

White Labs WLP001 California Ale

And of course the week stated out with brewing 5 gallons of Maibock for the Spring with a couple of fellow brewers over to assist. Drank a little too much homebrew for brewing, but I hit my starting gravity and volume dead-on. I used Jamil's Yeast Pitching Rate Calculator and used the stir plate to get 2L of lager yeast going. By the next morning the Maibock was chugging away, very good considering lager yeast ferments more slowly than ale yeast. All-in-all, a great day.

Prost!

Pilgrimage to Victory

Yesterday the wife told me her friend was in a karate tournament near Valley Forge, PA. Not being the history buff she is, I was a little confused as to the exact location. Once she said "just outside of Philadelphia", my brain said "VICTORY!"

"Victory" as in Victory brewing company!

Located in Downingtown, Victory's only about 20 minutes from Valley Forge, PA. Quite an allegory, salvation after hardship. In my case, after a long day at work. Unfortunately for the 11,000 men of George Washington's Continental Army, there was no Victory Brewing Company for their R&R and I'm sure the 18-century taverns paled in comparison.

We made it to Victory around late afternoon and already the restaurant area was brimming with people. Their 10 Years Alt was still on tap, so I started with a pint of that and enjoyed a pint of their Mad King Weiss with a rack of ribs. The restaurant area is large with a hint of a Bavarian beer hall feel. A long bar area backs up to a large window with a view of many shiny, stainless steel fermenters.

Before leaving, I presented my growler to the waitress for a fill with their Festbier. I also visited the gift shop and grabbed a few Victory gear items. On patron was busy buying 4 cases of beer, apparently a big fan as well!

Overall, the place is great. Last time I was there I toured the brewhouse, which was narrated by one of their management staff who certainly knew his way around and well knew the various functions of their brewery.

Again, I highly recommend a visit!

Prost!!

#57

Saturday morning, 6 a.m. Not much else gets me up this early in the morning on my days off, 'cept for the kids when they're being ornery. What a great morning. Freakishly warm for January at 63°F! And whisper-quiet outside, hardly any noise other than the constant roar of the HLT burner.

It was time to brew up 10 gallons of Porter for a homebrew club competition next month. And it was also the first time I used the HopStopper (thanks, Santa!) I gotta say I'm very satisfied with this thing. It's hard to judge clarity going into a fermenter with a Porter but from what I saw looked good. No green and brown hop particles/trub going into the fermenter first.

Almost had an incident-free brew day until I got distracted and left the CPC Quick Disconnect on the hot keg seat! Lesson here is always have extra parts. I managed to make a make-shift one with a female QD x 1/2" MPT and a 1/2" FPT x 3/4" female garden hose.

In the end, I knocked out 10 gallons in 4 hours and was just a gravity point short of the anticipated OG. Nice cool wort went into the fermenters and the yeast was ready to go off the stir plate.

Next up: Oktoberfest!