Last weekend (June 24th - 26th) my parents came down from PA for a visit. My dad had been able to procure a former neighbors unused kegging equipment. It came with everything but the pin lock joints for a cornelius keg. These have been ordered as of that Sunday and should hopefully arrive for a little 4th of July kegging event! This also means that my amber ale enjoyed a third week in the primary fermenter. Hopefully this adds a bit of complexity to an already awesome beer.
I also learned that there is a bit of a debate in the homebrewing circles. To rack into a secondary for clarity and taste or to keep in primary for less air exposure and also clarity. I'm leaning towards the latter for convenience and less exposure. Though, some beers, mainly those with fruit and additional solid additives benefit from a racking.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Friday, June 24, 2011
Quick description of my history in brewing
To date, I have cooked up approximately 10 batches of varying styles and qualities. As with most hobbies, my skills as a home brewer have been growing with the wide array of experiences this hobby affords.
I started in 2006 when the grapes on our back porch literally started to yell: "ferment me". After a brief research session consisting of hearsay and Google, I ultimately gathered the smallest and gamiest batch of "grapes" I've ever seen come from a vine. Realizing this would not do, I moved forward and threw my (extremely) limited knowledge, 2 gallons of grape juice, and a pack of dry champagne yeast into an open air fermenter vessel. (Mom's cake lid). Fully sanitized, I assure you. What resulted from this alcoholic abortion was "headache in a bottle". It tasted nutty, foul, vaguely reminiscent of the grapes it came from, and best of all, FREE. I was hooked.
Since that fateful day I turned my focus from wine to cider fermentation. Various styles, juices, fermentables, yeasts (my favorite being a WLP565 Belgian Saison Ale Yeast). Each batch seeming to increase exponentially in both quality and drinkability.
Having a firm grasp on the principles of sanitization and fermentation I dipped my hands into the fine art of beer making. I started with a fairly risk-free Mr. Beer kit. This produced a predictable ale, just like the instructions said it would. There was something exciting hidden in the hand holding and I was out to harness it.
Using this site as a tool to shape my mish mash of randomly acquired information and questionable experience, I set off to make my first malt extract beer. The details and end result to be seen in the following post.
Moreso than most any other hobby, home brewing requires something many do not have in abundance. Time. With time comes patience. 5 years into brewing I have produced only 10 batches. Three of which (the most recent) I would be proud to share with family and friends. Most home brewers would agree a journal is needed to record the minute details of each individual brew. In the past I've kept a loose bundle of papers and faded memories of the details behind most of my finished products. The aim of this blog is to create a definitive repository for future batches that I can look back on for inspiration, guidance, and perspective.
I started in 2006 when the grapes on our back porch literally started to yell: "ferment me". After a brief research session consisting of hearsay and Google, I ultimately gathered the smallest and gamiest batch of "grapes" I've ever seen come from a vine. Realizing this would not do, I moved forward and threw my (extremely) limited knowledge, 2 gallons of grape juice, and a pack of dry champagne yeast into an open air fermenter vessel. (Mom's cake lid). Fully sanitized, I assure you. What resulted from this alcoholic abortion was "headache in a bottle". It tasted nutty, foul, vaguely reminiscent of the grapes it came from, and best of all, FREE. I was hooked.
Since that fateful day I turned my focus from wine to cider fermentation. Various styles, juices, fermentables, yeasts (my favorite being a WLP565 Belgian Saison Ale Yeast). Each batch seeming to increase exponentially in both quality and drinkability.
Having a firm grasp on the principles of sanitization and fermentation I dipped my hands into the fine art of beer making. I started with a fairly risk-free Mr. Beer kit. This produced a predictable ale, just like the instructions said it would. There was something exciting hidden in the hand holding and I was out to harness it.
Using this site as a tool to shape my mish mash of randomly acquired information and questionable experience, I set off to make my first malt extract beer. The details and end result to be seen in the following post.
Moreso than most any other hobby, home brewing requires something many do not have in abundance. Time. With time comes patience. 5 years into brewing I have produced only 10 batches. Three of which (the most recent) I would be proud to share with family and friends. Most home brewers would agree a journal is needed to record the minute details of each individual brew. In the past I've kept a loose bundle of papers and faded memories of the details behind most of my finished products. The aim of this blog is to create a definitive repository for future batches that I can look back on for inspiration, guidance, and perspective.
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