tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70543519984677198452024-03-05T14:59:26.981-08:00Cramped Space BrewBryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06080536775963006749noreply@blogger.comBlogger81125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7054351998467719845.post-80823190470754896452012-02-01T14:06:00.000-08:002012-02-01T14:06:44.400-08:00No Time.Well, the time has come, and I always knew it would, for me to realize I don't have the time to remember to blog regularly anymore. I recently started school and have been mixing albums for other bands, working full time, and trying to release an album with my internet band. That plus the fact that I take public transport everywhere, and add in Buster and my lovely wife, AND my friends, and it means... I just don't have the time to do this regularly!<br />
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I do want to say that I would hope that anyone out there getting into brewing would try to become closer and closer to their finished product as they become a better brewer. Don't brew with extract. Use public hop varieties. Malt and/or toast some of your own barley if you have the space, and build some cool brewing stuff.<br />
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And it isn't just about saving money (ALTHOUGH YOU WILL SAVE TONS), its about coming home after a hard day, pouring a brew, sitting on the porch and thinking...<br />
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Fuck yes. I made this, and that is awesome.<br />
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Brew on, my brethren. Im sure I will post on here a few times a year, and Im sure no one really read it... but I hope I helped someone in their beer brewing journey, and I hope to meet that person when we get to that big imperial pint glass in the sky!Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06080536775963006749noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7054351998467719845.post-53776446140553067522011-12-06T13:34:00.000-08:002011-12-06T13:34:11.077-08:00ANOTHER DOUBLE BREW DAY<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JwQysYK7_5U/Tt0so6cmuCI/AAAAAAAABtY/axRLRjzvF64/s1600/IMG_20111205_114646.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JwQysYK7_5U/Tt0so6cmuCI/AAAAAAAABtY/axRLRjzvF64/s320/IMG_20111205_114646.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
Hot damn, have I ever been busy lately. Got a new job and my mom and her cool boyfriend Ed were in town for a few days for the holiday. Which is all fine and dandy, but these things tend to get in the way of the things that really matter... beer. Yesterday I had the whole day off and a bunch of recently finished malt, so I got up at the crack o' ten and got busy brewing! TWO BATCHES! Last week I came to the decision that I want to pick two beers that I always keep on tap, and one rotating tap. Who were the lucky winners for a permanent spot in the keezer?<br />
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Recently I made a porter. Good news: ITS FRIGGIN AWESOME.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrZrDuqC5KI7-UnidbpCufCD1IV6DtyYEm8m6zYbORyjhR_MSCKZmaKK6bMNUc8zNJnNUrF_jcg1zxpexQxDT-pY1KPwzzvVkJDDj4GtRXtIpBtDX02ZC8Z9U756Emyz_hyZRgpPyWdo8/s1600/IMG_20111205_135614.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrZrDuqC5KI7-UnidbpCufCD1IV6DtyYEm8m6zYbORyjhR_MSCKZmaKK6bMNUc8zNJnNUrF_jcg1zxpexQxDT-pY1KPwzzvVkJDDj4GtRXtIpBtDX02ZC8Z9U756Emyz_hyZRgpPyWdo8/s320/IMG_20111205_135614.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>I decided that this beer will be one of my first launch beers when I get around to starting up a brewery. At 6 percent, it also makes a fantastic winter warmer, so I decided it has earned itself a life long spot in the kegorator.<br />
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I also brewed up a pale a couple weeks ago to start the search for a house pale. I have not yet kegged it, but I did sneak a sample last week and it blew me away, so I decided that it would be the lucky winner of the second permanent spot.<br />
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Of course, I will be tweaking these recipes, but when you are malting all of your own ingredients it really helps to be able to plan ahead as far as possible. The grain bills for these beers are extremely simple, so now I know I won't have bags of random specialties that I decided to make on a whim with no particular beer in mind. The best part is neither of them use any crystal malt, which is a pain in eh @$$ to make.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3L0q8OiA-i9GA-FSmbZ_zwoqsL3rgE2SA0BGQRojQ04JnMci-DXbIJk_a2aPvacCndmUhkhssVkW_gfigM6O38nY36NDq4aNSEyrrj7vjHy7Op04MCEnV7fFzydRpDa7EkvCq93qz9fg/s1600/IMG_20111205_125356.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3L0q8OiA-i9GA-FSmbZ_zwoqsL3rgE2SA0BGQRojQ04JnMci-DXbIJk_a2aPvacCndmUhkhssVkW_gfigM6O38nY36NDq4aNSEyrrj7vjHy7Op04MCEnV7fFzydRpDa7EkvCq93qz9fg/s320/IMG_20111205_125356.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Back to the brew day. All went well, except for a stuck mash at the end of my second brew. I did the pale first, and the porter second. It was FREEZING outside, so I brewed in the house, and discovered that...<br />
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HEAT STICK+RANGE=OMG HELLA HEAT BOIL BOIL BOIL<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjckFQMWOS5VmBAzOo-02d8jtKkvdPrXcDLOW0_4mHjloyiV8hR7wjbHOdnweTJ1Gr9Iopv01n0kpX3k-2f9I82cgZw7IRurCc23kQauGnryVOigSE3X9VXW8DiXi5a72HcyPMiQjtnNGM/s1600/IMG_20111205_134844.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjckFQMWOS5VmBAzOo-02d8jtKkvdPrXcDLOW0_4mHjloyiV8hR7wjbHOdnweTJ1Gr9Iopv01n0kpX3k-2f9I82cgZw7IRurCc23kQauGnryVOigSE3X9VXW8DiXi5a72HcyPMiQjtnNGM/s320/IMG_20111205_134844.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Sparge water and wort got up to temp SO fast. It was amazing.<br />
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Im typing this at work, and right now they are both in the tub cooling to pitching temps. Can't wait to get home and toss some yeast in those bad boys. Beer rules.Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06080536775963006749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7054351998467719845.post-31591322199123653902011-11-12T09:47:00.000-08:002011-11-12T09:49:19.285-08:00LOST ALL MY MALTING PICTUREEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSF F F. My phone decided to stop working yesterday, and so I lost all of the pictures of the latter half of the malting process. I was going to do a step by step on how to malt... anyways, Im going to Best Buy to see if they can help me out. Hopefully they can get my pictures back, if not I might be SOL.<br />
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BALLS!Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06080536775963006749noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7054351998467719845.post-26016323321035578972011-11-11T10:55:00.001-08:002011-11-12T09:49:14.178-08:00BEAUTIFUL DAY TO BREW<div><p>Denver is awesome. The weather is great, and today it is particularly nice outside. I just mashed in on my first attempt at a repeat/improvement on a home malt brew, and now I'm just hanging outside with the Busterman smoking a pipe and rocking a homebrew.</p>
<p>This is the best hobby in the world. I can imagine brewers hundreds of years ago doing the exact same thing as I am right now, and for some reason, its profoundly comforting.</p>
<p>That's all all I have to say about that.</p>
<br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTNkFBOVTlhrgQ72S-1ivylbDP4Ut90q4l83PcwUTve8BqISEp8_s7qEN7qjsrtH6L5_HG3G8S00LSYwhjLNv3Y6NTySK0Y38wkB9UEOsE5IlquYIEO66KKTwnOZnPGcTTMMTeHSn1oCk/' /></div>Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06080536775963006749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7054351998467719845.post-77850049035108531682011-11-06T11:18:00.000-08:002011-11-06T18:12:03.516-08:00SCIENCE EXPERIMENTFor a while now, I have been malting and toasting my own grains for all my beers. I think the official count is the last eight batches have been made from only home malt. Suck on that, overpriced homebrew shop! The only problem is the fact that I tend to jump into things full-force, like an action star jumping out of the third story window of a burning building while rescuing a baby. Sure, in the end it turns out great, but I don't take the time to think things through and take notes, so when I go to repeat the process, I could end up with a totally different beer. Or using the same analogy, I could end up with a broken leg and a dead baby.<br />
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OK, maybe not that bad, but with all of my home malted beers I have been putting in two to four specialty malts, roasted for different lengths of time. This becomes a problem because in the end I don't really know which malt is having the greatest effect on the color and taste of my finished beers. And now that the burning obsession with home malting has died down, its time to get serious and start learning the effects of toasting and roasting on my beers.<br />
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So with all that in mind, over the last couple of weeks I made two wheat beers: a dunkleweizen and a hefeweizen. The hefeweizen recipe looked like this:<br />
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2.4 lb pale malt<br />
2.4 lb wheat malt<br />
Mt Hood/Goldings to 15 IBU<br />
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Easy enough. Mashed in the mid 50's. I racked this one over to "secondary", which basically means I want to free up my buckets and look at my pretty beer in a see through container, and it looks like this:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AhUMaMqqoHQ/TrbZ3YJq_UI/AAAAAAAABqQ/2kC7XUczFTE/s1600/IMG_20111106_115329.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AhUMaMqqoHQ/TrbZ3YJq_UI/AAAAAAAABqQ/2kC7XUczFTE/s320/IMG_20111106_115329.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>The dunkleweizen was essentially the same recipe, BUT (and I know I already talked about this in my last post) I roasted half of the wheat malt in the oven @ 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Differnent hop schedule too, but this experiment was more about color, so that doesn't matter. I JUST racked that one over to the OMGlookatmyprettybeerbottle a few minutes ago and it looks like THIS!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA0fckJGbiAvNkNZhy5Yhl5Mbgft03tcM9nhjtzrT9sHYS-0FrcPke7nIL7axtwk5UCwbgpL2aT1HSHLfStrTbDRsDudJat7WQjyg0q26Kw_g27mmvHIefce1eI9qyRpHdM1vudhWWwQE/s1600/IMG_20111106_115335.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA0fckJGbiAvNkNZhy5Yhl5Mbgft03tcM9nhjtzrT9sHYS-0FrcPke7nIL7axtwk5UCwbgpL2aT1HSHLfStrTbDRsDudJat7WQjyg0q26Kw_g27mmvHIefce1eI9qyRpHdM1vudhWWwQE/s320/IMG_20111106_115335.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Big difference! Also, the sample tasted great. Roasted wheat is something I have never been able to use since it doesn't really exist at a homebrew shop, and it is VERY interesting.<br />
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Both beers taste awesome and I am pumped to keg them. Actually, now I think it will be easier for me to continue to let my pumpkin beer age until Thanksgiving, since I know I have these two great beers on deck!<br />
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Alright, I gotta go work on getting a keg empty so I can get one of these going... PEACE!Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06080536775963006749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7054351998467719845.post-35728922521310844102011-11-03T12:53:00.000-07:002011-11-03T13:00:24.265-07:00WINTER BREWING=BEST BREWING<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JPTzvFwFk0E/TrLtrYubAsI/AAAAAAAABpg/EEdoycUQVeM/s1600/shot_1320341805692.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JPTzvFwFk0E/TrLtrYubAsI/AAAAAAAABpg/EEdoycUQVeM/s320/shot_1320341805692.jpg" width="275" /></a></div>The snow is falling, Buster hates going outside, I have to go find my jacket, and my beers always stay in the perfect fermentation temp... yep, its wintertime again! I never thought I would be the guy to say it, but damn it, I love the winter. Since I have not done a brewing update in a while, I figured now would be a good time to just post my brewing adventures of the last couple of weeks.<br />
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The first thing I did when I got home from tour was malt a batch of wheat. It took FOREVER, I assume because of the colder temperatures. The first thing I brewed with that batch of wheat was my hefeweizen recipe. Same recipe that I always make, but this time with HOME MALT! I just pulled a sample of this batch the other day and it tastes great, only a week in.<br />
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The second thing I brewed was a dunkelweizen, kinda. What I did was I toasted 1.5 pounds of my wheat malt in the oven @400 degrees for a half hour, and I also used S04 instead of 06, hence the "kinda." Heres a picture of me preparing for my brew day ritual. Isn't that grist pretty?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-afOvrW3MJ4I/TrLt1NFzdXI/AAAAAAAABpo/0-FZAqBVzeY/s1600/shot_1320173820169.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-afOvrW3MJ4I/TrLt1NFzdXI/AAAAAAAABpo/0-FZAqBVzeY/s320/shot_1320173820169.jpg" width="275" /></a></div>Today I started a new batch of barley malt<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-X67YnHT1s6M/TrLtVy5B38I/AAAAAAAABpQ/a-D5TmUde58/s1600/IMG_20111103_131456.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-X67YnHT1s6M/TrLtVy5B38I/AAAAAAAABpQ/a-D5TmUde58/s320/IMG_20111103_131456.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>AND tasted my pumpkin ale, which is tasting pretty damn awesome right about now. I'm trying hold out until my mom visits to keg it, but I don't know if I will make it that long!<br />
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Other than that, I've just been enjoying the weather and enjoying my beers currently on tap. Right now, its my copper ale (which is the tits), my Chinook IPA (tasting pretty good as well) and apfelwein, which I can't get enough of. Life is great.<br />
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With this current batch of barley I will be making a "how to" on how to malt grain. So stay tuned for that, keep warm, and DRINK HOMEBREW!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8ZH9Ma8DEsw/TrLt5yQapVI/AAAAAAAABpw/uGDnbI2sLKs/s1600/IMG_20111103_133734.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8ZH9Ma8DEsw/TrLt5yQapVI/AAAAAAAABpw/uGDnbI2sLKs/s320/IMG_20111103_133734.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06080536775963006749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7054351998467719845.post-50876578441588545122011-10-29T12:00:00.000-07:002011-10-31T12:19:16.286-07:00APFELWEIN AND THE PERFECT FALL BEVERAGE.While browsing the Homebrewtalk.com forums, I came across a recipe for a hard cider that it seemed everyone (mostly) raved about. Its called <a href="http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f25/man-i-love-apfelwein-14860/">apfelwein</a>, and the particular recipe I made was created by a guy on the forum named EdWort. So, after reading all the great reviews on it, four week ago I whipped up a batch. Its really easy, here is the recipe from the site:<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;"><i><br />
</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;"><i><b>Ingredients</b><br />
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5 Gallons 100% Apple Juice (No preservatives or additives) I use Tree Top Apple Juice<br />
2 pounds of dextrose (corn sugar) in one pound bags<br />
1 five gram packet of Montrachet Wine Yeast<br />
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<b>Equipment</b><br />
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5 Gallon Carboy (I use a Better Bottle)<br />
Carboy Cap or Stopper with Airlock<br />
Funnel</i></span></span><br />
<ol style="list-style-type: decimal;"><li style="font: normal normal normal 10pt/normal verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;"><i>First sanitize the carboy, airlock, funnel, stopper or carboy cap.</i></span></li>
<li style="font: normal normal normal 10pt/normal verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;"><i>Open one gallon bottle of apple juice and pour half of it into the carboy using the funnel.</i></span></li>
<li style="font: normal normal normal 10pt/normal verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;"><i>Open one bag of Dextrose and carefully add it to the now half full bottle of apple juice. Shake well.</i></span></li>
<li style="font: normal normal normal 10pt/normal verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;"><i>Repeat Steps 2 and 3, then go to step 5.</i></span></li>
<li style="font: normal normal normal 10pt/normal verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;"><i>Pour in the mixture of Apple Juice and Dextrose from both bottles into the carboy.</i></span></li>
<li style="font: normal normal normal 10pt/normal verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;"><i>Add all but 1 quart of remaining 3 gallons of apple juice to the carboy.</i></span></li>
<li style="font: normal normal normal 10pt/normal verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;"><i>Open the packet of Montrachet Yeast and pour it into the neck of the funnel.</i></span></li>
<li style="font: normal normal normal 10pt/normal verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;"><i>Use the remaining quart of juice to wash down any yeast that sticks. I am able to fit all but 3 ounces of apple juice into a 5 gallon Better Bottle. You may need to be patient to let the foam die down from all shaking and pouring.</i></span></li>
<li style="font: normal normal normal 10pt/normal verdana, geneva, lucida, 'lucida grande', arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;"><i>Put your stopper or carboy cap on with an airlock and fill the airlock with cheap vodka. No bacteria will live in vodka and if you get suckback, you just boosted the abv.</i></span></li>
</ol><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;"><i>There’s no need to worry about filling up a carboy so full when you use Montrachet wine yeast. There is no Kreuzen, just a thin layer of bubbles (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKG84Md2GMk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">see here</a>). I'm able to fit all but 4 oz. of my five gallons in the bottle. Ferment at room temperature.<br />
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It will become cloudy in a couple of days and remain so for a few weeks. In the 4th week, the yeast will begin to drop out and it will become clear. After at least 4 weeks, you can keg or bottle, but it is ok to leave it in the carboy for another month or so. Racking to a secondary is not necessary. It ferments out very dry (less than 0.999, <a href="http://www.homebrewtalk.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=2945&c=1&userid=4569" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">see here</a>)<br />
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Apfelwein really improves with age, so if you can please let it sit in a carboy for up to 3 months before bottling or kegging, then let it sit even longer. </i></span><br />
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I followed this exactly, and last night, I kegged it. I have to say, it is<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">AWWWEEESSSOOOMMME!!!!!</span><br />
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I have made ciders in the past, some good, some not. None of them were nearly as good as this particular recipe. Dry, yet sweet, and still has a nice apple flavor hanging around. Also, its very strong... like Hercules strong. Here's a picture, only the second pour out of the keg so its still clearing a bit:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lNMuxx8kEaI/TqxJy441DfI/AAAAAAAABpA/fZpvTFpNMZQ/s1600/IMG_20111029_123736.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lNMuxx8kEaI/TqxJy441DfI/AAAAAAAABpA/fZpvTFpNMZQ/s320/IMG_20111029_123736.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
And as fantastic as this stuff is by itself, it also makes an amazing winter/fall warmer. Here's what I did:<br />
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1. Pour off about a cup of apfelwein.<br />
<br />
2. Put it in a saucepan with a 1/2 TBS raw sugar and about a half of a small cinnamon stick.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fZ-9mDTngmE/TqxJujXUsDI/AAAAAAAABo4/nqJqe0BloPM/s1600/IMG_20111029_124003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fZ-9mDTngmE/TqxJujXUsDI/AAAAAAAABo4/nqJqe0BloPM/s320/IMG_20111029_124003.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Let that simmer for a little on LOW heat. If you make it too hot, you might accidentally boil off some of the alcohol. (NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!).<br />
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3. POUR IT IN A MUG AND DRINK IT!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7KNlXhlRWn4/TqxJ35l19KI/AAAAAAAABpI/9vYCnFx71eA/s1600/IMG_20111029_124348.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7KNlXhlRWn4/TqxJ35l19KI/AAAAAAAABpI/9vYCnFx71eA/s320/IMG_20111029_124348.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Its great on a nice cold evening... or morning... and it will jam some fall spirit right down your throat.<br />
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I highly reccomend making some of this! Its totally easy, especially if you don't have any actual brewing equipment. I used a Homer bucket from home depot to ferment it. Anyone can make it, although without a keg you would have to bottle and carbonate that way.<br />
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Happy Halloween!Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06080536775963006749noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7054351998467719845.post-50373278791143303032011-10-22T11:17:00.001-07:002011-11-12T09:49:26.605-08:00RATHER BE BREWING.<div><p>Cars suck. Had to drive down to the tire place to get a new tire for the ol' ball n chain, and its going to take TWO HOURS to be finished. Now I'm here at Starbucks (CORPORATE PIGS) drinking their crappy coffee when I could be home brewing and drinking home brew.</p>
<p>I find this happens a lot. Me, out doing *something*, but mostly just thinking about recipes or projects or how I love that new brew I just kegged. I should invent a brewing system that fits in my car. Which actually wouldn't help me at all in this particular situation. </p>
<p>F cars. </p>
<p>Check out this awesome picture of my latest brew and it's Krazy Krausen!</p>
<br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf25pYucDKkqHnrJOQK8q6xf9nf69axk7DBB9hpcv5K9DXJWasJ-Y04pnxpP7WzBs8dDjQ-QsX6n5WBs2haFLfbVZ7aY6YBQbqqNaujJSCUJ3mmu0GxsXoK_e6vUpgCpe0kK-62k0ggws/' /></div>Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06080536775963006749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7054351998467719845.post-7361025694991888362011-10-21T10:33:00.000-07:002011-10-21T11:34:32.770-07:00BREWIN' LIKE THE IRISH<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-runzOaxcgdg/TqBPGR4KZdI/AAAAAAAABn8/MvI1kOs1978/s1600/IMG_20111019_105432.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-runzOaxcgdg/TqBPGR4KZdI/AAAAAAAABn8/MvI1kOs1978/s320/IMG_20111019_105432.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Bleep blorp. Since I've been home, I've done a lot of sitting around and doing nothing. Drinking my new beers and smoking my Leedy pipes have been keeping me fairly busy throughout the day, but two days ago I just got so bored I couldn't stand it. Since all my primary buckets were full, I decided to bust out old skool Cramped Space style and brew up a one gallon batch!<br />
<br />
I have not done much experimenting when it comes to actual BREWING lately, so I figured I would use the small batch opportunity to try out two things: caramelizing my wort and saving hop flavor/aroma while using my newly adopted no-chill method. What is no-chill? Well, recently I started to genuinely HATE chilling my beer after the boil. Its not fun, it wastes water, and in the summer it takes way too long. So I did some research, and found a process that the Aussies have been doing for quite some time: NO CHILL BREWING! Basically, instead of using an immersion/CFC/plate/what-have-you chiller, you just dump the boiled wort into a food safe bucket, seal it, and let it chill over night. The next morning, dump in the yeast. Since learning about it I have been using it with great success, and I don't plan on ever going back.<br />
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The problem with this method is that the hops spend more time than usual at near-boiling temperature, which turns pretty much any hop addition into a bittering addition. Dry-hopping obviously helps with aroma, but I have been having difficulty getting the hop taste back into my beers. Couple this with my desire to make a dark beer the way our ancestors used to before the really dark malts, and I had myself a fun experi-brew-day.<br />
<br />
So first things first... BEER<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5wO3N_KZENZ7lc48Tl8o_Q3Tu3qroCOuJVbaxwy3Gjd7Ofevh82_1XmeYOWWzmNesOoycR7KnXTmf2DJdxiGpvT66R9iSOFsu0aEJOsjq4Y-gUkYVkHnXdSxuxAbB4DMSizLksGPWu8Y/s1600/IMG_20111019_105424.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5wO3N_KZENZ7lc48Tl8o_Q3Tu3qroCOuJVbaxwy3Gjd7Ofevh82_1XmeYOWWzmNesOoycR7KnXTmf2DJdxiGpvT66R9iSOFsu0aEJOsjq4Y-gUkYVkHnXdSxuxAbB4DMSizLksGPWu8Y/s320/IMG_20111019_105424.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Awww yea. Like Popeye and spinach, my home-malted, home-brewed elixir gave me the power to... make more home-malted, home-brewed elixir.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">First I needed a plan. Here it was:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">-1 gallon batch. First .5 gallon of wort will be reduced and caramelized as much as possible before burning, and then added to the boil. All base malt should be used.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">-Hops. Mini-boil .7 ounces of hops for 5-10 minutes in extra wort. Cool quickly, stir in after wort has chilled enough for pitching.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Easy enough! LETS DO THIS.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nNJfUP7vTjM/TqBPXMXTYOI/AAAAAAAABoc/qwM8LWiK_l0/s1600/IMG_20111019_104002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nNJfUP7vTjM/TqBPXMXTYOI/AAAAAAAABoc/qwM8LWiK_l0/s320/IMG_20111019_104002.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Time to get back to the grind... lolz. With my current awesome 90+ percent efficiency, I only needed 2.5 pounds of base malt to make a 1.08 beer. F ya. My arms definitely appreciate the smaller grain bill.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YFnOEQbnOeY/TqBPK2pc-3I/AAAAAAAABoE/nEpqgHJkX2g/s1600/IMG_20111019_105727.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YFnOEQbnOeY/TqBPK2pc-3I/AAAAAAAABoE/nEpqgHJkX2g/s320/IMG_20111019_105727.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Mashed in. One thing I didn't think about was the difference in thermal mass between a 2 pound grist and a 5-7 pound grist. I tried to mash at 158, but for the life of me I couldn't get it to hold any higher than 150. Lame. I should have done it on the stove like the olden days.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-orU2XSQMAGA/TqBPFVp2yOI/AAAAAAAABn0/e9Wq2okMDFM/s1600/IMG_20111019_120907.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-orU2XSQMAGA/TqBPFVp2yOI/AAAAAAAABn0/e9Wq2okMDFM/s320/IMG_20111019_120907.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">SCIENCE. So here I am sparging, with the .5 galllon of first runnings on the stove while I fly sparged the rest (1.5 gallon) for what would turn out to be 1:45 boil. Good thing I had enough pots.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg8ha6w8Bzb60n4FuoCZTeGp_CVDCJt_qsvPIHrYU4uZLJSxclOWeEk_LzPCAMAGm__jqVQ5mert_vbeCdAAnz0A3O1zpu0ObX9t_Y2CDsFsP2GldCveT4VsGPRiH4AXXTe0A8JKGK2pc/s1600/IMG_20111019_121808.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg8ha6w8Bzb60n4FuoCZTeGp_CVDCJt_qsvPIHrYU4uZLJSxclOWeEk_LzPCAMAGm__jqVQ5mert_vbeCdAAnz0A3O1zpu0ObX9t_Y2CDsFsP2GldCveT4VsGPRiH4AXXTe0A8JKGK2pc/s320/IMG_20111019_121808.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Heat sticks are great. Got my brew from sparge to boiling in like... 5 minutes! Pretty awesome.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I ended up reducing the wort for one hour. By then the main boil had been at an easy boil for 45 minutes. I dumped in the sticky mess you see here:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Bi9vg1V1TUI/TqBOOXv-GgI/AAAAAAAABmk/247HQLWH9NM/s1600/IMG_20111019_132240.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Bi9vg1V1TUI/TqBOOXv-GgI/AAAAAAAABmk/247HQLWH9NM/s320/IMG_20111019_132240.jpg" width="240" /></a></div> And added my only bittering hop addition. Set my timer for one hour and let her continue to rip.<br />
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At this point, I ran off another quart of wort, got it boiling and measured out .3 oz of Chinook.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XoVT_xREdZ4/TqBOfn_xHWI/AAAAAAAABm8/smeYfqTZ5ZE/s1600/IMG_20111019_131708.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XoVT_xREdZ4/TqBOfn_xHWI/AAAAAAAABm8/smeYfqTZ5ZE/s320/IMG_20111019_131708.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-da3i0YFaOv8/TqBOjf1NzeI/AAAAAAAABnE/BLzqgZL4fkY/s1600/IMG_20111019_131702.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-da3i0YFaOv8/TqBOjf1NzeI/AAAAAAAABnE/BLzqgZL4fkY/s320/IMG_20111019_131702.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>I then boiled the Chinook for 5 minutes, then added another .4 oz of Chinook and boiled that for an additional 5 minutes. Then I strained the liquid and put it into the freezer to cool off.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wZqb0d5D6JY/TqBOJfaeDCI/AAAAAAAABmc/6kD4Tn3j7Gs/s1600/IMG_20111019_132805.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wZqb0d5D6JY/TqBOJfaeDCI/AAAAAAAABmc/6kD4Tn3j7Gs/s320/IMG_20111019_132805.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>After the boil, all that was left to do was to dump the wort into a Homer bucket and let it chill. With a one gallon batch it only took a few hours to cool down to pitching temps. Then I mixed in the hop mixture, pitched my yeast, and VOILA!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0-AaxFBx3fY/TqBN99RPyWI/AAAAAAAABmM/ctx_DCIuXxg/s1600/IMG_20111019_181234.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0-AaxFBx3fY/TqBN99RPyWI/AAAAAAAABmM/ctx_DCIuXxg/s320/IMG_20111019_181234.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A one gallon batch of (wee heavy?) something. I am pretty stoked on how dark it is, but the bummer is that apparently part of that has a lot to do with how Im kilning my malt. The wort, as you can see in the pictures, was already relatively dark in the kettle. DEFINITELY not what a 100% pale grist should look like. I did kind of expect this already though, since my beers have tasted more like a Munich based beer than a pale malt based beer... which to me is fine. I love those high kilned malts.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Anyway, thats that. Im just gonna bottle this thing in a week (as long as it hits its target FG) and let it age that way. Ill let y'all know how it turns out!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Hurray for experiments! Hurray for science! HURRAY FOR BEER!!!</div>Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06080536775963006749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7054351998467719845.post-68644263347041378932011-10-15T08:47:00.000-07:002011-10-15T15:20:12.738-07:00ITS 5 O CLOCK SOMEWHERE...Well, I finally got home last night! It was actually a pretty great homecoming. I walked to my friend's house to pick up my van from the bus stop, and what do you know... my buddies Brandon and Andrew were just about to start a brew session! And had awesome beer to share! So instead of heading home to be alone all night, I got to hang out with my best buddies in Denver, help them brew a sour pumpkin ale, drink beer, and smoke a "THANK GOD I MADE IT HOME" cigarette. Yay.<br />
<div><br />
</div><div>So I headed home around 7:30. Not sure if it was the time difference or the fact that I had been travelling all day, but I was beat. Before I went to bed I kegged my first three batches of homebrew made from only house malted barley, and then I hit the hay.<br />
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Since I went to bed so dang early last night, I was up by 7 ready to take on the day. I was hoping to be able to wait until later today to tap the first keg, but I just could not. I figured after eating breakfast, drinking an entire pot of coffee, and watching all the Daily Show episodes from last week, I had waited long enough. Plus, I have been on the east coast for two weeks, and over there its practically lunch time. So, after months of hard work and waiting, here she is!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C3kMpJ7wQ6I/Tpmmin8U-dI/AAAAAAAABl0/Nm3b8pRtZuU/s1600/temp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C3kMpJ7wQ6I/Tpmmin8U-dI/AAAAAAAABl0/Nm3b8pRtZuU/s320/temp.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My first beer from home malted barley! Here is the actual recipe I used:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><br />
</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i> 4 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 66.67 % </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i> 1 lbs Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 16.67 % </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i> 1 lbs Home Amber (35.0 SRM) Grain 16.67 % </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i> 0.30 oz Chinook [13.00 %] (60 min) Hops 22.0 IBU </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i> 0.50 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] (30 min) Hops 10.8 IBU </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i> 1 Pkgs SafBrew Ale (DCL Yeast #S-33) Yeast-Ale</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So, some notes. The color is awesome, a light amber to copper hue. The head pours thick and creamy, and a small layer stays on the top all the way down. I am getting a lot of caramel, which most likely means I need to cool it on the specialties. Had I known it would be this sweet, I would have added more bittering hops. It leaves a VERY nice toasty flavor in my mouth when I have not had a sip in a while.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">All in all, its a pretty good beer! No noticeable off flavors aside from the over-the-top caramel notes. Its also pretty darn clear; especially for the first pour out of the keg. I am very proud.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I will post a side by side of all three beers later tonight. I already know I need to find a better way to estimate the colors of my home malts... all of these beers, at least in the fermenter, looked exactly the same.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">BREW ON, MY BROTHERS!</div><br />
</div>Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06080536775963006749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7054351998467719845.post-69315066019556689072011-10-11T14:16:00.001-07:002011-10-15T15:23:25.392-07:00COMING HOME SOOOON<div><p>So in case anyone doesn't know, I'm a Roadie. I've been on the road for the last couple weeks, and due the that and getting ready I haven't been blogging. </p>
<p>Then I found out there is a blogger AP for Android! Hurray! I'm writing this from Syracuse, three days from the end of this particular tour... and I can't wait to get home. As much fun as I'm having this go around, I have 6 beers that have been going from 2-6 weeks, and I can't WAIT to keg them and get to drinking homebrew again. As soon as I get back ill be kegging the first three batches i made with home malted barley (which are currently cold crashing thanks to my lovely wife!), and the anticipation is KILLING ME.</p>
<p>Its funny how my passions have changed in the last year. Usually, I would gladly take any opportunity to hit the open road. But lately, I have been much more interested in getting back to settling down to a more normal lifestyle. It's so hard being a way from my wife, Buster and my beers, and as much as I love traveling,  I look forward to the day that I don't have to go away anymore.</p>
<p>Tasting notes this weekend! BREW BREW BREW!</p>
<br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzVgxvC-nEd3WOhzLY1nErgXuvjInZJsbkRFTPFXalay2Bgx3npgozYaDBKdxju-TfLWpsZbhsCJpds8ugi-SfBdDp0w6QvbQQcuARiG2MkHlZoMfd5-PgG7Z6g1nQmB4hCHEZoqjIhk0/' /></div>Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06080536775963006749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7054351998467719845.post-89006485163992829292011-09-26T21:50:00.000-07:002011-10-15T15:19:50.874-07:00HOLY 93% BATMANSo lately I have been doing some SERIOUS malting. The first batch of wheat malt I made ended up in a terrible beer. TERRIBLE. But I now have four batches of beer made from all home malted, home toasted, 100 percent Colorado grains.<br />
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Today was a crazy day. Brewed a beer, and I assumed my usual 75% efficiency when I put the recipe together. I also decided to do a REAL fly sparge... and it took forever. An hour to be exact. Apparently the word "sparge" literally means "to sprinkle," which is what I did. Sprinkled water over the grain bed til I eventually had all the sweet wort I needed to brew.<br />
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Problem is, I kinda sorta forgot about it, and I ended up getting a gallon more than I needed without realizing it. I really don't know how this happened, it just did. Anyways, as I was getting near the end of the boil, I checked how much wort I had, and it was 4 friggin gallons. <i>Great </i>I thought. <i>Now Im gonna have a super weak beer</i>. So, I came to terms with it, and I proceeded to start cooling down my wort.<br />
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This is where things get awesome.<br />
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After cooling the wort, I took a gravity reading, 1.055. Which was only 4 points under what I was aiming for if I had THREE gallons of wort. With 75% efficiency, and an extra gallon of wort, it should have been around 1.044.<br />
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So after a lot of checking, double checking, Google searching, forum trolling, and soul searching, I finally was able to except an awesome fact. Even if only for today, I rocked a 93.8% brewhouse efficiency.<br />
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So. Friggin. Awesome.<br />
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The End.Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06080536775963006749noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7054351998467719845.post-42456481503628454702011-09-14T19:46:00.000-07:002011-09-14T19:46:48.231-07:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirPwo2uA0-jcMDV0BDtwfAWWhE5F0OahC6muJFnmb8EsSwE1aX0bgfh2KV6YLJt6bt-8NM5bDC4j4kQ_6wS31dE0B2xc-lqCcbsL9UTM8qydxKUPXnAWO951VH-XgSwEFG36cZDQuugi8/s400/IMG_20110909_125804.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>Busy day. Barley is fully modified, so I finally got to use my new contraption that I built a week or so ago!<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirPwo2uA0-jcMDV0BDtwfAWWhE5F0OahC6muJFnmb8EsSwE1aX0bgfh2KV6YLJt6bt-8NM5bDC4j4kQ_6wS31dE0B2xc-lqCcbsL9UTM8qydxKUPXnAWO951VH-XgSwEFG36cZDQuugi8/s400/IMG_20110909_125804.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirPwo2uA0-jcMDV0BDtwfAWWhE5F0OahC6muJFnmb8EsSwE1aX0bgfh2KV6YLJt6bt-8NM5bDC4j4kQ_6wS31dE0B2xc-lqCcbsL9UTM8qydxKUPXnAWO951VH-XgSwEFG36cZDQuugi8/s320/IMG_20110909_125804.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div><div style="text-align: left;">When I malted my wheat, I realized how much I hated moving the grain a million times during the whole malting/kilning process. Now I just plop this bad boy on top of my malting floor, and voila! A malting floor/kiln. Frick ya,.</div><br />
It works *great*. Its been literally holding 104 degrees all day. Perfect!<br />
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I also made roasted barley<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yY6SyeGZwOY/TnFhrFDb3gI/AAAAAAAABlU/3BPJOaBB7Wg/s400/IMG_20110912_223345.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yY6SyeGZwOY/TnFhrFDb3gI/AAAAAAAABlU/3BPJOaBB7Wg/s320/IMG_20110912_223345.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Cqj9DG-WEL4/TnFh2ViWkmI/AAAAAAAABlc/jffmqRWDW1Y/s400/IMG_20110914_202457.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div>and what ended up being light, medium and medium/dark crystal.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Cqj9DG-WEL4/TnFh2ViWkmI/AAAAAAAABlc/jffmqRWDW1Y/s400/IMG_20110914_202457.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Cqj9DG-WEL4/TnFh2ViWkmI/AAAAAAAABlc/jffmqRWDW1Y/s320/IMG_20110914_202457.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The light is still in the oven drying a bit more.<br />
<br />
Tomorrow I will cure some pale malt hopefully and make some other toasted malts. I love this! When I first did the wheat, I was starting to feel overwhelmed. But after using this GREAT barley from <a href="http://coloradomaltingcompany.com/">Colorado Malting</a>, I have made a complete 180. I am starting to fall really feel as attached to this as I am to brewing... I HAVE TOTAL CONTROL. I AM THE MASTER OF ALL MY BEERS.<br />
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BRYAN RULESBryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06080536775963006749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7054351998467719845.post-8018318199001454442011-09-12T16:30:00.001-07:002011-10-15T15:18:51.565-07:00YEAR LONG DREAM: REALZED<div><p>Today I did it. Home made beer made with home made malts. This beer is representative of weeks of planning and awesome DIY projects, and it still won't be totally finished for a couple more weeks. </p>
<p>I can't wait to drink it and I am so very excited for my new future as a maltster. Next step? FARMER. Lets do this.</p>
<br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrkwdGYswiD6AU80OO4OCY4OPLz2RfPVAC3klxBz3bTOreZGmCwL9yjKV2zYVkQ-MmxW5rcMKOipHfepWbOyCaunY8ifKlJyLLfSXLdwShd_Lu2Cf5RURwInF6GxpNf0z-MynaaYDXRak/' /><br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLPLiOOqW7Vk4m8tDXvUNqdl6R3_G3-_orb7vwPhgXQWOLMGD7r39HtiLUHgZz_hnIF8E4MMymj73eA8RE9erVUqFaSf_fydAjpWF8BIcL0JXeakFzPEHxYshL9hc3g9OJCpgVlrcvBAg/' /><br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_xFliTcomgyW1xKhHbg87nrN4k1aLCPDyM1vILllNxTYaMl0iNQtS2zzyCnm5GEhuy25TvkeYpRY8n8i1mYjRpEB_kFEzsaIV8N4nwOydhJPhFdAiZrgJWw1xpAFiMQpXnFKJdBh1CYc/' /></div>Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06080536775963006749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7054351998467719845.post-15332684023908011432011-09-12T10:23:00.001-07:002011-10-15T15:18:51.565-07:00SO FRIGGIN PUMPED<div><p>This is a picture of the grist that will eventually turn into the first batch of beer made entirely made from home malted and roasted grain! Just waiting for my mill to arrive... so excited. Better than Christmas.</p>
<p>I also started malting my first batch of barley. So as of today, I should only have to visit the brew shop for hops and other miscellaneous stuff. </p>
<p>Too pumped. Here's to new adventures! </p>
<br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsaasQbrQigtnOgva5rQuASSJ_BT2KNDDY1Gfq6nbTKX6CyPW0dppNfYBm0LxOEFgzOht1M3BtMosJuQ7WoacnUPIC-ps721h5I_N9wrqQl5fK56trf9FtVxoPwX9OcG8Jd5Hnh7hpuow/' /></div>Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06080536775963006749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7054351998467719845.post-65717053123807054242011-09-09T08:02:00.001-07:002011-10-15T15:18:51.566-07:00FINALLY FINISHED ALL THE MALT!<div><p>I got busy... again... and after the initial drying of my wheat malt, I didn't have time to cure it. That all changed yesterday, and I ended up with about 12 pounds of pale wheat malt and 2 pounds each of <u>dark</u> and medium crystal! So pumped. I have my mill in the mail so I should be brewing with this next week... I DID IT! </p>
<br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2d2aspPEaVqV7wkXqRifK05bKTEN34JxA20wZSguX9_9iiqdPV1XGTKIku85KGnYhadS7v5s9t0tE9t0fGdnNGav2wXHXMTxZR7rA3keczzkdAVto38QusSKwLWQw4CxrqHXLc2DQTD8/' /><br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8705HrHkYU4PXhl42znsJbesHeCupJmvdn4q81TrJ0BjOcdmlzzI4ppgy0iCIV5rMUgo1jexISwVE8Vw41NHiCfRWRxcYF5aaw16euX3HA-Sje6RMWiR0tNJKYTVUher3WutovRZbazo/' /></div>Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06080536775963006749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7054351998467719845.post-7094009581901788242011-08-18T08:39:00.000-07:002011-10-15T15:18:51.566-07:00MALTING UPDATEThings are going great! No bad smells, good growth. I spread them all out to finish up modifying last night.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OImRWzwS0Tw/Tk0vc8F_lFI/AAAAAAAABjU/T9GBhVLF5QY/s1600/IMG_20110818_092228.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OImRWzwS0Tw/Tk0vc8F_lFI/AAAAAAAABjU/T9GBhVLF5QY/s320/IMG_20110818_092228.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>They smell really good! I didn't expect that. Thank God for my basement, its holding the perfect temperature all the live long day. MALT SHOT<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheV2tNirFxtOnmUAFEpI1kZ_Ufx_ZIoiD2quAQPyQycjXCgTGfPSi0_2fK8muw1DtVOB4saXN6ki9i1cOSA73I7L7NzOhYG2WIwYPfDtojWIqjVM6Q0yzZOdEYb8NwHrdWCRx1cg8HBwQ/s1600/IMG_20110818_092303.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheV2tNirFxtOnmUAFEpI1kZ_Ufx_ZIoiD2quAQPyQycjXCgTGfPSi0_2fK8muw1DtVOB4saXN6ki9i1cOSA73I7L7NzOhYG2WIwYPfDtojWIqjVM6Q0yzZOdEYb8NwHrdWCRx1cg8HBwQ/s320/IMG_20110818_092303.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Im going to see if I can malt enough grains to keep me brewing all year long. I think Ill need something like 150 pounds. Easy.<br />
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More updates will come as I have them!Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06080536775963006749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7054351998467719845.post-34363438492395000962011-08-17T21:14:00.000-07:002011-10-15T15:18:51.566-07:00DOUBLE BREW DAY/ADVENTURES IN MALTING<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Good news... TODAY WAS DOUBLE BREW DAY. And I got to brew outside, which was awesome. Check me out, all spargin' and shiz.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5DvxZhPfdWE/TkyFydUsg1I/AAAAAAAABhc/KeLTHYFuST4/s1600/IMG_20110817_133506.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5DvxZhPfdWE/TkyFydUsg1I/AAAAAAAABhc/KeLTHYFuST4/s320/IMG_20110817_133506.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I brewed my Pilsen Pale Ale with the new modified hop schedule (F U CORPORATE HOP PIGS) and a new wheat ale recipe I made up today. It was a full day of brewing, and it was awesome. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Also...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I finally started malting grain! I figured I needed to start practicing, since when I start my brewery I plan to use only grains that I malt my damn self. My first step was to swing by the feed store and pick up a 50 pound bag of raw wheat.... I went to three stores and not one of them had a sack of barley.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9_7MGNjCs0g/TkmS1H7RmbI/AAAAAAAABgg/9G_OYEYMDyM/s1600/IMG_20110815_144219.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9_7MGNjCs0g/TkmS1H7RmbI/AAAAAAAABgg/9G_OYEYMDyM/s320/IMG_20110815_144219.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I was JITTERY with excitement when I brought this home. And the best part? I paid 25 cents a pound. Compare that to the buck-thirty I drop per pound at the LHBS. Sure, its much MUCH <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">MUUUCCCHHHH </span>more convenient, but who needs convenience when doing stuff yourself is so much more satisfying?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Sadly, there isn't much information about malting at home on the internet, but I did find <a href="http://www.nogy.net/malthouse/">THIS</a> awesomely terrible looking website that had some awesomely GREAT info on malting and building a malting floor. If you read through it, you'll find he basically just builds a small box with a Plaster of Paris floor. So, thats what I decided to base my design off of. But I'm getting ahead of myself...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After buying the grain, the first thing I did was dump about half the bag into a Homer bucket and filled it up with water.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AXCdBFxUH1k/TkmUXLoOpWI/AAAAAAAABg0/EXnp98jhUoc/s1600/IMG_20110815_151702.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AXCdBFxUH1k/TkmUXLoOpWI/AAAAAAAABg0/EXnp98jhUoc/s320/IMG_20110815_151702.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">BOOM. I had officially started to malt me some wheat! The malting process always starts with a series of steeps and rests. There is some controversy over how long to steep/how long to rest the grains, but from what I could scrape together on the internet, it seems its most common to steep for 6-8 hours, then drain and let them rest for 6-8 hours. Repeat this process until the grain starts to "chit," which is when the first little rootlets start to poke out. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A word of warning... grains swell up like CRAZY. These babies totally ballooned up enough to fill the whole bucket.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDC4h8BFYYexZWCwn41d88IKNMEm2oKo-96BJFJbNjpK18Cu9qdxeGDwo5O8Ubbgw3BONlpP_NNeyDycfBHB7-JgO2LNoDfEzmVmZcK2BeKRQKrMkK1CjN-0AZ4fLz7cje9eJ9uqpA3Ns/s1600/IMG_20110815_191508.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDC4h8BFYYexZWCwn41d88IKNMEm2oKo-96BJFJbNjpK18Cu9qdxeGDwo5O8Ubbgw3BONlpP_NNeyDycfBHB7-JgO2LNoDfEzmVmZcK2BeKRQKrMkK1CjN-0AZ4fLz7cje9eJ9uqpA3Ns/s320/IMG_20110815_191508.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So, I pulled a bunch out and stuck em in my little blue brew kettle you see there to the left. Problem solved. Back to chitting.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My research said that wheat takes all around less time to malt than barley, and this proved true since mine started to chit after only 2 soaking and rinsing cycles.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4ARNSRiEUv0/TkyJRcGOPcI/AAAAAAAABhk/oedVNO-DAT8/s1600/IMG_20110816_153711.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4ARNSRiEUv0/TkyJRcGOPcI/AAAAAAAABhk/oedVNO-DAT8/s320/IMG_20110816_153711.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Now that my wheat was starting to grow, I need to figure out, you know, where the frick I was going to put it! I stole some ideas from the previously mentioned website, drove down to Lowe's and threw this bad mamma' jamma' together.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT0fpzJ7HsxMDOe1ZAYFSy2pp41IoqoqEaKuZetSoTeOXddxQU3bI_vQj4PK_OugsnQd7A_3jZG32ybugT-9NQqydWmo-rRBmYadg6hTDLFAtbXiTEg8K-bD20tIkNcS_Z1fpIcSCVgMA/s1600/IMG_20110816_153459.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT0fpzJ7HsxMDOe1ZAYFSy2pp41IoqoqEaKuZetSoTeOXddxQU3bI_vQj4PK_OugsnQd7A_3jZG32ybugT-9NQqydWmo-rRBmYadg6hTDLFAtbXiTEg8K-bD20tIkNcS_Z1fpIcSCVgMA/s320/IMG_20110816_153459.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It was extremely easy to make... concrete board bottom, 2x4 frame, thick Plaster of Paris coat to finish it off. At this point, I went back to my grain and soaked them in a StarSan bath. I have never read about anyone doing this... or many people malting at all for that matter... but I figured it would be a good idea for a couple reasons. First, it cant hurt the grain. Second, it will hurt, nay, <b>murder </b>any microbes that could potentially cause the lump of wet organic material that is my malt to start rotting. So after letting that final soak take place, and letting my plaster dry, I rinsed the grain and dumped it onto my malting floor!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-o9Wqvu6mM34/TkyLGz19tRI/AAAAAAAABhw/gVkU2StF6YQ/s1600/IMG_20110816_172312.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-o9Wqvu6mM34/TkyLGz19tRI/AAAAAAAABhw/gVkU2StF6YQ/s320/IMG_20110816_172312.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This phase is called couching. Basically you put the grain into a lump, and the heat from germination helps the grains to grow more. This is the stage I am still currently in. I have been going down there (my basement) to stir them up and dump a little water on them every few hours. In fact... I'm about to go do that again very soon!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Temperature is a big deal, by the way. If anyone plans on trying this, the grains have to be as close to 55-60 degrees as possible. That being said, my basement hovers more around the 65ish degree mark. As of yet though, I have no mold, and they seem to be doing great! A lot of them have a few rootlets poking out now. Tomorrow I will spread them out to let them finish modifying. And before they are done, I have to figure out how the frick I'm going to kiln it. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">PROJEKTZ RULE</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When this is all done, I'm going to malt the rest of the bag and do a how-to. Cheers!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06080536775963006749noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7054351998467719845.post-73586232663196041842011-08-14T23:30:00.000-07:002011-10-15T15:23:25.392-07:00REBELLIONTonight I sit here deleting all the Simcoe, Amarillo, Warrior and a few others out of all my recipes. Why? Because I'm tired of using proprietary hops in my brews. These hops, along with many others, can only be grown by the dudes that hold the patents or by people who pay royalties for the privilege of being able to do so. It may not sound like a huge deal, but I have a problem with it for 2 reasons:<br />
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1. HOPS ARE LIVING THINGS. These companies are mini-Monsantos in their own special way; running around "creating" freak versions of living organisms and claiming them as their own. And I don't think that businesses like that have much of a place in the brewing world.<br />
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2. They totally control the flow of these hops. I don't want to give someone that much control over whether or not I can brew a particular beer. Im not saying this has happened, but they *could* decide one year to scale back production to increase demand. Like, you know, the oil companies.<br />
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So worst case scenario, they are a hellish Frankestein made of rotten bits and pieces of the business practices of oil companies and Monsanto. But in reality, they are just annoying and apparently I think I'm too punk to use their product.<br />
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So there you have it. I'm adopting an attitude of "if I couldn't feasibly grow it, malt it or roast it without getting sued, I'm not going to use it." This is also going to put some grains out of bounds for me... Carapils and Honey malt basically. But frankly, I could do without them.<br />
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Grapfruit bombs are overrated anyways.Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06080536775963006749noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7054351998467719845.post-75370026836792852182011-08-13T20:56:00.000-07:002011-10-15T15:19:50.875-07:00BEER STUFF DAYToday was awesome. I had the whole day off and Amanda was out working on her new business (which Im so excited about as well!), so I figured today would be a good day to figure out how to keep my beers cold. About damn time; Ive been kegging now since Christmas and until tonight I have never poured cold beer from a keg into my glass. Its been a long time coming.<br />
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ANYWAYS, I started on good ol' Craigslist. I knew I would rather have a chest freezer to convert into a cool looking keezer down the road, so I, you know... searched for one. I found a 8-point-something cubic foot Kenmore that was in great condition, but they were asking 100 bucks for it, which was a little out of my budget. So I decided to lowball em and offer 60 bucks, and they accepted! Hurrah! I went down and loaded it into the ol van.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xq0k9TeEg3g/TkcdH7BHN6I/AAAAAAAABf0/a15Bjo5dGco/s1600/IMG_20110813_143451.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xq0k9TeEg3g/TkcdH7BHN6I/AAAAAAAABf0/a15Bjo5dGco/s320/IMG_20110813_143451.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I was FILLED with excitement. I was driving home with the very thing that was going to make my life exponentially more awesome, and the freezer in itself is almost a never ending project.<br />
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Baby's first keezer.<br />
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I got home, loaded it into the office. I decided to go ahead and keg my two beers I had waiting around; an amber ale and an imperial stout, both of which I brewed with this nerd.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wAaroEAGWv8/TkcdP_BXV4I/AAAAAAAABf4/TGIGikGsZHM/s1600/IMG_20110812_233938.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wAaroEAGWv8/TkcdP_BXV4I/AAAAAAAABf4/TGIGikGsZHM/s320/IMG_20110812_233938.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>It really felt good to be doing BEER STUFF again. The house was taking up so much of my time, it was really nice to be able to put my time and money towards the thing I love the most. Here's some SICK KEGGIN SHOTS AWWW YEA<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a15Oi4OArnw/TkccvHTjkHI/AAAAAAAABfo/vLxY_EpmHwY/s1600/IMG_20110813_154304.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a15Oi4OArnw/TkccvHTjkHI/AAAAAAAABfo/vLxY_EpmHwY/s320/IMG_20110813_154304.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN-AGVjQTDVibHJG8pcGRqfysRpcH7KoJkEKPVOjMvsCykkWPr0oYHfjvZIIoQswFWHDVcm0gEQaEQ53tO5ohbUpw4ShoOrg7V0fJFJ5yB0YzJkmQE9IniW8YPRgz5I4z6ymwnG_Jssro/s1600/IMG_20110813_154315.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN-AGVjQTDVibHJG8pcGRqfysRpcH7KoJkEKPVOjMvsCykkWPr0oYHfjvZIIoQswFWHDVcm0gEQaEQ53tO5ohbUpw4ShoOrg7V0fJFJ5yB0YzJkmQE9IniW8YPRgz5I4z6ymwnG_Jssro/s320/IMG_20110813_154315.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-O1bPz-1qouw/TkccpI34ieI/AAAAAAAABfk/_pC0jzVuOsg/s1600/IMG_20110813_154132.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-O1bPz-1qouw/TkccpI34ieI/AAAAAAAABfk/_pC0jzVuOsg/s320/IMG_20110813_154132.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>My brewing space isn't so <b>cramped </b>anymore, is it? HAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAA... Im so funny.<br />
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So just a few short hours later I had some cold Amarillo Pilsen Ale and 2 new brews carbonating in my new beer freezer.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xMiTxAi4Cs0/Tkcdcvst8WI/AAAAAAAABgA/DC2tzu9k1Uw/s1600/shot_1313282812362.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xMiTxAi4Cs0/Tkcdcvst8WI/AAAAAAAABgA/DC2tzu9k1Uw/s320/shot_1313282812362.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I cant really call it a "keezer" yet since it doesn't look cool. In due time though, I assure you. Im not sure which route I want to go down yet, but what I do know is that its going to look friggin' awesome. I think Ill pour one more in celebration!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LSEpy-qqnek/TkdF7tgJXNI/AAAAAAAABgE/h1MQsbPPPF8/s1600/IMG_20110813_214850.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LSEpy-qqnek/TkdF7tgJXNI/AAAAAAAABgE/h1MQsbPPPF8/s320/IMG_20110813_214850.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>There is one more thing I want to add before I sign off here. A lot of dudes that build these things also have to drop 30-90 bucks on temperature control modules and what-not so that their beer doesn't freeze. On MY freezer though, there are your regular coldness settings (OFF to 10), but there are also a few little notches between OFF and 1. When I keep it turned to the notch right above OFF, it stays pretty constant just below 40 degrees. Which totally rules, because everyone likes to save time and money! Cold, LIQUID beer without the extra work. Hurrah!<br />
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Beer rules. Building stuff for beer also rules. Life is great. Brew more beer.Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06080536775963006749noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7054351998467719845.post-31291862219167067512011-08-11T20:24:00.000-07:002011-10-15T15:23:25.392-07:00MOVED INTO OUR HOUSE!Have not been posting since I have been too busy for beer and blogging, since we have been getting settled into our new house. Queue hipster pictures!!!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikcGYqyG65yEY3LTn8qkAcKrkFTVOPDHRTTW-F3lqioKKCdvw49qERvSTFlOLNh_-A0zncQvDMyBams_r7h-IT7vqSFz4xnl_mS9hCNx4XKeJ8VlwHFezjN_Z1sM3PKXekV6A6_j0U_e8/s1600/285972_10150331352931477_559651476_9512958_1338441_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikcGYqyG65yEY3LTn8qkAcKrkFTVOPDHRTTW-F3lqioKKCdvw49qERvSTFlOLNh_-A0zncQvDMyBams_r7h-IT7vqSFz4xnl_mS9hCNx4XKeJ8VlwHFezjN_Z1sM3PKXekV6A6_j0U_e8/s320/285972_10150331352931477_559651476_9512958_1338441_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhHv1Jrr5cJJ-thIisqYN2NLKFp_qN9zR_dEnwOZvwSxl5XJXd5WQaUFpp5dw__Yvxfh4HflQlnxlpb34B6M7NOcJADBQxaHWaIge-kNxMux23XGtJurwg0l6CcIb1QK2qh2xm0dSA-ZE/s1600/289227_10150331350631477_559651476_9512949_5237385_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhHv1Jrr5cJJ-thIisqYN2NLKFp_qN9zR_dEnwOZvwSxl5XJXd5WQaUFpp5dw__Yvxfh4HflQlnxlpb34B6M7NOcJADBQxaHWaIge-kNxMux23XGtJurwg0l6CcIb1QK2qh2xm0dSA-ZE/s320/289227_10150331350631477_559651476_9512949_5237385_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Thats the front and back of the house. And you see that killer 15x15 shed in the back? Well...<br />
<b><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-size: x-large;"><br />
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<b><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange; font-size: x-large;">THATS GOING TO BE MY BREWERY!!!!!!</span></u></b><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span">So pumped about it. To celebrate, I did actually brew an imperial stout, which is sitting in my cellar as we speak. I now have an amazing to-do list, which I love. So many great projects in the near future, like:</span><br />
<ul><li>Start malting and roasting all my own grains</li>
<li>Get the shed into working condition... concrete, finish walls, etc.</li>
<li>Start a garden!!!</li>
<li>Build shelves and awnings and stuff!</li>
</ul><div>It goes on and on forever. Owning a house is fantastic... Buster has more room to run around, Amanda has more room to work and get her business going, I have more brew/music/smoking room. And as an added bonus, we have great neighbors.</div><div><br />
</div><div>So, expect lots of build blogs in the next few weeks here. Kegerator is up next, along with a fermentation chamber. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Cant. Friggin. Wait.</div>Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06080536775963006749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7054351998467719845.post-33281830852865640022011-07-25T18:04:00.000-07:002011-10-15T15:23:25.393-07:00WILDERNESS BREWING. MAKE IT HAPPEN.Im really pumped for the dudes at <a href="http://thankheavenforbeer.com/">Thank Heaven For Beer</a>. They are officially half way to meeting their Kickstarter goal of 40 grand. What are they going to do with FORTY THOUSAND dollars, you may ask? Start a kick ass brewery. Please go <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1693254250/wilderness-brewing-co">HERE</a> and help them out if you can!Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06080536775963006749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7054351998467719845.post-49646686986295129542011-07-21T11:43:00.000-07:002011-10-15T15:23:25.393-07:00THE BIG THREE WERE NOT THE FIRSTAs I was doing my daily research of brewing, malting and beer in general, I found <a href="http://www.fullbooks.com/The-London-and-Country-Brewer.html">THIS AMAZING BOOK</a>, by Anonymous (hackers like to brew too?... O wait, wrong <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/AnonymousIRC">Anonymous</a>). It was published in the 1750's, and the first few paragraphs are what initially caught my eye. The author opens by comdemning commercial breweries for sacrificing good beer for good profit, and that this practice of brewing terrible beer just to make a buck is a detriment to beer drinkers and, more importantly, <b>everyone's health</b>!<br />
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I intend on finishing the whole thing, but if you have any interest in the history of beer at all, you should at least take a few minutes to read the preface. Kinda puts things into perspective. Its funny how we humans <i>know</i> that we should learn from our past mistakes, but when it comes to war, beer, and pretty much everything else...<br />
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We never do.Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06080536775963006749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7054351998467719845.post-3962946253239772692011-07-18T10:09:00.000-07:002011-10-15T15:19:50.875-07:00JUST WHEN YOU THINK YOU HAVE THE PROCESS DOWN...Yesterday I brewed. It was a great time, as usual, but I made an awesomely terrible mistake that I thought would be fun to share with everyone. What mistake? I boiled the yeast!<br />
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Now those of you that have brewed before might be trying figure out just where in the process this is even possible to do. I am here to tell you that it is indeed possible... for me anyways. I'm sure by the time I croak I will have committed every brewing crime there is, and I will be damn proud of it.<br />
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I have been trying to get into the habit of re-hydrating my yeast lately. I don't really know why, except that I know it helps the yeast survive better, but I have never had under-pitching issues, so there isn't much of a reason for me to be doing it in the first place. But, alas, there I was, dumping my yeast into some extra wort, and I realized too late that I had let the wort cool off too much. So I thought to myself, "hey self, I have an easy solution... lets stick it on the stove!" Keep in mind that I had not much business re-hydrating at all, and furthermore it wasn't THAT big of a deal that the wort wasn't exactly 100 degrees. Nevertheless, the solution I came up with for my made up problems was to stick the pot onto the stove for a little bit.<br />
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Then I got sidetracked. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">S*&^.</span><br />
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As I was doing other stuff like sanitizing carboys and drinking scotch with Brandon, I smelled something burning. It didn't take long for it to hit me... "IM KILLIN' MAH YEST!!!" I took the yeast off the stove, but it was already too late. I had heated them up to around 150 degrees, and effectively committed mass murder on my undeserving yeast buddies. A perfectly good batch of S-33 went to waste. Bummer. Its a good thing I had a jar of freshly cleaned S-05 in my fridge, because my beer is now bubbling away as I write this.<br />
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In the end it wasn't such a big deal, and it will be a fun story to tell in the years to come. The main reason I kick myself over it is S33 the one yeast I use regularly that I don't have a jar of sitting in my fridge. I hate buying yeast, and now I'm just gonna have to buy another packet of it next time I brew. Like some frickin' noob. Which apparently I am, since, you know...<br />
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I BOILED MY EFFING YEAST.Bryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06080536775963006749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7054351998467719845.post-4447931832489224242011-07-17T10:45:00.000-07:002011-10-15T15:19:50.875-07:00HOME FROM TOUR. BREW DAY. OTHER STUFFS.So I was on the road AGAIN for about a month with my band A Billion Ernies. We had a great time, played some good shows and had some serious bro down time with our buddies in Caddywhompus and Greg and D Ray from Community Records. I miss them all dearly. The good news is that I GET TO BREW BEER AGAIN! Hurray!<br />
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The first day of tour was in SLC, where my parents live, and I brought two kegs of beer with me. Went through both of them in two nights. One had three gallons, the other had probably around two. So needless to say... tour got off to a great start. The only problem is it decimated my pipeline, so now I have three empty fermenters and only one full keg! I haven't been in this desperate of a beer situation for a long time. Time to get going on filling these bad boys back up.<br />
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Today Im brewing with my new pal Brandon, and we will be brewing an amber ale that started as a Mack n Jack's clone. This will be the 4th time Ive brewed it and the 4th variation on it, so now I think its safe to say that its my own recipe. Its a damn good beer, and every little tweak makes it a little bit better.<br />
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In other news, the guys from <a href="http://thankheavenforbeer.com/">Thank Heaven For Beer</a> are starting a real live actual brewery!!! They have a kickstarter up <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1693254250/wilderness-brewing-co">HERE</a> that I would encourage everyone to donate to. They are going to be living the dream, and I know they are going to do amazing things. On a side note; if you're reading this, sorry it took so long for me to blog about it dudes! Tour is time consuming.<br />
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Thats it for now I think. I'm going to make a post in the next few days about my thoughts on the scourge of craft beer... BEER SNOBS. But for now, I'm out.<br />
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PEACEBryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06080536775963006749noreply@blogger.com0