The Beer Prayer (stolen, original author unknown)
Our lager,
Which art in barrels,
Hallowed be thy drink.
Thy will be drunk,
At home as in the tavern.
Give us this day our foamy head,
And forgive us our spillages,
As we forgive those who spill against us.
And lead us not to incarceration,
But deliver us from hangovers.
For thine is the beer, The bitter and The lager.
Forever and ever,
Barmen
Monday, March 15, 2004
Friday, March 12, 2004
Awesome Beer Party!!!
Well, the beer is in the fridge and The "Awesome Beer Party" is tomorrow at Russ' apartment. I've encouraged Russ go home and drink a bottle of the beer. However, if he dies the party's off. If you're reading this, you're probably invited.
Ask Arlen or Russ how to get to Russ' apartment.
Well, the beer is in the fridge and The "Awesome Beer Party" is tomorrow at Russ' apartment. I've encouraged Russ go home and drink a bottle of the beer. However, if he dies the party's off. If you're reading this, you're probably invited.
Ask Arlen or Russ how to get to Russ' apartment.
Thursday, March 11, 2004
Hey all. My name's Ben. I go to school in Vermont, so I figured I'd contribute my exploration of Vermont microbrews to this growing compendium of beer knowledge. Actually, I just wanted a good reason to stop drinking Busch Light. I'll try to post a new brew every week, depending on my money supply and the motivation of my supplier. I hope to get through Long Trail and Magic Hat by the end of the school year, maybe a bit of Otter Creek (Middlebury's very own!). So anyway, I hope you enjoy. And if you want to talk Vermont beer, feel free to e-mail me here. No, wait, here. I'm gonna start off this week with Long Trail Ale.
Long Trail Brewing Company
The Long Trail Brewing Company is based in Bridgewater Corners, Vermont. They brew and bottle all of the beer there. The company is named after a hiking trial that runs the entire vertical length of Vermont, from Massachusettes to Canada. Long Trail beers are not as popular at Middlebury College as other local brews, but they are known for having a variety of tasty brews and really fucking cool labels. Each bottle is adorned with their classic backpacker on a red background. Flavors include Long Trail Ale, Blackberry Wheat, India Pale Ale, the Pollenator, Double Bag, and the Hibernator. Unfortunately, they do not distribute much outside New England, so the next time you head to the Northeast, be sure to pick up a pack. Visit them online here.
Long Trail Ale
The Long Trail Ale is the basic Long Trail beer. It was first brewed in 1989. The label is a nice green with a picture of their brewery set against the Green Mountains. If you look closely at the label, you can see the green background is made up of topo lines. Probably of Vermont. A nice touch. The label calls it a "full bodied amber ale" with a "complex, yet clean, full flavor." The color is light gold, with a pleasant, full aroma. As for the taste, clean, not complex, is a good description. There is no extra sweetness, maltiness, or bitterness. The beer is medium weight and smooth. The aftertaste is particularly refreshing and a smooth malt flavor lingers after the bottle is finished. This beer would be excellent with a sandwich or pizza. Unfortunately, a six pack costs about seven dollars, a little higher than some other beers of comparable quality. However, Long Trail Ale is high on class, so just make sure your guests notice what you're serving.
Long Trail Brewing Company
The Long Trail Brewing Company is based in Bridgewater Corners, Vermont. They brew and bottle all of the beer there. The company is named after a hiking trial that runs the entire vertical length of Vermont, from Massachusettes to Canada. Long Trail beers are not as popular at Middlebury College as other local brews, but they are known for having a variety of tasty brews and really fucking cool labels. Each bottle is adorned with their classic backpacker on a red background. Flavors include Long Trail Ale, Blackberry Wheat, India Pale Ale, the Pollenator, Double Bag, and the Hibernator. Unfortunately, they do not distribute much outside New England, so the next time you head to the Northeast, be sure to pick up a pack. Visit them online here.
Long Trail Ale
The Long Trail Ale is the basic Long Trail beer. It was first brewed in 1989. The label is a nice green with a picture of their brewery set against the Green Mountains. If you look closely at the label, you can see the green background is made up of topo lines. Probably of Vermont. A nice touch. The label calls it a "full bodied amber ale" with a "complex, yet clean, full flavor." The color is light gold, with a pleasant, full aroma. As for the taste, clean, not complex, is a good description. There is no extra sweetness, maltiness, or bitterness. The beer is medium weight and smooth. The aftertaste is particularly refreshing and a smooth malt flavor lingers after the bottle is finished. This beer would be excellent with a sandwich or pizza. Unfortunately, a six pack costs about seven dollars, a little higher than some other beers of comparable quality. However, Long Trail Ale is high on class, so just make sure your guests notice what you're serving.
Is That Fecal Coliform You're Drinking?
According to the most recent Davis Water Quality Report (2002). The weighted average for bacterial coliform is a 3.9% positive sample. This means that 3.9% of the time the water coming out of the tap in Davis will contain bacteria that came from someone's ass. As if foot beer was not bad enough, now we have to worry about our beer tasting like ass. Literally.
Luckily, Russ and I use Arrowhead Water which – although not regulated by federal standards – contains zero bacteria, according to their customer service representative.
Eventually, Russ and I should look into some sort of carbon or reverse osmosis filtering system. We would still need to sterilize our water, but it would be cheaper in the long run and we would have more palatable tap water. For those of who have not had the devine pridvledge of tasting davis water, it tastes a lot like the pesticides and fertilizers they spray and inject into the water table year round. The Davis Public Works water system consists of 29 wells across the city. The well water is pumped out of the ground, run through a coarse filter and chlorinated. Wonderful.
According to the most recent Davis Water Quality Report (2002). The weighted average for bacterial coliform is a 3.9% positive sample. This means that 3.9% of the time the water coming out of the tap in Davis will contain bacteria that came from someone's ass. As if foot beer was not bad enough, now we have to worry about our beer tasting like ass. Literally.
Luckily, Russ and I use Arrowhead Water which – although not regulated by federal standards – contains zero bacteria, according to their customer service representative.
Eventually, Russ and I should look into some sort of carbon or reverse osmosis filtering system. We would still need to sterilize our water, but it would be cheaper in the long run and we would have more palatable tap water. For those of who have not had the devine pridvledge of tasting davis water, it tastes a lot like the pesticides and fertilizers they spray and inject into the water table year round. The Davis Public Works water system consists of 29 wells across the city. The well water is pumped out of the ground, run through a coarse filter and chlorinated. Wonderful.
Tuesday, March 09, 2004
Well I'll be damned
As a few of you have noted, I've lamented in the past few days that our beer does not look like beer. It looks like dirty orange juice. Well, not anymore. While making breakfast this morning I picked up the open glass of beer we have sitting atop the fridge and, believe it not, it was very clear. I even stuck my finger behind the glass. There it was! I could see my finger behind the glass! This my friends is good news. I haven't held any degree light tests (which gives us, in numerical format, a reading how clear the beer is) but I am excited. More posts on the way.
As a few of you have noted, I've lamented in the past few days that our beer does not look like beer. It looks like dirty orange juice. Well, not anymore. While making breakfast this morning I picked up the open glass of beer we have sitting atop the fridge and, believe it not, it was very clear. I even stuck my finger behind the glass. There it was! I could see my finger behind the glass! This my friends is good news. I haven't held any degree light tests (which gives us, in numerical format, a reading how clear the beer is) but I am excited. More posts on the way.
Monday, March 08, 2004
Questions for home brewers
As promised, here is the incomplete and unedited list of questions Arlen and I are preparing to ask any and all home brewers we come across in the next few weeks. I stress this is a list in progress so questions could change. And of course, once we get answers we’ll begin to compile some sort of FAQ on another page. Dang, this website is a lot of work. Ahh, but it is all for the cause!
1. What’s the best way to filter out hops and other undesirable materials? At what stages should we filter, and how often?
2. How much yeast do we take out of the secondary fermentor?
3. How much yeast is ideally on the bottom of a secondary fermentor?
4. What are the benefits of “live” yeast cultures?
5. Do 22oz bottles condition differently than 12oz?
6. What’s an idea amount of time for bottle conditioning?
7. How do you get rid of color gradient?
8. What’s up with the gelatin?
9. Does the priming sugar affect the clarity at all?
10. Why doesn’t our beer look like beer?
11. Our beer looks like dirty orange juice. Is this a common product in first time brewing? What can we do to make our beer look better?
The financial data, aka what we spent to make this stuff, is forthcoming. It’s currently stuck inside an Excel spreadsheet and will take a few days to sort into something that looks remotely like a readable document. All of these documents will also be wrapped together for a Batch 001 Postmotem where we identify processes, good and bad decisions and outline a list of things to do next time. I’m not sure when we will begin Batch 002, but I suspect it will be in a week or two.
As promised, here is the incomplete and unedited list of questions Arlen and I are preparing to ask any and all home brewers we come across in the next few weeks. I stress this is a list in progress so questions could change. And of course, once we get answers we’ll begin to compile some sort of FAQ on another page. Dang, this website is a lot of work. Ahh, but it is all for the cause!
1. What’s the best way to filter out hops and other undesirable materials? At what stages should we filter, and how often?
2. How much yeast do we take out of the secondary fermentor?
3. How much yeast is ideally on the bottom of a secondary fermentor?
4. What are the benefits of “live” yeast cultures?
5. Do 22oz bottles condition differently than 12oz?
6. What’s an idea amount of time for bottle conditioning?
7. How do you get rid of color gradient?
8. What’s up with the gelatin?
9. Does the priming sugar affect the clarity at all?
10. Why doesn’t our beer look like beer?
11. Our beer looks like dirty orange juice. Is this a common product in first time brewing? What can we do to make our beer look better?
The financial data, aka what we spent to make this stuff, is forthcoming. It’s currently stuck inside an Excel spreadsheet and will take a few days to sort into something that looks remotely like a readable document. All of these documents will also be wrapped together for a Batch 001 Postmotem where we identify processes, good and bad decisions and outline a list of things to do next time. I’m not sure when we will begin Batch 002, but I suspect it will be in a week or two.
Equipment list
The following is what amounts to a total inventory of materials after one completed batch of beer. Most of the big materials listed below (such as the buckets and the carboy) was donated by a very nice man who bequeathed to us (he didn’t die) his beer operation. Other things, such as the wort cooler, were built by our very own hands. Okay Arlen built them and I watched, but close enough. This equipment list is by no means complete and we’re still learning just exactly what equipment is most important to the process. Of course we’re free to answer any questions, and like the instructions list we hope to make an equipment page with accompanying images and notes. But for now, here be our goodz:
1. Stainless steel kettle with lid. Minimum capacity of 5 gallons. Used to boil brewing water and wort.
2. Large stainless steel spoon, for stirring the wort.
3. Two 6.5 to 10 gallon fermenting buckets with airtight-capable lid, food-grade plastic. For fermenting (duh).
4. At least two rocking tubes (3/8th inch outside diameter) and 5-foot clear plastic hose. For siphoning beer from one bucket to another.
5. Hose clamps to seal tubes when transporting liquids.
6. Hose connecting to sink.
7. 5-gallon glass (no plastic) carboy, secondary fermentor.
8. Three-piece airlock and No. 6.5 drilled white rubber stopper. Airlock fits in the stopper, which on fits the mouth of the glass carboy, keeping oxygen in while losing carbon dioxide.
9. Carboy brush and bottle brushes, used for cleaning
10. Bottle capper
11. Hydrometer and sample jar (see pages 6-7 for explanation).
12. Bottles, preferably brown bottled longnecks. No twist top. Sam Adams bottles work real well if you're too cheap to buy bottles. We went ahead and popped for 36 22oz. bottles.
13. Funnel(s). Makes pouring things a hell of a lot easier.
What we don’t have but is recommended:
1. Thermometer, preferably dial with 1degree marks, with adjusting nut.
2. Scale, small. Full range of 0-4, 0-8 ounces, marked in 1/4th oz. divisions.
3. VERY fine mesh-straining bag for seeping malt grains.
4. Four 1-gallon jugs, preferably glass for storing cold in the fridge.
Make sure to sterilize the following whenever possible (Idophol is your friend, buy tons of it):
1. Siphon tubes
2. Wort chiller
3. Wort tub
4. Carboy
5. Fermenting bucket and lid
6. Measuring cup
7. Spoon
8. Thermometer case
So yes, as you can see we have an entire manufacturing floor full of wonderful state-of-the-art equipment! And by manufacturing floor I mean my kitchen.
The following is what amounts to a total inventory of materials after one completed batch of beer. Most of the big materials listed below (such as the buckets and the carboy) was donated by a very nice man who bequeathed to us (he didn’t die) his beer operation. Other things, such as the wort cooler, were built by our very own hands. Okay Arlen built them and I watched, but close enough. This equipment list is by no means complete and we’re still learning just exactly what equipment is most important to the process. Of course we’re free to answer any questions, and like the instructions list we hope to make an equipment page with accompanying images and notes. But for now, here be our goodz:
1. Stainless steel kettle with lid. Minimum capacity of 5 gallons. Used to boil brewing water and wort.
2. Large stainless steel spoon, for stirring the wort.
3. Two 6.5 to 10 gallon fermenting buckets with airtight-capable lid, food-grade plastic. For fermenting (duh).
4. At least two rocking tubes (3/8th inch outside diameter) and 5-foot clear plastic hose. For siphoning beer from one bucket to another.
5. Hose clamps to seal tubes when transporting liquids.
6. Hose connecting to sink.
7. 5-gallon glass (no plastic) carboy, secondary fermentor.
8. Three-piece airlock and No. 6.5 drilled white rubber stopper. Airlock fits in the stopper, which on fits the mouth of the glass carboy, keeping oxygen in while losing carbon dioxide.
9. Carboy brush and bottle brushes, used for cleaning
10. Bottle capper
11. Hydrometer and sample jar (see pages 6-7 for explanation).
12. Bottles, preferably brown bottled longnecks. No twist top. Sam Adams bottles work real well if you're too cheap to buy bottles. We went ahead and popped for 36 22oz. bottles.
13. Funnel(s). Makes pouring things a hell of a lot easier.
What we don’t have but is recommended:
1. Thermometer, preferably dial with 1degree marks, with adjusting nut.
2. Scale, small. Full range of 0-4, 0-8 ounces, marked in 1/4th oz. divisions.
3. VERY fine mesh-straining bag for seeping malt grains.
4. Four 1-gallon jugs, preferably glass for storing cold in the fridge.
Make sure to sterilize the following whenever possible (Idophol is your friend, buy tons of it):
1. Siphon tubes
2. Wort chiller
3. Wort tub
4. Carboy
5. Fermenting bucket and lid
6. Measuring cup
7. Spoon
8. Thermometer case
So yes, as you can see we have an entire manufacturing floor full of wonderful state-of-the-art equipment! And by manufacturing floor I mean my kitchen.
Instructions list
As promised, here are our instructions for producing 640oz (5 gallons) of California Pale Ale. On our first run we produced 26 22oz bottles or 618oz of brew. These instructions are compiled from a few sources, but is based mostly on those received along with the White Labs Kit that we brew from. Eventually we hope to establish a separate web page that take readers through the process step by step with accompanying pictures and notes. Of course, both Arlen and myself are free for consultation at any time. Keep in mind that we are amateurs learning all we can, but hey we’re nice guys so give us a ring.
1. If not using pre-purified water, boil 2-3 gallons of water for 15 minutes. Set aside in covered container.
2. Put at least 2 gallons of water into the wort pot. Seep grains @ 155° F for 30 minutes.
3. Before discarding grain rinse with 2-4 cups of warm water into the pot.
4. Bring the liquid to a good boil.
5. Remove kettle from heat. Stir in malt syrup, dry malt, kettle sugars and/or rice extract. Do not add the priming sugar.
6. When malt is fully dissolved return kettle to heat and bring to boil.
• (Total boil time is about 1 hour)
7. Boil the wort vigorously for 5 minutes. Then add boiling hops.
• Always reducing the heat before each hop addition greatly reduces the chance of boil overs.
8. Add the Irish moss.
9. Add the finishing hops during the last 10 minutes of the boil.
10. Turn heat off. Cool using wort cooler.
11. Siphon off into fermentor, add water, bringing volume to five gallons. Add yeast to the fermentor when wort temperature is 75-80° F. Measure with hydrometer during siphon.
12. Rehydrade yeast for 15 minutes in sterile water at 75-85° F by sprinkling yeast over half cup of sanitized water. Cover with foil.
13. Aerate wort by shaking the fermentor vigorously for 2-3 minutes at a time. Do this a few times in the first few hours in the fermentor.
• Do not aerate after fermentation is started.
• Let ferment for 5-7 days.
14. Siphon brew into carboy from bucket. Measure with hydrometer as siponing is occurring. Let brew sit in carboy for 5-7 days.
15. Add gelatin to 1 pint of cold water and heat gently and stir until dissolved.
16. Add dissolved gelatin to beer in the fermentor and let clear for 2-3 days in the carboy.
17. Bottle.
• If you get greedy and over clear the beer in the secondary fermentor the beer will not have enough yeast to carbonate in the bottle.
• Prepare priming sugar by boiling with 2 cups of water for 10 minutes. Pour boiling solution into bottling vessel. Siphon the beer from secondary fermentor to your bottling vessel.
• Fill bottles and then cap.
18. Allow bottles to condition at room temperature for 7-10 days before chilling and serving.
As promised, here are our instructions for producing 640oz (5 gallons) of California Pale Ale. On our first run we produced 26 22oz bottles or 618oz of brew. These instructions are compiled from a few sources, but is based mostly on those received along with the White Labs Kit that we brew from. Eventually we hope to establish a separate web page that take readers through the process step by step with accompanying pictures and notes. Of course, both Arlen and myself are free for consultation at any time. Keep in mind that we are amateurs learning all we can, but hey we’re nice guys so give us a ring.
1. If not using pre-purified water, boil 2-3 gallons of water for 15 minutes. Set aside in covered container.
2. Put at least 2 gallons of water into the wort pot. Seep grains @ 155° F for 30 minutes.
3. Before discarding grain rinse with 2-4 cups of warm water into the pot.
4. Bring the liquid to a good boil.
5. Remove kettle from heat. Stir in malt syrup, dry malt, kettle sugars and/or rice extract. Do not add the priming sugar.
6. When malt is fully dissolved return kettle to heat and bring to boil.
• (Total boil time is about 1 hour)
7. Boil the wort vigorously for 5 minutes. Then add boiling hops.
• Always reducing the heat before each hop addition greatly reduces the chance of boil overs.
8. Add the Irish moss.
9. Add the finishing hops during the last 10 minutes of the boil.
10. Turn heat off. Cool using wort cooler.
11. Siphon off into fermentor, add water, bringing volume to five gallons. Add yeast to the fermentor when wort temperature is 75-80° F. Measure with hydrometer during siphon.
12. Rehydrade yeast for 15 minutes in sterile water at 75-85° F by sprinkling yeast over half cup of sanitized water. Cover with foil.
13. Aerate wort by shaking the fermentor vigorously for 2-3 minutes at a time. Do this a few times in the first few hours in the fermentor.
• Do not aerate after fermentation is started.
• Let ferment for 5-7 days.
14. Siphon brew into carboy from bucket. Measure with hydrometer as siponing is occurring. Let brew sit in carboy for 5-7 days.
15. Add gelatin to 1 pint of cold water and heat gently and stir until dissolved.
16. Add dissolved gelatin to beer in the fermentor and let clear for 2-3 days in the carboy.
17. Bottle.
• If you get greedy and over clear the beer in the secondary fermentor the beer will not have enough yeast to carbonate in the bottle.
• Prepare priming sugar by boiling with 2 cups of water for 10 minutes. Pour boiling solution into bottling vessel. Siphon the beer from secondary fermentor to your bottling vessel.
• Fill bottles and then cap.
18. Allow bottles to condition at room temperature for 7-10 days before chilling and serving.
We're done!
I am pleased to announce that Arlen and I have officially completed brew batch #001, our first foray into the world of home brewing. The bottling process went well, and sitting right now on my living room floor are 28 22oz. bottles of Hedgehog Pale Ale. Instructions recommend letting the bottles sit at room temperature for 7-10 before chilling and serving. We’ll probably let the brew sit for almost two weeks before chilling it. Home brewing has been an awesome experience, and I can’t wait to start on our second batch. Hopefully in six moths or so we’ll be expert brewers churning our quality beverage.
So, there’s good news and bad news to report. I’ll start with the good.
Our beer tastes pretty good. Before bottling we all tried a small sip and, believe it or not, it tastes like beer. It’s very sweet, due to the alcohol content and the sugars. There is no way to determine it at this point, but I’m pretty sure our beer is at least 7% ABV, or Alcohol By Volume. The nice thing is that ABV will increase, along with tastiness, as the brew sits in the bottles. Because carbonating a beverage is pretty darn expensive, we’ve gone ahead with bottle conditioning. By putting a little yeast in each bottle pressure builds creating carbonating, bubbles and of course foam. The downside is that one must pour out the beer into a cup before consuming it.
Believe it or not, Sierra Nevada actually bottle condition all of their beverages, or at least their Pale Ale. Go take one of their bottles and look for the layer of yeast at the bottom. Do you see it? Nope, not there. When you figure out how they do it, let me know.
The bad news, to put it bluntly, is that our beer is really ugly. While we knew it was impossible to get nice clear ale on our first try, I was hoping at least to be able to see a little bit through the bottle. But no, it’s opaque as the night. Furthermore, a large amount of hops were imported into each bottle. Hops aren’t bad for you, but they certainly aren’t tasty. What this means is that we’ll have to filter each beer before serving it to anyone. I have a lot more respect now for those crappy beer commercials that beam “cold filtered” for your pleasure or what not. Arlen and I will have to figure out a way to filter the beer for future brews. To sum it up, right now, the beer looks like dirty orange juice. Did I mention it tastes good?
There is a (very) small chance that the bottle conditioning process will greatly clarify the beer. I’m not really sure how this would plausibly happen, but perhaps the combination of carbonation and the materials settling to the bottom will improve the clarity and color. Like I said, this is highly unlikely, but I wanted to at least register my deep down wishes online.
What does all this mean? Gross beer party! You are officially invited to the Gross Beer Party, where (provided you come early enough, and are brave enough) you will receive one free 22oz bottle of Hedgehog Pale Ale. The party will be held on March 20th, time and location TBA. Watch the sidebar for further information.
Also, a number of you have been bugging me to upload our instructions and accompanying documents. I promise to upload those before the gross beer party. We’ve also written up a series of questions based on our first run.
I am pleased to announce that Arlen and I have officially completed brew batch #001, our first foray into the world of home brewing. The bottling process went well, and sitting right now on my living room floor are 28 22oz. bottles of Hedgehog Pale Ale. Instructions recommend letting the bottles sit at room temperature for 7-10 before chilling and serving. We’ll probably let the brew sit for almost two weeks before chilling it. Home brewing has been an awesome experience, and I can’t wait to start on our second batch. Hopefully in six moths or so we’ll be expert brewers churning our quality beverage.
So, there’s good news and bad news to report. I’ll start with the good.
Our beer tastes pretty good. Before bottling we all tried a small sip and, believe it or not, it tastes like beer. It’s very sweet, due to the alcohol content and the sugars. There is no way to determine it at this point, but I’m pretty sure our beer is at least 7% ABV, or Alcohol By Volume. The nice thing is that ABV will increase, along with tastiness, as the brew sits in the bottles. Because carbonating a beverage is pretty darn expensive, we’ve gone ahead with bottle conditioning. By putting a little yeast in each bottle pressure builds creating carbonating, bubbles and of course foam. The downside is that one must pour out the beer into a cup before consuming it.
Believe it or not, Sierra Nevada actually bottle condition all of their beverages, or at least their Pale Ale. Go take one of their bottles and look for the layer of yeast at the bottom. Do you see it? Nope, not there. When you figure out how they do it, let me know.
The bad news, to put it bluntly, is that our beer is really ugly. While we knew it was impossible to get nice clear ale on our first try, I was hoping at least to be able to see a little bit through the bottle. But no, it’s opaque as the night. Furthermore, a large amount of hops were imported into each bottle. Hops aren’t bad for you, but they certainly aren’t tasty. What this means is that we’ll have to filter each beer before serving it to anyone. I have a lot more respect now for those crappy beer commercials that beam “cold filtered” for your pleasure or what not. Arlen and I will have to figure out a way to filter the beer for future brews. To sum it up, right now, the beer looks like dirty orange juice. Did I mention it tastes good?
There is a (very) small chance that the bottle conditioning process will greatly clarify the beer. I’m not really sure how this would plausibly happen, but perhaps the combination of carbonation and the materials settling to the bottom will improve the clarity and color. Like I said, this is highly unlikely, but I wanted to at least register my deep down wishes online.
What does all this mean? Gross beer party! You are officially invited to the Gross Beer Party, where (provided you come early enough, and are brave enough) you will receive one free 22oz bottle of Hedgehog Pale Ale. The party will be held on March 20th, time and location TBA. Watch the sidebar for further information.
Also, a number of you have been bugging me to upload our instructions and accompanying documents. I promise to upload those before the gross beer party. We’ve also written up a series of questions based on our first run.
Sunday, March 07, 2004
The end is nigh
Arlen and I are, right now, discussing bottle washing strategies. Today is the day that we (finally) will bottle our brew. After we close up the bottles with a capper, it has to sit at room temperature for 7-10 days. We'll probably let it sit a bit longer so it'll all be ready for our Gross Beer Party. For more information on the party, and how you can obtain some free Gross Beer aka Hedgehog Pale Ale, stay tuned.
Arlen and I are, right now, discussing bottle washing strategies. Today is the day that we (finally) will bottle our brew. After we close up the bottles with a capper, it has to sit at room temperature for 7-10 days. We'll probably let it sit a bit longer so it'll all be ready for our Gross Beer Party. For more information on the party, and how you can obtain some free Gross Beer aka Hedgehog Pale Ale, stay tuned.
Friday, March 05, 2004
No longer the king of beers
The Miami Herald reports that Belgium's Interbrew and Brazil's AmBev are set to merge, creating "InterAmBev" otherwise known as the world's largest brewery. This displaces the American and St. Louis-based brewery Anheuser-Busch. The story of Brazil's AmBev is an amazing one of good brewing and business-making. The New York Times has a short but interesting overview of AmBev's three investors, and how they built a small unprofitable beer company into a global brewery giant. Seen below are two happy cats, Carlos Brito the chief executive of AmBev and Victorio de Marchi, co-chairman. The real question: What does the future hold for Beer Lab and Hedgehog Pale Ale?
Could this be Arlen and Russ in twenty years time?
The Miami Herald reports that Belgium's Interbrew and Brazil's AmBev are set to merge, creating "InterAmBev" otherwise known as the world's largest brewery. This displaces the American and St. Louis-based brewery Anheuser-Busch. The story of Brazil's AmBev is an amazing one of good brewing and business-making. The New York Times has a short but interesting overview of AmBev's three investors, and how they built a small unprofitable beer company into a global brewery giant. Seen below are two happy cats, Carlos Brito the chief executive of AmBev and Victorio de Marchi, co-chairman. The real question: What does the future hold for Beer Lab and Hedgehog Pale Ale?
Could this be Arlen and Russ in twenty years time?
Well, Russ added the gelatin last night, and Sunday we're going out the outermost reaches of Sacramento to procure more ingredients and a bottle washer. This means we will most likely bottle and start another brew on Sunday. That leaves Friday and Saturday to experiment with various beers. Unfortunatley, Arlen is rather low on funds at the moment, so if any of you would like to join Arlen in this Beer experience, you'll have to front the money yourself. Anyone who wishes to enjoy beer with Arlen is strongly encouraged to do so.
Last night Elly and I popped off the cork on the carboy and threw in the gelatin. As reported earlier, I wasn’t really sure what the effect the gelatin would have on the brew. The gelatin was advertised as supposed to break up the solids, and sure enough, that’s what it did. The layer of hops that was laying atop the batch dissipated quickly after we dropped in the gelatin (after dissolving it in a pint of warm water) and gave it a good stir.
Before closing back up the carboy took big whiff, and compared it to the smell of the Sierra Nevada that happened to be sitting next to me. I am proud to report that the brew smelled like a bunch of beer. I found the smell to be quite sweet, a tad musky (think Spaten) and somewhat appealing. The sweet smell is in line with what one would expect from a home brewed process. I was hoping for a better, more professional, smell, but Elly and Zach seemed to think the brew smelled nice and drinkable. We’ll see.
Without having a calendar in front of me, it looks like our Gross Beer Party will be happening on the Saturday night between finals. More information to come, but of course all Beer Lab readers are invited to attend. As always, stay tuned.
Before closing back up the carboy took big whiff, and compared it to the smell of the Sierra Nevada that happened to be sitting next to me. I am proud to report that the brew smelled like a bunch of beer. I found the smell to be quite sweet, a tad musky (think Spaten) and somewhat appealing. The sweet smell is in line with what one would expect from a home brewed process. I was hoping for a better, more professional, smell, but Elly and Zach seemed to think the brew smelled nice and drinkable. We’ll see.
Without having a calendar in front of me, it looks like our Gross Beer Party will be happening on the Saturday night between finals. More information to come, but of course all Beer Lab readers are invited to attend. As always, stay tuned.
Thursday, March 04, 2004
It may just be a figment of my imagination, but I really think the brew is getting lighter as it sits in the secondary fermentor. In an effort to kill bad stuff we’ve let the brew sit in the carboy for almost a full seven days now, and plan to add in the gelatin either tonight or tomorrow afternoon. I am concerned that the hops we added into the carboy haven’t full dissolved, but instead have turned to mush and remain atop the entire mix. I’m not sure how exactly what’s going to happen with the hops when we add the gelatin.
To be honest, I’m not really sure what’s going to happen when we add the gelatin. As Arlen asked, “If the gelatin sucks out all the solids, what happens to the yeast? We need yeast in the bottle.” I hope we don’t have to take yeast samples from the bottom of the carboy and drop a little into each bottle. That sounds like a nightmare. The likely solution is that we’ll siphon from the bottom of the carboy.
Once the gelatin is added the brew must sit for another 2-3 days, which will give us plenty of time to sterilize the bottles and begin prepping for batches 002 and 003. A trip to the Homebrewer’s Warehouse in Sacto for a bottle washer and more brew kits may be in order.
To be honest, I’m not really sure what’s going to happen when we add the gelatin. As Arlen asked, “If the gelatin sucks out all the solids, what happens to the yeast? We need yeast in the bottle.” I hope we don’t have to take yeast samples from the bottom of the carboy and drop a little into each bottle. That sounds like a nightmare. The likely solution is that we’ll siphon from the bottom of the carboy.
Once the gelatin is added the brew must sit for another 2-3 days, which will give us plenty of time to sterilize the bottles and begin prepping for batches 002 and 003. A trip to the Homebrewer’s Warehouse in Sacto for a bottle washer and more brew kits may be in order.
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