A New Beer Thread

For those that want to learn how to make homebrew, Saturday is National Learn to Homebrew Day and lots of homebrew stores and clubs are having events. I encourage any of you to seek how a local event and try your hand at it.
I made a beer on the air this morning for a local TV station with my club president, not a full brew session, but we showed the basics and cracked a pre-made beer at the end. We had a great time.

 

Tonight's menu:
Sly Fox Oktoberfest, Pottstown, PA
Wild Beer Co. Somerset Wild, Shepton Mallet, England
Cisco Island Reserve Gose, Nantucket

The Somerset Wild was a bit like a cider.

The Cisco Gose is an unfiltered wheat ale brewed with a bit of salt.

Anyway, those two were a bit different and interesting.

 

Working through the Sam Adams Holiday 24-pack.
Really, I just bought it for the 4 Chocolate Bocks (one of my Top 5 beers), but Uncle Fezziwig ain't bad and the Winter Lager is alright. Not a huge fan of the Christmas Wit, but wife liked it.

I would so ask for a 24-pack of Chocolate Bock (or even the once-released Chocolate Cherry Bock) if I knew I was going to die. [/crossthread]

 

Interesting read in WaPo about the man who bought Pabst and turned it around.
His kids sounds like Bro Douchebags. And this reinforces my refusal to drink PBR.
Still an entertaining read.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/meet-the-twinkie-saving-beer-selling-billionaire-who-has-changed-the-way-you-eat/2014/10/29/0840348a-481b-11e4-b72e-d60a9229cc10_story.html

 

Hitting the latest batch we brewed.

I think I like this whole process, start to finish.

 

You a brewer, Machine Head?

 

I try, only a handful of batches with a friend to date.

We've decided to ramp up production this year now that we're going to be snowbound soon.

This is where we buy our kits:

http://www.northernbrewer.com/

This is the next batch:

http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/brewing/recipe-kits/the-plinian-legacy-double-ipa-recipe-kit.html

 

Awesome.

If you have an all grain set up, I have the recipe from Russian River that was published in Brew Your Own magazine several years back. It was phenomenal.

 

We don't yet, but as we advance I will take you up on your kind offer. Much appreciated, thank you.

 

Firestone DBA Double Barrel Ale, ice cold. Hits the spot after a crazy day.

 

Finished the day with Deschutes Nitro Cinder Cone Red Ale. Very nice. Almost makes me want to move to Oregon.

 

Two on tap and one fermenting, currently.

On Tap:

Northern English Brown that I scaled from 10 to five gallons this time. First recipe I built on my own and it was phenomenal the first go round. This time, it's a bit off. I have a bit of work to do on it, but it's still pretty darn good.

Some type of Christmas ale. I was walking around the local homebrew store in my last town (we recently moved back to south Alabam'), after contemplating what I'd brew next -- my brown or my holiday porter -- when I saw a can of pre-hopped malted extract from Brewferm labeled "Christmas Ale." Without thinking, I grabbed it, and when I got home, I realized it was only one can of extract and was only going to make about two gallons of beer. I headed straight to the pantry and found as many fermentables as I could -- light and dark Karo corn syrup and molasses. I fired up the brewing software after researching the IBUs in the extract (40 IBUs at 2 gallons of 6% beer) and banged out a simple recipe to figure out my gravity, IBU and volume. Added a pound of the additional fermentables, tossed in some holiday spices near the end and wound up with four gallons of a 4.8% holiday beer. Doesn't taste great, but the aroma is pretty awesome.

Got a Heady Topper clone fermenting away in the freezer. My old club had some guys with some Heady and we cultured and grew the Alchemist's proprietary yeast strain, Conan, and spread it through the club. I got a bit of it from a friend who brews with it a lot and brewed with it last about five months. I was concerned the yeast, after sitting that long, wouldn't be good. I put it into a starter and onto a stir plate to help it along, then dumped it into my 1.078 (read: 8%) beer and waited. Twelve hours later, that yeast was killing it at 59 degrees (a bit low for many yeasts, but apparently not this one). It has about 10 ounces of hops in it now, and will have another eight or so added Monday night. Can't wait to get this one online.

On another note, just had a dark Goose Island farmhouse. Sort of like a Belgian stout. Really interesting.