I confirmed that they were still planning on brewing the beer (they brew outdoors in the garage) and made the trek to the event. It was kind of like going to a football tailgate party without a football game (or deer camp for city boys, as a friend of mine put it). There were lots of guys hanging out, BBQing, smoking cigars, and enjoying the fruits of previous brew days. But it was COLD! It never got above 15 degrees all day and we kept the garage at a toasty 25-30 degrees with the help of a propane heater and the burners under the brew kettle.
I don't know much about brewing beer (my partner is the beer guy, I'm the BBQ guy), but this was an impressive setup. Most homebrewers brew beer in batches of about 5 gallons or so. These guys have been doing this for awhile and they've built their own brewing aparatus that will brew 25 gallons per batch.
When I arrived, the wort was just about done. It didn't take long to cool it down given the temperatures outside.
They poured the beer into carbouys to age and it was all over but the clean up.
Hopefully, I'll get an invitation to one of the brew days when it's a little warmer. I'm not much for being outside for this long in the cold, unless I'm tending my BBQ pit. ;-)
Cheers,
Braddog
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Those of you who have been following our site for a bit know that I have become a big fan of the Saison style of beer. Most of those I have tried are produced domestically by regional craft brewers (so far my favorite is Kansas City's Boulevard's Smoke Stack Series Saison). I was excited to find a bottle imported from Belgium where it all began.
All in all, this is a great beer. Not quite as clean of a finish as some others I have had recently, but very nice. What struck me most is the aroma that rises from the bottle when you first open it. It's a bazaar cross between a pilsner and seven-up. No kidding!
There is a nice upfront fruitiness with a mild hint of hops towards the backend. Somewhat dry on the finish, but not as clean as many. There is a twinge of farmhouse funk to it, more so than the domestic examples I have tried lately.
Its worth a try and no more expensive than the regional Saisons that you are likely to find. Definitely worth a try if you are exploring this style. This beer was designed for this time of year.
Just a few short weeks after their spring debut my hops have already climbed their way up to the top rail of my deck. Hop flowers have also begun to peek out, with cones soon to follow. Early signs that this year's crop will be strong.
Here's are some links for more information about growing hops at home:
http://www.freshops.com/gardening.html
http://www.growinghopsyourself.com/
http://www.brewingtechniques.com/library/backissues/issue2.3/montell.html
Admittedly, this may be a sign that I'm taking the homebrew thing a bit too far. On a recent trip to Sam's oversize jugs of juice caught my eye at a ridiculous price and I though "Hell, I could ferment that"! Once I got the two-pack of gallon sized jugs of 100% cranberry/pomegranate juice home I decided there wasn't even any point in sanitizing a primary fermenter. I just drilled a hole in the lid for an airlock, removed two cups for headroom (using it to make a stuffed pork loin), sanitized the lid and airlock, shook to aerate, then dropped in a packet of dry wine yeast. Its going nuts fermenting as I type.
The original gravity is only about 1.050 (good for beer), so I may add some sugar in a day or two to boost the alcohol to typical wine levels. If it turns out too dry, I'll add additional juice for sweetness at the end. Not sure what too expect, but its a fun experiment.
Who else has tried fermenting something just because they can?
Cheers,
-D
Keep a lookout for Fullsteam Brewery. They are a self described "brewery-in-planning". These folks are based in North Carolina and have been actively involved in re-writing the legal definition of beer there in order to pursue their craft brewing dreams. They have plans to open up a brewery later this year which will be dedicated to creating a distinctly southern beer..."beyond sweet tea". Their website is www.fullsteam.ag which they say the dot ag is for agriculture and represents their "plow-to-pint brewing".
Their latest experiment is a beer called Hogwash which is designed to pair with BBQ. It is made with hickory smoked malt which they currently prepare on their Big Green Egg! Check out their website, its inspiring! Can't wait to try their Brew! After all, few things go together as well as beer and BBQ...
I'm a fan of Guinness year round, but many find it a bit heavy for the spring and summer months. Stout lovers have been blending beers ("Black and Tan") as a lighter alternative for over a century. They can also be layered by pouring a half a glass of pale ale or lager and then slowly topping off the glass with a Guinness or similar dark stout. This creates a very cool effect in the glass when done properly since stouts are typically less dense than lighter beers which allows it to float on top. The trick is to not splash the surface of the lighter beer enough to cause them to blend.
Pouring spoons are commonly used to help. On my last trip to the grocery store I found that Bass was offering free plastic pouring devices, so I decided to give it a shot.
The plastic device worked about as well as a pouring spoon. The holes trickled the Guinness lightly in the center. This would have turned out perfect if I had started with more Bass in the glass. Keep your eyes peeled next time you stroll by the beer isle.
Cheers,
-D
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My wife had a nice surprise for me this week: Two six packs of the new Guinness 250th Anniversary Stout (she's a keeper). I've been itching to try this since they announced it early this year.
Yesterday turned out to be quite a day...Kentucky Derby, which called for a couple Mint Juleps (recipe to follow shortly); followed by a neighborhood wine tasting; which turned into a late night jam session where I broke out a growler full of homebrew. Needless to say, I spent most of the day trying to rehydrate and shake a hangover.
Seemed like as good a day as any to brew. Today's recipe is my take on a Belgian Ale...very similar to a Saison but since I am new to the Belgium style I'll refrain from calling it that just yet. Should be a refreshing beer for the warm days ahead.
On New Years day I filled a 1 liter oak barrel with cheap vodka (see raising my spirits). Now that is has had a chance to age for about four months I figured it was time to check in on the results. Because the surface to volume ratio is so much higher in this small of a barrel, I figure the four months of aging approximates two years for a full barrel. The results are amazing, but I wish I had started with a better quality of vodka. It still needs to mellow a bit (it still has a hot alcohol taste and nose). I could also charcoal filter it to smooth it out. The color is spectacular and it smells like a typical bottle of whiskey that would have cost much more than the vodka I started with. This would be great for mixers as-is, but I am going to try and mellow it out a bit further for sippin.
This batch filled up a 750ml bottle nicely. The remainder of the initial liter evaporated off. This is what distillers refer to as "the angel's share". The bottle is a Glenlivet water bottle that I brought back from my UK trip. I just sanitized it and poured the whiskey straight from the barrel. The best part is that I now have a bourbon barrel I can use to experiment with aging beer in!
Cheers,
-D
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