Greenville Beer Brothers

We're Back!

2011-03-14T20:03:00.011-04:00

We brewed this past Saturday for the first time since early last year. The occasion for the resurrection of the Beer Brothers? My brother's wedding in May. The idea is to brew something close to Surly Furious, an awesome IPA with a copper hue, huge grapefruit hop flavor and strong malty backbone, and one of the bride and groom's favorites. This was the test batch for the brew I'm planning on bringing to the event, since I want to assure that the flavor is dialed-in enough for Dustin and Bethany's big day. I found the recipe on the Northern Brewer message boards. So, after cleaning up all our lonely, forgotten equipment, Ron and I got started firing up the kettle.

Here's the recipe we used for a single mash infusion (5 gallons):

9.75 lbs 2-Row Pale Malt
1.5 lbs Caramunich I
0.25 lbs Caramel 60
0.5 oz Warrior hops (boil)
0.5 oz Magnum hops (boil)
1.6 oz Amarillo hops (boil)
1.6 oz Simcoe hops (boil)
1 oz Amarillo (dry hop)
2 oz Simcoe (dry hop)
Wyeast 1335 British Ale II

Optimally, we would have used Golden Promise and Crystal 55, which are closer to what Surly reportedly uses for the brew, but we were unable to score any at our local homebrew source. Depending on the results of this test batch, we may have to order some off the interwebs to make it more authentic.

After consulting my trusty copy of Charlie Papazian's Complete Joy Of Homebrewing to get a crash course refresher in the all-grain process (it's been awhile, and we had trouble remembering all the steps), we broke out the old DIY mash tun for sparging the grains.

The heavy amount of hops made this the hoppiest beer we've brewed to date, as well as the first attempt at an IPA. All whole leaf Amarillo hops made for a difficult straining exercise when we were transferring the wort to the carboy.

And here's the result of the day's work. After a week and a half's worth of dry hopping, we'll probably rack to the secondary or throw this guy into glass for a little bottle conditioning. Right now, it's bubbling away happily and filling the room with the sweet smell of hops.

This Week In Beer - 5/10

2010-05-13T17:41:00.005-04:00

Lots of new stuff available since the last post; summer brews are out in force. Here's the rundown:

New Releases:

* Terrapin Monk's Revenge
Originally released in the side project series, this Belgian-style IPA debuts in 4pks in the Monster Series.

* Newcastle Summer Ale
New seasonal beer, supposedly light & hoppy.

Summer Beers:

* Abita Strawberry Lager
* Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy
* Flying Dog Woody Creek White
* Clipper City Red Sky At Night
* Thomas Creek Vanilla Cream Ale
* Kona Wailua Wheat

Returning to the Area:

* Anchor Steam
* Anchor Porter
* Anchor Liberty
* RJ Rockers Buckwheat Ale

Limited Release Beers:

* Stone Imperial Russian Stout
* Unibroue La Terrible
* Weyerbacher Old Heathen Stout
* Weyerbacher Merry Monks Ale
* New Belgium Lips Of Faith: Belgian Style Blonde
* Lagunitas Wilco Tango Foxtrot
* Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere Harvest Ale
* Rogue Somer Orange Honey Ale

New to the Area:

* Pike IPA
* Pike Kilt Lifter Scotch Ale
* Pike XXXXX Stout
* Pike Double Tandem Ale
* Pike Monk's Uncle Triple
* Pike Pale Heirloom Amber
* Caracole Nostradamus
* Brasserie des Rocs Triple Imperiale

Growler Update.

2010-05-11T10:53:00.004-04:00

Here's what can be found in town this week:

Total Wine:

Terrapin Hopsecutioner
Sweetwater IPA
RJ Rockers Son Of A Peach
Kona Pipeline Porter
Thomas Creek Red Ale
Stella Artois

Green's:

Stoudt's Karnival Kolsch
Terrapin Rye Squared
COAST ALTerior Motive
Smuttynose IPA

The Week in Beer - Week of 4/19

2010-04-21T19:55:00.007-04:00

Lots of new stuff already this week, including the return of St. Bernardus; let's dig in...

Total Wine
* Avery Maharaja DIPA - great aggressive Double IPA
* Victory Whirlwind Wit - summer seasonal
* Southern Tier Hop Sun - summer seasonal in 6pks
* Terrapin Side Project #1o - Captain Krunkles Black IPA
* St. Bernardus Tripel - back after a year out of the state
* Brasserie Caracole Nostradamus - Belgian Strong Dark Ale
* Widmer Prickly Pear Braggot
* Redhook 8-4-1 Expedition - Oak Aged Imperial Brown Ale
* New Belgium Lips Of Faith Belgian Style Blonde
* Rochefort 10 - back in stock
* Rogue John John Ale - Dead Guy oaked in Rogue whisky barrels

Green's
* Caldera IPA (new from Oregon - in cans!)
* Great Divide Espresso Aged Yeti - Oaked & Coffee-d imperial stout
* Hoppin' Frog Barrel-Aged B.O.R.I.S. imperial stout
* Ommegang BPA - Belgian Style Pale Ale
* St. Bernardus Triple / Prior 8 / ABT 12

Germany - Beer Diary

2010-04-12T16:36:00.001-04:00

Just got back from a week-long vacation in Munich, the biergarten capital of the world, and it didn't dissapoint. From huge liter mugs of helles lager to cans of the beer abortion known as the Radler, this city had it all. Here's an encapsulation of the beer side of the trip, in pictures...

Fresh off the airplane, Dustin & I spied and made our way back to the beer section of a little grocery-type store in the Munich airport. Behold...Duff Beer!

This tasty looking little gem is Desperados, some sort of tequila flavored beer. I'm assuming it is like that Tequiza crap, but I didn't have the cojones to try one.

Ah, there it is...the radler. Named for the german word for a bicyclist, this concoction is the marriage of lager bier and lemon lime soda. Supposedly this was first developed for bikers who wanted to enjoy several beers and still be able to ride home without plowing into a tree. They can be found everywhere. And they sorta taste horrible.

Here's me enjoying a Tucher Dunkle Weiss in the hamlet of Augsburg. This is an old town where my dad was stationed while in the army. It was a fun little place. This picture was taken in the square in the middle of town, where we enjoyed people watching. There's a funny video of some crazy drunk guy dancing to his Walkman that I took from this spot, but that'll probably end up on youtube some other time.

Schneider Aventinus. One of my favorite beers. Enjoyed this guy fresh at the Weisses Brauhaus, the only beer house to serve Schneider brews in Munich (that we found). This place was one of our favorites, as they had a larger beer selection, as well as the Schneider / Brooklyn collaboration beer "Hopfen Weiss". Delicious and the only way we found to get our hop-fixes in town.

The Pagoda at the Chinesischer Turm. Awesome bier garden in the English Garden.

The fellas enjoying Hofbrau brews at the Chinesischer Turm.

This was at the Augustiner Grossgaststatte, a cool traditional beer house near the middle of Munich.

This is the beer we drank.

A really big beer barrel at the Augustiner Brau Salzburg. We didn't make it inside the place, but we did enjoy posing with the barrel.

Dustin & I near the entrance to the Hofbrauhaus. Nice place. Touristy, but not a bad place to have a beer or four.

The Paulaner Brewery.

Sign to the brewery.

Door to the brewhouse.

Brett & I inside the brewhouse. Notice the sweet vests they made us wear on the tour. Not quite sure how necessary they were, but we sure did look cool.

The control panel inside the brewhouse.

Old carved barrels.

Kegs. Many, many kegs.

Metal kegs that look like wooden kegs. They were super awesome. We totally need some of those for homebrew.

Outside the gates of the brewery.

After the tour, they treated us to lunch & a beer. The food was a bit strange looking, but surprisingly tasty.

Growlers...

2010-04-05T09:58:00.002-04:00

For those who like to pick up their beer in large glass jugs, here's what's out & available in Greenville this week:

Total Wine -
* Kona Pipeline Porter - (brewed with 100% Kona Coffee)
* Terrapin Hopsecutioner - (new IPA from the Athens, GA brewery)
* Yuengling Bock - (spring seasonal)
* RJ Rockers Star Spangled Stout - (draught-only release from the Spartanburg brewery)
* Stella Artois

Green's -
* RJ Rockers Star Spangled Stout - (they've got it too)
* Bell's Oarsman - (berliner weisse styled brew from the Michigan brewery)
* COAST Harold Stout - (one of the newest offerings from the Charleston brewery)
* COAST Boy King DIPA - (tasty & highly-rated limited brew from COAST)

This Week In Beer - 3/29

2010-04-02T23:05:00.002-04:00

Here's some of the new stuff that rolled out to the masses this week...

* Sierra Nevada Fritz & Ken's 30th Anniversary Ale (Imp. Stout)
* RJ Rockers Fish Paralyzer (Belgian-style Pale Ale)
* RJ Rockers Black Perle (Black IPA)
* Great Divide Samurai (Rice Ale)
* Southern Tier Backburner (Barleywine)
* Southern Tier Oak Aged Unearthly (Imp. IPA)
* Southern Tier Jahva (Blue Mountain Coffee Infused Imp. Stout)
* Bell's Oberon (Summer Wheat Ale)
* Shiner 101 Pilsner (Brewery's 101st Anniversary Ale)
* Shiner Black Lager (Schwarzbier)
*Highland Seven Sisters Abbey Ale (Spring Seasonal - Belgian Style w/ Trappist Yeast)

This Week In Beer - 3/1

2010-03-04T19:58:00.002-05:00

Not as much this week in the new beer department. But here's what's out there...
* Stone Old Guardian Barleywine - It's back!
* Breckenridge Lucky U IPA
* Highland Black Mocha Stout (22oz bottles)
* Sweetwater Happy Ending
* Yuengling Bock
* Terrapin Rye Squared Pale Ale
* The Bruery Saison de Lente (Spring seasonal)

Homebrew Labels.

2010-02-16T11:23:00.004-05:00

I was playing around yesterday with some ideas for some basic labels we could use to make our bottles a little more exciting. It's a very minimalist design, but I think it looks pretty cool. I slapped them on some bottles of our stuff I had in my "cellar" last night.

Here's some photos...

This Week In Beer - 2/8

2010-02-08T11:07:00.008-05:00

A few more additions...
* Southern Tier Gemini - Blend of Hoppe & Unearthly IPAs.
* Brooklyn Schneider Hopfen Weisse - Collaboration between two of Germany & America's best breweries.
* Mikkeller Beer Geek Breakfast (At Whole Foods)

EDIT-
Here's the new stuff so far for this week:
* COAST HopArt IPA - This stuff is incredibly good...so fresh. This batch was bottled Jan. 29th.
* Weyerbacher Insanity - Barrel Aged version of their Blithering Idiot (Barleywine)
* Weyerbacher Heresy - Barrel Aged Imperial Stout
* Great Divide Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout
* Sweetwater Tackle Box - Mix 12pk (420/Blue/IPA/Happy Ending Imp. Stout)
* Boulder Mojo Risin' Double IPA

** Big event tonight at Barley's -- Foothill's Sexual Chocolate release party. They'll have the 2010 & 2009 versions of their much lauded imperial stout on tap, as well as their barrel aged Total Eclipse Stout and their Seeing Double IPA. I'm going to do my best to make it down there. Action starts at 7pm. **

-

This week I'll include what I saw out there last week as well, since I didn't get around to posting then. Here we go...

* New Belgium Ranger IPA - New year round offering
* New Belgium Mighty Arrow Pale Ale - Spring Seasonal
* Brooklyn Black OPS - Bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout
* Leinenkugel's 1888 Bock - Spring Seasonal
* Sierra Nevada Bigfoot - Barleywine
* Coast 32/50 Kolsch - Local from Charleston; one of the highest rated kolsch beers on beeradvocate.com
Magic Hat Vinyl Lager - Spring Seasonal

This Week In Beer - 1/26

2010-01-26T18:51:00.005-05:00

Got some interesting stuff in already, and tomorrow we're expecting to see Bell's Hopslam finally show up. Here's what we've got so far...

* Abita Jockamo IPA (6pk.)
* Flying Dog Garde Dog (6pk.)
* Harpoon Celtic Ale (6pk.)
* Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout (22oz.)
* Budweiser Select 55 / AKA "The Lightest Beer In The World" (2.4% ABV)
You really need to check out what they're saying about this guy on the interwebs... as one RateBeerian put it, "tastes like water that a beer came by and dunked its balls into".
Damn.

This Week In Beer - 1/18

2010-01-21T15:04:00.002-05:00

Got some more tasty beverages into Total Wine this week; here's a rundown of what's new...
* RJ Rocker's First Snow Ale (winter seasonal)
* Sierra Nevada Glissade Bock (new spring seasonal)
* Terrapin Hopsecutioner IPA (new hoppy IPA in 6pks - delicious!)
* Terrapin Side Project #9 - The Dark Side (Belgian-style Imperial Stout)
* Lagunitas Brown Shugga
* Breckenridge Agave Wheat
* Bell's Double Cream Stout
* Allagash Four (Belgian-style Quadruple Ale)
* Sam Adams Noble Pils (new spring seasonal)

Back in stock:
* Bell's Expedition Stout
* Bell's Third Coast Old Ale
* Bell's Java Stout

And finally, coming next week - - Bell's Hopslam!

The Scotch Ale is CARBONATED

2010-01-21T10:23:00.000-05:00

That maple syrup did a serious amount of bubbling on that thing. Ryan and I got a good 6 inch head out of that thing. We might have overshot the amounts on that thing...good thing we haven't had a bottle bomb yet!

Brew Day. Batch #12.

2010-01-17T15:02:00.005-05:00

Saturday afternoon & evening was a busy one...racking & finally bottling our Belgian Abbey Ale, including corking our first batch ever, as well as brewing the African Amber Ale. We popped the cherry on our DIY mash tun for this recipe, and it worked pretty great. Efficiency was up, and it made things so much easier. Hard to believe just a short time ago we were smashing grain bags with plates, lids and any flat objects we could find to mash and sparge. After a couple misfires, we were also able to bottle most the Belgian into champagne bottles with our new corker (thanks, Andre). Looking forward to uncorking the first bottle in the not-too-distant future. Here's some photographic documentation of the day's work...

Racking the Rogue Dead Guy Ale clone.

Bottled! In a badass Deus bottle, no less.

Not the best job, but it'll do.

The new mash tun at work.

Garfield food.

Sweet goodness.

In the carboy.

People need sunlight! Sunlight!

Mac and Jacks African Amber

2010-01-16T10:19:00.003-05:00

A staple of the Northwest!

Beer Advocate Reviews

Ingredients Amount Item Type % or IBU
8.50 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) UK (3.0 SRM) Grain 77.27 %
1.00 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 80L (80.0 SRM) Grain 9.09 %
1.00 lb Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 9.09 %
0.50 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 4.55 %
1.00 oz Centennial [10.00 %] (60 min) Hops 29.2 IBU
1.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (5 min) Hops 3.2 IBU
1.50 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (0 min) Hops -
1.00 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (dry hop) 14 days
1 Pkgs SafAle English Ale (DCL Yeast #S-04) Yeast-Ale

Beer Profile Estimated Original Gravity: 1.054 SG (1.045-1.056 SG) Measured Original Gravity: 1.055 SG
Estimated Final Gravity: 1.014 SG (1.010-1.015 SG) Measured Final Gravity: 1.005 SG
Estimated Color: 12.0 SRM (11.0-18.0 SRM) Color [Color]
Bitterness: 32.4 IBU (20.0-40.0 IBU) Alpha Acid Units: 10.0 AAU
Estimated Alcohol by Volume: 5.16 % (4.50-5.70 %) Actual Alcohol by Volume: 6.52 %
Actual Calories: 240 cal/pint

Mash Profile Name: Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge Mash Tun Weight: 9.00 lb
Mash Grain Weight: 11.00 lb Mash PH: 5.4 PH
Grain Temperature: 72.0 F Sparge Temperature: 168.0 F
Sparge Water: 5.13 gal Adjust Temp for Equipment: FALSE

Name Description Step Temp Step Time
Mash In Add 13.75 qt of water at 167.1 F 155.0 F 60 min

Mash Notes
Simple single infusion mash for use with most modern well modified grains (about 95% of the time).
Carbonation and Storage Carbonation Type: Corn Sugar Carbonation Volumes: 2.4 (2.3-2.8 vols)
Estimated Priming Weight: 4.2 oz Temperature at Bottling: 60.0 F
Primer Used: - Age for: 4.0 Weeks
Storage Temperature: 52.0 F

Caramel Cream Ale.

2010-01-14T10:08:00.001-05:00

Malts
3 pounds extra light DME
3 pounds light wheat DME
1 pound Caramel 60L (steeped for 45 minutes at 150'-165')

Hops
1oz Cascade for bittering (60 minutes)
.5oz Saaz for flavor (20 minutes)
.5 oz Tettnang for aroma (end of boil)

Yeast
Wyeast German Ale

Extras
1 tsp Irish Moss (10 minutes)
4oz Lactose @ 15 minutes
2 oz real vanilla extract

Priming
>1cup Lactose
4oz vanilla (Be careful! This may be too much vanilla for some people.)
1.5 cups light DME

I'm adding the Lactose in the last 15 minutes of the boil. I'll add the vanilla in the primary, because I don't want to risk losing any that bonds to the trub. So far, it smells fantastic but I'm still at the bittering hops boil. I think this should end up with a nice caramel flavor and a good hint (perhaps a suggestion size amount) of vanilla. I've had vanillas with way too much flavor and they tasted too much like candy. This should have a decent balance.

Notes: 11/4/05

So good. Can't even explain it - you simply must make this beer. I let it prime for almost 2 weeks before fridging it, then cracked one tonight after only about 30 hours. Great head, good lace, nice color, good body and nose. Pictures won't do it justice, but here's one anyways

Best. Sweater. Ever.

2010-01-13T15:00:00.003-05:00

Found this and had to post it:
Other cool ones found here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/36098170@N06/page2/

Local Brewing - RJ Rockers

2010-01-12T15:12:00.003-05:00

Here's a nice little piece I found on RJ Rockers. I think we need to make a trip up there, fellas.

RJ Rockers’ New Brewery Shows South Carolina What It’s Been Missing

Kombucha Scoby

2010-01-07T19:28:00.005-05:00

So my new obession is an ancient fermented tea called kombucha. This stuff rules and it's incredibly healthy. Thanks Dave!! In order to start brewing you need a culture or scoby (symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast). You can buy one online for like 15bux, but I tend to lean to the DIY side of the house. Turns out you can make your own for about $3. I found this great website and followed the instructions. Here is the link so you can read along at home. Isn't this fun?

how to grow your own scoby

Road Trip?

2010-01-06T16:28:00.001-05:00

http://www.columbiacvb.com/microsites/index.cfm?action=Cover&meetingid=14

A Real Mash Tun?

2010-01-06T08:06:00.000-05:00

Randy popped by to pick up the Snickers cooler...I'm hoping that we've got a fully functional mash tun for our next batch! That would be pretty kick ass.

Activity!

2010-01-04T10:44:00.000-05:00

Pitched a little high last night...but it's bubbling away now! Stupid frozen wort chiller.

2 Turtle Doves

2010-01-01T11:02:00.000-05:00

Definately got the best of me last night.

What is the plan?

2009-12-30T09:26:00.000-05:00

We probably need to at least rack the Ommegang sometime this weekend. Visible signs of fermentation have ended on the Ale we brewed last weekend. What is on tap for the Beer Brothers?

Update me!

2009-12-29T08:02:00.001-05:00

Holy shit, we're behind.

Where are we? We bottled the Scotch Ale (final gravity was approx 1.019), using maple syrup (1.5 cups, with .5 cups water added, brought to a boil for a few minutes).

We brewed the Red Seal clone, and that has been racked into the secondary (gravity was about 1.010).

The Ommegang Abbey clone is still in the primary, and should probably be racked soon.

The non-traditional Ale that Andrew found on Homebrewtalk is in the primary, and is fermenting like crazy mad. It's original gravity was 1.045, I believe.

We had a large group sample our wares last weekend. The Hibernation is a big hit, but there were also few of them in existence...I think there is one bottle left in my house, but Andrew claims to have some held in a secret cave, somewhere. The coffee/pumpkin porter was also a big hit, and surprisingly, the Winter Belgian has nothing but fans. Easy Plateau is drinking as well as it ever has, and the Rye is a delicious, fruit bomb of a beer. Don't ask about the Saison.

New Dubbel Recipe

2009-12-26T09:26:00.003-05:00

I can't seem to get enough of any belgian style. Here is a straight forward dubbel that I'm looking forward to brewing.

10 lbs Belgian Pilsner
2 lbs Belgian Caramunich
1 lb Belgian Special B
.25 lbs Weyermann Carafa I

0.75 oz Styrian Goldings (Pellets, 6.00 %AA) boiled 60 min.
0.5 oz Hallertau Hersbruck (Pellets, 4.50 %AA) boiled 20 min.
0.5 oz Hallertau Hersbruck (Pellets, 4.50 %AA) boiled 5 min.

1 lb Dark Candi Syrup
1 vial White Labs WLP530 Abbey Ale
Mashed 60 mins at 154.

Yeastie Boys

2009-12-23T12:42:00.000-05:00

So, I've done the reading and research and the time for yeast washing is upon us. I'm picking up the supplies today and we will give this a try when we rack our red seal clone(wyeast american ale II). I really like the fruitiness of this guy so it will be nice to have more around to make starters with.

I will most certainly post updates and let you all know how it goes

Ed Worts Haus Pale Ale

2009-12-23T12:37:00.003-05:00

This is one of the most brewed beers over @ the hombrewtalk.com forums. Lots and lots o' good feed back. Figured we'd give this one a try due to the rave reviews and the economical price tag.

8 lbs. 2-Row Pale Malt
2 lbs. Vienna Malt
0.5 lb. Crystal 10L Malt

1.0 oz Cascade 6.6% at 60 min.
0.5 oz. Cascade 6.6% at 30 min.
0.25 oz. Cascade 6.6% at 15 min.
0.25 oz. Cascade 6.6% at 5 min.

Single Infusion mash for 60 minutes at 152 degrees
Sparge w/ 175 degree water
Pitch Yeast @ 75 degrees

The masses seem to love it:

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f66/bee-cave-brewery-haus-pale-ale-31793/

Wort Chiller Churches

2009-12-15T16:42:00.001-05:00

This might be an awesome name for Ron's new kid. Wort Chiller Churches. I like the sound of it!!

sooo. lets make one!

http://www.olderascal.com/brewing/wortchiller/index.html

Candy Andy's Next Batch O' Ale

2009-12-14T12:09:00.004-05:00

This is a North Coast Red Seal Pale Ale Clone!

Ingredients (5 gallon batch)
9.5 lbs. pale malt
1.5 lbs. wheat malt
6 oz. 80 L Crystal Malt (English)
6 oz. Cara Pils Malt

step mash grains @ 145 F, hold 10 min. raise temp. to 155 F and hold for 45 min. rest @ 158, then sparge @ 170 F.
Hops and schedule: Cluster (7.7% AA pellets) and Cascade (6.5% whole leaf)

45 min: 1oz. Cluster & 1/4oz. Cascade
20 min: 1/4oz. Cascade
10 min: 1/4oz. Cascade
5 min: 1/4oz. Cascade
2 min: 1/4oz. Cascade
end of boil: 1/2oz. Cascade

O.G. 1054. American Ale II Yeast pitched @ 68F, 1 week in primary. 2 weeks in secondary w/ 1/2oz. Cascade dry hopped.
F.G. 1014

If anyone is interested..

2009-12-13T12:19:00.002-05:00

My all time top 3 beer..last years (2008) Great Divide Hibernation Ale is available at Greens for 12.49. They have 4 six packs.

Recipe #8 - Ron's Scotch Ale

2009-12-11T11:55:00.000-05:00

My 'baby' is going to be a Scotch Ale style. Picked up the general idea from a recipe on homebrewtalk's forum...I need to outline it here, since I changed it a bit:

9.00 lbs 2-row Pale
1.00 lb Crystal 80
2.00 oz Black Patent
8.00 oz Munich Standard Malt
2.50 oz Chocolate Malt
5.00 oz Aromatic Malt
1.5 oz Fuggle Hop Pellets
Wyeast 1728 - Scottish Ale
3/4 cup corn sugar in 2 cups water, boiled for 10 minutes

The recipe does not specify a boil time, other than to go for a 'long time'. You want a lot of melanoidin, which is something that the Munich Standard emits as it caramelizes. I'm thinking a 90 minute boil, so we'll need to maximize our water in the boil. I switched from EK Golding to Fuggle hops. Probably will want to do 2 packets of yeast.

Emailed the order to Thomas Creek today, and hope to pick it up tomorrow afternoon, before they close.

Kinda Last Minute

2009-12-10T21:29:00.003-05:00

Mary and I are having a few people over tomorrow night for drinks and Gumbo, but also to watch the best Christmas movie ever, Christmas Vacation. You are all welcome to come over around 6:30 - 7:00. My cell# is 414-6780.

This Week In Beer... Pt. 2

2009-12-09T13:09:00.006-05:00

Another installment of what sorts of liquid goodness have been seen around town lately:

At Total Wine
* Affligem Noel
* Delirium Noel
* Avery DuganA IPA
* Avery The Czar Imperial Stout
* Southern Tier Krampus Imperial Helles Lager
* Southern Tier Old Man Winter Ale
* Magic Hat Howl Black Lager
* Bell's Winter White Ale
* Bell's Java Stout
* Bell's Cherry Stout
* Victory Old Horizontal Ale
At Whole Foods:
* Bell's Two Hearted Ale 5L Mini Kegs
* Avery 16th Anniversary Ale

The Sierra Nevada / Dogfish Head collaboration "Life & Limb" sold out quickly at TW, but rumor is the Drop In store behind Horizon Records is getting a case in today...

So...had any of these yet? What did you think?
-Ryan

When are we bottling?

2009-12-03T13:12:00.000-05:00

I think the Rye needs to go in the bottle. Likewise for the Saison. Prob can't even happen until early next week, but we need to be thinking about this!

Edgar Allen Poe

2009-12-01T12:57:00.000-05:00

Fill with mingled cream and amber,
I will drain that glass again.
Such hilarious visions clamber
Through the chamber of my brain.
Quaintest thoughts, queerest fancies
Come to life and fade away.
What care I how time advances;
I am drinking ale today.

Homebrewtalk Help on the Saison

2009-12-01T10:43:00.005-05:00

I posted for some advice/help on our Saison at Homebrewtalk...follow that conversation here:

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/saison-tastes-foul-149638/#post1710245

Recipe #7 - Ommegang Clone

2009-12-01T09:36:00.000-05:00

This was brewed on November 28th, and was our 7th batch. The recipe:

5 lb. 9.6 oz. Pilsner malt
2.25 lb. aromatic malt
1 lb. 6.4 oz. crystal 20
2.25 lb. Briess Special Roast malt (50 Lovibond)
2 lbs dark candi sugar
6.25 AAU Styrian Goldings (60 min) (1.25 oz. of 5% alpha acids)
.33 oz. Styrian Goldings (0 min)
2 pkgs Wyeast 1214 (Trappist Yeast)

This was our first 'step mash'. We started with 5.5 gallons in the pot, and brought it to just over 113. Added the grains, took off the heat, and covered for 15 minutes. We brought it back to the heat, raised the temp to just over 144, then covered for 15 more minutes. We followed that same process for these temperatures/times:

113 degrees: 15 minutes
144 degrees: 15 minutes
154 degrees: 15 minutes
162 degrees: 10 minutes
169 degrees: 5 minutes

We then sparged about 1.5 gallons of water at 170 degrees into the wort. Estimated volume at this point was about 5 gallons.

We brought the wort to a roiling boil, then started a 90 minute boil. The Styrian Goldings went in at 60 minutes, and again at 0 minutes. We had a significant boil off, of approx 1 gallon.

From here, the wort was chilled. We let it come down naturally, for a bit, before transferring to an ice bath to bring down quicker. Approx half a gallon of water was added to the carboy, along with the wort. OSG was high: 1.093. The estimated OSG for this recipe was 1.074. I believe this was due to a more concentrated wort. We probably have about 4 gallons in the carboy.

Pitched the yeast, 2 pkgs, at around 75 degrees. Aerated the wort, and capped with the airlock. Fermentation was going around 12 hours later, when I checked. I think this one will be good, but will be very hot...if we can get down to the estimated final gravity of 1.013, we will be in the 9% range of ABVs.

Recipe #6 - Rye Ale

2009-12-01T09:00:00.000-05:00

I believe we brewed the Rye Ale, our 6th recipe, on the 21st of November (we need to bottle this guy, fellas). I'm a little fuzzy on the details, since we didn't get it on the blog in a timely manner. I'll try to duplicate to the best of my knowledge...The recipe was modified for a 3 gallon batch:

6.14lb Pale Malt
1.36lb Rye Malt
.34lb Cara Pils
.34lb Crystal Malt 40L
.75oz Sterling @ 60 min
.5oz Sterling @ 15 min
.25oz Willamette @ 0 min
American Ale II yeast

This brew session went very well. We mashed at approx 158 degrees, with about 2 gallons, as I recall. Sparged around 172 degrees, with another 2 gallons of water.

The boil was a 60 minute. For some reason, I think we were short of the actual hops, by a little bit. We had a 1 oz package, but needed 1.25 oz of Sterling.

After the boil, we cooled things down in an ice bath, and pitched at around 75 degrees. I believe our OSG was approx 1.055.

Fermentation was quick, and was heavy. Our small carboy could not handle the trub, and we had some spew through the airlock. After things calmed down, I pulled the airlock and cleaned it.

Overall, I think this was a very successful brewing, even if the details are a little lost. The beer has good flavor, in it's fermenting state, though might be a little lighter in body that we wanted. This should be bottled soon.

An Update!

2009-11-30T09:33:00.000-05:00

Took the week off, so this place died down to nothing. You know, other Beer Brothers...you can post too!

Anyway, quiet here doesn't mean quiet in the fermenter. Here's a brief summary of what has gone on, with more details to come:

- The Pumpkin Porter has been bottled, and is carbonating away.
- The Saison has been racked, though it tastes funky...hopefully a spice bag/dry hop will fix us up.
- We have brewed batch #6, a Rye Ale. It's about done with fermentation, and could be bottled soon.
- We have brewed batch #7, an Ommegang clone, and that is fermenting nicely.
- The Hibernation Clone and the Winter Belgian have both been enjoyed. More on these later.

Obviously, that's a lot to talk about. Hopefully I can do so, today through Wednesday...then it's back underground for a few days, as I prepare to cook for 100+ people on Saturday.

As The Gall Bladder Turns

2009-11-20T08:07:00.000-05:00

With a vital member of the Beer Brothers recovering from a trip to the opium den, we opted against brewing the Rye, and instead transferred the Saison to it's secondary.

A taste left us scratching out heads. It was certainly flavorful, and interesting, and maybe good...but it had a smokiness that was a little weird on the palate. Some more aging + carbonation will hopefully tone that down some. Not sure where a smoky flavor profile would come from. Peppery, maybe, but smoky?

I want a full review

2009-11-19T09:16:00.002-05:00

I missed the big event at Barley's last night. I want you to make me feel like I was there, down to how the bathroom smelled, and whether 'Machine Gun' was played on the Jukebox.

Also, how many bottles did we get?

Feedback - Batch #1 AKA Easy Plateau Pale Ale

2009-11-18T14:59:00.003-05:00

OK, here's where we need to get some feedback from our loyal readers & friends...

Those who have sampled the first brew...what did you think? And those who want to try it...let us know! We've still got a fair amount left - perhaps we can hook you up.

I'd like to make this blog a place where we can get some interaction going between brewer and consumer of brew. Help provide us a more unbiased opinion about what we've been up to the last few weeks & let us know what you think. Leave feedback in the comments...

Brew Day?

2009-11-18T08:02:00.002-05:00

So, when is it going to be, fellas? We also need to rack the two batches we have in the carboys right now...

We could just bottle age the porter, but we do NOT have enough bottles at the moment. That Saison needs to come off the trub for a bit, I think.

Bottling Over the Weekend!

2009-11-16T11:33:00.000-05:00

Seems like a good time for an an update.

We bottled on Saturday night, managing to get a case of the Hibernation clone (recipe #3) and about forty-eight 12 oz servings of the Winter Belgian into their own drinking vessels.

Things generally went smoothly during the process. Oxyclean was a big help in de-labeling the empty bottles, and I went through a soak and scrape process Friday and Saturday to prep enough bottles. We are already ahead of the game for the next bottling; I'd say there are about 20-30 bottles ready to go.

We tasted the Hibernation the other day, and thought it was a nice compliment, if maybe lighter bodied, to it's cousin. I'll be very curious to see them side by side, but we need to wait for carbonation.

The Winter Belgian was very pungent on the nose, but was surprised that the spice smell didn't really hit the flavor of the beer. It's a meaty style, I'd say, and probably not session-able, but I think it's going to be a big winner. Very impressed with how that one is going.

We need to get some things on the calendar...the Saison and the Pumpkin porter deserve to be racked this week, and we have all the ingredients to brew the small batch rye. That needs to happen this week.

This Week In Beer...

2009-11-12T16:38:00.006-05:00

Thought I'd start a little weekly posting here about new and interesting beer I've spotted in the area, especially since I have a little insider knowledge working on the beer retail side. Here's the new stuff seen on the streets this week...

Total Wine:
*Bell's Expedition Stout - one of the most sought-after seasonal offerings from Bell's & one of the highest rated stouts in the world.
*Highland Cold Mountain Ale - The Asheville brewery's annual spiced ale offering for winter. Available in 22oz bottles.
*Rogue Captain Sig's Northwestern Ale
*Rogue Yellow Snow IPA
*Founders Backwoods Bastard - bourbon barrel aged scotch ale.
*Founders Harvest Ale - wet hopped ale showcasing this year's finest hops.
*Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout - released this year in 4 packs instead of 6 packs.
*Great Divide Hibernation - awesome seasonal old ale.
* New Belgium Biere de Mars - interesting fruity ale bolstered with the addition of wild belgian yeast. Available in 22oz bottles.
*Stone Cali-Belgique IPA / Sublimely Self Righteous Ale / Vertical Epic 09.09.09 / Double Bastard

Seen at Whole Foods:
*COAST 32/50 Kolsch & Hopart IPA - renowned brews from Charleston, SC finally make it to Greenville.
*Bell's Third Coast Old Ale & Christmas Ale

We Bottling This Weekend?

2009-11-12T07:57:00.000-05:00

If so, we are probably 10-20 bottles short of being able to rock the Winter and the Hibernation clone, which both need to go into the bottle.

DRINK, DRINK, DRINK

Let me know if Saturday or Sunday works better...I'm going to give the new bottles an Oxyclean bath tomorrow (taking the day off).

Quick Update

2009-11-11T07:47:00.000-05:00

Our weekend double batch is still chugging along, as far as I saw last night. The Saison is roiling, and pumping the airlock, but has definitely peaked it's fermentation. The Porter is slowing, slowing, slowing, and will probably stop bubbling in the airlock today or tomorrow, I'd guess. In both cases, I think we're getting solid fermentation, and I believe both will turn out.

Recipe #6 - Ryan's 'Baby'?

2009-11-10T14:30:00.001-05:00

Ol Ryan was discussing his 'Baby' yesterday. He's leaning towards an Imp Stout. I think that would be pretty awesome. Sample recipe we looked at in his book (extract) had an OG of 1.090. It'd be pretty impressive if we could get that kind of sugar out of an All Grain recipe.

As The Trub Turns

2009-11-09T19:49:00.000-05:00

Came home to the Saison fermenting like crazy mad (technical term). What was most surprising was that the trub, which had been at least 5 inches thick, is now basically all swirling through the beer. It's a violent fermentation. There is also about 3/4th of an inch on the top. All signs point towards a strong fermentation for this beer. So much for a delayed start!

Proposed American Rye Ale

2009-11-09T13:06:00.002-05:00

I think this would be a great batch for the 3 gallon carboy once the hibernation is bottled. This batch is also very economical. It should come out under 20 bux!!

6.14lb Pale Malt
1.36lb Rye Malt
.34lb Cara Pils
.34lb Crystal Malt 40L
.75oz Sterling @ 60 min
.5oz Sterling @ 15 min
.25oz Willamette @ 0 min
British Ale Yeast

Thoughts/Suggestions?

Current Status - Recipes #2-5

2009-11-09T12:51:00.001-05:00

It's a damn beautiful sight, seeing four carboys going at the same time.

Recipe #2 - Belgian Winter - This guy will be ready to bottle come the weekend. It's in the plastic secondary.

Recipe #3 - Hibernation Clone - I noticed some slight roiling in the carboy, so there could still be some fermentation going. The krausen is all but gone, and the airlock activity seems to have slowed to a stop. I believe we are leaning towards bottle conditioning, instead of racking into a secondary. We need that small carboy for the Rye Ale!

Recipe #4 - Saison - No activity noticeable in the carboy yet. LOTS of trub, though. Aerated a second time yesterday, so hopefully it'll jumpstart. This is our second batch that is out of the gates slow, and both times it was a Belgian yeast strain. Might want to double that up, or use a starter process.

Recipe #5 - Pumpin Porter - Heavy activity in the airlock. Big foam head, that seems to have peaked already, and is starting to retract. Looks like a black hole, it's so dark. Heavy, almost fruity, aromas out of the airlock.

Recipe #5 - Pumpkin Porter with Brown Sugar and Molasses

2009-11-09T08:55:00.000-05:00

1 can Amber Liquid Extract (12.5 SRM)
2 pkgs American Ale (Wyeast Labs #1056)
1/4 lb Black (Patent) Malt (500.0 SRM)
1 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM)
1/2 lb Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM)
2 lbs Light Dry Extract (8.0 SRM)
1/2 lb Molasses (80.0 SRM)
1 can Pale Liquid Extract (8.0 SRM)
1.5 quarts Cold Coffee
8 lbs pumpkin
3 oz Northern Brewer (4.30 %) (or the equivalent, in fresh hops) (60 minutes(
1 oz Cascade (5.50 %) (or the equivalent, in fresh hops) (0 minutes)
1/4 tsp Irish Moss
1/2 lb Light Sugar, Dark (8.0 SRM)

Roasted 8 lbs of pumpkin for 2 hours at 350 degrees. Roasted with pumpkin pie spice and a spray of olive oil over the pumpkin.

Brought 6 gallons of water to 155 degrees. Specialty malts steeped for 60 minutes.

Wort brought to a boil. Fresh Northern Brewer hops added, in a mesh bag, at 60 minutes.

Extracts added over the course of the boil. I believe the first went in around 30 minutes (Can of light extract). The DME went in around 20 minutes. The can of Amber went in around 15 minutes. The molasses and brown sugar went in around 10 minutes.

Irish Moss in at 5 minutes.

Fresh Cascade hops, in a mesh bag, added at 0 minutes, and steeped for approx 10 minutes.

Wort chilled to < 80 degrees. Coffee added directly to sanitized carboy, before wort added. Specific Gravity was 1.073. Wort aerated, and 2 packages of yeast pitched at approx 75 degrees. Capped with airlock.

Recipe #4 - Saison

2009-11-09T08:42:00.004-05:00

7 4 American Two-row Pale
2 0 Vienna Malt
0 8 Flaked Oats
0 8 Flaked Wheat
0 8 Honey
Boil 60 mins
1.5 Goldings, East Kent info pellet 4.2 Boil 15 mins
0.75 Hallertau pellet Boil 1 min
0.75 Hallertau pellet
boil 0 min 0.5 ounces Coriander
boil 0 min 0.07 ounces Grains of Paradise
boil 5 min 1 ounces Irish Moss
boil 0 min 0.25 ounces Orange Peel, Bitter
boil 0 min 0.25 ounces Orange Peel, Sweet
1 package of Belgian Ale Yeast

This was our first attempt at a full batch All Grain recipe.

Brought 4 gallons of water to 165 degrees outside on a propane burner. Grains mashed at approx 155 for 60 minutes.

Honey added at 10 minutes.

Brought 2.5 gallons of water to 175 degrees. Grains sparged for 15 minutes.

Wort brought to a boil. Hop schedule: Goldings at 15 minutes, Hallertau at 1 minute.

Spices added at 0 minutes.

Ice bath prepared. Wort chilled down to < 80 degrees, and poured into sterilized carboy. Filter issues resulted in significant trub in the carboy. Pitched yeast at approx 75 degrees. Original Specific Gravity was 1.063.

Thoughts
Overall, I feel like this batch went smoothly. The outdoor burner worked much better at bringing boil times down, and made a full batch possible, even if the entire recipe took 5 hours to get into the carboy. Wort chiller and a lauter tun are still very high on the list of needs, if we want to go All Grain in a serious way. This beer will need to be racked off of the trub.

Updates coming!

2009-11-09T07:59:00.001-05:00

Gotta settle into my Monday morning, but I should have some updates from the two Saturday batches in just a little bit.

Cold Brewed Coffee Extract

2009-11-06T17:59:00.002-05:00

The cold brewing extraction method is under way. This process will allow us to have all of the sexy coffee taste without any of the bitterness. I used a super tasty blend of Sumatra and El Salvador from Whole Foods. Should be just what we need to take Ronzonie's recipe to the next level!!

Batch #3 - Photos

2009-11-06T12:39:00.003-05:00

Here's a bit of documentation of Wednesday night's first foray into the hot, sticky world of all-grain brewing. Enjoy!

tools of the trade.

adding the grains.

getting all that sweet goodness outta the bag.

is this heaven?

wort chillin'

and a bonus shot for you...

siphoning batch #2 (spiced belgian) into the 2nd fermentation.

Recipe #3 - Update

2009-11-06T08:20:00.001-05:00

Our little carboy that could was just bubbling away, when I checked on it. The krausen has dropped, maybe a little bit. Not sure what we did to that first batch, to make it foam so much, but these other two have not climbed the side of the vessel that much.

There is a pungent, citrus hop aroma coming out of the top of this guy. I will be very curious to see how close to Hibernation this will turn out. Maybe we should sample some Hibernation this weekend, in anticipation?

Almost Forgot...

2009-11-05T15:44:00.002-05:00

It's Beer Brother Shawn's birthday! Hope you get everything you wanted, and bring that turkey fryer over so that we can double batch on Saturday!

We should enter competitions...

2009-11-05T14:19:00.001-05:00

This one is in Columbia.

What was that homebrewing association Ryan was saying we should join?

2009-11-05T12:59:00.001-05:00

I can't remember...what was it called?

Shopping List for Thomas Creek

2009-11-05T08:24:00.003-05:00

Andrew, add these 'Grain' items to the order you put in today for the Saisson.

Grain:
1/4 lb Black (Patent) Malt (500.0 SRM)
1 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM)
1/2 lb Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM)

Not Grain:
1 can Amber Liquid Extract (12.5 SRM)
2 pkgs American Ale (Wyeast Labs #1056)
1 tsp Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate)
2 lbs Light Dry Extract (8.0 SRM)
1 can Pale Liquid Extract (8.0 SRM)

Grocery Store Items:
8 lbs pumpkin
1/2 lb Molasses (80.0 SRM)

Asking for Some All Grain Help at Homebrewtalk

2009-11-05T08:06:00.002-05:00

Follow the discussion here. Hoping to get an idea of why we missed our Specific Gravity so much.

Recipe #3 - Hibernation Ale Clone

2009-11-05T07:51:00.000-05:00

Recipe #3 - Hibernation Ale Clone - 11/4/09

8.4 lbs Vienna Malt
0.9 lb Flaked Oats
0.45 lb Caramunich Malt
0.30 Biscuit Malt
0.30 Special Roast
0.23 Chocolate Malt
1 oz Centennial Hops (75 minutes)
1 oz Northern Brewer (15 minutes) (fresh hops)
0.5 oz Magnum Hops (15 minutes)
0.5 oz Magnum Hops (5 minutes)
1 oz Northern Brewer (5 minutes)(fresh hops)
British Ale Yeast (Wyeast Labs #1098)

Recipe yields 3 Gallons!

This was our first All Grain attempt. We brought 3 gallons of water to the mid 160's, and mashed the grain in a large pot. Boil in a bag method. We had to top up with just a little boiling water to get back to temperature. This steeped for an hour, and held it's temperature upon completion. We collected roughly 1.67 gallons of wort from the mash. That wort was stored in a sanitized carboy, until we could add it back to the boil pot.

We then sparged, by bringing another 3 gallons of water just over 170 degrees into the grain, and steeped that for 15 minutes. We collected roughly 2.5 gallons of wort from the sparge, yielding us a total of just over 4 gallons of wort in the pot.

That was then brought to a boil, with hops added. Initial plan was 65 minute boil, but we added the hops before boiling was reached, and ended up adding 10 minutes to the overall boil. That means the Centennial spent 75 minutes in the boil.

At 15 minutes, we hopped with the Norther Brewer (fresh) and Magnum (pellet) hops.

At 5 minutes hopped the remaining Norther Brewer and Magnum hops, for aroma.

We had very little boil off in the pot, resulting in approximately 4 gallons of wort in the pot. Since we were planning a 'half batch', in the smaller carboy, we poured off approximately 2.5 gallons into a smaller pot, and chilled it in an ice bath. Chilling to < 80 degrees took approximately 35 minutes (stirring helped). That was then transferred to the carboy, at approximately 75 degrees. We were a little short of our desired volume, so we quickly chilled another half gallon or so (took 5 minutes), and topped up to right around 2.5-2.75 gallons in the carboy.

Hydrometer reading at 75 degrees was 1.060. Adjusting for temperature, that puts us right at 1.062 for the batch.

We pitched the yeast, aerated, and capped the airlock.

Beer Lunacy

2009-11-04T22:29:00.003-05:00

The belgian is racked with some extra spices in the secondary fermenter. Even with the hibernation clone we are currently brewing, we are left with 2 empty carboys. Which leads me to a very important question: what are we doing with out lives gentleman? We need to get busy. If Shawn can make it over Saturday we are going to do 2 batches. An all grain saison outside and extract pumpkin porter inside. What follows is the recipe for the all grain saison.

7 4 American Two-row Pale
2 0 Vienna Malt
0 8 Flaked Oats
0 8 Flaked Wheat
0 8 Honey info
Boil 60 mins

1.5 Goldings, East Kent info pellet 4.2 Boil 15 mins
0.75 Hallertau info pellet 3.1 Boil 1 min
0.75 Hallertau info pellet 3.1

boil 0 min 0.5 ounces Coriander
boil 0 min 0.07 ounces Grains of Paradise
boil 5 min 1 ounces Irish Moss
boil 0 min 0.25 ounces Orange Peel, Bitter
boil 0 min 0.25 ounces Orange Peel, Sweet

Batch size: 4.9 gallons

Brew Night!

2009-11-04T13:18:00.002-05:00

When are we kicking things off? I'll be home around 5, feeding the baby and prepping the kitchen.

All Grain Linkage

2009-11-04T11:26:00.002-05:00

This guy has a great set of instructions, with pictures, on the mash/sparge process (in a cooler). This is where we need to be.

Equipment Wish List

2009-11-04T08:42:00.000-05:00

X-mas is almost here, and we need to be telling our women what we want! Fuck an Ipod, a new pair of black skinny jeans, or that new portable record player (unless it's got a wort chiller attachment). I can keep this as a running list, and update it frequently, when we find links to exactly what we want.

The basics:
Wort Chiller - Do we make one ourselves? Buy one retail?
Mash tun - I like the Coleman cooler varieties.
Wine thief - We really need this to take good samples of our beer, without having to tip the carboy.
More bottles! - Goes without saying.

Daydreaming:
Three tiered burner system
Stainless Steel Fermenter
Kegging system/converted fridge system

What else?

The All Grain Versus Extract Debate - Part 1

2009-11-04T08:24:00.002-05:00

I can tell, this is going to be a debatable issue for the Greenville Beer Brothers. There is certainly a drive to move towards the All Grain methods, which allow better control over the ingredients, and by extension the final product. It might be nice to have an open dialogue, so that we are all on the same page, and moving towards our ultimate goal: A homebrew that would make Baby Jesus tear up with joy.

I'd like to present the case that we should ease into the All Grain territory. This is an awkward case for me, in some ways, since I tend to want to crank things to '11' right off the bat. Still, I feel some prudence is required, as we cut our homebrewing teeth.

There are four main reasons I think we should engage the All Grain process incrementally. Those reasons relate to equipment, time, refining our process, and learning flavor components.

Equipment
We are ramping up our equipment, slowly but surely, but the All Grain brewing process puts strains on what we currently have at our disposal. We have done a good job of increasing our overall fermentation capacity (we could primary four batches, plus a half batch, right now). Our issue is getting a 5 gallon batch in the pot. Adding a large (30+ quart) pot is going to be critical, and is something we have on tap, just to push our half batch Hibernation clone through the process. But we do not really know, more than anectodally, about how well we're going to be able to do the Mash/Sparge boil in a bag method, on the stove.

What I feel our push should be, in terms of equipment, is a cooler system that will let us take the Mash/Sparge off the stove. I think this is the real impetus between us and going All Grain in a big way. I will admit, I could be wrong about this, and we will put this whole theory to a hard test tonight, assuming we are still brewing the Hibernation half batch.

Time
All Grain takes more time. It does. There's additional processes that have to be followed, which bring with it even more processes (cleaning, prepping, learning, etc). Extract brewing is nice, because an entire batch can be in the carboy in 2-3 hours, once we get things down to a science. I think there will be moments, even after we have a nice three tiered burner system, a 15 gallon stainless steel fermenter, and a 5 tap converted fridge, that we will still brew extract recipes. I don't think we should lose sight of the mantra 'It's not the technique, it's the beer'. Good beer, no matter how we make it, is the ultimate goal. There may be times we will have to strike a balance between time and process, and end up going extract.

Refining Our Process
We have two batches done. Only one of those is in bottles. We are still Noobs, in a big way. We have yet to face a hard challenge to our process, that either results in us having to rescue the batch in some way, or that ruins the batch. We, being the ultimate geniuses that we are, are probably already better than some more seasoned brewers, but repetition of the basic processes is going to net us our greatest incremental gains in skill. Maneuvering as a team, as well, is a key component of what we're doing here. Trading out roles, so that each of us is gaining experience in each of the aspects of the batch. This is why I'm such a fan of our robust appetite for brewing, that has resulted in probably 4 batches in the carboy within 2 weeks time. That's borderline insane, and we're lucky we can still get laid, having put our women through this. It shouldn't be overlooked that we can get loads of experience, right now, through extract brewing. The All Grain process is going to take us away from the basic principles, as we ramp up that skillset. We need to have confidence that there are no gaps in our basic process.

Learning Flavor Components
This one could be the most important. We've barely tasted the fruit of the process. We have read about what Cascade hops do, and we've sampled many commercial brews that have them as a main component, but can we say, with any real conviction, what a Cascade hop tastes like in our process? Ramping up to All Grain will bring us more control over the ingredients, but right now we are still lacking in a fundamental understanding of what those ingredients are supposed to be, in the first place. There is so much to know, so much to learn, so much to do, it's easy to start taking three steps at a time. A good chef knows his ingredients inside and out, and the same would go with a good brewer. We've got to get to this level.

This wasn't an effort to reel us in, as much as it is to begin the discussion of how we will transition to All Grain (we certainly will, in a big way, at some point). There are some serious Pros that will outweigh all the Cons, over time. Our best beers will likely come from All Grain, and will have personality that only that process can impart. We'll get there.

Recipe #4 - Pumpkin Porter Shopping List

2009-11-03T21:40:00.006-05:00

What we need to buy:
1 can Amber Liquid Extract (12.5 SRM)
2 pkgs American Ale (Wyeast Labs #1056)
1/4 lb Black (Patent) Malt (500.0 SRM)
1 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM)
1/2 lb Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM)
1 tsp Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate)
2 lbs Light Dry Extract (8.0 SRM)
1/2 lb Molasses (80.0 SRM)
1 can Pale Liquid Extract (8.0 SRM)
(quantity?) Cold Coffee
8 lbs pumpkin

What we have:
2 oz Northern Brewer (4.30 %) (or the equivalent, in fresh hops)
1/2 oz Cascade (5.50 %) (or the equivalent, in fresh hops)
1/4 tsp Irish Moss
1/2 lb Brown Sugar, Dark (50.0 SRM)

Where My Brewers At?

2009-11-03T15:59:00.000-05:00

We doing this thing tomorrow PM, or not? Andrew said he had a pot in mind...do we have the math down for the conversion?

We still on for the Porter this Saturday? The lady of the house will be out doing wedding shower/bachelorette party stuff, so it's a perfect opportunity.

Done!

2009-11-02T22:45:00.001-05:00

DSC01961
Originally uploaded by branimal9

Now we have to wait. Again.

Capped!

2009-11-02T22:40:00.001-05:00

DSC01983
Originally uploaded by branimal9

Morgie's got 'em all dressed up and ready to go...

Bottlecapping!

2009-11-02T22:36:00.002-05:00

DSC01957
Originally uploaded by branimal9

Like putting an egg on it, but with caps!

Bottling!

2009-11-02T22:33:00.001-05:00

DSC01980
Originally uploaded by branimal9

Putting the good stuff closer to your fingertips!

Siphoning!

2009-11-02T22:32:00.001-05:00

DSC01952
Originally uploaded by branimal9

Just like you used to do with gas back in your juvenile delinquent past!

De-labeling!

2009-11-02T22:28:00.002-05:00

DSC01945
Originally uploaded by branimal9

Getting those pesky labels off is quite a task, isn't it Andre?

2009-11-02T22:25:00.002-05:00

Favorite place to grab a beer in Greenville

2009-11-02T14:14:00.003-05:00

I really like Barleys, can't beat the beer selection. Addy's is another favorite, quiet chill place with decent beer.

New Blog Design

2009-11-02T10:31:00.000-05:00

What do we think of the colors? Of the readability? I like it, stylistically, but I'm finding it hard to see where one post ends and another begins. Might also be because we didn't put Titles in for some of those posts over the weekend. Perhaps changing the color of the text? It's obviously a work in progress. Our logo design, pending creation, could go where the closeup picture of the hops are now, or perhaps in the little gray box right underneath that.

Wednesday Night Session?

2009-11-02T10:23:00.000-05:00

Looks like the Wednesday Night's brew session (the Hibernation clone, all grain attempt) is going to hinge on the procurement of a large cooking vessel. It is a significant investment...if we were to go 32 quarts (8 gallons), we're probably looking at a 50+ dollar investment. Probably high of that estimate, unless we find a great deal.

Obviously, we need high quality materials, which means stainless steel, at the minimum. Aluminum imparts bad flavors to the batch, and is substandard. Copper is a good option, but I'm sure those are very expensive...I can't even find one quickly online that is below a couple hundred bucks. Time to scour the discount stores like TJ Maxx and Marshalls, or maybe hit the restaurant supply stores.

Welcome to the bottle, brew

2009-11-01T22:32:00.000-05:00

We bottle Recipe #1, the well hopped Pale Ale. It was a task getting all the bottles sanitized. I count a good 2 hours prep work on that, and plenty of water used. From there, things worked fairly well. The siphon went alright, and after a few minutes of head scratching, even the bottling setup wasn't too much for our monkey brains.

The end result? A beautiful arrangement of bottles in my kitchen, ready to age, and eventually enjoy. Dreams of the next batch(es) has already begun...

dogfish head love...

2009-10-31T18:18:00.004-04:00

Up here in NC...just picked up some 60 Min IPA & Indian Brown Ale.
When are we going to start getting Dogfish goodness in G-ville?

2009-10-31T16:06:00.001-04:00

Getting our moneys worth of TC up the creek ipa @ 12.5 percent. It tastes like a barelywine. some great mmj and rhcp covers. This is one hell of a party!!

2009-10-31T13:50:00.001-04:00

@ the TC bash 15 mins till the bloodthirsty belgian. 10 bux 4 all u can eat and drink. No better deal has ever been had!!

2009-10-30T22:57:00.001-04:00

Drinking an urthel tripel ale. So much honey, so good. Moving to belgium ASAP.(first post from text msg)

Recipe #1 - Day by Day - Updated!

2009-10-30T20:37:00.000-04:00

Day 0 (approx 10 minutes in carboy)

Large amount of sediment at the bottom of the carboy. Quarter inch of foam on top of fermenting beer.

Day 1 (approx 21 hours in carboy)

Three inches of sediment at bottom of carboy, actively 'moving'. After waking up to no foam at all, foam has exploded to approximately four inches on top. Bubbling C02 can be seen in the fermentation lock. Noticeable 'hop' smell permeating. Smells like an IPA.

Day 2 (approx 45 hours in carboy)

Foam has dissipated a bit, but not before carrying sediment all the way to the top of the carboy. Airlock still very active. Major movement inside carboy.

Day 3 (approx 68 hours in carboy)

Noticeably less bubbling in the airlock. Foam has dissipated to less than an inch thick. No longer rapid movement inside the carboy. I'd say past peak fermentation, maybe?

Day 5 (approx 115 hours in carboy)

Fermentation has essentially stopped (at least in the airlock). Foam has dissipated, though you can't really see this in the picture, since there is so much sediment along the top of the carboy. We should be on tap to either rack or bottle in a couple of days time.

-Ron

Recipe #2 - Day by Day - Updated!

2009-10-30T20:30:00.000-04:00

Day 0 (approx 10 minutes in carboy)

Solid process, good tasting wort. Looks like flat cola in the carboy after a few minutes of fermentation.

Day 1 (approx 23 hours in carboy)

Basically looks the same as when it was poured. No noticeable fermentation occurring. Possible big, intermittent 'burps' through the airlock, but could have also have been vibrations in the room. I thought I saw one, and Kate thought she did, too.

Day 3 (approx 65 hours in carboy)

Finally! Some fermentation. It began on Day 2, but looked essentially like it did when it started up until AM of the third day. Started with a thin amount of krasen, but now had a nice half inch of foam, with murky brown stuff all over it. Heavy bubbling in the airlock.

-Ron

Hibernation Ale

2009-10-30T16:29:00.002-04:00

I'd like to give a shout out to these guys http://www.greatdivide.com/ for making such a tasty winter beer. Shawn and I went and picked some up at lunch today. Looks like the '09 has slightly more alchohol at 8.7 versus the 8.1 from '08. Can't wait to try it.

P.S.> About to head over to Thomas Creek to pick up our first full grain recipe!! May go ahead an John Lennon this one up over the weekend.

j/k

Ping: Dry Hoppers

2009-10-30T15:43:00.000-04:00

Check this blog post...

We will need some method of doing this. I asked him if it worked, waiting for a response.

Here's an idea...

2009-10-30T13:53:00.001-04:00

Pumpkin moonshine!

We got some drinking to do...

2009-10-30T13:25:00.004-04:00

Gentlemen, odds are, we're bottling something next week. Right now, we have about half as many bottles as we'd need to complete the batch. Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to drink as much longneck, brown bottled, pull off top beer as you can handle this weekend. Rinse 'em, save 'em, and put 'em somewhere where the woman of the house can't recycle them.

-Ron

Facebook and Twitter!

2009-10-30T11:26:00.005-04:00

We're going all out social network...

On Facebook and Twitter! You can access our Facebook page using the badge on the right hand side. This is my first foray into Twitter, so I have no freaking clue how that works.

is our direct link. Tweet me, or something.

-Ron

LME vs DME and LME vs LME

2009-10-30T08:40:00.001-04:00

Andrew's John Lennon Belgian recipe got me thinking about LME quality, and whether liquid extracts should be converted over to dry extracts, just in general. Obviously, the advantages of All Grain brewing are that you have total control over how the ingredients are prepared, and know what is going in your beer.

The differences between the extracts, however, should also be noted. A quick search around on the intertubes turned up a preference for dry, versus liquid...now, how much of this preference is due to quality, and how much is due to perceived quality? I have no idea. I do recall in Papazian's Bible a blurb about some LME's being better than others...I'd imagine that if it comes in a can, it might not be as good. We're not talking about a can of beans you take to the mountains to eat in the wild, but instead the main fermentable in a batch of heaven juice (aka, homebrew).

Back to DME vs LME, if dry is generally better quality, then perhaps we should stick there, and cut out the liquid entirely? There are some recipe adjustments that would have to be made (not sure if Beersmith does this, but I'm betting it probably would, since it seems to weight the sugar by composition, rather than raw weight). I found this handy conversion formula to go from All Grain -> Liquid -> Dry:

1 lb Grain = 0.75 lb LME = 0.60 lb DME

Now, if you weren't going from straight grain, the conversion from LME to DME would be 1 lb LME = 0.80 lb of DME.

So the dry is the most concentrated of the three (which makes sense, since it has had all the liquid removed).

Something to ponder on.

Recipe #2 - Update

2009-10-30T08:06:00.002-04:00

That, my friends, is fermentation. That was this AM. Last night, after giving the carboy a really good shake, the airlock burped. I saw about five or six little collections of bubbles hit the top, and not dissipate. I could tell they were not just air bubbles...they didn't pop right away, so my hope was they were the start of the Krausen. I went to bed with some hope. Woke up this morning, and it was like opening a X-mas present, except there was a chance Santa hadn't came. Well, he came, and he brought me burgeoning alcohol!

We can stop fretting now. I didn't take a daily pic of the two brews yesterday. At my normal time, they both looked exactly the same. I should update that today, though, before the weekend.

-Ron

Next Recipe (Belgian Trippel)?

2009-10-30T07:37:00.004-04:00

I came across the following recipe on homebrewtalk.com (surprise, surprise. man does that place rule) Its an extract recipe of a gold medal beer from the '06 World Beer Championships. It's a very straight forward recipe with rave reviews. I know this won't increase our skill or technique, but its a tasty trippel that is ready to drink in 30 days!! Without further adieu here is the recipe:

Extract:

3 x 3.3lbs Pilsner Light malt extract LME
1 x 1lbs Amber DME
1 x 1.5lbs Belgian Candy
12.4 total pounds of fermentables

Hops: (IBU came out at 23 but you can range from 20 to 25)

2 oz. German Hallertau 3.8%AA 60min
1 oz.Styrian Goldings 3.4% AA 30min
1 oz. Saaz 2.8% AA 3min

Yeast:2 x WLP500 Trappist Ale Yeast

Notice it uses 2 vials of yeast. This guy is no noob!! I was thinking of possibly brewing this up quickly over the weekend. Or we could wait until we move the pale ale to the secondary(which really shouldn't be too far off).

The only thing I would add to this is some coriander and possibly the zest of an orange or two.

Thoughts?

Liquor in the Secondary of the Winter Belgian?

2009-10-30T07:27:00.005-04:00

So my interweb voyages brought me to a thread on homebrewtalk.com regarding liquor additions to beer. Everyone in the thread who has used this method has seen positive results. One of them went so far to say it was the best beer he'd ever made. This got my brain churning about our Winter Belgian. If we did use this method we would probably add about 10oz of a very dark rum such as Gosling's Black Seal or possibly a spiced rum like Sailor Jerrys(just personal preference, I fear i may be burnt out on Captain Morgans for the remainder of my days). 10oz is a fairly conservative amount compared to what others have used. I feel this would give the beer added dimension and just the right amount of warmth. What do you guys think?!?

Some Movement!

2009-10-29T22:13:00.001-04:00

I gave the carboy a strong jostle tonight, and now we're getting some very, very slow action in the fermenting airlock. This is big. Starter yeast, with any White Labs yeast vial, may be required, fellas.

Scaled Down Hibernation All Grain Recipe

2009-10-29T15:28:00.002-04:00

So if we decided to do a hibernation clone of the all grain variety in our 3 gallon carboy here are the appropriate grains and measurements we'd need:

8.4 lbs Vienna Malt
.90 lbs Flaked Oats
.45 lbs Caramunich Malt
.30 lbs Biscuit Malt
.30 lbs Special Roast
.23 lbs Choclate Malt

Shawn has informed me he has another large stock pot. Thats a cool 70 bux in savings right there! Thanks Gus, you're a swell guy.

Another hop site

2009-10-29T11:08:00.003-04:00

I was looking for hops for the hibernation ale, freshop had none of them. I found this site that had them.
http://www.rebelbrewer.com/shoppingcart/products/Ahtanum-Hops-(US)-%252d-1oz.-Pellets.html