Bad Ben's Brewing Blog

Brew Vote: What To Brew?

2008-04-11T12:54:00.000-07:00

What should I brew next? A nice Porter or an IPA?

I want both on tap (soon), but can only brew once this weekend.

The MaiBock is just about ready. I'll check on it's condition this weekend.

Complete Douchebags

2008-04-10T20:31:00.000-07:00

The new Cordish Company's Power & Light District is only for complete douchebags, I guess. It's now "headwear non-inclusive."

I was turned away from 2 locations because I was wearing a FlexFit hat, (a KC Trail Nerds running club hat). They wouldn't let me enter, unless I took off my "gangsta-style hat." Yeah, maybe I looked like an idiot with my hat and runner's jacket on. But at the same time, a redneck idiot wearing a "tubed-out" and frayed circa 1990s OldSkool NASCAR hat, sporting a 1995-style goatee, and wearing a tee-shirt with the sleeves ripped-off, was let in without a problem.

The offending "Gansta" hat (left).

A DRESS CODE that caters to Bud-swilling redneck mothertruckers...WTF??? This is just weird. Who do they think will spend more money? (Well, possibly he will, when he gets tanked-up, and buys a round for the bar). But who do you think tips the staff better (or at all)? Rednecks, as a rule, refuse to tip.

FUCK DOWNTOWN. At least that part of downtown. I'll still go to Grinders and the Bulldog and other haunts of mine. I'm voting with my dollars and with my feet.

HAT FASCISTS!!!!!!!!!!

XXXOOO,

Bad Ben

MaiBock Brew Day

2008-03-17T09:06:00.000-07:00

My friend Greg and I split the costs on a batch of MaiBock for our brewing session this past Sunday afternoon. It was a good brewing session, and we hit our temperature targets exactly. The finished Wort's starting gravity was 1.071, so the (eventual) finished product will make you stand-up and sing in German, after a couple of pints.

This MaiBock and a (July) Pilsner are the only two lagers that I plan to brew this year. I may throw in a Dunkel or an Eisbock for good measure, though. I like well-done (and tasty) lagers, but I'm pretty much an Ale Guy in my NanoBrewery. I just find most lager styles to be less-interesting than ales to produce and drink. I also like to experiment and push the limits of the Ale World, especially with my Belgian recipes.

I plan to brew a couple of session beers next. I think I'll replicate my last Porter recipe, first. I've tweaked my "Sherpa Porter" recipe over the years, and now it's just about perfect. The last batch was loved by one and all who tried it. Following-up with a Kölsch would be nice. Having a Kölsch right at the start of warm weather gets me thinking of Summer.

In the heat of the Summer, I like to have a Pilsner on hand. My favorite version of Pilsner is the Northern German style, with the higher hops content. When brewing, you've got to include German Noble hops and higher-sulphate water (than the other Pilsener or Pilsener styles) to pull-it off right. It should be as crisp-tasting as biting into a Granny Smith apple, with a refreshing lingering bitterness. Yummy and refreshing.

My favorite commercially available (on-tap) example is the Leavenworth Friesian Pilsener by brewer Jenn Gridley at Fish Brewing in Olympia Washington. If you travel to the Pacific Northwest, it's on tap in the SEATAC airport at Anthony's, when it's in season. Give it a try. If you like this style, you won't be disappointed.

I Hope Spring is Around the Corner

2008-02-24T15:19:00.000-08:00

This Winter has been a tough one (weather-wise) for a lot of folks in this part of the country. I know that I can't do anything but whine about it though, so I'll just shutup now.

On a lighter note, I went to a Trail Nerds Post-Psycho party last Friday night, and it also happened to be my birthday. I took a keg of my hoppy Sucker Punch IPA to the party at Shane's house. A fitting name, since the party ended with a macho display of who could take the hardest punch in the gut.

I fared pretty well with the macho-drunk-white-guy bullshit. I still do massive amounts of crunches, and I can still deliver a nasty punch. For the record, I pulled my punches, somewhat...these are my friends, after all.

I drank more than usual at the party. As my friend Gary says, "sometimes you've got to push the limits to see where the limits actually are." (I had a Designated Driver, by the way). I didn't make my next morning's run, and had to make up for it (partly) on today's run. I promise not to do that to myself again (for at least a couple of years).

I took the morning off from running, partly from imbibing too much, but also from being generally run-down, overextended and tired. I decided I was on the edge of getting the flu or something, so I had a "sleep-in and be a total slacker" day. I feel much better today.

What a BURP!

2008-01-13T10:19:00.000-08:00

My annual Beer Utilization and Reduction Party (BURP) was definitely fun to host, and it appears to have been a lot of fun for the attendees. I had a good line-up of homebrew, and several guests brought homemade beer and wine and some delicious potluck items. We had some darn good food to chomp on, that's for sure!

Depending upon one's tastes, I had a wide range from which to choose. Alberta and Jackie Rager, who are the Midwest's premiere BJCP beer judges (and BJCP trainers), really liked my "Sherpa Porter" and "Event Horizon Barleywine." (Alberta is not a big fan of Belgians, but can appreciate them). It's nice to have a good review of my beers, especially by knowledgeable peers! I also let her and a few others sample my aged, 4-year-old Barleywine down in the NanoBrewery, and it was well-received.

Many wine drinkers enjoyed the Belgian offering and the Barleywine. For hop-heads, my Cascade dry-hopped "Sucker Punch IPA" was fresh and ready for a "teeth-scrapingly" fresh hops experience. (I had just kegged it the night before, and force-carbonated right after my morning run with the Trail Nerds).

For more pedestrian tastes, I had my "Plain Jane American Pale Ale" on hand, for a "maltier" and less excessive experience. Alberta and Jackie brought a homemade Gewurtztraminer wine and a "Cyser," just for fun. Debbie Webster brought some homemade margaritas, for those so inclined. A "Jayhops" homebrewer (Mark) brought some bottles of homebrew, and I got to sample (and spill) a very nice Milk Stout that he had artfully made.

One-half of the KC Beer Blog team made it to the party, and a couple of brewing friends that I haven't seen in a while were there, too. There was a lot going on, so I may have missed something. In fact, there was a whole bunch of folks I didn't talk to that were watching the KU basketball game. Some of them came and left without me seeing them, I'm sure.

After the majority of the guests left, about six of us repaired to the great room to discuss and solve all of the world's problems. The last guest left at about 2 a.m., which (I assume) is the mark of a successful event. Once again, I ended up with more varieties of beer in the house than I started with, so I'll be looking for some "reductional help" yet again, soon.

Cheers and Happy Trails,

Bad Ben

B.U.R.P.

2007-12-31T09:03:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's that time of year again. Time for my annual "Beer Utilization and Reduction Party." This is when I make a valid attempt to rid myself of some of my homebrewing stock, to make room for new brews. (Brewing in 10-gallon batches contributes to this unique problem).

Once again, this party will have a weird mix of folks: homebrewers, pro-brewers, mountain bikers, trail runners, and road runners. (No coyotes, though). As in the past, it can be a really good time.

Party Time: 6 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.

Date: Saturday, December 43rd, 2007 in the "Bad Benian Calendar," (otherwise known as January 12, 2008).

Location: My House (just drive into Johnson County, and look for the beige house in the culdesac...can't miss it).

Food and Beverages: I'll have Chili to eat, and (at least) 5 beers on tap. If you don't like beer, bring another beverage or a counselor.

Beers available will be: My Uber Saison (Beaucoup Belgian Farmhouse Ale), an aged 4-year old English-style Barleywine (Tenacious Curmudgeon), a younger American-style Barleywine (Event Horizon), a Robust Porter (Sherpa Porter), and an in-your face hoppy IPA (Sucker Punch IPA). I may bring out some more stock as the evening progresses.

Please bring your choice of ONE of the following:

1) Snack food, or any potluck item.

2) *Beer, mead, or an interesting wine; (ESPECIALLY if it's homemade or craft made). No Budweiser or anything like that, please, (unless that's all that you'll drink).

Also bring:

A semi-good looking Significant Other, sister, boyfriend, girlfriend, wife, mistress, gigolo, stripper, or reasonable facsimile, thereof. Or you can bring a friend or just yourself.

NO KIDS or UFC Cage Fighters, PLEASE.

NOTE: If you plan on imbibing like a frat-boy or whorority-chick, please BRING A DESIGNATED DRIVER; or you can stay-over and sleep on one of our nice inflatable air beds and have our big, slobbery dog lick your face all night. (Don't worry, he's been neutered).

*Homebrewers: For mini-kegs I have an extra CO2 bottle and hoses, if you have the proper fittings.

If you want more information (like an address, or the type of new laptop that I'd like you to purchase for me), you can get my e-mail address from my profile. If you can't find that, you've already had enough beer to drink. Don't ever come to my BURP party with a headstart, or your liver will definitely explode.

Cheers and happy trails,

Bad Ben

Beer Blogger's Summit...World Peace Declared

2007-12-30T11:44:00.000-08:00

Well, we had a little piece of World Peace while we met at 75th Street Brewery, anyway.

Lee and Lady Margaret from Austin helped put together this meeting of (addled) minds in Kansas City, on a fine Saturday afternoon. Also in attendance were Muddy Mo and Bull E. Vard. We talked beer, politics, music, OBF, Beer Geek TV, running and the vast selection of items available at Red X. My son Matt stopped by also, and we ran into Chimpotle, as well.

Lee broke all known Missouri laws and introduced us to a bottle of North by Northwest Brewery's "Kodiak IPA." For an IPA with 6% ABV, it sure tasted much bigger than that. It appears that Cascade hops were used to dry-hop and finish this tasty brew. It's definitely one of the best beers that I've had from Texas, (normally referred to by me as the land of "sweet tea" and sweet beer). But Austin is really in its own little world, compared to the rest of Texas, ala Lawrence, Kansas.

What a nice summit! We'll have to do this again.

Good Brew Day

2007-12-24T20:30:00.000-08:00

Well, another batch is in the fermenter. I had 3 folks stop by to enjoy some beers during the brew. One of them was from New York.

I cranked up two space heaters, and the garage reached a balmy 60 degrees F, at one point. It was a decently sunny day, and my dog (Fester) enjoyed laying in the sun and watching for any scraps of food to drop.

I hit my mark for my "session" IPA, with a starting gravity of 1.050. It will be hoppy, but not too overt. A good brew day, all in all.

"F" the APA

2007-12-22T20:55:00.000-08:00

To heck with the APA. Because of the "hop crisis," I'm brewing an IPA on Monday, instead. Bring on the Columbus and in-your-frigging-face hops!

By the way: Anyone that likes good brew is invited (if you're in the Kansas City area). Show up around noon. I'll be well underway, by then. You can bring some munchies or food, if you're so inclined. And dress warmly. On tap, I'll have a fresh Robust Porter, a 4-y.o. Barleywine, a fairly new Barleywine, a Belgian Farmhouse Ale, and a Oak-aged Imperial Stout; maybe more!

You can get my e-mail address from my profile. If you can't find it, you deserve to wallow in self-pity and stale Budweiser.

Cheers and happy trails,
Bad Ben

On Tap, Plans, and Smokestack Series

2007-12-12T12:13:00.000-08:00

Right now, this is what I have on tap at home:

My Uber-Saison, which I call "Beaucoup Belgian Farmhouse Ale." - Yum...Tasty!

A barleywine that I brewed in November 2003, "Tenacious Curmudgeon." - Wonderfully complex!

A recent, 3-month old American Style Barleywine, which I call "Event Horizon." - Yowza!

That's right, no low-gravity stuff at the ol' homestead.

It's soon to be rectified, though. My latest batch of "Sherpa Porter" should be pouring by this weekend. Not that it's very light...it'll finish at about 6.5%ABV. I did pick up the grain for a simple American Pale Ale, the other day. I'll see if I can find the time to brew it on Sunday afternoon. I haven't brewed an APA in a while. I need a good "session ale" at home, so I don't have to buy a commercial version.

By the way, I've tried all of the new "Smokestack Series" of ales from Boulevard Brewing here in Kansas City. The beers are packaged in 750 ml champagne bottles with cork-and-cage closures. The first four in this series to be released are "Boulevard Saison," a farmhouse ale, "Long Strange Tripel," a Trappist-style abbey beer, "Double-Wide I.P.A.," and "The Sixth Glass," a Belgian-style quadrupel ale. My favorite of the Series is the Double-Wide IPA. It tastes like a well-made homebrewed ale (like an IPA that I might make). The Saison is just "okay" for a Saison, and I think the Tripel is a little too one-dimensional. The Quad is a nice one, though. So two really nice brews (out of four) ain't bad. I can't wait to see what else they'll be offering, in the near future.

Things are looking up (here), beer-wise.

Beer Geek T.V.

2007-11-01T14:31:00.000-07:00

There's a new, fun web site out there for all of us "beercentric" folk: Beer Geek T.V.
It's part of Beer Geek dot com.

My son and I were interviewed for Beergeek.TV at the Oregon Brewer's Festival, this past Summer. You can check it out here. We're about 3/4 through the video. The rest of the video is great to watch, because it gives you an idea of how fun the OBF is, and why I always try to make it to Portland for it, every year on the last full weekend of July. You can read more about my last fun OBF trip (with photos) here.

On the nanobrewery side of things:
I'm dry-hopping my Barleywine with Fuggles and EKG. I had also pitched some additional champagne yeast, but I don't know how much more attenuation I'll get out of it; apparent attenuation is at 82%. Two days ago, the specific gravity was at 1.020; down from a whopping 1.120! That's an ABV of 13.4%.

My Belgian Double is already in two "corny" kegs, and one of them should be fully conditioned and carbonated, by now. I'm going to taste it tonight.

I've purchased the ingredients for my annual "Sherpa Porter," a Robust Porter that I keep tweaking the recipe on, every year. This year, I've tweaked it a lot, and I'm interested in the result. I'm going to shoot for brewing it this Sunday; it's the only chance I'll have for 3 weeks.

Happy Brewing,
Bad Ben

Barleywine Brew Day

2007-10-15T09:19:00.000-07:00

On September 30th, I brewed a ten-gallon all-grain batch of barleywine. The last time I brewed a barleywine was in November of 2003, (and I still have some of that batch left).

This recent batch had a starting wort gravity of 1.120 on brew day, so it'll be a monster. I included the following grains in it: Maris Otter, Klagas 2-row, Castle Caramel Munich, Cara-Vienne, and small amounts of two new available grains: Crystal Rye Malt and Simpsons Golden Naked Oats.

There's over a pound (total) of hop flowers in this 10-gallon batch. I started with 2-ounces of Nugget hops for bittering, and have a lot of Fuggles and Kent Goldings for the rest of the hop bill. I'll also dry-hop with Fuggles and Kent Goldings.

Shane, Cody, and Keith showed up to keep me company, for the last half of the brew day. Cody had just finished 2nd in a 50-Kilometer run, so he only had half a beer and went and sacked-out in Shane's car...he was pretty darn tired. It was a fun day.

It is finally ready to transfer to secondary fermentation tonight (Oct 15). The little yeasties have been going nuts for two straight weeks! I'll check the gravity during transfer, and see if there's a need to add any champagne yeast.

Here are some photos of the brew day operation:

The bottom (inside) of my mash tun.

Mashing-in.

Hitting a mash temperature of 152 degrees perfectly.

Recirculation through the mash. Here's my cheap-ass flow control system, (a set of needle-nose vise grips with silicone tubing on its jaws).

Enjoying a glass of my Harvest Double-IPA on brew day.

Brew Your Own

2007-09-05T15:00:00.000-07:00

I'm in the September/October issue of Brew Your Own Magazine, as the featured homebrewer.

My son is also mentioned, and there's a photo of me, my nephew, and my son enjoying ourselves at the 2006 Oregon Brewer's festival.

Pick up a copy, if you don't subscribe. (Barnes & Noble usually carries it).

It's kind of cool, and (I think) an honor.

Michael Jackson has left This Mortal Coil

2007-08-30T20:02:00.000-07:00

Michael Jackson, the "Beer Hunter," was a legend. He recently left this mortal coil and our worldly existence.

Michael had so much energy for beer, malt beverages, and people, and was a genuinely nice person. He was a true gentleman.

I got to meet him personally in 1994. It was at Big Time Brewery in Seattle, at 7 a.m., and he was leaving for the airport to go back to the U.K., but he still wanted to check out our beers for a possible new book project. This, after a whirlwind weekend tour of Seattle and the Northwest's breweries and brewpubs. He gave us an honest assessment of our beers, had some coffee and chit-chat, and then left. He didn't have to do this for us (at an un-godly time in the morning), but the man had said that he would, and he did. I still cherish the photo of all of us on that day.

In the photo was Mark Irvin from Spokane's Northern Lights Brewing, Dick Cantwell (currently of Elysian Brewing in Seattle), Brian Johnson (formerly of Fort Spokane Brewing, Spokane, Washington), and me.

Michael, whatever dimension you're in, I know that you are enjoying yourself thoroughly!

Happy trails and cheers,

Bad Ben

OBF 2007

2007-08-09T13:43:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a couple of weeks since I attended the Oregon Brewer's Festival.

We flew up to Oregon for a family vacation again, which included a lot of walking, beer tasting, fine food eating and a good, long run.

The high points of the trip were:

Bumping into old friends Dave Buhler and Dick Cantwell (from Elysian Brewing), and attending their little party at Stumptown Coffee...the Avatar Jasmine IPA was exquisite.
Tasting more than a few really good beers. One of my favorites was this year's version of Pliny the Elder.
Spending some quality time with my wife, son, nephew, and friends.
Being a complete lush for a couple of days.
Breaking my nose and still having fun.

I wrote a more in depth report of some of our fun on my other blog.
Here are some photos from the trip:

Thurday Afternoon at OBF

Laurelwood visit

Rogue!

You've got to stop at Powells, when in Portland.

Recycling can be a drag!

Street signs

The Trail Nerd pour at OBF

Bridgeport...(I still miss the old Bridgport).

Afternoon beers at Laurelwood.

Nice shirt!

Matt, my son.

My trip up the mountain.

Strong IPA & Kölsch

2007-06-05T13:46:00.000-07:00

The strong IPA that I brewed a month ago turned-out very tasty for what it is...a high-IBU hop monster from Parallel Hell. It dried-out to a gravity of 1.010. I burned through a keg of it this past Saturday at my 100-mile racing buddy Raul Flores' retirement party. It was well-received; Raul likes hoppy beers. (Retiring at the age of 51...sheesh)! I put a warning sticker on it to warn "beer newbies" and fools, since it has a 8.15% alcohol content (by volume).

I also had about 3 gallons left of my ESB on tap, and the rest of that keg played-out within a couple of hours. I'm glad, too, because it was getting "a little long in the tooth," and I'm not a huge ESB fan. I guess that's why I don't brew that style very often. I'd rather brew a brown or something else interesting, if I want to have a "mild" beer style around.

This past Sunday, June 3rd, I brewed a Kölsch-style beer for the Summer. One of the 5-gallon kegs will go to another buddy to help him win a BBQ competition, and the other will be for personal consumption. I always like to have a Kölsch and/or a Pilsener around for the hot Summer months.

I used a version of an old recipe of mine that I tend to like. For the 10-gallon batch, it included:
9 lb. Weyermann Pilsner, 9 lb. Maris Otter Crisp, and 2 lb. White Wheat Malt on the grain bill. I performed a single-step mash. For hops, I used Tettnang and Hallertau Mittelfruh hop flowers for that "Noble" nose. I used my "secret" Kölsch yeast, and pitched a healthy starter. It's bubbling away in the glass fermenter like crazy, and should be ready in time for my friend's BBQ date.

By the way, during transferring I got a taste of the Brett-inoculated Saison that will be my next Lambic. Woo-hoo! This new Brett Baby is going to be tasty!

Happy brewing, everybody!

Nanobrewery Goings-on

2007-05-13T05:48:00.000-07:00

I brewed a strong IPA yesterday. It went well, other than I forgot to recirculate through the wort, and add Irish Moss. (I shouldn't start drinking and gabbing with friends before the boil). It'll turnout okay. I'll just do my 3-fermenter shuffle over the course of the next month, and it will flocculate-out most of the particulate/haze. I'll probably use gelatin for fining, as well. (I usually don't use gelatin, but oh well).

The gravity of the finished wort was 1.072. I wanted a hoppy (non-Midwest style) IPA, so I used Columbus, Amarillo, and some Centennial. With the higher gravity, it'll be well-balanced at about 100 I.B.U. of bittering.

In the malt bill, for the pale malt, I used half Harrington 2-row and half Maris Otter Crisp 2-row. I also added 2 lbs of Vienna, 2 lbs of crystal 40, and 2 lbs of Rye malt, just to make it interesting. I'm always experimenting. This will be a non-traditional and strong hybrid IPA. Maybe it'll get better gas mileage, being a hybrid and all.

Next weekend, if I get time, I'll do my traditional Spring/Summer brewing of a Kolsch-style. I've got to get another "session beer" on tap; my ESB won't last too long.

And So it Goes...

2007-04-13T11:55:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, April 11th, a wonderous voice and author fell silent.
And so it goes.

Kurt Vonnegut 1922-2007

I read a lot of books in my youth. I would stay up past 3 a.m. many times to finish a good book. I stumbled onto my first Kurt Vonnegut novel at the tender age of nine. I couldn't get enough of his material, especially where I lived at the time, (on Air Force bases). So when we went to "town," I would scour all of the libraries and used and new book stores for his books. My mom didn't mind; she always encouraged my reading habits. Little did she know that "Science Fiction" and other genres of books might contain the "F-word" in them, or promote differing / off-kilter views on life, the universe, and everything.

This man had a lot to do with how I turned-out as a "thinking" adult. So you can partially blame Kurt Vonnegut for this pile of conscious meat called "Bad Ben."

Read More on My Other Blog.

High-brow Brews, Right here in River City

2007-03-14T10:13:00.000-07:00

The local Macro-brewery (Boulevard Brewing Company), is doing some interesting things. They will produce 400 cases of fancy and robust Belgian-style & oak-aged beers, bottled in traditional champagne bottles with champagne corks and wire cages. See article.

Boulevard recently became the 10th largest craft brewer in the nation, despite being distributed in only eleven Midwestern states. They really do a good job, too.

Special Note: Before I went on a trip to Belgium back in 2000, Boulevard's brewmaster (Steven Pauwels, the Belgian Brewer formerly from Brugge Brewing) gave me his business card to flash around. It got a lot of (brewing) doors opened for me in Belgium! I almost had to purchase an extra ticket for my liver, for the return trip.

At Boulevard Brewing Co., Belgian-born brewmaster Steven Pauwels tests fermentation inside a bourbon barrel. Pauwels and a team of beer makers are planning a Smokestack Series — high-end craft beers with limited production and numbered releases.
Photo by: JIM BARCUS - THE KANSAS CITY STAR

UpppppDate

2007-03-06T20:57:00.000-08:00

Just a quick catch-up on what's going on at the ol' Nanobrewery.

The ESB is a little stronger than desired, but really delish. Did I just say delish? Holy shit, I'm either watching way too much "Rachel Rae," or I'm becoming a snobby homebrewing flamer! Well, lets just say that the ESB is "really drinkable and tasty."

The Saison turned out fantastic! Tart, complex, but still subtle. Yummm. It's the kind of brew that you've got to take your time with, let it breathe and warm up somewhat, and just sip and enjoy. One or two full 12-ounce fluted glasses, and you're completely satisfied. See, you don't have to hammer down copious volumes of brew to enjoy yourself. It's all about the flavor, folks.

With this batch of Saison, I portioned-off 5 gallons of the 10-gallon batch into another carboy, and inoculated it with a Lambic Brett (bacterial culture). One to two years in a damp, cool corner of my basement, and we're off to Belgium, (right here in Kansas). Which is funny, because the town that I live in was settled by people from Belgium. Spinach farmers from Belgium, in fact. Hmmm. A spinach farmhouse ale, maybe? No effing way!

I've been putting off kegging the Amber Belgian Ale long enough. I'll get it done by the weekend. Then I'll just have to brew again. I'm thinking of another session beer of some type, but haven't decided, yet. Suggestions are welcome.

Later.

Saison, ESB, Belgian "Amber" and other News

2007-01-20T17:28:00.000-08:00

Once again, I've been too damn busy to blog on this beer blog. I've been working, running, volunteering, and etcetera. I HAVE BREWED, THOUGH. So bugger off! (He said politely while sipping an Mocha Imperial Stout).

On January 7th, I threw a bunch of leftover grain together, with some leftover noble hops, and a healthy starter of BadBenomyces cerevisiae, a Belgian Abbey-style yeast. What came out was a rich amber-colored potpourri of a Belgian ale that had an original gravity of 1.075.

Exactly one week later, my son and I brewed on a day that was colder than an Eskimo f*ck, even with a couple of burners going and a supplemental kerosene heater. My son (Matt) has brewed professionally before, but is still trying to get the hang of brewing on the "home-concocted pile of metal" that my Nanobrewery is. His goal is to make a few successful batches with his buddy, Kevin this year. Since he and I introduced Kevin to "decent brews" a couple of years ago, he spends way too much of his fledgling family's income on bottled Belgians and such. I'm helping him build a cheap kegerator, and have given him and Matt free reign to brew on the Nanobrewery, if they can hack it.

But, I digress...back to the "Eskimo f*ck" brew day. My son had previously made a request to brew a "session" beer of some type, because all of our stock on hand is now strong, 7 to 9 % beers. I had recently scored some of the new Wyeast "Yorkshire" ale yeast, so it was a natural to do an ESB. The brew day went real well. We had the garage TV going with the playoffs on it, and drank coffee until everything was settled and the brew kettle's flame was struck. Matt was taking careful note of everything I was doing, and was fastidiously cleaning anything that we were finished with. It's nice to have a brewing apprentice!!! Roxy was there also, lending a hand, as usual.

So now, I've got three 10-gallon batches in the fermentors, which includes the "Winter Saison." About the Saison...it's spent an inordinate time in secondary fermentation. I'm going to split it into two 5-gallon sub-batches. One of them I will condition, then force-carbonate. The 2nd 5-gallons will go into a carboy, and I'll throw in some Brett yeast and some additional malt-derived sugar, and let it do it's thing for a while in a dark, forgotton corner.

What else is going on?
The beers I have on tap are tasting great, especially the Scottish and Mocha Imperial Stout. The 2nd 5-gallon cornelius keg of Sticke Kölschbier is cold chillin' and hasn't been touched. The Harvest IPA is almost gone. I've got some oak-aged imperial stout, some (vintage 2003) barleywine and some other homebrew in storage.

In a month, I'm going to be a BJCP tasting judge at a regional contest. I was invited by the organizer (who's the Midwest's premeire BJCP trainer). I feel honored to participate, even though I shun homebrew clubs and contests, as a rule. She wants me to enter my Mocha Imperial Stout and "any beers I have kicking around" also, but we'll see. I don't want to sound smug or anything, but I normally shun contests, because I know that I brew good beers, and I don't need constant validation by my peers. Also, I hate putting beers into BJCP categories; probably because I think it limits true brewing creativity. Don't even get me going on homebrewers who only get their rocks-off brewing cloned recipes! To use an analogy; why drive a stock piece-of-shit Chevy, when (with a little coaxing and creativity) you can drive a 263-MPH Bugatti?

Later, and Happy Brewing!

Matt brewing with 'tude on a warmer day.

Yummy Bits and a New Saison

2006-12-12T13:28:00.000-08:00

I've been a lazy blogger, but I've had an interesting couple of months at the ol' Nanobrewery.

My Mocha Imperial Stout and Scottish 90 Ale are on tap and delicious. (My "Scottish 90" is just slightly stronger than an 80, hence the name). The Stout has a very complex taste profile. Or at least that's what some homebrewing buddies and a few "red wine snobs" have told me. I just know that I like it a lot. The Scottish has exquisite mouthfeel and flavor. Both of these brews are exceptionally tasty. I limit myself to up to one 12-ounce glass per day, to prevent "self-mummification."

The high-gravity Sticke Kölschbier turned-out okay. It's a good beer in its own right, but not one that I'd drink on a regular basis. I guess I'm more a fan of the taste of a normal-gravity Kölsch-style ale, with it's inherent clean/crisp body and taste, and the resultant refreshing quality of that style.

The hoppiness of my Harvest IPA has finally settled-down somewhat. It's not so much of a hoppy punch in the face (when you take your first sip), anymore. It's a beer that I'll have one small glass of, (maybe) once per week, using it mainly as an aperitif. My buddies drink the sh*t out of it, though. I guess I only like real hoppy ales in the Summer.

On November 24th, I brewed what I call a Winter Saison, with a starting gravity of 1.074 / 18 degrees Plato. I used two yeast varieties. One home-slanted variety that I've used before, and an actual wine yeast, namely Wyeast Bordeaux. They are still very active, even though I've transferred to secondary fermentation. At the time of the transfer, the gravity had been reduced to a specific gravity of 1.032 (or 8 degrees Plato).

After the transfer to secondary fermentation, In the Belgian tradition, I rejuevenated the yeast somewhat by raising the temperature of the fermentation vessel over the course of two days, from 20 to 24.5 degrees Celsius. The fermentation has now resumed a more vigorous state of activity. I can honestly say that I'm excited about having a Belgian on tap, once again. I'm still looking at 3 more weeks or so until I can taste it, though. What a good way to usher the New Year in!

The grain profile of the recipe was different from most of the Saisons I've brewed in the past. The grain bill consisted mainly of Maris Otter British pale as the main ingredient. Smaller quantities of the following malts were used: Weyerman Munich, Weyermann Rye Malt, Weyermann Vienna Malt, Simpson Crystal 75, and a "skosh" of Castle Aromatic Malt. The color is close to 16 HCU (~10 SRM). At the end of the boil, I included the zest of 1.5 large Navel oranges, and the zest of 1 small white grapefruit. Black Malabar pepper and Grains of Paradise were also added. IBU was 27, and I used Styrian Goldings and Saaz hops.

The brew day became quite the neighborhood gathering. By the end of the boil, 8 people were still there, talking so loudly that I thought the other neighbors might complain.

Brew Day Photos:

Brew Day Setup, aka "White Trash Theater"

A closeup of my hodgepodge, homemade & amateur-welded equipment.

Lovely Roxy, the "Perfect Woman" for Brew Day.
She loves cigars and strong drink, (and the occasional tip or IOU).
Trudy Nepstad contributed this to my garage brewery about 5 years ago.
Thanks, Trudy!

Nanobrewery Update for Oct '06

2006-10-09T13:38:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted for a while, so here's an update for my nanobrewery:

In early September I brewed a "Sticke" version of a Kölsch-style beer. My son and I tried the first samples of the finished brew last night. It is definitely well-balanced and yummy. This keg I will serve as-is, but the other keg I'll probably dry-hop for an extra bit of "umph" & aroma.

This past month, I've also brewed a Scottish Ale and a Mocha Imperial Stout. The Scottish will be going to tertiary conditioning tonight, and the stout will be in the primary until at least tomorrow.

The Mocha Imperial Stout is an experiment, like many of my beers. At the end of the boil, I used 6 oz of Scharffen Berger Unsweetened Cacao Nibs and 5 oz of (ground) Starbucks Café Verona Coffee for this 8-gallon batch of Imperial Stout.

Inventory:
In the past month, I've run out of 2 Belgian styles: my Strong-Dark, and the Saison.
I'm also down to the last of the Oak-aged Whisky Barrel Imperial Stout that I brewed on Dec 26, 2005. It is almost perfect, so I bottled some for posterity. The Hop Harvest IPA is doing fine. It's slightly unbalanced and overly-hopped (to me), but my friends always go for that tap handle. I still have about 3 pints of the May 5th Big Brew Day "Poor Richard's Ale" (18th-century period beer) left. I need to feed it to my neighbors (or drink it myself), to give me some tap room.

What to brew next? I have the heavy styles covered. I think I need a lighter brew on tap. I'm thinking about a lager; specifically a crisp, slightly-hoppy Northern German style Pilsener. More than likely, I'll brew another couple of Saison's, though.
Any other suggestions?

This weekend, I'll take a keg of the "Sticke" Kölsch and the IPA to a race that I will be supporting.
I plan to run in the Heartland 50-mile trail race with a couple of trail-running buddies. Afterward, my friend Raul and I want to set up a "gypsy" aid station about 4 miles from the finish line of the 100-mile trail run event, (which will still be going on for many hours after we finish the 50). We're going to call it the "Mirage Aid Station." There will be hot soup, food, water, loud music, half-crocked aid station volunteers, and 2 styles of ale on tap. What more could an ultrarunner want at mile 96 of a 100-miler?

Homebrewed Kölsch Variant

2006-09-08T13:31:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm going to find time to brew again this weekend. I'm going to brew a Kölsch-style beer with more of a hop profile and a higher gravity. I'll still use "noble" European hops, though. It will basically be a "Sticke" version of the style. I'll also use a Scottish Ale yeast, instead of a Kölsch yeast. I've used this yeast before for Kölsch, and ended up with good results.

I always like making up my own recipes and messing with the rules of a style. It makes life interesting, and I've made many a fine beer, this way. Yum, yum...can't wait!

Here's the basic recipe:

Gute Träume Sticke Kölschbier (version #7)
Style: Kölsch variant.
Type: All grain
Size: 11.5 gallons
Grain:
20 lb. Turbo Pilsner, 1.7-2L
9 lb. Maris Otter, Crisp -3L
3 lb. Wheat Malt
Mash:
Single Step Mash at 152-155F for 70 min. Actual temp:_________
start recirc. 50 mins into mash.
Batch sparged at 170F
Boil: 80 minutes
Hops:
2.0 oz. Tettnang Hop Flowers (60 min.)
1.0 oz. Hallertau Mittelfruh Hop Flower, German (45 min.)
1.0 oz. Hallertau Mittelfruh Hop Flower, German (30 min.)
2.0 oz. Hallertau Mittelfruh Hop Flower, German (10 min.)
2.0 oz. Tettnang Hop Flowers (10 min.)
Yeast:
2 ea Wyeast Scottish Ale, 1728 XL (activator pack).
Fermentation:
Primary fermentation in glass at 72F for 5-6 days.
Secondary fermentation in glass at 72F for 5-7 days.
Tertiary fermentation/conditioning in glass at 60F for 5 - 14 days.

Back To Homebrewing!

2006-09-05T07:42:00.000-07:00

I'm back to homebrewing again, after a 3-month hiatus. I haven't brewed since early June! I brew outside, and we've had a very hot & humid Summer which was more conducive to passing-out from heat exhaustion, rather than brewing. The weather yesterday (on the Labor Day holiday) was perfect...80F was the hottest temp observed. I would have brewed on Sunday, also, but my back and left hamstring were injured severely on my last big running event. A few days ago, I couldn't even tie my own shoes, let alone do any of the tasks involved with homebrewing. (I'm much better, now).

Homebrewing Technical Talk:
I decided to brew a "Harvest India Pale Ale," using my crop of this year's hops from my back yard. Last year, I had enough hops for three 10-gallon batches of hoppy brew. This year, my hop crop sucked, because of the extreme heat and humidity, (but with little rain). Oh well, I still had enough hop flowers for a "brutal" addition to this IPA, which is a borderline Imperial IPA with a 1.072 starting gravity. (Imperials start at 1.075). I could have had a higher starting gravity, but I sparged more wort out of the mash tun's grain bed to try to get a higher pre-boil volume close to 14 (or so) gallons. All of the hop flowers suck-up a lot of water, and also the long boil time will evaporate-off a lot of H2O. I succeeded; the total wort volume was about 11-1/2 gallons post-boil, which will come out to be about 10 gallons final volume for the kegs, after time spent in primary fermentation, secondary fermentation, and conditioning.

My hop vines in the back yard are all intertwined, so I have no idea of hop variety or alpha-value specifics for this particular brewing session. All that I know is, there were these varieties in varying amounts that I added to the brew: Cascade, Centennial, Columbus, Willamette, Saaz...a regular "smorgasbord / potpourri" of hops. I love the element of surprise, when I'm brewing my annual harvest ale(s). Last year's version was magnificent!