This past weekend I celebrated Fall Break by asking Ted to join me on a quick brewery/disc golf tour of southwest Michigan. We visited New Holland Brewing Company in Holland, MI as well as Founders Brewing in Grand Rapids. In between, we shot up to Silver Lake, a place I hadn’t been since high school. On the way back, we stopped in South Bend, IN to play some disc golf (and get IN off my to-do list), but, according to a local, all the baskets were taken down for the winter. Didn’t realize one couldn’t play DG in the winter. Guess those Hoosiers don’t believe in Ice Bowls or other manly things.

Below are two slideshows: one of New Holland Brewing and one of Little Sable Point Lighthouse.

I Am A Craft Brewer from I Am A Craft Brewer on Vimeo.

Was wandering about the kitchen today wondering what to do with a cucumber when I was reminded of that staple of Victorian English novels: the cucumber sandwhich. However, I’m a barbaric Midwestern American living in a place that considers pepper an exotic spice. So, here’s what I assembled:

Toast:
2 slices wheat bread

On one side spread
Cream cheese
On the other slice spread
Butter/margarine

Layer on one slice
6-8 slices of cucumber (1/8-1/4 inch thick)

Sprinkle with
Pinch of dill
1-2 grinds of fresh black pepper

Place the other slice of toast on top of the cucumber-laden slice.

Cut in half, and enjoy.

Last night we held the 6th (or 5th) Irregular Annual Monty Python party. The first party was held in 1995 at the Fry house. Since then we have had parties at the Toccoa house, the Chicago apartment, and the Tiffin house. All parties include coconuts, House Rules, costumes, and assorted hilarities. This year marked our third Spam sculpting event although there were no prizes this year due to the economic downturn and harried schedules. We crammed about 25 folk into the house, and a great time was had.

Visit our Flickr set for more pictures.

Brew Date:9/20/2008

Last Fall I was examining my brewing palate and realized I’d not done an Irish Red. Why not? I like Irish Reds. I’ve purchased Irish Reds. Why haven’t I made an Irish Red? At the same time, I was wanting to branch out a bit on my recipe sourcing. Don’t get me wrong. The kits from G&G have been fantastic, every one. But I thought I’d see what else was out there. Having just purchased BeerSmith software, I checked out their archives and located a couple of possibilities. After more searching, I determined that “Big Head Irish Red” by Tim Gorman had what I was looking for. So, I ordered up the ingredients and had it. I was so pleased with it that I brought some out to HI for our special trip.

(more…)

As I pondered a hot Midwestern summer, I thought it’d be fun to make a light, refreshing pale ale that I could take to cookouts and what not that people would actually drink. I’d also been hearing some raves about Amarillo hops, and, with the hop shortage on, I was surprised to score some at a really good price. Given my success with the Simcoe Pale Ales, I decided on a very simple grain bill that would be hopped exclusively with Amarillo hops at frequent intervals. In addition to a light, refreshing brew, I wanted a full-presentation of the Amarillo hop. To that end, I slightly modified the grains from T-8, adding in the Munich that I’m really starting to like. Also, rather than stick to a typical American yeast which you’d expect in an APA, I repitched the Thames Valley from T-15. On brew day, I made a last minute decision to toss in some leftover East Kent Goldings and Challenger hops to boost the bittering. I figured that at the 60 min mark, they wouldn’t add any flavor or aroma to interfere with my discovery of the joys of Amarillo.

The Numbers
OG: 1.048
FG: 1.014
ABV: 4.43
IBU: 45.7
SRM: 13
Yield: 51×12

Tasting Notes
I should say upfront that this ale befuddles me somewhat. Left to my own devices, I’d say that this was a good or decent brew. I think I did a good job on the technical side, and there really aren’t any flaws. On the other hand, I was entirely underwhelmed by the Amarillo hops. That all being said, I believe that this is my most popular brew to date. At every event where I’ve brought this thing, people don’t just compliment it or express interest, they really like it. I thought at first that it was just people who weren’t used to craft brews, but then I got more raves from someone who samples many “more sophisticated” malt beverages. After each of these experiences, I’ve gone back home and tried another one to see if I can taste what they’re tasting. And each time I’m left confused, sipping on my good-not-great creation that seems to excite others way more than it does me. For all of you who claim I should start my own brewery, this may be one indication of why that’s not a good idea. (Of course, I’m not opposed to making T-16 again, but, still…)

So, with all that said, here’s what I think:

Appearance: Very clear, golden color with cream head.
Aroma: All hops. Citrus, fresh grapefruit, hint of a sharpness, very faint alcohol.
Taste: Sharp, almost pithy bitterness that’s less harsh than actual citrus pith. Hard to sense any of the malt.
Mouthfeel: Fairly high carbonation. Finishes fairly clean with a lingering bitterness.
Overall: This ale is all about the hop. Unfortunately, I think the hop character is a bit flat. The aroma and flavor are good, but they need some more depth. I wonder if the Amarillo is one of those hops that is best in a blend. It does have good things to offer. Also, if this were a recording, I’d say there was something just a bit off in the high end. I don’t have a descriptor for it. It is solid ale, but I still don’t understand all the love it gets. Maybe I just don’t like Texas

For an explanation of the origin of this ale, see the entry for the first attempt.

A few batches on now from last year’s Inklings Ale debacle, I thought I’d tackle the recipe again and bring some to the Glen for the Thomas Parker Society. The CAMRA recipe calls for some Diastatic Malt Extract and a certain amount of mashing. Not having any Diastatic Malt Extract, in fact discovering that such an animal is not only hard to come by here in the US but increasingly so back in Merry Old, I decide to change things up a bit by adding some base malt and doing a partial mash procedure I read in BYO magazine. I also decided to try a different yeast than last try. Instead of the standby Wyeast 1028 London Ale, I tried out 1275 Thames Valley (which is supposedly a Burton ale yeast). My big excitement here was that I have purchased an erlenmeyer flask in which to make yeast starters.

Brew day went fantastically, with me hitting my marks on the nose. In fact, it may be the most exact brew day I’ve had.

The Numbers
OG: 1.050
FG: 1.013
ABV: 4.82
IBU: 30.2
SRM: 14
Yield: 16×12, 8×16, 8.41×22 (43.16×12)
Tasting Notes
Off the top, it looks great: coppery cyrstal clear, decent white foam. I continue to be amazed at the difference between the 12oz bottles and larger vessels; considering it’s bottle conditioned, I suppose I shouldn’t be, but I am. Some of the 12ers have a highly fruity quality that I’m not sure I like, whereas the larger bottles seem to be more balanced, allowing the EKG hops to shine. [update]The disparity between bottle sizes continues, with the 12ers presenting–to my taste–a sulphur trace. Took the brew to some professional tasters. One couldn’t sense what I was talking about; the other said he could taste the off-flavor but that he was hyper-sensitive to the particular flavor I was describing. So, no answers yet on this oddity.

At Thomas Parker, the ale was rather well liked. “Kick %&#!” was one response, along with many “Well dones” and people wrestling with their better angels over whether they could have another glass and still be fair to those who hadn’t yet tried some.

Brewed 2/23/2008

On one of my online shopping excursions to The Grape and Granary, their ingredient kit for “American Amber” caught my attention. After the Brown ale experiment, I’d decided I wanted to go Red. I fiddled around with BeerSmith a while, but was never really satisfied with what I was designing. Then I saw that that the GG American Amber had most of the qualities I was seeking, including the usage of Simcoe hops. Why grind out my own recipe when, if my experience with other GG kits was any guide, a very fine recipe was mine for the having.

What earned this brew the name Albino Amber was a (happy?) brewing accident. For whatever reason, when I was racking the wort from the kettle to the fermenter, there was a large amount of trub. I ended up leaving more wort in the kettle than I thought so that when I topped up the fermenter with water, my specific gravity was 13 points low. Trying not to panic, I took quick stock of the pantry and set my hands on the remaining honey I had from, I believe, T-4. 2 pounds of Republic honey. I boiled the honey with some water, let it cool, and added it to the fermenter. The gravity was now a mere 3 points high: perfectly acceptable. At the time, I felt that the resulting color was a good bit lighter than I had hoped, thus, Albino Amber. As folks tasted the finished product, some, especially Peter W, questioned my title most severely.

The fermentation was a bit crazy (perhaps caused by the honey?). The top of the fermenting bucket blew off several times causing me to worry about nasties invading my brew. However, I think the positive pressure from the CO2 kept things clean. Once things settled down and I got it into the secondary, the process went smoothly.

This batch was also my first time using a Bench Capper. While the hand-capper that came with my original brewing kit is functional, it had trouble with Bass Ale bottles and could get unwieldy. The bench capper adjusts easily to any height, deals with a variety of bottles, and is much more stable. It also doesn’t require me to be hunched over on the floor. All in all, a rather good investment.
Ingredients
As this is a G&G kit, I won’t list the entire recipe. However, this is what’s in there:
Grain Bill

• Dry and liquid malt extract
• 80L Caramel malt
• Weyermann Carared
• Munich
• Chocolate Malt
• 2lbs Honey from Republic, OH

Hops

• Bittering: Horizon
• Flavor: Cascade and Simcoe
• Aroma: Cascade and Simcoe

Yeast
Wyeast 1056 American Ale yeast

Final Numbers
OG: 1.058
FG: 1.009
ABV: 6.39%
IBU: 44.6
Yield: 54 X 12oz

Tasting Notes
Golden amber color with a clean white head. American hop aroma. Cascade and Simcoe hops combine their grapefruit and apricot/mango essences to provide a refreshing, fruity hop flavor. Munich and crystal malts provide a bready, caramel complexity. This is the first of my brews to display some of that GLBC graininess for which I search. Will definitely use Munich in the future.

The Brown Fox certainly proved to be quite the wily beast. Not only did it start out as one thing and end up another, it continued to morph in the bottle from a barely acceptable brew to something that has been something of a crowd pleaser.

My intention with Brown Fox had been to develop a Brown Ale. I was enamored with the idea of a rich, flavorful, low-alcohol session ale. However, my initial research into the style showed many commercial varieties that I honestly found rather bland. Starting from an amalgamation of a few recipes I found online, I started adding and tweaking the recipe until I thought it would have some flavor characteristics I like. The grain bill became somewhat complex, so I wanted the hops to be simple and English. While the bittering was done with some American hops I had laying around, I knew that they would add little, if anything, to the flavor; for the aroma and flavor, I stuck with the old standby East Kent Goldings.

Brew day was fantastic. I hit very close to my marks and increased my comfort with the partial mash system. The grain smells coming out of the kitchen were fantastic. Fermentation–reusing the yeast cake from T-12–went off without a hitch. On bottling day, I was pleased to yield 49 12oz bottles, just about perfect.

All of those good feelings took a bit of hit when I tasted the first bottle. It was sweet. It didn’t taste bad, but I couldn’t in any way get excited about it. In fact, I rued the idea of having to drink it all by myself because not only could I not foresee anyone help me down the stuff, I wasn’t even comfortable offering it folks to try. Friend Cindy visited from NC shortly after bottling, and we tasted it with several other browns. In addition to confirming my general feelings about the style, we thought that Brown Fox was not bad, but it wasn’t interesting us much either. Not knowing exactly what to do, I put the bottles in the cellar.

About a month or so later–maybe more, who’s counting–I brought a couple bottles of T-13 up from the basement and gave them a try. I’d heard various stories of brewers observing surprising changes in their brews over time, and I myself have witnessed the effects of time on ale. I wasn’t prepared for the virtual transformation of the Brown Fox. In the bottle, it became much more balanced; roasty characteristics came forward; the slight hop flavor developed. In short, it became a VERY tasty brew. As I gingerly ushered it into the world, the folks who tasted it were (almost) wildly enthusiastic.

Confused by this change and by the warm reception, I did some more research. The main discovery I made was that the ale I brewed was not, in fact, a brown ale. (Wha?!?) The recipe actually fit the characteristics of a Brown Porter. It was amusing to scan the characteristics and ingredients of the Brown Porter and see that the tweaks and additions I’d made to the brown ale recipes had very specifically moved the recipe out of that style. In the end, I may simply have to admit that the Brown Ale style is not one of my favorites.

As to what happened to the Brown Fox in the bottle to transform it from not something I would share to a fan fave, I can only surmise that the wily beast wanted to lead me on a merry chase before revealing its true flavor.

Final Numbers
OG: 1.046
FG: 1.009
ABV: 4.82%
IBU: 32.8
Yield: 49 x 12oz
Tasting Notes
Rocky tan head, dark brown, slight earthy aroma, classic english hops, roasty malt, hint of coffee.

Brewed 2/9/2008
My summer experiment with Simcoe hops was so successful that I thought repeating it would be in the best interests of science. You know, that whole repeatable results canard of which they’re so fond. Of course, I can’t just do exactly the same thing. For one thing, I’ve added the partial mash to my toolbox. And, for this brew, I decided to see if a new technique I just read about would help me get even more hoppy goodness out of my precious hops: late extract addition. In LEA, you only had a portion of the malt extract at the beginning of the boil. This lowers the gravity of the wort. Due to various forces of physics and chemistry, fewer IBUs are extracted from hops in higher gravity wort; thus, lowering the gravity of the wort should help extract more IBUs from the hops.

That, and I planned on actually doing the dry-hopping that I’d planned and failed to execute last time.

So here’s what it looked like:

Numbers
OG: 1.059
FG: 1.014
ABV: 5.87%
IBU: 55.9
Color: 14.6 SRM

Yield
31×12oz, 14×16oz

Tasting Notes
I still love me the Simcoe.
Appearance: Crystal clear, deep amber going to red. Cream colored head. Very appealing.

Aroma: Early on, the dry hopping brought out something of what I’ve learned is a characteristic “cat-pee” quality (but in a good way!). That’s faded over time. Now it’s mostly the typical tropical fruit, almost sticky aroma.

Flavor: Bring on the fruity. On the hoppy side of things, but not too much. For all of my thought and tinkering on the grain bill, this ale is all about the hops, and I should probably simplify the grains with that in mind.

Mouthfeel: Medium to full. Finishes clean.

Overall: This is a recipe to make again. I’d like to boost the graininess.