Pittsburgh

After my last post talking thorugh all the beers that have been brewed and consumed over the past year or so I failed to mention the other large change, and main reason for the time gap between posts is that Jackie and I moved from Delaware to Pittsburgh. As most of the 3 to 4 readers of this are my friends and family and already know this, you are probably not surprised by this, but I do want to be able to keep a good timeline of life and beer here, so the update was needed.

There are many good things about the move, with one being the new location and ambiance surrounding the kegerator. Below is a pic of the new location in the garage complete with beer and guy type decorations.

______________________________________________________________ Work is the curse of the drinking class. --Oscar Wilde

Very long overdue update

So it's been a while and a lot of beer has flowed in and out of the kegerator. Because I want to be able to use this blog to not only keep the internet up to date with what I am doing, but also have a place to refer to over time below is a list and quick summary the beers that have been brewed since the last post. I don't have the same stats on all the beers, but I'll put down what I have.

Williams Double Stout
Brewed - 8/11/11
Kegged - 9/13/11
Alcohol - 5.2%
Summary - a really good stout, I would definitely do this one again and would suggest it if anyone is looking for a stout

Sierra Nevada Clone
Brewed - 11/2/11
Secondary - 11/14/11
Kegged - 12/5/11
Alcohol - 5.6%
Summary -  This was from the clone book (obviously) and really turned out well. This was a really good match to the original and I would make this again when in need for an IPA. This was also right around the time when I decided to switch to the vial yeast (see struggles with older brews) and I have had very good luck with those.

73 Minute IPA
Brewed - 11/3/11
Secondary - 11/14/11
Kegged - 12/5/11
Alcohol - 6.3%
Summary - This was from the Dogfish book and was intended to be a 60 minute clone but during the brew I had a couple of timing issues and this ended up boiling for 73 minutes. In the secondary I used 1oz of dry Cascade hops which were very fun, but difficult to clean up! This was a good brew, but the multiple flavors of hops were a bit hard to find and I think it ended up being a bit expensive. I'll keep working the Dogfish book, but this one would require a little modification.

Red Eye Stout
Brewed - 11/25/11
Secondary - 12/9/11
Bottled - 12/20/11
Alcohol - 5.8%
Summary - I brewed this one over Thanksgiving with Tim and Mike (brother and step-dad) and the initial idea was to do a Founder's Breakfast Stout clone. I found the recipe online and everything went really well during the brew. When I moved the beer to the secondary fermenter I added in 3oz of ground Kona coffee and 1oz of ground coco nibs. This is the point where the beer moved from a Breakfast Stout to the Red Eye Stout. The ground coffee pretty much acted as you would expect ground coffee to inside liquid and really flavored that beer.
I took half of the batch to Tim over Christmas and suggested to him that it sit for a while before drinking, but being a poor college student at the time I believe he drank it quickly and did enjoy it. I actually still have about8 bottles sitting the basement and I know it has improved quite a bit over time. I think it is going to be excellent and will try it again after about a year in the bottle. Next time if I was trying to match the Founder's I would add the coffee beans whole or only leave the ground coffee in the secondary for a couple days.

Midwest's Pumpkin Ale
Brewed 11/25/11
Secondary - 12/9/11
Bottled -sometime in December
Alcohol - 3.4%
Summary - As I did with a pumpkin beer last year I roasted a raw pumpkin for about 40 minutes and added that to the boil along with a can of pumpkin (not pumpkin pie). I was in a bit of a hurry on this one as it was brewed the same day as the above Red Eye Stout and we needed to head out the door for Thanksgiving functions. I added a bit too much water and the original gravity got a bit off from where it should have been and I think I lost about 0.5% of alcohol, but overall the beer turned out to be a bit sweet, but I have heard very positive things about it and people really seem to enjoy it. I let this one age in my new pop top style bottles and have been opening it in the 2012 pumpkin beer season.

True Brew Double IPA
Brewed - 2/22/12
Secondary (dry hops added) - 2/29/12
Bottled -3/21/12
ABV - Estimated at 7%
Summary - First off, the ABV has been estimated for this beer because during the initial brew my hydrometer broke so I am using an estimate for the starting gravity. So about this brew....Doug (brother-in-law) came over for this one and we had a few drinks, played some darts, broke a hydrometer, and made a pretty darn good beer. This one ended up in a keg and probably helped add a bit to the belly that I am currently trying to work off; this one was really good and I would absolutely do it again. The improvement I would make on this one would be to dry hop in a bag because it was really difficult to move the beer from the secondary to the keg with the dry hops all over it. 

Pineapple Wheat
Brewed - 4/18/12
Secondary - 4/29/12
Bottled - 5/9/12
Alcohol - 5.25%
Summary - This is the 30th anniversary Cabin beer created with Tim. This was a wheat beer from the clone book and at the end of the boil I added in 2.5 pounds of pureed pineapple. When moving to the secondary fermenter I added in one raw pineapple and one roasted pineapple. This was finally bottled with 2.5oz of priming sugar which might have turned out to be just a little too much because some/most of the bottles were very foamy when opened. Overall there was good pineapple flavor with this beer and it was a wheat beer that actually worked for me so I was pretty pumped about it. 

Ayinger Oktoberfest 
Brewed - 4/17/12
Secondary - 4/29/12
Kegged - 7/12/12
Alcohol - 6.04%
Summary - Time to bring out the lagerator! This beer fermented somewhere between 47 and 52 degrees for a couple of months then down to 37 degrees for the last couple of weeks. Ayinger is one of our favorite Oktoberfests and this was ended up being very popular. I had this ready in the kegerator for Chelsea's (friend) 30th birthday party in early October and the keg was gone by the end of the night! Everyone really seemed to like it and it think it might be time to get the lagerator out one more time!

Summer Ale
Brewed - 4/29/12
Secondary - 5/3/12
Kegged - 5/28/12 (happy birthday me!) 
Alcohol - 4.5%
Summary - I am struggling to remember this one, probably because of the Double IPA, so I am going to rely on Jackie (wife) for some notes on this guy. This one was served at the Olympics party (July-ish) and apparently it was quite a success. I am always on the search for a good summer ale so if anyone has a good kit or recipe please let me know, but I would use this one again for sure. This was from the clone book.

Milk Stout
Brewed - 4/29/12
Secondary - 5/7/12
Kegged - 5/28/12 (happy birthday me!)
Alcohol - 4.8%
Summary - This is from the clone book and one that Tim pointed out to me when we were looking through the book putting together the recipe for the pineapple wheat. The main difference with this and the other stouts that I have made is the introduction of lactose. This gave the beer a bit of sweetness which was maybe a bit too much at the beginning, but over time this has really mellowed out. Right now (October) this is the stout on tap and it's getting better by the day. 

Australian IPA
Brewed - 7/13/12
Secondary - 7/18/12
Kegged - 7/29/12
Alcohol - 5.5%
Summary - This was a quick IPA turnaround because the double moved pretty quickly out of the taps! The Australian aspect of this brew comes from the hops which are Galaxy, and apparently from Down Under. Overall, another good IPA with a unique flavor thanks to the hops. I always like to have an IPA on tap and this one has been popular with a little bit more in the keg. It is about time to get a one more fermenting to take it's place.

Wow - so now we are up to date....A couple more posts soon to come for some brews that just made it into the kegerator and kegs today.
________________________________________________________________ Beer makes you feel the way you ought to feel without beer. --Henry Lawson

Witbier is alive

Attempt number two at a Belgian Witbier can now be considered successful.  While the beer is a little darker than I thought it would be the taste is excellent and it is finally carbonated.  Before Christmas I put this into a keg, fired up the CO2 and let it go.  Coming back home the beer was pretty flat and there was not much CO2 left in the keg. I transferred the brew to a different keg, cranked up the CO2 and let it rip.  The head on the beer is solid now and I think with a few more days a rest it will be ready to go. 

I am having some trouble understanding exactly how to force carbonate beer as I am still new to the keg game.  I think for my next batch, which is a Czech Pilsner currently in the lagerator (mini fridge I use for lager fermentations), I will add in the priming sugar and let it naturally carbonate in the keg.  After a few weeks I will add enough CO2 to get it through the lines and see what happens.  The best part is the experimenting and finding out new things. 

Below will be a pic of the witbier in all its glory.

 

 

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“Quaintest thoughts, queerest fancies come to life and fade away. What care I how time advances; I am drinking ale today.” – Edgar Allan Poe

Beer and Christmas

Christmas was a great time for me and my homebrews.  Not only can I stop using the terrible excuses for tap handles that I attempted to make, but I also received a custom made, Tim Doyle original tap handle direct from the Michigan beaches.  They look great and really work!!  I also received a wort chiller which I have already put to use and a gift certificate to Williams Brewing where I have purchased some random parts, a new carboy, and a double stout kit!!

Here is a pic of the new handles!

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“If God had intended us to drink beer, He would have given us stomachs. “ – David Daye

Following the fail – a big win!

Although I was feeling down about the failed batch and not having 3 beers on tap for the guests, we had some people over a weekend ago for beer and bbq.  The two beers on tap, the Vienna lager and the oatmeal stout were really big hits.  Comments like "”one of my favorite stouts” and “I love you Pat” were common and making me feel very good.  The barbeque was also awesome so a very successful night all the way around. 

A new crew headed to the house this weekend so hopefully I get the same response!

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“An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools” – Ernest Hemmingway

First epic failure

Well not everyone is perfect, and I have demonstrated that in spades.  In my attempt to please my wife and make a batch of beer specifically for her the yeast did not want to cooperate.  I used liquid yeast for the first time in a “smack pack” and was struggling from the beginning.  I hit the pack up and down and it took about 6 days to expand to the usable size.  The actual fermentation went well, and while the OG was a little lower that what was expected, it was not a problem.  I added the yeast and let that baby go. 

The transfer to the carboy and the secondary fermentation also went off without a hitch and everything was looking good.  After a couple of weeks I took a gravity reading and had to do a double take.  I let is go a week or so more, took another reading and was still confused.  The “beer” was about 1.4% alcohol…I put it into a keg hoping that something good might happen, but this is just a wasted batch. 

A couple days ago I brewed another witbeer hoping for redemption.  This morning I checked it and am somewhat concerned as the bubbles are few and far between.  I am hoping a few more days will get that yeast going and I can add another batch to the kegerator!

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“The government will fall that raises the price of beer” – Czech Saying

Tap #3 of 4

Time for the next beer to go on tap!!  About 3 weeks ago I moved the Belgian Wit into the secondary fermenter and am now ready to move to the keg.  My plan is to add about half of the priming sugar and force carbonate with about half the pressure that is shown on all the carbonation charts.  This was also my first pure extract brew, and I have to say, the wort production part of the process went very well.  I did not have any problems and would recommend extract brewing going forward. 

Using the kegs is still a work in process, but the two that are on tap are still coming through and tasting fine, so I am a happy man!  Should have an update and pictures in about a week of all 3 beer that will be on tap.  Until then, happy drinking!

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“I drink to make other people interesting” – George Jean Nathan