Hello!
I've had several people ask me "My <son, husband, friend> wants to start homebrewing. What should I get them for Christmas?"
There are a couple of ways to look at it.
First, how serious are they? Homebrewing, though rewarding and worth every ounce of effort, is a relatively big commitment in time and resources. Do they REALLY want to do it, or are they just interested in beer? You could buy some REALLY nice beer for what it costs to homebrew.
Just a thought.
Second- are they people who jump in head first, or someone who tests the water?
If they are experimental, there are One Gallon homebrew kits which are lower priced and in my opinion, a great way to learn the methods and practices.
If they are FULLY IN, BRAH! then you want to go with a 5 gallon kit.
Education cannot be stressed enough. SURE you can buy them kit, but PLEASE also purchase a book for them.
One gallon brewing book, it is absolutely my number one recommendation for anyone wanting to start brewing: Beer Craft
For the person who wants a bit more to chew on: The Complete Joy of Homebrewing
I suggest that you visit your local homebrew store to pick up a kit, some ingredients, and perhaps a gift certificate. To find one, google "Homebrew Supplies" and your town. There are bound to be stores near you.
If you don't have time or need to send a kit to someone far away, I suggest Austin Homebrew. There are a lot of retailers, but Austin Homebrew sell one gallon kits which is why they win the mention!
They also sell larger kits for 5 gallon batches
Keep in mind that kits do not include a pot. A pot is necessary. For one gallon brewing, a 2 gallon pot is fine (spaghetti pot.) For 5 gallon brewing, a 7 gallon pot will do the trick (tamale pot.)
DO NOT run out and buy a stainless steel pot, unless you want to really make a super WOW impression. They are unnecessary at this time. An aluminum pot from a big box store is just fine.
A note on heating:
For one gallon batches, your stovetop is fine. For 5 gallon batches, I suggest you get a turkey fryer propane burner from the get-go. An additional advantage is that they usually come with a pot!
I hope this helps with your homebrew "newbie" gift giving! Happy Holidays!
Additional Retailers of Equipment and Ingredients:
Midwest Supplies
Northern Brewer
More Beer
Williams Brewing
Adventures in Homebrewing
Want to learn in a fun way? Direct your friends to The Brewing Network. And don't blame me!
Saturday, December 6, 2014
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
HIGH Larry-us
This is worth clicking to :)
http://www.buzzfeed.com/justinlehmann/23-things-homebrewers-are-tired-of-hearing-ghjm
http://www.buzzfeed.com/justinlehmann/23-things-homebrewers-are-tired-of-hearing-ghjm
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Rosemary IPA Recipe
I've had some homebrewers recently ask for the recipe for the Rosemary IPA I make.
Here you go!
9 lb of Great Western 2-row
.75 lb of Cara Foam (Cara Pils)
.75 lb Crystal 60
.5 lb Honey malt
Single infusion mash at 152 degrees for 1 hour
1 oz Warrior (15%, 60 minutes)
1 oz Rosemary (picked from stem, crushed slightly in palm of hand, 15 minutes)
1 oz Rosemary (picked from stem, crushed slightly in palm of hand, 1 minute)
Irish moss at T-20 minutes
US05 yeast, one packet
OG: 1.066
IBU: 55
Color: 9.3 SRM
FG: 1.015
ABV: 6.3%
I use a hop spider for my hops and rosemary
Taste the beer after fermentation, before bottling. Because Rosemary varies widely from one plant to another, you may want to dry hop with rosemary, depending on the desired effect. TOO MUCH can be off-putting.
Prosit!
Here you go!
9 lb of Great Western 2-row
.75 lb of Cara Foam (Cara Pils)
.75 lb Crystal 60
.5 lb Honey malt
Single infusion mash at 152 degrees for 1 hour
1 oz Warrior (15%, 60 minutes)
1 oz Rosemary (picked from stem, crushed slightly in palm of hand, 15 minutes)
1 oz Rosemary (picked from stem, crushed slightly in palm of hand, 1 minute)
Irish moss at T-20 minutes
US05 yeast, one packet
OG: 1.066
IBU: 55
Color: 9.3 SRM
FG: 1.015
ABV: 6.3%
I use a hop spider for my hops and rosemary
Taste the beer after fermentation, before bottling. Because Rosemary varies widely from one plant to another, you may want to dry hop with rosemary, depending on the desired effect. TOO MUCH can be off-putting.
Prosit!
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Brewing at College Street
"Andrew, why have you done so many commercial posts lately? This is a HOMEBREW blog!" <<unfollow>>
Well, my good people, with my upcoming move to professional brewing I have been taking every opportunity to talk with pros and get my hands on their equipment. It's pretty damn fun.
This weekend I went to College Street Brewery in Lake Havasu.
Many people are probably thinking "But Andrew, you just brewed at Mudshark in Lake Havasu. What is the deal with Lake Havasu? 2 breweries in one po-dunk town?"
Actually, 3.
Yes, Lake Havasu, the sprawling metropolis of 50,000 people, has 3 breweries. This seems to be a bit excessive
IN THE BEST POSSIBLE WAY!
College Street is a 30 bbl brew system, which is the largest I have brewed on. James brewed "Brother Dewey's Date Night" beer last year at Barley Brother's Brewing and it went over so well, they decided to brew it at the larger capacity College Street Brewery this time. (These are two completely separate breweries, but have the same brew master, some co-ownership, some different owners... I don't know. It's odd to me, but- whatevz...)
The Grain bill was 1600 lbs of 2-row and 700 lbs of various specialty grains.
We added 130 lbs of liquified dates from an Arizona date farm (we have a lot of them). Do you have any idea what a pain in the ass it is to use a blender to blend dates and water together? A HUGE pain in the ass. This ended up being the equivalent of 5, 5-gallon buckets of liquified dates. One blender cup at a time. *
Oh you want more? Ok- how about 220 lb of dark Belgian candi sugar? 45 lbs of Arizona honey? Sure, we can do that too.
A huge thank you goes out to Bluegrass-pickin', banjo making, beard growing Head Brewer Colby for allowing us to be in his way all day and listening to James snore all night (we crashed at Colby's house...)
* This is one reason we are going with a 3-bbl system. Adding crazy ingredients is much more manageable, as you scale down and less manageable as you scale up. Thank you to Keith Koch for blending up 90% of the dates. It's a messy messy job!
Another thanks to Scott and Tina from Mudshark for inviting us and the College Street brewers over for dinner and drinks on Friday night. What awesome hosts and friends!
Discovery #1- I shotgunned a beer for the first time in my life. PBR. Apparently at Colby's house, they stand on this rock circle wall, with their feet halfway off the rocks. Shotgun the beer, then throw the empty can at someone else on the wall and try to make them fall of before they finish their beer. I do not recommend anyone try this.
Oh, actually- yes, everyone should, it's frikkin wicked awesome!
Discovery #2- even at a very close distance I suck at darts, however I will blow the rest of the group away at Trivial Pursuit, so... there's that.
Homebrew Related: Bonnie bottled here Queen of Brews beer while I was in Havasu, with Maria Natasha Vitulli. SO- no boys involved, per the rules. It ended up at about 1.045 if she read the hydrometer right. I'm praying that she didn't. She bottled all of it. Those bottles are in a rubbermaid container to contain any potential bottle bombs.
Homebrew Related: The kegerator was temperamental with the first keg of beer that I put on tap. It kicked this weekend, and keg#2 is now on- this is Bonnie's Mr Nelson I Presume, Nelson IPA. It seems to be pouring just fine.
Homebrew Related: I discovered that my smoked Berlinerweiss actually has a lineage. I was not the first person in history to do it. I know there is "Gratzer" style in Poland, which is a 100% smoked wheat beer (and absolutely delicious) but there is also "The Lichtenhainer-style brew, which is essentially a smoked Berlinerweiss" (from BeerPHXation )
Well, my good people, with my upcoming move to professional brewing I have been taking every opportunity to talk with pros and get my hands on their equipment. It's pretty damn fun.
This weekend I went to College Street Brewery in Lake Havasu.
Many people are probably thinking "But Andrew, you just brewed at Mudshark in Lake Havasu. What is the deal with Lake Havasu? 2 breweries in one po-dunk town?"
Actually, 3.
Yes, Lake Havasu, the sprawling metropolis of 50,000 people, has 3 breweries. This seems to be a bit excessive
IN THE BEST POSSIBLE WAY!
 |
| Colby, James, and Keith |
The Grain bill was 1600 lbs of 2-row and 700 lbs of various specialty grains.
We added 130 lbs of liquified dates from an Arizona date farm (we have a lot of them). Do you have any idea what a pain in the ass it is to use a blender to blend dates and water together? A HUGE pain in the ass. This ended up being the equivalent of 5, 5-gallon buckets of liquified dates. One blender cup at a time. *
Oh you want more? Ok- how about 220 lb of dark Belgian candi sugar? 45 lbs of Arizona honey? Sure, we can do that too.
A huge thank you goes out to Bluegrass-pickin', banjo making, beard growing Head Brewer Colby for allowing us to be in his way all day and listening to James snore all night (we crashed at Colby's house...)
* This is one reason we are going with a 3-bbl system. Adding crazy ingredients is much more manageable, as you scale down and less manageable as you scale up. Thank you to Keith Koch for blending up 90% of the dates. It's a messy messy job!
Another thanks to Scott and Tina from Mudshark for inviting us and the College Street brewers over for dinner and drinks on Friday night. What awesome hosts and friends!
Discovery #1- I shotgunned a beer for the first time in my life. PBR. Apparently at Colby's house, they stand on this rock circle wall, with their feet halfway off the rocks. Shotgun the beer, then throw the empty can at someone else on the wall and try to make them fall of before they finish their beer. I do not recommend anyone try this.
Oh, actually- yes, everyone should, it's frikkin wicked awesome!
Discovery #2- even at a very close distance I suck at darts, however I will blow the rest of the group away at Trivial Pursuit, so... there's that.
Homebrew Related: Bonnie bottled here Queen of Brews beer while I was in Havasu, with Maria Natasha Vitulli. SO- no boys involved, per the rules. It ended up at about 1.045 if she read the hydrometer right. I'm praying that she didn't. She bottled all of it. Those bottles are in a rubbermaid container to contain any potential bottle bombs.
Homebrew Related: The kegerator was temperamental with the first keg of beer that I put on tap. It kicked this weekend, and keg#2 is now on- this is Bonnie's Mr Nelson I Presume, Nelson IPA. It seems to be pouring just fine.
Homebrew Related: I discovered that my smoked Berlinerweiss actually has a lineage. I was not the first person in history to do it. I know there is "Gratzer" style in Poland, which is a 100% smoked wheat beer (and absolutely delicious) but there is also "The Lichtenhainer-style brew, which is essentially a smoked Berlinerweiss" (from BeerPHXation )
Saturday, August 31, 2013
The psychology of Rosemary IPA
Yes, it stormed on my brew day. It didn't get ME down!
I decided that taking Thursday as a short "work from home" day was a great idea. I always have these great ideas :)
Since I have been busy night and day working on Perch stuff, I hadn't brewed in a long time. On Wednesday, I reorganized the cellar and truly, the cellar is less than half of where it should be. I have been giving out more beer, and making less. Clearly this is a recipe for sadness.
The two most popular beers in the rotation are Grilled Lemon Cream Ale and Rosemary IPA, so... I put the word out that I'd be having a double brew day and tat all were welcome.
Throughout the brew day-fternoon (see, I just made up a word!) about a dozen people visited- it's so nice to have friends come by. This particular day, a storm blew in right at noon when the brew day was supposed to begin. I put up an EZ-Up tent and we were no worse for wear.
Paul was there early and helped weigh ad mill the grain, helped with mashing in, and- this is a first- SAT with me for a little bit while the mash water heated up.
I have these brew days, but I'm always doing SOME thing. Cleaning, getting things ready for the next step, etc. I honestly believe this is the first time I SAT DOWN at a brew day. I sat for like... 20 minutes straight! It was INCREDIBLE! Thanks Paul!
Bryan Myron brought his brew kit and brewed up a Pumking Clone. I helped him with the batch last year, and it was the BEST pumpkin beer I have ever tasted.
The rosemary for Rosemary IPA was picked in the garden at The Perch. I actually added additional Cascade at T-15 in this batch. I felt that the last batch was a bit "flat" or one-noted. In the prior batch, I used no hops beyond the bittering, letting the rosemary take it all. This is fine and it's an IPA for non- IPA lovers, to be sure. I bittered it to 60 IBU's, so it's an IPA, but with no late addition hops- every single person says "OH! I don't like IPA's and I like it" This phenomenon attests to the "Perception of Bitterness" that brewers speak of. It definitely had a lot of hop bitterness, but without the in-your-face super hoppy flavor and aroma, people perceive that there is less bitterness. Rosemary IPA is fantastically loved by all, and a litle cascade to boost some citrus pine notes will help it be just a --little-- more IPA-ish.
If I run out of Grilled Lemon Cream Ale, my mom will kill me. So- I made it for self-preservation reasons, really.
I decided that taking Thursday as a short "work from home" day was a great idea. I always have these great ideas :)
Since I have been busy night and day working on Perch stuff, I hadn't brewed in a long time. On Wednesday, I reorganized the cellar and truly, the cellar is less than half of where it should be. I have been giving out more beer, and making less. Clearly this is a recipe for sadness.
The two most popular beers in the rotation are Grilled Lemon Cream Ale and Rosemary IPA, so... I put the word out that I'd be having a double brew day and tat all were welcome.
Throughout the brew day-fternoon (see, I just made up a word!) about a dozen people visited- it's so nice to have friends come by. This particular day, a storm blew in right at noon when the brew day was supposed to begin. I put up an EZ-Up tent and we were no worse for wear.
Paul was there early and helped weigh ad mill the grain, helped with mashing in, and- this is a first- SAT with me for a little bit while the mash water heated up.
I have these brew days, but I'm always doing SOME thing. Cleaning, getting things ready for the next step, etc. I honestly believe this is the first time I SAT DOWN at a brew day. I sat for like... 20 minutes straight! It was INCREDIBLE! Thanks Paul!
Bryan Myron brought his brew kit and brewed up a Pumking Clone. I helped him with the batch last year, and it was the BEST pumpkin beer I have ever tasted.
The rosemary for Rosemary IPA was picked in the garden at The Perch. I actually added additional Cascade at T-15 in this batch. I felt that the last batch was a bit "flat" or one-noted. In the prior batch, I used no hops beyond the bittering, letting the rosemary take it all. This is fine and it's an IPA for non- IPA lovers, to be sure. I bittered it to 60 IBU's, so it's an IPA, but with no late addition hops- every single person says "OH! I don't like IPA's and I like it" This phenomenon attests to the "Perception of Bitterness" that brewers speak of. It definitely had a lot of hop bitterness, but without the in-your-face super hoppy flavor and aroma, people perceive that there is less bitterness. Rosemary IPA is fantastically loved by all, and a litle cascade to boost some citrus pine notes will help it be just a --little-- more IPA-ish.
If I run out of Grilled Lemon Cream Ale, my mom will kill me. So- I made it for self-preservation reasons, really.
Sunday, August 25, 2013
New Brew!
OK, so more new news than brews.
I'm entering the ranks of professional brewer!
A friend invited me to join him at a new brewpub, as the head brewer. You can check out more at my "other" beer blog, LiveLoveBrew
Today, my sweet wife brewed a beer for the Queen of Brew competition. You may recall that she brewed on the 14th for practice. Today was the Real thing! She had an absolutely great time.
Bonnie brewed an extract batch. Mostly because she didn't want to bne the only one slowing down the day by doing an all-grain. When she got home, she said "I HAD NO IDEA IT COULD BE SO EASY!!!"
Well, that's a huge fail on my part. I mean, yes- I did go all-grain right away and complicate things. The issue for me was dinero. I mean- all-grain is half the cost of extract. Really. So- it's like everything else- trading money for time. Oh sure, I would be doing all grain anyways because of the control factor and because i just love the process. For her- it was the time saving and the ease of the process.
If you brew 4 or 5 times a year, extract is a perfectly good way to make great beer that you can be proud of, be creative with, and win medals with if that is something you want to do.
If you brew 60 times a year, you will be broke if you just do extract :)
Another exciting thing today- I drank my own beer, off my own tap, in my own house! My kegs were ready so yesterday I went and got new beer line hose. Today I flushed the line and tap 3 times with PBW cleaner and 3 times with Star San sanitizer, and I'm sure that if there was anything in there, it's gone now. Conveniently, I also cleaned out and sanitized 3 kegs. THEN- I filled 2 of them up with beer. Yep- I have already outgrown my kegerator!
This leaves me one keg left to fill with delicious delicious beer... if I ever have a chance to brew again at home.
On the other hand, maybe Bonnie will keep the tap at home flowing!
Prosit!
I'm entering the ranks of professional brewer!
A friend invited me to join him at a new brewpub, as the head brewer. You can check out more at my "other" beer blog, LiveLoveBrew
Today, my sweet wife brewed a beer for the Queen of Brew competition. You may recall that she brewed on the 14th for practice. Today was the Real thing! She had an absolutely great time.
Bonnie brewed an extract batch. Mostly because she didn't want to bne the only one slowing down the day by doing an all-grain. When she got home, she said "I HAD NO IDEA IT COULD BE SO EASY!!!"
Well, that's a huge fail on my part. I mean, yes- I did go all-grain right away and complicate things. The issue for me was dinero. I mean- all-grain is half the cost of extract. Really. So- it's like everything else- trading money for time. Oh sure, I would be doing all grain anyways because of the control factor and because i just love the process. For her- it was the time saving and the ease of the process.
If you brew 4 or 5 times a year, extract is a perfectly good way to make great beer that you can be proud of, be creative with, and win medals with if that is something you want to do.
If you brew 60 times a year, you will be broke if you just do extract :)
Another exciting thing today- I drank my own beer, off my own tap, in my own house! My kegs were ready so yesterday I went and got new beer line hose. Today I flushed the line and tap 3 times with PBW cleaner and 3 times with Star San sanitizer, and I'm sure that if there was anything in there, it's gone now. Conveniently, I also cleaned out and sanitized 3 kegs. THEN- I filled 2 of them up with beer. Yep- I have already outgrown my kegerator!
This leaves me one keg left to fill with delicious delicious beer... if I ever have a chance to brew again at home.
On the other hand, maybe Bonnie will keep the tap at home flowing!
Prosit!
Monday, July 15, 2013
Sunday Beer Day
On Sunday, I planned to brew.
Surprisingly, I did not.
Let me explain...
Friday I mashed in the 2 Berlinner Weiss brews. I can't really consider it a "brew day" if it's not the whole thing.
This was Sunday:
Cleaned and delabelled about 50 bottles of various size
Bottled Right Red Rye (5 gallons)
Bottled Cinnamon Apricot Ale (5 gallons)
Bottled Nut Brown (5 gallons)
Bottled Ginger Beer (1 gallon)
Sparged, boiled, chilled and racked Berlinner Smoke
Sparged, boiled, chilled and racked Berlinner Rye
People say I need to start kegging. To these people, I say: Oh HELL NO!
Just kidding, I am going to purchase a Danby Kegerator this week from a buddy.
Good Brew to You!
Surprisingly, I did not.
Let me explain...
Friday I mashed in the 2 Berlinner Weiss brews. I can't really consider it a "brew day" if it's not the whole thing.
This was Sunday:
Cleaned and delabelled about 50 bottles of various size
Bottled Right Red Rye (5 gallons)
Bottled Cinnamon Apricot Ale (5 gallons)
Bottled Nut Brown (5 gallons)
Bottled Ginger Beer (1 gallon)
Sparged, boiled, chilled and racked Berlinner Smoke
Sparged, boiled, chilled and racked Berlinner Rye
People say I need to start kegging. To these people, I say: Oh HELL NO!
Just kidding, I am going to purchase a Danby Kegerator this week from a buddy.
Good Brew to You!
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Berlinner - why- not?
So, I have wanted to do a sour mash Berlinner Weiss for a while. A bunch of my brew buddies have brought the style to the table recently, so in my over-the-top typical style, I mashed in two yesterday.
The first is a Rye Berlinner Weiss, the second is a Smoked Berlinner Weiss.
The smoked beer was inspired by Blind Bat Brewing's "Vlad the Inhaler" which is an oaked smoked wheat beer in the Grodziskie style. I have wanted to get smoked wheat malt, but it is quite rare and certainly not available in the LHBS. Yes, I could smoke my own wheat malt- and I may just do that. In this case, I used all the smoked barley I had on my shelf (1.33 lb) with Pale Ale malt and Wheat.
These little punkins are lacto-bubbling away in 5-gallon buckets right now. I decided that doing a brew-in-the-bag would be a great way to get a berlinnerweiss going. At the end, sparge through with some hot water, then throw the paint strainer bag out. Less messy than using my Igloo cooler mash tun.
My saison turned into a belgian blonde. It's super belgiany and I can NOT call it a saison, despite the 1.003 FG. SUPER estery.
Latest Grilled Lemon Cream Ale is tasty.
The Summit Pale al is delicious. I dropped an ounce of summit in the wort when it had cooled to 170 degrees and let it sit for 15 minutes, then continued cooling. Nice flavor on that one.
This weekend I will be bottling Right Red Rye, Martell Apricot Cinnamon, and Nut Brown. The berlinnerweiss pair will have to be boiled and put in the fermenter, and who knows- maybe another brew? It would be stretch, but it is possible.
Good day and good brewing, my friends!
The first is a Rye Berlinner Weiss, the second is a Smoked Berlinner Weiss.
The smoked beer was inspired by Blind Bat Brewing's "Vlad the Inhaler" which is an oaked smoked wheat beer in the Grodziskie style. I have wanted to get smoked wheat malt, but it is quite rare and certainly not available in the LHBS. Yes, I could smoke my own wheat malt- and I may just do that. In this case, I used all the smoked barley I had on my shelf (1.33 lb) with Pale Ale malt and Wheat.
These little punkins are lacto-bubbling away in 5-gallon buckets right now. I decided that doing a brew-in-the-bag would be a great way to get a berlinnerweiss going. At the end, sparge through with some hot water, then throw the paint strainer bag out. Less messy than using my Igloo cooler mash tun.
My saison turned into a belgian blonde. It's super belgiany and I can NOT call it a saison, despite the 1.003 FG. SUPER estery.
Latest Grilled Lemon Cream Ale is tasty.
The Summit Pale al is delicious. I dropped an ounce of summit in the wort when it had cooled to 170 degrees and let it sit for 15 minutes, then continued cooling. Nice flavor on that one.
This weekend I will be bottling Right Red Rye, Martell Apricot Cinnamon, and Nut Brown. The berlinnerweiss pair will have to be boiled and put in the fermenter, and who knows- maybe another brew? It would be stretch, but it is possible.
Good day and good brewing, my friends!
Beer or Coffee?
It's something I struggle with every day. Now I know- Beer for breakfast, Coffee at lunch. Problem solved!
from: http://iwastesomuchtime.com/on/?i=77707
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Beer nerd-ery. It strikes 1 out of 10 relationships. Probably more.
This should make you laugh.
Unless you have had this exact conversation.
Several times.
This week.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5L2DgKRLC8
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Owl's Orchard Brewery
Owl's Orchard Brewery is HILARIOUS!
OK, that sounds mean, but it was not intended to be.
Last week Friday I was really really bored at work. It was 117 degrees out, I was the only one at the office, and the phones were doing absolutely nothing.
The catering company I am working for, is opening a restaurant which will serve liquor. Therefore, I am getting a liquor license application going. It's quite a process.
Naturally, this led me to the DLLC (ABC, Liquor Board, whatever...) and my mind wandered to beer.
There are 58 Microbrewery licenses in Arizona, which is pretty awesome. I looked at the list and found a couple which I had never heard of, including Owl's Orchard which is a 20 minute drive from my house. I live pretty far south, but this was further.
Owl's Orchard has been open for several months, but I haven't really heard much about it.
SOOOO... I left work. Because I mean really, why not.
I grabbed my POSSE (I'm a bawler, y'all) and we headed out.
GPS was not incredibly helpful in finding Owl's Orchard, but I did have a phone number and Martin answered the phone:
Martin: "Hello?"
Me: "Hi, um... I was calling for Owl's Orchard?"
Martin: "Oh, cool! Yeah, that's me"
Me: "I wanted to visit the brewery, do you have hours you're open?"
Martin: "I'm pretty much always here. What we do is people call me and let me know they are coming over and I fill growlers"
Me: "Oh, cool! I'm heading over there in like an hour, so will you be around?"
Martin: "Yeah, if you're coming over, I'll hang out and wait for you"
Me: "Great, thanks! See you shortly!"
It was a bit odd- I mean, call when you want to come get beer. Ok then.
So it's in the guy's garage.
I'm not kidding. He has a "designated area" caged off with a fence inside his garage, where he brews. The fence is a Federal requirement.
Martin took about... an hour and a half talking with me and my buddies.
He lives on a County Island so there are no city zoning issues, and his neighbors are cool. The State issued his license, then he got his Federal license. He has his own septic system for waste water, so that's not a problem. He is feeding the spent grains to his chickens and horses.
Martin brews 10 gallon batches on a Sabco system. He has a 14 gallon jacketed fermenter. He has 2, kitchen refrigerators for keg storage, and 10 corny kegs.
This is commercial homebrewing at its finest. Seriously.
Every 2 weeks, he is required to send in the tax forms to the state and feds. Typically, that amounts to reporting 10 gallons of beer being brewed and a check for less than $3 in taxes.
The Beer:
Available beers when we were there included a Rye Pale (though he only had 16 oz left- half of a half growler, which he gave me as a "sample"...), a Stout (nice, easy drinking stout) and a Wheat which I liked very much. I'm typically not a fan of wheats, but this was light and not full of hef flavors.
Martin has also planted some hop bines around his property, as an experiment to find where the sun is the best, with hopes of growing an increased amount next year.
Overall- what an inspiring guy. He gave us over an hour of his time, showed us all around the brewery, the yard, and really bent over backwards to welcome us.
find out more here: https://www.facebook.com/OwlsOrchardBrewery
My friend Whitney went there and has a better story than I do. She used her "camera" while there. What a concept! http://suburbansudsbeertography.blogspot.com/2013/04/new-brewery.html
OK, that sounds mean, but it was not intended to be.
Last week Friday I was really really bored at work. It was 117 degrees out, I was the only one at the office, and the phones were doing absolutely nothing.
The catering company I am working for, is opening a restaurant which will serve liquor. Therefore, I am getting a liquor license application going. It's quite a process.
Naturally, this led me to the DLLC (ABC, Liquor Board, whatever...) and my mind wandered to beer.
There are 58 Microbrewery licenses in Arizona, which is pretty awesome. I looked at the list and found a couple which I had never heard of, including Owl's Orchard which is a 20 minute drive from my house. I live pretty far south, but this was further.
Owl's Orchard has been open for several months, but I haven't really heard much about it.
SOOOO... I left work. Because I mean really, why not.
I grabbed my POSSE (I'm a bawler, y'all) and we headed out.
GPS was not incredibly helpful in finding Owl's Orchard, but I did have a phone number and Martin answered the phone:
Martin: "Hello?"
Me: "Hi, um... I was calling for Owl's Orchard?"
Martin: "Oh, cool! Yeah, that's me"
Me: "I wanted to visit the brewery, do you have hours you're open?"
Martin: "I'm pretty much always here. What we do is people call me and let me know they are coming over and I fill growlers"
Me: "Oh, cool! I'm heading over there in like an hour, so will you be around?"
Martin: "Yeah, if you're coming over, I'll hang out and wait for you"
Me: "Great, thanks! See you shortly!"
It was a bit odd- I mean, call when you want to come get beer. Ok then.
So it's in the guy's garage.
I'm not kidding. He has a "designated area" caged off with a fence inside his garage, where he brews. The fence is a Federal requirement.
Martin took about... an hour and a half talking with me and my buddies.
He lives on a County Island so there are no city zoning issues, and his neighbors are cool. The State issued his license, then he got his Federal license. He has his own septic system for waste water, so that's not a problem. He is feeding the spent grains to his chickens and horses.
Martin brews 10 gallon batches on a Sabco system. He has a 14 gallon jacketed fermenter. He has 2, kitchen refrigerators for keg storage, and 10 corny kegs.
This is commercial homebrewing at its finest. Seriously.
Every 2 weeks, he is required to send in the tax forms to the state and feds. Typically, that amounts to reporting 10 gallons of beer being brewed and a check for less than $3 in taxes.
The Beer:
Available beers when we were there included a Rye Pale (though he only had 16 oz left- half of a half growler, which he gave me as a "sample"...), a Stout (nice, easy drinking stout) and a Wheat which I liked very much. I'm typically not a fan of wheats, but this was light and not full of hef flavors.
Martin has also planted some hop bines around his property, as an experiment to find where the sun is the best, with hopes of growing an increased amount next year.
Overall- what an inspiring guy. He gave us over an hour of his time, showed us all around the brewery, the yard, and really bent over backwards to welcome us.
find out more here: https://www.facebook.com/OwlsOrchardBrewery
My friend Whitney went there and has a better story than I do. She used her "camera" while there. What a concept! http://suburbansudsbeertography.blogspot.com/2013/04/new-brewery.html
Friday, June 21, 2013
Beer Swaps
Beer Swaps require a nice label for the brew.
Check out the Popcorn Pale for our NASCAR homebrew project:
(clearly, I know nothing about NASCAR...)
8 lb 6 ounce grist bill, including 30% popcorn. Air-popped to be precise.
26 IBU's like the #26 Wonderbread car.
Full of SHAKE and BAKE!
Check out the Popcorn Pale for our NASCAR homebrew project:
(clearly, I know nothing about NASCAR...)
8 lb 6 ounce grist bill, including 30% popcorn. Air-popped to be precise.
26 IBU's like the #26 Wonderbread car.
Full of SHAKE and BAKE!
Time to get my kegging on
OK FINE!
I'll keg.
So- I have 3 kes, a 20# CO2 tank, and a fridge.
I want to do taps through the fridge door, and use Perlick taps. I think 3 taps should be good- one for the kids, two for me. I hope to get a torpedo keg of the beer I made at Mudshark, so I figure I better get the system ready!
Please comment in the comments section, your preferred kegging equipment vendor. All suggestions are greatly appreciated!
I'll keg.
So- I have 3 kes, a 20# CO2 tank, and a fridge.
I want to do taps through the fridge door, and use Perlick taps. I think 3 taps should be good- one for the kids, two for me. I hope to get a torpedo keg of the beer I made at Mudshark, so I figure I better get the system ready!
Please comment in the comments section, your preferred kegging equipment vendor. All suggestions are greatly appreciated!
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Havasu Dreaming of Mudshark
Brewing at Havasu
It’s
every homebrewers dream to brew on a commercial system- seeing the way
that our tiny tiny home brewing systems “scale up” to a large system is
just awesome. On a homebrew system, we use... 12-20 pounds of malt?
Imagine using 20+ BAGS for a brew. How do you store, move, mill, and
then get that into a mash tun? And vorloff? That’s not as simple in a
15 bbl mash tun. Don’t even think of a gravity system.
These
are the things you get to experience when you visit a professional
brewery for a day as I was fortunate enough to. I was invited by my
friend James Swann who asked that I share a brew day at Mudshark Brewing
with him. His idea was to create a light, summer beer. Using
Tangarines and Horchata. We tossed around a few ideas about how to
incorporate all the flavors which were applicable, and with the help of
Mitch the head brewer, created a recipe that he thought would work on
his system.
On
brew day, we got there at 8:00 and it was clear that the ACTUAL brewers
had already been working for a while. This is not a job for the faint
of heart. There are hoses, wet floors, boiling water, heavy lifting,
forklifts, and early mornings which stretch into late afternoons.
And beer.
Lots of delicious beer.
Having
an opportunity to experience this was absolutely a treasure. Clearly,
we had no “real” responsibilities. We were eager labor which the
professionals knew could wuss out any moment. Because they are
professionals, they let us handle the grunt work and they SHOWED us the
finesse stuff.
Mitch
is a young man, this being his second brewing job. At his first
brewery, he quickly rose after being a voracious homebrewer (think... 4
brews a week for 2 years. Voracious like that) to a keg washer in a
local brewery, to the head brewer at the 3rd largest brewery in Ohio.
That’s quick. He was the head brewer for 5 years and longed for the
opportunity to flex his creative muscle. Mitch found a path which led
him to Lake Havasu, brewing with owner Scott Stocking. Seeing a head
brewer with the passion and genuine hunger to create awesome brews.
Mitch really seemed like a homebrewer who thought he just magically
stumbled into a brewery one day and simply started making bigger
batches.
Mitch
started the day by escorting us to the grain mill outside. Yes,
outside. No exhaust fan necessary. Big platform to pile bags of grain
on, and for us to stand on- needed. Mitch was quite methodical in his
method of opening the grain bags. I was unable to replicate it as an
amateur, so I just ripped them open. seemed to work pretty well at
getting the grain out of the bag though. What... 18 bags if I recall?
Remember
when cloning recipes or trying to design large batches- think in terms
of bags, not pounds. It will help when you either reverse engineer or
get the opportunity to brew on a commercial system.
Open bag. Pour in mill. grindgrindgrind augeraugerauger Grain level drops. Open another bag. Repeat. 17 more times.
That was pretty fun tho, to be honest.
Grain
goes up, grain falls into the mash tun, water falls into the mash tun,
mixer goes round and round. Round and round. Round and round.
Our host shows us how he’s cleaning and sanitizing the fermentation tank which resembles a rocket ready for launch.
And
hoses. WOW! The hoses. EVERYWHERE! The number of tri-clover clamps in
that place is amazing. They have 8 fermentation tanks (30 bbl I think, but they're getting additional 60 or 120 bbl tanks very soon)
and 3 bright tanks. Moving wort and beer around the facility is quite a
task.
Being
a tangerine horchata wit, we brought tangerines. These tangerines
would now be separated into peel and pulp. Since mango has a nice
flavor, we also brought mango, which needed to be peeled and freed from
its pit. This is a somewhat messy process for 15 pounds of tangerines
and 10 lbs of mangoes, but we got the job done.
Think of it this way- you have knives in your kitchen. Would you need a knife in a brewery? No?
Gosh, wish we had thought of that sooner. Plastic knives are significantly less durable when dealing with mangoes.
James is incredibly strong though, so he made magic happen.
The
mash went great. Mudshark uses a mash/lauter tun, then transfers sweet
wort over to the boil kettle. Once a boil was achieved, hops were
added. POUNDS of hops. After boiling for 60 minutes (out of 75) the
tangerine and mango component were added, along with the cinnamon which
we consider the “horchata spice” in our recipe.
This
finished up and Mitch prepared the heat exchanger which brought the
boiling wort to 65 degrees to transfer into the fermentation tank.
When I asked Mitch how much he was transferring into the fermenter, he had the best reply ever- “All of it.”
Thanks Mitch. HA!
During
this time, the other fellas in the brewery were bottling IPA, preparing
kegs for filling, gathering product to place on pallets so distributors
could retrieve it, and cleaning cleaning cleaning.
Air conditioning is relatively ineffective, and certainly quite expensive, when the 20 foot wide, 20 foot tall garage door is open the entire day. So these guys wear tee shirts and shorts to work. Sounds like a pretty good move.
We
sampled beers right from the fermentation tanks, off the bottling line,
and some in the not-yet-ready-for-prime-time tap room. Their current
“Rockstar” beer is named SCHWING. It’s delicious and a hilarious name
too!
After
our brew day, Scott and his wife Tina invited James and I and our
lovely patient wives, to their home for a PARTY! This was on a Monday,
mind you. These people have jobs. Yet they prepared their home, went
shopping, cooked, and invited the entire brewery over along with the 4
Phoenix guests. These are not run of the mill business owners. They
are a shining example for the generosity and humanity which we should
all aspire to. This is not sarcasm. Seriously, a couple of incredible
people.
That was my brew day. Simply perfect.
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Mudshark Visit
I took a trip with James Swann to Mudshark and brewed an awesome recipe that we created together- Tangerine Orange Wit.
It's going to be great, and the Mudshark brewers and Scott and Tina, the owners, were freaking INCREDIBLY hospitable to us. It was unlike any experience I have ever had. The Brewer, Mitch, really shared his process with us, and Craig the assistant Brewer was helpful in every way. Luke and Mark the bottle line operators were glad to answer any questions we had, and are TOTALLY stoked about beer.
Great time.
We drank more of their "Schwing" pale ale than we should, and the Desert Magic IPA off the bottling line was delicious. I already had the Desert Magic rated as a "4" in Unappd, which is very unusual for me, and I had to bump it up to a 4.5
Now that you have the low-down, check out this video about Dry vs. Liquid yeast:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsCEuEnnv9E
Great time.
We drank more of their "Schwing" pale ale than we should, and the Desert Magic IPA off the bottling line was delicious. I already had the Desert Magic rated as a "4" in Unappd, which is very unusual for me, and I had to bump it up to a 4.5
Now that you have the low-down, check out this video about Dry vs. Liquid yeast:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsCEuEnnv9E
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Homebrewing in the Electrionic Age- Podcasts
<<Old Man Winter Voice>>
When I started brewing, There was no INTERNET. We had to read BOOKS and TALK to people to find out the newest tricks for brewing. You young whippersnappers have it so easy...
<<end voice>>
Yes, I brewed the first few times in 96/97 and yes, there was an internet then. Kind-of. It certainly was nowhere like he internet of today.
ANYways, this isn't really a history lesson- it's a celebration!
These days, information is available to new and advanced homebrewers to learn how to improve their process, all the time. At your desk and on your phone.
My favorite way to learn about homebrewing is through podcasts. I have a 45 minute drive to work each day (and often 45 minutes home, too!) This leaves a lot of time to listen to "the radio" Well I HATE the radio. So I download podcasts to my phone and with bluetooth, connect to my car stereo and listen to beer info just about every minute I'm on the road.
Podcasts on beer can range from completely basic to over-my-head scientific. They can be PG rated or X-rated. They can be full of farts and burps, or relatively stoic. They can have excellent or HORRENDOUS sound quality. They can post new shows weekly or every 3 months.
Usually you take a few good and a few bad and make them all work.
Some of my favorite podcasts are:
BeerSmith Podcast
http://beersmith.com/blog/
Brad Smith is the creator of what I consider the best brewing software out there. It is only around $20 and well worth it. NOW- the podcast is free and has some of the best guests IN THE WORLD. Brad is a pretty straight laced guy, but does like to laugh. The shows range from basic to INTENSELY scientific. Shows are about an hour long, and PACKED with brewing info.
BasicBrewing Radio (and Video, though the video podcasts are not as good for the car...)
http://www.basicbrewing.com/index.php?page=radio
Dude, seriously- I want to be James Spencer when I grow up. This guy has a blast with beer. The shows are fun, but not fart-joke fun. They are PG rated, but not childish. James does collaborative experiments and invites homebrewers to submit beers to the projects. He clearly loves this hobby and this podcast. Shows are updated weekly and I look forward to every single one.
The Brewing Network
The Brewing Network has several shows. They are all fart-joke comedy. That is the only drawback for me. They have fun, they share an incredible amount of information and honestly, they do an INCREDIBLE service to the homebrewing community.
TBN- The Session
http://thebrewingnetwork.com/shows/The-Sunday-Session
Formerly the Sunday Session, shows are now recorded Sundays and Mondays and occasionally on Tuesday. This show is recorded almost weekly, and is over 3 hours long. YES! 3 HOURS! Interviews of commercial brewers, sharing homebrew tips, general beer talk, etc.
TBN- The Jamil Show
http://thebrewingnetwork.com/shows/The-Jamil-Show
This started as the Jamil Show, became Can You Brew It (focused on cloning commercial beers) and is now Brewing With Style, which explores each style category in depth. This show can get deep, but is definitely recommended
TBN- Brew Strong
http://thebrewingnetwork.com/shows/Brew-Strong
This show is a Q&A Format show, great for all experience levels.
TBN- Other shows...
They also have an occasional show called Lunch Meet which I have not listened to. The Homebrewed Chef is great, but hasn't been broadcast in over a year. There is talk of a new show which will take listener beer submissions and have BJCP judges, judge them and make suggestions on improvements. This show has not yet been posted.
Brew Bubbas Radio
http://www.brewbubbas.com/Site/Brew_Bubbas_Radio/Brew_Bubbas_Radio.html
The Brew Bubbas are based in Michigan and talk a lot about Michigan beer. They also talk about homebrew. Many times I find myself feeling like the married guy at a bachelor party, with the BrewBubbas talking about all the awesome beer I can't get.
Final Gravity Podcast
http://finalgravitypodcast.com/
Ranging between an hour and 2 hours long, this podcast talks about commercial beers, beer festivals, equipment, and homebrewing. Definitely the "buddies getting together and shooting the sh*t" format, it is both entertaining and educational. I think some people may be turned off by the tangents and silliness that goes on, but I dig this podcast.
Homebrew Talk
http://www.hogtownbrewers.org/podcasts.cfm
An hour long show with a cool twist- musical breaks. Each show is themed and the hosts have a great repoire. No fart-jokes, and no cursing.
Maltcast
http://maltcast.wordpress.com/
This relatively new podcast features two guys (actually 3 now...) one in San Diego, and one in Canada. They discuss homebrewing from an intermediate level and also discuss general brewerania. Easy to listen to, not incredibly deep, and really fun.
Chop and Brew
http://chopandbrew.com/
Food and brewing. I have only watched one of these (it's video) but I like the concept
The Beer Goddess
http://beergoddess.com/
This is a Portland based beer podcast, very Portland/Oregon centered, but they do tak beer and have an occasional homebrew spot.
All Beers Considered by the Aleheads
http://aleheads.com/category/all-beers-considered/
This podcast is not updated regularly, but they also have an awesome blog which is updated every couple of days. Content revolves around commercial brewing and the beer industry, but I really like it. It's funny, avoids burping and farting, and often has some nuggets of gold.
In order to listen, you can go to the links on your computer and click. If you want to go mobile, you can subscribe through itunes and sync your iphone, or load the feeds into BeyondPod which is what I use on my Android phone.
I am ALWAYS looking for more podcasts, so if you know of any good homebrew podcasts, PLEASE email me or mention them in the comments.
Enjoy, learn, and BREW BABY BREW!
When I started brewing, There was no INTERNET. We had to read BOOKS and TALK to people to find out the newest tricks for brewing. You young whippersnappers have it so easy...
<<end voice>>
Yes, I brewed the first few times in 96/97 and yes, there was an internet then. Kind-of. It certainly was nowhere like he internet of today.
ANYways, this isn't really a history lesson- it's a celebration!
These days, information is available to new and advanced homebrewers to learn how to improve their process, all the time. At your desk and on your phone.
My favorite way to learn about homebrewing is through podcasts. I have a 45 minute drive to work each day (and often 45 minutes home, too!) This leaves a lot of time to listen to "the radio" Well I HATE the radio. So I download podcasts to my phone and with bluetooth, connect to my car stereo and listen to beer info just about every minute I'm on the road.
Podcasts on beer can range from completely basic to over-my-head scientific. They can be PG rated or X-rated. They can be full of farts and burps, or relatively stoic. They can have excellent or HORRENDOUS sound quality. They can post new shows weekly or every 3 months.
Usually you take a few good and a few bad and make them all work.
Some of my favorite podcasts are:
BeerSmith Podcast
http://beersmith.com/blog/
Brad Smith is the creator of what I consider the best brewing software out there. It is only around $20 and well worth it. NOW- the podcast is free and has some of the best guests IN THE WORLD. Brad is a pretty straight laced guy, but does like to laugh. The shows range from basic to INTENSELY scientific. Shows are about an hour long, and PACKED with brewing info.
BasicBrewing Radio (and Video, though the video podcasts are not as good for the car...)
http://www.basicbrewing.com/index.php?page=radio
Dude, seriously- I want to be James Spencer when I grow up. This guy has a blast with beer. The shows are fun, but not fart-joke fun. They are PG rated, but not childish. James does collaborative experiments and invites homebrewers to submit beers to the projects. He clearly loves this hobby and this podcast. Shows are updated weekly and I look forward to every single one.
The Brewing Network
The Brewing Network has several shows. They are all fart-joke comedy. That is the only drawback for me. They have fun, they share an incredible amount of information and honestly, they do an INCREDIBLE service to the homebrewing community.
TBN- The Session
http://thebrewingnetwork.com/shows/The-Sunday-Session
Formerly the Sunday Session, shows are now recorded Sundays and Mondays and occasionally on Tuesday. This show is recorded almost weekly, and is over 3 hours long. YES! 3 HOURS! Interviews of commercial brewers, sharing homebrew tips, general beer talk, etc.
TBN- The Jamil Show
http://thebrewingnetwork.com/shows/The-Jamil-Show
This started as the Jamil Show, became Can You Brew It (focused on cloning commercial beers) and is now Brewing With Style, which explores each style category in depth. This show can get deep, but is definitely recommended
TBN- Brew Strong
http://thebrewingnetwork.com/shows/Brew-Strong
This show is a Q&A Format show, great for all experience levels.
TBN- Other shows...
They also have an occasional show called Lunch Meet which I have not listened to. The Homebrewed Chef is great, but hasn't been broadcast in over a year. There is talk of a new show which will take listener beer submissions and have BJCP judges, judge them and make suggestions on improvements. This show has not yet been posted.
Brew Bubbas Radio
http://www.brewbubbas.com/Site/Brew_Bubbas_Radio/Brew_Bubbas_Radio.html
The Brew Bubbas are based in Michigan and talk a lot about Michigan beer. They also talk about homebrew. Many times I find myself feeling like the married guy at a bachelor party, with the BrewBubbas talking about all the awesome beer I can't get.
Final Gravity Podcast
http://finalgravitypodcast.com/
Ranging between an hour and 2 hours long, this podcast talks about commercial beers, beer festivals, equipment, and homebrewing. Definitely the "buddies getting together and shooting the sh*t" format, it is both entertaining and educational. I think some people may be turned off by the tangents and silliness that goes on, but I dig this podcast.
Homebrew Talk
http://www.hogtownbrewers.org/podcasts.cfm
An hour long show with a cool twist- musical breaks. Each show is themed and the hosts have a great repoire. No fart-jokes, and no cursing.
Maltcast
http://maltcast.wordpress.com/
This relatively new podcast features two guys (actually 3 now...) one in San Diego, and one in Canada. They discuss homebrewing from an intermediate level and also discuss general brewerania. Easy to listen to, not incredibly deep, and really fun.
Chop and Brew
http://chopandbrew.com/
Food and brewing. I have only watched one of these (it's video) but I like the concept
The Beer Goddess
http://beergoddess.com/
This is a Portland based beer podcast, very Portland/Oregon centered, but they do tak beer and have an occasional homebrew spot.
All Beers Considered by the Aleheads
http://aleheads.com/category/all-beers-considered/
This podcast is not updated regularly, but they also have an awesome blog which is updated every couple of days. Content revolves around commercial brewing and the beer industry, but I really like it. It's funny, avoids burping and farting, and often has some nuggets of gold.
In order to listen, you can go to the links on your computer and click. If you want to go mobile, you can subscribe through itunes and sync your iphone, or load the feeds into BeyondPod which is what I use on my Android phone.
I am ALWAYS looking for more podcasts, so if you know of any good homebrew podcasts, PLEASE email me or mention them in the comments.
Enjoy, learn, and BREW BABY BREW!
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Whole Foods Homebrew class 3
All the students brewed tonight. 4 sets of brewers. 4 burners. 4 batches. This was an awesome class. I can not even explain how much fun this was and how much I love teaching homebrew classes. Prosit!
Thursday, May 16, 2013
WF Class number 2
The most recent homebrew class for Whole Foods was moved to an alternate venue. A scheduling conflict at Whole Foods prompted this move, which turned out to be awesome!
We met at Sleepy Dog Brewery in Tempe, on University. They always have some nice stuff on draft.
At first it was a bit dicey- there were 10 people in the place, randomly spread throughout the space, and the students (and I) were not sure exactly how to arrange ourselves.
Everything worked out and I did my presentation on beer ingredients. After an hour and a half, I had gotten through the material and we opened up with some questions for the Sleepy Dog brewer, Rob. He was very forthcoming and everyone had a great time.
(Why do I feel like this blog is written in the style of my 5th grade son?)
ANYWAYS, one thing that I really liked was the Rob shared his water treatment techniques- he uses Tempe municipal water run through a carbon filter to scrub out the chlorine. That's it- it goes to show that you don't have to "build your water up from zero" to get some great brews.
Now- GO BREW!
We met at Sleepy Dog Brewery in Tempe, on University. They always have some nice stuff on draft.
At first it was a bit dicey- there were 10 people in the place, randomly spread throughout the space, and the students (and I) were not sure exactly how to arrange ourselves.
Everything worked out and I did my presentation on beer ingredients. After an hour and a half, I had gotten through the material and we opened up with some questions for the Sleepy Dog brewer, Rob. He was very forthcoming and everyone had a great time.
(Why do I feel like this blog is written in the style of my 5th grade son?)
ANYWAYS, one thing that I really liked was the Rob shared his water treatment techniques- he uses Tempe municipal water run through a carbon filter to scrub out the chlorine. That's it- it goes to show that you don't have to "build your water up from zero" to get some great brews.
Now- GO BREW!
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Class number one @ WF
This is a picture of the result of our brew classes last night. I know, it's like... A quart of wort. (rhymes are funny!)
I undershot the boil by about a quart, then James wanted all the students to taste the finished wort. Seriously. I have no idea why he would do this to them. Hot scotchys, I dig. Wort with hops? No thank you. Yuk.
Teaching at Whole Foods was different. The environment was loud, the students were farther away. I felt like I had to YELL and they still couldn't hear me that well. I am already a loud person.
The biggest difference between the City of Chandler class and this one was that at the Chandler class, the students are CONSTANTLY interacting with me and other students. It's a very different environment when there are 30 people. I found myself trying to come up with topics to discuss without "using" all the subjects for next week's lecture class up. Which I really shouldn't have worried about so much, because repeating the temperatures that alpha-amalayse and beta-amalayse are optimally effective, is not something people get the first time around, anyways :-)
Another difference is that most of the students in the CofC class had some homebrewing experience. In this class only 5 out of 30 have brewed before. It's the nature of the demographic. People in the CofC class had to seek out the class. At the WF class, they found it while grocery shopping. Which is AWESOME because it introduces the hobby to a whole BUNCH of people who may never have otherwise found it.
So in summary - great class and it was well received. I would do a couple things different in the future, and I'm already reformatting next week's class. It's really going to be pretty kick ass.
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