Tonight I had another fantastic homebrew class.
Maybe I will title it "Resurrecting your brew day"
So, first- it was an... extended day at work. Like- leaving more than half an hour late. Also, no idea what I am brewing. Have to stop and get grains (actually, Scott was awesome and sped me along)
I have to get home, disassemble my set-up and pack it in the Xterra.
Get there, get the water heating, realize that I forgot a few things.
Go home. Get them.
Get back to the Community center.
Realize FUCK! I forgot some other things too, but I have to figure out what to do without, because... yeah... no time.
Now 25 minutes late starting the mash
The plan was to get mash done by 6:15. It finished at 6:55
Clearly, for a brew that had an end at 8:30, this was a bit of a challenge
OK, mash out. After 2 gallons, start the gas and get it to boil when we're through with mash out.
The propane tank is not, um- propane-ing.
I got it filled, and the guy said "I think something might be wrong, it's really hard to turn. Weird."
So yeah. No gas.
I do have a commercial stove, and that worked. Slowly-ish.
Further back in the time line.
So when all is said and done, cooling finished (Oh my god, I love ice machines) by 9:00 on the dot.
Plenty of interaction. Requests to brew with me at home some time. All these things are excellent.
Because there were several opportunities to TEACH how you recover and use your problem solving abilities to make a quick move and figure out problems on brew day.
Next week is packaging and sampling.
WOOHOO!
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Oktoberfest- the day of MAGIC!
Saturday was a beautiful day- perfect weather for a beer festival.
ASH had its annual Oktoberfest and it was awesome. I spent more than half my time at the front gate scanning in members and giving wrist-bands. My daughter made pretzel necklaces and gave them out, and my son tormented her for hours. It was so fun!
Also, I brought radios for us to use to communicate from the front gate with the children. My son changed his channel to the one the event organizers were using, so he could torment them too.
There is a local BBQ club who does a cook-off, and of course there is a raffle, and the awarding of medals for the top brewers.
Yes, I won 2 medals- gold for Grilled Lemon Cream Ale in Fruit Beer, and gold in 10A American Amber for my Arizona Copper Ale. Yay!
I head the announcement for the Amber, but I was getting my dad a beer when they announced the GLCA gold, so... I missed the jumping and screaming portion of the award ;)
WHY was I the only one jumping and screaming? Seriously? Everyone else smiles and shakes hands... I scream and yell and jump in a circle.
So anyways, I want to thank the Event coordinator, David Schollmeyer, and the Competition coordinator, Barry Weeg, and our ASH President, Rob Fullmer OllLlo l o llo lolllo , for all the work they do.
Check out http://www.azhomebrewers.org
ASH had its annual Oktoberfest and it was awesome. I spent more than half my time at the front gate scanning in members and giving wrist-bands. My daughter made pretzel necklaces and gave them out, and my son tormented her for hours. It was so fun!
Also, I brought radios for us to use to communicate from the front gate with the children. My son changed his channel to the one the event organizers were using, so he could torment them too.
There is a local BBQ club who does a cook-off, and of course there is a raffle, and the awarding of medals for the top brewers.
Yes, I won 2 medals- gold for Grilled Lemon Cream Ale in Fruit Beer, and gold in 10A American Amber for my Arizona Copper Ale. Yay!
I head the announcement for the Amber, but I was getting my dad a beer when they announced the GLCA gold, so... I missed the jumping and screaming portion of the award ;)
WHY was I the only one jumping and screaming? Seriously? Everyone else smiles and shakes hands... I scream and yell and jump in a circle.
So anyways, I want to thank the Event coordinator, David Schollmeyer, and the Competition coordinator, Barry Weeg, and our ASH President, Rob Fullmer OllLlo l o llo lolllo , for all the work they do.
Check out http://www.azhomebrewers.org
Monday, October 1, 2012
Easy Brewing
Seriously, I had forgotten how EASY it is to brew an extract brew
I did the extract brew with the class on Wednesday. It was a bit uncomfortable, tossing ice in the wort and everything. (also, the recipe from the White House was not well written...)
On Sunday I did it again. Because if I only have 50 bottles to share amongst 10 students, that's not very fulfilling for them.
It took under 2 hours.
In and out, cleaned up and done. WOW.
Basic Brewing talks about an extract pale ale that they do while mashing in an all-grain. Maybe I should give it a try http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qv82HsMN-hA
On the other hand, the ingredients cost $60, for what I could do as an all-grain for $20 So... there's that ;)
I did the extract brew with the class on Wednesday. It was a bit uncomfortable, tossing ice in the wort and everything. (also, the recipe from the White House was not well written...)
On Sunday I did it again. Because if I only have 50 bottles to share amongst 10 students, that's not very fulfilling for them.
It took under 2 hours.
In and out, cleaned up and done. WOW.
Basic Brewing talks about an extract pale ale that they do while mashing in an all-grain. Maybe I should give it a try http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qv82HsMN-hA
On the other hand, the ingredients cost $60, for what I could do as an all-grain for $20 So... there's that ;)
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
First Class WOOHOO!
Alrighty then! I just finished my first class for Chandler Parks and Rec.
I think it went well. My students (most) seem to be into it.
I will admit, I have a... unique teaching style. I am not formal, I am a bit scattered.
Which is why I created THIS page, to help back up the info and handouts in class.
At first, I thought "WOAH! I'm CRUISING through the material- I'm not going to have enough to fill up the time!"
Then, as always, I started talking.
Some good questions by the students (about half had brewed) and support from Jerry and Patty, and I was rambling on like a fool.
Next week- we brew! Yahoooooo!
I think it went well. My students (most) seem to be into it.
I will admit, I have a... unique teaching style. I am not formal, I am a bit scattered.
Which is why I created THIS page, to help back up the info and handouts in class.
At first, I thought "WOAH! I'm CRUISING through the material- I'm not going to have enough to fill up the time!"
Then, as always, I started talking.
Some good questions by the students (about half had brewed) and support from Jerry and Patty, and I was rambling on like a fool.
Next week- we brew! Yahoooooo!
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Homebrewing Competitions
OK people, let's cut to the chase
I have saved 6 bottles of every beer I have brewed since mid-March.
This equates to 35 six packs in my cellar.
These bottles take a significant amount of space in my cellar.
I like shiny things.
There are two local competitions in the next month- the ASH Oktoberfest competition, and the Salt River Competition. The Salt River Comp is sponsored by Miller/Coors, and they not only give free entry, they also give competitors free tickets to the event! ASH entries are $7 each. Because ASH does not have the budget of Miller/Coors.
NOW- it would be great if I could unload all my beers ;) Alas, the rules prohibit entering more than one beer in a sub-category. For example, I can only enter one American Pale Ale in each event.
I have a lot of American Pale Ales.
I almost think of myself as more brown beer focused, however this is not the case with the beers I have available. Because it was spring! Yes, I have a varied number of beers but I do brew Pale ales often, because I enjoy a hoppy low alcohol beer in 100 degree weather.
More importantly, what is the value of Homebrew Competitions?
If you listen to the community, the main value is to receive unbiased reviews and technical thoughts on your beers. Ones unlike your friends will give you. Because your friends like to drink beer. And you give it to them. For free. They like that!
IMHO, there is a long way to go to implementing this in the real world.
I have drank some beers which were absolutely FANTASTIC, with no apparent technical flaws, which scored poorly. Not just average, but POORLY. This is troubling to me.
The National Competition is daunting. Each center has 1000 entries. The number of entries in each category can be overwhelming. "Palate Fatigue" can be a significant concern. This is when judges have sampled so many beers, your taste buds deaden. It happens.
Why do I complain... it' so stupid to do so. There are a few people who put in MANY hours of work to make comps happen, and many more who spend days and days judging. I have received some very valuable information regarding my homebrews.
What is the GREATEST benefit of Homebrew Comps? The more BJCP judges there are in the world, the more the beer community wins.
I suppose it's like this- whenever human beings and PARTICULARLY taste buds are involved, you are dealing with an imperfect system.
Now- I have 10 beers which need to be prepared.
Also- I give this post a 100% chance of being read by someone who will be judging my beers.
I have saved 6 bottles of every beer I have brewed since mid-March.
This equates to 35 six packs in my cellar.
These bottles take a significant amount of space in my cellar.
I like shiny things.
There are two local competitions in the next month- the ASH Oktoberfest competition, and the Salt River Competition. The Salt River Comp is sponsored by Miller/Coors, and they not only give free entry, they also give competitors free tickets to the event! ASH entries are $7 each. Because ASH does not have the budget of Miller/Coors.
NOW- it would be great if I could unload all my beers ;) Alas, the rules prohibit entering more than one beer in a sub-category. For example, I can only enter one American Pale Ale in each event.
I have a lot of American Pale Ales.
I almost think of myself as more brown beer focused, however this is not the case with the beers I have available. Because it was spring! Yes, I have a varied number of beers but I do brew Pale ales often, because I enjoy a hoppy low alcohol beer in 100 degree weather.
More importantly, what is the value of Homebrew Competitions?
If you listen to the community, the main value is to receive unbiased reviews and technical thoughts on your beers. Ones unlike your friends will give you. Because your friends like to drink beer. And you give it to them. For free. They like that!
IMHO, there is a long way to go to implementing this in the real world.
I have drank some beers which were absolutely FANTASTIC, with no apparent technical flaws, which scored poorly. Not just average, but POORLY. This is troubling to me.
The National Competition is daunting. Each center has 1000 entries. The number of entries in each category can be overwhelming. "Palate Fatigue" can be a significant concern. This is when judges have sampled so many beers, your taste buds deaden. It happens.
Why do I complain... it' so stupid to do so. There are a few people who put in MANY hours of work to make comps happen, and many more who spend days and days judging. I have received some very valuable information regarding my homebrews.
What is the GREATEST benefit of Homebrew Comps? The more BJCP judges there are in the world, the more the beer community wins.
I suppose it's like this- whenever human beings and PARTICULARLY taste buds are involved, you are dealing with an imperfect system.
Now- I have 10 beers which need to be prepared.
Also- I give this post a 100% chance of being read by someone who will be judging my beers.
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Re-using bottles
When you homebrew, and bottle, you are eternally on a hunt for bottles.
Well, let's re-state that...
If you GIVE a lot of bottles away, you are on an eternal hunt for bottles.
I have very generous friends who share their bottles with me. Many of these friends who homebrew.
Very often, these bottles are not rinsed. I don't know why. Bottles which are not rinsed, quickly grow mold and bacteria. They take less than 5 days to become essentially useless. I mean, it can be very gross trying to get mold out, to the point where I will only do it if the bottle is special in some way (a Belgian bottle, a flip-top bottle, etc)
Sometimes, bottle conditioning will result in yeast being stuck to the bottom of a bottle. This is normal.. Typically a quick couple of rinse and shake cycles, will remove this.
Often, the sediment can be stuck on the bottom and shake-rinsing doesn't help. For this problem, I have come up with a new solution:
Drop 6-8 washers or nuts in the bottle, add a little water, and swirl.
The nuts will scrape the sediment off the bottom of the bottle very quickly, and BINGO! Fixed!
It's the best way I find, because I hate using a bottle brush- bottle brushes are messy, flicking water all over the place. I'm SO glad I came up with this idea today!
Well, let's re-state that...
If you GIVE a lot of bottles away, you are on an eternal hunt for bottles.
I have very generous friends who share their bottles with me. Many of these friends who homebrew.
Very often, these bottles are not rinsed. I don't know why. Bottles which are not rinsed, quickly grow mold and bacteria. They take less than 5 days to become essentially useless. I mean, it can be very gross trying to get mold out, to the point where I will only do it if the bottle is special in some way (a Belgian bottle, a flip-top bottle, etc)
Sometimes, bottle conditioning will result in yeast being stuck to the bottom of a bottle. This is normal.. Typically a quick couple of rinse and shake cycles, will remove this.
Often, the sediment can be stuck on the bottom and shake-rinsing doesn't help. For this problem, I have come up with a new solution:
Drop 6-8 washers or nuts in the bottle, add a little water, and swirl.
The nuts will scrape the sediment off the bottom of the bottle very quickly, and BINGO! Fixed!
It's the best way I find, because I hate using a bottle brush- bottle brushes are messy, flicking water all over the place. I'm SO glad I came up with this idea today!
Monday, September 3, 2012
The Pipeline
What is the pipeline? It's your brew schedule. It's what you need to brew, in order to maintain your... whatever. It can be brews for your friends, projects you dream about, competition beers, and such. You have to balance your lagers, the longer fermentation beers you want to make, specific styles that require different brewing or fermentation styles.
So what's in my pipeline right now?
I've got 5 batches fermenting right now, so my fermentation cooler is full.
Actually full-plus. I don't often use the shelf with the 3 gallon fermenters, but... Maybe I should more :)
My current pipeline which needs to be brewed:
Tim's wedding brew (ready for 10/1)
Hop Head Fred's Oxy AND Oxy Guava (tbd)
Bryan's 12 Days Xmas brew (ready for 12/1)
My 12 days Xmas brew (ready for 12/1)
Extract brew with class (9/26)
All grain for class A (10/3)
All grain for class B (10/10)
Presidential Honey Blonde (ready for election day 11/6)
Presidential Honey Porter (ready for election day 11/6)
Peanut Butter Stout (Sean's is SICK awesome)
So... Looks like I have my work cut out for me! Hooray!
So what's in my pipeline right now?
I've got 5 batches fermenting right now, so my fermentation cooler is full.
Actually full-plus. I don't often use the shelf with the 3 gallon fermenters, but... Maybe I should more :)
My current pipeline which needs to be brewed:
Tim's wedding brew (ready for 10/1)
Hop Head Fred's Oxy AND Oxy Guava (tbd)
Bryan's 12 Days Xmas brew (ready for 12/1)
My 12 days Xmas brew (ready for 12/1)
Extract brew with class (9/26)
All grain for class A (10/3)
All grain for class B (10/10)
Presidential Honey Blonde (ready for election day 11/6)
Presidential Honey Porter (ready for election day 11/6)
Peanut Butter Stout (Sean's is SICK awesome)
So... Looks like I have my work cut out for me! Hooray!
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