tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16408006864204167042024-03-14T04:43:48.055-05:00Matt & Meg's Beer Brewing AdventuresMeghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10820112097464346348noreply@blogger.comBlogger65125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1640800686420416704.post-4900676005943136012011-08-20T14:59:00.000-05:002011-08-20T15:00:31.556-05:00First Brew in Awhile, and... CRAP - Old Hops!Yeah it's been awhile - Meg and I have been traveling, working like crazy (Meg landed an event planning gig at <a href="http://revbrew.com/">Revolution Brewing</a>), hosting and attending parties, yadda yadda. Even though rain was in the forecast today, I said heck with it - it's rained like the past 3 times we've brewed, we'll deal! We need a good IPA on tap, stat.<br />
<br />
So the mash and everything went well, then it started to sprinkle, then thunder and lightning got me thinking we need to do something. Normally I'd <a href="http://mattmegbrew.blogspot.com/2011/05/why-we-need-indoor-brewing-system.html">rig up the tarp</a>, but since we've had work done on our house, all the hook-up spots where gone, so into the garage is was! Surprisingly, this worked really well - why hadn't we just done this before? ANYWAYS...<br />
<br />
We get the kettle fired up and I chuck my bittering hops in, some Columbus - 1oz as a first wort, then 2oz in a hop sack come boil. After we've been boiling 10 minutes or so, Meg and I are chatting over the kettle when I notice a minty smell - I ask Meg about it and she's like, "Yeah, herbally." I fetch some of the Columbus pellets and crack one open - crap, that's it. I check my inventory records, and we bought a pound of these in May 2010 - crap. We store them pretty well - wrapped in the oxygen barrier bag they come in, wrapped in another freezer bag. But I guess old is old unless you're super crazy and vacuum seal every time, and we don't have one of those. I noticed kind of an herbally flavor in one of my more recent beers too, likely the same problem - hops we bought in bulk last year are noticeably oxidizing. I know that's usually a cheesy smell, but seems it can be herbally too. Maybe it's herbally cheesy.<br />
<br />
So back to brewing - I immediately take the hop sack out, nothing to do about the 1oz still in the kettle. Fortunately, the rest of the hops - Centennial and Simcoe, were fresh - so all good there and I think all will turn out well. I mean, there's like 5oz of hops in this recipe before we even get to the dry hopping.<br />
<br />
But from here on out, I'm keeping on eye on hop freshness and smelling everything before I dump it in the kettle - cheers!<br />
<br />
<br />Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06629101337818184267noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1640800686420416704.post-28044430227473011172011-06-02T08:19:00.002-05:002011-06-02T08:21:18.142-05:00Cheese & Beer Dinner - CCBW 2011<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PRbUEWc2pwg/TebCpWNkRMI/AAAAAAAAADk/5kkonmudwo8/s1600/Cheese%2BPlate.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613388001156809922" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PRbUEWc2pwg/TebCpWNkRMI/AAAAAAAAADk/5kkonmudwo8/s320/Cheese%2BPlate.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 240px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 320px;" /></a>Whew - we survived another <a href="http://www.craftbeer.com/pages/news-and-events/american-craft-beer-week">American Craft Beer Week</a>! The <a href="http://www.illinoisbeer.com/">Illinois Craft Brewer's Guild</a> always puts together a week full of great events right here in <a href="http://www.chibeerweek.com/">Chicago</a> for the occasion. Of course, we couldn't resist hitting up a few of the events, so you'll get a rundown here. Though it may not have been an "official" CCBW event, one of my favorite events of the week, and certainly the most delicious, was a <a href="http://www.foundersbrewing.com/?event=beer-and-wisconsin-cheese-dinner">Wisconsin Cheese & Founders Beer Dinner</a> at <a href="http://www.kendall.edu/">Kendall College</a>.<br />
<br />
We were asked to attend this dinner by the good folks at the <a href="http://www.eatwisconsincheese.com/">Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board</a>. (Thanks, <a href="http://quickpickled.tumblr.com/">Joanna</a>!) How can you resist Wisconsin cheese paired with brews from one of our favorite breweries? Neither of us had been to Kendall for a dinner before, and were we surprised by the amazing facilities! The faculty and students there putting out some very impressive food and service for a bargain price. (Check out their <a href="http://culinary.kendall.edu/news-and-events/the-dining-room/monday-night-dining-series/">Monday Night Dining</a><a href="http://culinary.kendall.edu/news-and-events/the-dining-room/monday-night-dining-series/"> Series</a> for more info.)<br />
<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QQQJkpuQkj0/TebCw5PIE1I/AAAAAAAAADs/coU0GwYsquY/s1600/Gingerbread.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613388130817676114" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QQQJkpuQkj0/TebCw5PIE1I/AAAAAAAAADs/coU0GwYsquY/s320/Gingerbread.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 320px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 240px;" /></a>For our dinner there were 5 courses on the menu, plus a beer & cheese reception. It was apparent that a lot of thought was put into each course & pairing. For me the cheeses really stood out as the most interesting part. (I am a sucker for <a href="http://www.widmerscheese.com/categories/Everything-We-Have/All-the-Cheese-We-Have/Wisconsin-Cheese/Widmer-Varieties/">Widmer cheddars</a> and anything <a href="http://www.carrvalleycheese.com/">Carr Valley</a>.) The <a href="http://www.hookscheese.com/pictures2/MG_0592_whl_tils_a1.jpg">Hook's Tilston Point Blue</a> with the <a href="http://www.foundersbrewing.com/the-lineup/centennial-ipa">Centennial IPA</a> was intense, but the winner in my book. (However, it was followed pretty closely by the apple salad/<a href="http://www.foundersbrewing.com/the-lineup/reds-rye-pa">Red's Rye</a> pairing.)<br />
<br />
A couple of the pairings, although good on their own, just didn't shine like the others. The Dirty Bastard made a nice sauce for the Braised Beef, but was just a little too mild for the dish as a whole. Same for the dessert (pictured left). The big flavors of the gingerbread needed a boozier brew - like a barleywine or Russian imperial stout to match its boldness.<br />
<br />
Overall, I think this was a fantastic event. It's through dinners like these that people who don't often think of beer & fine dining get acquainted with the subtleties of pairing beer and food (especially cheese). Thanks again to the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board for hosting a fantastic evening!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">PS - Our fellow guests, </span><a href="http://www.guysdrinkingbeer.com/2011/05/24/chicago-craft-beer-week-wi-cheese-and-mi-beer-reception-and-dinner/" style="font-style: italic;">Guys Drinking Beer</a><span style="font-style: italic;">, also posted their thoughts on the evening.</span>Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10820112097464346348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1640800686420416704.post-69275480461824738852011-05-29T14:19:00.003-05:002011-05-29T14:27:14.668-05:00Why We Need an Indoor Brewing System<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WleN8sGyS30/TeKd9FiwZmI/AAAAAAAAADc/qYqlbWnLQdM/s1600/IMAG0047.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 191px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WleN8sGyS30/TeKd9FiwZmI/AAAAAAAAADc/qYqlbWnLQdM/s320/IMAG0047.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612221758442595938" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Yes, that's Matt during a thunderstorm holding an umbrella over the brew kettle, which is underneath a leaking tarp. We also had a floodlight set up just so we could see.<br /><br />This beer will be named (aptly) Sturm und Drang.Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10820112097464346348noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1640800686420416704.post-36258250520278263462011-05-16T08:11:00.002-05:002011-05-16T08:17:14.713-05:00We Took the BJCP Exam<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MZKSdEEgqdk/TdEeKBVra6I/AAAAAAAAAGo/e_Ycy_vzzdc/s1600/bjcp_pint_logo_header.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MZKSdEEgqdk/TdEeKBVra6I/AAAAAAAAAGo/e_Ycy_vzzdc/s1600/bjcp_pint_logo_header.jpeg" /></a></div>So last Saturday we headed down to <a href="http://www.plantchicago.com/">Plant Chicago</a> to take the <a href="http://www.bjcp.org/index.php">Beer Judge Certification</a> test. We'd been part of a study group, which met around once a month since last December. The study class, led by National Judge/chemist Steve McKenna and organized by our homebrew club, <a href="http://www.chihops.com/">HOPS!</a>, was key. In the class you don't just just learn about beer styles, ingredients, processes, etc. - but you learn <i>how</i> to take the test. 3 hours may seem like a long time, but you need to cram *a lot* into those three hours. Many people don't even finish the test, so you need a strategy going in.<br />
<br />
As part of the test is judging, we learned about identifying not only what's appropriate (or not) for a given style, but we also isolated off-flavors to help us identify them. This typically involved doctoring a bunch of Bud Light. This was kinda funny - here we were, supposed <i>beer</i> people, bringing cases of Bud Light to a beer meeting.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-79g1M1-Welk/TdEfCZ1KknI/AAAAAAAAAGs/kldJyY-tuR4/s1600/download.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-79g1M1-Welk/TdEfCZ1KknI/AAAAAAAAAGs/kldJyY-tuR4/s320/download.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
We also sampled classic examples of various styles, and each-other's homebrews.<br />
<br />
The test itself consists of 9 essay questions, judging 4 beers, and filling out a scoresheet as if you were tasting a classic example. Part of what made the test so difficult is that it pulls from a large pool of possible questions. For example, there's an ingredients question. It might ask you about hops, or mashing, or malting, or water, or yeast. To get a good score on the question, you gotta know your stuff. If you get mashing, you need to talk about what happens during mashing - how the malt's enzymes convert starches to sugars, etc. - there's chemistry of some sort in every answer. To our dismay, we got malting - one of the longer and more difficult questions to answer.<br />
<br />
It boils down to about 12 minutes an answer. Even with a watch, it's tough to manage your time. You'll be cruising along on a question when an administrator plops a beer down in front of you to judge. So you gotta stop what you're doing, get out a scoresheet, and judge. The admins can be tricky too - and give you a beer that perhaps is said to be one style, but would actually fit better into another style - and hopefully you can pick up on that.<br />
<br />
<b>Anyways...</b><br />
When the three hours were up, my hand was killing me - I think Meg and I each wrote 20 pages or more. Even with all our prepping, our last couple answers were rushed and not stellar, but hey, we finished. After that, we hit the bars and got ripped like we just finished finals.<br />
<br />
This is the last year the test will have this format. Starting next year, you'll need to pass an online, pre-test of sorts before you can even take the full test. The tasting and written portions will be held on separate days. This sounds like a good format, but I was also glad to kick it old school.<br />
<br />
I went into the test just wanting to learn things to help me become a better brewer. I certainly got that, but also met some really cool people and got to know some folks in my homebrew club even better. And some of those elusive styles and off-flavors aren't so elusive anymore. Worth it? Totally. Major props to HOPS! - especially Mr. Corey and McKenna for devoting so much of their free time to organizing everything, and to the good folks at <a href="http://www.chicagoales.com/">New Chicago Brewing</a> for hosting the exam.<br />
<br />
Cheers!Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06629101337818184267noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1640800686420416704.post-54940674155311440072011-04-25T09:25:00.000-05:002011-04-25T09:25:49.768-05:00BOSS Homebrew Awards, Flossmoor ProAm & Stout!First off, I'd like to extend a big "huzzah!" to our brewing brothers and sisters at <a href="http://www.bossbeer.org/">BOSS</a> for hosting a great competition last March. We entered a few beers, and also judged. As homebrewers, we've found judging to be extremely useful for sensory development - that along with the BJCP study class we're taking. As a judging apprentice (someone who hasn't taken the test yet), you'll get paired up with a more experienced judge who will help you - it's worth pursuing as you'll learn a lot about common off-flavors and brewing mistakes, and chances are you'll try styles that you've never tried before or maybe don't know much about.<br />
<br />
Anyhoo, we took home three awards from that comp:<br />
<ol><li>3rd place for an American Pale Ale</li>
<li>1st place for English Barleywine</li>
<li>1st place for American Stout</li>
</ol><div>The first two beers on the list were actually brewing goof-ups that we fixed, so I can't really provide accurate recipes for those. The barleywine was originally brewed an an American barleywine (from Jamil's <i>Classic Styles</i>) - but due to some unexpectedness on the brewday and some needed improvising/tweaks - turned out more malty than expected. </div><div><br />
</div><div>This proved a good case for submitting your beers to competitions. Not really knowing any better, I submitted this barleywine to a different comp where a judge remarked that it was more like an English barleywine. So for BOSS I entered it as such and bam, it placed. Good judging sheets can be priceless.</div><div><br />
</div><div>The American Stout is a recipe we've been working on awhile. It still needs a few tweaks here and there, but here is it if you'd like to try it. It assumes 80% efficiency, and 8 gallons pre-boil volume:</div><br />
<pre><div><div>Recipe: Stupid American Stout</div><div>Style: 13E-Stout-American Stout</div><div><div>
</div><div></div><div><b>Recipe Overview</b></div><div></div><div>Wort Volume Before Boil: 8.00 US gals</div><div>Wort Volume After Boil: 6.72 US gals</div><div>Volume Transferred: 5.50 US gals</div><div>Water Added: 0.00 US gals</div><div>Volume At Pitching: 5.50 US gals</div><div>Final Batch Volume: 5.00 US gals</div><div>Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.059 SG</div><div>OG: 1.070 SG</div><div>FG: 1.016 SG</div><div>ABV: 7.2 %</div><div>ABW: 5.7 %</div><div>IBU (using Tinseth): 69.9</div><div>Color: 39.3 SRM</div><div>Apparent Attenuation: 76.5 %</div><div>Mash Efficiency: 80.0 %</div><div>Boil Duration: 60.0 mins</div><div>Fermentation Temperature: 67 degF
</div><div></div><div>Fermentables</div><div>US 2-Row Malt 13lb 12oz (85.3 %) In Mash/Steeped</div><div>US Caramel 40L Malt 12.00 oz (4.7 %) In Mash/Steeped</div><div>UK Dark Chocolate Malt (420) 10.00 oz (3.9 %) In Mash/Steeped</div><div>Belgian Debittered Black Malt 8.00 oz (3.1 %) In Mash/Steeped</div><div>UK Roasted Barley 5.00 oz (1.9 %) In Mash/Steeped</div><div>US Caramel 120L Malt 3.00 oz (1.2 %) In Mash/Steeped
</div><div></div><div>Hops</div><div>US Horizon (9.1 % alpha) 2.78 oz Loose Pellet Hops used 60 Min From End</div><div>US Centennial (9.1 % alpha) 0.80 oz Loose Pellet Hops used 5 Min From End</div><div>US Cascade (5.4 % alpha) 1.00 oz Loose Pellet Hops used Dry-Hopped</div><div>US Chinook (11.5 % alpha) 1.00 oz Loose Pellet Hops used Dry-Hopped</div><div></div><div>Other Ingredients</div><div>Yeast: White Labs WLP001-California Ale OR Wyeast 1056 - 1.5L starter</div><div></div><div>Mash Schedule</div><div>Mash Type: Full Mash</div><div>Schedule Name:Single Step Infusion (68C/154F)</div><div>Step: Rest at 154 degF for 60 mins</div></div></div><div></div></pre><br />
<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wl_2MLEFZss/TbWClcw21VI/AAAAAAAAAGk/I8zGt-TMEUk/s1600/download.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wl_2MLEFZss/TbWClcw21VI/AAAAAAAAAGk/I8zGt-TMEUk/s320/download.jpeg" width="192" /></a></div>So why "Stupid American Stout"? Lots of reasons - but if you drink enough, you'll act like a stupid American ;)</div><div><br />
</div><div>One thing I've really learned brewing this is that stouts really need to age a bit before you really know what the beer can be. After dry hopping and carbonating, this beer had an almost ash-like flavor and I was really bummed out - but it improved over the course of a month, and well, now I'm glad I kept it around!</div><div><br />
</div><div>This beer will also be brewed by <a href="http://www.flossmoorstation.com/">Flossmoor Station</a> as their <a href="http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/pages/competitions/great-american-beer-festival-pro-am">GABF ProAm entry</a>, where a professional brewery brews a homebrewer's recipe. The recipe has to take 1st at a BJCP sanctioned competition - lucky for me, I know the brewer at Flossmoor and lucked out. If you brew it, let me know how she turns out. And look for this to be on tap at Flossmoor late this summer.</div><div><br />
</div><div>'til next time - cheers!</div>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06629101337818184267noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1640800686420416704.post-62964334063502542322011-04-07T11:15:00.004-05:002011-04-07T11:27:05.682-05:00Smoky Red Beans & Rice (w/ beer, of course)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PRl42jgRQ-k/TZ3ldbEpV5I/AAAAAAAAADM/FZRR_T8ql3E/s1600/Beans%2B%2526%2BRice.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 191px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PRl42jgRQ-k/TZ3ldbEpV5I/AAAAAAAAADM/FZRR_T8ql3E/s320/Beans%2B%2526%2BRice.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592878605910235026" border="0" /></a>Despite being incredibly busy this winter, I've found some time to try out some new recipes. I whipped up these <a href="http://www.thecookingphotographer.com/2011/03/spicy-smoky-red-beans-and-garlic-brown.html">Smoky Red Beans & Rice</a> a couple of weeks ago. Though a little time consuming, they were very simple and I appreciate that the recipe is vegetarian friendly. (I'm always looking for something to whip up when my veggie friends come over!)<br /><br />The recipe calls for Corona...strange, I didn't have any in the house. Instead I used a slightly DMS-y Maibock that we had on tap at the time - perfect for savory cooking. We paired it with beer brined smoked chicken. (Will post the recipe soon.) This made A LOT of food, and would be great for football games or a cold winter day.Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10820112097464346348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1640800686420416704.post-38142276001818771912011-03-18T13:01:00.003-05:002011-04-07T11:27:36.511-05:00Beer Mac 'n CheeseBeen completely crazy busy around here - it's competition season!! Though we've been madly fermenting and judging, I still found some time to do a little cooking. I whipped up this <a href="http://michiganbeerblog.blogspot.com/2011/02/founders-porter-macaroni-and-cheese.html">recipe</a> for Mac 'n Cheese using Founders Porter last week. There was no porter in our house at the time, so I used the Maibock we have on tap and it worked great. Also, I ran out of panko so I used some crushed french fried onions for the topping instead - yes! (OK, they may be a little white-trashy, but french fried onions are my secret ingredient to a lot of things.) This was definitely not a cheap dish with all of that cheese, but it fed us for three nights and was pretty simple to make. Highly recommended!Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10820112097464346348noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1640800686420416704.post-27477221692685148512011-02-27T17:43:00.007-06:002011-03-09T09:32:25.061-06:00Diacetyl Precursors and Purging Secondary CarboysThis is actually the 3rd "official" beer in our <a href="http://www.whitelabs.com/beer/strains_wlp862.html">Cry Havoc</a> yeast series. First we did a <a href="http://mattmegbrew.blogspot.com/2011/01/white-labs-cry-havoc-batch-1.html">Blonde Ale</a>, then a Maibock (more on that later when we get some scoresheets back - good but probably not in style), and then we brewed Charlie Papazian's <i>Contrarian Amber-Golden Lager</i>, which is what this is about.<br />
<br />
I had high hopes for this beer, as it was the only recipe we made that's actually designed by Charlie himself to go with this yeast. After fermentation and a diacetyl rest, and slowly brining it down to 40F, it was tasting really good. Bready malt flavors and nicely hoppy. The only thing left was to dry hop it. So, I transferred it to a carboy, and dry hopped away. Then I was like - <i>hmmmm.... shoulda purged that carboy with CO2. Oh well, I don't always purge carboys and never had a problem. The CO2 coming out of the beer usually makes the carboy sorta purge itself. </i><br />
<br />
So after 10 days or so of dry hopping, I put it in the fridge to crash everything down. Then today before we went to keg it, we pulled a taste and wow, diacetyl - right in the nose and on the tongue. The bready, hoppy goodness was gone. What happened?<br />
<br />
Well, after reviewing my process and going through <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0937381969?ie=UTF8&tag=stoptimestudi-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0937381969">Jamil and Chris' Yeast book</a>, I think I figured it out. There are diacetyl precursors in beer, namely <i>acetolactate</i>, that can produce diacetyl when introduced to oxygen. These precursors must have been present, and when I racked to the non-CO2-purged carboy, they took up the oxygen and whammo - diacetyl. <b>I racked too soon.</b> Next time, I'll perform a simple diacetyl test, which goes a little something like <a href="http://www.winning-homebrew.com/diacetyl-test.html">this</a>. Anyhoo - the beer was butter. Yes, homebrew mistakes can happen.<br />
<br />
<b>But Can't You Save It?</b><br />
There are ways to get rid of the dreaded "D". Your best best is to let the beer rise back up to room temp so the that yeast can reabsorb the diacetyl. Diacetyl is actually a natural product of fermentation - the yeast just reabsorb it towards the end. In lagers, that's why you do a diacetyl rest, and maybe even a follow a diacetyl reduction scheme (cold pitching). But since I'd already removed the beer from the yeast, that wouldn't work so well here.<br />
<br />
You can also "krausen" the beer, where you pitch some actively fermenting wort back into the beer, with the hope that the active, healthy yeast will reabsorb the diacetyl - but since I'd already dry hopped the beer (used 1oz), I wasn't 100% sure that would work as the hop gunk could get in the way of the yeast. I could have racked *again* but I also know from past experience that if there's too much diacetyl that even krausening won't work, and there was a lot here. So going off my past experience, I made the command decision to dump and move on, causing the entire bathroom to stink of butter. I generally find trying to "fix" D-bomb beers an aggravating, time-wasting experience that never lives up to my expectations. Would rather re-brew.<br />
<br />
The good news is that we've made another, final beer with this yeast, a smoke beer, and no diacetyl (just a smokey nose without any slickness on the tongue). And if there is, well, the smoke covers it nicely! I think this is further evidence that the "D" developed in the secondary.<br />
<br />
Anyways, if I make this again - I'd just skip the dry hopping or dry hop right in the fermentor - maybe just extending the diacetyl rest into a dry hopping period (any tips on dry-hopping lagers?). It's an interesting recipe, and if you'd like to try it out - here it is:<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Recipe: Contrarian Amber-Golden Lager</b><br />
<br />
Wort Volume Before Boil: 8.00 US gals<br />
Wort Volume After Boil: 6.72 US gals<br />
Volume Transferred: 5.50 US gals<br />
Water Added: 0.00 US gals<br />
Volume At Pitching: 5.50 US gals<br />
Final Batch Volume: 5.00 US gals<br />
Expected Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.047 SG<br />
Expected OG: 1.056 SG<br />
Expected FG: 1.016 SG<br />
Expected ABV: 5.1 %<br />
Expected ABW: 4.0 %<br />
Expected IBU (using Tinseth): 56.0<br />
Expected Color: 7.5 SRM<br />
Apparent Attenuation: 68.0 %<br />
Mash Efficiency: 80.0 %<br />
Boil Duration: 90.0 mins<br />
Fermentation Temperature: 52-55 degF<br />
<br />
<b>Fermentables</b><br />
German Pilsner Malt 9lb 14oz (74.9 %) In Mash/Steeped<br />
German Pilsner Malt 8.00 oz (3.8 %) In Mash/Steeped<i> (for boiling - keep reading)</i><br />
US Flaked Rice 1lb 5oz (10.0 %) In Mash/Steeped <i>(for boiling - keep reading)</i><br />
US Rice Hulls 8.00 oz (3.8 %) In Mash/Steeped<br />
Canadian Honey Malt (Gambrinus) 4.00 oz (1.9 %) In Mash/Steeped<br />
Belgian Aromatic Malt 4.00 oz (1.9 %) In Mash/Steeped<br />
Belgian Special B 4.00 oz (1.9 %) In Mash/Steeped<br />
German Sauer(Acid) Malt 4.00 oz (1.9 %) In Mash/Steeped<br />
<br />
<b>Hops</b><br />
French Strisselspalter (1.8 % alpha) 1.50 oz Loose Pellet Hops used 60 Min From End<br />
US Mount Hood (5.0 % alpha) 1.50 oz Loose Pellet Hops used 60 Min From End<br />
US Liberty (4.5 % alpha) 1.00 oz Loose Pellet Hops used 60 Min From End<br />
US Liberty (4.5 % alpha) 1.00 oz Loose Pellet Hops used 20 Min From End<br />
US Mount Hood (5.0 % alpha) 1.00 oz Loose Pellet Hops used 10 Min From End<br />
French Strisselspalter (1.8 % alpha) 0.50 oz Loose Pellet Hops used Dry-Hopped<br />
<br />
Yeast: White Labs WLP862-Cry Havoc, lager-size starter or ready yeast cake<br />
<br />
<b>Mash Schedule</b><br />
Mash Type: Full Mash<br />
Schedule Name: Papazian 132 - 155F<br />
Step: Rest at 132 degF for 30 mins<br />
Step: Raise by infusion to 155 degF for 30 mins<br />
<br />
<b>Recipe Notes (from Zymurgy)</b><br />
OG: 1.056<br />
FG: 1.016<br />
IBU: 55 or so<br />
Color: 14 SRM<br />
<br />
<b>Special Instructions</b><br />
<ol><li>Add 9q (2.75 gal) 140F water to rice husks and crushed malt. (Do NOT add .5lb pils or flaked rice). Stir, stabilize at 132F for 30 minutes.</li>
<li>Meanwhile, add leftover pils and flaked rice to 7 quarts (1.75 gal) cool water and bring to a boil (stir to prevent boil over/scortching). </li>
<li>After 30 minutes, add the boiling mixture to the mash, adding heat as needed to bring up to 155F and hold for 30 minutes.</li>
<li>Raise/Sparge at 167.</li>
</ol><div>I did this in my 10 gallon cooler, and the mash worked great. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Cheers!</div>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06629101337818184267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1640800686420416704.post-36522728052557714912011-02-11T12:10:00.006-06:002011-02-11T12:53:50.789-06:00Association of Beer VixensWow, has it been a very beery past 15 months for me! Joining <a href="http://www.chihops.com/">HOPS</a>, studying for the <a href="http://www.bjcp.org/index.php">BJCP</a>, being chosen for the <a href="http://chibeer.org/">CBS </a>board...fantastically fun (and educational) beer times. I must admit my favorite part of all of my new beer adventures has been meeting beer people, specifically my fellow Beer Vixens.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-88n5yL6it-g/TVWBh6XUnhI/AAAAAAAAACc/Y8E8W2DxCBU/s1600/pinup%2Bbarrel.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 290px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-88n5yL6it-g/TVWBh6XUnhI/AAAAAAAAACc/Y8E8W2DxCBU/s320/pinup%2Bbarrel.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572502533543599634" border="0" /></a><br />About a year ago me and a couple of other beer-minded ladies decided to form a women-only beer group. We weren't sure how many people would be interested or what our goals would be, but we thought we would give it a shot. Ten events and lots of beers later, over 100 ladies are members of the Association of Beer Vixens (ABV).<br /><br />It's been amazing meeting so many extremely cool women who love beer too! We've explored sour beers, toured breweries, paired beers with cheeses, poked around Chicago's historic speakeasys, and most importantly had a complete blast. Every single lady at our events is down-to-earth, smart, funny, and helping to break stereotypes about women and beer. Or as my friend Colleen would say "my people."<br /><br />Randy Mosher mentioned to me once that even if he could never have a drop of beer again he would still hangout with beer people, as they are the best in the world. Though I would be sad if I could never have beer again (and would guess that Randy would be too), I couldn't agree more. So a hearty Cheers to you ABVers! I look forward to sharing many, many pints with you in the years to come.Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10820112097464346348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1640800686420416704.post-45402354953475366672011-01-21T09:05:00.013-06:002011-01-22T09:21:02.556-06:00White Labs Cry Havoc: Batch 1 - Blonde AleWhite Lab's <a href="http://www.whitelabs.com/beer/strains_wlp862.html">Cry Havoc (WLP862)</a> is a unique yeast in that it can ferment at both ale and lager temperatures. This sounded extremely useful (imagine brewing a session ale in order to provide plenty of yeast for a lager - that's the plan here). So I thought I'd give it a shot - and also grab a piece of homebrew history as this is Charlie Papazian's personal yeast strain.<br />
<br />
I kicked off my Cry Havoc yeast adventures with a <a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style06.php#1b">blonde ale</a>. I wasn't sure if it would turn out more like a bitter, but after bringing it to my BJCP class, the teacher said this is a very nice blonde.<br />
<br />
When fermented at ale temps, Cry Havoc gives a lot of apply/cherry like esters, while keeping a nice bready, malty base that makes for a well balanced ale. The northern brewer hops, used mostly for bittering here, give a nice spicy/bitter flavor that keeps you sipping away. And at under 5% ABV, you can easily have a few.<br />
<br />
After this batch, I used the cake to brew a Helles Bock, which is finishing up now (and will report on later). When Cry Havoc is fermented at lager temps, the fruitiness goes away, and a sample revealed a nice bready maltiness. Cry Havoc is a low floculator, which doesn't seem to be a problem with the lager, but the ale was a bit hazy - even with whirlfloc added in the boil. If clarity is important, you may wish to cold crash an ale before kegging/bottling with this yeast.<br />
<br />
Anyhoo, here's the blonde-ale recipe:<br />
<pre>Wort Volume Before Boil: 8.00 US gals
Wort Volume After Boil: 6.72 US gals
Volume Transferred: 5.50 US gals
Water Added: 0.00 US gals
Volume At Pitching: 5.50 US gals
Final Batch Volume: 5.00 US gals
Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.036 SG
OG: 1.047 SG
FG: 1.012 SG
ABV: 4.5 %
IBU (using Tinseth): 32.9
Color: 5.7 SRM
Apparent Attenuation: 73 %
Mash Efficiency: 81.0 %
Boil Duration: 60.0 mins
Fermentation Temperature: 67 degF (ramp to lower 70's towards end)
<b>Fermentables</b>
Maris Otter Pale Ale Malt - T.Fawcett 8lb 8oz (94.4 %) In Mash/Steeped
UK Wheat Malt 8.00 oz (5.6 %) In Mash/Steeped
<b>Hops</b>
German Northern Brewer (10.4 % alpha) 0.75 oz Loose Pellet Hops used 60 Min From End
German Northern Brewer (10.4 % alpha) 0.25 oz Loose Pellet Hops used 30 Min From End
Kent Goldings (4.9 % alpha) 1.00 oz Loose Pellet Hops used 1 Min From End
<b>Yeast:</b> White Labs WLP862-Cry Havoc (small starter)
<b>Mash Schedule</b>
Mash Type: Full Mash
Schedule Name:Single Step Infusion (67C/152F)
Step: Rest at 152 degF for 60 mins</pre>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06629101337818184267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1640800686420416704.post-21023932278465968362010-12-12T10:24:00.007-06:002010-12-12T10:36:55.375-06:00Big Brews, A Rainy Brew Day, Cry Havoc, and Fermcap-S - Oh My!The past couple months have been crazy and we've been slackin' on the bloggin' - apologies! Here's a recap since the last post.<br />
<br />
<b>Big Brews</b><br />
Wrapping up our brewing with <a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&sqi=2&ved=0CBYQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.whitelabs.com%2Fbeer%2Fstrains_wlp001.html&ei=n-wETYmELdHdngeL5fTGCg&usg=AFQjCNEOy3YWDjaimXdD83_NhFiOmPkOXA">White Labs 001 American Ale</a> yeast, we finished big with an American Barleywine and a Russian Imperial Stout. The barleywine has been bottle conditioning for about a month and a half. We added both sugar and some fresh yeast at the time of bottling. We cracked one over the weekend, but there wasn't near enough carbonation yet. With the frigid weather here in Chicago and our house only staying in the 65-68F range, along with the hugeness of the beer, it looks like they're just going to take awhile longer to fully carbonate. Pleased to report it was quite delicious and we easily finished the bottle in spite of the low carbonation. I swirled the other bottles and moved them close to a heating vent, with the hope that helps keep the temp up a bit.<br />
<br />
I also brewed a Russian Imperial Stout on impulse. We still had plenty of good 001 yeast left (NOT the barleywine yeast, which was totally pooped), so I brewed up a RIS with yeast I had left over from an American Stout - just pitched right on the cake and had an explosive, but controlled fermentation thanks to my temp controlled fridge. I have it kegged and sitting in the basement, where I plan on forgetting about it for awhile. An initial taste was smooth and choclately with hints of plum from the <a href="http://www.rebelbrewer.com/shoppingcart/products/Castle-Special-%22B%22-Malt-(by-the-pound).html">Special B malt</a>.<br />
<br />
Both of these beers were taken from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0937381926?ie=UTF8&tag=stoptimestudi-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0937381926">Brewing Classic Styles</a>, bastardized to suit the ingredients I had on hand. I can't say enough good things about this recipe book.<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=stoptimestudi-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0937381926" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
<br />
<b>A Rainy Brew Day</b><br />
Yesterday I brewed something like an English Bitter, or at least that was the intent - with an OG of 1.047 or so it's more like a Special Bitter. Boiled a bit too hard/long perhaps. Anyhoo - while I could have diluted with water to bring that down the beer already had precious little hops in it and I didn't want the color any lighter. The recipe, inspired by Steve Hamburg, was simple: 95% Marris Otter, 5% Wheat, 1oz Northern Brewer for bittering and 1oz Kent Goldings for flavor/aroma - around 32 IBUs.<br />
<br />
Chicago weather has been on crack lately - while freezing all week it warmed up a bit to make it seem like a great brewday - but then it started raining as I was running off. So I rigged a tarp up to stay dry and keep that nasty city rain water out of my kettle:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9slzZRj8TS4/TQTxEa4pYCI/AAAAAAAAAGM/hUyt80fPUZE/s1600/photo.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9slzZRj8TS4/TQTxEa4pYCI/AAAAAAAAAGM/hUyt80fPUZE/s400/photo.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
This worked out well - it reminded me of camping in the Smokies in November, where it rained all the time. Those are stairs going down into our basement - so there was plenty of room for stacking things and actually standing up at the bottom, where there's also a convenient drain. The stairs are "pool style" - the curved ends are wider than the middle - just enough room for my propane burner and brew kettle.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9slzZRj8TS4/TQTyKhzHMVI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/ejl0yeJHfdc/s1600/IMAG0017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_9slzZRj8TS4/TQTyKhzHMVI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/ejl0yeJHfdc/s320/IMAG0017.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I normally brew using a 5 gallon paint strainer bag in the kettle to hold hops in, since I tend to use a lot of them. I also put my runnings through the bag to catch any stray pieces of grain that may have made their way out of the mash tun. I then shake and rinse the bag out, and return it to the kettle for hops. But with only 2 oz of hops here, I decided the bag was pointless, but I still used it to strain my runnings.<br />
<br />
<b>Cry Havoc</b><br />
Cray Havoc, <a href="http://www.whitelabs.com/beer/strains_wlp862.html">White Labs 862</a>, is Charlie Papazian's yeast strain - and I was intrigued to try it because it can ferment at both ale and lager temperatures. So, the bitter I brewed will be fermented with this, and then I'll use that cake to make a Munich Helles, and then an Amber Lager, and then a Smoke Beer (Rauchbier).<br />
<br />
I made a starter, and decided to use some Fermcap-S, a foam inhibitor, in it while I was boiling it in the Erlenmeyer flask so I didn't have to watch it so much for boil overs. Well, I meant to add 1 drop, but instead a glob plopped out that was probably more like 4-5 drops. While it did a wonderful job during the boil, there was no krausen on the starter. I could see bubbles popping up from the bottom - but there's something reassuring about that krausen.<br />
<br />
Anyways, after pitching the starter yesterday we have fermentation in the carboy this morning. This yeast is very English-like in that it clumps together at the surface like cottage cheese. Will be very curious to see how my Cry Havoc experiments go, and if that Fermcap mis-hap is going to affect the size of the krauzen in the carboy as well.<br />
<br />
This'll probably be my last post before the holiday - so Happy Holidays and Good Brewing to all! Cheers.Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06629101337818184267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1640800686420416704.post-49050702817646429322010-11-02T09:28:00.001-05:002010-12-12T09:28:52.368-06:00Entering the World of Competitive HomebrewWe've been homebrewing now for a couple of years and feel comfortable that we're making solidly good brews (most of the time). But are we biased? Are our friends just being nice? I think this is something that all homebrewers deal with, and I feel the best way to get an honest opinion is by entering a homebrew competition.<br />
<br />
There are a lot of things a homebrewer needs to think about when entering a competition: carbonation (did you bottle condition, are you bottling off of a keg), transportation (do you have to ship it, how long will it take to get there), category to enter in (is this a Pale Ale or an IPA), and timing of your brew schedule. Luckily, the <a href="http://chibeer.org/">Chicago Beer Society</a> puts on a <a href="http://chibeer.org/2010/09/22/2010-spooky-brew-review-homebrew-competition/">homebrew competition</a> every Halloween, so we had no reason not to enter. Transportation wasn't a worry, but we still had to deal with carbonation, category and timing. We decided to just enter what we had ready to go: Evil M-Squared (American Amber), Super Cres (American IPA), and Passion Fruit Wheat (Fruit Beer). The only "x factor" was when to bottle it off of the keg to assure freshness. We bottled 8 days prior to the event and crossed our fingers that the carbonation held. Also, we decided Super Cres had a better chance in the IPA category instead of the DIPA it was meant to be.<br />
<br />
If you thought there was a lot to think about when entering, there are 1000 more things to think about if you're running a competition. But that's a post for another date! Let's just say the folks that organize and work the event deserve major props.<br />
<br />
When all was said and done, we took away 3 medals. The Amber and IPA each took 3rd, and our Passionfruit Wheat took first. This was a great learning experience - and we're looking forward to entering more competitions - cheers!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://chibeer.org/spooky10winners.htm">http://chibeer.org/spooky10winners.htm</a>Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10820112097464346348noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1640800686420416704.post-82765642226646964292010-10-02T12:46:00.000-05:002010-10-02T12:46:19.879-05:00Updates: Passionfruit Wheat and Post-Oktoberfest StuffIf you read <a href="http://mattmegbrew.blogspot.com/2010/09/passionfruit-barleywine-evil-twin-more.html">one of my previous posts</a>, you'll know that I've been working on a Passionfruit Wheat and an under-attenuated Barleywine. Here's some updates on those puppies.<br />
<br />
The passionfruit wheat is carbed and tastes pretty good - I think it's missing some malt character, or needs less fruit next time. The malt bill was 5% Crystal 15, with the rest split even with 2 Row and Wheat. The OG was 1.051 - and we used 48oz of Passionfruit puree. I've been drinking a lot of Lagunita's <a href="http://www.lagunitas.com/beers/littlesumpin.html">A Little Sumpin' Sumpin'</a> which has a great malt base (they say they use 3 different kinds of wheat) - and really admiring how well the malt balances all the hop flavor. It's 7.5%, and a dangerous 7.5% at that - so I might kick up the malt next time and see how she goes. I think I'll also use an American Wheat yeast strain - I just used 001 here.<br />
<br />
I will say this beer makes some excellent passionfruit pancakes! Jiffy mix, an egg, and some beer are all you need. Mix until thickish, put in the fridge for 15 minutes, and cook 'em up - if you want to get fancy, sprinkle some coconut in to get a nice tropical aura.<br />
<br />
And krausening the barleywine really worked! It's down from 1.035 to 1.027 now. I'm going to let it sit a couple more weeks and see if it drops anymore. I'll also pitch a bit of fresh yeast when bottling comes around, according to <a href="http://mattmegbrew.blogspot.com/2010/06/nhc-2010-day-3-recap.html">these "bottle like a pro" directions</a> (though I've decided to use Safale-05 for bottle conditioning this one). So maybe that'll drop the FG a bit more too.<br />
<br />
After the <a href="http://mattmegbrew.blogspot.com/2010/09/hops-oktoberfest-2010.html">HOPS! Oktoberfest</a> I was left with a half keg each of IPA and Pale Ale. I was sorta tired of each beer, neither of which was outstanding on its own, so I blended the two together to make what I think is a very good, well balanced pale ale that I'm very happy with. To do this, just make a keg jumper from some beverage line and 2 keg-out connectors (the black ones on ball lock kegs). Bleed the destination keg every so often, and slowly push with some CO2 from the source keg - I demonstrate this in my <a href="http://mattmegbrew.blogspot.com/2010/03/video-making-of-jzs-hop-hammer.html">Double IPA video</a>. I love doing these closed-system transfers.<br />
<br />
<b>Recently Brewed</b><br />
There was a Pliny clone in a recent issue of Zymurgy, which I brewed up. It was a totally impromptu brew - I was having a crappy day, so I just decided to f everything and brew something. The last double I made came out too bitter for me, so I cut the boil time from 90 to 60 minutes wo/ cutting the 3oz of bittering hops (though I did use 1oz of that for 1st wort hopping). The end result was I came in an entire point low on my OG - 1.063 vs. the desired 1.073 - oops, tough I did hit my pre-boil on the dot (hurray!). In the spirit of <a href="http://acronyms.thefreedictionary.com/RDWHAHB" title="Relax don't worry have a home brew">RDWHAHB</a>, I shrugged my shoulders and wrapped it up. It finished out at 1.011 and was tasty - not too bitter or boozy at 7%, so instead of a double I'm just going to have a heckuva single IPA on my hands. It's dry hopping now and we'll just have to see how it tastes once it's carbed up.<br />
<br />
<b>Controlling that CO2 Bitterness</b><br />
One thing I've been doing with my kegs and carbonation is cutting off the gas once the beer tastes good to me, and then giving it more gas as needed to keep the serving pressure up. I think the beer doesn't absorb so much CO2 that way, and as a result, doesn't keep getting more and more bitter as it sits on the gas - as CO2 adds a certain "bite" to the beer, and can also thin out the mouthfeel. Maybe I'm just weird and it's all in my head, but seems to be doing the trick on certain brews.<br />
<br />
Cheers and brew on!Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06629101337818184267noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1640800686420416704.post-88683292839985523072010-09-14T12:26:00.009-05:002010-09-14T15:48:20.583-05:00HOPS! Oktoberfest 2010<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9slzZRj8TS4/TI_fFICIJPI/AAAAAAAAAGA/waRb91U1CG0/s1600/ofest3-250.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9slzZRj8TS4/TI_fFICIJPI/AAAAAAAAAGA/waRb91U1CG0/s320/ofest3-250.jpg" /></a></div>This year, Meg and I will be participating in the annual Chicago HOPS! Oktoberfest extraveganza! Professional brewers and talented locals unite to bring you the ultimate in local craft beer and food. Come on by and say hello! Hope to see you there.<br />
<br />
<b style="color: #38761d;">What?</b><br />
Join <a href="http://chihops.com/" title="HOPs! Brew Club Chicago - Home">Homebrewer's Pride of the Southside</a> (HOPS!) in celebrating the beeriest holiday of them all: Oktoberfest! Our annual fundraiser features music, an impressive spread of food offerings, and--most importantly--dozens upon dozens of delicious craft-brewed lagers and ales from local breweries and the award-winning brewers of HOPS! This year's fundraiser runs from <b>2-7pm on Saturday, September 25, 2010</b>. Come rain; come shine; come thirsty! Prost!<br />
<b>NOTE: No one under 21 years old will be admitted.<br />
<br />
<a class="ticket" href="http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/124158" title="HOPS! Oktoberfest 2010"><span style="background-color: yellow;">ยป Get your ticket here!</span><span style="background-color: #ffe599;"></span></a></b><br />
<br />
<b style="color: #38761d;">Where?</b><br />
<a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?q=3202+S+May+St,+Chicago,+IL+60608-6412&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=3202+S+May+St,+Chicago,+Cook,+Illinois+60608&gl=us&ei=FneKTLfjOselngeB3ei9Cw&ved=0CBgQ8gEwAA&ll=41.835997,-87.654762&spn=0.01279,0.021544&z=14&iwloc=A&source=embed" title="3202 S May St, Chicago, IL 60608-6412 - Google Maps">Chicago Bridgeport VFW Post 5079</a> <br />
3202 S May St <br />
Chicago, IL 60608<br />
<br />
<b style="color: #38761d;">Beer?</b> <br />
Absolutely! We'll be serving up the best local, hand-crafted beer available with kegs contributed by the likes of:<br />
<ul><li>Rock Bottom</li>
<li>Half Acre</li>
<li>Flossmoor Station</li>
<li>Revolution</li>
<li>Metropolitan Brewing</li>
<li>Gordon Biersch</li>
<li>Goose Island Brewery</li>
<li>Two Brothers... and More!</li>
</ul><br />
<b style="color: #38761d;">Food?</b> <br />
Not only will there be food, but plenty of <i>delicious</i> food - from authentic German styles to mouth watering BBQ! Just <a href="http://www.chihops.com/HopsFood2010.html" title="HOPs! Oktoberfest 2010 - Food List">check out this page</a> for the state of the menu.<br />
<br />
<b style="color: #38761d;">Get Your Ticket!</b><br />
All you can eat and drink tickets are only $30 - and you'll need to <a href="http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/124158" title="HOPS! Oktoberfest 2010">purchase one over here</a>.<br />
<br />
If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to contact <a href="mailto:info@chihops.com">Mark Mazanec</a> (312-315-0829).Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06629101337818184267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1640800686420416704.post-53123434295461655112010-09-06T14:39:00.005-05:002010-10-02T11:57:05.565-05:00Passionfruit, Barleywine, Evil Twin & More - The Weekend of Beer TrialsHi all - been awhile since the last post, but that doesn't mean we haven't been brewing up a storm!<br />
<br />
With the approach of the <a href="http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/124158">HOPS! Oktoberfest</a> and end of summer parties, I've been doing my best to brew as much as possible. Here's the lowdown on what's brewing.<br />
<br />
First off, I've been messing around with the <a href="http://www.ezwatercalculator.com/">EZ Water Spreadsheet</a> - with varying degrees of success. All I can really say is water is a tricky subject, and less is always best. I'm running some more experimental batches with water, and think that probably deserves a post of it's own down the road.<br />
<br />
Last weekend I decided to totally go back to basics. I brewed a pale ale with 100% Canada Malting Pale Ale malt - with Simcoe and Amarillo for flavor hops and a touch of Galena for bittering. With no water adjustments or stabilizer, I was wondering if this might mean less efficiency with the mash, but quite the contrary, I got 85%. What I've found with batch sparging is if I give the mash an extra stir or two here and there, it'll jack my efficiency 5% or so. In the back-to-basics spirit, I fermented with Safale S-04 Dry Yeast, and had a good strong fermentation. No taste or readings to report yet.<br />
<br />
4 weeks ago we brewed a Barleywine - pitched on top of a White Labs 001 cake with a staring gravity of 1.111. It fermented strong for 2 weeks or a little more, then cleared nicely. We were getting ready to bottle it (everything sanitized and such) when a reading showed it stopped at 1.035 - what the... I was shooting for more in the 1.025 range. After a quick call to a fellow HOPS! member (thanks Bob), I decided to krausen it with some Safale S-05. I made a 1 liter starter, transferred the beer into another carboy, and pitched the starter at high krausen. Now the airlock is bubbling again, and hopefully that'll shave some more points off it. Silly me, thinking a barleywine would be ready in 4 weeks. Sheesh. I think I'll just leave that in the closet for awhile.<br />
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We brewed a Passionfruit Wheat a few weekends back. After racking to a keg, it was a bit on the tart side, so we let it mellow at room temp for a week - which did wonders for it. So now it's in the fridge, carbing up.<br />
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On Saturday, we kegged a batch of of IPA - which tasted mighty fine. I saved that yeast and brewed up <a href="http://www.mrmalty.com/late_hopping.htm">Jamil's Evil Twin</a> <i>(recipe at bottom of page)</i> yesterday. The brew day went pretty well - hit the target pre-boil but my OG was a little low - something that seems to happen to me every so often, even after a strong 90 minute boil. I had decanted the yeast cake from the IPA into a 3L jug - there was a little over 2 liters of slurry in there, which I let sit all afternoon so it was nice and separated (the trub/hop residue/dead yeast settles to the bottom, the creamy good yeast in the middle, beer on top). After decanting the beer, I saved about 1.5 cups in a sanitized mason jar for the fridge, and after aerating the cooled wort, dumped the rest in - doing my best to leave most of the junk behind.<br />
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Well, 24 hours later - I've got a bit of very, very slow movement in the airlock, but no krausen. This <a href="http://mattmegbrew.blogspot.com/2010/06/got-dry-yeast-you-should.html">happened to me before</a> - the last time I reused yeast wo/ any kind of starter, and everything turned out OK so I'm going to wait another day and see (UPDATE: Fermenting strong 2 days later). Seems I have troubles/show starts when reusing yeast unless I either (1) pitch right on the cake or (2) make a starter.<br />
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So there you have it - got brats and beer to attend to, so until next time - keep on brewing ;)<br />
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<b>October 2, 2010 Update:</b> The Passion Fruit wheat is on tap. While enjoyable, I think I'll either boost the malt bill or cut back on the passionfruit puree a bit (we used 48oz this time), or both. Dunno yet. I will say that it made some mighty fine passionfruit pancakes ;)Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06629101337818184267noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1640800686420416704.post-69336751883910748142010-08-17T10:51:00.000-05:002010-08-17T10:51:18.232-05:00Star San + Distilled Water = Star San for WeeksA few weeks back I picked up some distilled water, and mixed up 2.5 gallons of Star San with it. Normally, here in Chicago, the Star San mixture is cloudy by the end of the day, and the next morning it's getting that slimy feeling - both indicators it's time to dump.<br />
<br />
But with distilled water, the PH stays nice and low - and 3 weeks later the Star San I made with distilled water is still crystal clear and foaming just like I made it that day. I put some in a spray bottle, and don't have to worry about it going bad. <br />
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The past couple weeks, having this bucket of sanitizer has been very handy - I've found myself having to switch out airlocks, rig up blow-off tubes, sanitize bottles among other various things, and not having to mix up sanitizer each time has been a real hassle-saver.<br />
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Is it economical/practical to do this all the time? I don't know - up to the individual. But if you plan on lots of brewing work over a period of a few weeks, this can be real handy. Just cover the bucket with a lid and fill up that spray bottle - cheers!Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06629101337818184267noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1640800686420416704.post-26409677651454211692010-07-21T14:29:00.012-05:002010-07-22T14:48:05.998-05:00On Cleaning the Boil PotLast Monday I had the wonderful opportunity to help brew a batch of beer at the <a href="http://www.gooseisland.com/pages/clybourn_brewpub/65.php">Goose Island Brewpub</a> here in Chicago. This was to be a collaboration brew between Goose Island and the <a href="http://www.chibeer.org/">Chicago Beer Society</a>. The beer is a recipe by Randy Mosher for a spiced Belgian Wit called <i>Partial Eclipse</i>. There were a number of us helping, which basically meant we did a lot of cleaning while guys like head-brewer Jared, Randy, and Ray Daniels took care of the recipe and managing the brew process.<br />
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Anyways, of the many things I learned (and cleaned), the one that I took immediate notice of was the boil kettle - mostly because I found myself getting inside it (a tricky climb through the top port - thank you yoga!) and scrubbing while holding onto a flashlight in the other hand (very dark in there!), and trying not to hit my head/rack myself on various steel tubing. Here's me in the kettle:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9slzZRj8TS4/TEdDnoL_ATI/AAAAAAAAAFg/UkmNIAtV-yU/s1600/web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9slzZRj8TS4/TEdDnoL_ATI/AAAAAAAAAFg/UkmNIAtV-yU/s400/web.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The first thing that struck me was, dang - <i>even dirty this thing is cleaner than my boil kettle!</i> So I just set about cleaning it best I could before hosing everything down. Well, after assistant brewer Todd checked my work, he climbed in and scrubbed out a spot I missed around the drain pipe - damn! He then filled the bottom with an acid-based caustic solution, let it sit awhile, and pumped it through the plumbing. So anyways, that got me wondering....<br />
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<b>Just How Clean Should My Kettle Be?</b><br />
I posed this question to both Randy and Rodney Kibzey (<a href="http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/sam-adams-longshot-weizenbock/83822/">Sam Adams Longshot Winner</a>). They both recommend keeping your pots good and clean, free of both gunk and beerstone because it helps minimize any off-flavors, saves your pot from pitting, keeps the heat dispersal even, and general peace of mind. On the other hand, I've heard guys say <i>the dirtier the pot, the better the beer</i> - like seasoning a cask iron skillet. Post boil I've been scrubbing down with dish soap and a kitchen scrubbie-sponge, getting most, but not all, the gunk off, and then spraying the pot down with some StarSan, which is acid-based and good for the steel. I started doing this less-than-polished type of cleaning after a <a href="http://mattmegbrew.blogspot.com/2010/02/metallic-taste-in-your-beer.html">metallic taste appeared in one of my batches</a>.<br />
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So the next day I decided to try <i>properly</i> cleaning my pot. I gave the entire thing a good 1 hour soak in PBW (1oz per gallon), scrubbing with a brush. I also opened/closed the ball valve a few quick times before and after the soak, trying to loosen any gunk in there. After an hour I gotta say the water was a gross, murky brown - and some of that gross murky brown stuff was probably getting into my boiling wort SCREW THAT! I drained it through the ball valve, hoping to flush any more crap outta there. Makes me think about investing in a 3 piece valve I can take apart and clean.<br />
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The PBW took away most everything, except there was some white stuff at the bottom that wouldn't scrub off - I took this to be some hardcore <a href="http://www.birkocorp.com/Brewing/beerstone.html">beerstone</a> or maybe a limestone-like substance, either of which can harbor microorganisms and damage the steel underneath it. There was also some particularly stubborn, brownish beerstone along the sides still. From <a href="http://www.byo.com/stories/projects-and-equipment/article/indices/20-build-it-yourself/1149-metallurgy-for-homebrewers">an article on byo.com</a>:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9slzZRj8TS4/TEdIgoTI74I/AAAAAAAAAFo/QgpMCRCcdkg/s1600/JELMCL-12.medium.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_9slzZRj8TS4/TEdIgoTI74I/AAAAAAAAAFo/QgpMCRCcdkg/s320/JELMCL-12.medium.jpg" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial,geneva,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><i>Bio-fouling (trub deposits) and beerstone scale (calcium oxylate) can also cause corrosion. The metal underneath the deposit can become oxygen depleted via biological or chemical action and lose passivity, becoming pitted. A two step procedure is most effective for removing beerstone. Beerstone is a combination of protein buildup and mineral deposit, so removal works best if the protein is broken up with a caustic, like sodium hydroxide or PBW, and then the remaining lime can be dissolved by an acidic cleaner like CLR (Calcium Lime Rust Remover).</i></span><br />
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Off course you can say we're killing all those nasties during the boil, but if we're going to be clean let's be clean, and keep our kettle in good shape while we're at it. So after the PBW soak I did a splash of warm water, and an equal splash of CLR, and a sponge-wipe, and it was gone just like that. Rinse with some cold water, and wow - like new! A quick spray with some StarSan, and it's good for storage. Now my kettle is as clean as I can make it - looks good, and ready for my next batch :)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9slzZRj8TS4/TEieyNkoc3I/AAAAAAAAAFw/K11WXHASvic/s1600/IMG_1670.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9slzZRj8TS4/TEieyNkoc3I/AAAAAAAAAFw/K11WXHASvic/s400/IMG_1670.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06629101337818184267noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1640800686420416704.post-85718220084960320652010-07-09T10:29:00.000-05:002010-07-09T10:29:28.633-05:00Full Length Sierra Nevada Beer Camp EntrySo I decided to enter the <a href="http://www.sierrabeercamp.com/">Sierra Nevada Beer Camp</a> contest this year. Since I've been a drummer for 20-some years, I thought it might be cool to outfit my drum kit with various pieces of brew gear and see what sorts of sounds I could pull out of them.<br />
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So, after making my masterpiece, I got around to reading the rules - and fortunately read that the video had to be under 2 minutes long - doh! Mine was close to 5 minutes! So I had some editing to do, which didn't turn out too bad - you can see the cut version on the Beer Camp site <a href="http://www.sierrabeercamp.com/#/view-entries/232">here</a>. <br />
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But just in case you want more - here's the raw, uncut version feature the full jam - cheers!<br />
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<object width="441" height="248"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=13141641&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=00ADEF&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=13141641&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=00ADEF&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="441" height="248"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/13141641">Matt's Uncut Video Entry for the 2010 Sierra Nevada Beer Camp Contest</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user3383732">Matt M.</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06629101337818184267noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1640800686420416704.post-65462866774361694172010-07-04T11:14:00.001-05:002010-07-09T10:22:29.404-05:00The Other Dreaded D: DMS (Dimethyl Sulfide)Last week we tapped our second light-colored lager, a German Pils - made with 100% pilsener malt. Our <a href="http://mattmegbrew.blogspot.com/2009/12/brew-day-super-jim-lager.html">fist light-colored lager</a>, an American Premium, suffered from diacetyl to the max (not enough yeast, no diacetyl rest). This time around I managed to get rid of the butter, but handily discovered another flavor: DMS.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9slzZRj8TS4/TDCxdIHrdII/AAAAAAAAAFY/H9XD4U3EtRY/s1600/pils-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_9slzZRj8TS4/TDCxdIHrdII/AAAAAAAAAFY/H9XD4U3EtRY/s200/pils-2.jpg" width="136" /></a></div>At first I wasn't quite sure what I was tasting. The beer is super clear and beautiful, but yet - what is that? Unlike our previous lager, this wasn't terrible. There was just too much of <i>something</i> unbalancing the beer. After having a couple beer-judge friends taste it, the culprit was identified - Dimethyl Sulfide.<br />
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A small level of DMS in lagers is acceptable. In fact, now that I know what it tastes like (think <i>corn</i> when drinking a Schlitz), I can pick it out in other beers. Ours just has a too much of it - thankfully there's enough hop bitterness in there to cover it up some, especially when it's nice and cold. But we pitched plenty of yeast, and cooled fast by pumping ice water through our immersion chiller, so....<br />
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<b>What Causes DMS?</b><br />
The first thing each judge asked us is if we boiled with the lid on. Nope. But, I don't think I boiled hard enough to drive it all off. In an effort to save gas and avoid kettle caramelization, I've been experimenting with a less-than-rolling boil - just getting it going enough to <i>be</i> boiling. Well, no more wimpy boils here, now that I know that a boil isn't just to sanitize and add flavor/hops to the wort, it's also supposed to <i>drive off stuff you don't want in there</i>. So it's time to crank it up a bit (but not so much that hot wort is leaping out of the kettle!). In general, a 10-15% evaporation rate <i>per hour</i> seems to be the goal. So if you start with 7.5 gallons, you want to boil off around 1 gallon or a little more in an hour, or around 1.5 gallons for a 90 minute boil. In the meantime, I'm just going to bring the iced keg to a 4th of July party, where I'm sure it'll get sucked down pretty quick on this hot Chicago day <i>(update: it did)</i>. Cheers!Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06629101337818184267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1640800686420416704.post-68312022568576002022010-06-21T13:23:00.000-05:002010-06-21T13:23:56.934-05:00NHC 2010 Pictures<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mmayes/sets/72157624201189125/">Here's a picture set from the 2010 National Homebrewers Conference!</a> Not that many - but my hands were busy either holding beer, tapping kegs, hauling gear, etc. Next time I'll be a little more prepared to document the madness ;)<br />
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In the picture below: <br />
<i>Meg, John Blichmann, Me, Bill, Bob, and Doug (also of <a href="http://www.blichmannengineering.com/">Blichmann Engineering</a>). With the exception of the Blichmann guys (awesome to hang with ya'll), we're all members of <a href="http://www.chihops.com/">HOPS!</a>.</i><br />
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<img alt="IMG_4161" height="266" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1064/4721190205_fa5e6d724a.jpg" width="400" />Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06629101337818184267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1640800686420416704.post-31146720570823020802010-06-19T12:30:00.000-05:002010-06-19T12:30:16.994-05:00NHC 2010 - Day 3 RecapIt is becoming apparent that this conference is all about endurance - fortunately our hotel has some good strong coffee! While the coffee goes great with a delicious breakfast croissant, it was not so great with bruschetta, sauteed mushrooms, and blue cheese - which is what we were sampling during out first seminar today: food and beer pairing.<br />
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During the <b>Practical Food and Beer Pairing: Planning and Hosting Your Own Pairing Dinner</b> we learned some great tips from Kyle Jones. It was encouraging to hear how you don't need a degree in food science or brewing to put together a great evening of pairings - you educate your palate as you go. Kyle, like many of us, will daydream in his office, car, etc. about food and beer and jot down any pairing that sounds interesting and then try it out. The important thing of planning out a pairing dinner is just that: planning. After setting the menu, he'll start 30 days in advance, contacting various vendors to secure the food/beer he wants - and does as much prep work as possible the days before the event. Having a helper is key too.<br />
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We tried some crusty crostinis with bruschetta-like tomatoes/basil, paired with <a href="http://www.sierranevada.com/beers/kellerweis.html">Sierra Nevada's Kellerweiss</a>, which was excellent. The wheat beer really balanced out the acidity of the tomatoes. Next up: sauteed mushrooms paired with <a href="http://www.deschutesbrewery.com/brews/year-round-brews/black-butte-porter/default.aspx">Deschutes Black Butte Porter</a>. The logic behind this pairing is that the earthiness of the mushrooms would balance well with the roasty, earthy flavors of a porter. Meg really liked this one, but I wasn't such a big fan - I think I was picking up too much of the chocolate from the beer, and chocolate 'shrooms aren't my thing.<br />
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Lastly, we had some blue cheese paired with Summit's (?) IPA. This was a great one. The hoppy-bitter/fruity beer did a good job of keeping the strong cheese in check, sort of bathing your mouth, prepping it for the next bite of cheese. Kyle also recommends paring IPAs with cheesecakes and recommends always having a dessert (or two) at your dinner.<br />
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A great talk. The overall theme was to think it, try it, and don't be discouraged if it doesn't work. Let your palate guide you. My only complaint was that the 9am class time probably wasn't the best slot for this....<br />
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Next up was <b>Hop Variety Overview: What is Quality and How Can I Find It</b> by James Atweis of <a href="http://www.gorstvalleyhops.com/" style="color: #669933;">Gorst Valley Hops</a>. This was also great, as it covered a bit of chemistry but focused on how it impacted hop <i>flavor</i> in your beer. Hops consist of various oil compounds, and these compounds have <i>flashpoints</i> - basically, temperatures at which they work best under. If I see James again, I think I'll ask him if this is why bittering hops don't matter much taste-wise. You toss them in at the beginning of your boil, and if that's all you did - flavor-wise you'd be hard pressed to tell what you used because those <i>flavor</i> oils all have flashpoints well under 200F. By using late addition hops, you loose less as they don't spend as much time over their flashpoints - another reason to cool your beer quickly post-boil. I didn't take notes so please correct me here if you attended this one <i>(my stomach was still yelling about digesting coffee and the food/beer pairings)</i>.<br />
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The "big thing" I got from this was that most hop flashpoints are around 114F - so next time, I'm going to try cooling my wort down under this, and chucking in some hops then. Also, I think I finally understand the logic behind a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brewing#Hopback">hop-back</a>, which is used post-boil to lock in those flavors and aromas normally driven out by the boil. In fact, I can't wait to experiment with this.<br />
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After lunch and a heart-warming keynote from Mark Stutrud of <a href="http://www.summitbrewing.com/home.php">Summit Brewing</a>, one of the pioneers of the craft brewing movement in the 80's. Following the keynote, we went onto <b>Fermentation Management</b> by Greg Doss of <a href="http://www.wyeastlab.com/">Wyeast Labs</a>. We had to sit on the floor for this one as the room was packed. Greg covered lots and lots of stuff (judging from the way he was skipping slides, we missed quite a bit). The things I took away was that as far as <i>attenuation</i> goes, all ale strains are really about the same. What matters is the recipe and wort composition. Things like flocculation didn't matter in his tests. For example, he did shaken vs. completely static fermentations side by side, and there was only a 1-2% difference in attenuation. So according to this logic, swirling your carboy to keep the yeast up in suspension doesn't do a thing as far as attenuation goes (though perhaps it gets the job done faster?). To me, this was pretty ground breaking info as about everything I've read seems to say the opposite. The one big factor we didn't cover much beyond the basics was temperature.<br />
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Another interesting thing he discussed was <b>pitch-rates</b>, and how he really didn't think pitching high was much of a concern. Basically, better to pitch high than low. Granted by pitching high, you may loose some desirable esters (especially in wheat beers), but better that then getting the less desirable esters associated with under pitching (and why I always make a starter). I and some other fellows chatted him up in the hospitality suite over a delicious English Bitter he brewed. One fellow said how he pitched 5 successive times on the same yeast cake. Of course, this is way over pitching and Greg told him as much, as well as the fact that while reusing your yeast is fine, to note that you carry over IBUs from your previous batches - so keep in mind that your beers may get more and more bitter as you reuse your yeast (I think I've experienced this). Greg is also not a fan of yeast washing/rinsing - saying that it often does more harm than good by stressing out the yeast. I wanted to talk more about this as my experience is quite the opposite, but will have to do it later as he was quite busy answering lots of questions.<br />
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Last up, we attended <b>Bottle Conditioning Like a Pro</b> by Jennifer Helber - a lab worker from <a href="http://www.blvdbeer.com/beer.htm">Boulevard Brewing</a>. It was interesting to hear someone so gung-ho about bottling, something many homebrewers (including myself) tend to avoid like the plague in favor of kegging. Jennifer started by covering lots of the basics - but here are the "pro" highlights.<br />
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First - she doesn't just sanitize her bottles - she <i>sterilizes</i> them in the oven using this procedure:<br />
<ol><li>Put your bottles in, and preheat to 240F.</li>
<li>Every 5 minutes, increase the temperature by 20 degrees until you reach 340.</li>
<li>At 340, bake for an hour.</li>
<li>Let cool in the oven, keeping the door closed until ready to use.</li>
</ol><div>She said she's gotten some flack about this method destabilizing the glass. But after contacting a major bottle manufacturer, confirmed that bottles (and glass in general) are stable up to 800F - so no worries here.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Now, the "like a pro" part comes into play. She adds both yeast and sugar to her bottling bucket. I've always thought that there was enough yeast left in suspension to take any priming sugar and fully carbonate in the bottle. In fact, I've never had a batch not carbonate using this method. But I suppose the point is that this is what the pro breweries do whether or not they filter their beer. Also, she was driving home the points that the extra yeast will help absorb any oxygen and other off flavors that might have been left over post fermentation. Here's the skinny on how she does it:</div><div><ol><li>Both she, and Boulevard, use Safbrew S-33 dry yeast.</li>
<li>For 5 gallons, use 1/4 teaspoon. Boil and cool 1 cup of water to 80F, and completely dissolve yeast.</li>
<li>For sugar, the only real difference between dextrose and sucrose is that dextrose seems to leave the beer clearer. </li>
</ol><div>Now, there's many charts/calculators out there for determining how much sugar you need, and her point is that none of them take the beer's terminal gravity into account - which may be why folks get mixed results. So for your bottle conditioned beers, record how much you use for each batch - as well as what the terminal gravity of the batch was. What she sometime did was "bracket" the amount of sugar she added for a batch. For example, she'd add some of the sugar solution, bottle some beers (and mark them appropriately), then add some more sugar, etc. keeping track of the amounts. Then she'd have various levels of carbonation in a batch and could pick the one she liked best (she had a system for doing this but I didn't note it). </div></div><div><br />
</div><div>Someone asked the question of storing the dry yeast after it'd been opened, to which she replied she seals it up best she can, puts it back in the fridge, and doesn't use it after the expiration date. And there you have it, more than I ever thought I'd know about bottling beer.</div><div><br />
</div><div><b>Club Night<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">It'd been a long day, but the real work was still ahead of us - Club Night! Lots of keg hauling, setup, food prep (we helped put together 144 Chicago-style hot dogs). Homebrew clubs from around the country put their best (and not so best) beers on display, and what displays there were! Some people assembled full bars, while others sported a Wild-West theme, a tropical theme, 50's theme - in short everyone put on a show. The Iowa club brought 600 kegs - <i>600 kegs</i>! Quite simple there was too much beer in the room - <i>too much beer</i>! So much beer that from what I gathered, hardly anyone blew a keg. Afterwards we tore down and partied into the night. Wherever there was a spare room/space in the hotel (they kicked us out of the ballroom around midnight), some club had setup some kegs and was pouring beer. We left around 3am, and there was still beer flowing. Wow. </span></b></div><div><br />
</div>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06629101337818184267noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1640800686420416704.post-25510744659510576852010-06-18T13:19:00.000-05:002010-06-18T13:19:02.044-05:00NHC 2010 - Day 2 RecapNext year, I hope to see Right Guard as a sponsor.<br />
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We went to 3 seminars today:<br />
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<b>1. Tips and Tricks to Set Up Your Own Homebrewery, by John Blichmann of Blichmann Engineering.</b><br />
John makes some of the best homebrew equipment in the industry. If you have one of his boil kettles, you're likely the envy of your fellow homebrewers. John laid out a very friendly, personable presentation of his own homebrewery, as well as those of some other homebrewers. The overall theme was less is more, and to utilize your space well. Much like a well designed kitchen, you don't want to be constantly moving across the room. Now being an engineer, John has done some very engineer-like things. For example, installing a pulley system in his ceiling so he can easily raise and push full (15.5 gallon) kegs in and out of his chest freezer and installing a crazy ventilation system. The full presentation will eventually be available on either the <a href="http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/">AHA site</a>, or <a href="http://www.blichmannengineering.com/">his own site</a>.<br />
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<b>2. Aged to Perfection: The Maturation of Beer by Steve Parks.</b><br />
Part of what was great about this was Steve's British accent, and the way he said <i>maturation</i>. Steve works for the American Brewers Guild, and did his best to take his commercial work and lay it out in a manner than us homebrewers can understand and apply. Some of it was very technical, getting into the chemistry of yeast what it does during fermentation, and how important fermentation temperatures are. Having read about and experienced things like diacetyl and off-flavors, I was able to follow along pretty well. Steve also was just very good natured and personable - taking what would normally be a very dry subject and making it interesting, like any good teacher. He also made no qualms about bashing Budweiser, noting how producing a top-notch German lager requires a long, cool fermentation between 40 and 50F, but Bud is fermented at 57F for faster turn around. Along these lines, he discussed things like chill haze/clear beer - and how the biggest mistake us homebrewers make is rushing the fermentation process - which can cause both hazy beer as well as off-flavors that the yeast would normally clean up if given more time (yeast are amazing little buggers!). <i>(Albeit, sometimes hazy beer can't be avoided (dry hopping), or is actually part of the beer style.)</i> He also discussed the importance of oxygenating your wort and providing yeast nutrients, especially if you re-use your yeast. The yeast you buy at your homebrew shop is top-notch and actually requires little of either, but successive generations of that yeast require more to maintain their cell walls and stay healthy. He also talked about pitching rates, which I have a general concept of and need to study more. Let's face it, yeast and fermentation are key in brewing.<br />
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<b>3. The Science Behind the Art: Hops in Brewing by Joseph Wegner</b><br />
Little did we know there's a small hop farm just outside Madison called <a href="http://www.gorstvalleyhops.com/">Gorst Valley Hops</a>. They are small for a reason - their mission is to simply produce the best hops possible, and feel the larger the hop farm, the more difficult this becomes. This sounded great, but Joseph is obviously a chemist and not used to public speaking, which made his charts and diagrams of chemical structures even harder to digest. As he discussed free radicals and what happens to them during the boil etc., I couldn't help but wonder why we weren't focusing more on the <i>flavors</i> produced by said chemistry, and how we can use this knowledge to make better beer. I mean, we're homebrewers, not lab chemists. And maybe he did get into this, but I was just so zoned out at that point I missed it. While I'm sure there were some folks able to follow along, I think this talk probably belonged in a classroom with a strong cup of coffee, not a place with free-flowing beer.<br />
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<b>Pro-Brewers Night</b><br />
The awesomeness of this is hard to put into words. 30-40-some breweries, showcasing their best beers. I think my favorite was an IPA by Dark Horse - but there were so many good beers here (and some not so good). I finally got to try the <a href="http://www.21st-amendment.com/beer/hell-or-high-watermelon">Watermelon Wheat beer by 21st Amendment</a>, and was surprised and how great it was! Unfortunately we can't get that in Chicago, or I'd have some in my fridge all summer. Probably one of the highlights of the night was hanging out with John Blichmann, and his coworker/buddy Doug. These guys are so down to earth and eager to talk shop and beer, it was great. We also got to hang with Nate Smith some more, and discuss not only beer but our crazy beer-loving cats.<br />
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Again, pictures forthcoming! Cheers.Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06629101337818184267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1640800686420416704.post-79702610582878744102010-06-17T09:54:00.000-05:002010-06-17T09:54:55.836-05:002010 NHC - Wednesday Arrival & Brewing Network Party<i>First off, pictures forthcoming - stay tuned! I didn't bring my downloader.</i><br />
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Last night we were fortunate enough to get into the <a href="http://www.thebrewingnetwork.com/">Brewing Network</a>'s pre-conference bash. After jumping on one of the many school buses provided as transportation, we found ourselves at the <a href="http://www.northernbrewer.com/">Northern Brewer</a> warehouse - which resides in some warehouse district outside of Minneapolis. <br />
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Let's just say these folks know how to throw a party.<br />
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After getting our bag-o-schwag and all important tasting glass, our eyes glazed over all the beer-trailers, complete with 4 or 5 taps on each side. There was a Surly trailer, and 3 (4?) others providing roughly 30 beers on tap. Other than Surly, there was Moylan, Firestone Walker, Boulder, Two Brothers, Ommegang, Bell's, Town Hall, 21st Amendment, some excellent homebrews provided by the generous Northern Brewer staff, and others I can't recall. The mighty <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_Qq2rFSkeg">Tasty McDole</a> was there, but unfortunately the precious few bottles of Janet's Brown (the delicious recipe he crafted for his late wife) he brought were gone like that.<br />
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The <a href="http://www.homebrewchef.com/">Homebrew Chef</a> was also there, and provided some ass-kickin' sausages, which we devoured as soon as we were off the bus. The DJ was spinning some great tunes - the night was beautiful, we actually saw stars outside, a rarity in Chicago.<br />
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On the bus ride home it was a pleasure to chat with homebrew ninja <a href="http://morebeer.ning.com/profile/NathanSmith">Nathan Smith</a>, a fellow musician and helluva nice guy.<br />
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Upon getting back to the hotel, we helped Mike and Bob - fellow <a href="http://www.chihops.com/">HOPS! members</a>, haul 14 kegs up to their room, and then raided any ice machine in sight to cool them all down for serving on Friday (apologies to any neighbors trying to sleep - we made quite the racket). Now those are some funny pics.<br />
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Will try to keep doing daily recaps each morning - fortunately there's some strong coffee here - cheers!Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06629101337818184267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1640800686420416704.post-41170889154151285712010-06-01T16:19:00.000-05:002010-06-01T16:19:44.067-05:00Got Dry Yeast? You should.I'd read/heard somewhere that it was a good idea to always have a couple packets of dry yeast in the fridge. Maybe you want to brew and have no yeast, or maybe you'll need it to save a batch. This past weekend I experienced the later.<br />
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I'll be brewing a series of Pale Ales and IPAs this summer, and I was going to kick things off with a basic American-ish pale ale, fermented with yeast used in my last batch of Belgian Prankster <a href="http://www.wyeastlab.com/rw_yeaststrain_detail.cfm?ID=136">(Belgian Ardennes</a>). I decided what I like doing is racking finished beer off a cake, leaving some beer behind to make a nice slurry. Then I just pour some of that into my fresh wort - right from the old carboy into the new. This way I avoid over-pitching on the cake. It's worked well for me in the past, but I never did that with this particular yeast.<br />
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So, nothing was happening 24 hours after pitching. I've never had this happen before and was baffled. Did I not pitch enough (slurry too thin)? Was this yeast dormant too long? Was it just too cool in my basement? Yet the temp strip read 68, which is what I usually start Ardennes at. I rolled it into a warmer room and waited longer. Nada. The liquid was smooth as a mirror.<br />
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<i>And</i> it was Memorial Day - good luck finding a local homebrew shop open on a holiday. <br />
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Fortunately I had a packet of <a href="http://morebeer.com/view_product/16432/102170/Yeast_Dry_-_Safale_US-05_11.5_g">SafAle US-05</a> in the fridge. I just shook it right in and a few hours later had fermentation - hurray! Maybe things would've kicked off if I'd waited more, but I was also just curious to see how this dry yeast worked out, and if I'd get some sort of belgian-american yeast mix <i>(though I hear if you use 2 yeasts in a brew, one just takes over)</i>. Now I have some serious krausen, and am wondering if the two yeasts are both active and going at it. Either way I'm <i>extremely</i> curious to see what comes out of this.<br />
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So, I'll always be sure to have some decent dry yeast in the house cause you never know, cheers.Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06629101337818184267noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1640800686420416704.post-40111254836815753892010-05-25T14:50:00.000-05:002010-05-25T14:50:44.483-05:00The Happenings: NHC 2010, CBS Board, Craft Beer WeekHowdy all, just a quick post on the latest happenings around here.<br />
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First off, we had a fantastic <a href="http://www.americancraftbeerweek.org/">Craft Beer Week</a> here in Chicago, where we tasted lots of rare and interesting beers - including some cask ale from <a href="http://www.stonebrew.com/">Stone</a>, <a href="http://inyourguts.blogspot.com/2010/05/doble-cortador.html">Double Daisy Cutter from Half Acre</a>, hoppy lagers from local brew-god <a href="http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/metromix-blog/2010/02/pete-crowley-leaving-rock-bottom-to-open-new-brewery.html">Pete Crowly</a>. We also got to hang out with the likes of <a href="http://www.radicalbrewing.com/">Randy Mosher</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0937381500?ie=UTF8&tag=stoptimestudi-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0937381500">Ray Daniels</a>, and <a href="http://www.shamburg.com/">Steve Hamburg</a>, listen to them talk about beer and enjoy the beers they personally picked to be served at the Map Room that day. We had some great homebrew, food and laughs at the <i>Beer Fly Alley Fight</i> - where brewers, cooks, and artists unite and battle for awards and bragging rights.<br />
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We also found out that Meg and I were voted in as new board members for the <a href="http://chibeer.org/">Chicago Beer Society</a>. Thanks to that, we were able to get into the final blowout party at Half Acre - which was quite the party! Many thanks to Jeff, Steve, and Gabriel for making that happen.<br />
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We also became official members of <a href="http://www.chihops.com/">HOPS - Homebrewers Pride of the Southside</a>. After attending one meeting, we knew we had to hang with these folks more. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9slzZRj8TS4/S_wphA8kAkI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/gENPQi2l-Is/s1600/4633172402_6e230f346b_m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_9slzZRj8TS4/S_wphA8kAkI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/gENPQi2l-Is/s320/4633172402_6e230f346b_m.jpg" /></a></div>And lastly, we ran in the 5K Fun Run at Half Acre on Sunday morning, and I didn't die! Here's a picture of me finishing the longest I've ever ran. It was a beautiful day and a great run, after which we got beer and a tour of the Half Acre brewery. Many thanks to Jonathon of the <a href="http://beermapping.com/">Beer Mapping Project</a> for setting that up.<br />
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Brew-wise, we're just finishing fermenting a batch of <a href="http://mattmegbrew.blogspot.com/2009/10/belgian-prankster-label-in-zymurgy.html">Belgian Prankster</a>, which will be served at this year at the <a href="http://www.ahaconference.org/">National Homebrewers Conference</a>. So if you're going to be attending, be sure to stop by the HOPS booth and say hello! Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06629101337818184267noreply@blogger.com1