Craft Beers, Microbreweries and Homebrewing

[Caniche]

Never be tempted to make gooseberry wine. Think paint stripper /powdered glass ,with a slight citrus/floral hint

 

[Insanity]

Yes...I can do small batches inside, if the weather is not nice outside. I need to build my own all-grain setup this summer. Turkey fryer kits are nice, though mixed feelings about the aluminum kettles, but works well for partial mash. If there are any boilovers outside, garden hose cleans things up well.

@redpenguin, looks like a PDA in the last picture? I had some brewing tools for mine, freeware off the web. Alc% calc, Hydo Adjust, recipe maker...

I use Promash now, limited to on my laptop, but I can save recipe, log sessions, step mash calcs and such. Quite nice.

 

[Insanity]

Never be tempted to make gooseberry wine. Think paint stripper /powdered glass ,with a slight citrus/floral hint

Bit high ABV? I want to try mulberry and raspberry, or mango and watermelon.

 

[RHoisser]

Down here in Australia, it's quite hard to get the best of the American craft beer, but what I have noticed most about the few American beers that I have had is the amazing qualities of the hops grown in the US.
I was lucky enough to taste Brewdog's Citra single hop IPA from the IPA is Dead range, and if those hops had to get all the way from California to Scotland before they were used I can't imagine how good it would be to try a US version of a Citra single hop!

 

[redpenguin]

Yes...I can do small batches inside, if the weather is not nice outside. I need to build my own all-grain setup this summer. Turkey fryer kits are nice, though mixed feelings about the aluminum kettles, but works well for partial mash. If there are any boilovers outside, garden hose cleans things up well.

@redpenguin, looks like a PDA in the last picture? I had some brewing tools for mine, freeware off the web. Alc% calc, Hydo Adjust, recipe maker...

I use Promash now, limited to on my laptop, but I can save recipe, log sessions, step mash calcs and such. Quite nice.

Hah.. I think that's actually my wallet. Can't start brewing without one.

I do use web calculators and brewtarget software on my desktop though. I'm a bit more oldschool with my record keeping. I've been keeping a pretty meticulous lab-style brew log so I can keep track of my progress. I really want to move away from kits by the end of the summer so I can start exploring my own recipes.

I've had a few ideas in the works over the last month. My buddies wife makes this awesome somali tea with cinnamon sticks and cardamon that I would like to incorporate in a brew. She also uses milk but that's obviously out of the question. With more experience, I'm sure I'll be able to find some ingredients that would fit the flavor profile I'm looking for. All in time though.

 

[Insanity]

I began recording everything in a lab notebook, dated, recipes, ingredients, etc...
Not only do I want to know what turned out well, but also want did not and not repeat mistakes.
Some of friends suggested I scan it or such, but notebooks don't lose their data when dropped like a HDD.

I have been moving my recipes into Promash and save it there.

You can get and use lactose in beers, its unfermentable by yeast, so it leaves the sweetness behind. Most sweet stouts or similar use it.

Spiced beets can be great, and fall into their own substyle, so if you made a spiced pale ale, and entered a competition with it, it would be submitted in a separate category then other pale ales.

If you want to begin designing your own recipes, I'd suggest Designing Great Beers by Ray Daniels. He goes through most of the accepted BJCP styles and the recipes of the Gold medals winners of the national competitions and such. Which grains were used, which were most common, what percentages of the total grain bill, hop ratios, water chemistry. The beer color chapter I think was the largest chapter before the style chapters.

 

[redpenguin]

That's awesome. I didn't realize you could use lactose with yeast. Thanks for the heads up. I'll definitely look around for that book over at my local brew supplies shop next time I'm out there. If not I'll check amazon. Wouldn't mind stepping this hobby up to the next level. Microbiology and beermaking go very nicely together.

I also came up with a non-alcoholic brew line for my muslim buddy I'm not sure if you'd get. We'll call it.. "Halaal Beer: So good, you'll think its Haraam"

Good times.
Happy brewings bro. I'll keep you posted.
~RP

 

[Insanity]

Yep, I have a Biomedical degree, took microbiology in HS and college. Understood aseptic techniques. That is where most people go wrong is using non-sanitized equipment when handling beer.

The kvass I am attempting is traditionally a non-alcoholic brew, 1% or less. Raisin aroma is coming through during the fermentation.

 

[redpenguin]

That's awesome. Let me know how it works out.

Cracked open an Autumn Amber today after 1wk of bottling. Great taste so far. Slightly malted and roasted flavors. Can't wait to try some here in another week.

 

[Insanity]

What size is the glass? I think I have very similar ones, about 10oz.
Looks good, I am thinking of doing a 15-20gal batch of an american pale ale in a few weeks, may last me the summer.

 

[redpenguin]

The beer within the glass is 12oz so I think that is around a 16oz glass. Just a regular tall kitchen glass.. nothing special.

I was wondering.. If I wanted to dry-hop some extra orange/lemon zest, would I be able to do it in just a primary fermenter or would I need a secondary? I was thinking about sterilizing the muslin bag and boiling up the orange zest in a small amount of water for about 10 minutes. Then, just add the cooled water-zest extract and muslin bag (with the zest and a few sterilized marbles to sink it to the bottom) to the primary.

Also, if this method would work.. would I need to gently disturb the wort to mix? I'd probably be doing this around the 1.5 week point and let it go for about 3 weeks total (whenever the hydrometer stops activity).

 

[Insanity]

I've added orange peel in the boil for belgium styles, the last 5-10 mins. Don't see why you could not as you described, though I wouldn't worry about using marbles or even a bag. If there is still some activity, that should be enough to diffuse it over a week or more, if not when you go to botttle that should help.

Look to see if you can find orange zest extract too.

 

[dlgoff]

Cracked open an Autumn Amber today after 1wk of bottling. Great taste so far. Slightly malted and roasted flavors. Can't wait to try some here in another week.

Of course you know, this picture lead me to the refrigerator to down some of my really good wheat microbrewery beer.

 

[Insanity]

That's awesome. Let me know how it works out.

Just racked the kvass, OG was 1.017, current SG 1.012, giving a ABV of 0.65% which is what I was expecting from just the honey added.

Fermentation never got as vigorous as with a typical ale, no blowoff tube needed.
Still needs to finish fermentation is my guess, airlock still bubbling. Will need to cold crash to get everything to settle.

The mint and raisins are detectable, but low.

 

[dlgoff]

I just got back from "my" microbrewery to get my 4 growlers filled. They are trying a new crafted one (can't remember the name and it's not on their website yet) that is a wheat and honey lager. So I got one of my growlers filled with it. YUM YUM.

edit: Defiantly more hops in this one. I'm loving it.

 

[dlgoff]

I just got back from "my" microbrewery to get my 4 growlers filled. They are trying a new crafted one (can't remember the name and it's not on their website yet) that is a wheat and honey lager. So I got one of my growlers filled with it. YUM YUM.

edit: Defiantly more hops in this one. I'm loving it.

Okay. This stuff was so good, I had to get more today. They call it Bee Sting Honey Lager.

COMMERCIAL DESCRIPTION
A clean refreshing brew to enjoy in the blossoming days of Summer, Bee Sting derives much of its character from a substantial addition of local clover honey and Canadian Honey Malt. Deep straw in color (one might say honey-ish), Bee Sting is crisp and dry and light to medium bodied. Earthy, slightly citrusy Amarillo hops contribute a complimentary element to the honey overtones. A nuanced session beer perfect for backyard barbeques and Summer evenings on the porch.

They don't have a description on their website yet but this is from http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/free-state-bee-sting-honey-lager/124265/" .

 

[1MileCrash]

I'm not exactly a beer aficionado, but a few days ago a friend and I shared a shiner "family reunion" pack which had a few shiner products.. the Bohemian Black Lager was a favorite of mine, among the line up was the black lager, "blonde" ale, a hefenweisen (probably spelled that wrong) among a few others. Great pack to share with a friend.

I just wish I could find a sixer of the Black alone. :)

 

[dlgoff]

Okay. This stuff was so good, I had to get more today. They call it Bee Sting Honey Lager.

...

They don't have a description on their website yet but this is from http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/free-state-bee-sting-honey-lager/124265/" .

Looks like it's on their website now.

BEE STING HONEY LAGER

A clean refreshing brew to enjoy in the blossoming days of Summer, Bee Sting derives much of its character from a substantial addition of local clover honey and Canadian Honey Malt. Deep straw in color (one might say honey-ish), Bee Sting is crisp and dry and light to medium bodied. Earthy, slightly citrusy Amarillo hops contribute a complimentary element to the honey overtones. A nuanced session beer perfect for backyard barbeques and Summer evenings on the porch.

O.G. - 13.0ºP/1.052

Hops - 20 IBUs

http://freestatebrewing.com/beer#Bee+Sting+Honey+Lager"

They need to make this a year around beer, not just a seasonal brew. I've emailed them with my desires. I'm hoping that the local clover honey could be stocked up so as to continue the brew all year. The hops is what makes this one anyway IMO.

 

[dlgoff]

Okay. This stuff was so good, I had to get more today. They call it Bee Sting Honey Lager.

I learned something last night. After having a couple of glasses of this nectar, stop there. It was so good I started on the third glass while watching TV and nodded of with still a half full glass. I woke up when it slipped from my hand a soaked my crotch. What a waste. Dang.

 

[Insanity]

You have enough info to attempt a clone brew there. Sounds like it has a low SMR score 3-4, just need to get the correct ratio of malt to honey. I may throw a recipe togethet.

 

[Insanity]

Looks like it's on their website now.

They need to make this a year around beer, not just a seasonal brew. I've emailed them with my desires. I'm hoping that the local clover honey could be stocked up so as to continue the brew all year. The hops is what makes this one anyway IMO.

Looks like this is a honey wheat lager, which makes sense with the straw color description, as wheat adds gravity, but not a lot of color.

Likely more wheat and honey then honey malt to keep a low color.

 

[dlgoff]

Looks like this is a honey wheat lager, which makes sense with the straw color description, as wheat adds gravity, but not a lot of color.

Likely more wheat and honey then honey malt to keep a low color.

Makes sense. It does have a good wheat taste. The honey doesn't add any sweetness as far as I can tell. What make it good, IMO, is the long lasting after taste of the hops. And a very flavorful hops at that.

 

[Insanity]

Just an educated guess at the moment.
Got the SRM at about 4, which is a good "straw gold" color.
Bee Sting Honey Lager clone

A ProMash Recipe Report

Recipe Specifics
----------------

Batch Size (Gal):       5.00    
Total Grain (Lbs):      9.50
Anticipated OG:         1.053    Plato: 13.01
Anticipated SRM:        4.3
Anticipated IBU:        22.1
Brewhouse Efficiency:   70%
Wort Boil Time:         60 Minutes

Grain/Extract/Sugar

   %     Amount     Name                          Origin        Potential SRM
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
  5.3     0.50 lbs. Honey Malt                    Canada         1.030     18
 26.3     2.50 lbs. Pale Malt(2-row)              America        1.036      2
 47.4     4.50 lbs. Red Wheat Malt                America        1.038      2
 21.1     2.00 lbs. Clover Honey                  Generic        1.035      0

Potential represented as SG per pound per gallon.

Hops

   Amount     Name                              Form    Alpha  IBU  Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
  0.50 oz.    Amarillo Gold                     Whole   10.00  22.1  60 min.

If you extract efficiency is different then 70%, you will have to adjust the amount of grains appropriately. The same with the Alpha Acid% of the hops, as each strain does vary from harvest to harvest.

The honey malt has a high SRM to it, so adding even 0.5lbs increases the beer's SRM a fair amount.

 

[dlgoff]

I need a trip to Lawrence for the Oatmeal Stout and Imperial Black IPA.

Yesterday, Free State Brewing was closed and my growlers were empty. So I headed to North Lawrence where there's a liquor that carry three bottled beers from Free State; one being the Oatmeal Stout. I bought a six pack and I Like. Normally I not fond of stouts, but this one has a very unique flavor. Next time I'm in there to refill my growlers, I going to try the draft version, which will be MUCH better I'm sure.

You definitely need to come down here sometimes.

 

[Insanity]

Got me some barley malts and ready to brew. Perhaps barleywine first.

 

[turbo]

Got me some barley malts and ready to brew. Perhaps barleywine first.

Good luck! I used to make some pretty hefty beers with barley malt, but found that most people preferred the beers that I made with 50:50 barley malt and corn malt. I often used hops that grew in the lilac bushes on the side of my neighbor's horse-barn, though I have NO idea what variety they might have been. There were no brew-pubs or micros here in the '70s, so I learned by asking old-timers what to do. Now, I can just toddle on down to Oak Pond Brewery, and hang out with the owner sampling his latest brews. He'll gladly talk your ear off about brewing, so you can learn a lot.

 

[Insanity]

I got 50# of pale malt, and then a few pounds or so each of caramel 40L, vienna and maris otter malts, several ounces of hops and yeast. Still have some pils and wheat malt.

Should be good for several batches, the barleywine will use a good chuck of pale malt.

 

[Astronuc]

In my last foray to the local bottle shop, I bought two varieties of Scottish Ale, an Orkney brew, two varieties of Stone Imperial Russian Stout, and my favorite, Eel River's Raven's Eye Imperial Stout.

The Scottish Ale is brewed by Innis & Gunn, Edinburgh. One variety is the original Oak Aged beer and the second is aged in a Rum cask. I prefer the Rum Cask with a hint of rum.
http://www.innisandgunn.com/thebeer_newproducts.htm

The Orkey Ale is SkullSplitter, which is more like a Stout. It's really good.

I had the unadulterated Stone Imperial Russian Stout, and the Imperial Russian Stout (Belgo Anise). The Imperial Stout was OK, but the Stout with anise was - um - weird. What was I thinking?!

As for Eel River's Raven's Eye Imperial Stout - yes! My favorite so far. It comes in 22 oz bottles around $7/bottle, but one can find it on sale at ~$5/bottle.
http://www.eelriverbrewing.com/ravens-eye-stout.html
http://www.eelriverbrewing.com/organic-porter.html (This I have to try)

If one has ever had Lost Abbey Angel's Share, Eel River Raven's Eye Imperial Stout is like a lighter version.
http://www.lostabbey.com/lost-abbey-beers/non-denominational-ales/the-angels-share/

At about $45/bottle, Angel's Share is best shared among a group of friends.

Important measurements to bear in mind:

12 oz = 354 ml
16 oz = 473 ml
22 oz = 650 ml
25.4 oz = 750 ml

The US really needs to adopt metric.

I definitely have to explore the complementarity of Porters and Stouts with Scotch, Rum, Bourbon and Brandy. So far, Scottish ale and Rum seem to work, but Porters and Stouts might be wonderfully complementary with Rum. Finding the right Scotch, blend or single malt is tricker.

 

[turbo]

At about $45/bottle, Angel's Share is best shared among a group of friends.

Wow!

 

[dlgoff]

At about $45/bottle, Angel's Share is best shared among a group of friends.

Shoot. I'm spending that much weekly on my wheat beer. And I don't share.

 

[Astronuc]

Wow!

It's a big bottle (1 pint, 9.4 fl oz = 750 ml)

And it was a business expense. And it's worth it!

 

[Astronuc]

Tonight, I enjoyed a bottle of Dragonslayer Imperial Stout from Middle Ages Brewing Co.
http://www.middleagesbrewing.com/
They have an interesting selection of beers.

It's good.

Reflecting on the Stone Imperial Russian Stout (Belgo Anise), it was the Belgian yeast the caught my eye. I didn't notice the anise. If one is into anise and stout beer, then one can appreciate this beer. But, anise doesn't go with Imperial Stout.

 

[Insanity]

Tonight, I enjoyed a bottle of Dragonslayer Imperial Stout from Middle Ages Brewing Co.
http://www.middleagesbrewing.com/
They have an interesting selection of beers.

It's good.

Reflecting on the Stone Imperial Russian Stout (Belgo Anise), it was the Belgian yeast the caught my eye. I didn't notice the anise. If one is into anise and stout beer, then one can appreciate this beer. But, anise doesn't go with Imperial Stout.

I will have to acquire some of their brews, looks great.

Recently got an interest in brewing an heather ale or heather mead.

My American Pale Ale is brewed, had considered brewing 10 gallons, but decided to up the hops a bits, and went with 5 gallons to see if it was a major change or not before going with 10 gallons.

OG: 1.047
Calc IBU: ~42
Alcohol content should finish around 4.7% ABV

 

[Astronuc]

Recently got an interest in brewing an heather ale or heather mead.

My American Pale Ale is brewed, had considered brewing 10 gallons, but decided to up the hops a bits, and went with 5 gallons to see if it was a major change or not before going with 10 gallons.

OG: 1.047
Calc IBU: ~42
Alcohol content should finish around 4.7% ABV

Mmmmm - sounds interesting - both the heather ale/mead and Pale Ale.

I highly recommend Eel River's Raven's Eye Imperial Stout.

But then I like Stouts and Porters, and Belgian Trappiste Ales, and I have developed a fondness for Scottish Ale, especially if it has been aged in a rum cask.

 

[Insanity]

Mmmmm - sounds interesting - both the heather ale/mead and Pale Ale.

I highly recommend Eel River's Raven's Eye Imperial Stout.

But then I like Stouts and Porters, and Belgian Trappiste Ales, and I have developed a fondness for Scottish Ale, especially if it has been aged in a rum cask.

I made a very good strong scotch ale a few years back, OG was 1.092, finished at 8.6% ABV, at which I racked it ontop of some oak chips that I had soaked in whiskey for a week to sanitized them and add the flavor. It sat on the oak whiskey chips for about a week.