The new computer

The awesomeness of my new computer cannot be put into mere words. Yes, it's tiny, and I have a hard time relearning where all my fingers should go, but the space-saving properties and the mobility this baby will offer me just can't be denied. It's well worth the ten pages of writing I had to do just to earn it. A reward to myself.

A few updates on the beer and wine front. I didn't submit the braggot to the state fair, for the reason of consistency. OUt of 3 drank bottles, 2 were good the 3rd was a little iffy. They tasted fine and a lot like the Curmudgeon, except way darker in color and astringent in texture. It looks more like coke. I think I might just submit it to the Renaissance Faire instead. I have to bottle 1 batch of beer this week and another next week and start that partial mash sometime this week as well. I'm not sure how long the grains are going to hold up, but the scale arrived even if the 5 gallon pot didn't.

I had to start a dispute with paypal for non-delivery from brewsterbrown.com and I'm not pleased because not only am i out money I also don't have a pot to brew in. I'm hoping the notice from paypal will push this guy to contact me and let me know one way or another what is going on. I most likely will not buy from him again but I won't bad mouth him publicly either.

Monday! Beer day!

I woke up this morning knowing that I was going to have to get up and head to Northern Brewer and pick up a new fermenter and some odds and ends. I kind of have to make the beer today because I left the yeast out Sunday morning and so had to smack it because it had already begun to swell. By this morning it was a huge tight ball of yeasty goodness and it needed to be put into something yummy.

I've got the AC cranked to avoid the really high humid temperatures we've been having. I have 2 beers going. One is the honey bee ale from midwest, which I'm keeping my fingers crossed will be ready in time for the wedding. At least if it isn't completely ready I have enough boxes to mail the beer to folks in the wedding party.

I put aside the spent grains from the steep in order to try my hand at making those dog biscuits that folks on the homebrew forum have posted. I don't have a dog but my neighbors do and it's not like I haven't already eaten some of the grains. I don't want to make something and feed it to a living creature without making sure that it is perfectly safe.

I forgot to post the MW Honey Bee Ale Recipe
here it is:

8oz Carapils
1oz Glacier @ 6% (60min)
1oz Argentinian Cascade (5min)
3.3# Gold Malt
3# Clover Honey
Wyeast #1056 American Ale

Gettng a jump on my day.

I can't decide if I need to go to get a new fermenter bucket or just wait for the one I ordered to come in the mail. I'm running a little behind on the making of the Honey Bee Ale I planned for a friend's wedding on September 4. I planned on making this as gifts to give to her and her new husband and the wedding party. I don't want to hurry it but if I don't then no one will have anything to take home.

I have a lunch date this afternoon with my friend Brian, who really got me started on wine. Roundtrip to Northern Brewer in St. Paul by bus should take me about 1.5-2 hours which won't get me home in time to start any beer today before I have to do lunch then work my shifts at the fringe festival and then see a couple of shows tonight.

But if I go today and prepare to make the beer on friday morning then I'll still have a few hours until before I work again. Three weeks in primary and then bottle, no secondary should make it just in time to get it to the folks. Of course, they couldn't drink it for another 2 weeks, and considering everyone I don't think the beer will last.

Talk about fast service

I ordered grains from NOrthern Brewer Thursday and boom I opened my door this afternoon as I was leaving and found a box sitting at the door. I hurriedly grabbed it and put the yeast in the fridge and checked the grains. I was on www.brewtools.com and was playing around with the recipe creator. I made one for a belgian ale that looked relatively easy and was partial mash recipe. I found an easy to follow tutorial for partial mash on a stovetop on the brew forum, called www.homebrewtalk.com and I'm looking forward to trying it out.

I am hoping to get to it some time this week, like Wednesday or Thursday. I've got to volunteer at the Fringe Festival in the afternoons, and I'm writing but that's all. I am hoping that the new brew kettle I ordered will be here by then, and then I think I'm done with buying equipment for a few months. What I have should see me through making two batches at a time for the next few months.

I definitely want to try as many easy recipes in as many styles as possible.

Belgian Ale

2.5# Belgian Pale
1# german 2-row Pils
1# Belgian Caramunich
3# Light LME
1.85 Alexanders wheat malt
1oz Styrian Goldings @ 60 (4.5% AA)
.5 oz East Kent Goldings @ 15
Wyeast 3944 Belgian Witbier

Yesterday

I was at Pracna with my friends Mark and Dean, having a beer and a bloody mary. I was looking over the drink menu and saw there was a new Surly but when I asked for it they were out. Seems this one went fast. They had a new one on tap, a strong ale called Curmudgeon made by Founders. This bad boy came out in a beautiful snifter glass, dark amber color, with a beautiful head which was a very light shade of amber. I took a long whiff and was pleasantly assaulted by the sweet aroma. To be honest, it immediately brought to mind the braggot I had made and gave me hope that in a few months mine would also be a pleasure to drink. This is the first strong ale I've had in the Minneapolis area. I will definitely go back for it.

I couldn't resist

I couldn't resist pressing down slightly on the top of the fermenter. When it really starts fermenting any pressure sends bubbles into the airlock and so I pressed and *bloop*bloop* there were bubbles coming up. It wasn't a lot but some shows me that fermentation has started, it's not strong but it is way faster than I expected. I was hoping that would be the case, that the yeast was still very much active.

I think rather than racking another brown on this yeast I'll wash it and store it. Maybe make something else with this strain. To be honest i wasn't sure if it was going to work. My greatest concern still is contamination. I tried to keep everything as clean and sanitized as possible. I kept the lid on the fermenter, with the airlock on while I prepped the new batch. I made sure to clean and sanitize all equipment that came into contact with the wort.

I guess I can only do so much and just hope for the best.

I have to remember to post this success on the forum.

Brown Ale recipe

Brown Ale

6# Gold LME
2# DME
1# Crystal Malt 60L
1/2# Chocolate Malt
1oz Nugget pellet hops (12.5% AA) at 60
1oz Willamette leaf hops (4.5%AA) at 30
1oz Willamette lef hops (4.5% AA) at 15
3tsp yeast nutrient (hey couldn't hurt)

OG 1.056 or 058 ( had a hard time reading it), which was a little high for this particular recipe. The range I had was between 1.045-1.055.

Racked onto the yeast at around 72 degrees. Turns out the reason my water pressure was a little low and not as cold, was that my neighbors were watering the yard. I'll have to take that into consideration next time.

The yeast was Wyeast 1028.

Now I just have to wait and hope that this yeast will take. Dang, this is going to be a long 24 hours.