ESB and O-Fest Blues

Every once in a while even the best homebrewers have to throw a batch out. I am sad to say, the O-fest will be gracing the gutter with it's presence. With a starting OG of 1.056 it should have finished fermenting around 1.018, but after over a month it never made it below 1.032. I really don't know why it never fermented, but hopefully it will help my grass grow...

Moving on. I just kegged (secondary) an ESB I brewed a few weeks back, and it fermented out just awesome. It was sharply bitter, but that will quickly mellow into the smooth bitterness of an English ESB. Here's a shot of it being transferred to the fermentor (a 13gal carboy).

Finally, my hop garden is flourishing. All plants have begun their trip away from the earth, and I will be training them over the next week to climb the trullesses.

Man Down, O-Fest brewing completed with casualties.

Last weekend brewed my annual octoberfest (maerzen) beer that will be consumed in the fall. Everything was going great until we reached the wort chilling faze, and that's when the hops clogged up but of my pumps, one of which I was unable to clean out and needs to be

rebuilt/junked. I also found a small bit of grain had burnt to the bottom of the mashtun, hopefully the burntness won't make it into the final product, that would suck.

Award Winning, B#$CH!

Finally, after several attempts, the RCBC has won an award. 2nd place at the 2008 Shamrock Open! Santa's Bootstrap is good!

Maiden Voyage

As is my standard procedure for new breweries, I brewed a stout today as a test run for the new RCBC. Let me just say that so long as this beer doesn't taste like warmed up arse that was the best brewing experience I've ever had. 77% efficiency, steady mash temp, and ease of use, where has this brewery been all my life!

Oh yeah...anyway, brewing went well, all told I now have 13gal of stout in process...which now that I think of it is probably more than I had calculated for and therefore efficencies were even better! Next brew will include an accurate sight tube for proper volumes (installed today).

Looking closer - A visual tour

The base design for Goliath was taken from Lonnie's Brutus Ten, for which plans were printed in BYO magazine. Beyond that, I customized the kettles for my brewing style and pumps. Please remain seated while the tour is in motion:

The Hot Liquor Tank (HLT) is simply a reservior with a valve, homemade thermowell, and temperator controlled with a Love controller and solenoid valve to fire the burner as necessary.

The Mash Tun is a little more complex, with a valve, false bottom, and thermowell, as well as an adjustible recirculation manifold and optional sparging ring (for fly sparging).

The Pumps are hand-me-down carbonator pumps. They work great, but are hard to regulate when it comes to flow control.

The Boil Kettle has a valve and a recirculation tube which helps to generate a whirlpool effect to speed wort chilling.

Finally, the Control Board manages liquid temps and pump cycles.

We've come a long way, baby!

So it's been almost 2.5 years since I started brewing on the stove. As with all my hobbies, I've dumped a lot of time and cash into the initative, and it's great because I can consume the byproduct of my work...BEER!

About two years ago I went into all-grain, and from there quickly into 10gal+ batches. I believe 10gal is a good size for frequent brewers who like to consume their product and share it with friends.

Now I've moved into what is likely the last major phase, although I do intend to eventually run a RIMS system in line with my new direct fire brewery. I'm excited to present the new RCBC, named Goliath in honor of my Chevelle I sold in January, of which some of the proceeds funded the brewery project.

It features three independent burners, two of which are automated via digital temperature controls and STC solenoid valves. There are two carbonator-style pumps, assorted fittings, and other such nonsenical things that I will detail later. But for now, I will just stand in awe!

More brewery updates

Couldn't help but snap a picture of the control panel, as it is friggin cool! Aluminum tread plate really ices the cake!

More Updates

Samiclaus continues to churn away, Bo-Pils is lagering, and a young Double Bock is on tap and will be good once it has aged (if it makes it that long!)...

Brewery construction is moving along nicely, frame is painted, motors and motor guard installed. Pilot lights tested and solenoid control valves tested great. Wiring is the last daunting task, good thing I worked a summer as a car stereo installation guy! Here's a few pics showing the burner test firing...

Samiclaus and a new Brewery

Well the samiclaus brewing went well, especially as a send-off for the brewery. What, old brewery you say? Yep, it's time to brew like the big boys. Sometime in the next few weeks I hope to have the RCBC V3.0 ready for brewing. Construction has gone well thus far, although expensive and at a time when I am low on dough. Building it in the image of the Brutus Ten.

Monthly Update

It would seem that I am not as good at updating as I once was. Tough tacos. Anyway, severl developments in the RCBC...

First, the "RC" is gone, sold it to a nice guy in Apex, NC. I used the proceeds to build a cold room and begin construction on my basement gameroom. Gameroom is almost complete, and I still have enough cash leftover to upgrade the brewery.

Second, I've joined a group to become a certified Beer Judge (BJCP). It's a lot of memorization, and figuring out what flavors are what in beer. I've enjoyed it, but to say it is difficult would be an understatement. Examine in in June.

Third, once again I am brewing a big beer, Samiclaus, for the BBG club. Next weekend it is on!

Finally, the Dopplebock came out well, so far. Definitely needs some time to lager, so we will get to see how it goes after that. I also brewed a Bohemian pilsner using pallisade bittering hops, not proper, but that's what you get during a hop shortage!

STUCK MASH!!

Attempting what will likely be the last brew on my current brewery, I cooked up a dopple bock. 7.5hrs later I completed it, after a horribly stuck mash and one heck of a mess! The good news is that I did get 13 gallons at my targeted gravity...as for whether I got good sugar conversion...well that we won't know until the krausen settles.

Bottling complete, brewery revamp.

Christmas beer is bottled and labeled...now it's just a matter of if you are on my "good" list! Anyway, after brewing the other day I finally decided that I would move forward with wholesale changes to the RCBC. I sold my Chevelle (68) and will use a small portion of the profits to gather the last few pieces I need for upgrades...more to follow, otherwise Merry Christmas!

Santa's Bootstrap complete!

Bottled most of the bootstrap stout yesterday while brewing yet another attempt at a brown ale. Popped one today to check the carbonation level, and let me tell you it was one fine beer! I have the labels in hand and will be bottling the rest as soon as I get the second keg's CO2 right.

HOPS! DEAR GOD HOPS!

As the self-proclaimed anti-hop I've recently brewed a "hop closet" brown ale. It was a bit of all the leftover hops I needed to get rid of. I must say, it's a nice session beer, keeps the palate engaged, even after the 3rd pint. Plus, I don't have a bunch of folks kicking down the doors for a drink, as Irish Jim and Captain Pete are no fan of hops either.

Man am I slack!

But here comes Santa's Bootstrap!

Beer is brewed, conditioned, and ready for spice. I've separated spiced vodka:

Ginger
Ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg
Ginger cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla beans

I have nice labels on the way, will post the proofs when I get them!

Back by Popular Demand...

OK, OK, OK...I know I've been delinquent in posting. The stash of O-Fest is almost finished off, as well it should. turned out well, although the "toasted" variety seemed to hold it's bite a tad more than the regular. Still a fine brew!

So I'm now in the process of dreaming up a new version of the brewery that's a little more traditional. It probably won't happen anytime soon, but you never know. I also brewed the full run of the x-mas stout, as the first one came out pretty nice. It's finishing up primary, and I haven't decided if I'm going to bottle condition or force carbonate...

Hopefully I'll get back into a grove of posting on a regular basis!

It's been how long?

Nearly a month, not that anyone is counting. Starting a new business has taken it's toll on my free time!

The Christmas Stout got good reviews at my club meeting last night, although it is obviously not a drinking beer, and therefore not much was missing when I got home. No biggie, it's a rich full beer that wasn't meant to be drank in bulk...

Another biggie is the CAP I have lagering. It's mellowing nicely, although I figure it really needs a few months more. I'll have to put it on tap before then since that's about all I have right now. Brewing gold ale this weekend that should be ready to serve in a few weeks, so I can make up the difference.

When good brewing goes bad...Xmas beer test run.

Well brew day is in the books...what a cluster bomb...

Planned a great recipe for my christmas beer, a ginger-molasses imperial stout.

Planning is but a small part of a project. For some reason I chose to forgo adding Munich malt, why I don't know. Then my mash temp was low by 3 degrees (not too big a deal). Then my gravity was off by 10 points, as seems the standard for any high gravity beer even though I continue to lower the projected efficieny. And finally I can no longer get the wort below 78-80 now that the water is getting to that temp. I even had a pre-chiller going with ice and salt...still no dice after over 30mins of chilling, stirring, swirling, etc.I guess I'll have to start freezing some water bottles or move to Alaska in the summer! Days like this make me feel like a rookie!

The right way to do an American Pilsner...

A true beer this Pilsner is,
Not weak, tastless, Clydesdale horse piss.
It's big and it's bold,
On your palate it will hold,
A flavor your taste buds will miss!

American Pilsners have a particularly bad rap for beer snobs out there thanks to the efforts of Anheuser-Busch and Miller Brewing. Don't get me wrong, these companies garner tremendous respect for me as a hombrewer because they produce a consistent, quality product. Their product, however, is a far cry from the original CAP that was full-bodied and full of flavor...

So I took it upon myself to try and recreate the CAP the way it was meant to be. Only thing is I am cleaning out the winter grain stock and had pilsner malt (CAPs usually use 6-row malts) and 2 pounds of corn. Either way I went big, with a strong starting gravity that sould put us in the 6-6.5% ABV range. Balanced that with a heartier hop bill than normal and a bit of Munich to give it a tad more flavor. I have high hopes for this brew!

Back from Vacation

Spent a week at the beach with the wife drinking homebrew and hooch...Good Times...

Back home and brewed a Dunkel yesterday, trying to get rid of some pilsner malt. I still have a good bit of it, thinking of doing a big classic American Pilsner later this week as well.

Vindication?

Had the Belgian sampled at the brewing meeting last night and the consensus is that it did have plenty of Belgian flavors. Perhaps it was entered in the wrong category, but hey, at least it tastes like it should.

Contest Blues

Well I went to contest to see with my own eyes how they work, especially since I am working logistics for our club contest. It was an interesting process, but I don't think I'll be wasting my time with entering beers in the future...Frankly I don't brew the kind of beer that wins contests, but I like to enter them to gain feedback from certified judges. Well this time I entered "The Belgian" to see how it stacked up, and here's the feedback I got:

"No Belgian flavors, not to style"

Well thanks for nothing! How about explaining to me how a beer brewed with belgian yeast has no belgian flavors? Usually I get so critical feedback that suggests possible solutions to the problem. Not this time, in fact all I got was the critical part.

I forgot to mention that the contest included a 45min ribbon ceremony that ended with 5 brewers taking 75-80% of the ribbons. Really was discouraging to see the slanted distribution. Well, I will participate in my club's contest, maybe even send a beer to contest again, but the desire to get more involved with the "contest brewing" community was sapped from my soul. And that's all I got to say about that.

Belgian Follow Up...

You might remember this post where I wasn't sure what to do with the heavy-hitting Belgian Dubble...

I named it post-humulously "Joel's Daddy" because my friend came over for the poker tourney and met a guy named Steve, and neither one of them have been able to find their pants. All this thanks to "The Belgian" being drank like kool-aid at a Branch Davidian compound. Thank goodess for my basement stairs, otherwise we would have had to listen to the same story, for the 3rd time, from the floor.

Sent some of it to the contest, we'll see if the Judges can find their pants after sampling.

Where the hell have I been?

All over...really. No, not really. Actually I've been at home mostly, getting a new business of it's feet. Don't worry, I still make time for brewing, just not so much in the way of this blog!

Updates:

- Switch died on the brewery pump, had to hotwire it, but I should have a new switch soon. I've brewed 3 times w/o it, so it's not impeding my progress, just rigged for the time being.

- Brewed cream ale, original recipe brown, and just today a Bass Ale clone which is in between an English Mild and English Pale. Also brewed a Belgian wit (Blue Moon Clone), or I should say Irish Jim did with me as his assistant. I personally don't care for the Blue Moon, or the style, but that's what makes the sis-in-law happy. And, it'l getcha drunk!

- Entered the Belgian Dubble and Bock in the US Open Brewing competition in Charlotte, NC this weekend, and will be travelling there to steward (read "sample great beers all day"). We'll see if I can break the 40pt barrier!

- Jalapeno beer was a hit at the Cino de Mayo party last weekend. It has the aroma of a fresh pepper, but the smooth, clean flavor of a golden ale. This was my idea, but Drank Tank's pet project. He used Tequila instead of vodka for the peppers, but it still turned out great.

- Started my own business, Tumblin Construction. If you know anyone in the greater Triad NC area that needs a deck, fence, shed, or whatever else, contact me here.

I'll try to keep in touch more often, and maybe I'll win a ribbon this weekend!

Fly Sparging 101

One of the members of my brewing club was wondering about videos to show how to perform certain duties during brewing...here is the first one I happened to make showing the "field expedient" method for fly-sparing a 5-gallon all-grain batch:

Negligence

Wow, just Wow...

I've been so busy over the past few weeks I didn't even take the time to post on my blog. Lets catch up. First off, my great dane of 9 1/2 years passed away a few weeks ago. It's been tough for my wife and I since he was our first pet together, and my first pet EVER. Not to mention he was a big dang dog, and had a personality to match his size. Gosh I miss Spartacus, but he had lived long past his prime and died happy, at home, and in his sleep.

On to brewing...things are going strong at the RCBC. Last weekend I successfully brewed 30 gallons (3 batches) of homebrew: cream ale, acorn amber (o-fest), and a toasted acorn, which I modified the original recipe, adding 2lbs of "toasted" pale malt. We will see how it tastes relative to the original that I love so much.

This Friday is the RCBC-sponsored Spartacus Tumblin Memorial Hold'em Invitational. I have an Engish pub ale (boddy-style) served on the nitro tap and what's left of a Barely Drinkable Brown Ale for those that are feeling frisky.

Lastly, I entered a few beers in a contest and got some good results. I didn't place, but my average score was 30 out of 50. I was happy, especially considering I knew they were not my best brews!

Bottled Belgian

Bottled up 1/2 of my belgian dubble. Not sure what to do with the rest. I filled about 14 1liter bottles. Now I have a 5gal keg of 8.5% beer. Now that spells certain disaster should it fall into the wrong hands! I was thinking about serving it at my poker game in a few weeks, that ought to ensure that a few folks will not have their "A" game ready!

Beer Brewing Blues

Right now I have only one good beer on tap, vienna. Otherwise I have a couple kegs of "different" brew. Today I'm going to bottle up a few beers for contest. I have some Scottish, Strawberry ale, and Vienna that will make it's way to the Shamrock Open in RDU. Otherwise I was sincerely dissapointed with my new attempt at brown ale...

So back to the basics. Tomorrow I am assisting a friend brew up a batch of Vienna for his wedding. From there we will start the great Maerzen brewfest. I'm going to attempt to brew 3 o-fest's starting with my standard one. These batches will lager until September, where I will probably crack a keg on my birthday (9/5). Talk about taking the style seriously!

I also plan on another brown ale (back to the original recipe), an american amber, CAP, and a german pilsner.

Shout Out

Occasionally we rookie homebrewers hit one out of the park. Last night I had a pint of Drank Tank's American Pale Ale. Now, I am known in our brewing circle as the "anti-hop", so any pale ale is a sketchy proposition...but not this one.

I dare you to have one pint. It's impossible. Usually IPAs and APAs are unbalanced (too much hops, not enough ABV and maltiness), but this one was spot on. Perfectly, and I mean PERFECTLY balanced. I think he would agree that the balance was luck, being that it was his first attempt at the recipe, but damn what a fine beer. I haven't been brewing much good beer thanks to experimentation and brewery changes, so it was nice to have a delicious brew from a fellow homebrewer's hand.

Thank you, Drank Tank. Let me bestow the highest honor I have, a haiku:

Thoughts on an APA

First apprehensive
Malt, hops balance perfectly
One is not enough

Copyright Infringement?

I am travelling to Washington DC on Thursday and will be indulging in a few brews at the Sweetwater Tavern. Browsing the beer list I found that they have taken one from my book!

Sweetwater Tavern's Rusty Roadrunner Lager

They don't have it on tap, but I am hoping to score some from the brewmaster if there is any available (and he is willing to part with it). Perhaps he will be happy to entertain a poor homebrewer's request? Either way, I will blog about the experience next week!

Brewing Updates

Irish Jim brewed on his "own" Sunday. I am so proud...he's all grows up! Well, sort-of. We brewed the Cockhammer Ale for his St. Patty's day romp in Pittsburg. Too bad they won't care what it tastes like 30mins after they start drinking...

As for my current brews, the Belgian finished fermenting and tasting revealed one hell of a "belgian" flavor. Still a lot of phenols (thanks to 8.5% ABV) and a warming alcohol finish. This one will need some bottle conditioning to smooth out. I might try a bottle around memorial day!

Some new links...

As I've searched the interweb I found a few sites worthy of recognition, (and by "found" I mean Drank Tank sent me one). And then I got published:

http://www.beerhaikudaily.com/2007/02/19/winter-warming/

And from there I stumbled upon this, which looks fun:

http://appellationbeer.com/blog/time-for-a-beer-blogging-day/

So there you have it. Not related to brewing, perse', but a good trip into the beer blogging world...

Bock update...

Actually, Drank Tank and I dubbed this brew "Bock Twenty-Five" since it isn't quite a double, but is more than just a bock...

Transferred to secondary last night. Already tasting smooth with a hint of bitterness. Very malty and just a hint of phenols (alcohol taste). Gravity at 1.014, and that's where it will certainly stay. The yeast I've used for the vienna and this bock is outstanding. It's a "special" strain that White Labs release in the winter. Platinum Series Bavarian Lager yeast. It ferments great at 52 and is healthy with vigorous fermentation. I collected at least 1/2 a pint of it from the fermentor for use on my O'fest in March!

Old School

On the coldest day we've had in a while I am thinking back to the summer heat, and version 1.0 of the RCBC...

Flurry of Activity

With the RCBC first ever Winter Brewfest coming up next weekend I've been a busy brewmeister! Also had my friend visit from California and he wanted to see the brewery in action, so I brewed up a belgian dubble (Ommegang-ish). I also kegged up my El Camino Vienna, Forty-Weight Brown, and bottled the vanilla variety of Danielle's Birthday Strawberry Ale.

Shew! The TBC Bock is in diacetyl rest, and I will keg the rest of the Strawberry later this week, just in time for the BrewFest...

Despair

Sadness is pouring your last pint of a good Oktoberfest. Despair is spilling it on the floor.

Double Bock (or not)

Drank Tank and I brewed a Dopple(double) Bock Sunday but it didn't quite come out that way...we were shooting for an OG of 1.077 but only made it to 1.060. So we ended up with what is barely a bock. No worries. DT wanted to use the 13gal fermentor he brought back from Tennessee, so that's what we did. It is fermenting away at 52F...

Beer Brewing in Space.

You can't make this up, beer brewing in the absence of gravity. If that was an elective in college it wouldn't have taken me 11 years to graduate!

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast21sep%5F1.htm

Tax dollars well spent, IMHO.

Coors Light

A little on the crass side, but I ran across this quote today regarding Coors Light:

"If you gave me a car made of diamonds and BJ's all day I still wouldn't drink that beer."

Drinking the beer...

Usually I am focused on brewing, but today I decided to review DRINKING beer. Had a few folks over for the games yesterday and we drank a few brews. I had some leftover brown ale, scottish, and O'fest on tap, and we partook.

Brown Ale was a bit more bitter than normal thanks to a tiny bit of trub (the "goo" that ends up on the bottom of the fermenters and includes pieces of hop) into the serving keg.

Scottish Ale is still strong with smoke flavor, but tasty (IMHO). I will probably bottle the rest of it since noone else seems to care for it. Maybe a few months of conitioning will smooth it out.

O'fest is delish, even with only a month of lagering. I might bottle some of it for contest in March, otherwise it will be enjoyed until the brown is ready again...

Too many good beers to drink!

Brown Ale Redux

Brewed a new version of brown ale yesterday after researching the style using Designing Great Beers, a book I got for Christmas. Brewing went fine...we will see how it tastes!

Myth Busters

PopTheCap.org is the group in NC that spearheaded the lifting of a 6% cap on ABV of beers in North Carolina. They publish a monthly newsletter that always has some great information. This month they address some myths:

1. Blue Moon is a craft beer.


2. Frozen Mugs are acceptible.


3. Fruit slices are cool.


4. A glass is a glass.


5. Goats eat tin cans.


6. Beers and Ales.

Read the article here: http://www.popthecap.org/news/jan07/

Beer Gut Chemistry

It's not necessarily the extra calories in alcohol that give you the beer gut, it's the chemicals it causes the liver to produce...

http://www.rochester.edu/uhs/healthtopics/Alcohol/caloricvalues.html

Take that Light Beer!

Entire Butt

It sounds like a Beavis And Butthead joke. Actually, it is a classic style of porter, and english ale that made it's surge early in England's brewing history. I tried this one out and found it tasty, but not worthy of a brewing investment.

Don't Fruit the Beer!

This man law has been discussed once already on 4loveofbeer. I just realized that the last two brews are, dare I say, "fruit related". Dos Equis is superb with a lime wedge and the beer I brewed yesterday was a Fruit Beer base...

Would I normally brew a fruit beer, probably not. But my wife's birthday is next month, and I was hoping to make a beer that she might enjoy. I was going to do Blueberry pie, but she really wants something with strawberries. So...Strawberry Shortcake Ale it is. Strawberries and a vanilla bean should give the beer a taste reminicent of strawberries and cake. I hope this works!

Back in the Saddle...

Well sorry for the delay, but it took longer than I thought to get into my car...

I'm back, for now. A lot has happened at the RCBC, but the most important thing is that I've started making good beer again! I had a few hickups transitioning to the pumped brewery, but the last four beers have been quite tasty. Thanks goodness, because I was starting to get really worried! Here's the current tally:

DRINKING
Transmission Fluid Red (Irish Red Ale)
Smokey Burnout Ale (Wee Heavy Scottish Ale)
Brake Fluid Lager (Octoberfest Lager)
Forty Weight Brown (English Northern Brown Ale)

FERMENTING
El Camino Equis (Vienna Lager [Dos Equis Clone])

NEXT UP
Blueberry Pie Ale
Cockhammer v2
Belgian Ale (abbey)
Hard Cider
Bock

A quick note not related to beer...

Locking one's keys in one's car is a great way to bring plans to a screeching halt...I need a homebrew!

Cloudy Scotsman

This beer won't hunt...

Really, it won't clarify. I finally gave up and carbonated 1/2 the batch and tasted last night. Not bad, but definitly not very good. Much like the NFL Colts my confidence has grown shaky. In fact, since I switched to the new pumping system I haven't brewed a truly GOOD beer*. Everything has been mediocre at best, and nasty at worst. Based on the outcome of the two beers I brewed last week I will decide whether to fall back to the original version of the RCBC.

Hopefully this will work out and it will be contamination and bad recipes instead!

* Exception being the BVIP for the BBG. I tasted while transferring to kegs this past weekend and DAMN it was GOOD!

Brew-30...

Brewing today. Irish Red Ale recipe adopted from one of my BBG peers. I hope it comes out good since I hope to have it for my holiday 4-pack. Right now:

1 - Brown Ale
2 - Irish Red Ale
3 - Scottish Ale
4 - Amber Lager

Hopefully enough goodness for the holidays!

Of Monkeys And Footballs...

Last night I helped DT(DrankTank) brew his first all-grain last night, only he didn't check is grain order before we started and ended up 4.5lbs short on base malts. We salvaged the brew by using DME to boost the gravity to a respectable level (thanks to promash!). It was my favorite brown ale recipe, but we will have to see how it does with extract and grain.

Every time I brew with him it is an adventure!

Update

You would think that I would have more time working part time, but quite the contrary...I did get the Highland amber brewed and got the O'fest lagering. Drank Tank and I transferred the mead, and it is already about 17% ABV. Still too sweet, but hopefully a little more time will yield the gravity we want.

Next Up - Highland Amber

This Friday I am brewing a Scottish Ale using a recipe I found on the net. It's called "Highland Amber" and I hope to do it justice. This winter I'm going to try and brew a number of different styles:

Belgian (Farmhouse style)
American Lager (Sam Adams)
Bock
German Pilsner
EXPERIMENTAL (Probably the chestnut brown)
Porter

We'll see how many I get through since I will be moving to part-time work and doing some home remodeling!

Pic of the day...

Here we see a nice pic of my NQG Stout (nitro) preparing to be consumed in my official BBG pint glass!

Anti-Hop

No Bitterization without Malt Representation!

The lager you wait, the better the lager.

BBG meeting last night detailed the lagering process. It's nice to hear more info about lagering, especially since it is easy to screw up. The interesting thing is that there is apparently more than one way to skin this cat. I've tried to be well read on the process and it seems the more you read the more confused you can get. Basically, here's the "process":

1. Use starter to get yeasties active, pitch and ferment at lager temps (48-56F).
2. After fermentation is complete, raise temps to 66-68F for 24-48hrs for diacetyl rest (optional).
3. Transfer to secondary/lagering vessle. Lower temps to 28-34 for at least 1 week per ABV % (5% - 5 weeks). I can suggest from experience that longer is better, and it's not unheard of lager for upwards of 5-6 months. This winter I am going to do a number of lagers, and keep them in the cave for many months. I hope to have at least 4 lagering for next year.

Some argue that the diacetyl rest is not necessary, or that temps should be higher/lower. The bottom line is that it is easy to make a good ale, and even easier to make a bad lager!

Whoops, took a week off! Light Irish Red Lives On!

Well, I guess I wrote a lot the last couple blogs anyway. You could have broken them down into daily capsules. Anyway, tis a dark day, as the O'fest is gone, the Brown ale is still a bit bitter, and the pumpkin isn't quite ready.

ON TAP - LIR, Plain Ole' Punkin Ale(green), NQG Stout (Not Quite Guiness)
KEG CONDITIONING - Brown Ale x2
FERMENTING - BVIP*, O'fest #2

The Light Irish Red...This beer has been on tap since August, yet I can't get anyone to finish it off! Funny thing is, it's still a pretty fine ale, just very weak and light for a homebrew. I've been drinking it while watching football so as to not get lit and end up in bed at 7:30 Sunday evening. I've been very successful with the stout and the O'fest so everyone's gravitated to those, leaving the Light Irish Redheaded-stepchild Ale waiting for some love. I'm even going to bottle some of it for a contest in December, just for the hell of it...

*BVIP update: It is almost done fermenting. Actually it was almost done a week ago, but it seems I am supposed to let it sit on the primary yeast cake for 10-12 days at least since it is a high-gravity brew. This is not "mine", but property of the BBG.

That's how I roll

Found this pic from two years ago. We take October seriously...Treats for the kids. Sam Adams Octoberfest for the adults.

Going Big...Too Big...

Saturday was a big day for the RCBC. In some respects, too big! As I've mentioned in previous posts, I volunteered to be one of six brewers for the BBG's Bourbon Vanilla Imperial Porter (BVIP). This required major upgrades to the brewery to accommodate for the large grain bill (35lbs!)...The ensuing adventure, I've decided, requires being told as a story...

Chapter 1 - Too Easy
So, off I went, with DrankTank assisting. We milled the grains, and mashed, hitting our temp perfectly. While we waited I mulled some hard cider with spices and we each enjoyed a cup to warm up and mellow out. It's a good thing we did, for we quickly learned that things don't always come out as easy as we would like.

Chapter 2 - Sticky Sweet
The buzzer signaling completion of the 60 min mash came as we finished our cider. I set the pump for recirculation and the sweet wort began to flow. Then the flow slowed, with the pump getting nothing but a trickle of wort. I quickly realized, it was stuck. After stirring, restarting, and stirring for 30 mins it was obvious that desperate measures were in order. We were getting nowhere fast, and as the wort began to cool, it would just get thicker, as would the plot of this story.

Chapter 3 - Bucket Brigade
I made the decision to dump the entire mash in buckets so we could start over. That's easier said than done with 13 gallons of the stickiest 155 degree goo you've ever seen. I filled every bucket I own, covering myself and the driveway in the process. Then we added a little bit at a time until things got stuck again. Finally we used a colander to strain the grain, an inefficient but effective strategy. Finally, after an hour of struggle, we were boiling wort. That's when the struggle for sanity began.

Chapter 4 - The Antihop Strikes Back
Delirious from the sticky struggle I decided to throw out the hops in a fleeting effort to regain control of the brew. My sure-minded assistant saved me from my madness, giving me one pellet to toss out in jest and throwing the rest in the boil. With a sample of wort yielding lower gravities than expected, the future of the brew was still unknown.

Chapter 5 - Sweet Ending
As the boil completed and the wort cooled we began to hear of other brewers' struggles. They too had experienced stuck mashes and, for some, lower gravities. We drained wort to fermenters, pitched yeast, and called it a day. We had survived to brew again.

Bitter Defeat...

In my 10 months of brewing I've thrown out one 5-gallon batch. It was gross, even after sitting for a bit and carbonating. Captain Pete fondly refers to it as "Hose-Ass Beer" since it tasted like hose water.

One batch until now...although it is not quite official (I'm giving it another week to mellow, but the outlook is grim) I believe I will be tossing my second batch. This time 10-gallons of strong ale from my original recipe that we love so much. Brewing was perfect, hit mash temps and gravities spot-on, and it fermented out quickly and had an accurate final gravity. But there was one problem...tasting of the sample I took while transferring to secondary were god-awful bitter. So bitter it punched out the caramel flavors we love completely, leaving nothing but bitter agony, and frustration. I still don't know what happened. Was it the new brewery? the yeast? hops? contamination? Tonight I'm going to taste the pumpkin ale for comparison, and pray it doesn't have the same bite!

Beeracolada

A recent Miller Light commercial discussed putting fruits in beers. I've compiled a list of exceptions to the "No Fruiting Beer" Man-Law:

- Lime wedge in Dos Equis Amber Lager. I'm not sure why, but lime bits in this Vienna style lager is a tasty treat.
- Lime in Corona. Similar to above, but in this case the lime gives the beer flavor (Corona doesn't really have a lot of "flavor" of it's own.)

No-Gos:

- Orange Slice in wheat beers. Who the hell started that?

Bringing it around, stability

The upgrades to the RCBC have come out well. I've been able to stabilize my wort volumes, original gravities, and mash temps. Good thing, because I need to bring my A-game to the plate next weekend when we brew the club's bourbon vanilla porter.

RCBC v1.1 Online...

It's like seeing your child ride a bike w/o training wheels for the first time. After nearly a month of upgrading I brewed the first batch in the newly renovated brewery. Here's a list of the additions:

- 15 gallon mash tun (up from 12 gal)

- Fully automated pumping system including wort recirculation

- plumbed water delivery to HLT and wort chiller

- graduated sight tube for boil pot

Pump in action (note the clear tube for determining wort clarity)

Wort recirculation in progress

Graduated sight tube (so I start collecting the proper volumes!)

Oh yeah, I found my camera...

And...we're back...

Following a week of the plague, and vacation I am back in the saddle. Modifications on the brewery are complete, and I plan to brew a stout tomorrow, and perhaps something else Saturday. Last week Drank Tank and I brewed up some chestnut mead (custom recipe) which will be ready sometime in mid-late 2007, and I started another gallon of hard cider.

Went to Blowing Rock, Nc this past weekend and enjoyed a few more Sam Adams O'fest by the fire. Also hit the Six Pence Pub in town and had a few pints of Old Speckled Hen with some fish n chips...it was great! I can't wait to get my stout up and on tap with nitrogen!

Brewmaster Down...

Spent the weekend barfing and "blowing mud" as my buddy so eloquently puts it. Finally ate a full meal last night after 3 days of drinking gatorade. Did have a vision about our brown ale with chestnuts (actually my assistant brewmaster's idea). So I shelled a pound of nuts. It took almost two hours and my fingers still hurt! I guess an upcoming meeting will feature nut shelling...

RCBC Bi-quarterly Meeting...

Octoberfest tasting. The only survivor: Dogtoberfest from the Flying Dog Brewery. Not sure if it is a true lager/o'fest, but it was a damn good brew. Funny, it was the only one I enjoyed. Pete liked them all, but he was hammered and would have passed ram urine...

My buddy brewer from the mountains is bringing 50+ lbs of chestnuts tomorrow...Looking forward to some chetnut brown ale!

The Washington Hop Party

Anti-Hops unite against the troubling trend of maximum International Bittering Units:

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/10/03/hops.fire.ap/index.html

My Idol

Shout out to Tom Nolan, a homebrewer from the Winston Salem Worthawgs. He teamed up with the pro at Foothills Brewery (where the Worthawgs hold meeting) and brewed up an GOLD MEDAL Baltic Porter for the Great American Beer Festival.

http://www.beertown.org/events/pro_am/index.htm

I'm going to get out there this week to try it out for myself!

A Brief Lesson on Apple Cider

Ran across this article while searching for cider recipes:

http://www.columbia-dist.com/The_Articles/Cider.htm

Neat stuff. A particularly like the "Apple a day" commentary...

Pumping and Stout

As my quest towards overdoing my brewing hobby continues I've begun slowly upgrading to a RIMS (Recirculating Infusion Mash System) brewing system. Basically, that means I am installing a pump that recirculates the mash, adding to efficiency and clarity of the wort. I mounted a "pumphouse" on the back of the brewery with valves and a recirculation loop to allow me to draw wort from the mash tun and pump it back over the top of the system. I'm also considering change the mash tun to a 15gal one I found at Wally World for $20. It would allow for more wort volume...

The nice thing is that most of these things are freebies (pump, valves). So the upgrade is mostly labor and design. I can't find my digital camera, which is why there are still no pics!

Why am I working on upgrades? I've volunteered to participate in the BBG Bourbon barrel stout project, and the grain bill is pretty tall!

Lucky or Good, who cares!

As I've noted earlier I've had trouble with volumes and efficiency with the brewery. That said, I did wait and keg the irish red ale that was very low on initial gravity. I was pleasantly surprised. It is what I can best describe as a Mild Irish Red Ale. Drank a few pints while watching the Panthers game and didn't get sloppy drunk (unlike last week's brown ale that had me passed out in bed at 8:30). In fact, barely had a buzz. It's a great session beer.

Just goes to show you should never throw out a batch of beer until after you've tried it finished, and you should never count out the Panthers in a close game. Lucky? Good? I'll have a little from column "A" and a little from column "B" please...

An evening at Foothills Brewing.

My Brewer's guild met at a local brewery last night. The assistant brewers joined me, and we all learned a lot from the brewmaster. As it turns out, he has to juggle fermentors and kegs just like I do! Here's to Jamie at Foothills Brewing, living the dream!

Beer Gun

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJsoybEdm84

Brewery Upgrades

(Sorry, no pics yet...)

This weekend I refurbished the kegerator and did some plumbling upgrades on the brewery. The CO2 lines were run from the back of the fridge, tank was relocated outside (the fridge) and the beer lines were replaced and rerun to make the doors close properly.

I added plumbing to the brewery to allow a hose hookup that routes to the top for filling the Hot Liquor tank and has fittings for the chiller hookups.

I also had a friend of the RCBC in town who is a mecanical engineer. I described my problem with a freebie pump being to strong, and he promptly drew up a simple diagram that limits the flow w/o deadheading (killing) the pump.


So simple, yet brilliant!

O'Fest

As cool as "Oktoberfest" sounds, I'm beginning to tire of all four syllables. Therefore I am nicknaming it "O'fest". Yes, the brewmaster, an efficiency expert...or just a lazy bastard.

RCBC Board Meeting Notes

Review of the Rusty Cutlass Brewing Co. Board of Trustee meeting on 9/12/06:

Members in attendence - Das Brewmeister, Captain Pete, Irish Jim

1. Motion from Irish Jim that any member wishing to speak should have first consumed or be consuming a cold beer. Approved 3-0.
2. Acorn Amber Lager (Red Oak Clone) tasting. Approved and excited about 2nd, uncarbonated keg as well.
3. Motion from Das Brewmeister that meeting not adjourn until 7-day ale keg was emptied. Approved 3-0.
4. Transferred 10gal of Brown Ale to secondary. Debated need to clean "krausen ring" from fermentors when transferring same batch. Brewmeister does not (only cleans trub from bottom before transferring 1st half of the same batch to the 1st half's fermentor). Vote to clean was 2-1 in favor of cleaning, but vetoed by Brewmeister. Final decision was that it is up to the person doing the work.
5. 7-Day Ale keg emptied.
6. Beer-related stories narrated by Cpt. Pete and Irish Jim, details of which are classified but involve kegs, beer balls, $1 six-packs, 2x4's, and rope.

Meeting ajourned.

Drowning Sorrows...

After miserable play by my Wolfpack and Carolina Panthers I was reminded that there still is good in this world...good beer. Another six-pack of Sammy's Oktoberfest to wash away the memories of a raunchy weekend. My Dog was again ill, and pooed on my carpet. I'm worried about him, mostly because he's lost 24lbs and all my expertise at GAINING weight does not seem to work as well on dogs (That and most Little Debbie snacks have chocolate in them).

Brewing Update:

Brewed 2 times this weekend, and continue to struggle with the efficiency of my brewery and wort volumes. I ended up with over a gallon "extra" on the first batch, and lower gravity than expected on the second. Irish Jim transferred his beer to secondary.

On Tap - 7-day mild (now much tastier after over 21 days), and Acorn Lager (still not ready).
Fermenting -Ultra-Light Irish Red, Strong that only made it to Brown ale.
Secondary - Imperial Cockhammer (Irish Jim's try at the Pittsburgh amber)
Bottle Carbonating - Hard Cider

Hard Cider Update

Transferred the hard cider to secondary after a full month of primary fermentation. Gravity readings are below 1.000, which is weird when you are used to brewing beers. ABV will be at least 15%. We tasted the hydrometer sample and were pleased. Still has a "yeasty" aroma, but tastes smooth with just a hint of apple. Finishes warm but very clean. I think carbonated and chilled it would taste like an apple champagne. Next up, mead!

Back from Vacation

Lots to talk about! Been on vacation and let me tell you, Labor Day weekend was no bore! Here's a few stats:

- 4 Redfish caught (biggest was 29" and about 15lbs).
- 1 Stuntplane crashed into the ocean in front of the beach house.
- 18 bottles of Sam Adams Octoberfest consumed.
- 10 gallons of homebrew (2nd run of the Cockhammer Ale), brewed in my absence by my assistant brewers Irish Jim and Captain Pete. They all growed up!
- 1 Great Dane almost died from bloating.
- 31 years on this earth by yours truly.

7-day ale is the only thing left on tap. The Amber ale will be ready in a couple weeks, and I plan to brew this weekend if at all possible, and hopefully get another brown ale rolling sinceit is one of the favs.

Cockhammer Ale - Pittsburgh's Finest

Unable to decide on a name for my first original creation, an American Amber, I decided to name it post-humulously. Myself and assistant brewmaster Farmer Jim had formulated it specifically for our trip to Pittsburgh for a guy's weekend. We packed the kegs and headed for PA. After an afternoon in city traffic we stopped at the Church Brewery and had a Strong Ale. Not bad, but not ours!

After a jaunt at the Penn Brewery for German food and some dark ale we headed to the house for drunk-ass poker. We slayed the first keg like Beowolf on the Grendel...

Keg # 2 was taken out in similar fashion while boating Saturday afternoon. It got rave reviews. Everyone wanted us to bring more, and were willing to pay. Perhaps next time. I've got my own favs to brew!

Final Grade on the 7-day Ale...

After an improptu tasting of the 7-Day Mild last night we have a final report. It is drinkable, and will work as a "filler" when we are waiting for the good beers to mature. It needs a tad bit more flavor to help hide the hops, or perhaps just a bit more pale malt and/or increased mash temp. Lower mash temps = higher fermentable sugar = less malt taste left over. I think we can work in the recipie with a couple more batches...

A Taste on the Mild Side...

Seven-Day Ale was kegged Sunday, exactly one week after brewing. Tasting revealed a light, crisp brew with suttle hop flavor and virtually no aroma. Being a fan of darker brews it was a little weak for my taste...so I packed up a keg and took it to my tennis clinic...

It was a smash hit! Turns out it's a great "lawnmover ale". It's basically the homebrew variety of light beer, so it's great for drinking after a hard workout or working in the yard. I will have to add a tad bit more flavor for my taste, but it's still a knockout.

So next time someone asks, "How long does it take to make homebrew?" you can answer, ONE WEEK!

Beer-Thirty

Saturday was the Summertime Brews fest in Greensboro, NC. I had a lot of great tastes, and many FOUL creations as well. I was particularly fond of Highland Brewery's Gaelic Ale and the brewmaster's choice from a brewery in Wilmington. From speaking to him it seemed that he had got drunk one afternoon and mixed up a bunch of barley and hops. He ended up with a "double" American Pale Ale (~7%). It was tasty since the extra malt balanced out the Pale Ale hops.

But the best in show was the English Brown Ale courtesy of the Rusty Cutlass Brewing Co. Although it wasn't tapped until late in the afternoon it was still a crowd pleaser (those who still had tastebuds and weren't DOTA (Drunk off Their Ass).

Brew club, lager transfering, and brews festival...

Last night we tasted meads at brew club. Drank Tank and I decided on an apple spice mead for our endeavour. I also transferred the lager to secondary using a closed CO2 system so as to avoid oxygen contamination (more on that later).

Summertime Brews Fest is this weekend. Lots of beers to try, but I'm looking forward to talking to folks about beer more than tasting!

ON TAP UPDATE

Northern Brown Ale added to the tap.

Fermenting:

Amber Lager
6-Day Mild

Instant Gratification...

Number one question asked by anyone who finds out I am a homebrewer:

"How long does it take to make?"

They typically think it takes a month. Sure, some brews need to condition for month(s), but there are recipes for "6-day ales". I brewed one up Sunday I call "Instant Gratification". It's a mild cream-style ale that takes a few days to ferment, a few to condition, and then it's ready to drink. Yes, you can brew beer that is read to consume in ONE WEEK! I hope it's tasty, because it's going to be tough to keep the taps full during football season...

Brewery Tour

Web link to the Rusty Cutlass Brewery tour:

http://www.projectgoliath.com/rcbrewery/

It's finally time...

I have a confession. Beer is not my original passion. NFL football is. I am a true-blue Carolina Panthers fan. I celebrated the birth of the franchise in the fall on 1994, and have been a diehard fan ever since. Tonight we won 14-13, and even though it was a preseason game, it was nice to see them back on the field!

MMMMMM, Beer...

Straight from Homer Simpson to you:

http://www.glossynews.com/artman/publish/skittlebrau.shtml

(Thanks to Drank Tank for digging this one up!)

Hard Cider...It ain't so hard!

Hard cider is actually quite the opposite. I made a batch today just to do something different. It's toodamn easy (well at least so far it's easy to prepare). The batch I have is pretty damn high on the gravity side, but it should make for some good drink. Anyway, I'm sure you are asking what this has to do with beer. Well I picked up the glass jugs to make mead, one of the very first "beers" to grace man. I figured what the heck, might as well put that juice to good use!

Buddy Brew - Lagering in Progress...

The Amber Lager is complete and fermenting away in the cave. Will take about a month to get it "drinkable", so we may end up having a different brew for NFL kickoff on 9/10. This lager is an Oktoberfest, or Marzen(sp), is a reddish orange and I hope it will be tasty! Unfortunately, only time will tell...

Beerfest

From the guys who brought you Super Troopers, Club Dread, and Dukes of Hazzard:



http://beerfestmovie.warnerbros.com/

Cold Break

As protein coagulates in the wort you are cooling, "cold break" material is created. I caught this phenomenon on film last winter when I put warm wort in a carboy. I think it's a cool pic!

Putting things in persective...

Last night Spartacus, our great dane of nine years, began acting strange. A trip to the emergency vet and all night at the clinic ended with him having his spleen removed. He should be fine, but it makes me remember that he is a very important part of my family.

Lagering Cave

Most homebrewers would get a chest freezer from the Wal-Mart and set it up for lagering using a secondary temperature control (Johnson Controls). Not me! Derick (the brains behind Drank Tank) found a bar that was closing down and gave me rights on the keg cooler since all he wanted was a tap tower for his kegerator. Well after a dead compressor, coolant recharges, and some help from a refrigeration expert I was able to resurrect the old Perlick. It has room for about 8 5gal kegs or 4 carboys. Lagering here I come!

Let nothing keep a man from his beer...

These chaps would not be denied! I've been brewing all ales this summer, most of which have been tasty. I brewed a Belgian ale that some of my tasters did not care for, but it was supposed to be different. We like brown ales and ambers, so to go a little drier and more hoppy was unapealing. That and the fact that the beer sat for two days before fermention thanks to some dead yeast!

On Tap - Irish Red Ale, Belgian "Fat Tire" Ale (w/ Abbey yeast).
Conditioning - Pittsburgh Amber
Fermenting - Brown Ale II

This weekend is lager time! I finally got an old beer cooler and temp control to get it at the right temps. Saturday it's brew-thirty on location in Greensboro for a buddy brew with a couple guys from the Battleground Brewer's Guild. I'm thinking an amber lager!

All roads lead to brew...

I'de seen this pic before, but when my lady sent it to me again I figured I would post it again so that it might make one more lap around the internet...

Bringing the readership up to date...

To bring everyone up to date so I can start actually "blogging" here's the last few notes...

Beer brewed in 2006 - 135 gallons
Preferred brew - Brown Ale / Strong Ale
Beer-related Nickname - The Anti-Hop

I brew in my driveway with a gravity-few homebrewery. I enjoy all types of beer, but stray from IPA's and other hoppy beers. Enjoy!

The Rusty Cutlass Brewing Co.

Phase I - I began homebrewing in December, 2005. I started with an "intro" kit comprised of a bucket, a glass jug, bottles, hoses, and a kit to make a Nut Brown Ale.

Phase II - The hunger for more equipment drove me to collect parts to make an "All-Grain" setup including a rudimentary mash tun and wort chiller. I also added a kegging system.

Phase III (current) - Unable to quench my thirst for more "junk" (as the wife calls it), and unable to keep beer on tap, I began building a 10gal brewing setup. It is a mobile ultra-micro-brewery. I will add more picks.

EXTRAS - During Phase II I picked up a couple lampreys, Pete and Jim, who are the two main reasons I went to phase III. They enjoy the beer and the brewing process and routinely support the brewery with cash and labor assistance. I use them as proof that the beer actually is tasty and potentially marketable.

THE NAME - I am resto-modding a 1968 Chevelle in the garage and I like pirates. Although not a Chevy, the Cutlass was also a GM A-Body and so the double meaning fits me well. It also sounds pretty cool to say, "Hey, let's hit the R.C. for a brew".