|
|
Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Nov 18, 2013 9:27:50 GMT -5
I mentioned this in the beer thread, I think, but yesterday The Wilford Brimley Explosion (kaboom) and I made our second attempt at homebrewin'. Our first one was back in the spring and was a pecan nut brown ale. It had pretty good flavor but we made a huge mess of it and overcarbonated it a bit so every time we opened a bottle it foamed over for a good 5 minutes. Anyway, this attempt is a peppermint porter, which we are going to call Naddafinga! Christmas Porter (from this scene of A Christmas Story: www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aNVN-911Tc). The brewing process went much more smoothly, with a good strainer being hugely helpful (that was the big source of our mess last time) and the beer-to-be looks clearer (and very dark). The last time we used a Brooklyn Brewshop mix and it was largely oatmeal-like; this time we had some grain and a lot of powdered malt extract, and the malt extract largely dissolved, so it wasn't oatmealy at all. We tossed in three peppermint tea bags and one "Christmas Cookie" bag for funsies and let those steep for 20ish minutes. Now it's sitting in the fermenter on the counter for a few days and then we'll stick it in the closet for a couple weeks. Pics: supplies on table; mixture a-bubblin' on the stove; sitting in fermenter. |
|
|
|
Post by Liz n Dicksgiving on Nov 18, 2013 11:00:59 GMT -5
I've asked for a Brooklyn Brewshop homebrew kit for Christmas, to see if I can't finally make good on my promise that someday I'd make my own beer. I'm insanely intimidated by the entire process, though. Which is odd, since I do all kinds of shit like pressure canning and whatnot. How scary can homebrewing really be? I guess it seems like a really dudely thing to do, and as a girl, I'm sort of strangely letting myself think I'm not qualified or something. Do you have any "you can do it!" reassurances or advice to offer? Is this process actually fun instead of terrifying, and I'm just making too much of it?
Meanwhile, I am in the middle of making wine out of blackberries. They're in the primary fermenter right now, smelling all yeasty and shit. I keep meaning to get some of our home-pressed cider fermenting, too, but I need to get more carboys before that can happen. Also, I think I need to retire, so I have time for all of this.
|
|
|
|
Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Nov 18, 2013 11:07:46 GMT -5
It's not that scary, Liz, I promise. If you already cook and can, you can do this. Especially if you're making wine, the process is not terribly different!  I will offer you a few tips we should have kept in mind the first time: a) make sure you have a large wire mesh strainer and a small one is helpful too. b) I would recommend at least two 6qt stockpots, three might even be useful (you need 1 for the grain, 1 for the wort and something to hold 5 qts of hot water) c) make sure you have lots of ice ready for the ice bath But there is definitely a reward in "wow, I made this!" ... as long as you're good at delayed gratification |
|
|
|
Post by Liz n Dicksgiving on Nov 18, 2013 11:12:19 GMT -5
It's not that scary, Liz, I promise. If you already cook and can, you can do this. Especially if you're making wine, the process is not terribly different! I will offer you a few tips we should have kept in mind the first time: a) make sure you have a large wire mesh strainer and a small one is helpful too. b) I would recommend at least two 6qt stockpots, three might even be useful (you need 1 for the grain, 1 for the wort and something to hold 5 qts of hot water) c) make sure you have lots of ice ready for the ice bath But there is definitely a reward in "wow, I made this!" ... as long as you're good at delayed gratification ::nods tearfully:: Thanks for the tips! And the encouragement. I can DO IT! By the way, you must update us on how this peppermint porter ends up tasting. I kind of can't even imagine it... |
|
|
|
Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Nov 18, 2013 11:16:09 GMT -5
It's not that scary, Liz, I promise. If you already cook and can, you can do this. Especially if you're making wine, the process is not terribly different! I will offer you a few tips we should have kept in mind the first time: a) make sure you have a large wire mesh strainer and a small one is helpful too. b) I would recommend at least two 6qt stockpots, three might even be useful (you need 1 for the grain, 1 for the wort and something to hold 5 qts of hot water) c) make sure you have lots of ice ready for the ice bath But there is definitely a reward in "wow, I made this!" ... as long as you're good at delayed gratification ::nods tearfully:: Thanks for the tips! And the encouragement. I can DO IT! By the way, you must update us on how this peppermint porter ends up tasting. I kind of can't even imagine it... It should taste sort of chocolatey-coffee with a hint of mint. I don't think we went overboard on the mint, though now I wish I had tasted a little before we put it in the fermenter. But I will definitely report back in a month or so. |
|
|
|
Post by SensitiveSethPutnam on Nov 18, 2013 11:53:34 GMT -5
Good to see some fellow homebrewers up in here, I would have missed this if I didn't accidentally click on the food thread. Are you adding the wort to a quantity of water in the fermenter (partial boil), or does it hold the entire quantity from the boil (full boil)? It's been said that you see your largest increase in beer quality when you are able to move from a partial-boil to a full-boil setup (even moreso than moving from extract to all grain brewing).
I'll be brewing a winter seasonal over Thanksgiving weekend I believe, and after that I'm trying to think of a style to do as a sort of birth announcement for my boys, most likely coming in mid to late February. Hoppy beers don't age well, and as I'd like to age some for the long-haul, I'm looking at something 10% alcohol or higher. I'm thinking an Imperial Stout may be where I'm headed.
|
|
|
|
Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Nov 18, 2013 11:57:03 GMT -5
Good to see some fellow homebrewers up in here, I would have missed this if I didn't accidentally click on the food thread. Are you adding the wort to a quantity of water in the fermenter (partial boil), or does it hold the entire quantity from the boil (full boil)? It's been said that you see your largest increase in beer quality when you are able to move from a partial-boil to a full-boil setup (even moreso than moving from extract to all grain brewing). I'll be brewing a winter seasonal over Thanksgiving weekend I believe, and after that I'm trying to think of a style to do as a sort of birth announcement for my boys, most likely coming in mid to late February. Hoppy beers don't age well, and as I'd like to age some for the long-haul, I'm looking at something 10% alcohol or higher. I'm thinking an Imperial Stout may be where I'm headed. The wort got down to a bit shy of a gallon during the boil, so it was all of that (strained) plus a little extra water. We're still pretty new at this and only doing one-gallon brewing, so our fingers are still crossed that it turns out well Our first one was from a kit but this time we bought grain and so have a bunch left of various kinds. I love stouts, let me/us know what sort of mix you use and how it turns out. |
|
|
|
Post by SensitiveSethPutnam on Nov 18, 2013 12:04:50 GMT -5
Oh, forgot to mention, I love this name. A local brewery here has a Christmas seasonal called Yule Shoot Your Eye Out! |
|
LazBro
Prolific Poster 
Posts: 10,278 
|
Post by LazBro on Nov 18, 2013 16:34:42 GMT -5
So happy to see this thread. For those who read up on my prior efforts: I had to toss the spiced winter ale. It was obnoxiously spice bitter. Burnt even. Inedible. But as I said, I loved the flavor of the base beer, so now I've got a 2nd round of it in fermentation with WAY less spices, and I took out the all spice and clove altogether. It's probably ready for a rack to secondary by now, in fact. Tasted good just after the brew, hopefully it has stayed that way. SensitiveSethPutnam, this recipe doesn't quite breach 10%, but it is very delicious if you're looking for a good imperial stout recipe. This is a very hoppy stout, almost a black IPA. It compares best with the Great Divide Yeti, if you've tried that before (I actually like this homebrew more). Hell, you could probably up the grain bill even further to reach that 10+%. It's a pricey beer, but what big beer isn't? |
|
|
|
Post by SensitiveSethPutnam on Nov 18, 2013 16:43:57 GMT -5
So happy to see this thread. For those who read up on my prior efforts: I had to toss the spiced winter ale. It was obnoxiously spice bitter. Burnt even. Inedible. But as I said, I loved the flavor of the base beer, so now I've got a 2nd round of it in fermentation with WAY less spices, and I took out the all spice and clove altogether. It's probably ready for a rack to secondary by now, in fact. Tasted good just after the brew, hopefully it has stayed that way. SensitiveSethPutnam, this recipe doesn't quite breach 10%, but it is very delicious if you're looking for a good imperial stout recipe. This is a very hoppy stout, almost a black IPA. It compares best with the Great Divide Yeti, if you've tried that before (I actually like this homebrew more). Hell, you could probably up the grain bill even further to reach that 10+%. It's a pricey beer, but what big beer isn't? I was just looking around and thinking of something like this. It does look pretty hop heavy, I'm slightly concerned about the hop flavor dissipating in storage--it's not the end of the world though. Edit: Also would be converting that recipe to all-grain if I decide to use it. |
|
LazBro
Prolific Poster
Posts: 10,278
|
Post by LazBro on Nov 18, 2013 16:53:35 GMT -5
I was just looking around and thinking of something like this. It does look pretty hop heavy, I'm slightly concerned about the hop flavor dissipating in storage--it's not the end of the world though. Edit: Also would be converting that recipe to all-grain if I decide to use it. Looks good. I love Brewtoad's presentation, but sometimes it's a wasteland with SO MANY RECIPES that it's really tough for a newbie like myself to make heads or tails. This one has a lot of comments and feedback, though, so if I was brewing I'd feel pretty good about it. The spiced ale I'm making now is off Brewtoad. Here it is.One thing I liked about the recipe I suggested to you, actually, was that the step-by-step partial-grain method was very easily laid out so that you understood the methodology and could replicate it for any partial-mash recipe. It was a great learning tool for me. |
|
|
|
Post by Great Unwashed on Nov 19, 2013 6:19:23 GMT -5
Been assisting someone else around these parts with homebrew from kits (so a syrup that has already gone through a lot of the wort boiling thingy process?). Bottled something very bright red today. As I took that lot out, brought in another bottled lot that is about a week or two from being done, and there's another that'll be due about a week afte that.
There has been some decent stuff, most at the least being salvageable if refigerated just right- often seems to be about 15 to 30 minutes to release the flavour, but too much more than that and the taste can be smothered the other way.
|
|
|
|
Post by 30helensagree on Nov 19, 2013 7:59:11 GMT -5
My friends and I are about a week or two away from finally tasting our finished barley wine. We started it last November, so by the time all is said and done, it'll have been about 55 weeks from when we did the wort to when we pour it into a glass. We've yet to come up with a name for it. We've actually had a pretty good run of homebrews this year. We did a bourbon stout that turned out surprisingly well and we did our first ever lager, which was surprisingly great. Those beers totally make up for the red ale that blew up in our faces and the lackluster brown ale we made last year. Here's a picture of the label we made for the bourbon stout. I was particularly proud of that one.  |
|
|
|
Post by Liz n Dicksgiving on Nov 19, 2013 12:12:31 GMT -5
My friends and I are about a week or two away from finally tasting our finished barley wine. We started it last November, so by the time all is said and done, it'll have been about 55 weeks from when we did the wort to when we pour it into a glass. We've yet to come up with a name for it. We've actually had a pretty good run of homebrews this year. We did a bourbon stout that turned out surprisingly well and we did our first ever lager, which was surprisingly great. Those beers totally make up for the red ale that blew up in our faces and the lackluster brown ale we made last year. Here's a picture of the label we made for the bourbon stout. I was particularly proud of that one. "Bourbon stout" sounds like the most perfect libation ever created. And that label is magnificent! |
|
|
|
Post by 30helensagree on Nov 19, 2013 12:50:24 GMT -5
My friends and I are about a week or two away from finally tasting our finished barley wine. We started it last November, so by the time all is said and done, it'll have been about 55 weeks from when we did the wort to when we pour it into a glass. We've yet to come up with a name for it. We've actually had a pretty good run of homebrews this year. We did a bourbon stout that turned out surprisingly well and we did our first ever lager, which was surprisingly great. Those beers totally make up for the red ale that blew up in our faces and the lackluster brown ale we made last year. Here's a picture of the label we made for the bourbon stout. I was particularly proud of that one. "Bourbon stout" sounds like the most perfect libation ever created. And that label is magnificent! The bourbon ended up being more on the nose than on the tongue, but there was a nice boozy haze underneath the stout that really gave the brew an interesting character. Plus, it's pretty satisfying to just up and dump a bottle of bourbon into 5 gallons of beer. |
|
|
|
Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Nov 20, 2013 9:56:20 GMT -5
I love both stouts and bourbon and anything aged in a barrel (well, any beer or spirit - not necessarily wine). Bourbon barrel any beer instantly raises my interest. Anyway, our beer is still fermenting away ... very actively. TWBE wonders if he put too much yeast in? Attachments:
|
|
dＬᵒ
Prolific Poster
𝓐𝓻𝓮 𝓦𝓮 𝓒𝓸𝓸𝓵 𝓨𝓮𝓽?
Posts: 4,533
|
Post by dＬᵒ on Dec 5, 2013 23:52:22 GMT -5
I have a Mr. Beer kit I got last Christmas, but I've been too intimidated to open it up so it's just been sitting in my workroom.
|
|
|
|
Post by Great Unwashed on Dec 6, 2013 3:51:29 GMT -5
|
|
GumTurkeyles
AV Clubber 
$10 down, $10 a month, don't you be a turkey
Posts: 3,065
|
Post by GumTurkeyles on Dec 6, 2013 7:40:23 GMT -5
Haven't brewed a beer in a while, but now that I'm all moved in, I'll be doing something soon. The beer group I'm in has quarterly competitions with themes; this upcoming one is just make a stout according to the BJCP (Beer Judge Certification Program) guidelines. However, that's due in a month, and I don't think I'll have time to make this one. My girlfriend started brewing last year, and she did a mango beer for the spring competition. She took 1st place. Liz n Dicksgiving Making beer is pretty easy. Especially if you're already doing wine. The only downside is the amount of time to see if you like the finished product. It's hard to tweak recipes and wait a full month or two just to see if you liked it better the first way or the second. You probably already sanitize for canning (botulism and whatnot), but sanitation is key. I make sure anything I touch is sanitized. Then sanitized again, because I don't know where I've been. |
|
|
|
Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Dec 6, 2013 9:54:13 GMT -5
Our beer will be ready to bottle this weekend, should be drinking it around Christmas. I might have to taste a teeny bit of it pre-bottle to see how it is. |
|
|
|
Post by Great Unwashed on Dec 9, 2013 7:01:00 GMT -5
Another barrel was bottled today - apart from using the kits, we (by which I mean not me) have rigged the hot-water closet with a small hole in the bottom to allow a lamp and incandescent bulb to be connected to a thermostat, which keeps the beer at a constant temperature and it can be done brewing in about a week. Apart from the batch that is finished and is currently being drunk, there are now four batches out conditioning in the bottle  |
|
|
|
Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Dec 9, 2013 9:24:45 GMT -5
We bottled ours Sunday, so right before Christmas we'll give it a taste. A bit dripped on my hand so I licked it off and I was pretty happy... should taste better yet after bottle aging and being chilled. I just hope we didn't overcarbonate it again. I'm still unsure as to how much is "not enough".
|
|
LazBro
Prolific Poster
Posts: 10,278
|
Post by LazBro on Dec 9, 2013 17:02:56 GMT -5
I'll be bottling my spiced winter ale this weekend, assuming I can annoy my coworkers into giving me my bottles back. If I bottled in 12 ouncers I'd probably be less attached to them, but I bottle in really nice 1-liter EZcap bottles, so I gotta track my handouts carefully.
I'm almost out of my monster imperial stout, which everyone has loved to death, so I've been a proud home brewer the past couple of months.
|
|
|
|
Post by Great Unwashed on Dec 18, 2013 23:49:46 GMT -5
So another batch was bottled today to go with what's above, and some of what's above is about ready to drink.
|
|
|
|
Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Dec 19, 2013 9:14:16 GMT -5
Great Unwashed you have a truly impressive stash there. Ours will be ready to try this weekend, I look forward to it. Assuming it's drinkable we're going to take a bunch to my in-laws for Christmas.
|
|
LazBro
Prolific Poster
Posts: 10,278
|
Post by LazBro on Dec 19, 2013 11:38:50 GMT -5
Great Unwashed you have a truly impressive stash there. Ours will be ready to try this weekend, I look forward to it. Assuming it's drinkable we're going to take a bunch to my in-laws for Christmas. My spiced winter ale won't be ready for next week, but I plan to clean house on my stout and cider at our various family Christmas events. I've got a big party coming up in March, and I want to do a full 5-gallon batch just for that. I'll need the bottles. Haven't decided what to make yet. Maybe another stout, but somehow different. Oak chips? Coffee? Chocolate? I had a pretzel stout once that was pretty great. Maybe pretzels? Or I could really push the hops and go black IPA. |
|
LazBro
Prolific Poster
Posts: 10,278
|
Post by LazBro on Dec 26, 2013 10:10:43 GMT -5
It is decided. I'm not going stout and instead will next brew a cross between a Belgian Tripel and an IPA. Specially, this beer: menuinprogress.com/2009/09/belgian-tripel-ipa-partial-mash-recipe.htmlIt's the same website I got my first stout recipe from which everyone loves so well. The instructions on this site are so detailed that it really makes something as semi-complicated as partial mash brewing as easy as can be. I'll probably pick up ingredients this weekend and brew the next. They recommend a starter on the yeast, so hopefully I can remember to do that. Finally, both sides of the family tore up my beer yesterday. I only had 4 liters each of stout and cider to share, and not a drop made it back home (though, I did have a .... um, irresponsible amount of it myself.) |
|
|
|
Post by Pedantic Editor Type on Dec 26, 2013 10:14:51 GMT -5
Our Nadafinga Christmas Porter turned out very well. Honestly, I know I'm biased, but if you'd handed it to me in a glass I wouldn't have known it was homebrew. It has some nice mint and spice undertones without tasting too minty. I was very pleased.
|
|
LazBro
Prolific Poster
Posts: 10,278
|
Post by LazBro on Dec 26, 2013 10:32:35 GMT -5
Our Nadafinga Christmas Porter turned out very well. Honestly, I know I'm biased, but if you'd handed it to me in a glass I wouldn't have known it was homebrew. It has some nice mint and spice undertones without tasting too minty. I was very pleased. The first time you taste a homebrew you made that you would confidently put on tap at your favorite bar given the opportunity, you realize that it's a hobby you can stick with. Edit: Oh yeah, and when the family watched A Christmas Story yesterday (well, it was on TBS in the background), and it got to the Nadafinga scene, I thought of you and this thread. |
|
|
|
Post by jerkassimo on Dec 26, 2013 11:40:46 GMT -5
Our Nadafinga Christmas Porter turned out very well. Honestly, I know I'm biased, but if you'd handed it to me in a glass I wouldn't have known it was homebrew. It has some nice mint and spice undertones without tasting too minty. I was very pleased. I've been homebrewing for almost 15 years, and one of the hardest things for me to do is get the flavoring/additive proportions correct. Whether it is coffee, fruit, spices etc, the flavor almost always comes out overpowering or not there at all - even following the recipe/serving it the exact same way. So good job on your porter! Any one ever try brewing a lager? I will try my very first this January. |
|
