Father's Day Weekend Brew Day

This is my brewing set up, well my summer time set up anyway.  As a Father's Day present to myself I brewed a batch of the first all grain recipe I created on my own.  I named it Witch Hunt Rye IPA.  A hoppy rye brew.  Since I have only been brewing for about 2 years this is only the third time I have made this.  It is however the first time I have made a 10 gallon batch of it.  My target OG was 1.067.  I hit 1.062.  I really need a measuring stick or install a sight glass to my keggle. I eyeballed what I thought was boiling down to 10 gallons it ended up to be about 12 gallons.  I bet I would have hit my target OG if I had boiled a bit longer.  Fermentation started right off that night though.  Father's day morning I went to the basement and one bung had blown across the basement and the other was bubbling through the airlock.  After a bit of clean up I replaced the airlocks with blow off hoses which are thumping away as I type this.
My last brew day I was impatient with the the sparge and in turn had a wicked low OG, way off target.  I was going for a light session pale ale as it was so it worked out.  This time I stuck with my guns and maintained the slow sparge.
The chickens that you see to the background, on the left, enjoyed the smell of the brewing.  The strutted around the mash tun most of the day.  I split the spent grains with them and the compost (which they get into anyway).
Next will be a transfer to secondary fermentation, maybe a bit of dry hopping as well.
My goal is to brew 10 gallons a month, I may need more carboys for that!

Away too long.

So it has been about 2 years since I have posted on here.  Starting today that changes.  Over the last two years I have worked on my brewing.  I have been creating my own recipes.  I will be posting about my brew sessions, upgrading my brewing equipment, and about brews I enjoy from outside of my own creations.

-Cheers!

Bottling Black Hag maple porter! The last 5 gallons!

Homebrewing!

I have ventured from beer consumer to maker. I dabbled in extract and have moved on to whole grain. My first batch is a maple Porter. I converted an old igloo cooler to my mash tun.

Founders KBS

After missing out on this beer at the store and several local tap houses I caught it at the oldest beer bar in town.  It was well worth tracking down and making the trip just for a glass.  Very dark, served in a large tulip glass the aromas shifted from a hint of bourbon to chocolate.  A smooth full body mouthfull.  There where so many flavors coming accross that it took a long time to get through them all.  It reminded me of the scene from Charlie and the Chocolate factory where the girl takes the gum and new flavors come to her as she chews.  This beer was like that, every sip brought a new flavor and insight.  When this gets bottled again I won't be missing out.  It is well worth hunting for. 

picture to follow. 

Stone 16th Anniversary IPA

Weighing in at 10abv, this is a strong beer. Wicked good though!  A nice malt and citrus scent, a thick off white head. Great grapefruit flavors for a lingering after taste, not overly sweet as some higher alcohol brews are, well balanced.  If you can grab some then do so!!!

Long Trail Imperial Pumpkin

Weighing in at an 8ABV this is a strong beer. Suitable for a nice cool evening next to the firepit. Not overly pumpkin pie in flavor. The spices and pumpkin are hinted at with a nutty flavor that rolls around in the mouth. Not as sweet as Shipyards Smashed Pumpkin.  More balanced. 

Stone 10th Anniversary IPA

This was my choice for IPA day. A wicked awesome choice it was. It had a rich brown /amber hue, a malty yet citrus scent. And the flavors!  Starting with a rich maltiness,  followed by a citrus hoppy with just a twinge of bitter.  At 10.2 ABV, a full beer!

Slumbrew Tripel Trekker

Orange/golden in hue, quick head that settles down. Not too funky, nice malty body. A fairly "standard" Belgian triple.  Nothing off or weird, just good.

Collaboration 1, Maine Beer Company / Lawson's Finest Liquids

A hoppy aroma,  think dark head. Dark to look at like a Porter.
Lighter to me in body than some porters. Not much for hops, though made with some rye it isn't present in the palate.  It is tasty but I would have rather had it on a chill fall night. The muggy summer doesn't help it.

Three Heads Loopy

An oatmeal red ale, not as creamy as an oatmeal stout but very full bodied.  Thin head, the hops stood out to me which I found odd in a red ale. It was very good with only a bit of hop bitterness in the finish. 

Founders Devil Dancer

Labeled as a triple IPA, I read that it was dry hopped for an extreme amount of time.  Weighing in at 12% ABV!  This brew was wild! A bouquet of floral citrus hoppy wonder wafts from the glass. A different hop character emerges from the start, to middle, to end, to finish.  This is rampant in its complexity.  I was shy to try it at 4.50 a bottle or 18+ a four pack! But it was worth it!!
A very malty syrupy alcohol floats just below all this wonder of hoppy euphoria.  Giving it some balance,  I now wonder what some aging will do to this. I guess I shall have to buy some more to find out!

Rayon Vert

From Greenflash Brewing.  A Belgian style, it has that hint of Belgian funk but not much. Cloudy and light in color, a high white head.  Bubbly, not as much as a wine but more than I expected.  It was drinkable but I won't buy more any time soon.

Saranac White Water IPA

While I am not a huge fan of Saranac this was okay.  With a thick white head that remains for a long time. A light cloudy color.  Not overly hopped, some grapefruit upfront.  A bitterness lingers for longer than I would like for this brew.

Amber Road at the Sea Dogs!

Good beer mediocre game!

Monkey Fist on draught

I've posted about this from bottle already. Having it on draught at Bingas Wingas. Wicked good.

New beer store in Portland on Forest Ave, near where the old Arby's used to be.  Their selection looks great and by following their facebook you can keep tabs on what they have coming in for new stuff.
http://biercellar.com/?page_id=15

Sam Adams Porchrocker

Light pale in color,  thin head that goes away very quickly.  Lemon scent. Tastes like a shandy. Strong lemonade flavors.  Not a favorite,  fail again Sam.

Zombie Killer from B. Nektar

I usually don't rant about non-beer but this caught my eye and I do like Mead and honey wines.  This was really good. The cherry juices give it a bit of spunk.  Something I would expect from a well aged Belgian style ale. Very lite and drinkable.  For people who like cinders and such, I would recommend this.  It is an apple-honey wine.  At only 6% ABV, you can drink a few! 

Newcastle's Summer Ale

Medium amber in color. A lighter brown ale in my opinion,  a little bit of bitterness in the middle and finish. Not a bad summer brew but I won't buy a lot of it this summer.