Beer: Christmas Was Good to Me

Christmas this year was amazing. I can't even describe how appreciative and grateful I am for all the amazing people in my life. I did not expect to get even half the stuff I got and the whole day was full of family, food, and friends. 

I cannot wait to use the Draft Brewer Dual CO2 Regulated Keg System. I still need to get a freezer before using it, which I might already have squared away due to having awesome friends. It seems there was a theme this year. Most people who know me know that homebrewing has taken over most of my free time. It's an addiction. The science behind it is so interesting. I've never been a reader in my life. I could never, EVER finish a book. I read a 600 page book in a couple of weeks a little while ago. I couldn't put it down. My wife also got me some awesome power tools so I can finally finish some of the house projects we have going on.

So have I mentioned how awesome my wife is? She took a total of 6 hours to get me 4 bottles of beer from one of my all-time favorite breweries Tree House Brewing Company. They opened on the Tuesday before Christmas to release some pretty amazing beers. Harmony is an absolutely delicious IPA and Bear is an amazing hoppy brown. More to come about the future endeavors with the new equipment!

Beer: The New England 1020 (Update)

It's that time! I bottled the New England 1020 IPA last night and it tasted delicious. The FG got down to 1.010 which is better than I expected. Overall it's a solid 5.8% ABV IPA. I had hoped for a lot higher but lack of attention to detail during mashing results in lower efficiency. I'll post tasting notes once it's done bottle conditioning! 

Beer: Stein Beer

We decided to take a shot at brewing a beer in the stein brewing method. All I have to really say is this was one of the most fun brew days we've ever had. There was just so much awesome crammed into one day! We decided to go with a simple Kölsch recipe to start with and then if it was successful, do something a little more complex. We hit a 1.052 OG which was very close to what we were hoping for. Only issue we had was the Wyeast Kölsch smack pack had a hole in it when we smacked it. And yes we did cook steaks on the rocks and potatoes in the fire. It was amazing.

Hopefully we'll have more pics, but here is what I have so far!

Here is the link: http://imgur.com/a/1csBh

Original Gravity:

1.055

Final Gravity:

1.014

ABV (standard):

5.42%

IBU (tinseth):

24.37

SRM (morey):

4.11

Fermentables

Amount	Fermentable	PPG	°L	Bill %
10 lb	American - Pilsner	37	1.8	90.9%
0.5 lb	American - Carapils (Dextrine Malt)	33	1.8	4.5%
0.5 lb	German - Munich Light	37	6	4.5%
11 lb	Total

Hops

Amount	Variety	Type	AA	Use	Time	IBU
1 oz	Domestic Hallertau	Pellet	3.9	Boil	60 min	16.7
0.5 oz	Domestic Hallertau	Pellet	3.9	Boil	45 min	7.67

Mash Guidelines

Amount	Description	Type	Temp	Time
4.5 gal	170F to warm mash tun and dough in at 161F	Infusion	150 F	60 min
3.5 gal	Bring to boil and sparge as much as needed	Sparge	170 F	10 min
Starting Mash Thickness: 1.5 qt/lb

Other Ingredients

Amount	Name	Type	Use	Time
15 each	Granite Rocks (Fist Size)	Other	Boil	60 min

Yeast

Wyeast - Kölsch 2565

Attenuation (avg): 75% Flocculation: Low Optimum Temp: 56 - 70 °F Starter: No Fermentation Temp: 65 °F Pitch Rate: 0.35 (M cells / ml / ° P) 90 B cells required

Beer: All I want for Christmas is a Brew Kit

Check out this article I wrote for Modern Man Jack!

All I want for Christmas is a Brew Kit — Modern Man Jack

Beer: Stein Brewing

In a couple of weeks we are going to attempt an old school brewing technique called stein brewing. The concept is pretty simple. We are going to be using hot rocks (granite) to heat up the boil kettle. Not many people do it anymore and we just thought it would be a fun day of fire and activities. Sixpoint Brewery did one a little while ago and made a quick video about it.

We are going to make sure to post a bunch of pictures and hopefully get some video of the day! We're sticking with a basic Kölsch recipe and maybe in the future, try out a stout. It'll add some smokey and sweet caramelized flavors that are going to be real nice. Here is another video by Basic Brewing about the method. Cheers!

Beer: The New England 1020 (Update)

I transferred The New England 1020 IPA last night and it tasted absolutely delicious. Still have a little ways to go on dropping that gravity down, but overall very impressed with the Yeast Bay Vermont Ale strain I used. It is sitting at 1.020 and would like to get it to at least 1.012 if I can. If not, oh well! As Charlie Papazian says, "Relax, don't worry, have a homebrew". More updates to come later! Cheers!

Food: Thanksgiving 2014

Thanksgiving was a success! All that planning and it felt like it was over in the blink of an eye. Everything came out exactly the way I wanted. Turkey was a bit dry, but not bad.

The rub consisted of sazon, adobo, garlic, paprika, salt, pepper, and olive oil. I used the chicken stock from the practice chicken I made a few weeks ago. The gravy was absolutely delicious! (Thanks Regina and Barb!) We also had garlic mashed potatoes, green beans, homemade Duffy stuffing, carrots, Puerto Rican pork and rice, cranberry sauce, and pearl onions. For desserts, we had chocolate pudding pie, apple pie, pumpkin pie, chocolate cake, ice cream, homemade whipped cream, brownies, and a variety of cookies.

A couple days later I made another stock with the turkey. Of course, the leftovers made PLENTY of turkey and stuffing sandwiches. My wife isn't a fan of leftovers so I am still trying to consume as much of it as I can by myself. It's pretty difficult. I feel like I've gained 20lbs already. 

 

I also broke out the Apple Pie Ale, as well. It came out great! I don't really have any complaints about it thus far. Very well rounded and delicious. I can't wait to do it again! Cheers!

Beer: Discussion with Q&A from John Kimmich of The Alchemist

From time to time during my endless research into homebrewing I come across a gem like this:

This discussion with Q&A from John Kimmich is extremely informative. You also can get a good background into The Alchemist's Heady Topper. Also go check out Chop & Brew by Chip Walton. A great find and I can't wait to watch the rest of his videos!

Food: Puerto Rican Bistec Encebollado (Steak and Onions)

I married a lovely Puerto Rican woman. What does that mean? On top of everything else I absolutely love about her, the cuisine that comes along with her heritage is AMAZING. The first taste of this cuisine was when her mother made the rice. Oh man, this rice. I can't even describe how amazing it is. Just look at it...

I haven't even attempted this yet. There's a science to it. Not too wet, not too dry. The perfect amount of seasoning. My next taste was when I went to her grandmother's house and had the pork WITH this rice. It was ridiculously amazing. THEN we went to Puerto Rico and it was just too much to handle. Mofongo, Fried Plantain, Empanadas (on the beach), Medalla Light (beer), Magna (beer) and so much more. 

Then I had Bistec Encebollado. Only people that have had it can describe it. So what do? Make it when I get home. I've been making it for a couple of years now and keep trying different cuts of meat to see which ones we like. Last night we tried bottom round and it was delicious. Perfect texture for this meal. I first based my recipe off of this recipe.

Total Time: 4-24 hours
Prep: 5 minutes
Inactive: 4-24 hours
Cook: 40 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

1 lb steak (I've tried many. The "bad" cuts are always the best and most tender)
1 large yellow onion sliced
1 packet sazon (white)

1 packet sazon (yellow)

1 tablespoon adobo
1 tablespoon tomato sauce
2 tbsp garlic minced
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
1 cup water
1 teaspoon salt

Directions

Prepare all ingredients and place in a ziploc bag with the steak. Set in fridge for 4 hours or over night to marinate. **If you're short on time you can skip this step**

Dump all ingredients into a heavy pan and cook until boiling. Once boiling turn heat to low, cover and cook for 40 minutes or so. Once done meat will be very tender.

Side note:

The New England 1020 IPA is fermenting like crazy! When I left the house this morning there was an extremely thick layer of krausen in the carboy! Super excited. 

 

Beer: Brewing The New England 1020 IPA

So I am a moron. Again, I forgot to take pictures of brew day. I get too caught up in the moment and enjoy it too much. I'm going to dedicate one of my friends solely to taking pictures next time. Anyways, we have fermentation! The picture is a bit deceiving because it is in an extremely dark place and I had to use the flash. The color is a lot lighter... A LOT lighter.

Again, we missed our OG. We were at about 1.043. I added a pound of table sugar that I know will dry it out a bit but I got it to 1.053. We also mashed in a little too high at around 160°F. Next time I am going to focus a lot more on detail so that this doesn't happen again. 

We used a little bit of a Campden tablet to kill unnecessary microbes and fluoride. I've been noticing my town has been adding a lot more recently and it was weirding me out. I pitched the Yeast Bay Vermont Ale Yeast 48 hours later to make sure the Campden tablet didn't kill that too! That would've been very unfortunate. 

We did a whirlpool which was extremely fun attaching this massive paddle to a drill and using it at 180°F. We need to re-do the paddle as it was too big and getting stuck when we would try to pull it out and causing it to come to a dead stop. Completely defeating the purposes of a whirlpool. 

I will update more when I transfer to secondary and dry hop! Below is the recipe we used. Feel free to have at it!

Original Gravity:

1.063

Final Gravity:

1.013

ABV (standard):

6.63%

IBU (tinseth):

141.25

SRM (morey):

5.2

Fermentables

Amount	Fermentable	PPG	°L	Bill %
10 lb	American - Pale 2-Row	37	1.8	72.7%
1 lb	Rice Hulls	0	0	7.3%
0.75 lb	Belgian - Munich	38	6	5.5%
0.75 lb	Flaked Oats	33	2.2	5.5%
0.5 lb	American - Caramel / Crystal 10L	35	10	3.6%
0.5 lb	American - Carapils (Dextrine Malt)	33	1.8	3.6%
0.25 lb	German - Acidulated Malt	27	3.4	1.8%
13.75 lb	Total

Hops

Amount	Variety	Type	AA	Use	Time	IBU
5 mL	Hop Shot	Fresh	2.77	Boil	60 min	51.39
1 oz	Citra	Pellet	11	Boil	10 min	16.28
1 oz	Simcoe	Pellet	12.7	Boil	10 min	18.79
1 oz	Citra	Pellet	11	Boil	5 min	8.95
1 oz	Simcoe	Pellet	12.7	Boil	5 min	10.33
1 oz	Citra	Pellet	11	Whirlpool at 180 °F	0 min	16.48
1 oz	Simcoe	Pellet	12.7	Whirlpool at 180 °F	0 min	19.02
1 oz	Citra	Pellet	11	Dry Hop	7 days
1 oz	Simcoe	Pellet	12.7	Dry Hop	7 days

Mash Guidelines

Amount	Description	Type	Temp	Time
5.3 gal	175F to warm up mash tun, once at 160 dough in	Sparge	150 F	60 min
4.1 gal	Close to boil, then stir mash with water to distribute evenly	Sparge	175 F	15 min
Starting Mash Thickness: 1.5 qt/lb

Other Ingredients

Amount	Name	Type	Use	Time
1 tsp	Gypsum	Water Agt	Boil	60 min
1 each	Whirfloc Tablet	Water Agt	Boil	15 min

Yeast

Default - - -

Attenuation (custom): 80% Flocculation: Med Optimum Temp: 66 - 72 °F Starter: No Fermentation Temp: 68 °F Pitch Rate: 0.35 (M cells / ml / ° P) 102 B cells required

Notes

Pale 2 Row must be RAHR
Vermont Ale Yeast
http://www.theyeastbay.com/brewers-yeast-products/vermont-ale

During second sparge mix up the grain in order to distribute the heat evenly. 

Beer: New Techniques During Brew Day

I have been on the journey to brew the best IPA I can ever since I started brewing. Which is actually not too long ago. Last year around this time I was brewing 1.5 gallon stove top brews and adding 3.5 gallons of tap water to make 5 gallons. In this short amount of time I have already jumped to all-grain brewing. Can you imagine what I will be doing next year? I can't.

This next brew we are calling The New England 1020. It's going to be a what I call them a "New England IPA". Not as bitter and more aromatic. I get to experiment with techniques I've never used before. I am going to be using a HopShot which is a hop extract to add some bittering elements without adding too much flavor of the hop. Next I am going to be whirlpooling at 180°F with the addition of hops. This is going to (hopefully) create a blast of aroma in the face. I also just picked up this yeast strain which is a Conan clone. 

I will definitely try to take a lot of pictures and update as soon as I can! I have trouble taking pictures because I am having too much fun the whole time. Yesterday I finished up the labels on the Apple Pie Ale and took a few nice pictures. Here they are! 

Beer: Random Thoughts

This past week I have decided to not make a mess of my kitchen anymore and move my brewing operations down to the basement and outside. Conveniently I have a walk out so it makes things much easier. This weekend we get to try it out for the first time when we brew our New England 1020 IPA! I just added a dart board and other things to make it a bit more cozy. Next step is adding an old school tube TV with NES or SNES hooked up to it!

I have been drooling over a brewing system for about a year now. Whenever I see it all I can think about is this:

I am going to try to make that dream a reality next year. I don't know how I am going to do it, but I am going to do it. Everything about it is so perfect. It is called the Brew Magic V350MS System. 

• Specifications

• Model Name: Brew-Magic V350-MS Brewing System® (Patent Pending)
• Controller Type: Unitronics Vision 350 Touchscreen, 3-1/2″, 256 color, QVGA , Industrial type
• Software: ‘Magic-Soft®’ (Patent Pending) programming
• Kettle type: Heavy-duty stainless, 15.5 gallons with handles
• Kettle setup: Boil (lower), Mash (center), Sparge HL (right)
• Connector type: Stainless, 1/2″ Pharmaceutical quality Tri-Clamp
• Frame type: Commercial duty, powder coat, baked enamel
• Frame kettle decking: Stainless steel , removable for easy cleanup
• Frame Casters: Heavy duty swivel, two of the four are locking type (4.5″ T)
• Brewery Size (with Casters): 74.5″ Long x 62.5″ High x 20″ Wide
• Deck Height: Upper deck 39.5″ Lower deck 18″
• Height to top of upper kettles: 62.5″
• Height to top of lower kettle: 41.25″
• Weight: 289 Lbs.