July 23, 2008
I wouldn’t say that I’m sick of brewing beer, per se, but the tasks that surround beer brewing are starting to get a little old. For example, bottling. And cleaning. And cleaning. And organizing. I have a lot of bottles, and with my new all-grain system, a lot more equipment, and every time I want to do something with it I have to move a lot of equipment and a lot of bottles.
But, I love to brew, and brewing with all grain is now as much fun as it is complicated. The system that I ended up purchasing and assembling is made of of two 10-gallon Rubbermaid coolers with Kewler Kitz spigots and ball valves, and one with a false bottom that acts as a mash tun. Essentially, I built a kit identical to this one, but for less money because I got a great deal on the coolers. The other cooler acts as a hot liquor tank, and I bought a nicely drilled sparge arm to assist with the sparging process. Completing the equipment is a 60,000 BTU propane burner and a 32-quart stainless steel kettle. It’s nothing I’d use to professionally brew beer, but it works rather well.
The first batch went about as well as to be expected, and I manged to screw a number of things up. Firstly, I mistakenly threw out most of my fermentable sugars, and so the batch ended up being about 2% alcohol. It’s pretty hoppy, too, but there isn’t enough malt flavoring to balance it out. I brewed hop water, essentially, or what might be the first session IPA. I also didn’t have my equipment set up completely right, so the sparging process was messy. Lastly, I didn’t know quite what to do with my leftover grains, but we managed to make four loaves of bread and a batch of granola. I threw a lot of grain into my backyard, though.
The second batch went much better and turned out to be a respectable 5% ABV. I got it right this time. The flavor was very nice out of the fermenter, but I had to bottle with cane sugar instead of corn sugar, so I’m hoping that doesn’t mess it up too much.
I’d love to brew again, but my oven is broken at the moment, and without an oven to do something with the 12+ pounds of grain that will be left over after the brew, I’m a bit hesitant to give it another go. I have a jar of malt extract I could use…but that seems like a step backwards.
This weekend is the 21st Annual Oregon Brewer’s festival, and I’m looking forward to some of the beers that will be there. Should make for quite a Friday afternoon.
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June 3, 2008
So, the short story is that I didn’t get the Best Brews Intern position. The long story is that I got screwed out of…something. Here’s what I wrote, cross-posted from my main blog:
I’ve been writing about how I was one of the finalists for the Best Brews Summer Intern position and how I was going to fly to New York to interview with the Chief Beer Officer as well as the Sheraton executives, and I’ve been waiting patiently for my phone to ring with details. I even called them five days after receiving the phone call and asked for some details since, well, it had been five days and I still hadn’t heard anything, and the PR person I’d been incontact with said she’d have to call me back. That was May 7th. It’s been two and a half weeks, and I hadn’t heard anything. I got a UPS envelope delivered last week with a copy of my background check, so I figured things were just moving slowly.
Imagine my surprise, then, when Hanne discovered that the Best Brews Intern website (which I will not link to from this blog) was updated with the four finalists. Four people, none of whom are me. Wait, what? Wasn’t I explicitly told I was one of the finalists? Wasn’t I outright asked “What are your plans next week?” when first called to tell me I was one of the finalists?
I have been taught to be as professional as possible when dealing with others, and something like this smacks of amateur hour. Or just corporate bullshit. Not even a fucking phone call to say “Well, we decided to go with another candidate, but thank you for your video submission” or “I’m truly sorry, but there’s been a horrible mixup.” Not a peep. I found out second-hand. I would have found out for myself when I checked the website the next day, but the fact that I didn’t get a phone call, email, or letter telling me as such (and I know they have all three of those since they’ve used two of them twice apiece) reeks of the worst kind of shenanagins.
I sent them an email very politely bitching them out and trying not to make it sound like sour grapes that I hadn’t gotten chosen, but rather that I was upset that they’d told me I was going, and then neglected to correct themselves when the opposite proved true.
So, that’s that.
My first two batches of 2008 bottle conditioned as well as could be expected, and both were quite delicious. I’ve been lazy about posting my recipes, so once I have my notebook in front of me I’ll get around to that. The chocolate chili porter turned out to just be very porter-y, and the other ultra-hoppy beer turned out to be a whopping 8.5% ABV and was quite good. I brewed two batches after them, a wheat ale and a hoppy pale, and I’m looking forward to trying both. The wheat wasn’t quite the color I’d hoped for, and it also wasn’t as cloudy as I expected along the lines of a hefeweizen, but I’m sure it’ll be good. The pale ale was delicious right out of the fermenter, and I think it’ll be a great light, crisp summer ale.
I sold a few miscellaneous items I don’t need, and the funds from the sales will go towards purchasing the first of the equipment I need for all-grain brewing, which I intend to get up and running by the end of the year. First up is a wort chiller, which I could actually use now with my extract brewing. Next will be a mash tun, I believe, but I have my heart set on a 10-gallon Rubermaid cooler as a mash tun, but I don’t have the know-how to mod it into a mash tun with a false bottom, spigot, etc. Why the cooler? Temperature control. A cooler will require fewer temperature adjustments during the mash to keep the grains at the proper temperature. There’s a place I could buy one from online, but it’s $30 just to ship it to me. Who knows? It might be worth it. That leaves just a hot liquor tank, sparge arm, mash paddle, and some high-temp tubing, and I should be set. Plus, I’ll need at least a 32 quart stainless steel kettle and a propane burner capable of boiling that amount of wort. After the wort chiller, I’ll still have a few hundred bucks worth of equipment to buy, but it’s largely a one-time investment. I hope.
I’m off tonight to the Green Dragon for the Meet the Brewer night with Bridgeport Brewing. I aim to get myself a mug full of Stumptown Tart, personally.
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May 1, 2008
My apologies for the sporadic updates. It’s difficult for me to write about every beer I have, mostly since I have so many of them. Nothing tremendously mind-blowing, alas. I did come across a beer I had to pour out because I couldn’t drink it, but I swear, I gave it my best try. Midnight Sun’s Arctic Devil was just too strong for my taste, and I poured it back into the bottle in the hopes that the next day it would be more palatable, but it was just as strong the next day and I was forced to first use it as a prop and then pour it out. I hate–I hate–wasting beer, but I gave it an honest shot and it just didn’t agree with me. To each their own. I talked with some people and they agreed that it’s strong, but it sounds like I didn’t get a bad bottle, I just couldn’t take the strong flavor and aroma.
My first two batches of 2008 got bottled last weekend, and they both came out as well as can be hoped. I was a bit disappointed that my chocolate chili porter didn’t have the heat to it that I wanted it to have, but it’s a nice-tasting porter and that’s all that matters. The really hoppy amber came out nicely, though I’ll wait to pass ultimate judgement for a few weeks when I can try it carbonated. I ended up with two 12 oz. six packs and a case and a half of 22 oz. bottles for each one, though that number will decrease a bit next month when I have my first beer-tasting party of the year.
In bigger news, I’ve been selected as one of the four finalists for the Four Points by Sheraton Best Brews Intern, and I’m flying to New York next week to interview with them. I had to produce a five-minute video talking about why I’d be best for the position, and I guess they liked my ode to Portland well enough to give me a chance. Both having never been to New York as well as being excited about what a paid summer internship in the beer industry might entail, next week will be a hell of a week and I’m looking forward to talking with them.
Perhaps as celebration I might break out some special beer tonight. I can’t think of a better occasion to celebrate, save for actually getting the internship. I’m willing to gamble on celebrating twice, though.
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April 7, 2008
My thoughts on batch #1 were pretty clear: don’t shake the starter. I’m still cleaning yeast and malt off surfaces in the kitchen, and the ants that are constantly scouring my kitchen for tidbits sure liked a couple of stray splatters I missed. I also realized that I had taken my OG reading incorrectly, so I’ll have to slightly adjust it.
Batch #2 turned out very well indeed. I used nearly ten pounds of malt extract, about half a pound of dry malt extract (leftover from the starter), three types of hops, and two tablespoons of cocoa powder. Then I went crazy and tossed three chilis de arbol into the primary fermenter, hopefully for a nice heat to the beer. I don’t want a chili-flavored beer, nor do I want somethingextremely spicy, but I want just a little bit of heat to balance out the swet and bitter. And if all five gallons turns out to be undrinkable, I’ll have five gallons of a really great marinade of chili base at my disposal. At least it won’t go to waste.
I ended up with an OG of 1.09 on that batch. That’s going to be an awesome batch of beer, one way or another.
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April 5, 2008
I did my first batch of the year today, and I think it came out really well. I used 3.5 lbs. of extra light bulk malt extract, 3.5 lbs. of wheat bulk malt extract, and 3.3 lbs. of Breiss Sparkling Amber malt extract, along with Mt. Hood, Cascade, Fuggles, and Willamette hops. Topping all that was a two-day yeast starter made with Wyeast 1056 American Ale liquid yeast, pitched at 80F. I ended up with a temperature-adjusted OG of 1.0865. I’m hoping I can break the 8% mark, not because I want to consistently make a big beer like that, but becauseit’s a matter of pride.
But here’s a helpful hint: when it comes time to aerate your starter one last time before pitching, swirl it. Do not, under any circumstances, cover the stopper hole and shake hard, or you’ll be cleaning your kitchen–specifically the ceiling and floor–like I’m in the process of doing. I really don’t know what I was thinking. Duh.
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March 31, 2008
This past weekend my girlfriend and I took a trip up to Seattle, partially for touristy stuff, partially because I wanted to go to a couple of brewpubs and visit McMenamins numbers 45, 46, and 47, respectively. All in all, it was a good trip.
We traveled by train, so it was a nice relaxing few hours in which I could read or whatnot, and I just generally relax a lot more when I’m not in a car and can move around, even if it does take some extra time. Our first stop in Seattle was Elysian Brewing, which I’ve encountered in the store many times and have enjoyed in the past, though I tend not to buy their stuff regularly just because I always see it. I do pick out a bottle of their Avatar Jasmine IPA nearly every time I see it, though, as that’s worth the quirky taste. Their regular IPA and ESB are pretty standard, but I don’t believe I’ve had their Stout or Porter ever. I was a bit disappointed to discover that they were out of their Imperial IPA, which I’m always interested in trying wherever I go.
Regardless, we each had a pint and I was planning on a second, but our server was busy with other tables so we decided to bag it and head to our next destination, the Six Arms McMenamins. That location was mostly just a bar, located down the street from Elysian on “the hill,” and while if I lived near it I’d probably frequent it, I wasn’t terribly impressed with it. Seemed like it got a lot of traffic, and so we stayed for a couple of pints before wandering down the hill to Pike Brewing Company.
Pike reminded me of a sports bar, which isn’t necessarily a black mark, but the TVs and bright lights tend to distract me when I’m in a mood just to have a few beers and chat with friends. I tried their sometimes-bad (at least, for me in bottles)Tandem Double Ale, a Pale Ale, and something else that’s slipping my mind at the moment. I think I enjoyed Pike’s beer the most, but all I wanted was soft lighting and a quiet atmosphere. Sadly, I got neither, but the quality of the beer comes first and made up for it.
The McMenamins Queen Anne location is just a couple of blocks north of Seattle Center, where the Space Needle and Experience Music Project, among other attractions, are located. We got there right at opening so I could have a beer and put another notch on my belt, and I was impressed. Very nice neighborhood, and a large interior. The Dad Watson’s McMenamins was located further north up in the Freemont district, and so we bussed it up there. The outside masked how big it was on the inside, and it was definitely my favorite. A long S-shaped curved bar was the centerpiece of the room, and it had a couple of outside areas that would be great in the summertime.
Next up: Astoria for a visit to Wet Dog and Fort George Breweries.
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February 18, 2008
I had a bottle of Beer Valley Brewing’s “Highway to Ale” barleywine-style ale last night. I wasn’t familiar with Beer Valley, but hey, 10.5% ABV always get my attention. Plus, Highway to Ale? Sounds like a song a cockney AC/DC would sing. But I was impressed. Very impressed. It actually didn’t taste anything like a barleywine (at least, none I’d ever had before), but I didn’t care–it was delicious. I actually wrote my Dad an email and recommended it and did the same over an IM to my sister. I’d love to visit the brewery and try their stuff there, but Ontario, OR is a bit out of my area, even for a day trip. I’ll have to go back and grab a bottle of their Black Flag Imperial Stout with a bottloe that looks remarkably like Sculler’s IPA.
Of course, I have no proof anymore that I drank it–I scraped the label off today so I can reuse the bottle for homebrewing. But I’ll be back at Belmont Station for another bottle or two.
Speaking of homebrewing, I finally bottled my lager yesterday after a few months of waiting. I brewed it the day before Thanksgiving, racked it into a secondary the day before Christmas, and it survived the rest of 2007, almost two months of 2008, and a move in a car, all without raising the temperature above lagering level. It turned out to be 6.8% ABV, and the taste out of the fermenter was very nice. I ended up with two cases of 22 oz. bottles and three and a half 12 oz. bottles. I’m looking forward to trying it in about…oh, six or seven weeks. Honestly? I could probably brew an ale this weekend and have it be ready to drink around the time the lager is ready.
Which actually isn’t a bad idea. Getting up to 60 degrees during the day, I could probably get away with it.
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January 31, 2008
You know what? Beer reviews shouldn’t be at the tail end of a three 22 oz. bottle evening.
Very nice, very bitter, it’s gets a thumbs-up. I’d definitely buy it again.
Oog.
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January 31, 2008
Thick. Dark. 9.7% alcohol. What, pray tell, is an “old ale”?
It’s very tasty, that’s what it is. I say again, I’m really not much for describing nuances of beer and I’m more for just saying yay or nay. This gets a yay. It reminds me of…something. It’s very smooth, and doesn’t have the bite that I’d expect from a 10% beer. I can’t place the taste it’s reminding me of. I’m not certain if I’ve ever had anything by Eel River thus far, but I’ll be investigating their beers further.
You know what? Beer reviews really aren’t good back-to-back when you drink entire 22 oz. bottles.
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January 31, 2008
Each time I’ve gone into Belmont Station lately, I’ve seen this beer and been tempted by it. India Pale Ales are my weakness; Imperial IPAs are my kryptonite. Each trip, I see it, I pick it up…I see the $10.99 price tag…I put it back.
Tonight’s different, though. I feel like splurging tonight. So I bit the bullet, paid the $11, and…first sip…hmmmm. It’s a nice deep amber color, and has a thick, almost porter consistency. Not as bitter as some American IPAs, but it’s not quite either a American-style IPA or a British-style IPA in its taste. They have such a distinct taste, it’s very easy to tell them apart. But this? It’s…different. I actually don’t taste the 8.5% alcohol in it, and the flavor either covers it up or it’s just a nice subtlety.
Regardless, I’d buy it again…if it were cheaper. I understand about the cost of importing specialty beers from countries like Denmark, and it is a tasty beer, but it’s pretty cost prohibitive. Worth trying once, that’s for sure, but not really a frequent purchase.
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