Adventures of a Beginning Homebrewer: Upgrade to Make Life and Brew Better!

Adventures of a Beginning Homebrewer

Upgrade to Make Life and Brew Better!

So you have made a few batches of beer now with your basic brewing kit, you got the hang of it and things are tasting good. Where do you go from here? One word… Upgrades!

There are so many upgrades you can add to your home brewery to make life easier and to make brewing quicker. The list is virtually endless. I am going to concentrate on a couple of relatively inexpensive upgrades that I have made that have helped my home brewery become more efficient. After all, brewing takes time, so efficiency opens up time to make even more beer!

The very first upgrade I made to my set up was a wort chiller. After you do your boil you want to be able to get your wort temperature down below 100 as soon as you can. The longer this process takes the more susceptible your wort is to infection by bacteria and such in the air.

When I first started brewing I had a HUGE bucket that I would fill halfway with ice, then set the covered brew kettle in the ice bucket, top with ice, and then wait…. and wait… and wait… and… you get the picture. Sometimes this could take up to an hour plus! What a waste of time, not to mention I wasted a lot of cash on 20 pound bags of ice.

So, I got myself a wort chiller. A wort chiller is a coil of copper or steel tubing you set in your wort that hooks up to your faucet. Crank on the cold water and it forces the cold water through the tubes, thus chilling your wort quickly. And I mean QUICKLY! It now takes me less than 20 minutes to have my wort to a suitable temperature. My wort is in the elements for a much shorter amount of time and I can go about my day sooner… or start the next batch sooner!



There are several different types and sizes of wort chillers. You can pay anywhere from 70 to 200 bucks for one. I purchased the cheapest one I could find and it works great and has been used on countless batches of beer. If you are rich, you can get yourself the $200 model, but if you are reasonable, just get the basic one and save your cash for other upgrades.

The other upgrade I swear by is a larger siphon and hose. Most brewing kits come with a 5/16” auto siphon. But, for a mere 14 bucks and a few bucks for new hose you can get a 1/2” auto siphon. Maybe it doesn’t sound like much of a difference, but trust me when I tell you; this thing makes racking beer a breeze! It cuts the time it takes to rack beer in half. It is worth every penny, especially for a guy like me who usually has more than one batch to rack at a time.

These two upgrades probably save me about an hour per batch and they didn’t break the bank. Anybody else out there have an upgrade you have made to your brewery you can’t live without?

Cheap wort chillers: 

http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/standard-chiller-3-8-x25-with-vinyl-tubing.html

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/stainless-steel-immersion-wort-chiller.html

Larger auto siphons:

http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/brewing/brewing-equipment/siphoning-equipment/racking-canes/auto-siphon-1-2.html

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/1-2-auto-siphon.html

Rise of the Beer Baron Pt 3.: Return of Craft Beer!

So when I last left off my friend Collin was turning 22 and my crew of friends were just starting to dip our toes into the alcohol scene.  Collin had a brother who lived out in California (one of the great starting points of the craft beer movement) and for his birthday signed him up for a beer-of-the-month club, and this was my first introduction to what would later become my obsession with craft beer.  I don't exactly remember every beer that was in there but I remember there being some Dog Fish Head and a beer called "Hempen' Ale" made out of hemp seeds.  For us the latter was more about the novelty of drinking weed:

 

I know that I didn't like most of the beers I drank, and when I think back on it it was probably because they challenged my perception of what beer was, namely it wasn't the beer my Grandpa drank.  To this day I regret not being more into beer, and not seeing past light American Lagers.  I held in my hand what was arguably one of the most prolific beers in Craft Beer History (referring to Dog Fish Head), and I didn't quite appreciate it as much as I would have today.  But life must go on, and so it did and I continued in my near ignorance of beer and started dabbling in 7 and 7 and other fruit based shots.

And that was how life was for my early to mid 20s. Now during my high school days I was your classic D&D/Boy Scout/Star Trek nerd.  Too this day a lot of those tendencies have not left my spectrum of interests. The only problem was in my workplace, a small ma&pa grocery store called D&K Foods, there were no other nerds to geek out with.  So I started taking in interest in their passions.  One meat cutter, named Paul, introduced me to professional football, and in specific his team:  The Green Bay Packers. 

Now I don't want to start a border war here, because this is about great local craft beer no matter where you are from.  I don't have any issues with the Vikings, they just aren't my team.  I love a good rivalry, but I think fans on both sides of the fence take it WAY too far.  So let me enjoy my team.

I started hanging out with a group of Packer fans, and we regularly went out to watch games on Sunday.  Now as a Packer fan, I couldn't just sit their and drink "fruity drinks" without being poked fun at by my fellow Cheeseheads.  So I started drinking Leinenkugels's Honey Weiss, and yes I took it with a wedge of lemon when offered.  Now I was officially a beer drinker!  So how did I become a "craft beer" drinker.  Well that took some cheese, and a doctor....

To Be Continued...

Adventures of a Beginning Home Brewer - Time for Something Completely Different

It seems a bit early, but the other day a good friend of mine and I were talking about Thanksgiving. It’s got to be the best holiday. Great food, great drinks, football, no holiday shopping; you just can’t beat it.

 

I think we all know the basics of what food will be served, but what about the beer? Many first thoughts are pumpkin beers, but truth be told I can’t stand them. Never found one I liked. Stouts and porters might be a bit heavy for the type of eating that is going to go down. How about a hard cider? Fall flavors are what Thanksgiving is all about, and what is more fall than apples?

I know, I know. Hard cider isn’t a beer. But this is Adventures of a Beginning Home Brewer. Beer isn’t even in the title… ok, so maybe it is implied since this blog is part of Beerploma, but bear with me just for one post.

 

It became apparent that it's time to make a tasty hard cider. But of course, I am a beginner and have no clue how to make a hard cider. Ahhhh… Isn’t the internet great? I did some research and found out some basics.

 

The first tip I found is that there is no boil for hard cider as there is in beer. If you boil apple juice it can take on a bit of an astringent flavor. But no boil = potential contamination of the cider. I found two ways to combat this.

 
The first way is to purchase unpasteurized juice (or buy apples and juice them) and heat the juice, but not boil it. This can make things sterile, but you must be careful. Over do it and you have an off taste in your cider. Under do it and you may get some contaminated cider. Nether sound good to me!
 
The second way is the way chosen for this experiment. Purchase pasteurized apple juice. This makes it free from contaminants while keeping the juice in its same tasty condition. Be sure to purchase a good pasteurized cider that contains no chemical preservatives like potassium sulfate or sodium benzoate. These things prevent bacteria and mold growth, but also prevent yeast growth. In other words, your yeast won’t work with juice containing chemical preservatives. And if the yeast doesn’t work, you don’t have hard cider.
 

For the yeast, most will work. The guy at Northern Brewer suggested champagne yeast. It will eat a ton of sugar and carbonates well in the end. And it won’t deliver an overly yeasty flavor that may be tasty in some beers, but probably wouldn’t be too great in a hard cider.

 

After figuring that stuff out making hard cider, at least to the primary stage, is a piece of cake! Pour pasteurized apple juice into a fermenter, add yeast, and seal! The part that took the longest was sanitizing. But since I was also firing up a raspberry rhubarb wheat and bottling an EPA, it really took no extra time to sanitize a bucket, top, and airlock.

As of this morning it was bubbling away in the primary, so that’s a good sign things are headed in the right direction. I will follow up on this cider later down the road as developments come about. Have you brewed a hard cider, and if so how did it go? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Cream Ales, The Other Summer Beer!

I’m gonna start this post off with a little secret for all of our regular readers.  Some BIG changes are coming to Beerploma.com.  I’m not talking about a logo face lift, although that is part of it.  I’m talking about something BIG!!!

With that said I feel that our recent articles have gotten away from our primary mission:  Educating Craft Beer Drinkers about GREAT local beers.  So as such I would like to start steering the ship back onto the correct course.  So class is in session, and speaking of sessions it’s time to talk about one of my favorite session styles.  Just in time for spring, let’s talk about Cream Ales!

First let’s talk about the history of cream ale.  They first came into popularity before Prohibition in the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic in order to compete with mass produced American Lager (Oliver, 2012).  Taste wise Cream Ales should be light, hoppier then American Lagers, and often have a light fruity taste.  The color should be a pale straw to pale cold and the APV should be between 4.2% and 5.6% (Mosher, 2009).  Cream Ales being a lighter fare should be paired with salty snacks; basically treat them like you would an American Lager.  

Minnesota and Wisconsin are both home to two of the finest Cream Ales in this country.  I’m of course talking about Rise To the Top,by Third Street Brewhouse and Spotted Cow, by New Glarus.  Both are great examples of this great session beer and both are great at showcasing better different aspects of Cream Ales.  Spotted Cow shows off the fruity-ness of the style while Rise to the Top shows off the hop potential.  Both are excellent beers, and I highly recommend sampling the two side by side if you ever get the chance. 

Minnesota Cream Ales:

Rise To the Top:  Third Street Brewhouse

Castle Cream Ale: Castle Danger Brewing(Seasonal)

Other Cream Ales:

Spotted Cow: New Glarus (WI)

Capitol Hop Cream: Capitol Brewery (WI)

Homebrew Kits:

Liberty Cream Ale:  Midwest Brewing Supplies

So now that the snow has finally melted, and we trade in snow-blowers for lawnmowers its time to trade in the porters for cream ales!  Until next time, keep those glasses full!

QUESTION OF THE WEEK:  Which of these beers would win in a Border Battle Royal?  Rise to the Top or Spotted Cow!

Leave your answers in the comments section or on Twitter @beerplomadotcom or on our Facebook Page! 

Works Cited

Mosher, T. (2009). Tasting Beer: An Insider's Guide To The World's Greatest Drink. North Adams, MA: Storey Publishing.

Oliver, G. (2012). The Oxford Companion to Beer. New York: Oxford University Press.

An Adventure to Castle Danger!!!!

Before I get to the cheesy title I would like to talk about the other dragon I have slain this week.  My Father-in-law, Hubert, is visiting from Germany this week.  He normally has a good taste for GREAT pilsners on his home turf but someone got him in a bad habit of drinking Budweiser.  Well this week I convinced him to try Grain Belt Premium.  And while this might not be the shining example to some craft beer drinkers (I personally like it), at least I am keeping it local.  That and he has been doing some major damage to my stash of August Schell's Zommerfest.

 


For those of you traveling the North Shore this summer you are in for a treat.  The Duluth Area has new breweries opening left and right.  But don't forget the breweries in other parts of this great scenic drive.  While on a little family get-a-way I had pleasure of visiting Castle Danger Brewing, in Castle Danger, MN just a little over 10 miles north of Two Harbors (just a hint, bring driving directions if you decide to go, my two GPS units in the car failed to find the place).

Now for those of you used to going into breweries in the city might be in for a little shock, because this brewery is set up in the space that is about the size of your average garage.  But don't let its small size fool you, this brewery packs some flavor!  You are instantly greeted by friendly faces offering you a taste of their wares from the makeshift tap room.  I got the chance to taste 5 of their beers:  Danger Ale, Nordic, Gale Force Wheat, Double Crossing IPA, and George Hunter Stout.

All five beers were solid, and definitely all worth the trip if you are in the area.  For me three of them stand out as noteworthy:

1.  Nordic:  This is Castle Danger's take on a Finish Sahti style of beer.  Made with Juniper Berries for a bittering agent (usually in place of the hops).  This beer had a thick golden color, and a hearty and sharp aroma which translated easily into the taste.  It was, in my opinion, even a more robust beer then their stout.  The rye in the beer gave it a thick mouth feel, and it finished clean.  For those looking for something different from the craft beer industry needs to look no further then Castle Danger's Nordic!

2.  Double Crossing IPA:  Seeing brewers buck the trend of over-hopped (or as I like to say over-hyped) IPAs makes me smile.  Double Crossing IPA is a great IPA because it actually tastes like something other then grapefruit.  It has a very fruity taste, and is thick.  It was tasty and is a great IPA that can be enjoyed all year round!

3.  Gale Force Wheat:  When picking my growler this is what I decided to take home.  This was a softer more gentler take on a wheat beer and was perfect for spring time at the cabin.  This beer is a little hard to describe, as it is not your typical wheat, but don't let that statement make you think any less of it.  It had a noticeable clove/banana flavor that accompanies a true German wheat style, but the hops felt a little more prevalent in this beer.  For me this was the perfect spring time beer.  When I crack open the growler I will write a little more in-depth review of it.

So with another brewery under my belt I was happy, and my adventure had come to an end.  It was time to return to our rented Cabin and enjoy some family time.  But the next day held a little surprise when we stopped for lunch at the Rustic Inn Cafe & Gifts, also located in Castle Danger, MN.  Their feature beer is...you guessed it, Castle Danger.  They also included Castle Danger beer in some of their recipes including the beer batter used to make the Onion Rings (pictured below is Beth Sullivan, one of the co-owners making the beer batter).  The food is some of the best I have had along the North Shore, and their pies are top notch to boot!

Over all it was quite the Beer Adventure for that little family getaway.  So if you find yourself in the area this summer stop in at Castle Danger and have your own adventure!

$ol Bock Revival

Saturday I went to the Sol Bock Revival event at Harriet Brewing. It was a beautiful day to be out and about. My friend and I drove to Minneapolis with the windows down. I finally could wear a t-shirt and I had my shades on. I was feeling great that after a long cold winter I could sit out in the sun and enjoy a good beer.

 

When I got to the brewery and hit the beer vending area I was disappointed, again, in a brewery event. $6.00 a beer! Now, in fairness, you could buy 4 for 20 bucks. But still, why the heck are they charging just as much, if not more, than a bar would charge for a beer they produced 20 feet away?

 

I am not an overly cheap dude. I am not asking for anything for free. But come on, man! There isn’t any middle man like a bar or a store trying to make a profit. There isn’t a distributor trying to get his money too. Heck, the guy checking IDs at the door even said the people pouring the beers were working just for tips, so no overhead there either. It is purely the brewery selling the product they made right at the place they are selling it. So why at brewery events do breweries feel like they need to charge beer prices that are starting to approach the prices for beer at major sporting events? I can’t answer that.

 

I always thought these types of events were great for the community, the brewery, and the beer consumer. The community gets some extra business in the area for the day. The brewery gets to spotlight their products and sell some beer. And of course the consumer gets to try some great beers at a brewery, which is always kind of cool. But if I can get the same beer for the same price or cheaper at a nice bar with a beautiful patio complete with plenty of chairs, a summery acoustic musician, and a server who will bring them to me, why would I bother standing in a hot parking lot with next to no places to sit and stand through TWO lines (one to buy the beer tickets and one ten feet away to actually obtain your beer) to purchase one beer for six bucks?

 

All in all it was a fun event. They had some cool art. The empanadas from the MidNord Empanada truck were spectacular. Dan Israel rocked the house with the perfect sunny Saturday afternoon music. And I will give it to Harriet Brewing that the Sol Bock was a great beer. I am sure the brewery would have wanted my last thought be “Man, great beer! I think I am going to have to get Harriet Brewing beers more often!” But as we walked back to my buddy’s truck my last thought was “Six bucks, really?!?”



Adventures of a Beginning Home Brewer

Double Vision

A couple months ago I upgraded my brewery. I got the equipment so that I can brew two batches of beer at the same time. I like beer a lot, which means I need a lot of beer!

 

I started things off by brewing a raspberry wheat and an english brown ale. Things were going great; I was excited about the fact that I would soon have a boatload of beer… And then came an obstacle.

 

I realized after racking the beer into the secondary fermenters that I had a small problem; I never labeled the beers when I first started them and put them into the fermenters. Duh! Normally you would think that these beers would have a distinctively different color from each other, but that isn’t completely the case. When you have about 5 gallons of beer in a big glass vessel the color is pretty much just “dark.”

 

The raspberry is put in during the bottling, which complicated things two fold. First, there isn’t the obvious clue of the beer tasting or smelling like raspberries. Secondly, it left the door open that I could very well end up with a raspberry english brown ale and a plain wheat beer.

 

My friend and I had to taste the flat beer, smell it, and examine it in a smaller taster glass… And then we had to make our best guest. We racked what we thought was the brown ale and bottled it and then racked what we thought was the raspberry wheat, poured in the raspberry extract, and bottled that. Then the long two week wait until we could find out if we guessed right started.

 

The result? We guessed right! Whew! And they are both pretty good beers. Lesson learned: LABEL YOUR BEERS!