Collabrewation

It was a damp, foggy winter morning in Oak Park when a portion of the UnderGround BrewSquad (my homebrew club) met for a demonstration brew day at Brew Ferment Distill.  On any ordinary group brew day, one can expect to find a melange of brewers brewing a variety of recipes on differing brew systems; this was no ordinary brew day.  This day we would collaborate.


I have only ever brewed alone, so it was a little strange, but also refreshing to share the duties.  I paired with my brewther Calvin.  Last year both of us placed in a homebrew competition called Go For The Glory.  With that in mind, we decided to use our award winning recipes as a base for our collabrewation Pale Ale.  We have dubbed it "Went For The Glory".  The other pairing was Calvin's usual co-brewer Peter, AKA Hobbs, and Mike, AKA Professor Vorlauf.  They brewed a Dusseldorf Altbier that they have named "Oh Meine Leber", which translates to, "Oh My Liver"

Calvin, The Prof., Hobbs and Me.  I'm stirring water that I allowed to get hotter
than I wanted.  I seem to do that nearly every time I brew.  Maybe I should install
a thermometer in my kettle, or I can just plan on extra stirring; either way.

Cal & I doughing in.  Doughing in is the process of  adding hot water to the
grain in stages.  Some grain, some hot water, then some more grain and then
some more hot water, etc... until all of the grain and the calculated water
volume has been added to the mash tun (that would be the cooler)

Kelfie (kettle selfie).  This was taken after
the collection of the first runnings which went
much faster than the second, but not as fast
as Cool Runnings

Hobbs is very excited about this hop addition.
That mesh is there to keep ash from the pallet
fire, err I mean fire pit out of the kettle

The brew day lasted a bit longer than I had anticipated, but it went well.  We were a little low in the temperature of our mash due to my guesstimations, but that was simple to correct with a small amount of boiling water. We hit the targeted original gravity and have a lovely active fermentation going as I type.  In a few weeks Cal and I will bottle our batch of beer and then after a few weeks of bottle conditioning, we get to say that we "Went For The Glory".



Cheers!

Sample Sacramento - Track 7

I have teamed up with Beers In Sac again for a series of articles called Sample Sacramento.  I will be visiting all of the Sacramento area breweries and sharing my experience and tasting notes. This week I visited Track 7, check back often for more.

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Cheers! 

Ritual Summons

In mid-October, the wife and I took a short vacation with a couple of friends to sunny Palm Springs, CA.  The wife suggested that we hit up a brewery on the way down (I'm a great influence) and found a couple that were on the way.  After a small amount of deliberation, we decided that we would make just one beer related stop as we certainly were not going to pass up stopping to see the Cabazon Dinosaurs.

Au revoir Pee-Wee

In an industrial park in Redlands, CA is a warehouse brewery that summons beer lovers to enjoy a pint or two, or in my case a sampler or two.  Ritual Brewing Company opened its taproom in November of 2012.  The cavernous space is fitted with the brew house on one side, a long bar and tables to the right of that and a couple of Cornhole Courts near the two large roll-up doors.  The long bar and communal tables are made from reclaimed bowling lanes and fill the space near a wall of barrels; barrels full of delicious beer I might add.

The brew house...shiny!

Barrels and t-shirts and beer! Oh my!

 We arrived shortly after they opened that day and found an empty brewery, which accentuated the spaciousness of the brewery/taproom.  This gave me free reign to geek out on the shiny stuff and snap a few photos prior to ordering our beers.  Our being possibly the first customers of the day allowed us the opportunity to chat with the well-informed beertender about the beers that we would sample.  We were able to do this without feeling as if we were holding up a line.  This was fortunate for me as I can be a bit indecisive when choosing beer.  They had a few pre-selected flights which made the delicious decision a little easier.

Beer Here, indeed!

I choose the 'Big Flavors' sampler which consisted of
 Hellion, Barrel Aged Hop-O-Matic, Fat Hog and Big Deluxe

 Tasting Notes:

-Hellion is a Belgian Golden Ale with an aroma reminiscent of peach preserves spread thinly on a cracker.  This paired with a subtle spicy hop character make for an inviting aroma.  It is a golden, straw color with a bone white head that is thin in the sample but leaves a patchwork of lace on the glass.  The flavor emphasizes the cracker like sweetness noted in the aroma and is balanced against the peach flavors and subtle spicy hop bitterness.  Hellion's effervescence aids in carrying the aromas to my nose and palate.  The medium body and spritzy carbonation make for a refreshing beverage that I would love to drink much more of.  If only I had bought more than the one bottle to take home with me. 

-Barrel Aged Hop-O-Matic is a barrel aged IPA.  The bready, sweet malt aroma plays well against the citrusy hop character and the vanillin from the oak barrel.  It is a deep copper, bordering on brown with a thin crown of white foam that is persistent.  I notice a faint phenolic flavor (slightly solvent like) that, though noticeable, was not distracting.  The flavor of the bready, sweet malts and grapefruit like hop flavors are balanced well with the oak character.  The medium body and moderately low carbonation make for a smooth mouthfeel that gives way to a slight astringency that lingers with the hop bitterness. 

-Fat Hog is an awesome American Barleywine.  This is where the flavors get big in my opinion.  The aroma of this barleywine reminds me of cherry pie and plum.  Its brick red hue is topped with an off-white head that dissipated quickly.  The sweetness and fruit character noted in the aroma come through beautifully in the flavor and are balanced with a mild hop bitterness and subtle, nearly smoky quality.  This beer warmed my chest and that warmth made its way back to my cheeks after a few sips.  I'd love to sip on this beer fire side, maybe while roasting marshmallows.

-Big Deluxe is Ritual's take on a Russian Imperial Stout.  This beer is certainly big, as the name implies, and is most deserving of the 'Big Flavor' sampler.  The aroma is reminiscent of a hearty bowl of oatmeal paired with a strong mocha.  The dark, opaque brown color of this beer is similar to a cup of rich coffee and has a thin beige head formed of fine bubbles.  The flavor follows the aroma with coffee and chocolate being prevalent and as the sample warms I am reminded of a cherry cordial, delicious.  The low carbonation and velvety texture of this beer paired with the high alcohol content are warming and comforting.  I often find that I want to pair beers like this with a good vanilla ice cream and this is no exception.

Photo Credit: The Wife

If I make my way down to Redlands, CA again I will certainly stop off to try more of Ritual's offerings and will definitely bring home more Hellion and will pick up some Big Deluxe as well (stout floats are amazing).  The staff was friendly and knowledgeable and the long communal tables invite conversation.  This is a place I would like to come back to and spend more time enjoying the beer and company of good friends.

Cheers!

  

Week 12 at Beers in Sacramento

Week 12, the last of my journey to become a BJCP certified judge is up at Beers in Sacramento.  The tasting exam is done!

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Cheers! 

Week 11 at Beers in Sacramento

Week 11 of my journey to become a BJCP certified judge is up at Beers in Sacramento.  This week's focus was on the brewing process and how it influences a beer.  The journey is almost over.

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Cheers! 

Week 10 at Beers in Sacramento

Week 10 of my journey to become a BJCP certified judge is up at Beers in Sacramento.  This week's focus was on the feed back that I good judge will give the the brewer on a score sheet.  These recipe adjustments are often a main reason that brewers enter competitions.

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Cheers! 

Hoppy Beerthday

Yesterday, 11/1/14, was the American Homebrewers Association's Learn to Homebrew Day.  It was also my 2nd beerthday (I brewed my first batch on Learn to Homebrew Day).  I met up with a few UnderGroundBrewSquad (my homebrew club) members and had a day of demonstration brewing at BFD.  We brewed 36 gallons as a club and had many local people stop by the shop to learn a bit and enjoy a brew or two.  I brewed the trial run of Holy MALTrimony, an Imperial IPA that I will ferment with Belgian Strong Ale yeast.  I plan to brew this beer multiple times to ensure that it is just right for the shindig celebrating the marriage of my good friends Janie and Nikki.

When I first started brewing, it was on a simple stove top set up.  At that point I was using extract, could only boil a little over 3 gallons, and had to top off (add water) to end up with 5 gallons of beer. My current set up is capable of producing 10 gallons (no need to top off) and I am using all-grain (no extract unless I want to).  The next step up in my set up will be kegging.  Check back in the future for a how-to post on turning a refrigerator into a kegerator.

My initial set up using a camp stove.
I still use the same assistant though.

My current set up at AHA Learn to Homebrew Day at BFD.

Photo credit: Calvin Crawford
Note the difference in light, I got started later than planned.

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Cheers!