Oaked Bourbon Stout Status

Well, it's been exactly 9 days since I made the stout and it was time to get it into secondary.  The only problem with that is I didn't have a carboy to put it in, so in an effort to leave the Oktoberfest alone and let it continue to lager, I needed to get the pumpkin ale into its keg.  What's cool with that is Thursday is FINALLY the day I install the necessary parts for my kegerator!  So anyway, the pumpkin ale turned out pretty good actually (it's yet to be carbonated) so I'll leave my review for later.  Actually, I'll have some friends be the taste testers.  Ah, and the ABV is 5.75%.

Back to the stout.  So I got it moved over to the freshly opened up carboy and added the bourbon soaked oak chips.  The current gravity is 1.029, which is higher than I had originally estimated it would be at this point, so I might have let the temp get too low and I probably should have agitated the wort a bit more to keep the yeast active.  Either way, it's converted a good portion of the sugars to alcohol, and the taste was pretty nice.  It'll sit for the next 2 to 3 weeks with the oak and bourbon and into a keg it'll go.  

Salud!

2011 GABF!

For those of you who travel for this (or thinking about it) and those of you who are local, mark your calendars for next year's GABF!

Sept. 29 - Oct. 1, 2011

Cheers!

Beer is good for your skin!

So not only is beer tasty, it's a great skin conditioner too!  Since I think that most guys don't typically 'soak' in the bath this is pointed more towards the lovely ladies.  Next time you go for a long soak in your bathtub, pour in a can/bottle of dark beer.  This is an alternative to using salt crystals which soften the water.  For a double dose of bathing sweetness, use your favorite salts AND the beer!

-DLR

Random Beer Fact: 10/20/10 Edition

Did you know that it is ILLEGAL to brew beer at home in Oklahoma, Alabama, and Mississippi?  Yep, these are the ONLY states that have yet to legalize home-brewing.  Utah was the latest to legalize it and that was in March of 2009!  What's even crazier is that it is LEGAL to make cider and wine in OK!  Like my friends C&C Music Factory once said, "Things that make you go, 'HMMMM'"

Cooking With Beer!

Mexican-style Beer Nuts

Ingredients:

- 1 can (11.5 oz) mixed nuts

- grated peel and juice from 1 lime, divided

- 1 bottle (12 oz) of beer (be creative!)

- 1/2 cup powdered sugar

- 1 tsp. kosher salt

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 300F. Combine nuts and lime juice in a large skillet.  Add your beer and stir.  Bring to boil on medium/high heat, then reduce to medium/low heat and simmer for 5 minutes; stir occasionally.  After the 5 minutes, drain the nuts and place in a medium sized bowl.  Next, add the sugar and toss to coat evenly.  Spread this mixture onto a parchment-paper covered baking sheet; then bake 20 to 25 minutes or until the nuts are dried and lightly browned.  Sprinkle the nuts with the lime peel and salt then toss again to coat.  Let the nuts cool completely and store in an airtight container at room temperature.  After that, crack them open and let'r rip!

Random Beer Fact: 10/19/10 Edition

Barley is a cereal grain that is malted for use in the grist that becomes the mash in the brewing of beer.

Oaked Bourbon Stout

Just a note that I was able to brew my first stout ever, and it was the 20th beer I've made.  I'm currently soaking 4oz of oak chips  in 12oz of Makers Mark bourbon which will be added to the secondary in a bit over a week.  I'll post readings and such at transfer.  The oak was supplied by Our House Farm out in Whitney Point, NY (THANKS Marc and Abby!)

MMM, Pumpkin

You may have noticed that your local grocery store has loaded up on pumpkins out front and in the produce section.  Again, that is a sign.  Yes, like the long shadows and changing leaves, this means something.  More beer of course!  Pumpkin ales are abound in your favorite beverage coolers, and if your local brewery hasn't yet, they SHOULD be releasing their own (if they aren't, I suggest you inquire as to why that is).  I was able to get one of these sweeties through my kettle about 3 weeks ago now and could keg it this weekend; that just depends on my final gravity reading.  At any rate, I went on a quest to find the perfect pumpkin(s) to grace my oven and after that, my kettle.  The hunt was quick, Whole Foods has a good selection, and the brew was pretty uneventful.  I'll be sure to update you all with my final taste/readings whenever it goes into the keg.  For those of you looking to get your mitts on some pumpkin ale, a few notables are: Dogfish Head Craft Brewery's Punkin Ale, Southhampton Publick House's Southhampton Pumpkin Ale, Coors (yes, surprisingly) Harvest Moon Pumpkin Ale.

Last week a few of us had a bit of tasting to do.  A couple of local breweries released their own versions of pumpkin ale.  Our first stop was at Upslope Brewing Company (http://www.upslopebrewing.com) and on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Upslope-Brewing-Company/76835986834).  Their version was poured fresh out of their bright tank and out came a nice pint of deep amber colored goodness.  The quarter inch head was quick to depart, and the first whiff of this fall favorite of mine reminded me of pumpkin pie baking in the oven.  There was a slightly sweet/malt smell with a hint of nutmeg.  "Once it hits your lips, it's so good!"  Yes, I had to.  So the first sip met me with a sweet crystal malt and almost no hop character (not a big surprise with this style).  As in the nose, there was a slight hint of pumpkin pie spice.  Like most of the other beers you've read about, this one was another medium bodied beauty.  Definitely make your way down there and grab one for yourself!  ABV: 7.3%

Upslope Pumpkin Ale

So our second stop was at Avery Brewing Company (http://www.averybrewing.com/) (http://www.facebook.com/AveryBrewing) for their Rumpkin Imperial Pumpkin Ale.  I'll be honest, this one had me a bit scared/nervous; at 13.5% ABV I think I had a good reason to be!  Being an imperial, this big-dog was served in a 10 oz glass.  As I wrapped my hands around the glass it was nice to see a deep/dark amber color; a bit darker than it's Upslope cousin.  There wasn't much head that stuck around, and was definitely a strong aroma of alcohol and nutmeg.  The first taste was, as you might have guessed, a bit alcoholic.  That flavor quickly dissipated to leave a malty finish but "imperial" overtones.  This is definitely a full bodied beer and I could probably only do one (I did in this case).  Another twist to their version is that it was aged for 6 months in Goslings Rum barrels.  I would drink this again, but would have to plan to have a bite afterwards!  It's a potent drink and worth a try for it's uniqueness.  I apologize for not getting a pic...

Walnut Brewery Sled Dog Red Tapping

One of my favorite local spots for eats and drinks is The Walnut Brewery (http://www.walnutbrewery.com/), and one thing that makes this place a bit more attractive is their monthly tappings.  Each month they have a select beer that is tapped and for 30 minutes they hand out a free pint to all in the bar.  The most recent release was their Sled Dog Red which in it's 10th year is proving to be one of the fan favorites.  This red ale, which is based on a home-brewer's recipe, is definitely one of my favorites as well.

So a small contingency of my 'usual suspects' made the trip down to the 'Nut for a taste.  As the clock struck 6, the usual pre-release speech was made and the pints started to find their way out to a thirsty crowd.  When the glass arrived, it had a nice red-coppery color and about a quarter-inch head that stuck around a bit.  When I stuck my nose in the glass (I know I'm not being 'proper' here) I found a nice flowery hop aroma.  Normally I would take a few sniffs to really get a feel for what I'm smelling, but I was pretty eager to get a taste of this baby.  The first sip was a great balance of hop bitterness and malty undertones.  It was a great medium body drink that didn't have much of an aftertaste, just a crisp clean mouthful of goodness!  If you can make your way into the Walnut, I highly recommend trying this one.  ABV: 6.1%

My apologies for too much flash...

Pumphouse/Redzone Beer Reviews

Last week some friends at work decided they wanted to go grab some beers at one of their favorite watering holes, the Pumphouse Brewery in Longmont.  Seeing that I've just started this little 'project', I figured I was obligated to go!  So I had 3 beers, and tasted 1; they were the Pumphouse Battalion "Extra" Brown, a taste of the Hindenburg Light, the Hot Shots Harvest Ale, and the Shockwave Scottish Ale.  As you might have gathered, a good bit of their beers reflect the breweries 'firehouse' motif in their names.  If you'd like to know more about the place, here's their link: http://www.pumphousebrewery.com/index.html

As for their beers, in general I've found that they have fairly decent ales and lagers.  I'm not overly excited about their brews, but that's not to say I don't enjoy them; the ones below were all deserve a repeat visit (minus one).  Now that I might have bored you...

Pumphouse Battalion "Extra" Brown: At first glance it has a nice deep brown color expected in a brown, and the head was about a quarter inch thick that dissipated fairly quickly.  The aroma was a nice blend of chocolate and coffee which made the upcoming first sip all that much more enticing.  The first flavor to hit my tongue was that of a smooth malty sweetness.  After that the flood of chocolate malts coated the taste-buds.  As expected for a brown, there was very little hop bitterness but there was a nice blend of hop character to balance out the malt sweetness.  Overall, I found this a nice drink.  ABV: 5.8%

Hindenburg Light (taste): I saw this and for some reason felt obliged to taste it.  This one was, as you might have guessed, very light in color, think a cloudy Coors light (yea, not all that pleasant).  There was a nose of bananas, and since it was a taste, I can't really comment on the head/head retention.  There was a slight astringent flavor (possibly over-sparging and/or pH too high).  The best way to equate the flavor of this beer is think of Heineken.  Since I'm not a fan of Heineken, it's no surprise that I'm not a fan of this beer (or any like it). ABV: 5.0%

Hot Shots Harvest Ale: I had just learned about these beers, so I would've done the Pumphouse a disservice had I not at least tasted this one; it's their 'harvest' spin on an IPA.  The color was a nice dark amber but there was a slight cloudiness to it (you Colorado folks think Hazed and Infused).  In typical IPA fashion, there was a nice flowery fresh hop aroma (yes, I shoved my nose down in the glass).  The half inch of head stuck around for a while which was nice; it definitely helped keep that smell around a while.  The first sip gave a good hoppy bitterness that stuck around a while.  A good medium body mouthfeel kept me looking forward to the next sip.  I didn't catch the ABV; my bad!

Here's the Harvest

And last but certainly not least...

Shockwave Scottish Ale: My buddy (who LOVES wild boar hunting) suggested that I try this; it used to be called Kiltlifter Scottish Ale.  Remember how I said they have a firehouse/fireman attachment, there you go!  It had a nice clear, deep, amber/brown color which is already a plus in my book.  The quarter inch head waved it's final good-bye after about 5 minutes.  My first waft of this bad boy was a malty/"strong" aroma; that leads perfectly into the first sip.  Wow, talk about a kick in the mouth, and that's not in a bad way!  You could definitely taste the alcohol, but that quickly dissipated into the nice malty sweetness.  This was a nice beer, but definitely took a bit longer to get through; if you like good STRONG Scottish Ales, then this one should definitely be on your 'to taste' list.  ABV: 7.9%

And the Shockwave

I heard that the Walnut is tapping their Sleddog Red this Thursday (10/7), so I MIGHT just have to check that one out; stay tuned...

Random Beer Fact

Prohibition lasted 13 years, 10 months, 19 days, 17 hours, and 32.5 minutes.

O-fest and Harvest Ales

The leaves are changing, the days are shortening, and the shadows are getting longer.  That can only mean a few things; 1) obviously fall is upon us and the growing season is over 2) the skiing/snowboarding season is right around the corner and 3) that Oktoberfest and harvest ales are finally being released again!  Just 3 weeks ago I made my first 'real' Oktoberfest.  Last year I made one but I used ale yeast and fermented at ale temps.  This time around, I had my old fridge (now my beer/lagering fridge) to use.  After a vigorous primary ferment, it's now lagering at 33F and will sit there for another few weeks when I'll be kegging them and hopefully be drinking it from my new kegerator. 

For those of you who don't know the history of Oktoberfest beers, here's a quick run-down.  It's origins take them back to Bavaria and they were brewed in March (Marzen/Maerzen) which was the last month before the temperatures rose and risk of contamination was too high.  They were stored in caves or a 'lager' (storage) through these summer months.  Often times ice from nearby frozen ponds was cut into blocks and used in the caves to help keep the temperatures down.  They were then brought out in time to celebrate the marriage of King Ludwig I and Princess Therese of Bavaria.  Fast forward to modern times, as you can imagine, these beers are typically seasonal and coincide with the festival, but there are multiple breweries around the world that have them available year 'round.  Some commercial examples are Left Hand Oktoberfest, New Belgium Biere de Marz, and Sam Adams Oktoberfest

As for the harvest ales, I learned about these at the September edition of my Home-brew club meeting.  These aren't really a defined style, but more of a modification of existing styles.  The end of the grow season means there's a bounty of hops and other ingredients that can be used, and this gives brewers a chance to 'fresh hop' their beers or just load up on them.  Fresh hopping is pretty much exactly as it sounds; the hops are added straight from the vine instead of being dried first.  A thing to remember is that hops can degrade very quickly, so if you plan to harvest and brew a day or so later, the hops need to be vacuum sealed and thrown in the freezer to keep their freshness.  Some commercial harvest ales are Pumphouse Brewery's Hot Shots Harvest Ale, Sierra Nevada Harvest Ale, Half Moon Bay Brewing Company's Mavericks Pumpkin Harvest Ale.

That's it for now, so happy beer until next time!