This is based on a couple of ginger beers I did back in my free-wheeling youth, both of which were tweaked recipes from the Joy of Homebrewing book. I think I've brewed up a pretty good hybrid of the two, which I plan to make a winter seasonal once my Starving Brewer Ales get up and running. Look for a finalized version of this one in December 2009:
6 # Briess dry light malt extract
1 # Domestic C-120
.5 # Domestic Chocolate
.5 # Domestic Munich 100
1 # Honey (I brewed with Mesquite)
1 tsp. Kosher salt
2 oz. Centennial pellets, 9.5% A.A.
2 oz. Mt. Hood pellets, 5.2% A.A.
4 oz. grated Ginger root
1 packet Safbrew S-33 dry yeast
Mash milled specialty grains with about 1 gal. of 170ºF water (with salt).
Hold at 155ºF for 45 minutes, then lauter to kettle with about 3 gal. of 170ºF sparge water.
Dissolve malt extract and honey in wort and fill to a volume of about 3 gal.
Bring to boil and add ginger and 1.5 oz. Centennials. Add 1 oz. Mt. Hoods and .5 oz. Centennials 30 minutes into the boil and then 1 oz. Mt. Hoods 45 minutes into boil.
At 60 minutes stop boil, whirlpool and let rest for 10 minutes before chilling to about 80ºF.
Rack to carboy, straining out trub. Be careful, as the ginger chunks can easily clog your racking cane. When mine did I was fortunate to have my dad brewing with me, and was able to pour the kettle out while he held the strainer over the funnel. With all the hops and ginger, it was a mess. Next time I'll put the ginger in a sack.
Top up carboy to 5 gal. volume.
Prestart yeast in 2/3 cup boiled water, cooled to 80ºF.
Stir wort and take gravity sample. I got an O.G. 1.059 (15ºP) on this one.
Pitch yeast and put on blowoff line.
Like I had mentioned above, my dad was in town to help me with this homebrew. The first time we homebrewed together was about 10 years ago, my third brew and also a Ginger Beer. This ale is a revved-up version of the one we made as father and son a decade back, with one big improvement: I now own a propane stove! I've never been able to fully dodge the caramelized, extra-toasty flavors that electric stovetop brewing adds to the beer, but I'm very hopeful now that this gas heating action will deliver superior brews. Add that with the prospect of a soon-to-be-delivered brewpot that I can actually brew a full 5-gallon batch in, and I believe I'm well on my way to becoming a brewer I can be proud of.
This brew should have some serious bitterness to complement the ginger flavor. I calculated 93 IBUs, but sort of overshot because my first two Starving Brewer Ales didn't seem as hoppy as what I'd figured them to be. I imagine this will be an attention-grabbing beer when it's finished and ready for enjoying.
Future posts with updates on all of my brews are forthcoming. The SB IPA/ESB is already half-gone so tasting notes on that one will be first.
Thank you to those who've had a chance to try one of my homebrews. I hope I keep brewing up continued goodness for you and others who appreciate an honestly handmade beer. Cheers!
s b
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Friday, November 14, 2008
Remembering The Early Years, Part 2
When you first turn 21, whether you step into it or not, a door to a wide world opens up and its name is Alcohol. The years following that event tend to shape a person's personality as much as finding your place socially did in High School. A certain confidence emerges when one is (generally) untethered by parental authority, and the wild-night-out carries its own energy that booze only intensifies. It was in this perspective and evolving reality that I became a homebrewer.
My newer friends, all of them older, had experience in this hobby/craft, and it was sharing (and enjoying) their homebrews that clued me into the local possibilities of making my own. First, I went down to the homebrew supply store, picked me up a copy of the "Homebrewer's Bible", and then I read that thing for days. Slowly, I began to assemble the equipment I would need (that was either cheaper than, or not available in the homebrew shop), such as a stainless steel pot from a drug store, a new plastic bucket/can for priming, and a clean turkey baster for drawing gravity samples. I bought the standard "Kit" from the homebrew shop, and with my basic inventory sitting on my kitchen counter, I set out to make beer.
June 1st, 1998. I took notes, and it seems it was a generally successful brew with only a few hitches. First, I hadn't bought a strainer yet, so all of the hops ended up in the carboy. Second, I didn't cool the wort enough, and it took five hours of sitting in the carboy before I could pitch the yeast. Still, the hops didn't clog the blowoff line and the yeast took off, making a .028 (7º P) change in gravity over 6 days. Not a bad first attempt.
The hunger kept growing after that. The very next week I started my second brew.
(part three coming, eventually)
s b
My newer friends, all of them older, had experience in this hobby/craft, and it was sharing (and enjoying) their homebrews that clued me into the local possibilities of making my own. First, I went down to the homebrew supply store, picked me up a copy of the "Homebrewer's Bible", and then I read that thing for days. Slowly, I began to assemble the equipment I would need (that was either cheaper than, or not available in the homebrew shop), such as a stainless steel pot from a drug store, a new plastic bucket/can for priming, and a clean turkey baster for drawing gravity samples. I bought the standard "Kit" from the homebrew shop, and with my basic inventory sitting on my kitchen counter, I set out to make beer.
June 1st, 1998. I took notes, and it seems it was a generally successful brew with only a few hitches. First, I hadn't bought a strainer yet, so all of the hops ended up in the carboy. Second, I didn't cool the wort enough, and it took five hours of sitting in the carboy before I could pitch the yeast. Still, the hops didn't clog the blowoff line and the yeast took off, making a .028 (7º P) change in gravity over 6 days. Not a bad first attempt.
The hunger kept growing after that. The very next week I started my second brew.
(part three coming, eventually)
s b
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Homebrew-Starving Brewer Northwest Pale Ale (Brown)
I don't have a picture of this one, but the color and gravity were much different than I expected and so I'm looking at this one as an accidental American Brown Ale:
6 # Briess dry light malt extract
1.8 # Domestic C-20
.5 # Domestic Vienna
.5 tsp. Gypsum
.5 tsp. Kosher salt
1.25 oz. Cascade pellets, 6.3% A.A.
1 oz. Mt Hood pellets, 5.2% A.A.
1/4 tsp. Irish Moss
Packet of Safbrew S-33 (Edme strain)
Mash milled specialty grains with 1 gal. 168ºF water (with gypsum and salt)
Hold at 153ºF for 45 minutes, then lauter to kettle with 2 gal. 170ºF sparge water.
Dissolve malt extract in wort and fill to a volume of about 3 gal.
Bring to boil and add .5 oz. Cascade and .25 oz. Mt. Hood pellets. Add another .5 oz. Cascade 30 minutes into the boil and then .75 oz. Mt. Hood 60 minutes into the boil.
An hour and 10 minutes into boiling I added 11 cups of boiled water (212ºF) into the kettle to bring the volume back up to about 3 gal., and then added the Irish Moss 80 minutes into the boil.
At 90 minutes stop boil, add .25 oz. Cascade pellets, whirlpool and let rest for 10 minutes before chilling to about 80ºF.
Rack to carboy, straining out trub, and top up to 5 gal.
Prestart yeast in 2/3 cup sanitary (boiled) water cooled to 80ºF.
Stir wort and take a gravity sample. This brew had an O.G. of 1.059 (15ºP), far higher than I expected!
Pitch yeast and put on blowoff line.
Like I had mentioned earlier, the color was way off on this one, a very earthy brown that has only started to lighten after a furious first day of respiration and fermentation. The Safbrew yeast didn't take off as fast as the Danstar had on my IPA/ESB (more on that later), but once it did there was quite a dance party of yeast chunks swirling inside the carboy. After light internet research I determined that this yeast was based on the Edme strain that I had used quite often in my earlier homebrewing days. There are a couple of other strains made by the same company that I think I'd like to try in the future.
As far as early ideas for tinkering with this one, I want to change up the malt bill dramatically. I was surprised at how high the gravity got, so I could easily knock a pound of dry light malt extract off. In fact, I want to try the extra light next time and see if that helps at all. And the color undoubtedly browned up from the C-20, so that should be either partially or entirely replaced by Pale malt. I'll leave the Vienna in the recipe for now before I square it as the culprit.
The hops seem to be fine, around 46 IBUs. And I believe the profile is actually closer to what I was going for in the SBIPA, but in a less malty beer. Can't wait to try this brown beauty!
s b
6 # Briess dry light malt extract
1.8 # Domestic C-20
.5 # Domestic Vienna
.5 tsp. Gypsum
.5 tsp. Kosher salt
1.25 oz. Cascade pellets, 6.3% A.A.
1 oz. Mt Hood pellets, 5.2% A.A.
1/4 tsp. Irish Moss
Packet of Safbrew S-33 (Edme strain)
Mash milled specialty grains with 1 gal. 168ºF water (with gypsum and salt)
Hold at 153ºF for 45 minutes, then lauter to kettle with 2 gal. 170ºF sparge water.
Dissolve malt extract in wort and fill to a volume of about 3 gal.
Bring to boil and add .5 oz. Cascade and .25 oz. Mt. Hood pellets. Add another .5 oz. Cascade 30 minutes into the boil and then .75 oz. Mt. Hood 60 minutes into the boil.
An hour and 10 minutes into boiling I added 11 cups of boiled water (212ºF) into the kettle to bring the volume back up to about 3 gal., and then added the Irish Moss 80 minutes into the boil.
At 90 minutes stop boil, add .25 oz. Cascade pellets, whirlpool and let rest for 10 minutes before chilling to about 80ºF.
Rack to carboy, straining out trub, and top up to 5 gal.
Prestart yeast in 2/3 cup sanitary (boiled) water cooled to 80ºF.
Stir wort and take a gravity sample. This brew had an O.G. of 1.059 (15ºP), far higher than I expected!
Pitch yeast and put on blowoff line.
Like I had mentioned earlier, the color was way off on this one, a very earthy brown that has only started to lighten after a furious first day of respiration and fermentation. The Safbrew yeast didn't take off as fast as the Danstar had on my IPA/ESB (more on that later), but once it did there was quite a dance party of yeast chunks swirling inside the carboy. After light internet research I determined that this yeast was based on the Edme strain that I had used quite often in my earlier homebrewing days. There are a couple of other strains made by the same company that I think I'd like to try in the future.
As far as early ideas for tinkering with this one, I want to change up the malt bill dramatically. I was surprised at how high the gravity got, so I could easily knock a pound of dry light malt extract off. In fact, I want to try the extra light next time and see if that helps at all. And the color undoubtedly browned up from the C-20, so that should be either partially or entirely replaced by Pale malt. I'll leave the Vienna in the recipe for now before I square it as the culprit.
The hops seem to be fine, around 46 IBUs. And I believe the profile is actually closer to what I was going for in the SBIPA, but in a less malty beer. Can't wait to try this brown beauty!
s b
Organizational Statement
Organizational Statement
Purpose-This web site is a document of the moments I spend creating and doing something that I love: brew.
Through sharing that which I love, I hope to receive enough donations to perpetuate the act and art of brewing.
The only thing I look forward to receiving from this endeavor is the experience and knowledge to further my brewing career. All proceeds go directly back into improving and increasing the output of my home-based system.
The documented brews show the process through which the development of beer twists and shapes itself into what you, the supporters, want to drink.
Early recipes do not necessarily reflect a successful attempt at a brew, but all batches will be shared, criticized, and have those notes go back into the creation process. Your input is what will make Starving Brewer Ales work.
s b
Purpose-This web site is a document of the moments I spend creating and doing something that I love: brew.
Through sharing that which I love, I hope to receive enough donations to perpetuate the act and art of brewing.
The only thing I look forward to receiving from this endeavor is the experience and knowledge to further my brewing career. All proceeds go directly back into improving and increasing the output of my home-based system.
The documented brews show the process through which the development of beer twists and shapes itself into what you, the supporters, want to drink.
Early recipes do not necessarily reflect a successful attempt at a brew, but all batches will be shared, criticized, and have those notes go back into the creation process. Your input is what will make Starving Brewer Ales work.
s b
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Cheap Beer-Minhas Craft Brewery Simpler Times Lager
From Monroe, Wisconsin comes the latest entry of my catalog of affordable brews, this one also picked up from the store I get Peter's Brand. Simpler Times is a basic, slightly sweet lager with a bit of alcohol heft (6.2%/volume), but best of all it's pretty inexpensive. At $3.99 for a six-pack of 12 oz. cans, it comes in at under 6¢ an ounce. Until I have a steady supply of homebrew to drink from, I can foresee myself having a few of these. Overall, I'd give it a B. There aren't very exciting qualities to the beer, hence the name I imagine, but still very drinkable. Oh, yeah, and it would also be the first domestic offering in my Cheap Beer series.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Remembering The Early Years, Part 1
The first batch of beer I was involved with was helping my high school friend make some "Holiday Cheer" in his parents' kitchen. Even though we were only 18, my friend's dad figured that we were better off drinking homebrew than shoulder-tapping older kids for alcohol. That, and he got to drink some of the beer too.
"Holiday Cheer", as detailed on page #225 in Charlie Papazian's "The New Complete Joy of Home Brewing", is a beer with the kitchen sink thrown into it: Malt extract, honey, black patent malt, grated ginger, cinnamon, orange peel, and lightly hopped with Cascades and Saaz. Despite my friend having a pretty gung-ho attitude towards sanitation (I believe we "cleaned" out his plastic carboy with a garden hose, then topped up the concentrated wort with the same garden hose), I recall that the brew turned out fairly drinkable for being knocked out by a couple of beginners. I don't believe there was any sort of record keeping or measuring of gravities or other similar activities which I take pretty seriously today, but back then it was all about the wonder of making your own booze. Another friend of mine from high school started home brewing before any of us, albeit without the approval of his parents. I remember going over to his house and being barricaded in his room so that the stinky blowoff wouldn't waft into the hallway. I don't believe I ever got to taste any of his homebrew, but he definitely put it into my head that all of these things were attainable to an enterprising teenager. I'm not sure if homebrew supply shops card suspiciously young-looking customers, but it wasn't an issue when I was younger. Business is business, and the shops weren't technically selling minors anything alcoholic. Besides, teenagers aren't drawn to activities where they're required to clean, so that in itself is a bit of a deterrant.
It would be about 3 years later before I got my own gear and started brewing myself. I suppose that will be a good starting point for Part 2.
"Holiday Cheer", as detailed on page #225 in Charlie Papazian's "The New Complete Joy of Home Brewing", is a beer with the kitchen sink thrown into it: Malt extract, honey, black patent malt, grated ginger, cinnamon, orange peel, and lightly hopped with Cascades and Saaz. Despite my friend having a pretty gung-ho attitude towards sanitation (I believe we "cleaned" out his plastic carboy with a garden hose, then topped up the concentrated wort with the same garden hose), I recall that the brew turned out fairly drinkable for being knocked out by a couple of beginners. I don't believe there was any sort of record keeping or measuring of gravities or other similar activities which I take pretty seriously today, but back then it was all about the wonder of making your own booze. Another friend of mine from high school started home brewing before any of us, albeit without the approval of his parents. I remember going over to his house and being barricaded in his room so that the stinky blowoff wouldn't waft into the hallway. I don't believe I ever got to taste any of his homebrew, but he definitely put it into my head that all of these things were attainable to an enterprising teenager. I'm not sure if homebrew supply shops card suspiciously young-looking customers, but it wasn't an issue when I was younger. Business is business, and the shops weren't technically selling minors anything alcoholic. Besides, teenagers aren't drawn to activities where they're required to clean, so that in itself is a bit of a deterrant.
It would be about 3 years later before I got my own gear and started brewing myself. I suppose that will be a good starting point for Part 2.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Gravity Corrections
As any homebrewer has likely experienced, it can be pretty hard to get boiled wort down to a temperature of 60˚F, what many of our hydrometers require for accuracy. Like the IBU Calculator, I was able to easily find a web tool that will adjust your gravities in specific gravity or Plato.
So, my 1.052 reading on the S B IPA is a corrected 1.053.6. Not bad. Hope this calibration page helps you homebrewing readers out!
So, my 1.052 reading on the S B IPA is a corrected 1.053.6. Not bad. Hope this calibration page helps you homebrewing readers out!
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