Batch #2 - A fine Scotch Ale

OK so I wandered down to the homebrew store down the street and picked up another kit... this time it's a scotch ale. This should be intersting since the closesest thing I've ever had to a scotch ale is a irish ale.

And in a very uncharacteristic turn I am almost totally ignoring the instructions that came with said kit and doing the entire thing as I've been taught... it's either going to be a mess or it's going to be ok.

And I just realized that I'm supposed to let the water get to 180 before I put the grains in... Oh well

Can't drill the bottom...

OK so I planned on this post being all about how I got a freezer hooked up a thermo regulator, drilled a few holes and bam! Had a insta kegarator, well my plans got foiled in a few resepects.

I had planned on going through the compressor compartment... which was to tight for a drill bit and I couldn't gurantee that I wouldn't hit the compressor and not break something when I broke through. And on top of that how do you explain to lowes the 4 or 5 holes in a freezer when you bring it back?

Exactly....

So for the time being in true do it yourself fashion, I've duct taped the thermo lead to the inside of the freezer and put the CO2 tank and keg in there.


When I actually get around to doing holes I will take pictures...

Results of Batch #1 of Obispo Brewery...

Kegging is done and the beer has been under CO2 pressure for 4 days. While it still needs to be under pressure for another 7 days before it's really done the beer is finally at a point that it's either going to be good or it's not.


But before we get to that point I wanted to talk briefly about kegging. The soda keg for the beer is one of the better decisions I made for this entire process. Aside from not having to screw with 48 some odd bottles and caps I also don't have to screw with a secondary fermentation vessel or additional adjuncts to my beer. As you can see in my picture I'm currently keeping my whole keg setup in a fridge.... this is a less then ideal setup since I lose my fridge for storing food (kind of a issue for me) and the cold humidity is screwing with the regulator... That part is what is causing more pain and misery then anything else right now. So for the weekend I will keep the beer in the fridge but will be purchasing a small freezer and doing some work on it to make it more suitable for beer kegs. More on that once I actually do it.

Now for the part that you have been waiting for... Results of the first beer tasting.

IT'S GOOD!!

The biggest concerns were spoilage because I for got to clean something or something was not quite right.... I'm happy to say that I had no problems in that department and have good beer!

Overall the beer is defintly a ale, a touch hoppier then what I'm used to in Ales, but no where near the level of a traditional IPA. The alcohol content is also a bit on the heavy side as I had a single 16oz serving and was feeling a little to good. A empty stomach may also have had something to do with that. Overall I'm very pleased with the results of this first batch.

In the next series of entries I show I get my fridge back and begin prep for my next batch.

Until next time kiddies.

Obispo Brewery batch #1

First brew is in the Carboy and fermenting... turns out on my dry run I had closer to 4 gallons of water and not the 5 I had estimated to begin with.

All told it was 3.5 hours to from start to finish (finish being the carboy in a water bath).

At this point the only thing I'm worried about is the carboy water bath. The bath has been holding steady at ~78F unless I add ice to the bath then it drops to ~70F which is good. This particular ale doesn't like to ferment above 80F. The plan for the moment is to let the wort/beer ferment until Monday night and then transfer to a keg. I don't need to do a secondary fermentation since I'm going to be using a keg to infuse the CO2, however I still do question that particular move.

More on the kegging and CO2 process when I actually do it. Which reminds me I need to find a industrial gas supply company and get my CO2 tank either filled or swapped.

Pictures are up on Flickr... blogspot is to much of a pain in the ass to load pictures.

A "Dry" run...

Doing a first "dry" run on the beer kit.... making sure that I have all the stuff that I need logistics that kind of thing.

Things to note...

Propane burners are loud and hot... should probally brew on back porch when time comes not garage unless it is a windy day.

20 minutes to bring ~8 gallons of water to 200F so around 15minutes for 6 gallons to 180F

Propane control knob has a small play region after 2 turns it's wide open.

Need to find a better thermometer... this one floating way low in the pot is not a good idea.

Oven mits are a really good idea all around

Ball valve on the pot is holding... small leakage only from the end.

Sink, test, and tighten chiller before starting boil...

7 minutes to 150F with 8 gallons of water.

May need to spray out side of kettle to help get water temp down. Need to get second hose.

Small Miracles...

So I've finally purchased all of the pieces parts to start brewing... Never saw that one coming did you? ;)

Expect to see continued nothingness for a while until I get rolling which probally won't be until the end of the month.

The Second Review... Tire Bite Golden Ale

http://www.flyingdogales.com/beer-tire-bite.asp


A lighter beer with a nice touch of hoppiness, no where near a IPA level of hoppiness. Enough to let you know that your not drinking a Bud/Miller/Coors



Very comparable to a Sam Adams Light.


Can be found in Phoenix at Bevmo and various grocery stores.

Time to serious... ish...

OK finally time to get serious with this whole home brewing thing. Just the inital research is a bit intimidating. And when I say intimidating I mean there are a million and one ways to screw everything up and not know that you've done something wrong until it is far to late.

So I present to you now two resources that I have up to this point found exceedingly helpful in doing this whole home brew thing

-- Home Brewing For Dummies. It's a bit old but brewing isn't exactly something that changes every other week. A good general resource and how to.

-- Morebeer.com. Website a couple of quick how to video's and a FAQ section that really helps in some spots. Other spots it's a bit thin. The biggest thing with this is it lets you see what your working with so you can plan accordingly. Of course going to your local brewer supply store would achieve the same effect.

My other resource is Greg at work... and well he doesn't have a website and I'm not going to post his email so you need to go find your own brew geek.

One of these days....

I'm actually going to write in this damn blog more then 2 times a year!

I'm on the research hunt for home brew right now... probably will start doing the first honest to god batch in the late summer.

It's not going to be anything fancy that is for damn sure. Though this does bring up a good point... how fancy should one get?

I can get the super deluxe starter package with Keg and all or do I go more basic? The good news is that if I decide that I don't like home brewing I'm out $100 after I get done selling the pieces parts on eBay.

Deep pieces of food for thought...

The first review... Fat Tire Amber Ale

Brewery: New Belgium Fort Collins Colorado

Type: Ale

From the Website: "Fat Tire’s depth of flavor, achieved with neither a disproportionate sway toward hops or malts, tandems well with a full spectrum of today’s engaging cuisines. Salmon, dry-aged cheeses, roasted chilies, omelets at midnight, sweet potato French fries and just about anything with grill marks or garlic are just a few of the edibles we like to partner up with our Amber Ale."

My Take: Fat Tire is one of my favorite beers. I'm starting with this beer since I know it better then I know most any other beer. It's a Belgium Style influenced Ale, but it lacks the bite of other Belgian style ales. To someone who is not used to drinking Fat Tire they would probably be struck at how strong the flavor truly is.

Whoops... Looks like I kinda forgot...

Whoa... Looks like someone kind of forgot they started a beer brewing blog.

I still want to chronicle my home brewing "experiences" but, I haven't really had a chance to try it out and honestly I've been focused on other things.

I have been having a hankering to write about beer though. I don't know why I just do. So while I'm waiting to bring myself out of my self induced beer brewing funk. I will share with you the reader the beers that I love here in the desert's of Arizona.

Everything from large Macro brews (Coors, Bud, Miller) to local craft brews (Oak Creek, Four Peaks, Cavecreek).

Honestly this is just a excuse for me to go out and buy every beer I can and report back on it.