Blonde Ale-ment

I have decided to bring my affliction to light and air it out for all to see. As of late I have been possessed with the free time and distinct need to brew my own beer. Unfortunately as this cannot be done in a single sunny afternoon I have been forced to wait. Waiting as we all know creates anticipation, the loose, but not that bad looking if you've had a few sister, of lust. Yes I've said it, I lust after my sultry brew, but don't
tell anticipation, she probably wouldn't understand. That being said, I am waiting for my Canadian Blonde to clarify a bit before I bottle her and the long days are taking their toll. Last night I laid awake and restless in the twilight hours counting vacant bottles in my head, wondering desperately what I would do with 6 gallons of liquid gold. I fear I am sick and the only cure my
dear friends will be the reckless and gleeful consumption of my baby...and more cowbell.

Deep thoughts with Jack Handy...

Just got home from work where I had my "Employee Evaluation" by my supervisor ( a former 10 year navel officer). Here is my evaluation of a supervisor at my job... Supervisor: Someone too incompetent to do any real work but who now has the authority to bollocks up the work of those who aren't!

Well since I am in evaluation mode here is my evaluation of Lagunitas Wilco Tango Foxtrot: First off if you are gonna name a beer with the acronym WTF, why not just print that on the bottle instead of your pseudo phonetic alphabet name? I mean really, it's just plain annoying! OK enough slamming these guys for there lack of labeling wit, lets get to the beer! Pours a reddish brown with a faint creamy head and nice lasting laceing . Smells piney with a bit of orange and maple. Taste almost like an IPA at first or was it a strong ale? Has a good malt - hop balance with the hops winning in the end. Also chocolate. Overall a very smooth drinker, hides that 7.83% Abv very well! I would encourage those used to drinking lighter lagers or ales to try this beer. I think I paid around $3.50 for a 22oz. at my local Fred Meyer. Very worth it! I shoud have got 2. WTF was I thinking?

In pursuit of 100-Boise

Due to the suggestion of a good friend I am now going to document my findings while pursuing my quest to reach 100 breweries by the age of 40.  This entry will be on number 28 with 29 and 30 to follow in the next day or two, sorry to Justin for my miscalculation earlier.  I am posting this for all of us brewheads that like good beer and hope everyone would post in kind with their findings to either save a trip or begin one for the rest of us.  This last week the wife and I traveled to Boise to stay with our good friends Aaron and Lindsey, who so graciously carted our butts around to these three breweries, one such venture the day after St. Patty's.

# 28-Sockeye Grill and Brewery
http://www.sockeyebrew.com/index.htm

This brewery was set up very well and had a good pub feel to it.  Unfortunately the beer was not quite up to par in comparison to the other two breweries.   During this venture we partook in the Purple Haze Espresso Stout, Powerhouse Porter, Wooly Bugger Wheat, and sampled the Dagger Falls IPA.

 The Purple Haze, in my humble opinion, did not produce.  In terms of a stout it was decent, in terms of an espresso stout it lacked.  Good malty flavor, lacking the roasted notes that you would expect to find, and finished dry.  Although I could have downed a pint or two on a good night the longevity was not there that I expected.

The Powerhouse Porter by far was the strongest beer that we sampled.  Its color was a rich dark brown that was crowned by a tan head, that mirrored more of an American style stout than a porter.  Malt sweetness was present but was balanced with a hop aroma and a chocolate finish.  Aaron and I both agreed that this was a beer to drink throughout a good night and would not get old.

The Woolybugger Wheat was by far my least favorite, not due to the beer lacking in any respect, but more it did not push the envelope.  This is expected with a lighter grained beer that is sparingly hopped and produced with the mindset of  being a "thirst quencher."  My wife and Lindsey tried it, let it be said that neither are beer "drinkers", and Lindsey described the flavor as "dirty water", which could easily explain its lack-luster flavor.  Would I drink this....no, but I know many like this light wheat ale style.

Lastly we have the Dagger Falls IPA that boasts a silver medal in the North American Brewers Festival in 2003 and 2008.  This beer totally produced as an IPA and I found that quite enjoyed the flavor.  The hops used produced both floral and citrus undertones that were not overpowered by an overly sweet malt flavor.  Very well balanced .


Overall it was a decent enough brewery that I could have gone to and been reasonably happy with my night.  The menu was chocked full of options and the service was quite good.  Unfortunately the beer, although good, was not stupendous enough to lend to a Friday night growler run.

X  3  out of 5

Imperial Stout has been Secondaried

So i pulled that son-of-a-biscuit outta the primary today and racked it to the secondary.  It was black as night and was a crazy 11.4 % ABV already.  Threw in the Champagne yeast after I racked it so we shall see what happens over the next 4 months-more to come.

Willy Blanks

Girly drinks?

I was at a concert last night and was very disappointed to see the abundance of tattooed, young wanna-be types sporting a foo foo drink in their hand.  Whether this is an attempt at getting in touch with their feminine side or just trying to be supportive of their female companion I do not know.  What I do know is that it is very sad to see individuals choose this form of beverage over a well crafted brew.

I really am hoping that this is a one time occurrence that will not be repeated.  The question I propose to you all is why? Why the need to drink something that has an umbrella in it?  Who is to blame for this atrocity?

Willy Blanks

suggestions

alright so i'm working on putting together anothe recipe and i'm getting close to having some free time as my last quarter UW comes to a close on the 16th. my celebration brew i wanted to venture out and create my own recipe (kinda) obviously stole ideas from multiple of recipes but i wanted some suggestions and ideas on this batch from the more experience brewers here. i haven't been brewing for too long and have really yet to step out and create my own recipe so here it is let me know what you think , the idea here is for an oaky vanilla stout, suggested changes are more than welcome:

6.0 lbs. Dark malt extract
1 lb. Brown Sugar
3/4 lb. Crystal 50L
1/4 lb. Chocolate malt
1 oz. Northern Brewer bittering hops
Wyeast 1318 London Ale III yeast---suggestions please?
3/4 cup priming sugar

2 Vanilla beans added to secondary--should i use more or less?
***Oak Wood Chips***secondary/primary?--is this a good idea?

thanks in advance.....
altona's brew juice

Imperial Stout

So it has been brewed-Descent Imperial Stout.  Ended up with an O.G. of 1.105 so we shall see how low she gets.  Used Dry English Ale by White Labs for the yeast, and utilized the extra day or two before brewing to do a yeast starter to help handle that high gravity.  Looking for a alcohol content of 11-13% and should be obtainable, gonna be a heavy one.  Got two weeks and gonna throw it into a secondary with some White Labs Champagne yeast for about 3-4 months.  Will keep ya updated on tasting dates.

Willy Blanks

Real men brew real beer. You wussy!

That's right the proof is in the pudding. Here is a rad shot of Blanks transferring cooled wort into the fermenter. Great technique bro! That ESB should be a nice break from the darker beers that have previously been spawned from the Willy-Warn homebrew crew.

Speaking of darker beers both the Stout and the Porter that we began in the fall are already almost completely gone. Both were great examples of the fact that: any knuckle head with some initiative and an eye for a deal on craigslist can create great homebrew. But seriously, both the Coffee Stout, and the Ginger Porter turned out to our liking. Would we say that it was the best beer we ever tried? No, probably not. (At least I wouldn't.) I think we can both agree that we would make some minor changes if we did those beers over. The point is: Was it the best beer we ever made? ah, Ya we made it! It was hella better than those other beers we drank but never made? Ya again, Fo Sho. I think the awesomeness of creating your own beer go's beyond seeing something that you have toiled over, going through to completion. I mean lets face it. We are dudes. We just created beer. And dang you. Not by accident, but to our own specification! See what I mean? Pretty Freaking sweet. Just think of the possibilities if we had that kind of dominion over our own wives.

Homebrew Links

Put up some homebrew links to both online suppliers and a very helpful layout by John Palmer that hits all the main points of his "how-to" book.  Hope this helps

Willy Blanks

NEWBIES Curiosity

alright, i have read a few reasons why you would have a primary and a secondary fermentation, but what does everyone on here think? Is there a true benefit in the secondary, other than for those batches which you add extra ingredients for aging (i.e. vanilla beans, oak chips etc.)? Does it improve taste? what does everyone think, i have not been able to get a straight answer on this.

Time to spread some holiday beer!

Up on the roof top a reindeer groans, down the the chimney slips Santy Bones. Do not fear the Santy Bones he will soon be delivering his precious cargo to all the good little boys and girls. Smelling of pine and spice he is checking his list and checking it twice trying to find who is naughty and nice! So be on your best behavior or you may get a lump of coal, or even worse a Schmidt Ice.

The Blonde Porn Star

So the Journey Begins, Story of my life, pleasing the women of my life. Creating a beer to your own likings is easy, but to figure out what SHE wants may become much more problematic. So it begins, The Blonde Porn Star, Light, Fluffy, yet with a hint of bitterness, and a lack of floral aromas.

Ahhhhh the ingredients, only the best from Larry's Brewing Supply, Pilsner Malt, German Yeast, Fuggle Hop Pellets ( Larry's Recommendation-never used pellets so this will be a first) and some Crystal 10L Grains.

Before I begin we thought we might start the season early with a few new brews which caught our eyes as we walked the beer selection in the local QFC.

This time around i opted to go with filtered water, our apartment water lends an aftertaste similar to licking a hop flavored water hose with a bite of Bothell Washington added in for extra flavor.... Rachel and i both can live without!

This Blonde Porn Star needs a man with a large sack (no pun intended) to sow the seeds which i just happen to have one on hand to prepared my grains.

Ready to go, got the water fired up and ready to seep my grains, approximately 20 minutes, as the grains sat the blonde's juice begain to gain character. While the grains added the needed character to this sassy blonde, i took this time to weight out my hops and warm this blondes sweet spot for when we really turn the heat up, to get this baby boiling.

We'll cut to the chase, and forget the foreplay lets see some pictures..........beer porn!

Unfortunately my Blonde Porn Star doesn't like to get hot while i watch Sunday night football and gave me that sassy attitudes she is known for, all it took was a touch down and a lap around the apartment and, yes, of course the boil over.

But a little attitude wont stop me, while i wait for my ice bath to cool my girl down, i took the time to clean up the mess and do my due diligence in sanitization to prepare my carboy and other pornstar handling equipment.

Like with most women, the time and effort is always worth the final taste, but right now this Blonde needs some rest, and so do I...........more to come.

Coors Light-A Redneck Love Story

Upon walking through my local redneck supermarket I was drawn to the sound of a flowing river through the Rockies.  Slowly I walked with dreams of Nascar, mullets, double wides, lifted trucks and the confederate flag.  What could this force of brewing nature be?  I took off my Stihl hat and scratched my flowing mullet topped head that would make Billy Ray ask me for an autograph.  This shining bastion of redneckdom, this "silver bullet" was able to slay any man's knowledge and love of what beer really is.  I reached out to grab this can that is the holy grail of the hillbilly nation and wrapped my Copenhagen smelling hands around it.  It burned with icy cool power of the Rockies, I pulled out my skinnin knife to help balance this beast into my Carhart pocket.

At home I took a drink, not some girly man sip but a chug that any frat boy would shy from.  The first taste that mixed in with the Redman in my mouth was a watered down cereal taste that bubbled in my mouth-virtually tasteless. The aftertaste was slightly horse pissey with a hint of dog piss at the back of the tongue, and if you don't know what those taste like-you ain't a redneck.  Some of this nectar of the Rockies spilled on my bib overalls and flannel shirt which brought a tear to my eye at such a waste.  I give this beer a 4 of 10 cuz that is as high as I can count and is the same amount of daddy's I got.  Welp talk to ya later-YYEEEHHHAAAAWWWW

Mocha Death-Iron Horse Brewery

I have been a fan of Iron Horse Brewery since I first had the luck of finding Quilter's Irish Death in a bottle.  It's name being a smack in the face to the Irish Ale's out there, being that it is a Scottish style ale, grabs you from the first glance.  This seasonal adaptation of an already great brew spawned a jig out of me when I noticed it in the isle.  I had to try it as soon as I could.

It pours a clear dark brown with a small khaki head, and some lacing.  The smell is of coffee grounds, and cocoa bean, but the malty goodness of its unmolested big brother is still present.  The taste is smooth, with a strong coffee mouth feel, a little chocolate in the back of the throat, and a mildly sour malt at the end that ends a little on the bitter side.

By far, this holiday season, this is my favorite brew.  I plan on buying a case of this, when the wifey lets me, just on the sheer fact that I don't see it being trumped this holiday season by any offerings in its category-stouts not included it is a Scottish Ale.

Willy Blanks

Deschutes Jubelale 2009

Me first winter season brew. 12 oz bottle poured into pint glass. Dark amber in color, looks black until you hold it up to the light. 1/4 inch off white head(but it did not last long). Smells floral and slightly boozy. Tastes piney all the way through with a mild amount of maltiness that gives good balance. That's pretty much it. Almost just like a slightly malty IPA. This year kinda disappoints. I seem to remeber the previous two years having holdiay spicyness in the hops like; clove and toffee. Not so this year, but still a decent brew. I just don't feel the jubel in this ale.

Round Two...

Well, the Vanilla Bourb...err...I mean "Vanilla Tennessee Whiskey Stout" (wow, that doesn't roll off the tongue at all) was finally ready to transfer to secondary they other day. I got myself three NICE Madagascar Vanilla Beans from Cost Plus, split them open, scraped out the insides and dumped them in a bottle of Jack Daniels to soak ahead of time (you know, bring out all those great alcohol-soluble flavors). Addressing some comments that I know I just generated:

Q: Why Crack Daniels instead of a *real* bourbon?
A: Well...cuz I like it :-) And it's my beer so :-P

Q: How did you know how much Jack Daniels to use?
A: Simple...I took a 12-ounce beer, added a teaspoon, took a sip, repeated until I liked it and scaled up to five gallons :-)

Anyway, here's me using my awesome auto-siphon. If you don't have one, get one. It's the best $8 you'll spend.



Yep...and here's me still waiting (it's not exactly a quick process)



You can see some of the vanilla beans floating around in there. I tell ya, this thing smelled AWESOME by the time it was all done mixing!



I was pretty impressed at the sediment in the bottom. Hooray Irish Moss...and Hooray Gravity!



Here it is from another angle...



Anyway, I know this wasn't as exciting as the initial brewing...what with its crazy boil-over action and whatnot, but it was pretty novel to me. Happy Brewing!

Holiday Porter

Blanks and I just put this brew into the primary fermenter. Our new keg-kettle worked pretty good, except for the fact that the filter for the siphon got clogged because of the fresh grated ginger root that was added to the boil. Oh well good thing I put handles on it allowing us to drain the hot wort into the fermenter. I will keep this post updated as the process unfolds.

Bier de Pharoa!

I was in Bethlehem PA recently for a business trip and ended up staying at Historic Hotel Bethlehem. (Aparrantly it is haunted. We did have some weird things happen, but thats another story!) Wouldn't you know it, there was a brewery right down the street. Bethlehem Brew works was the name. I decided to try some of their seasonal faire and they had a Meade called Bier de Pharoa. Here is their description of their tribute to the ancient kings of old.

"Biere De Pharaoh has an amazing 13.8% A.B.V.!The strongest beer ever at the Brew Works. Biere de Pharaoh is only available at the Bethlehem Brew Works. Brewed with 660 lbs. of locally produced orange blossom honey in homage to the ancient Egyptians, who were the first brewers. Reaching out across time to give us a beer that is sweet and thick with a deep honey color."

When I first got it, I was thinking "wow... thats not a lot of beer, and this thing cost me almost 10 bucks!" What I was not prepared for was the sucker punch to the throat that it will give you. When you first taste it, you get a really sweet orangy taste due to the orange blossom honey. It is almost a bit overpowering. The aftertaste it leaves is that of straight honey, but you can tell its the orange blossom honey because its has a little citris aura about it. One of these little gems will pretty much get your buzz going especially if you have not had anything to eat. The only downside is, it is so sweet that if you are planning on having dinner you need to choose your food wisely to compliment the brew. I had ordered a burger and once i had the burger the tastes were so offsetting that it made the meade unenjoyable. Definatly would have been worth it though with like a salmon over rice pilaf. something light like that.

Tried a couple new brews this weekend

Jeremy had an awesome idea with posting about new brews you've tried and liked/not-liked...The aren't really "seasonal" brews, but they were new to me, so I thought I'd mention them :-) The first beer I picked for two reasons: The first and foremost was that Courtney and I were doing a fondue and the cheese recipe called for a "light beer"...I decided some artistic license was required and, instead, opted for a "light-colored beer." I mean seriously...If I wanted to drink that crap I'd have bought a bottle of Mountain Dew and left it outside with no lid for a week. Anywho, I randomly selected this guy:



I gotta say, for a cheese fondue, this was AWESOME! It was just a touch more "fruity" than I've been used to (don't know if this is normal or not...but it was new to me). The best way I can describe it was being pretty "sharp." It wasn't as full bodied as a stout...which is normal since it's an IPA, but it definitely had a stronger aroma and flavor. All in all I'd recommend it. I'm still a stout kind of guy, but this was a very fun experiment.

The next one I tried was admittedly selected because 1) it was sort of a "stout" and 2) it was dirt cheap. I wasn't really interested in it for it's good qualities, but rather because I was looking to calibrate how much bourbon to add to my vanilla bourbon stout :-)



I poured exactly 12 ounces, added a teaspoon of Jack Daniels, took a sip, added another teaspoon, took another sip, etc, and then just scaled up to my 5-gallon batch. For THAT purpose, it was pretty good. I have to say, though, for a stand-alone beer, the only word I can think to describe it is "meh." It was dark, alcoholic, and somewhat drinkable (I guess) but pretty earthy and not really one of those that made me thing "dang, I gotta get this again!" Sadly, I didn't even make it though the whole thing. It wasn't that it was "bad" per se...it just wasn't that great. I suppose this is one of those cases where price reflected quality. I know that's not always true (sometimes the opposite), but in this case it was.

So that was that. I can't WAIT until my own batch is done :-D

Mondays...

Today was especially hard to get up... scrapbooking all weekend -Jerm seemed to like what I created... even geeked out and showed Justin right when he walked in the door last night! Can't wait to scrapbook our beer pics- YES! Those will be fun to do, especially after I get pics of those enjoying our scrumptious drinkage! (FYI, that's your only warning! Reading this gives me all access to embarrass you!) Anyways, back to work- someone's gotta bring home the bacon... :)