Kris Swanson

Batch #3 Update

2007-06-10T17:59:00.000-05:00

I think I've made turpentine. I racked the 60 Minute IPA today after 2 weeks of slow fermentation. While doing so, I took a big whiff of the brew and it burnt my nose hair. This promises to be some good stuff. However, I believe I need to dry hop it to hell and back.

Also, check out the darkness and the clarity of this baby on Day 1 of Aging...it's better than my Batch #2 on Day 14!

An Update - Batch #2, Batch #3, beer-wine.com

2007-05-22T19:56:00.000-05:00

Okay kids - this is why I didn't start blogging in the first place; it's a real commitment. So, here's the quick and dirty on the past 2 months:

Batch #2 was a huge improvement over Batch #1. The extra few weeks in the carboy really made a difference in the clarity of the beer. Also, I used KreamyX as my priming sugar; I believe it gave my beer a better carbonation as well as a longer head (which still pales in comparison to anything store bought). I've since purchased a strainer for the next batch as working with whole hops was a pain in the butt.

I gave Batch #2 a public appearance and brought a 6 pack to my friend Amanda and Jim's party. Amanda drank 2; I was very flattered.

Also, I've picked out my next beer. I'm going to try and make a clone of Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA. My goal is to master the brewing of this quality IPA and be ready to make a Pumpkin Ale by the Fall. I think I've got Batch #3 & #4 in me prior to Batch #5 - Pumpkin Ale.

Also, I feel the need to give a big shout out to Beer-wine.com for having excellent customer service. I told them what I was trying to make, explained that this was my 3rd batch yet and they walked me through my options making me feel comfortable and "in" with the experts. I hadn't purchased my supplies anywhere else to date and now I know I never will. Great job, guys!

The power of aging.

2007-04-03T20:40:00.000-05:00

So, I'm trying aging. You can age in a carboy for up to 3 months...I'm going with 3 weeks. The reasons for this are twofold - 1) it's supposed to give you more clarity in the beer and 2) I'm not done with my first batch yet, so I don't have enough bottles to bottle Batch #2.

My plan is to bottle Batch #2 this weekend - it's been a rough week, so I could use the distraction.

Now, to demonstrate the power of aging, I give you Aging Day 1 vs. Aging Day 14:

Day 1 - Cloudy ---------------->> Day 14 - Clear

Amazing.

Home Brew Number 2

2007-03-12T20:02:00.000-05:00

03/10/2007
Homebrew #2
5 gallons (19L) BK tap water

1 lb. crushed crystal malt grain
6.6 lbs. Muntons Light Malt Extract
2 oz Fuggles hops (60 mins)
1 oz Hallertauer hops (15 mins)
2 pkg. Muntons Ale yeast

I tried a few new things this time:

I steeped crystal malt grains in 6L of hot water for 5 minutes - this should increase the sweetness of the beer as my last batch was too bitter; the malt grain should also enrich the color to a golden red and increase the body and head.

I turned off the flame prior to adding the malt extract - this should prevent scorching of the malt extract; I'm not sure if I burnt the extract last time but something tastes off.

I used hop plugs, which are whole hops - this should help control the bittering from the hops as well as reduce the amount of "floaties" in the fermentation process.

Last time, I only cooled the wort to about 80 degrees - it needs to be at 68-72, so I overcompensated this time and got it down to about 42 degrees. I waited until it got back up to 65ish to pitch the yeast, but if anything ruined this batch it was that - I'm fearing the yeast won't start.

44 Bottles of Beer on the Wall

2007-03-11T16:53:00.000-05:00

1) On March 6th, I bottled my first batch of homebrew - it was remarkably easy!

Here's how it came out:

# of Bottles: 44 (not all pictured)

Starting Gravity: 1.046

Final Gravity: 1.021

Potential Alcohol: (1.046 - 1.021) x 105 = 2.625%

Man, that's some weak beer - my measurements are most likely off a tad, but still...

2) On March 8th, I opened a bottle - I expected that there would be no change -however, to my surprise when I poured the liquid in a glass, it fizzed and had a nice head to it. I made beer. Doesn't taste too bad, either - pretty bitter, but that's from the dry hopping, I think. Now, it just needs to clear.

3) Today, March 11th, I opened another beer - still hasn't cleared all the way, but at the bottom of the bottle I could see the yeast settling - it might just need a few more days. But, in the meantime, I'll start batch #2!

Carboy

2007-03-04T12:07:00.001-05:00

Check out the sweet aging and dry hopping. I think we are almost there!

Also, I posted this using my BlackBerry Pearl - pretty sweet function. Take a picture, MMS it to my blog, and bingo! Too bad it's only got a 1.3 mega pixel camera.

Dry Hoppin'

2007-03-03T13:19:00.000-05:00

Biting off more than I can chew, I've decided to dry hop my beer. This is an American thing where you add hops during the aging process to increase the hoppy aroma and flavor. In my case, all I've most likely done is mess up my beer. I added about 1.5 ounces of Cascade hops - again, I'm fearing a syrupy mess.

Also, I give you the root of the phrase "the bottom of the barrel." Look at that nasty mess that is a by-product of wonderful beer.

Ferment, Rack, Age

2007-03-01T18:16:00.000-05:00

So, a few things have happened since last I posted - I'm lazy, I guess that's why I've never blogged before.

It's been about a week since I brewed the first batch of beer. Since that time the beer has gone through the primary fermenting stage, then it was racked into a carboy where it now sits going through the aging process. I racked the beer on day 4 when it had a gravity of 1.021 - which seemed about right - it could have used a few more days fermenting, but I was impatient.

I also "dry hopped" the beer with about 1.5 ounces of Cascade hop plugs. Having nothing to base this on, I know fear my beer may turn out too sweet with a low alcohol level. But, never fear, I've received supplies to make two more batches in the coming weeks to build upon what I've learnt. Stay tuned.

Home Brew #1 - Stage 1, Brewing

2007-02-25T16:21:00.001-05:00

Home Brew #1 (2-24-2007)
Originally uploaded by krisswanson2.

Home Brew #1 - Brewing Stage:

3 gallons Brooklyn tap water, boiled
6.6 lbs Munton's Light Malt Extract, plain
3 Tbs Fuggles pellets (60 mins)
.5 Tbs Fuggles pellets (15 mins)
2 Tbs Fuggles & 1 Tbs Cascade pellets (5 mins)
2 gallons Poland Springs water, frozen
1 package ale yeast (Munton's)

This took about 4 hours - mainly cleaning and waiting for the water to boil (that takes forever). Also, something I will take into consideration next time - cooling the wort (that's what the brewing makes, pronounced "wert") with 2 gallons of ice & water doesn't work fast enough. Next time I'll try to cool the wort externally by filling the sink with cold water repeatedly until I get the wort down to 60 degrees. I'll let you know how that goes.

Relax. Don't Worry. Have a Home Brew.

2007-02-24T19:05:00.000-05:00

So, I've decided to try a new hobby - home brewing - at the same time I figured I'd do something I'm surprised I don't do already - blogging. Ever since I moved to NYC about a year ago, I've been drinking more and more complex craft beers. Ever the curious one I started looking into hops and the creation of malt - all fascinating stuff...thousands of years in the making.

Home brewing is quite new to America thanks to an apparent screw-up on the government that made it illegal until the mid 1970s - longer than prohibition. Even more amusing (and I think I remember reading about this in college) is that there's no longer an alcolhol limit to beer - meaning craft brewers can pretty much do what they want to their beers (case in point - the 40 proof Sam Adams.) Amazing how much of an expert I am without having done any research? I've really taken a liking to IPAs, so my initial goal will be to create a hoppy IPA that is drinkable. Today I started with my first home brew, which I think is a simple ale...I'll find out in 3 weeks - at which time I'll publish my home brew #1 recipe and stats, and this blog will serve as my home brew journal over the coming brews.