Monday, December 22, 2008

A chance to brew

Now that my grades are in, my children are on the mend, and I've shoveled my driveway, I finally got a chance to brew tonight. I brewed a cream stout.

Not only did I brew a much needed batch, I got to break in my new brew kettle. I recently purchased a 22 quart (5.5 gallon) stock pot. This thing is awesome. I am now able to do full boils (i.e. boil the entire 5 gallon batch). There are a lot of benefits to doing full boils. One of which is hop utilization. The extraction and isomerization is more efficient in a full boil.

Here is a picture of my new baby. I put a pint glass next to it for reference:
Since it is butt-ass cold around here and there are mounds of snow everywhere, I decided to let Mother Nature chill my wort for me. So, I stuck the pot in a drift on my deck:
The snow was cold and the air was a zero degrees Fahrenheit. I moved the pot around as it melted the snow. Here is the aftermath:
My spent grains are in a bucket to the left waiting very patiently to be composted.

This version of my cream stout was a partial mash version. I changed the recipe a bit. I'll let you know how it turned out.

8 comments:

Ψ*Ψ said...

That's quite a bit of snow! I guess it's common where you live, though.

Can we talk about how awesome Tubby is? I miss him! Our new coach SUCKS!

markmier said...

Hmmmmm... 5.5 gal is a pretty small pot to use for a full boil. You have to watch it like a hawk to avoid boilovers.

I recommend you ask Santy Claus for a 10-gal pot with a ball valve, you'll wonder how you ever got by without it!

Chemgeek said...

Ψ*Ψ,

This much snow is not that common for December. Especially since we had a record snowfall this month. Stupid global warming...


Mark,

True, it is not a true full boil. The boilover concern is super real. All hop additions have the atmosphere of brain surgery. Careful... careful...careful...ah crap!!!!!

Lisa-tastrophies said...

Chemgeek:
You are inspiring me to become a beer drinker again. I gave up after a nasty Guiness episode (details were in the sorority newsletter).
The brew looks good. I am glad you had a chance to fire it up and enjoy some homemade holiday cheer.

Chemgeek said...

"a nasty Guiness episode"

egad!!!! I love Guinness and would hate to be abused by it in such a way. I'd be like having a very good friend kick you in the nuts... well, kick me in the nuts at least.

Dr Zibbs said...

I need to make beer again. I've only done it twice.

FYI found your blog through Every Thing I Like Causes Cancer.

Chemgeek said...

Dr. Zibbs,

Thanks for stopping by. YOu should brew again.

I've loitered a lot at ETILCC and finally commented.

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