More free homebrewing advice.

Here's a novel idea for those of you interested in homebrewing. When you get grains at your LHBS* it is a good idea to label each bags. I know it sounds radical, but it helps identify which is the domestic 2-row and which is the Maris Otter. Or to identify the 20°L crystal from the 55°L crystal malt.

The last time I went to my LHBS, I got about 20 pounds of grains to be used in several batches. At my LHBS, it is a self service deal where one weighs out each grain, crushes it and puts it in a plastic bag. The last time I was there I got into a really cool conversation with another brewer while we were in the grain room. I kept weighing and crushing grains as we talked. However, I forgot to label most of my bags. I wrote everything on a list so the checkout guy knew what I was buying, but I distracted enough to neglect labeling the bags for my own use.

I just realized this a couple days ago and I got really pissed at myself. I THINK I identified what each thing is. I'm most confused about which 10 pound bag is Maris Otter and which is 2-row. In the end, it isn't that critical really, but I won't be making my Irish stout to the correct specs if I guess wrong.

*That's Local HomeBrew Store

96 and counting...

By my calculations, I have brewed 96 batches of beer in my homebrewing career. I must admit, I'm starting to get the hang of it.

Obviously 96 is close to 100 and batch 100 must be a momentous brew. For batch #100 I want to brew something worthy of being batch #100.

At this point I have no idea what I'm going to brew. Here are my brew plans leading up to 100.

97: Carbon Black Stout
98: Metathesis Pale Ale
99: American Cream Ale
100: ?????????

I need your help. What type of beer should I brew for #100?

Since I only have two available fermenters (2 are full in my lagering fridge) it will take a while to get through 97, 98 and 99.

Suggestions, please.

Maybe kegging my own beer isn't such a good idea

If you recall, I recently acquired all of the items necessary to keg my own beer. This was one of the best days in my brewing world ever. I immediately kegged a bitter I had on hand in a secondary. I force carbonated it, and two days later I was drinking beer from a tap. Awesome!!!!

Maybe not so awesome.

The thing about drinking beer from a tap is that it is easy to lose track of how much one has consumed. The following is a cautionary tale.

Last week a colleague and fellow homebrewer came over to drink tap beer and discuss the upcoming academic year. She is one whose opinion I greatly respect so I like to bounce ideas off of her. My wife went to bed around 11 PM and my friend and I talked until 2:30 AM. That was great, but we drank homebrewed beer on tap the whole time. She left and I went to bed unaware of how much beer I had actually consumed. With tap beer, there are no empty bottles around to tally.

In the morning, I realized how much I had consumed. Too much. Way too much.

I like to drink beer, but I do not like getting drunk. Sure, I've been there before. There was a time in my life when that wasn't a problem. But now, I have no desire to drink to inebriation. I like to drink things that taste good.

Well, after the night of not paying attention to how easily the tap beer flowed, I paid a big price. I spent the entire day on the couch feeling like complete crap and being really pissed off at myself for such a frat boy mistake. I slept a lot as my liver worked overtime.

A few days later (I still felt icky), I had some other friends over. I gave them some of the beer. Unsolicited, they all claimed the beer was very strong. That may be the case, but it is still no defense for me getting totally destroyed.

So, my friends, if you ever keg your beer, pay attention to how much you drink. Don't top off your glass until it is empty and make a mental tally of how much you've had. Unless, or course, you don't mind spending the day in bed or on the couch. If so, do whatever you want, but don't say I didn't warn you.

Fermentation Friday

Mike and John, the Dudes of Brew Dudes are hosting the monthly Fermentation Friday. This month the topic is Beginner Homebrewing Tips. Check it out for some very useful info.

hop bags

I usually use a hop bag when I make beer. A hop bag is a nylon bag that keeps the hops contained and easily removed from the wort before fermentation. This helps keep the beer a bit cleaner. In addition off flavors can be leached from the hop residue as it sits on the bottom of the fermenter. Removing the hop residue before fermentation helps prevent this.

The main problem with using a hop bag is getting hops into the bag while it is in the kettle.[1] The boiling wort (3 gallons of it) is hot. It's boiling. Boiling water is hot. The bag is full of liquid and cannot easily be removed from the boiling wort. Opening the bag is tricky because the wort is hot (remember).

So, I came up with my own solution: a funnel. I stick a large funnel into the opening of the bag and slowly add the hop pellets. The pellets must be added slowly so they don't plug the funnel. This method also only works for pellets. On occasion, I have hydrated the pellets in water and poured the slurry through the funnel. That works too, but is slower.

Here's a picture.


[1] Brief hop background: There are two main uses of hops: bittering and aroma. For bittering to occur, the hops must be boiled for an hour during which chemical isomerization occurs. For aroma, the hops are typically added during the last 15 minutes of a 60 minute boil.

Yeast from a starter

Recently, a reader named "papa" left a comment on an old post about recovering yeast from a bottle. He asked if one could split the yeast from a starter smack pack.

The answer is yes. I have done this, sort of. Instead of taking yeast from a smack pack, I take it from the starter. I make a yeast starter and pitch about 80% of it into the beer. I pour the rest into a completely sanitized beer bottle, cap it and store it in the refrigerator until it is time to make another starter.

Some people can their mini starter solutions in mason jars. I think it is easier to put about 6 ounces of starter solution into a beer bottle.

This can survive for a few weeks (maybe months) in the fridge as long as it doesn't freeze. There are spots in my fridge that get too cold. I'm not sure if the yeast are still viable after being frozen. I've elected to not bother with those.

I've been able to stretch a smack pack to 4-5 batches.

You decide 2008 (the beer, that is)

I'm heading to Minneapolis for a conference to make me real good at learnin' my students good. While there, I will be stopping at my brewing supply house. Since these trips are few and far between, I need to plan ahead. I usually try to plan 4-5 batches in advance.

A recent cream ale I made was fantastic, but I made the mistake of sharing it. All I got out of it was half a case. I have got to stop sharing my good stuff. I plan on getting supplies to do two batches of it. Some to share and some to hoard.

Beyond that, I can't decide what to brew. So, I thought I'd let you the reader decide what I should brew next.

Which style of beer should I brew and why?

I will choose the best idea and brew that style. You will get nothing but the satisfaction of knowing you helped me decide. You will get none of the beer. Sorry :(

Happy Birthday to my blog and tips to start homebrewing

It's been exactly one year since I sat down on a quiet and cold January day and started this silly blog. I'm pretty proud of myself for keeping it going for a whole year. So far, so good. I plan on continuing this blog.

The combination of Homebrewing and Chemistry is a tad eclectic, but I think I've found a good balance and combination of the two. I'd like to have more meaningful chemistry, but that would require greater effort. Besides, other people do this much better than I can (see my blog roll).

I was trying to think of what to write about for my 1 year anniversary. I first thought of doing a recap of my best posts. Since I don't really have many any great posts I decided to go with plan B.

I've been personally responsible in one way or another for helping almost a dozen friends start brewing beer (or wine). So, I thought I'd encourage the reader(s)[1] of this blog to start brewing beer at home. Now, I realize some of you have no interest in doing this and some of you already do. The following advice is not necessarily for you (feel free to read on, however). The following advice is for the person who the person who says, "I love beer and I would love to make my own. I just haven't found the time to learn how."

Here is my advice:

1) Homebrewing is a hobby that grows strongly from passion, just like most hobbies. Don't start unless you or someone you know loves beer. Each 5 gallon batch makes about 2 cases of beer. That's a lot of beer. If you don't like to drink beer, this is not the hobby for you. If you have friends who like to drink good beer you can easily get them to drink some.

2) You need supplies. You must first locate a homebrew supply store. If you live in a large metropolitan area, chances are good that you have one in the area. Hobby shops often carry brewing supplies, but you are much better off going to a store that is dedicated to homebrewing. The staff is an indispensable source of information, since most of them work there because they brew too. In addition, the selection is wider and fresher. Remember, you are making a food product. Bad ingredients make bad beer; good ingredients make good beer. If you do not have a store nearby (such is the case for me), there are a lot of online options. I have two favorites: Northern Brewer and Midwest Brewing. Both of these places will ship everywhere. For me the cost of shipping is usually less then the cost of gas for the 160 mile drive.

3) The best way to start from scratch is to get a starter kit. These kits are available at most homebrew supply stores and they include all the equipment you need to get started. Depending on your level of commitment to the hobby (which is sometimes hard to gauge early on) you may want to choose the level of kit carefully. If I were to do it all over again, I would start with a more advanced kit. Specifically, I would have chosen one that included kegging equipment.

4) Buy a book on homebrewing. I suggest The Joy of Homebrewing and How to Brew. The How to Brew book is also available online. That's the cheapest way to learn about brewing.

5) Use a prepackaged ingredient kit for you first batch. Most supply stores sell kits that contain all of the ingredients you need for a 5 gallon batch AND directions on how to make the beer. These kits are a great way to learn about the different ingredients that go into different styles. Depending on the type of beer you like, the best style to start with is a pale ale. These tend to be more forgiving and the yeast ferments nicely at room temperature. Lager beers require colder temperatures to get the best results. This often requires more equipment (i.e. a dedicated refrigerator with temp controller).

6) Set aside enough time for your first batches. I can do an extract batch in 2 hours; A partial mash in 4 hours. For your first batch, you may need about 4 hours.

7) Make sure you room for a fermenter. Occasionally, fermentations can "blow off" (i.e. bubble out of the airlock). This isn't a problem unless you have your fermenter sitting on the carpet in your living room. Place your fermenter on a floor that can get wet without concern.

8) 5 gallons of beer weighs a lot. Carrying 5 gallons of sugary, sticky wort is a tricky task. A dropped carboy or bucket can translate into a whole lot of trouble.

9) "Relax. Don't worry. Have a Homebrew." This is the mantra of Charles Papazian (homebrew guru), and it is a good one. Don't worry about being perfect. Enjoy the hobby. Even if your beer isn't perfect, it will still be very good beer. Don't worry about screwing up. It's hard to do. Eventually, you will hone your skills.

10) Take your sanitation very seriously. #9 if important, but do not relax when it comes to sanitation. The easiest way you can ruin a batch of beer is if you don't sanitize whatever the beer touches.

Well, that's enough for now. I hope it helps. Thanks for reading.


[1] I stole this joke from Matt.[2]

[2] I learned this footnoting technique from Ψ*Ψ.