The Hard Cider is bottled and ready for a little in bottle fermentation. It needs a little time to mature but I'm really happy with the flavor. It has the tartness of a Granny Smith and the sweetness of a Jonathan! I'm carbonating it for a few days then in the fridge it goes. Once it's ready it won't last long, I'd be smart to start another batch tomorrow if I have times.

My first shot at a Hard Root Beer, bottled, and ready to do some carbonation! It tastes pretty good but I'll have to report back once it's cold and sparkly!

20 Liter Oak Barrel for Aging Wine or Beer

I'm thinking about going with a 5 gallon cask for aging my Black Cherry Mead. It'll only be 2 weeks old tomorrow so I'll keep it in the carboy for at least another 2 weeks. Then I'm thinking I'm going to transfer it into this Gibbs Brothers Cooperage 5 gallon toasted keg. I plan on aging it at least 9-12 months and this is the best price from a cooperage. $138.00 and it's made locally! They will also drill for a wooden faucet if you so desire and you can also choose toasted or charred. If anyone has a thought or opinion on cask aging a mead, please email of comment!RTS Home Accents 5510-001100-5600 50-Gallon Rain Water Collection Barrel With Brass Spigot - Wood Grain

KC Renfest KC MO

We ran up to KC to the Ren-Fest last Sunday. It was fun but their sure could have one built closer than 3 hours. The fest had all that you might expect from the fair. After working at some fairs out in California, I'm use to  being a part of the fair and not just watching.  Maybe the brewers guild could have a booth up there some year and I'd feel back at home:) great Chaucer's Mead and some fun parties afterwords....

This is the label I've been playing with for my mead that won't be done for another six moths. If you like mead this is what you have to look forward too. A lot of playing on the computer and waiting and wishing it was done. Patients is a virtue!

New Toys for Brewers!

for $8.99 I just started playing with the new iBrewMaster iPad Edition 1.4. I haven't played with all the toys on it yet but From what I have found so far is it's a 4 out of 5 stars in my book. if you have an iPad and you brew, you'll enjoy parts of this program, or at least 9 bucks worth of it. I'll post pics later once I can show how it figures out all your calculations.

Current Projects

       I have three different things going on right now. I have a Mead, a Cider, and a Root-Beer all in different stages right now. I know some brewers out there are probably laughing right now, these are not the most technically difficult recipes out there. Actually they're all pretty easy! Realistically, all brewing is pretty easy. There's just a few more steps in some recipes. Mead, as far as ingredients go, has to be about the simplest of all. It's honey, water, and yeast. But if made correctly, can be compared to a fine wine. The downfall of mead, or one of it's beauties, is that in needs ti age for a long time, some even a year. I am buying a 5 gallon charred cask from Gibbs Brothers Cooperage to age my black cherry mead. I'll let you know how it goes, as it goes...
     I love a hard cider around this time of the year, so I decided to make some of that too. It's now been fermenting for about 9 days and will probably be bottled around this weekend. All me readings say it'll be around 6% and hopefully have a hint of cinnamon and clove if it comes out the way I want.
     And my last child currently is a hard root beer. Made from a root beer extract, sugar and yeast.. and water.
The only reason I'm making it is because I always wanted to make a hard root beer. I was at the brewing store, found the extract, and while I had all the equipment out and clean, through it together too.

   

Welcome!

I'm hoping that I'll be able to provide some answers and information on here about brewing and fermentation that I learned the hard way down a long road. Simple little things like placing your fermentation traps in zip lock bags after you clean and dry them to keep dust out of them in between brews. Feel free to ask me anything about brewing, I won't guarantee I know it but I can find the answer!



Happy Brewing,
Keeton