Weekly Brew Update

I just took samples from the four brews I have going to see how they're progressing, Both of the meads are still very young and even thought there's no real reason to taste them, it's still fun. And as the Master Brewer of my brewery, I deem it necessary to taste everything, often! The winter spice beer is coming along wonderfully and might get a bit more ginger and a second fermentation if it keeps maturing the way it is.  The cider has come up with a sour flavor I'm researching. I'm afraid I used too much orange peal for two long. Not positive it'll make the cut, I'm still researching a fix. I'm thinking I might do a Barleywine next, or at least that is the idea that the latest Zymurgy has plugged into my head. I've also been thinking about a Porter. Either way, I need to make up my mind soon, my spring baseball beer will take about two months, and if it's going to be bottled and ready by opening day, that leaves me the month of December to get one or MAYBE two more between now and then...

Until then,
Cheers!

A random Hello!

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology thanks for stopping by! I have always wanted to visit Hong Kong, a fascinating place! I hope you found what you were looking for on my blog, if not, and you want to fly me over to Hong Kong,  I'll be happy to meet with you!

The Brew Is Brewed

My Winter Snowman Ale is Brewed and fermenting as we speak. Mainly Light and Amber malt was used along with some Chocolate and Belgium grains. I steeped the grains for about 15 minutes longer than the recipe called for. It boiled for an hour, Irish Moss was added at 15 Min left and Spices (Cinnamon, allspice, and ginger) were added at 5 Min left.  Original Gravity was 1.080 on the dot and 24 hours after pitching the yeast, I can barley keep the trap full. It's blown twice tonight. I'm going to to let it run dry and give it a week after racked with some new sugar just to kick it a little and then bottle it. On Monday I'll have all the brew numbers plugged into my iBrewMaster App and be able to post all the specs on the brew.   I'll update this as I work the brew.

I also racked both Mead brews and the Cider. Both Meads were given another 1.5 pounds of clover honey  and the 3 gallons of cider got half a pound of brown sugar. All three are chirping along and loving the now sugar.

Brew Update

I've moved to a new brewery and haven't had time to post anything new in a few weeks, but I'm back! The Root Beer that I put together was only about 2.5* but the cider I made was 4 out of 5! I have two different 5 gallon batches of mead going and a newer batch of cider with a new recipe to go with it. I have used the same yeast starter for all the batches of mead and cider I've started now.
 
Tomorrow, all three get racked, honey, and or brown sugar gets added, lees get pitched (thrown away) not pitched like new pitched... hahaha I made a brewers joke.... and I'll make a trip to the Home Brewery to pick a great winter brew recipe to start the next couple days...

And at the end of the day I'll have some new pics to post of my pets!

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....

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.