Yin and Yang: The tale of Big Beer and Little Beer

This is the story of two more firsts for Upship! - a barleywine and an american light beer. The plan? To start two very different - and yet very similar - brews side by side, see how they progress, and ultimately: how they compare side by side with some of my favorite beer drinking buddies! Also, I'm going to provide you with a chance to vote - starting..........now -  for which of the two beers you expect to turn out to be the most favored among these chosen beer snobs and fanatics. At the end I'll throw together some crude graphical representation of what you as the readers expected at different points throughout the brew, and how each poll stacks up to the end result!

 At this moment the Barleywine is in it's secondary fermentor - the OG was approximately ~1.08 and the FG at the time of racking was ~1.01 providing about 9% ABV. I'm hoping to see a little more by bottling time. My laziness with this batch may have affected the final outcome of the brew. Due to a failure in the post boil filter operation a large amount of hops made it into the fermentor and stayed there during the two weeks of primary fermentation. It was hoppy at the time of racking into the secondary but still tasted very much so like good beer, and even more so like barleywine. So, far so good.

The light beer is currently in primary fermentation - looks like it will be a hair darker than I was hoping for a true light beer; more of an amber. Turns out the Golden LIGHT extract I used was much heavier than I expected. I should have used much more Light DME and/or rice syrup solids to get the proper body and color. My friend Jimbo will never let me live this down...but, I have developed a new appreciation for "those damn light beer brewers" in the commercial industry. Additionally, a true american light beer is lagered, I used an ale yeast but I intend to "lager" it while it's in the secondary.

Next up: Irish Red Ale! Mead! And Kegging! The light beer is going to be the first beer to go into the keg.

Until then,
Jack

Oktoberfest in Fredericksburg Texas

One word for the experience....excellent (like the bill and ted kind)! Fredericksburg is a small town - relatively. But there's one thing you notice right away when you get your soles on the pavement: the people of Fredericksburg are all about the celebration. I meandered through a few small shops, shoulder to shoulder with everyone else, and didn't buy a single thing. The shop owners and managers were still courteous and kind. That set a good mood which was only enhanced when you got to the town square - yes it's literally an old school town square - and found out that anyone who didn't have to be working to keep their business open was gainfully employed at the actual Oktoberfest! And they too were bright and smiling, and unusually helpful - based on my experience with such events. Let's get to the meat of the issue though, this Oktoberfest has it all. Beer, by the barrel; not the keg, the barrel! Wurst, schnitzel, and sauerkraut enough to feed all of Texas. And more tubas than the Macy's day parade. There were three separate stages which all had live music. A play ground for kids which makes the "family outing" much more legitimate. And a number of vendors to give you something to gander at while the first 3 or 4 pints start to kick in. Speaking of pints, the beer itself was very reasonably priced! It came to $5 for ANY import and the selection was vast! I actually had so many I can't honestly remember which was my favorite. I know it was my second one, and I know it was German, and it was definitely a Marzen/Oktoberfest...I suppose I have no other option but to go again next year! I am going to cast my vote for Oktoberfest Fredericksburg as being the number 1 underrated event in Texas. Next year EVERYONE should go! It will stay firmly seated as a destination event for the Unofficial Texas Beer Tour!

Get ready for the BARLEYWINE!!!
Jack

Texas Beer Tour Update

Spent a night in Fort Worth this weekend. Turns out there is a pretty sweet Draft House there called the Flying Saucer. I wish I could say it was awesome...but they had a cover. Lame. Very very lame. And the service was a little slow to boot. Now that I got that out of the way, the rest of the experience was pretty good. They have HUNDREDs of different brews on type from all over the world and in every possible style you could want! It's about $5.50 a pint for pretty much anything and if they don't have what you ask for they are quick to suggest a similar brew you may not have tried. They also had a small bar menu if you're hungry, although I didn't look at it too closely. If you're in the area, or looking for a destination where you can get good brews try Fort Worth (or any of their other 5 locations in Texas!) and the Saucer. It will be permanently added to the UTBT!!

The Unofficial Texas Beer Tour

I have to admit, spending five years in Colorado I was more than a little spoiled when it comes to good beer! And just as spoiled when it came to "beer tours," beer festivals, and just the sheer amount of beer produced in Colorado. I have had this notion in my head that Texas was significantly more deficient in beer and, even worse, beer festivals. I am very happy to report that neither of these facts are true. And in order to help dispel this unsavory myth I've created the Unofficial Texas Beer Tour. It focuses on the best and biggest; there's more to do and taste, but everything has to start somewhere. Let's take a look at it in chronological order starting in the now time frame:

Beer Festivals:
          - Oktoberfest Fredericksburg Sept 30th through Oct 2nd; Fredericksburg is a true German town, as such this celebration is pretty damn authentic. The menu is incredible, the entertainment runs all day, and there is plenty of beer; German and otherwise. There will be a full report on this one in the future, as there will be for.....

          - Wurstfest  Nov 4th-13th; New Braunfels is another German settlement north of San Antonio. This celebration is the largest, AND longest, in Texas. It also has the greatest volume of brautwurst and sausage, as well as good beer!

Breweries:
          - (512) Brewing Company is a MicroBrew based in Austin, they have a number of different beers including two versions of their Pecan Porter. One being a double which is aged in whisky barrels. Personally, I'm looking forward to trying some of their "ONE" Belgian Strong Ale.

          - Spoetzl Brewery is perhaps the most well known of Texas' breweries being the producer of Shiner Bock, named after the town the Spoetzl Brewery calls home. It's also the oldest independent brewery in Texas, which along with its notoriety makes it an easy addition to this list.

          - Wicked Beaver Brewery, currently producing Wicked Beaver Black ale, is a Craft Brew in Lubbock. According to their website they designed their brew kettles, mashtuns, etc. themselves and had them custom fabricated by a steel fabrication shop. I find that reason enough to make the visit since it means getting a look at something a little different than every other brewery tour out there.

          - Thirsty Planet Brewing will be the last "brewery" on the tour for now. Also located in Austin they currently serve three beers; an IPA, a Wheat, and an Amber. And not only do these guys serve beer, they are also green and give back to the community (community being a worldly noun in this case)!

- Brew Pubs/Draft Houses
           - Fredericksburg Brewing Company is "the oldest and most acclaimed" brewpub in all of Texas! You can find it in, yep you guessed it, Fredericksburg, TX and get this: they're a "Bed and Brew"!!! That means that you may even be able to get by claiming this is a romantic getaway for you and your other half, in case they are less beer inclined. They brew in 500 gallon batches, with up to 7,500 gallon capacity, and currently are serving 6 different brews!

           - Cypress Street Station and Abiline Brewing Company offers a selection of rotating craft brews throughout the year. The brew house has the capacity to have 3 brews tapped at any time with their 3 five-barrel tanks (that's 155 gallons of beer in case you were wondering!!). This touted as "Abiline's Landmark Restaurant and only Brew Pub!"

           - The Draught House Pub and Brewery just made it to the TOP of the Upship! Unofficial Beer Tour list. Here's why: They have a number of house brews on tap, including a cask ale! Not only that, they've got standard pub fare, including real pizza made to order - which hits a soft spot for me. This place has over 50 different beers on tap, and just shy of 20 more available bottled. Bonus! - they have daily specials including, $2.75 pints, buy a pint keep the glass, and free brautwurst day!
           Awesome.

           - Blue Star Brewery located in San Antonio also serves cask beer - another "Awesome." Additionally, they've got 6 other brews currently on tap, and you can take a 1/2 gallon growler for $10. And interestingly enough, they've even got full kegs you can take home. Still better - more pizza, and a huge selection of additional food on the menu...and, yep, wait for it...live music! These guys have probably figured out the equation for the perfect beer drinking atmosphere, and I'm excited to test that theory.

           - The Flying Saucer in Fort Worth is a pretty sweet draft house. I wish I could say it was awesome...but they had a cover. Lame. Very very lame. And the service was a little slow to boot. Now that I got that out of the way, the rest of the experience was pretty good. They have HUNDREDs of different brews on type from all over the world and in every possible style you could want! It's about $5.50 a pint for pretty much anything and if they don't have what you ask for they are quick to suggest a similar brew you may not have tried. They also had a small bar menu if you're hungry, although I didn't look at it too closely. If you're in the area, or looking for a destination where you can get good brews try Fort Worth and the Saucer.

Biergartens:
           - The Auslander Biergarten and Restaurant is located in Fredicksburg, but unlike the Oktoberfest they're open all year round...meaning good food and beer can be had all year round - German and otherwise. Finally, not only does The Auslander look like it was literally plucked out of a small German Dorf it's another establishment that provides live music regularly too.

And for now ladies and gentlemen, I will leave it at that. This, for the moment, is the Upship! Brewing "Unofficial Texas Beer Tour." Disclaimer: admittedly, many fine establishments have surely been left out, and less surely one or two herein listed may not quite live up to our unquestionable taste, but that is the point - to add, modulate, and perfect the "Unofficial Texas Beer Tour" to truly experience it. After all it's not the destination that makes for a good time, it's the experience, so get out there and fill your gullet with good food and great beer! And report your findings for others to enjoy!

Prost!
Jack

Oktoberfest Bottled!

I'm back! Quite a bit to update. Bottled the Oktoberfest today, after 4 months lagering in the converted freezer of the side-by-side "beer fridge". It was worth it from the small sample I had! Additionally, I used a whole new crop of bottles for this brew, which the process of bottling both more enjoyable and much more efficient. The bottles, seen below, are 1Liter Flip Tops. I have 12 of them which is almost enough to bottle an entire 5 gallon batch using just those bottles. I also used my 2Liter Flip Top.

Using these larger bottles cut down on the time of the entire bottling process, from cleaning and sanitation to the actual bottling. Because there were only 12 bottles to clean and sanitize - in addition to the bottling equipment of course - it took only about 25-30 minutes to clean and sanitize everything for the bottling process. That's an improvement of over an hour - JUST for prepping the equipment! To prime the brew I added 1 and 1/4 cup of Dark Vienna Dry Malt Extract to keep the purity of this famous beer style.

After that I siphoned it all into the (NEW!) bottling bucket and about 15 short minutes later I had all five gallons bottled. No bottle caps, capping equipment, or extensive time hunkered down next to the bottle filler. Compare that to about an hour to an hour and a half to fill 64 12 ounce bottles. Effectively I shaved nearly 2 whole hours off the entire act of bottling the brew, thereby bringing the entire experience back to a wholly enjoyable experience sans tedium. Next up/FINALLY I'm going to make a crisp, clean, Coors Light copycat.
And I've got 4 bottles of Lager Slurry to make another lager of some sort - hopefully no one drinks it before then!

Til next time,
Keep 'em cold!
Jack

Coconut Porter is in the bottle!

And thank goodness it is! Every time I bottle I want a kegging system more and more. Or more of my big flip-top bottles - I purchased a 2 Liter flip-top last time I was at Home Brew Party and it, alongside 5 of my Grolsh bottles, put a big dent in this batch.

Eight more of those big boys and I can bottle a whole batch in them in under twenty minutes! In addition to all that, I used a 2 Liter pop bottle - not experimenting again like with the bottle of rum don't worry - I'm just going to serve that on Saturday at a little get together I'm having at my place. Instant feedback on this porter. I think it tastes great flat, so two days of carbonation can only make it better!

And, now that the equipment is all freed up I suppose it's time to...make more beer! And guess what, YOU, whoever you are, picked it. A Pilsner it will be! Winning with one vote...which is a small crowd but a crowd none-the-less. In addition to the pilsner I'm also going to run a light beer in the bucket fermenter concurrently. Yes I agree 10 gallons of beer is a lot, but then again most of you haven't met my friends. Speaking of which my two pals Oku and Hokuto have already come up with a stellar name for the light brew - Jackweiser. And so it shall be. Oh, and whoever you are that voted, send me a message so I can get you that beer! Finally, please let me account for my slower moving posts - I have "gone back to school" if you will and have little time anymore. I'm getting settled in though so I'll try to keep it a little more regular!
Until next time...
Jack

A Plethora of Topics

I've been AWOL the last two weeks - but that's not to say I haven't been brewing! Indeed I have been. Also, of the two people to comment on the previous post, I have randomly chosen a winner...and the lucky commenter is: kimesl! (I'll send you your shirt ASAP Aunt Kim! - and some beer?!). There was no favoritism either I promise - the other person who posted was my roommate. Now, let's get to the beer end of things. Of the people who I sent some of my beer two - from batch number one that is - I've heard nothing but good things. As a matter of fact many were surprised at the quality of the beer. That being said, I would like to reiterate how easy this brewing business is; really fricken easy! Furthermore, it's pretty gratifying when someone says they like YOUR beer. In that light I'm encouraging you to try brewing for yourself if you're interested!
This weekend I started a Porter, with the help of my trusted, and did I mention gorgeous?, Beer Making Assistant. It's already fermenting rapidly courtesy of more white labs yeast, this time regular old California Common Ale, 001 if you want to pick some up. The ultimate goal is to create a Coconut Porter, a clone of the Maui Brewing offering - I've honestly never had this beer but it sounded like a delicious summer brew and a great way to try something new.

The process involves a few pounds of coconut shavings roasted in the oven and then added to the beer after primary fermentation and prior to bottling. I'm pretty excited for this brew!

On the lager side of business I moved the oktoberfest to a secondary fermentor and moved it to the freezer (only way to get the temp down to 34 degrees F). Prior to the transfer however I briefly raised the temperature of the brew to 60 degrees for approximately 36 hours, what is known as a diacetyl rest. The purpose of the diacetyl rest is to allow the yeast to consume fusel alcohol which will create off-taste in the beer, a buttery or butter-scotch flavor, and more importantly can lead to some nasty headaches!

NOW...more FREE STUFF!
Once again I am going to put the power in your hands to vote for the next brew! Look to your right for a chance to vote on the next Upship! brew. After you vote comment on this post and I'll put your name in the hat to win a free six pack of that brew when it's ready! I've provided four choices for you again this time: George Killian's Irish Red (Clone); IPA, APA, or a Pilsner. Let the voting begin!

Oktoberfest!

Last night I brewed my first lager, an Oktoberfest brew. I am very excited about this one both because it's my first lager, and I love Marzen style beer. The brewing process went well, I did not have any boilovers and made very little mess in general. Cooling the wort is the only part of the process that worries me - everything I read focuses on the importance of cooling quickly to minimize the risk of bacterial infection in my beer. The ice water in the sink method is not working. It took almost 25 minutes to cool the wort to 120 degrees last night, I which point I funneled it into the carboy which had cool water in it already. I then poured another half gallon of cold water on top and then took a sample. At this point I ran into a problem - my turkey baster wouldn't reach the wort in the new 6 gallon carboy, sooooo I had to siphon it, which was a pain, but it worked. My OSG was a little low at 1.041 instead of 1.056-1.058 so we'll see how that turns out. My suspicion is that I am adding to much cool water to the wort. A suggestion I have and will be using from now on is to measure out 5 gallons of water and pour it into all of your carboys - then mark the level. That way you know exactly when to add and stop adding water to your wort. Another difference between this brew and the first two was that I used the fabled StarSan sanitizing solution, a no rinse sanitizer. When you talk to people about it, or read about it, most people tell you "not to fear the bubbles". They aren't kidding. This stuff foams like a rabid dog, but I went on with the process, there were still some suds in the bottom of my carboy at transfer time and it does worry me. Mostly on account of the fact that it's a sanitizer and I don't want it killing the yeast. After that I pitched the yeast at 70 degrees and put the fermenter in the fridge at 50 degrees.

This morning there was no sign of active fermentation - adding to the worry of the starsan. However, many publications say that it can take up to 48 hours for the yeast to get moving in a lager so I'll wait it out and let you know how it goes.

A few more details about the brew: I used 6.6 pounds of Munich LME, 1 pound of Amber DME, and steeped 8 oz. of cracked Caramel Malt 60L with 4 oz. of cracked Caramel Malt 20L for 20 minutes prior to boil. For hops, I used 1 oz. of Willamette boiled 60 minutes for  bittering and another ounce of Willamette boiled 20 minutes for flavoring. The yeast used was White Labs' WLP820 Oktoberfest/Marzen.

And for the moment that's that.

Now, as I've mentioned I'm going to give you a chance to win your very own Upship! Brewing T-shirt. Here's the deal. I'm going to simply draw names out of a hat - literally. In order to get your name in the hat you need to comment on this post and in addition to whatever else you'd like to say you need to reveal your favorite style of beer. I'll draw the names sometime next week. So get commenting!

Temperature Controller

Acquired a new newfangled gadget today, colloquially referred to as a "freezer/refrigerator temperature controller," courtesy of HomeBrewStuff.com. This sucker plugs into a wall outlet which you then plug your fridge or freezer into; then you set the thermostat to your desired temperature and run the sensor into the fridge in a cup of water (this helps maintain a stable temperature for the sensor so it doesn't click on and off every time you open and close the door). What the unit does is open and close the power circuit to the fridge or freezer to maintain a very exact temperature - VERY useful for lagering. Especially if you don't have access to an Alpine Cave - or so they say in Home Brewing for Dummies. I've put my good friend Andrew out in the field (he's a pretty badass electrician) to see about the possibility of making these units at home - if it's possible I'll put his how-to up for all to see! Anyway, here is a shot of the unit:

Tomorrow - Oktoberfest!
-Jack

Exploding (Rum) Bottles!

So I spent about an hour today cleaning up all my bottles and my cooler after a bottle exploded. Not a beer bottle, the rum bottle I used in desperation when coming to the realization that I had far too much beer and too few bottles to put it in. Let me emphasize something you should already know prior to bottling - from all the reading you should do prior to making your first batch of beer - you need to use QUALITY bottles; beer bottles. There are two outstanding reasons for this: 1) they are less likely to explode under the pressure created in conjunction with carbonating your brew; 2) they'll last longer and you can re-use them more times (forever...?) before they break. A tertiary reason is that you will be less likely to have to deal with this (or worse):

However, the single most important reason, the one you really should care about - you won't waste any of your precious brew! I'm already down a good majority after running short on bottles and now losing my last-ditch-effort rum bottle. So, get good BEER bottles and save yourself some time, and good beer.

A few off-topic notes: I ordered a new gadget today - a "Freezer/Refrigerator Thermostat". This doohickey has a probe that runs into your fridge or freezer and out to a thermostat box on which you select a desired temperature; that is desired temp, singular, not a range. The thermostat plugs into your wall outlet and your fridge or freezer plugs into the thermostat. Then the thermostat turns the whole appliance on and off to reach and maintain your exact, specified temperature. This is crucial for good lagering of your beer; or so I've read. I also ordered - this stuff from Home Brew Party - another stopper and fermentation lock assembly (another thing I forgot last weekend) as well as some additional Amber DME which I will use to prime the American Amber currently in the primary fermenter; as opposed to dextrose/corn sugar, the use of extract is the purist method of carbonation. Last, I picked up a whole bunch of Oxi-Clean at the local WallyWorld to ease the removal of gunk from the inside of my carboys. And now, I should have all I need to simply BREW for a good while!

Oktoberfest/Marzen week next week! Also be on the lookout to for a chance to win your very own Upship! Brewing T-shirt!
- Jack

Second Brew! - American Amber

 After all the votes were tallied, and there were a few, American Amber was the top pick. And as of last night, it has been brewed!

Again, I made a mess - this time it was much smaller though, and I'm hoping next time even more so; maybe not even messy at all! First let's get a few short lessons learned out of the way: when using Dried Malt Extract (DME) have your bittering hops ready to go before you add the DME to your wort. This is based on the experience I had last night - another boilover. It occured immediately after I stirred in my DME (a crystal amber if you were wondering) and continued to make additional attempts - thwarted by my masterful heat control - until I added my hops. As soon as I dumped the hops in the "head," if you will, dispersed right away. Additionally, having a funnel this time cut the mess I made in half. And, get a funnel...a BIG one. I suspect that the monstrous size of it contributed to the fact that I spilled exactly 0 beer transferring from the brew pot to the carboy. Check this thing out!

One more thing to remember if your tap water is chlorinated - bottled water! I had to make a last minute trip to the local gas station to pick up the 5 gallons of water needed for my brew.

2 gallons...3 more to go. I just told the clerk I was thirsty.

Some other things I tried this time were using the B-brite sanitizer that was included in my original brewing kit; as opposed to bleach. This was awesome as it requires only 30 seconds of contact time with the equipment to thoroughly sanitize it, and then a quick rinse with cool water and it's ready to go! On the next batch I will be utilizing StarSan - a no rinse sanitizer requiring only 30 seconds as well - which I picked up this weekend (see below). Also, I used a large nylon filter bag, one big enough to sit around the lip of a brew/bottling bucket and line all the sides and bottom. I placed this inside the large funnel - which already has a built in filter - when transferring the wort to the fermenter to catch the hops and other sediment. And finally, I employed liquid yeast this time, specifically "designed" for the brewing of American Amber - in this case a California Common strain.

Liquid Yeast - remove from fridge AT LEAST 3 hours prior to pitching time.

Overall the process was much easier than the first time, and very enjoyable. I am very excited for this brew! It should be awesome. It's already fermenting quite actively - after vigorous agitation last night following the pitching of the yeast.
Here are a couple more shots - the first is of the main ingredients for the brew, the second is the initial wort with steeping grains in the sock, and the last is the wort in the sink for the cool down.

Clockwise from bottom left: DME, Liquid Malt Extract (LME), included (but not used) dry yeast, priming sugar, bittering hops (Brewer's Gold), Aromatic Hops (Willamette).

The bottling date is set to be the 3rd of May - two days after "Drinking Day" for the New Home, Brew.

I also acquired some additional equipment and gadgets at my new "almost-local" brew shop, Home Brew Party, in San Antonio. Let me say that HBP is AWESOME! They have everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, even fully constructed corny kegs ($195 if I remember correctly - not a bad deal).I picked up another carboy to serve as a primary fermenter - this one is a six gallon unit! A few other items I picked up included a bottle washer, the nylon strainer, two liquid yeast tubes (one for each forthcoming brew), and some StarSan.

Next on the list of activities: Brew some Oktoberfest! This endeavor will include both my first secondary fermentation and my first lagering - and a long lagering at that.

Your comments, criticism, and petitions for free beer are always welcome!
Stay Classy,
Jack

Bottling Day and a preview of things to come...

Well this weekend I did indeed bottle my first ever batch of beer! It was pretty successful, but in line with the rest of the process, it was also a mess. Just to get the lessons-learned out of the way: before you bottle MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ENOUGH BOTTLES!!!! It's heart-wrenching to pour any of your beer down the drain...I'm sad to say that I ended up have to do this; I exhausted all resources - there's even some beer bottled in a rum bottle which I cleaned and sanitized at the last minute...we will see how that goes. Second, bottle somewhere you  can easily clean up the mess; my bottling bucket's spigot seal leaked and slowly created a sticky beer puddle on the floor which took endless passes of the swiffer wet-jet to clean up (a good suggestion is to bottle in the bathtub!). Now on the list of "things-that-worked-out-great!" the swingtop bottles I used were EXCELLENT! I highly suggest using swing-tops for bottling for a number of reasons: 1) it's easy; 2) it's much much faster; and 3) more beer per bottle.

Now, here's the general outline of the bottling process:
First I cleaned and sanitized all the bottles and bottling equipment, to include the bucket, racking cane, siphon tube, "bottling stick", and bottle caps/swing tops. The  bucket I sanitized with bleach, everything else I used B-brite on, except the actual bottle caps - those I sanitized in vodka, they were the oxygen absorbing type so I couldn't boil them. While everything was sanitizing I boiled my corn sugar and water to pitch into the beer just prior to bottling - this is what the yeast eats to create the carbonation in the beer.

A whole bunch (but still not enough) sanitized bottles.

After everything was sanitized and rinsed I poured the corn sugar solution into the bottling bucket then siphoned the beer out of the carboy into the bucket - called racking it over; an important part of the process is to remember not to splash the beer, you don't want to oxidize it - the mantra is "siphon smoothly and quietly". Once all the beer (not including the sediment!) is siphoned into the bucket you simply start bottling.

All the beer, ready for bottling!

The bottling process is simple - assuming you have the simple bottling "stick" I had which attaches to your spigot and is activated by pressure; in this case the bottom of the inside of the bottle, and fills from the bottom up - further minimizing oxidation again. After you fill up the bottle you cap it. Even with my basic two-handed capper this was a simple task; simpler still were the swing tops. When you're done bottling all (hopefully) of your beer just put it back in a dark corner and let it sit a couple of weeks. This story will continue when I get to that point: 31 April, 2011.

Close to half of the finished bottles - the cooler was full and then some!

Between now and the time I crack open the first homebrew however, I plan on starting one, maybe even two new brews! The first, by a unanimous poll, will be an American Amber, the second will be an Oktoberfest Brew, and my first attempt at both secondary fermentation as well as Lagering! Not to mention a TRUE test of patience as my intent is to wait until September to bottle it, if that's reasonable, and then enjoy it in true German style at the end of September and Early October! The Amber I hope to start this week - be on the lookout for a post on that brew!

Until then...

Jack

Myself, first-ever homebrew, and the red hue I received earlier that afternoon on the lake.

Time to bottle?!

It has been 1 week, precisely, since the beer went into the carboy - so this afternoon I took a sample using a very high tech turkey baster:

The  hydrometer indicated a specific gravity of 1.015 - the intended final specific gravity according to the recipe was 1.012 so it's either done, or very very close to being done! I will keep tabs on it the next few days taking samples each day to monitor the final gravity - if it seems like it has stabilized then I believe I will bottle this weekend! It just so happens that I have a special "Bottling Assistant" here to help out this weekend, so that would be perfect! If I were to bottle now, the calculate ABV (alcohol by volume) would be just a hair under 4%.

Also...
A Lesson-to-learn-from:  acquire a "wine/beer thief" or turkey baster to use for taking samples of the beer for specific gravity readings.


Quick push to remind people to VOTE for the next Upship! Brew.

- Jack

Fermentation!

I appreciate all of your crossed fingers - I'm sure your hands are cramped by now so please uncross them, get a hand massage, and then check out the evidence of all those good vibes you sent this way:

Yeast doing solid work - impressive little guys aren't they?

Fermentation Lock in action - all those bubbles are escaping CO2 gas; a bi-product of fermentation, and happy yeast.

I also went to Walmart today with the SOLE purpose of acquiring a funnel. While I was there I picked a couple of these bad boys up to solve my thermometer problem:

Simple fish tank thermometer - $2.34 a piece, reads in both Fahrenheit and Celsius.

Of course I did not get a funnel while I was there - I know what you're thinking, "Walmart didn't have a funnel!?" And that would be a nice excuse, however, I completely forgot about it. Again. Maybe next time I'll get in there and find one - or find one at the brew supply shop in San Antonio (the closest one to my knowledge).

In summary, all is well on the home brew front, and hopefully will carry on in this blissful state.
This is Jack signing off, and remember "Happy  Beer Comes From Happy Yeast!" (Trademarked).

From Extract to Fermentation - Day 1

I'm happy to say that today the first steps (and arguably DEFINITELY the hardest) were taken to produce the very first Upship! Brew. Henceforth called "New Home Brew!" Admittedly, before actually undertaking the  brewing process it did seem mildly intimidating. However, I'm happy to confirm that it's pleasantly simple-even more simple I would bet if you have all the stuff you need!

The first Upship! brew is an all-extract wit beer. Meaning that it was produced using only malted barley extract - as opposed to taking malted barley, mashing it, then boiling it to create my own "extract"; some other grains were added to the extract during the boiling of the "wort" to add flavor and additional sugars.

Wort!

Hops added to wort using a steeping bag.

The hops were also added to the wort during heating. After the heating process the wort was added to the carboy (which was already filled with 3 gallons of "cool, clean water"*) and allowed to cool to below 78-degrees (F) before taking a specific gravity reading with the hydrometer and "pitching" in the yeast. After pitching the yeast I capped the carboy with the fermentation lock and set it in a dark corner to sit for approximately two weeks.
*-quoted out of The Complete Joy of Homebrewing; my chosen text for directions during this first brew.

Pre-fermented beer, the "brewing" phase is over, now comes the waiting phase...

"waking up" the yeast - prior to pitching

And that's that - good "First Home Brew" beer is soon to come!
 
....or the simplified story anyway...in reality:
-wanna learn from my mistakes? -just read the highlighted segments

I made a HUGE mess! As promised when this little outfit was founded, you can now learn from my failures...and hopefully some success yet. First things first --> make sure you have EVERYTHING you need! In my particular case, a FUNNEL. And in case you are thinking, "I don't need no stinkin funnel!"...you absolutely do need a "stinkin funnel". Really. For the following reasons: 1) you will make significantly less of a mess than I did - that's guarantee, or I owe you a beer; 2) wort is hot, no s*** huh?, you boil it for an hour and then have to pour it into your carboy - without a funnel this is dangerous, and it hurts; 3) cut up one-gallon water jugs don't work, they also deform under the heat.

One other thing you definitely need is a thermometer so that you aren't left guessing when your wort is ready to measure the initial specific gravity, or cool enough to pitch the yeast - I guessed both of these using the trusted "back-of-the-hand" method, not suggested. Make sure you GET A THERMOMETER, and use it.

This hardcore mess was caused by a boil over in the first 5 minutes - which was caused by putting the lid on the pot, "just for a second, and I'll be watching". I literally read not to do this exact maneuver like five or six times, there's a good reason they told me not to; so take their word for it, and my picture, and don't put a lid on your wort. (On a side note: I JUST started moving into this house today, and that is a brand new, never-used stove - broke that sucker in!)

Lastly, get something to take your specific gravity measurements in. I didn't and ended up having to use this large pint glass (this "potential" beer took one for the team) as it was the only vessel I had in my new, yet-to-be-furnished house tall enough to allow the hydrometer to float freely and allow for an accurate specific gravity reading. I'm not sure what to suggest but I bet there are one or two of you out there who could comment on this as a suggestion - Doug Zschoche of Zschoche Cellars, for example, is a perfect candidate as I know he just did this, a few times! Anyway, I suggest trying to find something so as to brew more good beer and waste less!

 That's the real story! I'll post an update tomorrow as to how the initial fermentation is going - cross your fingers that it IS going.

-Jack

And here are a few bonus shots:

Wort is ready for the carboy - notice the three gallons of cold water already in the carboy and the cold water in the wort basin to begin cooling it.

My failed attempts at a makeshift funnel - REMINDER: buy a funnel.

Look at all that sediment - honestly I don't know if it's good, bad, or neither...but I bet it'll be okay.

A shot of the just-sanitized carboy, stopper, and fermentation lock.

Short Update

So, the house, the fabled living establishment that I have been waiting to move into now for 11 days...may not be ready for another 21...theoretically meaning no brewing. However! I have homebrew fever! I WILL brew my first batch this week one way or another.

In other news, spent the weekend in San Antonio with the lady-friend and saw a buddy. That city is awesome! And boy do they like to drink; took a tour of the river walk from the river barge and the boat captain told us at one point that the architect designed the river walk with the intent of forming a New Orleans - Venice fusion. I'd say he was pretty damn successful! That town loves beer...almost as much as it love margaritas. Which brings me to my next point: the third brew that Upship! will undertake will be an Island/Mexican style lager. Simply because I love that style, and it's almost summer - down here it IS summer (my forehead is peeling from a day at the lake as proof!) - and right now it looks like the next/second brew will be an American Amber...in the lead on the poll currently with one vote. Hint hint: vote!

Oh, and here's the other information source I have been using/studying/reviewing in addition to the Complete Joy of Homebrewing; that is, Homebrewing for Dummies.

Be on the lookout for a post on the first brew!
-Jack

The Kit

Some of you may be wondering what exactly my starter kit came with - so here are some shots of what the kit came with, as well as some information of what the items are and their function for those who are interested.

First off, a book:

This is "The Complete Joy of Homebrewing," (TCJOH) written by _______. I've read only the first 70 pages or so - covering the section for Begginner's Brewing, and some of "Better" Brewing. (As a side note, I've read about half of "Home Brewing for Dummies"  which provides a bit more technical information than I have encountered so far in TCJOH, I'd still recommend TCJOH  of Dummies if you're wondering).

Here's the actual "beer kit", Whitewater Wit, that I purchased along with the brewing kit.

It includes:

Malt Extract - This is what gives beer its body, and contributes to much of it's flavor; it's also where the sugars come from that the yeast feed off creating the alcohol.

These are "adjunct grains" which are steeped in the malt adding additional flavor and body to the beer.

Yeast - This is dry yeast (as opposed to liquid yeast culture), it's also just generic brewer's yeast, as opposed to a particular type of yeast which would create much of the flavor for a particular type of beer; additionally, liquid yeast culture is more effective at converting sugars into alcohol - generally - as it is a living culture; dry yeast is comprised of dormant yeast spores that must be "awoken" prior to pitching the yeast, this does not always happen completely.

Hops - hops are used as a bittering agent as well as a preservative; bitterness helps balance out the sweetness of the malt and the preservative properties help inhibit any bacterial growth that could result from the incomplete conversion of sugars.

Priming Sugar - added to the "post-fermented" beer just prior to bottling; this is what creates the refreshing bubbly CO2 in the beer.(additional extract can be substituted resulting in a "purer" product).

Now, on to the actual brewing equipment:

This is a Carboy, in this case a Five Gallon carboy. The carboy is used as the fermenter, it's made of glass usually (or high quality plastic in some cases, for example "Better Bottle" Carboys).

A bucket...yep, high tech stuff, this is used primarily for bottling the beer. (It's advertised as the primary or "initial" fermenter in this basic kit as well - it's made with FDA-approved Food-Grade Plastic). But I'm not lagering my first batch so it will serve as part of the bottling system only.

This here is a siphon and Bottle Brush - the siphon is used to move the beer from one vessel to another. Pretty Basic; and the brush cleans the interior of the bottles prior to filling them with beer.

Next we have a Fermentation Lock, this is a very simple yet VERY important piece of equipment. It allows the CO2 produced during fermentation to escape without letting any air into the carboy. (the presence of oxygen only increases the potential for beer-destroying  bacteria to find their way into the brew and spoil the beer).

Hydrometer - this measures the "weight" of the liquid, or specific gravity, and is used to determine the alcohol content of the beer, among other calculations.

Bottle Capper - self explanatory, the capper puts bottle caps on the bottles.

Bottle Caps - just the regular run-of-the-mill variety (as opposed to the oxygen absorbing type); these will be boiled to sterilize them prior to bottling.

Finally, a few bottles with which to bottle the beer following fermentation. (a few more are required - two cases to be exact...it's very enjoyable to acquire that many empty beer bottles) they will be soaked to remove labels, cleaned, and sanitized prior to bottling.

[One item was not included in the kit but is ESSENTIAL to brewing, a brew pot. At this stage a brew pot is used for heating/mixing the malt extract and adding the hops, prior to fermentation. (Picture forthcoming).]