2009 Brewing

So, I wasn't exactly planning on doing too much brewing after coming back from California; the reason being that I am not exactly sure how much longer I will be here. But, let's be Frank, I'm going to be here for at LEAST a few more weeks if not much longer. So, Frank, I decided to brew a quick turn-around Pale Ale early this month, in the vein of a Russian River styled hoppy beer.

8.5# 2-row (U.S.)
.5# Dextrine Malt

.5 oz Chinook -60 min
.5 oz Chinook -30 min
2 oz Chinook -0 min

Dry hop#1:
.5oz Chinook
.5oz Amarillo

Dry hop#2:
.5oz Centennial

Wyeast 1056
SG: 1.051
44 BUs

Dry hop #1 went into the primary after fermentation subsided. The beer was then racked off of the hops into secondary, where Dry hop #2 was added. Both were about 5-day rests.
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That beer is in bottles now. It finished BONE dry at a frightening 1.006 - But it still tastes solid as all get out.

So last night I decided, "Shit, Frank - we will definitely need more beer than just that." The decision was made to brew up an even quicker turn-around, mega low-gravity beer that I could have in bottles within 2 weeks. The idea of a Belgian Wit reared its fruity head, but then the idea of doing a Mild Ale hit me and I didn't look back. These beers can start out in the 1.03s, for shit's sake, and still be very flavorful. Also I thought the roasted character that some exhibit would be a good drinker for the month of February. I ALSO also decided to make this a larger batch, and bottle it right out of my 6.5 gallon primary fermenter.

Here are the details:

(5.5 gallong batch)

6.5# Maris Otter Malt
.5# Crystal 120
.3# Chocolate Malt
.25# Crystal 60
(I kind of whiffed on the crystal malts when at the brewstore, RyToy style, not sure how or why I ended up with what I did - it does look a bit odd)

.3oz Chinook -60 min
.2oz Chinook -15 min

Wyeast Northwest Ale Yeast
18 BUs
SG: 1.046 (which was WAY higher than I wanted. I was looking for 1.038. So I diluted the wort the following morning with another .5 gallon of sterile water to take it down to 1.042)

The yeast choice was partially a reaction to my over-attenuated XPA, and also due to that just being what they had at the brewstore...and it was mega fresh. I knew I wanted something that was a low attenuator, and I have always wanted to try this yeast, but never would have with any of my normal gravity beers.
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So that's the update on the Brew crap. Otherwise I am just hanging out & sending out resumes. There has been some good feedback from some of these brewers, but not job offers yet. Also, Thursday night was CBC's Barleywine Fest, which is always a blast. The Greeks joined me, as well as Tom from the Balazs Clan fame. Lit is the word I would use to describe how I got.

Peace out, January.
-Wrence

The 'Bones, Contemplating... beers.

photo by 'Wrence

One last message of holiday cheer

Sometimes when the Bones and I get together, it really amounts to little more than a facial hair competition.

Two Nuh

'wrence and I both do a good deal of smacque talking on here about all the awesome shit we make and then subsequently ingest. The impression, perhaps, is that we always make kick-awesome stuff and would never be bothered by eating anything that would be considered pedestrian/white-trash by comparison. Well, I am here to tell you that is not the case. I have a confession to make and it might even hurt a little bit.

Tonight I made tuna casserole....and it wasn't the first time. A couple of cans of cream of mushroom soup and tuna, some milk, and a pound of egg noodles. I mean seriously...I realize that it is entirely gross and I don't expect anyone to think otherwise. I just had to get it out there because I was sick of living a lie.

&Ry

Year-End Hombrew totals

2008:

10 Gallons MEAD
70 Gallons BEER

a slight drop from last years totals (105 gallons beer, 5 gallons mead)

-Wrence

January 3rd ramblings

Holiday Re-cap aXesome `09!!!!!

Sorry, I'm not entirely confident that this post will actually live up to that title, but here she goes:

AwseomeMas was pretty cool. My flight back east from San Fran was deeeelllllaaayyyyyed -like you read about; I ended up landing at 3:30am on the morning of the 25th. It was pretty dope actually, once it was all over. V, bless her Greek heart, was super-cool enough to set her alarm and drive out to the airport in the middle of the night for the pickup (and this only a day after her mother arrived for a 2 week visit). A Solid.

After a few hours sleep I commuter-rallied to my Mom's house in the suburbs....upon exiting the train and looking 200 yards down to the parking lot, I spotted some idiot in a full-on Santa suit. The Idiot turned out to be none other than The 'Bones himself, one of my All-time favorite idiots, waiting to pick me up at the station. Another Solid.

What then followed was about 3 or 4 days of eating & drinking. RyToy & I had a fond re-unionizing at the venerable Redbones BBQ, Toy's favorite place for stuffing beer & food into his craw. He had his new camera with him and we took about 100 pictures, most of which feature us pretending to be a gay couple for some reason. Hopefully he will post a few choice ones up here at some point. Toy & I also hit the brewstore a few days later; We met a nice lesbian homebrewer; Ry ended up brewing something and I got some yeast ready for hopefully a quick brew sesh while I'm still hanging around Boston. Will keep you posted.

I hit CBC on new year's eve to catch up with those guys. Brought Ben a bottle of Pliny the Elder, which I don't think he was expecting at all. Good times. Will gifted me a bottle of the 2008 Blunderbuss, which they bottled for limited release at their NYE party and possibly sales at the bar later this year. Very Solid. I'll be back over there next week to talk to Will about my future & hopefully come up with some more concrete ideas as to what I'm doing next. Will keep you posted.

OH: also the Balazs clan was in town for 3 days around the year's end. The typical insanity ensued. I havent seen drinking like that in a long time. And my January 1st hangover was one of my worst, All-time. They kept it going an extra day, though, mind-blowingly.

Cheers to you, readers; wishing you all the beast for Twenty o-nine.

-Wrence