This was supposed to be a simple Pale Ale recipe that I could throw together and brew quickly (hopefully in time for a holiday bottling). Instead, it wound up being my first absolute brewing nightmare. First the recipe:
8lb 2row pale malt
2lb vienna malt
.5 lb crystal malt
Mash 152 60 min
Dough in with 3.5 gal water
At 5 qts 175 degree water
Vorlauf
Drain
Add 3.25 gall water stir
Vorlauf
Drain
1oz cascade 60 min
.5 oz cascade 30 min
. 25 cascade 15 min
.25 cascade 5 min
Cool, pitch yeast-dry, no starter, no need to reconstitute.
Target OG 1.051
I started with a stuck sparge, ok, not a problem, just tap on the hose a bit and stick a hanger through the ball valve assembly into the cooler. Nope, won't work, next, the false bottom falls apart in the tun, the nut holding the assembly together fell off as I was tapping. Quickly I dump the wet grains into another cooler (not set up as a mash tun)and proceed to begin fixing my mash tun when my neighbor walks over and begins to talk to me like nothing is wrong (he probably thinks this is all just part of the process, a messy one at that). I'm trying to talk with him and fix the tun at the same time, so I forget to blow out the hose/ball valve of grain prior to putting it all back together. I dump the grains back in and try again (obviously, the lines are now completely clogged with grain since the whole thng fell apart in the bottom of the tun)and I still am stuck. Dump again while talking with my neighbor who is now showing me pictures of his nephews brewery in Chambersberg,Pa (uber cool at the right time)and this time take the hose to the tun, blowing out the grain. Dump back to the mash tun and begin the sparge!! At this point I'm thinking to myself that my efficiency is absolutely screwed and even contemplated dumping the whole thing into the dead garden in the yard. Nope, I forge on, drain the kettle and go downstairs to grab my second sparge water. Come back out with the 185 degree water only to see my wort running out of the boil kettle onto the ground. Ooopps, never shut that valve prior to first runnings. So now, my strongest wort is gone (maybe 1/2 gallon) too!!! I sparge and empty number 2, then top off with a little water due to the loss. And begin the boil.
Boil 11:05am
. 5 11:35
.25 11:50
.25 12:00
I cool the wort and take a gravity reading. LOL 1.052, no lie. This is going to be interesting to see how this turns out. I pitch the dry yeast right on top of the wort and done.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Monday, November 1, 2010
Christmas ESB
Inspired by the chap from London I met while seeking Kelsos Pilsner at dba in NYC two weeks ago. This is an English beer that attempts to balance pronounced maltiness with a hoppy finish. Not a hop head beer by any measure, but the hops should be more pronounced than any of my beers to date.
Grain bill:
10lb crispmasis otter
.75lb medium crystal
.25lb extra dark crystal
Hops/adjuncts:
2oz Kent Golding at 1st running (this caused me to perform a hybrid type fly sparge instead of a true fly sparge)
.25 oz fuggle @ 20 minutes
.25 oz Kent Golding @ 20 minutes
.25 oz Kent Golding @ 0 minutes
.25 oz fuggle @ 0 minutes
Wyeast West Yorkshire limited edition yeast
TARGET OG 1.054
Brew notes:
Mash in 3.5 gal 166 degree water, target 154- 60 minutes
7:35pm actual temp 10 minutes is 153.1 a little light, may mash 70 min to compensate
Hybrid fly sparge:
1 gal 200 degree water, stir, vorlauf- drain 2 gallons into kettle, add 2oz Kent hops in a paint strainer bag at 7:44pm
Fly sparge 3.5 gal 185 degree water at a 1 gal/10 minute rate- finish 9:23pm
Pre boil 6.75 gallons
Boil 60 minutes- hotbreak 9:33
Add .25 Kent, .25 fuggle at 20 min 10:13 (Paint strainer bag)
1/2 teaspoon yeast nutrient at 10 min.
Add .25 Kent, .25 fuggle at 0 min. 10:33- directly into boil
Cool to 74 degrees, 212 to 80 20min
Whirlpool at 74 11:03pm let sit 1/2 hour outside temp 53 degrees - temp 72 @ 11:10
ACTUAL OG 1.061 at 70 degrees!!!
Aerate 1.5 minutes
Decant starter, swirl yeast
Pitch yeast 12:02 am
Other Notes: Back to a fly sparge and back to a brewmaster warehouse crush and once again, 80% or so efficiency. I hope my 1.040 starter isn't underpitched. The only downside tothis brew so far is that it was late when I pitched the yeast and I forgot to place the magnet on the stir bar and dumped it into my carboy.
Update: 6 hours after pitching, I have a vigorous fermentation taking place. This is the second time I used this yeast, the first was for the Timothy Taylor Landlord clone that I brewed (batch sparged) and came in low in gravity. For that beer, I didn't have activity in the carboy for over 24 hours.
Grain bill:
10lb crispmasis otter
.75lb medium crystal
.25lb extra dark crystal
Hops/adjuncts:
2oz Kent Golding at 1st running (this caused me to perform a hybrid type fly sparge instead of a true fly sparge)
.25 oz fuggle @ 20 minutes
.25 oz Kent Golding @ 20 minutes
.25 oz Kent Golding @ 0 minutes
.25 oz fuggle @ 0 minutes
Wyeast West Yorkshire limited edition yeast
TARGET OG 1.054
Brew notes:
Mash in 3.5 gal 166 degree water, target 154- 60 minutes
7:35pm actual temp 10 minutes is 153.1 a little light, may mash 70 min to compensate
Hybrid fly sparge:
1 gal 200 degree water, stir, vorlauf- drain 2 gallons into kettle, add 2oz Kent hops in a paint strainer bag at 7:44pm
Fly sparge 3.5 gal 185 degree water at a 1 gal/10 minute rate- finish 9:23pm
Pre boil 6.75 gallons
Boil 60 minutes- hotbreak 9:33
Add .25 Kent, .25 fuggle at 20 min 10:13 (Paint strainer bag)
1/2 teaspoon yeast nutrient at 10 min.
Add .25 Kent, .25 fuggle at 0 min. 10:33- directly into boil
Cool to 74 degrees, 212 to 80 20min
Whirlpool at 74 11:03pm let sit 1/2 hour outside temp 53 degrees - temp 72 @ 11:10
ACTUAL OG 1.061 at 70 degrees!!!
Aerate 1.5 minutes
Decant starter, swirl yeast
Pitch yeast 12:02 am
Other Notes: Back to a fly sparge and back to a brewmaster warehouse crush and once again, 80% or so efficiency. I hope my 1.040 starter isn't underpitched. The only downside tothis brew so far is that it was late when I pitched the yeast and I forgot to place the magnet on the stir bar and dumped it into my carboy.
Update: 6 hours after pitching, I have a vigorous fermentation taking place. This is the second time I used this yeast, the first was for the Timothy Taylor Landlord clone that I brewed (batch sparged) and came in low in gravity. For that beer, I didn't have activity in the carboy for over 24 hours.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
It's a dog eat dog world....
That's actually kind of a scary idiom when you think about it. Anyway, in our house there are two adults (my wife and I), our daughter Sophia, and our dog; we’ll call her Zoie in an effort to protect the innocent. So, from my daughter’s point of view, of the inhabitants of our house, including her herself, the humans “should” solidly outweigh the animals. Yet, remarkably, I’m noticing more and more that Zoie seems to be resident mentor and role model of our toddler.
First it was the chewing, which I assumed was normal for teething babies (although, I’m not really sure how biting with what few teeth you have into a wood coffee table can make your teeth feel any better) and had started customarily with simple teething toys, but soon moved onto books, the dogs chew toys, and periodicals. She is now the proud owner of several books that look like, you guessed it, a puppy had the greatest day of its life chewing on.
Once she became bored of the dog’s chew toys and the taste of cardboard, she started to notice that the dog had ownership of a second classification of toys. Round toys. Soon Sophia began hunting down rubber balls, hockey balls, dryer balls and every other ball imaginable (that belonged to the dog), despite having ridiculous amounts of her own toxic plastic toys from China. On several occasions, she would even take a rubber ball right from Zoie and put it directly into her own mouth. Yum!
So far, nothing out of the ordinary, right? I mean, someone might try and make a correlation between my child’s behavior and the dog, but most would certainly discount it as normal toddler actions. Well, further evidence of my daughter’s canine copying, she now finds herself a comfortable spot to lay down in the dog’s bed when I close her in the bedroom with me. She used to enjoy the “human” bed, but now feels perfectly content curling up in a hair filled, Styrofoam filled, plaid floor fixture. And on most nights we’ll put her in her pjs, give her a bottle, and then let her play for a few minutes before putting her to bed. Typically, during that time she’ll seek out her boo boo bear and if it’s downstairs, carry it around for a bit before we put her down. Otherwise, boo boo bear is already in the crib where she greets it, immediately hugs it and proceeds to tuck it under herself to keep it warm though the night, dare I say like a dog to her newborn puppies? Or dare I say exactly like Zoie does with her boo boo blanket when she knows we are going out???? Scooping it up, whining a bit, and then laying on top of it as we leave the room and lock the front door. Hmmm...two sweetpeas in a pod. At one point, Sophia was even taking the dog’s blanket as her own, much to the chagrin of Zoie who was forced to relocate when she saw Sophia coming, lest she become another climbing toy or the recipient of a full weight body slam.
Again, chewing on dog toys and laying down on dog beds is probably something that most babies from households with dogs will attempt at some point in time (I hope), but I would argue that one of my daughter’s newest “talents” is probably something even a little more unique. Maybe I’m giving my daughter’s observational skills a little too much credit, but she has now proceeded to enter a full squat, tail up position when doing #2. Maybe #1 too, I dunno, but definitely #2, just like “you know who”. Now, I know I’ve never squatted like that for #1 or #2 (not that I’d be willing to admit to anyone anyway) and I’m sure my wife hasn’t either (at least in front of the baby) since she locks herself away for a good 20 minutes when it comes time. So where exactly is she picking this up (no pun intended)? I don't believe I have to look any further than her canine companion. , And if my hunch is correct, should we make an effort to potty train Zoie? Is this the answer to quick and painless potty training of Sophia? Doggie see, doggie doo? Or as an alternate path, do I continue encouraging this behavior, hopeful that she’ll start going #1 and 2 in the backyard (at least until she’s out of diapers, sparing me the expense) and barking at the Jehovah Witnesses that are so bothersome on weekends? What’s next eating off her plate without the use of her hands? Wait a minute…next? Uggh, ok, I’ll just call it all “quirky” for now, but I’m going to keep a watchful eye.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
And The Winner is......
Not my Bolshevik Porter...but that's ok, I scored a runner up placing in my first ever homebrew contest and in NYC of all places. $200 worth of homebrewing supplies is also nothing to sneeze at, SCORE! The winning beer was a Saison that will be brewed by Kelso Brewing; I can't wait to try that beer since it is one of my favorite summer styles. Additionally, in the event that the winner would not be able to fulfill his duties..hehe..hmmm...I would certainly be happy to step in and serve the remainder of his term with honor...and of course brew my beer at Kelso and have it served all over NYC..lol.
I've always loved porters and stouts, long before my friends thought it really cool to drink dark beer, in fact, I remember drinking Heineken Dark at my Sophomore Cottillon and was a big fan of Michelob Dark in high school. I know these are just dark lagers, but these beers laid the groundwork for my future love of everything dark, including porters and stouts. I also can't write a blog about porters and stouts without including Guinness. I was never a huge fan of Guinness and today don't believe it is a good representation of an Irish Stout, not the American bottled version I've tried anyway, and definitely not the "draught" bottles. Gross! Favorites to date are the Taddy Porters, Oatmeal Stouts and Imperial Stouts by Sam Smith, the Smoked Porter by Stone, the Russian Imperial Stout by Otter Creek, Gonzo Porter by Flying Dog as well as the Engligh Porter by St Petes. Since history tells us the differentiation between porters and stouts is muddled and with me being a big fan of maltly beers over the high hopped varieties so popular today, my goal was to brew an older style higher gravity (robust) porter, not unlike the one by Smuttynose, but with a bit more malty goodness(think old world robust porter or baltic porter) and mouthfeel (think chewy sammy smith oatmeal stout).This recipe is a unique robusty porter, maybe a cross between a Baltic porter and an "old world" European robust porter where the hops are much more subtle than American styles in this catagory. I strive to tweak my recipes to make really good beer, even if I might "stray" a bit from true style guidelines. My target OG was 1.065 at 75% efficiency, and I came in a bit higher. This will create more of a warming on the finish. I also fermented at slightly higher temps because of the summer heat, this may also contribute to some estery alcohol notes, but they generally condition out in the bottle over time. This beer, as are all my beers, is bottle conditioned, not force carbonated.
Anyway, here is the not so winning recipe:
Grain Bill
11 lb 2 row Brewers malt
1 lb crisp choc malt
1 lb caramel 40l
4 oz black patent malt (SMS)
1 oz roasted barley (will add a touch of coffee flavor-think otter creek imperial)
8 oz flaked barley (body)
Adjuncts
8oz maltodextrin 20 minutes (chewy gooey, think sam smith oatmeal stout)
Hops
1 oz northern brewer .5 oz cascade 60 minutes
Yeast
Wyeast European Ale #1338 pitch 2 packets
4.25 gallon strike, mash 60 min 150-154
I came in a bit high, which I believe will lessen the maltiness of the beer.It's difficult brewing in really hot weather, I make notes and will adjust next summer.
This was a fly sparge, so I heated 5 gallons of water to 185 degrees.
I sparged out over 1 hour, I shoot for a gallon every 12 minutes, which can be painfully slow and may increase tannins if you don't hit your sparge temps accurately.
Cool wort to 75 or as low as you can, aerate 2 full minutes with oxygen.
Pitch 2 paks European ale yeast- wyeast liquid at 70 degrees
This is a super slow yeast, your krausen may remain for 3-4 weeks. I gave the carboy a little shake at 4 weeks in an effort to drop some of the yeast out. Then cool to 58for a week to drop more, you will still have enough to carb and this style is not highly carbed anyway. Allow beer to come back to room temp (70 or below) and bottle.
Allow 2+ weeks for carbonation. This beer gets better with age, so don't drink too many at two weeks! I actually have TWO bottles remaining from this batch sitting in the fridge downstairs at 68 degrees (I have two carboys with ales fermenting in there, hence the temps).
I've always loved porters and stouts, long before my friends thought it really cool to drink dark beer, in fact, I remember drinking Heineken Dark at my Sophomore Cottillon and was a big fan of Michelob Dark in high school. I know these are just dark lagers, but these beers laid the groundwork for my future love of everything dark, including porters and stouts. I also can't write a blog about porters and stouts without including Guinness. I was never a huge fan of Guinness and today don't believe it is a good representation of an Irish Stout, not the American bottled version I've tried anyway, and definitely not the "draught" bottles. Gross! Favorites to date are the Taddy Porters, Oatmeal Stouts and Imperial Stouts by Sam Smith, the Smoked Porter by Stone, the Russian Imperial Stout by Otter Creek, Gonzo Porter by Flying Dog as well as the Engligh Porter by St Petes. Since history tells us the differentiation between porters and stouts is muddled and with me being a big fan of maltly beers over the high hopped varieties so popular today, my goal was to brew an older style higher gravity (robust) porter, not unlike the one by Smuttynose, but with a bit more malty goodness(think old world robust porter or baltic porter) and mouthfeel (think chewy sammy smith oatmeal stout).This recipe is a unique robusty porter, maybe a cross between a Baltic porter and an "old world" European robust porter where the hops are much more subtle than American styles in this catagory. I strive to tweak my recipes to make really good beer, even if I might "stray" a bit from true style guidelines. My target OG was 1.065 at 75% efficiency, and I came in a bit higher. This will create more of a warming on the finish. I also fermented at slightly higher temps because of the summer heat, this may also contribute to some estery alcohol notes, but they generally condition out in the bottle over time. This beer, as are all my beers, is bottle conditioned, not force carbonated.
Anyway, here is the not so winning recipe:
Grain Bill
11 lb 2 row Brewers malt
1 lb crisp choc malt
1 lb caramel 40l
4 oz black patent malt (SMS)
1 oz roasted barley (will add a touch of coffee flavor-think otter creek imperial)
8 oz flaked barley (body)
Adjuncts
8oz maltodextrin 20 minutes (chewy gooey, think sam smith oatmeal stout)
Hops
1 oz northern brewer .5 oz cascade 60 minutes
Yeast
Wyeast European Ale #1338 pitch 2 packets
4.25 gallon strike, mash 60 min 150-154
I came in a bit high, which I believe will lessen the maltiness of the beer.It's difficult brewing in really hot weather, I make notes and will adjust next summer.
This was a fly sparge, so I heated 5 gallons of water to 185 degrees.
I sparged out over 1 hour, I shoot for a gallon every 12 minutes, which can be painfully slow and may increase tannins if you don't hit your sparge temps accurately.
Cool wort to 75 or as low as you can, aerate 2 full minutes with oxygen.
Pitch 2 paks European ale yeast- wyeast liquid at 70 degrees
This is a super slow yeast, your krausen may remain for 3-4 weeks. I gave the carboy a little shake at 4 weeks in an effort to drop some of the yeast out. Then cool to 58for a week to drop more, you will still have enough to carb and this style is not highly carbed anyway. Allow beer to come back to room temp (70 or below) and bottle.
Allow 2+ weeks for carbonation. This beer gets better with age, so don't drink too many at two weeks! I actually have TWO bottles remaining from this batch sitting in the fridge downstairs at 68 degrees (I have two carboys with ales fermenting in there, hence the temps).
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Sammy Adams Octoberfest
I picked this beer up for free off the shelf of the refrigerated at the beach house.
Before I begin, I want to let everyone know that the word is spelled Octoberfest and not Oktoberfest which always seemed weird to me as an American, but I really thought that's the German way to spell it for the longest time.
Sam Adams Octoberfest is a 5.3% ABV Märzen, which is actually a lager that gets its name from the month the brewing process began. Back in the day before refrigeration, this beer was started in March, which was the last month that beer could be stored (lagered), before ambient temps rose too high to lager beer. It was left to lager over the spring and summer, and then was ready to go around this time of year, Autumn- Oktoberfest!
So, the märzen has become a traditional favorite for this time of year – and that’s a good thing! Its one of my favorite styles of lager because it typically has a more malty flavor, and nice sweetness, so I expect to be thoroughly dissappointed by an American version haha.
Overall, Sammy does ok in comparison to the other Oktoberfest beers I’ve tried over the last few years. Its a beautiful clear amber color – perfect for fall, and it creates a nice, slightly amberish head that compliments the beer nicely.
Aroma is typical I think for the style. Malt and a biscuty sweetness come forth and there is a little bit of hop that comes through as well.
The taste is also typical of the style. Malts dominate, but don’t overpower. There’s a sweetness that’s reminiscent of toffee and the hops do well to balance it out by providing a little bitterness and bite toward the finish.
Overall, not bad. Perhaps the Sam Adams Octoberfest is not the excellent Ayinger Oktoberfest (the best of the style I’ve ever tried), but its certainly good enough for me to drink for free. Rathskeller Rating: ok but not great.
Before I begin, I want to let everyone know that the word is spelled Octoberfest and not Oktoberfest which always seemed weird to me as an American, but I really thought that's the German way to spell it for the longest time.
Sam Adams Octoberfest is a 5.3% ABV Märzen, which is actually a lager that gets its name from the month the brewing process began. Back in the day before refrigeration, this beer was started in March, which was the last month that beer could be stored (lagered), before ambient temps rose too high to lager beer. It was left to lager over the spring and summer, and then was ready to go around this time of year, Autumn- Oktoberfest!
So, the märzen has become a traditional favorite for this time of year – and that’s a good thing! Its one of my favorite styles of lager because it typically has a more malty flavor, and nice sweetness, so I expect to be thoroughly dissappointed by an American version haha.
Overall, Sammy does ok in comparison to the other Oktoberfest beers I’ve tried over the last few years. Its a beautiful clear amber color – perfect for fall, and it creates a nice, slightly amberish head that compliments the beer nicely.
Aroma is typical I think for the style. Malt and a biscuty sweetness come forth and there is a little bit of hop that comes through as well.
The taste is also typical of the style. Malts dominate, but don’t overpower. There’s a sweetness that’s reminiscent of toffee and the hops do well to balance it out by providing a little bitterness and bite toward the finish.
Overall, not bad. Perhaps the Sam Adams Octoberfest is not the excellent Ayinger Oktoberfest (the best of the style I’ve ever tried), but its certainly good enough for me to drink for free. Rathskeller Rating: ok but not great.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Old Ale AKA Holiday Cheer
Ooops, next time remember the blow off tube!
Old English Strong Ale AKA Holiday Cheer
Batch sparge #3!
9.5 lbs English Maris otter
.5 lbs simpsons dark chocolate
.25 lbs simpsons medium crystal
. 25 lbs fawcett pale choc malt
Hops/ adjuncts
1 lb corn sugar 60 min
1 oz east kent goldings 60 min
1 oz east kent goldings 20 min
1 oz styrian goldings flame out
Wyeast neo Brit from mild bottled tonight instead of London esb # 1968
Mash in 3.5 gallons strike 162 degrees
60-70 minutes depending on temps, looks like 151.9 at first, drooped to 150.8- mash in 9:15pm, mash for 70 minutes
Mash out 9:25pm, with 1.5 gallons 195 degree water, vorlouf, emply 1st runnings into kettle .
Add 3.5 gallons 185 degree water, vorlouf, empty into kettle
Stuck sparge uggh 1st ever
Boil 11:05
Hops & corn sugar 11:08
Hops#2 11:45
last hops 12:10 at flame out
Chill to low as possible, pitch onto cold yeast- a first
OG came in at 1.053、back to fly sparging, this was horrible effficiency. I will stick to batch sparging for lower gravity beers.
Decanted yeast cake by pouring some into mason jars and some into sink. Pitched onto yeastcake at 12:50am
Resting comfortably with the Maple Ale
Old English Strong Ale AKA Holiday Cheer
Batch sparge #3!
9.5 lbs English Maris otter
.5 lbs simpsons dark chocolate
.25 lbs simpsons medium crystal
. 25 lbs fawcett pale choc malt
Hops/ adjuncts
1 lb corn sugar 60 min
1 oz east kent goldings 60 min
1 oz east kent goldings 20 min
1 oz styrian goldings flame out
Wyeast neo Brit from mild bottled tonight instead of London esb # 1968
Mash in 3.5 gallons strike 162 degrees
60-70 minutes depending on temps, looks like 151.9 at first, drooped to 150.8- mash in 9:15pm, mash for 70 minutes
Mash out 9:25pm, with 1.5 gallons 195 degree water, vorlouf, emply 1st runnings into kettle .
Add 3.5 gallons 185 degree water, vorlouf, empty into kettle
Stuck sparge uggh 1st ever
Boil 11:05
Hops & corn sugar 11:08
Hops#2 11:45
last hops 12:10 at flame out
Chill to low as possible, pitch onto cold yeast- a first
OG came in at 1.053、back to fly sparging, this was horrible effficiency. I will stick to batch sparging for lower gravity beers.
Decanted yeast cake by pouring some into mason jars and some into sink. Pitched onto yeastcake at 12:50am
Resting comfortably with the Maple Ale
Monday, October 11, 2010
Homemade Ricotta with a Twist
You can easily adjust this recipe for as little or as much as you want. I gallon of milk will yield about a pound of ricotta. the flask is sanitizing corn sugar for the mild beer i'm bottling later tonight.
1 gallon milk
2.5 oz 5% acidity vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
bring milk to 190 degree, stirring frequently so as to not scald the milk on the bottom of the pan
add vinegar and salt around 120 degrees
when temp reaches 190, remove from heat and set aside for 20 minutes
after 20 minutes, scoop curds out and drain in cheese cloth lined collander, cheese baskets or a musiln bag
let drain for about an hour, depending on how wet or dry you like it.
the twist?
well, you can add some lemon zest for flavor, or italian herbs, or honey, it's even really good with jam on toast or a bagel.
my twist?
I had all this extra whey (which i will feed to the dog btw, since we don't have any pigs in the neighborhood), so i decided to cut up some fresh lasagna noodles into strips and cook it in the whey and remaining curd.
just bring it back to a boil (careful of boil over, it will foam)
and boil your pasta!
creates amazing favor, i even added a few hot pepper flakes for a little kick
And serve!
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Life begins at 60....
1.060 that is....
Maple Ale
This is my second attempt at a batch sparge, my first with a higher gravity beer
Grain bill:
9 lbs rahr 2 row pale
.75 lbs briess caramel 60l
.5 lbs briess caramel 80l
.25 lbs fawcett pale chocolate
.125 lbs UK black malt
Hops/ adjuncts:
.75 oz US Goldings 60 min
.75 oz Liberty 30 min
1 oz Willamette 15 minutes
16-24 oz organic grade b maple syrup, I'm just going to pour liberally until I decide to stop
Wyeast Northwest Ale is the yeast I chose and I made a starter yesterday to account for the higher gravity I'm expecting from the syrup.
Heat 3.5 gal strike water to 162
Mash in 7:29pm 150.9
Temp check 7:36 154 plastic, 151.9 digital
Good temps, mash for 60 min
Heat 5.5 gal to 190
Add 2 gall to tun to raise temps to 168-170
Vorluf out slowly to set your grain bed 8:35- temp check only gave me 158, use closer to boiling next time, this is ok, I sometimes mash for 75 min anyway
Empty your first runnings into the kettle
Check your kettle level and add remaining hot water up to 3 megal maybe less, Depending in kettle level. I left about 1/2 gallon in the cooler.
Vorluf to set grain bed 8:42pm temp check 169.6, booyah!
Drain 2nd runnings into kettle
One drawback I notice with batch sparing is a lot more grain pieces in kettle, even after vorluf. I attribute this to a slow drain when fly sparging versus opening the valve and draining as quick as possible with batch sparging I'll just skim the surface with a strainer in an effort to pick some of this out
Bring to boil- hot break9:09pm
Add your goldings once boil settles to rolling
Add your liberty 30 minutes into the boil
Add your Willamette 45 minutes into the boil, also add the wort chiller to the kettle
Add yeast nutrients at 10 minutes
Oops, boil over, stupid mistake that is a bitch to clean up, think carmelized sugar all over your equipment. You also lose precious beer!
Add maple syrup as close to flame out as possble to sanitize, without risking burning 10:10pm
Chill wort to 80 degrees 10:30 pm
75 degrees, 10:31pm, I love brewing in fall, super fast cooling
Whirlpool and Let settle 1/2 hour
Take a hydrometer reading
My OG without the syrup addition should be 1.052 with syrup, who knows, since I'm not actually sure how much syrup I dumped in, but it's coming in at 1.060 Glad I made a starter
Aerated and pitched yeast at 11:50 pm
Thursday, October 7, 2010
I've never quite understood the fascination with the baby’s “first word”. I mean, I understand it’s sort of a milestone, but we all know they will eventually talk, and talk they will, so why the rush and why the does the medical profession have to make it so “quantitative”? She “should “ be babbling by 6 months, she “should” be saying 3 words by one year, she “should” be forming complete sentences before 18 months. SHUT UPPPP! Not you sweetie, talk all you want, because god knows, if you can’t keep up with the baby Jonses, there is something wrong with you and we are going to have to introduce you to Mrs. “Speech Intervention” based on some Pediatricians timeline of when you should be talking back to me. Now, after waiting patiently for her to utter her first “real” word, I realize how silly it is for everyone to be so concerned about A. what that first word is, and B. the exact point on the timeline of her super short life that she actually said it. Sophia has been communicating well since she was a baby. At 10 months she started signing consistently and our communication improved, thanks to Aunt Roberta I think, or maybe it was some deaf child she met down the beach. Regardless, at 13 months, she was signing regularly and had begun to use some “pseudo” words consistently , but nothing of any substance. And by “pseudo” I mean, dada and eventually mama; yes dada was first and I have the video to prove it, but I digress because it really isn’t important in the grand scheme of things (except to mama). I also realized that I'm not sure when exactly she started pseudo talking, it definitely wasn't a sudden thing, she just started making sounds and “we”(some of us), hopeful that she would yet again fall into that absolute timeline, started interpreting mumbo jumbo into actual words. My wife would say, did you hear that? She said “…” and I would say “yes, I heard it”, when in reality, I was thinking “WTF, she was babbling that crap at 6 months, don’t put words in her mouth, no pun intended”. Look, in all honesty, it has been a gradual process, with lots of starts and stops along the way. That said, I’m going to update a list of Sophia’s “pseudo words" - some that she uses often, others that she has only blurted out a couple of times. I say pseudo, because they don’t really count per Marion Webster.
Mama (mostly combined with the sign for "more" when she wants something, but used other times as well)
Dada (used like "mama" but when talking directly to dada) hehe :0)
uh oh (her favorite for a bit, taught by mom mom)
pop pop (mom mom swear she says it, I’ve yet to hear it, sorry dad)
Animal noises (many of these have been around longer than most of the words):
woof woof (sounds more life "fff, fff" - she loves the "f" sound!) Let’s hope that unlike my neighbor Annie, she doesn’t eventually love the f-bomb.
mmmmmoo (cow) ok, I am embellishing a bit with the “o” at the end, it’s basically mmmmm. I’m not sure whether she is trying to say moo or she loves her milk so much she sees a cow and goes mmmmmmmm.
baaa (sheep)
Words she has said once or twice (like an UFO sighting):
Pop pop (from mom mom)
Ni ni (night night)
Buh bi (bye bye)
Doggie (From lala)
Huh? (as in ehhh?more like grunting ehhh"? and nails on a chalkboard)
Besides these few, practically indistinguishable words (to me anyway), she talks in her own language constantly. Our house and car is now filled with chatter, and I can honestly say I’m not looking forward to the day when I have to provide answers to the questions she will eventually form from all of this finger pointing followed by huh? (ehhh?-see above words). She definitely has lots to say and it is so fun to hear some of it, but I’ll be damned if I can understand one pseudo word of it. Although, I’ll admit I am getting quite proficient at hearing certain words that she is trying to communicate that are quite distinguishable from the babble, yet completely indistinguishable to anyone other than a father trying so hard to meet a pediatricians goals! 3 words by 1 year dammit or your child will ride the short bus!
That all changed tonight. You see, regardless of what baby books you read, what your doctor’s timeline outlines, what your friends and family tell you your child “should” be doing/saying at some ‘exact” point in the measured monthly age of 6, 12, 15, 18, 20, 24 months, or how hard I worked to have her first “real” distinguishable word be “beer”, Sophia clearly uttered her first word this evening. Not only did she say it clearly and with intention, she repeated it for me when I asked a second time what she wanted, and repeated it again when I brought my wife into the room to "officially" verify. Her first word?
IPAD. I kid you not.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Cosmo Clone
Chevre is a fresh soft cheese usually made from goat milk, but apparantly it can be made from cow or sheep milk also, as I recently learned in my cheese making class at Three Shepherds in Warren, Vt. It is easy to make and you can either use plastic cheese moulds (I’m using heart shaped molds that I picked up online)or nylon cloth or cheesecloth. Or make a cheese mould out of a plastic container, like Tupperware, just remember to sanitize, sanitize, sanitize and if you are cutting, clean cuts only as rough edges harbor bacteria. Below is a recipe using one ½ gallon of milk. I initially made this a one gallon recipe, but we ran out of milk in the house and you DO NOT WANT TO RUN OUT OF MILK WITH A 16 MONTH OLD who can now see the bottles of cheese making milk in the fridge! Again, before making this cheese, sanitize anything that will be in contact with the milk and cheese.
Ingredients: 1/2 gallon of milk (fresh raw milk will also work), preferably non homogenized milk. Or use a ½ gallon of skim milk and 1/2 pint of heavy cream. 1/8 tsp of Mesophilic Series MM Starter Culture and 1/8 teaspoon single strength calf rennet or you can use any type of rennet. (One drop per quart of milk-single strength)
1. Heat the milk to 72 degrees Fahrenheit . (I overshot the runway here and hit 81 degrees super fast, but no turning back, you can't leave warm milk laying around.
2. Sprinkle the Mesophilic starter over the milk, let sit 5 minutes before stirring in. Raise the temp of the milk to about 76-82 degrees.(no need here..lol..already there) Let sit for 2 hours. Add the rennet diluted in about 20x the equivalent amount of bottled water.
3. Cover the milk and let sit for 18-24 hours at room temperature (about 75-77F).
4. After this period you will see some whey on the top of the curd mass. Place your plastic moulds on a plate or something to allow the whey to drain and gently scoop the curds into the moulds. As the moulds drain down a bit, scoop more curds into them.
5. Let the curds drain covered for about two days at room temperature (about 68-72F). Keep the curds in the moulds covered. During this room temperature period acidity is being developed which gives this type of cheese its tangy flavor. This acidification also helps preserve the cheese.
6. After the cheese have ceased weeping or draining whey, take the cheese carefully out of the moulds, salting all sides (using course non-iodized salt, kosher is good) and wrap in plastic wrap. After salting you can sprinkle dry herbs or paprika onto the little cheeses. Use only herbs that are sold for cheese making. These herbs have been cultivated and treated so their mold count is safe for cheese production. Using herbs from your garden can harbor organisms that may make the cheese unsafe for consumption. I am using a smoked paprika and a bit of crushed red pepper flakes.
This type of cheese will last about 10-14 days in your refrigerator and is super versatile, a spread, a stuffing, a flavored accomaniement.
Ingredients: 1/2 gallon of milk (fresh raw milk will also work), preferably non homogenized milk. Or use a ½ gallon of skim milk and 1/2 pint of heavy cream. 1/8 tsp of Mesophilic Series MM Starter Culture and 1/8 teaspoon single strength calf rennet or you can use any type of rennet. (One drop per quart of milk-single strength)
1. Heat the milk to 72 degrees Fahrenheit . (I overshot the runway here and hit 81 degrees super fast, but no turning back, you can't leave warm milk laying around.
2. Sprinkle the Mesophilic starter over the milk, let sit 5 minutes before stirring in. Raise the temp of the milk to about 76-82 degrees.(no need here..lol..already there) Let sit for 2 hours. Add the rennet diluted in about 20x the equivalent amount of bottled water.
3. Cover the milk and let sit for 18-24 hours at room temperature (about 75-77F).
4. After this period you will see some whey on the top of the curd mass. Place your plastic moulds on a plate or something to allow the whey to drain and gently scoop the curds into the moulds. As the moulds drain down a bit, scoop more curds into them.
5. Let the curds drain covered for about two days at room temperature (about 68-72F). Keep the curds in the moulds covered. During this room temperature period acidity is being developed which gives this type of cheese its tangy flavor. This acidification also helps preserve the cheese.
6. After the cheese have ceased weeping or draining whey, take the cheese carefully out of the moulds, salting all sides (using course non-iodized salt, kosher is good) and wrap in plastic wrap. After salting you can sprinkle dry herbs or paprika onto the little cheeses. Use only herbs that are sold for cheese making. These herbs have been cultivated and treated so their mold count is safe for cheese production. Using herbs from your garden can harbor organisms that may make the cheese unsafe for consumption. I am using a smoked paprika and a bit of crushed red pepper flakes.
This type of cheese will last about 10-14 days in your refrigerator and is super versatile, a spread, a stuffing, a flavored accomaniement.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Recipe-Fresh Ripened Cheese
Mmmm...bacteria. I've decided that nothing will make me appreciate all those wonderful results of milk digestion that I find in the cheese case more than learning how to make a batch at home. A simple fresh cheese would be a great place to start and wet my feet into this new foray that is the world of home dairying.
The ingredients for fresh (or a type of cream) cheese are simple: whole milk, cream, culture, rennet, and salt. Bacterial cultures ferment lactose, a sugar found in milk, and create an environment where enzymes in rennet can curdle the milk. The resulting curd is then separated from whey by draining it through cheesecloth or fine straining bag. Finally, salt adds flavor and natural preservation. Pretty simple, aye? Let's give it a try.
My punch list:
• 2-quart stainless steel saucepan
• Dairy thermometer or instant-read thermometer that reads accurately in the 70–100 degree range
• 2-quart glass or stainless mixing bowl
• Muslin bag or standard cheesecloth- I used a bag
• Colander or large sieve, plus another larger mixing bowl for draining
• 1 pint whipping cream
• 1 pint whole milk
• 1⁄8 teaspoon Flora Danica or other mesophilic culture-I used mm101.
• 2 drops liquid rennet (animal or vegetable) or 1/4 of a dry rennet tablet- I used liquid calf, old school!
• Bottled water
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
CLEANING: Thoroughly wash and rinse your equipment with boiling water to sterilize the pieces. Contamination with undesirable bacteria will ruin your cheese. I also brew beer, so I have no rinse sanitizing product that I am assuming are safe, but will have to experiment. You can also use dilute bleach, but rinse really well.
CULTURING AND RIPENING: Combine the cream and milk in the saucepan. Attach the thermometer and heat the milk mixture over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until it reaches 72ºF. Transfer the milk mixture to the bowl. Add the mesophilic culture and stir.
COAGULATION: Prepare rennet by diluting 2 drops liquid rennet in 1 tablespoon of bottled water, or by crushing 1/4 of a dry rennet tablet with the back of a spoon and then dissolving it completely in 2 tablespoons of bottled water. Add rennet to the milk mixture and stir well with a spoon for 1 minute.
FERMENTATION: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in a warm location (about 70ºF) for 12 to 16 hours (I've read that overnight in an oven with the oven light on works well). Try not to disturb the cheese while it is ripening or it may not set well. The mixture will be thick like yogurt when done.
FORMING THE CHEESE: Empty the contents of the bowl into a cheesecloth-lined colander or sieve, set over a larger bowl. Allow to drain at room temperature (68–74ºF) for 6 hours or until draining stops. Empty the liquid accumulating in the bowl from time to time so that it does not prevent the cheese from draining properly. Discard the liquid and transfer the cheese from the colander to a clean bowl. Using very clean hands or a spoon, knead the salt into the cheese until it is evenly distributed. Store the cheese in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. The flavor will continue to improve over the first few days.
Adding bacteria to perfectly good milk may seem counterintuitive, but rest assured: these bacteria are harmless. In fact, the byproducts of the bacteria living, multiplying, and dying are responsible for many of the flavors we enjoy in cheese. As you make this cheese, taste a few samples intermittently with a very clean spoon, to note how flavors develop over twenty-four hours of fermentation. You can create a little flavor laboratory right in your kitchen, or in my case, my basement.
Just like good beer comes from good ingredients and proper sanitation, good cheese comes from good ingredients and proper sanitation. Use the best milk and cream you can find. The other stuff—mesophilic culture, liquid rennet, and butter muslin cheesecloth—may be found at homebrewing stores that carry cheesemaking supplies or online at various retailers, just google cheesemaking supplies. You may also substitute one tablespoon of buttermilk for the mesophilic culture if you don't want to make the commitment, the culture is freeze-dried though and will last in your freezer.Note, though, the change, like in any recipe, will impact the flavor. If you can’t find liquid rennet, use dry rennet tablets, often found in the dessert section of a well-stocked market (look for the Junket brand). Likewise, four to six layers of standard, loose-mesh cheesecloth may be used instead of the harder-to-find muslin.
Have fun!
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Pale Ale Mild-1st Batch Sparge
Mild
4lb maris otter
.5lb Briess pale ale
.25lb flaked oats
.5lb Simpson Caramalt
1oz fawcett pale chocolate
.5 east kent goldings 60 min
.25 east kent goldings 15 min
1 lb corn sugar at flame out
yeast-new strain-1945 NB Neobritannia
1.75 gal mash in at 164
Target 154, came in a little low on mash in, per digi, way high by cheap thermo?????
60 min, add 2 gal 195 degrees water
170 per digi
Vorlauf
Emply into kettle
Add 2 gall 155 degree water
Vorlauf
Empty into kettle
Saves about an hour vs fly sparging
This is another low gravity recipe that I'm testing, my target OG is around 1.038, which should yield me just over 3% abv.Pre boil looks a little light at just over 5 gall, will add plain h2o to kettle
Ouch, had to add 1 full gallon water to pre boil
Mash 8:09pm
Sparge 1 9:10pm
Sparge 2 9:30, had to wait for water to reach temp, Better organized next time.
Boil 9:58-minimal hotbreak, boo, super low gravity could be the reason- orrrr
The dreaded batch sparge
First hops 10pm
Second hops
10:45pm
Wort chiller 10:45
Corn sugar 11pm
Cool down
Wort chilled to 80 degrees 20 min, whirlpool and let settle
Drained kettle 12:00am
OG came in at 1.040 @ 66...weird, great efficiency for my first batch sparge, can it really be this easy??
Will allow temp to drop to low 70's to pitch yeast
12:50 am 9/11/10 pitched yeast
Friday, September 10, 2010
Sierra Nevada Tumbler
Profile: The newest addition to the Sierra Nevada portfolio of seasonal beers, Tumbler Autumn Brown Ale conjures falling leaves and cooler weather. But even as temperatures hover in the 80's here in the northeast into September. this malty brew offers a welcome contrast to the flood of IPAs and hopped-up hybrid beers around right now, and I'm welcoming that.
Made with freshly roasted chocolate and smoked malts, Tumbler should have a profusion of dark cocoa and coffee notes, balanced by mildly spicy and fruity aromas and flavors and some hop bitterness, but it's barely noticable to me.Overall, super smooth and a decent commercial beer by a brewer known for hopiness aka Sierra Nevada Pale Ale Perfume beer!!
Made with freshly roasted chocolate and smoked malts, Tumbler should have a profusion of dark cocoa and coffee notes, balanced by mildly spicy and fruity aromas and flavors and some hop bitterness, but it's barely noticable to me.Overall, super smooth and a decent commercial beer by a brewer known for hopiness aka Sierra Nevada Pale Ale Perfume beer!!
Doofus Daddy
This post is actually the result of an email that I saw from a friend of my wife. It explained a card that she had just read that made her think of me of all people. The card basically showed a picture of a baby getting a bath in a sink full of dirty dishes and the caption read, “why dads shouldn’t babysit”. LOL. First, it only took a second for me to think the exact opposite. Isn't it actually quite ingenious that the father was not only multitasking by cleaning the baby AND the dishes simultaneously, and saving water in the process, but the GUY WAS DOING THE DISHES!! HELLO LADIES!! Damned if we do, damned if we don’t. When was is it that our culture somehow developed this stereotype that fathers are either invisible, incompetent, or second-rate parents? Most people (including dads, myself included) think mom is best suited to be the primary and most influential parent. One sees that mindset everywhere from the school nurse’s office to sitcoms. How often does the school nurse called a sick kid’s father at work to come pick her up? Does she have his work number at all? I'm willing to bet many have the NEIGHBOR as a second contact. Or watch the "sitcom" daddy who doesn’t know which end of the baby to put the bottle in, or who gags when changing a diaper, or completely ignores the child as they completely wreck the house while he's watching his favorite sprorting event. That’s the stereotype of Daddy as a dummy. In television while I was growing up, the sitcom father was presented completely different from today. The entire family sought him out to ask him advice and he was the family problem solver. The sitcom father of the past was presented as wise and intelligent. He was revered and honored by the whole family. He was respected. There were very few jokes poking fun at the sitcom father of the past. Usually, he was the one cracking jokes about other family members. Think back at some examples of these shows and how father’s were portrayed: "Happy Days", "Leave It to Beaver", "I Love Lucy", "Father Knows Best", with an exception being Fred Flinstone.
The sitcom fathers of today are often presented as the butt of jokes. They are made fun of by the family. They are often treated like one of the children and the wife has to look after them. The rest of the family does not seek them out for advice; instead they seek out the mother. The sitcom father is sometimes portrayed as so incompetent that he can't even complete simple household chores or look after the children. I know this creates humor, but this movement has permeated into commercials as well, and now obviously greeting cards!! Just think of some of the sitcoms today and the father’s role as a bumbling idiot, to clueless to take care of himself, let a lone a child or two. From the deranged father on “Malcolm in the Middle” to the generally incompetent "Everybody Loves Raymond", even if dad has a good job, like the star of "Home Improvement," at home he's forever making messes that must be straightened out by, you guessed it, mom.
So where did we fathers go wrong? There have always been some bumbling fathers like Dagwood Bumstead (duh) and Fred Flintstone, but now they're the norm. A study by the National Fatherhood Initiative found that fathers now are ten times more likely than mothers to be portrayed negatively on network television.
Still, no matter how much dad does in real life, I think he'll remain a doofus on television, and not just because he's a safe target and makes the audience laugh. In fact, Homer Simpson has become the longest-running doofus on television by appealing to guys, who have made "The Simpsons" one of the few sitcoms with a predominantly male audience. Homer embodies a famous mantra across all species, that motherhood comes naturally, but fatherhood must be learned. It's an awkward process, no doubt about that, and contrary to my wife's beliefs, it can't be learned from a book. Before I became a father, dads my own age often did look like doofuses to me as they struggled with drooling babies and their new domesticity - no more free time or disposable income, lots of chores to do, oftentimes general malaise with life and orders to take from wives/recent mothers ruling the home. Believe me, I’ve witnessed it all first hand, to many it was quite a mental beatdown.
As a big fan of the Simpons and someone without children at the time, I’ll be the first to admit that I saw Homer as hilarious and actually a decent portrayal of today’s absent father figure, looking for an out at every opportuinity. Looking back now, all those commercials and sitcoms that I would laugh at regularly were doing their job and painting the exact image in my head that on the surface, it appeared they were shooting for—that every father wanted to be everything BUT a father. Now? As a recently inductee into the fatherhood hall of shame, I realize that even in Homer’s case, yes, the guy may want to duck out for a beer sometimes, but when he sits on that couch with his family he does not look like a man longing to escape. He is at peace. I guess in me, fatherhood has created one more happy doofus.
The sitcom fathers of today are often presented as the butt of jokes. They are made fun of by the family. They are often treated like one of the children and the wife has to look after them. The rest of the family does not seek them out for advice; instead they seek out the mother. The sitcom father is sometimes portrayed as so incompetent that he can't even complete simple household chores or look after the children. I know this creates humor, but this movement has permeated into commercials as well, and now obviously greeting cards!! Just think of some of the sitcoms today and the father’s role as a bumbling idiot, to clueless to take care of himself, let a lone a child or two. From the deranged father on “Malcolm in the Middle” to the generally incompetent "Everybody Loves Raymond", even if dad has a good job, like the star of "Home Improvement," at home he's forever making messes that must be straightened out by, you guessed it, mom.
So where did we fathers go wrong? There have always been some bumbling fathers like Dagwood Bumstead (duh) and Fred Flintstone, but now they're the norm. A study by the National Fatherhood Initiative found that fathers now are ten times more likely than mothers to be portrayed negatively on network television.
Still, no matter how much dad does in real life, I think he'll remain a doofus on television, and not just because he's a safe target and makes the audience laugh. In fact, Homer Simpson has become the longest-running doofus on television by appealing to guys, who have made "The Simpsons" one of the few sitcoms with a predominantly male audience. Homer embodies a famous mantra across all species, that motherhood comes naturally, but fatherhood must be learned. It's an awkward process, no doubt about that, and contrary to my wife's beliefs, it can't be learned from a book. Before I became a father, dads my own age often did look like doofuses to me as they struggled with drooling babies and their new domesticity - no more free time or disposable income, lots of chores to do, oftentimes general malaise with life and orders to take from wives/recent mothers ruling the home. Believe me, I’ve witnessed it all first hand, to many it was quite a mental beatdown.
As a big fan of the Simpons and someone without children at the time, I’ll be the first to admit that I saw Homer as hilarious and actually a decent portrayal of today’s absent father figure, looking for an out at every opportuinity. Looking back now, all those commercials and sitcoms that I would laugh at regularly were doing their job and painting the exact image in my head that on the surface, it appeared they were shooting for—that every father wanted to be everything BUT a father. Now? As a recently inductee into the fatherhood hall of shame, I realize that even in Homer’s case, yes, the guy may want to duck out for a beer sometimes, but when he sits on that couch with his family he does not look like a man longing to escape. He is at peace. I guess in me, fatherhood has created one more happy doofus.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
C'mon do we really need another Pumpkin Ale?
Yes, if it's myyyy Pumpkin Ale...
Pumpkin ale 8/25/10
Grain bill 10.75 lbs
Mash in 3.5 gal water 162 degrees
Came in low, 150 mash for 70minutes instead of 60 to account
Sparge with 5.5 gal 185 degree water
Vorluf 15 min
Hops 60 min
Spice zero min
Cool to 75 in fridge
15 minutes from boiling to 85 degrees, but not much better after
Aerate
Pitch yeast 70-75, closer to 70, the better
Ferment at 66-68 4 weeks
Bottle 9/22
Start 9:00pm, in fridge 1:40am, pitch yeast pitched at 2:20am
Sent from my iPhone
Pumpkin ale 8/25/10
Grain bill 10.75 lbs
Mash in 3.5 gal water 162 degrees
Came in low, 150 mash for 70minutes instead of 60 to account
Sparge with 5.5 gal 185 degree water
Vorluf 15 min
Hops 60 min
Spice zero min
Cool to 75 in fridge
15 minutes from boiling to 85 degrees, but not much better after
Aerate
Pitch yeast 70-75, closer to 70, the better
Ferment at 66-68 4 weeks
Bottle 9/22
Start 9:00pm, in fridge 1:40am, pitch yeast pitched at 2:20am
Sent from my iPhone
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Summer-Your Second Year
Park swings and tall summer grass
Starting to recognize the shadows you cast
The water's cold, yet you loved to swim
As you frolicked about in your summer skin
I can't recall a single care
Just greenery, your curls, the result of humid air
Then Labor day came and went
Memories of your second summer spent
You are 16 months old now, a whole year and a third! You are a walking/dancing machine. You aren't saying much, but who's complaining?
You amaze me every day. You understand so much now. When I ask you if you want to eat, you get more excited than Zoie. You love bright colored fruits, blueberries, mango, strawberries and bananas. Actually, you love just about everything and have since you were able to try something other than milk. You've enjoyed goat cheese, sheep cheese, raw parmesan cheese that was older than you! You like to drink from grown up bottles like mommy and daddy. We've been spiking your food and formula with fish oil since you were born so you'll grow up nice and healthy. You wave hello to everyone and are the official greeting committee. You wave goodbye, reluctantly as you hate to see the party end. You have developed your own little language as a form of communication. Aside from obvious pointing and grunting, you tell us "more" with a hand gesture, you want to go swimming and you see birds. You recognize airplanes and have begun to mimic your mom and dad. You love Zoie and get her treats from the cupboard. You want to give her all of them, more, more! You laugh hysterically as you cup them in your hand and she chases you around drooling uncontrollably. It's your new game of cat and mouse.
You do not crawl anymore, you walk everywhere and it still feels surreal. When you tire, you are a little wobbly on your feet, I admire how you fall down and get straight back up again, you don't even acknowledge the fall. You are so cute, yet so durable! You really enjoy being tossed about. You have always been a little angel at bedtime and you sleep through the night since day one in your own room! No one would believe me unless they lived with us, but even the few times you've been up at night, you go right back down. One time I even had to pull your legs in from outside the crib and you didn't even wake. You are super flexible, stay up late, sleep in late, get up early, go down early! You are a well traveled toddler, and started the summer with a trip to Disney on your birthday. You are sometimes shy, but instantly warm to your surroundings.
We love having you with us everywhere we go and seeing your face when you experience new things. There really is no greater joy and there is so much more to come.
I love your zest for life, your hunger for knowledge and your eager little mind that always seems to be processing! I hope I am nurturing all these things and giving you everything you need. I will always try my best to ensure you understand the value you bring to our family whatever path you choose in life.
I guess, what I really want to thank you for, is coming into this world as my little girl, and for brightening my life with your energy. I hope to repay you someday through a wealth of knowledge and cultural experiences that can never be counted in dollars and cents.
First No Boil Beer
This summer has been horrendous for trying to make beer. heat wave after heat wave is not conducive for effectively cooling beer I'm brewing in the garage, nor properly fermenting it in my basement. For the first time since i can remember, the ambient temperature in the basement has been above 75 degrees for weeks. I have my converted freezer, which stores two carboys where i can control the fermentation temps, but then where do I put my conditioning beer? i have my robust porter conditioning now, the one I plan to enter in the homebrew contest, so i really don't want that laying around in the basement at 75+ degrees, so that is occupying space in the fridge with the pumpkin ale I brewed earlier this week when the weather broke. All at 68 degrees. Today I brewed a berliner weisse style beer that actually takes advantage of some natural bacteria in the grain to impart flavor. It's a low gravity beer that I'm actually going to ferment in a carboy inside my mash tun!! I'm going to accomplish this by continuously rotating fresh, cool water into the converted cooler surrounding the beer. it's the only way to get a fermentable temp in the basement lower than 70 degrees until fall. (btw, new heatwave this week, 90+ for at least 6 days). Berliner Weisse is a top-fermented, lightly soured ale that was once synonymous with “wheat beer” in Europe, but now is a living dinosaur of a style. Its grainy Pils- and wheat malt-character is underscored with an gentle, earthy lemonade-like sourness that used to be a common thread in beers of this region.
Characteristics of interest to the craft beer drinker: a very low OG and abv %, extremely low bitterness (achieved through mash hopping), and a dominant but pleasant sourness from secondary fermentation with Lactobacillus; extended aging will bring earthy overtones from Brettanomyces- light, effervescent, tart, and very refreshing. this beer can be enjoyed on its own, or cut with a woodruff flavored simple syrup or dark fruit juice (like they usually do in Germany). Additionally, bottle conditioning can be extended for months, even years to get the most the out of the bacteria/yeast blend.
Basically, it's a no boil, simple single step mash infusion. i used 3.75 gallons to mash in, sprinkled the hop pellets(i oz hersbrucker) right on the top of the grain. My mash temps stabilized at 152, for 60 minutes, I mashed out with 4 gallons 180 degree water into the kettle. I netted a little over 5 gallons of wort, no boil, just cooled the wort with my sanitized chiller and placed into the mash tun (cooler) in the sink in the basement. Once i achieve a 68 degree temp with ice cube infusion..lol..such technology...I'll aerate and pitch the yeast.
This style dates back to the 1600's and in 1809 the Emperor Napoleon and his troops celebrated their Prussian victory with it. The OG is so low, i didn't even bother taking a reading with my hydromenter. I'l keep you posted through the comments on hw this one turns out.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Open Faced Crabbie Melts
This is a great Labor Day recipe and can be served as an appetizer cut in half. Reminds me of the open faced tuna melts I ate so often growing up.
2 medium tomatoes
1 pound fresh crabmeat, picked over for shells
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon sour cream
2 scallions, white and light green parts, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 English muffins, split and toasted
Grated Parmesan (1 tablespoon per muffin)
1. Slice the tomatoes about 1/4-inch thick and arrange in one layer on paper towels to get rid of some of the moisture (you can remove the seeds if you're feeling really motivated). Cover with another layer of paper towels, pressing gently, and let them sit while you assemble the rest of the ingredients for the muffins.
2. In a medium bowl, put the crabmeat, mayonnaise, sour cream, scallions and generous pinches of salt and pepper. Ever so gently, using your fingers, toss the ingredients together until just combined (you still want a few lumps of crabmeat when you're finished).
3. Turn on the broiler and position a rack about five inches below the heating element. Toast the muffins then assemble the muffins on a baking sheet: on each toasted English muffin half put one slice of tomato, followed by about a 1/3 cup of crabmeat. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top. Broil the muffins for 2 to 3 minutes until the cheese turns golden, watching carefully to make sure the edges of the muffins don't burn. Serve immediately.
2 medium tomatoes
1 pound fresh crabmeat, picked over for shells
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon sour cream
2 scallions, white and light green parts, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 English muffins, split and toasted
Grated Parmesan (1 tablespoon per muffin)
1. Slice the tomatoes about 1/4-inch thick and arrange in one layer on paper towels to get rid of some of the moisture (you can remove the seeds if you're feeling really motivated). Cover with another layer of paper towels, pressing gently, and let them sit while you assemble the rest of the ingredients for the muffins.
2. In a medium bowl, put the crabmeat, mayonnaise, sour cream, scallions and generous pinches of salt and pepper. Ever so gently, using your fingers, toss the ingredients together until just combined (you still want a few lumps of crabmeat when you're finished).
3. Turn on the broiler and position a rack about five inches below the heating element. Toast the muffins then assemble the muffins on a baking sheet: on each toasted English muffin half put one slice of tomato, followed by about a 1/3 cup of crabmeat. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top. Broil the muffins for 2 to 3 minutes until the cheese turns golden, watching carefully to make sure the edges of the muffins don't burn. Serve immediately.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Does this beer make me look fat?
"Is beer less fattening than wine?" There is new evidence that beer is, in fact, not as fattening as we have been lead to believe -- that it is less fattening than wine and far less fattening than spirits. It claims the beer bellies that abound in the world's pubs are not a result of the beer, but of the beer-drinking lifestyle, which includes a lot of greasy pub food and a lack of physical activity.
Here's a "calories per 100 ml" table they include in the article:
Beer (4.6% alc): 41 calories
Wine (12% alc): 77 calories
Spirits: 250 calories
Milk: 64 calories
Orange juice: 42 calories
Apple juice: 47 calories
By that measure, beer is even less fattening than apple juice.
However, one must consider two things: first, not many people spend three or four nights a week sitting around a bar knocking back two or three pints of apple juice. Secondly, much of the information comes from the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA), so it is hardly unbiased!
However, it is an eye-opening read for the moderate drinker. If your better half questions your motives over your one or two "medicinal" beers per evening, you can show her the article and smile -- as long as you stay away from the wings, pizza and things.
Here's a "calories per 100 ml" table they include in the article:
Beer (4.6% alc): 41 calories
Wine (12% alc): 77 calories
Spirits: 250 calories
Milk: 64 calories
Orange juice: 42 calories
Apple juice: 47 calories
By that measure, beer is even less fattening than apple juice.
However, one must consider two things: first, not many people spend three or four nights a week sitting around a bar knocking back two or three pints of apple juice. Secondly, much of the information comes from the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA), so it is hardly unbiased!
However, it is an eye-opening read for the moderate drinker. If your better half questions your motives over your one or two "medicinal" beers per evening, you can show her the article and smile -- as long as you stay away from the wings, pizza and things.
What's So Special About Bottle Conditioned Beer?
And why am I so concerned about where my beloved beer winds up once I give it away for friends to try? First we have to take a look into the why beer should be handled a certain way and how that can impact the flavor. I spoke with a gentleman over the weekend who recently came back from a trip to Belgium. Beer heaven, or haven we both agreed, Belgium is a country where visiting beer lovers never seem to have enough time to experience all it has to offer. He explained to me that you'll often see locals sipping the same beer over a one or two hour period and that you can obviously spot a tourist as they down five or six different brews in the same time span before rushing off to the next pub.
So is there a right way to drink beer? Yes and no. For some, drinking beer doesn’t involve plastic, aluminum or a headstand on top of a keg. But for 75% of the beer bought in this country, and for probably the same amount of drinkers, beer is simply an alcohol delivery system in a can. Buy it cheap, serve it cold, and drink it fast – that’s the mantra of the average beer drinker in America. What most people don’t know (or refuse to believe), is that great beer is a beverage that requires care in serving and drinking, and it doesn’t involve aluminum.
First, beer in this country is simply served too cold. Images of ice, snowy mountain ranges, and cold water dominate the mainstream beer ads, giving the impression that beer should be cooled to as low as physically possible before being consumed. In truth, most beer (good beer, anyway), benefits from being served warmer than you’d think, helping to bring out the flavors in the beer. Have you ever held an ice cube to some part of your body to numb it? That’s what ice cold beer does to your taste buds, shutting down any chance of you tasting anything pleasant in the beer. Anywhere from 45 degrees to 55 degrees is perfect, depending on the style. As a good rule of thumb, the higher the alcohol content, the warmer the beer should be served.
Second, beer is all too often served out of the completely incorrect vessel. No, an aluminum can is not appropriate to drink beer out of. I know what you’re saying: “Oh, well, I only drink it out of the bottle – it tastes better that way” – nope, sorry. Drinking beer through a 1 inch glass hole is a horrible way to experience decent beer, and you might as well save yourself a few bucks and drink water. Do yourself a favor – next time you have a beer, pour half of the beer into a glass, and leave the other half in the bottle and see which tastes better. You’ll never go back to the bottle.
So, what should you drink great beer out of? For me, there are four basic glasses that one should have on hand to accommodate most styles: pint glasses, pilsner glasses, brandy snifters, and champagne flutes. Most low alcohol beers, such as pale ales, amber ales, brown ales, stouts, porters and IPAs will be fine in a pint glass. As alcohol increases, such as in Imperial Stouts and Porters, Barleywines, and Strong Ales, a snifter is great. Pilsners (real, true pilsners) work great in the pilsners glasses, along with other like-flavored styles. Lastly, fruited beers and lambics are perfect out of a champagne flute.
If you’re going to drink great beer, make sure to drink it right. Put away the funnels and the solo cups and serve it how the beer wants to be served – from the right glass, at the right temperature. The only caveat is this: if you’re drinking cheap, mass-produced beer, don’t waste your money on glassware – nothing’s going to help!!
Lastly, bottle-conditioned beers contain living yeast, and have a layer of yeast sediment on the bottom of the bottle. This sediment can usually be seen when the bottle is viewed from the bottom. Many believe that only Hefeweizen should contain active yeast, but there are many styles that taste superior after bottle conditioning. In fact, all my beer is bottle conditioned simply because I lack the funds for forced carbonation and really enjoy drinking living beer. A bit of living yeast in the bottle will actively keep beer fresh by eliminating unwanted compounds, consuming harmful oxygen, and producing carbon dioxide. Yeast also absorbs and consumes the healthy antioxidant plant constituents that are derived from barley and hops. If the yeast is removed from the beer, much of the healthy constituents may be removed. Yeast also provides B vitamins, which are removed from your body when alcohol is metabolized. Some people may find beer yeast to be unpalatable. If so, pour the beer slowly as to not disturb the sediment. I often pour about half of my beer out of the bottle and it is extremely clear without filtration or fining agents. True conditioning! I'll enjoy half of the other half as a cloudy beer with a bit of a yeasty finish-this can be quite complex and pleasant, depending on the yeast used to ferment the beer. The final quarter or less of the beer is up to you. Many homebrew enthusiasts choose not to partake. Others give the remaining beer a swirl, a pour and a taste, not wanting any of their hard earned work to go to waste. Unfortunately, it's this same yeast that enjoys stability once the beer is carbonated and conditioning. That doesn't mean sitting it your garage, on the seat of your 90 degree car for four hours while you rune errands, sideways in the produce bin of your refrigerater because that's the only place left in your fridge (otherwise occupied by a 12-pak of Miller Light), in direct sunlight on your counter for three weeks or in a cabinet over your stove. Once fully carbonated, beer loves to be cellared at say 50-55 degrees and mostly consumed right around that temperature or slightly lower, depending on style as mentioned above. If you don't have a cellar, simply refrigerate it, keeping the yeast on the bottom, and let it warm up a bit toward ambient temperature prior to drinking. Prost!
A fall classic
I don't know about anyone else, but I am soooo done with summer. This summer has been particularly bad in term of heat and humidity, it was probably cooler in Florida most of the season. As a prelude to fall and the "other" fall classic, here's a recipe for chili that includes some of my flat tire belgian amber ale.
1 to 2 tablespoon oil (I prefer olive but any other is fine)
1 pound ground meat (I prefer buffalo or grass fed beef)
1 pound sirloin, cubed (stew meat will work but you'll need a bit more time for tenderness)
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 Bottle of beer (my choice is my Fat Tire clone)
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
2 cups beef stock
1 cup baltic porter (my summer brew), again, drink up!!
1 6 ounce can tomato paste
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon chili sauce
1/2 finely chopped chili of choice (i use seeded jalapeno from the garden)
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 tablespoon heaping of cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon heaping of coriander
1 teaspoon salt
2 15 ounce cans kidney beans
1 15 ounce cans white beans
5 large carrots, chopped into thin discs
1. In large dutch oven, heat oil over med. flame and brown meat, sirloin chunks first then ground.
2. When meat is lightly browned, throw on the onions.
3. Take two large sips from the beer.
4. Add remaining beer plus, tomatoes, beef stock, porter and tomato paste.
5. Add the sugar, spices and kidney beans. Reduce flame to low and let simmer for an hour.
6. Add white beans and carrots throw in the over on low heat for another hour or two; longer will be better. Season and/or garnish as needed
Pretty simple recipe, pretty complex tastes, grab some bread and enjoy!
1 to 2 tablespoon oil (I prefer olive but any other is fine)
1 pound ground meat (I prefer buffalo or grass fed beef)
1 pound sirloin, cubed (stew meat will work but you'll need a bit more time for tenderness)
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 Bottle of beer (my choice is my Fat Tire clone)
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
2 cups beef stock
1 cup baltic porter (my summer brew), again, drink up!!
1 6 ounce can tomato paste
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon chili sauce
1/2 finely chopped chili of choice (i use seeded jalapeno from the garden)
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 tablespoon heaping of cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon heaping of coriander
1 teaspoon salt
2 15 ounce cans kidney beans
1 15 ounce cans white beans
5 large carrots, chopped into thin discs
1. In large dutch oven, heat oil over med. flame and brown meat, sirloin chunks first then ground.
2. When meat is lightly browned, throw on the onions.
3. Take two large sips from the beer.
4. Add remaining beer plus, tomatoes, beef stock, porter and tomato paste.
5. Add the sugar, spices and kidney beans. Reduce flame to low and let simmer for an hour.
6. Add white beans and carrots throw in the over on low heat for another hour or two; longer will be better. Season and/or garnish as needed
Pretty simple recipe, pretty complex tastes, grab some bread and enjoy!
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Robiola
I'm going to post about some of my favorite cheeses that I've encountered over the past five years, hopefully at some point I will attempt to create my own version of the cheese I'm describing.
Robiola is one of my favorite soft cheeses, Robiola is an Italian cheese and hails from Piedmont, Italy. It's usually made in the shape of a small square, kind of like a mini Taleggio. Not always though, I have encountered it in other shapes - Robiola is a name that refers to a type of cheese, rather than one specific cheese. For this reason, you'll find many different types of Robiola in cheese shops, although the two sold most often in the US are Robiola Bosina (square shape, with a runny, gooey texture) and Robiola Rocchetta. There is a brand of Robiola that is produced exclusively for Whole Foods Market and we carry it in our cheese shop (Marlton)and it's a cow/sheep blend.
Robiola Rocchetta is made by Caseificio Alta Langa, the same creamery that makes La Tur and Brunet, two cheeses that are very simliar to Robiola Rocchetta. Robiola Rocchetta has a round shape, with a soft bloomy rind and a fluffy, slightly runny texture. It is made with three milk types - cow, sheep and goat- and you taste the influence of all three in its rich texture, and milky, tangy flavor. I love either style of Robiola alone, with a baguette, or with Raincoast Crisp Cranberry Hazelnut crackers-amazing!
Robiola is one of my favorite soft cheeses, Robiola is an Italian cheese and hails from Piedmont, Italy. It's usually made in the shape of a small square, kind of like a mini Taleggio. Not always though, I have encountered it in other shapes - Robiola is a name that refers to a type of cheese, rather than one specific cheese. For this reason, you'll find many different types of Robiola in cheese shops, although the two sold most often in the US are Robiola Bosina (square shape, with a runny, gooey texture) and Robiola Rocchetta. There is a brand of Robiola that is produced exclusively for Whole Foods Market and we carry it in our cheese shop (Marlton)and it's a cow/sheep blend.
Robiola Rocchetta is made by Caseificio Alta Langa, the same creamery that makes La Tur and Brunet, two cheeses that are very simliar to Robiola Rocchetta. Robiola Rocchetta has a round shape, with a soft bloomy rind and a fluffy, slightly runny texture. It is made with three milk types - cow, sheep and goat- and you taste the influence of all three in its rich texture, and milky, tangy flavor. I love either style of Robiola alone, with a baguette, or with Raincoast Crisp Cranberry Hazelnut crackers-amazing!
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Mac and Cheese Potpourri (low fat)
I developed this recipe because I am leaving on vacation in a few days and I want to get rid of some things in my fridge. I have a bunch of cilantro in there too, but I don;t think it's going to work here, maybe I'll make some salsa for the road. Here's what else I have.
1 lb bag of ww pasta shells from the engine 2 promotion
jalapeno pepper from the yard
fontina cheese from Wisconsin that the my team leader at whole foods sampled to me (Roth Kase)
A small piece of parm that is long in the tooth
yukon gold potatoes that are just starting to sprout some eyes
Vermont Butter & Cream cultured butter (sample from whole foods)
some other pieces of cheese in the fridge (fiscalini is one, horseradish cheddar another, not sure if I'll use both), but here goes.
a little less than 1/2 an onion
This recipe calls for significantly less butter and cheese than traditional mac and cheese. Let's see how it turns out.
1 lb. bag ww shells
6 oz. Roth Kase Fontina (shred it)
1 oz. Parm (grate it to the rind)
1 oz Horse radish cheddar (shred or slice thin)
1 oz fiscalini cheddar (grate it)
3 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup milk, 1/4 -1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium onion, sliced (this was vidalia)
3 medium size Yukon Gold potatoes (going to dice them up)
1 jalapeno pepper (mince it)
salt and pepper, to taste
I may place some bread crumbs on top, I'll see what I have in my freezer that ican tosat up real quick. I also thought about a bit of crushed red peper, I'll re-evaluate after I taste with the Jalapeno.
grate and shred the cheeses.
-in a small pot, add enough water to cover the potatoes by an inch. add salt, and boil the water. add the potatoes, and cook until they are tender when poked with a fork. when finished, remove from heat, drain
-at this same time, in saute pan, melt 2 tblsp butter and cook onions and jalapeno on medium heat, stirring constantly until onions brown. add flour, a 1/2 cup of milk, stir, add potatoes, salt and pepper. You may need a bit of water to thin. set aside.
-preheat oven to 425 degrees.
-boil pasta according to directions on box. drain in a colander.
-in a small dutch oven, add 1 tablesppon olive oil to coat, add cooked pasta. Stir in onion/potato mixture and evenly coat.
-stir in all your cheeses
I actually found some ritz crackers in the cupboard that I had planned to throw out (father in law brought over), so I decided to use these as a topping. Crumbe them up and spread on top.
-bake for 20 minutes or so. I've never used ritz crackers in the over before, so keep an eye not to burn.
-allow to cool for 5 minutes and serve
well, it has a great taste, but it's a little dry as expected. I would not use the ritz crackers next time, made for a nice crisp topping, but it dried it out even more texture wise. All in all, a great dish with a much ower percentage of fat from butte, milk and cheese than the majority of the mac and cheese recipes out there.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Open faced Lasagna
Something to do with lasanga noodles that isn't as time consuming as lasagna or trying to make ravioli out of lasagna noodles.
Ingredients:
2 sweet potatoes
8 ounces goat cheese (capricho de caba if feeling wealthy, 365 brand if on a budget)
1/2 pound lasagna noodles
1 bunch sage (loosely or finely chopped, depending on your taste)
1/4 cup butter
salt and pepper to taste
1. Bring two pots of water to boil, meanwhile scrub the potatoes and stab them with a knife. Once the water is boiling toss in the potatoes and cook until easily impaled. This should take around 20 minutes.
2. Once the potatoes are done remove them from the heat; for a quick cool down, run cold water over them. Put the lasagna noodles in the other pot of boiling water and set the timer for about 10 minutes.
3. Once the potatoes are cooled, pinch off their skin. Cut them into small pieces and mash them up with the goat cheese. (Note: if you want them creamy heat them up a little while you are doing this). Salt to taste.
4. In a saucepan heat the butter on medium-low. Add the sage and cook until browned, about 4-5 minutes.
5. Drain the lasagna noodles. Place a few noodles on a plate and scoop some of the sweet potato mixture around them. Repeat this until all the noodles and mix are used up.
6. Crack some pepper on top and devour!
Ingredients:
2 sweet potatoes
8 ounces goat cheese (capricho de caba if feeling wealthy, 365 brand if on a budget)
1/2 pound lasagna noodles
1 bunch sage (loosely or finely chopped, depending on your taste)
1/4 cup butter
salt and pepper to taste
1. Bring two pots of water to boil, meanwhile scrub the potatoes and stab them with a knife. Once the water is boiling toss in the potatoes and cook until easily impaled. This should take around 20 minutes.
2. Once the potatoes are done remove them from the heat; for a quick cool down, run cold water over them. Put the lasagna noodles in the other pot of boiling water and set the timer for about 10 minutes.
3. Once the potatoes are cooled, pinch off their skin. Cut them into small pieces and mash them up with the goat cheese. (Note: if you want them creamy heat them up a little while you are doing this). Salt to taste.
4. In a saucepan heat the butter on medium-low. Add the sage and cook until browned, about 4-5 minutes.
5. Drain the lasagna noodles. Place a few noodles on a plate and scoop some of the sweet potato mixture around them. Repeat this until all the noodles and mix are used up.
6. Crack some pepper on top and devour!
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Flat Tire Ale
Belgian style pale ale recipe, makes 5.5 gallons
6 lbs belgan pilsner malt
2 lb german Munich 20 ebc
2 lb German dark Munich 40 ebc
1/2 lb victory malt
1/2 lb briess crystal 60
1 oz Perle pellet hops 60 minutes- after hotbreak
1 oz hersbrucker pellet 15 minutes prior to end of boil
wyeast 1762 begian abbey 11
single infusion mash in with 3.5 gallons at 160 degree water, 165 in winter if brewing outside , target temp 149-152, I looove to mash in lower for a malty-er profile.
Mash out at 60-75 minutes with 5.5 gallons 180 degree water
run rate 1 gal per 12 min
boil 60 min with additions above
cool wort to 70-75 degrees
aerate
pitch yeast
I bottled this one after 5 weeks in the primary
simple recipe that yeilds a super tasty copper red ale with a slighty fruity finish
Friday, August 6, 2010
The VerMONSTER
makes 4 burgers
1.5 lb 85-90% Vermont grass fed beef
1/2 cup Vermont pure maple syrup
8 strips Vermont Smoke and Cure Uncured bacon (thick)
1 macintosh apple
Vermont Ayr or vermont cheddar cheese
bulky or whole wheat rolls (for the diet conscious) I used Vermont Bakery 100% Whole wheat burger buns
salt and pepper
4 bottles of my maple ale
cook bacon, pat dry
heat grill
add a little less than the entire 1/2 cup of Vt maple syrup (leave about 1/8 cup) and salt and pepper to beef, mix well
slice and peel apple, add some lemon juice to retain color and place 4 round 1/4 or less inch slices on grill
grill apple 1 minute each side
make 4 even sized patties from mixed ground beef
grill burgers on high heat until charred
move to low heat, drizzle remaining syrup over burgers while cooking
toast buns
assemble burgers when appropriate doneness (is that a word?) first add apple, then bacon then cheese
place on toasted bun
serve with maple beer
Thursday, August 5, 2010
I brewed an amazing Belgian Tripel off the yeast cake of a Belgian Patersbier I brewed a few months back. This beer is delicious and stands right up there with 5 different commercial tripels that i recently purchased to compare notes. (tough job, I know) i used a belgian high gravity yeast (wyeast 3787 trappist high gravity) for the patersbier, which a a low alcohol session beer found in some remote towns in Belgium. It's really not a difficult beer to brew, single malt, lightly hopped and low gravity, most of the flavor develops from the yeast. Super light and super citrusy is how it's best described, but enough of that, on to the tripel.
Pilsen malt- Dingemans 12 lbs
Cara pils 1lb
Belgian candi sugar -white 1lb 15 miutes
.75 oz summit 60 minutes-bittering
1 oz saaz @ 5 minutes -aroma
mash in 5 gallons 165 degree water, target mash is 150 or just below. if you come in too low, just extend the mash time in 15 min increments.
I shoot for a lower target with belgian beers because i like to bring out the malty profile.
sparge out with 180 degree water at the rate of 1 gallon into the kettle every 12 minutes.
your pre boil should be close to 7 gallons, i lose a lot in the boil, so i shoot for 7 preboil, nothing wrong with a little extra beer if you finish with more than 5 gallons:)
bring to a boil, when hotbreak settles, add summit and follow boil additions above.
cool, pour cooled wort into existing yeast cake from recently bottled patersbier.
this is a beer i secondary due to the large amount of yeast i'm pouring the beer onto in the primary.
i fermented for 3 weeks, racked to a secondary for 3 weeks and then bottled,
i am 12 weeks in and the beer just keeps getting better and better, i need to keep my hands off of it for a while and let it age.
(White) Chicken Chili with (Pale) Ale
-2 tablespoons grass fed Irish butter (Kerrigold is great)
-1 medium sized onion, diced
-1 yellow bell pepper, diced
- 1-1 1/2 tablespoon Jalapeno chili (depends on how hot you like it) minced (a little over a tablespoon minced is a good start, medium hot)
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 15 oz can cream corn
- 1 small can 365 diced mild green chiles
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 3 cups shredded cooked chicken (I used rotisserie for convenience)
- 1 cup Whole milk (or lowfat, you’ll jut have to simmer longer to thicken it up)
- 1 cup Irish Red Ale (any beer will do)
- 1 to 1 1/2 cans Navy Beans drained and rinsed
- 1 generous cup of fresh spinach (doesn’t add much flavor, but adds some wonderful green color!)
- Salt and Pepper
- I cup shredded Irish cheddar (any cheddar will work)
Heat butter, onion, garlic, pepper and Jalapeno, stirring often, over medium high heat until onion is limp and translucent. Add cumin, corn, green chiles, milk, ale, and beans. bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally (about 20 minutes) stir in chicken and spinach, season with salt and pepper, simmer an additional 10 minutes That’s it! Serve in a bread bowl with or without shredded cheese--even better the second day when the flavors meld.
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