Before I get onto the meat of my post, I just wanted to put out there at Flying Bison's Chilly Fest will be happening this Saturday 1/28 at noon until 4 pm. Unfortunately, the health department shut down the chili part of it, so there will no longer be a chili cookoff, but there will be live music and beer a plenty.
In other news, the Niagara Association of Homebrewers has announced its 16th annual Amber Waves of Grain homebrew competition. The deadline for the competition is March 10th and judging will take place on March 23rd and 24th. And, like always, the Brewers Night Out will be held on the 24th.
I am really looking forward to entering this competition. I'm hoping to get some great feedback from the judges and hopefully some good will come out of it.
On Deck: Dark American Lager
Primary: German Pilsner
Secondary: Light American Lager, Vienna Lager
Total for 2012: 5 Gallons
Showing posts with label Events. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Events. Show all posts
Friday, January 27, 2012
Monday, June 6, 2011
Stein Brew June 4th, 2011
Over the weekend, Marygrace and I took a trip down to Ellicottville. Although the thunderstorms were pretty incredible on the way down there, they were not all that pleasant when standing out in them trying to brew beer. (Thank God they sopped since as I later found out, I would have been killed if they had lasted much longer.) All in all though, it was a great experience, got to sample quite a few homebrews and Ellicottville beers that we don't typically get near us, and I got to learn quite a bit from some veteran homebrewers.
The stein brew the way that it is done in Ellicottville is pretty straight foreword. Mash and sparge a beer as you typically would on a brew day, then when it is time to boil, then comes the fun. We arrived shortly after noon and the days events were just getting under way. Since it was raining, the homebrewers had to be a bit innovative in order to keep the fire going:
When the rocks get hot enough (they start to fracture apart since they were using granite...you don't want to use anything like shale or slate since they will explode rather than fracture) and the sparge has completed, the hot stones are loaded into metal baskets attached to planks by a chain. The board is then spun around a few times to wrap the chain and raise the basket, then its off to the brew kettle!
The stones (some of them literally red hot) are lowered into the boiling wort and sit there for about 10 to 15 minutes (until all of the heat has been released to the wort). They are then removed and the process is repeated about 15 times in total. Although these stones help along with the boil (they still use their primary heat source in the process) one of the great attributes that they are supposed to impart on the beer is carmelization of the wort. Apart from these few differences, the process is just like any other: add hops and whatever other flavorings. In this case, they used spruce, cascade hops, and if I recall correctly, Mt. Hood. Here are some shots of the 35 lbs of spruce that were used during the boil:
As I mentioned earlier, one of the great things that we got to do at the brewery was to taste quite a few of the different beers that not only the Ellicottville Brewery has to offer, but some of the homebrewers as well. From Ellicottville, we got to try 16, Mow Master, Black Hops, two different Oktoberfests, and a Cherry Chocolate Stout. All of them were so unique and different, but one of my favorites was definitely the Cherry Chocolate Stout, and when we go back in two months to try the stein brew, I will have to get a growler if it is still available for another adventure in beer ice cream. From the homebrewers, there was an English Mild and a Belgian Christmas Saison that was the Buffalo Brew Fest BIS from 1996, and although the English Mild was a solid beer, all I have to say about the Belgian is wow, and I never though a beer could age that well. It was smooth with hints of raisin with spices and was almost reminiscent of a sherry. It was a deep rich dark color with only minimal carbonation. I will be bringing some of my own homebrew for the next stein brew in October. We well see how it holds up.
My list of three take-aways from this outing:
Primary: Honey Dunkelweisen
Secondary: Hefeweisen 2 (Honeyweisen), Honey Toasted Oat Brown Ale, Wedding IPA
Total for 2011: 53 Gallons
The stein brew the way that it is done in Ellicottville is pretty straight foreword. Mash and sparge a beer as you typically would on a brew day, then when it is time to boil, then comes the fun. We arrived shortly after noon and the days events were just getting under way. Since it was raining, the homebrewers had to be a bit innovative in order to keep the fire going:
When the rocks get hot enough (they start to fracture apart since they were using granite...you don't want to use anything like shale or slate since they will explode rather than fracture) and the sparge has completed, the hot stones are loaded into metal baskets attached to planks by a chain. The board is then spun around a few times to wrap the chain and raise the basket, then its off to the brew kettle!
The stones (some of them literally red hot) are lowered into the boiling wort and sit there for about 10 to 15 minutes (until all of the heat has been released to the wort). They are then removed and the process is repeated about 15 times in total. Although these stones help along with the boil (they still use their primary heat source in the process) one of the great attributes that they are supposed to impart on the beer is carmelization of the wort. Apart from these few differences, the process is just like any other: add hops and whatever other flavorings. In this case, they used spruce, cascade hops, and if I recall correctly, Mt. Hood. Here are some shots of the 35 lbs of spruce that were used during the boil:
As I mentioned earlier, one of the great things that we got to do at the brewery was to taste quite a few of the different beers that not only the Ellicottville Brewery has to offer, but some of the homebrewers as well. From Ellicottville, we got to try 16, Mow Master, Black Hops, two different Oktoberfests, and a Cherry Chocolate Stout. All of them were so unique and different, but one of my favorites was definitely the Cherry Chocolate Stout, and when we go back in two months to try the stein brew, I will have to get a growler if it is still available for another adventure in beer ice cream. From the homebrewers, there was an English Mild and a Belgian Christmas Saison that was the Buffalo Brew Fest BIS from 1996, and although the English Mild was a solid beer, all I have to say about the Belgian is wow, and I never though a beer could age that well. It was smooth with hints of raisin with spices and was almost reminiscent of a sherry. It was a deep rich dark color with only minimal carbonation. I will be bringing some of my own homebrew for the next stein brew in October. We well see how it holds up.
My list of three take-aways from this outing:
- Do not let American Homebrewers Association membership expire.
- Bring homebrew for the fall stein brew.
- Remember to bring a stein to drink out of next time (it is a stein brew after all)
Primary: Honey Dunkelweisen
Secondary: Hefeweisen 2 (Honeyweisen), Honey Toasted Oat Brown Ale, Wedding IPA
Total for 2011: 53 Gallons
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Long Time no Post
Just to clear everything up, the lack of posting is not due to the lack of activity. Here is just a highlight of the few things that have been going on:
For everyone that doesn't know, stein brewing is a process where stones (in the case of this one granite) are heated up over a fire for a few hours until they are red hot. Then, they are added to the kettle in order to heat the water (this method can be used in order to heat the mash as well as the final boil). The process was originally developed before the use of metal brew kettles when brewing was done in wooden vats which obviously could not be heated over a flame. I don't know the exact method that will be used for this process but I will be posting about the event.
On Deck: Honey Toasted Oat Amber Ale (5/21)
Primary: Hefeweisen 2
Secondary: Hefeweisen (dry hopped with Sorachi Ace), Traditional Pilsner
Total for 2011: 44 Gallons
- Maerzen has been scrapped to make room for wedding rehearsal dinner beers.
- That's right, I said wedding rehearsal beers. These include a traditional pilsner, hefeweisen, and IPA. More to follow.
- Brewing competitions are coming up. Stay tuned for more to follow.
- Ellicottville Brewing Company is having a Stein Brew on June 4th. Covered in this post.
- Equipment review. Details to follow after final testing.
- New labels have been drawn up. To be posted shortly.
For everyone that doesn't know, stein brewing is a process where stones (in the case of this one granite) are heated up over a fire for a few hours until they are red hot. Then, they are added to the kettle in order to heat the water (this method can be used in order to heat the mash as well as the final boil). The process was originally developed before the use of metal brew kettles when brewing was done in wooden vats which obviously could not be heated over a flame. I don't know the exact method that will be used for this process but I will be posting about the event.
On Deck: Honey Toasted Oat Amber Ale (5/21)
Primary: Hefeweisen 2
Secondary: Hefeweisen (dry hopped with Sorachi Ace), Traditional Pilsner
Total for 2011: 44 Gallons
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Buffalo Breweries Lecture and Wilson House Tasting
A couple small things going on here besides more and more lake effect snow. The brewing of the sarsaparilla ale went great on Sunday. The flavor and aroma of the beer was amazing. Once it ferments, I believe this will be a delicious late spring or summer braggot. The key to that last statement is "once it ferments." It's been extremely sluggish to start and I can only blame it on my own sluggishness. The yeast was over a year expired, and although it is still viable, I should have made a starter but never got around to it. I made some slants with the yeast that are beginning to show signs of growth which gives me hope that in the next day or so, fermentation will start. If it doesn't, I will be stuck with pitching some more yeast.
There are a few things coming up in the next short while, however I'm not familiar with either of them enough to do a whole blog post on each one. Those would be "Buffalo Breweries" lecture at the Tonawanda City Hall, sponsored by the Tonawanda Historical Society, and a beer tasting at the Wilson House.
The Buffalo Breweries lecture sounded quite interesting, and had I had a bit more notice, I would most likely attend. I have not yet had a chance to read Nickel City Drafts, but this sounds like it is along the same lines. Anyone who is interested in the historical aspect of brewing in Buffalo and the surrounding community, I would suggest you make an attempt to attend. It is tomorrow night (2/9) at 7 pm at the Tonawanda City Hall.
The next event I saw a flyer for at work, and although it is about an hour away, it is sounding like I might have to take the trip out there. It will be a paring of food and drink with Tim Herzog from Flying Bison at Wilson House in Wilson, NY. The tasting takes place on 2/23 at 7pm and tickets are $15 and can be purchased at the Wilson House, or by contacting ktokeefedesigns2@aol.com.
I tested the Irish Red today and transferred it to secondary today. It tastes great, although since I have been drinking so much of the Rye-rish Red recently, it seems like this one is missing that nice little spice the rye gives. The Beef on Weck ale will be bottled this Saturday. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
On Deck: Elder Ale (2/13), Belgian Blonde (2/20)
Primary: Sarsaparilla Ale
Secondary: Beef on Weck Ale, Irish Red Ale
There are a few things coming up in the next short while, however I'm not familiar with either of them enough to do a whole blog post on each one. Those would be "Buffalo Breweries" lecture at the Tonawanda City Hall, sponsored by the Tonawanda Historical Society, and a beer tasting at the Wilson House.
The Buffalo Breweries lecture sounded quite interesting, and had I had a bit more notice, I would most likely attend. I have not yet had a chance to read Nickel City Drafts, but this sounds like it is along the same lines. Anyone who is interested in the historical aspect of brewing in Buffalo and the surrounding community, I would suggest you make an attempt to attend. It is tomorrow night (2/9) at 7 pm at the Tonawanda City Hall.
The next event I saw a flyer for at work, and although it is about an hour away, it is sounding like I might have to take the trip out there. It will be a paring of food and drink with Tim Herzog from Flying Bison at Wilson House in Wilson, NY. The tasting takes place on 2/23 at 7pm and tickets are $15 and can be purchased at the Wilson House, or by contacting ktokeefedesigns2@aol.com.
I tested the Irish Red today and transferred it to secondary today. It tastes great, although since I have been drinking so much of the Rye-rish Red recently, it seems like this one is missing that nice little spice the rye gives. The Beef on Weck ale will be bottled this Saturday. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
On Deck: Elder Ale (2/13), Belgian Blonde (2/20)
Primary: Sarsaparilla Ale
Secondary: Beef on Weck Ale, Irish Red Ale
Thursday, February 3, 2011
5th Annual Art of Beer
Another year, another Art of Beer is upon us. This time it is being held on Friday, March 4th. I am looking forward to all of the delicious foods and beers that will be at this event.
Over the past few times I've been able to get a taste of some beers that I typically wouldn't have forked the money over for without trying, one of them being Genesee Bock and another being Ithaca Beer Company's Ground Break.
A few highlights of the participants are:
Flying Bison
Certo Brothers (The distribute EBC, Ommegang, Sam Adams, Southern Tier, and plenty more)
Mr. Goodbar (They always bring two live ales to sample)
Pearl Street
And many more...
Just like last year, the tickets are $25 pre-sale or $30 at the door (although I wouldn't wait since they may sell out). As always, you can get your tickets at Niagara Tradition Homebrew.
On Deck: Sarsaparilla Ale (2/6)
Primary: Irish Red Ale
Secondary: Beef on Weck Ale
Carbonating: American Pale Ale
Drinking: Rye-rish Red Ale
Over the past few times I've been able to get a taste of some beers that I typically wouldn't have forked the money over for without trying, one of them being Genesee Bock and another being Ithaca Beer Company's Ground Break.
A few highlights of the participants are:
Flying Bison
Certo Brothers (The distribute EBC, Ommegang, Sam Adams, Southern Tier, and plenty more)
Mr. Goodbar (They always bring two live ales to sample)
Pearl Street
And many more...
Just like last year, the tickets are $25 pre-sale or $30 at the door (although I wouldn't wait since they may sell out). As always, you can get your tickets at Niagara Tradition Homebrew.
On Deck: Sarsaparilla Ale (2/6)
Primary: Irish Red Ale
Secondary: Beef on Weck Ale
Carbonating: American Pale Ale
Drinking: Rye-rish Red Ale
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Fancy Beer Night Round 1
I'm just going to start off by saying that Saturday was a great day for beer all around. In Buffalo, Flying Bison hosted their annual chili cook-off and raised over $1,100 for Cornerstone Manor, a women and children shelter in Buffalo. They had a lot of their beers to sample such as Blizzard Bock, their Barley wine, and an oatmeal pale ale, all of which were quite delicious. They even had 6 packs of the 2009 vintage of barley wine for only $22, which I made sure I grabbed myself one.
Down in Austin, TX, Jester King Craft Brewery had their grand opening. (Jay did a whole blog post about it that you can check out here.) Then on top of all of that, a few of us got together and had a fancy beer night, where only beers over $10 a bottle were allowed. (I did sneak in a couple of my homebrews.)
We didn't quite plan it, but it seemed like the featured brewery of the night was Ommegang. We sampled the Witte, Biere de Mars, Adoration, and Chocolate Indulgence. I would have to say that my favorite from this section was Biere de Mars, and not only because of the magical space dust. It was extremely well balanced and the typical farmhouse/biere de mars tartness, and since I am in the middle of reading Farmhouse Ales right now, I was even more drawn to this beer. There is not too much else I can say, other than go out and try it.
The next prominently featured brewery was Ithaca. From them, we sampled two from their Excelsior line, White Gold and Le Bleu. My favorite of the two here had to have been Le Bleu. It was quite an interesting blueberry lambic which from the tartness of the blueberries and the bacteria made it taste as everyone said "a sour patch kid." It definitely was not something that I would be able to drink a whole bottle myself, but one that would be best shared with a few other friends as we did that night.
We sampled at least ten beers that night and it probably wasn't the best idea since we had a general idea of an order to taste them in, but after a while, your taste buds would get tired all of the flavors started blending in. One of those beers that blended in for me was Lucifer from the Belgian brewery Het Anker. It followed Biere de Mars that night so it did not get a fair judgement from myself because of the lingering flavors, however I had the foresight to cap it off with a champagne saver that came with our Rabbit corkscrew set and tasted it last night. It was delicious and was extremely characteristic of a Belgian Saison, light in color with excellent head, and slightly spicy, fruity and tarty. I can only aim to achieve something like this when I attempt to brew by first Saison this summer.
On Deck: Sarsaparilla Ale (2/6)
Primary: Irish Red Ale
Secondary: Beef on Weck Ale
Carbonating: American Pale Ale
Drinking: Rye-rish Red Ale
Down in Austin, TX, Jester King Craft Brewery had their grand opening. (Jay did a whole blog post about it that you can check out here.) Then on top of all of that, a few of us got together and had a fancy beer night, where only beers over $10 a bottle were allowed. (I did sneak in a couple of my homebrews.)
We didn't quite plan it, but it seemed like the featured brewery of the night was Ommegang. We sampled the Witte, Biere de Mars, Adoration, and Chocolate Indulgence. I would have to say that my favorite from this section was Biere de Mars, and not only because of the magical space dust. It was extremely well balanced and the typical farmhouse/biere de mars tartness, and since I am in the middle of reading Farmhouse Ales right now, I was even more drawn to this beer. There is not too much else I can say, other than go out and try it.
The next prominently featured brewery was Ithaca. From them, we sampled two from their Excelsior line, White Gold and Le Bleu. My favorite of the two here had to have been Le Bleu. It was quite an interesting blueberry lambic which from the tartness of the blueberries and the bacteria made it taste as everyone said "a sour patch kid." It definitely was not something that I would be able to drink a whole bottle myself, but one that would be best shared with a few other friends as we did that night.
We sampled at least ten beers that night and it probably wasn't the best idea since we had a general idea of an order to taste them in, but after a while, your taste buds would get tired all of the flavors started blending in. One of those beers that blended in for me was Lucifer from the Belgian brewery Het Anker. It followed Biere de Mars that night so it did not get a fair judgement from myself because of the lingering flavors, however I had the foresight to cap it off with a champagne saver that came with our Rabbit corkscrew set and tasted it last night. It was delicious and was extremely characteristic of a Belgian Saison, light in color with excellent head, and slightly spicy, fruity and tarty. I can only aim to achieve something like this when I attempt to brew by first Saison this summer.
On Deck: Sarsaparilla Ale (2/6)
Primary: Irish Red Ale
Secondary: Beef on Weck Ale
Carbonating: American Pale Ale
Drinking: Rye-rish Red Ale
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Flying Bison Chili Cook-Off and Amber Waves of Grain Homebrew Competition
Today's posting is a two parter since there are a couple things going on this weekend that I would like to address. First off, this Saturday from 11 am to 4 pm, Flying Bison will be having its fourth annual chili cook-off at the brewery with beer tasting and live music. I haven't been to this yet, but I have heard good things. Even if you're not a chili person, you should still go since all of the $5 entry fee goes to the Cornerstone Women and Children Shelter. For more information, check out The Good Neighbor.
Onto part two: Since I am staring to become a bit more serious about brewing, I decided a good way to build onto my brewing portfolio would be to enter some competitions. There's no better opportunity to do that than the 15th Annual Amber Waves of Grain Homebrew Competition. I'm just hoping some of my beer can hold its own. For $6 an entry, having the professional critique on my beers will be worth it.
Following are the categories (from BJCP) and the beers that I will be entering into the competition:
9D. Irish Red Ale: Rye-rish Red Ale
10A. American Pale Ale: No name as of yet
15B. Dunkelweizen: Bayrischer Dunkelweizen
21A. Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer: All-Grain Pumpkin Ale
21B. Christmas/Winter Specialty Spiced Beer: Spiced Fruit Winter Ale
If you're interested in entering this competition, entries can be accepted starting 1/29 and the deadline is 2/12 and judging takes place on 2/25 and 2/26. Drop off locations in Buffalo are Niagara Traditions Homebrew and Flying Bison.
The American Pale Ale was just bottles so it should be ready in time for the competition. Unfortunately I do not think the beef on weck will be ready in time.
Primary: Beef on Weck Ale
Secondary: Nothing
Carbonating: Rye-rish Red Ale, American Pale Ale
Onto part two: Since I am staring to become a bit more serious about brewing, I decided a good way to build onto my brewing portfolio would be to enter some competitions. There's no better opportunity to do that than the 15th Annual Amber Waves of Grain Homebrew Competition. I'm just hoping some of my beer can hold its own. For $6 an entry, having the professional critique on my beers will be worth it.
Following are the categories (from BJCP) and the beers that I will be entering into the competition:
9D. Irish Red Ale: Rye-rish Red Ale
10A. American Pale Ale: No name as of yet
15B. Dunkelweizen: Bayrischer Dunkelweizen
21A. Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer: All-Grain Pumpkin Ale
21B. Christmas/Winter Specialty Spiced Beer: Spiced Fruit Winter Ale
If you're interested in entering this competition, entries can be accepted starting 1/29 and the deadline is 2/12 and judging takes place on 2/25 and 2/26. Drop off locations in Buffalo are Niagara Traditions Homebrew and Flying Bison.
The American Pale Ale was just bottles so it should be ready in time for the competition. Unfortunately I do not think the beef on weck will be ready in time.
Primary: Beef on Weck Ale
Secondary: Nothing
Carbonating: Rye-rish Red Ale, American Pale Ale
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