Jay and I won first place in Amber Waves of Grain Homebrewing Competition's Holiday Beer with our Fruitcake/Holiday Spice Ale. I think I have some ideas about why the other beers were not selected in their categories, but I will have to wait to get the results in the mail to know for sure. Congratulations to all other winners in the competition.
I brewed the Chocolate Chipotle Rauchbier today, and all I can say at this point is that it was interesting. It tasted great as I put it into primary, but I was disappointed with the low amount of spiciness, however that and the chocolate may come out a bit more over time. It was my first time using either in a beer, so we shall see.
I am a bit reluctant about he next beer that I will be brewing. That's because it is one of my least favorite beers due to the culture surrounding it of loading as many hops into it as possible and then on top of that occasionally passing it through a Randall. I prefer my beers with a nice balance between the malt and hops of the beer. I take on this challenge as I plan to brew this beer.
This is going to be another partial mash brew with a base of 2-row and light malt extract. I am going to use a plethora of specialty malts in order to balance out the hops. I will us a 60L crystal malt to give some nice color and a light biscuit flavor, American caramel again for color and a slight malty caramel flavor, Marris Otter for some smoothness, and some Munich malt in order to build the body of the beer. I will try to build the hop flavors in a similar fashion. I will use Cascade which is typical for a it more or a sharp and citrus flavor and use Centennial and Simco to boost the overall bitterness. I will finish this off with a California Ale yeast. I am aiming for about 7.7% with this beer.
On Deck: Chili Lime Pilsner (3/6), Imperial IPA (3/13)
Primary: Chocolate Chipotle Rauchbier, Belgian Blonde
Secondary: Elder Ale
Conditioning: Irish Red
Volume Brewed in 2011: 25 Gallons
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Homebrewing in Buffalo
Not too many things going on the homebrew from right now. I am mainly biding my time until I get to brew beer one in my three beer Cinco De Mayo series, my Chocolate Chipotle Rauchbier, on Sunday. I tried the Elder Ale last night as I was putting it into secondary, and I cannot wait until this beer is ready to drink. It is almost more like a wine than a beer. I am excited to see how the flavors round out over time and how it tastes slightly chilled and carbonated. I cannot rememer the last time I was this stoked about a homebrew, probably the Barley Wine.
The Buffalo News posted this homebrewing article the other day. Its definately worth the read, although I wish it would go into a bit more detail about the growth of homebrewing in the area. The big thing that it mentioned was that this year for the Amber Waves of Grain competion there are over 400 enteries from over 100 people. Even if I don't have much luck this Friday and Saturday, at least I will have some great feedback from the judges.
The Sultans of Swig were also mentioned in the article. Jay and I went to a meeting last year, and they seemed like a great group of people that I could learn alot from, but then summer crept up on us and the rest is history, and now that the meetings are in Hamburg, I'm not sure if they will be in my future. Perhaps I will have to look into the Niagara Association of Homebrewers. If anyone in the Buffalo area has any interest in attending either of the meetings with me, let me know.
On Deck: Chocolate Chipotle Rauchbier (2/28), Chili Lime Pilsner (3/6)
Primary: Belgian Blonde
Secondary: Elder Ale
Conditioning: Irish Red Ale
Volume brewed in 2011: 23 Gallons
The Buffalo News posted this homebrewing article the other day. Its definately worth the read, although I wish it would go into a bit more detail about the growth of homebrewing in the area. The big thing that it mentioned was that this year for the Amber Waves of Grain competion there are over 400 enteries from over 100 people. Even if I don't have much luck this Friday and Saturday, at least I will have some great feedback from the judges.
The Sultans of Swig were also mentioned in the article. Jay and I went to a meeting last year, and they seemed like a great group of people that I could learn alot from, but then summer crept up on us and the rest is history, and now that the meetings are in Hamburg, I'm not sure if they will be in my future. Perhaps I will have to look into the Niagara Association of Homebrewers. If anyone in the Buffalo area has any interest in attending either of the meetings with me, let me know.
On Deck: Chocolate Chipotle Rauchbier (2/28), Chili Lime Pilsner (3/6)
Primary: Belgian Blonde
Secondary: Elder Ale
Conditioning: Irish Red Ale
Volume brewed in 2011: 23 Gallons
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Widmer Brothers Brewers Reserve #2 - Prickly Pear Braggot
I've tried to become a bit more active using the 33 Bottles of Beer book that Jay got me, but I just cant help the fact that I get wrapped up in drinking the beer rather than rating it. This beer was one that I picked up from Beers of the World a couple weekends ago, and I couldn't wait any longer to try it. I have never had a prickly pear beer before, or a pear beer for that matter, so I was walking in without knowing exactly what to expect. What I did end up getting was an excellent beer that was deceptively alcoholic.
This beer has a very light color, similar to that apple juice, and although it had a great malty flavor and aroma, the head did not last too long and reminded me of the level of carbonation of a sparkling hard cider. There was not a strong hop aroma or flavor in the beer, but there was a very heavy fruity/estery flavor and an aroma that was reminiscent of apple blossoms, (perhaps prickly pear blossoms, never smelled them before so I'm not sure).
Enough cannot be said about the body, maltiness, and linger of this beer. The longer you held the beer in your mouth the better. Over time, the spicy notes traveled from the tip of your tongue to the back of your mouth. The flavor and the linger lasted for over a half minute. Sour, bitter, and astringent notes were practically non existent in this beer, and for being listed as 10%, this beer can really sneak up on you since it does not have a strong alcoholic aroma or taste.
On Deck: Chocolate Chipotle Rauchbier (2/27), Chili Lime Pilsner (3/6)
Primary: Elder Ale, Belgian Blonde
Secondary: Nada
Conditioning: Irish Red Ale
This beer has a very light color, similar to that apple juice, and although it had a great malty flavor and aroma, the head did not last too long and reminded me of the level of carbonation of a sparkling hard cider. There was not a strong hop aroma or flavor in the beer, but there was a very heavy fruity/estery flavor and an aroma that was reminiscent of apple blossoms, (perhaps prickly pear blossoms, never smelled them before so I'm not sure).
Enough cannot be said about the body, maltiness, and linger of this beer. The longer you held the beer in your mouth the better. Over time, the spicy notes traveled from the tip of your tongue to the back of your mouth. The flavor and the linger lasted for over a half minute. Sour, bitter, and astringent notes were practically non existent in this beer, and for being listed as 10%, this beer can really sneak up on you since it does not have a strong alcoholic aroma or taste.
On Deck: Chocolate Chipotle Rauchbier (2/27), Chili Lime Pilsner (3/6)
Primary: Elder Ale, Belgian Blonde
Secondary: Nada
Conditioning: Irish Red Ale
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Chili Lime Pilsner
So there is bad news and even worse news for the sarsaparilla ale. I was about to transfer it into secondary yesterday when there was a bizarre aroma coming off of it. It almost smelled like tomato paste/catchup. After tasting it, my worst fears were proven, the beer was spoiled/infected. The worst part is that I cannot pinpoint the source of the infection. The good part of this whole situation is that I smelled the elder beer and can safely say that the yeast was not the culprit. My hopes are still high for the sarsaparilla ale though and I am planning on brewing it again in the future. It held such promise as it was being brewed.
This post though, is looking towards a brighter note. This is a continuation of my Cinco de Mayo beers, and it will be a Chili Lime Pilsner. I have been wanting to brew this beer ever since I've started brewing. Basically, this beer would be a michelada, minus the salt, tomato (no one needs that in beer) and having to add lime and hot sauce.
I cannot say that this beer will conform to a specific base style since in quite a few aspects I will be deviating. The base malt for the beer will be a Czech Pilsner and I will possibly add some flaked maize, considering the history of the ingredient with the American style lagers/pilsners and that corn is used so much in Mexican cooking. I will be Cascade hops exclusively. I feel that this is a no brainer since the citrusy notes of the hops should play off the lime perfectly. I think I am going to use a Boheamian Lager yeast since it has such a wide range of applications and be a great addition to my yeast bank for future brews.
I very much look forward to this brew, I just hope that the basement will be cool enough for lagering.
On Deck: Belgian Blonde (2/21 - yes I was lazy and am putting it off until tomorrow), Chocolate Chipotle Rauchbier (2/27), Chili Lime Pilsner (3/6)
Primary: Elder Ale
Secondary: Nada
Conditioning: Irish Red Ale, Beef on Weck Ale
This post though, is looking towards a brighter note. This is a continuation of my Cinco de Mayo beers, and it will be a Chili Lime Pilsner. I have been wanting to brew this beer ever since I've started brewing. Basically, this beer would be a michelada, minus the salt, tomato (no one needs that in beer) and having to add lime and hot sauce.
I cannot say that this beer will conform to a specific base style since in quite a few aspects I will be deviating. The base malt for the beer will be a Czech Pilsner and I will possibly add some flaked maize, considering the history of the ingredient with the American style lagers/pilsners and that corn is used so much in Mexican cooking. I will be Cascade hops exclusively. I feel that this is a no brainer since the citrusy notes of the hops should play off the lime perfectly. I think I am going to use a Boheamian Lager yeast since it has such a wide range of applications and be a great addition to my yeast bank for future brews.
I very much look forward to this brew, I just hope that the basement will be cool enough for lagering.
On Deck: Belgian Blonde (2/21 - yes I was lazy and am putting it off until tomorrow), Chocolate Chipotle Rauchbier (2/27), Chili Lime Pilsner (3/6)
Primary: Elder Ale
Secondary: Nada
Conditioning: Irish Red Ale, Beef on Weck Ale
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Beers of the World
Last weekend, Marygrace and I went out to Rochester for a birthday party, this seemed like the perfect time to make a stop at one of my favorite stores, Beers of the World. It is housed in an old supermarket, so there are literally isles and isles of beer after beer.
On the most recent trip, I was sent out to pick up some ACME IPA and Augustiner Edelstoff. (For Edelstoff, the export beer, the story goes that it won so many gold medals that they decided to make the label all gold.) While I was there, I had to pick up a few bottles for myself. Those ended up being the Widmer Brothers Brother's Reserve #2 - Prickly Pear Braggot, Arcadia Ales Sky High Rye, and Breckenridge Agave Wheat.
I haven't gotten around to trying the Prickly Pear Braggot as of yet, since I have been saving it for a special occasion, but I have greatly enjoyed the other two brews. The Sky High Rye is an excellent Rye Pale Ale. It is light in color with a fair amount of bitterness and with the typical rye spice that would be expected. It was all I was hoping for out of this beer, nothing spectacular, but a great overall beer.
The Agave Wheat was also quite a treat. One of my favorite parts about drinking a Weizen is being able to swirl the last bits of beer with the yeast and pour out the cloudy goodness. This beer does not disappoint on that level. The Agave is extremely present in both aroma and flavor. Hops however are not too noticable and I would have to imagine that an American wheat yeast was used since there are no strong clove or banana flavors present.
It was a great trip. I cant want till the next one...whenever that may be...
By the way, Jay recommended that I add the Android Brewster App, where you can add the beers that you are drinking, rate them on a simple scale of 1-5 and share them with your friends. I did, so friend me if you feel like sharing what you are drinking: aaron.piskorowski (at) gmail.com.
On Deck: Belgian Blonde (2/20), Chocolate Chipotle Rauchbier (2/27)
Primary: Elder Ale, Sarsaparilla Ale
Secondary: Irish Red Ale
Conditioning: Beef on Weck Ale
On the most recent trip, I was sent out to pick up some ACME IPA and Augustiner Edelstoff. (For Edelstoff, the export beer, the story goes that it won so many gold medals that they decided to make the label all gold.) While I was there, I had to pick up a few bottles for myself. Those ended up being the Widmer Brothers Brother's Reserve #2 - Prickly Pear Braggot, Arcadia Ales Sky High Rye, and Breckenridge Agave Wheat.
I haven't gotten around to trying the Prickly Pear Braggot as of yet, since I have been saving it for a special occasion, but I have greatly enjoyed the other two brews. The Sky High Rye is an excellent Rye Pale Ale. It is light in color with a fair amount of bitterness and with the typical rye spice that would be expected. It was all I was hoping for out of this beer, nothing spectacular, but a great overall beer.
The Agave Wheat was also quite a treat. One of my favorite parts about drinking a Weizen is being able to swirl the last bits of beer with the yeast and pour out the cloudy goodness. This beer does not disappoint on that level. The Agave is extremely present in both aroma and flavor. Hops however are not too noticable and I would have to imagine that an American wheat yeast was used since there are no strong clove or banana flavors present.
It was a great trip. I cant want till the next one...whenever that may be...
By the way, Jay recommended that I add the Android Brewster App, where you can add the beers that you are drinking, rate them on a simple scale of 1-5 and share them with your friends. I did, so friend me if you feel like sharing what you are drinking: aaron.piskorowski (at) gmail.com.
On Deck: Belgian Blonde (2/20), Chocolate Chipotle Rauchbier (2/27)
Primary: Elder Ale, Sarsaparilla Ale
Secondary: Irish Red Ale
Conditioning: Beef on Weck Ale
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
ABS Label Making Paper
I got some new label making material for Christmas, and I decided it was just about time to open them up and give them a whirl for the Beef on Weck Ale. These labels are made by ABS Inc. I can't find any web site associated with the company but they are available in a variety of colors: blue, green, white, orange, red, and yellow.
These labels couldn't be any easier to use. All you have to do is design your labels, print the paper, moisten the back and apply.
Overall, I was fairly impressed by these labels. They stick great on the bottles (much better than the glue sticks I used to use). And although it has yet to be seen how easily these will peel off once the beer has been drank, my hopes are high. I tested one by wetting a small corner of one of the bottles and after a few seconds the label started peeling off with no problem at all. The rest of the label however was rock solid and started ripping when I got to the dry portion.
All in all, these labels look great. I am quite excited to get some of the white ones so I can start printing in colors and not only use black and white.
On Deck: Belgian Blonde (2/20), Chocolate Chipotle Rauchbier (2/27)
Primary: Elder Ale, Sarsaparilla Ale
Secondary: Irish Red
Conditioning: Beef on Weck Ale
These labels couldn't be any easier to use. All you have to do is design your labels, print the paper, moisten the back and apply.
Overall, I was fairly impressed by these labels. They stick great on the bottles (much better than the glue sticks I used to use). And although it has yet to be seen how easily these will peel off once the beer has been drank, my hopes are high. I tested one by wetting a small corner of one of the bottles and after a few seconds the label started peeling off with no problem at all. The rest of the label however was rock solid and started ripping when I got to the dry portion.
All in all, these labels look great. I am quite excited to get some of the white ones so I can start printing in colors and not only use black and white.
On Deck: Belgian Blonde (2/20), Chocolate Chipotle Rauchbier (2/27)
Primary: Elder Ale, Sarsaparilla Ale
Secondary: Irish Red
Conditioning: Beef on Weck Ale
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Chocolate Chipotle Rauchbier
Another brew day, another need for an inspiration post. In celebration on Indiana's birthday (my dog), I was planning on brewing a few different beers utilizing different types of peppers. Coincidentally, her birthday is on Cinco Day Mayo, so in essence, it's like killing two birds with one stone with this theme.
Back about four years ago, some friends and I began to make chocolate covered bacon (I may have to convert this into a beer somehow in the near future). Throughout the years, there have been several iterations, the most recent incorporated chipotle peppers in the chocolate. The heat from the pepper didn't stand out, but you could notice the smokiness. From that, the natural progression was Rauchbier, but to make the heat of the pepper pop.
For my malts, I plan on using a 2-row, Munich, and smoked malt. I may end up using some chocolate malt in order to enhance the flavor from the cocoa powder that I will be using. I haven't decided for sure yet, but I think I may go for a medium to high amount of hops in this beer. I think that a higher bitterness from the hops will go great with the chocolate and the heat from the chipotle peppers.
This is going to be my second attempt at a lager beer. I am thinking I will use a Munich Style lager yeast since it will be a strain that I will be able to use in a wide variety of lagers. The target brew date for this beer is 2/27.
On Deck: Belgian Blonde (2/20), Chocolate Chipotle Rauchbier (2/27)
Primary: Elder Ale, Sarsaparilla Ale
Secondary: Irish Red Ale
Conditioning: Beef on Weck Ale
Back about four years ago, some friends and I began to make chocolate covered bacon (I may have to convert this into a beer somehow in the near future). Throughout the years, there have been several iterations, the most recent incorporated chipotle peppers in the chocolate. The heat from the pepper didn't stand out, but you could notice the smokiness. From that, the natural progression was Rauchbier, but to make the heat of the pepper pop.
For my malts, I plan on using a 2-row, Munich, and smoked malt. I may end up using some chocolate malt in order to enhance the flavor from the cocoa powder that I will be using. I haven't decided for sure yet, but I think I may go for a medium to high amount of hops in this beer. I think that a higher bitterness from the hops will go great with the chocolate and the heat from the chipotle peppers.
This is going to be my second attempt at a lager beer. I am thinking I will use a Munich Style lager yeast since it will be a strain that I will be able to use in a wide variety of lagers. The target brew date for this beer is 2/27.
On Deck: Belgian Blonde (2/20), Chocolate Chipotle Rauchbier (2/27)
Primary: Elder Ale, Sarsaparilla Ale
Secondary: Irish Red Ale
Conditioning: Beef on Weck Ale
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