Alright....been on a little bit of a break again and a lot has happened since the last post. Not to make excuses, but I know see myself being able to blog on a more consistent basis since I finally got my keyboard/docking station for my tablet computer. So I've wanted to do posts of all the different things that have happened, but in an effort to catch everybody back up, I'm going to break this post up into small summaries of each event, first starting out is:
Big Brew Day - Russian Imperial Stout
Last month (February 2nd) was the Big Brew Day by the SDSU Homebrewing Club, and this time a Russian Imperial Stout, a really strong beer that we were aiming for a 10.5% ABV.
Last month (February 2nd) was the Big Brew Day by the SDSU Homebrewing Club, and this time a Russian Imperial Stout, a really strong beer that we were aiming for a 10.5% ABV.
The idea for how to start this Big Brew Day had good intentions (9am meeting at Heist brewery), .....however we did not take into account the fact that most of us would be out that Friday night prior, and you could say that nobody was moving fast in the morning. I am guilty as well after going to my first Brookings Blizzard hockey game, where you can buy "VIP Tickets" for $26 and it includes entrance into the game, as well as all you can drink beer and all the food you can eat (catered by BBQ shack).....simply incredible.
So we ended up getting a late start on the day, had to make a pit stop on the way to Heist and get some coffee and Casey's breakfast pizza...mmm. Once I got to Heist and we started getting everything set up, Rich and I had to run back to his house to get the yeast starts that he did the other night. Soon enough we had everyone at the brewery and started crushing the grains and making some beer! Everyone brought different kinds of beer to share and put them in a big ice bucket, I bought a 4-pack of Ivan The Great. I was pretty excited to try this beer, until it became apparent that all 4 were incredibly flat and tasted like borderline syrup. I have experienced more carbonation out of a Bud Light that was sitting in a cooler for a couple days while at the cabin/Apple River. Thankfully others brought some really good AND carbonated beer so I wasn't at a total loss for the day.
I can't remember what prompted this, but I had written a quote down from Rich: "Beer with cheese...it accentuates the funkiness".
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| Me filling up my carboy |
After we got done and it was time to start filling up everyone's carboy's, we realized that we may have a little bit more than expected, so instead of some of us getting 5 gallons, we got 6 (which I was not going to argue with). Then we had an aerator to help create oxygen prior to pitching the yeast, this was the first time I had used one of these, and wow does it definitely make it easier than picking it all up and swishing it around constantly. So we all got our allotted amount of beer, aerated, and pitched the yeast then loaded up our vehicles and head our separate ways.
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| Rich getting the hops ready |
SDSU Homebrew Club February Meeting
This was the first meeting in quite awhile that I didn't have my kid and was actually able to attend. These meetings are so much fun, if you're a fan of beer, and a fan of trying different kinds of beer while meeting new people....there is no reason to not check out an SDSU Homebrew Club meeting. At this meeting, Rich showed everyone how to make their own labels and how to get them to stick to the beer bottle. After printing off a design on a colored laser printer, simply coat the back of the paper in a saucer of milk and press it to the beer bottle firmly and hold. I couldn't believe how easy this actually was and I think many others were surprised as well and now we all feel comfortable being to start making our own labels for the beers we make.
This was the first meeting in quite awhile that I didn't have my kid and was actually able to attend. These meetings are so much fun, if you're a fan of beer, and a fan of trying different kinds of beer while meeting new people....there is no reason to not check out an SDSU Homebrew Club meeting. At this meeting, Rich showed everyone how to make their own labels and how to get them to stick to the beer bottle. After printing off a design on a colored laser printer, simply coat the back of the paper in a saucer of milk and press it to the beer bottle firmly and hold. I couldn't believe how easy this actually was and I think many others were surprised as well and now we all feel comfortable being to start making our own labels for the beers we make.
One of my best friends from college ended up coming into town so I had to cut the meeting short, but before I left I did try someone's beer that was actually rated at 28% ABV.....as soon as I heard about that I knew I had to try it. Wow! This pretty much tasted like drinking straight rum, sweet of course but some good flavor and not what you would expect from a beer, felt more like I was drinking alcohol straight.
Bottling Dead Ringer IPA
Blake made a trip up to Brookings to help me finally bottle the Dead Ringer IPA that we brewed about a month or two ago. We took a final gravity reading and it came out right around where we wanted it to be for a 6.5% ABV. I am a fan of bottling day, though as much work as it may be, something about filling up bottles and capping them really hits home that you made beer....and I love it. We are using bigger bottles instead of the 12oz ones so we don't have has many to fill, so it's the best of both worlds.
Blake made a trip up to Brookings to help me finally bottle the Dead Ringer IPA that we brewed about a month or two ago. We took a final gravity reading and it came out right around where we wanted it to be for a 6.5% ABV. I am a fan of bottling day, though as much work as it may be, something about filling up bottles and capping them really hits home that you made beer....and I love it. We are using bigger bottles instead of the 12oz ones so we don't have has many to fill, so it's the best of both worlds.
