New title and the votes are in

So after some thoughts about my beer blog title which I have never really liked, I finally came up with this name. I'm sure someone already has this title (Yes, I did google it and didn't find anything in the first page). I'm still open for changing it, but we'll keep it at this for now.

So some news:

After recounting the votes as my state of Minnesota likes to do, it looks like I'll be brewing the coffee oatmeal stout next. Congrats to Mike D for the nomination, though living in Bellingham does have its downfalls. Looks like you'll have to come out to claim your prize. I still have many brews floating around in my head. Don't worry I could still brew what you suggested.

I'd highly recommend watching Brew Masters on Discovery Channel. It's on Sunday at 10pm eastern. Now Dad, I know you're going to say something about the fact that you go to bed at 6:30 after matlock.. I think it's time to fire up the DVR and record it. The show follows Dog Fish Head's owner as he makes new and different beers. Think of an "American Choppers" meets brewing, only minus the fighting and other stupid crap. I enjoy this show because he's doing what I would love to do which is create new and very different brews.

On a bit of a different subject, I saw something on Good Morning America about how this lady is making all this money by writing a blog. I just want to say that right now I have no plans to make any money off this. I do it because I enjoy beer and figured it would be a fun way to explain to everyone a little about brewing it yourself.

I hope/plan on brewing this black friday as I typical avoid anything remotely close to a mall that day, though last time I said I was going to brew I didn't. I'll nail down the Coffee Oatmeal Stout and get to the store. I'm thinking I'll call the brew "Sophie's Brew" after the fact that she's dark in color and has a lot of energy. For those of you totally out of the loop Sophie is my black miniture schnauzer.

Final Note: I'll try to get a little better about doing a more common weekly update. Like I said before I do this for fun so I could have one week where I'm more active, then a dry spell.



Prost!
-Ryan & Sophie

Some good terms to know

Have you ever been around that know-it-all beer prick who talks all these technical terms to try to make himself sound cool, but really he's just a wanna-be beer snob? Well, let's break down some of those terms you may not know and teach you some other homebrew terms.

Beer Snob: Someone who refuses to drink certain styles of beer. Some of you may call me that. I will let it be known that there are times when I reach for a Miller Lite. Examples: Packers Games, Bars where clearly the only thing drank is your cheaper beers, Really hot days after doing yard work, Etc etc. There are also wannabe beer snobs who really don't know anything, just act like they do. Those people bug the shit out of me. Example: Finnegans Irish Amber is brewed with potatoes. It says that on the bottle. They do it as a marketing thing because of the whole Irish potato famine thing. I know this because I'm friends with the owner of Finnegans. I also know that the amount of potatoes used is about the equivalent of a bag of hash browns per BATCH of beer. Each batch is hundreds of gallons of liquid. Potatoes are a starch, fancy word for sugar. Sugar is what the yeast eats to make CO2 and alcohol. So when the guy at the beer festival I was said "Yeah, I don't like Finnegans because all I taste is the potatoes", I promptly laughed in his face. Moron. I'm sorry asshole but no, you don't taste potatoes because the low amount of potatoes used would not produce a flavor that one could pick up, even with the best of palates.

International Bittering Unit (IBU): Oh boy, the poster-child of the beer snobs vocabulary. People I've been to *a lot* of beer festivals and I hear this one thrown out more then Brett Farve throws interceptions.

IBU's are a measurement of how bitter a beer is. Nothing frustrates me more then when people say "I don't like dark beer because it's too bitter." It's not the color of the beer that makes it bitter, it's the hops and the amount of hops that give it that bitter taste. I'll give you a beer as light in color as Miller lite, yet more bitter then you can handle.

IBU is a number the can sometimes be found on the bottle or on a website. They range from single digits (Really lite beers like that 64 crap) to one of the highest I've had was 114, Surly Abrasive Ale. I would say most beers are in the teens to 40's. Beers starting in the 60's are going to have a bit of a kick.

Why people like talking about IBU's is because some less-educated wanna-be beer snobs feel that the higher the IBU, the better the beer is. I'm sorry but this is false. Don't get me wrong, I love myself an IPA or some sort of very hoppy beer, but that doesn't mean it's awesome. It's easy to make a hoppy beer, it's hard to make a hoppy beer that is balanced.

IBU's are measured by the alpha level and amount of hops in the beer, along with different grains which are used. My IBU levels are automatically calculated for me through the use of Beersmith, the program I use to help me develop my beer.

For me personally, I switch what style beer I like all the time. A lot of times it goes with the seasons. Right now I'm on a bit of a dark beer kick. I must say though, I always have great respect for a beer lighter in color but complex in flavor. As a homebrewer, that's one of the hardest beers to make. Two of them that get my highest respects are Fulton's "The Lonely Blonde" and The Herkimer's "Sky Pilot".

Gravity: No, I'm not talking about the stuff that keeps us planted to the Earth. Gravity is a measurement of beer. Using a hydrometer, a brewer determines how dense the liquid is. This equals a specific gravity of fermentable liquid. 1.000 is pure water. Why brewers care about this is because the gravity level is equal to the alcohol level. Taking the starting gravity minus the finish gravity, a brewer can figure out the alcohol level of his or her beer. Remember back in college when you'd find a few bucks and go down to the store to get the highest alcohol beer the had? Most likely it said "High Gravity" on it and it was running somewhere in the 9%+ alcohol range. It should all make sense now. If you had a real high gravity number, like 1.090, and your finishing gravity was really low, like 1.012, you'll produce a really high alcoholic beer.

Most beer has the same general range for finishing gravity, which when I brew seems to be around 1.012. When I brew the beer and find out the starting gravity, I typically have a good idea of how strong it will be. My last batch of Helle had a SG of 1.065. I knew it was going to be a pants kicker.. and my friend Tony can agree on that ;)

SMaSH: So this is a newer term for me that I just learned about, but I would like my blog followers to know. It stands for "Single Malt and Single Hop". The idea is one kind of grain, one kind of hop, one style of yeast. That's it. The simplistic of beer brewing. I'll dive deeper into smash when I release the contents of the SMaSH beer I'm working on. It should be interesting.

Boil Over: Every homebrewers worst fears. During the boil stage, when adding hops it tends to flair up the liquid. Sometimes that flair up goes up over your kettle, causing you to lose beer. It sucks and has happened to me a few times, as shown to the right. Typically boil over is followed with the words "Ahh shit!"

Prost!: German for "Cheers!"

Michael Jackson: No, I'm not talking about the black man turned white man who could dance like no other, but thanks to his dad he was pretty f'd up in the head. I'm talking about the well known beer critic. Michael Jackson wrote a large amount of books about beer and was one of the foremost authorities on beer. He unfortunately passed away in 2007. Here's a link to his Wikipedia page.

Brewhouse Efficiency: Homebrewers use this number to figure out how much of the possible potential sugars in the grains they have actually extracted. It's typically only used by All-grain brewers. I like to shoot for 75%, but at times that can be hard. The higher the number, the better. Commercial brewers strive for the highest because unspent grains means they are wasting money. For someone like myself, If I only get 70%, it really only means that I maybe lost $1 worth of grain. For a bigger brewer, that could be hundreds to thousands of dollars. Once again, I use Beersmith to calculate that for me. It's something I like to keep track of to see how well I'm brewing.

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Beer is in some ways a lot like wine, though it doesn't get that same elitism. When you go to drink your next beer, I'd like to you do a few things:

1. Pour it in a glass. Seriously I don't care if you're drinking PBR, just pour it in a glass and let it open a little. Anyone who knows me knows that I often times pour my beer in a glass, even if it is right from the can.

2. Look at the beer. Enjoy the color. Is it cloudy? What's the carbonation like? Is it large carbination bubbles or small? Is your glass clean or is it time to find a new watering hole? Did your girlfriend/wife steal a drink from your glass before you had a chance to enjoy the first drink? As as homebrewer, I look at color a lot because I strive for my beer to look like the flavor I'm shooting for; which I must say is harder said then done.

3. Smell the beer. Smelling the beer should give you a preamble of how the beer is going to taste. Is it flowery and full of hops? Is there a strong malt smell? Do you smell hints of chocolate?

4. Taste and enjoy. Do try to think about what the brewer is trying to accomplish with the beer. If it's an chocolate oatmeal stout, is it smooth with chocolate undertones? If it's an IPA, do you taste that hop bitterness but with a smooth finish?

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So hopefully that's some new stuff for you all. As I think of new terms I'll make sure to post them.

I want to leave this post with a little web comic that was sent to me a while back. Hopefully you all enjoy it.

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/beer

Prost!

-Ryan

The Innkeeper is Kegged. Final Numbers

Final numbers are in for the Innkeeper:

Measured Original Gravity: 1.042 SG
Measured Final Gravity: 1.010 SG
Actual Alcohol by Vol: 4.16%
Bitterness: 44.0 IBU
Calories: Ha, Like you want to know.
Brewhouse Efficiency: 68%

Look for a new post here soon that will explain all of this :)

You Decide 2010 - Rock the Beer Vote

In honor of our constitutional rights, I'm going to flavor stuff up a little. You vote - I'll brew it. I don't care what kind of beer you say, I'll brew it, as long as it's a beer. Most votes for that beer win. Feel free to vote on here or comment on my Facebook/Buzz link. Person who nominates the winning beer can take home a bottle. Sorry Bobby, I'm not shipping a bottle. So, get your mind going on what you'd like to see me brew, even if it "Dude make a budweiser clone!" or "Oh man, make fruity apple beer".

On a side note, I'm excited that I don't have to see any more political ads for another 2 years after tomorrow. Please remember to vote tomorrow!

(P.S. Please keep my blog ad free of political people. I see enough of them on the local news)

Still tweeking the blog

So I've added a little more sidebar content so the scavengers my friends can know what they can look forward to. I'm also not sold on my beer blog name. Ryan's beer blog is kinda boring. I'm open for new names. If I pick your name and you live near me, assume a beer on me ;)

Also per request of my Dad, I'll be sending all blogs to Facebook. I'm not normally huge on using Facebook, but I'll entertain him with that request even though there's a "FOLLOW ME" button right...over...there ----->

I plan on brewing this Sunday while watching football. TBD what exactly I'll brew just yet. I have 2 items up next. As much as I'd love to bust out the oatmeal stout right now, I'm lacking keg space. I'm thinking I'll brew Helle because I can cold ferment it for about a month or 2.

Look for a new blog here shortly as I already have my next article in mind.

Prost!

-Ryan

1st all-grain pouring... 2nd in the fermentor.

As I'm writing this I'm taking the first sips off my first all-grain brew. Initial thoughts: Good, but I need more work. I'm very critical of my beer where as I'm sure Erin will say she loves it. She also said my very first beer was amazing though I know it sucked.

For my first all-grain brew, I choose Midwest Supplies Red Hook ESB clone kit. I wanted to do a kit where someone else had done all the grain thoughts for me. My 2nd kit was "The Innkeeper", which I blogged about earlier.

My first trip into the grain room was interesting. For those of you who don't homebrew or haven't wondered though those grain room doors, it's basically a room full of bins of grain. The two homebrew stores that I patron, Northern Brewer and Midwest Supplies are very different. Northern Brewer has 3 price points for all of their grain, and trust me there's a lot of options. Each bin has a different color which stands for that pricepoint. Midwest Supplies on the other hand has different prices for each grain. With Midwest, as you choose different grains you write down the grain code, price, and amount; much like the loose bolts and nuts section at the local hardware store. After you collect your grains, you run it though the mill to crack the grain.

You may be asking yourself "What the hell is this 'All-Grain' brewing you're talking about and how is that different then what you were doing before?" Wonderful question... Let's dive in:

When people first start homebrewing, they often buy a starter kit like this. When you buy an extract kit it typically includes Malt extract, Hops, Yeast, and sometimes an additive such as honey, spices, or possibly steeping grains. The basic idea is one would heat up the water, add the malt extract, wait for the water to come back to a boil, then add hops at different intervals. Typical boil time is 60 minutes. After the boil, the liquid (called wort) is cooled to around 70~80 degrees, added to a fermentor, then yeast is added. It sits here for anywhere from 2 weeks to a month. At this point its moved into some sort of serving container, be it bottle or keg.

With extract, it requires less equipment and can brewed faster. My typical extract brew time was around 2.5 hours, including setup and cleanup. Don't get me wrong, you can make some mighty tasty beers as my friends will agree, but malt extract can be a limited factor. You need to remember that though there are many different malt extracts, there are only so many.

Malt extract is grain that has been soaked in water to convert the grain to starches (sugar), refined and bottled. All-grain brewing removes the malt extract and adds that conversion part.

With all-grain brewing, I first start by adding the grain to a kettle or "mash tun". For my setup I use a 10 gal orange cooler, much like those seen on a construction site or on the sidelines of a football game. From there I let the grains sit in warm water (around 155 degrees) for about an hour. I then pour off the liquid into a kettle and add fresh water. This is called the sparge. I perform what's called "batch sparge" which is where I just add additional water at around 168 degrees for about 20 minutes, washing the grain of any additional sugar. Most professional brewers perform what's called "trickle sparge", which is adding water at the same rate as it's coming out. They do this because they want to get the most value out of the grain. For me, if I lose some sugar on the grain I might be out $1 worth of value... For a larger brewer it could costs hundreds to thousands of dollars. Brewers call this "Brewhouse Efficiency". I'll post another blog about this.

After the sparge I perform the same steps as extract brewing. I bring my liquid to a boil, add hops at different times, add any special items, then cool. I pour it into a fermentor where I add the yeast and let it sit for about 2 week. I then move my beer into the keg. I keg my homebrew because I hate cleaning bottles and I can control the carbonation of my beer. From there my bum friends come and drink my stuff. Lol Cheers.. love you guys!

When I all-grain brew, my brewtime is about 5 hours including cleanup. I really enjoy all grain because I like starting with raw materials and ending with a finished product. I also like the idea of creating my own recipes, which can be done with extract, but not to the same level as all grain. Really the main reason why I started homebrewing is because of the amazing beer that I had at my friend Ted's house. It was like no homebrew I had ever had. I thought I was drinking something that had been made by a professional.

Though it takes more time, I find I have more pride in my beer. I'm addicted to all-grain. We'll see how well it works come winter time.

Prost! -Ryan

Mash Paddle is finished

My homemade mash paddle is finished.

What is a mash paddle you ask? When adding grains to your mash tun, you need to stir in the grains to avoid dry pockets of grain or "dough balls" as homebrews call it. Dough balls are bad because without getting all of the grain wet, you're not converting as much starch as you could.

Large commercial brewers have systems in their mash tun to mix it all up. Smaller craft brewers, microbrewers, and your local brew-pubs often use canoe oars or something that looks like one.

Homebrewers can use anything from a wooden spoon to something homemade or bought from the store. Mash paddles are typically made out of wood, plastic, or metal. Homebrew stores or online retailers typically charge $30 up to $90+ for these.

I had a real hard time justifying paying $30+ for a carved out piece of wood. I went to the local hardware store looking for some good hobby wood that was untreated. I was looking for something like maple, poplar, or walnut. I found a 36"x3.5" untreated piece of poplar for $4.95. A little more then even I was looking to spend, but oh well.

After spending some time researching online what top retailers were designing, I mapped out my cut lines with a pencil and went to down with the fun power tools. I used a jigsaw, drill, dremel, and orbital sander to build my mash paddle. I'm guessing I spent about 3 hours total making it. The design was the hardest part. I changed my mind a few times.

In the end I'm really happy with my finished product. Yes I could have just bought one, or even a wooden spoon as Erin said I should, but I made this myself. I've got some pride knowing that there is only one with the flaws it has.. and there is flaws, but I don't care.


Mmm flaws..


Notice the flier for Zombie Ammo. Yes I'm ready for the invasion.