After some soul searching and a lot of thought I've moved over to tumblr to bring you the reader a better experience. Follow along at http://broomclosetbrew.tumblr.com/
UPDATE: Since I can't seem to find a good happy medium I may cross post to both the blogger and tumblr blog until I figure out which I like more. Let me know what you think.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Long Beach Beer Scene: Belmont Brewing Company
Sorry for no posts last week but I was on the road; and what trip it was. I figured I should share some of my experiences and thoughts about some of the places I visited.
This was the first time I had ever been to Long Beach, CA by myself. I was there for work but I still had a few moment to check out the craft beer scene there. My first stop was at the Belmont Brewing Company.
I met an old friend at the BBC for dinner the night I arrived in Long Beach. Located at the Belmont Pier in Long Beach it was about two miles from my hotel. I lucked out and found parking a few doors down on the street.
The outside look for the place was warm and inviting as was the bar area. We all sat on the patio to enjoy the great weather and the awesome views of the beach and port at night. Unfortunately I didn't think to take a photo of the view, sorry.
I ordered their beer sampler and the American Style Kobe Beef Burger. The burger was good, a little dry, but tasty. The atmosphere on the deck was warm and inviting and I didn't have any issues with the service as some have reported in reviews.
As for the beer the sampler gave me a great look at all of their brews.
Marathon - Light and sweet. It was ok. Drinkable
Strawberry Blonde - Tasted weird like dish water and light strawberry. I wish I had written down the comment I said at dinner about it. I really didn't like this one
Pale Ale - Standard California Pale Ale. Much more enjoyable than the Marathon well balanced.
Top Sail - Amber ale again nothing that was memorable but not bad.
Ale of the month - Wish I could remember what this was. I think it was a red.
Long Beach Crude - This by far was my favorite. Great name. It was well balanced, not too much of a charcoal flavor like you can get with some stouts. Wish I could have brought some home with me.
This was the first time I decided to do a review of a brewery...lesson learned; bring a notebook. I had every intention of going back to my room and at least writing down my thoughts on the restaurant and beer but I didn't and I'm sorry. I promise to do better next trip.
Stay tuned for the next post about my adventure at the Yard House.
This was the first time I had ever been to Long Beach, CA by myself. I was there for work but I still had a few moment to check out the craft beer scene there. My first stop was at the Belmont Brewing Company.
I met an old friend at the BBC for dinner the night I arrived in Long Beach. Located at the Belmont Pier in Long Beach it was about two miles from my hotel. I lucked out and found parking a few doors down on the street.
The outside look for the place was warm and inviting as was the bar area. We all sat on the patio to enjoy the great weather and the awesome views of the beach and port at night. Unfortunately I didn't think to take a photo of the view, sorry.
I ordered their beer sampler and the American Style Kobe Beef Burger. The burger was good, a little dry, but tasty. The atmosphere on the deck was warm and inviting and I didn't have any issues with the service as some have reported in reviews.
 |
| Clockwise: Strawberry Blonde, Ale of the Month, Top Sail, Marathon, Pale Ale, Long Beach Crude |
Marathon - Light and sweet. It was ok. Drinkable
Strawberry Blonde - Tasted weird like dish water and light strawberry. I wish I had written down the comment I said at dinner about it. I really didn't like this one
Pale Ale - Standard California Pale Ale. Much more enjoyable than the Marathon well balanced.
Top Sail - Amber ale again nothing that was memorable but not bad.
Ale of the month - Wish I could remember what this was. I think it was a red.
Long Beach Crude - This by far was my favorite. Great name. It was well balanced, not too much of a charcoal flavor like you can get with some stouts. Wish I could have brought some home with me.
This was the first time I decided to do a review of a brewery...lesson learned; bring a notebook. I had every intention of going back to my room and at least writing down my thoughts on the restaurant and beer but I didn't and I'm sorry. I promise to do better next trip.
Stay tuned for the next post about my adventure at the Yard House.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
News to brew by
Some of the latest beer and brewing related headlines from around the net to help you pass the time.
If you use the Untapped App to track your beer consumption and review your brews then this is great news. There is a new feature allowing breweries and business to connect with their fans. Check it out here.
Did Sumerians brew non-alcoholic beer?
Good news for those of us not living in Ohio. Great Lakes Brewing is expanding south to Virginia and North Carolina. Keep your eyes open and report sightings in the Tidewater, Virginia area....please!
What's it like to be a brewer at a commercial brewery? Check it out as a St. Louis reporter gets to experience "brewer for the day" at the O'Fallon Brewery.
Being from Chicago I've visited Milwaukee more times than I can count. From visiting the Pabst Mansion and Brewery as a child to the State Fair every year since I can remember; Milwaukee will always hold a special place in my heart. If you live there then this is for you; The Best of Beer Dinner. Pairing some great craft beer with dinner at some great local restaurants. Check it out.
Finally for you soccer fans and World Cup ticket holders I have good news; Beer must be served at the games.
Keep brewing and stay tuned.
If you use the Untapped App to track your beer consumption and review your brews then this is great news. There is a new feature allowing breweries and business to connect with their fans. Check it out here.
Did Sumerians brew non-alcoholic beer?
Good news for those of us not living in Ohio. Great Lakes Brewing is expanding south to Virginia and North Carolina. Keep your eyes open and report sightings in the Tidewater, Virginia area....please!What's it like to be a brewer at a commercial brewery? Check it out as a St. Louis reporter gets to experience "brewer for the day" at the O'Fallon Brewery.
Being from Chicago I've visited Milwaukee more times than I can count. From visiting the Pabst Mansion and Brewery as a child to the State Fair every year since I can remember; Milwaukee will always hold a special place in my heart. If you live there then this is for you; The Best of Beer Dinner. Pairing some great craft beer with dinner at some great local restaurants. Check it out.
Finally for you soccer fans and World Cup ticket holders I have good news; Beer must be served at the games.
Keep brewing and stay tuned.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Stand up
This blog is participating in the strike against the Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect Intellectual Property Act. Do not let our congress sell us out to corporate America anymore. Lend your voice. https://www.google.com/landing/takeaction/
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Is it beer yet?
As the song says, "waiting is the hardest part". In the case of homebrewing I find that waiting to see how your beer tastes is the hardest part. Two weeks isn't that long of a time to wait between your brewing and bottling but while you wait you can catch up on some reading.
Here are some great reads for you homebrewers out there.
Here are some great reads for you homebrewers out there.
- The Complete Joy of Homebrewing: By Charles Papazian, this is the bible for homebrewers and the book that seems to have started it all by one of the men that started it all.
- Designing Great Beers: The Ultimate Guide to Brewing Classic Beer Styles: This book by Ray Daniels features is designed to help formulate your original recipes. This is on my reading list but I have not gotten to it yet.
Radical Brewing: Recipes, Tales and World-Altering Meditations in a Glass: I just got this book by Randy Mosher for Christmas and I am really enjoying this great read. Plus Mosher is from my home town Chicago.
The Homebrewers' Recipe Guide: More than 175 original beer recipes including magnificent pale ales, ambers, stouts, lagers, and seasonal brews, plus tips from the master brewer: Another one of my Christmas gifts. This is a recipe book by a group of brewers.
The Homebrewer's Answer Book: By Ashton Lewis this book answered a lot of random questions I had and didn't know I had. Great read to fill in the blanks.
Drink with the Wench: The Beer Wench has some great articles on the personalities, trends and other random musings of the craft beer world. I have been lost for hours on her site.
Drink Craft Beer: Great site on craft beer and homebrewing. They have a nice 101 on how to homebrew.
DRAFT Magazine: A commercial publication on beer, food and travel. I always have a copy lying around the house or in my backpack when I'm on the road.
HopCuisine: These guys have some great tasting, fun, beer based recipes.
HomeBrewTalk: If you can't find the answers you're looking or here...you aren't looking correctly or you're too busy reading.
The Brewing Network: The home of multiple beer podcasts. This is one of the things I listen to while I work out. They have gadget ideas, reviews, talk and cooking shows.
American Homebrewers Association: Saved the best for last. They have a magazine and are the trade association for homebrewing. They have information on how to get your homebrew judged and list a lot of great beer events.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
My First Brew
Choosing your first brew can be a difficult decision. Do you want something that fits the season or something that is good any time? IPA or something not so hoppy? My first brew was based on a Bourbon Oaked Dubble all grain kit from the Brooklyn Brew Shop. I won't post their recipe here as it's in their new book and I don't want to steal. I made one change and used a port wine instead. Long story short I didn't have a taste for bourbon and I love port. It was as easy as that.
Bourbon Dubbel from Brooklyn Brew Shop on Vimeo.
I have had a port-barrel aged ale before, loved it and wanted to recreate something like what I had. Using the kit I soaked the oak chips overnight in a great late bottled vintage port for 24 hours.
The brewing itself was pretty straight forward, not as complicated as this makes it look:
Water needed to be brought to 160 degrees and the grains mashed in. Keep the grains soaking for an hour between 145-160 degrees then mash out as you raise the heat to 170 degrees. Run additional water at the same temperature through your grains for a sparge, then take that mixture and run it through your grains again.
Take that water, now wort, and bring up to a boil until you reach heat break. Depending on your brew, low boil the wort for an hour and add your hops and any additional flavor ingredients at their allotted times.
After an hour cool your wort to 70 degrees as quickly as possible. Strain the cooled wort into your carboy and add your yeast. Cap the carboy with a blow-off tube and let it sit in a cool dark place for two weeks. After the two weeks have passed bottle your beer and let it sit for another two weeks. Finally, sit back, relax and open your fresh, home-made beer.
I'm actually going to talk more about each portion of the brewing process more as I continue the blog with a focused post on each step. I did learn some valuable lessons on my first foray into brewing though.
1. It's not as hard as it looks.
2. Remember is sanitize everything.
3. I needed two identicle 6 quart stock pot. I had to improvise quickly when the first pot didn't hold enough to sparge the grains.
4. The longer you let the beer bottle age the smoother it will be. I let one bottle sit for an additional four weeks and it was much better then the ones I let sit for the minimum time.
Bourbon Dubbel from Brooklyn Brew Shop on Vimeo.
I have had a port-barrel aged ale before, loved it and wanted to recreate something like what I had. Using the kit I soaked the oak chips overnight in a great late bottled vintage port for 24 hours.
The brewing itself was pretty straight forward, not as complicated as this makes it look:
Water needed to be brought to 160 degrees and the grains mashed in. Keep the grains soaking for an hour between 145-160 degrees then mash out as you raise the heat to 170 degrees. Run additional water at the same temperature through your grains for a sparge, then take that mixture and run it through your grains again.
Take that water, now wort, and bring up to a boil until you reach heat break. Depending on your brew, low boil the wort for an hour and add your hops and any additional flavor ingredients at their allotted times.
After an hour cool your wort to 70 degrees as quickly as possible. Strain the cooled wort into your carboy and add your yeast. Cap the carboy with a blow-off tube and let it sit in a cool dark place for two weeks. After the two weeks have passed bottle your beer and let it sit for another two weeks. Finally, sit back, relax and open your fresh, home-made beer.I'm actually going to talk more about each portion of the brewing process more as I continue the blog with a focused post on each step. I did learn some valuable lessons on my first foray into brewing though.
1. It's not as hard as it looks.
2. Remember is sanitize everything.
3. I needed two identicle 6 quart stock pot. I had to improvise quickly when the first pot didn't hold enough to sparge the grains.
4. The longer you let the beer bottle age the smoother it will be. I let one bottle sit for an additional four weeks and it was much better then the ones I let sit for the minimum time.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Why should I follow?
When I started homebrewing in October I did lots of research, read lots of forums and magazine articles, talked to friends who homebrew (more on that in a future post) and really looked for information that could help me do it right. The issue I found was that almost all of the information that's out there is for brewing 5-gallon batches or greater. This makes sense of course because of the amount of work involved brewing 5-gallons or more at a time gives you a greater return for your investment.
I wish I could brew 5-gallon batches; not that I can't but I really don't have the space for it. I looked at doing a kit brew like Mr. Beer but I really have never had an interest in extract brewing. When I stumbled on the 1-gallon kit from Brooklyn Brew Shop I knew I had found what I was looking for.
With a small investment I was able to brew a great, fresh, all-grain brew. Why does this matter to you?
I plan to use this site to create a resource for all of the broom closet brewers out there. Let's face it there are some awesome resources out there for homebrewers but there are few for anyone brewing less than 5-gallons at a time. I really want to develop my own recipes because most of those out there are designed for large batches. On top of all of this not everyone can afford the cost of homebrew equipment or the space requirements. There are some cheaper methods to brew but some of them can be problematic.
Broom closet brewing is perfect for renters and apartment dwellers. You need nothing more than your stove, the water you drink, your ingredients, some small equipment for brewers and a place for your beer to mature. Trust me on this, the first time you pop open your beer, knowing the time and effort you put into it, it will be a memorable moment.
Stay tuned
I wish I could brew 5-gallon batches; not that I can't but I really don't have the space for it. I looked at doing a kit brew like Mr. Beer but I really have never had an interest in extract brewing. When I stumbled on the 1-gallon kit from Brooklyn Brew Shop I knew I had found what I was looking for. With a small investment I was able to brew a great, fresh, all-grain brew. Why does this matter to you?
I plan to use this site to create a resource for all of the broom closet brewers out there. Let's face it there are some awesome resources out there for homebrewers but there are few for anyone brewing less than 5-gallons at a time. I really want to develop my own recipes because most of those out there are designed for large batches. On top of all of this not everyone can afford the cost of homebrew equipment or the space requirements. There are some cheaper methods to brew but some of them can be problematic.
Broom closet brewing is perfect for renters and apartment dwellers. You need nothing more than your stove, the water you drink, your ingredients, some small equipment for brewers and a place for your beer to mature. Trust me on this, the first time you pop open your beer, knowing the time and effort you put into it, it will be a memorable moment.
Stay tuned
Monday, January 9, 2012
Background Image
In case anyone was wondering the background image on the blog is a shot I took looking down the neck of the carboy after I siphoned off my first batch of beer. It was a Port-Oaked Belgiun Dubble and it is very tasty (more on that later).
Here is the original image for your enjoyment. Remember if you don't like the beer, brew your own.
The obligatory first post
You have to start somewhere...
I'm going to attempt to start blogging again. This is meant as a means to share my adventures in homebrewing and my love of the craft of creating beer.
I have to thank my dad for teaching me the pleasure of truly enjoying a beer. He taught me the craft and love that can go into a well made, real beer.
Late in 2011 I bought a one-gallon brew kit from the great people at The Brooklyn Brew Shop. My first time
brewing beer and I decided to get into it head first by brewing all grain from
the start. I had heard horror stories from some about all grain brewing but I
was bound and determined to go all grain or go home.
For my day job I'm in the Coast Guard so I wanted to make sure that when I jumped into home brewing I could do it with minimal equipment to lug around the country as I continue with that career. The Brooklyn Brew Shop's kit fit the bill perfectly. All I needed to add was a couple of pots, a strainer, a funnel and some bottles.
I have to say that all grain brewing wasn't that hard and I now look forward to brewing a new batch all the time. Stay tuned and enjoy the adventure with me.
I'm going to attempt to start blogging again. This is meant as a means to share my adventures in homebrewing and my love of the craft of creating beer.
I have to thank my dad for teaching me the pleasure of truly enjoying a beer. He taught me the craft and love that can go into a well made, real beer.
Late in 2011 I bought a one-gallon brew kit from the great people at The Brooklyn Brew Shop. My first time
brewing beer and I decided to get into it head first by brewing all grain from
the start. I had heard horror stories from some about all grain brewing but I
was bound and determined to go all grain or go home. For my day job I'm in the Coast Guard so I wanted to make sure that when I jumped into home brewing I could do it with minimal equipment to lug around the country as I continue with that career. The Brooklyn Brew Shop's kit fit the bill perfectly. All I needed to add was a couple of pots, a strainer, a funnel and some bottles.
I have to say that all grain brewing wasn't that hard and I now look forward to brewing a new batch all the time. Stay tuned and enjoy the adventure with me.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)