It's here! It's here!

I can't thank the experts at the U of M enough for their gracious offer to supply me with a small amount of barley seed for my 'grow it yourself' batch of beer project.  If all goes well, I should have enough barley to make a 5 gallon batch of beer in about 4 months.  In exchange for the seed, I have agreed to share my progress through this blog, and share some of the final product with them.  That sounds fair to me!  Now to find a place to plant it.

I've also planted a few varieties of hops around the house.  I heard you don't get much of a harvest your first year... and I've also heard from someone who grew them last year, that a first year harvest can yield over a pound of hops.  So, we'll see.  The goal will be to grow, harvest, malt, dry and kiln the barley..  Grow, harvest and dry the hops..  Then use it all for a batch of beer in the fall.  We'll see what happens!

Beer? Check.. Shovel? Check..

Beer had been purchased, yeast has been started, the minivan is loaded.. I'm on the eve of a 3 day weekend near Waupaca WI.  It's an annual trip with good friends.

I think it's safe to say that burying beer in the ground to ferment for 2 weeks, then setting it in a stream for a second fermentation for another 3 weeks may expose it to less than consistent conditions.  Because of this I've settled on a dark lager, 1) because dark beers hide off flavors, which can be produced by a host of issues.  2)  Lagers require cold fermentations.  When done at home, lagers are usually fermented in a refrigerator to keep temps low.

Pear Infused Sinistral Warrior IPA

I love the 3 gallon carboy!  I've been pulling 1 gallon off of my original batches and putting it in this little guy so I can have some fun with it.  I put 2 peeled and quartered red pears into this 2nd fermentation for 10 days.  I was SURE it was going to be very parry, but it wasn't!  It tasted excellent prior to bottling.  Tonight I tried it for the first time, I expected great things, but was very disappointed with the taste.

My Current Homebrewing Setup.

I've only been at this since January 2011, you can brew with more gear, obviously, or less, and produce great beer.  I am using three carboys, 6.5, 5, and 3 gallons.  6.5 for primary, 5 for secondary, and the 3 gallon for experiment batches.  I have a 8 gallon Polarware brewpot, and a 210,000 BTU low profile Banjo Burner.   I have no wort chiller, as I was brewing in the winter and could cool the wort outdoors.  My cold break times are between 30-35 minutes using an outdoor ice bath.  I've never had a problem with infections.  I've been kegging most everything in one 5 gallon ball lock (Pepsi) Cornelius (Corny) keg, and push it with a 5 lb C02 tank.  A second keg would be great, as I can't always wait for the one that I have to be empty when the next batch is ready.  It's too much pressure!  I figure I have about $500 into my set up today. The first pint I brewed cost me $7.68,  which has been going down with every pint I pour!

GeoBrew just days away...

The countdown is on.  I've made my list..  Tent, sleeping bag, headlamp, coffee press, brats, brew pot, hydrometer, banjo burner... The weather is supposed to be downright crappy, low 40's, rain/snow mix at times. Blah.  Regardless, we will brew.  I love brewing in the elements.  Since I took up brewing in January, I've brewed a whopping 4 batches of beer (my goal was 7 for the year); I've brewed in 5 degree weather, and in hail...  There is something about being outside for 5 hours in whatever mother nature sends your way, that is very enjoyable!  I still have the summer and fall to experience, can't wait.  BUT before that, there will be GeoBrew.  I am running to Northern Brewing Thursday for supplies. I expect an education.

-Chris

Speckled Heifer Batch #2

A few weeks ago I made a Spotted Cow clone from Northern Brewing, it tasted excellent!  It's a Partial Mash kit which gets me a step closer to all grain brewing, and it tasted nearly spot on, but I felt it was missing a citrus element.  So, I'm trying a second batch to see if I can't nail down the addition of a 'citrus element' to a beer.  The guys at Northern (always very, very helpful) recommended an additional 1/2 oz Saaz hop with 30 minutes left in the boil in addition to the 1 oz of Cluster hops in the original recipe.  We'll see how it worked in 4-5 weeks.  Also, I am planning on pulling off 1 gallon as an experiment batch, and letting it ferment in a few lemon peels...  You know, just to see what happens.

Cheers,
-Chris

Welcome to the Union Brewing Blog!

Taking it to the web... I keep playing with electronic media, trying to figure out the best way to document and track my brewing adventures.  A blog seems to make the most sense.  My goal with this blog is to document all things beer.  I've spent hours scouring the web for advice, experiences and  research on all aspects of beer brewing, from equiptment to Barley seeds.  Truth is, the amount of information on the web is staggering!  My wife and I joke frequently that 'there is no reason not to know' anymore.  Information is availalbe at lightning speed and I have gained an enormous amount of information from fellow brewers out there, without their blogs, I wouldn't have nearly the info I have today.  Simply put, the internet is awesome! 

I might not have started this blog, but I'm going to run two experiments this year that others might be interested in.