I'm Baaaaaaaaaack!

Has it really been 3 1/2 years since I last posted?  Wow!  A lot has happened since then.  I went to the UAE for work, we sold our Eugene house, and bought a house in Beaverton. I took my wife to Hawaii for 10 days, and just over a year later I was back helping out the Montana Air Guard with the alert mission for almost 3 months. I've been back to Nellis and Tyndall, the 2012 Rose Bowl, and even got to visit my best friend in NC for an all-too-short week. I've brewed and drank beers by myself and with friends. It's been a good time and I don't expect life to slow down any time soon. 

This Christmas, I got the things needed to make a 10 gallon mash tun to make even better beer for less money. Yesterday I used it for the first time with good results, and took pictures so I can post how it went. That will be my next post. 

Wow...Nice!

So here you can see the hop bag, peppers, juniper berries, and the dark wort. A quick taste tells lengths will be unique, and friggin good! Three peppers was the perfect amount, I can't wait until its done to see what other flavors come through.

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You're making what?!?

With the McRiley Luau just a month away, I realized I need to make my brew. The thought crossed my mind to go for something special, different, and fun: Goat Scrotum Porter.

When I first saw this recipe in the Papazian book 'The Complete Joy of Homebrewing (3rd edition)' I knew I had to try it some day. It's a basic porter recipe with a list of additional ingredients and the note to use "one, some, or all" of them, including cinnamon, fresh Ginger, chili peppers, chocolate, juniper berries, spruce extract or tips, and brewers licorice. I upped the malts to make sure thulis goat scrotum has "balls" and am using the following:

Grains
1 lb Crystal 60'
0.5 lb dark patent
0.5 lb roasted barley

Extract / sugars
6 lb dark liquid
2 lb amber liquid
2 cups light dry malt
1 lb brown sugar
4 oz molasses

Yeast
WhiteLabs WLP002 English Ale Yeast

Extras
Fresh grated Ginger (1/2 oz)
3 red chili peppers
2 inches brewers licorice
7 oz bakers chocolate
1 oz crushed juniper berries
1 oz gypsum (water hardness)

Hops
1 oz Chinook alpha 12.7 for boil
5/8 oz unknown homegrowns

I'm nearing the end of the mash and getting ready to add in all the other stuff. This aught to be good.


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Carb Check, Take 2&

I decided to check my beer again since it had been a couple more days, and also wanted to see if my lack of carbonation was due to the rubber seal on the previous bottle's fliptop cap. So I placed a 12'er in the fridge to chill. That was a couple hours ago. Now it's time to open 'er up and check my results...again.



And as you can see, there is a little bit of lacing (bubbles), but not a lot. I decided to then try another glass, one with laser etching on the bottom to help cavitate more bubbles.


In case you couldn't tell that is a Harp pint glass. It didn't help much however. As for the taste, it is wonderful aside from needing a little more carbonation. I truely feel that one more week in the bottle will finish this brew off nicely, and so I shall push the release date to April 12th. Cheers!!!

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Low Carb Beer

I decided to crack open my 11 oz flip-top tester bottle to check on the progress of this latest batch which I have scheduled for an April 6th release.



The pour shows great color, but look at the head...nearly no carbonation at all.


I honestly am pleased as punch about the beautiful color for my first red ale. It really is red.


But the lack of carbonation is a bit disconcerning. I didn't do anything different from what I normally do and have not had this problem before. Upon drinking, there is a little carb on the tongue, but not enough to work. It looks like I will have to postpone the release date by a week or so the carbonation has a chance to build properly. I will take it to Portland with me and hold it for another week, and hope to release after the guard drill. Until then, happy drinking!

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Now pitching...

Ninkasi Brewing yeast being pitched into 'The Ginger'



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New Beer!

I'm 50 min into the hour long boil of my newest batch, a red ale called 'The Ginger', in honor of all the red-heads that have no souls. It's early indicators give it 7-7.9% abv and it already has a lovely auburn color to it. I was graced with some yeast from Ninkasi Brewing thanks to my former coworker Steve who is a salesman for them. He's also promised to "make sure we're taken care of" when I bring Kender over for a tour and some beers, especially if their expansion is complete by then. HUZZAH!!! Back to the boil!