2011 Homebrewing Year in Review - Jeff

I'll have to admit that 2011 was a huge year for me, but just not in terms of brewing.  We purchased a new house back in March/April, which sapped up the lion's share of my free time.  Additionally, in November I left the job I had been at for 6 years for a new opportunity at a different company.  With all this going on, my brewing efforts seemed to get the short end of the stick.  Compared to prior years, my numbers were down (25 and 19 batches brewed in 2009 and 2010 respectively).

The Congdon Hill Brewery

From an equipment standpoint, this year saw no real major brewery upgrades either.  There was actually a bit of a downgrade to be truthful.  My fermentation freezer (stand up freezer with a digital temp control) did not make the move with us.  This now leaves me with only with a temp-controlled chest freezer to ferment as well as house the tap system.  This poses a bit of a problem as all the kegs have to come out of the freezer for 1-2 weeks when I am fermenting a new beer.

In the same vain as roll ups from prior years, here is what my brewing operation looked like in 2011: 

• Number of Batched Made: 9
• Number of Beer Batches: 8
• Number of Cider Batches: 1
• Number of Gallons Made: 53 gallons
• Most popular beer style: American Ales - Cat.# 10 (n=2)
• First Brew Day of the Year: January 3, 2011 (Ordinary Bitter)
• Last Brew Day of the Year: December 29, 2011 (German Pilsner)
• Homebrew Competition Medals Earned: 5 Medals - Silver, Boston Homebrew Comp (Belgian Golden Strong); Silver, Ocean State Homebrew Comp (Irish Red); Bronze, Boston Homebrew Comp (Midnight Wheat); Bronze, Boston Homebrew Comp (Ordinary Bitter); Bronze, Ocean State Homebrew Comp (Standard Cider).
• Average ABV Across Batches: 5.7%
• Highest ABV: 9.6% (Belgian Golden Strong)
• Lowest ABV: 4.1% (Ordinary Bitter)
• Number of 'Cloned' Beers Brewed: 1 (Timothy Taylor's Ordinary Bitter)
• Favorite Brew: Ordinary Bitter - besides being a great drinking beer and winning a bronze medal, this beer was selected by my homebrew club to represent it at the AHA's battle of the bitters.  What made this so special was that Tom's club sent his bitter to represent their club as well making it a Unique Situation for us. 
• Least Favorite Brew: American Pale Ale - not because the beer came out poorly, but this was the second beer in a double brew day resulting in a very fatigued brewer.
• Approximate amount of grain used in 2011: 91 lbs
• Most popular base malt: US 2-Row (40.3 lbs)
• Most popular specialty malt: Munich Malt (3.25 lbs)
• Approximate amount of hops used in 2011: 1.2 lbs
• Most popular hop: Hallertauer (5.1 oz)

From both Tom and I, we wish everyone a wonderful New Year and many more brewing sessions to come.

Slainte!

-JW


"Let us drink for the replenishment of our strength, not for our sorrow."
-Cicero

Why Local Breweries Rock For Homebrewers

I have been making plans to brew a German Pils for while in order to work on my lagering process.  To get the right yeast pitch, I made a starter with two vials of yeast with plans to brew at the end of the week.  Then, about 1-2 days later, the starter just went bad for some reason, which deep-sixed my brewing plans.

On a whim, I sent out a message to one of the local brewers I know from an area brewpub (Coddington Brewing Co.), in the hopes that he might have some spare lager yeast.  Being the accomodating guy that he is, he hooked me up with a growler full of lager yeast (Saflager S-189) from a Dopplebock he brewed a week and a half ago.  Score!

And this is what I love about most crafter brewers - they love beer and they are always willing to help out others who share the same passion.  I am sure there are exceptions, but as a homebrewer, there are lots of dividends for interacting with and getting to know the local brewers in your area.  Whether its for information exchange, help with some materials, or just hanging out with like minded individuals, get to know your brewers.  You would be missing out on a great resource and comrade if you let it pass you by.

My hat is off to you Marshall - thank you very much for saving my brew day.

Slainte!

-JW


"We brewers don't make beer, we just get all the ingredients together and the beer makes itself."
-Fritz Maytag 

Poll: Ideal Beer for Holiday Feasts?

Like all our prior blog polls, this post takes a moment to memorialize the results we received on the most recent blog poll.  The readers' responses to the question "What Is Your Ideal Beer To Pair With Holiday Feasts?" are presented below.

Total Votes: 21

Cold weather always seems to make the taste buds yearn for something a bit stronger than the rest of the year, and that is certainly apparent here. Belgian ales, which are typically a bit more potent by nature, or Stouts were the clear winners in this poll, with the occasional barelywine coming in third. Cheers to the season for sure!

The popularity (or lack there of) for Spiced Ales was a bit of an outlier from my expectations.  All the "Noel" style beers are mulled or spiced for the most part, but yet they do not seem to nake it to the tables of those who responded.  As long as these offerings are not overspiced, the seasonal beers always seem to pair well with the robust and favorable foods of the holidays, in my opinion.  I would have expected them to be more popular.  Huh.

Let us know what your thoughts are on the topic.  And if you are reading this, our next blog poll is up and awaiting your participation.

Slainte!

-JW


"A wise son brings joy to his father, but the wiser son brings beer."
-Mad Mordigan

The Brewmaster's Night Before Christmas

This is a reposting of the poem "The Brewmaster's Night Before Christmas", which came from the Homebrewers Association site.  The poem's many homebrewing and craft beer references gave me a good chuckle.

The AHA is a great resource from homebrewers, and is definitely worth following through its RSS feed (how I saw this humorous farce in the first place).

Cheers,

TW

--------------------

"Twas the night before kegging, when all through the pub

Not a carboy was stirring, not even a blub;

The hops had been added to the wort with care, 

In hopes that a 50/50 soon would be there.

I was nestled all snug in my bed, 

While visions of blue ribbons danced in my head;

The spices were added, allowed nicely to steep, 

And I was all settled down for a long night's sleep.

When out in the pub there arose such a clatter, 

I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter;

Away to the brewpub I flew like a flash,

Tore open the door and tripped on a sash.

The glow of red on teh pool table so bright,

Gave me pause as I saw an unbelievable sight;

When what to my wondering eyes should appear, 

But Santa and eight reindeer, drinking my beer.

With a belly so round and his hat all askew,

I knew in a moment, he'd had more than a few;

More rapid than eagles he lifted his mug, 

And he whistled and shouted, and took a few chugs.

"More Belgian! More Porter! More Kolsch and Stout,

More Amber! More Wheat! More Bock and Alt."

His eyes, how they glazed, his dimples how merry!

His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!

The hair from his cap was in need of a comb,

And the beard on his chin was covered in foam;

My eyes flew to my kegger, holding eight kegs of beer, 

Sipping each tap was a tiny reindeer!

The glow in the room flashed on my night clothes,

It was Rudolph, I could tell by the red of his nose!

To the top of the porch! To the top of the wall!

I yelled, "Dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"

Brewing barrels of coffee, I begged them partake,

They sipped the hot joe and they jolted awake!

Now up to the house top the coursers they flew,

Old Jolly and reindeer yelled, "Thanks for teh brew!

Warm cookies and milk await us tonight,

Your homebrew was perfect, the flavor just right!"

As I stood in stunned silence, and was shaking my head,

I thought, "Did I dream or fall out of my bed?"

My thoughts were confirmed, as I heard out in the night,

"I'm a convert this Christmas. To heck with 'beer lite'!"

© 2011 Matt Collins