Home Brew - Campground Kolsch

Campground Kolsch
Original Gravity: 1.056
Final Gravity: 1.012
Alcohol by Volume: 5.78%
Apparent Attenuation: 78%

Ingredients:

• 1 lb Carapils
• 3 lb Pilsen Light dry malt extract
• 3.3 lb Pilsen liquid malt extract
• 1 oz - Hallertau hop pellets
• 1 oz Spaltz hop pellets
• 1 pkg Wyeast 2565 Kolsch Liquid Yeast
• 5 oz - corn sugar (for priming)

Steps:

1. Push the nutrients container in the yeast bag down the corner and smack it to release the nutrients into the yeast.
2. Bring 2 gallons of water to 165.  Turn off heat.
3. Steep Carapils malts in grain bag for 1/2 hour.
4. Lift grain bag out and allow it to drain (don't squeeze the bag).  
5. Sparge the grain - pour 2 gallons of water through the grain.
6. Bring wort to a boil.
7. Turn off heat and add Pilsen light dry malt extract.
8. Bring wort to a boil and let foam subside.
9. Add Hallertau hops - stirring occasionally  (Leave cover off while boiling)
10. 30 minutes after adding hops, add Pilsen liquid malt extract (tip - soak can in hot water 10 minutes before adding to wort).
11. Bring wort back to a boil.
12. 15 minutes after adding liquid malt extract, add Spaltz
13. 15 minute after adding Spaltz hops, submerge brewpot in a bath of ice water and cool wort to 75F.
14. Pour out the sanitizer in fermenter (save for bottling day)
15. Transfer wort to sanitized fermenter
1. straining through a sanitized strainer to strain out hops
2. strain back into cooking pot (wipe out inside with sanitized rag first)
3. strain a third time into fermenting bucket
4. Add water to equal 5 gallons while straining back and forth
16. Take Original Gravity reading (ours was 1.056)
17. Pitch the yeast (add it to the wort)
18. Cover fermenter with a sanitized lid and plug with sanitized airlock (with sanitizer in it) 
19. Allow beer to sit and ferment in 60 area away from light for 2 weeks

We made this beer in May. Most days the temperature was between 65 and 70, so Tim decided to keep the beer cool by placing it in the bathtub filled about 2-3 inches with cold water (sometimes he added ice), draping a wet t-shirt over it, and putting a fan to blow on it. I'm not sure how much cooler this kept the beer, but after tasting it, it must have done the trick. The beer is a bit cloudy, but Tim thinks it is because of low flocculation. After "lagaring" it in the fridge for a few weeks it is beginning to be much more clear.

Enjoy :)

Our Tasting Notes:
  * light taste - slightly malty
  * creamy finish
  * good carbonation
  * very balanced 

Beer Dinner - April 2014

Invitation

What better way to celebrate our love of food and beer than to throw a beer dinner - 5 courses paired with 5 beers.

The dinner was tons of work (!), but also tons of fun! I enjoyed the whole process - planning the menu, choosing the beer pairings, decorating the table, cooking the courses, and visiting with friends.

Tim spent several hours writing detailed and thoughtful beer pairing notes. Here are a few videos (thanks to Anna!) of his pairing deliveries.

Session Beer - Six Point Sweet Action
A session beer is a highly drinkable beer with low alcohol content. Because of the low alcohol content, it's the perfect type of beer to drink when you are going to consumer several beers in a short period of time. We started off the night with this - no food pairing, just something to start sipping while everyone arrived.

AMUSE BOUCHE

Food 

Zucchini slices stuffed with crab meat and topped with an almond pesto

Beer Pairing 

Victory Prima Pils

APPETIZER

Food

Asparagus pizza

Beer Pairing

Perle Bred Pale Ale (homebrew)

ENTREE 1

Food

Pork tenderloin served on a bed of sautéed spinach and topped with an orange garlic vinaigrette

Beer Pairing

Samuel Adams Double Bock

ENTREE 2

Food

Pasta carbonara

Beer Pairing

AleSmith Old Numbskull 

(American Barleywine)

DESSERT

Food

Ille Flotante

Beer Pairing

Delirium Tremens

Home Brew - Perle Bred Pale Ale

Perle Bred Pale Ale
Original Gravity: 1.060
Final Gravity: 1.012
Alcohol by Volume: 6.3%
Apparent Attenuation: 79%

Ingredients:

•  8 oz - Caramel Malt 20L
• 8 oz - Cara-Pils 1.5 L
• 3.3 lb - Golden Light liquid malt extract
• 3.3 lb - Golden Light dry malt extract
• 1 oz - Perle hop pellets
• 1 oz Galaxy hop pellets
• Safale US-05 dry ale yeast
• 5 oz - corn sugar (for priming)

Steps:

1. Boil 2 cups of water and allow to cool in a sanitized jar - to use for re-hydrating yeast later
2. Bring 2 gallons of water to 165.  Turn off heat.
3. Add the crushed grains to a straining bag and seep in water for 1/2 hour
4. Lift grain bag out and allow it to drain (don't squeeze the bag)  
5. Sparge the grain - pour 1 gallon of 165 water through the grain
6. Bring wort to a boil
7. Turn off heat and add Golden Light dry malt extract
8. Bring wort to a boil and let foam subside
9. Add Perle hops - stirring occasionally  (Leave cover off while boiling)
10. 30 minutes after adding hops, add Golden Light liquid malt extract (tip - soak can in hot water 10 minutes before adding to wort)
11. 15 minutes after adding liquid malt extract, add Galaxy hops
12. 15 minute after adding Galaxy hops, submerge brewpot in a bath of ice water and cool wort to 75F.
13. While wort is cooling, rehydrate the yeast by adding sanitized yeast pkg to boiled and cooled water.  Cover and let sit for 15 minutes - gently stir.
14. Pour out the sanitizer in fermenter (save for bottling day)
15. Transfer wort to sanitized fermenter
1. straining through a sanitized strainer to strain out hops
2. strain back into cooking pot (wipe out inside with sanitized rag first)
3. strain a third time into fermenting bucket
4. Add water to equal 5 gallons while straining back and forth
16. Take Original Gravity reading (ours was 1.060)
17. Pitch the yeast (add it to the wort)
18. Cover fermenter with a sanitized lid and plug with sanitized airlock (with sanitizer in it) 
19. Allow beer to sit and ferment in 65-70 area away from light for 2 weeks

Dry Hop:

• Add 1 oz. of galaxy hops in a cheese cloth bag 5 days before bottling

Enjoy :)

Our Tasting Notes:
  * strong fruity smell
  * dry finish (slightly hoppy)
  * good carbonation
  * very balanced - not a strong hoppiness, not overly sweet
  * fruity

Home Brew - Rough Draft Rye Saison

Tim and I love beer.  So, learning how to brew our own beer seemed like a natural hobby for us to pick up.  Our birthday presents to one another this year was a beer-making class and beer-making equipment ... and so the hobby began :)

Our Beer Journal

On January 3rd, 2014 we brewed our first beer - a rye saison, which Tim has decided to name "Rough Draft Rye" (Saison).

Rough Draft Rye (saison)
Original Gravity: 1.060
Final Gravity: 1.006
Alcohol by Volume: 7.09%
Apparent Attenuation: 90%




Ingredients:

•  2 lbs - rye malt
• 1/2 lb - 2-row carapils malt
• 1/2 lb - caramel malt 60L
• 1/2 lb  - caramel malt 40L
• 1/2 lb - caramel malt 20L
• 6.6 lb - CBW Pilsner Light malt extract
• 1 oz - Northern Brewer Hop pellets
• 1 oz - Chinook Hop pellets
• French Saison yeast
• 4 oz - corn sugar (for priming)

Steps:

1. Push the nutrients container in the yeast bag down the corner and smack it to release the nutrients into the yeast
2. Bring 2 gallons of water to 165
3. Add the crushed grains to a straining bag and seep in water for 1 hour
   
1. we used a cloth bag instead of nylon, but will be switching to nylon for our next brew
2. we had trouble keeping the water at 165, it may have gone up to 180 for 2-3 minutes around minute 17 
4. Lift grain bag out and allow it to drain (don't squeeze the bag)  
5. Add 1 gallon of water
6. Bring wort to a boil
7. Add 1st Pilsner Malt extract
8. Bring wort to a boil and let foam subside
9. Add 1 oz Chinook hops (set timer for 30 minutes)
10. After 30 minutes, add 2nd Pilsner Malt extract and let foam subside
11. Set timer for 25 minutes after adding 2nd malt (immediately)
12. After 25 minutes, add 1 oz Northern Brewer hops
13. 5 minutes later, turn off heat
14. Cool wort to 70
15. Transfer wort to sanitized fermenter
1. straining through a sanitized strainer to strain out hops
2. strain back into cooking pot (wipe out inside with sanitized rag first)
3. strain a third time into fermenting bucket
16. Add water to equal 5 gallons
17. Take Original Gravity reading (ours was 1.060)
18. Sanitize yeast package and scissors - add yeast and cover with sanitized lid
19. Plug with sanitized airlock (with sanitizer in it) 
20. Allow beer to sit and ferment in 65-70 area away from light for 2 weeks 

Measuring Original Gravity (left) and Fermenting Bucket with Airlock (right)

Bottling:

• Create priming solution -
•  corn sugar + 2 oz water 
• boil for 10 minutes
• let cool to 70
• Sanitize 48 bottles and caps
• Take final gravity
• Calculate alcohol by volume 
• Calculate attenuation
• Gently add priming sugar mixture to empty fermenting bucket
• Gently rack beer - ie: transfer beer to fermenting bucket containing the priming sugar mixture via a sanitized plastic tube
• Attach sanitized bottling rod to the fermenting bucket
• stop when you get to the bottom (don't want to add the yeast residue)
• Fill bottles and cap with sanitized caps
• Allow bottles to sit for 2 weeks in a cool dark room
• Refrigerate bottles you want to drink 1 week before drinking  (We didn't wait a week for our first beer ... a few hours seemed like more than enough time!)

 
Enjoy :)

Our Tasting Notes:
  * fruity and spicy - classic saison taste
  * slight caramel undertones
  * dry (bitter) finish
 

Troegs

Nugget Nectar is only available from January through March.  At this point, it is still hard to find in stores, so when Tim came up to visit, we couldn't not drive down to the Troegs brewery so that he could get a case for himself.  So, Tim and I ventured down to Harrisburg where the brewery is located hoping to get a tour, but knowing we would at least get to enjoy some great beer.  For those of you who have never heard of Troegs, this is how the Trogner brothers define Troegs:

TRÖEGS (tr?gs) *v-tröeged, -tröeg'in
The act of tröeg'in, ie "I tröeged it" or {slang} "that boy is tröeg'in" -adj. An aura of complete enjoyment and contentment, ie "My you look Tröegy this morning" -n. a new tradition of Pennsylvania specialty ales {from the brewers of Tröegs}, ie "I'll have a Tröegs!"

 Alas, when we arrived, the tours were all booked, with no cancellations.  So, we grabbed a beer - I chose a Java Head Stout and Tim had a Nugget Nectar - found a seat, and just enjoyed the atmosphere, beer, and conversation.  Instead of each getting a second, we decided to have a sampler ... mmmm.

Since they don't sell food, except for pretzels, at Troegs, we stopped at a Venezuelan restaurant, Arepa City, in Harrisburg before heading home.  Amazing!  I need to find a recipe for making arepas.  If you know of or find any good ones, please, let me know!