28 April 2005

Fermentation Lock Luck

I pitched the yeast Tuesday morning, and finally today on Thursday I was able to place the fermentation lock on. This seems to be a very active batch, but I also noticed it got off to a slow start. I tried to place the lock on last night but failed miserably. foam was spouting all over the place, into the lock itself, and repeatedly popping the 7 1/2 cm stopper out of the neck. I tried with the same stopper today and still the same, so I tried the 8 cm and it worked the first time. I actually don't know if those are centimeters, but I do know that 8 is bigger than 7 1/2. Note: get another 8 for a two carboy situation.

Hope I didn't contaminate anything having it open for as long as I did, jamming in a rubber stopper over and over with my washed but still human hands.

25 April 2005

Sa-Wheat Beer Night

All-Wheat Extract brew.

(all measurements are definitely approximate)

8 lbs wheat extract boiled in 2 1/2 gallons safeway drinking water for 30 minutes only
1 oz hallertauer hops added immediately upon boilage
0.5 oz saaz added after 20 minutes
0.5 oz saaz added after 12 more minutes, heat turned off

The recipe, out of HFD, called for 6.6 lbs extract. This is supposed to be a fruity, light, banana-clove german style weiss beer. Hefe-weizen is yeast-wheat. I'm planning a secondary fermentation where I will dry hop some more saaz (a definite no-no for the style, I'm told), and add some Irish moss to clarify this very syrupy-looking sweet stuff.

OSG: 0.031
FSG: 1.017

20 April 2005

Cheese, Gromit, cheeeese!

Of course. Beer and cheese will be the staple on the menu that will prove its worth as a culinary pairing. Though it will be difficult to figure out how the hell to make money on cheese, people will come from all over to try Cole's Cheese menu. And once they are there, they will eat and drink baby, oh yes they will! Thinking big picture, I can imagine our own artisan cheeses from our own caves under, I dont know the oakland hills or maybe some warehouse in West Oaklnad, right? Think about that when looking at spaces to make the beer.

18 April 2005

Oakland History on the Web

Resources for my beer names/brewery names

Oakland History on the Web

Websurfing Day

Welcome to HomebrewAdventures.com - News

I realized yesterday that a trip to Belgium would be very accessable to me. I have a huge amount of info available to me from Bob and Arian (sp?). Now just to learn some stuff. That's what I need to be doing; reading and learning, remember that? I also joined Zymurgy today; a three year membership for 33 bucks a year. I think a three year commitment to brewing is a given anyway, right?

11 April 2005

Midwest Love

Sanfrancrisfro went to Milwaukee for a gig and brought back a bunch of beer. Mostly K-zoo stuff and we drank it um-hmmm yes we did. Oberon tastes much milder than it used to with the new recipe. Two hearted ale is nice and balanced; there is none of that super west-coast hoppiness, but its not like the ale is missing anything, you know? K-zoo stout yummy thick chocolate love. Didn't get to the Expedition maybe he'll save one bottle cause I'd like to try that. Well, in one month I go to Michigan and will try whatever I want to try!