All Moved In

Wow, my last entry was May 6th. It's been a very busy last couple of months for me. We just bought a house and are finally getting situated in the new place. I'm going to actually have a lot more free time to brew (in my new garage) now that my wife started her own daycare and will be taking the kids with her to work every day. I'm bummed out that I don't get to see my kids as much but the cellar will definitely benefit. I just did a barley wine this last weekend so I'll actually have one ready to drink during the colder months instead of brewing one during the colder months like I usually end up doing. Once my computer comes back from the doctor I'll post some pics of my new brewing area. I have a nice basement to store all of my fermentors and other equipment with an attached garage that I can brew in now. Livin' the dream man, livin' the dream. Buying a house instantly brang out the "king of the hill" in me. LOL.

Birdsfoot Trefoil Braggot

I just brewed one of the last beers ever to be brewed in this ol' kitchen of mine. I've been wanting to brew a braggot for some time now and I finally got around to it this morning. Damn it felt good to brew something. I've been so bloody busy lately and distracted with house hunting that I haven't even had time to think about brewing. I get crabby when my beer supply starts running low...as anyone would, right?

I just bought a house yesterday in Ishpeming so it looks like I'm going to have to pack up my gear and head 15 min west of Marquette. The move is going to help my brewing situation greatly as I'll have a garage to brew in that happens to be attached to my basement where I plan to put in a little tasting/fermentation room. I'm pretty excited to get it all set up.

Anyway, back to my Braggot that I just brewed. Recipe goes like this:

13 lbs Castle Belg Pilsner
4 oz Crystal 12oL
4 oz Special Roast

1.5 oz Styrian Golding @ 60
.5 oz Styrian Golding @ 30
1 oz Lublin (polish) @ 30
.5 oz Lublin (polish) @ 15s

1 oz sweet orange peel @ 15
1 cinnamon stick @ 10 (to help prevent oxidation on the shelf)
1/8 tsp Grains of Paradise @ 10
1/2 tbsp Coriander @ 8
5lb of White Birch Apiary (Just the name of the Apiary--you can't make honey from Birch) Birdsfoot Trefoil Honey. From right here in da U.P. 'eh.

Pitched a slurry of WLP530 Abbey Ale Yeast

I Am A Craft Brewer

I Am A Craft Brewer from I Am A Craft Brewer on Vimeo.

Hey, I brewed something!

I thought I'd quit bitching about not having enough time to brew lately and just do it. So I did. I brewed.....coffee. Here's how I do a cafe latte. Simple and tasty.

Whip up a little cream and put a splash of it in the bottom of your glass. Roll it until the entire glass is coated with a thin layer. Pour your coffee in slowly and add a tiny bit more of cream right on the top of that to give it a nice little peak. Oi la.

I NEED TO BREW!

I apologize for the lack of updates lately. I have had absolutely no time to brew for a while now. I plan to get back in the swing of things soon. I have a lot of beers I want to do, the trick is finding the time to squeeze it in. Hopefully I can crank out a few batches in upcoming weeks.

Cheers,

I hope everyone is doing well and your cups are from empty.

Cool Looking Pellicle

A few weeks ago I made a yeast starter from some oak cubes that I received from a fellow homebrewer. They were innoculated with a buffet of bugs from different lambics and such. I poured all of the liquid from the starter into my lambic and then poured the chips into a fresh erlinmyer with some fresh wort to make another starter and I am getting this really cool pellicle growth going on. It is like powdery little snowbanks scattered about on the surface of the wort. Pretty cool, at least if you are geeky like I am.

How's THIS for a beerlist?
I will hang my head for this weekend for I am not at the Zythos Beer Festival. I can dream can't I.