Home Brewing Principles

There are a couple of things that we do with all of our home brewing that we feel make a difference in the quality of what we make.

1. Fun, fun, fun - Our primary reason for making our own beer and wine apertifs is to have fun with the process. Experiment with new ideas, and enjoy the process.

2. Water - We only brew with spring water to avoid any chemicals or additives related to tap water. We feel it makes a difference in the taste of what we make, and possibly contributes to a higher alcohol content (a guess, not fact)

3. Water Amount - We always brew our beer in 5 gallons of water. Some recipes and sites suggest adding water, but we feel that you want the grains and malt in the full 5 gallons so that none of the flavor is diluted.

4. Carboy - We always ferment in a glass carboy. We find it has the least influence on the overall flavor of the beer.

5. Tea Bag Technique - When the grains are soaking we move the bag just like you would a tea bag in a cup of water to ensure you maximize what you get from the grains

6. Bread - We make bread from the grains of our beers, and usually end up with approximately 5 loaves of fantastic tasting bread.


Sunday, September 23, 2012

Oktoberfest Beer

Today, I made an Oktoberfest beer.  By the time it's finished (i.e. ready in the bottles), it will be November, so I guess I'll have to call it Novemberfest.  As usual, the smell of the grains was fantastic.  It's based in some carmel malt grains, which are sure to make some very tasty bread.  The hops and hop schedule were somewhat lower than other beers I've made, but definitely strong enough for my wife to notice.  As part of the brewing process, I have come to notice that women are very sensitive to the smell of hops and "hoppy" beer.  Even with just a small bit of hops in this beer, it was noticeable.  It should be ready to go in about 6 weeks.
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