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, December 30, 2012

Double Chocolate Stout - 12-30-2012

Today, we went to visit a guy with his own brew room, and made a double chocolate stout using all grains.  It was the first time I've made an all grain batch of beer.  It takes a lot more time than using extracts and malts because all of the sugars come from the grains.   You have to run water through the grains and maintain the water temperature.  It requires a bit more precision.  It was definitely fun, but definitely longer.  We also had a chance to sample some of his other beers and met his two dogs, who like to drink beer.  Photos below.
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