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 9, 2012

Holiday Cheer!!!

Today, I was finally able to bottle my home brew that has been fermenting for 8 weeks.  It was a seasonal called Saison De Noel.  It was fairly complicated because it actually had a "malt schedule", which is basically putting in different malts during different times of the cooking process.  I was used to a "hop schedule", which is hops at different times of the boil, but this was the first "malt schedule".  It had a lot of ingredients in it, and was very aromatic when I was bottling it.  

 I also bottled a Lemoncello that has been fermenting for several weeks.  I was able to find 12 oz wine bottles that I could cork.

 I made a non-alcoholic Sangria, which is a recipe I made last summer and was very popular.  

 Last, but not least, I made the real Sangria recipe.  This one is loaded with wine, triple sec, and brandy.  The taste is fantastic.

 The plan is to distribute these to friends and co-workers based on preference.  It's been a lot of fun making everything.  I love the process of experimenting with different recipes and combinations.  I probably missed out on a career as a chemist, but I think I like it better as a hobby anyway.
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