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, January 13, 2013

Bottling Activities - 01-13-2013

Today, I finally bottled the Brick Warmer holiday red ale.  It was fermenting a bit longer than required because I didn't have a lot of time over the holidays to bottle it.  Red ales are one of my favorite styles of ale, so I'm looking forward to tasting it.  There was a spice pack with orange peels that was included for fermentation, so I'm expecting a rich flavor.  Some of the spice packs add a lot of flavor to the beer, but also make them "rich" in flavor, which means that they fill you up much faster than other ales.  For example, my Novemberfest recipe had a spice pack that included cinnamon and nutmeg, and the beer is very good, but it also fills you up after just one.
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