I Remember When I Started Home Brewing...Sort-of

Today is the day I get to reflect on the past, about how I got started with this wonderfully complex hobby of creating home brewed beer. This post was inspired by Adam's invitation at his beer blog...Beer Bits 2. Be sure to visit his site to read about how more bloggin brewers got their start.

It was many years ago, when what I did, was largely influenced by what my two older brothers were doing. I followed them in skateboarding, music, clothes, playing music, a straight-edge vegetarian lifestyle, and much more. Charles first brewed his own batches with a starter kit he got as a wedding gift. Guess what? After I saw what he was doing, I had to try in myself.

That's about it. I bought my first extract kit and starter equipment for our LHBS. Looking back, I find it funny that it was such a perplexing thing, where I had to read and re-read the instructions many times over, before brewing. It turned out to be a very simple process. After the first batch fermented and was bottled and conditions, upon drinking, it pretty much sucked. I find it amazing I kept up with it, especially because there was a pretty long hiatus due to significantly insufficient cash inflows at the time. In other words I was totally broke.

Over the years, I've been able to brew more and more....and more. Graduating from extract/steeped beers to all-grain has proved to be a huge improvement in the quality of each beer. There was much more distinguishable differences in taste from one beer to the next. Then fine tuning the all-grain process by limiting off flavors at every stage has further increased the satisfaction in clarity and taste.

But this is a post about how it got started, and I think the beginnings were much like any other new brewer out there. It was beer, and it was rewarding to make it myself. There were lots of new things to learn, and that was exciting. As I got a better feel of it and how additional ingredients could make a better extract based beer, I looked around for as many recipes as I could find for a particular style, and bought commercial examples to further educate my palate. Eventually my beers became much more flavorful and enjoyed by my brothers and peers.

In the end, it was all worth it. Starting this blog has also been fun and rewarding, because it allows me to keep in touch with a bunch homebrewers new & old all over the place. I pretty much use it to document all of my batches with some occasional brewing topics and stories. Please read more about my yearly homebrewing days in an entry posted long ago called Malty Brown Fizzy H2O.

Going All-Grain

My brother David went to a NOmeansno show back in Spring 2005. After the show, he made his way over to their merch table to see the goods. Among all the albums and t-shirts he found something just a bit unusual…a home made video about making home made beer. Looks like these legendary punk rockers were also big into brewing their own beer! And they were doing it all-grain!

So David bought the video as a bit of a surprise. Its a rad video. It clearly shows the punk rock way to make beer…which is pretty much the same way anyone else would make the stuff, but they’re punk rockers, and infuse the video with their own punk songs about brewing beer. It’s a must see. Oh, the only way you'd see it is to go to their show, or ask me to lend it to you. Thanks to Mr. John Hanson's video, I am now an all-grain brewer.

All-grain brewing totally rocks! The BIG difference is that with all-grain brewing you are in total control of the malt profile (aroma, taste & color) in the finished beer. My experience with malt extract has resulted in a similar “fruity” malt flavor and aroma no matter what style of beer I tried to make. On the contrary, all of the all-grain batches taste completely different, and much closer to what the style calls for. It’s a lot more fun, it requires a better understating of the large variety of malts, and the finished beer tastes loads better.

For our first batch, I decided to go with the recipe they had on the video. Its a light Scottish style, and very simple. This beer came out great!

Johnny's Rockin' Ale
Approx. 4.5%

7.5 lbs. Pale Malt (2-row)
0.5 lbs. Crystal Malt
2.0 oz. Chocolate Malt
2.0 oz. N. Brewer Hops (Pellets), 60min.
Irish Moss & Gypsum
Dry Yeast
Cost: Under $20 (about 30 cents per bottle)

Much like music or art, creative choices implemented within every step of the all-grain procedures provides the opportunity to express myself fully. In the beginning, I had to familiarize myself with it through practice. I was adjusting to the "science" and methodology of it all. After gaining experience with technicalities of many different beer styles, I now understand and appreciate the finer elements/variables. Using the AG method, I'm in total control over how the finished beer will taste. I'm sure bakers, coffee roasters, and other culinary artisans feel similarly. It is really a great feeling. And at this point I see how artistic expression is starting to blend with the practical/scientific element.

AG brewing is surely a more lengthy process, but it's much more fun and rewarding. I especially appreciate the assistance of my brother David and old HS friend Brian Mateja (they are always ready to help out). We're like a team that can easily work through difficulties and tighten productivity. Most of all, the finished beer is usually quite good. Most beers I make don't have outstanding negative traits, but I do have some areas to improve on...mainly malty, hop aroma, and alcoholic presence.

After a couple years of AG brewing, I've become a little more "scientific." It seems to be a natural inclination due to the required attention at every step in the process. After brewing experimental batches, I see how my beers can take on a sort of "artistic" expression. I plan to explore and write about these topics of "science" and "art" as it applies to our beers. I welcome everyone back to read those in the future..

Thanks for checking out my brewing journal. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I have enjoyed putting it together. It's definitely fun writing about brewing in between brewing. I plan on keeping up with it often. I'm also looking forward to changing the scope by periodically adding posts about bread making and fermenting foods such as kimchi, krauts, pickling and kombucha.

Transition to Better Brews

In the last post, I talked about my initial failures, that I'm sure most new homebrewers go through. This post gets into some small transitions into better brews, and the beginning of a more intense interest in brewing my own beer.

By initially, and quite accidentally, venturing into the extremes of beer styles (fizzy brown water and tar-like black sludge) I must have learned more of what NOT-to-do than what to-do when making beer. I definitely didn't want to make any more light fizzy water, nor, slip down into the darkest depths of the scary Goat’s Scrotum/Tumultuous Porter.

Another beer style I wanted to explore was an IPA. After searching online for recipes, I stumbled upon one that looked BIG and complex. It was listed as an all-grain recipe, but I used a partial mash equivalent. It was called DC’s Rye IPA. Little did I know that Denny Conn’s recipe has been brewed by more home brewers than probably any other. I followed the recipe as close as possible, and ended up with something I could proudly say was a fine glass of beer. Most everybody complimented. I remember David and me stringing up huge teabags of grains (looking for a photo that may not exist anymore) and squeezing out every last bit of sweet golden goodness. It fermented like crazy with foam oozing out the blow-off hose like lava from a raging volcano. Using my new 6 gallon primary carboy, it was also the first time I could see what was going on in there. A truly amazing sight. It really looked like it was boiling in there.

It came out to be around 6.2%. It had wonderful body, color and taste. With premature bottling, it also had great carbonation (almost like a Belgian). Great hop bitterness and aroma. Overall it was a dramatic improvement to all my previous attempts. So finally I could say I brewed some quality ale. Thanks Denny Conn for a solid recipe. This success had something to do with learning from past experiences and utilizing a higher proportion of fresh grains and hops.

Better equipment = better beer and lots more fun!...

Two pieces of equipment has made brewing even more enjoyable. The 6 gallon carboy for primary fermentation allows me to see what’s going on in there, and also results in a larger net volume of finished beer. To this day, I’m not sure why most photos of home brewer’s primary and secondary carboys are not filled to the top (maybe someone can answer this). I’ve always filled the primary to the top so that I can fill the secondary to the very top. I pretty much always end up with a full 5 gallons. And I always adjust recipes for 6 gallons cause that’s how much is going into the primary. All-in-all, I love the bigger carboy.

Second is the immersion chiller. Being a bit of a DIYer, I thought it would be fun and challenging to make my own. Ace Hardware had all the parts (coiled copper tubing) and I simply wound the tubing around a rigged large glass bottle. It really makes a HUGE difference...only 15min/pot. Though it wastes a lot of water, it sure saves lots of time. I notice even shorter chill times in the winter when the pipes push through icy cold water. Another thing I learned early on was to preheat the coil before setting it into the boiling pot.

The total success of DC's Rye IPA got me thinking about brewing more beers like this. But, before I could brew again, I already put together an all-grain system. Click here to read about going all-grain.

"Malty Brown Fizzy H2O"

My first home brewed beers are absolutely nothing to write home about. Come to think of it, there's nothing much about them worth writing anything at all. But now that I'm on the subject, I might as well continue. Right?

My first batch of beer was Munton’s Old Ale extract beer. I think I only used one can and that’s about it. In the end it reminded me of what water tastes like. I called that one Fermented Water.

My second batch was another extract beer. But I found out a couple other things would help make it more palatable. So I added some additional dried malt extract (DME) and some bittering hops. My wife (girlfriend at the time) helped me bottle this one on Cinco de Mayo of 2003 after going out to eat some Mexican food. When it was ready we popped them open only to find out what the perfect name for this beer would end up being…Malty Brown Fizzy Water! No laughing now...I'm serious...that's what it reminded me of...ok?

We just had to take a cheesy photo like the ones in the NCJHB...and get a load of that tiny brew pot...I totally forgot about that! As evidence by the photo it looks like we used two cans of EDME Red Ale, and I recall this was my second batch.

After those complete flops, I somehow was still determined. I decided to look into formulating recipes with additional malt character and hop aromas. The next step was obvious…to add some fresh steeped malts and more hops. So with this in mind I decided to go with a recipe in The New Complete Joy of Home Brewing (NCJHB)…The Tumultuous Porter (p199).

All was going well until I ended up with only 3 gallons instead of 5. So this became my strongest beer to date and a direct opposite of my previous attempts. With a thick and tar-like mouth-feel, and dominating alcoholic heat, it was just barely drinkable. Though it didn’t impress anybody, I still felt a sense of pride. It definitely wasn’t tasteless fizzy water. The Tumultuous Porter was better served as a 4 to 6 oz. sipping beer. It paired well with dark chocolate and deserts, and was utilized in bread recipes. I suppose it could have been nice over vanilla ice cream. Tried a bottle about 2 years later and it didn't really mellow much, still overbearing.

So that's about it for my initial attempts at home brewing. It's just amazing I kept up with it. But now I'm glad I did. Take a look at the transition to better brews & going all grain

First Lager

Back in 2002, my good friend from HS enlisted in the army as an Intelligence Analyst. For about two years he was stationed outside a small town southeast of Munich called Bad Ibling. Naturally, drinking the finest German/Bavarian lagers was infused into nearly every social event. He enjoyed classic Munich Helles, Dunkels, Octoberfest, and local strong fest beers. I managed to visit him there, and pretty much marveled at his fortunate circumstances.

After I heard Brian returned home, we got back in touch. He was impressed by my new hobby of home brewing, and started helping out. So I asked him what style he would like to brew. Then he mentioned the beer he was so accustomed to drinking…the one and only Munich Helles (specifically...Augustiner Brau Lagerbier Hell). I said…I hadn’t brewed a lager before, but the pale lager style is what I wanted to brew in the very beginning (specifically a hoppy pilsner).

Since the brew date was scheduled for January 7th 2006, I thought…"the weather is cold enough, so why not?" So I quickly brainstormed how to regulate the primary and secondary fermentation temperatures. A space heater thermostat would keep a consistent primary temperature out in the porch. For maintaining lager temperatures, I thought about turning my ten gallon Rubbermaid mashtun into an icebox. I then fabricated a Styrofoam lid that fit perfectly around the neck of the secondary 5-gallon carboy. By weighing it down with books, it creates a tight insulated lid. Over the course of a week I slowly added more and more ice. It worked perfectly.

My first attempt at a good clean pale Munch lager was a complete success. It’s still one of Brian's and my favorites. Unfortunately a whole year would pass until I could brew another one. Since then I’ve become much more attracted to tasting/drinking lagers. I feel like lagers provide just as much room for experimentation as does the brewing of ales. This winter season I am getting in about 19 gallons of lager beer. (Munich Dunkel, Schwartzbier, Bohemian/Czech Pilsner, and four 1 gallon experimentals)

Overall, brewing lager beers has been a rewarding experience. I totally recommend it. It doesn’t take a whole lot to maintain cold temperatures during the winter season (well...in the northern zones). And the end result is well worth the time and energy. It definitely provides a nice break/alternative to normally brewing ales throughout the rest of the year.

Munich Helles – 1st Lager
Brewed January 7 & Bottled March 5th 2006
Lagered 1.5 months at 32-35*F
Utilized a diacetyl rest

Grains:
10 lb. 2-row malt
.5 lb. Cara-Pils
.25 lb. Flaked Wheat

Hops:
.75 oz. Hallertau 60min
.50 oz. Hallertau 40min
.50 oz. Hallertau 20min

Yeast:
2308 - Munich Lager

Results:
Having never brewed a lager before, I didn't know what to expect. Brian said it tasted just like his favorite session beer back in Germany. It was a very clean tasting pale gold lager with good malt character and low subtle bitterness. It finished just a bit sweet. It's great head retention and carbonation helped create a sense of dryness. It was very clear and thrist quenching. Overall, we were quite impressed. The only regret is only brewing 5 gallons of it. I didn't take accurate measurements so...
Approx. OG = 1.046
Approx. FG = 1.012
Approx. ABV = 4.4%
Approx. IBU = 19