Carboy
My homebrewing misadventures
Extra, extra, extra special
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| From Carboy |
With the Bavarian banners still hanging in the backyard, I took a cool fall Saturday to brew an Extra Special Bitter. It's actually a little chilly in my basement beer cellar for fermenting the warm ale yeast of an ESB. But I'm a big fan of English ales, and I'm hoping this hoppy bitter will help keep us in good spirits come the New Year when the days are very short indeed.
By Tom on 11/12/2016
Stage: Brewing
PermalinkWhat's left behind
Cleaning the trub after primary fermentation of an 8 percent Saison de Noel
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| From Carboy |
By Tom on 11/06/2016
Stage: Secondary
PermalinkProst!
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| From Carboy |
The offerings for our annual, belated Oktoberfest celebration. The Marzen didn't last through the night.
By Tom on 10/30/2016
Stage: Enjoying
PermalinkPreparing to dash through the snow
As fall sets in, brewing a higher octane beer to get us through the holiday months ahead.
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| From Carboy |
After brewing a lot of lower ABV, sessionable beers all year, it seemed like a good time to try something a little heavier as winter loomed. On a crisp, chilly fall Sunday morning, I lit a fire in the backyard firepit and brewed what Northern Brewer calls a "Saison de Noel." This will be a darker, heavier farmhouse beer appropriate for Yuletide merriment.
To bring the ABV up, I had to add a fair amount of sugar to give the yeast something to work with. That required adding a bit of these to the start of the boil:
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| From Carboy |
It's been quite a while since I've added Candi syrup or sugar to a beer, years probably. So I'm eager to see how this one turns out. It should be ready to quaff in mid-December, though it could be cellared and aged for up to six months. Not to worry, I'll let you know how it turns out.
By Tom on 10/23/2016
Stage: Brewing
PermalinkHot summer brew day
Preparing for Oktoberfest when the heat index is 109.
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| From Carboy |
Making a German alt on a hot, hot August day. Had to hide the kettle under the hammock while the immersion chiller did its job.
By Tom on 08/13/2016
Stage: Brewing
PermalinkWhat's on tap?
A little chalkboard paint adds a new feature to the basement brew haus.
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| From Carboy |
This should make it much easier to remember what's behind each tap handle.
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| From Carboy |
By Tom on 07/30/2016
Stage: Enjoying
PermalinkGrow, hops, grow
My first-year Centennial hops plants are growing wild this summer.
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| From Carboy |
By Tom on 07/23/2016
Stage: Thirsty
PermalinkBackyard brew day
Can't beat the heat, but I can enjoy a homebrew while making more beer
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| From Carboy |
By Tom on 07/17/2016
Stage: Brewing
PermalinkA Father's Day Tradition
Brewing an Oktoberfest for the fall
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| From Carboy |
My plans for the day were to brew beer and hopefully catch a little time in the hammock. It was a lot easier doing one batch at a time instead of two. And because I got the brewing done, I was happy.
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| From Carboy |
By Tom on 06/22/2016
Stage: Brewing
Permalink