In my last post, I expressed sincere concern for a batch of Snake Hill Ale's well-being. I am happy to announce today, Memorial Day Eve 2012, that all is well, and Batch No. 1 of Snake Hill Ale is just fine. Phew! I had tasted from the keg a couple of days ago, just to make sure the product was doing okay, and much to my chagrin, it tasted of Vinegar, it was cloudy as Hell, and it had the texture and feel of that last bit of Alka-seltzer at the bottom of the glass.
After a couple of days in the keg, with periodic monitoring, these seemingly tragic symptoms have vanished. Most likely it was a bit of no-rinse sanitizer caught in the dip tube that ended up in the first couple of pulls from the tap.
"From a song about tragedy impending... we're going to move swiftly into a song about trag-tragedy narrowly averted." -- Bob Weir between songs on Reckoning
The quote seemed apropos, but is actually backwards.
Today is the day... the Limited Public Premier of Snake Hill Ale, A light summery ale that will go down smooth and still have the craft ale complexity that we expect from the Snake Hill Ales.
There are 10 Gallons in the Basement carb'ed up and ready to go. I had to design a way to tap them both at the same time without a 3/8" to 1/4" reducer. The guy at Home Depot sold me the wrong thing. Totally my fault, but I'm not going back there on Memorial Day Weekend.
Happy Weekend!
May 27, 2012
May 25, 2012
May 24, 2012
May 21, 2012
Carbonation Stuff
The big tasting is this Sunday, and I need to nail down my carbonation setup. This is what I'm going to need. A three-way splitter for the CO2 tank, 3 2-foot lines, an in and out for the 3 kegs, 3 6-10' lines and 3 keg taps.
I could get most of this all at the Depot, but I think I'm going to head down to Woburn tomorrow after work and before class. Snake Hill Ale, here we Come!
I could get most of this all at the Depot, but I think I'm going to head down to Woburn tomorrow after work and before class. Snake Hill Ale, here we Come!
May 12, 2012
Contrast & Compare
I had the opportunity to use my new wort chiller while making a batch of "Midnight Ale" last night. Being the nerd that I am, I took temperature readings every so often so I could compare it to a "Natural" or "Newtonian" cooling of wort. Well, I knew it would be faster... but I did not expect the results that I got! As you can see in the comparison chart below (made with gnuplot), It took 30 minutes to do what a natural cooling couldn't do in 7 hours.
Midnight Ale - I'm trying to use up the rest of my extract so I can just keep the grains around, so I decided to brew up a nice dark ale... appropriately at Midnight last night... this morning... last night... whatever.
Recipe: 3.3lbs Cooper's Dark LME, 3lbs Munton's Amber DME, 60min - 1/2oz. Northern Brewer Pellets, 30min - 1oz. Challenger Pellets, 2min - 1oz. Liberty, WLP 051 California V Ale Yeast (of which I am second guessing) and finally a 1 oz Kent Golding Tea to complete the foot.
I totally forgot to add the Irish Moss (thanks to the Peak Organic King Crimson), but didn't have any trouble separating the wort from the trub due in part (I think) to the new chiller.
(If you follow the link to Cooper's, don't forget that it goes MM DD YYYY Down Under)
And on today's Agenda: Ale Franken (for lack of a better name)- who know's what it'll be... who knows who'll drink it?!?!
Midnight Ale - I'm trying to use up the rest of my extract so I can just keep the grains around, so I decided to brew up a nice dark ale... appropriately at Midnight last night... this morning... last night... whatever.
Recipe: 3.3lbs Cooper's Dark LME, 3lbs Munton's Amber DME, 60min - 1/2oz. Northern Brewer Pellets, 30min - 1oz. Challenger Pellets, 2min - 1oz. Liberty, WLP 051 California V Ale Yeast (of which I am second guessing) and finally a 1 oz Kent Golding Tea to complete the foot.
I totally forgot to add the Irish Moss (thanks to the Peak Organic King Crimson), but didn't have any trouble separating the wort from the trub due in part (I think) to the new chiller.
(If you follow the link to Cooper's, don't forget that it goes MM DD YYYY Down Under)
And on today's Agenda: Ale Franken (for lack of a better name)- who know's what it'll be... who knows who'll drink it?!?!
May 08, 2012
The Waiting Game
It's Tuesday and I have just transferred the last of the S.H.A. into a secondary to sit for a couple of weeks until the big day. Until then, I've got the remainder of the Fool's Golden and an interesting batch of Gelblicht (some of which is in growlers in the basement, and some of which is still in a bright tank upstairs) to mull over. When that runs out... I hope I will have the will-power to not tap into one of these beautiful batches. If this rain keeps up, I don't think I will make it.
I've also been doing a bit of studying of Newton's Cooling Law just to see if I am able to predict when my wort cools to about 75F post boil. So far I figure it takes about 10 hours for a 212F wort to get down to 75 without any help, but I may have rounded "e" to too few places to be really accurate. I don't have any real reason to be doing this figuring because I just picked up a wort-chiller, but... I'd be a good thing to know. I'm just not sure if I need to find the specific heat of my wort. This is beginning to sound like an episode of the Big Bang Theory.
I've also been doing a bit of studying of Newton's Cooling Law just to see if I am able to predict when my wort cools to about 75F post boil. So far I figure it takes about 10 hours for a 212F wort to get down to 75 without any help, but I may have rounded "e" to too few places to be really accurate. I don't have any real reason to be doing this figuring because I just picked up a wort-chiller, but... I'd be a good thing to know. I'm just not sure if I need to find the specific heat of my wort. This is beginning to sound like an episode of the Big Bang Theory.
May 05, 2012
Happy National Homebrew Day!
It's Saturday Morning, and here I sit on my couch, feet well supported and coffee mug in hand. The lawn ripe with an unmowable case of the "wets" and the deadline of a final project looming in some dark corner of my groggy mind.
I have dreamt of barley-water and rain. I have devised a new device for the sparge. I have under-slept.
The 12 lbs of various grains crouch, hidden and beckon me from across the room to take them for a summery hot swim. But first, I must travel to the far off land known as Woburn for a coil of cuprous and a tin of gas for to fill the charge and charge the fill.
Alas, the list returns with the fury of a banshee. I will not succumb. I must not succumb.
Today, I will brew. After all, it is National Homebrew Day. And then, and only then, shall the world return and cast its fire-shawl on the flames of creation, and extinguish those dreams of barley-water and rain. And thus, shall the grasses be dried and the deadlines be met.
I have dreamt of barley-water and rain. I have devised a new device for the sparge. I have under-slept.
The 12 lbs of various grains crouch, hidden and beckon me from across the room to take them for a summery hot swim. But first, I must travel to the far off land known as Woburn for a coil of cuprous and a tin of gas for to fill the charge and charge the fill.
Alas, the list returns with the fury of a banshee. I will not succumb. I must not succumb.
Today, I will brew. After all, it is National Homebrew Day. And then, and only then, shall the world return and cast its fire-shawl on the flames of creation, and extinguish those dreams of barley-water and rain. And thus, shall the grasses be dried and the deadlines be met.
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