So anyways, I'm competing in a triathlon next Sunday. I ran about 3 miles last monday and I ran about the same amount the monday before that. Today I had the 20 piece chicken mcnugget special at mcdonalds because it was only $5 and that is such a good deal I couldn't not. I also ate pizza for dinner and drank two 22 oz. beers. which presents another problem. I need 25 empty 22 oz bottles by Wednesday and so far I have 5, so I don't really know what that means but it's probably not good for my triathlon times. the good part, though, is that the events are all "sprints". The swim is a quarter mile, the ride is 9 miles, the run is 3 miles. I'm hoping to start off strong in the swim (even though I haven't swam fast in a good many years), get comfortable during the bike ride (I usually do pretty well on a bike) and then jog those last 3 miles on stokiztude and thoughts of my bottled beer at home.
I'll keep you up to date, but I'm not sorry I ate the chicken mcnuggets or the pizza yet because they were both good
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Post Brew Update!
OATMEAL STOUT RECIPE (some of the measurements changed a bit, so go off these if you plan on brewing it!)
4 lbs Amber Malt Extract (Dry)
1 lbs Wheat Malt Extract (Dry)
7 lbs Domestic 2 Row Pale Malt
1.5 lbs Roasted Barley
12 oz Cracked Oats
10 oz Crystal Malt (120 L)
6 oz Red Wheat Malt
0.25 oz Pacifica Pellet Hops (30 min)
0.25 oz Centennial Pellet Hops (1 min)
2 oz Northern Brewer Pellet Hops (90 min)
1/4 tsp Irish Moss
English Ale Yeast
Brita Purified San Diego tap water
First we heated 5 quarts of water to 172 degrees F and added our crushed grains, stirring well to distribute the heat. As soon as the temperature showed 155 degrees F we removed the pot from our heat source and left it covered for 45 minutes.
After 45 minutes, we heated the pot back up to 167 degrees F and then poured the contents through a strainer to a second pot. After straining the grains out, we threw them away. We poured more water into the mash until it reached 2.5 gallons. From there, we stirred in both packets of malt extracts plus our 90 minute hops and then brought the wort to a rolling boil. For the duration of the boil, we did not have the pot covered, and we frequently stirred.
After 1 hour, we added the 30 minute hops.
20 minutes after that, we added the irish moss.
9 minutes after that, we added the 1 minute hops.
1 minute after that (90 minutes after bringing the wort to a boil), we covered the pot, removed it from the heat and immediately put the pot into a sink full of cold water. (Note: put it in bathtub next time).
After 30 minutes of cool down (with the wort's temperature being about 75 degrees F), we poured the wort through a strainer into our sanitized fermenting bucket that we had already added 2.5 gallons of cold water to. We added a little more cold water to bring the contents to 5 gallons, and stirred it for about 30 seconds.
Then, we pitched the yeast and sealed the top onto the fermenter, making sure that everything coming in contact with the wort had been sanitized.
We didn't take a gravity measurement before pitching the yeast (oops!), but in a week I'm going to siphon the beer from the fermenter to the glass carboy, assuming there are no more air bubbles coming out of the airlock. The recipe we used suggests at least one week in the carboy before adding 3/4 cup of sugar and bottling. I think we're going to taste the beer at this point, but it's supposed to sit in bottles for at least another week for the carbonation to build up to normal levels.
Stoked!
4 lbs Amber Malt Extract (Dry)
1 lbs Wheat Malt Extract (Dry)
7 lbs Domestic 2 Row Pale Malt
1.5 lbs Roasted Barley
12 oz Cracked Oats
10 oz Crystal Malt (120 L)
6 oz Red Wheat Malt
0.25 oz Pacifica Pellet Hops (30 min)
0.25 oz Centennial Pellet Hops (1 min)
2 oz Northern Brewer Pellet Hops (90 min)
1/4 tsp Irish Moss
English Ale Yeast
Brita Purified San Diego tap water
First we heated 5 quarts of water to 172 degrees F and added our crushed grains, stirring well to distribute the heat. As soon as the temperature showed 155 degrees F we removed the pot from our heat source and left it covered for 45 minutes.
After 45 minutes, we heated the pot back up to 167 degrees F and then poured the contents through a strainer to a second pot. After straining the grains out, we threw them away. We poured more water into the mash until it reached 2.5 gallons. From there, we stirred in both packets of malt extracts plus our 90 minute hops and then brought the wort to a rolling boil. For the duration of the boil, we did not have the pot covered, and we frequently stirred.
After 1 hour, we added the 30 minute hops.
20 minutes after that, we added the irish moss.
9 minutes after that, we added the 1 minute hops.
1 minute after that (90 minutes after bringing the wort to a boil), we covered the pot, removed it from the heat and immediately put the pot into a sink full of cold water. (Note: put it in bathtub next time).
After 30 minutes of cool down (with the wort's temperature being about 75 degrees F), we poured the wort through a strainer into our sanitized fermenting bucket that we had already added 2.5 gallons of cold water to. We added a little more cold water to bring the contents to 5 gallons, and stirred it for about 30 seconds.
Then, we pitched the yeast and sealed the top onto the fermenter, making sure that everything coming in contact with the wort had been sanitized.
We didn't take a gravity measurement before pitching the yeast (oops!), but in a week I'm going to siphon the beer from the fermenter to the glass carboy, assuming there are no more air bubbles coming out of the airlock. The recipe we used suggests at least one week in the carboy before adding 3/4 cup of sugar and bottling. I think we're going to taste the beer at this point, but it's supposed to sit in bottles for at least another week for the carbonation to build up to normal levels.
Stoked!
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Prebrew Update
Okay. So I've got everything I think I need for the first brew. Most of it is arriving tomorrow with the starter kit I ordered from Colorado, and I picked up the rest from Ballast Point Brewery and various Target/BedBath&Beyond/Home Depot type stores.
As I've mentioned earlier, the first beer will be an Oatmeal Stout that is loosely based off of Wolaver's. I got the recipe from the back of Microbrewed Adventures by Charlie Papazian.
WHAT INGREDIENTS I HAVE!
4 lbs Amber Malt Extract (Dry)
1 lbs Wheat Malt Extract (Dry)
7 lbs Domestic 2 Row Pale Malt
1.5 lbs Roasted Barley
12 oz Cracked Oats
10 oz Crystal Malt (120 L)
6 oz Red Wheat Malt
1 oz Pacifica Pellet Hops
1 oz Centennial Pellet Hops
1 oz Northern Brewer Pellet Hops
1 oz Irish Moss
English Ale Yeast
Now keep in mind, I said those are the ingredients I purchased, not necessarily the quantity that will actually be used.
Heres the thing. The guys at Ballast Point were definitely helpful and willing to answer my questions when I asked them, but I got the feeling none of them had as unqualified of a start to brewing as I'm having. For instances, I showed one of them the recipe in the book and he essentially pointed to a few of the things listed and said "Go for it...". It was the type of situation where I had already asked a bunch of questions, and my n00bieness had caught him off guard so he didn't really give me an opportunity to ask anything else before he left to ring up another customer. I think this may be part of the whole "experiment and learn as you go" attitude that is cherished in the home brewing community. Seriously though, it took me a long long time to pick out and measure out the right, or as close as was available to the right, stuff.
Which leads me to my next kind of weird, but whatever, issue. I was specifically instructed to mix everything I was going to get into one paper bag. That means
1.5 lbs Roasted Barley
12 oz Cracked Oats
10 oz Crystal Malt (120 L)
6 oz Red Wheat Malt
are all cracked and mixed together in a bag on my kitchen counter. I used another bag for the 7 lbs of the Domestic 2 Row Malt.
I weighed the bag after each different grain was added though, so we should be all set.
SO... That's where I am right now, just twiddling my thumbs and waiting for the hardware to arrive. If all goes to plan we'll be fermenting by Saturday afternoon!
As I've mentioned earlier, the first beer will be an Oatmeal Stout that is loosely based off of Wolaver's. I got the recipe from the back of Microbrewed Adventures by Charlie Papazian.
WHAT INGREDIENTS I HAVE!
4 lbs Amber Malt Extract (Dry)
1 lbs Wheat Malt Extract (Dry)
7 lbs Domestic 2 Row Pale Malt
1.5 lbs Roasted Barley
12 oz Cracked Oats
10 oz Crystal Malt (120 L)
6 oz Red Wheat Malt
1 oz Pacifica Pellet Hops
1 oz Centennial Pellet Hops
1 oz Northern Brewer Pellet Hops
1 oz Irish Moss
English Ale Yeast
Now keep in mind, I said those are the ingredients I purchased, not necessarily the quantity that will actually be used.
Heres the thing. The guys at Ballast Point were definitely helpful and willing to answer my questions when I asked them, but I got the feeling none of them had as unqualified of a start to brewing as I'm having. For instances, I showed one of them the recipe in the book and he essentially pointed to a few of the things listed and said "Go for it...". It was the type of situation where I had already asked a bunch of questions, and my n00bieness had caught him off guard so he didn't really give me an opportunity to ask anything else before he left to ring up another customer. I think this may be part of the whole "experiment and learn as you go" attitude that is cherished in the home brewing community. Seriously though, it took me a long long time to pick out and measure out the right, or as close as was available to the right, stuff.
Which leads me to my next kind of weird, but whatever, issue. I was specifically instructed to mix everything I was going to get into one paper bag. That means
1.5 lbs Roasted Barley
12 oz Cracked Oats
10 oz Crystal Malt (120 L)
6 oz Red Wheat Malt
are all cracked and mixed together in a bag on my kitchen counter. I used another bag for the 7 lbs of the Domestic 2 Row Malt.
I weighed the bag after each different grain was added though, so we should be all set.
SO... That's where I am right now, just twiddling my thumbs and waiting for the hardware to arrive. If all goes to plan we'll be fermenting by Saturday afternoon!
Monday, April 12, 2010
My Profile on TastyBrew.com
Brewing Information
Number of years homebrewing 0
Batch Size 5 gallons
Experience Level Beginner
Favorite beer style to brew Oatmeal Stout
Mini Interview
My first homebrew...
I am about to catapult myself into an Oatmeal Stout recipe I pulled out of Microbrewed Adventures. I say catapult because the ingredients I am using are about as accurate to the ones called for as a medieval catapult was to it\'s desired target. Updates to come when drink time has arrived
Homebrewing Story...
I have been researching the art of home brewing for the past few weeks. Just when I felt confident enough to go on a grocery shopping escapade at my local brewery/distributor, I took a good look at all the different varieties of malt, hops, yeast, and barley offered and almost collapsed into the fetal position. Intimidated is an understatement. Thankfully, the staff and a few other home brew shoppers kept my butt going in the right direction so that no matter what ends up in these bottles, it will definitely be some kind of beer.
3 favorite beers...
New Belgium Mothership Wit
Legends Oktoberfest
Wolaver's Oatmeal Stout
Why I homebrew...
I stumbled upon the universe of craft brewing a few months after my twenty first birthday when I attended a beer dinner at Can Can French Laundry in my home town of Richmond Virginia. Before then, the closest thing to a craft beer my taste buds had come in contact with was Guinness. As I climbed deeper and deeper into the culture, I realized that simply trying new beers wasn\'t quite enough for me anymore and I needed to start making my own contributions.
Brewing Accomplishments...
So far, I have killed zero friends or family members with my home brewing!
Number of years homebrewing 0
Batch Size 5 gallons
Experience Level Beginner
Favorite beer style to brew Oatmeal Stout
Mini Interview
My first homebrew...
I am about to catapult myself into an Oatmeal Stout recipe I pulled out of Microbrewed Adventures. I say catapult because the ingredients I am using are about as accurate to the ones called for as a medieval catapult was to it\'s desired target. Updates to come when drink time has arrived
Homebrewing Story...
I have been researching the art of home brewing for the past few weeks. Just when I felt confident enough to go on a grocery shopping escapade at my local brewery/distributor, I took a good look at all the different varieties of malt, hops, yeast, and barley offered and almost collapsed into the fetal position. Intimidated is an understatement. Thankfully, the staff and a few other home brew shoppers kept my butt going in the right direction so that no matter what ends up in these bottles, it will definitely be some kind of beer.
3 favorite beers...
New Belgium Mothership Wit
Legends Oktoberfest
Wolaver's Oatmeal Stout
Why I homebrew...
I stumbled upon the universe of craft brewing a few months after my twenty first birthday when I attended a beer dinner at Can Can French Laundry in my home town of Richmond Virginia. Before then, the closest thing to a craft beer my taste buds had come in contact with was Guinness. As I climbed deeper and deeper into the culture, I realized that simply trying new beers wasn\'t quite enough for me anymore and I needed to start making my own contributions.
Brewing Accomplishments...
So far, I have killed zero friends or family members with my home brewing!
Friday, April 2, 2010
shit shit SHIT
okay, so there is a bar downtown called The Neighborhood. It is cool as fuck to begin with because they have an awesome menu to include jalepeno mac and cheese, insane burgers, at least 3 diferernt kinds of french fries, and beef tartar(FUCK! YUM!) okay so besides that, there is a wall of kegs next to the woman's bathroom that is actually a secret door you push to a secret bar called "noble experiment". though it seems to be styled in a speakeasy fashion, they fancy themselves a "pre prohibition" cocktail lounge. oh yeah you have to text them with your name/party size/and day you want to come and they will tell you what time to show up since there is at most a 30 person capacity inside the place. i think there were 8 bar stools and 3 booths. the shtick they have is that you tell the bartender, aka bar master, what you enjoy and he or she crafts something unique and fucking awesome(i'm going to use fuck a lot in this post becuase i've been drinking and i use that word to stress incredibility) that they think will suit your fancy. Right off the bat i informed anthony that I enjoy makers mark and most bourbans neat. he mixed me up a manhattan style drink with some other delicious additives that i found pleasing and different. next, after getting a bit mroe comfortable with our surroundings and host, i told him that i was one to drink a whiskey sour in my day. he asked if i had ever had a real whiskey sour to which i answered "probably not". well, he started this drink off by cracking an egg and pouring the whites into a cocktail glass. holy fuck have i been missing out. so i have my first real whiskey sour. a couple conversations later we're talking about good beer and he tells me that he has a good drink for a porter drinker called a golden thistle. fuck ing shit. so good. did i mention there is one wall that is all gold painted skulls. holy shit. call me and let me tell you about it
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