Category Archives: Homebrewing

The Last of the Raspberry Wheat Ale 

Started early in the afternoon grilling a tri- tip and a bone in rib-eye steak. It had been so friggin hot that grilling is out of thequestion. It is 1:43 in the afternoon and it’s only 88 deg. F and 38% humidity. What a wonderful day! 

I am sipping on a pint of the “Yes Dear Raspberry Wheat Ale” while grilling. There’s is maybe a pint left in the Tap-a-Draft 6 L mini keg and 4 or 5 bottles left from that batch. 

 

Glass is courtesy of one of my several visits to the No Label Brewing, Katy, Texas. Very good beers and an awesome brewery to visit. Today, if they were open, would be the perfect day to sit under the big shade trees, play some Corn Hole and enjoy some of their offerings. The B-52 Brewery in Conroe also comes to mind on a day like this! 
Last night I sampled a bottle of my Session Pale Ale. It is definitely light, 3.8-4.0% ABV. I went heavy on the dry hopping but could have gone heavier  I do believe! I will get my son Ben to give me his opinion. He likes the Session IPA’/Pale Ales. 

Next up, my backyard hive honey in something. A wheat ale, maybe a pumpkin ale or just a plain ole honey ale. I will keep y’all posted! 

Now, back to the tri-tip. Love the aroma of grilled meat. Just hope the HOA doesn’t elect PETA board members!!!! LOL

  
The Rib-Eye is getting ready to hit the flames. One more pint and the grilling will be complete. 

Drink Local and Drink Responsibly

Bishop

Ahhhhh – Sunday in Williston

I do spend a lot of time in North Dakota. I have bills to pay, beers to drink and an almost twenty year old still attending college. Don’t get me wrong, I work because I want to and the work I do is very satisfying! 

The only problem with work other than the obvious, missing my partner and wife, is that it gets in the way of my hobbies, Home brewing is one of several at the top of my list. Beekeeping is relatively new but It gives me a buzz! Ok bad joke! Organic gardening, wood turning, less fishing than it should be and my bicycle is craving more miles. 

I am enjoying a Hopslam IPA as I ponder these important matters. Wow, Bell’s Brewery has put out a really great beer. This is one of the top 10% of my top 117 beers! Don’t ask me to list them, just trust me – the check is in the mail, etc – etc! 

Probably less beer drinking this trip and more time in the gym. My annual physical is in late April. The doctor got on me about my winter coat last year and I wore it all summer and may have added to it this winter. There is a slight temptation to switch to Coors Light! Nah- moderation Bishop, moderation! 

Williston does have a great workout facility so, unpack bags and get my sorry butt in gear. 





A few of my drinking buddies from my January trip – not real sociable but -5 degrees F  is no problem for them. Taken at Teddy Roosevelt National Park on February 1 with my Nikon D600 and my Nikon 80-200 2.8 lens. 

Drink Local and Drink Responsibly

Bishop

#hopslam

It is a Difficult Job Being Me

A beer on the beach yesterday and now I have to sit at a little corner table in the Santa Barbara Brewing Co. My poor lot in life! I am enjoying their IPA while watching a wide slice of life drifting by the window! Beautiful day here in SB.



The brewer, Rick, generously shared the recipe for the IPA. My challenge is to scale back the 1200 lbs. of two row to brew in my 10 gallon mash tun. I have a PDF of the brewer recipe and the Brewers hand written notes in the margin. Sorry, just private for me! 



There is Rick just finishing up…clean up duties are so important. He is a former home brewer gone pro over twenty years back! Ah, dream big Bishop! I don’t think 64 is too old to branch out, do you agree? 

I’ll be back! 10 points for the first person to comment on that famous movie line! I need to add to my list of beers! What next, hmmmmmm, scratching chin and pondering! 



Ok scratch off the India Pale Ale, next the Double IPA. The proir was nicely bitter with great aroma- I’ll give part of the recipe away, Cascade hops! The Double is less bitter but I like how the malt comes through! Oh gosh, I yearn to become a professional beer drinker. Lord knows that I have had practice – albeit some of the prior experience was a lot less structured! 

Drink Local and Drink Redponsibly

Bishop

If you follow my blog and enjoy my sometimes incoherent ramblings, invite a few friends to follow! Maybe I can become semi-professional at something beer related! 

Never Fear – I Still Love Beer

Travel. travel and more travel! I had a two week stint in Williston and checked a few more brews off of the great beer list at the Williston Brewing Company.

This last week last I was back home in Houston. I enjoyed a pint or two of my my homebrews. So very good! I also enjoyed a nice surprise at one of our local eateries, Three B’s Grill in Kingwood. It was St. Armold’s Divine Reserve No. 15, a Russian Imperial Stout. Very, very good! If you can find it, buy it! It will age and mellow over time. My home brewed Russian Imperial Stouts get better and better the longer they sit. I have one bottle that is four years old and last one was sampled 6 months ago, it was simply amazing!

IMG_2606

Great rich flavor and warms as it goes down.

Drink Local and Drink Local
Bishop

Lengthwise Brewing Company

Today is a Homebrew and Brisket Day.

Started off with 12 pound brisket, untrimmed and with a big dose of Lengthwise “Mighty Fine” Home Brewed Seasoned Salt. Great on chicken too- I should have written that adventure up a month or so ago! The Beer Butt Chicken was superb.

Back to the brisket. I am using a garbage bin rescued, gas fired smoker. After trouble shooting the system I found it only needed a new regulator. 24 bucks, a small shipping fee and I was in business.

I started off with my latest batch, the “Yes Dear Raspberry Wheat Ale” . Pretty darned good but could use another couple of weeks to mellow out. My “Yes Dear” critic gave a sideways thumb. Yes dear, I will let it mellow!

An hour or so later after adding a big handful of Mesquite chips, I poured the Lengthwise inspired homebrewed “Golden Wheat Red IPA”. It is near perfect!

Yes Dear Raspberry Wheat Ale - note the slight pink tint to the head. It is good and should nature well.

Yes Dear Raspberry Wheat Ale – note the slight pink tint to the head. It is good and should nature well. Brisket Seasoning posing alongside.

 

The “Yes Dear Raspberry Wheat Ale posing with the Mighty Fine bottle. Not a bad looking couple?

The Golden Wheat Red IPA posing with the Lengthwise seasoning.

The Golden Wheat Red IPA posing with the Lengthwise seasoning.

My Golden Wheat Red was whining about not being in the picture so I poured one and drank it! I still have a few hours to finish the brisket. I hope the Russian Imperial Stout doesn’t get into the act! At 10-11% ABV I might lose my sense of smoking focus.

My Russian Imperial Stout aged on charred oak that had been soaked in bourbon.

My Russian Imperial Stout aged on charred oak that had been soaked in bourbon. Is it my eyes or is this seriously out of focus?

The debate is on, should I or should I behave. The Stouts are in 22 ounce or 20 ounce flip tops. Here is a 22 ounce bomber positioned near the smoker just begging for release!

 

I decided to behave…. Maybe????

Drink Local and Drink Responsibly
Bishop

Yes Dear Raspberry Wheat Ale is Primed!

I have been a bit slow priming and kegging/bottling this brew. It could be written off to laziness but I would like to say it was due to the multiple and diverse tugs on my scattered brain. 1. There has been a number of football games needing viewing,; 2. We keep the house cool in the winter – 60 F so sitting near the fire in the fireplace feels so good; 3. My son’s dog, a very sweet recue dog loves my attention and walks in the woods; 4. weeds, damn weeds in the garden; 5. Words with Friends is like Crack!; 6. Thoughts of working out – succumbed to the thoughts a couple of times; 7. Sourdough bread experimentation – another yeast related activity – I think will just stop there…

I carved out the time today to prepare. Most of the batch was going into two 6 Liter mini kegs, Iap-a-Draft to be exact and the remainder into 12 ounce bottles. As I usually do, I pulled a sample for checking the final gravity….I had no doubt that it was finished but….just checking. Damn – the hydrometer nearly floated out of the cylinder…..can’t be! How can it become more dense? It can’t – I pulled the hydrometer and the little foam pad was stuck to the bottom. Mystery solved. The chilled sample, 37 F, was 1.011 – plenty good to know that it was done fermenting. Final count, 2 – 6L bottles and 14- 12 ounce bottles.

The taste test from the gravity sample was very nice…..I shared a sip with Mrs. Yes Dear and she agreed. Looks to be a success. Now I need to be patient and let it condition….10 to 14 days ought to be sufficient. Normally, it is required to drink a homebrew while working on a batch, I failed to indulge. I have had a Bomber of Karbach Black Hopadillo IPA in the fridge for months now, just begging for my attention, so . Damn good! that is second use of the word Damn….I’m feeling a bit like Clark Gable!!!!!

What is the next project? My son Ben is wanting a “session IPA”, lower in ABV but still retaining great hops bitterness and aromas. There are some decent commercial offerings that he enjoys. The simple approach would be to find a clone recipe but I think not….I think I may be able to improve on the clone!!!!! Stay tuned…more coming.

The transfer is on...Sourdough starter in the left background.

The transfer is on…Sourdough starter in the left background. I love the carboy carrier straps…makes it easier and less likely to drop it.

My bottled beer and the two 6L Tap-a-Draft bottles.

My bottled beer and the two 6L Tap-a-Draft bottles.

The very nice Karbach Hoppadillo Black IPA. Nice way to end my task!

The very nice Karbach Hoppadillo Black IPA. Nice way to end my task!

Drink Local and Drink Responsible

Bishop

Brewing Day

It was a few days ago, December 23rd to be exact. Yes dear, I probably could have picked a better day ……. seems like it was hectic for everyone – everyone else but not me…. I should have known that there were different expectations?????

The all grain process does chew up some time. I don’t wear a watch so a good portion of the day got away from me before I started. It was dark by the time I was finished and beginning the clean-up. From a technical standpoint the brew came off flawless……. I hit the volumes, the starting gravity, the color and if the flavor of the sample from the gravity measurement is an indicator, it will be very nice! In less than two days the fermentation was in high gear and I should transfer to the secondary in a couple of days.

I plan to make a small change to the recipe. I plan to add Raspberry Puree to the secondary fermenter for flavor. The folks at the local brew shop suggested the that I should obtain better results. Time will tell.

Low tech but effective outdoor brewing set-up.

Low tech but effective outdoor brewing set-up.

I finished drinking the little dab of Belgian Wit that was in the fridge and had a couple of my Golden Wheat Red IPAs while brewing. The Tap-a-Draft mini-keg really works well and added just a wee bit more CO2 – makes it an outstanding beer! Gotta have a homebrew when making homebrew!

 

Plans – my son Ben is asking for just a plain run of the mill Pale Ale – then he said it must have great flavor and be easy to drink…….the search for a recipe begins…..IPA flavor but less alcohol….as session IPA. I can do it!

Drink Local and Drink Responsibly

Bishop

Yes Dear – Raspberry Wheat Ale

I seem to brew a lot of beers that I like – the  problem is, my wife has a different palate! I made one for her  a while back but the bitter orange peel used for the Belgian Wit Bier was a bit overwhelming. Dang it….I have had to drink almost all of it! Since then I have brewed a rich and chewy Russia Imperial Ale and my Golden Wheat Red IPA.  So, as my Christmas gift to her, I have just returned home from the beer store with the parts and pieces for a Raspberry Wheat Ale, affectionately labeled the “Yes Dear – Raspberry Wheat Ale”. No wrapping paper needed and the gift that keeps on giving, She will be so happy! My old brewing buddies will understand that the unsaid portion of the label would have read, ” Yes Dear, I should have known – Raspberry Wheat Ale”. It’s a long story…. and besides, it would have crowded the label.

Ingredients = $ 29.12…… I definitely think she is worth that much…

  • 5.5 lbs. Domestic white wheat malt
  • 5.5 lbs. domestic two row pale malt
  • 0.5 lbs. British medium crystal malt
  • 0.5 lbs. Flaked oats
  • 0.5 lbs. Rice hulls – aids in making a filter bed during run off
  • 2 ounces Hallertauer hop pellets – 1.5 oz. 60 minutes and 0.5 oz. 2 20 minutes
  • 1 pkg. Wyeast # 1056
  • 1/2 tsp Irish Moss @ 15
  • 1/2 tsp food grade gypsum
  • Many gallons of Ozarka Spring Water
  • 2 lbs. frozen Raspberries added to the secondary – two weeks

Single Infusion @ 152 deg F and batch sparge.

Below is an image of label design for this batch taken by my iPhone from the laptop screen.

Tongue in Cheek - "Yes Dear - Raspberry Wheat Ale" -

Tongue in Cheek – “Yes Dear – Raspberry Wheat Ale” –

I sure hope my bride has a sense of humor?…….never mind, she married me so the answer is, yes she does!

 

PS – I also came home with 1.75 Liters of 190 proof Everclear! Not for beer brewing but for making some Limoncello with my bumper crop of lemons! More on that later.

Drink Local and Drink Responsibly

Bishop

 

 

Barrel Aging At Home

It is not really barrel aging but results are pretty much the same. I brewed a 5 gallon batch of Russian Imperial Stout in May. As a home brewer seeking that wonderfully complex flavors achieved by the craft brewers, you have the technology. You can buy oak spirals, made that way to increase surface area. They can be bought in various levels of toastedness…..not sure that word has made  its way into your Funk & Wagnall yet, but it is an apt description. I have made mine in the past using a white oak dowel and cutting deep grooves on my lathe. PS, get permission from your SO before toasting the oak in your home oven or better yet, do it outside. I soak mine in bourbon…..I select a lesser grade as I believe in not using my Pappy Van Winkle 20 year old for the effort.

Drop the toasted and soaked oak into your secondary and wait….last batch was three months. I has worked well! Oak source;

http://infusionspiral.com/

Below is a link to a good article form a recent post in the Weekly Pint. My latest offering is a perfect example of the vanilla flavor imparted by the oak…..wonderful. I am considering a barrel aged pale ale of some sort in the near future. Just don’t have enough free time to brew all that I want and or crave. That damn thing called work gets in the way!

http://www.weeklypint.com/the-weekly-pint/beer-101/barrel-aged-beer-december-2014

Fixing the Autodraft Mystery

Something odd happened the other day. I used my blogging app on my iPhone to generate a blog about the first taste test of my Gloden Wheat Red IPA. I attempted to publish after adding a few photos and conducting my typical sophomoric self editing  before publishing.  All that appeared was the “Auotdraft” title and no meat, no potatoes and nothing about the beer. I want to rectify that problem or mystery.

This was Golden Wheat Red IPA III – but it was also the first attempt at brewing the recipe as an all grain batch. If you read an earlier post detailing the brewing day you will see that it did not go as intended. Lesson learned, if the hydrometer is behaving incredibly far outside of expected norms, do not panic. Take a pull on a  good pint of homebrew – down to mid point, lick your lips and realize that it would not be physically possible for the hydrometer to float that high…….Then inspect the hydrometer closely…..if I had I would have noticed that the tip had busted off and the calibrating weight in the base was missing. Had I done that,  it would have been mystery solved….I panicked –  but based on the taste test I recovered nicely.

My first taste test was 11 days after bottling and the conditioning process was spot on….nicely carbonated but not too much.  Great hop balance…good bitterness up front from the early additions and the late additions including the dry hopping have provided a nice aroma. Very, very drinkable….I have encountered very few undrinkable beers but I have had some that were worse than others! This one comes in pretty durn close to outstanding!

A pint of a successful batch...or really 12 ounces!

A pint of a successful batch…or really 12 ounces!

Lovely lace and great flavor

Lovely lace and great flavor

 

My label to aid in CRS issues

My label to aid in CRS issues

 

CRS – a condition that increases with age where you “Can’t Remember Shtuff” or something like that. I will label the bottles this weekend and painful as it is to admit I will share a few! I will be a bit stingy but not nasty about sharing!

 

Drink Local and Drink Responsibly

Bishop