Tag Archives: Beer

Russian Imperial Stout……Bottled and Maturing

I bottled about 5 gallons of the stout this week. It is inky black and for a beer that has yet to mature, it has great flavor….I giggled a bit when I wrote the title…..it is a bit of a reflection on me…..I consider myself to still be in maturing mode but some folks, including my wife, think my maturing was somehow mostly arrested many years ago…..my physical maturity has been marching along and has begun to make the downhill sprint…..if you can call it a sprint….LOL, into my “Golden Years”.

My Russian Imperial Stout was brewed with a grain bill that slightly exceeded the recommended maximum for my Grainfather system….20 pounds max and I went with 20 pounds and 8 ounces of grain….doesn’t sound like much, but trust me…..it was over the limit. The original gravity was a little lower than I expected…I was shooting for something in the 1.090 SG and hit 1.085. Final gravity was 1.019 SG so not too bad. 8.7% and was hoping for 9.3 %.

Once into the secondary fermenter I add some dark toasted oak spirals that had been soaked in Bourbon. Last 4 batches this was the procedure. Always loved the results. As noted above…..maturity will be somewhere down the road so……I gotta be patient….not my long suit. Most of the beer went into 22 or 20 ounce bottles. I bottled 6.75 – 12 ounce bottles that will be used to gauge the maturing process. I took the 3/4 filled 12 ounce bottle down to my local brewery, DECA, here in Porter, Texas. Surprisingly feed back from beer connoisseurs was positive, even though it has a long ways to go. I and everyone else was expecting the beer to have a hot taste, i.e., the taste of alcohol coming through but it was actually a pleasant taste. Note: the beer was primed prior to bottling with 3 ounces of dark brown sugar. It will ad to the beer’s complexity upon maturation.

Bourbon soaked oak spirals…..repurposed as smoker wood for my spatchcock smoked turkey. Not sure it was enough to impart significant flavor but the bourbon soaked cherry wood carried the day.
There it is….14.4 pounds of deliciousness

The stout definitely turned out inky black and dark, albeit with great early flavor.

Taking a hydrometer reading for the original SG reading and yes…..very dark.
Filling a 22 ounce bomber
Yes my wife lets me used the kitchen but I do have to mop the floors…..it is only fair I guess….My simple bottle capping tool…..has worked well for many years.
If I were going to set this photo shoot up again…..the door to the laundry room should have been shut…..oh well, so much for my maturity.
I have always loved these old flip top bottles. I used 6 of them and 20 of the 22 ounce bombers along with 6.75 – 12 ounce bottles.

So now the schedule is set, one 12 ounce bottle every 3 months until the proper level of maturity is reached…..Obviously long before I reach my proper level of maturity.

Drink Local and Drink Responsibly

Bishop

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Avery Clone, Unfortunately Passed Away Far Too Soon

My post from October 29th was all about the making of my Avery Clone IPA and I had promised a timely update…….well, I failed, but not completely. The untimely demise of the beer was not unexpected. It was sadly, one of the best beers of this type I have ever brewed. The final kegging was just a bit shy of 5 gallons which should have been satisfactory.

After kegging and slowly carbonating the beer it was time to pull the first cold glass of IPA heavenly essence. I pulled the first glass and, although cloudy as it had picked up a bit of settled sediment off the bottom, I knew by the aroma that it was going to be excellent. I had to invite my good friend John over to help with first impressions. Well first impressions lead to some serious sampling and we put a dent into that 5 gallons of heavenly essence.

Our first session of this 6.3 % ABV beer was thoroughly enjoyed, much to the chagrin of my wife, but we were too far into our discussions on how friggin good this beer was to really care. Yes, it was good….After our third pints each, John figured he needed to stop there and take the short two block drive home…..good idea John….Me on the other hand……well it was a mellow evening.

I stopped after the third pint and filled this very nice and large and frozen mug of liquid joy, bottom photo. I was one happy camper. The beer was excellent, the comradery was fun as always, the compliments were heady and, yes went to my head……both compliments and the alcohol. Sorry Hun it is just the way I am with really good beers. Happily she tolerates my obsession with good beers…..as long as I behave properly!

This is not a session beer but…..I/we/they and others did not treat it as a session beer. Our sessions with this beer put a rosy color on our cheeks and a chuckle into even the lamest of jokes. It was a sad afternoon when I went out to pull a nice pint and the keg became empty……but pleasantly, the pint glass was full enough when it blew. A little murky off the bottom but yes, tasty enough to finish.

Some observations on this beer beyond its potent essence. It has…..no, had, a nice thick frothy head. The aroma was spot on and not overwhelming. It was properly bitter without a bite. Secondary flavors were smooth and pleasant. Nice lace on the glass delineating every wonder pull of the beer also indicating a very clean glass holding a nice frothy head of beer. It begs to be brewed again.

Drink Local and Drink Responsibly

Bishop

Back At It Again

I apologize a bit to a beekeeping acquaintance of mine here in Texas as he has named his business “At it Again Apiaries”…….so, I just appropriated a portion of the name. That said, it has both been too long since I last brewed and also too long since I last posted. Up date, I have an Avery IPA clone sitting in the secondary, dry hopped and I started the cold crash yesterday before kegging tomorrow. The gravity targets from the recipe were hit dead on. It was 1.056 for the starting gravity and 1.012 for the ending gravity…….sample tasted wonderful.

Sadly my local beer supply store closed a few months ago and I have resorted to online ordering. The online experience has been hit or miss. I have tried Austin Homebrew Supply and Northern Brewer. The excuses revolve around labor shortages and supply chain issues……I am more concerned about having room in my kegerator for two more beers so, I am learning to be more patient. Tomorrow I should be carbonating the Avery clone but the next beer, or should I say planned beer is a SMaSH with Golden Promise grain and Simcoe hops…….dangit…..may not get it started until sometime next week. That is if the remaining ingredients show up.

I hate to say it but part of the delay is my fault. The grain bill calls for 12 pounds of Golden Promise, in the drop down box I apparently did not click hard enough on 12 and they order went out as 1 pound. I did have a second chance to review my order at checkout, but guess what, senior moment, and I did not correct my mistake. So I have compounded the delivery issues……nuff said and you can stop giggling any time you want!

The Avery clone was an all grain kit from Austin Homebrew Supply…..they did a decent job getting the supplies here on a reasonable amount of time. A browse through the products section does highlight notable amounts of “out of stock” tags but over all not too bad. I did resort to going to the “Grainfather” site for parts I needed before brewing the Avery clone. The connections on the inlet to the pump and discharge side of the pump had gone bad. Fortunately the discharge tube leaked badly as I was cleaning and prepping and not during the brewing process, averting a catastrophic event!. It delayed the Avery IPA clone by about a week.

Final Gravity…..Dead on Target – Love my new hydrometer…..yes, I dropped and broke one…..word of advice, always have two in your brewing kit. Fortunately I did.
Dry Hopped and I cold crash everything should settle out. One of these days….I dream of having a dedicated brewing area and use SS conical fermenters and a well sized walk in cold box and a 10 tap kegerator andddddd so much more!

I will promise to update all y’all in a timely matter once in the keg and properly carbonated….and wish I could share some with y’all – you will just have to rely on my words and your imagination. Trust me…

Drink Local and Drink Responsibly

Bishop

Voodoo Ranger

Just love this beer in all of its variations and variations yet to be created. https://www.voodooranger.com/beer/ipa/ If you want to read more follow the link below and learn more about the Voodoo Ranger story. https://www.gearpatrol.com/food/drinks//a37599207/voodoo-ranger/

In a nutshell what is Voodoo Ranger IPA? ……….. Origin: 2017 as Voodoo Ranger IPA and Voodoo Ranger Imperial IPA. Since then it has grown to about 20 variations in the theme in the Voodoo Ranger series. You can even buy all things “Voodoo from the Vootique. Official gear of epic beer. https://www.vootique.com/……….. My order is in and it will be epic!

Today is a hot and “sweltery” (New word that I will submit to the “Funkin’ Wagnels” 2023 updated edition) and humid Houston, TX day. Insert smiley face here ……….. yes, an attempt at humor, laughter of course is your choice. I am a beekeeper, so some of my sweat today is related to honey stuff, condensing partial 5 gallon honey buckets into 1/2 gallon jars and cleaning sticky equipment.

Yum!!!!!!

To ease the pain of the heat and effort, I made an attempt to rehydrate.I enjoyed a really juicy Voodoo Ranger Juice Force IPA……Gotta say it helped but oh my, starting off with a 9.5% beer for the day may not always be a wise choice. It does bring a smile or as my wife describes it, a goofy grin.

Seriously Juicy and very refreshing……

Had to have another but Voodoo Ranger was no longer on my shelf so I went local…..Galveston Island Brewing……Citra Mellow and yes I was…… great day got a lot down and the shower will feel really good.!

A really nice IPA

Drink Local and Drink Responsibly

Bishop

I Still Love & Drink Beer

Even though it has been ages since my last post I want to make sure the record is is still clear, I love Beer….Maybe I should say like rather than love……and thanks to Tom T. Hall I have an anthem that I could sing….if of course I could sing……Here it is and next time, if ever I sing Karaoke I can request it!!!!!!!

I would make a substitution for the word song or songs and replace it with blog or blogs…..wonder if the flow would go well, Hmmmmmmmmm

In some of my songs I have casually mentioned
The fact that I like to drink beer
This little song is more to the point
Roll out the barrel and lend me your ears

I like beer, it makes me a jolly good fellow
I like beer, it helps me unwind and sometimes it makes me feel mellow (Makes him feel mellow)
Whiskey’s too rough, Champagne costs too much, vodka puts my mouth in gear
This little refrain should help me explain as a matter of fact I like beer
(He likes beer)

My wife often frowns when we’re out on the town
And I’m wearing a suit and a tie
She’s sipping vermouth and she thinks I’m uncouth
When I yell as the waiter goes by

I like beer, it makes me a jolly good fellow
I like beer, it helps me unwind and sometimes it makes me feel mellow (Makes him feel mellow)
Whiskey’s too rough, Champagne costs too much, vodka puts my mouth in gear
This little refrain should help me explain as a matter of fact I like beer
(He likes beer)

Last night I dreamed that I passed from the scene
And I went to a place so sublime
Aw, the water was clear and tasted like beer
Then they turned it all into wine (Awww)

I like beer, it makes me a jolly good fellow
I like beer, it helps me unwind and sometimes it makes me feel mellow (Makes him feel mellow)
Whiskey’s too rough, Champagne costs too much, vodka puts my mouth in gear
This little refrain should help me explain as a matter of fact I like beer
(He likes beer)

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Tom Hall

I may get frisky one of these days, with the help of a few beers and record my rendition>>>>>>

I will add some sad news, my local beer supplier succumbed to the challenging business environment post Covid and closed the doors, The business owner, Preston Brown was a walking and talking encyclopedia of all things beer. Well, actually more than that, he knew, Kombucha, cheese making, wine making, equipment, hops, yeast and everything in between…….. and of course everything brewed. Probably the most helpful shop owner of any business I have ever entered. He was a mentor and freely gave gave lessons on the fly. I wish him well in his new direction, whatever it may be and I know full well he will be an asset to wherever he lands.

I lament the loss of The Grain Cellar …….. I wish the very best for you Preston and your wife. May God Bless you both.

Drink Local and Drink Responsibly

Bishop

Confirmation – Bees and Beer are Linked

So, how did I arrive at this epiphany? I am certainly one data point. I started brewing beer around 1991 and became a beekeeper 6 years ago. Ok, not a strong link, but I have more that I would like to offer up.

I have a prolific 8 frame hive, already has 3 supers, in the backyard of some friends, Mike an awesome beer brewer and his wife Annette loves his Chocolate Porter. Synergistic relationship I am certain. The beer fridge, with two beers always on tap, is less than 25 feet away from the hive. There has to to bee and beer intersection in the respective auras influencing honey production and quality beers brewed here! A stronger link don’t you agree?

Well, here is the confirmation! A few weeks ago I put out feelers for an apiary location closer to the house to host a few of my hives. Out of the blue came an offer…..just 2 miles outside my parameters but close enough. Several acres, with a nice tall berm that is above the flooding that plagues our area, a pond and…….next to 100 acres of Tallow Tree – the biggest nectar source for SE Texas beekeepers. First move was a swarm that had moved into a newly built top bar hive in my backyard.

The small top bar in place. Room left for two more hives. I have two Langstroth hives that we’re not doing as well as I wanted out at Berry farm just begging to be moved closer. Today I gathered them up and hauled them over to the new and closer location.

I  have a 10 frame and an 8 frames Lang that were picked up Ready to go. They are loaded on the rack and they were set, opened and bees flying by 8:30 AM. Confirmation of the indisputable link between bees and beer happened at approximately 8:45 AM CST. My Goo friend John and I were packing the truck up when Terry, the property owner, asked if we wanted some homemade wine. It was red and sweet so we declined but mentioned beer is preferable. Terry turned and indicated that we should follow him.

There was a nice “Speak Easy” style door off the garage leading the BREWERY. – Yes a brewery…. 5 gallon style brewery, all electric, set up for all grain brewing. Sweet set up…..over to the right was the bar and a double tap. A lager on one, yes he truly brews and lagers his beer, and a nice Bock. John and I behaved ourselves as we had duties but we did sample and agree the Bees and Beer are joined at the hip.

Do you need anymore proof?

Drink Local and Drink Responsibly

Bishop

My All Grain – Amber Ale is Bottled

I decided to step out and brew something a little different than my usual’s, an American Amber Ale. So what is an American Amber Ale?………….. From Beer Advocate;

American Amber / Red Ale

Description:

Primarily a catch all for any beer less than a Dark Ale in color, ranging from amber (duh) to deep red hues. This style of beer tends to focus on the malts, but hop character can range from low to high. Expect a balanced beer, with toasted malt characters and a light fruitiness in most examples. The range can run from a basic ale, to American brewers who brew faux-Oktoberfest style beers that are actually ales instead of lagers.

Average alcohol by volume (abv) range: 4.0-7.0%  

I have a copy of “BeerSmith 2” loaded on my computer, FYI, I love the program!  I did a search of the recipes in the BeerSmith cloud and found an American Amber Ale that caught my eye…..probably for all the wrong reasons….Uncle Mickey is the brewer’s name. I do need to give him credit for the recipe because, I brewed it step by step, just as he submitted it. I chose to honor his “naming convention” for his beer but, in order to be a little less crass, I translated it into German – “Zucker Zitzen” – Therefore it will be labled “ZZ Amber Ale”.

The beer is in the bottle and now capped with a dark pinkish red cap. I use cap colors to differentiate my beers until they receive a label. The 6 gallon batch filled 54 standard size bottles…12 ounces. I was almost a week late getting it into the bottles but, the sample I pulled for the gravity check was nice, definitely malt forward and a hint of sweetness. I think it will be nice. It is not heavily hopped, 1 ounce of Summit at 60 minutes, 1 ounce of Amarillo Gold at 10 minutes and 1 ounce of Cascade at flame out and I let it sit for about 15 minutes before beginning to chill the wort.  I have 21 days to let it condition and age before the crawfish boil. With my lack of patience, I will most likely have sampled a couple just to be safe before the party. FYI – I worked up a sweat bottling so I enjoyed a bottle of my SMaSH IPA (American Flag cap), while resting before the cleanup began. I think I am down to about a dozen of that batch left……I better be a little stingy and hide a few!

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Five six packs of random shaped bottles, all 12 ounce bottles, but recycled from my broad and diverse drinking habits. ( a six-pack of stubby bottles are hiding below the Sierra Nevada six-pack)

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23 and 2/3 perfectly uniform bottles of “ZZ” American Amber Ale. Yes, 2/3 of a bottle….nothing goes to waste here! Yum……

Now……What is next on my brew list?

  • A clone of Alpha Hive Double IPA from COOP Ale Works in Oklahoma City? It is an amazing beer if you can find it. http://coopaleworks.com/beers/alpha-hive-double-ipa/
  • A session IPA is also something I have threatening to brew for quite some time now? A clone of founders All Day IPA is high on the list!!!!
  • I do have bee hives at a blueberry/blackberry farm so, a fruit wheat ale may taste pretty good?
  • Or another SMaSH IPA with either Simcoe, Citra or Amarillo hops…..????

So many choices and so little time!

Drink Local and Drink Responsibly

Bishop

Beer, Bees and Bugs in Brenham

On hold and misplaced since mid April”

Actually the bees were the first part of the day.  I was enrolled in a daylong event for beekeepers, 550 of us.  Should have been one more but I somehow failed to get my bride enrolled. The late fee at the registration table was more than we wanted to spend….I actually did learn a lot of useful information and I am already looking forward to the 2017 event. I need some honey production to replace the Honey Blonde that my wife fell in love with and I was too generous handing it out to others!

The previous week we, Kathy and friends Bev and John, were in Brenham visiting the Brazos Valley Brewing Company. Besides enjoying the beers I was also a bit excited knowing that the crawfish boil at the brewery coincided with the Brenham bee school. YEE HAW! Even better the iPhone map indicated a 6 minute drive from the Washington County Fairgrounds would put me in the parking lot at the brewery. The spicy aroma of boiled crawfish was wafting across the parking lot as I arrived. Yum, and cold beer too!

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Bugs, taters, corn and a first for me, mushrooms.

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Another load dumped out onto the table ready for consumption.

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Just about enough for a meal. As they say in Louisiana, “Pinch dem tails and suck dem heads. FYI – there is a good bit of yellow fat in the head. Either suck it out or dig it out with a long finger nail….Don’t give that look…..!

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The day’s offerings. Pretty much love them all, my wife loves the Golden Ale. Say hi to Robert about to exit, stage right.

 

David, one of the brewers, was manning the boil pot and he was just amazing. He kept a steady flow of spicy, but not overly spicy crawfish (mudbugs), coming out of the pot along with corn, potatoes and a first for me, large mushrooms!  Loved the mushrooms!!!!! Robert behind the bar, the guy that does whatever needs to be done and doing  well poured, my flight of beers. I had both brown ales, the Golden and the IPA that was missing from last week’s visit. Can’t say enough about the quality of the beers.

FullSizeRender Dave

This is Dave. Say hi to Dave if you go visit.

For a drizzly and misty, rainy night there was a hardy crowd enjoying mud bugs, beer and friends. Sing by and visit. About 8 minutes east of Highway 290 you can discover the charm of the historic downtown Brenham area and indulge in some great beers. Slow down and smell the hops and maybe the malts!

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Not enough drizzle to upset the regulars!

 

Drink Local and Drink Responsibly

Bishop

Inspiration before Perspiration

Sitting on the patio enjoying an almost perfect Houston evening. It is about 74 degrees F or 23 degrees C for the rest of the world, a cold home brew in my hand and chicken on the grill.

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A small glass of my Honey Blonde Ale. My wife confronted me and asked if I was drinking “her beer”. I  had to admit, “Yes dear, I am”. Chill out Hun – it was only 8 ounces! Insert smiley happy face here! I was using a brewery sample glass from Real Ale Brewing Co., Blanco, Texas. Sure was good!

The chicken is smelling very good. @ $ 1.27 per pound!!!!   whole roasting chicken cut in half. Season with Lowry’s and garlic. Yum!

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That describes the inspiration for my next brew, a Session IPA! Target ABV will be 4.6% or so. Hops, this is where I will get my thrills, 7 ounces of Mosaic Hops. Three of the seven will be used to dry hop the beer as it sits in the secondary fermenter. Six and half pounds of domestic two row malt, one pound of Munich malt, one pound of domestic wheat malt and a half pound of 40L crystal malt.

Mashing and hopping schedule will be run through Beersmith and reported out on brew day, possibly tomorrow or the next day. (Wednesday doesn’t look good so it will be Thursday February 18th.)

Drink Local and Drink Responsibly
Bishop