So I've found oak cubes, but not balls. I guess my ball-finding skills are subpar.
I've heard that the cubes give a much deeper oak complexity, but take 2 - 3 months to really work properly. Are these similar to your balls?
Also, figuring out how to mash an all-grain imperial stout is tricky. Hello chalk and baking soda. You are my friends.
For the volume I did (2 gallons of wine) it took about two weeks with chips, and my guy said the time with balls would be the same. It's really all about surface area; the more liquid touching the oak the faster it will go. If you have documentation about oaking time for an imperial stout with what you're using, then go by that. My situation was too different, I mostly just recommended the balls for ease of cleanup purposes.
I'm pleased to report that I have fixed the chlorophenol problem. Spring water + brewing salts ftw!
And my ESB is tasty. And strong. Needs to mellow out a bit. Clocks in at 7.5%. The ordinary bitter is much weaker, clocking in at 3.2%. But it's ridiculously drinkable and just the slightest bit sweet.
Finally bottled. Just finished now.
I don't really have an ESB so much as an English Strong Ale/Barley wine. Fruity, velvety, a hint of caramel, and some pleasant bitterness and a dry finish. And some nice alcohol warmth at the end. 1.081 OG, 1.024 FG, ~35 IBU, weighing in at 7.6% ABV. A very solid brew, though not one you could pound.
The ordinary bitter, made from the second runnings, is slightly sweet and bready, followed by assertively bitter. They're not fucking around when they call it a "bitter." Jesus. I like it, but I definitely need something to eat while I'm having it. Which is really odd, considering it's much lighter than the strong ale. 1.036 OG, 1.011 FG, ~25 IBU, clocking in at ~3.2% ABV. Very light and quaffable.
Believe me on this one. I just drank an entire bottle of it - I had one extra that would've sat outside the case. It's a strong goddamn beer.
What amazes me is that I did this parti-gyle style. That means I kept the runnings as separate batches.
Now, I'm attempting to replicate a 16th-century style of brewing. So, that means that I have one grain bill (15 pounds of Maris Otter and 1 pound of Crystal 10) and one hop variety (Kent Goldings). I used the same yeast on both batches. I used the same quantity of the same hop in both boils. I used the same water. And here I sit with two radically different beers. You'd think that the malt profile for the strong beer has some Special B and uses a Belgian yeast; you'd think that the ordinary bitter used a pilsner malt and was lagered.
Nope. Just change the sugar concentrations in your wort, and you wind up with something that's not even in the same category.
I've seen this before, and read about a couple of people recreating it. A gallon of molasses (assuming that we are talking about the modern 231 cubic inch gallon and not one of the myriad goddamn English gallons that existed before 1824) weighs about 12 pounds. That makes a beer with about 3.5% ABV overall.
By the way, "Bran Hops" does not refer to a hop variety. It's supposed to read "Bran, hops." Adding wheat bran was relatively common in the colonial days; it added a grainy taste to beer that would not have otherwise existed.
Well, it's basically like using extract. It's not exactly a "beer" in the strictest sense, as it doesn't contain any malt.
The Yards Tavern Spruce Ale is good example of that. Its a molasses and spruce ale made from Ben Franklin's recipe. Apparently proper ingredients could be scarce.
A restaurant near where I live is installing taps at tables.
There are 3 tap handles per tap tower. Each table’s tap lineup is different. They are connected to a iPod (yes, iPod) with a specialty app installed. The server will enter in his or her special code allowing the taps to flow. It is metered, which will only allow a certain preset limit of beer to pour. When it cuts off, the server must re enter the code to have the taps flow again. This prevents beer waste, over serving, etc.
A restaurant near where I live is installing taps at tables.
That's fucking cool.
Three new bars are opening in the next few weeks in Albany. One has a mechanical bull. Stories and video of me busting my ass to follow
Will put in real links later. Kate, Adam, George and Pete are the only ones who should be really interested anyways... Stout & Barre Saloon info City Beer Hall
We're also getting an English pub by the same guy that made the Beer Garden. That whole downtown area is turing into a decent beer district.
EDIT:Stout may try to be a distillery in the near future.
So I am currently trying beer for the first time with some Samuel Adams Cream Stout. Not exactly my favorite taste but definitely not terrible and it's something I would try again. Do you guys have any other suggestions on what beer to start out on?
Edit: Upon finishing it, I do find it a bit too bitter for me, so I might want to avoid super bitter brews.
Do not avoid anything IPA. Exclusively drink IPA until you like it better than any other beer.
Its Philly Beer week, BTW. I cant go to as many things as I would like, even though I'm off work, but I'm going to this:
Duvel USA Night 6:00 pm - 2:00 am Location: Iron Abbey Neighborhood: Montgomery County Category: Meet The Brewer , Beer Tasting Brewery: Ommegang
Details
Duvel USA Night | Presenting Portfolio Breweries including: Liefmans, La Chouffe and Maredsous. Ommegang will also be present with guest brewer to tap the collaboration brew between La Chouffe and Ommegang: Gnomegang
collaboration brew between La Chouffe and Ommegang: Gnomegang
I want this.
Same, La Chouffe is really nice and Ommegang is one of my favorite breweries. Also, Shiner's Rubyred Bird is a really weak beer. Decent taste, but MAN it's light.
I am curious about some IPAs that are actually good. Outside of Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA I have hated everyone I have tried. By hate I mean literally hate as every other one was utterly horrible. As I have tried tons of different beers I cannot list all of the ones I have tried but I am curious as to finding some that i like because I tend to like any style of beer normally but that one seems to be my kryptonite right now.
IPAs suck. I'm not even a fan of PAs. Some are OK at best. I'll try one if it's offered to me, but I won't buy it for myself. You're doing the best you can. All I can suggest is trying different PAs until you build up a hop tolerance or accepting that roasted malt is the finest flavor in beer county.
The funny thing is, to me, that I like lots of pale ales but cannot stand any IPAs outside that one. While I definitely will not consider something like Bass to be great I can enjoy it now and again but I cannot really say that for any IPA, except the one I mentioned. It sucks too since I have been on an ale kick lately after being on a lager one for a while but am having issues finding ales I have never had around where I live that are worth giving a try.
Comments
I don't really have an ESB so much as an English Strong Ale/Barley wine. Fruity, velvety, a hint of caramel, and some pleasant bitterness and a dry finish. And some nice alcohol warmth at the end. 1.081 OG, 1.024 FG, ~35 IBU, weighing in at 7.6% ABV. A very solid brew, though not one you could pound.
The ordinary bitter, made from the second runnings, is slightly sweet and bready, followed by assertively bitter. They're not fucking around when they call it a "bitter." Jesus. I like it, but I definitely need something to eat while I'm having it. Which is really odd, considering it's much lighter than the strong ale. 1.036 OG, 1.011 FG, ~25 IBU, clocking in at ~3.2% ABV. Very light and quaffable.
What amazes me is that I did this parti-gyle style. That means I kept the runnings as separate batches.
Now, I'm attempting to replicate a 16th-century style of brewing. So, that means that I have one grain bill (15 pounds of Maris Otter and 1 pound of Crystal 10) and one hop variety (Kent Goldings). I used the same yeast on both batches. I used the same quantity of the same hop in both boils. I used the same water. And here I sit with two radically different beers. You'd think that the malt profile for the strong beer has some Special B and uses a Belgian yeast; you'd think that the ordinary bitter used a pilsner malt and was lagered.
Nope. Just change the sugar concentrations in your wort, and you wind up with something that's not even in the same category.
I love this hobby.
Washington. Washington.
By the way, "Bran Hops" does not refer to a hop variety. It's supposed to read "Bran, hops." Adding wheat bran was relatively common in the colonial days; it added a grainy taste to beer that would not have otherwise existed.
Three new bars are opening in the next few weeks in Albany. One has a mechanical bull. Stories and video of me busting my ass to follow
Will put in real links later. Kate, Adam, George and Pete are the only ones who should be really interested anyways...
Stout & Barre Saloon info
City Beer Hall
We're also getting an English pub by the same guy that made the Beer Garden. That whole downtown area is turing into a decent beer district.
EDIT:Stout may try to be a distillery in the near future.
Edit: Upon finishing it, I do find it a bit too bitter for me, so I might want to avoid super bitter brews.
Avoid anything called an "IPA." Except for Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA. That shit is like candy.
Its Philly Beer week, BTW. I cant go to as many things as I would like, even though I'm off work, but I'm going to this:
Duvel USA Night 6:00 pm - 2:00 am
Location: Iron Abbey Neighborhood: Montgomery County
Category: Meet The Brewer , Beer Tasting
Brewery: Ommegang
Details
Duvel USA Night | Presenting Portfolio Breweries including: Liefmans, La Chouffe and Maredsous. Ommegang will also be present with guest brewer to tap the collaboration brew between La Chouffe and Ommegang: Gnomegang
I can't wait!
I haz it.
Oh wait, I have 14 gallons of beer in various stages of production.