Category: Notes (What’s Brewing)


Hyper Holidays!

Filed Under: Images (What's Brewing), Notes (What's Brewing) by ABREWCADABREW — Leave a comment
30 December, 2011

I thought “holiday” meant “slow down, relax”, but I’ve been busier than a ferret gone berserk down a Geordie’s trousers this week! First, I hooked up a digital thermostat controller to my new chest freezer (the controller turns the chest freezer on-and-off depending on the temperature setting): Digital Thermostat Controller

On Sunday, I bottled 12L of AbrewcadaBroon, my Northern English Brown Ale. I spent Monday milling grains and getting ready for Tuesday, when I somehow managed to brew four batches of beer in a single day. The original plan was brew batches over the course of a week, but due to complications (i.e. dates with the in-laws), I decided to get it all over and done with in one go.

In retrospect, a very bad idea. I started at six in the morning, finished just after midnight, with nary a break – and a lot of scrambling – in between batches. If I may, here’s priceless advice: when planning your brew days, always account for unplanned mishaps and mayhem.

The good news is: I’ve now four 10L batches of beer (two Munich Helles and two Oktoberfests) lagering at a controlled 12.2°C degrees. They’ll stay like that until the end of January, bottling day is slated for the 29th; they’ll be ready to drink at the end of February. 楽しみしています！

Four Lagers and a Fermentation Chamber

Now all I have to do is make it through to 2012! Hyper holidays and Happy New Year!

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Bye Bye Beer Blues

Filed Under: Brew Days, Images (Miscellaneous), Notes (What's Brewing), To-Do's & Tada's by ABREWCADABREW — Comments Off
1 December, 2011

The good news? I successfully located the source of the infection I mentioned in my last post. Yesterday, while tidying up and preparing gear for this Sunday’s Brew Day, I discovered the same sharp medicinal stink coming from my secondary fermentor. Strange, I thought, I hadn’t noticed it before; or rather, didn’t know what I was smelling.

Not wanting a repeat phenolic catastrophe, of course, I immediately bleached and boiled and rinsed-and-dried it squeaky clean.

Then I proceeded to rack a Strong Scotch Ale, my Scottish Lee Heavy v2.5, to a brand new fermentor, another 12L PET carboy I get from Advanced Brewing (I have a total of three). Everything went well, gravity on target, and the sample tasted better than I imagined it would.

And that’s when the bad news hit. Kicked. Punched. Clawed.

You see, I brewed the v2.5 because something about the original had long been bothering me. Initially I thought it was the haze and under-carbonation, but then I realized it was the taste. Something tangy. Not right. Wait a minute. The secondary fermentor. I used the same one. And not just the Scottish Lee Heavy, either. My Irish Red Ale as well, Ta Tart Orm.

I checked. Again…and again…and again.

Every beer tainted with that same medicinal sour smack.

I felt gutted. Beyond repair. Absolutely devastated. Because there was only one thing to do: everything down the drain. And oh the irony, because it was only two posts ago that I wrote, “At least I didn’t have to dump it like my good friend and beer brother, Mark.”

No, not one batch of beer – three. :cry:

Was it the Belgian yeast I used in Jokuma’s Wild? Or maybe excessive whole leaf dry hopping? Is it even possible for an infection to survive after three washes of OxyClean? I suppose I’ll never know, but I certainly won’t unless I brew again.

So this Sunday. A Northern English Brown Ale. Start from scratch and scrutinize my process.

Practice makes perfect.

The Beer Graveyard

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The End (of the month – and year) is Near!

Filed Under: Bars, Pubs, Restaurants, Notes (What's Brewing), To-Do's & Tada's by ABREWCADABREW — 1 Comment
29 November, 2011

What a week. Month. All eleven of them! And now here I am again, scrambling senselessly, desperate to get done what needs to get done done. In the last two days I’ve:

  • Bottled 12L of Ta Tart Orm, my Irish Red Ale
  • Weighed out grains and finished a yeast starter for my next brew this Sunday
  • Finally made reservations at Casa De Fujimori for the missus’ upcoming birthday

    • Tomorrow includes milling aforementioned grains, racking a(nother) Strong Scotch Ale, and making pretzels before racing off to the in-law’s to celebrate my nephew’s second birthday (wouldn’t you know, the same day as the missus’!) Oh wait, I also need to buy a coat; the nights are getting chillier and chillier!

    But wait, there’s more! December to do’s:

  • Design, print, and send out 年賀状 (Nengajō, Japanese New Year’s cards)
  • Finalize my recipe and brew plan for a December Munich Helles.
  • Sit down and work on the website. There’s some layout changes in store!

    • Did I mention the lobster? I need to cook a lobster. Yes, because there’s one in the fridge.

    But before I go, a quick shout out to my beer bretheren for a wild and wicked last Saturday night at DevilCraft Beer Pub & Pizzeria. Not only was much fun had and brilliant beer imbibed, but I also learned that my KafkaEska IPA tasted off because it was. Phenols. Infected by the dreaded Band-Aid® off-flavour. Grrr.

    Cheers until the next!

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