After a few much needed days away from Lincoln, reality has set in once again. We arrived in Chicago on Sunday morning and were back in Lincoln on Wednesday evening. After picking up a very happy dog, it was time to get ready to go back to work, at least for me. Fortunately, only two work days until the weekend.
As I said in my last entry, it is time to brew once again on Saturday. This time around I will be shooting for a wheat beer just in time for lawn mowing season. My target is something like the Sam Adams Summer Ale which says on the bottle is a filtered wheat with a hint of lemon. I will not be filtering this batch, as I do not mind some haze, nor do I have the ability or know-how to do it. I was a bit apprehensive about purchasing the sampler case of Sam Adams brews, but have been pleasantly surprised. It was picked up at the local Sam's Club as an impulse buy, but at least the bottles are reusable. It contains four bottles of the following six brews: Boston lager (the only lager that I will buy), Light, Hefeweisen, Cherry Wheat, Pale Ale, and the Summer Ale. The Cherry Wheat is actually decent for a fruit beer, and the Pale Ale is also very tasty. If you don't want to serve the Anheuser or Miller products to your friends (WHO WOULD???) I can recommend serving this. There is enough variety to satisfy a very broad spectrum of tastes, even if there are hop heads like me in the group.
On a completely different note, if you are a baseball fan and ever have the opportunity, take a guided tour of Wrigley Field. It was one of the highlights of our vacation, and it was like the mothership calling me home. Our tour guide had also been on the Fenway Park tour and spoke highly of it. It is also a fundraiser for the Chicago CubsCare charities, so the money goes to a good cause. We also did a cruise on the Chicago river highlighting the architectural marvels of the Chicago skyline. On a 90 minute cruise, or tour guide shut up for about 45 seconds while the boat turned around, and that is a good thing. He really knew his facts, and had enough of a sense of humor to keep us interested. Even though it was about 50 degrees with a 30mph blowing off Lake Michigan we still enjoyed ourselves.
The IPA is almost gone, and the vanilla porter is very tasty. Get to go shopping at Kirk's tomorrow. WOO HOO!!
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
The First Steps
A couple friends of mine, Gary and Brett, have been homebrewing for quite some time now. When I asked them to accompany me to Kirk's Brew, here in Lincoln, their first comment was, "we have converted another." I purchased my homebrewing supplies and a kit for an IPA, by far my favorite style of beer. With the tutelage of my friends a few weeks later I enjoyed my first home brewed beer while watching the Cubs on a Saturday afternoon. At the time of this posting, I have 2 twelve ounce bottles and one 22oz left of that first batch, and am looking forward to brewing it again.
The next time around I decided to go with something a little less hoppy, that my wife would like as well. I purchased a porter kit from Kirk's (www.kirksbrew.com/) and a 3 ounce bottle of pure vanilla extract. Kirk's kits include some grain, as well as malt extracts, and everything but bottles and caps to make your beer. His store is like male aromatherapy for me, with the aromas of barley and hops throughout. The brewing process went pretty smoothly, with my wife Marcie assisting. About 10 days after brewing, when we finally had time, we added the bottle of pure vanilla extract to the bottling bucket with the priming solution, and after 8 days in the bottle, we have a drinkable product. Both Marcie and I were a bit worried, since the fermentation vessel was only bubbling for about 36-48 hours. The IPA fermented at a good rate for almost 72 hours.
But with it being summertime, and lawnmower season, it's time for a good lawnmower beer. After trying a Sam Adams Summer Ale tonight I'm leaning towards a wheat brew with a touch of lemon. I have a couple of weeks to research the right recipe, so I'm open to suggestions.
The next time around I decided to go with something a little less hoppy, that my wife would like as well. I purchased a porter kit from Kirk's (www.kirksbrew.com/) and a 3 ounce bottle of pure vanilla extract. Kirk's kits include some grain, as well as malt extracts, and everything but bottles and caps to make your beer. His store is like male aromatherapy for me, with the aromas of barley and hops throughout. The brewing process went pretty smoothly, with my wife Marcie assisting. About 10 days after brewing, when we finally had time, we added the bottle of pure vanilla extract to the bottling bucket with the priming solution, and after 8 days in the bottle, we have a drinkable product. Both Marcie and I were a bit worried, since the fermentation vessel was only bubbling for about 36-48 hours. The IPA fermented at a good rate for almost 72 hours.
But with it being summertime, and lawnmower season, it's time for a good lawnmower beer. After trying a Sam Adams Summer Ale tonight I'm leaning towards a wheat brew with a touch of lemon. I have a couple of weeks to research the right recipe, so I'm open to suggestions.
A little about me, well, more like a lot.
I've decided to break into the world of home brewing.....What seems to be a long time ago I was a graduate teaching assistant at South Dakota State University, home of the Jackrabbits. I taught Anatomy Lab under the supervision of Scott Pederson, Ph.D. I really wasn't interested that much in my classes, or my research, but I did find teaching was a good way to break up the numerous nights at the bar. Some of those nights, usually Wednesdays after my night lab ended, were spent at a place called Skinners Pub drinking with my professor. He laughed at me when I ordered a 22oz Miller Lite, so he ordered me a Guinness instead. And so the story begins......
The last time a domestic light beer (by U.S. standards) made it's way into the home refrigerator, it was in there over 2 weeks after which it was poured on the pet spots on the lawn where go figure, it did green them right up. On March 5, 2005, when I met the woman who would eventually become my wife, she was drinking that domestic tap beer. I am proud to say that it wasn't to long after that when she became a beer snob, and a proud one at that. Her support is a huge part of my journey into the world of home brewing, and there is not one person who I would rather have to share that journey with.
For those of you who are not into home brewing, need not worry. I have been known to rant on other topics, including but not limited to my love for the Chicago Cubs, Dallas Cowboys, and the Nebraska Cornhuskers. My wife and I are big sports fans, but I am a microbiologist by trade who also knows his way around a grill and kitchen. When we registered for wedding gifts, it was I who went crazy over the cookware and cutlery.
So, keep posted for further comments. Meanwhile, I need to find my next brewing project.
The last time a domestic light beer (by U.S. standards) made it's way into the home refrigerator, it was in there over 2 weeks after which it was poured on the pet spots on the lawn where go figure, it did green them right up. On March 5, 2005, when I met the woman who would eventually become my wife, she was drinking that domestic tap beer. I am proud to say that it wasn't to long after that when she became a beer snob, and a proud one at that. Her support is a huge part of my journey into the world of home brewing, and there is not one person who I would rather have to share that journey with.
For those of you who are not into home brewing, need not worry. I have been known to rant on other topics, including but not limited to my love for the Chicago Cubs, Dallas Cowboys, and the Nebraska Cornhuskers. My wife and I are big sports fans, but I am a microbiologist by trade who also knows his way around a grill and kitchen. When we registered for wedding gifts, it was I who went crazy over the cookware and cutlery.
So, keep posted for further comments. Meanwhile, I need to find my next brewing project.
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