Sunday, July 13, 2008

Kolsch update

In a turn of events, instead of going to church this morning (we went last night), we started out the morning with some breakfast, a dog walk, and then to the basement to bottle our Kolsch that we brewed last weekend. Our initial gravity started out at 1.055, and this morning we were a little high for finishing coming in at 1.019. The range given with the kit should have been 1.007-1.009. All in all, it comes out to about 3.9-4.0 ABV. The hops came through really strong, so it will more than likely be 3-4 weeks before we can drink it.

I'm sitting here with my Cubs on TV, with a smoked porter in a glass beside me. It was brewed by my friends Brett and Gary, and I would have to say that it mellowed out quite a bit since they bottled it. I had the opportunity to taste it at bottling time, and it was s dry that that it left a layer of dust in the glass. It has since become palateable, but it does have the color of a black hole. No light passes through this stuff. Instead of using liquid smoke, they do actually smoke the grains for this brew. Gary has made comments that in a very short time that I will be brewing more than they do, but I have to give credit that they had a big part in getting me involved in this.

We used the bottling tree for the first time today, and it is one of those things that just makes things a lot easier to do. No more carrying wet cases back to the shelves hoping that your precious brew doesn't find the cruel end of a cement floor. Cubs half of the 6th inning, down 3-1 to the Giants. They are going for a sweep of the final homestand before the All-Star break. The good guys are represented well on the NL squad, but also some key guys are getting some needed rest. Ryan Dempster got the start for the Cubs this afternoon, and is in line for his first loss at Wrigley Field this year. Hopefully they can turn it around and fly the "W" flag.

About time to wrap this up, will continue posting on upcoming breing events.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Been a while.....

Not had the time to write anything for a while. So here goes. The Red Line Wheat, much to my surprise, is not the weak chugging beer that I had originally thought. After some advice from Kirk I now know what I was doing wrong. Two words, initial gravity, enough said. The Red Line Wheat has now been in the bottle for about a month and it won't be in there very long. It took a few weeks after bottling for the hops to mellow out, but this is one easy drinking wheat beer. It has enough bite for a hop head like me, but Marcie loves it as well. I still love a good IPA, but this is pretty darn good. Look for it again next summer.

Last weekend, in celebration of our nation's birthday, we brewed in honor of the founding fathers. After all, when they were planning this little thing called a revolution some 232 years ago, they were drinking in local taverns and houses brew that did not come from that local grocery store. This time around we went with another summer ale, a German Kolsch. I made my trip to Kirk's with an idea to do an American Cream Ale, but was open to suggestions. He suggested this kit brew from Brewers Best, saying it was what he brewed when he was in the mood for a good light drinking ale. We will be bottling on Sunday, then we will probably sample on the 24th before taking in a concert by one of the greatest American artists/songwriters, NEIL DIAMOND!!! I know Sweet Caroline is going through your head right now as it is mine.

Enough about what is going on brewing wise, need to get a few things out of the way. About a month ago, Marcie and I were downtown and we stopped in for a drink at the Brass Rail, where a guy named Kory works as a weekend bouncer. Kory's girlfriend is a friend of Marcie's, and you will never meet a nicer guy in the world. After buying us a couple of drinks, we are talking outside and he tells me that he used to be a homebrewer, but didn't have time for it anymore. He then informs me that he still had all his equipment for all grain brewing and he would GIVE it to me, including some 5 gallon kegs if I ever did decide to make that jump. Thanks to Kory, our brewing capacity has almost tripled, and there is that possibility of an imperial stout in the near future which would be ready just in time for the holiday season. Kory, words cannot explain how much this act is appreciated. If the Luhman Brewing Company ever has a public drinking house, you will have a seat of honor there. Let me know when you need more beer.

This has ran long enough, so I'll wrap this up. Happy drinking.