the crazy 8 is good to go

I opened another bottle of the Crazy 8 Ale on Friday the 23rd. There was carbonation this time. What a difference that makes, flat beer just isn't very good.

The Crazy 8 is not ready

On Friday I opened a single bottle of the Crazy 8 ale. It was not carbonated and was flat with no bubbles. I looked at the remaining unopened bottles. There was some sediment in the bottom so I turned them all over and gently swirled them to mix the yeast back into suspension. I will wait about another week to check again.

The Crazy 8 is bottled

Saturday, December 10th, I bottled the Crazy 8 Amber Ale. In the past, with this particular beer, I have fermented one week in the pail then one week in the carboy. This time it remained in the carboy for two full weeks. It may just be my fuzzy memory but this beer seemed exceptionally clear compared to previous versions. The amber ale is usually best when young and fresh so I plan to drink a few at Christmas. I bottled 12 x 22 oz. bottles and 27 x 12 oz. bottles. The number of bottles is only incedental to the time involved. Botting and capping itself does not take very long and can I usually get help with this part of the process. As anybody who has done this before knows, there are a several other steps involved besides bottling. Bottles, the bottling bucket, and the racking cane all need to be sterilized. The priming sugar has to be boiled and cooled. And, since I now add dry yeast each time I bottle, the yeast has to be measured and rehydrated. I have been experimenting with the amount of yeast to add. I want to minimize sediment but want enough for good carbonation. I know that the additional yeast may not be required in all cases but is good insurance. In the past, before I started adding yeast at bottling, I had a couple of under-carbonated beers. Of course after the bottling is done everything has to be cleaned.

Pail & Carboy Stand

I still haven't bottled the Crazy 8 Ale, the yeast hadn't quite settled out by the weekend. It is very close, I might have been okay bottling but I decided to wait. It will definitely be ready by next weekend. Even though I didn't bottle beer I did get something done. I made some stands for my pails and carboys. I keep my fermenting beer in the basement where the temperature is more consistent with less variations from heating and air conditioning. I do like to keep them up off the floor and finally decided to do something to make things easier. I made some stands that can be stored flat and require no tools to assemble. I am very happy with the results.

Racking the Crazy 8 Ale to the secondary

Saturday, November 26th, I racked the Crazy 8 Ale to the secondary. I am planning to bottle it next weekend. It should be ready to drink by Christmas. I still also have the Holiday Ale in a carboy but probably won't bottle it until after the new year.

I opened a bottle of the Vanilla Porter on Friday. It is very drinkable but could use another couple of weeks in the bottle to mature. I will probably open a botle next weekend... just to check.

Mid-November brew day

The temperature reached the upper 60's on Saturday  November 19th. For this to happen in mid-November in Kansas City it takes a southerly breeze and that's just what we had. Winds were blowing out of the South at 25-30 mph which brings a nice Autumn day but can make outdoor brewing a challenge. Not only can the wind make it tough just to keep the propane burner lit but temprature regulation is a constant battle. I have always done my brewing outdoors but decided I would try brewing in the garage rather than fight this wind. My garage has a couple of windows so I opened them and left the overhead door about half open for ventilation. The more controlled environment definitely made a difference. Without the wind there were less burner adjustments required and no re-lights needed. Clean up was also easier as there was no scorching at the bottom of the kettle. I like brewing outside and will continue to do so but will probabaly be doing a lot more inside for the more controlled brew day.

The Vanilla Porter is now in the bottle

On Saturday, Nov 12th, I bottled the Vanilla Porter. The final gravity was 1.015 which will result in just under 5% abv. A taste of the pre-carbonated beer gives a malty beginning with a nice vanilla flavor at the finish. The beer seems a little drier than I anticipated. It is probably a result of the yeast. I also used this same yeast in the Spiced Holiday Ale brewed the same day. It will be interesting to see if it gives similar results.  I have ordered the ingredients for the next beer, Crazy 8 Amber Ale. If the weather stays good I will brew this weekend. With the Holiday Ale aging in the secondary I wanted something that would be ready to drink a little sooner. I have been brewing stouts and porters lately so an amber should be a nice change of pace.

My first twosome

Saturday, October 8th, I brewed two different beers. They are both are brewed with dry malt extract (dme) and specialty malts. The first is a Brown Porter. I will add a couple of vanilla beans to the secondary to make a Vaniila Porter. I brewed this same recipe in the fall of 2010. It turned out pretty good so I didn't make any changes to the recipe this time. The second beer is a Spiced Winter Ale. I used my Scotch Ale recipe as the base and added a winter ale spice kit from Northern Brewer and about a half ounce dried sweet orange peel. The Scotch Ale has a low hop content so the hops should not interfere with the spice.

Our last night in Michigan



No beer for you :-(



After leaving the Livery we headed back to the campground. Again there was nobody at the check-in location so we picked up a self check-in form and went to our campsite. I quickly got a fire started and lit some charcoal in the grill. Once this was done I opened a couple of beers we had picked up on our travels for us to enjoy while we prepared our dinner. Just about this time the Park Ranger showed up to check us in and collect the campsite fees. He spotted the two full bottles of beer sitting on the picnic table and zealously went into action. He informed me that Michigan parks are "dry", no alcohol is allowed in the park, open or otherwise. He watched as I dumped out the two beers. But he was not stopping with that. He found three more beers in a cooler that had to be emptied. It was fortunate that I had only put a few beers on ice. We had been on the road for a week, collecting beers along the way. It was bad enough throwing away five good beers but if he had asked to look in our vehicle we would have had to leave. The ranger let me know bringing alcohol into the state park is punishable  by a fine of $160. He wanted me to know he did me a favor by just making me pour out these beers. I don't want to encourage illegal behavior, but, if you like a beer or glass of wine with your meal or while sitting around the campfire, do what Michiganders already know, put your drink in a cup and hide the bottle.

Vacation Day 6: On the move again

We got up early and headed south. We were going to Three Floyds Brewing in Munster, Indiana. Before we left Michigan we found a campground where we would spend the night. There was no one working at the entrance so we drove on in and selected a site. We took showers and were ready to continue our journey. We stopped at the park entrance expecting to pay for our campsite but again it was unmanned. We made our way to Three Floyds. The brewery is located in a small business park. They are in the business of good beer, good food and good fun. We enjoyed a couple of beers that are only available at the brewery along with an order of frogs legs, that is not something you find everywhere. It was all very good. We left with 4-22 oz bombers and a couple of shirts and headed back to Michigan.

Once back in Michigan we stopped at a small brewery in Benton Harbor called The Livery. Of all the breweries we stopped at this is the only one I considered disappointing. It wasn't going to be the biggest disappointment of the day however.

Vacation Day 5, Part 2: Holland, MI

Lake Michigan

It was mid-afternoon when we got back to Holland. We were both a little worn out from all of the driving of the last few days. We took a few hours of down time for a nap and a little reading. After that we headed in to downtown Holland and the New Holland Brew Pub. The place was very busy but the people at the bar made room for us to squeeze in. The first thing we did, of course, was order a couple of beers. With a couple of beers in front of us we perused the menu. A friend from Michigan had told us we had to have perch while we were there and it was onthe menu. The decision was made.

Cask beer

Beeeeer

New Holland beer at home

Vacation Day 5, Part 1: Grand Rapids

After leaving Ann Arbor on Monday we drove to Holland which is located South of Grand Rapids along Lake Michigan. Tuesday morning we had breakfast at the Parkway Inn, a local diner, then we were off to Grand Rapids. After spending so much time in the car we needed to move around a little. It was a beautiful sunny day so we went to the Frederik Meijer Gardens. We spent several hours walking the grounds enjoying the gardens and sculptures. We worked up a thirst so decided to see if Founders Brewing could help us out. By the time we got to the brewery we were also getting hungry so the first thing we did was order some food. Food is both ordered and paid for directly at the kitchen separately from your beverage purchase. The food was okay but not great. The bread on my sandwich was toasted to the point that it was like eating a giant crouton. It was such a nice day that the overhead garage doors, much like those at the Kansas City Flying Saucer, were opened. Unfortunately the garage doors were downwind of the trash bins so it smelled like we were drinking at the city dump. The beer was good but the aroma wasn't. We finished our lunch and headed back to Holland.

Vacation Day 4: Ann Arbor

We knew there was good beer being made in Michigan but until we got there we really had no idea how many breweries there really were there. Ann Arbor was no different, there are four or five breweries that were recommended. However, our main reason for going to Ann Arbor was to visit the Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales Cafe so that is were we started. Jolly Pumpkin may not be making beer for the masses but they are making some great beer.  If you like beer a little wild, a little unpredictable, you will like Jolly Pumpkin. They ferment with wild yeast and most of the beers are also barrel aged.

Cask ale

After leaving Jolly Pumpkin we wondered around the streets taking in the sites and sounds of Ann Arbor. We also did a little shopping where we picked up a couple on non-beer related items. Ann Arbor, at least the part we saw, is a cluster of small specialty shops and restaurants. The lack of national chain stores and eateries allows the area to have a unique character and identity. Our final stop in Ann Arbor was at the Arbor Brewing Company. Like many brew pubs their brewery is on site and you can watch the brew operation from inside the pub. We tried a couple of their beers including a nice cask IPA. We left with a 750ml bottle of Brasserie Greff barrel aged sour brown ale that we brought home.





Barrel aged sour brown ale

Vacation Day 3: Bell's & Dark Horse

Before they changed the name to Bell's

Barrel aging

There's nothing quite like coffe by the campfire on a late September Michigan morning. After a breakfast of scrambled eggs and sausage cooked on the camp stove we cleaned up the campsite and reorganzied our gear before heading off to Bell's Eccentric Cafe in Kalamazoo.  We ordered a couple of beers while we waited for the brewery tour. Bell's still operates a 15 bbl. brew system in Kalamazoo where they brew beers they serve at the cafe along with beers from the production facility. Thiswas previously their production facility location and it looks like they still run it with the same mindset. Everything is as clean and organized as any brewery I have seen. After the tour we went back to the cafe for lunch and another beer. We also stoppped by the General Store before we left. I picked up a new fermenation pail with a lid.

The General Store

On tap today

After leaving Bell's Brewery we were on our way to Dark Horse Brewing about 45 minutes away in Marshall. We did make a stop along the way to pick up a few supplies and food for dinner back at camp. Upon arriving at the brewery we went in and found our spots at the bar. The entire ceiling in the brew pub is covered in hand thrown mugs. Each one starts with an equal weight of clay but beyond that no two are alike. They don't offer tours but since it was Sunday not much was going on in the bewery. We were fortunate enough to get invited to have a look around. It was a great time. We don't get Dark Horse beers in KC so we picked up a couple of sixers to enjoy later before we left to head back to camp.

Dark Horse Brewing

Vacation Day 2, Part 2: Michigan State Parks

Campsite number 86

We decided to stay at Fort Custer State Park for a couple of nights. We were met at the park entrance by a Park Ranger who told us what we needed to know to find a campsite. The campground was busier than I expected but we found a site we liked. We then went back to pay our fees. There is an out of state resident car tag required along with a daily fee to drive into the park and of course the campsite fee. We also bought two $5 bundles of wood so we could have a fire and get the full camping experience.  We went back to our campsite ready to settle in, start a fire and cook the steaks we brought for our first night. There was just one problem. Having done most all of my camping in Missouri State Parks where the fire enclosures include a hinged grill I never considered it would be different in Michigan, but it is. We got back in the truck and headed to the nearest Wal-Mart, about 30 minutes away in Kalamazoo, to look for a grill. A grill in hand we went back to camp. The lost time meant we were eating in the dark.

Michigan fire pit

Our new grill

Vacation Day 2, Part 1: Welcome to Michigan

Arcadia Brewing Company

The drive from Indianapolis to Battle Creek seemed short compared to the previous day's drive. We went straight to Arcadia Brewing for lunch and a beer. They offer a varied selection of beers on tap. We wanted to try them all so we shared a sampler. We also shared an order of hummus and a smoked brisket sandwich. They smoke the meats they serve on site and also bake their bread in a wood fired oven.  Maybe I was just really hungry, but that was a really good brisket sandwich. Having lived all my life in the Kansas City area I've eaten some brisket before. While we were there we talked to a couple of guys about local breweries. They told us we should go to Dark Horse Brewing . It would turn out to be good advice.

What's on tap

Sample platter

Vacation Day 1: KC to Indy

Rasberry Coffee Stout

The first leg of our journey was about making the 465 mile drive from home to Indianapolis. From Indy we would have only a relatively short drive to Michigan. We made a stop at a Schnucks grocery store on our way through St. Louis to get a couple of 750 ml bottles of Schlafy's Rasberry Coffee Stout. This was to be our first beer purchase of the trip. Our first stop in Indianapolis was at a place called Bier Brewery. It is a small brewery selling beer in growlers only. They are making good beer as was evidenced by the steady stream of people coming in for a growler or two, or three. We sampled each of the beers they offered and ended up purchasing a growler of their Roggen Schnizzle, a rye beer. We spent our first night at a Hampton Inn located just a few miles from the brewery.

A new growler

Bier Brewery

The people we met were often more intersting than the beer we drank...

My wife and I just returned from a short vacation to Michigan. It was a beer pilgrimage of sorts. We set off toward Michigan with a few breweries as destinations then relied on the recommendations of people we met as our travel guide. We ended up visiting 10 different breweries and tap houses. We drank at least one beer at each stop and ate at most of them. Some beer was better than others, some food was better than others, but the people we met were often what made the difference between a memorable visit and just another beer at a brew pub. We also did a little camping in the Michigan state parrks. Even though this is primarily a beer blog, I will post a little about the state parks because this was an integral part of our beer related journey.

Chocolate Tight Skirt Stout taste test

Saturday the 17th I opened a couple of 12 oz bottles to do a sample test. Carbonation was good. The flavor was a nice roastie stout but did not have quite the chocolate flavor that I was looking for. Maybe a little longer in the bottle will bring it more forward.

Prize winning beer

I am proud to say I am now a prize winning brewer. My beer took second place in the Kansas City Irish Festival's brewing contest. It's not exactly a medal at GABF but it is still an exciting event for me.

Brewing contest

I dropped off the required three x 12 ounce bottles of Tight Skirt Stout for the Kansas City Irish Festival (www.kcirishfest.com)  brewing contest. The winner gets deluxe preferred seating for the main stage at the Irish Festival.The festival is always a good time. It has activities for the whole family and great live music. I will be there, the only question is where I will be sitting.

Chocolate Tight Skirt Stout

Roasted goodness

Saturday July 30th I brewed the Tight Skirt Stout again but with a couple of changes. Usually I don’t like to make multiple changes in one brew, it’s not good “science”. But this time that is what I did. I added a yeast nutrient to the boil as well as a couple of tablespoons of chocolate powder. I also changed yeast strains for the fermentation. The yeast nutrient is to give the yeast every opportunity for good health and vitality. The yeast change is to a less flocculent strain hoping to extend fermentation time. I will probably leave the fermenting beer in the primary tank a little longer than previous batches. The chocolate powder is added to give a slight chocolate flavor deep in the flavor profile. I will add cacao nibs in the secondary tank to provide the up front chocolate flavor and aroma. This is my first time using chocolate in my beer so we will see how it works out.


Bubble, bubble...



Brewery parts
Some assembly required



Bottling Day

Good news for the Tight Skirt Stout... Sunday July 24^th I checked the fermentation progress of the stout and was pleased to find it had reached proper attenuation for bottling. So that’s what I decided to do. I quickly sanitized bottles, got the priming sugar and bottle caps ready, then recruited help. An extra person makes the job much easier, one person fills bottles while the other caps. I now have a case each of 22 oz and 12 oz bottles of nearly opaque black beer. In a couple of weeks I will perform a carbonation check. It’s a tough job but someone has to do it.

My turn to watch

I was invited, through a mutual friend, to attend one of Marty's brew days at his home on Saturday, July 16th. He is a fellow home brewer and has been brewing for longer than I have and is also brewing more often than I do. He currently has 6 beers on tap, a couple more fermenting, and was brewing 2 different beers on this particular Saturday. Marty likes brewing from kits with proven recipes. After sampling few tasters from the taps I’d say the results speak for themselves, they were all easy to drink. I did go back for a full pour of one particular ipa clone that I really liked.

It was another excessive heat warning day in Kansas City, so as soon as the brewing was done we quickly moved inside for a couple of post brewing brews. As more people arrived, each bringing a beer or two along with a little food to share it was another great day to be alive.

Each brewer’s technique and brewing set up varies. Having had the opportunity to see how someone that brews good beer does it, I am encouraged that I seem to be on the right track.

Stout update

The addition of the yeast has restarted the fermentation albeit at a rather slow pace. This would be about right toward the end of a normal fermentation. So I am hopeful that this will prove to be enough to get to to a full attenuation. I have not checked it since adding the yeast. I am trying to be patient.

Stuck fermentation

I went to the LHBS on Saturday, July 9th, to pick up a few items including Star San sanitizer and bottle caps. It has been two weeks since I racked the brew to the secondary fermenter so I have been thinking about getting it bottled. I stole enough of the fermenting beer from the carboy to make a gravity reading. What I learned was rather discouraging but not totally unexpected. The reading was the same as when I racked to the secondary. No further fermentation was taking place. By my calculations it is about 65% attenuated. What I have is beer, but if I bottle it like it is it would be overly sweet and a generally unimpressive beer. What I decided to do is not without risk, and may not even work at all, but I am hoping it gives me a chance to salvage this particular beer. I pitched 7 grams of Safale US-05 dry yeast directly into the carboy.

I am thinking that I will start using a nutrient blend in my next few batches as a test. If it works out I will continue to use it. Also, I want to brew the stout again, probably my next batch, using a less flocculant yeast strain than the current batch. I think I have been losing some yeast through the blow off tube, this combined with the yeast that drops out of suspension is not allowing for full attenuation. Of course, this is mostly just speculation. The proof is in the beer.

Cleaning day

I had accumulated a number of bottles that needed extra attention for cleaning. That’s what happens when they are not rinsed right away after being emptied. Also, after 4 batches brewed, it wouldn’t hurt for the brew kettle to be cleaned. So, on Sunday July 3rd, I mixed up 5 gallons of PBW (Powdered Brewery Wash) in the boil kettle. I cleaned about a case of bottles in several batches, soaking for about 45 minutes each. After soaking in PBW, I cleaned them with a bottle brush then rinsed thoroughly. After drying on the bottle tree they will be ready for sanitizing just before being re-filled. I cleaned the blow off tube along with the growler I use as a water container for the blow off assembly. I also ran some of the PBW through the ball valves. I use 3-piece ball valves so the next time I clean I will disassemble them but I don’t do that every time. Finally, I scrubbed the brew kettle. PBW seems to loosen about every soil normally found in the brewery and really reduces the amount of scrubbing required. A thorough rinsing, however, is a necessity. The brewery is ready for the next batch. Maybe next weekend… ?

Like a bad movie

Up ‘til now my posts have jumped back and forth in time like a bad movie and so may be difficult to follow. The reason I started by posting about the past was to give a little background about my brewing experiences and to show that brewing is an evolutionary process, you can brew good beer with just a little investment for equipment. Often you can even borrow some of the equipment, like I did, to get started. If you get the brewing bug you can upgrade as little or as much as the budget will allow and still continue brewing. To give some relativity to the posts I have created a timeline. I am nearly up to date so the posts will be less frequent and perhaps stray off topic a little more. Also, the chronology should become a little more orderly.

Date		Description
7/18/2009		Brew first batch of beer in a 20 qt stock pot on a neighbors "turkey fryer" propane stove
8/8/2009		Bottle the first batch of beer. It shalll be known as Crazy 8 Ale
9/5/2009		Brew second batch of beer, Tight Skirt Stout, by the same method as the Crazy 8 Ale.
10/16/2009		Bottle the Tight Skirt Stout
10/8/2009		Purchased a damaged keg to be converted into a "keggle"
10/9/2009		Ordered couplings to be welded to the keg and a three-piece ball valve
11/5/2009		Ordered a Bayou Classic propane stove from Ace Hardware
2/26/2010		Ordered Chillzilla counterflow chiller from Northern Brewer
3/7/2010		Brew Crazy 8 Ale. First 5 gallon full boil.
5/1/2010		Brew Wee Plaid Skirt Scotch Ale on National Homebrew Day
5/7/2010		Earned my first plate at the Flying Saucer KC (200 beers)
7/3/2010		Brew Grass Skirt Wheat Ale
9/19/2010		Brew Short Skirt Vanilla Brown Porter
10/10/2010		Brew Lucky Number 7 Wheat Dopplebock (never did carbonate)
12/4/2010		Drill the holes and deburr the tube for the stove frame
1/5/2011		Stove frame welded
1/19/2011		Ordered 10" low pressure burner & tri clamp from Brewers Hardware
2/27/2011		Layout and drill burner shields
3/4/2011		Burner shields are welded
3/11/2011		Ordered 3" thermometer with 1/2" thread to fit keggle
3/11/2011		Modify the burner to fit the burner shield
3/12/2011		Test fire the 10" burner
3/20/2011		Brew Crazy 8 Ale. First brew on my single tier stove.
3/26/2011		Visit to Red-X in Riverside as posted March 28th.
4/17/2011		Brew 3C IPA
4/30/2011		Buy tri clamp set from Marty Amon in KCK for thermometer attachment.
5/4/2011		Earned my second plate at the Flying Saucer KC (400 total beers)
5/7/2011		Brew Wee Plaid Skirt Scotch Ale on National Homebrew Day. First use of peated malt.
5/28/2011		Bottle Wee Plaid Skirt Scotch Ale
6/11/2011		Brew Tight Skirt Stout
6/26/2011		Rack Tight Skirt Stout to secondary (carboy)

Tight Skirt Stout redux

Patrick brought a couple of
beers we don't get in the KC market

On Saturday, June the 11^th I brewed Tight Skirt Stout. Our friend Patrick, who we know from “The Saucer”, came out. He was the brewer’s assistant for a day.  This is the second time I have brewed this stout. The first time this beer was brewed it was a 2.5 gallon boil with make up water added to total 5 gallons. The beer was good enough that I felt encouraged to keep brewing. That first stout is the reason I started using a blow off tube on the primary fermentation tank. It was quite a mess when the fermentation overwhelmed the airlock on top of the pail. I tweaked the recipe a little from the initial recipe. But much like the first time the fermentation was quite vigorous, with foam traveling through the blow off tube. I am not sure if it is just coincidence or something about this recipe causing such a strong fermentation. The OG is not extremely high at 1.067. If it turns out to be any good I may enter it into a home brew contest. Win or lose, a contest is a good way to get an objective opinion, in a blind taste test, from people who know and like beer. I have a few weeks to decide.