New Fermenter!

In my constant search for better homebrewing methods, I have come across a great tool.  Fermentation is such a key part of producing good beer and so easy to see go bad in a hurry.  Plus, I typically brew 10-11 gallon batches at a time, thus needing two buckets and two packs of yeast.
I've started using more starters with my brewing which greatly speeds up fermentation as well as reduces the opportunity for infection.  Enter, the new fermenter!

I recently ordered a Speidel Plastic Fermenter from MoreBeer.  This thing has been working great overall so far.  I got the 60L size, which allows me to ferment over 11 gallons at a time with a single vessel.  Here's the good and bad I've seen so far...



The Good:
-I can ferment over 11 gallons at a time (I bet I could do up to 14-15 gallons if I really pushed it).
-Super sturdy.  The handles and structure on this thing are solid!
-Wide open top for easy cleaning and hop additions.
-Valve on front allows for super easy keg filling.
-Way cheaper than a conical.

The Bad:
-Plastic, although I have never had an issue with fermenting in plastic and really more and more startup breweries are using plastic conicals until they can afford stainless steel.
-Not conical.

Overall, that's how it's doing.  I'm currently finishing up my second batch in it and it's awesome.  Easy to clean, works great, super sturdy and a good deal.  I would highly recommend one!  Check one through MoreBeer.com here.

Brewing Series

As part of stepping up my brewing skill set I've recently begun doing much more research into the science behind brewing.  I'm still pretty green going in this as far as the chemistry/science part so I've got a lot to learn.  Luckily my buddy Scott is super into this so he helps put stuff into laymans terms.

In order to learn more and get really indepth we've ordered a couple of books that are much more extensive than I though when we ordered them.  I just started reading the one on Hops and Scott is going to tackle the Yeast edition, then we'll switch.  There's also an edition on Water that is going to be released next month.

We'll be reading these and then reviewing them (so far they seems pretty incredible, although they read more like thesis papers than books).  We'll get to the main ideas and help pass on information.  The one I'm reading first is titled "For The Love of Hops".  Seems like a good book for me to start with since I sure love me some hops!  The series is called Brewing Elements Series and I'm hoping they also write one on barley/malts.

Here's some links to the current volumes available so you can check them out yourself if you're so inclined.  Clicking the links here helps support his site through your Amazon purchases (and costs you nothing extra).  I was not paid by the publishers or authors for putting these up or reviewing these books.  It just seemed like something fun to do!

Cheers!

How to Brew Series

In the coming weeks and months you'll be seeing more info on how to brew, convert kegs, and other general information appearing here.  My buddy Scott and I were thinking about how there's a lot of info on detailed brewing and info on extract brewing, but not as much easily accessible info on how to switch to all grain brewing or how to do basic DIY projects that will save you hundreds of dollars.

There are some websites and books out there that give great detailed info about what happens during the brewing process (chemistry) as well as recipe creation and how to brew (brewing).  We'll try to review some of those for you and post our thoughts on them.

So basically, expect a much wider variety of articles and information to come soon on this blog.  Hopefully we can turn this into a great free place to get down to earth info on brewing as well as recipes, ideas, and other various tidbits.

Cheers!

(Also, if you're looking, here's a couple classic brewing books that are indepth and incredible useful).

Review: The Search for God and Guinness

Guinness has been one of the most popular beers in the world for over 250 years.  There have been many rumors and stories told about Arthur and his family about how they brewed to save the world from whiskey among other things.  Some of the legend is true, some of it is not (isn't that how most legends are?).

Stephen Mansfield takes us on a journey through Guinness history with the tilt of looking at how God and theology played a part in the Guinness story.  Mansfield looks at Arthur's Protestant faith in a county that was devoutly Catholic.  He shows us how his children went various ways, some into brewing and some into ministry.  He shows how the Guinness' faith always played a part in creating an atmosphere at the brewery of compassion, care, and rebuilding Dublin into the thriving world city it is today.

Mansfield does a solid job of telling the Guinness story and weaving it into their faith and beliefs.  While I would have liked to have found out more about the business, the brewing, and the backgrounds of Guinness, that was not Mansfield's goal.  He accomplishes his goal of showing how an unwavering faith in God is not only compatible, but also benefited with beer (in moderation of course).

You can buy a copy through Amazon here if you'd like.  Buying through this site supports me!  I received nothing for reviewing this book, but I can receive if you shop through the link.  Thanks!

New Feature

So I've added a link at to the right of the page which takes you to a store on Amazon.  I put some things on there that may be helpful when brewing, especially if you're just getting started.  I'll add stuff as I think of it or come across useful things.  I hope this is helpful!  Whenever you shop through this link or the Amazon link below, it costs you nothing extra and helps support me!  I appreciate it!

God Gave Wine

This is a review of Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.'s book, God Gave Wine.  I'll start by saying that I highly recommend this book.  This is a straightforward biblical study of alcohol, what the Bible says about it, and how we should treat it.

Gentry breaks his book down into 6 main chapters, with an introductory chapter and a conclusion chapter.  His primary premise in his work is that God gave wine/beer/alcohol to mankind as a blessing, and when used in moderation is not only biblically permissible, but biblically encouraged.

He demonstrates thorough exegesis with the texts used, both in Hebrew and in Greek studies.  His use of context to explain passages and willingness to allow the text to speak for itself is refreshing when dealing with such a controversial topic.  In addition to addressing the Bible Gentry also deals with other works on the subject of alcohol.  His primary opponents are Stephen Reynolds and Jack Van Impe.  Both men are quite opposed to the use of alcohol and are willing to not only misuse scripture to argue their point, but will even distort the authorial intent of the Bible and change God's Word!  This is simply appalling to me.

Gentry is adept with his writing and this is a highly recommended book.  I originally came across this book while reading Mark Driscoll's, The Radical Reformission: Reaching Out without Selling Out.  This is another recommended book, which does bring up the subject of alcohol, but that's another review I reckon!  So do yourself a favor and pick up God Gave Wine.

"Drinking with Calvin and Luther" -Book Review

Drinking With Calvin and Luther!: A History of Alcohol in the Church

I got this book a week or so ago from Amazon and managed to breeze through it pretty quickly.  The author, Jim West, is a pastor in the Covenant Reformed Church and has a really good grasp of Reformation Era history and theology.  He is quite extensive in his quotes and stories from Calvin, Luther, and other Reformation theologians.  He also covers quite a bit of the Puritans views on alcohol and the early church in America, although he glosses over the early 20th century aspects that brought about prohibition.  That wasn't the primary focus of the book though, so that's not too big of a deal.

West handles the historical aspects of alcohol in the church well and does a decent job of incorporating the Bible.  He divides the book into 3 parts: history, theology, and a beer & wine guide.  Not too many books about Christianity and alcohol will provide a guide to help you make better tasting decisions!

The flow of the book is okay.  There are parts, especially in part one, where the author seems to jump from quote to quote and story to story with little transition.  I suppose it is difficult to weave all the different stories and quotes together well, but I feel it could have transitioned a little better.

My only real complaint about the book is that the author sometimes make an argument for alcohol biblically from silence.  The one that stood out to me was in regards to the Acts 2 accusation of Peter and the disciples being drunk and Peter responding that "it's 9 in the morning, we're not drunk."  The author takes this passage to imply that they would do their drinking later in the day, surely not at nine.  While I don't doubt the truth in that statement, we need to be careful about making conclusions from the Bible that aren't stated in the text.

Many of the other passages West deals with are handled quite well and there were quite a few great quotes from the book.  The one that stood out to me the most is in regards to Bible translation committees changing the translation of a Hebrew word for "strong drink" in Deuteronomy 14 so that it softens it for the Church.  West responds with the following: "The Moses Stout Text (Deut 14), then, is diluted and becomes a symbol not only of translation dishonesty, but of the watered-down message of much evangelical Christendom." (page 145).

Overall this was an enjoyable read, albeit choppy in parts, but the overall message is good: that God created all things on earth to be enjoyed to His glory.

Purchasing this book from the link at the top of the page or here helps support me!  Thanks!

Deadlift Imperial IPA

I picked up a four-pack of Deadlift the other night while waiting for the Steam Face to finish carbonating.  It's still got another few days at minimum.  So I had seen this on Widmer's website before, but hadn't seen it in the store.  It's interesting that it's sold in four packs instead of six packs.  Anyways, it's a newer Imperial IPA offering, adding to their Broken Halo IPA, which has long been a favorite at my house.

Taste: Awesome.  Lots of malt with really nice hop accenting.  This would fit the double IPA category with the body and big taste.

Hoppiness:  Decent.  Not quite as much as Green Flash's West Coast IPA, but few can compete with that.

Drinkability: Very good.  Smooth and malty.

The Bottom Line:  Get some of this if you see it.  If you like big bodied Double IPA's, you'll be a happy camper (especially if you're going camping).

Review: Beer Wars

This is a documentary I watched a few months ago on netflix.  It had some good points that I learned and really enjoyed, but also had some elements that just didn't meet my expectations.  Here are those points:



The Good:
1. 1 out of every 2 beers sold in the US is owned by Budweiser.  Help out the small guys and support micro-breweries!
2. There's some really good breweries outside of Portland/Oregon.

The Bad:
1. A big part of the focus was on how evil Budweiser is.
2. Focused a lot on Dogfish Head Brewery in Delaware.  This isn't bad in itself, but they really failed to come out west to where the real brewing action is.
3. Didn't focus on one single brewery in Oregon.  How can you do a documentary on micro-brewing and not include Portland or Oregon?  This is the capital of the micro-brewing world!
4. Focused a lot on an energy drink beer that seemed kind of lame.
5. The narrator lady was a little annoying.

Overall there were some good points made in the documentary, however their failure to engage outside of how evil Budweiser is and a couple small breweries on the East Coast made me really question their agenda.  Since the film came out though it really seems like Dogfish Head is thriving, so good for them.  If you still want to watch it or buy it, here's a link to Amazon.  Buying it through this link helps support me.  Thanks.

Bitter American, a review

So on the Super Bowl I crashed my friend Kevin's party. It was only a crash because he didn't know I was in town as normally I am a nine hour drive to his house. Anyways, while there I was able to sample a few of 21st Amendments brews. They're a brewery in San Francisco that is opting to can their brews instead of bottling. Must be the new hip thing to do. Anyways, I had a few varieties including "Live Free or Die IPA", "Back in Black IPA", and "Bitter American". They were all really good, but the Bitter American really stood out. In fact, it was so good I had to run out to get some from Belmont Station in Portland. So here's my thoughts which obviously you have been dying to read about...

Flavor: Outstanding. This is a lighter bodied bitter ale (about 4.4% I believe) with a really good hop finish (probably the Simcoe hops). 21A classifies it as a session ale, meaning lower ABV so you can drink more of them during your drinking session.

Hops: Great. Not overbearing, but definitely present. 42 IBU's (seems low, huh? But with the lower ABV it's a good amount). 21A lists Warrior and Cascade in the boil with Simcoe and Centennial as dry hops.

Drinkability: Probably more than most. This is a great ale for anytime of the day, especially with the lower ABV.

The Bottom Line: I can't wait for Safeway to start carrying this as it is a little pricey at Belmont Station. Kevin said they should be carrying this soon, hopefully close to me at a good price (hint, hint). This is probably in my top five beers right now. It's that good. So go pick some up and bring them over so we can partake together.