A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

brewing beer

It’s time to start up again

It’s been a while since I’ve brewed any beers.

I miss doing it, too. The process is fun. The outcome is usually fun. I enjoy seeing people try my beer and finding out if they like it or not.

But I’ve gotten away from it. And I need to get back into it.

I have several kits to work on getting done. And then I have to find some recipes of grain that I have bought in the past.

I need to get back into brewing again!

I need to get back into brewing again!

Here’s my hope – said grain hasn’t gone bad. I can always pick up some new hops if I need to. We’ll see how it goes, right?

But I also want to mess around. For example, I picked up – at some point – three kits for a wheat beer. I got them at a cheap price and such, but I don’t want to brew three of the same one. So what should I do?

I was thinking of making one of them a blueberry/honey wheat … how’s that sound?

Maybe I can put some maple syrup in the other one. A maple wheat? Hmmm. Or, the fall is coming. Maybe some apples and cinnamon?

I also have a few stout mixes. I need to work on those. I’ve long wanted to do a blueberry stout. God that sounds good.

So it’s time for me to start peeking around and getting back into it. Getting some brews going. I think, eventually, it would be fun to graduate to a 5-gallon brew. The only issue there is I really need to make a beer that I’d like. I have some ideas, so we’ll see how that goes. I might get into a point where I do both 5-gallon and 1-gallon … and save the 5-gallon for times when I know a larger quantity would be good.

So if any of you are brewers … have any tips for adding fruit? I’ve done it once or twice and it was OK, but I want to make sure you get the hint of it. Any other tips as I get back into the brewing world?

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

Ten Things of Thankful: Life is pretty decent right now

Sometimes, in life, you have to stop, take a deep breath and realize there are things to truly be thankful for.

So, when offered the chance to get involved with this, I thought it was a good idea. I realize some bloggers will do this every week, but if I do posts like this, I look at it a couple of ways, besides having the chance to find some other good blogs to read:

  • I want it to be meaningful and from the heart.
  • It has to be things I’m truly thankful for.

Therefore, I thought I’d throw my hat in the ring. Maybe I’ll try and do this every couple of weeks and try and rotate it with my Soundless Sunday posts to have a little diversity. Or maybe I’ll do one of these every three weeks or so. Who knows. Basically, if I can find 10 certain things I’m thankful for at the time, I’ll do it up.

Anyhoo, without further ado, let’s check what kind of things I have to be thankful for at this moment in time, in no particular order.

1. Living 

This may seem like a cheesy way to start things off, but it’s true. Though my life isn’t going in the direction I’d truly like it to go right now, the reality is it could be much worth. So this encompasses many things — like realizing even though things aren’t great for me right now, I could be in much more dire need.

2. Family

Take a look at the news any day and you’ll find reports of dysfunctional families. Maybe it’s someone harming a parent or a child or siblings doing something bad. Though my family is far from perfect (and I’m sure we’d all admit it!), we get along, we stay pretty close and appreciate what we all can do. We support and we do what we can to help one another. And I’m not talking just immediate family, either. My extended family of cousins, aunts, uncles etc., are also quite close. That’s something I’ll always treasure and, as I get older, I appreciate it more and more.

3. Photography

I do like to spend time by myself and photography has always been a big part of times like that. There’s still nothing like going out with my camera, going for a walk and finding things to snap photos of, at least in my mind. I see things differently when I have my camera. I’m not sure what I would be like without having that in my life as it’s, at times, been a bit of a life-saver when it comes to me dwelling on things too much or going out and doing something.

Fall and photograph mix well together.

4. The fall

You know, there are parts of the country — and the world — where they don’t get to experience the four seasons. Living in the Northeast of the United States really gives me the chance to see all four — spring, summer, winter and fall. That also gives the chance to be able to go out and capture some great colors and such with the camera. As much as I’d love to move somewhere to experience life differently, this area affords the four seasons so well and I would truly miss it if I went elsewhere.

5. Good friends

There is no way I’d have been able to get through the past few years without good friends. While family is always a help, the reality is friends always play an important part in your life. For my closest friends, I consider them extensions of my family, anyway. So whether it’s going out for a beer, sitting down to shoot the shit for a few hours, going to a game or something else, I have a group of friends who have been absolutely amazing. They also know when or when not to ask about my job situation as it can become quite a drag to talk about. Friends are worth their weight and gold (though I’m not sure I could cash in? I kid, of course!)

6. Geocaching

Since becoming a major hobby in my life in 2008, this game has been so good to me. I’ve met some great people I call friends now, I’ve had some wild adventures and it’s allowed me to get outside, walk, hike and try and stay somewhat healthy. The reality is this game has been such a great thing. From the social aspect to being able to explore places I may have never seen without it, I’m highly thankful for it.

Geocaching has been good for my mind and body, so that’s something to be thankful for.

7. Health

I may not be the healthiest person in the world with some things, but for the most part, I’m doing pretty well. I can still get up, work, play, hike, bike, run, walk, play softball or whatever else. I may have to take a few meds, but I think most of the country has to! That being said, I know I have to work on some things (losing weight, just trying to be healthier overall) and I’m thankful I have the health to be able to work on it and try and improve things.

8. Blogging

Writing has always been something I’ve done. I’ve said it on this blog before, but I had my first newspaper story published when I was in seventh or eighth grade.  Though I’ve blogged since 2005, I really got into it and the whole aspect of it when I got laid off from the newspaper job in 2011. Now, it’s a secondary part of who I am and I love it. The community is amazing. The people I follow and read are ones I’m truly glad I found. And for those I’ve created more of a friendship with, it’s even better. I love the reality that there are people I consider pretty solid friends who I met through blogging.

9. Wrestling

OK, some may look at this and say … what the? But I have to put this here. Why? Because like other things, I’ve made some pretty good friends through it. And during a time when I needed it, it gave me a cheap form of entertainment and one where I had the chance to mix my love of photography. The independent world of pro wrestling has made it so I have something to look forward to seeing every month or three. And it truly is some fun entertainment.

10. Brewing beer

I end with this one. When I started doing it earlier this year, I didn’t know what to think. Now I know of more things I can do while brewing. Whether it’s ingredients, or hops or anything else — I have a better appreciation for beer. And I also like knowing I made something that doesn’t suck. Is it the best beer made? Nah. But I’ve made some pretty tasty ones and I look forward to making many more.

Ten Things of Thankful

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

Getting more in-depth with the homebrewing process

By the time this actually posts, I’ll hopefully have three — maybe four beers — bottled and maybe a couple tested.

I was stoked when I successfully brewed, bottled and tasted my first homebrew, titled “Pee Light.” It’s not something you’ll see on shelves anytime soon, but I’m pretty happy about seeing it through and working on the process.

The reviews from friends weren’t bad. I enjoyed it, too. So hopefully that’s a good sign.

The best part about this is knowing I made beer.

The first beer from the HooHaa Brewing Company! Pee Light.

I. Made. Beer.

Awesome.

Alas, the road is still long.

Since my initial Mr. Beer batch of the Pee Light, I have brewed and bottled the Irish Stout via Mr. Beer. Currently, I have an Irish Red in a one-gallon carboy, fermenting up and getting ready for bottling. By the time this publishes, I’ll have already bottled it and hopefully started at least two more beers.

Since I started, I’ve done quite a bit of reading on the brewing world. I’m learning more and more about homebrewing and I can’t wait to keep moving forward in this process.

While I still plan on using the Mr. Beer system, I’m also going to start working with grain brewing. To do that, I’ve stepped up to the one-gallon setup, which I got through Northern Brewer. There are good and bad points to this.

The good is that it’s a smaller batch. For me, that’s nice because I don’t drink a whole heap of beer. I like to savor and enjoy. A one-gallon batch hooks me up with about 8-10 bottles, all pending.

Another positive? If the beer stinks, I don’t have to figure a way to get rid of five gallons worth (if I had gone the full brew route).

There are some negatives, however.

For one, I like to make sure people get a chance to taste the brew. But 8-10 beers can go quickly. And if I truly enjoy it myself, well, it stinks if I only get one. So I’m coming up with a different way to do “tastings.” The other negative — if you brew a really good beer, you only have 8-10! That’s OK though, because you can always make more!

But one thing I’ve realized is how much I love this hobby.

Like I needed another hobby, right?

Geocaching, playing disc golf, playing softball, running two blogs and photography isn’t enough?

Apparently not.

The best part about brewing is outside of the brewing day, the hobby is more of a patience game. I have gotten into full brewing yet, so I’m sure once I do that it becomes more time-consuming. Still, there’s a lot of waiting.

Readying the first one-gallon batch — an Irish Red Ale.

Plus, in the end, what a great payoff?

Eventually, I’m sure I’ll want to step up to the five-gallon setup. For now, I love the idea of one gallon. I have a few beers I want to make and I have a one-gallon recipe book that has me stoked to try some interesting recipes (and, to be honest, probably wouldn’t be a beer I’d want to have two cases worth!)

I also decided I want to make some brewing goals. These have no timelines, but are things I’d like to do.

  • Brew both White House beers (I have the porter set to be made, will need to get the ale)
  • Brew a full blueberry beer
  • Create my own beer (using no kits, through research, trial and error etc.)
  • Enter a beer in a competition (I realize to do this, I’m going to need to dive in much deeper and see how to develop my own!)
  • Step up to five-gallon batches

I’m sure there will be more goals I’ll eventually add. For now, these are the major ones.

This process, thus far, has been fun and I’m learning more each batch. The Irish Red was fun because I had to do more in-depth things, such as steep grains and add the hops and such. Some of the other recipes I’ve seen are going to require me to do more, such as longer boils etc. And I like that as it gives me things to learn each time, thus making it so I can ease my way into the brewing world a little more each time.

The best part is how fun it is. I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of beers I can brew and, one day, develop!

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

The first steps to my inaugural home brew are now complete

And then there will be beer…

I’ve wanted to do home brewing for a long time. Though I don’t partake in drinking beer as often as I did in my younger days, I still like to enjoy a fine pint or two every once in a while. I can’t say I’m a beer snob like others I know, but I stay away from the cheap stuff and when I have a beer or two, I like quality.

Usually that means something along the lines of Guinness, Smithwicks, Magic Hat or Samuel Adams.

But brewing my own … that’s always been on my radar.

My first brew — looking forward to see how it tastes when all said and done. Weeks away, but a fun process!

Doing a hobby like that is an investment. From the equipment to ingredients to bottles and everything else, it can add up. A few summers ago, while still employed, I looked into it at a local winery. To get all I needed (including a boiling pot, ingredients and a few other things), it was going to cost upward of $200 or so.

Yikes!

That’s not something I want to do when I’m not sure if I’ll enjoy the hobby. From everything I’ve read and researched, brewing is obviously an intensive hobby. You need patience and have to really pay attention to a lot of things. That being said, there are some amazing things you can do with your own brews.

But what if I dropped all that coin on this hobby and I didn’t like it? Those thoughts made me kind of put it on the back burner.

In the past, I had heard about Mr. Beer, which is a system that helps simplify home brewing. Basically, they give you everything you need to brew and the process is much easier. You don’t have to worry about some of the in-depth things, it cuts down on your time, and you can slowly learn about brewing.

It also should show you whether or not you are interested enough to take the next step.

With a few Amazon gift cards sitting around from the holiday season, I debated getting the Mr. Beer kit. It would give me something to work on during this continuing job hunt. And, I’d get to see about the brewing process. I did a lot of research on that and other kits, but hadn’t decided if I was going to buy it yet or not. There wasn’t any rush.

Then a friend told me he got one as a gift from somebody and, after looking things over, he knew he’d never have the patience for doing it. See, it still takes time. Mr. Beer says beer in 7-14 days, but reality is you’re looking at 5-6 weeks for a batch. My friend noted he’d either mess with it early to see what was going on, or he’d chuck it out the door getting annoyed.

So he handed it off to me, figuring I’d enjoy it.

Score!

I started my first batch Monday. It’s a Classic American Light, which I think is probably comparable to a Coors Light. The problem with that is I don’t really drink stuff like that anymore.

It’s a good way to test, though.

The whole process, from sanitizing to getting everything in the mini keg to start the fermenting process took all of about 45 minutes. It’s quite easy if you follow the instructions. I liked the ease of it, especially considering it’s my first go with it. I’m sure, over time, I’ll want to see the more in-depth things I can do. For now, this was fun. From mixing up the wort to getting everything ready, it was pretty neat.

I’ve already even moved forward a little bit with the Mr. Beer setup.

Armed with a discount for being a new member of the Mr. Beer website and a few extra bucks left over from Christmas, I also ordered some things from Mr. Beer — a couple of the mini kegs (for fermenting) so I could brew more than one batch at a time. They will hopefully be on their way soon, so I’ll hopefully be able to stagger some brews and have a constant flow of things going.

The next two I’ll be brewing is a West Coast Pale Ale (which was part of the initial group of stuff) and an Irish Stout, which I ordered from Amazon. I’ll be looking to get the Patriot Ale as I’ve found a recipe to make a blueberry beer, which I would love to do. I’ve long been a fan of blueberry beers, so I am interested in trying it.

This is a process, however.

My first brew, starting the process!

I see my brewing experience being a step-by-step sort of thing. I’d like to run with the Mr. Beer setup for a while so I can learn things and understand wort or hops or things like that. I want to take some chances and learn that way with a system that is a little more simple.

If I really like it, then I can see me taking the next step. That likely won’t be for 6-8 months — if not longer. And I’m OK with that because I don’t want to invest in the big things until I know I can financially do so and be able to get the things I not only need, but other things I may want to get. And, no matter what, I see myself continuing to use the Mr. Beer system as well. It’s too cool not to use it.

I’m in the process of gathering bottles for use (non-twisting brown bottles are best, from what I gather — ones like Sam Adams) and reading as much as I can about the brewing process. I’ll be blogging periodically about the process as it goes along.

For now, though, it’s time to sit back and let the process unfold and cross my fingers for some successful brews!

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!