A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

making beer

Back in the brew of things

On a cold day off, I decided to take advantage of things and brew a beer.

It’s been a while, too.

The one I chose? A kit from the Brooklyn Brew Shop – peanut butter porter. Yeah, it sounds awesome I’m thinking. And, in about a month or so, I’ll have the chance to tell you how it tastes.

Brewing day!

Brewing day!

Anyway, I did all that was said to be done, but somewhere along the way, I must have done something wrong with this batch. I’m hoping I didn’t, but it’s highly possible.

The directions from the Brooklyn Brew Shop are easy to follow.

Sanitize. Mash. Sparge. Boil. Fermentation.

Bottling will come later. But for now, everything was easy enough. I measured everything out, but in the end, I still needed to add about a quarter of a gallon of water.

Maybe my boil was too much?

I didn’t think so, but it’s possible.

I also made sure to strain everything. But in the end, I still got a bunch of excess “crap.” So, honestly, I have no idea if I am doing something wrong or not.

So, this is what I did – and maybe I did some things that shouldn’t have been done, but even when I did things in the past, it seems to sometimes end up the same. So… here we go.

Mash

One mistake I made was the size of the pot for the mash. I should have used a slightly smaller one as I think it would have heated a little more even. I ended up adding a little water to the mash as it seemed to be burning on the bottom a bit, so I think it might have been a little dry. Also, it didn’t seem to heat evenly. I’d have a good temp in one spot, and not in another. So I’d mix it all up and heat a little bit to get it to the spot.

Outside of that, the mash seemed to be ok. Things looked fine.

The Sparge

OK, this is where things might have gotten dicey – but this is the only place.

With many kits I use, the sparge isn’t done. With the all-grain brewing, it’s a necessary step. One thing I’d like to figure out is how to brew in a bag as I think it would help me with several aspects. I need to do some research to figure out how the best way to attack that would be, though. I’d also have to find some good brew bags.

Anyway, with this one I did as the instructions said. I boiled up the right amount of water (actually may have had an extra cup or two in there) and got things ready. This is where I realized I had one issue – my strainer isn’t big enough to hold all the grain. I had to figure the best way to tackle this, so I put half of the mash into the strainer and did the sparge, and then did the same with the second half of the mash.

But, my thought here is – did the mash get too cool in that amount of time? Did I do something to mess up the normal way of going? If I am going to do this the regular way, I think I need to invest in a bigger strainer. If I am going to the brew in a bag method, I might not need to worry about it.

Outside of that, things seemed find. I got a nice dark wort, and it was ready for the boil.

Some goodies to add to the boil.

Some goodies to add to the boil.

The Boil

Ok, here’s my question for those who know brewing – do I start the timer (the directions said 75 minutes) as it heats up, or not until it actually starts boiling? I didn’t start the timer until the boiling started as it made more sense and I think that’s how I’ve done it in the past (note: I haven’t brewed in a while and even longer for all-grain), so hopefully that was fine.

I did have one issue during the boil, though. I got the “light boil,” but on the low heat, it lost that low boil. So I had to crank it up (probably 10/15 minutes into the boil) to get it back to a good spot. From then on, it seemed to hold well.

Everything was added when I was supposed to (and with that peanut butter addition – it smelled good!), so it was time to continue on.

Cooling down

I put the pot into an ice bath and I had a mixture of water and ice, so the pot kind of bobbed a little. Eventually I axed the water and went with all ice, figuring that was best. I’m not sure if it was exposed too long, but that wouldn’t have done anything to the amount of liquid. Once I hit the target temperature, it was time to put it in the fermenting jug.

Fermenting

I set up the strainer and the funnel and started to pour. I loved the look of this porter. The smell was outstanding. If it tastes as good as it smelled, I will look forward to it.

But, there was a lot of junk still being caught. I thought most of it was gone during the sparge, but apparently not. It caught a lot and I think some might have even made it into the fermenter, which is fine as I can deal with it.

Still, I was looking for something a tad smoother (which is why I think brewing in a bag might be my best bet), so I got wondering as the jug started to fill – and it only got to about 3/4 of a gallon. Maybe a little less.

As per the instructions, I added tap water to bring it to the gallon line, but not sure what it will do having to add that much water.

Looks good, but we shall see in time!

Looks good, but we shall see in time!

End result

I didn’t take an ABV reading on this as I am worried I did something wrong, so I’m just going to figure it’s about (or a little less) than what is estimated for this brew. It definitely looks like a porter, so that’s good. However, you can see some floaties in the jug, but I am pretty sure that’s somewhat normal, especially for a gallon brew where I don’t necessarily do everything one might for a five-gallon or higher brew.

It’ll be about two weeks before I bottle it, then another two in the world of carbonation. From there, I’ll be able to test what this beer tastes like.

Final thoughts

I have several other kits from the Brooklyn Brew Shop that I plan on brewing up. The kits they have are incredibly excellent in regard to flavors and such, so I am looking forward to doing them (I have some stouts, wheat beers etc.), and I am hoping I can make the process a bit smoother.

For you brewers out there, any thoughts? Did I mess something up with this one, or should things be fine? Any tips for brewing in a bag? Or any other tips?

I am hoping after I finish these kits (again, I have several), I might be gutsy enough to think about going to the five-gallon brews, though I have to admit I like the smaller batches. That way, if it’s a beer you aren’t too fond of, you only have 10-11 bottles to worry about!

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

Next up in the brew list…

I have two more beers bottled. Now it’s time to wait it out.

One of them — the White House Honey Porter — is one I’ve really been waiting to try. That will reach the two-week mark tomorrow and I plan on getting one in the fridge quickly. That one is named ObamaBrew and has an ABV of 6%.

The newest — Blueberry Red Ale — fermenting.

Then there’s the Chocolate Maple Porter (named Giddy Up — ABV 5.6%), which will reach the one-week mark this weekend. I let that one go a little longer in the fermenter, so hopefully it comes out well.

This past Sunday, I brewed another beer. This one is interesting and I’m truly excited about it.

The recipe was from the Brooklyn Brew Shop’s book (which is set for one-gallon batches, something I fully appreciate!) and it’s a blackberry red ale (not yet named). Alas, I decided to substitute blueberries for blackberries.

Yum.

Well, in theory.

I’m a fan of blueberry beers and when I started brewing, one of my goals was to brew a good blueberry ale. So I’m looking forward to seeing how this comes out.

But I’ll be waiting at least another three weeks!

This one was also my second all-grain recipe and first where I didn’t use a kit. I thought it went well, but I truly decided I need to learn more about brewing in a bag. Though I’m happy I’ve done things in the progression I have, I’ve also realized when doing a one-gallon batch, going through every step is tedious.

So if I can make it a little easier, I’d like to do that.

Brewing in a bag seems to be that way. Basically, it helps you skip a little bit of time with the sparging and all, if I am reading it all right. In the end, the real reason I’d like to do this is to make it a little more easy with the grain.

I’ve also been reading recently about using the spent grains in recipes. I’m definitely going to go that route to see what I can come up with.

Mashing away.

With this last set, I decided to make some spent grains dog treats. Now, I don’t have a pooch. But each of my brothers do. So I have some for them. It was quite easy to do.

The ingredients were the grain, flour, two eggs and peanut butter. Then, using the oven, dry them out completely. Simple, right? The recipe I looked at said it would take about 7 1/2 hours in the oven (on 200 or so) to get them set, though some ovens are quicker, especially if making them thinner. The treats I made were done in about 3 1/2 hours. The first part of it is when you do the initial cooking, with the oven up around 325. After like 30 minutes or so, you pull them out, cut them up and then back into the oven at the lower temp for another 3-7 hours.

I couldn’t figure out what I’d like to do with the rest of the grain at this point and didn’t want to double the batches of dog treats until I found out if their dogs liked them, so I pitched the rest of it. There will be plenty more batches of beer and I’ll be trying other recipes out.

In the end, it’s a lot of fun figuring out what to do with these beers and with the ingredients after. I’ve also ready one can re-use the yeast, but I’m not that far along yet. So I’ll keep going with how I am doing it.

I have several more beers in the wings and waiting to be brewed.

Next up (maybe today if I get up the energy to brew) is the Caribou Slobber brown ale. After that, I have all-grain recipes for two Dry Black Stouts (think somewhat of a Guinness), a Smoked Cherry (requires six months in the bottles!), my own concoction (2.5 gallons) and a peanut butter porter.

This has been a fun journey so far and I look forward to continued learning to hopefully keep making my beers taste better!

Though I won’t be likely making labels for each beer (tough to get the labels back off. I plan on doing small ones to identify each beer), I will still make them for use on Untappd and Facebook. I wanted to share the most recent ones here, too.

ObamaBrew

Giddy Up

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!

Homebrewing update: One bottled, another fermenting

The first batch is bottled and in the carbonation process.

I’m digging this homebrewing stuff.

In between applying and searching for jobs, it’s made for a great way for me to dive into something and learn. Who knew it was so in-depth, this homebrewing stuff?

Now, I’m currently using Mr. Beer. For my first two batches, I haven’t done anything more than the basics.

Right now, I have my first (American Classic Light) in the bottles. They’ve been in there a week and I’m going to give them another week or so before putting them in the fridge. I’m going with the two-week period many seem to say you should do for the bottling stage. I’ve kept them in a cooler, which has allowed me to keep a constant temperature.

The wort of the Irish Stout.

On the same day I bottled, I also started my second brew — St. Patrick’s Irish Stout.

The future is also going to hold a West Coast Pale Ale and a blueberry beer.

But, let’s go over what I have learned before moving to the next things.

One thing I’ve discovered is I’m really interested in the process. I’ve always paid attention on brewery tours I’ve taken, but all that talk — wort, mash, this that and the other — always meshed together. Now I have to actually understand this stuff.

With Mr. Beer, it’s a pretty basic thing (though, by reading several forums, there are ways to make it way more in-depth), which is good for now. From beginning to end, it takes me about 45 minutes to do a brew.

That includes sanitation, making the wort and getting it all ready.

But if I’m going to wait 5-6 weeks to drink this beer, I need to have more time invested in making it. That is coming, for sure.

There’s one thing I’ve realized with the first batch, which I bottled in the Mr. Beer plastic bottled — two gallons is a lot of beer. I have eight 1-liter bottles all set, which appears to be about a case of beer.

I used a hydrometer for the first time with my second batch.

As somebody who drinks maybe two or three beers a week, that’s a lot. And I want to brew beer to keep it running so I can continually try something new. With case after case, that’s going to be tough. Sure, I can bring them to people’s houses, but what if I get a crap batch? That’s a lot of bad beer to stomach!

So, I’m investing in a smaller item through Northern Brewer, a homebrewer supply company. They have it set up for one-gallon batches, which will apparently yield be 10-12 beers.

Not only that, I’m going to have to do more in-depth brewing, which is something I’d really like to do. You have to worry about hops and all that and when to put things in.

With my second batch of Mr. Beer (the stout), I used a hydrometer, which should tell me the estimated alcohol content when all is said and done. So I’m taking steps with each beer.

The West Coast Pale Ale has a booster to add to it. The blueberry will make me work with fruit. And when I advance to the one-gallon batches, I’m going to have to do a lot more.

But that’s OK because, in the end, hopefully I’ll have a nice brew or two that is worth sitting back and enjoying.

The ultimate goal here is to get a pipeline going so I’ll have different beers in different stages at all times. That way, there will be something different to taste every once in a while, which is nice. And the smaller batches will hopefully help me in keeping a steady flow of bottles so I can make sure I have enough to bottle the brews!

And, I hope the beer tastes good. I would like this to be something I do for a long time and maybe understand things more so I can come up with my own beers. I have some goals I have in brewing my own beer, which I’ll share in another post at a later date.

For now, I’ll keep waiting!

(Side note — if you are interested in seeing the process or more photos as I go along — more than what I do here — I made a Facebook page for “HooHaa Brewing Company.” Obviously it’s more for fun. If you want, feel free and like it!)

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