Bard's Basement Brew
Log Book
Mid April 2009
Acquired a home brew kit at the Home Show in Iron Mountain's Ice Arena thru a silent auction. Had been saying for years I was going to brew my own beer. Started reading and studying all I could find on home brewing, mostly on the internet.
April 30th 2009
Bought a beer ingredient kit from Riverside Liquors in Spread Eagle WI. Red Ale.
May 1st 2009
Went to the famous Annual Smelt Fry in Waucedah MI. after work. (Got off work early, drinking beer by 1:30pm.) Got home around 5pm, drank more beer. 7pm, felt smart enough too start brewing. (Note to self: Never start brewing late in the day.)
Batch Number 1
Directions say add grains to water and heat to 165' steep grains for 20 minutes. Total time grains in water close to an hour, 20 min. @ 165'. Drinking more beer the whole time to stay smart. 'Buffalo Theory' you know.
All went reasonably well till around 10:30pm when Maria woke up yelling something about the whole house stinking. I thought the house had a wonderful heady aroma about it.. Wort in the fermentation bucket around 11:00pm. Still drinking beer. Clean up commenced.
May 2nd 2009
Noticed bubbling of air lock in the afternoon, all is well, have a beer.
May 6th 2009
Airlock action seems to have stopped.
May 7th 2009
Thought I was going to have to bottle today but John came thru with a carboy loan. Filled one 750 ml bottle, (for testing purposes only.) .5 tsp of sugar in the bottle for carbonating. The rest in the carboy for a secondary fermentation. Couldn't seem to keep the siphon going towards the bottom, thought I got most of it, when I dumped the trub into a gallon milk jug it almost filled it, bummer, almost a gallon wasted. :-( Now the big wait, think I'll have a beer. CRAP! Forgot to take a gravity check before the carboy. How do you get a hydrometer in and out of a carboy. Note to self: Ask brewer how this is done for future reference. Have a beer.
May 8th thru 14th
Air lock veeerrrryyyyy sloooowwwwllllyyy bubbles over the next week. Scrubbing bottles....
May 15th 2009 Bottling day.
Very carefully drop hydrometer into the carboy, hear it hit the bottom hoping it didn't shatter and ruin the whole batch, (would have had to put it thru a coffee filter and drink it anyway). Reading was 1.01 exactly. Time to bottle. Can't get the hydrometer out, will have to get it when I clean it.
Fill the dishwasher with bottles and put on wash with no detergent to sterilize bottles. Maria has made some comments about bottles all over the house, I'm assuming it was a compliment to my readiness for bottling day.
Sterilize all equipment needed for bottling, racking bucket, bottle caps, hose, bottle racking tube, odds and ends and stuff. Dishwasher still washing? CRAP! Its on pot scrub heavy duty wash cycle, try to change at this point, can't without starting over on a shorter cycle, can't be that much time left can there?
After what seems like days, dishwasher finally stops. Get carboy and racking bucket all set. CRAP! Forgot to boil the sugar water for the racking bucket, could have been doing that while waiting for the dishwasher to finish! See what happens when there is no beer drinking going on? On call this week for work so I can't drink. Bad week to be a home brewer.
Boil the sugar water for the carbonating of the bottles, dump it in the racking bucket and start the siphon from carboy to bucket. Looks to be about a half a cup left in the carboy, carefully pour that in a glass without disturbing the sediment in the bottom. Taste, GOOD! Flat but good, Call Maria in to taste, she tastes, gives me a funny look and goes back about her business. I drink the rest, hope I don't get called into work. Now finally the bottling starts, Maria helps till it looks like I have it under control, then she leaves the kitchen. About halfway thru, the hose pops off the racking tube and beer starts squirting all over the place! I holler for Maria to bring me some towels, thinking the worst she comes running with an armful! Get the racking equipment back together, beer cleaned up off the floor, try not to cry about more wasted beer.... Finish Bottling.
2-750 ml, 12-16 oz, 24-12 oz bottles for a total of just over 4 gallons. Should have been a five gallon batch. Alcohol abuse! Verbally slap myself for the waste and blame it on not being able to drink while bottling. Next time better planning will prevail and I will not be on call during any important phase of the brewing process.
Name: Bards Basement Brew, Case of the Red Ass Ale.
May 16th 2009
Ready to brew again. What should I brew? Hmmmmm.......
No comments:
Post a Comment