Cheers!

[brewmaster15]

Haven't posted on my other other hobby in ages so I thought I would do that now. My name on the forum obviously comes from brewing..beer brewing in my case which I used to do alot of. Truth be told I took a break from it for a good 10 plus years as microbreweries became so common. It was easy to get good brews at the package store and I got really busy so away went the homebrew stuff. My son who is 22 wanted to learn so I dug out my equipment and we did a batch of IPA. it was a simple kit ale but it was enough to interest him and relight the fire here. I won't get crazy again in the depths of my brewing but its fun to mess around again and to be able to do this with Ethan. Its also great to be able to use my hops from plants that have been running wild here.. Brewing is nice as it really takes only a few hours here and there and that fits well with my current schedule.

So far we have brewed a few 5 gal batches over the last several months. IPA, cerveza, a chicory bittered ale and we just brewed a modified Sierra Pale Ale. Its been a great sanity booster.

I enjoy brewing beer but what I really wanted was to start brewing Meads again. They take alot of patience and are a little more challenging. My last batch took years to really shine. Its possible to enjoy these after a few months aging but they just get better with time. So I made my first mead in I don't even know how long... Brewed and let it sit for 2 months. I just dug it out and tested it.. 15% alcohol, ready to bottle. Its now bottled and shelved to age. I will test it every few months. This glass is what it looks like a day after settling.. in time it will be crystal clear. What I opted for was a form of mead called Melomel. Its basically a honey mead with fruit. I wanted something for the holidays so I used cranberries and an orange with a little spice.




It is a dry mead..very little residual sugar so it should stay like a wine( think chardonnay) Its exceeded my expectations and its really just a babe at this point.

Cheers everyone! Hope you all have been well.

[AquaticNerd]

Looks great Al, thanks for sharing! I know a couple of folks locally who really kicked off doing homebrew back in 2020 and are now doing pretty good for themselves at local microbreweries. I never really got into it, but I do enjoy drinking it!

Is your son a beer enjoyer? I know back when I first turned 21, I didn't really have a taste for beer. Perhaps it was because I grew up in a household where beer wasn't consumed all that much and the staple beverage was sweet tea. It wasn't until I was a few years older that I started enjoying the flavors of the various styles.

[jeep]

My favorite! Their Celebration Ale version is available for this season. That's a good thing because just last night I finished off my stash from last year!!

[brewmaster15]

Looks great Al, thanks for sharing! I know a couple of folks locally who really kicked off doing homebrew back in 2020 and are now doing pretty good for themselves at local microbreweries. I never really got into it, but I do enjoy drinking it!

Is your son a beer enjoyer? I know back when I first turned 21, I didn't really have a taste for beer. Perhaps it was because I grew up in a household where beer wasn't consumed all that much and the staple beverage was sweet tea. It wasn't until I was a few years older that I started enjoying the flavors of the various styles.

Jake he started out hating beer, but know that he and his friends are all legal age they go to breweries and bars. They do it smart too..take an uber, for which I am thrilled. He still doesn't like strong hoppy ales, and prefers lighter pilsners and lagers. But he got a kick out of brewing his first batch with me and the last batch we made this week, I left up up him to pick the malt and hops we would use. Looking forward to it.

al

[brewmaster15]

My favorite! Their Celebration Ale version is available for this season. That's a good thing because just last night I finished off my stash from last year!!

Time to try brewing Brian!

[AquaticNerd]

Jake he started out hating beer, but know that he and his friends are all legal age they go to breweries and bars. They do it smart too..take an uber, for which I am thrilled. He still doesn't like strong hoppy ales, and prefers lighter pilsners and lagers. But he got a kick out of brewing his first batch with me and the last batch we made this week, I left up up him to pick the malt and hops we would use. Looking forward to it.

al

Glad to hear he's being responsible about it; very few young'uns these days that will be smart about drinking and taking an uber. Several places are within walking distance for me, so if the wife and I plan to have more than one we usually walk (and a great sobering experience when it gets down to about 40 at night). I started only liking lighter beers as well, but now I pretty much enjoy all styles. Can't wait to see how your batch with him turns out!

[jeep]

Time to try brewing Brian!

Yes! Right after another hobby I've had a hard time starting gets going in full swing!!

[brewmaster15]

Back when I started brewing to get good bottles to use I would go to the package store and buy Grolsch beer with flip top caps.The beer was pretty bad but the bottles are great to reuse. My current brewing ran into.a bottle shortage. I can buy flip top grolsch style bottles online at amazon and at brewing supply shops but they are expensive and I hate paying for empty bottles. So I went to Grolsch at the liquer store and could not find them. Apparently they were discontinued about a year ago. What a bummer!

I did manage to find a stash of 116 bottles at 16oz for sale an hour away at a fraction of the price for new.



Thats enough for a couple of 5 gal batches of beer or mead. Person selling these had a husband that passed and he used to brew Kombucha.

[jwcarlson]

Looking good, Al! I don't drink, but for years made a little mead (and melomel). I'd try them and figured if they tasted good to me, they were probably pretty good. Two of my favorites were triple berry (strawberry, blueberry, red raspberry) and "peach cobbler" (peaches and cinnamon).

Homemade stuff always has a little solid left in it, which always bothered me. My brother makes a lot more than I ever did because he actually drinks it. He ended up getting a pressurized filter that wastes a little liquid, but the end product is absolutely beautiful.

[brewmaster15]

I though of that also Jacob but for the most part my ales and Meads usually clear up with racking and aging a bit, though the sediment on the bottle bottom can get disturbed its much life unfiltered craft beers. This mead in particular I hope gets more clear, the fruits containing pectin used in these melomels can cause cloudiness, and to combat it I added Pectinase. Hopefully enough. Time will tell. I will post some more pics once I open the next bottle to test, probably next week.

Does your brother get his honey from you?

al

[jwcarlson]

Does your brother get his honey from you?

Yes, but he doesn't make too much mead. He mostly makes hard ciders (apple and pear) and wine. Maybe pear isn't considered a cider. I just know he presses pears. I helped with the apple cider this fall.

[brewmaster15]

Chicory infused ale.. refreshing Ale made with roasted chicory and chinook and cascade hops from my yard...it has almost an iced coffee undertone. Has a vey nice frothy head.



I opted to try it when I came across reference to chicory being used in some Ales in the way back past. Not technically beer if there aren't hops so I left those.. I may try just chicory at some point just to compare.

[AquaticNerd]

Looks yummy Al. Have to say chicory is a new ingredient in beer for me. I've had coffee with chicory before, but as a somewhat coffee snob, can't say I've ever enjoyed coffee with chicory. Maybe beer would change my mind on my dislike of it.

[brewmaster15]

Looks yummy Al. Have to say chicory is a new ingredient in beer for me. I've had coffee with chicory before, but as a somewhat coffee snob, can't say I've ever enjoyed coffee with chicory. Maybe beer would change my mind on my dislike of it.

Jake,I am a coffee snob too, but I also really like Coffee with Chicory, very fond of Cafe Du Monde/ CDM.. Normally I take my coffees Black or with a smidge of Milk, but to enjoy a Coffee with Chicory for me needs cream. From the makers...

café au lait! The French Market Coffee & Chicory Restaurant Blend is actually designed for this classic New Orleans preparation. Here's how to make authentic café au lait:

Classic Method:

• Brew strong coffee - Use 1 rounded tablespoon per 6 oz water (or slightly stronger)
• Heat milk separately - Warm equal parts whole milk (don't boil)
• Pour simultaneously - Coffee in one hand, warm milk in the other, into your cup at the same time

Thats not my cup of Joe though, but I do find the Coffee with Chicory is delicious with a splash of cream verses black or with Milk. Chicory is just too bitter on its own. I can see how it was a coffee substitute in times of coffee scarcity though.

[AquaticNerd]

Makes sense Al - that must be my problem. Whenever I'm trying new coffees, I don't typically mix it with anything, preferring to drink it black and try and taste the flavors in the coffee over adding cream/half&half/milk. Next time I get the chance to dry a blend, I'll give it a little cream and see if that improves it. Thanks!