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Feedback on the Blommer Chocolate Stout

12 Feb

I gave my friends a sixpack of the Blommer Chocolate Stout about a month ago and told them to keep it in their cellar for a few weeks before trying it. This was the stout that I bottled on December 10th, 2009. Last week I received a message saying they’d tried a bottle and it had a nice head, pine/foresty aroma and a roasty flavor.

Here’s the pic they sent:

Blommer Chocolate Stout

Approximately 10 people have tried the stout so far. Most people have reported the chocolate/roasted flavor and aroma, which is great.

Next time I will be using cocoa powder or cocoa nibs to increase head retention. I may even increase the amount of oats because I want that aroma and flavor to come through more.

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Posted in Beer + Life

Trying the Burnham Brown Redux.

12 Feb

So, I cracked open a bottle of the 2nd version of the Burnham Brown (which I brewed on New Year’s Eve). I was super surprised by the clarity this time. Additionally, it had a nice foamy head and good carbonation. Better aroma than before, but still reminiscent of the original. The taste is SLIGHTLY more watery, which was understandable because the previous version only yielded 3.5 gallons (because it was my first brew ever and I was still learning!) as opposed to this one which was about 4.5 gallons. Hop bitterness was present but not much hop aroma or flavor.

This is a very drinkable beer that appeals to a wide range of tastes. I believe I met my goals for this specific beer. CHECK OUT THE CLARITY!!! The glass I used is a Rock Bottom Brewery glass and you can actually see the letters from the back of the glass.

The beer still tastes “young”. I am going to condition it for another couple weeks and I think it will be even better.

Burnham Brown Redux

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Posted in Beer + Life

State of the Brewery Address

07 Feb

I’ve been really lazy in updating this blog, I know. I have a running list of topics to address, but have been lacking the inspiration/time to do so. Tomorrow I’m starting a 3-month contract (creating online training curriculum) to help pay the bills and save for what’s coming up. It’ll be 40 hours/week of my time that I won’t be able to spend on brewery/business, but I do get the luxury of working from home so I don’t have to worry about lost time on a commute. Plus, more money coming in means more beer I can #homebrew and more beer-related travel/events!

Here’s a brief update on what I’ve been up to:

1. Attending all sorts of beer-related events. If it’s related to beer, I’m there. I’ve toured most of the Chicago breweries and hope to check out the new Revolution Brewing pub soon. I also purchased tickets to Night of the Living Ales happening in March.

2. Attending all sorts of entrepreneurship/business-related events. Earlier this week, the Business School at Kendall College put on a workshop for entrepreneurs. Some Northwestern Law School students were there talking about the common legal issues that entrepreneurs face when starting a business. While most of what they covered was stuff I already knew about, it did give me another perspective on incorporating as an S-corp rather than an LLC. I have been researching the best way to structure the company for almost 5 months now, and I think I’ve finally decided how I want to do it. It all depends on how I’m going to fund this venture!

3. Reading, reading, and more reading on beer, brewing, brewery history, beer news, and various business books. Last week I finished the “The History of Beer and Brewing in Chicago, Volume 2” by Bob Skilnik and have started The Wall Street Journal’s “Complete Small Business Guidebook.” by Colleen DeBlaise.

4. Continuing to talk with #beer people, business people, and anyone who wants to hear about Robey Street!

5. Working on new brew recipes. Today I’m bottling the MLK & Cookie Stout and will be trying to fit in the brew day for the Belgian Rose Witbier sometime next week.

6. Participating in a BJCP study group starting next week.

7. Continuing to fill in sections of my business plan.

8. Planning the (rescheduled from December) Robey Street Fundraising Party, tentatively scheduled for March!

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Posted in Beer + Business, Beer + Life, Beer Education

Brew #7: Belgian Rose Witbier

24 Jan

So, I planned a new recipe over the weekend. I hope to brew it in the next week or so.

I got a little inspired over the weekend while thinking about a rose-flavored drink that was very popular when I lived in Singapore. It’s called bandun (bahn-doon) I believe. Evaporated milk, ice, and rose syrup. A lovely pink and sweet drink. Rose flavored drinks/snacks are quite popular in Asia and the Middle-east but don’t seem to be very prevalent here in the U.S.

T. G. Kiat & Co (Pte) Ltd Rose Syrup

So, how about a beer with rose flavor and aroma? Could it work?

I started thinking about this rose syrup, and rosewater, and did some research if anyone has made a rose-flavored beer. Nothing really came up, but I didn’t look that hard.

I think in order for this to really work the beer has to be a bit sweet and light, so I decided to try my hand at a Belgian witbier. While I have finalized the grain bill and hops, I have yet to figure out if I will add rose syrup or rose water, and if I will do it during the boil, during the fermentation or both. I’m leaning towards putting some rose syrup in at the end of the boil. As for fermenting, that depends on how much I want the rose aroma/flavor to come out. I don’t want to it to overpower, but I do want it to be noticeable. So, we’ll see.

Here’s what I’ve got so far:

Please note: I’m listing the amounts of grain by percentage for now.

40% 2-Row

40% White Wheat

10% Flaked Wheat

10% Acid Malt (sour)

Rice Hulls*

*(Adding rice hulls to the mash to prevent stuck mash from the high percentage of wheat)

60 minute mash.

60 minute boil.

1 oz Saaz hops added at 40 mins.

Tentative: 8 oz. T.G. Kiat & Co. Rose Syrup at end of boil.

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Posted in Beer + Life

Brew #6: MLK & Cookie Stout

20 Jan

It was Martin Luther King, Jr. day this past Monday and to celebrate the day I decided to brew the “MLK & Cookie Stout”.

I like oatmeal stouts a lot. I like chocolate stouts, too, but I tend to be very picky about them. I also was eager to experiment by making a milk stout. So what better, than to combine all three to make a milk and cookie stout!

I put the recipe together after having done some research on various homebrew websites, taking notes from various recipes and combining all the best into one.

Grains:

7 lbs Briess Organic 2-Row
1 lb Briess Flaked Oats
1 lb Briess Roasted Barley
1 lb Briess Caramel 80L
½ lb Briess Chocolate Malt

Hops:

1 oz Goldings (UK) @ 60min.
½ oz Goldings (Yakmia) @ 30 min.
½ oz Goldings (Yakima) @ 15 min.

Yeast:

Irish Ale (Wyeast 1084)

Misc:

½ lb Lactose at flame out.*
1 tsp Irish Moss at 15 min.

60 min mash @ 158F, sparge @ 168F, 60 minute boil.

OG: 1.055

*For those who aren’t brewers, lactose (milk sugar) is added to the beer because it is an unfermentable sugar and thus keeps the beer sweet. You can read more about milk stouts here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stout#Milk_stout

Brew notes:

It was my first time using the new Barley Crusher malt mill that I bought and I’m already glad I invested in it. My numbers were SPOT ON. Everything else went well on brew day, and the wort alone smelled great so I’m eager to try it in about 8 weeks!

Barley Crusher Malt Mill

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Posted in Beer + Life

Just an update . . .

10 Jan

I’m just checking in because it’s been a while. I like to write most of my posts in Word first and make sure they’re complete before publishing them up here. Currently working on a WANTED ad for a business partner. This one has taken a lot of thought. I will post it at the end of the week.

Taking a few days off to celebrate my 30th birthday. I’ll be in SoCal and hope to check out a few breweries while I’m there (Stone is #1 on the list, followed by Lost Abbey and Green Flash). Of course I’ll be posting about that, too. :)

CHEERS!

Check out the birthday card I got from my parents :)

Birthday Card

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Posted in Beer + Life

Better late than never: My FOBAB notes

29 Dec

So, waaaay back on November 7, I attended FOBAB (Festival of Barrel-Aged Beers). It was a great event and allowed me to sample some really cool beers. Although barrel-aged beers typically aren’t a favorite of mine unless I have them with food, I was pleasantly surprised. I liked a lot more of them than I had expected to. For $35 bucks, I got to sample 12 beers and also received a VERY cute half-pint glass.

This isn’t much of a review. I honestly went in there, sampled my 12 beers and got out of there because I was way too drunk for the rest of the day. :)

I did, however, take some notes while I was there. I just found them (I had emailed them to myself from my phone), so I’m just pasting what I wrote at the time. As much as I did like the opportunity to try so many beers, trying to do it all within an hour (I had to go to a family dinner that afternoon) was a bit silly.

These are not in any specific order… just how I remembered them:

1. New Belgium Transatlantique Kriek – NO GOOD
2. Flossmoor Station – Big Black Pumpkin – OK
3. Flossmoor Station – Pullman Brown – Pretty Good
4. Glacier Brewhouse – Ukrainian Imperial Stout – Pretty Good
5. Piece Brewery – Barrel Aged Mooseknuckle Barleywine – TOO syrupy, but I love a good mooseknuckle. Hohoho
6. Court Avenue – Fire Engine Red – Not much of a red, but decent.
7. Grand Teton Brewing – Howling Wolf Weizenbock – GOOD! Not overpowering bourbon flavor.
8. Two Brothers – Heavier Handed – yep. Hoppier than Heavy Handed. Good, but nothing unique.
9. Rock Bottom Chicago – Whiskey Sticke – Pretty good.
10. Goose Island – Vanilla Bourbon County Stout – If you like normal BCS, try this. Hint of vanilla. Best with a nice stew.
11. Rock Bottom Orland Park – Frambrosia – Not quite. Not good.
12. Boulevard Brewing – Harvest Dance Wheat Wine – GOOD!

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Posted in Beer + Life

December 31, 2009 is Brew Year’s Eve

26 Dec

While most people will be out getting drunk in crowded overpriced bars and swank clubs, I will be at home, sipping homebrew and brewing something special this Brew Year’s Eve.

Oh, yeah.

I haven’t quite decided what I’ll be making, but I’m going to take advantage of the spare fermenter and the day to myself.

If you too are a homebrewer with no social life, I urge you to brew some beer, too! It’ll be fun. Let’s do this!

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Posted in Beer + Life

Brew #4: Jingle Bell Hop

26 Dec

So, my 4th brew was for my own consumption and not an experiment for production. I was craving something hoppy and having not experimented with a super hopped up beer, I thought it was time.

Grains:

10 lb 2-Row
1lb Munich 10L
1 lb TF&S Crystal (I)

OG: WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ABOUT 1.06, but mine was 1.03 (see Notes below)

FG: 1.01

Hops:

3 oz Cascade (pellets) [1 oz @ 45 min, 1 oz @ 15 min, 1 oz DH @ 7 days]
3 oz Amarillo (pellets) [1 oz @ 60 min, 1 oz @ 30 min, 1 oz DH @ 7 days]

Yeast: Wyeast American Ale

Primary Fermentation: 14 days

Secondary Fermentation: 7 days (+dry hop)

Brew Date: 12/14/2009
Bottle Date: 01/04/2010
Taste Date: 01/15/2010

Notes:

I messed this one up, royally. I mill my grains at the store where I purchase them, and I guess the spacing was off on the malt mill that day and I didn’t think about why it was SOOOO easy to grind them. Needless to say, it wasn’t until I didn’t reach my OG numbers that I figured something was wrong. A very helpful homebrewer online helped me narrow it down to the grains not being properly milled. I checked the spent grains and sure enough, half weren’t even cracked. :(

We shall see how this India Fail Ale turns out. Updates to come … :)

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Posted in Beer + Life

Brew #3: Blommer Chocolate Stout

26 Dec

The third beer I brewed was a chocolate stout. I used some chocolate from the Blommer chocolate factory Outlet Store. Recipe below.

8 lbs 2-Row
1 lb German Munich
1 lb Flaked Oats
1 lb Black Patent
1/2 lb Chocolate Malt

Original Gravity: 1.05

Final Gravity: (I suck at keeping notes)

Hops:

Bittering: 1 oz Golding (pellets) @ 60 min.

Aromatic: 1 oz Golding (pellets) @ 15 min.

1 tsp Irish Moss @ 15 min.

8 oz Alpine Dark Chocolate (Blommer) @ 15 min.

Yeast: Wyeast London Ale

Brew Date: 11/11/2009

Bottle Date: 12/10/2009

Taste Date: 12/24/2009 (just a sneak peak) Letting the bottles condition another 2 months before this is actually DONE.

Notes:

After realizing I didn’t have the proper chocolate (I wanted to find something unsweetened, but they didn’t have any), I only put the chocolate in at the boiling, and chose NOT to ferment with any.

This was my first time using Irish moss. I’ve had good clarity with the previous two beers so I wasn’t too concerned but mostly just wanted to see if I’d notice a difference. (I didn’t).

Robey Street Blommer Chocolate Stout

Tasting:

I sampled a little on Christmas Eve and it’s tasting good! Reminded me a lot of Young’s Double Chocolate Stout. Good head, dark chocolaty flavor. I think it needs a couple more months for the flavor to develop further but so far so good. Will update later.

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Posted in Beer + Life