Howdy people,
Can we just pretend that it hasn't been 8 months since my last post? Insert various excuses here. I'd make some kind of pledge not to do that to you guys again but I've done that before and it didn't work and I don't want to be a liar twice so... all I've got is: sorry!
To be sure- a lot has happened beer-wise since the last post but I don't want to start listing off events like it's history class. Instead I'll just kick it off fresh. Or something.
Okay, so I went to my first "beer meeting" at U-Brew where a bunch of really chill guys and gals get together to share recent beers or other drink they've made and talk about it or ask questions. It was pretty cool and I'm really looking forward to going to more. I'm very new still to brewing and it was pretty interesting to hear about the different approaches and mindsets people have about it. I met a lot of really legit, friendly people whose names I'm gonna just come out and admit to having forgotten (sorry guys, I'll remember after the third introduction probably). There were tons of beers and lots of variety and everyone treated me like a friend which I thought was awesome. You guys rule.
One of the funnest things for me at the meeting is when I got to meet and briefly talk to a man who works for Wyeast labs. The first thing I asked was "do you do tours?" to which I got a prompt and definite "no" which was lame but I guess I can understand that... I guess. When someone commented that a particular beer had a banana-like smell he commented that it was because the yeast they use has a byproduct that is in fact the same aromatic hydrocarbon that gives bananas they're smell. I thought that was awesome! See, of all the things there are to know about brewing and beer in general, the part that remains the most uncertain and... well... mysterious to me is the yeast. I get that the yeast consumes sugar and produces ethanol. That's like beer 101. But there's so much more to it! They also have tons of all these other byproducts (like the aromatics) that are totally unique to the particular strain. So there's aaaallllll this information to be learned about yeast and it's action with various sugars and they're various byproducts which on the one hand is really daunting. Whenever there's a whole topic about which I know almost nothing I tend to get intimidated and shy away from it. But as little bits of information come in there's the hope that I can actually start to understand this stuff and it's those moments that I live for. So yeah. Yeast dudes, yeast. It's paramount.
But back to the guy from Wyeast, I asked him "How in the world do you find out what hydrocarbons your yeast is producing?" Apparently they have a machine that does gas chromatography. Is that awesome or what? Do you guys remember that from chemistry class? You were all like "when are we ever gonna need this?" Answer: Beer. So that's one of the things I guess they do over there is chemical analysis of the byproducts of they're yeasts. Also they do propagation (obviously) of pre-established yeast strains. They in-fact do not do breeding to create new strains there. I wanted to ask where, when or how that happens but like I said I only talked to him for a couple minutes before I was rapt away into some dreamland of viking mead and glorious hummus.
Anyways it was a really good time, I thought I'd share it with you. Okay well that's all I've got for now, I'm nursing a moderately righteous hangover. :)
You're all awesome,
Jester
Sunday, April 6, 2014
Friday, August 2, 2013
"How Beer Saved the World"
So a little while ago I was bored, browsing netflix and came across this documentary called "How Beer Saved the World."
The documentary was equal parts ridiculous and interesting. Basically it talks about different aspects of how Man's love of drinking beer has played a direct role in the development of major technologies and traditions.
Some pretty remarkable and unjustified claims are made in the movie (such as beer is solely resposible for the development of agriculture, civilization, mathematics etc) most of which I would strongly discourage people from believing but I support them as hypotheses and topics worth thinking about.
Some of the other more specific topics seem a lot more viable and evidence-backed such as the fact that the wort-making process actually pasteurizes the water providing people with a fairly clean and nutritious alternative to foul drinking water in the middle ages. Also in the documentary a chemist is interviewed who (possibly) finds traces of the antibiotic "tetracycline" in the residue in old brewing vessels from thousands of years ago as a natural byproduct of brewing making beer a legitimate medicine at the time.
Like I said, the movie had a lot of ridiculous aspects to it and the narrator jumps to some pretty lofty conclusions making it hard to watch at times but I did feel like I learned something from it and gained a deeper appreciation for beer from watching it so I'll link it to you guys (it's on youtube) here if you want to watch it:
The documentary was equal parts ridiculous and interesting. Basically it talks about different aspects of how Man's love of drinking beer has played a direct role in the development of major technologies and traditions.
Some pretty remarkable and unjustified claims are made in the movie (such as beer is solely resposible for the development of agriculture, civilization, mathematics etc) most of which I would strongly discourage people from believing but I support them as hypotheses and topics worth thinking about.
Some of the other more specific topics seem a lot more viable and evidence-backed such as the fact that the wort-making process actually pasteurizes the water providing people with a fairly clean and nutritious alternative to foul drinking water in the middle ages. Also in the documentary a chemist is interviewed who (possibly) finds traces of the antibiotic "tetracycline" in the residue in old brewing vessels from thousands of years ago as a natural byproduct of brewing making beer a legitimate medicine at the time.
Like I said, the movie had a lot of ridiculous aspects to it and the narrator jumps to some pretty lofty conclusions making it hard to watch at times but I did feel like I learned something from it and gained a deeper appreciation for beer from watching it so I'll link it to you guys (it's on youtube) here if you want to watch it:
Running Log of All Official HBK Beers
I thought it would be a good thing for members and followers of the HBK if somewhere easily accessible to everyone there was a running log of all the HBK beers listed in chronological order. I expect it will start out as a pretty simple list of the beer types and names and I can add on details as suggested by any members/readers: let me hear your suggestions! In other words this particular post will be continually updated as new beers are made and as more particular information on the beers is requested (i.e. ingredients, %Alc etc...)
So here it is folks! I'll addend the list shortly with brew dates and %Alc.
So here it is folks! I'll addend the list shortly with brew dates and %Alc.
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
A quick tidbit about "Skunking."
There is truly an enormous amount of information to learn about beer making. This is part of why it intrigues me. Things that are overly simple and can be learned or mastered quickly bore me because I live for a challenge. Imagine how dull life would be if suddenly you knew everything there was to know and suddenly had no more questions!
That being said, if you're like me at some point you've asked or at least wondered aloud "why do we always bottle our beer in brown bottles? And why do we cover our carboys up with warm cozy blankets?" Well it turns out that the answer sounds like this: "To prevent skunking." Then I'm like "Ooooh, okay. Wait- what's skunking?"
This is where the complexity of all the chemical processes in brewing comes in. I am NOT going to pretend to understand them well, but to the lay-person like myself there is some information out there that can give you an okay feel for what's going on inside that glass enclosure.
Apparently there are compounds that are extracted or derived from hops during brewing called "isohumulones." I don't know what role these are supposed to play but I've learned what role they're supposed not to and that involves skunking! So what is it? Isohumulones are broken apart by Light in the Ultraviolet range of frequency, which the sun and light bulbs shoot out tons of. These now broken up molecules are very eager to bind with traces of sulfur suspended in the beer somewhere to make new sulfur-containing compounds that apparently taste wretched and somewhat... well... skunky. So beer that has been exposed to too much light changes unfavorably in chemical makeup to make a nasty flavor.
Bottling beer into brown bottles and covering carboys with blankets helps filter out some of the UV rays and mitigate the process of skunking.
This information provides a very basic answer to why we use brown bottles. But after all that: There are some types of beers where a certain amount of the production of sulfur-containing molecules is desirable. (Certain kinds of lagers, I read)
So I come full circle to that satisfying sense of dissatisfaction where now that I sort of have an answer I have several more questions. Such is the way of life.
Skunking everyone... skunking.
That being said, if you're like me at some point you've asked or at least wondered aloud "why do we always bottle our beer in brown bottles? And why do we cover our carboys up with warm cozy blankets?" Well it turns out that the answer sounds like this: "To prevent skunking." Then I'm like "Ooooh, okay. Wait- what's skunking?"
This is where the complexity of all the chemical processes in brewing comes in. I am NOT going to pretend to understand them well, but to the lay-person like myself there is some information out there that can give you an okay feel for what's going on inside that glass enclosure.
Apparently there are compounds that are extracted or derived from hops during brewing called "isohumulones." I don't know what role these are supposed to play but I've learned what role they're supposed not to and that involves skunking! So what is it? Isohumulones are broken apart by Light in the Ultraviolet range of frequency, which the sun and light bulbs shoot out tons of. These now broken up molecules are very eager to bind with traces of sulfur suspended in the beer somewhere to make new sulfur-containing compounds that apparently taste wretched and somewhat... well... skunky. So beer that has been exposed to too much light changes unfavorably in chemical makeup to make a nasty flavor.
Bottling beer into brown bottles and covering carboys with blankets helps filter out some of the UV rays and mitigate the process of skunking.
This information provides a very basic answer to why we use brown bottles. But after all that: There are some types of beers where a certain amount of the production of sulfur-containing molecules is desirable. (Certain kinds of lagers, I read)
So I come full circle to that satisfying sense of dissatisfaction where now that I sort of have an answer I have several more questions. Such is the way of life.
Skunking everyone... skunking.
Bottling: A landmark in the individual brewing process...
I can't really classify different steps in the process of making a home-brewed beer in terms of importance partly because I'm still very new to the process and partly because it just seems wrong. But I can stress how satisfying it feels to have finally completed the bottling process. Basically, once the beer is in the bottle, all the work is done. This is of course unless you consider drinking the victory beer some weeks later to be work but I don't think many people would take that position.
The process of bottling, while it certainly is work, is fairly simple and straight forward compared to everything else up to this point.
You basically just need a rudimentary pump to get beer out of the carboys (giant glass bottles where the wort was fermenting into beer) and into individual bottles. In HBK historically, we've used 22oz bottles and 750mL latch-top bottles. Some people have their own "growlers" that they bring to be filled, which is basically just a 64oz latch top bottle. The nice thing about growlers is that they 're huge. So there's lots of beer all in one place. The bad thing about them is that they're huge. So all your beer is in one place. You see what I mean? Once you open that puppy you've committed to 64 oz. of rich, scrumptious home brew that, in the HBK at least, tends to be pretty high gravity compared to the store bought stuff. So it's good or bad... or both, depending on how you want to look at it.
Anyways, the latch tops are really nice in that they come with everything they need. You just pump the beer into the bottle and latch it up when it's full.
The 22oz bottles require new lids for each use but it's not a big deal.
The only real concern during bottling is cleanliness. Obviously you don't want to pour fresh beer into a filthy bottle. The beer is still an ideal place for bacteria and competitor fungus to grow, so that's why it's so important to rinse your empties out with hot water before returning them to HBK for refill! (hint hint)
Beyond a good rinsing, we also rinse the bottles, caps our hands and all other equipment that may come in contact with the beer in an iodine solution. This acts to sterilize the equipment by penetrating the cell wall of any bacteria or fungus and messing it's sh** all up. So that's cool.
The process of bottling, while it certainly is work, is fairly simple and straight forward compared to everything else up to this point.
You basically just need a rudimentary pump to get beer out of the carboys (giant glass bottles where the wort was fermenting into beer) and into individual bottles. In HBK historically, we've used 22oz bottles and 750mL latch-top bottles. Some people have their own "growlers" that they bring to be filled, which is basically just a 64oz latch top bottle. The nice thing about growlers is that they 're huge. So there's lots of beer all in one place. The bad thing about them is that they're huge. So all your beer is in one place. You see what I mean? Once you open that puppy you've committed to 64 oz. of rich, scrumptious home brew that, in the HBK at least, tends to be pretty high gravity compared to the store bought stuff. So it's good or bad... or both, depending on how you want to look at it.
Anyways, the latch tops are really nice in that they come with everything they need. You just pump the beer into the bottle and latch it up when it's full.
The 22oz bottles require new lids for each use but it's not a big deal.
The only real concern during bottling is cleanliness. Obviously you don't want to pour fresh beer into a filthy bottle. The beer is still an ideal place for bacteria and competitor fungus to grow, so that's why it's so important to rinse your empties out with hot water before returning them to HBK for refill! (hint hint)
Beyond a good rinsing, we also rinse the bottles, caps our hands and all other equipment that may come in contact with the beer in an iodine solution. This acts to sterilize the equipment by penetrating the cell wall of any bacteria or fungus and messing it's sh** all up. So that's cool.
Monday, February 4, 2013
It's Great to be Back!
Jester HBK reporting:
First of all let's hear it for the Queen Bee Kelli, that entry about secondary fermentation was seriously awesome.
So I figured for the sake of making this blog active again I'd bring it and myself up to date on what's been happening in the HBK since I dropped off nearly half a year ago (jeez).
I'm glad to say that things have most obviously not been idle! We've (you've all) made a lot of really impressive beers and other beverages a couple of which I've already had the pleasure of enjoying first hand.
Since my departure shortly after HBK-9 Eartha's Own Sweet Corny Ale (sorry, Eartha) we brewed the ClaraBale Amber ale (HBK-10) - pick of Cary. This was the first brew session that we've started using two separate types of yeast for two separate containers of the same wort (pre-beer). The purpose of this is to be able to explore first hand how different kinds of yeast affect the flavor and overall properties of the beer. This concept I find mysterious and fascinating - it is inevitable that I will post about it later. It also seems worthwhile to note that this beer, the ClaraBale Amber Ale was the most popular beer to date of the HBK in terms of how quickly it was distributed out to the group, so it must have been very good, though I never had a chance to try it myself.
Next we got started on a Cider (HBK-11) picked by "The Welder" (Adam). If my understanding is correct it is still currently in fermentation waiting either to be witched into a secondary or bottled: a decision yet to be made.
In October also, by a stroke of Tim's whim, he began brewing the famous (to me) Imperial Cascadian Dark Ale (ICDA) at U-Brew, a totally awesome spot for homebrew information and supplies. He ended up making an entire keg (15 gallons). This ICDA ended up being for Tim's 30th Birthday and you know it was a hit because they finished all but two gallons of it at the party. Also, the ICDA has no HBK number.
Moving on - November's pick belonged to the "Queen B" (Kelli) and she picked a Pumpkin Ale. But of course the CEO Tim has to put his touch on the beer and make it a Imperial Pumpkin Ale! Now two different types of yeast were used (London ESB Ale & Belgian Strong Ale) in two separate carboys for this brew. I believe there are still plenty of November HBK-12 beers of both yeasts left so pick some up on your next share, yo!
The January beer is one I am personally very excited about. I had the distinct pleasure of helping formulate the recipe, or at least I think I helped. It was the pick of Lauren "The Spark" and is HBK-13: Hardcore Vanilla Porter. Sounds awesome doesn't it? It will be. In addition to our usual base malt, we're using two very dark very tasty malts that are have already given this beer a terrific color and surely a great flavor as well. We also brewed it with oatmeal which I really think is going to add to that thick, smooth flavor we look for in a good porter. So I'm stoked on that one. It's still in the primary carboys to be switched soon into the secondaries.
And so we come at last to the next upcoming brew. HBK-14 will take place on the 10th of this month and I am looking forward to it! The pick goes to Jaime and it will be a German Wheat Beer. Tim's going to buy the ingredients Saturday before the brew (2-9). Since the Welder has up the game we will use his mill. We'll be using two different kinds of yeast again: Belgian wheat & Weihnstephan Weizen.
Anyways, most of this information I'm sure the HBKers already knew about. I guess it has been mainly to announce my return and the reactivation of this blog. So hello everyone! I look forward to many more awesome brew sessions with you all.
~The Jester
First of all let's hear it for the Queen Bee Kelli, that entry about secondary fermentation was seriously awesome.
So I figured for the sake of making this blog active again I'd bring it and myself up to date on what's been happening in the HBK since I dropped off nearly half a year ago (jeez).
I'm glad to say that things have most obviously not been idle! We've (you've all) made a lot of really impressive beers and other beverages a couple of which I've already had the pleasure of enjoying first hand.
Since my departure shortly after HBK-9 Eartha's Own Sweet Corny Ale (sorry, Eartha) we brewed the ClaraBale Amber ale (HBK-10) - pick of Cary. This was the first brew session that we've started using two separate types of yeast for two separate containers of the same wort (pre-beer). The purpose of this is to be able to explore first hand how different kinds of yeast affect the flavor and overall properties of the beer. This concept I find mysterious and fascinating - it is inevitable that I will post about it later. It also seems worthwhile to note that this beer, the ClaraBale Amber Ale was the most popular beer to date of the HBK in terms of how quickly it was distributed out to the group, so it must have been very good, though I never had a chance to try it myself.
Next we got started on a Cider (HBK-11) picked by "The Welder" (Adam). If my understanding is correct it is still currently in fermentation waiting either to be witched into a secondary or bottled: a decision yet to be made.
In October also, by a stroke of Tim's whim, he began brewing the famous (to me) Imperial Cascadian Dark Ale (ICDA) at U-Brew, a totally awesome spot for homebrew information and supplies. He ended up making an entire keg (15 gallons). This ICDA ended up being for Tim's 30th Birthday and you know it was a hit because they finished all but two gallons of it at the party. Also, the ICDA has no HBK number.
Moving on - November's pick belonged to the "Queen B" (Kelli) and she picked a Pumpkin Ale. But of course the CEO Tim has to put his touch on the beer and make it a Imperial Pumpkin Ale! Now two different types of yeast were used (London ESB Ale & Belgian Strong Ale) in two separate carboys for this brew. I believe there are still plenty of November HBK-12 beers of both yeasts left so pick some up on your next share, yo!
The January beer is one I am personally very excited about. I had the distinct pleasure of helping formulate the recipe, or at least I think I helped. It was the pick of Lauren "The Spark" and is HBK-13: Hardcore Vanilla Porter. Sounds awesome doesn't it? It will be. In addition to our usual base malt, we're using two very dark very tasty malts that are have already given this beer a terrific color and surely a great flavor as well. We also brewed it with oatmeal which I really think is going to add to that thick, smooth flavor we look for in a good porter. So I'm stoked on that one. It's still in the primary carboys to be switched soon into the secondaries.
And so we come at last to the next upcoming brew. HBK-14 will take place on the 10th of this month and I am looking forward to it! The pick goes to Jaime and it will be a German Wheat Beer. Tim's going to buy the ingredients Saturday before the brew (2-9). Since the Welder has up the game we will use his mill. We'll be using two different kinds of yeast again: Belgian wheat & Weihnstephan Weizen.
Anyways, most of this information I'm sure the HBKers already knew about. I guess it has been mainly to announce my return and the reactivation of this blog. So hello everyone! I look forward to many more awesome brew sessions with you all.
~The Jester
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Secondary Fermentation
There are many tricks of the trade in the world of beer. Secondary fermentation is one. This is the process of siphoning off your beer after the initial rush of fermentation that happens. This leaves behind much of the yeasty sediment which comes out of your beer and sinks to the bottom of the fermentation vessel. By leaving behind the sediment, one insures that this dead yeast doesn’t steep itself into the taste of your beer. This sediment contains dead yeast, and gluten from the barley, malt and other grains used in the making of the beer. Utilizing the process of secondary fermentation has many benefits.
The most prominent benefit of using secondary fermentation is that your beer will have a much purer taste. Your beer will also have a much clearer look to it if you use this process. Amber will have a beautiful red clarity, showing off the fine colors roasted into the grains, while a pale ale will shine glowingly in the evening sun. With secondary fermentation, the natural clarity of your beer will really come out. Even for the dark beers this is important, because the cloudiness that can ensue from sediment mixing will actually make the beer look less dark.
To help us understand why brewers use secondary fermentors lets look into the different phases of fermentation.
When your beer first begins to ferment, it will go through a few phases very quickly. The first phase is an aerobic phase where the yeast cells adapt to their environment and multiply very quickly but do not produce much alcohol. It is during this phase that the yeast actually need oxygen in the beer in order to do their work. This phase only lasts for a few hours in most cases, and you cannot see anything happening with the naked eye.
The yeast then begin to metabolize the sugars into CO2 and Ethanol during their anaerobic phase. This is the part you can see as a foamy head or “Krausen” on the top of the fermenting beer. The CO2 is evident in the airlock as the bubbles begin to pop faster and faster(see video). This phase of fermentation is very active and usually lasts a couple days to a week.
After the krausen begins to subside, most of the yeast cells fall to the bottom of the fermentation vessel (this is called flocculation), and go dormant or die. A few of the hardy yeast cells stay suspended in the beer and continue to slowly ferment for several weeks. This phase is called "conditioning".
The following chart shows the cycles of the yeast as it ferments your beer:
Most Ales will spend the majority of their "conditioning" phase in bottles; getting themselves nice and carbonated.
Most homebrewers use Carboys to transfer the beer once the active yeast cycle is over.
When using a glass Carboy, make sure it is in a dark place where light can’t get to it, or else wrap it in a blanket or towel to keep sunlight off. Sunlight will cause the beer to get “skunky“. Although the term is frequently used to describe beer that’s gone bad for any variety of reasons, to be precise “skunked beer” refers to beer that’s been over-exposed to sunlight, or “light-struck.” Regardless of what your favorite type of beer is, there are plenty of ways to ruin it, overexposure to light is the only way to skunk it.
It helps that when you place your carboy(s) for the initial fermentation, they are somewhere up high, where you can later siphon them using gravity. If you move your carboy just before siphoning it into the secondary fermentation vessel, you will severely sabotage your efforts to leave behind the sediment. The jarring and sloshing will mix some of the sediment back into your brew, thereby negating the full effectiveness of the process of secondary fermentation!
All in all, secondary fermentation is a very important step towards refining your home brew.
The yeast then begin to metabolize the sugars into CO2 and Ethanol during their anaerobic phase. This is the part you can see as a foamy head or “Krausen” on the top of the fermenting beer. The CO2 is evident in the airlock as the bubbles begin to pop faster and faster(see video). This phase of fermentation is very active and usually lasts a couple days to a week.
The following chart shows the cycles of the yeast as it ferments your beer: Most Ales will spend the majority of their "conditioning" phase in bottles; getting themselves nice and carbonated.
Most homebrewers use Carboys to transfer the beer once the active yeast cycle is over.
When using a glass Carboy, make sure it is in a dark place where light can’t get to it, or else wrap it in a blanket or towel to keep sunlight off. Sunlight will cause the beer to get “skunky“. Although the term is frequently used to describe beer that’s gone bad for any variety of reasons, to be precise “skunked beer” refers to beer that’s been over-exposed to sunlight, or “light-struck.” Regardless of what your favorite type of beer is, there are plenty of ways to ruin it, overexposure to light is the only way to skunk it. It helps that when you place your carboy(s) for the initial fermentation, they are somewhere up high, where you can later siphon them using gravity. If you move your carboy just before siphoning it into the secondary fermentation vessel, you will severely sabotage your efforts to leave behind the sediment. The jarring and sloshing will mix some of the sediment back into your brew, thereby negating the full effectiveness of the process of secondary fermentation!
All in all, secondary fermentation is a very important step towards refining your home brew.
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