Paul’s Brewsletter

“When Han Solo returns to the Death Star in the Millenium Falcon and shoots down the tie fighters and saves the rebel cause…you think he does so for a free beer?”

-Dwight Schrute
The Office, NBC sitcom

 I love that quote - I just had to throw that one in.  My wife Andrea and I are huge fans of The Office on NBC and that quote came from a recent episode.  I’m sure ol Han chugged back a few beers or whatever the libation was a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.

Anyway, on to present matters…the latest batch of my beer has been bottled and is a few days away from being drinkable.  Unfortunately, this beer won’t be ready for my parents’ house re-warming party.  But, I will give you an update as to how this one came out.

The alcohol content is lower than my average - but I’m guessing it is close in line with the alcohol content of the megabreweries like Budweiser and Miller.  Here’s the final alcohol stats on the beer:

Original Specific Gravity: 1.035

Final Specific Gravity: 1.014

Alcohol Content by Volume: 2.76%

I hope you’ve been enjoying the Beer Articles I’ve been putting on this blog.  Here’s a link to them in case you want to read the past articles: http://www.prhsolutions.com/brewsletter/category/beer-articles/

Until next time, brew on my wayward son….

Paul

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beer brewing       alcohol content

The next batch of beer has been placed into primary fermentation.  This is the Oktoberfest style of beer I mentioned previously.  I experienced some issues getting the wyeast liquid yeast to activate, so I decided to use the dry yeast that comes with each Mr. Beer mix.  This yeast has always made beer when I’ve used it, so I’m not too concerned.

Keep in mind; if you are using the liquid yeast smack packs from wyeast you may encounter a similar issue as I did.  The issue with the liquid yeast and waiting for it to activate is colder outdoor temperatures (like the ones we were having until recently) can cause the yeast to take a longer time to completely activate.  This means the normal wait of 8-12 hours for the yeast to be ready may be more along the lines of 1-2 days.  Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to start making the beer by the time the liquid yeast was completely ready.  At least now with the warmer temperatures, this shouldn’t be a problem.  I still say wyeast liquid yeast is the way to go and plan to continue using it.

I want to send a quick nod to my friend Eric Gamble, who recently hosted a drink sampling party in New Orleans.  This party was thrown by a group called “The Modern Drunkard”.  At the Modern Drunkard party, we were given several mixed drinks that use vodka as a base alcohol.  The intention of the Modern Drunkard parties is to expand your horizons a bit and give you some other options to consider when you’re out barhopping.  Each Modern Drunkard party uses a different alcohol as a theme.  Who knows, maybe yours truly will supply beer for a Modern Drunkard party in the future?  To read more about the Modern Drunkard parties, click this link.

As a goof, I decided to name this next batch of beer using the Random Beer Name Generator.  Here’s the title:  Wombat-Flaggon Schwartzbier.  And, for those of you scoring at home, the Original Specific Gravity of this beer is 1.035.  If all goes well, this beer should be ready in time for a housewarming party for my parents in April.  I’ll blog again when I’ve bottled the beer.  In the meanwhile, keep checking this blog for tips and hints from other beer-brewing experts and enthusiasts!

Happy brewing!
Paul

As it turns out, Mr. Beer is currently out of stock of the West Coast Pale Ale - so, instead of making my Mardi Gras Beer, I’ll be making the Oktoberfest Vienna Lager.  Oktoberfest beer is usually rich, so this should be a nice batch for this time of year, when the weather is still on the cool side.

While I’m getting my ingredients together, take a look at some articles I’ve put together on beer at http://www.prhsolutions.com/brewsletter/category/beer-articles/.  Find out about the history of beer as well as some basic instructions for brewing.  I’ll be back in touch when I start production on the Oktoberfest Vienna Lager.  Until next time…

Happy brewing!

Paul

Greetings - I’ve been caught up in the Mardi Gras hoopla in New Orleans, so I’ve been just enjoying the Cranberry Holidaze lately.  The Cranberry Holidaze beer went over well at our Superbowl party, and I’ve been bringing it to several parades.

Have you ever tried cooking with Beer?  I’ve so far made bread with beer, using a bread mix I bought at a local homebrew store in New Orleans.  Cooking with beer is an interesting experience.  Cooking with beer you made yourself is even more appealing - you have control over every ingredient!

BeerInside is a cookbook that contains 35 recipes that use beer as an ingredient.  The recipes in this cookbook include Chicken Gumbo, Blueberry Muffins, Tomato Basil Soup and more.  You even get to download three recipes for free on the BeerInside website.  This cookbook sells for under $5, and you can instantly download it once you purchase it.  How’s that for convenient?  Here’s a link to the site: http://tinyurl.com/y5lknz

If you’d like to read more about what Mardi Gras is and why I’ve been so distracted from beer brewing lately, take a look at www.mardigras.com.  I’ll blog again when I start on the beer for my parents’ housewarming party.

Hello again - tomorrow I’ll be unveiling the last of the Cranberry Holidaze at a Mardi Gras / Superbowl Party.  We have 14 liters (about 3.75 gallons) of this beer, so hopefully this will last us until Mardi Gras Day.

Speaking of Mardi Gras, I decided to make another batch of my Mardi Gras Beer for an upcoming housewarming party.  My parents have recently moved back into their house since the post Katrina repairs, and they’re having a housewarming party.  Seems like some good beer would be appropriate for this occasion

Here’s the recipe I use:  http://www.prhsolutions.com/brewsletter/category/recipes/.  Feel free to give it a try; you can get the ingredients here http://tinyurl.com/yfdgrg.

Here’s another fun link you should check out: the Random Beer Name Generator.  Even if you’re not making beer currently, it’s worth looking at for a few laughs.

I’ll keep you posted how the Holidaze goes for the Superbowl party, as well as the Mardi Gras Beer batch.  Maybe I’ll rename it using the beer name generator.

Until next time - happy brewing!  GO COLTS!!!

Paul

Hello again - another update from your friendly neighborhood brewmaster.  The Cranberry Holidaze final batches (5-6) were bottled last night.  Thanks again to Andrea for helping me with finishing up these batches.  Looks like they’ll be ready to drink just in time for the Superbowl.  Unfortunately we won’t be cheering the New Orleans Saints on in this one.  Oh well, there’s always next year.

The alcohol content of the two batches was average for the Cranberry Holidaze:

Batch 1  3.89%
Batch 2  4.17%

You might be wondering what I meant with the headline of this post.  I search for homebrew beer tips and items on the web on occaision.  In one of my Google searches for beer, I saw some sites where individuals were downplaying the Mr. Beer system as making inferior beer.  I’ve heard the same arguments when buying beer brewing supplies from my local homebrew beer store.  Things like, “you are making tv dinner beer” come to mind.  Others mention how the risk of bacterial contamination is present.

I say this to you - I’ve brewed beer since 1998 using Mr. Beer.  I use One Step sanitizer when I make my beer, and this has always worked very well for me.  I don’t intend to enter any beer competitions with my brews, I just want to make beer I like, period.  The people I’ve served my beer to (of whom there are many) all seem to like my stuff.  In fact, most people who’ve tried my beer request me to make beer for parties and such.  Besides, do you really think the sanitization process used regularly by homebrewers will remove ALL bacteria?  Please.  If you want a completely sterile environment, go brew in a hospital operating room, Dr. Goodbeer. 

Anyway - sorry if I’m starting to rant.  I just wanted to share my thoughts on homebrewing with you.  Just think of me as a renegade homebrewer.  Like the Heineken ad says…”It’s All About The Beer.”

Who is with me?  Any comments?

Wow - everyone loved the “higher octane” version of Holidaze!  Looks like I’ll be revising the recipe for next year.  And I thought 7.35% alcohol by volume would be a bit much for some people.  Looks like higher alcohol beer brewing is something I’ll be doing more often

The “standard” Holidaze batches 5-6 are bubbling away happily in their respective brew barrels.  I expect these to be ready in time for the Superbowl, when (hopefully) the New Orleans Saints will get that long awaited moment of glory they’ve been working towards.

Tell me, what kind of beer are you working on these days?  Any ideas for what you will be brewing coming up?  Feel free to post a comment to this blog.

Happy Brewing!
Paul

The final two batches of Holidaze have begun.  This batch will probably be ready in time for the Mardi Gras season, which officially begins on January 6, 2007 this year.  I made this as a double barrel batch again.  The specific gravity measurements were almost exactly the same:

Batch 1: 1.034
Batch 2: 1.036

The batch that I originally intended to have for New Year’s will instead be unveiled this weekend at a party my wife and I are attending.  These are friends of ours who were interested when I mentioned I made homebrew beer (imagine that :))  I’ll be giving them the 7.35% alcohol by volume beer, should make for an interesting impression.

Here’s a tip for those of you making beer with fresh fruit like cranberries - you can easily check the freshness of the cranberry by dropping it from a few inches onto a plate or other smooth clean surface.  If the cranberry bounces, it is fresh.  If it does not bounce at all - discard it.

My thanks to those who have responded to my survey about homebrew beer - if you haven’t already, please take a look at this site and submit your question.  I’ll send everyone who completes the survey a copy of a beer e-book when I complete it.

I’m having a hankering for some stout and I’ve also been requested to make some beer for a housewarming party (probably something on the lighter side for that one) - that will be my next blog post, coming soon.

Until then, happy brewing!

Paul

Hello - I hope your New Year’s was fun.  The latest batch of my Holidaze did not make it in time for the New Year’s party at my friend’s house.  I will get to try it out at a party this weekend, however.  This is the strongest batch of Holidaze I’ve made yet:  7.35% alcohol by volume!

I’m working on an e-book about beer and I’d love to get your input.  Are you considering taking up homebrewing beer as a hobby but have some questions?  Do you have a favorite beer recipe you’d like to share?  Please check out this site and share your question or beer recipe for homebrew beer.  When the e-book is finished, I’ll send you a copy (make sure you enter an email address so I can send you a copy).

Thanks, and happy brewing!

Paul

Hello again - I just wanted to share a fun beer site with you.  I’m sure you’ve probably heard of the Bud Light “Real Men of Genius” and “Real American Heroes” radio commercials - I’ve come across a site on the web that lists what they claim to be the entire collection, available for downloading and listening.  Take a look - these are hilarious.  I didn’t catch a lot of these before on the radio and every one I’ve heard is great!

http://diis.net/article.php?story=budlight