Kölschbier

Brewers: Phil

Brew Date: 02/??/08
Carb/Bottle Date: ??
First Drink Date: ??
Volume (Gal): 5
Yeast Activity (0-No Activity, 5-Extremely Active): 3 - Visible Activity (Normal)
Yeast Type: ??
Recipe:

• Phil: [any comments?]
• http://www.beersmith.com/blog/2008/04/05/brewing-a-kolsch-beer-recipe-beer-styles/
• Ferment the beer at 60°F (15°C) or as close as you can get to 60°F (15°C). Once the fermentation is complete, find a cold place to store the beer for a few weeks

Comments: "Phil loved the stuff and it was gone so fast I didn't even get a chance to sample it!" -Pete. The brew requires a moderately code temperature to ferment and a cold temperature to settle in the secondary fermenter.
Overall Rating (0-low, 10-high): 8

Brewing - When Bottles Explode

I'm not sure if this would ever happen to 12 or 16 oz, bottle, but some of those growlers or 22oz bottles might be susceptible to what this dude went through:

http://www.brewingkb.com/homebrewing/Danger-Will-Robinson-Danger-2185.html

Check out the shrapnel in the wall! It's a reminder to NOT add too much sugar to the bottles or extract too much yeast cake from the primary or secondary fermenter.
-Pete

Videos

New videos attached at the very bottom of the page. These videos are updated daily and offer some suggestions, help, tips, and best practices when on how to become a successful home-brewer.

Retirement Planning

RETIREMENT PLANNING

If you had purchased $1000.00 of Nortel stock one year ago, it would now be worth $49.00.


With Enron, you would have had $16.50 left of the original $1000.00.


With WorldCom, you would have had less than $5.00 left.


If you had purchased $1000 of Delta Air Lines stock you would have $49.00 left


If you had purchased United Airlines you would have nothing left.






But, if you had purchased $1,000.00 worth of beer one year ago, drank all the beer, then turned in the cans for the aluminum recycling REFUND,

You would have had $214.00.


Based on the above, the best current investment advice is to drink heavily and recycle.

It's called the 401-Keg Plan

Munton's Wheat Beer

Brewers: Pete

Brew Date: 4/28/08
Carb/Bottle Date: ??
First Drink Date: ??
Volume (Gal): 5
Yeast Activity (0-No Activity, 5-Extremely Active): 3 - Visible Activity (Normal)
Yeast Type: Dry Yeast Packet
Recipe:

• This is a pretty bizarre recipe because there was no boil process…just add hot water to the dry ingredients
• 1. Pour molasses mix and dry malt into fermenter
• 2. add 1 gallon of boiling hot water
• 3. stir and then top off with cold water
• 4. in 1/3 c warm water (under 100 deg F), stir in packet of dry yeast
• 5. once the temp is cool enough (around 80 deg F) add the dry yeast mixture
• 6. recipe suggest that the brew will be done fermenting in about 6 days.

Comments: Molasses settled to the bottom of the carboy. Hopefully, it will not affect the taste of the brew.
Overall Rating (0-low, 10-high): -

Strong Ale

Brewers: Jim and Phil

Brew Date: 11/27/07
Secondary Stage Date: 12/07/07
Carb/Bottle Date: ??
First Drink Date: ??
Volume (Gal): 5
Yeast Activity (0-No Activity, 5-Extremely Active): 3 - Visible Activity (Normal)
Yeast Type: ??
Recipe:

• Midwest Brewer Kit: ??

Comments: "A little too strong to really enjoy." -Pete
Overall Rating (0-low, 10-high): 5

Blonde Ale

Brewers: Jim and Phil

Brew Date: 10/10/07
Secondary Stage Date: 10/25/07
Carb/Bottle Date: 11/07/2007
First Drink Date: 11/10/2007
Volume (Gal): 5
Yeast Activity (0-No Activity, 5-Extremely Active): 3 - Visible Activity (Normal)
Yeast Type: ??
Recipe:

• Midwest Brewer Kit: ??

Comments: A bit Cloudy but Tastes great! -Pete
Overall Rating (0-low, 10-high): 8

Walmart Cider

Brewers: Phil

Brew Date: 10/23/07
Carb/Bottle Date: 11/07/2007
First Drink Date: 11/20/2007
Volume (Gal): 2
Yeast Activity (0-No Activity, 5-Extremely Active): 3 - Visible Activity (Normal)
Yeast Type: WLP550 Belgian Ale YeastRecipe:

• Apple Juice
• Supposedly, bread yeast (Phil used the Belgian Ale on this one)

Comments: Very tart. May have fermented a bit long…or maybe just because its ingredients from…WALMART!

check this out: http://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=14860
Overall Rating (0-low, 10-high): 3

Oatmeal Stout

Brewers: Pete and Phil

Brew Date: 11/02/07
Secondary Stage Date: 11/10/07
Carb/Bottle Date: 11/20/2007
First Drink Date: ??
Volume (Gal): 5
Yeast Activity (0-No Activity, 5-Extremely Active): 3 - Visible Activity (Normal)
Yeast Type: ??
Recipe:

• Midwest Brewing Kit:
• Carmel
• Grains steep 30min.
• Fuggle Hops.
• No aroma hops.

Comments: "Very Dark and hearty. Phil had to finish mine" -Pete
Overall Rating (0-low, 10-high): 8

Amarillo Pale Ale

Brewers: Jim and Phil

Brew Date: 10/12/2007
Secondary Stage Date: 10/27/07
Carb/Bottle Date: 11/10/2007
First Drink Date: 11/20/2007
Volume (Gal): 5
Yeast Activity (0-No Activity, 5-Extremely Active): 5 - Boils Over water lock
Yeast Type: ??
Recipe:

• Midwest Brewing Kit:
• Chinook Hops - 60 min boil.
• Amarillo Hops - 20 min boil.
• Amarillo Hops - after boil.
• 2nd stage recommended.

Comments: Pretty sure this is going to be a good one. Actually, the result was less than expected. It was pretty bitter although we suspect the alcoholic content to be quite high. I probably won't buy this one again.
Overall Rating (0-low, 10-high): 2

Flat Tire

Brewers: Jim and Phil

Brew Date: 9/30/07
Secondary Stage Date: 10/15/07
Carb/Bottle Date: 11/10/2007
First Drink Date: ??
Volume (Gal): 5
Yeast Activity (0-No Activity, 5-Extremely Active): 3 - Visible Activity (Normal)
Yeast Type: -
Recipe:

• Midwest Brewing Kit:Lotsa malt, not as much hops.
• Northern Brewer hops - 30 min boil.
• Saaz Hops - 2 min boil.
• 2nd stage recommended.

Comments: Tastes just like Fat Tire! Really good stuff. Kept it in the secondary fermenter for about 4 weeks before putting it in the fridge and it tasted great!
Overall Rating (0-low, 10-high): 8

Irish Red Ale

Brewers: Jim and Phil

Brew Date: 9/30/07
Secondary Stage Date: 10/15/07
Carb/Bottle Date: 10/25/2007
First Drink Date: 10/27/2007
Volume (Gal): 4
Yeast Activity (0-No Activity, 5-Extremely Active): 2 - Little Activity
Yeast Type: WLP004 Irish Ale Yeast
Recipe:

• Midwest Brewer Kit: Grains turned it red color.
• Added 1 more gallon of water after fermentation
• Cascade hops - 60 min boil.
• Fuggle Hops - 2 min boil.
• 2nd stage recommended.

Comments: Very Light. Carbonation was difficult to manage, but that's because it was force-carbed and may not have had enough time to carbonate.
Overall Rating (0-low, 10-high): 6

Belgian Wittbier

Brewers: Pete, Phil, and John

Brew Date: 9/12/07
Carb/Bottle Date: 9/30/2007
First Drink Date: 10/15/2007
Volume (Gal): 5
Yeast Activity (0-No Activity, 5-Extremely Active): 1 - Dormant
Yeast Type: WLP400 Belgian Wit Ale Yeast
Recipe:

• Midwest Brewer Kit: Orange peels, malt, grains

Comments: Yeast was very poor. Did not take. We ended up with an only 4% alcohol beer. Tasted good though. Carbonation was hardly there because the yeast was not very active.
Overall Rating (0-low, 10-high): 4

Honeyweizen

Brewers: Pete and Phil

Brew Date: 8/31/07
Carb/Bottle Date: 9/12/2007
First Drink Date: 9/15/2007
Volume (Gal): 5
Yeast Activity (0-No Activity, 5-Extremely Active): 3 - Visible Activity (Normal)
Yeast Type: WLP300 Hefeweizen Ale Yeast
Recipe:

• Midwest Brewer Kit: Tons of HONEY!!!!

Comments: Little metallic at first, but after the keg was chilled for a while, it tasted much better. Note: always let the forced carbonation take at least 2 days. We used 40lbs of pressure.Pete's Fav
Overall Rating (0-low, 10-high): 10

EPA - Northern Brewer

Brewers: Pete and Phil

Brew Date: 8/24/07
Carb/Bottle Date: 8/31/2007
First Drink Date: 9/12/2007
Volume (Gal): 5
Yeast Activity (0-No Activity, 5-Extremely Active): 4 - High Activity
Recipe:

• Northern Brewer Kit: (+ extra hops)3 Different Kinds of Hops!!!!

Comments: Too much hops!!!!
Overall Rating (0-low, 10-high): 4

This area is intended to serve a number of different purposes including (but not limited to):

1. as a reference for beer recipes that we've tried and also some very thorough reviews.
2. Pictures/Videos of the brewing process and finished products
3. Q&A of Brewing and General Beer-related topics.
4. Lederhosen Fashion (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lederhosen)

...to name a few

Sincerely,