Tom asks: “When a beer is described as “Toasty”, what exactly do they mean?” Toasty usually refers to a literal toasty flavor in the beer. Usually it’s either a toasted malt or adjunct (oats, barley, etc.), or it could just be that an aromatic or biscuit malt was used in the brew. I’m sure there [...]
Home Brewing
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Tom asks: When a beer is described as “Toasty”, what exactly do they mean?
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My first all-grain brew – Simple Cascade Pale
So last Thursday, I brewed my first all-grain batch of beer! I decided to make a simple pale ale, keep it simple for the first run. My ingredients: 8lb American Pale Malt (2-row) 1lb Cara-Pils 1oz Cascade – 60 min 1/2oz Cascade – 30 min 1 tsp Irish Moss – 15 min 1/2oz Cascade – [...]
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Magnetic stove (Induction Burner) IS good for making wort!
I came across an interesting boiler. It’s a magnetic stove, and I posted about it here, thinking it might be good for making wort. Turns out, this guy Drew actually does use this thing for making wort! He’s had to do some slight modifications, but apparently it works great. He kindly sent me some pics [...]
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Better way to use a Wort Chiller
So I picked up a wort chiller from the local brew shop, and I tried it out for the first time last weekend. It works great, and it’s a lot easier to deal with than an ice bath. But I didn’t feel like it went any quicker than an ice bath. (I’m still boiling about [...]
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Beer City Festival – Asheville, NC
Can’t wait for the Beer City Festival tomorrow! I was supposed to play a show with my band later tomorrow evening, but it got cancelled. This is a good thing, as I can now drink a lot more beer! I think there are still a few tickets available at Barley’s or at the gates at [...]
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Magnetic stove, maybe good for making wort
Check out this interesting contraption. It’s an induction cooktop, meaning that it uses a magnetic field to heat the pot. The burner never actually even glows hot. It’s all magnetic. This thing might be good for making wort.
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What’s the next brew?
So I’ve brewed about ten batches at this point, but I’ve yet to brew one at my own house, with my own facilities. Of course, my kitchen sucks, so maybe it’s better this way.
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Make grain tea in the oven
We brewed a batch of pale ale the other at Brian’s house. It was just a simple American pale ale, a recipe from Hops and Vines. This time, when making grain tea, we followed Alex’s advice: Place the pot with the tea bag in the oven on low (around 150-160º) Leave it in there for [...]
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Tasting of my Second Home Brew: Smoked Porter
So I finally got a chance to taste my second batch of homebrew! It’s a Smoked Porter, a recipe from Alex Buerckholtz, owner of Hops and Vines, a brew supply shop in West Asheville, North Carolina.
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A few thoughts after my fourth home brew experience
I’ve brewed four home brew batches so far, and I’ve bottled two of them. I’m starting to really see the bigger picture when it comes to brewing, and I’m really starting to feel a like it’s time to get a bit more experimental with these batches. At this point, I’ve brewed: