Beer Diary...

I've been asked in the past what my process is for getting the beer into kegs and carbonating. As usual I like to make things as simple as possible on myself and that includes kegging. In the following video I try to show how easy it is to get from the fermentor to a fully carbonated keg in no time and with little effort. Keep in mind that I don't ferment in carboys anymore and I also don't use a secondary which really reduces the amount of work I have to go through to get to the drinking stage of homebrewing. Enjoy this short video and let me know what you think (good or bad) or what I can do to improve the process. For the directors cut of this facinating video, leave a comment below.

The upside : I will be attending this years National Homebrewers Conference in San Diego in June to document as much of the activities as possible. The downside : The American Homebrew Association would not kick down the press pass I requested like they did for me for the Great American Beer Festival last year. Am I bitter? Maybe. Just a little. I mean, I know that I'm not the biggest beer blogger out there but I try really hard. That has to count for something. Something like free admission. 'I don't get enough hits.' they said. Apparently, quality doesn't count for as much in their eyes. How do I respond to this? Well, the day will come when I have thousands of hits and at that point I will refuse to accept a press pass. That's right, take that AHA! But I plan to make the best of my trip and pass on as much information from the event to the readers of Beer Diary... as possible. My plan is to video some of the speakers presentations and maybe a...

One of my favorite beers and one that I brew regularly is a traditional German Hefeweizen with its phenolic spice character and banana esters. But, on occasion I enjoy the simple flavors of a straight forward American wheat beer (without the lemon wedge of course). I developed this recipe to mostly satisfy friends that aren't into the over the top hoppy beers that I love but want something that doesn't ask too much of the drinker. A crisp thirst quenching beer with a nice balance of wheat and malt and low hop bitterness that contributes a subtle piney quality. 11 gallons Eff. 82% Attn. 79% ABv. 6% SRM 6 IBU's 25 O.G. 1.058 F.G. 1.012 Mash at 152F. for 60 minutes in 5gal. h2o 13 lbs. malted wheat 7 lbs. 2-row 2 lbs. Munich Fly sparge for 40 mins. with 10gals h2o at 170f. Boil for 60 mins. with 1.25 oz. Chinook (11% aa) 60 min. 1.00 oz. Centennial (9%) 0 min. Ferment with US05 dry ale yeast (I use 3 pkgs for a 11gal batch or rack to yeast cake for quick ...

I spent a little time down in Santa Barbara so I didn't get a chance to post this years pictures of the Big Brew event hosted Seabright Brewery. But, better late than never. A handful of the zymurgeek club members participated by demonstrating different ways of brewing a batch of beer, including three extracts types and four all-grain brews. Zymurgeeks I decided not to haul my brew sculpture down there this year because it's a real pain to move around. Instead I mashed in a five gallon bucket and brewed a five gallon batch of Alt on a single burner. Easy and enjoyable and I got a great efficiency out of the bucket mash. Seabright Brewery was generous to allow the use of their patio area and kept us happy with great beer. There was also a little homebrew to be had including Stout, Blonde ale and Lambik to name a few. Aside from a stuck mash at one of the rigs, good time was had by all and another successful Big Brew. Looking forward to next year.  Megan with an extract ...

This guest post is by  artist Susan Dorf of susandorf.com Shortly after we moved into our apartment, the maintenance guy showed up to install some window screens. Entering the kitchen, his jaw dropped as he encountered the kegerator, filling up the spot that the manager had so fondly called 'the breakfast nook' when she gave us a tour of the place. It sits on an oil pan we found at a yard sale, it's classic tap handles from various breweries begging to be pulled to deliver a nice tall cool one. The entire front surface of the kegerator is plastered in bumper stickers from every brewpub, homebrew supplier and brew festival Mark has ever attended, and include slogans such as "I Brew, Therefore I Am," Brew Naked," and "Beer. It's not just for Breakfast anymore." The maintenance guy lets out a low whistle. "Wow," He says. "My wife would NEVER let me have one of those in the kitchen." Really? I think. You mean, I have a choi...

As summer brings in the warmer weather it's time for quenching my thirst with the lighter styles of beer. I've spent the last couple of months brewing beers that I can enjoy in the heat. One of those is an American wheat beer and another is a cream ale similar to a light lager but fermented with ale yeast. Once these are conditioned and ready for quaffing I'll review and give the details on the recipes but in the mean time here is a commercial example of a perfect summer time beer that I've always enjoyed, Kolsch. The following is some information provided by the German Beer Institute . In a country dominated by lagers of all strengths and colors, the modern Kölsch (the beer) is Germany's only true, all-barley, pale ale. The other German pale ale is, of course, the Bavarian Weissbier or Weizen, made mostly from wheat. Although Kolsch fits in the ale category it is unusual in that it is cool-fermented and then aged and mellowed (or "lagered") near the fre...

Sometimes, while in the middle of doing something mundane like driving out of Santa Cruz on highway 1 at stop and go speeds, my mind wanders and takes me on an equally mundane journey through random memories and I lose my sense of reality. I drift aimlessly between thoughts of my most recent behavior of the previous night at the brewpub, including all the sordid details that led me to believe I lack any redeemable qualities. I don't think I was being inconsiderate, just misunderstood but it left me feeling alien. This prompted a flash back to an earlier time in my life, I think I was eight. My father yanked on the newly mended broken arm that I'd been nursing for weeks after the cast was removed, trying to force it back to bending naturally. Later, I clutched it bent to my chest and supported it at the wrist in the exact position it was in while bandaged. It ached and I was certain that even the slightest bendin...