In November, I'm judging my first beer competition, thanks to the folks at MALT, a local brew club. This competition is called the MALT Turkey Shoot. However, I've been promised that no actual turkeys will be hurt before, during, or after the competition. Hopefully, this will be the first of many. I'm going to see about joining this brewing group, which seems to be closer than BURP.
I've also started studying to re-take the BJCP exam. I'd like to do significantly better; considering I barely qualified as a Recognized judge, I hope to at least get to the Certified level.
Brewing-wise, I've brewed a couple of beers since my last entry. Following the saison--which just turned out ok, not great--I attempted another Belgian beer, a dubbel. For the most part, I followed the dubbel recipe in Randy Mosher's Radical Brewing book. I did add more aroma hops at the end of the boil, mainly because I didn't plan on brewing again for awhile and I didn't want to waste an ounce or so of hops. Overall, the dubbel turned out very well and I'm very pleased with it.
I returned to Radical Brewing with my most recent beer. Perusing the recipe ideas, I came across "Honey Ginger IPA" as a suggestion for a holiday beer. Again, I made some changes. I created my own English-style IPA (extract with steeping grains), used about 1.5 pounds of wildflower honey, and approximately 6 ounces of crystallized ginger. While Mosher suggests adding the honey and ginger to the secondary, I added the honey and about half of the ginger to the last 5 minutes or so to the boil. Surprise, surprise: I had an OG of 1.075. When I came home from work the next day, the airlock and stopper had blown completely off. I just racked to the secondary the other day and had a gravity of about 1.010. This was about 10 points lower than I was hoping for, which will equate to a thinner beer. It tastes fine, and I dry hopped (East Kent Goldings) and added more of the crystallized ginger. I'm hoping it will be drinkable in about a month or so.
In retrospect, I should have pasteurized the honey, then added it to the secondary, as Mosher suggests. If it turns out ok, I will post the recipe here.
Finally getting some time to write something about beer.
Turns out that I passed (barely!) after all. So I'm now a "Recognized Beer Judge" affliated with the Beer Judge Certification Program. Now, Recognized is the lowest level, but I'm already studying for my next go around. What I really need to do is actually judge some beers.
I did enter my porter in the "Spirit of Free Beer" contest back on May 12th in Ashburn, Virginia. It was scored as "good," which I guess was appropriate. I don't think this batch was nearly as good as the last batch I made of the same recipe, probably due to some problems I had in keeping the mash temperature up.
About a month ago I brewed a saison-like beer. It should be interesting. I bottled it last Thursday, so it should be drinkable by this weekend. Since this is my first Belgian beer, it could be interesting...
It's been awhile since I've written, but that's mainly because I was studying for the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP). For those who don't know much about it and want to, check out the http://www.bjcp.org. I wanted to take it for some time but could never find a test location close to me. I happened upon a test being given by a brew club called Brewers United for Real Potables (BURP), based in the Washington, D.C. area. They were kind enough to allow me to take the exam with them, and I ended up joing the club.
The exam went ok, although I'm not certain that I passed. It's more than just liking to drink beer or homebrew! On the web site there is a study guide that outlines what it takes to pass the exam.
Other than that, I brewed a porter about two weeks ago, the same recipe I posted last time. It's in the secondary now, I'll probably bottle it next week. I'm going to try and do something more adventurous next time. I'm going to attempt an Orange/Ginger Wheat beer.
With the holiday season over--ok, it's been over for a couple of weeks now but I still have my tree up--it's time to delve back into brewing. I know now at least some of my family read the website, since essentially every book I gave as holiday suggestions ended up under my tree. I'll start giving complete reviews soon.
I've already brewed one batch of beer, which I'll probably bottle tonight. It's the Imperial Pale Ale recipe from the Sam Calagione book Extreme Brewing. I wanted to do the Ginger Saison; however, my LHBS didn't have the saison yeast and I had a limited window of brew-tunity so couldn't order any. Next time I am going to try culturing some yeast from either a bottle of Ommegang Hennepin or Saison Dupont.
The holiday season is upon us...so what do you want to get for the homebrewer in your family? There's always a gadget to be had, or a new book on brewing out there. So while I won't presume to have your significant other's homebrew wishlist, I've compiled a few (hopefully!) useful suggestions which are based on my own experiences.
I've continued my practice of purchasing craft beers each week. I've been focusing mostly on Dogfish Head. Following the Raison D'Etre, I tried the 60 Minute IPA, which at 6% ABV, is probably the tamest of the Dogfish brews. Because of that, it's a great "session" beer, or one easily quaffable over the long haul. Is it the best IPA I've ever had? Well, if it isn't, it's awfully close. As soon as I can whip up the courage, I'm going to try the 90 Minute IPA, which has an ABV of 9%.
My new favorite DFH beer, however, is their Indian Brown Ale. This is a very flavorful interpretation of a brown ale, and is 7.2% ABV. Great beer, and I'm not alone in thinking that--it garners a 92 percent onwww.ratebeer.com. I can say without a doubt it's my new favorite beer. Last week I did depart from DFH, opting instead for Magic Hat Number 9. I've had this beer before on draft (pretty sure it was on draft), and loved it. This time, I didn't particularly care for it--it had a week body. It was fully hopped, though.
Last update: 04-11-2006 03:28
The Ideal Wine Cellar: Everything You Need to Get Started
So you've decided to take a large step, and move from wine lover to wine connoisseur. You are going to buy a wine cellar. This guide will give you all the information you need to make this purchase.
Wine Bottle Storage
The ideal location for storing wine is a dark, draftless area that stays at a constant 50-60 degrees, with 60-70 percent humidity. The bottles should be kept on their sides to keep the corks moist, and should be exposed to limited vibrations. This will ensure that you will be able to keep bottles at their best for years to come.
One thing to consider if you decide to purchase a large wine cellar: make sure the unit will fit! This sounds obvious, but many times stand-alone wine cellars are much wider than a standard door. Another thing to think about is weight. Consider not only the weight of the storage unit, but be sure to calculate 3 pounds each for a standard bottle of wine. You might not want to store your wine upstairs. This is another reason that wine is typically stored in a cellar.
If you make homemade beer or wine and are looking for folks to trade with, or just to share your experiences about this great hobby, you've come to the right place!
Finally getting some time to write something about beer.
I've continued my practice of purchasing craft beers each week. I've been focusing mostly on Dogfish Head. Following the Raison D'Etre, I tried the 60 Minute IPA, which at 6% ABV, is probably the tamest of the Dogfish brews. Because of that, it's a great "session" beer, or one easily quaffable over the long haul. Is it the best IPA I've ever had? Well, if it isn't, it's awfully close. As soon as I can whip up the courage, I'm going to try the 90 Minute IPA, which has an ABV of 9%.
