18 of 30 - Beer!

[aggienaut]

   A month and a half ago Mark and I made an imperial stout (ie dark strong beer). We then placed most of it in my barrel, which I had been filled with homemade rum until immediately prior (rum is now in a Gallo wine jug). The barrel, obviously, still had rum soaked into the wood. We let the beer age in this barrel for about a month. Saturday we bottled it.

   Even warm and uncarbonated, the beer tasted like awesome! We mixed priming sugar with it as we bottled it, so it will ferment just enough more over the next two weeks to become carbonated. I am extremely excited about how it is going to be when we try it cold and carbonated. This is a beer we can be proud to take to a brew club gathering.


   And then Mark opened a bottle of the belgian ale he had made while he was gone. He aged this one with oak chips (theoretically giving the barrel age effect without the barrel), and had mixed in orange peels and some other things. It had fermented so hard it blew the lid off his bucket.
   This beer also tasted fantastic! Our first batch I'm not gonna lie had been kind of dubious. The second one was barely passable. After that we got pretty good. The oatmeal cream stout I'd made was downright good, but it was, after all, only following a recipe. I feel these last two beers we made though, we could win contests with!


When Things Go Wrong
   Mark reported to me that while I was gone, he was making a barleywine (a really strong beer). One Friday evening just before he went out he decided to check on it. He noticed that the fermentation lock (the valve on top that lets air out but not in, so it doesn't build up pressure but unwanted bacteria doesn't get in) had blocked up. So he pulled it out to clean it.
   As soon as he got it loose however it shot out and yeast gunk shot everywhere, covering him and the surrounding area. Unable to see because he had gunk in his eyes he had to feel his way to the kitchen sink to clean off. Once he was able to see again he could see green handprints all over the walls where he had felt his way to the kitchen. And of course now he had a fantastic mess to clean up. Good times.
   Moral of the story: make sure you're fermentation lock doesn't clog!! (and if it does, be very careful opening it?)

And more pictures of light refracted through bottles because I can never resist

Comments

[tick-wonderdog.livejournal.com]

where did you get your barrel? i've been thinking about getting one, but there are so many different ones on the market.
in Germany, they distill beer into something they call bierschnapps. i bet the hops give it an interesting flavor.

Disilling Beer

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

I got mine from the nice people at A & J Whiskey Barrels. Mine is a 5 gallon american oak whiskey barrel (ie charred on the inside), but they make wine barrels too (toasted on the inside) and different sizes (and I'd imagine if you want not toasted or anything they could do that too. I don't actually know what a normal "beer barrel" would call for)

I had heard that distilling anything with hops makes a weird off flavour and that's why it isn't generally done. If it IS doable then hell I'm gonna buy a load of bud light and distill it to make cheap liquor! :D

[heethen-crone.livejournal.com]

I'd so love a taste of your imperial stout. I checked out your pix of the bottles. I was very impressed with the last one in the series.

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

Thanks! (:

[hopefulspirit.livejournal.com]

Great pictures! I love homemade beer, there's nothing like it. My new roommate likes to make his own beer, and at the moment is attempting his first batch of hard cider.

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

Nice. I've only done beer (and liquor) so far, but have been thinking it's about time I tried my hand at something else, such as wine or mead.

[beki.livejournal.com]

Sounds like your buddy needs to take a tip from Norm on This Old House. When ever starting a new project, always wear safety glasses.

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

hahahahaha true.