tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86711980969237739072024-02-06T22:01:28.012-08:00Chill HazeAdventures on homebrewing, cooking, and art in the Great Basin.Brienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11131844924056998549noreply@blogger.comBlogger74125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8671198096923773907.post-52915879013114425842014-12-24T11:08:00.001-08:002014-12-24T11:09:34.259-08:00Hop Randall Build<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAbHApHKq_BUEnzLrRd7QEo0gM4_wDZEpC019EDagtuKaufxk1PCAxEwkkOy_CQqC7wZA3vNd_p-rcO9RMK2EZIE5mijt61F4JICE4VAiQo4SRQksgoKmWtx2aMbM93LeuNtztnZtmGSA/s640/blogger-image-1217963651.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAbHApHKq_BUEnzLrRd7QEo0gM4_wDZEpC019EDagtuKaufxk1PCAxEwkkOy_CQqC7wZA3vNd_p-rcO9RMK2EZIE5mijt61F4JICE4VAiQo4SRQksgoKmWtx2aMbM93LeuNtztnZtmGSA/s320/blogger-image-1217963651.jpg" width="240" /></a>Last weekend I built a hop randall, something I have been wanting to do for a long time. For those who are unfamiliar with the name, a randall, also known as a moorminator, hash back, or beer infuser, is a device that is placed inline between a keg and a draft faucet that allows you to infuse additional flavors into a beer. There are several designs, ranging from cheap - a French Press or a thermos with a filter - all the way up to the overkill solution offered by <a href="http://www.dogfish.com/store/damn-thats-luv/randall-30.htm" target="_blank">Dogfish Head</a>.<br />
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I opted to go for the tried and true water filter based design, as it seems to be the most prevalent and is relatively cheap to build yourself - there are pre-built models available from several homebrewing sites as well as places like Amazon and eBay for about $100, but you can build one yourself much cheaper.<br />
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I opted to go for an all-stainless (save the filter housing) design, because <em>stainless</em>. Many of these parts are available in brass/plastic (nylon or PVC) versions as well for less. The design I chose uses a Ball Lock post on one side and a disconnect on the other so I can easily daisy-chain the Randall into my system without having to mess with anything, but there are other options as well if you look around.<br />
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Check out the build after the break.<br />
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Here is the full parts list that I used:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All the parts and tools you (should) need.</td></tr>
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- Pentek #10 Clear Filter Housing, model #158117, $16 @ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pentek-158117-Clear-Filter-Housing/dp/B003VT79VA/" target="_blank">Amazon</a> - this one already has 1/4" threads so you will not need step-down adapter rings</div>
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- 1/4" NPT to 19/32" post adapter - $5 @ <a href="http://www.williamsbrewing.com/MALE-NPT-CORNY-POST-ADAPTER-P3404.aspx" target="_blank">Williams Brewing</a></div>
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- 19/32" Ball Lock post/poppet - $10 @ my LHBS</div>
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- 1/4" NPT to 1/4" MFL adapter (stainless) - $3 @ <a href="http://www.williamsbrewing.com/14-NPT-TO-14-FLARE-STAINLESS-ADAPTER-P2292.aspx" target="_blank">Williams Brewing</a></div>
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- 1/4" FFL to 1/4" barb adapter (stainless) - $4, if I did this over again I would opt for the elbow version <a href="http://www.homebrewing.org/90-deg-Swivel-Elbow-14-FFL-x-14-Barb_p_2221.html" target="_blank">here</a></div>
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- 6' of 3/16" liquid beverage tubing - $3 @ Williams Brewing</div>
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- 1/4" barb liquid Ball Lock disconnect - $5 @ Williams Brewing</div>
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- 10" stainless steel pipe (Sanke spear) - FREE*</div>
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- two 1/4" tubing stainless worm-drive hose clamps - $1</div>
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<strong>Total: $47</strong></div>
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Assembly is fairly straight-forward - wrap the the NPT/flare adapter in some Teflon, then screw it and the flare to barb adapter into the IN port of the filter housing, then mount the beverage tubing and Ball Lock disconnect onto the barb. I used a straight barb, but if I did it over again I would suggest using an elbow fitting, as this puts the tubing assembly at a more manageable angle when attempting to fit it into a tight space (light inside a kegerator).</div>
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Then, thread the NPT to post adapter (again, use Teflon tape) onto the OUT side of the housing, then screw the ball lock post down onto the adapter (make sure the poppet and o-ring are in place, you do not need Teflon for this connection as the o-ring on the adapter will provide the seal).</div>
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Finally, find a suitable pipe with 1/2" ID - a cut-down spear from a Sanke keg works perfectly. I was in a time-crunch to get the Randall working for a party so I am temporarily using a CPVC pipe as they are much easier to cut/drill, but will quickly be replacing it.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drilling holes into the 'filter'.</td></tr>
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You will want to cut the pipe down to fit exactly where the water filter normally would - if you use the same filter I did this should be roughly 9-7/8". Deburr/clean up the ends after cutting. Then, drill several small holes (I used the smallest drill-bit I had, these holes are you filter - if you go too large you run the risk of clogging the Randall) in the bottom 2-3" of the pipe. The idea is that the beer will flow down into the housing, past the hops/coffee beans/whatever before going through these holes and back out the housing. Again, clean up the holes after drilling - you don't want plastic/metal bits getting into your lines/glass!</div>
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To use, stuff whatever ingredient you chose (in my case, whole leaf Cascade hops from my garden) evenly around the pipe and then assemble your Randall. I spray the entire thing down with Star-San before use to help maintain sanitation.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the keg, stuffed with hops, and in use.</td></tr>
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Brienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11131844924056998549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8671198096923773907.post-79401081473573473052014-12-19T11:09:00.003-08:002014-12-19T15:13:30.596-08:00Girl Stout Cookie - Samoa<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJip4vV6VAnLfZfJI5aoqs1LakShWzblpxJkHYPpfKLXT8Za6njaC3jH7UwG2y75NNQCLrH8cEcEPJtanu9WM1tChX4taZAkp8VgeJcrgfFv5aGd7t30NkZb6Q2r85vcT33D51ud0RPwc/s640/blogger-image-1043893425.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJip4vV6VAnLfZfJI5aoqs1LakShWzblpxJkHYPpfKLXT8Za6njaC3jH7UwG2y75NNQCLrH8cEcEPJtanu9WM1tChX4taZAkp8VgeJcrgfFv5aGd7t30NkZb6Q2r85vcT33D51ud0RPwc/s200/blogger-image-1043893425.jpg" width="150" /></a>A few weeks back I read about a brewery in San Francisco that brewed several beers inspired by girl scout cookies for SFBW. My wife and I love Samoas, and so the idea was born to brew my own cookie-inspired beer.<br />
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After settling on the general profile and base style of the beer, a recipe quickly came together for a lightly hopped oatmeal stout, with generous amounts of chocolate and crystal malts, to which lactose, caramelized sugar, toasted coconut, cocoa nibs/powder, and vanilla beans would be added for the quintessential flavors of a Samoa cookie.<br />
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The lactose and cocoa powder were added with about 10 minutes left in the boil, while the coconut, nibs, and vanilla beans will be added to secondary.<br />
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Enjoy some more photos from the brew day - and the recipe - after the break.<br />
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<em>PS: Thanks to </em><a href="http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/18854/99235/"><em>NOLA Brewing</em></a><em> for such a clever name - I had to use it!</em><a name='more'></a><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mashing in.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vorlauf and sparge.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Halfway through the boil.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Into the carboy.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tons of break material.</td></tr>
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Brienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11131844924056998549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8671198096923773907.post-91665411856945215652014-12-18T16:08:00.003-08:002014-12-18T16:08:25.445-08:00Tropical Rye IPA<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0JSCxOHVvSQRqIVDUpjq_RP7MiSkPFhgngF6RKchsVpJ8xzv34YJDOt_d9yLyzt4FahQeGDL4dBKEpLkTJUjVRfE6PbBxrbQMkHgyGEQbtYYn-r6xBoFW_MjaJdPxLdbFdEUDpTb3zw8/s640/blogger-image--1334352862.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0JSCxOHVvSQRqIVDUpjq_RP7MiSkPFhgngF6RKchsVpJ8xzv34YJDOt_d9yLyzt4FahQeGDL4dBKEpLkTJUjVRfE6PbBxrbQMkHgyGEQbtYYn-r6xBoFW_MjaJdPxLdbFdEUDpTb3zw8/s320/blogger-image--1334352862.jpg" width="240" /></a>Last month I brewed a tribute to one of my favorite beers, Tropical Heat Ruination. I started with my go-to Rye IPA base, switching to more tropical-forward hops such as Mosaic and Simtra, as well as Gigayeast's Vermont IPA (Heady Topper) yeast. Then, as I tend to do, I dialed it up to 11 with 5 pounds of actual tropical fruit, as well as some pepper extract I made from splitting a few habaneros and ghost in half and soaking them in tequila - that way I could adjust to taste at kegging.</div>
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Very few roadbumps on this beer - a sign I may finally be getting dialed in at the house - although the beer did nearly explode. I had so many pellet hops in the fermenter that they actually clogged the blow-off tube and the entire assembly plus maybe 1/3 gallon of wort literally exploded out of the carboy and all over the interior of my fermentation chamber. After primary I dry-hopped with an additional 4 ounces of Citra and Mosaic.</div>
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Here's some additional photos from the brew day, transferring/dry hop and kegging.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6cbGHhpyixyycSray0T_WUuyA1KMBgi72CNlj_FR4YvUIglLLepxhW5oMBLC33aE_HYskMvb1BBWzzvpbHkgd53EftWpGY4Fb9XqecfjwOugul5mo5Ap9VyS4OGIjyzlabrqwDS_o6QM/s640/blogger-image-116390293.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6cbGHhpyixyycSray0T_WUuyA1KMBgi72CNlj_FR4YvUIglLLepxhW5oMBLC33aE_HYskMvb1BBWzzvpbHkgd53EftWpGY4Fb9XqecfjwOugul5mo5Ap9VyS4OGIjyzlabrqwDS_o6QM/s320/blogger-image-116390293.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everything ready. Mangoes in the boil? Why not.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE-LUey_Kj_t3aDDSL0YAroB-y-iYvL3RGmkoBI1G9NdiH_Gugqx8sM4T9NY37kQan-LXMVOaMtOLE_rt2feqGP4u2ntH0rlEd4k8yxOqJYh6Gsbbf_ivu4EuDXq2bHWp8yeZxjzo5l_g/s640/blogger-image--153352691.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE-LUey_Kj_t3aDDSL0YAroB-y-iYvL3RGmkoBI1G9NdiH_Gugqx8sM4T9NY37kQan-LXMVOaMtOLE_rt2feqGP4u2ntH0rlEd4k8yxOqJYh6Gsbbf_ivu4EuDXq2bHWp8yeZxjzo5l_g/s400/blogger-image--153352691.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Explosion.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZnkOuFW0urD23kVyCCGHh_079v9bsbcWsxizioLNvHbObR8QmJPxpTwtf-_NCZIehMSrPohVryBoi8lc3DuFXpTPXNShXPcZ7cxoxDnj7S5m9FCkphj_dXTTevYIBOZp69T0AMY04f90/s640/blogger-image-2081061215.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZnkOuFW0urD23kVyCCGHh_079v9bsbcWsxizioLNvHbObR8QmJPxpTwtf-_NCZIehMSrPohVryBoi8lc3DuFXpTPXNShXPcZ7cxoxDnj7S5m9FCkphj_dXTTevYIBOZp69T0AMY04f90/s640/blogger-image-2081061215.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Transferring to secondary for more hops.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3HtUcd-t7CF8E7d7IwlwqTjxHU4h5b6AsnqZfj7grxa64YmM9yGHa_t0Royei76Pd8zVAOkxdSzEsdELOBUqf5mkuLS0U8KUjy86iwKQF7ROzdtPc9NHVRh5_ukutHqvLJAB28qA5-7w/s640/blogger-image--1920683329.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3HtUcd-t7CF8E7d7IwlwqTjxHU4h5b6AsnqZfj7grxa64YmM9yGHa_t0Royei76Pd8zVAOkxdSzEsdELOBUqf5mkuLS0U8KUjy86iwKQF7ROzdtPc9NHVRh5_ukutHqvLJAB28qA5-7w/s640/blogger-image--1920683329.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dry hops.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFaQGOrl1PKIxgzVSKRi-Fo3GVvKCCbcOd55lm4G1GqOxqwUhm1sn_qMH3RWaf7HVj1deVpi0g87ZdPQzQtbjuBtwyOQZyU_61PKCj9cM0c-sNtk9vVvmSA9ukPaE3lsBzC_jwZ0kx1XI/s640/blogger-image--1854035144.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFaQGOrl1PKIxgzVSKRi-Fo3GVvKCCbcOd55lm4G1GqOxqwUhm1sn_qMH3RWaf7HVj1deVpi0g87ZdPQzQtbjuBtwyOQZyU_61PKCj9cM0c-sNtk9vVvmSA9ukPaE3lsBzC_jwZ0kx1XI/s640/blogger-image--1854035144.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Final gravity, 1.009. Nice and dry.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVK5ZvDR_uVt3YI8FNbTM-ri7XoRth0MuBzeB67_2s0kSfAv6yEKVTLBko9TNcmJznbgUROb2iNWmgO0nCl11Y-7kmF6kcr0lY2vCMSsJADPB9PNVupeu6DlbAEwnnPmqbaE14arZc2IA/s640/blogger-image-564248623.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVK5ZvDR_uVt3YI8FNbTM-ri7XoRth0MuBzeB67_2s0kSfAv6yEKVTLBko9TNcmJznbgUROb2iNWmgO0nCl11Y-7kmF6kcr0lY2vCMSsJADPB9PNVupeu6DlbAEwnnPmqbaE14arZc2IA/s640/blogger-image-564248623.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kegging.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXO25otgFo-0hK8X57AA-75uA2ul1R6AHECfvJQPfMoHSqkiatx6dSVb7IoDj9-VmzwMLEU2Ve4EhFXQwaScS3y0CA02ijjvisxbslmiRiN-jaRlefE-20wx7h3LNdm7GkDi-IRovQ64g/s640/blogger-image--1646700492.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXO25otgFo-0hK8X57AA-75uA2ul1R6AHECfvJQPfMoHSqkiatx6dSVb7IoDj9-VmzwMLEU2Ve4EhFXQwaScS3y0CA02ijjvisxbslmiRiN-jaRlefE-20wx7h3LNdm7GkDi-IRovQ64g/s640/blogger-image--1646700492.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On tap.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
Brienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11131844924056998549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8671198096923773907.post-37631223590993585962014-12-09T16:02:00.000-08:002014-12-09T16:06:59.771-08:00Hot Sauce 101: Sriracha (El Gallo Fantasmo)For the inaugural edition of Hot Sauce 101 I'll talk about one of my favorite hot sauces of all time, sriracha.<br />
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Born in Thailand, this bright red sauce has somehow become the hot new thing, supplanting bacon as the trendy thing to add from everything to potato chips to ice cream. Traditional sriracha (invented in Sri Racha, of course) is much sweeter and runnier than the Huy Fong version people in the US are accustomed to.<br />
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That being said, I'm a huge fan of the Americanized version, which is hotter, more garlicky, and overall denser flavor-wise. The only complaint I have, is the heat. I've been in search for a commercially produced version that ratchets the heat level up to 11, but so far I've only found one producer, and they only make the 'extra hot' version a couple of times a year.<br />
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Thankfully, making it isn't that hard.<br />
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<strong>1. Get some chilis (and garlic!):</strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG0uquQ01iQkDenvQjt02UybGh4z0ORjLCgDZ5sq_YSLce6l07-YsggwEeOuoeD2SXcrKyzdKlVI2_BpZpUgw0ZtgMpYsEod87wpi2LyBaqbKsv_UgQ5ihyphenhyphenreD-T7qyTSppizJgcu8KK8/s640/blogger-image-1334490118.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG0uquQ01iQkDenvQjt02UybGh4z0ORjLCgDZ5sq_YSLce6l07-YsggwEeOuoeD2SXcrKyzdKlVI2_BpZpUgw0ZtgMpYsEod87wpi2LyBaqbKsv_UgQ5ihyphenhyphenreD-T7qyTSppizJgcu8KK8/s320/blogger-image-1334490118.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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In this case, a mix of fresno and Trinidad Moruga scorpion peppers, with a few dried ghost peppers for good measure.<br />
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<strong>2. Chop the chilis and garlic:</strong><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj79he5a7P03Ge3Egl9Z7SMU5LjO1xdlIq0k29NrkJ40sog3ChT55OOtSYAsG9aTngkAGHhryZ7KLBMJgsMlS6lXV5QdMW4hKIzlAhY_53iv_4EjIPYYKxqg4j197ja40RAM0mkq8v1H3A/s640/blogger-image-1399819585.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj79he5a7P03Ge3Egl9Z7SMU5LjO1xdlIq0k29NrkJ40sog3ChT55OOtSYAsG9aTngkAGHhryZ7KLBMJgsMlS6lXV5QdMW4hKIzlAhY_53iv_4EjIPYYKxqg4j197ja40RAM0mkq8v1H3A/s400/blogger-image-1399819585.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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<strong>3. Add some sugar and ferment it</strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLiR7k735nYFXjogNUYEsCvI2Uc_wGZFGX0RgBkNlmRKzgm6Sau_nEjxSONpif3dE_UJjd6ZYTpII4qiVmiWX7fvKTBUavnSZixaMDtorzuyieeNNk5ujsoMX0rHe3YxZosFgiN1utFAs/s640/blogger-image--1303497124.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLiR7k735nYFXjogNUYEsCvI2Uc_wGZFGX0RgBkNlmRKzgm6Sau_nEjxSONpif3dE_UJjd6ZYTpII4qiVmiWX7fvKTBUavnSZixaMDtorzuyieeNNk5ujsoMX0rHe3YxZosFgiN1utFAs/s400/blogger-image--1303497124.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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The lacto-fermentation is what adds a lot of the complexity and acidity.<br />
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<strong>4. Wait...</strong><br />
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<strong>5. Blend it, strain it, and add more vinegar and sugar:</strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp95uzzmnfgwO_nL3anJ4Z9vkxBXPFrBjPUn63WlNFcMXoBrNQYrKsJTwr1tJ-ZF0AFPhsI1wGTb9YIKAi9kbrsbO5f2Gvq_pAae5qB7OB0G45OjeBkUXLFJ1cNb8oKv6Km7lSLK7EAno/s640/blogger-image-633515358.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp95uzzmnfgwO_nL3anJ4Z9vkxBXPFrBjPUn63WlNFcMXoBrNQYrKsJTwr1tJ-ZF0AFPhsI1wGTb9YIKAi9kbrsbO5f2Gvq_pAae5qB7OB0G45OjeBkUXLFJ1cNb8oKv6Km7lSLK7EAno/s320/blogger-image-633515358.jpg" width="240" /></a><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJAxj_U7V6Mz-WSRU8qFosSA8wDWjpC4XKAh-lQbS9zDI2qZKoBS46ikgAKu3EHrFGuc2MGfIjMV2hdFCRcBJ5RLhCpsy5F1jyqUwU45lGhscViosjrFcu8oLT64ZKARrWfoLb03NbI-8/s320/blogger-image-788589808.jpg" width="240" /><br />
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Many recipes call to boil it, but I chose to preserve the probiotic/preservative qualities of the lactobacilli cultures (there's probably pedio in there too, but I don't feel like culturing it).<br />
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<strong>6. Bottle and Enjoy!</strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-K3DfNHcEM69Qfd_VUVcYA1uSJCmtUOnYd0BrKv1L9kjaJUdah25Flejv5ckx5P3dR_7e1587WXrHyMrcBqgNE9vuh6IAPkoh8VNDzO-Lk39gLl31opOpyCIBvMQep49Ck7AgYy96vRM/s640/blogger-image--536092639.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-K3DfNHcEM69Qfd_VUVcYA1uSJCmtUOnYd0BrKv1L9kjaJUdah25Flejv5ckx5P3dR_7e1587WXrHyMrcBqgNE9vuh6IAPkoh8VNDzO-Lk39gLl31opOpyCIBvMQep49Ck7AgYy96vRM/s400/blogger-image--536092639.jpg" width="400" /></a>Brienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11131844924056998549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8671198096923773907.post-28798615964505412382014-11-05T15:48:00.000-08:002014-12-09T16:01:51.912-08:00Local Lambic 2013/2014 Updates<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIdzAc4WEAyxZDFBAhpCVetA36951cSbXCOacL3erYMGdcOjFrpYBRu4G6EsVhn8HDvt3ut-ik2nF38qrZ-uzEg5g6m7Hjm_ZbmSbE9kU5ps2PMVY2-3yRAdWBirch0_SKcE9cw92P6ks/s640/blogger-image--409423013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIdzAc4WEAyxZDFBAhpCVetA36951cSbXCOacL3erYMGdcOjFrpYBRu4G6EsVhn8HDvt3ut-ik2nF38qrZ-uzEg5g6m7Hjm_ZbmSbE9kU5ps2PMVY2-3yRAdWBirch0_SKcE9cw92P6ks/s200/blogger-image--409423013.jpg" width="150" /></a>I recently bottled last year's <a href="http://chillhaze.blogspot.com/2014/03/local-lambic-2013-acai-berry-sour.html">Acai berry sour</a>. The color is closer to orange/red than purple, which is odd as the juice was a very dark purple.<br />
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Unfortunately, I lost most of my photos when I upgraded to a new phone, so I've lost photos of the brewday for the 2014 edition of the local lambic brewed in August... so these pictures of the bottling day of the 2013 will have to make due.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF0EJjXQf1tTtHq_-mMq2Ud5qjDT0gOjUgrPeRIHTj0ioJpONqIcC9AmOL9KMBduuiS5qIxstdt87y8YWaVYdU3szdbYFPQW8hwDKTp5CvRV2stE17oGtFwnFttlYDe-oKO44KpikSVZ8/s640/blogger-image--1543795961.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF0EJjXQf1tTtHq_-mMq2Ud5qjDT0gOjUgrPeRIHTj0ioJpONqIcC9AmOL9KMBduuiS5qIxstdt87y8YWaVYdU3szdbYFPQW8hwDKTp5CvRV2stE17oGtFwnFttlYDe-oKO44KpikSVZ8/s320/blogger-image--1543795961.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready for racking.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Brienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11131844924056998549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8671198096923773907.post-11803123396632980272014-09-30T14:10:00.001-07:002014-09-30T14:10:45.063-07:00Hiatus + UpdatesI've been on a brewing hiatus since April but wanted to stop by and let everyone know I'm still around.<br />
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I've been busy with work, the house (we repainted the whole house top-to-bottom, replaced all of the doors, doorknobs, trim, upgraded all the lighting to LED and redid the front/back yards) and other projects.<br />
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I planned on posting updates on the house remodel and garden - in addition to the regular cooking/brewing posts - but all of the photos on my phone were nuked, so unfortunately you'll just have to use your imaginations.<br />
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Anyway, I brewed the 2014 iteration of the local Lambic two weeks ago (a bit late), so I should be back to posting about beer shortly.Brienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11131844924056998549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8671198096923773907.post-16934482571508283412014-03-25T11:54:00.003-07:002014-03-25T11:54:47.978-07:00Andouille Sausage 101<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpBFuniA8oFgZ6q1_QQeP-CKW257PGHTS-tXJygTzTEVHyeLptjdv8o6KtG4dxhH8BTjciIKVI9eHFpDY9PIZ2wLci8AxYyMd6nm9dbE9Fk7101XGEKFmncfYwvRBvb36k3L_bzbgVQ8w/s640/blogger-image--665994892.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpBFuniA8oFgZ6q1_QQeP-CKW257PGHTS-tXJygTzTEVHyeLptjdv8o6KtG4dxhH8BTjciIKVI9eHFpDY9PIZ2wLci8AxYyMd6nm9dbE9Fk7101XGEKFmncfYwvRBvb36k3L_bzbgVQ8w/s320/blogger-image--665994892.jpg" width="320" /></a>Everyone has a favorite dish. For me, it's gumbo, especially on a cold day. Gumbo isn't hard to make - it's basically a stew - but <em>good</em> gumbo is a different story. You need good technique, good equipment (especially a heavy cast iron skillet), and most importantly, good ingredients. For the most part, that means getting high quality protein (I prefer crawfish, shrimp, or chicken when I make gumbo), fresh vegetables, and good butter (I prefer cultured, grass fed butter when available). The last piece of the puzzle, and the one that has eluded me so far, is andouille. A spicy, coarsely ground pork sausage, when done right it's spicy, sweet, with a hint of garlic. When done bad, it's no better than dollar store kielbasa. It's not easy to find on the west coast, and the few brands that the local stores do offer are hardly authentic - collagen casings, chicken, beef, even soy-based - a far cry from the heavily seasoned pork-based sausage it mimics. A lot of recipes have admitted defeat, suggesting to use polska kielbasa or even <em>italian sausage </em>in lieu of andouille. But for me, no such shortcuts exist. With little option, I decided I would have to make my own...<br />
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Luckily, I had a new electric smoker that was begging to be used, and several resources on how to make it (relying heavily on <a href="http://www.gumbopages.com/food/andouille.html">this site</a>). After several trips to the butcher and grocery stores to procure the necessary cuts of pork and casings - I could not find beef casings in the area and had to settle for hog, something I will address with the second batch - it was time to get to work.<br />
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I ground half of the pork shoulder/butt, and coarsely chopped the other half, to get the course texture I was looking for. Then I added the seasonings, pink salt, water and minced garlic. After that, it was time to stuff the mixture into the hog casings. (As a side note, I will have to invest in a much better stuffer in the future if I don't want to spend several hours stuffing.) After the first few links I got the hang of it - the trick is to move the casings slow enough to get them filled tightly, without rupturing them.<br />
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Once stuffed, the links were tied off and sent to the smoker. I used a mixture of cherry and peach wood, although I have read that pecanwood is the preferred choice for many (another thing to address next time!). I smoked the links for approximately 6 hours at 175, ramping the temperature to 225 for the last hour. Next time I may need to smoke them a bit longer as the smoke flavor was more subdued than I would have liked.<br />
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After cooling, I vacuum-sealed and froze most of it, but did manage to sneak in a batch of gumbo the next day. I have a few bugs to work out, this being my first batch of homemade sausage, but overall, well worth the effort and leaps and bounds above what you can buy. Finally, gumbo I can be proud of. <em>Now if only I knew how to make tasso ham...</em><br />
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Enjoy some additional photos after the break.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pork shoulders, hog casing, seasonings, cure, and lots and lots of garlic.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Course grinding the meat.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peach wood.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Loading the smoker, a Masterbuilt electric.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">1 hour in.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">4 hours in.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sliced and cooked, ready for gumbo.</td></tr>
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Brienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11131844924056998549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8671198096923773907.post-34439504721742253812014-03-20T19:05:00.000-07:002014-03-20T19:06:03.866-07:00Local Lambic 2013: Açaí Berry SourFor the <a href="http://chillhaze.blogspot.com/2012/04/boysenberry-lambic.html" target="_blank">last</a> <a href="http://chillhaze.blogspot.com/2013/02/local-lambic-2013-local-lambic-2012.html" target="_blank">two</a> years now I've been brewing a local 'lambic' - on Monday I posted an update on the 2012 batch; the 2013 batch has been in secondary for a little over a year now, so it was time to do something with it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwAxorEAoTN0_8lYudmbFOOBDHFkPGGY8YZGkKw4S6X85WjrDAOWmfgxZmpRhGGZnez2R1B5LBcX9rLWNrxZWniIB-HOmjdV-Oh5r78rMk1dmY5l4ZP7Xkkg8PUYgR-dggSoZovxW_8bs/s640/blogger-image--231495512.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwAxorEAoTN0_8lYudmbFOOBDHFkPGGY8YZGkKw4S6X85WjrDAOWmfgxZmpRhGGZnez2R1B5LBcX9rLWNrxZWniIB-HOmjdV-Oh5r78rMk1dmY5l4ZP7Xkkg8PUYgR-dggSoZovxW_8bs/s200/blogger-image--231495512.jpg" width="200" /></a>Much like last year, I planned to split the batch, fruiting most of it while reserving a portion for later blending. However, with nearly 5 gallons of beer this year (compared to 3.5) I still had quite a bit left over afterwards, so I decided to bottle it as straight lambic.<br />
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My philosophy with brewing is that I don't want to make something I can buy at the store (because what's the point?) so I always like to put a spin on beers. In the case of fruit lambics, it's using non-traditional fruits, especially fruits that would be cost-prohibitive on a commercial scale. As you might recall, last year the fruit of choice was one of my all-time favorites, boysenberries. This year, I settled on another fruit I enjoy, the much-hyped açaí berry. I was hoping to use frozen fresh berries, but given the limited areas in which they are grown that proved to be nearly impossible, so I had to settle for bottled puree - luckily almost every health store carries some form of this. Ignoring the health benefits of the fruit, I felt the berry and chocolate notes would pair well with a sour base beer. I will find out in about six months.<br />
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Until then, enjoy some photos from bottling day after the break.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready for fruiting.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great color.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2 years down, 1 to go for a gueuze.</td></tr>
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Brienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11131844924056998549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8671198096923773907.post-44034204994895267652014-03-17T14:27:00.001-07:002014-03-17T14:28:08.501-07:00Local Lambic 2012: Boysenberry'n it Up<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">Note: Still playing catch-up with the blog, so a lot of the posts you'll be seeing for the next few weeks are from last year. Thanks.</span></em><br />
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Back in April of 2012 I brewed the inaugural batch of local lambic - my take on the classic sours of Belgium, using a turbid mash, aged hops, and locally harvested yeast and bacteria.<br />
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The last update on this beer was back in February of last year, when I racked most of it onto boysenberry puree (and reserved a gallon for future use). After that, the beer fermented out and aged for another 10 months, finally getting bottled in December of last year.<br />
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I ended up getting almost a full case of 375mL bottles as well as a handful of larger 750mL ones. It will probably be another 6 months + before it's carbonated, but I'm very excited by how this beer has turned out. Stay tuned!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Siphoning into the bottling bucket.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiwyo_vP_Uom6xxefgzeig5nk3zVxkVteNW2MQn3iP2Et37rTsSCFFr_BhZBRIhg0X3-FpQaV0WtheYe9zZHEhRKfl-9pZel4TkD7DYnibqhsujtPlDcpzz9e1PxKSneJT8w113ixFGhk/s640/blogger-image--683964712.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiwyo_vP_Uom6xxefgzeig5nk3zVxkVteNW2MQn3iP2Et37rTsSCFFr_BhZBRIhg0X3-FpQaV0WtheYe9zZHEhRKfl-9pZel4TkD7DYnibqhsujtPlDcpzz9e1PxKSneJT8w113ixFGhk/s400/blogger-image--683964712.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spent boysenberries.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjABbcCqZJ_1E9NBpKg4YpyZ3ZWMNixYBJYybDz_jgNU0HKkMMdM8tbJYpuz-Yimmi7oOZgEzHckJxTr81Bm2xDw4MKT0K7SxsXEvUPJB-yyyj-jV4vOdgOO_t1Hb7NkMzvifGy0KJ7-Xs/s640/blogger-image-984848423.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjABbcCqZJ_1E9NBpKg4YpyZ3ZWMNixYBJYybDz_jgNU0HKkMMdM8tbJYpuz-Yimmi7oOZgEzHckJxTr81Bm2xDw4MKT0K7SxsXEvUPJB-yyyj-jV4vOdgOO_t1Hb7NkMzvifGy0KJ7-Xs/s320/blogger-image-984848423.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even the cat wants to try some.</td></tr>
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Brienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11131844924056998549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8671198096923773907.post-28060709366681053572014-03-15T10:41:00.000-07:002014-03-17T14:42:15.759-07:00In the Garden 2014: Hoppin' into actionJust a quick post this weekend, but with the warmer weather recently, the hops have awoken from their slumber and are, as expected, growing like crazy - all of the plants have started sprouting. Check it out (more photos after the break):<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiy-F74Cw178elQFsICPNfBOFcpEAiuWOIIGluGEiEhCgJGmkADFCswcfgMB2yTFhHpZYaoYfVY7YDhx1GXv9vZRZTnhxH58vZ_BB-cFHOFDZaMf1f2kSeFh5vCIAOLkOXhwoskM_TjLQ/s640/blogger-image-1951840114.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiy-F74Cw178elQFsICPNfBOFcpEAiuWOIIGluGEiEhCgJGmkADFCswcfgMB2yTFhHpZYaoYfVY7YDhx1GXv9vZRZTnhxH58vZ_BB-cFHOFDZaMf1f2kSeFh5vCIAOLkOXhwoskM_TjLQ/s400/blogger-image-1951840114.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cascade, of course. They do very well in this climate.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihyphenhyphen20poCJIBYPnru72pxi_2XK26GUphNMO0czOOkjS-XExMBld7DzN3eltcOWjmVXxiHXiw73IXjXoP98zCZnJeGSKH20Bozs4e81zswc3awY2VYUdMxOee7qb9HlohIzbbWnYSaK8eXM/s640/blogger-image-775590931.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihyphenhyphen20poCJIBYPnru72pxi_2XK26GUphNMO0czOOkjS-XExMBld7DzN3eltcOWjmVXxiHXiw73IXjXoP98zCZnJeGSKH20Bozs4e81zswc3awY2VYUdMxOee7qb9HlohIzbbWnYSaK8eXM/s400/blogger-image-775590931.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Centennial.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ98Ln_tSQZHltwoOIBW5fxNVc6Zu1HGGS8SB-p1ijvM5ZX5h5Z3c1Bam-SF_jFQ7p5OZrbS63MBfknZuCHcOFHNqn1jT0CpqBmOQeslV3A_-HmYEJosRUTqi4FkPZsnRfhXiLFg6DgHA/s640/blogger-image--691083950.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ98Ln_tSQZHltwoOIBW5fxNVc6Zu1HGGS8SB-p1ijvM5ZX5h5Z3c1Bam-SF_jFQ7p5OZrbS63MBfknZuCHcOFHNqn1jT0CpqBmOQeslV3A_-HmYEJosRUTqi4FkPZsnRfhXiLFg6DgHA/s400/blogger-image--691083950.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Willamette.</td></tr>
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Brienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11131844924056998549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8671198096923773907.post-11792295509828114722014-03-14T12:31:00.003-07:002014-03-14T12:42:53.439-07:00Cranberry Stout<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">Note: Still playing catch-up with the blog, so a lot of the posts you'll be seeing for the next few weeks are from last year. Thanks.</span></em><br />
<em><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></em><br />
Back in December I ended the brewing hiatus and did something I usually don't - a "normal" beer, low in alcohol, without the expense and time commitment of the barrel aged and sour beers I usually brew.<br />
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This time the idea was to take the flavors of a traditional dry stout, but replace a portion of the bitterness with cranberries - if done right, I felt the bitter, astringent, slightly sour flavor would lend itself well to the style. I set out to craft a recipe that would work with this in mind - backing up off the roasted malts a bit, as well as the IBUs.<br />
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For the cranberries I decided to use a 12 ounce bag of fresh cranberries, dumped straight into the boil with about 15 minutes left. In theory this was a great idea, but unfortunately, it also clogged the ball valve like you wouldn't believe - I ended up having to siphon the beer out manually.<br />
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I added another 32 ounces of unprocessed, unfiltered cranberry juice to the primary along with enough water to top it off to 5 gallons, as I had boiled off more water than I planned. Fermentation went off without a hitch - afterwards I bumped the temp up into the upper 60's and conditioned it in primary for about 6 weeks. Final gravity came out at 1.011, which puts this right at 7% - higher than I'd wanted but still drinkable, especially compared to the quad I will be brewing next for QuadFest '14.<br />
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Recipe and some more photos after the break.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><b>Cranberry Stout</b><br />
<b>Batch Size:</b> 5.0 gal<br />
<b>Style:</b> Dry Stout<br />
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<b>Fermentables</b><br />
8# 2-Row<br />
1.25# Roasted Barley<br />
.5# Flaked Barley<br />
.5# Munich<br />
.5# Dark Brown Sugar<br />
.25# Chocolate Malt<br />
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<b>Hops</b><br />
1.5oz EKG @ 60 minutes (31 IBU)<br />
0.5oz EKG @ 15 minutes (5 IBU)<br />
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<b>Yeast</b><br />
Wyeast 1084 Irish Ale Yeast<br />
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<b>Other</b><br />
12 ounces fresh cranberries (in boil)<br />
32 ounces cranberry juice, unsweetened (in primary)<br />
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Here are some pictures from the brew day and kegging:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNgRsny6sLuVj5gH9ZY3Edl3V0SXp2ZRxH2WHF47JNxhl3-AXos2G5eWCN3LgDOtz74M0dmdl6NPGl9y520ahLA6jeU8F9s2onv-cg5meuQmu3C4gEUL2cHkMPKekc7q9aa0GFBiJlrQ4/s640/blogger-image--480133249.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNgRsny6sLuVj5gH9ZY3Edl3V0SXp2ZRxH2WHF47JNxhl3-AXos2G5eWCN3LgDOtz74M0dmdl6NPGl9y520ahLA6jeU8F9s2onv-cg5meuQmu3C4gEUL2cHkMPKekc7q9aa0GFBiJlrQ4/s400/blogger-image--480133249.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6t8h5_FVemc5zBoYNBdCGd3B6Eh36Zu6XjHGrdekOeEt84J6NTvwvNj5Hp3SA08KVuwEnjWdC6MfNck9olb0-vS2biRdFVFydBLO3l8nUO0vn2QAxar5FDOo1Z5yquiwww2wGwee67_A/s640/blogger-image--511298220.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6t8h5_FVemc5zBoYNBdCGd3B6Eh36Zu6XjHGrdekOeEt84J6NTvwvNj5Hp3SA08KVuwEnjWdC6MfNck9olb0-vS2biRdFVFydBLO3l8nUO0vn2QAxar5FDOo1Z5yquiwww2wGwee67_A/s400/blogger-image--511298220.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib3e8VU-P01ieaAV0p9nf9uvXFYwd7y3f1EqaqsdBSHW92HWlwgixw0TuR7iXgUXbKzBCHxqyBMJVfIKn7beYT1K-6EAVxvOe0QNfMQe0HoCAmkFJTgturavmv1m9hq3KoLvm0A7SRvxI/s640/blogger-image--835995242.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib3e8VU-P01ieaAV0p9nf9uvXFYwd7y3f1EqaqsdBSHW92HWlwgixw0TuR7iXgUXbKzBCHxqyBMJVfIKn7beYT1K-6EAVxvOe0QNfMQe0HoCAmkFJTgturavmv1m9hq3KoLvm0A7SRvxI/s640/blogger-image--835995242.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vorlaufing.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKteGDJ5U7E7PyoH2IjO2t6o0TVBFiLdEmtJeGMP8rXF9o35cGl7-tVfu3HVZm9XMvKGfuK5dZ_AkjlzdlzVShLIRs_GNzWkTC5sdQlYMNDKvduiV278aAuG0UlYCb7ETI_YLmMKswMhs/s640/blogger-image--1951487336.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKteGDJ5U7E7PyoH2IjO2t6o0TVBFiLdEmtJeGMP8rXF9o35cGl7-tVfu3HVZm9XMvKGfuK5dZ_AkjlzdlzVShLIRs_GNzWkTC5sdQlYMNDKvduiV278aAuG0UlYCb7ETI_YLmMKswMhs/s640/blogger-image--1951487336.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nearly 2 pounds of fresh cranberries.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj04ApESzGDYSmcX8vixaAVHEyxSMZk6EwbJ0ODB8f6Yx8iLelZWm0eYBL2oO4Az0-mprpxr1mRLg15mRRREg4BY810Qux-6RnQIOn6mdlfCfQ5ipGXJtM7EblgPzmA3y3mrbuDHA9wfxo/s640/blogger-image-612060625.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj04ApESzGDYSmcX8vixaAVHEyxSMZk6EwbJ0ODB8f6Yx8iLelZWm0eYBL2oO4Az0-mprpxr1mRLg15mRRREg4BY810Qux-6RnQIOn6mdlfCfQ5ipGXJtM7EblgPzmA3y3mrbuDHA9wfxo/s400/blogger-image-612060625.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigowL0dFh3tpX5V2wvsex8gepLc70aVOqEx_uSkDwlmFQa7hhXq8WZMyK1FpMJy-MpD4Jw1VhEYutVcUN85sc6ox6PnaGSpzNlxCm-Das41fAl0_YGoUYd8QSFC9YMIxMO9VV3BFl4YP8/s640/blogger-image--1032951580.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigowL0dFh3tpX5V2wvsex8gepLc70aVOqEx_uSkDwlmFQa7hhXq8WZMyK1FpMJy-MpD4Jw1VhEYutVcUN85sc6ox6PnaGSpzNlxCm-Das41fAl0_YGoUYd8QSFC9YMIxMO9VV3BFl4YP8/s640/blogger-image--1032951580.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Topping off with distilled water.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4VkGJqmvF8-mU2y9VUlXRyCCiiU-spVNUw-Mb9Wyfj9hvYFvp_0f3ZVOMpR6zOb5bBBjQWafM3Br0U24hT_AG54WBYtUbddqKIKkI_EWcJn2Md3xODgcG496-2PBkR-nGR9JIr-Sss10/s640/blogger-image--1329287203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4VkGJqmvF8-mU2y9VUlXRyCCiiU-spVNUw-Mb9Wyfj9hvYFvp_0f3ZVOMpR6zOb5bBBjQWafM3Br0U24hT_AG54WBYtUbddqKIKkI_EWcJn2Md3xODgcG496-2PBkR-nGR9JIr-Sss10/s640/blogger-image--1329287203.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Starting gravity (unadjusted): 1.070. After adding water and cranberry juice it brought it down in to the low 60's.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-E7juJpv6qiw_f4k98Ec9ZJYUGxVTHxzWD31zYNCaqvVLNvEeztdqyKhZqVQoH6BYYbrS5GJZ-xJVuSIHDU6-QtDpRJViiJ_Af08ehCRkHcBsKeEx_ab5R_jDsqfFrY3YfBU9zhML5LY/s640/blogger-image--39509339.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-E7juJpv6qiw_f4k98Ec9ZJYUGxVTHxzWD31zYNCaqvVLNvEeztdqyKhZqVQoH6BYYbrS5GJZ-xJVuSIHDU6-QtDpRJViiJ_Af08ehCRkHcBsKeEx_ab5R_jDsqfFrY3YfBU9zhML5LY/s640/blogger-image--39509339.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Final gravity - 1.011. Dry, but still refreshing.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi48e22xpPyZW2FapSstoSItKKpaR3emCp0-_1vV0wNUvZkRIe77TuGsCSzucndpmzmvBQxOSxywKVWST0Q6ftbSSDSIYnCzMnlUv-OOzFK7yiJX85PFQgLsAlk8JvrjmlfidedVCHx2TE/s640/blogger-image--257217519.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi48e22xpPyZW2FapSstoSItKKpaR3emCp0-_1vV0wNUvZkRIe77TuGsCSzucndpmzmvBQxOSxywKVWST0Q6ftbSSDSIYnCzMnlUv-OOzFK7yiJX85PFQgLsAlk8JvrjmlfidedVCHx2TE/s400/blogger-image--257217519.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Into the keg.</td></tr>
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Brienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11131844924056998549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8671198096923773907.post-66328418428107821522014-03-13T15:19:00.001-07:002014-03-13T15:19:16.330-07:00How To: DIY Maraschino Cherries<span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>Note: Long time, no see - I'm playing catch-up with the blog, so a lot of the posts you'll be seeing for the next few weeks are from last year. Thanks.</em></span><br />
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Lately I've been on a bit of a Manhattan kick - they might just be my favorite cocktail (but it has to be with rye - as much as I love bourbon the flavors just don't meld as well, in my opinion).<br />
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I always try and use the best (within reason!) ingredients I can, whether it's cooking, brewing, or anything inbetween. Finding good rye whisky is easy. Finding good vermouth is a little harder, but nothing a trip to Total Wine can't fix. But good maraschino cherries? That's tricky. The bright red ones you see all over aren't really anything like the real thing - they don't taste like cherries either. I've tried some of the higher quality ones, but they all miss the mark - too sour, too vegetal, too... weird. So I gave up and decided to make my own.</div>
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Doing some research I learned that maraschino cherries are actually named after the liqueur (which itself is named after the variety of cherries it is flavored with, Marasca cherries). In ye olden days, they were made by soaking fresh cherries in maraschino liqueur and a heavy dose of table sugar. At some point, they mutated into the bright red, flavorless contraptions hoisted on you at the local Denny's.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi873KZ_FnYEA_M0HBuCJZIMFouJ0vE8534D_SDZhgO-af0ziCw2zB-6QZoIwCGqQVKT9eKBobp6Vb3yI59eCVxBHT2HHhFOtNuh8CbRAbDFlcyvwdmRTV_ThiS669egg02VefkJWu8oNY/s640/blogger-image--1598968603.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi873KZ_FnYEA_M0HBuCJZIMFouJ0vE8534D_SDZhgO-af0ziCw2zB-6QZoIwCGqQVKT9eKBobp6Vb3yI59eCVxBHT2HHhFOtNuh8CbRAbDFlcyvwdmRTV_ThiS669egg02VefkJWu8oNY/s320/blogger-image--1598968603.jpg" style="cursor: move;" unselectable="on" width="240" /></a>So, TLDR, get some fresh, pitted cherries, and throw them in a jar with some maraschino liqueur - can't be too hard, right? Unfortunately, I had this brilliant idea in December when cherry season was decidedly <em>over</em>. Luckily, one of the higher-end supermarkets was still carrying fresh bing cherries. I pitted them myself, leaving the stems on (for the cool factor) as well as reserved the pits for the jar - much like when making <a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCgQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FKriek_lambic&ei=ly0iU5L1O8P6oASanoCoAQ&usg=AFQjCNFGyqeYUvLAR6hro0x93GfqLBMbXw&sig2=JC28qWih7pPmOZSiOdE8yg&bvm=bv.62922401,d.cGU" target="_blank">Kriek</a>, it's the pits that give you all the delicious nutty flavors (ever wonder why we put almond extract in cherry pie? Yep.). As for the liqueur, any brand will do, but the most popular/readily available seems to be Luxardo.</div>
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I placed as many cherries as would fit, pits, and about 1/2 cup of granulated sugar in a mason jar and then filled it to the brim with the maraschino liqueur. After about a week they looked 'done' to me, although at 60 proof I doubt they will really ever go bad.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZGD9bH7XnIcpClkjDdXGPUxeN14rn5Y9y3cI3p2v_uddssl4csuqzZ0UQvZJBhfo8MK1MVtYVRinpLgdtTPrGOHEydSgoh1wcmXRsN9tv25tdoyydeYuvh1rGBOZoA0_1PHhVZDzz9qg/s640/blogger-image-1847519860.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgww67ZRc-a4osbbhgHxcfM8qBkzhVUhpF-r1x6FCMV8uyiKxuMbizZ3LhE8kuM7IE_2oY5onbz_waKlV87h_nLxmukFBQMRDEg74NNWIHCsYyl-hQYkZPrlyCK6m_YrLuKTAnq2bpWxks/s1600/blogger-image-1847519860.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgww67ZRc-a4osbbhgHxcfM8qBkzhVUhpF-r1x6FCMV8uyiKxuMbizZ3LhE8kuM7IE_2oY5onbz_waKlV87h_nLxmukFBQMRDEg74NNWIHCsYyl-hQYkZPrlyCK6m_YrLuKTAnq2bpWxks/s1600/blogger-image-1847519860.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Delicious!</td></tr>
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<img height="96" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi873KZ_FnYEA_M0HBuCJZIMFouJ0vE8534D_SDZhgO-af0ziCw2zB-6QZoIwCGqQVKT9eKBobp6Vb3yI59eCVxBHT2HHhFOtNuh8CbRAbDFlcyvwdmRTV_ThiS669egg02VefkJWu8oNY/s320/blogger-image--1598968603.jpg" style="left: 179px; opacity: 0.3; position: absolute; top: 673px;" width="72" />Brienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11131844924056998549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8671198096923773907.post-34766905884425770532013-09-02T12:32:00.000-07:002014-03-13T15:46:05.111-07:00Hop Harvest 2013, Part III - The Fashionably Late Edition<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJBuepnrbwSipD0zfscp6j5lMcTMZpf52gEW-wprJBGhHyM5Yheht2S_IoBp56Wt24GyaOuaA0ljLCmActX6Szyll-FvpQRtIoBd1NEou3Ax09AIJCay-CzhYzjaIdpGYydZeM2qykrj0/s640/blogger-image-961302309.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJBuepnrbwSipD0zfscp6j5lMcTMZpf52gEW-wprJBGhHyM5Yheht2S_IoBp56Wt24GyaOuaA0ljLCmActX6Szyll-FvpQRtIoBd1NEou3Ax09AIJCay-CzhYzjaIdpGYydZeM2qykrj0/s200/blogger-image-961302309.jpg" width="150" /></a>A while back I <a href="http://chillhaze.blogspot.com/2013/08/wet-hopped-ipa-hops-harvest-part-1.html" target="_blank">detailed</a> my journey with harvesting, drying, and storing this year's crop, as well some making a wet-hopped IPA. Well, my hops plants decided that they weren't quite done producing, which led to a second yield. I didn't take any pictures of the bagging process, but I ended up with another 6 ounces of dried hops, bringing my 2013 total up past a pound(!).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUfOlNvgRRxzp4XxJMZl8d6tUqHLNwCGA_jFg1a9bvxAzcf-gJaX4lMhI2TwlKr0HmG9UKLRcmHM0J9q3EBYy_aMX5yF-VfWeBRQjRENlhTWFAX7DdC7Z9rvJ_fysgItBQVy5ylwZqZo8/s640/blogger-image--398468196.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbc3JNwv-qnnkpf9ODHOD_-62QGIMQ1qR7eG1EbR3ZAOJRhI_0ZDe40Q0yWCbfr6oRVNwV6tZBy4cwW_DTCw-lRzDg5x-UYCcz38YnjZ98IJyDxEWITiGE_DlH06_kcLsq3hq4gvcUBIA/s640/blogger-image-1583302696.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbc3JNwv-qnnkpf9ODHOD_-62QGIMQ1qR7eG1EbR3ZAOJRhI_0ZDe40Q0yWCbfr6oRVNwV6tZBy4cwW_DTCw-lRzDg5x-UYCcz38YnjZ98IJyDxEWITiGE_DlH06_kcLsq3hq4gvcUBIA/s400/blogger-image-1583302696.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They call these "Angel Hops". Because the leaves look like wings.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZC6TTXYf5Gpc9hUDhVBSY4Zn1jYgsEKmAX_y1gvTdU5T_ftqTu-JnGaGwWhPIL2Q5ep-yfI961rW0vB-j_7EzY_cCutKNgHiewIU11Jta3v2NiUuxQfLCR1_NCebbtd_cgddLP8ZTMBU/s640/blogger-image--1759896198.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZC6TTXYf5Gpc9hUDhVBSY4Zn1jYgsEKmAX_y1gvTdU5T_ftqTu-JnGaGwWhPIL2Q5ep-yfI961rW0vB-j_7EzY_cCutKNgHiewIU11Jta3v2NiUuxQfLCR1_NCebbtd_cgddLP8ZTMBU/s400/blogger-image--1759896198.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All of that from the Cascade plant.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUfOlNvgRRxzp4XxJMZl8d6tUqHLNwCGA_jFg1a9bvxAzcf-gJaX4lMhI2TwlKr0HmG9UKLRcmHM0J9q3EBYy_aMX5yF-VfWeBRQjRENlhTWFAX7DdC7Z9rvJ_fysgItBQVy5ylwZqZo8/s640/blogger-image--398468196.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUfOlNvgRRxzp4XxJMZl8d6tUqHLNwCGA_jFg1a9bvxAzcf-gJaX4lMhI2TwlKr0HmG9UKLRcmHM0J9q3EBYy_aMX5yF-VfWeBRQjRENlhTWFAX7DdC7Z9rvJ_fysgItBQVy5ylwZqZo8/s400/blogger-image--398468196.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Round 3? Yikes...</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dryed, ready to bag.</td></tr>
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Brienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11131844924056998549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8671198096923773907.post-6185159672525633662013-08-12T12:15:00.001-07:002013-08-12T12:19:18.780-07:00Wet-hopped IPA & Hop Harvest 2013, Part II - Drying, hopping, and the review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvamYZ7Ws_7qi8ViXS3mVDpHHcXq7CMyoObWNkqsTaT5sruaXHNREi4DTET4F3UD3xvzI6AU75wkFVd840pK0onwVARFoStm87AqAQRUh5gtydZDUmydBZ00FUUhy07DKuz1-ihBAqFZo/s1600/blogger-image-1105656285.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvamYZ7Ws_7qi8ViXS3mVDpHHcXq7CMyoObWNkqsTaT5sruaXHNREi4DTET4F3UD3xvzI6AU75wkFVd840pK0onwVARFoStm87AqAQRUh5gtydZDUmydBZ00FUUhy07DKuz1-ihBAqFZo/s320/blogger-image-1105656285.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="http://chillhaze.blogspot.com/2013/08/wet-hopped-ipa-hops-harvest-part-1.html"><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">Last week</span></em></a><em><span style="font-size: x-small;"> I posted Part I of the write-up on the wet-hopped IPA slash hop harvest, which covered the first round of harvesting and brewing the IPA. This week, I'm going to talk about more hop harvesting and drying/storing the hops, as well as play catch up on the IPA.</span></em><br />
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After all was said and done after the brew day, I still had a little over half of the Cascade plant to harvest. Knowing I'd need more fresh hops for the beer once it was done fermenting, I held off on taking any more off the plant, especially as I was quickly losing sunlight. Three days after I had brewed, it was time to bag the first round of dried hops - in our climate (hot and dry) it only takes ~48 hours to dry hops to a state where they are considered shelf stable. Hops lose as much as 80% of their weight when dried, which is also why you need so many wet hops for a harvest ale. <em>Note: I bag my hops in 1 ounce increments, as I've found that to be the best size for freezing while not being a huge bag (whole cones take up a lot more room than pellets).</em><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTIky-SWSkYL_NFQs1Wos1gsCP0CaWeV4Xr8xoGf28kU6igC6ClKuaKQLV96LNE6rqUcDxsak9wH-a8Qn2ZB_LIeZtfpqRoob2JNTzZFkGiLvR6B2wp22qEVvlzMe8-4V3pb5D4uVvkYE/s1600/blogger-image-1862714893.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTIky-SWSkYL_NFQs1Wos1gsCP0CaWeV4Xr8xoGf28kU6igC6ClKuaKQLV96LNE6rqUcDxsak9wH-a8Qn2ZB_LIeZtfpqRoob2JNTzZFkGiLvR6B2wp22qEVvlzMe8-4V3pb5D4uVvkYE/s200/blogger-image-1862714893.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeqrWWNwo48PX1M21NHrSHfFIAOpAlqs5yuJA7LwmCAwhkDTMpiHaw3Vkb5gd7q8ukz9JJyZ_zroxdnyY0W0fh8KUlE3sLchD7vtW36XO0q0CYyBhpHFdM8cFfeFxLYWwv8yjWl94I_HY/s640/blogger-image--294786004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeqrWWNwo48PX1M21NHrSHfFIAOpAlqs5yuJA7LwmCAwhkDTMpiHaw3Vkb5gd7q8ukz9JJyZ_zroxdnyY0W0fh8KUlE3sLchD7vtW36XO0q0CYyBhpHFdM8cFfeFxLYWwv8yjWl94I_HY/s200/blogger-image--294786004.jpg" width="200" /></a>After drying the hops, I ended up waiting almost two weeks before I was finally able to begin harvesting the remaining hops on the plant - or so I thought. In the span of a couple of weeks the Cascade plant had sent out additional side-shoots and was already producing a second round of hop burrs, the stage that precedes the cone flower. I'll need to harvest a third round of hops in early September, most likely. Anyway... <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTIky-SWSkYL_NFQs1Wos1gsCP0CaWeV4Xr8xoGf28kU6igC6ClKuaKQLV96LNE6rqUcDxsak9wH-a8Qn2ZB_LIeZtfpqRoob2JNTzZFkGiLvR6B2wp22qEVvlzMe8-4V3pb5D4uVvkYE/s640/blogger-image-1862714893.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTIky-SWSkYL_NFQs1Wos1gsCP0CaWeV4Xr8xoGf28kU6igC6ClKuaKQLV96LNE6rqUcDxsak9wH-a8Qn2ZB_LIeZtfpqRoob2JNTzZFkGiLvR6B2wp22qEVvlzMe8-4V3pb5D4uVvkYE/s640/blogger-image-1862714893.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a><br />
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I spent the good part of an hour picking cones from the plant, reserving 8 ounces for wet-hopping the fully fermented IPA. After shaking the leaves/bugs/dirt loose, I gave them a quick rinse in StarSan to make sure I didn't introduce any bacteria or wild yeast to the finished beer. After wet-hopping the IPA, I set the rest of the hops onto the drying screen, just as I had two weeks earlier.<br />
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I returned to the garage two days later to vacuum seal, label, and freeze the hops, while also getting a final tally of my 2013 harvest so far:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLq7CazLtqblvpEJoQ6e6kpLeyIDeYRQnLUe9AjTdvQ_aMrmcY870EpDxAJ3LZoEqLalJNOpC-E4rIusV1oFdzKLTYTPdL99loMzy5ezSup-4kNmwdkQ1xrChlY4o1z8EfixwR9WnBzOw/s640/blogger-image--1000332342.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLq7CazLtqblvpEJoQ6e6kpLeyIDeYRQnLUe9AjTdvQ_aMrmcY870EpDxAJ3LZoEqLalJNOpC-E4rIusV1oFdzKLTYTPdL99loMzy5ezSup-4kNmwdkQ1xrChlY4o1z8EfixwR9WnBzOw/s400/blogger-image--1000332342.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">13 ounces of Cascade & Centennial hops.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZZRC6vzXZccIIzWNVE6eeOskBSdAvVINlOPIDbXu-PJqf-Gj4DXfPoFN6867MHCk_vxtEJHJZDV8WE7tzUhD5WeEHBqxITOrEtm45yw2XXABlP6f_z6VsaRgYSnLzseYjiqrBdnVSYUU/s640/blogger-image-300813283.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZZRC6vzXZccIIzWNVE6eeOskBSdAvVINlOPIDbXu-PJqf-Gj4DXfPoFN6867MHCk_vxtEJHJZDV8WE7tzUhD5WeEHBqxITOrEtm45yw2XXABlP6f_z6VsaRgYSnLzseYjiqrBdnVSYUU/s320/blogger-image-300813283.jpg" width="320" /></a>Including the hops used in the IPA I'm at almost exactly a pound of (dried weight) hops, with probably another 2-3 ounces coming. Not at all bad for year two!<br />
After getting all of those bags in the freezer, I set my sights on getting the beer kegged, as I didn't want it to spend too long on the hops. I hauled it back to my house and set it on the table overnight to let the yeast re-settle. Transferring the beer only took a few minutes, and carbonating it took about a week. It's pretty tasty right now, but there are some things I will change for next year - more hops and a bit more alcohol - as it drinks more like a hoppy pale ale or a session IPA than anything else. You can definitely taste the grassiness/earthiness of the wet hops though. Better take some notes and review it now, as it's fading fast...<br />
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<strong>Harvest IPA (Wet-hopped) by EAW</strong></div>
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<strong>Appearance: </strong>Golden yellow, with slight haze. Bright white head with good lacing that fades over time.</div>
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<strong>Aroma: </strong>Grapefruit, subdued compared to normal Cascade character, faint lemon rind, fresh mowed grass, and pine needles.</div>
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<strong>Taste:</strong> Bitter grapefruit, earthiness, and faint fruitiness (from hops, not yeast derived)</div>
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<strong>Mouthfeel:</strong> Light, with moderate carbonation. Perhaps a tad too thin, I will have to experiment with the carbonation level.<br />
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<strong>Overall Impression:</strong> A good, if not great wet-hopped IPA. It's definitely lower in alcohol and body than I had intended, but as a session IPA or aggressively hopped pale ale (think Zombie Dust) it hits the mark, with the added 'oomph' of wet-hopping to add some subtle floral/grassy/earthy notes. After the disaster of last year's harvest ale, this is a huge improvement. I will <em>definitely</em> brew this again. </div>
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Brienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11131844924056998549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8671198096923773907.post-90059965674119906722013-08-02T15:02:00.000-07:002014-03-13T15:27:49.477-07:00In the Garden 2013: Photos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Not much to write today, enjoy some of the latest photos from the garden.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmfEmJh1IHuZanpe7X694mkwpBZ8cTgOTmv3KzeUTi-Tszn0f7VNULFUBPuITIgq3tkhFbOeeDookfYwq2W40vyRN9w_koZzXpm6QLW6cWKAaJ1tNPggUly1_r3Oe2wFfz7kOsyUf_dgo/s1600/IMG_1022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmfEmJh1IHuZanpe7X694mkwpBZ8cTgOTmv3KzeUTi-Tszn0f7VNULFUBPuITIgq3tkhFbOeeDookfYwq2W40vyRN9w_koZzXpm6QLW6cWKAaJ1tNPggUly1_r3Oe2wFfz7kOsyUf_dgo/s320/IMG_1022.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some san marzano tomatoes.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicyfKqKH0HRWB04_d98EHI1_LVRh9KYfX7dkzv2-JFjQclluPOAmHFdQAZoWINJLUELDJPWJ8jqlyjuTtfaUc-Q5aQvgEw5fBv2LlsXirDL23bnnkhonmwUgHxDu5L1dVGGbYdyRgi-i8/s640/blogger-image-420108559.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicyfKqKH0HRWB04_d98EHI1_LVRh9KYfX7dkzv2-JFjQclluPOAmHFdQAZoWINJLUELDJPWJ8jqlyjuTtfaUc-Q5aQvgEw5fBv2LlsXirDL23bnnkhonmwUgHxDu5L1dVGGbYdyRgi-i8/s400/blogger-image-420108559.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pinot gris grapes nearly ready for picking.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir1pQywIaAu9RKFJ64WbqIcIc1R4g38ewQobW-Sf7WzA1LxdvT8TDlCpgU_EeU1aJy1YTjGWASLHpkTKUs0TqF-fHbj_BgSXnHuXD0XWg9_TNHXvo1I5Z6ubPZE1tvAl465fuWPjkgH4I/s640/blogger-image--360473593.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir1pQywIaAu9RKFJ64WbqIcIc1R4g38ewQobW-Sf7WzA1LxdvT8TDlCpgU_EeU1aJy1YTjGWASLHpkTKUs0TqF-fHbj_BgSXnHuXD0XWg9_TNHXvo1I5Z6ubPZE1tvAl465fuWPjkgH4I/s320/blogger-image--360473593.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trinidad Moruga Scorpion -the world's hottest pepper.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf9zgzLNu8wqKT7mZiD_TN2DOCUkZ5jzUMPTFic7EREz_q1OZTNBe9sVkjb23dUujB1hb79YBBVMF4mLLkCprAelOHSy07i-h3u3osaYFjpRlNlQYyjXOHu1QkfytIVqJ3AMz-LS9all8/s640/blogger-image-486300305.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf9zgzLNu8wqKT7mZiD_TN2DOCUkZ5jzUMPTFic7EREz_q1OZTNBe9sVkjb23dUujB1hb79YBBVMF4mLLkCprAelOHSy07i-h3u3osaYFjpRlNlQYyjXOHu1QkfytIVqJ3AMz-LS9all8/s320/blogger-image-486300305.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red corn taking off.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS413H_LWIYaOwevb_jkQDsvD576RzUqaL62rxlyTFo3H-6fXFoSG91clhm3UpWuUzgFl2yXi3Yg0XPO4nlW2SWiTIqGrHDb-NOrqxegPP6SmT7-LwRyu9wJ_AqpDr7utxIujQE-mD7qE/s640/blogger-image-247628849.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS413H_LWIYaOwevb_jkQDsvD576RzUqaL62rxlyTFo3H-6fXFoSG91clhm3UpWuUzgFl2yXi3Yg0XPO4nlW2SWiTIqGrHDb-NOrqxegPP6SmT7-LwRyu9wJ_AqpDr7utxIujQE-mD7qE/s400/blogger-image-247628849.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibH2voLY1duKWFh9WIevsg8XvhwCKNwVA2DFMVoxlO61_YogJeAnpK-I9ti5ikJJBr9NrpvK66DusFM-O7oAHwSxVuggRMFWsJzyobekpUEPdDj-qmj6ukcAptEvu8V-9YYRuJPsnp7S4/s640/blogger-image--191882048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibH2voLY1duKWFh9WIevsg8XvhwCKNwVA2DFMVoxlO61_YogJeAnpK-I9ti5ikJJBr9NrpvK66DusFM-O7oAHwSxVuggRMFWsJzyobekpUEPdDj-qmj6ukcAptEvu8V-9YYRuJPsnp7S4/s400/blogger-image--191882048.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Potatoes!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9cCGs97jLEuNV5-zA4loDs4fP6PxckVPwH90pCUg63yjqeruVjIWjzsfVys19SpCg6Ch0_ZGw9-pko3Fy2Jsm9gotHuoL4TE8p4zhbEsajcqfY50uMg72mP9v3g6Tuw0YFKC1bQCvj2M/s640/blogger-image--1301519375.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9cCGs97jLEuNV5-zA4loDs4fP6PxckVPwH90pCUg63yjqeruVjIWjzsfVys19SpCg6Ch0_ZGw9-pko3Fy2Jsm9gotHuoL4TE8p4zhbEsajcqfY50uMg72mP9v3g6Tuw0YFKC1bQCvj2M/s400/blogger-image--1301519375.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red sweet corn, fresh from the garden.</td></tr>
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Brienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11131844924056998549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8671198096923773907.post-61818239953632943042013-08-02T11:43:00.002-07:002013-08-02T11:51:47.600-07:00Hops Harvesting 101: Tips 'n Tricks<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">I've had a lot of people asking me recently about what how I go about growing/harvesting/storing hops, so I thought I'd make a post about my processes to help others out.</span></em><br />
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I've only been growing hops for two years, so I won't profess to be some sort of genius - at the end of the day, hops are still plants, and standard garden knowledge still applies. That being said...<br />
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<strong>PLANTING & GROWING</strong><br />
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<ul>
<li>I grow my hops in <a href="http://chillhaze.blogspot.com/2013/04/in-garden-2013-hops-hops-hops.html">raised planter beds</a> built out of 2x6's, about 2 feet above ground level. I till the ground inside the planters and then mix in a good amount of Miracle Gro Moisture Control soil and a little manure for good measure.</li>
</ul>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisSfp11WgSsWAmEF1dFCd39Xz4AyZ9GaWMWuRDqW_fq3xotizv_q7dZQ9WP3cwG9dSXqXfBOq9Isu1Pyalu-56aK8vMpVlTRBK95NlGZ_tcGbHHgq17_0jfNcfjbQ4TZWstHe-YAyBKts/s640/blogger-image-616347471.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisSfp11WgSsWAmEF1dFCd39Xz4AyZ9GaWMWuRDqW_fq3xotizv_q7dZQ9WP3cwG9dSXqXfBOq9Isu1Pyalu-56aK8vMpVlTRBK95NlGZ_tcGbHHgq17_0jfNcfjbQ4TZWstHe-YAyBKts/s200/blogger-image-616347471.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
<ul>
<li>I plant my rhizomes late April/early May (your timeline may vary depending on climate/growing season).</li>
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<ul>
<li>For first year plants, I don't trim anything. For second year plants, I leave between 4-6 bines per plant and cut the rest off at ground level.</li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi-SWDfv_BNkHu6wqSlSOXU3kdrGpiNDNOoZfwoJD4J6ykfEKKo9iNu9btUhF6QMpLf8j05lNuRJFgYU2RBpShySikWziPfsNdcgyB1IXz9Ur4PIQfwCKGua023aXGeTUUq3HH9ptHhgQ/s640/blogger-image--1376000886.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi-SWDfv_BNkHu6wqSlSOXU3kdrGpiNDNOoZfwoJD4J6ykfEKKo9iNu9btUhF6QMpLf8j05lNuRJFgYU2RBpShySikWziPfsNdcgyB1IXz9Ur4PIQfwCKGua023aXGeTUUq3HH9ptHhgQ/s200/blogger-image--1376000886.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
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<li>You will occasionally need to continue trimming new growth as the plants will keep sending up new bines all season.</li>
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<ul>
<li>Once hop flowers (cones) appear, I start applying light doses of fertilizer formulated for flowering (orchid bloom is a good one).</li>
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<li>I water at least once a day, sometimes more if it's in the triple-digits.</li>
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<strong>HARVESTING</strong><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWR9GEJY3NhgclT5yhh_WjGBF4oYlxF7ZIBlBHT2jyfEGM9mWOHd7fz0cD8oVu-jRZXDTAbNnIKU0XxP-EfVr75H1lnsZVgZ_kHOHvfbaNO-YgChDQL1sSYTkRUp6RSsgCHQLWbNSzzdQ/s640/blogger-image-1925957253.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWR9GEJY3NhgclT5yhh_WjGBF4oYlxF7ZIBlBHT2jyfEGM9mWOHd7fz0cD8oVu-jRZXDTAbNnIKU0XxP-EfVr75H1lnsZVgZ_kHOHvfbaNO-YgChDQL1sSYTkRUp6RSsgCHQLWbNSzzdQ/s320/blogger-image-1925957253.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ladder is out, notice the top of the plant is cone-less as I'm already partway through harvesting.</td></tr>
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<li>To determine when hop cones are ready to pick, I go by the smell & feel method (very scientific). I've already gotten it down to second nature, but basically, the cones should feel papery, not wet. A good test is to squeeze the cone - if it stays deformed, you're good, but if it springs back like a wet sponge, it's not ready. As for smell - if they smell like the variety you planted, you know they're close. A combination of these two tell me they are ready to pick.</li>
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<ul>
<li>In my experience, you will end up with two (or more) waves of cones to harvest, usually within 2-4 weeks of each other.</li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li>Commercial hop farms will cut the plant down and then pull off all the flowers on the ground. I don't like doing that, I use a ladder and cut them off by hand. Shortcut: cut off the side bines and then harvest the cones in comfort.</li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li>There are usually lots of bugs living in the canopy of the hop plants, usually harmless bugs, but you have been warned.</li>
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<strong>DRYING & STORING</strong><br />
<ul><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnQqOX7Usq1eyhWxAmfebibaqHNegKC-rHhJpB08j11PMzD_hZ-BmHNznxSn4sr1VJCKMq2ISLHjrqQwPOIeMYWfVv6iXbPdpzON0j8piuAnEyVLfSGahp-x4SW-p50byxeIfkX9eOp4I/s640/blogger-image-1692876184.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnQqOX7Usq1eyhWxAmfebibaqHNegKC-rHhJpB08j11PMzD_hZ-BmHNznxSn4sr1VJCKMq2ISLHjrqQwPOIeMYWfVv6iXbPdpzON0j8piuAnEyVLfSGahp-x4SW-p50byxeIfkX9eOp4I/s200/blogger-image-1692876184.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs1prer62dZF62eH_AoelWhUGDu91cOhYzzQYc0tVEx2WsBMnBFHMDpN9rIHivG8EjtsvuA_XuFeTBKBqYkle0FyrHueVRB0ugOpsu5LBkyCC_L8NNx8dPpo0rtfnxUmSqXZQTQ6bx6Qo/s640/blogger-image-511120146.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs1prer62dZF62eH_AoelWhUGDu91cOhYzzQYc0tVEx2WsBMnBFHMDpN9rIHivG8EjtsvuA_XuFeTBKBqYkle0FyrHueVRB0ugOpsu5LBkyCC_L8NNx8dPpo0rtfnxUmSqXZQTQ6bx6Qo/s200/blogger-image-511120146.jpg" width="200" /></a>
<li>I use a screen to dry my hops, you can <a href="http://chillhaze.blogspot.com/2012/08/hops-harvest-2012-and-garden-update.html">build one yourself</a> with about $10 worth of material, or less if you have leftovers from other projects - mine cost me nothing to build!</li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li>To dry hops, I lay them in a single layer across the screen (as best I can) and put a fan on low speed close enough to get airflow. Not too close, or you will blow the cones right out of the drying rack as they lose water weight. I dry them in a garage, as it's protected from the elements and relatively moisture free. It usually takes 2-3 days for them to dry to the point that they are ready to store long-term.</li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li>The goal isn't to remove <em>all</em> moisture, but to get the moisture content down to a point where the hops don't turn to dust, but also won't spoil.</li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li>I use a food-grade vacuum sealer to store hops. I try to limit myself to an ounce per bag, otherwise they get too unwieldy and hard to seal properly.</li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li>I weigh and add hops to the bags a quarter ounce at a time (about as many fit in a plastic cup) to ensure I get an ounce (or close to it).</li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li>Once sealed, I write the date, variety, and weight of the hops on the bag, then store them in the freezer until use. They should last at least a year this way.</li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li>If you want to get fancy, you can purge the bags with nitrogen and use mylar bags like the commercial hop places do.</li>
</ul>
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<strong>HELPFUL LINKS</strong><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Here's some links to some of my posts on here, as well as other places, that go a little more in-depth:</blockquote>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://chillhaze.blogspot.com/2012/04/hop-farming.html">Hop Farming</a> - brief post of building Stage I of the hop garden last year.</li>
<li><a href="http://chillhaze.blogspot.com/2012/08/hops-harvest-2012-and-garden-update.html">Hops Harvest 2012</a></li>
<li><a href="http://chillhaze.blogspot.com/2012/08/hops-harvest-2012-drying-and-storing.html">Hops Harvest 2012: Drying and Storing</a></li>
<li><a href="http://chillhaze.blogspot.com/2013/04/in-garden-2013-hops-hops-hops.html">In The Garden 2013: Hops, hops, hops!</a> - Some photos/overview of Phase II of the hop garden/planters.</li>
<li><a href="http://chillhaze.blogspot.com/2013/05/hops-on-rise.html">Hops on the Rise</a> - some photos of my hops from this year.</li>
<li><a href="http://chillhaze.blogspot.com/2013/08/wet-hopped-ipa-hops-harvest-part-1.html">Wet-hopped IPA & Hop Harvest 2013, Part I</a> - some photos from this year's first round of harvesting</li>
<li>MoreBeer's article on <a href="http://morebeer.com/brewingtechniques/library/backissues/issue2.3/montell.html">hop growing</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.themadfermentationist.com/2011/07/drying-hops-at-home.html">Here's</a> an alternative take on drying hops, courtesy of the Mad Fermentationist. </li>
</ul>
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That's a very brief overview of my process. I haven't yet had to harvest rhizomes or transplant crowns, but if I cross that road I'll be sure to post an update.Brienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11131844924056998549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8671198096923773907.post-15498073420494879662013-08-02T11:05:00.001-07:002013-08-02T11:42:51.159-07:00Wet-hopped IPA & Hop Harvest 2013, Part I<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">Note: Because this post will cover a brew day and hop harvesting, I've decided to split it into two parts.</span></em><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span><br />
<span style="color: black;">Last year I brewed the harvest ale <a href="http://chillhaze.blogspot.com/2013/01/all-nevada-harvest-ale-or-worst-brewday.html">from hell</a> - this year, I wanted to learn from those mistakes and do it the right way. Ordinarily, you'd be seeing this post next month, but my second year hop plants have been going nuts this summer. So crazy, in fact, that I had hops ready to harvest in mid-July - compared to early August last year.</span><br />
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So two weeks ago, I sought out to make a beer with all the hop cones that were ripening on the bines.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5EdmbT2VP6HbVlOeiNUOnh3tXwXvSDEmK_am4h_dJvDNYwnVSnLpcGs9BzigD4xEVyAU9wwfmeuJDnfr8t5JUva14IiBvD391Pe-YhTY7KcE7lZaBIfbqv8tTxzYemLZEzWhZQtj2mhM/s640/blogger-image-1904046876.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5EdmbT2VP6HbVlOeiNUOnh3tXwXvSDEmK_am4h_dJvDNYwnVSnLpcGs9BzigD4xEVyAU9wwfmeuJDnfr8t5JUva14IiBvD391Pe-YhTY7KcE7lZaBIfbqv8tTxzYemLZEzWhZQtj2mhM/s200/blogger-image-1904046876.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hops!</td></tr>
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My intent last year with the harvest ale was a wet-hopped pale ale, with tons of fresh hops in the boil and post-fermentation. Timing didn't quite work out, however, as the grain I wanted to use - grown and malted right here in town - wasn't ready at the same time as my hops. In the end, I had to dry them, freeze them, and use them much later in the year. This year, I was able to brew another local beer, but with the abundance of hops, I stepped it up and made an IPA.<br />
<a name='more'></a>I started my brewday early in the morning, and used the downtime while mashing/lautering/etc. to harvest as many hops as I could.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGu56TtCXl5DZnutLuwfUmleujQKMBQ4kCNLZXFJnynvEqO4_Sq_B3HKadOXK099rgbWoKREDRPzTMHguOM1F1FOQuEif1KiPCK8tQzgXAGgH4v54C9jQW8iGenuNSNJcYxoGkqzr8-Jw/s640/blogger-image-1127530165.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGu56TtCXl5DZnutLuwfUmleujQKMBQ4kCNLZXFJnynvEqO4_Sq_B3HKadOXK099rgbWoKREDRPzTMHguOM1F1FOQuEif1KiPCK8tQzgXAGgH4v54C9jQW8iGenuNSNJcYxoGkqzr8-Jw/s200/blogger-image-1127530165.jpg" width="150" /></a><br />
Because picking the hops is so tedious and time consuming, I was only able to do the Centennial plant and the top 1/3rd of the Cascade before running out of daylight. About halfway through I started simply cutting off the side vines and picking the cones off once I got down off the ladder. I still ended up with two bags full of cones, which I immediately put into the drying screen I made <a href="http://chillhaze.blogspot.com/2012/08/hops-harvest-2012-and-garden-update.html">last year</a>.<br />
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I ended up using nearly a pound of hops in the boil, with another pound in the carboy after the beer had finished fermenting. Thankfully, I learned my lesson from last year's harvest ale and used some bags for the whole hops this time.<br />
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I actually forgot to grab my hydrometer, so I was only able to guesstimate ABV. Here's the recipe:<br />
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<strong>WETHOPPED IPA</strong><br />
Batch size: 5.00 gal<br />
<br />
<em>Fermentables</em><br />
1.00lbs US 2-Row<br />
8.00oz Crystal 20L<br />
8.00oz Munich<br />
8.00oz Sucrose (table sugar)<br />
<br />
<em>Hops</em><br />
1.00oz US Chinook 12.5%AA - 60min.<br />
0.50oz US Chinook 12.5%AA - 45min.<br />
4.00oz US Cascade (Wet) ??%AA - 10min.<br />
4.00oz US Centennial (Wet) ??%AA - 0min.<br />
4.00oz US Cascade (Wet) ??%AA - 0min.<br />
1.00lbs US Cascade (Wet) ??%AA - in fermenter (wet-hopped)<br />
<br />
<em>Yeast/Bacteria/Etc.</em><br />
1 pkg. Safale US-05 Ale Yeast<br />
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Here are some more photos from the brew day:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBEwCmKHWlV_IoHZn4az_uzZgUntJSx6BQze4HNu7vzsPFoOaZ7vBKy4iPHkHTuQiujXDjM1JARye6gEFLWWHp2y2UeUg7XNbH4h8hWe-YOP4QDEC5y3oBtpxiHhr3OaUeaa7GosnJlJ4/s640/blogger-image--2125764402.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBEwCmKHWlV_IoHZn4az_uzZgUntJSx6BQze4HNu7vzsPFoOaZ7vBKy4iPHkHTuQiujXDjM1JARye6gEFLWWHp2y2UeUg7XNbH4h8hWe-YOP4QDEC5y3oBtpxiHhr3OaUeaa7GosnJlJ4/s400/blogger-image--2125764402.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mashing in.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Thn3XERBxSI6Dbynw-T1Hy-XMzxbvA-RsDsNmhf_ZwxRhvK9Qi5W3B0lcwLkexhn6IoFwLksyQ-ohk3wY_3xZZif5fp_Wk6HiD_5VFgpL1OtNL987c4Il6yLKNYFZxtdM8lmDcYhBEk/s640/blogger-image--1904035743.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Thn3XERBxSI6Dbynw-T1Hy-XMzxbvA-RsDsNmhf_ZwxRhvK9Qi5W3B0lcwLkexhn6IoFwLksyQ-ohk3wY_3xZZif5fp_Wk6HiD_5VFgpL1OtNL987c4Il6yLKNYFZxtdM8lmDcYhBEk/s400/blogger-image--1904035743.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vorlaufing.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwTHviOXyGGHGqm7wAdI4mrHat9DYhf7YxGKCEY9wezIvUaPR84ms8SNFaCGdiSgNTm-vFtEUa9qjoAa8U11HmX4o_q5CYe6wj2IxZBIthl-ggzUqLpsTRnN9DiLgKbX9w8v7iWozlSsw/s640/blogger-image-1699876130.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwTHviOXyGGHGqm7wAdI4mrHat9DYhf7YxGKCEY9wezIvUaPR84ms8SNFaCGdiSgNTm-vFtEUa9qjoAa8U11HmX4o_q5CYe6wj2IxZBIthl-ggzUqLpsTRnN9DiLgKbX9w8v7iWozlSsw/s400/blogger-image-1699876130.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Separating the cones from the leaves.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwroWB2xRzzFMxAzW6SjWaT6Zy4Uo5gxMDEuA9SVRSw3MS642XAHWm3iFHk3Fj3g1AON_qLudOyr40oMUF8XETsmHRgVzi2PAtCdmlE3IQ9TlZUgYjzlyreCDV9l26RDqRVWapt29NSWQ/s640/blogger-image-1445974818.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwroWB2xRzzFMxAzW6SjWaT6Zy4Uo5gxMDEuA9SVRSw3MS642XAHWm3iFHk3Fj3g1AON_qLudOyr40oMUF8XETsmHRgVzi2PAtCdmlE3IQ9TlZUgYjzlyreCDV9l26RDqRVWapt29NSWQ/s400/blogger-image-1445974818.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">8 ounces of freshly picked Cascade hops.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiODfy7mhPUx-Au42weetn23SeUkOFRpwQ8Mq06R5lvvWlH9FrejvCpWBO8yj2JpBbuS3UfbAumPruemt53b2jrj_bpH9J6vhNujoVlke2vzLFdAlmYg25QegxPznk-D5loI49md8ZetqE/s640/blogger-image-2023013214.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiODfy7mhPUx-Au42weetn23SeUkOFRpwQ8Mq06R5lvvWlH9FrejvCpWBO8yj2JpBbuS3UfbAumPruemt53b2jrj_bpH9J6vhNujoVlke2vzLFdAlmYg25QegxPznk-D5loI49md8ZetqE/s400/blogger-image-2023013214.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to go.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZyZEPBFjwIjvWkbBzSCipkBrNL2HVG9gNBFdWIdE4PXckSPC0rkXASvYdjZDVJM-ncJa7ee03REsVFvBsG1JKvuh1h0Cxvl6-bM0X2pQyPkJAkUZif284kiDxQfnK8FyMndetdqOeAHU/s640/blogger-image--891842389.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZyZEPBFjwIjvWkbBzSCipkBrNL2HVG9gNBFdWIdE4PXckSPC0rkXASvYdjZDVJM-ncJa7ee03REsVFvBsG1JKvuh1h0Cxvl6-bM0X2pQyPkJAkUZif284kiDxQfnK8FyMndetdqOeAHU/s400/blogger-image--891842389.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Excuse the mess - home renovation in progress.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWR9GEJY3NhgclT5yhh_WjGBF4oYlxF7ZIBlBHT2jyfEGM9mWOHd7fz0cD8oVu-jRZXDTAbNnIKU0XxP-EfVr75H1lnsZVgZ_kHOHvfbaNO-YgChDQL1sSYTkRUp6RSsgCHQLWbNSzzdQ/s640/blogger-image-1925957253.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWR9GEJY3NhgclT5yhh_WjGBF4oYlxF7ZIBlBHT2jyfEGM9mWOHd7fz0cD8oVu-jRZXDTAbNnIKU0XxP-EfVr75H1lnsZVgZ_kHOHvfbaNO-YgChDQL1sSYTkRUp6RSsgCHQLWbNSzzdQ/s400/blogger-image-1925957253.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can see that only the top 1/3rd of the plant has been harvested. Plenty more left to pick...</td></tr>
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Brienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11131844924056998549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8671198096923773907.post-56056792856767049962013-07-31T20:17:00.001-07:002013-07-31T20:17:30.192-07:00Garden '13 update<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
It's been a long time since I've posted, but I thought I'd play catch-up on the garden. Things have exploded - cherries, strawberries, raspberries, grapes, and tons of pepper/tomato plant growth. Pictures speak louder than words, so enough talking. On to the pictures!</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKSZM7zo_sxesLlwzpTyPSNSdhMSAdVwD8i8azMqFoUkePfmTXq0damBLzs2C6w66fNG29tu2uhUIaVtr1sA5VaS2i9oIYOBJ5Zllp-_wRQynkQLiL49VBmpKHpy5FvrKHvILpNUKbaPI/s640/blogger-image--1379538974.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKSZM7zo_sxesLlwzpTyPSNSdhMSAdVwD8i8azMqFoUkePfmTXq0damBLzs2C6w66fNG29tu2uhUIaVtr1sA5VaS2i9oIYOBJ5Zllp-_wRQynkQLiL49VBmpKHpy5FvrKHvILpNUKbaPI/s640/blogger-image--1379538974.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Corn!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglAmKvgPzrJE6v7j-R31cDNBbWFKOmpDPOVAATCytIbJO2AoDZv4q4gHX2Ov8EbKVUeUXcqNRJPmdJuBkWLuXgN0824YMSxPYAPkCWMs5jIrYmPEIOsIQ-CQSuhJu09L9CoBpMdK97Dfw/s640/blogger-image--1100895908.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglAmKvgPzrJE6v7j-R31cDNBbWFKOmpDPOVAATCytIbJO2AoDZv4q4gHX2Ov8EbKVUeUXcqNRJPmdJuBkWLuXgN0824YMSxPYAPkCWMs5jIrYmPEIOsIQ-CQSuhJu09L9CoBpMdK97Dfw/s640/blogger-image--1100895908.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A few ears starting to develop.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0MXiIN92n_VUnQoLlvhtRT3qT7SaF4exyLYeKgADleGhCordKpvh4rPa5d1pCFWbt7aWLu9wdl4Gn96UvpLFOp4zDvF5tmUij6cjTwCdCYzYCbqitC7F2iSv7m05QIZjbDmaypoScjKA/s640/blogger-image--771023995.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0MXiIN92n_VUnQoLlvhtRT3qT7SaF4exyLYeKgADleGhCordKpvh4rPa5d1pCFWbt7aWLu9wdl4Gn96UvpLFOp4zDvF5tmUij6cjTwCdCYzYCbqitC7F2iSv7m05QIZjbDmaypoScjKA/s640/blogger-image--771023995.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kaleidoscope peppers.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiocKqCt6F3hm_Rpo4FzraCpclQvHbgIrlbMrFQHycLzqenQ3RDU_SyzonoO3DxDi0-hKGYnhJ0GQyik-ae75jTzd-CTB3bqYkZCEpZfsiT5H-B3FrhzRSi_y-SwToRXCJujmWJxoi4Zlw/s640/blogger-image--1352471115.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiocKqCt6F3hm_Rpo4FzraCpclQvHbgIrlbMrFQHycLzqenQ3RDU_SyzonoO3DxDi0-hKGYnhJ0GQyik-ae75jTzd-CTB3bqYkZCEpZfsiT5H-B3FrhzRSi_y-SwToRXCJujmWJxoi4Zlw/s400/blogger-image--1352471115.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tomatillo plant.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivfazF_RzlX_qZM1uyHMXRU50ysdHTyInf9MaVEH9_C1tGB6w9I6HfrzxxXgQ-T16CgDLaAunkNI97muaPUEr0Xb3Qh9Xr4YSen9ZDhSSyDLFnoQYI7w6XOL5ix5q-s-4T2nYMJHJ-Fvw/s640/blogger-image-52812947.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivfazF_RzlX_qZM1uyHMXRU50ysdHTyInf9MaVEH9_C1tGB6w9I6HfrzxxXgQ-T16CgDLaAunkNI97muaPUEr0Xb3Qh9Xr4YSen9ZDhSSyDLFnoQYI7w6XOL5ix5q-s-4T2nYMJHJ-Fvw/s640/blogger-image-52812947.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Raspberries ripening.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvHUOI8zVkR_Hpedi2LNRX4fk3V5XjNao81Eq_TrPiqZes02pC5xYpXwTnRNWjAkIGsYTfrdgJ6RfIQgbKGov55XtThAFjmB8IfnvuYhJeZGpnZOLI68ysNtqUkOi66RyIDsWcXB9GKWw/s640/blogger-image--285425044.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvHUOI8zVkR_Hpedi2LNRX4fk3V5XjNao81Eq_TrPiqZes02pC5xYpXwTnRNWjAkIGsYTfrdgJ6RfIQgbKGov55XtThAFjmB8IfnvuYhJeZGpnZOLI68ysNtqUkOi66RyIDsWcXB9GKWw/s640/blogger-image--285425044.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pinot gris grapes. I also have a cabernet savignon plant that's got some bunches, but the gerwurztriminer plant seems to have stalled out.</td></tr>
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Brienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11131844924056998549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8671198096923773907.post-73144724722053114272013-06-11T15:42:00.001-07:002013-06-11T15:42:19.457-07:00Update 2: Brandy Barrel Quad<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNgeiQqUz28LKlSxidc4oh16x2m0Ewv9-v_MgBQGCi9v-29yjGuFgq939HUjq3L3Y9_6IW8rc49t7Gcs3ECOZmYm5rsurneoPYDeFROdxuyPdOZSAJA_UdrBYtPAFbLZ9IVsuU9wCip1A/s640/blogger-image-1072928570.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNgeiQqUz28LKlSxidc4oh16x2m0Ewv9-v_MgBQGCi9v-29yjGuFgq939HUjq3L3Y9_6IW8rc49t7Gcs3ECOZmYm5rsurneoPYDeFROdxuyPdOZSAJA_UdrBYtPAFbLZ9IVsuU9wCip1A/s320/blogger-image-1072928570.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Available in 4 convenient sizes (actually 5, if you count the 12oz bottles).</td></tr>
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It's been a little over a month since I <a href="http://chillhaze.blogspot.com/2013/05/update-brandy-barrel-quad.html">restarted the stuck quad</a> with a gigantic starter of WLP099. That seemed to have worked better than expected, as the quad dropped down to 1.018 before stopping for good. That put the quad at a hair over 15%, which makes this, by far, the biggest beer I've ever brewed.<br />
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After reaching terminal gravity it was time to transfer the quad into the brandy barrel I've been holding onto since January. It started life as a 20 liter Balcones distillery bourbon barrel that was used for a RIS and then refilled with a gallon of brandy. The beer spent 6 days in the barrel, coming out quite with a noticeable alcohol heat and some heavy oak tannins. (Fun fact: the residual CO2 will push beer through the spaces between the staves, and come out the other side of the barrel as sweet, oaky 'sap'.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ2KJTHoKSgVFePsN6kxdIDvx4fUKoIEt5L64QyXgqjFX0jMlPZJLLPPSl8VcLT-RyLTNI-3JUkHLp4U1CcK2wgPn_eKv-89VmXicVL8BUPuJ2alS9v2e1dtEyO88PSSZi3Rr8JoHhv8s/s640/blogger-image-545862102.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ2KJTHoKSgVFePsN6kxdIDvx4fUKoIEt5L64QyXgqjFX0jMlPZJLLPPSl8VcLT-RyLTNI-3JUkHLp4U1CcK2wgPn_eKv-89VmXicVL8BUPuJ2alS9v2e1dtEyO88PSSZi3Rr8JoHhv8s/s320/blogger-image-545862102.jpg" width="320" /></a>I then cold-conditioned the beer at 60 degrees for another 10 days. In just that short amount of time the oak and brandy flavors are already integrating into the beer nicely - I can't wait to try it five months from now.<br />
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I bottled the 4.5 gallons that remained on Sunday night (having lost some to evaporation and trub) into a mixture of bottles. Personally, I'm not fond of super-dry beers with a heavy oak presence, so in addition to the priming sugar I added 4 ounces of maltodextrin to add back some of the body that the super yeast ate. Eight bottles got the VIP treatment - corks, cages, foil, and labels - while the remainder went into a myriad of sizes of capped bottles for competitions, personal consumption, homebrew meetings, and etcetera.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZPiXxFqCnraF_b9Je0SpGi99EWinzMb7yEAW35gZlMHJoqrrEMOCbRyoZoB9pFfzdtHY1y9bqNFUlPbfAaraS7q3P7HQE5oR0LA28HL85dKRsjmVwHkPX7Ly1NVrBSXDbTRFkBsR7yMk/s640/blogger-image--1055283806.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
More pictures after the break.<a name='more'></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9u1nEtM-XMq339jlYgJpgWbnc19nIDPIu9Qwam3m5nisx8Zf9fsuQi6WHWLlUIlqwCron0oosaS-UfEs0isDoprJ7oDbCPK9MsIShEj1EjGtqi3brDZaS7iepkftZPVLQ2b48fZr8UFI/s640/blogger-image-290863974.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9u1nEtM-XMq339jlYgJpgWbnc19nIDPIu9Qwam3m5nisx8Zf9fsuQi6WHWLlUIlqwCron0oosaS-UfEs0isDoprJ7oDbCPK9MsIShEj1EjGtqi3brDZaS7iepkftZPVLQ2b48fZr8UFI/s640/blogger-image-290863974.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Into the barrel.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ2KJTHoKSgVFePsN6kxdIDvx4fUKoIEt5L64QyXgqjFX0jMlPZJLLPPSl8VcLT-RyLTNI-3JUkHLp4U1CcK2wgPn_eKv-89VmXicVL8BUPuJ2alS9v2e1dtEyO88PSSZi3Rr8JoHhv8s/s640/blogger-image-545862102.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDe1WL9lNGK2YlJNnwzBADyo-jv1t0A7p_U3R54UaXFx7w1car_9GYwmHoUjrtdiWijKOYJa951p9ojpNeNPL5tIdIKdi1i9Xkp4Pznf9qrNUWTsBGX2GdKk7Fet0F2MAacjJ2W7VfRCg/s640/blogger-image-1515389085.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDe1WL9lNGK2YlJNnwzBADyo-jv1t0A7p_U3R54UaXFx7w1car_9GYwmHoUjrtdiWijKOYJa951p9ojpNeNPL5tIdIKdi1i9Xkp4Pznf9qrNUWTsBGX2GdKk7Fet0F2MAacjJ2W7VfRCg/s640/blogger-image-1515389085.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1.018 - a touch dry for such a huge beer, but easily fixed with maltodextrin.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOvqXR3l30zleU3NWQRX4duNBhmOSe8P0l8i3XgIDJpX8YVnzvGVoG8RBvOkTwXKqMqzhyphenhyphenFfAcsZzKFoXXYaCdyfyXYEJ1xo-TLxG1N0tnsK11v4SOox5CUeDwhzks_oDqn1nbq7Hfprg/s640/blogger-image-438051459.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOvqXR3l30zleU3NWQRX4duNBhmOSe8P0l8i3XgIDJpX8YVnzvGVoG8RBvOkTwXKqMqzhyphenhyphenFfAcsZzKFoXXYaCdyfyXYEJ1xo-TLxG1N0tnsK11v4SOox5CUeDwhzks_oDqn1nbq7Hfprg/s640/blogger-image-438051459.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Into the bottling bucket.<br />
PS: Gamma seal lids make life easier.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl6_MjYmeN7lG10VIEk81m8BKwomswLRpAtdPeBBJwbbinNEoi8qfYXj8uCziCUgB6874TI6udvhK9ct6iuLEj1oaGaC-iTQuGC2SnGC_JzyUOSUpNdef9vbhS4RSjaMkVBBwhvo6e2iw/s640/blogger-image-1674482619.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqIqF03mcs21na0Z5-QhFxazqOAnLbXc2j9Fo1adgx6k2LH6IHlPYuWvkFXbDiyyh9I-6kd7c6pVuKgWmlLhPz0RVFABzU13utomZ8wXkXaQI3MaJo4EYf-kaz4nrW2Ys9S_V9C8bXZ3I/s640/blogger-image-1790768247.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqIqF03mcs21na0Z5-QhFxazqOAnLbXc2j9Fo1adgx6k2LH6IHlPYuWvkFXbDiyyh9I-6kd7c6pVuKgWmlLhPz0RVFABzU13utomZ8wXkXaQI3MaJo4EYf-kaz4nrW2Ys9S_V9C8bXZ3I/s640/blogger-image-1790768247.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All done.</td></tr>
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Brienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11131844924056998549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8671198096923773907.post-74795073374245243642013-05-31T11:18:00.001-07:002013-05-31T11:18:52.658-07:00In the Garden: Memorial Day Weekend editionMemorial Day weekend is always fairly relaxed in our family. This year, I spend a majority of it tending the garden. The pepper plants I bought down in San Diego are chugging along, and I can't wait to taste the fiery death each plant will give me - Trinidad Moruga Scorpion, Carolina Reaper, and a Chocolate 7 Pot, the 3 hottest chili plants in the world (for now).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPTKAenCYwVavUP8mKddU2PRmmYjqLXSZ57udN89Y-LgW4Cjyv1SPgXtQwPQXPv3OYlq-techv0FiAP6JltJ8yo1mf9qrUBu5cmedHOP0rWWFPJl3bXgDB3GIdRml-u1yHG23rg1bczQs/s640/blogger-image--1684864859.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPTKAenCYwVavUP8mKddU2PRmmYjqLXSZ57udN89Y-LgW4Cjyv1SPgXtQwPQXPv3OYlq-techv0FiAP6JltJ8yo1mf9qrUBu5cmedHOP0rWWFPJl3bXgDB3GIdRml-u1yHG23rg1bczQs/s320/blogger-image--1684864859.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg58jMkLHxFZtVn1kfYK9QCCYfLgCyD9BFJrZYoJgqcnIWq-B-h8WkjBGNkfeKcnTIx_AW-0W8AGB6L0Jy6ZOHXHEHDXznd3xkKDWOxpLvMpSGcrrlUkuocwERwCw3ohoJb5AW-yXz_r8E/s640/blogger-image-608776244.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg58jMkLHxFZtVn1kfYK9QCCYfLgCyD9BFJrZYoJgqcnIWq-B-h8WkjBGNkfeKcnTIx_AW-0W8AGB6L0Jy6ZOHXHEHDXznd3xkKDWOxpLvMpSGcrrlUkuocwERwCw3ohoJb5AW-yXz_r8E/s320/blogger-image-608776244.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKyFL4tc8CybdxJL9_rIJ67y4RBRAeDY_dPcsQ18h8P7B_drKca-RoxjPvpMLYuS8Hc7sHQYurfVIPAMCXpFYlCw9oZ6ArfPoRAfcyP3q8srHLdUIB63UnUfPvswttu4II8p7dpATdQX4/s640/blogger-image--733471341.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKyFL4tc8CybdxJL9_rIJ67y4RBRAeDY_dPcsQ18h8P7B_drKca-RoxjPvpMLYuS8Hc7sHQYurfVIPAMCXpFYlCw9oZ6ArfPoRAfcyP3q8srHLdUIB63UnUfPvswttu4II8p7dpATdQX4/s200/blogger-image--733471341.jpg" width="150" /></a>The hops are doing extremely well - in fact, I'm already getting burrs, which means I may be harvesting my first round of cones sometime in July. Other than that, not a lot of homebrew news to report - the quad is in the barrel and the sours I brewed last year are almost ready to bottle. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs_pg_9FvwTYhVHiN_3E4RkVtL9HO1DxSdqMMv_tQndUWM7S-kg68Agw6JTegrqI2i8sM-hVaLFqNxGceOkI613wk84MKqBvRNLbIaedGYwrH8W7F2sbrGB2-QvLFMgHtskV6-P-adAvs/s640/blogger-image--616941274.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs_pg_9FvwTYhVHiN_3E4RkVtL9HO1DxSdqMMv_tQndUWM7S-kg68Agw6JTegrqI2i8sM-hVaLFqNxGceOkI613wk84MKqBvRNLbIaedGYwrH8W7F2sbrGB2-QvLFMgHtskV6-P-adAvs/s320/blogger-image--616941274.jpg" width="240" /></a>I spent all day Sunday smoking a tri-tip and pork shoulder, along with a couple habaneros that I intend to dry and make into smoked habanero powder for seasonings.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmPrWrIjPpZaAgYyrsG6fDm5D1v6lgQY57DhJYMnU6ZT2cMkOfk5azSw2xIhGzo4_VM9R8ivduVjp5wlz_OoldDNmFmFP2Gidj53z1c4GVovQq6dWDDQyMlLYK6XMgLrXqtk_2cEGw8MU/s640/blogger-image--1137772684.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmPrWrIjPpZaAgYyrsG6fDm5D1v6lgQY57DhJYMnU6ZT2cMkOfk5azSw2xIhGzo4_VM9R8ivduVjp5wlz_OoldDNmFmFP2Gidj53z1c4GVovQq6dWDDQyMlLYK6XMgLrXqtk_2cEGw8MU/s320/blogger-image--1137772684.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look at that smoke ring!</td></tr>
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Brienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11131844924056998549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8671198096923773907.post-65079606742380771352013-05-10T10:06:00.004-07:002013-05-10T10:07:58.144-07:00Hops on the rise.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi-SWDfv_BNkHu6wqSlSOXU3kdrGpiNDNOoZfwoJD4J6ykfEKKo9iNu9btUhF6QMpLf8j05lNuRJFgYU2RBpShySikWziPfsNdcgyB1IXz9Ur4PIQfwCKGua023aXGeTUUq3HH9ptHhgQ/s640/blogger-image--1376000886.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi-SWDfv_BNkHu6wqSlSOXU3kdrGpiNDNOoZfwoJD4J6ykfEKKo9iNu9btUhF6QMpLf8j05lNuRJFgYU2RBpShySikWziPfsNdcgyB1IXz9Ur4PIQfwCKGua023aXGeTUUq3HH9ptHhgQ/s320/blogger-image--1376000886.jpg" width="320" /></a>Last month, I planted out an additional 4 hop rhizomes in the garden to bring the total up to six. Well, all but one of them - the Neo1 - have broken ground and are on their way to being productive plants.<br />
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The cascade and centennial hops I planted last year are going crazy and have almost reached the top of the roof, a feat they didn't accomplish until July of last year - so I may see an early harvest if things continue. They would likely have already reached the roof if not for a few days of cold, rainy weather this week.<br />
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Some more pictures after the break.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Willamette.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy_7k9W0bv-GV7iCJpPqW7ouiGbxVK2RAbobXxwfpLLDBu3JZcjUyLac-d_Bl70a3FOr4yolUVogecR1LRsj46gMY23ou4y1bLpGems_ujnUJ-93TEQQCcybk3bSFk29JdL8VPj_vkZds/s640/blogger-image-895242384.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy_7k9W0bv-GV7iCJpPqW7ouiGbxVK2RAbobXxwfpLLDBu3JZcjUyLac-d_Bl70a3FOr4yolUVogecR1LRsj46gMY23ou4y1bLpGems_ujnUJ-93TEQQCcybk3bSFk29JdL8VPj_vkZds/s400/blogger-image-895242384.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The second centennial plant.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcZg6xlh1zTIVREIV7xswhAFzII0dpv7HtqTpO-2ykOPVVsvLtRZ-ak0Mx41ZimTd3cl2MXTw0_aU3_VhdQMNkkxZVl7yWwYZN5wMia7tuoCmH463Zn-19a1kyDPnYJHo8jTr29nK-z3Q/s640/blogger-image--192986902.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcZg6xlh1zTIVREIV7xswhAFzII0dpv7HtqTpO-2ykOPVVsvLtRZ-ak0Mx41ZimTd3cl2MXTw0_aU3_VhdQMNkkxZVl7yWwYZN5wMia7tuoCmH463Zn-19a1kyDPnYJHo8jTr29nK-z3Q/s400/blogger-image--192986902.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Almost to the roofline.</td></tr>
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Brienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11131844924056998549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8671198096923773907.post-33704626562898636652013-05-09T16:05:00.001-07:002013-05-09T16:07:12.572-07:00Update: Brandy Barrel Quad<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-AtZMSFMAPjDB8lcUNcMrHbzo0B9jog63kq1ws7H_LQemLyzKGKucz6Kctog3gQomwIb8EMTr0veigEqh4l7JgNDQ9o0AMXBvDAQGIL-_4tyJZ4t7bOu0POCkN_-BcSc97zGaytBb8P4/s640/blogger-image--1202403578.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-AtZMSFMAPjDB8lcUNcMrHbzo0B9jog63kq1ws7H_LQemLyzKGKucz6Kctog3gQomwIb8EMTr0veigEqh4l7JgNDQ9o0AMXBvDAQGIL-_4tyJZ4t7bOu0POCkN_-BcSc97zGaytBb8P4/s200/blogger-image--1202403578.jpg" width="150" /></a>A lot has happened in the past month - two weddings, a vacation, and some overtime at work - so now that life is beginning to get back to normal, it's time to address some of the things that have been going on since my last post.<br />
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Since brewing my 'super quad' (or a quintupel - call it what you will) two months ago, it's been a rather uncooperative beer. After an explosive fermentation over the first two weeks, as I gradually ramped the temperatures up into the high 80's, eventually it seemed to stall out.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ5yQ7zXdI_b-L_3IrqNzkgEpM40rKpv1ZAsetev9JZ2by7pRmPWcvRVReYax70pgvwr6K39Kc8o83N5Ww6VMvRO36qtlilP_vxB4VsotQfW9wA6F8mCO-gxcqOMtNrebBR7fDPYdJSAo/s640/blogger-image-1654745195.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ5yQ7zXdI_b-L_3IrqNzkgEpM40rKpv1ZAsetev9JZ2by7pRmPWcvRVReYax70pgvwr6K39Kc8o83N5Ww6VMvRO36qtlilP_vxB4VsotQfW9wA6F8mCO-gxcqOMtNrebBR7fDPYdJSAo/s200/blogger-image-1654745195.jpg" width="150" /></a>Swirling and ramping the temp to the 90's had little effect, and after several reading over a 2-week period, I concluded the quad had, in fact, stuck at 1.044. What was I to do? Now don't get me wrong, I like malty beers, but I was aiming for a sweeter-than-style quad to stand up to the barrel aging, not syrup.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZbdW6uVDc2EuSZCLPjCbsDM9mcUuQ-RD7hiAo_06PAWvB-OT-A9yzsb4yvlL-V9t5z6P9BEXOaXCtpLWLrnXLHBus3wXrV6PUuBeOsIOyj8GR2EW16N3Xx0e3rzMzyVG9Mjd6FIxDXuU/s640/blogger-image--1602708914.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZbdW6uVDc2EuSZCLPjCbsDM9mcUuQ-RD7hiAo_06PAWvB-OT-A9yzsb4yvlL-V9t5z6P9BEXOaXCtpLWLrnXLHBus3wXrV6PUuBeOsIOyj8GR2EW16N3Xx0e3rzMzyVG9Mjd6FIxDXuU/s200/blogger-image--1602708914.jpg" width="150" /></a>So, after consulting some friends I concocted a plan. Over the course of a weekend I built up a trillion cell starter of WLP-099 Super High Gravity Yeast, using progressively stronger wort each time - the final round using 1.050 wort mixed with a liter of the stuck quad. Once it reached high krausen I acclimated it to higher ABV with some vodka added gradually over the course of an hour, and then pitched the entire, massive starter into the quad. Two weeks later and the quad is now down to 1.033. If I can get it into the 1.020's I'll consider it a success.Brienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11131844924056998549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8671198096923773907.post-54438075759387698372013-04-16T16:45:00.002-07:002013-04-16T16:47:23.595-07:00In the Garden 2013 - Hops, hops, hops!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihmcjdGS1pcMVkoexkWg6-C9AELEDpU_yWO117uzNxtXT2H4S0BEDz_EvdnSYTPGVsuFMsMz9W33yqEk57_TcKag_NklmgWlPyiJWhcY4hMkWqfMCoUJCXD6409Pjl7FImWn9FA32bBHs/s640/blogger-image--1525913682.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihmcjdGS1pcMVkoexkWg6-C9AELEDpU_yWO117uzNxtXT2H4S0BEDz_EvdnSYTPGVsuFMsMz9W33yqEk57_TcKag_NklmgWlPyiJWhcY4hMkWqfMCoUJCXD6409Pjl7FImWn9FA32bBHs/s400/blogger-image--1525913682.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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Last year, I took an attempt at <a href="http://chillhaze.blogspot.com/2012/08/hops-harvest-2012-and-garden-update.html">starting my own hop farm</a> that was fairly successful - two first year plants yielded about a pound of dried hops - and have decided to step it up in 2013.<br />
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The first thing I had to do was make more room - much more room - for this year's crop. I extended the planter I built <a href="http://chillhaze.blogspot.com/2012/04/hop-farming.html">last year</a> to wrap around the rest of the house before stopping at the A/C condenser. There's enough room for me to plant four more rhizomes. The lucky winners this year are:<br />
<ul>
<li>Centennial</li>
<li>Chinook</li>
<li>Willamette</li>
<li>Neo1 (new hop variety from New Mexico)</li>
</ul>
I already have one Centennial, but it's one of my go-to hops for pale ales and IPAs (plus, you can't legally buy Simcoe or Citra rhizomes, patents and such). Chinook has a nice piney-ness for aroma additions and is a great all-around bittering hop, while Willamette works equally well in American and English/Belgian styles. I don't know a whole lot about Neo1 other than the fact that it's a new breed from New Mexico that is described as "lemon-y) and has a fairly high alpha acid content.<br />
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I plan on harvesting a few pounds this year, so I'll hopefully be able to do a wet hopped IPA and have plenty left over for drying.<br />
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Here are some photos of the build out and rhizome planting:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisSfp11WgSsWAmEF1dFCd39Xz4AyZ9GaWMWuRDqW_fq3xotizv_q7dZQ9WP3cwG9dSXqXfBOq9Isu1Pyalu-56aK8vMpVlTRBK95NlGZ_tcGbHHgq17_0jfNcfjbQ4TZWstHe-YAyBKts/s640/blogger-image-616347471.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisSfp11WgSsWAmEF1dFCd39Xz4AyZ9GaWMWuRDqW_fq3xotizv_q7dZQ9WP3cwG9dSXqXfBOq9Isu1Pyalu-56aK8vMpVlTRBK95NlGZ_tcGbHHgq17_0jfNcfjbQ4TZWstHe-YAyBKts/s400/blogger-image-616347471.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I had to dig up quite a few boulder and roof shingles (!) in the process.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDBNa96tbhir6JXTm5oB6yUA10HOd6fiuCH5Qrhf3mS0xp8d5q_X_408zl6wOxVr7FVlNhjp7ZqpYK8nEHssyhzRSW8biV8ZgeRwfy9AACWDh6VrAgxL_BR_Y7PQfggSdhcGsg1z8Mxpg/s640/blogger-image-136167647.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDBNa96tbhir6JXTm5oB6yUA10HOd6fiuCH5Qrhf3mS0xp8d5q_X_408zl6wOxVr7FVlNhjp7ZqpYK8nEHssyhzRSW8biV8ZgeRwfy9AACWDh6VrAgxL_BR_Y7PQfggSdhcGsg1z8Mxpg/s400/blogger-image-136167647.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Centennial and Cascade plants from last year are much more vigorous this year!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIOZpi-HKGayeAPjsoEUsPPHKDgfZ3JJ0uoBT52rfRHBXmKX-3ARPg641QbO3eU3N5DK_k2xPaYYbq7C_itIwVktaQgsSfqRajMo5mpL-aW66Xwx9SQlgo_szHYWq-yI1sh46UFiemLjA/s640/blogger-image--884479358.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIOZpi-HKGayeAPjsoEUsPPHKDgfZ3JJ0uoBT52rfRHBXmKX-3ARPg641QbO3eU3N5DK_k2xPaYYbq7C_itIwVktaQgsSfqRajMo5mpL-aW66Xwx9SQlgo_szHYWq-yI1sh46UFiemLjA/s400/blogger-image--884479358.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Under construction.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgep5nk4v6v5bGDmJMBxWKEpZEPLlpGdVTldSXBpYIo7YteF9HaYA9pY0LkYrCk9qZIM7deVjesPyPZPLnknPxMmNqI996nCf9lbsHLyHXnp_OaflumtoIxZUSNYFPZuKK3MDPZUPd_yW0/s640/blogger-image--246492815.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgep5nk4v6v5bGDmJMBxWKEpZEPLlpGdVTldSXBpYIo7YteF9HaYA9pY0LkYrCk9qZIM7deVjesPyPZPLnknPxMmNqI996nCf9lbsHLyHXnp_OaflumtoIxZUSNYFPZuKK3MDPZUPd_yW0/s400/blogger-image--246492815.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting ready to finish the planter.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZYmf47wit55v71E-Lx27hpkmqlD9rkb8wZsm5N8ahPaSo0PU27vH5tGb0CDoJTioI7NrS4BEqoM8G4d9-CnRMZo_HpEmg0zhqAvA1a5Cvnbs-PvUS2DiATBFO8KRviUp0tqZjvHmPRnM/s640/blogger-image-574010161.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZYmf47wit55v71E-Lx27hpkmqlD9rkb8wZsm5N8ahPaSo0PU27vH5tGb0CDoJTioI7NrS4BEqoM8G4d9-CnRMZo_HpEmg0zhqAvA1a5Cvnbs-PvUS2DiATBFO8KRviUp0tqZjvHmPRnM/s400/blogger-image-574010161.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rhizomes ready for transplant.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0lnHRhqHa5wZGKvM5obicn4dR5ZBYSTgUWfIsRZkWjVvagxrtXN_87xfaFhZq_PxgIOPA8HO5q7ybB2gCgCN_MjhhGz02hlTgy_GQg1nfUTIglsSE1TD8pEwB0VVwZaqK35n67oll240/s640/blogger-image--1166922191.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0lnHRhqHa5wZGKvM5obicn4dR5ZBYSTgUWfIsRZkWjVvagxrtXN_87xfaFhZq_PxgIOPA8HO5q7ybB2gCgCN_MjhhGz02hlTgy_GQg1nfUTIglsSE1TD8pEwB0VVwZaqK35n67oll240/s400/blogger-image--1166922191.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Planting other things in-between hops. In this case, leeks.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4JLF7G5IT7IKKi-uMZMn_Gbac-5brRFuAnAs2NBxzLm8a7qDCRqnKyl48Y9oT46svaClrts1tZPWpQvPlu_ihDMm0ZvOEVIKagelTYyGmcRvg6dqdkeSXFZdZ4F7YeyYUpNuS8fT7zXw/s640/blogger-image-109972567.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4JLF7G5IT7IKKi-uMZMn_Gbac-5brRFuAnAs2NBxzLm8a7qDCRqnKyl48Y9oT46svaClrts1tZPWpQvPlu_ihDMm0ZvOEVIKagelTYyGmcRvg6dqdkeSXFZdZ4F7YeyYUpNuS8fT7zXw/s400/blogger-image-109972567.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some signage and anti-rabbit screening for the new transplants.</td></tr>
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Brienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11131844924056998549noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8671198096923773907.post-59095546814504342642013-03-11T11:55:00.002-07:002013-03-11T22:40:35.934-07:00Brandy Barrel Quad<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhboqM0DBbq1wc4MNNp5HjveceulkwpvWKmrBpdqpwyqglPNLJBBvSA4nGsv6cLePCgQcFqjFOP_ObOGZamKysdpQEJ8uz4XzoPvWPfVbDjU0X8kUfnIzlqOCjSNjdfBJaqyquOG2dO-pA/s1600/qf-both.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="115" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhboqM0DBbq1wc4MNNp5HjveceulkwpvWKmrBpdqpwyqglPNLJBBvSA4nGsv6cLePCgQcFqjFOP_ObOGZamKysdpQEJ8uz4XzoPvWPfVbDjU0X8kUfnIzlqOCjSNjdfBJaqyquOG2dO-pA/s200/qf-both.png" style="cursor: move;" width="200" /></a>Last year, a few of my friends got together and decided to clone Westvleteren 12. Those efforts led to the creation of <a href="http://snbbrewing.blogspot.com/2012/12/quadfest2012.html">QuadFest</a>. It was successful enough to warrant a sequel, <em>QuadFest 2013</em>. For this year's event the number of participants has grown to include myself, my friend Rick, and perhaps a few more homebrewers from the Reno area; we will be holding our own <em>QuadFest North</em> meeting later this year, as most of us won't be able to make the trip down to Orange County.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQpckNr0p_WtMTMF5aNeTN5GYYS2Nveq78KxphppmMSfIxFcOVbdzlX20px60IRtHSGqoHp2ESS4H0u0kqm7TnS5ySQBhhfgzDwb2alq7JhRl3fxs4Mq5YLjQRRpwB391HWiK0RAj6q1U/s640/blogger-image--653089747.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQpckNr0p_WtMTMF5aNeTN5GYYS2Nveq78KxphppmMSfIxFcOVbdzlX20px60IRtHSGqoHp2ESS4H0u0kqm7TnS5ySQBhhfgzDwb2alq7JhRl3fxs4Mq5YLjQRRpwB391HWiK0RAj6q1U/s200/blogger-image--653089747.jpg" width="200" /></a>Yesterday I brewed my take on the classic recipe. I sought to fuse my two favorite quads, Rochefort 10 and Westvleteren 12, into one brew. The recipe is based on several clone recipes, information from Brew Like a Monk, and some guesstimation on my end - Belgian pilsen, CaraMunich, Special B, and a ton of candi syrup from <a href="http://www.candisyrup.com/">Candi Syrup Inc.</a> I also followed feedback based on Daniel, Shawn, and Scott's attempts last year. My hope is to capture the complexity of Westvleteren but have the maltyness of Rochefort to stand up to barrel aging. Yes, you heard that right, I'll be putting this bad boy into a used 5 gallon brandy barrel...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkl_7QWoq8Y9QjDioUT9FKJMJyYy_IKN3z_H_4mcN0Vgbz5-fi7vEQNJ5nqtJX8oRNzNz9mNBwu7r6zkMO4NaXJqsjspzMXfjPD41QMjVFWrsv5ysyeX2CxoXzpopWZb7Ndmgxcd2KwAU/s640/blogger-image-522565762.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkl_7QWoq8Y9QjDioUT9FKJMJyYy_IKN3z_H_4mcN0Vgbz5-fi7vEQNJ5nqtJX8oRNzNz9mNBwu7r6zkMO4NaXJqsjspzMXfjPD41QMjVFWrsv5ysyeX2CxoXzpopWZb7Ndmgxcd2KwAU/s200/blogger-image-522565762.jpg" width="150" /></a>Friday morning I got a 3 liter starter of WLP530 (Westmalle/Westvleteren's yeast) going to get me to the calculated ~400 billion yeast cells needed for such a huge beer. I cold-crashed it Saturday afternoon and it was ready to decant Sunday morning. I used some of the first runnings to get it going again so that the yeast would be active by the time I was done boiling and cooling.<br />
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I mashed in around 10:30, at 152, and was sparging by noon. I usually fly sparge but decided to try batch sparging since I had wanted to try it. Once all the wort was in the kettle I stirred it around and took a pre-boil gravity sample since I wanted to measure my efficiency before I added 4 pounds of sugar to the wort and hit 68% efficiency which was better than I usually get.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHcg0E7q_UQjnYOUEJtlkW8PGLTpD33ZfI6Pl76y9nBSg9zMAs_rdRpOleiWyX2cCePebmMX7jZyAVs6vbTwXsnqsEkK6s-5XkcA453N1Vkj11842mE-mU4xOS8DKhGxM0Uwznt7DKy44/s640/blogger-image-1570680182.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHcg0E7q_UQjnYOUEJtlkW8PGLTpD33ZfI6Pl76y9nBSg9zMAs_rdRpOleiWyX2cCePebmMX7jZyAVs6vbTwXsnqsEkK6s-5XkcA453N1Vkj11842mE-mU4xOS8DKhGxM0Uwznt7DKy44/s320/blogger-image-1570680182.jpg" width="240" /></a>An hour into the boil I ran out of propane - $20 and 10 minutes later I was back in business, I probably got a few more IBUs than anticipated but I shortened the remaining time left in the boil by 5 minutes to offset any extraction I might have gotten while the hot wort waited for me to get back from the store. I finished boiling and cleaning up around 5 PM. I aerated the wort, added some yeast nutrient and waited about an hour, then pitched the starter and moved the carboy into the fermentation chamber and within 4 hours I had activity. I set up a massive blow off tube - I figure such a high gravity wort (1.112) is probably a guarantee of some fireworks.<br />
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If I hit my target final gravity I should be somewhere around 14% ABV - high for the style, but necessary to stand up to the brandy barrel in my opinion.<br />
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More pictures from the brewday:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi77nC8uuGDFv4yc-mjc0aJrpNQaEWKsWWiqA6usDBfdCGn-mBAsanAI3kK0qWTT8vgF-J-uD3alsU2wSf9dqx1lnAw9_27JhTRHE4YV-EKKm_PB_u4HwMlbM2NJdriChHMts0dPGoU4jo/s640/blogger-image--1336297916.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi77nC8uuGDFv4yc-mjc0aJrpNQaEWKsWWiqA6usDBfdCGn-mBAsanAI3kK0qWTT8vgF-J-uD3alsU2wSf9dqx1lnAw9_27JhTRHE4YV-EKKm_PB_u4HwMlbM2NJdriChHMts0dPGoU4jo/s400/blogger-image--1336297916.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">19 pounds of grain.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQzPVUqzNeX2MhPtBhptH2M2-kTK5hNqC34SGTS8NPCOKtfuJKtT0eP3Y-iLJ1Zgq7VP4hcvyK-oHz1Oky0w8s5fLEvZZ3EkSLnP_tCxKjIR1FO4Y9_KUyNmrtPkgFuPIBsD-5f2gQDnk/s640/blogger-image--54396148.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQzPVUqzNeX2MhPtBhptH2M2-kTK5hNqC34SGTS8NPCOKtfuJKtT0eP3Y-iLJ1Zgq7VP4hcvyK-oHz1Oky0w8s5fLEvZZ3EkSLnP_tCxKjIR1FO4Y9_KUyNmrtPkgFuPIBsD-5f2gQDnk/s400/blogger-image--54396148.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mashing in.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9EcefOGuFKhoNbSTH0Yk0hIBDF8gnD_kS3DA4g5JXUlhqZ_90y1yC6XJmwB1sLlnbj4_8wKdtBnuuLrf-AtSevK-qm7TfDcdFyp-pKp_0mKayglFkM8I8Tm37dWXAJSiBabMgMNj2CoI/s640/blogger-image--1299359523.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9EcefOGuFKhoNbSTH0Yk0hIBDF8gnD_kS3DA4g5JXUlhqZ_90y1yC6XJmwB1sLlnbj4_8wKdtBnuuLrf-AtSevK-qm7TfDcdFyp-pKp_0mKayglFkM8I8Tm37dWXAJSiBabMgMNj2CoI/s640/blogger-image--1299359523.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My hi-tech vorlauf technique.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi24iL3P5CGWNTpYcqo0ZZ67RzAUDqi58AXBGkpQ33pvlGJ1dldZuZleO5VshPCqyAOQ_x2ofCf064p8tOI3chC7g5xun9PK2eStOG6ZewLqAi3HbiZa1zn-S-WXS38wQ4ZBCCSvSHvKh0/s640/blogger-image--139419390.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi24iL3P5CGWNTpYcqo0ZZ67RzAUDqi58AXBGkpQ33pvlGJ1dldZuZleO5VshPCqyAOQ_x2ofCf064p8tOI3chC7g5xun9PK2eStOG6ZewLqAi3HbiZa1zn-S-WXS38wQ4ZBCCSvSHvKh0/s400/blogger-image--139419390.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boil additions - hops, beet sugar, and coriander seed.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKO86R1Rc_Xm9Y-n1lbMzZvps3LMEAlibNSXrtz1u9LfawsCv0PQx8J9MBjEW-ThXvyPfThF6bJlc7_ZLx3LlFDbN-t06pjOyAt8Bks9G4uI3EtLnFw1iYKgK8FeLomzZ9cGg9kKVUqT4/s640/blogger-image--620660008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKO86R1Rc_Xm9Y-n1lbMzZvps3LMEAlibNSXrtz1u9LfawsCv0PQx8J9MBjEW-ThXvyPfThF6bJlc7_ZLx3LlFDbN-t06pjOyAt8Bks9G4uI3EtLnFw1iYKgK8FeLomzZ9cGg9kKVUqT4/s640/blogger-image--620660008.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In goes the 1g coriander seed and final hop addition.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMEvitd-M2wfvkBLRlJXd5yILAnLIbeKQjNHczIfBoYodMpwvXeLm9HB5HD8yB26qdVJPTOpfHectW4V22Zic6NOJ9DIDVRyxN-mOL45fX-bHBvvFJDsmmVuPIjlz3I1lRXJb6tUvw0Lw/s640/blogger-image--116644599.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMEvitd-M2wfvkBLRlJXd5yILAnLIbeKQjNHczIfBoYodMpwvXeLm9HB5HD8yB26qdVJPTOpfHectW4V22Zic6NOJ9DIDVRyxN-mOL45fX-bHBvvFJDsmmVuPIjlz3I1lRXJb6tUvw0Lw/s640/blogger-image--116644599.jpg" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-kFQZ2ckNMpVt0fh-vLODUL3-mXtAEZr77lS1CyEJRyLjV-muZNsb8og4BQcvOGvDMbGb7oG9d8ZFmJq7kDoKjDc1JfnMI0MQIAchhXMvKAnQUH0RouT-GRn2ZkVj0-vXaOBK_XvBj5c/s640/blogger-image-1245987131.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-kFQZ2ckNMpVt0fh-vLODUL3-mXtAEZr77lS1CyEJRyLjV-muZNsb8og4BQcvOGvDMbGb7oG9d8ZFmJq7kDoKjDc1JfnMI0MQIAchhXMvKAnQUH0RouT-GRn2ZkVj0-vXaOBK_XvBj5c/s640/blogger-image-1245987131.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pre-boil gravity - 1.072 (temp corrected).</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKkF2kqwsHinR66x8Isa82H8nCQWl0EBAagVtAsq3nJTJGid-_LXLkZtx5TXeFWfC9fgCi8NKlEiMuHtEg2Egq5VyxVuqSRiZUOk4hT5WmadjqogEzi43IMdsfU1yzqgQgA7gjAgUbxpg/s640/blogger-image--1381067046.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKkF2kqwsHinR66x8Isa82H8nCQWl0EBAagVtAsq3nJTJGid-_LXLkZtx5TXeFWfC9fgCi8NKlEiMuHtEg2Egq5VyxVuqSRiZUOk4hT5WmadjqogEzi43IMdsfU1yzqgQgA7gjAgUbxpg/s640/blogger-image--1381067046.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post-boil gravity - 1.113 (temp corrected).</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfBjFb5_Ea5Xld_fw9EUgCy4_JWVAS-dZ61C5uo62xDhlc_BfBZvkUpnog-IdmAX-dEJihYVlY4P9APaHiYSeMrxZ2aKSMrSh_rIwrZcPPTqTT7IswkQJBDoqGxJXJCfP6GAgQ8_lDHMw/s640/blogger-image-1443160839.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfBjFb5_Ea5Xld_fw9EUgCy4_JWVAS-dZ61C5uo62xDhlc_BfBZvkUpnog-IdmAX-dEJihYVlY4P9APaHiYSeMrxZ2aKSMrSh_rIwrZcPPTqTT7IswkQJBDoqGxJXJCfP6GAgQ8_lDHMw/s640/blogger-image-1443160839.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tucked into the fermentation chamber. Hi-tech heater in action.</td></tr>
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Brienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11131844924056998549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8671198096923773907.post-1075767171995342752013-02-25T14:53:00.001-08:002013-03-12T11:09:49.449-07:00Local lambic 2013 + Local lambic 2012 updates<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuACJkKj6fWuAazi79qUCGY5-jXOE2TuaCM0bZdFBga9VYrRXBfZc2qFmCrXULKiGYXKAZi17rdrxxIqNyCK8pFzXraTL4rUnM1tYSsko_DTKfIzQRzAt-AfHmTsx1Ryp7YQLv7NmQuZQ/s640/blogger-image--1272775451.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuACJkKj6fWuAazi79qUCGY5-jXOE2TuaCM0bZdFBga9VYrRXBfZc2qFmCrXULKiGYXKAZi17rdrxxIqNyCK8pFzXraTL4rUnM1tYSsko_DTKfIzQRzAt-AfHmTsx1Ryp7YQLv7NmQuZQ/s200/blogger-image--1272775451.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
This weekend, I brewed the second annual batch of my local pseudo-Lambic. <span id="goog_388405149"></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/">Last year's batch</a> has developed into a nice lambic base - assertively sour (but not overly so), with a great bouquet and good color and clarity.<br />
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For this years batch, I'm keeping the turbid mash, and using the same recipe - the only change being that I upped the Munich malt by 10% and reduced the boil time from two hours to 60 minutes. The hope is that the extra Munich will offset any kettle caramelization the extra hour would have given.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK3ASm3b28oxmgmT5OHqjQ1YwuRaQfqnIKKwtyieo39emABQbpiBKL2r5ZmivOOpcQqSRHd_mGgTEkbfhbql0JXMz1gISCWKiECCRrZVx1E9P1YYDAbRE5HcTBMahqmaciHMQPg2nk8BY/s640/blogger-image--1365201562.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK3ASm3b28oxmgmT5OHqjQ1YwuRaQfqnIKKwtyieo39emABQbpiBKL2r5ZmivOOpcQqSRHd_mGgTEkbfhbql0JXMz1gISCWKiECCRrZVx1E9P1YYDAbRE5HcTBMahqmaciHMQPg2nk8BY/s200/blogger-image--1365201562.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
To make way for this year's batch, it was finally time to do something with the 5 gallons I brewed last April. I have been debating back and forth over whether or not to fruit the beer. I finally decided that the beer would work fine as a fruit lambic base and went back to the original idea to use boysenberries after the plan to use pinot gris grapes didn't work out as planned (with only a few ounces, the flavor and acid contributions were undetectable). I racked a little under three gallons of the beer onto 3 pounds of boysenberries (which I might bump up to five), and racked another gallon into a small glass carboy for extended aging - my intent is to use this in blending for a gueuze-style beer in a year or two.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMQthKEW3Zi-rtOIez19SnoB0mv7DjZD27AT_YtOXi_Rlp1c33M6LnOnhux5T_oIZRINgG78A95Jle1QEcy1S7ZuMStuvjDRxfNg7ihy-nqs4CcHtgn25_XOJzHb3Z2Nz6cIOYsjrkt4I/s640/blogger-image-470102903.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMQthKEW3Zi-rtOIez19SnoB0mv7DjZD27AT_YtOXi_Rlp1c33M6LnOnhux5T_oIZRINgG78A95Jle1QEcy1S7ZuMStuvjDRxfNg7ihy-nqs4CcHtgn25_XOJzHb3Z2Nz6cIOYsjrkt4I/s200/blogger-image-470102903.jpg" width="150" /></a>I had just enough left over to bottle a couple straight for comparison later. I washed the remainder to harvest for the next batch, which I brewed the following morning.<br />
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After the fiasco a couple weeks ago, this batch went great, with only two minor hiccups. Firstly, forgetting to add my brewing salts, which isn't huge problem and secondly, slipping on the ice that formed on the deck while brewing - one of the things that sucks about brewing in such cold weather.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7CNM3P2KIkImFlDLuaZCBzJEBzPrFy_540QMk4UKh3SxZRY3NxKoWDEvlU7JxBSXDdbkTvQZ5MOzfA-UZUbJ2Ns6XB-N83WHReUdaa6ODG_RgzE45EkcI3vHgT-zYNhe2Ldie0mbXo04/s640/blogger-image--495823128.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7CNM3P2KIkImFlDLuaZCBzJEBzPrFy_540QMk4UKh3SxZRY3NxKoWDEvlU7JxBSXDdbkTvQZ5MOzfA-UZUbJ2Ns6XB-N83WHReUdaa6ODG_RgzE45EkcI3vHgT-zYNhe2Ldie0mbXo04/s200/blogger-image--495823128.jpg" width="150" /></a>I nailed my estimated OG of 1.051 exactly - I can't even remember the last time that's happened, and it hasn't happened since I moved.<br />
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I collected ~5.5 gallons of wort which was racked onto the washed yeast/bacteria cake from last year's batch, along with a smack pak of Wyeast Lambic Blend and some Russian River dregs.<br />
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I haven't decided what to do with this batch, but I'll probably put it into a 5 gallon barrel I have coming my way at some point. After that, I will likely split the batch and fruit half.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjkk_aoPXFu3jdhyphenhyphenhcesCbcESNT4m9mTt5hUBP8XnP7uBQ0KrbNx2C05L5B0B4axoPpl6a6sY6uBn0sxcHva5MVrPzwGIESc9SnEQvDgpf0l8mZMJmjrf6usLIcNosZ_mwE8mnCu63Usc/s640/blogger-image--571566540.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjkk_aoPXFu3jdhyphenhyphenhcesCbcESNT4m9mTt5hUBP8XnP7uBQ0KrbNx2C05L5B0B4axoPpl6a6sY6uBn0sxcHva5MVrPzwGIESc9SnEQvDgpf0l8mZMJmjrf6usLIcNosZ_mwE8mnCu63Usc/s320/blogger-image--571566540.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Neat trick I learned to keep light out. Blowoff tube/jar tucked behind carboy in a plastic bag (just in case).</td></tr>
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A few more photos from racking/brewing over the weekend:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOm61ZgPP8abyBmn-KK5DEJTrT_g4mZTicm1hPMr4tTO94t9jFeKrnGHtNnfKjF3THrkc9qdeMrLL2w6u7Qx5CjTLCr0cqbMGP5psPs1so_Io768yeFcFvuYv3AssVnDZ-gEtfOIiJf8A/s640/blogger-image-1175478483.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOm61ZgPP8abyBmn-KK5DEJTrT_g4mZTicm1hPMr4tTO94t9jFeKrnGHtNnfKjF3THrkc9qdeMrLL2w6u7Qx5CjTLCr0cqbMGP5psPs1so_Io768yeFcFvuYv3AssVnDZ-gEtfOIiJf8A/s640/blogger-image-1175478483.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The "blending" gallon reserved for next year.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOQIWEL-TE96Z8L_lKiwuG2Zn2ZGHJBNrhHPiyl5ietRr-xWjLvZHKdudQwLxzsRmkkHK_p_G_B2fCeRAPDPIhAx3AALfuqmRX-2j483KHgRvnYkmoiunlNZG-TTin48yhKuXPjNMzy4o/s640/blogger-image--1796303108.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOQIWEL-TE96Z8L_lKiwuG2Zn2ZGHJBNrhHPiyl5ietRr-xWjLvZHKdudQwLxzsRmkkHK_p_G_B2fCeRAPDPIhAx3AALfuqmRX-2j483KHgRvnYkmoiunlNZG-TTin48yhKuXPjNMzy4o/s640/blogger-image--1796303108.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3# of boysenberries ready for beer.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdzDmmoV5XTGea6snhqI0ca_wGVh2dwoI5HHGeSGPeJT6luhvJ9yiZ_TWzBkDBkzD9T8zgRteiXfbC4Dv1NLqgvTBcThpaa25WtceROjLvQrOLzzrDbuO9gf1zn1XfJyOE1KJI4owVqlc/s640/blogger-image--958647143.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdzDmmoV5XTGea6snhqI0ca_wGVh2dwoI5HHGeSGPeJT6luhvJ9yiZ_TWzBkDBkzD9T8zgRteiXfbC4Dv1NLqgvTBcThpaa25WtceROjLvQrOLzzrDbuO9gf1zn1XfJyOE1KJI4owVqlc/s640/blogger-image--958647143.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mashing in.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_mC5qFxid1qkbpYXyGhHyEsvwBgFCEmjuj4cwHnb4jehLWcYpA4U-EHodZBnA-nNJdZkST1NhmAH3js6fkE0YXKE2nTjw4zNr_Q7jYdR8hqzR81z8C24HBxMHkRoFlkU2I5iiTYxyaEI/s640/blogger-image-1131652541.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_mC5qFxid1qkbpYXyGhHyEsvwBgFCEmjuj4cwHnb4jehLWcYpA4U-EHodZBnA-nNJdZkST1NhmAH3js6fkE0YXKE2nTjw4zNr_Q7jYdR8hqzR81z8C24HBxMHkRoFlkU2I5iiTYxyaEI/s640/blogger-image-1131652541.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boil has just started.</td></tr>
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Brienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11131844924056998549noreply@blogger.com0