Hiatus + Updates

I've been on a brewing hiatus since April but wanted to stop by and let everyone know I'm still around.

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.

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.

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.

Garden '13 update

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!

Corn!

A few ears starting to develop.

Kaleidoscope peppers.

Tomatillo plant.

Raspberries ripening.

Pinot gris grapes. I also have a cabernet savignon plant that's got some bunches, but the gerwurztriminer plant seems to have stalled out.

Hops Harvest 2012 (and garden update)

I have been keeping track of my hops daily for the past couple of weeks, as it seems they were getting closer and closer to harvest time. On Friday I noticed that the majority of the cones on the plant were ready for harvest - thanks again to everyone's insight on judging "ripeness". Since I knew I wouldn't have time after work next week, and I could just leave any undeveloped cones on the plant for a second harvest, I decided that Sunday would be harvest day #1. I say number one because there are still a lot of burrs left on both plants, and I plan on a second, smaller harvest in another two to three weeks.

I decided to put the awful weather we get in the summer here to use - hot with low humidity - to dry my hops.

St. James Infirmary to open a brewpub in 2012

I read on the Reno Gazette Journal last week that the owner of St. James Infirmary is planning to open a new brewery, called Brasserie St. James, that'll focus on belgians and barrel-aged beers. I can't wait. Good luck guys!

Buckbean Brewing Co. to close its doors

Last Friday, citing a difficult economy and higher prices for ingredients, brewery owner Doug Booth reported that Buckbean would close on February 29th.

It's always hard watching a brewery go out of business, and it hits even harder when that brewery is part of a small pool of locally-produced beers. Thankfully, we still have Silver Peak, Great Basin, Brew Brothers, and Fifty Fifty in the area to fill our local craft beer needs.

Buckbean will be having special discounts and events until the end of the month (check their website for more information and hours/directions), so get on over and grab one last pint, before it's gone!

Hello there.

Welcome to Chill Haze, my new home on the web. Born in Reno, I spent most of my life in Southern California and have recently moved back. The beer scene here isn't as active, but I'm hoping to change that. Reno is an exciting place for craft beer lovers and homebrewers alike. There has never been a better time to be a lover of great beer. Last week, the AHA posted that they have crossed the 30k mark for membership, and today the Cicerone Certification Program posted that they have issued to 10,000th Certified Beer Server certificate. Lastly, as many craft fans have likely noticed, the increase in traffic at BeerAdvocate.com broke their forums and took down the site for a couple days.


Clearly, the craft beer movement is growing at a rapid pace. It is only logical, then, that Reno should take part in the movement and celebrate the beer heritage it already has.

With 3 brewpubs already operating, and another to open later this year (but that's a story for another post), Reno is poised for growth, like many other places in the country.

This blog will serve as a collection of photos, musings, and anything else related to brewing, cooking, or art, as well as a focal point for news of happenings in the local beer scene.


Why the name? Apart from the pun, it was mostly inspired by my first day after I moved to Reno - brewing in near-0°F weather can be quite chilly indeed.

Anyway, here's a few photos from my first brewday here in the Truckee Meadows. I brewed a Belgian Enkel (single in Flemish) - it's sorta like a lower-ABV Belgian Pale Ale, and is, outside of a few monasteries, an extinct style.

Set up and ready to brew.

Starting the boil.

Bittering hops - 1oz of whole-leaf Crystal hops.

Racking to primary.

1.041. Ended up around 4% at the end of fermentation.

I lost some supplies in the move and the LHBS was closed, so I had to improvise.