Homegrown Hops

In the last post I mentioned that after finishing the kegerator shelf, we would be looking for a new 'brewery project.' Well, what better project than starting our very own hop garden.

Hop flowers that are used for brewing come from female plants. Males produce too many seeds and are therefore undesirable for brewing. And even though hop plants can reproduce sexually, they can also be propagated asexually. Female plant root systems after the growing season can be cut to yield rhizomes, which when planted will grown into a clone of the parent variety.

Normally, when people order rhizomes they are delivered in March/April-ish. We decided a little later than this to grow hops, so they have only been planted for 10 days so far. Also, as a result of the late ordering, the selection was somewhat limited.

We are going to start with 2 plants this year: Centennial and Newport. Centennial is an American hop that Elise and I really like. It has a medium alpha acid content but is mostly used for its citrusy, piney, dankness. Newport is a relatively 'new' hop comparatively. It has a high alpha acid content making it a good bittering hop similar to one of its parents, Magnum. It was bred specifically for its resistance to downy mildew and therefore will hopefully grow well in North Carolina.

The first year we wont get too many cones as the plant is focusing on root growth, but hopefully by the 3rd year we'll get a couple of pounds of hops per plant.

Next year we'll also probably start growing some Cascade and Chinook to round out the 'farm.'

The first picture is the Centennial plant's first buds peaking through in the planter. They were planted about 10 days prior and hopefully the Newport isnt too far behind. Below is a picture of the rhizomes. As you can see, its is much thicker than a normal root, and has lots of off-shoots (the purple/white things below the twisty tie are the sprouts coming out).

Brett B

Yesterday was my last day of rotations and Elise made beef Tagine to celebrate. Made with cinammon, red pepper flakes, and lots of hot smoked Hungarian paprika I thought a Brett B, with its funk and tartness, would go well with the meal. It did. I decided to take a picture of the brew as well and do a review as I need to start actually reporting our results.

Appearance: crystal clear, nice head, and a beautiful golden-yellow hue.

Aroma: dirt, funk, and an indescribable "odor" of sorts. I dont know if I can call it "horse blanket" or "barnyard" but it is close to that. I like the way it smells as it "stinks" in good, different, unique way. Elise on the other hand, turns her nose when I even walk by her with a pint; oh well, more for me.

Taste: subtle citrus, mostly faint hints of lemon, clean, and a very crisp finish. The aroma of funk/dirt does not translate into taste as this is a light, crisp, slightly sweet brew. Nicely carbonated. Pairs well with a variety of foods as the funk accentuates unique spices (cinammon, tumeric, etc) and the bubbles cleanse the palate for the next bite.

Overall: a very good beer (to some). I like this one a lot and it makes me really want to do the Biere de Marrs and 100% Brett B brews again for the upcoming hot months. The crispness lends itself towards sipping on warm summer nights and the funk pairs well with spiced dishes that Elise and I are becoming quite fond of (e.g., Moroccan Chicken, Beef Tagine).This beer is definitely out there and not for everyone, as you either love it or you hate it. This house is split, but I still think I'll make a few gallons of it because I know there are at least a couple of other people who would split a pint with me.

Desert tonight consisted of a angel food-type cake with a chocolate ganash and strawberry topping. We paired that with an old bottle of Great Divide Yeti Imperial Stout we had laying around. A very good pairing as Yeti compliments anything with chocolate in it and very good end to the day. Now it's crunch time as we've only got 19 days before we're gone!

Bottled Belgian Pale Ale

I thought I would post something on our bottled Belgian Pale Ale before they are all gone (we only have a few left). This one was different than most before it in that we used Saaz hops instead of the Amarillo/Cascade combination used in the previous 2 batches.

Appearance: brilliantly clear, maybe one of the clearest beers we've ever made. It has a nice straw color to it, and as you can see from the photo, a good amount of bubbles rising from the bottom. There is a nice head  from the pour, but is dissipates quickly into a thin lace.

Aroma: I guess I haven't had enough experience with Saaz hops, but I dont smell much of the spicy/noble hop character that is normally attributed to that hop. The aroma is mostly of grain and yeast, nothing fancy. We might need to warm them up a bit before next time to hopefully coax some more aromas out of the beer.

Taste: The taste is slightly sweet, pleasant, and overall very enjoyable. I have complained in our other hoppy/pale colored brews of not having a crisp taste, but this is quite the exception. There is a nice snap at the end providing a very refreshing brew. However, as this beer has aged the carbonation has become much more noticeable. This level of carbonation is about at the threshold for Elise and I and it is probably a good thing we dont have too many of these beers left as a couple of more months of bottle conditioning would send it over the top.

Overall: this is a great beer. We really enjoy drinking this one outside during the hot days as the refreshing crispness is a good palate cleanser. It also goes well with spiced food (e.g., Vindaloo chicken), cheeses, and just about everything else. I like the Saaz version and I'm interested to try the new version once we get it on tap to try to compare the differences in hops. I think the fermentation schedule for this beer was much better than the newest one, as it was about 4 degrees cooler. As a result, the Belgian yeast was a little cleaner, but the Belgian-ness came through after being in the bottle for a few weeks. The newest one seems just a touch estery from early samples (nothing as bad as the Tripel though), but hopefully that will subside as it is conditioning. This is definitely a good recipe and a beer that we'll be brewing a couple of time a year, especially for the Summer months.


#TeamDietrich

Steam Beer

Here's a picture of the Steam Beer that I took last weekend. I was hoping that it would have been a little better, as the the picture doesnt show how clear the beer actually is in person. We're happy with the beer though and may even make it again next year for a spring-type beer.

 In other news, we took a couple of samples from the Belgian Pale Ale and the Schwarzbier this weekend. Both are tasting pretty good, although not fully carbonated yet. I was a bit worried that the Belgian Pale may have fermented a little warm and thrown some esters, but they seem to be in check in the sample we had. The schwarz is tasting really good as well. It's nice and smooth, with just a hint of roast (I may add some more roast the next time we make it) and will be a welcomed addition to the tap list.

 We decided to hook up the schwarz now and take the Belgian Pale out of the fridge to condition/age for a few weeks until we empty another keg. I think I've mentioned it before, but I'm not sure how our Belgian's will do once kegged. They always seem to improve after about 6-8 weeks in the bottle, but if they are in the keg at 38 degrees, I don't anticipate much aging to occur. To combat that, we carbonated the Belgian Pale for a week in the kegerator, and then we'll leave it in the garage at room temperature to condition for a few weeks. Hopefully the extra time at room temp will get the beer to where we want it by the time it goes on tap.

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Kegerator Shelf: On the Cheap

So, you've seen pictures of the kegerator before with 3 kegs inside. What I havent mentioned before is that they barley fit, and as a result push up against the gas line coming into the side of the fridge. So I decided we needed to build a shelf so we dont waste the space in the back taken up by the "hump," i.e., the compressor. Since the kegs are relatively short they will easily fit even when raised about a foot off the floor of the fridge.

I was off last Friday and started searching Craigslist.org for "free wood." I found a guy with some 1" thick wood shelves that he was getting rid of so I went and got those. I then put 2 of the shelves side-by-side and screwed them into a 3rd piece that split the two above. I then found a guy who recently tore down his deck and went and got a 4"x4" post to make some extra supports for underneath the shelve. Thankfully, there is a Home Depot near our house and I took the wood down there and had them cut it for me.

This afternoon after work I came home and put the shelf in with the beams and was easily able to fit all 4 kegs in there as well as the #5 CO2 tank. Now that we have the extra room in the kegerator we can make some real lagers and actually lager the beer for 3-4 months before we start drinking them. A way of "forgetting" about them in the back of the kegerator. We'll also be able to carbonate a beer while still having all 3 taps going thanks to the small CO2 tank. I'm very excited about the increase in capacity of the kegerator and I think we've finally finished everything we can do to it.....I guess I'll have to find a new "brew project" when we get to Raleigh.

 As I said above, we did this on the cheap, here's the break down of costs:
 4"x4"x8' post: $0
10"x20" shelves (x5): $0
Wood screws: $0
Saw for cuts (Home Depot): $0
Grand Total: $0. Boom. #TeamDietrich