I took part in the Glen Ridge Homebrewers Association‘s Spring bulk grain buy. Everyone in the group orders a bag or two or three, and we all save money by paying for shipping by the pallet.
I ordered a bag of Maris Otter and split a bag of domestic 2-row with another member. I should be good on base malt for six or seven batches.
I also bought some airtight pet food bins from Corrado’s to protect the grain from pests.
Time to brew!
Today I brewed my new SMaSH recipe, Pale Ale #2, using 2-row from Valley Malt. I used a total of 10 pounds of their malt, which arrived within days of being malted. A few weeks ago, I took a half-pound and tried to make 60L Crystal. So the resulting recipe is: Continue reading
I recently bought a stir plate to aid with my yeast starters. Using a stir plate can increase your yeast cell count considerably, resulting in quicker fermentation starts and less chance of off-flavors (specifically those that come from unwanted organisms beating the yeast to the yummy sugary nourishment of the wort).
The combined use of a yeast starter and stir plate can also make each batch of beer consierably cheaper, since you won’t need to pitch two (or even three) tubes of yeast to Continue reading
I recently bought 10 pounds of 2-row from Valley Malt, with the idea of using it as part of an American Pale Ale SMaSH (Single Malt and Single Hop) brew with some extra Summit hops I have sitting around. The name of this fine beverage: Pale Ale #2, of course.
After some thought, I decided the recipe needs some color and a touch of residual sweetness, so I thought I’d take a shot at toasting some of the 2-row myself, aiming to make a 40-60L crystal malt. Whether or not this should still be considered a SMaSH is open to debate. Continue reading
I currently have three beers in “regular” production. I brew each of these beers regularly, with small tweaks each time, with the goals of really learning my brew system, tweaking my process, focusing my brewing math, and refining the recipes. The beers are Gimp Biscuit E.S.B., Hoppy Gnome I.P.A., and Ghostly Juror Oatmeal Stout. My goal is to brew each of these beers four times this year. Continue reading
An amended version of Senate Bill S-641 unanimously cleared New Jersey’s Senate Law and Public Safety Committee. Each committee member’s office had received more than 200 phone calls/emails from NJ consumers promoting the bill. Good work, everyone.
There are still several more steps to go: vote in the full Senate, hearing/vote in the Assembly Committee, vote in the full Assembly and signature by the Governor.
For those of you who live in NJ, there’s an upcoming vote on an important piece of legislation that could significantly improve the regulatory environment faced by NJ craft brewers. If you like craft beer and would like to see more of it produced and sold in NJ, please contact the five members of the NJ Senate Law and Public Safety Committee by Friday, March 2, to let them know that you support the legislation as a craft beer consumer and ask them to VOTE YES on the bill. More details are available on the Garden State Craft Brewer’s Guild website.