Tag Archives: beer

Support Final Passage of Pro-Small NJ Brewery Legislation

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The pro-small brewery legislation I’ve been bugging you about has passed through the committees and onto the floor of both NJ chambers for a full vote on final passage.  I am once again asking for your help in getting this legislation passed.

Starting Thursday, June 21, New Jersey’s Senate and General Assembly will meet to vote on A-1277/S-64, which will give all craft brewers in the state more flexibility in how, when and where they sell and promote their beer.

Please contact your local legislators by end of day Wednesday, June 20, to let them know Continue reading →

National Homebrew Competition 2012 Results

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I submitted my Hoppy Gnome IPA to this year’s National Homebrew Competition.  It didn’t make it out of the regional round, but it did do very well – a 37.5 out of 50 possible points, good enough to earn a Silver Certificate, which I fully intend to frame and display proudly.  This is only the second recipe I came up with on my own, and American IPA is a notoriously difficult category, because of the large number of entries this category receives.  It did much better than I hoped. Continue reading →

Please help pass NJ Bill A-1277

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http://www.njbeer.org/images/home/logo.pngAll right NJ folks, there’s an another 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 members of the NJ Assembly Law and Public Safety Committee by Wednesday, June 6, to let them know that you support the legislation as a craft beer consumer and ask them to VOTE YES on Bill A-1277. Continue reading →

It’s not beer. It’s lager.

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Highland CowI have been a bad, bad blogger of late.  This is my first post in almost two months.  Forgiveness!  I have lots to talk about, especially our trip to England and Scotland earlier this month.  It will, I promise, be discussed at length over the next few posts.  To start with, here’s the story of one of the best beer quotes I’ve ever heard.

After checking into our sleeper berth on the overnight train from London to Aviemore, Scotland, we walked to the dining car.  I noticed several people around me drinking Stella, so I asked the waiter, “What beers do you have other than Stella?”  He replied firmly, “Stella’s not beer.  It’s lager.”

Continue reading →

Bulk Grain Delivered

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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!

Stir Starter

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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 →

Toasting Grain at Home

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Toasted MaltI 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 →