Review: Stephen's 1st Homebrew

Hey everybody! I am especially proud to bring this post to you today. As the snow began to fall, I opened the first of my friend, Stephen's, virgin homebrew: a dry Irish stout (extract w/ steeping grains). I'm not exactly sure of his process, and he is welcome to correct/comment on anything I say about it, but I found this inaugural homebrew to be quite nice. So nice, in fact, that I asked his permission to review it on my blog. (Perhaps he will blog about it, too.) The review with pictures will follow. Enjoy!

Stephen's Dry Irish Stout:

Appearance-The beer pours predictably thin-ish, which is characteristic of the style. It is a very dark brown (not quite black), fading through reddish brown, dark orange, and yellow hues as the light breaks in near the edge of the glass. Topped by a fairly dense off-white to light tan head which clings to the glass and remains well after the glass is emptied.

Smell-Equal parts roast and fruit, though the fruit is subdued and, perhaps, narrowly edged out by the roastiness. No noticeable off-aroma (alcohol, solvent, funkyness, etc.) I expect to get fruit from the English yeast strain characteristic of the style (in case you were wondering). Malt sweetness fills out the middle of the nose. Hints of dark chocolate.

Taste & Mouthfeel-Easy to drink, yet interesting enough that the drinker takes notice. Woody, and slightly herbal hop bitterness underlies assertive but not overwhelming roast. A moderate malt sweetness helps round out the flavor profile and contributes to mouthfeel. Slightly drying, but not overly so. Flavor finishes with a pleasant dark chocolate note. Mouthfeel is appropriately thin-ish, with substantial foam which coats the tongue and marries well with the slight sweetness from medium dark (?) crystal malt.

Overall impression-I will admit that I was expecting less from this beer. Rather, I am pleasantly surprised by the quality and craftsmanship exhibited in Stephen's first (successful) attempt. I cannot think of anything missing that I would want in a dry Irish stout. I hope this review helps to encourage Stephen's continuation of his new found hobby. Great job, Stephen!

Until next time, BE FERMENTIVE!

Check-in: Partigyle Pumpkin Barleywine

Based on my blog stats, it appears that you all have enjoyed my post on partigyle brewing. Or, at least, wondered what the hell it was. In fact, that post has narrowly edged out my post on Adam's Vienna Lager con Agave y Limon for page views. I greatly appreciate all the page views, but I would appreciate comments even more. Just sayin'. Anyway, because of the popularity of the partigyle post, I decided to do a check-in on the pumpkin barleywine.

About 3-4 days after pitching SafAle US-05 to the initial 3 gallons of wort, I added the washed yeast cake of White Labs WLP099 Super High Gravity Ale yeast from Golem pale ale along with 1 lb. table sugar. Since adding the WLP099, I've added another pound of sugar every 2 days or so. Tonight, I took a gravity reading before adding the 4th pound of sugar. After adjusting for the water in the sugar syrup, the OG calculated to 1.123. My hydrometer read 1.013 for an estimated ABV of 14.5%! This is higher than I've ever gone before, as a previous beer (A Russian Imperial Stout) pushed just over 13% ABV. However, this barleywine has a bit further to go. This yeast is purported to tolerate up to ~25% ABV under the right conditions, so my goal is to try to push 20%. That means I'll be adding a total of around 6 lbs. of sugar. We'll see if this yeast conks out before that. I hope not, since it already tastes like bitter rocket fuel. At least one gallon of finished barleywine will get racked atop Jack Daniels bourbon barrel smoking chips. There maybe other weird and wild variations as well. Stay tuned! Who knows? Cheers!

Check out my gravity reading. Beersmith estimated 1.023. So much for that!

Until next time, BE FERMENTIVE!

A Beer Without A Soul

When I set out to brew the epic partigyle batch described a few posts ago, I knew that the big beer--the barleywine--would require some special treatment. The White Labs WLP099 yeast I was planning to use to ferment this beer can tolerate up to 25% ABV and attenuate >80%. It is also a somewhat finicky yeast, requiring up to 4Xs the amount of yeast as a normal beer to chew through that much sugar. White Labs also recommends using multiple yeast nutrient additions, staggered additions of wort (I'm doing sugar additions), and regular aeration/oxygenation. I could manage yeast nutrient and aeration, but propagating that much yeast would be difficult. So, instead of stepping up a yeast starter multiple times or buying several vials of yeast (at $6.50/vial), I decided to ferment a starter beer (5 gallon batch), harvest and wash the resulting yeast cake, and use that in the barleywine. Such a strategy is often used when a homebrewer wants to pitch plenty of yeast in a high gravity beer.
Since the only purpose of this "starter" beer was to create massive numbers of viable yeast cells, it did not particularly matter what was in it. I decided to use up some bits of malt and old homegrown hops to make an English Pale Ale. As such, the beer did not really have a central theme or unifying principle. It was, essentially, soul-less, and it's flavor experience follows suit. Although my heart was not in this beer, that doesn't mean I missed out on a learning experience. I learned about using old hops, about a hop variety I haven't used before (Pacific Gem), and some of the characteristics of WLP099. The following is the beer's recipe and a tasting.

Recipe: Golem Pale Ale; 5 gallons; OG 1.060; ABV 7.2%

Grist:

10# US 2-Row Pale Malt  80%

1.5# Quick Grits  12%

1# Bairds Carastan Malt  8%

Hops:

1 oz. homegrown Nugget @ 90 min. (first wort hop)

1.75 oz homegrown Nugget @ 5 min.

.5 oz. homegrown Nugget (Dry Hop 7 days)

1 oz. Pacific Gem pellets (Dry Hop 7 days)

Other additions:

1 tsp. Irish Moss @ 15 min. boil

5g Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) Mash 60 min. 

Yeast:

White Labs WLP099 Super High Gravity Ale yeast

Instructions:

Single infusion mash @ 152F for 60 min. Mash-out @ 168F for 10 min. Add Carastan malt after mashout and before Vorlauf/sparging. Boil down first gallon from mash tun by half (or more) for more color/flavor from grain. Add to last 5 min. of boil. Add 5 min. hop charge at flameout; simulate whirlpool by stirring hot wort for 20-30 min before further cooling 

Tasting:

A-Pours rather clear for a low flocculating yeast. A dark straw, pale orange, it looks a bit thin in the glass. Minimal head which lingers as a white ring around the edge of the glass. Small bubbles continue to stream endlessly upwards. A picture of lifeless, shallow beauty.

S-Muted berry and subtle oak. Some acetone and fusel alcohol underlies the fruit and oak. Smells reminiscent of berry jam.

M-medium bodied, carbonic sharpness, hint of hot-ness in the throat

T-grassy hops mixed with muted berry, carbonic bite, fruity yeast esters, acetone

Overall-I brewed it, so I will drink it. If I brewed this again, I would use fresh hops and a different yeast. Perhaps, if you decide to brew this or a similar beer, you can help it find a soul, but keep watch lest it ravage yours. Let me know how it goes. Many thanks. 

Cheers!

Until next time, BE FERMENTIVE!

Tasting: Adam's Vienna Lager con Agave Nectar y Limon

The beer seen below in inappropriate glassware involved a few firsts for me. It was my first lager, my first Vienna lager, and my first beer inspired by a desire to make a better version of a genre of macro beers (lime-infused light Mexican lagers). I have a friend (Adam) who really enjoys beer--some of his favorites are Six Point Brewery and Goose Island--but still enjoys "beers" such as Pacifico (go figure). Grupo Modelo (the mother corporation of Pacifico) is a rather confusing conglomerate of production and distribution networks responsible, most famously, for the Corona brand. One of their more worthy beers, Negra Modelo, a part "inspiracion" for the beer below, is a worthy Vienna lager in its own right. However, Grupo Modelo is part of a joint venture with SABMillerCoors, the second largest beer producer in the world. Not only that, but Anheiser-Busch InBev (the world's largest beer producer) had a 50% non-controlling share of the company and attempted to buy the remaining 50% on June 29, 2012 before the U.S. Justice department filed an anti-trust suit against the company. I make no effort to bash the quality of the beer these macro brewing companies at this time, just their business strategies. Oh, by the way, ABInbev also produces such atrocities as Bud Light Lime in case anyone was curious. 

Knowing what some of my friend's more worthy choices are capable of, I took his confession that he actually likes the aforementioned swill as a personal offense and was challenged to create something that embodies the same goals as Pacifico, but in a much more worthy package. I sought to make a refreshing beer that combines the refreshing acidity of lime with a substantial malt backbone. What follows is a tasting and recipe. Behold, Adam's Vienna Lager con Agave Nectar y Limon.

A-The beer pours clear, but becomes more hazy as it fills the glass. It is dark orange to light, golden brown. Very effervescent, streams of bubbles maintain an off-white head that slowly dissipates. 

S-Muddy, generic sweet fruit opens to tempered citrus. Herbal integrates with the fruit and ushers one toward a balancing toasty-ness. 

F-Very similar to the smell. Carbonation quickly scrubs away bitterness, leaving the fruit sweetness. Enjoyable, interesting malt, notes of toffee, honeyed toast.

Overall-I could do with a bit less sweetness and more toast. There is also an elusive quality that can only be described as weinery, which seems to combine a slight smokiness with the fruity flavor and aroma. The beer could benefit from a brighter lime flavor and a bit drier finish, but it definitely achieves its goal of being a lime-infused beer worth drinking.

Recipe:

5.00 gallon batch; 60 minute boil

Grist:

11.25# Vienna Malt  84.9%

.75# Melanoiden Malt 5.7%

1.25# Blue Agave Nectar 9.4% (added to end of boil)

Hops, etc.:

1.00 oz. Hallertauer (4.80%) @ 45 min. 16 IBU

1.00 oz. Hallertauer (4.80%) @ 15 min. 8.6 IBU

1.00 oz. Hallertauer (4.80%) @ 5 min. 3.5 IBU

1 tsp. Irish Moss @ 15 min.

Zest of 5 limes in secondary for 14 days

Yeast:

4L starter of White Labs WLP940 Mexican Lager 

Directions:

Infusion mash at 152F, 60 min. Mash out at 168F, 10 min.

Cool wort to 50F, pitch yeast, ferment at 50-55F for 21 days, diacetyl rest, rack to secondary, lager in mid- to low-30'sF for 3 months.

Enjoy.

Until next time, BE FERMENTIVE!

Review: Flora Rustica, Upright Brewing

Flora Rustica (5.1% ABV): Northwest-style saison brewed with yarrow and calendula flowers.

I've had this beer in the fridge for awhile and decided to open it tonight. I thought it might be nice to share a review. From their website: "A historic saison-style beer made with calendula and homegrown yarrow flowers yielding a hugely aromatic brew that’s dry and bitter. It’s an excellent aperitif and always ready about a month and a half after the first spring yarrow flowers."

Tasted from a Bell's tulip glass.

A-The beer pours a hazy, burnished orange with yellow highlights. Copious foam aided by lasting head retention. Inviting quaffs leave beautiful lacing on the glass. 

S-Assertive noble hop aroma with verdant minty secondary quality. Flowers of the field. Earth.

T-The taste contains even more floral, perfume-y notes, with earthy, noble hops. More assertively bitter than one might expect from a saison; perhaps this is what is implied with the "northwest" moniker. Secondary mingling of honeyed apple and cucumber. Very fresh. Refreshing. 

M-Medium.light body. Drinkable. Pleasantly refreshing. Dry finish with lingering freshness.

Overall impression-I would drink this again. It is interesting enough to invite the next drink, but refreshing enough that the flavors do not wear out there welcome. I look forward to more offerings from this brewery.

Until next time, BE FERMENTIVE!

How I Experience Being As a Homebrewer

The Homebrewer of the Mit-weld

One way of describing the experience of being a homebrewer is that it is all about relationships. As a homebrewer—and, therefore, a human—one is always ever in relationship. As with the world of Being, the world of the homebrewer is a Mit-weld, or “with-world.” One is not a homebrewer in isolation. Rather, one is a homebrewer within and with the world. So, let us consider, for a moment, some essential elements of relationships. Communication? Commonality? Proximity? Purpose? Functionality? Of course! But what roles do these elements of relationships play within the homebrewer-homebrewing-homebrew experience?

From the time of its serendipitous inception, the gift of alcohol and, therefore, brewing, has been an integral part of the interplay and perpetuation of society and culture. I think of the socially reserved indigenous peoples of the Peruvian Andes for whom fermented beverage facilitates an integration of the sexes where none is usually present. This encourages courting rituals among youth and, thus, the continuation of the culture. I also recall the origin of the word, “honeymoon,” one of the oldest idioms known to Western culture. My understanding is that the word is derived from the belief that drinking mead (honey wine) for one whole lunar cycle increased a newlywed couple’s fertility. Although a recent study claims that alcohol does not actually make others appear more attractive, a significant percentage of mothers (and fathers) would not be able to explain their unplanned pregnancies were it not for the reduction of inhibitions (and consciousness) that result from copious amounts of potent potables.  But I digress. The truth is that the predominant role of alcohol in our culture is that of social lubricant. Indeed, if this were not the case, the stigma of drinking alone would be less negative.

Though important, the social aspect of homebrewing is far from the only such relationship experienced by the homebrewer. S/he is also in relationship to a number of other entities, some more directly than others. For example, thoughout the creative process, the homebrewer is in relationship with his or her own cognitive and emotional experience. This is made evident by the out-of-the-box thinking required to come up with beer names like Drye Wit Belgian wheat, Hoppy Hoppy Joy Joy American Brown Ale brewed with almonds, coconut, and cacao nibs, or Stupid Sexy Flanders II Flemish Red, or to use ingredient combinations like pumpkin and blueberries, pineapple and jalapeno, or hibiscus and pomegranate.

The homebrewer is also in relationship with their equipment and their accessibility to resources. One of the prerequisites (I believe) of becoming a homebrewer is the ability to re-purpose materials (‘tinkering’ in the vernacular) for your own ends. This may include the construction of a mash tun from an old picnic cooler and some spare plumbing parts, or converting a chest freezer to be used as a keezer (a freezer that dispenses draft beer). The homebrewer is always on the lookout for cheap or free items that could be used in his or her hobby. This is often far less expensive than purchasing purpose-built equipment, but also increases the fun factor and the sense of accomplishment and ingenuity for the homebrewer. What pieces of equipment have you re-purposed or built from other miscellaneous parts?

The homebrewer also develops a relationship over time with their ingredients, less so as an extract brewer and more as partial mash or all-grain. They become curious about the differences between various malts and how they are produced. They begin to explore hop varieties, perhaps performing trials to attempt to clone a particular commercial brew’s flavor profile, or intrepidly forging their own brilliant combinations. They may also explore yeast strains, including their various characteristics and flavor contributions under different environmental conditions. For some, this curiosity may bloom into multiple hobbies:  gardening, home malting, hop cultivator, yeast rancher, amateur microbiologist, homebrewing blogger, etc. How has this hobby evolved for you? Or influenced your evolution as a person?

These many relationships do not exclude the homebrewer's relationship with nature and the world in general. When one enters the creative world of homebrewing, they become a more sensitive observer of the role of various processes in nature. They become more sensitive to their intersubjective place within these processes. Remember, no one exists in isolation. One influences and is influenced by everything. Be aware. Be apart of the cyclic nature. Be a homebrewer.

Until next time, BE FERMENTIVE, too!

Partigyle Brewing: The Mash That Keeps On Giving

Brewing uses an economy which places the brewer in the intersubjective space between ingredients, process, creativity, and the various groups and individuals that will become its consumers. It was a similar economy which propelled the production of beer centuries before the modern era. Many may be familiar with the brewing traditions of the monks of Trappist fame and lore. The process used to brew several of these beers--and a few others, including some of Fuller's beers--is known as "partigyle" brewing. Partigyle brewing is a type of all-grain brewing in which a single mash yields multiple beers. In a typical all-grain homebrewing session, the mash tun is drained/sparged only one time, thus yielding only one beer. However, in a partigyle brewing session, after saccarification the mash tun is filled with hot water and drained multiple times, yielding worts of successively weaker specific gravities. The rationale behind this technique is based on the tendency for a mash to lose extract efficiency as the size of the grain bill increases. In general, grain weight and extract efficiency are inversely proportional due to the increased viscosity of the wort that is produced. When draining a mash tun that contains a more viscous wort, more sugars will be left trapped in the grain bed. As homebrewers, we have worked hard up to this point to mash our grain to convert starches into sugars. One way to ensure maximum extract utilization is to re-fill the mash tun and collect multiple gyles, lest no fermentable be left behind!

In some applications, each separate gyle is combined to form one wort. This is, essentially, the same as batch sparging, a popular sparging technique among homebrewers. Batch sparging is also known to improve extract efficiency for mash tuns constructed from picnic coolers, but that's a blog post for another time. However, in the famous Trappist breweries mentioned above, each successively weaker gyle becomes a different beer. Often given the monikers tripel, dubbel, and single respectively, each beer's "number" signifies its alcoholic strength. In terms of economy, these beers also served the purpose of social class distinction. The strongest beers would be reserved for special occasions or for royalty. The next strongest would be designated for the abbot or feudal lord. The 3rd gyle (or runnings) would be the "single" beer consumed in quantity by the monks. There may even have been a fourth gyle, which produced a very weak beer served to everyone else, including pilgrims and peasants alike.

I recently embarked upon a partigyle brew of epic proportions. Though I have done a partigyle batch before, I had never done a partigyle batch that would produce three very different beers. Oh, did I mention that all three beers have a pumpkin theme, and that the overall mash contained 8 lbs. of roasted pumpkin that had been in the freezer since October? My plan for the batch was to use up most of my partially emptied grain bags from the previous year. I had about 15 lbs. of base malt of different varieties and bits of specialty grains here and there, so I formulated a master recipe with specialty grain additions for each gyle. My goal was for a big barleywine as the first gyle, an IPA of unknown strength for the second, and a sour, berliner-style beer for the third (perhaps I will do another post on sour mashing, but please ask if you have questions before I get around to such a post). In addition to left-over grains, I also had several ounces of Apollo hops to use up. This was fortunate because I intended to make an extremely hoppy pale ale (at least 7 oz. Apollo hops, with over 40 IBUs in the last 10 minutes of the boil) So, here are the recipes with some pics. When they are ready to drink I will give a tasting report.

Main mash (common to all beers):

12.13# Maris Otter
3.13# US 2-Row
.13 # Black Patent Malt
8# Frozen roasted pie pumpkin

Barleywine (OG before sugar: 1.086) (4.37 gal. boil volume; 3.25 gal. in fermenter):

• 1.00 oz. Apollo (16.00%) @ 60 min.  50.6 IBU
• 2.00 oz. Brambling Cross (6.00%) @ 15 min. 18.8 IBU
• 3.00 oz. Brambling Cross (6.00%) @ 1 min.  2.5 IBU
• 1 tsp. Irish Moss @ 10 min.
• 2+ lbs. Table Sugar (boiled w/ 2 c. water/lb. to make syrup) added in 1 lb. additions to primary 
• started fermentation with SafAle US-05 yeast and added large 4L starter of WLP099 Super High Gravity Yeast after second sugar addition in primary

Mashed in with 28 qt. of 157.3F water for a 60 min. single infusion rest @ 150F. Fermented at 61F-64F ambient temperature. Fermentation temperature should stay below 70F.
Use http://yeastcalc.com/ and http://www.mrmalty.com/calc/calc.html to calculate yeast pitching rates

IPA (OG: 1.053):

• Added 1.5 lbs. quick grits and 1 lb. Bairds Carastan (30L-37L) to mash before refilling mash tun with 24 qt. 174F water for 40 min.
• 1 oz. Apollo (16.00%) FWH @ 60 min.  66.7 IBU
• 1.5 oz. Apollo (16.00%) @ 10 min.  33.0 IBU
• 3.5 oz. Apollo (16.00%) @ 1 min. 9.1 IBU
• 1 oz. Apollo (16.00%) dry hop 14 days
• 1 lb. Table Sugar @ 15 min. 
• 1 tsp. Irish Moss @ 15 min.
• SafAle US-05 ale yeast; ferment below 70F (65-68F; 61-65F ambient temp.)

Berliner-style Sour ale (OG: 1.030):

• Partial mash of 1 lb. of main mash grist reserved prior to mashing, .66 lb. Honey Malt, and .66 lb. Biscuit Malt in separate vessel at appoximately 150F until converted. This partial mash is added back to main mash with 26 qt. of 172F water.
• Sour mash: allow mash to cool below 122F before adding large handful of uncrushed malt (I used a combination of unmalted barley I grew last summer and leftover sauerkraut juice full of lactobacilis). Maintain a temperature range between 95F-122F for approximately 36 hrs (either with hot water additions or an internal heat source), checking for desired sourness every 12 hours. It is important to reduced exposure of oxygen to the surface of the mash as much as possible to inhibit unwanted bacterial growth. Plastic wrap may be used to cover the surface of the mash or carbon dioxide may be blanketed atop the mash surface. When desired level of sourness is reached, heat mash to 168F and drain mash tun as per usual.
• Boil wort only 15 min.
• 1 tsp. Irish Moss @ 15 min.
• .50 oz. Pride of Ringwood (9.00%) @ 10 min.  7.1 IBU
• Bell's Brewery yeast cultured from bottles of Oberon
• Fermented at similar temperature as the above beers

Pics:

Mash after draining first gyle. Notice the pumpkin pieces.

Hydrometer reading of barleywine wort post-boil

Barleywine. I got impatient and did not filter trub and hops.

Pretty Barleywine wort

Barleywine wort in the glass

Hops & break material from 2nd gyle (IPA).

Hydrometer reading on 3rd gyle (Sour mash beer):

3rd gyle wort in the glass. Wow! Very tart!

Thanks so much for following this post through to the end! I would love to hear about your partigyle brew experiences in the comments.

More info on partigyle brewing:

http://morebeer.com/brewingtechniques/library/backissues/issue2.2/mosher.html

http://www.astrocaver.com/java/Parti-Gyle.html

http://zombiebeergeeks.blogspot.com/2010/12/v-behaviorurldefaultvml-o.html

Until next time, BE FERMENTIVE!

Linkage of Process to Historical Context (A Series): Decoction Mashing

As I sit in my office listening to the subtle harmonies of my bubbling airlocks and the Craft Beer Temple blog show, my thoughts drift to a topic for my next blog entry. Sure, I could go straight to the recipes, but as any good academic knows, one must first explore the philosophy and process of one's craft before throwing caution to the wind and jumping in sight unseen. Although I do not intend for this to be a treatise or a dissertation, I am accustomed to a style of writing in which one begins a work by preparing the reader for what said work will contain, then actually telling the reader the thing for which purpose said work has been written, and finally reviewing what thing was told to the reader in said work. This is a rather tedious style of writing (IMHO) born out of the paranoia of academics that the reader will get it wrong (and they still often do). However, it also serves many additional functions, chief among them increasing the total number of words written and pages filled. But that is not my goal, here (notice I'm not using Courier New font). Rather, I desire to establish a basis for my craft within its historical context, and provide a link to the evolution of my current process. The task of description and linkage may bloom into multiple blog entries, and/or may punctuate sequences of entries on other topics, but I recognize that it is always there in the background and its presence is perceptible through a process of fluctuating transparency.

So, this blog entry and, perhaps, several subsequent entries will review a few traditional brewing methods, and discuss the purpose of their uses (or my interpretation of their uses; I am neither a beer writer/historian nor brewing sciences expert by trade). To preface the following, it is assumed that you, the reader, are already familiar with the basic brewing terminology and process. However, if you are not, I have included some helpful links throughout the text. If questions remain, don't hesitate to ask them and I will try to help or point you in the right direction.

Today, we will cover decoction mashing. "What is decoction mashing?" you may ask and, "why do it?" Rather than casting my bait into waters that have already been over-fished, I will focus more on the "why?" than the "what?" To put it simply, decoction mashing is a process of mashing in which a portion of the mash is removed from the mashing vessel, brought to saccarification temperature, subsequently boiled, and finally returned to the mashing vessel (tun) to raise the overall mash temperature. This time consuming process may take more time than the entire brewday for an extract brewer, and should not be entered into blindly or without proper planning. Truth be told, decoction mashing is not required to produce certain beer styles, and the homebrewer can easily brew great beer without doing a decoction mash. In fact, most (if not all) modern brewing malts are produced with such excellent efficiency and are fully modified so that a simple infusion mash is all that is necessary to convert starches into sugars. "So why do it, Mr. Fermentivity blogger?"

That's a very good question, and one I hope to try to answer. Before telling why I (sometimes) do it, let's gain an understanding of its historical context and why brewers used to do it. Decoction mashing evolved in Europe before the development of modern measuring equipment (thermometers, etc.) Brewers knew that adding water to malted grain and heating it to a certain temperature range over a length of time resulted in the conversion of starches into sugars; however, they had no way to accurately measure and regulate a temperature range between 145F-160F by heating the mash tun directly. They did have two relatively constant reference points though: body temperature, and the physical characteristics of boiling water. Over time, brewers learned that heating the mash to blood temperature, removing a portion and boiling it, and returning that decocted and boiled portion back to the mash (and repeating these steps 2 or 3 times), raised the temperature of the overall mash through a series of temperature steps which resulted in a very fermentable wort. As you may have read in the past, or in some of my links, there exist some variations on the general decoction mashing process, but the result is the same: sweet, very fermentable wort. Now that we have an understanding of why decoction mashing was used within its historical context, let's explore why a homebrewer would want to do it today.

There are many reasons why a homebrewer would use a decoction mash. And you may choose to justify your use of decoction mashing (or not) with any or all of these reasons:
-It's fun to be a part of history and place oneself within a certain context.
-Details are important to you and you aren't happy unless you do it exactly right (whatever that means...).
-You want an excuse to buy more brewing equipment and use the "necessity" of decoction mashing as a way to convince SWMBO to let you.
-You look for any excuse to make your brewday as labor intensive and/or lengthy as possible so you can savor every minute.
-You appreciate the complexity of color and flavor that only a triple decoction can provide to your bohemian pilsner or doppelbock.
-There are others, I'm sure, but I'm getting tired of writing and have other things to do.

Sorry for the abrupt end. Until next time, be fermentive.

Welcome: A Blog With No Name

Hello, and welcome to my blog, "Fermentivity." This blog has multiple aims, mainly because I'm lazy and don't want to keep up with more than one blog devoted to different topics. However, the overarching theme, here, is creativity. Creativity, next to my family and education, is one of my highest values. For me, this value is expressed through a variety of mediums, most actively and prolifically in the form of homebrewing and other fermented beverages and foods. I also enjoy several other culinary crafts including cooking, creating fermented (pickled) foods, and soda making. These--and other artistic forms--may be the subjects of future blog posts. Moving on (I prefer to ramble if possible, and you will find me to be a liberal user of parentheses).

I have been a homebrewer since September '11, and have been a consumer of craft beer for several years prior to my homebrewing adventures. I was turned on to homebrewing by my brother-in-law, who has been brewing for about 3 years now. As of today, I have brewed 31 beers, mainly ales but also a couple of lagers. Some of them have been the same or nearly the same recipe, but (as homebrewers know) one never really homebrews the "same" beer twice.

What I love about homebrewing, like my other interests, is that it efficiently combines the exactness of science with the expressiveness of art. The homebrewer has the option of including as much or as little of both in their expressive experience. The homebrewer is also a witness--if mindful--to the metabletics that result in bringing one to where they are. How did you get to where YOU are? Think about it...were it not for a mistake here, a chance meeting there, where would you be right now? So it goes with homebrewing; things happen, ingredients may be unavailable, one may say "what the hell." But that's homebrewing; we homebrewers are NOTHING if not experimentalists. Why, you may ask? That's simple, because we can! I have brewed some very interesting beers with very dichotomous flavor combinations. For example, I brewed a cream ale (a very light, very drinkable beer), but with jalapeno peppers and pineapple. For some, the beer was described as "life-changing;" others graciously declined to finish the glass. I love to challenge the taste buds, but to do it well with as high quality base beers as possible.

Homebrewers brew because they have a passion for great beer and creativity. Anyone who gets into homebrewing because they believe it to be more economical quickly finds this to be false. It is much easier to buy great beer at the liquor store. I don't want to think about the money I've spent on ingredients, supplies, equipment, and some pretty expensive commercial beers to keep my palette fresh and inspired. But it has been money well spent. I am also a card carrying member of the American Homebrewers Association (AHA), which is the official group of individuals founded by Charlie Papazian, the Godfather of homebrewing. So, I'm rambling again, and I want to publish this initial post before I go to bed. So here it is. If you've read this far, you are a trooper and true beer lover. Please post your comments, requests, suggestions, or grammatical corrections. More postings will follow including recipes, brewdays, discussion topics, and inspirations. Maybe the occasional haiku. Anyway, enjoy!

Until next time, BE FERMENTIVE!