Hi All,
Bear Toe here brewmaster and taster of Bear Toe Brewery - My trek to make the perfect beer started nearly a year ago - I'm a semi-advanced home brewer and am striving for a batch that launches us through sensory overload!
Lauren (my wife to be) got me started and what a blast it's been. We brew about 3 times per month and have a false carbonation set up and several kegs. We enjoy mostly Ales but have tried making a lager or two with no success.
Currently I enjoy making British style ales and experimenting with spices to make our very own specialty beer. I've had quite a bit of success with honey/orange/cinnamon varieties and have had achieved ABV over 8%. Most of our beer comes in at around 5%.
Stay tuned.
Thanks,
Bear-Toe
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
The Champagne of Brew
This batch was brewed on Sunday December 16th. It is a British ale - my favorite, and brewed with a partial grain and liquid/dry malt extract.
We steeped the grain mixture for 30 minutes at 155 then brought batch to a boil for 45 minutes to convert the sugars and allow the sparged grain and extract mixtures to marry.
I will use a dry hop in this batch (my first time), which I will pitch into the secondary fermenter in another day or two. Some sources recomend a 10 minute steam to sanitize the hops, I'm currently un-decided on whether I will do so given the hop leaves I've purchased are in a sanitized nitrogen purged sealed bag. We're using Fuggles (about 8oz) for this stage and will leave in secondary fermenter for around 4 weeks. It should produce an amazing aroma and deliver an outstanding taste!
We drank our last batch a clone of Rouge Breweries Dead Guy Ale over the weekend. It came out slightly sweeter than the real thing, was enjoyed by all at our party. We were celebrating 1 year of engagement with close friends - it was a blast - always fun to share the home brew and recieve feed back.
Currently I have a Christmas ale that I Brewed nearly a month ago with Orange, Ginger, Coriander, Cloves, Honey and Cinnamon. This will be ready next Monday in time to false carbonate and drink on Christmas day. Speak soon - Will have pictures up from my Kegerator creation this coming weekend. I'm converting a Sanyo Fridge to hold 2 kegs with a dual crome tap system. If time permits I will also turn 2 Maple tap handles.
Thanks,
Bear-Toe
We steeped the grain mixture for 30 minutes at 155 then brought batch to a boil for 45 minutes to convert the sugars and allow the sparged grain and extract mixtures to marry.
I will use a dry hop in this batch (my first time), which I will pitch into the secondary fermenter in another day or two. Some sources recomend a 10 minute steam to sanitize the hops, I'm currently un-decided on whether I will do so given the hop leaves I've purchased are in a sanitized nitrogen purged sealed bag. We're using Fuggles (about 8oz) for this stage and will leave in secondary fermenter for around 4 weeks. It should produce an amazing aroma and deliver an outstanding taste!
We drank our last batch a clone of Rouge Breweries Dead Guy Ale over the weekend. It came out slightly sweeter than the real thing, was enjoyed by all at our party. We were celebrating 1 year of engagement with close friends - it was a blast - always fun to share the home brew and recieve feed back.
Currently I have a Christmas ale that I Brewed nearly a month ago with Orange, Ginger, Coriander, Cloves, Honey and Cinnamon. This will be ready next Monday in time to false carbonate and drink on Christmas day. Speak soon - Will have pictures up from my Kegerator creation this coming weekend. I'm converting a Sanyo Fridge to hold 2 kegs with a dual crome tap system. If time permits I will also turn 2 Maple tap handles.
Thanks,
Bear-Toe
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