New brew - and a steak

First sample of the maple porter.  OK, well not the real first sample, I will explain.  During bottling I found myself two caps short so I decided to bottle the rest in canning jar, risky, I know but after two weeks and a bulging cap I cracked it open.  Very little bottle fizz, but that is ok.  I poured it off into my pint glass and it formed a nice head that lasted almost until I finished.  So I put another growler in the fridge and let that sit for two days to settle out.


Opened it last night and again very little bottle fizz, but this time it had a very light foam and dissipated in minutes, mind you it was still carbonated lightly and very tasty.  A slight bitter, with the sweetness expected.  Just a hint of maple, very palatable and excellent with the steak.


I think the break-down is growler bottling, I know in the past, before I gave away all my bottles the extra was always in the growler and it was saved for when the bottles were gone.  Always stacked up to quality of the bottles. In the home brewing world they say no way on growler bottling but only claiming bottle bombs, which I have had some explosive beers in them and they never broke.
I think for the future I need to either return to the 50 bottles or get the 5 gallon corny keg, in the end same price but with the keg I can fill the growlers when I want and store in the kegerator in the shed.  Save space!  What are your thoughts?


Remember
NOVEMBER 3RD IS ‘LEARN TO HOMEBREW DAY’.  Check your area for local events and keep your eyes here for special deals from MoreBeer!

Great news and exciting changes

We have some great news -  we are now an affiliate to MoreBeer.  MoreBeer is the one stop shop for all of your brewing needs, equipment to ingredients, they have it all!

Over the few weeks we will be revamping our blog and Facebook page to provide affiliate access to special pricing, exclusive sales and even limited specialty items to fit the needs of brewers of all sizes.

We are also looking at affiliate programs for the Hot Stuff side of things as well!  So more changes will be coming.

Other changes coming are whether we continue to use Facebook.  Over the past few weeks we have posted events, news and other items and we found out they never actually posted for public view and as of this morning our affiliate announcement would not post.

We will try to keep everyone posted on what is coming up and we are also going to try to develop a video selection of brewing, hot sauce production and tips and trick, and in the mean time bookmark the blog, special announcements will be posted here, first!

Happy brew and hot sauce to you!

ZJ

Braggot - history in a bottle

As promised Braggot Recipes -

There have been reports of 2500 year old recipes of braggot found in celtic graves and village sites.  after a bit of digging what was found was spent grains that tested to have been malted, with other traces of honey, lavender chamomile and even goats milk.  Braggot?  No one really knows but there are several traditional recipes that are several hundred years old and below we have included some variations of those for your drinking enjoyment.

BRONZE AGE BRAGGOT BEER RECIPE From Radical Brewing

Specifications
Batch Size: 5 gallons
OG: 1.100
ABV: 12-13.5%
IBUs: none

Ingredients (Braggot Recipe All-Grain)
8 lbs. wheat malt
8 lbs. cranberry honey
1 lb. two-row malt
0.1 oz. bog myrtle
1 wintergreen Lifesaver and a few drops of liquid smoke (or a few ounces of smoked malt)
1 packet wine yeast (such as Lalvin D-47)

Ingredients (Braggot Extract Recipe)
6 lbs. Wheat LME
8 lbs. cranberry honey
0.1 oz. bog myrtle
1 wintergreen Lifesaver and a few drops of liquid smoke (or a few ounces of smoked malt)
6 lbs. cranberries, frozen then thawed (or 1/2 gallon of pure cranberry juice)
1 packet wine yeast (such as Lalvin D-47)

Directions: For all-grain, mash the grains with 1.5 qts. of water and hold at 150°-154°F. for 60 minutes. Sparge to collect 3-4 gallons of wort and bring to a boil. (For extract, mix LME with 3 gallons water and bring to a boil.) Add the bog myrtle and boil for 60 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the Lifesaver and liquid smoke (if not using smoked malt). Mix in the honey. If needed, top off with enough clean water to make five gallons.

Cool to about 60°F., aerate, and pitch yeast. Towards the end of primary fermentation, transfer to a sanitized secondary fermenter containing the cranberries or cranberry juice. Allow to ferment for an additional 2-4 weeks, then transfer to a third fermenter and allow to clear. Traditionally, this type of braggot beer would be still, but you may carbonate if you wish.

A final word of advice: Whenever doing heavy homebrew experimentation, it’s a good idea to start with a small batch, as little as one gallon. Honey can be expensive, so it’s worth giving your braggot a few tries to get the braggot beer recipe right. You may wish to cut the above recipe in half the first time around



English Braggot

This recipe is featured in Radical Brewing: Recipes, Tales & World-Altering Meditations in a Glass by Randy Mosher.

INGREDIENTS
For 5 gallons (19 l)
12 lb (5.4 kg) Amber/Biscuit malt
6 lb (2.7 kg) Pale malt
2 lb (0.9 kg) Honey
0.8 oz (23 g) Cinnamon
0.8 oz (23 g) Black or Long Pepper
0.8 oz (23 g) Chopped candied ginger
0.2 oz (6 g) Galingale
0.2 oz (6 g) Cloves
0.5 oz (14 g) Low-alpha English hop (optional)
Alcohol-tolerant English ale yeast
SPECIFICATIONS
Original Gravity: 1.104
ABV: 10.5-11.5%
DIRECTIONS
Mash grains for 60 minutes at 153-155* F. Collect wort and bring to boil. If using hops, add them to the boil kettle at the start of the 60 minute boil. Rack to primary and pitch your favorite alcohol-tolerant English ale yeast.

Add honey and spices to secondary fermenter. Mature for 8 to 12 months. This braggot can be served still or with a lower level of carbonation.