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I see all these people with kegerators and stuff and, I tell myself that I just don't have the space for it and I don't want to run up the electricity bill. But I think the truth is actually something else. I think it has to do with tradition.
Somewhere, deep in the back of my brain, I have this intuitive feeling that the thing that is cool about making your own beer is that it connects you with the past. It connects you with a certain history. Part of that history is the "seasonal" brews. Sure, every company makes seasonal brews, but really, they are merely seasonal in name and recipe. With all the fancy equipment, refrigeration techniques, etc, we can brew lagers year round. Nothing, except the fear of being viewed as odd, is keeping someone from producing a Christmas beer in July. Any beer style can be made anytime. But I feel like I want something else from my beer-brewing experience. I want to get in touch with the seasonal changes that actually created all of these different styles of beer. No refrigeration or heat, just do it the old fashioned way.
We have a 60's bomb shelter that is now a wine cellar. Right now, it's 55 degrees outside here in Chicago and my cellar is 50 degrees. That's about as hot as it gets down there in the winter time and it's because of the unseasonably warm weather. Usually, once the temps are dropping into the sub-zeros, I crack the door a little bit to keep the temps hovering around 42 or so.
So does anybody else do true seasonal brewing? Brew your light lagers in the winter and the ales in the warmer summer? I think that if you get into this mindset, it will also help you age your brews for longer periods and could easily result in better finished products. What say you?
Are there any problems or worries to concern yourself with when doing this? What about lager yeast? How tolerant are they of temperature swings within their proper operating range?
Any other Comments? Questions? Insults?
Somewhere, deep in the back of my brain, I have this intuitive feeling that the thing that is cool about making your own beer is that it connects you with the past. It connects you with a certain history. Part of that history is the "seasonal" brews. Sure, every company makes seasonal brews, but really, they are merely seasonal in name and recipe. With all the fancy equipment, refrigeration techniques, etc, we can brew lagers year round. Nothing, except the fear of being viewed as odd, is keeping someone from producing a Christmas beer in July. Any beer style can be made anytime. But I feel like I want something else from my beer-brewing experience. I want to get in touch with the seasonal changes that actually created all of these different styles of beer. No refrigeration or heat, just do it the old fashioned way.
We have a 60's bomb shelter that is now a wine cellar. Right now, it's 55 degrees outside here in Chicago and my cellar is 50 degrees. That's about as hot as it gets down there in the winter time and it's because of the unseasonably warm weather. Usually, once the temps are dropping into the sub-zeros, I crack the door a little bit to keep the temps hovering around 42 or so.
So does anybody else do true seasonal brewing? Brew your light lagers in the winter and the ales in the warmer summer? I think that if you get into this mindset, it will also help you age your brews for longer periods and could easily result in better finished products. What say you?
Are there any problems or worries to concern yourself with when doing this? What about lager yeast? How tolerant are they of temperature swings within their proper operating range?
Any other Comments? Questions? Insults?