Guate Brewing

[Curtis2010]

Mine came out underhopped to about 30 IBU, but it still makes a pretty good strong bitter if I say so myself, it's the best beer I've made so far; it really tastes english with all that East Kent Goldings in it, the brown & crystal malts and fermenting for a month help as well. I'm disappointed in my pursuit of the style, but very pleased with the results.

Glad to hear yours is coming along better than you thought it would.

Yes, my "rescue ale" came out much better than expected (the IPA is still conditioning so hopefully the same technique has worked for it). As a test I took a bottle over to a English friend who manages a bar here on the Rio (and has run bars and brewed most of his adult life). Asked him to blind taste it for me and tell me what he thought. Right off the bat he exclaimed that it was a good ol´English Bitters -- so the brew rescue was a resounding success and even style recognizable by my resident expert. Way better rescue than I had hoped -- I would have been happy if it had just been drinkable.

 

[Curtis2010]

...I'm disappointed in my pursuit of the style, but very pleased with the results.

As I recall there was a good article in ¨The Best of Zymurgy¨on Bitters titled ¨Bitter Men¨ or something like that. The two guys that wrote it managed to get the official style guidelines changed to better match the style based upon their research. Lots of good technical style specific info. You might try and find this for some guidance.

 

[rappyfreak]

Bienvenidos Rodrigo!

Wow, sounds like you've been busy. Quite often off-flavors are the result of fermentation temps (problematic for me brewing on the Rio Dulce) -- have your ferms been in correct temp ranges for the yeast you are using? Some yeasts are more sensitive to temps than others.

My "cruising season" is just wrapping up and I am looking forward to "brewing season" (hurricane season). I left an IPA and my first attempt at a mead conditioning back in Guate when we left in April. So, we should have some interesting things to sample when we return. We left the boat in Panama and are working our way back overland to Guate. We sailed this year from Guate to Panama and made some interesting beer discoveries along the way. I plan to write a post about the more interesting beers we found along the way. Currently in Granada, Nicaragua (beautiful place -- a lot like Antigua, Guate). Should be back on the Rio Dulce tasting and brewing within a few weeks.

We also have a group here: "Ceveceros CA-4". There are not many of us yet, so be sure and sign up.

Saludos,

C

I live in carretera a El Salvador so I am usually 4-5 deg lower in temp than the city and my ferm temps are always between 68-70 deg which I deem perfect for ales. I've been using the Safale S-04 and S-05 yeasts as well as some Wyeast ones all with good results.

The only country in CA that I don't know is Nicaragua, have heard good things about their Tona beer, is it good or just Nicaraguans being patriotic?

Where do I find the Cerveceros CA-4 group, pretty new at this board so no clue where to look, could only find your post about creating it.

 

[Curtis2010]

Being in the City would certainly make my ferms easier to manage. The Rio of course is relatively hot and humid all the time. I have a small freezer with an external thermostat that I use to control my temps.

We have been traveling Nicaragua for a couple of weeks now (yet another great place). Tona is a mass produced beer, nothing exceptional (bad or good) but it is drinkable. It is what we have been defaulting to drinking here. Although, we have found the occasional interesting import Dos Equis, Negra Modelo, Guiness...

To find C. CA-4 Click on "Groups" on the red menu bar near the top of the page. From there you can do a search of the groups.

 

[rappyfreak]

I read on the first post you quoted from pacayaforhops that he could get cornys out of the paginas amarillas in the refrigeration section, I looked through it but no luck, do you know who sells them?

Checking the group right now, thanks

 

[Curtis2010]

I read on the first post you quoted from pacayaforhops that he could get cornys out of the paginas amarillas in the refrigeration section, I looked through it but no luck, do you know who sells them?

Checking the group right now, thanks

Not sure where he was buying the corny's exactly. Hopefully he will chime in. There are some large bottling/distribution facilities near Rio Honda which I plan to check out. Probably some in the city to I expect.

Productos del Aire can fill CO2 tanks. They also have 10lb tanks available for sale.

There is also a food industry products distributor in the city, "Distribudoras Caribe" I think is the name, you can get DME, 6-row barley, etc there. These products are really intended for use in food manufacturing and not brewing per se so not the ideal quality for brewing and selection is very limited.

 

[pacayaforhops]

Company is Glucksa, they have "post-mix" (soda dispenser) equipment listed in their ad (which turns out to be maintenance only, cornies you'll have to get from the major soda companies).

I bought mine from a guy in Antigua who homebrewed, work had him leave for china and a friend & I bought most of the malts, hops and fermentation equipment, another guy bought most of the mashing/kegging equipment.

I get my extract from Distribuidora Caribe, zona-11. It's a seasonal affair though, sometimes they have light DME (more expensive but still good for beers requiring a higher mash temp/medium L crystal malts), sold by the kg; sometimes they only have light?/amber? LME (a bit less expensive but still good for the same kind of beers), sold in 6.5 lb jugs (they claim 3 kg); a jug of which alone will be ok for a 3.5-4% abv beer depending on your yeast (I usually complement mine with grains, honey or brown sugar to get them to 4.5-6% abv depending on the style).

The 6-row barley, I get from CENMA in villanueva, you have to wash it straight away or you WILL get a weevil infestation & it's bye-bye grains, not to mention they're still covered in dust, deisel fumes and other nasties from the shipping process. You will still need to malt it to make it beer-worthy (it's a bit grassier than 2-row but has great diastatic power and is the absolute shiz for converting raw wheat for belgian beers like witbier, lambic, etc. or oats for stouts or heavy bodied beers).

 

[pacayaforhops]

I have some good news for all of us... I just managed to track down the distributor for IMI Cornelius (Where the Cornelius in corny keg comes from) in Guatemala:

PUNTOS FRIOS Y FINANCIEROS
Eduardo Rodas
Centro Corporativo Muxbal
Torre Oeste #1102
Km. 8.5 Antigua Carretera a El Salvador
Guatemala
Tel: +502-6637-03-65/06-54
Fax: +502-6637-08-43
E-mail: [email protected]

They'll be getting a call tomorrow.

 

[rappyfreak]

That is awesome man! Thanks for the heads up. Let us know if they carry the kegs.

 

[rappyfreak]

Hey Curtis and Pacaya, what are you using to sanitize? I have been washing my stuff with a product from Daiso Chem (they gave me the MSDS sheet and it is described as a non detergent cleanser with no added colorants and fragrances, non toxic and foodgrade) and One Step and then soaking in water with chlorine, has been working well but would rather use Iodophor, I understand it's called Iodoforo or yodoforo in spanish but don't know where to look for it. Concerned with the reputation of chlorine with being a head killer, corrosive and if not properly rinsed can also impart some chlorine flavor to the beer. Not the case with me yet but would rather use iodophor as it is safer, no rinse required and only a minute of contact time required. Thanks guys!

 

[pacayaforhops]

I've been using powdered sanitizer that came with my first kit when I need to make sure there's nothing's alive any more, I usually reuse the keg with the same type of yeast most of the time; so I just clean with dish soap and rinse thoroughly, then fill right back up. You can ask for "tintura de yodo incolora" at any pharmacy and you should be able to get it, the name baffles me somewhat though, 'cause you'd expect a tincture to be well... tinted, this one's colorless. Make sure to apply to all surfaces including bucket lid o'rings.

On another topic, I had some errands to run today and am leaving for work now so the phone call will have to wait until tomorrow.

 

[Curtis2010]

I typically use chlorine (household bleach). I think a lot of the anecdotal stories that circulate are the result of it being mixed too strong and/or not rinsed properly (and/or people just repeating what they've heard). When mixed and rinsed properly I have never had an issue.

I also got some PBW with a recent kegging gear order. Easy to use. Does a good job of dislodging gunk in kegs, but of course not readily available here.

 

[Curtis2010]

I have some good news for all of us... I just managed to track down the distributor for IMI Cornelius ...in Guatemala:

Cool. Be interested to know their pricing. Used kegs are inexpensive in the US and even after shipping (surface transport) not too bad, but be nice to find someone here that could provide kegs at a reasonable price.

 

[rappyfreak]

Well had some free time so called the keg guys and spoke to Julio Hernandez, a sales guy, and he said they do not have them in stock but that they would inquire and let me know ASAP. I'll let you know if and when I get any info.

Also asked the guys at Daisochem if they had any foodsafe iodine based sanitizers and they said they do and I'll get a sample. Will let you know how it works, looks, smells, etc. With this product 1 oz in 5 gal is good for about 15.6 PPM and 2 oz in 5 gal for 30 PPM. Iodophor at 12.5 PPM or above kills bacteria, etc in 1 minute contact time. They sell this product for about Q268 for a gallon so the gallon would be good for 128 5 gallon batches with 15 ppm or 64 5 gal batches with 30 PPM. I calculated in 5 gallon batches because I usually fill my fermenting bucket with 5 gal of water with sanitizer and sanitize everything I'll use in brew day there. It lasts 2 years in storage so this stuff is dirt cheap and much better than chlorine.

 

[Curtis2010]

Hey great info. Be sure and let us know how the Daisochem works out.

 

[Curtis2010]

Well had some free time so called the keg guys and spoke to Julio Hernandez, a sales guy, and he said they do not have them in stock but that they would inquire and let me know ASAP. I'll let you know if and when I get any info.

...

Any more info on the kegs?

 

[rappyfreak]

Nope, no luck yet, guess I'll have to import them. Found a 1 tap kegerator that fits 3 cornies though, have to save a little to get it and then modify to have 2 in tap and 1 carbing cold.

 

[Curtis2010]

Nope, no luck yet, guess I'll have to import them. Found a 1 tap kegerator that fits 3 cornies though, have to save a little to get it and then modify to have 2 in tap and 1 carbing cold.

I use TRANSCARGO to ship in heavy/bulky stuff. Shipped in a couple of kegs and a CO2 tank last year. The use surface transport (ships) so the cost is not too bad, but it typically takes a few weeks (depends on how fast their containers fill up).

 

[rifraf]

Subscribing, I'm originally from Guatemala and go back every year or two. All but my immediate family live there. Cool to see some homebrewers there!

How did that Rosa de Jamaica beer come out? That never even occurred to me but now I want to try it!

 

[Curtis2010]

Subscribing, I'm originally from Guatemala and go back every year or two. All but my immediate family live there. Cool to see some homebrewers there!

How did that Rosa de Jamaica beer come out? That never even occurred to me but now I want to try it!

Bienvenidos rifraf!

I've done some more recipe design work using Beer Smith and blending test samples with Pilsners which I've brewed here and it's got potential. I did one test blend using Brava Extra...yuk...that was a bad idea. With the Pils, I blended so that it had a nice color, a bit of RJ taste, and even a reddish head. Now waiting on more supplies to come in to brew it (no LHBS here in Guate!). Based upon my test blends, I plan to brew a very light ale, using Saaz hops, so that the RJ taste and color stand out, and to make the RJ tea an addition to secondary at about a 30% ratio by volume.

Attached is the current version of my recipe.

 

[Curtis2010]

Yahoo! Just got an email from TRANSCARGO and my latest shipment of brew goodies is on the way to the Rio.

For reference: I shipped 32lbs of stuff (packed weight) and it cost Q320 (about US$40). This is Miami-Guate City. It will cost about Q100 or less to ship it to the Rio aboard Litegua. Typically takes a few weeks depending up how long it takes them to fill up a container.

 

[rifraf]

Thanks! I have a good cream ale recipe that takes fruit flavors very well, I might play with that. My biggest concern is that the RJ I'm used to is very sweet and I'm not sure how to add fruit sweetness to the beer that won't cause fermentation...I don't want the malt sweetness, just the fruit.

 

[Curtis2010]

... My biggest concern is that the RJ I'm used to is very sweet...

That's because someone has added loads of sugar to it -- that's typical here in Guate and in the commercial concentrate versions. Yuk, I don't like the sugary stuff, but apparently most people do.

I buy the actual dried flowers (a type of Hibiscus) in the mercado. When brewed from just the natural ingredients RJ is not sweet -- in fact it is a bit tart/acerbic/citrus like. It adds its own sort of bitterness to the brew. It's this mild bitterness that made me think of using it in a beer. I brew it very concentrated and then mix with water to taste. Keeps well unrefrigerated also because there's no sugar in it to grow little beasties. Healthy stuff to w/out the sugar.

 

[rifraf]

Yeah I need to learn to drink that rather than the RJ sweet tea, but I think the sweet flavor is pretty good and might make a good beer

 

[Curtis2010]

Yeah I need to learn to drink that rather than the RJ sweet tea, but I think the sweet flavor is pretty good and might make a good beer

Well, no harm in trying it both ways. Maybe like you said in a style that would accommodate the sweetness...maybe something Belgian?

Can you get the concentrate in Chicago?

I just bought some natural RJ a few days ago:

 

[rifraf]

I can but there are enough Hispanic grocery stores to get the dried leaves, or can always get some from my family. My mom is there now actually...hmmm...

 

[rappyfreak]

Welcome rifraf!

Curtis, have a contact for transcargo? Do I jave to setup an account with them? That is cheap! We really have to get together guys

 

[rappyfreak]

Oh and on the RJ how about some of it in secondary mostly for aroma?

 

[pacayaforhops]

Saw over in the rum thread that rifraf would like to clone gallo, according to the tour guide at the brewery (and the size of the "mash tuns", separate for malt and corn) it's about a 80/20 belgian pale malt and corn for the grain bill and up to 25% cane sugar fermentables, single infusion for the malt; the corn is boiled only, so it's similar to using a single decoction fraction.

They use hops extract from WA, so probably nugget to 21 IBU's. They use czech lager yeast and ferment for 1 week and then condition another week (my sister had a kegger for her birthday, I siphoned off the remains into a korny with some german ale yeast and it dried out a lot, so there's quite a bit of unfermented sugars left in gallo).

I haven't tried cloning it because, as I've told anyone who insists I do, If I wanted gallo I'd go to the store and get some. The one local light beer I don't mind getting from the store is cabro reserva, which is the way cabro was made about 10-15 years ago, less corn than regular cabro, and the hops cover up what little is left of the corn; other than that, moza and moza gold are ok, more so if mixed 1:3 with cabro reserva.

I've gotten spoiled with my beer and can't stand corn in my beer any more; so much so, I can taste it in motecarlo or dorada, which are pretty bland to begin with (think heineken). I use rice flour (in my wild flanders red, which usually calls for corn grits in the recipe) or panela/brown sugar (in my porters or brown ales) whenever I need adjuncts in my beer.

 

[Curtis2010]

Welcome rifraf!

Curtis, have a contact for transcargo? Do I jave to setup an account with them? That is cheap! We really have to get together guys

Sure:

Transcargo
Ave. Las Américas 20-12, Zona 13
Tel. 2332-5720 / 2332-5951

Email: lilytagarcia at hotmail.com

TransCargo is good for heavy or bulky stuff (For example, I just ordered two more corny kegs and another C02 tank). Surface transport via shared containers so usually takes a few weeks. Customers service is not the greatest, but they get it here and the price is right. They don't have a retail store front, just an office (Z13) and a bodega (Z1). Best to have them deliver to you (which is their normal way of doing it).

For smaller stuff, I use CPX (See www.cpxbox.com), they use shared air freight so it is here in few days after hitting Miaimi. Spendy for larger/heavier stuff. Customer service is excellent and they have a web site where you can track your stuff. They also have a retail store front where you can drop in and pick up your stuff (Z13). All contact info is on their web site and you can set-up an from there also.

My GF flies back in to Guate City on Sept 26. I plan to come up a day or two before. We could have the first ever "Cerveceros C-4" meeting around then -- how's that sound?