adempsey10
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- Joined
- Oct 4, 2016
- Messages
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Started brewing on Thanksgiving (Canadian thanksgiving) back in October.
I started with wine about two years ago when my grandpa gave me some of his extra equipment but I could never do it quite as well as him. I've always wanted to brew and my wife says I need a hobby during off season (I'm a bike racer) because she says I get too grumpy in the fall when I can't ride my bike as much anymore.
I started with a 10 gallon kettle using the BIAB method to keep things cheap. I learned about it from a brewery in Quebec that sponsored our cycling team. They took us on a tour and explained how it all worked. After producing two 5 gallon batches (the first was a dud. It was a tannin explosion). The second was known as 'Centennial Blonde Ale' that someone from this forum created. I wish I could remember who. The only difference I made was dry hopping with Amarillo. It was delicious.
Since then I realized that I don't/can't drink 5 gallon batches fast enough and I almost never enjoy drinking the same beer over and over so I went out got a smaller kettle and 5 1 gallon fermenters. Now I brew twice a week using only my own recipes. I design them based on the recommendations from 'Designing Great Beers' and the BJCP style guide. I've only brewed two recipes that weren't my own. Mostly because I like to experiment and I don't mind screwing up.
My wife and I often brew together. We called our little home brewery KOM Brewing. Stands for King of the Mountain. A term in bike racing. Once we settle on some recipes we like, we're going to name our beers after famous climbs in the Tour de France.
So far I have brewed:
5g - 'American MOB' - an awful IPA that had tannin bitterness (very first brew)
5g - Centennial Blonde Ale - turned out delicious
0.5g - IPA - my recipe. water volume was off so I ended up with a very low grav beer. Tasted okay but not right for the style
0.25g - IPA - same recipe as above from the same mash but separated and steeped with Espresso beans. Espresso flavour came through nicely but same problem as above recipe
1g - Irish Red - Turned out to be more of an Amber Ale than a red but was good.
1g - IPA - modified recipe from previous IPA to better suit style and be more characteristically IPA. Fermented it at too high temp and it turned into Peach Beer.
1g - Irish Red - This time I hit it the money. Came out red and pre-bottling flavour was good. Waiting for it to carb up.
1g - Black IPA - Essentially the same recipe as above but a small amount of dark malt to add colour
1g - IPA - more refinements to IPA recipe but water volumes were off so I ended up with much less than 1g.
1g- Rauchbier - Smoked Beech malt was the foundation of this one. Smelled delicious. In the fermenter now
1g - American style wheat - Carbing up. tasted good before bottling
1g - IPA - First successful IPA with full 1g volume. Very excited about this one. In fermenter.
Still working out a way to produce lager temps so I can make my wife a Kolsch style beer. So far I love brewing.
I started with wine about two years ago when my grandpa gave me some of his extra equipment but I could never do it quite as well as him. I've always wanted to brew and my wife says I need a hobby during off season (I'm a bike racer) because she says I get too grumpy in the fall when I can't ride my bike as much anymore.
I started with a 10 gallon kettle using the BIAB method to keep things cheap. I learned about it from a brewery in Quebec that sponsored our cycling team. They took us on a tour and explained how it all worked. After producing two 5 gallon batches (the first was a dud. It was a tannin explosion). The second was known as 'Centennial Blonde Ale' that someone from this forum created. I wish I could remember who. The only difference I made was dry hopping with Amarillo. It was delicious.
Since then I realized that I don't/can't drink 5 gallon batches fast enough and I almost never enjoy drinking the same beer over and over so I went out got a smaller kettle and 5 1 gallon fermenters. Now I brew twice a week using only my own recipes. I design them based on the recommendations from 'Designing Great Beers' and the BJCP style guide. I've only brewed two recipes that weren't my own. Mostly because I like to experiment and I don't mind screwing up.
My wife and I often brew together. We called our little home brewery KOM Brewing. Stands for King of the Mountain. A term in bike racing. Once we settle on some recipes we like, we're going to name our beers after famous climbs in the Tour de France.
So far I have brewed:
5g - 'American MOB' - an awful IPA that had tannin bitterness (very first brew)
5g - Centennial Blonde Ale - turned out delicious
0.5g - IPA - my recipe. water volume was off so I ended up with a very low grav beer. Tasted okay but not right for the style
0.25g - IPA - same recipe as above from the same mash but separated and steeped with Espresso beans. Espresso flavour came through nicely but same problem as above recipe
1g - Irish Red - Turned out to be more of an Amber Ale than a red but was good.
1g - IPA - modified recipe from previous IPA to better suit style and be more characteristically IPA. Fermented it at too high temp and it turned into Peach Beer.
1g - Irish Red - This time I hit it the money. Came out red and pre-bottling flavour was good. Waiting for it to carb up.
1g - Black IPA - Essentially the same recipe as above but a small amount of dark malt to add colour
1g - IPA - more refinements to IPA recipe but water volumes were off so I ended up with much less than 1g.
1g- Rauchbier - Smoked Beech malt was the foundation of this one. Smelled delicious. In the fermenter now
1g - American style wheat - Carbing up. tasted good before bottling
1g - IPA - First successful IPA with full 1g volume. Very excited about this one. In fermenter.
Still working out a way to produce lager temps so I can make my wife a Kolsch style beer. So far I love brewing.