Just married!

[Zamial]

Well, I tied the knot yesterday! Since this is going up into general beer I present all the "beer related wedding info." I have no pics yet but do promise some when I return from my honeymoon (we leave in the AM) and have some time to gather some up.

I now get to use the shorter version of SWMBO..."wife"! Not that I am diametrically opposed to SWMBO but "wife" just is better.

The wife's wedding gift to me is an industrial shelving unit that I am going to cut up to make a weld-less, single tier brew cart and a fermentation chamber. I have been really looking forward to these projects. I also got a double walled, stainless steel, 16 oz, stein with my initials engraved (as did all the groomsmen).

"Wine box ceremony" I brewed up a caramel apple mead based on this recipe: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f80/caramel-apple-mead-68519/ specifically for the wedding. Instead of a candle ceremony or a sand ceremony, we did a wine box ceremony that is based on a old Dutch tradition (neither of us are Dutch FYI). We wrote a love letter to each other. The Best Man and the Maid of Honor also wrote a letter. The big 750ml bottle was capped and waxed. During the ceremony the Best Man carried the box, The Maid of Honor carried the punch and a groomsmen carried the hammer. The wife and I each put in 1 nail "sealing the box" with the letters + wine inside. Should either of us want to end the union; together we will open the box, read the letters, drink the wine and sleep on it. Should that not happen we will open it on our 25th wedding anniversary. I also have filled and waxed 24 small 375ml bottles to split one with the wife every year on our anniversary.

We served (free of charge) Bud Light, Miller High life, New Glarus Totally Naked and 2 homebrews at the reception. The homebrews were a lilac orange wildflower honey wheat 6% ABV and a PTE clone that I amped up with extra grains to end up with a 9.3% ABV. All the beer was consumed. We also served homemade apple wine that the wife and I pressed the apples ourselves for last fall. We used my mom's recipe, it is dry and about 12% ABV.

Gifts: Guinness pint glasses, Pilsner glasses and a 4 pack of Sun"ryes" helles dopplebock that is going to come on the honeymoon.

Well, that just about sums up all the beer and wine related happenings.

 

[Zamial]

Before I get all the well wishes and like posts I want to say thank you to all the HBT members. This site has not only made brewing fun it has been a never ending supply of knowledge. I would not be as far ahead of the learning curve without you all.

I am sure someone read what one of my homebrews was and wants my recipe. This is the SWMBO ??? in my sig. I will add it to my drop down when I have more time. I designed this beer for my wife and it went through 3 versions that I had to "tweak" the recipe on. The 1st was an Extract that I used WAY to many flowers on. The second was a PM that I dialed the flowers down some but they were still to strong. The recipe I am going to post is the final AG recipe. This was going to be my "Long Shot" comp entry but I decided to pass on that for now and share it with you all.

Without further ado I present, "Made Marrion" - lilac orange wildflower honey wheat

I am going to start with the flower gathering/storage instructions. I clipped the flower bunches and then picked all the little flowers off so I had nothing green or any stems. I then soaked them in cold water to make sure there was no bugs. Placed them on a bunch of folded up paper towel and with some more towel, gently blotted the water away. I measured them into 1 oz increments and put them into ziploc freezer bags. I "rolled" the freezer bag shut to force out as much air as possible.

I also used the standard sweet orange peel that can be found in most LHBS. I know there is pith on these and in 99% of recipes they say to only use the zest. I think the pith flavor is actually good in this beer as it adds to the finished brew IMO.

The technical stuff:

Made Marion
lilac orange wildflower honey wheat (6 gal)
Og 1.054
FG 1.008
ABV:6.1%

Grains:
6.0# 2-row
4.0# white wheat
1.0# honey malt
1.0# honey- wild flower
.50# rice hulls

1.0# raw wheat

Boil additions:
½ oz Target @ 90 min
0.75 oz Mt.Hood for 15 min
1 oz fresh/frozen lilac flowers (weight not volume) @ 90 min./ .25oz @ 30 and 10 min
1 oz Willamette oz for 5 min
0.25 oz Sweet orange peel @ 5min

Mashed @ 147 for 60 min
154 for 60 min, mash out 168
O.G. 1.055, F.G. 1.015
yeast: Nottingham

Fermented at 69F

NOTES: This ale is a mild blend of LOTS of different flavors. I do not suggest upping the flower quantities. Lilac can be VERY over powering it does not fade with time like some flavors will. This is my best recipe and I feel it is completed. Please also note this is for a 6 gallon batch.

 

[haussparker]

Congratulations on the marriage and how awesome of a woman she sounds! Lol The mead and wheat brew sound very good, any chance of seeing your apple wine recipe? I have never made a homemade wine before but my fiancé loves apples and I'd like to make her a wine incorporating them. Also the box wine ceremony sounds very cool I'll have to tell her about that.

 

[dfc]

Congrats. The wife and I will be coming up on our 4 year anniversary in two months. It goes by quickly and before you know it, you'll be coming up on 4 years. Enjoy every minute of the ride!

 

[Scruffy1207]

That is so awesome, I love your idea for the box, amazing. I'm going to have to steal that idea sometime down the road when I decide to tie the knot. I like how you incorporated your homebrew into your wedding. Congrats! I'm definitely interesting in these recipes and pictures, keep us posted!

 

[thataintchicken]

Grats.
wishing you and the missus many years of bliss and happiness.

 

[smithnick0]

congrats!

 

[autoferret]

congrats!

 

[IrregularPulse]

Congrats, that is a very cool tradition. (The Dutch thing).

 

[FromZwolle]

Congrats, that is a very cool tradition. (The Dutch thing).

maybe i should do that next year (10th anniversary). i'm Dutch!




to the op: congrats! marriage is awsome and horrible, but i'd never go back to being single. :rockin:

 

[KurtB]

Congratulations!

Enjoy all 24 of those small bottles while remembering the good times from year to year.

 

[jeffjm]

I love the idea of the box and the small bottles - too late for the wife and I to do that on our wedding day, but maybe I can adapt it for our upcoming anniversary....