Wednesday Evening

And, yes, that IS nothing but a ball of wasabi... hey man, I'm kickass

We had great time with everyone who showed up last night for the tasting. The invite was very much last minute and we thought no one would show– so, like any right- minded person (or left-minded in my case) who invited people over would do, we left and went to eat sushi– only to return to the house as people started to arrive. To much supprise we managed to draw an awesome crowd and kill a couple of the Corneys in the process. 

Also, special thanks to a new-found-brewer friend ITP (inside the perimeter) Jamie, who, in spite of an Andrew Bird concert, ventured up to marietta to check out our brews.  Jamie and his brewing counterpart Ben can be found here: Its not about the Beer.  Can’t wait to try the brew from East Atlanta!

If the weather cooperates, we will try our damnedest to have another tasting next week. Updates to follow. Cheers!

Rye Update

OH YEAH! About the Rye brewing last Wednesday. Everything went pretty well. I will say, it is A LOT more work by yourself. And a lot heavier when lifting things… I did hit all my mash temps though, produced a beautiful golden/copper color, and it smelled great the other day when I checked on it fermenting.

The only things that went poorly were 1: getting the wort from the kettle to the carboy. Pellets make it tough, man. I ended up having use the racking cane and consequently sucked up more trub than I wanted. It settled out nicely though. I think I can clear it off the top. And 2: the boil-off was more extreme than I predicted. Almost 2 gallons in an hour. I guess you gotta learn from doing and from your particular equipment what affects what and revise it in the recipe. 

Regardless, I was actually extremely pleased and more confident after the brew. Even the numbers were very close, which has not been a big concern to me until recently. But I found a happy medium between the Art and the Science of brewing and I feel like I opened a new door of experience with this brew!

updates from the front line

Looks like it’s been a while since I posted anything… Blerg. Sorry! I guess the weather, short days, economy, and my receding hairline have really put a damper on the mood.

In discussion the past couple of weeks, we have figured out that brewing every other week is perfect for us and the tastings. The “in-between” weeks will be used for experimental brews when possible and catching up on LOST. (you think I’m joking…)

Anyway, I’m using this week to brew a different Pale recipe I’ve worked on a couple of days. It’s actually a Rye Pale that should be light and crisp with a subtle hop spice and plenty of aroma. If all goes according to plan, it may be a very good spring recipe that everyone of all beer tastes should enjoy. 

There’s no tasting this week but the following week will be good to go and we’ll be brewing the Belgian-style Wit! I promise I’ll try to post more (with pictures) and follow up on results for the Rye brew.

Until then enjoy these pictures of Rob and I doing some cleaning…

BeerMinder

Just letting everyone know that we are still brewing/tasting tonight around 7:30! Good Ole Georgia weather has once again taken a nosedive and it is supposed to be downright cold tonight! Ummmm… so, wear clothes… And lots of ‘em! We’ll have a fire right outside the brewlab and some brews to keep you warm on the inside!
Contact us if ya need!

No Brewing Tonight

-Steve Wags
The Travel Bug and the Sick Monsters have been plaguing us the past week. Jamie is just now starting to recover from his urinary tract infection- er wait. no… upper respiratory infection, that’s the one! Sorry Jamie…
I was away for five days and have just now gotten caught up with laundry, showering, and Christmas decorations. Decorations are only cool till it’s time for them to come down, right?
Anyway, we’re using today and tomorrow to catch up on beer to-dos so we have beer ready to drink within the next week. We’ll have IPA, stout, and everyone’s favorite Belgian Wit. I’ll post shortly to let you know for the next tasting!