Brewing Another Porter

Yesterday I started brewing another smoked porter with a couple of slight changes to improve the recipe.  So far I like what I have produced but still it isn't exactly what I have been looking for in the flavor department.  During the last three batches of other styles of beer I have been extending the secondary carboy time to extract a slightly higher alcohol content and improve their flavors.  Additionally, with the bottle conditions I am extending the amount of time the beer conditions to further enhance the flavors and mouth feel.

Sweet Sharon in the Secondary - Yeast Working Away

I recently purchased a couple of carboy bags which in addition to blocking the light has allowed me to use ice packs to slow the fermentation of the yeast and control the temperature.  Ideally I would like to purchase a dedicated cooler to better control the temperatures, but first I have to get a refrigerator to start the kegging of the beer ... on hold for funds right now.

The Breakfast Nook is Mine Now -- And Even More Room is Needed

I wanted to tell anyone reading this about a warning.  Currently, I have been using the kitchen sink to cool my wort, but over time and thanks to the weight of the wort I have noticed a slight separation in the caulking.  I am going the beef up under the sink and find another way to cool my wort using the wort chiller I purchased.

First Club Meeting

Ever since I started brewing I wanted to join a local brew club to meet other like me and people that have much better brewing skills than I to glean new ideas in making beer.  Well last night I went to my first meeting and joined Inland Empire Brewing Club.  It was fantastic.

I first got to meet several new people and have them test some of my beers to get their input.  Then they had a speaker, Patrick Rue, a brewer and owner of The Brewery discussed some of his beers.  After tasting several of his beers I realized just how far the micro brewing has gone in the country and what level I need to go if I wasn't to be successful ... his beer were clean , flavorful and just darn fantastic.

After he spoke the allowed several brewer to have their beers tasted and get the Club member's reactions.  They had some that were kit brewers to others that seasoned brewers ... all were welcome.  Normally, I personally am not a IPA drinker I tasted a couple that were quite nice last night.  The climax for me was when a couple other brewer got me to showcase a couple of beers for the tasting too.  I poured Kick Ass Sassafras, Sweet Sharon and Moose Musk ... all received well and got some great feedback.

What a great bunch of future friends.

All Grain & Sink

I should have posted this earlier but after brewing so many batches of beer I noticed that the sink started separating from the granite counter top thanks to the weight of the wort.  This may not ever become an issue during your brewing but still I would suggest beefing up the sink under the counter if you plan on doing very many batches, or use another more sure spot to cool your wort.

I converted my Maine's Moose Musk (a sweet milk stout) to all grain on the last batch and added carapils to improve the head retention.  I have noticed that you have to allow a couple extra weeks to condition in the bottle ... but this last batch is still facing head issues.  I am planning to take this batch to the local brewers club and get some help.  More to come later.