Sunday evening, Scott and Heather came over, and we cooked up our first batch of beer in over a year, an English-style India Pale Ale. The brewing process went without a hitch, though I think if we brewed more often, our execution of the steps would have been quite a bit smoother. There were lots of times when one of us would end up holding sanitized brewing equipment in both hands, but discovered we needed a third. Next time, a sanitized cover for the grilling table will do the trick; we’ll be able to place the equipment on it while we mess with the brew kettle. <\/p>\n
One big reason we don’t brew much in the summer is the heat and the bugs. My favorite time to brew is when it’s really cold in the winter, and the constant blast of heat from the propane burner (also known as a turkey frier) we use to boil the wort is an asset rather than a liability! <\/p>\n
It’s been fermenting for 36 hours now, and the best word for this batch is vigorous. The fermentation lock is letting out so much CO2 and at such a regular rate, it sounds faintly like a metronome! It’s awesome, because our last few batches have been pretty slow to ferment. Can’t wait to try this one! The big question now is whether to bottle or to keg. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Sunday evening, Scott and Heather came over, and we cooked up our first batch of beer in over a year, an English-style India Pale Ale. The brewing process went without a hitch, though I think if we brewed more often, … Continue reading