tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11640225808267487622024-03-20T02:24:16.497-04:00Four Leaf Brewing - Homebrewing | Tips | DIY Four Leaf Brewinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930066060890269378noreply@blogger.comBlogger68125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1164022580826748762.post-34322832043478700362013-04-08T15:47:00.000-04:002013-04-08T15:48:49.250-04:00Thermapen vs. CDN/ProAccurate Thermometer Test I was at the very end of my last brew day and cleaning up all of my equipment when I shattered my floating glass thermometer. This is the second one I have shattered in 3 years and I always worry about breaking it off in a mash or in a kettle. I was also a little suspect of the accuracy. <br />
<br />
Besides the floating glass, I also own a <a href="http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/proaccurate-digital-thermometer.html" target="_blank">CDN ProAccurate Digital Thermometer</a>. Though I love how quick it gives you reading vs. the glass, I was always suspect of the readings because of the need to constantly recalibrate and sometimes its differences from the glass thermometer (Which one was wrong? Who knows). <br />
<br />
I have become tired of the fear of accuracy as well as breaking the glass so I ponied up ($96) and bought a Thermapen. Everyone that has one raves about them so I figured why not. Even though they are supposed to be one of, if not the most accurate thermometer on the market, I ran my own test to verify. While I tested the Thermapen, I decided to do a side by side with the CDN to see if it was also accurate. Thought it would have been nice to test a glass thermometer as well that was not an option.<br />
<br />
I made the ice bath just as the Thermapen directions suggested. The estimated temperature of the solution should be very close to 32. The Thermapen gave me a reading of 32.3 in a few seconds. Very happy about that. I put the CDN into the same solution. <br />
<br />
Now I knew I'd have to calibrate the CDN for best results and temperature must be in the 32-34 range to do so. Well when I put the CDN into the ice bath, it read 29.6. If you try to calibrate at the temperature you get an error. So right away I was concerned with the accuracy. That almost 3 degrees could make a big difference in an hour mash. <br />
<br />
I also had some water boiling. Based on my elevation and air pressure at the time of the test, water would boil at 210.6 degrees. I put the Thermapen into the boiling solution and it read 210.5 degrees. After both test I was now a Thermapen believer! I put the CDN into the boiling water and it read 208. Again, was around 3 degrees off in the same direction. <br />
<br />
I then put the Thermapen and CDN back into the ice bath. The Thermapen again read 32.3. The CDN now read 32. That bugged me that it read a different temperature in the same medium. However, I'd now be able to calibrate the CDN. So I did and it read 32.1, very close to the Thermapen and expected temperature of the solution. <br />
<br />
The CDN and Thermapen went back into the boiling water. The Thermapen again read 210.5 and the CDN also read 210.5. Interesting results. <br />
<br />
So what this tells me in this very limited test is that the Thermapen and the CDN are very close to each other as long as the CDN was calibrated. However, as I said the first time, in the ideal ice bath solution I could not get the CDN to calibrate. <br />
<br />
Though the Thermapen is around 5x the price I think over the long term I'd put my faith in it over the CDN. However, if you don't have around $100 laying around the CDN is a viable option as long as you can calibrate it. That's the key!<br />
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<br />Four Leaf Brewinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930066060890269378noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1164022580826748762.post-6223274152290087372013-01-19T14:17:00.000-05:002013-01-19T14:17:10.560-05:005% Better Brewer! When you are an all grain brewer, besides trying to make tasty beer, you are also judged on how well you convert starches to sugars. This is know as your brewhouse efficiency. According to Brad Smith over at BeerSmith, "Brewhouse efficiency is defined as the percent of potential grain sugars that are converted into sugar in the wort." I'm not going to reinvent the wheel by writing about efficiency but if you want to learn more about it, here are some resources.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://beersmith.com/blog/2008/10/26/brewhouse-efficiency-for-all-grain-beer-brewing/" target="_blank">BeerSmith</a><br />
<a href="http://www.howtobrew.com/section2/chapter12-5.html" target="_blank">How to Brew</a><br />
<br />
I've historically averaged around 65% efficiency by batch sparging. There have been some batches I've been in closer to 70% and some in the upper 50%.....yes, all over the place! I've been closer to 55%-60% my last few batches and I was starting to talk to some fellow brewers about it. They were also seeing some lower efficiencies and we found the common link was where we got our grains. It appeared that our local homebrew shop was just not giving a good crush (note: last time I was there I looked at the gap on their mill and I think I could fit my wife's mini van through it!). So with post Christmas money/gift cards I decided to buy a mill. <br />
<br />
I opted to go with the Monster Mill MM3. Really nice mill. I'd highly recommend it. On the maiden grind before my last brew I ground 1 lb of my grain bill to see how it worked. And right away I noticed how much finer the crush was compared to what I was getting from the store. I have my mill set at 0.045" gap.<br />
<br />
I ground the rest of the grain and I went through my mash process as usual. At the end of the brew day I calculated my efficiency and it was up to 70%. This is the best mash I've had in a while. Yes, it was only 1 test so far and I know 70% isn't wonderful but its a step in the right direction. I'm very hopefully that I can be more consistent now that I'm grinding my own grains. I plan to do a few more batches at the current gap setting and then start to mess with it to see how it impacts my efficiency. Four Leaf Brewinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930066060890269378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1164022580826748762.post-18231834638107215962013-01-06T16:22:00.000-05:002013-01-19T14:18:18.413-05:00Not so Robust, but Pretty Brown. A few weeks ago I posted about a <a href="http://fourleafbrewing.blogspot.com/2012/12/vanilla-porter.html" target="_blank">Porter</a> I brewed. I think the beer came out well and folks who've tried it have enjoyed it. But its not as robust as I expected based on a previously batch. The first time I made this beer it was pretty roasty and even borderline stoutish. As it aged the roastiness faded some and it became a truer robust porter. A nice beer overall. <br />
<br />
To compensate for some of that roastiness this last batch, I decided to add the roasted grains toward the end of my mash to extract the color but maybe not as much roastiness. Mission accomplished. However, I don't believe I have a robust porter anymore. <br />
<br />
I plan to enter this beer in my club's next <a href="http://maltinfusers.brewcompetition.com/" target="_blank">competition</a> . To see if it fit the Robust Porter category, I did a side by side comparision with Smuttynose's Robust Porter. Right off the bat, I can smell that the Smuttynose was much roastier. The head was also much tanner even though the color of the beer was near identiccal. To the BJCP guidelines I went. <br />
<br />
On reading the <a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style12.php#1b" target="_blank">Robust Porter</a> guidelines it was clear to me I should not enter this beer as a Robust Porter. The <a href="http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style12.php#1a" target="_blank">Brown Porter</a> guidelines though seemed very close. In reading the Comments section of the Brown Porter, it actually highlighted the differences I was seeing in the two beers side by side. <br />
<br />
I've learned two very important things from this batch of beer. <br />
<ol>
<li>Minor tweeks in your mash schedule can have signficant impacts especially when using dark grains. </li>
<li>If entering a competition, be sure to enter a beer into the category of the style the beer finished as, not as the style it was intended . </li>
</ol>
Having judged several competition, I've seen how people ignore #2 because of either, not knowing, not caring or just being flat out being stubborn since they planned their beer to be a certain style. I've put in the comments section, "would be better in 'X' style category". I've seen it in Porters and with IPAs. Either the Porters are more brown than robust (like in my case) or the IPA's come up short on hop aroma (maybe Pale Ale vs. IPA?). <br />
<br />
I know if I entered this beer as a robust porter I'd get dinged for not being roasty enough. So as a competition tip, enter your beer in the category the finished beer as, not in the style you may have intended to brew. Some categories have fine line. <br />
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<br />Four Leaf Brewinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930066060890269378noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1164022580826748762.post-8138376002934612632012-12-14T16:47:00.001-05:002012-12-14T16:48:58.915-05:00StarSan - Sanitizer and Leak FinderI'm not sure if its bad luck, carelessness or a combination of both that has
caused issues with CO2 the last couple years. I’ve had issues with a keg lid, o-rings
and a hairline fracture in a regulator that all lead to leaks in my kegging system.
Those I don’t believe I did anything wrong. However, not fully tightening the
gas socket on the keg was my fault. <o:p> </o:p><br />
<br />
I went to check on my 10 lbs CO2 tank today since I just filled those <a href="http://fourleafbrewing.blogspot.com/2012/12/vanilla-porter.html" target="_blank">Porter</a>
kegs and to my disappointment it was empty. I filled it just 2 months ago so I
know something was wrong. Now it became a game of find the leak. This is where
StarSan comes in!<o:p> </o:p><br />
<br />
Because of how easily StarSan foams up, it’s the perfect medium for looking
for leaks because it bubbles like crazy. So I carefully went through each
connection on my system looking for leaks. Nothing after 3 kegs. Finally
I got to the gas socket on the 4<sup>th</sup> keg and it started to bubble. I
tightened it up and the bubbles stopped. Problem solved. This does teach me to
check all of my connections one last time after filling a new keg.<o:p> </o:p><br />
<br />
I learned a trick today when I talked to the guy at the CO2 place about my
leak. He said, turn on the CO2 tank, lets it fill the entire system and balance
out and then turn off the gas at the CO2 tank. If there is a leak, you’ll see
the pressure slowly start to drop on the regulator since you are not forcing in
any more pressure from the tank. If there is no leak, it should hold pressure in the regulator. <br />
<br />
So I hope I go downstairs later or tomorrow and still find that everything is still OK. Four Leaf Brewinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930066060890269378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1164022580826748762.post-39865969231371148402012-12-12T21:25:00.002-05:002012-12-12T21:25:32.657-05:00Vanilla Porter
I'm a rather conservative brewer. Because of the amount of time it takes to
go from grain to glass, I typically avoid putting "non-grain" flavors
into my beers with fear of overdoing it. I decided with this last batch to step
out of my comfort zone a little. I like having my Robust Porter around for winter.
One of my wife's favorite beers is Breckenridge's Vanilla Porter. So I figured,
maybe do a split batch and try putting a fresh vanilla bean in. If I screw it up, its just half a batch. I wasn't
going for a clone, but hoping for a smooth vanilla tasting/smelling porter. <o:p> </o:p><br />
<br />
I did some research and a lot of what I read said that you should use 1
whole vanilla bean for every 5 gallons of beer. The impression I get is that a
little bit bean goes a long way. Since I was going to split the batch, I only
needed half a bean. Too bad they don't sell half beans as it cost me $6 for one
bean at Whole Foods!<o:p> </o:p><br />
<br />
For those that have never seen one, here is what a vanilla bean looks like.
Sort of like a brown, shriveled up string bean. <o:p> </o:p><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpgQoE6tWdPtsRmOsgmJvMMY-2N6lI_Go48qpSQBOjKCPNDRO-3nWA1KdW1GjGnNbU5HMAM5mgnyBrF3NoZ-QeHeu_nHLHyOiwN5d8-WW-BDW2vjFMztKuKMzeozvVkLsxuPR_OJl8UFmu/s1600/100_8059.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpgQoE6tWdPtsRmOsgmJvMMY-2N6lI_Go48qpSQBOjKCPNDRO-3nWA1KdW1GjGnNbU5HMAM5mgnyBrF3NoZ-QeHeu_nHLHyOiwN5d8-WW-BDW2vjFMztKuKMzeozvVkLsxuPR_OJl8UFmu/s320/100_8059.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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What you want to do is expose as much of the inside of the bean to the beer.
That is where all the good stuff is. I cut the bean lengthwise and scrapped out
all the contents. It wasn’t what I expected. The inside of the bean is like the
consistency of a very fine coffee ground. I cut up the pod too into small pieces
to again allow as much of the inside of the pod make contact with the beer. <br />
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<br />
I dumped the entire bean and it insides into a Better Bottle. I then racked half
of the porter right on top. Figured by putting the bean in first that it would
help mix it up fully as it racked. <br />
<br />
As early as the next day, there was a nice vanilla aroma coming off the
beer. I can see how you can easily overdue it though! The plan was to have the
beer in contact with the bean for at least 10 days. <br />
<br />
I just racked the beer to kegs yesterday so I have yet to taste a fully
finished product. But there is a nice, clear vanilla aroma and a slight vanilla
in the finish. So far, so good. I’m very interested to see if the flavors
changes at all once it is carbed up like does the CO2 enhance or suppress the vanilla. <br />
<br />
For those that want the recipe, is pretty much Jamil’s….<br />
<br />
10 lb American 2-Row (74.07%)<br />
1.25 lb Crystal 40 (9.26%)<br />
1.25 lb Munich I (9.26%)<br />
0.75 lb Chocolate (5.56%)<br />
0.25 lb Black Patent (1.85%)<br />
<br />
1 oz East Kent Golding Pellet @ 60 Minutes <br />
0.5 oz East Kent Golding Pellet @ 10 Minutes <br />
0.5 oz East Kent Golding Pellet @ 5 Minutes<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Vanilla
bean added after beer was fully fermented and left it in for 10 days. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
Four Leaf Brewinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930066060890269378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1164022580826748762.post-88808221092300978792012-12-09T20:04:00.004-05:002012-12-12T21:27:16.928-05:00Drink Local - Support Craft Beer "Sellers"Though I love everything about homebrewing, I admit that compared to some of
you, I've been less passionate about the craft beer scene. I don't check-in
every beer on <a href="https://untappd.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Untappd</span></a> or drop everything to
go try the newest "must have" beer on tap. I do however admire craft
brewers that make that leap from homebrewing to pro-brewing. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
I've recently decided that I'm going to start writing a business plan for a
brewery. Part of my 10 year plan? Perhaps, or maybe just the daydreams of a guy
that loves to brew. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I truly don't know. Writing
down every detail into a structured format as it comes to me is a discipline that
will help me in other aspects of my career (I shared a document I wrote with my
group’s VP about how the retail energy business is similar to the craft beer
industry and he loved it!).<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
As I started my business plan research, it gave me a new appreciation for
the professional craft brewer, or really what they are -- craft beer sellers.
They are not in the business of making beer; they are in the business of selling
beer. Anyone can learn to make beer, but not everyone will be fortunate enough
to successfully sell it. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
I also now appreciate the phrase "Drink Local.” I see people post it on
Twitter and I never really gave it much thought. But when you think about what
it means, it’s incredibly important. It goes beyond trying the new local <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>beer just to try it; it’s about supporting
local/regional business over the long-term. Every time you buy a pint/bottle of
something local, you play a role in giving that brewery the chance to brew (or
actually sell) another day. No different than supporting a "mom-and-pop"
restaurant vs. a nationwide chain. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
As quickly as craft brewers are popping up around the country, there is the
unfortunate reality that many of them will fail. And likely, they didn’t fail
at brewing beer, they failed at selling beer. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
This awareness now changes how I will drink craft beer. When I have the opportunity
to go out, or when I travel, I make every attempt to purchase at least one local/regional
beer. It is very easy to play my part in supporting the local craft beer
seller.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
If you have friends that are scared to drink anything that doesn't say Bud,
Miller or Coors on it, buy them a local craft beer to try. I have successfully changed
minds of people and maybe you can too. By doing this, you not only open their
mind to a whole new world of beer, but you also support local businesses.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
There are tons of ways to find local breweries. I've found <a href="http://www.pubquest.com/"><span style="color: blue;">PubQuest</span></a> and <a href="http://www.craftbeer.com/breweries/brewery-locator/find-a-us-brewery"><span style="color: blue;">Craftbeer.com</span></a>
to be pretty helpful when travelling. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
If you happen to be in Cincinnati, here's a list** of local breweries to support: <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blankslatebeer.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Blank Slate Brewing</span></a><o:p></o:p><br />
<a href="http://www.rivertownbrewery.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Rivertown Brewing</span></a> <o:p></o:p><br />
<a href="http://www.mtcarmelbrewingcompany.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Mt Carmel Brewing</span></a><o:p></o:p><br />
<a href="http://tripledigitbrewing.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Triple Digit Brewing</span></a><br />
<a href="http://50westbrewing.com/"><span style="color: blue;">50 West Brewing</span></a><o:p></o:p><br />
<a href="http://gcbeer.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Great Crescent Brewery</span></a><br />
<a href="http://christianmoerlein.com/" target="_blank">Christain Moerlein<o:p></o:p></a><br />
<br />
**I hope I didn't forget anyone! Let me know if I need to add any!<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<o:p> </o:p><br />
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<o:p> </o:p><br />
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Four Leaf Brewinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930066060890269378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1164022580826748762.post-45164057647232536552012-11-02T21:22:00.002-04:002012-11-02T21:22:52.306-04:00Awards in Back to Back Competitions!Coming off of my third place medal for my Cream Ale in the light hybrids category at Dayton Draft's Brewfest, I got another 3rd place award for my Munich Helles in the light lagers category and Honorable Mention for my Black Lager in the dark lager category at CMI's Oktobersbest competition. I was happy to be able to place in my clubs competition!<br />
<br />
The funny thing about the Munich Helles is that a day after the competition I went to take a pint off the tap, I was able to get 1 pint and another few drops out before the keg was kicked! I was so close to not being able to enter that beer. I'm glad I did!Four Leaf Brewinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930066060890269378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1164022580826748762.post-25958518741793821482012-09-29T16:09:00.000-04:002012-09-29T16:09:02.665-04:00Award Drought is Over! I don't brew to win awards, but when I do it feels good! Though it was a few weeks ago already, my Cream Ale took 3rd Place for the Light Hybrid flight at the Dayton Draft's Brewfest! It was this same competition that I took my first (and only) award with last year and I haven't placed since. So its nice to have the drought over. <br />
<br />
Funny thing is that the Cream Ale was my lowest scoring of the 3 beers I entered. I don't have score sheets back yet, but I was able to get a sneak peak into the final scores to see how the other beers scored. I can't wait to see the feedback I got to see how I can improve. I enter competitions to get feedback! <br />
<br />
The other funny part about this cream ale is that it was the first time with this recipe. I tried to take on the <a href="http://fourleafbrewing.blogspot.com/2012/07/smash-brewing-is-simple-better_28.html" target="_blank">SMaSH</a> approach. Cream Ale's are supposed to be "simple" yet flavorful. My previous recipe had some crystal malts for color, etc and those are not really needed. So I really trimmed the recipe down to the basics. I was really happy with the results. It was a slighty variation of a Jamil recipe. <br />
<br />
Here is what I did for a 5 gal batch <br />
<br />
Grain Bill<br />----------------<br />4.25 lb American 2-Row (42.5%)<br />4.25 lb Pilsner (42.5%)<br />1.50 lb Flaked Corn (15%)<br />
<br />
Hop Bill<br />----------------<br />0.50 oz Cluster Pellet @ 60 Minutes<br />0.50 oz Hallertau Pellet @ 5 Minutes (Boil)<br />
<br />
<br />
Single step Infusion at 150°F for 60 Minutes.<br />Fermented at 63°F with Wyeast 1056 - American AleFour Leaf Brewinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930066060890269378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1164022580826748762.post-86516378956777351062012-09-12T20:35:00.000-04:002012-09-12T20:35:49.599-04:00I'm now a BJCP Judge!After nearly 5 months of waiting, I finally got my BJCP tasting score and I passed. Barely, but I passed. So I'm now a Recognized BJCP judge. I have a big problem detecting diacetyl and I know I got dinged heavy one beer for that.<br />
<br />
Not going to have to wait too long to break in the new rank as I'm heading up to Dayton, OH this weekend to judge in the Dayton Drafts Brewfest. I won my first award at this competition last year so I'm excited to be a part of the judging this year.<br />
<br />
Hopefully I can blog this weekend that I took another award!Four Leaf Brewinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930066060890269378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1164022580826748762.post-21062328342259882992012-09-09T20:37:00.005-04:002012-09-09T20:37:57.415-04:00First Hop HarvestSo after 2 years of growing I had my first hop harvest. It was a very small amount, just 0.4 ounces of Cascade after being dried, but I'll take it. Just enough to add to a beer and say I used my own hops to suppliment. <br />
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I had a few hop cones on my US Tettnag, but they ended up dying in the heat. I'm hopefully that what I learned about the plants this year that I can do much better next year! </div>
Four Leaf Brewinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930066060890269378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1164022580826748762.post-7590644293706190222012-09-09T20:32:00.002-04:002012-09-12T20:39:07.645-04:00DIY Stud Finder - I Know, Not HomebrewOk, so I know that this post isn't related to homebrewing, but I came up with the idea because of homebrewing so I figured I'd share. <br />
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A few years ago while putting up some baseboards I put a nail right through a water line (which homebuilder had WAY to close to dry wall) and I had water shooting into my bathroom. Calling a plumber on a Sunday wasn't cheap. Since then, I've been a little gun shy about putting nails in the wall where I suspect pipes may be. Well I just replaced all the floors in my house so I also had to replace all the baseboards. I debated going out and buying a stud finder but I didn't want to spend the money. <br />
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I then had the idea that maybe I could just use a magnet to find the nails in the studs. The stronger the magnet the better. Then the light bulb when off. I had the earth magnets that I took out of hard drives to build stir plates (yes, here is the homebrew connection). They worked perfect. I'd pass them over the wall and the magnets would have a strong pull to the nails in the drywall and just hang there. <br />
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So if you got an old harddrive laying around, take out the earth magents and you'd have yourself a free stud finder. <br />
<br />Four Leaf Brewinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930066060890269378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1164022580826748762.post-21606106459353348072012-07-28T15:27:00.001-04:002012-07-28T15:27:49.046-04:00SMaSH Brewing - Is Simple Better?Drew Beechum of the famed Maltose Falcons did a talk at this years NHC about SMaSH brewing. SMaSH stands for single malt and single hop. Many of us spend so much time trying to load our beer with various malts and hops in search of that perfect homebrew. Does it really make a better beer? <br />
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That is open for debate. But Drew makes a case on why simple is better and I thought I'd share it with the group. It was enough to convince me to give it a shot and maybe I'll do some write up on what I find. <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/0sSKHzmhrzY?fs=1" width="480"></iframe>Four Leaf Brewinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930066060890269378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1164022580826748762.post-76274258829581082132012-07-28T15:19:00.000-04:002012-07-28T15:19:17.393-04:00Burrs continue to Pop UpMy Cascade plant is the only one that has any burrs this year. I'm not that disappointed. I'm just happy that I can see it for the first time from at least one variety. Burrs continue to pop out at ever leaf level as it climbs. <br />
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A lot of the cones have brown tips. Not sure what that means so I'm going to have to research. Wonder if it could just be the intense daily heat and sun that is just scorching them. Either way, there appears to be plenty of burrs that I should take at least some harvest this year, even if just a few ounces. I'll take that!</div>Four Leaf Brewinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930066060890269378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1164022580826748762.post-72669816680148454162012-07-07T08:14:00.000-04:002012-07-07T08:14:19.314-04:00Cascade Has Plenty of BurrsI continue to heavily water the hops in this near 100 degree heat and they seem to love it, especially the Cascade. I noticed the other day that burrs are starting to form. Very exciting! I thought I saw some burrs last year, but I now know they were just the arms forming. None of the other plants are showing signs of burrs but I'll settle on just one variety this year as a start. Maybe those other plants will surprise me before the end of the season. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIte2H25ecR2a2gSshL0z4wTURM7A-kPNg0PcmWVZOnczhoA3jfe0H-vtPaZkTF9aqlcWKPcZSBkeNGJLlrt5vEH6V_eBgsBvmCbbdaXkDq9aQwI8Br9MVdWDM0fIxotwDu2oXE2veE80T/s1600/100_7683.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIte2H25ecR2a2gSshL0z4wTURM7A-kPNg0PcmWVZOnczhoA3jfe0H-vtPaZkTF9aqlcWKPcZSBkeNGJLlrt5vEH6V_eBgsBvmCbbdaXkDq9aQwI8Br9MVdWDM0fIxotwDu2oXE2veE80T/s320/100_7683.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>Four Leaf Brewinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930066060890269378noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1164022580826748762.post-65064105950545794252012-07-03T20:37:00.002-04:002012-07-03T20:37:20.870-04:00Hops Need Water....DuhLast spring was one of the rainest times in Cincinnati history. I had poor drainage for my hops and my US Tettnang spent much of the spring under water. I felt that was a reason for a disappointing first season. My plants (4 varieties) didn't get that tall and I didn't even get one cone. <br />
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I built up the bed last fall and felt I gave my hops a much better growning enviornment and they started off this season great. But as of 2 weeks ago most of my plants were only around 6 feet tall. What was I doing wrong? I'm now certain it was a lack of water during this current spring. I was so afraid of overwatering after last year that this year I likely didn't water enough. <br />
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Now that it is in the mid 90s everyday, I've tried to get out there and water daily and the hops are taking off! The Cascade and Mt. Hood are easily growing a few inches a day and the Cascade is putting out a ton of arms. Everything I've read said that they need plenty of water. I tried to keep them wet during this past spring and early summer, but it wasn't anywhere close to enough I now know. <br />
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So my plan is to continue to water them daily while its hot and hope for the best. Now for next year, a much stricker watering schedule earlier in the spring. Though I know I won't have a great yield, I'd love to at least get some cones this season! Time will tell.Four Leaf Brewinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930066060890269378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1164022580826748762.post-81219679102320272292012-06-25T20:41:00.001-04:002012-06-25T20:41:17.663-04:00Breweries - Captain Lawrence Brewing Co #2. - Elmsford, NY<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A few months back I<a href="http://fourleafbrewing.blogspot.com/2011/12/breweries-captain-lawrence-brewing-co.html" target="_blank"> posted</a> about Captain Lawrence Brewing Company and being glad I got some pictures before they left Pleasantville. I was able to check out the new facility in Elmsford recently. Wow! Massive compared to the Pleasantville locale.<br />
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Just like Pleasantville, the new location is tucked in the back of an industrial area and if you were not looking for it, you'd not even know it was there. However, as soon as I turned off the road and saw the silo, I knew I was in the right place. <br />
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As I came around the back side of the building, you get a look at a new beer garden they've put together. It would be awesome to sit out on a nice evening and put back a few pints of some fresh beer that you just picked up from inside. </div>
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As soon as I stepped into the new building I was blown away by the size of the tasting room. I was used to the small room and bar they used to have. There is plenty of room now for folks to grab some beer, stand around and chat and not feel crammed. </div>
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Just off of the tasting room is a glass door with a fenced off area that you are free to walk out and check out the production facility. They were in full bottling mode that day! </div>
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I'm assuming they added some capacity just by the pure number of vessels I saw. </div>
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Before leaving picked up a growler of their "Freshchester" (Pale Ale and play on words of the County of Westchester). </div>
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Overall was really impressed with the new facility and I'll plan to try to stop and an pick up a growler everytime I'm back in my home town. </div>
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</div>Four Leaf Brewinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930066060890269378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1164022580826748762.post-5686912628533959682012-04-28T16:22:00.000-04:002012-04-28T16:22:25.651-04:00BJCP Tasting ExamToday I took the BCJP tasting portion of the exam. It really wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I feel we were lucky in the fact that we got all beers that were reasonable and you can take a good guess if they are in style even if you didn't know all the specs from the style guidelines. <br />
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Gordon Strong was one of the two proctors/graders. So yes, my score has to be in line with Gordon's score for me to pass.....ugh. The proctors spent time with us after to discuss what they thought of the beers and their scores. I think I did fair. I wrote a lot on each one, so even on the 1 that I didn't score in line with them with I hope that I'll get a fair amount of credit for talking about various aspects on what I did pick up. <br />
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My issue is diacetyl. I have a blind spot for it. While other folks in the room thought this Irish Red was a diacetyl bomb, I just picked up mainly caramel. I actually found it nice and scored the beer pretty high. The proctors did say it went back and forth for them as the beer sat between too much diacetyl and caramel. I'm hoping I get some credit for talking about the caramel. <br />
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Oh well. Its done now. Now I wait for months to get scores back.<br />
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Either way, this entire experience has been great. I've learn a lot about the brewing process and mainly about controlling flaws. Pass or fail, I'll be able to take that knowledge into the brew sessions and that is exactly why I did this process. <br />
<br />Four Leaf Brewinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930066060890269378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1164022580826748762.post-61498037510642049012012-04-26T21:03:00.001-04:002012-12-14T16:48:08.083-05:00Don't Cry Over Leaked Beer...Though I wanted tooBeen a while since I posted so thought I'd post about a few things...
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<strong>Hops</strong>
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Things are progressing nicely. All the plants look healthy and have plenty of bines. None of them are as impressive as I'd hope for as warm as the spring started, but I'm being patient. I put some compost down a few weeks ago. I may try some basic fertilizer like Miracle Gro soon to see what happens.
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<strong>Brewing</strong>
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Been brewing around once a month. Nothing in the fermentor now as I kegged 15 gals of beer and cider last week. So my kegerator is full with 5 kegs for the first time ever. I still need to post some pictures of that finished kegerator project. I plan to brew again the weekend of May 12.<br />
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<strong>Cider</strong><br />
Finally kegged a cider. Have had it conditioning since the middle of November. I back sweetened with 1 can of apple juice concentrate because it was bone dry and pretty tart due to the type of apples.
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BJCP<br />
I've been studying to be a BJCP judge. I passed the new online entrance exam a few weeks ago. I'm taking the tasting portion this upcoming Saturday. If you plan to take the online exam...know your styles!! The exam was very difficult. So know your stuff and use the study guide. Did I mention, know your styles!
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Reason for Post Title
As I mentioned above, I kegged a bunch of stuff last week. Well I got home from a trip this past weekend and I to check on the progress of the carbonation. To my sadness, there was a ton of beer at the bottom of the kegerator. Come to find I have a leak in my beverage connection. After I soaked it all up, I measure 2 gallons of lost beer! It's a Munich Helles and my first attempt at a lager. I've been waiting on this beer since January. Needless to say, I was pretty pissed. But oh well, guess I have to brew more to fill the keg.Four Leaf Brewinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930066060890269378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1164022580826748762.post-6403279654482318952012-03-24T13:55:00.001-04:002012-03-24T13:55:24.431-04:00Hop SpiderSometimes I wonder why I started brewing when I look at how crazy I am with having to be exact with almost everything. One of the things I'm trying to work on now is knowing exactly how much water I need to use to mash, sparge, trub waste, absorption, evaportation, shrinkage, etc to get exactly 5 gallons in my fermenter. I've build a spreadsheet to track each brew day so I can refine the process. I know I'm not a pro brewer and I should maybe chill out a little, but I love to keep stats and to perfect a process. <br />
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Another part about accounting for hop matter is that I <a href="http://fourleafbrewing.blogspot.com/2011/06/yeast-harvesting-first-try-wlp001.html" target="_blank">harvest my yeast</a> to save money. If hop matter gets into the fermenter then there is likely hop matter in the yeast cake. The more "junk" in the yeast cake......blah blah blah. <br />
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So as part of my wanting to nail my water volume as well as having a cleaner yeast cake, I want to limit the amount of hop matter that makes it into the fermenter. I have been straining and trying leaving trub behind, but I need to account for that water lose and I'm still getting some hop material. <br />
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To take care of the hops, I've decided to build a Hop Spider. I take zero credit for the idea or the build. I saw an article in the December 2011 issues of BYO written by John Brooke. I'm not going to repeat any of the process because you can get the article online. <a href="http://byo.com/component/resource/article/2494-build-a-hop-spider-projects" target="_blank">Click here for the article on BYO.COM.</a><br />
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I'm using it for the first time tomorrow. Hopefully it works!<br />
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<br />Four Leaf Brewinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930066060890269378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1164022580826748762.post-58011146398370407882012-03-17T20:59:00.001-04:002012-03-17T20:59:38.480-04:00Hop Season 2012 Underway!The 2012 hops growing season is officially underway. The constant rain and highs in the mid 70s for almost a week now has allowed all 4 varieties of hops to break ground. The Casacade definitely has the best head start with the US Tettnang not far behind. The Mt. Hood and Willamette are just barely showing their eyes.
I'm very excited for this season as it is year two. I'm so hopeful that I will get my first cone as last year I had a ton of foliage but no cones.
Here's to a great growing season!Four Leaf Brewinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930066060890269378noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1164022580826748762.post-4006478232102902032012-02-04T14:57:00.001-05:002012-02-04T14:57:08.501-05:00Hop Growth Already? It's only February!!!It has been very mild this winter. We've only seen 2" of snow/ice in the Cincinnati area and there are many days where the temperatures are 10 to 20 degrees above normal. I can see that some of the local trees and roses are already trying to show signs of wanting to bud. I thought, what the heck, I'll go out and look to see if the hops are doing anything. We'll...ummm, they are!! Its only the first week of February and they are starting to show their heads. My plan is to put a layer of soil on them this week so if we see any snow or any extreme cold for the balance of winter that they may get some protection. I don't like that the rhizome is this exposed. Its has been a very rainy winter and it looks like the soil is starting to erode, so I should cover them up anyway to replenish what has been washed away. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvTVDAJL_IhYafo7kzTwjXRnNmKS0UkI7c0XTVha9wSYtNDsqDYMmBVGg-c4to_TxK49H2hbs6v8wKNyJubfTOV12RSsY4-baHW9sJEyDuWaKNbSC4YtK69S9X-cV90LLi8Zk1FcoID31D/s1600/100_1506.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvTVDAJL_IhYafo7kzTwjXRnNmKS0UkI7c0XTVha9wSYtNDsqDYMmBVGg-c4to_TxK49H2hbs6v8wKNyJubfTOV12RSsY4-baHW9sJEyDuWaKNbSC4YtK69S9X-cV90LLi8Zk1FcoID31D/s320/100_1506.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Four Leaf Brewinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930066060890269378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1164022580826748762.post-463348944693698792012-02-04T14:49:00.001-05:002012-02-04T14:49:40.096-05:00Breweries - Fountain Square Brewing Co. - Indianapolis, IN<a href="http://www.fountainsquarebrewery.com/" target="_blank">Fountain Square Brewing Company</a> was the last stop on our Indianapolis Brewery Tour (see bottom of post for list of breweries seen that day). This brewery is new to the craft beer scene as it had its grand opening a week before we got there. You can still see they are getting their tap room and sitting area all set up, but I was not going to hold that against them at all. They had all of the beers you'd expect for a small craft brewery. A pale ale, an amber ale, a stout, a porter and so forth. All of the beer was really well done. <br />
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Here's a picture of the brewery...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkpNFMngxPo31BaByO0gJZ9i7HYsg0KKeMkuo00DDmJ50Q8_4UxNr-iNRD9FppAkLKrE_k3no8GrlgluWsArKD3mPZu6hs3RnzN6AysDc9982PRFGvf83wiYS2iVhENoAMLsTAT2GBY_pV/s1600/100_1505.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="82" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkpNFMngxPo31BaByO0gJZ9i7HYsg0KKeMkuo00DDmJ50Q8_4UxNr-iNRD9FppAkLKrE_k3no8GrlgluWsArKD3mPZu6hs3RnzN6AysDc9982PRFGvf83wiYS2iVhENoAMLsTAT2GBY_pV/s320/100_1505.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi4Zn_5pF-xJzOkDa8Xq5vDQFKgZE8IM6mujGTQj_CqyHMr2QtsvT0R68NxhA__ACh7BFgm9p-r7WMA9RKWx6lqOCfo2brTfteN67ZASNYXoVLO5b_eHk-b6EAwbzJ9MvnVZogITxw7_Vy/s1600/100_1504.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi4Zn_5pF-xJzOkDa8Xq5vDQFKgZE8IM6mujGTQj_CqyHMr2QtsvT0R68NxhA__ACh7BFgm9p-r7WMA9RKWx6lqOCfo2brTfteN67ZASNYXoVLO5b_eHk-b6EAwbzJ9MvnVZogITxw7_Vy/s320/100_1504.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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There are a few more breweries in Indianpolis we'd like to see, but we had some time constraint this day. When we get back to those, I'll make sure to blog about it. </div>
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Indianapolis, IN
Brewery Tour</div>
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Stop #1: <a href="http://fourleafbrewing.blogspot.com/2012/02/breweries-flat-12-bierwerks.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc3300;">Flat 12 Bierwierks</span></a></div>
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Stop #2: <a href="http://fourleafbrewing.blogspot.com/2012/02/breweries-sun-king-brewing-co.html" target="_blank">Sun King</a></div>
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Stop #3: Fountain
Square</div>Four Leaf Brewinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930066060890269378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1164022580826748762.post-33404043864685785062012-02-04T14:39:00.001-05:002012-02-04T14:50:11.857-05:00Breweries - Sun King Brewing Co. - Indianapolis, INThe second stop on our Indianapolis brew tour day was <a href="http://sunkingbrewing.com/" target="_blank">Sun King Brewing Company</a>. Many many folks think of Indianopolis and the local brewing scene they think of Sun King. Any by the amount of people in the brewery that day, the locals really enjoy it.<br />
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We were able to try out every beer (6 total) they had in their tap room. I was surprised that they didn't have anything really out there as far as styles or flavors that day. I know they have won some award for some outside the box stuff. They offered a lot of what I'd call "gateway" craft beers such as their "Sunlight Cream Ale" and popular "Osiris Pale Ale". They did have a beer they call "Malus Pi" that was made with locally grown crab apples. <br />
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Something I really liked about Sun King is that they can all of their beer and they self distribute. The self distribution limits their reach, but they are growing slowing and trying to expand to all 4 corners of Indiana. <br />
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After trying out the beers we had the chance to go on a brewery tour. Here are some pictures....<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd_YxF7zk_lzYR9D45QQWYaM_u7pEmGP7Jk11v42ZlotlhZuOJHdw42ebIisNpQSzN9bm6Opq4VT0sujr62BCW1kdvYKXVTGRc2s0teZJ2bsrI6-Cc7NwcocpDPcOdt8S9QEoSJqg7Fian/s1600/100_1500.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd_YxF7zk_lzYR9D45QQWYaM_u7pEmGP7Jk11v42ZlotlhZuOJHdw42ebIisNpQSzN9bm6Opq4VT0sujr62BCW1kdvYKXVTGRc2s0teZJ2bsrI6-Cc7NwcocpDPcOdt8S9QEoSJqg7Fian/s320/100_1500.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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The Grain Mill</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiok4uMpUh8jIIVCY8I4oNMcmTGYFNUDdUDLefJi9Tsj-OanEGE7Z0f5i6LOMn-HWtY1BsDra3naY6mgP_7VBhzGWNLdekv9cwjL0TtQXcXidNfa9QXqRzs934J6hAHGdfexEHUzXlIK6eX/s1600/100_1498.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiok4uMpUh8jIIVCY8I4oNMcmTGYFNUDdUDLefJi9Tsj-OanEGE7Z0f5i6LOMn-HWtY1BsDra3naY6mgP_7VBhzGWNLdekv9cwjL0TtQXcXidNfa9QXqRzs934J6hAHGdfexEHUzXlIK6eX/s320/100_1498.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The canning line in the front with the fermenters in the background.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdSKhUI7vTbEqULaq5OvU6CcYCVPHA3d1mygBeLdF3UGQl5SCmFWQPpoiuw_1_I4auWQuKT9z0r224Bd-TIQTBtm-OroXcSDT2XK-62Ofdc9n9XxV-X_T3JxnACH8T26gGlUhMjQwB9txl/s1600/100_1499.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdSKhUI7vTbEqULaq5OvU6CcYCVPHA3d1mygBeLdF3UGQl5SCmFWQPpoiuw_1_I4auWQuKT9z0r224Bd-TIQTBtm-OroXcSDT2XK-62Ofdc9n9XxV-X_T3JxnACH8T26gGlUhMjQwB9txl/s320/100_1499.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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They use all rubber kegs in their company colors. They say they are lighter and stack much easier than its stainless steel counterpart.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ucWniZjaSX67hWf8l4L8mgIreG4sitPOgxiKY0eSp5MCUhrUosiMjsDPHuLTg0kxq18CiZGYjR1InvzABQkK7N1_T0IV3b2FWEnjCaihpBv0uZSqkraoX_V0cNKugg_W1SUdmOgYkGma/s1600/100_1501.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ucWniZjaSX67hWf8l4L8mgIreG4sitPOgxiKY0eSp5MCUhrUosiMjsDPHuLTg0kxq18CiZGYjR1InvzABQkK7N1_T0IV3b2FWEnjCaihpBv0uZSqkraoX_V0cNKugg_W1SUdmOgYkGma/s320/100_1501.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The mash tun.</div>
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There are a few more breweries in Indianpolis we'd like to see, but we had some time constraint this day. When we get back to those, I'll make sure to blog about it. </div>
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Indianapolis, IN Brewery Tour</div>
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Stop #1: <a href="http://fourleafbrewing.blogspot.com/2012/02/breweries-flat-12-bierwerks.html" target="_blank">Flat 12 Bierwierks</a></div>
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Stop #2: Sun King</div>
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Stop #3: <a href="http://fourleafbrewing.blogspot.com/2012/02/breweries-fountain-square-brewing-co.html" target="_blank">Fountain Square</a></div>
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<br /></div>Four Leaf Brewinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930066060890269378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1164022580826748762.post-28684199486996131082012-02-04T14:21:00.000-05:002012-02-04T14:50:43.170-05:00Breweries - Flat 12 Bierwerks. - Indianapolis, INIn the not so cold of winter, a buddy and I took a drive up to Indianapolis, Indiana and stopped by 3 of the local breweries. First stop was to <a href="http://flat12.me/" target="_blank">Flat 12 Bierwerks</a>. Though we didn't get in to see the brewery floor (they only give scheduled tours on Sunday's) we were able to try out a few of their beers in their tap room. They had a nice set up. Many of the styles that you'd expect from a small brewery. The beer that I found most unique was the Glazed Ham Porter. No, it didn't taste like ham, but it did have the caramel-ish flavor that you'd expect when you eat glazed ham. <br />
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For a "small" brewery off the beaten path, I'd give them a thumbs up and worth a try if you are ever in Indianapolis. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhXFSXSCJjNwOKXXTMf8bg9qne1dzfqrSpSfKOudmdm4nSdv8PF0CxOa8w3FUevTtyM2E18aMC-QTMd-4e1hkyUOvjXAcMAd2CG_DLdRE5PfhxuKzOT5QUP614iryXhFiatisltylpFsDN/s1600/100_1495.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhXFSXSCJjNwOKXXTMf8bg9qne1dzfqrSpSfKOudmdm4nSdv8PF0CxOa8w3FUevTtyM2E18aMC-QTMd-4e1hkyUOvjXAcMAd2CG_DLdRE5PfhxuKzOT5QUP614iryXhFiatisltylpFsDN/s320/100_1495.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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There are a few more breweries in Indianpolis we'd like to see, but we had some
time constraint this day. When we get back to those, I'll make sure to blog
about it. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Indianapolis, IN Brewery Tour</div>
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Stop #1: Flat 12 Bierwierks</div>
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Stop #2: <a href="http://fourleafbrewing.blogspot.com/2012/02/breweries-sun-king-brewing-co.html" target="_blank">Sun King</a></div>
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Stop #3: <a href="http://fourleafbrewing.blogspot.com/2012/02/breweries-fountain-square-brewing-co.html" target="_blank">Fountain Square</a></div>Four Leaf Brewinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930066060890269378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1164022580826748762.post-91283466705170425922012-01-03T20:59:00.000-05:002012-01-03T20:59:19.239-05:00Yes I have been Brewing TooI was just noticing that it has been sometime since I've posted anything about actually brewing. Well I have been trying to brew around every 4 to 6 weeks. Since my last Brew Day post I've done an American Pale Ale, Robust Porter, Black IPA and the old staple Cream Ale (with a slight adjustment). I'm going to do another APA next. I always seem to do the Cream Ale and APA back to back because of trying to use up the small amount of hops in the Cream Ale. I pick up some grains and usually some Cascade and I'm good to go. For those interested, here are the recipes for <br />
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<a href="http://fourleafbrewing.blogspot.com/2011/02/brew-day-american-pale-ale.html" target="_blank">American Pale Ale</a><br />
<a href="http://fourleafbrewing.blogspot.com/2011/03/brew-day-cream-ale.html" target="_blank">Cream Ale</a> - I wanted to get the adjuncts up to 20% so I adjusted the flaked corn to 1.75 lbs and the Crystal 10 to 0.50lbs to lighten the color. <br />
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<strong>Robust Porter</strong><br />
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Batch Size (G): 5<br />
Total Grain (lb): 13.500<br />
Total Hops (oz): 2.00<br />
Original Gravity (OG): 1.064 (°P): 15.7<br />
Final Gravity (FG): 1.016 (°P): 4.1<br />
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 6.29 %<br />
Colour (SRM): 32.5 <br />
Bitterness (IBU): 18.2 (Tinseth)<br />
Boil Time (Minutes): 70<br />
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Grain Bill<br />
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10.000 lb Pale Malt <br />
1.250 lb Crystal 40<br />
1.250 lb Munich<br />
0.750 lb Chocolate<br />
0.250 lb Black Patent<br />
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Hop Bill<br />
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1.00 oz East Kent Golding Pellet (4.7% Alpha) @ 60 Minutes <br />
0.50 oz East Kent Golding Pellet (4.7% Alpha) @ 15 Minutes<br />
0.50 oz East Kent Golding Pellet (4.7% Alpha) @ 0 Minutes<br />
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Single step Infusion at 154°F for 60 Minutes.<br />
Fermented at 64°F with Wyeast 1056 - American Ale<br />
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<strong>Black IPA</strong><br />
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Batch Size (G): 5<br />
Total Grain (lb): 13.875<br />
Total Hops (oz): 4.00<br />
Original Gravity (OG): 1.074 (°P): 18.0<br />
Final Gravity (FG): 1.015 (°P): 3.8<br />
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 7.76 %<br />
Colour (SRM): 28.2<br />
Bitterness (IBU): 63.3 (Tinseth)<br />
Boil Time (Minutes): 70<br />
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Grain Bill<br />
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11.000 lb American 2-Row (79.28%)<br />
1.500 lb Crystal 10 (10.81%)<br />
0.750 lb Carafa II malt (5.41%)<br />
0.625 lb Special Roast (4.5%)<br />
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Hop Bill<br />
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1.00 oz Warrior Pellet (16.7% Alpha) @ 60 Minutes (Boil) <br />
0.50 oz Cascade Pellet (6.4% Alpha) @ 30 Minutes (Boil) <br />
0.50 oz Cascade Pellet (6.4% Alpha) @ 15 Minutes (Boil) <br />
0.50 oz Cascade Pellet (6.4% Alpha) @ 2 Minutes (Boil) <br />
0.75 oz Warrior Pellet (16.7% Alpha) @ 2 Minutes (Boil)<br />
0.50 oz Cascade Pellet (6.4% Alpha) @ 0 Days (Dry Hop) <br />
0.25 oz Warrior Pellet (16% Alpha) @ 0 Days (Dry Hop) <br />
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Single step Infusion at 150°F for 60 Minutes.<br />
Fermented at 65°F with Wyeast 1056 - American Ale<br />
I dry hopped for the last 4 days that I had the beer in the fermenter.Four Leaf Brewinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11930066060890269378noreply@blogger.com0