Room For Beer: A Philosophy of Life

Got this post online at http://brookstonbeerbulletin.com/beer-humor/

A philosophy professor stood before his class with some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a “VERY LARGE” and empty mayonnaise jar. He proceeded to fill it with rocks, which were about 2 inches in diameter. He filled the jar to the top!




He then asked the students if the jar was full. They said, “Yes.”



The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. They rolled into place, all around the rocks. He shook the jar lightly. This allowed him to pour more pebbles in, until they were up to the top of the jar.



He again asked the students if the jar was full. They said, “Yes.”



The professor then picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled the spaces between the pebbles.



He asked once more if the jar was full. The students wondered what the right answer was this time, wondering what else could be poured into the jar.



The professor then produced two cans of beer from under the table and proceeded to pour their entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty spaces in the sand. The students mumbled.



“Now,” said the professor, as the laughter subsided, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.



The rocks are the important things — your family, your partner, your health, and your children. Things, that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.



The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, and your car.



The sand is everything else. The small stuff.



“If you put the sand into the jar first,” he continued, “there is no room for the pebbles or the rocks! The same goes for your life. If you spend all of your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you.



Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out dancing. There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, give a dinner party and fix the disposal. Take care of the rocks first . . . the things that really matter . ..then the pebbles.



Set your priorities. The rest is just sand (the little stuff)!”



One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented. The professor smiled and said, “I’m glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of beers.”

First All Grain Brew - A Piece of "Cake" IPA

Recently I built my first mash tun from a 10 gallon water cooler. My brother-in-law has helped me a lot with the transition. I used an excel file he created for the mash. He gave me his IPA recipe that he loves. I used that recipe to create my first all grain brew. Here it is, I had to replace the british pale most of it because they were out with american two row, and had o change some of the hop additions because it was higher or lower in AA.

Batch Size: 5 gallons

Assumed Efficiency: 70% percent

Ingredients:

Grain

11 lbs American two row

3 lbs. British pale

1 lbs. Dextrine malt (Cara-Pils®)

0.5 lbs. American crystal 40L

0.5 lbs. Wheat malt

Total 17 lbs.

SG = 1.072

Hops

1 oz. Chinook (11.4% AA) at 60 min. (pellet)

0.5 oz. Magnum (15% AA) at 60 min. (whole)

0.5 oz. Cascade (7 % AA) at 30 min. (whole)

0.2 oz. Cascade (7 % AA) at 10 min. (whole)

0.8 oz. Centennial (9% AA) at 10 min. (whole)

0.5 oz. Centennial (9% AA) at 2 min. (whole)

0.5 oz. Simcoe (11.7% AA) at 2 min. (pellet)

60 minute Boil

Dry Hop

Amarillo (Dry) whole 0.25 7 days

Cascade (Dry) whole 0.25 7 days

Simcoe (Dry) whole 0.50 7 days

Centennial (Dry) whole 1.00 7 days

Mash

Single Infusion mash at 154 degrees

1.25 qts/lb.

Yeast: Wyeast 1056

SG = 1.072

FG = 1.018

 

Mash Tun

I made my own mash tun from some instructions I found online http://members.shaw.ca/Fly_Guy/mlt.htm.
I had to make some alterations from the plans because no one sells 5/8" fender washers. I used instead for the outside 3/4" cut washers and only needed 2 of them. The inside washer I used a stainless steel flat washer that was 3/4" as well.

Here are the parts you will need for the conversion

1. - Rubbermaid 10 gallon round beverage cooler
2. -all stainless steel ¼” hose clamps x 2
3. - brass square head plug (Watts A-737)
4. - ½” x 12” (or larger) braided stainless steel supply hose
5. - 3/8” female barb adapter (Watts A-298)
6. - 5/8” stainless steel fender washer (sometimes hard to find, but try Fastenal if you are stuck)
7. - 3/8” MIP x 1-1/2” brass nipple (Watts A-786)
8. - seal from plastic spigot of cooler
9. -Teflon tape (note: everything above goes inside the cooler, and everything to the right goes outside)
10. - 5/8” O-ring (preferably heat resistant, if you can find one)
11. - 3 x 5/8” fender washers - 3/8” threaded ball valve
12. - 3/8” male barb adapter (Watts A-294)

Gone Bananas for the Holidays

It has been a good while since my last brew, and since the holidays are coming up, I thought the best beer to make would be a holiday spiced brew. In this brew though it is going to be a bit different than the normal holiday brews. The biggest change up is a banana in the yeast starter. Here are the ingredients and everything that went down. Enjoy!


Gone Bananas for the Holidays


MALT OR FERMENTABLES

3.4 lbs Amber Liquid Extract

2.12 lbs Amber Dry Malt Extract

2 lbs Crystal 80L

1.10 lbs Munich Malt

1 lb Honey

1 lb American Dextrin (Cara-Pils)

4 oz Chocolate Malt (US)

4 oz Biscuit Malt

Batch size: 5.0 gallons

Original Gravity

1.081 (1.073 to 1.085)

Final Gravity

1.019 (1.017 to 1.021)

Color

25° SRM (Brown to Dark Brown)

Hops

Boil

60 minutes 1 oz Cluster pellet 7.9%

20 minutes 1 oz Sterling pellet 6.0%

10 minutes 1 oz Hallertau Select pellet 1.5%

Bitterness

30.1 IBU

Yeast

Nottingham Ale Dry Yeast

Yeast Starter:

Cut up one big banana put into a small pot add 1/2 quart of water, 1 teaspoon of honey, and 4 tablespoons of corn sugar. After 10-15 minute boil, cool down to almost room temp. Pour liquid into a sanitized 1 gallon water jug. Add the yeast, let it sit over night or during the time you are starting your boil to the end. Make sure to release to pressure often.

Spices:

1 Cinnamon stick

1 small piece of ginger

3 to 4 dried cloves

Spices go into the boil with 15 minutes left in the boil

Alcohol

8.3% A.B.V.

6.4% A.B.W.

Calories

266 per 12 oz.

Brewdog fights back with a super mild beer!

If you know this brewery then you also know they are big news in the UK for making a beer that is 18% alcohol. (Tokyo*) It was such a big deal there that the government has put a ban on it's sale there! Insane, well Brewdog came back big with a 1.1% alcohol brew with 225 IBUs (Called Nanny State)! Insane (they call it an imperial mild) read more about it here! Brewdog

Jamm'n Pumpkin Porter

Yesterday I brewed a new fall brew. It has candied yams, pumpkin, spices, molasses, and honey. It will be a porter style brew with all the above which was added at different times of the brew making process.


2 lbs of Amber DME
4 lbs of Dark DME
1 1/2 lbs of Honey added with 15 minutes left in the boil.
8 oz of Molasses added before boil
3 cups of English Chocolate Malt (at 145 F for 30 minutes before boil)
3 cups of Crystal Malt 120 L (at 145 F for 30 minutes before boil
29 oz of Pumpkin Puree added to primary.
16 oz of Candied Yams (Sweet Potatoes) added before boil and pureed.
Pumpkin spices will be added in secondary.

Hops
Bitter hops - 1 3/4 oz Palisades ( 6.7%) Pellet for 90 minutes
Flavoring hops - 1/2 oz Cascade (7.6%) leaf for 30 minutes
Aromatic hops - 1/2 oz Fuggle (4 %) leaf for 5 minutes

Yeast
Cultivated yeast from my Devil's Nectar & SAK Attack brews (Originally Wyeast 1056)

Life and Limb & Limb and Life

There is a new beer a brewing. Sierra Nevada and Dogfish Head are collaborating together to make two different brews. One is being bottled (Life and Limb) and the other is only going to be on draft. Both are being made at the Sierra Nevada location in CA. and distributed through their network.

Life and Limb will be a very strong brew at 10% while the other Limb and Life will be 5 % and will actually be the the second runnings of the strong brew.

Life and Limb will have maple syrup from the family farm of Calagione and be naturally carbonated from birch syrup from Alaska (a first). The barley used for this brew is actually grown the family farm of Sierra Nevada. Finally the yeast used is a combo yeast both from the house strains used at each brewery.

It says it will be able age very well. I can see why with all that sugar and natural carbonation going, it will be very complex flavors that will only get better with time. This sounds like it might be depending on what barley is used be barleywine like brew. Very excited to try this one out though it will not be going out to the market till late November in 24 oz bombers and the lighter version will be available in October

Check out more at http://beernews.org/2009/08/dogfish-head-and-sierra-nevada-brewing-form-epic-collaboration-for-life-limb/