New Toy (Refractometer in the house)

First batch was done without taking any specific gravity measurements, mainly because I didn't have a hydrometer, but also because taking 4-5 4oz measurements from a 1 gallon batch is upwards to 12% of that precious beer. So before I start on Batch #2, I bought:

I bought the refractometer from this company, but the same company sells them on Ebay, for about $4 cheaper. It shipped to me FAST, and seems a fairly sturdy device, given the cost ($25.40).

Here's an interesting podcast from Basic Brewing Radio, about Hydrometers and Refractometers, in case you're curious.

Now I feel like brewing something and involving JigaWatt in the name...

Tasting the Grapefruit Honey Ale (Batch #1)

As a reward for completing the Tahoe Rim Trail Endurance 50 Mile Race, I allowed myself to crack open a homebrew, and enjoy it in my new hard earned pint glass. Here are the results...

Appearance: Golden, and fairly clouded. Head had big, coarse bubbles, with little retention, and almost no lacing.

Smell: Just a hint of hops, and lacking any citrus notes. Would have hoped for more of both. Malt was present, but not over pronounced.

Taste: Tastes like beer! Again, the hop flavors and grapefruit presence seemed non-existent. There were hardly any hints of honey, and while there were no off flavors, I'm wondering if I should have made a better effort to cool the fermentation temperature.

Drinkability: I wouldn't drive across town to drink this, but since I made it, I want to make it again, and make it better.

Mouthfeel: The carbonation was good, but the bubbles big. Not over-carbonated, but just a bit coarse. Definitely not thin, rather I felt it was well balanced.

Notes: Take Gravities! Ferment in a more controlled environment, and check yeast temp recommendations. Maybe rack to a secondary, and let it settle another week or two at cooler temps. DON'T FORGET TO PUT THE HONEY IN THE WORT. Maybe bump up the flavor & aroma hops.

Bottling Time (Batch #1)

Time to bottle! It's been in the fermenter for 3 weeks, and probably could have been bottled a week ago, but I wanted to try and clarify it a bit more. Here it is, with some nice trub in the bottom:

Emptied:

Probably a bunch of B vitamins in there...

In the bottles it went (thanks for the capper, Tod!):

Now I just have to wait two weeks...

Honey Ale for my Honey! - A Grapefruit Honey Ale (Batch #1)

Batch #1 is an Ode to my sweetheart. It's a Grapefruit Honey Ale, from a kit and ingredients courtesy of Brooklyn Brew Shop. It's described as "Light and refreshing citrusy ale for those who just can't wait for summer." Since my sweetheart isn't really big on IPAs, and I'm not the greatest Wheat fan, this sounded like a good compromise. I decided to go with Brooklyn Brew Shop after seeing the kit at Williams Sonoma, and reading their book. The idea of a 1 gallon batch rather than a 5 gallon one seemed appealing from a cost and effort perspective, and it made an ideal Father's day gift.




Everything but the cooking vessels were included, and the method straightforward. This was the first time I'd done any non-extract brewing, and their method made it fairly straightforward to brew an all-mash beer. Everything was easy, except for regulating the temp of the mash. At one point it shot up well over 180' F. I hope I didn't destroy it... Anyway, it's in the fermenter, bubbling away. We'll see what happens in a week and a half or so...

It Begins again.

For the first time since 1991, I have brewed a batch of beer. It feels good to be back. My old notebooks are buried in the garage somewhere, so I'm going to augment my new physical notebooks with this one in the aether.