xmas brew update

Been a couple of weeks since my last update. Didn't get a chance to update last week due to a friend's birthday party, which made me forget to bottle up the Ol' St. Nick's Christmas brew. And since I didn't bottle it OR start a new batch I figured why even update the blog. So I actually bottled up the Christmas Brew last night and it smelled quite nice. Definitely reminded me of the smell of Christmas, with all the spices and whatnot. Like I mentioned previously, it may not turn out that good since there was no temperature guage on it and it was out in the sub freezing temperatures a couple of nights, but I figured why the hell not bottle it up and try it out.

Now, as for how I plan on handling the freezing temperatures in the coming months. Maybe I'll stick with lagers and some lager yeast, or maybe I'll continue to use the oil-filled radiator heater that I bought at Walmart to keep the temperature semi-constant. (I've been keeping an eye on it over the last couple of weeks, and although it has been keeping the temperature above 64, it unfortunately is not keeping it steady. I've seen it as low as 64 and as high as 72.)

I usually try to keep 2 batches going simultaneously (well, overlapping actually) but I can only fit one keg in the cooler I'm using, so I will have to wait until this Strawberry Blonde has completely fermented (by next week hopefully) before I start the next batch. Up next: Purple Daze. Will begin it next week.

Oh, and lastly, I forgot that I threw the Black and Blueberries in the fridge yesterday as well. 2 weeks conditioning and they should be ready. We'll see how they turned out in the sub-freezing temps.

Strawberry Blonde Round 2

Bottled up the Black and Blueberry Bock today even after the last 4 nights of near sub freezing temperatures with no temp control on the keg beside it being stashed in an ice chest. Sneaked a little taste before bottling and it tasted alright. 'Twas clear too, so hopefully it'll be ok. Tasted the Christmas Ale as well, but that one didn't seem to be ready, as it was slightly sweet and still very cloudy. Not sure if this one is gonna make it.

Speaking of sub freezing temperatures, made a trip to the store today for an oil-filled radiator heater to keep near the kegs to keep the temperature constant. Hopefully it will do the trick. The heater does feature a thermostat, but unfortunately it doesn't have an exact temperature gauge, so I'll have to keep an eye on it. Small price to pay to keep my home brew flowing.

Finally, on to the Strawberry Blonde. That home brew was such a hit with my wife and friends that I figured I'd have to make another batch. I'm really looking forward to this one again. Just hate that it's gonna be another month and a half before I can taste that sweet goodness!

That's it for now.

'nother week for the Black Cats

I was hoping to have my Black Cat Ale ready by King's party this past Saturday night, but unfortunately they didn't seem quite ready. I cracked one open about an hour before we left for the 3 Halloween parties we had lined up, and it just didn't seem like it was ready. I can't really explain exactly what it tasted like, but I knew I wasn't going to try to "show it off" when even I didn't think it tasted that great. I'll try one again toward the end of this week. Hopefully they'll be ready soon 'cos I'm itching to have another home made brew.

Oh, and nothing to report as of yesterday. It was an off week. And hopefully I'll get my next shipment in before Friday since I'll have an open keg as of Sunday when I bottle the Black and Booberry Ale!

Bottling and brewing day

Busy day today. Stuck the Black Cats in the fridge today. They MIGHT be ready by King's party on Friday, and they might not. We'll see.

Also bottled up my irregular Weet beer which should be ready by Thanksgiving. This one smelled fantastic when I was bottling it. Can't wait.

Started my Christmas brew tonight, Ol' Saint Nick's something or the other. A nice english nut brown with cherries. Unfortunately this one should lager for at least 2 months, but I'll only be able to let it lager just under a month. Hopefully that'll suffice.

Bottling Day

Bottled the Velvet velociraptor tonight. Unfortunately I didn't get my order in in time to have the next batch here by today (damn you UPS for not delivering on Saturdays) so there won't be a new brew made tonight. Might try to make it tomorrow night if it's here then.

nothin' really new this week

The only thing to report this week is that the Strawbeery Blonde is ready (and tastes fantastic) and I just placed another order through mrbeer.com for another wheat beer. Might make this next one just a plain wheat beer. (Can't tell I'm a fan of the wheat, eh?)

Will bottle the Black Cat (Irish Stout) next Sunday. Oh, and the Raspberry Wheat should be ready to drink by the middle of this week!

The Velvet Velociraptor

Brewed up the next batch of Beerded Mike's Mister Beer today... The Velvet Velociraptor. Ingredients include Whispering Wheat Weizenbier, Creamy Brown UME (unhopped malt extract), 1/2 cup honey, and 1 can pureed raspberries.

Will ferment for 3 weeks, carbonate for 3 weeks, and condition in the fridge for 1 week. Should be ready around the beginning of November.
(Sorry, no pictures this week.)