Today, I moved the American Wheat from the primary to the keg. I don't secondary my Wheat as you want it to be a little cloudy and have some floaties in it. I also moved the porter from primary to secondary. I added a pint of Jim Beam and 2 oz of oak cubes. I really love that beer.
The wheat I brewed about 2 1/2 weeks ago. It is noramally a summer beer, but I could have it on tap in about 3 weeks so I brewed it again. Also, the neighbors seem to like it because it is a little lighter and less hops then the other beers I brew.
The porter was brewed about three weeks ago. It will sit in secondary for 4 weeks and then be kegged. It should be ready to drink around Thanksgiving. I think Thanksgiving will be a very good holiday this year. The only thing that will suck about Thanksgiving is I will not be able to par take in the debauchery on Wednesday evening as I will be going to my parents instead of staying home. That is always a good time and it would be fun, maybe next year.
I brewed a batch of beer last Friday. It was a batch of Phat Tyre. Yes, it is a clone of Fat Tire from New Belgium Brewing. I think it is pretty good. A few of the neighbors really like it as well. The batch prior was actually brewed for a friend to take to a softball tournement. It did not have time to sit and condition and it was very green when they took it. I have the rest of the keg on tap now and it has been sitting for about two weeks now. It has become very tasty.
I won't be brewing this weekend, but maybe next weekend I will brew a couple batch.
Oh yeah, I picked up a bottle of Templeton Rye the other day. I have not opened it yet, but I am looking forward to a little Rye on the Rocks. I just have to find a time when I don't feel like drinking beer and have Rye instead.
Until next time....
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Saturday was a pretty good day. The wife was scrap booking all day and it was just me and the kids. It was the perfect day to brew. I brewed two 5 gallon batches. An American Wheat and a Nut Brown Ale. Both of them are bubbling away in the basement as I am typing. It is so cool to see the little yeasties converting the sugar to alcohol.
I brewed the American Wheat because it will be ready to drink in three weeks as the wheat does not get put into the secondary fermentation vessel. You want a wheat beer to be cloudy so there is no need to try and make it clear.
The Nut Brown is one of my favorites and should be ready to drink in about 5 weeks. I also have a porter in primary fermentation now that should be ready to tap right around Thanksgiving. I will have a lot to be thankful for if it is ready.
I brewed the American Wheat because it will be ready to drink in three weeks as the wheat does not get put into the secondary fermentation vessel. You want a wheat beer to be cloudy so there is no need to try and make it clear.
The Nut Brown is one of my favorites and should be ready to drink in about 5 weeks. I also have a porter in primary fermentation now that should be ready to tap right around Thanksgiving. I will have a lot to be thankful for if it is ready.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Beer
Ok, I have one follower and he is complaining that I have not written anything for almost 9 months. Well, I would not go as far as saying, complaining, more like hinting that I should do better than once every 9 months. So here it goes.
A lot has happened to my little world of home brewing. Back if February I switched from doing Extract batches of beer to doing All Grain batches. What that means is instead of dumping in a few pounds of extract into the boiling kettle to get the sugars for the yeast, I do my own mash and sparge. I have been busy brewing, but not nearly as busy as I would like to be. I have been without homebrew on tap for almost a month now. It really sucks.
I have also come up with a name for my brewing hobby. Well, actually me and a couple co-workers were walking over lunch the other day we all came up with it. Short Bus Brewing. I like it. Yea, we saw the short bus pull up to the building and we started talking about it and brewing. Next thing you know, I have a name. Now I just have to make some labels for my kegs.
I have tried a few new beers but nothing that really sticks out. I had a lamic a coulple weeks ago. These beers are naturally(open) fermented. Meaning they are fermented by wild yeast. It was not bad, but I am not a big fan of fruit in my beer and this was a very strong rasberry. Infact, it was more like a wine cooler than a beer.
Actually, I take that back. I had New Belgium's Abbey and Trippel. Both of them are very tasty beers. I really like the Abbey. They are not available around here, so I have my buddy Bubba bring me a couple six packs when he comes to visit from Omaha.
I have been looking for Lion Stout for the last couple months but I can not find it anywhere. If you happen to see it some where, let me know where so I can go buy some. I have never had it, but I here it is a very yummy stout.
Speaking of stouts, I am in the process of creating a recipe for a stout. I fugre Short Bus Brewing should have a stout in the stable. I have been looking at recipies of clones of stouts I like, such as Guiness, Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout, etc... Anyway, I want to make a stout in the near future and need to build a recipie. I am pretty sure there will be some oatmeal in it as I like the mouth feel the oat meal gives it. It is smoother and creamery.
Okay, I think that is enough.
A lot has happened to my little world of home brewing. Back if February I switched from doing Extract batches of beer to doing All Grain batches. What that means is instead of dumping in a few pounds of extract into the boiling kettle to get the sugars for the yeast, I do my own mash and sparge. I have been busy brewing, but not nearly as busy as I would like to be. I have been without homebrew on tap for almost a month now. It really sucks.
I have also come up with a name for my brewing hobby. Well, actually me and a couple co-workers were walking over lunch the other day we all came up with it. Short Bus Brewing. I like it. Yea, we saw the short bus pull up to the building and we started talking about it and brewing. Next thing you know, I have a name. Now I just have to make some labels for my kegs.
I have tried a few new beers but nothing that really sticks out. I had a lamic a coulple weeks ago. These beers are naturally(open) fermented. Meaning they are fermented by wild yeast. It was not bad, but I am not a big fan of fruit in my beer and this was a very strong rasberry. Infact, it was more like a wine cooler than a beer.
Actually, I take that back. I had New Belgium's Abbey and Trippel. Both of them are very tasty beers. I really like the Abbey. They are not available around here, so I have my buddy Bubba bring me a couple six packs when he comes to visit from Omaha.
I have been looking for Lion Stout for the last couple months but I can not find it anywhere. If you happen to see it some where, let me know where so I can go buy some. I have never had it, but I here it is a very yummy stout.
Speaking of stouts, I am in the process of creating a recipe for a stout. I fugre Short Bus Brewing should have a stout in the stable. I have been looking at recipies of clones of stouts I like, such as Guiness, Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout, etc... Anyway, I want to make a stout in the near future and need to build a recipie. I am pretty sure there will be some oatmeal in it as I like the mouth feel the oat meal gives it. It is smoother and creamery.
Okay, I think that is enough.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Family Fun
Tonight the family went to a Monster Truck Jam. It was the first time my wife and daughter have been to one. My son and I have been to a couple before this. It was a pretty good time. The only problem with a Monster Truck Jam in Des Moines is the arena. Wells Fargo Arena is to small so they really can't get on the trucks. They pretty much push on the gas and let up. We did get to see Maximum Destruction take out a section of seats in the Final race. That was pretty cool. I am guessing the people sitting behind the section where he crashed were just about pooping there pants as the truck was landing right in front of them.
My wife really like the Motorcycle free style. It was pretty cool to see the bikes get 20 to 25 feet of air. They did your normal bag of freestyle tricks: Super Nova, Super Man, Scissor Kick, Big Air and such. One of the riders even did a back flip. He did it two or three times so that was pretty cool.
The local off road club (MIOBI), was there again this year. They bring in some rigs every year and race them around the track. It is fun to see them go around the track and catch some air on some of the jumps. It looks to me like the guys are having great fun. Every time I see this, I think I should have kept my old truck and turned it into a trail rig. I do miss going mudding and beating the hell out of that truck. Maybe some day I will buy a Jeep to beat on and tinker with.
It is amazing how fast you can blow through cash at those things. Each of the kids got a sno-cone, there went $18. Yes, they are charging $9 for a cup of ice with flavoring. Now, the cup is a souvenir mug, but still. The wife and I each had a pop, she had a pretzel and I had some pop corn. That came to $15. Then the kids were thirsty and hungry so we went back and they each got a hot dog, so did I, and two bottles of water. That came to another $15. So all said, I spent $48 while we were at the show. My daughter kept begging for some $10 disc thing that you through and it will come back to you and I kept telling her no. Now she is upstairs pouting, I guess I ruined the hole night for her because I did not buy the damn disc. Oh, well. Anyway, you add the tickets ($66) and parking($6) into the equation and we ended up spending $120 for this Monster Truck Jam. That is more than Cathy and I spent for our New Years Eve dinner at Waterfront. I guess if the kids enjoyed it, the money was well spent.
The Monster Truck Jam is also a great place to people watch. It tends to bring the red neck hillbillys out of the woodwork. I did see a couple of nice mullets while we where there as well. My wife saw a family show up with an infant. She was guessing about 3 months. I did not see them. I guess when the trucks started up, the baby started crying, go figure, then the mother got mad because putting her hands of the screaming kids ears did not work. She got up and left. What are these people thinking? There is no way an infant kid is going to enjoy any part of a Monster Truck Jam. Besides the redneck hillbillys it brought out, it seemed to bring out the white trash sluts as well. There was more cleavage on display tonight then you can see at most strip clubs. Holy cow!!! The sad part is most of it you did not want to look at or it was so young you were ashamed to look at it.
Anyway, I believe the Monster Truck Jam to be a good form of family entertainment. I would recommend you take the family the next time it is in town. Just don't forget your ear plugs, a lot of cash, and maybe some blinders.
JB
My wife really like the Motorcycle free style. It was pretty cool to see the bikes get 20 to 25 feet of air. They did your normal bag of freestyle tricks: Super Nova, Super Man, Scissor Kick, Big Air and such. One of the riders even did a back flip. He did it two or three times so that was pretty cool.
The local off road club (MIOBI), was there again this year. They bring in some rigs every year and race them around the track. It is fun to see them go around the track and catch some air on some of the jumps. It looks to me like the guys are having great fun. Every time I see this, I think I should have kept my old truck and turned it into a trail rig. I do miss going mudding and beating the hell out of that truck. Maybe some day I will buy a Jeep to beat on and tinker with.
It is amazing how fast you can blow through cash at those things. Each of the kids got a sno-cone, there went $18. Yes, they are charging $9 for a cup of ice with flavoring. Now, the cup is a souvenir mug, but still. The wife and I each had a pop, she had a pretzel and I had some pop corn. That came to $15. Then the kids were thirsty and hungry so we went back and they each got a hot dog, so did I, and two bottles of water. That came to another $15. So all said, I spent $48 while we were at the show. My daughter kept begging for some $10 disc thing that you through and it will come back to you and I kept telling her no. Now she is upstairs pouting, I guess I ruined the hole night for her because I did not buy the damn disc. Oh, well. Anyway, you add the tickets ($66) and parking($6) into the equation and we ended up spending $120 for this Monster Truck Jam. That is more than Cathy and I spent for our New Years Eve dinner at Waterfront. I guess if the kids enjoyed it, the money was well spent.
The Monster Truck Jam is also a great place to people watch. It tends to bring the red neck hillbillys out of the woodwork. I did see a couple of nice mullets while we where there as well. My wife saw a family show up with an infant. She was guessing about 3 months. I did not see them. I guess when the trucks started up, the baby started crying, go figure, then the mother got mad because putting her hands of the screaming kids ears did not work. She got up and left. What are these people thinking? There is no way an infant kid is going to enjoy any part of a Monster Truck Jam. Besides the redneck hillbillys it brought out, it seemed to bring out the white trash sluts as well. There was more cleavage on display tonight then you can see at most strip clubs. Holy cow!!! The sad part is most of it you did not want to look at or it was so young you were ashamed to look at it.
Anyway, I believe the Monster Truck Jam to be a good form of family entertainment. I would recommend you take the family the next time it is in town. Just don't forget your ear plugs, a lot of cash, and maybe some blinders.
JB
Friday, January 2, 2009
Mr. Brooks
As the children are at my mom and dad's house until tomorrow moring, the wife and I watched a movie tonight and just chilled out. We watched Mr. Brooks. I thought it was actually a pretty good movie. Not the typical roll you see Kevin Costner in, but a very entertaining movie.
I have been drinking more of my Anchor Porter lately. The longer is sits in the keg, the better it gets. It has a tendancy to mellow the longer it sits. I am going to have to get busy and brew in the next couple of weeks so I don't go without. I think that will be a goal of mine. Maybe I will brew on Sunday. What to brew??? Maybe a nice Nut Brown Ale or another Anchor Porter....
I was not able to pick up my new carboy and kegs today, as the gentleman I am buying them from was not able to meet. I am hoping for Tuesday of next week. That means I could brew this Sunday and next Sunday and then two weeks from next Sunday. That should be able to keep me in beer for awhile, maybe until spring.
I think that is all for tonight, I don't have much else to say.
JB
I have been drinking more of my Anchor Porter lately. The longer is sits in the keg, the better it gets. It has a tendancy to mellow the longer it sits. I am going to have to get busy and brew in the next couple of weeks so I don't go without. I think that will be a goal of mine. Maybe I will brew on Sunday. What to brew??? Maybe a nice Nut Brown Ale or another Anchor Porter....
I was not able to pick up my new carboy and kegs today, as the gentleman I am buying them from was not able to meet. I am hoping for Tuesday of next week. That means I could brew this Sunday and next Sunday and then two weeks from next Sunday. That should be able to keep me in beer for awhile, maybe until spring.
I think that is all for tonight, I don't have much else to say.
JB
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Inspiration
I guess I should mention why I named the blog what I did. I received a package in the mail a couple weeks ago from my mother in law. It contained a pack of napkins with a note that said: These made me think of you. I must admit, I actually laughed out loud when I read the napkins and the note. So a quick nod and a special thanks to my mother in law. Thanks Jan!!!
jb
jb
A New Year, A New Name
As you can see, my blog name has changed. I really don't think fatjamieslim is ever going to happen, especially since I like beer. Not just drinking beer, but also making beer. So now I have a new name and maybe I will actually blog a little more often. One never knows.
I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Yes I said Christmas. I may not be the most religious person in the world, but Winter Holiday does not have the same ring as Christmas.
I got some pretty cool stuff. My wife bought me a bunch of brewing stuff. I got a big Iowa State flag, maybe that will help next year, NOT!!! I got some cool Dallas Cowboys dishes for Nachos and Dip, a new coat and other stuff. The cash I received is being used to buy even more brewing items.
I picked up a 15 gallon brew kettle the other day. This thing is huge and is over kill for my 5 gallon batches, but it will allow me to move to 10 gallon batches if I want to. I also have a propane burner now so my wife and kids will not complain about the house smelling when I am brewing my beer. Now the garage will smell. I have a wort chiller, wort areator, bottle drying rack. I will hopefully be picking up 2 more kegs and a 5 gallon carboy tomorrow. Then I will be getting another 6 gallon carboy from Beer Crazy. All this will allow me to brew every two to three weeks on a rotating bassis. That will make me happy.
A quick note on Beer Crazy. This is a great place. If you like beer, you owe it to yourself to stop in and see the store. They have all kinds of beer for sale and all beer is available in a single bottles so you can try new things without having to buy a full six pack. Also, if you need brewing supplies, this is the place to go in the Des Moines area.
Might not make the people at the Spirit Boulevard very happy though. That means I will not be buying kegs from them anymore. I am sure they will get over it though. I tried to link to their site, but it does not seem to be there anymore. If you are going to buy beer in Ankney, I would suggest you go there. They are good people.
I currently have an Anchor Porter on tab that I brewed. It is quite yummy. I can't wait to brew it again using a full boil instead of a partial boil. Everyone tells me the difference will be amazing.
Well that is about all for now. Hopefully, I will be a little more active on the posting since it is about beer.
JB
I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Yes I said Christmas. I may not be the most religious person in the world, but Winter Holiday does not have the same ring as Christmas.
I got some pretty cool stuff. My wife bought me a bunch of brewing stuff. I got a big Iowa State flag, maybe that will help next year, NOT!!! I got some cool Dallas Cowboys dishes for Nachos and Dip, a new coat and other stuff. The cash I received is being used to buy even more brewing items.
I picked up a 15 gallon brew kettle the other day. This thing is huge and is over kill for my 5 gallon batches, but it will allow me to move to 10 gallon batches if I want to. I also have a propane burner now so my wife and kids will not complain about the house smelling when I am brewing my beer. Now the garage will smell. I have a wort chiller, wort areator, bottle drying rack. I will hopefully be picking up 2 more kegs and a 5 gallon carboy tomorrow. Then I will be getting another 6 gallon carboy from Beer Crazy. All this will allow me to brew every two to three weeks on a rotating bassis. That will make me happy.
A quick note on Beer Crazy. This is a great place. If you like beer, you owe it to yourself to stop in and see the store. They have all kinds of beer for sale and all beer is available in a single bottles so you can try new things without having to buy a full six pack. Also, if you need brewing supplies, this is the place to go in the Des Moines area.
Might not make the people at the Spirit Boulevard very happy though. That means I will not be buying kegs from them anymore. I am sure they will get over it though. I tried to link to their site, but it does not seem to be there anymore. If you are going to buy beer in Ankney, I would suggest you go there. They are good people.
I currently have an Anchor Porter on tab that I brewed. It is quite yummy. I can't wait to brew it again using a full boil instead of a partial boil. Everyone tells me the difference will be amazing.
Well that is about all for now. Hopefully, I will be a little more active on the posting since it is about beer.
JB
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