Beer Bottling Summer 2010

A few pics and a short video of us bottling the American IPA we just finished brewing, hope you all enjoy


BTW; I couldn't wait to sample, so I uncapped one this afternoon, It's GREAT! Hoppy enough for Jerry, but very drinkable.

Adding the Hops

It's Sunday, fermentation has completed and it's time to add the hops


First, remove the lid on the primary fermentation bucket




Next, need to QC the hops - man, what a great smell :-)




Finally, replace the lid and waive the secret ingredient over the bucket



Next, continue aging for another 5-7 days before bottling

Is it Ale yet??

Readings for the week:
June 7, 6:45 am - bubbles every 3 seconds, temp 71 degrees
June 7, 8 pm - Large bubbles, every 3 seconds, temp 70 degrees
June 8, 8 am - bubbles every 3 seconds, temp 70 degrees, PM Same
June 9, 8:45 am Large slow bubbles every 3 seconds, temp 70 degrees
June 9, 7:50 pm slow bubbles, lifting aerator every 4 seconds, faint smell of hops (Jerry?)
June 10, 9:15 am same as above, but bubbling has slowed to 5 seconds, temp still 70 degrees
June 10, 7:15 pm, bubbling has slowed to 7 seconds, weaker
June 11, 7:30 am bubbling has slowed to 10+ seconds, lifting aerator, temp 70 degrees

Suggest we meet and pull a sample to test current SG??? Let me know your availability tonight, Sat/Sun

Beerfest 2010

So after a LONG break (way too long, it's actually been since September of 2009) we're back brewing again. We picked the American IPA again, hoping to re-create our past brewing glories (or at least a nice IPA for summer quaffing after yard work or while sitting on the deck)
This time I've gotten lazy and created a video instead of pushing pictures with text. Let me know your feedback on the new format.
Bottling is in 2 weeks, more to post at that time I'm sure.

Bourbon Country and Bottling

So we had a great Saturday; Toured Bourbon Country (Makers Mark and Woodford Reserve),with some GREAT Bar B Que at a little joint outside of Versailles, KY we found on the way back. Then it was back to our "home brewery" to bottle our Octoberfest Lager.

First, some pics from bourbon country - if you EVER have a chance to visit, We'd highly recommend it. The scenery alone is worth the drive, and in a 30 mile county, there's 8 highly rated bourbon makers where you can sip and visit all day long.
Makers Mark




Woodford Reserve (They stop their tours at 3 pm, so we missed it by 1/2 hour)





Now back to our beer...
2 weeks in cold storage


Then Bottling


The bottom feeding yeast left a lot at the bottom of the barrel this time


Finally, the finished lineup, we can't wait to taste it in a couple of weeks

Lagering...

So after fermentation completed, we decided to try our hand at 2 weeks of lagering. The temperature was kept around 36 degrees for 10 days. See next post for the bottling and pics

Day 9 - 50 degrees, still some bubbles

The temp is still between 48 and 50 degrees, and we still have *some* bubbles going on. I timed them at about 3 every 10 seconds. The question of the day is: do we turn down the temperature this weekend and start the lagering process?
Thoughts, comments from DJ and S are welcome, phone calls or emails work just fine