What's This? Christmas Ale

What's this?
It's awesomeness, that's what it is!
"What's This? Christmas Ale" is the latest addition to Armbrewster Brewing.  This dark stout features the piney flavors of Columbus, Simcoe, and Brewer's Gold hops, with background notes of fresh ginger and vanilla bean, an, like the dead, only gets better with time!

The beer is at least 7.5% ABV (ABV will increase a bit as it ages), and is as black as your dark heart!  Well, unless you're a really nice person.  OK, but it's pretty dark.  I first brewed the recipe on 28 September, bottling a just over a month later on 30 October.  As of this writing, the beer has had around four weeks to age, and the harsher pine and ginger flavors have mellowed significantly, as this beer has matured.

Pours opaque and smooth, with a thick, light brown head that lingers for a few minutes. The aroma is similar to that of a Christmas tree.  The hops provide a noticeable piney flavor, followed by the bite of fresh ginger.  However, their harshness is quickly subdued by vanilla (straight from the bean) and dark, toasty malt, with a creamy mouth-feel.

Because of the way this beer was crafted, it is possible to age it if you desire.  If you've got a few bottles, try saving one for next Christmas, and let me know what you think!  I won't be able to try extended aging myself because I'm moving overseas and can't take them with me (beer doesn't ship well).

This is one of the three best brews I've ever made, and I'm extremely proud to present it.  If you're reading this page because you scanned the QR code on the bottle you're drinking, let me know what you think!  If you'd like a bottle, let me know and if you're within reasonable driving range of D.C., I can probably send a bottle or two your way.

This is the final label.  The QR code links to this website.

"What's This?" Christmas Ale is a sure way to bring holiday cheer to your Christmas!

Christmas Ale - Bottling Day!

  After numerous false starts and failed attempts, I bottled my Christmas Ale today.  I had been trying to do this for a few days now, but various distractions (damn you, seasonal allergies!) kept me away. So today I decided to play hookie from work and do it!*

  Before bottling, I took another sample, with a gravity somewhere between 1.012 and 1.014, maintaining an ABV of around 7.8%, not significantly lower than the recipe's goal of 8.02%, although the ABV could go up a bit by Christmas due to aging.                       In all, I got sixty-two bottles.  For those of you doing calculations, that's a little over five and a half gallons, although the last ten or so bottles - having liquid from the bottom of the fermenter - are probably chock full of sediment, so if you get one (they're all set aside in one box, so I know where they are), just be careful.                                                                                                  The sediment is perfectly safe, and probably wont even significantly affect the flavor; it's just a little gross and slimy.  If you do get some of this beer, and you don't want the sediment, just pour carefully and you should be fine.

As usual, if you'd like a bottle or three, you'll need to come visit.  I won't ship these because, well, it's expensive.

 Behold!  This is the Spice Bill bag!  It contains the remains of ginger, vanilla, allspice, and cinnamon.  Now, it's just disgusting.

This is what's left at the bottom of the fermenter -- called trub.  (pronounced "troob")  It's all the sediment from the grains, sugars, and yeast, mixed with concentrated remains of hops and the spice bill.  After boiling the wort, everything is nicely suspended in the liquid, and over time everything begins to clear out, with the solid items slowly falling to the bottom.  While most of the hops and spices were separated in bags, and thus could be removed from the wort, the grain and sugar particles will eventually clump and fall to the bottom, as will the yeast - which over the last month or so has grown quite a bit.  When I opened the top and stuck my head in there to take that picture, the concentrated alcohols damn-near knocked me out.  Pretty awesome!




*Note to anyone who may or may not be reading this who may be from work:  I was actually legitimately excused for the day for other legitimate reasons which I will gladly explain in person if you have questions.  Don't fire me.  OK.  Now.  Move along!

Is it truly failure if you learn from the mistake?

In my last post, I laid out a potential recipe for my first attempt at root beer.  Later that evening, I made a 1-gallon test batch using an extract I got from Maryland Homebrew.

The recipe called for 1oz extract per gallon, which should've been 2 tbsp.  But I think they might've meant 1oz by weight, not volume because 2 tbsp was far too much.  Or, maybe they didn't expect me to add my own stuff.  In addition to the "basic" recipe (sugar, extract, and water), I added one vanilla bean (sliced, and scraped), and a tbsp of sarsaparilla root.  For sugar, I used 1 cup honey and 1 cup brown sugar.  It could've used at least another 1/2 cup.

  I let the vanilla and sarsaparilla simmer for about 30 mins or so, added the sugar, stirred until it melted, then added the extract.  Meanwhile, I had let the yeast wake itself up a bit in a cup of warm water and about a tablespoon of honey.  I used some "Fromunda" dry ale yeast from an older Mr. Beer kit.  While I put in the amount the extract suggested, the yeast was a little old, and I probably should've increased that, too, but I didn't want to risk over-carbonation and exploding bottles.

The end result was a sweet and somewhat tasty drink, but a little off.  I figured it was probably because it was warm, and needed a few days.

It's been a week.  I let the bottles sit out at room temperature for 4 days, then in the fridge the rest of the time.  While there's a bit of a refreshing flavor, it's obvious there's too much extract, and it just tastes like.... crappy root beer.  Even worse, while there is a refreshing *hisssss* when I open the bottle, there's almost no fizz, and practically zero head, which is essential to any root beer.  This means either not enough yeast, or not enough sugar. The bottles did firm up pretty good, so there was definitely some CO2 in there, but maybe because I used dry ale yeast (and old shit at that), it just took longer to build up CO2; next time I'll use normal bread yeast, which ferments faster.

There were somethings that went well: the honey was an excellent choice as it made the root beer significantly creamier tasting.  The sarsaparilla root was also kind of fun.  Can't really taste the vanilla though.

Next time, I'll half the extract, double the vanilla, and add a little extra brown sugar or honey.

It might also be better if I forgo the extract altogether.  I'd need to find a few extra roots, like wintergreen, cinnamon, and anise.

What's This?

Christmas Ale is coming along.  A little harsher flavor than I hoped for, but it should mellow out over time, and hopefully that damn vanilla will finally poke its head thru the hops and ginger.

  As it stands, the hops have overtaken the flavor (with 5oz in a 5gallon batch, that tends to happen!).  And the ginger, still quite noticeable in the background, really compliments the hops, bringing their flavors out even more.  It's a hell of a bite.  Not bad, but not what I wanted in a Christmas beer, which should have more notes of chocolate, vanilla, or honey.  Still, the fact that the sample - without refrigeration or carbonation - already tastes great is a good sign!

Testing today gave a gravity of 1.013, and an ABV approximately 7.5%.  That's nothing to laugh at, but not where I wanted it to be.  However, I buzzed from that 4oz sample for an hour, which was nice, and I could taste a pleasantly smooth aftertaste for the next 2 hours.  Like a stout or porter, this does taste better warmer.  I drank the sample at around room temperature, then refrigerated it, and warmer was definitely better.

  Unlike a stout or porter, this beer is really.... not black.  Opaque as fuck, but remains stubbornly brownish, like coffee with a splash of cream, or maybe sewage water.  This may be largely in part to my using bulk pilsen as the primary malt instead of amber or a darker.  I probably could get around this (amber malt gets expensive!) by reducing the pilsner a bit and adding another lb or so of chocolate malt.


  I'd like to take a moment to share my first draft label.  Most likely some of this will change, including the name, but this is roughly what the label will look like, barring a radical redesign.

Note that with this large a batch, I can expect 50+ bottles, so not every bottle will be labeled.  Maybe one or two in each 6-pack, describing what insanity the imbiber has just gotten into.  As with Humperdinck, this label will have a QR code in that blank spot in the bottom right corner that will take you to whatever blog post I write that describes the final product.

Some may be disinclined to the title.  But I removed overt necrophilia references, so that's progress, right?

I'll take another sample in a few days, and see where everything's at.  If things are relatively consistent, I'll go ahead and bottle it.  If not, maybe another week or three will do the trick.  The beer will condition in the bottle for at least 3 weeks before it's debut in early December, and that might do a little more to temper the spiciness than anything else.

And now for something completely different...

On a completely different note, I've taken up an interest in making root beer!  Partly because my kids are starting to get very interested in my brewing hobby, and this is something they can help with (and enjoy!), but also because I've got a lot of vanilla beans left over.  I'll be heading to the LHBS (Local HomeBrew Shop) this weekend for bottles, and will probably grab some root beer extract, too.

  Looking at several recipes online, it seems pretty easy, especially compared to making beer.  Basically, you add everything in, simmer it a bit to extract the flavors and melt the sugars, let it cool, and viola! - drinkable root beer!  Then add yeast, bottle it, and let it sit and carbonate for a few days, and it's a finished product.  If I use common bread yeast, the alcohol content will be negligible, too.  As an alternative, I could forego the yeast and use an expensive carbonating machine (I'm poor), or mix the concentrated form with seltzer water (that's kind of gross).  So bread yeast it is!

The recipe will probably look something like this: 

• 2qt water
• 3 vanilla beans, scraped
• 4 whole star anise
• 2oz dried sarsaparilla root

Boil water, put the above ingredients into a fine mesh bag, simmer together for 20 mins.

• 2oz root beer extract
• 2lb honey
• 2.5lb cane or brown sugar (maybe half/half?)

Slowly add these items, stirring until dissolved.  Simmer at least 10 more mins.  Remove mesh bag, and allow to cool in a sink full of cold water.  Add all ingredients to a 5 gallon fermenter/bucket, increasing water until it's at 5 gallons.  Let cool to at last 80F (70 or cooler is better, but not cooler than low 50's); any warmer could kill the yeast.

• Add about 1tsp baker's or dry ale yeast*, gently stir.

Pour root beer into sanitized bottles (I'll be using plastic ones with resealable caps, as they're less likely to explode.  All the sugar means the yeast will ferment quickly!), let set a few days until carbonated.

When they're ready, they need to be refrigerated to stop fermentation.  This prevents unwanted alcohol buildup, but also prevents over-carbonation, which can lead to excessive fizziness, or even combustion.
*This is why bread yeast is best -- it ferments real quick, then generally stops (sorta), as opposed to beer or champagne yeasts, which could ferment for months or longer.   Dry ale yeast will carb a little faster and maybe better, too, but needs to be refrigerated t avoid explosions.  Some recipes call for champagne yeast.  Champagne yeast can continue to ferment down into the lower 40s F, meaning it could carbonate and combust in your fridge!!

 The yeast-carbonating method should take about 3-4 days.  It will likely result in minor sediment at the bottom of each bottle, but probably nothing major.  So long as the soda is poured carefully, it should not be noticeable or affect the flavor.

Fine print:  There could be a negligible alcohol content of up to 0.25% by volume - again, hardly noticeable, and safe for consumption by children.  For those more prudish, let me put that in perspective.  Most beers contain 5-7% alcohol (more than 20x what would be in these bottles).  Most light beers have around 4% ABV (Bud Light sits at 4.2%, for example).  In order to obtain as much alcohol in your body as you would get from drinking a single 12 oz Bud Light, you'd have to drink at least sixteen 12oz bottles of yeast-fermented root beer over the course of a single hour (because the human body removes alcohol at a steady pace).  Even so, it wouldn't affect your body the same because all the extra carbohydrates from all those root beers would absorb some of the alcohol, similar to how one would get drunk more slowly on a full stomach vs empty.  That, and you'd be too busy with an upset stomach and a bursting bladder because you drank 192 ounces of root beer in a single hour! (a gallon is 128oz)  By comparison, O'Doul's "non-alcoholic" beer has 0.4% alcohol, double what's in yeast-fermented root beer, and is still considered "non-alcoholic" and safe for minors to drink in moderation.
  Finally, the human body naturally produces alcohol - almost as much as 2 beers' worth over the course of a day!  Therefore, this negligible amount would not have any effect on minors.  Now you've been schooled.

Phew!  Ok, having said that, I'm probably going to make root beer.  Very soon.  Again, I won't ship it -- the yeast could make the bottles explode.  But if you're in or near Maryland, feel free to contact me or drop by and grab a bottle!

I'll post more about this once I get the process started.

More Fine Print:  Don't let your children drink and drive.  That's just illegal.  The creators of The Bruster/Armbrewster cannot be held liable for any instances of alcohol poisoning or other sickness resulting from imbibing in my products.  Drinking naturally carbonated root beer in excess for the purpose of getting "a buzz" may be hazardous to your health and may result in stomach sickness or discomfort, etc, but will still not likely produce an alcohol-induced buzz.  That's not very smart, and I don't advocate it.  Find a real beer and save your liver.  Or maybe root beer schnapps.  Or, if you really want to get buzzed from my root beer, add liquor, such as spiced rum.  Unless you're under 21.  Then don't.  When I state or imply this is safe for children, I mean this as an opinion.  I am not a doctor.  My research came from the Internet, for God's sake!  Enjoy responsibly.

Christmas Ale Brew Day

Here it is!

Brewed the recipe from my last post post today (based on this recipe).  The wort smells wonderful, like sugar and spice and everything, uh, Christmasy.  Color is dark, though not as dark as I had hoped (to be fair, I added about a quart more water than I intended), but much to my satisfaction, no light shines thru the sample jar when I hold it to a bright light.

Dark as Mordor: no light shines through!

OG (Original Gravity) is 1.072, which indicates a potential ABV around 9%.  I'll be testing again around early November for Final Gravity, which will give a more accurate estimation of ABV, but aslo note that said ABV will increase as this beer ages.

The sample smells like Christmas.  Although the hops aren't a huge part of the scent (that will likely change), I can smell the cinnamon, allspice, and vanilla.  Taste is much like it smells, except the hop flavor really hits the palate, with pine notes.  The wort is very sweet and although I expect it to bitter out over the long run, with a pound of honey in the mix, that sweetness should still be noticeable when you open the final bottle.

  This kind of beer gets better with age, so if you are a lucky recipient of bottles, I suggest you save one for Christmas 2015 and let me know what it's like :D

Christmas Ale Recipe - and sweet lovin'

I'll be starting my Christmas Ale this weekend.  It will be the first time I've used grain, as opposed to LME (liquit malt extract), which means this is a big milestone for me :)

I'm using a recipe from a chef who goes by the name of 3_Creepio.  The description is that it "smells like a tree and tastes like presents". Sounds like a Christmas beer to me.

It is a stout, and should be dark and opaque, with thick head, and will leave some noticeable lacing on the side of the glass.  Has vibes of vanilla, orange peel, malt, chocolate, and spices, with definite piney notes.  I'll update this description after I try one of the bottles in a couple months.

The recipe comes from 3_Creepio's post on Homebrewtalk.com last year, with a few slight modifications.  He mentioned wishing he had added more hops, and so I have nearly doubled them (including adding Brewers Gold to the bill).  I'll also be steeping the grain for a longer period, and substituting Amber LME for Pilser LME (lighter in color, but the Chocolate Malt, steeping for a longer period, will help maintain the dark color)

This will be a 5 gallon recipe.

9.9.lbs. Pilsner LME, late additions (1/3 at 60 minutes, 2/3 at 10)
1 lb. Chocolate Malt, steeped at 150 degrees 30 mins.
1 lb. Crystal 40 Malt, steeped at 150 30 mins.
1 oz. Columbus Hops at 60 mins.
1oz US Brewer's Gold Hops at 45 mins.
1 oz. Columbus Hops at 30 mins.
1 oz. Simcoe Hops at 15 mins.
1 oz. Simcoe Hops at flameout.
Spice Bill (all added at 10 mins.)
1 lb. clover honey
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. allspice
2 bourbon vanilla beans, split
3 clementine peels (discarded at flameout)
Wyeast American Ale 1056, 2-step starter (approx: 370B cells)

Estimated OG: 1.082 Target FG: 1.021 ABV approx: 8.01% IBU approx: 55.73
(ABV might be higher because more malt is being added much later than in original recipe, and I'll have a lot more time to condition it)
The beer will likely remain in the fermenter throughout the month of October, and probably a week or two in November, to be bottled early-mid November.  This will give enough time for bottle conditioning and minimal carbonation by the 1st weekend in Dec, where this brew will be presented as one of the prizes at the MAWRA (Mid-Atlantic Whippet Racing Association) race meet 6-7 Dec in Dendron, VA.

This is the biggest, and most expensive batch I've ever made (cost a whopping $75), and I only have one shot at this.  But it's for Christmas, and will be the last brew I make before the Big Move*
*for realisies, this time!

What do I name this beer?  It's Christmas-ey, and I don't like boring names.  I thought of something like this:

which made me then think of Tim Curry:

who is also known for..... 

So.  Christmas.  Gangsters.  Bratty kids.  Sweet transvestites.  Any of these -- and more -- can be the inspiration for a name for this beer.  I've got time to think of one, and I'll gladly accept any suggestions.

Humperdinck Wheatwine

Belgian?  You keep saying that word.  I do not think it means what you think it means.

I would not say such things if I were you!!

  It all started in an attempt to create a Belgian White beer.  I did a little bit of homework, and even crafted a recipe somewhere, but then I misplaced it.  And when you go to the homebrew store with kids in tow, you often forget what, exactly, you came there for.  So I did something a little different.

  What I ended up with was a wheat wine hopped with Sorachi Ace, New Zealand Pacific Jade,  and Citra.  The color is a deep amber, and there's a noticeably wheaty flavor with a bit of a kick that the hops help mellow out a bit.  Weighing in with an ABV of 9.5%, this is not a beer for wimps, and the ABV is likely to increase as the beer ages.

  The beer pours a dark amber, with little head.  Citra hops provide a refreshingly cool flavor reminiscent of melon.  The aftertaste is quite smooth, with subtle notes of lemon, black pepper, and coriander in the background.

  The taste is inconceivable.



Here's the recipe I used:  (2 gallon batch)

- 5lbs wheat malt extract

- 1 vial California ale yeast (white labs)

- .5 oz Sorachi ace (bittering)

- .5 oz NZ Pacific Jade (bittering)

- .25 oz of each above (flavor)

- 2 gallons water

The malt and bittering hops were put in at 45 minutes.  The rest of the hops were added around the 10 minute mark.  OG was 1.090.

Dry hop after about 4 weeks in fermenter (I don't transfer to a secondary).  Gravity should hold steady around 1.014.

- .5 oz x2 Citra whole leaf hops 

- approx 1 tbsp combo black pepper, coriander, ground lemon peel, and star anise (Experiment with exact amounts to find a mix you like)

Add 1/2 of the hops for 2 days. Remove hops & replace with the other half + spices. Allow 2 more days.  By the 4th day, all hops should be removed (keep the spices though).  If the sample tastes like a flat version of the beer you want, bottle immediately.

  If bottle-conditioning, bottle for at least 2 weeks, then test.  If it doesn't taste right, let sit for another week or two.

  Like barleywines, wheatwines can age for quite a while.  By now (early October), this beer is only about 2 months old.  I'd suggest giving it another 3-5 months to mature (although it's quite drinkable right now).  If you're really patient, give it a year and let me know how it changes!

Here is the final label.  They are somewhat customized: there are six different labels, each with a different quote from Humperdinck himself, or Princess Bride in general.

Hello world!

int main()
{
  printf("hello world");
}

OK yes that one was a little olde skool, but this is my intro post.

Here, I'll be discussing the beers I brew, and maybe some other stuff.