Archive for the ‘play’ Category

22oz Labels 22oz Labels

Wednesday, December 21st, 2011

Decided to make some labels for all the different beers. Something simple. Something bold. Typeface is Red October Patterns are by Vonster They are meant to be printed at 300 dpi (apx. 4″x5.5″)

The Green Devil (Absinthe recipe) The Green Devil (Absinthe recipe)

Wednesday, December 7th, 2011

Last year, we made a bunch of infused liquors as holiday gifts. The most outrageous was an unfiltered, unsweetened absinthe: The Green Devil. Recently, someone asked for the recipe – so, I decided to do a quick post: The Green Devil The base for the infusion is a strong, clear spirit. You can use vodka, […]

Ebenezer IPA Ebenezer IPA

Tuesday, December 6th, 2011

Time for another IPA. I love the Ranger(ish) clone that we brewed last time. It is simple to brew and delicious. However, I remember thinking that it could use some more Pine/Citrus hop flavor. Lucky for me, I have a glut of Chinook right now. So, the following recipe is based on the Ranger with […]

Hop Experimentation - An Idea Hop Experimentation – An Idea

Thursday, November 17th, 2011

How any IBU’s is too many? Most craft beers now list the IBU (International Bittering Units) on the side of their bottles. I like hopped up beers – but, really couldn’t tell you my hop preference in an number form. You see, it all depends on the style of beer – some beers seemed too […]

Schwarzbier - Wet T-Schwarz Schwarzbier – Wet T-Schwarz

Wednesday, November 16th, 2011

I have been brewing for several years and feel pretty confident with most ale recipes. However, this will be the first lager attempt. It’s not that I don’t like lagers – rather, I have avoided them in the past due to the fermentation temperatures. My home stays between 60-70°F, which is optimal for ales. Lagers […]

Black Frost (An Epic CDA): Re-brew Black Frost (An Epic CDA): Re-brew

Saturday, November 5th, 2011

We’re trying to catch up after not brewing for almost a year! The first time I made this, the recipe was a complete experiment – but it turned out so well that a re-brew was in order. Grain This is for 12gal 24# 2row 3# Caramel 60 .5# Chocolate .5# Black Patent .5# Roast Barley […]

Scottish 60/70 shilling (small beer) Scottish 60/70 shilling (small beer)

Monday, October 17th, 2011

Having already brewed 24 gallons: of stout and strong scotch – we decided to use all the grain to make a small beer. Sparging more hot water over the grain yielded 12 gallons of wort with a potential for a 2% beer. We raised the gravity to 1.032 with 2 extra pounds of sugar. This […]

Gebbeth Strong Scotch Gebbeth Strong Scotch

Monday, October 17th, 2011

This is a “retooling” of the Gibbous recipe which everyone was calling Gebbeth, anyway…  The most radical change was to decrease the percentage of dark malts. The new recipe conforms with the BJCP style for a strong scotch ale. In Ursula K. Le Guin’s novel, a Gebbeth is: “a person who has been consumed and […]

Shakespeare Stout (Clone) Shakespeare Stout (Clone)

Monday, October 17th, 2011

The classic stout recipe. We have brewed this several times from the outstanding CYBI recipe– often making small moderations. This time, we stuck the recipe – even going so far as to modify our water with salt and chalk additions. It was a double batch (12 gallons total). The hops were all from my yard. […]

Fermented Pickles (and green beans, and carrots) Fermented Pickles (and green beans, and carrots)

Wednesday, October 5th, 2011

Every fall, we make pickles and dilly beans. It’s fun, easy and saves lots of money  – if you eat pickled vegetables in the amount that my family does. Normally, we can the vegetables in a vinegar solution. Then last year, I discovered how easy it is to create true sour pickles at home… Pickles […]