Back in Kalamazoo

Hopefully things will be getting back to normal very soon as everyone returns to Kalamazoo...

As for progress, Holly and Hannah are still in secondary. Having the heat turned off over break and no way to heat the brewing freezer, the beers nearly froze (the internal temperature of the freezer was less than 40 degrees when I got home), which didn't damage them but more than likely put any aging and progress at a standstill, since the beer needs to be warm to mature. My dad wired me up a great little gadget for Christmas with a thermostat and a light bulb that slowly but surely raises the internal terperature of the freezer, since the thermostat we have on it right now only serves to cool it off.

What that means is expect another week or so before we put Holly and Hannah in the bottle, and a week or two after that until they're carbonated enough to drink.

I'm home sick with the flu right now, so as soon as I'm over that, I'll start thinking beer again.

Also look for my beer cheese soup recipe which I'll post sometime soon since there has been a small demand.

Sam

Labels and Samplers

Labels and Sampler Packs are finally finished!

Unfortunately, Kitten was unable to find the time to draw up some original Dierksenkougan artwork for the Ophelia label, so I went with the Shakespearean theme and designed another label myself tonight so I could get going with the sampler packs.



Ophelia is still having trouble carbonating, but I'm fairly confident she has it in her, so I'm putting her in the sampler packs anyway. The temperature of the freezer has been a bit low at around 55 degrees, while Ophelia should be carbonating at something more like 70. I'm thinking of getting another thermostat and a space heater to help keep our fermentation temperature correct during the winter months. Dangerous smangerous.

So, here's the finished product. Three beers with labels: Ophelia, Cristin, and the very last of the Jasmines...







Big thanks to Molly for helping me stick the labels, and to Kitten for unknowingly offering his printer to our cause.

This is probably the last update until after the Christmas season, so I'll see you all in a few weeks. Eat, drink (Dk), and be merry.

Cheers,
Sam

Holly, Hannah, and Ophelia

Updates on Ophelia and the twins:

Ophelia is nearly done carbonating. I opened one tonight and she was a little flat, but so much for overcarbonating. I'm glad we avoided that disaster. She's very good though, and will be included in the Christmas samplers.

The new beer has a name: Holly. Thanks to DJ for the holiday-related name and just being a bad ass gentleman. She and Hannah Jr. have been racked over into secondary carboys to age for awhile...a week or two...Holly is very Chai-flavored, probably too much, but not too much to enjoy. Hannah is perfect, like always. That is all.

Cheers,
Sam

Hot in Here

I say that because the frantic brewing over the last two days has effectively raised the cooler temperature back to a steamy 70 degrees (from about 55) due to what I can best guess is the active fermentation of two simulaneous batches at once. That said, both batches, Hannah Jr. and the new unnamed Chai beer, are active and healthy and turned out, post-brewing, just as planned. Good overall gravities, so it's looking like, alcohol wise, these will be exactly as expected.

To summarize, Hannah (our second batch brewed last October) Jr. is our first repeat batch due to a good household demand for another couple of cases. We'll have about 50 bottles of her next month, after she's done fermenting, aging, and carbonating in the bottle. So come on by and have another taste of the beer that's been called "better than Oberon" and help us break in the new year with some Dierksenkougan (as it should be).

The new Chai beer, as of yet unnamed, also turned out very successful. She should be a little higher in alcohol than most (between 6 and 6.5%) and have a just-under-overwhelming flavor and aroma of Chai tea. The cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, and clove spices, as well as some Fuggles and Hallertauer hops, will hopefull blend nicely together for a tasty and unique holiday beer. Any good name suggestions are appreciated, especially leaning toward something Christmasy. I'll want to age this one slightly longer than most because of its higher alcohol content (like we did with Jasmine), so expect her around the end of January. We'll still have plenty of snow, but a good cold beverage never hurt anyone. This should be Dierksenkougan's most unique and different beer yet. She's a very pretty shade of dark brown, almost opaque like apple cider because of the wheat malt, and should have hints of espresso due to a last minute addition of some chocolate malt. What that means to the non beer snob is a fusion of a dark ale and a dirty chai (chai + espresso). Like always, I have no interest in selling it yet, so get yourself a free bottle and some good company while you still have the chance.

Concerns about over-carbonating Ophelia are still imminent; I read a book today that marked 1/2 to 1 cup of priming sugar is appropriate for a five-gallon batch like ours (I used 2 cups or more). What that means is exploding bottles in the night, or, as a best case scenario, just a very spritzy but still drinkable coffee porter. Cross your fingers for the latter.

Of course, like always I'm keeping in mind the next batch. I'd like to aim for our first super-heavy beer, more than likely a Scotch ale, my favorite style. That won't be until 2006, though, but keep your eyes open. I might not be able to wait that long.

Big thanks to Molly, Michelle, Kitten, and Markus for their help with brewing these last two batches. I'm starting to loathe our mashing procedure (I won't explain. Google it) so I'm considering putting some serious Christmas money toward a few extra high-tech tools for the Dierksenkougan homebrewery, which, as some of you know, is already a sight to behold.

Thanks to everyone who either helped brew, brainstorm, or just tasted a bottle of the homebrew and provided their suggestions and praise. I'm fully aware I take this a little more seriously than anyone else, but I appreciate those who have catered to my obsession. Keep reading!

Off to bed, then off to Chicago for a big trip with my other half. Hopefully we'll squeeze in a trip to Goose Island Brewpub (try their Honker's Ale on bottle available at anyplace that takes any pride in their beer selection in the Midwest).

Cheers!
Sam

Back to Business

This Friday, following the end of exams and a heavy night of drinking Thursday night, we'll get back on schedule and brew the second batch of Hannah (our first repeat!) upon my return from work around 2:00. Movies will be playing in the background all day for anyone who would like to come over and blow off post-exam steam and just relax. Of course, parties will resume later that night as on any good Friday.

Then on Saturday, we'll be brewing a new batch around midday, so we'll have two going at once, just to make up for lost time this past month of Dierksenkougan neglect. The recipe has been established, but I'll post a full description (and hopefully label and name) of the new brew by this weekend. What I'll tell you now is that it is a very experimental idea, a cream ale with cardemom, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and black tea (which the most scholarly of you will recognize as the ingredients for chai tea). I've only seen one other similar recipe on the database I frequent, and they lauded it as very tasty. I figure, I like chai, and I like beer, and maybe the two would taste OK together. And since we haven't made a bad batch yet, maybe the brew gods will keep it that way.

By the way, I bottled Ophelia on Sunday night. Kitten is still yet to provide me with a label, but when he does, I'll start printing up some Christmas sampler packs. Professional. Upon tasting, while warm and uncarbonated, she was very very good, very representative of the porter style but still unique and actually quite sweet. I'm crossing my fingers that she doesn't overcarbonate (ask me about that) and we'll all be able to enjoy her in one or two weeks.

Keep checking back. This week will be full of news. It's good to be back.

Sam