Finally bubbles reduced enough that I can read this (sort of)
hot break
Everything’s good but the color. But if use less extract to lighten it all the other paramaters get outta whack.
Ready to go
Krausen at about 40 hours – This beer is bubbling constantly and the airlock smells SO GOOD.
Pretty clear
Vorlaufed, and it started running clear (maybe not in this pic yet) but still ended up with grain in my boil.
I knew this was gonna happen. Don’t fear the foam they say.
Taste test vs. Yuenling lager, because that’s what I had around.
The critical moment: pull out the siphon before we start sucking up other goodies.
On the way to boiling. Extract brews seem to have a perfectly consistent foam.
Irish moss
Took a taste. Delicious, flat beer! My best so far. No off-flavors, and a nice bitter hoppiness!
mmmm, hops. The smell is up there with coffee.
Getting it done
Read (and tasted) this a couple hours later.
PBW + Krausen = what looks like…
about 4.5 gallons
This is not really a head from carbonation, as there is none yet. It’s just from splashing and pouring (and Star San foam?)
Brew #2 – bottled
Not my clearest beer. There was dry hopping and no secondary.
Yum
Artsy US-05 pic
Big teabag of specialty grains
I forgot to pour mine aggressively! I had that head nice and pillowy last time…
Beersmith is damn good at estimating the color.
Go baby go.
About 5 minutes left in the boil
A nice closeup of the head, but this doesn’t really capture it’s true lighter, more reddish color.
bottling assembly line. Somehow it goes from right to left.
this wort drank pretty good
Rehydrating yeast
This is not what went in the beer.
snifffff
Brew in a bag
Proteiny!
Ok, so I dumped about half of this.
Perfect carbonation after a shake
Cost per beer
New thermometer!
supervisor
Already delicious on bottling day!
Old brew pot, NEW brew pot.
Here it is, ready to be bottled.
bottling
There it sits. Right next to that power strip. Brilliant.
Bread and beer are my specialties. Look at that head!
last swallow
Flat. The bubbles are just from pouring.
Unfortunately this many bottles is a little optimistic for this batch.
mmm
FG: 1.003
blowoff tube – necessary?
On my 6.5 gallon carboy, I wasn’t sure how much this is. Got 43 bottles out of it!
last swallow
The Cascade is doing better than the Centennial
Nice color, decent taste, but flat.
Lots of grain making it into the boiler.
Brew #4
soon that glass will say humble man brewery on it.
My first-ever mash
1.005! I think.
Bottling Beer #4
Beer 2
Next morning… looking good. Lots of chunky guys in here.
Brew #4: BeerP0rn
Empty primary vessel
So clear!
Of course I can read that.
bottom of carboy…. mmm, science.
Back in place and will soon be wearing a T-Shirt
Now confident enough to follow the rule “drink a homebrew while you homebrew” In my glass is beer #4. I could probably wash this yeast and re-use it, but not quite ready for that.
Some people put a Ziploc bag over the mouth of their santized vessel. I prefer a StarSan forcefield.
