Pale Ale Brew times two

This past Saturday (5-10-2014) we had an impromptu brew day after a few quick discussions last week. We decided to brew a few pale ales to get ready for the warmer weather. I decided on a SMaSH ale, which stands for Single Malt and Single Hop. It's basically a simple pale ale. I found a recipe with 13 lbs of 2-row malt and Cascade hops. We tried to use our homemade hop rocket, but it didn't work as well as we planned. Oh well, back to the drawing board. We also brewed a pale ale with Mosaic hops that I'm calling Panther Head Pale Ale. Kind of a nod to my late Grampa Bob, who had a panther head tattoo on his arm. It is funny that we brewed a beer for a man who didn't drink. Not the first time and definitely not the last. 

Here's a few pics below.

Two yeast starters. #1 is Wyeast 1056 American Ale yeast for the SMaSH pale ale.
#2 is White Labs WLP001 California Ale yeast. 

Our homemade hop rocket

Boil kettle 

Brewing Command

New multiple timer app

Mosaic hops for the Panther Head pale ale

BK ready to boil

Boiling away

One more shot

Panther Head pale ale in the fermenter

SMaSH pale ale in the fermenter

Hops, Hops, Hops

Just a few more hop photos. These plants are amazing. The Galena grew over 6 inches in one day. I think our dryer vent helps with providing warm, moist air to the plants.

Galena 

Overview of the plants

Galena is now over 6 ft tall 

Newport is growing well too 

Hopfengarten Update #2

Today was a beautiful day to get outside and work on the Hopfengarten. I was able to add some additional overhead stringers and start to train the bines to climb them. All three varieties are growing well. I was also able to replant some of the cuttings. These will (hopefully) grow into additional hop plants to replant elsewhere in the yard. Please enjoy the pics below.



Additional overhead stringers have been added.

Hop bines are growing nicely. From left to right, Willamette, Newport and Galena.



Replanted Galena cuttings.



Replanted Newport cuttings.

Replanted Willamette cuttings.

Goodbye to an old friend, Hello to a new one.

Well apparently it's official. Cavalry Brewing, in Oxford, is no more. It's been sold to Sobocinski brothers from New Haven with a brewer friend, Tyler Jones, previously from New Hampshire. They plan on opening in the Summer of 2014, as Black Hog Brewing Co. I'm excited to try their offerings, but sad to see Cavalry go. I was able to hang out a few times and brew with Mike and Justin. I will also miss their Cask Wednesday's at the brewery. I guess I'm going to have to spend the weekend stocking up on Cavalry beers. Cheers Cavalry Brewing. We will miss you. 

Black Hog Brewing Co.

Black Hog Brewing's Facebook page.

OMNOM CT Article

2014 Hopfengarten Update # 1

Well kids, Spring has finally sprung...... sorta. Mother Nature is still having some issues, but I'm happy to say the hop shoots have started their climb to beer heaven. All three varieties, Galena, Newport and Willamette, have started out well. I've updated the trellis with better materials so we don't have any issues with line breakage like last year. We will add more stringers as needed for the bines to climb. We are planning on adding more plants as they become available for sale. Here's a few pics below. 

SBBC / Kegerator.com Affiliation

SBBC has been approached by Kegerator.com as an affiliate partner. Any purchase from our website link gets us a 7% commission. Please feel free to use them. They are listed below:

Kegerator.com

Kegerator.com Homebrew Division

CT Pour Tour in Watertown 3-15-2014

Check this out. Todd is raising money for Childhood Cancer research by touring CT and sampling local beer. Please share this and visit his site. Thanks.

CT Pour Tour

Update: Todd will be in Watertown on Saturday, March 15, around 1230. Todd will be stopping at Ordinary Joe's on Buckingham Street and meeting us for some homebrew afterwards. Please feel free to stop by. 

Also, please donate. This money is going to Yale Children's Hospital for Cancer Research. 

The newest version of my whiskey barrel smoked Irish Red Ale will ready too.