I’ve moved my kegerator fridge down into the basement laundry room and plugged it in yesterday in preparation for the maibock. It has been on for a day or so, and working fine and dandy. This morning I was getting ready to move the beer into the fridge to keep the temps cool enough while it ferments. My plan was to take the carboy out of the box and set it in the fridge with the thermometer facing out so I can monitor the temperature and make sure its in the right range.

After hefting the thing out of the box I checked the temperature and guess what?!? Just sitting in the crawlspace under the stairs on the concrete floor the fermenting beer is sitting right at 54degF! I have one of those liquid crystal thermometers stuck on this carboy and it has brackets around ale fermenting temps and lager fermenting temps. I almost did a little dance when I saw 54!

The beer filled carboy went gently back into the box and right back where it was sitting in the crawl space. In the next week or two, after a day at room temp, I’ll plug the fridge back in and set it to chill down for the rest of the ferment as per the directions.

This beer better work out well or I’m going to flip.

Cheers!
Tony

It is time to start getting it from the mid to low 6o’s down into the 50’s to really get that clean ferment. My problem now is I don’t know where I put the temperature controlers!

Plural, yes. Somewhere in this house or at least on the property are two analog temperature controlers. One would think I would put them together in a safe place where they wouldn’t get bent or broken, but accessable enough that I might find it when I need it.

I remember doing stuff like that as a kid too. I’d have something I really wanted to keep safe so I used to squirrel it away but good, then remember it some time later but not remember where I put it. Or worse, be looking for something so hard only to find out I looked over it a few times!

Cheers!
Tony

We brewed a maibock on Saturday. My wife started the brew and I got to do the cooling and moving the 5 gallons of wort around. I’ve written before about the flavor problems I have been having with my brews, so we went back to straight basics. As often as I tried to cut corners or go differently, my wife kept me following the written directions that came with the kit. The one exception was the addition of the Whirlflock tab at 15 minutes.

Our water was double filtered, from the under sink filter to the Brita pitcher. The top up water was also boiled and cooled outside while the brew was going. The two biggest differences in my brewing process is the water and the heat, so we also did it on the stove top.

Since this is a lager, it is in the crawl space at about 60 degrees as per the directions, and I will be transferring it to the kegerator this evening. Rather than rely on the fridge to keep a steady temp, I will be attaching the temperature controller to it until the lagering is done.

If this beer doesn’t turn out with notable quality, I’ll sell my brewing stuff.

No, not really, but I’m hoping it’ll come out clean and crisp, the way it should.

Cheers,
Tony

What a lot of driving today, but it was worth it! The last half of my morning was spent dragging my four year old around on a hobby chase! We went to lunch with my older daughter in school, then headed out to Midwest Supplies for a kit to brew with that IPA tomorrow.

Since it just so happened to be after noon when we left Midwest, we headed over to the Four Firkins for a bit. While walking in circles around the center set of shelves trying to figure out what I wanted I saw the six pack of Lake Superior kayak kolsch.

The fist time I had that beer was at a bar in Superior, WI before we were married. My wife (then girlfriend) was playing broom ball out back. I would order up a kolsch and sit at the window watching a bunch of grown men and women slip and slide around an ice rink chasing a little plastic ball. It was great!

It has been quite a while since we’ve been up to Duluth, and even longer since I’ve had Lake Superior beer. Kind of fun to be able to try some again. I’m going to have to keep my eyes open for some of their oatmeal stout. That was good beer!

Cheers,
Tony

I have learned a mildy expensive, valuable lesson about keeping my kegerator fridge in the garage through the winter. The lesson I learned can be explained in technical detail by someone in the appliance industry, but I can’t. My kegerator is one of those appartment fridges, it is about 3/4 size compaired to a full size refridgerator. It has a freezer compartment and a fridge compartment, with the compressor shelf in the bottom. There is ample clearance inside the main cooling part for two kegs and a cylinder of gas, as well as my picnic tap rig that I have written about before.

The temperature controler in this fridge happens to be in the upper right side of the main chamber. The freezer above has its cooling assembly wrapped around. The way I figure, when the fridge part gets too warm, the controller tells the compressor to pump away, chilling the freezer part and letting the fridge part cool by that way.

Why do I figure that?

Because when my garage got to around 25-35*F the fridge part was cold enough. 35*F isn’t cold enough for the freezer part, though.

Silly me, I had a turkey and some rhubarb from this summer in there. I intended on rotisserie-ating that little bird and making rhubarb wine. The microwave dinners that were in there were coming out soft, uh-oh. Everything else thawed out just enough that there is no way I’ll eat any of it.

Bubye turkey and rhubarb. My plan now is to clean out the rest of the fridge since my kegs are empty and move the whole works in the basement.

My lesson, if there isn’t a seperate controller for the freezer, don’t leave the fridge in the garage and expect that freezer to keep stuff frozen.

Cheers!
Tony

What a crazy couple of weeks, folks. I am still recovering from a bout with the flu. Can you believe that? After having the wonderful flu mist this fall I end up coming down the the FLU! I tell you what, no wonder that cold remedy of mine didn’t work well, all the hoppy beers I tried drinking early last week and garlic didn’t touch it.

The Flu-mist thing was a syringe of of goo that they sprayed up my nose. The nurses and doctors were in awe of this new vaccine delivery system. I was told it covered more strains and the immunity would last for a year rather than just the season, like the flu shot.

Oh, and they told me if I did get the flu it would be shorter in duration and less intense. Wow, if that was less intense, I dread to see what it would have done to someone without the vaccine.

So, onward and upward and more suds!

On deck is that IPA that has been sitting on my shelf for months. I need to pick up another kit to brew with it, in for a penny in for a pound, right? Double batch time. My problem is trying to choose a style that my wife and in laws will drink but I also will drink. Something lighter, but springy.

Aha! Maibock! The crawlspace is still at great lager temps! Something to think about. I also get to move the beer fridge into the house. I learned a valuable (read: expensive) lesson about keeping a fridge in the garage during winter, but that is for another day.

Wish me luck folks!

Cheers,
Tony

I recieved a “Holiday Newsletter” in a box the other day. It was an awesome idea for Christmas cards to folks you are close to. It was a 24oz bottle of ale with the lable printed with seasons greetings and a synopsis of the year for the sender.

I hope I don’t offend him sharing this really clever idea with everyone else. I thought it was really cool!

Cheers,
Tony

Years ago one of the ladies on my wife’s softball team revealed a wonderful cold remedy. A Zicam of the beer world, if you will. Here was her advice:

The minute you start feeling a tickle in the back of your throat or the little sniffle eat a raw clove of garlic and wash it down with a hoppy beer. Her preference was Summit’s Extra Pale Ale, but I tried it with Dogfish Head’s 90 min IPA. Unfortunately I didn’t have raw garlic, so I’ll have to try it again once I visit the grocery store.

If you try it, let me know if it works for you!

Cheers!
Tony

The last couple postings I have written don’t appear up here any more, bummer that.

I wrote about some great beer that has passed my lips in the last couple weeks. I have to hook up my camera to post a picture of the Killer Penguin from Boulder Beer. It was amazing, very strong but smooth. We are all lucky it is expensive other wise it would be dangerous!

I had to share some Surly Cynic Ale with some visiting friends. That is one crazy flavor profile, like a hopped Belgian.

Yesterday I had a Bell’s Two Hearted. Ok, ok, you caught me, I had two! I love IPA’s.

I hope everyone has enjoyed the holiday season and getting back to the grind!

Cheers,
Tony