Just in case there is any confusion... I have received some comments and emails that appear to be misdirected to me, with the intended target being a craft brewing outfit in Delaware: Evolution Craft Brewing.
I am not that entity. I will continue, as I have in the past, to forward all communications I get in error to Evolution Craft Brewing - until of course it becomes too much for me. I have not spoken with the people at Evolution Craft Brewing, but obviously, I respect what they are doing (a start-up craft brewery), and can appreciate their name, and wish them all the best. I have linked above to their website, but they also have a blog located here. I have not had a chance to taste their brews - I would go for the Porter if I could - I haven't seen them around my neck of the woods (central Jersey) yet. Incidentally, I lived in Wilmington/Newcastle, Delaware for a bit when I went to school. Had some good times. Drank much beer. It is where I had my first Sierra Nevada and Newcastle (and Yuengling!)- fond memories indeed.
0 Comments
![]() Beer fans around the world know which Michael Jackson I'm talking about... From the NY Times: "Michael Jackson, a leading beer critic who helped start a renaissance of interest in beer and breweries worldwide in the 1970s, was found dead on Thursday at his home in West London. He was 65." I'll be raising a glass to toast Mr. Jackson today, maybe at lunch, maybe later. Either way - cheers and rest in peace... ![]() After much too long of a break, I have come out of the darkness to brew again. I couldn't be happier. I went into a long weekend with the goal of brewing... something. I came out of the weekend with 3 brews under my belt. A whopping 15 gallons of beer. My first batch was an 'easy' Pale Ale that i brewed using some of the grain I had leftover from my last purchase. I figured I would go ahead and jump back in with a simple recipe, just so I could convince myself that I still had what it takes. Well, it's kind of like riding a bike I guess, cause it went pretty well, If I do say so myself. My next two batches were All-Grain recipe kits I ordered from Northern Brewer. First up was their "Old Ale" which I have been interested in for some time. They say to let it age for 2 months before serving, so we shall see how it goes. My last brew happened to occur on what is becoming an annual tradition of mine - brewing on my birthday. For that I chose the Norther Brewer kit "St. Paul Porter". I had brewed this one before (my 6th brew, and it was one of my first all-grain brews). When I brewed it last, I added coffee and bourbon (I know, a bold move for a novice brewer!) - and it turned out great. I think I will do that again with this one. So I got these in the hole, and now we just have to wait... ![]() I spoke before about brewing with the iPhone here. I recently came across this great new app ($4.99) for the iPhone called iBrewMaster (app store link). This is a great app that brings even more useful brewing tools into the palm of your hand. The app comes with about 50 or so recipes, but also lets you create and edit your own. It has a nice selection of grains, hops, adjuncts, and yeast as well as a place to enter notes for the brew. Also great is a "Schedule" function which tracks your batch and what should be done when (ie: transfer to secondary, bottle, serve, etc). You enter each batch as you go. The app auto-calculates a number of things, including ABV% and calories. You also have the option to enter all of your information regarding OG, temp to ferment at, and duration. Recent updates added the ability to email a recipe, and also added additional options for sorting recipes, including by color (which is also included when you create a batch). I'd love to see calculations for amount of water to use and temps, but for now this is a great addition to my brewing space. Now, during a brew, I can use my iPhone to make unit conversions, control my brewing tunes on the radio, and create and track my batches. I can also send texts and emails, make phone calls, and surf the web - all without sitting down in front of a computer. ![]() Well, it has been about 4 months since I last updated this site. After the failed IPA, things got a little hectic at work and at home - so this site fell to the bottom of the to-do list. So it goes. (I'm currently reading "Slaughterhouse Five" by Kurt Vonnegut - if you get that reference) ![]() Well, the results of my experiment with steel wool pads are in: DO NOT USE THEM! Title says it all. Happy Birthday little brother!! I spoke in my other post about the changes I made in the recent brew, and here is a recap... This ones going to be good, I can feel it! I say that with every batch, but honestly, that is one of the great things with this "hobby" - each time you have a chance to apply new knowledge or try something different. ![]() We went to the great Madison Square Garden to see the even greater Neil Young the other night. As usual, I was pretty thirsty when we got there, having traveled an hour and a half through some terrible snow/sleet/ice road conditions. So, I was ready to pay what was necessary for a brew. Well, it turns out that the beers are $9.25! At first glance, that is a complete outrage - but there are 2 points that make it hurt not as much. First, the beers are actually 22ozs, which is close to 2 actual beers. Second, the beer selection was great. They had Anchor Steam, Smithwick's, Guinness, Harp, etc. A truly great selection, and a price on par for NYC. So, it made it not that bad. I guess we can rationalize anything when thirsty. |
JTRAspiring Brewmaster. Archives
September 2009
Categories
All
|