Second Post, First Mistake

We used the Kolsch kit from More Beer this time around.  Inside we had German Pilsner grains and malts, Perle Hops for bittering, and Saaz Hops for aroma.  I won't go into detail about the other ingredients as you can find those ingredients in the kits and they will be briefly mentioned in the description I give.  We use a nylong mesh bag to hold the grains and hops so we can keep most of the used up parts out of the mixture.

First we took our recently cleaned 7.5 gallon (roughly 28.4L) Pot, with temperature gauge and valve, and filled it with 6 gallons of water.  We use 6 gallons for a 5 gallon brew as much of the water will boil away throughout the brewing process.  We set the water to boil with the grains in a reusable nylon mesh bag so it would reach 170 degrees Fahrenheit in 30 minutes.  We had the temperature too low so it took longer than 30 minutes, but apparently that's fine as being done in under 30 minutes is what you do not want to do.  Once we hit 170 we took the grains out and let the brew heat to a boil.

Once we reached boiling point we started mixing in the malts and extracts.  Once this mixture started foaming up we turned down the temperature to allow the foam to settle, at which point we turned the heat back on to return to a boil.  Once we returned to a boil we added in the Perle hops for bittering using the nylon mesh bag again and kept it in the boil for 60 minutes.  Five minutes before the boil ended we put in a clarifier tablet.  This clarifier tablet is made from seaweed and works by bonding with the denser elements of the brew so it causes them to sink to the bottom, thereby making the whole thing clearer.

Once 60 minutes are up we take the Perle Hops out and switch them for the Saaz Hops for one minute.  These Hops are intended for adding a Hops aroma to the beer.  Once this finished we turned the heat off and set the pot into an ice bath in our sink.  Eventually we plan on buying a chiller which is more convenient because it means not having to carry a steaming hot giant pot filled with 5 gallons of brew to a sink.

Now, many of you may have noticed the title of this post, and still some may have noticed we never mentioned yeast in this process.  Those who know anything about brewing know that yeast is an integral ingredient as that's what breaks down the sugars and converts them to alcohol.  As it turns out, when we got our kit, we were apparently expected to purchase yeast in addition.  Now, the guy that helped us was very helpful and unfortunately this got missed in the process.  I would have gone the next day to quickly pick up yeast from the store but I was at work before and after they closed.  I was able to go earlier today and pick up the yeast, and while it is not advisable, we are expecting the brew to turn out fine as we placed the liquid yeast in today.

The brew is now fermenting in our downstairs storage and we'll be checking it out in two weeks from today to give it some time to properly ferment.  We'll have an updated post on the bottling process when that comes around.  Until then, we'll be trying our IPA from our first batch of beer this weekend.  We'll post about the results and will likely be apologizing to our friends we'll be trying it with.  Here's to next time.  Brew you later.

First post, second batch

We're finally starting our Kolsch brew today and this is the 2nd batch of beer we've ever made.  The first was using the Brooklyn Brewing Company IPA set we got for our wedding.  For the Kolsch we're using a package of ingredients we got from the homebrewing store nearby and I'm liking this setup a lot better. 

With this batch we're using our new cooking pot for brewing that Kristi's parents got her for her birthday. Next week we get to try the IPA we bottled as it should be done carbonating by then.

So far this is an exciting experience and we're hoping to see where this leads.  My hope is to try as many styles throughout the year and eventually get a good enough hang on how to brew that we can start coming up with our own recipes.