I made my first steam beer about six months ago. It was my first brew of the year (not counting mead) and my first attempt at coming up with my own recipe. While there were a number of milestones that came with that brew, I wasn’t all that thrilled with the resulting beer. It wasn’t bad, but try as …

The brewing process for me often starts with a simple concept or core thematic element. It could be an ingredient, a style, or some other idea serving as the inspiration for the beer. In this case a recent thread in the HBT forums brought up the idea of an end of the world brew. According to some …

It’s been over a year since I’ve brewed something falling into the Belgian style category. My last attempt was a golden strong ale called Blonde Bombshell. It was also my second brewing experience ever. In the intervening time my knowledge and process has changed significantly. I’ve gone from …

As I’ve slowly worked my way through various new styles and ingredients to experiment with, fruit has long been on my list. I’ve been looking forward to making a beer featuring cherries for nearly a year now. The idea first came to me after seeing fresh ripe cherries at a local farmers market one …

Batch #12 – All Grain #7 One of my favorite batches to date has been my Strong Scotch Ale all-grain recipe. One of the signature characteristics of most Scottish ales is a deep, rich malt profile. The flavors often a result of early century procedures producing kettle-scortched wort, modern day …

Batch #11 – All Grain #6 I’m kicking off the 2011 brewing season with what I had anticipated on being my last brew of 2010. I was hoping to get this brew in before the end of the year. Unfortunately, an order shipment delay from MoreBeer followed by a month long chest cold and a grain mill debacle …

I’ve been wanting to branch out from beer and try my hand at brewing mead for quite a while. Other than the suggestion that a fermented alcoholic beverage made from honey and fruit sounds delicious, I really don’t know what I’m getting into. Given that I’m in completely unknown territory here, I …

Batch #9 – All Grain #5 It’s time for a new recipe and all new mistakes. This is batch #2 on my v3.0 brewing system – ninth overall since I started home brewing and the fifth all-grain. This time around I’m finally tackling something that I’ve been wanting to do for almost as long as I’ve been …

It’s been a few months since my last brew. Since then, I’ve moved into a new apartment (to be closer to my brewing assistant, of course). While I still have the kitchen space and stove capacity to do my brewing inside, I’ve decided to move my brewing out of the kitchen and into the back yard. This …

Batch #7 – All Grain #3 Brewed: 8-9-10 Grain Bill 15# Pale 2 Row .5# Aromatic .5# Biscuit .5# Caramunich .5# Special B Hop Schedule 1oz Chinook 11% AA @ 60 minutes 1oz Chinook 11% AA @ 45 minutes 1oz Chinook 11% AA @ 2 minutes 5/8oz Chinook 11% AA @ 2 weeks Yeast WLP001 Misc 3.5oz. American Oak …

Batch #6 – All Grain #2 (05-02-10) The American Homebrewers Association celebrates National Homebrew Day with an event called Big Brew. It is held on the first Saturday of May each year. The idea is that you get a group together and everyone around the world who is participating brews at the same …

Batch #5 – All Grain #1. Brewed: 04-04-10 This is my first all grain batch and my second to be kegged. I begin my recipe search as I most often do – by browsing the recipe database at HBT. Once again, I know I’m going to go with a recipe in a style I haven’t done before. This time I am picking the …

This is batch #3. My goal with each new batch of beer is to do something I’ve never done before. I use this experimentation as a way explore and learn about the world of beer and brewing. There are usually several new things that I introduce each time I brew, but overall I try to limit the variables …

So, technically, the brew was on the day after Valentine’s Day (or as it is affectionately known around the house since it coincides with the Chinese New Year, Loony FatChoyintine’s Day). The ingredients were sourced on the most special of holidays, though. Bell’s Two Hearted Ale is an IPA brewed by …

This is my second batch of craft home brewed beer. When I set out to pick the recipe this time around I had several goals in mind. Based on my experiences the first time, I knew I wanted to expand on the knowledge and techniques I had used so far. It needed to be an even bigger beer. Instead of …