Friday, December 31, 2010

Riverhorse Brewing. Lambertville,NJ

"The Boss" pointed out that River Horse is in Lambertville, NJ...Just across the river (literally) from New Hope. "So let's see if they're open". And....well....more beer! Good tasting and a self guided tour. Cool place and great beers....




Aren't they all!

The Brewhouse.
Fermentation room
Bottling line.

Bottles....
Nice swag.

Triumph Brewing - New Hope, PA

Another Roadtrip. New Hope, PA. Triumph Brewing. Some great beers and food. Happy New Year...New Zealand. (We were there around noon.)

The line-up.
The Sampler.
Nice looking brewhouse.
The Strong Ale. From the beer engine.
New Hope. Old Time Train and station.
Woooo Wooooo!


Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Bottled the Lake Effect!

Bottled the Lake Effect! tonight. Taste was roasty, malty and.....strong. A little age will meld it all together. Final gravity brought the ABV to about 7.9% !!! Now that will warm you up on a cold winter night.

Hey...I finally got in one of my photos.
Dark and malty.

Prepping for bottling.
42 bottles of 2 sizes....


Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Lake Effect! Winter Warmer

Brewed a winter warmer yesterday. Lake Effect! It is a beer specially brewed for a February trip to Cooperstown. (and Ommegang).

Cold day in NJ.
Nice blend of barley
Mash.

I broadcast live on the internet....

2 types of hops....(3 different additions)
A bit breezy....wind blocker in place
Sparging
Running off the good stuff.
3 tier brewing....
Grains all rinsed.
Full brewpot
Boiling...
Boils done....chillin'
Transfer to the fermenter.
Next day.....fermenting well....
Couple weeks here....a few weeks to age and...mmmmmm....

Monday, December 13, 2010

Brewing live on line

I am brewing on line today....

http://j-tv.me/dVQaD5

access code: fylsbrewing

Winter warmer.... Lake Effect!

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Next up....a winter warmer

Brewing a special beer for a trip to Cooperstown in February. Figure it is going to be cold...gonna need a warmer. Got the ingredients tonight. Working on a Pyramid Snowcap clone.... Yeast starter tomorrow...brewing on Sunday....

Bottled the Barleywine....11% !!!

Bottled the Barleywine today. Nice malt flavor, great color, a tad sweet and oh yeah a bit hot. Put 40 bottles in a couple boxes and stowed them. Will check on them in 6 months. Should mellow along the way....

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Mokah! Holy Crap!

So, we went to Maloney's in Matawan,NJ. Best beer bar I've been to in NJ. A crap load of craft brews on tap.

I had read the top 25 best beers list by Wine Spectator. (now what would they know about beers......)

So when I walked in and saw Mokah on tap, I just ordered it....remembering it was on the list but not the details.

Mokah, a stout brewed with chocolate & coffee. Wow...10.9%. Smooth, deep, rich....mmmmm. Should get a couple bottles and age for a couple years...it can only get even better......

The place and the beer, both highly recommended. (just had pizza...can't speak for the food).

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Krogh's Brewpub

ROADTRIP! Krogh's in Sparta,NJ...it was a bit of a ride, but well worth it. GREAT Food, everyone concurred. Good beers. Clean, well brewed, great taste. No extreme beers. Was excited to try their seasonal. Celebration Ale. BUT, no real spices. A good strong dark ale...but celebration....maybe.... Would have liked something with a bit more excitement. Still, well worth the trip... Highly recommended.


Sparta, NJ....right on Lake Mohawk.
A nice variety of beers.
Seven position sampler.
Squinty???
the food was great.
Burger was excellent.
Ooops. What happened to the beer?
Like cleanin my plate... I clean my glasses.
They gave us only a little tiny peak at the brewing equipment....
huh?
I get that one...
On the lake...

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Porter Family Update....remember them?

So I took out a couple of the Porter Family members. Raspberry and Cherry. They are over a year old!

First up, Cherry. Good malty, smooth taste. Not much cherry scent, no real fruit taste at all. Tasted like a nice porter.

Second. Raspberry. MMMmmmmm. Smelled great right out of the bottle. Good head, nice color and body. A little bitter taste in the mouth. Not as smooth. Drinkable, but as my assistant brewer said..."I'd have a small one"... Sadly...I agree. Think I should have finished it sooner...the fruit didn't hold up....

Hmmmm. Next up Coffee and Chipotle...(if I haven't drunk them all).

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Fermentation Update!

So...let's start with the Ciders. Cider #1, fermenting with only the wild yeast, is still fermenting slowly. It is crystal clear. Cider #2 with Wyeast Cider yeast is actually fermenting even slower. It is getting clearer, but still has a ways to go. Gonna let them go for another couple weeks and see how they are going.

The Barley Wine is done fermenting. It still has a schmoots on top, but it also has a large yeast cake at the bottom. Gonna leave it for a while to let the yeast clean up a bit. I do need to check the gravity to verify the completeness of the fermentation.

Decided to bottle the BW in EZcap bottles..... 16oz. Share size bottles.....

Baltic Thunder

Felt the need for a big beer. I got a Victory Baltic Thunder. Mmmmm. Great color, malty taste and 8.5%. Yum.

Monday, November 22, 2010

Barleywine in the Fermenter!

Ok. I finally got to brew the barleywine. It is in the fermenter and bubbling away.

The hops
22.5 pounds of grain
Mashing in.

sparging...

and the boil.

Used a stepped up yeast starter. Big beers need lots of good yeast.

and the chiller.....well....chilling.
Transfer to the fermenter
All ready to move to the fermentation room...