Racking of the Wine

Well I finally racked off the Peach Wine yesterday and it is tasting awesome! The SG was at 1.006 but I decided to rack it off and get it off the lees. The last thing we need is off flavors from the spent yeast and lees. The picture shows the wine in the secondary carboy after racking. It will remain there until more sediment is thrown then we will rack it off again. All the sugar syrup is in now so it becomes a waiting game at this point.

Howies Celebration and the New Castle Clone have started their second week of cold conditioning in the kegerator and will be ready to try out soon. Hopefully just in time for my birthday which is on Sept 7th!

Also, the IPA and the Scottish ale is still under their secondary fermentation cycle, with the IPA it is week 2, and the scottish ale it is week 1.

I am plannning another batch or two of wine to be made as well but I am undecided as to what kind to make. Maybe a nice Zin and a Merlot. We'll see.

Well thats it for now...
Keep brewing and thanks for stopping by!
cheers!

Volcanic Eruption and Bathtub Beer!

Well the Scottish Strong Ale has been brewed as of last Sat. and it was a lot of fun to create! I first created a 1/2 gal yeast starter on Thurs night, and when it was added to the primary fermentor it took off like a rocket! The picture on this post was taken less than 12 hours into the fermentation and I had to remove the air lock and add a blow-off tube! Today I have taken the blow-off tube off and replaced with the air lock. It is really chugging along! On the other pic, it show the IPA that was brewed after I racked it into the secondary (5 gal carboy). I use the second bathroom's tub in our home to keep the fermentating temp at 70 deg F. The home is air conditioned at 74 deg F and having the carboys wrapped with wet towels, the temp stays at 70 deg F! Just perfect! With this last brew session, I will have a total of 20 gallons of beer on tap soon and of 4 different styles! I still have room for more, and I will continue to brew the backup beers as we go along. the Oatmeal stout will be next, and I will keg this brew into (2) three gallon kegs that I have just purchased. This will allow me to have one 3 gallon keg on tap while the other can be put away for future consumption. The wife is wanting me to make some root beer for her, so I guess I better do that real soon!
Well that's about all I have for now. Until later....
nos strovia! (sp??)

Another Brew Day!

Yep!! Tomorrow will be another brew day for us. I'll be brewing the Classic Strong Scotch Ale. I have already created the starter as shown in the photo, and it looks like we're off to a great start!
To get the recipe and directions for this brew, click here.

Howies' Celebration Bier and the New Castle Brown Ale Clone will have been carbonating for 3 weeks this Sunday, and I will wait another week before I enter the kegs into the kegerator for more cold conditioning. (3 weeks worth). Then after that we'll just have to crack into these baby's and give it a go! I'll have a photo or 2 of these finished brews and a full taste report when the time comes.

I will also have to rack off the IPA we made last week on Sunday into the secondary 5 gal carboy, and will let it ferment out and clear for 3-4 weeks.

The Peach Wine is still fermenting and when it reaches a gravity of 10 or less, I will rack that off into the secondary to let it mature and clear.

I am already planning the next 3 brews to be made. A classic Oatmeal Stout, a Rasberry Wheat Wiezen, and the first lager of the season which will be announced later. Also will be making some more wine soon as well. More on this later.

I will post an update on tomorrow's brewing session when finished, and will try to furnish a photo or 2.

Until then....down the hatch!

IPA Brew Day.

Well we finally brewed the IPA last Sunday and it went very well. I started the yeast starter on Friday night and by Sunday it was more than ready to use. The entire brewing process took about 5.5 hours and went very smoothly. My neighbor Dennis came by to lend a hand and have a few brews as well. 24 hours have gone by, and the fermentation has really taken off! It smells great too. And what better way to conclude and celebrate America Beer Month by brewing the beer of the week, the IPA! What a way to go.

I have just added the last of the sugar syrup to the peach wine. I also had a small sample, and it tastes great but a bit young. This wine has a ways to go before I can even offer it to someone. Fermentation should resume within the next 24 hours. I will let it ferment out and clear, (around 3 months), then rack it into a secondary 3 gal carboy for further conditioning, and maybe we can get it bottled in time for Christmas! This wine should be aged in the bottle for as long as you can stand to look at it! (we're talking months here) and then some!!

Plans are on the calendar to brew the Scottish Classic Red Ale for this coming weekend, weather permitting. We'll be using a partial mash schedule, and I'll be posting the directions and the recipe soon. I am also drafting plans for an E-Book that I will be authoring soon. It may take a while to get it all together, so don't hold your breath!
Well...gotta run...and please feel free to leave your comments!
cheers!