Brewing Occurred 16 Oct 2004
|
| Steeping the Malted Barley: We started with all new equipment, having never done this sort of thing before. The pot was not sterilized because we were boiling stuff in it (but it did start clean), as dicteated by Brewmaster Blue Monkey. Starting with distilled water, we begin by steeping malted barley (1lb of 40L carmalized - whatever that means) in it as if it were two huge tea bags. We do this for a while, or until the proper color is achieved. This was done at about 175 deg. Don't forget to pound the crap out of it on the floor with a rubber mallet to crack the husks so it isn't as bitter (I'm not making this up man!) |
| Removing the spent Malted Barley: We then pull out these "tea bags", being careful to remove as much water as possible from them before discarding. |
| Boiling the Wort: At some point we add a carmelized malt (prefabricated malted barley reduced to a syrup-like consistency. Add two 3.3lb can. We chose Coppers Real Ale because we were making a Pale Ale. We boil the wort for for like an hour or somethin' (helps if you turn the flame knob on the stove the right way). |
| Mullet Blue Monkey and his Guiness Hat: Those things poke you in the eye. |
| Adding in the Hops: Hops are added for flavor, and historically as a preservative. We chose a combination of Pacific Northwest hops (for their rich flaver and aroma) and German (for their bitterness). Some of the hops are freeze dried and and are still leafy. Others are reduced to pellets and added as such. The timing of adding them is critical. We added a bunch at the begining of an hour of boiling, then another bunch (TBD which) for the final 20 minutes. |
| Brewmaster Stiring the Wort: Important to stir, or are we just bored? |
| Chilling the Wort: Since our boiling pot is not five gallons (our intended total fermentation is 5 gallons, or 48 12-oz beers, or 40 pints), we boil up something less than half that in a concetration, then add water (distilled) to the wort in the carboy for the total, unconctrated volume. Well, you can't poor all that boiling wort into the carboy at once, so you can either wait for it to cool, or chill it with ice in the sink, as we did. |
| Mixing the Yeast into the Wort: A small portion of yeast (what kind, how much, why) is mixed from a dry powder into a small (warmed?) solution and added to the wort. Here, the Brewmaster is gently mixing the yeast and wort by swirling the carboy. |
|
Brewing: At this point we have only to wait while the yeast ferments our beer. Much idle discussion is wasted upon the meaning of the whole endeavor. Here we have created a small world filled with the perfect resources for a population of yeast to devour. We are the gods of this world. We purposely introduced a species of creature to this Eden to achieve an end. Our purpose was for the yeast to reproduce, prosper, and consume the resources, in the process producing the byproducts of alcohol and carbon dioxide. The yeast did as the creators intended: prospered, reproduce, consumed, and died. Do you think the yeast pray to us?
"Our heavenly fathers, why have you forsaken us? Is there no more sugar to be had? Please hear our prayers, fathers." Did not our god(s) intend for us to reproduce and consume, with the intent of producing a byproduct for the god(s)? Would it not then be against our god(s)'s wishes to conserve? How can we know the will of the god(s)? |