Almost three months since brew day, the California Common is nearly gone. Having saved the San Francisco lager yeast from the SMaSH Blonde I served at the Zealots summer picnic, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to make a California Common for the fall season. While sadly I’m almost out of this fantastic … Continue reading
Many of my readers may be wondering where I am? No posts in over two weeks, WTF mate! Well, between travels, graduate school and conferences, life has certainly diminished the brewing operations in my apartment. Not to worry! While the busy times are still here for the month or so, I’m actively getting back into … Continue reading
After many months of lagering in keg, my June-brewed German Pilsner is very nice. SMaSH in recipe, this hop-forward, session-style lager shines with simplicity. Like its cousin, Session Helles, this small, 2.5 gallon batch was intended to grow lager yeast for the 2014 Fall German Lagers. My only wish was that I had more than … Continue reading
Recently, I obtained a sack of floor-malted Czech pilsner malt from Adelbert’s Brewery in Austin, TX. Having never used this malt before, I brewed up a small, three gallon test batch to get a better understanding of its malt character. Similarly, wanting to know more about the Wyeast California Lager yeast character and Hersbrucker hops, … Continue reading
After 2 weeks of fermentation, 5 days of dry hopping, and 2 months of keg conditioning, the Farmhouse IPA is tasting great. Beginning in late spring with the onset of hot Texas weather, I was inspired to make a hop-forward saison-like beer for the summertime. Detailed in the brew day post, anticipating ultra-high attenuation of … Continue reading
On Sunday, the last of the Fall 2014 German lagers was finished brewing; at present, only fermentation and packaging are left. As seen in the picture, both the 2014 Summer Solstice Helles Bock and Oktoberfest fermentations have visibly slowed, while the Schwarzbier, brewed on Sunday, is at high krausen. To my knowledge, I’ve never seen … Continue reading
Having washed the yeast from the primary fermentation of the Barrel Project Sour Saison in April, I was keen to make another saison-like beer for the summertime. Along with being on a hop-kick, I was inspired to make a hoppy farmhouse ale of sorts. Anticipating the ultra-high attenuation of Wyeast French Saison, I designed a … Continue reading
After 3 weeks of fermentation and 5 days of dry hopping, the Farmhouse IPA is finished. Inspired by Michael Tonsmeire of the Mad Fermentationist blog, the Hoppy Saison is mostly a traditional saison, but with loads of Saaz, totalling 4 oz in late and dry hop additions. The yeast was saved from the primary fermentation of … Continue reading
One month since brew day, the Falconer’s Flight APA, an American-style pale ale using Falconer’s Flight hop blend, has finished fermentation, kegged, and is tasting nice. This APA came out great, with the late hopping of the Falconer’s Flight really pronounced. A review and recipe below. Cheers and happy brewing! Review Pouring into a tulip … Continue reading
Summer has arrived in Texas, and thankfully the end of academic year craziness is slowing. That means time to brew! The saison I brewed in April finished fermenting and is stored somewhere special. To give a hint: don’t expect tasting notes anytime soon, perhaps next year, although do expect a blog post very soon on … Continue reading
The Apartment Homebrewer 