I have to say it’s fantastic to be back brewing in my apartment. Three months of empty carboys is really a sad sight. Fortunately, last week I was able to crank out not one, but TWO brew days! SMaSH Session Saison The first brew day was a session-style saison using a SMaSH recipe in which … Continue reading
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
It’s been about a month since the Fall Equinox, and the days are noticeably shorter. Although it’s still 80+F in Austin, I’m sure many readers are experiencing noticeably cooler weather as well. I’m finally back after another short hiatus, and have wrapped up my travels for awhile. In this AHB blog post, I’ll provide some … 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
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been tweaking my brewing process. As such, I recently updated my brewing equipment. No longer am I a carboy shaker and ice bath maker as I’ve acquired an oxygen system and wort chiller. To test out the new goods, I decided to make an extract beer to cut out … Continue reading
After 3 weeks of fermentation and 1 month of lagering, the Session Helles is wonderful and incredibly refreshing. Intended to grow lager yeast for future batches, this small batch re-brew of a session-style Munich Helles came out great. A review and recipe below. Cheers, and happy brewing! Review Pouring into a teacup, the Session Helles … 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
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
The Apartment Homebrewer 