Topic Archives: Home Brewing

Posted in Beer News

P.S. The White House Now Has Its Own Brewery

So President Obama’s campaign van is stocked with White House home brew. The current administration has been making various honey based ales over the past year or so.  Apparently, the White House churns out a good bit of home brew, as it has a small brewing facility.

Obama aides mentioned the existence of a small White House brewery during an election run in Iowa. The 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue brewery brews small batches for White House parties and special events.

Posted in Beer News, Red Brick Brewing

Red Brick Brewing & Taco Mac Hold Pro-Am Brewing Competition

Attention Home Brewers! It is time to get prepared for the Southern Brewer’s Challenge! In honor of National Home Brewing Month, please read the following announcement. This is your chance to enter a pro-am competition to have your recipe made by a commercial brewery, and sold at restaurants across the southeast. Here is how it works:

Taco Mac and Red Brick Brewing Co. have partnered up to help make one lucky home brewer’s dream come true. We will be receiving submissions throughout the month of July at specific Atlanta-area Taco Mac locations. Dates and locations will be listed below. Our judging panels, made up of representatives from Taco Mac and Red Brick, along with other Atlanta-area beer luminaries, will judge the submissions throughout the month of August. Once the winner has been announced, the brewery will take some time to fine tune the recipe to their brew system’s specifications. Once a final recipe is reached, the beer will go into production. The release date will be targeted for the very first opportunity in January, 2013.

Once the beer is available for sale at all area Taco Mac locations, the brewery will go back to work on another batch. This next batch will be bottled for a targeted launch in the spring of 2013. In fact, the release of the bottles (to be sold at area off-premise retail stores) will coincide with the announcement of the 2013 Southern Brewer’s Challenge. If this program is as successful as we expect, we will continue to do this every year.

The submissions will be at the following locations on the specified dates:

  • Monday, July 2nd at Taco Mac in Cumming and Peachtree City
  • Monday, July 9th at Taco Mac in Kennesaw and Buford
  • Monday, July 16th at Taco Mac at Prado and Metropolis
  • Monday, July 23rd at Taco Mac in Duluth and Crabapple
  • Monday, July 30th at Taco Mac at Windward Pkwy and Decatur

When planning out what you are going to submit, here are some things to think about:

  • No more than two styles per brewer.
  • The winning beer needs to be produced in a large quantity, so choose ingredients that are readily available.
  • Red Brick brews mostly ales, and in the interest of not tying up their equipment with a lengthy lagering process, ale styles would be preferred.

All submissions must have an accompanying info sheet, which will be provided at a later date. In addition, all submissions must be in the form of two bottles of twelve ounces each. No big bottles, no growlers, etc. Lastly, the submissions need to be received at the stores specified, on the dates specified, and between 5:00 pm and 8:00 pm. There will be someone on site to receive the samples during those times, which will prevent loss, breakage, or anything else that would prevent samples from getting to the tasting panel in tact. If you miss the submission date, you must choose a different location to drop off your beer. If you leave it at a location before or after the submission date and time, it will not get into the judging process.

Posted in Beer News

Cheesesteak Flavored Beer?

Cheesesteak BeerA New Jersey man is trying to make a beer that tastes like a cheesesteak.  Kirk Lavecchia is a homebrewer trying to do it.  The only things he’s tried thus far are old hops, & ribeye steak.  The project continues. Whiz with please.  (A real cheesesteak fan knows what that means.  [CBSPhilly]

Posted in Cool Stuff, Port Brewing Company

Homebrewers: Here’s The La Cruda Recipe

In honor of the re brew of La Cruda Porter for The National Homebrewers Conference this week, Port Brewing has released the scaled down (batch size) for La Cruda. Tomme Arthur got his start at Cervecerias La Cruda (The Hangover Brewery) in San Diego California.  La Cruda was a recipe from that era.  Below is recipe for your brewing pleasure.  Apparently this beer was one of the worst selling beer at the brewery, BUT a gold medal winner.

La Cruda Porter

A ProMash Recipe Report

Recipe Specifics
----------------

Batch Size (Gal):         5.00    Wort Size (Gal):    5.00
Total Grain (Lbs):       12.25
Anticipated OG:          1.065    Plato:             15.95
Anticipated SRM:          35.7
Anticipated IBU:          26.9
Brewhouse Efficiency:       75 %
Wort Boil Time:             90    Minutes

Grain/Extract/Sugar

   %     Amount     Name                          Origin        Potential SRM
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 81.6    10.00 lbs. Pale Malt(2-row)              America        1.036      2
  4.1     0.50 lbs. Crystal 75L                   Great Britian  1.034     75
  8.2     1.00 lbs. Crystal 150L                  Great Britain  1.033    150
  5.1     0.63 lbs. Chocolate Malt                Great Britain  1.034    400
  1.0     0.13 lbs. Roasted Barley                America        1.028    450

Potential represented as SG per pound per gallon.

Hops

   Amount     Name                              Form    Alpha  IBU  Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
  0.71 oz.    -Cascade - 2008                   Pellet   5.40  15.5  90 min.
  0.81 oz.    -Mt. Hood                         Pellet   4.40  10.4  30 min.
  1.34 oz.    Tettnanger                        Pellet   4.50   1.0  1 min.

Yeast
-----

White Labs WLP028 Edinburgh Ale

Mash Schedule
-------------

Mash Type: Single Step

Grain Lbs:   12.25
Water Qts:   16.00 - Before Additional Infusions
Water Gal:    4.00 - Before Additional Infusions

Qts Water Per Lbs Grain: 1.31 - Before Additional Infusions

Saccharification Rest Temp : 152  Time:  60
Mash-out Rest Temp :         165  Time:  10
Sparge Temp :                170  Time:   0

Total Mash Volume Gal: 4.98 - Dough-In Infusion Only

All temperature measurements are degrees Fahrenheit.

 

Posted in Cool Stuff, Videos

Your Own Brewery For Under 5 Grand

Who needs a Mr. Beer kit when you too can own this appliance that can do it all.  The WilliamsWarn Personal Brewery is an all inclusive home brewing system.  The unit comprises a brewing tank, refrigeration system and ergonomically designed dashboard panel.  Not only does it brew, but there is even an attached CO2 draft system.  The ingredient kits allow you to make over 70 different styles in all 23 BJCP categories.  Total output is over 5 U.S. gallons at a time.  The company is based in New Zealand.  The system will set you back just under $4,500 dollars.  The video explains it all <WilliamsWarn>

The WilliamsWarn Personal Brewery from WilliamsWarn on Vimeo.

Posted in Cool Stuff

Home Brewing Seriousified

Synergy Home Brewing Setup

Synergy Home Brewing Setup

Yeah, you could go to Home Depot and piecemeal together a home brewing set up.  But you have a few thousand dollars burning a hole in your pocket and can’t be bothered with that.  That’s where this set up comes in.  Take your all grain brewing to the next level with  Synergy Brew’s 15 gallon system.

The 2-tier setup features (2) 155,000 BTU burners, mashtun with false bottom, brew kettle, & hot liquor tank.  There is a shelf for pumps & wort chillers, and removable top-tier to set up second boil.  Total brew volume – 15 U.S. gallons.

This system will run you 1,895.00.  One is available from Etsy.  Check out the whole description. Not rich enough?  Find some friends. Get Brewing. <Etsy>

Posted in Cool Stuff, Hinterland Brewery

Obama Super Bowl Party Included Home Brew

Yesterday President Obama held a party in the White House for the Super Bowl.  Unlike his Presidential Beer Summit, this party included craft beer, AND get this – home brew.  That’s right, home brew.

The home brew was a White House Honey Ale, brewed with 1 lb of honey from the White House bee hive.  (I didn’t know there was a WH Bee Hive).  In addition to the Honey Ale, beers from both Packer & Steeler country were featured.  From Pennsylvania – Yuengling Lager & Yuengling Light Lager. (I would have figured Iron City.  That beer is huge in Pittsburgh).   From Wisconsin, Hinterland Brewery. Hinterland provided their Pale Ale, Amber Ale, & Luna Stout.

Side Notes: Obama backed the Steelers. Oh, and J-Lo was there.

Read More about the Party —> ObamaFoodoRama.Blogspot.com

*Photo by Pete Souza/White House