Saltwater Farm, spring tasting

Esther and I made the trip down to Stonington, CT yet again yesterday afternoon as we were attending a private tasting at Saltwater Farm Vineyard. Every time we return, we reaffirm the reason why we married there; it is a place of simple beauty, filled with the quiet wonders of the natural world and the warm hearts that are attracted to the place. It is a place we will be able to visit often and experience the freedom of leaving behind much of the distracting noise that can come with business of life, slow down the pace a bit, and focus on our own quiet, natural wonders.

Since the fall harvest at the vineyard, I have made continual, albeit slow progress. Working to assemble some film that I shot of that day, teaching myself the software, the process, all the while hoping that that (today's interpretation of an) austere timelessness of the harvest would translate to the finished piece. Throughout the process, it let me return to that place, over and over again, those moments which inspire me...which inspires us, not only to create something for today, but with a hopeful eye toward what will be built in the future together.

Stonginton Pale Ale: September Pick on justinmarantz.com

This was a fun find...

Wood beer cases: Image transfer, bumble+pot&kettle

Some pictures from today

• finished the image transfer on to the wood beer cases for bumble and pot&kettle
• labelled a few more of the pot&kettle bottles
• black wax dipped 'em, too

J and I found that we needed to dip the bottlecap a couple times, so the teeth didn't show through the wax too prominently. The wax seemed to coat much much thinner, requiring three dips vs two, when it was fresh out of the microwave (hot) vs. cooled a bit to room temp.

Stonginton Pale Ale: First Tasting

At last, the final test bottle of the wedding beers has been cracked, and the good news is...it is downright tasty. The Stonington Pale Ale is my first stab at the APA style, but I gotta say, it is right on the mark. The beautiful orange color, a bit hazy from the hops. Nice sticky creamy head, stands about two inches, and clings to the glass. Grapefruit/tangerine on the nose and taste, with just a touch of pine/resin, and a clean crisp mouthfeel. Very dry, just a little sweetness, but this beer won't leave you feeling full...you'll want another one. The clean bitterness comes in at the end, snapping the palate shut. I was concerned about the Zeus adding a harshness, but my fears have been quelled. I project the maltiness may come out a bit more in the next few weeks of conditioning in the temp controlled bedroom, but the hops are just where I want 'em.

A few seconds after the swallow, you find yourself wanting that next mouthfull. This ale is just south of an IPA, in the west coast style in the bitterness and abv department, it should be quite the hit with the beer fans at the wedding.

Success!

I also stuck on the labels that arrived from sheetlabels.com while I was in Europe two weeks ago. Very happy with them, terrific print job, and the waterproof ink and adhesive will stand up to the ice bath these beers will be subjected to at the wedding. Here's a little shot of the newly branded bottles standing proudly on their matching Stonington Pale Ale wood beer case.

Wood beer cases: Another Production Update

As I set up the kitchen counter to begin the image transfers on to the Stonington Pale Ale wood beer cases, Esther cracked a 1 1/4 year old breakfast stout tonight. While I don't have the record of the recipe in my notes, I do remember this was one of my first partial mash batches, where I used 1lb of oatmeal, 3 or 4 lbs of 2 row, probably ~2lbs of various roasted specialty grain, 6lbs of dark LME (ducks for cover), and British ale yeast. Aged on ~6oz of cracked coffee beans in the secondary for 1 month. And sitting quietly, covertly, undisturbed underneath several cases of empty bottles. I mistook the bottom case to be also empty, having thought the last bottle breakfast stout was consumed over 6 months ago. What a happy find.

So, yes, Esther cracked that bottle tonight. Y'know...to help complete the quest for five cases worth of empty 12oz longneck brown beer bottles needed to bottle the pale ale this Friday. But, the stout is now in its prime, any harshness that was present in the earlier part of its life, is now completely mellowed out to satisfying and rich, but smooth roasted stout goodness. Beautiful cappucino colored head that falls to a small, but tight creamy cap. Beautiful stuff, even at the end of a hot August day.

Anyway, back to the reason I'm posting tonight...the image transfers. I didn't know how long the blender pen would last, but tonight, I found out...it lasted for what would be the equivalent of 4 cases, or 8 relatively large transfers. So, we'll have to go out and get more to finish the rest of the cases (9 more!? ...sheesh, who's idea was this anyway), but I hope you'll agree, the results are exactly what I was hoping for. Took me ~1.5 hours to do the cases tonight, but that included stopping for dinner, unpacking and repacking the cases w/ bottles, a moment or two for some admiration, and the vastly improved photo snapping (more on that later).

Stonginton Pale Ale: Dry Hopping!

Dumped 1.5 ozs each of Centennial, Cascade and Simcoe leaf hops on to the 10 gallons of Stonington Pale Ale last night. Hoping to punch up the American hops aroma with these additions.

Best man Jason was in attendance. Made an impromptu dinner of chili powder crushed pork tenderloin with lignonberry balsamic chutney (inspired by the rodenbach below), roasted small potatoes, and broccoli.

We were semi-celebrating his last standardized test for life and, as we commonly do when we get together, we cracked some beers that we've been meaning to sample together:

• Westy Blonde
• Ommegang Hennepin from our man date
• Rodenbach Grand Cru
• Triple IPA
• sampler bottle of pot & kettle

To cap off the night, we...uh...dry hopped:

Wood beer cases: Production update

My pop and Uncle Richard have been busy working on the cases on this rainy day.

5- 12oz bottle cases: done

4- 22oz bottle cases: done

750ml champagne cases: all wood cut, first box assembled in process, scheduled to be done next week

Wedding beer: Label Update (almost done...)

Kevin cranked out more work on the labels last night, bringing more continuity to the 'branding' between the three.

We are 99.9% of the way there, just a few minor tweaks, and I'll be able to send them off for printing.

Speaking of which, I've been getting quotes from sheetlabels.com, noting that I'll need for the ink and the labels themselves to be waterproof, as they'll be sitting in an ice bath prior to serving. I'll have to go with one of their standard sizes, as otherwise I'd incure a $275 one time set up fee (ouch).

But first, Kev and I will need to finish that last .1%, then upload the images to sheetlabels.com

...getting closer!

Wood beer cases: Production update

My pop and uncle kicked production of the wooden beer cases in to high gear yesterday.

They are slated to make:

5- Standard beer case size: 24-12oz (Stonington Pale Ale)

4- Bomber size: 12-22oz (pot & kettle)

4- Champagne size: 12-750ml (Bumble)

I decided that I was going to have to bite the bullet and bottle the Stonington Pale Ale in 12oz bottles vs. 22's. I just won't be able to get enough 22's to meet the 50+ bottle quota in time for the projected bottling timeline.

They've cranked out the 5 standard size cases, and have cut all the pieces for the bomber cases. Couple changes from the prototype:

1. They tweaked the dimension from the plans we found on the net (the inside of the box was too large)

2. They switched from screws to 'grip' nails (not sure what the correct term is, these nails have teeth that prevent them from sliding out).

3. They are using rough hewn wood vs. planed/sanded wood, for a less machined, more rustic/hand finished look. Plus, its less work for them, so it works out great for all of us.

Here are a couple pics of the stacked standard cases:

...and a couple shots of the first bomber case:

Wood beer cases: Image transfer on to wood

A graphic designer and all around artistic friend of mine clued me in to the technique of transferring images from a laser print/photocopy with a 'blender marker'. Esther kept this in mind and picked up the Chartpak blender pen from Blick at the Landmark Center in the Fens.

The technique was very easy...

1. Print out the image (in reverse, VERY IMPORTANT, you'll see why...)

2. Use some easily removable tape to fix the printout in place

3. Use the blender marker to wet the area you wish to transfer. I noticed if you are heavy handed and use too much (three or four passes vs. one or two), the laser toner tends to run a bit, especially in the porous wood. this might be OK/preferable, if you are looking for a more rustic look.

4. Burnish the area with the back of spoon. You don't need to press too hard, just enough to ensure good contact with the dissolved toner and the wood.

5. Work in small area 'batches' ...the transfer will only work if the paper is wet with the marker's solvent.

Proof of concept achieved! ...I'll just be sure to print the images out flipped 180degrees next time. Oops.

The original idea was the trace the transferred image with a wood burning tool, and I still might do that, but this looks pretty darn good, and the results are achieved pretty quickly, too.

Stonington Pale Ale

The last of the wedding beers...Stonington Pale Ale. Phew. Brewing 10 gallon batches in my kitchen is a challenge, and I was reminded how much easier a 5 gallon batch is when I brewed Kevin's lemon.

Its intended to be a crowd pleaser, a quaffable, but still characterful american pale ale. This ale is plainly named after the seaside town in which we'll be married.

This beer will have a relatively clean yeast profile, a touch of malt sweetness/richness from the crystal and Golden Promise english malt...but that'll be in the background, really looked to showcase the american hops (Zeus, Centennial, Cascade, Simcoe). Well, I guess this beer is halfway between an APA and an IPA...with ~50IBUs, hopefully it won't come across as 'unbalanced' ...y'know... beyond what Americans typically like in their hoppy beers.

Given that its a relatively light color (7.7SRM), I threw in the whirlfloc tabs with 10minutes left in the boil. I'm always impressed with the egg-drop soup like protein coagulation that happens from this stuff.

...~36 hours after pitching, the fermenting beer is like a lava-lamp of trub-y fascination

Hopefully this one ferments quick and clean on the cool side (~68F), and the timing will work out so I can use some homegrown hops to throw in to dry hop in about 5 days. Also planning to top crop harvest some of the chico strain to start up the frozen yeast bank.

More on that later...now, on to the recipe:

Type: All Grain	Date: 7/19/2009
Batch Size: 10.00 gal	Brewer: JC
Boil Size: 11.45 gal	Asst Brewer:
Boil Time: 60 min	Equipment: My Equipment
Ingredients
Amount Item Type % or IBU 21 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) UK (3.0 SRM) Grain 84.00 % 3 lbs Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 12.00 % 1 lbs Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40.0 SRM) Grain 4.00 % 1.50 oz Zeus [16.40 %] (60 min) Hops 36.7 IBU 1.50 oz Centennial [9.00 %] (Dry Hop 14 days) Hops - 1.50 oz Cascade [7.20 %] (Dry Hop 14 days) Hops - 1.50 oz Simcoe [12.90 %] (Dry Hop 14 days) Hops - 1.00 oz Cascade [7.20 %] (20 min) Hops 6.5 IBU 1.00 oz Simcoe [12.90 %] (20 min) Hops 11.7 IBU 2.00 items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 15.0 min) Misc 2 Pkgs Fermentis American Ale (Fermentis #US-05) Yeast-Ale
Beer Profile
Est Original Gravity: 1.062 SG	Measured Original Gravity: SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.018 SG	Measured Final Gravity: SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 5.77 %	Actual Alcohol by Vol: %
Bitterness: 54.8 IBU	Calories: 271 cal/pint
Est Color: 7.7 SRM	Color:

pot&kettle oatmeal stout, tasting

Poured the sample bottle of pot&kettle tonight, just as I finished up capping the 2nd 5 gallons of it.

So, yeah, I had to bottle the 1st half, in order to get it out of the non-airlocked fermentor, and put the 2nd half in to a 5 gallon carboy, while I wrangled up enough 22 oz bottles (a total of 54) without any paint (ala stone or rogue) to finish the job. Thanks to Brendan, Kevin, Jason, Esther, Renee and Javi for their efforts. Difficult work, indeed.

I'm happy to report excellent success on the 2nd of the wedding beers as well. Though still a bit 'green', this beer is already quite enjoyable in its roasty smoothness that defines the oatmeal stout style. Pulled the 6oz bottle from the fridge and set on the counter to come up from the chilly temps. Adequate but not prickly carbonation. Pours what appears to be a viscous deep black color, darkest of ruby highlights toward the edges with minimal head (for now...more will develop with time *hope, hope*). Dark french roast coffee and almost a silky, smoky taste and moutfeel is deeply satisfying, even if it is mid-July. Reminisce of a great espresso, with just a bit of turbinado sugar to cut the acid and acridity. The finish is actually pretty clean, and good attenuation was clearly achieved by the Nottingham yeast.

I'm glad we've got another month-plus to go to let this one mature a bit more, to continue to develop and round out any remaining rough edges.

Now, for the glamour shots (click on 'em):

Beer cases

Earlier this week, my pop and Uncle Rich put together the prototype of a wooden beer case. The idea is to have family-made, handcrafted cases to really add another great level/complete the presentation of the wedding beers.

The wood to be used for these cases are made from wide solid white pine planks, milled from trees that were cut down on Rich's property. I do hope we can display these in such a way to proudly show their much-appreciated contribution. This is really what our day is all about for us... a generous and thoughtful addition, that, taken together, makes the day that much more uniquely about us and the people that we love. Things like this mean so much to the both of us. A 'detail' that can't be bought in a store, things that people rarely have the time or energy for in these yeah, we have 927 channels, but still nothin' good on TV days.

The cases are made from 3/4 inch solid white pine, and has a recessed bottom and four corner brackets that will allow the cases to be very securely stacked. Hand sized holes have been cut and smoothly sanded into the sides, and we plan to finish these with a burned-in (soon to be finished) logo and a good rub down with tung oil, to preserve and protect the wood, but also to highlight the natural beauty by adding richness and depth. Over time, a light patina will develop, somewhat like the old Brooklyn Edelbrew breweriana beer case from my Pepere that's occupied my living room for the past 8+ years.

Anyway, I proudly leave you with my pop (on the right) and my uncle, at the Sticks and Stones workshop.

pot&kettle, flip the script

hmmm, maybe i can flip the script on the pot&kettle label, play up the ultra darkness (56.9SRM) of the beer...I like it. alot.

Wedding beer: Label Update

Spent more time with Kevin, working on refining the beer label concepts for the wedding.

We are getting pretty close on these, I think...but, please send me your constructive feedback, its much appreciated.

bumble

pot&kettle

to-be-brewed stonington pale ale

Wedding Beer Poll-Winner Announced, and then brewed

By a razor-thin margin, the oatmeal stout edged the Belgian dubbel for the 3rd wedding beer style in the open poll that's been open for quite some time. I wanted to get this beer brewed and in the bottle to allow for conditioning to allow the beer to slowly improve.

There may have been some ballot box stuffing toward the end of the vote, but lets just say, the best man and bride-to-be had a vested interest in the outcome.



The oatmeal stout was another early favorite of Esther's, who's also a fan of Sam Smith's take on the style.

The 10 gallon batch that was brewed for the wedding was an expanded all grain version of the extract Midwest kit I brewed early in my brewing days.

Pot and Kettle Black (Oatmeal Stout)

Type: All Grain
Date: 6/21/2009
Batch Size: 10.00 gal
Brewer: JC

Ass't Brewer: Esther
Boil Size: 11.45 gal
Boil Time: 60 min

18 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 66.67 %
3 lbs Oats, Flaked (1.0 SRM) Grain 11.11 %
2 lbs Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) Grain 7.41 %
2 lbs Roasted Barley (300.0 SRM) Grain 7.41 %
1 lbs Black (Debittered) Malt (500.0 SRM) Grain 3.70 %
1 lbs Special B Malt (180.0 SRM) Grain 3.70 %
1.50 oz Zeus [14.00 %] (60 min) Hops 34.1 IBU
1.00 oz Williamette [5.50 %] (20 min) Hops 5.4 IBU
1.00 oz Williamette [5.50 %] (5 min) Hops 1.8 IBU
1 Pkgs Nottingham Yeast (Lallemand #-) Yeast-Ale

Est Original Gravity: 1.065 SG
Measured Original Gravity: 1.067 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.015 SG
Measured Final Gravity:
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 6.44 %
Actual Alcohol by Vol:
Bitterness: 41.3 IBU
Calories: 303 cal/pint
Est Color: 56.9 SRM

Wedding Beers: Belgian Honey Wit - FirstTasting

Cracked the 6 oz. sample bottle of the Belgian Honey Wit last night.

I usually will save the dregs from the bottling bucket and fill up a 6 oz. old fashioned clear coke bottle. This last bit from the bucket always has a ton of sediment in it, that would otherwise just go down the drain. This small taste + clear glass can provide the early glimpse to satisfy the curiosity of how the batch turned out (taste, mouthfeel, carbonation levels, clarity/turbity, color, yeast sedimentation, etc.) , without needing to 'waste' a whole bottle. I cracked the test bottle after it spend 5 days in the fridge. I was prepping dinner for Esther and Jen, so you'll see some fresh garlic scapes and monkfish (I think monkfish will be our fish selection for the wedding) in the foreground.



Well, in this case, this 6 oz taste left me wanting...more. Poured in to the Hennepin glass I acquired in my trip to Ommegang this past spring. The orange zest and coriander are hiding in the aroma and flavor. The frothy tight head (which will likely only improve with a bit of aging) paired with the glowing hazy orange color is quite nice. Aside from the appearnace, its actually very reminscent of Allagash White. Subtle spicing, earthy/phenolic Belgian wit yeast, and wheaty/smooth mouthfeel. Honey dries the body out, but really adds another level of raw honey wildflower spice. Satisfying and thirst quenching. Will the 10 gallon batch last the night?

I have my doubts...maybe I should make more?

Belgian Honey Wit-The First of 3 Wedding Beers

The first wedding beer was brewed on Sunday, 18May2009. Right on schedule!

This style is among Esther's favorites, so she didn't even hesitate when I asked her opinion on which styles she'd like for me include in the selection for our day. I'll get around to uploading the recipe, but for now I'll leave you with some pictures from the day.

I went with the same yeast I used in the original brew, Wyeast Witbier 3944. Here's a pic of the DME+water heating up on the stove. I stepped it up twice to make sure I had an adequate healthy starter to brew the 10 gallons of wort, which is officially the largest single batch I've made at one time. I actually can't believe that I was able to do this on my electric stovetop!

Here's a quick pic of some of what will give this beer its subtley spicey character (aside from the yeast, of course). 4lbs of Boston area raw/unfiltered honey, coriander, grains of paradise, sweet orange zest, and mt. hood + organic hallertauer whole hops.

I used flaked wheat, and made sure it was well gelatinized before adding it to the mash. When it came time to lauter, I had a super slo-mo thing going on. my sparge water probably wasn't hot enough, and the mash was too viscous. I just kept adding more sparge water and stirring stirring stirring, until it finally started to flow. Probably added about an hour to my brew day. I think I really need to upgrade to a 10gallon cooler for my mash tun...the 7.5 gallon stainless didn't allow enough room, especially for such a viscous wort.



My sister Elise and her boyfriend Drew made an appearance on brew day. Drew brought a freshly baked loaf of fantastic flax and wheat bread...went perfectly with the scrambled eggs (goat cheese, parmesan, onion, garlic, tomato) and applewood smoked Niman Ranch bacon. I practiced portion control by only making 7 strips. I could have easily eated a 1/2 lb of the stuff on my own...

The breakfast got Elise feeling extra energetic, and got her wondering how well her new(ish) weight training routine has been pumping up her guns.

Well, darnit...they are getting seriously gunned up. See:?


The boil went pretty well, and the spice additions made this wort smell fantastic. I cooled it down with my wimpy 25ft copper immersion cooler, aerated and am using the 50liter reactor for primary. I had collected about 2 gallons of the last runnings in a seperate kettle which I cooled to ~170, then added the 4lbs of honey, held it for about 10 minutes to de-bug it. Such a huge difference from typical grocery store honey. Amazingly complex and fragrant.

I filled the big reactor in place in the spare bathroom tub. I don't think I would have carried it (safely) after it was filled up.



I was woken up the next AM at 5 by the sound of someone blowing their nose.


PFFFFFfffff!!!!!


I thought Elise went home yesterday afternoon?


PFFFFFfffffff!!!!!


There it is again. Huh. weird.

Wait, Elise did go home. I brewed beer yesterday. Eyes popped open, went in to check on the beer. The krausen had reached the top of the reactor. The krausen started to clog the threads of the caps with yeast. The pressure would build, and was slowly releasing C02 once the pressure build up enough to clear the yeasty build up.

I unscrewed the top cap, and...

Almost had another beerxplosion, or possibly worse. jeeez, will a guy ever learn?

cleaned it up, put some foil over the top and went back to bed. The water in the tub has kept the strip thermometer reading at a good 66-68, which probably means something closer to 72ish for an internal temperature.

Goldilocks (just right)

She's still swirling away with a big foamy krausen now, 3+ days from pitching. Hopefully Esther will enjoy this beer just as much, if not more than the original.

Type: All Grain
Date: 5/17/2009
Batch Size: 10.00 gal
Brewer: JC

14 lbs Pilsner (2 Row) Bel (2.0 SRM) Grain 62.22 %
2 lbs Wheat, Flaked (1.6 SRM) Grain 8.89 %
1 lbs 8.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain 6.67 %
1 lbs Oats, Flaked (1.0 SRM) Grain 4.44 %
1.00 oz Hallertauer, New Zealand [7.00 %] (60 min) Hops 11.8 IBU
1.00 oz Mt. Hood [5.10 %] (10 min) Hops 3.5 IBU
1.00 oz Coriander Seed (Boil 5.0 min) Misc
2.00 gm Grains of Paradise (Boil 5.0 min) Misc
15.00 gm Orange Peel, Sweet (Boil 5.0 min) Misc
4 lbs Honey (1.0 SRM) Sugar 17.78 %
1 Pkgs Belgian Witbier (Wyeast Labs #3944) Yeast-Wheat

Beer Profile
Est Original Gravity: 1.061 SG
Measured Original Gravity: 1.064 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.015 SG
Measured Final Gravity:
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 5.94 %
Actual Alcohol by Vol:
Bitterness: 15.2 IBU
Calories: 282 cal/pint
Est Color: 5.5 SRM

Barley Crusher added to the Trillium arsenal

The Barley Crusher finally arrived yesterday, so I can do some on-demand grain crushing instead of having it pre-crushed and staling if I don't get to my brewday right away. It will get its first workout this Saturday when I make ...another Russian Imperial Stout (surprise, surprise). (post hoc note...this RIS never got made...)

I went with the 7lb hopper vs. the 15lb hopper (the smaller one to the left), as I'm comfortable with taking the time to load the hopper more frequently to save a few $. I also liked that I didn't have to fabricate anything like I would for other grain crushers. The BC would be essentially ready to go out of the box. I'll power it with my cordless drill. The knurled rolls have a pre-set gap, and have read that people get great efficiency at the factory setting, so I'll go with that to start. Good to know that I can adjust to tighter spacing if I ever need/want to.

I was putting together an order for a lot of specialty grain from Midwest Supplies (in preparation for the wedding brewing), so added the BC on to the order. I priced out the difference on this purchase between Midwest and Northern Brewer. The final tab put Midwest out front by ~$10, even given the flat shipping rate at Northern Brewer. What really put this over the edge for Midwest, was the greater selection of specialty grain and my good experiences with their products in the past.

...more stuff

Thank you, Boston Wort Processors. Went to my first club meeting this month, and aside from connecting with a bunch of likeminded homebrewers, I got ....more stuff.

I now have 165lbs of grain (55 each of pils, pale, and golden promise) to explain to the fiance.
'its, uh...ingredients for the wedding beer!'

oh, and I also picked up some kegs last week.

price was just too good to pass up: $15/ for cleaned pressure tested kegs w/ a new set of o-rings. The bulk purchase was arranged through the worts. We ended up with a haul of 50 kegs, 8 of which are sitting in the trunk of my car.