Irish Red Ale

I took the day off and brewed an Irish Red ale today. It’s a great session beer. I brewed my first batch last year for my buddy Eugene’s 50th birthday party, and I immediately took a liking to it. Which says a lot about it for a hop head such as I. Did you know that you can hardly find a true Irish Red Ale any more? Sorry, Killians is a lager and it’s terrible, thanks to Coors. Murphy’s Red is also a lager. Rogue makes a version called St. Rogue’s Red, but it’s not made in the true style of an Irish Red from the Emerald Isle, as they bitter it with northwest hops. I hear that Sam Adams makes an Irish Red; I’ll have to try it if I can find it. The only other one to be found is Smithwick’s.

That pretty much leaves you to drink my version if you are around these parts. Last year’s batch was a bit too dark, so I lightened up on the specialty grains and adjusted my water chemistry a bit to reduce the residual alkalinity. The numbers look pretty good. I was shooting for a gravity of 1.053 and wound up at 1.055. Nothing wrong with a wee bit more alcohol. If I have good attenuation with my yeast, I should be able to achieve a final gravity of 1.016 and an alcohol by volume of 5.3%.

Tonight the yeast should start their party…

Hops Baby!

I planted a couple of Cascade rhyzomes and a Centennial this spring so that I could establish a hop source for my hobby. I harvested the Cascade crop today. It's really not bad considering that it is in its first year of growth, and who would think one would have a snowball's chance to grow hops in this southwest Louisiana summer heat anyway!? I'll probably get 2 or 3 ounces out of this one gallon package after drying them.

Until I feel like writing again...Cheers!

And Here He Is...My Grandson Jude!

My son-in-law was kind enough to visit one of my favorite beverage retailers in Albany this weekend, with his new son Jude along for the experience. At just under two weeks of age, the timing was perfect for him to be photographed with grandpa's favorite beverage. Note how excited he is, and how he grasps the bottle with his little monkey foot...

And the Winner Is...

Thanks all of you for the hundreds of entries received in my "name that beer I brew while I wait for my grandson to be born" contest. The lucky winner is that sweet little prego gal on the left coast whom I love so dearly. The beer will be named "Hey Jude Celebration Rye". I racked it to the keg on Monday. It looked and smelled even better than a newborn baby. I didn't measure the final gravity yet, but the yeast ring on the side of the fermentation bucket leads me to believe that it had fantastic attenuation! Kind of like Jude's hair. It looked like it was just microns away from blowing through the airlock. I'm sure we're looking at a 6 percenter. Anyway, I'll tap into it on Friday and let you know my first impression. I've saved some of it back to put in special bottles with labels I've yet to create commemorating the lad's birth. Todd and I have much celebrating to do...

Until then...Cheers

Ahem...hello...anybody out there? Where have you people been?!

Anyway, the wife is out of town again so I'm brewing tomorrow. I'm brewing an American Rye-Wheat Ale, and I'd like to give it a name deserving of the event for which my wife has departed - the impending birth of my 2nd grandson. His name shall be Jude. Unless he turns up Judy, which has happened in our family before...but that's another story.

Anyway again, I'm taking suggestions for names. My current choice is "Summer of Jude Wheat". Any others please?

btw - I did kick Andy's butt last year at the NHC. Heck, I think even Elizabeth beat him...

Welcome back, and
Cheers

Just 3 More Days to the NHC...

My beer brewing buddy Andy and I are headed to the National Homebrewer's Conference in Oakland , CA midweek. We'll be "Sippin' on the Dock of the Bay" for three days, baby! It's a really big deal for me - I get to drink unlimited homebrew and hang out with fellow homebrewers from around the country for 3 days, I get to hang with my best buddy Andy, and when it's over on Saturday I get to spend time with my youngest for the weekend.

Our agenda goes something like this:
Wednesday Am - travel
Wednesday PM - hang out with EP and friends
Thursday AM - kick Andy's butt at golf at Monarch Bay
Thursday PM - let the NHC games begin - homebrew!
Friday and Saturday - beer, seminars, more beer, talks, more beer, and beer
Saturday PM - to Petaluma with EP; home of Lagunitas Brewing...
Sunday - more time and touring with EP. Maybe we can hit some breweries...
Monday - travel home to dry out

Some conference highlights:

• Our keynote speaker is Ken Grossman - co-founder and president of Sierra Nevada Brewing Co
• Thursday is Pro-Brewer's night. At last count there were 52 professional brewers from craft breweries across the nation registered to show off their wares and provide samples for all of us until sometime Friday morning. See the unbelievable list of breweries represented here.
• Friday is Club Night. This is the biggest homebrew party in the world! We'll be "Partying on the Dock of the Bay"! Homebrew clubs from across this great beer brewing country of ours will be setting up booths and letting us sample their wares until sometime Saturday morning. At last count there were over 30 clubs registered. Just think - the kegs of beer are heading towards Oakland even as we read this post! They even have a free agent booth for guys like me without a club! Yeah baby!
• Over 31 seminars are available for my educational endeavors, from yeast propagation to proper beer color to the latest in equipment.

My son-in-law is also collecting craft beers in his fridge drawer at his home in in case we get thirsty after the event ends on Saturday. He's a good lad...

Stay tuned for details as the week unfolds. Andy and I are on our way...

An Article for All Serious Beer Drinkers to Read

An excerpt from the article:
"Beer is a living beverage that deserves to be taken care of all the way to your glass. "
Need I say more to invite you to a great read...

For all of you who don't brew but are strictly beer drinkers, read chapter 7 (p.36)

Cheers!

FBP