Author: Jerry

I am a middle school math and science teacher who first stepped foot in the classroom in 1988. My first teaching experience was in Marinette, WI.
In addition, I started home brewing in 1998 and still enjoy the hobby - thus Fieldpointe Brewery.
I am also a licensed amateur radio operator - N0IMJ - and received my "ticket" in 1986 while attending college in MN.

Categories
April 2024

Flex Coconut Porter

Monday, April 29 found Mark, Greg and myself at Fieldpointe South to brew Flex Coconut Porter. Summer Break already? Playing hooky? What gives brewing on a Monday?

Now don’t get your knickers in a twist. This was a scheduled “flex” day inserted to accommodate too many winter weather event days – should that sad situation had come to fruition. Thankfully, that was not necessary so the Brew Crew could gather to keep the streak of brewing at least once per month this year going strong.

Greg and I were punctual and arrived almost simultaneously. Not sure when Mark arrived as he was already in the house when we got there. He must have been the early bird but instead of a tasty worm, Mark was working on his drink from the Bloody Mary Bar. That was kinda awkward as that put Greg and me in a position of having to play catchup. (Greg did a much better job of this than I did – but I eventually got there.) My job was to “clean up” the remnants of the pickle, olive and asparagus jars. Even though I clearly communicated to Mark the situation of the previously stated, I bet he still put them back into the fridge. So guess what he will be complaining about the next time?

The first order of brewing related business was to keg the Maibock from Spring Break. This is the annual brew that sits quietly on the Dorothy Door steps in an uncontrolled thermal environment. It always survives and this year was no different. It tasted a little sweet and probably would have benefitted from a longer, cooler lager but things being what they are, it is what it is and we are who we are. Pretty profound, isn’t it.

With that out of the way, FCP got underway. Here you can see the mash recirculating and the Maibock fermenter relaxing and soaking in the background after a long workout.

Frequent readers of the post will note that Greg brought some Empyrean Brewing Co goodies to share at the last session. Winter Wisdom is what it was – if my memory isn’t playing tricks on me. This time it was Riding Red Ale. Thanks Greg for the share! Don’t think it is a surprise that Mark’s PBR remained in the fridge. Some people just know how to be classy and others – not so much.

Eventually the spent grains needed to find their way out of the Man Cave to the back 40 to feed the wildlife – especially the chipmunks. Dedicated readers know that Mark gives them a good battle during the summer months so I want to do my part in giving them (chipmunks) a good start so the fight can be somewhat fair later on.

Before I got the grain basket out, Mark grabbed a share of the spent grain for some Becky Homecky barefoot in the kitchen pizza making. Yes, it has been some time since he has attempted this. You will remember the towel in the stove incident? That must have rattled his cage for some time. Despite the bucking bronco, he got back on his horse, eventually, and did a fine job (with Helen’s guidance) to produce two very tasty pies. This porter grain bill worked out very nicely for the pizza crust – so much so that I think we might have to brew porter more often. Good Stuff!

Back to the grain removal brings me to the always anticipated and appreciated Dorothy Door Report. To my surprise, the DDs were not opened until I requested the gesture. I think you can tell that the conditions outside were certainly in the range of at least consideration for opening prior to my request.

It was time to give a view from the reverse end of the DD steps. The sun was shining through the goalpost trees beckoning us to venture up and out. But alas, as you can see in the photo on the right, the chair remained empty. But that isn’t all. The sadness and disappointment saturated the entire patio – except for me being wise enough to accept the invitation. Even the grill was ignored. Oh the humanity!

I know you have been wondering where Branden was through all this. Sorry to keep you in eager anticipation all this time. You see, recently the child, Branden, had a child. Actually, it was his wife that did all the work and of course, Branden takes the credit. This may be a priority thing but he decided to be home with his wife and newborn. It is still being debated whether this was a commendation or a lack of dedication. Whatever the case, we ask God’s blessing on him and his young family.

So far we’ve covered the porter bit but not the coconut part. This is going to be totally in Mark’s hands so hold your breath. He will need to secure and toast the coconut to add to the keg at the proper time. Let’s hope he doesn’t put something else besides the coconut into the oven when the toasting time comes.

Here are the makings of Flex Coconut Porter. If you don’t like the beer (unlikely) then make it and use the spent grains to make pizza. It’s that good!

Grains

  • 10 lb – 2 Row
  • 0.5 lb – Crystal 60° L
  • 0.5 lb – Chocolate Malt
  • 0.5 # – Carafa I
  • 0.5# – Black Patent Malt

Hops

  • 0.5 oz – Chinook @ 60 min
  • 0.5 oz – Willamette @ 40 min
  • 0.5 oz – Willamette @ 20 min

Adjunct

  • 14 oz – Toasted Coconut Flakes (keg)

Yeast

  • Safale US-05

Anticipated Analysis (Almost Never Measured)

  • OG – 1.061
  • FG – 1.015
  • Color – 30 SRM
  • ABV – 6%
  • IBU – 37

Here’s to longer, warmer days and Summer Break! (15 more school days remaining.) Cheers!

Categories
March 2024

Maibock Monday

Last week was Spring Break around here. With winter weather arriving just in time for Spring (today), I am thankful that the brew crew had off last week and not this week. The warmer weather of yesterweek allowed us to do summerish things such as brewing, grilling and bike riding – and some not so summerish things such as tax prep. Some of the privileged also got to do some traveling to visit recent additions to the extended family: grand-babies. All in all, even considering the taxes, it was nice to get a bit of down time from the school setting and routine.

Keeping priorities, the first official day of Spring Break – a Monday – found the brew crew at Fieldpointe South. In attendance were: Mark, Branden, Greg and myself. “Who is Greg?” you ask. A better question would be, “Who is Branden?” We are still trying to figure that one out. Greg is an older acquaintance (much older than Branden) who brings wisdom to the group. To this particular gathering he brought Winter Wisdom!

Greg recently built a palace in Nebraska (go figure) and is in the process of constructing his own version of Fieldpointe Brewery – although I gather he will call his establishment something more appropriate to his environment. Anyway, this Nebraska beer is pretty good! Too bad the same can’t be said of the football there but both Mark and Greg a diehard Huskers.

Keeping in the Spring Break tradition, the beer to be brewed, without question, was the annual Maibock. As if warmer than usual weather wasn’t enough to “shake things up,” a new Maibock recipe was given a go – not that Maibock 1 or 2 were not worthy, it just seemed to be time to give another variation a try. Time will tell whether this was a wise move or not. That and Mark not bumping the fermenter off his Dorothy Door steps creating the catastrophe of the relatively young year.

Speaking of Dorothy Doors – God blessed us with a warm day filled with abundant sunshine. Enough so that the DDs were in full open status for the first time this calendar year. It also was the first time Mark’s charcoal grill (Weber) graced the mostly empty patio space and was put to good use. Mark made a run to Danny’s to secure some sausage delecacies which he grilled to perfection despite being “out of practice” for the somewhat cold / cooler / warmer months of winter – as I think they were to be. To be cautious and have a backup plan, Mark also included some good old franks. Not that the franks were old – just the concept of grilling and serving them – especially at baseball games – which are soon to commence as spring training is concluding and the regular season is about to get under way. Yea Summer! NCAA tournament be damned!

Like the groundhog, Mark saw his shadow and is heading back down to the man cave for another 6 weeks.

For those of you getting your knickers in a twist – relax, don’t worry, have a homebrew – I haven’t forgotten. Yes, the BMB was open per usual. Branden, being young and still working on brain development, committed a social blunder by opening a new bottle of Clamato before the “in use” bottle was empty. These young kids these days. Personally, I don’t think he has cleared the hurdle of being a full fledged member of the Fieldpointe Brewing Society. Pretty sure he doesn’t have a Fieldpointe T as confirmation / affirmation so we will have to monitor this one and see how he matures.

Per usual, I try not to reinvent the wheel – just try to make it, well, more wheelier. Being a member of the prestigious American Homebrewers’ Association (AHA), I nabbed a Maibock recipe from the site and tweaked it to make it uniquely Fieldpointe.

The brew session went well. Nothing was forgotten and there was no “Hey! I wonder what would happen if …” Provided that Mark keeps his mitts off it, Maibock Monday should turn out swell. (They still use that word these days? Kinda makes me think of Leave it to Beaver.)

With all that, here is the makings of this year’s Spring Break special: Maibock Monday!

Grain

  • 10 lb – Pilsner Malt
  • 1 lb – Acidulated Malt
  • 1 lb – Vienna Malt
  • 1 lb – Crystal 40° L

Hops

  • 1 oz – Hallertau @ 60 minutes
  • 1 oz – Hallertau @ 15 minutes
  • 1 oz – Hallertau @ Flameout

Yeast

  • 1 packet – Lallemand Lager Yeast (Diamond)

Anticipated Analysis

  • OG – 1.067
  • FG – 1.017
  • Color – 12 SRM
  • IBU – 28
  • ABV – 6.7%

Happy Maibock Monday!

Categories
February 2024

Super Brew Sunday

Another year has cycled which means another glorious NFL football season has commenced with the San Francisco 49ers playing the Kansas City Chiefs in the “Big Game” played in Las Vegas, NV. More importantly, it was an opportunity for the Brew Crew to gather to enjoy the game and to brew Red Zeppelin at Fieldpointe South. In attendance were Mark and myself.

Following one of the special festival worship services at First Evangelical – celebrating 175 years: est. 1849 (there are a number of them planned throughout this year – 2024), the group: 3 minus 1 – apparently Branden had something more important to do than watch football and brew with the best Fieldpointe has to offer. That’s his loss – he missed out on the fellowship, snacks – including second half shrimp*, and of course – beer.

Time Out! Was there no Bloody Mary bar? Of course there was. One round and then on with the show. The BMB has become part of the routine and would be amiss if not available. Consider it commonplace going forward.

I arrived to hear Alexa dutifully enlivening the Man Cave with Led Zeppelin hits. It has been a long while since I’v listened to a batch of Zepp and lost track of the number of good songs out there. Once Alexa ran her hit playlist dry there was a real treat – a double header if you will: an airing of Super Bowl XLV featuring the home state Green Bay Packers taking on the Pittsburg Steelers. Who knew this was on the agenda? Once again, the Pack pulled it off and came out on top. Fantastic! Not the best game played but the Pack did bring the Lombardy Trophy home – although briefly because there was another game to be played.

With the first game of the double header out of the way, attention was directed to Super Bowl LVIII. Apparently it is OK to skip a few and go from XLV directly to LVIII. I have to admit that this year’s game was very entertaining to watch – including overtime – which very seldom happens. What made it more enjoyable is that Helen and I took Mark down in our Top 10 predictions for the game. Hard to believe but there is someone out there who is a worse guesser than I am.

During the first game the second half shrimp* disappeared and during game 2 so did the chips and dip – but not the beer. (Mark was attempting to kick a keg but failed in his valiant effort. Perhaps he needs more practice.) To the rescue came Mark’s wife, Helen, with beef and bean chili followed by strawberry cake with fresh strawberries. This sustained us through the remainder of the event. Thanks Helen!

This year’s Super Brew Sunday featured a lighter beer – a red ale – different from past SBS brews. Mark was interested in a Red Ale so I pinged the AHA forum for a recipe which was slightly modified to make it uniquely Fieldpointe.

Time Out! Is there going to be no Dorothy Door Report? Of course there is. It’s still winter, although mild, but not mild enough to consider DD use other than to transfer spent grain from the Man Cave to the back 40 to feed the wildlife. Since it is still too cold for patio commiseration, the DDs are not needed at this time and primarily remain dormant – but soon it will be warm enough to give them a good workout.

Not sure how Red or Zeppelin this will be – haven’t brewed too many to get a handle on the style – especially the Zeppelin part. Nonetheless, it should be a lighter easy drinking beer which will be a nice offset to the darker heavier beers of winter – reminding us that Spring is just around the corner – or maybe not in Wisconsin. The Dorothy Doors may need to wait.

Red Zeppelin

Grains

  • 8 lb – 2 Row
  • 8 oz – Crystal 120
  • 4 oz – Carafa I

Hops

  • 1.5 oz – East Kent Goldings @ 60 minutes

Yeast

  • Wyeast 1084 – Irish Ale

Anticipated Analysis

  • OG – 1.045
  • FG – 1.011
  • Color – 17 SRM
  • ABV – 4.5%
  • Bitterness – 28 IBU

*Shrimp that was recently purchased and still frozen – needing until the second half of the game to thaw.

Categories
January 2024

WSBC APA

After some time, the newly named Waubesa Shores Brewing Club (WSBC) gathered on a Sunday afternoon to engage in brewing and fellowship. This is the “30 Gallon” club previously referred to as the “McFarland Mashers” in previous posts due to the lack of an official name and logo at the time. This is the new look for the club:

This is the work of John who hosts the brewing events. In addition to the sign design, he had WSBC coasters and stickers available for the membership. Well done!

Paul has been designated as official brewmaster and produces the recipes for the brew sessions. For this event he engineered the makings of an American Pale Ale to accommodate the club’s 30 gallon brewhouse system kept and used in John’s garage.

Present for the session were: John, Paul, Todd and myself. Mark had principal responsibilities and couldn’t make it. John’s friend Jacob stopped in to temporarily supervise in Mark’s absence.

40 pounds of 6 Row Pale Malt along with 6 pounds of Flaked Oats were mashed in two coolers (warmers). Here Todd is working the electrified mash paddle in one of the coolers.

Once conversion has taken place in the coolers, the mash is transferred by the “arm strong” method into the Lauter Tun for sparging.

John has a pump to transfer the hot liquor to the tun. The float keeps the proper amount of liquid above the grain bed. This pict was taken after the sparge – a pretty even grain bed.

The wort is then transferred again by the “strong arm” method to the boil kettle.

John can work stainless (press in background) and fabricated the agitator / copper chiller combo device in the kettle. (I should have taken a pict of it before it was in the kettle – or before wort was added.)

While the boil was on, we enjoyed the chili that Paul graciously brought for the gang. There is a debate as to whether noodles should be included in chili or not. Paul brought them as a side as to not set the stage for too much hostility and harassment. For the record, I think noodles work fine in chili.

To enhance the already flavorful chili, Paul also brought these as additional sides along with shredded cheese.

I went with the “Hot Chili Peppers” over the Jalapeños in my two bowls. Tasty!

Hot peppers appears to be a common thread among the group. During the late summer months, Todd puts together jars of sliced Jalapeños which he graciously shares with the membership.

Eventually, the cooled wort is transferred via pump to the barrel fermenter as seen here:

Following primary fermentation, the beer will be transferred via gravity to the lower barrel for the secondary before being racked into kegs for club distribution.

It was great to get together and see everyone again while enjoying good beer and company. It isn’t the easiest to get everyone’s schedules to line up but we will see if it can be done again sometime soon.

WSBC APA

Grains

  • 40 lbs – Pale Malt (6-Row)
  • 12 lbs – Carahell
  • 6 lbs – Flaked Oats
  • 5 lbs – Cara-Pils/Dextrine

Hops

  • 4 oz – Columbus @ 60 minutes
  • 1 oz – Centennial @ 30 minutes
  • 1 oz – Cascade @ flameout
  • 1 oz – Centennial: whirlpool
  • 4 oz – Centennial: dry hop
  • 2 oz – Cascade: dry hop

Yeast

  • California Ale (White Labs WLP001): 1 gallon starter

This was a fun day spent with the WSBC. Looking forward to the next one. Cheers!

Categories
January 2024

Black Is Beautiful

MLK Jr Day, Monday, January 15, found the Fieldpointe Brew Crew at the southern location for the traditional / annual MLK Brew Day.

This year it was decided to brew this recipe originally published by the American Homebrewers’ Association (AHA) during the BLM movement.

Black is Beautiful is along the lines of an Imperial Oatmeal Stout. A brief synopsis can be found here.

Mark, Branden (the newbie) and myself met on the frigid Monday (temp near zero F) to warm up the Man Cave at Fieldpointe South. The usual routine was followed: Bloody Mary Bar, snacks and beer followed with a slow cooker full of Ugly German Stew with Beer Bread. Thanks Helen! It was fantastic.

Being near zero on the thermometer certainly meant that the Dorothy Doors were closed. However, one door was briefly opened to dispose of the spent grain in Mark’s back 40. Bare hands on frosty steel could have been a problem. Good thing there was no moisture involved or I may still be attached to the door until today when the temp finally rose to the freezing point. It will be good to get rid of slop that froze solid from the winter weather event that occurred about a week or so ago. However, more snow is in the forecast for tomorrow but the temps are to be in the mid 30s the rest of the week.

While the brew session was underway, the guys played some three handed Sheephead. It had been a while since the cards had seen any action and it was good to get back into the rhythm of the game. Branden should be about ready to go high stakes with nickels next time.

RoboBrew doing its thing with mash recirculation.

To step it up a notch, the senior officials at Fieldpointe decided to go with oak to the finished beer. A couple sticks of medium toast oak soaked in rum will be added to the keg when the time comes.

Fieldpointe Brewery should be set on the stouts for the remainder of the cold winter months. Soon to be on tap is a Vanilla Stout. Soon to be put into a keg is a Milk Stout currently in the fermenter at Fieldpointe HQ. And of course, this number at Fieldpointe South – once it is ready for the keg.

As I reflect on the day, all went well and there were no amusing things to report – at least that I don’t remember, so onto the workings of AHA’s Black Is Beautiful.

Grains

  • 10 lb. Pale malt (2 Row)
  • 2 lb Oat, flaked
  • 1 lb Chocolate malt
  • 12 oz Barley, flaked
  • 12 oz Crystal 120 malt
  • 12 oz Roasted barley
  • 8 oz Chocolate rye malt
  • 4 oz Black (Patent) malt

Hops

  • 1 oz Columbus/Tomahawk/Zeus (CTZ) hops, 15.5% a.a. (60 min)
  • 2 oz Cascade hops, 5.5% a.a. (20 min)
  • 2 oz Cascade hops, 5.5% (10 min)

Adjuncts

  • 1 lb Corn sugar (dextrose)
  • Oak – Medium Toast (2 sticks)
  • Silver Rum

Yeast

  • 1 package California Ale Yeast (White Labs WLP001)

Projected Analysis (Not Measured)

  • Original Gravity: 1.081
  • Final Gravity: 1.016
  • ABV: 8.70%
  • IBU: 65
  • SRM: 46

Black Is Beautiful – especially when it is a stout in a pint glass.

Cheers!

Categories
January 2024

Flynn’s Milk Stout

May God bless you abundantly with good brew in 2024.

The final day of Christmas break is the perfect time for the first brew of the new year. This is a recipe from Mark Flynn at Littleport Brewery in Racine, WI. Fieldpointe Brewery thanks him for sharing.

Today’s endeavor is a solo event as the sickness bug has been going around and hitting people pretty hard. Mark and his wife have been wrestling with the garbage over break. This has shut down brewing at Fieldpointe South.Thankfully the Good Lord blessed me with good health this break. In fact, with the mild winter weather so far, I was able to get on the bike and record 175 miles during break. I’d have a few more miles logged but the first ride of 2024 on January 1 netted me the first flat of the new year. How ironic! A new tire / tube has been ordered so I should be back in business soon. The problem is that the school stuff gets in the way of getting rides in – that and the early afternoon darkness that is still present – although it will slowly recede as the month progresses.

A new addition to the propane system of Fieldpointe HQ (North) is a pump. I’ve grown accustomed to the built in pump of the electric system used at Fieldpointe South. Here it is in action for the first time.

It will basically serve two purposes: 1) Recirculate the mash (as seen above) and 2) Transfer the wort to the conical fermenter once it cools overnight. (I still use the no-chill method at Fieldpointe North. No negative outcomes yet and it saves time and water use.) This pump is super quiet! I have to listen intently to hear if it is running. This model comes with an on / off switch and the stainless steal connectors for the pump – including a ball valve to regulate flow. Since it is quick connect / disconnect, I had to upgrade the hardware on the kettles to match. It appears that I got it all correct (the ordering) on the first attempt! This is a great investment. I am appreciating it already.

Milk Stout Heating Up – New Connector On Kettle

Everything went well today. This is good – especially since it has been a while since propane brewing has taken place at Fieldpointe HQ. Still remember the procedure. Happy Day!

Here are the makings of Flynn’s Milk Stout:

Grains

  • 6 lb 8 oz – 2 Row
  • 8.6 oz – Amber Malt
  • 8.6 oz – Brown Malt
  • 8.6 oz – Kiln Coffee Malt
  • 8.6 oz – Pale Chocolate Malt
  • 8.6 oz – Roasted Barley
  • 7.4 oz (not 8.6 ?) – Dark Crystal

Hops

  • 1 oz – Northern Brewer @ 30 minutes

Yeast

  • Fermentis – SafAle K-97

Adjuncts

  • 8 oz – Malto-Dextrine @ 15 minutes
  • 10 oz – Lactose (Milk Sugar) @ 15 minutes

Here’s to a Happy & Healthy 2024.

Cheers!

Categories
November 2023

Joy To The World

by Branden M (Guest Contributor)

‘Tis the season for brewing! Among the lastest beers crafted by Field Point Brewery in 2023 is the inaugural creation by our newest Brew Crew member, Branden. Beer, the golden elixir, is a source of joy for people everywhere. As we eagerly anticipate the happiness a baby boy has brought to the world this time of year, let’s celebrate both occasions together. Cheers!

After the morning teachers’ conferences concluded, we headed to Field Point Brewery’s South location. Before diving into the brewing process, we decided to recharge from the morning activities at the Bloody Mary bar.

To infuse some Christmas spirit, Mark commanded Alexa to play festive tunes. As the Christmas music filled the air, Jerry diligently ensured there were no dough balls in the mash.

Around Christmas, many families get together and play games. While the beer was brewing, the Field Point family spent that time playing sheep’s head. Just like many other things, sheep’s head was a first for our new brew boy. He continued to learn through failure. (Editorial Note: Branden did pretty well for a first timer.)

Get ready to amplify your Christmas spirit with “Joy to the World” amber ale! Our brew captures the season’s essence, blending the warmth of Christmas traditions with the rich, toasty notes of a well-crafted amber ale. Picture sipping on a glass of this festive brew, its amber hue mirroring the cozy glow of holiday lights. Whether you’re pairing it with your favorite Christmas feast or sharing a toast with loved ones, “Joy to the World” adds a flavorful touch to your celebrations. Embrace the holiday spirit and savor the craft —nothing says “Cheers to Christmas” like a perfectly chilled glass of our signature amber ale. Let the joy flow with every sip!

Grains 

  • 9 lb- Pale Ale Malt 
  • 1 lb – Munich 
  • 9 oz Carmel Malt 
  • 7 oz Biscuit 

Hops 

  • 0.5 oz Warrior @ 30 minutes
  • 0.5 oz Amarillo @ 15 minutes 
  • 0.5 oz Centennial @ 15 minutes 
  • 1 oz Amarillo @ 10 minutes 
  • 1 oz Centennial @ 10 minutes 

Yeast 

Marks liquid yeast 

Categories
September 2023

Belgian Quad

Labor Day was 16 days ago. I’ve labored so hard since then that it has taken until now to get this post up. I’m getting a bit slower as the age increases – inverse relationship going on there. It’s funny how time has sped up since the days of youth. Some claim time to be a constant but I respectfully disagree.

Labor Day was eagerly anticipated for four reasons: 1) Brewing 2) Grilling 3) FF Draft 4) Draught Draft. I’ll try to cover them in that order but no promises are being made. Sometimes I wander.

It was unanimously decided that Labor Day (FF Draft Day) is to be dedicated to the Belgians – a Belgian Quad specifically – as in – brewing one. Lucky for us, there happened to be a keg of a previous Belgian Quad brew on hand for the kick-off event. Who knew that a keg of BQ would come in so handy? So, the tradition is underway and the future will dictate as to whether these well intentioned plans come to fruition.

The BQ that was tapped was a traditional brew with nothing extra added and it is great. The Fieldpointe Brew Crew has produced both unaltered and adulterated versions. This version is going to be aged on bourbon soaked oak chips until next year’s festivities. It still is in the fermenter and should find the inside of a keg sometime in the near future.

To get the day underway, the now anticipated and expected Bloody Mary Bar was fully accessible. A recent addition to the Fieldpointe Brew Crew is Branden – of course on probation as we evaluate his worthiness (or unworthiness) to be a permanent member of the team. So far, so good. But let’s not get our hopes up too fast.

While the brew was underway, Mark was busy at the grill compiling another glorious batch of Blauertkraut. His reputation for this concoction has spread and so the masses were eager and waiting to scoop copious quantities of the delicacy on their plates and wash it all down with the plethora of adult beverages on hand. (More on this later.)

What makes Blauerkraut such a sensation is the addition of the secret ingredient – which is not going to be a such a secret in a moment. See if you can figure out what it is.

Did you figure it out? Hint: it is in a blue can with a crown on it. Yes! Hamm’s (or PBR – as it is debated) Because it is “The Beer Refreshing” it won the brewer’s choice award for the privilege of bathing the Blauertkraut. The Whos of Whoville would be jealous of such a fantastic feast.

Actually, what makes Blauertkraut even better is a fresh batch of Mark-B-Q sauce. That and Helen’s beer bread made for a fantastic meal.

BTW, the day’s weather was fantastic. How do I know? I know because of this:

As you can easily see (if your eyes are open) the Dorothy Doors were in full open status. This was a blessing for the patrons to easily access the basement beer fridge for the Keg of Quad.

The Belgian Quad recipe can probably be found elsewhere on this site. For the consideration of the reader, I will make it easy for you by re-listing the formulation here. How thoughtful!

Grains

  • 10 lb – Belgian Pils
  • 7 lb – Belgian Pale

Hops

  • 1 oz – Brewers Gold @ 60 minutes
  • 1 oz – Hallertau @ 30 minutes
  • 1 oz Styrian Goldings @ 15 minutes

Adjunct

  • 1 lb – Amber Candi Suger @ 15 minutes

Yeast

  • Fermentis Safbrew BE-256

In all the excitement of gathering things for the event, I managed to forget the Candi sugar at home. Following the advice of Charlie Papazian I relaxed, did not worry and had a homebrew. The sugar was added to the fermentation two days later and all is assumed to be going well. I don’t think anyone will be commenting on this a year from now.

The brew session went well but bringing it down to fermentation temperature took a bit longer as the ground water this time of year is fairly warm. Here is the counterflow chiller in slow motion action.

While the slow transfer and cleanup was under way, the Staff Infection Fantasy Football Draft got underway upstairs. This guy managed to pick a team and get the dishes done down in the man cave. Two weeks into the football season my team is giving evidence that my full attention should have been directed elsewhere. I’m 0 and 2. Sadness and disappointment.

Following the FF Draft and completing before the mandatory 9 PM deadline was the Draught Draft. What is a Draught Draft? All FF participants were asked to bring a six pack of a beverage of choice which went into the major award – well most of it. (See a previous post on what the “major award” was.) The unit performed well but like a new puppy, left a puddle on the floor. Probably should have checked the drain plug before putting in the ice and beer. Oh well, it wasn’t my house.

Each participant, just like in the football draft, followed a snake draft for the draught (which really wasn’t draught because it was in bottles and cans.) {(The actual draught was the Belgian Quad and that wasn’t leaving the fridge other than in people’s beer glasses and tummies).} Everyone went home with a selection of draught to continue the draft celebration at home.

That about wraps up the event. I’m sure there are things that I am not remembering at this time 16 days out. That probably is a good thing as this has gone on long enough.

Good food, good beer, good friends, and a not so good FF team. I’ll take it.Thanks for hosting again Blauerts! Cheers!

Categories
August 2023

School’s Out Vanilla Stout

With the first week of the school year already in the books and the second week nocking on the door, this entry better get posted before things get too busy with more Mark Meetings and even more time gets away.

School began on Tuesday of this last week. How does a beer enthusiast spend the final day of summer break? By doing one of the most favorite things – besides raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens: putting some heat to the bight copper (stainless) kettles.

Monday was the absolute last day to make the beer and have the name be appropriate. Otherwise it would have to wait until the end of May for school to be out again and who wants to brew a stout in May?

Before getting to the makings of SOVS, a few interesting things to share: (No, not warm woolen mittens and brown paper packages tied up with string.)

I actually won something! Really! I did! And it wasn’t a year supply of COVID vaccine.

Being a long time fan of Sierra Nevada’s Pale Ale, I submitted a simple entry to this:

I think I “Go Summer.” Not sure what that means, but hey, I’m in!

I don’t usually enter contests for two (maybe more) reasons:

  1. It is a waste of time as the outcome is always the same. (I’ve been patiently waiting for the exception to arrive. You know there always in the exception to the rule.)
  2. I figure that companies use the tactics as an easy way to get people’s email and what not to sell to other advertisers.

Since this was for beer and I kinda like beer – especially SNPA as a regular “go to” beer, I slowly climbed out of my comfort zone and gave it a go – fully expecting to not hear or see anything. In fact, it was in and out of memory in short order until an email arrived indicating that all my hard work and effort had paid off this time. Since the notification did not come from Nigeria, nor did it ask anything of me – other than a few weeks of wait time for the “major award” to arrive, I waited with just a hint of eager anticipation. I did not know what to expect.

Then it arrived. The MAJOR AWARD!:

“It’s a major award!”

It’s wasn’t a leg lamp, nor did the box read FAGILE. It’s even better! A Sierra Nevada YETI. Nice! Thanks Sierra Nevada! Whooo!

This beauty will have its inauguration soon at the fast approaching WLS Staff Infection Fantasy Football League Draft on Labor Day. In addition to the football draft, each participant is asked to bring a six pack of something to share during the draft. All remaining items after the draft will congregate in this and become participants in the beer draft. The beer draft might be more exciting than the football draft – unless everyone brings Hamm’s.

In other news, I found a few bottles of barleywine from December of 2011. Yes, 2011. My calculations put it at 12 years old. Well, what does one do with 12 yr old bottles of beer? You try them of course! I’ve had 2 so far and they were pretty decent for the age. A little potency has helped them keep fit all these years. Four bottles were discovered. 2 so far have not gone down the drain and I expect that the remaining 2 will likewise not see the interior plumbing of the local waste water treatment plant.

Not being good at most things in life – especially guessing (and winning things), there is an extremely good reason to suspect that these are the last of a Big Brown Barleywine. I brewed the BBB once upon a time. BBB is an English style barleywine coming in at a projected 10.3% ABV (Didn’t take readings back then either.), 17 SRM and 92 IBU. There is a good chance the ABV ended up being a little higher as one can tell when one has been consumed. Anyway, it surprised me that it still is very drinkable and lets me know when I’ve had one.

To the Vanilla Stout: This was a solo endeavor. Principal Mark was being responsible by being at school the day before kickoff. (At least I assumed that is what he was doing.)

Fieldpointe HQ (or Fieldpointe North) was the brew site which means the propane system was used. The electric system is at Fieldpointe South and will be used to brew a Belgian Quad on Labor Day. Mark came up with the idea to brew a Quad on draft day, let it age for a year and then tap it at the next draft event. This was / is a fantastic idea! We are all in on it.

The brew day started early and was mostly complete by early afternoon. I seem to have it down to a science now and can get it done in less time than it had taken in the past.

The brew session before this one was the Foghorn Parti (see previous post) and it was still in the conical fermenter. On brew day afternoon, while the stout was hanging out (another no chill), the Foghorn Parti was put into a keg. In the past, I used gravity (still do) to fill the kegs buy pulling the airlock from the fermenter. This lets air into the head space above the beer. I thought an improvement was in order. So, I purchased parts to make a simple way to “push” the beer from the fermenter using CO2. This method worked very well and kept the yeast under a CO2 blanket until the next day when the stout was added. Oh man, it took off like a rocket!

Learning from the Foghorn Pati fermentation mess, I went straight for the blowoff tube and skipped the airlock. The stout fermentation was belching gas like I have not heard before at the brewery. – and there have been plenty of beans consumed over time. I was amazed at how much activity was taking place in the bucket where the other end of the hose was making bubbles in the Star San solution. Wow! It will be interesting to see how this one turns out. It just might be rocket fuel the way it was going at it!

BTW – don’t think (remember) stating that the taps are finally back in use on the keezer. (Yes, random thought.) I had to replace the prior keezer just when COVID was making a scene and all the units were bought up (figures). Eventually I got my hands on a slightly larger unit which meant that my previous tap collar did not fit. I kinda got use to using picnic taps but was motivated to get the expensive stainless steel back into service. So, another collar was fabricated, installed and has been in use for a few weeks.

OK. I think I’m finished being distracted. I just better get to the recipe before I think of something else to ramble on about.

Here are the makings of School’s Out Vanilla Stout:

Grains

  • 10 lb – 2 Row Malt
  • 1 lb – Caramel 60° L
  • 1 lb – Caramel 90° L
  • 0.75 lb – Chocolate Malt
  • 1 lb – Roasted Barley

Hops

  • 1 oz – Challenger at 60 minutes
  • 0.5 oz – East Kent Goldings at 40 minutes
  • 0.5 oz – East Kent Goldings at 20 minutes

Yeast

  • Lallemand 3767 Nottingham (or a previous fermentation)

Adjunct

  • 3 – Madagascar Vanilla Beans soaked in vodka and added to the keg

Projected Analysis:

  • OG: 1.066
  • FG: 1.016
  • Color: 30 SRM
  • Alcohol: 6.5% ABV
  • Bitterness: 36 IBU

Another week in the fermenter and then to the keg. The beer supply at FN should be good for a while. There are 5 kegs in the keezer with one waiting to get in. This will make 2 on the waiting list.

Next up: Labor Day Belgian Quad at Mark’s

Categories
August 2023

Life, Liberty & Hoppiness

Summer is cruising by way too fast. The faculty at The WLS recently completed a week of inservice (Monday – Thursday) to get the ball rolling for the new school year. With that completed, Friday found the 2 Man Brew Crew at Fieldpointe South for a much need brew / grill session and some relaxation.

Keeping with the theme of the last post, another Anchor Brewing / BYO clone was on the agenda to pay homage to an American Classic Brewery.

This Fieldpointe creation is a tribute to Anchor’s Liberty Ale.

What I find appealing to the Anchor brews is that they are mostly simple in design (at least the two that have been attempted thus far). Keep It Simple So That Brewers Like Us Can Easily Follow And Enjoy It – KISSTBLUCEFAEI. That’s what I always say – and appreciate.

Once the morning grass cutting was out of the way, a trip to Littleport Brewing in Racine for supplies was in order. Having the goods in hand, it was off to get the business of the day underway at the Blauer Man Cave.

The good Lord blessed us with a fantastic day. God is Good! Mark had his Bloody Mary Bar (a staple) open along with the Dorothy Doors. Alexa was playing the tunes, Mark was grilling tube style meat from Danny’s along with BBQ chicken while this guy was working the stainless in combination with electricity and water in the Man Cave – and survived.

Initially, the conversation pertained to exciting things covered during the inservice week but the real discussion commenced when Helen, Mark’s wife, joined us on the back patio. Under consideration was wondering if there were in fact pears growing on the neighbor’s pear tree. Some thoughts on the matter were apples or bananas. Upon further and closer observation, it was determined that there were in fact pears growing on the pear tree. The problem is: 1) they are the neighbor’s and 2) they are high up on the tree beyond the grasp of Andre the Giant.

Our good friend Greg H was able to stop by – but not before the BMB closed. He was forced to join us in reducing the volume in the Vesuvius keg (see a prior post). As a side note, the Vesuvius turned out rather well. I don’t think Mark is going to let it last very long out of concern that it might go bad.

While taking up personal space and reducing the volume of Vesuvius, Greg came up with the crazy idea of participating in a local brewery tour consisting of 3 or 4 breweries in the Milwaukee / Racine area. Not having too much summer remaining, we all thought this a fantastic idea – provided that someone head the project up. Greg was, according to conventional convention procedure, elected to head up such an endeavor. We are patiently waiting for his research and report. The projected time frame is the last Friday before the first week of school. This would be a great way to end the summer. Sure hope he comes through and doesn’t disappoint. I’m guessing that there will not be a FAQ.

Mark had 4 / 5 different varieties of brats from Danny’s. They were all very good because they were grilled to perfection. Perhaps, some day, when he eventually reads this post, he will mention them in the comments section. He will be eating well all week.

Mark also had Danny’s meat sticks for the BMB – along with a large variety of good things to include. The BMs are a meal unto themselves! Notice how I am drawn back to the BMB again. They are that good.

Anchor Liberty Ale uses Cascade hops – just like their Old Foghorn Barleywine does. The beer is almost a SMASH beer (Single Malt And Single Hop) but it includes just a touch of crystal (caramel) malt for color. This will be a good end of summer beer before the transition to the heavier / stronger beers of Fall & Winter.

Here are the makings of Life, Liberty & Hoppiness:

Grain

  • 10 lb – 2 Row Malt
  • 0.5 lb – Crystal 40° L

Hops

  • 1 oz – Cascade @ 60 minutes
  • 1 oz – Cascade @ 45 minutes
  • 1 oz – Cascade @ flameout
  • 1 oz – Cascade in the keg

Yeast

  • Lallemand – BRY-97 American West Coast Ale

Projected Stats:

  • OG – 1.055
  • FG – 1014
  • Color – 7.6 SRM
  • Bitterness – 38 IBU
  • ABV – 5.4%

Celebrate the heritage of Anchor Brewing. Raise a pint to commemorate the legacy of such an American institution!