The long awaited Spring Break has finally arrived! That stretch between Christmas Break and now is a long haul – a 10 week stretch – but we made it – with the help of each other and beer.
What better way to kick the week off than a brew session in the Blauert Man Cave. Once again Mark was the gracious host of yet another gathering at his humble abode. And, as in previous sessions, many were invited but few accepted. (OK, just a few were invited – but still.) One individual who took the invite seriously was our good friend Greg who we got to know via the social aspect of beer but had not seen until recently. He sought us out last Friday at Littleport Brewing in Racine for the “We Made It To Spring Break!” after school festivities. That was when he received the invite for yesterday’s social event and made it work on such short notice. The other invites should be humbled and feel shame. I’d be OK with that. It was good to see him then and yesterday – especially yesterday because we were able to play some three handed Sheephead. It had been a while since the Schafkopf cards had seen any action. He did very well for an old timer claiming he hadn’t played for quite some time. That was a load of bunk. He knew very well what he was doing. Greg did put on a good show though in his act of apparent ignorance. He should consider joining drama club. Thanks for stopping by.
There were two tasks on the agenda for the day: 1) Brew beer (of course) and 2) keg the previously brewed Doppelbock (Super Brew Sunday). On Friday, Mark (Yes, Mark – (he actually did something!)) moved the fermentor from the Dorothy Door step where it has been doing its thing for the past month or so, to the inner sanctum of his basement man cave. The beer (a lager) had not finished fermenting and tasted sweet as a result. The Dorothy Steps were just a tad too cold. Mark should have put a blanket on it but didn’t. (I’m getting old and don’t have the energy to do all the thinking.) The new beer had to occupy the same fermentor so out with the old and in with the new. “It’s what it is.” Into the keg it went and then the beer fridge. However, Mark can’t sample because I neglected to bring him a tap. Oh well, such is life. I’ll get around to fixing this situation sometime. I’m in no hurry – it’s Spring Break!
So yesterday was Pi Day – March 14 – 3.14. The closest thing to pie that Mark had was a 4 meat pizza which kinda did the job. (I prefer pizza pie over regular pie anytime, actually.) I’m not sure if a regular crust pizza actually qualifies as a pizza pie. I would think that a deep dish would have been more appropriate for pie day. Again, “It’s what it is.” and it IS Mark after all.
Time now for the Dorothy Door Report. The DD’s were OPEN. Mainly for Mark to show off some hunks of cast iron in his grill on the back patio to Greg. Not sure what all the hype was about. He just blew this one passed me and went to easier target Greg I guess knowing that all I’d say is, “That’s nice.” Lame reason or not, the doors were open – although the downstairs door was mostly closed for most of the time. Not quite that warm out yet but getting there. Much like seeing the first Robin of the season, open DD’s are a welcome sight and a convenience for transporting dripping spent grains to the back for disposal behind the shrubbery. Have to keep those chipmunks well fed so they repopulate and keep Mark busy again this summer. Sorry for the sticky steps and floor Mark.
The brew was the, I guess annual now, Spring Break Maibock. This was Maibock II because I discovered that I have two Maibock recipes on file. I don’t recall what version was brewed a year ago. I suppose I could go back in the archives here and figure it out but that would entail a little bit of effort. I’m going to go middle school on this one and not care. This one consists of a simple grain bill and just one hop addition. It was racked on the lager yeast from the afore mentioned Doppelbock and a fresh pack of yeast added for good measure. The brew is occupying the same space on the Dorothy Door Steps. With the weather warming up and temps in the 40s and 50s, this one should attenuate better than the last one. Either way, “It’s what it is.”
On a side note, Mark was contemplating how to improve lager fermentation temperatures at his place. He has a unique basement with all sorts of compartments, closets and the like. I’m not sure what the original purpose of these nooks and crannies were and we can’t ask the previous home owners as they moved out before Mark and his wife moved in. (Good move on their part.) Anyway, perhaps a simple setup consisting of a new unused garbage can, ice, water and a constructed (insulation and duct tape) hood could be implemented in one of these basement storage areas. I’m sure Mark will conduct the necessary research on this and come up with a plan as he would like to get an Oktoberfest going for Fall.
Enough of the ramble. Here is the makings of Maibock II:
Grains
- Pilsner (2 Row) – 10 lb
- Munich Malt – 3 lb
Hops
- Perle (German) – 1 oz @ 60 min
Yeast
- Fermentis Saflager W-34/70 – 1 pack
Looking forward to Maibock in May. Cheers!