Learn by Brewing

Last night in lovely Astoria calls for a Vortex IPA on cask from Fort George Brewery. A big, hoppy West Coast IPA, but fermented with their house strain, Wyeast 1968, and served at a sublime 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

Another day, another delicious IPA. This one is by Backwoods Brewing Company, of Carson, WA.

At 65 IBU's, Buoy Beer Company's NW Red Ale is robust blend of late addition American hops with a substantial malt backbone. The perfect beer to enjoy on a rainy day in Astoria, OR.

Trying North Jetty Brewing's Semper Paratus Porter in Seaview, Washington. Velvety mouthfeel with distinct chocolate and coffee notes.

Dinner tonight at the Rogue Public House in Astoria!

Tonight's dessert is a bomber of Fivepine Chocolate Porter from Three Creeks Brewing Co, based in Sisters, Oregon.

Enjoying a Sunrise Oatmeal Pale Ale with friends at the Fort George Brewery in Astoria, Oregon.

Enjoying a Widmer American Hefeweizen in my hotel room after a long day at work.

I'm traveling for work, so my brewing will have to wait. The good news? I'll be spending 2 weeks in northern Oregon, home to numerous craft breweries. Right now I'm sampling 10 Barrel Brewing's Apocalypse IPA. As one would expect, citrusy American hops dominate this West Coast IPA, but the addition of Victory Malt to the grain bill lends a subtle toasted note.

This last point particularly appealed to my thrifty nature, so I purchased a grain bag, a 5 gallon cooler, and followed a detailed article on byo.com. I was very satisfied with the results. The malt profile of my beers improved, I became less dependent on expensive malt extract, and the article’s “Colby House Porter” is probably my favorite beer I’ve made so far.

Happy Happy National Homebrew Day! I have to work this weekend, so I celebrated a few days early by bottling a partial mash brown porter and an all-grain 3 gallon batch of Kölsch.

Mistakes are part of learning. If you accept that as true, then I learned more from third beer than any other. I’d made two kits, and both came out well, so I thought it was time to move up to making my own recipe. I set off to make a Cream Ale, figuring it would relatively simple. Rather than follow an actual recipe, however, I cobbled together some left over Mr. Beer supplies with some dried malt extract, Cluster hops, and a bit of maltodextrin. I completely overshot my original gravity. To make matters worse, I decided to use a pound of flaked maize as my steeping grains, completely unaware that I was just adding a bunch of unfermentable starches to my wort. To cap things off, I fermented at a balmy 78 degrees Fahrenheit. The result was cloudy, full of off flavors, and 6.3% ABV. Not my finest work, but I certainly a lesson in what not to do.

Like many first time brewers, I started with a kit. My first beer was a Brewer's Best extract with speciality grain American Pale Ale. My equipment was rudimentary (I had to use a meat thermometer to measure the temperature of my wort), and I had a weak grasp of the science behind what I was doing. Undeterred, I pressed forward, and after 17 days of waiting, I poured my very first homebrewed beer. One taste of that hoppy amber brew, and I was hooked. I quickly moved beyond brewing kits, but I still recommend them to my friends who are considering getting into home brewing. They are a great way to familiarize oneself with the fundamentals of brewing, with getting overwhelmed by the complexities of say, mashing grain or building a yeast starter.

After many years of wanting to try homebrewing, but never quite finding the time, I finally took the plunge and ordered a starter kit off Amazon last July. All it took was one taste of my first home made pale ale, and I was hooked. Since then, I've made 15 batches, moving from extract kits to partial mashes to brew-in-a-bag (BIAB). As much as I love the finished product, I think I get even more enjoyment from trying new techniques, tinkering with my brewing equipment, and experimenting with different recipes. So join me, as I learn by brewing.