The Big Deal

OK Guys and Gals, Thanks again for stopping by and making the big brew 2005 such a tremendous success. Between the music, the brats, the burgers, and the weather, it was just one heck of an interesting and enjoyable day. All told, I believe we brewed up close to 50 gallons of bitter wort that is currently being turned to beer by our crew of happy yeast! Yep, those guys paid me a little visit and I believe the huge porter is almost finished! One of my buddies asked me how the brew went and I may have seemed confused. The recipe from Zymurgy seemed a little weird. Everything pointed out a 100+ IBU beer which is a wee bit beyond the top range? My brew was approximately 1.0?? If I took gravity readings, I could tell you better. I used 30 pounds of grain and normally this would achieve OG of 1.075. During cleanup, the false bottom in the brew kettle only had about 4-5 inches of spent aromatic hops. The remainder of the hop bill fit into the hop back which finally came back into service after a long rest. It probably held 4-5 ounces. I guess you could call this a fairly hoppy beer. During the cooling phase, I called Steve Piatz into the room to get a whiff from the fermenters. There is always something special about the aromas from a carboy and after a trip through the hop back, the aroma was very special. I never had time to get out or write up a score card for the club cooler. A few folks asked early questions about the beer but soon learned what was available and which they liked better. Oh yeah, the event was also covered by a reporter from the Eden Prairie Sun. She seemed to be a little dazed by the hub of action but blended in with the crowd and possibly tried a sample.....or two. The final mistake of the day was placing the bourbon barrel barley wine on tap for about 45 minutes. Needless to say, Sunday was a very very slow day. Take care. Rick Oftel MHBA Member at Large