tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31857342062427371092024-09-05T06:53:57.169-04:00Adventures in home brewing and the art of crafting beer.Jeff Louellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00203763547930738250noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185734206242737109.post-72400256094964569492008-10-10T08:51:00.002-04:002008-10-10T08:58:08.570-04:00

With all this talk of the hop shortage over the year, I would pick up hops 8oz at a time when I would see them. Well, they added up pretty quickly. I have a pretty large surplus of American hops. My one issue is I would like to start brewing some Belgian and German style ales. So now I am looking to trade. If anyone has some extra Noble, English, German, Czech hops they would like to trade, shoot

Jeff Louellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00203763547930738250noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185734206242737109.post-61415203456574622252008-09-02T16:52:00.009-04:002008-09-02T22:26:30.753-04:00

As I grow as a brewer, I try to find ways to refine my process. This can sometimes be a daunting task since I am expanding my system and abilities all the time. One piece of equipment I cannot live without is my new Refractometer.What is a Refractometer?A Refractometer is an instrument that measures the bending of light (refraction) through a liquid. In brewing and wine making, it measures the

Jeff Louellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00203763547930738250noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185734206242737109.post-72722170950126241602008-07-20T11:36:00.010-04:002008-08-27T09:05:29.088-04:00

Things are going well with 2 of my 4 plants. My Chinook Hops are still a no show. I will have to by some new root stock in the spring to get those going. My cascades are only about 2-3 feet high. If you remember, they had an issue early in the year when my dog decided to step on the young budding bines and break them. I was happy they came back, but they are still small and not going to produce

Jeff Louellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00203763547930738250noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185734206242737109.post-88671470945580520682008-07-12T12:09:00.005-04:002008-08-27T09:02:59.231-04:00

With all this talk I hear about the limited release of Pliny the Elder in bottles and Sam Adams not being able to produce Mike McDole’s Longshot 6 pack winning beer(modeled after Pliny), I decided the only way to taste one of these brews was to make it myself.These beers are intense with over a pound of hops for a 5 gallon batch. I’ve done a bunch of reading on the style and made some of my own

Jeff Louellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00203763547930738250noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185734206242737109.post-57103731817291849952008-05-26T13:34:00.005-04:002008-05-28T09:57:57.361-04:00

With all this talk of hops shortages and hop crisis, I decided to try to grow some of my own hops. I’m not alone. There seems to be thousands of home brewers, in the same boat as me, growing their own hops. I ordered my 4 hop rhizomes from the Thyme Garden. They were Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, and Nugget. They were all planted in early/mid April and I have had various results. I am sure

Jeff Louellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00203763547930738250noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185734206242737109.post-23746620671988010292008-05-18T21:26:00.007-04:002008-05-28T09:59:32.672-04:00

I’ve only been brewing for a short while, but I sure have caught the bug. I have brewed eight beers so far using extract and steeping grains. This morning, I brewed a Belgian Wit. The Wit recipe called for mini mashing a pound of flaked oats, a pound of German wheat malt, and 2 pounds of pilsner malt. This was my first mini mash.I have been reading up on moving to all-grain and figured I just

Jeff Louellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00203763547930738250noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185734206242737109.post-31511920434190006662008-05-03T21:41:00.002-04:002008-05-03T21:44:19.431-04:00

Saturday May 3rd was the National Homebrew Day’s Big Brew. I wanted to participate in the big brew with a bunch of people, but my schedule didn’t allow it. I did squeeze in a brew though. I ran to my local homebrew shop and picked up some ingredients for a Honey Blonde Ale. I formulated the recipe in my head as I was driving to the store.Every beer I have brewed so far has been dark or hoppy. My

Jeff Louellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00203763547930738250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185734206242737109.post-25936228995206713972008-04-14T20:55:00.026-04:002008-06-10T09:20:16.964-04:00

The SIPA is my first big time IPA. It contains over a ½ pound of hops for 5 gallons and came in at about 6.5% ABV. I was worried during bottling because it had a slight sulfur smell and I thought it was ruined. It smelt great in the carboy, but as I was bottling I smelled the off-aroma. I decided to cross my fingers and let it bottle condition out. I was extremely happy with the result. The SIPA

Jeff Louellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00203763547930738250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185734206242737109.post-49027439555662068752008-04-13T14:36:00.002-04:002008-04-13T14:50:30.198-04:00

Over the winter, I picked up a temperature control box off Northern Brewer. The temperature kit came with the control unit, the Thermowell stopper, and a Fermawrap. This worked great in the winter months, but now that spring is here, I need to keep the temperature down, not up. This requires refrigeration. Though I do have an extra fridge, this is used to hold my bottled beers (and soon to be

Jeff Louellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00203763547930738250noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185734206242737109.post-38208205498195382962008-04-06T09:53:00.003-04:002008-04-06T10:03:40.409-04:00

This is the final design of my hop trellis. I ended up using my chimney instead of placing a permanent pole into the ground. I figured the Chimney was sturdier. I also can remove the trellis during the winter months. Since the sunniest spot in my yard is very visible to the neighborhood, this was a request from the wife. So the hops are planted, the trellis is set up, and the weather is good.

Jeff Louellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00203763547930738250noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185734206242737109.post-28606331970174752272008-04-04T14:43:00.003-04:002008-04-04T14:48:21.016-04:00

The crew here at the Basement Brewing blog are looking to take these discussions offline and into the streets. I’d like to introduce the newest home brew club in the Northeast Philadelphia and Suburbs area, the ALEiens Homebrew Club. We still are trying to figure out all the details, but as of right now, it is just a couple guys looking to improve the quality of their home brew. We would love to

Jeff Louellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00203763547930738250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185734206242737109.post-59410981183537609502008-04-03T09:41:00.002-04:002008-04-03T09:50:47.788-04:00

Last night I was sipping on my recently brewed Scotch Kissed Vanilla Bean Robust Porter and began thinking to myself, I wish I knew a BJCP National Judge. I personally would like to go through the training myself to educate my palette on the various off flavors there are in beer, so I can adjust my brew process to fix them. I have read numerous books, listened to podcasts, and have entered

Jeff Louellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00203763547930738250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185734206242737109.post-55190398585876797362008-03-24T17:08:00.000-04:002008-03-24T17:10:23.091-04:00

So I apologize for not blogging for awhile, but don't worry I haven't stopped brewing.Last Friday at the "brew house" we had 5 secondary carboys that were ready for bottling all at the same time. 2 American style pale ales (a Sierra Nevada Clone & a Tongue Splitter recipe) a Dry Irish stout and an Irish Wee Heavy were also added to our bottling extravaganza. And last but certainly not least

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185734206242737109.post-51619226969267138832008-03-20T09:53:00.006-04:002008-04-03T15:11:01.201-04:00

From my Hop Trellis post yesterday, you all now know I am growing hops this year. I think it going to be a big trend this year due to the hop shortage. I ordered my hops rhizomes (root cuttings) from the Thyme Garden in mid February and they should be here any day. I went for all high-alpha hops that are hybrids with both clean bittering and pleasant aroma characteristics. Thyme Garden is an

Jeff Louellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00203763547930738250noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185734206242737109.post-9302300835040299852008-03-19T13:49:00.004-04:002008-03-21T10:10:58.779-04:00

With the hop shortage in full swing, I decided to take a stab at growing my own hops. I’m not alone. I have found a ton of posts of new backyard hop gardeners. My bought my hop rhizomes from Thyme Garden and they should be arriving any day now. One thing though. I do not have a trellis set up yet. After scouring my yard to find the perfect place, I decided on the side of my house.I have read a

Jeff Louellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00203763547930738250noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185734206242737109.post-5653111008778473482008-03-09T10:42:00.004-04:002008-06-10T09:42:43.522-04:00

I’ve had my eyes on some different recipes for a Vanilla Bourbon Porter and I have one major issue with them all. I am not a huge Bourbon fan. I am a Scotch kind of guy. I don’t know why the Bourbon was attracting to me when I like the peaty flavors of the Speyside and the lighter fruitier flavors of the Highlands. So I put together a recipe for myself that include Scotch.I wasn’t looking for a

Jeff Louellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00203763547930738250noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185734206242737109.post-30343452990798896922008-02-27T13:23:00.005-05:002008-02-27T13:33:11.704-05:00

Though I am new to brewing, I have really taken a liken to it (hence the blog). I recently have received some bonus money and what else should I spend it on besides brewing supplies. Of course, I am saving a good part of it, but this is bonus money. It was a little extra for working hard. Therefore, it is time to play hard. Here are the major additions to my home brewery.15 Gallon Brew pot fitted

Jeff Louellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00203763547930738250noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185734206242737109.post-2922461968249286102008-02-03T15:20:00.000-05:002008-02-03T15:26:15.040-05:00

In a previous post, I wrote about a yeast starter I created. This was a great learning experience and it really helped out my IPA I created. A yeast starter helps get the fermentation process started quicker. By growing the yeast culture, instead of just throwing in a White Labs tube, there will be more yeast further on in their life at pitching time. This will help drop the specific gravity down

Jeff Louellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00203763547930738250noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185734206242737109.post-71505003442974370942008-01-13T22:06:00.000-05:002008-01-14T16:01:21.354-05:00

It’s been over two months since I brewed last and was itching to brew an IPA. Due to the world wide hop shortage, it’s difficult to find the correct hops for most hoppy recipes. I ended up buying one of the only IPA kits left at MoreBeer.com. It is a recipe by Vinnie Cilurzo of Russian River Brewing Company and is the original double IPA version he created while working at Blind Pig Brewing. The

Jeff Louellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00203763547930738250noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185734206242737109.post-30109646425240725892008-01-12T13:21:00.001-05:002008-01-12T22:41:13.207-05:00

The more I read up on home brewing, the more I get fascinated with the science and biology of the process. One aspect that I find interesting is the yeast. These little animals are extremely important to the overall brewing process and are probably the most mysterious part of the process too.When first starting out, a lot of kits use dry yeast. After the brew, the directions usually say to

Jeff Louellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00203763547930738250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185734206242737109.post-14333996308226530342008-01-08T16:09:00.000-05:002008-01-08T16:21:42.038-05:00

So this week is the big industry show and all my bosses and Veeps will be in town. My Imperial Stout is aging nicely and its in great gift sized 220z bottles. Of course the obvious dilemma I face is whether to share this beer with those who will decide in the next few weeks how much I will make in 08. Now its not like I just want to drink all this beer by myself. I want to share it but is the

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185734206242737109.post-79912072693835143122007-12-31T10:37:00.000-05:002007-12-31T10:59:46.047-05:00

Last time I posted I had brewed a Wheat Beer which came out really nice. It was my first brew and I was surprised how simple it was. It was only one can and it was pre hopped so there was little I could do wrong. This time I brewed a Russian Imperial Stout. I used a recipe I found in a book but adapted it with ingredients at Keystone Home Brew in Montgomeryville. This recipe called for 2

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185734206242737109.post-36675759968373184772007-12-27T11:23:00.000-05:002007-12-27T11:29:16.373-05:00

Its getting a little brew crazy in my little northeast philly basement. Here goes.. From the Slow-mo Honey Wheat - With LoveThe last time I blogged about my on-again off-again relationship with my honey wheat, it reached a climax, where I was finally able to transfer it to a secondary carboy. Its been pretty uneventful since, we're working on about day 10 in secondary and will probably be bottled

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185734206242737109.post-55284077883784540792007-12-11T15:57:00.000-05:002008-01-12T22:36:09.472-05:00

Its been a dramatic week to say the least. Being this was the first recipe I designed on my own, I had a lot riding on this one. The wort was boiled on Sunday night and I didn't see any movement in the air lock until after work Wednesday night. Three full days it sat before fermenting! Its a very scary thought to think you might have to add more yeast or heaven forbid scrap the beer. But sure

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3185734206242737109.post-72484844498193325962007-12-08T21:49:00.000-05:002007-12-08T21:53:45.132-05:00

I’m pretty new to brewing, but not to computers. I am a Web Developer and a SEO Engineer by trade. I’d love to be able to bring my love of computer into the home brewing world. I’ve read about some brewing software, but most of the software is for Windows. The big ones seem to be Beer Tools Pro and Pro Mash. The issue..., I switched to a Macintosh earlier this year. I also have windows installed

Jeff Louellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00203763547930738250noreply@blogger.com6