Gemütlichkeit Brewing

Enjoying Kentucky Wildcat

noreply@blogger.com (Ray Albarelli) — Mon, 22 Jun 2015 13:49:00 +0000

Kentucky Wildcat

Ingredients:

1/2 oz Jack Daniels
1/2 oz Southern Comfort
1/2 oz Yukon Jack
1/2 oz Jim Beam
2 oz Sour Mix
2 oz Cola

Brewing a Wheat Beer using Rice Hulls

noreply@blogger.com (Ray Albarelli) — Mon, 09 Jun 2014 00:18:00 +0000

The rice hulls in the 5 gallon bucket can keep
the mash from becoming stuck.

Brewing a wheat beer can be tricky. The grains of wheat are small, and become very thick when wet. This can cause the mash to become stuck, and slow the transfer of wort from the mash tun to the brew kettle. I recommend alternating types of grain with the wheat. In the case of Randy's Warhawk Wheat, I alternate a bag of Pilsen malt with a bag of wheat rather than dumping all the wheat in together. Another thing you can do is use rice hulls to narrow channels in the grain bed for the sparge to flow through en route to the brew kettle. I use one 5 gallon bucket for every 50lbs of wheat.

At Randy's, we use a grant to vorlauf the wort.

After the "mash in" there is a process called vorlauf which takes the smaller particulates from the bottom of the grain bed, and deposits them on top. This creates a natural filter keeping a large portion of smaller particulates out of the brew kettle.

I'd be inclined to think that the use of rice hulls in the mashing of a wheat beer, would decrease the effectiveness of the vorlauf. But after using some very technical equipment, my eyes and a glass, I see that the vorlauf is just as effective and there are very few particulates swimming around in the glass after only 10 minutes of circulation.

I've found that alternating grain types with the wheat beer, seems to be as effective as using rice hulls. Although the rices hulls do not alter the mouth feel of the beer, or give it an unusual taste, sometimes getting the hulls out of their transport bag is more work than dealing with a stuck mash. So I'd rather not use them myself.

Filtering an Amber Lager

noreply@blogger.com (Ray Albarelli) — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 13:38:00 +0000

Today my son and I filtered an amber lager. When he grows up he wants to be a brewmaster.

Mead Class BJCP Class

noreply@blogger.com (Ray Albarelli) — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 07:00:00 +0000

Tonight, a small group from the Beer Barons met to learn about Mead with a view on getting certified to judge Mead classes at competitions. It was a great class, taught by Diane and Jeff Kane. Five more weeks of classes!

Wisconsin Cheese and Beer Pairing - Beer Barons September Meeting

noreply@blogger.com (Ray Albarelli) — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Tonight's meeting of the Beer Barons was an excellent one. It featured Sarah Hill from the Wisconsin Cheese Marketing Board with a presentation on beer and cheese pairing. All the beers were Wisconsin brews paired with Wisconsin cheese. Only the best!

Brewing a Warhawk Wheat and Enjoying a Prime Rib

noreply@blogger.com (Ray Albarelli) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 02:46:00 +0000

Preparing to brew the wheat.

Wort transfer.

Quality check.

Fermenters 1 and 2 have an India Pale Ale and an Amber Lager fementing in them. Now I've brewed up a Warhawk Wheat and it's fermenting in 3.

A lot of times when transferring the wort from the mash tun to the brew kettle, it get's stuck with a wheat beer because the particulates are
so small. Today I alternated grain types when mashing in. It seemed to help and the transfer didn't get "stuck."

Enjoyed some India Pale Ale and a prime rib. It's GREAT to be the brewmaster!

Second Time Brewing an India Pale Ale

noreply@blogger.com (Ray Albarelli) — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 02:11:00 +0000

The India Pale Ale I brewed a few months ago was so popular, I'm already brewing another batch. I'm glad you've enjoyed it so much.

Here are some pictures from the day in the brewhouse. Two home brewers, a father and son team, happened to be in the restaurant and visited the brewhouse. Thanks for stopping by Bob, and Bobbie, glad you enjoy the beer!

Oktoberfest

noreply@blogger.com (Ray Albarelli) — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 03:05:00 +0000

Oktoberfest is coming fast. Although most of us beer lovers won't be able to make the pilgrimage to the hallowed drinking grounds in Munich, we can enjoy a good Oktoberfest style beer brewed right here in Wisconsin. Leinenkugel's is brewing one, Tyranena will have it's Gemuelichkeit Oktoberfest and I brewed one today.

Here is how the grain looked after transferring the wort to the brew kettle.

From Oktoberfest Brew - Saturday August 21, 2010

The wort from this mash tasted great. I can't wait till we tap this bad boy!

From Oktoberfest Brew - Saturday August 21, 2010

While brewing, the "Three Dans" stopped by for a beer after golfing. I can't think of a better way to finish out a day of golfing!

From Oktoberfest Brew - Saturday August 21, 2010

After brewing the Oktoberfest, I finished out my day with a mix of Warhawk Wheat and lemonade called a Summer Shandy.

From Oktoberfest Brew - Saturday August 21, 2010

Here is the slideshow of today's day of brewing excitement:

Honey Moon Summer Ale - Blue Moon Brewing

noreply@blogger.com (Ray Albarelli) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 22:59:00 +0000

The Honey Moon Summer Ale is a pleasurable delight that keeps me wanting more. If you enjoy the flavor of honey, then this is the brew for you. The taste of honey is unmistakable and every sip is a divine exhalation that grants immortality, or at the very least, a divine moment of clarity. Even as it sits in the glass, the Honey Moon is "a thing of beauty" whose loveliness increases as the glass approaches my lips and fills me with "sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing." Beer and brats are good, but this is a beer best served with poetry.

Great Lakes Craft Brewers & Water Conservation Conference

noreply@blogger.com (Ray Albarelli) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 05:08:00 +0000

The Great Lakes Craft Brewers & Water Conservation Conference was held today at Discovery World on Milwaukee's lakefront today. It was a very education event that began at 9 AM with the keynote address by Wisconsin's Secretary of Commerce Dick Leinenkugel.

Mr. Leinenkugel presented some very eye opening facts regarding water. Although 70% of the Earth's surface is covered with water, only 1/3 of 1% is available for use. In the midwest we take water for granted, since it is so abundant. But water shortages elsewhere and recent attempts to ship Great Lakes water to other countries have really highlighted the importance of taking water conservation seriously here at home. The Great Lakes account for 1/5 the worlds fresh water and drive a 10.5 billion dollar economy. In conclusion, Mr. Leinenkugel highlighted the importance of the Great Lakes Compact and the need to adapt technology to conserve water being developed in Israel, which has become the “global Silicon Valley for water technology solutions.”

At 9:45 Russ Klisch of the Lakefront Brewery moderated a symposium on balancing the role of water as an economic and a natural resource. The DNR's Todd Ambs began this discussion by quoting former Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson "The economy is a wholly owned subsidiary of the environment" and then elaborated further on the Great Lakes Compact. The fundamentals of the compact involve monitoring and reporting of water use in the Great Lakes Basin, along with management of it's withdrawal and consumptive use. It's focus on water conservation is a tiered program with increasing requirements of use and replacement. Diversions of water from the basin are banned with only limited exceptions. Unrelated to water, but interesting to me, Mr. Ambs pointed out that Wisconsin and Minnesota account for 85% of the nations Brandy consumption and Wisconsin is number 1 in beer consumption. I have to say, I'm proud to be from Wisconsin, where "80% of life is just showing up"......for a beer!!

Tom Pape of the Alliance for Water Efficiency presented information on water use during the brewing process, disposal, and post consumption. The creation of beer begins at the agricultural cycle with the growing of grains and hops used to make beer and involves an extensive use of water through irrigation. The brewing process itself requires approximately 4 pints of water to make 1 pint of beer, which is itself; 92% water. The use of water in cleaning and disposal, post brewing and fermentation can be 20x greater then during the brewing process.

The symposium which followed was a delight for those of us who have a love for science. It was moderated by Dr. Robin Shepard and began with Dr. Kenneth Bradbury, Hydrogeologist in the Department of Environmental Sciences-University of Wisconsin. Professor Bradbury explained that all groundwater comes from aquifers in the ground. There are 3 major aquifers in Wisconsin, the Silurian Dolomite, Cambrian-Ordovician Sandstone, and the Precambrian crystalline aquifer. Next up, Dr. Jon Bartholic discussed "Current Threats and Water Protection Efforts in the Region", focusing primarily on withdrawal of water from the Great Lakes Basin.

For more interesting information, check out these articles:

Chicago Tribune: Brewers worry that national water shortages will raise prices

Pale Ale and a Specialty Brew

noreply@blogger.com (Ray Albarelli) — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 03:15:00 +0000

Today I transferred the Pale Ale from the fermenter to the serving tank. For all of you who were eagerly awaiting the Pale Ale, it's on tap now!

I also brewed a first at the Fun Hunters Brewery. It's going to be a surprise for everyone and it should be on tap in about six weeks. The smell of it brewing was wonderful and the wort tasted even better. Keep checking back here for updates on it's availability!

It was a busy night at Randy's. Pictured are Rick Kienbaum, Chris Nygren, Double D, and Amy; whom I had the time to visit with. The Palmyra/Eagle class of 1989 were here also, as they had their 20 year reunion tonight.