Three guys. Two batches. One dog.

This past Saturday, I brewed not one, but two batches of beer with my homebrew pals, Eric and Scott, and Eric's new chocolate lab, Wallace. Wallace seemed more interested in his new rope toy than our brewing session, but his emotional support and unyielding companionship really carried the day.

We brewed an Oktoberfest lager (Eric's choice) and a Barleywine ale (mine). The Oktoberfest recipe, called "My First Marzen," came from this website. The Barleywine recipe came from Charlie Papazian's third book, Microbrewed Adventures. It was called "Old Lighthouse in the Fog Barleywine Ale." In honor of Wallace the dog, and in light of the fact that we had to substitute 50% of the ingredients in the Barleywine, I'm calling it "Wallace Fogbottom's Strong Ale."

For the first time ever, the Original Gravity of a beer brewed by yours truly came out on the button! The Barleywine was supposed to be 1.099 O.G., and we achieved 1.100. The Oktoberfest should have been 1.064 O.G., but we hit 1.043.

The Barleywine recipe Charlie presents in his book was based off of Anchor's Old Foghorn Barleywine. He did not know the actual recipe, so he guesstimated, and since we had to make partial hops and yeast substitutions, ours is a variation on a best guess, which puts it rather far afield. No matter, I am excited for the final product, which should come of age around the beginning of November - perfect timing to enjoy a Fogbottom in front of the fire on a cool, fall evening.

[insert name here] Oktoberfest (6 gallon recipe)

1.8 lbs German Vienna Malt

1.8 lbs German Dark Munich Malt

0.12 lbs Belgian Chocolate Malt

6.6 lbs Dry Light Malt Extract

1.2 oz Hallertau (pellets, 4.5% AA) - 60 min

(We only used 1.0 oz)

0.6 oz Hallertau (pellets, 4.5% AA) - 15 min

(We used 0.7 oz)

WYeast 2308 Munich Lager

O.G. 1.043

Wallace Fogbottom Strong Ale (4 gallon recipe)

8.8 lbs Light Dried Malt Extract

1.5 oz Northern Brewer Hops (pellets, 9.0% AA) - 120 min

(We used 1 oz Northern Brewer, and 0.3 oz Hallertau)

1.0 oz UK Wye Northdown hops (pellets, 7.0% AA) - 20 min

(We used Challenger (7% AA) hops)

1/4 tsp powdered Irish moss

(We used one tablet Irish moss)

English-type ale yeast - double dose

(We used one vial of English-type, and one packet of dry ale yeast)

O.G. 1.1oo

NOTE: Depending on fermentation activity, we may pitch additional yeast when we rack the Fogbottom to a secondary fermenter.

(I'll keep you posted!)

--Brewfus

Hot off the Wire - Baltimore beer from an old friend...

Those who know us well know that we don’t watch much television. I watch sports. Danger Kitten occasionally channel surfs for movies. The only reason we have cable is for the bundle discount on our Internet service. Yet, last year, friends turned us on to HBO’s series The Wire, a five-season drama that ended in 2005, which we watched religiously this spring thanks to Netflix. Better late than never?

Anyway, the show takes a nitty-gritty look at the mean streets, schools, docks, politics and media of Baltimore, through the eyes of the police, drug dealers, unions, teachers, politicians, and journalists who call the city home. It was a riveting show which we became utterly obsessed with, and which we sadly finished in June. And, our viewing of the final episode coincided perfectly with a visit from my good friend AJ and his fiancée, Amber, who moved to Baltimore this past year to teach, and who were on their way to Petoskey, Michigan (AJ's and my hometown) via Ann Arbor. As new Baltimoreans, we've encouraged them to give the show a try. But I digress...

Turns out people do read my blog, because AJ showed up in Ann Arbor bearing this little medley:

He got the idea from this earlier post. (See #28.)

AJ brought me this six-pack of Maryland brews after reading my blog, and in honor of his kindness, and my disposition toward strong beer, I decided to taste (and write about) the barleywine...

The six-pack is long gone, but the gesture lingers on. Thanks, AJ, for pulling a solid.

Below Decks Barleywine (10% ABV)
Clipper City Brewing Company
Baltimore, MD

Appearance: Ruby, deep reddish copper, lacy head that dissipates quickly.

Aroma: Malty, spicy yeasty.

Taste: Strong and warming, a malty kick in the teeth! Smoothly carbonated, neither flat nor over bubbly. Alcohol lingers on throat and nose, spicy and fruity but quickly covered by the booziness.

Overall Impression: My head felt warm after three sips, perfect for savoring on a winter's eve by the fire, not so perfect for consuming between innings at a softball game.

--Brewfus