Back again for #beersaturday for week 452 weeks to share beers with the world. It is never too late to join the party and the gang at @detlev/beersaturday-452 will welcome your post about beer.
In this 452nd edition, I am enjoying concert pints and getting back to brewing!
Pints are great. I think they are even better when enjoyed at a pub or gathering spot with others. Hence, the pint of the week. This week, I am 1 town over having a pre concert beer at Milos Pub which is a favourite gathering spot pre show. Excellent selection of beer too as I opted for an Exactly: Hazy NEIPA from Badlands Brewing which is referred to as an IPA Factory that sometimes makes other beer ;)
If you are more about the music than the beer, you can catch more about the concert at @zekepickleman/3-tune-thoughtful-daily-big-sugar Such great fun for all ages and a great vehicle for beer.
Time to Brew!
I often assume my 1600+ followers have been here the whole time and have soaked in every word. Definitely not the case and conversations recently have reminded me that not everyone knows I brew 60 litres of beer per week with friends. We use the Grainfather brewing system which is fantastic for going from grains to beer in a controlled fashion. Here, you can see the computer showing the current stage and temperature of our signature New England IPA.
Here is the grain grinding system we have cobbled together. We sit the mill on a couple pieces of wood meant to keep it perched securely on top of the brewer. We spin the mill with a cordless drill and grind all the grains to crack them all open and release those glorious sugars into the beer.
For a NEIPA, we grind in wheat and oats with the pale ale malt for that thick haze from the wheat and smooth mouthfeel from the oats. Amazing to think this coarse powder will become beer when boiled in water for a couple hours. Our golden, cream and amber ales don't get the extra additives or near the amount of hops the IPA does.
Speaking of other kinds of beers, we are just preparing our White Stout for drinking. We are using a new carbonation system which is taking some getting used to and making the beer a little hazy to start. Once it settles out, we carbonate lightly then push it nitrogen so it is smooth and creamy like Guinness. It is a little shock to the mouth as it looks like a golden ale but cascades like a stout and has strong flavours of cacao nibs and the dark roast coffee we added to the brew. A special treat we only brew in small batches.
Here is what the garage brewery looks in the middle of a brew session in the middle of winter. Stainless steel, tubes taps and glasses everywhere. Good thing the truck sleeps outside now or our brewing would be a little cramped. Very neat having 7 different kinds of beer on tap when brewing too for a little variety.
Brewing beer may not be good when trying to regulate your intake of beer but is fantastic for the learning, to save money purchasing from the store, and knowing all of the ingredients with no mystery preservatives. Headed out for another brew session today to make a West Coast IPA and another one-off style as experiements.
#BEERSaturday!
Whole foods. Simple ingredients. Great results!
Now it is time for you to join me, 
