Chickasaw County Pale Ale

Tonight's local fare: squash from our farmers' market stuffed with pork (from Holmen farm) and McIntosh apples (from our friends by the name of McIntosh) washed down by my pale ale brewed with all Fredericksburg hops.

Nut Brown Ale

I brewed this hearty ale with ingredients and advice from Tom at Kitchen Wines and Brew Shop in Cedar Falls. This beer is teaching me patience. It keeps getting better the longer I let it set. Each bottle I open is mellower and more refreshing than the last one I tried.

Today Sandy made a lamb stew that called for a cup of Guinness. I lent her a bottle of this dark British-style ale instead and it added some great character and depth of flavor to the stew.

Just Married C&J

For the wedding I officiated at today, the grandfather of the bride brought along his home-brewed ESB for us. His special twist seems to be keeping the malty flavor alive and well. It was very nice. Thanks to Grandpa Anderson!

Squash Ale

Tonight I prepared for my family a meal of fall flavors: acorn squash stuffed with sausage and apple. I paired my share with a homemade squash ale. I've been holding back on this batch, thinking it might not be fit to drink by anyone but myself, but as time passes, I think it's aging nicely and the flavors are coalescing. As you can see in the photo, the head is weak, but it is getting bigger with each bottle I pour. I've given a couple to family and friends, and I'm waiting for their feedback.

The recipe for the stuff squashed is available on request. The recipe for the beer is as follows:

3.3 lbs light malt syrup
1 lb amber powdered malt
32 oz corn syrup

2 oz Cascade hops

Grains:  8 oz. 90L, 8 oz. Cora Pils

3/4 cup molasses

8 lbs butternut squash

½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground ginger

½ tsp ground allspice

½ tsp ground nutmeg

Clean and cut up the squash. Bake it at 350 degrees for one hour. Smash and put it in a strainer bag.

Follow usual instructions for beer making from extract. Include the spices and molasses in the last 30 minutes of the boil. 

I added 1 oz of the hops early in the boil and 1 oz in the last three minutes for aroma.

Then steep the smashed squash in a strainer bag in the hot wort for 20 minutes only.

Cool to room temperature and add yeast as directed by the labeling on the yeast packet.

Parsonage Pale Ale

This single hop homebrew showcases the Cascade Hops that grow in our backyard. Friends have been gracious with their compliments of this one, concluding with these four appreciative guys in Missouri who sipped on the last of the bottles as a compliment to smoked lamb chops raised in the backyard of Pastor Rottmann's parsonage in Versailles, Missouri.

Leonard Poppe, Caleb Koch, Erik Rottmann, and me.

Here's a shot of the dry hopping I tried on this batch:

Looks yummy, doesn't it?

Gray's Blonde Ale

On Sunday it's good to be served by a preacher, as we were this morning with the preaching of the Word of God. This afternoon, I am served by a preacher in a different way. Pastor Andrew Gray's homemade ale is a very easy going beverage for this 80 degree afternoon. Light and lemony, I found it to be nicely refreshing after doing some work in the yard.

Berg's Smoked Porter

Some of us shared our homebrew for our recent conference. Travis Berg from Latimer here offers me his smoked porter that was just excellent in flavor and body.

Blasen's IPA

What a nice treat to have a neighbor stop by with a homebrew to share! This tasty, smooth ale was great to accompany my pork tenderloin sandwich and sauteed vegetables.

Hale's Helles Dopplebock

 This homebrewed helles dopplebock from Philip Hale is yeasty. I’ll have to ask him what yeast strain he uses in this. The sweetness of the malt, like Bananas and honey, is cut by the strong flavor of alcohol more so than the slightly bitter hops.

A Polish toast: Man’s no cactus, drink he must.

Hale's Pale Ale

Like Lee on The Taste, I like to have a beer while I cook.

My chicken parmesan came together while I enjoyed Phil Hale's Pale Ale. It has a nice flavor with a refreshing, lemony hop profile.

Hale's Dopplebock

You've heard it said, "The disciple is not above his teacher". But now I receive a mixed six from a former intern of mine, off on his own and brewing in his own basement. I must admit, he brews beer of surpassing quality.

This double bock by Phil Hale of Bancroft, Nebraska begins with grain in the aroma followed by a robust flavor of roasted grain with the enjoyable malt sweetness that's better than chocolate. He's got enough balancing hops to give a clean finish.

This could compete with what they send us from Bavaria.

Want Some Rye? Course Ya Do!

My Ale with Rye was a hit at the Super Bowl party in our home.

I ought to include the recipe here but there isn't one. I just threw somethings together for this brew.

In making this batch, I first used my grain mill, a Christmas present from my wife Sandy.

Bigfoot's Barleywine

This homebrewed Barleywine was a year in the making. Brewed in January, 2013 and enjoyed at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve.  I used a kit from Midwest Homebrewing Supply in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. The malt extract was exceptionally tasty -- so tasty in fact that after I spilled some on the brewing instructions, Moses, the dog found them irresistible. So some of my detailed notes, like original gravity and times of brewing are missing from the record.

This brew is warming in the mouth and belly with its high alcohol content. The fermentation process produced some esters that give interesting flavors of candied fruits. I enjoyed this quite a bit. but I’m not sure I would do it again, the heavy and extreme flavors keep this one from being a crowd pleaser. Friends who have tried it have given me only few and brief compliments. 

He Ain't Heavy Wee Heavy - Scottish Ale

On Thanksgiving 2013, brother-in-law Bill and I have a glass of my handiwork. A homebrew kit from the Bluff St. Brew Haus in Dubuque has resulted in a warming, filling, ale that’s sweet like brown sugar and dark fruits.

A couple weeks ago I had given Martha McFarland a bottle. She later texted my wife, "Just opened the Scottish ale. Tell your husband I think I died and went to heaven. :)"

Vic's California Steam

About 13 years ago I worked with Vic Young on his first batch of beer. Now he's grown up on his own and making great beer. It aleays does my heart good to see my children succeed in their work.

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Pumpkin Spice Ale

PUMPKIN SPICE ALE

6 lb Light dried malt extract

2 lbs various grains for steeping

1 oz Cascade Hops (bittering)

1 oz Mt Hood Hops (aromatic)

4 to 10 lb pumpkin (I use butternut squash)

½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground ginger

½ tsp ground allspice

½ tsp ground nutmeg

Clean and cut up the pumpkin. Bake it at 350 degrees for one hour. Smash and put it in a strainer bag.

Follow usual instructions for beer making from extract. Include the spices in the last 30 minutes of the boil.

Then steep the smashed pumpkin in the hot wort for 20 minutes only! Keep the pumpkin in the strainer bag otherwise it floats all over the place.

Cool to room temperature and add yeast as directed by the labeling on the yeast packet.

I received many compliments about this beer from colleagues at our conference.

Homebrewed Pale Ale

Briess CBW Pilsen Light Malt Extract with three generous helpings of my home grown Cascade hops and dry ale yeast produced a Pale Ale I’m quite happy with.

As it turns out, this went great with leftover turkey!

\Pictured here, my mother and I enjoy a glass.

Octoberfest's Vienna Lager

Ever since our first ancestors were banished from paradise, we have been so destined that, “By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food” (Genesis 3:19) – and, may I add, drink your beer. 

Today my brow is sweating as I harvest hops and boil them with malt and water in my back yard.  On this hot and humid last day of August, I sweat as I brew my next batch, and I find relief in a glass of the previous batch.  While sweating at work under my deserved curse, I also sip the goodness of the Creator’s undeserved favor.  Thank God that He has not given up on His creation, but in providence, continues to bring the rain and the sunshine we need to grow hops and grain.

The beer pictured here was made from a Mr Beer Kit called Octoberfest’s Vienna Lager. It had a nice caramel flavor to the malt and the hops were pleasant enough.  But overall this beer shows me well that, while the Creator blesses my hard work, he also provides me with the service of professionals who can do it right.  This particular homebrew was drinkable despite the over-carbonation and the cider flavors which are the tell-tale signs of a bacterial contamination. So while I am refreshed by my handiwork, I also thank the Lord for the professionals called by God to make me consistently good beer.

 

Dark Cherry Stout

I don't always go out of my way for a beer with fruit in it.  But this one was definitely worth the three blocks I had to walk to get it.  The tartness of the cherry is layered spectacularly on the sweetness of the dark malt.  The thick head that you notice in the picture stayed around patiently for as long as I wanted it.

You can see how this Dark Cherry Stout was made at http://crinkletalk.blogspot.com/2012/03/dark-cherry-stout.html

Ginger Saison

I got to try my friend’s Ginger Saison today.

The subtle hints of ginger fit nicely with the spice flavors expected in this style, making for an enjoyable and refreshing beer.

Here’s pictures from his blog of the ingredients: malted grain and candied ginger