FRESH SQUISHED IPA ALL-GRAIN HOMEBREW

This has now taken over as one of my favorite homebrews that I have made in my homebrew career. The aroma, color and taste are awesome.
Check out the beautiful color and head.

This is the description from Midwest Supplies (my ingredient source).
https://www.midwestsupplies.com/fresh-squished-ipa-all-grain-kit
Dripping with vivid flavors, this clone recipe is the beer equivalent of visiting your local fruit stand. Flavors and aromas of grapefruit, melon, berries, lime and passion fruit drizzle into a faint herbal, piney background. Fresh Squished's sturdy malt foundation of sweet crystal malts and toasty munich concedes to this indulgent use of Citra and Mosaic hops to achieve remarkable balance. Pale copper in color, Fresh Squished is overlaid by a fluffy, rich beige foam cap, allowing the juicy aromas to ooze out of this Pacific Northwest inspired clone.

Samuel Adams finally mailed out their score sheets for the 2016 Longshot Homebrew contest. I submitted my Coffee Stout that was brewed with Starbucks coffee. It's kind of funny that one of the judges said that the coffee taste was barely noticeable. Most of the people that I gave this brew to try thought that the coffee flavor was overpowering......Go figure.

Kosher yeast Certifications

Over the last few months, I have been asked frequently about kosher yeast certifications. The best way to find the leading manufacturers LOC's (Letters of Certification) can be found here:

Muntons
http://www.muntons.com/compliance/

White Labs
http://www.whitelabs.com/news/white-labs-kosher-certified

Danstar Nottingham Lallemand[pdf]
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwja7_vbr6bPAhUMLsAKHSNPAlcQFggcMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.danstaryeast.com%2Fsystem%2Ffiles%2Fpdfs%2Fnottingham_datasheet_0.pdf%3Fdownload%3D1&usg=AFQjCNEvVaM6j6Wdno4XHaZ-FaJ6rvwIfg&sig2=eIFYwhGy1vyrJ31CAtKBWw
check their website for additional information on "kosher" status

Wyeast Labs Yeast: LOC from the OU can be found below. Courtesy of Kyle B. [Thank you].

As I find more, I will gladly post. Please feel free to email me, if you find any updates.

Happy Brewing.

Java (Coffee) Stout

I am trying a new style hombrew this time to kick off the post Pesach homebrewing. I tried the Samuel Adams "Black and Brew" and couple of years back and was inspired. So I am giving a Coffee Stout recipe a shot. Right off the bat, even before adding the coffee (will be a Starbucks specialty bean) to secondary the brew is super dark, as it should  be being a stout. Straight out of the brew kettle it looks like coffee and smells very toasty. Right now its fermenting nicely in primary and once it's done in about a week, I'll transfer to secondary and add about a pot (48 oz) of strong brewed coffee. Stay tuned..if it works out nicely, I will be submitting this one to the annual Samuel Adams Longshot Homebrew contest.

Calypso Single-Hop IPA

This is the recipe kit that I have in secondary as of right now that I ordered from Midwest Supplies. I love the description that they provide and hope that I can get the same flavor and aroma profiles from my batch as they are describing.

"Unlike any other IPA that has come before it, new-age Calypso hops offer brilliant flavor and aroma from lemons, cherry blossoms, black pepper, bitter orange and mint to hints of tropical fruit and sappy, pronounced pear. Versatile, evolving hop character and markedly smooth bittering make for a complex IPA balanced by clean, slightly sweet and bready malt. Capturing fantastic reviews from IPA lovers and light-beer-drinkers alike, Calypso is a flavor odyssey with a serene, unforgettable finish."

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/calypso-single-hop-ipa.html

Jelly Belly-Draft Beer Jelly Beans

As a beer lover I was excited to give this Jelly Belly jelly bean flavor a shot. Unfortunately, they are a super size dissapointment. They taste like skunky beer, granted some beer is skunky and that is a bad thing, but why would we want to be reminder of that in a jelly bean??

Back to the drawing board Jelly Belly creators.

http://www.jellybelly.com/draft-beer-launch

Sam Adams Chocolate Bock (2015)

While I do not usually post this type of thing on my blog, I am sure that it is relevant to many followers. I just bought the Sam Adams Winter Classics mix. Mixes like this give homebrewers inspiration and ideas for homebrews they would like to create or copy. I happen to think that a chocolate beer and a coffee beer are very cool ideas and will at some point give them a shot, homebrew style of course. The issue is that the SA Chocolate Bock does not have a kosher certification on the bottle. The good news is that I followed up with the Star-K who certifies all of the Boston Beer (including Sam Adams), and their reply was: The reason why we do not list it is because it is dairy and they use lactose which is not cholov Yisroel it is cholov stam and we did not want to get involved with Star-D. Therefore, if you are ok with the above reasonings, sip away.

Does Beer need a Hashgacha?

In a recent article in the Kosher Spirit Magazine put out by the OK Kosher, they answer this questions. I agree with them completely as the beer industry continues to expand and brewmaster in the US are always trying to find the new latest and greatest brewing craze in addition to the traditional beers. You really need to be on guard when it comes to beers and kashrus, the old adage of all beer is fine (in the US) is not necessarily true anymore.

http://www.kosherspirit.com/Article.asp?Issue=35&Article=516

My 2015 Samuel Adams Longshot Homebrew contest entry scores

These are my score sheets from my annual Samuel Adams Longshot Homebrew contest entries. The top Three pages are for my Pumpkin Ale 2014 (brewed last fall) [category 21B]. The second set are from my Some Like It Hot [category 21A] brew that was made with my homegrown Thai peppers.

Citral Pale Ale

This months homebrew is called Citral Pale Ale. It's a recipe that has an abundance of floral hops in it. I am also putting my new Father's day gift to use with this batch. My loving wife bought me a conical fermenter, I can't imagine where she got the idea from. But so far it's working pretty nice. The recipe has Centennial hops for bittering and lots of Citra and Cascade hops for Aroma. I can't wait to try this hop bomb!

Pumpkin Ale # 2

India Pale Ale

I just brewed my last batch before Pesach (Passover). I chose to make some good use out of my homegrown Galena hops and an IPA was the way to go. This brew should be nice and hoppy but well balanced at the same time. Stay tuned.

UPDATE: 4/15/15

Transferred to secondary fermenter and added another 1oz of my homegrown Galena hops to dry hop. As soon as I have enough empties ready, its off to bottling.

A Belgian Whitbeer brew is in the works

Before I brewed my Oktoberfest, I made sure to have an ale in the works. Everyone has been asking me to make a Belgian Whitbeer. I am not a huge fan of the wheat beers in general as I find them to be a little too tart for my liking, but I didn't want to let all my buddies down. So to all of you who have been asking for a Belgian... it's in the works. Naturally, I didn't want to make a plain Jane recipe so I decided on a Honey Wheat Belgian, brewed with barley and wheat extracts,  2lbs of clover honey, orange peel, coriander and lightly hopped. Sounds good to me, let's see what the fans have to say.
2/22/15- My apologies, the title of this brew is actually called Honey Weizen, which technically has German background, I modified it though to resemble a Whitbeer of Belgian decent with the orange peel and corriander seeds. Either way, I tasted it last night while bottling it and it has a really nice honey aroma, a bit of sweetness from the honey, orange and coriander and a warming feel from the extra alcohol attributed to the honey. I'm looking forward to the final conditioned product.

Oktoberfest Lager

Well I finally took the jump/challenge. I brewed my first lager. Oktoberfest is a traditional German style lager. It is always brewed as a lager and as a typical homebrewer, I do not have a dedicated refrigerator to use for lagering to keep the temp's down in the 45-50 degree range needed for lagering. Luckily, being that it is winter time, I have a room in my basement that isn't heated and the temps are right in the range for lagering. YEAH!! So the brew is now in primary fermentation and we have to wait and see how the first lager experiment works out.

UPDATE: 04/29/15

Well the verdict is in, after a LONG aging process in my basement over 3 month at around 40 degrees, I finally bottled my first lager. After a one week conditioning period, the initial verdict is so-so. The Oktoberfest pours a dark brown color and has a dark malty backbone, which is typical of this style. My only concern is the carbonation level is pretty low. I am almost certain that with time, this beer will only get better. therefore..I will let it condition some more and give it another shot.

New Bing program

Bing, is starting up a new program and contest. Click this link to startup and add yourself in to the contest. It doesn't cost anything and you can potentially win 25,000 points which can be redeemed for gift cards, etc.

https://t.co/ZahKwQI3cd
— Daniel @ Anchor Inn (@AnchorInnNY) January 14, 2015

It's Pumpkin Ale Season!

I'm getting ready to brew my annual seasonal adventure. Pumpkin Ale. I already have my oven roasted pumpkin and now just waiting for just the right style hops to be delivered from my supplier. My recipe scored very well in the annual Sam Adams Longshot homebrew contest. The judges made some suggestions on how I can improve the recipe and I'll give it another shot (submission) come May 2015. I used Galena hops for bittering last year, but i think they are a little too strong for this style ale. So this year, I am going to try using Czech Saaz (a noble) for bittering and Williamette for aroma. Let's hope its brews up nice and spicy.


1/12/15
So after a good long primary and secondary fermentation, I finally bottled my Pumpkin Ale #1 of 2014. I hope it comes out as delicious as it sounds.

Wyeast Laboratories, Inc. - Kosher

Wyeast Laboratories, Inc. - Kosher

Check this out!!

Homegrown Galena hops

Home grown Galena hops (currently air drying). I estimate about 5 ounces once dried. The Galena hops grow the best of the 4 varieties that I am growing in my garden. I am sure that my neighbors think that I am nuts, but aren't all homebrewers a little bit crazy to start?

More certifications: Whirlfloc, Kerry (Cork), and some Weyermann (malts, extracts and beers)

Thanks to some great legwork by Dr. Steve L. I am able to now upload certifications for Whirlfloc, Kerry (Cork), and Weyerman malts, extracts and "beers"). I have to admit that I have never hear of Kerry (Cork) products, but we learn something new everyday.

Midwest Supplies is offering a great deal for Fathers Day

Buy $125 Email Gift Card & Get a Free $25 email gift card!

To receive your FREE $25 email gift card, add one email gift card (SKU V-Giftcard) of at least $125 in value and a $25 email gift card (SKU V-Giftcard) to your cart. Enter promo code DADSCUT into the promo code field on the shopping cart page prior to checking out.
Offer valid 96 hours, online and in store, through 11:59PM CST 06/15/2014 or while supplies last. Offer cannot be combined with any other offers, promotions, or discounts. Physical gift cards are available with this promotion at retail. Limit one redemption per customer.

If you are an avid homebrewer like me, $150 at a homebrew store doesn't go that far. Ok....it does, its usually enough for ingredients for 4 brews. That is how I usually place my orders, 4 at a time. Anyone want to buy me a fathers day present????