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Oregon Brewing Clubs Get Screwed

This sucks! Home brew clubs in Oregon are no longer allowed to have home brew at their meetings! Public beer and wine competitions, like those commonly held at the state and county fairs are now considered illegal too. What a bummer for us home brewers… The clubs can live on, but they have to be ‘dry’. Takes all the fun out of it, and the chance to learn and share about brewing (which is the whole point). The Oregon law had been on the books for 30 years, but it was not enforced or interpreted in this way until now.

The Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) and the Oregon Department of Justice have decided to shut down beer and wine competitions, and remove home brew from home brew clubs. Excerpt from the law:

‘No person shall brew, ferment, distill, blend or rectify any alcoholic liquor unless licensed so to do by the Oregon Liquor Control Commission. However, the Liquor Control Act does not apply to the making or keeping of naturally fermented wines and fruit juices or beer in the home, for home consumption and not for sale.’” https://www.leg.state.or.us/ors/471.html

The problem with the competitions and home brew clubs is, the home brew is taken out of the home, and then consumed by the ‘public’. Sounds down right naughty doesn’t it?? People, sharing home brew and discussing it?? Under the law, even though the home brew is not sold, it is still illegal to have members of the ‘public’ drink the home made alcoholic beverages. Judges are considered members of the public under the new interpretation as well.

This means it is illegal to drink home brew anywhere in Oregon, except at home.

In order to get home brew clubs, and beer/wine competitions going again, the state legislature would have to amend the law. Oregon has some pretty big budget items to address this year, so we can only hope for the best.

Interestingly enough, competitions for canned preserves, pies, etc are still legal at fairs. It is the mystique of alcohol that causes all the trouble for brewers and vintners. If the argument is for public safety, there are more dangerous strains of diseases in improperly canned foods than in a bad batch of home brew.

For the clubs in Portland, Oregon that are impacted, I predict new brewing clubs will be formed just over the river in Vancouver, Washington!

For more details, go to:
https://www.kval.com/news/business/97335294.html

Posted in Announcements | 12 Comments »

Blonde Ale Summer Brew

This Blonde Ale is a home brew thirst quencher perfect for summer time. I plan to serve it ice cold on tap for days when it gets above 80F. I named the brew after my wife as she has the most beautiful blonde hair. The Cascade and Mt Hood are a nice light combination, with the Mt. Hood imparting a light spicyness. The Vienna malt gives a sublte honey sweetness. If you want to make it even lighter, use less hops.

The style is BJCP 6B – Blond Ale:

I bought a busshel of Pilsner malt (55 lb) about a year and a half ago. I have been using it for Lagers. I want to use up the Pilsner malt before it spoils so I made an ale.

Grains:

8 lb Pilsner
1 lb Vienna
1 lb CaraPils
(@ 75% brewhouse efficiency)

Hops:

Mt Hood, ½ ounce, 60 minutes
Cascade, ½ ounce, 30 minutes
Cascade, ½ ounce, 5 minutes
Mt Hood, ½ ounce, 5 minutes

Yeast:

American or British Ale Yeast – Kolsch would work well.

I used British II Wyeast 1335 because I had it on hand and was pitching it forward (for free). I think this yeast is better for darker beers now that I am tasting the first few samples, but time will tell.

Style 6B stats:

OG: 1.038 – 1.054
IBUs: 15 – 28
FG: 1.008 – 1.013
SRM: 3 – 6
ABV: 3.8 – 5.5%

This Recipe:

OG: 1.044
IBUs: 24
FG: 1.008
SRM: 3.2
ABV: 4.5%

Fermented in the primary for 35 days at 64-68F, then kegged.

Posted in Recipes | 1 Comment »

Water Volume Management in All Grain Brewing

How to hit your target wort volume spot on.

There are several factors that go into how much water is lost during the brewing process from mash to fermentor.

1) Grain Absorption: Figure 1/2 quart per pound of grain. This comes out to ~1 pint (0.125 gallons) / pound of grain. Some reports are as high as 0.2 gallons per pound.

During the mash process the grains soak up water. This water is not transfered to the kettle when lautering. Make sure if you do a high gravity batch to account for this. My last big batch was a little short on wort volume and grain absorption is exactly why.

2) Mash Tun Dead Space: Dead space varies by equipment. Some of the water / sweet wort is left behind because of the shape of the mash tun or location of the valve.

I estimate 2 quarts (0.5 gallon) in my cooler mash tun.

3) Boil Off / Evaporation Rate: This depends on how vigorous of a boil and the shape of the kettle. The average is around 1.5 gallons (6 quarts) per hour. If the kettle is narrow (like a keggle), expect ~1 gallon per hour, or short and wide, as high as ~2.5 gallons / hour. If you are brewing with Pilsner malt and want to do a 90 minute boil to drive off DMS (which I do on my lagers), make sure to account for the extra boil time.

4) Trub loss: Water absorbed by hops or adjuncts. I estimate 1/2 quart (0.125 gallons).

5) Wort Shrinkage: When the wort cools it looses some volume (4% is standard). This is minor in a 5 gallon batch, about 0.8 qt in a 5 gallon batch, and 1.6 qt in a 10 gallon batch.

Example Calculation 1:
How much starting water is needed to make a 5 gallon batch given, a) 10 pounds of grain, b) 60 minute boil? I shoot for 5.5 gallons of wort, to allow for samples, losses in the fermentor and bottling bucket. It is easier to work in quarts for water volume measurements.

5.5 gallons wort = 22 quarts
Grain losses = 5 qt (10 pounds * 0.5 qt/pound)
Dead Space = 2 qt
Boil off = 6 qt (1.5 gallons/ hr)
Trub loss = 0.5 qt
Shrinkage = 0.8 qt

Total input water: 36.3 quarts, or 9.08 gallons.

Example Calculation 2:
How much starting water is needed to make a 10 gallon batch given, a) 25 pounds of grain, b) 90 minute boil? Let’s go for 11 gallons total.

11 gallons wort = 44 quarts
Grain losses = 12.5 qt (25 pounds * 0.5 qt/pound)
Dead Space = 2 qt
Boil off = 9 qt (1.5 gallons/ hr)
Trub loss = 0.5 qt
Shrinkage = 1.6 qt

Total input water: 69.6 quarts, or 17.4 gallons.

Figure out your mash tun dead space and your boil off rate, and you will be able to hit your target volume spot on every time!

Posted in Brewing | 10 Comments »

Spring Cleaning and Updates

Many updates were made to the site based on feedback from visitors:

1) Extract and partial mash brew day check lists now include a reminder to make sure all equipment is on hand. Thank you Matt for sending in that comment!

2) All brew day checklists and recipe templates have been made unit independent. They used to read pounds or ounces, which left out our brewing friends around the world who use European units. Quantities of weight simply say ‘amount’ now. When a temperature is listed both Fahrenheit and Celsius are specified. Thank you Guillermo for that comment!

3) The calculators on the site have been updated with a new grain list. There were approximately 30 grains added to the list. Thank you to Brian, Jeff, Aaron, Del, and Chris for writing in!

4) IBU calculator now accepts 5 digits as inputs for amounts.

Posted in Announcements | 3 Comments »

Second Year Hops Growth Amazes Me

The second year hops have really taken off. It is only the end of May, and two of the plants have already grown 10 feet! I am amazed at how quickly they have grown this month given we only had a few days of nice weather. For the most part is has been cloudy, grey, and 55F the whole month of May.

This should give hops growers who recently planted a better idea of what they can expect to see in subsequent years. My guess is the yield of cones will be much larger this year too.

The two that are doing the best are Nugget and Cascade.

Magnum and Kent Goldings are the shortest at less than a foot. The Hallertau is doing well at about 3 feet.

At this point, the plants are practically zero maintenance. I have gone past and trimmed off the straggler shoots, leaving the two strongest to grow up the rope. I’m using a thick twine for some, and just regular twine for others. Watering has not been an issue because it has been so wet.

Posted in Hops Growing | No Comments »

Beer Glass Cabinet in Brewery

The latest addition to the brewery is a custom beer glass cabinet.  It is made of mahogany and red oak paneling.  I inherited a melamine cabinet from a neighboor friend, face framed it, added panels, added a shelf, and built the doors.  

In total the project was  under $10 out of pocket because the cabinet was free and the wood was from pieces that had been collecting dust in the shop.  All I had to buy was the hinges. The cabinet is positioned above the keezer, such that the keezer can still be opened without interference. It took several measurements in advance to get it just right.

It is convenient to have the beer glasses on hand next to the keezer. This cabinet freed up a considerable amount of shelf space in the kitchen.  It also makes use of dead wall space above the keezer.

For stability, the cabinet is mounted to the wall with a French cleat.  Attached to the cabinet horizontally there is a 45 degree angled piece of wood.  The wall has a companion 45 degree angled piece mounted to the wall.  When the cabinet rests on the cleat, gravity takes care of locking it in place. I also use heavy screws to secure everything. See diagram below:

I may add a wall mount bottle opener to the brewery in the future.

This is one of my favorite beer quotes:

“Beer is proof that god loves us and wants us to be happy.” – Benjamin Franklin

Posted in Fun | No Comments »

Hops and Dogs

Here’s a friendly notification to all brewers who own dogs:

If a dog eats hops it can be fatal!

A study conducted by the National Animal Poison Control Center, University of Illinois in Urbana in 1995 showed this to be true. Of the eight dogs, seven were Greyhounds, one was a Labrador Retriever, all cases were fatal. The dogs had ingested spent hops. Dogs are attracted to the sweet wort covering the hops.   Cases of dogs eating raw hops and getting sick or dieing have been reported on brewing forums, but this appears to be rare and no studies have been done.

When a dog eats hops the onset of Malignant Hyperthermia occurs. Not to be confused with hypothermia, hyperthermia means the dog’s body overheats uncontrollably (2 degrees Fahrenheit every five minutes). The dog will begin panting heavily, display a rapid heart rate, and may have muscle spasms. This page has a report on how a dog was treated by a veterinarian in 2002 for such an incident: https://www.bme.ogi.edu/~ericwan/DOG/hops.html.

Types of dogs that have been impacted:

• Greyhound
• Labrador Retriever
• Golden Retriever

Other breeds are likely susceptible to hops toxicity.

The best way to prevent against a dog eating hops is not to compost the spent hops or trub. Put the spent hops and trub in the trash or down the garbage disposal. Another approach is to setup a composting box so the dog can’t get into it.

When it comes to growing hops, if you want to be extra careful, plant them in an area the dog is not allowed in. If your dog is a digger or chewer pay extra attention to where the vines are planted. Also be careful during harvest when the cones are being collected and potentially dropped on the ground. A relative of mine has a dog and grows two hop vines in the back yard. This particular dog has an addiction to playing fetch and has never shown an interest in the vines or the hops.

Posted in Hops Growing | 16 Comments »

All Grain American Pale Ale Recipe

Given what I had in my brewing inventory I decided to brew an American Pale Ale along the lines of a Deschutes Mirror Pond clone. Deschutes is said to use British yeast for their American beers, so I stuck with that and tried a variety that was new to me. This beer will be on the lighter side of pale ales (should live up to its name). I expect a refreshing citrusy finish that is mellowed by the body provided by the munich malt. It should be the perfect brew to enjoy end of spring or early summer.

This is for a 5 gallon batch. Recipe assumes 75% brewhouse efficiency.

GRAINS:
6 lb US 2-row Pale
2.5 lb German Munich 10L
1/4 lb Carpils
Flaked wheat can be added (I did 1/2 lb).

HOPS:
Cascade – 0.5 oz @ 60 min
Centennial – 0.5 oz @ 60 min
Cascade – 0.5 oz @ 10 min
Centennial – 0.5 oz @ 10 min

YEAST:
Wyeast British II 1335
Attenuation Low 73%
Attenuation High 76%
Optimum Temp 63-75
Flocculation High

STATS:
Original Gravity 1.047
Final Gravity 1.010
SRM 5
IBU 30-35
ABV 5
Style 10A (BJCP)

NOTES:
Standard all grain brewing – mash at 150F for 1 hour.
60 minute boil.
Ferment for 3-4 weeks at 63-75F.

I have a blond ale planned for my next batch and then a Red Chair NWPA clone.

Posted in Recipes | 7 Comments »

I love my Keezer

Home brewers who keg their beer have a keezer or kegerator to keep it cold.

Kegerator = keg + refrigerator
Keezer = kegerator + freezer
Keezer = the place where my beer is kept cold and on tap

I prefer the Keezers, not to be confused with Geezers…

A kegerator or keezer can also double as a way to lager. I have used a standard fridge (kegerator) in the past. In the image above, the bucket on the right is a German lager bubbling away. In my opinion, the chest freezer setup (keezer) is much much better than a top/bottom fridge (kegerator). The keezer was cheaper to get setup, it holds more, and it is quieter. I think it also draws less power than a fridge.

Most setups will require a temperature controller. Freezers are designed to go below 32F, so to avoid freezing the beer, the temperature controller cuts power to the compressor when the desired temperature is hit. I keep mine around 40F, but raise it to 50F when doing my primary fermentation for lagers. You can just barely see in the bottom left corner where the senor probe is duct taped to the inside of the freezer.

The unit I went with is the Frigidaire 7.2 Cubic Ft. Chest Freezer from Lowe’s, Model #FFC0723GB. I paid $228 with free delivery! The top/bottom fridge I bought was $499.

Home Brew Talk has an awesome thread about the options here:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/sizing-your-chest-freezer-corny-kegs-75449/

You can choose between getting one that holds anywhere from 2-10 corny kegs!

The only down side I have found is it is a little harder to lift full buckets, carboys, and corny kegs into the unit.

The inside of chest freezers have a ‘hump’ where the motor is. Corny kegs are too tall to sit on top the hump because the lid would not close. The way around this is to build a collar extension that raises the height of the lid. Most people put their taps through the collar.

In the image above there is a rag to catch drips from the picnic tap. I have read that keezers can get gross inside if not taken care of. Once I spilled a bit of beer on some bottles and did not take care of it. A few weeks later mold started growing. It wasn’t too bad, but I’m glad I caught it early. To avoid any future mess I make sure any beer that goes astray is wiped up immediately. Sometimes the walls of the keezer have moisture on them so I wipe them off occasionally.

Posted in Equipment, Kegging and CO2, Lagering | 4 Comments »

Second Year Hops are Sprouting

Compared to this time last year, the hops are huge! They are now second generation and should yield a lot more cones this fall. These hops have been in the ground for 12 months. They sprouted early because of the warmer winter in Oregon. I noticed the sprouts forming last week. Since hops are a perennial, they continue to regenerate every year with a new vine shoot starting in the spring. These are of course the female plant, designed for collecting the cones for use in brewing.

In a few weeks I will setup the lines the vines will grow on, hanging down from the eve of the house. I will also prune back the crowns to just the two strongest shoots. That way the plant puts all its growing energy into the remaining vines, instead of spread out across a dozen shoots. This practice results in a higher yield of hops cones.

Next year, I will need to thin out the root system around the plants so that they do not take over my entire property.

The nugget variety is a deep purple color and already has a shoot 1 foot long (not pictured).

For a size comparison, take a look at last year’s sprouts:
https://www.brewersfriend.com/2009/04/19/baby-hops-sprout-pictures/

Posted in Hops Growing | No Comments »