Around the Keg: Forgive Me. It's Summer Time

Yeah, so maybe I'm a little lax about blogging lately. There is so much to say about politics that's disheartening right now, and I am too busy getting buzzed on patios to care.

And then it dawns on me: oh yeah! That's right! This is a beer blog! I can blog about beer!

A few weeks back, I bragged about getting the big-pants brewing equipment. Well, I've put it to good use brewing 2 batches of beer for my cousin's upcoming wedding reception. He's getting married in Oxford, UK, this weekend. He is coming back to the state to do a U.S. reception for friends and family whop couldn't make the hop over the pond, and given that he is trying to get into brewing too, he asked me to whip up a couple batches. Specifically, after getting his PhD at Oxford and drinking British beer for the last 3 years, he wants some American beers. He did stipulate that he didn't want the 5,000% abv beers we tend to brew, but just some nice, basic American beers. I decided to serve-up a nice malty/grainy American Brown Ale (the Brit style being malty/fruity/estery) and a classic American wheat ale (Oberon when it was still good; grainy, orangey, whereas the German equivalent is that banana-clove people have come to love). Both beers hover in the 4-5% range; plenty sessionable. He is well-pleased with the choices. We'll see how the results stack up.

Hot liquor tank (hot water) on top, steeping grains
below, ready for sparging (rinsing)

Hopefully, the steps work out. Being still largely new to the process, I have been very careful with each step to really learn and feel it as I go, before I go being a smartass and screw around with lautering temps and "whirlpooling" hops and all that crap. All that to say that given that I followed the steps pretty well, I think they'll turn out. I kinda have a way with beer!