Big kegging day

I kegged the Moose Drool 2 and the Fat Tire today. I need to find a better way to lug these kegs around they're kinda heavy. Maybe some sort of strap system...hmm.

Tell me this ain't blogable.......Is that a word?

NEWS FLASH : Minot, ND Friday January 25, 2008...for immediate release....Panchero's restaurants opening a location in Minot! Yes it's true! Nancy was having lunch at Panchero's in Bismarck and she learned that Panchero's is opening a restaurant in Minot! Woo Hoo!

retread

It was about °5 on Sunday so the Fat Winter Tire got brewed. It is happily bubbling away in the fermenter as we speak.

Fat Winter Tire

I received my Fat Winter Tire ingredients in the FedEx Thursday and depending on the condition of the yeast I harvested from the previous Fat Tire clone yeast, hope to brew on Sunday. Of course if it's -°30 out on the deck I may reconsider my brewing plans.

racking day

I racked the Moose Drool 2 and the Phat Tyre last night. I better get drinking on the British Bitter to free up a keg for these two. I've been thinking on bottling a batch or two but I enjoy the draft beer taste over the bottles.

Fat Tire.... always carry a spare

I have ordered up some ingredients for another Fat Tire clone from William's brew supply and hope to brew soon and throw it together with the yeast I'm harvesting from the previous Fat Tire batch. I'm having a lot of fun getting away from kits and finding recipes on my own. Here's the recipe for my newest Fat Tire brew
Fat Tire Clone
8 lbs light extract
1/2 lb 20L crystal
1/2 lb dextrine malt (carapils)
1 oz Chinook hops
1 oz Cascade hops
New Belgium's Fat Tire Yeast (harvested)

Black Ale tapped......

We tapped the Black Ale (Moose Drool clone) this last weekend and enjoyed a few pints. I would have to say that this is the darkest "sumbitch" to pass these lips to date. Very dark, heavy roasted flavor, and a tan foamy head that dwindles away after a few minutes. I had a Summit Winter Ale at Minot's Bootlegrz bar that compares to this beer. This brew is not for the timid, or the citizen crossing over from an American lager diet. I dare anyone in the area to stop in and pound a few of these down!

Black Ale kegged

I kegged the Midnight Moose Drool today and will hit it with the co2 after it cools down. I hope it's ready for the weekend because Ann and Steve will be in town for a short visit. I compared the newest Phat Tyre clone inventory with one of my previous kits and notice that the hops were reduced from 2 oz. of two different varieties to .5 oz. of one variety. I can't wait until the taste test!

leftovers

I brewed today with leftover Moose Drool ingredients. I tweaked the recipe a bit for the purpose of experimentation.
Brown Ale
Ingredients:
6lbs. Light DME
.75lbs. Crystal Malt
.25lbs. Black Patent Malt
.25lbs. Chocolate Malt
1 oz. Ahtanum Hops 60 min.
.5 oz. Liberty Hops 20 min.
. 5oz. Willamette Hops 5 min.
Irish Moss 15 min.
White Labs California Ale Yeast #WLP001 (harvested from Moose Drool primary)
Process:
steeped the Crystal, Black Patent, and Chocolate Malts in 2 gals. of water for 20 minutes @ 150°.
Added to brew pot and added Light malt extract and Ahtanum for 60 min. boil.
Added Liberty Hops with 20 minutes remaining
Added Irish Moss with 15 minutes remaining
Added Willamette Hops with 5 minutes remaining.
Used immersion chiller and pitched California Ale yeast @75°.
Shook carboy to aerate yeast.


I had a few minor hiccups with this brew but everything came out fine in the end. Hiccups = running to the Backyard Brewing Supplies for DME and running out of propane during boil up.

Phat Tyre rolls in again

I brewed another Phat Tyre today because the last one was just so friggin' good. It had to be good, it only took a couple of weeks to finish it off.
I noticed that due to the hop shortage in the U.S. the Northern Brewer Phat Tyre kit contained a different hop inclusion. I can't remember what the hops were in their kits previously, but I'm sure there was a bittering hop for the full boil and an aroma hop before flame out. The latest kit just contained .5 oz. Summit Hops for the full boil. We'll see if the high alpha Summit can carry the load. I also made the mistake of ordering this kit on the wrong day of the week and it got hung up at UPS over the weekend resulting in frozen yeast. Luckily the yeast turned out to still be alive and is churning away in the fermenter as we speak. Must remember to order on Fridays!

happy brew year!

I racked the Moose Drool clone today. Here is the recipe that I lifted from the internet.
Moose Drool Clone
Ingredients:
6.6lbs. Light Malt Extract
.75lbs. Crystal Malt
.5lbs. Black Patent Malt
.5lbs. Chocolate Malt
.75oz. Kent Goldings 60 min.
.5 oz. Liberty 20 min.
.5 oz. Willamette 5 min.
White Labs California Ale Yeast #WLP001
Irish Moss
Process:
I steeped the Crystal, Black Patent, and Chocolate Malts in 2 gals. of water for 20 mins. @ 150°.
Added to brew pot and added Light malt extract and Goldings for 60 min. boil.
Added Liberty Hops with 20 minutes remaining
Added Irish Moss with 15 minutes remaining
Added Willamette Hops with 5 minutes remaining.
Used immersion chiller and pitched California Ale yeast @75°.
Shook carboy to aerate yeast.
By the way, it looks like this is the darkest beer I have ever brewed...we may have a black ale on our hands.