Fermentation Temperature Experiment

Posted on March 25, 2011 by

I consider fermentation to be the final frontier of homebrewing. Ingredients are pretty easy to pick out. Then you start worrying about things like quickly cooling your wort after brewing, but a wort chiller is a quick solution.

Once you go to all-grain, it’s mash temperatures and efficiency. You can even start to control the mineral content and pH of your water. That’s manageable.

Fermentation is probably the most impactful part of the process on the final character of the beer, yet it is the one part of the process that homebrewers often have the least control over.

I wanted to do an experiment to see how much difference fermentation temperature made on the beer. So I brewed 10 gallons of pale ale and split it into two five-gallon carboys. The original gravity was 1.064. For reference, the recipe is at the bottom of the post. I used nothing but malt, hops and yeast. No other additives.

I used the same yeast in each carboy: Wyeast 3522 Belgian Ardennes. One carboy was kept out at room temperature, around 68 degrees. The other went in my homemade cooler box along with a space heater set at 80 degrees.

The difference in the fermentation itself and the finished beer was remarkable. Temperature and had a much greater impact than I would have guessed. Here is the tale of two beers separated at birth.

The 68 Degree Fermentation

Primary fermentation finished in about 6 days. The final gravity I measured was 1.010, coming in at about 7.5% ABV.

The beer is a golden yellow with a frothy white head. The aroma is heavy with clove and spice. The flavor has cloves and dark fruit, like prunes or dates. It was very unexpected from such a lightly colored beer. That’s usually something I would expect from a dubbel or a darker Belgian.

The 80 Degree Fermentation

Primary for the 80 degree finished in about 3 days. It also finished drier than the 68 degree, at 1.006. (8.1% ABV). This isn’t unexpected, as warmer temperatures give the yeast more energy to work faster and harder.

The color is about the same as the 68 degree, but the head is much creamier with finely tight bubbles. The aroma and flavor is bright, with notes of bubble gum, banana and white pepper. It has a noticeably cleaner, drier finish than the 68 degree, which makes sense since its FG was a scant 1.006.

Like a parent choosing between their children, it’s hard for me to say which beer I like better. They are both good in their own way.

I had read about the importance of fermentation temperature in the production of esters and different character in beer, but I had no idea the effect would be this pronounced. These taste like two completely different beers, not born from the same wort. This will certainly be a part of brewing that I’ll pay more attention to going forward.

Untamed Belgian Pale Ale (10 gallons)

18 lbs Belgian Pils
2 lbs Belgian caravienne
1 lb Belgian aromatic

3.0 oz French Strisselspalt 2.9% AA (60 min)
3.0 oz French Strisselspalt (20 min)
1.0 oz French Strisselspalt (0 min)
4.0 oz French Strisselspalt (dry)

Wyeast 3522 Belgian Ardennes Yeast (4 packs)

OG: 1.064

Posted in Homebrew, Recipes | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Brewvival reaffirms my faith

Posted on February 28, 2011 by

Yes, that is a firkin of Foothills Sexual Chocolate. I need a cold shower.

Saturday was the second revival of Brewvival. 34 breweries bringing out their best. It remains in my top spot of favorite beer festivals. This is one of those rare festivals where a brewery needs to bring out its best, or it need not come out.

Put on by Coast Brewing Company and the Charleston Beer Exchange, this is the ultimate playground for the beer geek. However, you don’t have to know the difference between a Berliner Weisse and a Lichenhainer Weisse to enjoy yourself.

Many thanks to The Beave's dad, Curt, for transporting us. It was just like high school, except we were going to a beer festival instead of the movies.

Nicole and I were accompanied by my long-time friend, The Beave, and his new bride Meredith. Meredith is a self-proclaimed Corona Light aficionado, yet she made her way around to at least 20 breweries and enjoyed all but a handful of samples. See, there is reason to believe!

I managed to sample 35 beers, most of which I had never tried before. Despite my best efforts, there were still six or so beers that I desperately wanted to try, but didn’t get to before they ran out. So many beers, so little time (and blood alcohol capacity).

The logistics of the festival were greatly improved over last year. The wait to get in still took longer than it should have, but we got inside within 20 minutes. The food and bathroom lines were never bad. Even during the peak beer drinking time between 2 and 3, the beer lines were mostly managable. I never felt too crowded, and there was plenty of space to spread out away from the beer tents.

Lauren Salazar from New Belgium pairing her sour beers with cheese.

My favorite beer-related moment was getting to briefly chat with Lauren Salazar, the brewer of the New Belgium sour lineup, as she paired Le Terrior with a lime goat cheese. It was a delicious pairing, and really highlighted the tart, sour aspects of the beer.

Le Terrior was a nicely balanced, tasty sour, but I enjoyed the mouth puckering tart kick in the teeth from Tart Lychee even more. New Belgium’s sour beers are top notch, and while the normal lineup of beers are good, the sours are the Cadillac to their Chevy.

While there were so many delicious rare beers to be had, if I were forced to pick one as my favorite of the day, I would have to pick Heavy Seas Below Decks Barleywine on cask. It’s an English-style barleywine, so it’s not very hoppy. On cask it was amazingly smooth and malty. Maybe it also had something to do with the fact that it was my second-to-last beer of the day, but I was seriously impressed.

After two years of crushing it, Brewvival is poised to take off as word of this hidden jewel continues to spread among the beer world. At $50, the price is not cheap, but if you love beer, it’s worth every penny. I’ll certainly be here every year the good folks at Coast and the CBX keep inviting us back!

Adam Mundy from Oskar Blues and me under the big top

My Favorite Beers of the Day

  • Brooklyn Blast Double IPA – winner of best overall use of hops
  • Coast Old Nuptual Barleywine – best hoppy barleywine
  • Foothills Sexual Chocolate on cask – best stout
  • New Belgium Tart Lychee – best sour
  • Heavy Seas Below Decks Barleywine – best overall barleywine
  • Thomas Creek Up the Creek on Spanish cedar – best use of wood
  • Cigar City Oatmeal Raisin Cookie – most realistic impersonation of a cookie
  • Westbrook Uberbier #3 – best beer over 17% ABV

Beers I Will Go To My Grave Regretting Missing Out On

  • Smuttynose Breakfast Stout
  • Dogfish Head Chicory Stout randalized through Tootsie Rolls
  • Sierra Nevada/Dogfish Head barrel aged Life and Limb
  • Stillwater/Mikkeller Two Gypsies
  • Thomas Creek Banana Split Chocolate Stout over vanilla ice cream
Posted in Beer events | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Prepare Thyself For a Beer Festival

Posted on February 21, 2011 by

In four and half days I will be at my personal Daytona Super World Series Cup of beer festivals. I speak of Brewvival. I was at the inaugural festival last year, and it was the most exceptional collection of rare beer that I’ve had the pleasure of sampling.

Needless to say, I’m excited about this Saturday. This year should be even better. The weather forecast looks good and the beer list already has me buzzed. It’s going to be a fantastic day.

Aside from all the rare treats that I’ll get to sample, one of the most exciting aspects of going to this year’s festival is that one of my longtime friends, The Beave, and his wife Meredith will be coming with us. This is their first-ever beer festival. I remember my first beer festival… barely…

What a first-time. This is the beer equivalent to loosing your virginity to Brooklyn Decker. I’m not sure any other festivals will ever measure up for them.

So, it got me thinking, what advice would I give first time beer festival goers? There are four key things to keep in mind in preparing to attend a festival:

1. Hydration is key, bring a hydration pack if you have one

Brewvival is a six-hour affair. These are big beers. You will get hammered much faster than you think, especially as you get caught up in the festivities. You need to make sure you’re paced and hydrated enough to make it all six hours. Don’t be that guy passed out face-down in a field.

Many of the smaller, outdoor festivals will allow you to bring in your own water bottles or hydration packs. Having plenty of water easily accessible is crucial, especially if there aren’t a lot of water stations around the festival area.

I always recommend drinking a swallow or two of water between samples. Not only does it help keep you hydrated, but it cleanses the palate, getting you ready for your next beer. Obviously, check the festival’s website or FAQ and see if there are any restrictions about what you’re allowed to bring in.

2. Pretzel necklaces are the crown jewels of beer festivals

We all know what happens when you drink beer on an empty stomach. Well, imagine drinking for six hours on an empty stomach. Bad things.

Since the dawn of agriculture and domesticated grains, man has known of the alcohol-absorbing power of bread. I don’t want to be the asshole carrying around a loaf of bread at a beer festival. Instead, wear a band of pretzels around your neck! It’s the coolest and will supply you with a steady stream of spongy carbs to keep you going all afternoon.

Pretzel necklaces are the perfect accessory for the beer connoisseur.

3. Know the lay of the land

Do a little homework before the festival. If it’s posted, check out the beer list, or at least the list of breweries that will be there. Mark the beers you want to be certain you try. Often, the rare or one-time beers will be in limited supply. You want to hit those first so you don’t miss out.

Other things to remember:

  1. Determine if food is provided or available for purchase. Pretzels only go so far. Bring some cash for a substantial meal or snack if food is not complimentary.
  2. If the festival is outside, wear sunscreen. Hungover and sunburned is not a badge of honor, it’s dumb.
  3. Wear an abnormal hat. It will make your day more fun.

4. Arrange transportation before the festival

Trust me, you’re going to be more hammered than you think. Even with small, four-ounce samples, if you try 25 beers, which is not too difficult in six hours, that’s the equivalent of eight beers. I don’t know about you, but that’s a lot for me.

It’s best to have your transportation arranged before the festival, when you are at least somewhat coherent. Do not trust yourself post-festival. Coherence will be a scarce commodity. Make sure you make it back to tell your friends about all the crazy stuff you did at the festival.

These guys didn't arrange a ride home.

Posted in Beer events, Practical Beer Tips | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

The Beer Exchange Comes to Greenville

Posted on January 31, 2011 by

That's my bike.

In November 2008, Scott Shor and Rich Carley opened the Charleston Beer Exchange. It was the first of its kind in South Carolina, a retailer totally dedicated to craft beer. Two years later, the store is ranked as the #2 beer retailer in the world for 2011 according to Ratebeer.com.

That is an amazing accomplishment. Greenville shall now reap the benefits of their expertise.

On December 31, 2010, the Greenville Beer Exchange opened its doors, a mere seven hours before the dawn of 2011. “It took us longer than we thought, but we were bound and determined to open in 2010,” Rich told me while working the Greenville store earlier this month on the Monday night of the Great Snowstorm of ’011, while most of the city was shut down. “We can’t afford not to be open.”

Co-owner Rich Carley explains how awesome this beer is to a couple customers in the "far-out beer wing." Only one of the customers is visible, but there were two. The other one was a lot smaller than the nearer guy.

That night Nicole and I stopped in after having dinner at Barley’s, which is adjacent to the GBX, a very convenient pairing for beer aficionados. We picked up 2007 and 2008 vintages of Rodenbach Oak Aged Flanders Red. Yes, they were both amazing.

Cameron fills a growler of Ommegang Zuur for me from among the 16 taps.

It’s those type of rarities that the guys at the Beer Exchange bring to the table. In addition to the extraordinary variety of bottles, they have 16 taps to fill growlers. You heard me. Sixteen.

Scott and Rich took all that they learned opening the Charleston store and put it into the Greenville location. It’s a bigger store and has more taps than Charleston. And while they aren’t doing any events yet, they do have plans to do beer tastings and rare beer events as they do in Charleston.

Rich is working the store for the next few weeks while they get everything settled. After that, they are turning the store over to Cameron Read, the general manager, and Zach Shollenberger.

While Cameron and Zach have big shoes to fill, I think they’ll be ok. After all, Cameron recommended the Rodenbach and that was a hit. He’s off to a good start in my book.

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Barleywine Weekend V

Posted on January 23, 2011 by

The view from the back deck of this year's Barleywine Weekend mountain house

I love hanging around “beer people.” Not only are beer people generally laid back, friendly and helpful, they rarely settle for the status quo. Whether it’s pushing the envelope while brewing or searching for their next favorite beer, they are never content to let things get stagnant.

There is also a point in time when beer people realize that beer is not only great on it’s own, it is even better with food. I’m not talking about beer and pizza. I’m talking about a Flanders Red with a goat cheese omelet. Crazy stuff that pushes the imagination and the palette to new heights and experiences.

That brings me to Barleywine Weekend V. Over the Martin Luther King holiday weekend, Nicole and I were honored to be invited to attend a long weekend with beer-loving friends in the mountains. The tradition started five years ago when a small group of hard-core beer geeks wanted to have a weekend centered around an under-appreciated style of beer; they chose barleywine.

The general format of the weekend is this: Friday night is beer theme night (this year’s is canned beer), Saturday is food and beer pairing, and Sunday is nothing but barleywine.

I've got 99 problems, and a ditch ain't one.

The weekend started off with a dramatic flare. The owner of the house somehow forgot to let the property manager know that we were coming, so the quarter-mile long uphill driveway on the top of a mountain was not plowed and was still covered with snow and ice.

None of our cars could make it very far up the hill, so we parked at the bottom of the drive. However, after getting in touch with the property manager, he was going to come out and get some things touched up for us. So, we needed to move our cars so he could get his truck up.

Well, I had a small mishap while backing up my car, and while looking over my left shoulder to prevent sliding down a 15-foot hill, I got too close to the other side and the car slid down into a two-foot ditch.

Luckily, LeRoy, the property manager showed up about 15 minutes later and happened to have a truckload of firewood. A 65-year veteran of the mountain, he immediately set us to chopping wood, clearing the snow in front of the car, and built a small ramp for me to drive my car out of the ditch. The car only suffered some minor scratches. I am eternally grateful to LeRoy, could have been a disaster…

Once we finally got settled in, we began our canned beer tasting. 24 beers were sampled, and PBR and Natty Light were not in the mix. As a matter of fact, there was only one Oskar Blues beer in the spread, Dale’s Pale Ale.

Plating the frisee duck salad

Saturday was an incredible display of culinary ability. It was like an amateur version of Top Chef with beer pairings. Everyone brought there A-game, as there were 11 dishes in all. We started at 1 pm and finished around 11. There is nothing like eating for 10 straight hours.

With the smaller portions of each dish, I somehow managed to avoid getting full until around the 7th or 8th round. However, each dish was amazing, and I had to try each. It was a struggle toward the end, but I persevered and made it. (It took about five days for my digestive system and my weight to return to their pre-BBW status.)

I’ve included photos and a description of a few of the dishes below if you’re interested in the pairings.

On Sunday we started the day a beautiful pre-lunch mini-hike down a snowy road below the house, where an offshoot lead to a natural bridge. Upon our return we were treated to a pairing of two of soups and grilled cheese.

Later that afternoon we broke into the barleywines. We started out with five or six homebrewed barleywines, which were just as good as the commercial versions we tried afterward. We had some talented brewers in our midst.

In total, we had 24 barleywines to taste, but once we got to about 15 or 16, it became obvious that we wouldn’t make it through them all. Barleywine is rich, malty and typically over 10% ABV.

So call us pansies, but in the interest of public safety and next-day headaches, we called it at 16. Like the end of a cigar, it just wasn’t tasting good any more.

We had so much good beer, good food and silliness, but three days is about all my 34-year old body can take. I wish I could stay in the mountains forever, but it was good to get back to clean livin’ with lots of water, exercise and vegetables.

However, I’ve already started brainstorming for BWW VI. I’m not a rookie anymore, and it’s time to bring the thunder.

The Beer & Food Pairings

Dish #1: Steamed Asparagus topped with a poached egg, lemon confit hollandaise sauce, Parmesan cheese, and crumbled bacon paired with Sierra Nevada Kellerweiss (Prepared by Matt Schaefer & Christina Gonzalez's thumb)

Dish #2: Fresh baked pita, feta & chickpea salad paired with Ommegang Hennepin (Prepared by Bobby & Shelly Congdon)

Dish #3: Rye sourdough toast topped with homemade pickled apple relish and huntsman cheese Welsh rarebit paired with Founders Red Rye (Prepared by Matt Schaefer & Christina Gonzalez)

Dish #4: Roast duck on frisee salad with spiced walnuts, apple chips, goat cheese and Rodenbach vinaigrette paired with 2007 Rodenbach Oak Aged Ale (Prepared by Brian & Nicole Cendrowski)

 

Dish #5: Blue cheese on melba toast paired with Oskar Blues Ten Fidy (Prepared by McCracken)

 

Dish #6: Homemade pasta and pesto paired with Rogue Dead Guy (Prepared by Bobby and Shelly Congdon)

 

Dish #7: Apple brie quesadilla with sauted onions, brown sugar, cinnamon and thyme paired with Tripel Karmeliet (Prepared by "Burger King" Smith)

 

Dish #8: Mojo marinated pork tenderloin on a bed of collard greens with mustard bbq sauce paired with Sweetwater IPA (Prepared by Matt Schaefer & Christina Gonzalez)

Dish #9: Spicy szechuan pork stew paired with Stoudt's Gold Lager (Prepared by Ed Westbrook and Morgan seBlonka)

 

Dish #10: Baked framboise soaked brie and porter reduction paired with Ommegang Three Philosophers (Prepared by Bobby and Shelly Congdon)

 

Dish #11: Creme brulee made with Bell's Java Stout reduction paired with Bell's Java Stout (Prepared by Matt Schaefer & Christina Gonzalez)

If I had to pick a favorite, I would have to go with the mojo marinated pork tenderloin on a bed of collards. The collards cooked in stock and a ham bone all afternoon. They were incredibly tender and succulent. The moderate hop flavor and bitterness from the Sweetwater IPA provided a spicy contrast to the savory pork and collards. Great job, Matt and Christina!

Compliments to all the other chefs, as well. Each pairing was amazing, and I’m not just saying that to be nice. Beer people know their food. They go hand in hand, and these beer geeks know their palate.

Posted in Beer & Food | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Front Street Brewery in Wilmington, NC

Posted on January 8, 2011 by

Out front of Front Street Brewery

Over New Year’s weekend, I went on a family trip with my in-laws to Wilmington, NC, where we met up with some long-time family friends from Columbia. It was a fun three day excursion to welcome in 2011. We went for a walk on the beach, ate seafood at the Fish House Grill in Wrightsville Beach, watched bowl games. And drank. A lot. Of beer.

In true Zokan fashion, when we rolled into town on Friday around 1:00, the first thing we did was stop at Front Street Brewery for lunch. This brewpub has a special place in Zokan family lore. My father-in-law had a good bit of business in Wilmington back in the day, so he frequented the brewpub often. (Rumor has it that Nicole may have accompanied him on a couple of these trips and had a beer or two when she may or may not have been of age…)

The brewpub’s facade is unassuming among the historic storefronts on Front Street, however the fermenters and brewhouse immediately greet you on the left upon entering, reassuring you that you’re in the right place.

While waiting for a table, we had our first round at the bar, which had seating for a dozen. I began with The James Brown, a seasonal brown ale. I’m not sure the Godfather of Soul would have enjoyed this one. I found myself slightly disappointed, as it was a little too bitter, lacked enough body and had a dusty character. It wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t great. It reminded me of a rye brown I once brewed that I wasn’t too fond of.

However, my faith was restored when I tasted Nicole’s IPA. This IPA achieved legendary proportions according to my father-in-law, so there was a lot of hype surrounding this beer. I must say, it lived up to the billing as a solid choice. Nice malt backbone with a gripping bitter finish. Not spectacular, but I was impressed.

We had lunch upstairs, which was a cozy, compact area with a low ceiling. The food menu wasn’t cutting-edge, but featured a lot of Irish bar-style classics. I chose the Brew-BQ burger, which included Scottish Ale BBQ sauce.

Of course, I had to get the Dram Tree Scottish Ale to go with my BBQ burger. The Scottish was miles above The James Brown. It had a big, sweet toffee malt flavor with a substantial body and lingering finish. I enjoyed it immensely with my burger.

On Sunday afternoon, the entire group of us, 12 deep, commandeered the front corner of the downstairs dining area to watch some NFL football. The Zokans were on pins and needles as the Packers were fighting for their playoff hopes against the Bears, and I was watching the one spec of hope I have as a Broncos fan, as Tim Tebow went up against the Chargers.

The Hot Dog King holding The James Brown

I started out my afternoon with the Coastal Kolsch. This was a tasty golden Kolsch with a bready malt flavor and clean finish. If I may be so bold, I would say it reminded me of the Kolsch I brewed last summer, so that made me feel pretty good.

Next it was onto the American Amber, which like The James Brown, didn’t seem to achieve a good hop/malt balance. I didn’t care for that one. I tried a sip of someone else’s Tiny Tim’s Christmas Ale, an Imperial Java Porter, a 9.2% coffee-malt bomb. Tasty, but so intense it would probably take me two hours to drink a pint.

I ended up coming full-circle and going back to the IPA to finish up the session. My palate was shot by this point and I needed a can’t miss closer to continue cheering on Tebow and his comeback of futility. Luckily, the Broncos came up just short and secured the number two pick in next year’s draft.

Even though Front Street Brewery had a few misses, there were more than enough hits that it did not come up short. It’s a great place to hang out, eat dinner, watch football, whatever you fancy. It has a solid lineup of beers, good food, a cool atmosphere, and waitresses in short jumpsuit skirts, which make it a place where I could become a regular, if I didn’t live 5 1/2 hours away.

Posted in Beer spots, Breweries | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Untamed Beer reviewed on the Bearded Brewer

Posted on December 7, 2010 by

Perhaps the greatest beer label of all-time, courtesy of The Bearded Brewer

My homebrewing pen pal in Minnesota, The Bearded Brewer, posted a review of several beers I sent him this fall. He was very complimentary, and I’m honored to receive such praise.

I am really looking forward to receiving his shipment in the coming weeks. Not only does he make good and imaginative beer, his beer names and labels are awesome. You must check out his label gallery.

Posted in Homebrew, Untamedbeer news | Tagged , | 3 Comments