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Friday, May 21, 2010

Q: Best way to get cheap labor?


A:  Hold a homebrew contest!

This morning I was joined by David Skreczko, winner of our IPA contest.  We brewed up 170 gallons of his prize-winning recipe.  David did great, and the whole process went very smoothly.

We will debut the fruits of his labor on June 9th (for the Mug Clubbers) and June 10th for everyone else.

Here are a few photos of David's stint as Brewmaster for a Day.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

You make me so, very hoppy....


I thought it would be fun to try planting some hops on the south side of the building.  Self-grown hops smell great, look nice and make sense.  Plus I can use the hops for flavoring or aroma.  I ordered some Hallertauer, Fuggle, Cascade and Tettnang.  When it came time to planting them, I quickly realized that I was digging in near solid clay--not the best growing environment.  I didn't think anything would grow.

Here was my surprise this morning:

Several of the others have broken ground, so I may have hops yet!  I'll update as they grow.

Aye! What's up ye kilt, laddie?

Perhaps a wild hair?

Though it's not on the brewing schedule this year, I thought I'd try a Scottish Heavy 70/-.  This ale should be a "session" beer--meaning it's lower in alcohol, with a lot of malt flavor and very low bitterness.  I test-brew small batches of these one-offs to see if they might be commercially viable.  It also means they are not always on the menu.  But, if you know the brewmaster, and ask him real nice, he might give you a sample!

One of my former bosses, Brewmaster Dave Bass at Rock Bottom, Milwaukee holds Scottish Ales in high esteem, and his is excellent.  It will be interesting to compare the two.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

It's not YOUR bock.

It's MAIBOCK.

Last night we tapped the Maibock--a German lager, and the lightest, hoppiest member of the bock family.  This beer pours a golden-straw color with a creamy white head.  It's malty nose will lead to a sweet first sip that quickly dissolves into a hop-filled swallow.  This is the last in our Spring lager line-up.  This big bock (7.1% A.B.V.) won't last!









And The Winner Is.....

.....David Skreczko!

David takes the prize for our IPA Homebrew contest.  Next week David and I will brew up his winning recipe and it will make it's Mug Club debut on Wednesday, June 9th.

If any contestants would like to pick up their score sheets, they will be available for two weeks. 

Thank you to all of the contestants. 

Monday, May 10, 2010

A New Car!!!

Well, not exactly.

But we have a clear cut winner in the IPA contest, unanimously decided by the judges.

My sincerest gratitude goes out to all who entered and especially our judging panel.

The winner will be announced this Wednesday, May 12th at our 7:30 pm Maibock tapping.  Though our tappings are normally exclusive to our Mug Club members, we are making a one-time exception and opening up the tapping to all IPA contestants. 

The winner need not be present to win.

Congratulations to all. 

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Our All-Star Judging Cast

(From left to right--Mike Roman--Roman's Pub, David Kelly--Northern Brewer, Russ Klisch--Lakefront Brewery, Dave Hansen--Miller Brewing, Jeremy King--Northern Brewer, George Bluvas--Water Street Brewery, Adler Lenz--Premier Stainless, Not Pictured:  Dave Bass--Rock Bottom Brewery)

The Beers Are In







Late last fall, we decided it would be fun to hold a homebrew contest.  Many guys like me got their start as homebrewers.

We decided that we would hold an IPA-only contest, and that the best IPA would be brewed on a commercial scale (with the homebrewer's assistance) and that their IPA would be the featured beer for the month of June.

We also didn't know how many entries we would have.  We figured, maybe, a half a dozen or so.  So much for underestimating the homebrew community's energy as we had twenty-four entries!

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

M * A * S * H

Brewers combine water with malted barley (and maybe a few other things) in the Mash Tun in order to convert the starch in the grain into sugars.

The collective name for the wet grains is "mash".  Mash also refers to the process.

Once we have gotten all the good stuff out of the mash, we are left with a whole bunch of wet grain in the mash tun. 

Have you ever wondered what happens to it from there?  No?  Why not?

Just kidding. 


When the mash is complete, I rake the "spent grain" into several garbage cans.

Then, in a centuries-old tradition, we give the grain to a local farmer who feeds his cattle with it.  This makes the cows happy and extra-yummy.

Spent grain also makes excellent compost.  We are happy to accommodate local gardeners who wish to add organic material to their gardens.

Monday, May 3, 2010

The Line Up is Almost Complete


I am gathering the judging panel for our First (Annual?) Homebrew Contest.  We are currently holding a contest for a homebrewed IPA.  The winner will get to brew their beer with me on a commercial scale.  It will also be our featured seasonal for the month of June.

The judging takes place this weekend and I am building quite the Who's Who of judges.  I will publish the list at a later date, but it will include some prominent members of Milwaukee's brewing community.

Good luck to all who have entered.  If you still want to get an entry in, the cut-off is this Wednesday, May 5th.