Big Ass Brew 2016

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The BAB is one of the recurring events for our club. This year we’re using the club’s 20 gallon system to brew a pale yellow lager. Since this beer gets poured at one of the other recurring club events, the pig roast in the middle of summer, we’re targeting something a little more sessionable and refreshing for a hot day. The plan is to try 3 different lager yeasts and 2 different temperature profiles.

Show up at Graham’s house on Saturday and bring a chair, a cup, some snacks and homebrew to share. We’ll have brats for lunch.

Homebruin VI Registration

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Registration for Homebruin VI is officially open for all judges, stewards, and entrants. You can register HERE.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact me. If you’ve never submitted your beer to a homebrew competition, or if it’s been a while, there is a PDF available on our website that walks through the basics.
Judges and stewards, please mark your calendars. We’ll need your help on May 14th for a couple hours in the early afternoon

2016 Lager Competition Results

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The 2016 version of the club’s lager comp was a bit of a shit-show with my lack of organization and three unlabeled beers but the best beers shone through despite my failings! Jesse Bowers submitted a beautiful bohemian pilsner that garnered three total 1st place wins. Super clear and super hoppy it was a pleasure to drink. David Disney’s Dunkel was substantial and malty and had two 1st place votes. Joe Edidin’s Vienna was toasty without being roasty, a difficult balance, and also had two 1st place votes.

Thanks for everyone that submitted beers and for everyone that showed up and participated. Here are the top three recipes.

Bowers Bo Pils

Pale, super clear, with a boatload of late hops.
85% pilsner
15% vienna
1.046 SG
22 ibu (tinseth)
Mittlefruh at 15, 10, 5, and whirlpool
WLP800

Disney’s Dunkel

93% Dark Munich (Weyermann II)
4% Melanoidin Malt
3% Carafa II Special
Mash @ 154
1.049 SG
40g Tettnang 4.7% @ 60
21 IBU
WLP833 Bock Yeast

Edidin Vienna

OG: 1.050
5 gallon batch
44% Briess Pilsen
30% Weyermann Vienna
20% Weyermann Munich II
5% Weyermann Melanoidin
1% Briess Blackbrinz

.5 oz 13.2% AA German Magnum @ 60 (targeting ~25 IBUs Tinseth)
.5 oz 2.0% AA Hersbrucker @ 10

WLP830 – 2 packs in a 2L 1.038 starter at 68F for 36 hours (last 8-10 hours off the stir plate to settle)

Mash at 150F
90 minute boil
Ferment @ 50F for ~5-6 days then allow to free rise to 55F, where it is held for an additional 6 days.
My indicator to know when to raise the temperature is when the krausen drops below 50% of its high point.
Slowly drop to 39 and allow to settle for a day or two.
Keg, carb, and condition (the beer at the comp had been in the keg for 4 weeks)

Events for first part of 2016

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Some things are already on the calendar, others need to find a date. Make sure you come out to tour Fanatic Brewing in January and come Ice Brew in February.

Help Tom pick a date for the cider event by filling out this poll.

Submit your lagers for an informal bragging rights competition here. We can’t let Peed keep that cool stein! Expect to gather on February 27th.

LTHB Day Follow Up

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Despite the forecast of cold and rainy we had about 15-20 club members swing by and about a dozen lookers, several of whom stayed for some time and asked great questions, attend this year’s Learn to Homebrew Day. We broke in the club’s new system and ran into some issues, but nothing that we couldn’t fix. We tried to brew 5 gallons of Mike Caylor’s mild recipe but the boil off rate got the better of us and we ended up with a little less than 4 gallons of imperial mild. We also made a successful extract batch of american pale ale. Thanks again to FermentStation for donating the ingredients, space, and some tasty snacks!

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Maiden voyage of the Club’s new brew system

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2015-11-08 12.58.01

 

 

Water analysis – Fall 2015

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Time for a fall water analysis.  Club will pay approximately half the cost (including shipping) for the Ward Labs Brewing Water Analysis of your water.  Your cost will be $15.  If you want to participate, please sign up here.

Let’s try not to duplicate sources (no point in that unless there’s some valid reason/you want to double check/whatever).

Please bring your water sample to the club event this coming Saturday, Nov 7, at Ferment Station.  The event is Learn to Homebrew Day.  If all goes well, we’ll do an inaugural all-grain batch on the refurbished club brewing system.  We’ll also be doing an extract batch.  If you can’t make it to that event, please make arrangements to get your sample to me by the end of this week (I work near the “corner” of Pellissippi and Dutchtown).

Jam 2015 Info

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Thursday October 15 at 6 PM — Pretzel Jam at Everything Mushrooms (1004 Sevier Avenue). Bring home brew to share. Club will order pizza. This is where you get your shirt and Jam pass.
Friday October 16 at 3 PM — Beer receiving, beer drinking, and general hang out time at the World’s Fair site. Bring some homebrew, a lawn chair, and other amusements. Bring your beer for the Jam. We stick around until 7ish to receive beer from the brewers bringing their own. After that, we’re invited to the brewer’s party on the 5th floor of Downtown Grill and Brewery.
Saturday October 17 — Morning shift need to be there by 10 AM, 9 AM if you can. Afternoon shift starts at 2 PM. Please be willing to help out with what you can do when someone asks. The period from 10 AM until 1 PM (when gates open) is the busiest.
If you are not able to attend the Pretzel Jam, it is up to you to figure out when and where to get your shirt and Jam pass. Friday afternoon is the next best time/place. Saturday is hectic. If you can’t be there Thursday or Friday, let me or Stevo know. We might do a specific time and place on Saturday morning. Very early on Saturday, no one is checking for wristbands, but by 11 AM you can’t get in the gate without one.

HIB IX Tastings

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We have set the dates for Wednesday, June 17 at 6:30 PM and Tuesday, June 23 at 6:30 PM in the back room of the Hardin Valley Casual Pint.  These are club-wide events, so come on down! Participants please bring a growler to share. Don’t forget your brewing notes and please fill out the form on google docs. Everyone can check the stats here.

Homebruin Cup V Results

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Thanks to everyone that made the 2015 Homebruin Cup a success. We had over 30 total participants this year! For the second year in a row Michael Caylor took Best Of Show honors. The winning beer was an English Mild that clocked in at only 3.8% ABV. Runner up was a Hefeweizen brewed by Christopher Long. Congratulations to them and to all the other medalists. Full results are posted here.