More Hop Harvesting and Drying

Here's some images of the hops picked and drying. My method is certainly not the most efficient for drying, but it's free! The hops will be dry enough to pack into ziplocks a few days, then it's into the freezer to hold onto the freshness as best I can.

Hop Harvest 2010!

The hops are ready for harvest! In fact, I've already picked a first batch, dried, and used them. Now the rest of the hop cones are getting ripe, so I'll be stripping the vine and getting ready to dry and package quite a lot. Last year these cascade hops (the same variety used heavily in Sierra Nevada Pale Ale) had a very floral aroma, but this year they smell both floral and a little spicy. Perhaps the vine is maturing? I don't know, but the aroma is great and I can't wait to start enjoying the ales!

Beer Flowchart

Married to the Sea sometimes has some pretty off-color stuff on it, but then it also has fantawesome stuff like this.

Bombay Red Ale

After a very hectic May and the last of the school year, I'm finally brewing again. This time it's a red ale--malty and hoppy. Red ales are not exactly a recognized beer style, but nonetheless you'll find many a brewpub and craft brewery on the West coast with a great beer by that title. They are normally malty like an amber ale, but have as much (or more) hop flavor and aroma as a pale ale. Here's my current version.

Bombay Red

5 gallons

6 lbs. Alexander's Pale LME

1 lb. Munich Malt

1 lb. British Crystal Malt 75L

2 oz. Pale Chocolate Malt

3/4 oz. Columbus hops (14.5% AA) boiled for 20 minutes

1/2 oz. Cascade hops (6.5% AA) boiled for 15 minutes

1/2 oz. Cascade hops (6.5% AA) boiled for 1 minutes

1/2 oz. Columbus hops (14.5% AA) boiled for 1 minutes

1 oz. Cascade hops (6.5% AA) steeped for 30 minutes during chilling.

Fermented with a packet of Safale S-05 Dry Yeast

OG: 1.047

FG: 1.01?

SRM: 14 (Reddish Orange)

ABV: ~5%

IBU: 32

Specialman is Working

To my 2-3 readers: sorry for the lack of recent posts. Specialman has been working hard lately (at my real job). Having not brewed for over a month, I foresee a dearth of ale in the future...

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Sweet Hook-ups for the Bar

Last weekend my sister and brother-in-law, with their two sons, visited from Northern California. It was a great time, bbqing and visiting, trying to keep the boys from knocking each other out with oranges in the backyard.

As a donation to the bar, my bro-in-law gave me a beer sign from a very nice craft brewery, Firestone Ales. I was completely surprised and am very grateful. It will look amazing on the wall of the Brass Monkey. I believe he had said he picked it up at a silent auction fundraiser. Check it out!

My BIL and the awesome light:

My nephew and I, serving up some very weird tasting root beer.

(And yes...his brother IS playing Contra on the 'tendo in the background. You know you're jealous.)