First Brew of 2014!

Yesterday I got my first brew in of 2014!

My lovely wife got me a gift card to Northern Brewer for Christmas, and I knew exactly what to get. I ordered up a grain mill and my first order of bulk grains and started planning my first brew.

Deciding I'm going to focus on Belgian styles this year, I decided my first brew would be a Belgian Pale Ale.

My grain bill was:
91% Belgian Pilsner Malt
7% Caramunich
2% Biscuit Malt

Next it was time to mash. I overshot my temp a bit. I mashed for 60 minutes at 154 (was supposed to have been 152)

I collected my wort, started my 90 minute boil and added my hops. (East Kent Goldings. 1.22 oz 60 minute and .29 oz 0 minute)

Now it's up to the yeast

I can't wait for this to finish up so I can try it out. Hopefully if any of you are into brewing you've had a chance to brew something up this year. Let us know what you've got fermenting!

Cheers!

Playing Catch-Up....Beer-Mas Style!

So, I decided to start my blog on December the 4th, which means I'm already behind on my 25 days of Beer-Mas!

Fear not, thanks to Untappd and my penchant for taking a picture of the beers I'm enjoying, I'll get myself back on track!

Starting with December 1st

I decided to start my 25 days off with a special beer for me....a homebrew.

Scottish Winter Solstice by Willow Valley Homebrewery (This is my homebrewery name. Named after the street I lived on when I first got in the hobby)

It was a little thinner on the mouthfeel that I wanted, but a pretty good shot at my first Christmas beer attempt. This was a kit from Northern Brewer, and only my second ever all-grain batch. You can check it out here Northern Brewer Spiced Winter Ale