tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52199618701487080872024-03-19T16:30:47.389-04:00Small Place Big BrewsMy trials and tribulations of brewing in a small space.
Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02253002033974058775noreply@blogger.comBlogger221125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219961870148708087.post-4230207303879858942016-06-14T17:00:00.000-04:002016-06-14T17:00:16.748-04:00Pulled Pork Two Ways<div style="text-align: right;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirlsFwcK5zgQL9oqzCJ1o91LH8uwUghnA5FoxHexADThVBipQV6mCr4nPioVnZa8WjGY8JWcrdquJyWwzbgk8qerIBuqI_mV3zeQgmBtAanjRJvCcY3BXV0O8D6RXsc1NiyVO2kIbshLc/s1600/IMG_20160515_095821430_HDR%257E2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirlsFwcK5zgQL9oqzCJ1o91LH8uwUghnA5FoxHexADThVBipQV6mCr4nPioVnZa8WjGY8JWcrdquJyWwzbgk8qerIBuqI_mV3zeQgmBtAanjRJvCcY3BXV0O8D6RXsc1NiyVO2kIbshLc/s200/IMG_20160515_095821430_HDR%257E2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Who doesn't love Pork? Okay a few people including my fiance. We love it, don't we. We love sweet smoky pork, but doing the same thing over and over becomes familiar. Familiar can be good like a cool vanilla ice cream on a warm day, but new can be exciting like the first time you had Ben & Jerry's. Sometimes you just need inspiration to get you out of your rut. I found my inspiration in a disappointing sandwich, But that's a story for after the break.</div>
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(please read more after the break.)<br />
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So there I was out for lunch at a new place that serves signature sandwiches. I looked over the menu and eventually cast my discerning gaze upon a Cuban sandwich. Slow cooked pork, house made pickles, and fresh bread. We we're close to what a Cuban sandwich should be. When it came to the table I was confused. No mustard, no ham, how much more could you screw this up? It wasn't sweet or savory because the flavors weren't bold.</div>
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I know myself and believed that I could do it with a little research. For me the thing about sandwich craft is that as long as you keep the ingredients simple then the execution is easy. If your sandwich relies on some sort of special truffle slaw, or pickled cuttlefish filet then you're going to have trouble executing it every single time. However if your ingredients are brown mustard, and sweet ham...You can pick those up at any grocer.</div>
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So what is a Cuban sandwich? A soft white baguette, pork, sweet ham, swiss cheese, pickles and mustard.</div>
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I needed dynamite pork for this recipe. So I called up my old friend Google. Google turned me onto the movie Chef and <a href="http://www.recipetineats.com/juicy-cuban-mojo-pork-roast-chef-movie-recipe/" target="_blank">this recipe</a>. The recipe is a pork butt dressed in an amazing green mojo marinade. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9KA5DYo86ewM_XXtwLlFWwt7F9l-v1rRnBCkivpxhDuSY0Oe5VJYBu41E5ASO1VZhb34ieM_VIlxa1zZDCXtNZvd0CNGmdpk0h3IEczyLwYQ71zMxrvV2i0xUju3pPDC9nt_HpTPb7Bc/s1600/IMG_20160514_075842715%257E2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9KA5DYo86ewM_XXtwLlFWwt7F9l-v1rRnBCkivpxhDuSY0Oe5VJYBu41E5ASO1VZhb34ieM_VIlxa1zZDCXtNZvd0CNGmdpk0h3IEczyLwYQ71zMxrvV2i0xUju3pPDC9nt_HpTPb7Bc/s200/IMG_20160514_075842715%257E2.jpg" width="200" /></a>So the pork came out succulent. It had all of the flavors that you'd expect it to have. The mint was real, and the coriander was prominent. The citrus came through in the aroma and in the bark of the pork. It laid the foundation for a flavorful sandwich. The sandwich was comprised of all it's individual parts but the pickles created a great texture for the bite, and the pork created a great texture for the chew. </div>
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I'd recommend making one for yourself, and maybe some friends.</div>
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<b>Pulled Pork Again</b></div>
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I had purchased an 8 pound butt for a recipe that only called for a 4 pound butt. This left me with another 4 pound butt after butchery. My thinking was that this was a bonus butt after the mojo pork turned out amazingly. I had a chance to test one of my long held ideas: that pulled pork with a spice rub to compliment the Asian BBQ sauce from my earlier posts would be that next level BBQ.</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpPIGuj2HGMVAUnMKgnvXnhvD8MbxU6I6yMqF1nfRx_C4cy17K8Lt_Ec06ZVpSlokoA48tQXZWNseIETEYfY-QKWlwesNXGBnZqRyGebkS6DAP4qa6x_bs0IFE9DGs-0hqF5Z7BAJtQug/s1600/IMG_20160522_134647813.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpPIGuj2HGMVAUnMKgnvXnhvD8MbxU6I6yMqF1nfRx_C4cy17K8Lt_Ec06ZVpSlokoA48tQXZWNseIETEYfY-QKWlwesNXGBnZqRyGebkS6DAP4qa6x_bs0IFE9DGs-0hqF5Z7BAJtQug/s200/IMG_20160522_134647813.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A visual of the sauce</td></tr>
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What spices are undeniably Asian? Five Spice powder is one. In college I found a fried spare rib recipe that had a simple spice rub, Five Spice powder, salt and pepper. These ribs brought the spice and had great aromatics. So I looked up that recipe and applied it to my pork butt.</div>
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I eye balled a good mix of Five Spice, salt, and pepper. If I had to guess I'd say 3:1:1 as a ratio. I used about three tablespoons total.</div>
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I reproduced the BBQ sauce from my previous attempt. I switched out the Sriracha for Sambal Oelek. This was much more authentic to the Zing sauce that inspired it.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimexNk3om0ch4_QF9RUZ7RDTQa-gNEfPAn4QSsezpKgd4hw1tP9Dv2ZAV0a5i4VuTI1MZ6VmCYdx8vvUfsWGWZ3ykGbirokOyM4SXJlkSq5On1pNYe3omjrU32HPBYSc6PwPJMvCXGR60/s1600/IMG_20160522_135133523%257E2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="104" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimexNk3om0ch4_QF9RUZ7RDTQa-gNEfPAn4QSsezpKgd4hw1tP9Dv2ZAV0a5i4VuTI1MZ6VmCYdx8vvUfsWGWZ3ykGbirokOyM4SXJlkSq5On1pNYe3omjrU32HPBYSc6PwPJMvCXGR60/s200/IMG_20160522_135133523%257E2.jpg" width="200" /></a>The sandwich was good even though the pork was a little dry. The spice rubs aromatics carried through to the pork and the sauce had a sweet heat that was nice in my mouth and for minutes after. This was a solid effort but wasn't a transformational experience for me as sad as that is.</div>
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Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02253002033974058775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219961870148708087.post-86946101300545771632016-05-31T21:32:00.001-04:002016-05-31T21:37:38.698-04:00I needed to brew (Pecan Porter)<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdVhsJwK6_BGpj9CxHfj66ufCNQ7sdf4jwewvOw7AnxeF-RfUTPh9F3IYz9XssiRdBRrjaxmXy49lPjID-PtkRGC1O9EncfeAC1_-tuYMKaq12ruFpuA2VPGInyk-PHvQnQpC4PXrlg38/s1600/IMG_20160530_134329446_HDR%257E2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdVhsJwK6_BGpj9CxHfj66ufCNQ7sdf4jwewvOw7AnxeF-RfUTPh9F3IYz9XssiRdBRrjaxmXy49lPjID-PtkRGC1O9EncfeAC1_-tuYMKaq12ruFpuA2VPGInyk-PHvQnQpC4PXrlg38/s200/IMG_20160530_134329446_HDR%257E2.jpg" width="200" /></a>It's been a long time. So long that I'm forgetting things that I've learned. Brewing is a skill like any other; use it or lose it as they say. So I thought about recipies, cleaned up all of my gear, and set to work. I wanted to brew something that I'd like to drink so I thought about what I could put on tap at my new house and enjoy drinking through summer into the fall. So nothing too sweet, nothing too heavy, nothing too much... I settled on a porter since my last beer was an <a href="http://smallplacebigbrews.blogspot.com/2014/06/double-dry-hopped-india-pale-ale.html#more" target="_blank">imperial IPA with all of the hops.</a></div>
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So I went to the AHA webpage and looked for inspiration. Enter the recipe for 512 Pecan Porter. It was a good jumping off point, but what I wanted to change was the potency; 6.8% is a bit heavy for a summer beer. So I dialed it back down to a more modest 5.3%. I reduced the ingredients by 20% keeping the recipe ratios the same.</div>
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(Please read more after the break.)</div>
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What makes the 512 pecan porter special as you may have guessed are the pecans. The brewer's recipe started with one pound per five gallons. For my purposes that's 12.8 oz for three gallons. After I factored in the 20% reduction in fermentables I did some math and rounded up to 11 oz.</div>
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Toasting nuts is relatively simple. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lay your chosen nut out on a baking sheet and roast 5+ minutes stirring frequently. They're ready when fragrant, don't overcook them.</div>
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The recipe I'll be using:</div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">5 lbs 8.0 oz Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) 80.0 %</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">11.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt -120L (120.0 SRM) 10.0 %</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">5.5 oz Black Malt (Thomas Fawcett) (660.0 SRM) 5.0 %</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">5.5 oz Chocolate Malt (350.0 SRM) 5.0 %</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">11.00 oz Pecans (Mash 0.0 mins) 0.0 %</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">1.00 oz Glacier [5.60 %] - Boil 60.0 min 31.1 IBUs</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">1.0 pkg American Ale (Wyeast Labs #1056) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The mash:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; text-align: justify;">Mash In </span><span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; text-align: justify;">Add 9.59 qt of water at 164.7 F 154.0 F 50 min</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; text-align: justify;">Sparge Add 2.6 gallons of 168. F water 168.0 F</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The other </span>pertinents are<span style="font-family: inherit;">.:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Boil Size: 4.35 gal</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Post Boil Volume: 3.64 gal</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Batch Size (fermenter): 3.00 gal </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Bottling Volume: 3.00 gal</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Estimated OG: 1.058 SG</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Estimated Color: 41.1 SRM</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Estimated IBU: 31.1 IBUs</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Brewhouse Efficiency: 72.00 %</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Est Mash Efficiency: 84.0 %</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">Boil Time: 60 Minutes</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Brewday:</span></div>
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This was my first brewday at my new place. That included new challenges and new opportunities to learn. I found out that simple things I took for granted before like having all of my tools unpacked and ready was sorely lacking. I also relearned a lesson about never brewing on the last day of a weekend. Nothing went particularly wrong, except that my yeast was so inflated that it was hard to sanitize. The mash smelled great so that's a positive sign. The airlock briefly fell off but I think it'll be okay. If it's not then it's not, I'll have to wait and see. There will be another post about taking 18 months off and how brewing again felt.</div>
Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02253002033974058775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219961870148708087.post-55574205004360938142015-11-07T12:00:00.000-05:002016-01-13T23:21:46.810-05:00Home Brewing, Part II<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9tdvON65m8u6pL_hzIEoN4UzrJlCw1Yis-WgQCCJx_swB55HRIlx-dPq_6xRbQOilpML01O2lB5dmHf_cpoDbLMKCVioU8p2dpgoX0CUhCyh_xlZ-tQuzV6yarmd16omdpnuhqJG2nQs/s1600/IMAG0394.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9tdvON65m8u6pL_hzIEoN4UzrJlCw1Yis-WgQCCJx_swB55HRIlx-dPq_6xRbQOilpML01O2lB5dmHf_cpoDbLMKCVioU8p2dpgoX0CUhCyh_xlZ-tQuzV6yarmd16omdpnuhqJG2nQs/s200/IMAG0394.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
What a weird year. So some backstory: I switched jobs last fall and gave up my small place. I moved home to be by my fiance and find a house to buy. That didn't work out. I lost my job right after our busy season. So I went back to work finding work and that went slowly until the fall and now I'm going back to work soon. I'm back at home though for a few more months so brewing will be impossible until my fiance and I get our home.<br />
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I'm ready to brew again, I don't want to say I was burned out, but I was frustrated. I got started home brewing thinking that it would bring me closer with my friends but they never really took to it. Derek lives in Chicago so everything sucks, and Kyle's house was like 1000 degrees in the summer so everything was harder there.<br />
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There were some other problems too. I brewed more than I could drink and wasn't drinking all that I brewed. I also over bought commercial brew so that there was way more than I could conceivably drink. It became a big problem that I can admit to now. So I stopped brewing, started drinking some of my beer, and stopped buying commercial beers. The boys and I have made a dent in the beer; in time maybe we can overcome that problem. I'll probably dump some home brews moving forward to recycle the bottles and free up kegs but if I don't over brew as much I won't be as wasteful.<br />
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I like home brewing. I know it's a great way to get fine beers catered to my own tastes at affordable prices. It's a fun way to explore my creativity and the things I find interesting about beers. I'm still competitive and I'd like to win more award than second place in an obscure category at my local home brew store.<br />
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Anyways I should start brewing again soon, I am thinking an easy drinking saison and a Russian imperial stout. It'll be the second act of this hobby; it'll be where I start over, relearn some old lessons, and learn some new ones. I won't depend on friends for the enjoyment of something that I am doing because I enjoy it. Anyone who still reads this thanks for hanging with me, and to anyone who stumbles upon this blog in the future now you can understand the lull.<br />
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Thanks,<br />
MeDonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02253002033974058775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219961870148708087.post-43464472756477313692015-05-27T10:34:00.003-04:002015-05-27T11:02:25.560-04:00Award Winning Homebrew<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7XuW9dOMChM/VWW7PSchioI/AAAAAAAAGlE/AvrA33qDKuE/s1600/IMG_20150527_083915586.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="126" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7XuW9dOMChM/VWW7PSchioI/AAAAAAAAGlE/AvrA33qDKuE/s200/IMG_20150527_083915586.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
At Siciliano's 12th annual homebrew competition I finished 2nd place in category 17 F. My beer was position three in a flight of nine. I won a silver medal for my effort and the store employee said congratulations (that praise was an award unto itself). My beer was scored by two judges and was awarded a final score of 38 which is the bottom of the Excellent classification.<br />
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(read more about my 'excellent' award winning home brew after the break.)<br />
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<a name='more'></a><b><u>Judge 1 who is a professional brewer assigned my beer the following descriptors:</u></b><br />
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Astringent - Puckering, lingering harshness and/or dryness in the finish/aftertaste.<br />
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Estery - Aroma and/or flavor of any ester.<br />
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Sour/Acidic - Tartness in aroma and flavor. Can be sharp and clean (lactic acid), or vinegar like (acetic acid).<br />
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Yeasty - A bready, sulfery, or yeast like aroma or flavor.<br />
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<b>In the five judged categories I was both scored and evaluated as follows:</b><br />
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Aroma: 10/12; Sour fruits, esters, goaty, and earthy. No noticeable peach.<br />
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Appearance: 3/3; Golden straw with cloudiness and good head.<br />
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Flavor: 15/20; Thin and bready. Highly acidic and fruity esters. Hard to find the actual fruit character itself.<br />
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Mouth-feel: 3/5; Mouth puckering sourness. Very mild sweetness.<br />
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Overall Impression: 7/10; Good level of sourness, with mild sweetness, and no fruit.<br />
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<b><u>Judge 2 who is a professional brewer assigned my beer the following descriptors:</u></b><br />
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Estery - Aroma and/or flavor of any ester.<br />
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Phenolic - Spicy (clove, pepper), smoky, plastic, adhesive, or medicinal<br />
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Sour/Acidic - Tartness in aroma and flavor. Can be sharp and clean (lactic acid), or vinegar like (acetic acid).<br />
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<b>In the five judged categories I was both scored and evaluated as follows:</b><br />
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Aroma: 9/12; Sour/lactic aroma blends well with earthy horse blanket yeast phenolics. Fruit flavor not assertive.<br />
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Appearance: 3/3; Color is straw/ light gold. Slight haze but mostly clear. Good head retention. Color reflective of fruit used.<br />
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Flavor: 14/20; Strong lactic sourness. Hop bitterness in the background. Fruit flavor is mild and difficult to detect - slight cider like character is present.<br />
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Mouth-feel: 4/5; Dry finish and high carbonation, which are appropriate for style. Medium body - highly tart palate sensation.<br />
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Overall Impression: 8/10; Needs more fruit character to be representative of the style. Well made beer.<br />
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<b>Final Thoughts</b><br />
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I enjoyed the positive comments: well made, good sourness, and mouth puckering. I'm not surprised about the fruit comments. Each sample was less peachy. This was a great experiance to submit a beer I was proud of to dispassionate judges. Even though my blood relatives and best friends claim that my beer is "great", "good", and "eww craft beer" without an impartial person it's hard to know whether they are shining me on; now I know.Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02253002033974058775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219961870148708087.post-15189085315269033002015-05-06T18:11:00.001-04:002016-06-13T23:01:09.166-04:00Sausages!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Ah meat stuffed in a casing, is there a better grill meat? Sure steaks, but I'd say burgers are a toss up. I've made sausage a few times and it was never quite right. The last attempt was solid but the people on the internet I trust say that you need a sausage stuffer. I received a stuffer for Christmas from my father and after weathering the tax storm I now have time to use it.</div>
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So in totally over the top pent up winter exuberance I'm going to make three types of sausages in a single day. I found all three recipes in the great book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1580081592?ie=UTF8&tag=hunanggarcoo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1580081592" target="_blank">Bruce Aidells's Complete Sausage Book</a> It's really a nice resource for knowing what makes sausages work, with proven recipes, A large chunk of the book also helps you use your sausages in other dishes so that you can use the many feet of sausage that you now own.</div>
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<b>First is a savory sage sausage.</b></div>
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Flavored with Sage, Summer Savory, Cayenne Pepper, Marjoram, Thyme and Ginger.</div>
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It was succulent, a really good sausage. This was just a damn good sausage.</div>
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<b>Second is a "Hunter's Sausage" made with smoked bacon.</b></div>
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Flavored with Bacon, Yellow Mustard, Garlic, Hungarian Paprika, Mustard, Coriander, Nutmeg, and Ginger</div>
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This was really mustardy, it reminded me of a charcoal cooked cheddar brat. This was really good.</div>
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<b>And finally is a sweet Italian Fennel sausage.</b></div>
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At least as good as store bought. The fennel and the natural sweetness of the pork combined to make the sausage great. The fennel wasn't as pronounced as I'd hoped so next time I'd turn it up to 11.</div>
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I've chosen not to reproduce the complete recipes because they are not my own. but they are all dynamite. I took three of the sausages for myself at the time of vacuum sealing and baked them in the oven nice and slow. Lots of fat rendered out and what remained was finally a home made sausage worthy of raving about. </div>
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<b>This Thing Was Worth Every Penny...</b></div>
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And it works just about how you'd expect, meat goes in the cylinder and is pushed out through the bottom as you crank. One thing I learned is that I should have mounted it onto a cutting board or another surface so that it would be a little more stable. If you intend to work one of these hand crank models you'll want the base of it secured. Click the pictures below for a closer view of the pictures I took.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LrdtPLsegSQ/VUqH2i6Sy2I/AAAAAAAAGic/fHMc7J_jlmQ/s1600/IMG_20150506_145418064.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LrdtPLsegSQ/VUqH2i6Sy2I/AAAAAAAAGic/fHMc7J_jlmQ/s1600/IMG_20150506_145418064.jpg" width="116" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-f8SEs7Su2Is/VUqHtfjDsZI/AAAAAAAAGis/VCk_ghHoACU/s1600/IMG_20150506_145737544.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-f8SEs7Su2Is/VUqHtfjDsZI/AAAAAAAAGis/VCk_ghHoACU/s1600/IMG_20150506_145737544.jpg" width="122" /></a><br />
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Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02253002033974058775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219961870148708087.post-11217188778455292442015-04-12T13:09:00.001-04:002015-04-12T13:09:29.178-04:00Entering A Competition<div class="tr_bq">
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I've entered my first competition. The Siciliano's 12th Annual Homebrew Competition will be my first home brew competitions without a crazy ingredient, or a interesting premise. I've submitted a peach pLambic for their consideration.</div>
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This beer was laid down on top of fresh peaches over the summer. At bottling time the paech flavor had faded some from the first tastings, but it still had enough peach flavor to be great. It passed the all important Fiance test and that gives me hope for the judging.</div>
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(please see more after the break.)<br />
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Speaking of judging, the BJCP has this to say about the fruit Lambic.</div>
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Aroma: The fruit which has been added to the beer should be the dominant aroma. A low to moderately sour/acidic character blends with aromas described as barnyard, earthy, goaty, hay, horsey, and horse blanket (and thus should be recognizable as a lambic). The fruit aroma commonly blends with the other aromas. An enteric, smoky, cigar-like, or cheesy aroma is unfavorable. No hop aroma. No diacetyl.</div>
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Appearance: The variety of fruit generally determines the color though lighter-colored fruit may have little effect on the color. The color intensity may fade with age. Clarity is often good, although some fruit will not drop bright. A thick rocky, mousse-like head, sometimes a shade of fruit, is generally long-lasting. Always effervescent.</div>
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Flavor: The fruit added to the beer should be evident. A low to moderate sour and more commonly (sometimes high) acidic character is present. The classic barnyard characteristics may be low to high. When young, the beer will present its full fruity taste. As it ages, the lambic taste will become dominant at the expense of the fruit character – thus fruit lambics are not intended for long aging. A low, complementary sweetness may be present, but higher levels are uncharacteristic. A mild vanilla and/or oak flavor is occasionally noticeable. An enteric, smoky or cigar-like character is undesirable. Hop bitterness is generally absent. No hop flavor. No diacetyl.</div>
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Mouthfeel: Light to medium-light body. In spite of the low finishing gravity, the many mouth-filling flavors prevent the beer from tasting like water. Has a low to high tart, puckering quality without being sharply astringent. Some versions have a low warming character. Highly carbonated.</div>
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Overall Impression: Complex, fruity, pleasantly sour/acidic, balanced, pale, wheat-based ale fermented by a variety of Belgian microbiota. A lambic with fruit, not just a fruit beer</div>
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The Overall impression sticks with me after reading all of that, "A lambic with fruit, not just a fruit beer." this is where my Cherry Lambic fell down, the cherries were far too dominant, and also it was weird because it was sour, and tart where there was cherry flavor. We're talking about my peach beer though and so I wanted to review that myself like it was a beer I'd never heard of or tasted before.</div>
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<b>Samples With Friends:</b></div>
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I had my pal Ryan over for some BBQ and beer and instead of a heavy Russian imperial stout I surprised him with a fresh, light, sour. </div>
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His reaction was as hoped: a beer geek loved my beer. "Most people's home brew sucks, but yours tastes like a beer i'd pay for" he complemented the balance of sour and other flavors. He was close on the fruit, he'd guessed apricots prior to my telling him that it was white peaches.</div>
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I too was impressed; it had a bunch of that pilsner malt flavor, and then it layered on the sour and fruit flavors. In my mind this is probably as good as this sour base could be. When I originally took a sample I thought that it was a one note base without much depth, but the fruit and second sour fermentation fixed that. Time once again worked it's magic on this beer.</div>
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<b>My Review:</b><br />
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Aroma: Sour Fruit, Fruit, and Funk. Not a bad start...<br />
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Appearance: Clearish, Bright, Bubbly but not obnoxiously so like a budwiser.<br />
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Flavor: Pilsner Malt, acid, more acid, peaches(fading from prominence into a supporting role), funkiness is all over in the gaps.<br />
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Mouth: Not dead, nor lively, the acid pricks at your mouth.<br />
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Overall: Dy-NA-mite boys, Dy-NA-mite. I'm thinking conservatively middle of the pack, but if the judges appreciate finely crafted flavors and sour beers I might have a chance.<br />
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<br />Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02253002033974058775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219961870148708087.post-15013887918501128392015-01-10T20:40:00.001-05:002015-01-10T20:40:57.714-05:00Update: I quit my job, moved, started a new job and more!No one cares but I wanted to let anyone how happens on my page know that it's not dead. I'm just adjusting to a different life in a better place. I'm a lot happier now,<br />
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I have the grain to brew a Russian imperial stout, I just need to find the time.Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02253002033974058775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219961870148708087.post-85599197153010631042014-10-16T18:00:00.000-04:002014-10-16T18:00:00.680-04:00Making a Cheese Press<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One goal I have in 2014 that didn't make my brew years resolution post is to be more honest. That's like a life goal so I didn't put it on here sooner. It's hard to drink all of the beer I brew by myself. A good deal of it gets wasted. It's unfortunate because I've brewed some good things. I attempt to give much of it away to Kyle and Derek as well but I really need more friends so I can give it to more people.</div>
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In that spirit last year, even further back, I started posting other things on this blog about brew food, sodas, at home soft pretzels, and more. I eat food every day so it's easier to post about more often than making beer. Seeing as my blog is 100% add free, and reading it is totally voluntary I don't feel bad subjecting you to my amateur hour cooking. I'll try to keep the blog brewfood/fermentation centric.</div>
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Onto the thrust of post. (read more after the break.)</div>
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I love cheese. Somewhere behind God, Family, Friends, and Freedom is cheese. I still feel so strongly about it that I am willing to say that I love it. Cheese also pairs exceptionally well with beer. Where wine is flat and fruity beer has lively carbonation to lift the flavors of heavy cheeses off your palate and refresh you for another go around. The relative alcohol differences of wine and beer also keeps your senses sharper longer.</div>
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Making cheese at home isn't all that different from making beer from what I've read thus far. In <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Artisan-Cheese-Making-Home-World-Class/dp/1607740087">Artisan Cheese Making at Home</a> $12.79 on kindle the beginning talk is on the importance of sanitation. This sounds conspicuously like another hobby I have. The equipment is even similar food safe buckets, strainers, large spoons. If you were militant in cleaning you could probably even have some overlap. A metal mash spoon could work for both as it's non reactive, a sanitation bucket is a sanitation bucket, a kettle is a kettle. You use a variety of bacteria and other microbes to make cheese and this is a reason I wouldn't recommend any non metal cold side equipment for cross use. I dunno what cheese bacteria does to a beer but I have a feeling lactococcus and lactobacillus being related as lactic acid producing bacteria can give us a hint. (Side note: I'm not saying that it's guaranteed to be bad in a sour beer, but that it might be undesirable in a clean beer.)</div>
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One piece of cheese making equipment however is totally unique to cheese making and that's the <a href="http://www.cheesemaking.com/store/p/48-Cheese-Press-with-5-FREE-Cultures-C1-C101-C2-C201-C21.html">Cheese Press</a>. An investment of $279 is steep for a hobby I've not even started yet. Even if they toss in things "worth" $150+ it's still steep. It might be worth it but this contraption looks an awful lot like something I can build at home for a fraction of the price.</div>
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I am trying to replicate the press for pennies on the dollar.</div>
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<b>Making the Press:</b></div>
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<u>Step 1: Gathering materials.</u></div>
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This should always be step 1, having everything together is important, it prevents stalled and unfinished projects.</div>
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Shopping list for the press:</div>
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Springs (3 inch, 30lbs springs from Mcmaster Carr ~9 for a 6 pack.)</div>
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Rods (~3 each for 5/8 inch rods from ace hardware)</div>
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Hardware (~16 for a few washers, some wing nuts and some other odd/s ends)</div>
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Wood (sourced from other projects, real cheap)</div>
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Base (~10 cutting board)</div>
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<u>Step 2: Building and Assembly</u></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ccDlZzP6h5w/VD_Wo2DytqI/AAAAAAAAGY0/ZK1zt-dRpes/s1600/IMG_20141016_102759734_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ccDlZzP6h5w/VD_Wo2DytqI/AAAAAAAAGY0/ZK1zt-dRpes/s1600/IMG_20141016_102759734_HDR.jpg" height="200" width="114" /></a>There isn't much to say about building it. I drilled 6 holes, cut some wood, and counter sunk some feet. You'll see in my picture exactly how simple this whole thing is. I used oak for the cross beams and a bamboo cutting board for the base. I am not worried about the 30 ish pounds of pressure involved breaking either of those two woods at the thicknesses involved. Total Price? ~40 dollars.</div>
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<b>What Now?</b></div>
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Forthcoming will be my first posts on making cheeses. It's allegedly advised to start with soft formless cheese and move up to delicious. I'm going to probably start with an easier hard cheese because I want to use my new toy!</div>
Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02253002033974058775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219961870148708087.post-20110692794300344412014-10-07T17:30:00.000-04:002014-10-07T17:30:00.370-04:00Pizza: Easier than you think.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We've all done it. We've paid more for a pizza than we should have; be it at the local tavern, or even at some upscale place boasting a wood fired stove; we've over paid. We're drawn to pizza like moths to a flame. We all burn for crispy warm bread covered in zesty tomato sauce oozing with caramelized cheese, and topped cured greasy meats(or fresh vegetables). For most Americans pizza is just a phone call away, for rural shoppers pizza can be purchased in the grocers freezer isle and baked at home offering a hint at how it's suppose to be.</div>
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What is Pizza suppose to be though? It's not fine dining in high society, but it's also not recycled leftover meatloaf. It's somewhere between a hot dog vendor steaming precooked links, and a restaurant where your waiter wears gloves. In my opinion pizza is best when shared and as a simple dish without too much analysis.<br />
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When you make pizza at home it gets even better. The ingredients in pizza aren't mystical and the items used in your pizza won't differ too dramatically from those used at your favorite pizza place. Pizza is something that you can have at home for a few dollars, and a few minutes of work.<br />
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(read more after the break to read just how easy pizza can be.)<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Understanding home made pizza starts with understanding the limitations of your home cooking setup. If for whatever reason you have a pizza stone, and a kitchen-aide mixer you're basically home free. If you only have a large pot and a pizza pan then you're starting in a different place. As long as you have some time and an oven I'm confident that you can overcome any obstacles to making a good pizza.<br />
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The base of a pizza is obviously the crust, and their are as many crust recipes as their are people. Peter Reinhardt has assembled many crusts in his seminal tome American Pie. I'm not going to post a master baker's recipes here. Instead I'll direct you to <a href="http://www.fornobravo.com/pizzaquest/instructionals/59-written-recipes/92-classic-pizza-dough-neo-neapolitan-style.html" target="_blank">his blog</a> where he posts them for you. I will say that if you prefer thin crust, new york crust, deep dish, or a number of other crust styles you'll find them all in his books. I think you'll find that it's well worth a few dollars on Kindle to up your pizza game. A crust should be what it's intended to be, a thin crust should be crispy and thin with a nice crunch or snap when you bite into it. A deep dish pizza should hold all of the toppings and offer stability to the mass. A New York Style pizza should be fold-able without being limp. If your crust isn't right your pizza isn't right.<br />
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My pizzas start with that Neo Neapolitan dough. Next I put on home <a href="http://www.fornobravo.com/pizzaquest/instructionals/59-written-recipes/102-all-purpose-pizza-sauce.html" target="_blank">made sauce</a>. Making sauce is as easy as opening a can and stirring. Believe me you can do it. You want to do it, because if you rely on canned sauce you're robbing yourself of flexibility and locking in those flavors. Flavors in the sauce tend to intensify as the pizza is cooked. So if your sauce is salty with heavy garlic then your pizza is going to be saltier with heavier garlic. Besides if you're already opening a can of sauce you've already done the hardest part of making your own sauce.<br />
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Cheese is the last pivotal layer of making what Americans understand as pizza. I always start with a pound of shredded mozzarella. You should buy a chunk and shred it yourself; shredded cheese is coated with cellulose(think wood pulp). With freshly shredded cheese I mix in freshly grated Parmesan.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1/2 cup Mozzarella</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1/4 cup Parmesan</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1/4 tsp Oregano</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1/4 tsp Basil</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1/8 tsp Black Pepper</span><br />
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Baking is dependent on your setup, Either use a pizza pan or get yourself a peel and a baking stone, The results will speak for themselves. At Serious Eats DBCurrie has already tested your setup for you and she has <a href="http://www.seriouseats.com/tags/The%20Best%20Surface%20for%20Baking%20Pizza" target="_blank">some advice</a>.<br />
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<b>My Setup, and Making a Neapolitan Pizza.</b><br />
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Over the years my home made pizza game has changed and developed from humble beginnings to a treat my friends specifically ask for and ask about. It all started innocently enough with a book I got from Barnes and Nobles for 6.98 in the bargain books area. My first pizza was made on a grill using a "Grill Skillet". Now it's all much more elaborate.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c6zevZSaBDs/VDQMIR6pJAI/AAAAAAAAGX8/Tz7V7a1LOI0/s1600/IMG_20141003_162155511.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c6zevZSaBDs/VDQMIR6pJAI/AAAAAAAAGX8/Tz7V7a1LOI0/s1600/IMG_20141003_162155511.jpg" height="200" width="141" /></a>Everything starts from my Kitchen Aide Artisan Stand Mixer. I normally make batches using about 2-3 cups of flour so as not to over work my mixer into an early grave. When I tried with 5 cups of flour it was pushing my bowl loose because of the size of the dough ball and toughness of it. With 2.5 cups it works flawlessly.<br />
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Then I transfer the dough balls and a touch of oil to individual gallon bags for an overnight stay in my refrigerator. Smaller dough balls or a larger bag and they can be packaged together<br />
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An hour prior to cooking I remove the dough from the fridge and heat up the oven, higher is better, I usually shoot for 500.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wVLzX4vzxfE/VDQMGuKL7iI/AAAAAAAAGXw/5WUd1WvnfY0/s1600/IMG_20141004_144719598_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wVLzX4vzxfE/VDQMGuKL7iI/AAAAAAAAGXw/5WUd1WvnfY0/s1600/IMG_20141004_144719598_HDR.jpg" height="200" width="195" /></a>I shred cheese, and make sauce at this point. I also wash the peel in the sink and get my work space ready. Because I put my pizzas right on the stone I make them right on the peel. I do this by first sprinkling a generous amount of semolina flower from a <a href="http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/mesh-sugar-shaker/" target="_blank">shaker</a>. Then I stretch my dough and plop it down. Add sauce, Add Cheese, Add Toppings.<br />
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Bake for 8-12 minutes depending on personal preference, temperature, size, and toppings. Trial and error are your friends.<br />
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If you have done everything right you'll have pizza, and if you didn't that's okay too.<br />
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<b>Summation</b><br />
You can do this, I believe in you. You're one step closer to that pizzarea and microbrew establishment that you always wanted to open but never believed you could. Home made pizza pie is worth the minimal effort, and the results will wow your friends, neighbors, and random strangers drawn in my the aroma of your kitchen.</div>
Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02253002033974058775noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219961870148708087.post-4589575563553256812014-09-03T18:00:00.000-04:002014-09-09T12:58:10.666-04:00Peach Lambic<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1NbcS5HlMag/VAdLqR9l8uI/AAAAAAAAGT8/tbjzrXGBLEA/s1600/IMG_20140901_141551603.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1NbcS5HlMag/VAdLqR9l8uI/AAAAAAAAGT8/tbjzrXGBLEA/s1600/IMG_20140901_141551603.jpg" height="200" width="112" /></a><span style="text-align: justify;">I used up five gallons of lambic base on an experiment. I had a jug of relatively good tasting lambic style ale resting on the kitchen floor of my mothers home. It sat quietly developing from a mostly bland flavorless endeavor at first tasting to a sour one at blending time. </span><a href="http://smallplacebigbrews.blogspot.com/2014/02/flanders-red-other-sour-tasting.html" style="text-align: justify;" target="_blank">pLambic #4</a><span style="text-align: justify;"> is now resting on top of peaches.</span><br />
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Why peaches? Because it's amazing.</div>
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I first experienced a peach lambic when Derek and I were on <a href="http://smallplacebigbrews.blogspot.com/2012_02_01_archive.html" target="_blank">California Trip #2</a>. It was here we had Fou' Foune from Cantillion. It was pretty magical. I still remember the duality of being both intensely sour with hints of funkiness and fruity with the apricot/peach flavors that were undeniable. </div>
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Since then I've sampled other peach flavored sour ales and among them there were two stand outs. Cascade Apricot Ale which is a fine ale with nice sourness and a pleasant flavor of fresh fruits. How the beer maintains those flavors is pretty unexpected when you get your first nose full of sourness. The other standout was Upland Lambic: Peach, which like Fou' Foune had those lambic elements and a nice sour peach flavor.</div>
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When I blended <a href="http://smallplacebigbrews.blogspot.com/2012/08/experiment-white-peach-golden-sour.html" target="_blank">white flame peaches with my sanctification clone</a> I tried a fresh peach for the first time. I dunno why but my parents had only ever served me canned peaches floating in syrup and I thought that was the flavor of peaches. Perhaps their flavor was that of Peach Faygo, a guilty pleasure for Derek when he's in Michigan, a flavor I find cloying. I tried them at that point and found out that their flavor was totally different from what I had known. This peach season at <a href="http://gavinorchards.com/" target="_blank">Gavin's Orchards</a> I've tried more peaches than I knew existed three months ago. The variety settled on to make myself a peach sour was the Blushing Star. <a href="http://www.craneorchards.com/peaches.html" target="_blank">Described as</a>, "It has a unique wonderful distinctive full flavor of an extra sweet but slightly acidic white flesh peach plus a penetrating, pleasing aroma. Flesh is white tinged with pink and does not brown." I found it to be very easy to eat. The flavor is peachy without being too much, and the slight acidity of the peach balances that out pleasantly. Peach and acidity, who knew right?</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zJdSyhxxqj8/VAaGIBSoWXI/AAAAAAAAGTs/BbFN_QdF7aU/s1600/IMG_20140901_143722514.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zJdSyhxxqj8/VAaGIBSoWXI/AAAAAAAAGTs/BbFN_QdF7aU/s1600/IMG_20140901_143722514.jpg" height="200" width="112" /></a></div>
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This was mostly just my rinsing the skin of the peaches to clean off any dirt or other substances clinging to the outside, and then cutting them up. A few portions with deep bruising had to be tossed away but the peaches were in relatively good shape. Around 10 pounds of peaches were added, the amount would be 1/4 bushel or so, minus what I ate while I was working. Everything went well and after 12 hours there was minor airlock activity of the year old microbes getting a fresh start with their new food.<br />
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Fingers crossed that in four to six months this turns into a winner and that I have a real choice of what I should enter in the Siciliano's home brew competition.</div>
Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02253002033974058775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219961870148708087.post-90706068888530497182014-08-22T17:00:00.000-04:002014-08-22T17:00:03.604-04:00Review: Double Dry Hopped Imperial IPA<div style="text-align: justify;">
<u><a href="http://smallplacebigbrews.blogspot.com/2014/06/double-dry-hopped-india-pale-ale.html" target="_blank">Double Dry Hopped Imperial IPA</a></u></div>
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This was brewed as Derek's birthday present. We had it over his birthday weekend as both a lawnmower and palate cleanser. It was light for it's abv, balanced for it's IBU, the aroma burst from the glass, the hops filled the flavor, and it finished smooth. I had Derek review it for the blog (Thanks Buddy). It may have faded before Derek drank it because he reported less aroma than I remembered, or perhaps it was personal perception.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OLlJfhPxmmc/U_c4tCe62kI/AAAAAAAAGSA/sBSj-kfs0mY/s1600/https%3A%2F%2Flh6.googleusercontent.com%2F0kdUViED6TnjrEtIEYa6wriDCIZWp-yOI4sYCii0dYY%3Ds0-d" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OLlJfhPxmmc/U_c4tCe62kI/AAAAAAAAGSA/sBSj-kfs0mY/s1600/https%253A%252F%252Flh6.googleusercontent.com%252F0kdUViED6TnjrEtIEYa6wriDCIZWp-yOI4sYCii0dYY%253Ds0-d" height="200" width="125" /></a><b><u>Appearance: (B)</u></b> Nice copper color with slight haze, nice head with good retention, settles down to a foamy quarter inch</div>
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<b><u>Aroma: (B)</u></b> Light floral hop noted, fairly understated</div>
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<b><u>Flavor: (A)</u></b> Pine and floral hops with a mild bitter finish</div>
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<b><u>Mouthfeel: (A)</u></b> Medium bodied with pleasant carbonation</div>
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<b><u>Overall: (B/A)</u></b> Nice summer, good character and quite refreshing</div>
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<b><u>Improvements:</u></b> I might consider adding more hops. Add another charge to the aroma step and or layer hops known for their aroma into the beer to accentuate that. Also I'd use a Wyeast liquid culture instead of a packet. Possibly a good candidate for filtering if you were trying to win a competition.</div>
Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02253002033974058775noreply@blogger.com0Chicago, IL, USA41.8781136 -87.62979819999998241.4995241 -88.275245199999986 42.256703099999996 -86.984351199999978tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219961870148708087.post-24871786306368187272014-07-23T18:00:00.000-04:002014-07-23T18:00:00.559-04:00The FloodNow that it's over I can talk about it. There was a flood in my apartment and I've been homeless for 21 days. That is the length of time my landlord took to undertake what should have been a simple cleaning up from a pipe that burst in their laundry room.<br />
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Several batches that were either aging or waiting on me for bottling have been lost. One batch is on wait and see.<br />
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I also think I have to move, how can I trust my landlords after this? No longer will I inhabit the same small space I've lived in since I started this blog.<br />
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I dunno what's next but I'm hoping to find out soon.Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02253002033974058775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219961870148708087.post-13143434668810966572014-07-08T18:00:00.000-04:002014-07-09T16:11:18.585-04:00Expanding my brew day.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Qjs7-kgejLc/U7v3gVO3A8I/AAAAAAAAGIU/YYZ4UCsictk/s1600/IMG_20140627_181338362.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Qjs7-kgejLc/U7v3gVO3A8I/AAAAAAAAGIU/YYZ4UCsictk/s1600/IMG_20140627_181338362.jpg" height="200" width="112" /></a></div>
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As if a six to eight hour brew day wasn't long enough this past brewday I wanted to do more. I wanted to try to make spent grain bread. You may have heard of this and thought, can I do it? The answer is yes. It's super easy!</div>
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To start with read this primer on the <a href="http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/lets-brew/bread-from-beer-grains/">Home Brewers Association's webzone</a>. </div>
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I modified their recipe down to a more manageable size and removed the milk because I never have milk at home; it always spoils before I drink it all.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1.50 cups spent grain (wet, but drained)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">0.75 cups warm water</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">0.25 cups sugar</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">2.50 cups all purpose flour (give or take)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">0.50 tsp. salt</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1.0 egg beaten</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">0.5 packet dry active bakers yeast</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">When I made this it was still sticky and wet at first so I added about a half cup more flower. This will depend on the water content of your spent grain. The dough should be tacky, but not sticky or wet. It should stay together and not stick to your hands. Find the right amount of flour for your batch. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Side note on making bread: when you're adding ingrediants at the end to get it to the right texture and consistency add them a little at a time, kneed them in and see if you need more. If you dump a half cup of flour in because it's still a little wet it might become overly dry and break apart; this can be overcome by adding water, but if you add too much you are in a</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> cycle of fail.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So you'll do a rise until it doubles in size, this depends on the ambient temp, in a cool kitchen it could take 2 hours or more, on a hot day with no AC your time will be less.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">After the rise punch the dough down and form it into whatever shape you want your loaf to be, I usually make a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boule_(bread)">boule</a>. Let it rise again for about as long as you let it rise the first time. You want the yeast to create little CO2 pockets to keep your bread light and airy.<br /><br />Bake at 375 for 35 to 45 minutes, when the loaf is hard you should be able to bang on the bottom and should sound hollow, then it's done. The crust will be thick and rustic. Enjoy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>My Results</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The bread was good, the crust was thick and dark perhaps a bit over cooked, but the inside of the bread was warm, moist and </span>surprisingly<span style="font-family: inherit;"> sweet. The spent grains added texture as well to the bread. I'd make it again without hesitation and would enjoy trying bread made from a red or brown ale too.</span></div>
Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02253002033974058775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219961870148708087.post-57571859977799533352014-06-27T16:46:00.000-04:002014-06-27T16:46:02.490-04:00Double Dry Hopped India Pale Ale<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NNqSJW-VN2c/U63VZ2o2IBI/AAAAAAAAGFU/LeoZxnUOjE4/s1600/IMG_20140627_125302451.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NNqSJW-VN2c/U63VZ2o2IBI/AAAAAAAAGFU/LeoZxnUOjE4/s1600/IMG_20140627_125302451.jpg" height="200" width="45" /></a>I am normally not all about getting a recipe from another source and then remaking it on my home system. Why? It's not nearly as much fun. You're standing on the backs of others trying to reach for a ring that some one has already obtained. Even if your clone is perfect you're still second in the race to perfection. Heady Topper is a DIPA that has been cloned extensively. Why? it's fantastic. The cans are hard to come by because they sell out each week and are only distributed within Vermont and to Boston. I'd love to have a keg of Vermont's finest DIPA but I'm going to leave the cloning to the clone experts. People with strict fermentation controls, well developed palates, and access to the original can have this shiny ring.</div>
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I am going to take aspects of the best clone recipes I can find and adapt them to my tastes. I'd call the an inspired by rather than a copied from.</div>
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(please read more after the break.)</div>
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<a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: justify;">
So a clone of heady topper can take many forms:</div>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;">In <a href="http://www.byo.com/stories/issue/item/2808-hop-stands">BYO</a> it was British Pale Ale for a base w/ Apollo, Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, Citra, Columbus, and Simcoe.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">At <a href="http://signpostbrewing.com/heady-topper-clone-brew-4-0/">Signpost Brewing</a> it was a base of Perle Male w/ Amarillo, Apollo, Cascade, Centennial, Columbus, and Simcoe.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">In random recipes I found on beersmith, and home brew talk it used everything from acidulated malt to speculating that the hops were proprietary.</li>
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Only John Kimmich knows for sure what Heady Topper's recipe is and he's not talking, nor should he. Heady Topper is his creation and his livelihood, I wouldn't be talking either. While researching this article I found this great video of John Kimmich talking about <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=amgfgU5-lhs">Heady Topper</a>, it's worth a view. Passion matters.</div>
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<b>Alleged Heady Topper Recipe:</b></div>
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<b>Fermentables:</b></div>
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13 lbs Pale Malt, Perle (3.0 SRM) 91.2 % </div>
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4.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) 1.8 % </div>
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1 lbs Sugar, Table (Sucrose) (1.0 SRM) 7.0 %</div>
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<b>Kettle Hops:</b></div>
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1.50 oz Simcoe [13.0 %] - Boil 30.0 min 43.3 IBUs </div>
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1.00 oz Apollo [17.0 %] - Boil 0.0 min 0.0 IBUs </div>
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1.00 oz Cascade [5.5 %] - Boil 0.0 min 0.0 IBUs </div>
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1.00 oz Simcoe [13.0 %] - Boil 0.0 min 0.0 IBUs </div>
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1.00 oz Chinook [13.0 %] - Boil 0.0 min 0.0 IBUs</div>
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<b>Aroma Steep:</b></div>
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1.00 oz Columbus [14.0 %] - Aroma Steep 30.0 min 0.0 IBUs </div>
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1.00 oz Simcoe [13.0 %] - Aroma Steep 30.0 min 0.0 IBUs </div>
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1.00 oz Centennial [10.0 %] - Aroma Steep 30.0 min 0.0 IBUs</div>
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<b>First Dry Hops: </b></div>
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1.00 oz Citra [12.0 %] - Dry Hop 7.0 Days 0.0 IBUs </div>
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1.00 oz Simcoe [13.0 %] - Dry Hop 7.0 Days 0.0 IBUs</div>
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<b>Second Dry Hops:</b></div>
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1.25 oz Simcoe [13.0 %] - Dry Hop 7.0 Days 0.0 IBUs </div>
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1.00 oz Centennial [10.0 %] - Dry Hop 7.0 Days 0.0 IBUs </div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div>
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<b>My Recipe:</b></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PungdQjuTsM/U63VdJ5-mvI/AAAAAAAAGFM/naP5IeVr2J8/s1600/IMG_20140627_123748734.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PungdQjuTsM/U63VdJ5-mvI/AAAAAAAAGFM/naP5IeVr2J8/s1600/IMG_20140627_123748734.jpg" height="320" width="137" /></a><b>Fermentables:</b></div>
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11 lbs Pale Malt, Maris Otter (3.0 SRM) 91.2 % </div>
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4.0 oz Caravienne (23.0 SRM) 1.8 % </div>
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<b>Kettle Hops:</b></div>
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1.50 oz Simcoe [13.0 %] - Boil 30.0 min 43.3 IBUs </div>
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1.00 oz Citra [17.0 %] - Boil 0.0 min 0.0 IBUs </div>
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1.00 oz Cascade [5.5 %] - Boil 0.0 min 0.0 IBUs </div>
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1.00 oz Simcoe [13.0 %] - Boil 0.0 min 0.0 IBUs </div>
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1.00 oz Chinook [13.0 %] - Boil 0.0 min 0.0 IBUs</div>
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<b>Aroma Steep:</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1.00 oz Columbus [14.0 %] - Aroma Steep 30.0 min 0.0 IBUs</div>
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1.00 oz Simcoe [13.0 %] - Aroma Steep 30.0 min 0.0 IBUs </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1.00 oz Citra [12.0 %] - Aroma Steep 30.0 min 0.0 IBUs</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>First Dry Hops: </b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1.00 oz Citra [12.0 %] - Dry Hop 7.0 Days 0.0 IBUs </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1.00 oz Simcoe [13.0 %] - Dry Hop 7.0 Days 0.0 IBUs</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Second Dry Hops:</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1.50 oz Simcoe [13.0 %] - Dry Hop 7.0 Days 0.0 IBUs </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1.00 oz Chinook [13.0 %] - Dry Hop 7.0 Days 0.0 IBUs</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1.00 oz Citra [12.0 %] - Dry Hop 7.0 Days 0.0 IBUs </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>How are they different?</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
My LHBS didn't have apollo hops so I just subbed in some Citra, They ought to be roughly equivalent; maybe. I deep sixed the centennial, I am less of a fan of that than most. Founders makes a centennial IPA and I'm not a fan, too bitter, not enough flavor or aroma. So I replaced the aroma steep hops with Citra to add more Citrus fruit flavors in that stage, and I like my IPAs to finish with a big piney flavor so I replaced the second dry hop amount with Chinook. I also added Citra to the second dry hop to play up the pine/citrus angle. On the malt bill I replaced the perle with Golden Promise, and the caravienne with caramel 20. I lowered the malt bill a touch to make this a strong IPA rather than a double This should have little impact on the final product but I wanted to note it.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Other Pertinents:</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="font-family: inherit;"><u>Recipe Specifications:</u></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Boil Size: 6.43 gal</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Post Boil Volume: 5.72 gal</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Batch Size (fermenter): 5.00 gal </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Bottling Volume: 5.00 gal</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Estimated OG: 1.061 SG</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Estimated Color: 5.6 SRM</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Estimated IBU: 50.6 IBUs</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Brewhouse Efficiency: 72.00 %</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Est Mash Efficiency: 79.2 %</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Boil Time: 60 Minutes</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Total Grain Weight: 11 lbs 4.0 oz</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><u><br /></u></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Name Description Step Temp Step Time</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Mash In </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Add 15.06 qt of water at 158.6 F 45.0 F 30 min </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Mash Step Add 4.00 qt of water at 161.5 F 148.0 F 40 min</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Batch Sparge with three gallons of 170 degree water.</span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Brew Day:</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
This was long, It was hot. It's lucky for me that I did most of it inside. I started at 8 am, Took a few minutes off for an phone call, and finished up around 4. I ran into problems with almost every piece of equipment I use. It was certainly the first brewday of the summer, it showed. It didn't help that it was 90 degrees in my driveway today; Michigan is suppose to be temperate!<br />
<br />
Overall though it got done and I'm excited to go forward and try to double dry hop an IPA.</div>
</div>
Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02253002033974058775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219961870148708087.post-53882736505857313792014-06-19T19:53:00.001-04:002015-03-22T12:06:25.700-04:00Chicken Bratwurst<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7ijsTI-g_YA/U6A8JfO1AII/AAAAAAAAGAM/oTIp-mQcneI/s1600/IMG_20140614_112920935.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7ijsTI-g_YA/U6A8JfO1AII/AAAAAAAAGAM/oTIp-mQcneI/s1600/IMG_20140614_112920935.jpg" height="200" width="111" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
It's good to mix things up. In an effort to keep my taste buds guessing and my waistline in check I have made some sausages for summer. These chicken brats were the second meat to pass through my grinder which did not disappoint the second time through.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Chicken Bratwursts aren't the least traditional thing out there. <a href="http://www.johnsonville.com/products/pork-chicken-traditional-brats.html">Johnsonville</a> makes them; I haven't seen them in my area. <a href="http://www.livestrong.com/article/450632-how-to-cook-fresh-chicken-bratwurst/">Livestrong</a> has a totally unnecessary article on how to cook them. <a href="http://thespicysausage.com/recipes/chickenbratwurst.htm">The Spicy Sausage</a> (A great resource for recipes) even has a recipe. The internet agrees that this is a lighter alternative to pork. After the break I am going to include my recipe and thoughts after trying some chicken brats.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
(please read more after the break)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
I wanted authentic bratwurst taste at chicken calories. So I used The Spicy Sausage's <a href="http://thespicysausage.com/recipes/bratwurst6.htm">Bratwurst #6</a> as a jumping off point. I combine that with knowledge to attempt to make a good sausage.<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Recipe:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">5.0 Lbs Chicken thighs, skinned and boned.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1.0 Lbs Pork fat</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">0.5 tsp Ground allspice </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1.0 tsp Crushed caraway seeds </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1.0 tsp Dried marjoram </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">2.0 tsp Fresh ground black pepper </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">2.0 tsp Salt</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Stuffed into Hog Casings</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Results:<br />
Great texture, perfect fattiness, but not enough spices. I gathered the thoughts of three groups of people, My parents, my fiance's parents and myself. I thought they were underspiced and my fiance's parents liked them because they weren't too spicey. I am just trying to decide now how best to proceed. The brats were dynamite to eat, texture wise. The skin was crisp, meat had a nice break to it and chewed well; it was a bratwurst and I made it.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VXAHB4Fv8OA/U6OVHxY1Q8I/AAAAAAAAGBk/3W0oAczhxh8/s1600/IMG_20140619_211933207.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VXAHB4Fv8OA/U6OVHxY1Q8I/AAAAAAAAGBk/3W0oAczhxh8/s1600/IMG_20140619_211933207.jpg" height="200" width="112" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-veLGRnm73Ws/U6OVKgsWtuI/AAAAAAAAGBs/GFOG-iF8fKI/s1600/IMG_20140619_211727283.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-veLGRnm73Ws/U6OVKgsWtuI/AAAAAAAAGBs/GFOG-iF8fKI/s1600/IMG_20140619_211727283.jpg" height="200" width="112" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BBa-4tppf2I/U6OVFPt2GPI/AAAAAAAAGBc/CcNwTEecFR8/s1600/IMG_20140619_215347329.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BBa-4tppf2I/U6OVFPt2GPI/AAAAAAAAGBc/CcNwTEecFR8/s1600/IMG_20140619_215347329.jpg" height="200" width="112" /></a></div>
<br />
<br /></div>
Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02253002033974058775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219961870148708087.post-12935950488129492872014-05-05T18:00:00.000-04:002014-05-06T12:20:38.163-04:00Blending my first Kriek<div style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_6JsHP_K14x1NuIDbF_DcNRr1Kkyjcgjf40o607LUYm1fBXJy2IzBtqLiAncyD6xPfOwllz5LJd-OwDx0fTcotxsV5i1YhadbbefnHjp8WrJZCKFn9HbXWYTO_pJiLGTZt3wLr1ea6WA/s1600/IMG_20140503_140813066%257E2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_6JsHP_K14x1NuIDbF_DcNRr1Kkyjcgjf40o607LUYm1fBXJy2IzBtqLiAncyD6xPfOwllz5LJd-OwDx0fTcotxsV5i1YhadbbefnHjp8WrJZCKFn9HbXWYTO_pJiLGTZt3wLr1ea6WA/s1600/IMG_20140503_140813066%257E2.jpg" height="200" width="161" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The last of the blended sample</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="http://smallplacebigbrews.blogspot.com/2013/07/lambic-tasting-and-american-kriek-2013.html">Last Summer</a> I got started on my first Kriek by blending a sour blond ale with cherries. On it's own the sour blonde was dynamite. So mixed with 10 pounds of sour cherries I was expecting unicorns and rainbows. When I sampled it the first time I was floored...by <a href="http://smallplacebigbrews.blogspot.com/2014/02/flanders-red-other-sour-tasting.html">how bad it was</a>: </div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Sanctification on tart cherries:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Aroma: Cherries, Medicinal, Band-aid</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Flavor: Cherries, Cough Syrup</div>
</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
It was the gut kick that started my spiral towards questioning the whole fruited sours project. I was in a bad place after that tasting. Who wants to go on when all your results are bad? Where do you go from rock bottom? Just when I had abandoned all hope something magical happened: the beer turned.<br />
<br />
What do I mean "turned"? It morphed from something terrible to something better than that. Gone was the medicinal aroma which lead to the strong flavor of cough syrup. Gone too were the phenols which made my beer smell like a band aid. What was left was a beer with a modest amount of funk, some sourness, and a cherry bliss. My only rational was that something needed a little O2 to begin it's fermentation and time to do so.<br />
<br />
(Read more about my blending session after the break.)<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUum_GyddI5VM1oPGKS_rrurM73hjHfgXgb0fPDUGIUdU9vFqkRE_G2f3y7dIlOzD-2PpdunpJYJ34esQCPoSjcjqDrMTB3rFG2oycNI6rq829-_hKxhvD42drJhG0nbjBVm82-mc6-Uc/s1600/IMG_20140503_140057493.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUum_GyddI5VM1oPGKS_rrurM73hjHfgXgb0fPDUGIUdU9vFqkRE_G2f3y7dIlOzD-2PpdunpJYJ34esQCPoSjcjqDrMTB3rFG2oycNI6rq829-_hKxhvD42drJhG0nbjBVm82-mc6-Uc/s1600/IMG_20140503_140057493.jpg" height="200" width="112" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The beer had a redish hue<br />
even in the green bottles</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This blending day started out poorly. I was ill prepared. I misplaced some hooded cages I had. So I ran out to the store to buy more, and of course they were out. So I got some plastic corks to work with the open wire cages I had. Those didn't fit the Belgian beer bottles I had ready. I reused some old hooded wires and made it work. Additionally I didn't even set out to blend a kriek. I had wanted to blend a Flanders Red but the second sample I pulled was from a very red looking lambic which I had errantly placed with the flanders after my last tasting. So I had the lambic out and wanted to try the cherry one with the flanders to see how much acid it would take to remove the medicinal smell. As you read above this beer smelled great. and I knew that plambic #2 which I had pulled the sample from was coming along nicely so I mixed the two. The sample was so good that I abandoned my samples of flanders reds and set about blending a kriek.<br />
<br />
<u>American Kriek #1:</u><br />
1 Gallon <a href="http://smallplacebigbrews.blogspot.com/2013/07/lambic-tasting-and-american-kriek-2013.html">Sanctification on Tart Cherries</a><br />
2 Gallons <a href="http://smallplacebigbrews.blogspot.com/2012/07/american-lambic-tubid-mash.html">pLambic #2</a><br />
Carbonated with 4.6 oz of priming sugar to 4.0 volumes of CO2<br />
<br />
This is a dream several years in the making, I am glad it finally happened. If it turns out it will be a true accomplishment.<br />
<br />
Updated: title change.<br />
<br /></div>
Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02253002033974058775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219961870148708087.post-76879454709963378202014-04-25T17:00:00.000-04:002014-05-01T12:03:59.851-04:00Hmong Sausage made w/ Ginger, Basil, and Spices<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR95xhd1TmSf3aRd4PqHMZ5lm4z6ZCo_kXChyQ6YC8vLwZGVDfbCelFi-a1iDOEjLQoNMw9VLH6w9j1fLxl6EFVgeG6or5hBDEJD-FZytSdi6ay3-S5IgSUJaW3BjVOBlRrKeqnSHyuxk/s1600/IMG_20140419_142508803.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR95xhd1TmSf3aRd4PqHMZ5lm4z6ZCo_kXChyQ6YC8vLwZGVDfbCelFi-a1iDOEjLQoNMw9VLH6w9j1fLxl6EFVgeG6or5hBDEJD-FZytSdi6ay3-S5IgSUJaW3BjVOBlRrKeqnSHyuxk/s1600/IMG_20140419_142508803.jpg" height="200" width="112" /></a>I've never had Hmong Sausage before. After reading about it I knew I wanted to try to make this delicacy because I love all of its ingredients individually. I first became aware of the Hmong and their sausages while reading Hank Shaw's excellent blog <a href="http://honest-food.net/wild-game/wild-pig-recipes/wild-boar-charcuterie/hmong-sausage-with-wild-boar/">Hunter, Angler, Gardener, Cook.</a> There Mr. Shaw outlines his recipe and the inspiration for it as well as walking you through his process. You can read my process <a href="http://smallplacebigbrews.blogspot.com/2014/04/sausage-novice-guide.html">here</a> and see my recipe and inspirations after the break. This was the first sausage I made on my new STX Megaforce grinder. It worked like a champ and as you can see in the picture to the right it grinds well, all the meat was ground in about 2 minutes. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
(please read on after the break)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: justify;">
The Hmong apparently make good sausages. A cursory Google search turned up more than a half a dozen recipes. Four recipes stood out <a href="http://honest-food.net/wild-game/wild-pig-recipes/wild-boar-charcuterie/hmong-sausage-with-wild-boar/">Hank Shaw</a>, <a href="http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/hmong-spicy-pork-sausage">Hank Shaw(different)</a>, <a href="http://hmongcancook.blogspot.com/2011/04/hmong-sausage.html">Hmong can cook</a>, and <a href="http://www.annievang.com/content/hmong-pork-sausage">Annie Vang</a>. Across all recipes i found pork, fat, chilies, lime and salt. Three recipes had ground pepper, garlic, and ginger. Two featured cilantro, Thai basil, green onions, red onion, lemon grass, sugar, fish sauce, and some type of flour.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Of those ingredients some are a no go:</div>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Fish sauce has a fine flavor once cooked but I have no other use for it and am not buying it to waste the rest. </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Sugar does not belong in things unless it serves a purpose.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Onions(already using garlic, why bother), lemongrass(have limes, why bother), and flour(the meat should be the texture) are also out.</li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
My sausage will be left with:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Pork + Fat</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Chilies</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Lime</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Garlic</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Ginger</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Cilantro</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Thai Basil</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Salt & Pepper</li>
</ul>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I like the sounds of that: Ginger & lime are a good combo, chilies should spice it up, the fresh herbs will give it some aromatics, and who can deny salt and pepper?</div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
My Recipe standing on the shoulders of others:</div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMS_2ebav7EfoQOR9wUTUuRr4pcLGgZ32n1sWPEKuAlN4-OAdaqswoKggOOmKcRxiwAniLtb0ml6flIvAhWAIBfhMYzsOoitWFTGDYswvvhWJU5PARbPnmoSvyp4KuWRDWF8m9VdXFqUc/s1600/IMG_20140423_203943391.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMS_2ebav7EfoQOR9wUTUuRr4pcLGgZ32n1sWPEKuAlN4-OAdaqswoKggOOmKcRxiwAniLtb0ml6flIvAhWAIBfhMYzsOoitWFTGDYswvvhWJU5PARbPnmoSvyp4KuWRDWF8m9VdXFqUc/s1600/IMG_20140423_203943391.jpg" height="200" width="112" /></a><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">2.5 lbs Pork shoulder, marbled</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">0.5 lbs Pork fat</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1/3 cups Fresh ginger, minced</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1/4 cups Thai basil, chopped</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">1/4 cups Thai chili paste </span></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">2 Tbsp Cilantro, chopped</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">2 Items Garlic clove, minced</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1 Item Juice of one lime</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1 Tbsp Kosher salt</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1 Tsp Ground white pepper, fresh</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Stuffed into natural hog casings.</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Results:</b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXWtv2efI65JTr2mb9D61iC6LSIu4DcMty6a0YvGrF6HN0-6fMoNlZR3IN3Y1La4IHVZyNVMQKx05MUvTNFP-NvEvbWFdIEk0IPiowJ81hGnd9JXoCVoiXt8iM9o_c6WH_01xGEPaD2qQ/s1600/IMG_20140423_204048027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXWtv2efI65JTr2mb9D61iC6LSIu4DcMty6a0YvGrF6HN0-6fMoNlZR3IN3Y1La4IHVZyNVMQKx05MUvTNFP-NvEvbWFdIEk0IPiowJ81hGnd9JXoCVoiXt8iM9o_c6WH_01xGEPaD2qQ/s1600/IMG_20140423_204048027.jpg" height="200" width="112" /></a>The sausage was good. It was spicy , garlicy, and the ginger was present through but not overpowering. Some of the herbs were lost perhaps to the boiling. The sausageness of it was undeniable. The texture was almost spot on but still a little dry. The links were plump and full of meat. I think that the outcome of all of this was successful.<br />
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I enjoyed the sausage, It had heat from the chilies that was undenyable. It spiced up my mouth imediately. There was the undeniable presence of ginger but it wasn't at all overpowering. The fresh herbs weren't a standout in any way but were visually appealing when looking at the uncooked and cooked sausages. If/when I make more Hmong Sausage I'll probably include a bit more fat and salt.</div>
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Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02253002033974058775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219961870148708087.post-69477446497775852122014-04-21T07:00:00.000-04:002014-04-21T09:17:25.853-04:00Sausage: A Novice Guide<div style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG_FqCKX-1uwoly2gS0EEqbtRfggT-KCoaaa4KUh-f5ynJAamORjC0KG3ttheUP5ZhZZcUvDuJ-wn_FfF8o5guMSgPpiI1c1Zm2GfOoJfHPKyVgvYMPN83LOvfaBDENR-ghKGi5Evv_TM/s1600/IMG_20130705_143429.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG_FqCKX-1uwoly2gS0EEqbtRfggT-KCoaaa4KUh-f5ynJAamORjC0KG3ttheUP5ZhZZcUvDuJ-wn_FfF8o5guMSgPpiI1c1Zm2GfOoJfHPKyVgvYMPN83LOvfaBDENR-ghKGi5Evv_TM/s1600/IMG_20130705_143429.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gyro Sausage</td></tr>
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I'm an expert at exactly one thing, my chosen line of work, everything else is a novice pursuit. One thing I started doing last year is making fresh sausages. You might ask 'why?' but that should be self explanatory; when is the last time you walked in to a Super Target, Walmart, Kroger, Meijer, or Local Grocery Chain and bought lamb sausages? What if after eating at a Hmong place on vacation you wanted to recreate the sausages you had there? I'd bet my bottom dollar that the guy behind the deli counter at your local grocery couldn't tell you any more than mine could (unless he happened to be <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hmong_people">Hmong</a>). Next you might be asking yourself, "Why read your guide? I am sure some expert has written a guide." Let me assure you that they have! My guide is my experience coming from being a novice going to being an amateur including what I learned and found helpful.</div>
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(please read more after the break.)<br />
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<b>Why Bother?</b></div>
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Otto Von Bismark said, "Laws are like sausages, It's better not to see them being made." This implies two things: don't be active in politics and that you shouldn't want to see sausages being made. I dunno about you but I want to know exactly what I am putting in my body, so that's one reason to bother. </div>
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A second reason to bother comes from the long history of sausage. It's recorded history is as old as European civilization and it's almost instant popularity made it a popular topic for scribes at the time. It has endured since then for the same reasons we like it today:. It's easy to make, carry, and once cured it lasts at room temperature without spoiling for some time.<br />
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Sausages are easy to cook, easy to eat, and are portable. They're nearly the perfect food.</div>
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<b>Getting Started</b></div>
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Getting started for me was a ~60 dollar investment. I purchased the Kitchen-Aide attachment for my Kitchen-Aide mixer. This is an acceptable place to start and many of the how to guides I read started there. For 60 dollars I got the attachment and the tubes for stuffing.</div>
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<b>First Time </b><a href="http://smallplacebigbrews.blogspot.com/2012/12/sausages-new-frontier.html">link</a></div>
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My first attempt produced a sausage and all in all it turned out pretty poor. The texture was all wrong. This probably had to do with the temps involved. The Kitchen-Aide wasn't up to the task of grinding the meat as it warmed up and so it smeared. So the longer it took to "grind" the warmer it got. This created a failure loop where my failures began to compound. <u>Lesson learned: when they say in the freezer for an hour what they mean is in the freezer for an hour. This also mean use meat in batches to keep it cold. I've also taken to putting meat in a bowl, and putting that bowl into a bowl of ice.</u></div>
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<b>Second Time </b><a href="http://smallplacebigbrews.blogspot.com/2013/07/sausage-friends-and-american.html">link</a></div>
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Second time went much better, the grinding took about 1/4 of the time and the texture was much improved but still not perfect. <u>Lesson Learned: Include more fat, I think it might have needed to be even colder. Or taken from the freezer in smaller batches.</u><br />
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<b>Back to the drawing board?</b><br />
I wanted the to make more & better sausages so after Christmas I got a 3rd party upgrade kit for my Kitchen-Aide grinder. I'd recommend a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/cutting-blade-Kitchenaid-grinder-chopper/dp/B00CQTLWXC/ref=pd_sim_k_5?ie=UTF8&refRID=02MME11CTK6KWK6Z11DD">3rd party blade like this one</a> because it's clearly better than the one that comes with the meat grinder.<br />
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<a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/71MA3Iu0T5L._SL1500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/71MA3Iu0T5L._SL1500_.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a>Then from out of nowhere the best fiance ever got me <a href="http://www.amazon.com/STX-INTERNATIONAL-STX-3000-MF-Megaforce-Patented/dp/B005F55EUQ/ref=sr_1_2?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1395785089&sr=1-2&keywords=stx+mega+force">this</a> for late Christmas. The STX Megaforce has a much larger bore. It is also made from nearly all metal; so it should get cooler in the freezer. So going forward I'll be using that instead of the Kitchen-Aide attachment.<br />
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<b><u>Starting Over Process and Advice:</u></b><br />
<b>Rule #1: Pounds of Meat = Pounds of Sausage</b><br />
<b>Rule #2: Keep it cold... No seriously cold ~32f</b><br />
<b>Rule #3: 20% Fat is the Minimum</b><br />
<b>Rule #4: Salt is important</b><br />
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Those are the basics and this is my new process.<br />
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<b>Step 1: Prepare the Meat</b><br />
Cut the meat and fat into usable chunks, add any rubs, or marinates. Let it chill in the fridge for as long as you want it to marinate. (30 minutes to overnight)<br />
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<b>Step 2: Get everything ready before you start</b><br />
This seems simple but have everything ready, cleaned, and within reach. Once you start you won't want to be looking for tools or searching for spices.<br />
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<b>Step 3: Get Everything Cold</b><br />
Put everything in the freezer an hour before you plan to start. The grinding head is the piece of your grinder that you can chill to keep everything cold while you grind.<br />
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<b>Step 4: Grind the Meat</b><br />
No if's and's or but's. You've just got to grind it. Keep it cold! You've got to do this or it ruins the texture. You can get it out of the freezer in batches if you're not moving very fast. Heat and time are your enemy, be conscious of them.<br />
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<b>Step 5: Get it Cold Again; Mix in Anything Else</b><br />
Mix in your spices, and binders. Put the meat and if you can the grinder head back in the freezer.<br />
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<b>Step 6: Prep the Casings</b><br />
You want to rinse the casings inside and out and put them onto the stuffing tube.<br />
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<b>Step 7: Stuff it, Stuff it good, but Not Too Much.</b><br />
You don't want to over stuff it but you do want it in there tight. Leave about a six in tail when you start so that you can fart the sausage as need be. Stuff it fast, and don't let it get warm until it's in the casing. otherwise the fat will smear and you won't get that well bound fatty meaty texture.<br />
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<b>Step 8: Let it Bind</b><br />
Let it sit at room tempreture for an hour to melt the fat and melt everything in the pressure of the casings. Use a sterile needle to pop any air pockets. A little prick will do.<br />
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<b>Step 9: Let it Bloom</b><br />
Put it in the fridge and continue to let it mesh for 24 hours before eating it. It'll just keep getting better. Eat it fresh or freeze it. As always cook your food or risk spoilage infections.<br />
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<b>Step 10: Eat it</b><br />
Enjoy what you make or you'll lose the will to continue.<br />
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<b>Look for more sausage recipes soon!</b></div>
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Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02253002033974058775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219961870148708087.post-25741863924657442772014-04-03T20:00:00.000-04:002014-04-16T10:00:31.240-04:00Beer Review: Enjoy By 4.20.14 IPA<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjfp8OO1DFMM5Y-dEbtcyEZBTadMg_cUZZ3kOLDsUnfa4M7b5Q-t5BGQtzjNrOyFDasphHmfDs1qmT61pGa5yPFpkEO-pkeKZgq7s2mBZQ96n_7oPyW35_dceiSKSy6GHpfTVv0NalS6MC4wHz8SrNpdmDTRg9UqyJcgdU5U9mbfDK8U-D-sUkS0GEEhEekpaApMqVggrSRmWExu5xvkeCR4fUX_g6YA4c9hlhI_WDjXIU0wcFtHB0MS_eqjaPA6W5qwENxCdM3dQvU=" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://enjoyby.stonebrewing.com/sites/default/files/styles/beer_bottle__650px_tall_/public/releases/enjoy_bottle_420_1.png?itok=E7XBzVTu" height="320" width="88" /></a>Another beer style I want to brew this year is an IPA. Having a black IPA and an IPA on tap is something I'd like to do. I just need to find friends to help me drink beer. Also I need tax season to be over so that I have time to brew. In the lead up to eventually brewing an IPA I wanted to sample some of the freshest and newest IPAs I could find. Enter the devastatingly dank Enjoy By 4.20.14 IPA by Stone Brewing company. This beer was bottled 17 days before I'm drinking it. Wow. Stone sure does take their product seriously. </div>
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This IPA weighs in at 9.4% ABV. Per a variety of webpages this is a mosaic of hops(not to be confused with mosaic hops) <a href="http://www.bertusbrewery.com/2013/04/ipa-clone-series-stone-enjoy-by-ipa.html">Bertus Brewery</a> identified Citra, Cascade, Centennial, Nelson Sauvon, Galaxy, Target & Simcoe are all included. <a href="http://thefullpint.com/beer-news/stone-brewing-co-releases-devastatingly-dank-stone-enjoy-04-20-14-ipa/">The Full Pint</a> reports it as 13 varieties in a unique blend. They Tag it with probably some insider information as having Ahtanum, Super Galena, Simcoe, Delta, Target, Amarillo, Calypso, Cascade, Galaxy, Nelson Sauvin, Motueka, Citra and Helga. So I'll have my work ahead of me if I want to draw out what I like about this beer.</div>
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(please read more after the break.)</div>
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So I opened the bottle and it was world class.</div>
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Appearance: It's an IPA! It's crystal clear with a billowing white active head.</div>
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Aroma: It's Hoppy! Wet, dank, hops exploded from the glass. It's a hop bonanza. Rather than focusing on one type of hop or a particular pine, citrus, resin, etc. etc. aroma they went with every aroma! Smells great!</div>
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Flavor: It's Hoppy! It starts out hoppy, and finishes hoppy and dry. Within each sip you for vegetable hoppy flavors. You could taste the crispness and the raw amount of hop is impressive. This beer is agressively bitter which contributed to the dry finishes. Under the bitter, vegetable, floral hops is a nice malt flavor with a crisp pale maltiness. </div>
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Mouthfeel: Dry like an IPA aught be. The bittnerness contributes to a lasting finish despite being smooth and dry. Remarkable.</div>
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Impressions: HOPPY? Yes, but like an good ipa there was more too it than just being bitter. The hopping techniques are really on full display giving you a veg/floral/dank flavor/aroma/bitterness. It's a great IPA.<br />
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I've been to stone, I've had Enjoy By fresh from the tap. The bottle hurts it not, but in one aspect. I'm not going to sit on my couch playing video games drinking a 22 of ~10% DIPA. Pouring an IPA changes it because it releases the aroma, which is what you smell after the pour without even leaning in. This is why Heady extols the virtues of drinking it from the can. I'd bottle this in 4 packs. Other than that: World Class.<br />
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For my IPA I am going to stick to between 3-6 hops in a single or duo of areas. Stone might be able to pull off everything at once but I won't be. I want to highlight Citrus or Pine or Floral not HOPS. See my recipe soon!</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOm4Nc8ylqPIspOmo0CImAPuvc6vyWgCGmF1rfnb6iXpVAp3XeD7jpS6k6FMGVnBjfRq1h3MF5B8KcQkIkKnFLJ5LXmH_WGKoHDYsTZJoIVd2ZAMfVvZM1CfgGwW00PkwUVDTHa7g8Ibs/s1600/IMG_20140318_220258139.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Huy Hung Foods Chili Sauce & Honey + Chicken" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOm4Nc8ylqPIspOmo0CImAPuvc6vyWgCGmF1rfnb6iXpVAp3XeD7jpS6k6FMGVnBjfRq1h3MF5B8KcQkIkKnFLJ5LXmH_WGKoHDYsTZJoIVd2ZAMfVvZM1CfgGwW00PkwUVDTHa7g8Ibs/s1600/IMG_20140318_220258139.jpg" height="200" title="Chili Chicken" width="182" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Low calorie chicken dinner.</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">Anyone I've ever met knows my affinity for Asian food. Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or Vietnamese; I love all of it. It's the interplay of flavors that I like. Sweet and sour, sweet and spicy, hot and spicy I love it all. You can find various vibrant flavors melded together to create something greater than the sum of their parts.</span><br />
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After a late night at the office and a trip to the grocery store I still had to feed myself. This is when I knew it was time for Cheap Chili Chicken. It's like a sweet and spicy Korean Chicken Nugget. It's good on it's own, it's good leftover and it takes very little time to make.</div>
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(please read more after the break.)</div>
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I eat this meal more than once a month; I eat it sometimes with a salad, occasionally with rice, but mostly as a naked protein supplement. The genesis of this meal was in an attempt to make sweet and sour chicken at home. The chicken was the boss, but the sauce was lacking. As my tastes changed and I became a fan of the general's chicken. So I decided what I liked about that and went after it. Spicy + Sweet, with an Asian flair. Sriracha is was my jumping off point and I vacillate between the Sriracha Sauce and Garlic Chili sauce both from Huy Fong Foods.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYbLlECjR6jdXgWhX_9fxgHwKtGi-tdirkMmLYVI3yF2EMnoq_paR77QjbB9jMW81s67pdUVE9j1HqtITj6fS3k8dtJ_R9MUbcjigfa1Ia3oSR7ZJSMNpx8cDA2m2Ti0jsYkBeXK9lkpE/s1600/IMG_20140318_215034768.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYbLlECjR6jdXgWhX_9fxgHwKtGi-tdirkMmLYVI3yF2EMnoq_paR77QjbB9jMW81s67pdUVE9j1HqtITj6fS3k8dtJ_R9MUbcjigfa1Ia3oSR7ZJSMNpx8cDA2m2Ti0jsYkBeXK9lkpE/s1600/IMG_20140318_215034768.jpg" height="200" width="112" /></a><b>Recipe and Process:</b></div>
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<b>Chicken: </b></div>
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1 Lbs Chicken</div>
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1 Tbsp Corn Starch for dredging</div>
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1 Tbsp Oil for cooking</div>
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Cube the chicken into bite sized nuggets. Dredge the chicken in the corn starch. Fry the chicken in the oil until golden brown and cooked through. Drain the chicken in paper towels in a colander while you prepare the sauce.</div>
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<b>Sauce:</b></div>
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1 Tbsp Huy Fong Chili Sauce</div>
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1 Tbsp Orange Blossom Honey</div>
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Mix together and begin to cook in the pan. When it begins to thicken and cook re-add the chicken and stir to coat. Cook until it adheres to the chicken and the chicken is thoroughly coated.<br />
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<b>Results:</b><br />
You'll find a delightfully spicy chicken with sweetness from the honey. The crisp nuggets reveal moist chicken that is both low fat and nutritious. The brilliance of the recipe is that if it's too hot you can add more honey the next time to get the right spiciness for you. </div>
<br />Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02253002033974058775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219961870148708087.post-61497899432587314822014-03-12T18:38:00.002-04:002014-03-12T18:38:45.320-04:00Beer Review: Green Flash Black IPA<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.servall-liquor.com/image/cache/data/products/Beers/green_flash/green_flash_hop_odyssey-500x500.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://www.servall-liquor.com/image/cache/data/products/Beers/green_flash/green_flash_hop_odyssey-500x500.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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Every once and a while it's fun to drink other peoples beer. Tonight this beer is from a brewery 2146 miles away. I've actually been to Green Flash, it's an amazing little brewery with lots of hoppy beers on tap. They do hops justice and if you get a chance to try one of their hoppy beers you should do it.</div>
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This beer pours a a dark black with a brown/tan head, The carbonation is evident as the head billows up from the beer. The glass reveals garnet edges so it's not all black, but close. As I sip the beer it leaves lacing and each sip refills the glass with hoppy aroma. The aromas are more floral than pine, and the roast fills out the aroma nicely. The taste is lots of floral hops, and minor amounts of roast. The mouth was dry and hid the colossal 12% ABV well. I had a buzz before I even realized how strong this beer was.<br />
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Upon further scientific research (read: google searching) the hop varieties used were Warrior, Citra, and Cascade. Which reinforces my perception about floral hops.<br />
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I liked this beer, it was a bit strong, but the lack of finishing gravity made it easy to drink. I'd get drunk before I got full.<br /><br />In comparison to <a href="http://smallplacebigbrews.blogspot.com/2012/10/black-india-pale-ale-errr-what.html">my amateur home brews</a> this had some things I liked and some I didn't. I liked the carbonation, low finishing gravity and high aromatics of what I can assumes is lots of late hop additions. I disliked the floral combinations with the roast in the flavor. I'll be sticking to piney hops. This was a good beer and I'm glad I bought it, I can't say enough good thing about Green Flash and would recommend this to a friend looking to try a black IPA.<br /><br />They made a good Black IPA but I think I can make a better American Black Ale, look forward to a new ABA recipe coming after April 15th.</div>
Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02253002033974058775noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219961870148708087.post-81387372308841218192014-02-17T14:48:00.001-05:002014-02-17T14:48:33.997-05:00Flanders Red & Other Sour Tasting.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bpQP_9DMgxU/UwJES748ChI/AAAAAAAAFzc/WPRc7H8OhMI/s1600/IMG_20140216_161851403.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bpQP_9DMgxU/UwJES748ChI/AAAAAAAAFzc/WPRc7H8OhMI/s1600/IMG_20140216_161851403.jpg" height="112" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Group photo, smile!</td></tr>
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I wanted to sample my Flander's as I had done over the fourth of July with my lambics. I thought I should try the other sours to see if the results were as disastrous. A quick recap of my early lambics: Nothing great, a couple of acceptable, a few bads. Lets see how this goes.</div>
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So this second sampling of sour beers could not have started out with lower expectations. I mean How do you go down from, utter disappointment and near total failure? There is hope though, time does funny things to sour beers, so that could be a blessing as well as the potential to blend and have two things become more than the sum of their parts. I need to blend two beers from this to enter into the NHC to meet my entries. Lets see what I have to work with.</div>
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(Please read more after the break.)</div>
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First a primer: a Flanders's Red Ale should have a complex flavor of tart fruitiness with a underlying malt. More tart than sour. For a readily available example of this style look no further than Rodenbach or Rodenbach Grand Cru.</div>
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I pulled samples and put each into a plastic cup with a foil lid and label. I pulled a sample of each beer which did not get sampled in the original group of samplers.</div>
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<b>Results:</b></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5s1zWu8p5-g/UwJEXaq3s6I/AAAAAAAAFzk/6tYtkkW54Vo/s1600/IMG_20140216_161854870.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5s1zWu8p5-g/UwJEXaq3s6I/AAAAAAAAFzk/6tYtkkW54Vo/s1600/IMG_20140216_161854870.jpg" height="112" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lambics, and old ales</td></tr>
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pLambic #4: </div>
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Aroma: Sour vinegar, nice pungent sourness</div>
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Flavor: Sour corn, sour vinegar, Labatt Blue, some residual sweetness</div>
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pLambic #3:</div>
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Aroma: Sour</div>
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Flavor: Corn, Sour, not appealing.</div>
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pLambic #2: </div>
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Aroma: No aroma, sour, thin, watery.</div>
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Flavor: Sour, watery, thin</div>
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Sanctification on tart cherries:</div>
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Aroma: Cherries, Medicinal, Band-aide</div>
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Flavor: Cherries, Cough Syrup</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Vpw60nMuiO8/UwJEaL__ZhI/AAAAAAAAFzs/tDcAlnr9FRU/s1600/IMG_20140216_161857944.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Vpw60nMuiO8/UwJEaL__ZhI/AAAAAAAAFzs/tDcAlnr9FRU/s1600/IMG_20140216_161857944.jpg" height="112" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flanders, red and brown</td></tr>
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Flanders #3:</div>
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Aroma: Mild sourness, a touch of malt.</div>
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Flavor: Bitterness still apparent, as well as the grains in the base beer.</div>
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Flanders #2:</div>
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Aroma: Caramel malt, vinegar, flanders sourness</div>
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Flavor: The sourness leads into a caramel finish.</div>
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Flanders #1:</div>
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Aroma: Extreme Paint Thinner, Vinager</div>
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Flavor: Same as nose, this one is powerful.</div>
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Double Flanders:</div>
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Aroma: Meally cooked corn, spoiled stone fruit</div>
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Flavor: Bitterness, spoiled stone fruit</div>
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Old Ale:</div>
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Aroma: Ripe bananas, tropical fruit, sourness, passion fruit, </div>
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Flavor: Same as the nose but with prickly pear also</div>
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<b>Table Blend #1: Olde Duece</b></div>
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Based on our table blending a melange of the Old Ale and the Flanders Duece was a winner, it maintained the sourness and carmel finish of the flanders #2 and the ripe fruit thrown off by the brett in the old ale.<br />
That can not happen however because the time constraints, allthough it might be worthy of an attempt on bottling day to bottle some of that.</div>
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<b>Table Blend #2: Acid Ale</b></div>
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We blended the flanders #2 and #1. this came out sour but with a touch of carmel in the finish, then I added the cherry sanctification to it and it tasted like cough syrup. I think I might be able to blend a flanders red from this though,</div>
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<b>Conclusion:</b><br />
All is not lost on my souring at home program, with each batch costing 15 to 20 dollars turning out 5 sours a year is still a modest investment monitarily to kill 5 saturdays doing something I enjoy.</div>
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The Flanders #2 + a touch of #1 might be a winner. I may also bottle some old ale and submit it in the American Ale - Other category.</div>
Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02253002033974058775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219961870148708087.post-73577757082178807732014-02-04T10:36:00.003-05:002014-02-04T19:07:15.837-05:00Book Review: Brewing with Wheat.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This book is a good companion to Wild Brews. Why? because they talk about a few of the styles which were not the seminal focus of that book. This book also explains the intricacies of the unique ingredient which distinguishes so many continental European styles from their American and British counterparts. While reading this book I couldn't help thinking that these Brewers Publican books should just have been one large book with lots of cross notes. Brewing is so intricate a craft a times even when you are making a Belgian sour ale by the book (that book being Wild Brews) you might not be told exactly what you're gaining from the wheat which is the base of your beer. I recommend this book if your even considering brewing a beer with 5% wheat so you can know all about which variety and why you might want to use it.</div>
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(please read more after the break.)<br />
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So Wheat. This book like most of these sorts of books fills out a good section of the book with a history of brewing with wheat. It's interesting especially if you are interested in history in general. As sort of a fan of government policy you could sort of see how which cereal grains were used over time had a lot to do with the prevailing crops and government policies. In each of these books it becomes apparent that beer and civilization are intertwined. I can confidently say our modern world is built upon beer. I want to tell you more proving that but I feel as though I'd be plagiarizing the book.</div>
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<b>Onto the Beer:</b></div>
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The remainder of this book focused on ingredients/flavors and styles. The styles range from the Berliner Weiss to the Wheat Wine. You get the brewer's testimonials as well as home brew recipes designed for you by professional brewers noted for their wheat beers.</div>
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<b>Styles Covered:</b></div>
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Belgian Wit - Jean-Francios Gravel, Dieu de Ciel<br />
Hefeweizen - Bill Amonetti, Home Brewer, Award Winner<br />
Wheat Wine - Steve Pauwels, Boulevard Brewing<br />
Wheat Wine - Todd Ashman, Fifty Fifty brewing<br />
Berliner Weiss - Kristen England, BJCP Grand Master<br />
Gose - Kristen England, BJCP Grand Master<br />
Gratzen - Kristen England, BJCP Grand Master<br />
Litchehaner - Kristen England, BJCP Grand Master<br />
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<b>This Book Also Includes:</b></div>
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It has enhanced BJCP style outlies and expectations from real judges on what throws them off. It has basic formulations including malts, hops, and yeast used for dozens of commercial examples including New Glarus Crack'd Wheat, Three Floyds Gumball Head and many more. There are also yeast charts letting you know what you might possibly get from a yeast strand at a given temperature with the right controls.</div>
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<b>Conclusions: </b></div>
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This book isn't a must buy, but it's a should buy if you plan on brewing traditional wheat styles. The information is well organized and presents itself smartly. You'll learn something from reading it and you'll probably make better beer for it. If you plan to make wheat beers why wouldn't you want to read a book totally devoted to brewing with wheat?</div>
Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02253002033974058775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219961870148708087.post-39544467105334812112014-01-30T18:00:00.000-05:002014-01-31T10:40:19.282-05:00January RecapJanuary has been a month for me personally. Polar Vortex anyone? sheeeesh. Hard to home brew when you can't go out for supplies.<br />
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I'm preparing to start cheese making. I use a lot of cheese in my cooking because I love it and I'd love to learn to make it! To that end instead of reading a beer book this month I've been reading about how to make cheese. A more detailed post on that is coming.<br />
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I ordered my 2014 supply of East Coast Yeast from Solar Home Brew. 2x Bugfarms, a Flemish Ale, and a Saison Brett. It came and everything looks right.<br />
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I'll be making my starter for my 2014 IPA soon. I can't wait to have fresh IPA on tap again. A post incoming soon.<br /><br />This weekend I will blend my first Lambic & or Flanders Beer. I am doing this for the AHA Competition. I haven't been selected yet but I want to be ready; if I am not selected then I'll find somewhere else to enter it. Lambic and Flanders are amazing styles and if I can brew good ones I want people to try them. A recap of the blending session is coming soon.<br /><br />I think that's it. As far as updates go. Stay Warm.Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02253002033974058775noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5219961870148708087.post-25297624061794786042014-01-07T13:29:00.002-05:002014-01-07T13:29:54.927-05:002013 Recap 2014 ResolutionsThank you to anyone reading this blog.<br />
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2013 was a crazy year for me personally. Many changes have come about in my personal lives and 2014 looks just as volatile. This impacted my brewing schedule as much as the realities of the beers I brewed; by that I mean that some one has to drink all this beer. There is so much beer. In 2011 through 2013 I joined a few national reserve societies. I sampled some rare and often expensive brews from across the fruited plains. This has eaten up a bunch of funds, and sadly those funds had to come from my brewing funds. I missed almost every single one of my 2013 resolutions.<br />
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So what's left? 2014 goals? I guess.<br />
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I want to hit my 2013 goal of 6 posts a month but I am going to aim for 4 as to not overshoot.<br />
I want to brew once a month and brew 12 new beers in 2014.<br />
I want to finish my tap handle project and get some tap handles done.<br />
I want to enter a home brewing competition.<br />
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That's it. Aim low. Deliver above expectations.<br />
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Thanks again if you read my blog. I'll be attempting to get to 60+ posts in 2014 to keep content up and prove 2013 was the aberration.<br />
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<br />Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02253002033974058775noreply@blogger.com0