Happy New Year!
Our January club meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 14 at 8pm at Brunzies (corner of 5th and Philly Streets).
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Brewing with Oak
Barrel aging beers in oak is a more common practice these days, not only
for big breweries but even for homebrewers. Several clubs have group-brewed the same recipe in order to fill a barrel for bulk aging. However, most lone homebrewers
don't make enough beer to fill a large barrel, and even small barrels
can be cost prohibitive for many. Enter the oak barrel alternatives for
use at home!
Oak Chips & Cubes
Probably the most common way that homebrewers introduce oak flavor to their beers, and available through most homebrew supply stores. Chips and cubes come in different oak varieties, such as American, French, or Hungarian.
American oak is more aggressive with its flavor and adds some vanilla notes, while French oak is more delicate and adds some spiciness. Hungarian lies between the two. In addition to the varieties, chips and cubes come in various degrees of toast - light, medium, and heavy. The degree of oak flavor to depart will depend largely on the style you're brewing and on your own personal taste.
Both chips and cubes are usually added to the secondary fermentation after sterilization by boiling for 15 minutes, or by soaking for several days in alcohol (e.g., whiskey, bourbon, or vodka). By soaking in a particular alcohol, a homebrewer can attempt to mimic the barrel-aging process used by larger breweries who use spent bourbon barrels (or Calvados, sherry, and even tequila).
Chips tend to give good flavor within a few weeks (great surface area), while cubes may take several weeks to a few months to fully develop flavors. One mistake not to make is leaving the chips/cubes in the secondary for too long! One of our members put Irish whiskey-soaked chips in a hop sock and placed in a Corny keg to age. However, the keg was set aside for too long and the results were disastrous ...
Oak Staves & Spirals
Staves and spirals are not as common, but still readily available from most supply stores. These are generally used for larger batches of beer (10+ gal), and can take months for flavor to develop.
Oak Essence & Oak Powder
Oak essence is a liquid flavoring agent, while oak powder is ... well, powder. Both can be mixed into the secondary (small amounts go a long way!) to give immediate taste. However, just as with any liquid or powder additive/flavoring, the flavors may not seem as genuine as long-term aging with the wood described above.
Source: Raspuzzi, D. Brew Your Own 2014, 20 (1), p. 11.
Oak Chips & Cubes
Probably the most common way that homebrewers introduce oak flavor to their beers, and available through most homebrew supply stores. Chips and cubes come in different oak varieties, such as American, French, or Hungarian.
American oak is more aggressive with its flavor and adds some vanilla notes, while French oak is more delicate and adds some spiciness. Hungarian lies between the two. In addition to the varieties, chips and cubes come in various degrees of toast - light, medium, and heavy. The degree of oak flavor to depart will depend largely on the style you're brewing and on your own personal taste.
Both chips and cubes are usually added to the secondary fermentation after sterilization by boiling for 15 minutes, or by soaking for several days in alcohol (e.g., whiskey, bourbon, or vodka). By soaking in a particular alcohol, a homebrewer can attempt to mimic the barrel-aging process used by larger breweries who use spent bourbon barrels (or Calvados, sherry, and even tequila).
Chips tend to give good flavor within a few weeks (great surface area), while cubes may take several weeks to a few months to fully develop flavors. One mistake not to make is leaving the chips/cubes in the secondary for too long! One of our members put Irish whiskey-soaked chips in a hop sock and placed in a Corny keg to age. However, the keg was set aside for too long and the results were disastrous ...
"Not only did the porter taste astringent and tannic and way too oaky, the chips were in there long enough to most likely cause another round of fermentation from natural organisms in the wood. When I tried to vent the keg, a geyser of porter shot 20 feet across my yard. The rest had to be dumped."
Oak Staves & Spirals
Staves and spirals are not as common, but still readily available from most supply stores. These are generally used for larger batches of beer (10+ gal), and can take months for flavor to develop.
Oak Essence & Oak Powder
Oak essence is a liquid flavoring agent, while oak powder is ... well, powder. Both can be mixed into the secondary (small amounts go a long way!) to give immediate taste. However, just as with any liquid or powder additive/flavoring, the flavors may not seem as genuine as long-term aging with the wood described above.
Source: Raspuzzi, D. Brew Your Own 2014, 20 (1), p. 11.
December Homebrew Club Meeting
Our December club meeting will be held tonight (Dec 10) at Twisted Jimmy's starting at 8pm.
Friday, November 22, 2013
A Review of "D.G. Yuengling & Son, Inc."
This is my review of "D.G. Yuengling & Son, Inc." by Robert A. Musson, MD, and is not reflective of any other club members' opinions. Our club was invited to review this book by Arcadia Publishing, and a courtesy copy was provided to me. Any club member wishing to read and review the book is welcome to do so.
If you've visited any local bookstores or Barnes & Noble, you've most likely seen the sepia-toned covers of historical series from Arcadia Publishing.
D.G. Yuengling & Son, Inc. was written by Robert A. Musson, who first visited Yuengling Brewery in Pottsville in 1979 with his parents. This book is obviously a labor of love, as Musson spent a lot of time gathering memorabilia, visiting the brewery and photographing their personal collections, and interviewing various folks associated with the brewery and its history.
The format of this book is set up in eight chapters of specific topics that span the history of the brewery and its personnel. This is not a typical narrative or story, but rather page after page of pictures with descriptive paragraphs that walks the reader through the history of Yuengling.
Chapter 1: The Origin of a Legend, takes us back to the beginnings of the brewery and the family that started it. Some of the earliest known photos of the brewery are included.
Chapter 2: The Next Generations Take Over, walks us through the late 1800's to the 1910's.
Chapter 3: Surviving Prohibition, shows us some of the alternate products that Yuengling made and sold during a dark chapter in our country's history (at least for beer lovers).
Chapter 4: Brewing Returns!, takes us through post-Prohibition to the 1950s.
Chapter 5: Hanging On, discusses the 1960s through 1980s.
Chapter 6: America's Oldest Brewery, gives us an idea of the overall changes that occurred at the brewery from its beginnings to the end of the 20th Century.
Chapter 7: America's Newest Brewery, describes the growth in popularity and the expansion of Yuengling in the early 2000s.
Chapter 8: Yuengling Today, looks at the next generation of the Yuengling family and the current state of the brewery.
From the introduction:
Cheers,
Nate
 |
|
Reprinted with permission from D.G. Yuengling & Son., Inc, by Robert A. Musson ,MD. Available from the
publisher online at www.arcadiapublishing.com
or by calling 888-313-2665.
|
If you've visited any local bookstores or Barnes & Noble, you've most likely seen the sepia-toned covers of historical series from Arcadia Publishing.
D.G. Yuengling & Son, Inc. was written by Robert A. Musson, who first visited Yuengling Brewery in Pottsville in 1979 with his parents. This book is obviously a labor of love, as Musson spent a lot of time gathering memorabilia, visiting the brewery and photographing their personal collections, and interviewing various folks associated with the brewery and its history.
The format of this book is set up in eight chapters of specific topics that span the history of the brewery and its personnel. This is not a typical narrative or story, but rather page after page of pictures with descriptive paragraphs that walks the reader through the history of Yuengling.
Chapter 1: The Origin of a Legend, takes us back to the beginnings of the brewery and the family that started it. Some of the earliest known photos of the brewery are included.
Chapter 2: The Next Generations Take Over, walks us through the late 1800's to the 1910's.
Chapter 3: Surviving Prohibition, shows us some of the alternate products that Yuengling made and sold during a dark chapter in our country's history (at least for beer lovers).
Chapter 4: Brewing Returns!, takes us through post-Prohibition to the 1950s.
Chapter 5: Hanging On, discusses the 1960s through 1980s.
Chapter 6: America's Oldest Brewery, gives us an idea of the overall changes that occurred at the brewery from its beginnings to the end of the 20th Century.
Chapter 7: America's Newest Brewery, describes the growth in popularity and the expansion of Yuengling in the early 2000s.
Chapter 8: Yuengling Today, looks at the next generation of the Yuengling family and the current state of the brewery.
From the introduction:
"The history of this fascinating company is told here through more than 220 images of people, buildings, equipment, advertising, labels, trucks, and more. It is aimed at history buffs, collectors of brewery artifacts ..., and anyone who enjoys drinking any of the fine Yuengling beers available."So if you're a beer geek (like me) and/or like to collect beer books for your library, or if you're a big Yuengling fan, I recommend picking up a copy of this book. I enjoyed seeing the evolution of the brewery in pictures and Musson is to be commended for his attention to detail and dedication to creating a pictorial narrative of Yuengling.
Cheers,
Nate
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Our 6th Anniversary, November Club Meeting
In all the excitement with getting ready for Oktoberfest last month, we forgot to mention that October was the club's 6th Annivesary! Yea for us!
November's club meeting will be held at Brunzies Bar, on the corner of 5th and Philadelphia Streets, at 8pm tonight.
We've also added a club Twitter feed (twitter.com/IndiPaAlesmiths). Search @IndiPaAlesmiths
November's club meeting will be held at Brunzies Bar, on the corner of 5th and Philadelphia Streets, at 8pm tonight.
We've also added a club Twitter feed (twitter.com/IndiPaAlesmiths). Search @IndiPaAlesmiths
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