Hop Update

With the days lengthening all our hop plants have decided it's time to grow.

These 4 hops (Golding back left, Fuggles back right and front right, Nugget front left) were all planted at the same time. They are all first year hops and the only difference is that the rhizomes on the front 2 were only about 100mm and as thick as a pencil, compared to the back ones which were 175 - 200mm long and as thick as your thumb. I don't expect to get anything off the front 2 this year but hopefully next year they will be big enough to crop, and needless to say - I won't be using that seller again.

These are 2nd year Cascades and each bed has at least 20 shoots.

These are 1st year Hallertau and Saaz.

So it all seems to be looking good for a reasonable crop this year, so long as we can keep the water and fertiliser up to them.

Finest Round - Celtic Amber Ale

The Finest Round range of beer kits are made and distributed by ES Brewing, and have achieved quite a following in the homebrew community. This Celtic Amber Ale was the next in the range for me to review and I’m sure it will soon develop a cult following.

As with the Irish Stout; making it is dead easy. Pour in the kit, add water to make up 22L, add the yeast (Windsor Ale) and the finishing hops (Challenger), then sit back and watch it ferment.

In making it up to 22L we achieved a starting gravity of 1.040, and after fermentation was complete a finishing gravity of 1.012 giving us a 4.2% alc beer after priming.

Now for the tasting: we tried this Celtic Amber Ale both straight out of the fridge and a second one which had been out for the fridge for 10mins, and found that the second one (the slightly warmer one) gave us better malt flavours and hop aromas.

Packed with flavour this Celtic Amber Ale contains much more than just the usual caramel and pale malt. Although they are there, they play a background role to a balanced  savoury taste with the odd hint of roasted grain and the Challenger finishing hops.

I would match this beer with a thick vegetable soup or hearty stew - something to have in the winter time as I don’t think it’s really a session-able beer. It’s just got too big a taste and your palate will fatigue after 2 glasses. Don’t get me wrong this is a great beer, it’s just not one to drink all night.

Colour – a great ruby red and crystal clear, well done ESB.

Ok now down to the nitty gritty:

Time – 10 min to sterilise the fermenter and tools, 10 min to make up the batch and 5 min to clean up. Priming and bottling took 30min and clean up took 15min.

Total Time – 70min plus 15 days fermenting and conditioning.

Cost – kit $34 (includes the Windsor ale yeast and 2 12gm packets of Challenger finishing hops)        Bottles $32 (you need 32 650ml bottles)
Total Cost $34    (or $70.75 with bottles)

Brew Mountains Craft Beer Festival Wrap up

Well, it's over and done for another year (unfortunately), but on the bright side it was a really enjoyable day at the Fairmont Hotel. It's a bit different having a craft beer festival in a swanky hotel, mind you I was glad to be inside as the Blue Mountains had returned to winter mode with cold weather, thick fog and rain. This did not deter the beer enthusiasts, with a steady stream of couples, families and groups of mates all through the day.

Hosted by the guys from Sydney Brewery (formally Dr Schwartz) the festival was a great success, and with over 150 presale tickets we look forward to hearing what the final attendance numbers are.  No doubt the dreary weather will have kept some away - but thats their loss!

My Beer of the day was Paddo Ale from Sydney Brewery.

Wife's Pick of the day for beer is still in contention between Paddo Ale from Sydney Brewery, and Pacific Ale from Stone & Wood.  But Bilpin Cider took the day cider-wise.

Held in one of the Fairmont's spacious conference rooms, the set up was excellent with plenty of room between exhibitors, along with tables and chairs and stand up bars to savour your beer at. There was also plenty of water jugs around to keep you hydrated.

James Squire had Hop Thief, Unfiltered stowaway Ipa and Fifty Lashes.

Little Creatures had White Rabbit Light Ale and Dark Ale, Pipsqueak Cider and Pale Ale. 

 

 Bilpin had Bilpin Cider

 Tilse had Tilse Cider

Stone and Wood had Pacific Ale, Jasper Ale and a Lager.

Two Birds had "boobies" (they said it, not me), as well as Sunset Ale and Golden Ale.

Rocks Brewing had The Convict Lager, The Pickpocket Cider, The Hangman Pale Ale and later in the day brought out The Governor Golden Ale and The Boxer RedAle. 

Mudgee Brewing had a Porter, a Spring Ale and an IPA.

Beer appreciation classes were also held throughout the day, showcasing different beers each session, what they were made from, and some choices of what to pair them with.

This one is being run by Mike and his team of brewers from Sydney Brewery.

We would like to thank Mike and his team from Sydney Brewery for a great day with great beers and we look forward to coming back next year.

MALE - Macarthur Ale and Lager Enthusiasts

Based in the Macarthur area of Sydney, MALE (Macarthur Ale and Lager Enthusiasts) are a group of mates who share a common interest in - yep- you guessed it Ale and Lager. They meet on the first thursday of each month at a pizza shop in either Picton or Narrelan.

                                                                                               

With everyone being a homebrewer, there's always loads of styles to try. This last thursday just happened to be the Cerny Pivo challenge night, so along with the normal beers there was 14 Pivo's to try and rank.

               And the WINNER is .......  Mark

and Marks secret........ a fresh wort kit from Pat Casey's shop Absolute Homebrew in St Mary's.

Drinking beer and eating pizza was not all that happened.  We were given a demonstration of the latest innovation in bottle capping by Rene, (See photo below.)

Unfortunately the photo's not real clear, but if you look closely you will see the green bottle is capped with I'm sorry to say .....  cling wrap.  Hey, when needs' must.

Take your sense of humour with you, along with any beer or brewing questions as all the guys are more than willing to lend a hand.

Thanks for a great night out guys and we see you next time.

N.B : Cerny Pivo is a Czech style black Lager

Australian Example : PinchGut's Black PLZ

4C. Schwarzbier (Black Beer)
Aroma: Low to moderate malt, with low aromatic sweetness and/or hints of roast malt often apparent. The malt can be clean and neutral or rich and Munich-like, and may have a hint of caramel. The roast can be coffee-like but should never be burnt. A low noble hop aroma is optional. Clean lager yeast character (light sulfur possible) with no fruity esters or diacetyl.
Appearance: Medium to very dark brown in color, often with deep ruby to garnet highlights, yet almost never truly black. Very clear. Large, persistent, tan-colored head.
Flavor: Light to moderate malt flavor, which can have a clean, neutral character to a rich, sweet, Munich-like intensity. Light to moderate roasted malt flavors can give a bitter-chocolate palate that lasts into the finish, but which are never burnt. Medium-low to medium bitterness, which can last into the finish. Light to moderate noble hop flavor. Clean lager character with no fruity esters or diacetyl. Aftertaste tends to dry out slowly and linger, featuring hop bitterness with a complementary but subtle roastiness in the background. Some residual
sweetness is acceptable but not required.
Mouthfeel: Medium-light to medium body. Moderate to moderately high carbonation. Smooth. No harshness or astringency, despite the use of dark, roasted malts.
Overall Impression: A dark German lager that balances roasted yet smooth malt flavors with moderate hop bitterness.
History: A regional specialty from southern Thuringen and northern Franconia in Germany, and probably a variant of the Munich Dunkel style.
Comments: In comparison with a Munich Dunkel, usually darker in color, drier on the palate and with a noticeable (but not high) roasted malt edge to balance the malt base. While sometimes called a “black Pils,” the beer is rarely that dark; don’t expect strongly roasted, porter-like flavors.
Ingredients: German Munich malt and Pilsner malts for the base, supplemented by a small amount of roasted malts (such as Carafa) for the dark color and subtle roast flavors. Nobletype German hop varieties and clean German lager yeasts are preferred.
Vital Statistics:
OG:     1.046 – 1.052
IBUs:   22 – 32
FG:      1.010 – 1.016
SRM:   17 – 30
ABV:   4.4 – 5.4%
Commercial Examples: Köstritzer Schwarzbier, Kulmbacher Mönchshof Premium Schwarzbier, Samuel Adams Black Lager, Krušovice Cerne, Original Badebier, Einbecker Schwarzbier, Gordon Biersch Schwarzbier, Weeping Radish Black Radish Dark Lager, Sprecher Black Bavarian

Courtesy of Beer Judging Certificate Program (BJCP) guidelines

P.S : Here you go "Pumpy", thats there just for you!)