Thursday, 12 April 2012
Canberra Craft Beer Festival
Canberra Craft Beer Festival starts this saturday the 14th and continues on sunday at the Mercure Canberra Hotel from 11am to 6pm tickets are available at the door don't miss it there is over 80 beers and ciders to try should be a good weekend.
http://www.canberrabeerfest.com/index.html
http://www.canberrabeerfest.com/index.html
Tuesday, 10 April 2012
4 Pines Brewing Manly
Located in Manly, 4 Pines Brewing overlooks the ferry terminal and gives you a great view over that part of the harbour. Created in 2008 4 Pines Brewing takes its name from the 4 pine trees that were removed from Manlys foreshore for a gun emplacement during WW2. 4 Pines are dedicated to bring you the best in craft beer and food to match, to this end all their beers are brewed on site and the turn over is such that freshness is garanteed.
The dinning area ranges from the outdoor balcony with its great views all the way back to the dimmest darkest back corner which is where we found ourselves friday nite, even at 5pm the place was packed and everyone was enjoying themselves with the music helping to build the atmosphere and at a volume that was right for conversation - 4 Pines has really brought it all together, right down to the walls being covered in beer info.
Now to the Beers, 4 Pines offers 5 standard beers 2 specials and a Cider with a tasting sheet to help you recognise what your drinking.
The standard beers are:
Hefeweizen - 5.2% 17 IBU Nicknamed the "Hefe" this german wheat beer is cloudy and full clove and banana scents and uses Southern Cross and NZ Hallitau hops. We found that the bottle conditioned beers had a better aroma than the draught.
Kolsch - 4.7% 22 IBU It starts light and citrusy, moves through with a hint of crystal malts and finishes very clean this is a very easy drinking beer and uses Southern Cross and B Saaz hops.
Pale Ale - 5.1% 35 IBU It was hard to get past the piney / grapefruit taste of the hops, to get to the malt that should have been there underneath. A nice moderate bitterness and an otherwise pretty standard Pale Ale. Uses Citra,Cascade and Amarillo hops.
ESB - 5.6% 40 IBU With a malty slightly cloying taste, we found that the bitterness was lacking, tasting a lot less bitter than the Pale Ale. Uses Target, East Kent, Fuggles and Willamette hops.
Stout - 5.1% 40 IBU Starts with a coffee nose it goes through to a smoky bacony aroma and taste we found it very thin with little body. Uses Target and Fuggles.
The specials were:
Choc Orange 4.4% 33 IBU Very mild orange taste in this light bodied stout, so overcarbonated it just foamed in the mouth.
Russian Imperial Stout 8% 72 IBU A very bitter stout with a nice mouth warmth from the alcohol and a strong coffee aftertaste, we found it hard to drink.
Cider - 4.4% Tart with a nice balanced low sweetness and a great apple taste.
Steves pick - Hefeweizen Wifes pick - Cider
The tasting paddle comes with all 5 of 4 Pines standard beers for $15, all 8 cost $25.50
The 5 standard beers cost $20 for a 6 pack and growlers cost $35filled with the bottle,and then $20 refills
The food is definately worth going back for, although you are paying Manly prices with 2 fish and chips and 2 schooners costing $53. (public holiday surcharge included)
Brewery tours are not available as a service but if you drop in when its not to busy a staff member may be able to take you through the brewery.
The dinning area ranges from the outdoor balcony with its great views all the way back to the dimmest darkest back corner which is where we found ourselves friday nite, even at 5pm the place was packed and everyone was enjoying themselves with the music helping to build the atmosphere and at a volume that was right for conversation - 4 Pines has really brought it all together, right down to the walls being covered in beer info.
Now to the Beers, 4 Pines offers 5 standard beers 2 specials and a Cider with a tasting sheet to help you recognise what your drinking.
Hefeweizen - 5.2% 17 IBU Nicknamed the "Hefe" this german wheat beer is cloudy and full clove and banana scents and uses Southern Cross and NZ Hallitau hops. We found that the bottle conditioned beers had a better aroma than the draught.
Kolsch - 4.7% 22 IBU It starts light and citrusy, moves through with a hint of crystal malts and finishes very clean this is a very easy drinking beer and uses Southern Cross and B Saaz hops.
Pale Ale - 5.1% 35 IBU It was hard to get past the piney / grapefruit taste of the hops, to get to the malt that should have been there underneath. A nice moderate bitterness and an otherwise pretty standard Pale Ale. Uses Citra,Cascade and Amarillo hops.
ESB - 5.6% 40 IBU With a malty slightly cloying taste, we found that the bitterness was lacking, tasting a lot less bitter than the Pale Ale. Uses Target, East Kent, Fuggles and Willamette hops.
Stout - 5.1% 40 IBU Starts with a coffee nose it goes through to a smoky bacony aroma and taste we found it very thin with little body. Uses Target and Fuggles.
The specials were:
Choc Orange 4.4% 33 IBU Very mild orange taste in this light bodied stout, so overcarbonated it just foamed in the mouth.
Russian Imperial Stout 8% 72 IBU A very bitter stout with a nice mouth warmth from the alcohol and a strong coffee aftertaste, we found it hard to drink.
Cider - 4.4% Tart with a nice balanced low sweetness and a great apple taste.
Steves pick - Hefeweizen Wifes pick - Cider
The tasting paddle comes with all 5 of 4 Pines standard beers for $15, all 8 cost $25.50
The 5 standard beers cost $20 for a 6 pack and growlers cost $35filled with the bottle,and then $20 refills
The food is definately worth going back for, although you are paying Manly prices with 2 fish and chips and 2 schooners costing $53. (public holiday surcharge included)
Saturday, 7 April 2012
Sydney Craft Beer and Cider Fair
MEDIA RELEASE
SYDNEY CRAFT BEER AND CIDER FAIR
Presented by The Oak Barrel
The Oak Barrel Liquor Store (CBD) will be launching the Sydney Craft Beer and Cider Fair on Saturday the 26th May 2012. This will be an annual indoor event showcasing international & Australian craft beer and cider.
The fair will host over 20 stallholders each showcasing a variety of brands with over 80 craft beers and ciders on tasting, offering customers the chance to taste and connect with the various brewers, brand ambassadors and other passionate aficionados.
For the inaugural event there will be an emphasis on local craft producers. While we still have a way to go to catch up to our Kiwi cousins and the Yanks there has been an revolution in local craft production over the previous couple of years and we aim to highlight the great stuff being done in our own backyard
“Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer.
Oh, I grant you the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not
go nearly as well with pizza.” Dave Berry
The Oak Barrel
The Oak Barrel is one of Australia’s oldest independent bottle shops. Since being founded in 1956, the Oak Barrel has prided itself on exceeding customer expectations through providing the largest selection of boutique and hard to find wine, craft beer and spirits, particularly Malt Whisky. As well we provide education and excellence in customer service.
Over the past three years, The Oak Barrel has held successful Whisky & Boutique Wine Fairs and we will continue with these events. Our next focus is on craft beer & cider and this years event will set the standard for Sydney.
Fast Facts:
Date : Saturday 26th May
Time : Midday to 4pm
Location : Oak Barrel , 152 Elizabeth Street, Sydney 2000(CBD)
Tickets : Advance $25 members or $35 non members
Door $35 members or $45 non members
Licensed Event : Must be over 18 years – Responsible service of alcohol
For more information contact :
ian@oakbarrel.com.au or call 02 9264 3022 Ext 1
(members means members of the Oak Barrel bottle shop see their web site for details)
Friday, 6 April 2012
In the Brew Room this Week
It's been fairly quite this week, nothings needed moving or bottling so I have been concentrating on converting a 55L esky we no longer use into a mash tun. This involved changing out the drain plug for a tap, drilling a hole for the thermometer thermocouple and making up the drainage pipes.
After sourcing copper pipe and fitting from the local hardware it was easy to measure up and cut to size, so we have 4 lengths running the full length of the esky. All the pipes have cuts in the base to allow the wort to drain through and keep the grain in place (they are upside down for the photo). The grain itself will act as the filter providing we don't crush it too fine.
We have also picked up 2 19L kegs, we wil be using these to brew in in the fridge as it will allow us to have up to 4 batches either brewing or lagering. All of this work is leading up to being able to brew our Russian Imperial Stout "Siberian Crude" over the easter weekend.
very drinkable.
Cheers and Beers
After sourcing copper pipe and fitting from the local hardware it was easy to measure up and cut to size, so we have 4 lengths running the full length of the esky. All the pipes have cuts in the base to allow the wort to drain through and keep the grain in place (they are upside down for the photo). The grain itself will act as the filter providing we don't crush it too fine.
Unnatural Selection part 2
4 Pines Hefeweizen - a great balance of hop bitterness, aroma and flavour as well as the wheat.very drinkable.
Macs Hop Rocker Pilsner - using NZ Cascade and Nelson Sauvin hops you get a mild Cascade aroma with big bitterness once is enough for us.
Cheers and Beers
Wednesday, 4 April 2012
Unnatural Selection
We dropped into Dan Murphys the other day looking for a commercial Mead to see what was out and about, after picking up 2 we decided to raid the beer aisle and this is what we came out with.
Starting with the Mead, there were 2 brands both made in the vineyard district in South Australia, the 1st is Daringa Mead, a spiced Mead, so spiced in fact you could taste no honey at all. With an overpowering aroma of cinnamon and a strong taste of stewed apples and cloves you could be forgiven for thinking you were drinking the filling out of an apple pie. With this spice combo it would be great in winter warmed up but in summer over ice as they recomend it doesn't work for me.
The other Mead is by Maxwell and they put out 3, a Honey Mead, a Spiced Mead and a Forified Mead. We just got the Honey Mead and the report on that will have to wait until it's opened. As for the Fortified Mead the only reason to fortify is doing it cheaply, honey is very capable of reaching 20% alc it just takes more so thats one I am refusing to buy.
Hoppy Hefe by Mad Brewers who are Malt Shovel who are Lion Nathan. When you dig a bit you see it's a big player trying to look like a craft brewer nuff said. This is a german styled hefewiezen mixed with an american wheat beer dominated by Motueka and Citra hops, this gives it a great hop aroma and a delicious fruit flavour with just a hint of the wheat underneath. It has a restrained level of bittering and is just a bit cloying, this is a close rival to Murrays Punch and Judy.
The rest of the beers will be here soon after opening.
Cheers and Beers
The other Mead is by Maxwell and they put out 3, a Honey Mead, a Spiced Mead and a Forified Mead. We just got the Honey Mead and the report on that will have to wait until it's opened. As for the Fortified Mead the only reason to fortify is doing it cheaply, honey is very capable of reaching 20% alc it just takes more so thats one I am refusing to buy.
The rest of the beers will be here soon after opening.
Cheers and Beers
Monday, 2 April 2012
Brew Day - American Pale Ale
The American Pale Ale style is what has defined the craft beer scene in America since the 80's, with the balance of pure malt and the caramelly crystal malt flavours infused with the fresh piney, citrusy notes of American hops such as Amarillo and Cascade.
STYLE GUIDELINES
Flavour : fresh hops plus a nutty maltiness with hints of raisins and / or caramel
Aroma : malty, fruity with American (Cascade or similar ) hops in the foreground
Balance : medium body, crisp bitter finish
Seasonality : year round
Pair with : classic with a burger and chips
Starting Gravity : 1.044 - 1.060
Alcohol : 4.5 - 5.5%
Body : medium
Colour : dark gold to dark amber
Bitterness : 28 - 40 IBU medium to high
Now that we have our style guidelines we can look at our recipe and adjust it to match if need be, we start with a base of pale malt (87%) add some pale crystal malt (9.5%) for colour and caramel / raisin notes and some rolled oats (3.5%) for mouth feel and body. Oat malt would be better to use but finding it is a bit of a task and rolled oats are fairly similar.
Our alcohol and body are going to be set by our mashing temps, keeping them down at about 61 - 63*c will give us a very dry beer with high alcohol and conversly keeping them at 67 - 70*c will give us a beer with massive body and lower alcohol. We aim for 63 - 65*c for most of the mash then up it at the very end to 70*c to ensure we have full conversion of the sugars.
Bitterness is not transfered from the person brewing it but from the Alpha Acids ( AA) in the hops. We have used 15gm of Amarillo and 15gm of Hallertau. (yes I know Hallertau are not American )
The calculation is
hop quantity in gm x Alpha acid% x utilisation% x correction factor (0.55) = predicted IBU
Utilisation is a factor of boil time verses wort gravity
Correction factor brings it into IBU's
So for the Amarillo 15 x 8.9 x 14% x 0.55 = 10.28 IBU
for the Hallertau 15 x 4.7 x 14% x 0.55= 5.43 IBU
for a total of 15.71 IBU
So this means theres not enough bitterness in this recipe and if entered into a comp probably would not do to well, but for us it will do, overly bitter beers just arn't our thing.
Now to the brew day itself, I was on my own for the day which for the most part is ok it's just sitting around watching a temperature gauge and hoping that the rain wont reach to far under the carport as the mash was under way and everything was to hot to move. All went well until it was time to sparge out the brew in a bag, holding 10kg plus of wet dripping grain while trying to fix the strainer underneath is no easy task I can tell you (I suppose with hindsight I could of put the bag down on a tray but I just didn't think of it)
With that messy sticky task done it was time to boil and once boiling away, time to sanitise the brewers, get the cooling system ready ( bilge pump, cooling coil, esky and battery) go out for ice and lunch then back again for the rest of the boil. I don't know what the neighbours thought with steam rising up for most of the morning and that unmistakable smell of malt and hops. With the boil done and the brew cooling down the clean up started and room made in the fridge it was time to wait again, glad I had my book to read. Once cool it was an easy task to transfer to the fermenter and pitch the yeast, after that it was chuck it in the fridge and clean up, all up from go to woe 6hrs that makes for a full day but the results should be worth it.
Thanks to Tasting Beer for the Style Guidelines and Radical Brewing for the IBU calculations both by Randy Mosher
STYLE GUIDELINES
Flavour : fresh hops plus a nutty maltiness with hints of raisins and / or caramel
Aroma : malty, fruity with American (Cascade or similar ) hops in the foreground
Balance : medium body, crisp bitter finish
Seasonality : year round
Pair with : classic with a burger and chips
Starting Gravity : 1.044 - 1.060
Alcohol : 4.5 - 5.5%
Body : medium
Colour : dark gold to dark amber
Bitterness : 28 - 40 IBU medium to high
Now that we have our style guidelines we can look at our recipe and adjust it to match if need be, we start with a base of pale malt (87%) add some pale crystal malt (9.5%) for colour and caramel / raisin notes and some rolled oats (3.5%) for mouth feel and body. Oat malt would be better to use but finding it is a bit of a task and rolled oats are fairly similar.
Our alcohol and body are going to be set by our mashing temps, keeping them down at about 61 - 63*c will give us a very dry beer with high alcohol and conversly keeping them at 67 - 70*c will give us a beer with massive body and lower alcohol. We aim for 63 - 65*c for most of the mash then up it at the very end to 70*c to ensure we have full conversion of the sugars.
Bitterness is not transfered from the person brewing it but from the Alpha Acids ( AA) in the hops. We have used 15gm of Amarillo and 15gm of Hallertau. (yes I know Hallertau are not American )
The calculation is
hop quantity in gm x Alpha acid% x utilisation% x correction factor (0.55) = predicted IBU
Utilisation is a factor of boil time verses wort gravity
Correction factor brings it into IBU's
So for the Amarillo 15 x 8.9 x 14% x 0.55 = 10.28 IBU
for the Hallertau 15 x 4.7 x 14% x 0.55= 5.43 IBU
for a total of 15.71 IBU
So this means theres not enough bitterness in this recipe and if entered into a comp probably would not do to well, but for us it will do, overly bitter beers just arn't our thing.
Now to the brew day itself, I was on my own for the day which for the most part is ok it's just sitting around watching a temperature gauge and hoping that the rain wont reach to far under the carport as the mash was under way and everything was to hot to move. All went well until it was time to sparge out the brew in a bag, holding 10kg plus of wet dripping grain while trying to fix the strainer underneath is no easy task I can tell you (I suppose with hindsight I could of put the bag down on a tray but I just didn't think of it)
With that messy sticky task done it was time to boil and once boiling away, time to sanitise the brewers, get the cooling system ready ( bilge pump, cooling coil, esky and battery) go out for ice and lunch then back again for the rest of the boil. I don't know what the neighbours thought with steam rising up for most of the morning and that unmistakable smell of malt and hops. With the boil done and the brew cooling down the clean up started and room made in the fridge it was time to wait again, glad I had my book to read. Once cool it was an easy task to transfer to the fermenter and pitch the yeast, after that it was chuck it in the fridge and clean up, all up from go to woe 6hrs that makes for a full day but the results should be worth it.
Thanks to Tasting Beer for the Style Guidelines and Radical Brewing for the IBU calculations both by Randy Mosher
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