Silver Screen Brewing Company

A beer-packed day

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 00:32:00 -0400

Brewed a Black IPA for the first time. Used the Conan yeast that I cultured from a couple cans of Heady Topper - fermentation began in about two hours. Insanity.
Kegged an (infected) Imperial Amber Ale.
While trying to bleach the infection out of the carboy previously containing the Amber, I learned that hot water should never be poured into a Better Bottle.
Dry hopped a White IPA (no idea how I’m going to get the hops out of the bottleneck and into the beer).
Learned that I came in third place in the Light Hybrids category in a local comp.
Remembered that I have this homebrewing blog that I never ever update.

There’s so much flaked corn in the Dark American Lager I just brewed that it smells like a...

Mon, 13 Aug 2012 19:41:00 -0400

There’s so much flaked corn in the Dark American Lager I just brewed that it smells like a kid’s Saturday morning cereal.

4 Empty Carboys

Wed, 04 Jul 2012 12:02:00 -0400

Like most sane people, I find it unbearable to even turn on the stove when it’s 100 degrees outside. Because of that, I haven’t brewed since my Berliner Weiss/Smoktoberfest double brewing weekend way back in May. The beer schedule I created in January is backed up about 6 or 7 beers - mostly wheats and American styles to enjoy immediately and a couple of bigger beers to be aged until the winter.

I finally gave in and turned on the air conditioner. Now I’m ready to start playing catch up - over the next four days I need to bottle two Barleywines, do….something to a Berliner Weiss (add Lactic, possibly bottle, maybe add pickle juice to a gallon?), figure out where I’m going with this mead, brew a Biere de Garde, brew an American Rye, brew a Braggot, figure out where to put all of this so I can free my fridge up for another split batch experiment in a couple of weeks.

Just doughed in my Smoked Oktoberfest (with home-smoked Munich). The mash smells bacon and campfire.

Sat, 26 May 2012 12:39:00 -0400

Just doughed in my Smoked Oktoberfest (with home-smoked Munich). The mash smells bacon and campfire.

Hopping my priming solution

Fri, 11 May 2012 16:43:39 -0400

My American Wheat came out a lot less hop-forward than I had hoped. No time for dry hopping since I need this fermenter for the Kolsch I’m brewing up right now. My fix? Throw some Ahtanum hop dust that I picked up from BK Homebrew for free into the priming solution. I’m gonna strain it out before it goes into the bottling bucket. Hopefully I’ll end up with a nice, fresh hop aroma.

I’m working today so I won’t be able to celebrate National Homebrew Day by brewing....

Sat, 05 May 2012 15:40:00 -0400

I’m working today so I won’t be able to celebrate National Homebrew Day by brewing. Instead, I attempted (unsuccessfully) to force carbonate a keg for the first time, racked a beer to secondary, and adding port-soaked oak cubes to my Russian Imperial Stout.

Speaking of the RIS, it’s almost five months old and smells delicious.

Is it still considered a SMaSH (single malt and single hop beer) if you use Falconer’s Flight...

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 16:50:26 -0400

Is it still considered a SMaSH (single malt and single hop beer) if you use Falconer’s Flight 7C’s which is technically a mash up of 7 different “C” hops? Deep thoughts.

Here’s the recipe for today which is basically an excuse to try out a new hop:

I’ve also bought Simcoe, Amarillo, and Zythos to try them all out for the first time.

Two Beers Enter, One Beer Leaves

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 11:25:00 -0400

Finally narrowed down my Brooklyn Wort entry for next Saturday’s comp. Since bold flavors tend to catch the crowd’s attention, I’m going with my Breakfast Brown (now titled Get Up! A James Brown Ale) instead of the Amber (named Tiffani-Amber Thiessen, of course).

With that epic, dramatic decision out of the way, I’m heading out to Amish country for the weekend to barbecue, drink too much wine, and try my hand at smoking malt. I’ve got a pound of Munich Malt, a pound of Alderwood chips, and absolutely no idea what I’m doing. This will work out well.

Received my score back from the Hudson Valley Homebrew comp. My Vienna Lager received a 34 out of...

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 16:43:00 -0400

Received my score back from the Hudson Valley Homebrew comp. My Vienna Lager received a 34 out of 50, which is not a bad score but not a winner; it was probably just a couple points shy of taking third. The comments I received from the three judges all basically agreed that it was an enjoyable beer that had a bit too much hop aroma and a bit too much dryness for the style. I’d love to rebrew this one and improve it in the fall.

Sparging the Oud Bruin. The wort has a definite tang to it.

Sat, 24 Mar 2012 17:14:38 -0400

Sparging the Oud Bruin. The wort has a definite tang to it.

Oud Bruin Experiment

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 17:41:46 -0400

I’ve tried making sours with Roeselare yeast, wort souring, and tossing Jolly Pumpkin dregs into the secondary. After an infection last year, I’m trying to play it a little safer with the bugs now. Tomorrow, I’m recycling the Bastogne yeast from my Belgian Amber to make an Oud Bruin and instead of using Brett, I’m gonna try using acid malt for the first time.

Here’s the recipe:

60% Belgian Pale
15% Munich Malt 10
8% Acidulated Malt
8% Belgian Caramunich
4% Aromatic Malt
4% Special B
1% English Chocolate Malt

The grain bill is a bit more complex than I usually prefer (too many malts and the flavors get muddy). If those goes completely tits-up, I assume I’ll still end up with a decent Belgian Dubbel.

Bergman Baltic Porter and Sunset Blvd Cali Common are on their way to the National Homebrew...

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 13:35:33 -0400

Bergman Baltic Porter and Sunset Blvd Cali Common are on their way to the National Homebrew Competition. I’ve never competed on a stage this large before and I’m a bit worried about how two pseudo-lagers will travel in these temps (it’s about 70 degrees out today), but the experience and possible crushing disappointment should be a good character building moment for me.

A Tale of Two Barleywines

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 14:29:00 -0500

Today’s brew session is an experiment. A myriad of experiments, really - I’m mashing higher than I’ve ever before, I’m trying to get a darker, sweeter wort by using a 2 hour boil (previously tried with my failed Flanders Red), and I’m using Gordon Strong’s cold steeping technique to add crystal and dark malts later.

I wanted to make two big beers for long term aging - Randy Mosher’s pale Barleywine-esque October Beer and a more traditional, darker Barleywine. I’m taking a big base of Maris Otter and brewing both beers together right up until I split them into different carboys and add the extract from the darker malts to only one. So, one single malt, single hop Barleywine and one made with leftover British crystal and chocolate added post-boil. This should be interesting.

Somehow, this is was all inspired by Cursive’s new album.

A Home Brew Nightmare

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 11:21:51 -0500

Last night I dreamt that I was brewing my submission for Brooklyn Wort and things went horribly wrong. I was doing the boil a good 2 miles away from the mash and had to carry a huge pot full of scorching wort back and forth. I turned on the banjo burner (which I don’t even own in real life) and left the beer to boil as I wandered away. Jump ahead to me putting it into the carboy and pitching the yeast and I suddenly remembered that I didn’t sparge so I’ll be ending up with 1 gallon instead of 5.

It was basically the brewing equivalent of dreaming that you showed up at school and there was a pop quiz that you hadn’t studied for. I think brewing is driving me insane.

ESB Brewed back in December and placed on tap in time for the...

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 13:44:00 -0500

ESB

Brewed back in December and placed on tap in time for the Super Bowl. There’s still a couple more pints left in the keg fortunately, so I’ll have something to drink today while I brew an American Amber.

Brooklyn Homebrew was out of Maris Otter (being sold out of stuff is a growing trend with them lately) so I replaced it with Valley Malt 2 Row, which they assured me was maltier and breadier than regular 2 Row and would be a good substitute. I was going for a Best Bitter but my efficiency was too good and I overshot my original gravity. Ended up having to relabel it as an ESB.

Got two 2nd place trophies at Homebrew Alley 6. Won for my...

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:30:00 -0500

Got two 2nd place trophies at Homebrew Alley 6. Won for my ridiculously delicious Bergman (Baltic Porter) and my sorta different but good Sunset Blvd (Cali Common)

10 hour brew day yesterday

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:54:40 -0500

Brewed up an Oyster Stout and bottled Tropical Stout. Moving on to lighter beers (Amber Ale, Citra IPA) soon to prepare for Spring.

First decoction mash. Munich Dunkel.

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 16:54:36 -0500

First decoction mash. Munich Dunkel.

A letter to my Baltic Porter

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 17:21:47 -0500

Dear Baltic Porter,

I think you are dreamy. You are a buffet of chocolate, creamy, burnt cocoa, lightly boozy goodness. If man could be joined in holy matrimony with beer, I would propose to you right now. I will be so sad when you are gone though I will thoroughly enjoy drinking you.

I’m sending you to two competitions and it makes me so jealous that strangers will get to taste you too. I want to fight them. Don’t you ever change.

Sincerely,

SSBC

Beer freezes in these temps?! The Vienna Lager I left outside is...

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 21:24:22 -0500

Beer freezes in these temps?!

The Vienna Lager I left outside is 90% slush now (along with the case of Troegs Mad Elf I got for Christmas)