tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88894446991779772492012-02-16T00:51:33.437-08:00It could very well be GermanProprietorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16536357759752839406noreply@blogger.comBlogger381100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889444699177977249.post-11791763631732682872010-12-23T21:08:00.000-08:002010-12-23T21:08:43.516-08:00

There is not going to be an homage this year like Travis the Chimp got last year.  We will miss Jimmy Smitz, but that is a WIP. Brewing has all but stopped while 50% of the organization moves East and the other 50% decides the ideal manner in which to continue. In the meantime: We held a tasting for Secession Gallery's Holiday Party last Friday to a fun and welcoming audience.  Eden and

Proprietorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16536357759752839406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889444699177977249.post-40986981659511899032010-11-19T21:06:00.000-08:002010-11-19T21:06:38.114-08:00

Thanks to a good friend for taking a crack at a new logo.  Thoughts sent to @diehipsterbrew on the Twitter.

Proprietorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16536357759752839406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889444699177977249.post-22843251746331373842010-10-30T18:30:00.000-07:002010-10-30T18:30:40.231-07:00

Fairly long brewing drought in these parts as we play the patience game while Giggy Smile, Accomplice! and Stupid Flanders 2 continue to age in their various forms.  Stupid Flanders will be a year old in a few weeks and is coming along nicely.  We'll be bottling that one very soon. The Racer 5 clone is done, bottled and ready to go.  Not enamored with this one and we'll give it some more time to

Proprietorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16536357759752839406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889444699177977249.post-41529097905431697522010-08-31T19:10:00.000-07:002010-08-31T19:10:27.674-07:00

We've really never nailed down an IPA that we felt worthy of promoting.  That said, we've only tried a few times so just picking up that effort, we found the recipe for Racer 5 IPA in a recent issue of Zymurgy. No such thing as a clone in our opinion, rather some guidelines to reconstruct someone else's product that we happen to respect.  Our deviations due to available ingredients:  We did not

Proprietorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16536357759752839406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889444699177977249.post-39350646744837949562010-07-31T15:39:00.000-07:002010-07-31T15:39:35.750-07:00

Starting with Misc: - We bottled 5 gallons of the brown ale that was used as the base for two other souring projects that make up 35 gallon's worth of longer term projects.  As it turns out, the base beer (thankfully) very good.  It is a rich brown ale that the malt is surprisingly not heavy handed.  Instead the aroma and taste are closer to dried fruits.  This one is just now bottle

Proprietorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16536357759752839406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889444699177977249.post-36290421603420124542010-07-05T14:29:00.000-07:002010-07-05T14:30:37.824-07:00

It took some time, but the three Imperial Porters were finally ready for their blind tasting.  The Variations on a Theme experiment results are below.  Also, pretty sure that our blatant use of OM's album cover will go unnoticed, but we're more than happy to donate samples if that's not the case. The three samples were presented to the group left to right:  At Giza, Thebes and Annapurna. 

Proprietorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16536357759752839406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889444699177977249.post-62491835997394610122010-06-06T19:35:00.000-07:002010-06-22T20:21:08.655-07:00

As of today, we've now made 45 gallons of the Giggy Smile/Accomplice! recipe.  Since we went straight to using this base for souring projects, we thought it might not be a bad idea to actually find out how it tastes sans aging and bugs. The barrel is in need of a few gallons of topping off so we brewed a 10 gallon batch today that will be used to top off the barrel as well as provide us with a

Proprietorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16536357759752839406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889444699177977249.post-53656430602862591412010-05-22T16:32:00.000-07:002010-05-22T16:32:45.661-07:00

Post barrel project, lots of waiting.  We now have three long term projects going. Stupid Flanders Deel Twee has been in the secondary since November and we're probably going to get in in the bottle sometime in June depending on how our sourness is progressing. Accomplice! has been in the secondary since the end of March and all of the bugs we added from some of our favorite sour beers have

Proprietorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16536357759752839406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889444699177977249.post-32799860707022148942010-04-25T19:25:00.000-07:002010-04-25T21:21:33.475-07:00

We here at DHB enjoy occasionally partaking in some disc golf.  One of the best local spots is Stafford Lake.  It's a fairly energetic hike, peaceful, sunny and a welcome getaway from the city.  We suck at actually playing, but it's enjoyable. The first time I was interested in playing disc golf, I had no idea where to get the discs so I resorted to the interwebs.  With zero knowledge, I went

Proprietorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16536357759752839406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889444699177977249.post-54279098060184125552010-04-22T20:12:00.000-07:002010-08-08T13:44:57.837-07:00

Our barrel is calmly waiting for us to put it to good use.  The biggest hurdle (hopefully) was completed last Sunday.  In about 11 hours, we managed to brew three 10-gallon batches on one set of equipment. The first burner ignition kicked off at 10:50 am and the last primary fermenter was sealed around 10:00pm.  We were exhausted in the best way possible and have to say that the day was

Proprietorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16536357759752839406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889444699177977249.post-2235211460254559492010-03-21T20:12:00.000-07:002010-06-22T20:21:08.655-07:00

Per the previous update, we're soon on the hook to create 30 gallons of something and that 30 gallons is going to be aged.  So what is the recipe that we're willing to commit this volume and time investment?  Logic dictates that this one should come from something already successful in our wheelhouse.  A huge version of Stupid Flanders fits that scenario and we've done the math to make that

Proprietorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16536357759752839406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889444699177977249.post-70368437297263035132010-03-14T13:59:00.000-07:002010-03-14T13:59:18.370-07:00

In one quickly decided maneuver, we found ourselves the new owners of a 30 gallon 2005 Bryant Cabernet wine barrel.  Looks like that wine retails for $500.  Unreal. We've been kicking around the used barrel concept for a while.  A few have been made available to us, but we passed because the standard barrels are 55/60 gallons.  Making that much beer in a short time at our scale is out of reach.

Proprietorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16536357759752839406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889444699177977249.post-18413148831797671002010-03-06T11:59:00.000-08:002010-04-04T16:23:51.196-07:00

The third installment in the series.  This version will receive the least amount of meddling of the three.  The base recipe is identical to the previous two with the following addition: 0.75 lb smoked malt added to the grain bill.  This was a straight add rather than a substitution. In term of process, the only difference is that we used a starter comprised of the late runnings of Thebes. 

Proprietorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16536357759752839406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889444699177977249.post-87662600955997853872010-02-26T00:17:00.000-08:002010-02-26T17:50:43.069-08:00

Our friends over the Shin Guardian are doing a truly incredible job of covering all things USMNT and related topics.  Every now and then they allow us to weigh in.  If you pay attention to us and like soccer, you should 100% be RSSing their site. Check out their latest post and thanks guys for letting us contribute!

Proprietorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16536357759752839406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889444699177977249.post-18506527737234108142010-02-20T21:58:00.000-08:002010-04-30T14:13:27.213-07:00

As we alluded to in the previous update, the next two releases are going to be based on the Oaked Bourbon Porter base recipe.  They will all have the same grain/hops/yeast, but they'll get a different treatment at some point in the process. To tie the three together, we'll be calling them "Variations on a Theme".  And in order for the trilogy to make sense, Oaked Bourbon Porter will be getting

Proprietorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16536357759752839406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889444699177977249.post-51412423767485455162010-02-18T22:43:00.000-08:002010-02-18T22:43:34.067-08:00

Weather is looking up and we're planning the next few batches while waiting for our Dax II to finish bottle conditioning.  Speaking of bottle conditioning, we're leaning ever so close to kegging from now on.  It's a bit of an investment, but the time saved and ability to place product elsewhere seem to be more than worth it. Not quite finalized, but it looks like we're going to do a few

Proprietorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16536357759752839406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889444699177977249.post-18949394235870544882010-02-06T22:53:00.000-08:002010-02-06T22:56:01.163-08:00

. . .sweater".  Early spring cleaning produced several sweaters bound for Community Thrift.  Sans arms, these can easily be re-purposed to keep our fermenters warm.  So that's what we did. And this is helpful because: 1.  If it's too cold, fermentation will get off to a sluggish start.  It's best to hit the ground running with lots of hungry yeast and ideal temperatures to spur the chemistry

Proprietorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16536357759752839406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889444699177977249.post-12529608356558657732010-02-03T20:28:00.000-08:002010-02-07T20:42:42.685-08:00

In the Phantom Tollbooth, the Doldrums was a place sans thought or laughter.  Considering the weather and the day job stress, this might be where San Francisco has been for us for the last few weeks. We needed rain.  We got rain.  We need more and February tends to be pretty wet.  Not coincidentally, it's also an awesome month for Bay Area beer events.  As it relates to our efforts, huge damper

Proprietorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16536357759752839406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889444699177977249.post-19151752575085758292010-01-16T20:16:00.000-08:002010-04-30T14:15:32.066-07:00

Update:  Interview with Dax where he (meaning the USMNT Press Sec) received his namesake brews: ShinGuardian Dax interview Last summer we fired up three pale ale recipes and let our friends decide which one they liked best.  Let's just say that we're going to be poor if we ever do open a full-scale brewery.  One beer won by a landslide.  Even WE voted for it, but that's not the Die Hipster way.

Proprietorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16536357759752839406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889444699177977249.post-19068980353746895232010-01-12T22:25:00.000-08:002010-02-06T19:02:21.689-08:00

Not sure how we neglected to mention this, but Die Hipster's MLS Most Valuable Pale summer 2009 project piqued the interest of our good friends over at The Shin Guardian.  They have tremendous content and are appropriately picking up some journalist access to something we love dearly, soccer. They were interested enough in our project that they allowed us to guest author a blog post that is

Proprietorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16536357759752839406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889444699177977249.post-64619623440361161972010-01-09T17:39:00.000-08:002010-02-06T22:08:04.236-08:00

Dax's Pale Ale II is in the fermenter right now and more on that in a separate post.  With the spent grains from that brew, we did another batch of dog biscuits.  This time around we have an appropriate cookie cutter, a bone.  Ingredients will vary per batch and this one has malted as well as flaked wheat.  As always, these are edible for humans in case you are interested in sharing the moment. 

Proprietorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16536357759752839406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889444699177977249.post-34764963302232578672010-01-01T11:48:00.000-08:002010-02-06T16:46:07.659-08:00

Another not brewing specific post. . .but much more on topic than lamenting a chimp's demise.  We try to keep up on our education outside of actual brewing experience. Received this book as a holiday gift and found it remarkable enough to jot down some notes. First, the authors are the proprietors of the Beer For Chicks website.  Their respective CV's are listed there, but in short these ladies

Proprietorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16536357759752839406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889444699177977249.post-84151594417319306752009-12-23T09:11:00.000-08:002010-02-06T19:04:08.255-08:00

Happy Holidays from Die Hipster.  We're essentially saying that to ourselves considering this blog's reach.  So, 'Thanks us!'. Not much brewing work this month due to weather and travel.  However, Oaked Bourbon Porter and Belgian Rye (the non-blended one) are making very limited appearances in PA, NY and NJ.  We're talking 5 total bottles.  Let the waves of adulation begin. This has nothing to

Proprietorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16536357759752839406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889444699177977249.post-19774899953119684592009-11-27T15:53:00.000-08:002010-04-30T14:12:02.010-07:00

Stupid Flanders was pretty good and has been getting excellent feedback.  Unlike the sources of its inspiration, this guy was only aged for 4 months in glass.  Tradition warrants longer aging in oak barrels.  Tough to get the refreshing tartness sans the age and the barrels.  We are doing it again with a few modifications that are listed below the recipe. 4.0 lbs. Pilsner4.25 lbs. Munich (dark)

Proprietorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16536357759752839406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889444699177977249.post-49758339836807806082009-11-24T22:58:00.000-08:002010-02-06T19:05:26.081-08:00

After every brew we have a considerable amount of spent grains (think coffee grounds).  The grains are heavy, hot and ideally stripped of most of their goodness.  What we typically do is give the grain a few days to dry out, then compost it all. There are plenty of other things to do with the spent grains, so we're trying dog biscuits to be judged by the neighbor's dog. Recipe: 4 cups: Spent

Proprietorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16536357759752839406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889444699177977249.post-13468952990659644722009-11-19T17:35:00.000-08:002009-11-19T17:36:52.168-08:00

Yes beer is good.  We also happen to be soccer nerds. Aside from the poll options for next year's MVP content, we were thinking: - Clarence Goodson - Carlos Ruiz (it's possible to make beer from a rusted Corrolla and tears) - Wells Thompson - Winner of TSG Poll. . . Any other nominations welcome.

Proprietorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16536357759752839406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889444699177977249.post-56455089680206726122009-11-01T13:48:00.000-08:002010-04-30T14:15:55.287-07:00

Before getting into this one, also updated the Berlinerweisse post. Update. . .this is now part of the Variations on a Theme series:  October was  a mix of gorgeous days and a lot of rain.  As a result, we're skipping the malty harvest/Oktoberfest/pumpkin beers.  We are not really in love with those in any case.  Instead we are planning for the winter with an Imperial Oaked Bourbon Porter.

Proprietorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16536357759752839406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889444699177977249.post-13015725648784846252009-10-27T22:33:00.000-07:002010-04-30T14:16:39.047-07:00

When we first started making beer, like everyone else our number one concern was the process.  Of course we wanted to make great beer, but pragmatism took charge.  If the beers were palatable, we'd be pleased.  Also like almost everyone, we started out on the stove.  This means partial mash recipes. Partial mash means we replace the base malt with a syrup made from the same final product. 

Proprietorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16536357759752839406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889444699177977249.post-75115776635221396122009-10-17T11:32:00.000-07:002009-10-17T11:32:35.978-07:00

It has been a long time, just a few updates.  Not much brewing activity because the last few projects required some aging.  Lots going into the bottles and the Dax McCarty Pale is becoming the sleeper hit of the summer (now fall).  Each of these bullets will get their own post where appropriate. The Aged Belgian Rye has been bottled.  Next week will be the first taste test to see if a year is

Proprietorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16536357759752839406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889444699177977249.post-9471542840616065622009-09-16T22:50:00.000-07:002010-04-30T14:12:37.461-07:00

In January of 2009, we produced a very simple Belgian Rye that was well received.  Because we were not as efficient as planned, we only ended up with 7 gallons (shooting for 10).  2 of those gallons have been aging with with added brettanomyces.  While it looks like a science project, we are finally ready to complete the experiment 9 months later. The initial batch was our first use of Belgian

Proprietorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16536357759752839406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889444699177977249.post-60482263319476952752009-09-13T10:35:00.000-07:002010-04-30T14:17:38.330-07:00

In April of this year we attempted our first sour brown ale, or 'Flanders' style Belgian.  We love sours in general and we were introduced to the whole concept through beers like Duchesse de Bourgogne, Rodenbach, and Monk's Flemish Red.  Flemish sours are an amazing balance of rich, sweet, sour and somehow very refreshing.  Production almost always involves some form of barrel aging and/or

Proprietorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16536357759752839406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889444699177977249.post-68504789222082639442009-09-10T20:44:00.000-07:002010-04-30T14:18:07.018-07:00

To celebrate Matt and Jen's first visit back to SF with Lucas (messing with goats at the Anderson Valley Brewing Company to the right) in tow, we had a viking style grill out.  Everyone chipped in with grass fed beef burgers topped with applewood smoked bacon, figs topped with goat cheese and honey, venison sausages, grilled jumbo prawns with the smoked porter bbq sauce, german potato salad. .

Proprietorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16536357759752839406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889444699177977249.post-16162083875248407592009-09-06T09:57:00.000-07:002010-04-30T14:18:26.651-07:00

Third and final for summer 2009.  MVP award coming soon. . . 6.0 lbs. 2 row domestic pale malt 3.5 lbs. Wheat malt 2.0 lbs. Flaked wheat 0.5 lbs. Munich light Mash temp:  154 for one hour. 1.0 oz. Amarillo 8% AA at 60 min 1.0 oz. Amarillo 8% AA at 30 min 1.0 oz Amarillo 8% AA at EOB Yeast:  CA ale yeast. OG:  1.055 FG:  1.018

Proprietorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16536357759752839406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889444699177977249.post-80896264819852588202009-09-05T12:10:00.000-07:002010-04-30T14:20:09.306-07:00

Our second pale of the summer, we went for a little bit more of a malty profile. 13 lbs. 2 row domestic pale malt 1 lbs. Special B Belgian Mash temp:  154 for one hour. 1.0 oz. Cascade 5% AA at 60 min 0.5 oz. Amarillo 8% AA at 30 min 0.5 oz. Amarillo 8% AA at 15 min 0.5 oz. Amarillo 8% AA at 10 min 0.5 oz. Amarillo 8% AA at 5 min 1.0 oz. Cascade 5% dry-hopped in the secondary Yeast:  CA

Proprietorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16536357759752839406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889444699177977249.post-60138663539757105442009-09-01T19:38:00.000-07:002010-04-30T14:20:31.057-07:00

The pale ale is possibly the most ubiquitous of craft beer.  It's the safest to bring to a party and it's typically one that downing a six-pack is not likely to knock you out for the evening.  We enjoy them too but for some reason have spent almost zero time trying to produce a good one. To remedy this, we decided to dedicate the summer to the production of three different pale ales.  To make it

Proprietorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16536357759752839406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889444699177977249.post-56141063456018606602009-08-29T10:53:00.000-07:002010-02-06T19:13:12.526-08:00

We made these two sauces a few weeks ago and they are now available to be used for the next month or so.  They both turned out well, unlike the brisket we put them on.  That was like eating an old shoe. These recipes are slightly modified versions of Shawn Paxton's published in issue #30 of Beer Advocate. IPA Mustard Sauce (easy): 12 oz of an IPA.  We used Victory Hop Devil 1 tsp of all

Proprietorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16536357759752839406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889444699177977249.post-92043163663613522372009-08-25T13:33:00.000-07:002010-04-30T14:17:05.560-07:00

After three different pales this summer (should be ready to do a comparison taste test soon).  Wanting to do a Berlinerweisse was inspired by three things: 1.  Hanson ordered this in Berlin and it came back green.  The waitress asked "Mit shuss?" and of course he nodded which gave her the go ahead to put green woodruff syrup in the beer.  The picture below is not mine (thank you to the person

Proprietorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16536357759752839406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8889444699177977249.post-47763820921721411672009-08-22T12:52:00.000-07:002010-02-06T19:16:29.601-08:00

Any time I take homebrew to a social event, there is discussion around the process. Partially because people care, but mostly I just enjoy talking about it :). So here is a bit of an explanation of the process. This first picture is of a yeast starter. A few days prior to brewing, we like to ramp up the yeast to ensure proper fermentation. This is done by making a few cups of 'beer' on the

Proprietorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16536357759752839406noreply@blogger.com