Hops v2.0.1

nugget1 042709
Originally uploaded by midwtech

Hops are coming along pretty well, and with all of the rain we've had in the past week or so, I haven't had to worry about watering them - yet. Once the warmer weather kicks in it'll start drying up. I'm amazed at how robust these plants are for being only second year plants. The Cascades are pretty bushy, the Nuggets (one pictured here) are sending off shoots left and right, and the Willamettes are both productive with the shoots and foliage. Hopefully I can avoid any of the mildews this year and have a bountiful crop with which to brew. One more step towards self-sustaining brewing.

Dark Lord Giveth....

...but in this case he did not take away. The weather today in Munster, IN was a bit spotty, and we encountered plenty of rain on the way there, but for the most part the rain held off until we left, laden with a dozen bottles of 2009 Dark Lord Russian Imperial Stout. There are still 2 bottles of 2007 and one from last year in the cellar and I suspect that they will remain there until we can come up with a good reason to open them.

The Floyds had a good system going this year with the Golden Tickets, and the line moved pretty well. We got to sample the Three Floyds/Dogfish Head collaboration "Popskull" (it was really good, by the way) as well as a few others we'd brought/purchased/swapped with others in line. Good time, and the wee one was very well behaved given that it was an adult event.

Dark Lord Day Eve...

Quick note here. Tomorrow will be my third trek to Dark Lord Day at Three Floyds in Munster, Indiana (sort of the doppelganger of Muenster, Germany, eh Barry?). This year I think we are far better prepared as we have our Golden Tickets, which will guarantee I don't know how many bottles. We plan on bringing coolers, grills and the wee one, but at least the weather is supposed to be nice - 80s and partly cloudy - which beats the 40 degree temps and 30 mph winds of last year. Looking forward to it, and we'll see how much beer we come back with. Check it out here.

Hops v2.0

Spring has finally sprung here (for a day, at least) which means that the hops rhizomes I planted last year should be coming back, and like the voracious plants they are (they're not called Humulus lupus for nothing) they are back at it, with the Cascades appearing to have come back strongest. From what I've read, Cascades will grow pretty much anywhere, so they were an obvious choice. The Nuggets are coming back nicely (I still have some left in the freezer from last year's crop) and the Wilamettes I didn't get to harvest look like they'll do well. My neighbor stepped on the bine, breaking it at the ground, which toasted the crop. I'd have been upset, but he was in my garden to rid us both of the pesky mulberry trees along our common line, so he gets a pass and a hearty thanks. Those trees suck. Hopefully this year I'll get some greater yield being a) my second season, and therefore stronger plants, and b) more sunlight with the removal of that damn tree.

Thanks, Tom, and I'll brew a fresh hop beer in your honor if it works out that way.

Oatmeal Stout and Danke Schön

You know what they say about the cat being away? The girls (all three of them) are gone for the weekend, which leaves me with time to brew. As I've recently had some disasters due to inattentiveness, I made sure to pay particular attention to my process for this session. Strike temp hit the mash-in dead on, mash temp was consistent throughout, I made sure to have a vigorous boil the full 60 minutes, whirlpooled after the boil and quickly cooled on the way to the fermenter. I started the yeast about 2 weeks ago, so it should be rarin' to go by now, and I gave the beer a good 30 minutes of aeration prior to pitching. Gravities were good, volumes were good and the cleanup went well. In fact, this session went so well I feel like I've just cursed myself for something I overlooked to happen, and happen badly. I guess time will tell.

Thanks to Adeptus, who came through on his end of the deal with a good assortment of German beer. Some I've had, others I've never heard of. But that's the beauty of it, innit? I'll post some notes once I break into them.

Also, just a reminder that Dark Lord Day is right around the corner - April 25th to be exact. Those who are fans of Russian Imperial Stouts and Three Floyds should not miss this event. The wife and I plan on going, and perhaps bringing the girls as well.