Brewers going green!

          I am always looking for ways to go green. I am always looking towards companies that go green as well. Going green is the most sustainable way for us humans to continue to survive on this plant.

Draff Jinx

          So many of us love beer! Well there are more and more brewing companies are starting to go green! Popsci.com has a great article with talks about some of the brewing companies which are already becoming green in some really neat ways! Check out the article! It is very much worth the read!

Alaska Brewery Uses Beer To Make More Beer

Can 'Old' beer still taste good?

Beersci Logo Todd Detwiler

         

          Popsci.com has a really great section on Beer Science, which is super groovy. There was a great article on beers that are OLD... as in a decade old beer! Some of the beers I have brewed have had to age a month or so. There is one brew I want to make that has to age at least 5 months before it tastes the way it should... so why not a decade old beer.

          Check out the article for yourself. It really is pretty awesome! I love Beer Science and Brewing!!! There are so many great articles on Popsci.com. Take the time to read through them.

BeerSci: A Decade-Old Beer Is Gross, Right?

2,559 Brewing Recipe?

          When I take up a hobby I really get into it. I will read and research, pick the brains for those who share the same hobby... etc. Well my friend Larri shared with me a very interesting article. This is about what has been discovered about our ancient Celtic ancestors and brewing. Take a few minutes to read it. You will not be disappointed.

2,550-Year-Old Celtic Beer Recipe Resurrected

Old Father Ale - started 2/6/2013

          I have decided to do my first flavored beer. I am using Best Brews American Cream Ale as my base. Then adding elderberry juice and oak chips.

• Elderberry juice 96 oz.
• Oak chips 4 oz.
• 5 cups of Sugar
• Lactose 1 lb.

American Cream Ale by Brewers Best

Contents of Kit:

• Ingredients
• Grain bag(s)
• Priming Sugar
• Bottle caps
• Brewing Procedures

Ingredients consist of:

Fermemtables

• 3.3 lbs Light LME
• 2.0 lbs Pilsen DME
• 1 lb Corn Sugar

Hops

• 2 oz Willamette
• 2 oz Aroma

Yeast

• 1 Sachet

Also will need:

• 4 gallon Brewing Pot
• 5 gallon Fermentation bucket and lid
• 1 Air lock
• easy clean sterilization solution

While the 2.5 gallons of water is boiling. I cleaned and sterilized the fermentation bucket, lid, and airlock. Once the water was at a gentle, rolling boil added the 3.3 lbs of Light LME. Continuously stirred extract into water as it returned to a gentle rolling boil. Added the DME, Corn Sugar, Lactose, and Sugar. Once that boiled I added oak chips to boil for 5 minute boil.

Cooled and added to the wort to the fermentation bucket then filling to 5 gallon mark.

2/10/2013
Add the Elderberry juice to a cleaned sterilized fermentation bucket. Then siphoned the American Cream Ale into the new bucket. The ale had an amazing smell. It was sweet and very aromatic. I could tell just from the smell the alcohol levels are a lot higher than my first American Cream Ale. It looks like this batch is going to be VERY purple. I can't wait to try this beer.

2/13/2013
OK this brew is still just bubbling away through the air lock! it started picking back up on 2/10 when I added the Elderberry juice in the secondary fermentation bucket. And it is STILL bubbling away. I take that as a VERY VERY good sign!

2/24/2013
Bottled this brew today. I am hoping that with aging and carbonation the brew will taste better. There is a heavy taste of Elderberry but much like the first Cream Ale it seems to be a bit off on taste. I added the but lactose but there does not seem to be a sweetness to it that I was expecting. There ended up being 57 bottles in total. In about a month I am hoping that the Old Father Ale will be ready.

4/24/2013
I have let this brew sit longer because it wasn't carbonating very well. It has now reached a nice level of foam when drank. Though it has a nice dry smooth taste, it did not turn out sweet like I had waned even using the lactose which does not ferment. I believe this is because the elderberry juice was so tart and concentrated that it over powered the delicate level of sweetness the lactose should have provided. So will have to try this again to see how it turns out. But everyone who has tried it seems to love it!

6/14/2013
There are still some bottles felt and I have to say this beer is aging nicely! And WOW does it have a ton of kick to it!!!