Finally!

I had intended to write this piece way back in early December. As family tradition dictates, we held our drawing on Thanksgiving to determine what style we would compete in on St Patrick's Day. The card came up (drum roll) Schwarzbier! The German black lager.

Our friend, judge, and Beer Snob, Will Siss, described it as an interesting choice, a beer that is  at the same time, dark in color, light in body.

This is my obligatory Will Siss plug. Please read him. http://beersnobwrites.com/

I had brewed one once, long ago. I had more hair, better balance, a house, a job. I felt it best to approach it as a new project, and not depend on memories of 20 years ago. In researching the style guidelines, I noticed that the fermentables looked very much like my favorite, a porter. An idea began to form.

What would happen, I wondered, if I simply took my porter recipe, and swapped out the yeast and hops? It sounded like fun, and an interesting experiment. I immediately put an order in with my brewshop, and that's where my problems started.

They were having trouble with their suppliers, and didn't have what I needed. I waited, waited, and waited a bit more. When it got close to a month, I called them. They were very apologetic, and tried hard to get something close to what I needed. In the end, the only change I had to make wasn't a big one. Instead of dark extract, I used amber. Still plenty dark enough.

Here's the final recipe -

====================================================
Spaceballs: The Beer
--------------------
Brewer: Joe Labeck
Style: Schwarzbier
Batch: 2.00 galExtract

Characteristics
---------------
Recipe Gravity: 1.049 OG
Recipe Bitterness: 41 IBU
Recipe Color: 45° SRM
Estimated FG: 1.012
Alcohol by Volume: 4.8%
Alcohol by Weight: 3.8%

Ingredients
-----------
Amber malt extract            2.00 lb, Extract, Extract
American chocolate malt       0.50 lb, Grain, Steeped
Crystal 120L                  0.50 lb, Grain, Steeped
Molasses                      0.33 lb, Sugar, Extract

Tettnanger                    1.00 oz, Pellet, 0 minutes
Tettnanger                    1.00 oz, Pellet, 60 minutes

Lager yeast                   1.00 unit, Yeast,
=====================================================


Anyone who knows me knows that one thing I love about brewing is naming my beer. Now, "Spaceballs" is not my favorite Mel Brooks movie. I do like how he takes aim at marketing. From Spaceballs: The Video to Spaceballs: The Placemat, you can see it everywhere. If you've ever seen the film, you know that as soon as I had a beer with  the word "schwarz" in it, the name was done.


Now, how to brew a lager? When I did it years ago, it was simple. Our unheated basement stayed around 50 degrees, perfect for a lager. A second floor apartment is a bit different. How do you bring the temperature down to lager level, without a massive cash outlay?


A roasting pan, a dishtowel, and a fan did the trick.

I checked the temperature after it had stabilized, and found it to be about 58 degrees. I think that should be fine.


Now, we wait. I know lager yeast works more slowly, so I won't even consider my next step until sometime in February.


I had brewed a porter some time ago, and I plan to hold a couple of bottles aside, for comparison.

Good To Have Friends

An old friend of mine sent me this graphic (Thanks, again, Ed.)

Some of these were old news, while others I was unaware of. It's a really neat poster.

I don't mind being told stuff I already knew, especially if it's done in a new way.

Busy, Busy, Busy

I thought about separating this into two articles. But, I figured, what the hell, it's all connected, anyway. So, here goes.

It's very rare that I'm ever stuck for what to brew next. In fact, I often have my next 3 or 4 brews all set to go. This time, however, it came time to brew, and I had NO idea what to do. I knew I wanted to continue alternating dark and light colored beers. I knew I wanted to make something a bit stronger for fall. After that, nothing.

As I often do when I'm confused, I reached out to my lovely daughter-in-law, and asked if she had any ideas. Bless her soul, she immediately came back with some wonderful inspiration.

The result? I'm making a chocolate-macadamia porter and a maple-oak amber ale. If the taste comes anywhere near what I anticipate, they won't last long.

Shortly after that episode, the same young lady sent me a link for  a home brew competition at a local restaurant.

The wheels in my head started turning, and I thought, "Well, how cool is that?" I've got two new beers lined up, and a competition to enter one in.

Now, all I have to do is get them both made, decide which is best, and submit my entry. If you're interested in doing this yourself, here's a link to their site.

http://piesandpints.biz/

Some Things Are Always True

This will be another non-beer post. I'll get back to brewing shortly.

From 1970 to 1972, I spent some of the best years of my youth. Those three years, I worked summers at the local Boy Scout camp; Camp Mattatuck, in Plymouth, CT. I worked in Scoutcraft, teaching boys the various skills of Scouting; handling outdoor tools safely, building fires, cooking, recognizing stars. etc.

I'm now 61, and those lessons I taught, and learned, have stayed with me throughout my various careers and ventures.

I recently had the opportunity to reconnect with that past. An organization called The Mattatuck Volunteers puts on an annual dinner at the camp. It's partly a fundraiser, and the money is used to maintain and improve the camp. It's also a chance to see old friends, and catch up on each other's lives.(https://www.facebook.com/CampMattatuck)

I  had the chance to see old friends I had stayed in touch with, and re-connect with some who had drifted away. I can't find anything bad to say. The atmosphere was relaxed, the company was wonderful, and the dinner was delicious. In short, it was an evening I'll always remember, at least until next year.

After dinner there was a silent auction and a raffle. (OK, there's something bad. I didn't win anything!) Prizes were all worthwhile and fun, and there were plenty of winners.

As we went our separate ways for the night, I was struck once again by a thought that keeps re-occurring. My last year working there was 1972. My last year in Scouting was sometime in the 80's or 90's. After all this time, that place, and that organization, still have a hold on me.

Beer! Pizza! Birthday!

If you follow this blog, you know I like good beer, and it doesn't have to be mine. Recently, my son and his wife took me out to dinner for my birthday (I just turned 61.)

We went to a place that recently opened in Waterbury, Called Pies and Pints.

Main Entrance - Leavenworth St.

I'm surprised no one thought of this before. I've often joked that "beer-and-pizza" is actually one word, and this is a restaurant that combines good pizza with craft beer.

To me, this seems like a concept that can't miss. The beer list was extensive, but not excessive. I thought it was a nice combination of classic styles, and beers that bent the rules a bit. I ordered a brown ale, My son got an India Pale Ale, and my daughter-in-law got a flight of 4 four-ounce glasses.

I don't remember all her choices. I know there were a couple of pumpkin ales, and one that I think was a stout aged in bourbon barrels.

I got a taste of all of them, and I would pronounce them all excellent. I was especially impressed with the two English ales. The flavor, temperature, and carbonation would all fit right in at any English pub.

They're in the process of installing an in-house brewery. While that's going on, their house beers are being brewed under contract by Shebeen Brewery (another terrific local place).

For food, we ordered baked boneless chicken as an appetizer, and a large pizza with chicken, bacon and spinach for our meal.

Honestly, everything wasn't perfect. Service was a bit slow. I've worked in restaurant as a manager, so I know things don't always go as smoothly as you would like. In their defense, our server was attentive and apologetic. She explained the delay, and kept us up to date on the progress of our order. We never felt ignored.

My wife, Barb, and my daughter-in-law, Tanya

Once the food did arrive, it proved to be worth the wait. The chicken was nicely breaded, and cooked to perfection.

My son, Joe

And the pizza was as good as any I've ever had. I was particularly fond of the crust. Crunchy on the outside, soft inside, just the way I like it. Sauce and toppings all combined for a very satisfying meal.

The bar at Pies and Pints

This is a place I would recommend to anyone. I would only caution you not to be in a hurry. If you don't mind being a bit patient, you'll be rewarded with excellent food, and great beer.

Not Beer, But Yummy

Fruit smoothie and sugar cookies

If you follow this blog, you know I like talking about non-beer things. I not only make beer, but I also like to make food for myself.

The other day, I made a couple of things, and thought I  would share them with you.

 SUGAR COOKIES

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened 1 cup white sugar 2 eggs 2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder

Directions:

1.	In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add milk and vanilla; beat until light and fluffy.
2.	In a separate bowl, combine flour and baking powder; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.
3.	Chill at least 2 hours or overnight.
4.	On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut with trefoil cookie cutter available at Girl Scout stores, or use small cutter of your choice. Place cookies on ungreased baking sheets.
5.	Place cookies on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on wire racks.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2014 Allrecipes.com

Since I first tried this, I've come up with a couple of variations. Instead of butter, I've also used margarine or shortening, with good results. I find that fruit juice can be used for milk. Finally, I like to add flavors. In my last batch (In the photo), I added a tablespoon of orange zest.

In my relatively small apartment, I don't have a flat surface large enough to roll it out. So, I came up with an alternative.

I drop spoonsful of batter onto the cookie sheet, and flatten it slightly with my fingers. The size of spoon depends on the size of cookie. In the picture, I used a regular teaspoon.


FRUIT SMOOTHIE

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons plain yogurt
1/2 cup frozen fruit
1 cup whole milk

DIRECTIONS:

Add all ingredients to blender cup, and blend until smooth.


In this recipe, the amounts are approximate. I've used a bit more or less of each, depending on my mood. Any frozen fruit will work, although pomegranate seeds get stuck in the straw.

 Both of these are really easy, and tasty as well.

Robin Williams

Many people, far more eloquent than I, have spoken about the tragic death of Robin Williams. I've noticed that the pieces Ive seen seem to be dominated by the good he's done for others, and the joy and laughter he gave us all,

But, Ive seen a sizable minority saying that his depression should not be classified as a disease, that taking his life was a choice. I wish to differ, a bit.

I will grant you that there was no disease, no pathogen, bacterium, or virus. But depression is an illnes, with a biological base. When it leads to suicide, it steals your options, until you're left with what seems to be only one remaining course. If you haven't ventured down this road, you can't be critical of someone who takes it.

Personally, I'm struck by the juxtaposition of the joy he brought others, and the pain he must have felt. If any small measure of good can come of this, it is the realization that people with depression are truly suffering, regardless of what they seem to have. Perhaps we can keep a closer eye on our loved ones, so we can keep them from going down that terrible road.