It just keeps going....and going....and going....

The Jennerator is still fermenting...It's been a while - but no worries...

Shawn and I saw the movie Beer Wars - it was pretty good...but made me depressed about opening a brewery. It takes a ton of money and is really difficult. What a big surprise!

Anyway - at one point in the movie, they went to a bar and asked people what beer they drank. Most people said Bud, Miller, or Coors. Then they asked them if they thought they could tell which was which in a blind taste test. Everybody thought they could. BUT nobody could tell the difference.

That led me to want to see if me and my friends could tell the difference. We got bottles of Bud Light, cans of Miller Lite, and bottles of Coors Light. Basically, it was almost impossible for me to tell them apart. I did correctly identify Coors, based mainly on color. It looked the lightest to me. I could not tell them apart based on taste at all. Jenn didn't get any right. My one friend got them all right! She said they smelled different to her. My other friend got 1 right too.

Greg and Shawn are craft brewers.


I Am A Craft Brewer from I Am A Craft Brewer on Vimeo.

Doing good..

The Jennerator is doing well...still bubbling slowly away - the recipe I have said primary fermentation would take 2 weeks. It was 2 weeks on Sunday and it is still going...not a big deal - the beer tells you when its ready - not the other way around. Probably another week or two - then rack to secondary. This will take 3-4 weeks and is done to condition and "lager" the beer.

I spoke with the owner of Heater Allen Brewery this morning. He was very helpful and I learned a lot. Mainly that I have a long way to go and really know nothing about brewing on a commercial scale...but it was fun. I gave him a bottle of Mustang Sally as a thank you - he seemed to get a kick out of the name. I bought 2 bottles of his doppelbock and am looking forward to trying them.

A friend's fridge!

Notice 3 OGBC products!!!!

It's really cool to see the beers that you made in a friend's fridge.

He's really got some nice top shelf brews!

Saravaza!

Saraveza is one of the top beer joints in Oregon  -   right up there with Belmont Station.

They had Pliny the Elder on tap today - it was awesome - Tim and I created a new motto:

"Don't replace it with what you blew, replace it with something new!"  They tapped 3 new kegs while we were there! Double Mountain Alt, Ommegang Rouge, and Allagash Triple - nice combo!

I was talking to my friends about beer.  One was so dramatic - she believes that fermentation is "literally magic" and an "act of God" - which many people have believed for thousands of years.   She loves the sour taste of Belgian beers - the earthy, barnyard flavor  - it's "actually living history in a glass".  Am glad to be here during this time.

Doppel Bock tour!

First I had Lion Double Bock - from the Czech Republic - a fine Euro style double bock - clean, pale, crisp - I liked it.

Then I went to Widmer - they had a dark Doppelbock - very malty, not bad.

Then - Capitol Brewing- from Wisconsin - made a Blonde Doppelbock - much like the Czech beer - not bad - 7.6% abv - quite a nice beer

Then Celebrator Doppelbock - straight from Germany - considered one of the best in the world - not bad either - I liked it - smooth, sweet, malty...just like how it is supposed to be.

I know these descriptions wont tell the reader much about the flavor of these beers, but I am trying to build my own palate.

It will be cool to see how my beer turns out...

Hop Rhizomes!

Old Growth got into the hop producing world today!

I got my 2 rhizomes today. I wanted to take a picture of them, but I forgot until after I planted them. Basically, they look like roots - about 5 inches long, half inch think.

I got 1 Magnum - which is a super awesome bittering hop - very high alpha acid content - 11.5. From Main Street: "A great bittering hop. This hop is from Germany and has a very low cohumulone level, which gives it a very clean, non-harsh bittering. Not recommended for flavoring or aroma."

I also got 1 Mt Hood - this will be a finishing or aroma hop: "A Hallertauer hybrid. This hop is bred to resemble true German Hallertauer (as opposed to American-grown Hallertauer). It has a strong floral characteristic and can be used in any beer where Hallertauer is called for."

I don't think you get anything the first year - the second year they are more established.