So as a teacher, I have to maximize my summertime as much as possible. So with it being a great summer day, I went to Rising Storm Brewing Company in Livonia New York. you may remember that I interviewed the owners years ago in this post. Since then they’ve gone from homebrewers to Pro Brewers. Traveling just south of Rochester New York, I pulled up to the brewery.
Dehydrating kveik yeast in a food dehydrator. A “new” concept applied to an “old yeast”. I have come up with a “new” way to make dried kveik yeast. That is probably one of the coolest properties of kveik yeast. So let’s look at how I got here, and what I am doing. I am not an expert, just a guy who is dabbling in the world of kveik.
So I fell into the rabbit hole of kveik yeast. I found myself constantly searching for any information that I could find. It was really great to run into the information from Lars on the Larsblog, who is like the godfather of kveik in the brewing culture around the world. He may not have been the one that found it, but he documented in research, and gave me and others so many things to learn about.
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Every gameday needs a good dish to consume at it, and homebrew chili is a great choice. “Why homebrew beer in the chili?” may be your next question. The answer is a simple one…. why not?!?
I make most of my chili on the Camp Chef smoker now. I love that smokey taste infused into my meals. When it is reheated, the smoker smell comes out. With the smoker, you lose more moisture, in my experience, than making it in a crock pot. This beckons you to add more liquid!
I have made my chili with stouts, ales, and ciders that I have made. I used to always put a can of our local Genesee beer into my chilis in the crock pot. Once I started to brew, it became common place to put my beer in there. Once I started kegging, it got even easier!
Here is my base “healthy and fresh” chili recipe that helped me win a contest at work, I hope it helps!
Ingredients:
1 lb 90% lean ground beef ($3.29/lb)
1 lb turkey sausage ($4.39/lb)
40 oz dark red kidney beans ($1.79.can)
29 oz diced tomatoes – chili style ($0.79/14.5 oz can)
4 oz diced mild green chilies ($0.99/4 oz can)
16 oz parmesan romano tomato sauce ($1.49/jar)
1 FRESH garlic clove – minced ($0.75/head)
1 FRESH green pepper ($1.99/pound)
1 FRESH poblano pepper ($3.99/pound)
1 FRESH small onion ($0.99/pound)
8 fl oz brewed espresso coffee ($9.99/pound)
1 oz unsweetened 100% cacao ($2.39/4oz)
1 package chili seasonings ($1.50/packet)
¼ cup parmesan bread crumbs (mix parmesan cheese and bread crumbs)
1 bay leaf
Smoke the ground beef and ground turkey, In a large skillet, add freshly pressed minced garlic and diced onion. Finely shave cacao into small shavings. Dice green peppers and poblano peppers into pieces about 1 inch by ¼ inch. Add undrained kidney beans, undrained diced tomatoes, as well as the diced chilies to skillet. Mix them up. Pour in the espresso and beer. Sprinkle the package of chili seasoning across the top. Add meat mixture and tomato sauce, stir to mix. Sprinkle bread crumbs and cacao shavings across the top and mix evenly. Drop in bay leaf. Cook on smoker for 6-8 hours, stirring occasionally. Break up and add the meat after about 3 hours.
Another choice of a quick recipe from ready to use ingredients.
2 big cans of stewed tomatoes
3 cans of chili beans
1 large can of pinto beans
2+ pounds of ground beef
1 pound ground sausage
a few diced hot peppers of your choice
1 onion diced
boatload of your spices – chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, pepper, salt, paprika, cinnamon, ground coffee, dark chocolate (ground up or shaved), cayenne pepper, oregano, mustard powder, and anything else you want to throw in
What is your favorite beer in chili? Drop an answer in the comments below. Have any ingredients to add? Am I missing something? Lemmie know!
So this year, I continued my smoked homebrew brined turkey tradition for 2018. You can find out what I have done in the past here, here, and here. I think one of the coolest things I have done, since I started homebrewing, is using that homebrew to brine the turkey. The addition of the smoker was just a great one. In the end, it gives some really tasty bird and a fun project that a group can enjoy. Let’s face it. Not everyone will drink your beer. Not everyone can eat your turkey. Yet those who do, can enjoy a tasty treat.
Continue readingA new year starts, and New Beers Resolutions are made. So I am horrible. I can’t believe so much time has passed since my last post. I have some reviews to post, I have some beer related turkey posts, I have some recipe stuff, oh man oh man.
So I think since it has been 2 years since I made them, it is time for some New Beers Resolutions.
What’s on tap: Growler Bro review, Murmation Malt review, Brew In A Bag review, Cereal Crusher review, smoked homebrew brined turkey update, smoked pumpkin imperial stout experience, chatting with pro brewers, and much more! Stay tuned!
So holiday time rolls around, and parties are a plenty. I had to come up with a new luncheon treat to bring to work, and I wanted to use my own homebrew in it somehow. After some research I found this recipe. Perfect! It uses beer, chocolate chips, bacon (everybody loves bacon, right?!?), and cayenne pepper. As with most things, I had to do some modifications to make it my own and work with what I had at home, so here is what I came up with.
So Father’s Day is coming up. A homebrewer should be a simple father to shop for! My wife often asks me for a wishlist for major holiday shopping. Often times I give a list of a few upgrades or needs. Why not compile a list of things that can be a gift for any homebrewer! I will split them up for price levels, so you can find things in any budget range. This is just a starting list! If you have any suggestions, add them in the comments below!
$9.99 and Under
This is a great category for little gift. These are items that most brewers need on a usual basis. They are a great gift from the kids to dad too!
Muslin Bags – These are great little bags for adding hops into your brew. As a homebrewer, it seems like I am always picking these up….one can never have enough of them!
Long Stainless Steel Spoon – This is a great upgrade for most brewers. The length makes it easier to not dip your hands into that boiling wort.
$10-$30 Range
10″ Anti Splash Funnel – nothing makes a wife happier than a brew transfer that doesn’t splash on the floor.
Every brewer, or beer drinker for that matter, has a need to transport some cold beer from point a to point b. Enter the Insulated Six Pack Bottle Carrier With Opener. Now, a buddy of mine has a similar thing, and he uses it weekly coming to our poker game. Keeps your brewer’s beers cold and easy to carry. A bottle opener included is a bonus!
$30-$50
The Kettle Spider™ makes it easier to add your hops mid boil, and remove them before it hits the fermenter. This allows for a clearer beer setup. In order to be used, you do need to add on a bag.
$50-$100
Torpedo Kegs – Kegging will make any dad’s day. Stackable kegs….even better! These stainless steel beauts are a brewer’s best friend.
$100 and more
Ss Brewtech Brew Bucket Stainless Steel Fermenter – Who doesn’t want a cool looking fermenter? The conical design helps the trub stay out for clearer beer.
What’s on your list?
So May 7th was Big Brew Day. What is that? According to the American Homebrewers Association website, it says:
“In 1988, May 7 was announced before Congress as National Homebrew Day. The American Homebrewers Association (AHA) created AHA Big Brew as an annual event to celebrate National Homebrew Day around the world. AHA Big Brew is held each year on the first Saturday in May.”
So what did I do? I had to brew! Only problem was my wife was out of town for a trip, so I had to brew by myself. That is really ok, but I wanted to be sure I brewed, so I did a quick batch. Throw Mama From The Flame was born. This is kind of a followup to a previous brew, Too Hot Mama, but a different style. This brew didn’t just use two ghost peppers, but rather much more.
So one of the things that I have been thinking about lately with brewing is things that clarify your homebrew. With a major explosion on the interwebs today based on two articles:
I decided it was time to think about this again. I think that really most beers “look the part” in beauty pageants.
I have some Irish moss in my supplies. I have used it before. Did I notice a difference? Can’t say that I did. Why? Well, my brewing has been an interesting journey. I really never made the same brew more than once. There was one brew that I made 7 times, but the thing was, I never used a clarifying agent with it. So let’s dive into what it does and how it can help. Continue reading
So Chris from HOMEBREWFINDS.COM agreed to be my first interviewee. I found his site a while ago, and find myself visiting quite often. I think it is cool to find out more about the “man behind the curtain”.
How long have you been homebrewing? What got you into it?
I started brewing in 2007. I had been interested in craft beer for a few years and watched a Modern Marvels on the subject of brewing. There was a segment in that show on homebrewing featuring Drew Beechum. It looked like something I wanted to try… so I did. I did a lot of research and decided on a Coopers setup. I thought that one purchase was all I’d ever need. 🙂
What was your biggest homebrewing mistake or let down? Why?
My biggest mistake would have to be the time I dropped a full 6.5 gallon glass carboy down 2 or 3 steps. There’s nothing quite like a hours long brew day that results in – no beer, glass shards in your feet, loss of equipment and a massive mess that you have to clean up with bleeding feet. That incident prompted me to (mostly) stop using glass fermenters. That’s one of the reasons I like my Speidel Fermenter so much. I do still use glass fermenters, but only for aging sour beers. Continue reading
Untappd Derby (2021)
Cue the bugle...On your mark… get set… go! The inaugural Untappd Derby is here. May the best style win! Follow the winner’s progress.
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