Random. Beer Update. Go!

Is this thing on?

Ok, let's see... Beer. Yeah, beer.

Stout's been done for at least a week, and it's delicious. More than the typical "passable" ale for a first-timer. This one is actually quite tasty, which surprises me.

So now that I've gone through most of the 12oz. bottles and have given away a few of the 22oz (like any self-respecting homebrewing friend-spammer), I've started a new batch.

Preparing the IPA went much more smoothly. I decided to work with 2.5 gallons of wort and add chilled distilled water at the end of the boil to bring the temperature down. Although it only managed to drop the temp to roughly 100 degrees, the cool-down period was decreased substantially, and I "fussed" over the wort quite a bit less which also lowered the chance of contamination.

The only hitch I encountered was during the transfer to the fermenter. Much like the last batch, this one contained a substantial amount of hops sediment which clogged the built-in sieve in the funnel, requiring quite a bit of stirring and scooping to get the last couple of gallons into the container. I need to find some method of filtering the wort before it gets to the funnel sieve. Or... not. It really depends upon how much I want to fret over this aspect of the process.

The batch was placed into fermentation on Sunday night and the yeast became visibly active approximately 48 hours after the pitch. I don't enjoy this long wait (and potential contamination window), so I plan to brew a yeast starter on my next batch. Not too difficult, really... It just requires an extra 24-hour buffer to prime the yeast before beginning the brew.

I've gradually come to the realization that there is a fine balance to homebrewing, one which varies from person to person, between the scientific need for precision and control and the artistic ability to just roll with the process and let some of the elements fall where they may. I'm obviously still seeking that balance, which will probably come with more practice.

For now, I just want a process that feels enjoyable yet somewhat controlled, from start to finish, and I think I'm close to getting that down.