Hanoi blog

My wife and I took a trip to Vietnam and I blogged about it. There's mention of beer in there but it is mainly about our experiences in Hanoi. Please have a look!

Homebrewer Hegira to Hanoi

Bottled!

The nut brown ale is bottled. 4.5 gallons, or 44 bottles worth at FG - 1.014, pretty much on target. Looking forward to drinking it in a month!

Brewing Again!

I celebrated the completion of my MBA studies by brewing a nut brown ale (brand new kit!). The recipe (Keystone):

6.6 lbs. Muntons Amber Malt Extract
1/2 lb. Munton & Fison Crystal Malt 60ºL
1/2 lb. Munton & Fison Carapils Malt 20ºL
1/4 lb. Munton & Fison Chocolate Malt 338ºL
1/2 lb. Briess Victory Malt 25ºL
2 oz. Willamette Hops (Bittering)
1 oz. Willamette Hops (Finishing)
Wyeast #1098XL British Ale Yeast

Planned: OG - 1.052 FG - 1.013 Alcohol content 6.0% w/ five gallon yield

The original gravity was on target. The brew went in on January 2 and continues to happily ferment in the glass carboy at 68ºF. Planning to bottle this weekend.

I learned the hard way over the past year of inactivity several obvious (but nonetheless heartbreaking) truths about old brewing supplies:

• Weevils eat specialty grains
• Liquid yeast dies, and dry yeast can too
  
• Liquid malt goes stale
• Hops in the fridge smell like the fridge

So the solution is... never stop brewing!

Chinese Telecoms offer free beer!

These folks (link) have a great understanding of human nature.

Great new beer blog!

Check out My Life On Craft by my friend Mary! Mary is an accomplished beer judge and very informative writer. Well done, Mary!

Beer poetry

Great indeed the reputation of the ancient beer --
Said to make the feeble hardy,
Famed to dry the tears of women,
Famed to cheer the broken-hearted,
Make the timid brave and mighty,
Fill the heart with joy and gladness,
Fill the mind with wisdom,
Fill the tongue with ancient legends,
Only makes the fool more foolish.

- The Kalevala

A few links to begin anew

Life is a little slow on the brewing, and therefore the blogging of late. But I am reading and drinking beer, so I'll share. For beginners, it never hurts, of course, to wiki.

Recent reading:

• Libations of the Eighteenth Century: A Concise Manual for the Brewing of Authentic Beverages from the Colonial Era of America and of Times Past, by David Alan Woolsey
• Fermenting Revolution: How to Drink Beer and Save the World, by Christopher Mark O'Brien
• More Homebrew Favorites, by Karl F. Lutzen and Mark Stevens
• Brew Ware: How to Find, Adapt, and Build Homebrewing Equipment, by Karl F. Lutzen and Mark Stevens

IPAs I am enjoying drinking lately (it's all about the hops):

• Gordon
  
• Lagunita's
• Dogfish Head, 60-Minute (very floral)