After the successful Saison brew I decided to try brewing alone. I had absorbed more book knowledge and web tips than I could stand. I would attempt my first stove top brew and learn my own lesson. The challenge would be working with two small brew pots. I devised a plan to do a mini-mash and a dual boil. I needed a crash course on brewing and the accessories for the job.
When I arrived at Homebrew Headquarters I was surprised to see the store empty. We were facing a cold front and every road was iced. Chances were I would have the next day off and a worry free brewday. Kelly Harris the store owner helped formulate the recipe. In search for terms to explain the unconventional boil I offered "decoction". This was in fact the wrong term for the boil process but Kelly went on explaining without exposing my novice. I left the store to brave the snow and ice. I had everything I needed for stove top brewing and a hand bill for calculating malt extractions.
Kelly's lesson in brewing proved to work in my favor. I was to conduct the mash, start the boil in two pots, then chill with an ice bath. I got even more creative by chilling outside. The thought hit me while buying ice: "It's 18°F why am I buying ice?." Why not cover the pots and chill the wort outside? I bought the ice as back up and after fumbling around in the snow for an hour I decided to head inside. I poured the wort into a bucket and commenced from 90°F until cold brake at the kitchen sink.
After racking to the carboy fermentation slowed on schedule and beer was set aside to clarify. Hours after a two week fermentation I carbonated the cloudy Kolesch. The beer was a golden in color, malty with a nice touch of hops. The yeast had imparted moderate fruitiness. The batch was approaching style and tasty with some tweaks it could be noteworthy.
When I arrived at Homebrew Headquarters I was surprised to see the store empty. We were facing a cold front and every road was iced. Chances were I would have the next day off and a worry free brewday. Kelly Harris the store owner helped formulate the recipe. In search for terms to explain the unconventional boil I offered "decoction". This was in fact the wrong term for the boil process but Kelly went on explaining without exposing my novice. I left the store to brave the snow and ice. I had everything I needed for stove top brewing and a hand bill for calculating malt extractions.
Kelly's lesson in brewing proved to work in my favor. I was to conduct the mash, start the boil in two pots, then chill with an ice bath. I got even more creative by chilling outside. The thought hit me while buying ice: "It's 18°F why am I buying ice?." Why not cover the pots and chill the wort outside? I bought the ice as back up and after fumbling around in the snow for an hour I decided to head inside. I poured the wort into a bucket and commenced from 90°F until cold brake at the kitchen sink.
After racking to the carboy fermentation slowed on schedule and beer was set aside to clarify. Hours after a two week fermentation I carbonated the cloudy Kolesch. The beer was a golden in color, malty with a nice touch of hops. The yeast had imparted moderate fruitiness. The batch was approaching style and tasty with some tweaks it could be noteworthy.
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