How to brew beer, from homebrew champ Andrew Thompson

This is Andrew Thompson, and the brewing rig he constructed himself.

Thompson enjoys DIY immensely– hence the DIY grinder, and the fact that he grinds his own malts.

Sanitation is key to the brewing process. The slightest impurities in the initial ingredients can have drastic consequences on the finished product. Ergo, Thompson’s commercial-grade water filter.

Thompson’s boiling tank is actually a re-purposed keg. Makes sense.

Bringing the water to a boil.

There is a significant amount of waiting in-between steps. Better make the most of it.

Maintaining a consistent temperature is crucial to the finished product.

While we wait, Thompson shows off his hop plants.

That cooler will be used in the next step…

Mashing in! The heated water will turn the grains’ starch into tasty sugar.

More waiting–interesting conversation and beer.

After mashing, we have wort, a malty liquid.

Next, we need to heat the wort.

Time to add the hops! The timing of this addition will have a major impact on the type of beer you are brewing.

That’s a fermenter. It’s gotta be sanitized or else the yeast might feast on yucky stuff and make yucky beer.

Decant the final mixture into the fermenter.

Take a taste test!

Make sure you take notes, this is science, after all!

Stash the fermenter for a few weeks.

Just let it chill– no need to make a scene about it.

Beer and Good Music this Friday in AC

So here’s a great opportunity—this Friday, for 50 dollars, I will get access to limitless amounts of locally-brewed beer set to the tunes of The Bouncing Souls, New Jerseys best home-grown punk (well, at least tied for first with The Gaslight Anthem). Anyway, the name of the event is The Atlantic City Beer and Music Festival, and I will be there sampling anything that strikes my fancy.

 

If you’re interested in attending, yourself, pre-order your tickets here.

 

If you aren’t familiar with the glory that is The Bouncing Souls, educate yourself here.

How I do it.

My Saturday

I went around this past Saturday to review some area brews for an article I’m writing for The Mercer County Community College VOICE. The first two photos were taken at Winberries in Princeton, where I had the great fortune to try Flying Fish’s delectable FU Sandy. The second two are from the Harvest Moon Brewpub in New Brunswick, where I found almost nothing but disappointment. The last is my night’s redemption– more of Triumph’s Coffee and Cream Stout.

F U Sandy in T – 20 minutes

Winberries in Princeton is tapping their Flying Fish F U Sandy keg at noon today! Better believe I’ll be there to support Sandy Relief!

A Triumphant Finish (Triumph triumphs Pt. 2)

From left to right, Honey Blonde, Amber Ale, Bohemian Pils, small world Colombian Patron Coffe & Cream Stout, Bengal Gold IPA, Winter Wonder, Extra Special Bitter.

After the Colombian Patron, I reasoned that Triumph had to follow up with something just as amazing, and there was no disappointment with their Bengal Gold IPA, a thick-headed brew of rich amber with literally a hint of gold. The aroma had a yeasty fullness, and with a mix of sweet spice, I found the whole effect reminiscent of a gingerbread cake. This added a lot of character to the taste, which came in bitter and rustic, with notes of sweet citrus. With the full, velvety mouthfeel encased in an effervescent fringe, the experience was very complex, done in a fascinating way worked quite well—especially when taking into account the piney finish.

The Winter Wonder, which came next, cut through the complexity of the IPA with enticing strength and simplicity. Full amber, with a small head, the soft, musty aroma brought to mind the coziness of a fire lit ski cabin in the middle of a raging blizzard. The zippy carbonation brought into focus a busty woman in some sort of fluffy white negligee, mostly innocent, but with some tricks up where her sleeve would have been. The mouthfeel was full and strong, and the taste, earthy and wheaty, sealed the deal with an orangy flair.

Following that cozy interlude, The Extra Special Bitter was everything its name described. I was not expecting the complexity of this experience—the Extra Special Bitter completely rewired my expectations for beer. This rich amber brew had an intriguing hint of coppery rouge, and the thickest head of all seven brews, which took its time dwindling to a comparable lace. The grainy scent prepped me for a Pabst-like experience, but while the flavor was bready, it was sublimated from the rich, full-bodied mouthfeel, which left nothing extraneous. The wet finish had a bitter twinge, a final, remorseful reminder that this magnificent brew, and my tasting, like all things, had to end.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my very first attempts to describe and review beer, if you like what you’ve read here, please like my Facebook page and stay tuned for more great Central Jersey Beer content. Next up, I’ll review the Flying Fish Exit 16 Wild Rice Double IPA, and soon I’ll be bringing you news on what Riverhorse is doing in Ewing!

Triumph triumphs with their current on-tap lineup (Pt. 1)

From left to right, Honey Blonde, Amber Ale, Bohemian Pils, small world Colombian Patron Coffe & Cream Stout, Bengal Gold IPA, Winter Wonder, Extra Special Bitter.

What better starting point for a blog on local NJ breweries than Triumph in Princeton? I went there recently, pre-Stuporbowl with a my partner, and Steve Harrison, my good friend and proprietor of steve’s super badasss food blog. I’m pretty poor right now, so I went for the sampler rather than a pint each of their seven on-tap brews, which would have been my preference though my reviewing abilities would surely have suffered by the end.

First up was the Honey Blonde. This very tan, pale amber brew had a light, yeasty scent. My initial reaction upon tasting it was how remarkably similar it tasted to breakfast cereal, which threw me off at first, but the gentle sweet hints of honey (which Triumph brews directly into this particular beer) was intimately complemented by a full and bready carbonation with a crisp, fresh fringe. Overall mouthful was layered: velvety with an oily cap and a cool, thick finish.

Following that was their Amber Ale. Brewed with cascade hops, this rich amber beverage had a very full scent, at once both deep and citrusy, but definitely very fresh. This gave way to a distinct earthy taste, rich with the citrus notes hinted to in the aroma, while maintaining a thoughtful depth. This was punctuated by a stinging carbonation, which turned to a full and slick mouthfeel with a creamy layer. The finish was somewhat bland, leaving me wanting.

The third brew was The Bohemian Pils, brewed in a traditional style. An overall solid beer, Triumph did this old-world style justice—not terribly odorous, there were fresh, tantalizing hints of late spring to the aroma. The mouthfeel was full and harmonized by an arresting flavor—slightly musty with a lively, piercing fizz. Overall, this was a very refreshing nod to the a classic favorite.

The next beer was one that I had been excited to try since I read the draught list: to brew the small world Colombian Patron Coffee & Cream Stout, Triumph used coffee beans purchased from Small World Coffee, the local legend small-time coffee shop just down the street and around the corner. The color of this brew was ridiculously enticing, a deep nutty brown-black only slightly translucent when held up to the light. The aroma was dark and rich, and I swear if you didn’t know any better, you would think it was coffee, because it smelled tantalizingly like an Italian espresso …a real one … like from Italy. The taste was reminiscent of coffee perfected. The cream in “Coffee and Cream Stout” made it taste like a decadent coffee ice cream. That sensation was perfectly harmonized by the heavy and velvety mouthfeel, rich and full with a brooding, contemplative finish.

Stay tuned for the remaining three beers, as well as head and lace descriptions, coming up throughout the day…