Bindle-stiff Brewery

Chicken Wings

2010-04-18T15:08:00.000-07:00

Goes great with beer...replicates restaurant style wings.

Wings--must be completely thawed and patted dry

Batter--1 cup flower, mix with 1 cup fish and chips batter, 3 tablespoons of Morton's "Nature Seasonings" spice mix (salt, pepper, garlic, dried onion powder, celery salt), 1 tablespoon paprika.

Sauce--1 bottle of Franks hot sauce (regular, not the wing mix), 1/2 bottle of louisianna hot sauce.

Dredge dry wings through batter mix, put in fridge for half an hour, fry for 8-10 minutes in peanut oil at 375 degrees. Meanwhile heat sauce. When the wings are done, drain out oil, and toss them in the sauce for a minute. Bon ape fucking tit!

Bean Soup

2010-04-11T12:43:00.001-07:00

Here is another great beer recipe:

1 bag navy beans (rinsed, soaked overnight, rinsed again)
1 red bell pepper (chopped)
1 poblano pepper (chopped)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 ham hock
1/2 large onion (diced)
1 cup beer
4 cups water
1 tbl mustard seed
1 bay leaf
2 tbl oregano
2 tbl minced garlic
2 tbl chili powder
dash of salt and pepper to taste

Put it in a pot and boil it. Then simmer for 4-6 hours. Pull out the bone. Meat should fall right off. Eat.

Beer Lamb Chili

2009-12-01T14:27:00.000-08:00

The idea is to expand the blog to incorporate recipes and pairings based on good beer. Here is a recipe that was inspired by the cooking channel and modified to meet the demands of beer makers and drinkers. I'm putting it up against my Dad's chili sometime soon--he's going down but it will be a tough competition.

1/4 cup olive oil
2 1/2 lbs lamb (mix of shoulder and shanks)
1 yellow onion (diced)
6 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 large can of whole tomatoes (drained and mashed)
1 tbls chipotle puree or powder
1 tbls ancho chili powder (or mexican chili powder)
1 tbls pasilla chili powder (or cayenne)
1 tbls cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tbls mexican oregano (or regular oregano)
2 cups chicken stock
3/4 bottle of shiner bock (or any other dark beer but preferably a bock)
1-2 tbls honey
dash cinnamon
salt&pepper
2 cups black beans

Garnish: red onions, cheddar cheese, cilantro, sour creme.

Method: heat oil, add lamb, salt and pepper, sear, remove lamb with slotted spoon.
Add onion, cook till soft, add garlic for one minute, add tomato, chipotle, and other spices. Return lamb, add stock and beer, cover and simmer at low heat for at least 1.5 hours. Add honey at 30 minutes left. During last 15 minutes, add cinnamon, beans, and salt and pepper to taste.

Dandelion Wine

2009-10-03T15:24:00.000-07:00

So it came'th to pass that on this Day of the Lord of Lords King of Kings Baby Savior Demon Slayer October the Third in the year 2009 that thine Gunslingers of olde hath brought Dandelion Wine to pass. To mark the Glorious Days of summers Past, we hath concocted the following recipe using a Synthesis of all we came to Know in our long nights of Research whenst amidst our ill-timed Drink the Horse ran pass the barn fell on me.

1 Humongolargous Bowl of Dandelions
l lbs White Raisins
6 Lemons
4 Oranges
2 lbs Granulate Cane Sugar
1 lbs Corn Sugar
1 Wyeast Champagne Smack Pack

Pick flowers at noon 3 days before brewing. Make a dandelion tea by bringing the flowers to boil in a gallon of water. At boil, remove from heat, transfer tea and flowers into a mixing bowl, cover, refrigerate, and wait 3 days.

To brew, put the tea and flowers back into the kettle and bring to boil. Add sugar and peels of lemon and orange--be careful not to add any of the white part of the pith between the fruit and the skin. Boil for 1 hour. Give cool bath. Massage optional. Add juice and pulp of lemon and orange--again, being careful to remove all of the white pith first. Transfer to carboy. Add 2 gallons of water. Pitch yeast. Wait for first stage of fermentation to complete. Rack to secondary. Add raisins. Wait for all evidence of fermentation to cease. Rack and bottle. Good at 6 months, better at 12 months.

Rot, ye Buggars!

Muleshit Ale

2009-09-18T15:45:00.000-07:00

Bindle-stiffs and Gunslingers,

We've had the good fortune of discovering hop vines in the wilds of our new digs. My dad calls this place Muleshit, NY. I'm not sure why. Nevertheless, we name this beer after his name for our country home. It is a simple, no fuss, beer, brewed with the choice hops growing around a fence cutting across a field. I've seen turkey's there. I plan to hunt them.

6 lbs Gold Malt Extract

1 handful of hops at 60

1/2 handful at 10

1/2 handful at 2

American Ale Wyeast smack pack

Cream Ale II

2009-09-04T15:01:00.001-07:00

This is another favorite of pros and amateurs alike. It was one of the first beers we made and still one of the best.

Northern Brewer modified the recipe slightly, switching from Willamette to Cluster hops. We will see if it works! The first recipe is here.

Cream Ale II

Specialty Grains
.75 lbs Gambrius Honey Malt
.25 lbs Dingemans Biscuit

Fermentables
6 lbs Pilsen Malt Syrup

Boil Additions
1 oz Cluster (60 min)

Cheers!

Rasberry Wheat

2009-09-04T11:18:00.000-07:00

Die-hard beer fans turn their noses up at wheat beers. A double nose up for the flavored wheats--generally considered amateur or pedestrian quasi-beer for folks who don't regularly like beer.

I say wheat beer is the people's beer! This recipe is too good to turn down. Here is a classic BSB recipe made famous by WK.

Rasberry Wheat

6.3 lbs Wheat Malt Syrup
1oz Hallertau (60 min)
Yeast: Wyeast #3333 German Wheat

Rasberry extract added to the bottling bucket at bottling.

Rock on, foam-face!

Kitchen Sink Ale

2009-05-25T12:03:00.000-07:00

Gunslingers and Comrades: Bear witness to this tale of woe turned to joy as the ill-begotten love of a spring dream blends into the rays of summer light. I took everything that I had and brewed the following concoction saying only "go with the gods" as I pitched the wort into the carboy.

Kitchen Sink Ale

Fermentables: 6 lbs Gold Malt Extract, 1.5 lbs Light Lager Malt Extract, 2 lbs Wildflower Honey (at 30 min).

Specialty Grains:
Cara 10 (steeped for 15 minutes pre-boil)

Boil Additions:
1 oz Saaz (45 min)
1 oz Willamette (2 min)

Holiday Ale Review

2009-05-09T12:29:00.000-07:00

Now that the holidays are over (what day is this?), the Holiday Ale is ready to drink if still a bit premature. This spiced beer has been a long time in the making. I recall making it with a friend one evening during a debate between Barak Obama and John McCain. Shit, that's like 3 dog years ago! I think that it will actually take another 3-4 months to be really ready and probably peak around christmas time.

Although it is quite good now, the flavors need time to mellow, blend, and overall smoothen out. The beer is almost black but retains a high degree of clarity. I would definately describe the flavor as sweet and heady. I taste smoked nuts, pumpkin, clover and a very low grade cinnamon banana (almost phenolic) flavor. The alchohol content is rather high for what I usually brew at around 9 or 10 percent. This is definately not a session beer and I'm glad that we bottled everything in pint-32oz bottles. While I would not keg this beer, I think it will make great gifts for friends and fellow drinkers. As an incredibly "spicy" beer, I think it would do better on its own, or with an appetizer or dessert, rather than with a main course.

The Innkeeper

2009-05-08T14:21:00.000-07:00

This is the final of a series of beers to keep warm the soul through the Minnesota winter. The Innkeeper is a limited edition English Ale kit from the NB:

"Thirty six major awards. Four-time Brewers International Champion. Four-time CAMRA Beer of the Year. Simply put, the muse for this kit has won more awards than any other English beer, period. From very simple ingredients comes a wonderfully well- balanced dram. Spicy, herbal, and English biscuits. Flashes of clean citrus and chewy minerals blend into a complex finish that is refreshingly bitter and remarkably dry. The way a pint was meant to taste. Truly spot on!"

We shall see.

Here is the tale of the tape:

Specialty Grains	0.25 lbs. Simpson's Extra Dark Crystal 0.25 lbs. Belgian Biscuit Malt
Fermentables	3.15 lbs. Pilsen Malt Syrup 1 lbs. Pilsen Dry Malt Extract 1 lbs. Priming Sugar
Boil Additions	1 oz. Fuggle (60 min) 1 oz. Kent Goldings (45 min) 1 oz. Styrian Goldings (5 min)
If you choose dry yeast	Not recommended.
If you choose liquid yeast	Wyeast #1469 West Yorkshire Ale. Optimum temperature: 64-72° F.

Whoa! A whole pound of corn sugar at the boil. This'll be gettin us fucked up!

Juniper Ale III

2009-01-26T11:26:00.000-08:00

The third installment of our Juniper Ale series may prove to be the best yet. The basic idea for this beer is to replace the bitterness of the hops with the flavor and bitterness of the juniper berry. We dry-hopped again to strictly add hop flavor and aroma. For this recipe I used about 4 oz of berries smuggled into MN from Alabama (thanks, Walter). Prior to the boil, I mashed the berries in a bowl of vodka and let them sit for about 2 hours. The vodka (hopefully) killed any bacteria on the berries. I then drank the vodka. Damn it was good. Here is the recipe:

Specialty Grains: 1 lbs Dingemens caramel pils
Fermentables: 6 lbs Gold Malt Syrup
Wyeast 1056 American Ale
Hops: 2 oz Willamette leaf hops dry hopped into the primary.
Berries: mashed in vodka, soaked for 2 hours, bagged and tossed into the primary with the hops.

Modified English Pale Ale

2008-10-18T11:11:00.000-07:00

Bindle-stiffs, gunslingers, comrades one and all! It has been a long time since we've posted. I think Walter K has lost his mind and has disappeared somewhere in the northwoods jungle. But, I have returned. Gone to that place where no person should go. Where time slows down and vision spreads out across the universe. Every instant last a thousand years as I peered into infinity and saw all the threads of possibilities extending infinitely forward and backward. Witnessed my own birth and the thousands upon thousands of possible deaths in the blink of an eye. I have returned to finish my Jedi Beer Training and submit the following report to the Master.

Since our last post, we discovered that our neigbor Q grows hops...yes, grows motherfucking hops! Aware of the worldwide hop shortage, he graciously offered to allow us to harvest the hops and use them for our beer. We studied for hours on the internet, learning how to harvest, prepare, and preserve the hops for use. So, one rainy day, we went out in our poncho's and picked hops for about 4 hours. Picking them involved standing about 25 feet in the air on a shaky ladder during a rainstorm (we'll at least for Walter K, but it's okay, his Dad is a hop-picker so he has some experience). After we picked the hops we put them on my sun porch to dry out. Because it was raining outside we turned on a space heater to help de-humidify the room. After 3 days they were ready. So, we used a vacuum sealer and have preserved them in air-tight plastic wraps.

There is only one problem. Our neighbor is not sure if his strain of hops is Golding or Cascade. Our impression was that the majority of the vines growing up alongside the house were Golding but that one or two of the vines growing in the alley were actually Cascade. So, we have quite a strange blend of Golding and Cascade.

We have made the first batch of beer using these hops and have basically tried to create a Modified English Pale Ale. Here's what we did:

--6 lb. Gold liquid malt extract
--1 lb. Light DME
--8 oz. Carapils, 8 oz. Caramel 60°L specialty grains

--1 oz Goldings at 60 min
--2 oz Godlings at 1 min

We also used a very similar recipe with the following modifications:

--1/2 oz Columbus at 60 min
--1 oz Amarillo at 20 min
--1 oz Amarillo at 1 min

This second recipe was taken from the Midwest Supplies. They describe this recipe like this: "The Amarillo hop is perhaps one of the more uniquely flavored varieties to emerge in recent years, and the only variety that is owned by the farmer who bred it. This pale ale showcases ingredients found in the Pacific Northwest and is a great way to get to know the refreshing flavor of the Amarillo."

Finally, we are also kooking up a Holiday Ale also from Midwest Supplies. Here is the info on this brew:

"Happy Holiday Brew: Once a year folks eat, drink and are merry. We think this is a great time to impress your friends and relatives with homemade beer. This spiced ale will make egg nog a thing of the past. Our ingredients for this recipe include: 6 lbs. Dark liquid malt extract, 3.3 lbs. Amber liquid malt extract, 8 oz. Caramel 60°L, 8 oz. Special B specialty grains, 3 oz. of hops, 1 Cinnamon Stick, 1 tsp. nutmeg, 1 tsp. ginger, yeast, priming sugar and a grain bag."

Here are the directions:

--steep crushed grains 10-30 min
--add malt extract at boil
--1 oz vanguard at 60 min
--additional holiday spices at 10 min
--1 0z cascade at 2 min
(two stage fermentation recommended)

I think we will bottle this one in December and hope for the beer to be ready by the new year.

We will post the review of our Modified English Pale tonight or tomorrow when we tap the keg.

Juniper Pale Ale

2008-07-09T13:23:00.001-07:00

This recipe is a variation on a previous recipe that BSB invented. Both are a tribute to the pine woods of the American Southwest. For this batch we've switched from Chinook to Cascade hops. I'm also attempting a "dry-hop" and an alternative infusion method. The idea is to foreground the bitterness of the Juniper while allowing the hops to provide more flavor and aroma. In the previous batch, it was difficult to discern between the flavors of the Chinook hops (which are also piney) and the Juniper.

Here are the details you monkeys!

Juniper Pale Ale
Fermentables
6 lbs Gold Barley Malt Extract

Boil Additions
1 oz Cascade at 60

Yeast
Wyeast 1056 American Ale

Method for hops and Juniper berries. I am soaking 1 oz of Juniper berries in vodka for 2 hours and then grinding the whole mix down with a muddler. The vodka is more or less simply to sterilize the berries. I am then pouring the berry mix and 1 oz of Cascade plugs (chopped in half) into a muslin bag which I will then place directly into the primary fermenter.

Corny Keg and the Dedicated Fridge

2008-07-08T12:33:00.000-07:00

...would be an awesome band name. But now...you asked for it...you waited...you dreamed...you read our stupid blog...and now we have finally delivered. BSB is proud to announce kegged beer! The upgrade was made after an approximate 100 hours of bottling had taken its toll on the workers. Our keg system cuts my bottling time in half. We have also acquired a dorm-style mini refrigerator from a used appliance store on Lake St for a whopping $30 bringing total costs to about $200. All equipment was purchased in St. Louis Park at Midwest Homebrewin g. Turned out to be about $30 bucks cheaper than our usual, the NB. Before we get ahead of ourselves, here are the specs:

--used 5 gallon "cornelius" soda keg (manufactured in Anoka, MN)
--5 lb CO2 tank
--dual gauge regulator (indicates keg pressure and remaining CO2)
--hand held picnic tap
--hoses and m/f connects

The dedicated fridge is an older Sanyo model with fake wood paneling. In order to make the fridge work we had to modify it somewhat. By that I mean, we had to rip the upper freezer section off (being careful not to bust any of the connections because the freezer is also the main refrigeration plate). After removing it from the top of the fridge we bent it back against the back wall of the inside of the fridge. This way, the plate on the freezer still works but directly refrigerates the whole inside. There is a temp control that we keep constant and measured by checking a plastic thermometer taped to the keg. We also had to saw off some of the shelving attached to the inside of the door. It looks like shit but, hey, who the fuck cares about the inside looks of dedicated keg fridge? Anyway, everything fits nice and cozy and cold.

Some notes on the process of kegging...
The first thing is to sterilize the keg and all equipment. Sanitize by soaking inside of keg for 15 minutes with sterilizing solution (B-Bright worked fine). Meanwhile soak other parts in a bucket of sterilizing solution. Connect C02 while keg is full and force water out to clean the tap and the hose. Alternately, take the tap apart and soak it with the rest of the equipment. Rinse once transfer beer.

Transfer the beer from the carboy using syphoning equipment--making sure not to suck up any of the yeast deposit. After transferring, close everything tightly and pressurize the keg to between 20 and 30 lbs. Quickly release the pressure valve to force out oxygen and repressurize. The Prickly Pear Ale was good after about 4 days of waiting. When ready to drink, lower pressure on the keg to between 3-10 lbs pressure depending on the level of carbonation appropriate for the style and to taste.

Some detailed description of the kegging process here.

The next beer we keg will be our Phat Tyre from the NB. Can you hardly wait?

Honey Weisen

2008-07-04T09:09:00.001-07:00

This HW comes courtesy of the folks at Midwest Brewer.

Specialty Grains
8 oz Carapils

Fermentables
6 lbs Wheat LME
2 lbs Minnesota Clover Honey (1.5 lbs at 30, .5 lbs at 10)

Boil Additions
1 oz Styrean Goldings (60 min)
1 oz Styrean Goldings (2 min)

Wyeast Weihenstephan Weizen Ale #3068

Their description: "A refreshing beer for anytime of the year. 2 lbs of MN clover honey gives this brew a light, crisp flavor and an extra kick to boost the alcohol content.

SG: 1.054-1.058
FG: 1.010-1.012

IBUs = 19.5

This is our first kit from the Midwest Brewer. The prices for kits and equipment are a bit cheaper than the NB...plus it is a whole helluva lot closer off Beltine in St. Louis Park. Right now they are offering a special $1 32 oz bottle with the purchase of any kit. Sweet! Hope this HW tastes good.

Fat Tire Clone

2008-06-27T11:26:00.000-07:00

I got this Phat Tyre Amber Ale kit from the NB.

Specialty Grains
.50 lbs Victory Malt
.50 lbs Briess Caramel 60
(both mixed together in the same bag)

Fermentables
1 lbs Pilsen DME (boil for 60 min)
6 lbs Amber Malt Syrup (boil for 15 min)

Boil Additions
1 oz Willamette (60 min)
1 oz Hallertau Select (15 min)

Wyeast #1762 Belgian Abbey II. Floculation medium. Apparent attenuation 73-77%. Optimum temp 65-75.

"Our Phat Tyre kit is copper-red with a fruity, slightly spicy aroma and a flavor that comes from a combination of yeast and hops. A blend of caramel and Victory malts creates a sweat, toasty, bready character that lingers from the aroma through the finish. Make sure to stash a six-pack for yourself, because this one's a crowd pleaser."

We shall see!

Prickly Pear Ale

2008-06-10T10:24:00.000-07:00

A tribute to the Sonoran Desert...my own demonic creation:

Fermentables
6 lbs Gold Malt Syrup
3 lbs Organic Wildflower Honey (30 min)

Additions
1 oz Cascade (60 min)
1 oz Cascade (5 min)

3 (lbs) Red Prickly Pear Fruit (Tuna Roja)

Wyeast #1056 American Ale

For this experiment, I am seeking to make a floral and mildly citrus ale sweetened with the fruit of the prickly pear cactus. I purchased the honey from the Wedge Co-op--where it comes wholesale in refillable containers. The fruit was difficult to find. Most restaurants and groceries carry a green version of the prickly pear fruit (simply, "tuna"). I found one little supermercado on 28th and Blaisdale that carries the red version (tuna rojo). The owner explained that he and his brother prefer the red kind. So, for this recipe I purchased 3 lbs of the fruit. Peeled fruit (making sure to take off all of the inner part of the skin so only the red inside remains). I processed the fruit through my juicer to produce about 8 oz of puree. I added the fruit puree after pitching the wort into the carboy.

Preamble to the Constitution of the Industrial Beer Drinkers of the World

2008-06-07T10:42:00.000-07:00

Beer drinkers and big beer corporations have nothing in common. There can be no peace so long as working people are forced to buy cheap disgusting excuses for beer, while the owners of the big beer corporations sip on the latest microbrew. Between these two classes a struggle must go on until beer drinkers organize as a class, take possession of the means of fermentation and establish worker-run breweries.

We find that the consolidation of breweries into fewer and fewer hands makes the brewer trade unions unable to cope with the ever growing power of the big beer corporations. These trade unions foster a state of affairs which allows one set of beer drinkers to be pitted against another set of beer drinkers, thereby helping defeat one another in the price wars. Moreover, the trade unions aid the big beer corporations to mislead brewery workers into the belief that they have something in common with them.

These conditions can be changed and the interest of the working class upheld only by an organization formed in such a way that all the drinkers of one beer, or all beers if necessary, cease beer drinking whenever a strike or lockout is in on in any department thereof, thus making an injury to one an injury to all.

Instead of the conservative motto, “freeze beer prices,” we must inscribe on our banner the revolutionary watchword, “abolition of the big beer corporations.”

It is the historic mission of beer drinkers to do away with big beer corporations. The army of production and consumption must unite, not only for the everyday struggle with capitalists, but also to carry on production when capitalism shall have been overthrown. By making our own beer, making it good, and drinking it ourselves, we are forming a new society within the shell of the old.

Lefse Blond

2008-05-27T08:09:00.000-07:00

Courtesy of NB

This blurb from the kit got covered in beer so we had to paraphrase some of it:
"From the little-known Lutheran monasteries of Northern Minnesota comes this artisanal blonde abbey pale, self-effacing, and easy to get along with, this Belgian style blond ale features the same generous malt profile and spicy yeast as the stronger Dubbels and Tripels, but its more modest gravity...so you can enjoy a couple and remain upright and hard-working.."

Fermentables
6.3 lbs Briess Pilsen Malt Syrup
1 lbs Soft Blond Candi Sugar

Additions
1.5 oz Spalt (60 min)
.5 oz Spalt (5 min).

Yeast
Wyeast #1762 Belgian Abbey II

OG 1053
Ready 6 weeks

Bavarian Hefe Weizen

2008-05-27T08:06:00.000-07:00

Courtesy of NB

Fermentables
6 lbs Wheat Malt Syrup
1 lbs Wheat Dry Malt Extract

Additions
1 oz Sterling (60)

Yeast
Wyeast #3333 German Wheat Yeast

OG: 1049
Ready: 5 weeks.

Foaming like Cujo on rock candy out the airlock. Fair warning.

Bloke Beer Results

2008-05-20T09:31:00.000-07:00

The English pale ale is out. Honestly, I think it tastes more like Ass than Bass...it manages to taste a bit watered down and metallic at the same time. Maybe like some of the other beers it will do better with age. Or maybe not. Some dreams crash like airplanes. Maybe ass is what you get for dropping burning pictures of her majesty into the wort. Or screaming 'there's no future in england's dreaming' at the carboy.

Juniper Ale

2008-05-14T19:03:00.000-07:00

My shout out to the evergreen forests of the American Southwest. The first beer BSB has made off the script.

Fermentables: Gold Malt Extract, Briess Caramel #10
Additions: Chinook 1oz 60min, 1oz 1min; juniper berries 1oz for 15 minutes while wort is in the cold bath.

Cream Ale Results

2008-05-02T15:47:00.000-07:00

Now that we know how many holes it takes to fill the Albert Hall....The Cream Ale is good tasting session beer. Lighter and less metallic tasting than Genesse. In fact, seems like a different beer altogether. Low to no bitterness. Creamy more in a biscuit way--like Fat Tire. Follows through with a cream pop finish. A little bit like good bubble gum (if you spit it out before it gets gross). Was great at 2 weeks. Was excellent at 4.

Teamsters Strike St. Paul Liquor Distributor

2008-04-19T11:29:00.000-07:00

Teamsters on strike at St. Paul liquor distributor call for boycott

By Michael Moore, St. Paul Union Advocate editor

17 April 2008

ST. PAUL - Truck drivers and warehouse workers at Johnson Brothers Liquor Company's distribution facility in St. Paul have been on strike since St. Patrick's Day, and the 700 Teamsters are asking supporters who drink Phillips liquors, Gallo wines or Karkov Vodka to boycott those labels until the dispute is settled.

The previous contract between Teamsters Local 792 and Johnson Brothers expired Feb. 28, and Larry Yoswa, principal officer of the local, said negotiations quickly broke down in March, when management attempted to drive a wedge into the bargaining unit by unilaterally giving raises to supplemental employees.

"We were at the table, but we weren't even talking economics yet," Yoswa said. "Management was trying to split the group."

In response, Local 792 filed a complaint of unfair labor practices with the National Labor Relations Board, which is investigating. Negotiations resumed, but it soon became apparent, Yoswa said, that Johnson Brothers had no interest in a new contract.

"They weren't putting offers on the table," he said. "They weren't bargaining in good faith."

Union members walked off the job at 4 a.m. on March 17, and they declared a statewide boycott of the brands distributed exclusively by Johnson Brothers: Phillips, Gallo and Karkov.

Johnson Brothers, a national distribution firm headquartered in St. Paul, hired replacement workers immediately after the strike began and has since placed advertisements seeking permanent replacements – a move that prompted a second NLRB complaint from Local 792.

"We feel this is an unfair-labor-practices strike, and it's illegal for the company to hire permanent replacements," Yoswa said.

Still, Johnson Brothers' message was not lost on striking members.

"What we're hearing from the inside is the owner is saying the union isn't coming back," Yoswa said. "He's going to try to break them. That's why he's put out an ad for permanent replacements."

Meanwhile, Local 792 believes the temporary replacement drivers were "fast-tracked" into their positions. If management bypassed the drug screenings, background checks and physical exams that usually go into hiring process, Johnson Brothers is putting Minnesotans' safety and security at risk.

"Our members take their jobs seriously and conform to safety requirements that keep the workplace and the public safe," Yoswa said. "Now Johnson Brothers is taking a risk by disregarding proven safety standards and sending untested drivers out on public streets."

Striking members of Local 792 have seen the safety hazard posed by replacement drivers firsthand the past few weeks, as the Teamsters have begun employing "roving pickets." In the maneuver, designed to spread the pain of the strike from Johnson Brothers to its clients, strikers follow replacement drivers' trucks and erect picket lines wherever they attempt to unload.

"The beer (delivery) guys, the pop guys – those are all 792 members," Yoswa said. "They'll go right by. They won't cross those picket lines."

Yoswa estimated that Johnson Brothers is making about 35 percent of its regular deliveries – and losing accounts as a result.

Last weekend, Local 792 increased the pressure on Johnson Brothers' clients, distributing fliers announcing the boycott of Phillips, Gallo and Karkov at liquor stores throughout the Twin Cities.

"We're going to be out there in full force on the weekends, when people do their shopping, to let people know about the boycott," Yoswa said.

Although Johnson Brothers could cave under the Teamsters' pressure any day, Local 792 has dug in for a protracted struggle. The last meeting between the two sides, according to Yoswa, was March 31.

"Our members have been out a while, and they want to get back to work," Yoswa said. "But the end game for us is a contract.

"I think we're beating them. Any support people can give by stopping by the line or getting word out about the boycott would be greatly appreciated."

Reprinted from The Union Advocate, the official newspaper of the St. Paul Trades and Labor Assembly. Used by permission. E-mail The Advocate at: advocate@stpaulunions.org

Results of the Honey Kolsch

2008-04-14T15:53:00.000-07:00

It is a success! After 2 and half weeks fermenting and 2 weeks conditioning in the bottle, the Kolsch is very satifsying. It is refreshing, floral, lightly-sweet, and delicate. The vigorous fermentation from the 1 lbs of honey has given it a moderately higher alcohol content that expected. It will be perfect for summer bbq and fishing.

Ursa will report on the Cream Ale, which I will say now is one of the best cream ales I have ever tasted!

MWA...you know, for kids!

2008-04-03T15:00:00.001-07:00

Courtesy of our friends at the Red Special.

English Pale Ale

2008-03-30T10:35:00.000-07:00

Or...Bindle Stiff Bloke Brew.

This pale, courtesy of NB, was locked in the carboy yesterday, 3/29/07. We also bottled the Cream Ale and Walter's Kolsch.

Specialty Grains: .5 lbs Simpsons Crystal (smashed and steeped in sock)

Fermentables: 5 lbs Pilsen Malt Syrup, 1 lbs Golden Light Dry Malt Extract

Boil Additions: 1 oz Glacier (60 mins), 1 oz Kent Goldings (1 min)

Wyeast #1099 Whitbread A.le Yeast

A Great Big Steaming Pile Of...

2008-03-29T12:51:00.001-07:00

Nothing worth drinking, at least not yet. Although we labored endless nights, slept with pirated copies of Radical Brewing under our pillow, and Walter read 19th century French poetry and whispered sweet nothing to the wort through the airlock, the first batch of BSB was a Big Time Steaming Pile of Big...well, you get the picture. Or do you?

Where did we go wrong? Where we really there? Was that us laughing on top of the carousel? What pixie sprinkled majik dookie dust on our fermentables?

A couple of ideas...(1) I can't remember if we filtered the wort before transferring it to the carboy, (2) during fermentation the carboy was exposed to sunlight (though indirect), (3) the bottling process was somewhat half-hazard and too much air may have gotten into the fucking bottling bucket, (4) Walter got his dirty protestant germs on the clean catholic yeast.

And yet...the process was instructional. We are figuring out where we went wrong. We've got a whopping four more batches underway. We get better at sterilizing things. We've developed expensive hobby. Finally, we've oedipalized our brew diary with freudian scatological innuendo. Enjoy shitfuckers!

More soon!

Minnesota State Homebrewing Laws

2008-03-13T18:17:00.000-07:00

Courtesy of Beertown.

Statute:
Minnesota statute Chapter 340A, §340A.301, Subdivision. 9 permits the unlicensed manufacture of beer in the home for family use. Minnesota statute Chapter 297G, §297G.07 permits Fruit juices naturally fermented or beer naturally brewed in the home for family use to be free from state excise tax.

Discussion:
This statute is a very concise exception enabling the production of beer free from state excise tax without license or permit. §340A.101 Subdivision 16 defines Malt Liquor as any beer, ale, or other beverage made from malt by fermentation and containing not less than one-half of one percent alcohol by volume.

Special Provisions:
N/A

State Alcohol Beverage Control Agency:
Department of Public Safety
Liquor Control Division
444 Cedar Street, Suite 133
St. Paul MN 55101
(651) 296-6979
FAX: ( 651) 297-5259

Applicable Statutory Material:
340A.101. Definitions

Subdivision 1. Terms. For purposes of this chapter the following terms have the meanings given them.

Subd. 2. Alcoholic beverage. "Alcoholic beverage" is any beverage containing more than one-half of one percent alcohol by volume.

Subd. 12a. Home Brewing Equipment. "Home Brewing Equipment" means portable equipment designed for use in home manufacturing of malt liquor in quantities of ten gallons or less and supplies and ingredients for home manufacture of malt liquor.

Subd. 16. Malt liquor. "Malt liquor" is any BEER, ale, or other beverage made from malt by fermentation and containing not less than one-half of one percent alcohol by volume.

Subd. 29. Wine. "Wine" is sparkling and carbonated wine, wine made from condensed grape must, wine made from other agricultural products than sound, ripe grapes, imitation wine, compounds sold as wine, vermouth, cider, perry and sake, in each instance containing not less than seven percent nor more than 24 percent alcohol by volume for nonindustrial use.

340A.301. Manufacturers and wholesalers licenses

Subdivision 1. Licenses required. No person may directly or indirectly manufacture or sell at wholesale intoxicating liquor, or 3.2 percent malt liquor without obtaining an appropriate license from the commissioner, except where otherwise provided in this chapter.

Subdivision. 9. Unlicensed manufacture. Nothing in this chapter requires a license for the natural fermentation of fruit juices or brewing of BEER in the home for family use.
297G.07.

Exceptions
The following are not subject to the excise tax:
(6) Fruit juices naturally fermented or beer naturally brewed in the home for family use.

Note: The information presented here is to the best of our knowledge and should not be used as a substitute for legal advice specific to the laws of your state.

2008-03-13T18:00:00.000-07:00

Cream Ale

2008-03-13T15:59:00.000-07:00

We're cooking up another batch. This time a Cream Ale--recipe courtesy of Northern Brewer. It is described by them as "a light, clean fermenting ale modeled after the 'cream lagers' of the northeast US. Low in gravity, long on flavor, this beer is a pale thirst quencher, great for brewing and enjoying in the summertime. Dingemans Biscuit Malt gives our cream ale a warm toasty flavor that complements the light hopping."

Sounds good, huh? Here's what we put in it:

Specialty Grains: .75 lbs. Gambrinus Honey Malt, .25 lbs. Dingemans Biscuit.

Fermentables: 6 lbs. Pilsen Malt Syrup.

Boil Additions: 1 oz. Willamette Hops (60 min).

Yeast: Wyeast #1056

Process: same as before except steamed specialty grains in 1.5 gallons of water for 15 minutes prior to adding the fermentables. Note: be careful NOT to boil these specialty grains as they may release tannins that make the beer taste shitty.

Beer in the airlock

2008-03-11T09:44:00.000-07:00

Here Here to the post below - - Ursa's post eloquently explains what we are all about...

Here is a quick note on a change in the Kolsch. I came home last night to the smell of bready beer and a hissing/bubbling sound! This beer is fermenting like crazy! This batches high qualiy yeast and the high quantity of fermentables is causing a yeast feed frenzy. The top 1/5 of the carboy is completely full with foam and bubbles have made there way into the airlock. No worries though, Co2 is still escaping and no oxygen is invading, so the beer is good. This morning, the bubbles subsided, but the carboy is still full of foam and letting out consistent belches of Co2. You get the sense that beer is really alive.

Another note: this wort has been covered with a blanket to keep out light that can kill our precarious yeast. The wort has changed from a dark nut brown to a light carmel color. Very interesting.

More updates coming. This batch will be bottled in approximately 12 days.

On Cooperation

2008-03-11T09:19:00.000-07:00

We have no illusions about cooperatives. Class war happens on the industrial front. Because capitalism is a more than simply a mode of production but an way of social organization that permeates us, each of us, through and through, we recognize that there is no outside of the battle. It will be the self-activity and organization of all workers in all industries that will produce a new world, a social revolution, from within the shell of dead labor.

Cooperation is not a solution to capitalism. Cooperatives attempt to invert a system based on profit by isolating themselves (as much as possible) from the market. But they are still wholly within a society governed by the logic of capital. By attempting to invert the logic of profit without actually inverting the logic of profit, cooperatives are like the camera obscura—the inversion of the image becomes the reality of problematic politics.

And yet, trench warfare is always a game of inches. We see our efforts as an inch. What is this inch? What to make of this negligible difference? The imperceptible inch. The catalytic of new existential constellations. What Guattari calls the molecular: “this dimension of interrogation of the relationship between subjectivity and all kinds of things, the body, time, work, problems of daily life, all the becomings of subjectivity addressed by these molecular revolutions.” Something as simple as brewing beer with your comrades valorizes our power to make our present reality different than it is without really changing anything. This seems to us to be a basic survival mechanism from the doldrums deep within enemy territory.

It is also quite Practical. Good beer costs Big bucks. We like Good beer. We make No money. We brew own Good beer for Cheap. We make Friends and Share. Call us americans if you must. Huh!

Bindle-Stiff Honey Kolsch

2008-03-09T17:32:00.001-07:00

Sunday, March 9th, the year of our lord two-thousand and eight...

Today Bindle-stiff started a new batch of summer beer for backyard bbq's and all-day bass fishing...Bindle Stiff Honey Kolsch! This time we branched out a bit to make a more sophisticated and complex beer with an very different process. We also obtained a second carboy to enable larger production of the beer we all love. This recipe is courtesy of Northern Brewer in St. Paul, MN.

Ursa and Walter Kurtz are at it again...

Ingredients: (Fermentables)
6 lbs of Gold Malt Extract
1 lbs of honey
1 oz of Mt. Hood Hop Pellets
Wyeast #1010 American Wheat Yeast
5 gallons of purified filtered H20

Process:
Boil 1.5 gallons of water
Remove kettle from burner while stirring in Malt Extract and Honey
Return to boil and add hops (note - use very large pot to avoid boil over when you add hops)
Boil for 60 minutes while stirring occasionally
Chill wart for 1/2 hour in a sink full of 3 inches of cold water and ice
Chill wart to 80 degrees Farenheit
While chilling add 3 gallons to primary fermenter (carboy)
Pour chilled wart into carboy
Top off carboy to 5 gallons with filtered water
Sanitize yeast packet
Pitch yeast into wart
Lightly swirl yeast for 10 seconds
Seal carboy with sanitized airlock and stopper
Ferment 7-14 days (or until fermentation is complete - i.e. no activity in the airlock)

Bottling:
Sanitize equipment
Mix priming solution (organic corn sugar) - measure 3/4 cup of priming sugar
Combine sugar with 1 pint of water in a small sauce pan
Boil 5-10 minutes
Pour priming solution into bottling bucket
Mix beer with priming solution by siphoning beer into bottling bucket, leaving behind sediment
Stir gently to mix
Fill and cap bottles
Allow bottles to condition for 10-14 days

Drink and enjoy!

Our First Recipe: A Steam?

2008-03-04T19:12:00.000-08:00

The first batch of Bindle-stiff beer is in the carboy fermenting. Relatively few start-up materials were required for our start-up.

Materials:
A. Stage 1 - Fermentation
6 gallon glass carboy
6.5 gallon bottling bucket
Buon Vino 3-piece airlock
#6 1/2 Rubber Stopper
5 Gallons of purified water
2.2 lbs of light 100% Barley Malt Extract
Thomas Cooper's (Pilsner) Malt Concentrate (1.25 liters)

B. Stage 2 - 2nd fermentation/bottling
6.5 gallon bottling bucket
Spigot
Siphon tubing
Auto siphon
Bottle filter
Bottle & carboy brush
Liquid crystal Thermometer
Hydometer
Test Cylinder
Bottle caps and bottles
Beer Thief
Red Baron Capper
8 inch funnel w/screen

Day 1 - Wort & Prefermentation

Step 1 - We heated the Pilsner Hopped Malt Concentrate (unopened) in boiling water for about 7 minutes to make it easier to dissolve into heated water. Simultaneously, we heated 3 quarts of purified water in a large (14 quart pot). Heating the malt concentrate makes it easier to pour.
We also added the concrete and 2.2. lbs (actually about 1.8-2 because we were making 5 not 6 gallons). We stirred the mixture until dissolved and added one gallon of water to the wort. When it was fully dissolved we poured the wort into the carboy (with a gallon of water already in the carboy). Then we filled the rest of the carboy with the remainder of the 2-3 gallons of water to make exactly 5 gallons. We immediately added a packet of dry yeast and capped with carboy with the airlock (filled 1/2 with clean water) inside the rubber stopper. We then tilted the carboy back at a 45 degree angle and swirled the carboy in a circular motion for 30 seconds to distribute the yeast throughout the mixture.

Usually this type of beer ferments at colder temperatures. We have stored the mixture at room temperature in order to attempt to duplicate a "steam" California style beer. We grow increasingly awed as it changes colors in Ursa's kitchen.

Bindle-stiff Beer

2008-03-04T18:01:00.000-08:00

Welcome to a new world. A new chapter in your life begins today. If you are sad, we will make you happy. If you are lonely, you will find friends. Yes, of course you can smoke. Here, we've got a light for you. If you're going to join us on this wild ride of life, you're going to need some supplies. That's where we come in.

This blog is for the autonomous artisan brewer that finds meaning and value in the local production of products of inebriation. We feel that autonomous brewing affirms and embodies the spirit of a cooperative worker-run economy. Bindle-stiff beer is about drinking the fruits of your own labor.

The affirmation of brewer autonomy is also the affirmation of the labor power of all brewers. One beer expresses many labors. One brew is the apotheosis of thousands of years of the refinement of capacities and tastes that we valorize by close study, duplication, and transformation at every stage of the brewing process.

For this operation we choose the name Bindle-stiff to reflect the ingenuity and talent of the hobos and the tramps of the Industrial Workers of the World. Throughout the American West, these migrant workers of the early 20th century owned nothing but their own labor power and lived by virtue of their knack to survive and to circulate among the networks of care they developed within the union. This is the spirit of our brewing effort.

Bindle-stiff beer is a worker-owned brewery. The workers make beer they like. And then they drink it. If you happen to find us, and like our beer, you are welcome to join us.

Ursa & Walter Kurtz
Brewmasters