Juniper Pale Ale

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

...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 Homebrewing. 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

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.