Live Coverage Ghetto Homebrew

Today I will be brewing a Kolsch style beer, in fact, it'll be the same recipe as one of my wedding beers. I'm going to try and have this ready for Addison! Oktoberfest, my in-laws will most likely be in town and my mother-in-law really likes Kolsch beers. Aren't I so nice? And just like Sirron's brewday, today will be filled with awesome weather (scattered rain and Houston humid-ish). Perhaps after I brew and clean up we'll go to the Ginger Man and have some beer and beer food. Even though it's hot, more than likely it won't be filled with the Chris-Chris, douche bag tools who drive their low end BMWs due to no Dallas Mavericks game tonight.

9:47am - Crap, I can't find my stir bar for my yeast starter, off to Homebrew Headquarters, my
local homebrew shop (LHS), with my morning Dunn Brothers Coffee.

11:06am - Alright, got the yeast starter boiling, I need to keep an eye on this sucker as it likes to boil over almost every time, little bastard. I usually try to make the starter the night before but due to no stir bar, it's this morning it is.

12:05pm - Mash has started, 90 minutes from now I'll begin to recirculate then sparge the mash. Aren't you mesmerized by my super awesome ghetto mash tun? If not, you should be, it is truly greatness, how could Jimmy Buffett and a Texas A&M blankey not be cool?

12:29 - Beer time, better start with something light, and the winner is, Saint Arnold Summer Pils. This has to be my favorite summer varietal, if you don't know, you better axe somebody.....or just go get a six pack......or case......whatever you're into. Just try it and you'll see what all my fuss in about.

1:00pm - My buddy from work, Greg, just got here with his kid, quality parenting showing up to a house where drinking and making beer are favorite past times. Good job homes! I guess I'll go ahead and eat some lunch that my wonderful wife made for me.

1:30pm - It's spaaaarging, it's spaaaarging time. I use a gravity system for this, second drinking beer is another Saint Arnold Summer Pils. Just checked outside, temperature reads about 86F, humidity is quite strong though, how unfortunate.

3:29pm - Alrighty now the boil is going, this is going to be a 90 minute boil. I do that to reduce DMS precursors, DMS can leave a canned corn type of aroma and taste in the finished beer and one way to reduce those precursors is a longer boil. Since the Kolsch style is a German type beer, 95% of the grist (grain) is pilsner malt. Pilsner malt is one of the lighter types of base malts and since it is not kilned as hot or as long as other base grains, the DMS precursors remain in the malt. It's hot out there, only 91F though, Sirron must be jealous, oh yeah, no rain right now and the humidity has gone done considerably.

3:57pm - Bittering hops are in, a blend of Hallertauer and Tettanger, I'm trying to clean out my hop supply and both are appropriate so, why not? Oh yeah, I switched to water for the moment, the sweat factor is high.

4:26pm - Crap, rain looks like it's rolling in, lemme check weather.com.....double crap, it really looks like it's going to rain on me. CRAP!!

5:05pm - Well, here's a quick shot of the prepared wort, after boiling with the hops, going into the fermenter. Nothing fancy, just pumping from one vessel to another via a heat enchanger cooled by the garden hose water.

5:14pm - Now that the wort has been cooled down I'll start to aerate it. I just use an aquarium pump and a stainless steel stone thing. It works ok I guess, an Oxygen tank with a rate controled regulator would be better though.

6:21pm - Everything is put away and the wort is chilling, it's not technically beer until the yeast gets pitched (ie. yeast + wort = beer). And after all the concern, it didn't rain, sweet. I'll take care of pitching the yeast tomorrow, for now it's Spicy Chicken Pad Thai from a box and homebrewed American IPA, yummy.