Thursday, September 26, 2013

We Still Have Hops

Hard to find hops can be found at SCBS!

Not sure what kind of beer to do next? Base it off of a hop you haven't used very much or at all. We have them in stock... at least for now.


Check out Citra, Mosaic, Motueka, Galaxy, Nelson Sauvin, Palisade, Progress, Zythos, and Topaz online or in the store. 

We have a new addition as well: Australian Summer. It has a unique melon and apricot character. Limit 4 per customer.

Pedigree
Open pollination of a tetraploid Czech Saaz

Brewing Usage
Aroma

Aroma
Balanced citrus, melon and light apricot tones

Alpha Acids
5.6 - 6.4%

Beta Acids
4.8 - 6.1%

Friday, September 13, 2013

Fruit Wine Basics

Fruit wine is a popular alternative to the home winemaker since varietal grapes such as Merlot and Riesling are not usually grown in peoples backyards, And while wine grapes have been bred over thousands of yeast to have the right amount of sugar, bitterness, acidity, and flavor to make a full bodied and complex glass of wine, don't think that fruit wine is for hillbillies and prisoners. You can make incredibly good wine out of fruit with the right adjustments and time that rival the complexity of fancy bottle of chardonnay, or your favorite Merlot. The steps for fermenting fruit wine are the same as it is with grape wine, but there are some additional adjustments that are needed.

The main things to consider while making your wine are as follows: 
  • How much you want to make
  • How much fruit and sugar you want to use
  • How long do you want to wait
  • Adjusting bitterness and acidity levels

None of these Items are hard to do, and some refinement will probably be needed after your first batch, but be sure that great wine is possible at home.

How Much
You need to weigh the amount of fruit that is available to you with the amount of work you want to put into it, the equipment you have, and of course the amount you think you can drink.

Fruit and Sugar
Some fruits yield bigger flavor than others, but 2-4 lbs of fruit per gallon of water is a good base line. There is no “right” amount. The less fruit you use the lighter your wine will be, both in body and in depth. If you like deep, heavy dessert style wine, the more fruit you will want to use.

Again, there is no “right” amount of sugar to add to your fruit. The amount of sugar used determines the amount of alcohol in your finished wine, plain and simple. Some fruit has enough convertible sugar to make a good alcoholic drink. Apple juice for example will yield about a 5% alcohol by volume cider all on its own, but that is not wine. Adding additional sugar will boost the alcohol level above 9% which would be considered wine. What kind of sugar is up to you, but Cane sugar or Corn sugar gives consistent results without adding much to the flavor, and one pound of either will give you approximately 5%ABV in a one gallon batch.

The Wait
The addition of sugar increases the amount of alcohol, but the increase of alcohol also extends the amount of time needed to wait for the finished product to be “drinkable”. Much of the bathroom hooch style of home wine is a result of wine that has not had proper time to age. This is a result of the sharp solvent flavor of Ethanol produced by yeast that has not had a chance to blend and meld with the juice. The more Ethanol produced, the more time it needs to mellow out.

Bitterness and Acidity
Wine grapes have the advantage of having the right amount of bitterness and acidity built in for the most part, but you may want to adjust both of these for a fruit wine to attain the right mouth feel. Bitterness in wine comes from the tannin in the grape skin, other fruits have this too, but in most cases you will be removing the skin, so adding tannin back in will help balance the sweetness of the wine. Similarly, the lack of acidity in your fruit wine can give it a watered down, and flat taste. There are some fruits that don't need much additional acid, if any, like blueberries and cranberries, but adding a blend of tartaric and malic acids is good practice for most other fruits. This can be adjusted through trial and error, or by using an acid test kit.

The fermentation process will be the same from here on out. Just make your juice, add your sugar, add your tannin, and acid blend then your yeast. Ferment it for several weeks and you will be ready to bottle. Age for another several months and you will be ready to drink your wine.

Thursday, September 5, 2013

A Yeast By Any Other Name

People always have their own preference of yeast. In a previous post, we went over the differences (or the lack there of) between the American Chico strain (Wyeast 1056, While Labs 001, and Safale US-05), but what happens when there is no dry equivalent and your recipe calls for 1968 London ESB Yeast, but you are not a fan of Wyeast. Or conversely, the recipe calls for 002 English Ale, but you don't like White Labs... well, good news, They are the same. You see, the same Brewer has allowed each company to package the same yeast under their own brand, and they often get named something different. So, if you have a Stout recipe and your local home brew supply store is fresh out of your 004 because St Patricks day is 2 months out, have no fear, they probably still have 1084 and since they are both from Guinness you can expect the same results with your beer. You can pour the 1084 into an old While Labs vial first if you would like (just remember to sanitize it first).

Here is a quick reference guide to the strains that, for the extensive research we have done, come from the same breweries packaged by the different manufacturers:
  
Wyeast White Labs Brewery
1007 German Ale   WLP036  Düsseldorf Alt Düsseldorf (Zum Uerige)
1028 London Ale   WLP013 London Ale   Worthington White Shield
1056 American Ale   WLP001 California Ale   Sierra Nevada
1084 Irish Ale   WLP004 Irish Ale   Guinness
1098 British Ale   WLP007 English Dry Whitbred – dry
1187 Ringwood Ale WLP005 British Ale Ringwood
1214 Belgian Ale   WLP500 Trappist ale Chimay
1272 American Ale II  WLP051 California V Ale   Anchor Liberty
1275 Thames Valley Ale   WLP023 Burton Ale   Henley of Thames
1335 British Ale II  WLP025 Southwold Ale Adnam's?
1338 European Ale   WLP011 European Ale   Wisenschaftliche Station
1388 Belgian Strong Ale WLP570 Belgian Golden Ale   Duvel (Moortgart) via McEwans
1728 Scottish Ale WLP028 Edinburgh Scottish Ale McEwan's
1762 Belgian Abbey II  WLP540 Abbey IV Ale Rochefort
1968 London ESB Ale   WLP002 English Ale Fullers
2001 Urquell Lager   WLP800 Pilsner Lager   Pilsner Urquell
2007 Pilsen Lager   WLP840 American Pilsner Lager Budweiser
2112 California Lager   WLP810 San Francisco Lager   Anchor Steam
2124 Bohemian Lager   WLP830 German Lager   Weihenstephan 34/70
2206 Bavarian Lager   WLP820 Oktoberfest Lager   Weihenstephan 206
2308 Munich Lager   WLP838 South German Lager Wisenschaftliche
2487 Hella-Bock WLP833 German Bock Ayinger Brewery
2575PC Kolsch II   WLP003 German Ale II Weihenstephan W165
3068 Weihenstephan Weizen WLP300 Hefeweizen Ale Weihenstephan 68
3333 GermanWheat   WLP380 Hefeweizen IV Ale   Weihenstephan 66?
3522 Belgian Ardennes   WLP550 Belgian Ale   Achouffe
3638 Bavarian Wheat   WLP351 Bavarian Weizen Weihenstephan 175
3724 Belgian Saison WLP565 Saison Ale Brasserie Dupont
3787 Trappist High Gravity WLP530 Abbey Ale Westmalle
3944 Belgian Witbier   WLP400 BelgianWit Ale   Hoegaarden/Celis