Belated Brewing

Last Sunday I just had the hankering to brew. I figured I would invite someone over to help out or hold off until Thursday when my normal brew buddy came over. But, my neighbor was up for it, so we brewed.

We whipped up a brown ale (think Newcastle, but with more hops). The recipe was interesting in that it called for the grains to be steeped in a separate vessel from dissolving the malt. Usually I'll steep then add the malt in the same pot. Using smaller amounts of liquid made the temperatures easier to manage, so if this comes out good I'll use the technique again.

I'm a little concerned about the heat and its effect on the fermentation. It's fermenting in a closet in a north facing room, so it's the coolest place in the house. But, yeast likes things at about 72 degree Fahrenheit, and I know that it's warmer than that in there now. Things should start cooling down tonight, so I may just have to give it an extra day or two for the yeast to get going again.

I'll bottle it in about a week or so (after fermentation), then it would be ready to drink in two more weeks after that. But, I'll give it another 4 weeks so the tastes really start to come together.

All this beer talk is making me thirsty. I'll make my next post after I pop one open.