Abu's Saison

A recent visit to the UK and upcoming ESB Annual Homebrew Competiton has prompted some action. Firstly I had to brew something completely non-English in order to get over the Real Ales I sampled thoughout the trip. So why not brew a Saison!! A recipe developed with support from Randy Mosher's Radical Brewing blended with some tweaks from Jamil Zainasheff's Beer Styles book, led to the creation of this recipe. Any success of this beer must be attributed to those guys. Brewed with Mick, we compiled two 22L batches with one using the Whitelabs yeast Saison I WLP565 and the other Saison Blend WLP568. The name of this recipe was derived from being in Abu Dhabi at the time of creation. Not the most alcohol tolerant place in the world but better the rest of the Middle East!

                         Overlooking the hills in Bath, UK       No Real Ales here at Brewdog Camden

Based on results, recipe will be forthcoming along with the award winning Marzen and recent Russian Imperial Stout!

Marzen-al Success

Last month my brewing partner and I entered three beers in the NSW Amateur Homebrewing Championships held at Potters Brewery in the Hunter Valley. Two of the beers were from the same mash but hopped slightly differently, they were the Marzen/Oktoberfest and a lighter Vienna Lager. We also entered our Foreign Export Style Stout which was a runner up in our club competition.

Our stout performed well, however was never in the reckoning. The Vienna Lager won its category with the Oktoberfest runner-up. All the category winners were judged together for the Best of Show in which it finished Runner-Up. We were so stoked to have done so well. Our homebrew club called funny enough ESB, was a clean sweep with Barry claiming Champion Brewer and Joe getting the BOS gong.

This weekend we have entered our Vienna and Marzen in the Australian Homebrewing Championships in Adelaide and we wait eagerly in anticipation. Go Whifinn Brewery!

The detail of the journey really starts now!

Fast forward 3 years since the THE EVENT (not my wedding day or the birth of my first born), but that fateful trip out the back of Bathurst, I have had two more children. It was only a few weeks ago that I laid down a 50L all-grain batch of Marzen with my brewing partner, for whom we shall henceforth refer to as simply Mick!

Thus having three children in four years has led to the development or culturing of home bound hobbies. Gone are the regular outings of golf (had a shocking fade anyway), fishing (am a dangler not an angler) and the guitar (got one for a birthday and it stays in the cupboard). Now homebrewing is the true house-bound hobby for the house-bound man.

Now let's not mistake that I am some down-trodden, browbeaten, subjugated, broken, oppressed, demoralised and exploited husband because I know my cup is overflowing. This is a literal reference as I accidently over carbonated my Foreign Export Stout and it is gushing over my keyboard. For those beer wankers/nerds, it was because my beer did not attenuate enough and with residual/suspended yeast and sugars, it lead to an over carbonated beer. I can honestly claim, I am happier when I am at home, so much so, I will remain at home even when I am on holidays.

Yet, the death of a former work colleague, whose two children I taught momentarily prompted me to reflect on my life. Funerals are like New Years Eve Resolutions, where you boldly state or promise that you will henceforth change the way you live because life is too short and filled with too much negativity and selfishness. You make the commitment, not unlike that drunken one you made at midnight on NYE to lead a better life.

Yet the reality of life is that we are creatures of habit and seldom do our spots really change. My change has come about from the people who are still with me, who are continuing the journey with me. For the people I have lost on the way (family, friends and colleagues), I often reflect with a smile in a quieter moment with a beer in hand.

The 50L batch of Marzen is the most balanced beer we have produced, still a little cloudy, however, the flavours are so delicate. This beer is not the mouth explosion you get in other hoppier beers, it’s a delicate and soft beer. It is still really full-flavoured although without the overtop malt sweetness or harsh bitterness.

We have named this beer Marist’s Marzen and is dedicated to Peter, a delicate and soft man with a full-flavoured personality who compressed so much into a short life but never to be forgotten! We may not change our spots but I like to still toast and smile when we reflect on your life and the few experiences we shared, discussing your boys!

Vale Peter!

Winter Warmers Beer Festival

In a moment of hazy stupor from our deliciously brewed doppelbock, my brewing partner came up with the concept of the Winter Warmers Beer Festival. This idea was inspired by our ESB Homebrew Competition for 2011. The concept was simply to invite everyone you know, buy the best in Australian and one American craft beer, match it with some food and off you go.

The only glitch was we organised this special day on the same as our homebrew competition. As the punters arrived they sampled beer battered fish and chips (served with Sierra Nevada Pale Ale), roast pumpkin and fennel soup (served with Holgate's ESB), BBQ veges and cajun chicken with tzatziki on tortillas (served with Jamieson's Brown Ale, spaghetti meatballs (served with Bridge Road Celtic Red), 7 hour roast lamb on a roll (served with Lord Nelson's Old Admiral) and finally chocolate brownies (served with Brew Boys Ace of Spades Stout).

As we feasted, the kids ran amok on a jumping castle and around the spacious back yard (we did feed them as well). In between craft beers we served on tap our own smokey bock, not quite to style but a very nice dark lager. As the kids departed with some wives, it was left to a few to polish off the rest.

In the end, six cases ($500) of craft beer, an 18 litre keg and few other homebrewed longnecks all gone and a dusty Sunday to awake to. What cleared the senses on that Sunday was news that our Foreign Export Stout gained equal second place, while our doppelbock was average and our scotch ale was way too green and still needed plenty of mellowing out.

It's not about the beer!

This blog is about 3 years too late. If I was truly going to document my journey into brewing, I would of started this a lot earlier, however, my first post should outline the beginning...

Like any homebrewer, my journey begins with an innocuous start. A good friend of mine (later to become brewing partner) had dabbled in homebrewing. It was kit and kilo stuff and I would often sit and watch him wash his bottles while I drank his mass-produced commercial swill from a can. Good times!

However, for me the real beginning was a family trip to another good mate’s family property outside of Bathurst. His dad was a part-time homebrewer (I have met some full-time homebrewers) and I was inspired liked some geek-pimply faced teenager watching soft porn. It was not about the beer, it was about his set-up. An old fridge resting against against a slate wall with two beer taps protruding out from the doors. Inside were two 19L kegs with his wares.

I sampled his beer (could have been piss) but I did not care, this was cool. For clarification on this point, the beer was very good. I was so inspired, that I sheepishly tried to convince everyone to have a beer at 8am, just so I could pull a beer. This time, I drank alone!

This trip was conveniently close to my birthday, so I convinced my lovely wife that a homebrew kit with keg system was what I wanted. I am very fortunate that I live near a homebrew shop. Like any cashed up beginner, I bought stuff that I had no idea how to use but that did not matter. I was going to make beer and more importantly at this point in time, I was going to serve it from a tap.