Extract Plus Grains Demo Brew at MHBWS

Kevin, from Mountain Homebrew & Wine Supply gave a demonstration today, start to finish, of brewing a batch of their Bumberblonde Ale recipe using malt extract plus grains. This was a great chance to learn from someone who has been brewing for over sixteen years. And also an opportunity to see some state-of-the-art beginner/intermediate equipment in use. The end product was a real batch of beer, once fermented, and I'm betting it will be quite tasty. The aroma of malt and fresh hops boiling in the finished wort was a nice sensation on a Saturday afternoon. The taste of the cooled brew from the initial gravity measurement was a bit bitter, a bit green, and a touch sweet. Just the right combination for some hard working yeasts.

Photos of the demo from my iPhone:

A very slick propane burner and kettle from Blichmann Engineering that got the initial six gallons of steeping water to 150º in about twenty minutes. The connector to the propane tank has a very fine adjustment handle, which we managed to turn the wrong way at just the wrong stage of the full boil. Result: small boil over.

Back of the burner. Note the dozens of individual flames. Very even heat.

The finished wort with the chiller running. A side mounted thermometer was very helpful in monitoring the boil stages. The welded on spigot would have been useful if Kevin hadn't accidentally thrown in the fresh loose hops without a screen filter. In the end, he poured the wort through a "sock" over a funnel into the fermenter.

After chilling down to 80ºF, the beer is ready to have yeast added. 

We got a tour of the shop from Kevin following the brewing demonstration. This is the first homebrew shop I have been to, but I'm guessing it has the standard equipment and ingredients of any good quality operation. One interesting feature is a cookbook of recipes by style which you can pick out and then use to choose exact ingredients, or as a base for further experimentation. The grain area had at least fifty different types of malted whole grain and about a dozen different flattened grains as well. Two stand up coolers house the many varieties of liquid and dry yeast, and fresh and pelletized hops. Then, about a third of the front end wall of the place is stocked with dry and liquid malt extracts and bulk malts. Because the shop also carries wine making equipment, there are some intriguing crossover items as well: small oak barrels, oak flakes, and other aging accessories.

Now I'm nearly ready to begin brewing!