Wonderboy Brewery and it's Elixirs

My brew day

2011-11-18T14:20:00.000-08:00

So I did it! I brewed yesterday evening. It was an extract brew, so I was done in a couple hours. I brewed the Brewer's best kit, HOPNOG 2011. It included a nice growler:

The kit included some experimental leaf hops so you can do whatever you want with the hop build. You can follow what I'm doing on Facebook, when I go there and tell them how I brewed this batch. I'm thinking there are going to be tons of variations on this brew.

I labored to get this kit. I won't go into details but some of the places I called or emailed requesting this kit had them, but didn't want to sell them to me. I figured it was because this kit was made of gold or something! I finally got it from Maryland Homebrew (www.mdhb.com). I'm hoping it was worth the fight!

After I brewed, I decided to bottle my Le Petite Orange. When I lifted the lid on this brew I though, "uh oh. Brew gone bad." The aroma wasn't something I was use to. Then I remembered last minute Tony and I decided to add coriander seeds and orange peel. As I finished bottling I took the liberty of tasting the brew from the racking cane. I think I'm going to have a favorite on my hands! The only disappointing thing is I think my ABV is only around 5%. I know you're saying, "That's pretty good!" But this brew was boasting to compete with the Belgians. I would think the ABV would have to be a little higher...

Oh well. I'm looking forward to crack the first bottle though. I think it's going to be a well balanced brew.

I still have my Cherry Honey Kolsch to bottle. I started soaking bottles this afternoon. I may get to that tonight, or at least before the weekend. I'll be done bottling for a while, I want to get back to kegging. I might keg the Hopnog, but I also have a brown ale, Caribou Slobber from Northern Brewer, to brew. I'll be set for the winter! I have to get on that Gluten Free brew, a couple others I have in mind, then my winter project:

THE WONDERBOY KEGGERATOR!!!!

I can't wait!

Side tracked

2011-11-16T16:50:00.001-08:00

I've had a sick child home for about a week, so I haven't done much as far as research for the ultimate Gluten Free brew. I will, however, get to some much needed bottling in the next day or two. My Le Petite Orange has been conditioning for about a month and a half, as well as my Cherry Honey Kolsch. I created labels for them the other day, and I have bottles cleaned for at least one batch. I have a bunch of growlers I may use for one of the batches.

I'm going to try and hold off on kegging anything for the next few months. I'm in the process of planning a keggerator. I've been looking at some plans and trying to get some modifications in that suit my needs. So far, I plan on using a chest freezer, and having at least 4 taps coming from it. There are some great articles from BYO for towers, as well as some designs of others' keggerators. I will post links when I begin building.

My next order of supplies will probably be my last for the season, with the exception of an occasional one on a good day. In a couple of months it'll be too cold to properly ferment anything except lagers. I have a brew belt, but I'm a little paranoid about that at times. Mine slips off and I don't keep a daily eye on my fermenters. But when I get the hankering for brewing in the winter, I bust it out and use it!

And speaking of fermenters, There are a lot of affordable conical fermenters out there. I have to check those out, because I strive to have a conical system someday.

I think tomorrow is going to be a brew day. I have the Hopnog kit from Brewer's best. It's an extract brew, so I need a couple hours. I can also bottle a batch of something....

We'll see.

IF you look, you shall find....

2011-11-10T18:38:00.000-08:00

So after my last post I perused the internet for some more Gluten Free(GF) beers. I came across this article:

http://switch2glutenfree.com/gluten-free-businesses/gluten-free-beer-reviews/

There are a few on here that I will start searching for. I'll be in my hometown of Rochester, NY soon enough, and I will go to Beers Of The World and see what they might have. I want to start brewing this beer before Christmas. I'm going to have a new Keggerator in the beginning of the new year and this would be a hoot to have as one of the 4 taps I'll have!

It wouldn't be fair, would it?

2011-11-10T17:37:00.001-08:00

Ok, so I didn't ant to go on hearsay alone, so I put another $10 on the table and got New Grist's contender, RedBridge to try it out....What a waste of $10.

Now, that may sound a bit harsh, but I feel I got jipped out of my money with this brew. I would have rather spent $3.99 on a six of Natty Boh. At least THAT BEER has flavor, and history.

RedBridge, although beautiful in color:

It left a lot to be desired on taste. The two friends I was drinking with, Tony and his brother Nate, enjoyed the RedBridge(not as much as New Grist, I brought both over to sample), but they are lite beer drinkers, so they are use to drinking brew with no flavor.

I really hate to sound so harsh, but the beer had great color, and a good mouth feel, but fell short on flavor. Perhaps I wouldn't have been so critical if I didn't spend so much on it, but I would have rather spent my $10 on a 22 of Southern Tier.

I know I have my work cut out for me trying to brew a Gluten Free beer. There's not much out there as far as multiple kinds of grains to use, but I'm going to do my best to make sure some flavor is in the beer when I'm finished. I aim not to disappoint, and I don't think I will...But time will tell.

Someone told me there are other Gluten Free brews out there. If there are, please comment on these posts. I would like to try more before brewing. The few wine and beer stores I've been to do not know too much about what's out there. I'd like to get as much research in as possible before taking the plunge in brewing a batch.

Gluten Free...Not cheap!

2011-11-02T20:19:00.000-07:00

So, I set out today to get some Gluten Free beer. I wanted to know what I was up against as far as flavor, taste, color, etc. My first shock was the price tag. I only had two choices at my local watering hole(if you know of any others that I haven't named, please let me know!), Lakefront's New Grist and Anheuser Busch's Redbridge.

Redbridge was $8.99 and New Grist was $9.99, which is the price I usually pay for some premium brew. The articles I've read and things I've heard from folks led me to believe that these beers weren't worth the hefty price tag. The merchant wasn't sure if there were any other contenders out there, so I had to decide which one I was going to get. Again, I relied on my friend Andrew, who had already tried the beers. He said that he would buy the New Grist again, so I went with it.

I got to say, it's better than I thought it would be. It actually tastes like a subtly fruited WIT. It is light and refreshing, something I would reach for after mowing the lawn or being outside all day. The flavor and body of the beer was nice, and the 5.7% ABV was a nice surprise as well. the only thing I am missing is a prominent hop overtone. I plan on addressing that with some dry hopping. I will have to find some hops that can counteract the fruity overtones of the sorghum syrup, and give a little floral/bitterness to the brew.

I'm a malt head, so I also miss the predominant flavor from the grains. The maltiness, the almost bread-like taste you get from the grains. The caramelly goodness you get from the natural sugars of the grain...>sigh< I know, I know....I'm not going to get all that, but I'm going to try.

I got the base of my recipe down. Sorghum syrup, Rice extracts, perhaps some Belgian Candi...I haven't decided which hops I'm going to use in the boil and use for dry hopping. I have some ideas to get a good mouth feel, and some flavor into the beer. But more on that later. I'm hoping to perfect this recipe and bring it in around $30-40/batch. At 5 gallons, that would give me 8-10 6 packs. That would make it WELL worth brewing this stuff, at $9.99 a six at the liquor store.

Absolutely Delicious...The thought is anyway.

Gluten Free

2011-11-01T18:10:00.000-07:00

This will be the first of a few posts on Gluten Free Brewing. My friend Andrew came over the other day, and I offered him a beer. He declined. "WTF?" I said, not really insulted, but surprised that he passed up a beer. He began explaining that he THINKS he doesn't have a problem, but he's felt sluggish lately and had tried to go gluten free. I told him it might be the 80+ hour work week he puts in, but I continued to listen. He said, "So YOU need to come up with a good gluten free homebrew. The stuff out there is expensive, and for the most part SUCKS."

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!

I've done a lot of research over the past couple of days. I'm not going to bash any brew that's out there already, especially since I haven't tasted any. I think the only brew out there that has a good following so far is LakeFront's New Grist. Anheuser Busch has their RedBridge...not too many seem to be a fan of this brew. Why one beer excels over another I couldn't tell you. Every gluten free beer has ONE main ingredient: Sorghum Sugar/syrup, made from Millet, which is a wheat/grain substitute found in South Africa. So why is this brew hard to make?

Well, I don't know if it's really HARD to make, but I think from what I'm reading it's hard to make it TASTE GOOD. And that's where my challenge begins. I was going to search the internet for some untouched millet, roast it and all grain this brew, but I thought I would step back a bit and start with the syrup and do and "extract" first. Why? I can basically go to my local store and get the ingredient tomorrow. The only millet I've seen so far was in flour and bird food form! But as I learn a bit more I will come into the perfect recipe and create an all grain version.

Because there is so little out there for gluten free brewing, I will continue to post during my journey of creating the perfect gluten free brew. Wonderboy's on the job folks! We'll get it done!

I think before I get my brew pot out, I need to sample some gluten free brew. I'm off to my local wine and brew shop tomorrow!

Tonight...We brew!

2011-10-01T17:49:00.001-07:00

I gotta brew!

I've had three brews waiting for me since the end of summer. I've done three brews as well:

An American Lite for my friend Andrew's brother's 50th(bought at The Thirsty Brewer)

A pale ale from Northern Brewer

A Nut Brown, my signature brew I call Nut Buster

But these other brews sat here, taunting me. Wanting to play, to be made into something special. Something great. I heard their calling and set out to make sure that today, no matter what, I would brew.

After watching my son's soccer game, AND endearing a trip to Lowes AND Home Depot to hear my wife talk about MORE home improvement projects, I started my elixir at around 7:30pm... And it's an all grain. I don't care though. I will have another brew under my belt, and perhaps brew again tomorrow!

The Le Petite Orange boasts to be rich with caramel sweetness with fruity overtones. Something that could be consumed during the summer months, but is strong and bold enough to handle a cool evening. I figure it'll be Thanksgiving when I'm cracking open my first bottle. I'm thinking it'll go well with a plate of turkey and stuffing. But I digress.

This beer claims to hold it's own to a Belgian Dubbel, only it being it's caramel colored first cousin. I personally cannot wait to see the first liquid out of the mash. Taste it's sweetness, and dream of what's to come.

Speaking of, my mash time is almost up so I better get to it! Stay tuned for the review of this baby. It's bound to be good!

Impromptu Brew Session

2011-06-05T17:09:00.001-07:00

So my friend Tony texted me and asked if I wanted to brew. I was in the middle of doing my web design homework, so I said, "sure. Give me an hour..." 20 minutes later I was walking through his door with my mash tun ready for business.

We're brewing a Cream Ale, Tony's staple brew. And it's delicious. It's a simple brew but should be a staple in every brewer's arsenal. It's refreshing on a hot day. It's a great brew to start someone new to beer on. And it's an American original.

Today though, was about fellowship. Catching up while brewing a batch of your favorite beer. Nothing could be better...well, perhaps a rack of ribs and some sausages....:)

Fruit Belgians

2011-05-22T19:20:00.001-07:00

I've decided to start trying different Belgians made with fruit. I think this will be my next conquest. I've brewed with fruit before, but nothing I've ever brewed compares to what these Belgians offer.

I started with a Kasteel Rouge, which blew my mind. This complex belgian infused with cherries was amazing! I'm drinking a Cassis Lambic now, which is infused with black currants. This too is an incredible brew. I think what blows me away is the fruitiness. I seriously thought I accidentally poured a glass of my kids' sparkling fruit juice. That is until I started feeling the buzz! It's almost like a health drink! Maybe next time I'll throw some of my protein powder in after a workout and drink up!

I will have to go through my BYO archives and see if there are any Belgian fruit brews in them. I could get a batch ready for next summer. I definitely could have a couple of these after spending a few hours on the lawn.

Other news, I'm going to start reworking www.wonderboybrewery.com. I want to add a recipe page and set up a page that looks like a bar for What's On Tap. I'm also going to have a review page so folks can try my recipes and tell me what they think.

I'm also going to try and host a brew session for the local folks. It's nice just to get together, brew, share secrets, and eat BBQ... Oh yeah...I keep the grill going while brewing. Sausages, ribs...whatever's in the fridge.

My next review will be another Belgian from Kasteel. Stay tuned!

Belgians

2011-04-18T18:20:00.001-07:00

So a friend of mine went to a beer tasting and brought me back some beer(thanks Rob!) I requested some Monk's Blood, which I didn't know was made here in the US of A, a lesson for another time, but Rob added the Kasteel to my bag. And was I glad he did.

At first pour you can smell the sour cherries. The initial look and flavor of this brew will raise your eyebrow. "I asked for a brew, not some mamby pamby fruity drink. Let me tell you, it's nothing like that.

The mouthfeel is tremendous. My first sip was something indescribable. Your tongue gets a burst or cherries, followed by the traditional caramel overtones of a Belgian. It finishes with a sour/sweet overtone that makes you wonder what you just drank. This brew is amazing!

My first couple of sips had me wondering if I was drinking beer. The fruity cherry flavors along with the style of the brew was an experience. And after a couple of sips I could FEEL the brew. And at 8.5% alcohol, I can see why!

Here's an actual description of the beer:

A truly unique and amazing beer! Kasteel blends their Brune with 25 % Mon Cheri brandy that has infused with Piemont cherries and aged for over a year.

This one is going on the list to brew. If I start now I can be drinking it by spring next year!

Tasty beverage

2011-04-10T19:29:00.001-07:00

I has this while bbqing earlier. There's nothing like a brew you made while grilling.

Enjoy!

Some Tasty Homebrew

2010-11-07T17:40:00.000-08:00

Well, just left Rochester NY. Had a great time there working on music, but this is a beer blog, so let's get to the good stuff....

My brother Stan has the pleasure of getting his Doctorate with a fine young homebrewer by the name of Christopher Pels. I'm hoping I'm spelling his name correctly! If not, I apologize! I'm not sure how long Chris has been brewing, and perhaps I should have waited to blog about his beers with more info. Perhaps this will be the start of a new segment, and I'll get Chris on the phone or Skype and have a live broadcast, WHO KNOWS!!! But I had to say it was some good beer.

Chris gave us 6 of his brews. I hear he has TONS more. Stan and I couldn't get through them all because of the, uh, potency of the batches. Stan and I aren't true tasters, we're drinkers, so not a drop was wasted! LOL But the beers are very good. More later as I gather information on this brewer. He has an IPA that could rival anything out there. That's the beauty of home brew. You can kick ass when you want to.

Good Job Chris! Keep up the good work and hopefully we'll have you on this blog soon!

The Bottled Belgian

2010-09-23T06:53:00.000-07:00

Ok, it was a HOT summer and NOT a great time for brewing, unless you had a cool conditioning area. Hell, my basement even reached into the 80's. But during the summer months, I was conditioning an AWESOME Belgian, The Golden Dragon, from Northern Brewer.com. I'll be out again this Fall and I suggest you get a kit. This is a fine and tasty brew. It's going to be hard sharing and not sharing this one, only because it is SO good I want people to try it, but it's SO good I don't want it to go too fast....

Anyway, I decided to give a tutorial on bottling the Belgian, because I used authentic bottles, corks and cages. The end product looks REALLY good. I'm going to create a label and give this out as Christmas gifts....excuse me, HOLIDAY gifts. Check out the video below...

PorkSlap Pale Ale

2010-07-23T20:10:00.001-07:00

So I was in Rochester last weekend, and I had to stop at BEERS OF THE WORLD. They didn't have MONK'S BLOOD, so I was sadly perusing the aisle and saw this brew. Honestly, I don't like pale ales all too much, but they are growing on me. I got this one strictly for the can. They have pigs on them, and my wife LOVES pigs.

I gotta say, it ain't too bad. IT's pretty smooth, and not too hoppy. I'm on my fourth can. I may have to get a case when I return to Rochester. It's a good summer brew. And since we've reached 100 degrees here in Maryland, it's a thirst quencher.

Oh, BTW, I'll hvae to do a review on my new cream ale and summer ale, HAMMER TOOTH. It's a Duclaw clone of their SAW TOOTH. Hopefully I'll have enough to share!

TTFN (ta ta for now)

Ways to enhance your brew

2010-05-05T12:34:00.000-07:00

Hey there,

You ever create a brew that just didn't turn out the way you wanted it to? Well, that's happened to me a few times, but this particular time I was really bummed. A few months back I blogged about a Honey Berry Weizen I created, using a lot of strawberries, blueberries, raspberry. The whole nine. Well, the bottle version isn't too bad, but the keg is VERY tart and sour. The berries were too over powering and not ripe enough, I guess. I couldn't see myself throwing away 5 gallons of brew, so I started experimenting to try and salvage the flavor.

With the help of my friend Tony, and over a span of a weekend, and PUH-LENTY of pitchers, we finally came up with something that tastes pretty good. Now, to start off we tried adding different beers to the weizen. That didn't work so well as there really wasn't the right kind of beer to do this with. Course it took a few pitchers to figure that out!

Next, we tried making a snakebite, which is half a Woodpecker Cider and half a beer. It didn't take the sour out of the beer. Although tasty, still wasn't what I was looking for. Then it hit me. We went the snakebite/boiler maker route. 1 Shot of Mixed Berry Schnapps, half a Woodpecker and the rest the Honey Berry Weizen. Eureka! That combo brought back the sweetness and fruitiness I was looking for, and increased the alcohol content. A win-win!

So, before pitching that bad batch of brew, just think of way to improve the flavor. I probably only have a couple gallons left of this weizen, but most likely I will mix a batch and bottle it, or put it in growlers.

Tony's Cream Ale

2010-04-15T09:08:00.000-07:00

I was at my friend Tony's the other day when he got a package from Northern Brewer...When you have ingredients to make a brew, sometimes you forget what you WERE doing while gathering your brew equipment....

Sam Adams Coastal Wheat

2010-03-24T17:48:00.001-07:00

Hey there,

I haven't posted in a while. And as I'm sitting here in my studio, supposedly writing music, I thought I would write quickly about one of Sam Adams new brews. The Coastal Wheat.

This beer is automatically one of my favorites. I will have to go get a case of this. It a wheat beer, typical of the warmer months coming to us, but instead of the hints of orange, we get the delicate flavors of lemon and wheat. Now, my last sip was, oh, let's say two minutes ago, and I can still taste the lemon on my tongue, BUT it is not overpowering in the beer.

This is one of those beers that goes with everything...A nice cold one pulled from the ice after mowing the lawn...A nice cold one in a frosted mug on the deck listening to tunes....A nice frosty one pulled from a bucket while you bask in the sun on the beach....The options are endless.

This actually is encouraging me to check out some of the other brews Sam has lined up for us this summer. I was disappointed I missed out on my share of their Noble Pils, but I think I'll make it up with the one.

Happy Drinking, and don't forget, DRINK RESPONSIBLY!

Wine Bottling 101

2010-02-13T18:51:00.000-08:00

Well, I make wine too, and I thought I would show you the bottling process. Why? I dunno. Thought it would be interesting for some folks! Anywho, here's the video:

Simple Extract Brewing Part 1

2010-02-09T20:40:00.000-08:00

This is the first in a series of brewing. We're starting off with Extract brewing. Hope you enjoy it!

p.s. I apologize for the noise in the background. Maryland is getting socked with a lot of snow, and the neighborhood kids were at the house!

Pub Dog

2009-12-29T16:56:00.001-08:00

Pub Dog's Blueberry Dog reminds me of summer.

Justin's Amber Ale

2009-11-20T08:06:00.000-08:00

This is some good beer. We bottled this about a month ago while we were brewing another Ocktoberfest.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

A long time posting....

2009-11-20T07:20:00.001-08:00

For those who have been following, sorry to have dropped off the face of the earth for a while. My music half took over for a little bit. Not that I still haven't been brewing and tasting, and coming up with new concoctions, but I do have to write music on occassion, and that occassion was over the past couple of months.

Anywho, I'M BACK!!!! And I have a lot of updating to do. I guess the best thing to do is just go through my phone and notes and post some stuff. I've brewed with Justin a couple times, taking him through the ropes of home brewing. I've also come up with a couple recipes that hopefully will taste great! I picked up some honey a month ago, in the attempt to make some mead. I still have the honey. Justin brought the water for it last week when he came over to brew...Still haven't done it yet. I need to find a happy equilibrium between brewing and life. Of course I would like to brew all day and everyday, but that's not possible....And my wife wouldn't have it!

Winter's a good time for brewing. The temps in the basement are cool, so the fermenting is more stable and at a temp that won't cause too many weird things to happen to the brew. It's a time to reflect on what to brew next, while, of course, having a brew. My problem is timing. I created a winter ale, Fruitier Than A NutCake. I wanted it to have the essence of Fruit Cake. Seriously. The fact of the matter is I JUST bottled it, so I won't be able to really enjoy it until new spring. I like my winters to age 6 months before drinking. But my point is if I had planned better, I would be drinking it next month. So if there's anything learned from this, PLAN YOUR SEASONALS. Now, I drink anything anytime of the year, but if you want an Ocktoberfest for the month of October, plan accordingly.

So, look for updates over the next couple of weeks. I'm going to start putting videos up, and then link them to youtube so you can see full version. I'll talk a little more about beer, share recipes, and get ready for certain seasons. I also have a belgian that I should start soon so it'll be ready late spring/early summer.

All good things to come! Oh, and if my friends at Crafty Caps are still reading, I'll Be Back! LOVE the way the custom caps make my brew look AWESOME. Plus I'm going to start passing this stuff out as gifts and stuff. So why not make it that more special.

Stay tuned...I'm firing up the pot!

~D

The Thirsty Brewer

2009-09-20T15:40:00.000-07:00

I don't know if you've paid attention to my links. One of them is for the Thirsty Brewer. The Thirsty Brewer's owner (Tom) is one smart dude. I've gone in on a few occasions and if I have something weird or make a strange request, Tom will usually question it. Now, he inspires improvisation, no question, but he also will question you, which can help you from making mistakes.

My story begins Friday evening, as I walk into the Brewer with my notes for a cream ale. It was simple, as cream ales are. I got some ideas from the kit my friend Tony gets from Northern Brewer, and I perused some recipes on Beertools.com, and kinda formulated my own thing, you know, put the WB spin on it. So my recipe has 2-row pale as the main ingredient, some biscuit and some honey malt. Now, initially I was going to add honey after the boil, but Tom let me taste this honey malt, and the flavor blew my mind. I just doubled the amount of honey malt I was going to add. VERY good grain for some interesting flavor and honey overtones...I digress.

So I get my yeast and hops and I'm about to go. Then Tom says, "Well, what have you got for corn additions?" I'm like, "HUH?" And then Tom goes into a brewer's history lesson about how cream ales came about and why corn was used and what you get out of using the corn. I mean this was AMAZING. Not only did I gain some knowledge, but I'm excited about the corn addition, because this is something I've never done before. So I'm going to have a more authentic brew, and let me tell you(I'm brewing it now) The honey malt and the flaked corn make a HUGE difference. I cannot wait to try this brew!

Honey BErry Weizen

2009-09-20T15:25:00.000-07:00

So, If you go back a few blog, you'll see the blog of this brew. I thought it sucked. I hated it. It was too cloudy and bitter and awful. Well, today is another testament to WAITING. I cracked open this 22 as I was brewing a cream ale and making soup. Not only was it clear, but the fruit overtones FINALLY showed their face. Now, it was still a bit too carbonated, but I'm thinking in a month this will be awesome. Definitely will rival the Blueberry wheat I just brewed. Delicious. Makes me wish it wasn't fall so we could enjoy these lighter wheat's' on a hot summer day....Not really. I'm not one to drink a beer in it's season. I drink when I'm thirsty!

So, write me if you have this problem. I've been trying to get my wort to a boil with a turkey fryer for the last hour and a half. I think it's almost there. That's NUTS! I'm going to get the hurricane burner that is the span of the pot. Says it can get to boiling within 45 minutes. Anyone have one of these things, let me know. Most of my brew days is taken up waiting for the boil.....

Speaking of, I should go and check it....

Blueberry Wheat Anyone?

2009-09-15T18:36:00.000-07:00

Just have to say that the Blueberry wheat is going to be AMAZING. I popped a bottle in the fridge when I got home tonight. I know, only a week of conditioning. I had to go for it. let me tell you, it's good, and getting better.

I'm on the next cycle of the hard lemonade. 20 days of conditioning before filtration and kegging. AND the Winter Ale and Creme Brule are bubbling away.

I'm thinking about brewing this weekend. I have to get a couple more Nutbusters going. I think I have the ingredients to do it.

Today was a good day

2009-09-12T16:58:00.000-07:00

So, I've brewed every day this weekend so far. I made a Winter Ale, and a Creme Brule stout. I just finished brewing the latter. It was an all grain. I'm going to share this recipe with you. If you're a Southern tier Brewery fan, you'll love this one. It became my new favorite beer when I tasted it, so I had to clone it.

The recipe is pretty simple and easily converted to extract. The first time I did this recipe, I used vanilla extract for the vanilla essence. It was good, but I must have used too much because it had the nasty vanilla extract after taste to it. THIS TIME I used real vanilla beans. I scraped the paste out of the bean, but it in the last 10 minutes of the boil, then added the pods to the fermentor. So here's the recipe:

Wonderboy Creme Brule Stout

Size: 5.0 gal
Efficiency: 72%
Attenuation: 79.5%
Calories: 300.78 kcal per 12 fl oz

Original Gravity: 1.090 (1.026 - 1.120)
Terminal Gravity: 1.018 (0.995 - 1.035)
Color: 21.28 (1.00 - 50.00)
Alcohol: 9.5% (2.50% - 14.50%)
Bitterness: 64.7 (0.00 - 100.00)

Ingredients:
3 lb English 2-row Pale(replace with 3 lb. liquid pale malt for extract)
.5 lb Victory® Malt
.75 lb British Dark Crystal
.33 lb Medium Crystal
(For extract, use the victory, dark crystal, and medium crystal in a grain bag, steeping it for 30 minutes before your boil)
3 lb Dry Extra Light Extract
3 lb Muntons Dry Dark
1 lb Lactose
.5 lb Oats Flaked
0.48 lb Honey
1 oz Columbus (15.00%) - added during boil, boiled 60 min
1 oz Fuggle (4.8%) - added during boil, boiled 15.0 min
3 ea Vanilla (whole bean) - added during boil, boiled 10.0 min
1.0 ea Fermentis US-05 Safale US-05

Schedule:
Ambient Air: 70.0 °F
Source Water: 60.0 °F
Elevation: 0.0 m

Notes

I'm not sure if this is considered a full or partial mash. I'm treating as a full mash, even though I'm only using 4.5 pounds of grains. Follow a simple mash schedule. 155-160 degrees for 60 minutes, 170 degrees for an additional 10.

I used BeerTools to work on this recipe. I used some of what I had in inventory, and some Things I bought based on the ingredients on the bottle of Creme Brule stout.

Like I said earlier, the only difference is I used actual vanilla beans this time around.

The Winter Ale was fun too. Hopefully I got the flavor of fruitcake. I called that one "Fruitier than a NutCake". That should be good. If it does turn out well, I'll be sure to post it for next year.

Contemplating my decision....

2009-09-10T17:55:00.000-07:00

Look at this.....Stare at it for a minute.

Ok, this is the beer I talked about tossing. Beautiful color, clear as day, and the taste? EONS better than the last one I had, which had me on the verge of throwing it out. Now, I'm not saying a week makes a difference, BUT a week makes a difference. It's still not what I'm expecting the beer to taste like, but it is more drinkable today. So should I throw it out?

I don't think so.

Now I'm worried I don't have enough bottles left for it to get to it's full potential. I gotta tell you, I'm impressed. So, I think I'm going to hang on to this one for a bit longer....

I can't Believe I didn't put this picturer up....

2009-09-10T11:56:00.000-07:00

That's a beautiful thing right there....

That's the first batch of Nutbuster done in years. I'm going to have 3 special editions. The RED, the BLUE and the SILVER. Stay tuned. I'll let you know which tastes better!

I did it!

2009-09-08T17:28:00.000-07:00

Ok, baby steps, as I said. I put a bottle of brew in the fridge last night after bottling that have been on my shelf for a LONG time. Not sure what it was. That was back in my non labeling days. I tried it a few minute ago. Tasted almost like a milk stout, but the same after taste as the beer in the previous blog had. Kinda a soda water finish. Instantly, I thought, "WWJD?"(What Would Justin Do?) So I tossed it down the sink. One 16 oz. grolsch bottle, many more to go!

I got a Cervesa that's been around since 1998. Should I try it?

The fruits of my labor on LABOR DAY

2009-09-07T19:38:00.000-07:00

I don't show picks like this enough:

This was the results from bottling my Blueberry wheat brew, yet to be named. It's always nice seeing that at the end of the bottling. I get a little misty! I ended up with 53 12 oz. bottles, and 1 growler. Not bad. I brewed about 6 gallons, and the final gravity put me at 5.6% alcohol. Not too shabby for a wheat beer. They're suppose to be light and refreshing. I save the high alcohol content for my stout!

This labor day weekend was suppose to be a brew all brew fest. That didn't happen of course. As I spent more and more time away from the house this weekend, I started getting upset. WHEN AM I GOING TO BREW? Well, I got the motorcycle running and went for a ride with my son. The air blowing in my face calmed me a little and I told myself I had time. The thing is though, is I spend some of friday afternoon at the Thirsty Brewer getting some stuff for some special brews. I formulated a Winter Ale. Justin kept asking me about them so much I thought I would try my hand at creating one from scratch. That, and I wanted to make some more Creme Brule stout. So, all these special ingredients, sitting on my beer shelve, not being made...I got this week, or weekend. I'm going for a fruitcake flavor. This should be fun!

Oh, before I go:

Ok, if I pan back, this would only be on my table, BUT some day, this will be WONDERBOY BREWERY on store shelves, bars, and your best friend's refrigerator!

Thank you, and good night!

To drink, or not to drink(Continued)

2009-09-03T18:00:00.000-07:00

So, I had a discussion with my friend Justin today about throwing away beer. He feels I should toss it and move on. I'm still torn, slightly. I equated it to having a baby. You see, everything I have in my cellar I created with my own hands. Bad or good, that has to say something. I mean I have two boys. Just because they are bad sometimes I don't throw them away and start over, which is what Justin suggested(about the beer, not the boys!)

I dunno. I mean it is crap, I give you that, and I wouldn't share it with anyone either, so that's two strikes against it. So what and I holding on for? I can't let go of thing, I guess.

So this weekend I'll either have a down the drain ceremony, or I'll drink the rest of it. I really should get use to tossing bad batches. I mean, I can't hold on to everything?

On to other things....

You know, I'm pretty lucky. That picture above is showing me in my studio, which is about 10 steps from my brew brigade. I was selecting some brew to take to a fantasy football picking party tomorrow, as well as a couple of bottle to take to work for a happy hour/here's to the 3 day weekend. Then it hit me. How cool is it to first of all, be able to "select" some brew, AND have it be something you made. I thought that was pretty awesome.

The downside? Well, at one time I brewed so much I stopped labeling, so I couldn't tell you what I'm drinking right now. My guess it's some type of coffee stout, with chocolate overtones. you can barely taste the flavor before it is instantly cleansed from your pallet. That's not really a good thing, except if you don't want anyone to know you've had a few too many...Actually, I may have stumbled onto something! LOL

Ok, I gotta go throw away some beer....

I'm drinking crappy beer

2009-09-02T19:52:00.000-07:00

Ok, for those of you who know me. I hate wasting anything, especially good beer. In my brew quest....I think I'm going to call it that from now on....

On my BREW QUEST, I've been trying to perfect a beer I I made back in 1998 called NUTBUSTER(NB). It's a nut brown ale, very good. I feel like I've told this story before, so I'll cut to the chase. I've been trying to perfect the recipe. Well, experiment #1 is done and is DELICIOUS! So I have two other version that I want to try. Perhaps maybe one this weekend? I digress

So, before I actually started formulating NBs, I went willy-nilly. And one badly gone wrong experiment is sitting in my fridge. So I have an obligation to drink it....Right?

Maybe I should pour it down the drain. But really, if I let it age, won't it get better? I think this has been aging for about 8 months and it's still crap. I need the bottles for more GOOD beer.

It's a tough decision. IF you guys want to comment and give me some suggestions on whether or not to dump this batch, please let me know. I have to get over my fears of wasting good beer, for creating more awesome beer....

WAY Too Long

2009-08-28T19:14:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have been tuning in, I apologize for my long hiatus. Summer is coming to a close, the kids are back in school, and I actually may get some of my life back! LOL Nonetheless, even though I haven't been blogging, I have been brewing.

I finally got around to bottling the three brews Justin, Andrew and I brewed back on my birthday.

The Oktoberfest, NutBuster Version Red, and the Pilsner. LEt me just start off by saying, if you don't have a beer program (Justin and I recommend BEERTOOLS.COM) you need to get on. Justin had his laptop that brew day, and we just started plugging ingredients that I had on hand into the program until we crafted the Pilsner. OMG it is good, and that's after three weeks conditioning. I can't imagine what it'll be like in a month, if it makes it that far! But it is a good brew, thanks part in the program, and part in the brewers.

The Nut Buster, RED(I'm calling it now) is a VERY good clone of my own creation years ago. It's nutty and dark, but not heavy. The chocolatey nutty overtones play on your tongue and brings a tear to my eye. I can't wait for Andrew and Lou to check this one out to see how close I've gotten to the original. I have two other versions I want to try. Coming soon.

The Oktoberfest is good as well. I'm not a big fan of OFs, but after having this one, I'm sold. I think this was a True Brew kit Justin picked up. It tastes like a more robust cream ale, and I LOVE cream ales. Justin needs to hurry up and pick this one up...I'm not sure if it going to make it past the weekend! Also, it's only been in a bottle for 9 days. The head is frothy and the carbonation is good. I'm going to put a few mugs in the freezer and try this one again tomorrow.

So, in my new addiction to brewing, I brewed a wheat beer, which I'm going to turn into a blueberry wheat last week, before going on a road trip. I should be bottling that one next week sometime. Too late to enjoy for the summer, but still a good staple to have on hand. My collection is growing quite nicely, and it's funny because I have a hard time figuring out what to drink! I guess that's a good problem! Wait til I start kegging again.

I also picked up a couple of Vinoka Kits. I made my patented "truth cider" from the peach cider kit. A largely requested drink for our vacation. Unfortunately we drank it all before vacation. Oh well, a reason to get together in the cold months! I also picked up a hard lemonade kit, so I'll be competing with Smirnof. I can't remember what it takes to get those kits going. I can proably get those going in an hour or so. we'll see. I'm hankering to brew.

As we are figuring out when our next brew day will be, I'm thinking about what I want to brew. I have so many options. I think the next version of Nutbuster should be done. I want to make up another brew, and I want to start all graining again.

I digress. I also have tons of video to edit and get on this blog, or somewhere. Brewing is awesome. I want to share!

More later. I have to go crack open another brew!

THE CARBONATOR

2009-07-21T19:29:00.001-07:00

This little gadget is a serious lifesaver....

I brewed some hard cider last year. I thought it would be something the ladies would like, since a few don't like beer, thus wouldn't like home brew. Well, this was my first attempt at cider, and didn't know the ins and outs of carbonating it, and it didn't come out carbonated. And the ladies hated it. I was bummed, but I refused to throw it away, because it is after all, ALCOHOL! LOL

Then a few months ago, I stumbled on this little gadget, THE CARBONATOR. I was like, this is pretty cool, I wonder if it works. IT was only a couple bucks, so I gave it a shot. I must have forgotten about it, until my surge of brewing again. I needed some PET bottles for the NEW ciders I was brewing. So, I pulled out my gadget and gave it a try. The instructions said to put it on the end of a PET bottle( I used a 2-liter bottle, instead of trying to carbonate each bottle I had). The only requirement is that the liquid had to be COLD. That way it would "trap the CO2 once it was pumped in. The gadget had the same connectors as my kegs, so I just squeezed the extra air out of the bottle, set my CO2 tank to 20PSI and loaded it up. I shook the bottle until it remained taught, then replaced the CARBONATOR cap with the regular bottle cap. 5 minutes to carbonation! AMAZING.

I took some out for friends to try, and it went fast. I had another batch ready quickly! Got to love that!. I was going to use my carb stone, but this was much faster. If you have anything you want to carbonate, I would recommend this little puppy. They sell it for folks who want to bring their brew to a party, you fill the bottle with brew, put the carbonator cap on and fill it with CO2 to keep the beer carbonated and fresh. I'm just saying this was a fantastic way to carbonate anything that's flat.

I'm ready for any none carbonating issues with this gizmo. It really saved the day!

The Carbonator, $14.50 @ www.northernbrewer.com, item # K026

Almost forgot....

2009-07-17T12:40:00.001-07:00

Before I brought out the pitchers last night, my friend Walt brought over a six of Sam Adam's Blackberry Witbeer. Now, THAT'S A GOOD BEER! It was bold, light and refreshing, with a good hint of blackberries. No wonder I was upset drinking my Wiezen after this brew! LOL

Pick up a six on the way to your next BBQ. It'll be worth it!

So much to say, so little time

2009-07-17T12:12:00.000-07:00

A week's gone by since my last post. I've been bottling/kegging, brewing, travelling, working. Where'd the time go? Check this out:

The fruits of my labor! I'm getting ready to brew tomorrow with a few friends, so I thought I would put some brew in the fridge to try out on folks...Well, I couldn't wait so I tried them with some other friends last night while playing pool.

The Dark Cherry Stout is VERY promising. I was going to wait another couple months to try this one, but after stopping by the Thirsty Brewer for some supplies and general discussion, the owner convinced me to go ahead and give it a taste. This beer has some serious potential after proper aging. It's dark, but not too heavy, with chocolate and coffee overtones. Just as the sip is going down your throat you get the hint of cherry. I had to pry the glass out of my friend Tony's hand! I can't wait to try this one in September....No, really, I can't wait. I'm going to have another bottle tomorrow!

Now, the Honey Berry Weizen....I know I bottled this like last Wednesday, so I shouldn't be so cruel, BUT I'm not impressed with the flavor. My initial thought is I used too many berries in the process. It's very tart and unusual for a Weizen, so that throws me off. I also wanted to add some blueberry flavoring during the bottling process and failed to get some, so that's part of the problem too. I need to give this one some time to mellow out a bit. I sure it'll be good someday, but I may keep some berry puree around so I can add it to the glass before pouring, to give it some flavor. Hell, the Germans do it all the time!

Now, while I was clearing a 3 gallon keg for the OBX Lime SE I noticed that I had put a keg in the fridge for the next tap. HELLLLOOOO! It's called Mango Madness. I made it almost two years ago. I'll have to find the recipe, but I remember brewing withdried Mango. Like 3 or 4 pound of it. The aging and conditioning has mellowed out this brew tremendously. It very light and you get a subtle hint of the Mango. Pour this in a frosty glass and you're set! I think that keg is going to be emptied before I know it. That's ok though. I like sharing!

I am upset about my weizen though, especially since I made such great ones last year. Live and learn I guess. The beer has this awesome blue tint to it too, and since it's a wheat beer, it's a little cloudy, so it looks like you're drinking on of those exotic drinks off of star wars or star trek!

I guess it has that going for it.

Gosh I'm thirsty....

2009-07-10T10:29:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting here thinking about all the beer I bottled and kegged this week, and I have more to go. I got the Irish Red, Phat Tire Clone, and the Honey Berry Weizen done. I will do the Lime brew next week, and hopefully one of the ciders. Darn thing is STILL bubbling. I apologize. I have pics of all of these lovely elixirs but I forgot my hard drive today, so I'll have to post them later.

I'm also going to start posting recipes. I want to start sharing some of my favorites, and seeing if people like them or not. I'm having another marathon brew session next weekend. This time I'll only brew 1 or 2 beer this time though! LOL

I hate this process of brewing...Waiting to sample you brew! It's killing me. I usually do a 2 week minimum before I dive in. Some darker brews I try to let age, but it's difficult! That Cherry Stout keeps looking at me, but I should wait until September before I crack open a bottle. What is a person to do?

So, I brewed that Caramel Apple Cider I talked about a few blogs ago. I changed the recipe considerably. I used 2lbs. of Wheat DME instead of a 19oz. can of LME, along with 2 cups of brown sugar(I think the recipe wanted 1 1/2 cups of brown , and 1 of white, so with the added DME I cut out the white sugar). The recipe also called for Pumpkin spice, which I was fresh out of, so I used allspice instead. I think it said 1 teaspoon. I used 2 to compensate for the extra sugar. I pitched the yeast this morning, so hopefully it'll be bubbly by tomorrow. I can't wait to try both of these ciders. The flavor combinations are interesting, to say the least, but I can get a sense of the final product tasting the wort. Hopefully it will be another crowd pleaser!

I look like a professional brewery with my labels and caps. Just wait and see them! I'm going to brew my signature beer, Nut Buster, next week. I think I'll get some special caps for that, and actually man up and bottle in TWELVE OUNCERS. That way I can share more. Actually, I think I will do both an extract version and an all grain. Maybe I'll work on that recipe this weekend....

The Caps are in!

2009-07-07T10:28:00.001-07:00

I just have to say these caps are AWESOME!

I found craftycaps.com a few weeks ago, and started designing caps immediately. It only took about a week to get my custom caps after I sent in a design. I have to give a special shout out to Sheila at Crafty Caps, who helped me make my designs the best they could be before going into production. I'm very pleased and happy with the results! My pics do not do these caps justice! They look great and everybody that's seen them are very impressed with the new look I'm putting to my brew.

If you're handing out your brew, or making special batches for an occasion, you HAVE TO get some custom caps. I can't wait to start bottling tonight!

Click on the link to the right and check out Crafty Caps. Not only can you custom create a cap, but they have tons of designs ready to go!

So many brews....So little time

2009-07-06T12:56:00.000-07:00

Back from Rochester.....

Again, amazing how things change in the short time away from my hometown. I will do a review of the brews I tasted while there. I'm going back this weekend too, so perhaps there will be more to drink?

Beers of the World is an amazing store. Not only can you, most likely find ANY beer ever made known to man in this store, but it ALSO has brew supplies! I got these kick ass growlers from there this weekend. 64oz, screw top. AWESOME, and makes it easy to share beer with a crowd. They also have used bottles, which are a STEAL compared to new. I got some 22oz. And they are unique to the normal look of the bottle. Again, I'll have to get pics up on this blog at a later date. But I was stoked because I like having something different than the rest.

It's time for me to start bottling...I hope my caps are arriving soon....

So I got some new 64oz. growlers, some new 22's...Lock and load. Lock and load!

A Quick Note

2009-07-03T18:07:00.000-07:00

So, I'm in my hometown, Rochester NY. I guess since I left a few micro brews have sprouted up. I'll review one that I have in the fridge now, as well as a new (to me) Southern Tier Brewery concoction.

The nice thing is I stocked my brother's fridge before I left last time. I had New Castle Brown Ale, Ithaca Apricot Wheat, and a Belgian White. I was impressed with myself with the selection actually. I saved the caps for show.

I don't have to say anything about the New Castle. Any beer drinker out there that like a brown ale probably has this one as his or her's go to beer. I go between this one and Samuel Smith's Nut Brown. Both VERY good beers. I have a Sam Smith's clone. I need to find a Newcastle clone....

The Ithaca Apricot Wheat was tasty, not as good as Pyramid's Apricot Wheat, but still tasty. I was downing a couple bottles while grilling some ribs. The strong wheat flavor and lack of apricot essence is what I disliked about this brew. Usually with a fruit beer, I want a little more of the fruit essence. Otherwise, I can drink a regular beer!

the Shock Top Belgian White was great. It was crisp and refreshing with a snappy end that left your mouth clean. I also had a couple while grilling ribs. Yes, it was the same slabs. Low and slow, my friends, low and slow. You get the best ribs, and you get to drink more brew!

The other beer I had while in Rochester was a Rochester micro brew from Rohrbach Brewing Company. I tried the "South Wedge" Summer Wheat. In my dad's words, "You make a better beer...." I'm not going to judge too heartedly until I've tried more of their brews. This beer may just not have been my cup of tea, yet I drink a lot of summer wheats. I found this beer a little skunky. My folks didn't have any oranges on hand to garnish my glass, but I did put a couple tablespoons of orange juice in the bottle of the glass before pouring. The little added orange flavor gave the beer a better taste. I should also mention that this wheat beer was unfiltered. A lot of manufacturers do that for authenticity. I think it adds character to the beer. I may have just gotten a growler at the bottom of the barrel or something. I'll have to get another growler to see!

I think it's time for an Upstate New York Micro Brew tour. I'm going to map this out and load up the motorcycle....

Not now, I got some beer to drink....

Southern Tier Brewery Imperial Iniquity Black Stout

2009-07-01T22:51:00.000-07:00

I think I found a new Southern Tier favorite. This is a malty, well hopped beer that borders on stout, but the crispness makes it an ale. It's made with black and pale malt. It is quite delicious.

I'm a malt guy. I like my beers more malty than hoppy, so if you can get me to drink something that has a predominate hop flavor, it s damn good brew in my book. Southern Tier has taken me there a few times, and I love trying to clone their brews. They make it easy for you too, they put all the ingredients right on the bottle!

Ok, my brew is warming...it needs to be consumed at 42 degrees...

Let's not forget the Ciders!

2009-07-01T08:37:00.001-07:00

I started making cider last year. A friend of mine always got a little huffy when I would bring out pitchers of beer to drink, but she didn't like beer. So I decided to brew something sweeter. My first wasn't that great. I used a Vinoka kit. The problem was carbonation. I thought it tasted ok, but there was no carbonation. Carbonating cider is a different ball game to beer...Then I tried brewing a batch just using 2 gallons of apple cider, some champagne yeast, and brown sugar. THAT was a hit. This time, I used Munton's Malt tablets to prime the bottles. You have to pour over a sink with this one though. I think the suggested amount of tablets were too much for this one! But all of it is gone now....*mental note, try putting a tablet in the first cider attempt...see what happens...* Using 100% Apple juice will get a good cider as well, and it would be a clear one...A sparkling glass of wonderment...I digress....

For these two ciders, I went back to my roots. Mr. Beer.com has a bunch of recipes for homebrew. They've really stepped up their game! They had a couple of recipes that sounded tasty, so I though I would try them. So for the base of these recipes, I'm actually using their cider kit.

For the Honey Cherry I added brown sugar, honey, and cherries. I use both cherries packed in a can(in water), and frozen cherries. I pureed them before adding them to the wort. When using fruit, I usually use frozen fruit. That way you know they are bacteria free and clean, as the factory flash freezes the fruit. Just remember when using any fruit NOT TO HAVE A ROLLING BOIL. That will release the pectin in the fruit and cloud you brew. If you don't care about the cloudiness, or are brewing a wheat brew, then never mind!

The Caramel Apple is interesting, and can't wait to try it. The description read something like, "You remember the times when your grandmother baked apple pie and you smelled it as it cooled on the windowsill?" I was like, YUM. This also uses brown sugar, and the recipe said to add some unhopped wheat malt extract. I'm thinking that'll give it the pie crush essence! The brown sugar is more rich than regular sugar, so that's probably where the caramel overtones will come from. I use brown sugar instead of regular sugar anyway, just because I like the flavor of it. If you don't have any lying around, just remember borwn sugar is regular sugar and molasses combined. So if you have the two ingredients and not the one, make it yourself!

So, the Mr. Beer kits only make 2.5 gallons, so if you want to do a regular 5 gallon batch, DOUBLE IT UP! Since this was my first go with their kits, I stuck to the 3 gallon batch. I also altered my recipes to suit both my tastes and what I had on hand. Lucky for me, the local Kitchen and Company stocked some Mr. Beer supplies, so I got the cider part of the recipe from there. I improvised on the rest. Mr. Beer.com sells the complete kits for cider, as well as for their other recipes if you don't have stuff on hand. Their kits are a little pricey, compared to the quantity of beer/cider you brew, but it is a great starting point if you're not sure you want to get into brewing, or are just getting into it and you want to try something easy. Hell, I'm not knocking it. Remember, I started with a Mr. Beer brew kit, and I've been brewing ever since!

Vinoka has some good kits, but are hard to find. You have to get these when they first hit the brew suplly places. They must go fast. But the kit usually consists of a big foil bag of concentrated Apple Juice, some champgne yeast, and if it's a flovored cider, some flavoring. I usually go bare bones and embellish on my own. Hey, I've come to the fact that whatever I brew, I will drink it. Partly to teach me a lesson and partly because it's alcohol. But I love experimenting. Every put chocolate bars in brew?

Looks like I have to tell you the story about my WONDERBOY COFFEE CHOCOLATE WAKE ME BEFORE YOU GO-GO STOUT....perhaps in another blog.....

The great thing about ciders it that they are ready to drink in like 3 weeks. Of course all things get better with age, but a 10 day fermentation(more if it's not cleared) and 1 week of bottle conditioning gets you a nice crisp refreshing bottle of golden goodies that's great after mowing the lawn, grilling burgers, or just chilling on the deck. And they make the few beer haters feel like a part of the crowd!

Labels

2009-07-01T07:05:00.000-07:00

I'm all about presentation. Most of time, if I hand you a bottle of beer it has a nice label on. That's so if the beer is lousy, you still have something pretty to look at! LOL

Here are a few labels from things that are either brewing right now, or are on tap....

2009-06-30T19:45:00.000-07:00

This is the stuff right here. This is my Southern Tier Brewery Clone of their Creme Brule Stout. It is probably my best brew to date, other than my signature brew, NUT BUSTER.

The only thing I wish I didn't skimp on with this recipe is the vanilla beans. I used extract, because vanilla beans are like $20 for TWO! F that! LOL But I can taste the extract after taste. I might be the only one, cause all my friends have SUCKED this one down. I had a case of 22 oz. and a 3 gallon keg. I have maybe 3 bottles left, and the keg almost fell over from the back draft of me opening the fridge, which only means there's probably a 12 oz. left in it!

No worries, I'll make more. The other thing I like about this brew is that it was my first all grain, so it turned out pretty damn good...Hey, I never did a beer to beer comparison. I'll have to go get a bottle of Southern Tier to do that before the last bottle disappears. I bought a bottle of their Black Stout tonight with the mead. Sounded interesting. At $9 it better be fantastic. But I have faith in Southern Tier Brewery. They make some good stuff.

Mead Anyone?

2009-06-30T19:18:00.001-07:00

So I've been thinking about trying my hand at mead. You know, that wonderful elixir made from honey. So, on my way home from work tonight I stopped in at the local Liquor establishment and inquired about their selections of mead. I'm in my studio right now, so I can't tell you what I ended up buying, but OMG is it good.

They say it can take up to a year to brew a batch of mead. If mine came out as good as what I had tonight. The wait is well worth it! The mead I had came from Colorado. A lot of good stuff comes out of Colorado. My buddy Jim just moved to Colorado. I bet you he's gonna make some good brew up there... I digress....

So mead. I want to try everything that's out there. I was told that I should try some made in this region, as I live here, and most likely will get my honey from here....I get my supplies mainly from Northern Brewer, in the midwest, so I went with what the guy thought was best first. I'll move to my region next week. If it sucks, I'll stick with the honey that in the mid-west coast area.

If anyone had made mead before, let me know. I know my first batch probably won't be as good as what I had here, but I kinda have a....well, what do you call someone who has the knack for home brewing? What can I say? Alcohol is in my blood, literally...I do think I made a funny! :)

p.s. I took the pic this morning so you can see this lovely concoction. Mead is definitely on my to do list!

So, where did Wonderboy Brewery come from?

2009-06-30T08:48:00.000-07:00

My first taste of homebrew came from a fellow I worked with. He brewed and bottled in wine bottles. He gave me one to try one day and I was flabbergasted. I never knew about this secret society of homebrewers. I didn't know it was possible to create your own suds. I was still drinking his freebies. But then he retired, and so did my free homebrew....but I was still interested....

I originally started back in 1995 in Rochester, New York. I was gifted a Mr. Beer kit by my girlfriend, Maria. I think my first beer was a strawberry blonde. I got into fruit beers early! I'm not exactly sure how the name came about. Maria, if you're following this blog, please add to the story! I just know that she always use to tease me about what a wonder I was, fixing things, liking gadgets. At some point Maria called me Wonderboy, and it felt right naming my "brewery" Wonderboy Brewery. Maybe I should get a cape...I digress!

So, I made quite a few batches of beer in my Mr. Beer, but when I moved to Maryland, I had a hard time finding supplies for it(the internet wasn't the AMAZING tool it is today). I found out that there were these "Brew supply houses" around, and stumbled into one one day. Now, at first glance, I thought I was WAY over my head. Equipment, grains, malts, yeast, ALL over the store to magnitudes I had never seen before. And even though I felt out of my league, I gathered the courage to talk to the person at the counter, who, not only was an avid home brewer, but the owner of the establishment.

He was laid back, calm, cool, and pleasant(traits that I've found in all the home brew shops I've been in over the years...must be in the hops!), greeting me with a smile, said, "How can I help you today?" I told him I was looking for some kits for the Mr. Beer brewing kit, and was having a hard time finding them. He said, "Really? Do you like making brew?" I said, "Yes indeed! That's why I'm looking for more kits." He said, "Well, I don't have any Mr. Beer kits, but if you have $30 to spend, I can increase your production of brewing...." What did I have to loose? Welcome to the grand world of HOME BREWING!!!

With my $30, I got my first two 5 gallon buckets(one ported with a spout) and a simple kit, it was either a Cervesa or an Ale, all extract. And a little more instruction. I'm not sure how MR. Beer is today as far as making it, but back in the day you poured the stuff into the "keg" added yeast, closed it up and put it in a corner for a few days, then straight in the fridge to pour from the keg. With my new gear, I found out there was some cooking involved, along with adding hops and other things to clear the beer and make it REALLY good. I also found out that I could CONTROL the amount of alcohol produced. WHA?!?!?!

He also slapped the book, The Complete Joy of Home Brewing" in my hand, which I still refer to to this day. That day opened up a world of options for me. Today I have a fine collection of recipes and favorite brews, and I'm comfortable now in my knowledge to experiment. I can't tell you whether I like extract or all grain brewing better. I don't brew alone, so all graining it turns into a party, which is cool. Out of the six brews I have going right now four of them are all grains, done back to back all day long, using both a propane based burner outside on the deck and my stove.

For a while, I gave up on bottling. All those damn bottle, really. They were a beauty to look at when I was done, but the process...the cleaning, sterilizing, filling, capping...come on...Then I got my kegging system. Ahhh the kegging system. My wife got me an old fridge for my birthday one year. Two holes and two taps later I was in heaven. Tell me, how cool is it to go in your basement and pour a pitcher of cold, frosty goodness, whenever you want. Don't answer. I know it's cool as hell! I wish I knew how cool it was before starting though. I would have placed the taps better, so I could have MORE taps. One day, I hope to show you my converted freezer into top taps, at least FOUR of them. I like having a variety, depending on my mood! :)

The only problem with the tap, is that it limited my sharing. So I went back to bottling, using larger bottles. They have some awesome bottles out there. I usually bottle in 22s and litre size ez caps. I'll also do a few 12ozs., just so I can check on the progress of the brew after kegging/bottling. But a bottle is easy to share, and in sharing I've made some folks interested in brewing.

I've made a few brewers in my short time, which I guess helped make me a better brewer. But what makes brewing for me is the creativity, the fun, and the beer! I've made ciders and wines, just to spread my horizons, and hope to make mead someday. There's something to be said for keeping a craft going generation after generation.

Hopefully someday my sons and I can brew together, and kick back and have a few of our homemade libations. I got a while for that though. They are only 8 and 7!

So that's a little bit of Wonderboy's history. Anyone else thirsty after all this beer talk?

Ok, I'm going to do it!

2009-06-30T06:12:00.000-07:00

That's right, I'm going to do it! A little background:

I've been brewing beer and wine since the late 90's. I'M NO EXPERT by any means, but I like to have fun with it. A few buddies of mine have been talking about me opening a brewery/pub/eatery. And although I blush at the compliment, I think it's something I'm not ready for...yet. I thought maybe I would try blogging about brew first, you know, see if anyone follows, or is interested. I hope this blog turns out to be pretty cool, and I hope lots of other home brewers come and comment and share recipes. I know there are PUH-lenty of forums out there for homebrewing, but for some reason I thought this would be a good avenue for sharing as well. After all, we're a blogging society now, aren't we?

So, I've had a surge in brewing lately. I have SIX brews going all at once! Some of you might be saying, SO? But that's a lot for me. I think normally I usually do 6-10 brews a year. This is a huge increase for me, but the reason is simple. I've gotten so many of my friends interested in brewing, that it's inspired me to become a better brewer. The many talks of what people are making and trying to make and drinking...just made me get back in the kitchen and brew. That, and in cleaning out my homebrew area I found THREE empty kegs. Of course, I had to fill them!

I have stories to tell. Hopefully they will be funny and inspiring. I have recipes to share. Also, if anyone every wants me to create a clone for them, please post it here. I'm willing to try anything! Here's my philosophy....Beer making is an art. A craft. It is something that folks have been doing for centuries. Just to be a part of that is something special. I'm a creative guy, so I take beer making to that level. I'm going to say right now that I don't follow all the rules to beer making. Some of the pros may shudder at what they may see in my kitchen! But I have fun with it, and experiment. Why not?

I know some of the science behind beer making, but not a lot. When I all grain, I don't check the pH levels to make sure I have perfect mash consistency. I'm more of a Jedi when it comes to brewing...I use the Force. I don't boil my worts to death. Like in cooking, I taste a lot. I haven't seen too many brewers I've brewed with doing that. If you don't, I recommend it. Don't you want to know how you beer is going to taste at the end?

So, anyway, I'm here to have some fun, and hopefully give out some useful information, share some stories, recipes, and have a good time. Over the next couple of weeks I will post pics, videos, recipes, and anything else I think people may want to check out. If anyone wants to see something, or wants to know how to do something, let me know. I'll show you how I do it. It's worked for me, it can work for you!

One last thing. I'm a story teller, so sometimes I get long winded. Bear with me. It's worth the eye strain!

Beers to you (I'll try not to use corny sign offs like that again)