The Brew Times
Beer Bread Recipe
Here we go again… I have decided to bring you yet another beer-bread recipe! To be fair, you asked for it! You might be saying “but Ashley, you already gave us the most spectacular trub bread recipe and we plan to canonize you for it…” Okay, okay, so you probably aren’t saying that “exactly” but who’s checking? Anyway, this truly is a BEER bread, as beer will be providing most of your wet volume in the recipe. This BEER BREAD is hearty and flavorful so don’t expect it to be just like that stuff you buy at the store, this bread has substance and it’s probably going to wreck your diet if you are on one, but life is short, and this is DELICIOUS! A small note I need to emphasize; SIFT YOUR FLOUR into your measuring cup. If you do not own a sifter, that’s okay just sprinkle the flour into the measuring cup with a spoon, instead of “scooping” it from the bag or canister. Sifting puts a tiny pocket of air between each particle of flour and helps you achieve a much lighter texture in the finished product. We want bread… NOT hardtack…unless that’s what you are into! Without further delay, Let’s make some Beer Bread! What you will need: 3 cups SIFTED (DO IT. IT’S IMPORTANT) All-Purpose Flour 3 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt ¼ cup sugar 1 and ½ cup “lighter” style homebrew (12 ounces) We LOVE Golden Ale for this one. ½ cup melted butter divided into ¼ cup portions. Here’s How we make it: Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and make sure it is nice and evenly hot before you add your bread to bake. Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Next, add ¼ cup of melted butter and 12 ounces of beer. I like to mix this with my hands until a dough is formed. Be careful, not over-knead or overwork this dough as it can become a bit, though. Grease a loaf pan and add in the dough. Allow the dough to rest in the pan for 10-15 minutes under a cloth before placing it in the oven. After the dough rests, pour another ¼ cup melted butter over the loaf and bake for 1 hour or until the top is golden and the loaf is cooked through. There you have it, folks! My favorite way to enjoy this bread is toasted, topped “brunch” style with an egg, some fancy cheese, and a couple of slices of bacon, avocado and finished with a shake of salt and pepper! Let me know how you like to enjoy YOUR beer bread! CHEERS! Ashley
Read moreThe Brew Times
Tips for Getting All the Malt Extract Out of Your Brew Can
{{widget type="Solvature\VideoSlider\Block\Widget\VideoSliderWidget" video_embed1="ou5cfAeXVPs" video_title1="Tips for Getting All the Malt Extract Out of Your Brew Can" video_cta_color1="white" video_cta_color2="white" video_cta_color3="white" video_cta_color4="white" video_cta_color5="white"}} If you are missing your original gravity readings and not hitting your ABV you may be leaving some malt extract behind in your cans. In this episode, we provide some tips to get all that sweet goodness out of your can. Real quick we will talk about why it is important to get all the malt out of your can. The more malt extract or fermentable you have in your beer the higher the ABV will be and the more flavor you will get in your beer. So if you are consistently missing your OG’s when taking your gravity readings you are either not getting all the malt out of the can, or you are not mixing it up well enough into the water. Those are the main reasons why you should try and get all the malt out of your brew can so lets talk about some tips to help you out. The first one would be from our video last week. Soak you can in warm water before you brew, that will help it pour out and mix easier. The second would be to use a silicone spatula to help scrape the inside of the can. This makes it easy to get all that malt extract that gets stuck in the corners and those hard-to-reach places. A third method that I think not a lot of people would know about is to add some of your water into your can then use the spatula to mix it. This helps get any remaining malt extract off the side of the can and mixes it with your water in the can. Then you just dump that into your pot of wort. You can do this 2 or 3 items until you get all the malt extract out of the can. Also, one last thing to note is that these methods can be used on the packets of LME as well. Cheers, Robert
Read more
What is Positive Pressure & why is it Important to Consider?
If you have witnessed me speak about fermentation lengths, you have most definitely heard me use the phrase, “positive pressure”. Some of you may even think I am a little obsessed with it, and you would not be entirely wrong. I promise there’s a handful of very good reasons for this and that is what we will be discussing today! What is “positive pressure”, anyway? The dictionary defines the term as: “Air or gas pressure greater than that of the atmosphere, as used e.g., in the artificial ventilation of the lungs.” This is a very broad and basic definition, so let us talk about its application in brewing. When we use this term as it relates to your beer, sitting in the fermenter, we are typically referring to the presence of active fermentation resulting in the production of C02 gas, which in turn, pushes other atmospheric gases like Oxygen, away. You can visualize this positive pressure as a sort of protective “force field”. So, what exactly creates this “positive pressure”? Well, as mentioned above, fermentation, but more specifically it is initiated by the yeast consuming and metabolizing wort sugars; one of the bi-products of that feasting is C02, along with roughly 500 other fermentation compounds! In the most active stages of fermentation, the yeast is releasing large quantities of this gas over a short period of time, so your fermenting beer is generally well protected in your LBK or other appropriate fermenters, as this C02 release pushes oxygen out and away from the beer. As you can probably imagine, as the C02 production slows with the activity of the yeast, that positive pressure drops, until it is no longer present at all. As a result of this, unwanted oxygen can come into contact with your beer, and create a whole host of undesirable issues. You might be wondering, what are some of the possible consequences for the loss of positive pressure? Let us talk about a few of the “big” ones, but spoiler alert, most (all) of them have to do with the resulting oxygen exposure… Color: When pressure is no longer protecting a fully fermented beer, oxygen enters and intensifies a phenomenon called the “Millard effect”, which can cause your beer to darken, significantly. Clarity: Oxygen exposure due to pressure loss, contributes to a clarity issue known as “chill haze”, causing the molecular chains of certain compounds to collect oxygen and become so large that they create a “haze” when cold, that is visible to the naked eye. Flavor: The absence of pressure causes air to change the flavor of certain fermentation components and can give a “wet cardboard” character, or even intensify a strong apple cider flavor, in beer. You also lose desirable flavor and aroma compounds without positive pressure. Infection: One of the most significant vectors for infection within homebrewing (and arguably, brewing in general), is oxygen. Wild spores and microbes can travel right into your fermenter and take root in your beer! Condition: The success you have with carbonating the beer in your bottles is also indirectly affected by positive pressure, as yeast that has sat hungry for a week, with no active fermentation, will not be as healthy or vital within the bottle. Having yeast that is unhappy in the bottle, can cause your beer to condition very slowly, or not at all. Believe it or not, these are not even all the consequences of losing your positive pressure, but they are typically the most common! If you have been brewing with Mr. Beer for the last couple of years or more, you may have noticed our general direction for fermentation and conditioning times, has changed a bit. The primary reason for this change came from our testing and observation on many batches. What we found, was that on average, except for a high gravity wort or certain types of yeasts, when the correct fermentation parameters are maintained, most beers will fully ferment in 10-14 days, inside the LBK. Adding an extra 7 days beyond this time means the beer is no longer under the protective veil of “positive pressure”. You might be thinking, “but Ash, what about letting the yeast clean up?”, you’re not wrong… but how much sense does it make to “mop a floor, in dirty boots?”, Not a lot, unfortunately. Once the correct FG has been achieved, it is best to bottle that beer and allow it to mature and clean up in a stable, and airtight environment! The rapid release of positive pressure is also why we discourage you from opening the fermenter to “look”. Your next thought might be, “well what about adding the additions to recipes?”. Not to worry, when a quick addition is made, such as hops or fruit, the yeast is usually going to continue to produce some C02 after the fermenter is closed back up again. It is worth mentioning that many brewers opt to apply outside means of pressure, as well. This is not needed for the average homebrewer but can help brewers that do use it, keep very tight control over the fermentation conditions of a batch. Fermenting under “added” pressure, is a subject all on its own… that we will save for another day! I hope this helped you to better understand the role and importance of positive pressure in the beer-making process. As always, if you have any questions about this or any other brewing topic, feel free to get in touch with Zach and myself! We are always happy to help you better understand the “why” behind what we do! Pints up! Cheers! Ashley
Read moreWhy you should put your HMEs & LMEs in warm water before you brew?
{{widget type="Solvature\VideoSlider\Block\Widget\VideoSliderWidget" video_embed1="3gcTXyL4VZU" video_title1="Why you should put your HMEs & LMEs in warm water before you brew?" video_cta_color1="white" video_cta_color2="white" video_cta_color3="white" video_cta_color4="white" video_cta_color5="white"}} This step in the brewing process almost seems nonrelevant. Can letting your malt extract can sit in warm water really make a difference? We break it down in this episode of BrewTalk with Mr. Beer. This is a step in the process that I think can get overlooked. For the longest time when I was first brewing I did not do this, it just seemed like a waste of time. Can letting your HME and LME soak in warm water really help? I thought no but was soon proven wrong. There are a few reasons why you want to do this. The first being that it helps the malt extract mix easier in your pot, so you’re not having to go all crazy stirring to mix it up. If you have ever just dumped in the whole can and then go and try and mix it up, it can be quite difficult to do that. The second reason, which I think is more important is that it helps you get all of the malts out of the cans easier. The more malt that you get into your brew you’re going to have the better chance of hitting the OGs as well as making sure you are getting the full flavor of the beer. If you are leaving some malt extract behind in your can or in the pouches of LME then you're leaving some ABV and some flavor in there as well. That is the main reason why you should be putting your HMEs and LMEs in hot water before you start brewing. It was the main reason that I started to do that. Cheers, Robert
Read moreCan you bottle and carbonate your beer in growlers?
{{widget type="Solvature\VideoSlider\Block\Widget\VideoSliderWidget" video_embed1="3fZ7OU7gBrA" video_title1="Can you bottle and carbonate your beer in growlers?" video_cta_color1="white" video_cta_color2="white" video_cta_color3="white" video_cta_color4="white" video_cta_color5="white"}} While growlers are pretty cool and work awesome when taking beer home from your favorite brewery, they don’t do well for bottling. We recommend against bottling your beer in growlers for a few reasons. The first is that depending on the type of growler you have the lid may not be suitable to keep in the C02. So after you bottle your beer you could end up with flat beer or beer with very little carbonation. Another reason is that growlers often have thinner glass than beer bottles. This can lead to bottle bombs. If you have a lid that will hold the pressure you could end up with your growler exploding. Since growlers have thinner glass, they are not build to withstand the pressure that is created during the carbonation phase. Now it should be noted that we are talking about traditional screw-top growlers. There are swing top growlers and other types of growlers that can be used to bottle your beer. But to be safe and help ensure that your beer is going to be fully carbonated and delicious we recommend staying away from growlers when it comes to bottling your beer. Cheers, Robert
Read moreThe History of Women in Brewing
Welcome to March. This month brings Basketball, St. Patrick’s Day, the first day of Spring, The Ides of March, and of course, Women’s History Month. Now, you may or may not know, but women have played a pivotal role in the evolution of brewing since humans started doing it! In fact, you cannot really have a “scholarly” conversation about the history of beer without mentioning the great “Alewives” of old that contributed so directly to the dynamic evolution of the “craft”. Though Western societies have viewed brewing as a male-dominated field for the last 150 years, traditionally, it was an activity engaged in and governed by women. So, join me on this brief look into the female role in beer production, through the ages! Starting with the industrial revolution and through most of the 19th Century, the practice of beer production was relegated primarily to men; women were mostly filling rolls as “barmaids” and “publicans” with the occasional few, found in auxiliary roles of production such a packaging. But what about before that? Who likely made the first beer to grace the lips of a human? Well, I bet you can already guess the answer… The world’s first Brewster was indeed a woman. Archaeologists have found the oldest known beer or “grog” near the Ancient site of the “Yellow River”, in China, dated to be nearly 9,000 years old. The evidence of this ancient beer was found among many other cooking and “homemaking” related artifacts, and the women that produced this concoction were said to chew the grain in their mouths and spit it back into the mash, in order to impart the catalyzing enzymes that assist in the conversion of starches into sugars! Pretty nifty, right? Brings a whole new meaning to “spitting in your beer” doesn’t it? Because the production of beer and other fermented beverages was historically viewed as a facet of cooking, and a method to utilize left-over grain, beer-making was considered the “domain” of the woman. Samples of these Neolithic brews reveal surprisingly complex and thoughtfully constructed beverages, that serve to demonstrate the care for the “craft” taken by these founding “mothers” of fermentation. Of course, 9,000-year-old beer is old, but the women of ancient prehistoric civilizations had likely been producing beer within their tribal communities’ way before human history was written down. The origins of the “beer” based in cereal grains like barley, which would later influence beer production throughout the rest of the world, were likely first produced in the Middle East, starting some 12,000 years ago. Like the previous “grog” I mentioned, this beverage was also created by female hands. In ancient Mesopotamia, brewing beer was a “consecrated” task, performed by well-respected and highly regarded, priestesses. Archaeologists have unearthed ceramic vessels from 3400 B.C. still sticky with beer residue, and the tablets containing the now famous, “Hymn to Ninkasi”—an ode to the Sumerian goddess of beer. This passionate Hymn is both worship and recipe, as it describes in detail how to create the beloved ancient brew made by female priestesses. Yes, you read the correctly, the “God” of beer, was actually a “Goddess”. Not only was Ninkasi associated with grain, bread, and brewing but she was also seen to have connections to other feminine attributes such as fertility and childbirth; for the ancient people of this region, the ability to birth children and the authority to brew beer was sacred rights, afforded to the feminine. Ninkasi represented the connection between grain crops, fertile soil, and fertile, healthy people… Which back then, certainly helped to ensure a society’s growing population and prosperity. (Photo: Statue of the Goddess Ninkasi) Even in Ancient Egypt, the tradition of female brewers continued, and additionally, on the continent of Africa, women in Burkina Faso have been making a mash of fermented sorghum into beer for some 5,500 years. Women in Tanzania have traditionally been the "sole marketers" of the drinks, and many use the money they make by selling alcohol to supplement their incomes. In ancient Maya society, female brewers created beer from the cacao bean, well before it used to make other alcohol-free cacao-based beverages more commonly associated with the present-day region. Women across Latin America have long been the traditional purveyors of many native fermented beverages, from Chica to Pulque with many things in between. The ancient tradition of female brewers is not just limited to the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America, but also holds deep roots in Europe, too. Women in Germanic Europe were no different than the previously mentioned societies, in that they were the original brewmasters, well before the practice was taken over by monasteries. In early England, water potability was often unreliable, therefore the matriarch of the household was responsible for crafting ale for her family, out of necessity but not without the care and attention to making recipes that have influenced many of the early models for the traditional English beers we have come to love, so much. Many women across England also relied on selling their surplus to the public, as good ale, was always in high demand! Some of the ladies even obtained professional brewing permits and made a very prosperous living through their skill in the trade. Unfortunately, throughout Europe, the founding of guilds often forced women out of the brewing industry; however, in Haarlem in the Netherlands, because women could inherit guild membership from spouses, many continued in the profession. Data collected on the period between 1518 and 1663, showed that 97 Brewster’s, three-quarters of whom were widows, were operating among a total of 536 brewers in the city. Finland is another European country with an incredibly rich, “feminine” brewing history. For a millennium, Finish Brewster’s created a native beer made from smoked malts, juniper, and hops. There is even quite a bit colorful Finnish mythology surrounding some very notable women; One of my personal favorites is a story of a woman that made a beer that consisted of honey and bears saliva… One must wonder; how did she get that bear to spit in the kettle? Anthropologists have reported that in Viking culture, women were the only ones allowed to be involved in the production of ale and they maintained their proprietary recipes to be passed to their daughters and granddaughters. In Danish communities, Alewives were considered the standard up until about the middle ages. After this time, the newly formed and male-dominated brewers’ guilds, made it very difficult for these women to operate commercially, within the more metropolitan areas but their markets within the more rural countryside continued to prosper for some time. Over a period of many years, during the 17th and 18th centuries, Europe began to make a noticeable shift, and beer production became a more male-dominated field, though women were still often involved with the sale of the libation. Unfortunately, with this shift, came some unfortunate attitudes toward women and brewing beer. One famous poet of the time wrote of an alewife’s appearance as, “striking and nasty”; female brewers were often dramatically depicted as witches and malevolent temptresses out to lure unsuspecting men into their occult ceremonies. (Must have been some really good beer.) Thankfully, that level of extremism was relatively short-lived by chronological comparison, in much of the Western world. Brewing traditions in North America, also started with women, specifically, native women. In my own “backyard” of Tucson, Az, the women of the Tohono O'odham brew a traditional beverage made from the Saguaro cactus called tiswin, to be used for certain spiritual rituals, made from corn. This is just one of many examples of Feminine, Native American brewing traditions, many of which center around fertility. Early colonial women were also compulsory homebrewers, as “new land” generally does not come with brewery infrastructure, included. A surprisingly little-known fact is that Martha Jefferson, wife of Thomas Jefferson, was renown for her wheat beer recipe! It was not uncommon for a colonial woman to inherit and take over her husband's brewing operation, should he die or become too unwell to run it himself. One of the oldest colonial brewhouses that still stands today in Pennsylvania, was built in 1713 by a woman named, Elizabeth Haddon, in the backyard of their mansion while her husband was away on business… Talk about a surprise upon returning home. He got over it though and let’s be honest, you probably would, too! (I would). Further north, in Canada, an English immigrant named, Susan Oland started a brewery of her own after coming to Canada with her husband in 1865. Prior to owning her own operation, she ran a brewery with her husband before his unfortunate passing. Susan was so committed to her craft she presented herself as a male to her market, as female brewmasters were still not entirely accepted as legitimate in Canada at the time. Though it is likely you may have never heard Susan’s name before, if you have had Moose Head beer, you have likely had “new age” versions of her original recipes! (Photo: Susannah “Susan” Oland) Fast forward, to between the beginning of the industrial revolution and the early 1970s, women were phased out of commercial brewing operations almost entirely. By the latter part of the 1970s, women began to quietly reappear at the kettle, holding the mash paddle, once again. Unfortunately, so quietly, that their sizeable contributions often went unnoticed and uncredited early on. Suzanne Stern Denison and Jane Zimmerman worked at and invested in Sonoma, California’s now, long-closed New Albion Brewing, established in 1976 and the first new brewery in America since Prohibition, however, Jack McAuliffe is most often the only person mentioned as founder. It’s now generally seen as an unfortunate “pass over” in the history of female brewery proprietors. American women such as Jill Vaughn and Rebecca Bennett have been successful at becoming top brewmasters at Anheuser-Busch, where they developed brands such as Bud Light Platinum, Shock Top, and the Straw-Ber-Rita. Patricia Henry, another notable figure in a modern brewing and the first African American woman to manage a major American brewery, Miller Brewing Company, now MillerCoors, in Eden, NC. The ’80s saw a noticeable uptick in the number of women in the United States, especially, returning to commercial brewing. Carol Stoudt founded Stoudts Brewing Company in Adamstown, Pennsylvania in 1987; she was one of the first well-known female brewmasters since Prohibition in the country and the nation's first known female sole proprietor. Teri Fahrendorf; founder of the Pink Boots Society, Irene Firmat; founder of Full Sale, Deborah Carey; co-founder of New Glarus, and many more were the women responsible for bringing about the renaissance of women in the Brewing industry. (Photo: Carol Stoudt of Stoudt’s Brewing Company) Starting in the mid-2000s, the craft beer industry has been seeing another sizeable influx of female brewers, Brewery owners, and sole-proprietors. Women once again, are ascending the steps to the kettle platform, but this time, not quite as quietly. Now, more than ever before, Brewster’s from around the world are finally starting to get the credit they deserve for making great beer! Nowadays names like; Elise lane; CEO and head Brewer of Scarlett Lane Brewing, Celeste Beatty and Briana Brake; co-founders of Rocky Mount Brewing, Carol Pak; the founder of Makku, Shyla Sheppard and Missy Begay; founders of Bow and Arrow Brewing Co., represent a very small sample of the extremely talented “women in beer” across North America. It is not just North America taking notice, either… In 2015, the BBC's "100 Women" project, honored Leimin Duong, a Vietnamese-Australian woman, who brews strawberry beer, as one of the most influential women of the year; Australian Brewster’s Jayne Lewis and Danielle Allen, were honored with the Champion trophy for Medium Australian Brewery by the Australian International Beer Awards; Apiwe Nxusani-Mawela, is a brewer, brewery owner and the first black South African accredited as a trainer for the Institute of Brewing and Distilling and as a certified beer judge for the South Africa Beer Judging Certification Program; Emi Machida, has run her family's 130-year-old brewery for ten years as the master brewer and has won seven gold medals for her sake from the Annual Japan Sake Awards; Miho Imada, is noted for her Hiroshima-style “junmai ginjo” method which uses very soft water, low temperatures and a slow fermentation process to bring out the fruity flavors and aromatics. The list really could go on and on! (Photo: Leimin Duong) (Photo: Apiwe Nxusani-Mawela) As a woman in beer myself, this shift “back” to the acceptance of “women in beer” gives me great joy! Making amazing beer for people to enjoy is something that ANYONE, with enough passion and drive can do, no matter if they are male or female, brewing is for everyone. I hope you enjoyed this and maybe even learned something you did not know! I think it is safe to say, the future of women in the commercial brewing industry is bright! You never know, you might even be raising the world's next great Master Brewster! Cheers! Ashley
Read moreWhy you should add your booster to cool water and not to boiling water?
{{widget type="Solvature\VideoSlider\Block\Widget\VideoSliderWidget" video_embed1="TMmpREE9zEw" video_title1="Why you should add your booster to cool water and not to boiling water?" video_cta_color1="white" video_cta_color2="white" video_cta_color3="white" video_cta_color4="white" video_cta_color5="white"}} This step may seem counterintuitive to most. You would think that things will mix better in hot water, but that is not always the case. We talk about the proper way to mix up your booster in this episode of BrewTalk with Mr. Beer. We are always working on ways to improve our brewing instructions and make the process easy and simple. One thing we found is that during those tests it is actually easier to mix the booster in cool water than into boiling water. That is why in the instructions we have you turn on the heat for your pot, then start to slowly add in the booster. We noticed that in the cool water the booster was easier to mix than in the hot water it seemed to become difficult to stir. So that is why you should add in your booster to cool water and not hot water. Another item I wanted to point out that is key is mixing the booster in slowly. Don’t dump the whole bag into the pot or you are going to have a tough time getting that to dissolve. I treat booster the same way I treat DME. I cut the corner of the bag and pour it in little by little. It makes it easier to mix up and it will make the brewing process go smoother for you. Cheers, Robert
Read moreWhy it is important to have cold water in your LBK before you pout in your wort?
{{widget type="Solvature\VideoSlider\Block\Widget\VideoSliderWidget" video_embed1="0G_KFEJ70_o" video_title1="Why it is important to have cold water in your LBK before you pout in your wort?" video_cta_color1="white" video_cta_color2="white" video_cta_color3="white" video_cta_color4="white" video_cta_color5="white"}} One of the most overlooked steps in our brewing process, but it is in there for a reason and is not to be overlooked. Find out what those reasons are in this episode of BrewTalk with Mr. Beer. Adding cold water into your fermenter is a key part of our brewing process. When you go to pour in your wort it is very hot. If you have been brewing a refill or a recipe that mixtures have been boiling for a few minutes or for 30 minutes or longer. So if you just pour that hot liquid into your fermenter it's going to cause the fermenter to warp because the liquid is too hot. Now the structural integrity of the fermenter is damaged and it is no longer usable. And your stick with a brew and no fermenter for it. Another reason you want to have cold water in there is for the yeast pitch. When you have your cold water in the fermenter and add your wort, then top it off with more cold water it will bring the wort down to the proper pitching temperature. Which is roughly 67-75 degrees. If you pitch your yeast at a hot temperature it can kill the yeast and then your beer will not ferment. Our reason for adding cold water before you add in your wort is a way to prevent you from having to use a wort chiller or to try and make an ice bath in your sink. Any type of brewing method you are doing whether it be all-grain, partial mash, or full extract, you need to have a way to chill your wort before pitching your yeast. With our process, we made it easier for you so all you have to do is just add the cold water, and your good to go. So it is a critical part of the brewing process to make sure you have cold water in your LBK. Cheers, Robert
Read more
Hefeweiss Banana Beer Bread Recipe
I don’t know about you, but one of my favorite types of bread, especially for breakfast, is banana bread. It just so happens that my favorite banana bread recipe is a lot like my favorite “normal” bread recipe, in that they both contain beer. I know, I know, you’re shocked, right?... Stop! That question was rhetorical. All joking aside if you like to brew and drink Hefeweizens, but you also enjoy warm and delicious banana bread… Say no more, as the kids say, “I got you, fam”. Besides tasting freaking amazing, this recipe is in keeping with my usual theme of “waste not” or at least waste, “less”. Got the trub-y cloudy bits leftover from a wheat beer brew? No problem. Got smooshed, bruised bananas? They are beautiful just like you, let’s use them up! Honey and or maple syrup hiding in your cupboard? Not for long! Don’t have any left-over Beer after bottling? That’s okay too! You can use a beer that is already bottled or even commercially produced beer, but what IS important, is that you use a beer specifically made with a “wheat style” yeast. This plays a big role in the flavor of your finished banana bread. Unfiltered, bottle-conditioned wheat beers are especially great, because the little bit of activity from the yeast in the beer, will help give it a lovely texture… But this is not completely essential to use a beer that contains live yeast cells. It’s just extra nice if you can, just don’t let a lack of access to that, stop you from making this yummy treat. Here is what you will need: 3 cups of All-Purpose Flour 1.5 Teaspoons of baking soda 2/3 cup quick oats 1.5 cups of VERY ripe mashed banana 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar 1.5 cups hefeweizen beer ¼ cup maple syrup or honey 2 tablespoons melted butter, vegetable oil or coconut oil ¼ Teaspoons kosher or sea salt A small pinch of ground cinnamon (you can use more to taste) Half a cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional) Here’s how you make it: 1. Preheat oven to 375°. In a large bowl, mix flour, baking soda, salt, oats, brown sugar, and chopped nuts if you are using them. In another bowl, mix bananas, cinnamon, beer, and maple syrup until blended. Add to flour mixture; stir just until fully incorporated but be careful not to overmix it. 2. Next, Transfer that delicious bad boy to a greased 9x5-in. loaf pan. Drizzle the top with the melted butter or oil. Bake 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for at least 20 minutes before removing. 3. Slice, and enjoy! Now that you know how to make this delicious carb-laden creation, don’t go sending me your gym membership fees, you eat this at your own stretchy-pants risk, ya hear?!
Read moreShould you squeeze the air out of your bottles after you fill them?
{{widget type="Solvature\VideoSlider\Block\Widget\VideoSliderWidget" video_embed1="8-ttNgqYbYk" video_title1="Should you squeeze the air out of your bottles after you fill them?" video_cta_color1="white" video_cta_color2="white" video_cta_color3="white" video_cta_color4="white" video_cta_color5="white"}} This is a topic that we were discussing amongst ourselves the other day. Does squeezing the air out of your bottles after you fill them do anything? We break it down in this quick episode of BrewTalk with Mr. Beer. The thought behind this is that you have a little bit of oxygen in that headspace between the top of the liquid and the top of the bottle. Oxygen as we know is not something that you want to get into your beer and it can create off-flavors. The main flavor when describing a beer that has been oxidized is that it has a cardboard or papery taste to it. So by squeezing that little bit of oxygen out you are preventing your beer from getting oxidized. To answer the question should you do this or not, our answer is no. For a few reasons. So our first feeling on this issue is that you are adding your carbonation drops or sugar before you fill your bottle with beer. Once you fill your bottle with beer the yeast will detect that there is simple sugars in your bottle and get to work on eating those up which will cause an off-gas which would push out the oxygen. Another reason why you would not want to do this is because of the damage it might cause to the bottles. By squeezing the bottles like that it could compromise the integrity of the bottles and decrease the useful lifespan of them. So to sum it up our recommendation is that you do not need to squeeze the air out of your bottles once you fill them with beer. It's not going to give you any real benefit and will reduce the integrity of your bottles quicker. Cheers, Robert
Read moreWhat to do if your fermenter is too cold?
{{widget type="Solvature\VideoSlider\Block\Widget\VideoSliderWidget" video_embed1="orWCFuN09YY" video_title1="What to do if your fermenter is too cold?" video_cta_color1="white" video_cta_color2="white" video_cta_color3="white" video_cta_color4="white" video_cta_color5="white"}} Temperature plays a key part in the fermentation process. In this episode, we offer some tips on what to do if your fermenter is too cold and ways to warm it back up. Temperature is a key part of the fermentation process. Too warm and it can create off-flavors, too cold and the beer could not ferment or take longer to ferment. When brewing with Mr. Beer we recommend that the ideal temperature range for your beer be at 70-72 degrees. The wider range that we suggest is 68 to 78 degrees. Everything that we brew, using any type of ale yeast, we ferment at 70 degrees with great results. Now if your beer gets too cold that can slow down your fermentation so we have a few tips that you can use to warm it back up in the right range. The first would be obvious to move your fermenter to someplace warmer. We have heard of people putting them on top of their refrigerator. Another thing you can do would to try and wrap it in blankets to help keep it warm. The fermentation process creates some heat, so trying to keep that heat around the fermenter can help it warm up a little bit. Another thing you can do is to put a heating pad near or the fermenter on top of the pad. However, if you are going to do this it would be ideal to have a temperature strip on your fermenter. That way you know if your beer is getting warm and you can find the right range in temperatures. Also, when doing this you want to avoid a big swing in temperature. So don’t crank up the pad, then lower it, then crank it up again. That can create off-flavors. You want to make sure that you gradually bring the temperature and finding a good place where you can hold the proper temperature. If you cant get the temperature up and you are hovering around that 64-66 degree range, then you should fermenter your beer for longer. I would suggest pushing your fermentation to 21 days at this colder temperature to make sure the yeast will eat all those sugars up. It is still working, just moving a little slower than it normally does. The best thing you can do for temperature control is to have a thermometer on your fermenter so know exactly what your fermentation temperature is. Cheers, Robert
Read more
Great Beers to Try This Spring!
Mild and negligible as they may be for parts of the Country, the subtle signs of spring are starting to appear… With those changes comes lots of new beer releases; not just for us here, at Mr. Beer, but across the craft beer industry. Breweries all over the nation look forward to a flourishing of limited ingredients and inspiration that this season of growth has to offer. It is probably no secret to you that we draw a lot of inspiration for our homebrew recipes, from these anticipated brewery releases. This Spring, we invite you to try some beers along with us! Below you will find just a few of the tasty brews that we plan to draw inspiration from this year. Don’t be shy, we want to know what you try! Get your hands on some of these great beers and let us know in the comments, what you would like us to create a Mr. Beer recipe, for! Cannot find any of these suggestions? Let us know what other beers you would like to see become “Mr. Beerafied”! Found Fortune Double IPA: Left Hand Brewing Co. “A treasure trove of tropical fruit & citrus from El Dorado, Galaxy, Citra, Comet & Cascade hops.” Dry-hopped with El Dorado, Galaxy, and Citra, this Double IPA boasts a wealth of candied orange, juicy tropical fruits, and fresh-squeezed grapefruit. 2-Row, Wheat, Rolled Oats lend a sturdy base with a silky mouthfeel while still allowing the hops to truly shine. This beer is hazy and golden bronze in appearance, boasting a rust ABV of 8.1% coupled with a noticeable, yet still a drinkable, 55 IBU. Available starting late winter 2021. Raspberry Mango Shebang Fruited Sour: Troegs Independent Brewing Co. “Sometimes you just know. This marriage of juicy mango and red raspberries was a sure thing. The perfectly paired tropical and tangy notes of the fruit are propped up by a rich foundation of oats, honey malt, and pilsner malt. The first fermentation with lactobacillus ups the tart kick, and a second pass with Hornindal Kveik yeast adds subtle notes of tropical pineapple. A shot of milk sugar softens the sharpness of the fruit and makes the whole shabang a sweet and tart celebration.” This brew boasts a pillow-soft mouth feel to cushion the bright pop of the acids. When we look closely, we see this beer is more complex than it’s funky, bright label would have you believe! With a 7% (unusual for a sour) ABV, it is no weakling, either. So, proceed with caution. Releases once a year, see brewery for details. Panther Cub Bourbon Barrel-aged porter with maple and vanilla: Founders Brewing Co. “A robust porter, Panther Cub is aged in the finest bourbon barrels available along with a kiss of maple syrup and vanilla extract. The aroma of maple and vanilla notes combine with a surprisingly deep character to make this rare creature one to gaze upon fondly. Don’t let it fool you, this kitty has claws.” This NOT your average porter. Layer on silky layer of flavor come together to deliver this deep and complex brew! It packs quite wallop at 9.2% ABV! Releases in March 2021 Orabelle Belgian Style Ale: Great Divide Brewing Co. “ORABELLE is brewed with barley, wheat, oats, and rye. This Belgian-Style Tripel is a golden beauty. Its two yeast strains, orange peel, and a dash of coriander impart surprising complexity and richness to this delicate ale. Do not let Orabelle’s “demure” nature fool you; this is one flavorful pour. Watch out, she’s a charmer – one sip and you’ll be in love.” This spicy Belgian beauty is complex and changes as it warms in your glass. This is a beer best enjoyed slowly, appreciating all its unique features. Another ABV that does not let you down, sitting at a robust 8.3%. Available February-April BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE… Feeling more interested in brewing something for this late winter/spring, rather than buying it? Well, I have you covered there, too! Below I have provided some awesome recipes you can find on our website, RIGHT NOW! A DARKER SHADE OF BLONDE STOUT: BREW SPECS Flavor: Malty Original Gravity: 1.078 Final Gravity: 1.020 ABV: 7.5% SRM: (Color): 15 IBU: (Bitterness): 40 So, you might be thinking that Stouts just aren’t “seasonably appropriate” beyond the cold days of mid-winter, right? Well maybe you’re not actually thinking that but let's just pretend you are, for the sake of my ego (heh, heh) Either way, if you want a glorious, “year-round” stout recipe, this is for you. Brew Master Zach’s rendition of this “Blonde Stout”, allows you to get the smooth and silky mouthfeel of a stout, with a lighter, yet still incredibly complex flavor. Offering a clean finish, flanked by a pop of smooth, roasty, coffee, and the delightful aroma of vanilla, it’s hard to justify a reason not to brew this one up! WANT IT NOW? Just click here. CHERRY BONBON DESSERT STOUT: BREW SPECS Flavor: Sweet Original Gravity: 1.074 Final Gravity: 1.029 ABV: 6% SRM: (Color): 32 IBU: (Bitterness): 50 Remember those chocolate, brandy, and cherry-filled candies your mother used to snack on when you weren’t looking? Maybe? Well, this recipe is exactly that, but now, just like you, it’s all grown up. One sip and you will swoon. Brew Master Ashley dove straight into her memories for this one! Layers of dark malts and chocolate play together with the sweetness of brandied cherries and silky lactose; this decadent, full-bodied dessert-stout aims to become the queen of YOUR heart. WANT IT NOW? Just click here. PINT OF SUNSHINE BELGIAN ALE: BREW SPECS Flavor: Saison Original Gravity: 1.053 Final Gravity: 1.011 ABV: 5.7% SRM: (Color): 5 IBU: (Bitterness): 40 What is more appropriate for the emergence of spring than a beer a called “Pint of sunshine”? The answer? Probably other beers that also have the word “sunshine” in the name… Obviously, but right now we are talking about “this one”! Okay, enough funny business, the bottom line is; once this brew hits your lips, a smile is sure to follow! The bright and dynamic pops of fruit and sugared citrus make this beer great for warmer days, but the spice of the Saison yeast keeps it interesting and makes a great brew for those “hot day, cold day”, wishy-washy seasonal transitions. This beer is smooth and refreshing with a moderate ABV that lets you enjoy more than one… You will be glad too because you’re going to want a few! WANT IT NOW? Just click here. ICE-CLEAR WEISSBIER: BREW SPECS Flavor: Wheat Original Gravity: 1.059 Final Gravity: 1.013 ABV: 6% SRM: (Color): 5 IBU: (Bitterness): 30 If you are a fan of wheat beers but are seeking something with something more comparable to the refreshing character of a lager, but with all the flavor of those wheat-based brews, look no further. This is a beer that until now, has not been well or easily replicated by home brewers lacking advanced filtration systems. Luckily, our Brew Master’s have some tricks up their sleeves! This beer hits the palate with a bouquet of fruit esters, typical of wheat beers but finishes clean and pairs beautifully with food or is great all by itself, too. With an aroma of noble hops and notes of banana, this wheat beer is a winner, and a solid ode to the German classic it pays tribute to! WANT IT NOW? Just click here. Cheers, Ashley
Read moreHops, What Are They, And How Do We Use Them in Beer? Part 2
{{widget type="Solvature\VideoSlider\Block\Widget\VideoSliderWidget" video_embed1="1hnE-Jw6Q2s" video_title1="Hops, What Are They, And How Do We Use Them in Beer? Part 2" video_cta_color1="white" video_cta_color2="white" video_cta_color3="white" video_cta_color4="white" video_cta_color5="white"}} In part two of our hops video, we break down the best way to use your hops and how to get the results you're looking for at each stage. I think a good place to start is by addressing one of the most common hop questions I get is, “when do I know when to use my hops?” Well, that answer is dependent on the beer you are brewing and what your goals for flavor look like, as well of course, what ingredients you are planning to use. Once you know the general style and desired bitterness of your beer, you can begin considering whether you would be needing a high alpha acid hop or a low alpha acid hop. In most cases, that decision is relatively easy. If you are trying to brew a very bitter, hoppy style, it is usually the most efficient choice, to select a higher alpha acid, hop option. Alternatively, if you are planning on brewing something less bitter, it makes sense to select a hop with a lower amount of available alpha acids. As we briefly touched on earlier, one of the most common purposes for using hops is for bittering. We also discussed that Alpha acids that have been exposed to heat, or “isomerized” are the chemical components directly responsible for this bittering potential. The Perceived bitterness of a finished beer, created by the Alpha acids from the hops is referred to as IBU, or “International Bitterness Units”. While all hops contain alpha acids, some contain more than others but as brewers, we have the ability to manipulate the bitterness of the hops in our boil through 3 basic boil control parameters, they include Temperature of the boil, length of the boil, and gravity of the boil. Let us talk about the first, which is temperature. Now you cannot force a hop to exceed its bitterness beyond its inherent, natural Alpha acid content, but temperature plays a major part in the chemical changes that convert Humulone to Iso-humulone, the bitter version of itself. It is important to know that hops begin to isomerize at or above temperatures of 175 degrees Fahrenheit. At this temperature, your wort is generally not yet visually boiling, and it is here, that your hops offer the most gradual rate of isomerization, and longer, lower boils do tend to produce a smoother bittering character, compared to beers made with hops exposed to very high heat boils. The option a brewer chooses to take, depends again, on what he or she is attempting to achieve. A snappy and sharp West coast IPA might do better to have a higher heat addition, while something with a smooth but still apparent bitterness might need a lower temp boil. Next, we come to the duration of the boil, as we mentioned earlier, a longer boil can potentially extract more iso-alpha acids and even help to maintain a smoother type of bitterness depending on the temperature. Boil duration and its effect on isomerization, is the exact reason in brewing, that we employ hop schedules. A hop schedule, in case you were not already aware, refers to when in the boiling process and for how long each hop addition is added. For example, for a very bitter beer, a brewer may opt to add an addition of hops, very early on in the boil, and allow that addition to remaining in the boil for say, a 60-minute duration. In the same boil, the brewer may decide to make another addition of hops, later in the boiling process. A hop schedule always counts down, so if your total boil time is set for 60 minutes, but you are slated for hop additions at 60, 30, and 10, you would add your first addition at the top of 60 minutes, then the next addition when there are 30 minutes left of the boil and then the last addition on your schedule at 10 minutes of boil time remaining. Hop schedules help to build a more dynamic range of bitterness and flavors from either one single hop or multiple different hops. You may also choose to add multiple close together additions over a long period of time, to pull large amounts of smoother bitterness from your hops. A good commercial example of this method being used is Dog Fish Head’s, 120-minute IPA. Hopefully, you are starting to see now how to boil duration and temperature work hand in hand. Next, we move on to the 3rd parameter, boil gravity. You probably already know that “original gravity” or “OG” as we use it in brewing, refers to the relative density of the wort before it is fermented to produce beer, being chiefly dependent on the number of fermentable sugars in solution. It is regarded as a guide to the potential alcoholic strength of the finished beer. To put it very simply, “Gravity” refers to the amount of existing or remaining carbohydrates in wort or beer. So, what does that have to do with boiling hops, you might ask? The amount of sugar or “gravity” in your wort while boiling, has a direct impact on the expression of Iso-alpha acids from your hops. This means your boil gravity can help to control the bitterness in your finished brew. The rule of thumb with boil gravity is basically this; the less sugar you have in your wort while boiling your hops, the more bitter your wort ultimately has the potential to become, given the time and temperature parameters are also set up with this goal in mind. You have probably already figured out that the opposite is also, true. A wort boil that contains a high gravity, or more wort sugars, will be more flavor-forward and less potentially bitter. Higher gravity wort boils are often considered “less efficient” as they tend to require larger quantities of hops, in order to achieve more intense bitterness goals. For many homebrewers and even professional brewers alike, a large part of the thought they give regarding recipe formulation is to the delicate control of the synergistic relationship between these 3 primary boil parameters, that modulate bitterness and flavor from your hop additions. Now it is important to mention that the hopping methods I am discussing today, are not the only times or ways hops can be added, there are several options depending on how you brew, and what kind of system you are brewing on, but for the purposes of our application to primarily extract and partial mash Brewing, we are focusing on the two primary Hopping techniques, “Bittering/boil” hop additions like the ones we discussed earlier and “Dry hop/aroma additions”. We will discuss Dry hopping additions, next. So, what is a dry hop addition? Dry hopping is a relatively broadly used term that covers several types of hop additions during the fermentation process or immediately after the boil, rather than when the wort is being exposed to heat, in the boil, or in other pre boils, hop infusion processes. The primary purpose of “dry-hopping” is to impart the flavors and aromas of a particular hop, without drawing out bitterness from the process of isomerization. In most cases, you will see dry-hopping conducted toward the end of a beer’s fermentation process, or after the krausen on the beer starts to settle. There are two main reasons for this. The first reason has to do with maintaining the freshest hop character possible from the fermenter, to the imbiber, as the most delicious hop compounds, also tend to be the most volatile and are easily lost to the atmosphere through the release of C02, or with age. The second very big reason is a process called “biotransformation”, this, put simply means that during the most active part of fermentation also known as “krausen”, the yeast is typically producing larger amounts of a very manipulative little enzyme called “Beta-glucanase” now, not all yeasts make enough of it during early fermentation to catalyze noticeable biotransformation of hops, but the ones that do can end up changing the flavors of your hops, drastically in some cases. Some brewers opt to capitalize on this intentionally and are keenly aware of what the result will yield. When truly understood, it can be used as a tool to achieve specific flavor goals. Honestly, biotransformation in beer could probably be a topic of its own so we will not go too far down that rabbit hole, today. So, in summation, most “dry hopping” happens late in fermentation but not exclusively and provides the highest levels of aromatic, essential oil contribution. Hopefully, now you are feeling more empowered regarding your understanding of hops, what they are, and their use and contributions in the brewing process. If you are struggling to understand what your hop contributions might look like in a custom-designed recipe, I urge you to employ one of the many free calculators available online to homebrewers. Sometimes, it can be a bit of a learning curve to figure out how to enter specific extracts, but you can always contact us at the help desk, and we are happy to help you navigate and use them with your Cooper’s or Mr. Beer products. Alright Brewers, that just about wraps up our discussion on hops. I could probably make several episodes about hops, as this is such a vast brewing topic. So, if you have more questions about hops or would like to learn more about something specific, please let us know in the comments. If you missed the first installment of this episode, last week, check the link in the description so you can catch that. Have a great day everyone, and do not forget to Like, comment, and subscribe so we can keep bringing you more educational content, like this. Make sure you join us back here next week for more Brew Talk with Mr. Beer, with Robert. Cheers! Ashley
Read more