Belgium/Northwest/Tropics

Welcome back to Off The Hinge Brewing!  Yes, it has been a long time... I will save you from the mundane and skip to the good stuff.  First, I brewed outside yesterday with friends!  Secondly, the Cascade Cup and Puget Sound Pro-Am Competition is happening right now!  Lastly, my 2-row barley has sprouted!  I hope that is not too many exclamation marks!

Stir plate in action

I was thinking about making a Cedar Kolsch Beer, but realized it was not that creative.  I decided to make a beer that resembles three of my favorite areas in the world.  I took from the Great Pacific Northwest, Belgium, and the Tropics and came up with a Cedar Mango Belgian Blonde.  I also used my stir plate for the first time, which worked like champ.  I pitched the Forbidden Fruit yeast at 6 PM and I woke up at 1 AM and it was bubbling like crazy, so my guess is that it started earlier than that.  The Original Gravity is 1.046, which is right on target!  Now the wait...

Last weekend, I found out that FH Steinbarts (local homebrew store) was not a drop off location for the competition and it was the last day to drop of the entries, oh shit.  The wife and I decided to take a trip to Olympia Washington for the drop off of, Tropic of Wheat and the Beach Bum Red.  This long drive was nice and we got to check out a small brewery and have lunch.  Hope the beer does well!

Off The Hinge Garden is blowing up.  I planted some barley last week and I noticed the shoots yesterday.  I also added some fennel in there.  Thinking a fennel lavender saison would be a good summer beer.  I will update you continually on the garden.  That is all for now, remember to drink good beer responsibly and be merry.  Salute!

2-Row Barley

Chinook 

Cascade

Zeus

Outdoor Setup

Mash

Steve checking temp

Steve excited

Perfect day for outdoor session

Happy

Tracey, Audrey and Steve

I get serious when I drop my cedar

5 minutes left till flame out

She loves her spent grains

OTH Brewer's Garden Almost Complete

Welcome back to Off The Hinge Brewing!  The Garden is coming along and the hops are growing like crazy!  Today I set up some coarse twine for the hops to grow up.  It appears that the Chinook are leading the pack with Cascades in a close second and Zeus, well they are trying to keep up.  If you are interested in growing your own hops I found a cool article with several tips and info check it out at http://home.netcom.com/~dluzanp/backyard.htm

Chinook

Zeus

Cascade

OFF THE HINGE ESTATE HOPS

Stars & Bars Polly Olly is bottled and conditioning.  This was one helluva time.  Murphy's Law was in full swing.  It all started when my White Sox lost a close one to the Nationals.  Damn Inter league play!  Moving on...I was not in the best mood, however I needed to bottle the beer.  So, I rushed and got everything setup in my usual way.  I filled a 750 ml bottle only to find out that the cap did not fit the top of that bottle.  I had already lost beer to the hop absorption and I did not want to pour it back  risking oxidation.  Next, I was capping a bottle when all of the sudden the neck of the bottled crumbled and shattered cutting my thumb.  Lastly, as I was tipping the last of the liquid from the elevated bucket and it fell onto the bottles knocking them over like bowling pins.  Hopefully, they will be fine.  I am just glad that it is over...  That is all for now folks, remember to drink good beer responsibly and be merry.  Cheers!   

Transferring to bottling bucket 

Bottle Tree

Stars & Bars

2013 Joint Cascade Brewers Cup & Puget Sound Pro-Am

Welcome back to Off The Hinge Brewing!  I want you all to know that I am sick of not brewing!  I still have not used my stir plate and can't wait propagate some yeast.  My pipeline was getting clogged up, hence the reason I have not brewed in over 2 weeks.  Not to mention the brewers garden took some time to get going.  Enough excuses...

Clogged up pipeline

I am going to Ashland, OR. on a mini vacation to hang with some friends and check out movies, plays and breweries!  I feel this trip will give me some time to reflect and possible gain some inspiration  south of the Rose City.  My buddy has a friend that runs a nano brewery tour out of Medford and I am tempted to go, plus I can get a discount.  I do not know, but it may be a good way to extend the old network.  Moving on to more important info...

Henry Miller once said, “Do anything, but let it produce joy. Do anything, but let it yield ecstasy.”  I feel this statement best describes why I brew... Whirlpool Wheat has a new name, Tropic of Wheat.  Inspired by the tropical fruit notes and Henry Miller's Tropic of Cancer. 

I just entered it into my first Pro-Am competition in the great state to the North.  This competition is one of Washington's most prestigious homebrew competitions with the country's largest GABF Pro-Am qualifying competition.  Regardless of the outcome, I believe that Tropic of Wheat yields ecstasy.

Lastly, just tried the Beach Bum Red (which is not quite carbonated), and it taste great.  All those late hop additions are paying off.  I compared it to the Fibonacci's IRA that I brewed last year and the color was almost exactly the same beautiful red hue.  I still can not decide which one taste better, but I am digging where the beer is headed, and I am not talking about down my gullet.  Sooner or Later that is the fate of all my brews, but hopefully in the future that will include other gullets than my own.

I will let you know how the trip went and until then peace out.  Remember to drink good beer responsibly and be merry.