1.Research the laws for home brewing in your country and locality (state, province or county, if applicable). (500 words minimum, cite references)
United States Federal Government
Status: Permitted, subject to age restriction and amount (gallonage).
Statute:
United States Code Title 26, Subtitle E, Chapter 51, Subchapter A, Part I, Subpart D, § 5053 provides an exemption to the code permitting the production of beer for personal or family use. § 5052 provides a definition for beer (see applicable statutory material).
Discussion:
The 1978 amendment to § 5053 added subsection (e) thus federally recognizing the home production of beer. Amendment XXI (1933) of the United States Constitution repealed the prohibition of intoxicating liquor (Amendment XVIII [1919]). However, section 2 of Amendment XXI and state police power gives states the authority to regulate the production, transportation and possession of intoxicating liquors. Therefore the home production of beer is recognized by federal statute so long as such production is not in violation of state law.
Special Provisions:
N/A
Alcohol Beverage Control Agency:
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms
650 Massachusetts Ave.
Washington, DC 20226
(202) 927-8700
Applicable Statutory Material:
§ 5052 DEFINITIONS
(a) Beer.--For purposes of this chapter (except when used with reference to distilling or distilling material) the term "beer" means beer, ale, porter, stout, and other similar fermented beverages (including sake or similar products) of any name or description containing one-half of 1 percent or more of alcohol by volume, brewed or produced from malt, wholly or in part, or from any substitute therefore.
§ 5053 EXEMPTIONS
(e) Beer for personal or family use.--Subject to regulation prescribed by the Secretary, any adult may, without payment of tax, produce beer for personal or family use and not for sale. The aggregate amount of beer exempt from tax under this subsection with respect to any household shall not exceed--
(1) 200 gallons per calendar year if there are 2 or more adults in such household, or
(2) 100 gallons per calendar year if there is only 1 adult in such household.
For purposes of this subsection, the term "adult" means an individual who has attained 18 years of age, or the minimum age (if any) established by law applicable in the locality in which the household is situated at which beer may be sold to individuals, whichever is greater.
State: New York
Status: Possibly permitted
Statute:
New York statute, Chapter 3-B, Article 8, § 100 provides that no person shall manufacture for sale or sell at wholesale or retail any alcoholic beverage within the state without obtaining the appropriate license therefor required by this chapter. Beer is defined as any fermented beverages of any name or description manufactured from malt, wholly or in part, or from any substitute therefor.
Discussion:
While no provision, exception, exemption, license, permit or certificate exists with respect to the home production of beer in New York such home production may be permissible under New York law. It appears the legislative intent of the New York alcoholic beverage control law is to regulate the manufacture of alcoholic beverages for sale. Because home produced beer is not manufactured to be sold it may fall outside the scope of the § 100 license requirement. Moreover, home produced beer is not defined as an "illicit alcoholic beverage" under New York law because federal law exempts such beer from applicable excise tax (see § 150).
Special Provisions:
N/A
State Alcohol Beverage Control Agency:
State Liquor Authority
Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control
11 Park Place
New York, NY 10007
(212) 417-4193
FAX (212) 417-3153
Applicable Statutory Material:
§ 3. Definitions
Whenever used in this chapter, unless the context requires otherwise:
1. "Alcoholic beverage" or "beverage" means and includes alcohol, spirits, liquor, wine, beer, cider and every liquid or solid, patented or not, containing alcohol, spirits, wine or beer and capable of being consumed by a human being, and any warehouse receipt, certificate, contract or other document pertaining thereto; except that confectionery containing alcohol as provided by subdivision twelve of section two hundred of the agriculture and markets law shall not be regarded as an "alcoholic beverage" or "beverage" within the meaning of this section.
2. "Alcohol" means ethyl alcohol, hydrated oxide of ethyl or spirit of wine from whatever source or by whatever processes produced.
3. "Beer" means and includes any fermented beverages of any name or description manufactured from malt, wholly or in part, or from any substitute therefor.
4. "Brewery" means and includes any place or premises where beer is manufactured for sale; and all offices, granaries, mashrooms, cooling-rooms, vaults, yards, and storerooms connected therewith or where any part of the process of manufacture of beer is carried on, or where any apparatus connected with such manufacture is kept or used, or where any of the products of brewing or fermentation are stored or kept, shall be deemed to be included in and to form part of the brewery to which they are attached or are appurtenant.
5. "Brewer" means any person who owns, occupies, carries on, works, or conducts any brewery, either by himself or by his agent.
§ 100. Alcoholic beverages generally
1. No person shall manufacture for sale or sell at wholesale or retail any alcoholic beverage within the state without obtaining the appropriate license therefor required by this chapter.
2. No manufacturer and no wholesaler shall sell, or agree to sell or deliver in this state any alcoholic beverage for the purposes of resale to any person who is not duly licensed pursuant to this chapter to sell such beverages, at wholesale or retail, as the case may be, at the time of such agreement and sale.
§ 150. Definitions
Whenever used in this article only, unless the context requires otherwise:
1."Illicit alcoholic beverage" means and includes any alcohol or distilled spirits owned, manufactured, distributed, bought, sold, bottled, rectified, blended, treated, fortified, mixed, processed, warehoused, possessed or transported on which any tax required to have been paid under any applicable federal law has not been paid.
2.Write two short essays on the importance of beer, wine, and mead to two different cultures, one of which being your hearth culture if you have one. Also include how these beverages are currently being brewed and used in modern pagan practices. (300 – 500 words each, cite references)
Scandinavia:
Currently, in Scandinavia brewing of fermented beverages is done a few ways. There are some commercial breweries that produce beers, but these are taxed so heavily that most people in the region don’t want to spend that kind of money. They obviously also import fermented beverages, but that is also highly taxed. What happens instead is that people brew their own. In essence this is state sponsored homebrewing.[1]
This region is also responsible for some interesting flavors in beers. Traditionally, they lautered their grains through evergreen branches, which imparted a spruce or pine flavor to the beer. While this is an ingenious idea, it really is much better suited for the making of gin instead of beer.[2]
Overall, this region is not really known for their fermented beverages due the lack of commercial ventures. Mead is brewed, but as is found throughout the world, not in great quantities. Wine, for the most part, is not produced here due to climatic challenges of growing fruits. There are a few beer breweries, but again, there are just a few, and they are highly taxed.
In modern pagan practice, it is very common to use mead as offerings to the gods. This is actually how I first encountered this wonderful beverage. In most Blots and Sumbles, the beverage that is being passed around is mead. To many, mead is seen as the waters of life, and as a result, the best beverage that one can give as sacrifice to the gods. Another reason that mead is used is because it is so scarce to find, and hard to make well.
Being that viticulture is not traditional to Scandinavia due to the climate, it can be arugued that it is really not appropriate to use in rituals. On the other hand, beer has been traditionally brewed in the region, and is, in my opinion, appropriate to be used.
Myself being Norse in focus, I try to use homebrewed mead whenever I can for ritualistic purposes. The only times I make exceptions for that are when I have a bottle of wine that is extremely valuable to me. I also, when doing a full, ADF style ritual, where I make an offering to the outdwellers, I give them beer, but I leave the cup upright off to the side throughout the ritual, and pour it out after.
Celtic:
First, let me define the area I am using for this discussion. I am defining it as the British Isles including Ireland, so I am encompassing a few similar cultures here.
Brewing in this region is extremely prolific. The region includes some classic brewing centers such as Dublin, London, and Burton on Trent, and as a result is known for some classic styles. Some of these are the Stout, IPA, Pale Ale, Browns, and Porters.
Beer brewing has a long tradition in this region. It was known to be there before the Roman invasion and was seen as inferior by the Romans. To the Romans, beer was grains that were rotten, and drunk straight, unlike their wine which was drunk diluted with water.[3] Now, oddly enough, England is the only region in the world where they let the male hop plant grow wild. As a result, it is not uncommon to find seeds in hops that were grown in England.[4]
We also have a long tradition of brewing meads in this area. In the feudal times it was common that land taxes could be paid for with honey or mead. This is also the place where the term honeymoon has come from, being that the newly married couple was given a moon of mead with hopes it would increase the chances of a male heir.[5] Unfortunately, like in the rest of the world, the brewing of mead has declined and it is hard to find. But, there is a trend for more meaderies to be started there.
As for wine, the region is not known for their wine production. While, as far as I can tell, there is some produced there, it suffers from the lack of a good growing season just as Scandinavia does.
In religious practices, it is very common to use either beer or mead for offerings. From what I have seen of rituals in this cultural focus, beer or mead are used as the waters of life. I have also seen either used as offerings throughout various rituals. What I have also seen is a larger use of distilled spirits, specifically whiskey. Whiskey is, in essence, a distilled beer that has been aged in oak.
From my personal experience when working with the Irish Celtic pantheon, I have found that mead is very accepted by them. Recently, I made an offering of mead to the fire, for Mannanan essentially saying “sorry for forgetting you and keeping the gates open so long.” It was obviously accepted because it went up like 80+ proof alcohol would… and it was only about 29 proof.
3.Summarize one IE mythology for the origins of fermented beverages, and compare to tale in two other IE cultures. (500 words minimum, cite references)
Mead has been of great importance in Norse mythology. It can be found throughout all of their mythology. It is said that a goat produces it for the Aesir, as stated in the Prose Edda:
A goat called Heiðrún stands up [on its hind-legs] in Valhalla biting the buds off the branches of that very famous tree which is called Lærað. From her teats runs the mead with which every day she fills a cauldron, which is so big that all the Einherjar can drink their fill from it. - Young's translation
It is also told how when Fjalar and Galar, two dwarven brothers, killed Kvasir. Kvasir was a deity created from the saliva of all the gods. But, because of this, he was quickly killed by the two brothers. To preserve his blood, it was mixed with honey, but this fermented and was later known as the mead of inspiration.
The dwarves later killed Gillingr and his wife at a later point. The killing of Gillingr so enraged the giant Suttungr that he stranded the brothers on a reef in the sea that would be covered by the tide. The brothers pleaded for their lives and offered the mead as payment. Suttungr accepted it and asked his daughter Gunnlod to guard it.
At this point Odin comes into the story. In short he causes the workers of Baugi, Suttungr’s brother, to kill themselves by their own sickle and offers Baugi to do the work of his men for one sip of the mead. Baugi says he has no control over the mead but would do what he could to get the mead. In the end, Odin does the work and then tricks his way into the cave where Gunnlod guarded the mead. He slept with her for three nights, after which he was allowed 3 sips of mead. Well, the 3 sips of mead Odin took was all of it. He then transformed himself into an Eagle and flew off to Asguard. Odin now gives the mead to the Aesir, to the Valkyries for reviving dead heroes upon their arrival in Valhall, and to all who have the ability to compose.
Beer is also mentioned in the Lokasenna. Hymir, a giant, has a cauldron that was huge and that the Aesir wanted to brew their beer in. Thor eventually got the cauldron and beer through some trickery.
As you can see, in the Norse culture alcoholic beverages, specifically mead, were of importance. It was the drink of Valhall, of the Gods, and also those who were inspired (poets, bards, musicians). As of this moment, I have not really found any references to wine being produced, and that makes sense since viticulture is not really practiced in Scandinavia. I also have not been able to find yet any reference of a deity teaching a human how to ferment a beverage, but as can be seen in the above the deities did produce fermented beverages, and one can make a strong argument for Kvasir’s Blood to be their origins of brewing story.
4.Describe at least 3 methods of sanitation and the importance of a sanitary environment for brewing. (50-100 words)
It is important to keep a sanitary environment if you want to make reproducible beverages. If things are not sanitary, it becomes more likely that bacteria, molds, or wild yeasts will infect your beverage and produce off flavors.
Heat:
You can bring your beer or mead to a boil to sanitize it, or you can bring them to at least 165 oF and hold there for at least 10 min to pasteurize.
Metabisulfites:
You can add this chemical directly to your raw beverage. When added, it will break down and produce sulfur dioxide which will sanitize the beverage. Wait 24 hours and then pitch your yeast.
Non-rinse chemicals:
One Step, Iodophore. Make a solution according to the packaging and soak your equipment thoroughly. Remove the solution and let air dry.
Rinse chemicals:
StarSan, B-Bright. Make a solution according to the packaging and soak your equipment thoroughly. Rinse the equipment thoroughly with sanitary water. Tap water is ok.
Bleach:
Make a solution of 1 cap per gallon and soak your equipment thoroughly. Rinse the equipment thoroughly with sanitary water until there is no further smell of bleach. Rinse once more. Note that bleach is not compatible for long term contact with stainless steel. It is strongly recommended it is not used on stainless steel, or if it is, it’s used for very short periods of time.
5.Define the following, and their importance to brewing (25-100 words each):
a.Equipment:
i.Carboy
This is basically a large glass jug or a food grade plastic bucket. It needs to be something that can be easily cleaned and sanitized as it is where the fermentation and aging take place.
ii.Airlock
This is a device that is used in conjunction with the fermenter. It usually is either a one piece or three piece plastic device that when filled with water allows carbon dioxide from the fermentation out, but doesn’t let anything else in. Some people fill with vodka or sanitizing solution, but care should be taken to make sure it never runs dry.
iii.Hydrometer or Refractometer
Both these instruments are used to measure the amount of sugar in your beverage. A hydrometer is a glass float that gets put into the beverage and you read the number that is in line with the top of the liquid. Most hydrometers can measure in oPlato, Potenial alcohol, and Specific Gravity. Refractometers measure the sugar content by how it bends light compared to water. Normally this is read in Brix which is ¼ of the Specific Gravity.
iv.Mash and lauter tun
This is equipment used in all grain beer brewing. Generally speaking, a mash/lauter tun is often an insulated container (sometimes not but with additional heating controls) that has some kind of filtering device at the bottom, usually either a manifold or screening. It is in this container that one mashes the grains to break down the proteins and convert the starch to sugar at various temperatures. Then the sweet liquor is drawn off through the manifold into the boil kettle.
v.Hopback and hop bags
This is a method of getting an extremely late hop addition to your wort. Generally speaking it is a container that holds hops and has the wort flown through it on the way to cooling and the fermenter. What it does is give you and extra bit of aroma from the hops without having to dry hop.
vi.Counterflow or Immersion chiller
These are devices to cool the hot beverage before pitching the yeast. A counterflow chiller runs hot liquid in one tube while at the same time, in a tube surrounding the hot liquid tube, cold water is run in the opposite direction. This cools the liquid very rapidly. An immersion chiller is essentially a coil of tubing that cold water is run through. This is placed into the hot liquid and allowed to cool it off. This is much slower than a counterflow chiller.
b.Chemicals and additives:
i.Potassium metabisulfate
This is a chemical that when added to water breaks down into sulfur dioxide. This gas then sanitizes the liquid. It can be used in the beverage itself, or as a sanitizing solution for equipment. For equipment, air drying is all that’s needed. For the beverage, let sit 24 hours before pitching yeast.
This is basically sea weed. It’s usually added during the last 10 minutes of a boil. The purpose is to help clarify the beverage by helping to crash out the proteins in solution upon cooling and aging.
iii.Yeast nutrients
Since some sugar sources are very poor in proteins, there is not enough free amino nitrogen (FAN) for the yeast to use to grow. As a result, the addition of yeast nutrients can increase the amount of FAN available and increase the growth of the yeast. Yeast nutrients can be chemicals such as urea, or yeast hulls which is basically dead yeast.
iv.Wine acids (citric, malic, and tartic acids)
Wine acids are commonly used to lower the pH of your beverage. Often this is needed in wines and especially meads to get optimal yeast activity. They also sometimes impart a flavor to the beverage such as citrusy or winey. Care must be used as large quantities of the acids will lead to astringency.
c.Ingredients:
i.Yeast
This is a microorganism that is responsible for the fermentation of the beverage. It takes simple sugars and converts them to carbon dioxide and ethanol. It also can produce other chemicals that effect the flavor and odor. Examples of this would be esters which give fruity notes and phenols that give spicy notes. If fermentation is too hot, fusel alcohols can also be produced and is seen as a defect. Yeast also produces diacetal, a buttery aroma, but are also needed to remove it. If diacetal is found and the beverage has been filtered or stabilized, the diacetal will only get worse, not better. Aldehydes and ketones are also produced by yeast in poor fermentation conditions and are noticeable by aroma. Most are considered faults.
ii.Malted grains
Grains are malted by taking the grain and germinating it. At some point before it grows too much, the grain is kilned dry and then heated in specific ways to produce the various malts we have. The purpose for the malting is to break down the proteins binding the starch, and to create the enzymes needed to convert the starch to simple sugars. Rice is the only cereal grain that is not able to be malted.
iii.Unmodified grains and other adjuncts
These are things that are added to the beverage to provide sugar, but are not malted grains. Un-malted grains are added to the mash so that their starch can be converted. The rest are added usually at the boil or before sanitation and can be things such as honey, maple syrup, corn sugar, etc.
iv.Honey
Honey is a very concentrated solution of simple sugars. It is 100% fermentable, but is low in free amino acids so many people add yeast nutrients when making straight meads. It can come as a varietal meaning that the source of the honey comes from predominately one flower, or it can be “wild flower” or “clover” honey meaning that the source is not just one kind of flower.
v.Fruit
Fruits provide juices that are 100% fermentable. One difficulty with brewing with fruit is that you should separate the fruit from the juice at some point. In the case of red wines, the skins are needed to make the wine red and add tannins, in most other cases it’s desirable to separate before fermenting. Fruit juices should never be heated because the pectin in the juice will denature and eventually form a haze which is near impossible to remove. As a result, sanitation is best done with metabisulfites.
vi.Spices
These are things that add flavor or aroma to your beverage, but do not add any kind of fermentables. Commonly they are added during secondary fermentation / aging so that the aromas are not blown away by the carbon dioxide produce during fermentation.
vii.Hops
Hops are a spice that is added mostly to beer. They are the flower of the female hop vine. There are two common uses for the hops. One is to bitter a beer, and this is done by boiling the hops for extended periods of time to convert the alpha acids to bitters. The other is as aroma and this can be done by adding to the last 10 min of a boil, using a hopback, or by dry hopping in secondary fermentation. Care must be taken because if too much is used, a vegetal taste and aroma can be formed.
d.Brews:
i.Straight and varietal meads
These are meads that are made only from honey, water, and yeast. To be considered a varietal mead, the honey has to have come from only one flower source.
ii.Metheglin
These are meads that are made from honey, water, yeast, and spices. Spices are defined as anything that is added to the beverage that is not a sugar source, also called adjuncts.
iii.Melomel
These are meads that are a combination of fruit juices, honey, water, and yeast. The honey must be the major source for fermentable sugars otherwise it would be a wine.
iv.Braggot
These are meads that are a combination of malted grains, honey, water, and yeast. The honey must be the major source for fermentable sugars otherwise it would be a beer. This brew may or may not be hopped depending on personal choice.
v.Wine
This is any beverage where fruit juice is the major source of fermentable sugars. Most common at this time is grape juice as the source.
vi.Ale
This is a type of beer that is made with ale yeast. Ale yeasts ferment well at around room temperature down to around 60 oF. Any colder and they will not ferment. Some ale yeasts are known for their production of esters and phenols.
vii.Lager
This is a type of beer that is made with lager yeast. Lager yeasts ferment well at room temperature like ale yeasts, but also will ferment as cold at 45 oF. The yeast can also eat a couple extra sugars that ale yeasts cannot. Fermentation at these cold temperatures leads to a very clean flavor and any esters or phenols produced are signs that it was fermented too warm.
e.Tasting:
i.Become familiar with the general terms used to describe wine, mead, and beer when tasted for competition purposes. Use those terms to describe any 5 of the following brews with a maximum of 3 beers (Commercial if possible). (50-300 words each, cite commercial examples if used)
1.Light color beer (Under 20 SRM) (i.e. pale ale, pilsner, kolsch)
Scottish Heavy, style 9B, My homebrew.
Aroma:
Hop and fruit aroma
No malt arom
Hit of alcohol
Appearance:
Light, golden brown brown
Cloudy
Good, white head
Flavor:
Fruity
Good bitter, but low.
Light on body
Low on malt
Mouthfeel:
Low body, watery
Good carbonation, but high for style
Carbonic bite was noticed
Overall:
Drinkable. Light and fruity flavor to style. Could use more bitter to balance the fruit and less carbonation to remove the carbonic bite.
2.Dark color beer (over 20 SRM) (i.e. bock, stout, browns)
DoppleBock, style 5c, homebrew not my own.
Aroma:
Malt up front
Some alcohol notes
fruity/wine like, possibly oxidized
Appearance:
Dark, golden brown
Good head
Flavor:
Malty and caramel up front
Low hop, yet bitter
Bitter aftertaste
Alcohol can be tasted
Not a great balance of hop to malt, should be more towards malt
Mouthfeel:
Creamy
Medium/full body
Alcohol warmth
Dry finish
Overall:
Pleasant to drink, could be maltier. Some oxidation observed though.
3.High hoped beer (over 50 IBU) (i.e. IPA, American Pale Ale, American Brown)
American Pale Ale, style 10A, My homebrew.
Aroma:
Hops up front, citrus in nature
Low to no malt
No esters
Appearance:
Light gold
Clear
Low head
Flavor:
Malty, caramel up front
Moderate supporting bitter
Lingering bitter
Dry finish
Mouthfeel:
Medium to low body
Good carbonation
No astringency
Overall:
A good example. It could be less caramel and malty up front. Possibly could do better as an American Amber Ale, style 10B.
4.High alcohol beer (over 7% ABV) (i.e. Barleywine, IPA, Old Ale, Dopplebock)
5.grape wine(white or red)
Riesling Ice Wine, Herman J. Weimer
Aroma:
Riesling grape aroma
Some alcohol notes
Slight floral aroma
Appearance:
Clear
Golden
still
Flavor:
Very sweet
After sweetness, Riesling grapes can be tasted
Riesling grape through middle
Ends with a lingering grape and sweet flavor
Mouthfeel:
Medium body to almost thick due to sugars
No astringency
Overall:
A very sweet wine. Grape flavors come through and the alcohol that was noticed in the aroma does not dominate the wine.
6.wine from fruits other than grape
7.basic mead, varietal mead, braggot, metheglin, or melomel.
Traditional Mead, style 24A, My homebrew.
Aroma:
Phenolic aroma with light honey
Phenols are strong and lingering.
Appearance:
Cloudy
Light brown
Flavor:
Alcoholic
Honey at start fading to alcohol
Some astringency and pheonolic in finish
Phenol dominates
Mouthfeel:
Thin
Dry
Still
Overall:
Very alcoholic which dominates the flavor. Phenols overpower the honey. Watch fermentation temperatures and sanitation procedures.
6.Write a general method for brewing each of the following. (100 words minimum)
a.Mead
For a basic, straight mead, 5 gallon batch, dissolve 12-14 lb of honey in hot water. Hot water is necessary otherwise you will have a hard time dissolving it. Total volume at this point can be between a couple gallons to full 5-6 gallon volume. At this point you have 3 options. You can take the full volume and put it in a carboy, sanitize with metabisulfite, wait 24 hours, then pitch your yeast. Option 2 is to heat the must to 165 F for 10 min, cool down, put into the carboy (dilute to full volume with sanitized, cold water if needed), and pitch your yeast when temp is well under 80 F. Option 3 is to boil the must for about 10 min. I recommend scooping off the froth that comes up as it will lead to a clearer mead. Cool down quickly, put into the carboy (dilute to full volume with sanitized, cold water if needed), and pitch your yeast when temp is well under 80 F.
In all cases, your yeast should be one that can handle high alcohol volumes. At minimum it should be a wine yeast. There are mead yeasts on the market that have given me variable results. I personally use Champaign yeast. After you pitch your yeast, and vigorous bubbling has concluded, transfer to a second carboy to allow for clearing and aging. When your gravity has become consistent over at least 3 readings in 2 weeks, you are ready to bottle.
If you are dry (gravity 1.000 or under) you may want to sweeten it. If you are not dry and your alcohol % is under 14% you may want to kill the yeast. If either of these cases is true, you want to add metabisulfite to your mead, and wait 24 hours before doing anything else. If you are going to sweeten it, remove a little, sweeten with sugar of choice to taste, and take a gravity reading. When happy, sweeten the entire batch to this gravity. CAUTION: add sugar slowly, it is real easy to over sweeten.
Once you are ready to bottle, degass your mead by shaking it until it stops bubbling. At this point you may want to move it to where you are going to bottle, or to a cold place to help the yeast settle again. When clear again (usually within 24 hours), you will then siphon the mead off and into bottles. Proper fill is between the base of the neck and 2 fingers below the cork. Cork the bottle, refrigerate, and serve.
b.Wine
Take your full volume of fruit juice. It should not be stabilized or preserved such as the concord grape juice you buy in the store, yeast will not easily grow in those. Sanitize your juice. Preferred method, since most don’t have a flash pasteurizer, is to sanitize with metabisulfite. Sanitation by boiling will likely produce a pectin haze that is near impossible to remove, so heating of any kind is not recommended.
Wait 24 hours after sulfiting and add your yeast, preferably a wine or Champaign yeast. After you pitch your yeast, and vigorous bubbling has concluded, transfer to a second carboy to allow for clearing and aging. When your gravity has become consistent over at least 3 readings in 2 weeks, you are ready to bottle.
If you are dry (gravity 1.000 or under) you may want to sweeten it. If you are not dry and your alcohol % is under 14% you may want to kill the yeast. If either of these cases is true, you want to add metabisulfite to your wine, and wait 24 hours before doing anything else. If you are going to sweeten it, remove a little, sweeten with sugar of choice to taste, and take a gravity reading. When happy, sweeten the entire batch to this gravity. CAUTION: add sugar slowly, it is real easy to over sweeten.
Once you are ready to bottle, degass your mead by shaking it until it stops bubbling. At this point you may want to move it to where you are going to bottle, or to a cold place to help the yeast settle again. When clear again (usually within 24 hours), you will then siphon the wine off and into bottles. Proper fill is between the base of the neck and 2 fingers below the cork. Cork the bottle, refrigerate (if desired), and serve.
c.Beer
There are 3 general methods for brewing beer. All of them converge at the boil.
Method 1, extract: Dissolve the desired amount of malt extract in water (a couple gallons to full volume) and bring to a boil.
Method 2, min-mash/partial-mash: Steep your specialty grains, in a grain sock, in water to make a strong “tea”. I prefer to start off with cold water and steep until I’m around 170 F (usually 30-90 min). CAUTION: Never boil your grains, you may extract tannins that are not usually desired. Total volume can be a few gallons to full volume. Remove the grains and bring to a boil.
Method 3 all grain: Mash your grains in a grain to water ratio of 1-2qt water per pound of grain. General temperatures to consider are protein rest at 120 F, B-amalyase rest at 145 F, and A-amylase rest at 160 F. Genearally speaking, protein rests are not needed with modern malts and if use will lead to a lower head retention and less body, it is useful if using 6-row malt as that is higher in protein. A single step mash of 154 F is extremely efficient for A and B-amalyase enzymes. I normally mash for 60-90 min at 154 F. Lauter and sparge with 170 F water until either you have enough volume, or gravity is 1.010. It is recommended that you take your first runnings and put them back into your lauter tun until you run clear. Bring the wort to a boil, total volume will be full volume.
At boil, add your bittering hops, and boil for an hour. Other hop additions can be made throughout. Commonly, aroma hops are added sometime during the last 10 min of the boil. Once the boil is done, cool quickly and transfer to carboy. Once in carboy, raise to full volume using sanitized water if needed, and then aerate either with vigorous shaking or Oxygen. Pitch your yeast. Once vigorous bubbling is done (4-11 days usually) transfer to a second carboy for aging and clarifying. Once you are happy with what you have, and gravity readings are constant over 3 readings in at least 3 days, you are ready to bottle.
To bottle you can either siphon to a keg and force carbonate, or you can bottle condition. To do this for a 5 gallon batch, take ¾ cup of corn sugar dissolved in about a pint or two of water, boil it, and add to the carboy. Shake to mix and let all the solids settle out again (no more than an hour, do not let sit overnight otherwise you will not have any priming sugar left). Siphon your beer into bottles, proper fill is about 2 fingers below the cap, and cap. Let them sit in a warm place for about 2 weeks, refrigerate, and serve. Be careful when pouring as you will generally have ¼ of an inch of yeast on the bottom.
7.Brew at least six brews including at minimum one beer and one mead or wine. Submit detailed recipes and your comments on the final product. If you have been brewing prior to starting the study program and did not keep notes, please list brews you have done and the best that you can remember about them. At minimum three of these brews must begin with prayers to one of the Kindreds. Write an essay describing your experiences. If you have previously brewed without beginning with prayers, discuss any differences you noted. If you are a beginning brewer, you may brew one more beverages without beginning with prayers to discuss any differences you note. (300-500 words)
I have been brewing for about 7 years at this point and I have had many interesting experiences with brewing with and without prayers or intentions for my brews. When I brew without them, I do get good, quality beverages. Most of my friends enjoy them, and they are all close to what I expected to get out.
When I brew with prayers or intentions, I do get a whole different kind of beverage. When I started off, the only beverages I brewed with intentions were those I brewed at Beltane for the Binghamton community. These meads and beers were brewed on the land we hold our summer rituals, brewed with the water from the stream on the land, and at times have been put next to the alter during the ritual. I have found that overall these beverages tend to hold some extra kind of energy. They are more lively and, at times, more intoxicating. I have been told by many friends that the meads are great, even though they don’t personally like dry mead or wine and the meads tend to go dry. A classic example of this happened at Wellspring 2006. My American Pale Ale (brewed at Beltane) was on tap after my brewing workshop. Issac said to me that he doesn’t normally like IPA’s (ok, so he got the style slightly confused) but he loved my stuff. Well, we all saw what that lead to.
Apart from that, when I brewed my 3 beers specifically for the Kindreds I did notice some different things. First off, I hit my gravity target dead on where I normally am within 5 points. Fermentation itself took as long as it was supposed to take for an ale yeast (4-5 days). When I tasted all 3 beers, they also were exactly what I was trying to make.
The prayer that I used was a simple one. When I brought my wort to a boil and added the bittering hops, I declared that I was brewing this beer for the Kindred of choice. I asked that kindred to accept the offering of grain I had just poured out into the garden, and I stirred a triskel in the wort. After I cooled the wort down and oxygenated it, when I pitched the yeast, I again asked the kindred to bless this beer. Nothing too complicated, but it apparently did work well. I didn’t notice any difference between all 3 Kindred, and probably in the future I will just brew for all 3 at once, unless called to do otherwise.
Recipies
Heffeweisen, 5 gallons
|
Grain |
Lb |
% |
|
Wheat |
5 |
50 |
|
Pale Ale |
5 |
50 |
|
Hops |
%AA |
Oz |
Boil time |
|
Hallertauer |
4.5 |
0.5 |
60 |
|
Hallertauer |
4.5 |
0.5 |
10 |
Yeast: White Labs WLP300, Heffeweisen
Grist ratio: 1.5 qt/lb
Mash temp: 154 oF
Mash time: 90 min
Sparge temp: 170 oF
Sparge time: 30 min
Boil time: 60 min
Primary fermentation: 11 days at 68 oF
Secondary fermentation: none
OG: 1.050
FG: 1.010
Kegged
Grains were mashed for 90 min at 154 oF and sparged for 30 min at 170 oF to a total volume of 6.5 gallons. Wort was brought to a boil and hops were added. When boil was complete, wort was cooled with an immersion chiller to 70 oF, poured through a strainer and into a 6 gallon glass carboy. Wort was aerated for 30 seconds with oxygen and yeast was pitched. Fermentation was complete in 5 days, but left in carboy for 11. Beer was transferred to keg and conditioned for one week in the keg before carbonating.
Aroma:
Banana and clove in nose
Low malt aroma
No hop aroma
Appearance:
Cloudy
Yellow/gold
Big white head
Flavor:
Banana up front followed by a pilsner/bready malt
No hops flavor
Low hops bitter in finish.
Yeasty in taste overall
Mouthfeel:
Medium body
No astringency
Overall:
Good, drinkable wheat beer. Does not need the citrus fruit to cover up any off flavors.
Coffee Stout, 5 gallons
|
Grain |
Lb |
% |
|
Pale Ale |
9 |
80 |
|
Roasted Barley |
0.5 |
4.4 |
|
Chocolate |
0.5 |
4.4 |
|
Black Patent |
0.5 |
4.4 |
|
Flaked Barley |
0.75 |
6.7 |
|
Hops |
%AA |
Oz |
Boil time |
|
Galena |
12 |
0.5 |
60 |
|
Fuggle |
4.75 |
0.5 |
30 |
|
Fuggle |
4.75 |
0.5 |
10 |
Yeast: White Labs WLP004, Irish Stout
Grist ratio: 1.78 qt/lb
Mash temp: 154 oF
Mash time: 90 min
Sparge temp: 170 oF
Sparge time: 30 min
Boil time: 60 min
Primary fermentation: 11 days at 68 oF
Secondary fermentation: 4 days, 18 cups from 6 oz 8 O’Clock French Roast coffee added.
OG: 1.060
FG: 1.014
Kegged
Grains were mashed for 90 min at 154 oF and sparged for 30 min at 170 oF to a total volume of 6.5 gallons. Wort was brought to a boil and hops were added. When boil was complete, wort was cooled with an immersion chiller to 70 oF, poured through a strainer and into a 6 gallon glass carboy. Wort was aerated for 30 seconds with oxygen and yeast was pitched. Fermentation was complete in 5 days, but left in carboy for 11. Beer was transferred to a secondary carboy and 18 cups of freshly brewed coffee from 6 oz of 8 O’Clock French Roast beans was added. This was aged for 4 days. Beer was transferred to keg and carbonated.
Aroma:
Big coffee aroma
Malt aroma is present under the coffee
No hop aroma
Appearance:
Black
Long standing light brown head
Flavor:
Coffee comes out like the aroma would lead you to expect.
Middle has a good taste of dark malts
Hops bitter goes throughout, but is not prominent.
Lingering bitter at end.
Mouthfeel:
Full body
No astringency
Overall:
This beer tastes and smells like coffee. It makes me want to have some breakfast along with it. Might be interesting to add a creamy liquer to it to maybe mellow the coffee a bit.
California Common, 5 gallons
Note: won 3rd place in NE Region of AHA 2006 contest, scored a 30/50 in 2nd round.
|
Grain |
Lb |
% |
|
Pale Ale |
9 |
83.7 |
|
Crystal, 60o |
1.25 |
11.6 |
|
Vienna |
0.5 |
4.7 |
|
Hops |
%AA |
Oz |
Boil time |
|
Northern Brewer |
6.8 |
1.5 |
60 |
|
Northern Brewer |
6.8 |
0.5 |
30 |
|
Northern Brewer |
6.8 |
0.5 |
5 |
|
Northern Brewer |
6.8 |
1.5 |
Dry |
Yeast: White Labs WLP810, San Francisco Lager
Grist ratio: 1.78 qt/lb
Mash temp: 154 oF
Mash time: 90 min
Sparge temp: 170 oF
Sparge time: 30 min
Boil time: 60 min
Primary fermentation: 6 days at 68 oF
Secondary fermentation: 4 days
OG: 1.060
FG: 1.012
Kegged
Grains were mashed for 90 min at 154 oF and sparged for 30 min at 170 oF to a total volume of 6.5 gallons. Wort was brought to a boil and hops were added. When boil was complete, wort was cooled with an immersion chiller to 70 oF, poured through a strainer and into a 6 gallon glass carboy. Wort was aerated for 30 seconds with oxygen and yeast was pitched. Fermentation was complete in 5 days, but left in carboy for 6. Beer was transferred to a secondary carboy and dry hops added. This was aged for 4 days. Beer was transferred to keg and carbonated.
Aroma:
Hops up front, earthy in nature
Low malt aroma
Appearance:
Copper brown (too dark)
Low off white head
Clear
Flavor:
Hops, earthy in nature
Supporting malt is in background and could be more
Could use more of a toasty malt (Vienna)
Slightly grassy from dry hops.
Lingering hops bitter
Mouthfeel:
Medium body
No astringency
Overall:
A good, drinkable, hoppy beer. Not quite what a California Common should be though.
American Pale Ale, 5 gallons
|
Grain |
Lb |
% |
|
Pale Ale |
11 |
91.7 |
|
Crystal, 60o |
1 |
8.3 |
|
Hops |
%AA |
Oz |
Boil time |
|
Northern Brewer |
9.0 |
1 |
60 |
|
Cascade |
6.3 |
0.5 |
30 |
|
Northern Brewer |
9.0 |
0.5 |
30 |
|
Cascade |
6.3 |
0.5 |
5 |
|
Northern Brewer |
9.0 |
0.5 |
5 |
|
Cascade |
6.3 |
1.0 |
dry |
Yeast: White Labs WLP001, California Ale
Grist ratio: 1.33 qt/lb
Mash temp: 154 oF
Mash time: 90 min
Sparge temp: 170 oF
Sparge time: 30 min
Boil time: 60 min
Primary fermentation: 7 days at 68 oF
Secondary fermentation: 9 days
OG: 1.056
FG: 1.006
Kegged
Grains were mashed for 90 min at 154 oF and sparged for 30 min at 170 oF to a total volume of 6.5 gallons. Wort was brought to a boil and hops were added. When boil was complete, wort was cooled with an immersion chiller to 70 oF, poured through a strainer and into a 6 gallon glass carboy. Wort was aerated for 30 seconds with oxygen and yeast was pitched. Fermentation was complete in 4 days, but left in carboy for 7. Beer was transferred to a secondary carboy and dry hops added. This was aged for 9 days. Beer was transferred to keg and carbonated.
Aroma:
Hops, hops, and hops, citrus in nature, grapefruit?
Malt can’t be detected.
Appearance:
Yellow/brown
Clear
Low white head
Flavor:
Hops, citrus in nature
Malt supports but is very low compared to hops
No grassy taste from dry hopping
Lingering hop bitter finish.
Mouthfeel:
Medium body
No astringency
Overall:
A very hoppy beer that reminds me of the old Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.
Starthistle Mead, 5 gallons
|
Honey |
Lb |
% |
|
Starthistle Honey |
12 |
100 |
|
Other |
Tsp |
|
Yeast Nutrients |
1 |
|
Citric Acid |
1 |
Yeast: Red Star Champaign
Boil time: 10 min
Primary fermentation: 30 days at 68 oF
Secondary fermentation: 10 months
OG: 1.080
FG: 1.000
Wine Bottles
Honey was dissolved in 3 gallons of honey and heated to a boil for 10 min. While boiling, the froth that formed was removed. Must was then cooled with an immersion chiller to 70 oF, poured through a strainer and into a 6 gallon glass carboy and diluted to 5 gallons with clean water. Yeast nutrient and citric acid were added followed by vigerous shaking. Yeast was then pitched and fermented for a month. Mead was racked to secondary and let age for 10 months. Mead was then bottled in 750 mL wine bottles.
Aroma:
Low honey aroma
No esters
Alcohol is noticable
Appearance
Slightly cloudy
Copper in color
Flavor:
The flavor of the honey comes through
Alcohol is noticeable
Very very dry.
Mouthfeel:
Watery
No astringency
Alcohol warmth is felt.
Overall:
Not a bad mead. It is a little thin and alcoholic.
Riesling, 5 gallons
|
Juice |
Gallons |
% |
|
Riesling |
6 |
100 |
Yeast: Riesling yeast
Primary fermentation: 30 days at 68 oF
Secondary fermentation: 2 months
OG: 1.080
FG: 0.990
Wine Bottles
Grape juice was pre-sanitized. The juice was vigorously shaken in a 6 gallon carboy and yeast added. After one month the wine was transferred to secondary and aged for 2 months. After 2 months, the batch was sulfated and split in two. One half was bottled as a dry Riesling. The other half had invert sugar (250 mL) added to raise it to a gravity of 1.000, then bottled.
Aroma:
Riesling grapes come through.
No off aromas
Appearance:
Clear
Yellow/gold
Flavor:
Tastes like Riesling grapes
Slight alcohol note
Mouthfeel:
Dry is dry, sweet is on the dry side of sweet, but not puckering dry
No astringency
Slight alcohol warmth.
Overall:
This is not a bad Riesling. I would do this kit again.