Two Thumbs Brewing Company

Moany the Elder - The Review

2011-04-23T19:30:00.004-04:00

FG: 1.007!
ABV: 8%

We're coming up on 3 weeks since I bottled my clone of Pliny the Elder. I sampled one after two weeks in the bottle, but there was still a little aging needed. Today, I decided it had aged long enough already!

I'm no good at the fancy beer tasting reviews, but I can tell you that this has lived up to all expectations I may have had. It is a well-balanced and delicious hop bomb!

Behold...

Moany the Elder

2011-03-06T18:29:00.004-05:00

Let it be known that today was brew day. A brew day much like any other except completely different. I recently purchased the Best of Brew Your Own - 250 Classic Clone Recipes and I was quickly able to choose my next brew...Pliny the Elder. Now, I have not had this beer before, but it is often listed as the best of the best in Imperial IPAs, so I figured it was worth a shot.

I ordered all the ingredients, including the nearly impossible to find Simcoe hop pellets (found them at Rebel Brewer in Tennessee), and planned my brew day. As I was getting the logistics sorted out, I took another look at the recipe and noticed it didn't list the boil volume. A quick internet search led me to believe the boil volume should be roughly 7.5 gallons. I had never done a full volume boil, nor do I own the equipment to do such things. After the initial panic subsided, I asked my co-worker and fellow homebrewer if I could borrow his 10 gallon boil kettle. He offered up the entire setup, 10 gallon kettle, 10 gallon mash tun, propane burner, wort chiller, and oxygen stone. Aside from the mash tun, I had never brewed using any of this equipment before. Here was the scene in the garage...

This brew calls for copious amounts of delicious hops and the whole garage smelled fantastic! Here's just a fraction of the total hops...these were added at flameout.

Here's the stats:

Batch Volume: 5 Gallons, All-grain
Predicted OG: 1.073 (at 65% Efficiency)
Actual OG: 1.068 (calculated efficiency = 63.8%)

Pitched 2 vials of White Labs California Ale yeast about an hour ago. Wish me luck!

AboMoanation IPA

2010-12-12T10:27:00.003-05:00

Sorry, I couldn't help myself. Things have been slow around TTBC lately. I bottled version 4 of the porter a little over a month ago and sampled one just the other day...still a little green.

Today, however, was bottling day for the 1st double IPA I've made in a good while. This thing had been sitting on 2 oz of Centennial hops for the last week and boy did it smell good. The OG was right near 1.075 and it finished out very close to 1.010, which puts it in the realm of about 8.5% ABV. My recipe was a clone of Stone Ruination IPA (Recipe published years ago in Brew your Own magazine and found here - See posting by Brewman82), with slight modifications.

It's looking like late January should be a tasty time around here!

Cheers!

A moment of silence

2010-11-11T18:43:00.004-05:00

This week we lost a friend. Above, you see her in her heyday, so full of hope. She lagered the 2007 FGSA Grand Champion India Pale Lager as well as the 2008 version of same. She also lagered two separate Doppelbocks and poured countless pints in both North Carolina and Virginia. But alas, during her last few years, she had been resigned to merely holding craft cheeses and seeing nary the first drop of the sweet nectar for which she was intended.

Well folks, this week she moved on, to a good home that will bring her back to her former grandeur. All I have left now is my Rainier tap handle.

Good bye, old friend. We raise a pint to you.

We wish you a beery christmas...

2010-11-06T19:21:00.003-04:00

Admittedly, it is entirely too early for a Christmas reference. However, I purchased this fantastic bottle tree today and it is red and green. What other reference could I make? What you see here are the freshly washed bottles for tomorrow's Bottling Day. Tomorrow, we crank up the Hangover Cafe and bottle some porter!

To hell with NC, I'm brewing anyway!

2010-09-18T12:07:00.004-04:00

While the rest of the locations I associate with seem to be full swing into fall time, the North Carolina summer refuses to give up. The leaves are turning, the humidity is nil, but the temps keep hovering near 90. I say the hell with it! I'll just keep the air on, pretend its truly fall, and get a batch of beer bubblin'.

And so begins Moan Porter V4 (AKA Quaternary Porter). The all-grain Trifecta porter was recently reworked into a partial mash recipe to accommodate my brewing setup and the specialty grains adjusted slightly, resulting in the Quaternary Porter.

Brew day was last Monday, September 13th. After many weeks of far too many hours devoted to my job, I took Monday off for a little R & R. It seems I had been away from brewing too long. The brewing process was filled with catastrophe...The brewpot boiled over multiple times, the boiling wort bubbling out of the brewpot burned my wrist, and then the stainless steel spoon I was using to stir with fell into the brewpot and promptly sank.

Here it is near the end of the 75 minute boil.

After the boil, I cooled it in the sink and within a handful of hours I added the newly released Wyeast Northern Brewer Neobrittania yeast . The thing was bubblin' like mad by the next morning and weighed in at an OG of 1.075.

Here's my plan for the secondary...

Split the batch in two. Half (2.5 gallons) is aged properly and then bottled. The other half becomes an epic, kick-your-ass bourbon barrel porter. I started the oak chips soaking in 3/4 cup Eagle Rare bourbon (Thanks Brad) today and the whole lot goes into the secondary next weekend. Not sure it's a good idea to add bourbon to a beer that's already near 8% ABV, but I'm gonna do it anyhow!

Ashes to ashes, beer to drain

2010-08-17T19:18:00.003-04:00

Well, I realize it's been a while since last we chatted, but brewing weather has been hard to come by in these parts. Cooler weather, however, is on the horizon and it's got me itchin' to brew another batch. I promised my assistant brewer that I wouldn't be brewing the next batch until September, but I've got to keep myself in the spirit for the time being. That said, I've been taking care of the miscellaneous brewing tasks that needed done around here.

Task Number 1: Bottle the strawberry wine. ✓

Notes: The smell and color were very promising. The taste was sweet at the start and slightly tart at the finish.

Task Number 2: Inventory failed attempts at beer and dispose. ✓

Notes: 1 22oz Doppelbock (never came into its own), 4 22oz+ Bastard Wee Heavy (Wee disgusting), and 1 22oz Belgian Blonde (circa 2007).

Sometimes you just make a beer that ain't worth a damn and I'm not above cutting my losses. Believe me, going down the drain was the best thing that ever happened to these beers. I did give them one last attempt to redeem themselves, however.

And then taps played...

And last, but most fun...

Task Number 3: Revamp Trifecta porter recipe for September brewing. ✓

Note: Converted my first homemade all-grain recipe into a partial mash so I could handle all the grain with my current setup. Felt kind of bad doing that, but it needed to be done.

Stay tuned for new brews from TTBC in early September!

Sometimes they come back

2010-06-27T16:39:00.003-04:00

About a month or so ago, my Cascade hops suffered a little setback. The Centennials are one setback after another, so I won't be discussing them today. The Cascades were already about 6 feet long the day I checked on them. I noticed that just the very tips of the bines had been nipped off, literally nipped in the buds. I decided to cut my losses and cut the bines back to near the bases. I picked a suitable side-sprout on each of the two bines and cut the plants back to those selected sprouts. Within a few weeks, these replacement bines were growing like mad and just this week they topped out on my hop trellis.

And upon closer inspection, what did I see? But the starts of a bunch of flowers! It's only a matter of time now. Looks like I should be way better off than the 4 total hop flowers I harvested last year!

Breaking the mold

2010-05-28T16:15:00.004-04:00

And no, I don't mean that literally. With the temperatures in our corner of the world making it difficult to justify doing anything in the kitchen that requires the stove being turned on, I've been focusing my fermentation experiments elsewhere. Homemade wine. Not in any sort of mass quantities mind you, but I'm currently in the midst of my second 1 gallon batch.

The first batch, Front Porch Dandelion Wine, was started back in March when the dandelions in the yard were at their peak. It is made with only dandelions that I could see from the front porch. The recipe I used was very simple:

2 quarts of dandelion flower heads (whole)
1 orange
1 lemon
3 lbs of sugar
1 packet of Red Star Pasteur Champagne yeast

Slice citrus fruits and add to washed/rinsed dandelion heads in a large pot and then pour 1 gallon boiling water over it. Stir and cover with plastic wrap for 1 week. After 1 week, strain liquid into primary fermenter, add sugar, add yeast, and let 'er go. Rack as necessary. Bottle when finished working.

Here it is at the get go:

This wine will be bottled next weekend, but here's how it looks right now.

The second batch is also a 1 gallon batch and it is strawberry wine. The farmer's market has just been swamped with strawberries lately, so I decided I'd try this as well. This strawberry wine was just started yesterday, so I don't have much to report on it aside from that it smells fantastic.

Both of these wines were made with the hopes of creating a dry wine. I've tried too many fruit wines that were so sweet you couldn't hardly drink them, so hopefully mine will be good and dry. If they turn out well, you can look for TTBC to increase it's snootiness.

It's not about winning or losing...

2010-05-23T15:32:00.002-04:00

The results are in for this year's National Homebrew Compeition and once again, Two Thumbs did not make it past the first round. In fact, I had my worst showing yet and missed the Bronze certificate by a mere 1/2 point. The beer I entered was my Trifecta Porter which is essentially my chocolate porter but with 1/2 lb of roasted barley instead of a 1/8 lb. This whopper weighed in at about 8% ABV, so I entered it in the "Baltic Porter" category. This would be my downfall.

Both of the judges scoring sheets suggested that I should "Make it bigger". They felt that the beer was not strong enough for a Baltic porter and should probably have been entered as a "Robust Porter".

No harm, no foul, I say. Next year they better be watching out for an epic "Robust porter"!

We have fermentation!

2010-03-03T07:44:00.003-05:00

For the first time in TTBC history, I have captured fermentation in the act. You might think, "How, in 7 years, has he not captured this before?" Truth be told, I almost exclusively brew in buckets, so only when I'm brewing a miniature batch do I actually get to see the process working.

And now, without further ado, I give you an exceptionally long (30 sec) and possibly less exciting than I think look at the TTBC Sweet Tater ESB on Day 1 of fermentation. I apologize if it is difficult to see, but there are big chunks of trub being churned about as the yeast works it's magic. It was mesmerizing to watch.

And here's a look at it on Day 4, with fermentation considerably slower. The orangish color is much more apparent (at least to me).

Taters?

2010-02-24T16:56:00.002-05:00

That's right, this weekend I will be brewing a beer with vegetables in it for the first time ever. The recipe comes from an old issue of Brew-Your-Own Magazine. I'll be brewing the Sweet Potato ESB, though only in a half batch (2.5 gallons). This may sound odd, but last summer I spoke with the head brewer at Lazy Magnolia Brewing who told me that they brew their Jefferson Stout with sweet potatoes. Every beer they make over there at Lazy Magnolia is delicious, so I trust the guy.

North Carolina is a big producer of sweet potatoes, so big in fact that they have a Sweet Potato Commission. This will be my tribute to my former life in 'Whavul' in the southeastern part of the state, where much of the sweet potato farming occurs. I figured the things ain't any good for eatin', so maybe they'll be good for beer makin'!

National Homebrew Competition '010

2010-01-09T07:41:00.002-05:00

It may be a little early to be talking about the National Homebrew Competition which won't actually take place until April, but a man's got to plan. With any good brew, you can plan on at least 2 months from start to drink, so I've been scheming on what to brew for the competition this year.

The likely candidate will be the epic porter mentioned in the previous posts, though I plan to increase the amount of roasted barley a scoche. As I will soon be embarking on a new side-project, coffee roasting, I am also tossing around the idea of throwing in some fresh roasted coffee. Only time will tell if my home roasted coffee will even be worth drinking, let alone using in a batch 'o' beer.

Unfortunately, this is aerial survey season for us, so my time for brewing is minimal this month. Look for this year's NHC contender to roll down the line in early February.

Like a kick the head...but with chocolate

2009-11-03T19:58:00.002-05:00

My return home from Minnesota last week marked the official tasting of Version 2 of my Robust Porter. With an original gravity of 1.073, this whopper weighs in at 6.7% ABV. I'll just say that this one is a keeper. In stock now, while supplies last!

Chocolate Porter - Version 2

2009-09-07T09:14:00.007-04:00

In celebrating my three-day Labor Day weekend, I decided to brew my first batch of beer in several months. The hiatus was brought on by the sweltering summer heat for which my locale is known. Truth be told, we are still hovering in the mid to upper 80's, but the humidity is gone and we can actually exist sans air conditioning.

When the weather starts turning like it is, I start getting a hankerin' for porters and stouts. I also start getting excited for the Asheville Brewgrass Festival (only 2 weeks left!).

I decided to revamp my first all-grain Porter recipe from last year, adjusting out the coffee malt and switching to a different chocolate malt (Carafa II). I also went with a considerably more tame bittering hop, Amarillo. I'm hoping for less hop character and more chocolate and caramel flavor.

The base was 12 lbs of 2-row pale malt:

The specialty grains included dark Munich, Crystal 120L, Black Patent, Roasted Barley, and these two and a half pounds of Carafa II German chocolate.

All told, I had just over 18 lbs of grain and was shooting for an OG of 1.081. Having the knowledge that my efficiency is terrible when working all-grain, I threw in a pound of liquid malt extract during the boil.

My actual OG was 1.073, which is not terrible. That should still put me around 6.9% ABV. I pitched the yeast (Wyeast 1056) yesterday evening and as of this morning, I have fermentation!

New TTBC water bottles!!!

2009-06-28T13:32:00.004-04:00

Be the first on your block to sport one of these stylish new TTBC water bottles.

Note: This will not arrive filled with delicious Two Thumbs brews.

Hop to it!

2009-06-02T19:39:00.005-04:00

With summer in full swing here in the south, the hops have been having a wonderful time in their new home. Well, at least the Cascades are having a good time. For whatever reason, the Centennial have not grown past about 12 inches and today is the first time I've noticed any new growth on them in a month. Oh well, maybe they'll pick things up here soon. Thought I'd show y'all a photo of my hop trellis. Folks who'd like to visit in the late summer may even get to help harvest...I think that's when they flowered last year.

If you look carefully at the strings on the left, you can see the Cascades growing up about 5 feet. You cannot, however, see the Centennial on the right. Directly behind the hops is the blackberry thicket that came free with our house. Sure I had to cut out some other brush to find it, but they're delicious and it was worth it. May be some blackberry hefeweizen in the future!

Here ye, Here ye...Area brewer wins award!

2009-05-18T20:57:00.003-04:00

The results are in from the first round of the National Homebrew Competition and once again TTBC did not make it out of the first round. You may recall that I entered a Belgian Blonde Ale, the recipe for which was my own creation. I was not expecting much, but was really just hoping for some constructive criticism. I was pleased to receive word today that I qualified for the Bronze Award (the lowest award for which you receive a certificate)! The 27/50 I scored this year is much lower than I scored last year (38/50), but I am completely satisfied with this score because it was one of my first homemade recipes.

There were a total of 24 entries in the Belgian Strong Ale category. The highest score was 42 and the lowest was 19.5, with an average of 30.6.

I've decided that I'll revamp this recipe based on the judges comments and try with this beer again next year. Photos of the champ and his blonde will be forthcoming.

Woohoo!

TTB-WY

2009-04-27T20:35:00.003-04:00

Here's a more timely posting of the latest update from Two Thumbs Brewing - Wyoming...

"Leaving off from last time, I was in the carbonation phase of my cherry-vanilla stout. While the stout was a success, it is a bit strong on the cherry flavor for my taste. I used a little less than ¾ of the bottle of cherry flavor. It overpowered the vanilla flavor and much of the natural stout flavor. With our carboys empty, the co-manager of TTBC Wyoming, Devin, decided she would give brewing a try. We decided on a cream ale, made from some of the ingredients of the cream ale kit at Northern Brewer plus some left-over grains that I already had in the fridge. Our cream ale is currently mellowing and should be ready for consumption by the end of April. Preliminary taste tests indicate this beer will be quite palatable and will be readily enjoyed whenever the warm weather hits Wyoming (we got 2 or 3 inches of snow on April 26th).

Production at TTBC Wyoming will slow in the coming summer months due to increased apartment temperatures (it doesn’t get much below 80 in the summer), increased waistline of master brewer, and a stockpile of ready to drink beers. When brewing commences, my plan is to make a “graveyard” brew, mixing together grains that I already have taking up room in the fridge. Chances are it will be on the darker side since that is mostly what I have been brewing in the past."

New Edition...I know what you're thinking...

2009-04-23T06:44:00.005-04:00

New Edition: Is This The End

Unfortunately, I didn't get these guys. I semi-recently partnered Two Thumbs Brewing Company with a little known Wyoming brewer. The result, TTB-Wyoming, is centered (quite literally) where the deer and the antelope play...in Casper, WY. Sorry to take so long for the introduction. Here's the initial post by the head brewer, Chris Moan.

"This offshoot of Two Thumbs Brewing Company was started in the summer of 2008. It began with a Mac and Jack’s African Amber clone. Due to operator error/inexperience, the final product tasted nothing like its namesake, but was still delicious. Next a honey brown ale was brewed. We used ingredients from the Northern Brewer recipe, plus honey bought in Lusk, Wyoming (a city in Niobrara County, the county with the lowest density of people in the least populated state). The final product was unpalatable which resulted in a tearful parting down the drain to 50+ bottles of alcohol. I theorize that the honey I bought was unpasteurized, which led to an infection in the beer. Having honed my beer making skills, I am currently brewing a cherry vanilla stout, using the cherry stout kit from Northern Brewer. I added vanilla beans that “were the next best thing to gold” (which may explain why I paid as if I were buying gold) when I moved the stout into its secondary over the weekend. It will remain in the secondary for a week, week and a half. After bottling, a finished product should be ready after about three weeks or about the end of February."

Help me welcome the new brewing team to Two Thumbs Brewing Company!

Stegreif Doppelbock - Update

2009-04-23T06:37:00.002-04:00

Well, as the weather had its ups and downs this spring, the doppelbock has been lagering quietly at a constant 41*. With nearly two months of aging under its belt, the time came to bottle this "small batch" beer.

If you recall, this was a beer thrown together from all my leftover grains and was a recipe devised by yours truly. The flavor at bottling was quite promising!

Look for a taste review coming July 1.

Verjaardag Blonde Ale - Update

2009-04-07T06:46:00.002-04:00

The time has come again for the National Homebrew Competition. You may recall that last year TTBC's Lumberjack IPL received a Gold award (38/50 points). While I am not expecting such a result this year, I decided to send in the Blonde Ale. The only available category for this ale was the "Belgian Strong Ales - Blonde Ale". The Verjaardag weighs in at about 6% ABV and has a sort of dark gold color.

The difference between this year's entry and last year's entry is that last year's was a variation on a published recipe, while the Blonde Ale is completely my own creation. The beers will be judged between April 10-26 (depending on location) and I am hoping to get some constructive feedback from the judges.

NOTE: This beer is a work in progress and is the second attempt at creating a beer my wife will genuinely enjoy.

Spring is here...kinda!

2009-04-06T21:12:00.005-04:00

We've had some excellent weather as of late here in North Carolina. The trees are leafing out, the garden's started growing, heck, even the mosquitoes are out. And a wonderful sign of spring has occurred...the sign that I did not screwed things up in the fall...we have HOPS!!

The cascade hops grew much better last year and so I am not surprised to see them coming up strong as seen below. Last time I checked the tallest of the cascade shoots was about 9" tall and it's only April 6!

The centennial hops, on the other hand have so far only sent up one shoot. Hopefully you can see it.

Two Thumbs Side Project

2009-01-26T13:46:00.005-05:00

Two Thumbs Brewing Company has created a tasty new division. Beginning in late December 2008, TTBC opened a creamery division to produce world-class cheeses! To date we have produced two batches of mozzarella, one batch of cottage cheese (the best I've ever had), and two variations of cheddar. Both cheddars have to be aged for 2-6 months and they are currently sharing space with the doppelbock in the kegerator. Below is our latest cheddar before waxing. Those little red spots are diced chipotle peppers!

In order to create a "hard cheese", the cheese curds must be pressed at specific weights for specific amounts of time. I was able to build us a cheese press and have included a picture of the pressing of our first cheddar.

Verjaardag Blonde Ale

2009-01-26T13:32:00.002-05:00

Well, last Saturday marks the beginning of my 29th year. And what better way to spend my birthday than creating a belgian-style blonde ale. I've been making a lot of large beers lately, however this one is more of a light summertime ale. If all goes as planned the finished product will weigh in at about 4.5% ABV. I've used a belgian yeast strain in the hopes of adding the slightest hint of banana.

In other news, the small-batch doppelbock is currently lagering in the kegerator, where it will remain until mid-february.

Stegreif Doppelbock

2009-01-20T19:24:00.002-05:00

In an attempt to rid myself of an ever-expanding inventory of malted grains, I've created what the germans might call a "Stegreif" Doppelbock, or an improvised doppelbock. I had only enough grain to make this a 9.5 liter batch, so this'll be one that I'll be particularly protective of. As I find myself following the prevailing brewing trends, this lager is another big beer, with an original gravity of 1.074...by my calculations, this should bring 'er out to around 7% ABV. Expect to see this one maturing around July or so.

God Jul!

2008-11-11T13:41:00.005-05:00

UPDATE: 1.20.09

I broke out the Norwegian Christmas (Jul) Ale on Christmas Eve and found it to be amazing. The cardamom is sometimes a little unexpectedly potent, as is the beer. This one ranks high on my Crapulation Index, weighing in a ~7% ABV and tricking you into thinking that you can..."have just a couple more". To make matter worse/better, I've bottled it almost exclusively in 16oz or larger bottles. There's plenty left in the cellar, so stop by!

11.11.08

It's starting to cool down out there and the cool temps get me in the spirit of Christmas/winter ales. I nearly always brew some kind of high-octane winter warmer (Vanilla Bourbon Porter), but this year marks the first year that Two Thumbs will be releasing a holiday ale. I've found a recipe from Brew Your Own magazine for a Norwegian Christmas Ale . My recipe is slightly changed from the one on the website, so as to minimize my need to purchase new ingredients. As I write this I am patiently waiting, as I have been for a freakin' hour, for the wort to boil.

What better way to celebrate my Norwegian heritage than with an ale that may or may not have anything to do the old country. The recipe outlines an atypical methodology and I'm not quite sure how it'll turn out, but the additions of crushed cardamom and a vanilla bean (which I recently purchased at Pike Place Market - Seattle) have me intrigued enough to make 5 gallons.

Stay tuned for updates!

Putting down roots...

2008-10-25T20:40:00.002-04:00

Rhizomes, I should say!

This week we finally got a frost. And with that frost came a desire in me to plant any and all bulbs, trees, hops, and the like that I could find. That way, I mused, the spring would be that much more exciting. I cut back the hop vines which had been in a autumn-like decline for some time. I then planted them on the northwestern edge of the back yard next to an impressive stand of blackberries I discovered (the hard way). Next spring I will be installing a 10-12' "T", complete with strings to the ground, for the hops to grow up.

If all goes well, we'll make quite a haul next year all around. We'll have hops, blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries. I'm thinking it sounds like the perfect recipe for some refreshing hefeweizens next summer. I vaguely recall Jessie saying something about making jam, but I'm sure she was joking.

Got Wood?

2008-10-25T20:26:00.002-04:00

Last week I decided to bottle the other 3 gallons of my robust porter. The porter had been sitting on oak chips for a good month and I felt it was time to bottle. To a very small proportion (4-5 bottles) of these oaked porter bottles I added a smidgen of Bulleit Bourbon...just for shits and giggles. What this means, for those of you willing to make the trek to the Two Thumbs Brewery, is that you may partake in the very limited Two Thumbs Bourbon Barrel Porter.

In other news, I'm scheming a revision to my current porter recipe to enhance the chocolate flavors. The result of the original batch, which is currently on tap, was slightly bitter and had a bit more coffee taste than I was anticipating. The bitterness came from the poor efficiency in the mashing process. Had I hit my planned original gravity of ~1.080, instead of 1.050, the high alpha hop addition would no doubt have been well balanced with the malts. In the next incarnation I'll only be mashing the specialty grains and will use malt extracts for the rest.

To the keg!

2008-09-26T17:10:00.004-04:00

After nearly a year long hiatus, I have dusted off the ol kegerator (shown here in this undated photo).

I decided that the quickest way to determine whether or not my all-grain robust porter recipe was going to be worth a damn would be to keg it. That way, I pondered, I could be testing it out by Sunday, instead of having to wait another month.

I only kegged 3 gallons, leaving the 3 gallons of oaked porter to age a while longer. The smell/taste at kegging was very promising!

Healthy Hops

2008-09-11T18:43:00.006-04:00

As I reported earlier, the hops have been growing very well since our move to North Carolina. Zero problems with insects. I attributed this to the superior weather we have here...and then I looked a little closer. It seems I've had some help. I've only been keeping track for the last few weeks, but I suspect my friend "Spot" the green anole has been there much longer. He is somewhere on the hops every single day and I have concluded he's keeping the bugs off my hops. Below is a picture of Spot.

I think this is pretty cool and if you'd like to learn more about him I recommend the Davidson College Herpetology website.

All-grainery

2008-09-11T18:30:00.002-04:00

Well folks, I'm not impressed with all-grain brewing. I boiled 3.5 gallons of porter wort, ended up with 2.5 gallons, and topped up to 5.5 gallons. My OG was a mere 1.040! I was aiming for 1.080. I added 2 lbs pure cane sugar and topped off to 6 gallons to bring the OG up to 1.054. Still not enough, but workable. After one week in primary the gravity was down to 1.010. Pretty good fermentation, working out to somewhere around 6% ABV; I was shooting for somewhere around 7-8%.

Not bad, I guess, for a first try. I split the batch in two for secondary, putting three gallons directly into the secondary and three gallons in secondary with 1 cup oak chips. I fully intend to add a little bourbon at bottling, but wanted to make sure I had some straight-up robust porter so I could tell how good my recipe was.

I plan on bottling the base 3 gallons within the next week or so and the oaked 3 gallons after about a month of secondary conditioning.

Taking the plunge...

2008-08-28T21:25:00.004-04:00

Well, this weekend marks a new page in the Two Thumbs Brewing Company diary. This weekend I will jump head first into my first all-grain batch of beer. Thus far, since 2003, I have done mostly extract brewing with a sprinkling of partial mash recipes...but never all grain. With the excellent help of my co-worker, Ron, and the guys at American Brewmaster in Raleigh I have collected the tools necessary to take this step forward.

I have read up on grains and carefully built my very own robust porter recipe. And it should be very robust at 7+% ABV. I am incorporating coffee malt, black patent malt, roasted barely, and of course chocolate malt to make this first all-grain attempt memorable. I intend to separate the batch in half at secondary, bottling one half and aging the other half on bourbon-soaked oak chips.

I have also edited my half-batch Spruce bock (See Crapulator Doppelbock) recipe for all-grain and will follow the robust porter up next weekend with an all-grain spruce bock.

Wish me luck!

Back to work...

2008-08-09T18:48:00.006-04:00

Well the last month has been a wild one and we're now settled in to Clayton, North Carolina which is sure to become a brewing mecca. The last month has taken us on several trips through Greensboro, North Carolina, home of (in my opinion) the best brewpub in the south: Natty Greene's Brewpub. With Natty Greene's growlers in hand, I've been able to prepare the new location for the brewing prowess that is Two Thumbs Brewing. I am also happy to report that the Two Thumbs satellite brewery in Casper, Wyoming is up and brewing. Bottling coming up this weekend!

I thought I'd give an update on the hops which successfully made the trek from Blacksburg, Virginia to Clayton. Apparently the North Carolina weather was all they needed to reach their full potential. Both hops have been growing like mad since we arrived here. The Cascade is on the right and the Centennial is on the left.

And despite it being the first year of growth, both hops appear to be developing baby hops. The first photo is the Cascade hops forming and the second is the Centennial.

More updates coming soon!

Battling mother nature

2008-06-11T10:02:00.008-04:00

Welcome to the first update on the hop farm. It has been an emotional ride thus far. Below is a picture of the current setup with the Cascade hop at front. To adjust for my semi-nomadic way of life, I built these cages to give the hops something non-permanent on which to grow. The Cascade has been taking full advantage of the cage and then some, while the Centennial has been slow going. In fact, the Centennial put on its first new growth in about a month sometime this week. The Cascade is easily 4 feet taller than the Centennial.

The hop farm has been a constant battle with a host of issues. The leaves of both plants have had chlorotic spots since the beginning and I've lately been battling both woolly and non-woolly aphids as well as tiny caterpillars. Here is an up close picture of the caterpillar damage to the Cascade leaves.

All in all, I'm very impressed with the progress, though I need to talk some sense into the Centennial to convince it that it's alright to keep growing. The following pictures are looking into the cages, with the Cascade first and the Centennial second. You can kind of see the spotting on the leaves in the Centennial picture. If anyone has any knowledge of hop growing and would like to enlighten me on what's causing this/how to alleviate the problem, I'm listening. Also, I'm accepting suggestions for ways to move these to North Carolina (~4 hrs away) without damaging them.

Something awesome this way comes

2008-06-09T18:47:00.004-04:00

I was pleasantly surprised to return home this afternoon from a weekend house-hunting trip to North Carolina and find an envelope from the Brewer's Association in the mailbox. Upon opening the envelope I found that I had been awarded the "gold certficate" for my performance at the National Homebrew Competition (see previous posts). Finally, something I can hang on my office wall and be proud of.

While the letter included with the certificate states that it is a gold certificate, the NBC skimped a little and just put it on a sturdy paper, like the kind you'd put your resume on if you actually wanted an employer to look at it. Maybe the actual gold certificates are sent out for the final rounders. Maybe next year.

Destination: Raleigh...ish

2008-05-17T09:58:00.004-04:00

That's right, TTBC will be officially uprooting again and moving south. The exact location has not yet been determined, but will definitely be within 30 miles of Raleigh, North Carolina. What does this mean to you the consumer? It means that if you're a North Carolinian TT supporter, you've got a much better chance of actually getting to drink the stuff. Regretfully, it also means that if you are a TT supporter elsewhere in the country, your chances remain the same. Sorry.

So the question becomes...what is a fitting welcome back beer for my triumphant return to North Carolina? Let's have a poll. If you think I should brew something other than what's listed, perhaps something new and exciting, just leave it as a comment on this post.

Here ye, here ye! Area brewer almost wins something!

2008-05-05T14:06:00.004-04:00

The results are in from Round 1 of the National Homebrew Competition. While I will not be moving on to Round 2, nor did I place in the first round, the judges were very favorable towards The Lumberjack. I am contemplating scanning the results and posting them on here, but for now you'll have to settle for my synopsis.

The scoring is on a 50 point scale and my final score was 38.5. Scores of 45-50 are considered "Outstanding" and 38-44 are "Excellent". The Excellent classification is defined by the American Homebrew Association as "Beers in this range may have no flaws but may be missing the intangibles for a world class beer." And now on to some comments from the judges along with the higher of the scores for each category...

Aroma:
"High hop aroma of American type; moderate malt. No esters. Very cleanly fermented." (10/12)

Appearance:
"Big head. Good Clarity. Medium copper color is on the mark!" (3/3)

Flavor:
"High hop flavor and bitterness. Extremely clean. Good job with the clean fermentation. Clean lingering bitterness. Enough malt to support hops but definitely balanced toward hops. Bitterness is amplified by lack of esters." (15/20)

Mouthfeel:
"Medium-heavy body; moderate/adequate carbonation. A bit of astringency from the high hopping rate. Nice though." (5/5)

Overall Impression:
"Your technique is spot on. No off flavors and very clean. Base beer is super/ a wonderful imperial pale. Clean lagering. Great hops. Extremely interesting to see what happens when a lager yeast is substituted. Good job." (8/10)

I feel real good about this and I will likely be completely unproductive the remainder of the day.
Sorry thesis.

Two Thumbs Satellite Brewery

2008-04-28T11:20:00.002-04:00

That's right folks! Beginning May 1st TTBC will be opening it's first satellite brewery. Run by apprentice brewer, #2, the brewery in Casper, Wyoming will not only attempt to provide delicious Two Thumbs brews to those in the intermountain west, but will also attempt to enhance the flailing tourism industry in east-central Wyoming.

First up will be the Elusive Antelope Amber - "They're everywhere, except when you're looking to take one down". This ale is an unfiltered amber ale with a hazy ruby color and will hopefully be reminiscent of the always delicious Mac and Jack's African Amber Ale brewed by the Redmond, Washington-based Mac and Jack's Brewing Company.

As always, brews will be available at the brewery only unless arrangements can be worked out with #2.

Hopsteading begins...

2008-04-05T18:13:00.004-04:00

Today we initiated the Two Thumbs Brewing Company Hop Farm by planting 1 Cascade rhizome and 1 Centennial rhizome. Here I am explaining to the Cascade rhizome how a flat tax favors the wealthy and then also looking out over the hop farm.

Be sure to check back for updates!

I Gots Rhizomes!

2008-04-04T08:19:00.005-04:00

That's right folks. If I just wait patiently for what may be several years, I'll have all the Cascade and Centennial hops I could ever want. To hell with this shortage, I'll grow my own. Planting commences this weekend and I'll be sure to post pictures of the up and coming Two Thumbs Brewing Company Hopstead as they become available.

Brewing Hiatus

2008-04-04T08:16:00.002-04:00

As I wind down my schooling and desperately seek gainful post-graduate employment, I feel like I'll have to hang up the carboys for a bit. Not to worry, however, as soon as I'm finished with school circa July 1, and am comfortably "settled" into a job somewhere, the brewing will begin again!

Next up in your brewing programs: 5 gallons of Crapulator Doppelbock, no more of this 2.5 gallons BS.

I will be sure to report when we are back in business...

National Homebrew Competition

2008-04-04T07:39:00.002-04:00

At approximately 6:15 am, Eastern Daylight Time, I registered an entry for the National Homebrew Competition. I desperately wanted to enter the Crapulator Doppelbock, but as it is in such limited quantities I will instead be sending in the second incarnation of The Lumberjack (AKA The Hoppy Lager). My best understanding is that the first round (regionals) will be held April 19th and 26th in either Charlotte or Raleigh, so it is quickly approaching!

This, of course, is my first major competition and I believe the Doppelbock would probably get me further, but it'll have to wait until I can brew a fresh batch later this year. Probably better to enter a mid-grade beer the first year anyhow and then wow them the second year with an epic doppelbock.

Crapulator Doppelbock

2008-03-24T11:34:00.002-04:00

After much aging, I have uncorked the Doppelbock to great success. Originally intended to be a Spruce Bock, I backed out of the spruce addition during the brewing process and ended up with a magnificent Doppelbock. I have decided to call this masterpiece the Crapulator Doppelbock. This is NOT, I repeat NOT, a reference to the beer's effect on one's bowels but a reference to the Latin term 'crapula' which is defined as 'drunkeness'.

Extremely limited quantities are available and are only available to those making the trek to Blacksburg.

Cheers!

5th Anniversary Ale!!!

2008-03-24T11:16:00.005-04:00

Production has begun on the epic 5th Anniversary Ale. This is only my 2nd homemade recipe and it should prove to be memorable. The recipe is very loosely based on a dunkelweizen, though I have added a healthy dose of chocolate malt and am considering the addition of dark chocolate to the secondary. I used 1oz. Saaz hops at 60 minutes for bittering. I nearly had to sell my soul to talk the folks at Jim's Homebrew in Spokane into letting me buy this 1oz. of Saaz hops and I am incredibly grateful. If you're in Spokane, I suggest you check them out.

This is not a big beer such as my last few have been and weighs in at an original gravity of 1.051. Fermentation actively began overnight and I've had to install a blowoff tube to keep up with it, as shown in the image below.

2008: A Year To Remember

2008-01-01T14:14:00.000-05:00

2008 marks the 5th year of brewing excellence for Two Thumbs Brewing Company. March/April of 2008 to be exact. Who'd have thought that this small endeavor would be successful for 5 years and have 2 homebrew championships. Celebrations are in the works.

2008 will also bring in the much anticipated 20th successful batch of Two Thumbs Brew. The exact details of this beer are not yet ironed out and will likely be determined by the availability of hops and the price of malt. I am accepting suggestions and am hoping to create something memorable.

2008 will also be the first year Two Thumbs Brewing will enter a major homebrew competition. The plan is to enter the Double IPL in the National Homebrew Competition. Hopefully all will go well with getting entered. I am just happy to be able to enter myself in such a competition. Note: I found out about this competition in the All About Beer magazine, which I received a subscription to for christmas from my wonderful girlfriend, Jessie.

Who knows what else could happen to Two Thumbs Brewing in the new year. Thanks to those of you who've offered advice or criticism, it has been appreciated.

Cheers! Prosit! Skal!

Jason

Hop Shortage and The Latest Brew

2007-12-31T12:58:00.000-05:00

You may already be aware of this, but in case you're not, here's the information. Due to a number of factors, the price of hops has at least tripled in the homebrew shops and most common varieties are out of stock. I exhausted myself trying to find a homebrew shop online that had even 1 oz. of Cenntennial hops, a major player in my Double IPL.

That being said, I started a new batch of the award-winning and wonderfully delicious creation yesterday. I had to substitute most of the hop varieties with something comparable that I could actually find. I am confident that this batch will be as good as the first, but it will be slightly different. If hop prices continue to rise, as they're forecast to do, this may be the last batch of high-gravity hoppy beer I make for a while.

In the absence of Centennial hops, I will be dry hopping with Chinook, Amarillo, and Northern Brewer.

The Original Gravity = 1.074

Das Doppelbock

2007-12-23T12:32:00.000-05:00

Nein fichtennadel.

Flaschenbier, nichtsdestotrotz.

It's here, it's finally here!

2007-11-06T15:14:00.000-05:00

Two Thumbs Gear has arrived!

See just how cool you can look...

Just visit Two Thumbs Brewing Store to get your very own stuff!

What a perfect Christmas present.

Area Brewer Wins Award.

2007-10-26T07:14:00.000-04:00

Local resident, Jason Moan, was awarded the Gold Medal at the 2nd Annual FGSA Homebrew Competition under dreary skies yesterday evening. The award, coupled with last year's Gold Medal at the same competition, makes Moan the first ever consecutive FGSA Homebrew Competition Gold Medal winner.

The competition consisted of a Nut Brown Ale, Mocha Stout, Imperial Stout, Belgian Trippel, Red ESB, and my Double India Pale Lager. The prize money ($40) will likely be used to take my support team (Jessie) out "somewhere nice".

Das Fichtennadel Doppelbock

2007-10-25T09:57:00.000-04:00

Zu schön um wahr zu sein? Vielleicht.

Das muss gefeiert werden.

Prosit!

Two Thumbs Gear! Coming soon!

2007-10-25T09:49:00.000-04:00

Finally, the moment you've all been waiting for... The Two Thumbs Brewing Company is proud to present all new Two Thumbs gear. That's right! The wait is over.

In an effort to prolong the length of time it will take me to complete my graduate degree, I have taken the time to design a catchy logo for the Two Thumbs Brewing Company. Through the wonder of the internet, I am able to bring a number of great Two Thumbs items to you, my friends and loyal brew tasters.

I'm still trying to work some of the kinks out of the store and I will post the link as soon as we're up and running. As usual, I am always looking for a little distraction, so if you'd prefer the Two Thumbs name on other items or in other colors, please leave me feedback on this blog and I will do my best to accommodate.

2nd Annual FGSA homebrew competition

2007-10-25T09:39:00.000-04:00

Today marks the day of the 2nd annual FGSA homebrew competition. The competition will be held at the annual FGSA tailgate prior to the VT-BC football game this evening. Competitors from all walks of life will be there, Forestry, Recreation...okay, so maybe just two walks of life.

The weather appears to have plans for us other than to be outside enjoying good brews and presumably good football, as we have received over two inches of rain in the last day and it is still raining.

You may remember that I won last year's event with a delectable Vanilla Bourbon Porter. I'm not yet sure if I will even enter this year's competition, as it has become much more structured and much less appealing to me. By 2pm today, I will sample both The Lumberjack and the quick Cherry Stout I whipped up, and decide if (1) the stout is an acceptable entry and/or (2) if I am willing to share the limited quantity of The Lumberjack.

Stay tuned...

The Lumberjack

2007-10-25T09:32:00.000-04:00

I wanted to report the findings of my recent research into lagering. I have transformed the base O'Shea Double IPA into what is quite possibly the best beer I have ever made. Hopheads beware, this beer is, in my humble, hop-thirsty opinion, perfect.

The result, The Lumberjack, has a distinct hop aroma and bite and the initial taste is reminiscent of grapefruit. A very thirst quenching, crisp beer.

Those willing to make the trek to Blacksburg can taste it first hand, but quantities are limited so plan your vacations now!

O'Shea Double IP..L?

2007-08-21T08:44:00.000-04:00

Well, a lot of things have changed since I wrote of the forthcoming O'Shea double IPA. First, we have been in a terrible heat wave, second we have been slowly putting our things away in the new house, and lastly, I have revamped the kegerator such that it can now fit a 5 gallon carboy!

On the brewing day (8/18), I was struggling between using an ale yeast (as directed) and brewing the DIPA at a brisk 85 ("room temperature") or using a lager yeast (crazy) and brewing the DIPA as a lager in the 55 degree coolness of the improved kegerator. For those not in the know, ales are typically brewed at temperatures between about 65-72, and brewing at higher temperatures, say 85, can cause the process to go double time and not give you ideal flavors. So, I went with the crazy experiment and started the process off with Whitelabs American Pilsner Lager yeast. Fermentation started this morning (at room temperature) and I have since transferred the wort into the kegerator.

The whole recipe is as follows:

1/2 lb Amber DME
3 lbs light DME
6 lbs light LME

1/2 lb crystal malt (crushed and steeped)
3/4 lb carapils malt (crushed and steeped)

1 oz Galena hops (60 min)
1 oz Centennial hops (60 min)
.4 oz Amarillo hops (30 min)
.4 oz Centennial hops (30 min)
.4 oz Chinook hops (30 min)
1 oz Amarillo hops (flameout)
1 oz Centennial hops (flameout)
1 oz Chinook hops (flameout)
1 oz Amarillo hops (dry hop)
1 oz Centennial hops (dry hop)
1 oz Chinook hops (dry hop)

1/2 tsp Irish Moss (15 min)

2 vials Whitelabs #840

Coming Soon...

2007-07-12T11:24:00.000-04:00

We'll be moving into a new house in a few weeks, so brewing has been on hiatus for a while now. Once we are settled in, production will begin on my personalized rendition of the Hop Monster Double IPA clone from O'Shea Brewing Company in Laguna Niguel, CA. I have never tried this particular IPA recipe, but it includes over a half pound of hops! MMMmmmmm...Hops!