It’s been over a year since I’ve made beer, and although I’m told by Matt that it doesn’t compare to my salsa-making skills, I decided to give it another whirl. Last week I brewed up a batch of amber ale to get back into the swing of things. There was a small mishap earlier in the week when it fermented so violently that it blocked the airlock with foam, causing the pressure to build until the lid of the fermenter went *plonk*. There was some beer splatters on things in the office, and I have been worried that it became contaminated from sitting there with the lid popped open all day while at work. In the oh-so-clean office that contains things like bags of uncleaned sheep wool.

I think my fears are unfounded, however. Today I racked it into a secondary fermenter since it hasn’t been making bubbles much for a few days, and the hydrowhatsit meter said it’s specific gravity is where it should be when done (isn’t that geeky of me?). And it doesn’t taste sour or funky. The downside is it also doesn’t seem very amber.

A few more weeks it should be bottled and carbonated and ready to drink. Maybe I can save some until Cabol’s parents visit. Today or tomorrow I will work on a steam beer. It will be my first experience using lager yeast, albeit at ale temperatures instead of at cold lager temperatures.

Cabol said I should add some pictures from today’s brew session, so here they are:

Grains After Mashing

Hops

Boiling Wort