tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77792958127831982012024-02-07T10:47:18.899-08:00The Crain BreweryAdventures in Alcohol land.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7779295812783198201.post-9288999526283365042011-07-12T16:18:00.000-07:002011-07-12T16:18:57.807-07:00Bottling Wheat Beer, July 12th, 2011<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After waiting patiently for two weeks, it is finally time to bottle "Pancho Villa", our first beer. Having heard that brewing a wheat beer is pretty tough from a neighbor at a party the past week, we were pretty nervous about our little experiment. He mentioned that there is a lot of possibilities for off flavors and that the proper technique is to hop the beer to death. I don't know much about that, but it sounds to me like the words of a hop-head. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sweet, sweet success.</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Despite our fears, the beer turned out surprising well. It didn't have any weird to strange flavors that might develop from a bacteria infection and there was no over powering bitterness from the <a href="http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter10-3.html">Autolysis</a>, the bane-of-beers. It had the slight sweet taste that is the trademark of a wheat beer. so we were very happy. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bottling Pancho Villa was the same process as bottling El Dorado (our hard cider), but we changed it up a little. We primed the beer in a better fashion, and we didn't use the assembly line format to speed things up. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Work faster!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So instead of taking you through the bottling process again, I'll describe what we did differently and include pictures.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Changes</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>#1. Priming Method</b>: Instead of pouring small portions of the priming solution (a solution of sugar and what used to carbonate the beer in the bottle), we poured the solution directly into the beer to get and even distribution. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nFgjw_omqZY/ThzGArFcVQI/AAAAAAAABeA/O77GxfTcIc0/s1600/IMG_0857.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nFgjw_omqZY/ThzGArFcVQI/AAAAAAAABeA/O77GxfTcIc0/s400/IMG_0857.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ignore the grodiness on the sides.</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>#2. No Assembly Line</b>. That's right. Despite what you may have learned, an assembly line does not always mean faster production, especially when there are only two people and the assembly line for a certain job requires a few more. So we sanitized all the bottles, then we filled them all with beer, then we bottled them all. It was a lot faster. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-j3Jz-mkEjQ0/ThzGOWhcicI/AAAAAAAABeU/gWiHPJBIs3A/s1600/IMG_0860.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-j3Jz-mkEjQ0/ThzGOWhcicI/AAAAAAAABeU/gWiHPJBIs3A/s400/IMG_0860.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bottled with love.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EAhCaspGYP0/ThzGw93BwsI/AAAAAAAABe0/HdCUlRTNtBU/s1600/IMG_0851.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EAhCaspGYP0/ThzGw93BwsI/AAAAAAAABe0/HdCUlRTNtBU/s400/IMG_0851.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The empty bottles waiting eagerly to be filled with brew.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And that's about it for the changes. We had a yield of 54 bottles, slightly more than my prediction of two cases, but that is completely fine with me.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This should be on dirtiest jobs or some show. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2OnvPX_Fhw0/ThzG8y1HgQI/AAAAAAAABfE/z3KQiBq4Ydw/s1600/IMG_0855.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2OnvPX_Fhw0/ThzG8y1HgQI/AAAAAAAABfE/z3KQiBq4Ydw/s400/IMG_0855.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tube looks cool. Am I right? Thanks Mr. Siphon for inventing the siphon.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-crULtOypwAM/ThzG67eXKLI/AAAAAAAABfA/YTDnTnsrN_E/s1600/IMG_0854.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-crULtOypwAM/ThzG67eXKLI/AAAAAAAABfA/YTDnTnsrN_E/s400/IMG_0854.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just wish I could drink it now. But patience is a virtue, or so they say.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--Q1nhKKe23k/ThzGaGIi3KI/AAAAAAAABec/WdAn89KJo1k/s1600/IMG_0863.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--Q1nhKKe23k/ThzGaGIi3KI/AAAAAAAABec/WdAn89KJo1k/s400/IMG_0863.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The dredges. Very nasty. But at least it's at the bottom and not in your beer.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EQjVKRddnLo/ThzGeEqxSAI/AAAAAAAABeg/BBuj1AekONc/s1600/IMG_0864.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EQjVKRddnLo/ThzGeEqxSAI/AAAAAAAABeg/BBuj1AekONc/s400/IMG_0864.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This will hold us for a while. Until we make the next batch</span></td></tr>
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</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7779295812783198201.post-5449430501622209922011-07-06T12:30:00.000-07:002011-07-06T12:31:33.919-07:00Wheat Beer Blow Off - July 6th, 2011<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A few days ago, we noticed that the air lock on the fermenter was full of a pale yellowish liquid. Looking closer, we saw that the cap of the air lock was crusted over and that there was a puddle of the liquid on the lid of the fermenter. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Aww man.....</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So we took off this grody looking airlock and replaced it with our spare.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Good as new.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now time to take a damage assessment. It wasn't bad, it is just beer that blew off from the fermenter into the airlock. The book that I have (The New Complete Joy of Homebrewing) describes the blow off as the extremely bitter resins left by the hops. So its actually a good thing to get rid of this stuff, hopefully we will have less "off-flavors" left in the beer. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It seems like Deep Horizon all over again.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This will be fun to clean.</span></td></tr>
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</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7779295812783198201.post-83255943701298862392011-06-30T06:49:00.000-07:002011-06-30T16:33:26.463-07:00Brewing Wheat Beer, June 29th, 2011<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After brewing hard cider, we decided that it was time to stop the childish acts and get down to brass tacks and brew something serious: wheat beer. Why wheat beer you ask? Because we like to live life on the edge. And because we wanted to start off brewing more than just your run-of-the-mill beer. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>"Pancho Villa"</b> <b>Recipe</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- 5 gallons of tap water</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- 1 package of Irish Ale yeast</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- 4 lbs. wheat malt</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- 1 lb. light malt</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- 1 ounce Kent Goldings hop pellets (4.9% Alpha Acid)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- 1 lb. sugar</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- 5 teaspoons yeast nutrient.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Most of the ingredients, the sugar was AWOL.</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first step in any project is to read the directions, or <a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=RTFM">RTFM</a> to those in the tech community. So the directions on the yeast package said that I was supposed to smack it and let it warm up. I guess yeast has to "get in the mood" to work. I don't know, don't ask me. Actually, the goal of smacking the yeast package is to break the nutrient package and to allow the yeast to get out of it's dormant stage so it can ferment your wort into beer.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The good stuff.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1UjV6oURoio/TgtRG0B05hI/AAAAAAAABAo/ex-OIPiCO_4/s1600/IMG_0773.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1UjV6oURoio/TgtRG0B05hI/AAAAAAAABAo/ex-OIPiCO_4/s400/IMG_0773.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Spanking the yeast. Yes, spanking. </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After we waited for the yeast to get ready, we sanitized all our equipment and got everything ready for the big show. What brewing boils down to is adding in fermentable sugars and flavoring to water, letting it boil which activates enzymes and lets the pH of the brew reach an acceptable level. But we are getting ahead of ourselves. Lets take this in our familiar step by step process.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1. Add Water to Pot</b>. That's right, just regular water. We used our tap water and trust us, if we can use our tap water then everybody can. Unless you live in an area where you might be at risk for a water-bourne disease. We used an alleged 3 gallon stock pot (it looks more like 2 gallons to me) for our boil, but anything that can boil 2 gallons of water will be fine.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7PPFRz_nagk/TgtSSoDvrzI/AAAAAAAABB4/nMDtF7qU5A8/s1600/IMG_0777.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7PPFRz_nagk/TgtSSoDvrzI/AAAAAAAABB4/nMDtF7qU5A8/s400/IMG_0777.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Definitely could not boil 3 gallons in here.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>2. Add in the Malt</b>. We added in the wheat and the light malt extract to the water (it doesn't have to be hot yet) and then stirred so that the malt would not just burn on the bottom of the stock pot.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5bjXdNj2jNc/TgtUetdo7JI/AAAAAAAABDo/pOW3-vgqNsk/s1600/IMG_0781.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5bjXdNj2jNc/TgtUetdo7JI/AAAAAAAABDo/pOW3-vgqNsk/s400/IMG_0781.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It doesn't taste as good as it looks.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mGbKtfT5uco/TgtT7n2lh9I/AAAAAAAABDU/GDAUznz5oCY/s1600/IMG_0783.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mGbKtfT5uco/TgtT7n2lh9I/AAAAAAAABDU/GDAUznz5oCY/s400/IMG_0783.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A mix between Cthullu and a landing alien space ship.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The light malt was in powdered form. I don't think it really matters what form the malt is in, as long as it gets dissolved. We mixed syrup and powdered, so I guess that is allowed also. We'll find out soon.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9__BYKm4bHU/TgtT3QR79xI/AAAAAAAABDM/nytdmMoMHZ0/s1600/IMG_0788.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9__BYKm4bHU/TgtT3QR79xI/AAAAAAAABDM/nytdmMoMHZ0/s400/IMG_0788.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What is this? I don't even...</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>3. Stir.</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Just stir it up so it's all dissolved and boiling.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tnNCiRVwd04/TgtTdOKtAUI/AAAAAAAABCw/njMY8tAGuGo/s1600/IMG_0796.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tnNCiRVwd04/TgtTdOKtAUI/AAAAAAAABCw/njMY8tAGuGo/s400/IMG_0796.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It should look a little weird. And smell kinda funny.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>4. Add the Hops</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. Make sure you put them in a hop bag or strainer to help when you pour the wort (which is what the beer is called before it is fermented) from the brew pot to the fermenting vessel. Depending on how bitter you want your beer, the amount and type of hops can vary. We used 1 ounce of Kent Goldings hops, which has a 4.9% Alpha Acid rating, which is fairly low, and 1 ounce is a small amount, so this beer shouldn't be too bitter.</span></div><div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xd9dH3Ib5og/TgtTMybIPkI/AAAAAAAABCk/LxYQwiw2wc8/s1600/IMG_0798.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xd9dH3Ib5og/TgtTMybIPkI/AAAAAAAABCk/LxYQwiw2wc8/s400/IMG_0798.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Looks like guniea pig food.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--GjgeEZJBu0/TgtTDLdDjZI/AAAAAAAABCg/8fFret69HUU/s1600/IMG_0801.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--GjgeEZJBu0/TgtTDLdDjZI/AAAAAAAABCg/8fFret69HUU/s400/IMG_0801.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Looks pretty simple, but they make a mess in the wort.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To keep our hops from running amok in our wort, we placed a kitchen strainer over the pot and suspended it with two bamboo skewers. However, our initial setup slipped, and it spilled hops into out wort in a massive moment of chaos and confusion. Kinda like Deep Horizon, except not as devastating. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-U-3ixlM9YPI/TgtS-8vJhYI/AAAAAAAABCU/PHIr21Bi6oA/s1600/IMG_0804.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-U-3ixlM9YPI/TgtS-8vJhYI/AAAAAAAABCU/PHIr21Bi6oA/s400/IMG_0804.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bad engineering right here.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WkasLtkzdDo/TgtSF-Cb2VI/AAAAAAAABBo/TYT_Jj3l_3k/s1600/IMG_0811.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WkasLtkzdDo/TgtSF-Cb2VI/AAAAAAAABBo/TYT_Jj3l_3k/s400/IMG_0811.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We had a hops-spill. Luckily none of the wildlife was harmed.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Once we fished the strainer from the wort using sanitized tongs, we modified it a bit so this kind of accident wouldn't happen again.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kDpN5jsB1qc/TgtSwnV8FoI/AAAAAAAABCM/fUMBCd_5kmA/s1600/IMG_0805.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kDpN5jsB1qc/TgtSwnV8FoI/AAAAAAAABCM/fUMBCd_5kmA/s400/IMG_0805.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Keeping the hops contained.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>5. Add the Sugar</b>. But first, let the wort boil for about 45 minutes. Then at the end, add the sugar. I actually don't have any pictures of us adding sugar to the wort, but here are some pictures of the hop pellets once they were added to the wort. They broke apart to form a pretty strange looking goo. Hops goo. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5KdSq9IJ9tE/TgtSwPubNPI/AAAAAAAABCI/bgZAyqfSXZY/s1600/IMG_0803.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5KdSq9IJ9tE/TgtSwPubNPI/AAAAAAAABCI/bgZAyqfSXZY/s400/IMG_0803.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But it smelled pretty good.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kOl_FmfK1Cg/TgtS0SWnA9I/AAAAAAAABCQ/tjcgyproLUE/s1600/IMG_0806.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kOl_FmfK1Cg/TgtS0SWnA9I/AAAAAAAABCQ/tjcgyproLUE/s400/IMG_0806.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Gross! Who threw-up in our wort? Oh wait, that's the hops. </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>6. Add 3 Gallons of Water to the Fermenter.</b> Since this recipe makes 5 gallons of brew, and we are boiling 2 gallons on the stove, we need 3 more gallons. Add this amount of water to the fermenter, it doesn't have to be hot or anything, in fact, cold water will allow the wort to chill faster (which is a good thing, it means you can add your yeast faster and will reduce the chance of bacteria growing in your beer).</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0chWxUCn-Z8/TgtTrSqt5hI/AAAAAAAABDE/Pd2zzVzDXsw/s1600/IMG_0793.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0chWxUCn-Z8/TgtTrSqt5hI/AAAAAAAABDE/Pd2zzVzDXsw/s400/IMG_0793.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another award winning picture from Jason Crain.</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>7. Strain and Pour the Wort Into the Fermenting Vessel.</b> Once the wort has been boiling for around an hour, it is time to strain the wort (to get rid of any hops that may have spilled out) and pour it into the fermenting vessel.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Jds0uGQ8nxY/TgtR9bcIiGI/AAAAAAAABBg/SUzfkb6PX6M/s1600/IMG_0812.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Jds0uGQ8nxY/TgtR9bcIiGI/AAAAAAAABBg/SUzfkb6PX6M/s400/IMG_0812.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wait for it.....</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5fn3X7NgABQ/TgtR3vD6lWI/AAAAAAAABBc/sT3TlvUgjG8/s1600/IMG_0814.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5fn3X7NgABQ/TgtR3vD6lWI/AAAAAAAABBc/sT3TlvUgjG8/s400/IMG_0814.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ok, go!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Tkb6oDdqsJw/TgtRwNVNv-I/AAAAAAAABBU/9pv7muVpl_0/s1600/IMG_0815.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Tkb6oDdqsJw/TgtRwNVNv-I/AAAAAAAABBU/9pv7muVpl_0/s400/IMG_0815.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Catching the runaway hops. </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>8</b>.<b> Close the Lid and Wait For it to Cool The Pitch the Yeast</b>. We have to wait until the temperature is around 70C before adding the yeast, but we might have jumped the gun, not having a thermometer suitable for brewing. Anyway, this is one the hardest steps because you have to wait. While you are waiting, you can add the yeast nutrient. And think of ways to cool your wort. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BPehlOYX02A/TgtVjQy3NzI/AAAAAAAABD4/sUTaYSt-l3Q/s1600/IMG_0829.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BPehlOYX02A/TgtVjQy3NzI/AAAAAAAABD4/sUTaYSt-l3Q/s400/IMG_0829.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our red-neck cooling apparatus. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-urVl_cbJaqg/TgtRYXZlqSI/AAAAAAAABA4/GEM33vxzNII/s1600/IMG_0819.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-urVl_cbJaqg/TgtRYXZlqSI/AAAAAAAABA4/GEM33vxzNII/s400/IMG_0819.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Adding the yeast nutrient.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o62hGzCyRSA/TgtRcW9S5BI/AAAAAAAABBA/O-pNGxdd7J4/s1600/IMG_0822.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o62hGzCyRSA/TgtRcW9S5BI/AAAAAAAABBA/O-pNGxdd7J4/s400/IMG_0822.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Imma pitch this yeast.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hDrPUk5Qy88/TgtRZ-EXuBI/AAAAAAAABA8/IKTgniP62Ts/s1600/IMG_0823.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hDrPUk5Qy88/TgtRZ-EXuBI/AAAAAAAABA8/IKTgniP62Ts/s400/IMG_0823.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Go forth and multiply!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fermentation should start within 24 hours, if it doesn't then most likely it is due to a yeast problem. Or Improper sanitizing. Now all you have to do is wait between 6 days to 2 weeks for the fermentation to stop. </span><br />
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</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7779295812783198201.post-29685655042385964092011-06-29T09:53:00.000-07:002011-06-30T08:45:43.015-07:00Follow Up on Hard Cider #1, June 29th, 2011<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My brother and I decided that today would be a good day to follow up on our hard cider. It really hasn't been sitting long enough to have fully finished "maturing", but we were really in the mood to try our cider, so we did. Bauss.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unfortunately, it almost exploded in our faces. </span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PMWpBzk7DN8/TgtWFkV7rqI/AAAAAAAABEI/edi4UHIKJj0/s1600/IMG_0825.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PMWpBzk7DN8/TgtWFkV7rqI/AAAAAAAABEI/edi4UHIKJj0/s400/IMG_0825.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I can't wait to drink this awesome cider...</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-U_Ef-WDGFio/TgtWGAuu8KI/AAAAAAAABEQ/awCrZKmoyI0/s1600/IMG_0824.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-U_Ef-WDGFio/TgtWGAuu8KI/AAAAAAAABEQ/awCrZKmoyI0/s400/IMG_0824.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oh shit!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But that's ok, we just slowly opened the bottle and made sure to hold it over the sink. It was a little messy, but hey, you can't make a great omelet without breaking a few eggs. Eventually the foaming settled down and we were left with this.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EaHKdaXnzVs/TgtWGdYsV-I/AAAAAAAABEM/yOs_Ig28xjQ/s1600/IMG_0826.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EaHKdaXnzVs/TgtWGdYsV-I/AAAAAAAABEM/yOs_Ig28xjQ/s400/IMG_0826.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's ok, we weren't comfortable looking at it either.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> When we poured ourselves a glass of El Dorado (sweet name, am I right?), we found that despite just a little bit too much carbonation, it was still as delicious as ever. </span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QCIj9GpfJHE/TgtWObs9CJI/AAAAAAAABEU/s64lEf_KrEA/s1600/IMG_0827.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QCIj9GpfJHE/TgtWObs9CJI/AAAAAAAABEU/s64lEf_KrEA/s400/IMG_0827.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Can I get a "Hell Yeah"?</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So in the end it all turned out ok. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the bottles don't burst due to excess carbonation. I guess we will just have to drink them sooner. Anyway, the moral is to make sure that fermentation is done before you bottle and to be careful about the amount of priming sugar you use. </span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TCLzwc3ia3I/TgtWROSqtEI/AAAAAAAABEY/JY6kXhPSCDs/s1600/IMG_0828.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TCLzwc3ia3I/TgtWROSqtEI/AAAAAAAABEY/JY6kXhPSCDs/s400/IMG_0828.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oh, and always brush your teeth.</span></td></tr>
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</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7779295812783198201.post-75340250443271046492011-06-27T07:44:00.000-07:002011-06-30T08:45:27.997-07:00Bottling Cider, June 26th, 2011<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today, the fermentation of the hard cider stopped again. Figuring that we had added enough sugar to the cider and that it had been sitting in the Ale Pail for one week, we decided to bottle it and see how our efforts turn out. </span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Little did I know what an involved process this is. Bottling is beer takes up a lot of space and requires a lot of equipment, which makes it look interesting so people around you will at first want to help but will then wander off when they realize that its kinda repetitive and messy. But you end up with 55 bottles of cider!</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bO7yL9Csx14/TgfhsBtJE0I/AAAAAAAAA9U/wDhFNZeZXt4/s1600/IMG_0769.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bO7yL9Csx14/TgfhsBtJE0I/AAAAAAAAA9U/wDhFNZeZXt4/s400/IMG_0769.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That's right. More cider than we can drink. Deal with it.</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyway, when we dragged the Ale Pail up from the basement where we had sentenced it to ferment, we took off the lid and a wonderful aroma of apples and alcohol saluted our senses. The cider was a bright yellow color, and still pretty murky (we hope that it will clear up in the bottles). </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first thing we had to do was to sanitize the siphon hose, which we did by filling a bucket with a bleach / water solution (of the same concentration as we used to sanitize our equipment for <a href="http://crainbrewery.blogspot.com/2011/06/hard-cider-attempt-1-june-19th-2011.html">brewing the cider</a> a week ago, around 2 ounces of bleach per 5 gallons of water). Then we ran boiling water through the tubing and over it to rinse any remaining bleach off. Now it's time to start the siphon.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Apparently to people my parent's age, the first memory of siphoning is when they used it to steal gas out of someone else's car, and apparently you would "use your mouth and suck on it" (attributed to a member of <b>that</b> generation). I've heard stories about this, but nobody my I know who is my age has ever done it. The last time I used a siphon was for emptying fish tanks, which had all sorts of stuff in the water so I sure didn't use my mouth to start the siphon. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyway, to start the siphon, we filled the tubing with sterilized water (from boiling) and then dipped one end of the hose in the cider and that's that. Siphon started. But it wasn't that simple, there were air bubbles that crept in so we had to restart it a few times. But we eventually did it.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SwJ8ABoNykA/TgfiYf0UJKI/AAAAAAAAA98/gXYKdSybHp8/s1600/IMG_0746.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SwJ8ABoNykA/TgfiYf0UJKI/AAAAAAAAA98/gXYKdSybHp8/s400/IMG_0746.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Finally. Geez.</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ao6Hqyyd7kA/TgfiVqibEuI/AAAAAAAAA94/88OyK9XhGYA/s1600/IMG_0745.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ao6Hqyyd7kA/TgfiVqibEuI/AAAAAAAAA94/88OyK9XhGYA/s400/IMG_0745.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We think that the stuff floating on top is normal.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After we started the siphon, we moved the Ale Pail to a counter top (which is where we should have started, but we aren't that smart), so we could fill the bottles easily. And then we started to boil water for the bottle caps, since they need to be sterilized too.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gOGliaO40-Y/TgfhsJ_xi0I/AAAAAAAAA9Y/2ngSph3bBNo/s1600/IMG_0737.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gOGliaO40-Y/TgfhsJ_xi0I/AAAAAAAAA9Y/2ngSph3bBNo/s400/IMG_0737.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A step above stone soup, but not by much.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alright, so now we have sterilized our bottle caps and our siphon hose. Now we need to sanitize our funnel and start the sugar to prime the bottles with. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What's priming you ask? Priming is a method where we add sugar, in this case dissolved in water, to each bottle so the yeast still active in the cider can ferment a little bit more and carbonate the bottles. Is it necessary? Yes, unless you want to drink flat beer or cider, which isn't so bad in the case of cider. My brother and I poured ourselves a glass of this delicious nectar.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Dv2NwyTEKtI/TgfhTTHnk5I/AAAAAAAAA9E/tTQl8q8KjRA/s1600/IMG_0765.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Dv2NwyTEKtI/TgfhTTHnk5I/AAAAAAAAA9E/tTQl8q8KjRA/s400/IMG_0765.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Shalom!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So after we sanitized our funnel, we started the priming sugar for a boil (we brought the sugar water to a boil so it would be sanitized). Here are our pictures of the process to make sure that nobody screws this part up, being the hardest step. It's just 3/4 cup sugar (it's supposed to be corn sugar but we used cane sugar) to 16 ounces of water.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zXCBhbwjvjE/Tgfh9vjVZlI/AAAAAAAAA9o/4Eg-ChS6uKs/s1600/IMG_0741.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zXCBhbwjvjE/Tgfh9vjVZlI/AAAAAAAAA9o/4Eg-ChS6uKs/s400/IMG_0741.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Roughly measure out 3/4 cup of sugar</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The next part of the process we did in a sort of an assembly line process.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1. Clean with bleach</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. Exactly as it sounds. We need to fill the bottles with the bleach solution and then pour it out. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-73jSL_TpKIM/TgfiZL8xhfI/AAAAAAAAA-A/7vl3nIwyyFY/s1600/IMG_0747.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-73jSL_TpKIM/TgfiZL8xhfI/AAAAAAAAA-A/7vl3nIwyyFY/s400/IMG_0747.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Glug, glug, glug</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PEj_JuQfUYo/TgfihQ-OkdI/AAAAAAAAA-E/r2E6gdwWAMk/s1600/IMG_0748.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PEj_JuQfUYo/TgfihQ-OkdI/AAAAAAAAA-E/r2E6gdwWAMk/s400/IMG_0748.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thanks to Jason Crain for his photography.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>2. Rinse.</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Then we need to get that nasty bleach off unless you want it to be part of your cider drinking experience, which we didn't want, but we don't claim to speak for everybody. So to rinse off the bleach, filled the bottle with the boiling (or the near boiling water) and then poured it out.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VvdcZq9rnBg/Tgfim2OkxuI/AAAAAAAAA-I/N4RmLX7MTr4/s1600/IMG_0749.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VvdcZq9rnBg/Tgfim2OkxuI/AAAAAAAAA-I/N4RmLX7MTr4/s400/IMG_0749.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think he did a really good job with this picture. Good job Jason. Mad props</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>3. Prime.</b> Priming is pretty simple, just seat your funnel on the bottle and pour a little bit of the sugar solution to each bottle. We can't give an exact measure since we eyeballed it, but just know that too much will result in a broken bottle and too little will result in a flat beverage. So ... error on the "too little" side.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dNPskVwm-c4/TgfjMWixQAI/AAAAAAAAA-U/nP3MVjIci9E/s1600/IMG_0752.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dNPskVwm-c4/TgfjMWixQAI/AAAAAAAAA-U/nP3MVjIci9E/s400/IMG_0752.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mmm, sugar water. </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>4. Fill the bottles</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. Now we have to use the siphon hose back from the beginning of the post to fill the bottles with the cider. Our hose has a clamp on it that we can release to allow flow and engage to stop flow, which helped a lot. Fill each bottle to roughly halfway up the neck, but we understand if your results are a little imperfect. God knows our's were. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UbCdfqr3P3M/TgfjMsXF6HI/AAAAAAAAA-Y/VDK79ix3ALw/s1600/IMG_0753.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UbCdfqr3P3M/TgfjMsXF6HI/AAAAAAAAA-Y/VDK79ix3ALw/s400/IMG_0753.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Why am I smiling?</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7Q5iZR0LMAs/TgfjZ7pBRcI/AAAAAAAAA-k/4MJF6lzJtpk/s1600/IMG_0756.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7Q5iZR0LMAs/TgfjZ7pBRcI/AAAAAAAAA-k/4MJF6lzJtpk/s400/IMG_0756.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Filling them bottles with sweet, sweet nectar.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>5. Capping the bottles</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. This step was pretty fun, and also a little bit of a let down. I thought that the bottle caps would be simply flat pieces of metal that the capper would then contort to get the crumpled edges. But nope, the caps were pre-crumpled so the capper just bent them a little bit. But it was still fun. Take the capper, a cap and a bottle and seat the cap on the bottle. Then, place the capper on top of the cap and move the handles downward. Simple and fun!</span></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rOyfap5WrgA/Tgfgyg5qgkI/AAAAAAAAA8o/W-hoENH7gRc/s1600/IMG_0758.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rOyfap5WrgA/Tgfgyg5qgkI/AAAAAAAAA8o/W-hoENH7gRc/s400/IMG_0758.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The claw!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jason's happy dance.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u5Na4NPxrdQ/Tgfg8p65HVI/AAAAAAAAA8w/sz2pyLHJE4Q/s1600/IMG_0761.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u5Na4NPxrdQ/Tgfg8p65HVI/AAAAAAAAA8w/sz2pyLHJE4Q/s400/IMG_0761.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First capped bottle. Awwww yeeaaa!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Strong like Thor!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-50pNrtNb6dE/TgfhcJqaNlI/AAAAAAAAA9I/7KShOPDdZy8/s1600/IMG_0766.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-50pNrtNb6dE/TgfhcJqaNlI/AAAAAAAAA9I/7KShOPDdZy8/s400/IMG_0766.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Help! I'm trapped writing these stupid captions!</span></td></tr>
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</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So just repeat this process 55 times. Yay. As I said, it took a lot longer than I thought, but it was worth it, I hope, who knows how the cider is going to taste in a week to two weeks (the amount of time it is supposed to sit in the bottle getting all carbonated and stuff). </span><br />
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</span></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7779295812783198201.post-19806426383629481442011-06-19T11:51:00.000-07:002011-06-30T08:44:38.522-07:00Hard Cider - Attempt #1, June 19th, 2011<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A few weeks ago my brother and I decided to brew something. Anything. As long as it tasted good and had alcohol in it. We wanted to make honey mead but the price of honey forced us to postpone that endeavor. So we settled on making hard cider. Apple juice with alcohol, one of the best inventions ever.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is our first attempt at making a hard cider, so there I'm sure there is a lot of room for improvement. In fact, this is our first time brewing anything. Well, you don't need to brew anything for this recipe, so this was our first time making an alcoholic beverage from scratch. Here is our recipe that we came up with while at the grocery store.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvsdvMoO-xj1jVn9fvpavl4R0GSVSSclg_HXXxTKUfL_clJ8pqX2m1wyLj3Ou82jzT0fAm1bRrD-3cqJ9wjYrn1kvpiXcJG__fdTJibuHwWmOjEdXvxPiDTKK7syBYUXF9HW5ILM2w7To/s1600/IMG_0678.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvsdvMoO-xj1jVn9fvpavl4R0GSVSSclg_HXXxTKUfL_clJ8pqX2m1wyLj3Ou82jzT0fAm1bRrD-3cqJ9wjYrn1kvpiXcJG__fdTJibuHwWmOjEdXvxPiDTKK7syBYUXF9HW5ILM2w7To/s320/IMG_0678.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The secret recipe</span></td></tr>
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</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>"Drink of the Gods" Hard Cider</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- 5 gallons apple juice</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- 100 ounces apple sauce</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- 4.25 fluid ounces (one packet) liquid cider yeast</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- 5 teaspoons yeast nutrient</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>--Revision-- </b>(see footnote)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- 2.5 cups of white sugar</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- 5 more teaspoons yeast nutrient</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFA9uYMfuq14gyyEp0zGqp1MeOX2pkWEmHizwxNxnKiy2cVhknkmpOiuDq6POtQsk-umzb-sUt6noYT0oH17VfTS7JRiKn7qw-H5lv8xrHUnDRtF428SNDC8wm1hHk7c1CGMJxncn1H-Y/s1600/IMG_0644.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFA9uYMfuq14gyyEp0zGqp1MeOX2pkWEmHizwxNxnKiy2cVhknkmpOiuDq6POtQsk-umzb-sUt6noYT0oH17VfTS7JRiKn7qw-H5lv8xrHUnDRtF428SNDC8wm1hHk7c1CGMJxncn1H-Y/s320/IMG_0644.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All the ingredients lined up for a photo shoot</span></td></tr>
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</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If it seems pretty simple, it's because it is. The ingredients all together cost us less than $35. The most expensive part was the apple juice, which cost us ~$20, so a smart idea would be to see if you can find a way to buy apple juice or apple cider whole sale. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So once we got all the ingredients together, we had to sanitize our fermenting equipment, which consisted of a 5 gallon "Ale pail" we picked up at our local homebrew supply store, a lid to the pail, and a 3 piece airlock. Together, the equipment cost ~$25, so it's pretty affordable as well. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaFkM1gDy3gUck_QiHSm346hVPQ9pVosZKgh2eRrp_AAc0oafWq4oXz7zknsGR7gjQ04zrQurhJs00aEG6OuE8k2F12TcSpnuQ9m-SMhbZT1TxfkqyKQyMr8kwPixJP71LhrN1A7HL8Io/s1600/IMG_0641.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaFkM1gDy3gUck_QiHSm346hVPQ9pVosZKgh2eRrp_AAc0oafWq4oXz7zknsGR7gjQ04zrQurhJs00aEG6OuE8k2F12TcSpnuQ9m-SMhbZT1TxfkqyKQyMr8kwPixJP71LhrN1A7HL8Io/s320/IMG_0641.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The fermenting "apparatus".</span></td></tr>
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</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The tube sticking out of the lid of the pail is the 3 piece airlock. We didn't take pictures of us sanitizing the equipment because we figured that it was a pretty self explanatory procedure that no-one could mess up. And because we forgot. However, I remember reading in my brewing book (which is essential) that sanitizing is the single most important step as bacteria that may seem harmless can thrive in the nutrient rich environment that cider (or beer or mead or wine) provides them while fermenting and they can sour the drink. </span></div></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To properly sanitize, mix 5 gallons of cold water with 1 or 2 ounces of bleach and wash all of your equipment with the solution. After you thoroughly wash your equipment, we rinsed with boiling water to get any bleach off the equipment. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Once everything is properly sanitized, it's time to mix everything together.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Step 1. Add the Apple Juice. </b>Not as hard as it sounds. Just pour the apple juice into the ale pail and try not to make a mess.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDc1O_mRwFlZtQ58IWb6ciHdeNnNTyEVw2_h_KTh3MHJELF41aVBwbVMuLd6oTwf1sbtczNIkOI_xRM6BfTGySw9qcK-37tFHXZhcMU8sokPs1WqmP2vRps3mGU_TWa7KLliMhvd2OxFM/s1600/IMG_0651.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDc1O_mRwFlZtQ58IWb6ciHdeNnNTyEVw2_h_KTh3MHJELF41aVBwbVMuLd6oTwf1sbtczNIkOI_xRM6BfTGySw9qcK-37tFHXZhcMU8sokPs1WqmP2vRps3mGU_TWa7KLliMhvd2OxFM/s320/IMG_0651.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Adding the first of the apple juice.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq9dMWpn409LWUI9tnmMKYmpmIoJb09ZAZhnbT7gQ4WHyg9NJkgJRWgVLViLzIVlO6Kdb2ormW7Ak8VvOT5n35j9fZKWc0EOPwaV1URE1wVjS3i2OUJ68DabIMMx_BDxg5h2RsfRebGjc/s1600/IMG_0652.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq9dMWpn409LWUI9tnmMKYmpmIoJb09ZAZhnbT7gQ4WHyg9NJkgJRWgVLViLzIVlO6Kdb2ormW7Ak8VvOT5n35j9fZKWc0EOPwaV1URE1wVjS3i2OUJ68DabIMMx_BDxg5h2RsfRebGjc/s320/IMG_0652.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We tried not to cross the streams.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Step 2. Add the Apple Sauce.</b> This step is actually harder than it sounds. Really, learning how not to splash might take some practice.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_U_7E5phZVKrV0F33RQZp9DczJuxH-rbFOpzuFNblC_rSo_BFzft9Uuzvy73J80jhjrKgSSkuN0uNlA5jbgLj6-0CnnSTIUF3dSH7bZDC8U7l_XcdxiE67AjFlFo3dCLS1Sgc-krt3QM/s1600/IMG_0660.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_U_7E5phZVKrV0F33RQZp9DczJuxH-rbFOpzuFNblC_rSo_BFzft9Uuzvy73J80jhjrKgSSkuN0uNlA5jbgLj6-0CnnSTIUF3dSH7bZDC8U7l_XcdxiE67AjFlFo3dCLS1Sgc-krt3QM/s320/IMG_0660.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He splashed some 'sauce</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqTbJ4HcuvcAjgO335Cx91tCE2qcdkGtzeThYDPiOAXf_j2GnUk4oCc3X-s3p-4NLBcyVJ_V6Fs4NVyd4lOlzYFqV13T5sFpsTJThMid001Axy-ZMTV_0NoeBKawrbzlTcRp3eBpgpHW8/s1600/IMG_0661.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqTbJ4HcuvcAjgO335Cx91tCE2qcdkGtzeThYDPiOAXf_j2GnUk4oCc3X-s3p-4NLBcyVJ_V6Fs4NVyd4lOlzYFqV13T5sFpsTJThMid001Axy-ZMTV_0NoeBKawrbzlTcRp3eBpgpHW8/s320/IMG_0661.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Around the 3rd jar we nailed the art of splash free pouring</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Step 3. Add the Yeast</b>.<b> </b>Follow the directions on the yeast package, then simply "pitch" the yeast, which is brewing lingo for dumping the yeast into the liquid. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pitching the yeast</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Step 4. Add the Nutrient</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. Take the pouch of yeast nutrient (which is mainly urea, interestingly enough) and add 1 teaspoon per gallon of liquid in your batch, so 5 teaspoons.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9BpTMakmzE5s73U6VAwicpMOiff4ZoRqjm80sMUIzBreK0B8_Su1HdI8y54cjrED4LHG53GjRrlXHIaz0TrgbNxnzqJ0JK7fvmIvhX_rPcD_G2RiqcOTPGVbUNiJwjnhGTxl-5r1_iI0/s1600/IMG_0670.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9BpTMakmzE5s73U6VAwicpMOiff4ZoRqjm80sMUIzBreK0B8_Su1HdI8y54cjrED4LHG53GjRrlXHIaz0TrgbNxnzqJ0JK7fvmIvhX_rPcD_G2RiqcOTPGVbUNiJwjnhGTxl-5r1_iI0/s320/IMG_0670.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Measuring</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2WC-RLilVCVZ1S3psBY8mREKyWkzZFm8cN3wDfcEJu6XaAfZrZJ15LQGBWD4e9Ex1fy2bL3Q2J03_jOLwImM34tKlS5mW1DZlQxxOKXAKWeCGdaigmMfCGqqE8Arviz-6QSmzk6it4eY/s1600/IMG_0671.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2WC-RLilVCVZ1S3psBY8mREKyWkzZFm8cN3wDfcEJu6XaAfZrZJ15LQGBWD4e9Ex1fy2bL3Q2J03_jOLwImM34tKlS5mW1DZlQxxOKXAKWeCGdaigmMfCGqqE8Arviz-6QSmzk6it4eY/s320/IMG_0671.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Action shot</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now that we have added all the ingredients, the last thing to do is to put the lid on, fill the 3 piece airlock with water, and then fit the air lock onto the lid. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ecQtp3nqfMQooQ_ky-kRWeofdS22esEN6haeQmVPG7GJu7YeJMAgz4ARofypCMwFc2SEuuJojttLAJaGQep8BcI66t1dGeU4xSUO4PZU-UCCRWqIJhpwpRA15TAJeT0Im9VlzFgHu34/s1600/IMG_0673.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ecQtp3nqfMQooQ_ky-kRWeofdS22esEN6haeQmVPG7GJu7YeJMAgz4ARofypCMwFc2SEuuJojttLAJaGQep8BcI66t1dGeU4xSUO4PZU-UCCRWqIJhpwpRA15TAJeT0Im9VlzFgHu34/s320/IMG_0673.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lid on</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW_yDc-GGXSQBSxgrMKCpU27junV4eOGXRH3e1GfQmQOgtoV2pCtvwZEccTq_uJAUtyohy7cx8nlwIrwlX21f0q334m5vLLqibOUeBVYC1hzF0yKAcPlyldL1Uo9z5te78TbZWSMWt3Lc/s1600/IMG_0676.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW_yDc-GGXSQBSxgrMKCpU27junV4eOGXRH3e1GfQmQOgtoV2pCtvwZEccTq_uJAUtyohy7cx8nlwIrwlX21f0q334m5vLLqibOUeBVYC1hzF0yKAcPlyldL1Uo9z5te78TbZWSMWt3Lc/s320/IMG_0676.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fill the air lock up to the line marked.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiQ4ysViRc9S9SmFZhPeUxqculvQERXqLSJ_qMzlMK2ACoy9zftbKrMqVRaXfKJx2PXU9umgtkE0dcuomS_E-Kd1TMbQb6EkvxbiOxANO0xrkSNtgkY4LbXAtbaKBNkYwDydHmIx3uvEM/s1600/IMG_0677.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiQ4ysViRc9S9SmFZhPeUxqculvQERXqLSJ_qMzlMK2ACoy9zftbKrMqVRaXfKJx2PXU9umgtkE0dcuomS_E-Kd1TMbQb6EkvxbiOxANO0xrkSNtgkY4LbXAtbaKBNkYwDydHmIx3uvEM/s320/IMG_0677.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fit the air lock onto the opening in the lid</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Once you have completed these steps, you are set! All that is left to do is to wait for the cider to ferment, which should end anywhere from 7 days to 10 days.</span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Update:</b> June 20th, 2011</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After waiting for over 24 hours for the air lock to start bubbling, we decided to add more nutrient to the cider hoping that the cause of the lack of evidence of fermentation was that the yeast didn't have enough food. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We decided to add 1.5 cups of white sugar and 5 more teaspoons of yeast nutrient to the cider. Of course, it could possibly take longer than 24 hours for the yeast in the cider to grow enough to start fermenting so we might have jumped the gun.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Update</b>: June 21st, 2011</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The air lock is bubbling slowly! So we know that there is at least some yeast activity. It is uncertain if adding more nutrient was what the yeast needed to start fermenting or if it was just a matter of time before fermentation began.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Update</b>: June 25th, 2011</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The airlock stopped bubbling a day ago, and uncertain if it was stuck or just was fermenting slowly, we decided to keep an eye on it. However, today my brother and I added another cup of sugar to the cider to start the fermenting process, and it sure worked. Once all the sugar was dumped in, a plume of something rose to the surface (maybe it was yeast) and once we got the lid on, the airlock was once again bubbling. So we are assuming it was stuck, but we are unsure how many times we are going to have to add sugar until the yeast ferments to completion.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0