Scottish 80 Shilling Ale

OK, I have just started a late day second cup of dark coffee. I am ready to blog. The brewery is gearing up to brew a Scottish 80 Shilling Ale. The brewmasters brother who lives in one of the Yankee northern states is gonna get married in mid September this year, so I thought that the brewery should brew something up unique to take there for the wedding reception and get the party started. There may be pre-recorded music playing, but the guest will hear bag pipes after a few of EC Brewery's Scottish 80 Shilling Ale! As usual, I am throwing in abut one pound of Oatmeal to the brew. Keep things smooth and tastey. The brewery expects delivery of the ingrediants early next week. Gonna have to be right on the brewing to be able to have it ready for the big day. Now I will need to come up with a cool bottle lable for the celebration! I am accepting ideas. So far "Ball & Chain Brew" has been suggested.

Micah's Sweet Stout Ale!

Micah's Sweet Stout has been in the secondary fermentor for 3 weeks. It just so happened that the end of the second week was when the brewery was getting ready to leave for vacation at the lake, so the decission was made to let it rest for an extra week. Man, that was a great decission. When the Sweet Stout was racked to the bottling bucket, it was noticed that it was a very clear dark beer. The final gravity came in at 1.022. That brew came in at 5% ABV. I had drawn off a test sample and set aside in the fridge until later in the evening when I drank it. Even without the carbonation, it was awsome! Bottled it all up and got 48 bottles. This is set for July 07, 2010 for the first tasting. Get ready y'all. It's gonna be on!

Nukey Brown Ale

Well, the brewery was away on vacation at the lake over last week. And along with being on vacation a batch of Nukey Brown Ale was opened. After drinking five of those beers out of a cup, it was found that they had a good kick. More than I expected. The next day was rough. Rather than to throw in the towel, I decided that it was a good time to tap into the last mini keg of Oatmeal Stout that had been resting since March. Man was it good. Needless to say it didn't last long. Barely made it through one grillin' night of grilling steaks! As I drank the Stout, my pal - You Know Who You Are - grilled the steaks. Another friend toked on a pipe and made the area of grillin' smell even better. Sooooo...I lite up a stogie! Cheers!

E.C. Brewery is Upgrading!

Your brewmeister here at E. C. Beer is gonna finally get up to todays technology. The brewery is expecting the delivery of a pair of Motorola Droids soon! Sooooo, maybe the brewery can be more diligent about postings. I am sure that there will be some learning that will have to happen, but anything is possible with the right (or left) pint in hand, eh! (Canadian Humor, eh)

Pints Out! Oh yea, before I go, what is Twitter? Just kidding......maybe.

Extra Pale Ale Chillin'

There is a 12 pack of Extra Pale Ale that just got tossed (lovingly) into the fridge! Gettin' ready for the weekend. Gonna be sunny and hot. Just perfect for a cold pint of Extra Pale Ale! Arg, I just forgot where my pint glass is.....heading to go search and rescue it!!

We've Had Twins!

This is a first here at E. C. Beer. We have twins! Really. Nukey Brown and Micah's Sweet Stout pose together for this picture. For the very first time here at E. C. Beer there is a craft beer in the primary and another craft beer in the secondary fermentor. Now if that doesn't light your fire your wood is wet! Like I have said before, better get them pint glasses ready y'all!

Micah's Sweet Stout Ale!

Well, after racking the Nukey Brown Ale to the secondary fermentor, E. C. Beer has now created another fresh craft beer. Micah's Sweet Stout! This brew was personally selected by the son-in-law of the brewmeister himself! While enjoying some time together prior to the weekend of May 15th, a decision to make another brew was hashed out over a Nut Brown Ale. Micah's Sweet Stout Ale was selected. Brewing began mid morning May 15th at around 9am. By 12:30pm the brewing was complete and the brew into the primary fermentor! It was a great time having a special guest over for the brewing process. Thanks dude, you know who you are! The fermenting process of the yeast was apparent by 9pm that night, and by morning of the 16th, it was in full fermenting action, nearly filling the available expansion space in the primary fermentor completly! Whow, that was very impressive. This brew heads for the secondary fermentor on the 29th of May! It is on track to be ready before the 4th of July! Now that is reason to celebrate with fireworks! Time to fill up my pint....so gotta go!

Nukey Brown Ale Nears Bottling Time

Well I have been attending other things here at the brewery. So I have not gotten many updates in in the past week or so, soooo.... the Nukey Brown Ale is nearing bottling time. It goes to the bottling plant May 29th. Then it rests for 2 more weeks before the first pint gets had! I just checked on it today (Friday) and it is still bubbling in the airlock once in a while. My prediction is that it is gonna be a Gold Pint winner! So get your best pint glass out and get it ready!!

Nukey Brown Ale

This weekend is set to be busy at the brewery. Gotta rack the Nukey Brown Ale to the secondary fermentor for another week long rest. I just checked on it, and it is doing fine. When racking occurs, I will get to sample it and also check the gravity of the brew. That will tell the story on how well it has done during it's two week primary rest. Just about three weeks away from tasting on this one! Now if that doesn't fill your pint, your glass has a hole in it!

Extra Pale Ale Gettin' Ready

I almost forgot, the Exta Pale Ale will be set for tasting this weekend. This will be the first time it can be sampled. Keep your pints crossed that it will be another good one. Better yet, come on over and try one! There is power in pints!

Gonna Brew A Sweet Stout!

Once again, the brewery plans to get fired up this weekend. The next brew to be crafted will be another dark beer, Sweet Stout! This was personally selected by a family member of E. C. Beer over the weekend (You know who you are!). A big thanks to him member for making a difficult choice of brew. There are so many to select from, but we had success! Now the next step will be to have him over to the brewery this weekend on brew day! Like a special guest! Together this brew will get crafted. This will be his first brew, so I expect that there will be lots of fun and fellowship over this one. The brewery will have more info later on in the days ahead! Keep your pints full up!

NUKEY BROWN FERMENTING

The Nukey Brown was brewed on this Sunday during a heavy rain storm. But the rain storm was not a show stopper, matter of fact it was kinda soothing watching so much rain fall. Anyway, E.C. Beer got the job done. The Nukey Brown Ale was brewed. I added a full pound of flaked oats to the specialty grain sack. At the end of the brewing, I also through a curve at the brew and put in 11oz of corn sugar. That was the total amount of "Priming Sugar" that I had left over from previous brews. And since I have switched to another type of priming agent, I wanted to put the left overs to use. I expect that the brew will have a little extra "Kick in the Pint!". Anyway, the OG ended up at 1.045 which was good. That make a total potential Alcohol By Volume of 6% if all goes well. The Wort was capped with a airlock and placed in its dark resting place at 4:30pm Sunday afternoon. At 9:30pm that night, the magic was beginning. Checking it this morning (Monday) it was fermenting strongly! Yea Baby! This Brew is on track for sampling by June 14 2010. Sooo, this will give enough time for ya to clean up a pint glass! Check out the video below for some Airlock Action!

Damn Near Flooded At E.C. Brewery

The skies really opened up around the brewery on Sunday. There was so much water that the brewery nearly took on water. In hind sight, I should have placed out some buckets and collected some of that water for the next brewing day. I'll know better for next time. Anyway, the brewery stayed dry, so I did the only thing that could be done during such a rain event....brewed more beer! Yep, got the Nukey Brown brewed up and was finished in about 3 1/2 hours. More to come about this brew! So grab your pints and hang in there!

Bottling Day For The Extra Pale Ale

It has been a busy Sunday here at E.C. Beer. The folks here worked hard to bottle the Extra Pale Ale. We had a total of 50 bottles of beer get filled and capped! Of course, the brew master had to have a sample of the Extra Pale Ale......GOOD! Maybe I should state it better...DAMN GOOD! The 50 soldiers were handled with care and place in their resting place where they will sit for the next 2 weeks. That's right May 16th 2010 will be the ready date. It will be tasting time again, so get your stoggies ready, it's gonna be awn!

IT'S GONNA BE BREWING DAY SOON!

I have just received word that the Nukey Brown Ale will be brewed as thought this weekend!! This will be after the Extra Pale Ale that has been sitting for a few weeks gets bottled. Lots going on this weekend at E. C. Beer! I gotta go, my Beer Low light just came on!

THE NUKEY BROWN IS SET FOR BREWING

Here at E. C. Brewery, it has been decided that Nukey Brown Ale will be the next brew in the fermentor. The brewery plans to begin production around the weekend. Of course E. C. Beer plans to tailor the Nukey Brown Ale with an amount of Oatmeal to make another signature flavor brew. The Nut Brown that was just recently sampled was a hit. It also received Oatmeal in the mix during brewing even though the recipe did not call for any Oatmeal. So far, Oatmeal in all the brews that have been made here at E. C. Beer have had this ingredients and it just works! More later on since my pint is empty....Gotta Go!

Extra Pale Ale Racking

The Extra Pale Ale that E. C. Brewery brewed up two weeks ago just got racked to the secondary fermenter for another week long rest before it goes to the bottling plant. I guess it is called Extra Pale Ale because I added EXTRA grains ( a full 1/2 pound of oats ). So I can't wait to sample it and see what it tastes like. Of course I will need my loyal tasters to be at the brewery for the first opening. That is expected to be no later than Memorial Day!! Get your taste buds ready my friends! It will be Awn Soon! Pints out!

Crackin' The Nut Brown

Success! The Nut Brown Ale turned out worthy of a 5 Pint rating! Cracked open the first few later on this day and had a friend over with a calibrated taster. It was agreed that it was Awsome. I used the Muntons KreamyX priming agent, and it made all the difference in taste, carbonation and overall head. Never again will just plain priming sugar get used here at E. C. Brewery. So with such a good outcome, I am planning to rev up the brewery and make a Nukey Brown Ale and see how good it turns out! Gotta go, my "Pint Low" light just came on. Gotta refill!!

Another Friend of E.C. Brewing!

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The Next Brew That Might Be Made Soon

OK, it has been a few days and I have been away from the brewery on other business. I was talking to a good friend....you know who you are dude.....and I posed a question to him. What brew should be the next one? Gotta a little vacation time coming up that involves lots of water and wasting gasoline followed up by a sunset and dock time (and BBQ). So I want to get a brew ready for that week. I was lookin over the selections and found one that peaked my interest. Nukey Brown Ale. It's got an OG of 1.052 so it is a medium strength brew. Takes 6 weeks until it is ready to taste. The reviews say it is so close to New Castle Brown that it could be a relative. OK I added the "Relative" part in, but it still sounds like a winner! Here is what the description is on the web site for Northern Brewer:

Consider the Northern English Brown Ale: drier, cleaner, less fruity and sweet, and slightly hoppier than their southern counterparts (like our Nut Brown Ale kit). These beers actually have quite a bit in common with ales from Scotland as well, but don't try to tell them that in Newcastle. This kit yields an easy-to-drink, easy-to-like ale with a clear, deep garnet color, light sweet malt and fruit flavors, undertones of burnt caramel, chocolate, and toffee in the finish.

So, a decision has to be made soon so that the brewery can get the job done!

Cracking A Mini Keg Of Oatmeal Stout

The other day, I decided that I would put to good use, the left over ice I had in a cooler left over from brewing and chilling the Extra Pale Ale. I threw a Mini Keg of my very first brew of Oatmeal Stout on that ice. Once it was chilled, and of course while the sun was still high in the sky, I cracked into the keg. Lots of carbonation pressure was pressent. The taste....GOOD! Had a couple of loyal imbibing friends stop by and assist in finishing off the first mini keg. Thanks Guys! You know who you all are! By the way, that keg has been washed and is ready for fillin' again. Would you expect anything less here at E.C. Brewery? Don't be fooled by the label on the mini keg. It may say Schwarzbier, but it was really E.C. Brewery's Oatmeal Stout. Just happened to find components to reuse this keg from a previous time. Pints to ya'll once again!

Lawnmower Brew Update!

The Lawnmower Brew has been fermenting very strongly. Lots of activity in the airlock. It has been bubbling regularly like a second hand on a clock! Now that is a good sign. The waiting for this brew should be worth it. Oh yea, the plane in this picture flew over the E.C. Brewery the day brewing was going on. ?????D.E.A.????? I'd have to say Not! Just a Bi-Plane that was buzzing the area and was worthy of a picture on a beautiful brewing day!

The Lawnmower Brew! Extra Pale Ale

OK, I decided to brew the newest batch of beer this Saturday morning. Started around 9:15am and by 12:30 pm (Noon-Thirty) it was finished and cleanup complete. This beer kit called for lots of hopps to be added at the beginning of the boil and more added at the last minute of the boil. I decided to play a little bit. Only added one of the two ounces of hopps at the beginning and then still added the final ounce at the last minute of the boil. Now I also played a bit more. I altered the grains which was just one pound of pils to include one half pound of oats. Hoping that this will make the pale ale a bit more smooth in the mouth. Anyway, I am expecting a great Lawnmower Beer! Should be ready for tasting by Memorial Day! Just in time for lots of hot summer days of grass cutting! As you can see by the last picture, she's a fermenting quite well. The wort was put in the primary fermenter at 12:30pm and by Sunday morning she had developed a nice head from the fermenting process. Pints to ya'll!!

Time for a Lawn Mower Beer!

Well, it's that time of year where a good light colored beer is desired to getcha thru the outdoor task of Lawn Mowing! So, with a little help from the Maternal Coronal an Extra Pale Ale was the winner. Should be about 5-6 weeks until it can be tasted. Just in time for the late spring heat here at the E.C. Beer Brewery. Aaaahh, green grass and cold pale ale! Oh yea, almost forgot to tell ya that I am not using a priming sugar this time for the carbonation. I have decided to use KreamyX which is a priming agent that increases heading and bubbles. It is said to have "staying power" for the head and leaves a nice creamy ring in the glass! Bonus!!

Racking the Nut Brown Ale Day!

Well it is beer racking day for the Nut Brown Ale. It has been two weeks since the brew day and I have now racked the beer from the primary fermentor to the secondary one. Could have skipped this step and went right to bottling, but I just like to give the brew a little longer to clairify. Had a sample that I drew off the transfer and it tasted really really good. Has a nice brown color to it. Only gonna let it set in the secondary for about one week then to the bottles for two weeks conditioning. Should be trying it by the end of April.

The next brew is fermenting

Well, I wanted to keep the updates going about brews in progress. Just over a week ago a batch of Nut Brown Ale was brewed. I threw in about a quarter pound of Oatmeal just to see what the outcome would be (since I really like Oatmeal Stout). So in a few more weeks, I will be able to get the answer. I will be asking my tasting team to stop by and put their "Two Pints" in on the evaluation.

Friends of EC Beer

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I buy online from Northern Brewer

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The Kick Ass Label Is Born!

Thanks Jason O for taking the time and creating the very first label for the EC Beer!

In the beginning of the brew

Making the magic happen about 5 weeks ago

Tasting the first Oatmeal Stout

The first sample of Oatmeal Stout from a partial mash kit was done Saturday afternoon. The taste was quite good but the carbonation level was still low. The bottled beer had only set for one week in a cooler than room temp. Moved the remaining brew to room temp and planning another week or so to bring up the fiz! More to come!