Author: stoutmaker

Vanhelsing

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It’s time to brew the beer I will be drinking during my infamous Halloween garage concert this year. 

Normally it’s been just what ever I had in stock at the time, but this year I decided to come up with a beer that hopefully will become my “traditional” Halloween brew. 
In order to come up with a beer, I first needed to define what it is I’m doing, or trying to do.
I need a beer that not only fits the holiday, but can stand up to a heavy dose of heavy metal played at extreme decibels. Nothing fruity or nothing heavy like a stout. Something with backbone and character.  I think a hoppy American Brown will fit right in here.  
Something not overly sweet, but enough to handle some decent hopping. Some thing darker but not heavily roasted. 
Here is what I came up with … 
Vanhelsing- American Brown
10 lbs 2 row
1 lb 80L
.5 lb 10L

.5 lb chocolate malt
.75 oz magnum @60
1 oz cascade @15
1 oz cascade @ flame out
1 oz cascade dry hopped after activity slows
05 yeast. 
I wanted something with a medium body, so to match with the 1 1/2 lbs of crystal I went with a mash if 152. 

I still underestimate the color a little chocolate malts gives. I wouldn’t say it’s black. But damn close. As it sits in the fermenter I’m guessing in the 20’s SRM.
It was a good brew day. The humidity dropped, 73 degrees. But the wind seemed to keep the boil to a slight roll instead of a hard boil. But it did look like there was a good break. 
 

The kraut

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Making the kraut today. It is fermented so I guess it fits here just fine.

Its probably the easiest thing you will ever make. And almost no work. And so unbelievably better than the canned stuff. you’ll never want store bought again. So, lets do this..

Here is everything you need. Two ingredients. Cabbage and salt. I use pickling salt because I always have tons of it, but Kosher is great too. Table salt not so good, why? I dunno, just never used it and I dont know anyone that does. Cabbage was $2 and that whole bag of salt that will last you for a year or more was maybe $1.50.
That mini crock there is just one of those utensil caddies you can get anywhere. I think it was 4 bucks. It works great for a small batch like this. 
A plate or lid that fits in the crock,, anything will work. 
The rolling pin is just for packing the cabbage down, a potato masher works just fine too.
Thats all the equipment. Instead of the crock you can use a kool aid pitcher a bowl or whatever.. its not very fussy. For larger batches I use a 5 gallon bucket with the lid trimmed to fit inside.
Quarter and core your cabbage. Slice it into thin strips. I do a quarter at a time. you see why in next pic.
Make a layer off cabbage in crock 2-3 inches and sprinkle a little salt on top. This picture is almost too much salt.
Pack the layer down. just smash it down in there. Do the rest of the cabbage the same way. Cabbage, sprinkle of salt, smash it down.
The salt starts drawing out the water almost immediately. This is what you want. You want to keep the cabbage under this water. 
 Thats what the lid is for. Just to keep the cabbage from floating up
Put a small weight on the lid to keep it under the liquid. Dont need to squish it. Just keep from floating.
Put it somewhere normal room temp. Dont really matter too much. Basements are great. Kitchen cupboard. Its all good.
let sit 2-3 weeks. If it starts molding or anything, Dont panic! Its no big deal..Thats just the way it works.  just spoon it off. The stuff under water is perfectly fine.
A month is good 2 months is great. After a month its ready. Dont need to do anything to it. Just dig in there, take out what you need , put the plate and weight back on and its good to go.
If you wanna can it. Thats just about as easy. 
Drain and keep the juice maybe add a little water is needed. Bring to a boil. 
Pack your heated jars tight with the kraut, fill the jars with the hot liquid and water bath for 20. Done.
This size batch makes 4-6 pint jars of course depending on size of cabbage.
(oh and those jars next to the kraut? Fermenting limes. Thats another day.. but its exactly this process as well)

Changing History

stoutmakerLeave a comment

I mean really. Just take almost any category of beer and look up its history. Its real history, and there is usually nothing that resembles the modern description,, but yet the modern description goes out of its way to include a historical description of processes and ingredients.

Steam beer requiring Northern Brewer hops, yet those hops were not even in exsistance when this style was at the height of popularity.
Stouts requiring Roast Barley and/or black patent when at the time that stout were defining themselves roast barley was illegal and black patent again, was not invented. Not for about 100 years.

What is the reason that well known styles with well known histories that are so easily researched, have such inaccurate guidelines?

As with most every other part of beers history, it probably had some political implications. Both legitimate and back room.