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Welcome to Cryptobrewology! if you make your own beer, or just love beer, then this is the place for you. Grab new beer recipes, share your own. Post a Beer Review, Read Beer Reviews! Or browse our hand picked selection of Beer Brewing Kits, Ingredients and Supplies! Hang out and browse for awhile...

Now for the latest from the Cryptobrewology Beer Blog:

Hometown Ales - Jersey Devil Pale

Posted on: April 20, 2008 by Drew Vics

The Best Burger in New Jersey! The Fireside Restaurant in Denville, NJ was host to Hometown Tales' Cheeseburger Friday with Gene and Bryan. Cryptobrewology.com was there to present Gene and Bryan with a beer brewed in their honor, called Hometown Ales Jersey Devil Pale. Bruce Sakow, original story writer for Friday the 13th - The Final Chapter, was there, as well as the creators of Plasterhead and David Boyle, author of Blood Works.

First, the beer... What better subject than the original New Jersey "Hometown Tale" of the Jersey Devil, to serve as the flagship Hometown Ale. While preparing the recipe for this beer I considered many names, but settled on Jersey Devil Pale and thought I would give a woodsy, Pine Barren-ish tone to the beer. I used two hop varieties, Willamette and Cascade, and dry hopped to give the beer a nice earthy nose.

This turned out to be a nice light bodied pale ale, with a great hop character and I think it serves its name well. Now all we need is for a micro brewery to produce this beer for us. Hey, it could happen. I have a couple of other ideas for future Hometown Ales, and someone I was talking to at the event had a really great idea for a porter, so there will be more on the way.

While I was there at the Fireside I chatted with Bruce Sakow about Friday the 13th and other things, he's quite a comical fellow, very friendly. I also spent quite a while talking with David Boyle about horror movies and writing.

As always, Gene and Bryan are great hosts, a fun couple of guys to hang out with and they succeeded in bringing a great group of people together for a fun evening.

Here are some links for you to check out:

Hometown Tales
HTT-CBF Pics at Flickr.com
Plasterhead
David Boyle at Myspace

Oh, the cheeseburgers are actually pretty good at the Fireside Restaurant. I highly recommend you stop by and try one out if you're in the area.

Adding Hops to Homebrew

Posted on: March 25, 2008 by Drew Vics

Many people stop by Cryptobrewology looking for info on how to add hops during the brewing process. There are a few different methods, including cheesecloth to contain the leaves (even a pair of nude, non-dyed stockings will work) and infusion, a process in which the wort is filtered through a chamber containing fresh hop leaves. The latter is mainly used in dry-hopping, and often during the kegging process, but I guess it could be creatively altered and used during bottling, or even when adding to the fermenter.

The most common, and one that works best for me is... watch the clock and just dump it in. I used to try keeping my wort "clean" by containing the hops. It also makes it easier to remove the spent hops and toss them. Lately I've been getting back to the original method of just stirring the hops onto the wort, in the proper doses and times according to the recipe. I guess it just seems like the hops will be able to permeate the wort better this way, although as the liquid circulates even bagged hops will do the job.

Maybe I just like to watch the hops float around and do their thing. Also, it's easier to stir a big boiling brew without the bloated cheesecloth bags, or stockings, getting in the way. The only drawback to this method is removal of the hops leaves.

You can leave the hops right in there during the fermentation process, but I don't really recommend it, for two reasons. One, tannins in the hops will tend to cause an unpleasant bitterness to your beer if they are left in there too long. Try drinking tea that's had a teabag soaking in it for a while to get an idea. Two, some hops will float at the top, in the "head" during fermentation, so if you have any blow-off the hops will likely clog the airlock, causing pressure to build in the vessel. If not monitored or discovered in time the cap will blow off your fermenter and spew hops and yeast everywhere. I'm speaking from experience.

One way to remove the hops is to pour it into the fermenter (after it has cooled of course) using a funnel with a screen. You can find screened funnels at your local homebrew store, or online. The only problem with that is you will need to stop frequently to clear the screen as the hops build up.

The best way I have found so far, is to use a medium sized hand-held strainer to actually dip in and scoop hops out of the wort just after the boil, before you cool it completely. Do it quick, and just remove the bulk, don't worry about the little straglers. The longer you leave your wort exposed to sit there and scoop, the more you invite potential contaminants into it.

That should do it. If any homebrewers or pro brewers out there have alternate methods or anything to add please contact me and let me know!

Cryptobrewology.com is an online publication dedicated to expanding interest in the art of home brewing and appreciation of unique, entertaining, even mysterious beers. It is maintained by an experienced home brewer and beer enthusiast.

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