Green Flash Brewing Co- Hop Head Red

Drinking Hop Head Red transports me back to a beercation a couple years ago that I took to San Diego.  There were a couple things to learn about brewery touring for a week there.  Used to going to brew pubs that have pretty regular business hours we quickly learned that in the San Diego area there are a lot of breweries that only distribute and have tap rooms.  That means they have limited tasting hours, which are usually only Thursday- Sunday from 4-8pm.  The day we went to Green Flash Brewing Co. was the day we learned that hard lesson.  On a Tuesday after checking out the LA scene a little we were ready to hit the road and start the tour and logically start working our way down towards San Diego via Escondido, the home of Stone Brewing Co .  But first stop, Vista, CA where Green Flash was originally located.  Green Flash was our 4th stop in obscurely located industrial parks, and not a beer had been tried yet.  Denied!  But we knew we could come back on our way back up the coast.  Which is exactly what we did and I was so glad.  We got to roam around the brewery floor, samples in hand and chatted with the brewer at work.

A beautiful red color leads to a nice caramel maltiness that you can even smell on first sip.  Not a lot of hop aroma, you might think this was an Irish red, then, surprise!  Hops!  Maybe a little bitter at the end but not totally out of balance.  This is not your average red or your average IPA.

Faucet re-build

Sometimes a lil' brewer girl can be intimidated when things aren't working properly because that means she will have to fix it.  This can be fun because you get to take stuff apart and figure out what's wrong.  This can be annoying because you then have to put things back together in working order.

I have Perlick faucets because they are awesome!  But not awesome when they start leaking and making a big mess everywhere.

Stout stained carpet

And how lucky that both faucets are leaking at the same time.  Ugh!  Time to get some know how from the internet and take these faucets apart, fix them, then try to put them back together.

Sideways view of tap assembly

After I took this all apart I realized that I could have just taken the taps off the tower.  Duh :)  I didn't actually have to take the shank out of the tower too.  But I was in destructo mode and in the end I'm glad I did because on examining my lines, I realized that they could use a change out and this would be the perfect time.  It was easy taking the taps all apart and interesting.   I figured out where all the o-rings were, and that those were likely the problem.  I wan't really sure how long it had been since they were new.  The hard part came a couple weeks later, when the replacement rings came and I had to remember how to put this all back together.  There are acutally a few more pieces that go on the inside of the tower not shown in this photo and embarrassingly it took me a few tries to get them all in the right order and in the right direction so it all screwed together. 



In the end I replaced 3 o-rings, the handle lever (which probably didn't need replaced), the coupling nuts which were very badly worn, and both the beverage and CO2 lines, just because I was already feeling handy.  Now it's all back together and ready for new brews and no more leaks!

Pliny the Elder

Spending Valentine's Day with one of my true loves, HOPS!!  A rarity in southwestern Colorado, I was so happy to snag the LAST two bottles of Pliny at the liquor store the other day!  Apparently they get a shipment of this gem only about every 6 weeks and they don't even put it out in the coolers.  You have to just know about it and ask for it.  Crazy! 

First time a got to experience the hoppy deliciousness in my mouth was actually at Russian River Brewing.  On a road trip with my mom several years ago, we made a detour on our journey just to hit up the brewery.  We were only able to spend a little bit of time there and I have been jonesing to go back ever since.

As you can see in the picture Pliny is on the light side.  But don't be fooled, loaded with hops it also has tons of body to back that hop up without lots of caramel.  A double IPA at 8%, it's up there but not over the edge.  It has little to no alcohol bite, super piney hops on the nose, and a slightly bitter big hop party in your mouth with the perfect amount of malt to balance it out.  They brew this in small batches (hence the rarity) and put the bottled date on the bottle so you know you are enjoying it fresh.  Don't age it or you'll loose all the fresh hoppiness.  

I am so in love with Pliny! 

Peach Porch Lounger

I don't know why but sometimes I get a wild hair to branch out from drinking IPAs.  I saw peach on the label and was reminiscing on a beer I had last year around August from Crazy Mountain.  Perfectly added fresh local peaches gave a subtle peach aroma and sweet aftertaste to, what tasted like their Mountain Livin Pale Ale.  I usually don't like fruit beers but this one nailed it on the head for me.  So I picked up this bottle of Peach Porcher.  I knew it wouldn't live up, I mean first of all, it's a sour beer.  But maybe it would have a nice hint of peach to please the palate.  Or maybe not. 

I got out my guitar and was ready for some lounging.  Not on the porch, or patio, as that is covered in snow right now.  Sniff.  Yep, there's the brettanomyces.  When I first tasted it I was thinking more of a sour beer, but it really tastes alot like a saison.  Not a lot of body there, or peachiness though.  So now I am confused.  Is it a sour or saison.  I guess it doesn't really matter because it just wasn't doing it for me and at 9.4%, better I don't drink the whole bottle anyway.  I think the best part of this beer is the G. Love logo!  "Yo, can I get a cold beverage!"

Homebrewing - Fruity IPA?

I thinks it's about time to talk about homebrewing!  I have had a few beers with Simcoe and Citra hops and have loved them!  So I had to give it a try myself.  Well it turns out everyone can make a good one, but me.  I have had this beer on tap since before Thanksgiving.  I just can't seem to drink it much.  It was supposed to be a Simcoe/Citra IPA and this was the second attempt at it.  Both tries have turned out fruity and somehow a little like a wheat, even though there is no wheat in it. 

The first batch I only used Simcoe and Citra hops.  Simcoe for bittering and using both for mid-addition and aroma.  I decided that Simcoe can be a bit harsh as a bittering hop so the second batch I used Northern brewer to bitter and Simcoe and Citra for the mid and aroma.  There is just something off.  I don't know if it is the recipe or the process.  My process is brew-in-a-bag with a full volume mash, no sparge.  Great color and nose but fruit juice aftertaste.

I personally attribute the weird sour/fruity aftertaste to not enough bitterness but I also wonder if it could be from not sparging.  Something i'm getting or not getting from the grain.  Early last year I brewed a single hop Falconer's Flight APA that also had a fruity characteristic.  Makes me wonder about my recipe design because Falconer's Flight should have pretty different characteristic to Simcoe and Citra.  I'm not going to give up though.  With more tweaking, there will be an amazing IPA in my future.

Simcoe/Citra IPA
================================================================================
Batch Size: 5.143 gal
Boil Size: 6.200 gal
Boil Time: 0.000 s
Efficiency: 75%%
OG: 1.069
FG: 1.017
ABV: 6.7%%
Bitterness: 51.0 IBUs (Tinseth)
Color: 11 SRM (Morey)

Fermentables
================================================================================
                       Name  Type    Amount Mashed Late Yield Color
       Pale Malt (2 Row) US Grain 11.000 lb    Yes   No  79%%   2 L
 Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L Grain 12.000 oz    Yes   No  74%%  40 L
               Victory Malt Grain 12.000 oz    Yes   No  73%%  25 L
         Cara-Pils/Dextrine Grain  5.000 oz    Yes   No  72%%   2 L
            Caramunich Malt Grain  7.000 oz     No   No  72%%  56 L
Total grain: 13.250 lb

Hops
================================================================================
            Name  Alpha   Amount  Use       Time   Form  IBU
           Citra 13.9%% 0.500 oz Boil  5.000 min Pellet  4.3
          Simcoe 13.0%% 0.500 oz Boil  5.000 min Pellet  4.1
          Simcoe 13.0%% 0.500 oz Boil 30.000 min Pellet 15.7
           Citra 12.0%% 0.500 oz Boil    0.000 s Pellet  0.0
 Northern Brewer  8.6%% 1.000 oz Boil 60.000 min Pellet 27.0

Yeast
================================================================================
        Name Type Form    Amount   Stage
 Safale S-05  Ale  Dry 2.232 tsp Primary

Telluride Brewing Company

Cross country Ski trail at Trout Lake

Another amazing day of skiing in the San Juans deserves another great beer.  And Telluride Brewing Co happens to be on my way home from my most recent adventure.  How convenient!

The brewery is located outside of town in a not too easy to find strip mall.  But once you get in the right spot you can see the giant shiny fermenters through the window.  They are not licensed as a bar so there is no seating, but you can have a pint standing at the bar or take it on a "tour" of the brewery, which you are actually standing in.  Short on storage space there is usually an abundance of cans hanging around.  They haven't started canning the Face Down Brown yet, but I guess it will be coming soon.  After another big batch of Bridal Veil gets canned. 

I talked before about the Bridal Veil Pale Ale http://lilbrewergirl.blogspot.com/2012/12/12-beers-of-christmas-bridal-veil-rye.html  one of my favorites!  And really all their beers are great.  They have quite a line-up too.  Something for everyone; light, dark, brown and red beers.  This time around I was enjoying the dark beers.  The Smoke Shack Porter is an excellent example of a slightly smokey porter.  Smokiness from beachwood smoked grain is subtle.  It's easy drinking and not too big at 5.4%.  They also have the Ski-in-Ski-Stout coffee stout.  This stout is brewed with coffee from a local roaster.  The coffee takes some of the roastiness from the stout but adds a nice pick-me-up!

They are not widely distributed and currently only the Bridal Veil is available.  So get out on the trails or slopes then head to over to the brewery and try them all!

http://www.telluridebrewingco.com/

Horsefly Brewing Company

There are so many beautiful places to ski (and drink) in Southern Colorado.  This lil' brewer girl has been getting in as much cross country skiing as possible!  I recently got the opportunity to ski the rim road of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison.  Amazing!  

Naturally after a crisp workout one needs some nourishment.  So I headed to the Horsefly Brewing Company in Montrose.  I have frequented this place in the past and I have to say, while the beers are consistent they seem to cater to a different kind of beer drinker than myself.  I usually go for the Six Shooter APA, which at 7.5% can be a dangerous endeavor.  This is the only hoppy beer they really offer.  If you want to go down in percentage you have to sacrifice some flavor.  Their lengthy menu features their Bug-eye blond and Jazzy Razzy among others.  

 I got a chance to have a quick chat with one of the brew help and the word is they are fermenting an Imperial IPA that is going to clock in between 9-10% right up there with their Winter Warmer.  

As for food, I am not the best judge since the only thing I can eat is the veggie burger.  If you are a wing fan then you can partake in the wing challenge or any of the other bar food selections.  And if winter is not your season, then swing by in the summer when the outside beer garden is open.  Cheers!