Let's talk about "health-conscious" beer

[sphelps]

I hear ya, I like different stuff in my beer too but more bitter than sweet. The wild rose raspberry ale is good if you haven't tried it and big rock also has a juniper berry which is also pretty good.

Mike what kind of beer do you brew? I'm venturing this way as well shortly, actually ordered a BREWHA BIAC a while back which is suppose to ship out next week

[Myka]

Originally Posted by BIGSHOW

Give Mill St. Organic a try.

Originally Posted by Werbo

+2 for Mill St if your into organic and all

I picked up a pack of Mill Street Organic Lager. My first sip was, "That's not bad, a bit watery, and there's a little something in there I don't like." The particular flavor I don't like I don't know what it is exactly, but it's a taste I associate with dark beers and microbreweries. Is that the hops? I don't know. At this exact moment I've drank almost the whole beer and now my thought is, "Yep, I could drink this and enjoy it." It's not what I'm used to, but I think I could really get to dig this one. I also like the fact that is is only 4.2% alcohol because I'm a light-weight.

I also grabbed a single of a new grapefruit Rickard's (Molson) beer just for the fun of it (I kind of hope I don't like it) because the guy said it was super popular, and also a single can of Steamwhistle which I don't know much about, but I think someone mentioned it in this thread...now I have to go back and look.

Originally Posted by sphelps

Mike what kind of beer do you brew? I'm venturing this way as well shortly, actually ordered a BREWHA BIAC a while back which is suppose to ship out next week

Maybe I should make like the two of you guys and brew my own. New hobby!

[sphelps]

Originally Posted by Myka

Maybe I should make like the two of you guys and brew my own. New hobby!

You should look into it, it's super interesting with lots history and science behind it. I never thought much of it before, all the home brew stuff I tried was terrible but then after talking to a new colleague and trying his my eyes where opened to the fact you can brew beer better than anything you can buy provided you do it properly and you can tailor it exactly the way you like it. I think there's two kinds of home brewers, the ones that do it to save money and the ones that do it for better beer. While there's certainly a grey zone between from what I can tell doing the advanced method with good equipment won't save you any money.

[mike31154]

I currently have 3 batches on the go that I put on early in April. A Pilsner & Canadian Ale from Danmar brand concentrate kits that were on sale at the Superstore. Batch 3 is an English Bitter from a Cooper's concentrate kit (Australia) purchased at Save On Foods. I suspect the Danmar kits are from the same Australian producer as the Cooper's, simply rebranded for the Canadian market. The Danmar kits cost less.

Depending on the type of brew, you need to add either corn sugar (potential for GMO there I reckon) or Dry Malt Extract. Both are usually available in the same area as the brew concentrate. The brew concentrate & sugars are mixed with a given amount of water (this is where your RO system comes in handy) in order to arrive at the desired starting specific gravity (somewhere around 1.045-1.050). Generally you need to heat or boil a half gallon of the water to ensure that you have the proper temperature to activate the yeast when everything is mixed in the fermentation vessel. The hot water also helps get the remnants of gooey concentrate out of the can.

I tried something different this time 'round with the Danmar kits (Pils & Can Ale). They were on sale, so I decided to use 2 cans of the brew concentrate with no added dry sugars. I grow hops in my garden & like a hoppy Pils, so usually boil some of those with the water when preparing the batch for some extra bite/bitterness. From personal experience in Germany, pilsners are generally more strongly hopped (bitter) than ales or lagers, so Mindy, I tend to think the flavour you're not liking in the Mill Str. Organic Lager is something other than hops. Having said that, there's been a trend lately to strongly hop India Pale Ales, which to me detracts from the complexity an Ale has over a Pils.

Someone mentioned an unpleasant aftertaste from home brews and/or micro brews. That is most likely from residual yeast which has not been filtered out. Large volume breweries will generally filter the product much finer than a micro brewery, organic brewery or home brewer. The issue with 'over' filtration is that you also remove complexity & flavour. Not everyone minds the yeasty taste, in fact there is a Bavarian Hefe Weizen Bier (Hefe=Yeast) featuring a layer of yeast sediment in the bottom of the bottle. It is customary to give the bottle a good swirl prior to finishing it in order to get all the yeast into the glass for a final sip. Hefe Weizen is not to be confused with Weissbier (Berlin tradition). Although both are brewed using wheat vice barley or other grains, the Berlin version is very clear & usually enjoyed chilled with a wedge of lemon. I've often seen a Hefe Weizen served with a lemon here in Canada. Sacriledge! A true Hefe Weizen needs to be savoured at room temperature & definitely does not benefit from a citrus boost.

Before deciding to make my brew at home, I used to have it made at a local brew on premise business. You go in, pick your brew, the proprietor brews it up for you & you bottle it when it's ready. Until the yeast is pitched, the ingredients are nothing more than groceries, so no liquor licence is required to run such a business. The catch is, the customer must be the one that pitches the yeast & bottles the product.

Ironically it is the salt water hobby that had me start brewing at home. I've been making wine for years, neither process is rocket science, but it was always the carbonation part of beer making that kept me from trying my hand at home. I didn't like the idea of adding sugar to each bottle in order to carbonate. This causes yeast sediment in the bottle and although I enjoy a fine Hefe Weizen, the sediment in the bottom of the home brew is just not the same & detracts from the taste if you don't pour carefully. Having a 10 lb CO2 bottle solves that issue. Once the beer has aged & clarified, I'm able to carbonate using a pop bottle cap with a tire valve in it.

I still have an issue with the odd batch fermenting a bit more in the bottle causing small amounts of sediment, but not near as much as if I were to carbonate by bottle fermentation. This is usually if I store it un-refrigerated. It's good to have a large fridge or cold room to store the beer. Although I have a cold room, it does get into the 15-16 degree C range during the summer, so any yeast still in the brew activates & causes sediment. I have a wine filtration pump & might consider running a batch of beer through the #1 coarse filter pads to see what happens. I'd hate to remove too much flavour along with the yeast though. One of the keys to home brew is patience. Although the fermentation is done in about 10 days & you could carbonate & drink it in 2 weeks, it's always better to age the brew for at least a month or even longer, depending on the type. Bulk storage & several rackings allow more yeast to settle & you get a clear product without need for filtration.

I'd like to have a kegerator at some point and there are many hard core home brewers out there now doing full grain brewing. That's a bit too labour intensive for me though.

http://www.canadianhomebrewers.com/

http://www.ontariobeerkegs.com/

[mike31154]

Originally Posted by sphelps

I hear ya, I like different stuff in my beer too but more bitter than sweet. The wild rose raspberry ale is good if you haven't tried it and big rock also has a juniper berry which is also pretty good.

Mike what kind of beer do you brew? I'm venturing this way as well shortly, actually ordered a BREWHA BIAC a while back which is suppose to ship out next week

May I ask where you order the BREWHA BIAC? Thanks!

EDIT: never mind, I googled & found it. Thought it was ingredients, not hardware. Costly little piece of gear!

[mike31154]

Happened to tune in to the news on TV this am & there was a quick blurb from a doctor regarding the health benefits of beer. As with most things, moderation is the key. So go forth & find a brew that appeals to your taste buds, organic or not, there are studies showing possible health benefits. Hops feature prominently.

A quick search yielded the following links:

http://www.besthealthmag.ca/best-eat...Wx03QC0t25t.97

http://www.shape.com/healthy-eating/...-drinking-beer

[StirCrazy]

Originally Posted by sphelps

I hear ya, I like different stuff in my beer too but more bitter than sweet. The wild rose raspberry ale is good if you haven't tried it and big rock also has a juniper berry which is also pretty good.

I was looking at there webpage no purple gas, so maybe it was one of there one off seasonal micro brews. Juniper berry hmm wonder if it has a gin after taste

I just put down a new batch of wine and a batch of mead so i'll have to look at those now that I am waiting

Steve