Festive Winter Ale!

Before I talk about brewing beer, we need to wish our daughter, Natalie, happy birthday. Natalie is 23 today, and far away in Dubai.

Happy Birthday, Natalie!

We chat via Skype so she looks something like this out on the patio with exotic birds chirping in the background. I know what you're thinking..... Dubai? Here's the reason.

Of course, it would be John!

We're celebrating your day, Natalie, with some of that creamy coconut cake. Twenty three years ago, the day after Natalie was born, I celebrated the momentous occasion by relaxing with a frosty European lager. Hey, let's make some festive winter ale!

See winter is here. It arrived on Wednesday with 2 inches of snow. I'm thinking a gnarly beer like Cooper's Dark Ale sounds festive enough!

Another name for this is Brain Dead Brew because it's so easy to make. I'll show you. Remember to put on some good brewing background music. May I suggest some Hank Williams Jr.?

All equipment that comes in contact with the beer needs to be cleaned then sanitized as directed by the Coopers kit. This is the fermentor and lid getting prepped.

 

Now I'm adding the malt for a dark ale. This will make 23 liters of beer.  

I've added the package of sugar and stirred in hot water to dissolve the malt and sugar. Whoa, there was a lot of foam! Now I'm sprinkling the yeast. The yeast will eat the sugar and release carbon dioxide and alcohol. The wort is happiest around 70 and 80 degrees. Actually, so am I.  Let's take a tropical vacation while the beer ferments!

I quickly sealed the container and added the airlock. The airlock half filled with water allows CO2 to escape while keeping contaminants out.

OK, so now we have a massive container of liquid that needs to go somewhere for approximately 6 days with a temperature of 70-80 degrees. That's when I recruited Bill. Luckily, he was in a good mood because of Hank Williams Jr. in the background. That lasted until he got half way down the stairs bearing the great weight, and he asked in a rather rude tone if I could have done this any farther away from it's final destination? Point well taken....so don't make my mistake. Mix all of this close to where you'll be keeping it warm for 6 days.

We put ours in a small basement bathroom with a wall heater. More later when we're ready to bottle!