NJ Winery Tour

                                         

                                                                 Cape May Winery
Summer is almost over, but there is still a month left for outdoor enjoyment. I was surprised to find so many vineyards located right here in NJ. There are many ways to plan a tour, you could visit one winery or try a wine tour, with multiple wineries on one day.

Just make sure to do your research and call ahead of time, not all wineries are open for tours daily. 

Here are some places to start:
http://www.jerseywinetours.com/wine-tours.html
http://www.sjwinetours.com/Pages/Tours.aspx
http://www.bellavistawinetours.com/featured-wineries/

Event - BBQ & Craft Beer Festival

Monmouth Park in Monmouth, NJ hosts a BBQ& Craft beer festival on Saturday August 31, 2013 and Sunday September 1, 2013.
$3 general admission gets you into both the track and festival area. Food items are priced a la carte. Beer Garden is $10 for ten 2oz samples and a commemorative mini-Pilsner glass.
Gates open 11:30 am, Post time 12:50 pm.

For information on Monmouth Park, visit their website.
http://www.monmouthpark.com/

Defiant Brewing Co. Tasting Notes

One of my favorite local restaurants/pubs has recently started hosting tap takers. The Shannon Rose Irish Pub hosted a Defiant Brewing Co. tap take over on August 1, 2013. They had 6 different beers on tap and served a sampling of three for only $6.50. I think this is a great deal, I'm definitely looking forward to trying some more craft beers at the Shannon Rose.

My favorites where the Defiant Orange Cream Beer and Medusa IPA. The Orange Cream Beer tasted much like a creamsicle popsicle. It is a Belgian style wit with a 5.2% ABV. Wit beer or white beer,  is a barley/wheat, top-fermented beer, it gets its name due to suspended yeast and wheat proteins which cause the beer to look hazy, or white, when cold. It traditionally consists of coriander, orange, bitter orange, and hops. The Medusa IPA was very flavorful with a kick, it consists of hops from America, England, and Germany.  IPA's are usually very strong beer, this one being 6.8% ABV.

I also recommend trying the Defiant Headless Horseman Pumpkin Ale. The pumpkin flavoring here is not overpowering and the spices give it a nice aftertaste. Made with freshly smashed pumpkin, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg and a pinch of all spice. It definitely stands out amongst other pumpkin ales.

To read more about Defiant brewing co and more about their beers, please check out their website.
http://defiantbrewing.com/

Roses are Red Jewelry Line

I have been collecting beer caps and tabs during my bartending shifts to make jewelry and other crafts. I'm just starting the store section of the brewery, but I plan to add beer candles, beer soaps, and drinking glasses made from recycled beer bottles. Please check out the store at the following link

http://www.etsy.com/shop/RosesAreRedBrewingCo

The "Shandy" Beer

A shandy is considered a beer mixed with a soft drink, carbonated lemonade, ginger beer, giner ale or apple juice. The proportions are usually half and half. There are several popular variations of the shandy, a shandy containing beer and cider is know as a snakebite.
A shandy containing beer and cider (in US usage Hard Cider) is called a snakebite.

This is a recipe for a Snakebite mixed beer cocktail.

Makes 1 large snakebite

• 8 ounces Perry Hard Cider, chilled
• 8 ounces Corona Extra lager beer, chilled
• 1 or 2 tablespoons vanilla-lime simple syrup
• 2 teaspoons or more Pear brandy or liqueur 
• 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice or to taste

1. To make the vanilla-lime simple syrup: In a medium sauce pan over medium heat cook 1 cup water, 1 cup organic sugar,1 vanilla bean and 4 strips of lime peel (white pith removed completely) for 10 minutes. Reduce to a simmer and cook 20 more minutes. Strain the syrup through a fine sift and then set aside to cool.
2. When ready to serve; drop a few dried or fresh berries into the bottom of a chilled glass, top with vanilla-lime simple syrup,lime juice and pear brandy; then pour the cider and beer. Garnish with a slice of pear and a slice of lime

Cherry Ale recipe

I purchased some "sour" cherries at a farmer's mark that I think would be great for home brewing. They are sour and tangy, but still have that cherry flavoring.  I found this recipe for a cherry based blonde ale that I'm going to try.
 I also think cherries would go great with a chocolate dessert stout, but one thing at a time.

Grains

6 lbs. American 2-row
3 lbs. Malted White Wheat
1 lbs. Honey Malt 20°L
1.5 lbs. Caramel/Crystal 20°L
1 lbs. Rice Flaked

Hops and Schedule

1 oz. Hallertauer (Pellets, 4.50 %AA) boiled 60 min.
0.5 oz. Hallertauer (Pellets, 4.50 %AA) boiled 15 min.

Yeast

German Ale Yeast – Safale K-97

Mash Schedule

Strike grains at 165 degrees.
Mash grains at 152 degrees for 60 minutes.
Sparge with 170 degree water.

Boil Instructions

Bring to boil and add hops per schedule.
At end of 60 minute boil cool wort quickly, when it reaches 80 degrees pitch yeast.

Measurements (Fruit Ale)

Since the cherry ale falls into the Fruit Beer category it has no specific style guidelines for OG,FG,SRM or IBU, it is recommended to use the style guidelines of the base style you have selected for your fruit beer.  Here are the measurements for a typical blonde ale recipe.
OG – 1.038 – 1.054
FG – 1.008 – 1.013
Color(SRM) – 3-6
IBUs – 15-28
ABV 3.8-5.5%

Ferment Instructions

Primary ferment between 63 – 70 degrees for 1 week.  Add cherries to secondary fermenter and rack beer to it for 2 weeks.  For this recipe I purchased 5 lbs of fresh Bing Cherries.  Pull the stems off and crush the the cherries.  Then cook them for about 20 minutes at about 160 degrees.  Let them cool down and add to the secondary.

Great Tip - Oak Chips

This was one of the more interesting beer making tips I learned. Do you realize that during the secondary fermentation you can add wood chips soaked with alcohol/juice/or any type of liquid. Apparently many brewers use this method to add a whiskey/bourbon flavoring to their beer. They type of wood also adds a distinct flavoring.

Here is some more reading on using oak chips:
http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/question-oak-wood-chips-105682/
http://beersmith.com/blog/2012/02/20/oak-in-your-beer-oak-chips-and-barrel-aging/
http://forum.northernbrewer.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=27223
http://www.fermentarium.com/homebrewing/brewing-beer/add-oak-to-beer/

This is an Oak Spiral, which can be re-used to flavor your beer.