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.

E. C. Kraus

I came across another great online beer/wine making supplier. They sell everything from supplies, kits, to ingredients. I liked there selection of beer kits. I saw a lot of Belgium beers, a milk stout, a saison, and even gluten free beer.

The highlight for me was their blog. Which features beer recipes and how to articles. The day I stumbled upon the blog, there was a feature on adding sugars to beer. Sugar can be added to increase the gravity of the beer, and turn your beer into an imperial beer.There suggestions include can sugar, brown sugar, and maple syrup amongst others.

Check out their website at the following link https://www.eckraus.com/

My First Beer

In April 2013, I was able to brew my first beer. I was surprised how easy this actually was. Once you have steps to follow and have the right equipment, home brewing can be relatively easy. I brewed a Blonde Ale Pilsner,  which I purchased from Love2Brew as a starter kit. I added Strawberry syrup at the bottle stage to create a beer I called "Strawberry Blonde Pale Ale."

To my surprise, everyone who tried my first brew loved it. That has given me a lot of confidence, and the desire to get started on my second batch. While talking to other home brewers, I received several tips. I learned of one gallon kits from Northern Brewer and Brooklyn Brew Shop. I have selected Brooklyn Brew Shop's "Chocolate Maple Porter" to be my second brew.  I purchased this kit for only $15 from the Brooklyn Brewery website. This brew is described as; "Thick, rich, creamy, and just a little sweet, our Chocolate Maple Porter gets its dark chocolate flavor from a handful of Chocolate Malt. The addition of maple syrup at the end of the boil makes for a smooth and creamy flavor."

After doing a little more research online I realized that many craft breweries also post their beer recipes, so you can try your hand at making these beers yourself. While they don't sell the kits, the ingredients are easy to find online.

  

This picture is during the bottling stage after 3 weeks of fermentation.

Event- Brew at the Zoo Saturday June 29, 2013

On June 29, 2013, from 6-9PM, The Turtle Back Zoo will celebrate its 50th anniversary by hosting a craft beer festival.   "Brew at the Zoo" will feature live entertainment, twenty-five brewers, and a selection of fifty craft beers.

Tickets are $50 in advance, and $60 day of. To purchase tickets follow the link below
http://brew-at-the-zoo.ticketleap.com/brew-at-the-zoo/
Only guests ages 21 and over will be permitted.


Turtle Back Zoo
560 Northfield Avenue
West Orange, NJ 07052