Boil, Boil, Toil, and ... Fantasy Football

Today I started brewing my very own beer! I learned so much about brewing beer and honestly felt like a witch brewing her “witches brew”.  Greg and I decided to pick a Scottish Ale for my brew.  The best part about brewing this beer is the fact that I am a CRAZY football fan and this is PRIME TIME for fantasy football!  So not only was I able to brew my own beer, but I was also able to get some great advice on my Fantasy Football team!!  

There are three different barrels that are needed for the first part of the brewing process.  They pretty much look like kegs with screens on the bottom and pipes going in and out of them.  The first barrel is filled with water which we heated up to about 170 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Then we move the water over to the next barrel and slowly add the milled barley grains.  As the water fills up we add more grains so the grains aren’t all stuck at the bottom of the barrel.  This barrel is kept between 150 and 160 degree Fahrenheit because the enzymes will “activate” at about that temperature.

I couldn’t help it, I already wanted to taste the start of my beer, so I tasted it right when we put all the grains in and it tasted like starchy water.  We let it sit in the second barrel for about an hour or so and eventually it started tasting sweeter and the color of it was a super pretty shade of amber!

While we let the beer brew we talked about our fantasy football teams and who we were going to pick for our team!  My very first ever live draft was that night so I needed some tips!  I won’t say my actual fantasy football team name but I will tell you it has to do with Touch Downs and Big Committees.  LOL!  Maybe you can figure it out on your own.  Greg gave some great advice because I won the first week!

So then we got back to brewing beer as we drained out the liquid into the third barrel.  This left a bunch of soggy grains in the second barrel, but it looked cool!

Finally we add the hops!  If you remember from my last blog I said they actually were considered to be part of the marijuana family, and you can see why in this picture!

We put them into, what I thought looked like a giant tea bag!  Then we slipped the bag into the brew while it boiled at about 212 degrees Fahrenheit for an hour or so.  The hops are what make the beer bitter, the more you put in the more bitter taste you will have in your beer.  Some people like super bitter beers, but not me so we only added a little.

Then we let the beer brew for another hour or so.  I had to run to my Fantasy Football live draft so I didn’t get a chance to see the finished product that day.  I have now though!  Update on the wild and crazy beer that definitely takes after her mamma … ME!  I’ll tell you all about it next time!

In the meantime stop by and try all the beers at On The Tracks Brewery!  They have “Tracks” available for $10 where you can try up to six different beers!  A great way to get in a tasting so you know what to order in a pint glass and what to take home with you in a growler! 

HOPpenin’ fact of the week:

               President Theodore Roosevelt took 500 gallons of beer with him on an African Safari.  It would take over 32 kegs to hold 500 gallons of beer.  Now THAT is how you travel!

Cheers!

Tess

On The Tracks Brewery

http://www.ottbrew.com/

OTTBrew@gmail.com

5674 El Camino Real Suite G

Carlsbad, CA 92008

(760) 550-9688