Tag: BEER & HOMEBREWING

Back to Brewing (Kinda)

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Years ago, I was an avid homebrewer. Then I moved someplace hot, where it wasn’t really practical to brew, and when we moved back to Korea, one thing after another prevented me getting back to it. (At first, it was just money and having a new kid; then it was the shoddy electrical system in our apartment, and the fact I was focusing on writing and parenting.) But finally I am brewing again… and, unsurprisingly, part of the motivation is my son: I proposed a trade to my friend, whose kids had outgrown their LEGOS—a batch of beer for the …

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If I Could Brew Now…

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Saigon doesn’t seem to be a great place to be a homebrewer. As far as I know, there’s nowhere to buy grain, yeast, or hops in the city, and while there is  and active community of homebrewers up in Hanoi, there doesn’t seem to be one in Saigon. I could be wrong–and if I am, I’d love to hear more about it–but that’s my impression from scouring the web. This is tolerable, for me, because I brewed a hell of a lot–to the point of exhaustion, and being a bit tired of brewing–by the time I left Korea, and because Saigon …

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Final (Korean!) Brewday: Wonmisan Last Hurrah Hoppy Weizen / Wonmisan Kitchen Sink Dubbel

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Well, that’s it. Things are winding down, and it’s time to stop making new beer. I’m selling my gear to my friends Rowan and Ian, who will be remaining in Korea for a while a brewing up a storm, but I figured I might as well use up my remaining malt and adjuncts as best I can. So, yes, my last brew in Korea is a double-batch kitchen-sink type brew, made at the last minute. I did everything I could to use up all my remaining malt, hops, and adjuncts, and just went ahead and made brews that could work …

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Hoptastic Brewday: Wonmisan Castle Black Wildling IPA (With Rowan Chadwick)

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My friend Rowan flew back in to Korea sometime on Friday; by Saturday afternoon, he was brewing again already. Now that’s dedication! I invited him over to help me brew up my next beer, a “black IPA” (which may or may not end up being black) I’ve named Castle Black Wildling IPA in honor of a certain TV series Miss Jiwaku and I love. (Neither of us has read the books, though I’m sure we both will eventually.) In any case, I had a few concepts in mind for this beer: Brew up a Black IPA (also known as a …

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Sour Mash Brewday: All-Brett Lambicus / Farmhouse Ale Split Batch

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So, t’is the season of brewing experiments, and today, I mashed in on a brew I’ll actually be boiling up tomorrow… that’s right, I’m trying a sour mash on a double-batch of beer for the first time. I’m only planning to leave the mash souring for 24 hours, mind you, but then again,  that’s not nothing. I figured, since I have a Farmhouse Ale Blend and a smack pack of Brett L., now would be a good time to try brewing with both… especially since I’ll have a nice population of Brett L. to spike a sour beer with later on. …

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