I know that it is unlikely that I will get back to the brewing pace I was working on three years ago, when Robert and I were getting together every 2-3 weeks to brew. I even managed to sneak in a solo batch or two in between. We were averaging at least 3-4 batches each month, and our processes had become almost second nature. Then he deployed to Afghanistan, and I ended up moving; and these life changes put a serious damper on the brewing.
Since that time, my brewing has been sporadic. This past weekend was the first time that I have brewed with Robert since his trip to Afghanistan. I seem to brew two or three batches in short order, finally getting things smoothed out by the third batch, followed by a few months of brewing inactivity where I end up back at square one process-wise.
The first batch tends to feel like a frenzy of reactive tasks: oh yeah, I need that piece of equipment or I need to do that task before this one... That is really not all that much fun. I mean, I know that the beer will turn out, but the process takes way longer than it needs to, and it is exhausting to brew like that. The next batch, if brewed within a week or so, goes quite a bit better, but the process is still not automatic. If I do get around to a third batch, I finally feel relaxed and on top of my game. But then there is usually another brewing gap...
Two of my brew sessions in the last six months have been big brew days with other people. On the one hand, this can be a motivating experience - once I've committed to the date, it is unlikely that I will let the myriad other things I should be doing interfere with or cancel a brew day. And beer and brewing are inherently social, the experience being enhanced by good company.
On the other hand, it is pretty easy to lose brewing focus in a social setting. This past fall, I gathered up my portable brewing equipment and headed into the city for an annual occurrence. Each year, we brew in November to memorialize two good friends and homebrewers; November commemorates one man's birthday, and the passing of the other. Then we trade portions of these beers at an open house over the holidays.
This past November was the second annual memorial brew, and the other brewer has taken an interest in really learning the brewing ropes, jumping into all-grain brewing. That kind of put me in a mentoring/teaching role (although the guy's a doctor and way smarter than me, so he could really learn this without me) for the brew session; and his whole in-law family was there as well, so I was spending a lot of time explaining every little thing and answering lots of questions. Anybody who knows me, knows that I LOVE this kind of stuff, but the unfortunate side effect is that my brewing suffers. I don't remember the specific mistakes I made along the way, but I do remember that I made them. The beer turned out awesome, but I can't help but wonder how much better it could have been?
On Sunday, I did a group brew at my place... To say that there were quite a few logistical hoops to jump through to even get to the brew day is the understatement of the year (see my 4/18/11 post). So... Three brewers (and one more brewer ended up making it for the end of the session), two kids, cleaning/preparing as I went along, and making dinner for everybody. I was a tad distracted.
I had remembered to get my yeast starter going the day beforehand, so it was rocking and ready to go. But I'm not sure what happened to my bittering hops... I know that I bought the full recipe a few weeks ago, but I couldn't find my Horizon hops. Weird, but not a deal-breaker - I just did some quick conversion math and substituted Magnum for the bittering charge; that should not make a ton of difference on a 15+ pound grain bill for an Imperial Red Ale. All things considered, my brewing went pretty smoothly (I feel like I never stopped moving all afternoon/evening)... My mash hit the right temps, the sparge was clean, my hop additions went in on time (and I all the flavor/aroma hops - I wonder if I had substituted for horizon when I originally bought the stuff?), I hit my volumes/gravities. I even remembered to add my gypsum to the mash & kettle. My brewing colleagues with my on-the-fly techniques, amazed at my multi-tasking efficiency!
I was a little disappointed on my wort yield - six ounces of hop cones sucked up quite a bit, and I hadn't made additional volume adjustments based on the increased hop matter; but the gravity was spot on, so I didn't sweat it. However, as I looked at my beer before I went to bed late Sunday night, I realized that I had completely forgotten to add Whirlfloc or Irish moss... I've done this before, and it also does not "ruin" the beer, but it does add significantly to the conditioning time. I guess I'll have to be patient, and let the beer clear really well before packaging.Really, my realization is more that brewing more often or more regularly makes for better mastery of the process, which ultimately results in the best beer a brewer can make. This is the goal, right? Fortunately, the mistakes that I have made as a result of my brewing 'fitness' are minor, and I still end up with good beer. I guess I'll just have to step up and brew more!
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