Day 17: Hot Buttered Rum Day

Let me start of with this - this isn't bad.

Mixed drinks can be tricky. Especially when they are warm, and call for ingredients like... butter.

Alcoholic butter coffee anyone? 

I'm not sure how true to the recipe this drink was, but when I saw you could use either water OR cider I was all in. This drink was hot cider, spiced rum, butter and spices. And guess what... tasted like a hot apple cider. So very drinkable.

Compared to the hot apple cider in made weeks before with Fireball and vanilla vodka, I'd go with the fireball version.

Random Tuesday Thoughts

I think I'm still recovering from Thanksgiving. I've been trying to counteract the heavy meals with plenty of salads. It may have worked for a day or two, but I think I need to accept the fact that it will be hearty eating and overindulgence to close out 2017. I bought several cured meats for my lunches this week. My sodium levels are going to be through the rood, but tastily.

Oof. Just thinking about it is making my stomach hurt.

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The cold weather months are when my hot coffee consumption really picks up. Every morning I brew a big pot of coffee and have at least two cups before I head out to work. I've started to bring in a thermos of coffee with me, to save some money as well. So far it's done the trick - I don't break into the thermos until the afternoon and it tides me over until I'm done.

And, because this thermos is awesome, the coffee is still quite hot. Thanks Ikea!

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On this day in 1933, the 21st Amendment was ratified, and it repealed the 18th Amendment. That evil 18th amendment that banned alcohol. Hurrah for the 21st. I will celebrate with a drink later.

Prison Cider

As a sort of addendum to R's most recent post, I thought I'd mention a little something heard at the National Homebrewers Conference this year, which was held in Philadelphia. Each year homebrewers from around the nation flock to this event (which next year will be held in my motherland -- Grand Rapids, Michigan! Hope to see you there..), to listen to the list of guest speakers and other authorities in the homebrewing world.

This year there was a seminar dedicated to the joys of hard cider in which the host exclaimed "Just get the cheapest, crappiest, clearance cider you can find from Walmart or Sam's Club or whatever and just dump some yeast in there -- and bam, you have an awesome cider."

I may be paraphrasing a bit there, but in essence yes, that's exactly what he said. So as an experiment for this year's Michigan Homebrew Festival (an event lovingly run by my brother-in-law and a small group of good people), my b-law made a keg of this -- henceforth known as Prison Cider -- as a kind of joke.

The results? A pretty decent cider.

Prison Cider

Ingredients:

5 gallons cheap, UV pasteurized cider

2 tbsp baker's yeast (or pick your poison at a homebrew shop**) 

Supplies:

6 gallon fermentation bucket with lid and airlock

(If in an actual prison a Faygo bottle, condom, and spork shiv will do in a pinch.)

Sanitize bucket, lid, and airlock. 

Pour cider into bucket. 

Add yeast.

Put on lid and let ferment for 2 weeks.

** Note: No actual poison is involved. Unless you're that witch from Snow White, in which case there probably is poison involved.


Bottling:
Depending on the cider you're looking for, you should be able to just throw it in a sanitized bottle and be good to go. To really give it that 'prison' feel, you can use old plastic soda bottles.

If you want a sparkling hard cider (ie. you want good carbonation with a decent head), add 3/4c. sugar (be creative -- table sugar works fine, but you can use dextrose, fruit juice concentrate, etc.) to a 5 gallon batch before bottling, then give the bottles another 2 weeks to condition.


Tips:

• If you don't have a capper, use plastic bottles with screw top caps or old wine bottles with corks.
• To aseptically transfer the cider without a bottle filler, use a sanitized length of tubing filled with water. Set the cider on your countertop (or top bunk), place one end in the cider while keeping the other end elevated. Drop the elevated end into a waste bucket (toilet) and wait for the water to be expelled. Once you have cider flowing, fill your bottles. WARNING: This is gonna get messy.
• Baker's yeast doesn't tolerate high levels of alcohol well. After a certain point it will cease fermentation and leave non-metabolized sugars behind. In beer this leaves an undesirable malty taste, but in cider it'll add some extra sweetness.
• Bottle conditioned anything will result in a layer of yeast sediment on the bottom. Carefully pour into a glass to avoid the sediment.

Shmaltz Brewing Company Grand Opening Bash (Clifton Park, NY)

On Sunday, M and I made the quick trip up to Clifton Park to check out the opening of the newest brewery in the Capital Region, Shmaltz Brewing. You can read all about them on their website about their beginnings, but here's the super Cliffs Notes version -  they started off making and distributing their beer through a contract brewery, got tired of that gig and wanted to make beer all on their own. And their location? A business park in the 'burbs. Hey, if it works for Captain Lawrence Brewing, why not them... right?

They have two lines, HE'BREW Beer and Coney Island Craft Lagers. I've only had the latter, and that was years ago. I honestly can't even tell you how it was, as that beer was purchased during a blizzard and I was pretty... slizzard. M's had Coney Island beers in the past and did not like them at all. So M was weary about checking this out, but decided to go after seeing the list of other breweries that would be in attendance.



For twenty-five bucks (plus service fees) we got a 6oz. tasting glass and five wooden beer tokens. Just five. I think the only ones really enforcing that rule was Shmaltz... most of the brewery tables filled all glasses put in front of them. Maybe it's a legality thing.

Their tasting room is nice and roomy, with their "shop" on the left side as you enter. There are plenty of tables, chairs, and leather couches. Be careful with some of their bigger tables - they're on wheels. Their "bar" is tucked away in a corner next to the door that leads you into the actual brewing area.



The food trucks were in the back, but if you were lucky you got a piece of brownie made with their beer. I was able to score a piece. Not super sweet, but dense and chocolate-y. Imagine if it was used in an ice cream...

There were tours of their brewing area, which I didn't really pay attention to because IT WAS SO HOT. Super hot. I was melting. And darn me for not being Filipino enough to carry a fan with me. I overheard a guy talking about the only thing hotter than this was the Made in the Shade festival in Flagstaff, Arizona. 

My biggest gripe about the event was the lack of any mechanical devices to circulate the air... and perhaps even cool it a bit. How did fans not even factor into the planning of this? It's the middle of summer, and maybe it's just me... but a warehouse full of sweaty stinky people doesn't sound like good times. M insisted that it wasn't possible because the brewing has to be at a certain temperature. To that I call bull. I'm sorry, but even with that big of a space and all your garage doors open, fans would have made things much more enjoyable.

As hot as it was, the beer did help. Of all the beers that I had, the one I liked the most was the raspberry saison, Rock the Boat, from Adirondack Brewery. The raspberry flavor was not overpowering, and it was a very smooth and drinkable. A close second was the Lower Standard IPA from Peekskill Brewery. Of course I had to have some of the house beers - Shmaltz's black IPA, death of a Contract Brewer, was pretty good, and I'm not a fan of the dark beers. The other beer was either the Rejewvenator or Jewbelation. Not my favorite.

There were about nine breweries that joined in on the fun, along with the  homebrew clubs of Saratoga and Albany. The Albany Brew Crafters submitted a beer at the National Homebrewers Conference and made it to the second round. A pretty good feat considering there were probably people submitting beers from all over the country to compete. And speaking of the NHC, a member of the Cass River Homebrew Club (the club that M's sister is a part of) won gold for his beer! I'm pretty sure it was a stout, but it could have been a porter. Anyways, for him to win gold when he was up against hundreds... pretty impressive.

As you can see, it's a huge space. And at the height of the celebration, the place was pretty full. It would be interesting to see what it looks like during normal operating hours.

There were water stations set up all over the brewery, for people to have a cool sip of water, and clean out their glasses in between beers.

Along with the music, there were some side show acts. I was in the back so I didn't get to see much of the Human Blockhead's act, and caught a glimpse of Legs Malone's burlesque act. Going by the sounds from the audience, it was all pretty good.

You may or may not have seen it, but I was interviewed for a story about the opening. I was pretty flustered and babbled maybe a bit more than I normally do, but they pared it down into the smallest snippet. Check it out if it's still online. 

Will have to go back there again when it's a little cooler and not too crowded. And  hopefully they'll take credit cards.

New Brew: Brown Ale

American style brown ale with chocolate, caramel, and black malts -- dry hopped with goldings, liberty, and williamette. Free samples available by request (must be 21 or older. And awesome.)

It's not the best brown I've had, or even the best brown I've made, but considering the lack of a dedicated homebrewing setup, it's alright. Definite caramel and chocolate flavors -- earthy, with a bit of citrus. Decent head when poured. Waaaay more potent than I intended however, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

They Do Exist!

I am pretty sure my sister picked this up in Jersey, but where oh where in the Capital Region can I get my hands on Zima?

Olivers? All Star? The corner store?

I may have to make a stop by one of these places and enjoy in its clear malt beveraged splendor.

posted from Bloggeroid

No. 83

He doesn’t look a day over 73. Here are some shots from my grandfather’s birthday party this past weekend.

Ruby Tuesday’s Veev Acai Cocktails

On Sunday, M and I headed over to Albany to find out what all this drink fresh talk was all about. And we weren’t disappointed.

Walgreens Beer

2.99 for a six pack. Tastes exactly like cheap alcoholic beverages.

*Android Blogger Post*

Banned

So there's all this hoopla about Four Loko and it's upcoming banning in New York Sate. You can be for it, or against it... and that's all well and good. But what about other alcoholic/caffeinated beverages that have also been banned? Where's the uproar for them?

Well here it is.

Picture can be found here: http://www.bevmo.com/Media/Images/ProductImagesFull/12007.jpg

Everclear - No, I'm not talking about the band (although I do like them). Everclear, that grain alcohol I discovered on a trip to Iowa. Now that is some crazy stuff... the effects of drinking beverages with this alcohol mixed in didn't show itself until the next morning. And at a whopping 190 proof, it has been banned in a number of states, including New York. Sure, I was sad I couldn't buy any here... but then again, there is plenty more out there to drink.

Picture can be found here: http://farm1.static.flickr.com/37/110345832_ed12624ce8.jpg

Jolt Cola - Long before Red Bull was this ditty of a drink called Jolt. And like Red Bull, I'm sure it was mixed with some alcohol for that extra kick. Not that I ever used it for those purposes. I've had a Jolt once... maybe twice in my life, and it was purely for all academic reasons. It was all the rage back in high school, and then it was banned in this area. Or perhaps businesses agreed to not sell it after incidents with teenagers and this drink. All I remember is some people saying they would drive to Jersey to buy it, but I suppose people moved on to the next fad, because I didn't hear about Jolt again for a very long time.

That's all I can think of regarding banned drinks. Are there others?

EDIT - Looks like the people over at All Over Albany went ahead and tried Four Loko and Joose. Someone get them something better to drink.

Making Mead

Ingredients:
     24oz Honey
     12oz Frozen Juice Concentrate
     3qt Water
     1 packet Lalvin D47 Yeast

Materials:
     1 1/2+ gallon Brew Pot
     Chlorine Sanitizer
     2 4qt Containers
     6ft Plastic Tubing
     1 Balloon
     1 Needle
    
Notes:
     You will need a 1 gallon container for the primary fermentation, and enough empty bottles for bottling. I used a combination of grolsch bottles, beer bottles, and wine bottles that I had lying around. As for the primary fermenter, I used a thoroughly cleaned and sanitized gallon cider container, left over from my cider experiment. The balloon and needle were used as a stopcock/airlock.
     Sanitization is up to you. You can use the suggested chlorine sanitizer, or any other sanitization method you know of. Just keep in mind that this is the most important step for making a drinkable mead.
     Also recommended are a fermentation bucket with stopcock and spout, a racking cane, and a bottling wand. Depending on how you plan to bottle, a capper or corker may be necessary. Using a grolsch (or beugel) type bottle will eliminate the need for these. All these items, as well as the tubing and yeast can be found at your local homebrew store.
     The yeast that's used in this process doesn't have a great affinity for the sugars in honey, hence we'll be using a juice concentrate to kickstart the process. You can also buy a yeast nutrient and add to the must.


Procedure:

Sanitize Everything. Be sure all buckets, tools, utensils, etc. are thoroughly sanitized.
Bring 3qts water to a boil, then turn the heat down to a simmer. Add Honey and Juice Concentrate while stirring continuously until dissolved. Avoid boiling this mixture (known as a 'must').
Remove from heat and cover brewpot while allowing to cool. Once the brewpot is warm to the touch, add yeast and transfer must into 1 gallon primary fermenter (gallon jug?). Cover with airlock (a balloon stretched over the opening with a needle hole poked into it works like a charm). Allow to sit at room temperature for 3-4 weeks to ferment.
Once primary fermentation cedes (no more bubbling/deflated balloon) transfer the mead from the fermenter into bottles. I used some plastic tubing with a bottling wand and siphoned the mead into separate bottles. If you're using a gallon bottle, siphoning from the fermenter into the bottle should be all you need. Just be careful to avoid any sediment.
Cap your bottles (using any of the methods mentioned earlier) and allow to sit for 2-4 months.

   

Cider Update

So remember not too long ago when I mentioned M trying to make hard cider? And remember when I mentioned that it was a "possible failure?" (I was going to be more negative, but M wants this to be an upbeat update)

I did mention it, didn't I? My mind is in a coffee induced haze at the moment.

Well, turns out everything was okie dokie. A pain in the ass, but okie dokie. M managed to change it from a very sour sparkling cider, into a sweet sparkling cider sweet apple wine.

And how did he do it? Let's hear from M himself:

In order to get rid of the "super fizziness," I used a few Campden pellets. This killed off any little microbes that were still active in the cider. I brought 4 cups of water to a boil and added 4 cups of table sugar. Possibly more, I kept adding until it no longer dissolved. I added that to the 5-gallon batch of cider, covered it up, and allowed it to settle for a few days. This resulted in a marked decrease in fizziness, and increased sweetness to the batch. In tasting, I have found that it more similar to apple wine than hard cider. In fact, it's actually pretty strong. It's not very smooth, but you get used to it... after a couple of glasses.

I might be mildly drunk at the moment. But that's good. Burrrrrrp.

 If you have any questions regarding how to make your own cider, or homebrew things in general, feel free to leave a comment and M will get back to you. However, if you actually know what you're doing (like M's sister for instance) you may think he's way off base. It may be out there, but hey... it worked, didn't it?

So there.

Booze Enough?

My sister's contribution to the family Christmas dinner. I haven't checked the bar since I got back, so I'm not too sure how much of it is left.

Hard Apple Cider

So R's been on my back about posting here for a long time. Problem is, unlike R, I'm just not that into food. I mean, sure, I eat it almost daily, but when I do -- it's mostly just to stay alive.

But this is different. Of all the things I care about in this world, very few lie above the glory of booze. Delicious, fizzy booze. And it just so happens that this is apple-pickin' season -- so I decided to make a batch of home brew hard cider.
You really can't get any more basic than this when it comes to home brew, but for those of you who may not be in the know, I will give a very generalized equation of the science of home brew...

Sugar + Yeast = Ethanol + Carbon Dioxide

Sooo, during alcoholic fermentation, yeast ferment the sugars found in cider and in return produce alcohol and carbon dioxide as waste.

In order to make your own you need the following items:

5 gallons of Fresh apple cider (see below) ***
2 6.5 gallon buckets (one to be used as a primary fermenter with airlock and lid - the other as a bottling bucket w/ spigot)
bottle filler
Racking cane and tubing
capper
bottlebrush
santizer
1 packet yeast (I used Red Star - Cote Des Blanc, which is a wine yeast, but there are many other options available out there.. just ask your friendly brewer at your nearby home brew store.)
2 lbs brown sugar
3/4 cup pure cane sugar
~55 clean and sanitized 12 oz. bottles

*** Make sure to get Fresh apple cider. That is, cider with No preservatives (sodium benzoate or potassium sorbate) and preferably UV pasteurized. Heat pasteurization changes the chemical structure of the apple lectins, causing them to precipitate out. It also effects the taste. Cider that contains preservatives can be used with limited amounts of success when using a starter batch of yeast, but for the sake of simplicity, I'm not going to go into that here.***

Sanitize all equipment prior to brewing. Wild yeasts and bacteria can cause all sorts of unwanted flavors to pop up. It can seriously be the difference between 5 gallons of hard cider and 5 gallons of apple cider vinegar. So please, sanitize. I used a trick I learned from my mom, watching her can fruits and vegetables. After scrubbing the bottles with a chlorine solution (I used LD Carlson no-rinse cleanser, but 1 tbsp bleach in 1 gallon water will do just fine in a pinch), I boiled a small amount of water in a stock pot and placed the bottles upside down to steam for 5-10 minutes. This may be overkill, but again, it can be the difference between sweet sweet hard cider and a useless vat of moldy apple juice.

Add 1 gallon apple cider to 12qt pot and heat to near boiling, but do Not boil (remember what I said about the lectins?) Add 2 lbs of brown sugar and stir until completely dissolved. Add 4 gallons of cider to primary fermentation bucket (let's just call this, bucket #1). Pour in cider/sugar mixture and allow to come to room temperature. Add yeast, then seal with an airtight lid w/ airlock). Place in a cool, dark area and allow to ferment for 2 weeks.

After the fermentation completes (usually within 2 weeks), the airlock will no longer bubble. Now it's time to bottle your cider. Boil 1 cup water and dissolve 3/4 cup sugar. Allow to cool for a few minutes then add to the bottling bucket (bucket #2).

Elevate primary fermenter (#1), taking care not to disturb the sediment that's accumulated on the bottom. Open and insert racking cane and tubing. Siphon the cider into the bottling bucket (#2). This will mix the saturated sugar solution and the cider.

Elevate the bottling bucket (#2) and attach the bottle filler. Fill the bottles to the brim by pressing the bottle filler down on the bottom of the bottle. When you remove the filler, it will leave a sufficient amount of airspace. Use the bottle capper to fit the caps to the bottles. Store for 3+ weeks in a cool, dark place. Then.. enjoy.

Only If We Like You

I don't know what's so great about Blue Label. I don't know why my dad, uncles, and old Filipino males give this alcohol such reverence. Maybe because it's over a hundred bucks a bottle. It's a sign of the good life, something their hard earned money paid for.

Johnnie Walker should not be taken lightly.

Not just everyone can have it. Of all my previous boyfriends, only one was ever offered the Blue Label. M hasn't had any, but he's scared of my family.

This bottle was bought at the Duty Free in Seoul. It's hiding away in the bar, waiting for the next party and reason to have a drink.

Thing I Must Do Before the End of Summer #1

I don’t drink much anymore, but this must be done.

She Who Eats incorporated lovely bubbly with summerlicious watermelon. She has also tried with vodka. I’m getting giddy with excitement.

Tune in for my story of alcoholic delights!