Wedding Reception (Beer / Cider / Wine)

[CrealCritter]

So my 4th oldest son is getting married to a real sweetheart. I'm gaining a daughter, I'm so excited 😊.

Maybe it's a badge of honor or maybe not??? But here I am again, finding myself being voluntold that I and making the beer and hard cider for the reception party. Well this is not completely true... really more like asked, with big smiles, small amount of begging and hugs. But if I said no? Then I'm not sure what the out come, would be.

So the bride (my new daughter) requested 5 gallons of hard apple cider, and some homemade wines from the cellar ✔️ My son asked for 5 gallons of my almost famous Lil Red Irish Ale and 5 gallons of my Notty Blonde Ale ✔️

But here I am procrastinating, completely unfocused and not really all that interested. I haven't even ordered the ingredients yet, what the heck is wrong with me?

What started off as a relaxing personal hobby, has grown into Dad will do it up right, for special events. I used to really enjoy brewing beer and making ciders and wines. But now I just can't seem to get my mojo on. I have a lot of work ahead of me. I could really use some motivation... Or a kick in the a5s, I guess - IDK 😶

 

[CrealCritter]

It will be nice to hear how the new place works for brewing. Do you have everything set up- shelves built, etc?

. I have my gravity fed brew stand still. But I haven't got an exuast fan in the cave. So I'll have to brew outside or in the barn depending on the brew day weather.

I am focused now though

Called my buddy and his daughter answered the phone. She knew my voice right away. She's like one of my favorite persons. She said, we thought you ditched us 🤣. After about 15 minutes "catch up" conversation, she totally made my day. Although her father was not around to answer my cider questions. It was totally worth the phone call.

 

[CrealCritter]

Ok I decided I'm going to make up 15 different labels. They will all be the same background but each lable will say Do Not Open until Day Month and Year and each label will have a different wisdom verse about marriage in the forground.

Maybe you can help me with the verses. These are the 15 I have so far.

Years

1) Genesis 2:24: "Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh."

2) Ecclesiastes 4:9: "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.

3) Ephesians 5:25: "For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her."

4) Colossians 3:14: "And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."

5) Mark 10:9: "Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate."

6) Romans 13:8: "Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law."

7) 1 Corinthians 13:4-5: "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs."

8) 1 Corinthians 16:14: "Do everything in love."

9) Song of Solomon 8:7: "Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away. If one were to give all the wealth of his house for love, it would be utterly scorned."

10) Proverbs 3:3-4: "Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man."

11) 1 John 4:16: "And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them."

12) 1 Peter 4:8: "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins."

13) 1 Corinthians 13:13: "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

14) Proverbs 30:18-19: "There are three things that amaze me—no, four things that I don't understand: how an eagle glides through the sky, how a snake slithers on a rock, how a ship navigates the ocean, how a man loves a woman."

15) Romans 12:10: "Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves."

Jesus is Lord and Christ 🙏❤️🇺🇸

 

[CrealCritter]

Horray order is placed \o/ I had all the hops and yeast already and some of the grains also. So I went ahead and ordered another 8 gallon fermented and a stick on thermometer for it also.

Now I'm actually looking forward to brew day

 

[CrealCritter]

It will be nice to hear how the new place works for brewing. Do you have everything set up- shelves built, etc?

Well we opened up the double sized garage door and brewed inside the cave. It worked very well. My granddaughters were over also with my favorite daughter in law helping my wife make strawberry jam. So it was like a win all the way around. We brewed up 12 gallons of beer, got strawberry jam, got to hang out with some of the family. But most important I got to spend time with grand daughters.

Here is one of them next to my mashtun and 20 gallon kettle. She hung right with my son and I and asked so many questions. She just might be the only 4 year old who knows how to brew beer. She even helped crank the handle on the grain mill. She always sticks to me like glue and has to help me with most everything I do, when they visit. She is so full of questions about everything and absorbs the answers like a sponge. But you know of course I don't mind the help at all. Even if it takes me three times a long. It's worth it to take time and answer everyone of her never ending questions

Jesus is Lord and Christ 🙏❤️🇺🇸

 

[CrealCritter]

6 1/2 gallons Irish Red Ale on left and 6 gallons of Blond Ale on the right. I racked both into clear 6 1/2 gallon glass carboys and 1/2 gallon growler for secondary fermentation. They will stay in the carboys/growler covered with some old tee-shirts, until they drop clear naturally. Clarification for ales usually takes 2 to 3 weeks.

If all goes according to plan, I should end up with deep Ruby red colored Irish Red Ale and a Straw colored Blond Ale. So far so good but hoping for successful finished beer.

Jesus is Lord and Christ 🙏❤️🇺🇸

 

[CrealCritter]

Apple cider wine creation is kegged and on CO2 gas. I'm working on corking bottles. I went with brown Bordeaux 750ml bottles and synthetic #9 corks for longevity

I guess the plus is the corker' gets a glass to drink and afterward he'll be ready for bed : 😂

Jesus is Lord and Christ 🙏❤️🇺🇸

 

[CrealCritter]

Why do you cover the jugs with t-shirts? Just curiosity.

The old tee-shirts are to keep the sun or artificial light out, which creates "light struck" skunky smelling beer. Wine and cider are also the same. This is why most all beer/wine/cider comes in cans, dark colored glass or stainless steel kegs.

I secondary in clear glass so I can see the clearing occur and know when it'll time rack the cleared beer into a 5 gallon stainless steel keg and or bottles. I really need the visual inspection which is easy when in clear glass carboys. What you see in the picture is suspended yeast which makes the beer cloudy. Once the yeast eats all the available sugars from the malt, it will slowly drop out of suspension and settle on the bottom of the carboy. This clearing always happens from the top down. I'll get a picture so I can show you a visual reference.

Since all my beers are home made, they all behave a little differently. Also my beers are unfiltered, with the yeast kept alive and naturally carbonated. So they need to stay in the dark as much as possible. This is unlike most all of the killed yeast, artificially preservatives added, filtered and force carbonated commercial store bought brews.

Sorry for the long winded answer. But your question was not a simple one since it is just one aspect of a multi point process that has great dependencies for successful outcome.

Jesus is Lord and Christ 🙏❤️🇺🇸

 

[Messybun]

The old tee-shirts are to keep the sun or artificial light out, which creates "light struck" skunky smelling beer. Wine and cider are also the same. This is why most all beer/wine/cider comes in cans, dark colored glass or stainless steel kegs.

I secondary in clear glass so I can see the clearing occur and know when it'll time rack the cleared beer into a 5 gallon stainless steel keg and or bottles. I really need the visual inspection which is easy when in clear glass carboys. What you see in the picture is suspended yeast which makes the beer cloudy. Once the yeast eats all the available sugars from the malt, it will slowly drop out of suspension and settle on the bottom of the carboy. This clearing always happens from the top down. I'll get a picture so I can show you a visual reference.

Since all my beers are home made, they all behave a little differently. Also my beers are unfiltered, with the yeast kept alive and naturally carbonated. So they need to stay in the dark as much as possible. This is unlike most all of the killed yeast, artificially preservatives added, filtered and force carbonated commercial store bought brews.

Sorry for the long winded answer. But your question was not a simple one since it is just one aspect of a multi point process that has great dependencies for successful outcome.

Jesus is Lord and Christ 🙏❤️🇺🇸

I appreciate the answer! Only time I made alcohol was for school biology, and it was to study how yeast behaves. Not that that can really count as making a beverage lol. Keeping it dark completely makes sense now, energy (in the form of light) will do some strange things to micro organisms.

 

[farmerjan]

I liked that you explained it. I am not a beer drinker, or wine, or 99% of the alcohols available. I don't like most of the stuff I have tasted over the years. I will drink some Kahlua, Amaretto, and a good rum in a pina colada... but I like it real real weak. I am just not into beer or wine at all. Have some friends here that have a Vineyard and he makes very good wine if the awards he has gotten are an indication. His wife has had me taste nearly every kind they have over the years..... nope, just don't like it. But I find your pictures and your descriptions fascinating. Thanks.