Back in the brew

sweet
Originally uploaded by gregandchristine.

I finally brewed a batch of beer. After about a year I now have a batch of porter in the bucket. I decided to start simple and made an easy recipe that should be ready to drink in pretty short order after being bottled. The stove in our apartment is much more powerful than the one at Stevenson and it took no time at all to get up to a boil. The much lower ceilings and cold weather meant that I really steamed up the kitchen. There was water dripping off the hood for the stove, and the walls were pretty wet. It is much colder in our kitchen than it ever was in Santa Cruz, so I am actually fermeting in an optimal temprature range. I thought that the beer got too cold and that the yeast crapped out, but it turned out that the everclear I used in the airlock just evaporated to the point that the bubbler wasn't working. I should have a beer review in a couple weeks, and I already have plans for the next 2-3 beers.