Homegrown brew 2.

During the late summer months, when it was very hot, I was really into Belgian ales.  Specifically from Unibroue.  Everything I have tasted from them is totally beyond and super refreshing.  The label art and concepts are pretty badass too, even though they are Canucks.  

The Satanic canoe story is pretty dark and awesome.

Anyway, I decided to brew a Belgian.  I am not really a fan of adjuncts, however, in my opinion brewing a Belgian that is not spiced seems like omitting a very structural element of the style.  

Firstly though, I decided to plant some cilantro this summer for fresh fish tacos and salsa.  I also planted dill for homemade pickles,which were delicious (this is a brew blog so I won't go into that). Unfortunately, since I am a terrible gardener, I only had fresh cilantro for a few dinners.  The weather got too hot and I neglected my crop which then bolted.  Which means that it went to seed.  The cool thing is that cilantro seeds are also known as coriander; and coriander is the spice in spiced Belgians!  Fortuitous.

So, I ended up with a bunch of fresh coriander seeds which went into my ale.  They ended up being very subtle but it was a cool experience nonetheless. 

Homegrown brew.

My hops came in pretty well this season.  Better than I expected.  They grew surprisingly well given that I had no real idea what I was doing.

Started off with three rhizomes and buried them about 8 inches deep with the visible spouts pointing upwards.  I dug around the plantings to create mounds for drainage.

The Northern Brewer and the Chinook took well.  Once the vines began to leaf I spread hay mulch to keep the ground moist and mostly weed free.

I was pleased with the growth through the late summer.  With regular watering the vines grew strong.  Before long hop flowers began to appear.

Considering that most stuff I read indicated that the first season will not produce any hops, I was very excited when it came time to harvest and I ended with 3/4 of an ounce of Northern Brewer and a 1/2 ounce of Chinook (dry).  I dried the hops in my oven, which I will not do again, and they ended up much crispier than I would have liked.  I just tossed them in a kitchen sink brown ale so it wasn't a big deal that they were a little toasted.

Overall, my first hops were very satisfactory.  I won't be quitting my job and starting a hop farm but it was super cool to brew a beer with my own homegrown ingredients.