A few years back, I starred in a little web show with my homie called 'The Big Guys Show'. It was a web show that pretty much had to do with two friends hanging out, while they drank and talked about beer. Here's a clip I found that hit the cutting room floor. I present to you, 'The Story of Beer Gut'..
Showing posts with label Beer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Beer. Show all posts
The Story of 'Beer Gut'
A few years back, I starred in a little web show with my homie called 'The Big Guys Show'. It was a web show that pretty much had to do with two friends hanging out, while they drank and talked about beer. Here's a clip I found that hit the cutting room floor. I present to you, 'The Story of Beer Gut'..
How to make Pineapple Beer at home aka.. Tepache
Mexican Pineapple BeerI recently made my first batch of Pineapple Beer. Known in Mexico as Tepache (pronounced Tay-paw-Chee) this drink is made by fermenting pineapples for a total of three days, or.. 72 hours. The drink does contain a small amount of alcohol from the fermentation process, I'm estimating between 1.5 to 3.0% in the batch I brewed up. Some folks will add a light beer to the ingredients which will up the alcohol content a bit, and get the fermentation rolling faster.
How it works
This drink is made by the process of fermentation. Yeast in the pineapple rind and air help to create the alcohol content. The simplest way I can explain it (and pardon my crudeness) is that the yeast eats sugar, and in turn craps out alcohol. You could ferment it longer than 3 days, but if you do, you then run the risk of making pineapple vinegar.
Health benefits
Tepache contains beneficial bacteria, probiotics, vitamin C, and yeasts that are incredible for gut health. It's actually made in a similar way to Kombucha, but takes a lot less time. This drink is also very delicious, affordable to make, and anyone can do it.
Ingredients you'll need:
2 large ripe pineapples
4 liters of water
5&1/2 cups of Brown Cane Sugar
3 sticks of cinnamon
3 whole cloves
(yields about 2 gallons) and you can easily alter this recipe to make half the amount.
(yields about 2 gallons) and you can easily alter this recipe to make half the amount.
Directions:
Remove tops of pineapples and discard them. Then, chop up the pineapples and add the rinds along with the fruit, to the container where they will be fermenting. I like to squeeze the rinds to get more juice out of them, and will even puree some of the fruit as well. Finally add the rest of the ingredients, stir and cover for 48 hours.
Use a glass container or a plastic vessel that is food safe to ferment the Tepache in. Cover it with a loose lid, or cheesecloth so the mixture can breathe.
I'm a homebrewer and utilize some of my brewing equipment to ferment this drink with. I use a Bucket fermenter I own for the following reasons..
- It has a spigot for easy transferring between containers and for bottling
- It's easy to clean and move
- It's airtight but breathable to keep the fermenting environment clean
HomeBrewOhio.com is my go-to for homebrewing supplies, and their fermenter bucket setup with everything you need, is the most affordable one I've found on Amazon. The setup comes with an airlock that you place atop the fermenter and fill with water. This allows the gas created by the fermentation process to escape, but won't allow any new air or contaminates to get inside. It's not absolutely necessary to use this equipment when making Tepache, but it makes the whole process incredibly more efficient.
After 48 hours, remove the fruit and rinds from the fermenter and discard. Then, filter through cheesecloth into another clean container.
After 24 hours, remove the foam from the top of the beer with a wooden spoon or strainer.
After the foam is removed, strain the Tepache once more through a cheesecloth and you're then ready to bottle it or pour it into pitchers.
Important.. Refrigerate the Tepache once you're done pouring it into bottles or containers. Refrigeration slows down the fermentation process, but.. the yeast will continue to slowly eat the sugar, which will make the Tepache less sweet in time.
After 48 hours, remove the fruit and rinds from the fermenter and discard. Then, filter through cheesecloth into another clean container.
Straining the Tepache
Give the original fermenting container a quick rinse, and then return the strained tepache to it. Add 2.5 more liters of water and give it a quick stir. Cover and leave for another 24 hours.
After 24 hours, remove the foam from the top of the beer with a wooden spoon or strainer.
After the foam is removed, strain the Tepache once more through a cheesecloth and you're then ready to bottle it or pour it into pitchers.
Important.. Refrigerate the Tepache once you're done pouring it into bottles or containers. Refrigeration slows down the fermentation process, but.. the yeast will continue to slowly eat the sugar, which will make the Tepache less sweet in time.
In short.. Tepache is a drink to be enjoyed fresh. Storing it for long periods of time just doesn't work well.
I've been home brewing beer for over 20 years, and have learned that while yeast devours sugar and in turn produces alcohol, it will also eat up any wild bacteria strains, and can make your beer taste funky. That being said, it's very important to keep your equipment clean.
Basically, whatever the Tepache comes in contact with, needs to be sanitized. You can buy 8 ounce bags or containers of sanitizer at Home Brew Ohio or on Amazon for under ten dollars. You basically mix one teaspoon to a gallon of water and it's a no rinse solution. You can also make an effective sanitizer using one tablespoon of bleach to 4 gallons of water.
That's it! Your Pineapple Beer is now ready to drink. The Tepache will clarify a bit and build some carbonation as it sits in the refrigerator. Your Tepache will be light, sweet, and kind of like a pineapple spritzer. The recipe I shared here should make about two gallons of Tepache.
Final tip:
I've been home brewing beer for over 20 years, and have learned that while yeast devours sugar and in turn produces alcohol, it will also eat up any wild bacteria strains, and can make your beer taste funky. That being said, it's very important to keep your equipment clean. Basically, whatever the Tepache comes in contact with, needs to be sanitized. You can buy 8 ounce bags or containers of sanitizer at Home Brew Ohio or on Amazon for under ten dollars. You basically mix one teaspoon to a gallon of water and it's a no rinse solution. You can also make an effective sanitizer using one tablespoon of bleach to 4 gallons of water.
I hope you enjoyed this recipe and tutorial. I plan on making Tepache on a regular basis, so maybe I'll shoot a video on the process soon. Thanks for stopping by, and happy brewing!
Lockdown Week #3 - Bottling Pineapple Beer
Wow.. it's been three weeks since we began self isolating. Where the heck does the time go? I have some friends that feel the exact opposite, but then again, I've been going out of my way to keep myself occupied with lots of activity to keep me from going nuts. It was a rainy day yesterday, and here's how I spent it..
- Took a 2.5 mile mile mid morning bike ride
- Finished up my Pineapple Beer
- Spent the whole day writing and working on my blog and social media accounts
I was so happy I took my ride before it started raining, because it ended up drizzling all day long. I love to write and create, so it was a pretty relaxing day for me. I was also psyched that my Pineapple Beer was ready to bottle.
Some folks only use the pineapple skin to make this drink. I opted to use the fruit as well, and even pureed some of it, so as to yield more of the dink in the end. I've decided to write an in depth article on the whole process along with a recipe, so keep an eye out for it in the next couple of days.
Take care friends. If you're isolated at home, I hope you are finding ways to keep your minds active and souls nourished. Until tomorrow..
The Bare Bones Basics of All Grain Homebrewing Beer
Need something to do during the Covid-19 Lockdown? Brewing Beer is a great skill to have in your pocket any time! Here's a 5 minute video me and my friend made about the Bare Bones Basics of All Grain Homebrewing Beer.
You can get EVERYTHING you need online to brew this way, or even using the faster and simpler method of extract brewing. Here are a few good places to go online..
- RiteBrew (My personal favorite)
- Brewers Best
- Northern Brewer
A fine Dessert.. BEER! Neapolitan Milk Stout by Saugatuck Brewing
I recently tried Saugatuck Brewing's Neapolitan Milk Stout and was pretty impressed. Here's a quick rundown..
Aroma - This stout punched me in the nose with chocolate right up front and not much else.
Pour - nice head that quickly dissipated and gave way to a thin lacing. SUPER dark!
Taste - Medium body with a great stout mouthfeel. It DID have all the flavors of Neapolitan Ice Cream including vanilla & strawberry and for me personally, they all came together on the finish.
I would stop at one of these in a session, as it was a little too sweet for my taste. However, I would definitely drink one again as a dessert beer. All in all, a decent medium bodied stout.
Old school Beers & Snack Review
by Darrin Vindiola
My buddy and I review some old school beers and snacks that our Dad's used to enjoy when we were kids..
Greeley OktoBREWfest 2015
I had the pleasure of attending the Oktobrewfest celebration in Greeley Colorado once again this year, and as usual had a great time. While there is always plenty of German fare and lots of great beer flowing from various microbreweries, I opt to get the VIP beer tasting pass every year.
VIP pass holders receive a commemorative tasting glass, 2 beer tokens for use in the General Area ($10 value), samples of reserve and specialty beers exclusive to the VIP Tasting, cheese samples from MouCo Cheese Co., food provided by Stuft Burger paired specifically with the beers, and a meet-and-greet with professional brewers.
Now.. on to the beer! There were lots of great beers I sampled over the course of my four hour VIP session, and I made sure to take notes on every brew I consumed. Listed below are my absolute top three favorite brews from the festival.
#3.) Cherry Gose
by Weldwerks Brewing
I've noticed that Gose's seem to be the current up and coming microbrew phenomenon in Colorado as of late. A Gose (pronounced Go-suh) is a type of unfiltered wheat beer that is super tangy with low hop bitterness. Lactic acid added to the boil, adds sourness to this beer that can definitely challenge your palate (and I like that).
Weldwerk's Gose had an incredible smell and taste of sour cherries. The lactic sourness seemed pretty mild, maybe balanced out a bit by the grain and fruit. This was a dry and tasty Gose that I will definitely go out of my way to drink again very soon.
#2) Blood Orange Carousel Gose
by Wiley Roots Brewing
A wheaty and waaaay sour Gose that had some nice accents of coriander, sea salt, and lemon. Pure Blood Orange Juice is added after fermentation, and gives this beer an incredible acidic kick and orange taste! I was way stoked that this beer was 3.4% ABV, as I enjoyed more than a couple of these bad boys!
#1.) Raspberry Sour Brown Ale
by Grand Lake Brewing
This Raspberry Sour Brown is exactly what you would expect it to be. It was an incredibly good Nut Brown Ale, that combines a bit of sweetness alongside a hefty tartness. Hints of coffee, caramel and toffee, tie it all up into a nice complex package. With an IBU of 4, this beer was obviously hopped very lightly, and I'm not sure it would work as good as it does if it were anymore bitter.
Wow, judging by my top three favorites of this festival, you'd think I was attending a sour beer fest. But what can I say? These three sour beers just struck my fancy, and were my absolute favorites of the day.
Wow, judging by my top three favorites of this festival, you'd think I was attending a sour beer fest. But what can I say? These three sour beers just struck my fancy, and were my absolute favorites of the day.
Honorable mention (not a sour)
Blackberry Hefeweizen by Weldwerks Brewing
This was an incredibly refreshing fruit wheat beer. There was a tad bit of sweetness to it, but it stemmed from the malt used rather than the fruit. Fresh blackberries were added to Weldwerk's award winning Hefeweizen to create this crisp, tart, and fruity masterpiece.
As for the food provided, I immensely enjoyed the sliders made by STUFT Burger. The slider pictured above and to the left, was a "Cream Cheese Jalapeno Slider" that sported freshly made cream cheese, crisp jalapeno slices, and green chile peppers. The slider on the right was their "Bourbon Bacon Slider" with fresh blue cheese crumbles, crispy pita strips, Jim Beam bacon relish, sun-dried tomatoes, and fresh spinach. The patties were made from fresh USDA ground beef, tasted incredible, and were being grilled to perfection in front of our very eyes.
I was also very happy to see MouCo Cheese Co. back again this year, providing us with unlimited samples of their great artisan cheeses. In my humble opinion, cheese pairs way better with beer than wine. The two just seem like they were made for each other. Case in point.. Beer Cheese Soup! I may be out of the loop, but I've yet to hear the masses raving about delicious "Wine Cheese Soup". The cheeses you see above from left to right are as follows..
"Ashley" is MoCou's award winning soft ripened cheese covered with a thin layer of vegetable ash on its edible rind. This cheese is incredibly creamy and flavorful, with a very subtle hint of sweetness on the finish.
"Colorouge" is a reddish-orange natural rind cheese. I like to think of this cheese as a creamy muenster of sorts. This cheese is wrapped in a special foil from Europe that allows it to breathe oxygen, keeping the cheese alive and fresh during its entire life.
"Camambert" is a soft ripened cheese that's totally hand made with no artificial coloring, preservatives, or additives. Leonardo Di Vinci once said, "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication". This cheese embodies that great quote, and paired incredibly well with many different types of beers.
All in all, Greeley Oktobrewfest was once again an amazing success from my point of view. It's truly one of the hidden gems of brew fests on the northern front range of Colorado. I have been to a lot of VIP Beer tasting events over the years, but this is one of the few where you really do feel like a big shot VIP!
Links..
How to say "Cheers” in 13 Languages for International Beer Day on August 7th
by Darrin Vindiola
Beer connoisseurs rejoice! It’s International Beer Day on Friday.. August 7th.
Regardless if you’re a die-hard micro-brewed IPA fan, or would rather sip on a cold can of domestic beer, leading language learning app Babbel wants people to come together and celebrate beer culture from all over the world. Check out this handy graphic below..
Beer connoisseurs rejoice! It’s International Beer Day on Friday.. August 7th.
Regardless if you’re a die-hard micro-brewed IPA fan, or would rather sip on a cold can of domestic beer, leading language learning app Babbel wants people to come together and celebrate beer culture from all over the world. Check out this handy graphic below..
If you need a little help pronouncing the above toasts, the list below should help..
English – Cheers!
German – Prost!
French – Santé!
Italian – Cin cin!
Portuguese – Saúde!
Spanish – ¡Salud!
Swedish – Skål!
Danish – Skål!
Dutch – Proost!
Norwegian – Skål!
Polish – Na zdrowie!
Turkish – Şerefe!
Russian – За здоровье! (English transcription: Za zdaróvye! )
Hope this list provided courtesy of Babbel, helped to expand your beer drinking mind! If you are interested in seeing what Babbel is all about, and want to learn about their language learning app, check out the info below..
About Babbel
Babbel’s
vision, that anyone can learn languages, has driven its success through
high-quality, professionally curated courses from a team of education
experts, authors and
language teachers, combined with modern technology. Babbel, a
market-leading app for online learning, makes it easy for independent
learners to access 14 different languages, ranging from English to
Indonesian, either from home or on the go, with a smartphone
or tablet.
Babbel
is led by founders Markus Witte (Chief Executive Officer) and Thomas
Holl (President), along with Lorenz Heine (Chief Innovation Officer) and
Markus Corallo (Chief
Financial Officer). The company employs a team of more than 300 at its
headquarters in Berlin. The service is available worldwide at Babbel.com
and on iOS and Android mobile devices. Corresponding to the user's
mother tongue, Babbel offers its courses in 7
"reference languages", which are used as the display language on the
platform.
For more information, visit
www.Babbel.com
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