The Rain Notebook

So we’ve been working on a project. Okay not me really but My Honey. He got an early Christmas gift of a beer brewing kit! It’s totally awesome and we’ve been getting a crash course from the local brew-miesters on how to brew beer.

The whole process takes about 30 days and makes about 48 bottles of beer. It is a pretty lengthy process and I wasn’t there for the first day of making the beer.

I also don’t know EVERYTHING about brewing beer so some of my explanations may not be complete and full of knowledge but I thought I’d share our bottling experience.

So the first day My Honey started brewing beer he actually had to bring to a boil and simmer the hops/malt product, then pour into a 5 gallon bucket and add yeast to get the beer to start fermenting. Thankfully I wasn’t there for that because I heard it was pretty messy.

But after it fermented for 12 or so days we were able to bottle. It was actually more then a day calculation, there are tools for the home brewer to see if the yeast is done fermenting and such. A science to it. So last Saturday it was time to bottle… yay! *sarcastic tone*

I actually didn’t do much of the work, just took pictures to share with everyone.

The cool brand of the home brewer we work with.

This is an air lock, it allows air to come out while the beer fermented, but whats really cool is it doesn’t allow air in it. Because of this, it’s able to keep bacteria out.

Look at that fermentation line! According to my honey that is good… very good. :)

A cool bottle we just had to share with you guys.

Soaking the bottles to take the labels off.

Now cleaning the bottles… they have to be very very clean.

He looks like he is having a blast… doesn’t he?

Now peeling the labels off.

Letting the water drip out of the bottles.

So of course you can’t brew beer without drinking beer too!

Now we have to soak the bottles in a cleaning solution (here we used bleach water) to get them sterilized.

So in the mean time we pull out all of the bottle caps that we’ve collected over the past couple years and had fun taking pictures of them.

Awwww… both of our favorite things. His Beer Mine Paris :D

My FAVORITE bottle cap. lol

Had to share the classics.

I’ll drink to that!

And that!

So where are the dogs during all this?? Just hanging out on the couch, ignoring us.

Staying warm in my new wonderful Carhartt!

Abel had to get in on the beer action though.

Play time over… now to rinse out the bleach water!

For ALL 50 bottles. Very, very time consuming.

Can you guess what that is? It crimps the beer caps on the beer bottle to make an airtight fit.

In action.

This part went by SO easy and fast because I put down the camera and helped fill the bottles.

Now we have to wait another 2 weeks before it is properly carbonated enough to drink.

Look at ALL that beer!

So we will probably start another batch tomorrow so I’ll be in on that brewing day. Hopefully I’ll get some pics to share with you guys!