xBrew, what’s in a name?

So as I have discovered there is a competition here in the Seattle area that has not happened since 2007 called X-Brew. Although the competition is likely not to happen again this is a local affair and I do not want to step on any local clubs toes.  Soooooo I would like suggestions from you, yeah you out there. Go ahead and leave a comment on what you think the future name of our national homebrew collaboration experiment should be called. Ready?…Go!

xBrew #1 Labels Rough draft

An idea for #1 & to help keep the experiment stylin

So I was thinking the other day that we need a way to keep this experiment stylin AND have an easy way to identify & cellar these big beers for tasting down the road. Well why not a universal bottle label with the xBrew #1 logo and a blank for each brewer to write their twitter handle? A digital file is easy enough to pass around cross country these days. This way after xBrews of the future we could all end up with a nice variety of beers to try again down the road. Not only could you identify the brewer but also series stage within all future experiments if any brewer ever did more than one. I could see myself  contacting someone down the road and asking something like, “Hey, i’ll trade you a TheBrewDude xBrew #3 for a NewBrewThursday xBrew #1”.  Anyway, just an idea bouncing around in my dome but i think i will try and Photoshop some stuff up this weekend.

xBrew Anticipation

So after a very long break from reality over the holidays, i am back in action with my feet firmly planted in the real world. We have brewed a few beers lately and our efficiencies are improving which gives me much more confidence when preparing to brew a beer this big. (more than i had anyway) Ryan and I just have to obtain hops and we will be ready for action. The hardest part now is waiting…..waiting….yeaaaaahhh then we have to wait for the beer to finish! I know it’s all worth it in the end and am getting very excited to not only brew this one but taste all the great versions that will be made. It seems like ALL i want to do these days is brew and beers like this get me all worked up. Will our Mole porter be a disaster or will it rock the casbah? i’m not sure but I am stoked to give it a shot either way!

TheBrewDude

Paste Obtained. Now What?

So, after some decent internet searching and a walk through one of the finest markets in the U.S., it looks like we will have to settle on common mole paste for the beer.

However, I do have hope. After a tasting, I can determine if some bitter chocolate is needed.

At this point, we are thinking of adding some paste in the mash, adding some into a reduction and putting a bit in at turn off.  We shall see!

The So-Called “Secret”

As the resident n00b for home brewing, coming up with a creative twist to the xbrew has been on my mind non-stop since I said I’d do it.  I’ve been collaborating with my friends that will be helping (Neal, Jason and Ian) on things we should try. All of us have done a bit of home brewing, Neal and Jason much more than Ian and I.

Some additive/ideas have been:
Ian – mint, coffee, chocolate, vanilla, hazelnut, lemon, anise, butter toffee.
Jason – Imperial Mulling Spice Porter
Neal – Imperial Cream Porter
Thomas – Imperial Vanilla Cream Coffee Porter

Even though some of the guys have brewed for a few months, they have not really left the recipe too far, so we’ll see what we decide on. If anybody has recommendations for a home brew n00b, let me know!