So this Friday, Lord Willing, I'll be brewing my newest,(and hopefully best) beer yet, a Belgian Dubbel. Dubbel's are strong ales that have a deep monastic roots. The particular one I'm brewing is based on a recipe brewed at Affligiem Abbey in 1129CE. Located in Belgium, the Abbey was founded in the late 1000's by former crusaders who repented for their sins and joined the Benedictine Order. It later became a popular stop for pilgrims on their way to the Holy Land.As a Christan and also as a brewer, I find a certain kinship with these warrior monks. It'll be a cool experience to drink something similar to what they did back then. 

So I found out today that Paul Kahan (of Avec and Blackbird in Chicago) just opened a gastropub called the Publican. I love the idea of simple delicious food with an amazing selection of food. As soon as I get my tax return back, I know where I am going to go.  Here's an idea of what to expect. 

So I finished bottling the latest brew today. It was a much harder process than the previous beers I've brewed, mostly because I didn't filter it very well. Next time around I think I'll use a false bottom or something just to clarify the beer better and get rid of some of the stuff thats making it hazy. Or better yet I'll just buy a kegging system and just won't fool around with bottling anymore! The plan now is to wait a couple of weeks and let the brew carbonate and hopefully on December 12th our Chocolate Acai and Oatmeal Stouts will be ready to drink! Ok so its really late and I'm falling asleep on the keyboard so I'm off to bed, laters!


Jw

So after a lot of prayer I've decided I want to get serious about starting up a structured weekly meeting for ToT. For those of you who are not familiar with Theology on Tap, its basically a group of friends who get together and talk about theology and down a couple of brews in the process. The ones that I have been a part of have been very laid back and conversationally driven. My hope is to bring a little more structure and hopefully it will be more beneficial for our spiritual growth.

To achieve this goal, I think the best plan of action is to go through a particular book, (hopefully the first one will be Mortification of Sin by John Owen) and actually start asking questions about particular subjects within the book instead of random stuff like "Were Nephilam really the result of angels impregnating women?"

Also I don't want the focus to be just on beer either. The danger in doing something like this is making it an issue of flaunting spiritual freedoms, instead of spiritual growth. Just to be safe I don't think I'll open it up to the under 21ers but at the same time if you're not into beer I'm not going to say you can't come. The purpose here is spiritual growth and a good time!

So if anyone is interested about getting this thing started with me let me know!

Ok so today was brew day.  It went way better than I expected.  I made my first all grain batch and I didn't have any of the problems that people normally have doing their first all grain batch. I ended up doing a five gallon batch of a Chocolate Stout recipe and then I divided it in half during the last half hour of my boil.I then added Acai juice, Hershey's powdered cocoa and a little Vanilla extract. It turned out very sweet with a slight hoppy aftertaste, which is exactly what I was hoping to achieve. I definitely think all-grain brewing is the way to go and in the future I plan on making all my beer that way. In three weeks I'll check the fermentation and see if its drinkable!

I listen to music when I brew, so here was today's playlist, on shuffle of course:

David Vandervlede -Moonlight Instrumental
Delirious- All God's Children
Luna Halo- On Your Side
Monarch- Lowly
Shane and Shane - Bad Days Better
Tokyo Police Club- Graves
Kevin Max- The Imposter's Song
Coldplay- Clocks

At this point I wanted to watch some new Podcasts:

Dinner with the Band -Pigeon John pts 1,2,3,4

Ok now my latest brews are ready, The Chocolate Acai (pronounced "Ah Sigh") Stout, and an Oatmeal Cream Stout. I'll be back!

So I got all my equipment to make a mash tun out of my coleman cooler. A Mash tun is essential to making all grain beer, which is what I'm making next.  I've also decided that I want to buy a keg and make jockey box so that I won't need to find 50 bottles each time I decide to make a batch of brew. 

In other news I found a really cool vodcast called dinner with the band. Hosted by Sam Mason (from the restaurant wd-50 in NYC) its an interesting take on a fairly normal cooking show. Sam invites his favorite bands to come to his flat and enjoy really interesting meals that he's created. Afterwards the bands will usually preform a small set of music. Being both a chef and a music lover this was right up my alley.  If your into podcasting I'd suggest checking it out @, http://www.onnetworks.com/videos/dinner-with-the-band


Well I'm off to read some Valley of Vision, and then to bed.



JW

current song: Pigeon John -Live- "Freaks, Freaks!"

So my brewing adventures continue! Over the last few weeks I've been tempted to brew organic beer but didn't know where to start. Brew Your Own Mag. (byo.com,) just released an article on brewing organic beers and I happened to stumble across it at the B&N. Inside they also had an add for breworganic.com, which offers USDA certified organic products for homebrewers such as myself. So I headed over to the website today and found an sweet oatmeal stout kit that would be perfect for my Chocolate Acai Stout that I've been wanting to make. Whats even better is the fact that they have an all grain kit that will allow my to make my first all grain batch of beer!

Oh and also I was able to talk to the Maintencence Director at work today and he is able to hook me up with some equipment to turn my 48 qt ice cooler into 48 qt mash tun. A mash tun is essential for making all grain beer and is the only peice of equipment I don't currently have. It basically allows you to steep your beer grains at a constant temp and then convert it into wort. Then you take the wort and yest to it and you got some good homebrew.
 

So all that means is, that very soon,  the first (of my knowledge) Organic Chocolate Acai Stout will be a reality!

Rock on!

So I'm pretty excited. Actually really excited. I'm excited of course because I've decided what my next batch of brew is going to be. At first I was leaning towards a Belgium beer using a continual hopping technique that, as far as I know, hasn't been done before.  But now I've decided to do a stout instead. However this not just any stout its a chocolate cream stout. Oh but wait it gets even better...

Ok, so my buddy Lee has got me hooked on Acai juice while I've been fighting sickness over the last month. Acai juice has very powerful antioxidant properities and tastes like a really tart mixture of blueberries and raspberries. It also has chocolatey notes to it. Hmm perfect for my chocolate stout! So now I'm making a Acai Chocolate Stout!

I've also decided to make the transition to brewing my first all-grain batch of beer. The process is a little more complicated than what I have been doing and double the amount of time it normal takes to brew, but the end results are supposedly much better. Plus it cost half  the ammount of money for supplies! So hopefully it will all be worth it!

I'm also really excited because I just purchused a copy of The Voice, which is a new contempary translation of the New Testament by authors like Chris Seay and Brian McClaren. If you've never heard of it check it out @ http://www.hearthevoice.com/ They have the entire book of John for free to check out.  It features some of the most diverse and interesting translations that I've read in a while.

I also began listening up on some really great podcasts to go along with what I've been studying in 1 Corinthians. First off there's my home church  Bethel Church in Crown Point. Then theres Mark Driscoll's Church in Seattle called Mars Hill. Finally I just found out that Rick McKinley just started a series in Corinthians at his church Imago Dei.  Its very cool to have such good teaching and a zune to listen to it on. I'm so blessed!


JW


current song:
Just As I Am
by E-pop

Sorry for the lack of updates in the last few weeks, a LOT has been going on!

First off, I've decided to move back to my hometown of Cleveland, TN. There are a lot of reasons why, but the driving forces have been basically friends, school, work experience, and I absolutely love the area. Starting next week I'll be driving down there to find a job, apartment, etc...Please keep that situation in your prayers.

Secondly, I've been considering the future vision of Apostles Ale Brewing Co. I think so far there hasn't been a clear objective in what I've wanted to accomplish with it. So I'm in the process of laying down some sort of business plan so I can start marketing and selling it. I'm also trying to figure out what my flagship beers are going to be. Once I figure that out I'll apply for a license and start selling it!

Thirdly, I've started a very ambition study on the Theology/Spirituality of food. My goal is to first start reading through the entire Bible and figure out the significance of food in the Scriptures and how it relates to us.I might even start a blog dedicated to my results/conclusions. I'm really interested in what my studies will find.

Speaking of food, I'm on my lunch break at work and haven't actually had anything to eat yet. So I'm off!

So I cracked open my latest brew last night! I think its my favorite beer to date. The Yuzu (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuzu) Ale was amazing. It has hints of grapefruit, lime, and surprisingly wood. I also tried my ginger beer and it good/ but not what I expected. This time around I used candied ginger. Its more subtle than fresh ginger and not as overpowering. Oddly enough our pumpkin ale tasted more gingery than this stuff.

Anyways, since I don't have a liquor license, I'm not able to sell any of the stuff. However, I am able to accept donations and would be willing to give away some bottles for a couple of bucks. If anyone is interested message/call me.

Later!