This first batch was meant to be a German style Brown beer.

The name "Silber Fang" is two German words that I thought anyone could read with minimum confusion. German uses the "b" for a "v", but the idea gets across. It also relates to the Wolf surname, but I didn't know how to draw a wolf with a silver fang as you can see. This was the idea for all the beers to come later.  A wolf with a silver fang, well what can I say, I did the best I could.  The fun of just doing a label was enough.  At the time I didn't even realize ales were different than lagers and lager was what I really brewed.  It was good anyway.  I'll skip the recipe on this one.  They got better later.

This one was a Oktoberfest bier. "Bäuerlishes Mundschenk von HeißerStadtHof" means,  delicious beverage made at the Hot City Brewery

Now we are getting serious.  I only destroyed the kitchen stove (electric - more on this later) and got the gain bill way off from anything similar to a German Oktoberfest. This was a strange and misty lager, but the label was an improvement. The wolf was "borrowed" and modified in a paint program to be a little more original. 

This was a great summer thirst quincher. Therefore the recipe is included here:

This was the first attempt at an IPA. What better symbol of India than Gunga Din. (I cut on the curve for each label - a work of love. I didn't have  a program that would crop the picture and I couldn't figure out how to follow the curve anyway)

Mash the grain in 2 gallons of water: 154F for 60 mins. The boil is for 70 minutes. Once cooled down, the wort original gravity was 1.050.  After five days of fermentation at 68F in the Primary and then one week in the Secondary with 1/2 cup of oak chips, the final gravity was 1.020. This wasn't a strong IPA as I had hoped, but a pleasant brew at least.  Like most of my brews, I was experimenting with flavor and didn't strictly follow the traditional recipes. The wheat provide a nice tall white head. Next time, more hops. 

Now Things are getting German. Here again  is the Heisserstadhof name which means  (Hot City Brewery).  It seemed appropriate for Tucson.

Mash the grain in 2 gallons of water: 122F for 15 mins, 154F for 60 mins. The boil is for 60 minutes. Once cooled down, the wort original gravity was 1.050.  After two weeks of fermentation at 50F in the Primary and then two weeks in the Secondary, the final gravity was 1.012.  I lagered the beer for 2 months and learn over the next 6 months that it just got better.  A 6 month wait was more than I could bare.  I drank the last bottle a year later and it was still good.

This was my first kegged beer.  It should have been better, but I was on a learning curve for sanitizers and a bit of that flavor showed up in the brew.

Mash the grain in 2 gallons of water: 122F for 15 mins, 154F for 60 mins. The boil is for 60 minutes. Once cooled down, the wort original gravity was 1.070.  After four days of fermentation at 70F in the Primary and then one week in the Secondary at 65F, the final gravity was 1.012. The sanitizer I changed to was Quanitary Ammonia which is use in the food industry a lot.  But for beer making it has a strong sustaining quality that is difficult to rinse out of the equipment.  I later learned that the beer industry moved away from it for this very reason.  I now use it to sanitize my refrigerator only. Okay, you noticed the castle is in Bavaria.  It was a nice picture and I compromised.

This was my second kegged beer.  Now were cooking. This was an ale, so it similar to an Alt Bier

Mash the grain in 2.5 gallons of water: 122F for 15 mins, 154F for 60 mins. The boil is for 90 minutes. Once cooled down, the wort original gravity was 1.054.  After four days of fermentation at 70F in the Primary and then one week in the Secondary at 65F, the final gravity was 1.013. This was a good party beer and it went fast. Only trouble is they don't do much Alt bier in Bavaria - I need more pictures.

I discovered Scottish Ales.  This is where it is at with ale. Sorry about the Equadorian Highway Patrol look to the label.  I was having fun with the colors. Selbsgebraurei is home brewing in German.  Fun new word.

The roasting was done on a cookie sheet, spritzing the grain with water to get the malt "awake" then bake in 300F oven for 20 mins, then spritz and repeat for another 20 mins. If you do this right, the rich aroma of roasted grain can be sensed. Mash the grain in 2.5 gallons of water: 122F for 15 mins, 154F for 60 mins. The boil is for 90 minutes.  Once cooled down, the wort original gravity was 1.044.  After four days of fermentation at 58F in the Primary and then one week in the Secondary at 55F, the final gravity was 1.010. The trick with Scottish ales is obtaining carmelized malt in the brew.  I took 2 quarts of the wort and boiled it down to a thick carmel syrup.  Most Scottish ale was made over a wood fired kettle and the scorching of the wort in the bottom gives a wonderful warm flavor to the brew. The second secret to Scottish ale is the hearty yeast that can take cold temperature of lager yeast and still function well.  The result is a ruby color and a nice head to a rich tasting beer.  Who could ask for more.

This is Scottish Ale number two with more vigor.

The roasting was done on a cookie sheet, spritzing the grain with water to get the malt "awake" then bake in 300F oven for 20 mins, then spritz and repeat for another 20 mins. Just for good measure I did a third cycle of 20 mins. Be sure to spritz well or the grain will pop like popcorn. Also reduce the heat.  Mash the grain in 2.5 gallons of water: 122F for 15 mins, 154F for 60 mins. The boil is for 90 minutes.  Once cooled down, the wort original gravity was 1.054.  After four days of fermentation at 58F in the Primary and then one week in the Secondary at 55F, the final gravity was 1.010.  This time I took 1 gallon of the wort and boiled it down to a thick carmel syrup. This brew was very much like the first except hardier. If the roasting process is too much, you can substitute roasted malt for the store. I have done that recently and the flavor is a little more acrid, but still very pleasing. I also have a habit of removing the bittering hops after about 40 minutes into the brew to avoid the grassy flavor they can give if left in too long. I'm not really sure if it works, but I thought it might be a valid theory. The big thing is everything needs to be fresh as possible.

Alberto Vargas was the best bomber nose art artist in WWII, and his work doesn't make a bad beer label either! This being a Porter, it needed to say, "Black satin and smooth".

Mash the grain in 2.5 gallons of water: 122F for 15 mins, 154F for 90 mins. The boil is for 90 minutes.  Once cooled down, the wort original gravity was 1.062.  After six days of fermentation at 65F in the Primary and then one week in the Secondary at 65F, the final gravity was 1.020. Since this is a strong thick drink, I bottled in 12 oz bottles.  The color was near black, the flavor balanced with a hint of licorice and a mysterious taste of molasses. Porter is my second favorite beer after Scottish ale, then anything German or Czech.

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