Pine Grove Brew Works

01/21/2023

Friday night in the brewery. Getting ready to boil up a batch of Old Blind Pug robust porter. Smells like warm chocolate cake batter in here!

01/02/2023

For those who don't brew, this critical moment is called the "hot break." This is when all of the coagulated proteins rise to the surface at the beginning of the boil, kind of like spaghetti on your kitchen stove...Either you control it, or you have a ridiculous mess on your hands!

01/02/2023

ESB first runnings wort is so nice... amber and ruby tones, crystal clear, malty and sweet.

01/02/2023

Happy Brew Year!

This year's inaugural batch will be Scattergood Extra Special Bitter; a malty English style ale with roasty caramel notes and a nice earthy hop profile thanks to good old East Kent Goldings hops.

Just getting the water ready and everything mis-en-place for tomorrow morning... Cheers!

08/22/2022

When I'm not brewing, I'm usually cooking, barbecuing, or grilling... So, I had a bountiful harvest of jalapeños this year, and decided to make "cowboy candy;" a sweet and hot concoction of fresh jalapeños, simple syrup, turmeric, celery seed, apple cider vinegar, garlic, cayenne, and love. The leftover syrup is a sweet and spicy addition to grilled pork, steak, or chicken... Oh, it's good! (And of course, I had to sip on a Vienna lager...)

08/09/2022

Altbier and Vienna lager both require a lot of patience... After fermenting and resting in the conical fermenters for nearly 2 months, it's time to keg both, and wait another 2 months while these beers lager at 33 degrees... Then we carb and serve... Oh, the waiting!

07/21/2022

My conical fermenters use a system of cooling called the "Peltier effect." By running an electrical current over substrates of different metals, a thermodynamic effect is created causing one side of the system to become freezing cold, capable of producing ice, and the other side becoming extremely hot, capable of boiling water. By placing the cold side against the fermenter, I am able to cool my wort to fermentation and even lagering temperatures without traditional refrigeration.I had noticed recently that "Betty," my original fermenter, had lost her capacity to cool wort for fermentation. After a bit of research, I ended up ordering new semiconductor peltier chips, deconstructing the unit, and rebuilding it in a way that was more efficient than the original design. Now, my 12-year-old original conical is more efficient and more capable of cooling wort than ever... Because science!

06/27/2022

Smells like warm brownies in the brewery today...

06/27/2022

Wife visiting with grandkids ✔️
Taking the day off ✔️
Making a crisp refreshing altbier ✔️

For those who aren't familiar, this is a wonderful style that is cool fermented and conditioned like a lager, but is actually an ale. It's very smooth and refreshing. This one requires patience... Several weeks of lagering is the secret to this style. Mid August, it'll be amazing. Cheers!

05/16/2022

I think it's working...

05/16/2022

Boom!

05/15/2022