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Homebrew Events

Winter Brew

This is the time of year to make a brew for the holidays. These beers can be standard brews or beers with spices and various ingredients that remind the drinker of the holidays. Over the next few months, try to brew a beer with ingredients that you have never used before. Use various spices, fruits, nuts, different sugars. Let your imagination take over and develop a beer to remember.

For good ideas on how to make a tasty holiday beer, check out the following links on adding spices to beers and dealing with fruit:

http://www.byo.com/stories/article/indices/38-ingredients/92-adding-spices-to-beer-tips-from-the-pros

http://www.fermentarium.com/homebrewing/brewing-beer/add-fruit-or-spice-to-beer/

Brew of Month

TYPE: Stout

Notes:

Guinness is the beer that most people think of when ordering a stout. These beers are dark black in color, and have a very deep flavor profile. Some of the flavors that are noted in the beer are coffee, tosty, malty, and slightly bitter. The hop profile should focus on the bittering aspect, and dark malts should be used only for flavor and color. Use a full bodied pale malt for the main grains. This will give a good base for you to build upon. Use spices to add complexity, or to craft a unique holiday beer.

Club News 10/28/2011 -- The club had its first brew tasting event. The demonstration brew was sampled as well as many other craft brews that were very unique. More events like this will take e in the future. Be sure to keep cheking your emails for events and club meetings.____________________________________________________________________________________________________08/30/2011 -- The Club had its first demonstration brew today. All who were interested participated in a demonstration of extract brewing. We went over all the equipment needed to make a basic extract beer. We also went over the ingredients, how to steep grains, adding of hops and fermentables to the wort, as well as how and when to pitch the yeast. We will occasionally have more demonstrations and workshop type events during some of the gatherings where various methods of brewing will be discussed as get togethers to try eachothers brew. Remember that we are also located on facebook where the various events will be posted as well. http://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/monstermashersbrew/______________________________________________________________________________________________________08/04/2011 -- The Monster Mashers Brew Club is now registered and listed under the American Homebrew Association. This means that the club can now participate in the AHA National Club Level Competitions. These competitions would give the club a chance to have tastings etc. where each brewing member would brew the particular style, and a club wide vote would take place to determine which brew would compete. The participants would split the cost of the entry to submit the beer to the competition if prticipation is desired. Also, November is "Learn How To Homebrew Month". A demonstration will be taking place during that month. An email will go out with more information . ______________________________________________________________________________________________________07/15/2011 -- The website is now up and a membership form in the contacts area is operational. Soon the gallery will be up and running, as soon as more brewing photos are taken. Sign up now under the contacts section to get added to an email list for updates and future gatherings.

How to Get Started If you are new to homebrew, and have no idea where to start, this section will give you a point in the right direction. Getting the Required Gear:The first thing that has to happen before any brewing can begin is to accumulate the appropriate gear. This can be cheap or expensive, depending on how serious you want to get. Most brew supply shops offer various kits that have the basics, and can range from $50 for a simple kit to well over $100 for a better kit. The main thing is that you get the necessary gear. If you want to build your own kit, the following is a list of the essentials:-A brew pot (5 gallons)-A racking bucket (typically a five gallon bucket with a spigot at the bottom)-A fermentation vessel (I recommend a 6.5 gallon glass carboy)-A Carboy Scrubber-An Air-Lock (a valve that lets CO2 out but won’t let air in)-3/8 PVC Tubing (or whatever size the spigot is on the racking bucket)-A bottling valve (a plastic tube that has a spring loaded valve at one end)-A Capper (can be a winged or lever capper)-Bottles and CapsSome other optional gear that will make your life easier is listed below:-A Racking Cane-Scale that measures OZ (for measuring hops)-Funnels-Thermometer-Hydrometer (measures gravity for calculating alcohol content)-Screen strainers-Oven mitts-A propane turkey fryer (this is easier than using a stove)-A mash tun (used in mashing the grains)-Any other gear that you find helpsI collect my bottles by taking a trip to the liquor store and trying new brews, but they can be purchased as well. Most of the gear can be found at Wal-Mart or Home Depot, but some of the specialty items will need to be purchased at a brew supply store or online.Basic Starting Recipe:Once you have the gear, you need a recipe to get started. You can find a ton of recipes online or at the brew supply store. Some stores will have a brew of the week, and they will get you the appropriate ingredients. Below is a basic recipe that will get you started:-6 lb of liquid pale malt extract (if you cant get fresh stuff, then get 5 lb dry pale malt extract)-1.5 lb 20L or 60L Crystal Malt (this is a raw grain and needs to be ground. The brew store will have a grinder available)-2 oz Cascade Hops-1 vial or packet of Ale Yeast (WLP001 California Ale Yeast works well)-1 grain bag (muslin bag)You will first get about 3 gallons of water heating in the brew kettle. Get the water to about 150-160 degrees F. With the Crystal Malt in the grain bag, soak it in the water like tea for about 30 minutes at that temperature. This is called Steeping. You will then add the extract to the water while stirring to avoid it burning to the bottom, and bring the water to a boil (THE WATER MAY FOAM REALLY WILD RIGHT AS IT REACHES A BOIL, WATCH OUT FOR THIS OR IT COULD MAKE A MESS). Once the mixture starts to boil, you will add 1 oz of hops. Let this boil for 45 minutes. At this time, you will add the remaining 1 oz of hops to the boil. Let this boil for an additional 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, and cool the wort (pre-fermented beer) by placing the pot in an ice water bath. Be sure nothing gets into the wort, since this will spoil your beer. Let it cool to about 80 degrees F, and pour into the fermentation vessel (strain out the hops first). Pour the yeast into the fermentation vessel, making sure the wort is around 80-85 F. Install the Air-Lock, and let sit at about 65-70 degrees F for 14 days. When ready to bottle, you will boil cup of corn sugar with 1 pint of water, let cool, and add to the beer before you bottle. This is called priming. Bottle and cap the primed beer, and let sit in a dark place for at least 14 more days. Drink and enjoy!

Homebrew Events
Brew of Month
Club News
How to Get Started

SCARY

Once you perfect brewing with extracts, it is time to get over the fear of the unknown and start mashing like a monster.

CHECK OUR GALLERY

DARK

If you ever feel out of control, then you should watch the 8 videos on all-grain brewng and regain total control over not just the color, but the flavor as well.

WATCH THE VIDEOS

BIG

Has anyone ever told you to go big or go home? If you are curious about learning to make big brews and getting them to turn out well...

READ MORE

MONSTER MASHERS BREW CLUB

Fort Collins, CO.

About

GET IN TOUCH WITH OUR WILD SIDE

Become a

MONSTER

The brew process can be surprisingly complex, yet very rewarding. Brewing is essentially an art and a science combined, allowing common individuals to suddenly become the life of the party. Even the simplest beers will get great reactions from your friends, who will suddenly start showing up at your front door as if you were a liquor store. There is also a great deal of satisfaction in brewing your own. From the development of the recipe, to the labor of cleaning your gear; when you finally taste what seemed like ages to make, you will be like a proud parent watching your only child win the national chess tournament (although… maybe not that good, but close). All this and more is why the Monster Mashers Brew Club was created. Founded under the concept of a network with a commonality, the Monster Mashers is a place where individuals with similar interests can gain a refined knowledge of such a wonderful thing as well as network with a group of friends. This club may seem like any other brew club around, and in theory it is. Monster Mashers is a place for beer enthusiasts to congregate and share a common interest. There is the theme of beer, which coincidentally is the same as other brew clubs as well. The thing that makes this club different however, is the “lack of organization” which the other clubs have. Sure, there will be organized events, group brews, get-togethers, tastings, make-shift classes, etc., and there will also be an email update (which will have information on all the events of the club), but there will not be any of the following: • Club hierarchy (presidents, treasurers etc.) • Organized meetings or votes regarding the actions of the club • Fees associated with being a member that would go to the club. • External benefits such as discounts at restaurants, suppliers, etc.There may be events which would require a fee of some sort to participate (i.e. brewing competitions, meeting at bars, brewery tours, club T-shirts etc.) but this money would go to a vendor for the service received, not to the club. The functionality of the club may change in the future (due to reasons such as costs associated with running the club, or the need to rent a facility etc.) however the intent is to strictly be an organization where people can network with other brewers without paying for it. So whether you are interested in getting started with home brewing, or you only want to be part of a group, become a Monster Masher and enjoy the world of beer!

MONSTER MASHERS BREW CLUB

Fort Collins, CO.

Gallery

MONSTER MASHERS BREW CLUB

Fort Collins, CO.

Video

How to Distinguish Beers

Making a Mash Tun

All Grain Home Brewing (1 of 8)

All Grain Home Brewing (2 of 8)

All Grain Home Brewing (3 of 8)

All Grain Home Brewing (4 of 8)

All Grain Home Brewing (5 of 8)

All Grain Home Brewing (6 of 8)

All Grain Home Brewing (7 of 8)

All Grain Home Brewing (8 of 8)

How to Distinguish Beers

Making a Mash Tun

All Grain Home Brewing (1 of 8)

All Grain Home Brewing (2 of 8)

All Grain Home Brewing (3 of 8)

All Grain Home Brewing (4 of 8)

All Grain Home Brewing (5 of 8)

All Grain Home Brewing (6 of 8)

All Grain Home Brewing (7 of 8)

All Grain Home Brewing (8 of 8)

MONSTER MASHERS BREW CLUB

Fort Collins, CO.

Resources

American Homebrewers Association (which is part of the Brewers Association) is an association for homebrewers accross the United States. They have conferences, competitions, and all kinds of other brewing activities and resources. Click on the image to the left to visit their website.

Rocky Mountain Homebrew Supply is a one stop shop for all your beer and wine making supplies. They have grains, extracts, brew kits and everything else you need. Click on the link to the left to visit their site.

Hops and Berries is another one stop shop for all your brew needs. They have reduced the size of their shop to expand their bar Equinox, which is right next door. They have a good variety of hops and yeast strains for all of your brewing needs. Click on the link to the left to visit their site.

MONSTER MASHERS BREW CLUB

Fort Collins, CO.

Contact

Become a monster today by filling out the form below. You will eventually receive a confirmation email letting you know you are in. You are required to be 21 years old to be a member.you must be 21 years old to participate in any of the events and activities listed in this club or email updates. Any event involving the production or consumption of alcohol organized by the club will require a picture identification with date of birth. Federal law prohibits anyone under 18 years of age from producing beer or wine. Visit the following site for more info:

http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/pages/government-affairs/statutes

MONSTER MASHERS BREW CLUB

Fort Collins, CO.

MONSTER MASHERS BREW CLUB

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