Art of the Beer Label competition, Mad Monk's and more. Don't miss this!

Each year the Deland Craft Beer Festival gets bigger and better.  2013 marked the year the event spilled out into the entire week and introduced a new moniker, Deland Craft Beer Week.  The organizers of the 2014 Week seem determined to step it up once again.  Along with the daily events of the Deland Craft Beer Week, two new competitions have been introduced.

I'll start with the most recent introduction...the Art of the Beer Label competition.  For all the artists out there, this is a chance to get creative and show your best work at a beer label.  Check it out here.  I have a few ideas of my own for this one.

Art of the Beer Label Competition (click to go to the page)

Even more exciting is the Mad Monk's Mash-up!  This is an upgrade to the previously held homebrewing competitions at the event.  In the past years there were two competitions for homebrewers to enter surrounding the Deland Craft Beer Festival.  Each year a Valentine's Inspired beer could be entered, with the winner selected by the People's Choice at the event on Saturday.  The other brewing competition was based around a rotating beer style each year.  Last year was Porter.  2012 was IPA.

The style-based competition has grown into presumably the only officially sanctioned Belgian Style BJCP competition...in the world.  It no longer is just a local competition, but rather an "official" competition, with the potential reach of the entire nation.  Official BJCP Judges will be excited for the opportunity to judge in another new competition.  And winners can claim themselves Monk Queen (or King)!  (Ha ha, I just made that up.)

Based on the Style Guidelines, Categories 16, 17 and 18 will be eligible, along with the specialty categories of 20, 21 and 22C, with the base beer associated with a style in 16, 17 and 18.  Can you enter a smoked porter?  No.  A Pumpkin Witbier...yes (if you wanted to).

(And yes the Valentine's competition will remain as the People's Choice Award.)

Check out more information here.

Also, remember to refer back to the post about entering competitions from this site before you make your final entry decisions.

So get your creative minds in gear and create a label and a beer (or more) for the competitions associate with this fine event!  And we'll see you in February!  (if not sooner)  Cheers!

New Label for the newest beer - The Tripel

It is time to unveil the new label for the 30th brew... the Tripel.  Every beer needs a good label, and an appropriate label can set the stage for the entire presentation.  Plus, it is fun to create.

Need help with a logo, or some branding.  Reach out to me.  I can help.  And often, I work simply for beer.

Can't wait to try this one!

A chronicle of the first 30 home brewed beers.

The first 30 beers. It's a good milestone, and falls right near the dawn into my the third year of brewing. Let's see, what did I brew?  Do you care?  This list is really more for me than for you.  It's one place where everything will be together.  I keep the details of each recipe (well most anyway) in a notebook, but don't really have a complete single list outside of this one.

Links within this blog are provided where applicable, which will lead to additional information on the beer, labels and often the recipe used.

1. Brown Ale - from a Muntons Kit. - I did the priming sugar wrong and it ended up flat (brewed Sept 29, 2011).  There is a single bottle of this still and I plan drink it on the two year anniversary of it's brewing.
2. IPA - Still nervous about the steps involved and this time I even steeped some specialty grains and added my own hops.
3. Brown Ale, Norther English style - This turned out way darker and thicker than intended.  It was very bad.
4. ESB - Bellatrix Bitter - The first beer that people complimented me on.  Maybe they were just being nice.  I could sense an off flavor, but couldn't put a name to it.
5. Imperial IPA - An attempt at something similar to the 90 Minute IPA
6. ESB - Bellatrix Bitter #2
7. DFH Midas Touch Clone attempt - It actually did improve with age, and was good.  I'd like to do something similar again.
8. Belgian Wit - Lunargaarden - This was a nice beer.  I crushed my own coriander for this one, and sliced the skin (peal) off of an orange. Felt like a true artist while brewing this one.
9. Imperial IPA - Isis Imperial - I'm usually underwhelmed with the amount of hops.  Can I blame the hop bag?  This turned out OK, and I was determined to improve upon it.
10. Brown Porter - This didn't turn out too well.  Dark beers have been a headache for me.
11. American Pale Ale - Independence Ale 2012 - Late Citra hop additions.  This was a good beer.
12. Imperial IPA - Another try at the Isis Imperial - Initially this was great overall, but oxidized very badly.  I was almost told that I should give up brewing and take up knitting.  High hopes, shattered.
13. Brown Porter - Apotheosis Porter #2 - This was the winner of the 2012 Daytona Beerfest Competition.  "The perfect Porter," was how it was described to me.  Very happy and proud.
14. Oktoberfest Marzen - First lager.  I enjoyed this one very much.  Held together nicely.
15. Maibock - Maibock My Homebrewed Lager - The first experiment with the new turkey fryer equipment.
16. Saison - Saison Du Ner - First ever all grain. (The above are all extract with specialty grains, below are all grain brews.  After one year of brewing, I made the switch to all grain and haven't looked back.) (brewed 09-22-2012)
17. All grain version of the Apotheosis Porter - Bad beer. Ugh.  What is so great about all grain again?  And what is all this trouble with the darker beers?
18. Strong Ale - Severus Strong.  This was an attempted Arrogant Bastard clone, only with higher gravity, and the hops weren't as severe it turns out.  After aging, this one was nice.  I still have a few.  I had 12 pounds of grain in a 5 gallon mash tun.  Somehow I still found room for water.
19. Foreign Extra Stout - Dunerbrew Stout - This turned out OK.  Improving some with age still.
20. Wheat Ale - #FF Hopped Wheat aka Hoppy Valentines Bouquet - This was based off a recipe given to me from a Twitter friend from around the world, a clone of an Aussie beer called Mountain Goat Steam Ale.  It won the Valentine's Inspired Beer award at the Deland Craft Beer Festival 2013.  LIght in color, hoppy on the flavor and aroma side, and nicely effervescent.
21. Winter Ale - Inkling's Ale, a strong version of a British ESB.  This turned out only OK.  Some are still around and I'm hoping for minimal improvement yet with age.
22. English Style Barleywine - Anal Retentive Dishrag.  To date only a few have been touched.  Aging this one for the winter.  High hopes.  This one is designated for some upcoming competitions.
23. Single Malt and Single Hop (SMaSH) - Maris Otter and Centennial
24. SMaSH - Mild Malt and Simcoe - These were fun to do and of the two, this was the better.  Both were nice 
25. IPA - Hold Your Fire - Centennial and Simcoe hops, Maris Otter Malt with Crystal 15.  Kept it simple.  This was a good beer, and if I remember, most disappeared at one of my tastings.
26. Belgian Blonde - AHA Big Brew 2013, More Fun Blonde - one of the recipes for the brew day.  This turned out to be a very nice beer.
27. American Pale Ale - Give Me Liberty Ale 2013 - Mosaic hops as late addition.  A very sessionable beer.
28. Belgian Dubbel - Steam Monk - Brewed with the Mad Monk's Mash-Up in mind.  I drank one only so far, after 2 weeks in the bottle.  This is going to lager for quite awhile and be savored in the coming months
29. Oatmeal Stout - 4Shel - My fear is that the mash is getting to acidic with the darker malt beers.  This may be terrific, but if not, then I'll have to work on PH balance.
30. Belgian Tripel - XXX - Read all about it here.  The label hasn't been released at the time of this writing. (brewed 08-17-2013)

A lot of these beers have the recipe listed on the Recipes page.  A lot of the labels are also listed on the Labels page.  Neither are fully inclusive lists...I do have a life besides making sure everything is perfect and complete here.

So, what does this list say about the brewer?  Classic Styles.  Nothing real crazy or outlandish.  Mostly safe recipes, with a tilt toward higher alcohol volume.  No spices in anything, only the coriander and orange in the wit, and some grape juice as additives.

At this milestone of 30 beers and two years of brewing, I realize there is a lot more to learn.  Always!  I'm not saying I'm a pro or anything even close to it.  I can safely say I'm a step up from a Novice now.  I always want to view others as better and more knowledgeable, so I can learn from them.  Heck, in the process others may even learn a bit from me.  I do know a few things about brewing now, and more importantly can make beer that I and others enjoy.

I wonder what to do next.  Maybe something crazy.  Something zany.  Something to make the homebrew club go, "wow! what courage and insight into something wild and wacky!"  Or maybe something very drinkable...and classic.  Ideas?

And here is to brew #31 and beyond.  Cheers!

Oatmeal Stout - New Label and Name

Yep, it's time to bottle the Oatmeal Stout.  This is the closest to a collaborative brew I've done.  My wife assisted with the recipe (she bought the oats), but more importantly loves the style and thus the inspiration for this beer.  There is no chocolate in this one, but Moo Hoo better watch out.  This has promise to be great.

Aptly named 4Shel, the label too is the most personal to date.  Brewing and the enjoyment of beer should be a family thing, right?  At least we all have our passions.  Here is the new label, and a few photos of the beer in action.

New IPA recipe and label - Galileo's Bane

This beer has the promise to be the best yet!  With UK malts, US Hops, and American Ale II yeast, this beer is wonderful.

There were two names for this particular brew, one for my Aussie Twitter friends and another with maybe a little more serious tone...a name that means something to me.  So sorry to the Twitter friends (you know who you are), Crocoduck didn't make the final cut.  Instead, this IPA is named Hold Your Fire.

...as in...

Hold your fire

Keep it burning bright
Hold the flame
'til the dream ignites
A spirit with a vision
Is a dream with a mission

...or...


Spirits fly on dangerous missions
Imaginations on fire
Focused high on soaring ambitions
Consumed in a single desire

Yes, another hat's off to Rush, with their 1987 album Hold Your Fire, and my favorite song on it, Mission.

The recipe:
Hold Your Fire - IPA
Final Volume: 3.75 Gallons     OG: 1.060     FG: 1.012     ABV: 6.4%    IBU:68

8.25 lbs Maris Otter Malt1 lb UK Crystal 20
0.5 lb Carapils

0.25oz Centennial, 12.5% (60 min)
0.25oz Simcoe, 13.7% (60 min)
0.25oz Centennial, 12.5% (30 min)
0.25oz Centennial, 12.5% (10 min)
0.25oz Simcoe, 13.7% (10 min)0.5oz Centennial, 12.5% (flame out)

Wyeast 1271, American Ale II

Oh, and this IPA will make it's debut at the Dunerbrew IPA Tasting event on May 4th, 2013.

What did I blog about this time last year?

Good question.  And wow, it's not too surprising that it is very similar to what I blog about today.  Check this out from March 6, 2012, posted on a different platform.

My ninth batch of homebrew is fermenting, and I’m still as enthused about this hobby as I was when I first began.  If you think about it, Homebrewing is the one hobby that actually provides a return on investment.  I enjoy golf, but at the end of the 4 hours, the $30+ dollars are gone (along with about 8-10 balls).  With brewing, after all the hobby stuff is complete (creating the recipe, purchasing the ingredients, brewing, cleaning, waiting, worrying, bottling, waiting, wondering), the best is still waiting for you… drinking.
An additional bonus for me (as a wanna-be artist) has been in naming and designing the labels of the different beers.  This has been the most enjoyable aspect of this hobby for me.  Don't get me wrong, the beer is very good (especially the Imperial IPA).  Creating the concepts and graphics for each variety has been fun and continues to enhance my creativity.  The latest label is for the Belgian Witbier, Lunargaarden.

Pretty cool, huh?  I think so.
Cheers!

 How time flies!  I can't believe that was my ninth batch of beer back then.  I seemed to have lost count now...which is a shame.  My batch and recipe logging has changed some over the months, and I'm not sure everything is in one place anymore.

Anyway.... 

Newest label and a revision

Frequent readers will know I've experimented with a couple of Single Malt and Single Hop beers (SMaSH).  And of course, every beer needs a label and name.

The latest label was designed for the Mild Malt and Simcoe SMaSH.  But first...

I felt the simplicity of the recipes for these beer would find a good counterpart in the the complexity and technological aspects of Steampunk.  Clocks, gears, all the detailed inner-workings partnered together to achieve a single outcome.  It contrasts well with a simple recipe, with just a few ingredients, combining to create a complex gastronomic experience.  If it all sounds like a bunch of fluffy feelgood artsy stuff, well... it is.

With names inspired by a recent progressive rock concept album, let me first introduce Clockwork Universe.

 

And this SMaSH's counterpart, with the Maris Otter malt and Centennial hops, has been revised and named Thinking Big.

The Thinking Big is chilling now, ready for the two week trial.  Clockwork Universe is in primary fermentation presently.

A smashingly simple beer

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” -- Leonardo da Vinci

Who says your beer recipe has to be complex?  Is it possible to create a great beer with a very simple recipe?  I think so.

The latest Dunerbrew consists of four ingredients only. But isn't all beer make of four ingredients?  Well, that is true for most beers.  This beer's four ingredients are water, a single malt, and single hops, and yeast.  Four ingredients.

A SMaSH beer, single malt and single hops.  Maris Otter malt and Centennial Hops.

While the beer is still in the carboy, I found some inspiration for a label.  The taste was nice while checking the gravity the other day too.  I'm looking forward to this one.

New Label: Inklings Ale

Being the husband of a British Lit major and English Teacher, books are a daily part of our lives, and what more to enjoy than a good sitting with the Lord Of The Rings or the Space Trilogy?  I've grown up with Narnia, and The Shire.  And found enjoyment through Tolkien's works as an adult  There is always a good read happening around out house.

When we finally get to travel across the pond, we fully expect to hang at the Eagle And The Child, where years ago these fine authors shared ideas, talked philosophy, and drank good English Ale.  In fact, this is probably the same beer they drank all those years ago.  Presenting, Inklings Ale.

This is a traditional English Style pale ale, stronger than a standard ESB at 6.5% ABV.  At 32 IBU, this is a well balanced beer.

The Official Dunerbrew Wallpaper

I know everyone has been waiting for this day.  It's an epic day in the world of Dunerbrew!  We've released a Desktop Wallpaper for Dunerbrew.com.

To download, click on the photo above and then right click and select "Set as Desktop Background" and bingo!  There may also be an option of "save image as", which may work, or possibly just drag it to your desktop, and then make as the background image from there.  If you have trouble, send a comment and we'll figure out how to get it to you.

BTW, the resolution is 1600x900.  If your screen size is different and you feel slighted by the limited resolutions available, then email me with your screen resolution, and I'll make one just for you.  Email to darrenATdunerbrewDOTcom.

Enjoy!  And thanks for reading.

A New Beer Needs A New Label

Yesterday we posted the recipe for the latest Dunerbrew creation, the #FF Hopped Wheat Ale.  Today the label is unveiled.

This is a limited batch, limited distribution homebrewed ale, available exclusively directly from me.  While supplies last.  ;-)

Have a good weekend!

Maibock recipe and label art

This was a simple recipe and about 4 months later, it is starting to come into its own.  It took a long time to carbonate in the bottle, and with the all extract (yeah, I know) recipe I had some reservations about it from the beginning.

Here is the full story, as described earlier... Part 1 and the Post when bottled.

It is drinkable (actually not too bad), and seems to improve with age, so it's about time to make a label for it.  And it needs a name.  Everyone knows a Maibock should have a name with a play on words for "My" or "back" or something like "Gimme My beer Bock Maibock."  Or...

 

 Maibock My Homebrewed Lager.  A nice name.  The recipe can be found here on Hopville.  I'll also post on the Recipes Page on this blog.

New Brew and Recipe added

At 9.1% ABV, the Severus Strong Ale is my strongest homebrew yet.  I drank the first one over the weekend and wasn't disappointed.  After only 10 days in the bottle, it still lacked sufficient carbonation and retained some of the alcohol heat.  The carbonation will increase and the heat will mellow out with time, which will be a good thing.  The pungency of the Chinook hops was present for sure.  There is enough malt to retain nice flavor even in the presence of the hops.  It should be well balanced when all said and done... a very good beer.

I can't take all the credit, of course, as there was a commercial beer as the primary influence over this recipe (maybe you can guess).  Mine is different enough though, and a bit stronger if you can believe it.

I wanted a Harry Potter name for this beer and came across the almost perfect quote from Severus Snape which helped to solidify the name.

Here is the recipe page.  Be sure to check it out.

Saison Du ner recipe added

Saison Du ner was my first all grain brewed beer.  I was happy with the way it turned out overall.  Very drinkable.

The Recipe page has recently been updated to include this beer.  Though the beer is fully mine, the recipe was inspired by (if that is a good way to say it) the recipe for Saison Du Buff, the collaboration beer by Stone, Victory and Dogfish (three companies who know a thing of two about good beer).  The primary difference is that I selected to keep with with beer ingredients only and not add any of the spices.  The Belgian Saison yeast brings a heavily spicy and ester profile anyway.  Additionally, I used Citra hops for flavor and aroma (not convinced this was a terrific idea).

...A good start.

I Tweaked the logo once again

Like most great things, this blog is a continual work in progress.  Over the years I started the blog, abandoned it, started back up again, changed the name, changed the name again, made a logo with tagline, and now have revised the tagline with an alternate logo.  And we are just beginning...  Great things are to come with new content and some pages under continual update.

Check out the new official logo.

And while you are here, there have been recent updates to the brand new page featuring some of the beer labels I created.  The recipe page is new too, though currently lacking recipes (only one listed so far)...but it is a start.

Lunargaarden Label

I had some fun with this label.  This was my Belgian Wit-bier, and it turned out good, containing freshly ground coriander and blood orange peal, scraped straight from the orange.

My Favorite Label (So Far)

Which came first, the label idea or the name of the beer?  In this case, it may very well have been the label idea.  We were in DC in March of this year.  We toured the Capital and I learned that the fresco on the capital dome is called the Apotheosis of Washington.  Check it out here.  In short, George Washington in on a throne and angels (representing the states) are gathered around and worshiping as if he were a deity.

I was shocked and appalled!  How could this possibly be?  After all this is a Christian nation and the founding fathers were all Evangelical Christians, right?  Why wasn't Jesus on the Capital dome?  Or the Ten Commandments?  Hmm, oh yeah.  Maybe it's not so much that way after all.

So naturally, it was a great idea for a beer and beer label...My Apotheosis Porter.

If a beer is good, a label makes it better

The creative process of brewing is far from complete with the formulation of the recipe.  I've enjoyed designing labels for my beers almost as much, maybe more.

My latest bottled beer is in the Oktoberfest/Marzen style.  I call it Galileo's Bane Oktoberfest.  Yes, a wonderfully creative name indeed.  At any rate, I like how the label turned out.

And this was my first attempt at a Lager.  It turned out good too.  Here is the recipe on Hopville.