So nice we had to do it twice! Inspired by Andy’s double decocted German Pilsner brew day, we had to run it back the following weekend. Paul brought his equipment to my house, braving the wind, cold, and rain to brew up a double decocted Munich Dunkel. Armed with a pop up tent, propane burner, and plenty of layers, nothing was going to stop this brew day! I was able to retreat to the shelter of the garage, brewing a Czech Pale Lager, with a triple decoction thrown in for good measure (and to extend the brew day an extra couple hours).
For me, this was a day of many firsts. From a different approach to water treatment (including deoxygenating the mash water!), three decoctions, and post-boil pH adjustments (using Andy’s homemade sauergut), few aspects of my typical brew day was left unadjusted. That’s why brewing with others can be so incredibly valuable. I was able to lean heavily on Andy and Paul’s experience to work through ideas, make changes on the fly, and to begin planning out tweaks and improvements in my system and process. If you haven’t spent a day (or more) brewing with friends, I highly encourage it. The company alone is amazing, but having like-minded friends who you can bounce ideas off of in real time is incredible. Homebrewing is about sharing knowledge (at least in my opinion), and I know I’m a better brewer today because of the people who have been generous with their time and experience.
So, now we wait – the yeast are doing their thing, and in the coming weeks/months we’ll see how all these process changes impacted the final product. I know I’m looking forward to sampling Paul’s Dunkel, and seeing how this Czech Pale ends up turning out. If you have an upcoming brew day and want some company, be sure to post! There are plenty of Underground Brewers ready to join in, whether brewing alongside, or just coming to hang out on brew day. Have gear, will travel.
