Category: Society Of Barley Engineers

Aged Eggnog: Make it Now for December 2019

1/29/2019

Let's get one thing clear: I don't drink eggnog and rarely drink hard liquor, though I am partial to a hand-crafted Mezcal with a spritz of key lime juice from a tree shepherded by my friend Fabiola. Over the past couple of years, however, I have become aware of a tasty treat for the mouth known as "Aged Eggnog," a drink that just gets better over time.

Aged eggnog, which is infused with rum, cognac, and bourbon in my world, sings a beautiful song to your tastebuds and is good for two years or longer. But the batch you make will not last a year, based on my experience.

At the demand of the esteemed members of my homebrew club in Vista, California, The Society of Barley Engineers, I hereby share my "secret recipe" in four easy steps. Note: Studies have shown that the alcohol in this tasty libation kills nasty beasties over the course of three weeks if they are present in eggs. If you lose sleep over raw eggs, go with Pasteurized.

12 large egg yolks (freeze the egg whites for a future use)
16 ounces sugar
1.5 teaspoons grated whole nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla paste
1 pint half-and-half
1 pint whole milk
1 pint heavy cream
1 cup characterful rum (I use Maraud Steelpan)
1 cup Cognac (I use Martell VSOP)
1 cup bourbon (I use Bulleit Bourbon)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup maple syrup (I'm Canadian, what do you expect?)

1) Place the egg yolks, sugar, nutmeg and vanilla paste in a mixing bowl and beat a medium speed for four minutes.
2) In a separate bowl, combine the half-and-half, milk and cream along with the liquors, maple syrup and salt; drizzle into the egg mixture at a slow speed.
3) Pour your tasty treat into well-sealed glass containers. Store for three weeks in the refrigerator. During this time, the alcohol will kill off any nasty bacteria, according to popular science.
4) Serve with freshly ground nutmeg. This treat only gets better with time. Tell your friends about this ASAP -- they need to make it now to provide a nectar to friends and family for the holidays.

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Farmyard Cider with Big Bear Lake Terroir

3/12/2018

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Fall is a cider opportunity waiting to happen, so I jumped on the chance when Spencer Chambers of Honest Abe Cider offered fresh juice from Big Bear Lake to Los Angeles area homebrewers last October.

I pulled together a yeast starter a couple of days prior to the pickup. The yeast: Scottish Ale (Wyeast 1728). I used the opportunity to avail myself of Servomyces yeast nutrient, something I had read about with interest.

Spencer had procured fresh juice from an orchard in Big Bear Lake: enough for his cider house and for sharing with homebrewers in Southern California. I was the first to show up with an empty fermentation vessel ready for action. This was also a chance to pick up some of Spencer's cider.

My six gallon allocation of unpasteurized cider on 13 October 2017 included the following apple varieties: Gravenstein, Pippin, Granny Smith, Starkey Delicious, Fuji and Gala. The original gravity: 13 Brix/1.053. The pH: 3.5.

I placed the juice and starter in a 59F temperature controlled refrigerator. When the juice cooled, I pitched the yeast starter. The following morning, I oxygenated the juice and fermentation proceeded. On 24 October, I cold crashed on a final gravity of 1.009. On 22 November, I did a closed transfer to a keg. On 28 November, I balanced the flavor by back sweetening with apple juice that I had reserved from the batch provided by Spencer, along with apple juice and maple syrup that I picked up from Trader Joe's. From there, I carbonated the cider. The ABV was a sessionable 4.8%. After a long day's work, it was great to come home and enjoy a sparkling glass of cider while cooking up the night's meal. While the cider flavor was dry, the fresh aromas were white peach, melon and magnolia.

In January of this year, I shared the cider with The Society of Barley Engineers (SBE) in Vista, CA. President Derek Springer had asked me to speak and we agreed on a topic of fermentation alternatives to beer. It was great to share the story of the cider while my friend and fellow SBE member Stan Sisson talked about cider making. The other topics included making hot sauce with Brian Frederick and Chris Banker, and making cheese with Curt Wittenberg. I look forward to putting together a cider from the orchards of Julian next year -- I think the SBE group can point me in the right direction for that adventure.

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Aged Eggnog: Make it Now for December 2019

Farmyard Cider with Big Bear Lake Terroir

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