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By Gary Cathey

November 21, 2001 -- Charlotte, NC

I am Gary Cathey and I belong to The Carolina Brewmasters homebrew club. Back in 1998 I tried a brew session and had trouble getting my questions answered so I gave up on brewing.

 This past July I saw a place on Central Ave called Homebrew Adventures and stopped in to ask a few questions.I bought some liquid Malt Extract and did an extract brew. It turned out ok, but I was looking forward to the next batch.

I then did a partial grain batch and it turned out fairly well. Since then I have done numerous partial grain sessions. Most have turned out very well. I then started working out getting All grain equipment. I finally had the equipment needed but did not have the know how about all grain brewing. I attended an all grain brew one Saturday back in July, but was still unsure. After reading up on the All Grain process, and talking to Ale several times,I decides to go ahead and give it a try. I purchased the Repeats Wicked Ale all grain recipe and was ready to give it a try.

On Tuesday I built stands to set the Mash Tun, Sparge Vessel and Kettle on during the brew session. On Thursday afternoon I made the Yeast Starter, and cleaned the kettle and Mash Tun. Friday morning arrived. I was up and about early getting thing set up. At 8:30am I fired the burner for the first time and was actually quite nervous. The water temperature finally reached 170 and I put 3 gallons into the Mash Tun but the temperature was still at only 160 so I added some cold water to drop it a bit more. Oh my ! Now the temperature is 145. Well I slowed down a bit and added small amounts of hot water to finally reach a temperature of 154. I slowly stirred in the grain and rechecked the temperature. Still at 154 so I started the timer.

At the end of the 90 minute mash, I started recirculating the wort by drawing off the wort and gently pouring it back over the grain bed. I continued this for about 25 minutes. The brew look clear of particles so I then started the sparge. I had already brought the water temperature in the kettle back up to 170 and put 5 gallons in the sparge vessel. After a little adjusting, I had the flow about right.

I continued until I had about 6 gallons in the kettle and was now ready for the boil. I fired the burner and watched until the boil started. That's when I put in the bittering hops. I had to use pieces of ice to keep from having a boil over.

Finally things settled out and there was a good rolling boil going. After 35 minutes I put in the Irish Moss and sanitized the 6.5 gallon Carboy fermenter. At 60 minutes I added the finishing hops and two minutes later I shut the burner off and removed the hop bags and let them drain. The drainage was put back in the kettle. I then put the sanitized immersion chiller in the kettle and turned on the water. The drain hose flopped around and put some water in the kettle. It was then corrected and about 25 minutes later the temperature showed 72. I then drained the wort into the carboy and took it into kitchen to pitch the yeast. However the temperature was 82 so I had to put in an ice bath for a short while to get the temperature down to 72. Now I pitched the yeast starter and set up a blow off system. The carboy will sit in the kitchen floor for about a week and then I'll rack it into the secondary and finally bottle it about 2 weeks later.

The main mistakes were minor and will be noted for the next all grain experience. After the 90 minute mash time, I was supposed to bring the temp to 168 for 15 minutes before the sparge and I failed to do so. Also I forgot to set the outlet line on the chiller so I had water blowing around all over. These mistakes have been noted so hopefully the next session will go just a little better. I do think this session was very good for my first ever All Grain Brew !


Here are some HBA favorites:


BrewMaster: The Craft Beer Game: If you appreciate good beer, you'll love BrewMaster: The Craft Beer Game. Using mechanics similar to the classic card game rummy, players combine cards to produce six beer styles including ale, stout and Belgian. In doing so players will use some of the 90 beautifully crafted cards representing real beer ingredients. No beer knowledge is necessary, as this is not a trivia or drinking game. Indeed it is the perfect game for settings involving beer and non-beer fans alike. A Perfect Holiiday Gift!
Rocky's South Paw Swankey:: Pennsylvania Swankey was a common style in this state before being lost due to Prohibition. The term "Swankey" comes from the German "schankbier", meaning a beer of lower than usual gravity. This historic and very American style was brewed to be a session beer (a tasty, low gravity, low alcohol beer that one could sip for an entire evening of socializing without becoming too inebriated or too full). In terms of body and color it's similar to an English Mild Ale. It's hopped just enough to balance the malt sweetness with American varieties and flavored with aniseed. Our recipe suggests 1/8 oz. (approximately 1.25 tsp.) of aniseed as a starting point. This will give your beer a very subtle licorice character. You can pump it up if you like but be forewarned, a little bit goes a long way and the licorice flavor is not for all tastes. (Starting Gravity: 1.026 - 1.030) (Finishing Gravity: 1.006 - 1.010) (24 IBU's)
Bridget's Love Potion Saison: Saison beers are distinctive specialty beers from the Belgian province of Hainuat. These beers were originally brewed in the early spring for summer consumption, though contemporary Belgian saisons are brewed all year round with pale malts and well dosed with Belgian hop varieties. Lively carbonation ensues from a secondary fermentation in the bottle. The color is classically golden orange and the flavors are refreshing with citrus and fruity hop notes. (Starting Gravity: 1.066-1.070) (Finishing Gravity: 1.014-1.018) (Approximate Alcohol content: 6.5-7.2%)
Catherine the Great Imperial Stout:: Dark black example of a beer originally made specifically for export. Essentially a black barley wine it has high hop bitterness, flavor and aroma. The high hop flavor and aroma, though unusual for the stout style, are required for an Imperial stout.
Chappaquiddick Ale:: Chappequiddick Ale is a Boston style ale that is characterized by a malty body and medium bitterness with a very clean finish devoid of yeast characteristics. It will be medium to dark amber in color. A refreshing ale with the hues leaning towards tan. An excellent session beer! (Starting Gravity: 1.042-1.048) (Finishing Gravity: 1.007-1.013) (Approximate Alcohol Content: 4.0-4.5%) (35 IBU)
St. Nick's Holiday Ale:: St. Nick's Holiday Ale is a delightfully spiced ale with accents of cinnamon and vanilla. Mildy hopped with nice honey flavors balanced by the nutmeg and clove. This Amber colored malty ale will really warm up your winter nights. Brew early to make the Holidays! (Starting Gravity 1.070- 1.075) (Finishing Gravity 1.011 - 1.016) (Approximate Alcohol Content: 7.0-7.5%) (25 IBU)
Who is Gary Cathey?

e-mail: Gary
I am 54 years old and do heating and Air Conditioning work. I did one brew back in 1998 and got very disgusted because I could not get questions answered so I gave up on brewing. Back in July 2001 - I stopped in at HBA on Central Ave and talked with Ale and he got me back interested so I bought a recipe and have been brewing ever since. I have done a total of 10 extract and partial brew sessions. Last July I attended an All Grain session and watched how the brew was done but was unsure if I knew what to do or not. I got the equipment for the all grain from HBA and after talking with Ale I decided to give it a try. I already plan a second all grain session in a couple more weeks. I will also be doing occasional partial grain sessions also. I am also the web page author for the Carolina Brewmaster's and for a Flight Simulator web site. I look forward to putting some of my beer into upcoming competitions and see how they are compared to other's. I am hooked on brew sessions now !