Month: July 2016

Stein Brewing: What Happens When You Mention Beer-making to a Geologist

The process is dangerous but was a lot of fun.
The process is dangerous but was a lot of fun.
Stein Brewing is an ancient method of brewing beer that brewers used when they did not have wide access to metal pots. Before metal pots, brewers used wooden or clay vats, but they could not put the clay or wood pots in the fire to boil the liquid (“wort” in brewing terms). Since the liquid could not be brought to the heat, the heat had to be brought to the liquid. In lieu of fire, brewers heated stones and added them to the liquid in the vessel to make it boil. It was labor intensive and dangerous, but beer was so important to the society at the time (and, as some would argue, still is) that it was worth the effort. The process adds a distinct character to the finished beer, a sort of smoky caramel flavor that only happens from rapid, high-temperature heating of the sugars in the wort. This ancient beer taste is missing from modern beer, … until you mention home-brewing with rocks to a geologist.

Not only will we capture that long-gone taste, but brewing beer by the Stein Method adds a fun story and good time to your brew adventures. For this beer, we chose a recipe that is half-way between an Irish Stout (like Murphy’s) and an American Stout. It took about 5 hours to make and made for a fun afternoon. The goal was to choose a recipe or type of beer that would benefit from the caramelization of the wort from the hot diorite.

The ingredients:
Barley, malt, and crystal comes from the Brewers Supply Group:
9 lbs of American 2 Row Barley,
1 lb of Roasted Barley,
1 lb of Flaked Barley,
4 oz of Chocolate Malt,
4 oz of Crystal 60,
4 oz of Simpson’s Double Roasted Crystal,

1.5 oz of Nugget Hops from Niko Brew (11.1% Alpha Acid – to make the beer bitter)
-added at the beginning of the 60 minutes of rock boiling.

1 packet of US-05 Ale Yeast.

About 1-2 cups of cold brewed Dean’s Beans NoCO2 Peruvian coffee will be added to a portion of the finished beer.

Equipment came from The Brew Bag and The Weak Knee Homebrew in Pottstown Pennsylvania.

Rocks came from my farm (Triassic Diorite).

The large metal tongs came from the Ingalls Iron Works in Verona, Pennsylvania (where my grandfather worked – I’m sure he was smiling in heaven all day for us).

To prepare the wort for rock boiling, we mashed in (ie added the ingredients to the water) at 154 degrees F, using Brew in A Bag, heating the strike water with propane so we could achieve an accurate temperature. We could have used the hot rocks here, but that would not have added anything to the taste because it was just water. After an hour of simmering, the wort was ready.

Meanwhile, we heated diorite (the rocks) over a fire for several hours, using anthracite coal (from PA of course!) to get the fire hotter than with wood alone. Man, it was hot! After some discussion, we decided to dip the hot rocks in a bucket of clean water before adding them to the wort in order to remove most of the ash. The first round of rocks brought the wort to a simmer and I honestly thought we were going to have to use the propane burner to achieve a full boil. But the second round of rocks did the trick, working so well it caused a boil over. We used the steaming basket that came with the pot to easily remove the rocks from the wort once the boil died down and kept rotating in hot rocks for 1 hour.

We ended up with 6 gallons of the boiled wort (1.047 specific gravity – which indicates the amount of sugar present) which is now fermenting as you read this. In about a month, we’ll taste it and determine the success of our first Stein beer adventure. Hopefully, it is tasty, but will definitely be something you can’t buy in a store, and a really good story to share as well.

Here is a video of putting a hot rock into the wort (click on the “Stein Brewing” below):
Stein Brewing

There is a lot of science in homebrewing, it is a lot like baking, you have to know what you are doing for it to turn out right.
There is a lot of science in homebrewing, it is a lot like baking, you have to know what you are doing for it to turn out right.
Getting the water at the perfect temperature before adding the ingredients, Nick Tier was the mastermind.
Getting the water at the perfect temperature before adding the ingredients.
It is important to choose a beer to brew that will be enhanced by this method of hot rock brewing.
It is important to choose a beer to brew that will be enhanced by this method of hot rock brewing.
We really liked The Brew Bag
We really liked The Brew Bag
Diorite here, get your piping hot diorite here!
Diorite here, get your piping hot diorite here!
This was a great feature to the kettle that we bought at the Weak Knee Homebrew in Pottstown PA.
This was a great feature to the kettle that we bought at the Weak Knee Homebrew in Pottstown PA.
Adding anthracite coal to the fire kept it very hot but manageable in size.
Adding anthracite coal to the fire kept it very hot but manageable in size.
We used two sets of hot rocks to maintain a boil for an hour.
We used two sets of hot rocks to maintain a boil for an hour.
We added the best coffee on the planet to a portion of the brew, Dean's Beans, it is so good I get it shipped to my home (Rey the Kitten for scale).
We added the best coffee on the planet to a portion of the brew, Dean’s Beans, it is so good I get it shipped to my home (Rey the Kitten for scale).

Crisis Averted Hotdog Tommy’s is Alive and Well in Cape May

This winter, there was a rumor that one of my favorite Cape May New Jersey businesses, Hotdog Tommy’s, was being sold. After some investigating, I found it to be true and literally had to sit down. The thought of losing my summer lunchtime staple was overwhelming (yes, I count my blessings every day if this is indeed a problem in my life!). My wife laughed at my ridiculousness and fatalistic melancholy as I texted friends who would be equally devastated.

But wait, … as details emerged the business was just being sold, and the heavenly hotdog creations will live on! There will be no more interactions with Tom Snyder (the creator of this hotdog haven), which is still a loss, however. My obvious over-exaggerated fondness for Hotdog Tommy’s and Tom Snyder may be baffling, if you have never eaten there. But, I am not the only one who loved the place and the man in his hotdog hat with an amazing memory (wear a Penn State VB shirt there once, and he will talk to you about it every time he sees you). In May, my friend Ed Ritti (who lives in Ocean City, NJ) called me and told me “Saturday (May 21st) is Tommy’s last day, the kids and I have to go say goodbye to him, we have to go!” Yep, Ed drove 45 minutes one way to say goodbye to a guy that occasionally sold him a hotdog, that is how unique and fun Tom Snyder is and gives a hint of how much that little hotdog place meant to so many people.

On my first June shore daytrip, I cautiously stopped by my beloved spot and ordered the critical test hotdog to see if, indeed, the food was going to be as good as “the old days”. I ordered the “Slaw Dog Leaner Wiener” because it had Miss Mary’s cole slaw as a topping – the recipe of which masterminded by Tom’s wife Mary, the maker of all the toppings. Everyone knows there are two types of cole slaw in the world, the kind made with love, or the sad salad you scrape off your hotdog and push around your plate. To my delight, the food was exactly as I had remembered and the credit for that goes to the new owners Bruce and Deena Carlino.

Bruce recognizes that the customers, although missing the funny and friendly Snyder, still wanted that same great beach food. He hired back the same workers and made sure he got all the recipes from Mary Snyder. Yes, that cole slaw was made with love just like Mary used to make it. It was after that first visit I decided to write this piece and let everyone I know that all is not lost in hotdog-land with Tom Snyder retiring from the Cape May hotdog business.

I got my usual order yesterday (Slaw Dog Leaner Wiener, Dock Dog Bad Dog, large Slushy Coke) and let the new owner know how thankful I was for the nice seamless transition. He was on the phone at the time so I had to wait a few minutes to talk to him, and guess who he was talking to? Tommy Snyder! He checks in with him every week or so.

So for all those fans of Hotdog Tommy’s, remain calm, the business is in good hands and your favorite gourmet hot dog is waiting for you. And if you have yet to experience this hotdog heaven, it is located on Jackson Street and Beach Avenue in Cape May. In closing I’d like to express my gratitude to Tom Snyder for the countless laughs and great meals over the years, the best of luck to him and Mary in the future, and a sincere thank you for handing over the business to Bruce and Deena as they will continue the tradition.

Dock Dog Bad Dog on the left, Dock Dog Leaner Wiener on the right

Both are Berks Products, a fantastic source for his hotdogs. Bad Dog vs. Leaner Wiener has been the source of many a debate on Jackson Street outside of Hotdog Tommy's. One plus to the Leaner Wiener is the bun-condiment-hotdog per bite ratio seems better than the Bad Dog.
Both are Berks Products, a fantastic source for his hotdogs. Bad Dog vs. Leaner Wiener has been the source of many a debate on Jackson Street outside of Hotdog Tommy’s. One plus to the Leaner Wiener is the bun-condiment-hotdog per bite ratio seems better than the Bad Dog.

Original Hotdog Tommy’s owner Tom Snyder

Photo credit goes to fellow hotdog connoisseur Ed Ritti.
Photo credit goes to fellow hotdog connoisseur Ed Ritti.

New Hotdog Tommy’s owner Bruce Carlino

All dogs are refrigerated and never frozen and he has a Vegan option and also a gluten-free bun, just ask when ordering!
All dogs are refrigerated and never frozen and he has a Vegan option and also a gluten-free bun, just ask when ordering!

Ritti boys enjoying Hotdog Tommy’s

They also serve a cup I like to get called a Potato Tornado, a fantastic blend of mashed potatoes, Miss Mary's chilli sauce, cheddar cheese, salsa, banana peppers and sour cream.
They also serve a cup I like to get called a Potato Tornado, a fantastic blend of mashed potatoes, Miss Mary’s chilli sauce, cheddar cheese, salsa, banana peppers and sour cream.

Menu page 1

Please know how to order, us regulars will appreciate it.
Please know how to order, us regulars will appreciate it.

Menu page 2

Don't forget about the Slushy Coke, . . . . I wish I had one of those machines at home.
Don’t forget about the Slushy Coke, . . . . I wish I had one of those machines at home.