CelticsStrong
Other Discussions => Off Topic => Topic started by: indeedproceed on September 04, 2012, 05:54:33 PM
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Hey, I've got a kind of specific request. I know there are about 10-15 homebrewers on here so rather than message all of you, I'm going to blindly just send this out there:
My girlfriend fiance wife has been listening to me kvetch about not having homebrew for around a year now. I quit because we moved, and my entire brewing setup was hinged on my house at the time. I've just never tried to make the transition at our new place. She is determined to make me make the transition, so for my birthday next month, she's gonna be buying some crap.
I need a banjo burner (we've got propane, but its a woefully tiny stove, and I'd use the whole tank in all likelihood):
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000291GBQ/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?ie=UTF8&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
I need a secondary brewpot:
http://www.amazon.com/Bayou-Classic-4042-42-Quart-All-Purpose/dp/B0000BXHL3/ref=pd_bxgy_lg_img_y
I need a clip on liquid thermometer:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000095RBQ/ref=ox_sc_act_title_5?ie=UTF8&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
I need a straining bag:
http://www.amazon.com/Nylon-Straining-Bag--Fine-Mesh/dp/B006O2F4FE/
I need a wort chiller:
http://www.amazon.com/Copper-Coil-Immersion-Chiller-Length/dp/B002NZNJG2/
I need starsan, and I need a bottle tree, but I'll likely make one, and buy the other on my own.
I also need a sweet new joint to buy beer kits, because northern brewer totally sucked the fun out of it by killing their $7.99 flat rate shipping. BTW, here is the crappy reply I got back from NB when I asked about it:
Hi There,
We did stop our flat rate shipping last Saturday, as flat rate shipping always will have hidden costs in the products, themselves. So, we dropped that in exchange for faster shipping times, lower costs on 100s of products, and our new beer kit guarantee, where we replace a beer kit for you for free if you are not satisfied with it.
Cheers,
Ilan
I mean, it'd be cool if the prices actually dropped, but the prices didn't drop. If I'm paying $40 for a basic kit with wyeast before shipping, they didn't drop. ANGRYYYY!!!!
Well anyways, I need deals. I want to make it as easy/painless for my girlfriend fiance wife to get me brewing again, and part of that is keeping the cost down so she doesn't spend too much of my our hard earned money.
Any help receives TP's.
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Funny, I just submitted an order to NB last night (so I can turn around quickly after hop harvest party this Friday at my friend's place), and noticed the change in shipping policy.
I ordered my initial brew equipment kit (the Gold with glass carboy, IIRC) from these guys:
http://www.monsterbrew.com/Cat-EquipmentKits.cfm
Otherwise, I've gotten my gear (such that it is) and ingredients from Craigslist, my local HBSS, and NB, so I don't have much experience in alternate vendor options for you, I'm afraid.
Still, I'm heartened by the fact that you're getting back into it. Hard to keep a good man down. Is the girlfriend fiancee wife a beer drinker?
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Yeah she's a beer drinker, and her taste is evolving, so she likes mine now too! Used to be she would see a racer 5 in the fridge and walk away. No more. I liked it better when she just drank bud light.
I'll check out the link lucky, thanks!
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I'm just getting back into brewing after a move, too (two batches in the past three weeks, though!). I've been buying my stuff locally, so can't really help with finding a new store. I've always loved NB, always gotten good stuff from them so I'd probably stick with them myself. Austin Homebrew, I've bought a few things there but they've always seemed expensive.
Brewmaster's Warehouse still offered $6.99 shipping, I don't think I've shopped there but I've chatted with the owner on HBT and he's got a great reputation. I'd take a gander at his stuff. He does that "Brewbuilder," where you put in your recipe and he blends it all together for you (so you don't end up with an extra half-pound of Special B or whatever).
Are you doing extract or all-grain? If AG, maybe make an investment in a bag of base malt the next time you're near a local shop, then you'd just have to buy your specialty ingredients on a per-recipe basis.
Probably better to ask this question on HBT, although you'll probably get three hundred responses to sort through.
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Oh, and MoreBeer still has free shipping on $59+ orders, but I've always heard that their shipping is a bit spotty. The one order I made from them (because I had won a gift card), they screwed up. It's also clear across country, and it takes a while' if you want to brew, you better plan ahead.
I've had good luck with Williams Brewing, too. Shipping is also subsidized.
Honestly, the best answer is probably for you to price out the total cost with all five or six of these shops with whatever recipe you're planning, and just see what the totals run out to. I never thought of NB as being cheapest, anyway, I bought stuff from them because they never once screwed up and stuff always got to my door pretty quick even with the cheap/free shipping.
Last; I'm guessing no local shops?
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So first batch in Ober a year is in the bucket as of last night. It's the Dead Ringer kit from northern brewer.
Everything went awesome. To everyone out there who isn't using a banjo burner (like you'd use for a turkey deep-fryer) and has the space to do it, stop wasting time. I got 7 gallons to a boil within 35 minutes, and there is no recover time when you cut the heat to put in your extract (if like me you haven't gone all grain).
Everything went great, my only wish is that my wort chiller was a bit bigger. Took 15 minutes of wasting lots of water to get the heat down. I bet I used 15 gallons total for a 5 gallon batch.
Also, if you're not using yeast starters, you're wrong. I've never seen a bucket explode like this before, had to go to a blowoff tube within 3 hours of sealing it. My airlock was already full of beer.
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Also Bird, since I never said it before, thanks for the responses. Gave me a lot to think about.
Another question: with a yeast starter, is there a huge difference between Wyeast and Safale dried yeast? I got 3 more kits, and one Wyeast and 2 safales. Is it worth buying the Wyeast in a separate order?
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So I've been nuts about Yeast starters. But, I think I done messed up.
I did a starter with 2 packs of dried yeast for a imperial stout I'm brewing on Tuesday. Apparently you're not supposed to do yeast starters with dried yeast (normally I'm a smack pack guy), and now I'm concerned about over-pitching.
Otherwise, got. Honey porter bubbling happily in the primary and a IPA stoic and beautiful in the secondary. Man I missed this.
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There is beer on my ceiling. My big stout exploded, twice. And the second time, I forgot to sanitize. Infection is very likely, but heaven help the bug that tries to compete with my yeast right now. It is just demolishing the beer right now.
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Just put another batch in the bucket. A big scotch ale with a 90 minute boil, and man it smells good. And thankful to be back using Wyeast after my last 2 Safeale batches.
Right now I've got too much beer. I've got an IPA I bottled last week, a honey porter Im bottling sometime this week, a Big Stout (that exploded in the above post, still holding out hope it'll work out), a big Lager that'll be done sometime in March or May, and the Wee Heavy I made today. For those keeping track at home, that's 25 gallons of homebrew, or 250 beers. Anyone thirsty?
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I just brewed a batch of a Bell's Two Hearted clone kit. Used the liquid yeast for the first time and I'm excited to see how it turns out. Hope it's good since it's gonna be like half my Christmas presents.
On the other hand, I just looked up yeast starters and concluded I'm in no hurry whatsoever to tack that onto the routine >:(
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I just brewed a batch of a Bell's Two Hearted clone kit. Used the liquid yeast for the first time and I'm excited to see how it turns out. Hope it's good since it's gonna be like half my Christmas presents.
On the other hand, I just looked up yeast starters and concluded I'm in no hurry whatsoever to tack that onto the routine >:(
The IPA I made was called 'Dead Ringer'. It used to be called 'Three Hearted Ale', and apparently it's like the Bell's 2 Hearted. I used the Wyeat American Ale II and so far it's been big, bitter, not as citrusy/piney as Id like but still delicious. Even flat.
How to make a Yeast Starter:
You need: 1 Erlynmeyer (sp?) flask, preferably 2000ml, 1 pound DME, stopper (piece of breathable foam to fit inside the flask)
0) 3 hrs before, smack the pack, leave somewhere warm
1) fill flask up 3/4, dump into pan, bring to boil.
2) Cut heat, add DME, return to boil, 10 mins.
3) Pour into flask, aluminum foil top of flask, stopper sink, fill sink with could water up to waterline in flask, put flask in sink, do something else for 15 minutes
4) pitch expanded smack pack into flask, stopper it with foam
5) everytime you walk past it in the next day, pick it up and swirl it to get the yeast off the bottom, give it at least 12 hours and not more than 48
Starters greatly decrease chance of infection, make better beer with less off-flavors, and are kinda cool to make. Takes about as much effort as making rice, all said and done.
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Also, I get to fuel my neighbors suspicion that Im cooking meth, with weird chemical flasks that contain a cloudy yellow substance. Win-win.
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This topic is all kinds of epic.
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I just brewed a batch of a Bell's Two Hearted clone kit. Used the liquid yeast for the first time and I'm excited to see how it turns out. Hope it's good since it's gonna be like half my Christmas presents.
On the other hand, I just looked up yeast starters and concluded I'm in no hurry whatsoever to tack that onto the routine >:(
The IPA I made was called 'Dead Ringer'. It used to be called 'Three Hearted Ale', and apparently it's like the Bell's 2 Hearted. I used the Wyeat American Ale II and so far it's been big, bitter, not as citrusy/piney as Id like but still delicious. Even flat.
How to make a Yeast Starter:
You need: 1 Erlynmeyer (sp?) flask, preferably 2000ml, 1 pound DME, stopper (piece of breathable foam to fit inside the flask)
0) 3 hrs before, smack the pack, leave somewhere warm
1) fill flask up 3/4, dump into pan, bring to boil.
2) Cut heat, add DME, return to boil, 10 mins.
3) Pour into flask, aluminum foil top of flask, stopper sink, fill sink with could water up to waterline in flask, put flask in sink, do something else for 15 minutes
4) pitch expanded smack pack into flask, stopper it with foam
5) everytime you walk past it in the next day, pick it up and swirl it to get the yeast off the bottom, give it at least 12 hours and not more than 48
Starters greatly decrease chance of infection, make better beer with less off-flavors, and are kinda cool to make. Takes about as much effort as making rice, all said and done.
Yeah, the Dead Ringer is the kit I made. Haven't tried it before.
I get the rationale for the starter, but the "Yo dawg I heard u like brewing so we made brew u brew b4 u brew so u can add brew 2 ur brew and make it brewier" aspect is a little daunting, since I already have trouble finding time as it is. Sounds like a problem for 2013 FWF, that guy seems pretty on the ball.
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next step for me is kegging...we have the corny keg, we did on batch on it, didn't turn out as carbonated as we hoped and we sort of dropped it. When I moved to a house and can put it on my own draft system I think I'll bring it back (I homebrew with a friend and he has the draft system)...
last few batches:
did 2 ciders - 7% each, one with British Ale Yeast, one with English Ale Yeast, noticeable difference believe it or not
did an IPA - came out very drinkable, not too hoppy. low alcohol though 4.5
just finished an imperial pumpkin, bottling tomorrow - 9% or so, tasted great when we last took the hydrometer reading..
..has anyone entered a contest?
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There is beer on my ceiling. My big stout exploded, twice. And the second time, I forgot to sanitize. Infection is very likely, but heaven help the bug that tries to compete with my yeast right now. It is just demolishing the beer right now.
Anybody remember that Stooges episode where "we all threw the yeast in!!" and it explodes?
Check this out:
http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/we-all-put-yeast-244802/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=XHQM4bkRgl0#!
Especially starts at 3 minute mark and culminates around 6:00.
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I get the rationale for the starter, but the "Yo dawg I heard u like brewing so we made brew u brew b4 u brew so u can add brew 2 ur brew and make it brewier" aspect is a little daunting, since I already have trouble finding time as it is. Sounds like a problem for 2013 FWF, that guy seems pretty on the ball.
I re-read the 'yo dawg' 3 times, and it checks out. That's hilarious and mostly accurate.
Yeast Starters for me are NBD, because honestly, it takes 15 minutes the night before, and you can do it while doing other stuff too. I managed to cook dinner while doing my last one.
And with Wyeast packs, I think it is even more important. Critical, even. Wyeast has the best yeast, it completely changes the profile of your brew, but even if you properly use the smack pack, you run a possible risk of under-pitching in any batch with a OG over say..1.060 (I'm guessing..I'm not that guy who knows this stuff off hand).
Plus, brewing is fun. If you can brew a brew before you brew your actual brew that you use to make your real brew brewier, who says no?
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Still having highly variable carbonation levels on my last three batches. Within a single batch, one bottle will be virtually flat, and another will literally geyser out of the bottle. I've had two friends tell me they ended up wearing the beer I'd gifted them.
On the other hand, my last batch of dry Irish stout turned out terrific (arguably my best yet), and I just transferred my second batch of gluten-free ale yesterday eve. Hoping it ends up as good as the first.
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Do you guys bottle or keg? My father and I brew and we keg it (he has a 2 tap kegerator). We've bottled once and I think that was our best batch, but we still keg. Wanna hear your opinions on it.
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There is beer on my ceiling. My big stout exploded, twice. And the second time, I forgot to sanitize. Infection is very likely, but heaven help the bug that tries to compete with my yeast right now. It is just demolishing the beer right now.
I just love how you reopened a 5 day old thread with the sentence "There is beer on my ceiling." I'm sure you love it a lot less than me though... so TP for that.
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The thread got me thinking and inspired me to post this even though I haven't a clue about brewing:
My best friend growing up began brewing over 30 years ago. He ALWAYS had a new brew when I visited and he experimented like crazy. Chocolate, fruits, chiles, all kinds of spices, flavors and varied amounts of hops, barley (and whatever else typically goes in). He never got tired of trying new brews and eventually got so good that he could predict in advance the amounts of new ingredients that would impact flavor subtley or robustly.
Sadly, he passed away about a month ago. I miss him a lot. Thanks for the thread -- you all got me thinking about how much he enjoyed brewing it, drinking it and sharing it. So for him I say, brew on!
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Do you guys bottle or keg? My father and I brew and we keg it (he has a 2 tap kegerator). We've bottled once and I think that was our best batch, but we still keg. Wanna hear your opinions on it.
I only bottle right now. I hate bottling. I want to no longer bottle. But getting outfitted for kegging will run me about $200 buck, so Im passing for now.
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And NG, that's really touching man. Thanks for sharing that with us. Homebrewing: bringing people together!
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Do you guys bottle or keg? My father and I brew and we keg it (he has a 2 tap kegerator). We've bottled once and I think that was our best batch, but we still keg. Wanna hear your opinions on it.
I only bottle right now. I hate bottling. I want to no longer bottle. But getting outfitted for kegging will run me about $200 buck, so Im passing for now.
I bottle. I don't mind bottling day so much, because my SO helps me out (she's a real trooper).
It's much easier to share homebrew when it's bottled. Plus, it looks cool to go down into the basement and see an entire bookcase filled with bottles of beer.
BTW, just yesterday I pulled out a bottle of my first batch ever (a bitter from almost 18 months ago), and it tasted fantastic: smooth and mellow. Very cool to go back into the archives and see what time does to a homebrew.
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Who is the Walter White of home brewery here?
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Who is the Walter White of home brewery here?
It's not art, it's just chemistry. And I'm more like Cap'n Cook.
But Lucky is pretty solid, and cdif and FWF have both been doing this a while. But the_Bird likely has the most streetcred.
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I love this thread. It brings back memories of home brewing I did about 15 yrs ago. Sadly, can't quite swing it now as my wife , toddler and I live in a typically small NYC apartment. I'm getting the urge now, though, after reading y'all's posts!
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Do you guys bottle or keg? My father and I brew and we keg it (he has a 2 tap kegerator). We've bottled once and I think that was our best batch, but we still keg. Wanna hear your opinions on it.
I only bottle right now. I hate bottling. I want to no longer bottle. But getting outfitted for kegging will run me about $200 buck, so Im passing for now.
I bottle. I don't mind bottling day so much, because my SO helps me out (she's a real trooper).
It's much easier to share homebrew when it's bottled. Plus, it looks cool to go down into the basement and see an entire bookcase filled with bottles of beer.
BTW, just yesterday I pulled out a bottle of my first batch ever (a bitter from almost 18 months ago), and it tasted fantastic: smooth and mellow. Very cool to go back into the archives and see what time does to a homebrew.
Bottling does have its upside. I'm lagering something that will run about 6 months to completion, and that involves a solid 2-3 of bottle conditioning.
But imagine, for a second, two taps. On one, your favorite ale. On the other, your favorite stout..ON NITROGEN.
Yeah, I got a Lil excited there too. Totes natural, nothing to work about.
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Do you guys bottle or keg? My father and I brew and we keg it (he has a 2 tap kegerator). We've bottled once and I think that was our best batch, but we still keg. Wanna hear your opinions on it.
I only bottle right now. I hate bottling. I want to no longer bottle. But getting outfitted for kegging will run me about $200 buck, so Im passing for now.
I bottle. I don't mind bottling day so much, because my SO helps me out (she's a real trooper).
It's much easier to share homebrew when it's bottled. Plus, it looks cool to go down into the basement and see an entire bookcase filled with bottles of beer.
BTW, just yesterday I pulled out a bottle of my first batch ever (a bitter from almost 18 months ago), and it tasted fantastic: smooth and mellow. Very cool to go back into the archives and see what time does to a homebrew.
Bottling does have its upside. I'm lagering something that will run about 6 months to completion, and that involves a solid 2-3 of bottle conditioning.
But imagine, for a second, two taps. On one, your favorite ale. On the other, your favorite stout..ON NITROGEN.
Yeah, I got a Lil excited there too. Totes natural, nothing to work about.
(http://i3.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/003/253/seriousmeme2.png)
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Do you guys bottle or keg? My father and I brew and we keg it (he has a 2 tap kegerator). We've bottled once and I think that was our best batch, but we still keg. Wanna hear your opinions on it.
I only bottle right now. I hate bottling. I want to no longer bottle. But getting outfitted for kegging will run me about $200 buck, so Im passing for now.
I bottle. I don't mind bottling day so much, because my SO helps me out (she's a real trooper).
It's much easier to share homebrew when it's bottled. Plus, it looks cool to go down into the basement and see an entire bookcase filled with bottles of beer.
BTW, just yesterday I pulled out a bottle of my first batch ever (a bitter from almost 18 months ago), and it tasted fantastic: smooth and mellow. Very cool to go back into the archives and see what time does to a homebrew.
Yeah, our great batch that we bottled did get better and better as time passed. I remember being sad drinking the last bottle.
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Drinking my IPA now, just about finished carbonating. But you need 75 degrees to natural carbonate with any speed. My house doesn't get above 70 (and trust me, it matters), so even after 2 weeks it's only about half carbonated.
Made a huge mistake in the hope addition. Added my 1 oz at the boil, but instead of adding my second ounce at 45, I added it at 15 (instructions were a bit misleading to my admittedly somewhat buzzing eye. 15 mins from end of boil, forgot the word end). Then, I only added one ounce instead of 2 at the 5 minute mark and the other one sat in my garage for a week and a half. I added it as a dry-hop.
Still tasty, but overly bitter up front wih little of the piney/citrusy aftertaste Id love.
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My next batch will be something I made up in my head that will probably suck.
An Irish IPA. 6lbs dark extract and 2 lbs Extra Light IPA, 2 oz chinook at the opening, 1 oz simcoe at 45, 2 oz chinook at 5 mins to done, specialty grains: .5 lbs chocolate, .5 lbs caramalt, .5 lbs golden oats
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Tried my honey porter tonight. Just stellar. Carbonated like a gem. If any extract brewers out there want to try a new kit, try northern brewers honey porter. Regrets, you will have none.
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I made a Belgian dubbel a few months back that's probably the best beer I've ever made. I've been having all kinds of issues with my efficiency (getting enough sugar out of my grains), but this one clicked. Did a small decoction mash, where I take some of my grains and boil them to add some extra depth of flavor and some color. Fermented nice and dry, but it's got a real nice, dark-malt backbone.
Have a cherry-oatmeal stout to get kegged this weekend, too. Should be nice for the holidays.
It's nice to be back brewing again after basically giving it up for a year while we moved and I got settled back into the new place.
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My next batch will be something I made up in my head that will probably suck.
An Irish IPA. 6lbs dark extract and 2 lbs Extra Light IPA, 2 oz chinook at the opening, 1 oz simcoe at 45, 2 oz chinook at 5 mins to done, specialty grains: .5 lbs chocolate, .5 lbs caramalt, .5 lbs golden oats
Sounds interesting, especially the addition of the oats (for mouthfeel, I'm guessing?).
I like Chinook hops. I use those and Cascade for my gluten-free offering, with the Chinook at the middle and end of the boil (Cascade for flavoring at beginning and middle).
Just bottled my gluten-free last night. Would have done it sooner, but discovered on Sunday night that the spigot on my bottling bucket was completely cracked in half. Had to go to the local HBSS for a replacement. One thing I am looking forward to seeing is the carbonation level on this batch. First time that I've measured out my priming sugar by weight, instead of by volume. Wondering if I'll end up overcarbonating this time.
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My next batch will be something I made up in my head that will probably suck.
An Irish IPA. 6lbs dark extract and 2 lbs Extra Light IPA, 2 oz chinook at the opening, 1 oz simcoe at 45, 2 oz chinook at 5 mins to done, specialty grains: .5 lbs chocolate, .5 lbs caramalt, .5 lbs golden oats
Sounds interesting, especially the addition of the oats (for mouthfeel, I'm guessing?).
I like Chinook hops. I use those and Cascade for my gluten-free offering, with the Chinook at the middle and end of the boil (Cascade for flavoring at beginning and middle).
I'm also adding 1 lb corn sugar and 2 lbs honey.
Forgot to add that.
Just bottled my gluten-free last night. Would have done it sooner, but discovered on Sunday night that the spigot on my bottling bucket was completely cracked in half. Had to go to the local HBSS for a replacement. One thing I am looking forward to seeing is the carbonation level on this batch. First time that I've measured out my priming sugar by weight, instead of by volume. Wondering if I'll end up overcarbonating this time.
This will be interesting. Are you using table sugar or what?
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Just bottled my gluten-free last night. Would have done it sooner, but discovered on Sunday night that the spigot on my bottling bucket was completely cracked in half. Had to go to the local HBSS for a replacement. One thing I am looking forward to seeing is the carbonation level on this batch. First time that I've measured out my priming sugar by weight, instead of by volume. Wondering if I'll end up overcarbonating this time.
This will be interesting. Are you using table sugar or what?
Regular corn sugar (dextrose).
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Just bottled my gluten-free last night. Would have done it sooner, but discovered on Sunday night that the spigot on my bottling bucket was completely cracked in half. Had to go to the local HBSS for a replacement. One thing I am looking forward to seeing is the carbonation level on this batch. First time that I've measured out my priming sugar by weight, instead of by volume. Wondering if I'll end up overcarbonating this time.
This will be interesting. Are you using table sugar or what?
Regular corn sugar (dextrose).
My IPA carbonated wicked weird. My bombers were fine, my bottles were...mostly uncarbonated or just half carb'd.
My porter was fully carb'd after 1 week. They stay in the same dark heated room.
I'm gonna move to tablets soon.
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Just bottled my gluten-free last night. Would have done it sooner, but discovered on Sunday night that the spigot on my bottling bucket was completely cracked in half. Had to go to the local HBSS for a replacement. One thing I am looking forward to seeing is the carbonation level on this batch. First time that I've measured out my priming sugar by weight, instead of by volume. Wondering if I'll end up overcarbonating this time.
This will be interesting. Are you using table sugar or what?
Regular corn sugar (dextrose).
My IPA carbonated wicked weird. My bombers were fine, my bottles were...mostly uncarbonated or just half carb'd.
My porter was fully carb'd after 1 week. They stay in the same dark heated room.
I'm gonna move to tablets soon.
This has been my problem lately too. Bombers only; maybe one out of every five or so will be adequately carbed or seriously overcarbed, and the rest are flat, flat, flat.
I've had no experience with tabs. If someone here has, I'd love to hear about it.
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My next batch will be something I made up in my head that will probably suck.
An Irish IPA. 6lbs dark extract and 2 lbs Extra Light IPA, 2 oz chinook at the opening, 1 oz simcoe at 45, 2 oz chinook at 5 mins to done, specialty grains: .5 lbs chocolate, .5 lbs caramalt, .5 lbs golden oats
Sounds interesting, especially the addition of the oats (for mouthfeel, I'm guessing?).
I like Chinook hops. I use those and Cascade for my gluten-free offering, with the Chinook at the middle and end of the boil (Cascade for flavoring at beginning and middle).
I'm also adding 1 lb corn sugar and 2 lbs honey.
Forgot to add that.
Brewed this last night. Calling it my Black Irish IPA. Not sure if offensive or not.
I ended up doing this:
Specialty Grains: .5 lbs chocolate, .3 lbs caramalt, .3 lbs oats
At boil: Add 1 lb Extra Light DME, 1 oz Palisades, 1 oz Chinook
30 minutes in: Add 2 lbs extra light DME, 3 lbs dark liquid ME
45 minutes in: 1 oz palisades, 1 oz chinoook, 1 lb clover honey, 1 lb corn sugar
5 minutes to end: 1 oz chinook, 2 lbs clover honey
I intend to dry-hop with 2 oz chinook.
It tasted good, OG was 1.075, and my Wyeast American Ale II was already ripping through it this morning with reckless abandon.
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3 lbs of honey? Volume-wise, how many fluid ounces is a pound of honey?
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3 lbs of honey? Volume-wise, how many fluid ounces is a pound of honey?
Hmm...probably 6 cups? Maybe more. It was in those plastic jugs, so it's hard to gauge. Lots of honey. It's a wonder Yogi Bear didnt bust down my front door. I really can't wait to try it. Dry hopping it next week, bottling it the week after.
Side note: the storm dropped >3 feet of snow on me yesterday. The only way out of my house, and I crap you not, was my garage door, because it opened up, not out.
About an hour and less than 20 square feet into my considerable driveway a neighbor from across the street plowed me out from the goodness of his heart. I rewarded (not paid, he would've done it for free, and he makes his own moonshine, great guy) with a sixer of my honey porter. Homebrew just tells bros you appreciate them.
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Frustration: I'd been saving a sixer of my IPA letting it even out. It's about 2.5 months from brew day.
Of the 6, I've tried 2. Over carbonated with off-flavors. Extremely annoyed.
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Frustration: I'd been saving a sixer of my IPA letting it even out. It's about 2.5 months from brew day.
Of the 6, I've tried 2. Over carbonated with off-flavors. Extremely annoyed.
Sorry to hear it. What kind of off-flavors? Not that it would mean much to me, since I've got nowhere near that kind of experience diagnosing off-flavors. Kind of curious.
BTW, Northern Brewer is now running a 48-hour promotion: a free 6-gallon glass carboy included with orders over $150. Code: FREE6ME.
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BTW, Northern Brewer is now running a 48-hour promotion: a free 6-gallon glass carboy included with orders over $150. Code: FREE6ME.
I got $175 in NB gift cards for Christmas so this is relevant to my interests. Thanks!
My latest batch was my first real IPA and it actually came out really well, despite rushing through the recipe so I could drive home. Even the case that went for an 1100 mile drive the day after it was bottled came out well. The stuff that stayed home is even better though.
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Frustration: I'd been saving a sixer of my IPA letting it even out. It's about 2.5 months from brew day.
Of the 6, I've tried 2. Over carbonated with off-flavors. Extremely annoyed.
Sorry to hear it. What kind of off-flavors? Not that it would mean much to me, since I've got nowhere near that kind of experience diagnosing off-flavors. Kind of curious.
It was really weird. An oniony flavor on the back of the tongue. It went with over-carbonation, so maybe it was related. I don't really know what caused it, I've found some sources that say summit or simcoe hops if over-boiled (which I tend to do) can create those off-flavors, but you'd think the whole batch would taste like that then.
And it doesn't..so...?
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It was really weird. An oniony flavor on the back of the tongue. It went with over-carbonation, so maybe it was related. I don't really know what caused it, I've found some sources that say summit or simcoe hops if over-boiled (which I tend to do) can create those off-flavors, but you'd think the whole batch would taste like that then.
And it doesn't..so...?
That is weird. Sounds a little like my first attempt at dry-hopping a pale ale, which resulted in oxidation. Coupled with overcarbonation, my ale had a prevalent off-flavor that might be described as oniony (though maybe not quite as sharp).
Strange how it would only manifest in a few beers, and not the whole batch, though.
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you guys are makin me thirsty!
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I'm gearing up to make a bourbon porter in a couple of weeks. I've never made anything with bourbon/other liquor before; anyone have any tips or things to be wary of?
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I'm gearing up to make a bourbon porter in a couple of weeks. I've never made anything with bourbon/other liquor before; anyone have any tips or things to be wary of?
Drinking too much of the bourbon before, during, and after the brew process.
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I'm gearing up to make a bourbon porter in a couple of weeks. I've never made anything with bourbon/other liquor before; anyone have any tips or things to be wary of?
Are you using the NB extract kit?
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I'm gearing up to make a bourbon porter in a couple of weeks. I've never made anything with bourbon/other liquor before; anyone have any tips or things to be wary of?
Are you using the NB extract kit?
Yes. I'm slowly trying to move toward some custom tweaking but that's one I plan on mostly doing by the book.
Drinking too much of the bourbon before, during, and after the brew process.
Ok, what if I just drink exactly enough then?
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I'm gearing up to make a bourbon porter in a couple of weeks. I've never made anything with bourbon/other liquor before; anyone have any tips or things to be wary of?
Are you using the NB extract kit?
Yes. I'm slowly trying to move toward some custom tweaking but that's one I plan on mostly doing by the book.
No input other than keep us posted!
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Another Northern Brewer 24-hour promo: buy one Better Bottle 6 gallon carboy, get one free. Promo code is BOGOBB6.
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http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/karls-ninety-90-shilling-extract-kit.html
Made this. Bottled, 6 days later full carbonation.
Of the flurry of kits I've made, Id rank it like this:
1) Dead Ringer IPA
2) 90 Shilling
3) Big Stout
4) White House Porter
The 90 Shilling was a departure for me. I love hops, love them. En masse.
But the 90 shilling is a new pleasure I won't forget. Well, I might, cuz it's huge and boozy as all get out. Sweet, but not overly so. Very malty. A deceiver this one, but don't underestimate it's ability to put you on your back. The reviews tell the story, highly recomended.
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http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/karls-ninety-90-shilling-extract-kit.html
Made this. Bottled, 6 days later full carbonation.
Of the flurry of kits I've made, Id rank it like this:
1) Dead Ringer IPA
2) 90 Shilling
3) Big Stout
4) White House Porter
The 90 Shilling was a departure for me. I love hops, love them. En masse.
But the 90 shilling is a new pleasure I won't forget. Well, I might, cuz it's huge and boozy as all get out. Sweet, but not overly so. Very malty. A deceiver this one, but don't underestimate it's ability to put you on your back. The reviews tell the story, highly recomended.
just be4 anything happens the beer have a secret air science like the wine?
i mean as in decant and air
I declare myself a bad beer drinker but a good wine one.
just because i learned one and sport the other.
any light on this one??
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http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/karls-ninety-90-shilling-extract-kit.html
Made this. Bottled, 6 days later full carbonation.
Of the flurry of kits I've made, Id rank it like this:
1) Dead Ringer IPA
2) 90 Shilling
3) Big Stout
4) White House Porter
The 90 Shilling was a departure for me. I love hops, love them. En masse.
But the 90 shilling is a new pleasure I won't forget. Well, I might, cuz it's huge and boozy as all get out. Sweet, but not overly so. Very malty. A deceiver this one, but don't underestimate it's ability to put you on your back. The reviews tell the story, highly recomended.
just be4 anything happens the beer have a secret air science like the wine?
i mean as in decant and air
I declare myself a bad beer drinker but a good wine one.
just because i learned one and sport the other.
any light on this one??
Actually, homebrews do need to 'breathe'. You shouldn't drink them from the bottle, you should pour them into a pint glass, not roughly ir through an aerator or anything, but not too carefully either; you want the head to form, you want the beer to breathe.
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Brewed up a black IPA (NB kit) this weekend - very curious to see how it comes out. Made my first yeast starter to go with it, but didn't really see much difference in the fermentation process. Also got to use my new wort chiller and bottle washer, which was fun.
Will start the bourbon porter up either this weekend or next.
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Brewed up a black IPA (NB kit) this weekend - very curious to see how it comes out. Made my first yeast starter to go with it, but didn't really see much difference in the fermentation process. Also got to use my new wort chiller and bottle washer, which was fun.
Will start the bourbon porter up either this weekend or next.
I did a black IPA a while back, did not come out well. It's a hit-or-miss style for me, I've had some wonderful ones and a few that were atrocious (like mine, and one from Element Brewing). I was trying to do more of an English version of the style (doing an English version of an American beer that's a Edited for profanity. Please do not do it again.ization of an English style; it worked better in theory). Just too much chocolately malts, not enough *sharp* hop character, and kind of a weird malt sweetness. Hope that yours comes out better than mine!
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Brewed up a black IPA (NB kit) this weekend - very curious to see how it comes out. Made my first yeast starter to go with it, but didn't really see much difference in the fermentation process. Also got to use my new wort chiller and bottle washer, which was fun.
Will start the bourbon porter up either this weekend or next.
I did a black IPA a while back, did not come out well. It's a hit-or-miss style for me, I've had some wonderful ones and a few that were atrocious (like mine, and one from Element Brewing). I was trying to do more of an English version of the style (doing an English version of an American beer that's a ****ization of an English style; it worked better in theory). Just too much chocolately malts, not enough *sharp* hop character, and kind of a weird malt sweetness. Hope that yours comes out better than mine!
I know very little about tinkering with recipes so far, but would a little extra dryhopping strengthen the sharpness of the hop flavor? The recipe calls for 1 oz of dry hops, but I have some extra laying around. Might toss an extra oz or so in if it's likely to be beneficial.
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Brewed up a black IPA (NB kit) this weekend - very curious to see how it comes out. Made my first yeast starter to go with it, but didn't really see much difference in the fermentation process. Also got to use my new wort chiller and bottle washer, which was fun.
Will start the bourbon porter up either this weekend or next.
I did a black IPA a while back, did not come out well. It's a hit-or-miss style for me, I've had some wonderful ones and a few that were atrocious (like mine, and one from Element Brewing). I was trying to do more of an English version of the style (doing an English version of an American beer that's a ****ization of an English style; it worked better in theory). Just too much chocolately malts, not enough *sharp* hop character, and kind of a weird malt sweetness. Hope that yours comes out better than mine!
I know very little about tinkering with recipes so far, but would a little extra dryhopping strengthen the sharpness of the hop flavor? The recipe calls for 1 oz of dry hops, but I have some extra laying around. Might toss an extra oz or so in if it's likely to be beneficial.
You could try the dry hopping. Or add the ounce to the end of the boil. What kind of hops?
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Brewed up a black IPA (NB kit) this weekend - very curious to see how it comes out. Made my first yeast starter to go with it, but didn't really see much difference in the fermentation process. Also got to use my new wort chiller and bottle washer, which was fun.
Will start the bourbon porter up either this weekend or next.
I did a black IPA a while back, did not come out well. It's a hit-or-miss style for me, I've had some wonderful ones and a few that were atrocious (like mine, and one from Element Brewing). I was trying to do more of an English version of the style (doing an English version of an American beer that's a ****ization of an English style; it worked better in theory). Just too much chocolately malts, not enough *sharp* hop character, and kind of a weird malt sweetness. Hope that yours comes out better than mine!
I know very little about tinkering with recipes so far, but would a little extra dryhopping strengthen the sharpness of the hop flavor? The recipe calls for 1 oz of dry hops, but I have some extra laying around. Might toss an extra oz or so in if it's likely to be beneficial.
You could try the dry hopping. Or add the ounce to the end of the boil. What kind of hops?
The boil's already done. Recipe calls for 1 oz Cascade as the dry hops. I have some Falconer's Flight and one other type of hops whose name escapes me but has a lower alpha.
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Brewed up a black IPA (NB kit) this weekend - very curious to see how it comes out. Made my first yeast starter to go with it, but didn't really see much difference in the fermentation process. Also got to use my new wort chiller and bottle washer, which was fun.
Will start the bourbon porter up either this weekend or next.
I did a black IPA a while back, did not come out well. It's a hit-or-miss style for me, I've had some wonderful ones and a few that were atrocious (like mine, and one from Element Brewing). I was trying to do more of an English version of the style (doing an English version of an American beer that's a ****ization of an English style; it worked better in theory). Just too much chocolately malts, not enough *sharp* hop character, and kind of a weird malt sweetness. Hope that yours comes out better than mine!
I know very little about tinkering with recipes so far, but would a little extra dryhopping strengthen the sharpness of the hop flavor? The recipe calls for 1 oz of dry hops, but I have some extra laying around. Might toss an extra oz or so in if it's likely to be beneficial.
Dryhopping will add to the aroma, which is absolutely what you want with any kind of IPA. My issues was that I was using English hop varieties (Fuggles and East Kent Goldings, IIRC), which have more of an earthy character than the sharp citrus of most domestic hops. The only real issue with doing more dryhopping is that you will lose some volume, but if it were me I'd probably do two ounces of dryhops instead of one.
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Thanks the_Bird, TP - I was thinking about it anyway, especially since it seems like the recipe was more malty/sweet and less hoppy than I'd probably want.
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I never knew such a wonderful thread on celticsblog existed..
Recently brewed up a pale ale with cascade hops and light+amber malt extracts. Usually when I would add more dextrose I added organic honey instead...the beer smells like a honey pot and tastes great. If you're one for adding extra sugar before fermentation I would definitely recommend a good organic honey.
Doing another ale batch next weekend with Amarillo and light/amber ale malts. Also thinking about another creative sugar source to use.
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I never knew such a wonderful thread on celticsblog existed..
Recently brewed up a pale ale with cascade hops and light+amber malt extracts. Usually when I would add more dextrose I added organic honey instead...the beer smells like a honey pot and tastes great. If you're one for adding extra sugar before fermentation I would definitely recommend a good organic honey.
Doing another ale batch next weekend with Amarillo and light/amber ale malts. Also thinking about another creative sugar source to use.
The honey pale ale post pour.... ;D
Adding the honey did change the color slightly...
(http://sphotos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/602162_10151508656445466_334792867_n.jpg)
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Tp for the awesome T.
TP for the delicious looking beer. There is an Irish draught kit from northern brewer that comes together like voltron with 2lbs of honey and some dry hopping.
The Amarillo you made, was it big? IPA?
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Tp for the awesome T.
TP for the delicious looking beer. There is an Irish draught kit from northern brewer that comes together like voltron with 2lbs of honey and some dry hopping.
The Amarillo you made, was it big? IPA?
Cheers!
Is this the kit you're referring to?
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/irish-draught-ale-extract-kit.html
Sounds like a delicious kit. It's funny... The honey has a predictable effect on the nose as you sip but an unpredictable effect on the overall flavor. I might have drink more of my honey ale tonight to get my head around it. :P
Will report back on the Amarillo once I begin the brew.
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Will be dry hopping my next batch....
Is there any difference between dry hopping with pellets or flowers? Should I keep anything in mind bar the weight? (obviously)
Have only ever dry-hopped with flowers before and have enjoyed the results.
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Will be dry hopping my next batch....
Is there any difference between dry hopping with pellets or flowers? Should I keep anything in mind bar the weight? (obviously)
Have only ever dry-hopped with flowers before and have enjoyed the results.
Well I don't have a local HBS, so I've only dry-hopped with pellets.
But I am about to order another bulk shipment (like 3 kits and some other knick-knacks), and I've been looking into this as well. Apparently, people swear by dry-hopping with whole-leaf, but brewing with pellet.
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(http://i.imgur.com/gtg0mhr.jpg)
Small stock up of ingredients for a brew this weekend. Plus the all important signature edition hobbit brew bucket ;P.
First time dry hopping with pellets...so will probably use a woman's stocking or chux wipe or something as a filter instead of dropping them straight in.
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(http://i.imgur.com/gtg0mhr.jpg)
Small stock up of ingredients for a brew this weekend. Plus the all important signature edition hobbit brew bucket ;P.
First time dry hopping with pellets...so will probably use a woman's stocking or chux wipe or something as a filter instead of dropping them straight in.
No need to tea bag it. (Ha)
Pellets dissolve
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Got the golden ale bubbling away at the moment. Some delicious smells emanating from the area.
Carapils the only semi-interesting grain used in this one. Added some organic agave nectar at the end of the brew as an experimental substitute for honey.
Dry hopping with chinook and amarillo. Will take it easy with the pellets first time round.
Thinking of getting a secondary going with my own variation of a boston lager and calling the end product the Molly Mcgrath.
That hallertau aroma variety sounds right up my alley.
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Who here uses a burner (as opposed to stove top)?
Been thinking of picking up a Dark Star burner from NB. Was wondering about the pros and cons of using a propane burner.
Edit: I should probably add: I do nothing bigger than 5 gallon batches, and my outdoor space is a covered patio (not a garage).
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Don't use a burner, so I can't comment on that.
But, bumping this thread reminded me that I CAN comment that my Wary Bear Black IPA came out excellently! It was a bit slow to carbonate but it worked out nicely. Thanks to the_Bird for recommending the extra dryhopping, the beer smells excellent.
The bourbon barrel porter (name TBD) will be bottled this weekend. And next up to be brewed is an Imperial Pale Ale.
Oh, and I made my first sale! Charity auction at my wife's college, a mixed 6er of our homebrew went for $34. It's not worth that much but I hope they enjoy it.
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Excellent, FWF.
Have an Irish stout carbing up (hopefully) in my dining room. I doubt it'll be ready this weekend, although that probably won't stop me from trying it.
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Have an Irish stout carbing up (hopefully) in my dining room. I doubt it'll be ready this weekend, although that probably won't stop me from trying it.
Yeah, that's how I always wind up doing it. The 5 day after bottle was pretty flat. The 10 day after was a little better, but still worrisome. The 15 day after had so much head it nearly overflowed my glass. Good times.
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Yeah, that's how I always wind up doing it. The 5 day after bottle was pretty flat. The 10 day after was a little better, but still worrisome. The 15 day after had so much head it nearly overflowed my glass. Good times.
I went easy on the priming sugar on this one, as my last stout was a little overcarbed (I'd prefer to err on the side of undercarbed for a stout).
I've started using Palmer's nomograph to determine how much priming sugar (by weight) to use, and so far, so good.
http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter11-4.html
This Sunday will be 14 days, although I didn't secondary. Bottled after two weeks in the carboy, which may have been a little early. Wondering if it'll need some extra time to condition/mature.
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Who here uses a burner (as opposed to stove top)?
Been thinking of picking up a Dark Star burner from NB. Was wondering about the pros and cons of using a propane burner.
Edit: I should probably add: I do nothing bigger than 5 gallon batches, and my outdoor space is a covered patio (not a garage).
I highly highly highly recommend the basic banjo burner from amazon. Not even the elevated or turbo (they dot call it turbo) model.
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Yeah, that's how I always wind up doing it. The 5 day after bottle was pretty flat. The 10 day after was a little better, but still worrisome. The 15 day after had so much head it nearly overflowed my glass. Good times.
I went easy on the priming sugar on this one, as my last stout was a little overcarbed (I'd prefer to err on the side of undercarbed for a stout).
I've started using Palmer's nomograph to determine how much priming sugar (by weight) to use, and so far, so good.
http://www.howtobrew.com/section1/chapter11-4.html
This Sunday will be 14 days, although I didn't secondary. Bottled after two weeks in the carboy, which may have been a little early. Wondering if it'll need some extra time to condition/mature.
I used to use carbonation drops/tabs before i had problems with over-carbonating my stuff. Now I use the same method as that site.
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Spam reported.
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Found an Arrogant B*stard clone kit from Brewer's Best. Really came out well and I'm not even a huge fan of the original. Great body and bitter hop bite at the end. Kit is listed as "Imperial Pale Ale" if you're interested.
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Has anybody made a coffee porter/stout? If so, any tips? Thinking of using this for the coffee:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8473/8147655719_e8b23c3cdf.jpg)
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Has anybody made a coffee porter/stout? If so, any tips? Thinking of using this for the coffee:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8473/8147655719_e8b23c3cdf.jpg)
Don't waste your money
http://www.splendidtable.org/recipes/lynne-rossetto-kaspers-coffee-concentrate
Its basically that stuff, but with extra preservatives.
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Has anybody made a coffee porter/stout? If so, any tips? Thinking of using this for the coffee:
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8473/8147655719_e8b23c3cdf.jpg)
Don't waste your money
http://www.splendidtable.org/recipes/lynne-rossetto-kaspers-coffee-concentrate
Its basically that stuff, but with extra preservatives.
Yeah we make our own coldbrew too but the Slingshot stuff tastes better. Must be all the preservatives.
EDIT: You're probably right that it's moot in terms of the flavor of the beer. But a friend was just talking on Facebook about having a Slingshot Coffee Porter and now I want one, or several.
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Philistine.
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Philistine.
Who you calling a Philistine? I am NOT a material girl! ;)
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Do not try to make stronger beer by adding less water, my friend did that and it was some stout albeit rough stuff. I didn't care after the 2nd 2 liter but prior to that it was nasty.