Messages

1

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: 19th century brewing techniques

« on: February 22, 2011, 05:28:39 pm »

I'm mainly looking to familiarize myself with Colonial American brewing practices. I've found a few books that I think will be helpful for learning the history in general.

2

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: 19th century brewing techniques

« on: February 21, 2011, 02:47:55 pm »

Thanks for all the links. The reason i ask is because there is a 19th century museum/village in my area. They have a reconstructed brewery there from the mid 1800's. I'm looking to do some research on the process and techniques so that I could possibly volunteer there to conduct tours.

http://www.gcv.org/historic-village/historic-buildings/businesses-shops-and-professions/#9

3

General Homebrew Discussion / 19th century brewing techniques

« on: February 20, 2011, 06:06:02 pm »

I was wondering if any of you knew of some good resources pertaining to 19th century brewing techniques/recipes.

4

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Which varieties of hops are good for growing?

« on: January 25, 2011, 01:03:11 pm »

Once again good point. Either way I'll be learning something.

5

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Which varieties of hops are good for growing?

« on: January 24, 2011, 06:57:28 pm »

Thanks for all the input. I will definately keep to the American varieties. There is a hop farm that just started out a year or 2 ago in the Finger Lakes which is only an hour and a half away from me. I'm going to try and get ahold of them and see if they sell rhizomes.

6

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Which varieties of hops are good for growing?

« on: January 24, 2011, 09:46:07 am »

I'm just looking at Charlie's Hop Variety Guide and picking out what sounds like something I would like to grow. Thanks for the input on the bittering vs. aroma/flavoring. It makes sense now that I think about it. Also didn't know enough about Simcoe to know that it was patented along with Amarillo, Status, Warrior, and Tomahawk which means the rhizomes can't be purchased. Maybe I'll just go with Cascade, Sterling, and Crystal.

7

General Homebrew Discussion / Which varieties of hops are good for growing?

« on: January 24, 2011, 09:15:17 am »

This coming spring I am planning on starting my hop garden. I would like to start with 4 or 5 varieties. I was thinking about planting Cascade, Perle, Mt. Hood, Simcoe, and Nugget. Any thoughts or suggestions?

8

The Pub / Re: Favorite movies

« on: January 20, 2011, 06:15:47 pm »

Here's a random list of my favorites:

Pulp Fiction
Evil Dead & Army of Darkness
Monty Python & The Quest For The Holy Grail
Shaun of The Dead
Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas
A Clockwork Orange
The Shining
Spaceballs
Lock, Stock, & Two Smokin' Barrels

9

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: 1st time bottling and brewing new batch in 1 night.

« on: January 20, 2011, 03:07:04 pm »

Extract is fun and quick. Makes good beer too.

Going all grain is easy. Then the real learning begins...

I'm really excited to start all grain brewing and I've been reading up on the process for a few months now just to prepare myself for the first all grain brew day. It also really helps to have a resource like this forum.

10

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: 1st time bottling and brewing new batch in 1 night.

« on: January 20, 2011, 10:59:23 am »

Sounds good.    Although I usually do all grain I like making an extract batch occasionally.  Regardless, brewing & bottling in the same day definitely makes for a busy day.

Happy Brewing,
Brandon

I haven't taken the plunge into all grain yet. I'm going to get one or two more extract or partial mash before i make the switch. Plus i still need a cooler valve, an 8 gallon brewpot, and a propane burner.

11

General Homebrew Discussion / 1st time bottling and brewing new batch in 1 night.

« on: January 20, 2011, 06:28:50 am »

So last night was the first time I had ever bottled up a batch (Nut Brown Ale) and then started brewing a new batch. It was definately a busy night and I didn't slip into bed until 11 pm. A friend of mine brought over one of those True Brew Homebrew Kits. It was a Canadian Ale version. I happened to have some pale ale malt lying around so I decided to toast a half pound and steep it before bringing the rest to a boil. I'm hoping it turns out decent. I'm calling this brew The Toasted Canuck.

12

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: What's your first brew for 2011?

« on: January 13, 2011, 01:09:33 pm »

My first batch of the year was just this past weekend. It was a simple extract Nut Brown Ale. A friend of mine brought over the ingredients and since it was his first time brewing I supervised and let him use my equipment. Hopefully this will get him as hooked on brewing as I am.

13

All Grain Brewing / Re: Found a red cooler for mash-tun

« on: January 13, 2011, 12:58:35 pm »

Well I really wanted to get a blue rectangular cooler to convert to a mash-tun but unfortunately I found a red one tucked away in my barn. I think I'm going to spray paint it so i can get that 110% efficiency that I keep reading about.

Won't work, the plastic has to be completely infiltrated with the blue pigment for it to absorb the microwaves that destroy the glucose spontanogenerase.  You might try covering it with foil, some people report good results with this shielding method.

What were you storing in this cooler in the barn?  Sounds like it might be best suited for lambic production.

My wife and I inherited an old farmhouse with a couple of large barns and every other week or so I go scouting around for things I could possibly use. A couple of months ago I came across a CO2 tank with a dual gauge regulator and a whole shank setup for a kegerator. The only usable thing is the tank unfortunately. I came across the cooler last week. It was empty when I found it. I keep looking for a trunk full of money but no luck yet.

14

All Grain Brewing / Found a red cooler for mash-tun

« on: January 11, 2011, 06:38:48 pm »

Well I really wanted to get a blue rectangular cooler to convert to a mash-tun but unfortunately I found a red one tucked away in my barn. I think I'm going to spray paint it so i can get that 110% efficiency that I keep reading about.

15

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: What's Brewing This Weekend - 1/7 Edition

« on: January 11, 2011, 06:32:37 pm »

This past saturday I helped a friend brew his first batch of beer. Just a simple extract Nut Brown Ale. Hopefully he will get into brewing as much as I am.