Topics

1

The Pub / self driving car

« on: May 20, 2013, 11:43:52 AM »

I want one of these . . . they just need to improve it a bit and get it to market.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2419184,00.asp

2

The Pub / best ereader

« on: April 28, 2013, 10:18:02 AM »

Inspired by corky's thread . . .

I have an e-ink kindle that I love.  Unfortunately I learned that they cannot be bent in half and still function properly, so I need to get a replacement.  I'm leaning towards the same thing because the price is right and I know I will like it, but I am open to something different if it might be better.

So does anyone have any recommendations?

3

The Pub / automatic tip

« on: April 14, 2013, 02:32:05 AM »

I was recently at a pub with some people, and apparently we hit their "automatic gratuity" number of patrons - there was 6 of us, which seems like a low number but ok.  I didn't realize this, and when the tab came I threw down a card to pay for it without going over the details.  When they ran it and brought it back the itemized receipt was gone and there was no tip listed.  So I tipped a good amount and didn't worry much about it, although the total did seem high.  We had been having a lot of fun including sampling nearly 20 beers, so I was not as focused as I could have been.

I will concede the fact that the double tip was my fault, but I am still a bit grumpy about it.  I feel the waiter should have at least made sure to point out it was included when he dropped off the tab (which happened at another place earlier in the day when more of us were out), or if not, then it should have been obvious I didn't realize it was included when I threw a full tip on top of the automatic tip.

It's not that I necessarily want my money back - in fact I don't know what would make me happy.  I guess it just comes down to a bad experience, one that I will survive (have survived).  I want to say something to the owner but that feels like going a bit too far.  It's not really fair to the pub, but that one guy left me feeling cranky about the place.  Blah.

4

Equipment and Software / hop screen

« on: April 05, 2013, 04:10:21 PM »

Ok, I need to build some kind of hop screen - no more hoppy beers until I do.  I've had to back flush the chiller twice now, and it's ruining my day.

I need something that will block pellets, is totally removable, and preferably attaches to the kettle via a tube that I can just shove into the kettle outlet.  I think a short piece of 1/4" copper will fit in the hole just fine, perhaps tightly enough to stay in place.  I'll figure that out.  But I need some kind of filter.  I'm thinking stainless mesh folded, crimped, and attached to the copper.

Anyone have any other ideas?

5

Ingredients / citra, sorachi ace, centennial

« on: April 01, 2013, 10:07:15 PM »

Has anyone tried citra, sorachi ace, and centennial together?

I'm planning an IPA using what I've got on hand, which means roughly for each 5 gallons 1 oz of citra, 1.3 oz of sorachi ace, and maybe 1.1 oz of centennial (oz instead of g for you Keith).  The bittering will be warrior, and I'll use some Falconer's Flight to add a backbone of flavor/aroma.  I'm thinking of doing the citra/centennial late or dry hop and saving the sorachi ace for another beer.  I'm just not sure the sorachi will go well with the citra/cents.  They are 2011 crop citra by the way.

Thoughts?

6

Going Pro / kegs

« on: February 24, 2013, 11:38:12 PM »

Has anyone used these kegs at all, or know anything about them?  Good price, not too far from here.
http://www.gopherkegs.com/c.aspx?n=Pricing

If you have other recommendations for keg suppliers let me know - we're looking for 1/4 bbl kegs for use with beer and soda, 20-30 of them.

7

Equipment and Software / pump noise

« on: January 31, 2013, 03:57:38 PM »

I've got a pump running glycol from the chiller and it makes a weird buzzing noise.  One pump does it and one doesn't, so clearly something is wrong.  I thought that there might be some air in the head, so I loosened the nut to vent it and the pump quieted right down - success!  Unfortunately when I tightened the nut again the noise picked right back up.

Can anyone tell me what is going on and how to fix it?

Here is a pic of the head zoomed in for part numbers, the nut is on the left.

8

Equipment and Software / propane vs natural gas

« on: January 14, 2013, 02:05:30 PM »

I don't have much experience with different types of gas, but this looks like a natural gas burner to me.  And correct me if I'm wrong, but running propane through a natural gas burner will cause it to burn less completely and create extra soot which will build up on the underside of the kettle, further cutting efficiency.  Does that all sounds about right?

Can anyone help me with calculating efficiency so I can figure out the relative value (heating capacity per $) of propane vs. natural gas in my market?  I haven't looked up the prices yet, but I figure there has to be some way to compare the two.

9

Equipment and Software / butterfly vs. ball

« on: January 08, 2013, 03:15:55 PM »

What do you think are the relative merits between butterfly and ball valves?

I figure the butterfly valve is easier to clean, but the ball is less likely to get clogged.  Anything I'm missing?

10

The Pub / The Rivalry

« on: November 17, 2012, 09:33:06 AM »

Off to watch the most played rivalry in football, and the longest uninterrupted rivalry series.  In an odd coincidence, two of my homebrew club members (from a club of about 15) also went to this same small engineering school 2800 miles away.  We get together at a bar to watch the telecast.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rivalry_%28Lehigh%E2%80%93Lafayette%29

11

Going Pro / Going going gone . . .

« on: November 11, 2012, 06:57:54 PM »

For the last couple of months I've been working at a side job - head brewer at Bluebird Brewing in Seattle.  It's a part time thing, working on a 2 BBL system.  We've got a couple of 3 bbl glycol chilled conicals that are nice, but mostly it is an oversized homebrew system.  MM3, March pump, propane burners, etc.  Kegging in 1/2 bbl sankes.

Bluebird is better known for ice cream - there are three shops around Seattle.  The brewing system is in the back of one of them.  We haven't started selling beer yet, there was a ton to do to get it all up and running, and like I said it's a part time thing.  I finished hooking up an 8 product trunk line this weekend - 4 will be beer, and 4 soda (it's an ice cream shop after all).  The beers will mostly be geared towards things that go well with ice cream, for making floats and stuff - they're really popular.

We'll start selling our beer in one location this Thursday.  The beers will be our coffee porter, strong blonde, and chocolate stout, plus a guest tap of pale ale.  The sodas will be our rootbeer, cream soda, snickerdoodle soda, and a guest tap of ginger beer.

I'm not sure when we'll put our beer on at the second location.  It already has 8 taps and has been selling other people's beer for a year or two, but I'll convert 4 of them for soda and we'll save 3 taps for our beers.  The third location will have to wait until we find some coolers (for the right price) we can use for the beer.

The first two beers (coffee porter, strong blond) were brewed by the guy who set up the system, a pro brewer who is friends with the owner.  He got the system installed and did a couple of test batches, then turned it over to me.  We've since added the two conicals, rebuilt the mill table, installed the draft system, and a bunch of other small projects.  And be "we" I mean me.  The first batch I did was the chocolate stout - it was served at a beer festival this weekend and got 3rd place (out of ~60 beers) in the people's choice voting.

It's a one-man show, and it's been a lot of work, but I'm having fun!

12

Equipment and Software / beersmith and lactose

« on: October 26, 2012, 01:41:54 PM »

I've noticed that when you add lactose to a recipe in beersmith it automatically raises the OG and[\i] the estimated ABV.  Since it is unfermentable it should raise the OG and FG by the same amount and have no affect on the ABV.

Anyone have an idea for how to fix this?

13

The Pub / geography of craft beer

« on: August 20, 2012, 10:55:39 AM »

In case you missed it:

http://www.theatlanticcities.com/arts-and-lifestyle/2012/08/geography-craft-beer/2931/

14

All Things Food / hatch chiles

« on: August 20, 2012, 10:49:42 AM »

I just saw a sign at my local grocery store that they will be roasting hatch chiles next Friday!  I've never seen that around here, so I'm really excited to get a box.

The question then is, what do I do with them?  I'm having a bbq the next day, so I'm thinking of using them make atomic buffalo turds.  Do you think they will hold up?  What else can I do with them?  I'll also be serving pulled pork with a NC style vinegar sauce and some smoked sausages.

Any that don't get used will be vacuum sealed and frozen, no worries there

15

All Things Food / meat slicers

« on: July 08, 2012, 10:46:25 PM »

I know a few folks on here have them . . . any recommendations?  It's time to start thinking about getting one.