Messages

1

The Pub / Re: Heading my way

« on: May 20, 2013, 07:39:39 PM »

I was helping my probrewer friends in east OKC. We had barely finished transferring to the conical when Moore got hit, and we evacuated the brewery for 45 mins before returning to clean up amidst a crazy hail storm. We were fine, but Moore is like a war zone. Thankfully my friends down there are safe.

2

Ingredients / Re: 3 hour dry hop?

« on: May 17, 2013, 10:12:35 PM »

I dry hopped a Barleywine for 3 months once because I didn't know any better. It won medals. Now I dry hop my barleywines for at least 1 month of staggered additions.  I like the resinous outcome. Seems to help fake the aging a bit. The end result always scores in the 40s.

3

Kegging and Bottling / Re: Handle on 20 LB CO2

« on: May 10, 2013, 02:31:09 PM »

That is a great price. I pay $50.00 to fill my 20 lb. tank.

I pay $50 to swap out my 50lb tank. Every 2yrs... 

4

All Grain Brewing / Re: REALLY no sparge

« on: May 09, 2013, 03:12:13 PM »

how big of a batch where you aiming for? this seems like a really cool idea.  Ive heard of similiar recipes with bread added as a starch source.

This recipe is for 5 gallons. The brewery I was talking with has a 15 barrel system.  Needless to say we're NOT baking that much grain!

5

Equipment and Software / Re: PBW

« on: May 09, 2013, 12:32:43 PM »

Better Bottles ... will not shatter.

No but they will stress and crack at the most inopportune times spilling precious homebrew everywhere.  If I do plastic, its a nice thick walled bucket...

6

All Grain Brewing / Re: REALLY no sparge

« on: May 09, 2013, 11:05:58 AM »

I do a no sparge, no boil, no hops to make my Egyptian historical brew. Just mashing baked grain breads with dates and chamomile. I sulfite it to kill the bugs, then pitch my starter. Over time it turns beautifully clear, and is a light bodied summer brew with notes of the chamomile and dates. Oh, and it keeps winning golds in 23A 

So yes, it can definitely be done.

Fascinating - can you post a recipe?

I've kept this one pretty close to my chest so far, but I'm trying to be less competitive and share the fun of a new twist on an ancient brew. So good luck, and let me know how it turns out. PM if you have more questions.  The feedback I get on scoresheets for this is very positive, and most people dont believe there's no hops or boil since its clean and balanced.

4lbs 2-row
2lbs flaked maize
2lbs white wheat
Close down your mill and grind away (flour isnt a concern here)

Add enough water to get it to all stick together, then dump it on a nonstick cookie sheet in a big pile. Place  a meat thermometer in the middle and set the alarm to 125F.  Place in a hot oven (425F) and bake until the outside is toasty brown (you'll see sugars caramelizing as conversion begin which is pretty neat) but dont let the core overheat because you want to preserve the amalyse enzymes.

Dump the lot into your mash tun. Add 2lbs of chopped dates and 1/2 oz of chamomile tea bags. Add all your water volume, dough in and target the mash at 155F then let it sit for 6+ hrs. It's fine if it drops down to 130F, you want this to be really fermentable.

Run off to a sanitized carboy, adding campden tablets to sulfite for 24hrs. Pitch your favorite yeast strain (WLP007 works nicely).  Ferment and treat as a regular beer from then on.

It will drop clear if lagered. No need for filtration.  Ages nicely as long as sanitation is good.  I tried to pasturize one instead of sulfite and it went lacto sour on me. Which also tasted pretty freaking awesome by the way, so feel free to experiment. 

Right now I'm trying to see if I can replicate the end flavors with some C60 and Biscuit to skip the bread making step, so it can be scaled up to work with a local microbrewery.

7

Kegging and Bottling / Re: Outdoor draft system

« on: May 09, 2013, 10:49:42 AM »

A 5-line glycol system runs about 700 GBP/800 EUR/1000 USD. I like your cooled PVC pipe idea. Alternatively, I wonder if sealing the PVC and filling it with water or glycol would work, with no need for recirc. Assuming perhaps convection would help keep things circulating.

I know why we like glycol for chilling, but since we're operating above freezing point, why not simply have a water recirc instead. Keep a container in the keg fridge, then use a cheap pond pump to deliver it to the top of the pvc line and let gravity return it to the fridge?

8

Kegging and Bottling / Re: Sticky taps

« on: May 09, 2013, 10:27:27 AM »

Why do taps stick closed after a few days of no pouring? How do you cure it?

Forward seal faucets like Perlick will fix this problem.

This.  Most cheaper faucets are rear sealing, which means when it's closed, the moving parts and mechanism that the beer just flowed over, are now exposed to the air, allowing them to dry out, gum up, and bugs to grow on them.  Rear sealing faucets need regular cleaning, and really need to be in continual use (like a bar)

Perlick faucets are front sealing, which means when the tap is closed, all the moving parts are in the beer behind the seal.  Therefore theres nothing to dry out, and a simple squirt of starsan up the faucet at the end of a drinking session is all you really need.  I've had Perlicks go unopened for weeks, and they pour just fine.

It seems just about everybody buys the cheap ones first, then upgrades to Perlicks.  I just tell everyone to buy the Perlicks to begin with.

9

All Grain Brewing / Re: SG OG BG FG,... why is my post boil reading lower than pre boil?

« on: May 08, 2013, 09:00:55 AM »

If measurements over 100f are worthless, how do you get a valid gravity pre boil?

I use my ATC Refractometer

10

All Grain Brewing / Re: REALLY no sparge

« on: May 07, 2013, 04:09:20 PM »

I do a no sparge, no boil, no hops to make my Egyptian historical brew. Just mashing baked grain breads with dates and chamomile. I sulfite it to kill the bugs, then pitch my starter. Over time it turns beautifully clear, and is a light bodied summer brew with notes of the chamomile and dates. Oh, and it keeps winning golds in 23A 

So yes, it can definitely be done.

11

Kegging and Bottling / Re: Problems serving beer!! Help needed!

« on: May 01, 2013, 07:07:20 AM »

On my nitro I have to have the gas turned up close to 30 to push the beer at a decent speed and it is still pretty slow on a 6 foot line. I have no idea what your flavor problem is, but it doesn't sound like your restrictor plate is working.

This. Line restriction on nitro is less important because the faucet does the restriction. I'm pushing 30psi out an 8' line, but I've even done 40pis out my 5' mobile kegerator. It's not the line. It's your faucet.

12

Kegging and Bottling / Re: Taking Newly Bottled Beer on a Plane

« on: April 28, 2013, 12:23:25 PM »

Ive never had an issue checking homebrew or unlabeled bottles. And even if one does blow in your bag, they work case is beer soaked clothes with glass fragments. It will not rupture a bag or cause a safety issue for the plane.

13

Kegging and Bottling / Re: Taking Newly Bottled Beer on a Plane

« on: April 26, 2013, 02:56:43 PM »

If there is any chance at all of a "bottle bomb", I would not even consider it. If you don't mind possibly pissing off hundreds of co passengers and a possible very public "colonoscopy"-- go for it.

I dont get this post at all. It's going to be in a checked bag, well packed by somebody who's clearly packed beer in luggage before.

To the OP, it'll be fine. Just let it sit and settle afterwards. RDWHAHB

14

Homebrew Competitions / Re: NHC regional experiences

« on: April 22, 2013, 10:10:00 AM »

I thought I'd bump this up to see how the other regions have faired...are we all done?

I judged Th/Fri/Sat in Tulsa.  I believe they finished up the last few categories on Sunday.

An unfortunately-timed Tulsa Craft Beer Week really ate into the local volunteer pool, but I was impressed with the organization.  The FOAM club does a nice job, and Desiree Knott is an amazing organizer.

Several judges came from Kansas, Arkansas, Missouri and Texas to help out.  Gary Glass also flew out to help, which gave us a certain street cred...not as much as if we'd had Janis, but beggers can't be choosers.   
I think a good time was had by all.  I saw a lot of really well-filled-out scoresheets.

Once again the single best improvement to this competition was the 2nd bottle. 
In review I'd be happy to send entries to Tulsa again and would judge there again, especially if they work on the local Fest scheduling to increase the volunteer pool.

any other regions/volunteers want to chime in?  Things you're happy with?  Areas for improvement?

cheers--
--Michael

I judged & stewarded on Saturday in Tulsa with the FOAM guys and High Gravity. Kudos to a well organized judging (lunch was great too!). Got to put a few faces to names I see on here or competition results pages.

Ross

15

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: New brew pot suggestions

« on: April 16, 2013, 06:57:46 PM »

Get a keggle.