Messages

31

General Homebrew Discussion / Want to help me name a beer?

« on: April 13, 2013, 02:03:06 PM »

I am brewing a Belgian type pale ale, and need a name. I am using Summit hops for bitter/flavor, experimental hop HBC 342 for flavor/aroma, and maybe Nelson Sauvin for aroma/dry hop. If not NS, then I'll use Mosaic.
This beer will have some victory malt, some crystal 20, and some white wheat to go along with the base of Belgian pale malt.
I brewed a similar beer I named "Singularity", both for its uniqueness and the fact that it had a gravity like a black hole... So maybe something along the same lines? No prize for winning this "contest", just bragging rights.
Thanks, and I'll decide on a winner in a week.
Ben

32

The Pub / Re: I'm honored

« on: April 08, 2013, 09:41:01 PM »

That is awesome, Denny! You are definitely a pillar of the community here. Well deserved.
Oh, and Mort, you know if you had used a red cooler, you wouldn't have been injured...

33

The Pub / Re: The Wheel of Time

« on: March 24, 2013, 07:00:57 PM »

One of my favorite all time stories. Amol was fantastic. It ended just the way it should. Brandon Sanderson did an amazing job finishing the series. But I must day, books seven through ten were very dry and hard to get through. Well worth the trip. I started this series in'92. Was very upset when Mr Jordan died. I would recommend this series to any one who is a fan of fantasy.

34

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Boil Question

« on: March 19, 2013, 06:10:52 AM »

Fill it with water and see if you can boil it.  One burner on my stove is super strong will boil easily. I've seen both gas and electric stoves that could do it - and some that couldn't. It all depends on how powerful the burners are.

+1. Try it and see. Chances are, though, you'll have to get an outdoor burner. My stove would take about 2 hours to get to a simmer. Now I can get to a full boil in 20 minutes or less.

35

The Pub / Re: My "missionary" work!

« on: March 14, 2013, 06:41:23 PM »

Every brew day at my house gets a little crowded.

That would drive me nuts.  I've brewed with club members before and I'll do so again.  And any of my friends that would want to get into it I'd be happy to show them the ropes.  But most of the time I treasure my time alone in the garage with my mash tun and kettle.

My thoughts exactly.  I have brewed a lot of beers for demos and club events and get weary of answering questions while trying to keep track of the schedule.  It is much more relaxing to have the brew day to myself.

I guess I shouldn't say every day, I do get my brew days alone. But I do enjoy sharing my knowledge and experience with others, and likewise, enjoy learning things from others too.

36

The Pub / Re: My "missionary" work!

« on: March 14, 2013, 03:14:40 PM »

I've been brewing for almost three years now. I have gathered a "following" of other wannabe's who are intrigued by what I can brew. Every brew day at my house gets a little crowded. I have brought 3 guys into my club, and I am involved in a "brew buddy" system through my club, where I can mentor other new brewers and help them to develop their own system and style of brewing. None of my family have started brewing, but they sure love to taste each batch and eagerly await the next...

37

Extract/Partial Mash Brewing / Re: Another noob question

« on: March 13, 2013, 09:46:48 PM »

Ive had good luck with extracts doing the following.

Brew
7 days primary
Rack to secondary, 7 more days in secondary
check gravity, if close to estimated FG, prime and bottle.

ive had 0 bottle bombs

2c

I don't use a secondary any more, except for aging or adding fruits or other adjuncts. Current beliefs are that secondary fermenters are unnecessary. I leave my beers in the primary for 2-3 weeks, and once the gravity stops dropping, I'm there. Bottle time!

38

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: New Member

« on: March 13, 2013, 09:34:28 PM »

Welcome! And a member of the Maltose Falcons, too? Something tells me you will be a great addition to the AHA forums...

39

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: First time Homebrewer

« on: March 12, 2013, 08:32:46 PM »

One thing to add to Dr. Schmidlin's advise:  Good sanitation practices. I use star-san, and I can tell you, don't fear the foam. In small doses, it will not harm your beer.

40

All Grain Brewing / Re: Starter All Grain Equipment

« on: March 10, 2013, 09:36:03 PM »

http://www.homedepot.com/p/t/202315032?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=cooler&storeId=10051&N=5yc1v&R=202315032#.UT06DxlAvy8


Would something like this rectangular cooler work with the spigot in the middle as opposed to the side? its about 11.25 gallons, looks like big enough just wasnt sure if there is any effect on grain bed if the spigot is in the middle. Thanks again for the advice guys, I greatly appreciate your sage advice.

As long as the spigot is down low to the bottom of the cooler, so you don't have a huge amount of dead space. Otherwise, it should work fine.

41

All Grain Brewing / Re: Starter All Grain Equipment

« on: March 10, 2013, 03:16:18 PM »

I bought a 52 quart rectangular cooler from a major retail store for $20. The parts from a major home building store, $20. Quick and easy. And it doesn't have to be blue. Don't let these guys fool you, red is just as awesome...

42

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: maintaining temps in freezer

« on: March 10, 2013, 10:25:46 AM »

I have the same basic set up as Dean, but I use a chest freezer, and a two stage controller. A small space heater is great.

43

Beer Recipes / Re: Wee heavy and oak

« on: March 09, 2013, 05:46:32 PM »

Well, it's been one week in the fermenter. Checked the gravity. It went from 1.103 to 1.025. Still bubbling away. I think another week, and I'll rack it off and add the oak.

44

Yeast and Fermentation / Re: Funky Cider Smell

« on: March 07, 2013, 07:36:06 AM »

I use champagne yeast for my cider, and I get no sulfur smell. It finishes dry, but I like it that way. And no starter, just rehydrate and pitch.

45

Yeast and Fermentation / Re: Does fermentation ever totally cease?

« on: March 05, 2013, 08:42:01 PM »

I generally give my beers 14-21 days before checking gravity. Have patience. Yeast will finish when they are done. And +100 to Hokerer... Bubbles are not a great way to judge whether the yeast are done or not. 

To answer your question, yes, eventually fermentation does cease. When alcohol levels get too high, or food is all gone, yeast will flocculate out or die off. But they will keep working for months, just at a vastly lower rate than the first couple of weeks.
Brettanomyces will work for months and more, cleaning up the leftovers from the original fermentation.