Messages

1096

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Cost Per Batch?

« on: April 11, 2010, 04:48:52 PM »

I buy malt from a brewpub for $0.50/pound. hops by the pound and dry yeast for basic recipes.  Even figuring equipment costs of $5 per batch, which is probably twice what it really is,   I can easily brew 10 gallons of a standard porter, pale ale or oatmeal stout for under $25.  I don't brew to save money, I never have, but the way I see it is that the money saved can be spent on my next beer focused vacation.

1097

Ingredients / Re: Planting hop rhizomes

« on: April 08, 2010, 11:28:08 AM »

Just out of curiosity, what happens if you don't trim the roots back? I just tried doing mine last week and I pulled out a good twelve footer. Got me wondering if I was hurting production by doing that. The big concern I had was the varieties intermingling, but I couldn't decide if intermingled feeder roots had any impact on that.

If you don't trim the roots back they will take over your yard.  You're not cutting near the main crown so it doesn't hurt the plants at all.  The roots can grow 2 or 3 feet per year in every direction, then you start having sprouts coming up all along those roots.  I guess that's fine if you have all the room in the world, but it would also make it very hard to trellis the bines if they cover an area 5 or 6 feet in diameter per plant.

1098

The Pub / Re: Would you eat whale meat?

« on: April 06, 2010, 12:03:13 PM »

Like others, I'm not big on whale hunting, but I'd try it if it was offered to me.  I've eaten some pretty interesting stuff over the years - even some rattlesnake.

Rattlesnake is probably the toughest meat I've ever eaten.  Horse is probably the tastiest, tenderest meat I've ever had.  I wouldn't give whale a second thought but like some others have said it's not something I'm going to search for. 

1099

Ingredients / Re: Fourth year of hops

« on: April 03, 2010, 09:28:25 AM »

http://s362.photobucket.com/albums/oo65/rocdoc1/my%20beer%20stuff/?action=view&current=WeeHeavyOctober2009001.jpg
Check out this 5 year old Cascade crown, and I still didn't get it all out of the ground.  Yesterday I noticed hops bines coming up all over the area I dug this out of.  You can see how it would be near impossible to keep this monster down to 2 bines.

1100

Ingredients / Re: Planting hop rhizomes

« on: April 03, 2010, 06:13:40 AM »

Plant them where they'll get plenty of sun.  Also remember that the roots grow amazingly fast so you'll need to plant them in a place you can get to them to trim the roots every 2 or 3 years.  Also don't plant them near tomatoes, I don't remember why but they don't like each other.

1101

Ingredients / Re: hop growing in the nv desert

« on: April 03, 2010, 06:08:24 AM »

I grow Cascades and Nuggets in he New Mexico desert, they do great.  I use drip irrigation and water them twice per week.  The roots need to dry out, you don't want them soggy.  And the lack of humidity keeps a lot of problems like insects and mildew under control.  I have very alkaline crappy soil but that's easy to fix with some well composted steer manure, plus I add sand for better drainage.  Go for it

1102

The Pub / Re: Mosquitoes

« on: March 31, 2010, 09:03:02 AM »

In fact it is the deadliest animal in the world.

Kills more people than all of the other animals put together.

I thought the fried chicken was the deadliest animal, maybe that's just in the US.

1103

Beer Recipes / Re: Gonna try a Dubbel....

« on: March 30, 2010, 11:05:12 AM »

I just brewed a quad, basically just a dubbel with a bunch more base malt.  I used D2 but no other sugar. OG came in at 1.094.  I mashed it at 148F and it's been fermenting like crazy for 10 days, starting around 60F now at 70F.
Recipe for 10 gallons
30 pounds Pilsner malt
3 pounds wheat
1.5 pounds Special B
1.5 pounds CaraVienne
Mash about one hour at 148F, batch sparge(3 batches)
2 bottles D2 syrup
3.5 oz's Hallertau 60 minutes
2 oz Saaz at 20 minutes
White Labs Abbey yeast

1104

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Hop Pics

« on: March 28, 2010, 07:42:09 AM »

All of mine are now up, some of them are 6-8" tall already.  I have 24 Cascades and 2 Nuggets.  I've restrung the trellis and I think we're done with freezes down here so they should take off fast now.

1105

Ingredients / Re: My babies

« on: March 11, 2010, 09:30:27 AM »

My Cascades popped up this past weekend, still waiting for the Nuggets and Goldings.
Most of my hops are trellised, but I have some on a chain link fence and they produce at least as well as the trellised ones.  It's a lot easier to harvest too.

1106

Kegging and Bottling / Re: Bad idea, but so tempting!

« on: March 04, 2010, 01:55:10 PM »

And I wouldn't bother with re-using the wire cages.  Most of them will break long before you get them twisted tight enough.

1107

Kegging and Bottling / Re: Any advice on priming with Maple Syrup?

« on: March 04, 2010, 01:53:09 PM »

It's not liquid sucrose.  It's mostly water in fact so 3/4 cup maple syrup is not just like 3/4 cup table sugar.  The truth is that to get enough maple flavor to even taste will take a tremendous amount of syrup.  Thai may work for adding to secondary, but not for priming. Priming sugars should only be used to carbonate beer, not add flavors. If you want maple flavor use extract.

1108

All Things Food / Re: Fish Batter Etc?

« on: February 05, 2010, 10:52:08 PM »

Now make a batch of malt vinegar from a low hopped beer and you have a top notch dinner.

1109

Yeast and Fermentation / Re: What to expect from cultured dregs of Orval?

« on: February 03, 2010, 03:47:56 PM »

The freshness of the bottles matters-don't take that Orval you've been saving for 5 years.  I've never used more than 2 bottles worth of dregs but 3 won't hurt.  In fact having to drink 3 Orvals in an afternoon for the dregs sounds kind of pleasant.  I use saison as my base beer usually, the last one I brewed was underattenuated when I pitched the dregs but it was stillexcellent.  Keg no. 2 of that batch was innoculated a year ago, and the first keg just kicked so I'm anxious to hook it up and taste it.

1110

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: succession?

« on: February 01, 2010, 09:18:24 PM »

Wow, that's putting a lot of thought into your beer drinking .  I pretty much go with what tastes best while I'm cooking, what goes best with dinner and then I do enjoy a Trappist ale while I do dishes.