Topics

31

General Homebrew Discussion / Cancelled Brew Day to Go Black Friday Shopping

« on: November 23, 2011, 08:03:06 AM »

  Yeah Right!!!    - Not in a million %#$@%%^ years.

Doing a big beer on Friday.  Kate the Great clone from the Portmsouth Brewery.  RIS with OG of 1.104.  The grain bill ( for 5 gallons ) is about 25lbs....my first "real" test for my mash tun ( Coleman Xtreme 72qt - Blue of course ).  I have a nice big amount of yeast slurry I pulled off of a pale ale last night in the fridge.  In a few weeks, it will be aging in a keg with port soaked oak spirals.

Can't wait to see this one rockin' the top of the fermenter!!!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.  

32

Kegging and Bottling / Home Depot Chest Freezer Deal

« on: November 10, 2011, 09:33:14 AM »

I have this chest freezer as my kegerator with a wood collar and it works great.  For $168 and free shipping, it's a pretty good deal for a brand new CF.

http://www.dealcatcher.com/kitchen-appliances/ge-7-0-cu-ft-chest-freezer-in-white

I know you can get cheaper on Craiglist and such, but I'm always afraid of inheriting someone else's problems.

33

Equipment and Software / Bazzoka in Cooler Style Mash Tun

« on: October 26, 2011, 05:00:35 AM »

Does anyone use this:



in a cooler style mash tun?

If so, is the mess tight enough to filter out grain particles and will it maintain its shape with 12-20 lbs of grain on top of it?

Thanks.

34

Events / NHC 2012 Hotel

« on: October 25, 2011, 07:44:38 AM »

Ok...I'll be that guy.

Anyone has an idea, hint, rumor, clue, etc when the hotel room block for NHC 2012 will be released?  I know from the lastest eZymurgy Full Glass article, that NHC registration is 2/1/12, but I thought hotels were released sooner.

I know it seems a long way off, but plans and budgets need to be made soon if I can even consider attending ( hopefully my 1st NHC).

Thanks.  ( and please no RWDWHAHB responses  )

35

Yeast and Fermentation / THICK Yeast Slurry

« on: August 30, 2011, 08:41:24 AM »

I didn't want to threadjack gmac's post so I'll start my own.

I just racked a pale ale to secondary to dry hop ( I want to reuse the slurry...I usually don't do secondary ).  When I went to pour the slurry into my erhlenmeyer, I didn't move ( or was moving very slow ).  It is the Wyeast 1968 strain so I expected it to be a little chunky.  I was able to get most of it into the flask, but it is thick. ( Think of the scene from Robocop where they show you what he eats, except thicker )

I was thinking of boiling some water, cooling it, and then adding it to the flask to loosen it up a bit.  I plan on reusing it this weekend for a pumpkin ale.  Does this sound like it's a good idea?  Kind of like a yeast rinse?

36

Equipment and Software / PVC Board Collar

« on: July 19, 2011, 11:53:15 AM »

I built a collar for my kegerator last year and not having a clue how to build something, I realized it is about 2 inches too short to allow a keg on the hump. 

Instead of building a whole new collar, I was thinking of raising the existing one up with some 2" edging boards and then putting this PVC board facing on it.  I saw the PVC board stuff at Lowes.  I like the fact that it seems like it is resistant already to moisture ( i.e. no additional staining ), and I can get 1" x 10" boards, that will cover the patch job and hang down below the side of the freezer to screw in a drip tray or what not.

Has anyone used this stuff and it there anything that I'm missing?

Thanks.

37

The Pub / Spent Grain Energy

« on: July 05, 2011, 12:21:17 PM »

You gotta love ingeniuty.

http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2011/07/05/brewers-waste-recycler-gets-vc.html?ed=2011-07-05&s=article_du&ana=e_du_pub

Who knew people from MIT were so smart? 

( Drew's response in 3, 2, 1 ...)

Now if they could only find a way to harness the gases the finished product produces 

38

The Pub / Universal Studios Orlando - Beer Hell!!!

« on: May 31, 2011, 08:24:39 AM »

I just got back from Universal Studios Orlando and the first thing I did was get a beer from the kegerator.

Talk about a craft beer lovers hell!  The best I could find was a Newcastle on draft at the Hard Rock Cafe.  Margarittaville had Landshark Lager which wasn't too bad but I'm not running out to the store to get it.

We didn't have a car and stayed at one of the onsite hotels.  I got a little excited when I say a street cart in one of the parks that had "Beer" on the awning only to find out that it was Bud or Bud lite.  I did have a Hogsmeade Ale at the Harry Potter park...again not the best but better than nothing.

Hopefully these parks will realize that after a full day in the heat with screaming kids and rude people, that we craft beer lovers would like some options.

Fun time with the family though.  Glad we went.

39

Ingredients / Do hops like warm soil?

« on: April 30, 2011, 10:30:55 AM »

I have 2nd year hops up and I was going to put 1mm plastic around them ( the stuff I use in my pumpkin garden to prevent weeds and limit evaporation in the hot summer time.  I'd probably put a soaker hose under the plastic for watering, and the actual hop crowns would not be covered, maybe leaving 2" clearance around.

This plastic keeps the soil nice and warm, which pumpkins love, but do the hops do well in this environment?
I swore this year I will not spend all my free time weeding the gardens.

Thanks.

40

The Pub / Happy Birthday Drew

« on: April 20, 2011, 11:18:37 AM »

http://brookstonbeerbulletin.com/beer-birthday-drew-beechum/

Nice asshat!!

41

Other Fermentables / Better Bottles and Mead

« on: April 01, 2011, 06:22:57 AM »

A few years ago I made the mistake of buying 5 gallon Better Bottles.  It didn't take long to realize they were not adequate to use for a batch of beer because I'd end up with only 4 gallons finished ( unacceptable! ).  I now have 2 6 gallon BB and rarely do secondary, so I'm looking for a use for these 5g BB. 

I want to try my hand at making mead.  I figure I can put it in these BB's and forget about them for a few months.  Several postings on the internet say that long term aging in BB is fine and some say not.  I'm hoping to get 2 batches together and let them be for a few months.  Gordon's Cinnamon Vanilla Metheglin is catching my eye.

Will leaving mead in a primary for several months work, or will I need to transfer to a secondary like I've seen several people do with their recipes? 

Anyone else use Better Bottles for mead?

Gordon - how long do you primary your Cinnamon Vanilla Metheglin ( I realize it will be different for everyone, but looking for a ball park )?

Thanks.

TheDarkSide

42

The Pub / Do you know your State Capitals? - Friday Fun

« on: March 18, 2011, 06:10:48 AM »

http://www.wmur.com/sh/quizine/27189606/index.html

I got 39 - I feel like such a failure.  

43

Homebrew Competitions / NHC Region Entries Tally

« on: February 25, 2011, 09:48:01 AM »

Probably a question for Janis, but is there any way to tell how many paid entries have been entered in a region at a particular time?  I would be looking for total entries per region, not in a specific category.

This is not an attempt to get through 1st round by sending to a region with less entries.  I'm not sure how many entries I will have ready until it gets closer to the closing date.  If something happens in my tight brewing schedule to screw things up ( family, weather, setting myself on fire during a brewday ), I'd rather not take an entry spot if it isn't needed.

If this can't be done, I'm definately ok with that.

Good luck to all in the comp.

44

Commercial Beer Reviews / Moonlight Meadery Story

« on: February 15, 2011, 11:53:09 AM »

Our local TV station in NH ( WMUR Channel 9 ) has a news magazine show called NH Chronicle that showcases NH businesses and people.  They recently did a story on Michael Fairbrother's company - Moonlight Meadery.  Here's the link for any that are interested:

  http://www.wmur.com/chronicle/26728819/detail.html

Have tasted the product first-hand, I can say that his business should continue to do well.

45

The Pub / Geothermal Heating and Cooling

« on: February 11, 2011, 09:28:37 AM »

I figure Hombrewers are a geeky bunch ( or some of us ) so I want to ask you all this question.

Does anyone here currently use geothermal heating and/or cooling in your home?  If so, can how well does it work, what climate are you in, was it insanely expensive to install, etc?  Any info would be great.

I put a pellet stove in years ago to offset the cost of propane but now pellets are getting up in price as well.  My current propane heating system is going on 18 years old and I've been thinking about a geothermal system. 

Any input would be appreciated. Thanks.