Messages

46

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: These guys need to clean up their act

« on: November 10, 2012, 07:48:02 pm »

What if they just remove all of the vowels? "Strng Brw"

That will still contain a "G", so you'd still owe Gmac $1.  Damn, now I owe him $2.  LOL

47

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Gotta give the Club some love

« on: November 05, 2012, 09:44:10 pm »

Congratulations!

48

Ingredients / Re: Storing HOP Pellets

« on: November 05, 2012, 11:18:15 am »

I vacuum seal mine and put them in the freezer as well.  They last a LONG time that way.

49

Events / Re: Need suggestions for improving County Fair booth

« on: October 18, 2012, 01:28:16 pm »

1. Use BCJP score sheets instead of crappy score sheet currently used, and encourage/require judges to provide feedback of some kind (though we don't have any certified judges).
2. Have a display with beer equipment and supplies (grains, hops, etc).
3. Staff the display to answer questions and sign up new members.
4. Possibly have a brewing demonstration one evening.
5. Display board with pictures of our club brewing and/or of the brewing process.

1. Yes!  Definitely use the standard sheet and require judges to provide feedback.  Also, why no certified judges?  I would think that if you had 2 homebrew clubs in the area that they would have at least a couple certified judges in their ranks.
2. Nice displays are great, but they won't help participation this year unless you get the clubs involved early and get the word out that the comp is being revamped.
3. Great idea.
4. Great idea.
5. Great idea.

Other ideas:  See if you can organize a small party or awards ceremony for the winners.  If you can work a party, see if it's legal for entrants to bring/share beer.  On-site bottle shares are fun and could be enough to entice more people to enter the comp.

In my opinion, the big fix has to be the judging.  If the judges are unqualified and the judging sheets are lame or blank, people just aren't going to enter your comp.  I think that's the first thing you need to get on top of.

50

The Pub / Re: Happy Birthday Keith!

« on: October 17, 2012, 10:08:57 am »

Happy Birthday, dude!

51

CO / Re: BJCP Lessons?

« on: October 16, 2012, 12:24:48 pm »

There are many events.  It depends on where you are.  Here is SoCal, we have a bunch of beer events.  There is a wine/beer shop near me that does themed tasting nights where they taste and explain beers from a particular style or region, sometimes paired with food.  Many restaurants are starting to do beer pairing dinners, often themed to a brewery in which the brewer has representation there to explain the beers being poured.  The BJCP guidelines are available online, and include commercial examples in the notes that you could buy, drink, and compare with the style descriptions if you want to do some stuff at home.  Just a few ideas.  Let us know where you live and I'm sure someone in your area can point you to some events.

52

Commercial Beer Reviews / Re: Lost Abbey Red Poppy

« on: October 12, 2012, 10:27:49 am »

Red Poppy is awesome.  It's my wife's favorite sour beer.  We pick up a few bottles whenever we see it.

53

Equipment and Software / Re: New Beersmith app for phones & tablets

« on: October 12, 2012, 10:24:08 am »

I just looked up the cloud prices. There's no way I'll be upgrading anytime soon. I can't justify spending $28 for beersmith2, paying about $2-3 a month for cloud then paying $4 for the app for my android. I highly doubt it will make my beer any better and I've never been in a situation where I absolutely needed a recipe I made last month.

Agreed... and if you do find yourself in that situation, it's much easier to put your Beersmith directory into your free Dropbox folder, then open it with the free BrewAide app.

Honestly, I'd have no problem with the $4 app if it could just read the recipe folders from Dropbox like BrewAide does.

There is a 'full mobile app' coming out later, which might have more functionality. Also, you can save your 10 free cloud recipes directly on your phone. Then you can delete them from the cloud, upload 10 more, rinse and repeat.

Without being able to read all my recipe and inventory files from a service like Dropbox, a 'full mobile app' won't offer any of the extra functionality I'd be looking for (creating a shopping list when I'm standing in the homebrew shop would be awesome, for example).  I am happy to just read all of my recipe file from Dropbox now with the "other free app" rather than paying for an app that makes me guess which 10 recipes I need to keep in the BeerSmith cloud.

I understand why he did it the way he did.  It's another revenue stream for him when people want to store more than 10 recipes.  I'm a software guy, so I get the business side of his decision.  Software as a service is more lucrative than one-time software purchases, and the industry is heading that way whether I like it or not.  Unfortunately, it's not the best solution for me as a consumer.

All that said, I love the full BeerSmith application.  I'm looking forward to seeing what he does with the mobile app and the cloud in the future.  At some point, it may make sense to me.

54

Equipment and Software / Re: New Beersmith app for phones & tablets

« on: October 11, 2012, 12:47:41 pm »

I just looked up the cloud prices. There's no way I'll be upgrading anytime soon. I can't justify spending $28 for beersmith2, paying about $2-3 a month for cloud then paying $4 for the app for my android. I highly doubt it will make my beer any better and I've never been in a situation where I absolutely needed a recipe I made last month.

Agreed... and if you do find yourself in that situation, it's much easier to put your Beersmith directory into your free Dropbox folder, then open it with the free BrewAide app.

Honestly, I'd have no problem with the $4 app if it could just read the recipe folders from Dropbox like BrewAide does.

55

Equipment and Software / Re: keg into fermenter

« on: October 01, 2012, 11:02:48 am »

I use the Brewers Hardware tri-clamp setup.  I'm thrilled with it... although I do wish I could reach inside to clean it.

56

Yeast and Fermentation / Re: stir plate overflow - start again?

« on: September 27, 2012, 04:39:01 pm »

I don't have a complete answer to your question, but I have experienced this a couple times before.  I went ahead and used the starter both times with successful outcome.  So, while I don't think you need to start over from personal unscientific experiences, someone may overrule me with a better answer. 

57

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: BJCP On-Line Exam - did you finish?

« on: September 27, 2012, 01:58:13 pm »

I totally agree with what you are saying about the lack of slots in LA.  I plan on taking the online test soon, but just to see where I stand on knowledge.  I've pretty much given up on the thought of taking the next level of exams due to lack of availability.  If something pops up for me, great... but otherwise, I can live without it.  I'm hoping that the online exam is only a small part of the testing overhaul, and that they will iron out the rest eventually.

A bit off topic from the original post but this could be useful to those that are looking to take the Beer Judging Exam and are having a hard time finding a location in their area.

I would suggest working with a homebrew club or local professional brewer to get a Beer Judging Exam scheduled.  The testing admin has to be approved by the exam director, not necessarily a National or Master judge.  You'll also need two qualified Proctors to come to your area on the day of the exam.  You can find a list of qualified Proctors here on the BJCP web site - http://www.bjcp.org/apps/reports/proctors.php

This is how we got BJCP judges in Milwaukee going years ago.  Someone local was approved by the exam director and we kindly asked two Chicago area judges to come up and Proctor.  Bought them a beer and a lunch as a thank you.  Today we have over 40 judges in South Eastern WI.

Thanks for the info.  I'm hoping that we can put something together after the study sessions my club organized are done in January.  If that doesn't pan out, I might see if I can work out something from your info. 

58

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: BJCP On-Line Exam - did you finish?

« on: September 27, 2012, 10:57:55 am »

I just took the test and passed.  I was convince that there was no way I could answer 200 questions in 60 minutes, but I was able to do it with time to spare... which I used to go back and review some questions I wasn't totally sure of.

I've got a BJCP study group happening one day a month for the next 4 months.  I'll take the judging exam at that point if there is one available.  If not, I'll be happy with what I've learned anyway.   

59

The Pub / Re: Northern Brewer... shipping... Argh.

« on: September 21, 2012, 10:35:52 am »

I'm willing to wait for shipping delays when free or discounted shipping is offered.  If I'm paying for full-price shipping, I expect it to go out in a day or two.  If it will take longer than that, I expect notification and an option to cancel my order to place with someone who can fulfill it.  It sounds to me like you got screwed and they should offer you a refund since they screwed up your order.

60

Equipment and Software / Re: Old Fridge For Fermentation Chamber

« on: September 19, 2012, 08:21:04 pm »

I don't see a problem with it.  I'd make sure to clean the fridge completely, then hit it with a bleach solution to kill off any residual from the mold.  Should be good to go.