Messages

31

All Grain Brewing / Re: MY First All Grain Experience(Long)

« on: March 03, 2013, 03:33:52 am »

People drive themselves crazy about water, too.  I know I did.  For almost everyone, water is no problem.  Use the pH strip to test if the Star San is good.  Try to find out if your water is hard or soft just to get an idea of what you're working with.  My water is very soft, so I add some gypsum for hoppy beers--but that's about it.

32

All Grain Brewing / Re: MY First All Grain Experience(Long)

« on: March 03, 2013, 03:25:38 am »

Your first AG session went better than mine.  A few random thoughts:  forget about the iodine.  The grain wants to convert in the worst way.  I've heard rumors that conversion is far shorter than 60 minutes. You probably didn't need to sparge so much since you added extra hot water to keep the mash temp up.  If you have to do that again, let the cooler drain a while before starting the sparge.  Keeping the mash temp steady in a cooler is a pain and a crap-shoot at best.  I mash in the kettle.  I stir about every 15 minutes and add heat as needed.  I can keep an exact mash temp and step mash/mashout as needed.  The next step is to transfer the grain with a 1-gallon pitcher to the cooler and then re-circulate.  The big kettles are a pain to clean.  I have to set them on the counter beside the sink or when the weather is warm, used the garden hose and a scrub pad outside.  I know with my system, compensating for the hot wort temp (150F) and the wort loss from boil off, that my OG will be 30 points more than the reading before the boil.  I just sparge until my gravity is 30 points lower than my target gravity, so I hit it perfectly all the time.

33

Equipment and Software / Dry hopping in a keg

« on: February 26, 2013, 04:44:15 pm »

Has anyone ever dry hoped in a keg?  I like the idea that I can keep the beer away from oxygen.  (I pressurized the keg to 10 psi)  The hops are in a bag weighted with aquarium glass that's tied on a string to the keg lid.  The only problem I see is that I a hard time getting 2 oz. of whole hops in the keg.  My pale ales and IPA's are at least 4 oz. dry hops.

34

Events / Re: NHC Pre-conference events

« on: February 25, 2013, 02:58:36 pm »

Thought the BNA at Northern Brewer in Minnesota a few years back was excellent.

35

Events / Re: NHC Pre-conference events

« on: February 24, 2013, 05:12:01 pm »

Does anyone by chance know when the pre-conference events will be posted?  I keep checking back but there doesn't appear to be any information yet...

Patience, grasshopper.  You also need to focus on the BNA8.  Check out www.thebrewingnetwork.com for that one.  It's the MUST pre-conference event.

36

Events / Re: Keynote speaker for NHC?

« on: February 22, 2013, 07:49:29 pm »

Would you be disappointed with Sam Calagione? Not so far from Philly, the chair of the Brewers Association Board, and a big supporter of homebrewing. He is also friends with Vinnie Cilurzo and Ken Grossman, and has to keep up with those guys, as they have been keynote speakers (2011 and 2009 respectively).

Who ever it is, they probably have already been booked, and have the calender cleared for a few days.

I could live with Sam, too.  Do you know something  ?

37

Events / Keynote speaker for NHC?

« on: February 22, 2013, 03:47:04 pm »

I'm hoping the keynote speaker for this year's NHC is Dick Yuengling.  Yeah, they're not a craft brewery (the lager is good w/hot wings), but they're the oldest American brewery (since 1829) and (I think) the largest family owned family.  Yuengling is synonimous with PA.  He's an excellent speaker, to boot.  Just my two cents.

38

Yeast and Fermentation / Re: Weinheinstephan yeast

« on: February 22, 2013, 02:30:43 pm »

3068 is the reason I bought a 6.5 gallon fermenter for 5 gallon batches.

It was literally pouring out the neck of a 6 gallon better bottle.  I don't think an extra half gallon of space would have contained it, either.  Next time maybe I'll rig up a three gallon bottle as a Burton union.

I use a make-shift blow-off tube by taking the cap and cup off the airlock.  1/2" ID hose fits perfectly on the stem.  I then run that tubing into a plastic jug filled with water.

39

Beer Recipes / Re: Bourbon Barrel Porter

« on: February 19, 2013, 06:58:37 pm »

Our club has made some wonderful porters and stouts using Heaven Hill's Elijah Craig barrels.  I used to be a Maker's Mark man until I tried Woodford Reserve, BTW.

40

Homebrew Clubs / Re: Club Membership Cards

« on: February 18, 2013, 04:53:45 pm »

I'm sure there are online solutions, but I don't know any.  For a DIY solution, we print membership cards on the pre-perforated business card stock available at most office supply stores. You can get a template and design everything in word.  You can also get lamination sheets pre-cut for business cards to really make it look like you know what you're doing.

It would be nice to look like I know what I'm doing, for once.  I'm pretty good with Word and Photoshop, so designing a card wouldn't that tough.  I didn't know about the pre-cut laminate sheets for business cards, though.  That info might come in handy.

41

Homebrew Clubs / Club Membership Cards

« on: February 18, 2013, 04:17:11 am »

Does anyone know of a source that would print a club membership card?  It doesn't have to be plastic, but something on the line of the AHA membership card that would have the members name and a date on it.  We're hoping to arrange discounts at several LHBS's and beer distributors where members could show their card to get the discount.

42

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: making a yeast starter with distilled water

« on: February 17, 2013, 02:07:06 pm »

Option One: One 12 ounce bottle of malta goya , 12 ounces distilled water, add yeast..... done!! no boil, no muss, no fuss !!!
Option Two: DME, distilled water, shake violently, put on stir plate if you have one, add yeast.....done!! no boil, no muss, no fuss!!
Sometimes we make things wwwwaaaaaayyyyyy too hard... cheers!!

I've been thinking about going no-boil for my starters, but there's always that nagging voice in the back of my head saying that you need to boil/sanitize everything that touches your beer. I'm assuming you've never had a contamination issue with your no boil starters?

I do a very short boil--10 minutes, if that.  I figure that I'm way above pasteurization temperature for at least 30 minutes.

43

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: making a yeast starter with distilled water

« on: February 13, 2013, 12:29:16 pm »

Wouldn't it be easier just to use Spring Water instead that would have some mineral content?

44

Events / Re: Congrats to the lucky few

« on: February 05, 2013, 07:43:36 pm »

I can't believe that I planned for this conference more meticuloulsy than a Shuttle launch and it all almost went to hell in a heartbeat.  It was only with the help of someone else focusing on the hotel, me lucking onto the backdoor conference link to register (I think I must have got one of the last full packages), and the Grace of God that everythig worked out.  I can't believe that they were expecting so many people and everything still overloaded.

45

Events / Re: Parking at NHC?

« on: February 05, 2013, 07:29:30 pm »

I posted this before, and I'm not an expert on parking.  However, There are parking garages listed at www.philadelphia.centralparking.com.  If someone has more info, please chime in.