Messages

46

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: All grain jump

« on: June 05, 2013, 08:33:43 AM »

1) what are the major components needed to jump from extract to AG?
       You can brew in a bag and still brew all grain. Or you'll need a mash tun and a kettle possible of doing full boils. The AHA just did a video on all grain brewing.
2) is the learning curve steep?
       Depends. Can you do it? It's not hard. Can you do it well? It takes a bit of fine tuning to get everything right.
3) how much longer are brew days?
      My extract brew days were 2.5 hrs on average. Now they are 4.5 hrs.
4) is there any noticeable taste difference between AG and extract with similar recipes?
      No. If you aren't brewing good beer with extract, don't switch to all-grain. It will likely not help. Or in other terms, riding a motorcycle makes no sense if you can't ride a bicycle with training wheels.
5) if not, what's the point?
       More control, more experimentation, more gadgets, etc, etc.

47

Equipment and Software / Re: Vacuum Sealers? Can I get some recommendations-Need to seal hops

« on: June 05, 2013, 06:39:06 AM »

and another 3250 and paid $89.99 Manual
http://www.foodsaver.com/product.aspx?pid=8323

Where did you find that price? The lowest I can find is $117.

48

Kegging and Bottling / Re: Gelatin fining and FC Question

« on: June 04, 2013, 01:59:09 PM »

Recently did  a 10 gallon Gratzer (Oak-smoked wheat beer) and fined with gelatin. i was gonna force carb by setting the pressure on a 28* corney and rolling it around on the floor. Will this cloud the beer up again? Or will the finings drop back out after a few days?

Yes it will redistribute all of the "stuff" you dropped out of solution with the gelatin.

I doubt it will re-clear because the gelatin has already been introduced and congealed. If you take a jello mold and shake the s*** out of it, it wont set back up in the mold; it will be water on top, jello on bottom. So you'll have some "chunks" of stuff fall out, but it will redistribute some of the haze.

If this is the case, can he clear with gelatin, pull the gunk out and then force carb by shaking?

49

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Bourbon barrel porter

« on: June 04, 2013, 01:22:18 PM »

Oh, and I like Joe Sr.'s idea of keeping a couple jars of wood chips soaking in booze around. You know, just in case you suddenly and without warning NEED to oak a stout.

You know, I have the RIS that's ready to keg.  I could split the batch and oak it with different toast levels... just cuz I can.  And I might.

The fiancé does the same thing. You know, for emergencies.

50

Equipment and Software / Re: Vacuum Sealers? Can I get some recommendations-Need to seal hops

« on: June 04, 2013, 08:51:42 AM »

My Seal-a-meal by Rival promptly failed after a couple uses. I've had it's replacement (Foodsaver) for 5 years now.

I love my Foodsaver...I bought it in 1991 (or thereabouts) and have used it for both food and brewing stuff. It still pulls as good a vacuum as ever.  I've had sero issues with it. The only maintenance I've had to perform is to run an ounce or two of a warm, diluted vinegar solution through it to clean it.  One of the best appliance purchases I've ever made.

This is exactly what I was worried about and why I want a FoodSaver. I would rather not buy it twice. As my mom says, only rich people can afford to buy cheap things.

51

Equipment and Software / Re: Vacuum Sealers? Can I get some recommendations-Need to seal hops

« on: June 03, 2013, 10:28:41 AM »

I grabbed this one when it was on sale along with some seal-a-meal plastic rolls.  If you're doing a lot of food, you might want something more full featured, but it works fine for what I want.

http://www.amazon.com/Rival-Vacuum-Sealer/dp/B004JPU6XI/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1370280209&sr=8-8&keywords=vacuum+sealer

How long have you had that narvin? I was looking at that a month ago but was concerned with durability.

52

Classifieds / Re: Where to find "Lambic" the book

« on: June 03, 2013, 05:21:15 AM »

I'd like to flip through it, but its priced as a keepsake. $100 is not indicative of the value of knowledge within.

I have the book and this is exactly how I feel about it.

53

Homebrew Competitions / Re: MCAB XV Results

« on: May 31, 2013, 12:00:34 PM »

Not sure what the deal was, but they are posted here: http://masterhomebrewer.org/MCAB_XV_winners.htm

54

Homebrew Competitions / Re: NHC Final round Competition Labels

« on: May 31, 2013, 11:57:41 AM »

I read that portion online, and from that it sounds like it needs the entire bottle label.  Mine have the barcode along with a number below it; Entry number?

Yes. The whole label will be taped to the entry.

55

Other Fermentables / Re: Copper does remove sulfur!

« on: May 31, 2013, 09:24:40 AM »

Is the copper coil chiller OK? Have not had issues but I always use my copper chiller

Some lager yeasts produce a lot of sulfur compounds after the copper chiller.

I'm experiencing that with WLP029 Kolsch yeast - sulfur bomb! I think it may age out with some lagering based on what I've been reading. If not, I'll throw a small piece of copper in the keg. 

56

The Pub / Re: Is Staples your office supply store?

« on: May 31, 2013, 08:24:37 AM »

Do not get too exited about it.
The entry to ad campaign is just a marketing campain.

Staples as a marketer has full rights to its branding.
They control the message.

They decided to go mainstream non offensive.

Exactly.

57

The Pub / Re: Frivolous Magic Hat Lawsuit

« on: May 31, 2013, 08:23:07 AM »

FWIW - no resource ever suggests coffee should be served at any less than 170F, optimum is what I stated earlier, 180-185F.

Speaking in absolutes can paint you into a corner.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18226454
http://drinks.seriouseats.com/2013/01/coffee-temperature-how-hot-should-coffee-be.html

I drink my coffee around 170-175 so I can taste my coffee. Is this subjective? Yes. (See second link.) Do people still like their beer served ice cold in a frozen mug? Yep!

I hate scalding my tongue on coffee that is just too hot. For me, it's better to let it cool down a bit and be able to taste the care that went into selecting and roasting them.

58

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: First beer taste

« on: May 31, 2013, 05:52:25 AM »

I stopped tasting beer prior to bottling. Warm, flat beer tastes bad.

I'm going to have to disagree here. I always taste throughout the process.

I also have a Nelson Sauvin that I've been drinking the hydrometer samples from at 90* and flat. It's damn good and I can't wait to drink it cold and carbonated.

Mmmmmmm........Nelson.....

+1 to tasting at every step of the way, and +1 to Nelson !

+eleventy to Nelson! I'm drinking this beer now and man is it good! I love that white wine character with the Dupont strain. Really good combo if anyone was wondering. 

59

The Pub / Re: Looks nice but it's just an opener...

« on: May 31, 2013, 05:42:40 AM »

If you really need something that doesn't bend the cap, screw a bolt into a piece of wood, use it to pry the cap off. Woo. Nearly free.

60

The Pub / Re: Frivolous Magic Hat Lawsuit

« on: May 31, 2013, 05:39:40 AM »

The problem with the McD's case is that the coffee wasn't hot like you'd expect - it was scalding hot, far above drinkable temps because management had decided to serve it that hot (180-190F) so that the coffee would still be "piping" when the average commuter would finish their commute. They had been warned hundreds of times about the danger and liability of this policy and still refused to change the temp. That's what got them hit so hard.

(Seriously.. near boiling?)

Yes, seriously near boiling. I don't brew my coffee with warm water and you don't either. The recommendation is 195-205F with 200F being optimum.
http://www.ncausa.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=71

Just sayin'...

Brewing temperature and serving temperature are two different things. 170-175 is an appropriate serving temperature.