Messages

886

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: I've lost that "new hobby" smell

« on: August 16, 2012, 10:46:30 AM »

Make something you can put away for a while (Flanders, Barleywine, Mead, etc.). This way if you walk away for a bit you still have something going.

887

The Pub / Re: song title game

« on: August 15, 2012, 06:25:58 PM »

California Queen - Wolfmother

888

All Things Food / Mozzarella

« on: August 15, 2012, 05:43:42 PM »

I'm planning on making my first batch of mozzarella cheese soon and had a few questions for any cheesemakers on the board.

My local dairy sells unhomogenized milk (still pasteurized, though). Would this be any better than plain old homogenized whole milk?

If whole milk makes better cheese than reduced-fat, would it be even better still if I fattened up my whole milk with some cream or half & half?

Is there any specific type of salt that works best for salting the curd? Do I need something fine like pickling salt, or is kosher salt ok? Would there be any benefit to using a nice finishing salt like fleur de sel or Maldon?

Thanks in advance.

889

The Pub / Re: Backcountry beer

« on: August 15, 2012, 10:57:56 AM »

I started carrying beer on hiking trips. This one is from a hike on IPA day



What I found challenging is chilling the beer before drinking it. Sure it can be put into a stream for a few hours. But what if set up camp late at night and just want to eat have the beer and go to bed.

I have a hard time drinking Green Monsta ice cold - I can't imagine how it is warm. It's just way too sweet for me. Last time I was at Fenway I was hunting all over for the Harpoon IPA, but I settled for one of these and was sadly disappointed. Way too much caramel to me for a hot summer day.

890

All Things Food / Re: Growing food - The Garden Thread

« on: August 15, 2012, 10:53:18 AM »

Looking good!  Our tomatoes have developed some kind of disease since the plants have been weakend by all the smoking hot weather we have been having.  Our yield is down this year.  Hot peppers on the other hand are going gangbusters.

Similar story here. My cherry and grape tomatoes are doing fine, but my bigger tomatoes all have a bad case of what I think is blossom end rot. My serranos are putting out fruit like crazy, but my jalapenos and anaheims are pretty slow going.

891

Extract/Partial Mash Brewing / Re: Black Forest Stout truncated

« on: August 15, 2012, 09:59:16 AM »

You could always try some high-quality cherry extract. This way it is easy to sample just prior to bottling to determine the right balance, and whether you even like it in the first place.

892

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: That German lager flavor

« on: August 15, 2012, 08:06:11 AM »

I'm not sure of there is a large selection of varietal hop extract available. It's mostly used for substituting bittering hops and brewers still add pellets for aroma/flavor. Some vegative matter is beneficial for good hop break.

I've got an all-Hop Shot APA in the fermenter as we speak, so I'll reserve judgement until I taste it. But, of all the batches I brewed that day, the Hop Shot one smelled the best. I did get a bunch of green scum on top of the boil, so I think at least a little of the vegetative "stuff" comes through in the extract. The Hop Shot I used looks like it was quite a bit darker than what you have.

893

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: That German lager flavor

« on: August 14, 2012, 07:40:17 PM »

I know that regardless of traditional or FWH,when I use a low alpha hop to get a lot of IBU's, then I get a lot of vegetal material (polyphenols) dissolved in the beer and it comes out grassy and astringent.  To me, that makes the bitterness harsh.

And for that reason I'd love to see varietal Hop Shots, especially for some of the lower AA hops. My freezer would look like a heroin junkie's stash if they made Czech Saaz and EKG Hop Shots.

894

Beer Recipes / Re: First time using a lot of Rye. Check out this Rye IPA recipe please.

« on: August 14, 2012, 05:36:01 PM »

If you really want the Saaz in there (and I do like the noble + C-hop combo myself), then you need about 2 ounces of it in the dry hop. I'm not sure what your AA% is on your hops, but I'd be shooting for about 35 IBU's from the Columbus at 60 minutes and the rest from your late adds (targeting about 65-70 IBU total). May need to adjust your quantities to get where you want to be IBU-wise.

How's your water? Make sure you have enough sulfate. At least 5 grams of gypsum if you're using RO water.

895

The Pub / Re: Backcountry beer

« on: August 14, 2012, 10:28:09 AM »

I'm very curious what the spin is on this. The "start with almost no water" phrase seems rather dubious to me. Too many secrets here - my BS detector is going apes*** right now.

I'd give it a try if I was offered a free sample, but I definitely wouldn't spend any money on it unless I had more info.

896

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Brewing with Bourbons

« on: August 14, 2012, 10:12:02 AM »

I think the cooking rule of "don't use it if you don't drink/like it" applies to any liquid addition to your brew.

Coffee, honey, wine, bourbon, liqueures, etc. etc. etc.

While I agree that I wouldn't cook/brew with something I don't enjoy, there is definitely a point where you're wasting the good stuff. You're not going to be able to pick out the nuances that separate a $100-a-bottle whiskey from a $30-a-bottle whiskey when added in reasonable levels to a batch of beer.

I like to add Scotch to my beef stew, but you can bet I'm using my 12-year old Balvenie, and not my 21-year old.

897

Ingredients / Re: Palisade Hops - nope, actually they're Calypso

« on: August 14, 2012, 08:32:51 AM »

I just used Calypso as one of the 7 batches of single-hopped APA's I brewed yesterday. Had a real distinct aroma that was unlike any of the other hops I used. It was definitely fruity, but had an herbal/earthy quality to it as well as a bit of an aroma that reminded me of fresh-picked tomatoes. I'm very curious to see how this one will turn out.

898

The Pub / Re: Re: Best Portland neighborhood for breweries/restaurants?

« on: August 13, 2012, 03:46:07 PM »

wait, we are talking about portland OR right?

FYI - in Portland, ME - Old Port is the place to be!! 

Yeah, the "other" Portland has some damn good beer too

Stayed right next door to Shipyard last year. Jonesing to get back up there soon.

899

All Grain Brewing / Re: Efficiency Issues

« on: August 12, 2012, 07:53:07 PM »

The next big ting whould be getting a finer crush for the gain. But if you get you grains milled at a HBS, changing that might be difficult since they don't like to change the gap setting.

If they won't change the gap, then you could ask them to mill the grain a second time which should at least help a little bit.

900

The Pub / Re: headsup- meteor shower weekend - Perseids peak Saturday night

« on: August 12, 2012, 01:55:43 PM »

Poked my head outside after the UFC last night, but it was completely overcast. Bummer