Messages

976

Beer Recipes / Re: Recipe help please

« on: July 29, 2012, 08:05:12 PM »

i am a well known citra hater. Actually, it can be pleasant when used with a light hand. But I have a pound in my freezer that has been there unopened all year and I just can bring myself to using it.

Well, you couldn't possibly use up a whole pound within a reasonable time frame if you feel the need to use a light hand with them. I will gladly take some off your hands if you'd like. 

But seriously, I love Citra but I don't think I'd ever use it as the sole aroma/flavor hop in a beer. It's killer in combination with Amarillo though. Of course, everything is killer in combination with Amarillo.

977

All Grain Brewing / Re: clarity/sediment/biab/batch sparging

« on: July 29, 2012, 05:58:19 PM »

Maybe try lining your fermenter with a fine-mesh bag (i.e., your BIAB bag, maybe?) before you drain your wort into it. That may catch at least a portion of the trub as you transfer from the kettle.

My first two BIAB batches are still in primary, so I can't really comment on the amount of sediment at bottling yet. It will be interesting to see what happens.

978

All Grain Brewing / Re: Would adding flaked oats to Denny's BVIP be sacrilegious?

« on: July 29, 2012, 02:54:40 PM »

If you want an oatmeal stout you might as well just brew an oatmeal stout from the start, IMHO. I have had a few porters that were too thin for my tastes, but the good ones have the right amount of mouthfeel without being unbalanced.

979

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Today's screw up...

« on: July 29, 2012, 02:40:54 PM »

Holy krausen batman!

980

Beer Recipes / Re: Amber/ESB Recipe- please critque

« on: July 28, 2012, 08:55:58 PM »

It stands for Extra Special Bitter. Its actually a bigger style compared to something like a Mild. Nothing session about it, typically.

981

Ingredients / Re: Re: Palisade Hops

« on: July 27, 2012, 02:45:28 PM »

For an APA, maybe
FWH for 20-25 IBUs
1-2oz at flameout
1-2oz dry hop

That's funny... I have pretty much that exact beer on the schedule for next month. I just got a bunch of 1 gallon jugs so I'm going to do a series of mini batches for all the hops I have that I'm not too familiar with. Calypso is on the list. I'm working on a couple of hop blends so I'm thinking this may work in my fruit bomb blend.

982

Ingredients / Re: Hop Hoarder

« on: July 27, 2012, 10:25:42 AM »

So if you keep them sealed do they stay good indefinitely? Do you portion them out and seal them in increments, or just reseal the bag after you use them?

Indefinitely is a long time!  I've got pellets that are 4-5 years old and still good.  I put them in big bags and reseal them after I take some out.

If I get them in vacuum-sealed 1-ounce bags (like from one of the online homebrew shops), then I'll generally leave them as-is. If I get some in bulk (Freshops, Hops Direct, Yakima Valley, etc.), then once I crack the package I'll put them in a Food Saver bag. I use the rolls and cut the bag to length with a few inches of extra headspace. This way as I need to crack the bag open I have plenty of room to re-seal it.

And yes, I bought a FoodSaver just for my hops. I told the wife it was for the garden veggies, but I have pounds of hops in my freezer and just a few handfuls of fruit & berries...

983

Ingredients / Hop Hoarder

« on: July 27, 2012, 06:32:10 AM »

Hello.

My name is Eric and I'm a lupulin addict.

I finally came to terms with the fact that I have a problem last night. I opened my most recent AHS order last night and found 6 ounces of Calypso that I totally forgot I ordered. I currently have at least 14 hop varieties in my freezer that I have 3 oz or more of, a few more straggler open packs, and 3 more varieties being delivered from NB as we speak.

I haven't even been brewing for a year yet, so I never really experienced any of the big hops shortages, but I've heard a lot of the old war stories. Whenever I see a new hop variety that sounds interesting I end up ordering half a pound in case I really like it and it's not there next time I want it. I've spent the past month or two chasing down whatever AUS/NZ hops I could get my hands on just because I may want to use them in my IIPA in a couple of months and I'm afraid they might be sold out everywhere by then. I just got an email from Rebel Brewer the other day saying that they had Topaz in stock and I felt like a drug dealer was waving crack in my face. I know the next time I place an order with Rebel there will be several ounces of Topaz tacked on.

A couple of weeks ago I bought 8oz of a new experimental hop variety (Caliente) just because it was a new experimental hop variety. I opened it up to repackage it and took a whiff. It didn't really smell like much of anything, and I got that feeling like I dropped 20 bucks on a lottery ticket and lost - kinda bummed, but instantly thought "maybe next time".

Thankfully hops are (relatively) cheap, and wanting to experiment with hops is what got me into homebrewing in the first place. Still, I'm accruing hops way faster than I could possibly brew with them. Anyone else have this problem, or should I check myself into Humulus rehab?

984

Commercial Beer Reviews / Re: Your Top 4 Hefeweizens?

« on: July 27, 2012, 05:41:09 AM »

The commercial beer selection in Missouri is really bad outside of St. Louis and KC. Like, really awful. Sam Adams awful.

I'm pretty lucky in that there are plenty of liquor stores with a great craft beer selection around me. My only problem is that the freshness level is dubious at most of them. I've pretty much given up on IPA's from a lot of them. It's nice to find 3-year old barleywines on the shelf. It's not so nice to find 3-year old hefe's or DIPA's. I happened upon a bottle of Avery Maharaja the other day that I really wanted to grab, but my spidey sense went off and told me it would be a big waste of money. Went home with some gueuze instead.

985

The Pub / Re: song title game

« on: July 26, 2012, 07:46:38 PM »

Fury Whip - High On Fire

986

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Re: We need to talk...

« on: July 26, 2012, 07:30:13 PM »

FWIW Cantillon-flavored Guinness sounds like an improvement to me.

Yeah, I didn't want to hijack the thread but when I read the initial post my first thought was - "So how did the Cantillon-Guinness flavor combo work? Is it worth pitching some dregs into a gallon of dry irish stout to try it out, or was it nasty?"

987

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Looking Forward to Fall

« on: July 26, 2012, 11:59:35 AM »

Hoptoberfest fermenting. Belgian Barleywine will (hopefully be brewed tonight). IIPA on deck to be brewed in September to be ready for hunting season.

988

Ingredients / Re: Palisade Hops

« on: July 26, 2012, 10:56:17 AM »

I haven't tried them myself, but from what I've heard they're mainly floral with some grassiness and (non-citrus) fruit. I've heard that they mix well with Amarillo, and work well in British Pale Ales. I say try them in a Pale Ale and let us know what you find

989

Commercial Beer Reviews / Re: Your Top 4 Hefeweizens?

« on: July 26, 2012, 09:01:06 AM »

+1 to all of the above, but Ill add Flying Dog's to the list. I get it very fresh here as well, so that may be why, but its a great hefe.

Yeah, I just tried the In-Heat Wheat this spring for the first time and I'm a big fan.

990

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Headache City

« on: July 26, 2012, 08:25:20 AM »

I agree completely.  The worst headaches I've ever gotten are from drinking a couple cups of Miller at a Blackhawk's game (yes, I've done this repeatedly). .

That's funny. The worst headaches I've ever gotten were from drinking beers at a Rangers game and realizing that I paid at least $60 for crappy beer. (and I've done this repeatedly too.)

I must just be lucky up here in New England. At all the stadiums around here the typical BMC swill averages about $8 a draft, but there's always decent craft beer available, and usually for just $0.25-$0.50 more than the garbage beer. Bud for $8.50 vs. Harpoon IPA for $8.75 - that's a no-brainer.