946
All Grain Brewing / Re: Mash ph
« on: June 04, 2010, 10:38:19 PM »
What are you measuring pH with?
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947
General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Brewing TV #4 - Open Fermentation
« on: June 02, 2010, 02:18:36 PM »It was definitely and interesting watch. There was one thing mentioned that I saw a problem with. There was a statement that the CO2 holds a cloud about the wort not allowing anything to get into it. Well, what about the first 4-6 hours when there is not activity? It's not as if you pitch and magically CO2 starts. Is there something (like a cheese cloth) placed on top during this time period?
That is definitely a problem in a homebrew setting. In a brewery where they are repitching active yeast, fermentation begins much more quickly than at home.
948
General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Brewing TV #4 - Open Fermentation
« on: June 02, 2010, 02:17:23 PM »
Here's a British Pale Ale recipe that a local homebrew club did. Steve Jones, the brewer at Oliver's (a local British brewpub... if you've been to The Wharf Rat / Pratt Street Ale House by Camden Yards, he's been the brewer there for 13 years), was kind enough to give his complete recipe. He uses Ringwood exclusively, on a Peter Austin open fermentation system. One thing to note is not just the open fermentation, but the mixing/rousing that happens repeatedly during the first half of fermentation. I would assume that this contributes a decent amount of O2, in addition to driving off CO2.
http://www.crabsbrew.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=63&Itemid=65
http://www.crabsbrew.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=63&Itemid=65
950
General Homebrew Discussion / Re: How to Brew - John Palmer
« on: June 01, 2010, 08:03:38 AM »
I think it's a great book because it covers both beginner and advanced information. There are some very important topics like mash pH that John covers in detail, and while a first time brewer can skip over this, it's great information to go back and read later. Before this book, the alternative was to read far more technical papers by AJ DeLange and George Fix. John does a great job of distilling that information without discarding the real meat of the theory. I wouldn't want him to dumb it down one bit.
951
All Things Food / Re: AMERICAN cuisine
« on: May 26, 2010, 05:20:21 PM »
Salisbury steak and freedom fries?
952
All Things Food / Re: AMERICAN cuisine
« on: May 26, 2010, 02:09:57 PM »
There's lots of regional seafood... many varieties of fish, Blue Point Oysters, Maryland Blue Crabs / crabcakes, etc. How can you call bulls*** on something that natively grows in America or off of its shores?
953
General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Pulled a pint
« on: May 25, 2010, 05:51:51 AM »
Be careful though, black and tan is not PC....now it is half and half, although your proportions are a little different.
What about an Irish Car Bomb?
Or dead baby jokes? What is the world coming to?!
954
Questions about the forum? / Re: Members only section?
« on: May 22, 2010, 08:27:50 AM »
Will we get Members Only jackets?
955
Beer Recipes / Re: Black Rye IPA
« on: May 21, 2010, 08:13:23 AM »
Damn, they beat you to it.
I'm patenting the Rye Stout Pilsner idea while I can!
I'm patenting the Rye Stout Pilsner idea while I can!
956
Equipment and Software / Re: odd equipment ideas
« on: May 20, 2010, 08:20:21 PM »
Mash in the toilet, flush to sparge?
957
Ingredients / Re: Post your water report
« on: May 18, 2010, 09:48:24 AM »
Baltimore City water, tested by Ward Labs. I ran this through an activated carbon filter before sending it off.
pH 7.6
Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) Est 203
Electrical Conductivity, mmho/cm 0.34
Cations / Anions, me/L 3.0 / 2.8
ppm
Sodium, Na 21
Potassium, K 2
Calcium, Ca 28
Magnesium, Mg 8
Total Hardness, CaCO3 103
Nitrate, NO3-N 2.3 (SAFE)
Sulfate, SO4-S 4
Chloride, Cl 48
Carbonate, CO3 < 1
Bicarbonate, HCO3 59
Total Alkalinity, CaCO3 49
pH 7.6
Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) Est 203
Electrical Conductivity, mmho/cm 0.34
Cations / Anions, me/L 3.0 / 2.8
ppm
Sodium, Na 21
Potassium, K 2
Calcium, Ca 28
Magnesium, Mg 8
Total Hardness, CaCO3 103
Nitrate, NO3-N 2.3 (SAFE)
Sulfate, SO4-S 4
Chloride, Cl 48
Carbonate, CO3 < 1
Bicarbonate, HCO3 59
Total Alkalinity, CaCO3 49
958
Homebrew Competitions / Re: NHC 2010 Final round entries
« on: May 12, 2010, 01:00:36 PM »Does anyone know when to expect these instructions about submitting your brews for the final rounds? The entry date is creeping up and I have not heard anything yet about how to submit my 1st place finisher in the East region.
Thanks,
Eric
If you read the link bluesman posted, you might just find your answer!
959
Yeast and Fermentation / Re: Pitching rate effects (experimental results)
« on: May 11, 2010, 02:00:07 PM »
I agree that if you're doing an experiment, you should do it properly, or it's not worth doing. But I don't think everything has to be in commercial / academic terms -- no one here is trying to write a paper published in a journal. What's the point of talking about cell count if most homebrewers don't have a hemacytometer? Home-friendly units like starter size (as long as you can replicate the conditions -- stir plate, 1.040 OG, pitched one tube of White Labs, etc) are "good enough" in the sense that the pitching rate will be within a range that provides similar fermentations to other homebrewers. Of course you can't pitch some old slurry from the back of your fridge and expect the same results, but there's enough info on making starters that homebrewers should know this.
Is brewing a science? Is it engineering? Is it art? It's a little of everything, but in the end, what matters is that the beer tastes good, not that it has sound theoretical underpinnings. A beer isn't going to become invalid like a public key encryption algorithm if the prior research turns out to be wrong. I don't see any reason why science is a necessity to make a good beer that you can brag about and compare to the best commercial beers. What about the cheese maker who knows nothing of the enzymes and molds that make the cheese, but knows exactly what to do and when to do it based on generations of trial and error? Science can tell us why things are happening and help us to improve faster, and help to create consistency in large industrial settings, but it's not the end all for making great beer.
Is brewing a science? Is it engineering? Is it art? It's a little of everything, but in the end, what matters is that the beer tastes good, not that it has sound theoretical underpinnings. A beer isn't going to become invalid like a public key encryption algorithm if the prior research turns out to be wrong. I don't see any reason why science is a necessity to make a good beer that you can brag about and compare to the best commercial beers. What about the cheese maker who knows nothing of the enzymes and molds that make the cheese, but knows exactly what to do and when to do it based on generations of trial and error? Science can tell us why things are happening and help us to improve faster, and help to create consistency in large industrial settings, but it's not the end all for making great beer.
960
Yeast and Fermentation / Re: Pitching rate effects (experimental results)
« on: May 10, 2010, 07:58:15 PM »Well said, in both posts Narvin. I'm not a ph.D or a Doctor and thank GOD I don;t wear flip flops or a loud tropical shirt but I thought the experiment was much more approachable to the average homebrewer than some of the others I have seen, and was fairly well thought out as well.
"Only two types of guys wear Hawaiian shirts ... and Bart doesn't look like a big fat party animal to me!"