Messages

46

All Grain Brewing / Re: Looking for a good AG recipe book

« on: February 09, 2013, 06:43:02 PM »

Scotch Ale was the first style book I bought and I loved it immediately.  I really enjoyed learning a little bit of history of Scottish brewing.  I also have Brewing Classic Styles and have used the all-grain recipes.  I have always hit the expected preboil gravitates nearly dead-on.  The all-grain conversions JZ lists hit the exact OG when entered into the brewing software I use. 

47

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Looking for a Good Online Supply Store

« on: January 21, 2013, 09:29:00 AM »

I recently started shopping at Apex Brew Wares at the recommendation from a friend:
http://www.apexbrewwares.com/cart.php?m=

Great customer service and $7.99 flat rate shipping. Purchaces available for pickup in if you are in the KC metro area.  I used Northern Brewer until they got rid of the flat rate shipping.  They did always ship quickly though.

48

Other Fermentables / Re: Copper does remove sulfur!

« on: January 15, 2013, 11:12:33 PM »

Could it produce copper sulfate?
  I'd don't think it's reactive with ethanol so that wouldn't be an issue.

49

Beer Recipes / Re: IPA recipe thoughts plz!

« on: January 15, 2013, 11:10:45 PM »

I like it.  Why the CaraPils?

50

Yeast and Fermentation / Re: No lager activity

« on: January 15, 2013, 10:43:36 PM »

I think thistles copper sulfate but even so it's not soluble in ethanol.

51

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: What were your gateway beers?

« on: January 11, 2013, 11:13:04 PM »

i was turned onto boulevard bully porter and pale ale as well as free state brewerys line of beers in the early 90s in kansas before i turned 21.  i also remember liking sam smiths beers.

Nice gateway beers!  Bully! And Pale Ale are my "go to"  beers here in KC.  You can't go wrong with Sam Smith's either. 

52

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: What were your gateway beers?

« on: January 11, 2013, 11:08:33 PM »

We paid our friends older brother for a beer chest of Hamm's Genuine Draft Light which we drank with ice.  The next day we helped his brother fix a lawnmower and he gave us some Guinness Extra Stout from the fridge in the garage, probably thinking we'd hate it.  I haven't drank a beer on ice since.

53

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Forgive me, it's been too long.....

« on: January 07, 2013, 09:17:10 PM »

OK, I get it, no hot coffee..... How does one do a cold steep? Just add water to grounds, stir and let sit, repeat and let settle, rack to keg??

Welcome back Oscar.

Add grounds to cold, filtered water (what you'd brew with).  Stir and refridgerate for 24-48 hours.  Strain and use.  The times I've done it I've added it to the last 5 minutes of the boil for sanitation purposes.

As far as sanitization is concerned, could one add the cold-steeped coffee to the fermentor instead of the boil? Would the pH and alcohol sanitize the coffee?  Would one get more coffee flavor and aroma by adding the cold
steep to the fermentor?

54

All Grain Brewing / Re: What exactly is...

« on: January 06, 2013, 08:28:05 PM »

Krausen?

55

Ingredients / Re: Need more hop "nose"

« on: January 05, 2013, 10:59:02 PM »

I recently brewed a beer that has the best hop aroma of any I've brewed.  I used about 4.5 ounces of hops for 5G of beer with an OG of 1.052.  Two ounces of the 4.5 were dry hopped for 3 three days befor bottling.  I kept the recipe simple- two types of grain and two hop varieties (Cascade and Chinook).  I also racked to secondary before dry hopping which is the only time I rack to secondary in order to get the beer off of the yeast which I've read can absorb some of the hop compounds.  I also used Wyeast 1056 (2L starter) which seems to be pretty clean.  I'm not sure which of those variables helped or to what extent but I suspect it was a combination of all.  A simple recipe with an adequate amount of a neutral yeast strain that did it.  The beer had some nice floral, citrus and grapefruit hop flavor and aroma. 

56

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Hop Pellets

« on: January 04, 2013, 09:23:36 PM »

Basic Brewing Radio had a "trub experiment" episode.  I won't spoil it so you can come to your own conclusion.  Definitely worth checking out.

57

Yeast and Fermentation / Re: Boiling starters in a flask

« on: January 01, 2013, 06:58:31 PM »

Pyrex is shatter-resistant not shatter-proof.  Pyrex labware is meant to be used over a gas flame, nothing else.  Pyrex, Kimax or other borosilicate glass has a higher chance of shattering if used on electric and ceramic ranges.  Because Of this I boil in a pot on my electric range then transfer to a sanitized flask.

58

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Christmas Presents

« on: December 25, 2012, 10:18:53 PM »

My parents gave me a copy of Extreme Brewing by San Calagione.  None of this would've been possible if my girlfriend's parents wouldn't have given me a Mr. Beer kit last Christmas.  Now I'm so hooked I'm on my 24th batch, been all grain since June.

59

The Pub / Re: Anybody Fish?

« on: December 13, 2012, 10:42:28 PM »

i miss it so much

We have a tackle store down by Bennett Spring in Missouri. We have a lot of customers from Illinois come here. There's a lot of good fishing in Missouri, depending on what you like to fish for. We do probably 99% of business with trout, but there is good bass and crappie fishing around too.

Don't forget catfish in Missouri.  The show River Monsters came to The Lake of the Ozarks.  Fried catfish with Tabasco, slaw, taters and a Boulevard Pilsner or smoked with a Boulevard Pale Ale...Mmmm.

60

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Craft versus crafty? Consumers deserve to know the truth

« on: December 13, 2012, 09:39:13 PM »

I don't really buy the idea that micro brewers are really competing with macros. Lamborghini doesn't compete with Ford. Craft beer only works because it's a premium product at a premium price. There's a huge perceived quality dimension, as you can see with people who flat out refuse to buy anything a macro brewery touched, like Goose Island or Red Hook.

That's a really good point. The vast majority of fizzy yellow lager drinkers aren't drinking for taste, they're drinking for the buzz.

Some people drink for both reasons- get a buzz while drinking some good brew paired with some good food.