Messages

2941

The Pub / Re: Boulder wildfire

« on: September 07, 2010, 12:53:55 PM »

So I had to look at Yahoo.  Sure looks like Paul.  Hope all is good with their home.

http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Colo-Wildfire/ss/events/us/090710coloradofire#photoViewer=/100907/480/urn_publicid_ap_org_c52b686803c54e0a911dc8dd067edd73

2942

Ingredients / Re: Willamette hops as flavor/aroma additions in English-style brews

« on: September 07, 2010, 11:07:23 AM »

Last year I went through a Lb of Willamette.  They are pretty good for British style beers.

Willamette is a Fuglles triploid, meaning that it has three sets of chromosones vs. two.  This results in a more hardy plant, but the plant is sterile.

2943

Equipment and Software / Re: Cleaning immersion chillers

« on: September 06, 2010, 06:40:04 PM »

spray it off with the hose after every use, put in boiling wort with 15 left to go, never been an issue 

This works for me, too.

The only time I used PBW is when it was new, and and the copper coil straight from the box still a little oily after I formed/made it into a chiller. 

Other than that, rinse, boil, repeat.

2944

The Pub / Re: Babalu

« on: September 06, 2010, 12:42:58 PM »

Frank, thanks for the update.  Looks like it is possitve news, and I am hoping for better news in the future.  Keeping the fingers crossed.

2945

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Pouring a Pint, Brit-style

« on: September 06, 2010, 12:40:37 PM »

In Germany there is a fill line for beer, the  "Plimsoll line", for a full fill of beer and room for the head (I just found that the Plimsoll is from the max legal load line on the side a cargo ship).  The Germans have strict weights and measures codes, that are followed.

There is this in the US.
http://honestpintproject.org/index.htm

2946

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: How Common Are Infected Batches?

« on: September 05, 2010, 05:33:16 PM »

I definitely think you can make good beer without any tools, but I haven't done a 10 year apprenticeship to figure out when the water is the right temp for mashing  

I was teaching a guy who had just finished cullinary school how to brew.  When I said I wanted the sparge water to be at 170F, he looked at it for a while then said it wa, at 170F.  I was on the side with the bulkhead thermometer, and it was 170F.  WTF?  I asked him how he knew.  He said if you pay attention, water as it is heated will have some different character. with temp.  At 170F the surface becomes very still and even.  Look sometime, I was convinced that the brewers before instuments had some clues as to what to do.

To add to this a little more, he said that as a professional chef, you can't wait around taking temps, you look and do, as there is no time to waste.

2947

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: How Common Are Infected Batches?

« on: September 05, 2010, 10:07:26 AM »

I have been brewing for almost 18 years, maybe 280 batches counting todays, and have had maybe 6 or a little more.  Some don't show signs for a long time.  Most of these were back in the mid 90's before Star San.

There was one last year that had some bret in one carboy, but not the other.  It was a Saison, so the infected one was a happy mistake, as it was tasty.   This beer was fermented in a conical then, split to carboys at the same time for aging, so it was the carboy.

The first part of sanitizing is cleaning to get rid of soils.  You can't sanitize dirt.  I am making sure to do a PBW soak on thigns to get ride of any deposits.

2948

Other Fermentables / Re: Favorite Commercial Meads

« on: September 03, 2010, 07:19:17 AM »

You should go meet Michael Fairbrother in New Hampshire. He knows a thing or two about mead, and can probably help you determine quickly whether you don't like mead or just don't like crappy mead. 

+100 on this...and he is always doing tastings somewhere...great stuff.

Michael would be a good guy to get to know.  Contact information:
 https://www.moonlightmeadery.com/

2949

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: English malt extracts versus domestic extracts

« on: September 02, 2010, 04:38:09 PM »

I had a friend who liked to buy the generic "Beer" back in the day.

Repo Man is a classic.

2950

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: What's Brewing This Weekend - 9/3 Edition

« on: September 02, 2010, 04:34:21 PM »

Yesterday was hot and humid as I picked the last of the hops.  Saturday will have a high of 61F.  Cool enough to fire up the burners and do a fresh hop APA.  Or maybe an IPA, as it was a good crop this year (for me at least).

2951

All Things Food / Re: more smoking . . .

« on: September 02, 2010, 04:17:22 PM »

We have been doing pork tenderloins with different woods, but always the same rub and mop.

Pear, nectarine, and persimmon have been woods that have been excellent.

2952

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: 12 oz six pack vs. 16 oz four pack

« on: September 02, 2010, 09:19:03 AM »

I remember bringing back a 4 pack of Andechs Doppelbock Dunkel for a friend some years ago, in 0.5L bottles.

You need to go to Germany and do market research. 

2953

The Pub / Re: Babalu

« on: September 01, 2010, 05:53:13 PM »

Thanks again Frank.  I hope to shake Jeff's hand someday, maybe at an NHC. Hoping for a good recovery for Jeff, and keeping my fingers crossed.

2954

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Storing Fresh Hops

« on: September 01, 2010, 01:20:20 PM »

I dry mine in the garage on screens.  Today it is at 88F, just checked.  It takes 3 days for the hops to be dry.

2955

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Storing Fresh Hops

« on: September 01, 2010, 11:48:40 AM »

If you store them in the freezer, don't use a ZipLoc for more than a month.  Those are not O2 barrier, and you will get chessey hops.  The vacuum pack bags are said to be O2 barrier bags.

On drying hops, 140F is what the commercial farms use to get the troughput they need.  James Altweis claimed that low temps are better, as some of the essential oils can flash off at less than 140F.