Messages

2956

Beer Recipes / Re: English IPA tips

« on: August 26, 2010, 06:24:35 AM »

Age for 18 months, and then dry hop.

Ant Hayes
Tonbridge, Kent

WOAH?!

This is an English IPA, not an Americna hop bomb.  I have one aging.  Give it a try.  Ant knows his stuff here.

2957

Beer Recipes / Re: Brew Your Own British Real Ale...Crystal?

« on: August 26, 2010, 05:45:28 AM »

Medium Crystal is what you typically want, but the color range from malster to malster can be different for British Crystal.  Find one you like and stick with it.

That book doesn't say anything about yeast selection, which is the most important ingredient.

Ant and Majorvices advice on base malt should also be followed.  I like Crisp Maris Otter as a base for most British Ales.  Golden Promise is also a good malt variety.

2958

Ingredients / Re: Long Cascade hops

« on: August 25, 2010, 07:23:26 PM »

I did not measure any like that, and they are packaged in foodsaver bags, but my cascades were uniformly long this year.  Mostly as long as my thumb, and in past years it was some were as long as my thumb.  The Chinook is putting out long cones this year as well.  Here it is warm weather, rain that has been spaced nicely, and manure early and then fertilizer.

If you can find representations of the varieties on the net, Cascade is usually shown as a long cone compared to others.

2959

Ingredients / Re: Frozen, un-dryed hops

« on: August 25, 2010, 08:41:29 AM »

The guys from Gorst Valley hops said that freezer bags are good for a month, as they are not O2 barrier bags.

Foodsaver type bags are O2 barrier, and hops will last 2+ years in the freezer from my experience.

2960

The Pub / Re: In case you wonder what happened to me

« on: August 24, 2010, 01:55:19 PM »

Kai, sometimes you got to do what you got to do at work.  Projects, reviews and production deadlines were always a time of going balls out (an engineering reference that goes back to the days of the flyball governer).  I don't miss it.

Get over the work crunch, keep the family first in your mind, train the puppy, and make some beer.  Stop back in and say hello when time allows.

2961

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Identifying hops

« on: August 24, 2010, 01:49:31 PM »

This could be of some help, below.  The bottom line is that it is difficult at best.  As you are in the UK, you might ask the older farmers in the area if they remember what was grown in earlier times, if hops were grown around there.

Or you could pick and dry, then do a hop rub with your hands, comparing to known varieties.  The last alternative is to pay for DNA testing, but that would be expensive.

The link.  Read the wild hops article.
http://www.gorstvalleyhops.com/pdfs/July_09.pdf

2962

The Pub / Re: Babalu

« on: August 24, 2010, 05:07:50 AM »

Thank you for the update.  We just heard of 2 cases of EEE here in MI over the weekend.

I had to google it too.  Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE).

2963

Ingredients / Re: Post your water report

« on: August 23, 2010, 11:53:09 AM »

It takes me from 16 S to 48 ppm SO4.  Not a huge number since mine was low, but enough to change any calculation I would do for SO4.  If my SO4-S was 75, then it would be 225 ppm SO4, and I would not want to add much CaSO4.

Someone should thank AJ!

2964

The Pub / Re: Where are you?

« on: August 23, 2010, 09:31:09 AM »

Svejk - you need to put it in the "personal text" field.  I tried to edit that, and had to relearn where to change it.  Let me see if it works now...

It worked.

2965

Ingredients / Re: Post your water report

« on: August 23, 2010, 09:26:52 AM »

AJ deLange has a post on the Brewing Network forum about something he just found out about the Ward Labs report (if you don't know who he is, let me just say that when he writes about water chemistry I read it and hope I understand what he has to say).   If you look at the reports, SO4 is listed as SO4-S, which means the number reported is the sulfur.  AJ says to multiply by 3 to get the Sulfate as ppm.

You can read it here.
http://www.thebrewingnetwork.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=21815

2966

Equipment and Software / Re: A Better Siphon

« on: August 22, 2010, 05:04:16 AM »

Anyone use one of these?

http://morebeer.com/view_product/18872//Sterile_Siphon_Starter_-_For_5_and_6_Gallon_Carboys

Any thoughts on the product?

That would work.  I use the carboy cap on the can, but 2 PSI of CO2 is used to start the siphon and help push the beer out.

2967

Questions about the forum? / Re: Does the Forum Really Need 25 Categories?

« on: August 20, 2010, 08:49:16 PM »

Svejk, welcome to the forum.  I hope you will be a Good Soldier!
Edit: I see the Good Soldier is the avatar now.
(If anyone is confused by the Good Soldier reference, use Google).

2968

Ingredients / Re: Chinook hops

« on: August 20, 2010, 08:44:59 PM »

I've not brewed an english ipa, but some looking around reveals they are widely used as a bittering hop.  Understandable with its very clean but sharp bitterness... (the first two recipes are strikingly similar!!)

http://wiki.homebrewersassociation.org/BlitzkriegHops

http://www.realbeer.com/hops/sister.html

http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/forum/index.php?topic=3364.0

An English IPA is traditionally going to use... English hops. Of course, in America, you can do whatever you want, but Chinook definitely tastes a bit American.

I agree in theory, but the historic practice was to imprort Ameican hops for bittering way back when, along with American malts for part of the grist.  They import high alpha hops today, as the British hop production acreage has become small.

2969

Ingredients / Re: Chinook hops

« on: August 20, 2010, 08:40:00 PM »

There are many Blind Pig recipes out there.  This one without the oak would be closer to todays.
http://www.thebrewingnetwork.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=11499&hilit=blind+pig+recipe

2970

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Fresh Hops

« on: August 20, 2010, 11:59:46 AM »

Fixed it for you.  

Some call the hops straight off the bine wet.  It looks like you like fresh as the term..
Should Dave Wills change the name of his company.  

These guys know a little about hops too.
Wet http://www.sierranevada.com/beers/harvest.html
Fresh http://www.sierranevada.com/beers/harvest_southern.html

Just pointing out where I learned the terms, not being too OCD (or am I???).

Edit - Denny is right.  The talk by James Altweis was one of the best of the conference, I would say outstanding.