Messages

1726

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Shipping Beer

« on: November 29, 2010, 12:08:46 pm »

I setup a personal UPS account, print my label at home, and bring the box into the office for the daily UPS pickup...no issues ever.

Yeah, they don't even ask any questions, so there's no reason to lie.  You can create an account on-line and use a drop off point, like a local office supply store.

1727

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Outragious beer prices???

« on: November 29, 2010, 09:30:11 am »

Were the prices on the menu or did they simply surprise you with the bill at check-out time?
For me, it would have to be a pretty special occasion to spend $30 on a bottle of beer no matter what the reputation.  (I also find wines at about $10 to $15 that are just fine for me).

1728

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Brew less than 5gallons?

« on: November 29, 2010, 09:24:47 am »

I haven't experimented yet. All my batches have been by the recipe I got from the local homebrew supply store and got the correct ingrediants there as well. My pale ale turned out good but my american ipa had a strong bitter taste to it almost a vinager hint of taste to it.

Vinegar taste is a pretty sure sign of an acetic infection.  In that case, richardt's advice about sanitation is spot on. 
IPA's a supposed to have a strong bitter taste, so no problem there.

1729

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Brew less than 5gallons?

« on: November 29, 2010, 08:29:32 am »

If the beers are not turning out so great, then look at your sanitation processes.
You may need to replace some of the vinyl plastic tubing if they're contaminated--they're like contact lenses and sponges--they get dirty, are hard to clean/sanitize well, and don't last forever.  Most of us replace them yearly.

Also, consider fermentation temps and your yeast (dry versus liquid).

On the other hand, adamwhite may just be experimenting with different ingredients and processes as a newer brewer and hasn't made all the connections yet.  Too much crsytal malt or malto dextrine or the wrong hops for the style or too much mugwort something.
There is a guy in our club who makes one-gallon batches of beer and cider all the time and is constantly experimenting with archaic or historic styles.  He seems to do well and has a lot of fun with it, although he doesn't have enough to share very often.
I see no problem with making small batches and splitting sachets of dry yeast.  Small jugs have the added advantage of fitting into a regular refrigerator for fermentation temperature control. 

1730

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Brew Masters......up or down.....?

« on: November 29, 2010, 05:32:03 am »

I liked it too.  Even if the whole series is just about Sam and co traveling around searching for ingredients, I'll tune in.  A show about beer by a guy who knows and loves beer . . . sounds good to me.

My thoughts exactly.

I'll try to watch it tonight.

I liked it too, but at one point I almost gagged from all the chewing and spitting.
Sam seems a little more subdued in these episodes than in real life, if you can imagine that.

1731

The Pub / Re: scotch

« on: November 29, 2010, 05:29:13 am »

When  I was traveling in Scotland several years ago, I found that Glenmorangie was the "bar malt" that you got if you weren't brand specific when ordering.  I find that it's a nice, malty single malt, a good deal for the price.  Another two that emphasize malt over peat are Highland Park and the MacAllan.

1732

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Midnight brewing...

« on: November 27, 2010, 10:21:47 am »

I'm with cheba on that.  I try to start early enough in the morning so I won't be having a beer until it's about ready for cleaning up the gear.  By the time any particular evening rolls around (and especially on weekends) I will most likely have had an adult beverage or two which leads to stupid mistakes in the brewery.
I brewed a Baltic Porter yesterday and was finished and cleaned up by 2:30pm.

1733

Commercial Beer Reviews / Re: Thirsty Bear

« on: November 26, 2010, 01:05:04 pm »

They had good appetizers when I visited a few years ago, but the beers were average back then IMHO.  Get over to 21st Amendment.  It's not far.

1734

Kegging and Bottling / Re: krausen equation

« on: November 26, 2010, 09:58:29 am »

I am not so fond of the mouthfeel of my force-carbonated batches.

Be careful with this statement around here . You'll nee some data to back that up.

Am I at risk of some unbearable humiliation, or is it something else?  Flavor-wise I tend to prefer the CO2 in my beer to be the 'dirty' fermentation exhaust as opposed to store-bought gas.  This, I hope, you would concede to.  As far as mouthfeel goes, am I really having a sensory malfunction as you seem to suggest, or does the velvety-smooth force-carbed draft I've been pouring really have the same body profile as the bright, clean and sharp carbonation from my bottle conditioned beers?  For the record, I did a horizontal tasting with friends of an IPA that I split between keg (force) and bottle (dextrose), so perhaps my experiment had sloppy variables, but the mouthfeel of force-carbed draft seems creamier than refermented draft, and I don't like creamy.  Thoughts?
[/quote]

Your experiment may be flawed because you have no way of knowing if both samples are carbonated to the same exact volume.  There may also be flavor contributions from the sugar added and the alcohol produced by bottle conditioning.  Like Denny says, CO2 is CO2.

1735

The Pub / Re: happy thanksgiving

« on: November 25, 2010, 10:51:01 am »

I don't think I have any really appropriate homebrew on hand, so I'm going to have a bottle of DFH Red and White, which is a Belgian Witbier aged in Pino Noir barrels.  I think it should match up well with the turkey and all the traditional aromas.

1736

The Pub / Re: happy thanksgiving

« on: November 25, 2010, 10:42:35 am »

Fantastic post!

1737

Beer Recipes / Re: Doppelbock Grist

« on: November 25, 2010, 10:41:14 am »

I can get anything, I just have to order online. I've never tried melanoidin malt - does it contribute something different from just using a large proportion of light Munich? I did an Oktoberfest with ~50% Munich 1 and felt like it had a lot of melanoidin-y goodness.

Well, I've found that it adds some melanoidin character, especially if you're doing an infusion mash.  You want to be careful that you don't have too much roast flavors, though.  Balance the chocolate, biscuit and melanoidin malts and keep them in the background.  Most of the flavors are going to come from Munich malt and the others are there to add complexity.

1738

All Things Food / Re: Turkey Day recipes

« on: November 24, 2010, 07:07:39 pm »

Brussels sprouts with bacon and figs.  Here's a video from the N.Y. Times:
http://video.nytimes.com/video/2009/10/23/dining/1247465336798/brussel-sprouts-with-bacon-and-figs.html
Spicy cranberry chutney from a Food Network show:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/claire-robinson/spicy-cranberry-chutney-recipe/index.html
Also from the Food Network, Giada's mashed potatoes with mozzarella and pancetta.
There was a good recipe/story on making stuffing on NPR this morning (11/24) that I might try out.
Brining my turkey ala Alton Brown right now, except I used homebrewed bock for half the water.
I love Thanksgiving.

1739

Beer Recipes / Re: Doppelbock Grist

« on: November 24, 2010, 06:11:53 pm »

I've found that Melanoidin malt adds a nice malty flavor.  Can you get some of that?

1740

All Grain Brewing / Re: Sparge Arm Ideas?

« on: November 23, 2010, 12:16:27 pm »

A sparge arm is a folly.  If you want to fly sparge, I'd recommend using a manifold for your return.

So just swap out my kewler screen for a copper or PVC manifold set-up and go slow, huh?
-J.K.L.

The general consensus is to have a half inch of water on top of the grain bed, staying consistent with the amount and speed of run-off.  You don't need any special whirligigs or manifolds for this.
I usually drain nearly all the mash first, then fairly slowly fill up the tun with water until I have some hot water across the surface of the grain bed and then start a very slow run-off.  While doing this I don't disturb the grain bed by stirring, but I have found that cutting the grain bed with a long knife or spatula not quite all the way down to the false bottom (thanks, Gordon) keeps the water from making channels in the mash.