Messages

1816

The Pub / Re: Election Day in the USA!!!

« on: November 03, 2010, 08:00:57 AM »

If they gave out free beer at the polls, I bet more people would show up....and it'd have to be a good selection of beer...

Didn't they try that once.

I remember that when I lived in Ohio, on voting day they would not open the bars or the liquor stores until after the polls closed.  I'm not sure if they still do that.

1817

The Pub / Re: Election Day in the USA!!!

« on: November 03, 2010, 05:12:59 AM »

Voter turnout has always been a problem in American elections, particularly in off-Presidential cycle elections. It's bizarre, but at least in modern times we did still did use to hit 60% turnout on cycle and 50% off cycle as opposed to the trend today of ~50-55% on cycle and 35-40% off cycle.

Despite the number one given reason being "not enough time" - the real turning point? Vietnam, Nixon and Watergate. That triple whammy killed the electoral spirit.

I still think election days should be work holidays. I know employers are required to provide workers time to vote, but bah.

I'm not sure it would help so much in the USA because of the apathy here, but I think Germany holds elections on Sundays.  They get much better turn-out.

1818

Equipment and Software / Re: Cutting a hole in my kettle

« on: November 03, 2010, 05:10:07 AM »

So my 18V cordless drill was not up to the task.  The step bit worked great up until I got to about 7/16 inches and then didn't have the torque to continue.

Really?? I'm VERY surprised. I used an old 12v Makita cordless to step drill holes in my 10 gallon Polarware pot, and it didn't hesitate to bore right through.

Kinda sounds like he was out of battery.  'Happens to me a lot with cordless drills and rechargeable stuff.

1819

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: tips for turning beer around quickly

« on: November 03, 2010, 04:13:29 AM »

Tom's right about the pitching rate.  More is better.
Not sure why euge thinks it has to be extract.  All grain will work well quickly also.
I like to start the ferment cool (60F) then raise the temp after three or four days for a diacetyl rest (70F), then crash cool it for a day to drop the yeast (40F) and then keg.  I've had a regular strength APA done in a week like this.  I call it particle accelerator pale ale.

1820

Equipment and Software / Re: Can anyone Identify the make/model of this ferminter?

« on: November 02, 2010, 02:28:25 PM »

1) It looks like a Johnson temp controller to control the temp of the fermentation
2) It sort of looks like a heat sink - are the two fittings in and out for glycol?
3) Is that a gas in port and a pressure gauge?  I imagine you can carbonate beer in it like in a bright tank.

It's pretty fancy.  Looks like it might be galvanized steel though.  That's odd.  What's the volume?

1821

The Pub / Re: Election Day in the USA!!!

« on: November 02, 2010, 11:43:41 AM »

Oh it's one thing or the other. Now it'll be Christmas ads bombarding us from every angle for the next seven weeks.

Yeah, but the Groundhog's Day ads aren't nearly as annoying

You never hear "Punxsutawney Phil lied last year and said there would be 6 more weeks of winter.  Why would you support a liar?"

I always thought he was kinda shady.

1822

The Pub / Re: Election Day in the USA!!!

« on: November 02, 2010, 10:21:19 AM »

I'm so over the robocalls.  Who listens to that stuff?

You mean that wasn't really Sarah Palin that called me the other night? 

These robocalls took down Comcast in NH yesterday...I was wondering why I wasn't getting any calls...

I had a talk with Bill Clinton the other day, but I don't think he was listening.

1823

The Pub / Re: Election Day in the USA!!!

« on: November 02, 2010, 09:45:40 AM »

I'm so over the robocalls.  Who listens to that stuff?

1824

The Pub / Re: Back-scratchers?

« on: November 02, 2010, 04:20:13 AM »

But it's a special stick.  It has attachments so you can put it on your wall!

1825

Yeast and Fermentation / Re: Washing/rinsing and Re-Using Yeast

« on: November 01, 2010, 12:54:12 PM »

"just dump the remaining 2/3 into the boiling wort."

I can't help imagining all of the panicking single cell organisms screaming at the top of their uh membranes as they are dumped into boiling wort like so many live lobsters.
It's a cruel world.

1826

Kegging and Bottling / Re: Capping for the long haul

« on: October 31, 2010, 09:18:00 AM »

You can try and get some foam in the beer as it is being bottled, hard to do with beer from the fermenter as there is only about 0.8-1.0 volumes of CO2.  My cheap bottling wands will give me some foam.   Foam is made of bubbles of CO2.  So if you have foam, it has displaced air, and the O2 in the air.  This should help cut down on the oxidation of the beer.

Also you can tap on the side of the bottle neck with a knife or a spoon and it may create a little foam.
Bottle-conditioned beers will consume the oxygen when carbonating.  They tend to stay fresher than kegged beers transferred to bottles because of the presence of more yeast.

1827

The Pub / Re: Wife and Homebrew?

« on: October 31, 2010, 09:13:28 AM »

I met my wife at the '96 NHC in NOLA.  She totally gets it.

I only remember one girl being at that conference. Maybe that's why you met her.

The '96 NHC was also our 20th wedding anniversary and my first conference.  My lovely wife was totally disappointed that I actually wanted to go to the seminars and not be with her.  "Nobody goes to the seminars!"  We almost didn't make it to our next anniversary.

She does not drink beer except for the samples I shove at her to get her sensory analysis.
btw one of her pet peeves is that whenever anyone wants to give a female non-beer-drinker a beer that she will love, they hand her a fruit beer or something overly sweet.  Why is that?  My wife drinks single malt, gin and tonics, vodka and bubbly water, and chardonnay.  No real reason for her to like beer.  Besides all the more for me!

 

1828

All Grain Brewing / Re: Your FIRST all grain?

« on: October 31, 2010, 09:00:54 AM »

I remember trying to make a Continental Lager as my first all grain beer.  I figured if I could do that I could make anything.  First try was Continental Gold from "Winner's Circle" a book of winning recipes from late 1980's and early 1990's NHC.  My notes show good efficiency, but perhaps a sour flavor.
I made this three times and then proceeded to IPA's.

1829

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Chilling beer

« on: October 30, 2010, 09:32:31 AM »

Here's a pretty funny link about a guy chilling some Guinness in his shed using a jet engine.  And you really need a cold beer if you've been in a shed with a jet engine running.

http://www.asciimation.co.nz/beer/

1830

All Things Food / Re: Boiled Peanuts

« on: October 30, 2010, 09:14:32 AM »

I love 'em, but they sure are sloppy to try to eat while driving.  I had some cajun style from a stand on a drive across Florida that were particularly addicting.  I had to wash myself and the car when I got back.