Messages

1831

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?

1832

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!

1833

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.

1834

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.

1835

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!

 

1836

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.

1837

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/

1838

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.

1839

All Grain Brewing / Re: Never Seen This Before

« on: October 30, 2010, 09:06:38 AM »

Dang.  Now we'll never know.

1840

All Grain Brewing / Re: Never Seen This Before

« on: October 29, 2010, 05:36:38 PM »

"I noticed the liquid wasn't dripping off the hydrometer in drops, but was coming off in long strands... like very watery honey or (disgusting) like a big goober one lets dangle from one's mouth to the floor... although not that strong."

OK this is almost exactly how Vinnie was describing ropiness in his sour barrel aged beers.  How odd.  As I recall he said that you could take strings of the "liquid" and stretch it between your fingers like snot.  Not very pleasant sounding.
If you let it settle, does the clear beer exhibit the same characteristics?  Does it smell OK?  With that much simcoe it's gonna smell pretty "catty" I would think.  Hmmm.

1841

All Grain Brewing / Re: Never Seen This Before

« on: October 29, 2010, 10:44:39 AM »

I'm not saying it definitely is pedio, just that it sounds like it.  You make a good point about the short timeline, I forgot that it was only a week old, but under the right circumstances it can grow pretty quickly as Denny pointed out.  Maybe he's stumbled upon IPM (Ideal Pediococcus Media) 

It could definitely be something else, we're diagnosing over the internet. 

I ain't skird of no beer.

I am

I've had beers served to me when I was judging that I just couldn't bring myself to put in my mouth.  I've tasted some really foul ones and done my best to diagnose them, but one or two have just smelled too awful to pass my lips.

Yeah, for sure, but I always manage a sip.  I think somebody was trying to kill me once, but I survived.  It was a habanero mead as I recall.

1842

All Grain Brewing / Re: Never Seen This Before

« on: October 29, 2010, 09:53:36 AM »

Yeah, but how would it get ropy that fast?  It's barely had enough time to ferment completely.  Vinnie was talking about ropiness as an effect from barrel aging with bugs.  These things don't happen over night.
I think we need more info.
I had a ropy beer once.  My Aunt had some very old Heinekens in her garage that had been there (New Jersey) since her husband passed away many years earlier.  It was the only beer in the house so she cooled a couple down for me.  You could actually see the rope inside the bottle, looking like a dna strand or something.  Yes, I tasted it. (I ain't skird of no beer.)  Very sour.

1843

All Grain Brewing / Re: New Sparge method for brewing large batches in small places?

« on: October 29, 2010, 07:20:13 AM »

I guess it works because the amount of water (now wort) retained/absorbed in the grains after draining is minimal.
You are saving space (your original plan) by using the same vessel for hot liquor and boil kettle, thus only one burner.
Pretty cool idea.

1844

All Grain Brewing / Re: Never Seen This Before

« on: October 29, 2010, 04:23:22 AM »

Just brewed a beer last week that literally is viscous... it's like watered down honey.  When I pulled the hydometer out of the cylinder for a gravity check, there was a strand of liquid coming off the hydrometer vice a drop.  I'm guessing this beer has some bacteria or some other critter?  Any advice on what this is... and if the beer is drinkable?

Back to the original post here.  Why does everyone think this is infected?  There's really not enough description to merit that assessment.  The first thing one needs to do is smell and taste a sample and go from there.
Some clues, "brewed last week" - could it be some yeast still clinging to hop oils?  Is the "liquid coming off the hydrometer" looking like the legs in a glass of whiskey or mead like it's got a lot of alcohol? 
Maybe a picture would help.
Anyway, I rarely throw anything out.  I just make more room somewhere and wait.

1845

The Pub / Re: Cask Ale vs Alcopop

« on: October 28, 2010, 12:32:36 PM »

I live in the UK. Cask beer is everywhere. Some of it is truly outstanding, while there is bad beer in casks too.

CAMRA continues to hold the line that real ale may only be served without the use of CO2, via gravity or hand pump.

I'd love the opportunity to pick and choose between good and bad cask ale.  It's going to be a while before the US is ready to live up to CAMRA.

I've made a couple of driving trips through England, Scotland and Wales with the then-current editions of CAMRA's The Good Beer Guide.  You can basically plan the whole trip around cask ales and have a great time.  Even my wife, who doesn't drink beer, enjoyed the pubs we found.  Chances are good that if they have fresh cask ale they also pay attention to the food.
You can quickly get used to beer that's not fizzy and ice cold.
One of the best beers I ever had was Fullers London Pride on cask somewhere near the brewery.
Now I'm getting thirsty.