Messages

31

Yeast and Fermentation / Re: Ringwood Strain

« on: June 22, 2012, 01:24:20 PM »

I think Cooperstown Brewing Company uses Ringwood. 

32

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: What's Brewing This Weekend - 6/22 Edition

« on: June 22, 2012, 08:56:35 AM »

Monday's my birthday, I'm off from work and brewing up a pseudo-Oktoberfest with Wyeast 2124 at ale temps. Can't wait.

What's your method/recipe? I'm really interested in doing something similar but had my ideas shot down by my buddy who is self-proclaimed lager expert. Is it possible to brew an ale that looks and tastes pretty close to an oktoberfest? I just don't have the ability to lager at the moment.

Oh, and happy birthday!

Thanks! 

I've done a lot of reading on it, and i figured it was worth trying.  I am doing a partial mash with 1 lb Pilsner, 0.5lb caramunich, 2.1 oz aromatic, 2.1 oz Bisciut, and 2.1 oz Carafa III.  1 can Pilsner LME, 1 can Munich LME.  Brings me to about a 1.056 OG.  90 min 3.5 gallon boil, Tettanger at 60 min, Hersbrucker close to the end of the boil (15 min I think?). 

Fermenting with a starter made from 2 smack packs of 2124.  Temp will probably be around 60.  I got lots of extra ice water bottles, and something to actually cover the swamp cooler. 

33

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: What's Brewing This Weekend - 6/22 Edition

« on: June 20, 2012, 04:38:49 PM »

Monday's my birthday, I'm off from work and brewing up a pseudo-Oktoberfest with Wyeast 2124 at ale temps. Can't wait.

34

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: One heck of a brew day.

« on: June 19, 2012, 01:40:18 PM »

Thanks for the reassurance!

I'm going to just wait it out and see what happens post-fermentation.  I have another beer planned for Monday and will probably have everything ready to go on Sunday night.  Getting up again at 5:30 AM but I am off from work, so it is going to be an early morning brew day.

35

General Homebrew Discussion / One heck of a brew day.

« on: June 18, 2012, 02:16:16 PM »

A starter of Wyeast 3068 is apparently a monster... It was spewing out of my airlock this morning.  Was quite a surprise I wasn't ready for at 5:30 AM.  At least it wasn't all over the walls.  Just the carboy lid.  This brew has been plagued with more setbacks then I ever experienced in brewing.  I was given the wrong extract (didn't find out until after I sparged) so I had to get it replaced (wasn't a huge deal, but delayed my boil for a long time), my tap water has decided it doesn't want to come out cold for whatever reason now, so I could only get the wort down to 100F or so.  My autosiphon decided to clog up on me when transferring the wort and then blow out onto the kitchen floor in my attempt to unclog it.  I ended up cooling the wort by pouring it into the fermenter with near freezing water.  It got the temp to 65 and I was happy.  And now I am just rambling and have probaby gone way off topic, but I've been hitting my head against the wall at work for the past 8 hours because of people's stupidity, and working on a project that people are trying to overly complicate.

36

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: St. Loius: Home brew illegal at festival

« on: June 14, 2012, 10:02:57 AM »

I've been fortunate enough to pour some homebrew at two festivals in PA.  Both were a huge success, and the organizers are more than happy to have us there.  I don't know what goes into it legally, but when everyone comes to the tent they are required to sign a waiver. 

37

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: What's Brewing This Weekend - 6/15 Edition

« on: June 14, 2012, 09:57:11 AM »

My fermenters are bone dry, and all I have on hand are a few random bottles of an Amber Ale and an Irish Red Ale, not cutting it for the summer months.  Time to get cracking on an easy drinking beer, so i'll be doing a hefeweizen on saturday.  Doing the yeast starter tonight.

38

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: What's Brewing This Weekend - 6/1 Edition

« on: May 31, 2012, 12:43:27 PM »

Brewing is on hold until mid June.  I will be going away next week and don't want to leave anything without proper temperature control (IE changing ice in the swamp cooler)

39

The Pub / Re: Ever have a beer so good?

« on: May 29, 2012, 09:05:48 AM »

My favorite scene in Beerfest is when they're sampling the beer they made and one guy says "oh I want to put my dick in it" and another says "oh I want it to put it's dick in me! "

Now whenever I drink a beer that's just AWESOME I call it 'dickinit' good.  Still haven't had one I considered 'dickinme' good though! 

-Sent from the future.

Yes what a great scene!  I was drinking the first bottle of the pale ale I brewed recently (which now is of course gone), and I was raving about how it came out.  My wife was like "Geez, you sound like you want to have sex with it."

40

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: dogfish tv show

« on: May 29, 2012, 05:48:18 AM »

It's called Brew Masters, and you can order it on iTunes. It only ran for five episodes I think...

There is a 6th episode floating around on the internet, I saw part of it.  I may have the link still on my computer at home, if I do i'll post it.

41

Commercial Beer Reviews / Re: Let's talk southern tier

« on: May 25, 2012, 01:42:38 PM »

Never had a bad beer from Southern Tier.  Their pilsner is one of my current favs, but their 2X IPA is probably my all time favorite from them.  That or their Amber.  I usually try to pick up some whenever I see it on the shelves. 

42

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Homebrewed Wedding Favors

« on: May 23, 2012, 05:38:20 AM »

Love this!  I almost thought about brewing for my own wedding and giving them out as favors, but I wouldn't have had the time to do it.

43

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Rookie Needs A Lil Help

« on: May 23, 2012, 05:36:22 AM »

What everyone else said... Don't get discouraged.  As homebrewers we all learn from mistakes like this.  Definately pick up How to Brew and I would also reccommend the Complete Joy of Homebrewing. 

44

Beer Recipes / Re: Possbile IPA recipe

« on: May 23, 2012, 05:31:26 AM »

Victory might be my new favorite grain.  Absolutely love the color and flavor it has. 

45

Beer Recipes / Re: Blonde ale

« on: May 22, 2012, 05:36:30 PM »

Here's the recipe I worked out for a 5gal batch
3.5 gallon boil
90 minute boil
IBU: 27
SRM: 3.5
OG: 1.051

3.5 lb Pilsner malt
Mash at 152 for 60 min.  Batch sparge.

3.3 lb Pilsner LME
1 lb Extra light DME (30 min addition)

0.5 oz Magnum @ 60 min
0.5 oz Czech Saaz @ 20 min
0.5 oz Czech Saaz @ 5 min
0.5 oz Czech Saaz @ 2 min

Ferment in low 60's with WLP007.