Messages

1

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Drinking while brewing

« on: May 06, 2013, 12:37:28 PM »

As I tell my homebrew classes:

It is good karma to sip a beer while brewing.
It is bad practice to have too many beers while brewing.

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General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Some prohibition era homebrew supplies

« on: April 16, 2013, 01:20:10 PM »

There was a beer stein and breweriana auction here last Sunday. One of the items was a prohibition-era can of Red Top malt extract. I was not there to find out how much it went for.

3

Yeast and Fermentation / Re: Interesting Split-Batch Belgian

« on: April 07, 2013, 02:23:16 PM »

Did you temp crash them? My experience with 3522 is it doesn't floc well until chilled, unless you give it a lot of time. Of course it's still my personal favorite Belgian yeast.

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General Homebrew Discussion / Re: No brained brewing rules

« on: March 24, 2013, 07:24:52 AM »

It is good karma to drink while brewing.

It is bad practice to drink too much while brewing.

5

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: suggestions for belgian yeast

« on: March 19, 2013, 02:16:02 PM »

575 is a nice blend. I've used it many times, including a Belgian Blond that took a BOS. If you're looking to minimize the spiciness I recommend fermenting it cooler, below 65°. At the very end I warm it up to get it to finish out (I like mine very dry).

6

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Raisins in a Dubbel

« on: March 18, 2013, 11:58:56 AM »

I've done that Tomme Arthur recipe also, 1' of dark raisins caramelized and deglazed with port. Dump it in the kettle at knock out. Recirculate for 15 minutes. We did a club brew with this recipe and threw it in a fresh bourbon barrel. Ooh la la!

7

Ingredients / Re: What's the strangest ingredient you've ever used?

« on: March 17, 2013, 01:06:03 PM »

One that jumps out at me is sumac

My wife is doing some test batches for a local one-man brewery (Blank Slate, Cincinnati, OH, http://www.blankslatebeer.com/index.shtml), and sumac is one of the things they're about to test. They're going to start by making some teas and blending them into a Belgian Blond to see what they get.

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General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Dryhopping a Belgian Pale Ale

« on: March 16, 2013, 06:03:08 AM »

I use Sterling in my BPA. A number of Belgian breweries (including Orval) use EKG.

9

Yeast and Fermentation / Re: Wy 3522 Belgian Ardennes

« on: March 16, 2013, 06:01:41 AM »

I use this yeast all the time, and have not had the problems you're facing. It's the La Chouffe yeast, and their beers have always looked bright to me.

10

Ingredients / Re: What's the strangest ingredient you've ever used?

« on: March 16, 2013, 05:59:22 AM »

I have used mustard seed in a Belgian Blond. The seeds don't taste like prepared mustard until you do a vinegar extract. The flavor was more nutty. This was part of an Iron Brewer competition.

I have also used dandelion greens (from my yard) as a bittering agent in a no-hop beer.

Finally, I use paw paw fruit (native to the Ohio valley) from the trees in my yard in a saison every year.

11

Events / Re: NHC Direct links email

« on: March 01, 2013, 12:11:22 PM »

Update on my registration:
My entries now show as paid, and my duplicate payments have all been refunded.

I do not envy the AHA staff right now, but they're getting it done!

12

Yeast and Fermentation / Re: Belle Saison Dry Yeast

« on: February 27, 2013, 07:17:11 PM »

I'm curious to hear also. I teach classes at the LHBS, and they just asked me to use this to make a saison at my next class as a test of the flavor profile.

13

Yeast and Fermentation / Re: San Diego Super Yeast

« on: February 27, 2013, 10:59:19 AM »

Check out some of the pro brewer forums on this yeast. There is widespread agreement that it should never be allowed to drop below 69°. In addition, do not ever allow the temperature to drop. If that first rush of fermentation heats it up, and then it cools as it slows, it will stall. If it were my beer, at this point I would crank the temperature to the upper 70°s and agitate the crap out of the carboy, and hope for the best.

14

Events / Re: NHC Direct links email

« on: February 27, 2013, 07:36:48 AM »

In my case my bank shows my card has been charged five times, but the registration site says I am still not paid. My most recent email (this morning) is the message from Gary telling me I have to pay by 1:00 MST or I will be deleted. At this point I am just sitting on it, and will not try paying again. I don't know what I'll do if I get deleted.

15

Events / Re: NHC Direct links email

« on: February 26, 2013, 02:29:17 PM »

I got my entries in, but it won't let me pay. Anytime I hit "Charge My Credit Card" I get a 404 Page Cannot Be Found error. The payment page shows the Ohio region is now full, and no more entries are being accepted.

I tried a few times, and just now received four automatic replies that show my card was charged $24 each time. However, the competition site says I am not paid. I guess I'll check later, and let Janis handle her current storm. If I have to I'll dispute the CC charges.