Messages

16

Beer Travel / Re: East coast must have beers (CT, specifically)

« on: September 12, 2012, 10:41:21 AM »

The "it" brewery in CT these days is New England Brewing Co.  Their year round beers are average (Sea Hag probably being the best) but they have a set of beers that sort of come and go regularly.  668, Ghandi Bot, and Imperial Stout Trooper all are worth seeking out.  Then they have some one-offs which are almost always good, the most recent being Coriolis IIPA.  Watch their facebook page for what's new.

City Steam's beers range from awful to awesome.   The place is a lot of fun.  They do tend to run out of their better beers quickly so if you want to try something they have, go for it. 

A cab ride can get you to Old Burnside in East Hartford.  I've never been there. 

At the rate new breweries are opening up, you may have a chance at another one or two within cab distance by december!   

17

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

« on: September 12, 2012, 10:33:26 AM »

Love:
IPA (had it at my wedding)
2XIPA
Phin/Matts
Hop Sun

Like but never drink:
Choklat
Moka

Don't like:
Unearthly
Oak Aged Unearthly
Krampus

Despise so much that if you are drinking it and talking to me and I can smell it I will just walk away from you mid-sentance:
Creme Brulee

18

Wood/Casks / Re: Oak Chips in a Farmhouse?

« on: September 04, 2012, 10:13:44 AM »

Oak is a very common treatment for sour beers. Not big bourbon-barrel oak but more subtle. 

19

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Buffalo Wild Wings and home brew

« on: September 04, 2012, 10:06:59 AM »

BW3's wings are a joke. 

20

All Grain Brewing / Re: composting spent grain

« on: August 31, 2012, 08:23:48 AM »

I have accidentally developed a super-species of giant suburban rodent which subists on spent grains from the compost pile.  Be careful out there.   

21

Kegging and Bottling / Re: Hop Rocket Randall and Grassy Flavors

« on: August 09, 2012, 10:24:55 AM »

I my opinion, Randall's are serving gimmicks.
I my experience, Randall + cold beer = grassy flavors. 
Dry hopping cold = grassy flavors, although, they do condition out with enough time.
Dry hop warm = no grassy flavors, tasty and aromatic.

Cheers!

I agree with Tim's assessment of Dry Hopping. I  find temp to be a much bigger factor in grassiness of dry hops than the oft-cited "too much contact time." 

22

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: optimal dry hop temperature?

« on: July 09, 2012, 02:57:19 PM »

In my experience vegetal aromas and flavors are extracted much more noticeably at lower temps.  If I dry hop with american hops at 55 degrees (winter in my cellar), I get up to several weeks of grass/wood before it dissapates.  When I dry hop with the same volumes at 70F, it only typically imparts that character for a few days. 

And yes, you're reading that right... I get chlorophyll notes at the BEGINNING of dry hopping-- not after extended periods of dry hop contact like prevailing opinion tells us.   

23

Extract/Partial Mash Brewing / Re: First try at a session IPA

« on: June 18, 2012, 02:00:48 PM »

I think "American bitter" is both a more accurate description and a good way to approach the recipe for this type of beer.  Strive for the balance that a good bitter has, but use those dank american hops and you are halfway there.

I also like a high character yeast in this type of beer.  1098 British is tough to beat. 

24

All Grain Brewing / Portable march Pump

« on: May 24, 2012, 01:15:10 PM »

Other than the "Wort Pump In a Toolbox", are there any other designs for making a march pump portable?  I don't need great portability, but I can't mount it to a brewing structure either.   Just need to be able to have it free-standing, basically. 

25

Commercial Beer Reviews / Re: New Belgium "Shift" (pic)

« on: May 24, 2012, 12:49:36 PM »

No New Belgium beers are avail in CT.

26

Ingredients / Re: Punching down dry hops

« on: May 15, 2012, 10:11:41 AM »

Yeah I think the difference between leaf and pellet is more systematic than quality-based.  When I brew inside, I need some leaf hops to act like a trub filter.  When I brew outside, I whirlpool, so I like pellet hops because they clump up more readily.   Dry hop in a keg?  Leaf hops for me.  Dry hop in a conical?  Pellet hops in a nylon bag.

27

Beer Recipes / Re: Basic Dubbel and Tripel recipes

« on: May 14, 2012, 10:25:47 AM »

I like a little Munich in my Tripel, something between .5 and 1.5 lbs total.  I find in those amounts it adds to the graininess without really taking away from the beer's crisp soul.  Whatever you do, keep it simple.

28

Extract/Partial Mash Brewing / Re: Agave Nectar Wheat Beer?

« on: May 08, 2012, 04:11:24 PM »

I have used Blue Agave Nectar in place of a sugar in a tripel.  It resulted in one of the best beers I've ever brewed, but I didn't feel the Agave added a tremendous amount vs had I just used table sugar. 

It is highly fermentable so if you are going to use it in large amounts, keep that in mind.  Treat it like invert syrup when formulating a recipe and you should be fine.

29

Beer Recipes / Re: Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA attempt?

« on: May 07, 2012, 11:28:50 AM »

I think this beer will be a lot better with the addition of yeast, and being a dogfishhead beer, I'd use Ringwood.   

30

Ingredients / Re: Simcoe substitutes

« on: May 03, 2012, 01:41:36 PM »

Simcoe is a high oil hop (2-2.5 mls/100g).
For a sub, I would look for another high oil hop.   It will not make the same beer, but I think that is your best bet to get close.

Yeah, both Citra and Chinook have a different character, but because they're other high oil hops, I'd go in that direction.