Messages

61

The Pub / Re: How low can you go?

« on: January 04, 2011, 05:26:47 pm »

If anybody is keeping track, put me down in the "no thanks to macros" column.  I started drinking back when there weren't any craft breweries in the US, so I had my fill of what they have to offer.  Fortunately in the Pacific NW, it seems that every bar has at least one local craft beer on tap (Mac & Jacks is our Bud).  I have a feeling if I lived in a less hospitable region, my opinion would likely change.

62

Beer Recipes / Re: IPA recipe... My FIrst!

« on: December 30, 2010, 11:55:09 am »

I also agree that Majorvices is spot on, and will also recommend that you consider dry hopping with a variety of hops to add that "sticking your nose in a bag of hops" aroma.  I like Simcoe, Columbus and Centennial in the Pliny tradition, but you should look up some clone recipes for your favorite IPA to see what the brewery uses.  You'll also want this beer to finish fairly dry with a final gravity of 1.010-1.013, so you really should consider making a starter and limiting the less fermentable additions to minimal amounts (ie leave out the amber extract). 

For additional information on IPAs, this website is helpful (even though it is specifically for double IPAs, the information is still interesting):

http://destroy.net/brewing/IIPA.pdf

63

The Pub / Re: Getting a dog

« on: December 06, 2010, 10:28:32 am »

I agree - just go to "look" at an available puppy and it's a done deal.  My wife and I went to look at puppies and the conversation was never "do we want one?", but "which one?".

64

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Outragious beer prices???

« on: November 29, 2010, 12:06:21 pm »

The way I see it is that the craft beer market is maturing and price increases for more sought after beers are a part of the natural progression.

We basically are left with a choice - either you can't get the beer because it was priced too low and sold out immediately and is no longer available, or it is available and it is expensive.  The way I see it, nobody owes me anything - if the asking price is too high then I won't pay it.  I don't expect the Lexus dealership to set Kia prices.  Fortunately a lot of what drives the high prices is that the beer is perceived to be better than more readily available and cheaper alternatives, but that isn't necessarily the case.  A modestly priced Girardin 1882 can hold its own against a whole lot of the higher priced sours.

65

Yeast and Fermentation / Re: Yeast Starter Sanitation

« on: November 29, 2010, 10:31:53 am »

...I couldn't get the stopper to stay on the flask.

I agree with the others that you shouldn't have anything to worry about - it helps to remember that we are sanitizing our equipment rather than sterilizing it.  That said, our attention to detail should be especially keen when making starters because anything that happens this early in the process will multiply many times in the main batch.

One thing I'll add is that there was a Basic Brewing podcast a while back where they compared different starter methods and the finding was that it is actually better to cover the starter with foil rather than use an airlock.  Foil will allow more oxygen into the starter and that is beneficial to the yeast.

66

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Outragious beer prices???

« on: November 29, 2010, 09:57:07 am »

I think the point it becomes a freaking rip off is just shy of the point where people stop paying.

I'm a bit of a beer geek myself, and the way I look at it is that I would rather have the chance to try rare and sought after beers and sometimes the only way to make that happen is to pay the price.  There is an imbalance in the market where breweries will release a limited beer that took them a year to make for $10-$25/bottle and then it will show up on ebay for many times that amount.  I would rather see the brewery get that money, but the beer drinking public really isn't open to that idea.  In the case of a beer bar that raises the price on rare beers, it only makes sense to find the price that the market will bear.  Fortunately there are lots of other great beers available for reasonable prices - and besides, we can make our own!

67

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Tour De Bohemia

« on: November 25, 2010, 01:48:58 pm »

Open fermenters are used most of the time. You can find some breweries with conical fermenters.
I have seen one small brewery that beer was fermented in open wood barrels and lagered in closed wood barrels. Beer was fantastic.

I'm heading to the Czech Republic in May and would love to know the name of this brewery so I can be sure to visit it.  Any other "must visit" places are also greatly appreciated.  Thanks for posting!

68

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: New Brewer / New Member

« on: November 23, 2010, 10:04:21 am »

In addition to the other good advice given, I suggest that you search youtube for homebrewing videos.  It is really important to do lots of reading so you understand what is happening, but it also helps to watch.  For first recipes, porters are great.  Lagers are trickier, so get good at brewing ales before trying those.  Also, some beginning homebrewers think that beers that are lighter in flavor are easier to brew - the exact opposite is true.  They are difficult because there isn't a lot of flavor to cover up any mistakes.  Have fun!

69

Beer Travel / Re: Special PNW Beers

« on: November 22, 2010, 11:22:30 am »

There were a few big releases in Oregon this last weekend including Pelican's Mother of All Storms and Hair of the Dog Matt, so if he was a dedicated beer geek he could have done a big road trip for you.

Dissident by Deschutes is fantastic and should be making it to Seattle very shortly.  It will probably sell out pretty quickly so he might need to watch for it and snag it quickly.  Jubelale is a good winter beer by Deschutes and is easy to find.

We also get Russian River beers, and I've seen Temptation at Whole Foods recently.

If growlers are an option, he could visit Black Raven in Redmond and pick up one of their limited release beers.

Malt and Vine in Redmond has a good representation of their inventory on their website, so you could take a look at that and see if there is something that interests you:

http://www.maltandvine.com/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?search=action&category=1010&keywords=all

70

All Grain Brewing / Re: 1st AG Effieency

« on: November 21, 2010, 11:29:46 am »

Yep - the Mr Malty "14 Essential Questions About Yeast Starters" says everything way better than I ever could. I also think going to youtube and searching for "yeast starter" is a good idea.  Watch a few of the videos and it will help you visualize the process.

Once you have made the starter, cooled it and pitched the yeast, it needs to be well aerated because the yeast use oxygen to multiply. That means you shake the container vigorously every chance you get.  Some of the videos suggest putting an airlock on the container, but I believe that covering the top with foil has been shown to be superior at growing more yeast.

I hope this helps.   

71

All Grain Brewing / Re: 1st AG Effieency

« on: November 20, 2010, 11:07:58 am »

I think overshooting your saccarification rest by 10-15 degrees is the probable cause as well. Once when I overshot my temp significantly, I told my brother to quickly get some cool water to bring it back down to the right temp. He said, "isn't that like cooking an egg until the yolk is hard and then quickly cooling it down so it'll go back to over easy?". I didn't have an answer.

As long as your Wyeast yeast was a reasonably fresh XL smack pack that was fully plumped up when you pitched it, and the wort was really well aerated, you can get away without a starter in a batch of 1.042 wort.  That said, since so much effort is put into a brew day, making starters is a really good practice to get into.  Put another way, if you ever have a batch in the future where you don't hit your target final gravity, and you pitched a healthy starter and aerated it well, then you can eliminate underpitching as a possible cause.

72

All Grain Brewing / Re: 1st AG Effieency

« on: November 14, 2010, 11:43:28 am »

When you tell us about your process, in addition to mash temps, please let us know how much yeast you pitched, whether you made a starter and how you aerated the wort.

73

Beer Travel / Re: OMG, whirlwind trip to Belgium.

« on: November 08, 2010, 10:04:10 am »

...can you say Kulminator.Thats a pub you should spend hours & hours pouring thru the list.
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1232/

I couldn't agree more.  For a short trip, a visit to Kulminator is really hard to beat.  I believe every Belgian beer lover should go there at least once in their life.

74

Yeast and Fermentation / Re: re-pitch for bottling?

« on: November 05, 2010, 10:12:00 pm »

Most likely there will be plenty of yeast left in the beer to carbonate the bottles. I would consider repitching if the ABV is high (~8%+) or if it spends more than a month in the secondary.  If you do decide to pitch yeast at bottling, you can rehydrate a packet and put some of the liquified yeast in the bottling bucket - there's no need to add all of it since a whole packet is overkill.

75

All Grain Brewing / Re: Your FIRST all grain?

« on: October 30, 2010, 09:22:25 pm »

My first AG beer was a very basic pale ale. It didn't turn out very well, but fortunately I was hooked by the process and followed that first batch with a porter. By the time my sub-par pale was ready to drink, the porter was also just about done. That porter took second best-of-show in the first competition I ever entered and the hook was set for good.  My advice is to brew a style that you really like, and remember that the hardest beers to brew are those with the lightest and most delicate flavors (light lagers, etc).  Stick with a beer that has about 5% ABV and a big, bold flavor.  Have fun!