Topics

1

Yeast and Fermentation / Lager Woes

« on: February 20, 2013, 01:54:30 AM »

It's been 2 1/2 days since I pitched Wyeast 2000 Budvar Lager yeast into my CAP and there is still no airlock activity. I pitched at around 9.5 (celsius) and let it cool to and held steady at 9. I've given the fermenter a good shake a couple times a day to no avail. I'm now letting it warm up a couple degrees to see what happens. The smack-pack was slow to act, but there was activity. Any thoughts? Be patient? Pitch a pack of SA-05 for a light corn ale?

2

Ingredients / Polenta

« on: February 16, 2013, 09:15:09 AM »

A couple questions about polenta…

I plan to use instant polenta in a pilsner. Do I need to boil it first or just add dry to the mash?

If I decide to do a protein rest, do I do it with or without the polenta?

3

Ingredients / Flaked Maize Storage

« on: January 25, 2013, 07:32:52 AM »

I've had a sealed bag of flaked maize for about 6 months now. I've never used the stuff before, so I don't know how long it lasts. Searches say it goes stale quickly. How about if it's unopened?

4

The Pub / Beer: UK vs Belgium on TV

« on: December 27, 2012, 10:01:12 AM »

I don't know how many of you can get the UK's Channel 4, but this might be worth watching if you do: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/jamie-jimmys-food-fight-club/episode-guide/series-1/episode-4

As I understand it, they got 3 judges for the "competition:" one Belgian, one Brit and an impartial American. I heard the American judge is a drunken idiot.

5

All Things Food / The Perfect Winter Meal

« on: November 20, 2012, 02:14:15 AM »

Lately, I try to think of how I can incorporate beer into pretty much everything I cook. With the cold weather and holidays approaching, I'm starting to think about winter meals. I'm curious - what would be your perfect winter beer-based meal?

6

Yeast and Fermentation / One Week Fermentation = Mistake?

« on: October 29, 2012, 05:55:23 AM »

I brewed a batch of 1.050 OG beer a week ago, pitched with S-04 then proceeded to break my hydrometer during clean-up. I don’t know what came over me, but I decided to bottle after a week. There was no airlock activity for at least a couple days, but of course I couldn’t take any gravity readings. Did I make a mistake? I’ve never used 04 before, but I thought I read somewhere that fermentation goes quick, like only a few days.

7

The Pub / Math we all can appreciate

« on: October 19, 2012, 05:16:19 AM »

http://ow.ly/eBuev

8

All Things Food / Kickass pancakes

« on: August 12, 2012, 12:58:03 AM »

I've been working on a pancake recipe for a while now, usually practicing every Sunday. This morning's were freakin' awesome. Here's my recipe (an attempt at writing it down, anyway).

2/3 cup white flour
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
2/3 cup organic Scottish porridge oats (Quaker quick oats will probably work fine)
2 tsp baking powder
½ (maybe a little more) tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
2 very ripe bananas, mashed
1 tsp dark brown sugar
1-2 eggs (1 large or 2 small), lightly beaten
1/3 cup (or so) plain yogurt
2/3 bottle (or so) strong Belgian beer
s***load of chocolate chips

Mix dry ingredients separately. Add wet bits and mix. Consistency should thick but still be able to pour, kinda like muffins. Cook on medium-high heat, turning when the top forms bubbles. Serves 4-6.

9

Beer Travel / Win a trip to Belgium

« on: June 09, 2012, 06:08:20 AM »

In case you haven't seen it:
http://draftmag.com/affligem/

Drop me a line if you win.

10

General Homebrew Discussion / The Secondary Topic Revisited

« on: April 14, 2012, 11:09:46 AM »

You all have managed to convince me that doing a secondary fermentation isn't necessary for most beers. I'm curious - is the opinion the same for lagers?

11

General Homebrew Discussion / High AA hops freakin' me out

« on: April 11, 2012, 09:33:29 AM »

I normally brew with a variety of hops, but usually include some lower alpha acid in the mix. Tomorrow I'm planning to brew with only high AA hops (Nelson sauvin and pacific jade). I'm trying to keep the IBU's in the pilsner range while still getting good flavor and aroma characteristics from the hops, but the amount of hops I need to use to keep the IBU's down seems mighty low. So, I'm wondering, does high AA hops give me more bang for my buck all around, or will I just get a bitter beer without the aroma and flavor I'm looking for?

12

All Grain Brewing / Multiple Mash Temps at Once

« on: February 22, 2012, 06:23:25 AM »

Has anybody ever tried doing two mashes at different temps for a single beer? Maybe you want more alphas from one grain and more betas from another. I think it could be fun to play around and get possibly interesting results without adding time to the brew day or being annoyed with missing temps on a multi-step mash.

13

Equipment and Software / Natural Gas Burners and BTU's

« on: February 17, 2012, 01:24:44 AM »

I've always brewed with electric or stovetop gear, but I'll have a dedicated brewing space with a natural gas line in the house I'm building. What should I be looking at as far as BTU's to get a 5 gal+ batch to a good boil?

14

The Pub / New Beer Museum Coming

« on: February 07, 2012, 06:02:28 AM »

Yep, we take beer seriously over here. So much so we feel it deserves its own temple:
http://www.deredactie.be/cm/vrtnieuws.english/flanders%2Btoday/120207_Beer_Museum_Brussels

15

The Pub / Coming to a cable channel near you

« on: January 12, 2012, 12:57:45 AM »

The Beer Hunter thread reminded me of this. Have you seen it yet?
http://vimeo.com/19367846

It looks like it'll be an interesting series.