Messages

3376

Yeast and Fermentation / Re: Fermentation Temp QuestionsI p

« on: May 13, 2011, 02:56:52 PM »

given the tendency of vigorous fermentations to explode all over the place might the electrical room not be the BEST place for this wonderful hobby? just saying ALWAYS use a blowoff tube.

3377

The Pub / Re: Bumper Stickers

« on: May 13, 2011, 12:36:46 PM »

I've seen "In the event of rapture this car will be unoccupied". 

They'll be ready for 5/21/11 and seriously disappointed if it actually happens and they remember pride is one of the big bad 7. 

Paul

I like the response to that one even better, 'in the event of rapture, can I have your car?'

3378

Beer Recipes / Re: Breakfast Stout Recipe Help/Ideas

« on: May 13, 2011, 12:31:11 PM »

Hey Team,

I would like to brew Breakfast Stout next, but am having trouble finding direct info on the basics to include.

It should include: Oatmeal, coffee, maple syrup?, chocolate, etc, right?

I've seen the BYO Founder's Breakfast Stout Recipe, has anyone had success with it?

I can do partial mash and I'd like to have it be similar to Founder's if at all possible.  I plan to condition this one as long as it needs to if it's around 8 or 9% ABV.  It seems there isn't a "best" consensus on adding coffee, but I think I've decided to rack to a secondary on whole beans and see how that goes.

I really enjoy big roasty stouts like Ten Fidy and Old Rasputin so the more roast the better!

Ok...now I'm just rambling.  Any help is much appreciated!

Wow 8 or 9 % doesn't seem very breakfasty to me! As I understand it if using coffee it is best to make a strong coffee and add it to secondary rather than use whole or crushed beans. with long contact time comes some bitter flavours. but give it a try, cold extract coffee is supposed to be very smooth and low acid so it might work.

3379

Beer Recipes / Re: Non carbonated beer.

« on: May 13, 2011, 12:28:39 PM »

Not really non-carbonated but cask conditioned ales only have a very small amount of carbonation, Barley wines also are traditionally very low in carbonation levels but given the high ABV still have a fair chance and hanging over. One of the big causes of hangovers is higher alcahols (Fuesels) these bad boys can give you a hang over before you finish drinking the first one. I have not heard of a completely non-carbonated beer though. Mexican/south american corn, sugar cane or agave based 'beers' are often consumed while still fermenting so the only carbonation there is the CO2 still in solution from teh active yeast.

3380

All Things Food / Re: Quest for the perfect hush puppie

« on: May 13, 2011, 10:48:20 AM »

Also, like any dough, a good bench rest will really make a difference - let the dough sit around for a few hours before you do anything with it to allow the flour to soak up all the moisture it can.

This sounds like a logical approach, but will it work with the chemical leavening agent? My concern would be that an extended rest would exhaust the baking soda unless you use a slow acting or double acting powder.

a doubleacting powder is a must if your going to rest it. I think of corn bread/hushpuppies as more of a batter than a dough. but giving them a little bit to rest and hydrate is good. When I am doing cornbread I put the cast iron pan in the oven at 500 or whatever the oven can manage with a lump of shortening and then mix my wet and dry igredients and let them sit until the fat is smoking.

3381

The Pub / Re: Thoughts about fights

« on: May 13, 2011, 10:44:30 AM »

I want a bot that can make quesadillas.

mmm quesadillabot! look out roomba competition is around the corner!

3382

The Pub / Re: Thermochromic Urinal

« on: May 13, 2011, 10:43:42 AM »

Problem I see is that you don't know if the guy next to you is watching you draw or checking you out.

Either way it's a compliment no?

3383

The Pub / Re: Thoughts about fights

« on: May 13, 2011, 10:33:53 AM »

I have begun wondering if Blue Fox City is a bot. I have heard recently about some fairly sophisticated Bots capable of continuing conversations for quite a long time before anyone realizes. It has become something of a hobby among hackers to create and release Bots to see how well they can simulate human encounters. Apparently it's quite funny to watch when two of them get going with each other.

3384

The Pub / Re: Bumper Stickers

« on: May 13, 2011, 10:23:35 AM »

Best bumper sticker I have seen, and mainly because it made me laugh while driving home after getting dumped was

"Fat people are harder to kidnap"

3385

Ingredients / Re: Home grown hops

« on: May 13, 2011, 08:55:45 AM »

As long as the thread is here...

My EKG don't seem to want to grow more than 5 feet tall. They've been there for about three weeks now and I scratched a little height marker into the post, they haven't gone beyond it. Am I doing something wrong, or is this normal for first-growth? My understanding was that they wouldn't produce too much the first year but they'd at least grow all the way. I sprinkled some fertilizer on them the other day so hopefully that'll yield some results. My soil is very nutrient-rich and loamy, if that helps.

There's your problem, You scratched a line in the sand and they just don't have the guts to cross it! those aren't hops they're mice!

3386

Yeast and Fermentation / Re: Yeast vile highly carbonated

« on: May 09, 2011, 11:49:47 PM »

The vials of yeast are often a little carbonated if you let them warm up for a while before opening. But I guess it's better safe than sorry. You could brew up a 1 gallon batch and pitch it just to see what happens. Could be good! what kind of yeast was it?

3387

All Things Food / Re: Quest for the perfect hush puppie

« on: May 09, 2011, 09:03:28 PM »

Don't know if it would work but I like to include some whole kernal corn in my corn bread. either fresh off the cob or frozen is fine. Also giving them a little time for the cornmeal to hydrate helps with the graininess

3388

The Pub / Re: Springtime Mushrooms anyone finding them?

« on: May 09, 2011, 09:01:22 PM »

Ok, who's got some recipes that feature morels?  So far I've done the French creamed morel app, a morel sauce I served over grilled lamb chops, and an omelet filling with gruyere and chives.

This one is intended for dried morels but...

Morel ravioli with Morel burre blanc

Make a batch of fresh pasta sheets (or buy them lazy!) Rehydrate about 2 cups of dried morels in as little hot water as you can, save that water. After mushrooms are softened up remove them from the stock and bring stock to a boil and reduce till it starts getting syrupy. Meanwhile chop the morels finely and saute with a little shallot and maybe some tarragon, Dried in this case to reduce moisture. Mix with shredded cheese, about 1 to 1, maybe a little more mushroom than cheese but that is a personal taste. I like a flavourful but soft and meltable Cheese. Make ravioli, or if you are a little lazy like me, make tortoloni (big tortolini the filling is good enough to eat my itself so a big hunk of it in a tortoloni works for me). Cook the pasta in a big pot of salted water and while that is happening work lots of butter into the reduced mushroom stock. It it starts to break you can add a dash of cream. Salt and pepper to taste.

3389

Yeast and Fermentation / Re: The wonder of stirplates. I wonder why my fermentations now SUCK!

« on: May 09, 2011, 06:08:50 PM »

I know you said same ingredients but you follow it with 'sugar/no sugar' do you mean each time you have brewed it there is x pounds of two row and n pounds of munich etc? or do you mean x pounds of Great Western two row etc. If you are using a new maltsters products or a new brand of extract that could also result in a big difference in flavour. The last two batches I brewed have a distinctly similar sweetness and full mouth feel that I suspect is the result of the Gambrinus pale malt I used. It is the only ingredient that is the same between the two batches but they both have this same distinct sweetness.

3390

Extract/Partial Mash Brewing / Re: Coopers Stout kit w/ coffee?

« on: May 09, 2011, 06:04:43 PM »

If you don't want to use white sugar you could experiment with other highly fermentable sugars like rapadura, or other raw cane sugar. Or even maple syrup or agave, molasses etc. The idea is just to lighten up the final body a bit. you could even probably use white grape juice although I am not sure what that would do with coffee. I personally really like maple and coffee together so I might try that.