Messages

3541

Yeast and Fermentation / Re: Canning Yeast Starters

« on: March 08, 2011, 02:23:38 PM »

I can wort all the time.

I first boil it to get rid of the hot break so it doesn't do it in the jars.

Usually the pressure cooker is used for 30 minutes for quarts but I have also done a 120 minute hot water bath will no ill effects.

99.9% of the time you will have no ill effects by not using a pressure canner but the other .1% with botulism is a real bummer! and unless you live fairly far below sea level you are not getting hot enough to destroy the toxin.

3542

Yeast and Fermentation / Re: Noob Question

« on: March 08, 2011, 02:20:41 PM »

Only beer, he says..... lol

what if I were to use the wyeast and the yeast from the kit?

It would affect the final yeast characters. but as both are belgian yeasts i assume it probabaly wouldn't be a big deal. Starters are really easy though. The 'dangers' you face with a small pitch are fuesels and unwanted esters etc. but I have pitched some fairfly big beers with a single smack pack and it's not that bad. the ferm temp is more important in my opinion.

3543

Ingredients / Re: Hops Anyone?

« on: March 08, 2011, 12:15:57 PM »

If you grow your own hops, it's not uncommon to have several pounds on hand.  Of the 20 lb. in my freezer, I'd guess at least 5 lb. are from my Cascade crop last year.

Ahh for a yard. Everytime I move I hope we will have a yard and a plan to stay in one place long enough to plant some hops. I planted a couple of artichokes last fall but it looks like we are moving in June again so no artichokes for me. Gotta buy a house. renting sucks.

3544

All Things Food / Re: What's For Dinner?

« on: March 08, 2011, 12:12:24 PM »

...And Funyuns. I don't think they even MAKE funyuns anymore.

Oh yeah...they still make 'em, and I still eat way too many of them.

They don't make them anymore, they just have a wharehouse in NJ full of them from the 70s. Just like peeps.

3545

Ingredients / Re: Hops Anyone?

« on: March 08, 2011, 12:08:14 PM »

wow, i have only a few ounces of home grown magnum, sterling, sentiem and maybe an ounce of hallertau. i feel left out

don't worry compared to me you are rich. I have the 2 oz of ivanhoe I am going to dry hop my current barley wine with and .5-.75 oz here and there of some summit and fuggles.

**EDIT** i buy my hops as I use them.

3546

All Grain Brewing / Re: beer gas

« on: March 08, 2011, 12:05:29 PM »

Eat a cup of yogurt a day.  It will help out the "good" bacteria in your digestive track.

I make these two beers (IPA and Black Ale) with a huge amount of Cascade hops.  They give me rank beer farts.  But I'm not going to stop drinking two of my favorite recipes because I can clear a room with my rump.

The 'good' bateria are part of the 'problem' it is the bugs in your intestines that are munching on sugars that your body can do nothing with causing the gas. I suspect I don't notice the problem cause as a vegetarian I have so much gas anyway who's gonna know the difference. I am not a chemist so I don't know how big various sugars are but I assume they are less than 1 micron. perhaps it is an unconverted starch issue.

3547

Kegging and Bottling / Re: From swigtop to capped bottle

« on: March 08, 2011, 11:24:13 AM »

you could re-prime and re-bottle but you will almost certainly get some oxidization and possibly an infection. brew another batch and bottle in crown caps.

3548

The Pub / Re: Soon we can pack concealed

« on: March 08, 2011, 08:49:13 AM »

But I also think that if you break into someones house you should be prepared to get shot.

This is not a discussion of the right to own guns in the home. It's CONCEALED carry that is at question. The only reason to carry a concealed weapon is if you are prepared to use it. If you want to discourage someone from mugging or otherwise attacking you then strap it on your hip. It should be real visable if it is to be a means of discouragement. otherwise it is only there to make you feel powerful and for that I agree with Phil, learn some martial arts. Also in most mugging situations the best and safest thing you can do is to listen to what they are telling you to do and do it. They want your money/stuff and, at least for me, my life is worth more than my iPhone. if someone puts a gun to my head or a knife to my throat even if I had a gun under my arm I wouldn't want to try to pull down. They have the drop. My sensei back when I took karate always said that the best way to deal with an attacker with a gun or knife is to do whatever they say. The time for resistance is when they intend to kill or maim you regardless.

3549

All Things Food / Re: Hot ‘n Bothered Beer Mustard

« on: March 07, 2011, 11:29:31 AM »

So do you have to can this if you make a lot? or is it fridge stable more or less indefinitly? (pardon the spelling this PC has no spell check!)

3550

All Things Food / Re: What's For Dinner?

« on: March 07, 2011, 11:26:58 AM »

Oh yes, these are the cheap frozen kind.  And I am thoroughly landlocked, thousands of miles from an ocean, which means that seafood tends to be either sub-par, ridiculously expensive, and occasionally, both.

I have had larger bay scallops in a nice sushi house, and the raw scallop I had didn't taste of fish...it didn't taste of ANYTHING.  I was surprised how almost perfectly flavourless that scallop was!  Very delicate.  But getting sushi-grade fish locally is both difficult and very, very expensive.

Whereas chicken runs from 50c a lb to 2 dollars a lb, depending on cut, so chicken paella is quite affordable!

I know paella is about the melding of flavours but perhaps you could sear some of the scallops separatly and add them to taste. Then the whole dish wouldn't be 'tainted' and you could have your shellfish

3551

The Pub / Re: Soon we can pack concealed

« on: March 07, 2011, 11:24:22 AM »

not leaning either way on this but the guy that did super size me has (Had?) a show called 30 days and one episode was an anti-gun activist who went to live with a very gun friendly family for 30 days. It's interesting. Her mind gets changed in the end and there is alot of good info. I come from VT where most people (don't know if that is statisticaly true) have a rifle and many people have hand guns. The folks with hunting weapons have usually gone thru a training course at some time and I generally feel pretty safe there although I don't wander in the woods during hunting season without dressing in blaze orange. It's a very sticky issue. The US constitution does say we are entitled to bear arms but it also says it is in order to maintain a well organized militia.

I used to have a bumper sticker that says 'I support the right to arm bears' that I loved. Have to find another one of those someday.

**EDIT** Bret good thoughts. Right on. that is the question you must ask yourself cause once you have the gun and you pull it out it might happen whether you are ready or not.

3552

Kegging and Bottling / Re: What the...! Exploding keg!

« on: March 05, 2011, 10:34:27 PM »

poltergeist... must be.

3553

The Pub / Re: So ya got this Car

« on: March 05, 2011, 12:10:08 PM »

Isn't a Subaru with 120K low mileage? They're supposed to go 200K easy.

I've only got 26K on my 06 VW and 44K on my 01 Ram 1500 which I think is extremely low mileage. What sucks is that they get about the same MPG, and it's bad. Who ever heard of a VW that has sh!ty economy? But it's quick man. Quick.

Until the electrics come down in price or there's a major mechanical these are it. All paid for they are more economical as they are than buying a new vehicle no matter how efficient. It will suck when gas is $5 per for the election next year. Yes, that's my prediction. Might even hit this price in 2011.

Yeah I used to buy subies with 160k+ miles and drive them for the last year they had. Then if the timeing belt goes on you you can just junk the car and buy a 'new' one.

Now I have a 2003 VW TDI and a 2010 VW TDI 44 and 42 mpg respectively and they are plenty quick.

3554

Ingredients / Re: Pineapple flavor

« on: March 05, 2011, 10:56:22 AM »

I get a lot of pineapple from some Brettanomyces fermentations. Just something to think about, especially if the gravity keeps dropping.

I did think about this when I was doing some research about this someone on another forum mentioned Brett C. I don't think i would mind if that is the case and it seems possible. the small beer is down to 1.002 at this point from 1.032. However I am not getting any pineapple from the small beer. It tastes bready and grainy no pineapple. I am leaning towards the hops at this point but either way it's facinating!

**EDIT** so I went and sniffed the 2 oz of Ivanhoe that I have left for dry hopping and there is a noticeable pineapple character once your nose gets past the strong hop character.

3555

Ingredients / Re: Pineapple flavor

« on: March 04, 2011, 11:52:16 PM »

Looks like it is probably the hops. We will see how it turns out in the end.