Topics

1

General Homebrew Discussion / APA with no light struck character

« on: May 12, 2019, 08:36:53 PM »

I was out and about this afternoon and had a clear plastic Go Cup of Hiddens Springs ZFG (Zero F’s Given), a local APA, for a little stroll on the Tampa River Walk.  Normally I try to hide my hoppy beers from sunlight or don’t even order them when outside, but this beer, after 15 minutes in direct sunlight still smelled hoppy.  No skunk.  It made me think about the process a little bit.  The reason for the name of the beer is that all of the hops are added post boil, which, according to calculators, shouldn’t provide bitterness.  So here I was drinking a hoppy beer, bitter to my taste, that didn’t get light struck. 
I guess there is something to this isomerization thing, eh?  Late hop additions, to me, still add bitterness, but that bitterness, without isomerization, may not be susceptible to degradation from light.
Or is this just a fluke?

2

General Homebrew Discussion / Iodophor age

« on: February 17, 2019, 05:11:18 PM »

My preferred sanitizer is iodophor.  I was told years ago by a kitchen health inspector that as long as the color in the iodophor/water mix is amber, then it is effective.  When left in an open container that color fades within a couple of days. 
In the last year I have adjusted my packaging regimen to closed transfer into kegs (filled with sanitizer and then pushed out with CO2) before transfer.  I have been reusing the sanitizer from keg to keg to keg and since I cannot see it, I have no idea if it is still amber.
The question is, does the sanitizer lose its effectiveness with age or with oxygen exposure or both?
Maybe next time I’ll take a little sample during transfer.

3

Commercial Beer Reviews / Celebration

« on: November 03, 2018, 01:14:45 AM »

The new batch is in stores now and I am really enjoying it.
One of my favorites.  Every year.

4

General Homebrew Discussion / Is there really only so much aroma?

« on: July 21, 2018, 09:33:25 PM »

I remember hearing an old Belgian brewer (perhaps Pierre Celis) say that the aroma of hops from the brew kettle is “for the neighbors.”  At the seminar on how to brew with low O2 at NHC, the speaker said that all the fresh malt aroma from the boil is inversely proportionate to the malt aroma in the finished beer (not his exact words, but that seemed to be what he was saying).
What these people are saying is that if the aroma of an ingredient goes up in the steam of the brewery, then that means it will not be available in the finished product. 
Does this really make any sense?  Does an ingredient only have so much aroma that it can get used up in the boil?

5

Beer Travel / Hilton Head

« on: July 02, 2017, 10:27:35 PM »

I will be in Hilton Head, S.C. this week to meet up with my five brothers and sisters and their spouses.  Does anybody have any personal recommendations for good beer and food?

6

General Homebrew Discussion / Medal displays

« on: July 24, 2016, 07:43:16 PM »

I was a little bored this afternoon and decided to try to sort through a big pile of homebrew medals that was gathering dust on a shelf in my shed, going back to 1996 or so.  I have about 37 pounds of them, mostly from competitions in Florida, but a few from Texas and some from the first and final rounds of the Nationals. 
It looks like my peak was in 2006 to 2010 - those are the biggest piles.  Not so much in the past few years, not completely because I haven't been entering as much as I really believe people are brewing better all the time.

Would you guys mind posting some photos of how you display your medals?

I know, first world problem - how do you display your medals......

Edit to first world problem from third world.  Is that right?

7

Beer Travel / D.C. area

« on: April 23, 2016, 10:54:58 PM »

My wife and I will be flying into Baltimore the weekend before NHC to spend some time in and around D.C. before I send her home Wednesday so I can attend HomebrewCon (man, I hate writing HomebrewCon).
So where would y'all stay?  Alexandria?  Annapolis? 
It has been several years since we were in D.C. - the last time we stayed near DuPont Circle in a B&B.
Any recommendations as to where it may be fun to stay without spending a large fortune?

8

Beer Travel / Yellowhammer

« on: December 18, 2015, 06:29:58 PM »

Keith (majorvices) got a little press today:
http://drinkmicro.com/10-mouth-watering-alabama-beers/

9

General Homebrew Discussion / Hydrating a wooden barrel

« on: December 09, 2015, 01:37:37 AM »

When filling a once-used whiskey barrel, it seems safe to say it will not leak if it was freshly emptied and/or wrapped securely in plastic soon after it was emptied.  I have siphoned beer into fresh barrels without worrying too much about loss from leakage.
If the barrel is left empty for a while it will need to be rehydrated so as not to leak.  I have successfully rehydrated a dry 53 gallon bourbon barrel after filling with water for a day or two.  I had one that was leaking at the rate of a gallon every 20 seconds, but was sealed up in less than two days with water.  I now have two 15 gallon barrels that have been empty for 15 to 18 months that I am trying to rehydrate.
What I am wondering is how they make the barrels leak free on initial production.  I have seen many videos of cooperage construction and of the charring of the inside of the barrels with flames.  This would seem to make the barrels extremely dry.  What step did I not see in these videos that tested the barrels before they added the whiskey or the beer? 
How much loss of char and whiskey flavor is lost during the rehydration process?

10

Ingredients / Local malt

« on: November 04, 2015, 02:51:29 PM »

Here's what my older brother is doing lately.
http://www.doubleeaglemalt.com/mission.html
This is an article about craft, locally grown malt barley.

11

Yeast and Fermentation / Article on "new" wild yeast cultures

« on: September 10, 2015, 10:25:49 AM »

https://news.ncsu.edu/2015/09/beer-2015/

This is a short article about making beer with wild yeast found on insects.

12

Equipment and Software / BS decoction setting

« on: April 13, 2015, 02:41:59 PM »

I brewed a Dunkel yesterday using 100% Wyerman Munich II.  When I entered it into BeerSmith it showed it coming out too pale in color, so I decided rather than go back to the store and get some roast malt for color adjustment, I'd do a decoction or two.  I had the time and I'm one of those weird brewers who thinks it adds to the beer.  When I entered this into BS it did not change the color setting, even with two decoctions.  Anyone else run into this?  I know the wort will be darker because of the decoctions, but I have no idea other than by looking, how much.  I'm fine with the result, but wondered why there would be no change in the program.

13

Beer Travel / Kansas City

« on: March 31, 2015, 11:52:12 PM »

So my wife and I have been taking some long weekends over the past few years to explore cities we've not been to.  We like to fly out on a direct flight from Tampa on a Friday morning and return Sunday afternoon.  We've seen New Orleans several times, Baltimore, Memphis, St Louis, Raleigh, NYC, Chicago and several other cities.  Next up is Kansas City. 
Can you guys help with where to stay, drink and eat in Kansas City?  We're planning the last weekend of April.

14

Events / Hunahpu's Day at Cigar City

« on: March 13, 2015, 11:29:08 PM »

I certainly couldn't afford the entry fee for this event, but since I had not missed it since the inception, I volunteered to pour this year.  I will be pouring samples from Solemn Oath, a brewery in Naperville, Illinois.  I hear they make hoppy, Belgian and Barrel Aged beers, so that's nice.
I wanted to ask y'all what beers should not be missed from the list of beer available, but I'm having trouble cutting and pasting the menu off the interwebs.  It looks like too much good beer to try in one day anyway.  anybody else going to this?

15

Commercial Beer Reviews / Bottled Guinness with no widget

« on: January 23, 2015, 10:32:24 PM »

I picked up a 12 pack of Guinness "Draught" last night mostly because I've been drinking too much strong beer lately and wanted the flavor and low ABV.  That whole stop drinking thread has had an influence on me. 
This is the Coke-shaped bottle with the shrink-wrapped label, not to be confused with their Foreign Style Stout.  It actually says, "Brewed in Dublin" on the label.  It also says, "enjoy straight from the bottle" but I'm not doing that. 
Much to my surprise this beer no longer has the plastic widget to release pressure and nitrogen upon opening.  It sounds really carbonated when popped open, but doesn't do the cascading carbonation thing that the old bottles did.
The flavor is not the same, although I'm sure it's just the mouthfeel that contributes to this.
So what gives?  Anybody try one lately?  Are the cans the same way?