Topics

1

General Homebrew Discussion / Medal displays

« on: July 24, 2016, 12:43:16 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?

2

Beer Travel / D.C. area

« on: April 23, 2016, 03:54:58 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?

3

Beer Travel / Yellowhammer

« on: December 18, 2015, 11:29:58 AM »

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

4

General Homebrew Discussion / Hydrating a wooden barrel

« on: December 08, 2015, 06:37:37 PM »

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?

5

Ingredients / Local malt

« on: November 04, 2015, 07:51:29 AM »

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.

6

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

« on: September 10, 2015, 03:25:49 AM »

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

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

7

Equipment and Software / BS decoction setting

« on: April 13, 2015, 07:41:59 AM »

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.

8

Beer Travel / Kansas City

« on: March 31, 2015, 04:52:12 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.

9

Events / Hunahpu's Day at Cigar City

« on: March 13, 2015, 04:29:08 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?

10

Commercial Beer Reviews / Bottled Guinness with no widget

« on: January 23, 2015, 03:32:24 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?

11

The Pub / Beer Curmudgeons on the radio

« on: November 26, 2014, 11:02:49 AM »

Bob Sylvester of Saint Somewhere Brewing, JB Ellis of Mr. Dunderbaks and I will be doing a radio show on our local community sponsored station this afternoon.  We will be doing our best effort at "Car Talk Guys of Beer."  Tune into WMNF.org for the Wednesday Traffic Jam at 5pm EST.  We'll start our segment for an hour at about 5:45. 
They tell us that if we get enough on-line listeners they may give us a more regular spot.
It should be fun, at least for us.  Unfortunately they won't let us drink in the studio, so we'll have to get prepared in advance.
Cheers!

12

General Homebrew Discussion / Second use of gelatin

« on: November 09, 2014, 01:38:06 PM »

In a moment of laziness, I transferred some finished beer into a keg that just kicked without cleaning and sanitizing the keg.  All is good.  I have no fear of contamination and the beer that was in the keg was from the same batch as the one going in.  There was some trub in the empty keg from the first beer and I siphoned a little more from the fermenter in the process, but it was fairly clear beer.
I carbonated the keg by shaking under fairly high pressure, which is my normal method.

I had used gelatin to clear the first beer in the keg.
Do you think that the remaining gelatin in the keg from the first beer will clear the second beer?
I guess time will tell, but it seems to me that this should work.

13

General Homebrew Discussion / Foam

« on: July 02, 2014, 02:26:05 PM »

Last weekend I poured a glass of New Glarus Berliner that I traded for at NHC.  I have never seen as thick a head as this, like meringue. 
I'll try to post a picture here.

I wonder how they did that?

One day, I am going to find out what I am doing wrong with posting pictures. 
Or not. 

14

Beer Travel / St. Louis this weekend

« on: April 29, 2014, 04:36:55 PM »

My wife and I will be taking a break and flying to St. Louis this weekend to see what's there.  Hopefully we'll see a little Spring.  We miss that, living in Florida. 
Are there any good beer bars, breweries or restaurants we shouldn't miss?

15

General Homebrew Discussion / Smoke Signal

« on: April 12, 2014, 01:04:22 PM »

Guess who smoked the malt for the best smoked beer at the World Beer Cup in Denver?
This guy!