EntropySink
Nothing & Everything => Open Discussion => Food and Naked Yodeling => Topic started by: Steve on November 19, 2011, 12:31:56 PM
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It's clear that quite a few of us are into home brewing alcohol, so I figured I would create a running topic for it.
Last night I was at Walmart and saw they got in a brand new shipment of empty five gallon water jugs, and they were PTE #1 and manufactured by Better Bottle. Empty they were only $5.99 so I bought up six to use are Carboy's. Better Bottle has said time and time again they are the same bottles, and that they are forced to stamp them "suitable for water only" when shipping them to the water companies.
So for $40 I got six fermenters instead of two :dblthumb2:
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Any of you guys using Beersmith? Just found out it will run through Wine, and it's appealing because I loose notebooks alot, and tape falls of fermenters. And the tape that doesn't leaves a mess. With this I could simply label the fermenters and track in Beersmith.
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Made this a sticky for you Steve.
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Made this a sticky for you Steve.
Thanks Rob :)
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apexbrewwares.com
This place is awesome. Jeremy is all about getting what you order to your door. I placed an order for some yeast, sugar, new air locks, etc Friday night (Saturday morning ~3amish) with standard ground shipping and the package will be here today. Granted he is located 4 hours away, but he didn't have to put it all together on a Saturday, ship it, and have it here today.
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There's a local shop by me (midwestsupplies.com). I picked up their beginner kit with the glass carboy and I'm planning on going back and getting a couple 3gal ones for smaller batches. Then I'll use the 5 gal's for the primary fermenters and make 2.5 gal batches for testing out recipes. I went a bit overboard but I think I'll enjoy this hobby. Got myself a copper wort chiller too. I was planning on my first batch last weekend but had time problems so it'll probably be this weekend instead. Hoping to have xmas gifts to give out.
My first batch is going to be their Hop head double IPA kit. Mmmmmm.
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Be careful with the glass carboy, when they break it's ugly.
http://brewing.lustreking.com/articles/brokencarboys.html
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Yup, read all about that.
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I opted for plastic, but some even say that the glass gives a better final product. Seems to be one of those things, like amd vs intel.
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The big negative I've heard about plastic carboys is that if you clean them well with a brush, you can easily scratch the inside of it and that's a haven for bacteria.
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The big negative I've heard about plastic carboys is that if you clean them well with a brush, you can easily scratch the inside of it and that's a haven for bacteria.
Correct. There are many new-age brushes that are more like flexible squeege's then brushes. What I have is a hose that connects to the sink faucet and runs to a thin pressure end that looks like what the dentist uses. So i crank the hot water and "power wash" it with soap and water, and then with a bleach solution. Then I sterilize it with Star San.
The trickiest part with mine is the handles, but I can get in there pretty well with the pressure wash. If you never let them sit after brewing and store them with star San in them it's pretty easy to keep them clean.
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The better bottles at my supply shop don't have handles on them anymore. They're just squared off jugs.
I'm gonna start old school with the glass and then decide. I might get one of each in the 3 gal and see which I think it better. I've never really been a big fan of plastic though in other things cooking related.
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The better bottles at my supply shop don't have handles on them anymore. They're just squared off jugs.
I'm gonna start old school with the glass and then decide. I might get one of each in the 3 gal and see which I think it better. I've never really been a big fan of plastic though in other things cooking related.
Well if I was heating anything I would absolutely be using glass, but I have not been since the need for a carboy arose so the plastic ones have been perfect.
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Do you guys have any good tricks for getting bottles locally? Wine bottles are fucking expensive. I wanted to get 1L swing top bottles, but they are $30 for 12 + shipping and I need 22 of them.
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Buy a bunch of beer at the store that comes in 1L bottles. It'll be more expensive but a lot more fun
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Buy a bunch of beer at the store that comes in 1L bottles. It'll be more expensive but a lot more fun
Yea I thought of that. I have been calling the local bars and food joints, but most of them get some kickback from the city for recycling the bottles.
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$30 for 12 is not a bad deal.
I get mine at ikea - I don't remember how much they were.
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Nah it's not bad, and since the guy is in Independence (Apex Brew Wares) the shipping is free or 7.99 if I order a few cases. The issue is my other half, she is smart and knows if she doesn't monitor my spending I'll spend way too much.
Besides I HATE buying bottles when so many places will just give them to you. And no matter how many lables you put "Please return the bottle" on most people don't. I had an easier time in MI where there are bottle deposits then I'm having here. Going to call the recycling center tomorrow, and probably do some dumpster diving tomorrow night.
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Weren't you doing moonshine? Just use the canning bottles like the rest of your redneck brethren.
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Weren't you doing moonshine? Just use the canning bottles like the rest of your redneck brethren.
The moonshine all goes into mason jars, but right now I am brewing German Apfelwein which is a wine. Wine SHOULD be carbonated, and mason jars cannot handle the pressure safely. I can bottle a bunch of it "still" in the mason jars, but i like doing things the right way. Since about 14 bottles are going to other people, they have to be carbonated or I will be miserable about my work.
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> Wine SHOULD be carbonated
Maybe specific types, but not in general
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> Wine SHOULD be carbonated
Maybe specific types, but not in general
I guess it depends on taste. I generally find I like wine better carbonated, so I will usually make a small batch (around a gallon) the first time I make a new wine. I will bottle still and carbonated, and then see which I like. With Apfelwein it's pretty uncontested that carbonated is better.
Turns out there are a few winery's and "fine" restaurants around here. Two of them answered my emails already and said they will save me a few bottles and if I show up when promised they will be happy to hold a case or two for me when I ask for it.
Score!
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> I guess it depends on taste.
No, it doesn't. The vast majority of wine styles aren't carbonated
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Commercial wines, maybe, but the majority of home brewers seem to prefer carbonated. Keeping in mind I was never a huge wine drinker, my first hand personal experience with wine is limited as this is a new acquired taste for me.
EDIT: I'm misinformed, the carbonated discussions are about champagne. The people carbonating wine are using swing top lager bottles or champagne setups. The bottles I have "popped" were champagne not wine.
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> I guess it depends on taste.
No, it doesn't. The vast majority of wine styles aren't carbonated
I'll admit I'm not a wine connoisseur but only carbonated style I can think of is Sparkling Wine (referred to as Champagne regardless of the origin).
Commercial wines, maybe, but the majority of home brewers seem to prefer carbonated. Keeping in mind I was never a huge wine drinker, my first hand personal experience with wine is limited as this is a new acquired taste for me.
EDIT: I'm misinformed, the carbonated discussions are about champagne. The people carbonating wine are using swing top lager bottles or champagne setups. The bottles I have "popped" were champagne not wine.
The bottles you have popped were cheap ass sparkling wine trying to pass themselves off as champagne. Heres a hint: Unless you are using the grapes and style from Champagne France you aren't producing champagne.
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I'm producing wine, not champagne. I was saying that I was confused in thinking the bottles I have opened were wine when they were actually champagne. The brewers that are carbonating the wine are doing it in beer bottles and champagne bottles.
I'm just glad i realized it before i carbonated into wine bottles and had them exploding in the cooler.
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The bottles you have popped were cheap ass sparkling wine trying to pass themselves off as champagne. Heres a hint: Unless you are using the grapes and style from Champagne France you aren't producing champagne.
Also, tequila is only from Tequila.
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The bottles you have popped were cheap ass sparkling wine trying to pass themselves off as champagne. Heres a hint: Unless you are using the grapes and style from Champagne France you aren't producing champagne.
Also, tequila is only from Tequila.
Interesting, did not know that. Thanks for informing us. That said, Tequila = bleh
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Have you ever had good tequila though? Cabo Wabo is not too pricey and very, very good.
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So about an hour ago I cracked open my jug of prison hooch for a test taste.....WOW does that pack a kick. I had 2-3 good size sips and I kind of have a headache. My step father had a whole glass, and says he feels kind of tipsy.
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I came across this DIY bottle drying rack, and it's genius really. If you are like me, you have one of these dog crates collecting dust in storage. Time to pull that sucker out and give it a good bath!!
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I justed brewed my first batch yesterday. Hop head double IPA kit from midwestsupplies.com. Next up is a honey amber for the gf. I really hope my ipa turns out drinkable. Next time I think I'll primary in bottles instead of the bucket though. I'm waiting on airlock action (which might not ever come) and can't stand not seeing anything "happening". I'm sure everything is fine but it still drives me crazy. They need to make the primary buckets clear.
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What yeast are you using? My Nottingham yeast shows no action for about 24 hours usually, but once it hits it takes off like crazy. Right now my batch is a 4wk recipe using most yeasts, two weeks with Nottingham.
Also MWS is ok, but they overcharge for s/h. Check out apexbrewwares.com
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I used rehydrated safale US-05.
I live about a mile away from MWS. No shipping problems.
Also have northernbrewer.com not too far away.
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Northern Brewer is another good one. Apex is my closest at about 4 hours, so your lucky.
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So I have been playing with Beer Target. It's open source, and works on Windows, Mac, and Linux. It works great, it's amazingly easy to use, and fully customizeable. The programmer is also a member of HBT and takes opinions from the community all the time.
Check it out for sure.
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Came home to a nice bubbling bucket today. Eases my mind that this is probably going to turn out. Got about a week now then I get to rack it and dry hop for another week or two and bottle right before Xmas I think. Might not be carbonated for Xmas but should make some nice gifts.
I'm going to brew a honey amber for the gf this weekend and maybe get a mead going.
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My Apfelwein will be ready to bottle (ok, SHOULD) before christmas, no carb though. The bottles are actually being etched in a christmas theme by Ashley, and we are gifting out six or so bottles. The rest will be carbonated and aged.
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Had to take a gravity reading a while ago so i stole a taste, coming along nicely!! The yeast smell has vanished from the airlock, and the brew room smells like apples now.
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So today the Apfelwein is nearly completely clear (way ahead of schedule) and the fermentation is still going along STRONG. It literally looks like it is boiling inside the carboy. I'm going to let it ride until the fermentation drops on it's own. This stuff should be gooooood.
I have decided to bottle 2 gallons of it into a one gallon container and 20oz soda bottles just shy of a full stop so that some of it will be naturally carbonated. The rest of it will be racked to secondary and then bottled still.
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Anyone growing their own hops?
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Just finished racking for my dry hop/secondary phase. Took another gravity reading and it looks like I might be somewhere around 10-11%. I tasted the gravity sample and it's not too bad. Good flavor and plenty of hops but tasted just a little bit thin/watery. Not sure if that will change as it finishes up so we'll see. Two more ounces of Cascade hops is going to really pack a punch when this thing is done.
So, two more weeks and bottling just in time to give them as Xmas gifts.
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Sweet! I'll be bottling two of my batchez this weekend or early next week. The Apfelwein is christmas presents for some, and then the 10 gallons of hard cider is for a few partys.
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The Apfelwein is done, and maaaaaaan it is GOOD. Can't wait to bottle it this weekend!
Tonight I harvested and froze yeast for the first time, and it was incredibly easy. I will be doing this from now on.
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Thought you guys might enjoy this. Attached :thumbsup:
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I shared a recipe I developed on HBT for hard cider, sharing here also:
Recipe Type: Extract
Yeast: Nottingham
Yeast Starter: No
Additional Yeast or Yeast Starter: No
Batch Size (Gallons): 5
Original Gravity: 1.050
Final Gravity: 1.000
Boiling Time (Minutes): 10
Color: Light Cider
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): 10
Secondary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp): Until 1.000
Tasting Notes: Maintains Apple Cider flavor, crisp, but smooth with no hint of alcohol.
Maintains Apple Cider flavor, crisp, but smooth with no hint of alcohol. Goes down very smooth, and is sweet like the original cider with a hint of cinnamon and an almost chocolate-apple aroma.
I have brewed up about 50 gallons of cider this year, and after 20 gallons of this recipe I came up with it surely is a winner in my book. I would love it if people gave this a go and let me know what they think.
A few notes before we begin:
- I have seen a few different OG readings over my batches, ranging from 1.040 to 1.075 so I'm estimating the average to be around 1.050. Note that yours may vary.
- Secondary is up to you. I leave it alone until the FG hits 1.000. You can go farther, or stop sooner.
Ok, let's get it on!
Equipment:
5 Gallon Carboy/Better Bottle/Pale
Airlock
Large Pot
Ingredients:
- 4 gallons of Apple Cider (UV Pasteurized, NO preservatives, unfiltered)
- 4 Cinnamon Sticks
- 2Lbs DARK Brown Sugar
- 1Lbs White Regular Sugar
- 6 Packets of Nestle Hot Chocolate (No Marshmallow's) (Trust me here, we are going on an adventure together)
- 4 tsp Nutmeg
- 1 packet of Nottingham (I STRONGLY suggest Nottingham for this)
Dirty Work:
1) Pour 3 Gallons of Apple Cider into your primary.
2) Pour your last gallon of Apple Cider into the large pot. Add in the cinnamon sticks, brown sugar, white sugar, nutmeg and hot chocolate. Bring to a boil.
3) Boil for about 10 minutes, or as long as you need to properly dissolve all the ingredients. Remove from heat, allow to cool COMPLETELY.
4) Remove cinnamon sticks, discard.
5) Pour your glorious pot mixture into the primary, but save a little bit for washing the yeast down the funnel.
6) Pour your entire packet of yeast directly into the primary.
7) Use remaining pot mixture to wash yeast down funnel.
DO NOT.....DO NOT.....TOP OFF!!!! I promise if you do it will lead to bad things.
Get the airlock on there, I suggest filling with Vodka. Ferment at around 70F. Now sit back and let the minions do their work!!
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^^ This recipe is killer. I passed out three 12 packs worth of it this week and the greedy bitches all want more
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Just fiished bottling my first batch, ended up with just shy of 4gals. Tasted some of the remainder in the bottling bucket and it's still drinkable so that's good. Still flat but two more weeks and we'll see how well I did. I think later this week I'm going to brew the honey amber kit for my gf and get that started.
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It's usually best to wait 3 weeks, then chill and test a bottle. That will tell you if it needs more time to carb. Try another in two weeks if it's not where u want.
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Since I don't smoke cigars, I want to hand out celebration beers when the baby's born. Any ideas for a seasonal brew for late Feb/early March?
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Since I don't smoke cigars, I want to hand out celebration beers when the baby's born. Any ideas for a seasonal brew for late Feb/early March?
Funny you should post this, I just started a batch of this last week to bottle age for the exact same reason. I usually brew all grain, but I went with a suggestion from a few people and ordered this kit:
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/patersbier-extract-kit.html
It all depends on the type of beer you like to drink also?
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I think I'm looking for a darker winter beer, although that one looks pretty decent. Also so few people actually like dark beers that I may end up going with something like that
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Yea thats why I went with this one. Most people I know associate dark with bitter and won't even try it. If you want a darker beer than I have the PERFECT suggestion. I ended up brewing something like 240 bottle of this in 2011:
In this case, your time frame is the issue. You could brew it with a drinking date, but no real fun in that. But just in case or for personal enjoyment:
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/winter-ale.html
I would really suggest sticking with a lighter beer, or maybe even an IPA. An IPA great for everything is this one:
http://www.apexbrewwares.com/Recipe-Kits/Amarillo-by-Morning-IPA.html
^^ one of my fav IPA's
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I don't know more than a handful of other people who like IPAs. It's my favorite type of beer but most people can't stand the bitterness. I'll probably do something like a wit that can make people think spring is on the way or something like that.
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Not a bad idea. Tons of recipe's:
http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f82/
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This may work for you too
http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f71/swmbo-slayer-belgian-blonde-26599/
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Ended up with a Blue Moon clone that the guy at the LHBS set me up with. I'll probably brew within the next week.
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Let me know how you like it. I can't stand Blue Moon, but people seem to like the clones.
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Hey Govt,
Got an idea I thought u might enjoy also. Going to brew a Barleywine also and set aside to age. Will drink one every year on her birthday and see how it ages with her.
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I think it's kind of a neat idea but I bet it's in its terrible twos at the same time as your daughter
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haha probably. They say that really doesn't hit it's mark for a good couple of years.
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I just cracked open my first bottle after a week to check progress and I'm quite pleased. I think it can go a bit longer to carbonate but the test tasted pretty good. The thin taste is definitely going away with the carbonation and the sample was quite drinkable. Even my gf thought it wasn't too bad and she's not an IPA fan (doesn't like the bitter part). I think the color is a bit darker than what it's supposed to be, a bit more caramel amber than golden but I'm pleased with the clarity and most of the profile. It's a bit malty and sweet to start and then finishes slightly dry and bitter. The dry/bitter finish takes a bit longer to kick in than most IPA's I drink but it's still there, maybe just an extra second or two to make you think it's not going to be there. I was a bit picky about the aroma initially but after opening a 2XIPA for a reference I think it's pretty good, nice and hoppy. I think after another week or two conditioning it's going to be just fine. I'll be quite happy drinking this one. It's also got some punch to it too as I can tell just drinking a couple of these will go to the head, but you don't taste it at all.
Not bad for my first batch. Now, onto the experimenting.
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The color is likely to lighten up as the beer conditions in the bottle. Few more weeks it probably won't be as dark.
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Brewing a oktoberfest as we speak :)
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Sweet! I was going to do a pumpkin ale today but the hops i'm using pushed the order till tuesday :(
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36 hours later and my wort is doing nothing. I think I pitched with dead yeast. My carboy looks like a bottle of mud.
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What temp is it at? Did you make a starter? My personal rule is to always give the yeast 48 hours, after that I re-pitch. What yeast strain is it? Liquid/Dry?
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Dry lager yeast, I didn't make a starter, it's about 62 degrees. I thought maybe it was just being slow but there is literally nothing there. I'm going to pick up some liquid yeast on the way home and re-pitch if it still doesn't do anything. By then it will have been 48 hours.
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Dry yeast typically doesn't need a starter. There has been a run of bad dry yeast lately from Wyeast and Safe nobody really seems to know why. For liquid I would suggest Wyeast, but in this case it might be best to buy a liquid ale yeast from the same company.
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I started to notice some bubbles Tuesday night and yesterday I moved it up to a garage adjacent bathroom to get it a little warmer. Seems to be going nicely now. It's just slow.
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Lager yeasts generally are
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Yeah, it was probably just too damn cold down there at first. I'll do it upstairs for now until I start getting it down to lagering temperatures and then it's into the garage fridge
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My yeast took about 4 days to get going at ~65. But everything worked out fine. Just had the share tasting at work yesterday and people liked it. I really need to get started on my next batch.
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anyone ever give kegging a try?
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Not yet, i have been slowly gathering all the equipment. I have to finish modifying my old deep freeze for the taps and then i am pretty much green light to do my first run. Im super excited about force carbination.
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Man it's so nice to get home and finally see some good krausen.
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The next time I brew I want to use my carboys simply because it drove me crazy doing it in the plastic bucket and not being able to see what was going on.
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The buckets really are the best for beer. No need to see what's going on, you shouldn't be bothering with em :p
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My new Amarillo Hopped IPA kit showed up today. Figure I will try the kit before the AG version. 8.5% alcohol, should be one hell of an IPA.
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Just did the math and realized both my batches are going to be ready for bottling the same day O_o
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Just did the math and realized both my batches are going to be ready for bottling the same day O_o
lmao gonna be a long day for you. I hope you have a bottling bucket and a wand man. Half the time I say fuck the want and just use a tube that length and turn the valve on and off.
Speaking of bottling I can't start my IPA yet. I forgot the 10 cases of bottles I have are all twist off, and my bench capper is broke. Got to get a new one first.
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Cheez you going to be near Chi anytime soon? Jake looking to get into brewing?
http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f16/free-good-home-296814/
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No but my brother in law lives there, I'll let him know
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If this was a week from now I would actually be happy to be going by Chicago lol.
Picked up a bench capper today, got 265 bottles soaking to clean and de-label and the Amarillo IPA is tonights project.
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Cheez, u still forget to watch the pot once in a while and get that newbie like boil over? Fuck'n A did I make a mess, going to need some PBW tonight.
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No, but I've only brewed two batches ever so I have lots of opportunities to do something stupid
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I got distracted by the dog. Here's a tip I tried out for the first time last night and it worked great: Keep a clean spray bottle of cold tap water near the kettle. When it starts to boil over or get too high spray it with the water and it goes back down.
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anyone need a capper? I just got my bench capper, no real need to keep my old school wing capper. It's a neat piece, but my bencher is vintage so keeping it for looks is dumb. It works great. Thinking like $15 shipped.
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Taking labels off of old bottles suuuuuucks
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Taking labels off of old bottles suuuuuucks
I used to use oxyclean to soak them, but last time I used PBW by Five Star Chemicals. They were in the hot water solution for about 30 minutes and when I came back in half of the labels were floating. It eats through the adhesive like acid. I did six cases in an hour (they all soak at once).
If you email Five Star and ask for a sample of PBW they will send u four pounds free.
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Its amazing how different it is between brands as far as the adhesive goes. Leinies and Sam Adams are easy, but shorts is impossible
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Its amazing how different it is between brands as far as the adhesive goes. Leinies and Sam Adams are easy, but shorts is impossible
I actually did two cases of shorts in the last go round. I'm telling you man, email five star. Tell them you are starting a brewery and want to compare it with oxyclean, a week later you will have a big ass jar of PBW. You will never struggle with labels again.
I have a 25 gallon rubbermaid that I installed a spigot on. I fill that in the bathtub with piping hot water and pbw, and viola.
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Cheez you gotta invest $20 and get my setup. I de-labeled 140 bottles yesterday in under two hours. Literally soak them 10-15 minutes (I can soak around 75 at a time) and the labels were all pretty much coming off the second i toughed the bottle. Others peeled with no effort. Quick rinse with the sponge and onto the drying rack.
From getting the labels off to having them completely clean was less then four hours. I got a few more cases to do today, I'm going to be bottling while watching the super bowl.
By far the best bottles are the following:
original budwiser
original miller high life
original Bush
Natural ice
those labels all float to the top with just that 10-15 minutes in hot water (hot as my tap goes, cant even put hand in it) and PBW.
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I don't buy that shitty beer though. Seriously, Natty Ice? What are you, 19?
(I do buy high life, but in cans since it's for camping or tailgating)
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Steve and bear grylls like the same drinks
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I don't buy that shitty beer though. Seriously, Natty Ice? What are you, 19?
(I do buy high life, but in cans since it's for camping or tailgating)
I don't drink that shit dude. The local bar is good for 240 bottles every sunday if I want them, and he puts them all back into the 6pack holders, 4 to a box. So I get tons of free bottles, carriers for giving them out or storing them, and boxes to hold the carriers.
Doesn't matter they are twist tops because I have a bench capper. Just happens to be what the idiot rednecks drink that week.
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Nice, that's a good idea. Much better than me going to my homebrew store like I was planning on doing this weekend and buying another 50 bottles.
edit: My bottle washer comes today :)
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Its harder in MI to dumpster dive. What i used to do was find the nearest bar, go in and talk to the owner. I would pay him the $0.10 per bottle. I got a case for $2.40 and he saved hauling them off to get his money.
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God dammit I just realized all the Leinie's bottles I "saved' are useless because Leinies is a twistoff.
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you have a bench capper? Sometimes u can even get away with a wing capper on twisties, but its hit or miss on the bottle. If there is any kind of a lip it helps. Take one, fill it with water, and cap it. Make sure you leave the neck with air.
hold it under water and look for bubbles.
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Ive got a wing capper. I don't want to risk it
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it's usually not worth trying with a wing capper unless you realize it mid-bottling.
I was going to toss away all 10 of the first cases I got from him till someone told me a bench capper seals them right up, and it did
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What types of beer do you like rod
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Well the first answer to that is my style/type exposure is so small I'm practically a beer virgin. Before I started brewing it was your average off the shelf stuff. Then I started trying different things, and when I began brewing the quality of my first basic BMC type beer was so good I started going all over the map.
I would say my favorite every day beer is this one, so far:
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/review/product/list/id/3296/?p=2
My favorite type of beer has very quickly become IPA's. The one I'm bottling now is an IPA based off Amarillo hops and comes in around 8.5%. It used, going from memory, 2oz of Magnum hops, 2oz of Cascade hops, and 4oz of Amarillo hops. It smells strong, but good.
I'm dying to try a Barleywine. I have one heading for bottles soon to age a year, but I might crack one at six months.
How bout you?
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IPAs for me. Favorite is Bells Two Hearted.
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You should try this one. It's next on my list. He sent me a bottle a while back and it was KILLER. Hands down the best IPA I ever had in my entire life.
http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f66/bee-cave-brewery-haus-pale-ale-31793/
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That's a pale ale, not an Ipa.
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Well the first answer to that is my style/type exposure is so small I'm practically a beer virgin. Before I started brewing it was your average off the shelf stuff. Then I started trying different things, and when I began brewing the quality of my first basic BMC type beer was so good I started going all over the map.
I would say my favorite every day beer is this one, so far:
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/review/product/list/id/3296/?p=2
My favorite type of beer has very quickly become IPA's. The one I'm bottling now is an IPA based off Amarillo hops and comes in around 8.5%. It used, going from memory, 2oz of Magnum hops, 2oz of Cascade hops, and 4oz of Amarillo hops. It smells strong, but good.
I'm dying to try a Barleywine. I have one heading for bottles soon to age a year, but I might crack one at six months.
How bout you?
Not sure if you have them near you but the Savemart next to work has a "build your own 6-pack" where you can pick single bottles. Great way to try different beers. Though some beers really do require multiple bottles to appreciate (I'm looking at you Newcastle Brown Ale).
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That's a pale ale, not an Ipa.
Huh, never even realized that.
Well the first answer to that is my style/type exposure is so small I'm practically a beer virgin. Before I started brewing it was your average off the shelf stuff. Then I started trying different things, and when I began brewing the quality of my first basic BMC type beer was so good I started going all over the map.
I would say my favorite every day beer is this one, so far:
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/review/product/list/id/3296/?p=2
My favorite type of beer has very quickly become IPA's. The one I'm bottling now is an IPA based off Amarillo hops and comes in around 8.5%. It used, going from memory, 2oz of Magnum hops, 2oz of Cascade hops, and 4oz of Amarillo hops. It smells strong, but good.
I'm dying to try a Barleywine. I have one heading for bottles soon to age a year, but I might crack one at six months.
How bout you?
Not sure if you have them near you but the Savemart next to work has a "build your own 6-pack" where you can pick single bottles. Great way to try different beers. Though some beers really do require multiple bottles to appreciate (I'm looking at you Newcastle Brown Ale).
Nobody in this area does it, but I think the one place I went to in MI did.
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Yeah I know of lots of places that do that here
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how do you dry the bottles govt? I picked up a wire dog crate for like $5 at a yard sale and power washed it. It holds close to six cases at once.
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I really like it because some beers I get I enjoy but not enough to drink a 6 pack (i.e. I like Sam Adams but couldn't drink a 6 pack of it).
Cheez, what is the diff between a pale ale and an IPA? And where do wheat beers fall in?
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SA is ok depending on which one it is. As for the other stuff, I can brew em but fuck if I know what the differences are so I'm actually glad you asked.
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BTW if any of you brewers do get a batch of wheat beer I'll gladly critic it for you.
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I really like it because some beers I get I enjoy but not enough to drink a 6 pack (i.e. I like Sam Adams but couldn't drink a 6 pack of it).
Cheez, what is the diff between a pale ale and an IPA? And where do wheat beers fall in?
Ipa is going to be a lot more bitter than a pale ale. Wheat beers are totally different, but usually sweeter and lighter tasting like bananas, coriander, oranges, or cloves. ipas are all about hops
I'm brewing a blue moon clone this weekend
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Yeah if you guys have any beer style questions I know a lot more about those than brewing, but there are tons of resources written by people smarter than me
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Yeah if you guys have any beer style questions I know a lot more about those than brewing, but there are tons of resources written by people smarter than me
Why do I dislike Guinness but love black and tans?
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Yeah if you guys have any beer style questions I know a lot more about those than brewing, but there are tons of resources written by people smarter than me
Can you explain stout to me? I really don't get it at all. I know it's wrong when people refer to it with all different beers like, this beer is very stout because it's a style not a characteristic.
BTW if any of you brewers do get a batch of wheat beer I'll gladly critic it for you.
I'll keep it in mind. I don't like Blue Moon, but have been thinking of doing this one in mango:
http://www.apexbrewwares.com/Recipe-Kits/Pick-your-Flavor-American-Wheat.html
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More of a hefeweizen guy than Blue Moon (I like Blue Moon though)
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I tried so hard to like blue moon, I choked down the first five over the course of two weeks, number 6 was a pour out.
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> Why do I dislike Guinness but love black and tans?
Have you tried Bass by itself?
> Can you explain stout to me? I really don't get it at all. I know it's wrong when people refer to it with all different beers like, this beer is very stout because it's a style not a characteristic.
A stout's a dark, thick beer with dark roasted malts and typically tastes like chocolate or coffee (or in the case of Guinness, dirt). If I described something that isn't a stout as stout I'd probably just mean it was thick and heavy.
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So Guinness is considered a stout? I can't stand Guinness but I want too like a beer that style. It was always my impression that dark beer = bitter beer but I have learned in my readings that it's simply not the case.
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Yes, Guinness is a stout
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Have you ever tried a milk stout? This one could be a fun brew
http://www.apexbrewwares.com/Recipe-Kits/Malted-Milk-Stout.html
I like the sound of this one too
http://www.apexbrewwares.com/Recipe-Kits/Sammy-s-Oatmeal-Stout.html
And I have this pumpkin beer in the bottles now. I opened one a week early the other day to try it. Not fully carbonated yet, but easily the best pumpkin beer I have ever had
http://www.apexbrewwares.com/Recipe-Kits/Jack-O-Lantern-Juice-Harvest-Pumpkin-Ale.html
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I don't really like stouts, tbh
edit: I'm not a big fan of pumpkin beers either, although I love fall beers in general
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If you're trying to learn about different styles of beer, go out and try a bunch of different ones, don't brew them. If you fuck up the brew you could get the wrong idea about the style, plus if you don't like it you're stuck with 5 gallons of beer you don't like.
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Yea i need to plan a trip to St Louis, or a night out next time i'm in GR. Well not the next time, i will be up there next weekend to move the rest of out stuff down from storage.
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You don't even need to do that. Go to Sicilianos on Lake Michigan Dr (near the 196 exit) and just grab whatever you're interested. They sell homebrewing stuff too.
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http://sicilianosmkt.com/
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Think one of the newbs on the HB forum was talking bout buying equipment there. Maybe I will swing by there before I pickup the Penske truck.
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I went there a few weeks ago when I was in GR, they've got a lot of good stuff.
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> Why do I dislike Guinness but love black and tans?
Have you tried Bass by itself?
Come to think of it, I don't think I have. Might actually have to grab one.
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I went there a few weeks ago when I was in GR, they've got a lot of good stuff.
You going to be in GR next weekend? I can bring up a few bottles of the Amarillo IPA.
Mike, I ordered the mango wheat beer kit today. If you want I'll send you a six pack when it's done. Same for you Govt.
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I've got no plans to be in GR for the forseeable future, but I'll trade you a sixer of my oktoberfest if you want.
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Yea that'll work. I'll let you know once mango is in the bottles. I will probably give it the three weeks to carb up right before shipping it and we can swap em. I like mango, and I like some wheat beers so I'm super curious to see how it comes out. Knowing Jeremy (Apex) the kit will probably show up tomorrow, Monday at the latest. That way I can send one or two of them along with the IPA because they should only be ~11 days apart.
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hey govt,
I strongly recommend a bench capper. I scored a vintage (old) bench capper on Ebay for $18 shipped. It isn't pretty, but it works perfect. I did 54 bottles tonight in under a half an hour (I fill them all then cap). And those were twisties which require a bit more pressure and attention to detail. I'll never miss my wing capper. I ended up getting $15 for it, so thanks to ebay I scored a bencher for $3.
Also the IPA is still bubbling pretty good, so I'm going to let it ride a few more days before bottling it. I stole a taste of it though, very good. The initial taste is bitter, but that is quickly replaced by a hoppy flavor and great mouth feel. Can't wait for a done, cold, carbed one.
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Trying a new beer, Leinerliugels nut brown, not bad
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Leinies is good stuff
I'm brewing my blue moon clone right now
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My first time trying their beer. Makes me want to brew a nut brown
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>> brew a nut
Snicker
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Lmfao
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Try their summer shandy once it gets warm out.
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It was on the shelf next to this one. Will do
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My favorite Leinie's is the Sunset Wheat. It tastes like Fruity Pebbles
When I was brewing this weekend, I lost the cap to my airlock. Fortunately, the cap is just about the same size as a milk jug cap so now I've got one of those on there until I get a chance to buy a new 67 cent part. woo
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You use an airlock with beer? I use them on everything else, but with horror stories about buckets blowing the lids and airlocks i have always used a blowoff tube.
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I have a cap u can have actually, from an airlock i broke. U need me to send it out?
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Yeah, one came with my kit. I haven't had any trouble with it at all.
Nah, you mailing it would cost more than just buying a new airlock. Plus it gives me an excuse to go to the homebrew store.
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I wish i had a local one, but apex takes good care of me. Maybe i will try an airlock with the mango wheat beer. They are so much easier. I use vodka in mine, nothing can live in it and if some suckback happens its a free boost in abv lol
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Try their summer shandy once it gets warm out.
Went back tonight to get some, and no dice. They only had a few six packs of it Sunday, so I wasn't too surprised. What they did have is one by them called Honey Weiss. Going to crack on open in a few.
What is a Weiss? I know I have heard that before.
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You can post on here, but you can't use google?
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Sure I could google all my style/type questions, but I actually prefer having conversations with Jeremy as opposed to just reading it. I like to learn from others about things that interest me.
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Its a wheat beer. Weiss is German for white
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Ahh, that actually makes sense.
It's a good beer, but honestly this is my second one and it doesn't really taste any different than their nut brown
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Then your tastebuds are broken, they shouldn't taste anything alike
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the Weiss doesn't have the roasted notes at all, but the flavor of the beer is very close. The most noticeable difference is that the Weiss is lighter and the mouth feel isn't as heavy as the nut brown.
I don't mean they taste the same, just that they aren't really far apart like I would have expected.
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Tried their Amber Ale last night, very good beer. God I can't wait for the IPA to carb up.
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Did you manage to hit Sicilianos when you were in GR?
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No i have to post that story, what a stressful insane trip.
Trying lein's "creamy dark". VERY good beer.
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Celebrated the Irish by bottling a wine, an IPA, canning up se shine, and brewing an Alaskan Ale.
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ordered!!
http://www.lacrawfish.com/Bayou-Cooker-KAB6-Shipping-Included-P289.aspx
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Tried a new beer today. "Unfiltered Wheat Beer" by "Boulevard Brewing Company". It's OK, doesn't really have any flavor at all. Aftertaste is like a heavy, warm beer. For $5 it's drinkable, but like i said no flavor. Won't be buying this again.
My Mango Wheat is done fermenting, just need to find time to wash the bottles.
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Jeremy have you tried " Leinerliugels Summer Shandy"? When I was growing up i always wondered what that great smelling lemon pinesol tasted like......now I know. It isn't bad, but the smell and everything screams pinesol so it won't be on my top ten
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I like leinies a lot but not a fan of the shandy. Try the sunset wheat, it tastes like fruity pebbles
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I like leinies a lot but not a fan of the shandy. Try the sunset wheat, it tastes like fruity pebbles
I keep missing that one, it sells out super fast. I keep watching for it though
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That time of year!
Some Apple Pie has been made and is now in the jars to age until first snow fall, and hopefully some makes it to Christmas - January. Some will get consumed before then from my flask while hunting.
Got my pumpkin beer in the bucket, that will sit there for a month then go into the bottles to condition.
Tonight I am sampling Samuel Adams "Latitude 48 IPA". I like a good IPA, but this one takes like shit.