Beer Feeds

I’m debating on hop buying. I have a couple lagers I want to do, where I could use up a pound of saaz by the end of the year, if I had to. Initially I was going to order a pound through hopdirect, but am now thinking of not due to the hot weather currently that the hops would need to travel in (they are in Washington and I’m in Chicago). I can buy local by the ounce, but buying by the ounce is “about” twice the cost as getting the pound. The smart move is to probably pay the extra, support the local place and know my hops were kept cold right up until I need to use them.

I think I have answered my own question here, but do you get concerned with shipping hops across the country this time of year also?

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I just read in my local paper that there is a brewery opening near me!

Cavalry Brewery to Open

This is in Oxford CT just off of exit 16 on RT-84

Cavalry Brewing

They are having an open house on June 26th

I’m very excited to get to see the set up and taste the beer. On their site they list 4 beers: supprisingly all under 5% abv (I think this is great because so much of the craft brew market to day is dominated by high alcohol beer [which I love], but I want to be able to drink all day ) I’ll have to ask if they need any part time help, I would be great to be able to participate in making giant batches of beer!

Hatch Plug Ale

A classic English ale made with pale malt, crystal malt, fuggles and goldings hops providing fruity aromas and subtle malt flavors. 4.5 % Alc. By Vol. 28 IBU’s.

Back of Label:
A happy tanker is a fat tanker and a real fat tanker is a Hatch Plug. This beer is named after a 1st Lieutenant that was traded for six M-16’s to another unit prior to departing for Iraq in early 2003. Hatch Plug went on to run the Baghdad airport and helped establish the telecommunications system in the region. Despite what we did to him he remains a good friend to this day.

Dog Soldier Golden Ale

This fine golden ale while light in color has great malt and hop flavors with citrus aromas. Designed to follow in the footsteps of a classic session beer. 4 % Alc. By Vol. 24 IBU’s.

Back of Label:
Dog Soldier covered the eastern Baghdad area of operations and was made famous by a reporter who published his disdain for those running the war. Despite his faux pas his performance was exemplary and he was instrumental in providing water and food to thousands of Iraqi’s in his AO. DSNQ

Nomad Stout

This dry Irish stout is smooth and flavorful with excellent malt and chocolate undertones. 4.2% Alc. By Vol. 40 IBU’s.

Back of Label:
Nomad is a good friend that led a team in eastern Baghdad with a base at the Al Rustimayah war college in southeastern Baghdad. He was the only officer in our group to be wounded and this came from an Iraqi ceiling fan. We promptly shot the fan and transported the wounded soldier to the aid station where he received three stitches.

Big Wally Porter

An excellent example of an English Porter with subtle coffee and chocolate aromas that come through in the flavor. 4.8 % Alc. By Vol. 32 IBU’s.

Back of Label:
Big Wally Porter is named after our commander in Iraq during operation Enduring Freedom/OIF 1. He was and still is an excellent leader that was even handed but, at times loud (hence the name). Through his leadership and concern for the soldier we managed to leave Iraq with many close calls but, no losses.

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I saw Rogue hops at the LHBS. Low AA (5-6%?) for both - good Noble-type hybrids? Anyone used ‘em?

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I am wanting to do a Schwartzbeir but as an ale because I don’t have lagering capabilities right now. What does this look like to everyone.
7lb American Munich
3lb German pils
1 lb American black malt
1 lb roasted barley
1 lb Rye malt

1oz Hallertau 60 min

WL 001

OG 1.061
FG 1.016
SRM 35.27
IBU 22.7
ABV 6%

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Does anyone use old 15 gallon liquid malt extract carboys for fermenting large batches of beer? I picked one up at the brew shop for $5 and am using it for the first time. I’m just looking for some advice on the most efficient use of these fermentors.

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I have built a single tier electric HERMs system. I have a Sanky BK and HLT and am using a 10 gal beverage cooler as MLT. The HLT and BK both have 4500 watt 240v elements mounted inside. The HLT has about 30 feet on 5/8 copper coil mounted through the bulkhead. PID controllers run both elements. Everything runs perfectly except during the mash I have to constently adjust the power to the HLT. I think once the PID shuts down the element when it reaches 152 degrees, there is still another leg putting power to the element which continues to raise the temp. I have a sub panel mounted on the rig for easy control but am getting tired of “throtle jockeying” the element from the sub panel. I have the thermocouple mounted in the HLT, not the MLT lines like I wanted. This is not the problem. I need to control the HLT better. Do I need a smaller wattage on the HLT element?

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Posted: by VoiceOfTheSoul (20 hours ago)

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Posted: by Beertsipper (20 hours ago)

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Posted: by earthboundagain (5 hours ago)

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Posted: by Foxtrot (16 hours ago)

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Posted: by Mgrad92 (21 hours ago)

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Posted: by trafordboy (17 hours ago)

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These are 2nd year Cascade, Will, and nugget plants. They started off really well then within the last 2 weeks the leaves started to lose color and curl, it appears as though the plants are missing something, but I’m not sure what. The Williamette plants are in the worst condition. I also have first year Tettanger and hallertau and currently about 5-6 feet tall and they are starting to do the same thing.
I would appreciate any input, thanks.

http://cid-e9b6dae79602d6fd.photos.live.co…ops?sa=43559698

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Posted: by inflatablechair (1 hour ago)

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I achieved 85% efficiency on modified batch sparge, incorporating recirculation.
-41 lb grain bill
-15.5 gal rectangular mash tun
-12.5 gal batch;
-sparge run-off: 14.5 gal

Procedure:
Mashed at 149-150F and 1.1qt/lb
-began recirculation after 60 minutes
-recirculated for 30 minutes
-mash temp ended at 147F
-drained 5.5 gal. leaving aprox. 1.5 gal in tun

1st sparge of 3.5 gal. bumped temp to 155F
-recirculated 20 min.
-drain

2nd sparge of 3.5 gal. bumped temp to 160F
-recirculate 20 min.
-drain
-as tun nears empty, I ran 1.5 gal. of 170F water through funnel into sparge sprinkler. I had about a gallon of sweet wort left over that I used to control boil over.

I ran the recirculation slow, as to avoid channeling with such a thick mash.

Preboil SG was 1.081. Planned for 1.070

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Posted: by BrewSomerville (15 hours ago)

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Posted: by LifeTree (16 hours ago)

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I have what might be a stupid question but here it is:

I am wishing to enter an IPA into a brew competition outside my state. I bottled it straight from the keg, leaving the beer at about 40 degrees. If I ship the beer and the temperature rises to 70 or more because of lack of refrigeration how much is this going to ruin my entry when it is then re-chilled for the serving in competition? Should I ship it with dry ice or something included to keep the temp down or am I just worrying over nothing? Thanks in advance for any replies

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Posted: by TLJ (14 hours ago)

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Posted: by papat444 (20 hours ago)

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anyone ever try adding a few drops of this to a batch of beer. I tried it in a batch of Pinotage/ Cabernet wine last year and the results were amasing. Just a 1/2 doz drops to 5 gals gave a great very mild smokey finish

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Posted: by yesferro (37 minutes ago)

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I just bought a Therminator and had been reading up old threads about the usage and care of such. I see that some folks recommend using a “pre-filter” which I assume would be set up in line between my march pump and the chiller.

Might somebody shed light (perhaps attach pictures) of how they accomplished this set up and if this is a necessary addition to my home brewery?

Thanks!

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Posted: by freewill35 (9 hours ago)

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Posted: by earthboundagain (14 hours ago)

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hokay, so here is my problem,

i have yellowing between the veins on the new growth on my hop vines, the old growth looks beautiful. the new growth is even having crispy brown spots on the edges. At first thought i think it would be fert burn, but i have only been using horse manure tea as a fertilizer with one application a week prior to these pics. i have grown these babies in a pot before without these problems but now that i have planted them in the ground, although the growth has been explosive, i have run into this issue. is it a micronutrient problem? photos below:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/50922369@N05/4680908288/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/50922369@N05/4680274735/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/50922369@N05/…in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/50922369@N05/…in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/50922369@N05/…in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/50922369@N05/…in/photostream/

my babies, what have i done?

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Ok heres my idea, sorry if anyone has ever thought of this or if its a dumb idea. Here goes.

1. At flameout place brewpot above kitchen sink.
2. Whirlpool sediment.
3. Fill sink with icewater.
4. Fill several feet of high temp tubing with sanitizer
5. Coil several feet of high temp tubing in ice water.
6. Attach one end of HTT to stainless steel siphon cane placed in brewpot.
7. Begin siphon and purge sanitizer.
8. Siphon chilled wort into fermenter.

The only problem I can think of is getting the siphon started as I dont know if there would be enough draw to pull it through several feet of tubing. Anybody ever try anything like this?

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Just a warning so no further brewers get scammed like I did. I recently ordered three 30 gallon Bayou Classic stockpots to upgrae to 20 gallon batches. With free shipping they were $700 total, not chump change. The Bayou Classic website shows/describes sturdy pots with welded handles and says that they’re 18 gauge, the same wall thickness as Boilermakers I believe. Well the pots are not as advertised or shown. They are probably 20 gauge, although I don’t have a decent micrometer so I’m not totally sure, and the lids are even thinner. The handles are extremely flimsy and flex when you put any pressure on them, like the economy kettles. The pots are also welded together, so made of a base that’s welded to a rolled sheet that’s been welded into a circle. They body of the kettles isn;t super weak, but it’s def noticeably flimsier than megapots and kegs. So be warned! And shipping to return them is probably $125 by freight!

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Does the use of gelatin in a keg have any negative affects on the hop aroma from dry hopping?

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Hi,

Returning to brewing after many years away.

I got a extract kit for a Bavarian Hefe Weizen; the instructions indicated that the OG should be 1.049, but after following directions exactly (including using some hot water to swish out remaining syrup from container), the OG was 1.0334 (temperature corrected).

I just transfered to secondary carboy and gravity is at 1.0137 (temp. corrected).

I know it’ll be a weak brew, but I’m not complaining for a first batch after many years; I just want to know what could have caused a low OG, and what I can do to prevent/correct this in the future.

Thanks.

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