JacktheKnife

Recipes 

Howdy Ya'll,

I have been reading and enjoying the posts here for a while.
Just thought I would say howdy, {...howdy.}

I am: JacktheKnife,
now my name is Jack, and I make knives, but...
I don't sit around and listen to Bobby Darin.
I was in the third grade when that old song was around.
I don't have anything aginst Darin, but I didn't like the song then.
However, 50 years later... it is still recognisable to people.
And I'll bet he still 'keeps it out of sight', I know I do.
Its like 'Jackhammer, lumberjack, JacktheKnife...
Its catchy...


Anyway, about ALE:


Yup, I make ale and have for 12 years.
The Pappazian book is still what I read, and reread.
Ya'll were talking about primary and secondary ferminters...


My 'set-up' is three primarys {7.5 galloners}
and three secondarys {5 galloners}


Since my: Nine pound Hammer' is in the primary a week.
And the secondary two weeks, and is still coming out a bit sweet, and a bit thick... I asked old Gary at the homebrew supply about it, and he said he knows I am shaking the 'stuff' 5-6 minutes, so the reason is: the 9 pounds of extract is a lot of stuff for the yeast to use up at the later stages of fermintation... and that I need a better yeast. A liquid yeast, the same price as the dry yeast, but better.

Why did he not sell me the better yeast 12 years ago?

Hmmmmm...


It must be new..

I am perfecting my recipe for 'Hammer', and the better, new, yeast will forego having to leave the wort in the secondary three... weeks as another brewer I met at the store does,{3 weeks in the secondary? }
Thats a long time.

I still need a few more secondary ferminters


My Nine Pound Hammer consists of extract.
I use bottles, {wish I had room for an old fridge for lager,}


3lbs dark syrup
6 pounds pale syrup
Hopped up to 10 H.B.U.
and left in the bottels for... ohhh..

2-3 weeks
2-3 months is profoundly better



Good Brewing...



Knife

brewhead

Recipes 

are your teeth pearly white

__________________

SwAMi75

Recipes 

Welcome to the forum! "Nine Pound Hammer" is an awesome name for a brew. Wish I'd thought of it.

__________________
May you go marching in three-measure time
Dressed up as asses, drunk to the nines
Swing from the rafters, shouting those songs
Gone unsung for far too long

JacktheKnife

Recipes 

The name came from the old bluegrass song:

'That nine pound hammer'
'Just a little to heavy'
'Buddy for my size...'
'Buddy for my size...'

I made some Ten pound hammer, but it was a little too strong...
it was a little too strong...

Nine pounds is about right,


Figurativly as well as literally...
Figurativly as well as literally...


J. Knife

Sir Sudster

Recipes 

I once thought of naming a beer "Hammer Down" You know ... for the workin guy. Time to relax and put your hammer down.

JacktheKnife

Recipes 

Sudster,

Am I correct in surmising you have 3-4 secondarys for every one primary?
How long does one of your creations stay in its secondary?
I haven't gone way up to north Dallas to get some of the new liquid yeast old Gary recommended. So to use up the supply of dry yeast I have on hand, I just finished brewing a batch of... '7 1/2 LB Hammer'

And I have finally stopped using bleach, and have switched over to the bottle of Idophor I have had since before my terrible motorcycle wreck,
april 2001. {Never could read that bottle.}


As far as the 'Hammer' name goes...
Not only does it carry tons of connotations itself, but I as I said somewhere, I make knives. Have a propane forge, and can make knives from old leaf springs, railroad spikes, lawn mower blades, ect...
So when I am in the mood to beat on some hot steel, not only does it get profoundly 'hammered,' ... but I do too.


And I used to live in Austin, music major at U.T. and wish I still was.
Austin is nothing as I remembered it to be, in the early 70's.

Lived on speedway, and 46th, had a 76 triumph bonnyville 650, and live was good.


Gimme a hooler and lets go coon hunting.


J. Knife

SwAMi75

Recipes 

Are you familiar with a knifemaker named Ken Richardson? I collect pocket knives some, but one of his is the only custom I own.

__________________
May you go marching in three-measure time
Dressed up as asses, drunk to the nines
Swing from the rafters, shouting those songs
Gone unsung for far too long

sudsmonkey

Recipes 

could DME be substituted for one of the syrups? What kind of hops are you using ? Ever tried making a knife out of steel cable? It ends up as a sort of Damascus looking blade.

Sir Sudster

Recipes 

Jknife, I brew in 10 gallon batches. My glass carboy's which I use as secondaries are 5 gallon. I sometimes spilt the 10 gal batch and use two different yeast stains in 2 carboys. I have a third glass carboy just for convenience. I sometimes use it as a bottling bucket. I had three secondaries going because I screwed up on a Bock. I bottled it before it had completed fermenting.( long story). Anyway, I unbottled it and put it back into my spare carboy with some Wyeast 1056 and let it finish out. I don't know if it is going to work but I had a real problem throwing it out. I brewed it in a 3 step decoction process. I also had a 10 gallon ESB going on at the same time which occupied my 2 other carboys. When I say "Primary" I mean it as a process. I have 2 six gallon primary buckets.

Yes, 1970 was a different time and place in Austin. Triumphs were awesome.
Harley's out did them though.

Sorry to hear about your accident ..hope you will recover soon.

JacktheKnife

Recipes 

Suds...

Howdy...

Anything can be substituted for anything else,
as you are the boss, are you not?

I was told by Gary at the homebrew 'hed'quarters here in Dallas,
"Hops is Hops.'
And that it doesn't matter which you use.
Their isn't a taste difference.
Go by alpha acid content.
Actually it is cheaper to buy chinook or some 12%...12.7% hops,
rather than fuggels, at 3-4-5%.
It takes much less to hop up some 'stuff'.

And no... I ain't made any damascus yet, but have read about it,
and am getting my forge under control as it is the imballance of gas, and oxygen which causes the steel to 'scale up.' Scale is the sandy texture which if on the steel must be removed, which is a lot of grinding.

I have, out in my steel yard, lots of cable.
And a book by Wayne Goddard, about just that.
To hot now, in July, to work out in the shop over a 2,000 degree forge. I am taking this time to work in my yard. To build retaining walls, and gravel walks in my yard... move a few dozen tons of dirt and gravel with a shovel and a wheelbarrow... easy stuff like that.

Thanks for asking


J. Knife