Recent content by cepster

Target field is serving an exclusive Surly brew. $8.00/24 oz. West coast IPA, damn fine beer.

Haha, my racking cane has been attached to its tubing since my second brew because I had such a hard time removing it. I just gave up..... I definitely wanted to hit it against a doorframe!

First of all, don't panic :D Home-brewing is a surprisingly forgiving hobby. While doing my first extract brews I did not boil my top-off water, and I was going straight from the tap! I did eventually move over to boiling the top-off water, but I've never had an infection in any of my beers...

Did you use "chips" or "cubes"? Cubes have a lower surface area and are, therefore, a lot harder to extract the wood flavor from without a crazy long aging. I've never tried extracting in to water beforehand, though, as I've always just pitched them directly in to secondary after a liquor soak...

I'll bet the biggest difference is the yeast being pitched. I've found that the British Ale yeasts are less intense than, say, American Ale (can I assume you used 1056 on the SNPA?)

This. If the C02 pressure was enough to blow out the airlock, I'm sure it's strong enough to keep out the low number of airborne beasties there may be hanging around.

I've been using this: http://www.freshops.com/hops/variety_descriptions Not a comprehensive list, but I've found it quite useful

Agreed - WLP001 is a great clean yeast with high attenuation. I always use it when I want the yeast to mostly stay out of the way while still giving a solid fermentation.

Hi all! After being the most patient woman on the planet, SWMBO asked me if I could brew something up for her. I, being both the gentleman and the guy who's looking for any excuse to brew, am more than willing to oblige :ban: That said, she really loves the spice tarragon so I thought I would...

Surly Furious!

All things being equal, I probably wouldn't pick this beer, but considering the ultra-low price and flavor that is actually different from other American lagers: Hamm's. It is refreshing on a hot day, has a semblance of flavor, and is cheaper than milk!

Boulder - Hazed & Infused?

Definitely yes. Actually, the reason why hops were ever added to beer was for their sterilizing properties so that beer could survive trans-atlantic journeys. (Source: How To Brew, Palmer)

I recently brewed with a summit-heavy hop profile. It does provide the good citrusy flavors, but I also got some garlic/onion earthiness along with it. It was tasty, but if you're looking for the pure citrus flavor, those flavors might be less than desirable. You're probably OK considering...

I'm wondering if the 40 min Crystal addition is worth it considering it has such low bittering properties (alpha of 3-5%). If it was me, personally, I'd push back the hop schedule and save an ounce for the last minute of the boil. Sounds delicious, though!