I just got a call today. The guy sounded upbeat in the VM he left, but I haven't spoken to anyone yet. And after reading this thread I'm less enthusiastic, but it's still fun. First competition I've ever entered, so....
I got fresh simcoe hops from http://www.freshops.com/
You should be able to as well. I just brewed an outrageous simcoe IPA and bottled it this past Sun. Can't wait to try it. I dry hopped with 2 oz! Smelled wonderful!
Actually, there really is no sub for the piney notes of Simcoe. I recenty was told that Sam Calagione from Dogfish bought them all up. Might not be available for a while.
Made this a while ago (6/2010) and it came out great, although it was not the same. Mine was better! ;-)
Tried to get the Ardennes, but it wasn't available. Would like to do this again with Ardennes though. Here is my session:
Raging *****
Imperial IPA
Type: Partial Mash
Date: 6/19/2010...
Like the title says, 48 - 72 hours. Some take less. Any more than 72 is usually not a good sign. That's not to say you'll end up with undrinkable beer, but you typically want your yeast to get to work right away. It's important to note, however, that you do not want to pitch too warm. This is a...
The other thing is, my wife is a little obsessed with turning the heat up and down and I rarely have a well maintained temp in the house, but I don't think the range is enough to do what I'm experiencing.
Actually, now that I read this (thanks Clonefarmer), I realize that it all started when I began getting lazy and batch sparging.
Here is what clued me in. I will try going back to my old method. Maybe I'll even get a grain crusher and start crushing myself to ensure it's done correctly. I...
I have been brewing for like 3 or 4 years. I quickly made the move from partial and extract to all grain as I am (or was) a culinary professional and felt that using extracts was kind of cheating. My last three or four batches have come out with these off flavors that really do not appeal to me...
Fermentation can be 10 degrees hotter if you let it shoot through the roof. People talk about using starters and obtaining a vigorous fermentation. Starters should be used to gain a greater count of cells and get fermentation to begin sooner - a healthy start, so to speak. But if fermentation is...
Shouldn't smell sour. You should stay away from kits. There are lots of good recipes out there (and in here). Order your ingredients yourself. Kits can hang around for a while and have old yeast. I use Midwest Supplies. I've also discovered buying hops in bulk (by the pound) as it's a lot...
My last batch of Schneider Weisse clone went bad. No activity for like 5 days and then started bubbling. When it stopped, I smelled it and it seemed to have the familiar alcoholic aroma to it. I always taste my wort just prior to bottling to get an idea of how I'm doing. Upon tasting this...