First!

MarcusKillion said:

I just found wichitahomebrewers.org . I have lived here 40 years . I need to get out more . I plan on bringing in some of my beers to get sampled by someone other than me .

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Hey Marcus, I introduced myself on your thread over at the WHO forum. I'm Justin, the current VP of the club. Look forward to meeting you and tasting some of your creations at the meeting later this month if you're able to make it out!

sounds like a winner to me . I have some hopped up & crystal cream and 1 bottle of Biermunchers recipe cream 3 crops & some Columbus SMaSH . wish I had some of that nut brown . Damn that stuff is good . going to make some more as soon as I have some more bottles free to put it in .

Where's all the Topekan/Meridenians at?

Hi all - new to site and new to doing my own brews - helped a friend brew for a while, finally got a starter set.

New to the brew, here in emporia. Jumped in head first to whole grain, could have been a mistake but I also want to grow grain and hops. Beer from the ground up sounds to good to pass up, may be a few years before I get there. I also plan on using a rocket stove to run my boil do no gas cost either.

I am getting set up and i am needing more equipment on the cheap. Does any one know where I can find old kegs, damaged dented or not sealing, so I can chop them for kettles?


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Living in Morganville, and dying to get back to the brewing. Am I alone here in realizing I need some serious temp controls for this state?

Lonely brewer in Pratt here. I moved to nc for 6 years and got into brewing because everyone is doing it there. EVERYONE! Then I moved home to share my beers with friends and family and realized everyone I know prefers beer with little to no flavor. and I have no brewing buddies to get all beer nerdy with..


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AWNbrewer said:

Lonely brewer in Pratt here. I moved to nc for 6 years and got into brewing because everyone is doing it there. EVERYONE! Then I moved home to share my beers with friends and family and realized everyone I know prefers beer with little to no flavor. and I have no brewing buddies to get all beer nerdy with..


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I was there. I lived in Hutch about 20 years ago and was the only home brewer around it seemed. Moved to Colorado and now I am in beer heaven.
Keep up the fight.

Come on KS! Let's get brewing.

Wichita ks is having their Midwest beer fest this weekend. Is anyone going?


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I was there pouring Anchor and repping the W.H.O.

It was a blast! It was my first beerfest and it won't be the last. My favorite brew was a voodoo chocolate donut peanut bannanna. I think it was from rogue brewing.


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Hey guys and gals,

Chris here from Hutch. Got my first batch of imperial pale in the carboy and excited to start my second. I would really like to get together with someone and help them brew a batch. I want to learn as much as possible.

Cheers!

P.S. Hutch is a black hole, much like a bigger version of Pratt.

austringer said:

Hey guys and gals,

Chris here from Hutch. Got my first batch of imperial pale in the carboy and excited to start my second. I would really like to get together with someone and help them brew a batch. I want to learn as much as possible.

Cheers!

P.S. Hutch is a black hole, much like a bigger version of Pratt.

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Hey Chris, Does Hutch still have the Anchor Inn? I used to love that place, but that was 20 years ago.

They do. It's always busy too! They have a drive through too called Anchor Away down on A street.

I seem to remember the drive through. Been a while, though. Good food.

Chris, congrats on your first fermentation! I'm thinking about switching back to buckets for fermenting. Cleaning the krausen would be a lot easier in a wide mouth bucket, than a carboy. I'm also terrified that a carboy is going to break on me. I've been using carboys for 4 years with only 1 breakage. It was empty and my 3 year old pulled the garden hose which in turn knocked it over. How bad has the homebrew bug bit you? What do you use for a kettle and cooling and all that?


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AWNbrewer, it bit me bad. I'm a big fan of local beer, free state, new Belgium, boulevard. I'm only on my first batch of beer, but ive brewed two batches of mead.

I plan on making another batch soon when time allows. I also show pigeons, practice falconry, and Im married so time is limited.

I used my stove and a big turkey frying kettle for my first batch. I also made my own wort chiller out of refer coil I got from work. I had the pot in a ice bath while I ran cold water through the chiller.

I bought two carboys, one of which Im fermenting my first batch in. I have two buckets I have as back ups.

I see youre in Pratt? My grandma lives in the trailer park on Country Club Rd. I'm there at least once a month.

I always wondered how a carboy would break if it did. Does it shatter or just break apart?

I'm not sure. I've heard about people using carboy handles and the neck snapping off, which in turn makes the carboy shatter on the ground. Needless to say I hug my carboys like I do my kids, tight and close. Lol


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Greetings from Wamego! Any recommendations for a nearby homebrew store? I believe there's one in Topeka?

The one I saw online for Topeka is not there anymore


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I'm in emporia and I generally order most my stuff from Midwest supplies or more beer but have gone to Bacchus and barleycorn in Kansas City a few times. As for the one in topeka, I checked out the online revues and made the trip only to find a torn to ribbons empty store front in a sketchy neighborhood.


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Good to know and thanks for saving me a wasted trip to Topeka. I may have to check out one of the KC stores next time I'm over there. Cheers!

fletchergsmith said:

The one I saw online for Topeka is not there anymore


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Topeka DOES have a brew shop! The one that closed is Ale&Vino ...the brew shop that DOES exist and IS open is called "Downtown Craft Brew" they are on the corner of SW5th and Kansas Ave.

435 S Kansas Ave, Topeka, KS 66603
(785) 220-9410

As far as the neighborhood...it's the new artsy-fartsy I forget what you call it district. Not too "sketchy"

Bacchus and barleycorn in Kansas City is a nice shop. Great people to work with too!

Yes I was referring to ale n vino. Downtown craft brew must be fairly new, as when I was last looking there was no listing for it. Il definitely go check it out.


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Finally found this forum!
There are a couple clubs in manhattan, one is "Little Apple Brew Crew". They meet once a month

There other is "Cluster Fuggle"....we have a Facebook page, search the name and you'll find it. We are a rather young club, still getting our crap figured out, but we are well tied in with Tallgrass Brewing Company. If you've even been to one of their tours, we make up about 80% of the volunteers. We meet once a month, and have a regular meeting attendance of about 20-30. So far we have our own glasses and shirts. Check our page out, trade stuff, ask for advice...blah blah blah.

And as for LHBS, there is one in Herrington, "Where's my beer"
https://www.facebook.com/Drinkwhatyoubrew

2 in Topeka, Downtown craft Brew, and All Grain Brewing
https://www.facebook.com/downtowncraftbrew
https://www.facebook.com/pages/All-Grain-Brewing/448714725165575

Anyone else given a shot at growing hops?

-Ben

I started some rhizomes in planters last spring and they seemed to do alright considering being first year plants. Had decent growth but barely any yield. My brother planted a few at the same time, but directly in the soil, and then never checked on them. I'm excited to see what happens to them come spring.

There is an emporia brewers guild Facebook page, but nobody ever seems to do anything on it. As far as I can tell everyone in this town that brews does so on there own.


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I've been trying to grow glacier hops in Pratt ks in a brew bucket full of soil. The first year little to no growth at all. The second year I watered them a lot and had a trellis set up but then I tried to fertilize it and burned it to death. Now I'm studying hydroponic set ups. I'm thinking ebb and flow hydroponic would work... Could work... I know the cost of hydroponics is more than just buying hops, but I fantasize about huge hops. I've seen HUGE hydroponic tomatoes and wonder if that's possible with hops. If not at least I could use the set up for the wife's gardening.


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Hey guys, just saw this thread. Been brewing for 2.5 years. Live in Clyde (north of salina an hour-ish) Growing hops also. I've harvested about a pound dry which isn't very good for 10 plants, but better than nothing. Good to see some chatter here in Kansas!

Big goat, what hops you got growing? Do you have them in the ground or in pots or what?


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Centennial, columbus, cascade, Willamette, nugget, and mt hood. In the ground. They got hit by pesticide from the farmer next door last year Here's a picView attachment 1417794638903.jpg

That's too bad! Think they will sprout up next year?

They bines that were already trained died but new ones shot right up. They are seriously hardy plants. Once they get established they are hard to kill. I didn't take the best care of them. This year I might try a little harder since I only have a few ounces left in the freezer

Hey guys, would there be any interest in a north central Kansas (or whatever you want to call it) group buy? Bulk grains, hops, fruit puree, etc...

I couldn't take part right now, plus I usually get my grains from Tallgrass Brewery.

That's cool. What do those usually run? Might be worth a trip for me

I was in kc Saturday and just so happened to turn off the highway looking for some food right next to Homebrew Pro Shoppe. It's a pretty decent store, well organized and good customer service. Very pleasant accidental brewery upgrade, grabbed another carboy and a new bottle filler as well as some hops and yeast.

I've been there. Nice guy.