First brew of the new year

So, what are you starting the year with?

"I'm not done yet" spiced cider.

Funny, I'm "not done yet" either....

Not brewing today, but I do have a Czech Budvar in the primary in the garage! It's about 48F in there right now.

I am re-doing my basement brewing kitchen and rearranging the brew supply cabinets (stainless steel medical cabinets) closer to the stove.

I've put up some dry wall behind the furnace and water heater, mudded, sanded, painted.

Presently painting the other walls. I've already moved 2 hanging shelves - one for the clothes chute from the bedroom to the basement (actually, just a hole in the closet floor right now (but the closet is carpeted!) and another for my brew pots and vacuum sealer among other things. I think I'll build 3 more shelf units for the same wall. They'll have to wait.

After all that's done then we're going to move everything out and seal the cement floor with that epoxy stuff for garage/basement floors.

EDIT: Floors are done in 3 of 6 rooms in the basement (I'm only doing 4).

Back to work.

Hoppy Brew Ale! (close enough!)

HB99 , You sure do have a lot of energy for an old guy

I have just transfered my Brewers Best American Light to my secondary today.

Recipe for
AMERICAN LIGHT

Yield: 5 gallons

Starting Gravity: 1.037-1.040
Final Gravity: 1.007-1.010
Alcohol by Volume: 4.0% - 4.5%
Hop IBUs: 15

INGREDIENTS (INCLUDED):
3.3 Ibs. Plain Extra Light Malt Extract
1 Ib. Plain Light Dry Malt Extract
1 Ib. Rice Syrup Solids
1 oz. Saaz Hops (Bittering)
1/4 oz. Saaz Hops (Finishing)
5 oz. Priming Sugar (doesn't say corn or malt)
1 Yeast Danstar Nottingham

Church of Chocolate Brown

5 lb pale
1/2 lb Chocolate
1/2 lb Victory
1/2 lb Munich
1/2 lb Biscuit

1/2 oz Columbus-P 60 min.
1/2 oz Fuggles @ 15
1/2 oz EKG @ 15
Irish Moss @ 15

Safale S-04

SG is a little low @ 1.035

Flamed out about 1 minute before I was going to shut the propane off.

No actual chocolate was harmed during this brewing. I'll have some after dinner.

big barley wine on the new year... ended with a nice high og and is going ape **** in the primary

I have not decided yet. I have to make up my mind within the next week or so for my primary will be free. I was thinking of a Wee Heavy but I can only ferment around 68-70 right now. I would like to do something on the malty side. Any suggestions

Sudster said:

HB99 , You sure do have a lot of energy for an old guy

Click to expand...

Who's got time to be old?

All this started with wanting to finish what the original owner started...dry wall, taping, mudding, sanding, re-mudding, sanding, painting the kitchen.

We (wife and I) ended up pulling all my brewing supplies out of the supply room (I put up 1 sheet of dry wall there too), then painted.

Then her storage room "needed" painting. (All the other rooms were obviously jealous).

I ended up sanding the cement floor, caulking corners, etc.

This morning I just finished putting down that epoxy flooring for basements and garages. Goes down pretty easily - like a good brew!

I've finished the floors in 3 of 6 rooms in the basement. Two rooms are carpeted so I only have the main kitchen area to do now.

I originally only wanted to do the brewing kitchen, but one thing lead to another and another....but it's almost done (forever!!!).

I'm just glad I take pictures of the whole ordeal.

Brewing Huckleberry Hefe on Thursday evening . . . after that can't decide between an ESB or an Imperial Stout . . . or a new IPA . . . but I'll probably do the ESB. I know a guy from Florida who brews an ESB extract kit from Hart's Homebrew in Orlando that "makes his toes numb". I think he's got me sold.

So many beers, so little time (and money) . . .

AHU

I just brewed Cheesefoods Carmel Vanilla Ale. 18 Hours in primary now.

Malts
3 pounds extra light DME
3 pounds light wheat DME
1 pound Caramel 60L (steeped for 45 minutes at 150'-165')

Hops
1oz Cascade for bittering (60 minutes)
.5oz Saaz for flavor (20 minutes)
.5 oz Tettnang for aroma (end of boil)

Yeast
Wyeast German Ale (they don't carry White Labs)

Extras
1 tsp Irish Moss (10 minutes)
4oz Lactose @ 15 minutes
2 oz real vanilla extract (too damned expensive to use more)

[EDIT]
Priming
>1cup Lactose
4oz vanilla
1.5 cups light DME

hi:
i am new to this forum so please excuse the change of topic but i am hoping for some advice.
i statrted with a beer kit jan/05 and am no trying partial mashes.
i did a barley wine dec 10/05 1.102 starting gravity, racked to secondary at
1.040. today i notice that there is about 3/8" of what appears to be spent yeast in bottom of secondary. still getting the odd bubble every 90 seconds.
i was going to leave in secondary until march.
question - should i rack off the yeast cake or is it ok
thanks for any advice
rod

rod said:

hi:
i am new to this forum so please excuse the change of topic but i am hoping for some advice.
i statrted with a beer kit jan/05 and am no trying partial mashes.
i did a barley wine dec 10/05 1.102 starting gravity, racked to secondary at
1.040. today i notice that there is about 3/8" of what appears to be spent yeast in bottom of secondary. still getting the odd bubble every 90 seconds.
i was going to leave in secondary until march.
question - should i rack off the yeast cake or is it ok
thanks for any advice
rod

Click to expand...

First, bad hijacker! slap on wrist.

second rack it off the yeast if you are going to age for a while, but no splashing during siphoning.