Philly area Homebrewers

Drizzt said:

Dfess what and where is madonnas?

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It's a drive thru beer store at the corner of Easton and Jenkintown Rd in Glenside. My wife had them filled for me, you have to drop off a tank larger than 5 lbs for a bit, as they chill it down before filling. The 5 lb'ers they do on the spot.

I'm sure this will be a hot topic in the next few months. Anybody ever do War of the Worts? I've never done a competition before and looking to have my home brews judged. I think its tasty, but would really be into hearing some unbiased opinions. Winning wouldn't be too bad either lol
How crowded do entry categories get?

BeerMeDuffMan said:

I'm sure this will be a hot topic in the next few months. Anybody ever do War of the Worts? I've never done a competition before and looking to have my home brews judged. I think its tasty, but would really be into hearing some unbiased opinions. Winning wouldn't be too bad either lol
How crowded do entry categories get?

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http://www.keystonehops.org/waroftheworts/

Click on results from last year. 861 entries from 335 brewers

wobrien said:

http://www.keystonehops.org/waroftheworts/

Click on results from last year. 861 entries from 335 brewers

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The spread for entries wasn't too bad. I think I may actually try to do this for February.

wobrien said:

http://www.keystonehops.org/waroftheworts/

Click on results from last year. 861 entries from 335 brewers

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and that was down from the year before. Specialty is tough, because alot gets lumped in there that wouldn't make it in other categories. And IPA's, everyone has one of those...

dfess1 said:

and that was down from the year before. Specialty is tough, because alot gets lumped in there that wouldn't make it in other categories. And IPA's, everyone has one of those...

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I'm looking to get a bourbon barrel RIS that is coffee forward entered. Wasn't sure where I should get it in or if I should just enter it in multiple categories. Being my first dance in the show, not sure if that kind of thing is frowned upon or not or which category it would really belong.

no, you can enter in multiple categories, as long as it fits those categories. Two years ago, I entered a chocolate peanut butter stout in vegetable and specialty. It took first in specialty (out of 35), didn't place (but was scored well) in vegetable.

dfess1 said:

no, you can enter in multiple categories, as long as it fits those categories. Two years ago, I entered a chocolate peanut butter stout in vegetable and specialty. It took first in specialty (out of 35), didn't place (but was scored well) in vegetable.

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Excellent info man, thanks for letting me know.

BeerMeDuffMan said:

I'm sure this will be a hot topic in the next few months. Anybody ever do War of the Worts? I've never done a competition before and looking to have my home brews judged. I think its tasty, but would really be into hearing some unbiased opinions. Winning wouldn't be too bad either lol
How crowded do entry categories get?

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Send me your beer, I'll fill out a BJCP score sheet for you. If the beer scores over 38 it's worth entering... Though it usually takes a 40+ to place in a category...

I'm pretty jaded when it comes to competitions. It seems like a silly waste of beer to me. But that rant is for another time...

Gitmoe said:

Send me your beer, I'll fill out a BJCP score sheet for you. If the beer scores over 38 it's worth entering... Though it usually takes a 40+ to place in a category...

I'm pretty jaded when it comes to competitions. It seems like a silly waste of beer to me. But that rant is for another time...

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Sounds like a plan. Pm me your address and I'll get a bottle to you.

Gitmoe said:

Send me your beer, I'll fill out a BJCP score sheet for you. If the beer scores over 38 it's worth entering... Though it usually takes a 40+ to place in a category...

I'm pretty jaded when it comes to competitions. It seems like a silly waste of beer to me. But that rant is for another time...

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I don't really like the idea of paying someone to drink my beer either. I'd rather share some brew with fellow beer geeks/brewers to get feedback. And the most important feedback comes from me, since I brew for my own consumption.

tennesseean_87 said:

I don't really like the idea of paying someone to drink my beer either. I'd rather share some brew with fellow beer geeks/brewers to get feedback. And the most important feedback comes from me, since I brew for my own consumption.

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I hear you there brother. I just like hearing unbiased opinions on it and what or if I can improve the brew. I don't have any friends really into the craft and the one's I do share with all swear by it. Even with judged competitions, the process is somewhat flawed and it boils all really down to the tastes of the judge holding the glass, it still beats the smiley glad hands just happy to get a free beer that tastes better then a Bud.

Gitmoe said:

Send me your beer, I'll fill out a BJCP score sheet for you. If the beer scores over 38 it's worth entering... Though it usually takes a 40+ to place in a category... I'm pretty jaded when it comes to competitions. It seems like a silly waste of beer to me. But that rant is for another time...

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I think competitions aren't very helpful too. The strict style guidelines hurt, as I kept getting comments that the beer was excellent, but not to style.

And one time in a major BJCP competition, the judge had no certification or training. It was just some guy drinking beer. His comments were brief and unhelpful.

ivegot2legs said:

I think competitions aren't very helpful too. The strict style guidelines hurt, as I kept getting comments that the beer was excellent, but not to style.

And one time in a major BJCP competition, the judge had no certification or training. It was just some guy drinking beer. His comments were brief and unhelpful.

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Wow that sounds horrible! Maybe I can dig up a costume and get in on that gig, too

BeerMeDuffMan said:

Wow that sounds horrible! Maybe I can dig up a costume and get in on that gig, too

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I don't think he had to lie about it to get in. Sometimes they are overwhelmed and just need bodies to judge.

ivegot2legs said:

I don't think he had to lie about it to get in. Sometimes they are overwhelmed and just need bodies to judge.

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That's a horrible thought...I mean if you are going to pay for sanctioned feedback and judging, you would expect to get a certified and seasoned opinion, at the very least.

I need some input guys. I currently have a very strong Pumpkin Ale and a Honey IPA on tap. I have my pride and joy West Coast IIPA ready for dry hopping then kegging 5 days later. My keg system is 2 taps. I have 3 kegs. What are my options?

Hopefully the Honey IPA has the least left of the 2, counter pressure fill as many bottles as you can. And maybe fill a growler for short term storage to be drank within a week.

I'm assuming you don't have a beer gun or else you wouldn't has asked this, so look up The we don't need no stinkin beer gun. It's cheap and works very very well.

Combine all that with a night of inviting a few friends over for football and you're ready to drink some pride and joy.

gone_fishing said:

I need some input guys. I currently have a very strong Pumpkin Ale and a Honey IPA on tap. I have my pride and joy West Coast IIPA ready for dry hopping then kegging 5 days later. My keg system is 2 taps. I have 3 kegs. What are my options?

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You can take a keg off tap and let it sit around indefinitely. Unless you also have the problem of only owning 2 kegs....

Dig out that capper and boil up some priming sugar!

You all totally missed the correct answer, Upgrade to a 3-4 tap system!

Problem should be solved. We are hosting friends this weekend for a beer tasting. I picked up the Pumpkin Keg last night and it feels light. Should kick it this weekend. Wife picked out a Chipolte, smoked porter from Northern for the next beer. I was more than surprised but will order.

Just a heads up...

Keystone aged some PA Pure Maple Syrup in Dad's Hat Rye Whiskey barrels for a few months. We'll be bottling it soon and it will be available for sale in the store. There isn't very much of it to go around. We tasted a sample pulled from the barrels a few weeks ago and we were drinking the stuff straight up. It's the best syrup I've ever tasted. Not an overstatement. Also, the barrel the syrup aged in will be available. But there's only one that will be available to the public...

Gitmoe said:

Just a heads up...

Keystone aged some PA Pure Maple Syrup in Dad's Hat Rye Whiskey barrels for a few months. We'll be bottling it soon and it will be available for sale in the store. There isn't very much of it to go around. We tasted a sample pulled from the barrels a few weeks ago and we were drinking the stuff straight up. It's the best syrup I've ever tasted. Not an overstatement. Also, the barrel the syrup aged in will be available. But there's only one that will be available to the public...

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oO Please let us know when those would be hitting the shelves. I would definitely be interested in purchasing some of that. I might have to make the trek up there just for that lol

Gitmoe said:

Just a heads up...

Keystone aged some PA Pure Maple Syrup in Dad's Hat Rye Whiskey barrels for a few months. We'll be bottling it soon and it will be available for sale in the store. There isn't very much of it to go around. We tasted a sample pulled from the barrels a few weeks ago and we were drinking the stuff straight up. It's the best syrup I've ever tasted. Not an overstatement. Also, the barrel the syrup aged in will be available. But there's only one that will be available to the public...

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The syrup sounds awesome, but I want that barrel. I was planning on getting one of the Dad's hat barrels anyway for an upcoming KBS type clone. This actually sounds even better.

PM coming.

Coff said:

The syrup sounds awesome, but I want that barrel. I was planning on getting one of the Dad's hat barrels anyway for an upcoming KBS type clone. This actually sounds even better.

PM coming.

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That's a great idea Coff! Did you have a contact at the distillery for barrels or is there a waiting list?

I think Keystone is the only place that you can buy the 15 gallon Dad's Hat barrels.

I wish I bought one when they were $40 cheaper...

Coff said:

The syrup sounds awesome, but I want that barrel. I was planning on getting one of the Dad's hat barrels anyway for an upcoming KBS type clone. This actually sounds even better. PM coming.

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I have one of the Dad's Hat barrels, and 15 gallons of KBS in primary right now. I was always intrigued by the Canadian breakfast stout, so I got ahold of some maple extract to try it for a handful of bottles.

I wonder how much maple you would get out of the barrel, and if that would diminish your rye/bourbon.

ivegot2legs said:

I have one of the Dad's Hat barrels, and 15 gallons of KBS in primary right now. I was always intrigued by the Canadian breakfast stout, so I got ahold of some maple extract to try it for a handful of bottles.

I wonder how much maple you would get out of the barrel, and if that would diminish your rye/bourbon.

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There will be plenty of maple character from the barrel. We're using one of the barrels to do a store brew. We haven't talked about what the recipe is going to be yet. KBS is the obvious choice but in the back of my head I'm thinking saison...

PS... we have 15g Dad's Hat Barrels in stock right now. The supply has been getting better as Dad's Hat is making more and more whiskey due to their increased sales.

Coff said:

I think Keystone is the only place that you can buy the 15 gallon Dad's Hat barrels.

I wish I bought one when they were $40 cheaper...

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The price jump sucked and we were all really sad when it happened. It came from the supplier unfortunately. Honestly, $125 is still a deal if you shop around for barrels. I got one of the 10g barrels way back when we first started carrying them. I've done two beers in it and it's about to become a sour barrel shortly. As soon as I have time to brew a Oud Brun. Maybe next week I'm hoping.

Gitmoe said:

The price jump sucked and we were all really sad when it happened. It came from the supplier unfortunately. Honestly, $125 is still a deal if you shop around for barrels. I got one of the 10g barrels way back when we first started carrying them. I've done two beers in it and it's about to become a sour barrel shortly. As soon as I have time to brew a Oud Brun. Maybe next week I'm hoping.

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Ah, well thats good to know. $125 is still a great deal for the barrel, I'll be picking one up in a few weeks.

So you think 2-3 beers and it should be fairly neutral? Ive had a few beers that were aged in one and whiskey and oak was pretty assertive after only a short amount of time. Eventually I would like to start my 2nd Solera in on of them.

I am thinking of doing 3 beers in it over about 6 months, RIS, Barleywine, Belgian Triple.

Gitmoe said:

The price jump sucked and we were all really sad when it happened. It came from the supplier unfortunately. Honestly, $125 is still a deal if you shop around for barrels. I got one of the 10g barrels way back when we first started carrying them. I've done two beers in it and it's about to become a sour barrel shortly. As soon as I have time to brew a Oud Brun. Maybe next week I'm hoping.

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I got a bottle of the East Coast Yeast Bug County if you want to get all kinds of sour in there.

If you buy one of these barrels, I recommend buying a solid rubber bung and drilled rubber bung right away (8.5, I believe).

I just had to drill out the wooden stopper that came with the bung after my hammer splintered the soft wood instead of knocking it loose.

ivegot2legs said:

If you buy one of these barrels, I recommend buying a solid rubber bung and drilled rubber bung right away (8.5, I believe).

I just had to drill out the wooden stopper that came with the bung after my hammer splintered the soft wood instead of knocking it loose.

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We've found using a flat head screwdriver with a hammer going across the grain avoids destroying the bung. I'd still suggest getting stoppers though. We have extra wooden bungs for the barrels if you want one. Just ask for one the next time you stop by.

HanzerBiscuit said:

I got a bottle of the East Coast Yeast Bug County if you want to get all kinds of sour in there.

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Yeah, I really want to try that yeast. I was going to use a blend of available White Labs and Wyeast sour strains.

Gitmoe said:

We've found using a flat head screwdriver with a hammer going across the grain avoids destroying the bung. I'd still suggest getting stoppers though. We have extra wooden bungs for the barrels if you want one. Just ask for one the next time you stop by.

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Not sure how the screwdriver would spare damage to the bung. The hammer worked for me for the first dozen times.

I'll be in soon to get more supplies. Is a wooden bung any better than the rubber for sealing the barrel?

Gitmoe said:

Yeah, I really want to try that yeast. I was going to use a blend of available White Labs and Wyeast sour strains.

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Let me know if you are going to make it on Thursday and I'll bring it with me. Or if you guys figure out how to tap into the Poverty Lane I'll bring it when I pick mine up.

It looks like the local group buy just finished, so it's going to be a while before the next one. Does anyone have an extra sack or two of malt? I'm especially looking for Maris Otter, but could use anything you may have.

I have some 2.5 gallon ball lock cornies that I'd trade, one corny per sack of malt.

Hey Guys, Quick announcement here.

We are currently forming a club in the Yardley,Newtown,Levittown area. We will be meeting this Saturday 11/23/13 at 2pm at Vault in Yardley. This club is already looking very promising and we have the backing of a great brew pub for a home location. Instead of focusing on solely homebrewing techniques and tips we are taking a different approach and are looking to help expand beer knowledge to regular, non-brewers.

I'll leave it at that for this message. If you are interested, send me an email at Stevegregorygeorge at gmail.com. I can fill you in and explain more.

abarnett said:

It looks like the local group buy just finished, so it's going to be a while before the next one. Does anyone have an extra sack or two of malt? I'm especially looking for Maris Otter, but could use anything you may have.

I have some 2.5 gallon ball lock cornies that I'd trade, one corny per sack of malt.

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I got tons of malt, come fill up whatever for a 2.5 gallon corny