Have I gone overboard?

I just took stock of the pipeline.

The pipeline is full. We're getting close to our household yearly limit.

I took stock of empties today. I have enough empty bottles to bottle in excess of 10 batches. I have exactly 11 kegs that are EMPTY!

I only have 7 carboys, so an increase in production will be hard. I drink what I want, when I can. I have 7 different lagers lagering now with a target date of bottling @ Christmas.

Anybody else have this problem? The first 10 batches, I was drinking like a mad-man to obtain bottles, begging friends for bottles & hounding the bars in town for empties. Well, they all came through for me. I have enough bottles.

My storage space is nearing full & I'd rather use it for full bottles rather than empties.

The more I type, the more this is not a problem, just a good reason to rip off a few 2 week batches real soon. Only problem is I was planning a Lambic, a mead, and some more aphelwine, so that'll tie up carboys for months to a year. I guess that'll only leave 4 carboys for some quick batches!

Thanks ya'll.
Zac

Too much brewing and drinking is a problem?

Dear Abbey,

I am confused. I started a hobby that feeds my other hobby. I seem to have entered a spiral of enjoyment, and I feel that my head may explode through the pressure of pure happiness. - Happy guy in VA

Dear Happy guy in VA,

Relax dude, have a home brew. You will feel better in the morning.- Abbey

Slacker. Surely you can try harder. You need a new household.

It's okay. You can join the "Virginia Overboard Club".

Sounds like to me that you need to embrace the frugality of HDPE.

Hah! Evan that's great.

I saw the first pic and went "pssh, I'm new at this and I'm getting close to that" then I scrolled down....

Zac,
I'm only looking out for your well-being here.... don't listen to these guys. I'm not a therapist or anything but I think you might have a bit of a problem on your hands. Having THAT much beer in the house can't possibly be healthy.

I don't just come out to this message board to get a little advice, maybe grab a good recipe and get some tips on brewing techniques. I partly come out to these boards because... well... because I care. I like to help people like yourself.

With these thoughts in mind, for your own good, I think you should send me most of your beer. I know what you're thinking, "no f'in way". You would be wrong. Dead wrong. I'm going to PM you with my address. I think you should send as much as you an afford to send and I'll do my best to live with the horrible, terrible burden that is currently placed on your shoulders.

Cape Brewing said:

...I'll do my best to live with the horrible, terrible burden that is currently placed on your shoulders.

Click to expand...

What a terrific person you are to help him so. You humble me. Alright, alright, I'll help too, send some my way if it will help you out, Zac.

Evan,

Starting over christmas when I clear out my fermentation chamber, I plan on turning it into a kegerator. I figure 17 kegs will fit in there, so I'm thinking 2 taps for me, 2 taps for friends, 2 taps for house brews, 2 taps for seasonal stuff & 2 taps for SWMBO. 10 taps at all times & room enough for almost 10 more back-ups. I just checked downstairs, 50 (****) fifty full cases. Thats not counting the 8 or 10 I've opened & started drinking.

I will gladly become a member of the Va Overboard Club. I count you have 9 fermenters, maybe I need 3 more.

I'll take some pics later, although my basement is in a horrible freegin nasty mess.


Gnome, I would really like to tip a few back with you dude.

Cape Brewing: Still waiting on the PM. I would be happy to ship a sample or two. I won't list the list to choose from, but it's lenghty. I still have at least a 6-er of every beer I've brewed. There's nothing in the basement that isn't drinkable. They're not all award winning, but they are all better than BMC. I just finished a raspberry ale that SUCKED 4 months ago, Now it's quite good.

I'm really, really tying to let the 7 lagers go untill christmas. I promise. I really do.


cheers.

Zac

Evan! said:

It's okay. You can join the "Virginia Overboard Club".

Click to expand...

That's impressive, but if you doubled that you'd be near my capacity...:rockin:

Zac: If you fell out of a boat and you're all wet, then I would say "yes".

I can see by the pics in this thread that I have serious work to do.

You all must:

(A) Drink too much
(B) Have lots of friends who come over and drink too much

OR

(C) Both

My guess is (C). I don't know what I would possibly do with all that beer?


(patiently waiting to be flamed!)

homebrewer_99 said:

That's impressive, but if you doubled that you'd be near my capacity...:rockin

Click to expand...

I really don't wanna. Too much damn work to keep all that crap filled up. I have more beer than I can possibly drink at any given time...and once you reach that point, the rest is just more icing.

big supper said:

(patiently waiting to be flamed!)

Click to expand...

Wait no longer! You sir, are a beer P*ssy!

I have four kegs going at once an I have a hard time keeping up with demand from friends and my own unquenchable thirst!!!!

I loath all of you and your brewing budgets. I have an impossible time trying to stick to my 10g per month goal.... [a little gnome wanders off and cries under a mushroom]

And here I am worried about my first kit and 48-some bottles of beer....sheesh!! Watch this thread'll die now.

Nah... no need to send samples... obviously I was joking around but I appreciate the offer!

Some folks have heard me whine about my freakin' AG rig build forever and the Rig-That-Would-Never-be-Finished (RTWNBF) WILL... I repeat... WILL be finished this weekend. My father is comin' up and plumbing all of the gas lines and mounting the burners. I'll be able to do at least 15 gal batches and am pretty confident I'll start catching up to your stock piles pretty quickly. I'll post a picture tomorrow that'll put the Virginia Overboard Club to shame!!

You guys are just freakin' showoffs.
(yes, that would be jealousy).

Evan,

I am in the process of uploading pics of my stash as it sits. Photos forthcoming.

Actually, I'm watching the election results, so I'll upload sometime in the future.


Cheers.
Zac

Cape,
All kidding aside I had the easiest AG conversion ever. Took me about 15 bucks and a trip to the local hardware store. I did my first few AG's on the stovetop.

The mash tun is all I had to fabricate. SWMBO bought me a kit with the capper, pot etc etc...

Big Supper,

I have 2 or 3 a night, 4 or 5 on the weekend nights, but I'm away from home 140+ nights a year. SWMBO drinks 1 a night. My count is I've either given away or drank roughly half of what I've brewed thus far. Several of the beers in my stash are WAY over 1.100, so they need a little time to mellow out. My BarleyWine is BarelyDrinkable right now, but it'll be good...next year.

Shecky, Nut up & brew something. I have gotten down in the 25 cents per beer range with some of the house beers. Although several have been over $1.75 per bottle to produce.

hcarter,
I was in your shoes. We all gotta start with one. Buy another carboy with your next order, then another with the next etc etc. Have all your buddies save bottles. Mine have over-run me with Corona bottles, but hey, I can always phase out Clear bottles, which I am obviously doing. I had to put part of one batch in growlers to condition with my 3rd or 4th recipie.

Can we turn this into a show me your stash thread?


Zac

Future kegerator, right now a lagering chamber..its too big to to conatin in one pic.

right side:
100_1371 - HomeBrewTalk Gallery
http://https://cdn.homebrewtalk.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=15261



left side:
100_1372 - HomeBrewTalk Gallery
http://https://cdn.homebrewtalk.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=15262


enjoy. gawd I hope the pics work.

Zac

Well, danggit, I tried the two ways I know, anybody care to help me out?

Evan! said:

It's okay. You can join the "Virginia Overboard Club".

Click to expand...

Hey Even, That pic been around a little while. How much of a dent have you put into all those cases of beer??

i just ran a gamut of emtions:

surprise, happiness, jealousy, anger, resentment and finally acceptance

i dont know whether to laugh or cry

can i come over?

Evan! said:

It's okay. You can join the "Virginia Overboard Club".

Click to expand...

zac said:

Shecky, Nut up & brew something. I have gotten down in the 25 cents per beer range with some of the house beers. Although several have been over $1.75 per bottle to produce.

Click to expand...

Nut up?? Nut up?? Are you challenging my manhood?

That's like the second or third time I've been called out for not brewing enough. I have taken the hint. However, I'm sorely lacking two key ingredients: cash and time.

Taking donations of each.

Ha! just Joshing with yuh. No man-hood questioning here.

I can rip off a batch in 4 hours, 2 in 6 hrs, 3 in 8 hrs & 4 in less than 10 hours.

If you can come to Va, you can use my extensive set up (a 7 gal bucket, a 10 gal pot, a converted coleman cooler & a IC), I'll even help you & then you can dirve home full carboys. That orta aeriate them really well. You bring the grain, I'll provide the homebrew & the homgrown steaks.

EVAN! even I am jealous of what you have. You gonna be anywhere near South Boston on Nov 14-15?

Can anybody help me put pictures in posts other than links? I've been through this before in fight club.

Ogh yeah, beer shelf.

Left side:
https://cdn.homebrewtalk.com/gallery/uploads/15707/100_1374.JPG

Right Side:
Screw it.. dial up is too slow. Check out my gallery.

zac said:

Ha! just Joshing with yuh. No man-hood questioning here.

I can rip off a batch in 4 hours, 2 in 6 hrs, 3 in 8 hrs & 4 in less than 10 hours.

If you can come to Va, you can use my extensive set up (a 7 gal bucket, a 10 gal pot, a converted coleman cooler & a IC), I'll even help you & then you can dirve home full carboys. That orta aeriate them really well. You bring the grain, I'll provide the homebrew & the homgrown steaks.

Click to expand...

Oooh, road trip. Do you provide babysitting services and a nice severance package so the end of my employment will be mitigated?

shecky,
Sure, I already pay for gov't child care (public schools) and severance packages (un-employment) come on down, we the people will take care of you!

zac said:

shecky,
Sure, I already pay for gov't child care (public schools) and severance packages (un-employment) come on down, we the people will take care of you!

Click to expand...

Good, you should. I pay for my kids and everybody else's to go to school. And I had no problem helping pay my neighbor's unemployment. But that's a discussion for another thread.

Now, back to that brewing thing. Still need cash and time. Pipeline is closed for awhile. Too busy and not enough money. But if I do get to ol' Virginny, I'll be looking you up.

Make sure you can hang with an old man.

Old man? Old man?

Ole man, I'm so glad you took that last post I made as a joke. I really am, was editing it to add smiley faces & disclaimers when I saw you posted.

dude, even for a yankee, if you ever make it to VA, I would tip a few back with you at anytime. I live a mere 5 miles from I-81, so I'm not that hard to find.

I plan on taking a month long vacation to NE in the future with SWMBO, I hope I can rely on you for tourist advice. sound good?

Zac

PS check out my gallery

zac said:

Old man? Old man?

Ole man, I'm so glad you took that last post I made as a joke. I really am, was editing it to add smiley faces & disclaimers when I saw you posted.

dude, even for a yankee, if you ever make it to VA, I would tip a few back with you at anytime. I live a mere 5 miles from I-81, so I'm not that hard to find.

I plan on taking a month long vacation to NE in the future with SWMBO, I hope I can rely on you for tourist advice. sound good?

Zac

Click to expand...

Dude, no worries. I didn't think you were taking pokes at me. I knew you were joking.

Been up and down I-81 many times for trips from NC back to Mass when I lived in the Tar Heel state. Any tourist advice (or homebrew) needed, I'm your guy.

EDIT: And I am old, by the way.

I live about 30 minutes form the 81/77 split.

I don't see myself in CT to fight fires, but I'm sure I will pass through again one day.

Can we say I feel old & call it day? After the weekend I've had, I feel like a day old armadillo on route 66.

I really need to go to bed & sulk.

Cheers. lord knows I've tipped a few this evening.
Zac

yeah, how's the back? Better I hope.

much better, still really stiff & sore, but I'm making it. Gonna try to go back to work tommorow, might be a walking day for PT. Still can't pick up stuff off the floor, but have managed 2 showers today, and several trips up & down the steps.

I really hope this is something not to happen again. SWMBO has enough to worry about without me moaning in agony. Even when I blew out my knee, i never screamed or moaned like I did a few times sunday & monday. I hope this past sunday was the low point in my life. If it gets worse, I don't think I could handle it. I wasn't even feeling well enough to let her drive me to the ER, and recently retired from EMS, there was no way in HEL! i was going to call the rescue squad to take me!

Back is oficially better. Its time to go to bed. Sigining off. If I can get out of my chair & up the steps to bed!

thanks,
Zac

zac said:

Cape,
All kidding aside I had the easiest AG conversion ever. Took me about 15 bucks and a trip to the local hardware store. I did my first few AG's on the stovetop.

The mash tun is all I had to fabricate. SWMBO bought me a kit with the capper, pot etc etc...


Zac

Click to expand...

yeah, I'm a jerk. Most guys can just go with a simple and extremely effective build and just start brewing. I have to go insane building WAY more than I needed. I went with a hard-plumbed single tier system that's got 7 solenoid valves, three pumps, two temp controls, two chill plates, two electronic gas valve controlled burners with pilots and a "remote" control panel. I even built the MT out of two separate pots, mounting a 20 gallon inside a 30 and spray foam insulating in between. As I've said a couple times in different threads, one of my favorite things is the building part... i really enjoy it (see my gallery... I did 100% of that work myself) and then seeing if what I built actually works. The rig HAS actually taken me more time than I really had hoped though. Ehh.. it's almost done.

yeah, I can help turn this into a "show us your stash thread"... I'll snap some pics today.

The words "overboard" and "homebrewing" may be used together only in this sentence and the following:

There is no "overboard" in homebrewing.


TL

zac said:

I took stock of empties today. I have enough empty bottles to bottle in excess of 10 batches. I have exactly 11 kegs that are EMPTY!

I only have 7 carboys, so an increase in production will be hard. I drink what I want, when I can. I have 7 different lagers lagering now with a target date of bottling @ Christmas.

The more I type, the more this is not a problem, just a good reason to rip off a few 2 week batches real soon. Only problem is I was planning a Lambic, a mead, and some more aphelwine, so that'll tie up carboys for months to a year. I guess that'll only leave 4 carboys for some quick batches!

Thanks ya'll.
Zac

Click to expand...

I see one way you can increase your brewing capacity and still be able to do the longer brews like Lambic, mead and apfelwein. Use your empty kegs as secondaries. No reason those long term projects need to take up valuable carboy space if you have empty kegs sitting around.

Other than that I am impressed by some of the brewers on here. I average about 1.5 - 5gal batches a month so my production is much lower than many. I share some and drink some but I am not a heavy drinker and the friends and family that visit often drink even less so the production is pretty well balanced with consumption. Actually my supply has slowly been growing, but much of the excess is beer, mead and wine that ages well so I want them to sit longer.

Craig

consumption isn't really an issue in my house, not becuase I'm some huge drunk, but I really enjoy my beers. My wife and a few neighbors are big fans. I hold about half of my brew club's meetings at my place so those nights put big dents and I have season tickets to the Patriots. I have a tow-camper that I customized for tailgating and it has two taps mounted on the side of it... so that puts a dent in my stock piles... then any random parties, holildays, etc etc... it all seems to dissappear pretty quickly.

Drinking problem!?!? What drinking problem??

So what?? So I have a little bit of a stock pile... whats it to ya!?!?

zac said:

Well, danggit, I tried the two ways I know, anybody care to help me out?

Click to expand...

The BB code link is the one you want?

Cape Brewing said:

So what?? So I have a little bit of a stock pile... whats it to ya!?!?

Click to expand...

Now I have to clean up my chair.