Hi, from South Shore Mass

Hey, just getting into homebrewing....haven't even done my first batch yet. Still waiting to get my homebrew kit delivered. It is taking way to long to get here, I was hoping to try to brew this weekend. Anyone else from Mass know any Homebrew shops in the area so next time I don't need to order online?

Closest to you is probably The Witches Brew in Foxboro. He's open today noon to 6 and has a website, thewitchesbrew.com. Odd hours, Thurs and Friday eves and Sat afternoons but a good guy who has most everything. Welcome to HBT.

Welcome to the board. I drove through Whitman last night on my way to the Union Brewhouse in Weymouth. Like Paul said, The Witches Brew is pretty good and probably the closest to you. Modern Homebrew Emporium is also a good place to check out if you're ever in Cambridge. More stuff than TWB but I thought some of the stuff was a little pricey.

Welcome

Thanks...still haven't done my first batch. My wife decided to have our fourth child on Thursday so my brew date has been pushed out a little while longer. Hopefully real soon because the longer I wait the longer till I drink it!

Welcome!

It's good to see others from MA. I just started brewing a month ago myself and got to taste my first batch this weekend...

I brewed my first batch Wednesday night....still waiting for it to ferment and I know it can take up to 72 hours but I really hope I don't have a problem.

Created a Blonde Ale but added some citrus flavors from another recipe I found so it is Citrus Blonde Ale. Once this one starts going I am going to do another batch in a few days...a Pumpkin Ale so we can get this ready for the fall.

Welcome from Norton!

Hi Cape, that is a sweet pub you have in the basement...don't think my wife would let me get away with that. I have a good friend that lives in Norton and my uncles own a Dunkin there too. Where do you get you bulk grain? I am already looking way into the future....

Holy smokes... first batch and you're thinking bulk grain!?!? Wow, you don't mess around!

I belong to South Shore Brew Club and we organize bulk grain buys from time to time through the club and North Country Malt. We typically get a pallet of 30-35 sacks of grain delivered.

Which Dunkin? There are only four that I can think of:
- Roche Bros plaza
- the "house" on 123 near Norton center
- next to the Attleboro line on 123
- next to the exit 10 on/off ramps for 495

Go big or go home. Cheaper in the long run.

Cape Brewing said:

Which Dunkin? There are only four that I can think of:
- Roche Bros plaza
- the "house" on 123 near Norton center
- next to the Attleboro line on 123
- next to the exit 10 on/off ramps for 495

Click to expand...

Fascinating! Tell us more, won't you? How about if you list ALL the Dunki's in Massachusetts.

Good God, I've befriended Bubba Gump.


PTN

I do like your attitude, dlnash. We don't need no steenking 5 gallon batchees! Bulk grain is where it's at.

They own the one of of exit 10 (I think it is in a building with a Tux shop)....and they did own the one near the college but it wasn't making any money so the sold it.

We will see if I ever get do bulk grain but reading all these posts I think all grain is something I want to do...and in bulk you can really cut the costs down. I need to see how I do on the first few batches. I have bought enough to do 4 different recipes and we will see how they come out.

Question...on these posts they say air bubbles don't really mean fermentation has started you need to check gravity. If I check gravity after 3 days and original was 1.042 what should I expect if it has been fermenting? Just a lower gravity?

I suggest getting some brewing software. Just looking at it might open your eyes to alot of things. If OG was anything, then after fermentation is done it should be WAY lower. i.e. like 1.012 maybe. Depends on what you brewed and with what.

yes, it will just simply be lower... Unless there is a secret formula I don't know about, you won't really be able to calculate what your gravity should be after such a short period of time. Viability of the yeast, cell count, pitching temps, total fermentable sugars... they could all be all over the road (especially for a first batch).

You never know, you're airlock just might not be sealed and you could be bubbling away (disclaimer: bubbles are not a reliable indicator of fermentation)

I would suggest not touching it. There's a reason Relax, Don't Worry, Have a Homebrew is the first commandment of brewing.

Let it go for 7 to ten days and then grab a reading if you really want to. At that point you should be a lot lower than 1042 and shoudl be getting pretty close to where it will ultimately finish out.

In the mean time... get batch number 2 going!

Oh... and do yourself a huge favor... try to ignore PaultheNurse as much as possible. There is a great nickname here on HBT... dooshnozzle... I'm not saying Paul IS one... actually... yeah.. that's what I'm saying.

And yeah, I hit that D&D all the time.

And then we went to the Dunkin Donuts just over the line into Mansfield. I had a cup of coffee and a cruller. So we leave there and drive towards Foxboro. We drove past 5 DD's in the way. We stopped at three of them, the big white one on Rte 1, the one that's in the old car dealership and the one that has the great big styrofoam cup cup out by the road. I had another cup of coffee at the first two and then I decided to really get wild and ordered a Coolata at the third. We would have kept going but CapeBrewing suddenly says' "I gotta go. NOW!" And I was like, "Go where?" And he started shouting, "PULL OVER!!!" And the next thing you know he's running into the woods on the side of the road pulling his pants down...

Paul, I hope you got a bacon egg and cheese on a croissant at one of the stops....those are the best. You want some good coffee you need to come my way and stop at Marylou's!

Oh Sweet Angel of Death,

Please take me. Wrap your deadly tendrils around my neck and squeeze. Suck me down into your icey embrace. Deliver me from this misery, I'm begging you!

PTN

like I was saying dinash16.... a dooshnozzel

Dooshnozzel... Is that what they pour the coffee thru at Dunki's?

Just bottled my first brew...a blonde ale. Tried to get citrus flavor in there not sure if it will work...didn't taste any citrus on my sample.

And brewed up a pumpkin ale this morning also. Took some items from a few recipes, smelled good, now I just hope it tastes good.

dlnash16 said:

Just bottled my first brew...a blonde ale. Tried to get citrus flavor in there not sure if it will work...didn't taste any citrus on my sample.

And brewed up a pumpkin ale this morning also. Took some items from a few recipes, smelled good, now I just hope it tastes good.

Click to expand...

Whitman!

My hometown and hometown of the Toll House cookie!

Welcome.

What hops did you use? Thats about the only way to get citrusy flavor.

Yup...my hometown too. I grew up here.

I tried to get the citrus flavors by putting in two lime and two oranges zest in the boil...and I didn't taste it so I added some lime juice (no sugar) to the bottling. We will see how it turns out. I used Cascade in this recipe. Which hops have citrus flavor?

So I bottled my Blonde Ale (with lime juice and half of the bottles with a cranberry extract) and it has been carbonating for the last week. Tried some and they aren't half bad right now. A little after taste but hopefully that will go away with time.

I moved my pumpkin ale to a secondary I just bought (5 Gal Better Bottle) and brewed up a Wheat beer today. I am thinking of putting in 4 lbs. of mixed berries into the Wheat beer. The problem is I don't have a secondary that is big enough. Could I add the berries to the ferementer (after the first week) then move to the 5 gal secondary after the second? Or maybe move to a second 6.5 gallon bucket for a secondary?

Next up is a Christmas Porter....

Hey, me too, me too! I drove thru Whitman once and went past the place where they made the Toll House Cookies! Can I play too?

I like my THC's with about 1/2 the amount of chocolate that the Nestle recipie calls for. Two, three pieces of chocolate tops per cookie. Does that get me kicked out of the "I'm from Whitman and I Have No Friends Club?" What about the Choc Chip Cookies they make at Dunkies? I think they have WAY too many chips in them. Now I'm really sure I'm getting you guys torqued off, taking bad about Dunkies. Can we still be pals? Can I come to the next "Whitman Boys Dunkin Donuts Cruise?"

PTN

Paul,

You are always welcome to have some DD with us....and you know what I think I am going to have to make a Dunkin Donuts Coffee Stout and a Toll House Cookie Porter....thanks for the ideas...and the next time you are driving through Whitman let me know so we can hit all 3 Dunkin's and even Mary Lou's....it will be AWESOME!!!!

And I can put in my signature..."Remember the time me and PTN went to Dunkin Donuts? That was awesome!"

Ok, but if Babalu and CB are coming with us I need 24 hours notice so I can get comfortably numb before the boat leaves the dock.
PTN

Just bottled my third batch. A Berry Weizen.

First batch a Citrus Blonde is pretty good. Still a little yeast after taste after 3 weeks in the bottle. We did half with some cranberry extract and half with out. The half with the extract definitely has less of an after taste.

My second batch I screwed up. Did a pumpkin ale that called for 3/4 tbsp of crushed cloves....well all I had was whole so put those in now the pumpkin ale has a strong black licorice taste. Hopefully with age it goes away but we will see.

Next up a Christmas Porter (see if it is good and make again for XMas).

Just got a couple kegs and C02 tank. Do you guys know where to get a c02 tank filled in the South Shore area?

TWB In Foxboro (home of the best team in the NFL) will switch over your empty one for a full one for just the cost of the gas. Best deal in town.

PTN

So they have to exchange? I just got a brand new (not reburished) C02 tank.

And yes it is the best team in football!

If you are worried about it talk to Steve about keeping track of the new tank. A tank is a tank, but since you put out your hard earned dracma's for it I undetstand the concern. In the end the tank is just a container to hold the gas. So long as you leave with a full tank you are even. There are concerns with verifying that you are therue owner ofhe tank if you ever move, the tanks have ID numbers on them that are on your bill of sale. I'm sure Steve would give you a loaner and get your tank refilled so that you keep your tank under your control at all times. I don't worry about it. I have a hard enough time keeping track of all 14 of my scuba tanks, I'm ok with just swapping them out.

PTN

Thanks Paul. If I will get over there I will just exchange it....was hoping to find something a little closer but haven't yet.

I think the only place closer to you than TWB is Piopies Liquor Store in Plymouth, but he only carries malt extract and doesn't carry gas. FWIW.

PTN