Leftover hops - What can I make?

Kerin said:

While I agree with your first point - that generality is unhelpful - the rest I eminently disagree with. One of the great benefits of living in the present is not needing to manually re-tread the ground already walked - this is what allows us to see further than the ones who came before.

To wit, HBT has a reputation for being the last word on homebrew techniques, and we all know that taking advice from a kit's printed, official instructions over the midnight scratchings of an HBTer is one of the gravest sins. It's worth giving the benefit of the doubt: fella may just not have realized that plenty of primary sources are still worth reading.

Of course, he knows to Google now. If he doesn't pick it up now I'll meet you in the town square with a pitchfork and a torch.

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Your point is well made, however, to a new brewer like myself, the quantity of information available by simply googling a term can be overwhelming. All too often the information provided is far more than what I am asking. It becomes even more challenging when some of the things you read directly conflict with what others are saying. I've learned to be somewhat discerning when selecting sources for reliable information.

To that end, I find this forum to be about the most reliable source of good solid information on the subject of brewing. I can usually get a good, seasoned answer to a simple question or two as those questions pop up. So forgive me if I don't just run to the google page to look everything up. I figure the reason other brewers log on here is to learn and/or to share. If they are here to share and care to, I'll be very grateful for answers to my questions. If they don't want to share, that's their choice. This is still America.

But please, keep your pitchfork in the tool shed, OK?

Nobody tells me what to do with m'pitchfork. I uses it fer witches an' fer runnin' off YouTube folk.

trail said:

nobody tells me what to do with m'pitchfork. I uses it fer witches an' fer runnin' off youtube folk.

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lol

Puddlethumper said:

Your point is well made, however, to a new brewer like myself, the quantity of information available by simply googling a term can be overwhelming. All too often the information provided is far more than what I am asking. It becomes even more challenging when some of the things you read directly conflict with what others are saying. I've learned to be somewhat discerning when selecting sources for reliable information.

To that end, I find this forum to be about the most reliable source of good solid information on the subject of brewing. I can usually get a good, seasoned answer to a simple question or two as those questions pop up. So forgive me if I don't just run to the google page to look everything up. I figure the reason other brewers log on here is to learn and/or to share. If they are here to share and care to, I'll be very grateful for answers to my questions. If they don't want to share, that's their choice. This is still America.

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I'm sorry we got off on the wrong foot about the Google thing. At the same time, I am compelled to point out that what you were asking was by no means a situation where there is a plethora of often conflicting information.

While I'm right there with you on many brewing issues being beyond the scope of Google, I have to advise you to at least make an attempt to figure it out for yourself before you ask, lest you risk ire on Internet fora.

It's one thing to post something like, "OK, HBT Hive Mind, I'm having trouble muddling through the conflicting information on yeast pitch rates. Here's what I've read [synthesis], from the following sources. Can you help me suss this out?"

It's another to not know that yeasts have names as well as numbers and make no apparent effort to figure that out for yourself, then get all passive-aggressive when you get the obligatory "LMGTFY" response. I have to admit it was a very subtle, elegant passive-aggressive volley, which is why I didn't address it before.

At any rate, again, I'm sorry we got off on the wrong foot. I wish you every success in your brewing!

Bob

Bob said:

I'm sorry we got off on the wrong foot about the Google thing. At the same time, I am compelled to point out that what you were asking was by no means a situation where there is a plethora of often conflicting information.

It's another to not know that yeasts have names as well as numbers and make no apparent effort to figure that out for yourself, then get all passive-aggressive when you get the obligatory "LMGTFY" response. I have to admit it was a very subtle, elegant passive-aggressive volley, which is why I didn't address it before.

At any rate, again, I'm sorry we got off on the wrong foot. I wish you every success in your brewing!

Bob

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Thank you Bob, and I appreciate the post. I did Google pacman and found it to be available through Wyeast #1764 (liquid) sold as Pacman. I also see it can be a bug.

And, as I said before, I appreciate your comments that reinforced my decision to keep things simple for a while. I'm finding that it is a challenge to make exact repeats of the same recipes so I definitely need to focus on sharpening my skills.

But I seriously doubt that everyone on this forum is likely to get upset with a person for asking some stupid newbie questions once in a while. Quite frankly, I have seen it only once or twice so far, and I have asked some really stupid questions. But in turn, I have tried to answer those stupid questions when I see others post them because I can remember how little I knew just a few months ago. I try to be patient with people and I just don't see that the "LMGTFY" response is all that obligatory.

Thanks again for your input.

You're right - few will truly get their panties in a bunch over very basic questions. At the same time, surely you realize how tiresome it can be to repeatedly answer questions easily answered by the most basic of Googling; it begins to feel less like "helping" and more like "enabling". If I presented that, I'm truly sorry and shall endeavor in future to be more cognizant of my inner curmudgeon.

For me, it's all in how it's presented, as I noted above. If it's presented like "Here's this thing I've read up on and am confused about" my inner curmudgeon makes not the slightest peep. Asking for help or information should be a dialogue; effort should be explicit in both parties. All too often, on this and other fora, it appears that questioners can't be bothered to even attempt to help themselves. That rankles. There's exercising patience - which I'm sure we all try to do - and there's exOrcising "Oh for crying out loud, did you even try!?" It's fair to expect the former, less fair to expect the latter.

I'm glad we understand one another. Please feel free to ping me anytime if you have questions. If I can possibly help, I will.

RonPopeil said:

My personal preference would be to grab 2 more ounces of centennial. then do something like

9.5# 2 row
1# munich
.5# C10
.5# C40

0.5oz Horizon @ 60 23.4 IBU
1.0oz Mt Hood @ 10 7.2 IBU
2.5oz Centennial @ 5 (or less) 18.9 IBU (or less)
1.0oz Centennial Dry hop, four days

your numbers there look like:

OG 1.056
FG 1.014
IBU 50
SRM 7.3
ABV 5.5

here's a free beer calculator.

http://www.brewtarget.org/

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Ok, Bud, you did good. I followed your recipe and built a batch of APA. That is an excellent brew! Between turning me on to Brewtarget and giving me a great go-to recipe for an APA I owe you. If you're ever in central California let me know.

Thanks!

Puddlethumper said:

Ok, Bud, you did good. I followed your recipe and built a batch of APA. That is an excellent brew! Between turning me on to Brewtarget and giving me a great go-to recipe for an APA I owe you. If you're ever in central California let me know.

Thanks!

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Awesome! I'm glad this worked out well.