First time caller, long time listener

[Dunce]

Hello Home Brew! I have been lurking here for a while but figured its time to start posting.

Quick history - Right out of college I bought and owned a 2-keg kegerator. Like an idiot, I only filled it with Buds and other cheap beers. Got rid of it after 2 years and sold the parts.
Fast forward 6 years and now I am brewing a few different kits.
I live in Italy via the US Air Force and there are NO I.P.A.s here so I have tried to fill that gap by brewing my own. Trouble is gathering bottles and more importantly supplies.

Questions -
Anyone have a good Mail Order website that ships to APOs? I use Midwest but their kits are their own creations and they don't have the full extent of Hops I want.

 

[707]

Hey! This is my first post. Been reading these forums a lot and finally joined a discussion.

Thank you for your service!

Overseas shipping may be dicey. If Midwest is doing you a good job, you could always add some extra hops to your order.

 

[707]

Wanted to give a follow up here... Just drank a pint of Midwest Octane ipa from my keg and it's delicious. I did alter the recipe a little though. I know a beekeeper, so I added about 3/4 pound of local wildflower honey and a half cup of packed brown sugar. Both during the last 15 minutes of the boil..

Towards the end of fermentation, an ounce of cascade hops went into the ferment along with the oak chips. That settled out real nice and I kegged it 9 days later. And the only thing I would do different is to have made a double batch!! It's a great beer!

It's a kit, but you can still customize it

 

[Dunce]

That sounds awesome. Just drank my first bottle of the Midwest Double IPA last night. Worke awesome.

How tough are the oak chips to deal with?

 

[707]

The oak chips aren't bad to deal with . Gotta boil them to sanitize, and it probably helps unlock some flavors too. I did get some oak crumbs in my racking cane when I transferred to the keg. Had to use a paper clip to fish em out... Next time I might put them in a bag with some whole leaf hops and marbles to sink them. I'm very very happy with the beer. Will deffo brew that one again. Great to hear the double is a good one too.