pensacola area brewers

[ronjonacron]

Ive been in touch with gary via email, i plan to get with him for my bext brew day. Seems like a really great guy so far. He has a website with his email and everything. Dont have time to look up the policy about posting links to websites but its his name and home brewing.

 

[keithcfh11]

Every meeting i've gone too everyone is really cool, meetings are very fun.

 

[ronjonacron]

Ill have to come check it out sometime. I was just really looking for a group of guys to brew, beer swap, and beer enjoy with. The guidelines on the clubs website seemed like a little more than i had to put into this hobby. As far as time and what not.

 

[seckert]

My boil setup is only a 30 or 32 quart turkey fryer. You think i could get away with it? I know only the basics of biab. Do you no-sparge, or ghetto sparge it by running water thru it hanging it over? I still have the basket that came with the fryer so thats definately an option, with just needing a bag / paint strainer. How hard is it to maintain mash temps?

I dont remember what size mine is. let me look and i will let you know so you can get a guage off mine. it is super easy to maintain mash temps. I bring it a couple over my mash in temp, cut the flame, then add in the grain bill, check the temp, if i am a lil low i cut heat back on, but 99% of the time i am right on. so i put lid on and i have an old sleeping bag that i put over everything like a sock. I check temp and stir is every 15 minutes, then cut heat on again to hit 2nd temp for 10 minutes...then i "ghetto sparge" i guess to bring me to where i need to be on my volume. i come really close or hit my OG every time and its so much less crap to deal with. next time i brew maybe you have to come over and check it out?

 

[ronjonacron]

That would be awesome, you can learna ton just by hanging out, little things ll add up.

 

[keithcfh11]

Hey Ronjon, I sent you that water report in a PM. I just thought I should let you know in case you never remember to check your PM's like me.

 

[seckert]

That would be awesome, you can learna ton just by hanging out, little things ll add up.

yes that is so true! So I will let you know when i plan to brew again. it will prob be a couple weeks cause i have a ton of beer right now and dont have anywhere to put it...haha!

 

[ronjonacron]

Im in the same boat, i probably only have enough bottles for 1 batch. I need to find a garage fridge so i can make use the two cornies collecting dust.

 

[seckert]

the next batch i am making is Ithica flower power IPA. A hefty almost 17lb grain bill. So that should give you an idea as to how what size pot you need to do BIAB. i looked and my pot is 50Qts I dont know if you could go smaller than that and do BIAB and still have space under your basket so when you kick the heat on you dont burn the grains.

 

[ronjonacron]

50 quarts? Bout a 12.5 gallon, thats muuuuch larger than what im working with. Ill just have to split my grain bill in two and do a little extra math for big beers for now. Have other projects going on, and i really dont have nothe 150-200 for a kettle that big. Altough i did see some large kettles with ball valves on then at halls hardware in milton.

 

[seckert]

i decided that it was cheaper to buy a big pot and do biab than it was to make mash tuns and all that stuff...also once the pot is on burner i dont have to move it from mash in til im done boiling...

 

[seckert]

oh i didnt spend that much on mine...i got mine off of amazon...pretty cheap and came with burner. i dont have a valve in mine, but if i wanted i guess i could put one in...

 

[smccarter]

Any brewers in Milton, FL? Looking for some folks to share brew days / bottling days with and share the cost of purchasing grain. Not interested in the long drive to Pensacola on brew days - especially when home brew is involved.

 

[ronjonacron]

A lot of us are! I live over in chantilly, technically (pea ridge) but right between pace and milton. Ive recently started brewing very frequently as i quit my full time (and then some) job. Im probably going to brew next week, i have been doing wednesdays, but i could do saturday also. Ive got a couple northern brewer kits bottled. And am bottling my first two from recipe brews/batches this week and next week.

 

[ronjonacron]

Bottled my overly hopped amber / malty pale ale today! Going to bottle the dirty honey blonde next saturday.

 

[smccarter]

Calling all Milton, FL brewers. Let's get together and share the load. I'm looking for a group of brewers to brew with, bottle with, share recipes, bulk purchase.

Not really looking to drive an hour to the west side of Pensacola, or even 20 minutes to the East side.

I live just off Hamilton Bridge Road, about a mile or so west of Glover lane. Very close to the Hawks Nest sub-division. Anyone close to my location?

 

[seckert]

just so everyone knows...Garys is open on gulf beach highway in Pensacola. His prices are great..he beats some of the prices from NB and i can pick up order at store same day. garysbrew.com is his new website. Check him out. once he gets CO2 tank stuff im done going to shady lady!

 

[ronjonacron]

I saw him a couple times while they were moving everything over there. They have pretty much anything you could need.

 

[smccarter]

I went to Garys yesterday. Good guy, descent prices. Bought enough for one brew day.

We have choices in Pensacola now... choices man... CHOICES!!!!

 

[seckert]

I know right! Pensacola is moving up in homebrewing! Then again there really wasn't any other direction to go! haha! im stopping over there tomm after work to pick up stuff to make Ithca's Flower Power IPA clone and my wife's favorite a Petite Saison. After pricing it all out Gary's is cheaper than NB (only by like a buck) But NO shipping which saves a bunch!

 

[ronjonacron]

Popped in to garys today to pick up ingredients for a v2 of an amber today, saw seckert there! Great guy, it was awesome to meet someone from the forums in person.

Maybe ill see if gary will let us make it a bottle swap location. Leave a few take a few kinda thing.

 

[seckert]

ya man it was great to meet someone from the forum. give me a month or so, but we should get together and do some brewing.
the 6 pack swap idea is a pretty good idea. I don't see why Gary wouldn't allow it once he is totally set up. guess we will see though.

 

[ronjonacron]

Im burst carbing my forst keg right now. Ive had it sitting at 30 psi since last night, when i drop the pressure after 24 hours or so, do i need to purge it hen set it to serving pressure or just lower the pressure?

 

[ronjonacron]

Ok, so i just purged and set it to 12 pounds, ill check it in a few days and see how it is, temp is pretty low int his fridge, like low 30s

 

[seckert]

I normally set it at 30 for 2 days and shake it real good when i first put it in and then a bout a day later. I normally leave it at 30 for 2 days then purge and set at about 10. Thats just what i do though...
i just finished making that ipa...OG was 1.084...pretty big beer if i dont say so. If it isnt amazing then i wont be making again...that big of a grain bill is a pita! Lol

 

[ronjonacron]

Nice! That hop list isnt cheap either.
You do the saison today too?

 

[seckert]

Yes it def isnt cheap but it is no way going to be one i drink all the time with as strong as it is.
Im gonna do the saison tomm, wanted to get the harder one done first.
You get your amber made?

 

[ronjonacron]

Im doing the amber on monday, gives me time to do my yeast starter, cold crash and decant. Feels weird dumping dme "beer" into my batch.

 

[seckert]

oh I gotcha...I will be honest, I have never done a starter. this last ipa I made I pitched 2 packs of yeast and called it good. of course I normally use dry yeast and not liquid. I have seen on here that you only need to rehydrate your dry yeast. of course there are so many different opinions I think everyone does what they prefer to do...haha
I am going to start messing with starters though as I want to start reusing yeast since that will save 3-4 bucks a batch and I am always about saving some $...

 

[ronjonacron]

Saw this on craigslist if anyone still needs any bottles. Not my ad by the way.

48 brown glass empty pop top (pry off ) style beer bottles. All are in two boxes with dividers. Great for home made beer or soda. They are clean with no labels. Call email or text. 6186942281.

It says location pensacola.

 

[seckert]

Thats a buddy of mine that is getting ready to go on recruiting duty. He has a ton of them, or at least he did. if anyone else around Pcola needs bottle let me know as i have way to many of them and need to cut back. i just cant help but save them or give them to someone. i feel bad if i were to just throw them away...haha

 

[ronjonacron]

I may take some more bottles until someone is ready to come off that keezer!!
On a serious note though, recruiting duty yeesh.. get ready to pack on some desk job pounds.

 

[seckert]

haha! ya I'm still looking or the right freezer to change it up. Once I find it I will let you know if you want the one I have now. Sometime in the next week or so I can give you some of those bottles if you want.
Recruiting duty sucks, but the way everything is now he had to go in order to be able to stay in due to the drawdown.

 

[ronjonacron]

Yeah i think they put everyone in tradoc somewhere or recruiting duty eventually. Its really a big way to get that last rocker in the army.

Ive got 2 kegs filled right now, one batch in primary and i have enough bottles for that batch. I want to do a belgian dubbel and either a milk stout or founders breakfast stout clone coming up so they can age until it gets cold here. January probably, haha. Would love to be ableto. Havem ore than 2 kegs at a time. And im not a big fan of bottling.

As i get more kegs, im probably going to get some carbonation drops and bottle like 6-12 of every batch so i can share with friends and such.

You movin around pretty good?

 

[seckert]

I am moving around pretty good now...got my 1st PT tomm so hopefully that goes well...

I need to get more kegs as well. 2 definitely isn't enough...thinking 3 will be but I am guessing that once I have 3 I will think I need 4...haha! I hate bottling! and I also hate that when I have a beer I have to pour it all easy and waste some in the bottom. then rinse. kegs are so much better!

I have never used those drops before, I have filled bottles from the keg once it was carbed though. I have a hose I stick over the tap and just do it over a bucket since I loose a lil bit. mostly use bigger bottles when I do this though not 12 oz.

I want to make some kind of pumpkin beer soon so its ready in nov...looking at recipes now and will probably brew it this weekend or next...its so hard to use the weather down here to age something, it will be 40* one day and then next it will be in the 80s and you have to turn the A/C on...I hate FL...lol

 

[ronjonacron]

Glad youre doing well! Im doing a spice beer in two batches. I want to get a good stout going next so it has a couple months in bottles before its time to drink them.

 

[seckert]

i did a winter spiced ale last year. if I can offer any input is that be careful how long you leave the cloves and spices in the beer as the longer they are in the more flavor that sticks in the beer. mine came out almost like you were drinking a Christmas tree...haha

 

[NewBrewB]

I will be moving to Pace sometime next summer. Any electric brewers down there?

I noticed one homebrew supply shop on Google maps. Are their prices reasonable? (I usually prefer to pay s bit more and support local businesses than order everything online.)

Thanks for making this post I appreciate it. I'll be in touch once I get closer to my move.

 

[ronjonacron]

I think smccarter is an electric brewer.

For LHBS we have the shady lady and garys home brew. The shady lady will be a lot closer to you, but garys prices are usually within pennies of what online vendors charge and has most of everything in stock. The shady lady is much more geared towards wine and cheese making. And has some grains, but mostly they will have to order for you. Only a few day turn around though. Fwiw, i get all my ingredients from garys and pick up odds and ends (bottle caps, dme, etc) from shady lady.

 

[seckert]

garys is where its at! worth the drive in my opinion. with their online ordering system they can have your entire order ready for you to go if you are in a hurry for some reason. shady lady is the cheapest place for Co2 though...