What I did for beer today

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Last night I went to a homebrew club meeting in Billings. I hadn’t been to one in over a year. The last one I attended there were 30+ people there. Last night there were 8. They talked about all the things they would do if they could just get more folks to participate. Nobody had any suggestions for increasing participation. The current prez has sold most of his gear and is living with his in-laws while building a new house. But, it would sure be nice if we could…

Today I pulled a sample of the Altbier I brewed on 4/09. It’s probably done so I moved the fermenter into the crawl space, where it’s about 50°, until we come back the first part of May.
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grampamark said:
Last night I went to a homebrew club meeting in Billings. I hadn’t been to one in over a year. The last one I attended there were 30+ people there. Last night there were 8. They talked about all the things they would do if they could just get more folks to participate. Nobody had any suggestions for increasing participation. The current prez has sold most of his gear and is living with his in-laws while building a new house. But, it would sure be nice if we could…

Today I pulled a sample of the Altbier I brewed on 4/09. It’s probably done so I moved the fermenter into the crawl space, where it’s about 50°, until we come back the first part of May.
Click to expand...
Our meetings average 8-12 people depending; don't think we've hit 30 as long as I've been in the club. I'm the new president, so increasing participation has crossed my mind, and I try to "recruit" homebrewers I meet in the wild, and have a sign up at the brewery where we hold our meetings. But I think I like the level we're at. Keeps it where everyone feels they can participate and aren't just going to a beer class or something.
 
BrewMan13 said:
Our meetings average 8-12 people depending; don't think we've hit 30 as long as I've been in the club. I'm the new president, so increasing participation has crossed my mind, and I try to "recruit" homebrewers I meet in the wild, and have a sign up at the brewery where we hold our meetings. But I think I like the level we're at. Keeps it where everyone feels they can participate and aren't just going to a beer class or something.
Click to expand...
Billings has a metro area population of around 200K and supports 10 brewpubs/taprooms, one dedicated LHBS (observing it’s 30th anniversary this year) and an Ace hardware that has a pretty lame homebrew department. A second HBS/brew on premesis place didn’t last a year. Maybe the current membership constitutes “peak homebrew”.
 
Yesterday popped the Lutra Blond into the kegerator to crash, looking nice and clear now so will keg later today or tomorrow morning. And the mead I brewed last month, after racking twice, is now perfectly clear and ready to bottle. Had to google if I could store it at room temperature (yes I'm a mead noob) so it's not in the fridge where I can see it, and possibly drink them way too early. This one I'm hoping to enter in the state fair in August, if I can keep my grubby paws off it. Also bought another 12 pack of Ninkasi assortment, for the bottles of course. Dammit now I have to drink them....1st world problems.
 
Check FG on the CTZ SMaSH, 1.009-1.010. The bitterness has mellowed a touch from yesterday, when I couldn't help but taste it with a friend who had never had fresh beer before. Cold-Crashing to 40F and dry-hopped with 2oz. Planning for a Monday night closed-transfer. Life is good.
 
Went to our pretty new 1st time in my area Total Wine & More....Heaven came to town !!! It's a alcohol candy store !!!! The beer selection is out of this world ! Every German and Scottish dark beer I LOVE. And a military rewards program to boot ! I bought these lovely 3 brews. Put the beer spark back in me after the long dark freezing covid infested bleak winter ! Seeing these beautiful dark elixers is making me want to go out and smoke some meat while I slowly sip on one and blast some grunge in the garage Man cave. Here's to a good spring and summer of brew days to come !!! 🍻
 

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JAReeves said:
I assume, since you are sterilizing everything, you don't need to refrigerate the wort?
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Yes, that’s right. Once the mason jars cool and vacuum seal, I put them in a plastic storage bin next to my malt. I dip them in StarSan right before I use them to sanitize the lid before opening.
 
Well, I sniffed the airlock on a double IPA (Centennial hops) I have fermenting currently. I'm also using my Ispindel for the first time verse using a Tilt previously. So far the Ispindel is much more consistent (probably due to it's size). Such a nice aroma!

 
Stopped at the LHBS after work (conveniently about 1/2 mile from the office) to restock the two-row, also got some special B, some muslin bags for dry hopping, and his only pack of Imperial Loki for the NEIPA I'm brewing on Saturday. Once home I also popped a bottle of mead in the fridge to chill so I can "sample" it while I'm working from home tomorrow, for quality control of course. And paid the entries for the competition coming up, have all but one of them brewed and none bottled, another chore for the weekend. Taking husband to the airport Saturday morning for his guys trip to Vegas, so the weekend is for me and my brewery.
 
BrewMan13 said:
Our meetings average 8-12 people depending; don't think we've hit 30 as long as I've been in the club. I'm the new president, so increasing participation has crossed my mind, and I try to "recruit" homebrewers I meet in the wild, and have a sign up at the brewery where we hold our meetings. But I think I like the level we're at. Keeps it where everyone feels they can participate and aren't just going to a beer class or something.
Click to expand...
Do you think some of it is shyness about joining? I embody imposter syndrome with some of my hobbies (including painting and homebrewing) and would feel intimidated about joining a local homebrewing group for fear I was too "amateurish" and not knowledgeable enough to contribute, or that I would look like an idiot when pressed to explain recipes or processes I'm not confident in explaining.
 
kkuczma said:
Do you think some of it is shyness about joining? I embody imposter syndrome with some of my hobbies (including painting and homebrewing) and would feel intimidated about joining a local homebrewing group for fear I was too "amateurish" and not knowledgeable enough to contribute, or that I would look like an idiot when pressed to explain recipes or processes I'm not confident in explaining.
Click to expand...
Somewhat, I know that was the case for me before I joined this club. Also I think another factor is people are very busy, and may view coming to the meetings as more of a chore. I mean, you can always brew without trekking to the meetings. But our newsletter goes out to 240 people and the attendance is how I described it earlier, so my immediate thought was how do I get more people there? But now I'm more interested in having quality meetings and events to make it worthwhile for the people that do show up, rather than just increasing attendance for the heck of it.
 
BrewMan13 said:
Somewhat, I know that was the case for me before I joined this club. Also I think another factor is people are very busy, and may view coming to the meetings as more of a chore. I mean, you can always brew without trekking to the meetings. But our newsletter goes out to 240 people and the attendance is how I described it earlier, so my immediate thought was how do I get more people there? But now I'm more interested in having quality meetings and events to make it worthwhile for the people that do show up, rather than just increasing attendance for the heck of it.
Click to expand...
We just started a happy hour for local artists where I live and we are keeping it purposely small for the moment to dial in a stronger sense of participation and engagement, so I completely understand. We do want to expand it (we are trying to cultivate community!) but too many participants may also water down the experience. Good luck with it!
 
BrewMan13 said:
Our meetings average 8-12 people depending; don't think we've hit 30 as long as I've been in the club. I'm the new president, so increasing participation has crossed my mind, and I try to "recruit" homebrewers I meet in the wild, and have a sign up at the brewery where we hold our meetings. But I think I like the level we're at. Keeps it where everyone feels they can participate and aren't just going to a beer class or something.
Click to expand...
Having fun things to do is helpful… pub crawls, group brew days etc. Of course I do realize that the events the past couple years have limited those opportunities.
 
Hoppy2bmerry said:
Having fun things to do is helpful… pub crawls, group brew days etc. Of course I do realize that the events the past couple years have limited those opportunities.
Click to expand...
Yeah definitely a light couple years. I've sort of stumbled into activities though, so no shortage this year! We have a big brew day planned at our host brewery, going to have a virtual talk with a rep from omega yeast, potentially another talk from yakima Valley hops, as well as standing offers from a local cider maker, and another local brewer who literally brews at a farm brewery.
 
kkuczma said:
Do you think some of it is shyness about joining? I embody imposter syndrome with some of my hobbies (including painting and homebrewing) and would feel intimidated about joining a local homebrewing group for fear I was too "amateurish" and not knowledgeable enough to contribute, or that I would look like an idiot when pressed to explain recipes or processes I'm not confident in explaining.
Click to expand...
I joined a local club, because I wanted to learn more, and the first meeting that I had attended to check them out, they had a discussion about malt. We chewed some kernels and sipped some malt tea, and I felt welcomed even though I didn’t have a lot of brewing experience at the time. The feedback about the beer I had shared was honest and helpful too. Hey this is good you should enter it into a competition… Funny thing is, I had entered it in a very first competition and later learned that I got a third place ribbon, which for me at the time, had me on cloud nine. It also showed that people in the club were giving objective feedback, and not just being nice to the new member.
:bigmug:
 
Hoppy2bmerry said:
I joined a local club, because I wanted to learn more, and the first meeting that I had attended to check them out, they had a discussion about malt. We chewed some kernels and sipped some malt tea, and I felt welcomed even though I didn’t have a lot of brewing experience at the time. The feedback about the beer I had shared was honest and helpful too. Hey this is good you should enter it into a competition… Funny thing is, I had entered it in a very first competition and later learned that I got a third place ribbon, which for me at the time, had me on cloud nine. It also showed that people in the club were giving objective feedback, and not just being nice to the new member.
:bigmug:
Click to expand...
There are a few clubs around me that I've thought about joining; for me it's getting off my kiester and making the effort to get there once every two weeks. And I'm kinda shy in social situations, to the point that even at 54 years old I don't like walking into a taproom/bar/tavern by myself. Husband has been nagging me for a couple of years to join a club, maybe this year will be the year.
 
this is my hydro flotaing at what i'd guess is 0.995...

1651291398752.png


i'm thinking i need a box of pippets though, and distilled water.....here's my uncalibrated digital refrac....

1651291573813.png




this is another preemptive "just planing tomorrows attack" post....i think even with the bubbles, 995 is ready for kegging! and a BRIX of 6.2 tells me, well, it probably needs to be calibrated? otherwise it's like 10% ABV....maybe if it tastes like gasoline, i'll post it in the begginers forum asking why! ;) j/k+ (but i might in brew science! ;)) and... sorry :mug: 🛌
 
seatazzz said:
There are a few clubs around me that I've thought about joining; for me it's getting off my kiester and making the effort to get there once every two weeks. And I'm kinda shy in social situations, to the point that even at 54 years old I don't like walking into a taproom/bar/tavern by myself. Husband has been nagging me for a couple of years to join a club, maybe this year will be the year.
Click to expand...
Wow that’s a really active club schedule the LI clubs meet once a month. You can be shy, and act outgoing, as long as it isn’t too uncomfortable. One thing is for sure, you are an excellent brewer!
 
Kegged the Mexican and bottled the Rye Stout. Washed two fermenters. Planning a Japanese lager as soon as we free up a keg.
Using lager yeast since adding the aquarium chiller is so easy but still need to use up the Kveik at some point.

The plan.... Japanese Rice Beer 5 gallons
2kg rice crushed and cooked.
2.1666 kg 2 row
I gr gypsum.
A dash of lactic acid
Mash at 148 / 152 for one hour.
Sorachi Ace .5 at 30
.5 at 10
1 at flameout
34/70 two
Ferment at 13c for 10 days then raise to 21 for another 3-7 days.
Keg, condition one month (maybe)
 
Finally managed to get my butt moving and cleaned out the garage. Lots of trash & boxes out, winter things moved up to the rafters along with old fermenting buckets I don't use right now, floor swept, TONS of room out here now. Dogs are very confused. Still need to go buy a new mop head so I can get the crud off the floor, but quite proud of myself. Also just took the hopper off the grain mill to clean it, used some canned air on the actual mill and quite happy with the way it looks after three years of hard use. Relaxing now with a delicious glass of a blonde I did on Lutra, it's very tasty.
 

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