Recent content by beyondthepale

Well, my theory is that as long as it tastes good, it's good beer. Don't suppose you have a pic, sounds to me like it just lacks head retention.

One further comment: Of the two, I'd say the Ragnar's the more easily "accessible", especially to people who aren't afficionados of the finer points of booze. For those that DO appreciate such things, the Rabbit's Foot is probably the more interesting. But, like I said, they're both...

I was recently thrilled to find not one, but THREE meaderies represented at a local Whole Foods Market in Bay Area, CA! I'd never had mead before, apart from one botched attempt at making it. There were two from a local meadery in Sunnyvale, called Rabbit's Foot. A Sweet and a Dry. There...

Portsmouth, hey buddy! I'm from Keene myself, though I now reside in sunny sunny California. I miss the snow a lot more than I thought I would.

So, I brewed this IPA. The basic idea was to take British IPA flavors, and do it American style, beefing everything up. Four ounces of Northern Brewer, four of Goldings. DME, Crystal malt, Carapils, and toasted barley. I only did a three gallon boil, and I'm quite sure I didn't get full...

First time kegging a beer; setup, beer, and brewer.

First time kegging a beer; setup, beer, and brewer.

What I do nowadays is I put my iPod on "Shuffle" and let it decide what I should listen to. So, it varies between classic rock, hard rock, heavy metal, gangsta rap, hip hop, old school, reggae, bluegrass, country, R&B, funk, alternative, grunge, jambands, jazz, electronica, and whatever the...

Well, I have been ardently pursuing the art of the mild ale recently. My Nothin' To It is pretty damn mild, not just in ABV but in flavor and body. I'm trying to nail that light, tasty, quaffing-by-the-quart-with-dinner ale. And coming up with some interesting beers in the process...

...How much a beer can change in the bottle. I just today pronounced the Nothin' To It Mildest Ale finished and drinkable. This was a very small beer, 4lb DME 1/4lb crystal, 1/4lb carapils, 2 oz. chocolate, an ounce of Fuggles for 60 minutes and a half ounce for ten. When I tasted it during...

Ah ha. I knew there had to be some good reason why this wouldn't work, or I'd've heard about it already...

Well, yeah, that too. And that's basically what I told him, but it got me curious. I can't actually say definitively that it WON'T work, because I don't know anyone who ever has. But I'll bet somebody here's tried it. If not, I might even have to do a test jar next time I brew...

So, the other day some aspiring brewer asked me wether Mason jars would be good for bottling beer. My immediate reaction was "No, not really." But then I got wondering about it, and I figure somebody out there has tried that, and then I thought I'd come here and ask that. So, anyone ever try...